Author: Stephen Fenech

Two Blokes Talking Tech Episode 384 with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long take a look at the biggest stories of the week including electric cars and smartphone photography. The blokes talk about electric cars and discuss Labor’s plan to have half of new cars sold being electric by 2030 and the misconceptions that are out there about EVs. Also on the show, Stephen and Trevor sharer their views about the Huawei P30 Pro and its amazing camera along with the app economy, Samsung Pay replacing your Opal card and the new Telstra Plus rewards program. In…

Want to find a new TV show to binge? Perfect timing – Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment is kicking off a TV Addicts sale on iTunes with prices starting as low as 99c an episode or $9.99 for a full first season. The offer starts on Friday April 12 and runs until April 26thwhich will allows viewers to take advantage of school holidays and Easter. There are more than 100 shows to choose from recent hits like The Handmaid’s Tale, American Crime Story and The Assassination of Gianni Versace along with older favourites like Prison Break, Sons of Anarchy, Buffy…

Amazon has just released the Echo Link and the Echo Link Amp in Australia which are designed for music lovers to connect their hi-fi systems to Alexa and enjoy all the smart features that come with it. Echo Link ($299) can upgrade your existing high fidelity stereo system to allow it to stream music and access the Alexa voice assistant. The device has inputs and outputs which are compatible with existing digital and analog audio equipment so you can still enjoy music from your favourite source on your system or a streaming audio service. It’s also possible to connect Echo…

Samsung has updated its Samsung Pay app to allow Galaxy smartphone users to tap on to Opal terminals in NSW to pay for train, bus and ferry services without even unlocking their device. Australia will be one of the first countries in the world to use thus feature which has been developed specifically for the Opal system in NSW to supplement contactless payment system which was introduced by Transport NSW. This update makes it just as easy for Samsung smartphone users to use Samsung Pay across the entire Opal system as it would be using an Opal card. They simply…

IKEA and Sonos have joined forces to present a combined lighting and audio solution with the new SYMFONISK range – it’s both a lamp and a speaker and designed to create a whole new atmosphere in your home. Now customers can purchase an even more functional piece of furniture that provides both light and sound. The result of the IKEA and Sonos collaboration is the SYMFONISK table lamp which has a built-in wi-fi speaker – it’s the loudest table lamp you’ll ever hear. “We knew from the start that we wanted to challenge the traditional high-tech aesthetics. The lamp-speaker partly…

It’s time to tune in to Episode 343 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech, so you can stay updated and educated about the latest tech issues, news and reviews. On this week’s show, we weigh in on the plan put forward by Labor to have half of all new cars sold in 2030 to be electric cars – we can speak about this with some authority – we already own an electric car. Also, the incredible growth of the App Economy and the jobs it has created in Australia and a new report shows how…

It would have been hard to predict back in 2007 when the iPhone was revealed that it would spawn a massive app industry that would employ more than 130,000 people in Australia alone. The Progressive Policy Institute’s report on the App Economy 2019 reveals the unexpected side effect that smartphone triggered. Apple opened the App Store in 2008 with just 500 apps and changed the way people work, play, travel and meet. Today the App Store is available in 155 countries with half a billion visitors worldwide every week and to date has generated $120 billion in earnings for developers…

With 5G connectivity just around the corner that device in your pocket is going to be more important than ever with research showing we’re closer to our smartphones than ever before. The Mobile Nation Report released by the Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA) and the Deloitte Access Economics highlights how central our mobile devices are in our lives. The mobile industry has actually grown by a staggering 43 per cent in the last six years and now plays a major in many industries across the country. Nearly all Australians (94 per cent) take their phones with them whenever they leave…

The Huawei P30 Pro hasn’t even been released yet and it’s already being hailed as the best smartphone camera according to DxoMark and TIPA (Technical Image Press Association). Unveiled in Paris just over a week ago, the Huawei P30 Series introduced a new Leica lens system which raises the bar for mobile photography. The P30 Pro has a quad lens Leica system which combine to create stunning imagery. DxOMark awarded the Huawei P30 Pro its highest score of 112. It pointed out the device’s improved bokeh and zoom along with its abilities in extremely low light levels. DxoMark also said…

Labor leader Bill Shorten’s plan for half the new cars sold to be electric vehicles by 2030 highlighted how little Australians know about EVs – including Mr Shorten himself. It was good to see a politician talking about electric cars but his lack of knowledge about electric cars and the infrastructure required to even get halfway to this goal was clearly evident. And his embarrassing assumption that an EV only takes 8-10 minutes to charge – which he said which he said on live radio – leads me to believe his goal looked better on paper or the back of…

Beats by Dr Dre has unveiled the Powerbeats Pro, the company’s completely wire-free earphones that still deliver a powerful sound and advanced functionality. The Powerbeats Pro, which works with iOS and Android mobile devices, provide music lovers with its signature high quality sound and industry-leading battery life. “Powerbeats Pro is a harmonious blend of premium sound, fit and functionality,” said Luke Wood, president of Beats. “Powerbeats are already the number one fitness headphones in the world and they are now untethered, with all the benefits of the Apple H1 chip. “No longer do you have to choose between performance and practicality—it…

UBTech and Marvel have joined forces with UBTech and come up with an Iron Man MK50 robot that walks and talks, uses augmented reality and can be controlled with simple coding. Released to coincide with the highly-anticipated Avengers: Endgame film, the UBTech Iron Man MK50 robot stands 32.8cm tall and allows you to play as the high flying Tony Stark. UBTech is the same company that released a Star Wars First Order Stormtrooper robot and the latest Iron Man MK50 robot has even more technology under the hood. Users can control its movements, lights and sounds, carry out augmented reality…

Microsoft is on a roll at the moment. It’s enjoyed great success with the Surface Pro and the Surface Book and now it has released its latest product – the Surface Headphones. These noise-cancelling headphones have been released to go up against the best of Beats, Sony and Bose and they mostly hold their own. The Surface products are high quality and the Surface headphones fit that mould as well. They’re nicely designed and offer a comfortable fit for hours of listening. The headphones have swivelling earcups that are wrapped in soft sumptuous leather so they not only sit comfortably,…

Telstra has announced a rewards program that will allow its eight million customers to earn points on their monthly Telstra bills and use them to get discounts on new products. Telstra Plus is open for customers to sign up for today with members earning 10 points for every $1 spent on monthly accounts and pre-paid recharges. Customers who sign up to the program before June 30 will also earn bonus points. Telstra Plus members will be allocated a tier status – gold, silver and member based on their previous 12 months spend. “Australians have more choice than ever before when…

We write about a lot of products on Tech Guide and we need to carry them around safely when we’re on the move and when we’re travelling and lately we’ve been doing just that with Thule backpacks. We’ve been using the Thule 30L Subterra, the Subterra Power Shuttle for our chargers, cables and accessories and the Thule Aspect when we need to carry our camera gear. Thule (pronounced too-lee) has been around for more than 75 years after being founded by Erika Thulin in 1942. Thule is probably best known for its roof racks, roof pods and bike racks and…

Coming to you live from Paris is Episode 342 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech, from the launch of the Huawei P30 Series – the P30 and the P30 Pro smartphones. On this week’s show we take you through the new Huawei devices which have rewritten the rules about mobile photography. The P30 Pro has already been awarded the DxOMark score to make it the best smartphone camera on the market. Also on the program, we go through the announcements from Apple’s It’s Showtime event including a new streaming service with original content from some…

Ring has come a long way since its connected doorbell. The company has built a smart ecosystem of products that offer both convenience and security and the latest addition is the Ring Stick Up Cam. And it’s appropriately named because you can stick it up anywhere at home inside or out. For our review we chose to aim the Ring Stick Up Cam at our backyard to keep an eye on our Dalmatians Ziggy and Logan from anywhere whether we’re inside the house or on the other side of the world. One of the strengths of the Ring ecosystem is…

When it comes to value and quality the Blackmagic Pocket Cinema 4K camera has certainly got it where it counts and offers an amazing portable solution for filmmakers. For Tech Guide we took a look at the Blackmagic as a solution to produce our videos for our site and for our YouTube channel. We were after quality and we wanted simplicity – a camera that could be turned on to shoot right away. The Blackmagic Pocket Cinema 4K delivered – to a degree. There were still things that needed to be added (like lenses) and a few things to learn…

Smart speakers are all the rage right now – but what about if you already own a speaker? Is it possible to turn it into a smart speaker? With the new Echo Input – the answer is yes. The Echo Input can connect to an external speaker using a 3.5mm cable or via Bluetooth so you can add Alexa functionality. Once connected, users can control their music, control smart devices in their home and find information just by asking. The product looks like an oversized coaster and is 14mm thick and 80mm wide and has a 3.5mm jack to connect…

Tune in to Two Blokes Talking Tech Episode 383 with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and Trevor Long as they discuss the biggest stories of the week. On this week’s show, Stephen and Trevor are on opposite sides of the world but coming in loud and clear. They discuss the Apple event where the company launched Apple TV+ streaming service, Apple Arcade for gaming and Apple News+ fopr access to hundreds of magazines. Also on the agenda is the launch of the Huawei P30 and P30 Pro which have set a new benchmark for mobile photography. You can listen to…