Author: Stephen Fenech

I’m scared to close my eyes, I’m scared to open them! We’re gonna die out here! This week on The Best Movies You’ve Never Seen podcast we’re watching The Blair Witch Project. The Blair Witch Project is a found footage film from three documentary filmmakers who ventured into the woods to explore the legend of the Blair Witch – this film is that terrifying expedition. Stephen watched this on a US-imported DVD before it opened in Australian theatres while Trevor is venturing into the woods for the first time. We go through the memorable scenes and share some interesting facts,…

Get up to speed with Episode 710 of the Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast with Stephen Fenech and Trevor Long as they go through the week’s biggest tech news and product launches. Yes we are talking the Under 16 social media ban again – it’s so close now. And we now know more about how it’s going to be done by the platforms. Also on the show there’s been a breakthrough between Apple and Google – will it last? And there are new rules about batteries on planes – and we talk about the best Black Friday deals. You can…

The new Amazon Echo speakers – the Echo Studio and Echo Dot Max – have been redesigned with a new look and enhanced with a better sound. Both smart speakers are powered by Alexa to help you with everything from checking the weather and adding to your shopping list to finding information and listening to the radio. Users can play music across several Echo devices and control smart home products thanks to the built-in smart home hub which works with Matter and Zigbee. ECHO DOT MAX – $199 This is a new speaker in the Echo line-up – it might…

Kensington, a brand known for its desktop and mobility solutions, has partnered with espresso Displays – the creator of the ultra-portable high performance monitors for travellers and professionals – so the work you do on the go can remain private. The partnership will see Kensington releasing its high clarity magnetic privacy screen filters which will work with the espresso display 15-inch and 17-inch portable monitors. The Kensington screen filters include technology that enhances light transmitters by up to 40 per cent compared to other privacy screens. It has a scratch-resistant and anti-reflective coating to minimise glare and to limit the…

Australian telco SpinTel has unveiled its Black Friday deals which give Australians high speed connections and value with no lock in contracts, $0 set up and unlimited data. The deal SpinTel is offering discounts on its 50Mbps and 500Mbps plans. The 50/20 NBN plan is now $60 a month for the first six months then $81.95 ongoing while the 500/50 plan has been slashed to $65 a month for the first six months and then $86.95 ongoing. For our money – it’s worth paying the extra $5 a month to get a connection that’s 10 times faster. But not everyone…

Tineco is offering some impressive Black Friday specials including two products we’ve already reviewed on Tech Guide – the Floor One S9 Artist and the Carpet One Cruiser – which have been discounted by up to $300. Tineco hard floor cleaners have been a market leader for two decades and can tackle any home cleaning challenge. All the models use fresh water from its own tank to get through tough floor mess and stains and can even adjust the suction and water flow to cope with the level of cleaning required. Also aboard is HyperSteam for a more thorough and…

Leading home robotics brand ECOVACS will be dropping back into the Aldi Special Buys aisle with two budget friendly products – the DEEBOT Neo 3.0 Mini robot vacuum and the WINBOT Neo Mini robotic window cleaner. The ECOVACS products go on sale today (November 26) at Aldi stores across Australia. “We are driven by a mission to make cutting-edge robotics accessible to every household, and the DEEBOT Neo 3.0 Omni and WINBOT Neo Mini perfectly embody this,” said Karen Powell, Regional Director of ECOVACS ROBOTICS Australia and New Zealand. “They’re powerful, intelligent, beautifully designed and compact, offering Australians effortless cleaning from floor to ceiling. These…

Make the wise move and press play on Episode 672 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast hosted by editor Stephen Fenech as he keeps you updated and educated about the latest consumer tech news and reviews. On this week’s show: new rules on the use of portable batteries on flights on Australian airlines, Meta has jumped the gun and will begin its social media ban early and Arctel slashes NBN plan prices in its Black Friday sale. In the Tech Guide reviews, we run our eye over the DJI Osmo Action 6 camera, we test out the Logitech solar powered…

Young Australians are putting themselves at risk shopping online during the holiday season which places them right in the path of scammers and cybercriminals, according to the 2025 Norton Cyber Safety Insights Report. Nearly a third of Australians (29 per cent) say they take more risks shopping online during the holiday and sales periods than any other time of the year. Also revealed was the risky behaviour among younger online shoppers with 43 per cent of Gen Z and 42 per cent of Millennials more likely to cut corners compared to 8 per cent of boomers. Norton’s latest intelligence reveals…

The Oura Ring was one of the first smart rings released and it continues to lead the way in providing insights into our health and wellbeing. Tech Guide has been using the Oura Ring 4 Ceramic for more than a month and it delivered some remarkable insights to help improve our sleep, reduce our stress and track our activity. One area we wanted to focus was on our sleep and wearing a ring like the Oura is a much easier and more discreet way to track our slumber. We don’t like to sleep with a smartwatch on so the Oura…

Get charged up and take a listen to the latest episode of Two Blokes Talking Electric Cars – the EV podcast with Stephen Fenech and Trevor Long. This week Stephen and Trevor chat to Stephen Collins, Chief Operating Officer – BYD Australia & New Zealand. We talk about the new Atto 1 and Atto 2 and their aggressive pricing. As well as what the future long and short term is for BYD as a car brand in Australia. If you’ve got a question about EVs or you want to be part of the show you can send us a text…

Logitech has released its first solar-powered keyboard – the Signature Slim Solar+ K980 – which doesn’t need any batteries or charging cables so it can always maintain premium performance without interruption. The slim low-profile keyboard utilises Logitech proprietary Logi LightCharge Technology and a solar strip that sits above the keys. This allows the keyboard to be powered by any light whether its sunlight or the lights in our homes and offices. That light provides the only charge needed to top up the built-in battery. And Logitech is so confident the LightCharge Technology will provide enough power for a perpetual charge…

Those airlines are not going to be on the phone and on my ass while he’s on the scopes OK – he pushes tin!! This week on The Best Movies You’ve Never Seen podcast we’re watching Pushing Tin starring John Cusack, Billy Bob Thornton, Angelina Jolie and Cate Blanchett. Pushing Tin tells the story of air traffic controllers in New York looking after the busiest skies in the world and the stresses that go with it but the competition, rivalry and gossip extends outside the facility. Stephen watched Pushing Tin in the theatre and has rewatched it several time while…

Many of us carry power banks to keep our mobile devices charged but from December 1 Virgin airline passengers will be banned from using them onboard with Qantas to enforce the same restrictions from December 15. This comes amid concerns of the risks associated with portable lithium batteries especially if they have dropped or mishandled. An Air China flight last month had to be diverted and forced to make an emergency landing after a portable battery caught fire in the overhead mid-flight. No one was injured. In January a battery caused a fire aboard an Air Busan flight in Busan,…

When it comes to Black Friday deals internet service provider Arctel has a promotion that you can enjoy for a year and save you hundreds of dollars every year after that. And what’s even better is the fact that the sale prices will run for 12 months and save you from the expected July 2026 price rise across the category. Users can save up to $25 per month on the Arctel plans before they return to regular prices in a year. The Arctel Black Friday sale kicks off on November 28 at 9am and will be limited to 250 spots…

Get up close to the Two Blokes Talking Tech – Stephen Fenech and Trevor Long – for Episode 709 as they go through the biggest tech stories of the week and product announcements. On this week’s show, Roblox is adding age verification to stop predators chatting to kids, despite not being part of the Social media ban – it’s a good thing, and we unpack it. TPG has Triple Zero issues which shines a light again on device problems in Australia. DJI’s selfie drone – the Neo 2 – gets an upgrade, Amazon’s Satellite internet service gets a name and…

Meta will be jumping the gun and shutting out under 16 accounts from December 4 – a week earlier than the government-sanctioned social media ban which is due to take effect from December 10. Meta, the company behind some of the most popular social media platforms Facebook, Instagram and Threads, says it will send out notifications to 13-15 year olds as early as today. These account holders will be given 14 days’ notice via an in-app message, email or text message before they lose access. Then from December 4, Meta will start the process of blocking account holders aged under…

Smartphone manufacturer and AI device ecosystem company Honor has launched its first batch of products in Australia including advanced smartphones and the world’s thinnest inward-folding smartphone – the Honor Magic V5. Honor has a plan in place to transition the company from a smartphone maker to an open AI device ecosystem with an investment of more than $US10bn over the next five years for AI and device R&D, platform and software development and open ecosystem programs. Honor was previously a sub brand of Chinese smartphone giant Huawei but the company was sold in 2020 to the Shenzhen Zhixin New Information…

DJI has launched its new Osmo Action 6 action camera which unlocks even higher imaging quality and versatility to create a new standard of action photography. The Osmo Action 6 offers flagship performance that will redefine the possibilities of action photography. It is the first action camera to offer a variable aperture between f/2.0 to f/4.0 so it performs in all conditions including low light. Under the hood is DJI’s 1/1.1-inch CMOS sensor to improve the image quality to an all new level. And because the Osmo Action 6 breaks away from the fixed aperture design usually found in action…

Get smarter and press play on Episode 671 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast hosted by editor Stephen Fenech to keep you updated and educated about the latest consumer tech news and reviews. On this week’s show: the alarming rise in early onset dementia linked to excessive screen time, the new smart reminder clock for people living with dementia and we speak to Paul Colley – head of HOMELife Technology who is bringing this product and many others like it to help Australian users. In the Tech Guide reviews, we run our eye over the new DJI Neo 2 follow…