Author: Stephen Fenech

The long-anticipated Peloton Tread has finally arrived in Australia to give the company’s growing fitness community yet another way to exercise and interact virtually with its colourful instructors and other members. Tech Guide has been using the Peloton Tread for a few weeks and we’ll publish our review next week. Peloton Tread, priced at $4,445, has now begun shipping in Australia and it yet another way Peloton members can combine entertainment and exercise on a feature packed piece of equipment. Peloton Tread is more than just a regular treadmill. It offers a complete body workout with classes to suit all…

Anyone who’s ever tried to send a message or make a call at a crowded sporting event have often hit a brick wall, but Vodafone has solved the issue at the Sydney Cricket Ground and achieved high-speed 5G scores in the process. Working with network equipment supplier Nokia, Vodafone achieved download speeds of nearly 2Gbps using a Google Pixel device over the Vodafone mobile network at a packed SCG (presumably the Sydney Test match in January) thanks to the speedy 5G mmWave technology. mmWave is a new ultra-high bandwidth 5G standard which can handle high capacities and send large amounts…

Monash University has become the first university in Australia to replace its physical student ID card with a new digital M-Pass so students can simply tap their smartphones to get around the campus. The new digital M-Pass means students and staff can add their student identification card to Apple Wallet or Google Wallet. Now any action that required the physical ID card can be achieved with a simple tap of their iPhone, Apple Watch or Android device. M-Pass user NFC (near field communication) mobile credentials so Monash university students can access buildings and facilities including the library or gymnasium. They…

Fire up Episode 539 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: Netflix customers are fired up with the streaming giant set to ban password sharing, my electric vehicle dilemma that could see me turn my back on Tesla and the Australian government kicks off an initiative to provide free NBN for up to 30,000 families. In the Tech Guide reviews, we take a look at the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra smartphone, how Uniden’s new App Cam Pano…

DJI has introduced the Mini 2 SE, a new lightweight and more affordable camera drone that fits in the palm of your hand but that can still capture stunning pictures and videos. The DJI Mini 2 SE weighs less than 249g which means it’s exempt from drone regulations in many parts of the world and doesn’t need to be registered. And being under 250g, means you can safely fly the drone within the 5.5km range of a controlled airspace according to CASA (Civil Aviation Safety Authority). The drone folds down to a size smaller than the palm of your hand…

Uniden has released the new dual lens App Cam Pano wirefree camera with 3K resolution and built-in spotlight to deter intruders. Priced at $599.95, the Uniden App Cam Pano has a rechargeable battery that will run for up to 120 days on a single charge. You can also connect the camera to the included Uniden solar panel, so you’ll never need to worry about running out of power. The powerful spotlight has 440 lumens brightness, and the camera has a 170-degree field of view thanks to those two lenses. Anyone stepping within 30m of the camera will not only be…

It’s that time of year again – Samsung has released the first flagship devices of 2023 and they have set the bar even higher with an impressively updated Galaxy S23 range. We’ve been using the top-of-the-line Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra since the launch and it’s undoubtedly the best smartphone the company has produced. We expected nothing less with most of the new features and improvements found under the hood. At first glance there’s not much change from the S22 Ultra but when you take a closer look, you’ll find several enhancements and upgrades. The Samsung Galaxy S23 range – the…

You make sure they remember forever the night they played the Titans!!! This week on The Best Movies You’ve Never Seen podcast we’re watching Remember the Titans starring Denzel Washington. Remember The Titans was released in 2000 and is based on a true story and tells the story of the 1971 TC Williams High School football team when white and black students are integrated into the same school. Stephen loves a sports movie and watched this in the cinema and has regularly viewed this ever since whereas Trevor is coming in cold. We go through the memorable scenes and share…

Start your weekend with Episode 571 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 news. On this week’s show: Netflix to ban password sharing, complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman have increased due to the Optus data breach, Tesla to open up Superchargers to other EV brands, Netgear releases the Orbi 860 series and Microsoft launches Bing search with AI. You can listen to the show right here on the Tech Guide site using the audio player below. Click on the Two Blokes Talking…

It’s Movie Frenzy time again and you can rent or buy some of the biggest recent movie releases for as little as $3 and $10 respectively. Movie Frenzy 9.0 runs until February 16 and includes the biggest blockbusters from 2022 including Top Gun: Maverick, Elvis, Bullet Train, Ticket to Paradise and Super-Pets. So get the popcorn ready for a movie marathon or a rewatch of a recent favourite. And you can either rent the movies for as low as $3 each or pay $10 during this limited period and have these blockbusters in your digital library to enjoy whenever you…

Netflix is cracking down on password sharing which means anyone using your account outside your household will be shut out – and Australian users will soon be affected. The streaming giant has already introduced the new policy in Canada, New Zealand, Portugal and Spain this week and it’s only a matter of time, as soon as the coming weeks, before it hits Australia as well. There are more than 100 million households worldwide that share their passwords so people who don’t live under the same roof can still enjoy the service. But in a time when the share price and…

Microsoft has unveiled a new Bing search engine and Edge browser which adds the power of AI to offer a new standard of search, browsing and chat into a single platform. Microsoft has already invested $10b with OpenAI – the creators of chat GPT – and is taking that AI to offer the system to provide better search results, deeper and more comprehensive answers and the ability to generate content. On the search side, the new Bing will offer an improved search experience with more relevant results including things like stock prices, the weather, sports scores and new sidebar that…

Netgear has announced the new Orbi 860 mesh wireless series which will provide even faster home broadband speeds in Australia and ensure every device in your home is connected. The Orbi 860, now available in black or white, has 10Gbps Ethernet ports as well as an upgraded antenna design to provide an even more robust wi-fi performance. With 10Gbps support on the Orbi 860, it means your home wireless network can share data in your home or office at 10 billion bits per second or 10 times faster than the traditional Gigabit Ethernet standard. So if you have data on…

There has been a 9.9 per cent rise in the number of complaints to the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) between October and December with the increase attributed to the Optus data breach. The Optus data breach and the poor way it was handled with many customers left in the dark and not contacted by the company for months contributed significantly to the sharp rise of complaints to the TIO. Unauthorised disclosure of personal information jumped to the third most complained about problem during the quarter along with mobile complaints about non-financial loss including stress and humiliation from a privacy breach…

Take a listen to Episode 538 of the top-rating Tech Guide podcast so you can stay updated and educated about the latest consumer tech news and reviews. We’ve just returned from San Francisco where we attended the Samsung Galaxy S23 launch and we also spoke with Samsung Australia’s vice president and head of mobile Garry McGregor about the new line-up of devices. In the Tech Guide reviews, we check out the new MacBook Pro with the new M2 Max chip, Rode has just launched a new microphone headset and Technics has released a Super CD player priced at $5,499. In…

An Australian Government initiative will offer free NBN connection for 12 months to up to 30,000 families who currently have no home internet. From late February, eligible families with school age children will be selected by participating schools, educational authorities and charity organisations including the Smith Family, Catholic Network Australia and Catholic Education WA. Free NBN services for families under the initiative will be provided by several retail service providers including Aussie Broadband, Belong (Telstra), Exetel, Field Solutions Group, Launtel, Lemonade Broadband (Connected Australia), SkyMesh, Superloop and Vodafone (TPG). The initiative will kick off during the first school term in…

Belkin has launched the new ScreenForce TrueClear Curve screen protectors for the latest Samsung Galaxy S23 series for crystal clear edge to edge coverage while preventing display scratches. Belkin is one of the leading companies when it comes to device protection and the latest for the Galaxy S23 series have also received the “Designed for Samsung” badge through the Samsung Mobile Accessory Partnership Programme (SMAPP). The new ScreenForce TrueClear Curve screen protector is fully compatible with the Samsung ultrasonic fingerprint in screen sensor and offers a filter to reduce blue light by up to 20 per cent. “Belkin has led…

I am writing this review on the new 14-inch MacBook Pro powered by the new M2 Max processor which is such an under use of its capabilities it would be like using a sledgehammer do crack an egg. Writing a document using Microsoft Word is something you can do on your phone but when it comes to more serious tasks that require some of most advanced applications ever created then you’re moving into territory that not many computers can handle. If you’ve got the MacBook Pro with M2 Max, the response from a user faced with one of those gargantuan…

I am serious – and don’t call me Shirley. This week on The Best Movies You’ve Never Seen podcast we’re watching the comedy classic Flying High. Flying High (also known as Airplane!) is the farcical comedy about a struggling former pilot with PTSD who chases his stewardess girlfriend on to her flight to win her back only to find himself in the middle of a crisis situation that requires a pilot to save the day. Stephen watched this in the theatres when he was 12 and probably didn’t get half the jokes at the time but has rewatched it so…

Technics has released the SL-G700M2 – a super CD and digital music player packed with new technology that will allow audiophiles to enjoy true high-resolution audio. This multi-digital player, available in black and silver, has been designed to play a wide range of various high-resolution formats. It’s designed not only for fans of high-quality audio but for customers with big wallets as well we say price tag of $5,499 The device offers improved digital audio signal processing technology with the goal to achieve phase alignment and ideal pulse response which are essential ingredients for high fidelity reproduction. Under the hood…