Author: Stephen Fenech

Thousands of Australian homes are in for a rude shock when they get their next energy bill with research showing families facing up to a 105 per cent increase after most people stayed home in the COVID-19 restrictive lockdown. With more people than ever working and learning from home, our energy use has gone through roof, a report by Natural Solar, Australia’s largest solar and battery installer, has revealed. The data collected in Natural Solar’s live monitoring systems of thousands of homes, showed in March 2019 the average household was using 513kWh of power per month which is 16kWh per…

Cloud storage site Dropbox has introduced new features to make it easier for users to keep their important personal and work documents organised and accessible and to easily back up their Mac or PC folders. With so many people working from home, Dropbox wants to centralise and organise our files so we can access them from anywhere. “The lines between work and home are blurred, and we’re all being pulled in a million directions right now. It can feel chaotic and overwhelming,” said Drew Houston, CEO of Dropbox. “We’re working quickly to provide new features to help people stay better…

It’s been two years since I bought my Tesla Model S and the car is so much better today than when I bought it. You can’t say that about too many cars but, thanks to software updates, the Tesla just gets better with age. I made a video about the top ten reasons we bought a Tesla back in 2018 – shortly after we bought the car – and I’m still very satisfied with that decision. It’s been quite a journey driving the Tesla Model S for two years – so here is the good, the bad and the brilliant…

The Xbox Series X will be released at the end of the year and promises next level power and performance for the latest cutting edge games. Another feature you’ll find is Smart Delivery to ensure you have the latest version of a game wherever you want to play it. With Smart Delivery, players will be able to always be able to lay the best version of the games you own for whichever Xbox console you own. This technology will be made available to all developers. All Xbox Game Studios titles that are Optimised for Xbox Series X, including Halo Infinite,…

D-Link has launched the new DIR-X1560 and router with the latest Wi-Fi 6 technology onboard for even faster and more reliable wireless connectivity to meet the needs of the modern smart home. The dual band router can provide combined wi-fi speeds of up to 1,500Mbps and offers an easy upgrade path to your existing network. The DIR-X1560 can handle up to four 4K streams at the same time as well as fast online gaming. Onboard technology called 1024 QAM also helps to boost throughput to devices connected to the modem by up to 25 per cent. The built-in power amplifiers…

A fresh new episode of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast is right here. Episode 404, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech, will keep you updated and educated about the latest consumer tech news and reviews. On this week’s show, what we can expect to see at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference next week, what sort of value are we getting from Netflix compared to other countries and Sony finally unveils the PlayStation 5. In the Tech Guide reviews we’ll take a look at the Oppo Find X2 Pro smartphone, we check out the Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight Camera and also run our…

We take a lot of photos with our phones but we don’t print many of these high quality photos. With the HP Sprocket Studio that can all change because printing wirelessly from your mobile device is a snap. HP has produced two Sprocket devices to date – the Sprocket and the Sprocket Select – which produce small stickable photos. But HP has upped its game with the new HP Sprocket Studio which can print in seconds a 6 x 4 inch (10cm by 15cm ) photo. The printer connect to your smartphone via the HP Sprocket app which allows users…

Less than a week before Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple has revealed the App Store ecosystem has supported more than half a trillion dollars in billings and sales globally in 2019. This staggering amount – $519 billion to be precise – illustrates just how gigantic the app economy and mobile commerce has become. But that amount doesn’t all go directly to Apple. The company receives a commission from the sale of digital goods and services with more than 85 per cent going to third party developers and online businesses of all sizes. “The App Store is a place where innovators…

Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference kicks off next week and, while it will be a virtual event, there will still be some significant announcements including some rumoured hardware reveals as well. WWDC 2020 kicks off with the keynote address at 10am local time (3am Tuesday June 23 Sydney time) with CEO Tim Cook introducing the virtual event before handing off to other senior vice presidents to outline the software updates for the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV and the Mac. These include iOS 14 and iPad OS14 for iPhone and iPad, macOS 10.16, watchOS 7 and tvOS 14 which will…

In the flagship smartphone market, if you’re not Apple or Samsung, it can be hard to stand out from the crowd. But Oppo has managed to do it with the new Find X2 Pro. The device has a premium design and a bunch of premium features to go with it. Oppo has held its ground against the big brands in recent years with phones in the mid-tier and flagship levels. The Find X2 Pro has been thoughtfully designed with the user in mind and delivers what customers are looking for: a large high quality screen, great performance, impressive camera system,…

We’ve been watching more than our fair share of content on Netflix during the coronavirus crisis but how do we compare to other countries when it comes to the price value of the world’s most popular streaming service? Netflix is well and truly established in nearly every country around the world but the service is not the same region to region with different pricing and content libraries and library sizes. A new study by frugal living blog SavingSpot has gone through the numbers and come up with a list of countries that are getting the best and worst deals for…

After months of speculation Sony has finally revealed its latest gaming console – the PlayStation 5 which has a stunning futuristic design and will be available in two versions. Sony unveiled the PlayStation 5 during a live event after almost an hour of game announcements that will run on the next level platform. It is expected to go on sale in late 2020 or early 2021. No word on pricing yet but we’re pretty sure it won’t cheap – probably more than $AU1000. The console has a distinct black and white design with flared edges that will direct airflow for…

Two Blokes Talking Tech Episode 440 is now available as Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long dissect the week’s biggest stories and products. On this week’s show – will the iPhone 5G be delayed, we share our verdicts on the Sonos Arc soundbar, Laser releases affordable smart devices, the Dynaudio Xeo 20 high end audio system, the new wireless CarPlay feature in the latest Kia and which are the most internet friendly cities. You can listen to the show right here on the Tech Guide site using the audio player below. Click on the Two Blokes Talking…

The Android 11 Beta 1 is now available and it has revealed a number of added features for smartphone users that adds a slightly new look and new capabilities. If you are a Google Pixel user you will probably get first access to the new Android 11 Beta 1. The updates mainly focus on notifications, controls and privacy. A new section called Conversations will group together notifications from various messaging platforms like Whatsapp and Facebook Messenger. A bubble notification – similar to what we’ve already seen with Facebook Messenger – will also now be available for other app developers to…

Charging is something we all need to do to make sure our devices are ready to use at any time and Belkin has made that process even faster with a range of new charging accessories. These include two USB-PD (power delivery) enabled chargers – a wall charger for the home and a charger for the car. USB-PD is a new fast charging technology with a higher level of power that’s supported by the more recent iPhones, iPads and Android devices. With USB-PD, you can deliver up to 100W of power so you can charge your device up to 70 per…

Australian consumer electronics brand Laser has made the cost of creating a smart home more affordable than ever before with the Connect range and has reduced products like its Smart Light Bulbs down to just $10. The Connect SmartHome range has enjoyed huge success since being available exclusively through Harvey Norman and now it offers significant price reductions to make them an even more affordable option. The $10 Smart Light Bulbs are ow actually as cheap as regular light bulbs and will be available alongside the Connect Smart Wi-Fi Plug ($18) and a Smart Indoor Security Camera ($39). These products…

Arlo is one of the leading companies in the huge wire-free security camera market and its latest Arlo Pro 3 Wireless Floodlight camera is a fine addition to the impressive range. It is actually the first wire-free floodlight camera with a motion sensor that can activate the onboard LED light when it detects movement. Other floodlight cameras need to be hard wired to power so it’s an effort to install them. It could also cost you more money if you need to hire an electrician to help you. But you don’t have that worry with Arlo Pro 3 Floodlight Camera…

Lend us your ears for a packed Episode 403 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, Facebook lets you rewrite history with its new Manage Activity feature, how does Australia fare as e-waste recyclers and the devices that can help the blind and visually impaired to see. In the Tech Guide reviews, we’ll take a look at the Sonos Arc soundbar, we’ll also take a listen to the Dynaudio Xeo 20 audio system and we’ll also check…

Fast internet is more important than ever as we’ve learned since the coronavirus crisis but which cities around the world are the most-internet friendly and leading the way with 5G deployment? Business Fibre, a business, finance and technology information resource, has done an exhaustive study of 31 of the most popular destinations around the world and applied a series of metrics to determine how internet-friendly they are. They looked at things like the average cost of data, the number of free wi-fi spots, 5G coverage, the number of restaurants with free wi-fi as well as average download and upload speeds.…

There are strong indications that the highly-anticipated iPhone 12, which will be Apple’s first 5G device, will be delayed by months following disruptions to its supply chain because of the coronavirus crisis. According to Bloomberg, one of Apple’s biggest suppliers – Broadcom Inc – strongly suggested the highly-anticipated release of the next iPhone will be released later than usual. Hock Tan, CEO of Broadcom Inc, revealed recently in an earnings call that there was a “major product cycle delay” at a “large North America mobile phone customer”. Tan has referred to Apple in this way before. Broadcom Inc is a…