Author: Stephen Fenech

IKEA already makes affordable furniture and now the company is going to help you save money on batteries with the release of rechargeable batteries and recharging devices. Now customers can turn their back on the disposable batteries that you throw out after one use and switch to rechargeable batteries which can save you money and reduce the number of batteries that end up in landfill. IKEA’s range includes the LADDA batteries which are just $4.49 for a pack of four AA or AAA rechargeable batteries. And you charge them with the compact VINNINGE portable charger (priced at just $4) which…

Virgin Australia has just taken to the skies to start a three-month trial of inflight wi-fi on a Boeing 737-800 aircraft to allow passengers to stay connected and enjoying streaming video on demand services. Virgin Australia has partnered inflight connectivity provider Gogo and Optus to create the inflight wi-fi network to access content from Netflix, Stan and Pandora. “We are thrilled to commence customer testing of our inflight wi-fi today. We want to ensure that guests can stay reliably connected in the air while also enjoying the fantastic entertainment and customer service for which Virgin Australia is well known,” said…

Apple’s next iPhone is one of the most eagerly awaited devices and a leaked design schematic has been uncovered reportedly reveals a number of new features and design changes. Noted leaker Sonny Dickson, a reliable source of rumours in the past, tweeted the render of what appears to be the back shell of the iPhone 8. It shows a vertical dual camera opening which would mean the lenses would sit top and bottom rather than side by side like they are with the iPhone 7 Plus. Also shown on the render is a circular opening below the Apple logo. This…

Kogan Mobile has unveiled an attractive introductory offer that provides new customers with up to 14GB of data to use with their smartphones for 30 days for less than $5. From today until the end of May, mobile customers can access all Kogan Mobile’s 30-day pre-paid plans – including the Extra Large plan with 14GB of data – for just $4.90. The offer is available to new Kogan Mobile customers who want to trial the service which is powered by the Vodafone 4G network. “We’re using our smartphones more everyday. Whether we’re texting, calling, or streaming and downloading content, Australians…

Wireless earphones have never been more popular and Jaybird was one of the first to bring wireless sports buds to the market years before headphones jacks started disappearing from smartphones. The new Jaybird X3 headphones offer a bigger sound through the 6mm drivers but are still quite compact. They’re so compact they can also be worn under a helmet. The reason the ear buds are so small is because Jaybird has cleverly located the battery in the in-line remote control. A charging module attaches to the controller on the cable to recharge it which means you can still listen to…

Bose has just unveiled two all-new portable Bluetooth speakers – the SoundLink Revolve and the SoundLink Revolve+ – which deliver an entirely new acoustic package with 360-degree sound. The speakers have a seamless aluminium design and a cylindrical shape so there is no front or back to the product. This means they can be positioned anywhere to hear great sound in all directions. To achieve this, Bose combines dual opposing passive radiators with a face down transducer alongside a patented acoustic deflector. There’s also a pressure trap inside to eliminate distortion. As a result, the sound radiates evenly in all…

Never has a company been under more pressure to produce a standout product than Samsung with the new Galaxy S8 following its Note7 dramas. The good news is Samsung has hit it out of the park. There’s an old saying used by people to pluck up courage in tough situations – “it takes pressure to make a diamond”. That’s what Samsung did. Put simply – the Galaxy S8 is the best smartphone Samsung has ever produced. The device has a brilliant and iconic design and incredible build-quality. It also has a screen size that defies the laws of physics. It’s…

Listen to Episode 245 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech, to stay updated and educated about the latest tech news and reviews. On this week’s show: how much is your preloved smartphone worth – it’s more than you think, TPG set to become the fourth Australian mobile operator and Panasonic unveils its 2017 range of TVs which include OLED models. In the Tech Guide reviews, we take a look at the Navman Drive Duo SUV GPS/dashcam, the BlueLounge products that can organise your cables and Assassin’s Creed goes from to screen with the help of…

Concussion and the risk of long-term brain injury are the possible by-products of contact sports like rugby league, rugby and AFL but the University of Sydney is working to improve detection and diagnosis of head knocks. Dr Clare Fraser and Dr Adrian Cohen are leading the research team using XPatch accelerometer sensors that can detect the amount of force from a collision. These can be placed on the player’s head or located inside protective headgear but the goal is to develop the technology so it’s small enough to eventually fit inside a mouthguard. Dr Philip Boughton from the University of…

We all know there’s a real issue with people texting and using their mobile while they’re driving but do we really needs special texting bays on our roads to help curb the problem? That’s exactly what they’re doing in Western Australia in a special trial that will run till the end of April – designated texting bays. The West Australian Road Safety Commission came up with the plan as part of an experiment to reduce the number of accidents caused by drivers who are distracted by their phones. The scheme would provide special bays by the side of the road…

Panasonic has unveiled its 2017 TV range that will include, for the first time, four 4K OLED televisions which will deliver a high quality visual and audio experience for your home. And it’s a case of go big or go home with the Master OLED EZ1000 series which will be highlighted with a 77-inch model (due in November) plus a 65-inch and 55-inch models (both set for release in July). Panasonic will bring its 79-year history of TV research and development to the wondrous technology of OLED which delivers true black levels and stunning colour. The company will also release…

Creating a film based on a popular game franchise is nothing new but Australian director Justin Kurzel has captured the essence of the game and create an action-packed ride that can be enjoyed by anyone whether they’ve played the game or never even heard of it. Starring Academy Award nominee Michael Fassbender and Academy Award winners Marion Cotillard (The Dark Knight Rises) and Jeremy Irons (Die Hard: With a Vengeance), Assassin’s Creed tells the story of a man whose ancestor’s memories are harnessed to end an ancient conflict that has consequences for modern society. Kurzel made his directorial debut with…

The long-awaited teaser trailer for Star Wars Episode VIII The Last Jedi has finally been released and it looks amazing. We’ve broken it down scene by scene and uncovered plenty of details, layers and clues. The trailer was unveiled at the Star Wars 40th Anniversary Celebration in Orlando by The Last Jedi writer/director Rian Johnson who was joined on stage by Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy, Daisy Ridley (Rey), John Boyega (Finn), Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) and Kellie Marie Tran (Rose). The trailer runs for two minutes and 12 seconds and is our first official glimpse at The Last Jedi. And…

Navman has just unveiled its new DriveDuo SUV – a device that combines a GPS with special features for 4WD and SUV vehicles along with a dashcam so it can be your eyes and ears on the road. Navman brings its considerable experience in the GPS space to the product to make not only your everyday driving easier but also includes more than 123,000km of tracks for drivers who want to do some off-road exploring. And, with the built-in dashcam, you can film those adventures as well. The DriveDuo SUV combines Navman’s MiVue dashcam technology with its MY Escape GPS…

We change our smartphones every year with most sticking the old device in a drawer not realizing there’s serious money to be made by selling it. We’re actually sitting on $8.6bn worth of unused handsets across the country. With the Samsung Galaxy S8 due for release soon along with a rumoured 10th anniversary iPhone on the horizon, there will be many customers looking to upgrade. But according to a study by eBay Australia there are billions of dollars worth of second-hand phones sitting unused in drawers and cupboards. In 2016, Deloitte revealed used smartphone sales generated more than $17bn globally.…

TPG will become Australia’s fourth major mobile carrier after a $2bn outlay that will result in a new 4G network that will cover 80 per cent of the population within three years. The mobile network will complement TPG’s successful fixed broadband business and present bundling options to new and existing customers to combine fixed and mobile services. The news was enough send Telstra’s share price crashing by more than 6 per cent. TPG already offers its customers mobile access but it’s through the Vodafone network. But now TPG will have its own network to stand alongside Telstra, Optus and Vodafone.…

We’re all living digital lives and enjoying the many benefits but the downside is keeping our devices charged and managing all the cable but BlueLounge has come to the rescue with a range of products to keep you organised. Every digital product we have – smartphones, smartwatches, tablets and laptops, all need charging and all have their own cables. And if you live in a household, there are multiple devices and multiple chargers and multiple cables so it’s not hard for your home to get cluttered and tangled. BlueLounge has recognised these problems and created a line-up of products to…

If you want to stay updated and educated about the latest tech news and reviews, tune in to Episode 244 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech. On this week’s show, Samsung Pay announces partnership with Westpac, ANZ bank to use your voice as security on its mobile app and Kogan unveils the most affordable 65-inch 4K curved TV in Australia. In the Tech Guide reviews, we take a look at the LG G6 smartphone, the BeatsX earphones and the WD My Passport external hard drive. In the Tech Guide Help Desk, how you can transfer…

The Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ are set to become Samsung’s most successful mobile devices ever with news pre-orders for the highly-anticipated smartphones have hit record levels. Samsung today confirmed pre-sales to date have surpassed last year’s hits, the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge, by a “double digit” margin. This is a heartening outcome for Samsung following a turbulent six months which saw the Galaxy Note7 recall and eventual cancellation of the product. Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ recently in New York. They boast Infinity Displays – screens that take up 83 per cent of the…

LG is on to a winner with its new G6 smartphones which offers the best of both worlds – a larger screen to enjoy your content within a small chassis that can still be used with one hand. Available now through Telstra on a plan or outright from JB Hi-Fi and Harvey Norman, LG’s G6 manages to give users all that screen within a relatively small space because it has opted for a different shaped display. DESIGN The G6 has an 18:9 aspect ratio screen – imagine the shape of a cinema screen on its side – so it is…