Author: Stephen Fenech

 Hear it like it is in Episode 694 of the Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast hosted by Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long as they go through the week’s biggest consumer tech news and product releases. It’s official, the government is adding YouTube to the list of banned social media sites that will be banned for anyone under 16 later this year. This is a big deal so the Two Blokes unpack it all and see if there have been any learnings. Also on the show, we’re flipping out with the new Galaxy Z Flip7 from Samsung…

Trusted floorcare brand Tineco has launched its new flagship Floor One S9 Artist series which deliver a high quality cleaning experience for even the most demanding households. There are two new wet-dry floor cleaning models, the Floor One S9 Artist Pro and the Floor One S9 Artist Steam and both offer an elegant design and the power and performance to provide an impressive cleaning experience. Tineco is a leader in innovative floor care solutions and was recently recognised as the number one global leader in the household wet and dry floor cleaner category by Euromonitor International – the world’s leading…

Apple’s Beta Software Program has just kicked so users can install the latest iOS 26, iPadOS 26, macOS Tahoe 26 and watchOS 26 updates on their devices from today. Also available to load are the public beta versions of tvOS 26 and watchOS 26 as well. These software updates, which were unveiled at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference last month, will be officially released in September. But users get their hands on the new software today with Apple’s Beta Software Program and report any bugs to optimise the update the final version. If you are thinking about taking part in the Apple…

The Australian Government has backflipped on YouTube’s exemption from the social media ban for under 16s and will now include the video-sharing platform in the new legislation that will take effect from December This means children and younger teenagers aged under 16 will not be allowed to log into the video site before the end of the year. This decision was made just days after YouTube, which is owned by gigantic tech company Google, threatened to sue the Australian Government if its exemption from the new laws were revoked. YouTube said in a statement it is considering its next steps…

Make the smart move and press play on Episode 655 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 research from Allianz reveals the devices linked to the most battery fires – and it’s not an e-scooter, Kindle has released its first colour e-reader in Australia and, speaking of reading – Spotify is opening reading of a different kind –audiobooks. In the Tech Guide reviews – we give you our verdict on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold7, we…

The HP EliteBook Ultra G1i laptop means business. It is light and compact yet offers business and high-end customers power and performance on the move. The device is aimed at the professional user and includes a range of abilities and features. Starting with the design, the HP EliteBook Ultra G1i is a stunner. It has a gorgeous Atmospheric Blue colour – a nice alternative from the usual black laptops we see – and is made from lightweight aluminium. It weighs just 1.2kg. The build quality is superb with subtle rounded edges that give the laptop a premium look and feel.…

Punch it into gear and take a listen to the latest episode of the popular show Two Blokes Talking Electric Cars – The EV Podcast – with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long. This week we talk to two callers, who’ve both owned two EVs. One loved his Tesla so much he bought another one – the story of the deposit on the first one will make you smile. And another who doesn’t like to spend too much on cars, bought a second hand Nissan Leaf, and the upgraded to a newer one down the track. We…

We hear a lot about battery fires on the news and usually it’s related to an e-bike or electric scooter but new data from Allianz has revealed the devices causing the most lithium-ion battery fires are rechargeable power and garden tools. According to research from Allianz e-bikes and scooters are getting a bad rap. It says 38 per cent of all lithium-ion battery fires are caused by rechargeable power and garden tools. In 2024, the total claims due to battery related incidents amounted to $16.1 million. After power and gardening tools, fires involving battery cells like torch or flashlight batteries…

Samsung has absolutely hit its stride with its foldable range. The new Galaxy Z Fold7 is a marvel of engineering that has come a long away even from last year’s model. Tech Guide has been using the Z Fold7 for the past two weeks as our daily driver and we’ll tell you up front – it’s one of the best smartphones we’ve ever used. Since the first Galaxy Z Fold was unveiled in 2019, it has a niche product favoured by a small yet passionate group of customers. Samsung paved the road for other companies to drive when it comes…

One step at a time. One punch at a time. One round at a time!! This week on the 200th episode of the popular The Best Movies You’ve Never Seen podcast we’re watching Creed starring Michael B Jordan and Slyvester Stallone. Creed tells the story Adonis Creed – the son of Apollo Creed who no one knew existed – who seeks out Rocky Balboa to train him as a professional fighter. Stephen watched Creed in the cinema in the US on Thanksgiving and has rewatched the movie many, many times while Trevor is climbing into the ring for the first…

Get all the facts you need with Episode 693 of the Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long. On this week’s show, Stephen and Trevor discuss Aussie retail and how the kickback to salespeople should be clearly disclosed if one brand is offering more deals to the retail staff than others. And Aldi Mobile wins Canstar awards for its mobile plans, Google teases its next smartphone and the Rugby League game isn’t exactly a winner. You can listen and watch the show right here on the Tech Guide site using the audio…

Amazon has released the Kindle Colorsoft – its first ever colour e-reader so you can view covers, book photos, images in colour and add colour highlights. Kindle ColorSoft has a 7-inch Colorsoft high contrast display that still offers the paper-like look and feel but now with full colour to bring book covers and other content to life. More than 129 billion pages have been read on Kindles so far this year with Australians making a healthy contribution to that total. The Kindle ColorSoft has a custom screen coating to enrich the colour as well as a light guide with micro…

Reolink has launched the Elite Floodlight Wi-Fi security camera which offers 4K and AI-powered monitoring which makes it easier to find specific clips. Reolink says it’s the first floodlight camera to feature AI Video Search so you can find exactly what you’re looking for rather than combing through hours of video. For example, you can search for “man in a hoodie” or “black ute” and the system will instantly present matching clips. Other search categories supported include people, vehicles, animals and packages. There is also AI-powered motion detection so it can easily distinguish between people, animals, vehicles and packages. Users…

Here is your first glimpse of the Google Pixel 10 Pro – and no it wasn’t leaked – Google decided to go ahead and show off the product ahead of its August 21 launch. The new Pixel 10 lineup will be unveiled at the Made by Google event and live streamed on YouTube. The event is also expected to reveal the rest of the lineup including the Pixel 10, Pixel 10 Pro, Pixel 10 Pro XL and the Pixel 10 Pro Fold. Google has already shown off the back of Pixel 10 Pro on its website and from that we…

Meta has announced a range of Instagram safety features for young teens to ensure they can enjoy an age appropriate experience on the platform. These features have been introduced for the previously introduced teen accounts and will provide more information about who they are chatting with. Now teens will have easier and more prominent access to safety tips and the ability to block an account from the top of DM chats. What will also be displayed is the date the person joined Instagram to give teens more of an idea of who they a chatting with and help them spot…

Are we in a reading slump? Research from Australia Reads shows one in four Australian adults have not read or listened to a book in the past 12 months but the same research shows we love listening to books. One in three Aussies prefer listening to books than reading them and this has spurred Spotify to launch Audiobooks+ in Australia. This allows Premium listeners to include recurring additional audiobook listening time to their current subscription for $15.99. Spotify says its goal with audiobooks is to grow the publishing industry and create an enjoyable experience for book lovers with flexible plans…

Join us to get updated and educated with Episode 654 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast hosted by editor Stephen Fenech to hear about the latest in consumer tech and product reviews. On this week’s show: The scams Qantas customers can expect to see according to a cyber security expert, the feature that makes the new JBL Tour One M3 headphones stand out from the crowd and the new Rode product that’s been released that you can get for free. In the Tech Guide reviews, we check out the Hisense U8Q mini LED smart TV, we take a listen to…

There is no shortage of ways to track your health and fitness – one of the latest methods is a smart ring like the Ultrahuman Ring Air which we’ve been testing for the last few weeks. And despite being a ring, it does monitor and collect a wide range of metrics from sleep and movement to circadian rhythm and even your caffeine window. It’s priced at $599 but you also need to purchase the sizing kit for $10 to ensure you find the right size. We found that we needed to go one size higher than our regular ring size…

A cyber security expert has warned Qantas customers are still in danger of sophisticated financial scams even though no credit card or passport information was compromised in the recent data leak. Qantas admitted 5.7 million passenger details were stolen in a data breach on June 30 from a call centre in Manila. The airline has been open and transparent about the breach and detailed the broke down the information that was taken including names, addresses, phone numbers, dates of birth and Frequent Flyer numbers. Qantas has insisted no financial or passport information was leaked. But cyber security expert and Cohesity…

Hit the road and take a listen to the latest episode of the popular show Two Blokes Talking Electric Cars – The EV Podcast – with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long. This week Brendon Green from Pickles joins us to talk about their move to provide a battery health certificate for all second hand Electric Cars coming through Pickles. We unpack what really affects your battery health. We also chat with a caller about charging an EV at home when you’re renting – what’s the best solution? And retirement goals, golf and an electric car -…