Author: Stephen Fenech

The design of the new iPhone SE is an old favourite but most of the changes and improvements are under the hood for Apple’s most affordable iPhone. Think of this as putting a new engine into the chassis of an older car. You get better performance, faster speeds and a few extra capabilities but in the familiar shape and size of something you’ve loved for years. In the case of the iPhone SE, this new engine is the A15 Bionic processor and 5G connectivity to bring it up to speed with the latest flagship devices. Tech Guide used the iPhone…

Barely a month after launching its flagship Galaxy S series of smartphones, Samsung has now turned its attention to the affordable end of the market with the release of its impressive Galaxy A series of devices. There are five new Samsung Galaxy A smartphones with the Galaxy A53 5G and Galaxy A33 5G the new stars of the show. These affordable stylish and slim devices are powered by a brand-new processor and feature the Galaxy’s signature AI camera along with a large bright display and up to two-day battery life. The Galaxy A smartphone range includes the Galaxy A13 4G…

If you’ve got the 24-inch iMac, there a product specially designed for it – it’s the BackPack from TwelveSouth which creates storage space on the back of the computer. Designed exclusively for the colourful 24-inch iMac range, the BackPack is a small aluminium shelf that attaches to the back of the stand. This creates space to help you declutter your desktop. You can hide portable hard drives on the BackPack or USB hubs used to connect peripherals and other monitors. Its location on the back of the iMac puts these items close to all the ports on the bottom left…

It might not look it, but the latest iPad Air has had quite the update with new features, even faster performance and now 5G connectivity that make it the ideal companion to work, play and to enjoy your content. We see the iPad Air as “the middle iPad” because it offers a lot more power than the entry level iPad but is far more affordable than the iPad Pro. Since its upgrade last year, with the new all screen design, the iPad Air has a lot more in common now with the iPad Pro than the entry level iPad. And…

Samsung has announced the pricing and availability of its 2022 line-up of Neo QLED and Lifestyle TVs and responded to customer demands for larger screen sizes and improved picture and audio quality. Samsung says the 75-inch size is now the most popular with 85-inch growing fast and this has been reflected in the 2022 range which more 75-inch and 85-inch models than ever before. Samsung’s new TV range introduces new technologies to provide incredible colour and brightness and crisp lifelike pictures which can be enjoyed even in bright rooms – typical of Australian living conditions. Samsung’s new TV’s and accessories…

Lend us your ears to stay updated and educated about the latest consumer tech news and reviews with Episode 493 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast hosted by editor Stephen Fenech. On this week’s show: We go through the products unveiled at Apple Peek Performance event, Screen Australia creates a $6m fund for emerging game developers and the new dating app that can fast track your path to love. In the Tech Guide reviews, we take a listen to the LG XBOOM 360 speaker, we take a look at Panasonic’s personal air purifier and our thoughts on the teaser trailer…

Bose has unveiled its latest addition to its SoundLink Bluetooth portable speaker line-up – the SoundLink Flex – which has a rugged design and superior audio quality so you can hear your music anywhere. The Bose SoundLink Flex is designed to go anywhere and, with the IP67 rating, it is waterproof and dustproof. In fact, it will go right on playing if you drop it in water because it floats. And being dustproof you can also take it to the beach. The Bose SoundLink Flex is built from strong silicone and has a powder-coated steel grille so it can handle…

One of the most anticipated and rumoured Apple products in the last two years is faster and larger screen iMac but, with the release of the Mac Studio and Studio display last week, a new bigger iMac may now never be released. Apple confirmed to Tech Guide last week that the 27-inch iMac has officially been discontinued leaving the M1-powered 24-inch iMac as your only choice for an all-in-one desktop Mac computer. What we’ve been expecting and what’s been circulating heavily in the Apple rumour mill is the introduction of a 32-inch iMac which would be powered by Apple’s faster…

To create a big sound you need a big speaker and that’s exactly what you get with the LG XBOOM 360 which is designed to fill your home space with quality audio. It’s also meant to be enjoyed anywhere and comes with a handle on the unit so you can easily carry it room to room or anywhere you want to enjoy the huge sound. The stands 51.4cm high and is 24.8cm wide and weighs a hefty 5.8kg. It has a conical design and has been engineered to deliver the same sound in all directions so, unlike regular speakers, there…

No women, no kids – that’s the rules. This week on The Best Movies You’ve Never Seen podcast we’re watching Leon: The Professional starring Jean Reno and an 11-year old Natalie Portman in her first movie role. It tells the story of a professional hitman who takes in an orphaned young girl after her family is murdered. She asks him to teach her how to “clean” so she can get her revenge over the people who wiped out her family, including her beloved four-year old brother. Stephen has watched the shorter (and better) version of the movie many times while…

Premium audio brand Denon has released a Home Subwoofer that can be linked to the Denon Home Soundbar 550 or any Denon Home Wireless speaker to add clear and powerful bass. The Denon Home Subwoofer has an 8-inch woofer housed in a sleek compact unit that matches the other Denon speaker and soundbars. The subwoofer can be simply plugged into power and wirelessly linked to the other Denon audio products. It’s also possible to hook up the Denon Home Subwoofer, which has HEOS Built-In, to the Denon Soundbar 550 and add a pair of Denon Home Speakers to create a…

Screen Australia has announced it will support Australian game creators by providing direct funding of up to $6 million over the next two years. The new Games: Expansion Pack fund is aimed at emerging or small to medium independent Australian game developers. Screen Australia’s $6 million fund will include up to $3 million and will run for the 2021/22 and 2022/23 financial years. Australian game studios can receive funding for the development of games on any video platform including PC, mobile and console with budgets below $500,000. Companies developing higher budget games with budgets more than $500,000 will also receive…

Two Blokes Talking Tech Episode 526 – with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long – takes a deep dive into the new products announced during Apple’s Peek Performance event. Stephen and Trevor discuss the iPhone SE, the updated iPad Air, new green iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro, the new Mac Studio and Studio Display that is powered by Apple’s new M1 Ultra silicon. Also on the show, is popular pre-paid brand Boost Mobile testing 5G for its customers and the Seagate FireCuda Beskar Ingot drive inspired by the Mandalorian. You can listen to the show right…

Disney+ has released the first tantalising glimpse of the upcoming Obi-Wan Kenobi TV series starring Ewan McGregor with an amazing teaser trailer. The series is set 10 years after the events of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith which saw the Jedi Order decimated by the newly formed Galactic Empire. https://youtu.be/hVL-Llo0TNk Kenobi (played by Ewan McGregor who reprises his role from the Star Wars prequels) is in hiding on Tatooine after delivering an infant Luke Skywalker to the Lars family – Luke’s uncle and aunt. But the trailer reveals Kenobi is still being hunted by the Empire who…

Move over Tinder and Bumble, there’s a new dating app on the block called Hello Tiger that’s been designed to fast track the time it takes to find your perfect match. Hello Tiger is an Australian app that has turned digital dating on its head with a system that’s like virtual speed dating. Like conventional dating apps, Hello Tiger helps you find a match but when you do there is no waiting to send or receive a message. Instead, the matched couple is linked in a 60 second video chat to see right away if there’s a spark that’s worthy…

Apple has introduced an all-new Mac desktop and display – the Mac Studio and Studio Display – which are aimed at the high-end users to deliver a level of performance, connectivity and capabilities that have never been seen before. And it’s all powered by Apple’s brand new M1 Ultra processor which Apple says is the most powerful chip for a personal computer ever produced. Mac Studio is a compact yet powerful desktop computer that’s built from a single aluminium extrusion that measures 19.7cm wide and 9.5cm tall so it takes up very little space and can fit under most displays.…

Apple has updated the popular iPad Air with the Apple-designed M1 chip, added a new ultra-wide front camera with Centre Stage and introduced 5G connectivity. The all-screen iPad Air has had a significant performance bump thanks to the new M1 chip which makes it even more versatile to work, create and play while still offering improved power efficiency and all-day battery life. The M1 chip includes an 8-core CPU which makes it 60 per cent faster than the previous model and an 8-core GPU for 2X faster graphics performance. The 16-core Neural Engine also lays the platform for advanced machine…

Apple has announced two new colours for the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 Pro line-up – Green and Alpine Green – which will be offered alongside the existing range of impressive colours. The new Green will be offered for the iPhone 13 and iPhone 13 mini and Alpine Green for the iPhone 13 Pro and iPhone 13 Pro Max. The green iPhone 13 (6.1-inch display) and iPhone 13 mini (5.4-inch) are now available with a green colour-matched aluminium frame and precision milled back glass. For the iPhone 13 Pro (6.1-inch) and iPhone 13 Pro Max (6.8-inch), the new Alpine Green…

Apple has unveiled its latest and most affordable iPhone – the new iPhone SE which might have a familiar design but now boasts the same performance as the iPhone 13 and the same super-fast 5G connectivity. It will be priced from $719 and will go on sale on Friday March 18. The iPhone SE retains its iconic design but is now powered by the same A15 Bionic chip – the same silicon onboard the flagship iPhone 13. The device is rated at IP67 for water and dust resistance and is constructed from aerospace-grade aluminium with the toughest glass in a…

Stay updated and educated about the latest consumer tech news and reviews with Episode 492 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech. On this week’s show: the Australian start-up that allows EV drivers to charge their vehicles with renewable energy, Australian businesses have been warned about a probable Russian cyber attack and Coles have taken to the air with grocery deliveries by drone. In the Tech Guide reviews, we run our eye over the Samsung Galaxy S22+ and S22 Ultra, we road test the new Ecovacs Deebot Neo robot vacuum and Gran Turismo 7 starts its…