Tech Guide with Stephen Fenech - 16th June

Published Jun 16, 2025, 12:19 PM

Tech Expert Stephen Fenech from Tech Guide takes your calls on the latest in tech.

Listen to John Stanley live on air from 8pm Monday to Thursday.

And now on night Stephen from the tech Guide.

Is here is Stephen Fennick because with look at, I want to find a little clip because they hadn't had a little example of how this is going to work. But the idea of being able to read people's minds, do youar me?

Well, you can like, there's there's things you can like I remember years ago, no, no, years ago at the Consumer Electronics Show. I can remember they had these products where you could actually and there's actually a photo of me. I have to dig it up where I wore this thing and I was able to raise an.

Object using my brain waves.

So there's ways to capture and record your brain waves. It's just now what you're saying is so the AI.

Can interpret it and tell what you're thinking. Yeah, all right, So it's it is interesting that but it does reinforce that AI is involved in so many parts of our everything now of course.

Yeah, and you know what, they're using it to sharpen the pencil on a number of things like this, like medicine like that, you're talking about brain waves and all kinds of different industries and where wherever they can apply it. They're they're they're using AI wherever they can.

All right, One three, one eight seven three is the number as always Stephen. Of course, his website is tech guide dot com dot AU. That's t C H. Tech guide dot com dot a U. You can see reviews, all sorts of stuff on there. But he's with us every Monday nights. You've got a question for him at or whatever it might be. It could be about a new piece of tech, it could be at a problem you're having, or it might be a product you're looking for and you want to know whether it's worth it. You might have seen the the ray bans.

Glasses I've got that should have worn him in, mate, I'll wear him in next time. Yeah, and I can record us talking. Yeah, But and you woanlt to know that I'm doing it.

That you're doing it.

But don't they aren't they there's a little little light that comes on.

Here, a light comes on. He tells your very good white light. Now, one three, one eight seven three is the number. Now, Apple, you know I've got I've got an iPad and I've got an iphi in the ecosystem, so I'm in the ecosystem. So I'm reading this this new software design that's been launched. I read about this and I'm thinking, all right, well is it going to be I've certainly got a I've certainly got an up to date iPad.

It'll it'll work all the all the software will work. I think we'll on iOS twenty six. It's going to be called will work from iPhone eleven onwards.

Okay, so that's most people are going to have that, all right, So in the iPhone eleven and twelve, I think they I think five GK five was a iPhone twelve with the twelve year all right, so it comes in, it's going to look a lot better.

Yeah, they've got this liquid glass design, so it's going to look a little bit sexierra, and the buttons and menus and tabs and stuff are going to look like this the transparent and you'll be able to see the content and it'll look like your screens big because.

There's no buttons in the way.

And so that's that's going to be the design language across all of their devices. So because they've not only reunited all the name, so every OS now is OS twenty six, because they were all over the shop before and there was eighteen and two and eleven and now they're all going to be iPads twenty six, iOS twenty six, and they're all going to have also that liquid design as well, which was inspired from the Vision pro The Vision pro os looks a little bit like that, the sort of semi translucent punk panels.

Much better stuff. Yeah, let's for our listener's sake, So the features too, it's not just all about looks. So let's just go through this live translation. I'm assuming I'm talking to someone in France. They're talking in French. I'm talking in English. Correct, that's right. And then how's it going to work?

So if it's a phone call, a text message or FaceTime, it'll lie do a live translation. So when you speak English, it'll translate it to French. They'll hear the French, they'll reply, it'll translate to English. You hear the English, and it keeps going on and on and whatever other languages in real time.

So as the person's.

Talking to you, it's happening, and that's Apple Intelligence in the background doing all the heavy lifting there. That's all happening on device, by the way, too, So your privacy is respected, and so you know, the little girl might be ringing her Nona in Italy and you know, she's talking Italian and the little girl can hear her translation in English, they can have a conversation. So it really breaks down the language barrier.

We should We should note though that.

This is something that Samsung uses have had for a year and a half already checked with that though.

So when, for instance, you're watching a news broadcast and they've got a translator over the top of the language, So will you hear the nona if it's someone in Italy or Greece, I think, and with a translation over the top.

Yeah, well no, you'll hear Well, the translation will happen a second after they finished speaking. When say, no, real time is in I'm finished saying this sentence right now, and then you'll hear the translation of that a second later.

Yeah, okay, So.

As real time as you can get it, can't translate it word for word because you're speaking. Yeah, it'll do again.

And I think see a lot of people are going to feel that that works, because if you've got someone you're talking to, your grandmother in Italy or whatever, you probably want to hear her talking in a tag of.

Course, And then i'd say you would, and then over the top, you'll hear the translation and then.

You might think I'm pretty sure I know what she said, and then you'll then hear the translation.

That's how to go. And you think about all the uses for this, Like imagine you're on holiday, you want to book a restaurant or somewhere you're in you're in France or Italy or somewhere you want to book a restaurant. You call the restaurant. This will do the translation on your behalf. So that's one of the good features I like. To the call screening, there's a feature that if you receive a call from a number you don't know, then you can actually ask the phone to screen the call, so it'll answer the call and say what's it regarding what gets some information about why the person's ringing you, and you can see the live transcription of that happening and decide whether you want to.

Answer that call.

So it could be could it could potentially save you from scammers. It might be a scam call or a telemarket or something you don't want.

To talk to. Then you can you can you can then decide whether you want.

To hang up or take the call.

Ye all right, So one of my colleagues. Can you set it up so that, say, one of my colleagues that might be Phil O'Neil or Michael McLaren. Uh, it's a you know, Sophie someone one of our colleagues. And so they've decided, all right, I can't come into work today because I've got to go to a funeral. And you can set it up so that if the if the bosses number comes up, basically the voice that the other is says, oh, look, I'm just on Michael's phone. I'm in the funeral. There is left it over here. It can't talk now, and hang it up? Can you get away with that? I'm not sure.

We'll have to talk to Apple engineers about that one.

That's got a bad one. Just on the new software, the iPhone.

SE that's the the new The later SE will work, yes, I think Gen.

Three s E. OK.

If if you want to tell us which SE, the SC that was released a couple of years ago will work, yes, Okay, so that because the most recent s will yeah, But the one a couple.

Of years ago, that's they have net SC since I found.

They've had Yes, I have you. They had SE I think two or three years ago there was a version that'll be fine, okay, all.

Right, And we're having some technical issues on the digital broadcast, I'm told by somebody, So look, if that's happening, can we get that checked as well? So I do like to make sure that everyone's looked after here, because I know you're listening to us on various different forms, streaming, smart speakers, the app. So whatever it is man.

AI telepathically, you'll be able to listen to with AI.

Yeah, who knows? So you just be able to into your brain beaming into your brain?

Yeah, why not?

Don't laugh. Let's go to Todd. Hello, Todd, You've got a question about.

This, Hi John, Okay, just a question. Question. Is a I going to take over the way we talk to all our customer service people? How are we going to tell the difference between talking to a human than a non human and the other questions. I'll be honest with you, is myself when I talk to any computer because I don't use vowels correctly, yep, the computer knocks me off. Is AI going to do the same thing? Because people have speech impediment and things like that, they're not going to be able to talk to a computer like you think it can because it doesn't work.

Yeah, well, the voice recognition is improving by the day, so I think AI, Yeah, it'll be the best it's ever been with AI.

It all.

And the thing with AI, it's got a very it's backed by what they call a large language model, so it's like it'd be like it's got a big vocabulary. It's like talking to a human being. Like I've seen some examples of people asking AI in there and there's umming and ring and stumbling over words, but AI still.

Under a oh yeah. Yeah.

Well I think there should be that transparency.

Absolutely. You would to know, Todd, whether you could be whether you're talking to a real person or not.

Yeah, well, I think that that's a valid question. I think if you are talking to like a bot, you see you go to a website and there's a chat happening, that nine times out of ten that's probably a bot on AI. But if it's a voice that's someone talking to you, you should you should be able to be told that this is an AI service rather than a human being. I think it just ethically, I think that should be that transparency should exist.

Yeah all right, So Todd, how would you feel if you found out you were having a chat and someone was humming an ring and coughing, and you realize that it wasn't a real person. But that actually helped you with your query.

Well, yeah, a good question, but I just think it's a quick one for you. John's in my age group. Are you familiar with Logan's Run?

Yes, I am, Yeah, Well I'm familiar with that too, that's right. And it was like Michael Yorke and as soon as you hit thirty, they kill you. Yep, that's it, and they escape. That's what Logan is. That's a good movie though.

Really, Okay, I'm looking at its thinking myself and thirty forty years time, whether our society will end up in that situation.

Well, it's a it's a real good that's a good question.

That good good, good movie reference.

Have you not seen that movie, John Logan's.

I've seen it. It's been remade, it's been remade. I'm sure. Yeah, there's a modern version of Michael york was in it. I'm sure. I'm sure it's been remade. I don't want to think about it, Todd. Maybe that's why I don't really want to.

Think I'd be dead too, mate, over thirties.

We're gone. Yeah, we're all gone. Okay, thank you for that. One three, one eight seven three is a number. Now, one of these questions here, Liz now is I don't know. He's let me see, because there's a good question he's got here. When I go to scroll or accidentally type when I'm looking at Facebook sites, sometimes it comes up text saved to clipboard. Now he's got an Android phone. Yeah, He's saying, how do I find where the clipboard is.

Or should Well, the clipboard is kind of the last thing saved is all that is just on that and if you press it, if you press it, hold the screen and then a pace should come up. So whatever you whatever's copied clipboard, you press and hold the screen and you'll be able to paste whatever you last saved.

But he wants to know where he finds the call.

It's on an Android fha. I'm not sure if it's in the file document or if it's just like a virtual clipboard where it only remembers the last thing you pasted.

Yeah, because the question would be whether it's it's not part of Facebook. It's actually part of the part of the phone.

But from as far as I know the whatever you last save, that's what comes out when you when you try to paste it, so it just remembers the last thing you saved.

See, I've got a hunch. I've got a hunch that and I might have a look at this Sydney Morning Herald Brisbane Times website which is part of our company. I think they have a situation where you can put you can look at a story and put it onto a clipboard. I can't find them. You're going to make sure these clipboards are actually able. Well.

You can on a browser, you can put it on a reading list so you can save it for labous.

But not everything comes up on the reading.

It depends on what browser you're using. The browsers have a reading something you could say for later to read later.

On three one seven three is a number. There's lots more news coming through, including the idea of mesh systems so you can spread your Wi Fi across your house. You've got a new one coming up which we'll talk about shortly. And if you've got a question for Steve, and it's as easy as calling one three one eight seven three, or you can just text zero four six zero eight seven three eight seven three at twenty seven to ten. Twenty four minutes to ten, we're talking tech here with Stephen Fennig Day forget. In the next hour we have the great man Craig Bennett entertaining you, and we will also just have a conversation with Kylie Moore Gilbert, who is of course, really I think the go to expert on what life is like in Iran and what the prospects might be of the people of Iran changing the regime and perhaps freeing themselves from what they've been going through. It's a slightly different issue to the broader question of what's happening, but it is fascinating. I think you'll find what you had to say very interesting. Now, the Android clip will's in the software keyboard and there's access through the keyboard interface itself. Then I've got this one here. Yeah, where is it here?

Yeah?

This is where it says you go to text message, it'll be the clipboard image. Tap on it and all your messages are there in clipboard. So there's that one as well. One three, one eight seven, three is the number. I want to go to. Peter, who's called in, Hello, Peter good.

A, John Steve, how are there I've got a bit of a funny problem at home. Okay, I am. I've got five G Internet with Telstra yep, Telsa can't say to tell.

Me what the problem is.

So every time we turn out microwave on, I've.

Got three kids at home, all on their iPads watching little YouTube and whatever have you.

Yeah, every time we turn the microwave on, it just completely cuts the Internet out of the house.

Yeah, well, that's obviously using some interference, and you know what, not the first time I've heard it. I've heard of a microwave interfering with TVs and and other things like how close is the microwave to the modem?

The modem is upstairs in the office, right.

And it's still it's still getting to it.

Yeah, and the microwaves downstairs with us, even like the kids even know, like mom is the microwave?

One tells you haven't got any solution for you, apart from getting a new microwave.

Can you get one of those you know, the pouches that you put your car keys in now to stop? Could you get a huge one to put around ya don't know.

Yeah, well, the only thing I could suggest is to I know, it's you can't move your microwave, try to move your modem?

Can you?

Can you put that in a different room and see if that fixes it? Or has it always been in the same play Have you tried that already.

Or potentially it used to be downstairs?

Maybe we can move it back down.

The OK, because that's it, Because it's obviously some kind of interference. I'm just trying to think what else in your home could be causing this? So what have you got a.

I'm thinking I'm thinking one of two things.

Maybe is it the microwave itself, like the actual microwaves, or is it like an electricity defect in the PowerPoint?

Could it could be Also it could be in the power lines, because because you can't you can potentially send data along power lines, right, you can do that in your house. It could could be the.

Some sort of signal like that.

I'm also wondering do you have a an antenna with.

A booster on it? Have you got a booster on your antenna?

I tried that years ago that I'm just trying to think of what's causing interference, and that seems to be it.

Now.

Before you had the five G modem, did would this problem occur with a regular NBN modem, you probably find that that might be what you might need to entertain as well as going on to the NBN instead of five.

G get internet event.

Yeah, like maybe I was.

Just curious to know if anyone else with five G has this problem with mic wave.

Well, we see if anyone's listening, and there could be there could be a sparking listing it might yeah maybe, But I think.

The key here is it's five G, so you're relying on a signal to give you your internet, not a cable, and it's it's some kind of interference obviously, But let's if there's other anyone else that's had the same issue.

We'd love to hear from you guys. Okay, I've got someone here saying it's resonant frequency. Now I'm a sparky. Put a power filter on the circuit, So a power filter on the circle on the circuit, George says, put the motive on a different power circuit to the microwave. So the different circuits, So how do you do that.

Your board or change the PowerPoint, go to a different PowerPoint. Maybe how many circuits would there.

Be in your home? I don't know. Tell well, well, Peter, you want to try any of that, keep listening and we'll give you all these suggestions and write them down and try them all out and let us know how you go. All right, that's the best way. One person talking about smart meter and the switchboard, but he's talking about resonant frequency, and he's saying, put a power filter on the circuit, or put the motum on a different power circuit of the microwave. So at our house we've got one of the if one of the fe users go, say in the laundry when I've got the.

It's on a separate, separate say with me at my home, theaters on a different circuit to the rest.

Of the house. If you want to try that. That's the most interesting one though, absolutely Yeah.

Well it's because the seekers five G signal interference.

Okay, let's go to Costa. Who's got a question for you now? At nineteen minutes to ten Costa, Hello, hy, Yes, cost Okay, listen, can we fix that line? We try and get a better line for Christal bra that's no good one three eight seven three. We'll try and clean that line up. But I did want to mention these wireless systems.

Yes, because zero yeah, zero pro seven Okay, this is an Amazon product, the Amazon starting point because in the end, these mesh systems that spread the Internet through.

That create a better Wi Fi network. Can you explain what they are? And this one, well, mesh systems are.

It's basically like an amplifier for your WiFi. So you have one next to your modem, and then you place other little satellites around the house and they all talk to each other and spread the signal and sort of give you a wider coverage, wider range, more robust wireless network. Now, these are in my opinion and necessity because the NBN supplied modem router, the modem part's great. The router part, which gives you the Wi Fi is not very good. It doesn't give you much range, and so you want to get the speed you're paying for. If you're paying for one hundred BIGI bits per second or gigabit per second, you want to get that everywhere in your house. And the way to do it is with a mesh system like this and the Eero Pro seven I review. The pro version three routers in the in the kit, one connects directly to your modem and the others are positioned in your house. So I've got a two story house, so I've got one near the modem down downstairs, one in the living area downstairs, one upstairs, so they all triangulate make a great signal, and you'll see my review. I did speech tests, like I've got gigabit per second speeds in my house. I'm a Ossie broadband customer, and I was getting nine hundred megabit per second plus in the front house of the house, the back upstairs, the front upstairs, everywhere was getting generous Wi Fi, almost to what I would get if I got a cable connected.

To the motive. Okay, so this one, this is a WiFi seven seven that's right.

So it gives you if you've got a compatible device like the latest phones and laptops, so you're getting another two and a half times speed bump there as well. It's backwards compatible. Of course I've got older devices. It will still connect. But it is and really easy to set up too. That's what a lot of people think. Oh, they feel intimidated to think, all, how am I going to do this?

This is a.

Step by step process. Anyone can set this up. It's very simple. It guides you through it. It guides you from the initial setup, just positioning your satellites, testing the connection, change in the name of the network, whatever, it's all done. Really cost it's eleven hundred and nine and nine. Okay, all right, so the three that's for the three pack. One of them is like five eighty nine. Three of them is like, let's call it twelve hundred.

Okay, so it's twelve hundred. Look, and I've got the ORB, which is now I think it's Wi Fi six, but look it goes it's Wi Fi seven. They've got. I've got it's got the ORB which is Wi Fi six, and I bought it a couple of years ago. And it works very well from a point of view of someone who wants and I always like to look at everyone here. That's pretty pricey. If someone's got internet in their house, they want to spread it a bit, they haven't got a big budget. You can make can get Dentel improved.

There's also the same one, the non pro version. There's this the Eero seven, which is about half the price, but you don't get as fast internal Wi Fi.

What is a lot better than what you Oh.

Yeah, it'll be better than what you had before. Still Wi Fi seven and cheaper. But there are there like NETg you have their own version of Wi Fi seven Mesh, as does TP link. They've all got their own versions. And depending on how many devices you want to connect, the kind of area you want to cover, and the speeds, they're the three variables that will make it more expensive.

All right. Microwave issue possibly power cables running too close to data cables, and the roof. We have the same problem with our microwave. It affects our Chrome cast, which is the Kramee cast. And this is quite funny. And again because remembering that back in the nineties you used to get the Internet via the phone.

You dial up and have a busy signal, and so what would.

Happen is to think back in the nineties, suscreament my mother when I lost internet connection? Are you on the phone? I want to pick up the phone, and someonet to pick up the phone and you're in the middle of a game or whatever you're doing, and suddenly it's on because they've picked up the phone.

Be there.

Yeah, let's go to a Costa who I think might have a better line. Now, Costa Hello, Hello, can you hear me now? Yeah, very good mate, Yeah, good, excellent.

Sorry where I was before. Basically I've got an Apple Mac at the moment, which possibly I can't look at that now you'll have bad reception. But I think it's around about maybe eight or ten years old. It was working fine for me up until I put ADB, Photoshop and yeah the other a debut programs on and it's just completely slow looking at getting a new one at the moment. I went to the Apple store today and they're trying to get me to get the Apple Mini, which is just the just the Mac Mini.

Yeah, the head looks looks like just the just the CPU. You got a b yo monitor and keyboard.

Is that what you mean?

That's the one?

Yeah, that's a really good computer. I think they're up to what is that the M three version. They're up to an hour M four and four M four is I think that's a that's a gutsy choice, that one, because it's a lot of bang for your buck with that one. I've reviewed that that's a that's a really good computer. If if you like, they've got the the iMac, which is the all in one which you've you've that's what you've got now, isn't it.

The iMac.

Yeah, they've got that, and they're really nice. I think they're up to M four two and they're really thin and all different colors and got built in monitor and everything. But if you're if you want to go the Mac Mini, would I reckon give you a bit more power, a bit more if you want to sort of use apps, applications like Photoshop that you were mentioning, the Mac Mini I think would work a lot better than another iMac. And if you want to go really extreme and go right to the top, the Mac Studio, which is the that's their super duper computer that can that could, that's got so much computational power that it's I'll never scratch the surface of that what that can do.

That one.

It's a lot of lot of a lot of ram, a lot of a lot of memory and power in that one. But the Mac Mini a good choice.

Very great. It goes to make many one of the best monitors because they're saying that I cannot use my current monitor because it's already got the CPU.

And it of course, yeah.

You should, like Apple will sell you a monitor, but it's quite expensive.

I would look at.

I would look at maybe some gaming monitors that you know, it depends on what it's going to cost more if you want four K, if you want if you're happy with full full HD, than there are are choices also depending on the size. I'd look at Brands like Samsung have some good monitors. I'd look at LG also have some really good monitors too, and they all work with with Thunderbolt, which is there the connection the USB C same shape connection as USBC as well. So get get at a monitor that's Thunderbolt compatible.

All right, Okay, Thunderbolt compatible. Right, well done, all right, I hope that works. So many choices A very good, very very good. Yeah. Macmann is a good little product here that one. Look, someone's just done this. They've done a quick Google search, which you can do of course these days. And five g signal interference by microab and microwaves run at two point four gigahertz and Wi fi's two point four giga hurts can cause trouble. He changed your routed to five giga hurts, so well.

It's he'd have a dual band router anyways, dual band modem. So the five giga hurts band should be unaffected.

Then yeah, if it's running on five giga hurt maybe if you I don't know what, I'm just giving people all the suggestions.

Well if that's the same, it's if that's the same as because all all Wi Fi networks have two point four giga hurts. So the one I mentioned before the euro is a try band two point four five and six, so that doesn't get affected when I use my microwape.

I know, I'm just I'm just giving him all the suggestions come to that's what he wanted to hear from people. So there's that one come through from Scott. Change the route of the five g and settings to see if if that five gighurs do the trick or the five gigahurts gig alright, give it a go. One three, one, eight, seven three is the number. Now ten and a half minutes to ten, Right now, seven to ten. We've covered a lot of ground tonight. Look, we get a lot of answers on the microwave and they made him so try a few of those and we might actually kick those that feedback coming through, and we'd love to hear from you in terms of some of the answers whether any of them worked in the meantime. Carmel. Carmel's got a Samsung tablet. I'm locked out, but was using it earlier this evening. Now I've forgotten my password so locked out. As it logged her out of the curve, she says, I was using it earlier this evening. Now she's locked out because obviously she's gone back in tried to log in, and she's.

Forgotten that last pot because she tried too many times with.

The pass code.

Well, it should give an indication of how long she's got to wait to try it again. She's just got to remember the passwork what you're telling me, and through this there's no way around a password.

That's sam Sung Apple everything. That's why there's a pass code. I can't get around it. And we have had instances where police or intelligence services have gone.

In extreme circumstances where the company that made the tablet can perhaps get it in. But that's the reason why there's because if you drop left that on a bus and if in it they could just get in it without the pass code, then what's the point of having a security It's okay, that's why you Unfortunately, the only solution is remember you passwords.

So just and the answer is when you can get back in. Kept trying every password you can rule.

I'm pretty sure it'd be digit. So okay, all right, take your time and i'd suggest maybe write down what you think it might be, so you have a list there already, write down.

A few, okay, and that way you're not wasting it. I think the question will be so somebody you can go. Your answer is no, right, Judy, You've got a quick question for us. What did you want to ask?

My husband's got a Wisbank Canon camera that digit always does everything, and he wants to down I want to actually do something with the photos. That's the best way to go about editing them and playing around with them. You're not quite sure what's the best way to advise you mother? You can do it in your computer?

You mean an application and editing software? Is that what you want to what you want to know? Well, you can't go past Photoshop. Adobe Photoshop is pretty good. Also if you're an Apple user, light Room is.

Another great one as well.

Okay, Well, a Photoshop then would be would i'd be that? That's kind of the rolls Royce of photo editing.

Is it a Canon because I had a Canon Cannon camera. They had a actually had an app where it allows you to.

Down transfer where you can How old is the camera it's digitals.

About three years.

Yeah, it should should have.

The facility to send the photos wirelessly to your computer or take out the memory card and feed him into the computer that way.

You can do it that way. Yeah, I think if you just look it up.

Canon will off the memory card or you can wirelessly transfer. But but I'd recommend Adobe Photoshop is the way to go.

Look try that because because look I've done it duty with mine. I managed to get my photos into the computer. If I can do it. The quick one here from soom a phone shut down said the emergency calls only went to a computer person too, simply cleaned the SIM card. It all came back online. We fixed, So there's a dirty SIM card or you know what.

Some people have their phone on too long as well, just turn it off back on. Some people keep their phone on for weeks at a time, and that's.

Been probably the emergency case. That's separate to the other issue. The lady hasn't got hasn't got a password. She's just going to have to remember it. That's what you're saying. Okay, look, let us know how you go with that one. There's also the question of whether you've got your stuff backed up, but we might do that next week, can we? And I wouldn't get time. You've got a review of the High Scense m Too Outstanding on your website tico dot com dot a u

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