Author: Stephen Fenech

It’s time for your weekly update of the biggest tech news and products with Episode 257 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech. On this week’s show, popular connected product brand Nest launches in Australia, German battery maker Sonnen lands in Australia with a plan to kiss your electricity bills goodbye and CASA issues more fines for illegal drone flights while Pauline Hanson dodges one. In the Tech Guide reviews, we take a look at the LG G7 4K UHD OLED smart TV, the AirBar which can turn your laptop display into a touchscreen and LDrivo, the…

Have you ever wished your MacBook could have a touchscreen? Well your wish has just come true with the release of a new product called AirBar that turns a regular laptop display into a touchscreen. AirBar comes in three sizes –  13.3 inch for the MacBook Air and a 13.3-inch, 14-inch and 15.6-inch versions for Windows laptops. There are a lot of Windows notebooks that already have a touchscreen on board. But what if yours doesn’t? The answer is AirBar. It can allow you to scroll, pinch, zoom and swipe on your laptop screen to make it easier to navigate…

Nest, a well-known connected home brand, has just launched in Australia with a range of products that not only offer convenience but safety and security as well. Founded by two former Apple employees, Nest was acquired by Google in 2014 before being bought by Google’s parent company Alphabet. Nest has already been available in 12 countries and Australia is the lucky 13th. The first products Nest will launch in Australia include a smoke and carbon monoxide alarm, and indoor and outdoor camera and advanced cloud storage system. It’s no surprise, considering the company was started by ex-Apple employees, that design…

The NBN rollout has now passed the halfway point with 1 in 2 Australians now able to connect to an NBN service as the network deployment ramps up in capital cities around the country. There are now more than 5.7 million homes and businesses which can now access the NBN from their Internet retailer. The rollout is progressing at the rate of 100,000 new properties each week. “I’m proud to announce that one in two Australians are now able to enjoy the benefits of fast broadband by connecting to the NBN through a retailer,” NBN CEO Bill Morrow said. “We are…

There aren’t many TVs that you enjoy looking at even when they’re turned off. LG’s G7 OLED falls in this category because of its stunning design and a screen so thin you have to see it to believe it. Part of LG’s Signature range, the LG G7 delivers on picture quality, audio quality and a unique design that turns heads. The first thing you’ll notice is the impossibly thin screen. It’s just 2.57mm thick and bonded to a sheet of glass. To get an idea how thin that is, squeeze three credit cards together between your fingers. The reason it…

Just how satisfied are you with your internet connection? Not very satisfied at all if the Choice internet satisfaction survey of Australian customers is anything to go by with Telstra performing poorly in the results. Australians complained about dropouts, connection issues, disconnections and slow speeds in the last six months. “Our satisfaction survey asks ADSL, Cable and NBN customers to rate their internet retailer on connection speed, reliability, value for money, bill clarity, ease of set-up, customer support and technical support,” says Choice CEO Alan Kirkland. A staggering 62 per cent of Australians had issues with their Internet service provider.…

To hear a fun yet informative discussion about the week’s biggest tech issues and products then tune in to Episode 306 of Two Blokes Talking Tech with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long. On this week show, Pauline Hanson in hot water after flying her drone illegally, German battery maker Sonnen launches in Australia so you can kiss your electricity bill goodbye and why Foxtel should extend Chromecast streaming to ALL customers. Also on the program, Samsung slices their 4K TV prices and Kogan releases Australia’s cheapest 4K smart TV range. The blokes also take a look…

Sony has released a new party game called That’s You for the PlayStation 4 that combines the power of the console with your smartphone so you and your friends can take part in a fun interactive quiz. That’s You is priced at just $24.95 and is the first title in the Playlink range that can bring your console and your mobile devices onto the same wireless network. Once the game is loaded on the PlayStation, two to six players can download the That’s You at on to their iPhone, iPad or Android device to take part. The game combines questions,…

Senator Pauline Hanson flying a drone where she’s not supposed to is just one example of the cowboy attitude many people have towards flying unmanned aerial vehicles safely. The kerfuffle over Hanson’s brief flight with the DJI Mavic Pro in a built-up area in Townsville has brought to light how little many drone owners know about where they can and can’t fly. And it was filmed and posted and online which means she provided the evidence to get herself into trouble. Anyone can walk into a store and buy a drone but many fail to read the included pamphlet from…

You’ve heard of Uber – which connects drivers to passengers. What about an app that can connect learner drivers with driving instructors? That’s exactly what two Australians have created with LDrivo. The app is designed to help learners find the right driving instructor so they can be taught by a professional and become safe, responsible drivers. Sadly, 25 per cent of all vehicle fatalities in Australia are among drivers aged 17-25 despite them making up just 13.5 per cent of the driving population. Founded by surfing buddies Nathan Dawes and Dane Wasterweller, LDrivo is a result of the vision to make…

Optus and National Geographic have announced an Australian partnership to launch the new National Geographic app which will be available exclusively to Optus customers. Optus is the first global partner to put the National Geographic app in the hands of its customers. The mobile app is packed with 129 years’ worth of incredible content including a range of documentaries, magazines and some of the most amazing photography you’ve ever seen. And Optus customers get to enjoy all of it without using their mobile data allowance. “The launch of this app sees major investment in a digital first product come to…

A revolution is about to take place in the Australian electricity market with the arrival today of German battery maker Sonnen which will offer free power to homes using the company’s solar and storage system. The system will be called SonnenFlat and will transform the way electricity is supplied to Australian homes. Customers with integrated solar panels and a Sonnen storage battery (sonnenBatterie) will receive free electricity. And in exchange these customers offer access to some of their battery’s stored power. This pooled power will be made available to the grid to provide balancing services to the electricity network operators…

The iPhone has just turned 10 years old but not many could predict the scale and success of the App Store which has created a remarkable economy that is on the rise around the world. According to the App Economy Report by the Progressive Policy Institute in Washington, Australia has 113,000 workers employed in the App Economy as of March 2017, which is an increase of 11 per cent since 2014. The report includes state-by-state estimates of App Economy jobs in Australia. NSW has the most with 56,000 followed by 29,000 in Victoria and 14,500 in Queensland. “The Australian App…

Stay updated and educated with Episode 256 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech, with the latest tech news and product reviews. On this week show, how you can save money on a 4K TV and a mobile phone plan, this screen embedded fingerprint reader technology that’s rumoured to be part of iPhone 8 has just been unveiled and how you can install iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra right now in Apple’s Public Beta program. In the Tech Guide reviews, we run our ears over the Audio Technica Bluetooth headphones, the affordable Alcatel A3 XL…

What is the right age to give your child his or her first smartphone. It’s a question many parents are asking with new research showing Australians think it should be later rather than sooner. A survey by finder.com.au among 2,005 respondents shows that we want our kids to be teenagers before handling the responsibility of their own mobile device. The research found that 14 was the right age. Two in five people (44 per cent) says 13 to 15 is the appropriate time to consider a smartphone for your child. But nearly a quarter of those surveyed (24 per cent)…

Alcatel has made a habit of producing smartphones that punch well above their weight and that is continued with the new A3 XL that offers a massive 6-inch screen and loads of features. If you love a big screen but don’t want to pay a big price this is the smartphone for you. Priced at just $179, the Alcatel A3 XL is nicely designed with a thin build and a textured rear panel. And, even at this low price, there is also a fingerprint reader which unlocks the phone in a second. In terms of size, it’s not much bigger…

Samsung has sliced the official recommended retail pricing of its entire range of QLED TVs as the battle in the competitive television market hots up in Australia. The original prices announced in March as Samsung’s new televisions were about to go on sale have been readjusted to take on rival brands which have just released their 2017 TV ranges. Prices have been reduced by up to $10,000 as seen with Samsung’s top-of-the-line 88-inch series 9 QLED TV which went from $39,999 down to $29,999. Samsung’s new QLED TVs have quantum dot alloy material under the hood to produce deeper blacks,…

Would you be interested in a product that could save you time on laundry? LG has just delivered it with the Twin Wash system that can help families meet their washing needs. The LG Twin Wash system is the first solution of its kind in Australia that can run two loads of washing at the same time. The machine combines two separate washers as well as a mini washer. It is also available as a combined washer dryer option. The LG Twin Wash system has a sleek design that will complement the décor of a modern home. A recent survey…

Kogan has launched a new range of 4K Ultra High Definition LED TVs that will be the most affordable in Australia with special pre-sale prices that will start at less than $430. The Kogan Agora 4K Smart TV is available in three sizes – 49-inch, 55-inch and 65-inch – and all feature panels from either Samsung or LG. Kogan.com has made a name for itself by offering affordable prices and these new TVs meet that commitment. Pre-sale prices are $429 (49-inch), $499 (55-inch) and $899 (65-inch). These pre-sale prices will be available until August 18 unless extended or sold out.…

Vaya has partnered with Coles to offer mobile phone customers even more value with a new six-month prepaid plan that gives customers unlimited calls and texts and a generous data allowance. Available exclusively from Coles, the plan is priced at $150 for six months which is equivalent of $25 per month. And you get 5GB of data every 30 days along with unlimited calls and text messages on the Optus 4G Plus network. SIM packs are available at Coles until stocks last with the plans starting after a one-off $150 payment At the end of six months, which would be…