Author: Stephen Fenech

Laser has expanded its range of GTEK Ultra-Certified HDMI 2.1 cables to include 3m and 5m options – the first time HDMI 2.1 cables are being offered in Australia at these lengths. In a world where gaming consoles, TVs, projectors and other home entertainment equipment are improving in quality and performance, there is a need for not only additional lengths but also the capacity which can supply up to 8K resolution, 120Hz compatibility, 48-bit colour, enhanced ARC (eARC), High Dynamic Range and 48Gbps transfer rate – that’s triple the bandwidth of a non-HDMI 2.1 cable. That means it can support…

Apple has announced a new “Unleashed” launch event next Tuesday morning which is likely to reveal new MacBook Pro laptops that are powered by Apple’s latest M1 processors. The event will be streamed live on Apple’s website from its Apple Park headquarters in Cupertino at 4:00am on October 19 (Sydney time). A month ago, Apple unveiled the iPhone 13 and Apple Watch Series 7 but this event will no doubt be focusing on the MacBook Pro models which will reportedly feature Apple new updated M1X processor. Rumours also suggest the new models will also have a slightly redesigned look including…

If you want to stay updated and educated about the latest consumer tech news and reviews then you need to listen to Episode 472 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech. On this week’s show: the company that turns old smartphones into works of art, the deal that’s going to help 40,000 household save on their energy bills and Kobo releases new e-readers so you can read or listen to your books anywhere. In the Tech Guide reviews, we take a look at LG 2021 C1 OLED TV, just how good can a $349 smartphone be…

At a time when the home office is more important than ever, HP has launched a new printing system called HP+ – a smart cloud ecosystem that allows users to print whenever and wherever they want. The days of having a printer that can only be used by the people closest to it is a thing of the past. For both consumers and small businesses, HP+ makes printing even smarter, more secure and more sustainable than ever before. In today’s home office, printing plays an even more important role. Your set-up can determine your levels of success and productivity when…

The iPad and the Apple Pencil are popular tools of the trade for artists and creators but not everyone likes sketching and writing on glass so Paperlike came up with a screen protector that gives the display a more tactile paper-like feel. As its name suggests, Paperlike is applied to the iPad’s screen like a screen protector, but it has a course texture to replicate the feeling and friction of pen on paper. Paperlike is available for the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, 11-inch iPad Pro and 10.9-inch iPad Air and the 10.2-inch iPad (Gen 7, 8 and 9). Each pack contains…

Well-known, globally respected audio brand JBL is celebrating its 75th Diamond Anniversary. For 75 years the brand has been supplying audio lovers with premium sound quality with its range of world class products. It all began in 1946 when James B Lansing, a radio engineer from Utah, made the monumental decision to create his own brand of speakers. Fast forward 75 years and JBL is now on the cutting edge of audio innovation on a global scale. https://youtu.be/WUWn1l8p1AI JBL has played a huge part in the music industry and has been at the centre of some of the world’s largest…

Just how good could a $350 smartphone be? When you’re talking about the TCL 20 R 5G – the answer to that question is very, very good actually. It’s also the cheapest 5G smartphone you can buy as well. With the 5G networks growing to cover even more of the Australian population, the TCL 20 R 5G allows users to tap into the faster network and enjoy even faster download speeds for downloading and streaming. TCL has shown yet again having a quality smartphone doesn’t have to cost you thousands of dollars. When it comes to buying a smartphone the…

Listen to the show with some fava beans and nice chianti! This week on The Best Movies You’ve Never Seen Podcast, Stephen Fenech and Trevor Long are watching The Silence of the Lambs.. The 1991 film, which swept the top five Oscars, tells the story of FBI recruit Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) who enlists the help of psychopath Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) to help catch a serial killer. Stephen and Trevor go through the film’s memorable scenes, unpack the behind-the-scenes facts, reveal some things you might not have noticed and things you didn’t know. You can listen to the show…

More than 40,000 households across 30 communities will be able to reduce energy consumption and power bills thanks to a new deal between leading Australian solar and battery installer Natural Solar and residential developer Stockland. Stockland, one of the largest residential developers in Australia, and Natural Solar have joined forces to help residents in communities in Victoria, NSW, Queensland and Western Australia to live more sustainably and save up to $1500 a year on their power bills. The deal also brings in another big player in the industry – Tesla, which has already built Australia’s biggest virtual power plant in…

Start your weekend with Episode 507 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. On this week’s show, the costly outage for Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp, Apple Watch Series 7 pricing and release date, Far Cry 6, new Kobo eReaders, TikTok hits a billion users and Canon’s new lens to shoot VR. 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…

When it comes to OLED, LG is the undisputed king and the new C1 OLED TV continues that tradition with incredible picture quality and impressive performance whether you’re watching movies, sport or playing games. OLED is still unrivalled when it comes to achieving superior black levels and stunning natural colour. With OLED (organic light emitting diode), each pixel – which is self-illuminating and is either on or off – acts like a back light. That means each of the more than 8 million pixels can be an individual dimming zone. Other TVs, like LG’s very own QNED range include Mini…

Technology as art. That’s what Grid Studio has created. It has taken apart old smartphones and portable gaming devices, laid the pieces out carefully and meticulously labelled them before being placing them inside of frame. Grid Studio kicked off its online business selling framed deconstructed iPhones and it took off. These hand-made pieces have become hugely popular and are in demand around the world. The devices that are made into the Grid frames are purchased, taken apart and cleaned before being carefully displayed and placed inside a wooden frame. https://youtu.be/qqfoBcNpiI8 The parts are separated so you can see the battery,…

We’ve already invested in a lot of Rode products to produce our podcasts and videos and the new PSA1+ Professional Studio Arm can bring them together so you can focus on creating great content. As we’ve seen with all of Rode’s products, the quality and attention to detail is immediately evident as soon as you take the PSA1+ Professional Studio Arm out of the box. It has a parallelogram spring design and is covered with neoprene to not only make it look better but to also further dampen any noise generated by the already dampened internal springs. Even when adjusting…

Canon has revealed the latest innovation for its EOS R system – a new virtual reality capture lens which fits into the RF lens mount so users can create 3D 180-degree VR content. The RF 5.2mm F2.8L Dual Fisheye lens was developed in response to the growth in demand for VR content in many sectors like training, travel, sport, live events and documentaries. This is Canon’s first ever interchangeable VR lens and makes virtual content creation easier than ever while still providing high quality and realism. The dual fisheye lenses have and ultra-wide 190-degree field of view and enables projection…

The iPhone has become one of the most popular gaming devices in the world and Backbone One now provides the physical controls to take the game to a whole other level. The Backbone One also comes into its own after the recent launch of the Xbox Cloud Gaming service which allows customers to play the latest Xbox games on their iPhone. It’s also compatible with Apple Arcade, Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Remote Play, PS Remote Play, Steam Link, Stadia and Amazon Luna. Backbone One is compatible with a number of games for those players who want more than the touch…

Rakuten Kobo has just unveiled two new eReaders which includes a number of new features – the Kobo Sage and the Kobo Libra 2 – that can take your digital reading experience to another level. The Kobo Sage and Kobo Libra 3 have a sleek ergonomic design and include Bluetooth so you can read your books and listen to Kobo audiobooks on the device as well. Both new devices have built-in ComfortLight PRO technology so you can read your books day and night and adjust the brightness and control the blue light level to reduce eye strain. Readers can also…

Tune in to Episode 471 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: Amazon’s new Echo products – but not all are coming to Australia, Apple make significant updates its iWork applications and now you can ride a Ducati for less than $900 In the Tech Guide reviews we take a look at the new iPad Mini and 9th Gen iPad, Huawei has moved into the audio business and Xbox launches Cloud Gaming. In the Tech Guide…

Apple today announced the new Apple Watch Series 7 will go on sale in Australia on Friday October 15, 2021, with pre-orders kicking off this week on October 8. Apple Watch Series 7 has a re-engineered always-on Retina display which has an even thinner border to allow for a larger viewing area while only minimally changing the device’s dimensions. The added screen space means you can now access a full qwerty keyboard along with two unique new watch faces – Contour and Modular. Onboard Apple Watch Series 7 is an 18-hour battery along with faster charging that will get the…

Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp are now back online after an internal server update went wrong and took the popular apps offline for more than six hours. Facebook – which owns Instagram and WhatsApp and host them from the same servers – went offline at 2.39am Sydney time after an update was made to the BGP (Border Gateway Protocol) records. BGP is basically a road map which directs the multitude of servers around the world to Facebook. Facebook has its own servers and does not rely on any other outside infrastructure to host the platform for its 2.89 billion members. It…

The 9th generation iPad is the one product in the entire line-up that is suitable to more customers to perform a variety of tasks while remaining at an affordable price. Yes, there are other options like the iPad Pro, the iPad Air and the new iPad Mini which have all-screen designs and more power, but the iPad (9th Gen) is no slouch either. The onboard A13 Bionic, which is 20 per cent faster than last year’s model, is more than capable whether you’re using the iPad for learning, working, playing or keeping yourself entertained. It also makes the iPad, according…