When Cristiano Amon first started working at the company, he was tasked with its infrastructure business (in other words, the things are phones connect to like base stations). That was back in the beginning days of 2G (yes, he’s been with us a long time, fortunately). At the time, not many believed that there was a need for CDMA technology, but Qualcomm continued to pursue it, developing it until it became the norm.

Fast forward 24 years: Amon is now president of the company he loves, and helped establish Qualcomm as the world leader in 5G connectivity.

“People wanted 5G … 5G could create new use cases, bring innovation back to mobile, create new players, change the landscape,” says Amon.

In this episode, we sat down with Amon to talk about his tech background, his journey to Qualcomm, the intensive R&D behind 5G, and more.

About a year and a half ago, we sat down with our in-house experts Gary Brotman and Kristin Wyman to discuss AI — what it is, how it differs from machine learning and deep learning, and the frameworks for deploying it. To say a lot’s changed since that podcast would be an understatement. Today, we’re catching up and digging a little deeper.

One of the biggest evolutions in AI — and a key step in making it ubiquitous — is the transitioning of intelligence to the edge. Smartphones equipped with our on-device AI technologies are engineered to deliver superior, more security-focused user experiences without interruption (just in case you lose your connection).

Proof point? Google Lens. The visual search product, which is “giving Google eyes,” is a great example of the powerful utility of on-device AI. While it’s simple to use, behind the scenes it’s anything but.

Here to talk about Google Lens, the computer vision that powers it, and the future of smartphones are two of our friends at Google: Director of Product Management for Google Lens Eddie Chung and Director of Product Management for Android AI and Camera Products. Brahim Elbouchikhi . Gary and Kristin are back in the studio with us, too.

You don’t have to be an audiophile to get excited for the new and improved AI-enabled audio experiences coming your way.

We’re talking personalization, next-gen voice control (that can even function without an internet connection) and premium audio that is bold like never before. Dated multi-speaker surround sound is out, gigantic speaker systems are out, because more immersive audio will soon be available in a wide range of devices across form factors and tiers — from the smart assistants to hi-fidelity soundbars.

The future of audio is as much about how your devices listen to you as it is about how you listen to them. And that’s why the new Qualcomm QCS400 SoCs were specifically engineered for the IoT world. In addition to delivering premium sound, they’re enabling some of the most intelligent audio experiences to date.

In this episode, we chat with Stephanie Rogers from our Voice and Music team and Gary Brotman from our AI team to learn more about these new SoCs and the future of audio.

We love our digital assistants, but after a while, they can start to feel so one-dimensional. The good news is that Smart Displays take the experience to the next level. Not only do they “tell,” they “show.” So, after your device answers your request for recipes for your upcoming dinner party, it can play the video that shows you how to serve up the world’s best hors d'oeuvres. Or, in the case of our host PJ, you can easily “flip the switch” on the 20 connected devices he has in his home — including the four he has in his bathroom.

Yes, a smart display can turn on your lights, play your music, and get the temp in your home just right for a cozy night in, but that’s just the beginning. As Qualcomm Technologies Staff Product Manager Karthic Veera says, “The real magic happens once you start interacting with it.”

We’ll dig deeper into that and more in this episode, as we discuss this new category of devices powered by breakthroughs from Qualcomm Technologies.

Break’s over. It’s time to head back to the classroom to learn more about spectrum.

In our last episode, we learned the importance of spectrum, who owns it (we all do), why spectrum is such a complicated issue (there are many kinds), how you get those licenses (auctions), and that spectrum will unite the country (OK, maybe not).

Turns out, there’s a lot of education that needs to happen with regard to spectrum and expanding the ecosystem for 5G. In other words, it’s not just you that’s being schooled. Legislators may not know a lot about 5G, but they know they want it — and they want their region to have it first. Part of our job is to educate these folks about the technology, how we’re doing with 5G in the U.S., and if we’re making good progress.

So what’s our report card look like?

Find out in part two of our discussion on spectrum where we’ll also tackle the importance of small cells and laying the foundation for 5G, why November’s spectrum auctions matter, and how we’re using unlicensed spectrum to push the 5G envelope.

You want spectrum! You want spectrum! You want spectrum! Everybody gets spectrum!

Good news: You own spectrum. Actually, we all do. Bad news: That doesn’t necessarily mean anything. Turns out there’s all kinds of spectrum — licensed, unlicensed, shared. And true “ownership” can get quite complicated.

But what exactly is spectrum? Let’s just say, without it, your phone wouldn’t be able to send or receive anything. In other words, that device you’ve come to rely on and adore wouldn’t work.

We’ll dig deeper into that and more in this episode, as we head back to school for Spectrum 101 with our very special guests Dean Brenner and Alice Tornquist, Senior Vice President and Vice President of Spectrum Strategy and Technology Policy here at Qualcomm as well as Danny Tseng from Corporate Technical Marketing.

In what world are more complications a good thing? Host PJ Jacobowitz welcomes experts from the wearables team at Qualcomm Technologies. Matthew Dehamer and Lauren Miller explain how our foundation in computing and connectivity influences our work across wide-reaching solutions, including the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear Platform, announced today.

Our wearable technologies are helping transform smart watches, trackers, and communicators for every member of your family, including pets. They span sports, health, and fitness brands — and represent the part of our business where we get to namedrop big fashion houses, and where customization and personality are critical.

Along the way you’ll learn a bit about co-processors, geofencing, sensors, traditional timepiece mode, and the general activity level of Matt’s English Bulldog.

Nerd alert: Host PJ Jacobowitz gets the background on the tech and terms behind augmented reality, virtual reality, and extended reality from guests Hiren Bhinde and Thao Le, from the XR product management and marketing teams at Qualcomm Technologies.

They cover 3DOF, 6DOF, sensors, gyroscopes, room scale, and computer vision — and PJ reveals an obsession with depth sensing.

This episode is also for you if:

• You think XR is just for gaming.

• You don’t know what a SLAM algorithm is, or what that has to do with the Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler movie 50 First Dates.

• You wonder how XR could change the world.

Host PJ Jacobowitz welcomes XR experts Hiren Bhinde, Director of Product Management, and Thao Le, Marketing Specialist at Qualcomm Technologies, who explain the terms and technology behind virtual, augmented, extended, and merged reality. Learn three things that are needed for these technologies to be successful, and why XR is one of the most taxing things you can do with a processor and mobile platform.

You’ll be happy to know that the VR teams here are working hard to make sure you don’t throw up. And you may also walk away understanding how shooting elves, melting butter, and saving lives are all connected.

*References to Qualcomm may be Qualcomm Incorporated, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., and/or its subsidiaries.

Qualcomm of the House Wireless Technologies, First to 5G, Maester of Modems, Tamer of Airwaves, Queen of Invention, Protector of the Mobile Realm, and Mother of (Snap)dragons.

In this episode on the future of 5G, our expert Sherif "the modem man" Hanna, Director of Product Marketing here at Qualcomm Technologies, made us consider a new way of introducing ourselves, with a nod to the Game of Thrones universe.

We try to stifle our shock when Sherif says it’s not just about the modem (spoiler: RF components and antenna modules are also key), learn that not all airwaves are created equal, and host PJ Jacobowitz and Sherif share a beamforming moment that only true techies could love.