Having pioneered previews of events after those events have actually happened (last week), the team look-back at some of the interesting topics from Mobile World Congress 2017. Rafe gets excited about 5G; Ben gets nostalgic for Blackberry keyboards and Nokia snake; and Ewan still thinks it was all a waste of time. Support 361 Podcast
After a brief break (important operational reasons, nothing to see here) the team are back catching up on the news, answering listener questions and taking a quick MWC preview. We cover duck houses (yes, really), how not to be in a 360° picture you’re taking, get an epic home camera review from a listener, cloud vs local smart-home controls, one smartphone hub to rule them all and Samsung taking our advice (sort-of). Support 361 Podcast...
This week the team re-visit home automation, a year on from our ‘smart-home challenge’. Ewan tells us about a break in (or was it?) and we discuss what we kept from he challenge and what we’ve added since, along with the frustrations of ‘dumb’ systems with apps and new houses built without smart features. This episode was originally scheduled for release in early January - sorry about all that Christmas chat. Support 361 Podcast
This week the team look back at Consumer Electronics Show, trying to understand the themes that emerged: voice (and Alexa) everywhere, home automation and ‘emotional’ robots. Rafe, our ‘man on the ground’ gives us his view. Ewan’s still in Denmark and has discovered it has a land border with Germany… who knew? Support 361 Podcast
Happy New Year! We’re back and - seasonally - talking about our travel experiences again and how mobile influences it. Ewan’s saved from disaster by Amazon Prime Now in San Francisco (seriously, how are they not sponsoring this yet?), Rafe’s excited by a QR code in a cathedral (don’t judge) and Ben wants to talk to Alexa in his hotel room (who needs friends?). Support 361 Podcast
This week we look forward to 2017 - we think it’s the year of mobile… again (but this time it’s all about ‘mobile first’). We talk about what this really means, how we know, where it’s happening and why consumers’ preference is a far more important factor than the technology. It’s still a bit chilly in Denmark. Support 361 Podcast
This week the team talk about Amazon’s smash-hit home assistant ‘things’ - the Echo and the Dot - and the on-board personality Alexa. We think they’ll sell by the ton this holiday season and wonder why we enjoy them so much compared to Siri. We discuss how we use them, the extra ’skills’ you can add and setting up simple home automation. WARNING - we say ‘Alexa’ a lot this episode so mute your Echo! Support 361 Podcast
The team are back, now only two-thirds London-based. Ewan provides in-depth coverage of whether it gets cold in Denmark in winter and we (eventually) turn our attention to the fall-out from Samsung’s disastrous Galaxy Note 7 launch. Is the Samsung brand terminally damaged, did they do the right thing and will consumers trust them again after months of negative press coverage? Support 361 Podcast
As season 13 draws to a close and Ewan heads to the airport for a new life in Denmark, the team reflect on 10 weeks of Android use. We discuss refinement, getting a lot for your money and being ‘all in’ on one ecosystem. So who won? Ben doesn’t want to, Ben and Ewan both broke their phones and Rafe still prefers Windows… Could we all be losers? Support 361 Podcast
This week it's Mr Smith's turn to tell his background story. From formative years playing with Internet 'stuff' in the automotive industry and the joy of telling other people what to do (er, 'consulting') to 'government stuff' (shhh...) we learn that career plans are rarely written to last. Many failed attempts at being a blogger led to a career change into mobile and now 361, a 'well reviewed podcast on iTunes'. Support 361 Podcast
This week we put Rafe Blandford in the spotlight - his formative experiences with Psion devices (and broken limbs), founding the ‘all about’ empire, being a blogging pioneer and getting ‘inside Nokia’. Rafe shares his experience at the fore-front of online media, hitting 1m readers per month, ‘really big servers’, knowing more about Nokia than Nokia Execs and being laughed at by Steve Ballmer. Support 361 Podcast
This week we turn the whole episode over to listener (and ace mobile developer / author) Matt Lacey’s question - what comes next for apps? The team talk through their views of the future, the impact of integrating apps into the OS and how Ewan’s going to get his toothpaste ordered. We consider how app-makers will have to shape their business to benefit from OS integration and whether regulators might get involved to keep things ‘fair’. Support 361 Podcast...
This week we track Ewan's history in tech - inciting a strike at school, selling (and failing to sell) businesses, working with the earliest SMS services, some stuff he can't talk about and big news about his next role. Ewan explains the ups / downs of being a tech entrepreneur in the early days of mobile. Ben and Rafe ask the questions and no-one gets naked. Support 361 Podcast
The day we (but especially Rafe) didn’t think would come is finally here and the team settle-down to discuss Uber, Deliveroo, Jinn, Quipup, Jinn, Task Rabbit and - crucially - Urban Massage as we share our experiences of the growing number of ‘instant’ smartphone-enabled services available. Rafe has his own ‘on-demand’ experience live on the show and we forgive the absence of trousers this week as he smells fantastic. Support 361 Podcast...
This week, as summer arrives in the UK with storm warnings and flash floods, we turn our attention to holidays and travel (again). We discuss the impact of the (near) removal of roaming fees across Europe, update our list of essential travel apps for 2016 and discuss some of the new tech we’ll be trying out. As episode 5 nears we also anticipate Rafe’s impending experience of the on-demand economy (#rubrafe). Support 361 Podcast
Ewan’s taken over again this week and he doesn’t like planning… so the team wander casually through topics as diverse as politics (the first and only time you’ll hear us talk ‘Brexit’ on the podcast), fitness (we’re still fat) and Microsoft’s LinkedIn acquisition (can we add you to our professional network?). We also give our first update on this season’s Android Challenge as reality bites (a bit). Support 361 Podcast
This week Rafe takes control to set the season’s challenge: an entire season for Ben and Ewan to… well, you’ll have to listen to find out. He issues his instructions for the challenge and takes care to explain the rules very precisely this season (after the $100 phone challenge that cost double, Ewan). We also answer some listener questions and take some over-due feedback. Support 361 Podcast
The team are back with season 13 and some big news on donations (and Rafe’s massage - #rubrafe). We review the big news from recent Google I/O and Apple WWDC events, give our views on the big themes, forget the names of Google’s messaging products and say the word ‘emojification’ (sorry about that). Support 361 Podcast
It's almost(!) a tradition... As we end season 12 we answer listeners' questions on topics from SMS (is it dead?) to biometrics and retina scanning (will it replace fingerprint readers?). We revisit the $100 phone challenge and get an update from £1000 prize winner Kenny (thanks Tengi!) on the phone he's chosen to buy. Support 361 Podcast
This week the team are being productive away from the office and reflect on how we work on the move. We discuss the essential kit we always carry, the software we use and how we stay connected on the move. We play "what's in your bag" and discuss working on planes (and other places offline). Support 361 Podcast
This week we’re re-visiting photos and video. With memories of young families and important concrete to capture, the team review the way they store and backup precious images. Ewan explains his new strategy following PictureLife’s demise and Ben tests ways to backup iCloud Photos. We also review the latest range of apps and services for sharing and printing those images. Support 361 Podcast
This week we’re back to talking about network operators - a subject we covered early in season 1. How have our own choices changes since then, how important really is customer service and what would make us switch again in future? Also hear the announcement of our special - and exclusive - range of Blandford merchandise. Support 361 Podcast
This week we take-on another (much to Rafe and Ben’s horror) of Ewan’s unscripted episodes - a chance to discuss items of personal interest ‘as they occur to us’. We chat about recent travel traumas, updates on our smart-home efforts and what Apple’s CareKit means. Normal service resumes next week… Support 361 Podcast
This week the team take a trip into a world that never was and imagine how the face of mobile might have been changed if key events had played out differently… What if Nokia had switched platforms 5 years earlier and could network operator platforms have ever ruled the earth? Also, this week we announce the winner of our £1000 cash prize, supported by Tengi - the messaging app that gives back. Support 361 Podcast
This week the team discuss audio interfaces - from speech recognition to apps that talk back. We share our experienced, discuss our favourites and consider times we want to use audio instead of a screen. We apologise for the ‘joke’ - it seemed much funnier at the time. This episode is sponsored by Tengi, the chat app that always shares 50% of its revenue with users through a weekly free prize draw. Download now for iPhone & Android. Support 361 Podcast...
This week we talk money… What are you worth to the apps and services you use, how much will they pay to win your business, how do they calculate that and what do (or don’t) they tell you about it? The team also share their own experiences too - who do we pay and who has our data? This episode is sponsored by Tengi, the chat app that always shares 50% of its revenue with users through a weekly free prize draw. Download now for iPhone & Android. Support 361 Podcast...
This week the team review the mobile industry’s annual gathering in Barcelona: Mobile World Congress. Ewan is championing #MWCinaday again, but Rafe’s seen it all and gives us the low-down on hardware, virtual reality, 5G (yes, it’s a thing; no, you can’t have it yet) and the ‘internet of things’. This episode is sponsored by Tengi, the chat app that always shares 50% of its revenue with users through a weekly free prize draw. Download now for iPhone & Android. Support 361 Podcast...
The team make their final assessment of progress in their smartest home challenge. What worked, what didn’t and - more importantly - who won? The team consider 11 weeks of attempting to make their home ‘the smartest’ and can only agree on one thing… it was harder than we thought. ** For important ‘technical’ reasons we swapped the publishing dates of S11E11 and S12E02. Season 12 resumes next week, including the Tengi draw to win £1000. Support 361 Podcast...
We’re back with season 12… Rafe definitely hasn’t had a spray-tan and at Ewan’s suggestion the team go off-script to discuss 3 things that caught their interest over the last week: Ewan’s new mobile gaming habit, Ben’s new bank and Rafe’s new news app. This episode is sponsored by Tengi, the chat app that always shares 50% of its revenue with users through a weekly free prize draw. Download now for iPhone & Android. Support 361 Podcast...
It’s a show of 2 parts this week as the team consider 2 of our favourite gripes: hardware and mobile operators. Do hardware specs matter anymore and are faster / better / cheaper components making a significant impact on the mobile devices we buy? Also, what place do operators have in in the world now and have their aspirations of being more than ‘dumb pipes’ been achieved? Support 361 Podcast
