Author: Stephen Fenech

Samsung has assured customers their TVs are not spying on them after it was revealed the voice-recognition technology aboard its latest televisions were transmitting private conversations to a third party. The electronics giant says its range of internet-connected smart TVs sends voice data via the internet to a server to turn the spoken words into the relevant command. The company warned that personal or sensitive information could be included in these voice commands as the television attempts to covert speech to text and deliver the desired outcome. This allows Samsung’s smart TVs recognise voice commands to do things like control…

Become an expert about the latest tech news and reviews in 30 minutes with Episode 134 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech. On this week’s show, we take a look at the new subscription video on demand services Presto and Stan and see how they stack up, the private information and security that we give up to receive free apps and the world’s first unloseable umbrella. In the Tech Guide reviews, the Parrot Zik 2.0 Bluetooth headphones, the Logitech AnyAngle iPad Air 2 case and the new features you get with the GoPro’s latest software…

Smartwatches are a popular product this year but it is being adapted by Australian health care company mCareWatch to help the elderly and disabled and anyone with health issues. The SOS Mobile Watch is an all-in-one smartwatch with a built-in mobile phone that can also work as a location tracker and a personal emergency alarm. Traditionally, pendants dominated the personal emergency alarm market and if the wearer required assistance they simply pressed a button on the pendant. But the downside of these products was they were restricted to be used only in a limited area like your home. The SOS…

How many umbrellas have you left behind? They are one of the most commonly misplaced objects we own but Blunt Umbrellas has decided to do something about that. The New Zealand company has come up with the world’s first “unloseable” umbrella. It has partnered with successful Silicon Valley start-up Tile so the brolly can be tracked if it’s misplaced. Tile is a small device that can be attached to keys, be inserted into a bag or wallet and attached to just about anything you’d like to find if it’s misplaced or stolen. With Tile attached to the Blunt umbrella, owners…

When people buy headphones they obviously look for two things – design and sound quality – before they look at the price. It’s one of those products that people feel such a connection with that they’re happy to pay for real quality. That’s what Parrot is banking on with the Zik 2.0 Bluetooth headphones. They are well designed and sound amazing and are priced at $499. They’re not your average pair of headphones with not only an interesting and standout design but also a number of built-in features that also distinguish it from the competition. On the design side, Parrot…

Presto and Stan subscription video on demand services are the new kids on the block and they present an all-new way to access content quickly and legally. But which service is best for you? How do they compare? We take a look at both services and see how they match up in terms of pricing, quality, ease of access, video quality and content. And while Stan and Presto are already available, there is another popular service in the horizon which is set for launch on March 31 – Netflix. Stan is a partnership between Fairfax Media and Nine Entertainment Co while…

The popular GoPro Hero4 Black and Hero4 Silver just got a bit smarter and more versatile thanks to a software upgrade that includes new features. The GoPro Hero4 cameras can be updated through the GoPro app for iOS and Android to capture even more dynamic photos and videos. There are a number of new features and abilities that have been added to the devices. These include: TIME-LAPSE VIDEO MODE Now you can capture time-lapse videos automatically without the need for any postproduction work. You can showcase short and easily shareable videos that were shot over a period of time. http://youtu.be/LTO4WakBTSs…

There is no shortage of cases for the iPad that can position the device to view or type comfortably but the problem is you have to settle for the angle determined by case. That’s not the case with the Logitech AnyAngle for the iPad Air 2 which, as its name suggests, can be set at any angle you want. It can do this thanks to the powerful two-way hinge to keep the stand secure at any angle. Hidden magnets also come into play to keep things in place without changing your chosen angle. This means there are so many more…

Get your fix of the latest tech with Episode 194 of the popular Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long. On this week’s show, Foxtel’s triple play of services – pay TV, home phone and broadband and we take a look at the features of the new Foxtel iQ3 set top box. The blokes also talk about the rise in digital movie sales, the fact we’re reading even more e-books, Kogan kicks off a new business offering cut price groceries and Panasonic launches two new 4K consumer camcorders. In the minute reviews…

Australians have bucked the trend when it comes to e-books with local readers driving up sales while downloads in other parts of the world have plateaued. Reports in the UK suggested e-books might have had their day but Australian readers across a range of ages are actually buying more e-books. Figures from Roy Morgan covering the 12 months to September 2014 showed seven per cent of Australians aged 14 years and older bought at least one e-book via the internet in an average three-month period. But it was the Australian readers aged 35-49 that are the most likely to have…

Panasonic has released two new consumer camcorders capable of shooting cinema-quality 4K video with four times the resolution of full high definition. Customers complaining that there is no content to enjoy on their 4K Ultra High Definition televisions can now create their own to showcase their high-resolution screens. The HC-WX970 and the HC-VX870 both have a Leica 30.8mm wide-angle Dicomar lens that offers up to 20x optical zoom and an 8.29M back-illuminated sensor. The onboard Crystal Engine 4K processor captures enhanced detail and can easily handle the added data that comes with 4K video with a resolution of 3,840 x…

Episode 133 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech, is your informative and entertaining look at the latest tech news and reviews. On this week’s show, Foxtel introduces its triple play of services – pay TV, broadband and home phone, we take an early look at the features of the latest Foxtel iQ3 set top box and Kogan – the online tech retailer – goes into the grocery business. In the Tech Guide reviews we take a look at the Striiv Fusion activity band, the amazing TextBlade foldable keyboard and the new VoiceTagging feature of the…

Digital sales of movies and TV shows in Australia increased by 11 per cent in 2014 to be worth a record $163.5 million. The data and forecasts from the Australian Home Entertainment Distributors Association (AHEDA) says digital sales combined with physical sales is still a billion dollar market annually with last year reaching $1.115bn. The increase in digital sales – which includes downloads, video on demand and digital rentals – has more than made up for the 10 per cent decline in sales of physical media (Blu-ray and DVD) in 2014. But Blu-ray and DVD sales still reached a healthy…

If you want real time feedback on your activities and sleep as well as notifications from your smartphones then the Striiv Fusion ticks the boxes. The compact wearable device has a small touchscreen covered with ion-hardened glass and has built-in sensors to count your steps, distance covered, calories burned and active minutes. The Striiv Fusion can also track the quality of your sleep. The device is designed to fit wrists of all sizes. My wrist is on the larger side and it was easy to fit and wear. Being lightweight (it only weighs 16g) and thin also helps with the…

Foxtel has today launched its new broadband and home phone bundles which can now be included with their pay TV subscription for greater value and simplicity. Also unveiled today was the Foxtel Hub (manufactured by Netgear) – the wi-fi modem that powers the broadband service in your home. Existing Foxtel customers can add broadband and home phone services to their account. Phone and broadband services which will be supplied through the Telstra network with service and support all provided by Foxtel. Starting at an extra $65 a month on a 12 or 24-month plan on top of your current pay…

TextBlade is a revolutionary new portable keyboard that gives you a full size typing experience but it as easy to carry around with you as a pen. It is a third the size and weight of an iPhone 6 but folds out locks in place with magnets to literally put a full set of physical keys at our fingertips. Smartphones have become the dominant device we use on the go but there is still reluctance to type out lengthy emails, messages and documents because of the small screen real estate. http://youtu.be/HwGK5RvNOFI And with tablets there are plenty of cases around…

Electronics retailer Kogan is taking its direct online-only model into a whole new industry to deliver groceries to the doors Australians for less with Kogan Pantry. After taking on the major electronics brands and retailers, Kogan is now going toe-to-toe with major supermarket chains like Coles and Woolworths. Kogan says Coles and Woolworths have some of the highest profit margins of any supermarkets in the world which is why it thinks the industry is ripe for disruption. Launching with more than 600 products from the world’s most trusted brands, Kogan Pantry will offer customers savings of more than 80 per…

Let’s be clear. I’m not a small camera kind of guy. I’m the guy who sprints 200m up a steep hill laden with three DSLR bodies and long lenses to get a King of the Mountain finish line shot. That’s a working day for me. So if you hand me a featherweight, palm-sized camera, don’t be too surprised when I respond like a rugby prop handed a lemon squeezer. Like, what do I do with this? That’s not to say I’m unimpressed with Panasonic’s Lumix DMC-GM5. Indeed, I spent all of the first day I had it wandering through the…

It’s a hilarious Episode 193 of Two Blokes Talking Tech with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long, as they take a lighthearted look at the week’s tech news and reviews. On this week’s show, Apple’s record sales quarter, Apple Watch release month announced, ANZ Stadium a finalist in the World Sports Technology Awards, more drone dramas – this time at the White House and fines for illegal drone use. Also on the show tenplay comes to Apple TV and the latest version of the VoiceByte app includes the all-new VoiceTagging feature which allows users to geo-locate their…

The entire feature list of the upcoming new Foxtel iQ3 set top box has been revealed to Tech Guide by a source familiar with the device. The iQ3, which may be available as early as next week, will have a 1TB hard drive on board along with 10 tuners to make it possible to record three programs and watch a fourth. It will also have built-in wi-fi to connect wirelessly to your home’s broadband network while the remote control will by linked to the device via Bluetooth so that it will work even when the iQ3 is out of sight.…