Author: Stephen Fenech

The prestigious Bentley brand has created a partnership with audio companies Naim and Focal which will provide exceptional music for audio lovers whether they driving in luxury in a Bentley or listening at home. Naim Audio and Focal’s engineers teamed up with Bentley’s engineers to create an in-car experience, a wireless streaming system and a pair of headphones. And in doing so they have brought together 88 years of combined audio expertise to come up with class-leading quality. The Naim Mu-so for Bentley Special Edition wireless speaker system and Focal for Bentley Radiance headphones are the results of this collaboration…

The highly-anticipated PlayStation 5 next level gaming console will be launched on November 12 and will be priced at $749.95 alongside the PlayStation 5 Digital Edition for $599.95. Sony made its announcement overnight and confirmed the release date after only specifying the release window as Holidays 2020 for months. The launch date announcement from Sony comes a week after the Xbox Series X and Series X launch dates and pricing were confirmed. PlayStation 5 will be the same $749 price as the Xbox Series X and will be released on November 12 – two days after the Xbox Series X.…

The GoPro Hero9 Black is here. And it’s a huge improvement over the previous GoPro with a new front display, a larger rear display and even better battery life. Priced at $699.95, the GoPro Hero9 Black allows users to shoot 5K video at 30 frames per second and capture 20 megapixel photos and also enjoy next-level HyperSmooth 3.0 which does a remarkable job taking the shakes out of your videos with in-camera horizon levelling. This is a noticeable difference over the Hero8 Black which we thought already had impressive smoothing. The GoPro Hero9 Black set a new standard. https://youtu.be/hsqJvIopFCQ The…

Two Blokes Talking Tech Episode 454, with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long, covers all of the new announcements from the Apple launch event. Stephen and Trevor talk about the Apple Watch Series 6 and its new features and the more affordable Apple Watch SE. The blokes also discuss the iPad Air which has an all-screen design and the updated iPad eight generation that’s actually cheaper than the seventh generation model. Apple has also launched Apple One where you can get all of Apple’s services in one place on one plan. You can listen to the show…

Apple has created a new all-in-one bundle called Apple One that groups all of Apple’s subscription services including Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, Apple News+, iCloud and the new Apple Fitness+ in one simple plan. With one single subscription, Apple customers in more than 100 countries can get all of Apple’s services in one place. And by bundling all of these services together, there will also be savings of up to $39 a month. “Apple One makes enjoying Apple subscription services easier than ever, including Apple Music, Apple TV+, Apple Arcade, iCloud, and more,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior…

Apple has updated the iPad Air and done away with the home button in favour of a new all-screen design similar to the iPad Pro along with even more powerful performance. The new iPad Air has a 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display and a Touch ID fingerprint sensor built into the top power button. iPad Air will go on sale in October and will be available in a range of new colours including silver, space grey, rose gold, green and sky blue. The device is powered by the A14 Bionic chip with 40 per cent faster CPU performance and two times…

The new Apple Watch Series 6 has raised the bar with all-new features, new colours and watch bands with a renewed focus and health and wellness including the ability to read your blood oxygen levels. Apple today also introduced a more affordable Apple Watch SE that still includes important features like fall detection, fitness tracking and cellular connectivity. Apple Watch Series 6 and Apple Watch SE will go on sale on Friday September 18, 2020. The biggest new feature for Apple Watch Series 6 is the blood oxygen health sensor to measure the oxygen saturation in your blood to understand…

We’re joined by Dan Whitford from Australian synth-pop band Cut/Copy in Episode 417 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast hosted by editor Stephen Fenech. In the Celebrity Tech segment, Whitford talks about how he uses technology to produce Cut/Copy’s albums and for the band’s live shows, how he engages with fans on social media, the headphones he uses in the studio and the ones he uses to listens to music. Whitford also discusses the potential for AI and algorithms to help musicians create hit songs. Also on the show, how 5G has become a real alternative to the NBN with…

Samsung’s new Galaxy Tab S7+ is an extremely capable tablet and ticks all the boxes that would easily qualify it as a laptop replacement to use anywhere. The versatile device is available in 11-inch and 12.4-inch screen sizes and is seen as a direct competitor to Apple’s iPad Pro. And like the iPad Pro, the Galaxy Tab S7+ forms an exciting new part of Samsung’s Galaxy ecosystem which now includes the Galaxy smartphones, the Galaxy Watch 3 and the new Galaxy Buds Live earphones. But the Galaxy Tab S7+ tablet can also standalone for those who want to work, play…

Can Artificial Intelligence help you come up with a hit song? Dan Whitford, frontman for Australian synth-pop band Cut/Copy certainly thinks it might be possible. “I honestly think so,” Whitford said in his interview on the Tech Guide podcast with editor Stephen Fenech. Musicians for decades have been trying to crack the code for coming up with a No 1 hit and Whitford says AI could be the answer. In fact, it is already being used by some musicians. “There’s already some artists that are delving into using AI to develop ideas within their music so essentially leaving some of…

Epson has launched its latest all-in-one A3 wide format printer with long-life cartridge free printing with extra-large ink tanks and enough ink included to last more than a year before you need a refill. The EcoTank Pro ET-16600 uses PrecisionCore Heat Free printing technology which offers sharp text and accurate colour on pages up to A3+ size – 13-inch x 19-inch. And it’s a multi-function printer with a scanner that can also scan up to A3 (11-inch x 17-inch). Epson’s EcoTank Pro ET16600 can also copy and scan pages and includes 500-sheet paper capacity so you have plenty of ink…

We’ve all seen those comparison sites that help us find the best deal for broadband, insurance, electricity and much more. A new app called GetReminded has taken that concept in a new direction. GetReminded is a free app for iPhone and Android and allows users to enter the renewal dates for all of their household expenses like insurance, broadband, mobile phone bill, pay TV, streaming services, mortgage, electricity, gas and more. Not only does the app give you a heads up when your bills are due but also helps you get a better deal if there’s one out there. The…

Start your weekend with Two Blokes Talking Tech Episode 453 with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long as they discuss the biggest tech stories and products of the week. On this week’s show, Apple announces an event for next week – but will it be for the iPhone? Xbox Series X and Series S release date and pricing announced, GoCube connected smart Rubik’s cube, our verdict on the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live earphones, Dan Murphy introduces number plate recognition to make your booze purchase faster and Oppo releases a watch that looks a lot like the Apple…

Premium audio company Bose has released three new products – the Bose Frames audio sunglasses in new styles, the Bose QuietComfort Noise Cancelling earbuds and the Bose Sport Earbuds. These new products will be in stores on October 5, 2020. BOSE QUIETCOMFORT EARBUDS – $399.95 Bose has packed the QuietComfort technology that made its headphones standout products into a wireless earbud. Users will be able to enjoy the remarkable 20-year legacy of the Bose noise cancellation technology in a sleek in-ear design while still experiencing superior audio quality. The QC earbuds will have 11 levels of noise control so you…

The Rubik’s Cube has been around since the 80s. I’ve been a fan since they were first released but now the 21st century version of the iconic puzzle has been released. It’s called GoCube and has Bluetooth onboard and can pair with your smartphone to a companion app. Back in the day, you were on your own with the cube. When I started cubing I had to buy a book to work out how to solve it. It was called Mastering Rubik’s Cube by senior University of Sydney mathematics lecturer Don Taylor. It was all about solving the cube layer…

Optus is introducing new 5G internet plans which offer a high-speed connection via the Optus 5G network along with premium streamed entertainment packages. Available later this year, there will be two new Optus 5G internet plans – the 5G Entertainment plan and the Optus 5G Everyday Plan capped at 1000Mbps – the same speed as the NBN. The 5G Internet Entertainer plan will be priced at $90 a month with access to uncapped speeds on the Optus 5G network which have delivered average typical evening download speeds of 214Mbps (between 7pm and 11pom). Customers who sign up will have unlimited…

Small businesses are an important part of the Australian economy so if they succeed, the country succeeds. A new website www.smallbusinessanswers.com.au has been launched to bring together the most common information to maximise your changes of success all in one place. The site is the brainchild of a career marketer Angus Jones and Channel 7 Tech personality Val Quinn and includes more than 75 how-to guides. If you were asked  what percentage of Australian Businesses were made up of small business, what would you say? 50 per cent? Maybe 70 per cent? The answer is actually 98per cent. In Australia, there are…

Attention Xbox gamers! The highly-anticipated Xbox Series X will go on sale on November 10 with pre-orders kicking off on September 22. And it will be priced at $749. The Xbox Series S will be priced at $499 and will be available on the same day. The Xbox Series X is the fastest and most powerful Xbox console ever produced while the smaller all-digital Xbox Series S is the smallest Xbox ever built and at a more affordable price. Originally known as Project Scarlett, the Xbox Series X has been in development for more than two years and has a…

Sony has revealed three new native 4K SXRD home cinema projectors which offer huge improvements in brightness and black levels for a big screen cinema-like experience. The three models are: VPL-VW590ES, VPL-790ES and the flagship VPL-GTZ380 which now have more powerful onboard processing for enhanced detail and HDR (high dynamic range). “Sony has led the 4K home cinema projector market with our native 4K SXRD projectors for nearly a decade, and we’re thrilled to announce a new range of powerhouse models,” said Anna Tan, Sony Professional Solutions – Display, Product Manager – Australia and New Zealand. “Offering a big screen,…

Oppo has just become the latest player in the smartwatch market with the release of the  Oppo Watch and it has also entered the audio market with the Oppo Enco Series of wireless earphones. Like Apple and Samsung, Oppo has expanded its smartphone portfolio and created an ecosystem of products that can all work together. “The launch of our wearables and audio range is a pivotal moment for us as a brand, broadening our product offering for our customers as we begin to build out the Oppo ecosystem in Australia,” said Michael Tran, Oppo Australia Managing Director. “The Oppo Watch…