Author: Stephen Fenech

iiNet has become the latest company to suffer a data breach. Hackers managed to steal email addresses and phone numbers for more than 280,000 iiNet customers. iiNet says the incident occurred on Saturday August 16 and that it has acted quickly to shut down the unauthorised access of its system. It has also engaged external IT and cyber security experts to survey the damage and find out the full scope of the data that was stolen. The company is contacting customers to offer more details and support and to apologise for the unauthorised incident. It says the access appears to…

Samsung has released the Galaxy Buds3 FE – the latest member of the Galaxy Buds family – which have been designed to deliver top line features at a more affordable price. The Galaxy Buds3 FE offer a more accessible path into the Galaxy ecosystem and now have incorporated the iconic blade design along with improved audio performance and Galaxy AI functionality. The Galaxy Buds3 FE include Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), improved call quality, longer battery life and a comfortable all-day fit so users can listen where and when they want. The phones have a larger speaker onboard to deliver a…

Telstra has released its new Smart Modem 4 which now includes a 5G mobile backup for the first time along with Wi-Fi 7 connectivity and support for AI powered Smart Fix to detect and resolve issues. When Telstra customers combine the Smart Modem 4 with their internet plans, if there is an issue with their connection it will kick in so customers can stay connected via Telstra’s 5G network. The 5G backup is capped at 25Mbps down and 5Mbps up which is enough to continue working and streaming and browsing until the faster NBN connection is restored. And if you’re…

The Bluetti Elite 100 V2 portable power station is ideal for a few scenarios – in your home during a blackout, providing power at your campsite and providing instant backups for critical devices. The unit has a 1024Wh capacity and measures 32cm wide, 21.5cm deep and 25cm tall. It tips the scale at 11.5kg but it does have a sturdy built-in handle so you can easily carry it anywhere. And don’t worry it has rugged outer casing to protect it so you can use it every day and anywhere. Under the hood are advanced LiFoPO4 cells which can manage up…

Time to go for a drive and take a listen to the very latest episode of Two Blokes Talking Electric Cars – The EV Podcast – with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long. This week Stephen and Trevor have both driven the KIA EV3 – and they discuss what they like and don’t like about it. We talk to a Uni student working hard on the World Solar Challenge entry backed by our mates at Uniden. This week Grace calls in, she loves her BYD Atto 3 – what makes it great, and how the Dolphin tempted…

The Huawei Watch Fit 4 Pro is a smartwatch that can capture health and wellness information as well as track your fitness and it’s all housed in a thin and light chassis. Weighing just 30.4g, the Huawei Watch Fit 4 Pro works with both iOS and Android so it really opens the market for customers who are looking for another choice outside of Samsung or Apple. But having a square watch face, it does leans more towards being an Apple Watch impersonator. And we can tell you it’s a worthy and more affordable competitor. Users will find 1.82-inch AMOLED display…

The Coast is Toast! This week on The Best Movies You’ve Never Seen podcast we’re watching Volcano starring Tommy Lee Jones and Anne Heche. Volcano tells the story of an earthquake that rocks Los Angeles but this is a precursor to worse things to come that will put the city in danger and put thousands of lives at risk. Stephen watched Volcano at the movies and has rewatched it a few times while Trevor is feeling the heat for the first time. We go through the memorable scenes and share some interesting facts, behind the scenes tidbits, trivia, fact v…

Polestar has set a Guinness World Record for the longest trip by an electric SUV on a single charge after travelling 935.44km in a recently launched long range single motor variant of the Polestar 3. The Polestar 3 was pushed to its absolute limits in the record attempt which took 22 hours and 57 minutes to complete. The record was achieved in mixed weather conditions including rain at one point with the polestar 3 achieving an efficiency of 12.1 kWh/100 kilometres. One of the biggest things holding back potential EV drivers is range anxiety but this demonstrates EVs can deliver…

New Optus CEO Stephen Rue says he saw the role as a “huge opportunity” when he accepted the position at the embattled telco in the wake of a serious data breach and major outage. Rue appeared as a special guest for Episode 696 of the Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long. The hour-long exclusive interview with the new Optus boss and former NBN CEO covered a range of topics including taking the reins of the company following two major incidents, the changes he has made, the future of the network, the…

Sennheiser is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year and the premium audio brand will mark the occasion with a limited edition version of its MOMENTUM 4 Wireless headphones which have been decorated by German graffiti artist Bond Truluv. Formed in 1945, Sennheiser has set a standard for audio quality and engineering excellence. It has collaborated by Bond Truluv who fuses art and technology with his work to pay tribute to the culture of true sound. The 80th Anniversary Edition of the MOMENTUM 4 wireless headphones feature different designs and linework inspired by flowing audio waveforms on each earcup. As a…

Epic Games has scored a major victory against Apple and Google in the Australian Federal Court after the tech giants’ respective app markets were found to be anti-competitive. The landmark decision by Judge Jonathan Beach was five years in the making and outlined in a 2000-page document which ruled mostly against the tech companies and found their huge market power reduced competition. The ruling will also see Epic Games – the developer behind the popular Fortnite game – receive compensation that could run into hundreds of millions of dollars. Fortnite is played by more than 600 million people around the…

Apple has always made privacy and security a top priority for its customers and it has showcased a new feature called Call Screening that can protect you from scam and spam callers. Call Screening will be part of the upcoming iOS 26 update that will be officially released in September but that users can experience it now if they join Apple’s Public Beta. When a call comes in from an unknown number Call Screening automatically answers the call in the background silently. https://youtu.be/y1AsOC2lWo8?si=l2QAHe99iuar4SBj A Siri-like assistant speaks on your behalf and asks for the caller’s name and the reason for…

Get smart and press play on Episode 657 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast hosted by editor Stephen Fenech so you can stay updated and educated about the latest consumer tech news and product reviews. On this week’s show: NBN has partnered with Amazon’s Project Kuiper and we talk to country head Joe Lathan about the multi-billion dollar deal, how the low earth orbit satellites will work and what Australian customers can expect. Also on the show, Norton has launched new protections against deepfake scams and WhatsApp has launched new tools to combat messaging scams. In the Tech Guide reviews…

Is your backpack weighing you down? Under Armour has released an ergonomically engineered bag called the No Weigh Backpack that’s designed to ease the load. Well, not ease the load but redistribute it to reduce shoulder and back pain. The No Weigh Backpack has an expandable 28-35L capacity and incorporates UA Suspension – a multi-directional strap that can adapt to you while you’re on the move and redirect the weight to save your shoulder and back. The back straps and the back panels have a similar pattern and texture to move with your body while other stitched in loops come…

Get in the driver’s seat and take a listen to the latest episode of the popular show Two Blokes Talking Electric Cars – The EV Podcast – with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long. This week Stephen and Trevor have the answer to the question – how much charge will my battery lose when it’s parked long-term at the airport while I’m on Holidays? We talk to Steve who has a Sealion 7 and loves it, but does it match the R32 it replaced? And Adam calls about his Xpeng G6 – what’s it like to own…

Leading internet security company Norton has added protection against AI-powered deepfake scams in the Norton Genie AI Assistant on Norton 360 mobile apps. This new Norton Deepfake Protection gives users a way to defend against malicious AI-generated audio and video content. We’ve all seen deepfake examples of celebrities and other public figures being used in scams. AI generated voices are also being deployed more often by cyber criminals. The Genie AI Assistant analyses audio and visual content for signs of manipulation. It can not only detect AI-generated voices but also spot inconsistencies and other deformations in the physical features of…

The latest generation of LG OLED evo TVs have improved across the board with advanced AI, faster and smoother performance and vastly improved brightness. Tech Guide took a look at the new LG OLED evo AI G5 Smart TV which is powered by the Alpha 11 AI 4K Processor Gen 2 which does all the heavy lifting when it comes to delivering stunning colour, contrast and clarity. This LG OLED evo TV is the Rolls Royce of the LG OLED range thanks to its latest AI technology, remarkable picture quality and slick design. Design-wise the TV is thin and sleek…

Who’s Eleanor? It’s a damn car! This week on The Best Movies You’ve Never Seen podcast we’re watching Gone In Sixty Seconds starring Nicholas Cage and Angelina Jolie. Gone in Sixty Seconds tells the story of Memphis Raines – a legendary car thief who comes to the rescue of his brother who fails to deliver an order of stolen vehicles for a gangland boss. Stephen watched Gone In Sixty Seconds in the theatre and has rewatched the movie a number of time while Trevor is revving up his engine for the very first time. We go through the memorable scenes…

Go all in and take a listen to Episode 695 of the Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long as they go through the week’s biggest tech stories and biggest product announcements of the week. On this week’s show we’ve take our first look at the new iPhone colours for 2025 – what do you think? What would you pick? NBN partners with Amazon to use Project Kuiper low earth orbit satellites to power regional broadband into the future and the new DJI OSMO 360 re-thinks how we film. You can listen…

There are a lot of ways to stay warm and Dutch lifestyle brand Stoov has come through from the tech side with a range of products that will keep you cosy. These include cushions and blankets and Tech Guide took a look at them. We checked out the Ploov – a heating cushion, the One – a seat cushion and the Big Hug XL – a heating pad. What all these products have in common built-in infrared technology and a rechargeable battery that can reach temperatures up to 58-degrees. We’ve seen other similar blankets but none of those had a…