Author: Stephen Fenech

Come on, let’s go! This week on The Best Movies You’ve Never Seen podcast we’re watching La Bamba, the biopic about Richie Valens starring Lou Diamond Phillips. La Bamba tracks the meteoric rise of Ritchie Valens who had a rock and roll dream which he managed to achieve at a young age before it was tragically cut short. Stephen saw this at the movies in 1987 with his future wife and has re-watched it many times. Trevor reckons he’s seen this one – but he can’t remember it. We go through the memorable scenes and share some interesting facts, behind…

Join Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long for Episode 606 of the Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast as they discuss the week’s biggest tech stories and product releases. This week: Microsoft’s $5bn investment in Australia’s Cyber Shield, what can we expect from the Apple Halloween launch event next week, Apple Watch Double Tap update, Vodafone takes off with in-flight roaming and NBN price changes. https://youtu.be/LtmOv2grMhg?si=ab962HBdvwReIOS_ You can listen or the watch show right here on Tech Guide site using the audio player below or by pressing play on the YouTube player above. It is also possible to…

Foxtel Group has revealed a new service called Hubbl which will combine TV and streaming and bring them into one platform to make it easier to find and enjoy your content. The idea behind Hubbl is to streamline the home entertainment experience into one user interface. Previously known as Project Magneto, Hubbl is delivered through its own operating system which will be available on two devices – a hub or a TV – so customers can access a galaxy of content by unifying all their subscriptions. Hubbl has been supported by global leaders Comcast USA and Sky UK but has…

Vodafone already has a popular $5 a day roaming package for travellers but now it has launched a new in-flight roaming service to allow passengers to use their own data to make calls, text and browse during their flight. Some airlines already offer in flight wi-fi which can be quite expensive and with a limited amount of data. But now Vodafone will allow customers to enjoy in-flight roaming for $5 a day on selected airlines using their plan’s included data. The participating airlines are Aer Lingus, Air Belgium, Asiana Airlines, Bangladesh Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Egyptair, Emirates, Etihad Airways, Eva Air,…

Double tap – the breakout new feature for Apple Watch – is now available on Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 with the release of the watchOS 10.1 update today. This new feature will allow users to interact with their Apple Watch like never before. Double tap means users will be able to control Apple Watch with one hand simply by double tapping their index finger and thumb. https://youtu.be/VlpgxCc2Spk?si=Xrkc6_hY28rr79HZ Usually, an Apple Watch user would have to use their other hand to answer calls, view notifications and reply to messages. Not anymore. They can simply use double…

Samsung has released the new 11-inch Galaxy Tab A9+ which offers an impressive tablet experience but at a more affordable price. Starting at $379, the Galaxy Tab A9+ combines an excellent display with a crisp quad speaker system with Dolby Atmos so users can enjoy their games and content anywhere. It can also support productivity applications so you can still work efficiently on the move. “We believe everyone deserves the opportunity to experience the latest innovations in tablet technology,” said TM Roh, President and Head of Samsung Electronics’ Mobile eXperience Business. “With the latest Galaxy Tab A series release, we’re…

Apple will be holding a virtual launch event on October 31 which is likely to introduce a new line-up of Macs including new iMacs and new MacBook Pro laptops. The invitation sent to media features a glowing Apple logo with the words “Scary fast” which alludes to the fact the event is being held the day before Halloween and that what we’re expecting to see will include even faster chips. What confirmed the event will be centred around the Mac was the Apple Events website which showed the same invitation, but the Apple logo morphs into the Finder symbol –…

Go to the top of the class with Episode 573 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: your NBN plan might be getting cheaper – we’ll tell you why, Oppo has launched a new foldable smartphone to take on Samsung and Australia has joined the World Phone Amnesty to so smartphones have less of an impact on the environment. In the Tech Guide reviews, we take a look at the Navman MiVue ALTA dashcam that blends in…

Microsoft will be investing $5bn in Australia over the next two years to enhance our cyber security, expand our capacity for AI and boost job opportunities in the digital economy. The Microsoft investment will also include infrastructure for cloud computing and expanding the reach of AI. Microsoft will also increase its local datacentre footprint from 20 to 29 across sites in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra. The announcement was made during Prime Minister Anthony Albanese’s visit to the US where he met with Microsoft Vice Chair and President Brad Smith and Microsoft Australia and New Zealand Managing Director Steven Worrall. “This…

Your NBN plan just might be getting cheaper thanks to the NBN’s proposed variations to its Special Access Undertaking being accepted by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission. At the very least there won’t be a price increase for a little while. Wholesale pricing for entry level 25Mbps plans and 100Mbps plans or faster services have been reduced. Connectivity Virtual Circuit (CVC) bandwidth charges will be removed for services of 100Mbps and above from December 1 with CVC charges to also end for all other services by July 2026. And 12, 25 and 50Mbps fixed line and fixed wireless wholesale…

A dashcam has become an essential feature for your car but many are turned off because they are too big and obtrusive – but that’s not a problem with the Navman MiVue ALTA DC  – it can blend into your vehicle and be your eyes and ears on the road. Having a dashcams you have a record of what happened if you’re involved in an incident on the road. These recordings can be offered to the police or an insurance company to support your side of the story if there is any kind of dispute or offence. The MiVue ALTA…

I am Iron Man! This week on The Best Movies You’ve Never Seen podcast Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long are watching Iron Man starring Robert Downey Jnr. Iron Man – based on the comic character created by Stan Lee – tells the story of billionaire industrialist Tony Stark who, after being held captive in Afghanistan after a weapons demonstration, develops remarkable new technology to escape and change the direction of his life and his company. Stephen was invited to pre-screening of Iron Man back in 2008 and has rewatched it numerous times while Trevor is making…

Oppo has released a new foldable smartphone – the Oppo Find N3 – with a front 6.3-inch display and an unfolded screen of 7.8-inches to offer a lot more room to move for enjoying content and multitasking. Announced at a global event in Singapore, the Oppo Find N3 will be available in Australia in mid-November and will be priced at $2,699. “As we prepare to introduce the new OPPO Find N3 foldable smartphone to the Australian market, we’re thrilled to continue pushing the boundaries of innovation,” says Oppo Australia Managing Director, Michael Tran. “The Find N3 is not just a…

Get in the groove with Episode 605 of the Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long as they go through the biggest tech stories of the week. On this week’s show, EV road tax knocked on the head in Victoria, BYD has released the Seal EV to take on the Tesla Model 3, Threads gets ahead of Twitter with a new feature, Apple released a more affordable Apple Pencil, how to check the strength of your password and Netgear’s new Wi-Fi 7 router. https://youtu.be/JKrB0v6vfks?si=6RNpUKgef6U97mvj You can listen or the watch show right…

BYD has revealed its latest electric vehicle – the BYD Seal – a mid-size sedan that offers affordable luxury and priced from below $50,000 plus on road costs. The BYD Seal will sit in the same class as the Tesla Model 3 – but the BYD starting price will be almost $12,000 cheaper. In fact, the BYD website and order page for its BYD Seal looks a lot like the Tesla website and order page. The new BYD Seal has what BYD says is the world’s safest battery which integrates the cell to the body to make the Seal lighter…

Apple has announced a new and more affordable Apple Pencil to allow even more iPad users the ability to take notes, sketch, draw and mark up documents on their device. The new Apple Pencil has a matte finish and a flat edge so it can attach magnetically to your iPad for storage. It also pairs and charges with a USB C cable and will work with any iPad model with a USB-C port. “Apple Pencil has revolutionised note taking, sketching, and illustrating, unleashing endless possibilities for productivity and creativity,” said Bob Borchers, Apple’s vice president of Worldwide Product Marketing. “Combined…

Strap in and press play on Episode 572 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: an Australian world first with the introduction of an AI-powered tutor for students, working from anywhere just got a lot easier with the Logitech Casa Pop-Up Desk and Aldi is offering another affordable 4K TV in its Special Buys. In the Tech Guide reviews, we take a look at the Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro smartphones, we also take a…

Netgear has introduced the first Wi-Fi 7 router which can achieve speeds of up to 19Gbps – that’s more than double the speed of the previous generation. The Netgear Nighthawk RS700S router was built with more than 25 years of wi-fi expertise to meet the growing needs of connected homes. Our demands on our wireless networks are higher than ever as we stream 4K and 8K video, take part in high definition video calls, work from home, play online games and experience cutting edge AR and VR applications. The tri-band Netgear Nighthawk RS700S Wi-Fi 7 router is powered by Broadcom’s…

Australia has become the first country to lead a World Phone Amnesty – a global movement to improve the way we manage our smartphones and reduce their impact on the environment. The World Phone Amnesty wants to change phone ownership behaviour, curb carbon emissions and reduce the number of devices being discarded everyday which is already in the billions. Even the way smartphone’s are manufactured will be brought into the spotlight – at the moment 83 per cent of a phone’s carbon emissions are generated during manufacturing. And keeping a smartphone for an additional two years can reduce its carbon…

If you’re after an affordable home entertainment experience then you need to take a look at the new Bauhn 60-inch 4K Ultra HD TV, Philips 32-inch HD TV and Philips soundbar which all go on sale at Aldi this week. All the products will be available from Aldi from Saturday, October 21. BAUHN 60-INCH 4K ULTRA HD TV – $579 The TV has a 4K resolution of 3440 x 2160 and is running the webOS software – the same operating system found on LG TVs. It has three HDMI inputs, one optical input, two USB ports to play back media…