Author: Stephen Fenech

Huawei has today launched the Huawei Watch Fit – a stylish new smartwatch that encourages users to get moving and stay healthy with new scientific tracking features. The device has a 1.6-inch rectangular AMOLED face and syncs with the Huawei Health app so users can enjoy animated fitness courses and workout modes as well as record their latest data and performance in real time. Huawei Watch Fit includes Yoga and Pilates as options for users to start a new fitness journey. Weighing just 34g, this is the first smartwatch to feature an animated personal trainer which can guide you through…

Hisense has combined the best of both worlds with its new 65SX Dual Cell TV – the black levels that would compete with an OLED and the colour and brightness of an LED TV in one unit. What Hisense has achieved here is impressive and it has also priced the 65SX sensibly as well for it to sit below the price of an OLED TV. If the Hisense was more expensive, we think customers would just buy an OLED. Priced at $3,499, the 65SX Dual Cell TV not only offers excellent picture quality but also a remarkable audio experience thanks…

Start your weekend with Episode 455 of Two Blokes Talking Tech with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long as they take a look at the biggest tech issues and products of the week. On this week’s show, the NBN’s $4.5bn fibre push, Sony PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X console wars, GoPro Hero9 Black, Bose SleepBuds II, iPad eighth generation, and the CommBank app adds a feature just for millennials. 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…

Rolls Royce has revealed the new Ghost Extended in Australia which offers the height of luxury, an indulgent driving experience and a remarkable level of technology that powers amazing features. The first deliveries of the Rolls Royce Ghost Extended will be made in early 2021. Ghost Extended has 170mm more space than Ghost with designers cleverly camouflaging the extra length by extending only the rear door and preserving the lines of the car. On the technology side, the Rolls Royce is brimming with innovation that offers convenience and comfort. The ceiling of the cabin has intricate lighting to simulate a…

Amazon has introduced a range of new Echo smart speakers which are even more useful at home and a Fire TV Stick that will open up a whole world of streaming options on any TV. The new products have fresh new designs as well as a number of added features that open up intelligent and engaging features. “These are the best Echo devices we have ever made,” said Kate Burleigh, Country Manager for Alexa and Devices, Australia and New Zealand. “Echo and Echo Dot look beautiful and sound even better, and Echo Show 10 completely reimagines Alexa with a screen—simply…

HP has released its latest Envy laptop portfolio which has been designed for creators and prosumers with the power to deliver great results for work and play. The new range includes the HP Envy 15, HP Envy 13, HP Envy x360 13 and HP Envy x360 15. The HP Envy 15 has an all-aluminium chassis and an 82.6 per cent screen-to-body ratio to maximise your workspace. It also includes the option for a 4K OLED VESA DisplayHDR True Black touchscreen display with 100,000:1 contrast ratio and 400 nits brightness. Each display is colour calibrated to ensure accurate and consistent colour.…

The Commonwealth Bank has launched a new feature on its app called Bill Sense that can predict future bills and help customers stick to their budgets and stay on top of their finances. Bill Sense was designed with millennials in mind who have a habit of underestimating their future payments. It is now available to more than five million customers on the CommBank app – Australia’s most popular banking app. According to research commissioned by the CBA, 70 per cent of millennials surveyed couldn’t prioritise their finances mostly because it made them anxious. William Mailer, CBA’s Head of Behavioural Economics,…

Samsung has released the Galaxy S20 Fan Edition – a flagship smartphone with the features customers love from the Galaxy S20 series like the stunning display, AI-powered camera, expandable storage and all-day battery but offered at a more affordable price. Starting at $999, the Samsung Galaxy S20 FE is also available in a 5G variant and offers a premium design and top-shelf build quality. “For over a decade, the Galaxy S series has delivered premium smartphones that empower our customers, making their lives better,” says Garry McGregor, Vice President, Mobile Division, Samsung Electronics Australia. “We’re committed to delivering exceptional experiences,…

Bose has announced the new and improved SleepBuds II to help people fall asleep faster – a year after the first version was discontinued because it didn’t meet company standards. The wearable technology looks like wire-free earphones and use noise masking technology to block, cover and replace the ambient distractions including a snoring partner, neighbours, barking dogs and traffic. Bose has engineered the SleepBuds II with a new acoustic and electronic design with proprietary ear tips for a secure and comfortable fit. Bose Sleepbuds II have improved noise management, acoustics, psychoacoustics, and electronic miniaturization. Each bud is a just 6.3mm…

Tesla has outlined some ambitious plans its “Battery Day” event including even cheaper and more efficient batteries for its vehicles and a future Tesla fully autonomous car that will be priced as low as $US25,000. The event, held at Tesla’s Fremont factory, was attended by randomly-chosen shareholders who sat in their Teslas in the facility car park because of COVID restrictions. https://youtu.be/l6T9xIeZTds Tesla CEO Elon Musk took the stage after the formal stockholder meeting to outline the company’s roadmap. The focus of Musk’s presentation was all about improving battery technology to give their vehicles even more power and range so…

The NBN will invest more than $4.5bn to roll out more fibre across the network over the next three years which will give 75 per cent of premises access to gigabit speeds once completed. The project will see fibre pushed even further into Fibre to the Node neighbourhoods and within easier reach for customers. The NBN will also replace the old copper connections from the street to the home in 1.5 million NBN fibre to the curb households to create a high-speed fibre connection end to end. More than 2.5 million homes with an NBN HFC (hybrid fibre coaxial) connect…

TV and radio sports presenter and active charity ambassador Erin Molan is our special guest in the Celebrity Tech segment in Episode 418 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast. Molan discusses her use of technology on her live TV broadcasts, how her young daughter know her way around the iPad and her strong opinions about online bullying and social media trolls. Also on the show, no new iPhone but we have new Apple Watches and iPads and the PlayStation 5 has been announced with presales selling out in minutes. In the Tech Guide reviews we’ll take a look at the…

Kmart Australia has just made it easier for customers to see how home furnishings will look in their own homes with the launch of KBot which uses augmented reality and artificial intelligence. KBot uses AR technology developed by VALIS to allow Kmart customers see how the products from the August Living range will look in their own environment. Meanwhile AI powered by Oracle’s Digital Assistant also comes in to play to provide dimensions and features as well as recommending other items that go with the product. KBot can be accessed by shoppers through klabs.com.au on AR supported iPhones and Android…

TV and radio sports presenter and active charity ambassador Erin Molan has called for changes to the legislation so online bullies are held accountable for their actions and even jailed. Speaking on the Tech Guide podcast, Molan says politics and the law have to catch up with technology and address what she calls “a serious problem”. “At the moment there’s no legislation that protects people online and until we hold people online accountable for what they write this will just continue to be a massive issue,” Molan told Tech Guide. “Suicide in this country is the number one killer of…

Belkin has just released its new Boost Charge line-up of compact yet powerful chargers which utilise GaN (gallium nitrate) technology to power mobile devices and laptops quickly and efficiently. This new technology was unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January and makes use of gallium nitrate – a high performance alternative to silicon – which delivers powerful charging at a high wattage through a much smaller form factor than regular chargers. The Belkin Boost Charge GaN range includes 30W and 68W wall chargers which are both compatible with the new iPads Apple announced last week as…

Samsung has learned a lot from its first folding smartphone and as a result it has delivered a huge improvement with the follow-up model – the Galaxy Z Fold2 – which Tech Guide has been road testing for the last two weeks. In this time we’ve come to appreciate its best features, its ideal uses and the customer it’s designed for. And also a few areas for improvement. Like the original, the idea behind the Fold2 is to merge two devices into one – a smartphone and a tablet. It’s certainly not for everyone. But for the right user, it’s…

Australian Formula 1 driver Daniel Ricciardo has joined the Optus team as an ambassador to represent the telco in a range of business and consumer initiatives. Optus says Ricciardo will bring a fresh and upbeat approach to the partnership which will run for two years. “Daniel is a world-class, globally renowned go-getter who understands the importance of unrelenting high-performance, innovation through technology, testing and learning and communication and teamwork,” says Optus managing director of marketing and revenue Matt Williams. “It’s his appreciation of precision, accountability and flawless execution that we will tap into to engage and energise our amazing people and customers. “Just…

Boost founder Peter Adderton says 5G is not going to deliver the revolution people are hoping for with 4G able to more than meet our connectivity needs. Speaking at an online event to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the Boost Mobile brand, Adderton says the only thing 5G is doing now is giving smartphone vendors an excuse to charge even more for their latest devices. “If people are thinking 5G is going to revolutionize their experience on a device like a smartphone, other than charging you more for the phone, I think they’re going to be disappointed,” Adderton said. “I…

The iPad has had the most interesting journey since it was launched more than 10 years ago and now stands as one of the most successful consumer electronics products of all time. The latest eight generation iPad continues that tradition. It puts more power than ever in entry level user’s hands and is actually cheaper than last year’s model so that’s a big result. In fact, a friend asked me if the seventh generation iPad would be discounted now that the eight gen had been released. When I told her the new model was cheaper than last year’s she immediately…

Apple has surprised its customers around the world with the earlier than expected release of iOS 14 for iPhone and iPadOS 14 for the iPad. Here’s how you can upgrade your iPhone or iPad to these latest operating systems. There are a number of changes to the look and feel of the software which, for the first time, will allow users to add widgets to their home screen. We have outlined all of the new iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 features but first you need to install it. Here’s how you do it: – Make sure you have backed up…