Author: Stephen Fenech

A study by HP has revealed it’s been quite a challenging time for Australians during the coronavirus lockdown as they work from home and try to home school their children. The biggest concern, according to research conducted by HP, is from parents about their child’s education (62 per cent) followed by managing their work life balance (61 per cent) and keeping their kids entertained (48 per cent). On the technology side, the biggest worries were lack of equipment, network issues (48 per cent) and children not spending enough time on non-digital activities 45 per cent). HP has partnered with Canva…

Telstra is bringing the AFL season back – kind of. None of us have been barracking for our favourite teams at the moment but Telstra has come up with something new – Australian Dice Football League (ADFL). Hosted by Andy Lee, the ADFL is the new stay-at-home substitute for the game which will feature your favourite players and every club in the AFL. The ADFL will kick off on May 8 and brings together AFL players in a simple but fun game. Players will fly the flag in the competition will run for four weeks with fixtures that mirror the…

Samsung has launched its new Galaxy Tab S6 Lite tablet which has been updated with a slick new design and paired with the S Pen to make the device even more versatile. The Android tablet has 10.4-inch display with a resolution of 2000 x 1200 which goes almost edge to edge. And now with the S Pen the Tab S6 Lite you can use the S Pen – usually available with the popular Samsung Galaxy Note range of smartphones – so users can write and draw on the screen as well as take notes. The S Pen itself weighs just…

Sonos has just revealed its latest speaker – it’s called Arc and it’s a premium soundbar that utilises Sonos audio innovations to bring cinema quality sound to your home viewing experience. With Arc, Sonos delivers the same quality and versatility that makes its speakers so popular with customers. So it can not only offer a thrilling audio experience when watching TV but it can also stream your music, tap into internet radio and play your favourite podcasts as well. Arc can be expanded to work with other Sonos speakers in the range including the Sub to add even more punch.…

NortonLifeLock, one of world’s best internet security companies, will be offering in Norton Family service for free for the next six months to make using the web even safer for your kids. The six month free period for Norton Family does not require any credit card information for you to get started. Once onboard, parents can enjoy greater security and find a better way to juggle the time spent between fun and games, home schooling and family time. Here’s what Norton Family can do: – Makes the Web safer for kids by keeping you informed of which sites your kids…

Developers won’t be there in person for the annual Worldwide Developers Conference this year but Apple will still host them virtually from June 22 through the Apple Developer App and the Apple Developer website for free. Usually the event of the year for app developers, WWDC unites thousands of developers from around the world in San Jose for a keynote that kicks off the event before days of sessions and the opportunity to engage with Apple’s engineers. But the coronavirus had other ideas and Apple was forced to cancel the event in favour of an online gathering. WWDC is where…

Take a listen to the informative Episode 398 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 Apple software update that will make the COVIDSafe app work properly on iPhone, Apple Stores set to reopen as early as this week as smartphone shipments plummet and DJI has launched the new Mavic Air 2 drone. In the Tech Guide reviews we’ll take a look at Huawei’s Mate Xs foldable smartphone, we literally roadtest the Under Armour Hovr connected shoes…

Optus has launched a new Family Plan to share a pool of data among four people in response to internet safety concerns and protecting children online. A survey of more than 1000 Australian parents expressed concern over their children’s safety while they are online and using technology. The new Optus Family Plan will include 250GB of monthly data to share across four SIM cards. On top of the obvious convenience of such a data pool, Optus will include a number of tools, including a subscription to McAfee Safe Family at no additional cost, to help families protect themselves online. The…

The Huawei Mate Xs is a stunning foldable smartphone that is an impressive feat of engineering. But despite its head-turning design – it does have its share of challenges. The new Mate Xs is the latest version of the head-turning original which stole the show at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in 2019. In fact, it was revealed barely days after Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Fold and many were preferring the Huawei version of this new foldable smartphone category. But the Mate X never made it to market in Australia. Samsung, too, had its challenges with the Galaxy Fold. After…

Apple stores around Australia will reopen on Thursday May 7 at 10am with a focus of supporting customers at the Genius Bar while still prioritising customer health and safety. The company said it was reopening stores to offer support to customers working from home or learning remotely. “We’re excited to begin welcoming visitors back to our Australian stores later this week. We’ve missed our customers and look forward to offering our support,” Apple said in a statement. “With many Australians working and learning from home, our initial focus will be providing service and support at the Genius Bar. “To start,…

Apple has just released the updated 13-inch MacBook Pro which includes the new Magic Keyboard for easier typing, the 10th generation Intel Core quad-core processor and double the onboard storage of the previous generation. The new 13-inch MacBook Pro has a Retina display and an aluminium unibody design with a weight of just 1.4kg which makes it easily portable and packed with performance. “Whether you’re a college student, a developer, or a creative pro, the 13-inch MacBook Pro delivers powerful performance, a stunning Retina display, and all-day battery life in our most portable pro notebook,” said Tom Boger, Apple’s senior director…

Apple has just released the beta version of its iOS software that will allow the iPhone version of the Australian government’s COVIDSafe app to operate even more efficiently. This upcoming update will provide an API (application programming interface) for public health apps like COVIDSafe to use the iPhone’s Bluetooth functionality at its full potential. Currently Apple does not allow third party app developers to broadcast Bluetooth signals. Apple would not confirm whether it made a special dispensation to the Australian Government before it released its app on April 26. The question was whether the COVIDSafe app could work if the…

May The 4th Be With You! Star Wars fans rejoice. Today is the day in the calendar that we can celebrate our love of all things Star Wars – and here’s how you can do it today. The most obvious thing to do is to watch the movies and Disney+ has beautifully timed the released of the ninth and final film of the Skywalker saga – The Rise of Skywalker – on its streaming platform. And you can not only see the movie itself but all the behind-scenes extras as well. Another new Star Wars-related release is Disney Gallery/The Mandalorian…

If there was one recent release you could choose to enjoy in glorious 4K it would be the Oscar-winning film 1917 – which was co-written and directed by Sam Mendes. The 1917 war film is now available on 4K disc and has eye-popping visuals and a thumping soundtrack that look and sound amazing on your 4K TV and sound system. The film tells the harrowing story of two soldiers given a near-impossible mission cross enemy lines to deliver a message that could save the lives of hundreds of soldiers. https://youtu.be/gZjQROMAh_s The cinematography (that’s one of the three Academy Awards the…

Global shipments of smartphones in the first quarter have plummeted as manufacturers struggled with production during coronavirus shutdowns and factory closures in China. Shipments dropped 16.4 per cent according to Omdia Smartphone Intelligence Service, down from 329.9 million to 274.4 million units. Nine out of the top 10 companies, including Samsung and Apple, suffered significant declines when compared to the same quarter in 2019. Samsung has managed to hang on to its No 1 ranking with 58.9 million units shipped –  a drop of 17 per cent year on year. Huawei, ranked second, dropped 17.1 per cent after shipping 49…

Bose has just released the limited edition 700 Eclipse noise cancelling headphones which now include a charging case to provide up to 40 hours of additional listening time. The Bose Noise Cancelling Headphones 700 Eclipse is available in one style – black with rose gold arms – and includes the same features of the original Headphones 700 including the remarkable noise cancellation, full transparency experience, audio quality and microphones. It is priced at $679.95 which includes the headphones and the charging case. The included charging case lets you not only store the Bose 700 Headphones but also recharge them at…

The 21 Australian Apple Stores which were closed during the coronavirus crisis could re-open as early as next week according to Apple CEO Tim Cook. Speaking to Bloomberg, Apple boss Tim Cook says plans were already in place to re-open the stores in the next one to two weeks. Apple says details about the exact opening date and times will be confirmed in the coming days and that the health and safety of its customers will still be a priority. Apple confirmed the stores will still practice social distance and health protocols which means there will be a restriction on…

Join Two Blokes Talking Tech, EFTM’s Trevor Long and Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech, for Episode 434 as they discuss the biggest tech stories of the week. On this week’s show, the questions around the COVIDSafe app and how well it can work with iPhones and Android devices as well as the Apple and Google versions of the technology. Also on the program, Westpac finally offer Apple Pay to customers, DJI launches the new Mavic Air 2 drone, Woolies kick off scan and go to make shopping faster the Under Armour HOVR connected shoes that can track your walks and…

The NBN will extend additional capacity for retail service providers to pass on to customers at no cost for another two months to help Australians stay connected during the coronavirus crisis. This extension is on top of the first offer of 40 per cent added capacity which came into effect at the end of March and will now go through to the June and July billing periods. “We are extending these offers by another two billing periods because we know how crucial it is for the nation to have access to reliable and fast broadband services as Australians continue to…

Finding a more affordable smartphone that still offers some premium features is a challenge but one such device is the Oppo A91 which has brought things like an AMOLED display and an in-screen fingerprint reader to a device that’s under $500. Design-wise the Oppo A91 is thin (it’s only 7.9mm thick) and light (172g) and feels good in your hand. Even with the included silicone case it’s still pretty svelte – and you’re protecting it as well. It has a 6-4-inch FHD+ AMOLED display which offers noticeably better quality than an LCD screen. There’s also a screen protector on the…