Code Camp SA: Che Metcalfe

I turned up a few minutes late to this presentation after wrestling with directions to the venue. Based on the title "Kukan Studio and mEgaSA" I had no idea what to expect. The presentation was based on the idea of starting a mobile network, Podmo, where developers can easily publish their mobile games and applications and get a fair deal compared to other mobile content publishers.

The biggest highlight for me was the confirmation of something that I had always felt but never investigated: mobile phone data rates are disgustingly and prohibitively expensive. According to data Che had pulled from the Telstra website a few months ago, a user with a casual data plan can expect to pay approximately $15.00 per MB. On the Telstra Next G Network (which I use) the minimum expected speed is 550kbps which equates to about $45.00 of data downloaded in a minute at the afore mentioned rate.

Even better, in true geek style, Podmo plans to utilise Bluetooth hot spots at cafes, homes, and possibly eventually a scatternet across the CBD to enable free data for mobile users looking for Podmo contents. Way to stick it to the telcos!