Author: Stephen Fenech

Episode 293 of the Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long is coming to you live from New York at the Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ launch. On this week’s show, the blokes talk about Samsung’s impressive new smartphones – the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ – moments after the event at the Lincoln Centre. Stephen and Trevor go over the new features – the Infinity Display, the Bixby intelligent user interface and Samsung DeX which means you can turn the Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+. Also on the program, the…

The Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ will be available for pre-order tomorrow (March 31) and the Australian carriers have already released details about the new plans for the new device. Samsung’s Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ were unveiled at the Lincoln Centre in New York boasting larger Infinity Displays, the fastest processor on a smartphone and an all-new intelligent user interface called Bixby. And the new devices are even powerful enough to connect to monitor and keyboard and run like a desktop computer with a new feature called Samsung DeX. Telstra, Optus and Virgin Mobile have revealed their plans…

Tech Guide went hands on with Samsung Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ and from the minute we got hold of them we quickly realized they are a huge improvement over last year’s models. The S8 and S8+ have bigger screens than ever before – 5.8-inch and 6.2-inch respectively – yet they don’t feel like huge devices in your hand. The display goes nearly to the top and bottom edges of the device – the home button is gone and there’s not even room to fit the Samsung name on the front panel. The branding is now on the back. There…

Samsung has put the Note7 woes that plagued the company for six months behind them and come out swinging with the exceptional new Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8+ smartphones that include innovative features and a stunning design. The whole tech world was waiting for Samsung’s next move after the company showed grace under fire in dealing with the Note7 recall just weeks after it was launched last year. That reply came in the form of a smartphone that raises the bar even higher with not just a new design but with new intelligence that redefines the idea of a digital…

Federal MPs got their first look into the future of driverless cars with a demonstration by Volvo Australia in Canberra today while they conduct a national inquiry of the technology. Volvo executives showcased their autonomous drive technology to the members of the House of Representatives Standing Committee on Industry, Innovation, Science and Resources which is looking for ways driverless vehicles can improve the lives of Australians. The committee members were driven around Canberra for an hour in two Volvo XC90 SUVs which have autonomous drive technology onboard. It was the first driverless demonstration ever held in Canberra and it gave…

We’re in the middle of an entertainment revolution with a massive switch from broadcast TV to broadband TV with subscription video on demand services expected to more than double in Australia by 2022. Ovum’s OTT (over the top) Video Forecast has predicted seven million Australians will have an SVOD account in five years – that’s an increase of 170 per cent on the 2.6 million currently subscribing with revenues hitting more than a $1 billion. Netflix and Stan are expected to take 70 per cent of that profit. Ovum’s findings match up with Telstye’s 2017 Digital Consumer Study which shows…

Tune in to Episode 242 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast where editor Stephen Fenech will keep you updated and educated about the latest tech news, views and reviews. On this week’s show: LG’s stunning wallpaper OLED TV has arrived in Australia, Epson and Hisense launch new products at the Australian Grand Prix and why laptops and tablets will be banned from some flight into the UK. In the Tech Guide reviews, we check out the HTC U Ultra smartphone, the Garmin Dash Cams and the latest Square tap and go products for tradies and small businesses. In the Tech…

IKEA is moving into the smart home market with the launch of a lighting solution that can be controlled remotely, automated and adaptable to create the mood and atmosphere for your home. The IKEA Smart Lighting collection will include smart globes that can dim and switch between warm and cool light with a controller or through the TRADFRI app for smartphones and tablets. And there’s no need to re-wire your home. IKEA Smart Lighting is a plug and play solution that’s as easy as screwing in a lightbulb. Customers simply swap out a regular globe for a TRADFRI globe which…

BY CHRIS OATEN Just by coincidence, a Facebook friend asked for a suggestion for a Micro Four Thirds camera with 4K capability in a compact form factor and, being familiar with the Lumix line of products, I suggested the G85 might be worth a look. After having a loaner for a short while, I think I can upgrade the suggestion to a recommendation. While it’s by no means the most compact camera in the MFT field, the G85’s 4K capability, along with its many other features, packaged into a body priced under $1500, offers a pretty tasty deal. Before going…

HTC’s attempt to stand out in the Android smartphone market continues with the U Ultra and it has a number of features and design elements that help the device achieve this. Three years ago, HTC was riding high and their flagship devices were all about premium materials and a serious design attitude. But offering minor changes to its hero smartphones since then has seen the company fall back into the pack. Now the company is trying to differentiate itself again with an eye-catching design, a second display and enhanced audio quality. It is now available outright from JB Hi-Fi and…

Episode 292 of the popular Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast, with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long, is coming to you from the Australian Formula One Grand Prix in Melbourne. On this week’s show, the blokes are in Melbourne for the Epson launch of its new WorkForce Enterprise printer and the Hisense event to reveal the Series 8 and Series 9 ULED TVs. Also on the show, LG reveals pricing for its OLED wallpaper TV and the rest of its television range, laptops and tablets banned from some flight into the UK, Apple releases new red iPhone…

Just because you’re on a budget doesn’t mean you can’t buy an impressive smartphone and the new Huawei GR5 fits the bill with top-line features offered for less than $400. Huawei’s GR5 (it was called the Honor 6X in other countries) has a 5.5-inch full high definition screen and a smooth uni-body design. The device has inherited some premium features from Huawei’s flagship models including a dual lens camera and a fingerprint reader. In fact, it’s the first dual lens camera on the market available for less than $400. The 12-megapixel and 2-megapixel rear cameras combine to autofocus in just…

Garmin has announced two small standalone drive recorders – the Dash Cam 45 and Dash Cam 55 – that will offer high quality recoding of any on-road incidents and a number of other driver safety features. The Garmin Dash Cams are equipped with automatic incident detection through its G Sensor which will automatically save recorded footage as well as detailed time and location data. The device is quite small and sits on a mount on your car’s windscreen and starts recording automatically as soon as the car starts. Footage through the Dash Cam 55 is captured at 1440p, 1080p or…

Hisense has unveiled its new Series 8 and Series 9 4K ULED TVs as well as the affordable pricing and availability of the range which is sure to continue the brand’s impressive momentum in the Australian market. It was exactly a year ago when Hisense introduced its ULED technology which is protected by more than 20 patents. The latest ULED models have improved brightness (up to 1,000 nits) and a Wide Colour Gamut that brings the picture quality to an even higher level. Last year the Hisense Series 7 ULED TVs made a huge impact and the Series 8 and…

The workplace printer has just got faster, more efficient and environmentally friendly with the release of the Epson Workforce Enterprise inkjet printer that can produce 100 colour copies per minute. Epson Australia has unveiled the WorkForce Enterprise WF-C20590 (100 pages per minute) and the WF-C17590 which can produce 75ppm with both designed to meet the needs of departmental office printing in corporates, SMBs and SMEs. Under the hood are a number of innovations designed to deliver consistent results even at high speeds while reducing power usage by as much as 96 per cent when compared to the same speed laser…

We’ve all heard how it easy it is to pay for things with our phones and watches in stores but what about accepting payments anywhere quickly and conveniently even if you don’t have a store? Square has created a solution to accept tap and go payments that suits all types of workers and all types of businesses including health and fitness, trades and services, markets, beauty professionals and coffee shops. Square includes two payment devices. The first is a contactless chip reader that accepts chip cards for tap and go as well as mobile wallets like Apple Pay, Android Pay…

Apple has released new bands for Apple Watch and a new app called Clips that makes it easier to create videos on iPhone and iPad to share with friends, family and social media. These announcements were made the same day Apple released the (PRODUCT)RED iPhone 7 and the new 9.7-inch iPad. The new collection of watch band includes sports bands in pebble, azure and camelia and Nike Sport Bands in anthracite/black, pure platinum/white and volt/black. All of these bands will be available in both 38mm and 42mm sizes. There are also new Apple Watch Hermes bands including a 38mm Double…

LG has announced the price and availability in Australia of its amazing new Signature OLED W7 – the TV that’s so thin and light that it can be mounted in your home like wallpaper. The 65-inch TV is just 2.57mm thick and, when mounted inside the magnetic bracket, it extends a mere 4mm off the wall. LG’s wallpaper OLED TV, which was the hit of the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January, will arrive in Australia in the first week in April. It will be priced at $13,499. That price will include delivery and installation of the magnetic…

Apple has updated the 9.7-inch iPad – its most popular sized iPad – to take the place of the iPad Air in the company’s popular product range and at its most affordable price ever. The new 9.7-inch iPad is available to order from this Saturday, March 25 and is powered by Apple’s 64-bit A9 chip to deliver laptop-like performance for fast processing and smoother graphics. The iPad has a brighter Retina display with more than 3.1 million pixels and it’s housed in a chassis that’s just 7.5mm thick and weighs in at 469g. The device has an 8-megapixel rear camera…

Passengers travelling to the UK will be banned from carrying larger electronic devices like laptop computers and tablets aboard an aircraft following a British Government decision. Incoming passengers from six pre-dominantly Muslim countries – Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Tunisia and Saudi Arabia – will be required to check in these larger electronic devices with their luggage. The decision comes after British intelligence uncovered a potential terrorist threat following an attempt by a terror group to bring down a jet using a laptop bomb. “The safety and security of the travelling public is our highest priority,” a No 10 Downing St…