Author: Stephen Fenech

Hisense has become the latest TV manufacturer to launch OLED TVs which are now available at major retailers and bolstering its range of already popular ULED TVs. The Hisense 4K UHD OLED TVs will be available in 55-inch and 65-inch and will feature super slim bezels and a sleek metal frame. These new TVs will leverage the best features of OLED – deep blacks and stunning colours along with wide colour gamut, HDR (high dynamic range) and a 200Hz smooth motion rate. “Australian consumers crave high-quality technology in their homes but are also incredibly design-conscious, especially when it comes to…

JBL has unveiled its new Free X true wireless in-ear headphones which offer high audio quality via Bluetooth streaming in a compact yet comfortable package. JBL has definitely cut the cord but still offer remarkable sound quality with the Free X earphones which are designed for those who lead an active lifestyle but still want to be connected to their audio content. It has an IPX5 rating which means you can listen to the Free X in the rain, while your training and in the gym. The Free X comes with three silicon ear tip sizes and two gel sleeve…

Panasonic has released the latest iteration of its Toughbook – the FZ-T1 – the rugged device which provides an all-in-one solution for the mobile workforce like retail, hospitality, emergency services, manufacturing, transport and logistics. The FZ-T1 has a 5-inch display and combines the best of a durable handheld device with the features of a smartphone into a single design. It is underpinned by Panasonic’s industry-leading reputation for tough design and flexibility functionality. A rugged device is obviously not the same as a regular handheld product. Consumer devices are not designed to withstand continuous use in difficult conditions and are liable…

Anyone who loves the ocean, like surfers and swimmers, also knows the dangers including the risk of shark attacks but a new product called Sharkbanz could potentially save your life. Sharkbanz is the result of more than a decade of research and has been successfully demonstrated and proven as a shark repellent device. The unit can be worn on your ankle or your wrist and uses magnetic technology which has been researched and tested by marine biologists on predatory shark species. Sharkbanz take advantage of a sharks’ unique and powerful electrical sense (electroreception) to cause a highly unpleasant sensation that turns…

Nonda, the company that released car products like the ZUS smart charger and ZUS tyre pressure monitor, has just unveiled its latest car device  – the new ZUS Wireless Smart Back Up Camera. This is a great solution for those who are driving older or standard vehicles that don’t have a built-in reversing camera. It has a wide-angle camera with a 170-degree field of view so you can easily see anything behind your vehicle. It attaches quickly and easily to the license plate frame and there is no need to drill holes or run any cables. It comes with all…

A residential development in Western Sydney will become one of Australia’s biggest new age residential developments to have a fully integrated solar and home battery solution that will automate appliances and home energy consumption. Located in Norwest, the Essentia project will include 74 homes and is expected to be completed by 2020. The $1.5m installation deal was signed by Australian company Natural Solar, the nation’s largest installer of solar and battery solutions, and global developer Mulpha. The partnership will see Natural Solar provide each home with a 5.13kWp solar systems and a 10kWh SonnenBatterie to store excess power from daytime…

Oppo has launched its latest devices in the popular R Series – the R17 and the R17 Pro which have better cameras, faster charging and even larger screens. The goal with these new devices is to offer even better camera technology and other cutting-edge features at a more affordable price. The impressive R Series is already popular with Australian customers and these new models are sure to meet their evolving needs. Each device has a 6.4-inch full high-definition screen which is covered with Corning Gorilla Glass 6 – one of the world’s toughest smartphone screen technologies. The device also has…

Samsung has revealed its new Infinity Flex Display which is likely to be the precursor to the company’s new wave of foldable smartphones and tablets. This new smartphone form factor was unveiled at the Samsung Developers Conference in San Francisco. It delivers what Samsung calls the “best of both worlds” with a regular display on the front of the device which can then open up and reveal a larger 7.3-inch screen for viewing content and multitasking. The app that is open on the front display would then be seamlessly transferred to the larger foldable screen inside. In terms of multitasking,…

Tech Guide has taken a hands-on look at Apple’s new 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro which now has an all-screen design and no longer includes a home button. The first thing you notice about the updated iPad Pro, which just been released in stores, is the display which now goes top to bottom and edge to edge. Without a home button the iPad Pro now uses Face ID to unlock the device just like the iPhone XS and iPhone XR. Another striking feature about the iPad Pro is its svelte proportions – it’s just 5.9mm thick. There is also a single…

Netgear has released the Nighthawk X6 Tri-Band Wi-Fi Mesh Extender (EX7700) which can expand the range of your existing router to cover your entire home. It uses Netgear’s patented Fastlane3 technology and has dedicated 866Mbps 5Ghz band to expand your coverage up to an additional 18.5m with AC2200 wi-fi speeds that when combined provide up to 2.2Gbps (866 + 866 + 400Mbps). With the Netgear Mesh extender users can retain the same network name as your router. Smart Roaming allows your mobile devices to maintain the best connection when you move around your home and continue streaming your content no…

JBL has become the latest company to release a voice-activated smart speaker with a built-in display when it launched the Link View to give customers content they can see and hear. The device has an 8-inch high definition display as well as a 5-megapixel front facing camera and, being a JBL product, it has excellent sound quality. Link View is designed for customers who consume a large amount of content daily and can be used to view pictures, stream audio and video, ask questions, follow recipes and make video calls with family and friends. And all of these can be…

 Fitbit has announced the latest version of its Charge family of devices – the Fitbit Charge 3 with a range of new and improved features including up to seven days battery life – has just gone on sale. Charge 3 is the latest in the line of Fitbit’s the popular Charge range with more than 50 per cent of pre-orders from loyal Fitbit customers who have owned two or three of the company’s products. The new device has an improved design that is now swim proof along with more than 15 goal-based exercise modes plus Fitbit’s most advanced sensor is…

Listen to Episode 324 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 launches a new iPad Pro, MacBook Air and Mac Mini, Norton’s social experiment to help parents manage children’s screen time and we chat to Dr Joanne Orlando who ran the experiment and Audible puts together the best audiobooks that will keep dogs calm. In the Tech Guide reviews, we take a look at the Huawei Mate 20 Pro smartphone, we roadtest the Tesla Version 9…

Apple’s new iPad Pro hasn’t even been released yet but Hyper has already unveiled the world’s first USB-C hub that connects directly to Apple’s latest high-end tablet and adds six new ports. The HyperDrive USB-C Hub plugs into the 2018 iPad Pro’s one and only USB-C port and provides a 4K HDMI port, 3.5mm headphone jack, SD card slot, microSD card slot, USB 3.0 and USB-C power delivery. The adaptor also has a removable and replaceable C-shape grip that holds the USB-C Hub securely. This way users can leave the HyperDrive connected to the iPad Pro without dangling cables or…

Being a parent in this digital age has its challenges including monitoring your kids online behaviour so internet security company Norton conducted an experiment to find new ways of managing internet use in your home. The Raising Digital Natives social experiment was run in collaboration with Dr Joanne Orlando – psychologist and leading expert on family and digital lifestyle. A recent Norton Cyber Security Insights Report showed that 80 per cent of parents worry their child will be bullied online while 88 per cent are also concerned their children engage in too much screen time with the concern (82 per…

Tune in to Episode 366 of the popular Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast and the blokes doing the talking are Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long who discuss the week’s biggest tech stories. On this week’s show, the wrap up of the Apple event which saw the release of a new MacBook Air, Mac Mini and a redesigned iPad Pro plus our thoughts on the new Huawei Mate 20 Pro smartphone. Also on the program, Tesla Software Version 9, the PlayStation Classic and its 20 included games and Audible reveals the best audiobooks to keep your dogs…

Telstra today suffered a nationwide outage that affected EFTPOS devices and other mobile payment services and forced outraged customers to pay cash. But ATMs were also disconnected and customers couldn’t get to their cash if they never had any. The trouble started just before midday when the Telstra 3G network crashed leaving business owners and customers with no connection. This outage didn’t affect Telstra’s 4G network so customers were still able to make and receive calls and messages and connect to the internet. in a statement Telstra said: “We are currently experiencing an issue with some enterprise machine to machine…

Boost Mobile, the prepaid provider Australia’s most satisfied customers according to Canstar Blue, has just unveiled its new range of Boost Anytime Plus mobile plans  with even more data. For the first time a new $70 plan is being offered along with increased data inclusions for plans $30 and above. These plans will also allow customers to roll over their unused data into the next recharge and also includes unlimited standard international calls to selected destinations. On top of that, Boost Mobile will also be adding a bonus 11GB on the first five recharges on plans $30 and higher for…

Audible is already a popular service for listening to audiobooks but now the company has put together a selection of titles to keep dogs left at home happier and more relaxed. This unusual move comes after an independent study revealed dogs left alone were soothed more by a human voice than by music. Animal behaviourist Dr Susan Hazel says listening to audiobooks can have a positive influence on a kennelled dog’s behaviour and would make the pooch spend less time on alert and more time resting. “Recent research suggests listening to audiobooks can reduce high-stress indicators such as barking, howling,…

Tesla’s Software Version 9.0 has finally arrived in Australia and with it a whole new  user interface plus a host of new features and capabilities for the Model S and Model X. We updated our car yesterday after being among the first batch of Tesla drivers in the country to receive the update. The new software update will begin rolling out to all Australian Tesla drivers in the coming days and weeks. In the same way users run major operating system updates on their smartphones, it is a similar situation with a Tesla. V9.0 is one of the biggest updates…