Vertical Hold: Behind The Tech News

NBN Co's adding even more homes to the fibre rollout -- yay! But also... Australia's slipping WAY down in the global broadband rankings. Boo! Meanwhile, Vertical Hold's hosts are being peppered with ATO/MyGov scams, and they've had more than enough of that... Special guest Finder's Angus Kidman (@gusworldau)! Vertical Hold is brought to you by Uniden Australia. Vertical Hold: Behind The Tech News - podcast hosts @adam_turner and @alexkidman speak to Australia's leading technology journalists every Friday to get the stories behind the tech news of the week. verticalhold.com.au facebook.com/VerticalHoldAU @verticalholdau

Elon Musk's changing Twitter to X - but why? What will this mean for Twitter, sorry, X users, and the broader social media landscape? Meanwhile, Samsung's got new foldable Galaxy phones, and we've gone hands on to give your our early impressions. Special guests SMH/Age tech editor Tim Biggs (@timbiggs) and GadgetGuy editor Chris Button (@BibbyBhoy) - Vertical Hold is brought to you by Uniden Australia. Vertical Hold: Behind The Tech News - podcast hosts @adam_turner and @alexkidman speak to Australia's leading technology journalists every Friday to get the stories behind the tech news of the week. verticalhold.com.au facebook.com/VerticalHoldAU @verticalholdau

With rising prices and smaller catalogues, are subscription gaming services like PlayStation Plus, Nintendo Switch Online and Xbox Game Pass still good value? Speaking of Microsoft, can it finally close the door on its Activision Blizzard buyout -- and what's it all going to mean to gamers when it does? Special guest, Kotaku Australia managing editor David Smith! (@rhunwords) Vertical Hold is brought to you by Uniden Australia. Vertical Hold: Behind The Tech News - podcast hosts @adam_turner and @alexkidman speak to Australia's leading technology journalists every Friday to get the stories behind the tech news of the week. verticalhold.com.au facebook.com/VerticalHoldAU @verticalholdau

What does Optus' mobile deal with Starlink mean for regional Australians? How is Australia's consumer watchdog cracking down on dodgy data brokers? Guests Consumer Policy Research Centre's Digital Policy director Chandni Gupta (@__chandnigupta) & Finder's telco writer Mariam Gabaji (@mariiiamg) - Vertical Hold is brought to you by Uniden Australia. Vertical Hold: Behind The Tech News - podcast hosts @adam_turner and @alexkidman speak to Australia's leading technology journalists every Friday to get the stories behind the tech news of the week. verticalhold.com.au facebook.com/VerticalHoldAU @verticalholdau

It's Zuck v Musk – what can we expect from Instagram’s new Twitter rival, Threads? What does Telstra’s satellite deal with Starlink mean for rural Australians and how badly will it hurt NBN’s SkyMuster? Guest Finder's Angus Kidman (@gusworldau) Vertical Hold: Behind The Tech News - podcast hosts @adam_turner and @alexkidman speak to Australia's leading technology journalists every Friday to get the stories behind the tech news of the week. verticalhold.com.au facebook.com/VerticalHoldAU @verticalholdau

Why are the streaming giants dumping so much content? Is this the last roll of the dice for gambling ads? Special guest TV Blackbox viewer advocate Steve Molk @SteveMolk Vertical Hold: Behind The Tech News - podcast hosts @adam_turner and @alexkidman speak to Australia's leading technology journalists every Friday to get the stories behind the tech news of the week. verticalhold.com.au facebook.com/VerticalHoldAU @verticalholdau

We're halfway through the year -- so which games get the half-time golden trophy? And what are the big games to look forward to in the second half of 2023? Special Guest Kotaku's David Smith @rhunwords Vertical Hold: Behind The Tech News - podcast hosts @adam_turner and @alexkidman speak to Australia's leading technology journalists every Friday to get the stories behind the tech news of the week. verticalhold.com.au facebook.com/VerticalHoldAU @verticalholdau

EVs are moving fast in Australia, and not just on the roads, with solar power options, electric ferries and more. What's the latest in the EV scene -- and is it fair for EV Networks to charge idle fees to their customers? Special guest AAP's Jennifer Dudley-Nicholson (@jendudley) Vertical Hold: Behind The Tech News - podcast hosts @adam_turner and @alexkidman speak to Australia's leading technology journalists every Friday to get the stories behind the tech news of the week. verticalhold.com.au facebook.com/VerticalHoldAU @verticalholdau

Will Apple's Vision Pro bring us the AR future we've been promised for so long? What else did Apple's WWDC Keynote hype-fest bring us (and which bits really matter)? Guest Alice Clarke (@alicedkc). Vertical Hold: Behind The Tech News - podcast hosts @adam_turner and @alexkidman speak to Australia's leading technology journalists every Friday to get the stories behind the tech news of the week. verticalhold.com.au facebook.com/VerticalHoldAU @verticalholdau

Why are brain-computer-interfaces in the tech news recently -- and should we be super impressed or super scared of them? Speaking of scary alternative futures, will AI be humanity's saviour -- or make us all slaves? Special Guest Casey Tonkin (@VonTonks) from Information Age! Vertical Hold: Behind The Tech News - podcast hosts @adam_turner and @alexkidman speak to Australia's leading technology journalists every Friday to get the stories behind the tech news of the week. www.verticalhold.com.au facebook.com/VerticalHoldAU @verticalholdau

How is Netflix's password sharing crackdown hitting Australians? How is the government cracking down on Buy Now Pay Later services? Guests @TV_Blackbox's @SteveMolk & @FinancialReview's @eyersj Vertical Hold: Behind The Tech News - podcast hosts @adam_turner and @alexkidman speak to Australia's leading technology journalists every Friday to get the stories behind the tech news of the week. verticalhold.com.au facebook.com/VerticalHoldAU @verticalholdau

Will new technology that makes it easier for banks to talk to each other make a dent in Australia's online scam problem? And with Apple's Satellite SOS launching in Australia, we take a look at its benefits -- and limitations Special Guest Finder's Angus Kidman (@gusworldau) Vertical Hold: Behind The Tech News - podcast hosts @adam_turner and @alexkidman speak to Australia's leading technology journalists every Friday to get the stories behind the tech news of the week. verticalhold.com.au facebook.com/VerticalHoldAU @verticalholdau

Is Google's Pixel 7a winner? How is Australia's Federal budget fighting scammers and cybercrime? Are blue skies already turning grey at BlueSky? Guests @stilgherrian, @EFTM's @phroghollow and review.org's Adam Smith. Vertical Hold: Behind The Tech News - podcast hosts @adam_turner and @alexkidman speak to Australia's leading technology journalists every Friday to get the stories behind the tech news of the week. verticalhold.com.au facebook.com/VerticalHoldAU @verticalholdau

Will Bluesky dethrone Twitter, or is it just another pretender to social media's iron throne? Are Australian trucks about to go EV... or Hydrogen? Special guest Gizmodo Australia writer Zac Kelly (@ZachariahK_) Vertical Hold: Behind The Tech News - podcast hosts @adam_turner and @alexkidman speak to Australia's leading technology journalists every Friday to get the stories behind the tech news of the week. verticalhold.com.au facebook.com/VerticalHoldAU @verticalholdau

Will an SMS Sender ID Registry foil scammers? Will hacking fears stop Aussie pirates? Why was the Microsoft Activision deal shot down? Special guest Gizmodo Australia editor Asha Barbaschow (@ashabeeeee) Vertical Hold: Behind The Tech News - podcast hosts @adam_turner and @alexkidman speak to Australia's leading technology journalists every Friday to get the stories behind the tech news of the week. verticalhold.com.au facebook.com/VerticalHoldAU @verticalholdau

Why is technology meant to make renting simpler actually making it harder for potential tenants? And why are scammers making even more money from unsuspecting Australians? Special Guest Consumer Policy Research Centre CEO Erin Turner (@ErinLTurner)! Vertical Hold: Behind The Tech News - podcast hosts @adam_turner and @alexkidman speak to Australia's leading technology journalists every Friday to get the stories behind the tech news of the week. verticalhold.com.au facebook.com/VerticalHoldAU @verticalholdau

After ignoring his own deadline, is Elon Musk finally ready to kill off Twitter's legacy Blue Tick? Why did Aussie grocery delivery startup MilkRun close up shop? Guest tech journalist Anthony Caruana @anthony_caruana Vertical Hold: Behind The Tech News - podcast hosts @adam_turner and @alexkidman speak to Australia's leading technology journalists every Friday to get the stories behind the tech news of the week. verticalhold.com.au facebook.com/VerticalHoldAU @verticalholdau

What will the federal government's proposed changes mean for Smart TV owners? Should the anti-siphoning rules for sports in Australia be changed in the streaming age? Will Foxtel losen its iron grip on HBO content? Special Guest TV Blackbox's Steve Molk! (@stevemolk) Vertical Hold: Behind The Tech News - podcast hosts @adam_turner and @alexkidman speak to Australia's leading technology journalists every Friday to get the stories behind the tech news of the week. verticalhold.com.au facebook.com/VerticalHoldAU @verticalholdau

What new risks does the Latitude Financial leak create for Australians -- and are we all suffering from leak fatigue? Meanwhile, ByteDance's TikTok is one of the world's biggest apps, but it's also a huge political mess, with government departments in many countries banning it on their devices -- and perhaps looking at banning it outright. Is the clock ticking for TikTok?  Special guest The Guardian's Josh Taylor (@joshgnosis) Vertical Hold: Behind The Tech News - podcast hosts @adam_turner and @alexkidman speak to Australia's leading technology journalists every Friday to get the stories behind the tech news of the week. www.verticalhold.com.au facebook.com/VerticalHoldAU @verticalholdau

What does the ChatGPT leak mean for the future of AI? And with more Aussies back travelling the world, what's your best option for roaming data? Guest Finder's Angus Kidman (@gusworldau) Vertical Hold: Behind The Tech News - podcast hosts @adam_turner and @alexkidman speak to Australia's leading technology journalists every Friday to get the stories behind the tech news of the week. verticalhold.com.au facebook.com/VerticalHoldAU @verticalholdau