Talking Tech - Thursday, Sept. 7, 2006

Share your comments, feedback and questions with us at Mark's blog or send an email to [e-mail].

0.14 - Mark welcomes back listeners, explains the gap between shows and introduces a new name for the show.  Mark and Kevin then discuss Kevin's departure from the National Post to become a senior analyst at the SeaBoard Group.

2.56 - Research in Motion (RIM) has finally launched the new Blackberry Pearl.  Kevin believes that the device is worth the hype, but urges caution over RIM's stock price, and says that consumers are closer to having the all-in-one device they crave although they're not there yet.

4.59 - Mark, a regular Blackberry user, is not impressed by the Motorola Moto Q, which isn't intuitive enough, but says he finds the new Nokia E62 promising. 

6.20 - Mark brings up Toronto Hydro's new wi-fi network in downtown Toronto.  Kevin thinks that the overall strategy is aggressive, despite the limited coverage zone of the initial execution.  He then compares the pricing and access speeds between Bell's and Rogers's "Portable Internet" product to Toronto Hydro.

7.40 - Kevin reports that Toronto Hydro had 200,000 simultaneous users within the six squared kilometers network when they went live and predicts this will shake up the industry. 

8.00 - Mark is especially interested by the pricing and wonders if the low cost of access will lead to a price war, noting that the major broadband providers all have similar pricing plans.

9.17 - Kevin agrees that Rogers and Bell will have to lower their pricing if they want to stay competitive in the space. 

10.00 - Mark asks about increasing the network's coverage, to include the new buildings that are being developed. Kevin goes through the five zones Toronto Hydro wants to have covered before the end of the year.

11.18 - Mark takes a look at the municipal Wi-Fi phenomenon and the reasons behind this new movement.

12.17 - Kevin thinks this is the way of the future and that municipalities want to brand themselves as tourist friendly places with the rise of portable digital devices.  He references a conversation with the CEO of BelAir Networks, Bernard Herscovich to illustrate the demand across North America for equipment.

13.04 - Mark wraps things up with a heartfelt admission and predicts changes in the way the show is produced.  But Starbucks is still the natural home for Talking Tech!

The new music is No Mojo by Anthony Stauffer and Holy Smoke and is available on the pod safe music network.