Five Favorites

By Amir Zonozi and Chris Barrows

The Five Favorites podcasts covers the best stories in social media, digital marketing, and technology every week. Co-hosts Chris Barrows and Amir Zonozi help their listeners stay informed of all the ... more

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FAQs about Five Favorites:

How many episodes does Five Favorites have?

The podcast currently has 95 episodes available.

Five Favorites episodes:

November 26, 2018The One With A Whole Lot Of What The F
On this week's episode, we find Facebook tweeting — of all things. Also, our hosts discover the existence of the "poncho toilet" thanks to CAH's latest marketing campaign

[New to the show? Find out the stories we talk about in this week's episode below and connect with Amir and Chris on Twitter! Use the hashtag #FiveFavorites to share YOUR favorite stories each and every week - and YOU may be included on the show (including our new tweet of the week feature).]

This week Five Favorites

1. Google Assistant just got much better and more convenient on iOS thanks to Siri Shortcuts [The Verge - story by Chris Welch]

2. Microsoft's Xbox One might drop physical media [Fast Company story by Jared Newman]

3. Amazon reportedly wants gas stations and restaurants to start using Amazon Pay [The Verge - story by Shannon Liao]

4. Facebook, Instagram down: Social media sites stopped working for many [ABCActionNews - Story by Susan Gonzalez]

5. Hot Topic: Black Friday hits $6.2B in US online sales, smartphones accounted for $2.1B [Techcrunch - story by Ingrid Lunden]

DISHonorable Mention:

A Mommy Blogger Is Under Fire For Posting That Her Son Is The Least "Liked" Of Her Kids On Instagram [BuzzFeed - Story by Stephanie McNeal]

Honorable Mention:

Cards Against Humanity is selling diamonds and TVs for 99% off and totally winning (?) Black Friday [Techcrunch - Story by Greg Kumparak]

Tweet of the Week:

@johnbcrist
...more
39min
November 19, 2018Episode 119 - The One Where We Make Pink Pastel Photo Filters on Wednesdays
On this week's episode, our hosts discuss the power of filters. Also, a whole lot of Facebook news.

[New to the show? Find out the stories we talk about in this week's episode below and connect with Amir and Chris on Twitter! Use the hashtag #FiveFavorites to share YOUR favorite stories each and every week - and YOU may be included on the show (including our new tweet of the week feature).]

This week Five Favorites

1. L'ORÉAL'S new clip-on sensor tracks your exposure to UV rays [Wired - story by Pia Ceres]

2. Google Gives The Pixel Camera Superhuman Night Vision [The Verge story by Vlad Savov]

3. Influencers Are Monetizing With Custom Photo Filters [The Atlantic story by Taylor Lorenz]

4. Microsoft is now selling Amazon's Echo devices [The Verge - Story by Tom Warren]

5. Hot Topic: Facebook has a growing morale problem [The Verge - story by Casey Newton]

DISHonorable Mention:

Facebook Lasso app lead Brady Voss leaves for Netflix right after launch [Techcrunch - Story by Josh Constine]

Honorable Mention:

People Raise Over $1 Billion for the Causes They Care About on Facebook [Facebook Blog - Story by Naomi Gleit, VP Social Good]

Tweet of the Week:

@salleeannruibal
...more
35min
November 12, 2018Episode 118 - The One With Baby Shark and Shitty Technology
On this week's episode, non-parents will be educated about the "Baby Shark" song. Also, Facebook copies another product.

[New to the show? Find out the stories we talk about in this week's episode below and connect with Amir and Chris on Twitter! Use the hashtag #FiveFavorites to share YOUR favorite stories each and every week - and YOU may be included on the show (including our new tweet of the week feature).]

This week Five Favorites

1. Facebook debuts Lasso, a TikTok-style video app aimed at teens [Engadget - story by AJ Dellinger]

2. Disney's Streaming Service is Called Disney+, Here's How It Will Be Different From Netflix [Slashfilm story by Ben Pearson]

3. Half of YouTube viewers use it to learn how to do things they've never done [The Verge story by Patricia Hernandez]

4. How Bill Gates Aims to Save $233 Billion by Reinventing the Toilet [Bloomberg - Story by Jason Gale]

5. Hot Topic: The foldable phones are coming [The Verge - story by Tom Warren]

DISHonorable Mention:

Uber driver charged after 'surfing' teen falls off vehicle's roof and dies [WGN - Story by TRIBUNE MEDIA WIRE]

Honorable Mention:

Dyson Is Working on an Air Purifier That's Also Headphones [Bloomberg - Story by Giles Turner & Debbie Wu]

Tweet of the Week:

@dhof
...more
33min
November 05, 2018Episode 117 - The One Where We Go (iPad) Pro
On this week's episode, Amazon may be Amir's next door neighbor. Also, we were right over a year ago. Told you so!

[New to the show? Find out the stories we talk about in this week's episode below and connect with Amir and Chris on Twitter! Use the hashtag #FiveFavorites to share YOUR favorite stories each and every week - and YOU may be included on the show (including our new tweet of the week feature).]

This week Five Favorites

1. A year after tweets doubled in size, brevity still rules [Axios - story by Kia Kokalitcheva]

2. Google Home will play music and sound effects when you read Disney storybooks [The Verge - story by Shannon Liao]

3. TikTok surpassed Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat & YouTube in downloads last month [Techcrunch story by Sarah Perez]

4. Amazon in advanced talks about putting HQ2 in Northern Virginia, those close to process say [Washington post - Story by Jonathan O'Connell and Robert McCartney]

5. Hot Topic: iPad Pro: hands-on with Apple's new all-screen tablet [The Verge - story by Nilay Patel]

DISHonorable Mention:

Tencent is launching its own version of Snap Spectacles [Techcrunch - Story by Rita Liao & Jon Russell]

Honorable Mention:

Google Engineers Are Organizing A Walkout To Protest The Company's Protection Of An Alleged Sexual Harasser [Buzzfeed News - Story by Caroline O'Donovan & Ryan Mac]

Tweet of the Week:

@goodgaljenjen
...more
34min
October 29, 2018Episode 116 - The One Where Christ Drives An Elantra
On this week's episode, we struggle to determine what topic is truly "hot". Also, another Facebook departure — all while Christ apparently returns — in an Uber!

[New to the show? Find out the stories we talk about in this week's episode below and connect with Amir and Chris on Twitter! Use the hashtag #FiveFavorites to share YOUR favorite stories each and every week - and YOU may be included on the show (including our new tweet of the week feature).]

This week Five Favorites

1. What to Expect at Apple's October 30th Event: New iPad Pros, Mac Mini, Low-Cost Retina Notebook and More [MacRumors - story by Juli Clover]

2. Twitter is now consistently profitable [Recode - story by Kurt Wagner & Rani Molla]

3. You can now use Alexa to move around inside apps like Netflix and Hulu on Fire TV Cube [Techcrunch story by Sarah Perez]

4. Elon Musk successfully cosplays as a normal car company CEO [The Verge - story by Elizabeth Lopatto]

5. Hot Topic: Snapchat loses 2M more users in Q3 as shares sink to new low [Techcrunch - Story by Josh Constine]

DISHonorable Mention:

Oculus's Brendan Iribe Is Latest Founder to Leave Facebook [Bloomberg Tech - Story by Sarah Frier]

Honorable Mention:

Michael Jordan Leading $26 Million Investment in Esports Group aXiomatic Gaming [Bleacher Report - Story by Mike Chiari]

Tweet of the Week:

@danieljpowell
...more
31min
October 23, 2018Five Favorites In-Review (Ep. 1) - The Pixel 3
On a very special episode of Five Favorites, Amir and Chris take a break from the usual format to discuss the Google Pixel 3. In this review, they discuss:

The camera - is it as good as advertised?

AI or Bust - does AI truly make the Pixel 3 a winner?

Issues - does anything not quite work on the Pixel 3?

All this and more on "In Review" - Five Favorites Style!
...more
27min
October 22, 2018Episode 115 - The One Where It's TECHtober
On this episode, it's clearly Techtober as our Hot Topic is yet another big company event. Also, Steph Curry has a tiny phone. It's a fact.

[New to the show? Find out the stories we talk about in this week's episode below and connect with Amir and Chris on Twitter! Use the hashtag #FiveFavorites to share YOUR favorite stories each and every week - and YOU may be included on the show (including our new tweet of the week feature).]

This week Five Favorites

1. Apple Invites Media to October 30th Event in New York City [MacRumors - story by Juli Clover]

2. PlayStation Vue is now integrated with Apple's TV app [The Verge - story by Micah Singleton]

3. The new Palm phone is basically a Verizon-exclusive smart pocket watch running Android Oreo [PCWorld story by Michael Simon]

4. YouTube partners with Eventbrite to sell concert tickets below music videos [The Verge - Story by Julia Alexander]

5. Hot Topic: Adobe Photoshop for iPad, Project Gemini and lots, lots more [CNET - story by Lorin Grunin]

DISHonorable Mention:

Ex-Microsoft sports director charged with attempting to steal $1.5M and selling employee Super Bowl tickets [Geekwire - Story by Taylor Soper]

Honorable Mention:

Twitter spammed people's phones with cryptic notifications [The Verge - Story by Casey Newton]

Tweet of the Week:

@ClickClickClick
...more
33min
October 15, 2018 Episode 114 - The One Where We Get Pixelated (Google Pixel Event 2018)
On this episode (part 2), it's Chris' turn to get excited about a new phone. Also, Bixby is insulted multiple times.

[New to the show? Find out the stories we talk about in this week's episode below and connect with Amir and Chris on Twitter! Use the hashtag #FiveFavorites to share YOUR favorite stories each and every week - and YOU may be included on the show (including our new tweet of the week feature).]

This week Five Favorites' HOT TOPIC (extended discussion)

The 5 biggest announcements from the Google Pixel 3 event [The Verge - story by Natt Garun]
...more
30min
October 15, 2018Episode 113 - The One With Cat Snaps Versus Dogs
On this episode, we discover that cats are now getting their own Snapchat filter. Also, realizations of T2 being closer than we imagined are clear.

[New to the show? Find out the stories we talk about in this week's episode below and connect with Amir and Chris on Twitter! Use the hashtag #FiveFavorites to share YOUR favorite stories each and every week - and YOU may be included on the show (including our new tweet of the week feature).]

This week Five Favorites

1. Upcoming 2018 iPad Pro Could Be 5.9mm Thick With No Headphone Jack [MacRumors - story by Juli Clover]

2. Google Shutting Down Google+ After Exposing data of up to 500,000 users [CNET - story by Richard Nieva and Alfred NG]

3. Can Neuroscience Teach Robots Cars To Be Less Annoying [Bloomberg story by Gabrielle Coppola]

4. FACEBOOK MADE YOU A SMART-HOME DEVICE, AND THERE'S A CAMERA ON IT [Wired - Story by Michael Calore]

5. Hot Topic: Listen to Episode 114 (Google's Pixel Event)

DISHonorable Mention:

Snapchat just introduced new selfie filters meant specifically for your cat [Business Insider - Story by Sean Wolfe]

Honorable Mention:

Twitter's Jack Dorsey doesn't use a computer or a tablet, apparently [Mashable - Story by Stan Schroeder]

Tweet of the Week:

@Davidbyttow
...more
26min
October 08, 2018Episode 112 - The One That Doesn't Self-Destruct
On this episode, art is self-destructing and the minimum wage is going up. Also, a robot takes a selfie on Mars and shares it on Twitter. This is the world we live in now.

[New to the show? Find out the stories we talk about in this week's episode below and connect with Amir and Chris on Twitter! Use the hashtag #FiveFavorites to share YOUR favorite stories each and every week - and YOU may be included on the show (including our new tweet of the week feature).]

This week Five Favorites

1. Apple Further Refutes Bloomberg Report Suggesting Chinese Spies Tampered With iCloud Servers [MacRumors - story by Juli Clover]

2. 9 things to expect from the Google Pixel 3 event next week [The Verge - story by Jacob Kastrenakes]

3. Tile's new trackers feature a replaceable battery [The Verge - story by Ashley Carmen]

4. Bezos Blinks and Raises Amazon's Minimum Wage in U.S., U.K. [Bloomberg - Story by John Lauerman and Jeremy Kahn]

5. Hot Topic: The 5 biggest announcements from the Microsoft Surface event [The Verge - story by Natt Garun]

DISHonorable Mention:

Instagram test shares location data with Facebook [TNW - Story by Rachel Kaser]

Honorable Mention:

$1.3M Banksy Artwork "Self-Destructs" at Auction [ Hyperallergic - Story by Hrag Vartanian]

Tweet of the Week:

@MarsCuriosity
...more
37min

FAQs about Five Favorites:

How many episodes does Five Favorites have?

The podcast currently has 95 episodes available.