..:: Talk Radio 702 ::..

TECHNOBYTE

Aki Anastasiou stops by David O'Sullivan's show to discuss the latest developments in the field of technology. Included is global IT news from the preceding week, major IT stock moves, virus warnings, interviews with experts in various sectors, the latest gadgets and technological advances. Podcast the latest Technobyte - click here.

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TECHNOBYTE for 08 February 2010

On Technobyte this afternoon, what technology drive The Gautrain, Facebook hits 400 million users and undergoes some changes and fascinating maps on Google Earth that compare aerial photos from the Second World War to what those cities look like today.

Last week I spend a morning travelling on the Gautrain while it was doing test from Midrand towards the Marlboro station. I was very impressed by the smoothness of the train travelling at 160 km/h. There is also an incredible amount of technology that drives the train and Dan Hope from Bombardier ran through some of the interesting technical aspects of the Gautrain

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The Pew Internet and American Life survey today released data showing that younger and younger teens are getting cell phones, with 56 percent of 12-year-olds toting the devices. If we assume that these kids will live until the age of 78 and take as fact a recent NPR story that said each cell phone has an average 16-month life expectancy, these teens will go through almost 50 cell phones in their lifetimes. That’s a lot of hardware and that’s a lot of months paying for cell plans. It boggles the mind.

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Many of us have heard stories, read books and watched films which show the many impacts of WWII across the world. Today we're giving you another way to understand this period in time - by exploring a new set of historical aerial images, taken over European cities during World War II, via the historical imagery feature in Google Earth. They can now be compared directly to images from the present day.

The historical imagery feature gives people a unique perspective on the events of the past using today's latest mapping technology. We hope that this World War II imagery will enable all of us to understand our shared history in a new way and to learn more about the impact of the war on the development of our cities.

Images taken in 1943 show the effect of wartime bombing on more than 35 European towns and cities. Imagery for Warsaw, which was heavily destroyed at the time, is available from both years 1935 and 1945. They remind us all of the devastating impact of war on the people in those cities and also the remarkable way in which urban environments are reconstructed and regenerated over time.

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Facebook marked its sixth birthday by simplifying its home page and holding an all-night "hackathon" to craft new software for the social networking website. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said the online community is hitting another milestone with membership climbing to 400 million this week. Changes include modifying the Top Menu to make it easier to find new messages, notifications, and requests. An Applications Dashboard will let members see the latest programs used by themselves or friends, and a Games Dashboard is dedicated for playing.

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TECHNOBYTE for 01 February 2010

The technology world was buzzing last week when Apple Steve Jobs announced the iPad. The tablet will have a starting price tag of $499 is expected in US stores at the end of March followed a month later by a Wi-Fi 3G model. It will be released in South Africa shortly thereafter although pricing has not yet been confirmed.

The touch screen device weighs around 700 grams, is 243 mm high, 190 mm wide is 13.5 mm thick and has a beautiful screen. It is not going to be replacing the cell phone or the computer but it will be something in between the two.

In his keynote address Steve jobs said with this device you will be able to read books, watch movies, look at pictures, do email and surf the internet with ease and type documents and access apps from the Apple App Store.

Apple’s new device strength is in its simplicity and has a broad appeal to many people who want to access modern technologies effortlessly.

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Intel Corp. and Micron Technology Inc. on Monday plan to announce the world's first 25-nanometer NAND flash technology, which will make it possible to double the storage capacity of devices like smartphones, music and media players, and solid-state drives (SSD) without making the products themselves any bigger.

Intel is currently shipping samples to equipment manufacturers of an 8GB NAND die created with its latest lithography. Lithography is the process of creating cells and transistors in silicon, which are used to store bits of data. The smaller they are, the more that can fit on a single NAND flash chip -- and the greater the storage capacity. The companies plan to begin mass production of the 8GB die next quarter.

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Cloud Computing has been a computer term that has been bounced around quite extensively over the last few years. Many have said that 2010 is going to be the year where this segment of the market will grow substantially.

Nick Keene is the country manager for Citrix Systems and he was in the studio to talk about cloud computing and how it will change the technology world in the future.
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TECHNOBYTE for 25 January 2010

On Technobyte, Apple are set to announce the most talked about gadget this year on Wednesday, and Robert Scobble Talks about the Google phone and the trends that we will see in 2010

One of the most talked about products this year is the launch of Apple’s Tablet. The rumours have been circulating for weeks but nobody to date has caught a glimpse of the most talked about tech story this week.

What we do know is that there is a big Apple event on Wednesday where Apple boss Steve Jobs is expected to announce the new gadget from Apple. The techies are in a frenzy, people have been searching for clues on the new device but at this point they are all rumours, albeit strong rumours. Steve Jobs over the weekend was overheard saying “This will be the most important thing I’ve ever done” referring to the table. An Apple employee said that “You will be very surprised how you interact with the new tablet.” which means that there will be new multi touch gestures.

So what are all the rumours saying? Some are saying that the new tablet will be called the iSlate and that it will have 3G and Wi-Fi, it will have a virtual keyboard and maybe 3D, the screen is rumoured to be 10 inches touch LCD screen (which is about 26 cm’s, so almost the size of an A4 piece of paper) and that it will cost around $1000. It sounds like an iPhone on steroids and will be the benchmark on reading eBooks and experiencing multimedia.

What we do know is that this year tech companies want to bridge the gap between the cell phone and the Netbook. Technology is certainly getting smaller and more powerful and there are a few companies that have launched and will launch similar devices this year.

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TECHNOBYTE for 11 January 2010

On Technobyte this afternoon we preview the year ahead and look at the Consumer Electronics Show which has just ended in Las Vegas. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg also talks about privacy on Facebook and indicates that that the world of privacy is over.

2010 has been a very busy start in the world of technology. Google are now selling mobile phones and launched a cell phone called the Nexus One. It is a super smart phone, with Google’s latest Android operating system and is made for Google by HTC but sold by Google. This is certainly going to heat up a very competitive market as many handset manufacturers go all out to dominate what is going to the future of communication. The Google phone is a direct battle against the iPhone to dominate the high end mobile phone sector.

Thousands of technology lovers visited the world’s largest gadget show that was held last week in Las Vegas. CES the Consumer Electronic Show, is held annually and it there that most of the worlds new electronic products are launched and where the latest trends are set.

This year has been no exception; 3D television was the big buzz and is set to be the future of television according the manufacturers and broadcasters. Panasonic, LG, Toshiba, Samsung and Sony all launched 3D television at the show. Panasonic won the overall prize for best gadget at CES this year with the VT25 series 3D-capable flat-panel HDTV.

LG launched a LCD TV with built in broadband, camera and Skype, great for company video conferencing and for domestic use, making video calls from your couch to family and friends all over the world.

LG also launched some interesting cell phones and one in particular which is a smart phone which is able to run a movie in 1080p resolution on a 5-inch widescreen using Intel’s Moorestown platform.

RIM launched the BlackBerry Presenter, an accessory that will allow users to project and deliver PowerPoint presentations using their BlackBerry.

Lenovo launched some impressive ultra portable note books, while HP won the Greenpeace award for their environmentally friendly 8000f Elite Ultra Slim Desktop PC.

Intel launched a very interesting new wireless display technology, also known as "WiDi. Basically what they have done is taken a WiDi-enabled laptop with one of Intel's new Core-series CPUs and they have connected it wirelessly into an adapter box that plugs into the HDMI port of any display. So basically they have managed to stream wirelessly high definition video to a TV from a computer.

This is going to be the year of the portable devices and the eBook revolution, technology is going mobile and we are going to see many gadgets that aim to simplify our lives, in a faster and more efficient way. It will be interesting to see if there will be decline in book sales this year as more people purchase eBooks. Interestingly on Christmas Day last year Amazon sold more electronic books than physical books.

The next big announcement comes up on the 27th of this month where Apple are expected to announce their tablet computer rumoured to be called the iSlate and costing approximately $1000.

The next big show is the Mobile World Congress which takes place in Barcelona, Spain where leaders in the mobile technology and cell phone market gather to launch the latest cell phones and accessories.

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Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg was on stage with TechCrunch founder Michael Arrington and had some very interesting things to say about Facebook and privacy. This comes the world’s largest social networking site changed its privacy settings. He indicated that the world of privacy is over and Facebook would like to make its website more open to the rest of the world. This in my view smacks of arrogance and is going to make many of its users very angry.

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TECHNOBYTE for 14 December 2009

On Technobyte this afternoon, the Google Phone is finally announced, the 2010 FIFA World Cup to be shot in 3D and which gaming console does one get for Christmas?

It is official; Google will be releasing their own phone next year. Over the last few days Google employees have been receiving this phone worldwide to test and use. The rumours have been out for a while but this weekend photos started emerging and Google acknowledged this on their blog saying.

At Google, we are constantly experimenting with new products and technologies, and often ask employees to test these products for quick feedback and suggestions for improvements in a process we call dogfooding (from "eating your own dogfood"). Well this holiday season, we are taking dogfooding to a new level.

We recently came up with the concept of a mobile lab, which is a device that combines innovative hardware from a partner with software that runs on Android to experiment with new mobile features and capabilities, and we shared this device with Google employees across the globe. This means they get to test out a new technology and help improve it.

So what do we know about this new phone. We know that is a device manufactured specifically and exclusively for Google by HTC and is called the Nexus One and has the Google mobile operating system called Android.

This has certainly put a whole new perspective on the mobile market and many are calling this the beginning of a mobile phone war and specifically between Apple and Google.

2010 will be a very interesting space to watch as mobile handset manufactures deploy all their arsenals for dominance in this market.

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I spoke to Andrew Fraser from Sony South Africa who told me that for the first time ever, selected games of the 2010 FIFA World Cup are to be shown in 3D. In total, 25 matches will be produced using Sony's special 3D cameras. The footage will be shown at FIFA 'fan fest' public viewing events in seven cities around the world and will also be available on 3D televisions sets during the World Cyp

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With Christmas just less than two weeks away the most popular gifts this festive season will again be gaming consoles. The Sony PS3 and the Wii are again proving to be very popular in stores as many consumers splurge out on gaming console and games. Mario Dos Santos the CEO of PS3 was in the studio to chat to me about what Sony have up their sleeves for 2010 and how the console market is doing in a subdued world economy.

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