The Big Tech Show

Technology editor Adrian Weckler reports on the results and concerns he had after taking a DNA test with online service 23&Me. He is joined by Stacy Detweiler, a genetics counsellor working for the company's medical team.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you were a billionaire, would you give most of it away? That’s what Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates says he’s doing. He’s the world's fourth richest man, worth €115bn. But he says he has an "obligation" to return his resources to society. He says he wants to drop out of the world’s rich lists. And he’s not alone in the tech elite. Mark Zuckerberg and Tim Cook, among others, also say they’ll give away almost all of their wealth. Does this make them decent stewards of capitalism? Or is sort of another type of ego-trip? Joining Adrian to discuss it is the Irish Independent’s deputy business editor, Jon Ihle.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is the new M2 too expensive? Is the older M1 MacBook Air a better deal? Or might you be better off getting the new MacBook Pro M2, which is almost the same price? Adrian Weckler is joined by fellow reviewer, PocketLint.com’s deputy editor Britta O’Boyle, to discuss the pros and cons of Apple’s latest MacBook Air M2.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Is it possible for a brand new phone from a brand new company to capture your Apple or Samsung-bound cash? The Nothing Phone (1) is the brainchild of OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei. This week, tech editor Adrian Weckler flew to the London launch to see what all the hype is about. He gives his verdict on the phone, as well as the views of some other experts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

How can you watch your Netflix series in a foreign Airbnb? Is it possible to avoid getting gouged when using your smartphone abroad? Adrian is joined by Colin Baker, gadget expert and managing director of Back From The Future to discuss 10 useful devices and services to enhance a summer holiday, either abroad or in Ireland.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In 2007, Steve Jobs took to the stage to introduce what he called a “revolutionary new product”. This week 15 years ago, the first iPhone went on sale. Is it still an all-conquering device? What might September's iPhone 14 bring? And can the iconic smartphone stay at the heart of Apple’s world, or will smart glasses and cars become the company's new focus? Joining technology editor Adrian Weckler to discuss all of this is someone who was at the original launch – Stuart Miles, the founder and CEO of Pocket-lint.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

30 years ago, John Touhy set up the logistics and delivery company Nightline, which also spawned Parcel Motel. Having sold it to UPS for €30m in 2017, he's back with another offering in the field -- OOHPod. This is a smart locker service that is supposed to make it easy to pick up and return parcels in your own time. The company aims to place “out of home” lockers in 1,000 locations across the island of Ireland by 2025. John Touhy talked to Adrian about his past, present and why some entities in Ireland seem intent on blocking progress in the parcel delivery field.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What’s it like being the CIO of one of the most iconic pandemic-era tech companies in the world? No-one knows better than Harry Moseley, Zoom’s chief information officer . The man from Rathfarhnam has been close to the helm of a company whose very name has become a verb in the English language. But what’s coming next? Is the drive for remote working stalling? And can Zoom pull back from a steep decline in its own share price recently? Harry spoke to tech editor Adrian Weckler.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apple, Google and Microsoft are joining forces to kill off passwords. They say that they will try to replace passwords by using smartphones as two-factor authentication via things like a PIN number or a fingerprint, and using that for verification on an operating system or website. But will this work? And what should you be doing to protect yourself with the passwords you already use? Joining technology editor Adrian Weckler to discuss this is Conor Flynn, managing director at Waystone Compliance Solutions. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In recent weeks, Google and Apple have begun pulling all their Irish workers back into the office. Other big companies are starting to do the same, and it’s not just the tech giants here, such as Amazon, Intel and Salesforce. A glance at Indeed.com, the biggest recruitment site, shows that of 58,000 jobs currently advertised, just 4,000 — or around 7% — allow you to be remote. So here’s a question — what happened to all of the talk about our work lives changing forever? About having more choice in working outside the office? Was it all just BS? Or maybe just a beautiful dream? To discuss the issue, technology editor Adrian Weckler is joined by Tracy Keogh, co-founder of Grow Remote.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.