Author: Stephen Fenech

The new anti-piracy laws will see access to sites serving up copyright content illegally blocked to Australians. But the big question is can these new laws be enforced? There’s been a massive reaction to the bill which passed through the Senate 37-13 yesterday to make it law to block access to foreign sites like Pirate Bay and other torrent sites. It could only be a matter of days before what effectively is a filter comes into effect. And while the Government’s intentions are honourable in protecting content rights holders, it has drawn strong criticism about how far this filter will…

Controversial new piracy laws have just been passed in the Senate that will see websites offering illegal access to copyright content blocked by Australian internet service providers. The Copyright Amendment (Online Infringement) Bill 2015 was passed 37-13. The bill, introduced by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull, passed through the Senate with support of Labor and independents. But it did draw opposition from the Greens and crossbench senators David Leyonhjelm, Ricky Muir and Glenn Lazarus. “Website blocking is a drastic remedy and a blunt tool, Senator Leyonhjelm told parliament today. Once the bill passes into law, torrent sites like Pirate Bay will…

Taylor Swift’s recent hit song is called “Shake it Up” and that’s exactly what she did when she penned a brave open letter that made Apple change part of its upcoming Apple Music streaming service before it even began. What Swift found troubling was the fact that Apple wouldn’t be paying artists during its lengthy three-month free trial period. Free trials for other music services including Spotify only last for one month. But Apple’s decision to withhold any royalties from artists for the full three-month period spurred Swift to write an open letter to Apple. Swift’s letter had an immediate…

Imagine being able to adjust the tint on your sunglasses to suit your surroundings. That’s exactly what one company has done with the Skugga Dynamic Eyewear which can adapt to the light around you. The Skugga Dynamic Eyewear uses an ambient light sensor to automatically set the tint on the lenses. Users can also adjust the shades with the Skugga companion app to manually set a comfortable tint level via Bluetooth. Unlike other photochromatic lenses that adjust for to compensate for UV-exposure, the Skugga sunglasses can be adjusted when the brightness of the light is the issue. The sunglasses look…

Creating a smart home has a huge appeal but people don’t know where to start or how far it can extend but Control4 can offer a personalised automation solution to control any device in your home. What makes a smart home smart is a brain and that exactly what Control4 is. Whether it’s your entertainment system in a single room or your entire home’s lighting, security, thermostat, blinds and door locks – Control4 has products and tailored solutions to suit your needs. The Control4 systems can be used with a dedicated controller to provide the ultimate universal remote so you…

Linksys has launched the EA8500 router that’s designed to provide a faster and wider wireless network and keep up with the connectivity demands of the modern home. With so many connected devices in our homes today and the arrival of services like Netflix there’s never been more focus on the reliability and speeds of our network. The Linksys Max Stream AC2600 MU-MIMO Smart Wi-Fi Router (EA8500) has been built to create an uninterrupted 802.11ac wireless network for the home’s connected devices as if each has their own dedicated router. It does this with the onboard MU-MIMO (Multiple User – Multiple…

The Commonwealth Bank has released a new tablet app to make it even easier for customers to manage their accounts and offer a broader view of their finances. The new CommBank tablet app offers customers a convenient way to do their banking on a device that offers a larger screen than your smartphone and is more convenient than a computer. CommBank’s app for tablet is available now for Android devices with the iPad version to follow soon. The new app will allow customers to transfer between accounts, make payments to third party accounts and through BPAY as well as schedule…

Apple customers are being targeted in a cunning email phishing scam with messages designed to look like they are being sent by Apple in an attempt to trick you into revealing your Apple ID, password and credit card information. The email, from the Apple Store, tells the recipient their Apple ID has been used to download an app on a computer or device not previously associated with their account. It then gives the customer the option of cancelling the transaction if they did not initiate the download – which of course they didn’t because it’s a bogus email. The link…

Kogan has revealed the latest addition to the Agora smartphone range with the Agora Pro 4G that continues the tradition of offering top shelf features at lower prices. Available exclusively from Kogan.com, the Agora Pro 4G smartphone has a 5.2-inch full high definition screen, the Android 5.0 Lollipop operating system and is powered by a 1.5Ghz octa-core processor. It is 14.7cm long, 7.5cm wide and 9mm thick and weighing just 142g. Also included is 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage plus a microSD card slot to expand the memory even further. There’s also a 13-megapixel rear camera and an…

Ultimate Ears has just unveiled the UE Roll – the latest mobile speaker to join the popular Boom and Megaboom models that can provide great sound anywhere you go. The circular speaker has a diameter of 13.5cm and is 4cm thick which makes it small and light (340g) enough to carry with you and become part of your mobile and social lifestyle. UE Roll is waterproof with an IPX7 certification and is covered with the same stain resistant material used with the UE Boom and MegaBoom speakers. There are the signature + and – symbols on the front so users…

A serious security vulnerability has been revealed that could affect hundreds of millions of Samsung smartphones including the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge and give hackers access to a user’s information. Security specialists NowSecure revealed the loophole which was found in the built-in SwiftKey keyboard that is pre-installed on Samsung’s Android devices. The keyboard’s weakness is the unencrypted connection it establishes when downloading new language packs. This loophole could be exploited by a hacker to install malicious software on the device to access personal information, contact details, emails, along with banking logins and passwords. It would also be possible for…

Australia today became the first country in the world where customers can reserve their Apple Watch online and then pick it up in any of the country’s 21 Apple retail stores. Reserve and Pick Up allows customers to choose their Apple Watch and watchband and make an appointment to collect and pay for it. The customer can choose the Apple store and a suitable day and time. Once completed he or she will receive a unique registration via text message to confirm their reservation. Apple has even designed new custom bags specially designed for the Apple Watch which are completely different to the…

Netgear has expanded the Nighthawk range of products with the AC1900 that combines a high-speed modem with a wi-fi router to cover all of your networking needs. The Nighthawk AC1900 Wi-Fi VDSL/ADSL Modem Router (D7000) has dual band wi-fi and Gigabit Ethernet and an embedded DSL modem that supports both ADSL and VDSL standards. And being a Nighthawk product, it’s fast. The AC1900 has the latest 802.11ac wi-fi standard which means it can provide speeds on your home network between 600 and 1300 Mbps. Onboard is a dual-core 1Ghz processor plus high-powered amplifiers and three external antennas. The device uses…

The Electronics Entertainment Expo – known as E3 – has kicked off in Los Angeles and will showcase the blockbuster games heading our way in the months ahead. E3 is the biggest gathering of the computer gaming industry which rivals the box office in terms of annual revenue. Microsoft held its Xbox press conference outlining the future of the console and the line-up of exclusive games. This was followed by the Sony PlayStation event that also provided an exciting update about what we can expect to be playing on the console. Microsoft announced it will make the Xbox One console…

Tune in and stay updated and educated about the latest tech news and product reviews in Episode 152 in the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech. On this week’s show, Spotify prepares to do battle with Apple Music and reveals some strong growth stats, eBay releases its Economics of Electronics trend report and Woolworths enters the pre-paid mobile plan market. In the Tech Guide reviews we check out the Lifeproof Fre Power case, the Plantronics BackBeat Fit headphones, the Dyson V6 Absolute cordless vacuum and the Sony 4K Action Cam. In the Tech Guide Help Desk, we…

If you want to combine retro good looks and all the modern features of a connected digital radio then you need to take a look at the Bush Heritage II Connect. Bush’s latest device has a classic design and comes with a walnut or cream finish along with an old-style grille and knobs on the front. But here’s where old meets modern – the Bush Heritage II Connect also has a display, navigation buttons and wireless connectivity. Users can tune into more than 16,000 digital and internet stations. The DAB+ digital radio stations are crisp and clear and provide live…

Lifeproof is well known for producing waterproof cases for smartphones but the company has added another feature to its latest case for the iPhone 6 – a built-in battery to recharge the device on the go. The Fre Power offers all the protection you’ve come to expect from a Lifeproof case. But the case has now added a battery so users can be out enjoying the great outdoors without the worry of damaging their iPhone and miles away from a power point knowing they have enough power to recharge their device on the move. Fre Power is rated at IP68…

If you’re after a pair of headphones to wear while you’re exercising it has to be wireless and built to handle your workout – just like the new Plantronics BackBeat Fit headphones. The BackBeat Fit headphones connect to your mobile device via Bluetooth and have an over the ear design with each earpiece connected by a single band. It is made of a plastic material that is covered with a P2i nano coating during the manufacturing process. This gives it invisible liquid repellent properties so it can easily handle the rain and the sweat. And without a cable between the…

Dyson has taken its latest technology and innovation and put into the new V6 Absolute cordless vacuum to give it the features and power of other corded machines. Dyson, a company that has a similar design, engineering and ease-of-use philosophy as Apple, has made a breakthrough with the V6 Absolute to create something many thought impossible. The words small, lightweight, powerful and cordless have never been used in the same sentence to accurately describe a vacuum cleaner but the V6 Absolute can tick all of those boxes. In terms of suction, that’s the biggest feature you want from a vacuum,…

eBay Australia has released a new report that shows more than 50 per cent of people who visited the online shopping site made a purchase in the technology category. The Economics of Electronics trend report from eBay reflects the fact that technology is playing a major part in our lives with even more connected devices in our homes and wearables and the internet of things becoming even more popular. These findings were shared with tech analyst firm Telsyte who identified some remarkable trends. AUSTRALIANS ARE TECH SAVVY Australia is second only to Singapore in terms of smartphone penetration and ahead…