Author: Stephen Fenech

Electric bikes are becoming even more popular in our first ride on one of the more popular models – the Gocycle – proved to us they’ve got a big future. The Gocycle GS, which was supplied by Dolomiti Electric Bicycles, is a sleek and foldable electric bike that has a neat chassis with no exposed chains or gears. It’s also fairly lightweight at 16.5kg so it’s easy enough to carry around in the folded position into your home or office. And it also fits neatly in your car boot. But one thing we have to tell you about electric bikes…

Apple has introduced the new more powerful iPad Air along with an improved iPad Mini which now both include the A12 Bionic chip and support for Apple Pencil. The  more powerful 10.5-inch iPad Air offers a 70 per cent improvement in performance but  comes with an affordable price. The 7.9-inch iPad Mini is now three times faster and has a Retina display with the highest pixel density of any iPad. Now with Apple Pencil support, iPad Mini is a handy size for an everyday digital notepad that’s ideal for sketching and writing notes on the go. “The iPad continues to…

It was a winning weekend for the Mercedes-Benz AMG Petronas team at the Australian Formula One Grand Prix but also an excellent time for sponsor Epson to showcase its latest technologies. Tech Guide was a guest of Epson last week in Melbourne where it showcased its latest technologies for consumers and businesses. While Epson is probably best known as a printer company it has also made a name for itself with its Moverio augmented reality smart glasses and its excellent projectors. Epson took over the Mercedes Me store in the heart of Melbourne to show real-world examples of how its…

Panasonic has unveiled its first mirrorless full frame camera – the Lumix S1 and S1R – which offers class-leading photography and videography along with a rugged construction and ergonomics. Tech Guide took a hands-on look at the camera during a special Panasonic launch in picturesque Hobart. The S Series, which is designed for professionals and high-end enthusiasts, now includes a brand new Leica L Mount for new lenses that will be available from Panasonic and partners Leica and Sigma. All up there will be 13 lenses for the S Series including three from Panasonic with the rest coming by 2020.…

Tesla has just unveiled its latest electric vehicle – the Model Y – a more affordable SUV that promises the same safety levels and performance as the other Tesla vehicles in the range. The Model Y, which looks like a larger and taller version of the Model 3, will have a range of 480km (300 miles) and will be available in a 7-seat configuration. It has a panoramic sunroof and features a similar large screen in the centre of the dashboard with the same minimal look of the Model 3 console and interior. The powertrain is capable of going from…

LG has revealed the pricing and availability of its stunning new 2019 TV and soundbar range which provide a new level of intelligence, larger screen sizes, even higher resolution and stunning sound. LG also unveiled the 88-inch 8K Z9 OLED TV – a breakthrough television powered by the Alpha 9 Gen 2 Intelligent Processor which has an incredibly detailed and vivid picture and six-step upscaling. The first LG 8K TVs will be available in Australia in the second half of 2019. LG’s new 4K TVs will be released in the coming weeks and will integrate 4K Cinema HDR with Dolby…

Apple has confirmed it will host its 30thannual Worldwide Developers Conference in San Jose which brings together the world’s most creative developers who gather to hear about Apple’s latest software platform updates. The event will kick off on June 3 and run until June 7 at the McEnery Convention Centre. The work of developers has reached a new and exciting level with experiences now including machine learning, augmented reality, virtual reality, health, fitness and wellness and much more. This there are now more than 1.4 billion devices around the world which are running iOS, macOS, watchOS or tvOS and WWDC…

Tune in to Episode 381 of the Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long as they take a look at the biggest tech stories of the week. On this week’s show, Samsung reveals pricing and availability of its 8K TVs, what we can expect to see at Apple’s “It’s show time” event and we give our verdicts on the Samsung Galaxy S10. Also on the program, BenQ’s new true 4K projectors, Alcatel’s Family Watch for parents to keep track of their kids and Grabox becomes the first Australian company to offer in-car…

Samsung has announced the Australian availability and pricing for its 2019 QLED 8K television range which will usher in a whole new high quality home viewing experience. The Samsung Q900 QLED 8K TVs will be available in three sizes – 82-inch, 75-inch and 65-inch – and will go on sale on April 1. The Samsung 8K TVs have four times the resolution of 4K TVs and 16 times more pixels than a full HD TV at more than 33 million pixels filling the screen. The range is designed to meet the demand for larger screens that also provide high picture…

Since the launch Uber in 2012, the ride share industry has seen tremendous growth in Australia. One company has decided to tap into that market and offer Australia’s first in-car snack bar vending machine. Grabox sits near the centre console and includes a range of drinks, snacks and other things the rider may want to purchase. The concept has been approved for in car use and the slim vending machine box simply straps to the centre console of the ride-share vehicle with the potential to turn every ride share user into a customer. Whether the user wants a drink or…

BenQ has launched affordable new true 4K HDR-PRO projectors to offer customers a cinema-like experience in their home and enjoy their favourite films and TV shows on a larger scale. The BenQ CinePrime W5700 and W2700 DLP (digital light processing) projectors both offer high image quality and world-class colour performance which can also be customised to suit your surroundings. Both models have 3840 x 2160 resolution and 8.3 million distinct pixels and are capable of projecting an image up to 300 inches (W5700) and 200 inches (W2700). They utilise a pristine 4K optical system which incorporates six structured groups of…

Ladies and Gentlemen – lend me your ears for Episode 339 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech, to stay updated and educated about the latest consumer tech news and reviews. On this week’s show, the trade-in deals that can get the Samsung Galaxy S10 smartphone in your hand at a cheaper price, Tesla reveals the V3 Supercharger which can charge its electric cars even faster and the property development that’s the first in Australia to offer $0 electricity bills. In the Tech Guide reviews, we check out the new Fitbit range of wearables, the Alcatel…

Apple today confirmed it will be hosting a special launch event on March 25 when the company is rumoured to unveil a new streaming service which will take on Netflix. It will be held at the Steve Jobs Theatre on the Apple Park campus at 10am (4am March 26 Sydney time). The invitation says “It’s show time” which strongly supports the streaming service rumours and all but confirms the event will be all about services and not hardware products. The Apple TV service might not be kicking off for months but there has been news of original content being produced…

The computer mouse has been around for a long time and it basically remained the same for decades. Logitech has released a new ergonomic mouse called MX Vertical that’s designed to reduce forearm strain and wrist pressure. When you consider how your hand rests flat on a regular mouse it does place your wrist in a slightly exaggerated position that’s twisted around slightly from its natural resting position. And the flow on effect of that, especially when using the mouse for hours at a time, is that your forearm gets tired and strained. The Logitech MX Vertical is built at…

My love of rugby league is pretty obvious. So is the pride I have that I’ve played the game at the professional level with the mighty South Sydney Rabbitohs. So the opportunity to lace on the boots again in the NRL Masters was one I pounced on. I saw it as a bit of a challenge to get out of my comfort zone and see if I could still play and compete like I did back in the day. There’s a few more miles on the clock since the last time I played. At the age of 51, the body…

Boost Mobile, the world’s largest youth-focused telco brand, has announced a range of pre-paid plans to provide even more value and flexibility to its data hungry customers who want to keep in touch. The Boost Anytime Plus mobile plans now have increased data on plans ranging in price from $10 to $70 as well as extended international calling and the ability to roll over unused data. Customers also have the option to bulk buy Boost Mobile plans with new six and 12 month plans. These will be priced from $100 and pack in bulk data allowances along with international direct…

The Samsung Galaxy S10 goes on sale today and Vodafone has announced a new offer which can save customers up to $650 when they trade in an eligible handset. The offer kicks off today and can reduce the price of a new Galaxy S10 to as low as $699. Eligible handsets include older Samsung Galaxy models going back to the Galaxy S7. Customers with any of these eligible handsets can have them valued at any one of Vodafone’s 400 stores and receive that amount as a credit towards the new Galaxy S10. The device must be in good working order…

Tesla already has solid Supercharge coverage for its electric vehicles in Australia but the company announced a significant update with V3 Supercharging which will provide even faster charging on the go. V3 Supercharging has a completely new architecture and supports peak rates of 250kW per car. At that charging rate, Tesla drivers would be able recharge so quickly after just five minutes of charging they would have gained 120km of range. That means it could provide more than 1,600km of range in an hour. https://youtu.be/F-SZ7FgK1KA A Tesla Model S 75D, which is what Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech drives, takes…

Fitbit has launched four new products – the Fitbit Versa Lite, Fitbit Inspire HR, the Fitbit Inspire and the Fitbit Ace 2 – which are all designed to give an even wider range of customers a chance to monitor their health and fitness. There are now even more choices and prices to access the Fitbit platform used by millions around the world. “Since founding Fitbit almost 12 years ago, we’ve focused on making health fun and achievable for everyone – regardless of fitness level or goals,” said James Park, co-founder and CEO of Fitbit. “Today we have a growing, supportive…

Here we are, a week out from the start of the 2019 NRL season and the talk isn’t about which team is the favourite to win the premiership but about sex tapes shot on smartphones by players. The timing couldn’t be worse. The fallout is gut-churning and not to mention damaging to the game at a time when rugby league will be competing for our attention against things like Game of Thrones, Netflix and Fortnite this winter. With women making up a large portion of the NRL viewing audience, these sordid tapes which demean the women in them, will land…