Brett Haggard and Jon Tullett join Simon Dingle to discuss:

• The Gautrain. Trains are technology, right?
• The new ACE undersea cable that will run up Africa’s West Coast.
• Telkom’s next moves.
• Contention ratios – why are they secret?
• Monopolies and comebacks.
• R&D at Microsoft.
• iPhone 4.
• The WirelessG iPod deal.
• Google StreetView in SA and custom homepages.

Our picks and pick-ons of the week:

• Jon Tullett – Picks: Manufactoria.
• Brett Haggard – Picks: iPad Camera Connection Kit and Freedom™ by Daniel Suarez.
• Simon Dingle – Picks and picks-on: Sony Vaio P Series and picks: Red Dead Redemption.

Direct file download (31MB)

Jon Tullett returns to the show as your host this week, joining Brett Haggard and Duncan McLeod to discuss:

• FNB launching PayPal in South Africa.
• Mobile payment systems like M-Pesa.
• The internet access price war and its move to mobile.
• Disintermediation of cellular network services.
• The 2010 Pwn2Own competition.
• The Nintendo DSi XL, now available in SA.
• 3D film and games.

Our picks and pick-ons of the week:

• Jon Tullett – Picks: His car, with USB port (a Kia Sportage).
• Brett Haggard – Picks: The TrickleStar multiplug.

Direct file download (29MB)

Duncan McLeod and Simon Dingle are your panel this week. They discuss:

• MWEB’s uncapped ADSL announcement and the market’s reaction.
• Local loop unbundling and spectrum allocation.
• On Digital Media (ODM)’s Top TV pay-TV service.
• The Blue Bulls Tomtom.
• Updates on Altech.
• Google pulling out of China.
• Sony’s Playstation Move controller.

Our picks and pick-ons of the week:

• Duncan McLeod – Picks: Radio South Africa and Freebooks.
• Simon Dingle – Picks: Twitter for BlackBerry.

Direct file download (22MB)

CEO of Incredible Connection, Dave Miller joins us on the show this week, with Don Packett, Simon Dingle and, later, Duncan McLeod to discuss:

• IT spend in the downturn.
• Dave teaches us some new names for his company (we’d only heard Incredible Corruption).
• 3D Gaming.
• Netbooks and their market domination.
• Steam coming to Mac.
• Digital software distribution.
• The HP Slate and the growing tablet market.
• Hybrid sport cars, and connecting gadgets to cars in general.
• DStv canceling their porn plans.
• BlackBerry, and co-CEO Jim Basillie’s visit to South Africa.
• MTN’s annual results.
• Paypal coming to SA.

Our picks and pick-ons of the week:

• Duncan McLeod: Picks – DStv’s iPhone apps.
• Don Packett – Picks – Chatroulette.
• Simon Dingle – Picks: CamTwist.

Direct file download (30Mb)

We’re in our new studio space this week, echoes, unpainted walls and all. Brett Haggard, Don Packett, Duncan McLeod and Simon Dingle are your panel this week. We discuss:

• The future of Cell C.
• Improving PC sales and analysts’ expectations for tablet computers.
• Microsoft Mix and the prospects for Windows Phone.
• Sony’s 8001050F error on the PS3.
• Apple vs. HTC in patent dispute.
• In-flight WiFi coming to Mango.
• HP’s Pavilion DM1 netbook.
• Dropped calls on Vodacom and the smartphones that apparently cause them.
• iBurst’s new iDSL service with unlimited bandwidth for gaming.
• Telkom bumping up speed on ADSL lines.

Our picks and pick-ons of the week:

• Duncan McLeod – Picks: Skype for Symbian.
• Brett Haggard – Picks: The Macheist nanoBundle 2.
• Don Packett – Picks: Mi-World and the Mi-Bar for geeks.

Direct file download…

Two first-timers join the ZA Tech Show panel this week – stand-up comedian and co-founder of Thunk! Perspective Lab, Don Packett and CTO of the Johannesburg Area Wireless Users Group, Kieran Murphy join Duncan McLeod and Simon Dingle to discuss:

• Duncan’s experiences with the Nokia Booklet 3G.
• Wireless users groups.
• Rumours of Multichoice preparing transactional video-on-demand services via DStv, as well as the possibility of a porn channel.
• The 10 billionth iTunes Music Store download.
• Sony’s 3D broadcasts of the 2010 Fifa World Cup and 3D TV in general.
• Heavy Rain, new-school Mario and gaming in general.
• The Nokia E72.
• Mobile Linux distributions.
• Exclusive Books getting into the ebooks game.

Our picks and pick-ons of the week:

• Duncan McLeod – Picks: The Opera 10.5 beta web browser.
• Kieran Murphy – Picks: Thesixtyone music adventure.
• Simon Dingle – Picks: Plants vs. Zombies.
• Don Packett – Picks: Fitness Builder for iPhone.

Direct file download (25MB)

Easing their way into 2010, our panel of geeks this week consists of Duncan McLeod, Simon Dingle and Toby Shapshak. They discuss

• On Digital Media (ODM) – South Africa’s second pay TV operator.
• Google’s intention to stop filtering information in China.
• Microsoft’s focus on Xbox and progress with Windows 7.
• Mobile gaming moving to phones.
• The local launch of the BlackBerry Bold 9700.
• Internet filtering in Australia and China.

Our picks of the week:

• Duncan McLeod – Vlingo.
• Toby Shapshak – Blue Lounge Studio Desk and CableDrop.
• Simon Dingle – N.O.V.A., BlackBerry OS 5.0 and GodMode in Windows 7.

Direct file download (24MB)

In our first episode of the year Ben Kelly, Brett Haggard, Duncan McLeod and Simon Dingle form the panel, with Toby Shapshak dialing in from CES later on in the show. We discuss:

• Parrot’s iPhone-controlled helicopter.
• HP’s new tablet and why we need tablets at all.
• HD Skype, 3-D and other progress in television.
• Vodacom’s legal battle in the DRC.
• Google’s Nexus One. Is Android its own worst enemy?
• Toby overviews CES for us and digs into Lenovo’s new line-up.

Our picks and pick-ons of the week:

• Ben Kelly – Picks: Custom GelaSkins.
• Brett Haggard – Picks: The Speedtest.net iPhone app.
• Simon Dingle – Picks: Quake Live and World of Goo.
• Toby Shapshak – Picks: Lenovo’s new range of portables.

Direct download (30MB)

Host of the ZA Show, Glen Verran makes his debut on the ZA Tech Show this week, joining Simon Dingle, Duncan McLeod and Brett Haggard. We discuss:

• Podcasting in South Africa.
• FarmVille and other online games.
• Twitter’s waning popularity.
• The Nokia N900.
• Mustek reporting HP to the Competition Commission.
• Time Inc’s tablet-friendly magazine concept.
• Of Windows, Mac and Linux.
• 3d television and Sony shooting the 2010 World Cup in 3d.
• Eskom and the future of power production.
• DSTV launching Super Sport HD.

Our picks and pick-ons of the week:

• Glen Verran: Picks – The HDTV and Home Theatre Podcast and The Mede8er.
• Duncan McLeod: Pick - Garmin Nuvi 1410.
• Brett Haggard – Pick – Threadsy (yes, again).
• Simon Dingle: Maemo Linux and New Super Mario Bros. for Wii.

Direct file download (32MB)

With one false-start under the belt Ben Kelly, Duncan McLeod, Toby Shapshak, Simon Dingle and Brett Haggard recompose themselves and discuss:

• The end of TV licenses in South Africa and what the future holds for public broadcasting.
• MTN’s declining subscriber numbers and other telecommunications chaos.
• The launch of Google Maps in South Africa and why Garmin and Tomtom should be very worried about the new Google Maps Navigation application.
• Rumours mounting over Apple’s tablet device, including discussions with publishers.

Our picks and pick-ons of the week:

• Toby Shapshak – Picks – Blackberry’s Bold 2 and The Daily Maverick.
• Ben Kelly – Picks – an iPhone case from Capdase that we can’t find a link for.
• Brett Haggard – Picks – Guitar Hero 5.
• Simon Dingle – Picks – International Kindle set to US for free browsing.

And, as promised, here’s a picture of the Hashfail band, featuring Brett Haggard on lead guitar:

Direct file download (37MB)

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