Jetpacks Are Overrated: a technology show

We're wrapping up the show to consolidate the Byteside podcast network into our core show, Byteside!Search 'Byteside' in your podcast app or hit the relevant link below to add it to your app of choice:Pocket Casts: https://pca.st/itunes/1482077503Overcast: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/overcast-podcast-player/id888422857Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1482077503Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5hY2FzdC5jb20vcHVibGljL3Nob3dzLzA0NzA5ZTVkLWU0ZTQtNDk0Ny1hYmNmLTYyZDM3MmIyZTFiNgSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/43tUBmO4DknkGbd4Hw9dlbRSS: https://rss.acast.com/bytesideAnd get loads more written content at byteside.com.Thanks so much for tuning into the show – we've got a lot more in store, but all distilled into the one true podcast feed... Byteside.

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.

I've always had a soft spot for Steel Series. Back in my early freelance days I did a massive round up of gaming headsets for Atomic magazine – shout out to the old school Atomicans out there – and I was blown away by the quality of what Steel Series served up with its original Siberia v1. A wide soundstage, a comfortable design, and crisp, clear game audio so you could hear what felt most important in the heat of the moment. I actually still have that headset in the house and it's used regularly by my kids. Unlike many other headsets over the years, the materials have hardly aged a day. No crumbly ear pads. They just keep doing what they do. So yeah, always a soft spot for Steel Series. And now, over the past few months, I've been using the spiritual successor of the Siberia line, the Arctis 9 wireless headset. With wireless we've clearly stepped forward into the modern era – and I'm a noted wireless headset skeptic, for those who've listened in the past. But the Arctis 9 wireless has truly won me over. The fundamental victory here is seamless dual-channel wireless over 2.4GHz wireless to a USB dongle and Bluetooth at the same time. 100% life changing for me at my desk. I work on an iMac for all of my daily grind work across my publishing and podcast work routines, and at the same desk I have my Windows PC setup for gaming. I love my setup. I love being surrounded by screens. But it's always been a pain to switch back and forth between headsets for different tasks. Even trying to leave the iMac mostly on internal speaker mode and the PC on headset leads to feeling split between worlds. What's 'inside' my head right now vs 'outside'? It's far from ideal. The Arctis 9 wireless has made this feel truly seamless. The battery life claims 20 hours and for the most part I've found that I've needed to charge roughly every other evening, which seems about right given I generally work long hours. On first setup I found the headset would keep shutting itself down from one connection or the other all too quickly, which seemed like a power saving function that was more annoying that useful. But once I dug into the Steel Series Engine software controls I found I could adjust the inactivity shutdown timer and also set Bluetooth to auto-startup so that it always connected to the iMac anytime they're switched on. The settings also allowed me to set the surround sound and stereo profiles – whether for gaming, or to mimic a large or small room environment, or for using the DTS 7.1 surround sound profile – and bass and dialogue enhancements were also here. I'm never sure about those surround sound emulation setups but I've found the sound stage of these headphones to be really nice for gaming and general use, while I do find the EPOS headsets I've reviewed recently and headphones like the AirPods Max are superior for serious music listening. I love switching bass enhancement down to ZERO because too many gaming headsets get carried away on that front, while having dialogue enhancement has felt nice, especially for clarity of speech when playing online with friends. The settings also included equaliser presets – flat, bass boost, reference and a smiley option that basically boosts the top and bottom end because hey, why not paint a smiley across your equaliser for kicks. I mentioned earlier that I work long hours and I've found this to be a seriously comfortable headset. The soft elasticated headband system keeps the weight feeling just right and the ear cups sit lightly on the ears. They are not trying to do serious sound isolation and that's just the way I like them. Though I largely work with a desk mounted Rode mic for a lot of my needs, I've found the retractable mic has done a perfectly fine job when gaming with friends and the odd video conference where I haven't switched on my podcast desk. A physical toggle button and red light makes it clear when you have switched your mic to mute or not. Just don't forget when ...

We speak to two of the co-founders of BuildBee, Matt and Leanne Connolly, about their company and its place in the 3D printing ecosystem as they prepare to push BuildBee software out across the globe. BuildBee has worked on solving problems of IP protection to make it easier for a company to sell a single print of a 3D item, as well as ensuring a 3D printer delivers the best print possible. The future of supply chains get a lot more interesting – especially in a pandemic – when we take out the shipping and move to local production. It all points to the importance of companies like BuildBee in our future, so it's great to talk to this Wollongong, NSW, team about their place in it all.