What's Tech?

By The Verge

Society & Culture Arts Technology Tech News

What's What's Tech? about?

Enjoy the archives of this retired, award-winning series from Christopher Thomas Plante and The Verge that explained technology bit by bit. The series finale aired December 6th, 2016, shortly before Chris re-joined Polygon as its executive editor. For more on what’s happening now (and next) in technology and gadgets, listen and subscribe to The Vergecast.

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LAST EPISODE

The What’s Tech series finale

12.06.2016

When I started at The Verge in 2014, I needed an excuse to learn about technology. My background was in covering video games, television, and pop culture, and I lacked the basic cognitive functions to hold a phone above my ...

What's Tech? episodes:

12.06.2016 The What’s Tech series finale When I started at The Verge in 2014, I needed an excuse to learn about technology. My background was in covering video games, television, and pop culture, and I lacked the basic cognitive functions to hold a phone above my ...
11.16.2016 What are Snapchat Spectacles, and do I have to be a teen to wear them? Snapchat Spectacles, the mysterious and incredibly hyped hardware from Snap, Inc., have arrived. Vending machines for the video camera sunglasses are springing up around the country, first in California and Oklahoma, and who knows where else next. Verge senior reporter ...
10.25.2016 How smartphone cameras took over the world In the early 2000s, the digital photography revolution made it possible for miniaturized camera hardware and image sensors to be packed into cell phones without adding a significant amount of weight. Then the iPhone was announced. As the smartphone war ...
10.19.2016 How HTTPS is slowly but surely making the internet safer Over the past couple years web security has become a staple of the nightly news. The stories usually hinge on government leaks, foreign hackers, or web encryption. There’s menacing subtext that practically everything put online is vulnerable to “cyber attacks.” ...
10.13.2016 Why is everyone making GIFs of themselves? Our most sacred and special task as human beings is to document our own existence with a single-minded dedication. That's why we have massive iCloud photo libraries, 15GB of video of that really cool Springsteen concert on our phones, Instagram ...
10.06.2016 How immersive haunted houses and participatory plays are making Halloween scarier Here at The Verge, we love Halloween and everything about it. Horror movies, non-horror seasonal movies, seasonal beverages, seasonal bots, this Pumpkin Guy, horrifying makeup tutorials, poop-shaped candy — bring it on. In particular, we love to be scared. It ...
09.20.2016 Why smartphone batteries explode, and why they may get worse Samsung has officially recalled the Galaxy Note 7 worldwide, after more than 90 of the large smartphones in the US overheated due to defective batteries. Overheating is, in this case, an understatement, as some owners have claimed their smartphones outright ...
09.13.2016 How Snapchat’s goofy faces made everyone comfortable with selfies I didn’t take many selfies until I downloaded Snapchat. But like so many people I’ve fallen in love with lenses, the optional tools that make my face look like a dog or an emoji or an advertisement for junk food. ...
09.08.2016 The good and bad news of the Earth-sized planet Proxima Centauri b Late last month, news broke of the exoplanet Proxima Centauri b. Orbiting the closest star to our Solar System, there’s a lot to love about Proxima b since it shares a few key traits with our own home planet. But ...
08.30.2016 A few simple tech tips for living in a dorm or a New York apartment Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
08.25.2016 A simple explanation of No Man’s Sky and its internet-fueled controversy The first trailer for No Man’s Sky, published in December 2013, promised a universe with enough planets, creatures, and vegetation that it could not be fully explored by one player in a lifetime. The hype was immediate, and it only ...
08.17.2016 Hate going to the grocery store? Maybe it's time to try food-delivery services Imagine if grocery shopping was just another online subscription service, like Netflix or Spotify. You complete a survey, sharing your likes and dislikes, and the platform sends, week after week, precisely measured portions of proteins, veggies, fruits, oils, and spices ...
08.10.2016 Why Sony and Microsoft are already announcing and releasing new consoles A new round of video game consoles has began last week with the release of Microsoft’s One S. The slim, white hardware is a minor upgrade to the original Xbox One, and the predecessor to next year’s flashier upgrade, codenamed ...
08.02.2016 Is your neighborhood the next great social media app? I had never heard of Nextdoor when I lived in New York City. Social media services catering to individual neighborhoods weren’t useful in an apartment building where most tenants lasted a year, and longtime residents kept to themselves. In my ...
07.26.2016 A podcast explains the power of podcasts For 72 episodes, What’s Tech has invited guests to explain technology and its cultural periphery — from drones and fan fiction to ASMR and biohacking. We were bound to make a podcast about podcasts eventually. This was inevitable. For this ...
07.19.2016 Why Pokémon Go is a hit, how it helped Nintendo, and when its moment could fizz out Pokémon Go had a week unlike any video game I’ve covered in my career. Here’s a collection of the posts we penned last week, ranging from players finding dead bodies to Craigslist entrepreneurs selling pre-played accounts. My friend and former ...
07.13.2016 The agony and the ecstasy of life as a webcomic artist As a teenager, my only interaction with the world of webcomics was Achewood. Launched in 2001 and published sporadically ever since, Achewood is like Seinfeld crossed with Adult Swim. It felt for me in the early 2000s like this lone, ...
06.28.2016 How The Bachelor became social media’s favorite sporting event "Is The Bachelor tech?" You might ask this question while listening to this week’s episode of What’s Tech, a podcast that provides introductory explainers into the many pockets of technology and the culture around them. I believe the answer is ...
06.21.2016 What you need to know about doxxing, the average internet user’s nightmare My entire body clenches when I hear the word doxxing. Each time I write something that, for whatever reason, upsets a corner of the internet, I wonder if my personal information — phone numbers, address, social security number, credit card ...
06.14.2016 What you should know about torrenting I was a teenager in the days of Napster and LimeWire, when illegal files flowed through the internet like free hamburgers through a freshman dormitory orientation session. I didn't understand the legality of file sharing, let alone the technical explanation ...
06.07.2016 How a computer the size of a credit card is changing education — and GameBoy emulators For longer than I would like to admit, I thought Raspberry Pi was a dessert. I'm not proud of that. Fortunately, I eventually learned what Raspberry Pi actually is, and though it's not nearly as tasty, it's just as exciting: ...
05.31.2016 How people play Nintendo games on a computer, and why that's probably illegal Whether or not you've used a video game emulator yourself — and if you have, it's okay, I'm not gonna snitch — it's impossible to deny their prevalence. Since the age of modern computing, people have figured out how to ...
05.24.2016 What are graphics cards, and why do you want one? Graphics cards! So hot right now. Whether it's the slow realization that jumping on board with the 2016 VR revolution requires a tricked-out gaming rig you'd never previously have dreamed of stashing under your desk, or the blitz of hype ...
05.17.2016 Everything you wanted to know about Drake, but were too afraid to ask Share on Facebook Tweet Share Pin Drake is a former child actor, current pop star, and the secular god of memes — even if he denounces that last label. Born Aubrey Drake Graham, the Canadian celebrity has been inescapable, not ...
05.10.2016 Why movie theaters should and shouldn't be afraid of VOD A couple weeks ago, my friend and colleague Bryan Bishop visited Las Vegas for a flashy conference called CinemaCon, where movie studios and theater owners discuss the future of the film industry — a future that isn't as predictable as ...
05.03.2016 Why the future of video games may be free-to-play If you own a smartphone or have a Facebook account, odds are you've played a free-to-play game. Maybe you grew crops in Farmville or scrimmaged in Clash of Clans. If you're anything like me, one of those city-building games (the ...
04.28.2016 What is a gadget blog, anyway? This week, The Verge launched a gadget blog. It's called Circuit Breaker, and you can read about its origin and purpose in The New York Times. Paul Miller, the editor of Circuit Breaker, has spoken a lot this week about ...
04.19.2016 Why bots are the new big thing, and what that means for ordering pizza 2016 is shaping up to be the year of the bot. Late last month, Microsoft made a big bet on tools that will help developers create artificial intelligence software meant to improve the lives of humans by completing small tasks, ...
04.12.2016 Why artificial intelligence is more important than ever and how it will change our lives For nearly 60 episodes, one question has persisted through What's Tech: what is happening in the ending of Steven Spielberg's 2001 sci-fi film A.I. Artificial Intelligence? To settle the question once and for all, I invited my friend and artificial ...
04.05.2016 What is Slack, why is everybody using it, and will it destroy my work-life balance? I love Slack, the mega-popular corporate-friendly chat client. I love it so much that I desperately want to delete it from my phone, because I can't help but check its messages every hour of every day. Yesterday night, I responded ...
03.29.2016 Wrestlemania: why you should watch, even if pro wrestling isn't your thing This Sunday the WWE will host the Super Bowl of professional wrestling. Wrestlemania will takeover the AT&T Stadium in Dallas, Texas, which has a maximum capacity of 105,000. If things go as the WWE plans, the show will be the ...
03.15.2016 Everything you need to know about the Hyperloop, a potential transportation game-changer In 2013, billionaire eccentric inventor Elon Musk announced an idea called the Hyperloop: a super-fast, low-friction transportation system that looked like the prom photo for a subway tunnel and a bullet-train. Musk made the Hyperloop an open-sourced project, inviting thinkers, ...
03.04.2016 Dota 2: an explainer for newcomers and the confused family of addicts A $3 million vide game tournament is happening right now in Shanghai, China, pitting 16 of the best Dota 2 teams against each other. But what, pray tell, does any of that mean? Dota 2 is an immensely popular video ...
03.01.2016 Before the driverless car, there was the PRT My colleague Adi Robertson, I recently learned, is a fan of oddball transportation. On our work trip to the Sundance Film Festival, she gleefully introduced me to the funicular, a small and nicely furnished box that travels up and down ...
02.18.2016 Encryption: what is it exactly, and who is right about it? Normally we publish What's Tech on Tuesday morning, but we couldn't hold next week's episode until then. A federal court has requested Apple help the FBI gain access to the contents of an iPhone that belonged to one of the ...
02.16.2016 Reusable rockets could send you to space — eventually Coverage of SpaceX and Blue Origin, the two private companies pursuing the reusable rocket, is near inescapable. Maybe you watched a launch on our site, or saw one of the not-quite-landings in a Facebook video. Space news has become so ...
02.09.2016 It's time to give film cameras a second chance I am perpetually envious of my friend and colleague Sam Byford. He lives in Tokyo, and has access to new Hatsune Miku vinyls, Nintendo 3DS limited editions, and Sega arcades. His is the technological life I wish I could live. ...
02.02.2016 The Super Bowl: how to sound like an expert Super Bowl 50 approaches with the reliability of the morning sun, and yet, you still have so many questions. There are the obvious questions, which I can answer here. What teams are in the Super Bowl? The Denver Broncos and ...
01.26.2016 Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal: which service is right for you? I've used Spotify for a few years, but I'm curious if I should make a switch to one of the dozen and change alternate music streaming services. Apple Music has free concerts, I'm told, and Tidal has better audio quality. ...
01.19.2016 What is Sundance? [Apologies, the original file uploaded incorrectly. This is the complete episode.] My options at the movies this week include a 1980s Dublin-set rock musical, a dark comedy that hinges on a lap dog, a thriller involving the moon landing conspiracy, ...
01.12.2016 What is Tumblr? Tumblr was the first social media platform to feel irrelevant. I'm young enough to have blogged my way through high school, but old enough for my blogging to be unusual. I used Xanga, and then LiveJournal. When Facebook launched, I ...
01.05.2016 What is CES? The Verge's Dieter Bohn shares the history of the Consumer Electronics Show, or CES, which is taking place this week in Las Vegas, Nevada. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
12.29.2015 What is a hoverboard? The Verge tested Lexus' hoverboard in August. Thanks to science and a considerable promotional budget, the car maker's hoverboard actually hovered above the earth — as its name suggested. The experience was the culmination of a shared pop culture dream ...
12.15.2015 What is Windows 10? Last week, I wrote about Microsoft's plan to bring Xbox One and Windows 10 closer together. I've been wondering what this future might look like. I know a good deal about Microsoft's video game consoles, but Windows remains a bit ...
12.08.2015 What is an internet router? When I joined The Verge, many of my peers from the video games press congratulated me on a lifetime of writing about internet routers. I laughed at their silly joke. How much, I thought, is there to really say about ...
12.01.2015 What is Fallout? On a recent Sunday afternoon, you may have noticed Brutus — Fox's NFL mascot — wearing a new set of protective armor. This costume wasn't promoting a nonprofit initiative meant to distract from professional football's abundance of PR debacles, nor ...
11.24.2015 What is an internet meme? I remember my first meme. I was in my grade school computer lab — this was a time when computers were still novel, not mandatory. My fifth grade teacher was explaining email to our classroom, and how she could use ...
11.11.2015 What is the quantified self? I have tried various health trackers, and they always wind up buried in the bottom drawer of my dresser. I should love the pursuit of a quantified self. I like data; I want to be healthier; I enjoy new technology, ...
11.04.2015 What is alien life? More recently, discussions of extraterrestrial life have become mainstream. Brilliant minds like Stephen Hawking and Neil deGrasse Tyson have made headlines with their thoughts on how humans should or shouldn't make contact. This week, I invited my friend and colleague ...
10.28.2015 What is Minecraft? This week Microsoft released Halo 5, the latest installment of its most iconic exclusive for Xbox consoles. The adventures of Master Chief and his console cohorts, however, pale beneath the popularity of the stories created by players in the universe ...

Older episodes

What's Tech?

What's What's Tech? about?

Download our free app to listen on your phone

What's Tech? episodes:

The What’s Tech series finale

What are Snapchat Spectacles, and do I have to be a teen to wear them?

How smartphone cameras took over the world

How HTTPS is slowly but surely making the internet safer

Why is everyone making GIFs of themselves?

How immersive haunted houses and participatory plays are making Halloween scarier

Why smartphone batteries explode, and why they may get worse

How Snapchat’s goofy faces made everyone comfortable with selfies

The good and bad news of the Earth-sized planet Proxima Centauri b

A few simple tech tips for living in a dorm or a New York apartment

A simple explanation of No Man’s Sky and its internet-fueled controversy

Hate going to the grocery store? Maybe it's time to try food-delivery services

Why Sony and Microsoft are already announcing and releasing new consoles

Is your neighborhood the next great social media app?

A podcast explains the power of podcasts

Why Pokémon Go is a hit, how it helped Nintendo, and when its moment could fizz out

The agony and the ecstasy of life as a webcomic artist

How The Bachelor became social media’s favorite sporting event

What you need to know about doxxing, the average internet user’s nightmare

What you should know about torrenting

How a computer the size of a credit card is changing education — and GameBoy emulators

How people play Nintendo games on a computer, and why that's probably illegal

What are graphics cards, and why do you want one?

Everything you wanted to know about Drake, but were too afraid to ask

Why movie theaters should and shouldn't be afraid of VOD

Why the future of video games may be free-to-play

What is a gadget blog, anyway?

Why bots are the new big thing, and what that means for ordering pizza

Why artificial intelligence is more important than ever and how it will change our lives

What is Slack, why is everybody using it, and will it destroy my work-life balance?

Wrestlemania: why you should watch, even if pro wrestling isn't your thing

Everything you need to know about the Hyperloop, a potential transportation game-changer

Dota 2: an explainer for newcomers and the confused family of addicts

Before the driverless car, there was the PRT

Encryption: what is it exactly, and who is right about it?

Reusable rockets could send you to space — eventually

It's time to give film cameras a second chance

The Super Bowl: how to sound like an expert

Spotify, Apple Music, and Tidal: which service is right for you?

What is Sundance?

What is Tumblr?

What is CES?

What is a hoverboard?

What is Windows 10?

What is an internet router?

What is Fallout?

What is an internet meme?

What is the quantified self?

What is alien life?

What is Minecraft?