Author: Stephen Fenech

It’s not every day you get to sit on the sideline at the State of Origin but that’s exactly what I did last night while using Nikon’s new D7500 DSLR so I could shoot the game like a sports photographer. As a league fan and a lover of tech and photography, I was offered this amazing experience by Nikon, an official partner of the NRL, as a fun way to road test its new camera. And what better occasion than the blockbuster State of Origin Game II at ANZ Stadium. The Nikon D7500 has just hit stores this week and…

Freeview Plus, the service which runs on most smart TVs and set-top-boxes for free-to-air viewing, has just been upgraded with a new user interface and new features to help you discover new content. The new interface introduces image-based browsing as well as the new My TV function that offers the viewer personalised recommendations and viewer favourites right alongside all the live TV channels, catch up services and genre-based browsing. The guide is now even easier to use with backwards navigation to help you catch up with programs you might have missed. “The Freeview Plus upgrade is a significant one and…

Sena, the company which brought communication technology to motorcyclists, has introduced the X1 – the world’s first Bluetooth integrated smart cycling helmet. Aimed at cyclists, the X1 has Bluetooth 4.1 to allow riders to have a seamless connection to their smartphones to make and answer calls, listen to music, use GPS navigation and fitness apps. It is priced at $269, which is about the same price as a regular helmet, and will be available in the coming weeks from mrmobile.net.au. The X1 looks like most other cycling helmets but a closer inspection will reveal speakers and a microphone discreetly placed…

There are plenty earphones on the market but not many were created and endorsed by show business celebrities like the i.am+ Buttons Bluetooth earphones. They have been designed to look good and sound good and are the brainchild of musician and entrepreneur will.i.am. Also along for the ride are fellow stakeholders Kendall Jenner and Naomi Campbell who feature heavily in the product’s marketing. The packaging features images of Campbell and will.i.am with the description “Bluetooth Earphones For The Dope”. Who are you calling a dope? We have enough street cred to know that “dope” means “good” in cool circles but…

Trend Micro has just made it easier for parents to monitor their child’s online activity and Internet usage with its Home Network Security (HNS) solution. This comes a time when cyber bullying is on the rise. Research indicates cyber bullying is up 60 per cent compared to last year. Trend Micro’s Home Network Security plugs in to your wireless router and can be controlled with a simple app to protect the devices connected to your network. It can now give parents more control along with notifications when social networking apps are being used. The main arena for cyber bullying has…

It’s five years since we recorded the first episode of Tech Guide and we’re still going strong with Episode 254 of the top-rating podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech, now available. Episode 1 of Tech Guide was recorded in June 2012 and here we are 254 episodes later helping our listeners become updated and educated about the latest consumer tech news and reviews. On this week’s show: can you get away with a photograph of your driver’s licence on your phone instead of you actual licence, why we’re not updating our smartphones as often as we used to and Telstra…

We’ve heard of many uses for drones but now there’s one that can literally be a life saver with the unmanned aerial vehicles being used to carry defibrillators to heart attack victims. Medical researchers have found a drone carrying a defibrillator to a cardiac arrest victim could make a significant difference in the survival rate. A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed drones arrived at the scene of 18 cardiac arrests within five minutes of launch. This was 17 minutes faster than an ambulance on average. And in a situation where minutes can mean the…

Telstra has flicked the switch on its one millionth Telstra Air Hotspot in Australia in the town of Mildura just in time to celebrate World Wi-Fi Day on June 20. Telstra is celebrating the milestone by giving free and unlimited wi-fi access to anyone with a wi-fi enabled device to more than 4,000 Telstra Air public hotspots. Australians are seeking out wi-fi hotspots to help them conserve their mobile data. Telstra says usage on the nationwide wi-fi network has doubled in the last 12 months. Sharing photos and videos is one of the most popular ways customers have been using…

Tech savvy Australians are hanging on to their smartphones for three years despite the plethora of new models being released each year according to a recent study by Finder. Customers are not being tempted by the new shiny smartphones and are surprisingly keeping their device for three years on average. Finder’s survey of 2,109 Australians revealed we are just not interested in trading up to a new smartphone as often as we used to. Many of those surveyed have had their handset for about a year and half with the research showing it would be another 18 months before they…

The iPad Pro was already a powerful device and it’s just got even better with the release of a slick new 10.5-inch model which now features improvements across the board to make mobile usage better than ever. The new 10.5-inch screen size means you’re getting almost 20 per cent more screen yet only a minimal increase in the device’s overall size. The iPad Pro range now includes this 10.5-inch version as well as an updated 12.9-inch model. Apart from the screen size both devices are identical in terms of speed, features and performance. We got our hands on the brand-new…

It’s already possible to do a Macca’s run from your smartphone but the MyMacca’s app has been improved to allow customers to now pre-order their meal and pick it up in the drive-thru. Customers can use the app to pre-order and pay for their meal before jumping in their car and collected without getting out of the vehicle. The recently launched MyMacca’s app made it possible to order your McDonald’s meal on your smart phone and pick it up and pay for it at your nearest location. Users could save their favourite meals and receive exclusive offers as well as…

If you were pulled over by a police officer and didn’t have your driver’s licence would a photo of your license on your phone be acceptable and get you out of a fine. With the move towards digital licences in some parts of Australia set to launch as soon as 2019, would this form of digital licence – a photo of your actual license on your smartphone – do the job? The reason we have a licence is to display our personal information, our license number and expiry date. And if an officer asks to see your licence, it is…

They’ve created BB8 and the Ultimate Lightning McQueen and now Sphero is back with a high-tech toy – an interactive app-enabled Spider-Man that can get to know you like a real friend. Spider-Man stands 21.5cm tall and has a premium silicon finish. Under the surface there is plenty of technology that makes it one of the most advanced toys ever produced. Spider-Man connects to the app on your phone using Bluetooth and opens up many fun options and hours of entertainment. As you will quickly discover, Spider-Man is a wisecracking teenager with web slinging superpowers. He has expressive LCD eyes…

Tune in to Episode 303 of Two Blokes Talking Tech with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long where we discuss the week’s hottest tech stories and products. On this week’s show, Apple’s admits it’s working in the car space, Microsoft unveils the Xbox One X console and when will driver licenses go digital? And we debate whether having a picture of your license on your phone would be accepted by the police if you’re pulled over instead of your physical license. The blokes also discuss Uluru on Google Street View, a first look at the new Microsoft…

Samsung Pay, the secure mobile payment service available on compatible Samsung phones, has been extended after a partnership with Cuscal that will bring 38 more financial institutions on board. Samsung Pay works with the company’s latest devices including the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ along with the Gear S3 smartwatch. Some of Cuscal’s clients include People’s Choice Credit Union, Credit union Australia (CUA) and Teachers Mutual Bank which will now be offering Samsung Pay to its customers. These institutions join Westpac, Citibank and American Express as Samsung Pay partners. “Through Samsung Pay’s partnership with Cuscal we are providing millions of…

HTC’s new U11 smartphone does a great job standing out from the crowd thanks to its liquid surface design and an interesting new Edge Sense feature that reacts to how you squeeze the device. HTC has ticked all the boxes with its latest offering so you’re getting a slick design along with a killer screen, excellent audio quality and a camera that is just been rated the best in the world. With the flagship U11 smartphone, HTC can truly compete with the top tier brands. But to make it an even more compelling offer, the U11 has been aggressively priced…

Is this the first look at parts of the rumoured iPhone 8? The device isn’t due until later this year but this image was reportedly obtained from a glass supplier in China. The image, which first appeared on reddit,  supports previous rumours and schematic diagram leaks which suggested the device’s size would be between the iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus’s measurements. And despite being smaller than the 5.5-inch iPhone 7 Plus, the iPhone 8 is rumoured to have a larger 5.8-inch screen by getting rid of the home button. The alleged leaked image showed the front and back of the device.…

Episode 253 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech, wraps up all the announcements from Apple’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference in San Jose. We take you through all the software updates for iOS 11 and macOS High Sierra and all the hardware releases including HomePod, new 10.5-inch iPad Pro, updated iMacs, MacBooks and the all-new iMac Pro. In the Tech Guide interview we also talk to Shainiel Deo – CEO of Halfbrick, the creators of Fruit Ninja and JetPack Joyride. Also on the show, Linksys releases its Velop modular home wi-fi system and Foxtel’s new streaming service.…

LG has released the affordable K4 smartphone through Telstra that has a big screen, a sleek design and top shelf features but without a huge price tag. In fact – it’s less than $200. The LG K4 has a generous 5-inch display and a slim design that’s just 8.1mm thick. On the camera side, the K4 has a 5-megapixel rear and front cameras and includes Auto Shot and Gesture Shot so you can capture your images and selfies without having to hit the shutter button. The device is running the Android 6.0 operating system and is powered by a 1.1Ghz…

Microsoft has unveiled its brand-new Xbox One X – the world’s most powerful console – and an exciting new games line-up at the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) in Los Angeles. The Xbox One X (formerly code-named Project Scorpio) will be able play the latest 4K games with better textures and graphics, smoother frame rates and faster load times. And the console will also be backwards compatible so it can play the library of more than 400 older Xbox games. Microsoft also revealed many recent Xbox Games including Gears of War 4, Forza Horizon 3, Minecraft, Resident Evil 7, Final Fantasy…