Author: Stephen Fenech

We’re celebrating the 250th episode of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast today and almost five years of keeping you updated and educated about all the latest tech news and reviews. Hosted by editor Stephen Fenech, the Tech Guide podcast brings you the most relevant consumer tech news and info in plain English that can be heard on your drive, on your walk or in the gym. On this week’s show, HTC’s new U11 flagship smartphone that reacts to how hard you squeeze it, the MyMacca’s app so you order McDonald’s from your phone and Sony’s new 4K short throw projector.…

DJI, the biggest drone company in the world, has introduced a new activation process for international customers, including Australians, to ensure no one can fly a drone where they’re not supposed to. Once pilots register their aircraft after purchase they will be required to log in when they have updated the companion DJI Go or Go 4 app. This will then provide the correct geospatial information and flight functionality for that particular location. If users don’t go through this registration and update process, their drone will be restricted to flying in a 50m radius at a maximum height of 30m…

The biggest issue with some smartwatches is they don’t actually look like a watch. They are big and bulky but that’s not what you’ll find with the compact and stylish ASUS Zenwatch 3. The device has a round face with a design and construction you would find in a high-quality timepiece. It is just 9.95mm thick with a 1.39-inch AMOLED screen and 287ppi (pixels per inch) and it is covered with Corning Gorilla Glass for extra strength. ASUS says the look of the watch was inspired by a solar eclipse – a dark circle surrounded by bright ring. The casing…

We take a lot of photos with our smartphones every day and that’s exactly where they stay with few people bothering to print them but the new pocket-sized HP Sprocket can change all that. It is slightly larger than a deck of cards and connects to your mobile device via Bluetooth. Users can print photos from the camera roll and also link their Facebook, Instagram and Google Photo accounts so they can also print pictures that have already been shared or stored in the cloud. These 2 x 3-inch prints can be decorated with borders, emojis, text and other ornaments.…

One of the biggest frustrations with any inkjet printer is the constant need to replace expensive ink cartridges but that’s not an issue with the new Canon PIXMA Endurance G4600 printer. It always seems to happen that whenever you need something printed – you’re out of ink and need to dash to the store. This is particularly true in a household with students or in an office where a lot of stuff needs to be printed. It’s not uncommon to see printers priced for less than $50 but when it’s time to replace the ink the total cost is more…

LG has redefined the entry-level smartphone with the release of the K8 which includes an impressive design, 5-inch high-definition display and excellent camera features and all for less than $250. The device has a sleek design with a 2.5D arc glass edge and a woven back cover that punches way above its price point. On the camera side, the LG K8 has a 13-megapixel rear camera and 5-megapixel front facing camera which includes Auto Shot and Gesture Shot. With Auto Shot, the camera is automatically triggered when a face is detected while Gesture Shot responds to a hand signal when…

HTC has thrown down the gauntlet to Apple, Samsung and Huawei with aggressive Australian pricing for its new U11 flagship smartphone which was unveiled earlier this week. The U11, HTC’s new hero product, has a number of standout features including the new Edge Sense interface, a quad HD display, incredible audio quality and a camera that’s been rated the best in the world. The device is expected to go on sale in Australia in the coming weeks with a recommended retail price of $999. Keeping the pricing below $1000 will make it an attractive proposition to customers and will compete…

Sony has launched an all-new 4K ultra short throw projector that is designed to integrate easier than ever into customer’s homes so they can enjoy true big-screen entertainment. The Sony VPL-VZ1000ES can be positioned as close as six inches from the wall and yet still project an image up to 100 inches in size. Larger still if you move the projector further away from the wall. This means it can be set up in any room of your house – a lounge room, bedroom or home theatre no matter what the design or layout of your house happens to be.…

Episode 299 of the Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast, with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long, is coming to you from Taipei where we attended the HTC U11 launch. The blokes were at the launch of HTC’s new flagship phone launch event which was held at the company’s headquarters. Stephen and Trevor were also given a tour of the HTC factory where we saw the U11 go from components all the way to completed product in the box. Also on the show, the massive worldwide ransomware cyber attack, Audi to release new cars running the Android operating…

The likelihood Samsung will produce a Note8 increased considerably this week with new reports surfacing stating the device will feature a next-generation dual lens camera system. The Korean Herald has reported that Samsung is likely to adopt dual cameras for the Galaxy Note8. The report said Samsung didn’t go with the dual lens camera on the Galaxy S8 because of a cost issue. But it now seems likely the feature will be included in the Note 8 which could be released as soon as Q3. Dual lens cameras have become a feature of most of the recent flagship smartphones including…

Now you can do a Macca’s run from your smartphone with the launch of a new app that allows customers to pre-order and pay for their McDonald’s meal and collect it as soon as you arrive. The MyMacca’s app is available now and allows customers to create and place their order on approach to your nominated restaurant anywhere in Australia. The app has a simple easy-to-use interface and gives the customer the ability to customise their orders, save time in the ordering queue and waiting in the restaurant for your food to be ready. It will save your favorite menu…

Sony Mobile has announced the pricing and availability of its new Xperia XA1 smartphone –  the latest addition to the Xperia family –  which offers impressive features at an affordable price. Announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona in February, the device has a 5-inch screen and a borderless design and boasts a stunning 23-megapixel high-resolution camera with super quick Hybrid Autofocus so you’ll never miss a moment. On the front is an 8-megapixel camera with a 23mm wide-angle lens so you can capture your whole group in a selfie or the landmark behind you. The Sony Xperia XA1 even…

Ever wondered how your smartphone is designed, manufactured and tested? Tech Guide got a chance to find out when we went behind-the-scenes at the HTC factory in Taipei. Located in Taoyuan City on the outskirts of Taipei, HTC’s factory looks like any other office building. But once you step inside the pristine halls and don a lab coat, hair net and shoe coverings, you quickly discover it is something far different. We were given access to the factory floor where we watched HTC’s brand-new U11 smartphone go from components to completed product in the box. HTC UNVEILS U11 SMARTPHONE WHICH…

HTC will literally be putting the squeeze on its rivals after unveiling its new U11 smartphone which includes a brand-new way to interact with the device called Edge Sense. Users simply squeeze the bottom half of the U11 to trigger things like camera shutter control, app functionality and countless other shortcuts. The HTC U11 was unveiled a global event at the company’s headquarters in Taipei. HTC designers realised the way smartphone users grip their phones on either side of the screen could be used to get things done. For example, when we take a photo our fingers are usually holding…

Tech Guide got its hands on the new HTC U11 smartphone and that takes on a whole new meaning when you’re talking about a device that responds to how hard you squeeze it. The headline feature is Edge Sense which means a gentle squeeze can help get things done. The product itself is beautifully designed with the light bending liquid surface design and a nicely curved back panel that sits comfortably in your hand. It has a 5.5-inch quad-HD display that’s impressively sharp and bright. Below the screen is a physical home button that also acts as the device’s fingerprint…

Stay updated and educated with the latest consumer tech news and reviews by tuning in to Episode 249 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech. Let us tell you about the latest tech developments, tips and products while you’re driving, commuting, on a walk or run or in the gym. On this week’s show, the worldwide cyber-attack and how you can avoid becoming a victim, why Australia’s NBN rollout has become a global embarrassment and Apple releases new instructional videos on how to take better photos with the iPhone 7. In the Tech Guide reviews, we…

Netgear has unveiled two new members of the Orbi family of tri-band wi-fi systems that are designed to provide consistently fast wireless connectivity throughout your home or office. The two new Netgear systems, launched after the original Orbi –  the world’s first tri-band wi-fi system – now offer even more flexibility so users can enjoy solid wi-fi coverage in every corner of the property. One of the biggest problems with a regular modem is that the signal doesn’t reach every part of your home. But these Orbi systems can handle walls and stairs and other obstacles that would hinder a…

It’s a sad state of affairs when Australia is featured in the New York Times about how incompetent we are when it comes to technology. The latest report is about how we’ve bungled the NBN rollout. The previous mention was last year when the Australian Census website acted like it was the 1950s and made us the laughing stock of the world. Sadly, both of these stories in the New York Times were spot-on. The latest story appeared a few days ago under the headline “How Australia bungled its $US36 billion high speed internet rollout”. It rightly points out that…

Apple has just released a series of instructional videos and tips to show customers just how easy it is to take better photos with your iPhone 7 and look like a real expert. The company believes that everyone can take great photos using the iPhone which is used to take more photos than any other camera in the world every day, according to Flickr. The iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus have taken mobile photography to another level entirely with a new camera system. One of the new features with the iPhone 7 Plus, which has a two-lens 12-megapixel camera,…

Two Blokes Talking Tech Episode 298, with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long, covers all of the hot tech news and product releases of the week. On this week show, Vodafone fires first shot in pre-paid plan wars, why we’re still being stung by global roaming costs, what we can expect to see at Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference and the massive predictions for the Internet of Things industry in Australia. Also on the program, Facebook goes down, the most Instagrammed tourist spots in the world and, in the minute reviews, we take a look at the ZUS…