Tech Stream
Archive for April, 2009
A runway hit
30 April 2009
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They got game: the Firemint team in their Richmond studio.
An Australian game developer has an unexpected hit on its hands. The company, Firemint, is based in Richmond, a suburb of Melbourne, and has been producing games for mobiles and other platforms for the past decade. But it was while on a Christmas break from the office that their CEO Robert Murray and his wife Alexandra hit on the idea for Flight Control, a simple but very addictive game for the iPhone and iPod-Touch.
It’s become a worldwide hit and some in the media have speculated that around half a million people have downloaded the game. Firemint are keeping the exact figure under wraps but Rob was happy to talk more about the success of Flight Control and share his thoughts on the future of mobile gaming.
You can listen to our chat via the MP3 link above or have this and all the audio in the Tech Stream delivered straight to your computer or portable media player by subscribing to our podcast.
Shanzhai Phones
28 April 2009
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Counterfeit mobile phones are big business in China, with research firm Gartner suggesting they already account for more than 20 percent of sales in the world’s biggest mobile phone market. The New York Times reports today on the boom in blackmarket “Shanzhai” phones, which often sell for as little as US$35 each, far less than the devices they are ripping off. And while these devices have been available for years, the drop in price for components and the ability to tap into the supply chains of the bigger brands has made it possible for a small company to mimic anything from an iPhone to the latest Nokia or Motorola.
Tech Stream 010
24 April 2009
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Photo from Flickr by Giorgio Montersino.
We’re celebrating our tenth episode in the Tech Stream this week with a special discussion on travel related technology and web services.
A little light reading
23 April 2009
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Photo from Flickr by Phillip Torrone.
It took us a while, but finally we have our filthy mits on Amazon’s new e-Book reader the Kindle 2. The reason for the delay is that it is actually not for sale anywhere but the USA. That’s right, in spite of all the tech-hype around the gadget, Americans are the only people able to buy it and use it to its full potential.
New technology for the modern traveller
23 April 2009
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Many inflight entertainment systems feature USB and power outlets for mobiles and portable media players. Photo from Flickr by Alan Chan.
We’re focusing on changes in the technology being used to research, book, document and enhance our travels this week. Joining us for the journey is Peter Marks, technology editor for ABC Radio National Breakfast, Angus Kidman, Australian editor of Lifehacker and Venessa Paech, community manager at Lonely Planet online. A shortened version of our chat will be in the Tech Stream radio program and podcast, but you can listen to the full discussion now via the MP3 link at the top of this story.
If you have any tips for new travel related technology or travel community websites we’d love to hear them!
Jail verdict for Pirate Bay founders
20 April 2009
As reported on the weekend on ABC News Online:
Four men behind The Pirate Bay, one of the world’s biggest file-sharing sites, say they will appeal against their convictions and have refused to pay any damages for breaking copyright law. A Swedish court sentenced the four Pirate Bay founders to one year in jail for their involvement with the website. Said to have 25 million users, The Pirate Bay indexes and tracks BitTorrent files which allow users to download films, music and computer games from others. The men were ordered to pay $5 million in damages to a number of entertainment companies, including Warner Bros, Sony Music Entertainment, EMI, and Columbia Pictures. Throughout the trial, the four men denied the charges saying because they did not actually host any files, they were not doing anything wrong.
Read the full article online and Elizabeth Jackson also reported on the result on ABC Radio’s Saturday AM program as well. For more analysis of the verdict and ramifications I would recommend Nate Anderson’s article on Ars Technica which gives some background; Greg Sandoval on CNET asks whether internet piracy has reached a tipping point; and Wired magazine reports on how file sharing may have saved Hollywood and the music industry. Fascinating and timely reading.
Tech Stream 009
17 April 2009
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Thai army readies for offensive [Nicolas Asfouri, AFP]
We’re in Fiji and Thailand this week looking at media censorship, internet snooping and the dangers of blogging during political unrest.
#amazonfail
16 April 2009
I had it on my agenda to include something in Tech Stream this week about #amazonfail. What is it? Well the # (hash tag) at the beginning indicates that “amazonfail” is a twitter search label, allowing people ‘tweeting’ to categorise the content of their post. It implies that somehow Amazon, the online retail store, has made a monumental blunder (ie “fail”). Over the Easter weekend a story started breaking that the company had removed the “sales rank” from hundreds of books with gay and lesbian themes, essentially burying them from view. Fail.
Unrest in Fiji and blogging in the Pacific
15 April 2009
Our In The Loop program is starting a new segment looking at blogs and bloggers in the Pacific. You can listen to the first interview that Clement and Isabelle have done with Dennis Tokunai from the tubuans and dukduks blog based in Papua New Guinea. Follow this MP3 link to hear his thoughts on blogging about political and cultural issues, some of his own favourite blogs and how you can learn more about a place by reading the blogs created there.
Tech Stream 008
9 April 2009
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Audio technology is our focus in the Tech Stream this weekend with an extended chat about the future of music production, and how changes in technology have impacted on the home recording musician. Joining us is Jim Moynihan, who records under the name Spoonbill (you can hear some of his music in the podcast too). We also have Brad Watts from Audio Technology magazine.
Also this week a quick look at the proposed national broadband network announcement from Australia. See our previous post for more details or check out a special Radio Australia News feature. The report in the program was from Triple J’s HACK radio program and was produced by Juliette O’Brien. It was originally broadcast on Tuesday 7th of April 2009 where they also interviewed the Australian Communications Minister Stephen Conroy.