Author: Stephen Fenech

Apple customers are being targeted in a cunning email phishing scam with messages designed to look like they are being sent by Apple in an attempt to trick you into revealing your Apple ID, password and credit card information. The email, from the Apple Store, tells the recipient their Apple ID has been used to download an app on a computer or device not previously associated with their account. It then gives the customer the option of cancelling the transaction if they did not initiate the download – which of course they didn’t because it’s a bogus email. The link…

Kogan has revealed the latest addition to the Agora smartphone range with the Agora Pro 4G that continues the tradition of offering top shelf features at lower prices. Available exclusively from Kogan.com, the Agora Pro 4G smartphone has a 5.2-inch full high definition screen, the Android 5.0 Lollipop operating system and is powered by a 1.5Ghz octa-core processor. It is 14.7cm long, 7.5cm wide and 9mm thick and weighing just 142g. Also included is 2GB RAM and 16GB of internal storage plus a microSD card slot to expand the memory even further. There’s also a 13-megapixel rear camera and an…

Ultimate Ears has just unveiled the UE Roll – the latest mobile speaker to join the popular Boom and Megaboom models that can provide great sound anywhere you go. The circular speaker has a diameter of 13.5cm and is 4cm thick which makes it small and light (340g) enough to carry with you and become part of your mobile and social lifestyle. UE Roll is waterproof with an IPX7 certification and is covered with the same stain resistant material used with the UE Boom and MegaBoom speakers. There are the signature + and – symbols on the front so users…

A serious security vulnerability has been revealed that could affect hundreds of millions of Samsung smartphones including the Galaxy S6 and S6 edge and give hackers access to a user’s information. Security specialists NowSecure revealed the loophole which was found in the built-in SwiftKey keyboard that is pre-installed on Samsung’s Android devices. The keyboard’s weakness is the unencrypted connection it establishes when downloading new language packs. This loophole could be exploited by a hacker to install malicious software on the device to access personal information, contact details, emails, along with banking logins and passwords. It would also be possible for…

Australia today became the first country in the world where customers can reserve their Apple Watch online and then pick it up in any of the country’s 21 Apple retail stores. Reserve and Pick Up allows customers to choose their Apple Watch and watchband and make an appointment to collect and pay for it. The customer can choose the Apple store and a suitable day and time. Once completed he or she will receive a unique registration via text message to confirm their reservation. Apple has even designed new custom bags specially designed for the Apple Watch which are completely different to the…

Netgear has expanded the Nighthawk range of products with the AC1900 that combines a high-speed modem with a wi-fi router to cover all of your networking needs. The Nighthawk AC1900 Wi-Fi VDSL/ADSL Modem Router (D7000) has dual band wi-fi and Gigabit Ethernet and an embedded DSL modem that supports both ADSL and VDSL standards. And being a Nighthawk product, it’s fast. The AC1900 has the latest 802.11ac wi-fi standard which means it can provide speeds on your home network between 600 and 1300 Mbps. Onboard is a dual-core 1Ghz processor plus high-powered amplifiers and three external antennas. The device uses…

The Electronics Entertainment Expo – known as E3 – has kicked off in Los Angeles and will showcase the blockbuster games heading our way in the months ahead. E3 is the biggest gathering of the computer gaming industry which rivals the box office in terms of annual revenue. Microsoft held its Xbox press conference outlining the future of the console and the line-up of exclusive games. This was followed by the Sony PlayStation event that also provided an exciting update about what we can expect to be playing on the console. Microsoft announced it will make the Xbox One console…

Tune in and stay updated and educated about the latest tech news and product reviews in Episode 152 in the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech. On this week’s show, Spotify prepares to do battle with Apple Music and reveals some strong growth stats, eBay releases its Economics of Electronics trend report and Woolworths enters the pre-paid mobile plan market. In the Tech Guide reviews we check out the Lifeproof Fre Power case, the Plantronics BackBeat Fit headphones, the Dyson V6 Absolute cordless vacuum and the Sony 4K Action Cam. In the Tech Guide Help Desk, we…

If you want to combine retro good looks and all the modern features of a connected digital radio then you need to take a look at the Bush Heritage II Connect. Bush’s latest device has a classic design and comes with a walnut or cream finish along with an old-style grille and knobs on the front. But here’s where old meets modern – the Bush Heritage II Connect also has a display, navigation buttons and wireless connectivity. Users can tune into more than 16,000 digital and internet stations. The DAB+ digital radio stations are crisp and clear and provide live…

Lifeproof is well known for producing waterproof cases for smartphones but the company has added another feature to its latest case for the iPhone 6 – a built-in battery to recharge the device on the go. The Fre Power offers all the protection you’ve come to expect from a Lifeproof case. But the case has now added a battery so users can be out enjoying the great outdoors without the worry of damaging their iPhone and miles away from a power point knowing they have enough power to recharge their device on the move. Fre Power is rated at IP68…

If you’re after a pair of headphones to wear while you’re exercising it has to be wireless and built to handle your workout – just like the new Plantronics BackBeat Fit headphones. The BackBeat Fit headphones connect to your mobile device via Bluetooth and have an over the ear design with each earpiece connected by a single band. It is made of a plastic material that is covered with a P2i nano coating during the manufacturing process. This gives it invisible liquid repellent properties so it can easily handle the rain and the sweat. And without a cable between the…

Dyson has taken its latest technology and innovation and put into the new V6 Absolute cordless vacuum to give it the features and power of other corded machines. Dyson, a company that has a similar design, engineering and ease-of-use philosophy as Apple, has made a breakthrough with the V6 Absolute to create something many thought impossible. The words small, lightweight, powerful and cordless have never been used in the same sentence to accurately describe a vacuum cleaner but the V6 Absolute can tick all of those boxes. In terms of suction, that’s the biggest feature you want from a vacuum,…

eBay Australia has released a new report that shows more than 50 per cent of people who visited the online shopping site made a purchase in the technology category. The Economics of Electronics trend report from eBay reflects the fact that technology is playing a major part in our lives with even more connected devices in our homes and wearables and the internet of things becoming even more popular. These findings were shared with tech analyst firm Telsyte who identified some remarkable trends. AUSTRALIANS ARE TECH SAVVY Australia is second only to Singapore in terms of smartphone penetration and ahead…

Sony knows a thing or two about making a good camera and they’ve taken that expertise and packed it onto the 4K Action Cam that can capture what ever you’re doing anywhere. The Sony FDR-X1000V can capture true 4K video with a resolution of 3840 x 2160 and with a bit rate of up to 100Mbps. It can also, of course, capture full high definition with a number of different shooting modes including motion recorded at either 240p in high definition or 120p slow motion in full high definition. This point-of-view camera will draw a number of comparisons to the…

Woolworths might be the fresh food people but now it is also a mobile phone operator and will be providing two plans that offer value and discounts for loyal customers. Available from June 15, the Woolworths Connect plans are designed to offer generous data allowances and call value on the trusted and reliable Telstra 3G network. There are two pre-paid plans priced at $30 and $45. Everyday Rewards members will receive a 10 per cent discount on the plans – bringing them down to $27 and $40.50. Each pre-paid plan has unlimited standard SMS and unlimited calls between Woolworths Connect…

Episode 212 of the top-rating Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast, with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long, share their thoughts on the Apple announcements from the Worldwide Developers Conference. The blokes discuss iOS 9 for the iPhone and iMac, OS X El Capitan for the Mac, watchOS 2 for Apple Watch and the new Apple Music streaming service. Also on the show, Samsung’s new Galaxy Tab S tablets, the Casio Red Bull Edifice watch and the Telstra home phone that can protect you from scammers. In the minute reviews, we take a look at the Sony 4K…

Streaming music service Spotify has announced its paying subscriber base has doubled in a year just days after the introduction of Apple Music which many saw as a major threat for the company. But Spotify has shown it has gone from strength to strength in the past 12 months which saw the paying customer base grow from 10 million to an impressive 20 million users. And the number of active users has also grown from 40 million to 75 million in the same period. With more listeners flocking to the streaming music service, it also means Spotify has increased the…

With the number of telephones scams on the rise, Telstra has released a new Call Guardian home phone to protect its customers after receiving more than 4000 reports of scams this year. NSW customers (1734) made the most reports about these deceptions followed by Victoria (758), Queensland (737), Western Australia (371), South Australia (217), Tasmania (48), the Northern Territory (27) and the ACT (21). These scams include people impersonating Telstra representatives, asking for access to a customer’s home computer to fix a non-existent problem or fake virus and telling people their home line will be disconnected if they don’t pay…

From the moment the Apple Music streaming service was announced at the Worldwide Developers Conference, there have been a lot of people writing obituaries for existing music services like Spotify, Rdio and Deezer among others. Ever since Apple purchased Beats in 2014 this announcement has been like tracking a comet on its way to earth – we knew months ago it was coming. But, to quote Mark Twain who’d heard his obituary had been published in the New York Journal, reports of Spotify’s death have been greatly exaggerated. Whenever Apple enters a new market it’s like the earthquake that triggers…

Episode 151 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech, wraps up all of the announcements from Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco. On this week’s show, we take a look at the new Apple Music service, the latest iOS 9 for iPhone and iPad, OS X El Capitan for the Mac and the new watch OS 2 for Apple Watch. Also on the program, Apple issues a safety recall for the Beats Pill XL speaker and Samsung releases new range of Galaxy Tab A tablets. In the Tech Guide reviews, we run our eye over…