Author: Stephen Fenech

Samsung has held on to its position as the world’s number one smartphone vendor while Apple suffered its first ever decline in iPhone sales in the last quarter of 2015 based on market figures from analysts Gartner. Of the top five manufacturers, Samsung and Huawei were the only companies that saw fourth quarter growth. Worldwide smartphone sales in the last quarter of 2015 totalled more than 403 million – a year on year growth of 9.7 per cent and taking the year’s total sales to more than 1.4 billion for a rise of 14.4 per cent over the previous year.…

Optus and Huawei have launched a live trial of 4.5G technology and have achieved incredibly fast download speeds that would exceed your home’s broadband connection. Also known as LTE Advanced Pro, the successful 4.5G trial with Optus and Huawei Wireless Networks was held in Newcastle and achieved speeds of 1.41Gbps with a potential maximum of 1.43Gbps. That’s about 150MB per second so streaming movies and music would be a snap and downloading large files would literally take seconds. These speeds were achieved as a result of carrier aggregation – a technology designed to increase network bandwidth like adding more lanes…

Two Blokes Talking Tech Episode 243, with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long, bring you the biggest, and sometimes small, tech stories in a fun and informative way. On this week’s show, Apple decision to fight a US Government order to access the contents of a terrorists iPhone, the new Chromecast and Chromecast Audio is released in Australia and Telstra customers indulge in a free data day. Also on the show, the Hayu streaming service that serves up reality shows on demand, Lenovo’s tablet with a built-in projector and Phantom drone prices are slashed. In the minute…

It’s part telescope and part binoculars and the results are amazing. The SkyHawk ultra high powered binoculars can bring you up to 40 times closer to whatever you’re looking at whether it’s your view or the craters of the moon. Available for the first time in Australia, the SkyHawk 9600 offers powerful magnification with clear long-distance views of land, sea and space. The product isn’t small – or cheap. They are priced at $3,499. What makes up the bulk of that cost are the precision optics onboard which is what delivers those incredible magnifications and, unlike a regular telescope, there…

The new Chromecast and Chromecast Audio, which allows users to stream movies, TV shows, music and games from phones, tablets and computers to their TV, are available to buy in Australia from today. The latest Chromecast has had a complete makeover and is now easier to plug in to your TV. It now has a circular shape and has a HDMI cable that can extend and plug in a lot easier beside other HDMI sources connected to your television. And Chromecast Audio plugs into your existing speakers through the headphone/AUX jack and turns them into wireless speakers so you can…

When it comes to tablets Lenovo has always thought outside the square and its latest Yoga Tablet 3 Pro is another example of that approach with some unique features and a unique user experience. The device has a 10.1-inch IPS (in-plane switching) quad HD screen with a resolution of 2560 x 1600 so it looks impressive whether you’re watching a movie, browsing the web or viewing pictures and videos. But that’s not the only way you can enjoy your content. The Yoga Tablet 3 Pro has a projector built in to the barrel than runs up the side of the…

Australian company STM has released the 2016 range of bags in the popular Velocity collection that are designed to carry all of our precious digital gear on the go safely but also in style. There are six different styles in the collection – Haven, Prime, Radial, Linear, Swift and Blazer. One thing they all have in common is STM’s dual protection SlingTech system that keeps your devices not only padded but also suspended from the floor of the bag as well. There also handy cable organisation that allows you to feed your cords between sections to store, access and charge…

Episode 186 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech, is here to keep our many listeners updated and educated about the latest tech news and reviews. On this week’s packed show, 3D printers go on sale – at Aldi, Virgin Mobile gets generous with its data, a streaming video on demand service for reality shows and Australia Post issues a warning for an email scam. In the Tech Guide reviews, the world’s smallest smartphone cable, the Immersit device that turns your sofa into a motion ride for movies and games and the SureShotGPS Hero 750X golf…

Cameras have just started rolling on Star Wars Episode VIII and Lucasfilm has already released a teaser video showing the production has taken up right where they left off in The Force Awakens. Lucasfilm made the announcement early today that Episode VIII, written and directed by Rian Johnson began principal photography on February 15, 2016. A 35-second video showed the island seen that end of The Force Awakens along with Luke Skywalker and Rey before it switches to a shot of director Johnson shouting “Cut” and “welcome to Episode VIII”. Interestingly the Disney announcement said the production got underway at…

Using SureShotGPS’s new Hero 750X device is like having a professional caddy by your side on the golf course to give you the best advice and accurate distances to help you shave even more shots off your game. The handheld GPS device has a colour 2.2-inch transreflective screen so it’s easy to read even in bright sunlight. Right out of the box, the Hero 750X has all of the Australian and New Zealand courses already preloaded. It has automatic course recognition so all you have to do is turn up in the tee and the device will know where you…

Cables for our smartphones are usually something we need when we don’t have them. The inCharge cable is the world’s smallest and can fit anywhere – even on your keyring so it’s always there when you need it. inCharge cables are available with either Lightning or microUSB connectors and are just 4cm long and 7mm wide. The cable forms a loop thanks to a magnet on either end so it can be clipped on to anything like a keyring, as a tie for your headphones and even on your clothing. To use the inCharge cable, you unfold it and attach…

When we watch a movie we can see it and we can hear it – but what if you could actually feel it as well? That’s exactly what Immersit can do. It’s an innovative new device that makes you feel like you’re in the movie. Immersit consists of four motorised feet that fits under each leg of your couch. Each of these feet are synchronised to the film’s motion code to provide physical feedback to match what’s happening on the screen for a 4D experience. The product, which has a patented motion technology onboard, has started a Kickstarter campaign to…

If you head down to your local Aldi store next week you’ll be able to pick up some biscuits, dishwashing liquid, paper towels, a bottle of wine AND the Cocoon 3D printer. From Wednesday February 17, Aldi’s Special Buys will include the Cocoon 3D printer, the Cocoon 3D pen and Cocoon 3D filament. The Cocoon 3D printer will be priced at $499 – making it one of the cheapest 3D printers in Australia. The easy-to-set-up device has a heated print bed and can print with a variety of filaments including plastic and wood. The printer has an LCD screen control…

Virgin Mobile has thrown down the gauntlet to other telcos with a new SIM-only plan that will provide a generous 12GB of data per month for customers who bring their own device to the network. Customers who already own their smartphone and switch to Virgin Mobile’s 4GB plan will receive an 8GB bonus. Existing Virgin Mobile customers can also take up this offer with their own smartphone and also receive the 4GB data usually included with the plan along with the 8GB bonus for the life of the plan. The plan allows you to rollover any unused data, calls and…

It’s already a crowded subscription video on demand (SVOD) market in Australia with Netflix, Presto and Stan but they will be joined by a new service specialising in reality shows called Hayu. Hayu, part of the NBCUniversal company, will kick off in Australia in March and is all reality, all the time. It will be priced at $5.99 a month with no lock-in contracts. Entire series of popular reality programs like Keeping Up With The Kardashians, Made in Chelsea, The Real Housewives and Top Chef will be streamed on Hayu. But even the latest episodes of US shows will also…

Want to hear about biggest tech issues and products of the week then tune in to Two Blokes Talking Tech Episode 242, with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long. On this week’s show, LG’s surprise release of its flat 4K OLED TVs, the “Netflix Tax”, the Belkin machine that can apply your screen protector and Telstra’s network outage. Also on the show, the world’s top companies are graded on their production policies and practices and Kogan slashes prices on its mobile plans. In the minute reviews, the Kensington trackballs to replace your mouse and the Logitech MK235…

Australia Post has issued a warning about phishing emails that are infecting computers and even installing ransomware that locks all of your files on your PC until money is paid to release them. A recent spate of these phishing emails have been received by unsuspecting victims. Australia Post has listed a warning for January and February 2016 about these emails on its website. They contain the Australia Post logo and says that a package couldn’t be delivered because nobody was home. Also included is a link to either download package information or to save a shipping label. Either way the…

If you own a Sonos system and have an Apple Music account, you’ll be pleased to know that now you can unite them and access your music service through your wireless speakers. Apple Music can now be piped through the Sonos app and played your speakers anywhere in your home. You can enjoy all of Apple Music’s features including For You, New, Radio and My Music as well as the entire Apple Music catalogue. Users can also access all the pre-programmed playlist on your favourite artists and listening habits along with radio station Beats 1 and the other specialised radio…

The Federal Government has introduced draft laws – dubbed the “Netflix Tax” – that will add a 10 per cent GST on digital content obtained from overseas like movies, music and e-books. The bill was formally introduced in parliament today by Treasurer Scott Morrison after being originally proposed last year. Mr Morrison said the bill would “level the playing field” for Australian companies. This means any content obtained from another country like digital music, movies, e-books and software will attract a 10 per cent Goods and Services Tax. And the tax will be added to subscription video on demand services…

LG Electronics has launched the first flatscreen OLED TVs in Australia earlier than expected to meet the huge demand for the technology that offers a stunning viewing experience like no other TV in the market. The 4K Ultra High Definition OLED flatscreens available in 55-inch (55EF950T – $5,499) and 65-inch (65EF950T – $8,999), can be purchased from select retailers this week. These new TVs join LG’s already popular 4K UHD curved OLED TVs that have taken the Australian market by storm and, according to LG, have been generating a million dollars in retail sales per week over the last 10…