Author: Stephen Fenech

Tune in to Episode 427 of the Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech, to stay updated and educated about the latest tech news and products – and to hear our interview with the one and only Sandra Sully. On this week’s show, we take a close look at the M1-powered MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro – and boy were we impressed. There’s a new streaming service for those who love British TV and in the Celebrity Tech segment we interview news icon Sandra Sully and share her views about Twitter, the state of Australian journalism in the…

One of the biggest worries for customers, especially seniors, is keeping their home phones after the NBN rollout. But there is a way to keep your number even if you don’t connect to the NBN. myhomefone allows users to keep their home phone and their phone number even without the NBN. The NBN rollout meant customers had to use the new network to connect to the internet and to connect their home phones. This has caused a lot of anxiety for older customers who didn’t necessarily want the NBN but who still wanted a home phone. Most thought the only…

Audible, the world’s largest producer and provider of audiobooks, has teamed up with the Empty Esky tourism campaign to encourage more travellers to hit the road and help support local businesses with access to free audiobooks at more than 70 destinations. Research by Audible has shown that, not surprisingly, 52 per cent of Australians say the length of the drive is the biggest turn off for road trips. But 8.9 million Aussies say they listen to audiobooks because it makes their drive go faster. In the Empty Esky campaign, Audible is giving away more than 60 hours of entertainment for…

The Xiaomi Mi Portable Air Compressor is a handy companion for drivers and riders – it can top up your car tyre air pressure as well as pump motorcycle and bike tyres and balls. The unit, which is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, allows users to check their tyre pressure and top it up If needed. Priced at just $99, the Xiaomi Mi Portable Air Compressor does not require any external power so you can carry it and use it anywhere. The front display shows the desired pressure which can be set using the directional…

If you’re a fan of British drama and comedy – we have great news. An all-new streaming service called BritBox has just launched in Australia which puts the best of British TV in one place. BritBox has landed in Australia following a partnership between BBC Studio and ITV after successful launches in the US, Canada and the UK. The content for Australian BritBox subscribers has been specially curated to include classic and contemporary British series along with exclusive and premiere titles which span crime, drama, comedy and mystery. The BritBox service is accessible through an app which will run on…

If you love camping and hiking but you still want to stay entertained in the great outdoors then EcoXGear has some rugged waterproof products that means you still have some of life’s comforts with you. The EcoXGear range includes a carabiner that’s also a powerbank, a compact lightweight speaker and a lantern that’s also a speaker. ECOXGEAR ECOXCHARGE CLIP – $49.99 The ExoXCharge Clip is an oversized carabiner that can be easily attached to your clothing or a backpack. Built in is a 3,350mAh battery so you can still keep all of your devices, including your all-important smartphone, charged while…

Not everyone can connect to the NBN and other want faster speeds that the NBN can offer so a product like the Netgear Orbi 4GX Router with Satellite can be the perfect solution. The Netgear Orbi 4GX router with Satellite (LBK 1220) takes the company’s award-winning technology and delivers whole home wi-fi to keep you connected for your streaming, gaming and other online activities. And the connection comes from a Telstra SIM card which can offer typical download speeds of up to 300Mbps – three times faster than the NBN. The unit and it’ satellite can share that connection with…

Tune in to Episode 462 of the entertaining and informative 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, Apple reduces App Store commissions for small businesses, we take a look at the new Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War game, our verdicts on the M1-powered MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro, the HomePod mini, the Felix telco that’s environmentally-friendly and how to protect yourself from online scammers this Christmas. You can listen to the show right here on…

IKEA Australia has opened its smallest store ever – it is the size of your smartphone’s screen.  IKEA Australia has launched its new app so users can search, shop and buy IKEA products anywhere from their mobile device. This latest IKEA app replaces the older app with improved functionality that improves the mobile shopping experience for customers. And rather than just being a digital catalogue, the IKEA Australia app focuses on providing inspiration for customers with impressive lifestyle imagery for each area of the home to generate ideas and create wider choices. Customers can use the IKEA app on the…

Apple has reduced its App Store commission from 30 per cent down to 15 per cent in a new  developer program designed to encourage small businesses to embrace innovation in a COVID world. The commission reduction, which comes into effect on January 1, is aimed at smaller developers and entrepreneurs who want  to increase their business’s online footprint. Companies can qualify for the reduced 15 per cent commission if they earn less than $US1 million in the calendar year. If they earn more than $US1 million the commission jumps back up to 30 per cent. The App Store Small Business…

Oppo has unveiled a new X 2021 concept smartphone with a rollable OLED display at its annual INNO DAY 2020 via a virtual livestream which will allow users to easily adjust the size of the product’s screen to suit whatever they are doing. In the closed position the X 2021 has a 6.7-inch display which can be extended to 7.4-inches just by pulling it open and giving users have more options to meet their productivity and entertainment needs. The user can adjust the display depending on their needs whether it’s sending an email, checking social media, multitasking or watching video…

If we had to sum up our reviews of the new MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro powered by Apple’s new M1 processor in one sentence we’d say – “better and faster with brilliant battery life”. The extra speed is obvious even for simple things like waking from sleep, unlocking with your fingerprint and opening applications which now snap open in an instant. But the real improvements can easily be seen when using more sophisticated applications like Final Cut Pro, Adobe Photoshop and when playing graphics-heavy games. Probably the most dramatic improvement you will see is the battery life. We…

Do yourself a favour and take a listen to Episode 426 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast hosted by editor Stephen Fenech so you stay updated and educated about the latest consumer tech news and reviews. We give you our verdicts on the Sony PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series X gaming consoles and Apple unveils its own M1 processor and three new Macs with that new chip onboard. In the Tech Guide reviews, we run our eye over the new HomePod mini, MG Motor releases its first full electric SUV in Australian and Belkin launches the Boost Charge Wireless…

With Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales around the corner and Christmas shopping also upon us, we need to beware of cyber criminals targeting online shoppers. Scammers will see the increased number of people flooding to online marketplaces as an opportunity to go after Australian shoppers with credit card fraud and identity theft. The 2020 NortonLifeLock Digital Transformation Report shows that 57 per cent of Australians are doing more online shopping than ever before with more than 40 per cent now using a digital wallet. That means it’s game time for scammers. Online shopping scams have already cost Australians more…

Every year each Call of Duty game faces the same problem – following up the previous version game with something better. Each entry of the famous franchise Is always a hard act to follow but Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War still manages something fresh and exciting. The game takes us back to the early 80s when tensions between the US and Russia were at an all-time high and the Cold War was in full swing. And the game gets off to a flyer when one of the opening scenes features a stunningly realistic US President Ronald Reagan in…

We love versatile products and versatile is exactly the right word to describe the new Belkin Boost Charge Wireless Charging Stand and Speaker so you can hear your music or watch your content and charge your smartphone at the same time. The onboard speaker offers impressive audio quality so you can rock out while topping up your device’s battery through the Qi-certified wireless charger. It will fast charge at the optimal power at up to 10W and its protected by a two-year product warranty as well as a $2,500 connected equipment warranty The speaker can be found at the top…

Epson has released a range of exciting new products that can help users embrace the new normal of the COVID world yet still stay as productive and creative as ever. The new Epson products include new printers, a short-throw projector and a photo scanner. In a world where we need to work from home, keep our distance from co-workers if we are in the office and avoid unnecessary outside visitors, the Epson products can help all with all of that. EPSON ECOTANK ET5800 PRINTER – $1,199 The latest edition to the popular EcoTank range, the ET5800 is an A4 wireless…

Two Blokes Talking Tech Episode 462, with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long, covers the biggest tech stories and product announcements of the week. On this week’s show, Apple unveils its new M1 processor and the first three Macs the new processor will power, our verdicts on the iPhone 12 Mini and iPhone 12 Pro Max, we talk about the new gaming consoles – Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 – released this week, streaming service Stan to offer sport, MG releases its first electric vehicle in Australia, Sennheiser’s 75th anniversary headphones and DJI launches the Mini…

Apple has released the latest Mac OS Big Sur – the latest version of the desktop operating system for the iMac, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro Which includes numerous design and performance enhancements. Big Sur has also been engineered to take advantage of Apple’s new M1 chip on the latest 13-inch MacBook Pro, MacBook Air and Mac mini. current Mac users can instal the update for free by going to the Apple Menu > System Preferences > Software Update. Here are the new macOS Big Sur features: NEW DESIGN Big Sur has a slick new minimal look that borrows heavily…

It’s finally here. The PlayStation 5 went on sale this week and is set to propel gaming to an all-new altitude thanks to the incredible improvements under the hood. The PS5 has one of the most flamboyant designs we’ve ever seen on a product but we’re happy to report the beauty goes far beyond skin deep. Under the hood the PlayStation 5 has some remarkable specs Including the X86 AMD Ryzen eight-core 16 thread processor, 16GB RAM and the 825GB SSD solid state drive. The unit itself is a lot bigger than its predecessor, the PlayStation 4, with a unique…