Author: Stephen Fenech

The Journey NEXA laptop sleeve can actually do a lot more than just protect your laptop – it can also double as a mouse pad and even wirelessly charge your phone and earphones case. It’s really a workstation that can go anywhere with you. The laptop sleeve is made from vegan leather and has a soft-quilted interior to protect your laptop. It is available in two sizes to fit 13 and 14-inch and 15 and 16-inch laptops and comes in two colours – black and dove grey. Our laptops are valuable and usually expensive items that we need to protect…

Navman is kicking off its Black Friday sales with a massive discount on the MiVue 880 Dual Camera dash cam and are throwing in a bonus Smartbox free as well as free shipping. The MiVue 880 Dual Camera dash cam is available while stocks last for the special Black Friday price of $256.80 (usually $349) – and that includes free shipping and the Smartbox thrown in for free as well. The MiVue 880 offers full HD 1080p recording front and rear and its videos are GPS-tagged and includes direction and speed. It also offers premium safety alerts including school zone…

Go to the top of the class with Episode 577 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast hosted by editor Stephen Fenech so you can stay updated and educated about the latest consumer tech news and reviews. On this week’s show: the Optus CEO has resigned after the outage and following a senate inquiry, Apple to adopt a new standard to bring messaging equality between iPhone and Android and we go behind the scenes at Oppo to see how their devices go from concept to reality. In the Tech Guide reviews, we take a look at the Uniden Pano security camera,…

The Black Friday sales – the day after Thanksgiving in the US – is on this week and there are so many great tech deals fron some of the biggest tech brands – and we’ve put them all together for you. It has now become an annual savings event and you get to enjoy the huge savings for yourself or the people you are buying Christmas gifts for. And why is it called Black Friday? It’s when stores operating at a loss – or in the red – turned things around – and got back in the black – by…

In a shock move, Apple has decided to adopt RCS (rich communication services) that will improve texting between iPhone and Android and offer higher quality and security. This means the whole green bubble and blue bubble inequity that exists for iPhone users and Android users will finally be at an end. Apple has been under pressure from rival companies including Google and Samsung to make the move to RCS, but the Californian-based tech giant has stood its ground – until now. Part of the reason why Apple resisted was based on the strength of its iMessage services which offered the…

It takes a lot to make a smartphone – and we found out through Oppo’s eyes as we went behind the scenes in Shenzhen, China and toured the company’s research and test labs and its smartphone production line. Oppo was founded in 2004 and has expanded to more than 60 countries employing more than 40,000 around the globe. The first product the company released in 2005 was a small MP3 player and by 2008 it had made its first mobile phone, its first smartphone in 2011 and the world’s slimmest phone in 2012. In 2013, Oppo released ColorOS – the…

Embattled Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin has tendered her resignation just days after a Senate inquiry into the nationwide outage that disconnected more than 10 million Australians on November 8. “On Friday I had the opportunity to appear before the Senate to expand on the cause of the network outage and how Optus recovered and responded,” Ms Bayer Rosmarin said in a statement. “I was also able to communicate Optus’ commitment to restore trust and continue to serve customers. “Having now had time for some personal reflection, I have come to the decision that my resignation is in the best interest of…

 If I’m wrong, then we’re at war; God help us all. This week on The Best Movies You’ve Never Seen podcast we’re watching Crimson Tide starring Gene Hackman and Denzel Washington. Crimson Tide tells the story of the USS Alabama nuclear submarine commanded by Captain Ramsey (Hackman) with new CO Hunter (Hunter) as they are sent into battle after Russian rebels take over a nuclear submarine base. Stephen watched Crimson Tide in the theatre and has rewatched it several times whereas Trevor is seeing this for the very first time. We go through the memorable scenes and share some interesting…

Two Blokes Talking Tech Episode 609 with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long is coming to you way from Shenzhen in China. Stephen and Trevor travelled to Shenzhen as guest of Oppo and we toured their testing labs, development centres and even saw their smartphone production line. Also on the show we reflect on the latest news from Optus and what the future holds for the telco and their customers and Google launches Indoor Live View for Sydney Airport. You can listen to the show right here on Tech Guide site using the audio player below. It…

Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin has sidestepped questions about whether she will resign as she fronted a Senate inquiry today following last week’s catastrophic complete network outage. A report in the Australian Financial Review said she has been considering stepping down after two major crises under her watch – the data breach in September 2022 and last week’s outage. Ms Bayer Rosmarin came under fire on both occasions for her lack of visibility and for taking too long to come out to talk directly to Optus customers through the media. The Optus CEO addressed the issue of her possible resignation…

Oppo has revealed its new ColorOS 14 global version with an all-new optimised design along with AI powered smart features to improve the overall experience in terms of efficiency, performance and safety. Colour OS14 is one of the first operating systems based on Android 14 and builds on the decade of ColorOS, which kicked off in 2013 and is now used by more than 600 million monthly active users around the world. Colour OS14 debuts an Aquamographic design and incorporates new sound effects, colour systems, interactions and much more to offer a more intuitive experience. Oppo even partnered with professional…

Samsung has launched a new Shop App across Southeast Asia and Oceania, which includes Australia, as part of a strategy to simplify the online shopping experience for customers. The Samsung Shop App comes at a time when nearly half of respondents (42.6 per cent) in the region have bought electronic devices or home appliances online in the last three months. Within the Samsung Shop App, customers are also able to access exclusive offers and stay on top of the latest deals on Samsung products by setting notifications within the app. There are also flexible payment options including installment payments to…

Technology is supposed to help us but as our devices become a greater part of our daily lives and more and more people are using them the more tech-related injuries we’re hearing about. A study in the US by Decluttr has revealed the most common tech-related injuries and how they are being caused. TVs were the most dangerous items making up 30 per cent of tech-related injuries with the most significant being lower back strain while unpacking the TV or moving the TV to another room. Smartphones were the next most dangerous device and accounted for 23 per cent of…

Google Australia and Sydney Airport have partnered to launch Indoor Live View to make it easier for travellers to find their way around Australia’s largest airport. Within Google Maps, Indoor Live View at Sydney airport uses augmented reality to recognise their location and get them to where they need to be whether it’s a gate or a lounge or even another terminal. The new Indoor Live View can guide passengers from the train station to the correct check in counter all the way through to their gates, lounges, baggage carousels and dining facilities. On your smartphone, you will see arrows…

Do yourself a massive favour and press play on Episode 576 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast hosted by Stephen Fenech to keep you updated and educated about the latest consumer tech news and reviews. On this week’s show, the fallout from the Optus outage continues – what does the future hold for the telco, Laser has released a product that brings CarPlay and Android Auto to any car and Apple TV+ comes to the Fetch TV box. In the Tech Guide reviews, we take a look at the Pantheone Obsidian speaker that looks like a work of art, Rode…

When it comes to security cameras, the more area you can cover the better and the Uniden App Cam Pano can give you a 170-degree field of view – it’s actually two cameras in one. Uniden’s App Cam Pano has two lenses so it can cover a larger area but stitches the feeds together and presents you with one widescreen video or image. For our review we installed the Pano on our back deck overlooking our yard along with the included solar panel. When we’re not home we like to observe our two dalmatians – Ziggy and Logan – if…

Australian consumer electronics company Laser has unveiled and a new in-car touch screen display which allows drivers to enjoy the complete Apple CarPlay an Android Auto experience. The Navigh8r 7-inch Portable Wireless Touchscreen is priced at $169 and brings Apple’s CarPlay and Android Auto to vehicles which previously didn’t support these interfaces. The device offers convenient and safe access to your smartphone while you’re driving including navigation and music streaming apps. While more recent vehicles already support CarPlay and Android Auto, drivers with older vehicles and many second hand car buyers now have an easy plug and play way to…

When is a speaker also a work of art? Answer: When it’s the new Pantheon Obsidian that is a much a feast for the eyes as it impressive to the ears. How many speakers have you heard of that are individually hand-crafted and named after a stone that’s formed when lava cools. The minimalistic style and sculptured shape are striking – and this is even before we’ve even turned it on. It is unlike any other speaker on the market – in looks, style and quality. And the best thing is Pantheone is a 100 per cent award-winning Australian company…

Red light, Max! This week on The Best Movies You’ve Never Seen podcast we’re watching Collateral starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx and directed by Michael Mann. Collateral tells the story of Max a cab driver who picks up a passenger named Vincent who wants him to drive him around Los Angeles all night so he can close a real estate deal, but he soon discovers he’s involved in something far more dangerous. Stephen watched Collateral in the cinema and has rewatched it multiple times – and Trevor – living up to the name of the podcast – has never…

Samsung has released an impressive new Galaxy A05s smartphone priced under $250 which offers a notable line-up of features and an upgraded camera system. This new product demonstrates that customers don’t have to break the bank to buy a decent smartphone especially at a time like this with rising interest rates and cost of living pressures. Parents might also see the device as an ideal first smartphone for their child. The Galaxy A05s has a slick design with a 6.7-inch Infinity-U display with FHD+ resolution (1080 x 2400) and fast reactive 90Hz refresh rate to make viewing high definition content…