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)...

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.

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).

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.

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).

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.

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.

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…

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.

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...

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...

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 thr...

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,...

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 fo...

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?

With CES a now-distant memory (well, a few weeks ago) what better time for Rafe Blandford to get back in-front of a microphone to give us his highlights of the show? The team discuss the large number of ‘connected devices’ on show and the ways in which smartphone technology is now powering far more than phones.

This week the team share and review the apps and services they use and (mostly) recommend - from productivity to entertainment and across all (well, most) ecosystems. We also catch-up with our ‘smartest home’ challenge.

Happy New Year! In this first episode of 2016 the team consider the year ahead and the topics that will be making the biggest impact on mobile (they think - really… don’t stake money on this). They discuss virtual reality’s arrival in the home, apps that “aren’t apps”, the growth (and/or maturing - argue amongst yourselves) of mobile payments and the growth of “messaging as a platform”.

We’re checking progress on our ‘smartest home competition’ this week - this season’s challenge to install and use smart automation tech in our own homes. We recap the products and services we’ve tested and report on what’s working (and what isn’t) - covering everything from big-name brands to home-made solutions.

We’re ‘doing’ Christmas this week - Rafe’s had the staff dust-off his favourite elf costume and our thoughts turn to (mobile) ways improve the holiday experience. We discuss our favourite entertainment options, tech to improve festive cooking and using apps to keep New Year’s resolutions.

This week the team talk cars: What we own, how ‘connected’ (or not) they are and our frustrations with getting the software upgraded. We discuss Tesla’s pioneering use of ‘crowd data’, ‘in-app purchases’ for vehicles and speculate (very briefly) about the Apple Car. There’s also an update on this season’s Smartest Home competition as Rafe takes a clear lead.

This week the team discuss video - from how we access and watch it to the impact new apps and platforms will have on that in the future. Ben, Ewan and Rafe review the ways they watch video and consider whether ‘cord-cutting’ will ever be mainstream.

This week the team discuss one of their favourite apps from ‘mobile-first’ flower retailer Bloom and Wild. The team discuss how a mobile app out-performs web shops and and how the small(er) guy can leapfrog the competition with a bit of help from the app store.

Ben, Ewan and Rafe are back with season 11 and this week they discuss their travel during the break, including experiences of mobile in the US, Africa and China. They also introduce this season’s challenge: a competition to create the smartest home.

This week we answer listener questions. We cover topics from including how 999 emergency calls work, the effects of long contracts, affordable roaming, Nokia (predictably), Apple’s Passbook and even a question about wires. What more could you ask for? This week we also announce the winner of our draw to discover the smartphone you think is the best on the market. We pick 3 winners - one to win the...