Author: Stephen Fenech

Start your weekend with the Episode 524 of the Two Blokes Taking Tech podcast with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long as they take a look at the week’s biggest tech stories and products. On this week’s show, what we can expect to see at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Telstra and TPG Telecom, Telstra released the Smart Modem 3, BYD electric vehicles land in Australia, Peloton Lanebreak and the new Panasonic Lumix GH6. You can listen to the show right here on the Tech Guide site using the audio player below. Click on the Two Blokes…

Oppo today unveiled its new flagship Find X5 Pro smartphone which offers a sleek design, an improved display and an updated imaging system which produces stunning images and videos in any conditions. The device’s design, the company says, was inspired by the curved body of a spacecraft and uses only high-end materials. The rear panel is made of ultra-hard true ceramic that takes 160 hours to create. The Find X5 Pro has a 6.7-inch curved AMOLED screen which can display more than a billion colours and display the full P3 colour gamut. The device has multi-brightness colour calibration which allows…

The Russian invasion of the Ukraine is going to make the global semiconductor shortage even worse – and at a time when it showed signs of easing after the COVID pandemic. The war between these neighbouring countries, which supply key raw materials in the semiconductor industry, could set the chip supply shortage back so far, we might not get back to normal levels until 2024. This has had an obvious impact on a number of industries which rely on semiconductors for their products including electronics companies and car manufacturers. The Ukraine and Russia play an important role in the semiconductor…

LG is well known for its OLED TVs, but its new NanoCell Mini LED TV is a stunning option with excellent picture quality, impressive black levels and a powerful easy-to-navigate operating system. Tech Guide looked at the LG QNED91 65-inch Quantum Dot NanoCell Mini LED 4K TV. This TV is also available in 75-inch and 85-inch. While the LG OLED is the company’s flagship TV with inimitable black levels and superb colour, the new NanoCell TVs with Mini LED offer the sort of quality that’s not far behind. The TV uses quantum dot technology – similar to Samsung and Hisense…

Almost half of all Australians are almost maxing out their mobile data each month – we’re talking up to 60GB – according to comparison site Finder. Finder’s research found that 46 per cent use up all, or nearly all, of their mobile data per month on their smartphones. Today the average mobile plan includes 60GB of included data and we’re consistently burning through nearly all of it – that’s a cumulative total of 536,094 terabytes of mobile data per month. One in six (16 per cent) completely exhaust their mobile data each month and 23 per cent just don’t know…

The latest ASUS laptops are premium inside and out with sleek design backed by the flagship features that users are looking for to spark their creative juices. In fact, ASUS designed their latest laptop range with creators in mind. And when you think about it, we’re all creators to some degree whether it’s sharing a social media post or editing a feature film. ASUS knows this and have come up with laptops to meets the needs of creators at all levels – pro, prosumer and amateur. These new laptops include the Vivobook Pro 16X OLED (M7600), the Vivobook Pro 15…

Peloton – the connected bike and exercise experience – has rolled out new fitness content that combines a gaming aspect with the latest music for a new style of cardio workout. Peloton Lanebreak gamifies (yes, that’s a word) the exercise experience where riders can match and maintain their resistance or cadence based on the cues they see on the screen to get the highest possible store. So imagine a game that requires you to maintain a certain intensity – in this case your cadence and leg speed – while trying to avoid multiple obstacles. Riders control a wheel-like avatar and…

Telstra and TPG Telecom have announced a landmark network sharing agreement which will offer improved 4G and 5G coverage across Australian regional and outer urban areas. The 10-year multi operator core network commercial agreement will boost Telstra’s wholesale mobile bottom line and give TPG telecom access to more than 3700 of Telstra’s mobile network assets. As a result, TPG Telecom, the company behind Vodafone, TPG and iiNet, will improve its current 4G coverage from 96 per cent to 98.9 per cent of the population. In exchange Telstra will also have access to TPG Telecom spectrum on 4G and 5G which…

Go to the top of the class by listening to Episode 490 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech, so you can stay updated and educated about the latest consumer tech news and reviews. On this week’s show: BYD has launched its affordable electric vehicles in Australia and MG Motor has released a charger that works with all EVs, which smartphones hold their value better than others and while we embraced technology during the pandemic – Australians have now had enough and want a break. In the Tech Guide reviews, we’ll check out the Sony LinkBuds…

Panasonic has unveiled the highly anticipated Lumix GH6 flagship device in the company’s Lumix G Series which boasts a series of improvements across the board that filmmakers will love. The GH6 digital mirrorless cameras had a new 25.2-megapixel Live MOS Sensor which can deliver vastly improved dynamic range performance. On the design side, the camera has a rugged magnesium alloy diecast front/rear frame which is also splash and dust resistant and freeze resistant down to –10 degrees Celsius. Recording buttons are now located both on top and on the front of the camera to make it easier to stop and…

Telstra has launched its new Smart Modem 3 which offers the latest Wi-Fi 6 wireless speeds to improve your internet connection across your home. Telstra says the Smart Modem 3 has been tested against other NBN modems offered by its competitors and was found to have the fastest wi-fi speeds and higher quality networks and coverage. It brought in a third-party research company to approve its testing parameters when it pitted the Telstra Smart Modem 3 up against other popular NBN modems supplied by other providers including Sagecomm, Netcomm, Archer and TP-Link. The Telstra Smart Modem 3 offered more than…

Smartphones are like cars it seems. Some hold their value better than others when it’s time to trade them in and upgrade to the latest model. According to a study by phone trade-in site BankMyCell, iPhones hold their value better than any other brand of smartphone with Samsung not far behind. The research showed in a year, the iPhone’s value depreciated by 13.83 per cent compared with an Android phone’s 32.06 per cent drop in value on average. After four years, iPhones will lose 47.49 per cent of their value while an Android device will on average lose 78.94 per…

BYD has launched its first electric vehicle in Australia – and it will be one of the most affordable EVs on the market when it hits the road in July. The BYD ATTO3 with a range of 400km will be priced at $44,990 driveaway with the 480km range model priced at $47,990 driveaway. The BYD ATTO3 comes with a seven-year warranty and has power-adjustable seats, an electric panoramic sunroof and an eight-speaker system. The vehicle also includes a 12.8-inch rotating touch screen display (so it can be viewed in portrait or landscape) along with Bluetooth connectivity, DAB digital radio and…

What side are you on? This week on The Best Movies You’ve Never Seen podcast we’re watching the 1957 classic 12 Angry Men starring Henry Fonda. 12 Angry Men is the story of 12 men on a jury deliberating on what appears to be an open-and-shut case about a young man who allegedly murdered his father. Each member of the jury has their own opinions and prejudices which are exposed in their fiery discussions. Stephen has watched the movie many times but Trevor had never even heard of it – until now. We go through the memorable scenes and share…

Motorola has launched a new feature packed 5G phone – the moto g51 5G – that’s priced below $400 and delivers features to help users create and share content, connect and share. The moto g51 5G is the latest addition to the moto g line-up and includes a 6.8-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a powerful 50-megapixel camera system. The phone has a sleek and premium look with rounded corners and comes in Indigo Blue and Bright Silver. The device is running Android 11 and is powered by the Snapdragon 480 Plus Mobile Platform with 6GB RAM and a…

Join Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long – Two Blokes Talking Tech – for Episode 523 of their popular podcast which takes a look at the week’s biggest tech stories and products. This week, Australians embracing smart home devices, Sony launches the new LinkBuds earphones, 4K changes for Foxtel, Airtags get an update to prevent unwanted tracking of people, battery disposal made easier and the software that can clean your Mac and make it run faster. You can listen to the show right here on the Tech Guide site using the audio player below. Click on the…

Foxtel is expanding its coverage of 4K sports in 2022 across NRL, AFL, Formula One and the US masters golf with up to four events capable of being broadcast at the same time. But there are some changes for customers including the removal of the dedicated 4K sports channel. Instead, the 4K sports on Foxtel will be delivered via the internet which means owners of the iQ4 and the iQ5 (the set top boxes capable of supplying 4K content) will have to connect the unit to their home internet connection either via wi-fi or with an Ethernet cable. Tech Guide…

MG Motor Australia and New Zealand have released the MG Charge Hub – a new charger which will work with every type of electric vehicle. The unit can be installed in your home, office or hospitality venue and offers Type 2 charging capability. There are two units to choose from – the 7kW single phase and an 11kW three-phase configuration. As more and more people switch to driving electric vehicles, there will be an increase in the number of chargers available for drivers in the community. But the MG Charge hub can easily be installed in your home either mounted…

Samsung customers who got in early to pre order the new Galaxy S22 smartphone will be rewarded with an early delivery as soon as next week so they will have their devices in hand well before the official March 4 launch date. Samsung Australia confirmed to Tech Guide that a large shipment arrived in Australia today and the allocated stock will be rushed to customers as soon as the logistics allow. Customers were hoping their Galaxy S22 would arrive by the 22/2/22 – an appropriate date for Samsung’s latest flagship device. Garry MacGregor, Samsung Australia Vice President, IT and Mobile,…

For the last two years during the pandemic, Australians have been closer to their technology than ever before but now we’ve had enough with 58 per cent saying it’s time to take a step back. HP has created an interactive digital experience called REFLCT, a first of its kind evidence-based algorithm which can analyse our technology usage and reflect on the value it brings to our lives. This research revealed that nine in 10 Australians agreed technology played a vital part in keeping us connected with family, partners, friends and work colleagues. But the same research also showed that 58…