Author: Stephen Fenech

Getting a big sound out of a small speaker is one of the biggest achievements in audio and that’s exactly what BenQ has done with the new treVolo portable Bluetooth Electrostatic speaker. BenQ has a lot going on under the hood here including a quad-amplified design and precisely tuned speakers to produce impressive sound. On the design side, the treVolo really delivers. Let’s face it – it’s hard to do something different with a speaker but BenQ has managed to think outside the square. For a start, the front of the device has circles cut out of a metal panel…

Telstra has released its first 4GX-compatible pre-paid smartphone – an affordable Android device – that works on the company’s ultra-fast network for even faster browsing and downloading. The Telstra Evolution T80 has a 4-inch screen with a resolution of 800 x 400, a 5-megapixel camera and 4GB of internal storage that can be expanded with a microSD card. Priced at $129, the device – which is manufactured by Huawei – is powered by a 1.2Ghz quad core processor and is running the Android KitKat 4.4 operating system. It also has the Blue Tick rating which means it is recommended for…

In Episode 136 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech, it will only take 30 minutes be updated and educated about the latest tech news and reviews. On this week’s show, how the smartwatch market is set to explode thanks to upcoming Apple Watch, Vodafone introduces new shared plans and how the size of your smartphone I’m getting’s screen affects how much data you use. In the Tech Guide Reviews we take a look at the Logitech Keys-To-Go Bluetooth keyboard, the Netgear Click Switch to connect more devices to your home network and we check out…

Vodafone has revealed its version of shared plans which will not only allow users to share their data but also calls, international calls, texts and access to $5 Roaming across up to 10 devices. Vodafone Shared will be available next month for existing, new and upgrading customers on a Red plan and makes it possible for families to share everything that’s included on that plan. This means households can share the same plan on smartphones and tablets while still receiving only a single bill. Customers need to be on a 12 or 24-month Red plan to start sharing. Once a…

Every now and again when a product is released the first question people ask is: why? There has been no shortage of gadgets that might have seemed like a good idea at the time but have left people scratching their heads when they hit the market. Here is a look at some of the most ridiculous gadgets that had people asking: “what were they thinking?” Some of them are so stupid you’ll wonder how they actually ever got manufactured. But they did and now have a “so bad they’re good” quality to them. REAR VIEW LCD SCREEN In a world…

The Australian market is warming up to smartwatches and wearable devices according to technology analyst Telstye with the floodgates set to open within the next three years. Already 40 per cent of Australians wear a wristwatch every day and the mature watch jewellery market may face a challenge against high tech competitors. Telsyte’s Australian Smartphone and Wearables Devices Market Study 2015 revealed the smartwatch market in Australia alone will be worth more than $400m by 2018. With the anticipated arrival of the Apple Watch in April, the smartwatch market is expected to grow by 50 per cent in 2015 alone.…

With the popularity of smartphones and tablets there are times where a lot of users would love to be able to enjoy the convenience of a keyboard under their fingers. That is exactly what you get with the Logitech Keys-To-Go Bluetooth portable keyboard. It’s just 24.2cm wide, 13.7cm long and just 6mm thick – a size that makes it easy to take it with you wherever you go. It pairs effortlessly to the iPhone and iPad and can also be paired with Apple TV. The Logitech Keys-To-Go has five rows of keys and a row of function and media playback…

Two Blokes Talking Tech Episode 196, with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long, presents the week in tech as only the blokes can deliver – light-hearted yet informative. On this week’s show, the virtual reality devices from Samsung and LG, Ashton Kutcher’s Sydney visit for Lenovo, Audi puts robots and humans together in their factories and does a smartphone’s screen size affect how much data we consume. Also the program, Globalgig’s new mobile broadband plans, Energizer’s new EcoAdvanced batteries and why Australians are being targeted by cyber criminals. In the minute reviews, the Myo armband that lets…

Network switches – those devices that allow users to connect even more devices to the internet using an Ethernet cable – are usually designed to be square and bulky and don’t really blend in with our workspace. Netgear has noticed this problem and come up with its latest 8 and 16 port Click Switches which have a long and slender design with a mounting option for added convenience. They have a slim form-factor which also contains the power supply so right out of the box you’re going to have less cables and clutter. But apart from the convenient shape, the…

Does the size of the screen on your smartphone have anything to do with how much data we’re using on the move? A new mobile analytics report from Citrix reveals some interesting stats. According to the study, the larger the smartphone, the more data you’re likely to consume on your device. iPhone 6 Plus (5.5-inch screen) users, for example, used twice as much data as iPhone 6 (4.7-inch screen) users and more than three times that of the iPhone 5S, according to Citrix. The 5.5-inch iPhone 6 Plus – the first time Apple has ventured into “phablet” territory – has…

There have been many attempts to create an input device that makes it easier to interact with our computers and devices. We’ve already got keyboards, a mouse and touchscreens but Thalmic Labs has created an all-new way to control our devices, the functions they perform and the apps they run. It’s called Myo and it’s an armband that reads the electrical activity in the muscles in your forearm to wirelessly control your computer, smartphones and a number of other gadgets. Myo can provide gesture controls to help you do everything from deliver your PowerPoint presentation, control your music and movie…

Get a front row seat about the latest tech new and reviews by tuning in to Episode 135 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech. On this week’s show, why Australians are being targeted by cyber criminals, humans and robots working hand in hand on the Audi production line and Ashton Kutcher in Sydney to talk about the future of technology. In the Tech Guide reviews we take a look at the SanDisk iXpand USB flash drive that can plug directly into your iPhone and iPad, Globalgig’s new mobile broadband plans that can be used around…

Robots have joined humans for the first time in the Audi production line and are working hand in hand with workers for the first time ever without a safety barrier. It is the first human-robot co-operation at the Volkswagen Group that will be applied in the final assembly phase. The technology has developed to such a point where new possibilities are being realised. For the assembly lines of the A4, A5 and Q5 at Audi’s Ingostadt plant, employees have direct interaction with robots to make the line work faster and more efficiently. Before now, employees were constantly bent over parts…

Apple has extended its two-step verification process to other Apple ID features like iMessage and FaceTime to provide additional security for your account. Two-step verification was first introduced in 2013 and is designed to prevent anyone else accessing or using your account even if they know your password. This requires users to verify their identity using one of their devices or another approved method before you sign in to your Apple ID to manage your account. The second step of the verification involves Apple sending you a verification code to one of your trusted devices. Now signing in to iMessage…

It’s not every day you get a Hollywood A-Lister at a tech event in Sydney but when the company is Lenovo and one of your product engineers is Ashton Kutcher then it’s not unusual. The Two and Half Men star was a huge drawcard – there more a lot more people attending than I normally see at a regular tech event. But this wasn’t a regular event – far from it. In fact, it was a little weird. There was no product announcement. No presentation about Lenovo’s marketing strategy. No press release. http://youtu.be/r1AZ6ZF1ysM It was basically a talk by Ashton…

Samsung has launched a new streaming music service called Milk Music that will run on all compatible Samsung Galaxy devices and provide genre-based and curated stations. It has a simple user interface and is designed to make it easy to discover new music and artists as well as enjoy older classic tracks and other blasts from the past. After downloading the Milk Music app all you need to do is simply turn the on-screen dial to start listening to music right away. There are more than 150 genre-based stations and the app can recommend music based on what you already…

Want to hear the latest tech news and reviews in an entertaining and informative way? Then you need to tune in to the top-rating Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long. On this week’s program, Samsung’s smart TVs and the fears they might be listening in to your private conversations, Hollywood star and Lenovo product engineer Ashton Kutcher will be coming Sydney for Lenovo’s latest event and never lose your Blunt umbrella ever again. The blokes also talk about the SOS Mobile Watch for elderly, sick and disabled users, sat-nav becomes standard…

If you want to give your loved one the ultimate Valentine’s Day gift and have a spare $4.6m then you can afford the luxury iPhone 6 Diamond Ecstasy from Goldgenie. Goldgenie takes the popular range iPhone 6 smartphones and finishes them in pure gold, silver or platinum and embeds hundreds of sparkling diamonds. As part of the Diamond Ecstasy Collection, the blinged up iPhone 6 can be customised to the client’s wishes from the choice of precious metals, the type of stones, the design all the way down to personal engraving. Prices for the Goldgenie iPhone 6 Ecstasy range start…

Australian women are a vain bunch according to the latest research that shows more than half regularly edit pictures of themselves before sharing it to social media. Social beauty network beautyheaven.com.au says 57 per cent of women are cropping, filtering and enhancing their images to ensure they look their best for their friends to see on social media. This also extends to pictures of them taken by other people with 62 per cent asking friends to show them the pictures to approve before being shared online. And 60 per cent actually untag themselves if they’re not happy with the way…

SanDisk has released the iXpand USB flash drive that’s been designed to work exclusively with Apple’s latest iPhones and iPads and includes a built-in Lightning connection. Available in 32GB and 64GB capacities, the SanDisk iXpand has a protective metal casing and plugs directly into the iPhone or iPad to allow users to view pictures and videos and listen to music directly from the drive. Apple has never – and will never – included a microSD memory card slot on the iPhone so adding and saving content is a lot more involved. That’s what makes SanDisk’s iXpand such an attractive device…