361 Podcast

All did not 'go well' and the episode was not published between Christmas and New Year. Thank you to editor Mark who continues to fix broken audio with patience far beyond what we deserve. This week the team cover topics they missed during 2023 and catch-up on listener's emails: Beeper Mini : Why is there a market for an iMessage on Android? (update: it's effectively been abandoned since recording...

This week the team discuss electric vehicles as 'mobile adjacent' technology: Ewan recounts his experience of EV-based car clubs in Denmark and Teslas in Saudi Arabia. Rafe brings the stats on growth of the EV market and paralells to the smartphone industry we've tracked for the life of 361. Ben recounts his experiences as a first-time EV owner and the planning the purchase of a second. The team a...

This week the team go back to their roots and talk about mobile networks: Ewan is deeply underwhelmed with the offerings of the UK's mobile network operators, having spent time living and working around Europe and the Middle East. He's especially unimpressed with network availability on major transport links, having had almost-ubiquitous access to 5G coverage in the places he worked and travelled....

This week the team talk about money, finance, 'fintech' stuff and the products we use: Rafe's been using 'helpful' tools including HM Revenue and Customs' app to manage his tax and NS&I's app to check for Premium Bond wins. He's also tried the 'green' debit card Tred. Ewan's also been big on Open Banking for money management trying Plum to setup rules and games to encourage saving. [Rafe says...

This week the team consider that we might be at the "money ruins everything" stage of social media (eh, Reddit?). Rafe speculates that 'social' media is now driven more by advertising than friendship groups. We also talk about 'dark social', rafeblandford.com (Rafe's personal website) and remember Jaiku. Ben re-tells the 'Nazi Bar' story often cited as an example of how 'unmoderated' speech exclud...

This week Ewan's back on the road and tests the new 361 mobile recording setup. The team reflect the state of their smarthomes, it's not good... at all. The team discuss the various smarthome systems they use, the changes made since last season and how their attitude to setting up smart-home tech has changed over time. Reliability's certainly been a problem, but have new standards like Matter impr...

After a short (18 month) break the team are back, well rested and ready to discuss Apple's big 'virtual reality / augmented reality' announcement at their global developer conference. The team discuss: How does Apple's Vision Pro device compare to others? Is Apple 'doing' the metaverse now? Can we say 'foveated rendering' with a straight face? What is 'spatial computing' for? Will people be willin...

Happy Christmas Special! The team gather at the (definitely real) Blandford Manor for the annual drinks party and a look back over 10 years of this nonsense as they stumble upon (and through) the 361 archive. Clips played in this episode are from: Smartphone convergence, the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play & a tiny bit of Dom Joly 361 Degrees, the making of... The Great App Store Debate: Fab or Fad?...

In a dramatic break with 10 years of tradition, the team share their Christmas gift suggestions actually in time for purchase before Christmas (it will never catch-on). Suggestions range from £5 to £500 including: Cases and bags Bluetooth trackers Books Voice assistants Noise cancelling headohones Computer accessories Something Rafe describes as a 'solar powered novelty' Let us know your thoughts...

This week the team recap topics from earlier in the season including: Curve being blocked by Creation Credit cards - a listener asks if we still want to use Curve JP Morgan launches Chase-branded banking in the UK - we try it out in its earliest (and still very limited) form Amazon's Astro robot - will we add Amazon's $999 robot to our smarthome security setup? 15 minute delivery - Rafe updates us...

This week the team break our '1 question, 3 answers' format to look at the subject of flexible screens: Why would you buy one? Are they any good? Should Apple make one? We're definitely agreed that - at last - they are worth considering, but beyond that it's more hope than science. And Rafe mentions some Nokia concept devices from years ago... you'd expect nothing less. Let us know your thoughts o...

This week the team consider all the new ways mobile tech has entered our lives due to Covid and consider which might be here to stay. From apps that use Bluetooth to calculate risk of exposure to a virus to QR codes for 'test and trace', not all the ideas are new but public awareness (and adoption) have hugely changed. Let us know your thoughts on these subjects or anything you'd like to hear cove...

This week the team look back over (more than) 10 years of mobile, remembering the apps they used before they cam mainstream and sharing top-tips learned along the way, including apps for connectivity, personal finance, news, productivity and a lot of recommendations. Let us know your thoughts on these subjects or anything you'd like to hear covered in future via the website or Twitter .

This week the team return to their '1 question, 3 answers' format to answer a combination of listener questions: How do we choose smart-home tech or brands based on security and privacy? Ben, Ewan and Rafe each give their best answer... The only rule being that they can't agree with any previous answer. Also, having tested the Getir delivery app in the last episode the team try to order #RafeRatio...

Due to the 'unique' way 361 is produced, this episode was recorded approximately 2 months before release. This week the team discuss app-based on-demand shopping services that promise to get things to you in minutes. We try Getir which promises to deliver a range of groceries within 13 minutes. Also, this week (while we wait for our delivery) the team catch-up on: The new Amazon Echo Show 10 (the...

Recorded 10 years to the day from our first ever episode, the team tackle a listener question from last season, should they continue to buy Sonos audio devices for their home? The question is prompted by the recent outcry when Sonos attempted to end support for their original device range with an ill-judged trade-in scheme that insisted on destroying working hardware. Ben, Ewan and Rafe each give...

This week the team discuss the wider impact of Apple's spring product announcements: Is Apple Card family sharing a sign they will respond to criticism more directly from now on? What's the purpose of launching podcast subscriptions if not to make profit? How does Apple exploit the 'unfair advantage' of a billion iPhones around the world to make AirTags beat the competition? How is Apple's approac...

This week as we return to our 20th season and our 10th year, the team discuss: What excited us since we recorded season 19, including Lego, government websites (no really) and robot vacuum cleaners (honestly). The rise of Clubhouse, an 'audio' social network, to prominance and its popularity. Whether audio is a product or a feature and the Clubhouse clones springing up in other apps. Let us know y...

Obviously recorded before Christmas, despite our attempts to style it out, the team discuss the highlights and lowlights of 2020 from a 'tech' perspective inspired by The Verge's article "Bad Year, Good Gadgets". We discuss homeworking, changing expectations, what worked (and didn't) as we worked from home, and some unusual sources of inspiration. We also look forward to 2021, excited at the prosp...

This week the team 'gather' at the Blandford Manor Christmas party to: Exchange and recommend gifts Share suggestions for last-minute gifts that can be bought and delivered online Discuss tips, apps and hacks for managing Christmas on 'expert mode' Let us know your thoughts on these subjects or anything you'd like to hear covered in future via the website or Twitter . Extended until New Year's Eve...

This week we tackle another '1 question, 3 answers', combining requests from listeners who asked for advice on reading, books and the written word. Ben, Ewan and Rafe each give their best answer... The only rule being that they can't agree with any previous answer. Let us know your thoughts on these subjects or anything you'd like to hear covered in future via the website or Twitter . Extended unt...

This week the team discuss: The state of voice assistants and the devices we use at home. How Amazon's Alexa, Google's Assistant and Apple's Siri perform and their strengths and weaknesses. The future of voice assistants - are they a passing fad or destined to be built into everything? Let us know your thoughts on these subjects or anything you'd like to hear covered in future via the website or T...

This week we tackle another question in our new '1 question, 3 answers' format. Combining requests from several listeners who asked for advice on: Wearable devices that don't look masculine? A great 'first' smart watch? Which is the 'best' smart watch? Wearables that aren't for sport? Ben, Ewan and Rafe each give their best answer... The only rule being that they can't agree with any previous answ...

This week the team discuss: Subscription services from XBox to washing machines and Volvos to magazines, we look at how many firms are experimenting with providing their services as subscriptions. Long-term reviews on our most important working from home kit, including desks, chairs, screens, lights and more. What turned out to work well and what would we recommend? Video conferencing tips for peo...

This week we tackle another question in our new '1 question, 3 answers' format. Long-time listener @ martineyles asks: I see lots of rollout of 5G going on, but there are still populated areas where I can't get any data coverage at all. Other listeners wrote in to ask if 5G handsets were good buys. We combined them all into a single question: Is 5G worth it? Ben, Ewan and Rafe each give their best...