Author: Stephen Fenech

We already know Bose make great speakers. And even now with the shape of speakers changing, Bose has once again hit it out of the park with its latest audio technology aboard the SoundLink Revolve. The cylindrical speaker has a sleek brushed aluminium design and offers 360-degree sound. It is 15.2cm tall and 8.2cm deep while the larger SoundLink Revolve+ is 18.4cm tall and 10cm deep. The advantage of the cylindrical shape is there is no real front or back to the product. So, no matter where the Bose Revolve is positioned, you’ll hear great sound in all directions. And…

Samsung Australia has just completed study about the common behaviours and attitudes towards cooking, housework and other household chores and the changing role of appliances. Australians@HOME 2.0 is the result of detailed research on how we conduct our home life and shows we are preparing more meals at home, dining out  less and ordering takeaway  less frequently. But surprisingly, despite our desire to eat fresh food, our food wastage is on the rise. Larger households have nearly doubled food wastage to more than $2,200 worth of uneaten food every year compared to $1,280 in 2015. Most Australians (70 per cent)…

The pricing and availability of the BlackBerry KEYone, the highly-anticipated device unveiled at Mobile World Congress back in February, has just been announced along with the date when customers can preorder the product. The Blackberry KEYone will go on sale at JB Hi-Fi online and instore from July for $899. Customers can preorder the device from mid-June from JB Hi-Fi and register their interest at www.blackberrymobile.com.au. “We are thrilled to be able to bring the highly anticipated all-new Android-powered BlackBerry KEYone smartphone to Australian consumers,” said Sam Skontos, Head of Asia Pacific, BlackBerry. “We have witnessed an incredible response to pre-sale…

Episode 301 of the Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast, with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long, is coming to you from London where the ICC Champions Trophy is being held. The blokes are here to check out Intel’s latest cricket technology that will be used during the tournament including drone pitch inspections and a bat sensor that can provide data about every shot. Also on the show, what we can expect to see at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference, Hisense’s new range of Series 7 ULED 4K TVs, what we really think about inflight wi-fi and news about…

ELLE Magazine has created history by becoming the first Australian magazine to shoot both its cover and fashion editorial using the iPhone 7 Plus. The magazine went on sale this week. In the expert hands of leading Australian fashion photographer Georges Antoni, the iPhone 7 Plus captured stunning images of fashion influencer Margaret Zhang on Sydney’s Bondi Beach using Portrait Mode. “One thing that struck me was how liberating it was to shoot and not worry about lenses, tripods, tethering to the computer, etc,” said Antoni. “It’s also such an interesting dynamic to see how the public are so conditioned to seeing people shooting…

Cricket is a game steeped in tradition but, thanks to Intel, it has now been given an injection of technology that will allow players to improve their game as well as provide rich new data for broadcasters and fans. Intel announced the innovations at a special event at The Oval in London ahead of the ICC Champions Trophy where the technology – drone pitch analysis and a bat sensor – will be used by the teams taking part in the tournament including the Australian team. Intel was attracted to develop technology for cricket because it has always been a data…

HTC’s highly-anticipated U11 smartphone, with Edge Sense so it can react to a squeeze and with world’s best mobile camera onboard according to DxOMark, will go on sale in Australia on June 5. Priced aggressively at $999, the HTC U11 has a QHD 5.5-inch display a 12-megapixel Ultra-Pixel camera which was recently judged by DxOMark to be the best in the world with a score of 90. This beats DxOMark’s previous best camera – the Google Pixel which scored 89. The HTC U11 also offers USonic technology which means it can be optimised to the way you hear sound as…

Tune in to Episode 251 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech, to stay updated and educated about the latest consumer tech news and reviews. On this week’s show, new drones, new drone software and a new drone safety app from CASA, iPhone 8 cases already being manufactured months before the phone is released and Samsung launches its new MU Series of 4K Smart TVs. In the Tech Guide Reviews, we take a look at the Huawei P10 and P10 Plus, the Ultimate Lightning McQueen from Sphero and the latest Microsoft Surface Pro. In the Tech Guide…

Hisense has just released its new 2017 premium ULED Series 7 TVs which builds on last year’s award-winning models with improvements in picture quality, colour and smart   connectivity. Hisense TV viewers can also access content from Netflix in 4K HDR along with Stan, Freeview Plus and YouTube. The release of the new Hisense TVs come at the same time as its global brand campaign under the banner “see the incredible”. “With consumers embracing Hisense’s award winning ULED range for its depth of rich colours and detailed picture quality, we are thrilled to re-introduce our most popular TV Series removing the…

Garmin has become the latest company to join the 360-degree camera movement with the launch of its VIRB 360 – a versatile go-anywhere camera that can capture the action in all directions. The device captures high quality video up to 5.7K and 30fps (frames per second) and sound through four built-in microphones so the audio is just as impressive as the picture in every direction. Video captured through the VIRB 360’s lenses is automatically stitched together in the camera at up to 4K resolution and 30fps so they can be uploaded for editing or for sharing on social media. The…

Having a larger computer monitor or even a second monitor with our computers is a growing trend to help us become more productive and to make it easier to multitask. LG has recognised this fact and recently launched a 38-inch UltraWide curved monitor (38UC99) which offers enough screen real estate to easily run several applications at the same time. The monitor includes a feature called OnScreen Control which allows users to search the text and images from multiple running applications at the same time. This is all in the aid of productivity and LG, in partnership with productivity technology expert…

The real strength of the Huawei P10 and P10 Plus is the dual lens camera system that was created in partnership with well-known photography brand Leica. So much so, there is an argument as to whether you will call this a smartphone with a camera or a camera that makes phone calls. That’s not a bad thing when you consider our phones have become our go to device to document the world around us. While the device can do a lot more than just take photos, the dual lens camera system is rightly front and centre when admiring the Huawei…

The iPhone 8 is still months away from being released but that hasn’t stopped the many case manufacturers cranking out cases based on the many rumours and alleged leaked design schematics. iPhone 8 cases have already started appearing on Alibaba and some were purchased by Japanese website Mac Otakara and displayed in a series of images and videos. The cases appear to support the popular rumours and supposed leaked renderings which show the next iPhone’s measurements put it in between the current iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus sizes. A popular rumour is that the home button will be relocated…

HTC’s new U11 flagship smartphone – the device with Edge Sense so it can react to a squeeze – is now available to pre-order ahead of its release next month. The U11 has a QHD 5.5-inch display and is running the latest Android operating system. Also onboard is the 12-megapixel Ultra-Pixel camera which was recently judged by DxOMark to be the best in the world with a score of 90. The previous best according to DxOMark was the Google Pixel which scored 89. The HTC U11 also offers USonic technology – so the device can be optimised to the way…

The Two Blokes Talking Tech, Stephen Fenech and Trevor Long, are celebrating the 300th episode of the hit podcast that brings you the hottest tech news in a fun yet informative way every week. The blokes take a look back at where it all began more than six years ago and the biggest topics and products we’ve discussed. The episode was recorded at the Netgear office – a company which has been a sponsor of the show since the third episode back in 2011. Also on the 300th episode of Two Blokes Talking Tech, a new drone and new software…

DJI has launched its smallest drone ever – the Spark – which packs the company’s signature technologies into a tiny package that you can take anywhere with you to fly inside and out. The DJI Spark is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand and has intelligent flight control, a two-axis mechanical gimbal and a 12-megapixel camera. A new feature is FaceAware, where the DJI Spark can lift off from your hand and hover in place to take a selfie or a group shot. The drone can also be controlled with gestures so you can take amazing…

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has just released a new smartphone app to make it even easier to identify areas where you can and can’t fly a drone. Can I Fly Here is a free app for iPhone and Android users and was created in partnership with specialist drone software company Drone Complier. The app uses your location and identifies it on a map along with drone no-fly zones shaded in red – like close to airports – and fly-with caution-zones, where aircraft are known to fly at lower altitudes, coloured orange. It is the first time an app…

Those clever people at Sphero have done it again – they’ve taken a beloved star of a popular movie and brought it to life off the screen. Introducing Disney Pixar’s Ultimate Lightning McQueen. Sphero did the same thing with the lovable BB8 ball-shaped droid from Star Wars the Force Awakens and now they have put their considerable talents behind the star of the upcoming Disney Pixar film Cars 3 – Lightning McQueen. This bright red racer has the personality and characteristics that we saw and loved in the film. It has animated eyes on the windscreen and an animatronic mouth…

Microsoft has just unveiled its versatile new Surface Pro that’s both a laptop and a tablet and more powerful and faster than ever so users can create, work and play anywhere. While Microsoft hasn’t given this device a number it is the fifth model of the Surface Pro so we can expect people to refer to it as the Surface Pro 5. The device has a stunning 12.3-inch PixelSense display with a resolution of 2736 x 1824, 3:2 aspect ratio and 267ppi (pixels per inch). The screen supports Surface Pen and Surface Dial to unleash the power of the product…

A fierce debate has erupted in Australian parliament surrounding the regulation of drones and the potential for the unmanned aerial vehicles to be use by terrorists to deliver bombs. At a Senate hearing this week, tempers flared when it was revealed a safety review of drones set down by the Federal Government in October had yet to begin. One Coalition backbencher, Barry O’Sullivan, even suggested banning sales of drones until concrete safety regulations were in place. Mr O’Sullivan said he was worried a drone could bring down a plane if nothing is done. But his fears were allayed by CASA…