Author: Stephen Fenech

Oppo has unveiled its new A78 5G smartphone which includes 33W SUPERVOOC fast charging and a 50-megapixel main camera with a price tag well under $400. This entry level device, priced at $359, is packed with features including a 6.56-inch colour rich display with 90Hz refresh rate, dual stereo speakers and a 5000mAh battery. “The A78 5G is Oppo’s latest entry-level game changer. We’ve designed a device that seamlessly combines cutting-edge hardware and software to provide Australians with a phone that’s as reliable as it is stylish,” says Oppo Australia’s Managing Director, Michael Tran. “With 33W SUPERVOOC, 50MP camera, and…

Wrap your ears around Episode 545 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: Ford has its all-electric Mustang SUV, Apple has confirmed the date for the WWDC 2023 and what we can expect to see and the NBN is offering faster speeds for regional Australians. In the Tech Guide reviews, we get behind the wheel of the Tesla Model Y Performance, we take a listen to the new Sonos Era 100 and Era 300 speakers and the…

Rode has released its very latest wireless wearable microphone – the Wireless ME – a versatile new system that works with cameras, computers, iPhones and Android devices. The Australian company has also released the free Rode Capture app for iOS to make it even easier create content on the go. RODE WIRELESS ME The Rode Wireless ME has a similar ultra-compact form factor as the popular Wireless GO and Wireless GO II which offered easy set-up and connection and broadcast quality audio. The new Wireless ME makes that technology and quality even more accessible for users whether they are using…

Australians are investing in larger TVs with 85-inch screens to see the most growth this year according to Samsung which is releasing its 2023 range of televisions – Neo QLED 4K and 8K and OLED TVs – in stores today. Samsung’s 2023 range has a TV for every lifestyle and every space in your home which not only offer a great viewing experience but also integrate smart home connectivity. Samsung has been the global number one TV brand for 17 years running and it promises to offer the wow factor for customers with its powerful 2023 line-up of TVs and…

EcoFlow has released its latest River 2 range of portable power stations that can provide energy on the go for those who love the outdoors or emergency home back-up. There are three models in the new range – River 2, River 2 Max and River 2 Pro which have 256Wh, 512Wh and 768Wh capacity respectively. “The launch of the River 2 series underlines EcoFlow’s commitment to meaningful innovation that solves real-life problems,” said Bruce Wang, CEO of EcoFlow. “With an uncertain economic and environmental outlook, we want to make clean, portable energy accessible to everyone, everywhere. “The EcoFlow River 2…

It’s appropriate the new Sonos speakers are called Era because they are heralding the start of a new ear for the brand with improved audio quality and design. The Sonos Era 100 and Era 300 are more powerful and simply sound better. The speakers maintain the essence of what makes Sonos speakers so appealing to existing customers but also have the quality and connectivity to bring new customers to the table. The Sonos Era 100 ($399) and Sonos Era 300 ($749) can stream your audio via wi-fi or Bluetooth and can also connect directly to other audio devices using an…

It’s not that I’m lazy, it’s that I just don’t care…. This week on The Best Movies You’ve Never Seen podcast we’re watching Office Space, released in 1999 and starring Ron Livingston and Jennifer Aniston. Office Space tells the story of a company worker who hates his job and decided to do something about it. This has been a favourite of Stephen’s since he saw it in the cinemas and the countless times since while Trevor is coming in as fresh as a daisy and watching it for the very first time. We go through the memorable scenes and share some interesting…

Australian students have completed the first Apple Foundation Program at RMIT University in Melbourne and the University of Technology in Sydney which was designed to teach them Apple’s powerful Swift programming language. It is a free four-week course for students of any academic background who want to learn the language of technology and acquire skills that will serve them well into the future. In the program, students use Macs and iPhones to create an original app using Swift and Xcode and solve real world problems in a challenge-based environment to not only learn valuable skills but become better creators, collaborators…

There are many cases where we need to label things and the new Brother Desktop Label Printer PT-D610BT has got every scenario covered. Just going through the templates aboard the Brother device you’ll discover there is room for more labels in our life. There are obvious uses for labels like your child’s name on schoolbooks and belongings or for the things you need to store in containers in your pantry. If you’re running a business or work in a busy office, there are countless options for labels. The PT-D610BT is 20.2cm wide, 19.9cm long and 8.7cm tall and has a…

Take a listen to Episode 578 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 stories and product announcements. This week: Talk of TikTok ban, Telstra and CBA launch partnership to stop phone scams, Aldi 75-inch TV review, our adoption of AI in Australia and where it’s going and Foxtel kicks off F1 TV this weekend. You can listen to the show right here on the Tech Guide site using the audio player below. Click on the Two Blokes Talking Tech link at the top…

Ford has unveiled its all-new Mustang Mach-E SUV at the Australian Grand Prix and confirmed it will arrive on Australian roads later this year. The Mach-E is the first all-electric passenger vehicle to be released by Ford Australia and will be available in three variants that will offer the latest tech and an excellent driving experience while still maintaining its Mustang heritage. Australian Formula One driver Daniel Ricciardo was on hand to make the announcement “We are thrilled to bring the Mustang Mach-E to Australia,” said Andrew Birkic, President and CEO of Ford Australia and New Zealand. “It’s an exciting…

Apple has confirmed its 2023 Worldwide Developers Conference to showcase the new software features for the iPhone, iPad, Mac and Apple Watch will be kicking off on June 5 (June 6 AEST) in an online format with a special in-person event at Apple Park. WWDC23 will run online from June 5-9, 2023, and will be free to all developers as they hear about the latest operating systems iOS, iPadOS, macOS, watchOS and tvOS. It is here where developers can interact with Apple’s engineers and learn more about the new software innovations and tools to create the latest and updated apps.…

Residents and businesses in regional Australia will now be able to access the NBN fixed wireless network for the first time and receive significant speed boosts. NBN announced more than 24,000 homes and businesses across remote and regional areas will experience faster and more consistent speeds with plans to add another 120,000 homes in the near future. This upgrade is part of a $750 million investment – made up of $480m from the Australian Government and $270m from the NBN. “We are committed to evolving our network to deliver fast and reliable broadband to Australians no matter where they live,”…

Uniden Australia has released two new UHF radios – the XTRAK 50 Pro and XTRAK 80 Pro – which can not only keep you connected anywhere but now also offer app-enabled location sharing functionality. The XTRAK 50 Pro handheld and the XTRAK 80 Pro in-vehicle offer an industry first with the ability to share your location between a handheld and in-vehicle UHF radio. It works with the XTRAK Bluetooth app which is available for iOS and Android so users can share the location of the radio. It can also be used to manage your selective calling (Selcall) contacts and additional…

Tech Guide got behind the wheel of the new Tesla Model Y Performance model which has just gone on sale in Australia – and it lives up to its performance name. The Tesla Model Y midsize all-electric SUV outwardly looks virtually the same apart from a couple of subtle changes and inside the car is also the same. But as its name suggests – it’s the performance improvements that will get a driver’s attention. https://youtu.be/hX9FXPHuL2k When the Model Y was released last year, it was only available in RWD (rear wheel drive), so it had one motor on the back…

Generative AI like Open AI’s ChatGPT is becoming rapidly adopted by Australians with one million already using the technology according to research by analyst firm Telsyte. One in five Australians aged 16 or older are already aware of ChatGPT and more than a million had already adopted the technology just a month and half after ChatGPT’s release. The research found one in three (34 per cent) Australians were interested in using the generative AI chatbots like ChatGPT for a variety of tasks. The most popular tasks for ChatGPT are language translation (44 per cent), brainstorming ideas (34 per cent), summarising…

The Commonwealth Bank and Telstra are joining forces to protect their customers from phone scams with a new pilot program that could save up to $20m in losses. Scam Indicator will be rolled out over the next few months as a proof of concept with the aim of protecting people from scams which trick people into transferring large sums of money. Early simulations of Scam Indicator show huge improvements in detection and prevention of scams with the potential to mitigate customer losses of between $15-20 million. The tool is designed to work in real time and detect high-risk situations using…

Don’t quit on me!! This week on The Best Movies You’ve Never Seen podcast we’re watching Men of Honor which was released in 2000 and starring Robert De Niro and Cuba Gooding Jnr. Men of Honor tells the true of US Navy diver Carl Brashear who defied strong racial prejudices, abuse and other obstacles in his bid to achieve the rank of Master Chief. Stephen saw this in the cinema and has watched several times while Trevor is diving fresh having never seeing it until now. We go through the memorable scenes and share some interesting facts, behind the scenes…

Join the Two Bloke Talking Tech – Tech Guide editor Stephen Fenech and EFTM’s Trevor Long – for Episode 577 of the popular podcast as they talk about the week’s biggest tech stories and product releases. This week: the fallout from the Latitude Financial breach, reportedly leaked images of the iPhone 15 Pro, the 2022 Electric Car Sales data and whether Government agencies are pulling their weight. Sky News now available on Samsung TVs and Optus offers $5 a day international roaming. You can listen to the show right here on the Tech Guide site using the audio player below.…

Australian brand Cygnett, best known for its portable power banks, has dominated Choice Magazine’s latest reviews of the top performing products with five of Cygnett’s power banks ranked in the top seven. The review, included in Choice magazine’s March print edition and online at choice.com.au, reviewed 33 power banks from a variety of brands. Choice’s testing included approximate charge time, approximate portable battery charge recharge time, size and weight of the power bank and the usable capacity. After the review was completed, Cygnett had more power banks which earned a rating of more than 80 per cent than any other…