Tech Stream

Tech Stream 035 – Year in Review

18 December 2009

Listen and download: MP3

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.

We also cover the ongoing rise of the iPhone and Apple’s iTunes App store. But as you’ll hear there’s also enthusiasm for Google’s Android mobile operating as an alternative.  We discuss eBooks, Windows 7, Chrome, Wave, augmented reality, internet memes, cloud computing, social networks and social media as well as internet search technology.

Joining me in the studio for Tech Stream 035 is:

Georgia Webster from the Byte Into It podcast. Georgia joined us earlier in the year to talk about online language trends and memes.  She is also the General Manager of SYN media.

Simon Goodrich is from Portable Content and helped guide us through the world of social networks and online business trends in 2009. Simon is also the President of the Victorian chapter of AIMIA, the Australian Interactive Media Industry Association, and the Australian Ambassador for the Webby Awards.

Danny Gorog, a technology journalist who writes for a variety of publications and websites.  This week on ABC Science he’s taking a look back at The Evolution of the Digital Camera.

And technology journalist Adam Turner, who contributes to the Tech Talk Radio program, among other things. Links to his other work is on his own website adamturner.com.au

We’d love to hear your feedback on the program. Was there a technology story from 2009 that stood out for you, or a particular gadget, device or web service that you discovered during the year that you could no longer live without?  Feel free to leave comments below.

We’re replaying some special repeat versions of the Tech Stream over the next four weeks, but only on our FM relays across Asia and the Pacific. The podcast version returns on January 22nd.

Have a safe festive season and a happy new year!

Ryan