Talking Tech, Friday, November 24

0.25 – Mark apologizes for missing last week’s episode due to b5media strategy meetings

 

0.55 – The guys are back at Starbucks (still no sponsorship) and dive straight into a seasonal topic – the gaming market and why people would be prepared to stand in line for hours for a games console like the Nintendo Wii. The answer is great marketing and a long development cycle

 

4.19 – Google cracked the $500 (U.S.) barrier this week, resulting in a market cap of more than $150bn.  What does this mean for the market?  Mark illustrates the power of the market-cap by saying that Google could now buy Yahoo! and eBay without breaking a sweat

 

5.39 – Kevin would’ve sold at $250 but Mark boldly predicts Google’s stock breaking $750

 

7.26 – A small swipe at the Globe and Mail leads into a discussion about the very healthy wireless industry.  Kevin believes that the wireless providers are doing a great job of milking their existing customers and being cautious when it comes to acquiring new customers

 

8.19 – For consumers this means relatively expensive plans in comparison with the U.S. and Europe.  Big bucket plans aren’t as prevalent in Canada as they are down south

 

8.59 – Mark asks, “is this an oligopoly?â€?  There seems to be price transparency and consistency between the providers which has lead to conservative pricing plans

 

10.10 – Is there room for more competitors?  Industry Canada says yes, while the Competition Bureau approved the Microcell Rogers deal.  Will the government institute a common carrier system?

 

10.56 – Mark can’t see another player coming to the market but Kevin points out that there are a lot of entrepreneurs in Canada which could lead to a fourth carrier – although not in the traditional Bell, Rogers or Telus mould.

 

11.51 – Speaking of phones, will Apple release the iPhone?  Kevin says that Apple’s PR team has done a great job in seeding the idea of the iPhone and that it can only be a matter of time before it’s released.  The only question is who it’ll be in partnership with

 

13.45 – Will Apple drive the market in combination devices and will the Blackberry start coming out with more advanced music features such as playlists?

 

14.15 – Kevin predicts that whatever technology is used in the phone, the handset itself will be a sleek, stylish success, although it won’t be as popular as the Razr

 

14.56 – Finally, the guys talk about podcasts!  A Pew study shows that podcasts are taking off as an alternative way to consume audio content.  Mark wonders where people have the time!  Kevin is amazed that people can make a living out of podcasting, and blogging for that matter

 

17.14 – The overarching issue is how traditional media is under siege from the new interactive web.  Mark thinks we’re in for a turbulent, but interesting ride in the media space

 

Audio comments for Mark and Kevin can be left on the Talking Tech hotline: [phone] or emailed to [e-mail].

Our announcer is the lovely Amber Mac and the music is No Mojo by Anthony Stauffer and Holy Smoke which is available on the pod safe music network.