Tech Stream
Tech Stream 038
5 February 2010
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A classic old 14.4k modem from the early ’90s. Image from Flickr by Richard Masoner.
Very few people know how the internet developed in Australia and that the research-focused network that gave birth to it is still going strong today. We’ll find out more in the Tech Stream this week. Plus the fallout from the film industry losing their case against a major internet service provider whose customers downloaded pirated movies and television programs. For more details on the program read on or listen now via the MP3 link above.
Tech Stream 037
29 January 2010
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2010. The Future: so close you can almost smell it. Image from plan59.com.
This week in the Tech Stream: Apple unveil their latest, “must-have” device – the iPad. Technology journalist Danny Gorog joins us with all the details. The full interview with Danny and links to some of the other media coverage is in our blog post from yesterday.
We also crack open our crystal balls, with another look at the top technology trends and ideas for this year and into the next decade and beyond. We’ll hear from Stephen Prentice, VP and fellow at Gartner, the technology research and advisory company.
And finally Bajo from Good Game on ABC TV returns to forecast the video games trends and releases we’ll be talking about and playing in the year ahead.
Follow the MP3 link above to hear the full program, or subscribe to the podcast or our twitter feed by following the links to the right.
Apple introduces us to the iPad
28 January 2010
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iPad image from apple.com.au
At least a few of the rumours were true: Apple did indeed unveil their latest portable device today. It’s not called the iSlate or the iTablet though. It’s not being billed as an eBook reader either, although it does do that. It might even give the Amazon Kindle a run for its money. It’s the latest in a fairly unsuccessful line of tablet PCs but it almost needs a catergory of its own. Its called, simply, the iPad. That’s a picture of it above. And yes, it’s like a hotted-up version of the iPod Touch. Or big iPhone without the phone. It’s coming in March and it could signal a huge change in the way we think about portable devices and even personal computing in general.
Technology journalist and keen Apple-watcher Danny Gorog joined me earlier today to chat about this flashy new gadget, follow the MP3 link above to hear our conversation. Or read on for a summary of some of the more interesting media coverage.
Tech Stream 036
22 January 2010
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Flowers lay on a sign at the entrance to Google’s China headquarters in Beijing’s university district. Photo by Josh Chin from Flickr.
We’ll be looking forward, on this the first Tech Stream radio program of 2010, at the gadgets, technology trends and ideas set to dominate over the next twelve months. We also wrap up some of the news around Google rethinking its strategy in China, which may involve it pulling out of the country altogether, and find out why governments in Europe are advising their citizens to abandon Microsoft’s popular web browser. Follow the MP3 link above to hear the program or continue on for more…
Tech Stream 035 – Year in Review
18 December 2009
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What an incredible year to start covering technology news. I’ve heard 2009 described as being the “year of the internet”. And I’d have to agree. I spent a couple of weeks in the Solomon Islands and Japan where I lost access to the internet on my mobile and it really hit home just how important and valuable this connectivity was to me. So it’s no surprise that I’ve often been drawn to stories this year that related to how we connect with each other via the web. Sometimes this related to new mobile or PC technology. At other times it related to the underlying backbone of the network.
So in the Pacific we had more solid news about new undersea cables that could see the cost of internet access drop as speeds increase. The infrastructure isn’t yet in place though, and its still a struggle to access the kind of internet experience that most people in Australia, for example, now take for granted.
Domestically, here in Australia, we had two major announcements from the federal government – the splitting up of the country’s largest telecommunications provider, Telstra, as part of their National Broadband Network (NBN). And the government’s decision, the details of which became clearer this week, to filter banned content on the internet at an ISP level. Both of these stories are covered in the beginning of our special Year In Review program which you can listen to via the MP3 link above. Or continue reading on for more information.
Tech Stream 034
10 December 2009
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Video game designer David Jaffe provided the keynote speech via video link at GCAP 2009
The Tech Stream program this week is focused entirely on gaming. It was recorded at the Game Connect: Asia Pacific 2009 (GCAP) conference and expo which took place in Melbourne, Australia from the 6th to the 8th of December. Follow the MP3 link above to listen or continue reading for details.
Game Connect: Jay Wilbur from Epic Games
10 December 2009
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I had a chance, as part of the Game Connect: Asia Pacific 2009 conference, to speak with Jay Wilbur from Epic Games. Jay has been working in the industry for many years and his credits include classics like Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Quake and Commander Keen. Jay Wilbur is now Vice President – Business Development at Epic Games. The company’s recent releases include smashes like Gears of War (pictured above) and they also provide the technology under the hood of many other companies’ games – the Unreal Engine. Follow the MP3 link above to hear Jay Wilbur talking about “middleware” and Epic’s newly release UDK (Unreal Developers Kit).
Game Connect Asia Pacific 2009
8 December 2009
The puzzle game Blakely Van De Buckle’s Brass Cabaret being played in the Independent Gamers Exhibition at GCAP 2009. The game was produced by Powderkeg Entertainment.
I’m spending the beginning of this week at a gaming conference and expo in Melbourne. Game Connect: Asia Pacific (GCAP) is organised by the Game Developers’ Association of Australia (GDAA) and is an opportunity for people working in the gaming and interactive entertainment industry to network, share some new ideas and discuss some of the issues they’re facing. There has also been a focus on serious games, with education and health featuring heavily as themes on day one.
The GDAA Industry Awards took place at the end of day two and not surprisingly the runway smash Flight Control picked up a string of awards including “Best Game”. Firemint’s popular game for the iPhone and iPod Touch mobile platform has been downloaded from the iTunes App Store more than 1.5 million times. The President of the GDAA, Tom Crago, noted that “Flight Control has been a phenomenal success and has really been responsible for the creation of an entire new genre on iPhone. We’re very proud that this title was developed in Australia”. Heroes Over Europe from Transmission Games (which is no longer operating having closed down in October) also picked up three awards, including “Best Console Title”.
The Tech Stream program on Friday will be devoted to gaming and coverage of Game Connect: Asia Pacific 2009. Make sure you tune in, or subscribe to the podcast to hear it. In the meantime Mike Bantick has some good coverage over at iTWire, including an overview of the event and a story on the student produced games on show at GCAP.
I’ve also been asking people at the conference what their favourite game of 2009 was. What’s yours?
Taking a small break
7 October 2009
The Tech Stream program is disappearing from the airwaves for a few weeks. I’m heading to the Solomon Islands to run a training course and also taking a personal break.
Tech Stream returns to cover the Games Connect Asia Pacific (GCAP) 2009 conference on December 11th. And then on December 18th we’ll take a look back at the year that was. I’ll do another blog-post closer to then asking for some ideas about standout technology or tech news from the year, so start thinking!
You can follow me on twitter @tech_stream til then where I’ll post some occasional technology-news links… and we might even have some special guest bloggers joining us in coming weeks, so keep an eye out for that!
Ciao!
Ryan
Tech Stream 033
2 October 2009
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Triple J’s Unearthed.com, a community music site for Australian independent artists and their fans.
In the Tech Stream this week we look at some of the new tools available to music fans and artists to help them discover or share their music online. Soundcloud, RCRD LBL, We Are Hunted and Triple J Unearthed (pictured) are all featured. We also dig deeper into some of the issues around music file-sharing, free content, online promotion and streaming services. The MP3 link at the top of this post has the audio, or take the jump for more information.