Author: Stephen Fenech

Samsung has entered the smart speaker market with a new device called Galaxy Home which was unveiled at the company’s Unpacked event in New York today. Following the launch of the new flagship Galaxy Note 9 smartphone, Samsung surprised the audience with the Galaxy Home smart speaker which will take on other high-end products like Apple’s HomePod and Google Max. The speaker will be powered by Bixby, Samsung’s smart assistant, and will go head-to-head with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. The Galaxy Home speaker has an unusual design with three short metal legs supporting the vase-shaped speaker. Perfected at Samsung’s…

Samsung has introduced an all-new wearable device – the Galaxy Watch – which has a timeless circular design as well as a cellular connection so it can work as a standalone product. Galaxy Watch was unveiled at the Samsung Unpacked event at the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn alongside the company’s new flagship Galaxy Note 9 smartphone. This is a follow-on to the popular Gear S3, a smartwatch that has received one of the highest satisfaction ratings among customers. The Galaxy Watch has numerous new features to improve your health and fitness, reduce your stress levels, monitor your sleep and keep…

The new Samsung Galaxy Note 9 might not look much different than the Note 8 but it doesn’t take long to discover the huge improvement in performance and the S Pen. Tech Guide went hands-on with the Note 9 at the launch event in New York and from the minute we started using it we could tell there was a lot more power at our fingertips. Design-wise, there’s not a lot that’s different apart from the diamond cut edges. The device is 161.9mm long, 76.4mm wide and 8.8mm thick and weighs in at 201g. At those dimensions it is only…

Samsung has raised the bar for flagship smartphones yet again after unveiling the new Galaxy Note 9 – the most powerful device the company has ever produced. The Samsung Galaxy Note 9 was launched at the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn and will go on sale in Australia on August 24. The device continues the amazing Galaxy Note legacy which started back in 2011 when Samsung launched its first large screen smartphone. Since then it has built one of the most loyal customer bases of power users in the market. READ TECH GUIDE’S HANDS-ON LOOK AT THE SAMSUNG GALAXY NOTE 9…

Samsung has revealed the pricing and availability of its new Galaxy Tab S4 and Galaxy Tab A tablets which were announced globally last week. The Galaxy Tab S4 is a 2-in-1 Android tablet with a 10.5-inch sAMOLED display with a resolution of 2560 x 1600, four built-in speakers and enhanced entertainment features. It will go on sale on August 24. The device is available to pre-order from today for $979 (64GB, Wi-Fi), $1,179 (64GB, 4G) and $1,179 (256GB, Wi-Fi) and $1,379 (256GB, 4G) in both Ebony Black and Fog Grey. Customers who pre-order the Galaxy Tab S4 before the 24…

ALDIMobile is adding even more value to its mobile plans after announcing new packs that will offer data rollover with no expiry date so Australians can have even more data at their fingertips. The Value Packs have a 30 day expiry with users able to now roll over unused data up to a maximum of 30GB. Now if there is any leftover data it won’t disappear – it will be added to your current data allowance as long as the total doesn’t go over 30GB. Value Packs starting at $25 all qualify for the data rollover. And that data allowance…

Kogan has be known as the place where Australians can buy affordable electronic products that offer great value. Now the company is applying that same approach with a new whitegoods range which is available for preorder now. The new Kogan line-up includes fridges, dishwashers, washing machines, dryers, ovens, cook tops and range hoods. All up, there are 20 new products available and they are being offered at some of the lowest prices in the market with similar appliances from other brands available at double or even triple the price. Some of the products include: Freestanding Dishwasher with a 4.5 star water…

From its name, black hat means working your way to the top through shortcuts. Simply put, you want the easy, lazy way out. While many people still use it, it is thoroughly discouraged by Google. You can turn to sites such as https://serpbook.com  in case you get stuck with SEO. This is a one-stop shop for all your SEO needs. To start with, let me introduce you these black hat tricks. They include: keyword stuffing, cloaking, tiny links, automatically generated content, trackback spam, gateway pages, hidden text, hacking sites for redirects or inbound links, mirror sites and rich snippet abuse.…

Australians are buying more smartwatches and wearables while sales of smartphones have slowed down, according to research from technology firm Telsyte. The Telsyte Australian Smartphone and Wearable Devices Market Study 2018-2022 revealed 4.3m smartphones has been sold in Australia in the first half of 2018. This is down from the 4.4m sold in the same period in 2017 – a reduction of 3.7 per cent. Android continues to be the most popular smartphone operating system with 53 per cent despite the fact that sales of Android devices dropped by 7 per cent. Apple’s iPhones make up the other 47 per…

Samsung’s Unpacked event kicks off later this week and we’re expecting to see the Galaxy Note 9 unveiled along with possibly some other devices and services. Tech Guide is in New York for the launch, which will be held at the Barclays Centre in Brooklyn, which will commence at 11am local time (1am Friday August 10 Sydney time). There have been plenty of rumours around what Samsung has in store for the Galaxy Note 9. OK, here’s what we know – if the reported leaks and rumours are to be believed. From all indications, the Note 9 will look almost…

Musician and entrepreneur Joel Madden is our guest on Episode 311 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, Google has launched its biggest ever smart speaker and Samsung unveils its new Galaxy tablets. In the Tech Guide interview, we chat with Joel Madden – one half of Good Charlotte and former The Voice judge – who was in Sydney for Advertising Week. We discuss the tech scene in Sydney, the trends and opportunities that exist and his…

Vodafone has fired the first shot in what could be an NBN price war slicing the prices for its high-speed plans for new and existing customers. In the mobile space, Vodafone was always trying to offer better value for its customers and it is bringing that attitude to the fixed broadband market. From today Vodafone NBN will be offered in three simple plans, with no fees upfront. – Essential NBN (25 tier)- $58 per month – Essential+ NBN (50tier)- $69 per month ($59 for existing postpaid mobile customers) – Premium NBN will all (100 tier)- $89 per month ($79 for…

Gamers are a special breed of users and therefore the laptops they used to play those games also need to be a special breed. That’s exactly what you get with the Omen 15 laptop by HP. This bold new device has even more functionality and power yet is packed into a smaller chassis. On board is the Omen Command Centre software with Omen GameStream. Players can also accessorise the Omen laptop with professional grade gaming accessories like the Omen keyboard and mouse. It’s one thing to have a high performance laptop for your games but HP has put together a…

Norton Core is a wi-fi router with a major difference. Apart looking nothing like a regular router, it brings with it an all-new level of security to protect all of your home’s connected devices. It’s like hiring a bodyguard for your home internet security. It also creates a respectable wireless network and provides tools for parents to monitor and manage screen time by person and by device. Norton brings to the table the power of the Symantec Global Intelligence Network to your home. It puts all those smarts into Norton Core to head off any threats before they reach your…

Two Blokes Talking Tech Episode 354, with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long, goes through the biggest and most interesting tech stories and products of the week. On this week’s show, the ACCC’s NBN monitoring shows improvements in speeds, we take a step inside the NRL Bunker, Cabcharge about to become part of Apple’s Wallet, Samsung unveils two new Galaxy tablets, Huawei overtakes Apple in global smartphone market share and Uniden’s solar powered battery. In the minute reviews, we take a look at the NVIDIA Shield streaming and gaming device and the Ring Sensor Light Camera. You…

The new MacBook Pro might look just like the old MacBook Pro but the biggest improvements are under the hood where customers will find some serious power. As its name suggests, this laptop is aimed at the professional market and is ideal for photographers, developers video editors, game designers and anyone working with 3D graphics. These users require not only speed but raw processing power for their workflow. Tech Guide took a look at Apple’s new 13-inch MacBook Pro which is actually twice as fast as its predecessor. For those opting for the 15-inch model, you are going to get…

Wearables continue to be popular with one in six people owning some form wearable technology with most hoping they can improve their health and fitness. But do they work? Customers have spent more than $4 billion on wearables and that number is expected to double by 2021. Fit Rated conducted a study of their own and surveyed more than 1000 adults to try and find whether these devices helped or hindered their workout experiences. The research has revealed some interesting results with 68 per cent of gym goers agreeing fitness trackers gave them a more enjoyable workout. And they are…

Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy Tab S4 – a versatile 2-in-1 Android tablet designed to be used for work or play to provide a whole new mobile experience. The company also announced the Galaxy Tab A – a family friendly device that can keep you entertained at home or on the go. The Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 has a 10.5-inch sAMOLED display with a resolution of 2560 x 1600, four built-in speakers and enhanced entertainment features. On the productivity side, the Samsung Galaxy Tab S4 can also meet your needs thanks to the new Samsung DeX feature and the S…

Huawei has overtaken Apple to become the world’s second-largest smartphone manufacturer after shipping 54 million handsets in the second quarter of 2018. According to Canalys, IDC and Strategy Analytics, Huawei’s sales in Q2 this year increased by 41 per cent from the same period in 2017. Market analysts attributed this performance to the success of Huawei’s recent P20 series smartphones which have sold more than 7 million units globally. This takes Huawei into second place behind Samsung with a 15.8 per cent market share. Samsung is still in the lead with 20.9 per cent while Apple has slipped to third…

Sony has launched a new Master Series of 4K HDR televisions that will deliver a whole new level of picture quality using the company’s multiple proprietary technologies. The new A9F and Z9F make up the Master series and include the next generation Picture Processor X1 Ultimate which provide picture quality that is the equivalent of a professional- grade monitor used in a motion picture production. Sony’s goal with the new flagship Master Series is to deliver the highest possible picture quality for home viewers. Sony has the advantage of being the only consumer electronics manufacturer which is involved in all…