Author: Stephen Fenech

Samsung has launched the FlexWash – a smart all-on-one washing machine that makes it easier for busy households to save time with their laundry – and its latest edition of the Family Hub smart refrigerators. SAMSUNG FLEXWASH The wi-fi enabled FlexWash has both a top and front load washing machine – so families can do two separate loads at once. And the front loader includes Samsung’s popular AddWash door so you can add those items you forgot without interrupting the cycle. The top washing machine has 2.5kg capacity for washing delicates and smaller loads while the front load has a…

Join the Two Blokes Talking Tech – Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long – for Episode 319 of the popular and informative podcast that takes a look at the week’s biggest stories and products. On this week’s show, the rise of complaints against the telcos and the NBN, the KRACK bug that’s split secure wi-fi wide open and Apple Pay expands to ANZ eftpos customers. Also on the show, Huawei unveils the Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro, Gran Turismo and D-Link partner with Kwilt to create a single stream to access all your photos. In the…

I wish the Star Wars camera watch and Star Wars Stormtrooper Digital Camera were around when I was a kid. Today’s kids have got it good these days – especially if they are Star Wars fans. The best thing I had as a young Star Wars fans was a few action figures and a board game – nothing compared to the cool stuff you can get today. VTECH STAR WARS CAMERA WATCH – $89.95 The VTech Star Wars Camera Watch comes in three styles – Stormtrooper Black, Stormtrooper White and BB8 Orange. Each has a stylised matching band with official…

Up until now using Apple Pay meant the customer was making a credit transaction but today eftpos announced a collaboration with Apple and the ANZ Bank to access their own money in real time. Now ANZ Bank customers can make mobile payments with Apple Pay using eftpos (electronic fund transfer at point of sale) and with all the same security measures and convenience. ANZ is the first Australian financial institution to allow their 1.6 million ANZ eftpos cardholders to make in-store mobile payments. When using ANZ eftpos with Apple Pay, the card number is not stored on the iPhone or…

Real-life pickpockets can take your cash and your belongings without you even knowing it. Electronic pickpockets can do the same thing – steal your money by skimming your credit card – a crime that’s costing Australians billions of dollars They don’t even have to get as close as a real pickpocket – your credit cards can be skimmed from up to 20m away – and without you even knowing it’s happening. Tap and Go and PayWave technology makes it even easier for criminals to steal your money. And, unfortunately, it’s on the rise. The Australian Payments Network says there’s been…

Tune in to Episode 270 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 bumper show, has wi-fi security been cracked wide open, we go behind the scenes at Samsung headquarters in South Korea and how fake Apple ID pop-ups could steal your passwords and credit card details. In the Tech Guide reviews, we look at the Ring Doorbell 2 and Ring Floodlight Cam, the evaSMART personal air conditioner and the new Kindlle Oasis with a bigger screen and waterproof…

Samsung’s recall and eventual cancellation of the Galaxy Note7 was well documented but for the first time the company has revealed what happened inside its headquarters as they dealt with the crisis. Tech Guide was at the Samsung HQ in Seoul recently to take a look inside the walls of the electronics giant’s Suwon campus – home to more than 30,000 employees. While we were there we had the opportunity to chat with Pio Schunker – head of global marketing for Samsung Mobile – who took us through how Samsung had to rebuild its brand reputation and win back customer…

Huawei has unveiled the Mate 10 and Mate 10 Pro which boast new designs, improved displays and cameras along with the world’s first artificial intelligence smartphone processor. The Huawei Mate 10 has a 5.9-inch 16:9 display and the Huawei Mate 10 Pro has a 6-inch 18:9 OLED screen which goes edge to edge with HDR10 to enjoy the latest high quality content. The device has a 3D glass body which is curved on all four sides to offer a more comfortable grip. On the rear panel are the two Leica lenses for the dual camera which combines a 12-megapixel RGB…

The security to protect the connection between a wireless network and computers, smartphones and tablets has been breached and could leave every wi-fi device wide open to hackers. The WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access) protocol, used to protect basically every secure wi-fi network in the world, has been cracked according to security expert Mathy Vanhoef who found a vulnerability. This bug is known as KRACK – short for Key Reinstallation Attack – and exploits a flaw in WPA2 which exists in the protocol’s four-way handshake used to allow devices with the right password to join the network. WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?…

D-Link has partnered with Kwilt –  a company that created a dynamic platform that allows users to access all their photos no matter where they are located – in a single stream. D-Link routers DIR-885L and DIR-895L are already Kwilt-enabled and can gather your images from social media, cloud storage and mobile devices like phone and tablets into one photo stream. Owners of these routers can enable Kwilt by upgrading their device’s firmware through the router’s web-based interface. The D-Link DIR-882 will also offer Kwilt compatibility in early 2018 while updated models with Kwilt features will be shipping in the…

The Ring doorbell has made it possible to answer your front door from anywhere and now, it is even better, with the release of Ring Video Doorbell 2 and the Ring Floodlight Camera. Ring offers convenience and security so you can literally keep an eye on whoever is at your door and on your property. The original Ring was excellent but the Ring Doorbell 2 is a huge improvement. It has a slightly different look as well as improved features and higher quality video. YOU CAN WIN THE RING VIDEO DOORBELL 2 ON THE TECH GUIDE FACEBOOK PAGE Users can hardwire…

It’s an international edition of Two Blokes Talking Tech for Episode 318 with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech chatting to EFTM’s Trevor Long from Samsung headquarters in South Korea. On this week’s show, Stephen talks about what he saw after spending two days at the Samsung plus fake Apple ID pop ups could steal your passwords and Foxtel updates its broadband plans. The blokes also talk about Star Wars – the new First Order Stromtrooper robot from UBTech, the Star Wars robot vacuum cleaners from Samsung and we talk about the latest trailer for The Last Jedi. Also on the…

The Force – of suction – is strong with the new Samsung Star Wars limited edition robotic vacuum cleaners in the shape of Darth Vader and a First Order Stormtrooper to help you clean up your empire. These POWERbots have been released ahead of the release of the latest Star Wars film – Episode VIII – The Last Jedi and they’re smart enough to navigate their way around your space. They play music from the film and phrases from the movies. When the Darth Vader POWERbot starts up you can hear his trademark breathing and the Imperial March playing as…

Just in time for summer, Evapolar has launched the evaSMART EV3000 personal air conditioner which can be integrated and controlled with Google Home, Apple HomeKit, Samsung Smarter Things and Amazon Alexa. The device allows users to create their own comfort zone as it cools, humidifies and purifies the air in a personal space of up to four square metres. evaSMART’s cooling effect is the result of a patented mineral nanomaterial EvaBreeze which is used in the device’s cartridges. Using this material instead of the usual cellulose pads means evaSMART can absorb one hundred times more water than conventional evaporative air…

Amazon has unveiled its latest e-reader – the all-new Kindle Oasis – featuring the largest Paperwhite display and also the first with a waterproof design so you can read your books anywhere. The new Kindle Oasis has a larger 7-inch screen with 300ppi (pixels per inch) so you can fit 30 per cent more text on the screen for fewer page turns. But even when you are turning pages, the latest Kindle now has the fastest page turns of any previous Kindle device. And text looks crisp and sharp on the screen which offers uniform display lighting and no glare.…

iPhone and iPad users could have their Apple account passwords and credit card details stolen with a fake login pop up that can easily be generated by a malicious iOS app. Developers have the ability to create this pop up that looks just like the official Apple sign-in method. This “phishing” attack – a method to lure users into volunteering their passwords by thinking it’s from a real company they deal with – was highlighted by a developer and can be created within an app as a way to capture login details and access credit card information. It has not been used…

Power. It’s one of the most important things we need in this digital age of smartphones, tablets, laptops and other portable devices and Cygnett has just released a power bank that can charge all of them on the go. Cygnett’s ChargeUp Pro power bank is the first product of its kind in Australia than can offer 45W USB-C output – that’s enough power to charge a laptop including the MacBook Pro, HP Spectre x360 and Lenovo Yoga. With a 20,000mAh capacity, the Cygnett ChargeUp Pro power bank has enough juice for a complete laptop charge. So no more scrounging around…

The spectacular new trailer for Star Wars The Last Jedi has been released and it has tantalized fans with some interesting plot lines and character developments from a galaxy far, far away. The Episode XIII trailer runs for 2 minutes and 23 seconds and reveals some remarkable scenes and possible story directions. For as much as it has shown, it has also raised many questions for die-hard fans. WHO IS SNOKE TALKING ABOUT? At the start of the trailer you hear Snoke saying: “When I found you, I saw raw, untamed power. And beyond that… something truly special.” While these…

If you want to stay updated and educated about the latest consumer tech news and reviews, tune in to Episode 269 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast hosted by editor Stephen Fenech. On this week’s show, why we’re hoarding instead of recycling our old electronic devices, Google unveils the Pixel 2 smartphone and security conscious Australians aren’t getting security cameras. In the Tech Guide reviews, we run our eye over the iPhone 8 and the Apple Watch Series 3 along with the Cozmo robot – the tiny toy with the huge personality. In the Tech Guide Help Desk we take…

Cozmo is a toy of a different kind. This high-tech device might look small but it’s got a massive personality and it’s really smart as well. Meet the real-life robot that will be your new best friend. He might look like a bulldozer but Cozmo, created by Anki, is an intelligent and loyal companion that is always happy to see you. When you turn Cozmo on for the first time you connect your smart phone to the robot’s wireless network before introducing yourself. The owner types their name in the app and Cozmo will always remember. It moves around on…