Author: Stephen Fenech

We’ve seen a lot of smart products on the market and the latest is a compact smart air pump so that you’ll never be left with a flat tyre on your car, motorbike or bicycle and you can easily pump up the footy. Created by UOMI, the smart air pump is slightly larger and thicker than a smartphone and weighs 400g. It has a pressure gauge and buttons on the front and a vent on the back to connect the included hose to your car or motorbike tyre, bicycle, football or air mattress. It is small enough to carry with…

Charging our devices usually involves fighting over a power point and navigating a mess of cables but not anymore thanks to new charging Corian charging surfaces for the home from DuPont. Imagine being able to just place your mobile device on the kitchen counter, in the bathroom, the bedroom or the desk in your office and be able wirelessly recharge it. Charging will no longer involve finding a power point and looking for a charger with the Corian surface which incorporates induction charging. It works through a transmitter that sits below charging areas on the surface that transfers energy wirelessly…

The future is wireless according to Apple when it comes to listening to music and the new Beats Solo3 Wireless headphones will certainly not make you miss the recently deleted headphone jack on the iPhone 7. Beats – now completely owned by Apple – has been offering wireless headphones for years and the latest version of its popular Solo range is easily the best. Of course, the headphones will work with other devices with Bluetooth onboard so while you get wireless freedom you also get amazing sound quality. And not only do they sound great – they also look good…

Kick off your weekend with the entertaining Episode 278 of the Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast, with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long, as we talk about the biggest tech products and issues. On this week’s show: the smartphone wars are hotting up as the latest sales figures are released and it’s not the best news for Samsung, why we’re being hit hard with excess data charges and the activity tracker designed for kids. Also on the show, Microsoft and D-Link team-up to create Super Wi-Fi for rural communities, Amazon Prime has kicked off with a soft…

The fitness wearable market is already massive and a pair of Australian entrepreneurs have designed a product just for children that will provide an incentive to keep them moving. The Elanation eTurbo has been created for 5-12 year-olds and doesn’t have GPS and calorie-counting functionality but it does keep track of steps and heart rate. But where the eTurbo differs from other wearables is the fact it is linked to a safe and protected online community. “ETURBO was born from the need for children to have an age-appropriate and cyber-safe wearable – parents and children alike have been turning to…

The rate of cybercrime is still climbing with news that hackers are getting better while consumers are remaining complacent and often contributing to their own online vulnerability. Norton has just released its Cyber Security Insights Report which found that Australians who had been touched by cybercrime even within the past year would often not change their ways and continue their unsafe behavior. While secure passwords are important, the study revealed one in four Australians (24 per cent) were likely to share their passwords. On the home front, Australians with connected smart devices have at least one that’s unprotected and vulnerable…

Rural communities across the world are about to receive the next generation Super Wi-Fi technology in a landmark project between tech giants Microsoft and D-Link. This new project, announced by D-Link chairman John Hsuan as part of the D-Link Future Strategy, has a bold vision to fill some of the world’s greatest technology gaps with cutting edge connectivity in underdeveloped areas. The partnership between Microsoft and D-Link has a goal to empower people to achieve more and this development will offer communities an exciting and enriching digital future. After years of research and development by Microsoft and its partners, phase…

When the Force Band came out recently to allow you to control BB8 like a Jedi we geeked right out. Well imagine our delight with the news you can control other apps and devices with the Force Band. The Force Band has Bluetooth onboard so you can expand your Force powers to other products and applications around you. Thanks to IFTTT – If This Then That – a site that allows you to access recipes to trigger one thing with another. For example, you can find an IFTTT recipe that can send you a text message when it starts raining…

It’s time to tune in to Episode 225 of the top-rating and informative Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech, so you can stay updated educated about the latest tech news and reviews. On this week’s show, what has made eBay’s list of the hottest tech toys for Christmas, the shocking privacy breach affecting 700 million Android devices and why Australian has become one of the leading countries in OLED TV adoption. In the Tech Guide reviews, we check out the DJI Phantom 4 Pro drone, the Radar Pace smart eyewear made by Oakley and Intel and the Microsoft…

DJI has revealed its latest drone – the Phantom 4 Pro – which has a longer flight time, an improved camera system and even more intelligence onboard to take your photography to another level. The Phantom 4 Pro can fly for up to 30 minutes with its intelligent battery and it provides alerts when it reaches the minimum safe charge level to get back to the take-off point. On the camera side, the new UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) has a 1-inch 20-megapixel sensor that can capture 4K video at 60 frames per second and burst mode stills at 14 frames…

Being able to share what’s on your computer screen or smartphone is a great way to display your content or run a presentation and the Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter now makes it a breeze. The Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter has a HDMI connection on one end of 29cm cable and a USB plug on the other that can be connected to the ports on the back of a monitor or high definition smart TV. When connected in this way, it creates a wireless Miracast connection to your computer or phone with about an 8m range. The USB plug draws power…

Tech toys are always popular and this year is no exception but eBay has noticed a trend for Christmas with rebooted old favourites with tech under the hood instead of relying on a screen. Thanks to the Pokemon Go craze there has also been a move toward more nostalgic toys rather than toys with a screen. eBay has observed a lot of parents are wanting their children to experience the same sense of fun they felt when they themselves were kids. A toy is sold on eBay every four seconds. eBay set up a gift lab in its office with the…

From today you can register for Apple’s free Hour of Code – a workshop that can teach children the basics of computer science and perhaps inspire a career in the tech industry. Hour of Code will run at all 457 Apple Stores around the world from December 5-11 and is one of the most popular events that Apple runs. The program is run in conjunction with Code.org and uses interactive development tool Swift Playgrounds in the workshops as well. “Hour of Code embodies our vision for Apple stores as a place for the community to gather, learn and be entertained,”…

We’ve seen plenty of activity trackers and wearables on the market than can track your steps and activity but the new Radar Pace smart eyewear is a real-time coaching system that will change the way athletes train. Rader Pace was created in a collaboration between Luxottica’s glasses brand Oakley and Intel and the result of years of research and development. Aimed at serious athletes, the Radar Pace smart eyewear look just a regular pair of Oakley glasses but, with help from Intel, there also sensors and a microphone onboard. There also removable earphones so you can hear your music –…

An alarming privacy issue has been uncovered with some Android phones secretly sending text messages, call logs and customer information back to China every 72 hours. This was made possible by a piece of software written by Shanghai Adups Technology Company that was reportedly running on more than 700 million entry and mid-level Android phones. Adups was discovered by US security firm Kryptowire on a BLU smartphone with authorities unclear whether the backdoor was for advertising purposes or designed as spyware. Kryptowire says the Adups software was transmitting full text messages, contacts lists and call logs, according to a report…

Tune in to Episode 277 of the fun and informative Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast, with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long, to hear about the biggest tech stories and issues. On this week’s show, the gaming wars – PlayStation 4 Pro, the Xbox One S and the Nintendo mini NES system which are vying for your Christmas dollars. Also on the program, virtual reality has expended to include the Google Daydream View and Hollywood has also joined in with The Martian VR experience. The blokes also talk about the new Plantronics Bluetooth earphones and headphones and…

Hollywood has entered the world of virtual reality with the release of The Martian VR Experience which was executive produced by Ridley Scott as an extension of his hit film The Martian. Directed by Robert Stromberg, The Martian VR Experience puts the viewer in stranded astronaut Mark Watney’s shoes so they can experience scenes from the blockbuster movie in a 360-degree virtual reality environment. It works with the PlayStation VR and the HTC Vive and allows viewers to fly onto the surface of Mars, drive a space rover and explore the red planet like you’re actually there. The Martian VR…

Australians are among biggest fans of OLED TVs in the world and LG – the only major TV manufacturer to offer the format – is certainly enjoying the benefits of our fascination with the technology. In terms of the uptake of OLED TV, Australia is only second in the world. But we’re not trailing the US or even the UK or South Korea. The number one country in the world for OLED TV is actually Sweden. According to GfK data, as of September 2016, LG OLED TV is the fastest growing segment with a prediction it will make up 10…

Today Apple Pay has become available at more than 30 banks and credit unions across Australia so customers can use their iPhone and Apple Watch to make secure payments on the go. Apple recently made an agreement with payment solutions partner Cuscal which had Apple Pay accessible to customers from 31 smaller banks and financial institutions. From today you can start using Apple Pay if you’re a customer with places like Sydney Credit Union, Teachers Mutual Bank and Australian Unity. But if you’re a customer with larger banks like the Commonwealth Bank, Westpac and National Australia Bank, you still have…

Apple has just published a new book that celebrates 20 years of the company’s iconic designs and the materials and methods used to create their popular products. The coffee table book is called “Designed by Apple in California” and is dedicated to the memory of Steve Jobs – the company’s co-founder who passed away in 2011. “The idea of genuinely trying to make something great for humanity was Steve’s motivation from the beginning, and it remains both our ideal and our goal as Apple looks to the future,” said Jony Ive, Apple’s chief design officer. “This archive is intended to…