Jetpacks Are Overrated: a technology show

When you hear the name Blackberry, most people will think back to its dominance of the early era of smartphone tech before touchscreens arrived and changed the game. But the company transformed itself over the past decade and one of the areas it is now leading in is embedded computing systems for vehicles.Sarah Tatsis is Senior Vice President of the Advanced Technology Development Labs at Blackberry and is constantly thinking about what's coming next in embedded systems so this week we've had the chance to catch up with Sarah to discuss what BlackBerry is up to in this area and what the promises are for the future of technology and particularly data out there on the road. We chat about how vehicle data can be put to better use, how in-car information systems will improve, and of course how to protect this data while making it more useful.

There's a big difference between a product marketed 'for gamers' and a product that has genuinely been designed for gaming, so this week I'm talking to two key team members on a recent product launch to get a solid insight on which column the new Optus Gamer Plans really sit in. No surprise, if they're willing to come on the show, they're feeling confident they've designed something that is the real deal and, once you hear the story I think you'll get a good feeling about it too, especially once you factor in tools like Game Path. But let's not jump ahead!I'm talking to Steven Manichanh, Senior Product Development Manager and Clive Dickens, VP of Product Development. Clive joins us part way through the conversation, so I kick things off asking Steven to hit that important question and help alleviate the gamer scepticism head on.

This episode is sponsored by IBM, and I'm speaking with Wesley Allen, Business Leader for IBM Cloud Platform in ANZ.We're specifically digging into the discussion of hybrid cloud and the role it has to play in the enterprise. Over the past year in my wider work I've spoken to a lot of IT leaders about digital transformation and it's clear that people are seeing that there is a lot more to life than either full on-premises or a full lift and shift to the cloud, so it's important to get a grip on the nuance in how use a hybrid design to solve problems in a way that suits your specific needs. We talk about scenarios, risks, misunderstandings, and key questions to ask when designing the right solution. Wesley brings a lot of insight and experience to the discussion so it was great to get his time for the show. Let's dive in. 

We speak to Diya Jolly, Chief Product Officer at Okta, about the growing importance of getting 'digital identity' right in the decade ahead and the lessons learned on this front over the past year. We spoke during the Oktane21 event where Okta announced its latest product updates, but this conversation focuses on getting the tools and standards right across the industry and how digital identity is taking on importance across society, not just within business environments.

We talk to Ryan Richards, Global Product Marketing Director at Sonos, about the new Sonos Roam, the new portable speaker about to join the Sonos line up. It's aiming to compete in the most hotly contested slice of the audio scene – why do they think they can win there and how does this serve as a gateway to the wider Sonos experience?Plus we look at their Ikea partnership and their new music services to find out how the bigger picture at Sonos is going in 2021.

A big chat with founder and CEO of Kogan, Ruslan Kogan, on his company's 15th anniversary. We first met around 2 years into the growth of kogan.com and thanks to those nostalgic connections he said yes to a rare interview to look back on the journey so far. From his failed effort to launch one of the first Android phones in the world to his media battles with Gerry Harvey, we explore some of the company's big moves and the business lessons he's learned on the road from upstart to IPO and beyond.