Author: Stephen Fenech

If you’re looking for a smartwatch the ticks a few boxes then you need to check out the Nixon Mission SS which has the rugged look of a sportswatch and is powered by Google’s Wear OS. The Nixon Mission SS at first glance looks like your regular outdoor timepiece with a chunky design that makes a statement when it’s seen on your wrist. But touch the 1.39-inch Corning Gorilla Glass covered 400 x 400 AMOLED screen and you’ll see the Mission SS is as smart as it is rugged. The 48mm device is waterproof to a depth of 100m with…

D-Link has just released its new Covr Wi-Fi system in Australia which can provide a mesh network for faster speeds and greater wireless coverage in your home. The Covr Wi-Fi system is a sleek and intelligent solution which can meet the needs of the modern household. It allow users to enjoy a consistent connection whether they are streaming, browsing or gaming. Covr also provides an MU-MIMO (multiple user, multiple input, multiple output) network – the technology that enables multiple connections and multiple streams at the same time. The product, which is made up of three base stations which can be…

Huawei is enjoying unprecedented levels of anticipation for its latest smart phone – the P20 Pro smartphone – which has created quite a buzz since it was first unveiled in March. The company has just announced its Australian pricing and launch date for the product. The device, which was revealed to local media at a special hands-on session on Sydney Harbour this week, has an advanced three-lens camera system that was voted by DxOMark to be the best in the world for any smartphone. The Huawei P20 Pro will go on sale in Australia on May 18 and will be…

Ladies and Gentlemen lens me your ears for Episode 298 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, why we might be using Uber as the model for the mobile plans of the future, LG unveils its new G7 smartphone and why it will become easier to catch drivers using their phones illegally behind the wheel. In the Tech Guide reviews, we take a look at the Uniden iGo Cam 80 dash cam, we take a drive in…

eBay has announced a new partnership with Flybuys, one of Australia’s biggest rewards programs, to allow customers to earn and redeem points across the country’s largest online marketplace. Shoppers can now collect and redeem Flybuys points with more than 40,000 retailers on the site which has more than 11 million monthly unique visitors. Customers can link their accounts to Flybuys to collect one point for every two dollars spent on eligible items across eBay. This is the first time eBay has moved into loyalty rewards. “We know Aussies love rewards points, and at eBay innovation is the focus for our…

As drivers we are taught to keep our eyes on the road and Uniden has just released the iGo Cam 80 that can record any on road incidents in 4K ultra high definition. This is one of the first dash cams to offer such high-quality recordings which makes it even easier to distinguish important details like number plates, locations and people in the videos. Despite the excellent video quality it can produce, the iGo Cam 80 is surprisingly small and can be discreetly fitted to your windscreen with 3M stickers. It has a 2.4-inch LCD colour screen which can display…

Kogan has just launched a new range of even more affordable 4K smart TVs and put the pressure on the bigger brands with models starting at less than $440. Available for pre-sale now, the new 43-inch, 49-inch and 55-inch Kogan Smart TVs all have 4K ultra high definition resolution and HDR (high dynamic range) and are made with screens sourced from LG. They are priced at $439 (43-inch), $499 (49-inch) and $559 (55-inch). These TVs have built-in wi-fi connectivity to access content from the internet as well as Netflix, YouTube and catch up TV services. In fact, the remote control…

Australians may soon enjoy an Uber-like experience when it comes to accessing any mobile network with a plan that offers the cheapest or fastest access depending on your location, according to Boost Mobile founder Peter Adderton. Adderton, a vocal leader of the telco industry, says the next step for MVNOs (mobile virtual network operators) could be to offer access to any network based on speed or price. When customers arrive in another country with their mobile device they are just assigned a network to use. “Imagine if that happened here where you actually just pay for one service and you…

Ever wanted to take on your friends in a lightsaber duel? Well now you can thanks to the new local multiplayer mode on the Lenovo Star Wars Jedi Challenges which has just been added to the game. The update, made available on Star Wars Day – May the 4th – is called Lightsaber Versus Mode. It the second free update released since the product launched in November. Jedi Challenges is an augmented reality experience which allows players to train like a Jedi and battle some of the Dark Side’s most well-known characters including Darth Maul, Kylo Ren and even Darth…

Spend your Star Wars Day (May the Fourth be with you) listening to Episode 341 of the popular Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast, with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long, as they go through the week’s biggest tech news and products. On this week’s show, the new unlimited mobile data plans – are they really worth it, Twitter in password bungle a day after World Password Day, LG unveils its new G7 ThinQ flagship smartphone and NSW to introduce cameras to detect illegal mobile use while driving. Also on the show, Pocket Cast is sold to NPR and…

Twitter is today advising its 330 million users to change their passwords after it was revealed a glitch exposed passwords, usually encrypted in the system, in plain text. The company says none of the passwords were exposed to the outside world or misused. But Twitter says users should still change their password out of an “abundance of caution”. The problem occurred during the “hashing” process which disguises user passwords with random characters to make them unreadable to the naked eye. But the system error caused the passwords to be saved in plain text to an internal system instead of using…

The Volvo XC40 compact luxury SUV has landed in Australia and completes the trifecta of the company’s SUV range – the fastest growing segment of the automotive market. Tech Guide had a chance to get behind the wheel of the XC40 – the first to be built with Volvo’s new Compact Modular Architecture and also the first to come with the Swedish company’s new three-cylinder engine. The XC40 joins the XC60 and the XC90 which completes Volvo’s good, better, best SUV model structure. The vehicle has a sculpted design with a lot of bold curves and detailed highlights that gives…

The Australian state of NSW will become first place in the world to deploy sophisticated camera technology to catch drivers using their mobile devices illegally behind the wheel. The decision to introduce speed camera-like technology was ratified in the NSW Parliament this week. NSW State Minister for Roads Melinda Pavey says this momentous move is designed to reduce the number of people killed and injured on our roads because of smartphone distraction. Ms Pavey is comparing this decision to the landmark ruling introducing random breath testing back in 1982. These new cameras have been used in trials in Sydney to…

LG has just unveiled its latest flagship smartphone – the G7 ThinQ – a device that brings useful artificial intelligence to the palm of your hand to enhance your experience. The device has a sleek design with a polished metal rim to give it a sophisticated look. Also on board is Gorilla Glass 5 front and back for added toughness along with an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. The G7, which will be available in Australia in June, has a 6.1-inch quad HD display with a resolution of 3120 x 1440 and 564ppi (pixels per inch). The display…

Apple has added two more banks – Suncorp and Citi – to the Apple Pay ranks which will allow customers to make tap and go payments with their iPhone and Apple Watch. Suncorp announced this week it would be the latest financial institution to offer the service to its Visa card customers. Similarly, Citi made its announcement to its Visa cards customers the previous week. But the big three banks – Commonwealth Bank, Westpac and National Australia Bank – are still conspicuous by their absence from the Apple Pay platform. The ANZ Bank is the only major bank offering Apple…

Lend me your ears for Episode 297 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, how you can pimp up your PC with the latest Windows 10 update, Telstra gets hit with a $10 million fine and we chat with Will Davies about his car sharing start-up Car Next Door. In the Tech Guide reviews, we check out the new Samsung 2018 QLED TVs, run our eye over the Amazon Echo Spot smart speaker and listen to the…

A goal to reduce carbon emissions and the realisation that we don’t use our cars 95 per cent of the time led to the birth of Car Next Door – a business that turns your car into a shared car. On this platform, customers can rent cars from their neighbours by the hour or by the day. There are more than 1500 cars registered on Car Next Door in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane so it’s easy to find a car to borrow close to you. Car Next Door can be 50 per cent cheaper than a traditional rental car because…

Windows 10 users – pay attention! Microsoft has announced a range of new features which will be available for download from today and roll out to Windows PCs worldwide. The Windows 10 April 2018 update includes a number of enhancements and new features including Timeline, a way for users to go back in time and find their stuff, Focus Assist to help keep you on task, Dictation to help get your work done with your voice and an updated Microsoft Edge browser. With this update, Microsoft is aiming to help you make the most of your time to create, play…

Samsung’s new 2018 Series 9 QLED TVs are nothing short of remarkable – not only is the picture quality stunning but the design and features also contribute to make the new television a compelling package. Tech Guide got a chance to spend a day (and night) with both the 75-inch and 65-inch Samsung 2018 QLED Series 9 TVs. Both were set up on a table top on its slimline stand. Of course, the TVs can also be easily wall-mounted. That would be the option if we bought this TV for our place. But on a surface, the TVs are still…

Start your weekend right with Episode 340 of the popular Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast, with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long, which covers all the biggest tech news and products. On this week show, Amazon releases the Echo Spot smart speaker, Telstra slapped with a $10 million fine and Amaysim gets in ahead of Huawei to sell the P20 smartphone. Also on the program, landlines are disappearing fast and the smartphone watch designed just for kids. In the minute reviews, we take a look at the Bose SoundSport Free wireless earphones and the Crumpler Mantra Travel…