Author: Stephen Fenech

We’ve all had to make some pretty big adjustments during these COVID times including popular dating app Tinder which is rolling out a new one on one video calling feature as in-person dates slow down. In these times when social distancing has become part of the vocabulary and the idea of meeting a total stranger for a date has become almost unthinkable, Tinder has been hard at work creating something that can replace a face to face meeting but still take things further after you match. The Tinder Trust and Safety Team has created a video experience for Tinder users…

Samsung has confirmed the date for its next Galaxy Unpacked event where the company will launch the highly-anticipated new Galaxy Note 20 and Galaxy Fold 2 smartphones. The virtual event will be held on Aug 5 at 10am New York time (12.01am August 6 Sydney time). Usually this is one of Samsung’s largest annual launch events and is held in New York City. Last year’s launch was held at the Barclay Centre in Brooklyn. https://youtu.be/QvFjP2ivZFw “The desire to make meaningful connections and to stay productive are constants in a world of change,” Samsung said on its website to announce the…

Popular music service Spotify has launched a new subscription option that’s designed for couples living at the same address – it’s called Premium Duo and offers two separate Premium accounts in the one plan. Priced at $15.99 per month, Premium Duo allows a couple to set up their own accounts and playlists independently of the other account. And despite both accounts being separate they will be incorporated in a single bill. With Spotify Premium Duo, both accounts can download music to listen anywhere without any ad interruptions. This also means listeners have unlimited song skips as well. Current Spotify Premium…

The Australian country town of Narromine will be home to a cutting-edge testing facility to develop one of the world’s very first electric flying cars. The town in the central west of NSW will become the new headquarters for Australian company AMSL Aero with the help of a $950,000 NSW Government grant from the Regional Investment Attraction Fund. Deputy Premier John Barilaro and Member for Dubbo Dugald Saunders visited the Narromine Aerodrome Industrial Park where AMSL Aero, a sustainable aerospace company, will set up a base to test its electric Vertical TakeOff and Landing (eVTOL) vehicles. AMSL Aero will begin…

Playing the latest games are so much more enjoyable with great sound and the new HyperX Cloud Singer Core wireless headset can provide just that without disturbing anyone else in your household. The HyperX Cloud Stinger Core wireless headset + 7.1 offers virtual surround sound when playing PC games with the aid of the HyperX NGENUITY software. It connects wirelessly to your PC through the included USB receiver and also works with PlayStation 4 and Xbox as well. The headphones are comfortable to wear with nicely padded earcups and headband so you can wear it for hours. It’s also pretty…

Here’s your chance to get updated and educated about the latest consumer tech news and reviews with Episode 407 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech. On this week’s show, the popular TikTok app asked to face a senate enquiry over spying fears, why Apple’s upcoming iPhone 12 might not come with a charger or headphones and Amazon starts construction on a high tech distribution centre with cutting edge robotics. In the Tech Guide reviews, we’ll take a look at the Minix NEO storage that’s a hub and an SSD drive in one, we check out…

Elon Musk, the man behind the huge successes of Tesla and SpaceX, wants to provide Australians with high speed internet from space that’s up to 40 times faster than our current speeds. The project is called Starlink and involves creating a constellation of satellites that orbit the Earth to deliver fast and affordable wireless internet connectivity anywhere on the globe, including the most remote areas. Billionaire entrepreneur Musk has a habit of disrupting popular established industries – like cars and the space program – and offer a fresh and innovative approach. Now, with Starlink, Musk has the telecommunications industry in…

TikTok has hit back at claims its platform is harvesting data and feeding it to the Chinese government and revealed these reports were based on unnamed sources backed by offshore funding. The video sharing social media platform, created by Chinese developer Bytedance and used by more than 1.6 million Australians and more than a billion people around the world, has recently been under fire amid security and spying fears. But TikTok, which now has an office in Australia, has fired back and denied any links with the Chinese government and stands by the safety and security of the platform. “TikTok does…

Many Apple customers they are rocking the device trifecta – an iPhone, Apple Watch and AirPods – but they all need to be charged separately unless you have a product like the Vissles 3-in-1 charging pad. The device offers wireless charging for your iPhone, a small magnetic dock to charge your AirPods and spot that can take your Apple Watch charger and make it part of the charging solution. And it also means you can clear the cable clutter off your desktop and have one cable going to the power point instead of three. The Vissles 3-in-1 charger is about…

The popular TikTok video sharing social media app has come under close scrutiny amid privacy and spying fears that has drawn the attention of the Australian Government. The Herald Sun has reported plans are in motion to bring the platform, owned by Chinese developer Bytedance, before the Foreign Interference through Social Media senate enquiry to address suspicions the app might be collecting user data and sending it back to China. More than 1.6m Australians have downloaded the TikTok app which allows users to record and share short videos of themselves and share them on the app’s platform which is used by…

The Two Blokes Talking Tech – Stephen Fenech (Tech Guide editor) and Trevor Long (EFTM) have hit the road for Episode 443 of the popular podcast. Stephen and Trevor’s road trip took them through Bathurst, Orange and Cowra (where this episode was recorded) before coming back to Sydney through Boorowa and Goulburn. In fact they discovered there is a Telstra 5G tower in Cowra. Also on the show we talk about the NBN nearing the end of its rollout but we’re still lagging behind the rest of the world, why the iPhone 12 might not include a charger, Google lets…

Vodafone has hit the accelerator to offer two new higher speed plans on the NBN with customers now able to choose 250Mbps or 1000Mbps download speeds. From today, some customers in busy households who have fibre to the premises (FTTP) or Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) cable can opt for these faster speeds. “Around 40% of our customers have chosen our Premium NBN plan (NBN 100) so we know that there is strong demand for higher speed plans in the Australian market,” said Vodafone Chief Customer Officer Ana Bordeianu. “Connected devices are on the rise in Australia, going from 17 devices…

Being able to take your music anywhere and enjoy great quality is exactly what Sony provides with its SRS-XB23 Extra Bass portable Bluetooth speaker. The device has a cylindrical shape that has the same circumference as a can of drink so not only is it easy to take anywhere – it will also fit in your vehicle’s cup holder as well or in your backpack’s side pocket. Sony has packed in a lot of technology into the XB23 speaker including a non-circular diaphragm which in this shape maximise the size but maintains the same sound pressure to  reduce distortion. The…

The upcoming new iPhone 12 will have a fresh design and 5G connectivity but what it might not include is a charger or earphones in the box which will also be a lot smaller. Rumours are swirling that Apple will not include a regular charger with the iPhone 12 and this could be for a number of reasons. Many see this as an environmental move with the immediate reduction of millions of chargers. The thinking would be that customers who buy the iPhone 12 will probably already have a charger. But there is likely to be a USB-C to Lightning…

Google has launched a new AR feature that will take you back millions of years when dinosaurs ruled the earth in a partnership with Universal and the film franchise Jurassic World. Now users can bring 10 dinosaurs to life in their surroundings including the fierce Tyrannosaurus Rex and the gigantic Brachiosaurus as it towers over your neighbourhood. You can simply search for a dinosaur on Google with a mobile device and tap “View in 3D”. The you can rotate or zoom in. https://youtu.be/UVT3l7dpTRs It’s possible then to bring the dinosaur into your space with AR and adjust its size to…

Following a successful virtual Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple has handed out its Apple Design Awards to eight developers for thoughtful and creative design and making the best use of Apple’s technology. The winner’s list covers a range of developers large and small from across the globe who come up with new ways for users to work, play and create. More than 250 developers have been recognised with Apple Design Awards over the past 20 years. “Every year, app and game developers demonstrate exceptional craftsmanship and we’re honouring the best of the best,” said Ron Okamoto, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide…

Wrap your ears around Episode 406 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech, so you can stay updated and educated about the latest consumer tech news and reviews. On this week’s show, the $51bn NBN rollout is complete but a new report shows we are still way behind other countries, we go through the biggest announcements from Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference and why young people are being targeted in tax time online scams. In the Tech Guide reviews we’ll take a look at the Sony WH-CH710N noise cancelling headphones, the Spacetalk Life smartphone watch designed for…

Since the MacBook Pro was revealed with Thunderbolt 3 ports, customers had no choice but to invest in hubs and dongles so they can still connect peripherals and read memory cards but the Minix NEO Storage Pro adds 480GB of onboard memory on top of its additional ports. The Minix NEO Storage Pro is the world’s first dual-display USB-C Multiport SSD hub which has an onboard storage SSD (solid state drive) capacity of a generous 480GB. It weighs just 55g and is 13.3cm long, 3cm wide and 8mm thick. The device is compatible with Apple’s MacBook Pro and the more…

Amazon Australia has announced it will be opening its first Amazon Robotics fulfilment centre in Western Sydney which will use some of the most advanced robotics technology and create more than 1,500 jobs. Located at the Goodman’s Oakdale West Industrial Estate, the Amazon Robotic FC will be completed in late 2021 and will be equipped with cutting edge technology that will endeavour to deliver a smarter and faster shopping experience for customers around Australia. It will have a total floor area of 200,000 square metres which about the same size as Taronga Zoo or 22 football fields and will house…

The $51bn NBN will be completed this week which averaged out to a connection cost of $4,500 per premises but, according a report from the Telecommunications Association, more than 70 per cent of homes will still not be able to access world-class Gigabit speeds. And for those that can access Gigabit speeds – they are paying the third highest prices in the world for the service. The Gigabit Gap report, put together by Huawei Australia and the Telecommunications Association (TelSoc), revealed that after 10 years of construction of the NBN only 28 per cent of premises can access Gigabit speeds…