The Engadget Podcast

In this bonus episode, Devindra and Executive Editor Cherlynn Low break down all of the major news from Google's I/O 2026 developer conference. And yes, you guessed it, it's pretty much all about AI. We dive into the new Gemini Omni model, the massive AI integration with Google Search, the usefulness of agentic personal assistants like Spark and our impressions of the first Android XR glasses.

As usual, Google delivered much of its consumer-focused news this week during the Android Show, ahead of its I/O developer conference next week. We've gotten a closer look at Android 17, which will sport a slew of new Gemini AI integrations, including some new agentic upgrades. The company also officially announced Googlebooks, its latest line of laptops built around AI features and Android interoperability. It looks like a major evolution on the concept of Chromebooks, though Google says those won't be going anywhere.  What’s new at The Android Show: Googlebooks, Gemini Intelligence, and file sharing with iOS – 1:25 eBay rejects Gamestop’s offer as “not credible or attractive” – 32:18  U.S. cell carriers form a joint venture to fix service dead spots – 33:41  OpenAI sued by spouse of FSU shooting victim, who used ChatGPT to plan shooting spree – 38:44 Apple is making the iOS Camera app more customizable – 44:06  RIP Rufus, we hardly knew ye: Amazon dubs Alexa its new shopping assistant – 44:58 Around Engadget – 47:14  Working on – 49:26  Pop culture picks – 51:15

Can a meme stock buy a real company? This week, Gamestop proposed a $56 billion takeover of eBay, despite seemingly not being able to afford such a deal. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget's Daniel Cooper discuss what the heck is going on (and why this deal most likely won't happen). Also, Dan chats about his review of the reMarkable Paper Pure, the company's latest stab at a relatively affordable e-paper tablet. Gamestop submits an unsolicited $56 billion offer to buy eBay. How serious are they? – 1:33 Dan Cooper’s reMarkable Paper Pure review: beautiful, but missing a few crucial features – 21:15  Fitbit’s Air band takes aim at Whoop for no-screen fitness tracker dominance – 39:49  Apple ordered to pay $250M to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 users over smarter Siri misfire – 40:33   Anthropic makes a deal with SpaceX’s mega-polluting Memphis data center to increase Claude rate limit – 44:05  Pornhub unblocks UK users who verify ID with Apple – 46:51 Starfox 64 remake coming to the Switch 2 – 50:42  Working on – 52:28  Pop culture picks – 53:06

We're still waiting for Valve's Steam Machine to arrive, but until then, the company has finally given us a full look at its new Steam Controller. At $100, it sure is steep, but it looks like a solid way to enjoy games on Steam. In this episode, Engadget's Jessica Conditt joins to chat about her experience with the Steam Controller, and where Valve could be going next with the Steam Machine. And we'll also take some time to chat about the games we're currently playing.

The Apple rumors were true, once again. This week, the company announced that Tim Cook will be stepping down from his CEO role on September 1. Replacing him will be John Ternus, who currently serves as Apple's SVP of hardware engineering. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget's Nathan Ingraham discuss Cook's legacy as Apple's CEO, and pontificate about how Ternus may change things. We're going from Apple being led by a logistics guru, to Apple being driven by a product and engineering wizard. Surely, that will have some impact on future products.   Tim Cook steps down as Apple CEO after 15 years, John Ternus will take his place on September 1 – 1:22 Palantir woke up last Saturday morning and posted a comic book villain manifesto on X – 26:01 DHS wants to make facial recognition smart glasses for ICE – 31:53 A lot of people panic bought PCs to avoid RAMageddon – 36:25 Meta faces a new lawsuit over running ads for outright scams – Employees at Meta will have they keystrokes and mouse moves recorded for AI training – 40:10 Xbox Game Pass Ultimate price goes down, but it won’t include Call of Duty – 44:55 Around Engadget: a great (expensive) Dyson vac with a silly name – 49:15 Working on – 51:58 Pop culture picks – 52:55

So a shoe company turned into an AI company…. That’s it, that’s the joke. In this episode, Devindra chats with Engadget’s Daniel Cooper about Allbirds’ sudden transformation and what it says about the AI economy. Also, they chat about the Artemis II moon mission, Meta being warned about the dangers of facial recognition (again) and how teens think social media is really shaping them.   Near-dead shoe company Allbirds is doing AI now – 1:47 Artemis II safely returns to Earth, did you know they had DLSRs and iPhones up there? – 15:57 Meta warned by dozens of civil rights organizations that facial recognition in its smart glasses will enable predators – 28:41 Social media isn’t bad for teens, say teens – 36:00 NAACP sues xAI over data center pollution – 44:30 Around Engadget –  50:28  

For a 50-year-old company, Apple remains pretty hip and nimble. This week, Devindra and Senior Reporter Igor Bonifacic dive into Apple's big birthday, the state of the company today and what the next 50 years could bring. Also, we celebrate the successful launch of NASA's Artemis II mission, which will bring us back to the Moon (but just for a close look).   Apple at 50: Why it’s still all about personal computing – 1:16 Artemis II is safely on its way to the moon, but they’re having problems with Outlook – 37:48 SpaceX files for the largest IPO ever, what’s driving their hopes for a 1.75 Trillion valuation? – 40:52 Another Starlink satellite broke up in orbit, the second in 6 months – 47:21 Anthropic accidentally leaked source code for Claude Code – 52:17 FCC issues ban on all foreign-made WiFi routers – 57:18 Around Engadget – 1:02:09 Working On – 1:07:18 Pop culture picks – 1:08:20 

If you're feeling anxious about AI and what it means for the future of humanity, you should watch The AI Doc: Or, How I Became an Apocaloptimist. As I noted in my review, the film aims to deliver some clarity amid all the AI hype with a plethora of interviews from AI CEOs, boosters, and critics. Now that it's in theaters, we sat down with the film's Oscar-winning director, Daniel Roher (Navalny), to dive deeper into his complicated feelings around AI.    

It turns out people don't actually love having Copilot shoved into their faces. This week, Devindra and PCWorld Senior Editor Mark Hachman discuss Microsoft's surprising plan to "fix" Windows 11 by refocusing on customization and core features, instead of bringing Copilot AI into tons of apps. Is there any enthusiasm left for Windows? Or will most people be better off considering macOS or Linux?   Microsoft hits the reset button on Windows 11, de-emphasizing Copilot AI – 1:03 OpenAI pulls the plug on its Sora video generation app after just 5 months – 25:23 Meta’s terrible week in court, part 1: $375 million ruling in New Mexico child engagement case – 33:58 Meta’s terrible week in court, part 2: Meta and Google lose landmark social media addiction suit – 38:49 OpenAI puts erotic chat on hold indefinitely – 43:49 Update your iPhones: iOS exploit ‘Darksword’ released on GitHub – 46:39 Epic games lays off 1,000 workers after Fortnite engagement dips – 47:48 Honda and Sony kill off their Afeela EV collaboration – 49:26 Listener Mail: Which Mac Mini to get for a budding pro photographer – 55:15 Pop culture picks – 57:52

NVIDIA started an online firestorm this week when it announced DLSS 5 at its GTC conference. The company claims it's meant to deliver "photorealistic" lighting and materials in games by using neural processing. But it differs considerably from previous versions of DLSS, which were focused on using machine learning to upscale lower resolutions and generate additional frames. To help us break this down, Anshel Sag, VP and principal analyst at Moor Insights and Strategy joins us to discuss his experience with NVIDIA's DLSS 5 demos. Also, we dive into what's next for Xbox with Project Helix.   NVIDIA announced DLSS 5, the disgust was immediate (with Anshel Sag from Moor Insights & Strategy) – 0:51 Arizona attorney general sues Kalshi for operating an illegal gambling business – 36:22 Polymarket users threaten the life of a reporter at The Times of Israel over accurate reporting – 36:59 Apple announces AirPods Max 2 with improved noise cancellation – 44:33 Elon Musk’s xAI faces class action suit over facilitating CSAM – 47:38 Samsung stops selling Galaxy Z TriFold after 3 months because components got too expensive – 51:22 Around Engadget: Apple Studio XDR review, Dell XPS 16 review – 53:49.346 Listener Mail: Stick with iPhone on Linux? And are there any good Android tablets? – 55:41 Pop culture picks – 58:46

Somehow, Apple made a $600 laptop that's actually a joy to use. In this episode, Devindra and Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham chat about what makes the MacBook Neo so great. And they also dive into the new M4 iPad Air, M5 MacBook Air and M5 Pro/Max MacBook Pros. Also, Roberto Baldwin, SAE International's Sustainability Editor, joins us to chat about the state of EVs today as gas prices explode. MacBook Neo review: Apple puts $600 Windows PCs to shame – 1:47 iPad Air M4 remains Apple’s best overall tablet – 18:05 Whistleblower claims ex-DOGE employee illegally took social security info on 500 million Americans to their new job – 33:37 Valve clarifies their outlook on the Steam Machine, it’ll launch in 2026, still no word on price – 36:08 Grammerly hit with a class action lawsuit for using reporters’ names in an editing ‘expert’ tool – 40:29 A new study claims every major AI chatbot will help users plan a hate attack or political assassination – 44:03 What to look for in a used EV with SAE International sustainability editor Roberto Baldwin – 48:31 Around Engadget – 1:21:04

It's been a wild week for Apple. After announcing a slew of new hardware, the company capped things off with its cheapest laptop ever: the $599 MacBook Neo. It's low on specs, but high on character and value. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham dive into the MacBook Neo, as well as the refreshed MacBook Air M5, MacBook Pro M5 Pro/Max and iPad Air M4.  Also, Devindra chats with Spencer Ackerman, author of The Forever Wars and recent Iron Man comics, about the ongoing battle between Anthropic and the Department of Defense. It turns out the DOD still used Claude for attacks on Iran, after banning Anthropic'/s AI last week. And really, what do these AI companies expect to happen when they jump at military contracts? Apple announces a the MacBook Neo priced at $599 and it’s shockingly great – 0:53 MacBook Air got the M5, MacBook Pro got the M5 Pro and M5 Max, and who needs the new iPad Air now? – 22:31 Anthropic vs. DoD with Spencer Ackerman, author of The Forever Wars – 30:34 Gemini encouraged a man to end his own life to be with his ‘AI wife’ – 58:53 Polymarket nixes bets on nuclear detonation after public outcry – 1:01:55 No Yōtei on PC: Sony closes down first party titles outside of PS5 – 1:03:56 Wildlight Studios’ Highguard shuts down after 46 days live – 1:08:23 Working on: Dell’s XPS 14 will be great when the keyboard fix coms through – 1:15:09 Pop culture picks – 1:15:58  

This week, we're diving into the big changes at Xbox and what it all means for Microsoft's gaming future. Phil Spencer, the longtime face of Xbox, announced he's retiring last week. He'll be replaced by Microsoft's former CoreAI CEO Asha Sharma, instead of his longtime deputy Sarah Bond, who plans to leave the company. Will this change actually help the beleaguered Xbox division, or is it another example of Microsoft shoving AI into everything?  Also, Samsung held its latest Galaxy Unpacked event this week to announce its new Galaxy S26 family. They look pretty much the same as last year, but the Ultra model includes a unique privacy feature that can instantly make the screen unreadable to bystanders. It's one of those features we expect to see in every phone eventually. Xbox leadership falls apart. what happens next with Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond out? – 1:53 Samsung Galaxy Unpacked: Privacy display on the S26 Ultra looks amazing – 27:27 U.S. Defense leadership gives Anthropic a Friday deadline to let it use Claude as it sees fit – 42:38 MrBeast editor accused of insider trading on Kalshi – 50:40 Discord delays age verification program after user revolt – 54:09 Around Engadget – 1:04:04 Working on – 1:05:16 Pop culture picks – 1:08:21

This week, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified in a landmark social media trial, claiming the company only wanted to make Instagram "useful" and not addictive. In this episode, we chat about Zuck's testimony and the potential implications of this trial for social media companies. Also, we dive into the latest effects of the RAMaggedon RAM shortage, including a potential PlayStation 6 delay and a dire future for practically every consumer electronics company.   Mark Zuckerberg testifies that Instagram was meant to be ‘useful’, not addictive in social media addiction trial – 1:27 Meta reportedly plans to launch a smartwatch later this year – 13:23 The RAMageddon will likely kill some small consumer electronics companies – 15:54 Apple could unveil a MacBook, new M5 Pro chip, and iPhone 17e at March 4th event – 26:26 Google’s Pixel 10a arrives on March 5 – 32:17 Email leaked to 404 media suggests Ring had plans to use its Search Party function for wider surveillance – 34:48 Listener Mail – 45:14 Working on – 48:40 Pop culture picks – 49:04 

If you haven't heard, there's now a social network for AI: Moltbook, a site that purportedly features AI agents talking to each other. That includes OpenClaw, a personal AI agent (formerly called Clawdbot and Moltbot) that's open source and free for anyone to run on their systems. In this episode, Devindra and Senior Reporter Karissa Bell discuss the rise of these services, and the potential future that AI agents may have for all of us.   What is Moltbook and OpenClaw? – 1:31 Anthropic reinforces its commitment against ads with Super Bowl ad spots – 19:32 SpaceX acquires xAI and plans for a mega IPO – 27:08 Alexa + rolls out free for all Amazon Prime subscribers – 33:36 Around Engadget: Reviews of the New AirTag and Switch Virtual Boy – 44:12 Working on – 46:34 Pop culture picks – 49:24

Somehow, we live in a world where people can bet on practically anything using sites like Polymarket and Kalshi. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget Senior Reporter Karissa Bell dive into the world of betting markets. How did we get here? And is endless betting having an effect on the real world? Also, we chat about the new American version of TikTok, which stumbled during its first weekend with a litany of errors and reported censorship.   Who’s going to buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Tri-fold for $2900? – 1:18 Tesla is killing off the Model X and S lines to focus on its Optimus robot moonshot – 6:46 Amazon plans to cut 16,000 jobs and close its grocery stores in another round of restructuring – 10:45 Most of the UK will lose access to Pornhub in a fight over age verification and privacy – 21:16 Internal messages from Meta about Instagram being ‘a drug’ for teens could be bombshell evidence at trial – 26:59 What are prediction markets and why are they suddenly so popular? – 32:11 As TikTok US stumbles, users ask ‘is it server problems or censorship?’ – 46:55 Around Engadget – 59:11 Pop culture picks – 1:01:23 

Apple is reportedly working on an AI pin of its very own to compete with OpenAI's non-existent pin. No, it doesn't really make much sense to us, either. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget Managing Editor Cherlynn Low discuss why Apple might be quick to jump on the AI pin trend, even before it jumps into smart rings.    TCL is taking over Sony’s Bravia TV business in a new joint venture – 0:58 Last week’s Verizon outage was resolved after 10 hours, no official word on what caused it – 8:39 Youtube CEO promises more AI video tools for creators while also denouncing deepfakes – 12:19 The FTC isn’t giving up on its Meta antitrust case – 14:22 Trump family earnings from crypto may total $1.4B in 2025, but likely much more – 19:00 Adobe Acrobat can now generate presentations and podcasts from your documents – 21:12 Why the heck would Apple make an AI pin?? – 25:15 Around Engadget: Sony LinkBuds Clip review, Volvo EX60 and Canon EOS R6 III reviews – 43:14 Pop culture picks – 46:34 

Apple's next-gen Siri is still far off, but this week the company announced that it'll be using Google's Gemini AI for its new foundation models. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget's Igor Bonifacic discuss why Apple teamed up with Google again, instead of OpenAI or Anthropic. Also, they chat about Meta's Reality Lab layoffs, which is refocusing the company on AI hardware like its smart glasses.   Meta announces 1000+ layoffs, closes 3 VR studios as it shifts focus to AI hardware – 2:12 Gemini can now pull context from the rest of your Google apps including photos and Youtube history – 12:31 Framework raises the price of its desktop by $460 because of the global RAM shortage – 18:36 NVIDIA may revive the RTX 3060 and kill off 5070 Ti due to its VRAM demands – 21:57 Apple creates a subscription bundle for Pro creative apps like Final Cut Pro, Logic, and others – 23:00 Tesla’s Full Self Driving is also going subscription only, a year costs $999 – 29:15 Matthew McConaughey trademarks himself to fight unauthorized AI likenesses – 33:27 Apple announces that its long delayed ’smarter Siri’ will be powered by Google Gemini – 35:15 X finally responds to Grok’s CSAM and nudity generation with limits – 51:46 Cursor claims their AI agents wrote 1M+ lines of code to make a web browser from scratch, are developers cooked? – 57:52   

That’s a wrap for CES 2026! In this episode, Devindra and Cherlynn chat about their favorite aspects of the show, as well as Engadget’s best of CES awards lineup. Also, Cherlynn chats with Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky about his Pebble smartwatch revival, as well as an intriguing new AI ring that’s built entirely around notetaking. TVs at CES 2026: all eyes on Micro RGB and LG’s super thin OLED – 1:48 L'Oréal debuts LED/Infrared face masks seem cool but needs some development – 5:46 Engadget’s official Best of CES 2026: Lego’s Smart Brick, Lenovo’s rollable laptop screen, a super quiet leafblower and more – 9:55   Health Tech at CES 2026: Eyebot’s 30-second vision exam, Wheelmove makes manual wheelchairs motorized –  11:41 Interview with Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky – 20:43

We're halfway through CES 2026, and one of our biggest takeaways is that it's going to be a rough year for the PC industry. In this episode, Devindra chats with Engadget's Daniel Cooper about Intel, AMD, NVIDIA and the sad state of the PC industry. We've got some new CPUs, but the volatile RAM market will likely make everything expensive this year. Also, they dive into Dell's revival of the XPS brand, as well as iPolish's smart nails and Subtle's AI-powered VoiceBuds. Topics The state of the PC industry in 2026 -- 02:22Intel's new Core Ultra Series 3 chips --  12:41Dell's XPS lineup is back -- 17:41Our favorite products from  CES: 26:36

We’re gearing up for CES 2026! Engadget will be on the ground, once again, to dive into the latest TVs, wearables and other wild tech from the world’s biggest consumer electronics show. In this episode, we chat about some new products we expect to see, like MicroRGB LED TVs and AI devices, and peer into what’s ahead for the rest of 2026.

Over the past two years, the Nex Playground has carved out a niche for itself with kids and parents alike. It's a small box that sits in front of your TV and uses a camera, along with computer vision AI processing, to track your movement for interactive games. Think of it like a simplified version of Microsoft's Kinect (RIP), with a bit of the local multiplayer we see from the original Wii. In this bonus episode, we chat with David Lee, Nex's CEO and co-founder, about how he went from building a basketball tracking app to one of the most intriguing gaming console alternatives on the market. (The Nex Playground even managed to outsell Xbox in November!)

This week, Engadget Managing Editor Cherlynn Low joins us to look back at some of the highlights (and lowlights) of 2025. We dive into our favorite gadgets of the year, the many ways Big Tech bowed to Trump, the disappointment of AI PCs and the rise of smart glasses.   Our favorite gadgets of 2025: Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, Airpods Pro 3, bluetooth lav mics and more – 2:26 Favorite Media of 2025: Andor, self-improvement via podcast, and a shoutout to your library – 34:30 iRobot declares bankruptcy – 47:29 Warner Bros. Discovery board rejects Paramount’s hostile bid, shareholders yet to vote  – 53:47 The Oscars will air on Youtube starting in 2029 – 56:05 Ford to turn its F-150 Lightining into a gas generator EV – 57:41 Around Engadget: smart glasses had a great run in 2025, against social media age verification – 58:20  

Last week, Netflix surprised us all when it announced plans for an $82.7 billion acquisition of Warner Bros., a move that would fundamentally reshape the world of streaming video and Hollywood. But Paramount isn't giving up on WB -- this week it launched a $108 billion hostile takeover effort. In this episode, we discuss why everyone is fighting for WB, and why Netflix may be the best worst option for the storied movie studio. What the Netflix bid for Warner Bros. means for at-home streamers and moviegoers – 1:55 Disney characters are coming to Sora after OpenAI struck a deal – 32:59 Meta may be giving up on open source for Llama – 43:53   Google CEO says we’re just going to have to grin and bear societal disruption via AI – 46:46 Around Engadget: The Kindle Scribe Colorsoft is good, but is it $630 good? – 49:06 The best trailers and announcements from The Game Awards’ Day of the Devs stream – 51:28 Here’s why projectors won in 2025 – 54:31 Working on – 56:15   Pop culture picks – 57:33

RAM prices have gone wild, mostly thanks to AI. In this episode, Devindra chats with Will Smith (Brad and Will Made a Tech Pod) about the state of the RAM industry, as well as other hardware we expect to get more expensive. (SSD prices are definitely creeping up too!). Also, we discuss Meta poaching Alan Dye, one of Apple's design executives, and what this could mean for Meta's upcoming devices. And yes, whatever they have next will likely revolve around AI.   Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, plans deep cuts to his company’s metaverse development – 1:09 Longtime Apple UI designer Alan Dye to join Meta’s AI division – 7:08 US DOT cuts fuel efficiency standards, doubles down on gas cars – 25:40 Waymo autonomous cars recently started driving more aggressively – 31:30 Amazon halts its anime dub beta because it sounded terrible – 38:00 WTF, RAM?? Will Smith joins to talk about why RAM prices are spiraling upward – 44:05 Around Engadget: Metroid Prime 4 is a return to form after 18 years on ice – 1:04:42 Working on – 1:07:36 Pop culture picks – 1:08:32

So it turns out Meta isn't a monopoly, at least according to a federal judge. In this episode, we dive into Meta's victory in the FTC's antitrust case, which it seems to have won mainly thanks to TikTok's existence. Also, we chat about the Cloudflare issue that took down a huge portion of the web this week, as well as Roblox's plan to collect kids' selfies for age verification. We also carve out some time to chat with the audience and answer your pressing tech questions.   Meta won its antitrust case, will keep control of Instagram and WhatsApp – 2:30 Chat with the Livestream: Flickr’s repository of aughts memories and who uses Facebook anymore – 23:59 The Cloudflare issue that took down a lot of the web? It was a database error – 32:49 Google’s new Gemini 3 model is now available – 34:57 Roblox wants tens of millions of kids to send them a selfie for age verification – 38:27 TikTok’s screen time management function now includes an…affirmation journal? – 41:30 Around Engadget – 43:47 Working on – 50:36 Pop culture picks – 52:27    

This week Valve surprised us all with the announcement of three new devices: The tiny Steam Machine PC gaming desktop, the Steam Frame VR headset and a new Steam Controller. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget's gaming reporter Jessica Conditt discuss how these devices fit into the PC gaming world, which has already been reshaped by Valve's Steck Deck portable. Also, we discuss our favorite games of 2025, as well as the upcoming titles we're looking forward to.   Valve reshapes PC gaming with a new Steam Machine, Steam Frame VR headset and updated Steam Controller – 1:10 It’s not just Silksong! A look at our favorite indie games of 2025 with Jess Conditt – 25:25 Michael Burry places his next big short on Palantir and NVIDIA – 46:09 WSJ Report: OpenAI faces 7 lawsuits claiming ChatGPT encouraged user suicides – 50:57 Apple unveils Digital IDs for iPhones, to hold passports and other IDs – 59:35 Deezer-Ipsos survey says 97% of people can’t tell if music is AI generated – 1:01:37 Around Engadget – 1:07:18 Working on – 1:08:42 Pop culture picks – 1:09:10

2025 is almost over (gasp!), so it's time to look back at all of the best devices we've seen so far. In this episode, Engadget Deputy Editor Billy Steele joins Devindra to talk about the highlights of the year, which range from the usual suspects (like Google's Pixel and the iPhone 17 Pro), to surprises like the Ninja Swirl. Also, we chat about yet another super-thin phone and the latest sampler from Teenage Engineering.   Engadget’s Best of 2025: phones, tablets, cameras, even EVs! – 1:40 Reuters reports Meta projected 10% of its revenue ($16B) came from ads for scams this year – 32:20 Moto Edge 70 is another super thin smartphone, but who wants it? – 41:43 Netflix is going big on video podcasts in 2026 – 42:56 You can now stream PS5 games you own to the PS Portal via the cloud – 48:23 Around Engadget: Why DJI drones may be banned in the U.S. – 52:27 Pop culture picks – 56:05

Home robots are moving way beyond Roombas. 1X unveiled its NEO helper bot this week, a terrifying $20,000 machine that can perform basic tasks after you've trained it, and more complex tasks via teleoperation. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget's Igor Bonafacic try to figure out why 1X made the Neo look like a murderbot, as well as the future they see for home robots. Also, we discuss last week's AWS outage and our over-reliance on a single cloud provider, as well as Apple's rumored push for OLED devices in 2026.    Devindra also what’s with John Gearty, a former Apple Vision Pro engineer, about the state of Apple’s headset and the world of XR.   Interview with John Gearty, former Apple Vision Pro engineer and founder of PulseJet Studios – 1:30 Robotics company 1X announces Neo, a $20k home assistant that *might* become autonomous…someday – 33:05 Amazon says automation bug caused AWS outage – 45:11 NVIDIA is the first company in history to hit a $5T market cap – 50:55 OpenAI finishes reorganization that paves path for future IPO – 55:21 U.S. Customs and Border Protection announces plan to photograph non-citizens entering the country for facial recognition – 1:08:45 Around Engadget: Billy Steele’s Echo Studio 2025 review – 1:17:25 Working on – 1:19:39 Pop culture picks – 1:22:07  

The era of AI video is upon us, and honestly it's kind of terrifying. Between OpenAI's Sora and official communications from the Trump White House, it's clear that we're not ready for an unending onslaught of AI video. In this episode, Devindra and producer Ben chat with the Washington Post's technology reporter Drew Harwell and Jeremy Carrasco (AKA "ShowtoolsAI"), a former livestream and media producer turned AI video literacy creator. Also, we chat about our final thoughts on Apple's M5 MacBook Pro and iPad Pro, with a few quick notes about the new Vision Pro. Google and Open AI’s video generation models have upended our sense of reality online, what comes next? – 1:10 Apple’s M5 chip is a significant boost in graphics power on the Macbook Pro – 34:11 The iPad Pro M5 is a solid speed boost for whoever wants it – 39:36 Preview of the Vision Pro M5 review – 44:00 Working on – 50:23 Pop culture Picks – 51:45 

Apple just announced its fall slate of devices powered by its new M5 chip: A 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro and revamped Vision Pro. In this episode, Devindra and Sam Rutherford dive into what's actually new this time around. (Spoiler: It’s really all about the new GPU.) Also, Sam goes deep on his review of the ROG Xbox Ally X, Microsoft’s first stab at a portable “Xbox.”   Apple refreshes of the Macbook Pro, Vision Pro and iPad Pro with M5 chips – 1:24 Sam Rutherford’s Review of the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X – 18:45 Microsoft makes big promises with Copilot Voice, can it follow through? – 39:00 OpenAI’s Sora app reaches 1M downloads in less than 5 days, faster than ChatGPT – 50:42 Sam Altman announces you’ll be able to sext with ChatGPT starting in December – 54:00 Working on – 1:06:50 Pop culture picks – 1:09:41 

This week, EA announced that it plans to go private as part of a massive $55 billion sale, a move that will likely have huge implications for the gaming landscape. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget's Sam Rutherford chat about what this deal really means (and why it includes a Saudi Arabian investment fund), and also dive into the messy state of Xbox. Is the ROG Ally Xbox X already a failure at $1,000?   Electronic Arts to go private in a deal worth $55 Billion – 1:43 What the heck is going on with Xbox? The $1,000 ROG Ally Xbox X could be a failure even before launch – 15:23 Great games out now: Final Fantasy Tactics, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Hades II and more – 42:46 Amazon’s fall hardware event announced new Echoes, a new Fire TV and a panopticon powered by Ring – 59:10 Google announces new Nest Doorbell along with a couple of Nest Cams – 1:09:34 Hollywood film stars recoil in disgust at Tilly Norwood, an AI actress created by a Dutch production studio –1:14:30 OpenAI’s Sora video app is full of fake shoplifting clips – 1:14:13   Working on – 1:17:35 Pop culture picks – 1:19:01 

Buying a car in America is usually a hellish experience involving pushy salespeople, mysterious fees, and hours-long financing negotiations. That’s something Carvana aimed to solve with its online used car marketplace when it launched 13 years ago. In this episode, Devindra chats with Carvana Chief Product Officer Dan Gill about how the company moved beyond the flashy marketing of its early car vending machines, and how it’s still trying to perfect the online car buying experience. We also dive into some of the issues the company has faced – including delayed registrations and vehicle issues – and how it’s trying to learn from them. 

We're still in iPhone mode this week, as all of our reviews of Apple's new hardware are rolling out. In this episode, Senior Writer Sam Rutherford joins us to chat about his experience with the iPhone Air and our final thoughts on the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup. Also, we dive into all of the news from Meta Connect 2025, including the Ray-Ban Display smart glasses. Is Meta actually on to something with these smart glasses? Or is Zuck just desperate to get people away from phones? iPhone 17 Air review: Thinness with a purpose – 1:21 What’s the iPhone 17 Air’s battery life like? – 14:47 iPhone 17 Pro: a more substantive update than meets the eye – 24:54 The base iPhone 17 is a great phone for pretty much everyone – 35:26 Mark Zuckerberg announces Meta Ray-Ban Display smart glasses during his Connect keynote – 39:35 Other News: The ‘framework’ of a TikTok deal is in place, U.S. may license ByteDance’s original algorithm – 1:09:08 New rumors about a touchscreen MacBook Pro – 1:10:41 Working on – 1:14:32 Pop culture picks – 1:15:02 

This week, managing editor Cherlynn Low and senior reporter Karissa Bell are joined by The Verge's Allison Johnson to talk all about the new iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17s. We also answered some questions from Threads and talk about our hopes and dreams from the next Apple event. Also, Devindra and Ben chat about some recent news, including a truly awful AI podcasting company. Cherlynn, Karissa, and a special guest break down the iPhone 17 news from Apple headquarters – 1:04 Notes from the iPhone Air hands on – 14:59 Once again, a big Apple event with no mention of Apple Intelligence – 40:27 Animated movie Critterz will use OpenAI’s tech to try to make a CGI movie on a shoestring budget – 59:24   Inception Point AI wants to use virtual hosts to make 5,000 new podcast episodes a week – 1:04:26 David Zaslav thinks HBO Max should be more expensive, because of course he does – 1:23:27 Working on – 1:25:41 Pop culture picks – 1:28:29 

We've survived Apple's iPhone 17 event and we're here to dive into all of the news. In this bonus episode, Devindra and Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham recap all of Apple's new hardware and try to determine if the iPhone Air has any substance behind all that style.  

We're just days away from Apple's September 9th iPhone 17 event, and the hype seems practically nonexistent. Did the many (many) leaks splash cold water on an enthusiasm, or are we just tired of annual iPhone events? In this episode, Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham joins Devindra to discuss why even the rumored iPhone Air isn't really tingling our gadget geek senses. Also, we dive into the final repercussions of the US. v. Google antitrust trial: Turns out Google doesn’t have to sell Chrome, or give up much of anything else.    The iPhone 17 is almost here, does anyone care? – 1:36 U.S. antitrust judge rules that Google won’t have to sell Chrome – 23:24 More Gemini-powered smart home products will be revealed on October 1 – 30:02 The Browser Company’s sale to Jira parent company Atlassian shows how hard upstart browsers have it – 33:15 After 15 years Instagram is finally getting an iPad app – 40:41 Dolby announces Dolby Vision 2 with a bunch of AI features that seem useful – 44:25 There’s AI in your pizza oven: Ooni’s Volt V2 will cook a pie in 90 seconds using machine learning – 49:02 Around Engadget: Remarkable Paper Pro Move, Acer Chromebook 14 Spin Plus, and Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 – 52:51 Working on – 56:55 Pop culture picks – 57:20

Now that Apple has scheduled its iPhone 17 event for September 9th, it's time to dive into everything we’re  expecting. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget's Igor Bonifacic chat with Bloomberg's Mark Gurman about his latest Apple scoops. We're expecting an ultra-thin iPhone Air (which may turn out to be a dud), but when will we hear more about Apple's rumored move into robotics and that darned foldable iPhone? iPhone 17 event preview with Mark Gurman: Apple’s rumored iPhone Air will be rough around the edges at first  – 1:03 What to expect from the main iPhone 17 line: more of the same, for better or worse – 10:24 OpenAI faces first known Artificial Intelligence wrongful death lawsuit – 26:32 U.S. government converts Intel’s CHIPS act grant into 9.9% equity – 32:28 Working on – 37:15 Pop culture picks –  39:01

This week, Google unveiled its full suite of Pixel 10 devices during an event hosted by Jimmy Fallon, of all people. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget's Sam Rutherford dive into all of the new phone models and try to determine if Google has finally cracked the code on premium smartphones. Also, they chat about a few announcements from Gamescom 2025. Google announces Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro – 1:08 The Pixel 10 Pro Fold – 7:13 Pro Res Zoom promises up to 100x virtual zoom with an AI assist – 20:34 Pixel Watch 4: a more vibrant screen and satellite connectivity – 26:04 What’s hot at Gamescom: new details on the Xbox ROG Ally handset – 29:43 New updates to NVIDIA GeForce now – 34:43 Unfortunately, Elden Ring Tarnished Edition runs poorly on the Switch 2 – 37:43 Working on – 40:56 Pop culture picks – 41:57  

Ford has big plans for 2027: This week, the American carmaker announced a new "Universal EV Platform" for future electric cars, spearheaded by a $30,000 mid-sized EV pickup. In this episode, we're joined by SAE International Editor Roberto Baldwin to break down all of Ford's claims, as well as where its $5 billion manufacturing investment is going. Can Ford really rebound after slow EV sales and last year's disappointing product delays?   Ford has a plan for a ‘Universal EV Platform’ and a $30,000 mid-size electric pickup, can they pull it off? – 0:49 OpenAI releases GPT-5, the reception so far is mixed – 24:45 NVIDIA and AMD may tithe 15% of their Chinese GPU sales to the U.S. government – 30:18 Goodbye: AOL will phase out dial-up at the end of September – 33:25 AI-powered “Smarter Siri” likely won’t hit iPhones until Spring 2026 – 36:42 Perplexity makes an unsolicited offer to buy Chrome for $34 billion, which is more than the company is worth – 41:03 Listener Mail: Gaming on a MacBook Air – 52:31 Working On – 57:05 Pop culture picks – 59:13

This week, Apple committed another $100 billion towards US investments in a bid to avoid the Trump administration’s chaotic tariff plans. Oh, and Tim Cook gave Trump a unique plaque with a 24-karat gold base. Just a normal business meeting in a normal country. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget's Sam Rutherford discuss what this latest Apple investment ultimately means (and just how embarrassing appeasing the Trump administration looks). And since the news is fairly slow, we also take some time to answer a few listener questions.  Apple attempts to avoid tariffs with another $100 billion U.S. investment and a shiny object for the president – 1:21 Nintendo announces blockbuster Switch 2 sales numbers, price hikes for original Switch models – 12:39 Trump demands Intel’s new CEO to step down over conflicts of interest – 16:51 ChatGPT conversations no longer searchable in Google (why were they there in the first place?) – 18:55 Hulu to shut down app in 2026 and be absorbed into Disney+ – 22:15 Listener Q&A: HDMI or Optical for sound bar connection, moving off of Windows 10, and good alternatives to the Lenovo Yoga 7 – 26:59 Working on – 48:04 Pop culture picks – 53:29.   

We’ve been playing around with the developer betas of Apple’s latest software, and now that we’ve spent time with iOS 26, Liquid Glass and more on actual devices, we have thoughts. From representation in Genmoji and Live Translation adventures to Apple Intelligence musings, our hosts Cherlynn Low and Mat Smith share what you can expect on your iPhones later this year. We also go over our reviews of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 and Galaxy Z Flip 7, as well as Microsoft’s SharePoint server vulnerabilities. Cherlynn and Mat on how iOS 26 feels in the developer beta – 1:17 Our reviews of Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7, Flip 7, and Watch 8 – 43:07 Microsoft Sharepoint vulnerability -- who's impacted so far (including the Department of Energy) – 50:58 Pop culture picks – 54:15  

VR filmmaker Eliza McNitt has explored the cosmos with her previous work, but with her short film Ancestra, she taps into Google’s AI tools to tell a personal story. Based on her own birth, the film follows a pregnant woman who is shocked to learn she needs an emergency cesarean delivery. We hear her frightened thoughts as she thinks back to the creation of life and the way all living creatures are connected. In this episode, Devindra chats with McNitt about Ancestra and the creative potential (and many dangers) of AI as a video production tool. While she ultimately believes it’s up to every artist to judge the costs and benefits of every tool on their own, she also agrees that AI companies need to be more transparent about how their models are built, especially when it comes to training them on copyrighted works.

Samsung has finally debuted its latest foldables (after plenty of leaks), and boy they sure look thin. This week, Engadget's Sam Rutherford joins us to chat about the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7, as well as other highlights from its Galaxy Unpacked event. Also, we dive into a few of the best deals from Amazon Prime Day. You won't believe how cheap huge TVs have gotten.   Breaking down the Samsung Galaxy Fold 7 and everything else from Unpacked 2025 – 1:58 Galaxy Z Flip 7: bigger screens, bigger battery – 16:06   Galaxy Watch 8: now with an antioxidant sensor? – 20:59   Great deals still available as Amazon Prime Day 2025 comes to a close – 30:38 Linda Yaccarino leaves X, xAI’s Grok goes on an antisemitic tirade – 39:03 Cloudflare could make AI web crawlers pay a toll – 41:28 Jack Dorsey unveils Bitchat, a “secure” Bluetooth mesh messaging app – 43:40 Marco Rubio AI imposter attempts to gain access to government information – 46:33 A U.S. version of TikTok is currently in development – 49:43 Anthropic wins significant Fair Use copyright case – 52:38 Working on – 1:00:53 Pop culture picks – 1:02:25 

This week, Devindra chats with Sam Chapman, Engadget’s new security reporter who’s been reviewing VPNs and related products. He dives into what led him to security, the VPNs he likes the most and thoughts on potential cyberattacks. Additionally, we discuss Microsoft’s latest news around the Windows 10 Extended Security Update, and Devindra explains why M3GAN 2.0 absolutely rules.

It's been a busy week! In this episode, Devindra and Senior Editor Jessica Conditt dive into their final thoughts on the Switch 2, as well as Jess's time covering Summer Game Fest. We also put a bow on WWDC 2025 and explore what works and doesn't with Apple's Liquid Glass redesign.  Summer Games Fest 2025: Sword of the Sea, Mouse: PI for Hire, Big Walk and a ton more indies – 1:17 Nintendo Switch 2 review: more polish on the Switch form factor with scant new releases – 22:09 WWDC 2025 wrap up: what will users think of liquid glass? – 38:11 Air Traffic Control audio reveals Predator drones flew over LA protests – 53:31 Meta announces large investment in Scale AI and a new AI Superintelligence initiative – 54:24 Warner Bros. Discovery to split into two devisions along old company lines – 59:12   Pop culture picks – 1:00:34   

In this special episode, recorded live in Cupertino, Cherlynn and Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham are joined by the Washington Post's Chris Velazco and Wired's Julian Chokkattu to discuss Apple's announcements at WWDC 2025. Though the announcements were all over the place and felt difficult to judge until they roll out to devices, our guests and hosts agree that they felt more meaningful than past WWDCs.

The Switch 2 has finally launched, and we've got our systems in-hand to show them off. This week, Devindra, Sam Rutherford and Nathan Ingraham will dive into their first impressions of Nintendo's new console and Mario Kart World. And of course, we'll discuss the chaotic launch experience. Also, we chat about what to expect from Apple's WWDC 2025, where we'll likely see a new naming scheme and facelift for Apple operating systems, as well as more details about their AI plans with Apple Intelligence.    The Switch 2 is finally out! Here’s our first thoughts – 1:05 Switch 2 display: bigger, brighter, and has HDR! – 8:53  Switch 2 games: Mario Kart world is the king of the castle for now – 12:11 WWDC 2025 preview: what to look forward to after last year’s botched AI Siri announcement – 26:02 Working on: how to stop worrying and love the Dad EV – 39:01 

This week we're fielding your burning tech questions, as well as diving into a bunch of AI web browser news. Opera has started testing its fully agentic AI browser, the Browser Company is dumping the Arc browser in favor of something AI related and Mozilla is getting in a bit of hot water with experimental AI preview summaries. Try as we might, we just can't escape AI. Listener Mailbag: How to set up an Xbox account for your kids, will screens be obsolete, and more – 1:34 Web browsers go AI ‘agentic’: The Browser Company leaves Arc behind. Opera and Firefox debut new features – 25:37 xAI is paying Telegram $300m this year to use Grok – 54:04 Apple’s self repair program extends to iPads – 56:30 Apple might switch its OS numbering next year, iOS26 could be on the way – 58:57 Working on – 1:02:41 Pop culture picks – 1:09:26   

Would you believe Google really wants to sell you on its AI? This week, we dive into the news from Google I/O 2025 with Engadget's Karissa Bell. We discuss how Gemini is headed to even more places, as well as Karissa's brief hands-on with Google's prototype XR glasses. It seems like Google is trying a bit harder now than it did with Google Glass and its defunct Daydream VR platform. But will the company end up giving up again, or does it really have a shot against Meta and Apple?   Lots of AI and a little XR: Highlights from Google I/O 2025 – 1:15 OpenAI buys Jony Ive’s design company for $6.6B, in an all equity deal – 29:27 Fujifilm’s $850 X Half could be the perfect retro camera for the social media age – 39:42 Sesame Street is moving from HBO to Netflix – 44:09 Cuts to IMLS will lead to headaches accessing content on apps like Libby and Hoopla – 45:49 Listener Mail: Should I replace my Chromebook with a Mac or PC Laptop? – 48:33 Pop culture picks – 52:22

It looks like we're entering the era of crazy-thin phones. This week, Samsung finally announced the Galaxy S25 Edge, its slimmest smartphone yet. Is there actually a point to it, or is Samsung just trying to beat Apple to its rumored super-thin iPhone? Engadget's Sam Rutherford joins us to dive into the S25 Edge, as well as some pre-Google I/O news from the Android Show.   Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge: How much does thin mean to you? – 1:32 What’s new at The Android Show 2025 – 16:50 Apple touts a bunch of new features for Global Accessibility Awareness Day – 30:34 Apple Carplay Ultra is finally here, but only if you have a new Aston Martin – 39:08 The DJI Mavic 4 Pro is the new standard for consumer drones – 45:28 Our review of the WH-1000XM6, Sony’s standard-bearing wireless headphones just dropped – 52:33 Max No More: HBO’s app will be HBO Max once again – 57:09 Around Engadget – 1:01:53 Listener Mail: Switch 2 details with T-minus 20 days until launch – 1:09:38 Pop culture picks – 1:15:57

This week we're diving into the new 12-inch Surface Pro, which, alongside the 13-inch Surface Laptop, is a foray into smaller Surface hardware. You can thank Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Plus chips for that. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget's Igor Bonifacic explore the compromises Microsoft had to make for these devices, and they dive into the rumors around Half Life 3 and the surprise leaked photos of Microsoft and ASUS's potential Xbox handheld. Also, Devindra chats with the head of Google's X division, Astro Teller, about the past and future of the "moonshot factory."   Surface Pro 12-inch review: less weight, less power? – 2:04 ASUS’ Xbox handheld photos leak in FCC filing – 21:39 OpenAI restructures business, announces plan for hostile takeover-proof public benefit corp – 26:14 The EPA announces plans to shut down the Energy Star Program – 31:16 Telemessage, a Signal clone favored by Trump administration officials has been hacked – 34:44 Samsung subsidiary buys Masimo and now it owns all the fancy speakers – 36:35 Half-Life 3 is fully formed and playable?! – 40:59 Around Engadget – 49:53 Pop culture picks – 51:42

This week Meta held its first-ever AI dev conference, LlamaCon, focused on the development of its Llama generative AI model. But while there was plenty of hype, not much happened, besides the launch of the Meta AI app and a new Llama API. In this episode, Engadget Senior Reporter Karissa Bell joins us to talk about her thoughts on LlamaCon after attending in person. After just announcing its latest Llama models a few weeks ago, it was as if Meta didn't have much else to say.   Meta’s Muted LlamaCon: who was the AI dev conference really for? – 1:31 Court orders Apple to stop collecting app fees outside of the iTunes store – 21:44 Microsoft announces Xbox series X and S prices are going up – 25:22 NPR report: DOGE employees may have access to U.S. nuclear secrets – 26:44 New EV startup Slate to offer a barebones pickup for $20k (after tax breaks) – 30:47 Swiss academics use AI to influence public opinion on Reddit – 35:08 Duolingo to replace contract workers with AI – 40:19 Working on – 47:50 Pop culture picks – 50:56

4chan, one of the trolliest places on the internet, could be gone for good following last week's hack. In this episode, Devindra and Cherlynn break down what 4chan was and why it's influence can be found practically everywhere now. It's like we're living in  a poster's paradise. Also, we discuss YouTube's 20th birthday and all of the memories (and frustrations) it's given us over the years.   4chan is dead, RIP? – 2:08 Youtube turns 20 – 15:59 Nintendo’s Switch 2 is finally available for preorder at the same price – 33:03 Apple and Meta fined a combined €800m under Europe’s New Digital Markets Act – 34:44   OpenAI might be interested in Chrome if Google was compelled to sell – 35:30 Google pays Samsung an “enormous” amount to put Gemini on phones – 37:50 The Washington Post partners with OpenAI to bring its content to ChatGPT – 38:43 Around Engadget – 41:52 Listener Mail: Transitioning from Windows to Mac for CAD / 3D design – 47:01 Pop culture picks – 54:55

This week, we're diving into Engadget's coverage from the 2025 New York Auto Show. There are tons of EVs, as we expected, as well as some surprising disappointments (what the heck did Subaru do to the Outback?!). Also, we once again try to make sense of the Trump administration's tariff mess. Stay tuned to the end of this episode for a chat with Isaiah Saxon, the director of A24’s The Legend of Ochi, about his puppet-filled kid’s adventure.   What’s hot in EVs from New York Auto Show 2025 – 1:56 Federal Judge rules that Google has a monopoly on U.S. digital ads – 17:42 Facebook antitrust trial begins after several attempts to scuttle the case – 22:18 Tariff Watch: tariffs on semiconductors and electronics to be announced later – 31:16 PS5 prices are rising around the world – 34:22 NPR: Whistleblower shows evidence DOGE took sensitive data from federal labor board – 42:35 Sidewalk alerts in Seattle and Palo Alto hacked to play AI-generated messages – 47:18 New details for Mario Kart World – 48:43 Around Engadget / Working On – 51:42 Picks – 54:31 Interview with Legend of Ochi director Isaiah Saxon – 59:59

This week, Engadget's Sam Rutherford dives into his experience with Google's new $499 mid-range smartphone, the Pixel 9a. Is it really the new mid-range king, as we previously predicted? Or is it worth spending more for the Pixel 9? Also, we chat about how the Trump administration's volatile tariff strategy will affect consumer technology (not to mention everything else you buy).     Sam Rutherford’s Pixel 9a Review: Basic in just the right way – 1:16 Tariff Watch: Switch 2 preorders delayed, Razer pauses laptop sales in the U.S. – 30:27 TikTok ban deadline extended for another 75 days – 42:40 Samsung’s Ballie robot with Google Gemini arrives this Summer (allegedly) – 43:31 Listener Mail – 46:53 Working on – 57:41 Pop Culture picks – 59:23

After Nintendo revealed the full details around the Switch 2 this week, Engadget's Sam Rutherford got some hands-on time with the new console. In this episode, he talks about the major improvements in the new hardware (especially that 1080p, 120 fps screen) and why he doesn't really miss the older Switch OLED. Also, Sam discusses his time with Mario Kart World, the new semi-open world version of Nintendo's classic racer.  In other news, we dive into the latest updates around the TIkTok ban, and we discuss how the Trump administration's tariff push will affect everything in the technology world and beyond. Stay tuned to the end of the show for our chat with Shinichiro Watanabe, the creator of Cowboy Bebop, about his new anime series Lazarus. Switch 2 details are finally here, Sam Rutherford got hands-on time with it – 1:47 U.S.’s broad new tariffs on China and beyond could make everything from keyboards to cars more expensive – 49:32 TikTok’s divest-or-ban deadline is April 5, here are the possible buyers – 54:57 xAI buys X, but how much does that matter? – 58:24 Working on – 1:00:59 Pop culture picks – 1:02:31 

This week, we learned that even government officials are addicted to their group chats -- except with the Trump administration those chats include war plans and potentially classified information. In this episode, we dive into the sheer recklessness and stupidity of Signalgate. And speaking of reckless, we also discuss 23andMe's bankruptcy and the privacy concerns around selling off customer DNA data. Signalgate: What happened, who was involved, and how to safely add someone to a Signal group chat – 0:48 23andMe files for bankruptcy, customers are urged to delete their sensitive data – 21:25 Canon’s PowerShot V1 and R50 V cameras go all in on vlogging – 27:21 Apple announces WWDC dates, updates Airpods Max, and dodges fines in the EU – 32:52 How did Napster sell for $207 million in 2025? – 45:32 Around Engadget – 48:44 Working On – 55:22 Pop Culture picks – 57:56  

After a ton of leaks, Google officially announced the $499 Pixel 9a, which has the potential to be the new king of mid-range phones. It has dual cameras and access to Google's AI features -- in many ways, it's everything the iPhone 16e should have been (especially its price). In this episode, Senior Writer Sam Rutherford joins us to discuss what's great about the Pixel 9a, as well as its potential downsides compared to the Pixel 9. Google’s announces the Pixel 9a - potentially the new midrange king – 1:15 Fujifilm’s GX100RF: a 102MP medium format camera (nice!) with only one F4 lens (boo!) – 21:31 Karissa Bell’s roundup of the craziest stuff from Facebook whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams’ book – 24:14 Donald Trump attempts to fire FTC’s two Democratic commissioners – 29:34 Amazon will send all Alexa recordings to the cloud, no more local processing – 32:52 Chinese EV maker BYD announces chargers that give 249 miles of range in 5 minutes – 39:10 Pebble founder introduces two new e-paper smartwatches – 46:47 Listener Mail: Trying to choose an OLED TV – 57:35 Around Engadget – 1:03:49 Working on – 1:09:56 Pop culture picks – 1:10:28  

It's both a great and bad week for Apple. In this episode, we dive into Devindra's review of the excellent M4-equipped MacBook Air (and briefly chat about the new Mac Studio). We also discuss Apple's surprise announcement that it's delaying its smarter, AI-infused Siri, which may not arrive until next year. Did Apple over-promise last year, or is it wise to hold off on advanced AI features until they're ready? After all, Apple doesn't want a fiasco like Microsoft's Recall announcement.   The MacBook Air M4 refresh maintains Apple’s seat on the ultraportable throne – 1:40 …but the delay on a Siri upgrade could spell trouble long-term – 15:32 Xbox’s first handheld might not be made by Microsoft – 34:29 The White House turns into a Tesla dealership – 41:30 Meta attempts to block unflattering expose book already on sale – 45:52 Around Engadget: Ninja Swirl and Eero Pro 7 router reviews – 46:38 Working on – 49:21 Pop culture picks – 50:26  

Apple finally dropped some long-awaited updates this week:  An M4 MacBook Air (now starting at $999!), M3 iPad Air, as well as a refreshed Mac Studio with M3 Ultra and M4 Max chips. In this episode, Cherlynn, Devindra and Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham chat about all of Apple's new hardware, as well as some interesting tidbits from Mobile World Congress 2025. Devindra also dives into his reviews of NVIDIA's RTX 5070 and AMD's Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT. It turns out AMD has finally delivered some killer GPUs to counter NVIDIA's dominance.   We mentioned a bunch of stuff from our Mobile World Congress Roundup, you can check it out here   MacBook Air refresh announced with an M4 chip and a slight price drop – 2:04 What’s hot at Mobile World Congress 2025 – 23:10 Lenovo’s Solar PC – 35:20 Xiaomi 15 Ultra (with a fancy Leica camera) – 37:53 New releases from Nothing – 39:16 Samsung releases a trio of A series devices – 40:35   NVIDIA vs. AMD part ∞: AMD’s Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT edge out the GeForce RTX 5070 – 46:20 Pop culture picks – 54:11 

The keyword for the iPhone 16e seems to be "compromise." In this episode, Devindra chats with Cherlynn about her iPhone 16e review and try to figure out who this phone is actually for. Also, they dive into Amazon's Alexa+ event, where we finally learned more about the company's AI-powered voice assistant. Alexa+ seems useful, but can we trust it?   iPhone 16e review: too expensive with too many compromises – 1:28 Amazon Alexa+ is a conversational assistant powered by AI – 18:39 Framework unveils a cheap 2-in-1 laptop and a…modular desktop? – 40:53 Clone Robotics released a video of a robot with fake skin that will haunt your nightmares – 43:26 NYT: American Psychologists are getting ready to fight AI clone therapists – 44:05 Working on – 47:59 Pop culture picks – 49:02 Interview with Daniel Rausch, VP of Amazon’s Alexa division – 55:34

Well we didn't get the iPhone SE fourth-gen this week -- instead Apple debuted the iPhone 16e, a $599 model based on the iPhone 14's design. It has a 6.1-inch OLED screen and the A18 chip for Apple Intelligence, but should we really consider it a cheap iPhone? In this episode, Devindra and Cherlynn dive into the iPhone 16e and how it compares to the rest of the iPhone 16 family. Apple unveils its SE successor, the iPhone 16e for $599 – 1:22 Trump administration planning on 25 percent tariffs on auto and semiconductor imports – 32:02 Acer to raise prices by 10 percent following tariff talk – 34:26 Humane AI sells to HP, pin will go offline February 28 – 36:42 Microsoft’s new quantum computing chip runs on topological qubits – 41:14 Working on – 47:28 Pop culture picks – 50:06  

We joked about "President Musk" shortly after Donald Trump took office, but it turns out that wasn't far from the truth. Over the past few weeks, Elon Musk and his DOGE team wasted no time in trying to dismantle the American administrative state. They've illegally accessed the Treasury Department's federal payment system, pushed for USAID to be dismantled, and have also infiltrated the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. In this episode, we chat with 404 Media's Jason Koebler about what Musk and his young tech cronies are up to, and how it ties into Silicon Valley's approach to the new Trump administration. Move Fast and Break Things: What is Elon Musk’s DOGE doing to the United States government? – 1:04 iPhone SE 4 announcement expected soon – 34:54 Elon Musk makes $97.4 billion offer for OpenAI, Altman declines in a tweet – 39:03 France wants to build a gigawatt of new nuclear plants to power AI ambitions – 41:27 Working on – 44:05 Pop culture picks – 44:48 

This week, Devindra chats with Volvo Group CTO Lars Stenqvist about the company’s progress developing zero emissions trucks, both of the electric variety and experimental hydrogen options. While it’s a completely different company from Volvo Cars, Volvo Group still impacts consumers as one of the largest producers of heavy trucks. Stenqvist dives into how Volvo is thinking about new technology, and we chat a bit about how it’s approaching completely autonomous vehicles. (Note: This interview was recorded in early January, so we didn’t have a chance to talk about this week’s partnership between Volvo and the self-driving truck startup Waabi.)

In the span of a week, the Chinese startup DeepSeek has completely disrupted the AI landscape with its free and "open source" R1 model. In this episode, Devindra, Engadget Senior Reporter Igor Bonifacic and Producer Ben Ellman dive into what makes R1 so special, and what DeepSeek is doing differently from OpenAI and other competitors. Also, we try to figure out what’s up with “Incention,” a weird AI/blockchain project for creating new Hollywood IP, and wonder if Helion’s fusion reactor is actually legit.   DeepSeek’s R1 model shakes up the AI landscape – 1:55 Quick mention: Sam Rutherford’s Galaxy S25 review “Too much AI, not enough Ultra” – 30:19 Incention is proof that blockchain nonsense is alive and well – 37:16 Fusion startup Helion has Altman and Thiel on its side, but maybe not physics – 42:50 Google agrees to rename Gulf of Mexico on U.S. version of its maps – 49:19 Working on – 50:07 Pop culture picks – 51:32  

It feels like CES again with a slew of tech news this week! In this episode, Devindra dives into his final thoughts on NVIDIA's $2,000 GeForce RTX 5090, a super-powered video card with a healthy dose of AI. Senior Reporter Sam Rutherford also joins to explain everything Samsung launched at its Galaxy S25 Unpacked event. And of course, we'll chat about some of the technology industry and policy changes from the new Trump administration. Stay tuned to the end of this episode for our chat with YouTube Director of Product Management Jack Greenberg about some new features headed to YouTube Premium. TikTok was only banned for 14 hours, what happened? – 1:27 Devindra’s NVIDIA RTX 5090 Review: more power than most people need – 13:53 Samsung Unpacked announces Galaxy S25 series and teases a thinner phone – 30:25 What the new administration’s Executive Orders mean for AI, EVs and the environment – 54:23 Pop culture picks – 1:03:41 What’s coming to Youtube Premium with project manager Jack Greenberg – 1:07:06

So it looks like the TikTok ban may actually be happening, barring a last-minute Supreme Court decision. In this episode, Senior Writer Karissa Bell joins Devindra and Ben to discuss the potential finale of TikTok in America, as well as why some users are finding refuge in RedNote, a Chinese Instagram clone. They also dive into why Meta is giving up on third-party fact checkers, and how this relates to Mark Zuckerberg's descent into the right-wing world. Finally, we explore the tidbits of information from Nintendo's Switch 2 unveiling. Stay tuned to the end of this episode for Devindra’s chat with Dan Erickson, the creator of Severance, about season two of his hit show. RIP TikTok, Part ??? – 2:24 Meta abandons fact checking, loosens hate speech rules on its platforms – 22:21 We finally have confirmation of the Switch 2, full unveil scheduled for April 2 – 40:57 Pop culture picks – 49:29.187

We’re officially recovering from CES 2025! In this episode, Devindra and Senior Reporter Sam Rutherford dive into their favorite PCs from the show, and debate the merits of Lenovo’s extra-large Legion Go S handheld. They explain why they like ASUS’s ultra-light Zenbook A14, and Sam gives us his final thoughts on Dell’s clunky brand transition. Lenovo’s surprising CES showing: ThinkBook Plus Gen 6’s rollable screen – 0:47 Legion Go S by Lenovo is the first third-party handheld to run SteamOS – 4:35 NVIDIA’s RTX 5000 seems great… – 10:16 …But Jensen Huang’s keynote on NVIDIA’s future lacked focus – 15:29 MicroLED TVs shown at CES are gorgeous and pricy – 30:11 

We've survived two days of CES! In this bonus episode, Cherlynn and Devindra discuss the latest innovations in robot vacuums, new AI PC hardware from AMD and Intel, and Dell's decision to nuke its PC brands in favor of Apple-esque "Dell Pro" and "Dell Pro Max" branding. (Note: We recorded this episode before NVIDIA announced its new RTX 5000 GPUs, but we'll have more to say on that soon!)

We're ringing in 2025 with everything we're expecting to see at CES! That includes new video cards from AMD and NVIDIA, a holographic windshield from Hyundai and potentially more satellite enabled phones. AI will still be a major topic -- like the next generation of AI PCs -- but it also seems like we'll be hearing a lot more about classic CES stories. In addition, we explore why Meta wants to start adding AI users to Facebook and Instagram.    CES 2025 Preview: LG’s bendable 5K OLED, AI PCs, and a broadening satellite phone market – 2:17 New video cards from AMD and NVIDIA at CES – 12:09 2024’s biggest losers in tech – 18:46 Meta announces AI personas are coming to Instagram and Facebook – 32:22 Pop culture picks – 41:02 

This week, we're looking back at our hellish 2024 and trying to figure out where to go from here. We began the year with enormous hype around artificial intelligence, but that's cooled off after seeing how useless many AI features have been. It's also clear that many companies, including Microsoft and Apple, are trying to push half-baked AI concepts onto users. Looking forward, we're expecting a rough few years for the tech industry (not to mention the world as a whole).   2024 in review: AI hype hasn’t led to much and the social media vibes are in flux – 1:12 What we’re looking forward to in 2025 – 21:43 Tiktok appeals its ban all the way to the US Supreme Court – 29:53 TP-Link routers are being investigated by US authorities – 32:39 Quick thoughts from last week’s Game Awards – 35:35 Working on – 38:26 Pop culture picks – 39:17 Interview with Tim Miller and Dave Wilson of Prime’s Secret Level – 49:20

At long last, iPhone users have access to Apple's AI image generation tools, Genmoji (for customized emoji) and Image Playground. But based on our testing, these Apple Intelligence features aren't fully baked. In this episode, Devindra and Cherlynn discuss why these AI tools aren't very useful and dive into some of Apple's most egregious image generation fails.   iOS 18.2 AI image generation arrives half baked. Genmoji are fun, but weird – 1:13 OpenAI’s Sora video generation model was finally released – 37:17 GM kills its Cruise robotaxi project – 45:43 Google’s Gemini 2.0 is now available for preview – 49:51 Tiktok is running out of options to avoid a ban in the U.S. – 57:36 Working on – 1:00:04 Pop culture picks – 1:02:20  

Our review-in-progress of the Kindle Scribe 2 is live, and this week on the Engadget Podcast our host Cherlynn Low talks about Amazon’s latest writing tablet with noted ereader aficionado Alex Cranz. The pair are joined by Engadget’s own ereader expert Valentina Palladino, and they all get deep on the state of reading on books, tablets and phones. Our hosts also dive into what’s happening at Intel, as well as modern cars and personal listening habits.   Kindle Scribe 2, Kobo, Boox and more: the state of ereaders in 2024 – 2:12 Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger retires – 45:13 Intel claims its $250 Battlemage Arc GPU can top the NVIDIA RTX 4060  – 50:57 MSI’s upcoming Claw 8 AI+ and 7 AI+ are faster than ever, but you still need to navigate Windows with joysticks – 52:18 Jaguar’s strange concept EV doesn’t even have a rear window – 57:26 It’s music streaming recap season! How do you feel about yours? – 1:04:33 Working on / Around Engadget – 1:09:13 Pop culture picks – 1:11:20  

Senior reporter Jess Conditt joins host Cherlynn Low and producer Ben Ellman on a quiet news week to talk about the latest developments at Sony, Threads, TikTok and more. We also take a look at some gadget announcements and discuss the impact that social media and technology have had on the way we work and how we think of celebrity and success.   A chill Thanksgiving week chat: Social media and how it affects all of us – 1:07 Gaming news with Jess: Sony is reportedly working on a new portable console – 21:18 PlayStation’s head of indie games Shuhei Yoshida is leaving Sony after 30 years – 28:34 Obsidian’s Avowed looks like a great reason to pick up an Xbox controller – 31:53 FTC warns that most connected devices aren’t supported for very long – 37:08 Working on – 41:14 Pop culture picks – 42:17

Well, the rumors were true: this week the DOJ argued that Google should sell off Chrome to make up for its monopolistic search practices. On top of that, the US government also suggested a potential sale of Android if it can't stop prioritizing its own search on Android smartphones. In this episode, Devindra and Producer Ben discuss why neither outcome seems likely under the upcoming Trump 2.0 administration, which will likely focus on defanging any sort of regulation.   U.S. regulators want Google to sell its Chrome division (and why that probably won’t happen) – 1:05 Comcast spins off Rotten Tomatoes, Fandango, and a handful of cable networks into their own company – 22:23 Sony is in talks to buy Kadokawa, Japanese publisher behind FromSoft games and Kill la Kill – 24:38 German authorities suspect Baltic Sea data cables between Lithuania and Sweden were sabotaged – 26:21 Pokémon Go devs Niantic reveal plans to create a Large Geospatial Model to power future AR and robots – 32:26 Working on – 45:49 Pop culture picks – 51:38

For obvious reasons, Twitter users are leaving en masse and heading to Bluesky, its most prominent decentralized competitor. In this episode, we discuss why Bluesky now feels like the best of early Twitter, filled with vibrant conversations and people discovering a new social network filled with useful features (like serious blocking and content filtering). And of course, the lack of an algorithmic feed surely helps. Also, we chat with Justin Hendrix from Tech Policy Press about how Elon Musk has become a crucial ally to the upcoming Trump administration.    Bluesky ascendent: the federated platform could actually be the next Twitter – 2:22 Musk cozies up to President-elect Trump, could a Department of Government Efficiency be next? – 23:37 Interview with Justin Hendrix, founder of Tech Policy Press, on Trump and Musk – 31:50 The Onion buys InfoWars with plans to turn the brand into gun control satire – 48:02 LG Display’s stretchy new screen – 54:34 The Beatles have been nominated for two Grammys with the help of AI – 56:50 Goodbye: AOL voiceover Elwood Edwards has died – 58:29 Working on – 1:00:11 Pop culture picks – 1:02:38 

In this episode, Devindra and producer Ben Ellman recover from the election by discussing our final thoughts on the PlayStation 5 Pro, as well as Apple’s M4 Mac mini (so cute, so powerful!) and new MacBook Pros. The M4 chip is a solid upgrade, but the M4 Pro is shockingly fast (so much so that it outscored every other system we reviewed this year in Geekbench).   PlayStation 5 Review: Your $1000 gateway to 4K/60 gaming with ray tracing – 3:43 Mac mini M4 Pro Review: Phenomenal power with a tiny footprint – 16:51 MacBook Pro M4 and M4 Pro Review: Maintaining and extending Apple’s premium laptop dominance – 31:15 NYT tech guild on strike made their own games you can play without crossing their digital picket line – 38:28 Pop culture picks – 43:25    

It's been a Mac-heavy week! In this episode, Devindra and producer Ben Ellman dive into all of Apple's new M4 hardware: the new iMac, Mac mini and refreshed Macbook Pros. The Mac mini, in particular, looks like it'll be a huge hit for anyone who needs a simple desktop system. Also, we dive into why Apple is pushing for every Mac to get 16GB of RAM at a minimum. That will benefit all users, even if they don't care about Apple Intelligence. Unofficial Mac Week: Apple announces M4 Pro and M4 Max chips in refreshed iMac, Mac Mini, and Macbook Pro models – 0:58 Regulators force Lyft to tell U.S. drivers accurate numbers of how much money they’ll make – 45:30 AP report: OpenAI’s Whisper transcription model invents parts of audio transcripts – 49:06 AOC and Tim Walz streamed Crazy Taxi on Twitch – 53:11 McDonalds can finally repair their own McFlurry machines in significant win for Right to repair – 55:54 Around Engadget – 59:45 Pop culture picks – 1:03:42 

We finally got an iPad Mini refresh, and it's not particularly exciting. But that's fine! It's still a useful little tablet, and now thanks to the A17 Pro chip, it's already ready for upcoming Apple Intelligence features. In this episode, Engadget Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham joins to discuss what he liked about the new iPad Mini, and what he hopes Apple will eventually fix in future models. Also, we chat about Netflix abandoning its AAA game studio, and why over 10,500 artists signed a letter against AI training.   The refreshed iPad Mini is playing it safe and that’s totally fine – 0:58 Netflix closes Team Blue, its attempt at a AAA game studio – 24:16 Over 10,000 of the world’s top artists sign a letter protesting AI training using their work – 28:27 X Terms of Service changes on account blocking, AI training spurs a fresh wave of Bluesky signups – 30:07 Ronald D. Moore (Outlander, Battlestar Galactica) chosen to helm Amazon’s God of War series – 38:35 Working on – 42:11 Pop culture picks – 43:17 

Amazon finally did it! This week the company announced the Kindle Colorsoft, its first color E Ink e-reader. In this episode, Devindra and Cherlynn discuss where this device sits in a world of cheap tablets, and they dive into the updated Kindle Paperwhite and the writable Kindle Scribe. Also, we've got final thoughts on the Meta Quest 3S, the updated iPad Mini and tons of news.   Amazon announces new Kindle Colorsoft, updated Kindle Scribe and Paperwhite – 0:51 Devindra’s Meta Quest 3S review: impressive VR for a fair price – 38:14 Apple quietly drops new iPad Minis – 45:25 Tesla’s Robotaxi event: lots of big promises that will be hard to fulfill – 51:38 Amazon and Google go nuclear (power) – 54:44 Android 15 starts to hit Pixel devices – 55:51 Analogue 3D will give you 4K N64 games, just don’t call it an emulator – 57:14 Working on – 1:00:48 Pop culture picks – 1:04:38

This week, we’re joined by tech critic Paris Marx to discuss Data Vampires, his latest Tech Won’t Save us podcast series. We discuss how data centers suck up vast amounts of power, water and other resources, and why the AI boom is exacerbating those issues. Also, Devindra and Ben dive into a few news stories, including the DOJ inching closer towards a Google antitrust breakup; Nintendo's adorable motion sensing alarm clock, Alarmo; and why Google's Deepmind AI head won the Nobel Prize for chemistry. Interview with Tech Won’t Save Us host Paris Marx on his new series, Data Vampires – 2:09 U.S. regulators continue to float the possibility of breaking Google up in antitrust ruling – 25:54 Nintendo announces new hardware…Alarmo, a motion sensing alarm clock – 39:33 Apple Intelligence likely arrives October 28 – 42:27 343 Industries rebrands as Halo Studios and shows off Unreal Engine 5 demo – 44:46 Pop culture picks – 50:36

This week, Microsoft started rolling out the Windows 11 2024 update, but it quickly became clear that the company was far more eager to unveil new features for its Copilot AI and Copilot+ AI PCs. In this episode, Devindra and Cherlynn chat about Microsoft's current AI priorities, and what it means for people with older PCs. Also, we discuss the death of HoloLens and Microsoft giving up on AR as Meta, Apple and even Snap build for an augmented reality future. The new Windows 11 update goes all in on Copilot integration – 1:25 Amazon announces Fire HD 8 tablet line along with a few (pretty boring) AI features – 28:28 Tech debt led to Sonos’ disastrous app relaunch, will they be able to win users back? – 37:48 Google is making Gmail summaries more useful and adding a “happening soon” tab to your inbox – 41:11 Harvard students hack together facial recognition for Meta’s smart glasses that instantly doxes strangers – 44:00 Reddit introduces a policy change that will make site wide protests harder – 46:58 Around Engadget: Dan Cooper’s reMarkable Paper Pro review – 51:31 Working on – 55:53 Pop culture picks – 57:08

We've finally had a chance to try the PlayStation 5 Pro and Engadget's Jessica Conditt has come away impressed. In this episode, Devindra and Jess chat about what the PS5 Pro does well, and discuss who a $700 console is actually meant for. Also, coming off of Meta Connect 2024, Karissa Bell joins to chat about her time with the Quest 3S, as well as her thoughts about Meta's Orion AR headset and AI plans. Jessica Conditt’s PS5 Pro hands on: 60fps makes so much difference – 0:42 Karissa Bell’s dispatch from Meta Connect 2024 – 27:04 Meta Quest 3S: an impressive and affordable step forward in consumer VR – 28:55 Orion AR glasses are a big swing, just don’t expect to buy them any time soon – 32:50 Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses – 38:28 Pop culture picks – 58:24

Our reviews of the iPhone 16 Pro and Apple Watch Series 10 are up, thanks to one very tired Cherlynn Low. In this episode, Devindra and Cherlynn discuss her final thoughts on Apple's new hardware, including why the iPhone 16 Pro’s photo processing is particularly interesting. In other news, we also chat about Snap's fifth-generation AR Spectacles, as well as HTC Vive's new Focus Vision headset. iPhone 16 Pro and Pro Max reviews: great cameras, but incomplete without Apple Intelligence – 0:59 Israel linked to coordinated pager and walkie-talkie explosions in Lebanon – 42:29 Snap’s 5th generation glasses with AR look chunky in a bad way – 48:17 HTC’s Vive Focus Vision: an intriguing VR headset at a price between the Quest 3 and Vision Pro – 51:35 Lionsgate films made a deal with the AI devil – 52:40 Pop culture picks – 55:48

The iPhone 16 event is over, and now we've got plenty of thoughts to share after playing with all of Apple's new hardware. In this episode, Devindra and Cherlynn chat about the entire iPhone 16 and Pro lineup, and Senior Reporter Billy Steele joins to chat about his experience with the AirPods 4 and Apple Watch Series 10. It turns out, the Apple Watch stole the show from the iPhone. Post-Apple event thoughts on AirPods, Apple Watch Series 10, and, iPhone 16 with Cherlynn Low and Billy Steele – 0:47 Huawei releases a $2,800 tri-fold phone that won’t be coming to the US – 58:30 Taylor Swift endorses Harris for President, says AI material promoting Trump pushed her to make a statement – 59:24 No, Kamala Harris wasn’t wearing vaporware audio earrings at Tuesday’s debate – 1:01:00 Sony releases PS5 Pro Price, it’s $700! – 1:02:21 Meta admits to scraping all Australian user data for AI training – 1:04:12 Polaris Dawn astronauts perform first commercial spacewalk – 1:07:10 Around Engadget – 1:07:54 Pop culture picks – 1:09:33

In this bonus episode, Devindra and Engadget Contributing Reporter Kris Holt break down everything new (and not so new) in the iPhone 16 lineup. Is Apple Intelligence alone enough to entice iPhone owners to upgrade? Does anyone actually need the camera button? And why are we so intrigued by the Apple Watch Series 10 (which is undoubtedly the most interesting product Apple launched today).

After plenty of testing, we've got some final thoughts on Google's latest foldable. In this episode, Cherlynn and Devindra are joined by Michael Fisher (AKA MrMobile) to discuss the Pixel 9 Pro Fold and why it feels like a far more mature device than the previous Pixel Fold. Also, we dive into some of the biggest news from IFA 2024, like Intel's Core Ultra 200V chips and Acer's crazy laptop concept with a built-in gamepad. Cherlynn and MrMobile review the Pixel 9 Pro Fold – 1:14 IFA News: Intel’s promising Core Ultra 200V chips, Acer’s controller-embedded laptop, and a trio of interesting devices from Honor – 38:25 Brazil blocks X entirely in an escalation of a legal fight with Elon Musk – 49:59 Former OpenAI exec Ilya Sutskever raises $1B for new AI startup – 52:49 U.S. DOJ charges Russia Today employees over Kremlin-linked influencer campaign – 54:17 reMarkable Paper Pro 3, now in glorious color – 55:19 Sony’s pulls the plug on its big swing team shooter Concord 2 weeks after launch – 56:59 Pop culture picks – 58:42

Apple is gearing up to launch the iPhone 16 on September 9th, so we've brought on Bloomberg's Mark Gurman to chat about his scoops around Apple's upcoming hardware. We should expect some notable additions, like a dedicated camera button, as well as slightly larger screens on the Pro models. We'll also dive into Apple's robotics efforts -- does anyone really want an Apple bot rolling around their home? Finally, we'll discuss Gurman's reporting around Meta's upcoming devices: A cheaper Quest 3 model, as well as a glimpse at prototype AR glasses. 2024 iPhone event preview with Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman – 0:50 Telegram CEO Pavel Durov arrested in Paris – 37:45 Razer reveals the Wolverine V3 Pro stick drift-resistant controller – 44:23 Meet Plaud’s NotePin. Another AI wearable??? – 45:07 Y2K style goes mobile with HMD’s hot pink Barbie flip phone – 48:10 Working on – 50:31 Pop culture picks – 53:56

This week, Devindra and Cherlynn dive into Engadget's reviews on Google's Pixel 9 and 9 Pro phones. Are they really a step up from last year's devices? And how do they compare to Samsung's latest? Also, we chat about a few stories from Gamescom 2024, including Microsoft's Indiana Jones game heading to the PS5, as well as the wild launch of Black Myth: Wukong. Google approaches smartphone perfection with the Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro – 0:58 Gamescom highlights: Indiana Jones, AI NPCs and Black Myth: Wukong – 22:15 xMEMS’ 1mm ultrasonic ‘fan on a chip’ breakthrough could enable super-thin devices – 49:31 San Francisco city attorney takes aim at AI deepfake pornography – 52:29 Chik-Fil-A wants to start a streaming service. Yes, you read that correctly – 52:52. British Billionaire Mike Lynch, founder of tech firm Autonomy, found dead in the wreckage of his yacht – 55:48 Pop culture picks – 1:00:18

Is the second time the charm for Google's foldable? In this episode, Devindra chats with Senior Writer Sam Rutherford about his hands-on impressions of the new Pixel 9 Pro Fold. It has bigger screens and a sleeker design than its predecessor, but how does it compare to the other foldables out there? And why isn't it called the Pixel Fold 2?! Thoughts on Google’s Pixel 9 Pro Fold and the rest of Google’s event – 1:39 Eric Schmidt blames work from home and work-life balance for Google’s loss of AI advantage – 31:07 U.S. Department of Justice considering breaking up Google after monopoly ruling – 33:32 Hackers may have leaked every American’s Social Security Number – 38:04 Meta officially shuts down CrowdTangle, a critical tool for monitoring misinformation on Facebook – 40:50 Apple is opening up its NFC to third-party developers – 43:12 Working on – 47:13 Pop Culture Picks – 49:07

Google has officially dropped its major 2024 devices a few months earlier than usual. Today at its Made By Google event, the company unveiled the Pixel 9 and 9 Pro, as well as its foldable follow-up, the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. As for new accessories, we got the Pixel Watch 3 and Pixel Buds Pro 2. In this bonus episode, Cherlynn and Devindra chat about everything from this event, and why the heck we didn't hear more about Android 15. (Apologies for any audio issues in this episode, it was partially recorded in a noisy hotel room.)

We've been reporting on AI PCs, or computers featuring CPUs with neural processing units (NPUs), for over a year. but the concept still feels like a buzz word for most consumers. We're still waiting on potentially interesting AI features, like Microsoft's Recall and Apple Intelligence's smarter Siri. So why should anyone make sure there next computer is an AI PC? In this interview, Devindra chats with Jason Banta, AMD's Corporate VP and GM of Client OEM, and Rakesh Anigundi, AMD's Ryzen AI product lead, about how their company is thinking about AI PCs. How is AMD courting developers? And now that we've seen Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Elite and X Pro chips in action, will AMD ever consider making a low-power Arm-based chip in the future?

Google is officially a monopoly, according to a US court. But what does that really mean? This week, Devindra and Senior Editor Karissa Bell dive into the landmark Google antitrust case to explore how it could affect the future of search. Google claims it's simply delivering the best product, but clearly the court thinks otherwise. Also, we chat about X/Twitter's desperate lawsuit against advertisers who boycotted the social network. Stay tuned to the end of this episode for an interview with the creators of HBO Max's Industry, Mickey Down and Konrad Kay. We discuss season three of the series, which recently premiered, and how they plan to deconstruct the excesses of overhyped tech startups. A U.S. court declared Google a monopoly, now what? – 1:22 X (formerly Twitter) sues advertisers for “illegal boycott” of their platform – 19:15 Meet Chromecast’s successor, the Google TV Streamer – 33:49 Less than a year after SAG strike, Meta is offering actors millions to use their voice in AI – 41:01 Where does all the Facebook AI slop come from? 404Media found out – 44:30 People are returning Humane’s AI Pin faster than they can sell them – 50:23 Working on – 53:43 Pop culture picks – 53:58 Industry interview with Mickey Down and Konrad Kay - 1:02:00

Samsung's Galaxy Ring is here, and honestly it's just a bit basic. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra dive into what does and doesn't work with Samsung's latest wearable. Also, we discuss Friend's new AI gadget, which listens to your conversations and sends text messages to help you feel less lonely. To get a better sense of the device, Devindra also talks to Friend's CEO, Avi Schiffmann, about why he's leaning away from the productivity side of AI helpers and more towards the vibes of friendly AI. (And yes, we also ask why he spent $1.8 million of Friend's $2.5 million funding just to buy the Friend.com domain.) In other news, we discuss the potential impact of KOSA (the Kids Online Safety Act) with India McKinney, the EFF’s Director of Federal Affairs. While lawmakers are uniformly positioning KOSA as a way to protect kids on the internet, it could also lead to draconian censorship and destroy free speech on the web as we know it. Cherlynn reviews the Samsung Galaxy Ring: Great sleep tracking, but needs more features – 2:13 Interview with Avi Schiffmann, founder of AI wearable company Friend – 27:27 KOSA passes the senate – we chat with EFF’s India McKinney about why it matters – 48:22 What we’ve learned since the massive 7/19 Crowdstrike outage – 1:12:07 Elon Musk shared an AI altered video of Kamala Harris without labeling, breaking the rules of his own site – 1:18:57 Apple Intelligence arrives in the iOS 18.1 developer beta – 1:21:57 Google makes peace with third-party cookies after years of mixed signals – 1:26:38 Around Engadget: Mat Smith’s Galaxy Flip 6 review – 1:29:36 Working on – 1:31:44 Pop culture picks – 1:32:22

It’s time for the summer Olympics and also the gadget Olympics? Who can outdo Samsung when it comes to launching new products every year? At its second Unpacked event of 2024, Samsung showed off seven different devices: the Galaxy Ring, Galaxy Watch Ultra, Galaxy Buds 3, Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, Galaxy Watch 7, Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6. Many of these look familiar, sure, but Samsung copying Apple copying Samsung copying other smaller companies is a tired, old tale. Our hosts Cherlynn Low and Sam Rutherford dig into all the highlights from Samsung’s event in Paris this week, as well as some other news in streaming services. Samsung’s Unpacked in Paris unveiled a ton of new tech – 1:12 The Galaxy Ring: finally, a proper launch – 6:07 Galaxy Watch Ultra: Eerily similar to Apple’s – 16:16 Galaxy Buds 3, now with an AirPod-like stick – 22:22 Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Z Fold 6: very welcome refresh – 27:47 Xbox to offer cloud gaming on certain Amazon Fire TV sticks – 48:29 Paramount+ will stay intact…for now – 51:18 Apple Blog TUAW comes back as an AI content farm – 56:00 Working on – 1:00:18 Pop culture picks – 1:01:20

Motorola is still trying to reclaim the glory of its original Razr phone with its latest foldables. The new Razr and Razr+ are more stylish than the previous models, and at $700 and $1,000 respectively, they're surprisingly affordable for devices with massive folding OLED screens. In other news, we chat about Wikileaks' founder Julian Assange being freed from prison, Rabbit's massive security hole in the R1 AI gadget, and a horrific Sora AI commercial from Toys "R" Us. Moto Razr and Razr+ first look: stylish and (somewhat) affordable – 0:51 Samsung announces its second Unpacked of the year will be in Paris – 13:14 Expect a bunch of new hardware at August’s Made by Google event – 19:56 Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is free – 24:38 U.S. Supreme Court rules the government can ask social platforms to take down posts – 31:22 Rabbit R1 modder group discovers massive security holes – 36:11 Uber blames NYC law for locking drivers out of its app, more cities could come soon – 39:22 Toys “R” Us released a creepy ad using OpenAI’s Sora video tool – 44:43 Working on – 49:15 Pop culture picks – 51:24

It's been a quiet week of news, but we've been feverishly testing Microsoft's new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop Copilot+ AI PCs. In this episode, Devindra and Sam will answer your questions about Microsoft’s new hardware, and we'll deliver some of our first impressions. It turns out Microsoft may have finally gotten Windows on Arm support right! And some of the Copilot+ AI features are actually useful, surprisingly enough. But we'll have to wait a few months to test out the controversial Recall feature, which was pulled from the Copilot+ launch. Dev and Sam’s first thoughts and an AMA on the Surface Pro and Surface Laptop Copilot+ AI PCs – 1:05 News from Nintendo direct: New Zelda, Mario, and finally, Metroid Prime 4 – 25:46 Former OpenAI chief scientist launches Safe Superintelligence, inc – 35:02 Wired report: AI search engine Perplexity is ignoring robots.txt guidelines – 37:36 Listener question: What do you do with 8 gig fiber home internet? – 41:08 Working on – 46:51 Pop culture picks – 48:09

This week has felt like a month worth of news, now that we've wrapped up Apple's WWDC 2024 and Summer Game Fest in LA. In this episode, Cherlynn and Devindra discuss their final thoughts on Apple Intelligence and the company's upcoming software, and they chat about some of our coverage highlights from the pseudo-E3 Game Fest. Also, we dive into X making likes private (what is Elon hiding?!) and the news around Sony buying the Alamo Drafthouse theater chain. Our final thoughts on WWDC 2024 – 1:31 Bloomberg Report: Apple isn't paying OpenAI a fee for ChatGPT, but will share profits – 12:18 Summer Games Fest highlights: Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess, LEGO Horizon Adventures, and an Assassin’s Creed finally set in Japan – 25:06 X makes users’ likes private – 40:27 ChromeOS will soon run on Android frameworks, enabling more AI on upcoming Chromebooks – 44:40 Pop culture picks – 49:44

There was no new Apple hardware at WWDC 2024, but Apple still had tons of news around AI and its upcoming operating systems. In this bonus episode, Cherlynn and Devindra brave the California heat to discuss Apple Intelligence and how it's different than other AI solutions. And they dive into other new features they're looking forward to, like the iPhone mirroring in macOS Sequoia and iPadOS 18's surprisingly cool Calculator app.

We're gearing up to cover Apple's Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC) next week! In this episode, Cherlynn and Devindra dive into everything they expect at WWDC: Tons of AI announcements; more on iOS 18, iPadOS 18, and macOS 15; and hopefully some improvements for Vision Pro and visionOS. In addition, we chat about what we expect to see at Summer Game Fest and demonstrate how we used an AI editing tool to clear up some awful podcast audio. Devindra also talks with Justin Samuels, the founder of RenderATL, about why he started a massive tech conference in Atlanta. WWDC 2024 Preview: Apple gets serious about generative AI – 1:16 NVIDIA overtakes Apple to be the 2nd most valuable company in the US – 31:08 Humane AI warns users its battery case “may pose a fire risk” – 34:36 AI workers demand stronger whistleblower protections – 34:36 Boeing’s Starliner has successfully launched astronauts to the ISS – 46:11 AI audio cleanup has gotten really good and we have podcast clips to prove it – 48:25 Working on – 58:09 Pop culture picks – 58:45 Interview with Render ATL founder Justin Samuels – 1:05:50

This week, Devindra and Engadget's Nathan Ingraham discuss the new Max documentary "MoviePass, MovieCrash" and reminisce about the early days of that wild startup. It was a huge mess in the end, but we wouldn't have subscription plans in theaters without it. We also chat with MoviePass co-founder Stacy Spikes, as well as the documentary's director, Muta'Ali, about the film. In other news, Nate explains why Google is adding a slew of AI features to Chromebook Plus notebooks, and we dive into the Fitbit Ace with LTE, which has the potential to be a very useful smartwatch tracker for kids. Moviepass, MovieCrash interview with CEO Stacy Spikes and director Muta'Ali – 1:33 Chromebook Plus laptops are getting AI features soon – 41:43 WWDC is scheduled for June 10 – 56:26 Cherlynn’s Fitbit Ace LTE hands-on : a fitness tracker for kids! – 59:55 Sony pulls “fabricated” interview with Last of Us creator Neil Druckman – 1:03:44 Vox Media and The Atlantic magazine made content deals with OpenAI – 1:08:06 OpenAI’s new safety team includes members of the company’s board and Sam Altman himself – 1:13:30 Listener Mailbag: Windows screen readers on ARM and the iPad as a full-fledged work machine – 1:14:41 Working on – 1:23:24 Pop culture picks – 1:25:10

Microsoft is leaning even more into AI after launching a new Copilot+ AI PC initiative earlier this year. It's a new set of standards for PCs with powerful neural processing units (NPUs), and it could be just as significant for Windows as Apple's move towards its M-series chips. In this episode, Cherlynn and Devindra discuss Copilot+ and the potential rise of Arm-based Windows systems, and we dive into the new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop. Microsoft announces a new chapter with Copilot+ and NPU-powered Surface Pro and Surface Laptop – 0:51 Scarlett Johansson vs. OpenAI is just getting started – 37:17 Sonos Ace headphones take aim at Apple’s AirPods Max – 42:15 US Department of Justice makes its first arrest for AI-generated CSAM – 45:50 Bloomberg Report: Humane AI seeks a buyer for $700m–$1B, but will they get it? – 47:21 Listener Mail: Could you port the new ARM-based Windows to your Android handheld? – 51:42 Working on – 53:11 Pop culture picks – 54:19

Microsoft made some unusually major moves ahead of its Build developer conference: It announced a new Copilot+ initiative for powerful AI PCs, which will be led by the new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop. These machines are powered by Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X Plus and Elite chips, and they come with a special version of Windows 11 optimized for Arm mobile chips and AI. Basically, Microsoft is doing for PCs what Apple did with its M-series Macs four years ago. In this bonus episode, Devindra chats with Pavan Davuluri, Microsoft's head of Windows and Devices, about the new Surface devices and the Copilot+ PC initiative. We still don't know how well these new machines will perform, but it sounds like Microsoft has certainly heard our complaints about Arm-based Windows devices.

We've spent some time with the iPad Pro M4 and new iPad Air... and the iPad Pro is still a bit too pricey for us. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra chat with Engadget Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham about his reviews and why he still prefers the iPad Air. Also, we wrap up Google I/O 2024 with a Project Astra hands on, and we chat about Apple bringing eye tracking to iPhones and iPads as an accessibility feature. Nate Ingraham reviews the iPad Pro M4 and iPad Air: Powerful, but pricy – 1:11 Google I/O news wrap up – 20:11 OpenAI’s new GPT-4o can talk, sing, and sounds a little flirty – 28:36 Intel brings back the days of FireWire data transfer with Thunderbolt Share – 31:43 New accessibility features from Apple: eye tracking and expanded wake word options – 35:48 Biden administration quadruples tariffs on Chinese EVs (along with solar and other hardware) – 43:20 Listener Mailbag: The age old question of what to do with your old tech – 55:48 Working on – 1:01:32 Pop culture picks – 1:05:45

We just wrapped up coverage on Google's I/O 2024 keynote, and we're just so tired of hearing about AI. In this bonus episode, Cherlynn and Devindra dive into the biggest I/O news: Google's intriguing Project Astra AI assistant; new models for creating video and images; and some improvements to Gemini AI. While some of the announcements seem potentially useful, it's still tough to tell if the move towards AI will actually help consumers, or if Google is just fighting to stay ahead of OpenAI.

Hulu's "Black Twitter: A People's History" documents the rise and impact of one of social media's most influential subcultures. The series, directed by TV writer Prentice Penny, is a reminder of the power of Twitter before its Musk-ified downfall, and a necessary cultural document. They say Twitter isn't real life, but Black Twitter proved otherwise. In this bonus episode, Devindra chats with Prentice about adapting the Wired article, "A People's History of Black Twitter," his own favorite social media memories, and where the legacy of Black Twitter will go from here.

As rumors foretold, Apple has revamped the iPad Pro with an M4 chip, tandem OLED screen and a thinner case. There's also a new Magic Keyboard that should deliver a more MacBook-like typing experience! In this week's episode, Cherlynn and Devindra discuss how Apple is shining a new light on tablets (which also includes the new iPad Air models) and reworking its vision of mobile computing. Does anyone really need the iPad Pro today? And could it be more compelling if iPadOS improves its multitasking capabilities? New iPad Pro with OLED and M4 processor, iPad Air and Apple Pencil announced at ‘Let Loose’ event – 1:04 Google announces Pixel 8a with 120Hz OLED screen and AI capability – 20:50 What the heck happed with Helldivers 2? – 28:31 Microsoft shuts down Tango Gameworks and Arkane Austin – 34:10 Hades 2 early access is out now – 42:01 Around Engadget: Steve Dent reviews Fujifilm X100 VI – 45:39 Working on – 48:38 Pop culture picks – 52:08

The Rabbit R1 is finally here, and it's yet another useless AI gadget. Sure, at $199 with no monthly fee, it's a lot cheaper than the $699 Humane AI Pin. But the R1 is slow, hard to use, and doesn't actually do much. The much-promised "Large Action Model" mostly powers things you can easily do on your phone. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget's Sam Rutherford chat with CNET's Lisa Eadacicco about the Rabbit R1 and whether AI devices are necessary at all. Just like cameras, the best AI device is the one you always have with you: your smartphone. Rabbit R1 review: appealing design, underwhelming performance – 0:49 Tesla lays off Supercharger development team leaving future of the network unclear – 25:28 FCC fines U.S. wireless carriers $200m for selling customer location data – 30:05 Razer will refund all Zephyr mask purchases over false N95 filtering claims – 32:52 Drake deletes track featuring an AI clone of Tupac Shakur’s voice – 35:16 Working on – 36:23 Pop culture picks – 40:18

After months of anticipation, President Biden finally signed the TikTok divestment into law this week. It will force ByteDance to either sell TikTok to another company within a year, or see the app banned from US app stores. Is this a wise move to rid control of the social app from the Chinese government, or is it government overreach before TikTok has done anything wrong? Engadget Senior Editor Karissa Bell joins Cherlynn and Devindra to dive into what's next for TikTok. The US TikTok ban is signed into law, what happens now? – 0:57 Devindra and Cherlynn’s take on whether bad product reviews hurt tech companies – 20:42 Meta opening QuestOS to third party hardware developers – 31:39 Apple ‘Let Loose’ virtual event scheduled for May 5 – 33:48 Leading AI companies pledge to keep kids safe (though harm is already evident) – 41:48 Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses add multimodal AI – 43:58 X is allegedly working on a smart TV app – 47:01 Working on – 48:02 Pop culture picks – 56:29

The latest batch of rumors make it pretty clear that a PlayStation 5 Pro is coming this year, but will anyone really care about slightly better 4K graphics? This week, Engadget Senior Editor Jessica Conditt joins Cherlynn and Devindra to chat about the PS5 Pro, as well as her piece on the PlayDate two years after its release. You could say the Playdate is pretty much the opposite of another expensive high-end console. In other news, we discuss the death of Boston Dynamic's hydraulic Atlas robot, and the birth of an all-new digital model. We also chat about the abrupt closure of Possibility Space, an ambitious indie game studio. Jess Conditt on Playstation 5 Pro rumors – 0:48 Jess’ thoughts on Panic’s innovative handheld, the Playdate, 2 years later – 14:24 Indie game studio Possibility Space announces closure, CEO blames media leaks – 27:29 Other News: Boston Dynamics unveils new, all electric Atlas robot – 35:39 Menteebot is a human-sized, GPT-powered robot you can command with natural language – 39:52 NASA confirms Florida man’s house was hit by space junk – 44:06 Sony (finally) changes its confusing product names – 46:05 Working on – 50:35 Pop culture picks – 56:35

Humane’s hyped up AI Pin is finally here and, unfortunately, it stinks. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra are joined by Michael Fisher (AKA MrMobile) and Wired Reviews Editor Julian Chokkattu to chat about the AI Pin and the many ways it fails. It’s often inaccurate, it takes crummy photos, and it gets way too hot. Not so great for something you’re supposed to wear all day! Is there any hope for AI-dependent gadgets? Also, Washington Post columnist Christopher Velazco joins to discuss Apple’s approval of used iPhone components for repairs. Too much heat, too few features: Humane’s AI pin doesn’t live up to the hype – 1:09 Other News: Apple will allow devices to be repaired with secondhand parts soon – 44:08 Google’s Next 24 event announces AI video generation tool, ARM-based CPU for data centers, and Google Photos tools for all subscribers – 53:10 Working on – 1:00:59 Pop culture picks – 1:05:40

Google has gone from being the go-to search engine to something people are paying to avoid entirely. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra chat with 404 Media co-founder Jason Koebler about his experience moving away from Google and towards Kagi, a $10 a month search engine without ads or data tracking. Funny enough, Kagi is still relying on Google’s index, so it’s a lot like using that site before the onslaught of ads, sponsored posts and AI results. Also, we discuss the company’s lies around Chrome’s incognito mode, as well as the news that it would be deleting user data collected in that mode. Why Jason Koebler moved from Google to Kagi's paid search engine – 0:45 Google says it will destroy data collected from users using Incognito mode – 15:01 Gurman report: Apple is working on personal home robots – 24:55 Amazon just walked out on its self check-out tech – 30:43 FCC set to vote to restore Net Neutrality – 43:00 Apple adds Spatial Personas to make the Vision Pro experience less lonely – 45:09 Proposed California state law would give tech workers the “right to disconnect” – 47:17 Tekken director responds to fighting game fans’ request for a Waffle House stage – 49:57 Around Engadget – 51:22 Working on – 54:31 Pop culture picks – 59:13

This week, it’s all about cars and Lucy Liu in VR. Devindra chats with Senior Writer Sam Rutherford about his visit to the New York International Auto Show, where he saw the Polestar 4, a unique new EV without a rear window. Also, Cherlynn pops in to chat with Lucy Liu about her new VR game, The Pirate Queen. We also explore the issues around Florida’s bill banning young kids from social media sites, and Sam tells us why he likes Netflix’s Avatar: The Last Airbender adaptation. Sam Rutherford on what’s new in EVs and car tech from the New York Auto Show – 0:57 Cherlynn Low interviews Lucy Liu about her new VR game The Pirate Queen – 34:39 Florida Governor signs bill banning young children from social media – 54:55 Intel confirms Copilot will eventually run locally – 58:33 There’s finally a version of Chrome that runs well on ARM-based Windows machines – 1:02:43 Canadian researchers have created a camera that takes 156.3 trillion frames per second – 1:05:06 Working on – 1:07:08 Pop culture picks – 1:12:44

Microsoft finally announced the Surface Pro 10 and Laptop 6 today, but you won’t find them in any retail stores. You can only buy them on Microsoft’s website and through enterprise resellers. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra discuss why Microsoft is positioning these computers for businesses, and what it could mean for the future of the Surface lineup. The company is hinting that it’ll have consumer devices soon – likely the Pro 10 and Laptop 6 without as much corporate baggage. But there may also be room for an entirely new form of Surface. Perhaps it’s time for a true Surface foldable? (Or maybe not, after seeing how the Duo performed.) Microsoft announces Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6, but you won’t find them in stores – 0:34 U.S. Justice Department files antitrust suit aimed at Apple’s “walled garden” ecosystem – 14:13 Report: Apple may tap Google for Gemini AI on iPhones – 25:01 NVIDIA claims its new Blackwell chip will power through AI workloads 30x faster using 25x less power – 33:07 Microsoft hires Deepmind cofounder Mustafa Suleyman to lead AI division – 38:00 YouTube reveals new rules for realistic AI video – 43:16 Check your Glassdoor account – real names accidentally tied to some anonymous company reviews – 44:31 Cherlynn finds the tech angle on the Kate Middleton photo debacle. Look at the metadata! – 47:03 Around Engadget – 56:05 Pop culture picks – 59:52

Another week, another concerted effort to ban TikTok in the US – except this time, it could actually happen. In this episode, Cherlynn and Devindra chat with Engadget Senior Editor Karissa Bell around the latest TikTok drama. The House passed a bill that could ultimately ban the company if ByteDance doesn’t sell it off within six months. It may face a tougher fight in the Senate, but if it’s approved there President Biden has said he’s willing to sign it into law. Is this a justified fight against the Chinese-owned social media company, or is it the sum of our political fears against all things China? (Maybe it’s a bit of both?) We discuss why this potential ban could be a huge civil rights violation, as well as the need for true data privacy laws in the US, which would apply to all social networks. U.S. House passes bill that would give Bytedance 6 months to sell TikTok – 0:47 Microsoft’s Surface and AI event preview – 17:04 Apple will allow EU users to download some apps from websites – 27:38 Five Tesla execs earned $2.5B over the last five years while the company paid no income tax – 34:53 Around Engadget – 44:57 Working on – 48:31 Pop culture picks – 50:17

Apple's refreshed MacBook Air laptops are finally here, and they're toting shiny new M3 chips. This week, Cherlynn chats with Devindra about his review of the 13-inch and 15-inch MacBook Air M3. They're faster, as we expected, but they're also not a huge leap over the M2 MacBook Air, which now starts at $999. (And we're sure you'll find some excellent refurbished and used deals soon.) No matter which one you pick, though, you're getting one of the most stunning ultraportable notebooks around. In other news, we discuss Apple's nearly $2 billion fine from the EU, Microsoft's upcoming Surface AI event and the death of Android apps on Windows 11. Finally, the MacBook Air gets an M3 update – 0:41 EU fines Apple nearly $2 billion for “blocking” competing music apps – 15:27 iOS 17.4 brings third party app stores to the EU, podcast transcription for everyone – 20:18 Microsoft announces a Surface and AI event for later in March – 22:02 No more (Amazon App Store) Android apps in Windows – 27:49 Developer of Switch emulator Yuzu fined $2.4 million to settle suit with Nintendo – 39:19 Around Engadget: Sam Rutherford’s Nothing Phone 2 review – 46:17 Working on – 50:30 Pop culture picks – 57:47

This week, Cherlynn and Devindra discuss some of the editorial changes happening at Engadget. We’ve lost some amazing colleagues, but we’re still here aiming to deliver the best tech coverage possible. As for this week’s news, we chat about the reported death of Apple’s “Project Titan” EV car project. It never felt quite real, but it still would have been fun to see. Here’s a hot take: Maybe the Apple Car felt redundant since Tesla basically built it already. Say what you will about Elon Musk today, but Tesla certainly disrupted the car industry in all of the ways we’d expect Apple to. Agree? Disagree? Let us know what you think at [email protected]. Topics: What happened with Engadget last week: layoffs and our continued commitment to tech journalism – 0:31 RIP Apple Car 2014-2024 – 9:11 Nintendo’s successor to the Switch delayed to 2025 – 21:53 Microsoft opens more Xbox exclusives to PS5 and Switch – 25:24 Google renames AI suite, ends up in hot water over image generation – 33:47 Pop culture picks – 43:21

We still can’t stop thinking about the Apple Vision Pro. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra chat with CNET’s Scott Stein about our post-review impressions of Apple’s headset. We’ve got further thoughts about using it in public (maybe don’t), the isolation of being sealed off from the world, and the way falling asleep with the Vision Pro on can make you lose your sense of reality. We also discuss Mark Zuckerberg’s impression of the headset, and why he thinks the Quest 3 is ultimately a better product. (We agree, with caveats.) In other news, we explore how Arc’s ad-stripped AI mobile search app may be good for its users, but ultimately bad for web creators. Last thoughts on Apple’s Vision Pro with CNet’s Scott Stein – 1:11 Arc Browser AI summaries prompts the question “Who makes money when AI reads the internet for us?” – 38:06 Waymo self-driving car attacked and set on fire during Lunar New Year celebration – 49:22 Stealth piracy app Kimi briefly passed Netflix on Apple’s App Store charts – 52:48 Lyft stock spikes after typo in earnings report – 55:12 Around Engadget – 56:53 Working on – 59:04 Pop culture picks – 59:38

We’ve spent the last week with the Apple Vision Pro and we have thoughts! This week, Senior Writer Sam Rutherford and Podcast Producer Ben Ellman join Devindra to chat about his Vision Pro review, as well as their first impressions of the headset. It’s far from a slam dunk, but it’s also one of the most fascinating devices we’ve ever seen. We dive into Apple’s impressive 3D Immersive Videos, the elegant simplicity of the Vision Pro’s eye tracking and hand gestures, and the trouble with wearing such a heavy headset. Devindra Hardawar’s Apple Vision Pro review: Beta testing the future – 0:49 Microsoft’s gaming division is expected to announce former exclusive games going multiplatform – 51:06 Maliciously edited video of President Biden is allowed to stay by Facebook’s oversight board – 54:30 Add Taylor Swift to the list of celebrities who don’t want their jets tracked – 57:35 Working on – 1:00:10 Pop culture picks – 1:00:50

Samsung’s Galaxy S24 phones are all about AI, but how do they compare against Google’s AI tech? This week, Cherlynn and Devindra discuss what works and doesn’t about Samsung’s ambitious new smartphones, and why it may be a good thing for the Korean giant to directly compete with Google. Also, Senior Editor Karissa Bell joins to discuss the social media CEO Senate hearing, which, unsurprisingly, doesn’t really amount to much. Samsung Galaxy S24 and S24 Ultra reviews: AI with mixed results – 0:47 Senate gathers social media CEOs over online child safety – 15:15 Graphic images of Taylor Swift on X prompts U.S. bill to let people sue over sexual deepfakes – 28:11 Universal Music Group pulls songs from TikTok during talks on a new music rights deal – 33:05 Delaware court denies Elon Musk’s “unfathomable” Tesla payday – 38:31 Neuralink claims to have implanted its first chip in a human test subject – 40:32 Google reveals new text-to-image generative AI tool, ImageFX – 41:46 Working on – 47:00 Pop culture picks – 51:29

Apple’s Mac just turned 40 years old! This week, Devindra chats with Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham about his Mac retrospective. We focus on how much has changed since Apple’s disastrous 2016 lineup, why the Apple Silicon chips feel so revolutionary, and look back at our earliest Mac experiences. Also, we review the Framework Laptop 16, a wonderfully modular miracle of a laptop, but one that we wish had more graphics power for gaming. (But hey, at least you can replace the GPU eventually!). Framework Laptop 16 review: Amazingly modular, but not so great at gaming – 1:17 The Mac turns 40 – 19:27 More tech layoffs at Blizzard/Activision, Riot, eBay and others – 49:58 Apple’s Car concept is allegedly still alive – 52:44 Apple overhauls App Store rules in response to European Union regulation – 58:25 Working on – 1:09:30 Pop culture picks – 1:13:40

The tech world isn’t taking any breaks after CES! This week, Cherlynn and Devindra are joined by Senior Writer Sam Rutherford to discuss Samsung’s latest Galaxy Unpacked event, where it debuted the Galaxy S24 smartphone line. They don’t look very different from last year, but they’re packing a load of AI smarts. Also, Cherlynn finally got to try out the Apple Vision Pro and tells us all about her spatial computing journey. While it was a mostly eye-opening experience, the headset also hurt Cherlynn’s head and forced her to confront one of nature’s most terrifying creatures: A butterfly. Samsung’s Galaxy AI event: S24 line, 7 years of support for new phones, and a Galaxy Ring teaser – 1:05 Cherlynn’s Apple Vision Pro hands-on experience – 34:42 Apple is selling Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 again with blood oxygen feature disabled – 1:03:05 Apple finally allows links to third party websites for purchases – 1:04:57 Google throws support behind right to repair bill – 1:06:19 OpenAI laid out its misinformation strategy for a busy 2024 election year – 1:07:58 Cold temperatures in Chicago led to a lot of dead Teslas – 1:09:44 Pop culture picks – 1:16:50

Just as we expected, AI was the running theme throughout CES 2024. In this episode, Devindra and Producer Ben Ellman chat with co-host Cherlynn Low, who’s on the ground in Las Vegas with the Engadget team. We dive into AI popping into almost every product category, new standalone AI hardware, and a surprising amount of “shush” tech. In geekier news, we dive into Micron’s new RAM format for laptops, which has the potential to reshape the notebook industry, and discuss why we all may want a rolling house robot like Samsung’s Ballie. And on a sad note, we discuss the wave of tech layoffs from Google, Amazon and others. Transparent OLED TVs, assistive gloves, and a Sony car: What’s hot at CES with Cherlynn Low – 1:09 AMD and Intel announce new chips – 28:22 Micron’s replacement for SODIMM laptop RAM is a bigger deal than you think – 38:01 Humane and Rabbit show off standalone AI devices – 45:49 New gaming laptops from ASUS, Alienware, and Razer – 53:36 Samsung’s Ballie robot could be a great multimedia companion for kids – 1:00:54 Layoffs at Amazon: Twitch to lay off 35% of its workforce – 1:16:50 Google lays off “several hundred” workers in an effort to reorganize hardware divisions – 1:18:14 Pop culture picks – 1:22:09

It’s the week before CES officially kicks off in Las Vegas, but our fingers are already tired from typing up a ton of early news. In this episode, Cherlynn and Devindra discuss the big topics they expect to see at CES 2024 (AI PCs will be huge, we swear!), as well as some of the stories that have already landed, like Dell’s revamped XPS line. Also, we explore some of 2023’s biggest winners and losers (just take a guess where Twitter ends up), and we chat about Apple Fitness+ highlighting Super Bowl halftime performers. And for a bit of fun conjecture, we explore the viability of Apple purchasing Peloton to bolster its health ambitions. AI PCs, fun robots and weird healthtech: What we’re looking forward to at CES 2024 – 1:07 Samsung announces Odyssey 240hz OLED gaming monitors ahead of CES – 22:18 Dell unveils new line of XPS laptops – 23:23 GE’s indoor smoker brings (smokeless) BBQ inside – 27:08 Engadget’s Best and Worst of 2023 lists – 33:42 Samsung’s first Unpacked of 2024 scheduled for January 17 – 50:29 13-year-old becomes the first (recorded) person to reach the NES Tetris kill screen – 52:37 Pop culture picks – 57:26

Right as we’re heading into Christmas, Apple has been forced to stop sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 in the US, due to an ongoing patent dispute with Masimo over pulse oximeters. To break down what’s going on, Devindra and Ben chat with Christina Farr, a health tech investor at OMERS Ventures and author of the newsletter Second Opinion. It turns out Apple has made a habit of tempting people away from competing companies, and that includes Masimo’s former chief medical officer. Did Apple really steal trade secrets? Or does it just look very guilty since it had the means and motive to copy Masimo’s technology? Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 sales ban chat with Chrissy Farr – 1:49 Generative image model LAION-5B has over 1000 CSAM images in its dataset – 20:07 PS5 outsold Xbox 3 to 1 in 2023, lifetime PS5 sales hit 50 million – 24:00 Hackers release footage from Insomniac’s Wolverine after 1.67TB data breach – 34:35 Working on – 37:24 Pop culture picks – 38:07

So long E3, we knew you weren’t long for this world. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra are joined by Engadget Senior Editor Jessica Conditt to talk about the death of E3 and what it means for the gaming industry. We also explore some of the highlights (and low points) of last week’s Game Awards, which couldn’t quite balance celebrating video games and functioning as a marketing tool. We’re particularly excited for Light No Fire, the next ambitious game from the folks behind No Man’s Sky, as well as Arkane Lyon’s Blade. We mourn E3 and break down everything announced at the Game Awards with Jess Conditt – 00:40 Beeper Mini, Sunbird, and the endless quest to spoof iMessage – 37:57 Apple ads theft protection in iOS 17.2 beta – 54:12 EU set to hand Apple a huge loss in its legal fight with Spotify – 58:04 Google loses antitrust trial against Epic games – 59:30 Executives fired after Sports Illustrated tries to publish generative AI articles (with fake writers behind them) – 1:06:32 Netflix engagement report reveals its most popular shows and movies of the first half of 2023 – 1:07:23 Working on – 1:09:25 Pop culture picks – 1:10:24

We made it to 200 episodes, folks! This week, Cherlynn, Devindra, Producer Ben Ellman and Senior Writer Sam Rutherford dive into some of the biggest tech developments since we rebooted the podcast in 2019. Remember, that was a pre-pandemic, pre-generative AI world! We also highlight a few guest interviews worth revisiting, like our chats with Bill Nye and Ann Druyan. As for recent news, we quickly recap the OpenAI drama around Sam Altman’s ouster, discuss Google’s new Gemini AI platform, and chat about the revelation that governments are spying on our push notifications. Cherlynn also details her experience with Apple’s Personal Voice feature for iPhones and gives us a demo of her AI-generated digital voice. Topics: It’s our 200th episode! We look back on what’s changed in tech since the show relaunched – 1:02Sam Altman sacked and reinstated, a recap of the OpenAI drama – 44:29Google announces Gemini AI, its answer to GPT-4 – 50:04Microsoft upgrades Copilot with OpenAI’s GPT-4 Turbo and DALL-E 3 – 54:23Governments are spying on push notifications, Google and Apple can’t do anything about it – 55:41Mark Gurman reports Apple is working on revamped iPad Pros and an M3 MacBook Air – 58:02Cherlynn’s experience with the new iOS accessibility feature Personal Voice – 58:58Pop culture picks – 1:05:01

Sony’s next “PSP,” the PlayStation Portal, is one odd little device. It can only stream games from your PlayStation 5 – beyond that, it’s a $200 doorstop. In this episode, Cherlynn and Devindra chat with CNET’s Scott Stein about the Portal and the many ways it baffles us. While it does manage to stream games from the PS5 just fine, it’s also expensive, clunky and lacks basic features like Bluetooth audio support. It’s really only meant for the most diehard PS5 owners (and even they should probably wait for a sale). What was Sony thinking with the Playstation Portal? (With CNET’s Scott Stein) – 0:54 Microsoft rebrands Bing Chat to Copilot – 27:34 Qi 2 wireless charging standard will bring Magsafe’s satisfying magnetic click to all supported phones – 34:03 Nothing Phone 2 is getting iMessage...sort of – 47:40 Late breaking: Apple confirms RCS is coming to iPhones next year – 52:15 WhatsApp free storage on Google Drive is coming to an end – 53:53 Working on – 1:06:52 Pop culture picks – 1:07:34

Apple's new M3 MacBook Pros and iMac are here! In this episode, we dive into our full thoughts about all of Apple's new hardware alongside Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham. The big takeaway: Don't buy the base model of either computer with just 8GB of RAM. Otherwise, the M3 chips are solid upgrades across the board. Also, Senior Editor Jessica Conditt joins to tell us all about the new Steam Deck OLED. It has a slightly larger OLED screen than the original model, as well as some extra battery life. While the performance is the same as before, it's certainly a tempting holiday treat for anyone who's been eyeing a Steam Deck. Our reviews of Apple’s M3 iMac and M3 Pro MacBook Pro – 0:40 Steam Deck OLED review with Jess Conditt – 21:33 Humane to debut AI-powered device that pins to your clothes – 43:24 Meta to require political campaigns to disclose AI-altered images in ads – 55:19 Sam Bankman-Fried found guilty of fraud, faces up to 110 years in prison – 56:21 Rockstar confirms GTA 6 trailer is coming December 2023 – 1:04:18 Working on – 1:07:23 Pop culture picks – 1:09:07

Joe Hunting, the director of "We Met in Virtual Reality," is embarking on a new adventure: He's launching Painted Clouds, a studio devoted to VR filmmaking. In this episode, we chat with Hunting about the state of the VR community, the convergence of real-world and virtual filmmaking tools, and why he's so interested in telling stories set in VR. Be sure to check out We Met in Virtual Reality, which is streaming now on Max.

Apple’s M3 chip is here, and the company is wasting no time shoving it into new computers. This week, we dive into the new M3-equipped MacBook Pros and iMac, which offer some notable upgrades over the M2 and M1 models. Also, we find time to celebrate the death of the old 13-inch MacBook Pro, and try to determine if the cheaper 14-inch MacBook Pro is actually meant for pros with 8GB of RAM. We also chat about Apple’s healthcare plans, as well as Lenovo’s ridiculous tablet fashion campaign. Apple announces M3 chips along with new MacBook Pros and iMac – 0:59 Other News: Bloomberg report outlines Apple’s very quiet attempt at getting into HealthTech – 24:33 Ad blockers no longer work on Youtube :( – 39:02 U.S., U.K. announce first attempts at AI regulation – 48:10 Lenovo’s Tab Wear clothing line is like a kangaroo pouch for your tablet – 54:30 Working on – 58:39 Listener Mail: Should I go from a Fitbit to a Pixel Watch? – 1:00:28 Pop culture picks – 1:03:16

It seems like just about every streaming service has raised their price this year – most recently, Apple TV+, Netflix and Disney+. In this episode, we chat with Janko Roettgers, author of the newsletter Lowpass, about the state of streaming media. Why are these companies pushing their prices up now, and what does that mean for you, the viewer? Does this mean the dream of cord cutting is over? (Spoiler: No, not really.) Also, we chat about Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon chips, adult film star Riley Reid’s new AI chatbot, and why Super Mario Wonder is the best 2D Mario game since Super Mario World. Reporter Janko Roettgers explains what’s going on with streaming price increases – 1:0 Other News: 41 states use Meta over Instagram’s influence on kids – 23:15 Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 brings more AI power to phones – 28:59 Snapdragon X Elite takes aim at Apple’s M series chips – 33:26 Working on – 42:30 Pop culture picks – 46:12

It seems like Marc Andreessen had a lot of free time this week, as the VC wrapped up his entire pro-tech worldview in a massive tome, the Techno-Optimist Manifesto. Andreessen claims “technology is the glory of human ambition and achievement, the spearhead of progress, and the realization of our potential,” and he goes on to vilify anyone who dares to step in the way of “progress.” To break down this document, we’re joined by tech critic Paris Marx, host of the Tech Won’t Save Us podcast, and the author of the Disconnect newsletter, as well as the book Road to Nowhere: What Silicon Valley Gets Wrong About the Future of Transportation. Also, Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham discusses why he loves Spider-Man 2 on the PlayStation 5, and we try to make sense of Apple’s new $79 Pencil. Nate Ingraham’s Spider-Man 2 review: The rare game that’s both bigger and better – 0:55 We break down Mark Andreessen’s dangerously optimistic manifesto on AI – 11:39 Microsoft now officially owns Activision/Blizzard – 35:44 X (fka Twitter) tests $1 “Not a bot” program for new users – 38:53 There’s a new, cheaper Apple Pencil with USB-C but what generation is it? – 41:03 YouTube debuts ‘news hub’ to direct users to reliable sources – 46:46 Working on – 51:20 Pop culture picks – 52:20

We still have months to wait before Dune: Part Two hits theaters, so what better time to reminisce about David Lynch's intriguing adaptation of Frank Herbert's masterpiece? Reviled at the time, Lynch's Dune has now firmly established itself as a cult sci-fi epic, a film with boundless creative energy hampered by studio interference. In this bonus episode, Devindra chats with film journalist Max Evry, author of A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch's Dune. We explore why he devoted two years of his life towards researching an unloved film, as well as how it's a refreshing departure from the superhero films dominating theaters today.

The Meta Quest 3 is here, and it’s the best standalone VR headset we’ve ever seen. But is that enough to make people care about virtual reality? In this episode, Devindra and Senior Writer Sam Rutherford chat with Tested’s Norm Chan about the Quest 3 and Meta’s mixed reality future. While the company’s vision of the metaverse is pretty sterile, it’s still nice to see Meta learning from the mistakes of the Quest Pro. Sam also dives into his Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro reviews, as well as his thoughts about the Pixel Watch 2. We also dive into Wired’s retraction of an op-ed claiming that Google manipulated your search queries, as well as Twitter/X’s complete inability to deliver accurate news during the Hamas and Israel conflict. Timestamps: Meta Quest 3 Review with Tested’s Norm Chan – 1:44 Sam Rutherford’s Pixel 8 review: We’re finally excited about mobile AI again – 36:18 Other News: Wired retracts op-ed about Google changing search queries – 56:04 Israel-Hamas conflict misinformation shows X moderation is completely broken – 58:09 Google reportedly pays Apple $18-20 billion a year to remain iOS default search engine – 1:03:08 Sony finally announces PS5 Slim – 1:09:31 California passes Right to Repair law – 1:11:29 Working on – 1:13:44 Pop culture picks – 1:16:26

Yes, Techtober is in full swing! This week, Cherlynn and Devindra chat with Engadget’s Sam Rutherford about everything from the Made by Google event. That includes the Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel Watch 2. We give Google credit for leaning on AI long before it was trendy, but we wonder if the Pixel 8 Pro’s temperature sensor will actually be useful. Also, we dive into Samsung’s latest FE devices, Apple’s fix for overheating iPhone 15s, and Google’s Chromebook Plus initiative. Google announces the Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel Watch 2 and Buds Pro, along with a slew of AI features – 1:05 Engadget’s first take on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro – 7:15 Samsung announces new FE devices – 58:51 Apple says iOS 17 update should fix those hot iPhones – 1:02:45 Google could be directing users to advertisers using semantic match algorithm – 1:12:33 Quantum Dot inventors win Nobel Prize – 1:21:11 Working on – 1:23:12 Pop culture picks – 1:25:55

This week, it’s Meta’s turn to highlight AI during its device event. In this episode, Devindra and Cherlynn dive into all of the news from Meta’s Connect 2023 event, where it unveiled Meta AI and accompanying celebrity-powered chatbots. Oh yah, and it introduced the Meta Quest 3 and new Ray-Ban smart glasses, too. More so than the metaverse and VR, it’s really AI that Zuckerberg wants to push across all of Meta’s apps and devices. And in other news, we discuss why the end of the WGA strike is a big deal for AI in Hollywood; ex-Microsoft exec Panos Panay officially heading to Amazon; and why the FTC is targeting Amazon over its potential ecommerce monopoly. Meta’s Connect event announces Quest 3 VR, Ray-Ban smart glasses and a slew of AI – 0:35 Hollywood Writers’ Guild ends strike with studio agreements on AI authorship, streaming residuals – 28:51 Panos Panay is officially going to head Amazon’s devices team – 32:03 FTC sues Amazon over ‘monopolistic practices’ – 35:30 FCC revives Obama-era net neutrality rules – 37:59 Jony Ive and Sam Altman are working on AI-powered hardware – 40:43 Top U.S. spy agencies are working on AI chatbots of their own – 55:56 Working on – 58:24 Pop culture picks – 59:23

Gadget season is in full swing! This week, Cherlynn chats about her experience reviewing the iPhone 15 Pro and Apple Watch Series 9. Does a 5x camera zoom make much of a difference? Also, Devindra and Cherlynn dive into Microsoft’s big Surface event in NYC, which actually ended up being more of an AI event. The company announced Copilot, its new AI assistant for Windows and other platforms. Microsoft is basically consolidating all of the Copilot products it’s already announced for Edge, MS 365 and Windows, but maybe this will be less confusing in the long run? Not to miss out on the fun, Amazon also announced several new devices and AI moves around Alexa. iPhone 15 Pro, Pro Max reviews – 1:09 Apple Watch Series 9 review – 17:45 Microsoft’s Surface event was more of an AI event – 24:59 Microsoft data breach reveals plans for new Xbox – 43:05 Amazon’s fall event debuts new Echo devices and a Fire TV soundbar – 47:25 Alexa is evolving into a chatbot for your home – 47:25 Made on YouTube event reveals a big push into generative AI – 59:04

This week, Cherlynn gives us her on-the-ground thoughts from Apple’s iPhone 15 launch event. It turns out the iPhone 15 Pro’s titanium case is actually noticeably lighter! We’re all also intrigued by Apple’s new double-tap gesture in the Watch Series 9. (Don’t be surprised if it ends up training us how to use the Vision Pro’s gesture commands!) Also, Engadget reporter Malak Saleh joins to discuss her review of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 6, as well as Dyson’s ridiculous Zone air filter mask/headphones. iPhone 15 and Apple Watch Series 9 hands-on – 1:05 Samsung Galaxy Watch 6 review – 37:40 The U.S. v Google antitrust trial is underway – 45:50 Intel officially unveils Thunderbolt 5 – 48:57 Unity’s per-install fee upsets indie game devs – 55:21 Dyson Zone personal air filter review – 1:02:22 Working on – 1:14:32 Pop culture picks – 1:15:47

Fresh off of Apple’s “Wonderlust” event, Devindra and Engadget Editor-in-Chief Dana Wollman dive into the iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro and the Apple Watch Series 9. We explain why Apple’s move towards USB-C on the iPhones has been a long time coming, and why we’re excited about even more emergency satellite calling capabilities. And while the Apple Watch Series 9 looks like a worthwhile upgrade, we’re more intrigued by the new double tap finger gesture.

Starfield is here! It’s just too bad we only like some of it. This week, Devindra chats with Senior Editor Jessica Conditt about Bethesda’s latest massive open world title, and why it just feels like Fallout 4 in space. Also, we dive into reports around Nintendo demoing the Switch 2 at Gamescom, and we dream up what our ideal sequel console could be. (Just call it the Super Switch!) Engadget’s Starfield review: You will like some of it – 1:25 Baldur’s Gate 3 is a big win for games in Early Access – 22:11 Eurogamer reports Nintendo demoed the Switch 2 to devs at Gamescom – 33:42 What we’re playing: Viewfinder, Sprawl, Armored Core VI and more – 41:44 Pixel 8 Pro 360 render has leaked – 52:00 New York City reins in AirBnb – 53:37 Logitech’s UE EpicBoom sounds like a killer party speaker – 57:45 Mozilla report finds that cars are a data privacy nightmare – 1:00:44 AI News: How much of Kaedim’s 3D modeling AI is actually AI? – 1:06:57 Working on – 1:14:20 Pop culture picks – 1:15:43

It wouldn’t be the end of summer if we weren’t gearing up for another iPhone launch! This week, Devindra and Cherlynn are joined by Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, the purveyor of many Apple rumors, to discuss what we expect from the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro. Based on Gurman’s reporting so far, the iPhone 15 will likely get Apple’s Dynamic Island and improved tech from last year’s Pro phone. The iPhone 15 Pro, meanwhile, will see thinner bezels, a titanium frame and a periscope camera for the Pro Max. You can also expect Apple to finally move over to USB-C for both of these phones, which should improve data (and potentially charging) speeds. Be sure to subscribe to Mark’s Bloomberg newsletter, Power On, to follow his reporting. Apple iPhone 15 event preview with Bloomberg’s Apple leaker-in-chief Mark Gurman – 1:46 Tech events season is in full swing with more events from Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Intel – 28:23 Meta removed a large Chinese propaganda ring on Facebook – 36:23 Have you seen Windows 11’s weird popups while using Google? – 47:06 India is the first country to land a probe on the Moon’s South Pole – 52:04 Working on – 54:12 Pop culture picks – 59:40

The PSP is back! Sort of. This week, Sony announced the PlayStation Portal, a $200 handheld that can only stream games from your PS5. In this episode, Devindra and Producer Ben Ellman try to figure out what the heck Sony is doing. Is the Portal something gamers actually want? Or did Sony completely miss an opportunity to build a better portable? Also, we discuss why we’re excited for Armored Core VI and some serious big mecha action. Sony announces $200 Playstation Portal handheld – 1:10 Armored Core VI: Shadows of Rubicon review – 25:44 Coming in October – Samsung’s 57-inch 4k ultra wide monitor – 34:22 Atari’s new 2600+ can play 2600 and 7800 cartridges…if you still have them – 39:32 NVIDIA’s DLSS 3.5 makes ray tracing look even better with AI – 41:35 Half-Life 2 is getting an unofficial remaster with RTX – 45:48 Other News: Microsoft product event scheduled for September 21 – 51:44 Elon Musk floats the idea of removing the block feature on X – 54:09 AI News: US judge rules that AI art can’t be copyrighted – 1:00:32 Working on – 1:04:27 Pop culture picks – 1:07:57

This week, Cherlynn and Sam are joined by noted foldables lover Michael Fisher (aka Mr Mobile) to talk all about their respective reviews of Samsung’s latest products. Why are our hosts more excited for the Galaxy Z Flip 5 than the Z Fold 5? Is Samsung coasting? Then, we discuss the latest happenings in X vs Threads, as well as a bunch of lighthearted news in tech this week. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 and Fold 5 reviews with MrMobile – 1:22 Will Elon actually pay for lawsuits related to posts on X? – 41:32 Threads is getting a website and search – 49:16 Slack UI changes are coming to your workspace soon – 54:31 MrBeast is getting countersued for $100m – 1:03:21 Working on – 1:13:55 Pop culture picks – 1:19:52

While our reviewers spend time testing the numerous Samsung devices that were just announced, this episode Cherlynn and Sam dive into the relatively slow week in tech. Of course, we can’t escape the onslaught of news coming from X-Twitter-Musk land, just like how residents from a building across from the company’s San Francisco headquarters were unable to escape from blinding lights this weekend. We also go over some updates from Meta and Google and discover why Cherlynn loves clowns. This week in X/Twitter news: A disturbing strobe-light of a logo and hiding your checkmark – 1:21 Tesla under investigation for steering and battery range issues – 11:31 Half of Meta Threads users are now inactive – 24:16 Meta may be working on an Abraham Lincoln AI chatbot – 29:39 Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman suggests the iPhone 15 could come with USB-C charging – 37:58 Working on – 54:13 Pop culture picks – 56:47

Samsung made a huge flex this week by hosting its first Unpacked event in Seoul, South Korea (sorry NYC!). In this episode, Cherlynn, Devindra and Senior Writer Sam Rutherford dive into all of Samsung’s news: The Galaxy Z Fold 5, Z Flip 5, Watch 6 and Tab S9. Is Samsung playing it safe this year, or is it actually bringing something new to the world of foldables? Also, we discuss Twitter’s rebrand to “X” (sigh), as well as why astrophysicist Avi Loeb is likely wrong about his extraterrestrial alien balls. Samsung’s Summer Unpacked 2023 Overview – 0:54 Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Galaxy Z Flip 5 – 3:23 Galaxy Watch 6 – 19:24 Galaxy Tab S9 – 26:19 Other News: Twitter is now X – 33:40 GM announces plans to revive the Chevy Bolt – 47:44 Astrophysicist Avi Loeb found tiny metal balls in the ocean, they probably aren’t alien tech – 51:30 Microsoft announces pizza-scented controller as a TMNT promotion – 53:54 AI News: Netflix lists machine learning jobs in the middle of Hollywood’s double strike – 55:54 Working on – 1:00:34 Pop culture picks – 1:08:24

AI can now place us inside South Park episodes – should we be worried? This week, Devindra and Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham chat with Edward Saatchi, the CEO of The Simulation, about his company’s new AI technology that can generate TV episodes, movies and more. We preview a test South Park episode featuring Devindra, and discuss if this technology is actually a good thing for creatives. Also, Editor at Large James Trew joins to discuss his piece on AI-powered immortality. And to keep the sci-fi theme going, Devindra chats with the director and writer of Netflix’s They Cloned Tyrone, Juel Taylor and Tony Rettenmaier. Interview with The Simulation CEO Edward Saatchi – 0:59 James Trew on digital immortality and AI’s place in a new field, “grief tech” – 20:48 Microsoft / Activision Blizzard’s final merger deadline pushed to October – 32:19 Apple is working on its own generative AI chatbot – 33:19 Google tests AI tool to generate news articles – 38:15 ASUS takes over Intel’s NUC PC business – 44:20 Around Engadget: Sam Rutherford’s Nothing Phone 2 review – 51:21 Listener mail: Rohan from Singapore on what’s keeping the iPad from being a “real” computer – 56:11 Working on – 1:03:54 Pop culture picks – 1:07:43 Interview with the the creators of the new Netflix movie They Cloned Tyrone – 1:13:25

It looks like Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is trucking along, following a court rejection of the FTC’s injunction attempt. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra chat with Jordan Minor, a Senior Analyst at PCMag covering games, about this massive deal and what it means for the gaming industry. Will further consolidation end up being harmful for consumers (as we’ve been saying for a while), or will Microsoft actually help the beleaguered Activision? Also, we dive into our experiences with the latest Apple betas: iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma and watchOS 10. Microsoft is (mostly) cleared to buy Activision Blizzard for $69 billion – 00:56 Our previews of the iOS 17, iPad OS 17, macOS Sonoma, and WatchOS 10 betas – 21:55 Meta’s Threads hits 100m users, Elon is not happy about it – 47:58 Microsoft confirms Chinese hackers used 365 email exploit to access US government accounts – 51:32 Google’s Bard can now speak 40 languages – 52:29 Around Engadget: Sam Rutherford’s ROG Ally review and Katie Malone on why passkeys are suddenly everywhere – 1:01:46 Working on – 1:05:47 Pop culture picks – 1:07:06

It’s been a wild week for social media! While Twitter encountered many self-inflicted wounds, users jumped to Blue Sky and Mastodon. Then Meta decided it was a fine time to drop its Twitter copycat, Threads. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra chat with Engadget’s Karissa Bell about where all of these services are headed. Will Threads be the clear winner, thanks to Instagram’s social graph? Or will the future lie with fully decentralized platforms like Mastodon? Twitter continues to crumble, Meta introduces Threads Twitter clone – 1:10 The next AirPods Pro release could include health features like a hearing test and body temperature sensors – 34:06 Google’s Pixel 8 Pro prototype leaked – 37:18 EU Digital Markets Act identifies a class of large ‘gatekeeper’ tech companies for additional regulation – 51:07 U.S. Federal Trade Commission announces huge fines for fake product reviews – 55:45 Working on – 1:03:19 Picks – 1:06:15

This episode, Cherlynn is joined by senior writer Sam Rutherford and senior commerce editor at Wired Julian Chokkattu to talk about our reviews of the Pixel Fold. Will the recent spate of foldables by companies like Motorola and Google give Samsung some real competition and motivation to step up its game? We can only wait to find out. Samsung is holding its next Galaxy Unpacked in late July, and we’ll see what it has to unveil then. This episode, we also take a look at the latest addition to the Google Graveyard and the state of the podcast industry. Google’s Pixel Fold is the challenger Samsung needs – 1:22 Google has given up on making its own AR glasses, will focus on AR software – 38:50 Automotive organization SAE will create a standard version of Tesla’s charging plug for EVs – 45:19 SiriusXM will shut down widely used podcast app Stitcher on August 29 – 52:11 RIP John Goodenough, inventor of the lithium-ion battery – 54:53 Working on – 56:01 Pop culture picks – 59:02

This episode, Cherlynn is joined by senior reporter Jess Conditt and special guest Michael Fisher to talk about the week of reviews. From the Moto Razr+ to the Pixel Tablet, we look at how these devices fit into our lives and make them better (or worse). Than, we go over the highlights from Summer Games Fest and dig into that Titanic situation. Moto Razr+ review: a foldable with an external display you’ll actually want to use – 1:56 Pixel Tablet review: Google made a great smart display and a passable tablet – 31:53 The doomed OceanGate submarine was piloted with a Logitech game controller – 47:50 Amazon is shutting down Halo health services at the end of July – 59:15 Jess Conditt’s takeaways from Summer Game Fest – 1:02:51 Working on – 1:19:27 Pop culture picks – 1:20:51

What good is Reddit without the support of its community? This week, Cherlynn and Devindra discuss the recent subreddit revolts, following the company’s decision to dramatically increase the cost of its API for third parties. They’re joined by Ryan Broderick, the internet culture reporter behind the must-read newsletter Garbage Day. Will the protests amount to any sort of change? Or will Reddit CEO Steve Huffman prevail and make the company ready for a potential IPO? Also, we dive into our reviews of the new MacBook Air 15, as well as the M2 Ultra Mac Studio. Who needs a Mac Pro when Apple has such a powerful desktop already? Why are Redditors protesting Reddit’s API changes? – 1:15 M2 Mac Studio and 15-inch MacBook Air reviews – 19:14 U.S. Federal Trade Commission files injunction to block Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision/Blizzard – 27:04 Alan Wake 2, South of Midnight and Baby Steps are Summer Games Fest standouts – 30:29 Working on – 34:06 Pop culture picks – 36:26

After tons of typing and running around Apple’s campus, we’re ready to wrap up WWDC 2023. This week, Devindra chats with Editor-in-Chief Dana Wollman and Senior Writer Sam Rutherford about Apple’s foray into spatial computing with the Vision Pro, the 15-inch MacBook Air, and the company’s many (many) software announcements. Also, we discuss Spotify’s latest podcast flubs, Diablo 4, and the new Genndy Tartakovsky animated series Unicorn: Warriors Eternal. Wrapping up WWDC 2023: a few more thoughts on the newly-announced Vision Pro – 1:44 MacBook Air 15-inch, Mac Studio refresh, and the first Mac Pro update since 2019 –10:40 What's new in iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and MacOS Sonoma – 16:34 Spotify lays off 200 in podcast group, combines Gimlet and Parcast into Spotify Studios – 40:57 Working on – 47:19 Pop culture picks – 49:16

We’ve survived day one of Apple’s WWDC ‘23, and we’re ready to talk about the company’s new Vision Pro mixed reality headset. In this bonus episode, Cherlynn and Devindra dive into their thoughts on Apple’s spatial computing play, as well as Devindra’s 30-minute hands on session with the headset. It’s undoubtedly the best AR/VR experience we’ve seen yet, but there are still plenty of issues Apple needs to solve.

It’s only a few days until the beginning of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference next week, and we’re eager to see what the iPhone maker is cooking up. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra are joined by Engadget Senior Writer Sam Rutherford to dive into all of the Apple rumors: That fabled mixed reality headset, a potential 15-inch MacBook Air and more! But really, all eyes are on the headset. Is Apple setting itself up for failure, or for a future where smart glasses are actually a thing? Also, we discuss the late-breaking news about Meta’s Quest 3 headset, which sounds like it will offer better VR and color mixed reality support for $500. Apple’s AR Headset, iOS 17, MacOS 14 and everything else we expect to see at WWDC 2023 – 1:16 Meta Quest 3 details drop ahead of Apple’s developer conference next week – 33:48 Oppo debuts MR Glass Developer Edition – 37:41 AI leaders issue dire warning on its risks, neglecting their own responsibility in its development – 41:46 Chatbot rolled out by National Eating Disorders Association taken offline after giving bad advice – 45:37 Working on – 52:17 Listener mailbag – 56:41 Pop culture picks – 58:39

It’s a bigger than usual AI week for Microsoft, thanks to its Build developer conference. This week, we chat with Panos Panay, Microsoft’s Chief Product Officer, about Windows Copilot, a new “AI assistant” headed to Windows 11. Is this just a smarter Clippy, or will AI actually transform the way we use Windows? Also, Cherlynn and Devindra discuss what’s up with Apple’s Mixed Reality headset as we gear up for WWDC in a few weeks. Microsoft announces AI in just about everything at Build 2023 – 1:42 Devindra’s interview with Microsoft Chief Product Officer Panos Panay – 11:28 Processing the interview with Panos and other headlines from Build – 33:57 Bloomberg report on Apple’s AR headset reveals significant divisions within the company – 45:55 Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announces his Presidential bid in a glitch-filled Twitter Space with Elon Musk – 56:00 Amazon’s Fire Max 11 looks read to do actual work – 1:03:22 What we’re working on – 1:08:01 Pop culture picks – 1:09:59

This week, we’re focusing on Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), an annual event meant to promote the need for accessible tech solutions. Cherlynn returns to tell us what Apple, Google, Adobe and others are doing to make their products more useful for people with disabilities (and, it turns out, many general users too). We also discuss Sam Altman’s trip to Congress, and why we’re not entirely impressed with the OpenAI CEO’s calls for AI regulation. Finally, we explain why the BlackBerry movie is one of the best films about tech ever made (take that, Tetris!). Tech companies highlight new features for Global Accessibility Awareness Day – 1:27 OpenAI CEO Sam Altman goes to Congress and advocates for A.I. regulation – 34:24 Amazon announced a bunch of hardware: new Echo Buds, Echo Show and Echo Pop – 45:10 Montana’s TikTok ban has been signed, scheduled to go into effect in 2024 – 49:04 Working On (and Cherlynn’s experience on the ground at Google I/O) – 53:55 Pop culture picks – 1:04:44

It’s a huge week for news: Google I/O happened, and we finally got a close look at the Pixel Fold and the company’s latest AI plans. Engadget Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham also joins to discuss his review of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the follow-up to one of the greatest games ever made. (No pressure, Nate!) We also chat about Nintendo’s confirmation that it won’t be announcing any new hardware until next year, and the perils of chatbots serving as the latest avatars for Hindu gods in India. Google’s Pixel Fold was finally announced (it’s $1,799) – 1:25 Also announced at Google I/O: a ton of Bard integration in search, Pixel Tablet and Pixel 7a – 14:43 Nate Ingraham’s Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom review – 39:29 Nintendo says no new hardware will be announced this year – 52:51 Roku is doing home security now – 56:40 AI Updates: Religious chatbots run the risk of sparking violence in India – 58:12 Working on – 1:03:45 Pop culture picks – 1:05:43

This week, Senior Editor Jessica Conditt joins to discuss what went wrong with Redfall, Microsoft’s latest Xbox exclusive that launched to middling reviews. Jess says it’s good enough for Game Pass, but that’s pretty disappointing for a game from Arkane, the studio behind Dishonored and Prey. Also, they chat about Star Wars: Jedi Survivor and its horrendous PC port, and weigh in on how AI and streaming affects the WGA strike. Stay tuned at the end for an interview with Nida Manzoor, the director of Polite Society, who talks about how she lives with tech. Jess Conditt’s review of Redfall, a surprise disappointment from Arkane – 1:17 Also released recently, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor – 16:01 AI is a factor in the WGA strike – 23:07 U.S. proposes tax on power used to mine crypto – 29:29 Report claims Elon Musk threatened to reassign NPR's Twitter account – 31:16 AI Updates: Microsoft opens Bing AI testing to all, Google AI researcher George Hinton warns the world on rapid AI adoption – 35:55 Working on – 43:36 Pop culture picks – 47:23 Devindra’s interview with ‘Polite Society’ director Nida Manzoor – 53:57

This week, Devindra chats with Sam Rutherford about his recent experiences with ASUS’s ROG Ally, a powerful new Steam Deck competitor, and Nintendo’s long-awaited The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The ROG Ally sounds like one of the best portable gaming systems yet, though we’re still waiting for pricing details. And Zelda was apparently a blast to play, but of course it was. Also, Devindra and Podcast Producer Ben Ellman dive into the latest news, including the FAA grounding SpaceX’s Starship and Grimes’ decision to let people run free with her AI voice. Sam Rutherford’s review of the ROG Ally handheld gaming PC – 1:52 Sam’s Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom demo experience – 15:08 FAA grounds SpaceX’s Starship after launch explosion spreads debris – 28:26 UK regulator blocks Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision/Blizzard – 34:04 Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny features 25 mins of de-aged Harrison Ford – 39:54 This week in AI: Snapchat users revolt against AI assistant, Grimes offers 50/50 credit to songs with her AI voice – 43:19 Working on – 50:21 Pop culture picks – 52:07

Is Google’s foldable coming soon? This week, Cherlynn, Devindra and Senior Writer Sam Rutherford discuss the rumored Pixel Fold, which may debut at Google I/O next month. Also, Devindra and Sam compare the Razer Blade 16 to the Razer Blade 18, two powerful (and expensive!) gaming laptops. In other news, we dive into SpaceX’s exploding Starship rocket, and the fake AI generated collab between The Weeknd and Drake. Google’s Pixel Fold is rumored to launch at Google I/O – 1:25 Sam Rutherford’s review of the Razer Blade 16 vs Blade 18 – 17:38 SpaceX’s Starship launches, spontaneously disassembles (it blew up) – 27:20 Montana takes a big step toward banning TikTok – 33:05 Sega buys Angry Birds developer Rovio – 41:52 EV News: more Tesla price cuts, Polestar 4 doesn’t have a back window – 46:15 This week in AI: Have you heard the AI generated Drake/Weeknd collab? – 1:01:51 Around Engadget – 1:11:26 Working on – 1:12:39 Pop culture picks – 1:14:48

So long HBO Max, hello… Max? This week, Cherlynn and Devindra discuss Warner Bros. pivot away from the beleaguered HBO Max service, and towards something that unifies HBO and Discovery’s content. Does Max help, or hurt the HBO brand? And does the name even matter when people will always line up for the next Game of Thrones spin-off? Also, we dive into the NVIDIA RTX 4070, a champ of a mid-range GPU, as well as the latest from Elon Musk’s disastrous Twitter reign. Max (just Max) is replacing HBO Max – 1:34 NVIDIA’s RTX 4070 review: excellent at 1440p gaming, still pricey at $499 – 21:15 This week in Twitter mess: NPR and PBS quit Twitter over account labeling, AI project allegedly in the works – 23:03 Worker morale is low at Meta after layoffs – 27:57 Lo-fi girl is back, and she made a new synth wave friend – 30:40 AI Update: Stable Diffusion is already taking illustrator jobs in China – 32:34 Working on – 35:48 Pop culture picks – 37:44

This week, Cherlynn and Devindra dive into our review of Amazon's Halo Rise and look into the role it plays in the company's overall strategy as a healthcare provider. Then, our hosts contemplate the cancelation and possible end of E3, as well as the spate of odd news around April Fools day, including Twitter's doge-ification and ASUS' ill-timed gaming handheld launch. Our review of Amazon’s Halo Rise bedside sleep tracker – 2:02 E3 2023 has been canceled – 29:20 This week in Twitter mess: bluecheckpocalypse delayed and a doge takeover – 40:41 ASUS’ ROG Ally handheld isn’t a April Fool’s joke – 46:42 OnePlus launches $60 Nord Buds 2 with ANC – 53:02 Microsoft released an Xbox controller made of old CDs – 57:32 Working on – 1:03:20 Pop culture picks – 1:05:23

With the Tetris movie hitting Apple TV+ this week, we chat with the game’s creator, Alexey Pajitnov, and Henk Rogers, the man who helped bring it out of the Soviet Union. We discuss just how realistic the film is (it definitely takes plenty of fantastical liberties), the impact of Tetris on gaming and where it could be headed in the future. Also, Cherlynn and Devindra dive into the recent letter from the Future of Life Institute, which was signed by Elon Musk and other tech leaders, and called for a pause on AI development beyond GPT4. It turns out that wasn’t entirely altruistic. Interview with Tetris designer Alexey Pajitnov and Tetris publisher Henk Rogers – 1:17 The open letter asking for a 6-month pause of AI development is more suspicious than you think – 16:57 Do the proposed U.S. DATA and RESTRICT acts reach too far in trying to ban TikTok? – 26:48 Pres. Biden bans the use of commercial spyware – 36:20 Microsoft is focused on security, AI and a light processor friendly version in Windows 12 – 39:11 Google unveils AI planning tool to help beat extreme heat due to climate change – 43:21 Apple’s WWDC dates announced: June 5 to 9 – 45:12 Working on – 57:39 Pop culture picks – 1:02:16

Google finally opened up its Bard AI for testing, and it turns out it’s a little loopy. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra dive into their experience with Bard, as well as how it compares with Microsoft’s BingAI (and GPT4, consequently). Also, we discuss even more AI news from NVIDIA, Microsoft and Midjourney, as well as TikTok CEO Shou Chew’s date with Congress. Google opened its Bard AI chatbot to the masses, it seems a little drunk – 1:22 So many other AI updates from Microsoft, NVIDIA, Adobe and more – 23:14 Other news: TikTok’s CEO goes to Congress – 36:25 Cherlynn’s experience with Tesla’s wireless charging platform – 42:05 Acer announces production on…an e-bike?? – 48:20 Around Engadget: Tripod desk, Konnected Kamada Joe grill, history of game controllers – 49:43 Working on – 51:57 Pop culture picks – 54:56

The downfall of Silicon Valley bank affects the entire technology industry. This week, we chat with Alex Wilhelm, editor in chief at TechCrunch+, about why SVB failed and what it means for the broader ecosystem. Where were the regulations? And why were VCs so quick to abandon it? Also, Cherlynn and Devindra dive into the latest AI news from Google, Microsoft and the launch of OpenAI’s GPT4. Like we’ve said before, the AI news will never end! What caused Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse? – 1:13 FBI report: Americans lost $2.7 billion dollars to cypto scams last year – 22:05 Google adds generative AI to Workspace products –23:45 Google announces research into AI for Ultrasound diagnosis – 27:55 Open AI announces GPT-4, which can understand image inputs, too – 35:50 Microsoft confirms Bing AI is powered by GPT-4, announces layoffs in AI ethics – 38:12 Meta lays off an additional 10,000 workers – 41:16 Samsung announces Galaxy A54 –43:11 Sony's $600 point-and-shoot camera for the visually impaired – 48:31 Working on – 57:10 Pop culture picks – 58:42

This week, we chat with Senior Editor Andrew Tarantola about Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain computer interface (BCI) company. The FDA reportedly denied approval for human trials last week—Andy explains why that happened, as well as what BCIs could mean for humans in the future. Also, Cherlynn dives into the accessibility news from Microsoft’s Ability Summit. What’s going on with Neuralink and BCI tech? – 2:05 Elon Musk goes after disabled Twitter employee, quickly apologizes – 19:52 Microsoft touts new accessibility tech at 2023 Ability Summit – 28:32 Sonos’ Era 300 speaker finally has spatial audio – 35:04 What we think of the Yellow iPhone and a few other colorful gadgets announced this week – 45:25 Working On – 51:49 Around Engadget: the reMarkable Folio is a very pretty e-paper keyboard – 54:28 Pop culture picks – 56:29

This week, our hosts are joined by UK Bureau Chief Mat Smith to dive into the most interesting devices that were announced at Mobile World Congress, which has been happening this week in Barcelona. Are foldables getting more interesting, or are they going to become as stale as regular smartphones have become? Also, just how fast is too fast when it comes to charging? Then, we go over Cherlynn’s review of the Galaxy S23+ and why Microsoft bringing Bing AI to the Windows 11 taskbar isn’t what it seems. What’s cool at Mobile World Congress with UK bureau chief Mat Smith – 1:22 Hands on with the Oppo Find N2 Flip – 6:44 Motorola’s Rizr is a concept phone with a rolling screen – 21:09 Samsung Galaxy S23+ review: solid, but not outstanding – 31:17 Microsoft brings Bing AI to the Windows 11 taskbar…sort of – 32:43 Meta says it plans to release AR glasses in 2027 – 34:51 US House panel gives Biden the power to ban TikTok – 38:00 Working on – 41:17 Pop culture picks – 42:57

The AI news just won’t stop! This week, Cherlynn and Devindra discuss the latest on Bing AI – Microsoft is loosening up some recent restrictions, following reports of its bad behavior – as well as the rise of ChatGPT stories on the Kindle store. Spotify is also launching its own AI DJ, starring the digitized voice of one of its current hosts. In other news, we discuss Microsoft’s recent agreements with NVIDIA and Nintendo, which could warm regulators towards approving its Activision Blizzard acquisition. After the Microsoft and Google announcements, AI is suddenly everywhere – 1:17 Microsoft tries to win over regulators by putting Xbox games on GeForce Now – 26:29 Glucose monitoring on the Apple Watch could be coming soon – 28:16 Twitter limits SMS two-factor authentication to Blue users – 30:43 Amazon’s acquisition of One Medical is finished, regulators are still curious – 35:31 No Man’s Sky Fractal VR update is out just in time for PS VR 2 – 39:04 Working on – 42:58 Pop culture picks – 46:10

The PlayStation VR2 is here, and it’s mostly great! But its high price and limited library make it hard to recommend for many gamers. This week, Devindra and Nathan Ingraham dive into our review of the PS VR2, and why our feelings about it are sort of complicated. Also, we discuss why Bing’s AI search is catching a bad attitude, and what Microsoft has to say about it. And be sure to stay tuned for our thoughts on HBO’s The Last of Us as we reach the middle of its first season. Playstation VR2 review: a great headset that should be cheaper – 1:30 Microsoft apologizes for strange problems with Bing’s ChatGPT service – 23:43 This week in Twitter mess: Elon takes over your main feed – 41:47 Around Engadget: Oppo Find M2 foldable review – 44:35 Pop culture picks (with minor spoilers for The Last of Us) – 50:47 Last of Us spoilers end – 1:01:15

What a wild week chock full of news all over tech! Microsoft and Google both unveiled their AI products for the masses, with Microsoft holding a whole event this week to show off the new Edge and Bing. Google also had an event in Paris and unveiled the first Android 14 developer preview, while OnePlus launched its first-ever tablet alongside a new phone. Cherlynn is joined this week by guest co-host Sam Rutherford to tear into the week’s onslaught of news, and check in to see how we feel about Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra while reviewing it. Microsoft’s AI event unveils Bing and Edge with OpenAI collaboration – 1:46 Google unveils Bard chatbot, its ChatGPT competitor – 23:48 Mat Smith’s OnePlus 11 review – 29:18 Also coming from OnePlus: a tablet, earbuds and a keyboard – 37:41 Sam Rutherford’s Galaxy S23 Ultra review – 44:38 AI-generated Seinfeld show “Nothing, Forever” banned from Twitch – 55:58 Android 14 developer preview is available now – 58:16 What is even happening with Twitter’s API access? – 1:02:26 Working on – 1:08:08 Pop culture picks – 1:09:06

This week, Cherlynn is joined by guest co-host Sam Rutherford to break down everything Samsung announced at its Unpacked event this week. Are we excited about the first major flagship phones of the year? And how about those confusing new laptops? Also, because we've had a Galaxy S23 Ultra in our possession for about 12 hours, we discussed our early impressions of the new phone. Plus, we take a look at the new Apple HomePod and other news in tech. Samsung unveils the Galaxy S23, S23 Plus and S23 Ultra – 1:44 The Galaxy Book 3 announcement was so confusing – 20:00 HomePod 2023 review – 33:39 More layoffs in tech: Rivian, PayPal and more – 39:47 OpenAI introduces paid plan for ChatGPT – 44:39 Working on – 52:35 Pop culture picks – 53:45

We’ve finally got new gadgets to review! This week, Cherlynn, Devindra and Engadget’s Sam Rutherford dive into the new 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M2 Max chip. Sure, it looks the same as before, but demanding users may appreciate the performance bump. Also, they discuss where the new M2 Pro-powered Mac Mini fits into Apple’s lineup. And of course, Cherlynn and Sam update us on everything they expect from Samsung’s Unpacked event next week. We’ll get the Galaxy S23, naturally, but rumors also point to new computers too. MacBook Pro M2 Max review and Mac mini thoughts – 1:26 Samsung Unpacked 2023 preview – 13:02 Other news: Hacker leaks 2019 No Fly list – 27:14 Microsoft announces multibillion dollar investment in OpenAI days after layoffs – 33:45 Scientists found a colony of Emperor penguins after tracking poop markings on satellite images – 43:10 Formovie Theater UST projector and LG CineBeam projector reviews – 47:30 Ayaneo 2 handheld review: Like a Steam Deck, but fancier – 59:00 Pop culture picks – 1:06:14

Apple’s first major announcements of 2023 are here! This week, Devindra and Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham chat about Apple’s new M2 Pro/Max MacBook Pros and Mac Mini. Sure, they seem like solid upgrades, but did they come too late? Also, we dive into the latest rumors around Apple’s AR and MR headsets, as well as news about cheaper AirPods and new AirPods Max. And in other news, we explore the downside of AI in journalism, as well as another round of layoffs in tech. Apple announces M2 Pro and Max chips for MacBook Pro and Mac Mini – 1:23 The big HomePod is back from the dead! – 15:34 Apple’s AR headset may be delayed, a cheaper mixed reality headset may be in development – 25:41 Other News: CNet’s AI article problem, Twitter breaks third party apps, and layoffs at Microsoft – 32:11 Working on – 44:44 Pop culture picks – 46:08

The IT Crowd was right! You really should try turning everything off and on again to make it work. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra discuss how the FAA did just that to fix its NOTAM system, which alerts pilots of potential hazards. It turns out a database error was enough to send that system into a spiral, which forced the FAA to ground flights Wednesday morning. But of course, this was just one issue facing air travel in America – we also dive into Southwest’s holiday fiasco, as well as potential transportation alternatives. FAA grounds planes after NOTAM outage – 1:34 Other News: Microsoft may have given up on the Surface Duo 3 in favor of foldables – 28:23 Biden calls for legislation on social media platforms – 35:31 NASA is funding ideas for a seaplane and faster deep space travel – 38:18 Hyundai’s new EV can “crab walk” into parallel parking spaces – 40:49 Samsung’s first Unpacked of 2023 scheduled for February 1 – 45:13 Pop culture picks – 52:47

CES is on! This week, Devindra and UK Bureau Chief Mat Smith chat about some of the biggest news from the show, including massive upgrades for laptops, wild new TV concepts and two different pee analyzers! As usual, CES is a mix of major news and random weirdness. Senior Editor Karissa Bell also joins to give us her perspective on the ground at the show. What to look for at CES 2023 – 1:36PC hardware: Intel and AMD release mobile chips, NVIDIA’s 4090 will be in laptops – 3:53TVs and home theater tech at CES – 21:03Displace’s OLED TV will suction mount to your wall – 24:43Accessibility at CES: L’Oréal’s motorized lipstick applicator and Sony’s Project Leonardo PS5 gamepad –49:28 Weird stuff: Why were there two different pee analyzers at CES? – 51:25Other news – 1:05:52Karissa Bell’s in-person CES experience – 1:08:24Pop culture picks – 1:15:50

Can you believe CES is just a week away? For our final episode of 2022, Cherlynn, Devindra and Senior Writer Sam Rutherford dive into their expectations for CES 2023. We’ll definitely hear more from Intel and AMD when it comes to CPUs, as well as AMD and NVIDIA’s latest mobile video cards. But we’re always keeping our eyes out for the weird stuff at the show, like Lenovo’s wild swiss army lamp, a combination webcam, facelight and USB hub. And of course, there will likely be tons of news around new TVs, PCs and cars. CES 2023 Preview – 1:27 PC hardware to look forward to – 5:06 Phones and mobile at CES – 22:16 New TVs and gaming monitors to expect – 28:11 Wearables at CES 2023 – 35:38 Other news – 42:07 Working on – 44:47 Pop culture picks – 46:06

We made it, folks! The end of the year is upon us, so Cherlynn, Devindra and UK Bureau Chief Mat Smith have gathered to break down the high and low points for the tech world. And for the first time, we duke it out to decide the first ever Engadget Podcast awards for the best and worst tech of the year. Let’s just hope things look brighter in 2023. Engadget’s best / worst of 2022 – 1:23 Devindra, Cherlynn and Mat’s personal best / worst of the year – 27:07 Engadget Podcast Official Best / Worst of the Year – 47:36 FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried arrested in the Bahamas – 1:00:09 Dell’s Concept Luna laptop can be dismantled in seconds – 1:02:41 Google’s smart home devices now support the Matter standard – 1:10:25 Working on – 1:13:22 Pop culture picks – 1:15:00

This week, many of us saw our social media feeds taken over by colorful, surreal pictures of people we follow, except they don’t quite look like themselves. The images were generated by Lensa AI, and it’s the latest in what feels like a now-annual trend to use a new app to create mockups of your face in various scenarios. Alongside Lensa, some folks also saw blocks of text from another AI generator, ChatGPT. So on this episode of the podcast, Devindra and Cherlynn chat the appeal, implications and possible future of these types of AI, before being joined by Engadget editor-at-large James Trew for a check in on the state of action cameras. Lensa AI magic avatars and Chat GPT – 1:27 What’s the state of the GoPro-style action camera in 2022? – 23:47 iPhone users can now share digital car keys with Pixel owners – 43:02 iOS 16.2 includes time limits on AirDrop receiving – 47:44 Carl Pei said Nothing wants to come to the US – 53:40 Working on – 1:08:02 Picks – 1:10:51

Finally, a Kindle you can write on! This week, we dive into Cherlynn’s review of the Kindle Scribe, Amazon’s first e-reader that can also capture handwritten notes. The hardware is great, but as usual, Amazon’s software feels half-baked. Also, Devindra and Cherlynn discuss the rise of new Twitter alternatives like Hive Social and Post. It looks like many communities are already splintering off to these services, but unfortunately, they can’t yet replicate the magic of Twitter. Kindle Scribe review – 1:13 Rise of the Twitter clones: Hive Social, Post, and Mastodon – 19:28 Amazon will lose $10 billion on its Alexa division this year – 34:12 We’ve got a new trailer for the Super Mario Bros. animated movie – 38:01 Working on – 43:58 Pop culture picks – 45:30

This week, Cherlynn and Devindra chat with Senior Commerce Editor, Valentina Palladino, about our massive Holiday Gift Guide. If you’re looking for a decent laptop to gift, or maybe some budget gear for yourself, we’ve got you covered! Also, they dig into the FTX debacle (which got much worse than last week!), and Elon Musk’s ongoing fail whale Twitter acquisition. And on a surprising note, we end up having strong feelings about Amazon’s chat-based virtual healthcare service. Engadget 2022 Holiday Gift Guide – 1:24 NASA’s Artemis 1 rocket finally launches – 27:20 Cherlynn got to try Apple’s SOS satellite text message service – 28:56 Qualcomm announces Snapdragon chips with hardware-accelerated ray tracing – 34:33 Tuvalu turns to the metaverse to save its culture from climate change – 38:38 Meta axes its Portal video chat device – 40:21 FTX continues to collapse as regulator investigations begin – 43:15 Elon Twitter is a mess: your weekly update – 48:36 Working on – 1:02:47 Pop culture picks – 1:05:59

We’re still waiting for Apple to deliver a real foldable iPhone, but that didn’t stop a group of engineers in China from crafting their own prototype. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra dive into the possibility of a real foldable iPhone, plus they discuss Meta’s massive layoffs and the fast downfall of the crypto exchange FTX. Also, what are the ethics of Apple limiting AirDrop in China (and eventually the rest of the world)? Chinese modders made a foldable iPhone – 1:32 Meta lays off 11,000 people worldwide – 12:48 Sale of crypto exchange FTX to Chinese-based Binance fails – 20:56 Musk Twitter is a mess: the weekly update – 26:41 Apple sets time limit for receiving Airdrops in China – 31:38 Volvo unveils its EX90 EV SUV – 35:52 Instagram’s web client has finally been redesigned – 39:37 Google starts issuing Stadia refunds – 41:22 Working on – 47:03 Pop culture picks – 49:10

Well, it finally happened: Elon Musk has officially taken over Twitter. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra are joined by Engadget’s Karissa Bell to discuss how Musk is reshaping the social network. Are all the changes bad, or is there some method to his madness? (Spoiler: It looks more like desperation than anything else.) Also, we dive into some recent Google AI news, and Devindra explains why the new Apple TV 4K is genuinely great. Elon Musk’s Twitter fiasco – 1:26 Thinking of leaving Twitter? Here are some platforms to check out – 21:49 Google announces package tracking in Gmail – 29:55 Texas AG sues Google over facial recognition data collection – 35:23 The PS VR2 will cost $550, arrives February 22, 2023 – 38:07 Xiaomi’s 12S Ultra concept phone has a massive camera with interchangeable lenses – 40:35 Working on – 43:42 Pop culture picks – 48:57

This week, Devindra and Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham dive into Apple’s latest iPad and iPad Pro. The new base iPad seemingly justifies its price, but it also leaves out plenty of consumers who were well-served by the old $329 iPad. We hope that model sticks around for a long while. Also, we discuss if anyone needs M2 power in an iPad Pro (why not just get a MacBook?!), and we prepare for Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter. (Note: When this episode was recorded, his acquisition wasn’t finalized yet.) Timestamps 1:40: iPad and iPad Pro (2022) reviews25:50: Surface Pro 9 5G review37:10: Elon Musk is buying Twitter, for real50:20: Brief thoughts on God of War Ragnarok52:50: Pop culture picks: Barbarian is on HBO Max, thoughts on Bad Sisters

Apple just dropped several new devices on us this week, seemingly out of nowhere. In this episode, Cherlynn and Devindra break down Apple’s new base iPad and iPad Pro with M2. They chat about why the iPad lineup is now more confusing than ever, and what that means going forward. (At least the new Apple TV 4K seems likely a genuinely solid upgrade.) Apple announces updated base iPad and Apple TV 4K – 1:36 Microsoft lays off hundreds of workers – 20:22 Netflix announces “extra user” fee to crack down on password sharing – 27:40 Intel says the next generation of Thunderbolt is on the way – 35:47 Silent Hill 2 remake and a movie are on the way – 41:29 Working on – 47:37 Pop culture picks – 53:21

What a week! This episode, Cherlynn, Devindra and Engadget’s Sam Rutherford dive into everything we learned at Microsoft’s Surface event. No, there was no new Surface Duo or Neo, and the actual fresh hardware was mostly incremental. We also reviewed the Pixel 7, 7 Pro and Pixel Watch, and Sam had some hands-on time with the latest Quest VR headset. As if that wasn’t enough, there’s some other news from Samsung, Chromebooks and more. Surface Studio 2+, Surface Laptop 5 and Surface Pro 9 – 1:32 Microsoft's new Designer app is powered by Dall-E – 4:56 Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro review – 32:48 Pixel Watch review – 40:34 Sam Rutherford’s Meta Quest Pro hands-on thoughts – 55:24 Other news – 1:11:47 Working on – 1:21:23 Pop culture picks – 1:24:32

This week, Cherlynn, Devindra and Engadget’s Sam Rutherford dive into everything we learned at Google’s Pixel 7 event. Sure, it’s nice to have new phones, but it’s even nicer to see Google developing a cohesive design for all of its new devices. The Pixel Watch actually looks cool! And while we were ready to knock the (way too late) Pixel Tablet, its speaker base seems genuinely useful. Google may have finally figured out how to combine its software and AI smarts with well-designed hardware. Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro first thoughts – 12:04 Pixel Watch – 18:00 Also announced, Google Nest updates – 37:11 Intel Arc A750 and A770 graphics cards review – 42:27 Elon Musk announces intent to buy Twitter (again) – 44:56 Tesla showed off its robot (sort of) – 46:32 Gatorade made a smart water bottle – 47:40 iPhone 14 Plus review – 49:42 Pop culture picks – 52:41

This week, Cherlynn and Devindra dive into the massive amounts of news from Amazon’s recent event. There’s a Kindle you can write on! And Amazon also wants to track your sleep on bed. We discuss what’s interesting about all of this gear, as well as why we still don’t trust Amazon with some of our data. Also, Cherlynn tells us what she likes (and doesn’t) about the Apple Watch Ultra, and Devindra explains why the Sonos Sub Mini is a pretty great value. Stay tuned to the end for our chat with Josh Newman, VP of Mobile Innovation at Intel. He discusses Unison, Intel’s new app for sending texts and taking calls on your PC via your iPhone or Android phone. It’s something PC users have been waiting for, and it sounds like Intel is serious about making it work smoothly. Amazon hardware event unveils a writable Kindle, QLED Fire TV, and Alexa improvements – 1:19 Google’s Search On event details new features for search and maps – 26:29 Apple Watch Ultra, Fitbit Sense 2, and Sonos Sub reviews – 39:54 Intel and Samsung debut a PC with a slidable screen – 58:37 Intel’s 13th gen CPUs look impressive – 59:54 NASA’s Dart mission might have smacked an astroid out of orbit – 1:05:32 Oura releases 3rd generation smart ring – 1:06:42 Working on – 1:07:34 Pop culture picks – 1:08:24 Intel Unison interview – 1:15:26

Surprise! The iPhone 14 is pretty repairable, it turns out. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra chat with Engadget’s Sam Rutherford about this move towards greater repairability and what it means for future iPhones. Also, they dive into NVIDIA’s powerful (and expensive!) new RTX 4080 and 4090 GPUs. Sure, they’re faster than before, but does anyone really need all that power? The iPhone 14 is surprisingly repairable – 1:17 NVIDIA announces RTX 4090 and 4080 GPUs (and a Portal mod with ray tracing) – 21:08 Huge hack at Rockstar leaks GTA 6 videos and dev code – 34:22 Uber was also hacked last week by the same crew that hit Rockstar – 38:37 Windows 11 2022 Update – 40:21 Google is offering a $30 1080p HDR Chrome cast with Google TV – 44:05 Does anyone need the Logitech G cloud gaming handset? – 46:59 Twitch is banning gambling streams on October 18 – 51:56 Working on – 55:34 Pop culture picks – 1:01:35

So after all the hype last week, are the iPhone 14 and 14 Pro any good? And are the Apple Watch SE and Series 8 worth an upgrade? This week, Cherlynn chats with Devindra about her furious rush to review all of Apple’s latest gear. It turns out the iPhone 14 Pro is a pretty big step forward, but the same can’t be said for the plain 14. Also, they discuss the wider impact of removing SIM cards from this iPhone lineup, as well as the value of the Pro’s new 48MP camera. Review of the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 – 2:10 How does the iPhone 14 series stack up against this year’s other phones? – 45:07 Apple Watch SE and Series 8 reviews – 48:26 A few thoughts on iOS 16 – 54:25 Northeastern University VR lab targeted by mail bomb – 56:47 Period tracking app Flo gets anonymous mode – 59:22 We finally got a trailer for the Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom – 1:01:11 What we’re working on – 1:03:07 Pop culture picks – 1:07:31

It’s Apple week, everyone! Editor-in-chief Dana Wollman joins Devindra to chat about everything Apple announced, including the iPhone 14 and 14 Pro, as well as all of the Apple Watches. Sure, they’re faster and have many more features, but did you know they could potentially save your life? At least, that’s the idea Apple is trying to sell. We’re still not quite sold on the Apple Watch Ultra, but it’s sure to become the next over-priced wrist accessory for tech bros. Also, Dana discusses Apple’s new ovulation tracking feature in the Apple Watch Series 8/Ultra, which is a big step forward from its previous efforts. Apple’s Far Out event: overview and what we didn’t see – 1:23 iPhone 14 Pro – 16:39 iPhone 14 – 22:18 Apple Watch Ultra and Series 8 – 34:11 Apple Watch SE – 41:09 Pop culture picks – 50:27

This week, Cherlynn is joined by UK Bureau Chief Mat Smith to discuss what they expect Apple to announce at its upcoming event on September 7th. Besides new iPhones and Watches, what might the company launch? Our hosts are also joined by senior reporter Jess Conditt to go over the highlights from Gamescom, including Sony’s new DualSense controller and PSVR2 update. We’ll be taking a break next week, so come back in two weeks for a new episode! Apple confirms September 7 “Far Out” event – 1:46 What to expect from the IFA electronics show in Berlin – 32:35 Gamescom brought us a bunch of interesting announcements – 41:56 Other news: Mark Zuckerberg’s bad VR avatar and a Blackberry movie coming soon – 1:11:47 Working on – 1:13:01 Pop culture picks – 1:15:48

This week, Cherlynn and guest co-host Sam Rutherford are joined by the Washington Post’s Chris Velazco to discuss their thoughts on Samsung’s latest foldables and wearables after having spent close to a week with them. Are the Z Flip 4 and Z Fold 4 ready for the mainstream? Is it more fun reviewing these devices than regular phones? Then, our hosts talk Apple’s next iPhone event, as well as Airbnb woes. Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 and Fold 4 review – 1:54 Galaxy Watch 5 / 5 Pro review – 36:41 Apple might be planning a September 7th event for the iPhone 14 – 49:02 New reports of gender discrimination from Nintendo of America – 56:59 Ready your Pixels: Android 13 is out of beta – 1:03:43 Sam Rutherford’s review of Samsung’s massive Odyssey Ark monitor – 1:05:23 Adidas' solar headphones can be charged by your bedroom light – 1:14:22 Airbnb is working on a way to detect party rentals before they happen – 1:17:47 Working on – 1:25:31 Pop culture picks – 1:26:37

This week, Cherlynn is joined by guest co-host Sam Rutherford and special guest Michael Fisher (aka The Mr Mobile) to talk about all the things Samsung launched at its Unpacked event this week. Is it a bad thing that the new updates were mostly incremental? Does Samsung need more competition to spur it to do better? How do we feel about the Galaxy Z Fold 4, Z Flip 4, Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro after spending almost a full day with them in the real world? Then, we look (dubiously) at the resurrected iOS battery percentage indicator, as well as Kim Kardashian's flesh-colored variants of the Beats Fit Pro. Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip 4 is a small improvement, but the company isn’t taking risks – 4:55 The Galaxy Z Fold 4 is a very solid premium foldable – 9:35 The Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 5 Pro offer minimal aesthetic and hardware updates – 21:42 The iOS 16 developer beta brings back an odd-looking battery percentage display – 50:18 Kim Kardashian’s skin-colored Beats Fit Pro buds are supposed to help you blend in.. or stand out.. – 54:31 Some EV news: Rivian is testing dual motors, while the Ford F-150 Lightning gets a price hike – 58:47 Definitely-still-alive-service Google Stadia gets a new feature: Party Stream – 1:02:50 Working on – 1:04:21 Pop culture picks – 1:05:15

This week on the show, Cherlynn is joined by guest co-host Sam Rutherford to talk about the newly launched OnePlus 10T. Why did the company choose to sacrifice an alert slider, wireless charging and some other features in exchange for extreme speed? How does the OnePlus 10T stack up against other midrange phones like the Pixel 6a? Then, our hosts discuss the cloud-gaming handheld that Logitech and Tencent are working on, as well as the curious headlines that permeated the consumer tech news cycle this week. OnePlus 10T review – 1:37 Logitech and Tencent want to get into handheld cloud gaming – 24:15 It’s not just your machine: Uber receipts are actually crashing Outlook – 30:34 Spotify finally adds a play button that doesn’t shuffle, but only for premium users – 32:22 PS5 Accolades feature is being discontinued because online gamers don’t like to be nice – 36:09 Microsoft negs Activision Blizzard’s game library amid acquisition process – 37:33 No, Google Stadia isn’t shutting down (yet) – 39:28 Batgirl cancellation and Discovery+ merger leaves HBO Max’s future in doubt – 43:04 Working on – 51:58 Picks – 53:12

This week, Cherlynn and Devindra dive into the world of AI art with Senior Editor Dan Cooper and Creative Futurist John LePore. We know Dall-E and Midjourney can create some truly compelling images from a bit of text, but do they owe a debt to all of the images that they were trained on? Also, we explore the sorry state of Meta and Cherlynn gushes about the new Pixel Buds Pro. Stay tuned to the end of the show for our chat with Joshua Stiksma, Design Director of Moss 2, who discusses the current state of VR game development. Is AI-generated art borrowed or stolen? – 1:30 Meta’s many problems and a reversal on Instagram plans – 27:35 Pixel Buds Pro review – 42:16 Bloomberg report reveals a few details about Grand Theft Auto 6 – 51:37 Playstation VR 2 will have live-streaming support and cinematic mode – 53:25 RIP Car Thing by Spotify – 54:35 Filipino politician wants to make ghosting illegal – 58:08 Listener Mailbag – 1:00:55 Working on – 1:08:05 Pop culture picks – 1:12:34 Interview with Polyarc design director Joshua Stiksma on Moss: Book II – 1:17:56

Is the Pixel 6a the best Android phone under $500? Tune in for Cherlynn’s review! This week, Devindra and Cherlynn also discuss why losing almost a million subscribers was actually a good thing fo Netflix. And they dive into Qualcomm’s latest hardware for smartwatches, as well as the latest updates from Twitter’s ongoing fight with Elon Musk. The Pixel 6a is the best midrange Android phone on the market now – 1:53 Netflix lost a million subscribers, and that’s a good thing? – 17:11 Delaware judge allows faster trial for Twitter v. Elon Musk – 29:56 Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked is happening on August 10 – 32:42 Leaked files show that Uber was shady from early in its life – 37:41 Qualcomm unveils wearable-focused Snapdragon W5 chips – 42:21 Alienware’s m17 R5 gaming laptop is a beast that few people need – 46:25 The new Instagram Map is like Google Maps, but with more selfies – 48:16 OnePlus 10T launch set for August 3 – 52:19 Working on – 53:06 Pop culture picks – 58:01

This week on the show, Cherlynn and Devindra dive into Apple’s new MacBook Air M2 and its recent batch of OS betas. It turns out a redesign and a whole new chip makes the MacBook Air even more compelling than before (at least more than the 13-inch MacBook Pro). Also, we chat with Lisa Grossman, Astronomy Writer at Science News, about the astounding new photos and data from the James Webb Space Telescope. It’s a clear upgrade from Hubble, and NASA is just getting started! Apple’s M2 MacBook Air is extremely good – 1:21 There’s lots of fun stuff to explore in the iOS 16 beta – 7:39 Stage Manager in MacOS Ventura is a step forward for window organization – 18:11 What’s new in WatchOS 9 beta – 24:11 New pictures confirm the James Webb Space Telescope will revolutionize astronomy – 30:44 Elon Musk is trying to back out of his Twitter deal after three whole months – 53:14 Mat Smith’s Nothing Phone 1 hands-on – 54:49 Listener Mail: a phishing test for employees at Lowe’s – 1:02:45 Working on – 1:05:58 Pop culture picks – 1:06:50

This week, Devindra and Senior Writer Sam Rutherford dive into the Supreme Court’s latest EPA ruling, which severely limits the agency’s ability to curtail power plant emissions. Devindra also chats with ProPublica reporter Lisa Song about what this means for the EPA and other federal agencies. (Basically, it makes fighting climate change much harder.) Also, we discuss Apple’s new lockdown mode, which adds an extreme layer of security to your devices, and why Gen Z is so Minion crazy. How bad is the Supreme Court’s EPA ruling? – 1:49 Apple is building a lockdown mode for an “extreme” level of security – 27:43 Axie Infinity hack was traced back to a fake LinkedIn job offer – 32:39.359 Toyota has run out of EV tax credits in the US – 37:51 God of War Ragnarok will be released on November 9, 2022 – 46:14 WTF is going on with all the Minions memes? – 48:02 Working on – 51:32 Picks – 1:03:49