The Engadget Podcast

AI can now place us inside South Park episodes – should we be worried? This week, Devindra and Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham chat with Edward Saatchi, the CEO of The Simulation, about his company’s new AI technology that can generate TV episodes, movies and more. We preview a test South Park episode featuring Devindra, and discuss if this technology is actually a good thing for creatives. Also, Editor at Large James Trew joins to discuss his piece on AI-powered immortality. And to keep the sci-fi theme going, Devindra chats with the director and writer of Netflix’s They Cloned Tyrone, Juel Taylor and Tony Rettenmaier.

Interview with The Simulation CEO Edward Saatchi – 0:59

James Trew on digital immortality and AI’s place in a new field, “grief tech” – 20:48

Microsoft / Activision Blizzard’s final merger deadline pushed to October – 32:19

Apple is working on its own generative AI chatbot – 33:19

Google tests AI tool to generate news articles – 38:15

ASUS takes over Intel’s NUC PC business – 44:20

Around Engadget: Sam Rutherford’s Nothing Phone 2 review – 51:21

Listener mail: Rohan from Singapore on what’s keeping the iPad from being a “real” computer – 56:11

Working on – 1:03:54

Pop culture picks – 1:07:43

Interview with the the creators of the new Netflix movie They Cloned Tyrone – 1:13:25

It looks like Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is trucking along, following a court rejection of the FTC’s injunction attempt. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra chat with Jordan Minor, a Senior Analyst at PCMag covering games, about this massive deal and what it means for the gaming industry. Will further consolidation end up being harmful for consumers (as we’ve been saying for a while), or will Microsoft actually help the beleaguered Activision? Also, we dive into our experiences with the latest Apple betas: iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma and watchOS 10.

Microsoft is (mostly) cleared to buy Activision Blizzard for $69 billion – 00:56

Our previews of the iOS 17, iPad OS 17, macOS Sonoma, and WatchOS 10 betas – 21:55

Meta’s Threads hits 100m users, Elon is not happy about it – 47:58

Microsoft confirms Chinese hackers used 365 email exploit to access US government accounts – 51:32

Google’s Bard can now speak 40 languages – 52:29

Around Engadget: Sam Rutherford’s ROG Ally review and Katie Malone on why passkeys are suddenly everywhere – 1:01:46

Working on – 1:05:47

Pop culture picks – 1:07:06

It’s been a wild week for social media! While Twitter encountered many self-inflicted wounds, users jumped to Blue Sky and Mastodon. Then Meta decided it was a fine time to drop its Twitter copycat, Threads. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra chat with Engadget’s Karissa Bell about where all of these services are headed. Will Threads be the clear winner, thanks to Instagram’s social graph? Or will the future lie with fully decentralized platforms like Mastodon?

Twitter continues to crumble, Meta introduces Threads Twitter clone – 1:10

The next AirPods Pro release could include health features like a hearing test and body temperature sensors – 34:06

Google’s Pixel 8 Pro prototype leaked – 37:18

EU Digital Markets Act identifies a class of large ‘gatekeeper’ tech companies for additional regulation – 51:07

U.S. Federal Trade Commission announces huge fines for fake product reviews – 55:45

Working on – 1:03:19

Picks – 1:06:15

This episode, Cherlynn is joined by senior writer Sam Rutherford and senior commerce editor at Wired Julian Chokkattu to talk about our reviews of the Pixel Fold. Will the recent spate of foldables by companies like Motorola and Google give Samsung some real competition and motivation to step up its game? We can only wait to find out. Samsung is holding its next Galaxy Unpacked in late July, and we’ll see what it has to unveil then. This episode, we also take a look at the latest addition to the Google Graveyard and the state of the podcast industry.

Google’s Pixel Fold is the challenger Samsung needs – 1:22

Google has given up on making its own AR glasses, will focus on AR software – 38:50

Automotive organization SAE will create a standard version of Tesla’s charging plug for EVs – 45:19

SiriusXM will shut down widely used podcast app Stitcher on August 29 – 52:11

RIP John Goodenough, inventor of the lithium-ion battery – 54:53

Working on – 56:01

Pop culture picks – 59:02

This episode, Cherlynn is joined by senior reporter Jess Conditt and special guest Michael Fisher to talk about the week of reviews. From the Moto Razr+ to the Pixel Tablet, we look at how these devices fit into our lives and make them better (or worse). Than, we go over the highlights from Summer Games Fest and dig into that Titanic situation.

Moto Razr+ review: a foldable with an external display you’ll actually want to use – 1:56

Pixel Tablet review: Google made a great smart display and a passable tablet – 31:53

The doomed OceanGate submarine was piloted with a Logitech game controller – 47:50

Amazon is shutting down Halo health services at the end of July – 59:15

Jess Conditt’s takeaways from Summer Game Fest – 1:02:51

Working on – 1:19:27

Pop culture picks – 1:20:51

What good is Reddit without the support of its community? This week, Cherlynn and Devindra discuss the recent subreddit revolts, following the company’s decision to dramatically increase the cost of its API for third parties. They’re joined by Ryan Broderick, the internet culture reporter behind the must-read newsletter Garbage Day. Will the protests amount to any sort of change? Or will Reddit CEO Steve Huffman prevail and make the company ready for a potential IPO? Also, we dive into our reviews of the new MacBook Air 15, as well as the M2 Ultra Mac Studio. Who needs a Mac Pro when Apple has such a powerful desktop already?

Why are Redditors protesting Reddit’s API changes? – 1:15

M2 Mac Studio and 15-inch MacBook Air reviews – 19:14

U.S. Federal Trade Commission files injunction to block Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision/Blizzard – 27:04

Alan Wake 2, South of Midnight and Baby Steps are Summer Games Fest standouts – 30:29

Working on – 34:06

Pop culture picks – 36:26

After tons of typing and running around Apple’s campus, we’re ready to wrap up WWDC 2023. This week, Devindra chats with Editor-in-Chief Dana Wollman and Senior Writer Sam Rutherford about Apple’s foray into spatial computing with the Vision Pro, the 15-inch MacBook Air, and the company’s many (many) software announcements. Also, we discuss Spotify’s latest podcast flubs, Diablo 4, and the new Genndy Tartakovsky animated series Unicorn: Warriors Eternal.

Wrapping up WWDC 2023: a few more thoughts on the newly-announced Vision Pro – 1:44

MacBook Air 15-inch, Mac Studio refresh, and the first Mac Pro update since 2019 –10:40

What's new in iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and MacOS Sonoma – 16:34

Spotify lays off 200 in podcast group, combines Gimlet and Parcast into Spotify Studios – 40:57

Working on – 47:19

Pop culture picks – 49:16

We’ve survived day one of Apple’s WWDC ‘23, and we’re ready to talk about the company’s new Vision Pro mixed reality headset. In this bonus episode, Cherlynn and Devindra dive into their thoughts on Apple’s spatial computing play, as well as Devindra’s 30-minute hands on session with the headset. It’s undoubtedly the best AR/VR experience we’ve seen yet, but there are still plenty of issues Apple needs to solve.

It’s only a few days until the beginning of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference next week, and we’re eager to see what the iPhone maker is cooking up. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra are joined by Engadget Senior Writer Sam Rutherford to dive into all of the Apple rumors: That fabled mixed reality headset, a potential 15-inch MacBook Air and more! But really, all eyes are on the headset. Is Apple setting itself up for failure, or for a future where smart glasses are actually a thing? Also, we discuss the late-breaking news about Meta’s Quest 3 headset, which sounds like it will offer better VR and color mixed reality support for $500.

Apple’s AR Headset, iOS 17, MacOS 14 and everything else we expect to see at WWDC 2023 – 1:16

Meta Quest 3 details drop ahead of Apple’s developer conference next week – 33:48

Oppo debuts MR Glass Developer Edition – 37:41

AI leaders issue dire warning on its risks, neglecting their own responsibility in its development – 41:46

Chatbot rolled out by National Eating Disorders Association taken offline after giving bad advice – 45:37

Working on – 52:17

Listener mailbag – 56:41

Pop culture picks – 58:39

It’s a bigger than usual AI week for Microsoft, thanks to its Build developer conference. This week, we chat with Panos Panay, Microsoft’s Chief Product Officer, about Windows Copilot, a new “AI assistant” headed to Windows 11. Is this just a smarter Clippy, or will AI actually transform the way we use Windows? Also, Cherlynn and Devindra discuss what’s up with Apple’s Mixed Reality headset as we gear up for WWDC in a few weeks.

Microsoft announces AI in just about everything at Build 2023 – 1:42

Devindra’s interview with Microsoft Chief Product Officer Panos Panay – 11:28

Processing the interview with Panos and other headlines from Build – 33:57

Bloomberg report on Apple’s AR headset reveals significant divisions within the company – 45:55

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announces his Presidential bid in a glitch-filled Twitter Space with Elon Musk – 56:00

Amazon’s Fire Max 11 looks read to do actual work – 1:03:22

What we’re working on – 1:08:01

Pop culture picks – 1:09:59