The Engadget Podcast

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