Author: Stephen Fenech

Samsung has announced the pricing and availability of its new QLED range of smart TVs that offer better picture quality and an all-new user interface to make them even easier to use. There is new technology under the hood for the Q9, Q8 and Q7 panels that make up the range to offer greater brightness, more accurate colour expression and an elegant design. At the heart of the new TVs is Samsung’s Quantum dot alloy material that allows the panel to produce deeper blacks, improved clarity and colour accuracy. This Samsung QLED range is also the world’s first TV to…

On Friday, it’s the National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence and security company Norton is marking the occasion by offering parents and children tips to protect themselves against cyberbullying. Norton research has shown three in four men and women under the age of 30 have experienced some form of online harassment. “The National Day of Action against Bullying and Violence reminds Australians of the importance for all members of our society to recognise the lasting impact online bullying has on both men and women,” Norton security expert Nick Savvides said. “No longer does the ‘they’ll be right’ attitude…

It’s time to lend us your ears to get updated and educated about the latest tech news and reviews with Episode 240 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech. On this week’s show, how the fitness industry and personal training will change with artificial intelligence, tracing your family tree is now a lot easier with the internet and DNA technology and we chat with Netgear’s Damir Skripic about the new Arlo security camera range. In the Tech Guide reviews, we take a drive in the Volvo S90 and check out the onboard technology, we run our…

In a world where more and more smart devices are popping up, the latest initiative might put personal trainers out of business with an intelligent cognitive coaching platform. The initiative is a partnership between Technogym and IBM and the goal is to create a “human-like” virtual coach which can interact with people using natural language. The platform’s aim is to provide personalised training programs that are created to meet their goals and conditions like weather, heath conditions, food intake and work situation. The idea is to blend IBM’s Watson cognitive computing and IoT (internet of things) technology with Technogym’s cloud-based…

If you’ve thought about tracing your family tree it’s a great time to start thanks to sites like Ancestry which has a number of ways to find your relatives including submitting your own DNA.  And this week Ancestry is offering a discount to celebrate St Patrick’s Day with 30 per cent off the AncestryDNA kit – a saving of $45. That offer is available until Sunday March 19. Irish Australians have quite a heritage in Australia and have made an impact on our country’s history and culture. The Ancestry site provides many resources for subscribers to trace their family history.…

Volvo has always had a great reputation for safety with its vehicles but the launch of the new prestige vehicle – the S90 – they’re also making a name for themselves with in-car technology as well. Tech Guide got behind the wheel of the Volvo S90 D5 diesel two litre, four cylinder, four-door sedan. And while the car drove superbly and is luxuriously appointed and elegantly designed, it was the technology that caught our interest. Technology, connectivity and convenience are deciding factors for customers when choosing one car over another. And the Volvo S90 certainly delivers in those areas. At…

Power. We all need it to keep our smartphones and tablets charged on the go and a battery is handy if we have no access to a power point or the time to keep it plugged in to the wall. Laser has a range of portable power banks to suit all types of users and situations. They all come with USB ports as well as Lightning, microUSB and 30-pin connectors for older smartphones. And they’re all designed to be compact and lightweight so you can easily take them with you anywhere. Now you won’t be caught with a dead smartphone…

Which of the Two Blokes Talking Tech – Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech or EFTM’s Trevor Long – would most likely be on a CIA watch list? That’s one of the big questions we’re posing in Episode 290. In the wake of the Wikileaks’ data dump alleging the CIA’s ability to be able to spy on users through their smartphones, computers and smart TVs,  the blokes discuss whether we should be worried. And they also contemplate which of them is more likely to be on the CIA’s watch list. Also on the show, we wrap up the rest of the…

The mid-range smartphone market just got a little more crowded with the release of the Samsung Galaxy A7 – a device that inherited a lot of top-line features from earlier flagship Galaxy phones. Samsung didn’t announce a smartphone at the recent Mobile World Congress in Barcelona and the highly-anticipated Galaxy S8 won’t be available for at least another month. But Samsung released the Galaxy A7 to beef up the company’s mid-tier portfolio. And the good news is that a lot of the premium features of previous flagship devices have made their way into the A7. DESIGN The Samsung A7 has…

To stand or not to stand – that is the question. Standing desks are more popular than ever thanks to research that shows that sitting for extended periods can cause a range of health problems including obesity, diabetes and cancer. The average office worker spends on average five hours and 41 minutes seated, and usually it’s in front of a computer. Ergonomic standing desks are becoming all the rage with converts saying they feel more focused and energetic with improved blood flow and less back pain. But what’s the big deal about sitting down for long periods? Experts believe the…

There’s been lots of hysteria since WikiLeaks latest data dump yesterday which claimed the CIA could break into computers, phones and even smart TVs and spy on you. So should you be worried? The authenticity of the documents can’t be confirmed but they detail how the CIA have allegedly developed tools to break onto iOS devices – that’s iPhones and iPads – as well as Android devices. Computers running Windows were also targeted and supposedly the CIA could even listen in through Samsung smart TVs even while it appeared to be turned off. It should be pointed out that these…

If you need a part for your car you hope the manufacturer has it in stock or that it will only take a day or two to arrive. Ford has come up with a new option to produce the part with a 3D printer. The car company this week announced a new way to manufacture parts using the Stratasys Infinite Build 3D Printer. It is a room-sized machine that can produce parts of any shape and length and as large as a 6-foot rear spoiler. Ford is the first car maker to use the new 3D printing technology from Stratasys.…

If you love reading books you’ve probably already got a Kindle e-reader and may have already subscribed to Kindle Unlimited service but the service has now been updated to include audio books – at no extra cost. Amazon has announced customers can now enjoy listening to books from Audible audiobooks (which is also an Amazon company) as part of their Kindle Unlimited subscription which will remain at the $13.99 monthly price. Kindle Unlimited already provides customers with access to more than a million books including short reads and Kindle exclusives. And now there is unlimited listening to thousands of audiobooks…

At lot of people don’t realise that while public wi-fi is handy it can also be dangerous as well and expose all your personal information to hackers and cyber criminals. One way to protect yourself is with the Norton Wi-Fi Privacy application that can be used on a smartphone, tablet or laptop, The Norton Wi-Fi Privacy app was previously only available for iOS devices (iPhone and iPad) and Android smartphones and tablets to protect users from the dangers of joining a public wi-fi. But now Norton has updated Wi-Fi Privacy so it can now be installed on Mac and Windows…

Sonos has just introduced a new connected wireless home theatre speaker called PLAYBASE that sits underneath your television to provide quality sound for your shows and movies. The speaker was inspired by a simple statistic – 70 per cent of TVs are not wall mounted and rest on an entertainment unit. With this in mind, the company went on to design PLAYBASE – a speaker that’s just 5.8cm tall and packed with 10 drivers. Instead of taking up a lot of space in front of your TV like a soundbar, PLAYBASE has a smaller footprint and slides underneath the TV’s…

Tune in to Episode 239 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech, to stay updated and educated about the latest new, views and product reviews. On this week’s show, we wrap up the rest of the news from Mobile World Congress in Barcelona including the dedicated smart network for IoT (internet of things) products including smart meters, smart sensors and even smart drones. Also on the program, Oppo unveils its new smartphone camera technology and we chat to Alcatel Australia’s managing director Sam Skontos about the new Alcatel A5 LED and the other brand he’ll be…

Fitbit has unveiled its latest device – the Alta HR – the world’s thinnest fitness wristband with continuous heart rate monitoring and advanced sleep tracking capabilities. Fitbit’s Alta HR was able to include the company’s PurePulse technology by reducing the chip size and the number of components. As a result, the Alta HR is 25 per cent thinner than the Fitbit Charge 2. Alta HR can provide continuous heart rate tracking so it can measure calorie burn more accurately including during non-step-based activities like yoga. Users are also now able to set real-time heart zones to figure out the right…

One major theme at last week’s Mobile World Congress in Barcelona was IoT – Internet of Things – the growing industry where more and more devices can connect and interact with each other. This connectivity will help industries become more efficient, help us find a parking spot, steer a drone to make a delivery and monitor any number of things. The latest smart devices for these use cases will connect through dedicated parts of the cellular network like a mobile phone. There were two types of networks Tech Guide saw at Mobile World Congress –  Cat-M1 and NB-IoT (also called…

STM, the Australian designer of laptop bags, cases and accessories, has just unveiled its latest range of backpacks and shoulder bags so you can carry your electronic devices safely and in style. There are four new bags in the Streets Collection – the 22L capacity Kings backpack ($169.95), the 18L Banks backpack ($149.95), the 22L Judge shoulder bag ($99.95) and the Ridge sleeve ($59.95). As usual STM (which is also sporting a brand-new logo) has provided plenty of storage space in its bags with sections to house your laptop, phone and other items like chargers, cables, sunglasses and documents. There’s…

Having a projector opens up so many options if you’re looking for a big screen experience to enjoy your movies and games and great place to start is with the BenQ W1210ST full high definition projector. Whether you want to set up a home theatre for the first time or plug in a projector on the coffee table at the spur of the moment, the BenQ W1210ST can suit both use cases. This is helped by the fact the projector is really easy to set up and it offers great quality and value. The W1210ST has a 1920 x 1080…