Author: Stephen Fenech

Samsung has introduced its new SUHD smart TV line-up for 2015 featuring new nano crystal technology to deliver enhanced picture quality, richer colours and deeper blacks. The electronics giant announced the pricing and availability for its collection of smart TVs that will range in size from 55-inches all the way up to 88-inch. Samsung’s S UHD (ultra high definition) TVs have improved significantly thanks to the new visual display technology that uses a layer of nano crystals between the pixels and the backlight. This allows light to be filtered for greater colour expression while at the same time blocking the…

Symantec’s latest Internet Security Threat Report paints a frightening picture of our hyper connected world where it’s now a matter of when not if you’ll be attacked. The comprehensive report has revealed a shift in the tactics used by cyber criminals with more sophisticated methods that target our many internet contact points. One area where hackers have dramatically increased their activity is ransomware where victims are not being fooled but threatened. Ransomware attacks grew 113 per cent in 2014 and spread from PCs to mobile devices. Australia was actually the number one targeted country in Asia Pacific and seventh globally…

Listen to the latest consumer tech news, reviews and opinions with Episode 143 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech. On this week’s show, we go hands on with the Apple Watch during our fitting appointment, Australians rocked by the landmark Dallas Buyers Club online piracy case and DJI unveils the new Phantom 3 drone. In the Tech Guide reviews we check out the Elgato Thunderbolt 2 Dock to connect your laptop to your desktop with just one cable, the new Force Touch trackpad on the 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display and all six Star…

Logitech has taken the humble computer mouse to the next level with the new MX Master – an advanced wireless mouse that can be used across multiple computers and operating systems. The device offers comfort and precision and is designed for users who demand a lot more from their computer navigation and control. MX Master is hand-sculpted and designed to hold your hand and wrist in a comfortable and natural position while you’re using it. It does have an ergonomic and luxurious feel at the same time. It’s especially useful for those who need a little more precision with their…

If you’re an Optus fixed home broadband customer and have been watching plenty of TV shows and movies on the Netflix subscription video on demand service you’re in for a nice surprise. From April 17 Optus will allow its fixed home broadband customers unmetered access to the Netflix service. Netflix can only be accessed through your home broadband connection and can have a significant impact on your monthly data allowance especially if you’re watching a lot of TV shows and movies. But that will no longer be a concern for Optus home broadband customers from this week as the data…

There are users who live their life through their laptops when they are home, in the office and on the go and the Elgato Thunderbolt 2 Dock allows them to connect to a monitor, speakers, external hard drive and much more with a single cable. The device acts like a central hub to provide an easy connection so you can get a complete performance out of your laptop as well as connect up to two monitors and other peripherals. Elgato’s Thunderbolt 2 Dock measures just 20cm long, 8.9cm wide and 2.9cm high and is not going to take up much…

It’s a special episode of the Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast just minutes after Tech Guide’s Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long had a chance to get their hands on the Apple Watch. In Episode 203, the blokes discuss the unusual move by Apple to allow customers to see and try a product two weeks before it is officially on sale. Also on the show, recorded at the George St McDonalds next door to the Sydney Apple Store, the Dallas Buyers Club piracy case against iiNet and what it means for Australian content viewers. Stephen and Trevor also talk about…

From today customers can get up close to the Apple Watch in Apple Stores and even book an appointment for a fitting – two weeks before it goes on sale on April 24. Apple Stores have been transformed across Australia to give customers a chance to see the company’s smartwatch along with all of the watchbands that go with it. Display tables will showcase every combination of the Apple Watch, available in two sizes – 38mm and 42mm, under a glass panel. Other stations in the store will have the Apple Watch on the tables for customers to interact with.…

Apple has released the iOS 8.3 software update for the iPhone and iPad which adds a number of enhancements and performance improvements. These include iCloud Photo Library, labelled albums in Photos an emoji picker and wireless access to CarPlay. iCloud Photo Library has now lost its beta tag and is the full working version that allows users to replicate their photo library on iCloud to access from any iOS device or a Mac. The Photos app has new labels for the albums including separate folder for panorama shots, videos, slo-mo videos, recently deleted and other albums for pictures captured with…

DJI has revealed its latest drone –  the Phantom 3 – with enhanced features that are designed to make the craft both easier to fly and to take even better photos and videos. There has been a slight design change to the drone and there will be two versions of the Phantom 3 available – Professional and Advanced. The Professional model will include a camera capable of shooting 4K video and capturing 12-megapixel images while the Advanced version can shoot full high definition 1080p video as well as 12-megapixel images. Users can capture some amazing aerial video and pictures and…

The decision in the Federal Court yesterday that will see iiNet handing over details of customers who allegedly illegally downloaded and shared the film Dallas Buyers Club has certainly made huge waves in Australia. The fallout of this decision alone will really make people think twice about illegally downloading content. In a time when any type of content is just a mouse click away and piracy is commonplace, this latest decision will be a wake-up call for anyone who’s ever illegally downloaded content. But will it stop Australians – noted as avid content pirates – from downloading content illegally? Yes…

There has been a major disturbance in the Force. All six Star Wars films – one of the most iconic movie franchises of all time – will be available in digital format for the very first time this week. With the seventh Star Wars film – Episode VII The Force Awakens – is due for release in December, fans can now enjoy the entire saga from a galaxy far, far away anywhere and anytime in high definition on their smartphones, tablets, computers as well as on Apple TV. Episodes I-VI – The Phantom Menace, The Attack of the Clones, Revenge…

In what could turn out to be a landmark case, the Australian Federal Court has ordered iiNet and other internet service providers to hand over the details of customer who allegedly illegally downloaded the Oscar-winning film Dallas Buyers Club. Justice Nye Perram ruled that iiNet and other ISPs including Dodo and Internode, will be required to divulge the identities and addresses of users who allegedly illegally downloaded and shared the film to Dallas Buyers Club LLC. In one of the biggest decisions against online piracy, the case was centred on users who allegedly not only illegally download the movie but…

Tech and gadget lovers lend me your ears and tune in to Episode 142 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast hosted by editor Stephen Fenech for the latest news and reviews. On this week’s show, the Apple Watch pre-order procedures are revealed along with guided tour videos of the device’s features. Also on the program, Microsoft unveils the Surface 3 tablet and the Moovit app that has been released in Australia to streamline your public transport journey. In the Tech Guide reviews we take a look at the new Samsung Galaxy S6 edge smartphone with curved screen edges, the Fenix…

The latest 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina Display might not look any different to the last model but one big change is the new Force Touch trackpad that allows users to interact with the computer and their documents in a different way. Apple has re-engineered the new MacBook Pro’s trackpad with a re-invented mechanism and new capabilities. The old track pad had a “diving board” design which meant clicks were best registered on the bottom half of the pad. But the new Force Touch trackpad has a sensor below each corner so now you can click anywhere on the surface…

Samsung needed to come up with something special this year with its hero smartphone – the Galaxy S6 – and not only has done that it also released a second device – the Galaxy S6 edge. The feature that sets the device apart is the curved left and right edges of the screen. And like the Galaxy S6 – the S6 edge has a 5.1-inch Quad HD Super AMOLED display and 16-megapixel camera. Also under the hood is an octa-core processor – made up of a quad-core 2.1Ghz processor and 1.5Ghz processor and running Android’s latest 5.0 Lollipop operating system.…

Apple has just released a series of guided tour videos for the upcoming Apple Watch that offer a closer and more comprehensive look at the operation and features of the device. The videos introduce the controls for the Apple Watch as well as the touch sensitive screen and how they are used to navigate the device and connect to the people you know. There are other videos that take a more in-depth look at messages, changing the watch faces and how digital touch works. In the coming days Apple will roll put more videos about using Apple Watch to make…

Apple today announced the pre-order time and procedures for customers who want to reserve one of the 38 variations of the highly anticipated Apple Watch. Customers can pre-order the Apple Watch from 5.01pm on April 10 for delivery or in-store pick-up on April 24. The Apple website allows users to pick their favourite models which will be saved in their account for easy comparison and to speed up the pre-order process. Customers can also make 30-minute appointments for fittings of the Apple Watch from 9am on April 10 when the stores open. There are 38 models of the Apple Watch…

There’s a lot of attention on watches at the moment – smartwatches, fitness watches and Bluetooth watches – but one company that’s been around all along is Garmin and its latest Fenix 3 watch is a combination of all of these models. The Fenix 3 is a rugged sportwatch with GPS onboard and a 1.2-inch display that’s easy to read even in bright sunlight. The device is aimed at athletes, adventures and anyone who loves the great outdoors. On the design side, the Fenix 3 is made from stainless steel.  It is smart and stylish and, despite the numerous features…

Episode 202 of the top-rating Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast, with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long, brings you the latest tech news, reviews and opinions in a light-hearted yet informative way. This week, the blokes talk about Telstra’s unprecedented new data bonuses on its mobile plans, the launch dates of the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge and issues customers are having with their Foxtel iQ3 set-top-boxes. Also on the show, the new Microsoft Surface 3 tablet that will be aiming to take on Apple’s all-conquering iPad and the new LG home entertainment line-up of 4K…