Author: Stephen Fenech

The new 16-inch MacBook Pro with Apple’s M3 processor under the hood is an absolute powerhouse that will change the working life of professional users. I am typing this review on the Space Black 16-inch MacBook Pro which won’t go anywhere near testing the capabilities of this laptop but for creative professionals, coders, film makers and researchers who are dealing with high end applications and terabytes of data this is an absolute game changer. The model we were loaned for review is running Apple’s M3 Max chip with 48GB unified memory (what we used to call RAM) and a 1TB…

Who the hell is this? The man who’s robbing you! This week on The Best Movies You’ve Never Seen podcast we’re watching Ocean’s Eleven starring George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts and Matt Damon. Ocean’s Eleven is a 2001 remake of the 1960 classic and tells the story of Danny Ocean who has just been paroled and is planning to rob the three biggest casinos in Las Vegas with the help of his talented and daring crew. Stephen watched Ocean’s Eleven at the Randwick Ritz with his wife and has rewatched it multiple times – Trevor has seen this one…

Watch or listen to Episode 610 of the Two Blokes Talking Tech podcast with Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long as they discuss the week’s biggest tech issues and products. On this week’s show, we discuss the resignation of Optus CEO Kelly Bayer Rosmarin and what we would do if we were in charge, Gina Rhinehart takes on Facebook over scam ads and Apple adopts RCS to create message equity between iPhone and Android users. https://youtu.be/RLecRNhAGSE?si=lv7JK5nMiUl1_KZO You can listen or the watch show right here on Tech Guide site using the audio player below or by pressing…

Telstra is offering mobile customers and avid gamers with a need for speed a way to find faster download speeds and lower latency even during periods of high network traffic. The Telstra Mobile Speed Optimiser delivers faster typical download speeds when compared to the standard plans without this feature activated. This means customers can download large files even faster and hotspot multiple devices that will benefit from the faster speeds to improve their work or video streaming experience on the go even during busy times. And for online multiplayer gamers – and there are plenty who play on their smartphones…

Australians are paying among the highest prices in the world for home Internet plans according to a new analysis that checked the pricing of 364 Internet service providers in 85 countries. The study conducted by Picodi, shows Australians are paying on average the third highest price in the world for a 100Mbps internet plan per month at $US61.80. The only countries paying more Norway ($US79.40) and Iceland ($US61.10). Other nations like the US ranked 6th ($US50), the UK 13th ($US46.30) and Japan 30th ($US32.10) It is recognised that 100Mbps is the most frequently offered speed around the world provided in…

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…