Author: Stephen Fenech

Get the lowdown on the latest tech news, reviews and opinions with Episode 171 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast hosted by editor Stephen Fenech who keeps listeners updated and educated about the latest consumer technology. On this week’s show Google reveals pricing and availability of the Nexus 5X and the Nexus 6P, are we getting the message about mobile recycling and Sonos releases new speaker tuning software and an all-new top-of-the-line speaker. In the Tech Guide Reviews, we check out the Samsung Galaxy Tab S2, the new UE Boom 2 speaker and the ALLDOCK charging station. In the Tech…

Google has announced the pricing and availability of its latest Nexus smartphones – the 5X and the 6P – which are the first devices to run the new Android 6.0 Marshmallow operating system. The 5X – created by LG – has a 5.2-inch full high definition screen while the 6P, manufactured by Huawei, boasts a 5.7-inch WQHD AMOLED display. Both devices will available to purchase outright or on a plan on November 3. They are the first devices to be running Google’s latest Android 6.0 operating system Marshmallow. Each device has a 12.3-magapixel camera capable of shooting 4K video along…

The UE Boom Bluetooth speaker literally made a big noise when it was introduced two years ago and now the follow-up – the UE Boom 2 – is taking it to the next level. The tubular UE Boom 2 speaker from Logitech looks almost identical to the original and it can stream your music from your mobile device via Bluetooth over a range of about 30m. It is 18cm tall with a 6.7cm diameter and weighs in at 548g. It is made from durable plastic with a tightly woven stainproof fabric cover over the speakers that can repel dirt and…

We love our mobile devices, smartwatches and activity trackers but when it comes to charging them it’s a mess of cables and a fight over the power point. That’s where the ALLDOCK multi-device dock and charge station comes in. It is a solution that puts all of your cables and chargers in one tidy box with openings to neatly dock your devices. And the stylish 2015 unit – available in bamboo and walnut – has a single connection to a power point to power the whole thing ALLDOCK’s current model is already for sale on its website but the company…

Sonos, the company behind the popular smart multiroom speakers, has unveiled new software to improve its existing range and revealed a brand new product that raises the bar in sound quality and versatility. Truplay is the new speaker-tuning software that can optimise the sound no matter where the speaker has been placed. Sonos customers place their speakers in various places around their homes in places that are hardly acoustically perfect. Truplay is part of the updated Sonos app and uses the microphone on the iPhone or iPad and a tone emitted by the speaker to analyse how the sounds reflects…

The Force is strong with the Two Blokes Talking Tech in Episode 229 of the top-rating podcast as Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long discuss the top tech news and products of the week. On this week’s show, Kogan Mobile is back, Telstra TV unveiled and when the NBN rollout is coming to your suburb. Also on the program, the blokes chat about what Back to the Future II got right and wrong about 2015 and take a look at the Star Wars The Force Awakens official trailer. Stephen and Trevor also talk about the app named…

Apple has released the first major update for iOS 9 for the iPhone and iPad that has some new features including the News app, more than 150 new emoji characters and an improvement for Live Photos. To download the update, go to Settings > General > Software Update and you should see iOS 9.1 to download and install. Once installed you will see a brand new Apple app called News. This is a news gathering app that allows users to specify the publications and subjects they want to hear about. It then takes this information and tailors the feed within…

Samsung’s stunning Galaxy Tab S2 is the world’s thinnest and lightest tablet. And if that’s not enough it also has a truly dazzling Super AMOLED display to give users a crystal clear view of their content, websites and apps. Available with an 8-inch or 9.7-inch display, the device is just 5.6mm thick but you really have to hold it in your hands to appreciate how thin it actually is. It is super thin yet still has room for a microSD card slot and a SIM card. And it only weighs 272g (8-inch) and 392g (9.7-inch). We had the 9.7-inch 4G…

The latest AVG Android App Performance report has just been released and there is now a new titleholder that’s been identified as the most draining app you can install on your smartphone. Previously Facebook and Spotify have been named as the culprits as the main performance killers on Android devices according to AVG – the online security company. But the latest report has revealed Snapchat has stolen the crown thanks to its simultaneous use of the device’s camera, wi-fi, mobile data and GPS functionality. Also climbing to the top of the ranks is social and blogging platform Tumblr which was…

Passionate Star Wars fans are wiping away tears of joy, breaking the internet with their reactions and frantically booking tickets to The Force Awakens after the latest trailer was revealed today. The two and half minute trailer gives a vivid insight into the movie but yet has managed to keep the closely-guarded a plot a secret. Most of the new characters are given most screen time in the new trailer but we do see Han Solo and Chewbacca along with Princess Leia. But there was still no appearance of Luke Skywalker apart from the re-used shot from the teaser trailer…

Episode 170 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast is here and is hosted by editor Stephen Fenech who keeps his listeners updated and educated about the latest consumer tech news, reviews and opinions. On this week’s show, Kogan Mobile is back after forming a partnership with Vodafone and we talk to Ruslan Kogan himself about it. Also on the program – when is the NBN coming to your suburb and Alcatel OneTouch taking on the big players with its new affordable smartphones. In the Tech Guide Reviews, we take a look at Telstra TV, Huawei Watch and the Microsoft Universal…

When Marty McFly and Doc Brown travel 30 years into the future from 1985 in the 1989 film Back to the Future II they arrive on October 21, 2015 and present a vision of what they think the world will be like. That’s actually the date this week so we can now judge the accuracy of their vision of the future. There’s some things they got right, some things they got close and some things they got completely wrong. OK, so cast your mind back to start of the movie. It’s the year 1985 and Doc Brown has returned from…

The official poster for the eagerly-awaited film Star Wars The Force Awakens has been released and it shows most of the characters and vehicles but also raises a few new questions at the same time. The Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens in cinemas on December 17 with advanced ticket bookings also being offered from today. The new poster shows all of the major characters including new additions like Kylo Ren and his cross hilt lightsabre, Rey with her staff, Finn holding a blue lightsabre (believed to be the same lightsabre Luke Skywalker lost when his hand was sliced off…

Kogan Mobile has been reborn today launching a new mobile phone service powered by the Vodafone network that will offer generous data allowances and unlimited calls and text. After crashing and burning two years ago, Kogan Mobile has risen from the ashes with a compelling partnership with Vodafone. From today customers can sign up to two new BYO mobile plans on the Vodafone network starting at $29.90 a month. On the $29.90 a month plan, users will receive for 3GB data and unlimited calls and texts. And for $36.90 a month customers can move up to 5GB data along with…

Alcatel OneTouch has demonstrated once again you don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars to get a quality smartphone after unveiling an affordable new device and releasing another into the market that will challenge the big players. One of the fastest growing smartphone and tablet brands, Alcatel OneTouch has revealed the Quatro 4G Android device with a 4.5-inch screen, 5-megapixel camera and slick silver chassis. Under the hood is a 1.2Ghz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 8GB of internal storage and microSD card slot to expand the memory by an additional 32GB. The Alcatel OneTouch Quatro is running Android 4.4.2 and…

One of the things that stop us from typing out longer documents on our mobile devices is the absence of a larger physical keyboard but Microsoft’s new Universal foldable keyboard can go with you anywhere and even switch between two devices. The Microsoft Universal Foldable Keyboard looks like an oversized wallet that’s about the size of a CD case. It’s small enough to fit in a purse, a bag or a large pocket and handy whenever you want to write out a longer email or document on your smartphone or tablet. It can pair with Windows, Android and iOS devices…

One of the most common questions about the NBN is “when am I going to get it?”. Well the NBN has just revealed its rollout plans and the time frames for your area projecting as far forward as September 2018. And for the first time these plans include areas where the NBN will use HFC (hybrid fibre coaxial) cables that already exist across metropolitan areas in capital cities. With the growing number of FTTN (fibre to the node) connections and recent launch of a long-term satellite, the NBN is well on its way of achieving its target of connecting more…

Lexar, one of the leading companies when it comes to producing flash memory, has released new memory products including two new JumpDrives along with a 128GB SXDC card and memory cards designed for professionals. With our increased usage of mobile devices, digital cameras and computers our demand for memory is at an all-time high. But it’s not just memory cards that customers are after. And the need for added memory has shifted away from our computers and cameras to our smartphones and tablets. Here are the new Lexar products: JUMPDRIVE M20c, JUMPDRIVE M20i The new Lexar JumpDrives work with our…

Telstra has responded to the growing demand for streaming video on-demand services and released Telstra TV – a device that brings them all together in one place for even easier access. The tiny device also brings the viewer some of the free-to-air catch up services and Bigpond Movies where they can rent the latest releases. Out of the box the Telstra TV, about the same size of an Apple TV, is easy to connect to your TV with a single HDMI cable. Next connect the power cable and you’re up and running. You can connect Telstra TV – actually a…

Tech Guide is kicking off an exciting competition to give readers a chance to win a Sony 49-inch 4K TV just in time to watch the Melbourne Cup like you’ve never watched it before. All you have to do to enter our competition is send in a photo celebrating that winning feeling like you’re winning jockey of the race that stops a nation. Let your imagination run wild, be creative – the more ridiculous the better. Once you’ve shared photo – get your family and friends to vote on it. The person with the best photo wins. The Sony 8300C…