Author: Stephen Fenech

We’re spending more time than ever before these days during the COVID1-19 pandemic so it’s the perfect time to enjoy the latest release movies for $3 or less with Movie Frenzy which kicks off today and runs for a week. The latest blockbusters are available to rent for $3 or less and with no subscriptions required. The participating digital platforms include Apple TV, Fetch, Google Play, Microsoft Store, PlayStation Store, Amazon Prime Video, Telstra TV Box Office and YouTube. Movie Frenzy runs from Friday, August 7 to Thursday, August 13 and includes new release blockbusters and recently released favourites. There…

Sony’s new WH-1000XM4 noise cancelling headphones are not only a huge improvement in audio quality but also include a range of intelligent features that take into account where you are, what you’re doing and even when you’re talking. Priced at $549.95, the fourth generation of Sony’s premium headphones offer an impressive level of personalisation to improve your listening experience and adjust the sound and level of noise cancellation based on your surroundings and if you’re sitting, standing or walking. The new Speak-to-Chat feature is a game changer. While listening to music, the user just has to start speaking and the…

Samsung has revealed its latest folding smartphone – the Galaxy Z Fold2 – the long-awaited follow-up to the original Galaxy Fold that was met with mixed reactions and early design issues. But Samsung went back to the drawing board and come up with a huge improvement with the Galaxy Z Fold2. And it seems the company has listened to the customer feedback and included a larger 6.2-inch front screen that offers a complete smartphone experience in its own right SAMSUNG UNVEILS POWERHOUSE GALAXY NOTE20 AND GALAXY NOTE20 ULTRA SMARTPHONES It opens up to a larger 7.6-inch display which is ideal…

The launch might not have been in New York in front of thousands of media but Samsung still got the world’s attention with the launch of the powerful new Galaxy Note20 and Galaxy Note20 Ultra smartphones. Samsung revealed the powerhouse devices at its first virtual Galaxy Unpacked event along with the Galaxy Watch 3, Galaxy Buds Live earphones and the powerful Galaxy Tab S7 tablet. Samsung also teased its new premium folding device – the Galaxy Z Fold2 – a phone and tablet in one with a range of improved features. The Samsung Galaxy Note20 and Note20 Ultra will be…

Samsung has revealed a range of new products in the Galaxy ecosystem at the virtual Unpacked launch event including Galaxy Watch 3, Galaxy Buds Live noise-cancelling earphones and a powerful Tab S7 tablet. The devices were unveiled alongside Samsung’s powerful Galaxy Note20 and Note20 Ultra. Samsung’s new range of products are designed to work together seamlessly and create an even more connected experience for customers whether they want to work or play, communicate, connect and live healthier. GALAXY WATCH 3 Samsung Galaxy Watch 3 has the style and design of a regular time-piece and is made of stainless steel with…

Apple has announced a major upgrade for the 27-inch iMac desktop computer. It’s not the rumoured re-design but it does deliver a big improvements across the board. The new iMac 27-inch has faster Intel processors with up to 10 cores as well as double the memory capacity, AMD graphics and fast SSDs (solid state drives) that offer four times the storage capacity. “Now more than ever, our customers are relying on the Mac. And many of them need the most powerful and capable iMac we’ve ever made,” said Tom Boger, Apple’s senior director of Mac and iPad Product Marketing. “With…

Arlo has announced its latest addition to the family of wireless security cameras – the Arlo Essential Spotlight Camera – a more affordable device that’s still packed with features. Arlo Essential is aimed at the customer who wants to dip their toe in the water and enter the Arlo ecosystem or add to their existing Arlo system. Priced at $229 for a single camera or $429 for a set of two cameras, the Arlo Essential Spotlight offers full HD 1080p video as well as two way audio, and integrated spotlight with colour night vision and motion detection alerts. “The Essential…

Episode 411 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech, is right here so you can get updated and educated about the very latest consumer technology news and reviews. On this week’s show, Telstra announces its bold 5G plans, Apple confirms the iPhone 12 will be delayed and Arlo launches an affordable new wire-free security camera. In the Tech Guide reviews we’ll take a look at the Intel mini PC, we road test the new Panasonic noise-cancelling wire-free earphones and also check out the Waterpik Sonic Fusion – the world’s first toothbrush that can floss your teeth…

Google has just unveiled its latest smartphone – the Pixel 4a – an affordable new device with a 5.8-inch OLED display and an impressive camera system – and it still has a headphone jack. It will be priced at $599 and will be available on September 10. Cameras have always been the standout of Google Pixel cameras and this time out with the Pixel 4a there’s a single lens 12.2-megapixel camera but what it lacks in lenses it makes up for in features including Live HDR+, dual exposure controls, portrait mode and Super Res Mode. And there also a Night…

TCL is name we know well in TVs but it is also quickly making a name for itself in smartphones on the strength of its latest devices – the TCL 10 Pro and the TCL 10L. These Android smartphones offer a premium design and impressive flagship features but at a mid-tier price well below $1000. TCL brings to the table its extensive expertise in its proprietary display technology to provide high resolution screens for its latest smartphones. These TCL-built displays incorporate the company’s advanced NXTVISION technology to provide remarkable colour accuracy and SDR to HDR (high dynamic range) real-time conversion.…

Telstra’s 5G network has now expanded to already cover a third of the Australian population with a goal to expand to 75 per cent as soon as June next year. Telstra CEO Andy Penn says 5G will continue to revolutionise connectivity in Australia. “Linking up with friends and family, work, school and accessing services has all had to be done digitally during COVID-19 and our recovery will depend on accelerating the digital economy,” Penn said in a Telstra blog. Penn says we are already seeing 5G device speeds around double that of 4G devices – and it’s only going to get faster with…

The saying good things come in small packages is a perfect description of the Intel NUC Performance Mini PC – what it lacks in size it more than makes up in speed and performance. Forget the big tower, the Intel NUC Performance Mini PC packs in a lot of features in its chassis which measures just 11.7cm wide, 11.3cm long and 5.1cm tall – the square footprint is smaller than a CD case. NUC stands for Next Unit of Computing. Our review unit was powered by the Intel Core i7-10710U 6-core 1,10Ghz processor with 16GB RAM DDR4 SODIMM memory. On…

Telstra customers were left with no connections after a cyber attack on their servers caused major disruptions across the eastern states of Australia. The issues started just after 10am when customers flocked to social media to ask Telstra about any disruptions they were aware of. Telstra soon reported there was an issue impacting connections including the NBN. ⚠️ Our team is looking into an issue impacting some home internet connections including nbn. We’ll keep you posted as we get on top of it. Sorry to mess with your Sunday plans. — Telstra (@Telstra) August 2, 2020 An update at 11.42am…

Time to tune in to Episode 447 of the Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast 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, CES has been cancelled and replaced with a virtual event, Huawei takes the top spot in the smartphone market, Apple confirms the iPhone 12 release will be delayed, Microsoft releases new Flight Simulator, which countries are getting the best Spotify Premium value, NBN increases bandwidth and speed for some customers and Waterpik Sonic Fusion can brush and floss your teeth…

Despite the global pandemic and continued sanctions from the US Government, Chinese company Huawei has overtaken Samsung to become the world’s leading smartphone manufacturer. Huawei shipped 55.8 million units in the second quarter of 2020 which put them ahead of Samsung for the first time after it shipped 54.3 million units. The global pandemic has had a huge impact on the worldwide smartphone market with a 15.7 per cent decline in the number of units shipped year on year. For most manufacturers, Q2 saw even more negative growth. But Apple was the only company that bucked that trend and actually…

Apple has confirmed the highly-anticipated iPhone 12 will be delayed following the impact of the global coronavirus pandemic that severely affected production. Apple CFO Luis Maestri said the iPhone will launch a little later this year. “Last year we started selling new iPhones in late September, this year we expect supply to be available a few weeks later,” Maestri said in an earnings call to investors. While Maestri didn’t elaborate, he confirmed the rumours that had been circulating for months that Apple would delay the release of its next iPhone. Apple has not revealed how severely its production was affected…

Waterpik has just released a world-first product – a sonic toothbrush that can floss your teeth at the same time and remove 99.9 per cent of plaque while it’s at it. Oral health has a lot to do with our overall health and the Waterpik Sonic Fusion is a simple and time-saving solution. The product makes flossing your teeth as easy as brushing them. It uses jets of pressurised water to get between teeth which is twice as effective at improving gum health than traditional string floss. Users can choose to either brush their teeth or floss their teeth with…

There are a lot of wire-free earphones on the market and  finding the right balance of features, value and quality is tricky but one that ticks all the boxes is the Panasonic RZ-S500W earphones. Panasonic is usually associated with TVs, cameras and appliances but they also have a rich audio heritage and is also the brand behind audio brand Technics. The RZ-S500W wire-free noise cancelling earphones are part of Panasonic’s new range of earphones and headphones. Design-wise the earphones are on the slightly larger size (they have 8mm drivers onboard) compared to other noise-cancelling earphones but they still fit comfortably…

Motorola has released its first 5G smartphone in Australia – the Motorola Edge – which includes a borderless display, a 64-megapixel camera and 5G performance in 5G coverage areas. Priced at $999, the Motorola Edge is available now from JB Hi-Fi, The Good Guys, Officeworks (online only), MobileCiti and the Motorola online store. The device has a narrow 6.7-inch Full HD OLED display with one of the biggest screen edge curves you’ll find on a smartphone. This gives the display a borderless look in your hands so users can have nothing else to focus on except their content. There are…

Telstra NBN customers will be receiving a speed boost of up to 15 per cent in the coming weeks as the company tries to improve their online experience – and possibly exceeding the speed of their current plan. As part of the changes to the way the NBN manages speed over its network, more bandwidth has been allocated to make up for the possible slow down that could come from amount of data being shared at the same time – also known as “overheads”. As a result, speed increases up to 15 per cent will be seen if your home’s…