The Engadget Podcast

We made it to 200 episodes, folks! This week, Cherlynn, Devindra, Producer Ben Ellman and Senior Writer Sam Rutherford dive into some of the biggest tech developments since we rebooted the podcast in 2019. Remember, that was a pre-pandemic, pre-generative AI world! We also highlight a few guest interviews worth revisiting, like our chats with Bill Nye and Ann Druyan.

As for recent news, we quickly recap the OpenAI drama around Sam Altman’s ouster, discuss Google’s new Gemini AI platform, and chat about the revelation that governments are spying on our push notifications. Cherlynn also details her experience with Apple’s Personal Voice feature for iPhones and gives us a demo of her AI-generated digital voice.

Topics:

• It’s our 200th episode! We look back on what’s changed in tech since the show relaunched – 1:02
• Sam Altman sacked and reinstated, a recap of the OpenAI drama – 44:29
• Google announces Gemini AI, its answer to GPT-4 – 50:04
• Microsoft upgrades Copilot with OpenAI’s GPT-4 Turbo and DALL-E 3 – 54:23
• Governments are spying on push notifications, Google and Apple can’t do anything about it – 55:41
• Mark Gurman reports Apple is working on revamped iPad Pros and an M3 MacBook Air – 58:02
• Cherlynn’s experience with the new iOS accessibility feature Personal Voice – 58:58
• Pop culture picks – 1:05:01

Sony’s next “PSP,” the PlayStation Portal, is one odd little device. It can only stream games from your PlayStation 5 – beyond that, it’s a $200 doorstop. In this episode, Cherlynn and Devindra chat with CNET’s Scott Stein about the Portal and the many ways it baffles us. While it does manage to stream games from the PS5 just fine, it’s also expensive, clunky and lacks basic features like Bluetooth audio support. It’s really only meant for the most diehard PS5 owners (and even they should probably wait for a sale).

What was Sony thinking with the Playstation Portal? (With CNET’s Scott Stein) – 0:54

Microsoft rebrands Bing Chat to Copilot – 27:34

Qi 2 wireless charging standard will bring Magsafe’s satisfying magnetic click to all supported phones – 34:03

Nothing Phone 2 is getting iMessage...sort of – 47:40

Late breaking: Apple confirms RCS is coming to iPhones next year – 52:15

WhatsApp free storage on Google Drive is coming to an end – 53:53

Working on – 1:06:52

Pop culture picks – 1:07:34

Apple's new M3 MacBook Pros and iMac are here! In this episode, we dive into our full thoughts about all of Apple's new hardware alongside Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham. The big takeaway: Don't buy the base model of either computer with just 8GB of RAM. Otherwise, the M3 chips are solid upgrades across the board.

Also, Senior Editor Jessica Conditt joins to tell us all about the new Steam Deck OLED. It has a slightly larger OLED screen than the original model, as well as some extra battery life. While the performance is the same as before, it's certainly a tempting holiday treat for anyone who's been eyeing a Steam Deck.

Our reviews of Apple’s M3 iMac and M3 Pro MacBook Pro – 0:40

Steam Deck OLED review with Jess Conditt – 21:33

Humane to debut AI-powered device that pins to your clothes – 43:24

Meta to require political campaigns to disclose AI-altered images in ads – 55:19

Sam Bankman-Fried found guilty of fraud, faces up to 110 years in prison – 56:21

Rockstar confirms GTA 6 trailer is coming December 2023 – 1:04:18

Working on – 1:07:23

Pop culture picks – 1:09:07

Joe Hunting, the director of "We Met in Virtual Reality," is embarking on a new adventure: He's launching Painted Clouds, a studio devoted to VR filmmaking. In this episode, we chat with Hunting about the state of the VR community, the convergence of real-world and virtual filmmaking tools, and why he's so interested in telling stories set in VR.

Be sure to check out We Met in Virtual Reality, which is streaming now on Max.

Apple’s M3 chip is here, and the company is wasting no time shoving it into new computers. This week, we dive into the new M3-equipped MacBook Pros and iMac, which offer some notable upgrades over the M2 and M1 models. Also, we find time to celebrate the death of the old 13-inch MacBook Pro, and try to determine if the cheaper 14-inch MacBook Pro is actually meant for pros with 8GB of RAM. We also chat about Apple’s healthcare plans, as well as Lenovo’s ridiculous tablet fashion campaign.

Apple announces M3 chips along with new MacBook Pros and iMac – 0:59

Other News: Bloomberg report outlines Apple’s very quiet attempt at getting into HealthTech – 24:33

Ad blockers no longer work on Youtube :( – 39:02

U.S., U.K. announce first attempts at AI regulation – 48:10

Lenovo’s Tab Wear clothing line is like a kangaroo pouch for your tablet – 54:30

Working on – 58:39

Listener Mail: Should I go from a Fitbit to a Pixel Watch? – 1:00:28

Pop culture picks – 1:03:16

It seems like just about every streaming service has raised their price this year – most recently, Apple TV+, Netflix and Disney+. In this episode, we chat with Janko Roettgers, author of the newsletter Lowpass, about the state of streaming media. Why are these companies pushing their prices up now, and what does that mean for you, the viewer? Does this mean the dream of cord cutting is over? (Spoiler: No, not really.)

Also, we chat about Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon chips, adult film star Riley Reid’s new AI chatbot, and why Super Mario Wonder is the best 2D Mario game since Super Mario World.

Reporter Janko Roettgers explains what’s going on with streaming price increases – 1:0

Other News: 41 states use Meta over Instagram’s influence on kids – 23:15

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 brings more AI power to phones – 28:59

Snapdragon X Elite takes aim at Apple’s M series chips – 33:26

Working on – 42:30

Pop culture picks – 46:12

It seems like Marc Andreessen had a lot of free time this week, as the VC wrapped up his entire pro-tech worldview in a massive tome, the Techno-Optimist Manifesto. Andreessen claims “technology is the glory of human ambition and achievement, the spearhead of progress, and the realization of our potential,” and he goes on to vilify anyone who dares to step in the way of “progress.” To break down this document, we’re joined by tech critic Paris Marx, host of the Tech Won’t Save Us podcast, and the author of the Disconnect newsletter, as well as the book Road to Nowhere: What Silicon Valley Gets Wrong About the Future of Transportation.

Also, Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham discusses why he loves Spider-Man 2 on the PlayStation 5, and we try to make sense of Apple’s new $79 Pencil.

Nate Ingraham’s Spider-Man 2 review: The rare game that’s both bigger and better – 0:55

We break down Mark Andreessen’s dangerously optimistic manifesto on AI – 11:39

Microsoft now officially owns Activision/Blizzard – 35:44

X (fka Twitter) tests $1 “Not a bot” program for new users – 38:53

There’s a new, cheaper Apple Pencil with USB-C but what generation is it? – 41:03

YouTube debuts ‘news hub’ to direct users to reliable sources – 46:46

Working on – 51:20

Pop culture picks – 52:20

We still have months to wait before Dune: Part Two hits theaters, so what better time to reminisce about David Lynch's intriguing adaptation of Frank Herbert's masterpiece? Reviled at the time, Lynch's Dune has now firmly established itself as a cult sci-fi epic, a film with boundless creative energy hampered by studio interference.

In this bonus episode, Devindra chats with film journalist Max Evry, author of A Masterpiece in Disarray: David Lynch's Dune. We explore why he devoted two years of his life towards researching an unloved film, as well as how it's a refreshing departure from the superhero films dominating theaters today.

The Meta Quest 3 is here, and it’s the best standalone VR headset we’ve ever seen. But is that enough to make people care about virtual reality? In this episode, Devindra and Senior Writer Sam Rutherford chat with Tested’s Norm Chan about the Quest 3 and Meta’s mixed reality future. While the company’s vision of the metaverse is pretty sterile, it’s still nice to see Meta learning from the mistakes of the Quest Pro.

Sam also dives into his Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro reviews, as well as his thoughts about the Pixel Watch 2. We also dive into Wired’s retraction of an op-ed claiming that Google manipulated your search queries, as well as Twitter/X’s complete inability to deliver accurate news during the Hamas and Israel conflict.

Timestamps:

Meta Quest 3 Review with Tested’s Norm Chan – 1:44

Sam Rutherford’s Pixel 8 review: We’re finally excited about mobile AI again – 36:18

Other News: Wired retracts op-ed about Google changing search queries – 56:04

Israel-Hamas conflict misinformation shows X moderation is completely broken – 58:09

Google reportedly pays Apple $18-20 billion a year to remain iOS default search engine – 1:03:08

Sony finally announces PS5 Slim – 1:09:31

California passes Right to Repair law – 1:11:29

Working on – 1:13:44

Pop culture picks – 1:16:26

Yes, Techtober is in full swing! This week, Cherlynn and Devindra chat with Engadget’s Sam Rutherford about everything from the Made by Google event. That includes the Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro and Pixel Watch 2. We give Google credit for leaning on AI long before it was trendy, but we wonder if the Pixel 8 Pro’s temperature sensor will actually be useful. Also, we dive into Samsung’s latest FE devices, Apple’s fix for overheating iPhone 15s, and Google’s Chromebook Plus initiative.

Google announces the Pixel 8, Pixel 8 Pro, Pixel Watch 2 and Buds Pro, along with a slew of AI features – 1:05

Engadget’s first take on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro – 7:15

Samsung announces new FE devices – 58:51

Apple says iOS 17 update should fix those hot iPhones – 1:02:45

Google could be directing users to advertisers using semantic match algorithm – 1:12:33

Quantum Dot inventors win Nobel Prize – 1:21:11

Working on – 1:23:12

Pop culture picks – 1:25:55