Nexus Special

Brian Mitchell and Ryan Rampersad discuss WWDC 2018: iOS performance updates, watchOS maturity, tvOS surrounds, macOS in the desert and of course no long awaited hardware updates!

Links

Connect With The Nexus

Attributions

Copyright

This episode of Nexus Special has a Fringe episode. You should really listen to The Fringe #477: NS #59 — Mr. Grumplestiltskin!

Listen to more at The Nexus and follow us on Twitter and Google+ for our latest episodes and news.

Links

Scott Knaster on Twitter: "macOS versions: deserts. Android versions: desserts"

Apple Events - WWDC Keynote, June 2018 - Apple

Apple iOS 12 update: the 17 biggest new features coming to the iPhone - The Verge

Apple WWDC 2018 keynote in 14 minutes - YouTube

BrianMitchL #wwdc18 - Twitter Search

Brian Mitchell on Twitter: "This is giving me flashbacks to Lego Island #WWDC18"

Serenity Caldwell @ WWDC on Twitter: "I’m still not convinced that “playing” with hovering devices is going to be more fun than playing something like Minecraft on the desktop. This is a cute demo, but they already look tired holding their iPads like this."

Connect With The Nexus

Discuss this episode on our Subreddit

Support us on Patreon

Attributions

Music New Land by ALBIS

Copyright

Nexus Special is released under a Creative Commons — Attribution 4.0 International license. Feel free to use any or all of it as long as you link back to http://thenexus.tv/ns59.

Episode Summary

00:00:00 | Intro

Google I/O'18: Google Keynote - YouTube

00:04:22 | AI

00:06:55 | Android P

Android Beta Program

00:32:13 | Google Assistant

00:49:49 | Google Photos

00:53:48 | Google News Revamp

01:01:27 | Material Theme

Homepage - Material Design

01:03:54 | Google Maps

01:12:30 | Google Lens

01:14:35 | Waymo

01:18:41 | Omissions

01:20:00 | Outro

Connect With The Nexus

Discuss this episode on our Subreddit

Support us on Patreon

Attributions

I/O 2018 by Terra Monk | Free Listening on SoundCloud

Raw by Kevin MacLeod

Copyright

Nexus Special is released under a Creative Commons — Attribution 4.0 International license. Feel free to use any or all of it as long as you link back to http://thenexus.tv/ns58.

A lot happened in the world of technology in 2017! Ian R Buck, Brian Mitchell, and Ryan Rampersad analyze the major stories to glean lessons about what is coming in the future.

Episode Summary

00:00:00 | Intro

00:00:30 | News

00:58:52 | Products

01:45:58 | State of the Nexus

02:13:42 | Outro

02:15:08 | Post-Show

This episode of Nexus Special has a Fringe episode. You should really listen to The Fringe #459: NS #57 — We’re All Ryan Rampersad!

Listen to more at The Nexus and follow us on Twitter and Google+ for our latest episodes and news.

Episode Summary

00:00:00 | Intro

00:00:30 | News

Net Neutrality defeated again

The Extra Dimension #22: Net Neutrality › The Nexus

Apple relents to Pros, tells us that they will make a new Mac Pro, eventually

Android apps on Chromebooks

Blockchain being used in many unconventional areas

Turkeys

Bitcoin!

Amazon-Google feud coming to a head

Amazon buys Whole Foods

CyanogenMod became LineageOS

Project Treble in Android 8 has the potential to radically improve the update cycle of third-party devices, and make it much easier to create custom ROMs

Second Opinion #30: Android 8.0 Oreo Review › The Nexus

Android Go

That Eclipse

Nexus Special #54: Solar Eclipse 2017 › The Nexus

ARKit, ARCore

Apple admits that it lowers the clock speed on phones that have older batteries to avoid having them shut down under heavy load

A Message to Our Customers - Apple

KRACK Attack

PodKit #33: Prototypical Fun Stuff › The Nexus

00:58:52 | Products

Ryzen

First major release from AMD since the let down of Bulldozer years ago, and the price + performance specs really shine through the lineup, and it drove reactions from Intel

Hold The Light Still | Control Structure #127 - YouTube

Nintendo Switch

It’s cool and fun

It’s amazing how well Nintendo treats its fans and customers…

Second Opinion #27: Nintendo Switch Review › The Nexus

Xbox One X & PS4 Pro

They are bumps in performance, I guess.

Samsung Galaxy S8

Likely the best all around phone of the year

Second Opinion #24: Samsung Galaxy S8 Plus Review › The Nexus

Google Pixel 2/2 XL

Best Android photos from these phones...

The worst screen available in a premium flagship product of the year in the larger model

Second Opinion #31: Pixel 2 Review › The Nexus

iPhone X

The best looking iPhone

Big week, Notch?

Second Opinion #33: iPhone X Review › The Nexus

Apple Watch Series 3

Second Opinion #28: Apple Watch Series 3 Review › The Nexus

Apple TV 4K

iMac Pro

Highest end model is $14,000, entry level $5000, probably a good deal for that performance + screen

iPad Pro 10.5”

144 Hz display

It’s nice, but another iPad, nothing really to write home about

New Google Homes

A cheaper and almost just as capable product

A mess of early hardware difficulties, but definitely swept under the rug by now

Google Assistant on third-party smart speakers

More Amazon Echo things

Look: a thing for fashion, I guess

Show: a boxy echo with a huge screen, fairly large price for not much additional functionality

Spot: a smaller screen echo, could be useful, but limited to the Amazon

Various refreshes

Tesla Model 3

AirPods (late December 2016)

Praise the AirPods

Second Opinion #15: AirPods Review › The Nexus

01:45:58 | State of the Nexus

First full year of episodes being on YouTube

The Nexus - YouTube

Some shows (Second Opinion) do well because their metadata is searchable and have broader appeal

The rate of converting first-time listeners who stumbled across a review into subscribers has been incredibly low

Shows like PodKit and Control Structure that pull titles from something funny said in the episode are much less searchable

Should You Be Publishing Your Podcast on YouTube? – Ian R Buck – Medium

The Extra Dimension and Second Opinion have consistent schedules now, which has done wonders for download numbers

The Extra Dimension is broadcast on Frogtown Community Radio, which is exciting!

frogtownradio

Putting in timestamps for each segment of the episodes

Difficult to know how many listeners get utility out of it

Useful for putting YouTube ad breaks and radio reads in reasonable places

Future

CMSv3

Enthusiastic About Everything

Robots Will Steal Your Job audiobook

Short promotionals to put at the ends of episodes

More crossovers/teamups with other podcasters

02:13:42 | Outro

02:15:08 | Post-Show

Google has announced their major new hardware for the next year! Despite the leaks ahead of time, there were still a few surprises in store. Join Ryan Rampersad and Ian R Buck to hear all about it!

Links

Products Announced

This episode of Nexus Special has a Fringe episode. You should really listen to The Fringe #444: NS #56 — Carbonated Lubrication!

Listen to more at The Nexus and follow us on Twitter and Google+ for our latest episodes and news.

Links

October 4th - Google Event - YouTube

Pixel Phones Size & Screen Comparisons - Album on Imgur

Products Announced

Call with your phone number, even if you’re not a Fi subscriber or Google Voice user

Command it to ring your Android phone

More options for routines

Allowing it to more naturally accept commands, like “warm up the living room” because it knows what the current settings are

Broadcast a message to all Google Home devices in the house

Family Link account support (those accounts for kids under 13)

Partnering with Disney and other kid-focused companies to provide content

$50

Almost all fabric

Chalk color alone took 157 tries to get right

$400

Big, rectangular Home

Best speakers yet

They love that bass

Smart sound: adjusts audio based on its environment. Hi, HomePod!

Learns over time: low volume in the morning, loud when the dishwasher is going

Bluetooth and aux input supported as well

Comes with 12 months of YouTube Red free

Reminded us about their new products

Integrated with other Google products

Nest cam can send its feed to Chromecast

Nest hello can announce through Google Home who is at the door

Starts at $1000

10 mm

1kg

12.3” screen

10 hours battery

15 minute charging gives 2 hours

Instant tethering - can immediately choose your phone as your wifi

Google Assistant built in - first laptop

Dedicated button

Pixel Pen

$100

Circle things on screen, Assistant pulls up information about them

Google Play

Working with Snapchat to make a version for the larger screen

Pixel 2

$650 for 64GB

$750 for 128GB

Kinda blue (Verizon exclusive,) just black, clearly white

Manufactured by HTC

5” 1920x1080 screen

2,700mAh battery

Dimensions: 145.7mm x 69.7mm x 7.8mm

Pixel 2 XL

$850 for 64GB

$950 for 128GB

Manufactured by LG

6” 2880x1440 screen

Slightly curved display

Goes right up to the sides

3,520mAh battery

Dimensions: 157.9mm x 76.7mm x 7.9mm

Both

Feature parity

Aluminum back

IP67

7 hours charge from 15 minutes

Always on display

Shows what information?

Identifies song that is playing

Launcher

Google search is now at the bottom

Squeeze the phone to get to Google Assistant

Thanks, HTC!

Not remappable

Dual front-facing speakers

They DIDN’T talk about the missing headphone jack

They didn’t talk about the missing wireless charging

Assistant has customizable routines, such as “Let’s go home”

Google Lens

Google Goggles, rebranded and integrated into many other apps

ARCore

“All the fun, no LEGO pieces to step on”

AR stickers, exclusive to Pixel

DXOMark score of 98 (up from 89)

Motion Photos. Like Live Photos.

Free Google Home Mini if you buy a Pixel 2 soon!

Better lenses

Blocks out more light

Strap on top

$160

Wireless earbuds

When you pair with a Pixel, you get access to Google Assistant

Real-time Google translate

Camera that you set somewhere, and it takes photos for you

Designed with pet owners and parents in mind

Not technically part of this event, but important for Project Fi

Android One version of X4 is the first non-Google (ie Pixel or Nexus) phone available on Project Fi

$400, which is incredibly important because without it Project Fi would be a network with only flagship-priced phones available

Trading in a Nexus 5X or 6P by October 5th would get you $50 Fi credit, on top of the normal trade-in value

If you have a Nexus 5X, this is a great deal because your 5X could die at any moment

Keynote: Apple Events - Keynote September 2017 - Apple

Short keynote: Watch Apple’s iPhone X event in 15 minutes - The Verge

00:01:18 | New Venue

Steve Jobs Theater

Apple Park

100% renewable energy

00:03:00 | Retail

Today at Apple

00:04:36 | Apple Watch Series 3

Number one watch in the world

LTE radio

Cheesy demo

40 million songs on your wrist

Barometric altimeter

70% more CPU performance

Siri can talk! 👋

W2

Up to 85% faster Wi-Fi

50% more efficient Bluetooth and Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi (8 GB $329) and cellular models (16 GB $399)

Case is same size

Back crystal 0.25 mm thicker

New Sport Loop Band

September 22

00:10:28 | Apple TV 4K

4K

HDR

A10X Fusion

White circle on the menu button of the Siri Remote

Drops USB-C and gains gigabit ethernet

$179

September 22

00:13:17 | iPhone 8/iPhone 8 Plus

A11 Bionic

64-bit

4.3 billion transistors

Two performance cores

25% faster than A10

Four high-efficiency cores

70% faster than A10

Second generation performance controller

70% faster multithreaded workloads

Glass and aluminum design

Retina HD display with True Tone

Super fast

iPhone X leaked benchmarks match MacBook speeds and destroy Android

Apple designed GPU

Bluetooth 5

Wireless charging

Qi standard

Better stereo speakers

Louder

More bass

Camera

12 MP

Larger and faster sensors

New color filter

Deeper pixels

ƒ/1.8 and ƒ/2.8 (telephoto on iPhone 8 Plus) apertures

Dual OIS (iPhone 8 Plus)

2x better uniformity on quad-tone LED flash

Slow sync flash

Tuned for AR

Apple designed ISP

Apple designed video encoder

4K 60fps/1080p 240fps

Portrait lighting (iPhone 8 Plus)

64 GB/256 GB

Starts at $699

September 22

00:31:16 | iPhone X

Glass and stainless steel

Super Retina display

5.8”

2436x1125 @ 458 ppi @3x

OLED

Dom Esposito on Twitter: "iPhone X's OLED panel = 625 nits Note 8 AMOLED panel = 1,200 nits S8 AMOLED panel = 1,000 nits Just in case you're curious"

HDR

Dolby Vision

HDR10

True Tone

3D Touch

1,000,000 to 1 contrast

No home button

Swipe up from bottom to go home

Swipe up and hold to go to multitasking

Swipe on the bottom to go forward and back in apps

Hold side button for Siri

Done button for editing home screen

Notch

Larger side button

Face ID

Face authentication

TrueDepth Camera System

Infrared camera

Flood illuminator

Front camera

Dot projector (30,000 points)

Proximity sensor

Ambient light sensor

Speaker

Microphone

A11 Bionic neural engine (“Specialized hardware built for a set of machine learning algorithms”)

Dual-core design

600 billion operations per second

Real-time processing

Protected by secure enclave

On-device processing

Requires user attention to unlock (need to look at the phone)

Adapts over time

Animoji

Animated emojis

Track 50 facial muscle movements

12 emojis (smiling pile of poo included)

Cheesy demo

Joel Bernstein on Twitter: "I would have bet money on Eddy Cue being the first Apple SVP to cluck like a chicken on stage."

Camera like iPhone 8 Plus

ƒ/1.8 and ƒ/2.4 (telephoto) apertures

A11 Bionic

Wireless charging

Space gray/silver

64 GB/256 GB

Starts at $999

iPhone X Leather Folio

Magnetic sensor

iPhone X Leather Folio - Taupe - Apple

November 3

00:55:35 | AirPower (Apple Juice???)

Wireless charge new iPhones, Apple Watch Series 3, AirPods with wireless charge case

01:00:45 | Recap

Lineup:

iPhone SE from $349

iPhone 6s from $449

iPhone 7 from $549

iPhone 8 from $699

iPhone X from $999

iOS 11 on September 19

watchOS 4 on September 19

macOS High Sierra on September 25

Ian R Buck joins Ryan Rampersad in the studio to talk about the "Great American Eclipse." And surprise, Ian brought a microphone with him during his trip to see the eclipse with Scott Kopp, so we get to hear coverage from the event itself!

Episode Summary

00:00 | Intro

00:51 | Why this eclipse is a big deal

07:14 | Traveling to the eclipse

13:22 | The huge crowds

19:48 | Our pictures

22:50 | Our live reactions to the eclipse

30:46 | Post-eclipse debrief

35:54 | Planning for future eclipses

41:25 | Outro

Attributions

This episode of Nexus Special has a Fringe episode. You should really listen to The Fringe #438: NS #54 — Numbers Hurt!

Listen to more at The Nexus and follow us on Twitter and Google+ for our latest episodes and news.

Episode Summary

00:00 | Intro

00:51 | Why this eclipse is a big deal

Hank Green 🐢 on Twitter: "1/10 Some people say this eclipse is rare, because totality hasn't hit the US since 1979."

Chasing the Total Solar Eclipse from NASA’s WB-57F Jets | NASA

Why the total eclipse has solar physicists very excited - Vox

07:14 | Traveling to the eclipse

So, you’re not seeing the eclipse today … | Ars Technica

13:22 | The huge crowds

Eclipse Crowds at the Dwyer Junction Rest Area - YouTube

19:48 | Our pictures

Total Solar Eclipse 2017 | Flickr

Eclipse 2017 - Google Photos

Eclipse Photography Setup: Put a Sock on It! - Google Photos

22:50 | Our live reactions to the eclipse

30:46 | Post-eclipse debrief

2017 Total Solar Eclipse - ISS Transit (NHQ201708210202) | Flickr

Space Station Transiting 2017 ECLIPSE, My Brain Stopped Working - Smarter Every Day 175 - YouTube

35:54 | Planning for future eclipses

41:25 | Outro

Attributions

Free Music Archive: Dissolved - The Minor Influence Of A Partial Eclipse