DJI, the company we know for its drones, cameras and microphones, has released another power…
Author: Stephen Fenech
Stephen Fenech
Stephen is the Tech Guide editor and one of Australia's most respected tech journalists. He is a regular on radio and TV talking about the latest tech news, products and trends.
The NBN will face it’s biggest test in the coming weeks with more Australians in history working from home in the wake of the coronavirus. Will the network be able to handle this unprecedented daytime traffic? But NBN Co says it will be rising to the challenge as more people than ever before are forced to work and study from home while at the same time people are still streaming content and shopping online. A team of data scientists and engineers have been studying consumption patterns in other countries that have also been affected by the aggressive spread of COVID-19…
Optus and Testra will support its customers by providing extra data to help businesses, schools and individuals if they need to work remotely during the coronavirus crisis. Optus Post-paid customers will receive an additional 20GB of data in April 2020 while pre-paid customers that recharge with $40 or more will receive an additional 10GB of data during April. Telstra will kick in an extra 25GB for business and post-paid customers and an additional 10GB for pre-paid customers who recharge $40 or more. Telstra has also added unlimited calls to eligible pensioners with a home phone plan to local, national and…
Australian pro audio equipment company Rode Microphones will be donating more than $2 million worth of podcasting equipment to NSW schools that have been impacted by the coronavirus. Rode founder and chairman Peter Freedman says the program can give schools access to podcast equipment which can be used to deliver classes remotely. Public schools in the Australian state of New South Wales can now access an online portal on the Rode website to order complete podcasting kits. This includes the Rodecaster Pro Podcast Production Studio, microphones and accessories which can be used to record course material remotely in the event…
Sennheiser has just released the Momentum True Wireless 2 earphones which brings the company’s noise cancelling technology into the small well-crafted earbuds. The Momentum True Wireless 2 earphones have been designed with comfort and ergonomics in mind. The earbuds are 2mm smaller than the previous model and have a high-quality metallic finish plus gold-plated charging pins. They will be available in black or white. They have 7mm dynamic drivers which deliver deep bass along with clear mids and treble. And with the built-in equaliser whch can be set from the Sennheiser Smart Control App, the sound can be perfectly calibrated…
Apple has announced its annual Worldwide Developers Conference will not be go ahead as an event in San Jose but rather in an online format for customers, developers and the media. And the company has also closed all Apple Stores across the globe outside greater China to help stem the coronavirus outbreak. The 2020 WWDC online event will still include the keynote which will outline the latest versions of iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS. And developers will also still have the opportunity to engage with Apple engineers online and test the code of their new apps which is the…
The world is in the grip of coronavirus with places, businesses and events shut down and people encouraged to keep a social distance or self-isolate. But on the work front, being away from the office doesn’t mean you can’t get your work done. There are several applications, many of them free, which can be used to hold virtual meetings and even share documents and presentations. With the speed and convenience of the internet, we’ve often said work is a thing you do, not a place you go. And that couldn’t apply more right now as we’re trying to keep our…
Get comfortable and take a listen to Episode 427 of the popular Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long. On this week’s show, Boost Mobile launches international roaming packs, Samsung launches a massive Galaxy S20 Ultra 5G give-away, coronavirus calls off E3 and puts WWDC in doubt and Dyson launches an expensive hair straightener. The blokes also discuss the Oppo Find X2 smartphone, Trevor is blowing up that the Australian F1 Grand Prix is not in 4K on Foxtel and Huawei prices the Mate Xs folding phone at $3,999. You can listen…
Ring has just released new devices including the Ring Video Doorbell 3 which now includes “pre-roll” technology so it can capture four seconds of video before motion is detected near your front door. The Ring Video Doorbell 3 ($329) and Ring Video Doorbell 3 Plus ($369) now includes an adjustable motion zone with the ability to detect motion as far away as 5m from your front door. It also has enhanced dual band 2.4Ghz/5Ghz bands for even better wi-fi connectivity. Ring has also announced a redesigned Ring Chime ($49) and Chime Pro ($79) so you can hear the doorbell across…
Huawei has announced its impressive Mate Xs luxury foldable device – a smartphone that folds out to offer an 8-inch tablet-size screen – will be available for pre-order from March 14 and will be priced at $3999. This will make the Mate Xs the most expensive smartphone ever offered in Australia. Tech Guide has taken a hands-on look at the device which has a front 6.6-inch display, a rear 6.38-inch display which then folds out to reveal an 8-inch screen. https://youtu.be/fvQGIaJfyR0 The 5G smartphone is powered by Huawei’s very own Kirin 990 processor and features a 40-megapixel Leica quad-camera. “We’re…
Beloved audio brand Technics is back and with it are some remarkable products including the Technics Ottava F SC-C70 all-in-one music system that takes listeners back to the glory days of music quality. Today we’re surrounded by smart speakers and streaming music through our smartphones which offer more convenience than they do high quality. Smart speakers and Bluetooth have now become the most popular and affordable ways we can play our music out loud. This is fine for some but audiophiles would be definitely turning their noses up at these popular products. That’s why the Technics Ottava F SC-C70 has…
To celebrate the release of the impressive Galaxy S20, Samsung has launched one of the largest consumer giveaway campaigns called Microcodes – a scavenger hunt to find cleverly embedded codes within Galaxy S20 advertisements. The lucky hunters can win a Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra. And we have an exclusive code for Tech Guide readers. One of the standout features of the Samsung Galaxy S20 is Space Zoom with the S20 Ultra capable of an incredible 100x zoom. The codes are the word “phone” spelt in a variety of ways that can be found in Samsung ads in stores, kiosks, Facebook,…
E3 2020 – the world’s biggest annual gaming expo – has reportedly become the latest major tech event to be cancelled amid fears of the spread of the coronavirus with Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference also in doubt. The annual Electronics Entertainment Expo was due to kick off in early June in Los Angeles. The Entertainment Software Association (ESA) was expected to release a statement today to confirm the event would be cancelled. Game publisher Devolver Digital started the stampede of speculation after tweeting: “Cancel all your E3 flight and hotels, y’all”. E3 is the event where PlayStation, Xbox and Nintendo and…
Boost Mobile, the popular pre-paid mobile plan brand, is now offer Australians the same value they are known for when they travel overseas with new international roaming packs. More than 59 per cent of young Australians aged 16-34 use their phones when they are on holiday so having enough data is important to them as they take photos of their trip and share them on social media The Boost Mobile International Roaming recharge can be used in 15 popular overseas destinations and includes 5GB of data, 100 texts and 30 minutes of calls to and from standard numbers. And you…
Dyson has already made its mark on vacuums, hair care, air purifiers, hand dryers and lighting and it just entered another category with the Dyson Corrale – a hair straightener with flexible plates. The company has always been driven by engineering and their products are also designed to solve a problem. And that’s exactly how it has approached the Dyson Corrale. Dyson already has some investment in hair care with the Dyson Supersonic hairdryer and the Airwrap styler and it has taken it a step further with the Corrale. The challenge here was to create a hair straightener that made…
Do yourself a favour and tune in to Episode 390 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, coronavirus is causing severe shortages in the tech world and Apple is one of the hardest hit, Oppo has launched its new flagship Find X2 and Vodafone turns on its 5G network. We take a look at the Sennheiser HE1 – the world’s best (and most expensive) headphones, Audible launches a new campaign to show how we can still…
The worldwide spread of the coronavirus is being exploited by cyber criminals through phishing scams designed to steal personal information and infect devices. Online scammers are taking advantage of the public’s hunger for information about COVID-19 otherwise known as the novel coronavirus. They do this by sending emails using the CDC Health Alert Network logo which claims to provide information about local active infection zones. Recipients can click on a link to access the list before being asked to provide email log-in credentials which were then stolen. These criminals are also going to the trouble of setting up fake websites…
Smart speakers are extremely popular right now but the addition of a screen makes them even more useful as the new Amazon Echo Show 8 demonstrates. It has all the features of a regular smart speaker so you can hear Alexa and your music and content but now with the screen you can also see things as well. The Echo Show 8 is the middle child in the Amazon family and sits between big brother Echo Show (10-inch) and the Echo Show 5 (5-inch). And it’s a “just right” size for your desk or kitchen counter – perhaps a touch…
Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is literally the biggest star on the planet and now the former wrestling champ and action movie star has released a pair of wire-free earphones in partnership with Under Armour. The all-new UA Sport Wireless Flash In-Earphones are part of the JBL Project Rock Collection and will be available exclusively at JB Hi-Fi. The Rock loves a workout as you can easily tell and he’s lent his name to the UA Sport Wireless Flash In-Earphones to demonstrate how durable they are while delivering impressive audio quality. Dwayne Johnson has been working with Under Armour in conjunction…
Audible has kicked off a new campaign with Instagram comedy sensation Celeste Barber to show time-poor Australians they can still fit books into their extremely busy lives. Stats show that two thirds of Australians have at least one book they want to read but they can’t find the time in their hectic schedule. A third of Australians (6.6 million) already listen to audiobooks with millennials leading the way with 55 per cent listening to their books. In the Audible campaign, Barber shows she can listen to her books in the car with the family and even at the gym. https://youtu.be/YDl1Fg2n5ro…
What do the world’s best headphones sound like? At a recent visit to the Sennheiser Store in Sydney’s CBD I got a chance to find out when I slipped on the HE1 headphones and powered on the jaw-dropping system. Back in 1991, Sennheiser decided to demonstrate its audio superiority by creating Orpheus – the best headphones in the world. Sennheiser thought they would do that all over again using the latest cutting edge technology. https://youtu.be/Na0b8cyVTTw The result is the Sennheiser HE1. And they’ll only set you back a cool $89,000. But the HE1 is not just a pair of superb…