Tech Stream
Posts Tagged ‘ microsoft’
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 026
14 August 2009
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Kong Pharith’s solar-powered electric jeep hits the streets of Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
Solar and other renewable energy sources could one day be powering all of our cars. At least that’s the long-term hope for those who understand the impacts that the current methods for powering our vehicles has on the planet.
In the Tech Stream this week we hear about the battery technology which is making this future possible now; the rollout of an electric vehicle recharge network in Australia and how an industrious inventor in Cambodia decided he couldn’t wait any longer so built his own solar-powered electric jeep (see the photo above). More details after the jump, or follow the MP3 link above to hear the program right away.
Tech Stream 025
7 August 2009
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Hacking in China, the internet in the Pacific, Microsoft and Yahoo cut a deal and updates to the Wii controller. Its all in the Tech Stream this week. You can hear the latest program with the MP3 link at the top of this story or to the right and keep reading for the full lowdown…
Tech Stream 023
24 July 2009
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Mobile money, Google vs Microsoft and gaming in the Wild West. Its a mixed bag in the Tech Stream this week. You can listen to the full program with the MP3 link above or read more after the jump…
Tech Stream 012
8 May 2009
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In the Tech Stream this week we kick off with a look at the new Windows 7 “release candidate” from Microsoft which was made available for worldwide download on Tuesday. Renai Le May from IT news website ZDNet Australia has the lowdown. Simon Goodrich from Portable Content joins me for breakfast and we discuss what happens to innovation during tough economic times. We also have a story about what will happen to the popular .tv domain name should the Pacific nation of Tuvalu sink beneath the rising seas. And finally we have Bajo from Good Game with his thoughts on why some games get better with age (much like a fine wine) while others just get worse over time.
You can listen to the full Tech Stream program with the MP3 link above or the “Listen Now” link on the right. Feel free to comment on any of these stories or suggest something we can follow up in future programs. You can also subscribe to the podcast too!
New Windows
6 May 2009
Microsoft’s much hyped, long-awaited new operating system, Windows 7, has been released to the public for testing. The “Release Candidate” version can be downloaded in English, German, Japanese, French, and Spanish but expires on the 1st of June 2010. They are recommending a certain level of tech-savviness or IT skills – the ability to properly backup your data for example, so think a little before jumping in at the deep end with an operating system that could still be buggy. But it will be the final testing version of the software before Microsoft ships it to computer makers to install on new PCs for sale. The release comes as Microsoft announces a second round of layoffs (their own beta-testers perhaps?) after disappointing financial results for the first quarter of 2009.
I think I’ll run a story on this in the Tech Stream radio program this week – so I’m keen to hear your thoughts on the new operating system, or whether you think sending out a beta version like this on such a grand scale is a good idea. Should they just release Windows 7 for free, now, in its current form, and continually upgrade and update it like many other OS and general software makers do?
