Tech Guide

Tech Guide is a consumer technology podcast presented by Stephen Fenech, the editor of techguide.com.au. Its episode numbers are now past 680. In one closing he notes that it will be a 14-year-old podcast in June. The structure stays the same each week: news first, then the Tech Guide reviews, then the Tech Guide help desk, where listener questions get answered. Questions come in by email to info at techguide.com.au or through a message button on the site, and Fenech often sends listeners to the website for the full written versions of his stories. The news covers TVs, AI, online safety and policy. Episodes have covered Hisense's 2026 RGB mini LED range and Sony's own RGB answer, Meta's Muse Spark and its AI glasses aimed at prescription wearers, a forecast of falling PC and tablet shipments, an iPhone feature meant to protect users from scam callers, and a federal court decision that went against Apple and Google. He shares his opinions openly: one episode marks 100 days of the social media ban and calls it a massive failure. The reviews are the show's most useful part. Fenech has tested large TVs such as the 115-inch Samsung micro RGB, laptops including the MacBook Air with M5, the MacBook Neo and the HP Omnibook X Flip 14, and phones such as the iPhone 17E and Pixel 10a. Smaller gear gets reviewed too, from Sony WF-1000XM6 earphones and a Huawei smartwatch to a DJI drone that shoots 8K in 360 degrees, a Kobo remote page turner and a Bluetti portable power station. He judges products on how they are to use, not just on their spec sheets. He says the MacBook Neo is for the many buyers who only want email, browsing, documents and the odd edit. After living with the entry model, he says he would gladly have paid extra for Touch ID rather than keep typing his password. He compares the missing sensor to driving a car without power steering. He also explains the technology behind the marketing names. In one passage on micro RGB and mini RGB backlights, he explains why narrow red, green and blue light sources give purer colour, comparing them to a finer brushstroke. The delivery is conversational and unpolished. After mixing up his seasons while giving Sony's release timing, he stops, apologises and states the timing again plainly. Much of the coverage has an Australian angle, including a survey finding that one in three Australians fear losing their jobs to AI. One episode is a sit-down with Jordan Mailata, introduced as an Aussie Super Bowl hero working with Amazon Australia in a new role. The talk turns to NFL training camp and the South Sydney connection the two share. Travel brings in news as well: one episode follows his return from HP Imagine 2026 in New York. The result is a practical guide for anyone weighing up a new screen, laptop or phone.