Author: Stephen Fenech

You’re one click away from listening to Episode 157 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech, so you can stay updated and educated about the latest tech news and reviews. On this week’s show, SwannOne solution to turn your place into a smart home, Kogan releases affordable dual SIM Agora Lite Android smartphone and how Telstra can turn your car into a wi-fi hotspot. In the Tech Guide reviews we check out the Jawbone UP3 activity band, the LG G4 smartphone and the Philips Fidelio B5 soundbar that converts into a surround sound system. In the…

We already carry around our phones but wouldn’t it be good if we could leave our wallet at home? Bellroy, the company that makes slim wallets, has created a product that combines a phone case with a wallet. Bellroy has created two iPhone cases that can also hold cash and credit cards along with a regular wallet and travel wallet that can hold cards cash and a spare SIM card. Usually wallets have space enough for your cash and credit cards, but Bellroy has taken tech-savvy users into consideration and made a spot to store a loose SIM card. BELLROY…

Kogan has revealed its latest smartphone – the Agora Lite – a dual SIM Android device that’s designed for travellers and anyone in the market for an entry-level device at an affordable price. The device has a 5-inch IPS (in-plane switching) LCD screen (854 x 480 pixels), a 1.3Ghz quad-core processor and a 5-megapixel rear camera with flash and a 2-megapixel front-facing camera. It is 14.3cm long, 7.4cm wide and 1cm thick. The Agora Lite, which is priced at just $129, is running Android 5.0 Lollipop operating system and has 1GB RAM and 8GB of internal storage that’s expandable by…

When Jawbone released its original UP band it kickstarted the wearable activity tracker market. The company has just released the UP3 but the difference today is the level of competition from other fitness bands and smartwatches. Like the earlier models, Jawbone’s UP3 can track all of your activities, monitor your sleep and log your calorie intake. But this time out it has a sleek new design and bioimpedance sensors to measure your heart rate. But the challenge for the Jawbone UP3 is the sheer number of other devices that can do the same thing. There are plenty of products that…

Australians can now turn their vehicle into a wireless hotspot with the release of the Telstra Pre-Paid 4GX Car Wi-Fi to allow passengers to stay connected on the go or on a road trip. Anyone travelling with young kids can forget playing Eye Spy and now connect up to five devices to the internet at high speed through Telstra’s 4G network and even faster in 4GX areas. The device plugs into the car’s USB slot or 12-volt power outlet to create a wi-fi hotspot. The Telstra device is not limited to the car either. The 4GX Car Wi-Fi also comes…

Swann – a company best known for its monitoring products – has launched a new connected smart home solution called SwannOne that offers both security and convenience. The system will allow users to control their home’s lighting, temperature, alarms and energy consumption as well as view security camera feeds all via your smartphone or tablet. SwannOne is powered by a Smart Hub that allows users to add devices like Swann’s security cameras, window and door sensors, motion sensors, thermostats and smart plugs. The system can also connect with compatible products like smart locks and connected lighting systems. Using the SwannOne…

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…