Material

Material

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Material episodes

  • 398: Late to the Game

    This week's podcast is a beautiful primer on everything that's been going on with Google lately, and you'll want to tune in if you wonder why everyone's scratching their heads at the company lately. Andy will walk you through Google's latest earnings call, including where it's making money and losing it. Plus, what that AI-based event in Paris was all about, and why Google employees aren't too thrilled with Bard, the so-called ChatGPT competitor.

    This episode of Material is sponsored by:
    • Rocket Money: Cancel unwanted subscriptions and manage your expenses.
    • Issuu: Get started with Issuu today for FREE or sign up for an annual premium account and get 50% off
    • ExpressVPN: High-Speed, Secure & Anonymous VPN Service. Get an extra three months free.
    • Links and Show Notes:
      • Alphabet misses on earnings and revenue as YouTube falls short

      • Google presents: Live from Paris

      • In Paris demo, Google scrambles to counter ChatGPT but ends up embarrassing itself

      • Google ChatGPT Rival Bard Flubs Fact About NASA's Webb Space Telescope

      • Google employees criticize CEO Sundar Pichai for 'rushed, botched' announcement of GPT competitor Bard

      • Support Material with a Relay FM Membership
        1 hr 44 min
      • 397: Gauche

        It's been a week. We'll recap everything we saw at Samsung Unpacked and then some. We'll talk about the new SmartThings Station, why Flo's smart home is a mess, and why the Galaxy S23 Ultra is kind of boring. Then, why Google is shaking in its bones about ChatGPT and what it plans to do to outrun it.

        Links and Show Notes:
        • Samsung Unveils SmartThings Station at CES 2023, Making Smarter Homes Accessible for Everyone
        • Everything Samsung Announced at Galaxy Unpacked 2023
        • Samsung's Galaxy S23 Ultra Has the Ultimate Smartphone Camera Lens
        • Where’s the Galaxy S23’s satellite connectivity, Samsung?
        • Google is asking employees to test potential ChatGPT competitors, including a chatbot called 'Apprentice Bard'
        • Google is holding an event about search and AI on February 8th
        • Support Material with a Relay FM Membership
          1 hr 17 min
        • 396: Google's Horrible, No Good Week

          Yet again, Flo is out sick this week. But thankfully, we have Andy to hold down the fort and explain why it's been an alarming week for Google. First, there were massive layoffs, with news that resonated through the zeitgeist. And then, the US Department of Justice came down with the antitrust banhammer. What will happen to Google next?

          This episode of Material is sponsored by:
          • Issuu: Get started with Issuu today for FREE or sign up for an annual premium account and get 50% off
          • Links and Show Notes:
            • Google parent Alphabet is slashing 12,000 jobs: Sundar Pichai emails staff saying he takes ‘full responsibility for the decisions that led us here’

            • A difficult decision to set us up for the future

            • Google CEO defends job cuts in animated town hall as employees demand clarity on process

            • A major Alphabet investor said the company should cut even more jobs and address 'excessive' pay in the wake of mass layoffs

            • DOJ files second antitrust suit against Google, seeks to break up its ad business

            • Support Material with a Relay FM Membership
              56 min
            • 395: Society's Challenges

              Andy and Flo catch up before discussing the not-so-wild rumor that Google is working on its version of Apple's AirTag tracking mechanism. Then, why is Google pushing its work in AI so hard this week? Does the company doth press release too much? We'll also discuss why the Google Podcasts app may not be long for this world--or at least its integration into search results.

              This episode of Material is sponsored by:
              • Rocket Money: Cancel unwanted subscriptions and manage your expenses.
              • Links and Show Notes:
                • Google reportedly working on 'Grogu' tracker to compete with Apple's AirTags

                • Why we focus on AI (and to what end)

                • 7 ways Google is using AI to help solve society's challenges

                • Google Research, 2022 & Beyond: Language, Vision and Generative Models

                • Google Podcasts disappears from Google Search

                • Support Material with a Relay FM Membership
                  1 hr 7 min
                • 394: The Mess After CES

                  Your co-hosts pull it together to bring you a super-sized episode about CES 2023. What did Flo see, touch, hear, and feel? A bit too much all at once, as CES is absolute sensory overload. But in the midst of it was some noteworthy news about satellite connectivity coming to Android smartphones, Google's services in the car, and a giant tablet that should reconsider life as a Chromebook.

                  This episode of Material is sponsored by:
                  • Issuu: Get started with Issuu today for FREE or sign up for an annual premium account and get 50% off
                  • Links and Show Notes:
                    • Here's your up-close and personal look at Google's Android experience at CES

                    • Android at CES 2023: New cross-device experiences and our approach to better together

                    • Android getting Spotify Connect support in media switcher and cross-device switching

                    • Google shows how the Pixel Watch can securely keep your smartphone unlocked

                    • Android Auto's Makeover Is Now Available for Everyone

                    • BMW won't use Google apps when it transitions to Android Automotive next year

                    • Qualcomm to Roll Out Satellite Connectivity for Android Devices Later This Year

                    • Matter Smart Home Devices Dominated CES This Year

                    • Lenovo's ThinkPad Phone, the ThinkPhone, Is Making Me Like Motorola Again

                    • Support Material with a Relay FM Membership
                      1 hr 10 min
                    • 393: Bing Certainly Tries

                      Microsoft is coming after Google by infusing Bing with ChatGPT—should Google be concerned? Then, Big Tech had massive layoffs this week while folks were down in Vegas checking out new gadgets. Will that include Google, too? Andy will also walk you through January's Pixel security update.

                      This episode of Material is sponsored by:
                      • Rocket Money: Cancel unwanted subscriptions and manage your expenses.
                      • ExpressVPN: High-Speed, Secure & Anonymous VPN Service. Get an extra three months free.
                      • Links and Show Notes:
                        • Microsoft's Bing search has big ChatGPT plans

                        • Tech Layoffs Continue With Cuts At Salesforce, Amazon And Maybe Even Google

                        • Google is rolling out the January security patch to supported Pixel phones

                        • Support Material with a Relay FM Membership
                          49 min
                        • 392: Too Big to Fail

                          Happy new year! Our last episode of the year features a deep dive into why Google should worry about technology like ChatGPT coming for its money-maker. We'll also discuss whether Google has a responsibility to deplatform apps like TikTok for being extremely bad actors. Plus, the Pixel 7 is named "Phone of the Year" even if the camera lenses seem to combust spontaneously.

                          Links and Show Notes:
                          • Is this Flo's light?

                          • ChatGPT and Other Chat Bots Are a ‘Code Red’ for Google Search

                          • Google at 'code red' over ChatGPT as teams reassigned to work on competing AI products

                          • TikTok Spied On Forbes Journalists

                          • MKBHD's Smartphone Awards 2022 shows iPhone is losing ground

                          • The Google Pixel 7's rear camera glass spontaneously shatters for some

                          • Support Material with a Relay FM Membership
                            1 hr 25 min
                          • 391: Christmas Economics

                            Happy Christmas eve! Andy shares his favorite app for the holiday to take pictures of things you need to last forever. Then, we get into Google's latest "macroeconomic conditions" and why it's a little silly that the Pixel Tablet leaked in its entirety on Facebook Marketplace. We also discuss some of the results of MKBHD's "smartphone camera of the year" poll.

                            This episode of Material is sponsored by:
                            • Hover: Make a name for yourself. Get 10% off any domain name.
                            • Links and Show Notes:
                              • Google Photos Scan

                              • Slow fade for Google and Meta's ad dominance

                              • Prototype Google Pixel Tablet and its dock leak on Facebook Marketplace

                              • Support Material with a Relay FM Membership
                                1 hr 16 min
                              • 390: Inflection Point

                                Andy and Flo have reunited again after both taking trips out of town. We talk about Google playing it cool around ChatGPT and how Android Auto taught Flo to understand the metric system. We also discuss YouTube's new moderation tactics and two new interactive games from Google.

                                This episode of Material is sponsored by:
                                • Hover: Make a name for yourself. Get 10% off any domain name.
                                • Links and Show Notes:
                                  • Google execs warn company's reputation could suffer if it moves too fast on AI-chat technology

                                  • Google to merge mapping service Waze with maps products teams

                                  • YouTube moderation bots will start issuing warnings, 24-hour bans

                                  • The Blobs are back and teaming up with Beethoven

                                  • Blob Beats

                                  • Support Material with a Relay FM Membership
                                    1 hr 19 min
                                  • 389: A Simple Tweak, a Familiar Tool

                                    Flo is on vacation, but Andy's holding it down in a special solo show. Surprise, surprise: Google's made some changes to one of its beloved apps, and it might change the way you're used to doing things. Then, Andy takes a peek at Google's online gift shop.

                                    Links and Show Notes:
                                    • Google Lens replaces Google Translate's camera mode on Android and iOS
                                    • Google Search brings continuous scrolling to desktop
                                    • GoogleMerchandiseStore.com
                                    • Support Material with a Relay FM Membership
                                      49 min

                                    About Material

                                    From the publisher's feed

                                    Material is a weekly discussion about the Google and Android universe. Your intrepid hosts try to answer the question, “What holds up the digital world?” The answer, so far, is that it’s Google all…

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