Author: Stephen Fenech

We’ve already seen its SmartCup but Australian innovation company Frank Green has come up with a new product – the SmartBottle  – that is environmentally-friendly and functional. Like SmartCup, the SmartBottle has a chip embedded in the lid to allow users to pay for their juice or smoothie with a single swipe. The reusable product taps into the CafePay system that allows customers to bill their purchases from participating cafes and restaurants to their credit card. The SmartBottle has a sleek design and can easily fit into a handbag, a backpack, the bottle holder on your bike and the cup…

Australian tech company Dog & Bone has reinvented the humble key and combination padlock and brought it into the 21st century with an all-new patented Bluetooth device called LockSmart. LockSmart is a tough, all-weather padlock that uses your smartphone as the key via Bluetooth. Users can now have keyless access to one or multiple LockSmart padlocks through one convenient app. Instead of carrying keys or trying to remember combinations, the LockSmart padlock from Dog & Bone can secure your gate, shed, locker, bike and more. And because LockSmart is controlled through the iOS or Android, it means you can track…

Star Wars fans are counting the days until the new film A Force Awakens hits theatres a month from today but for those who want to catch up with the earlier iconic movies, 20th Century Fox has released limited editions of all six episodes. The special individual steelbook editions include a Blu-ray copy of the films and are only available for a limited time. Each highly collectable steelbook has a different character on the cover. On The Phantom Menace (Episode I) you’ll find Darth Maul; Attack of the Clones (Episode II) has Yoda on the cover while Revenge of the Sith…

Apple’s new iMac accessories – the Magic Mouse 2, Magic Trackpad 2 and the Magic Keyboard – are a huge improvement over the models that were unchanged for years. These older models were all powered by AA batteries and looked a lot bulkier than these new products. The Magic Mouse 2, the Magic Trackpad 2 and the Magic Keyboard all have internal rechargeable batteries that are charged using a Lightning cable through a discreet port either on the back or the base. Connecting the devices to the iMac with a Lightning cable also instantly pairs the accessories as well. MAGIC…

Episode 174 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech, is ready to stream or download now for the latest tech news and hottest product reviews. On this week’s show, the SkinVision app which has the potential to save your life, Microsoft’s Sydney flagship store opens and we talk to Microsoft’s Travis Walter about why Sydney was chosen and the fallout after Apple’s embarrassing ejection of six African-born students from its store is caught on video. In the Tech Guide reviews, we check out the humongous but excellent iPad Pro, the Sonos Play:5 speaker with Trueplay technology…

Samsung’s re-designed Gear S2 smartwatch was released a few weeks ago and it is the company’s latest attempt to hit the sweet spot in a category that’s really gaining momentum. Samsung was one of the first to release a smartwatch and a few devices later it has run between Android Wear and its own proprietary system that would only work with Samsung smartphones. Meanwhile in the blue corner, the reigning heavyweight champion appears to be the Apple Watch with its dedicated operating system and developers lining up to create apps for the device. What we’ve seen with Android Wear smartwatches…

There aren’t many apps that have the potential to save your life but the SkinVision app that can help users check themselves for melanoma and skin cancer symptoms, can certainly make that claim. SkinVision, available for iPhone and Samsung Android smartphones, was developed in Europe and has been certified for use in Australia. It allows users to take photos of their moles and track any changes over time. SkinVision uses a unique scientifically proven algorithm to analyse the lesions you’ve photographed using fractal geometry. https://vimeo.com/145718309 This is the first app in the world to offer online assessment with the app…

When it comes to smart home automation one of the most import aspects for most customers is security and SwannOne has released easy-to-install kits that are designed to give you peace of mind. The reason the SwannOne packages are called smart security is because home owners can see live video feeds from inside their house and also receive alerts when doors and windows are opened, if motion is detected and even if it hears glass breaking or an alarm going off. And being a connected system, it can be viewed and controlled anywhere using your smartphone, tablet or computer. The…

TV legend David Hasselhoff has caused a stir on social media after announcing that he changed his name to David Hoff before it was revealed it was part of an Amaysim marketing campaign. The Hoff tweeted that is was “Big news for me and a massive relief for me” and also said in an accompanying video “I hope everyone understands …. it feels great”. At the same time the star of Knight Rider and Baywatch changed his online account names from David Hasselhoff to David Hoff. Amaysim, the Australian telco that offers SIM only plans, claimed responsibility for the stunt…

Just when you thought a speaker couldn’t get any better, Sonos releases not only an exceptional new Play:5 model but an app that can make your existing Sonos speakers sound better than ever before. The Sonos app that allows users to control their music and direct it to various Sonos speakers in the home now has a new featured called Trueplay. It can optimise your speaker’s sound quality by assessing the speaker’s position in the room and the furniture and other items. It does this through your iPhone’s microphone which, while the Sonos plays a test tone, you wave up…

Garmin, a brand we associate with connected fitness and sporting watches and wearables, has unveiled the Index Smart Scale – a connected device that can help users reach their health and fitness goals. The Index Smart Scale can not only tell you your weight but it can also measure Body Mass Index (BMI), water percentage, muscle mass and bone mass. It’s not designed to be used by just one person. A family, company or sports teams can use it with support for up to 16 different users. And just as measurements and information from Garmin’s wearables and other devices can…

Apple has apologised to six teenagers who were ejected from the company’s store in the Highpoint shopping centre in Melbourne allegedly on suspicion that they might steal something. The black students, who were from Sudan, Somalia, Nigeria, Egypt and Eritrea moved to Australia as children, accused Apple of treating them differently because of the colour of their skin. The incident was captured on video and shared on social media where it immediately went viral. It showed an Apple store staff member saying “these guys (security guards) are just a bit worried about your presence in our store, they’re just worried…

If you want a fun yet informative look at the biggest tech news of the week you need to tune in to Episode 232 of the Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long. On this week’s show, the blokes discuss the new iPad Pro and the sort of customer that will buy it, the Surface Pro 4 and the Microsoft Sydney store opening as well as the release of TAG Heuer’s first smartwatch. Also on the show, Vodafone and the Garvan Institute’s DreamLab app, Presto free for Foxtel Platinum customers, Call of…

The new Sydney Microsoft flagship store is open for business after opened today in the busy Pitt St Mall for the first time to the cheers of hundreds of customers gathered outside and eager to be among the first to walk through the doors. Eager Microsoft fans packed into the Pitt Street Mall with lines stretching down the block – an impressive achievement considering Prince Charles and Camilla were attracting their own crowd in nearby Martin Place. When the curtain covering the front of the glass store dropped it revealed dancing and cheering staff on both levels and, within moments,…

The first thing you think when you get your hands on the new iPad Pro for the first time is “wow, this is huge” but once you adjust to the size you’ll come to appreciate the latest addition to the Apple product family. With a Retina display size of 12.9-inches, there’s a lot to love about the iPad Pro apart from the added screen real estate which has a resolution of 2732 x 2048 and more than 5.6 million pixels. There’s the thin and lightweight design – the iPad Pro is about the same weight as the original iPad introduced…

Apple Music is now available to Android users after the app for the music streaming service was launched in the Google Play Store to give listeners access to more than 30 million tracks in the iTunes library. Eddy Cue, Apple’s Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services, made the announcement on Twitter with a tweet that said: “Welcome Android users to @AppleMusic”. Android users who subscribe to Apple Music can enjoy the service for free for the first three months before being charged $11.99 per month to continue their subscription. Everything you need to know about Apple Music They…

Microsoft’s new Surface Pro 4 has taken the versatile tablet to a new level with even more processing power and it’s all housed in a chassis that somehow is even more slender then ever. The tablet is pre-loaded with the Windows 10 operating system and it is just 8.4mm thick. Despite this slender design it still manages to fit a USB 3.0 port and a Mini Display port so connectivity isn’t an issue – although it would have been nice to have a second USB port. But still – one USB port is a lot more than you’ll find on…

Tune in to Episode 173 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech, to stay updated and educated about the latest consumer tech news, gadgets and opinions. On this week’s show, how your smartphone can help find a cure for cancer while you sleep, self-driving cars on Australian roads could be here sooner than you think and the awesome new HP Star Wars-themed laptop. In the Tech Guide Reviews, we test drive the ZoomR self-balancing scooter along with the Laser wireless multiroom speaker and take aim in the latest Call of Duty game – Black Ops III.…

Luxury Swiss watchmaker TAG Heuer has entered the smartwatch market with a high-end device that is running the Android Wear operating system and powered by Intel technology. The TAG Heuer Connected smartwatch is made from grade two titanium and has a diameter of 46mm with a sapphire crystal touchscreen and featuring the Swiss company’s signature design and handcrafted precision. Priced at $US1,500 ($AU2,200), the TAG Heuer Connected smartwatch is obviously viewed as a premium device like its other watches. The company’s goal was to bring together TAG Heuer’s high quality watchmaking standards with the latest digital technology. TAG Heuer has…

They’ve been called hoverboards, self-balancing scooters, mini Segways and electric unicycles but one thing’s consistent about all of them – they’re popular and set to be the must-have gadget this Christmas. But not all of these products have been created equal. They’re currently pouring out of China with cheap models flooding eBay. Customers lured into buying one of these cheaper models have been hit with problems, poor performance and no after-sales service to rely on. Enter 3VOLV, a company based in Brisbane, who wanted to give customers a better product designed for use in Australia but also offer the after-sales…