BlackBerry or iPhone? GPS or noise-cancelling headphones? High-flyers discuss the technologies they can't live without – and add to their Christmas wish lists.
o1 Dr James Moody, CSIRO executive director development
Moody forecasts scientific development for CSIRO. He says the best part of his job is working with some of the best scientists in Australia and being part of seeding new scientific ideas.
There isn’t a day I don’t use my... iPhone.
I like it because it... is rapidly becoming the digital version of me. Soon it will include my wallet, keys and will monitor my health. With compass and GPS, I’ll be able to look through the phone’s camera and see digital information overlays on the world around me.
It would be even better if it... could charge using biokinetics (my body movements).
The best technology I ever bought was… my Roku internet radio – 12,000 stations from all around the world.
I would never travel without taking my... Motorola Bluetooth headset (one day they will be able to implant it); Japanese “road warrior” power adaptor that can convert practically every socket in the world and is very small; and my solar-power backpack that recharges everything in it.
Top of my Christmas tech wish list this year is... to take my house off the grid and to convert my hybrid car into a plug-in electric vehicle.
Someone should invent a... really usable mobile phone watch that doesn’t look hideous.
o2 Andrew Pratt, Lajamanu Air chief pilot
Pratt provides essential air services such as medivac to remote Aboriginal communities. His small fleet of planes operates out of an isolated settlement 1000km south of Darwin, working with Aboriginal people who can still remember their first contact with European culture.
There isn’t a day I don’t use my… BlackBerry Bold.
I like it because it allows me to… manage the whole fleet of aircraft no matter where I am, receive emails on the run, send and confirm charter quotes with clients, keep in constant contact with my pilots, make last-minute changes to schedules, and even do banking, paying wages and bills from the side of a remote, dusty airstrip.
It would be even better if it… synced up perfectly to the office PC the emails that I've already replied to on the BlackBerry so that I’m not in danger of responding twice – and if it worked everywhere. Telstra Next G is very good, but satellite phones are the only real option for making contact from anywhere.
The best technology I ever bought is… my BlackBerry. My role is highly mobile, and now I can get much more work done without having to return to the office.
I would never travel without taking… my Iridium 9555 satellite telephone, which is the only way to be sure my pilots can reach me wherever I am in the world.
Top of my Christmas tech wish list this year is... an aircraft headset with Bluetooth.
Someone should invent a... satellite BlackBerry that’s affordable to operate on a daily basis.
o3 James Sutherland, Cricket Australia CEO
Bringing cricket to the masses is now a very technology-boosted endeavour, according to Sutherland. “We’re not just in the sport industry – we’re in the entertainment industry, and the technology
is changing all the time. Nowadays, we give people their cricket fix wherever they want it – however they want it – throughout summer.”
There isn’t a day I don’t use my... BlackBerry Bold.
I like it because... when I go interstate or overseas I don’t have to take my laptop with me – I can read and action emails and plan appointments all on my BlackBerry. It’s very quick and practical.
It would be even better if it... was invisible. I’d get into less trouble at home checking up on emails all the time.
The best technology I ever bought was… the car DVD player for the kids. I wonder how our parents ever survived. It makes trips so much more peaceful.
I would never travel without taking my... 3 mobile phone. If I can’t be at a cricket match, I can always watch the game live on my handset.
Top of my Christmas tech wish list this year is... Bose noise-cancelling headphones. They’re meant to be absolutely brilliant for international travel.
Someone should invent a... cricket ball so we can play test cricket at night. In fact we are working on one with CSIRO. Stay tuned.
o4 Justin Baird, Google Australia innovationist
Google launches 50 new things every week, ranging from tiny improvements to whole new products. Baird’s job is to sit between the “hardcore developers” and clients, helping them make sense of Google’s products.
There isn’t a day I don’t use my... Google Android-powered internet device. I make a few calls a day on it, but it’s really the internet services I’m using.
I like it because it allows me to… access my information anywhere, through internet-based applications.
It would be even better if it… had a faster data connection (in Australia), was waterproof and had a built-in solar charger.
The best technology I ever bought is... my tiny Flip Video Camcorder. With two boys, it’s important to have a camera in my pocket for all the interesting little things they do.
I would never travel without taking my... Ironkey, the world’s smallest travel iron. Just kidding – it's a fully encrypted USB key that will self-destruct if you enter the password incorrectly too many times.
Top of my Christmas tech wish list this year is… a Kogan netbook. I applaud Ruslan Kogan’s business philosophy of asking the Australian community what it wants in products, then building them.
Someone should invent a... household power meter that could store power in a battery for release in peak-usage times (smoothing the load on the grid across the day); show what household devices are sucking the most power; provide stats to improve power production planning and allow homes that generate surplus renewable power to sell it back into the grid.
o5 Peter Eastway, Better Photography Magazine photographer/editor
Eastway publishes a magazine for professional and enthusiast photographers. “I get to interview amazing people every day, publish incredible photographs and play with the latest technology. Part of my job sees me travelling around the world photographing exotic places with the latest camera equipment.”
There isn’t a day I don’t use… my Eizo ColorEdge CG221 colour monitor. I like it because it allows me to see colours as they really are. The colours on computer monitors are often only a pale (or gaudy) imitation of what is really there.
It would be even better if… my colour monitor was a bit larger. Eizo already makes such a monitor so maybe I really just need a larger budget.
The best technology I ever bought is… a medium-format digital camera back. Most people are aware of how good digital SLR cameras are today. Then there are the medium-format digital backs, such as those produced by Phase One and Hasselblad. The image quality for photography is unbelievably good.
I would never travel without taking… my Sony VAIO laptop. I need to download my digital files, run Photoshop and check emails. When you’re carting around cameras and lenses, the last thing you want to add is a heavy computer. My VAIO Z series weighs just 1.48kg.
Top of my Christmas tech wish list this year is… a book with paper pages I can turn; a tome with beautiful photographs; something that doesn’t use batteries.
Someone should invent a... laptop with a truly good quality colour screen, plus a few terabytes of built-in flash memory – the 256GB flash-based hard drives aren’t big enough for a serious photo shoot.
o6 Michael Ray, Rip Curl wetsuit product chairman
A passionate surfer, Ray led the development of the H-Bomb – the world’s first power-heated wetsuit. “The job allows me to get plenty of product-testing time in the water and has taken me to a lot of fantastic places around the globe. It enables me to blend career and lifestyle.”
There isn’t a day I don’t use… my Apple MacBook.
I like it because it allows me to… have most of my life in one sleek little box – work, photos, movies, music, Skype, internet, etc.
It would be even better if… it was used less for work and more for play.
The best technology I ever bought is… my iPhone. It is amazing to have so much technology in your pocket.
I would never travel without taking my… Sennheiser PXC 250 noise-cancelling headphones. All that travel downtime is so much better with them on my head.
Top of my Christmas tech wish list this year is… a HD digital set-top box for my TV. I am still in the dark ages with my fuzzy analog signal.
Someone should invent… a wave park that can produce perfect waves with real ocean power. Most of the wave pools so far have been pretty lame.
o7 Barbara Chapman, Commonwealth Bank group executive human resources & group services
As the Commonwealth Bank transforms its public image to an “energetic, customer-focused bank determined to be different”, Barbara Chapman’s role as head of human resources, marketing and communications is crucial.
There isn’t a day I don’t use my... MacBook Air.
I like it because it allows me to... connect/think/play/move.
It would be even better if it... could be used on wi-fi anywhere in the world. It puzzles me that there is free wi-fi in an eco-lodge in the Amazon, but not at LAX.
The best technology I ever bought is… an Apple Time Capsule. It allows me to have wireless at home, and backs up everything on my computer without me ever having to do a thing.
I would never travel without taking my... BlackBerry (to stay connected to work) and my MacBook Air (to stay connected to my personal life).
Top of my Christmas tech wish list this year is... a completely wireless integrated home, where any screen can be used with any remote, with any application in any room. There are still way too many wires in this wireless world.
Someone should invent a… remote control that can read my mind. Everything’s accessible via the touch of a button now – but which button? Thank goodness for kids.
o8 Dr Mark Walterfang, University of Melbourne research psychiatrist/Royal Melbourne Hospital staff specialist
Walterfang’s research involves using supercomputers to analyse brain scans taken with MRI machines in order to see the effect psychiatric and neurological diseases have on the physical make-up of the brain.
There isn’t a day I don’t use my... MacBook Pro and iPhone 3GS. My brain’s homunculus probably has a large Apple section.
I like them because they allow me to… manage information flow across my multiple workplaces. The MacBook runs Mac OS X, Windows and Linux concurrently, so I can process brain images while writing scientific papers. The iPhone has allowed a lot of the disparate parts of my professional life to converge.
It would be even better if it... pushed out an espresso on demand.
The best technology I ever bought is… my Al Tech MG-350HD wireless media player hooked up to a BenQ data projector.
I would never travel without taking my… Canon EOS 50D camera and its image-stabilised lenses. I try to capture some of a city’s identity on overseas trips.
Top of my Christmas tech wish list this year is... new lenses for my camera with a Crumpler bag to match.
Someone should invent a… way for the healthcare system to transfer information more efficiently – and an iPhone application for it.
o9 Tony Sarno, APC magazine editor
APC is the world’s longest-published computer magazine. “It has witnessed many revolutions, but I have to say we are in the best and most challenging of times, with the internet, iPhone and eventually the national fibre network.”
There isn’t a day I don’t use my... BlackBerry Bold.
I like it because it allows me to… work any spare second I have – on the train, bus, even on the throne. I stay connected with family and friends via messaging, Facebook and Twitter.
It would be even better if it... wasn’t so addictive. I recently found myself replying to a reader’s email while lying in bed at 11pm. Another day, I went for a bushwalk, but did not remember a thing because I’d been staring at my “CrackBerry” for the whole time.
The best technology I ever bought is... my Acer giant 18.4-inch widescreen notebook. It is gargantuan and heavy, but I can work on it during the day and then watch full HD Blu-ray movies on it at night.
I would never travel without taking my… Telstra Sierra Wireless Next G 21 Mbps modem, which allows me to connect my laptop at speeds comparable to land-based broadband.
Top of my Christmas tech wish list this year is... Bose noise-cancelling headphones. I wised up to them after noticing my staff not responding to my shouts.
Someone should invent a... bicycle-avoidance system. As a cycling commuter, I know how bikes seem invisible to drivers.
1o Mark Corcoran, Foreign Correspondent reporter/producer
During the past 12 years on ABC TV’s Foreign Correspondent, Corcoran has visited 45 countries, from Sierra Leone to Afghanistan. “Despite the internet-wired age of information overload, I am constantly – and pleasantly – surprised by how much we still don’t know about a destination until we actually arrive.”
There isn’t a day I don’t use my... Nokia E51 mobile phone. It’s not quite a BlackBerry or iPhone, but it’s what the ABC gives us.
I like it because it allows me to... access emails just about anywhere in the world and is much sturdier in the field than a BlackBerry or iPhone (with the right cover).
It would be even better if it... could play larger video files.
The best technology I ever b(r)ought is... the people who make it work. The Foreign Correspondent cameramen have an encyclopaedic knowledge on all things technical. There’s no support in the middle of the Bolivian Amazon.
I would never travel without taking... my mobile’s alarm. Constant time changes and forgotten wake-up calls mean life on the road would come to a shuddering halt without it.
Top of my Christmas tech wish list this year is... a Skype-capable mobile so I can affordably see and talk to my family while on assignment.
Someone should invent a... hand-held satellite phone that alleviates my – possibly irrational – fear my brain is being fried.
11 Steve Liebmann Journalist & broadcaster
Steve Liebmann, a journalist for 40 years and self-confessed gadget nut, now hosts a talkback program on Sydney radio station 2UE and anchors Foxtel's popular Crime Investigation Australia program. This work takes him to filming locations all over the map, and he says his armada of gadgets makes the constant travel easier.
There isn’t a day I don’t use my... Asus netbook, TomTom navigator and Amazon Kindle eBook reader.
I like [the Kindle] because it allows me to… read books and newspapers on the plane or wherever I am without having to carry the heft of books. It's only officially available in the US, but if you buy one there you can still use it in Australia – you just have to load the books onto it using a computer rather than over a mobile network, which is how the Kindle does it in America. I also love my TomTom – it is brilliant that you can buy a map for virtually any country and drive around stress-free.
[The TomTom] would be even better if it… worked better in walking mode. I assumed when I got it that the walking mode would allow you to navigate towns and cities as a pedestrian... that it would quickly identify your position and track you even at walking-pace while giving you voice-directions and alerts. I think they have a little work to do on that aspect of the device.
The best technology I ever bought is… my TomTom or the Kindle eBook reader. Within 60 seconds you can have just about any book you want from a library of 350,000 books. I am just overwhelmed by that advancement in technology.
I would never travel without taking my… Sony AM/FM/shortwave pocket radio, which allows me to listen to Radio Australia when I am overseas or local stations when I am travelling domestically. [Also] Telstra Next G internet: I chose it just because I’m a traditionalist and Telstra’s who you traditionally go with, but the coverage is great. It works just about anywhere and allows me to stay in touch with my family, listen to Australian radio wherever I am, download movies and watch TV.
Top of my Christmas tech wish list this year is… an updated TomTom navigator with a bigger screen, and perhaps an Apple iPhone. Now TomTom is available on the iPhone, getting both in one would be a perfect upgrade.
Someone should invent an... “I-don’t-know-what”. I will buy it – I'm an absolute sucker for gadgets.
Source: Qantas The Australian Way November 2009