Author: Stephen Fenech

The new Philips Fidelio B5 Soundbar allows you to enjoy a surround sound home theatre experience without going to the trouble of snaking cables around the room or spending hours setting it up. The Fidelio B5 includes the soundbar that rests in from of your TV along with a wireless 6.5-inch subwoofer. At first glance it looks just like most of the other soundbars on the market but if you take a closer look at the Philips products you’ll find the feature that sets it apart. The ends of the Fidelio B5 are actually detachable speakers which can be paired…

Two Blokes Talking Tech, with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long, dissect the latest tech news and run their eyes over the latest products in Episode 217 of the top-rating podcast. On this week’s show, the alarming stats about parents and how much they know about their children’s online activities, Sony’s new 4K Bravia TVs and home audio range and the signs that show you’re addicted to your smartphone. The blokes also discuss the Apple iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan beta programs, the Mercedes Benz that can be parked using a smartphone a remote control…

Apple has today launched a brand new iPod Touch along with a refreshed line-up of iPod models that now come in a range of new colours including space grey, silver, gold, pink and blue. The iPod category is still going strong for Apple and these latest products now offer even more choice and more power. The new iPod Touch has a 4-inch Retina display and now features an 8-megapixel iSight camera as well as a FaceTime HD camera for even higher quality selfies and video calls. It also comes with Apple’s fastest processor – the A8 (the same chip used…

Logitech has celebrated its brand transformation with a new logo and a range of attractive iPad cases that demonstrate its renewed product approach with new designs and engineering excellence. From now on, the products will simply be branded Logi and come in bright new packaging. First to hit the shelves with this new logo is the BLOK series of iPad Air 2 and iPad Mini cases and protective shells. The BLOK products, as the name suggests, don’t have rounded corners but square corners to provide added protection to the iPad where it needs it most in the event of a…

In the crowded world of smartphones the challenge for any manufacturer is to stand out from the crowd. LG has managed to do just that with the G4 – the company’s latest flagship smartphone. In the last two years LG has made some bold moves in the phone market. First it decided the only buttons for its G2 smartphone would be on the rear panel and then it followed it up with the under-rated G3 with a quad HD screen and a camera with laser auto focus. This time out the G4 offers one of the most advanced cameras ever…

Author and child rights activist Tara Moss is our special guest for Episode 156 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast where we discuss the importance of parents being aware of what their children are doing online. In our interview we talk with Tara about the Norton research that shows 74 per cent of parents are in the dark about what their kids get up to on the internet and discuss tips to help parents become more aware and deal with the online dangers. Also on the show, the new Mercedes Benz that can you can park remotely with a smartphone,…

We’ve heard of drones being used for photography and film-making but one company has taken it a step further to become the first in the world to use a drone for a commercial delivery service. Fastway Couriers in New Zealand have engaged the services of Flirtey – the drone delivery company – who had successfully trialled its first drone parcel delivery in Auckland. It transported auto parts on a 1.9km trip and, in doing so, avoided traffic congestion below for a speedy delivery. By road the journey would have taken 20 minutes but the drone took less than five minutes.…

Are you addicted to your smartphone? The device has become a valuable addition to our lives and lets us keep in touch, stay informed and entertained – but can you spend time away from it? Or are you in a panic if you don’t have it? If you identified with the latter, it is one of the many signs of smartphone addiction. Others include getting into trouble for using it whether you’re a student or at work and looking at the device just before you go to sleep and first thing when you wake up. But physical effects like neck…

Sony has launched a range of new products for the modern home including the latest Bravia 4K Ultra HD TVs and impressive audio systems to hear your music how and where you want in high quality. BRAVIA TV The new flagship Bravia TVs – the X9000C and X9100C – have a head-turning ultra thin design – the thinnest Sony has ever produced. At its thinnest point these new TVs are even thinner than your smartphone. Below the surface, the new Sony 4K TVs include the new X1 processor that can deliver enhanced clarity, colour and contrast. And when combined with…

Mercedes Benz has come up with a new way to park your car – by using your smartphone as a remote control.  The new parking technology was demonstrated on its next generation E Class. The self parking feature means the driver can stand outside the car and remotely pilot the vehicle into a parking space using an app on their smartphone. It is ideal for manoeuvring the car in and out of tight parking spaces that would have been impossible for the driver to get in and out of the car. And in doing so risking dings and damage to your…

Microsoft has announced that the popular Office 2016 for Mac is available to download today for Office 365 customers. The popular suite of applications has been enhanced with a sleek new look and a number of new features. Microsoft’s Office 2016 for Mac includes Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and OneNote and have been improved with feedback from the Mac Community. Office 2016 for Mac offers a sleek experience with the addition of Mac capabilities like full screen view, multi-touch gestures and support for Retina Display support so your documents look sharper than ever. The new Office 2016 for Mac is…

If you don’t want to wait until the official release of iOS 9 and OS X El Capitan you can start Apple’s Beta Software Program and get your hands on these new operating systems today. You can enrol your Mac and iPhone or iPad to access the beta versions of OS X El Capitan and iOS 9. When the new software is installed a built-in Feedback Assistant app will appear on your Mac’s dock and on the second page of your iOS device’s home screen so you can report any issues you come across directly to Apple. WHAT YOU NEED…

It’s Episode 216 – the State of Origin edition – of Two Blokes Talking Tech, with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long, discussing the tech headlines and products of the week. Recorded just before the deciding State of Origin III match in the Tech Guide studio, Stephen (NSW) and Trevor (Queensland) talk about the new LG 4K OLED TV which has just been launched in Australia and the subscription video on demand stats that have just been revealed by Telsyte. Also on the show, the new smaller GoPro Hero4 Session, the Optus unlimited home broadband plans and…

It looks like something you’d see in a spy movie. Dot is the world’s smallest Bluetooth headset that connects to your smartphone and it’s barely visible when you’re wearing it. When it was launched as a Kickstarter project, Dot only took an hour to reach its $US30,000 funding target and is now sitting at more than $US150,000 and climbing. The miniscule device weighs just 3.5g but can still run for six hours while listening to music, offer nine hours of call time and 80 hours of standby time. And despite its small size it still has room for a multifunction…

Australians have embraced subscription video on demand (SVOD) with the number of customers taking up streaming entertainment services skyrocketing in the last few months. The latest figures released by tech analysts Telsyte has shown more than two million Australians have active SVOD accounts to services like Netflix, Stan and Presto. This is up from just 315,000 in December 2014. The massive growth spike coincided with the arrival of Netflix in Australia and the launch of Stan – a joint venture between the Nine Network and Fairfax. Telsyte’s research suggests a large number of customers took up free trial offers and…

One thing that people need to get into shape is motivation and often that is in the form of a personal trainer urging them on during a workout. Jabra’s new Sport Coach earphones can do just that. The Jabra Sport Coach earphones connect wirelessly to your mobile device via Bluetooth or with NFC (near field communication) and are designed to be sweat and weatherproof. They have a secure fit in your ear so they are not going to come loose no matter how physical you get with your workout. In terms of audio, the Sport Coach earphones delivers Jabra’s signature…

LG has announced the arrival of Australia’s first 4K Ultra High Definition OLED (organic light emitting diode) televisions that deliver ultra-thin screens and stunning picture quality. LG has taken the lead in worldwide OLED production and, unlike any other major TV manufacturer, is focussing on the new technology to offer Australians a viewing experience they have never seen before. The new LG EG960T television combines OLED and 4K Ultra High Definition for the first time. It will be available in two screen sizes – 55-inch ($5,999) and 65-inch ($9,999). OLED and 4K UHD are the two fastest growing segments in…

For a comprehensive summary of the latest tech listen to Episode 155 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech, to stay updated and educated. On this week’s show, Optus has unveiled new unlimited home broadband plans and Apple makes it easier to take your iPad with you on your travels with Apple SIM. In the Tech Guide interview we talk to GoPro’s Chris Kinman about the latest Hero4 Session action camera. In the Tech Guide reviews, we check out the Casio Edifice smartwatch, the LG LF6300 smart TV and LG’s PH300 MiniBeam projector. In the Tech…

GoPro has unveiled an all-new go-anywhere action camera called the Hero4 Session which is 50 per cent smaller and 40 per cent lighter than the bestselling Hero4 Black. GoPro has shoehorned the features the brand is known and loved for into the smaller square chassis with a waterproof design that doesn’t require a separate bulky housing. Three years in the making, the GoPro Hero4 Session has a simple one-button operation so you can instantly capture action-packed videos and amazing pictures. Hero4 Session has a 170-degree lens and can capture in high quality video at 1080 at up to 60 frames…

There’s been a lot of attention around smartwatches lately but popular watch company Casio has been at it for years and offers connectivity to smartphones with its latest Edifice range. Tech Guide took a close look at the Casio Edifice EQB-500D-1A – a feature packed watch that also has Bluetooth onboard. It has a stylish steel design and five outside buttons along with a metal link band. It also has a day and date indicator on the watch face and the device is waterproof to a depth of 100m. The face of the Casio timepiece has hint of green on…