Author: Stephen Fenech

Netgear has launched the world’s first quad band Wi-Fi 6E mesh router system In Australia to give users the ability to create a fast and reliable wireless network for the growing number of devices we’re connecting in our homes. The Netgear Orbi Quad Band Mesh Wi-Fi System (RBKE960 Series) adopts the new Wi-Fi 6E standard with an additional 6GHz wi-fi band to offer quad band performance for faster speeds to even more connected devices. It’s no secret our reliance on our wi-fi networks has increased as we work from home, learn from home and go about our usual activities like…

Two Blokes Talking Tech Episode 538, with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long, take a look at the announcements from Apple’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference. Stephen and Trevor discuss iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS Ventura and watchOS 9 and also chat about the new MacBook Air with Apple’s new M2 chip. Also on the show, the new Hisense 2022 range of TVs have been announced – the blokes discuss the different models, the different sizes and the pricing. You can listen to the show right here on the Tech Guide site using the audio player below. Click on…

Hisense has announced the pricing and availability of its 2022 line-up of smart TVs – its largest range to date – which includes a new OLED model, improved ULED, Mini LED and Laser TV. The launch event was held before Game 1 of the State of Origin series at Accor Stadium – Hisense is a major sponsor of the NRL after all. Hisense has taken Australians demand for larger screens into account with models ranging from 55-inch up to a massive 98-inch within the ULED range and up to 120-inch with the Laser TV.  “In 2022, the viewing habits of…

The highly-anticipated new chapter of Infinity Ward’s Call of Duty game – Modern Warfare II – has been unveiled with the promise of stunning new and innovative gameplay and next-level multiplayer combat. Call of Duty Modern Warfare II offers an immersive narrative-driven story line and brings back the popular members of Task Force 141 including John “Soap”Mactavish, Kyle “Gaz” Garrick, Simon “Ghost” Riley, Captain John Price and Colonel Alejandro Vargas. https://youtu.be/2CptIvTNGgg The previous Modern Warfare – a remake of the iconic 2007 original game – offered incredible realism and amazing sound. The sequel – Modern Warfare II – takes that…

Remembering a password could soon become a thing of the past after Apple introduced the new Passkeys at its Worldwide Developers Conference – a new secure sign-in method that’s confirmed with Face ID or Touch ID. Passkeys is more secure and easier to use and may very well be the first step towards a password-free future. Passkeys was first mentioned in the keynote while unveiling the new macOS Ventura software for Mac, but it will work across all Apple’s devices. With Passkeys, a unique digital key is generated and stored on the secure enclave of your device. This takes the…

It’s time to get updated and educated about the latest consumer tech news and reviews with Episode 505 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast hosted by editor Stephen Fenech. On this week’s show: Why Apple’s decision to make its own silicon is paying dividends, Dyson’s dust study that has some interesting findings for pet owners and Roborock releases the S7 MaxV Ultra Robot vacuum. In the Tech Guide reviews, we take a look at the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 earphones, we take a listen to the Sonos Ray sound bar and Sony has released a new range of Bluetooth…

Apple have previewed watchOS 9 with new and customisable watch faces and iPadOS 16 with powerful productivity and collaboration features at the Worldwide Developers Conference. watchOS 9 includes four new faces – Lunar which tracks the lunar calendar; Playtime – a piece of art that’s exclusive to Apple Watch and created with artist Joi Fulton; Metropolitan – a classic face which changes as the digital crown is rotated and Astronomy which now includes a star map and current cloud data. “Users around the world love Apple Watch for helping them stay connected to those they love, be more active throughout the…

Apple’s new macOS will be called Ventura and will offer new ways to work more efficiently and let you use your iPhone as a webcam with your Mac. macOS Ventura was revealed at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference and will be available as a public beta in July and available later this year as a free software update for iMac, MacBook Air, MacBook Pro and Mac Studio. “macOS Ventura includes powerful features and new innovations that help make the Mac experience even better,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “New tools like Stage Manager make focusing on…

Apple’s new iOS 16 software update for iPhone includes a range of new features and capabilities including a new personalised lock screen, shared iCloud photo library and the ability to recall a sent text message. The update was revealed at Apple’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference and will be available as a public beta from July. The free software update will go live in September. “iOS 16 is a big release with updates that will change the way you experience iPhone,” said Craig Federighi, Apple’s senior vice president of Software Engineering. “We have re-imagined how the Lock Screen looks and works with exciting new…

Apple has unveiled a redesigned MacBook Air at its Worldwide Developers Conference that’s powered by its very latest silicon – the M2 processor – which offers all new capabilities and never-before-seen power efficiency. Apple also introduced an updated 13-inch MacBook Pro that is also powered by the new M2 chip. Available from next month, the new MacBook Air with M2 will be available in four finishes – midnight, space grey, silver and starlight. Pricing will start at $1,899 with the product available from next month. The new M2 MacBook Air includes a 13.6-inch Liquid Retina display – that’s a larger…

Apple’s decision to create its own silicon for its Mac computers is paying dividends with new research revealing that one in three Australians planning to purchase a computer in 2022 are considering Apple’s M1 products. Telsyte’s Australian Tablet Computer Study 2022 says Apple silicon computers and tablets are gaining significant market share. Apple’s first M1-powered products were first released in 2020 and included the MacBook Air and the iPad. The Telsyte study showed one in four iPads sold in 2021 was powered by the high-performance M1 chip. Further developments and software updates are expected following Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference this…

Going in, there’s a high expectation about the new flagship Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 headphones which offer superior sound quality and equally impressive active noise cancellation. And those expectations are not only met – they are actually exceeded. These new Sennheiser earphones are at the premium end of the market and are priced that way at $399. And if you value sound quality, if you seek high fidelity audio and want impressive active noise cancellation – then the Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 3 earphones are in your wheelhouse. The earphones had a slight redesign and have a more curved…

If you want to get out of here, you talk to me! This week on The Best Movies You’ve Never Seen we’re watching Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior starring Mel Gibson and directed by George Miller. This was released in the US as simply The Road Warrior to attract a bigger audience because the original Mad Max had only a limited release in the US a few years earlier. Mad Max 2 plays like a standalone movie anyway with Max wandering the wasteland looking for the elusive gasoline which has become the currency in this dystopian future. Stephen has lost…

Get the complete picture of what’s happening in tech right now with Episode 537 of the Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long. On this week’s show: Telstra plans price hike, what we can expect from Apple’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference, our thoughts on the Sonos Ray soundbar, Sennheiser’s TV Clear to hear your TV even better and the growth of smartwatches. You can listen to the show right here on the Tech Guide site using the audio player below. Click on the Two Blokes Talking Tech link at the top of the…

Sony has expanded its range of wireless Bluetooth speakers with three new models that still deliver impressive sound and a light show to go with it. The new Sony portable speaker models are the SRS-XG300, SRS-SE300 and the SRS-XE200. These Sony speakers are designed to deliver a big sound from a relatively small unit and that’s delivered through Sony’s onboard X-Balanced Speaker Units and Dual Passive Radiators. One of the things you’ll notice is a more solid and punchier bass with less distortion and crisper high and mid-level sounds. The SRS-XG300 has MEGA BASS onboard to give listeners a night…

The robotic vacuum cleaner just got a whole lot smarter with the release of the Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra which offers a real hands-off cleaning solution for your home. The Roborock S7 MaxV Ultra was unveiled at a glittering event at Hayman Island where the product’s impressive abilities were demonstrated. Roborock wants you to spend more time relaxing and doing the things you enjoy and leave the cleaning to the S7 MaxV Ultra. The robotic vacuum cleaner has a docking station that includes three individual bins to store waste collected, clean water and the dirty water. The unit has an…

The Sonos Ray is a quality, yet affordable, soundbar that can noticeably improve your TV’s sound and take its place as speaker in your multiroom speaker set-up. This is the most affordable soundbar in the Sonos range at $399 and sits below the Sonos Beam ($699) and the Sonos Arc ($1,499) which offer more features and audio capabilities. In a good, better, best scenario, the Sonos Ray is the good but still punches above its weight in terms of providing solid audio quality for users frustrated with the tinny sound of their flat screen TVs. The Sonos Ray is quite…

Telstra has announced it will be increasing pricing for its mobile plans from July 1 to match CPI (Consumer Price Index) but at the same time the telco is significantly increasing data allowances across all their plans. And the price rise will apply to all Telstra customers with existing and new post-paid mobile and mobile broadband plans. “Over the last few years, we’ve been working to give our customers more certainty about how much their bill will be each month to help them budget,” a Telstra spokesperson said. “We introduced upfront, no lock in plans and scrapped excess data charges…

We love our pets, and we keep them close to us, but a new Dyson study has revealed they leave behind a lot more than just their pet hair and can have an impact on our health and wellbeing. Dyson’s annual global dust study involved 12,309 respondents from 11 countries, including Australia, and provided a deep insight into our cleaning habits and behaviours. The COVID pandemic increased our concern and awareness of cleanliness in our homes with 93 per cent of Australians cleaning just as much if not more than they did last year to make sure their homes are…

If you’re struggling to hear your TV, then you’ll need to check out the new Sennheiser TV Clear which offers the comfort and style of true wireless earbuds and includes a dedicated transmitter. Sennheiser TV Clear connects via Bluetooth to any TV with optical or analogue inputs through the transmitter and wirelessly connects to the earphones. They can also be used to make and receive calls on your smartphone. What makes these ideal for TV viewing is the dedicated transmitter which ensures low latency – that means what you’re hearing matches what you’re seeing on the television. For example, the…