Author: Stephen Fenech

Mobile World Congress doesn’t kick off in Barcelona until next week but LG is already teasing some tantalising details about the company’s new G6 smartphone which will be announced at the annual mobile phone trade show. The LG G6 will have a 5.7-inch FullVision display with a resolution of 2,880 x 1,440. That giant screen will have an ultra-wide 18:9 aspect ratio that almost completely covers the entire front panel of the phone. LG says the FullVision display will have a differentiated experienced when viewing videos or surfing the web. Having a screen of this size and shape makes it…

Microsoft has rolled out a significant update to the Microsoft Office suite of applications that now includes Touch Bar support for Apple’s latest MacBook Pro. Now anyone using Word, PowerPoint, Excel and Outlook on the MacBook Pro with Touch Bar will have fingertip access to the most common commands and functions for these respective applications. The Touch Bar changes depending on the application you’re using and allows the user to use these commands and shortcuts while their fingers are still on the keyboard rather than using the trackpad or reaching for the mouse. WORD Within Word the Touch Bar you…

Whether you’re using your smartphone or a small camera to take your photos and videos, anything that can help us create better results is welcomed. Say hello to the IK Multimedia iKlip Grip Pro multifunction stand. The iKlip Grip Pro is four accessories in one – a tripod, a hand-grip mount, an extendable monopod and a selfie stick complete with remote shutter control. It is made of sturdy lightweight plastic and aluminium and when fully closed and folded down it is about 20cm long but it extends to more than three times that length to up to 62cm. It has…

It’s 300 days until Star Wars: The Last Jedi explodes on movie screens around the world and today we were given our first glimpse of the highly-anticipated movie’s main characters. StarWars.com announced that Force Friday II – the day when toys, collectibles, books and other merchandise will be unveiled – will take place on September 1, 2017. Also revealed was a packaging sample which showed the three main characters Poe, Ray and Finn. In the centre was Rey holding Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber that she was holding at the end of The Force Awaken. She now has longer and a darker…

Apple has announced the dates and location of the 2017 Worldwide Developers Conference where the company will unveil the latest software updates for Mac, iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch. The event attracts developers from across the globe who will have access to more than a 1,000 Apple engineers throughout the conference. The 2017 WWDC will be the 28th time the event has been held and it will run from June 5-9. It will be held at the McEnery Convention Centre in San Jose which is a stone’s throw away from Apple’s incredible new headquarters in Cupertino. We can expect to…

Join the Two Blokes Talking Tech, Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long, for Episode 287 of the popular podcast as they discuss the week’s biggest tech issues and products. On this week’s show: EHang to begin flying in a major capital city, CASA clarifying the local drone rules, Netgear’s Nighthawk M1 mobile router, Carpool Karaoke on Apple Music, Telstra’s new hybrid home modem, Apple Pay available at more banks and Telstra’s Live apps for the new NRL and AFL seasons. In the minute reviews, we check out the Braven 405 Bluetooth speaker and the Atari Flashback 7.…

The EHang 184 automated passenger drone, seen at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas last month, will go from testing phase to active duty carrying paying customers as early as July this year. The EHang single passenger drone was first displayed CES in January 2016 as a prototype before going into testing late last year in the company’s homeland of China. But any prospect of the EHang 184 being used commercially seemed years away – until this week when the head of Dubai’s Road and Transportation Agency Mattar al-Tayer announced the vehicle would begin flying above Dubai in July.…

Everything old is new again especially when it comes to classic computer games. Now you can buy the Atari Flashback 7 – a classic game console with classic games like Space Invaders, Pong and Frogger. After the success of the Nintendo Classic Mini NES which is now rarer than a UFO sighting, Atari wanted to get in on the act and the Flashback 7 is the result. AtGames Digital and Five Star Games have joined forces to release the Atari Flashback 7 classic console which has 101 built-in games including Atari 2600 classic like Asteroids, Centipede, Jungle Hunt and Missile…

Any product that can keep us connected at high speed on the go will always be popular. Meet the Netgear Nighthawk M1 – a mobile router that’s so fast you might need to wear a seatbelt. The Nighthawk M1 runs on Telstra’s 4G LTE network and it’s theoretically able to hit speeds up to 1Gbps. The device is designed to keep you – and up to 20 other devices – connected on the move through the dual 2.4Ghz or 5Ghz bands it creates. So not only can you access the web and download content quickly – you can also upload…

Go-anywhere speakers have to tick a few boxes – they need to be rugged, waterproof, with a battery that can last all day and they have to sound good as well. The Braven 405 fits the bill. The Braven 405 Bluetooth speaker is small enough to take anywhere – it’s 15cm wide, 9.2cm long and 2.9cm thick and is a featherweight 0.28kg. It has a rubberized and rugged housing with a kickstand so the speaker can be either laid flat or up on an angle. It’s tough enough to throw in your bag before you head out and to use…

Episode 236 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech, is available now to keep you updated and educated about the biggest tech news and latest products. On this week’s show: we comb through the many rumours about the upcoming iPhone 8, Foxtel has decided on whether to pursue legal action against the Mundine-Green illegal fight streamers, more major banks are offering Apple Pay and Prince’s music is now available on streaming services – but is that what the late musician wanted? In the Tech Guide interview we chat with NRL CEO Todd Greenberg about the new…

They’re some great new TV shows right now but what most people didn’t know was that you can get your hands on them to own digitally the day after broadcast. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment has announced some exciting new releases of the hottest shows which you can download to own from iTunes, Google Play, Bigpond Movies, Fetch, Dendy Direct and the Microsoft and PlayStation stores. And once you’ve downloaded them they are free to watch over and over again on any device. Viewers can also subscribe to a season pass on iTunes and have each new episode delivered as…

Telstra has unveiled an Australian-first internet solution that combines its fixed broadband and 4G mobile network into a single device – the Telstra Gateway Frontier – to ensure customers are always connected. The Telstra Gateway Frontier uses hybrid technology so customers will always have a way to connect if services are disrupted, if they are moving or swapping to a new service. As soon as the device is powered up it will connect to Telstra’s 4G network so new customers can connect to the internet right away until their fixed services are installed. And if fixed services are disrupted or…

Bang & Olufsen has released a new pair of luxury wireless headphones – the Beoplay H4 – which offer the company’s typical high standards in style and design, premium materials and excellent audio quality. The Beoplay H4 headphones were designed by Scandinavian Jakob Wagner and are made from lambskin, braided textile and aluminium for maximum comfort. And beneath the minimalist design is the Bang & Olufsen Signature Sound which come through the impressive onboard electro-dynamic 40mm drivers. The headphones connect wirelessly to your mobile device and can be controlled via the three buttons on the right earcup to navigate your…

Foxtel has made a decision about whether to pursue legal action against two individuals who illegally streamed the Anthony Mundine-Danny Green pay-per-view fight on Facebook Live. Both people, Darren Sharpe and Brett Hevers, were contacted by Foxtel while they were streaming the Main Event fight on February 3 to make them aware they were breaching Copyright Law. Because of their actions, more than 150,000 people were able to watch the fight, which was priced at $59.95 on the Main Event channel, for free and potentially cost Foxtel millions of dollars. Foxtel contacted Clarke and Hevers again and asked them to…

Two Blokes Talking Tech, with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long, discuss the biggest stories of the week in Episode 286 of the popular podcast. On this week’s show: Samsung release the Galaxy Series A smartphones, Stan announces new features for the streaming service and Foxtel’s case against Mundine-Green fight Facebook Live streamers. The blokes also talk about the Huawei Mate 9, Mark Skaife’s hot lap in a blacked-out car using phones connected to Vodafone’s network to steer, DoTalk app that can translate in real time and the Netgear Nighthawk X10. You can listen to the show…

It’s still months away from release but Apple’s next iPhone – likely to be called the iPhone 8 – is already stirring up numerous rumours about its features and creating huge anticipation as customers await its release. It is the 10th anniversary of the iPhone in 2017 so naturally people are expecting something special from Apple to mark the occasion. In fact, because it has been 10 years since the original iPhone went on sale in June 2007, this could even change the naming convention of the device and some think it may be called the iPhone X with X…

Telstra is predicting a record-breaking year for live streaming of NRL and AFL matches to mobile devices in 2017 after completing major app updates so footy fans will never miss a moment this season. Netball has also joined the Telstra fold so fans can access live games on the mobile app and on Telstra TV. Telstra mobile customers have free access to these Live Passes which allow them to stream live matches fast and data free on the apps which are available on the iPhone and Android platforms. In September 2016 alone, more than 3.8 million fans watched NRL and…

Two more major Australians banks have joined the growing list of financial institutions that will be offering their customers Apple Pay so they can make payments using their iPhone or Apple Watch. Australians on average use Apple Pay more than any other country in the world with many cases of customers switching banks so they can enjoy the service. Macquarie Bank and ING Direct are the latest Australian banks to offer Apple Pay to their customers. Central Murray Credit Union – part of the Cuscal group of financial institutions – is also offering Apple Pay. There are already 10 million…

Samsung has released the Galaxy A Series – the company’s first new phone model to be introduced since the Note7 was discontinued – which offers impressive features at an affordable price. There are two models in the Galaxy A Series – the A5 which has a 5.2-inch full high definition display and the A7 with a 5.7-inch FHD screen. They will be available from February 16 and will be priced at $649 (Galaxy A5) and $799 (Galaxy A7) with millenials as the main target customers. These devices are sure to put pressure on the other mid-tier and upper mid-tier devices…