Author: Stephen Fenech

Nearly one in five Australian workers may continue to work from home despite the easing of COVID restrictions, according to research published by the CSIRO and the NBN. Before the pandemic one in 20 Australians worked from home but the Staying Connected report shows different behaviour and habits have formed during the pandemic. Working from home was more common in Melbourne (28 per cent) and Sydney (27 per cent) which endured sustained outbreaks and lockdowns over the previous year compared to other cities like Perth (18 per cent), for example. The report suggests that working from home is likely continue…

It’s Day 5 of Tech Guide’s 2021 12 Days of Christmas Gift Ideas which is designed to help you find the right gift for your family and friends. Today is Day 5 and we’re talking about all things gaming starting from consoles and going all the way to the actual games and accessories. Here are Tech Guide’s 12 Days of Christmas Gift Ideas: Day 1: Cameras Day 2: Smartphones Day 3: Wearables/smartwatches Day 4: Headphones/speakers DAY 5: Gaming DAY 6: Tablets/e-readers DAY 7: Drones/Gadgets DAY 8: Smart/IoT devices DAY 9: In-car gadgets DAY 10: TVs/Blu-Ray/4K DAY 11: Appliances DAY 12: Computers DAY 5: GAMING BACKBONEONE – $179.99 The iPhone has become one…

YouTube has released the most popular videos we’ve been watching on the platform in 2021 with comedy and gaming the most watched categories. Superwog and LazarBeam were, once again, the most popular local content creators. Local superstar The Kid LAROI ranked among the global superstars in the most watched music videos. https://youtu.be/rCMdonni7_Y The most watched video on YouTube was MrBeast’s 50 hours Buried Alive which was up to 149 million view at last count. Collectively, the top 10 videos were watched more than 455 million times, and the channels behind them has a total of more than 268 million subscribers.…

LG has made vacuuming even easier with the launch of the new CordZero all in one tower hand stick vacuum cleaner which can automatically empty the dustbin every time it’s placed on the dock. The all-in-one tower for the LG CordZero vacuum range takes convenience to a new level. The tower can now also neatly store your accessories while still charging both the vacuum and spare battery at the same time. On top of that, it can now automatically empty the dustbin thanks to a sophisticated three-step filtration system which uses three components to lock away dirt and dust. When…

We’re up to Day 4 of Tech Guide’s 2021 12 Days of Christmas Gift Ideas we want to help you find the right gift for your family and friends in this busy shopping period. It’s Day 4 and we’re talking about one of the most popular tech category – headphones, earphones and speakers which will be on everyone’s shopping list. Here are Tech Guide’s 12 Days of Christmas Gift Ideas: Day 1: Cameras Day 2: Smartphones Day 3: Wearables/smartwatches Day 4: Headphones/speakers DAY 5: Gaming DAY 6: Tablets/e-readers DAY 7: Drones/Gadgets DAY 8: Smart/IoT devices DAY 9: In-car gadgets DAY 10: TVs/Blu-Ray/4K DAY 11: Appliances DAY 12: Computers DAY 4: Headphones/Speakers BOSE…

Apple has today revealed the most popular artists, songs and the albums we’ve been streaming and listening to on Apple Music in 2021. The Apple Music 2021 charts reveal the most streamed songs in Australia, the most streamed albums in Australia, the most Shazamed songs and even the most read lyrics. Australian artists fared well in the charts including: — #1 most Shazamed Song globally in 2021 (Masked Wolf – Astronaut In The Ocean) — Justin Bieber’s #1 most Shazamed song in 2021 (The Kid LAROI & Justin Bieber – Stay) — #1 most Shazamed Song in Australia in 2021…

Tech Guide’s 2021 12 Days of Christmas Gift Ideas is right here for you and is offering suggestions to help you find the right gadget gifts for your family and friends. Today is Day 3 and we’re taking a look at another popular and rapidly growing product category – wearables and smartwatches. These devices will once again be in huge demand so we can keep an even closer eye on our health and fitness and seeing the notifications from our smartphone. Here are Tech Guide’s 12 Days of Christmas Gift Ideas: Day 1: Cameras Day 2: Smartphones Day 3: Wearables/smartwatches Day 4: Headphones/speakers DAY…

Go to the top of the class by listening to Episode 479 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, research suggests most of the social media savvy Gen Z are actually digitally illiterate, Apple has introduced Digital Legacy to determine who can access your iPhone after you die and Telstra has developed technology that can block annoying scam text messages. In the Tech Guide reviews, we check out the Surface Go 3 Windows 11 tablet, Binge…

Optus has expanded its successful Donate Your Data programme to now invite customers to donate their unused smartphones to people in need. A large section of the community is being left behind because they don’t have access to a smartphone and internet connectivity. Optus has partnered with charity organisations to make Donate Your Device a reality. Customer will be able to bring their handset to their nearest Optus store. The donated smartphone will be cleaned and wiped of any data to prepare it for donation. The device will help connect loved ones, provide access to education, job opportunities, offer access…

Christmas is almost here we’re here to help you find the right gift for your friends and family with Tech Guide’s 2021 12 Days of Christmas Gift Ideas. On Day 2 of the 2021 12 Day Christmas Gift Guide we’re looking at a popular tech category – the smartphone. And parents might also be gifting their child their first smartphone this Christmas. Others may want to upgrade to a better smartphone or get their hands on their first 5G phone which are now more affordable than ever. Here are Tech Guide’s 12 Days of Christmas Gift Ideas: Day 1: Cameras Day…

Telstra has begun testing new technology that will be able to block scam SMS messages at a time when the number of scams received by Australians has increased to all new levels. This year Telstra received 11,100 SMS scam reports from customers compared to just 50 in 2020. “All of us have probably had an SMS scam message appearing on our phones – that strange, unexpected, garbled and invasive message with an invitation to click on the link to what is partially a malicious website attention,” said Telstra CEO Andy Penn. “But as SMS scams become more common, we’ve been…

Christmas is nearly here – just over three weeks away, in fact – but there’s still time to find the right present for your friends and family with Tech Guide’s 2021 12 Days of Christmas Gift Ideas. We’re kicking off our 12 Days of Christmas Gift Guide in 2021 we’re taking a looking at cameras. Dedicated cameras are popular even though our smartphones have a high quality camera onboard. But these cameras can go and do things that smartphones can’t. Here are Tech Guide’s 12 Days of Christmas Gift Ideas: Day 1: Cameras Day 2: Smartphones Day 3: Wearables/smartwatches Day 4: Headphones/speakers DAY 5: Gaming…

I just had to kill a lot of people!!! And return some videotapes! This week on The Best Movies You’ve Never Seen podcast we’re watching American Psycho starring in Christian Bale in the role the kick started his career. Based on the controversial Bret Easton Ellis novel, American Psycho is a black comedy and twisted satire about the excesses of the 80s and yuppie culture with some murders and executions thrown in. Stephen Fenech has read the book several times and watched the movie many more times and takes first time watcher Trevor Long through the memorable scenes and shares some…

Lend us your ears for Episode 514 of the Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long as they discuss the week’s biggest tech stories and products. This week, we look at the most popular product for Christmas, TPG’s 5G record, the Traeger Ironwood 885 smoker grill with wi-fi, Huawei’s MateBook and the HomePod Mini is available in new colours. 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 page and…

LG smart TV owners will notice two new apps on their screen – Binge and Kayo Sports – so they can enjoy some of best movies and TV shows and stream the biggest live sporting events. From today, LG customers with a compatible TV (2018 models onward) will see the Binge and Kayo Sports apps which are now part of the TV’s webOS platform. While all the attention of today’s announcement went to Binge, eagle-eyed customers would have also noticed the Kayo Sport app icon was also right there next to the Binge app on their recent model LG TVs.…

Apple has introduced a new iOS feature called Digital Legacy which allows users to choose up to five people who will be able to access their data and personal information stored in iCloud after they pass away. Today nearly everyone has a smartphone, and we are all accumulating data and producing all kinds of digital content to capture our memories and there will be a time when we leave all of that behind for others to remember us by. Digital Legacy makes that a whole lot easier. The feature is still in a developer beta and will be part of…

Now you can add a bit of colour to your life after Apple released the HomePod Mini in brand new colours yellow, orange and blue to match your decor and style while still delivering high quality audio. Priced at $149, the HomePod Mini packs in a big sound for a speaker of its size and uses computational audio to provide an impressive acoustic experience. And because of its shape it delivers a rich 360-degree audio, so it sounds good from every angle. READ TECH GUIDE’S HOMEPOD MINI REVIEW If you have multiple HomePod Mini speakers, it’s possible to set them…

Generation Z might be experts when it comes to creating a TikTok or using social media platforms but they struggle to use office-based software according to new research. Known as “generation connected” or dot com kids, Generation Z have had technology their entire lives thanks to digital devices and social media. But alarming new research from Koenig Solutions shows less than one in five (17 per cent) of Gen Z (18 -24) say they feel more confident using office-based software than social media. This is the lowest of all the age brackets in the survey. By 2025, these young social…

Rode Microphones has unveiled its new addition to its range of wearable microphones – the Lavalier II – which is designed to be discreet while still providing superior sound quality and professional features. The Lavalier II as a new low-profile design and takes advantage of cutting-edge capsule technology to give it a unique form factor. Its shape makes it possible to sit flush against clothing and other mounting surfaces which offers even more freedom to content creators and presenters. Lavalier II has a new mounting clip that is even more compact plus a flat cable to make it even less…

Windows 11 is here and there are plenty of devices running the new operating system including Microsoft’s own Surface Go 3 tablet which can also be used like a laptop. Here you’re getting the convenience and portability of a tablet and the power of Windows 11 in the same unit. Now let’s be clear, this isn’t as powerful as the desktop or laptop but there is enough under the hood to get plenty done, stay connected and keep yourself entertained. The device has a 10.5-inch Full HD (1920 x 1080) PixelSense touchscreen as well as an adjustable kickstand so it can…