Author: Stephen Fenech

The Disney+ streaming service launches in Australia next week and Star Wars fans are in for a treat with news the original trilogy and prequel trilogy will be available to view in glorious 4K. The service kicked off in the US yesterday and viewers were pleasantly surprised to find the Star Wars films, including 1977 original – Episode IV – A New Hope – were in the Ultra HD 4K section. Not only are the movies presented in 4K Ultra HD, they also have Dolby Vision HDR (high dynamic range) and Dolby Atmos sound as well. Disney+ gets every ‘Star…

Beloved audio brand Technics is back with a range of new turntables, wireless speakers, an all-in-one audio product and noise cancelling headphones. Technics was born in 1955 as a sub brand of Panasonic specialising in high-quality audio products with an emphasis on design, sound and technology. That philosophy has been reborn with these new line-up of products that include the Technics Grand ClassSL-1200G ($6,999), Technics Grand Class SL-1200GR/SL-1210GR ($2,749) and the Technics SL-1500C Premium Class ($1,999) Also announced was the Technics SL-1210MK7 direct drive DJ turntable ($1,749), the Technics Ottava Premium Class Stereo Systems and compact wireless systems and the…

When you think of 5G the first thing you think of is speed but there is a lot more to it than that as Optus showed with a demonstration of the next gen network’s capabilities at its Macquarie Park campus in Sydney. While we know 5G provides faster download speeds than the NBN it’s not a one-trick pony. Yes it’s fast but it also offers other abilities that have the potential to touch our lives in numerous ways. 5G will power the smart cities of the near future, play a big part in smart health services, enhance security and form…

Lend us your ears for Episode 374 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,  Apple has released some new privacy features to protect customers, Huawei has announced the release date and price of its new Mate 30 Pro flagship smartphone – but will anyone buy it and Hisense releases a new 85-inch smart TV. In the Tech Guide reviews, we’ll take a look at the TCL Plex smartphone, take a listen to the Sennheiser AMBEO soundbar and…

Ride sharing company Uber has launched a new loyalty program similar to that used by the airlines for customers to earn points and unlock rewards as their status builds. Australia is the third market in the world to launch Uber Rewards after months of research and listening to customer feedback. While Uber was the first ride-sharing service in Australia, there is now plenty of competition and the company wants to give customers an incentive to stick with them. “While being first is nice, it is more important to be the most valuable so we’ve spent a lot of time building…

For all those people you see out and about wearing earphones in the street and on public transport, a third of them are listening to audiobooks, a new study has revealed. Research from Audible.com.au, the Australian division of the world’s leading audiobook and spoken word entertainment provider, shows more than 6.6 million Australians listen to their books. And millennials are leading the way with more than half (55 per cent) listening to audiobooks instead of music. it also looks set to increase the study showing nine in 10 (90 per cent) expected to listen to even more books than they…

Smart speakers are more popular than ever but smart speakers with screens like the Google Nest Hub Max are also surging thanks to the added capabilities of having a display. It is a bigger and better version of the Google Home Hub with a 10-inch high-definition display with a resolution of 1280 x 800 pixels and the onboard Google Assistant that can help you get things done, find things out, provide entertainment and organise your day. The Google Nest Hub Max also has stereo speakers on board and a built-in camera that can be used for video calls and facial…

If you’re happy connecting your earphones with a cable to your iPhone then you can get great value and enjoy great quality with the Belkin Rockstar earphones. Designed for iPhone, the Belkin Rockstar earphones have a Lightning connector and are available in black or white. A USB-C version for Android users will be released in the coming weeks. Priced at just $69.95, the Rockstar earphones punch well above their weight and offer impressive audio quality. They are designed to offer a comfortable fit and are shaped to direct sound directly into your ears. Also on board are silicon tips which…

Take a listen to Episode 412 of the Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long as they dissect the week’s top tech stories and share their opinion on the recently named top 30 Seinfeld episodes. The blokes kick off the show sharing their thoughts on the viewers’ choice of the top 30 Seinfeld episodes – we agree and disagree with some of the choices. It’s official! Here are the The Top 30 Seinfeld Episodes – as voted by the fans: pic.twitter.com/zI3nuXr7lS — Seinfeld (@SeinfeldTV) November 4, 2019 Also on the show –…

Huawei’s Mate 30 Pro smartphone, which was recently judged by DxOMark as having the best mobile camera, will go on sale in Australia on November 21. The device will be priced at $1,599. This will be the first new flagship device from Huawei which will be affected by the US trade black ban which means there will be an open source version of the Android operating system rather than the latest version. The other limitations will be no Google Play Store so not every app will be available to customers and there will be no access to other Google apps…

The TCL Plex is one of many mid-tier smartphones but the device manages to stand out from the crowd thanks to a vibrant display, a programmable smart key and an impressive camera system. TCL is best known for producing high quality and yet great value televisions. But it is actually the company behind popular smartphone brand Alcatel so it’s not coming into the market without any experience. In fact, TCL has taken its advanced NXTVISION TV display technology and shrunk it down to the 6.53-inch screen you’ll find on the TCL Plex. The smartphone actually has a dedicated display engine,…

Optus is making it easier for customers to travel overseas with their smartphone with a new prepaid roaming add-on that adds more value and more included destinations. The $20 Prepaid Data Roaming Add-on will now include five more destinations to the existing offer including mainland China, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia and Thailand. The add-on also increase the expiry period from five days to 14 days which gives customers more time to use the 10GB of included data. “We are thrilled to be stepping up our international roaming game for jetsetters just in time for the holiday season,” says Optus Head of…

In our connected world, privacy is more important than ever. Apple CEO Tim Cook recently said privacy is a fundamental human right which is why the company he leads has doubled down in its commitment to protecting that right. Apple has always been at the forefront of protecting customer privacy. It has just published a series of white papers on exactly how it does this when it comes to connecting with third party apps, location services, photos and browsing the web with Safari. The most recent operating system updates – iOS 13, iPadOS 13, macOS Catalina and Apple Watch OS…

Foxtel is launching some exciting new changes this week including nine new channels for subscribers to enjoy more drama and comedies as well as dedicated 4K Ultra HD channels for movies and sport. From November 7, these new channels will come online with some replacing older channels while others will change their channel number. Customers don’t have to do anything – the changes will happen on their own. The new channels will be: – FOX One (ch 101), new flagship channel – FOX Hits (ch 119) – FOX Funny (ch 111), which will replace 111 funny – FOX Crime (ch 118), which will replace…

Remember the old flip phones? For many it was their first phone on the old 2G network. Well, it’s back – and this time it has wi-fi and even 4G network connectivity. Meet the Aspera F40. Here’s a product for customers who want a device that is easy-to-use but still has the features and connectivity of a modern smartphone. The Aspera F40, priced at just $99, has a 2.8-inch display with a large and easy to read numerical and navigation keys. On the outside are three symbols – a battery, telephone and an envelope – so you can tell at…

We talk to the original voice of Siri –  Susan Bennett – who stars in a series of ads for HP in Episode 373 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast hosted by editor Stephen Fenech. On this week’s show, Optus 5G is now available to mobile and home broadband customers, the new Apple TV+ streaming service kicks off and our interview with Susan Bennett on how she became Siri and how she came to be starring in a series of cheeky ads by HP about breaking up with your MacBook. In the Tech Guide reviews, we give you our verdict…

When it comes to payroll, there are few more important functions in any business. After all, if you don’t pay your employees, they won’t work for you and your business will fall flat. In 2020, there will be a new push for streamlined management that takes simple payroll to a more holistic employee tracking system. That may sound a little hands-on, but the benefit of this approach can save your business real money. To understand why payroll is transforming in 2020, then use this guide to help you start your journey. Efficient outsourcing Streamlining management in 2020 is all about…

It’s no secret that we have a growing appetite for larger televisions so Hisense is now offering a massive 85-inch Series 7 ULED Smart TV that also boasts the latest features. The 85-inch TV has Hisense’s latest Full Array Backlight technology so the TV can display incredible contrast and dynamic range with deep blacks and bright whites. Priced at $4,299, the Hisense 85-inch TV includes Dolby Vision HDR (high dynamic range) along with a wide colour gamut and the ability to display more than 1 billion colours. It also has 200Hz smooth motion rate to reduce blur so action movies…

Half of the entertainment experience is sound but sometimes that sleek flat screen TV doesn’t deliver in that department which is why a soundbar like the Sennheiser Ambeo can be a real game changer. The Sennheiser soundbar is a serious piece of audio equipment that offers Dolby Atmos and immersive 3D sound. Under the hood are 13 high-end drivers that use the latest virtualisation technology that adapts to the acoustics of your environment. On the design side, the Ambeo soundbar is quite large – we’re talking 1.26m long, 13.5cm high and weighing a whopping 18.5kg. We said this was serious…

You may not recognise Susan Bennett’s face but you will sure recognise her voice. Millions of iPhone users speak to her every day. She was the original voice of Siri. But her famous voice will also now be heard taking a playful pot-shot at Apple in a new series of videos by HP called Esc Therapy. The videos show a long-time Mac user Dave in therapy with his MacBook Pro talking about how his relationship with his computer has changed. The ads address things like not having a touch screen, privacy worries from the laptop camera that can’t be turned…