Author: Stephen Fenech

HTC has announced pricing and the release date for its new hero smartphone – the One M9 – which will be available through Telstra, Optus, Vodafone and Virgin Mobile who are all taking pre-orders for the device from today. The HTC One M9, which will be available on March 24, is being marketed as a high-end and high-quality device thanks to its precision craftsmanship, all-metal construction and two-tone finish. And that is reflected in the outright purchase price of $1099. The device has a full high definition 5-inch screen and a 20 megapixel camera that can take excellent pictures and…

Philips has a rich history when it comes to producing high quality audio products and it has taken that heritage to produce the impressive Fidelio NC1 noise cancelling headphones. The Philips Fidelio NC1 is designed for the discerning listener who has an ear for great audio and a need to shut out the outside world while they’re commuting or travelling. On the design side the Fidelio NC1 is made of fine materials right down to the deluxe soft leather cushions that covers each of the ear cups. There is soft-feel leather on top and the same soft leather covered cushions…

Tech Guide Episode 139, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech, has the latest tech news, reviews and interviews to keep you updated and educated and on the cutting edge of consumer tech. On this week’s show we take a look at what’s right age to give your kids their first smartphone and how Telstra can help you set the rules and NBN Co are looking at world-first technology to make existing cables faster. We also revisit our interview with The Whole Pantry app developer Belle Gibson from last year’s Apple Watch reveal in Cupertino. Ms Gibson’s claims of being diagnosed with…

Security is something home owners are becoming more conscious about and product that are providing peace of mind are wireless internet cameras like the Uniden Guardian App Indoor Cam 26 and Outdoor Cam 25. Uniden has responded to the demand for this added security at home with these two plug and play models. They can be used to monitor inside or outside of your property to check for intruders, keep an eye on your kids or your pets or your office or holiday house. Cameras installed in homes and offices is nothing new but installing them was quite a chore…

There are many people who think virtual reality is a novelty but this video of an Australian dad witnessing his child’s birth from the opposite side of the country using the Samsung VR just might change their mind. Perth couple Alison and Jason Larke were 4000km away from each other when Alison gave birth to their third child. Jason – a “fly in, fly out” electrical contractor had an important work commitment in the remote mining town on Chinchilla in Queensland when his wife went into labour. There was no time to make it home in time so Jason had…

The Apple Watch is still six weeks away from launch and the accessories for the device are already appearing. The latest is the WatchStand from Griffin – a charging dock for the Apple Watch. Griffin’s WatchStand is a pedestal that holds the Apple Watch at an angle that still makes the screen easily viewable. With battery life quoted at 18 hours for Apple Watch, the Griffin WatchStand will make it easier to have the device charged up and ready to go. To hold the Apple Watch in place the WatchStand uses the charger that comes with the smartwatch that can…

NBN Co is set to achieve a world first by adopting technology that will be able to provide gigabit speeds over existing HFC (hybrid fibre coaxial) cables across Australia. NBN Co will be one of the first telecommunications companies in the world to introduce DOCSIS 3.1 – also known as Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification – from 2017. This means more than three million homes and businesses in Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide and the Gold Coast that already have access to existing Telstra and Optus HFC cables will be able to enjoy download speeds of up to 10Gbps…

For the first time Apple is offering its users early access to iOS 8.3 in a new beta program to allow iPhone and iPad customers to provide early feedback and shape the final version of the operating system. The program is similar to the OS X Yosemite beta that attracted more than a million participants. In the same way, the iOS 8.3 beta program gives these users an early look at the new features and a chance to easily report any bugs or other issues. The new features onboard iOS 8.3 include improved performance, a redesigned emoji keyboard and additional…

Episode 199 of Two Blokes Talking Tech, with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long, covers every detail about the Apple Watch including price, launch date and all of the device’s features. On this week’s show, the blokes discuss all aspects of the Apple Watch and answer many questions about the device and what it can do. Also on the program, the new 12-inch MacBook with Retina Display which includes an all-new keyboard, Force trackpad and a single USB-C port for charging, sharing data and connecting displays. In the minute reviews, the LG Music Flow speakers and the latest…

Award-winning Australian accessory designer Proper has unveiled one of the world’s first third-party Apple Watch accessories – a charging case for the highly anticipated smartwatch. WatchKeeper will be able to safely store the Apple Watch when it’s not being worn. There’s also room inside the base of Watchkeeper to house the included MagSafe charging cradle so the Apple Watch can also be charged while it’s being stored. The case is wrapped in leather and has a microfibre tray for added protection. Watchkeeper can be placed on a desk or bedside table so it’s always fully charged and ready to wear…

Belle Gibson, the Whole Pantry app founder who is under fire for allegedly fabricating her cancer survival story – was featured in a recent Tech Guide podcast where she admits to being diagnosed with cancer – twice. At the time of the recorded interview Ms Gibson was in Cupertino after she was handpicked by Apple to become the first Australian to develop for the upcoming Apple Watch. You can hear that entire interview here using the audio player below. The award-winning Whole Pantry app, and the business behind it, was created on the back of her response to overcome terminal…

Since the announcement of the Apple Watch and the release of many other smartwatches before and after that, there hasn’t been this much attention on watches for as long as I can remember. Smartwatches haven’t exactly been blockbuster products since we saw the first device a couple of years ago. That’s not to say they’ve been a flop – not by any means – sales have been steady for companies like Samsung, LG and Moto with other recent additions from Huawei, Alcatel OneTouch and, of course, Apple. The marketing from these companies all differ but their goal is to get…

Apple revealed a lot more information about the Apple Watch at its event including the release date, pricing and other features and details about the device. But there are few questions our readers have been asking about Apple Watch and we decided to find the answers for them. Apple Watch will be released on April 24 with pre-orders starting on April 10. Pricing in Australia will start at $499. Here some of the questions people are asking about Apple Watch. HOW LONG WILL THE APPLE WATCH BATTERY REALLY LAST? Apple CEO Tim Cook stated the Apple Watch had an “all-day”…

Episode 138 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast, hosted by editor Stephen Fenech, wraps up today’s Apple announcements – including the Apple Watch and the new 12-inch MacBook. We take a look at the Apple Watch including the pricing, the launch date and the main features along with the super thin and light 12-inch MacBook. Also on the show in the Tech Guide reviews we check out LG’s Music Flow multiroom speakers, the PowerCube that’s reinvented the powerboard and the Moshi iLynx 3.0 USB 3.0 hub. In the Tech Guide interview we chat to Paul Lin, from Empirical Works, about…

Apple has revealed the pricing and release dates for the highly anticipated Apple Watch at a special launch event and good news is Australia will be one of the first countries to receive it. The Apple Watch will go on sale on April 24 with pre-orders starting on April 10. The Apple Watch will start at $499 for the 38mm Apple Watch Sport which is made of lightweight anodised aluminium and $579 for the 42mm version. It will be available in silver or space grey with either white, blue, green, pink or black sport bands. Moving up to the…

Apple has unveiled a new 12-inch MacBook with Retina Display that’s thinner and lighter than any other laptop the company has ever built. The new 12-inch MacBook will be available from April 10 and, like the iPhone, will be available in three colours – sliver, space grey and gold. The device is just 13.1mm at its thickest point and weighs only 920grams. And the new 12-inch MacBook is in a category of its own and sits outside the MacBook Air and MacBook Pro families which will still be available with faster processors and higher memory capacities. Under the hood is…

To achieve multiroom audio a few short years ago you needed to wire your whole house and have speakers in the walls and ceiling and a control panel costing thousands of dollars to control it all. Today it’s a radically different story. And it’s thanks to the now common wi-fi networks in our homes and the devices that we’re all carrying around – our smartphones and tablets. The other piece of the puzzle is the speaker itself and LG has joined the ranked of companies who are offering products in this space with its Music Flow range. There are three…

The Apple Watch will be formally announced at a special launch event in San Francisco along with possibly some other products including updated MacBook Pros and a new MacBook Air. The event will be held at the Yerba Buena Centre for the Arts and Apple CEO Tim Cook will take the stage at 10am Monday (4am Tuesday Sydney time) and kick off proceedings with an update about the all-conquering iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus. The last quarter of 2014 saw Apple sell more smartphones that Samsung. There will probably be a video of all the iPhone 6 launch days…

Two Blokes Talking Tech Episode 198, with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long, takes a look at the latest smartphones to be unveiled in Barcelona at the Mobile World Congress. The blokes talk about the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge, the HTC One M9 and other mid-level phones like the Sony M4 Aqua, the Alcatel OneTouch Idol 3 and the Microsoft Lumia 640 and 640XL. Also on the show Virgin Mobile introduces plans to move unused data to the next month and Optus make it possible to make mobile payments with a smartwatch. In the minute…

Look under any computer desk or behind a TV and there’s a good chance you’ll find a long powerboard with several connections. Well now that powerboard has been redesigned and reinvented with the PowerCube. The PowerCube – as its name obviously points out – is a cube that has a power socket on four of the sides of the cube. The bottom has a 1.5m power cable to connect to a wall socket while the sixth side has two USB charging ports that can charge your smartphone, tablet, wearables and e-reader. And it’s all contained in a product that’s as…