Author: Stephen Fenech

Apple’s iPhone market share is closing the gap on Android following the release of the latest smartphone sales data for the first quarter of 2015 from Kantar Worldpanel Comtech. In Australia, iOS growth was 5.3 per cent year-on-year to 38.4 per cent of the market to the end of March 2015 while Android’s share has slipped to 52.3 per cent. iOS is only available on Apple’s iPhone while Android powers devices from other major manufacturers including Samsung, LG, Sony, HTC, Alcatel OneTouch, Motorola and Huawei. It was a similar iOS growth story in other markets around the world including the…

Data is a valuable resource and it’s even more valuable if you can easily carry it around with you.  Samsung has made that possible with the T1 – the small and stylish portable SSD (solid state drive) external drive. The T1 is smaller than a credit card and weighs just 30g so you can easily carry around in your pocket and take it anywhere. It is 7.1cm long and 5.3cm wide It also has a sleek design with a black chrome metal coating and laser patterning. And being an SSD drive with a USB 3.0 connection – it’s fast. You…

Are you one of those people who take pictures of their meal to shares it on social media? It’s a popular practice that is flooding Instagram, Facebook Twitter. You’ll be pleased to know this growing trend has sparked a restaurant to create an experience for foodies to capture even better pictures of the culinary creations. Catit – an exclusive restaurant in Tel Aviv where meals resemble works of art – has joined the Foodography project to offer patrons professional help to make their images even better. This includes specially designed plates and workshops with professional food photographers. One plate – the…

If you want to hear the latest tech news in a fun and informative way, it’s time to tune on to Episode 207 of Two Blokes Talking Tech with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long. On this week’s show: Apple has reveals the rules for third party manufacturers to create Apple Watch bands, LG unveils its latest monitors and mini projectors and Domino’s let you track your pizza from the oven to your doorstep. Also on the program, Vodafone doubles the data on its mobiles plans, the new Kindle Voyage e-reader and Stephen celebrates Star Wars Day.…

LG has unveiled is new line up of monitors and mini projectors designed to display the content from your PC and mobile devices on a much larger scale. With an impressive line-up of TVs, LG knows a thing or two about making a display and it has brought those smarts to the new monitor and mini projector range. There are three ranges of LG’s new monitors that offer gamers, designers, editors a high quality display and extra screen real estate. The LG MiniBeam projectors are small in size but they can still beam a huge picture in high definition. They…

Get ready for an onslaught of third party watch bands for the Apple Watch following Apple’s release of a series of strict guidelines for manufacturers. Apple Watch was launched nearly two weeks ago and the only choices for watch bands were Apple’s own line-up which consists of six style choices. With the release of these guidelines on the developer site, third party manufacturers will see this as an opportunity to cash in on the next accessory trend. Apple products, especially the iPhone and iPad, have already created an entire industry around cases, covers and other accessories. Apple specifies the bands…

There has never been more attention on the smartwatch category as there is right now. The types of smartwatches are increasing too with different specialties offered in different models. If exercise and activity are the main reasons behind your purchasing decision then the Garmin Vivoactive definitely fits the bill. Garmin is a company with a long history of rolling out successful fitness, outdoors and GPS products. The company brings that heritage and experience to the Vivoactive to suit the user who loves the outdoors and has an active lifestyle. Garmin Vivoactive is available in black or white and has a…

Managing your content and transferring files on the go with Android smartphones and tablets just got a lot easier with the launch of the SanDisk Ultra Dual USB Drive 3.0. The device is just 3cm long and has a USB 3.0 plug on one end and a microUSB plug on the other. Both plugs are retractable and only one plug can be used at a time so it’s easy to use in the move and easy to store. This design means the device can also be used while devices are in cases and covers. There’s also a steel ring around…

Listen to the latest news, views and opinions about the latest tech with Episode 146 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech. On this week’s show, celebrating Star Wars Day, Vodafone fires the latest shot in the telco war by doubling data on mobile plans and how the VoiceByte app is being used by Bondi Beach lifeguards to record safety messages. In the Tech Guide reviews we take a look at the new Kindle Voyage e-reader, LG unveils its new flagship G4 smartphone and we road test the Microsoft Surface 3 tablet. In the Tech Guide…

When you’re hungry your food can’t arrive fast enough when you’ve ordered a home delivery. Now Domino’s has come up with a way to track your pizza from the oven all the way to your front door. The Domino’s Live Pizza Tracker iPhone app will include a GPS driver tracker so you can see your pizza on a map as it makes its way to you. Domino’s partnered with Navman on the tailored GPS solution for the Live Pizza Tracker. The app has already been launched in the ACT and will be released nationally on July 1. Customers are told…

Amazon has just released its latest e-reader – the Kindle Voyage – the thinnest and clearest device it has ever produced that will give users an even higher quality reading experience. Kindle Voyage has a high-resolution 6-inch touchscreen display with 300ppi (pixels per inch) along with higher contrast to match the look and feel of printed paper. Text appears sharper and easy to read and is easier on the eyes. It is a significant improvement over the previous Kindle Paperwhite model. You can read books anywhere with the Kindle Voyage from bright sunlight without any glare or in a dark…

We don’t need a reason to celebrate Star Wars but today is as close to the official Star Wars Day as you can get. You’ll know who the true fans are today when they say: “May The Fourth Be With You”. It is a variation on the immortalised line from Star Wars – “May the Force be with you”. The day dates all the all the way back to 1979 – the day Margaret Thatcher took office as British Prime Minister. Her Conservative Party placed a full-page congratulatory ad in The London Evening Standard stating “May The Fourth Be With…

Vodafone is bringing back it double data offer by popular on its 12 and 24-month Red plans where the regular data allowance will be doubled for the life of the contract. As part of the promotion, Vodafone is also offering an additional bonus 1GB of data per month for up to 24 months to customer who sign up online to a personal Red plan. Customers have to sign up to the plan by June 2 to enjoy the double data bonus. The bonus applies to plans with a handset, month to month plans and SIM only plans. Some plans will…

It’s been a week since the Apple Watch has been released and customers are getting acquainted with the many features onboard but there are a number of hidden features to look out for as well. Customers are getting to know the new device and the idea of having notifications and apps on their wrist instead of having to check their iPhone. Apple Watch has a touchscreen that also has Force Touch which means it can tell the difference between a touch and a tap. The other controls include the digital crown which you can use to scroll and zoom. It…

Two Blokes Talking Tech Episode 206, with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long, takes a look at the hottest new products of the week. On this week’s show, LG has unveiled the new G4 flagship smartphone and we share our thoughts on the Apple Watch and Microsoft’s new Surface 3 Windows tablet. Also on the program, the Parrot BeBop drone, Bondi lifeguards using the VoiceByte app to record and geo-locate safety messages on the beach and Uniden’s jump start kit. In the minute reviews we take a look at the Panasonic Lumix TZ70 and the Kobo Glo…

The Samsung Galaxy S6 edge – with its curved screen edges – got most of the attention when it was released recently but the Galaxy S6, which was launched at the same time, deserves plenty of accolades as well. The follow-up to the Galaxy S5 has taken giant leap forward in terms of design and features. It has a stunning 5.1-inch Super AMOLED Quad HD screen and is powered by an octa-core processor – made up of a 2.1Ghz and a 1.5Ghz quad core processor – and is running Android’s Lollipop 5.0 operating system. On the design side, Samsung has…

Is our love affair with the tablet over? Sales of the devices dropped by 20 per cent in 2014 with interest shifting to smartwatches and wearable devices according to a new study by technology analysts Telsyte. Telsyte says Apple reclaimed the top spot in the market in the second half of 2014 with iPad making up nearly half of all tablets sold between July and December. Windows tablets were the only product to experience year-on-year growth unit sales in this category. The fall in demand for tablets was a result of the saturation of iPad and Android tablets in the…

The iconic Bondi Beach has become the first place in the world to offer geo-located audio safety messages for visitors using the Australian-built VoiceByte app. Bondi’s chief lifeguard Bruce “Hoppo” Hopkins used the app – which allows users to record and share audio content – created the first official VoiceTag for beachgoers. VoiceTagging is a patented feature of the VoiceByte app that makes it possible to geo-locate audio content (with a picture and a link) that’s relevant to that area. Users can also set a range of up to 500 metres for their content to be found and also set…

LG has unveiled its latest G4 flagship smartphone that has been designed with all-new materials and a user interface that will provide a more human-centric user experience. The LG G4, like its predecessor, has its main button and controls on the rear panel. That rear panel has a slim arc that runs along the length of the device’s body to give it a curved look. Running Android 5.1 Lollipop operating system, the G4 has a 5.5-inch Quad HD IPS (in-plane switching) Quantum Display with a resolution of 2560 x 1440 and 538ppi (pixels per inch). Under the hood is an…

Apple has activated a donation option with iTunes to make it easier for users to support the Australian Red Cross disaster relief for the Nepal earthquake victims. 100 per cent of the donations will be given to the Red Cross as they provide first aid and assist with the search and rescue mission in the ravaged nation. More than 4000 people were killed after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck near Kathmandu on Saturday. When users log in to iTunes they will be presented with a Red Cross page with designated amounts that can be donated – $5, $10, $25, $50,…