Author: Stephen Fenech

Nearly every single one of us is addicted to our smartphones in some way and our ability to disconnect could actually be affecting our health and wellbeing, according to a study by Monash University. The Australia-first study about this condition – nomophobia (no mobile phone phobia) – reveals 99.2 per cent of users have some level of fear of not having their mobile phone with them. For 13.2 per cent of the population this fear is so severe it leads to dangerous and illegal use of the device. The study was published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and…

Tech Guide has rounded up what we consider to be the best tech products of 2020. It’s been an unforgettable year to say the least and, because of the global pandemic, we’ve relied more on technology than ever before. In 2020 we’ve used tech to help us work from home and learn from home and keep ourselves entertained. In our awards video below we name what we think are the best products in a number of categories including: smartphone, earphones, headphones, tablet, networking, smart home, gaming, television, laptop and gadget. Now on with the show: here are our Tech Guide…

LG will come out of the gate at top speed in 2021 when it reveals its first ever QNED Mini LED TV at the virtual Consumer Electronics Show which kicks off on January 11. This will be LG’s top of the line offering in its premium LCD TV line-up and combines quantum dot and NanoCell technologies with Mini LEDS as the light source. There will be up to 30,000 tiny LEDs that offer a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1 with around 2,500 dimming zones along with advanced local dimming technology. The result is superior brightness, contrast and black levels that completely…

Rumours and leaked images are swirling ahead of the imminent release of the new  Samsung flagship Galaxy S21 smartphone in January. Samsung released the Galaxy S20 back in February 2020 before the world went into the COVID lockdown and the strongest rumours point to a virtual launch event on January 14, 2021 with a likely on-sale date of late January or early February. There are two new devices that are likely to be unveiled – the Galaxy S21 and the Galaxy S21+. Samsung may also release a S21 Ultra alongside these two models or later in the year. On the…

This time of year we maybe heading out on holidays but keeping an eye on your place when you’re not there is cheaper and easier than ever with the Ring Indoor Cam. Priced at just $99, the Ring Indoor Cam provides a fast and easy way to check in on your home remotely through the Ring app. Ring is the company behind the smart doorbell and the new Indoor Cam is the latest in the range of the company’s connected cameras. The Ring Indoor Cam is really small – it’s 7.5mm tall without the stand and 4.5cm wide – and…

Whether you’re camping, at the beach, by the pool or anywhere in the great outdoors you can still enjoy your music in great quality with the EcoXGear EcoXplorer speaker. The EcoXplorer is rated IP67 which means it is 100 per cent waterproof so it’s an ideal outdoor speaker. It is fully submersible and even if it does go into the water it will still float. EcoXplorer is built with a rugged drop proof design so it can easily handle the bumps and scrapes of outdoor living. The speaker is 33cm tall and 25.4cm wide and tips the scales at 4.5kg.…

With so many people working and learning from home nowadays it’s important to be comfortable which is why a product like the TwelveSouth Curve Riser can be very handy. The Curve Riser elevates the iMac or any other external display by 10.6cm to place it closer to eye level. This is friendlier angle for your neck and back, especially if you’re spending the better part of a work day in this position. And not only does it offer a more comfortable position for workers and creatives but the Curve Riser can be a handy storage or placement area for a…

If you’re thinking about abusing someone online – think again. Under a new world-leading Online Safety Bill under consideration by the Australian Government, this could cost $111,000 in a civil penalty. The Government proposal would give the eSafety Commissioner sweeping powers to remove comments and other harmful content from websites and social media platforms. And cowards hiding behind anonymous and fake accounts to post their bile will also be unmasked and publicly identified under these draft laws. The Online Safety Bill will require the removal of image-based abuse and cyber bullying content with 24 hours of receiving notice from the…

Tune in to Episode 431 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech, to stay updated and educated about the latest consumer tech news and reviews. On this week’s show, our last for 2020, Optus set to break its own 5G speed record, Google AI-powered cameras are coming to the rescue of bushfire affected wildlife and how you can relive childhood retro gaming memories. In the Tech Guide reviews, we take a look at the Samsung Premiere short throw project, we road-test the new Apple AirPods Max headphones and we check out the Dakota Side Table which…

The HyperX QuadCast S looks and sounds great – that’s not something you can say about many microphones. What makes the HyperX QuadCast S a standout is not just the impressive audio quality and ease of connection, but the mesmerising lights that change before your eyes. The condenser microphone is designed for streamers and podcasters and is a simple plug and play solution. It is positioned on an anti-vibration shock mount which helps cut down sounds of unwanted bumps and rumbles. https://youtu.be/FK3-njrl3is You can connect the HyperX QuadCast S to your Mac, PC or PlayStation console with the supplied USB-C…

Optus is set to break more 5G speed records as it expands its mmWave deployment in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Melbourne, Perth and Canberra with speeds expected to be 40 times faster than the NBN. On October 14, 2020, Optus clocked an Australian speed record of more than 2.8Gbps with a Samsung Galaxy S20 5G in Sydney. But Optus has already clocked speeds in excess of 4Gbps at test sites over the last five months with mmWave. mmWave technology is a faster form of 5G with even greater throughput and lower latency. mmWave doesn’t quite have the range of Sub 6…

Setting up a home theatre can be intimidating for some people – they have to consider a projector, speakers, AV receivers and cables and someone to put it all together. But Samsung has come along with The Premiere and put all of those things into a single product. Samsung, already the worldwide market leader in TVs, has poured its significant know-how into The Premiere LSP9T. It’s a smart TV in the shape of a 4K short throw projector. Instead of placing the TV on your entertainment unit, you position The Premiere in the same spot. But unlike a regular TV,…

Take a listen to Episode 467 of the Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long . It will be the last show of the fun yet informative tech podcast for 2020. On this week’s show, Apple Fitness+ kicks off, our verdicts on the Apple AirPods Max headphones, the Arlo Essential Wire-Free Doorbell, Apple’s new App Store privacy policy, how you can check the queue at Dan Murphy’s liquor stores and the Google AI powered cameras being used to keep an eye on bushfire affected wildlife. You can listen to the show right…

Home security is now within reach of all customers thanks to quality affordable connected cameras like the EZVIZ C3W Colour Night Vision Wi-Fi Outdoor and the C6N Smart Wi-Fi Pan and Tilt indoor security cameras. Whether we’re waiting for a package, monitoring the outside of our homes, making sure the kids are home and safe and checking in on your pets, these new EZVIZ cameras help you do all of these things. Both of these affordable cameras offer crisp full high definition video as well as two-way talk functionality. Through the EZVIZ app, users can remotely greet their children when…

Apple is helping last minute Christmas shoppers with a new service that can deliver your Apple product purchases to your doorstep in as little as three hours. Customers can already order and pay for their items on the Apple website and pick them up at their nearest Apple Store or a pick-up point like a newsagent or post office or have them delivered with regular postage for free. Apple is ensuring a safe and contactless shopping experience in its stores with temperature checks and face masks provided as well as limited store occupancy and physical distancing. The store and all…

Today we’re surrounded by technology and we’ve got content to stream and devices to charge. Wouldn’t it be nice if there was an attractive and functional piece of furniture that can blend into our décor but also meet our tech needs? As a matter of fact, there is. It’s called the Dakota Side Table from the Australian company Chapman Trading Co. The beautifully crafted circular table might look like regular table but it actually has under the hood – four Bluetooth speakers, a 6000mAh battery, Qi wireless charging, two USB ports for wired charging and an AUX input. The Dakota…

The Apple AirPods Max headphones are here! And they’ve lived up to my expectations. But with a price tag of a whopping $899 they’re not for everyone. Only a company like Apple, which prides itself as much on design as it does on functionality, can get away with the release of a product like this. Many Apple devotees who are firmly ensconced in the Apple ecosystem wouldn’t have even batted an eyelid before buying the AirPods Max. At this price, the AirPods Max are hundreds of dollars more expensive than even the most premium noise cancelling headphones from Bose, Sony…

Google Australia has launched a partnership with WWF-Australia and Conservation International and will use more than 600 AI-powered cameras to monitor wildlife in bushfire zones across Australia. We will never forget the heartbreaking images of wildlife caught in the ravaging bushfires. Nearly three billion native animals were in the path of the devastating fires with 119 threatened species identified as needing urgent help. The project, called an Eye on Recovery, will see more than 600 sensor cameras installed in landscapes impacted by last summer’s bushfires including the Blue Mountains, East Gippsland, Kangaroo Island, and South East Queensland. The project launched…

Retro gaming is huge at the moment. The new Arcade1Up gaming machines allows customers to relive their cherished childhood when gaming arcades were the place to be. And people like me who are old enough to remember these classic games are looking at recreating those glory days so a product like Arcade1Up is ideal. There are five models to choose from and each has a different size and form factor. For our review we played the Arcade1Up 8-in-1 Namco Pac-Man ($499) which has eight games onboard – Pac-Man, Super Pac-Man, Pac n Pal, Galaga, Galaxian, Dig Dug, Mappy and Xevious.…

Lend us your ears and tune in to Episode 430 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast so you can stay updated and educated about the latest consumer tech news and reviews. On this week’s show we chat with cyber security expert Mark Gorrie from NortonLifeLock and he shares his tips on how to stay safe online this Christmas, Apple releases new $900 AirPods Max headphones and we take a look at the improvements of the latest Tesla Model 3. In the Tech Guide reviews, we check out the new Arlo Essential Wire-Free Video Doorbell, Uniden has launched its new App…