The Engadget Podcast

This week, we’re focusing on Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), an annual event meant to promote the need for accessible tech solutions. Cherlynn returns to tell us what Apple, Google, Adobe and others are doing to make their products more useful for people with disabilities (and, it turns out, many general users too). We also discuss Sam Altman’s trip to Congress, and why we’re not entirely impressed with the OpenAI CEO’s calls for AI regulation. Finally, we explain why the BlackBerry movie is one of the best films about tech ever made (take that, Tetris!).

Tech companies highlight new features for Global Accessibility Awareness Day – 1:27

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman goes to Congress and advocates for A.I. regulation – 34:24

Amazon announced a bunch of hardware: new Echo Buds, Echo Show and Echo Pop – 45:10

Montana’s TikTok ban has been signed, scheduled to go into effect in 2024 – 49:04

Working On (and Cherlynn’s experience on the ground at Google I/O) – 53:55

Pop culture picks – 1:04:44

It’s a huge week for news: Google I/O happened, and we finally got a close look at the Pixel Fold and the company’s latest AI plans. Engadget Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham also joins to discuss his review of The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, the follow-up to one of the greatest games ever made. (No pressure, Nate!) We also chat about Nintendo’s confirmation that it won’t be announcing any new hardware until next year, and the perils of chatbots serving as the latest avatars for Hindu gods in India.

Google’s Pixel Fold was finally announced (it’s $1,799) – 1:25

Also announced at Google I/O: a ton of Bard integration in search, Pixel Tablet and Pixel 7a – 14:43

Nate Ingraham’s Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom review – 39:29

Nintendo says no new hardware will be announced this year – 52:51

Roku is doing home security now – 56:40

AI Updates: Religious chatbots run the risk of sparking violence in India – 58:12

Working on – 1:03:45

Pop culture picks – 1:05:43

This week, Senior Editor Jessica Conditt joins to discuss what went wrong with Redfall, Microsoft’s latest Xbox exclusive that launched to middling reviews. Jess says it’s good enough for Game Pass, but that’s pretty disappointing for a game from Arkane, the studio behind Dishonored and Prey. Also, they chat about Star Wars: Jedi Survivor and its horrendous PC port, and weigh in on how AI and streaming affects the WGA strike. Stay tuned at the end for an interview with Nida Manzoor, the director of Polite Society, who talks about how she lives with tech.

Jess Conditt’s review of Redfall, a surprise disappointment from Arkane – 1:17

Also released recently, Star Wars Jedi: Survivor – 16:01

AI is a factor in the WGA strike – 23:07

U.S. proposes tax on power used to mine crypto – 29:29

Report claims Elon Musk threatened to reassign NPR's Twitter account – 31:16

AI Updates: Microsoft opens Bing AI testing to all, Google AI researcher George Hinton warns the world on rapid AI adoption – 35:55

Working on – 43:36

Pop culture picks – 47:23

Devindra’s interview with ‘Polite Society’ director Nida Manzoor – 53:57

This week, Devindra chats with Sam Rutherford about his recent experiences with ASUS’s ROG Ally, a powerful new Steam Deck competitor, and Nintendo’s long-awaited The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. The ROG Ally sounds like one of the best portable gaming systems yet, though we’re still waiting for pricing details. And Zelda was apparently a blast to play, but of course it was. Also, Devindra and Podcast Producer Ben Ellman dive into the latest news, including the FAA grounding SpaceX’s Starship and Grimes’ decision to let people run free with her AI voice.

Sam Rutherford’s review of the ROG Ally handheld gaming PC – 1:52

Sam’s Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom demo experience – 15:08

FAA grounds SpaceX’s Starship after launch explosion spreads debris – 28:26

UK regulator blocks Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision/Blizzard – 34:04

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny features 25 mins of de-aged Harrison Ford – 39:54

This week in AI: Snapchat users revolt against AI assistant, Grimes offers 50/50 credit to songs with her AI voice – 43:19

Working on – 50:21

Pop culture picks – 52:07

Is Google’s foldable coming soon? This week, Cherlynn, Devindra and Senior Writer Sam Rutherford discuss the rumored Pixel Fold, which may debut at Google I/O next month. Also, Devindra and Sam compare the Razer Blade 16 to the Razer Blade 18, two powerful (and expensive!) gaming laptops. In other news, we dive into SpaceX’s exploding Starship rocket, and the fake AI generated collab between The Weeknd and Drake.

Google’s Pixel Fold is rumored to launch at Google I/O – 1:25

Sam Rutherford’s review of the Razer Blade 16 vs Blade 18 – 17:38

SpaceX’s Starship launches, spontaneously disassembles (it blew up) – 27:20

Montana takes a big step toward banning TikTok – 33:05

Sega buys Angry Birds developer Rovio – 41:52

EV News: more Tesla price cuts, Polestar 4 doesn’t have a back window – 46:15

This week in AI: Have you heard the AI generated Drake/Weeknd collab? – 1:01:51

Around Engadget – 1:11:26

Working on – 1:12:39

Pop culture picks – 1:14:48

So long HBO Max, hello… Max? This week, Cherlynn and Devindra discuss Warner Bros. pivot away from the beleaguered HBO Max service, and towards something that unifies HBO and Discovery’s content. Does Max help, or hurt the HBO brand? And does the name even matter when people will always line up for the next Game of Thrones spin-off? Also, we dive into the NVIDIA RTX 4070, a champ of a mid-range GPU, as well as the latest from Elon Musk’s disastrous Twitter reign.

Max (just Max) is replacing HBO Max – 1:34

NVIDIA’s RTX 4070 review: excellent at 1440p gaming, still pricey at $499 – 21:15

This week in Twitter mess: NPR and PBS quit Twitter over account labeling, AI project allegedly in the works – 23:03

Worker morale is low at Meta after layoffs – 27:57

Lo-fi girl is back, and she made a new synth wave friend – 30:40

AI Update: Stable Diffusion is already taking illustrator jobs in China – 32:34

Working on – 35:48

Pop culture picks – 37:44

This week, Cherlynn and Devindra dive into our review of Amazon's Halo Rise and look into the role it plays in the company's overall strategy as a healthcare provider. Then, our hosts contemplate the cancelation and possible end of E3, as well as the spate of odd news around April Fools day, including Twitter's doge-ification and ASUS' ill-timed gaming handheld launch.

Our review of Amazon’s Halo Rise bedside sleep tracker – 2:02

E3 2023 has been canceled – 29:20

This week in Twitter mess: bluecheckpocalypse delayed and a doge takeover – 40:41

ASUS’ ROG Ally handheld isn’t a April Fool’s joke – 46:42

OnePlus launches $60 Nord Buds 2 with ANC – 53:02

Microsoft released an Xbox controller made of old CDs – 57:32

Working on – 1:03:20

Pop culture picks – 1:05:23

With the Tetris movie hitting Apple TV+ this week, we chat with the game’s creator, Alexey Pajitnov, and Henk Rogers, the man who helped bring it out of the Soviet Union. We discuss just how realistic the film is (it definitely takes plenty of fantastical liberties), the impact of Tetris on gaming and where it could be headed in the future. Also, Cherlynn and Devindra dive into the recent letter from the Future of Life Institute, which was signed by Elon Musk and other tech leaders, and called for a pause on AI development beyond GPT4. It turns out that wasn’t entirely altruistic.

Interview with Tetris designer Alexey Pajitnov and Tetris publisher Henk Rogers – 1:17

The open letter asking for a 6-month pause of AI development is more suspicious than you think – 16:57

Do the proposed U.S. DATA and RESTRICT acts reach too far in trying to ban TikTok? – 26:48

Pres. Biden bans the use of commercial spyware – 36:20

Microsoft is focused on security, AI and a light processor friendly version in Windows 12 – 39:11

Google unveils AI planning tool to help beat extreme heat due to climate change – 43:21

Apple’s WWDC dates announced: June 5 to 9 – 45:12

Working on – 57:39

Pop culture picks – 1:02:16

Google finally opened up its Bard AI for testing, and it turns out it’s a little loopy. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra dive into their experience with Bard, as well as how it compares with Microsoft’s BingAI (and GPT4, consequently). Also, we discuss even more AI news from NVIDIA, Microsoft and Midjourney, as well as TikTok CEO Shou Chew’s date with Congress.

Google opened its Bard AI chatbot to the masses, it seems a little drunk – 1:22

So many other AI updates from Microsoft, NVIDIA, Adobe and more – 23:14

Other news: TikTok’s CEO goes to Congress – 36:25

Cherlynn’s experience with Tesla’s wireless charging platform – 42:05

Acer announces production on…an e-bike?? – 48:20

Around Engadget: Tripod desk, Konnected Kamada Joe grill, history of game controllers – 49:43

Working on – 51:57

Pop culture picks – 54:56

The downfall of Silicon Valley bank affects the entire technology industry. This week, we chat with Alex Wilhelm, editor in chief at TechCrunch+, about why SVB failed and what it means for the broader ecosystem. Where were the regulations? And why were VCs so quick to abandon it? Also, Cherlynn and Devindra dive into the latest AI news from Google, Microsoft and the launch of OpenAI’s GPT4. Like we’ve said before, the AI news will never end!

What caused Silicon Valley Bank’s collapse? – 1:13

FBI report: Americans lost $2.7 billion dollars to cypto scams last year – 22:05

Google adds generative AI to Workspace products –23:45

Google announces research into AI for Ultrasound diagnosis – 27:55

Open AI announces GPT-4, which can understand image inputs, too – 35:50

Microsoft confirms Bing AI is powered by GPT-4, announces layoffs in AI ethics – 38:12

Meta lays off an additional 10,000 workers – 41:16

Samsung announces Galaxy A54 –43:11

Sony's $600 point-and-shoot camera for the visually impaired – 48:31

Working on – 57:10

Pop culture picks – 58:42