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This week, we're diving into the big changes at Xbox and what it all means for Microsoft's gaming future. Phil Spencer, the longtime face of Xbox, announced he's retiring last week. He'll be replaced by Microsoft's former CoreAI CEO Asha Sharma, instead of his longtime deputy Sarah Bond, who plans to leave the company. Will this change actually help the beleaguered Xbox division, or is it another example of Microsoft shoving AI into everything? 

Also, Samsung held its latest Galaxy Unpacked event this week to announce its new Galaxy S26 family. They look pretty much the same as last year, but the Ultra model includes a unique privacy feature that can instantly make the screen unreadable to bystanders. It's one of those features we expect to see in every phone eventually.

Xbox leadership falls apart. what happens next with Phil Spencer and Sarah Bond out? – 1:53

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked: Privacy display on the S26 Ultra looks amazing – 27:27

U.S. Defense leadership gives Anthropic a Friday deadline to let it use Claude as it sees fit – 42:38

MrBeast editor accused of insider trading on Kalshi – 50:40

Discord delays age verification program after user revolt – 54:09

Around Engadget – 1:04:04

Working on – 1:05:16

Pop culture picks – 1:08:21

This week, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified in a landmark social media trial, claiming the company only wanted to make Instagram "useful" and not addictive. In this episode, we chat about Zuck's testimony and the potential implications of this trial for social media companies. Also, we dive into the latest effects of the RAMaggedon RAM shortage, including a potential PlayStation 6 delay and a dire future for practically every consumer electronics company.

Mark Zuckerberg testifies that Instagram was meant to be ‘useful’, not addictive in social media addiction trial – 1:27

Meta reportedly plans to launch a smartwatch later this year – 13:23

The RAMageddon will likely kill some small consumer electronics companies – 15:54

Apple could unveil a MacBook, new M5 Pro chip, and iPhone 17e at March 4th event – 26:26

Google’s Pixel 10a arrives on March 5 – 32:17

Email leaked to 404 media suggests Ring had plans to use its Search Party function for wider surveillance – 34:48

Listener Mail – 45:14

Working on – 48:40

Pop culture picks – 49:04 

If you haven't heard, there's now a social network for AI: Moltbook, a site that purportedly features AI agents talking to each other. That includes OpenClaw, a personal AI agent (formerly called Clawdbot and Moltbot) that's open source and free for anyone to run on their systems. In this episode, Devindra and Senior Reporter Karissa Bell discuss the rise of these services, and the potential future that AI agents may have for all of us.
 

What is Moltbook and OpenClaw? – 1:31

Anthropic reinforces its commitment against ads with Super Bowl ad spots – 19:32

SpaceX acquires xAI and plans for a mega IPO – 27:08

Alexa + rolls out free for all Amazon Prime subscribers – 33:36

Around Engadget: Reviews of the New AirTag and Switch Virtual Boy – 44:12

Working on – 46:34

Pop culture picks – 49:24

Somehow, we live in a world where people can bet on practically anything using sites like Polymarket and Kalshi. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget Senior Reporter Karissa Bell dive into the world of betting markets. How did we get here? And is endless betting having an effect on the real world? Also, we chat about the new American version of TikTok, which stumbled during its first weekend with a litany of errors and reported censorship.

Who’s going to buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Tri-fold for $2900? – 1:18

Tesla is killing off the Model X and S lines to focus on its Optimus robot moonshot – 6:46

Amazon plans to cut 16,000 jobs and close its grocery stores in another round of restructuring – 10:45

Most of the UK will lose access to Pornhub in a fight over age verification and privacy – 21:16

Internal messages from Meta about Instagram being ‘a drug’ for teens could be bombshell evidence at trial – 26:59

What are prediction markets and why are they suddenly so popular? – 32:11

As TikTok US stumbles, users ask ‘is it server problems or censorship?’ – 46:55

Around Engadget – 59:11

Pop culture picks – 1:01:23 

Apple is reportedly working on an AI pin of its very own to compete with OpenAI's non-existent pin. No, it doesn't really make much sense to us, either. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget Managing Editor Cherlynn Low discuss why Apple might be quick to jump on the AI pin trend, even before it jumps into smart rings. 

TCL is taking over Sony’s Bravia TV business in a new joint venture – 0:58

Last week’s Verizon outage was resolved after 10 hours, no official word on what caused it – 8:39

Youtube CEO promises more AI video tools for creators while also denouncing deepfakes – 12:19

The FTC isn’t giving up on its Meta antitrust case – 14:22

Trump family earnings from crypto may total $1.4B in 2025, but likely much more – 19:00

Adobe Acrobat can now generate presentations and podcasts from your documents – 21:12

Why the heck would Apple make an AI pin?? – 25:15

Around Engadget: Sony LinkBuds Clip review, Volvo EX60 and Canon EOS R6 III reviews – 43:14

Pop culture picks – 46:34 

Apple's next-gen Siri is still far off, but this week the company announced that it'll be using Google's Gemini AI for its new foundation models. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget's Igor Bonifacic discuss why Apple teamed up with Google again, instead of OpenAI or Anthropic. Also, they chat about Meta's Reality Lab layoffs, which is refocusing the company on AI hardware like its smart glasses.
 

Meta announces 1000+ layoffs, closes 3 VR studios as it shifts focus to AI hardware – 2:12

Gemini can now pull context from the rest of your Google apps including photos and Youtube history – 12:31

Framework raises the price of its desktop by $460 because of the global RAM shortage – 18:36

NVIDIA may revive the RTX 3060 and kill off 5070 Ti due to its VRAM demands – 21:57

Apple creates a subscription bundle for Pro creative apps like Final Cut Pro, Logic, and others – 23:00

Tesla’s Full Self Driving is also going subscription only, a year costs $999 – 29:15

Matthew McConaughey trademarks himself to fight unauthorized AI likenesses – 33:27

Apple announces that its long delayed ’smarter Siri’ will be powered by Google Gemini – 35:15

X finally responds to Grok’s CSAM and nudity generation with limits – 51:46

Cursor claims their AI agents wrote 1M+ lines of code to make a web browser from scratch, are developers cooked? – 57:52   

That’s a wrap for CES 2026! In this episode, Devindra and Cherlynn chat about their favorite aspects of the show, as well as Engadget’s best of CES awards lineup. Also, Cherlynn chats with Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky about his Pebble smartwatch revival, as well as an intriguing new AI ring that’s built entirely around notetaking.

TVs at CES 2026: all eyes on Micro RGB and LG’s super thin OLED – 1:48

L'Oréal debuts LED/Infrared face masks seem cool but needs some development – 5:46

Engadget’s official Best of CES 2026: Lego’s Smart Brick, Lenovo’s rollable laptop screen, a super quiet leafblower and more – 9:55  

Health Tech at CES 2026: Eyebot’s 30-second vision exam, Wheelmove makes manual wheelchairs motorized –  11:41

Interview with Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky – 20:43

We're halfway through CES 2026, and one of our biggest takeaways is that it's going to be a rough year for the PC industry. In this episode, Devindra chats with Engadget's Daniel Cooper about Intel, AMD, NVIDIA and the sad state of the PC industry. We've got some new CPUs, but the volatile RAM market will likely make everything expensive this year. Also, they dive into Dell's revival of the XPS brand, as well as iPolish's smart nails and Subtle's AI-powered VoiceBuds.

Topics

• The state of the PC industry in 2026 -- 02:22
• Intel's new Core Ultra Series 3 chips --  12:41
• Dell's XPS lineup is back -- 17:41
• Our favorite products from  CES: 26:36

We’re gearing up for CES 2026! Engadget will be on the ground, once again, to dive into the latest TVs, wearables and other wild tech from the world’s biggest consumer electronics show. In this episode, we chat about some new products we expect to see, like MicroRGB LED TVs and AI devices, and peer into what’s ahead for the rest of 2026.

Over the past two years, the Nex Playground has carved out a niche for itself with kids and parents alike. It's a small box that sits in front of your TV and uses a camera, along with computer vision AI processing, to track your movement for interactive games. Think of it like a simplified version of Microsoft's Kinect (RIP), with a bit of the local multiplayer we see from the original Wii. In this bonus episode, we chat with David Lee, Nex's CEO and co-founder, about how he went from building a basketball tracking app to one of the most intriguing gaming console alternatives on the market. (The Nex Playground even managed to outsell Xbox in November!)

This week, Engadget Managing Editor Cherlynn Low joins us to look back at some of the highlights (and lowlights) of 2025. We dive into our favorite gadgets of the year, the many ways Big Tech bowed to Trump, the disappointment of AI PCs and the rise of smart glasses.
 

Our favorite gadgets of 2025: Kindle Scribe Colorsoft, Airpods Pro 3, bluetooth lav mics and more – 2:26

Favorite Media of 2025: Andor, self-improvement via podcast, and a shoutout to your library – 34:30

iRobot declares bankruptcy – 47:29

Warner Bros. Discovery board rejects Paramount’s hostile bid, shareholders yet to vote  – 53:47

The Oscars will air on Youtube starting in 2029 – 56:05

Ford to turn its F-150 Lightining into a gas generator EV – 57:41

Around Engadget: smart glasses had a great run in 2025, against social media age verification – 58:20

Last week, Netflix surprised us all when it announced plans for an $82.7 billion acquisition of Warner Bros., a move that would fundamentally reshape the world of streaming video and Hollywood. But Paramount isn't giving up on WB -- this week it launched a $108 billion hostile takeover effort. In this episode, we discuss why everyone is fighting for WB, and why Netflix may be the best worst option for the storied movie studio.

What the Netflix bid for Warner Bros. means for at-home streamers and moviegoers – 1:55

Disney characters are coming to Sora after OpenAI struck a deal – 32:59

Meta may be giving up on open source for Llama – 43:53  

Google CEO says we’re just going to have to grin and bear societal disruption via AI – 46:46

Around Engadget: The Kindle Scribe Colorsoft is good, but is it $630 good? – 49:06

The best trailers and announcements from The Game Awards’ Day of the Devs stream – 51:28

Here’s why projectors won in 2025 – 54:31

Working on – 56:15  

Pop culture picks – 57:33

RAM prices have gone wild, mostly thanks to AI. In this episode, Devindra chats with Will Smith (Brad and Will Made a Tech Pod) about the state of the RAM industry, as well as other hardware we expect to get more expensive. (SSD prices are definitely creeping up too!). Also, we discuss Meta poaching Alan Dye, one of Apple's design executives, and what this could mean for Meta's upcoming devices. And yes, whatever they have next will likely revolve around AI.
 

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, plans deep cuts to his company’s metaverse development – 1:09

Longtime Apple UI designer Alan Dye to join Meta’s AI division – 7:08

US DOT cuts fuel efficiency standards, doubles down on gas cars – 25:40

Waymo autonomous cars recently started driving more aggressively – 31:30

Amazon halts its anime dub beta because it sounded terrible – 38:00

WTF, RAM?? Will Smith joins to talk about why RAM prices are spiraling upward – 44:05

Around Engadget: Metroid Prime 4 is a return to form after 18 years on ice – 1:04:42

Working on – 1:07:36

Pop culture picks – 1:08:32

So it turns out Meta isn't a monopoly, at least according to a federal judge. In this episode, we dive into Meta's victory in the FTC's antitrust case, which it seems to have won mainly thanks to TikTok's existence. Also, we chat about the Cloudflare issue that took down a huge portion of the web this week, as well as Roblox's plan to collect kids' selfies for age verification. We also carve out some time to chat with the audience and answer your pressing tech questions.

Meta won its antitrust case, will keep control of Instagram and WhatsApp – 2:30

Chat with the Livestream: Flickr’s repository of aughts memories and who uses Facebook anymore – 23:59

The Cloudflare issue that took down a lot of the web? It was a database error – 32:49

Google’s new Gemini 3 model is now available – 34:57

Roblox wants tens of millions of kids to send them a selfie for age verification – 38:27

TikTok’s screen time management function now includes an…affirmation journal? – 41:30

Around Engadget – 43:47

Working on – 50:36

Pop culture picks – 52:27    

This week Valve surprised us all with the announcement of three new devices: The tiny Steam Machine PC gaming desktop, the Steam Frame VR headset and a new Steam Controller. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget's gaming reporter Jessica Conditt discuss how these devices fit into the PC gaming world, which has already been reshaped by Valve's Steck Deck portable. Also, we discuss our favorite games of 2025, as well as the upcoming titles we're looking forward to.  

Valve reshapes PC gaming with a new Steam Machine, Steam Frame VR headset and updated Steam Controller – 1:10

It’s not just Silksong! A look at our favorite indie games of 2025 with Jess Conditt – 25:25

Michael Burry places his next big short on Palantir and NVIDIA – 46:09

WSJ Report: OpenAI faces 7 lawsuits claiming ChatGPT encouraged user suicides – 50:57

Apple unveils Digital IDs for iPhones, to hold passports and other IDs – 59:35

Deezer-Ipsos survey says 97% of people can’t tell if music is AI generated – 1:01:37

Around Engadget – 1:07:18

Working on – 1:08:42

Pop culture picks – 1:09:10

2025 is almost over (gasp!), so it's time to look back at all of the best devices we've seen so far. In this episode, Engadget Deputy Editor Billy Steele joins Devindra to talk about the highlights of the year, which range from the usual suspects (like Google's Pixel and the iPhone 17 Pro), to surprises like the Ninja Swirl. Also, we chat about yet another super-thin phone and the latest sampler from Teenage Engineering.

Engadget’s Best of 2025: phones, tablets, cameras, even EVs! – 1:40

Reuters reports Meta projected 10% of its revenue ($16B) came from ads for scams this year – 32:20

Moto Edge 70 is another super thin smartphone, but who wants it? – 41:43

Netflix is going big on video podcasts in 2026 – 42:56

You can now stream PS5 games you own to the PS Portal via the cloud – 48:23

Around Engadget: Why DJI drones may be banned in the U.S. – 52:27

Pop culture picks – 56:05

Home robots are moving way beyond Roombas. 1X unveiled its NEO helper bot this week, a terrifying $20,000 machine that can perform basic tasks after you've trained it, and more complex tasks via teleoperation. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget's Igor Bonafacic try to figure out why 1X made the Neo look like a murderbot, as well as the future they see for home robots. Also, we discuss last week's AWS outage and our over-reliance on a single cloud provider, as well as Apple's rumored push for OLED devices in 2026.   

Devindra also what’s with John Gearty, a former Apple Vision Pro engineer, about the state of Apple’s headset and the world of XR.
 

Interview with John Gearty, former Apple Vision Pro engineer and founder of PulseJet Studios – 1:30

Robotics company 1X announces Neo, a $20k home assistant that *might* become autonomous…someday – 33:05

Amazon says automation bug caused AWS outage – 45:11

NVIDIA is the first company in history to hit a $5T market cap – 50:55

OpenAI finishes reorganization that paves path for future IPO – 55:21

U.S. Customs and Border Protection announces plan to photograph non-citizens entering the country for facial recognition – 1:08:45

Around Engadget: Billy Steele’s Echo Studio 2025 review – 1:17:25

Working on – 1:19:39

Pop culture picks – 1:22:07

The era of AI video is upon us, and honestly it's kind of terrifying. Between OpenAI's Sora and official communications from the Trump White House, it's clear that we're not ready for an unending onslaught of AI video. In this episode, Devindra and producer Ben chat with the Washington Post's technology reporter Drew Harwell and Jeremy Carrasco (AKA "ShowtoolsAI"), a former livestream and media producer turned AI video literacy creator. Also, we chat about our final thoughts on Apple's M5 MacBook Pro and iPad Pro, with a few quick notes about the new Vision Pro.

Google and Open AI’s video generation models have upended our sense of reality online, what comes next? – 1:10

Apple’s M5 chip is a significant boost in graphics power on the Macbook Pro – 34:11

The iPad Pro M5 is a solid speed boost for whoever wants it – 39:36

Preview of the Vision Pro M5 review – 44:00

Working on – 50:23

Pop culture Picks – 51:45 

Apple just announced its fall slate of devices powered by its new M5 chip: A 14-inch MacBook Pro, iPad Pro and revamped Vision Pro. In this episode, Devindra and Sam Rutherford dive into what's actually new this time around. (Spoiler: It’s really all about the new GPU.) Also, Sam goes deep on his review of the ROG Xbox Ally X, Microsoft’s first stab at a portable “Xbox.”
 

Apple refreshes of the Macbook Pro, Vision Pro and iPad Pro with M5 chips – 1:24

Sam Rutherford’s Review of the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally X – 18:45

Microsoft makes big promises with Copilot Voice, can it follow through? – 39:00

OpenAI’s Sora app reaches 1M downloads in less than 5 days, faster than ChatGPT – 50:42

Sam Altman announces you’ll be able to sext with ChatGPT starting in December – 54:00

Working on – 1:06:50

Pop culture picks – 1:09:41 

This week, EA announced that it plans to go private as part of a massive $55 billion sale, a move that will likely have huge implications for the gaming landscape. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget's Sam Rutherford chat about what this deal really means (and why it includes a Saudi Arabian investment fund), and also dive into the messy state of Xbox. Is the ROG Ally Xbox X already a failure at $1,000?
 

Electronic Arts to go private in a deal worth $55 Billion – 1:43

What the heck is going on with Xbox? The $1,000 ROG Ally Xbox X could be a failure even before launch – 15:23

Great games out now: Final Fantasy Tactics, Hollow Knight: Silksong, Hades II and more – 42:46

Amazon’s fall hardware event announced new Echoes, a new Fire TV and a panopticon powered by Ring – 59:10

Google announces new Nest Doorbell along with a couple of Nest Cams – 1:09:34

Hollywood film stars recoil in disgust at Tilly Norwood, an AI actress created by a Dutch production studio –1:14:30

OpenAI’s Sora video app is full of fake shoplifting clips – 1:14:13  

Working on – 1:17:35

Pop culture picks – 1:19:01 

Buying a car in America is usually a hellish experience involving pushy salespeople, mysterious fees, and hours-long financing negotiations. That’s something Carvana aimed to solve with its online used car marketplace when it launched 13 years ago. In this episode, Devindra chats with Carvana Chief Product Officer Dan Gill about how the company moved beyond the flashy marketing of its early car vending machines, and how it’s still trying to perfect the online car buying experience. We also dive into some of the issues the company has faced – including delayed registrations and vehicle issues – and how it’s trying to learn from them. 

We're still in iPhone mode this week, as all of our reviews of Apple's new hardware are rolling out. In this episode, Senior Writer Sam Rutherford joins us to chat about his experience with the iPhone Air and our final thoughts on the rest of the iPhone 17 lineup. Also, we dive into all of the news from Meta Connect 2025, including the Ray-Ban Display smart glasses. Is Meta actually on to something with these smart glasses? Or is Zuck just desperate to get people away from phones?


iPhone 17 Air review: Thinness with a purpose – 1:21

What’s the iPhone 17 Air’s battery life like? – 14:47

iPhone 17 Pro: a more substantive update than meets the eye – 24:54

The base iPhone 17 is a great phone for pretty much everyone – 35:26

Mark Zuckerberg announces Meta Ray-Ban Display smart glasses during his Connect keynote – 39:35

Other News: The ‘framework’ of a TikTok deal is in place, U.S. may license ByteDance’s original algorithm – 1:09:08

New rumors about a touchscreen MacBook Pro – 1:10:41

Working on – 1:14:32

Pop culture picks – 1:15:02 

This week, managing editor Cherlynn Low and senior reporter Karissa Bell are joined by The Verge's Allison Johnson to talk all about the new iPhone Air, iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17s. We also answered some questions from Threads and talk about our hopes and dreams from the next Apple event. Also, Devindra and Ben chat about some recent news, including a truly awful AI podcasting company.

Cherlynn, Karissa, and a special guest break down the iPhone 17 news from Apple headquarters – 1:04

Notes from the iPhone Air hands on – 14:59

Once again, a big Apple event with no mention of Apple Intelligence – 40:27

Animated movie Critterz will use OpenAI’s tech to try to make a CGI movie on a shoestring budget – 59:24  

Inception Point AI wants to use virtual hosts to make 5,000 new podcast episodes a week – 1:04:26

David Zaslav thinks HBO Max should be more expensive, because of course he does – 1:23:27

Working on – 1:25:41

Pop culture picks – 1:28:29 

We've survived Apple's iPhone 17 event and we're here to dive into all of the news. In this bonus episode, Devindra and Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham recap all of Apple's new hardware and try to determine if the iPhone Air has any substance behind all that style.  

We're just days away from Apple's September 9th iPhone 17 event, and the hype seems practically nonexistent. Did the many (many) leaks splash cold water on an enthusiasm, or are we just tired of annual iPhone events? In this episode, Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham joins Devindra to discuss why even the rumored iPhone Air isn't really tingling our gadget geek senses. Also, we dive into the final repercussions of the US. v. Google antitrust trial: Turns out Google doesn’t have to sell Chrome, or give up much of anything else.   

The iPhone 17 is almost here, does anyone care? – 1:36

U.S. antitrust judge rules that Google won’t have to sell Chrome – 23:24

More Gemini-powered smart home products will be revealed on October 1 – 30:02

The Browser Company’s sale to Jira parent company Atlassian shows how hard upstart browsers have it – 33:15

After 15 years Instagram is finally getting an iPad app – 40:41

Dolby announces Dolby Vision 2 with a bunch of AI features that seem useful – 44:25

There’s AI in your pizza oven: Ooni’s Volt V2 will cook a pie in 90 seconds using machine learning – 49:02

Around Engadget: Remarkable Paper Pro Move, Acer Chromebook 14 Spin Plus, and Samsung Galaxy Tab S11 – 52:51

Working on – 56:55

Pop culture picks – 57:20

Now that Apple has scheduled its iPhone 17 event for September 9th, it's time to dive into everything we’re  expecting. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget's Igor Bonifacic chat with Bloomberg's Mark Gurman about his latest Apple scoops. We're expecting an ultra-thin iPhone Air (which may turn out to be a dud), but when will we hear more about Apple's rumored move into robotics and that darned foldable iPhone?

iPhone 17 event preview with Mark Gurman: Apple’s rumored iPhone Air will be rough around the edges at first  – 1:03

What to expect from the main iPhone 17 line: more of the same, for better or worse – 10:24

OpenAI faces first known Artificial Intelligence wrongful death lawsuit – 26:32

U.S. government converts Intel’s CHIPS act grant into 9.9% equity – 32:28

Working on – 37:15

Pop culture picks –  39:01

This week, Google unveiled its full suite of Pixel 10 devices during an event hosted by Jimmy Fallon, of all people. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget's Sam Rutherford dive into all of the new phone models and try to determine if Google has finally cracked the code on premium smartphones. Also, they chat about a few announcements from Gamescom 2025.

Google announces Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro – 1:08

The Pixel 10 Pro Fold – 7:13

Pro Res Zoom promises up to 100x virtual zoom with an AI assist – 20:34

Pixel Watch 4: a more vibrant screen and satellite connectivity – 26:04

What’s hot at Gamescom: new details on the Xbox ROG Ally handset – 29:43

New updates to NVIDIA GeForce now – 34:43

Unfortunately, Elden Ring Tarnished Edition runs poorly on the Switch 2 – 37:43

Working on – 40:56

Pop culture picks – 41:57  

Ford has big plans for 2027: This week, the American carmaker announced a new "Universal EV Platform" for future electric cars, spearheaded by a $30,000 mid-sized EV pickup. In this episode, we're joined by SAE International Editor Roberto Baldwin to break down all of Ford's claims, as well as where its $5 billion manufacturing investment is going. Can Ford really rebound after slow EV sales and last year's disappointing product delays?
 

Ford has a plan for a ‘Universal EV Platform’ and a $30,000 mid-size electric pickup, can they pull it off? – 0:49

OpenAI releases GPT-5, the reception so far is mixed – 24:45

NVIDIA and AMD may tithe 15% of their Chinese GPU sales to the U.S. government – 30:18

Goodbye: AOL will phase out dial-up at the end of September – 33:25

AI-powered “Smarter Siri” likely won’t hit iPhones until Spring 2026 – 36:42

Perplexity makes an unsolicited offer to buy Chrome for $34 billion, which is more than the company is worth – 41:03

Listener Mail: Gaming on a MacBook Air – 52:31

Working On – 57:05

Pop culture picks – 59:13

This week, Apple committed another $100 billion towards US investments in a bid to avoid the Trump administration’s chaotic tariff plans. Oh, and Tim Cook gave Trump a unique plaque with a 24-karat gold base. Just a normal business meeting in a normal country. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget's Sam Rutherford discuss what this latest Apple investment ultimately means (and just how embarrassing appeasing the Trump administration looks). And since the news is fairly slow, we also take some time to answer a few listener questions. 

Apple attempts to avoid tariffs with another $100 billion U.S. investment and a shiny object for the president – 1:21

Nintendo announces blockbuster Switch 2 sales numbers, price hikes for original Switch models – 12:39

Trump demands Intel’s new CEO to step down over conflicts of interest – 16:51

ChatGPT conversations no longer searchable in Google (why were they there in the first place?) – 18:55

Hulu to shut down app in 2026 and be absorbed into Disney+ – 22:15

Listener Q&A: HDMI or Optical for sound bar connection, moving off of Windows 10, and good alternatives to the Lenovo Yoga 7 – 26:59

Working on – 48:04

Pop culture picks – 53:29. 

 

We’ve been playing around with the developer betas of Apple’s latest software, and now that we’ve spent time with iOS 26, Liquid Glass and more on actual devices, we have thoughts. From representation in Genmoji and Live Translation adventures to Apple Intelligence musings, our hosts Cherlynn Low and Mat Smith share what you can expect on your iPhones later this year. We also go over our reviews of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 and Galaxy Z Flip 7, as well as Microsoft’s SharePoint server vulnerabilities.

Cherlynn and Mat on how iOS 26 feels in the developer beta – 1:17

Our reviews of Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7, Flip 7, and Watch 8 – 43:07

Microsoft Sharepoint vulnerability -- who's impacted so far (including the Department of Energy) – 50:58

Pop culture picks – 54:15

VR filmmaker Eliza McNitt has explored the cosmos with her previous work, but with her short film Ancestra, she taps into Google’s AI tools to tell a personal story. Based on her own birth, the film follows a pregnant woman who is shocked to learn she needs an emergency cesarean delivery. We hear her frightened thoughts as she thinks back to the creation of life and the way all living creatures are connected.

In this episode, Devindra chats with McNitt about Ancestra and the creative potential (and many dangers) of AI as a video production tool. While she ultimately believes it’s up to every artist to judge the costs and benefits of every tool on their own, she also agrees that AI companies need to be more transparent about how their models are built, especially when it comes to training them on copyrighted works.

Samsung has finally debuted its latest foldables (after plenty of leaks), and boy they sure look thin. This week, Engadget's Sam Rutherford joins us to chat about the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7, as well as other highlights from its Galaxy Unpacked event. Also, we dive into a few of the best deals from Amazon Prime Day. You won't believe how cheap huge TVs have gotten.  

Breaking down the Samsung Galaxy Fold 7 and everything else from Unpacked 2025 – 1:58

Galaxy Z Flip 7: bigger screens, bigger battery – 16:06  

Galaxy Watch 8: now with an antioxidant sensor? – 20:59  

Great deals still available as Amazon Prime Day 2025 comes to a close – 30:38

Linda Yaccarino leaves X, xAI’s Grok goes on an antisemitic tirade – 39:03

Cloudflare could make AI web crawlers pay a toll – 41:28

Jack Dorsey unveils Bitchat, a “secure” Bluetooth mesh messaging app – 43:40

Marco Rubio AI imposter attempts to gain access to government information – 46:33

A U.S. version of TikTok is currently in development – 49:43

Anthropic wins significant Fair Use copyright case – 52:38

Working on – 1:00:53

Pop culture picks – 1:02:25 

This week, Devindra chats with Sam Chapman, Engadget’s new security reporter who’s been reviewing VPNs and related products. He dives into what led him to security, the VPNs he likes the most and thoughts on potential cyberattacks. Additionally, we discuss Microsoft’s latest news around the Windows 10 Extended Security Update, and Devindra explains why M3GAN 2.0 absolutely rules.

It's been a busy week! In this episode, Devindra and Senior Editor Jessica Conditt dive into their final thoughts on the Switch 2, as well as Jess's time covering Summer Game Fest. We also put a bow on WWDC 2025 and explore what works and doesn't with Apple's Liquid Glass redesign. 

Summer Games Fest 2025: Sword of the Sea, Mouse: PI for Hire, Big Walk and a ton more indies – 1:17

Nintendo Switch 2 review: more polish on the Switch form factor with scant new releases – 22:09

WWDC 2025 wrap up: what will users think of liquid glass? – 38:11

Air Traffic Control audio reveals Predator drones flew over LA protests – 53:31

Meta announces large investment in Scale AI and a new AI Superintelligence initiative – 54:24

Warner Bros. Discovery to split into two devisions along old company lines – 59:12  

Pop culture picks – 1:00:34 

In this special episode, recorded live in Cupertino, Cherlynn and Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham are joined by the Washington Post's Chris Velazco and Wired's Julian Chokkattu to discuss Apple's announcements at WWDC 2025. Though the announcements were all over the place and felt difficult to judge until they roll out to devices, our guests and hosts agree that they felt more meaningful than past WWDCs.

The Switch 2 has finally launched, and we've got our systems in-hand to show them off. This week, Devindra, Sam Rutherford and Nathan Ingraham will dive into their first impressions of Nintendo's new console and Mario Kart World. And of course, we'll discuss the chaotic launch experience. Also, we chat about what to expect from Apple's WWDC 2025, where we'll likely see a new naming scheme and facelift for Apple operating systems, as well as more details about their AI plans with Apple Intelligence. 
 

The Switch 2 is finally out! Here’s our first thoughts – 1:05

Switch 2 display: bigger, brighter, and has HDR! – 8:53 

Switch 2 games: Mario Kart world is the king of the castle for now – 12:11

WWDC 2025 preview: what to look forward to after last year’s botched AI Siri announcement – 26:02

Working on: how to stop worrying and love the Dad EV – 39:01 

This week we're fielding your burning tech questions, as well as diving into a bunch of AI web browser news. Opera has started testing its fully agentic AI browser, the Browser Company is dumping the Arc browser in favor of something AI related and Mozilla is getting in a bit of hot water with experimental AI preview summaries. Try as we might, we just can't escape AI.

Listener Mailbag: How to set up an Xbox account for your kids, will screens be obsolete, and more – 1:34

Web browsers go AI ‘agentic’: The Browser Company leaves Arc behind. Opera and Firefox debut new features – 25:37

xAI is paying Telegram $300m this year to use Grok – 54:04

Apple’s self repair program extends to iPads – 56:30

Apple might switch its OS numbering next year, iOS26 could be on the way – 58:57

Working on – 1:02:41

Pop culture picks – 1:09:26 

Would you believe Google really wants to sell you on its AI? This week, we dive into the news from Google I/O 2025 with Engadget's Karissa Bell. We discuss how Gemini is headed to even more places, as well as Karissa's brief hands-on with Google's prototype XR glasses. It seems like Google is trying a bit harder now than it did with Google Glass and its defunct Daydream VR platform. But will the company end up giving up again, or does it really have a shot against Meta and Apple?

Lots of AI and a little XR: Highlights from Google I/O 2025 – 1:15

OpenAI buys Jony Ive’s design company for $6.6B, in an all equity deal – 29:27

Fujifilm’s $850 X Half could be the perfect retro camera for the social media age – 39:42

Sesame Street is moving from HBO to Netflix – 44:09

Cuts to IMLS will lead to headaches accessing content on apps like Libby and Hoopla – 45:49

Listener Mail: Should I replace my Chromebook with a Mac or PC Laptop? – 48:33

Pop culture picks – 52:22

It looks like we're entering the era of crazy-thin phones. This week, Samsung finally announced the Galaxy S25 Edge, its slimmest smartphone yet. Is there actually a point to it, or is Samsung just trying to beat Apple to its rumored super-thin iPhone? Engadget's Sam Rutherford joins us to dive into the S25 Edge, as well as some pre-Google I/O news from the Android Show.

Samsung’s Galaxy S25 Edge: How much does thin mean to you? – 1:32

What’s new at The Android Show 2025 – 16:50

Apple touts a bunch of new features for Global Accessibility Awareness Day – 30:34

Apple Carplay Ultra is finally here, but only if you have a new Aston Martin – 39:08

The DJI Mavic 4 Pro is the new standard for consumer drones – 45:28

Our review of the WH-1000XM6, Sony’s standard-bearing wireless headphones just dropped – 52:33

Max No More: HBO’s app will be HBO Max once again – 57:09

Around Engadget – 1:01:53

Listener Mail: Switch 2 details with T-minus 20 days until launch – 1:09:38

Pop culture picks – 1:15:57

This week we're diving into the new 12-inch Surface Pro, which, alongside the 13-inch Surface Laptop, is a foray into smaller Surface hardware. You can thank Qualcomm's Snapdragon X Plus chips for that. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget's Igor Bonifacic explore the compromises Microsoft had to make for these devices, and they dive into the rumors around Half Life 3 and the surprise leaked photos of Microsoft and ASUS's potential Xbox handheld. Also, Devindra chats with the head of Google's X division, Astro Teller, about the past and future of the "moonshot factory."

Surface Pro 12-inch review: less weight, less power? – 2:04

ASUS’ Xbox handheld photos leak in FCC filing – 21:39

OpenAI restructures business, announces plan for hostile takeover-proof public benefit corp – 26:14

The EPA announces plans to shut down the Energy Star Program – 31:16

Telemessage, a Signal clone favored by Trump administration officials has been hacked – 34:44

Samsung subsidiary buys Masimo and now it owns all the fancy speakers – 36:35

Half-Life 3 is fully formed and playable?! – 40:59

Around Engadget – 49:53

Pop culture picks – 51:42

This week Meta held its first-ever AI dev conference, LlamaCon, focused on the development of its Llama generative AI model. But while there was plenty of hype, not much happened, besides the launch of the Meta AI app and a new Llama API. In this episode, Engadget Senior Reporter Karissa Bell joins us to talk about her thoughts on LlamaCon after attending in person. After just announcing its latest Llama models a few weeks ago, it was as if Meta didn't have much else to say.

Meta’s Muted LlamaCon: who was the AI dev conference really for? – 1:31

Court orders Apple to stop collecting app fees outside of the iTunes store – 21:44

Microsoft announces Xbox series X and S prices are going up – 25:22

NPR report: DOGE employees may have access to U.S. nuclear secrets – 26:44

New EV startup Slate to offer a barebones pickup for $20k (after tax breaks) – 30:47

Swiss academics use AI to influence public opinion on Reddit – 35:08

Duolingo to replace contract workers with AI – 40:19

Working on – 47:50

Pop culture picks – 50:56

4chan, one of the trolliest places on the internet, could be gone for good following last week's hack. In this episode, Devindra and Cherlynn break down what 4chan was and why it's influence can be found practically everywhere now. It's like we're living in  a poster's paradise. Also, we discuss YouTube's 20th birthday and all of the memories (and frustrations) it's given us over the years.

4chan is dead, RIP? – 2:08

Youtube turns 20 – 15:59

Nintendo’s Switch 2 is finally available for preorder at the same price – 33:03

Apple and Meta fined a combined €800m under Europe’s New Digital Markets Act – 34:44  

OpenAI might be interested in Chrome if Google was compelled to sell – 35:30

Google pays Samsung an “enormous” amount to put Gemini on phones – 37:50

The Washington Post partners with OpenAI to bring its content to ChatGPT – 38:43

Around Engadget – 41:52

Listener Mail: Transitioning from Windows to Mac for CAD / 3D design – 47:01

Pop culture picks – 54:55

This week, we're diving into Engadget's coverage from the 2025 New York Auto Show. There are tons of EVs, as we expected, as well as some surprising disappointments (what the heck did Subaru do to the Outback?!). Also, we once again try to make sense of the Trump administration's tariff mess. Stay tuned to the end of this episode for a chat with Isaiah Saxon, the director of A24’s The Legend of Ochi, about his puppet-filled kid’s adventure.
 

What’s hot in EVs from New York Auto Show 2025 – 1:56

Federal Judge rules that Google has a monopoly on U.S. digital ads – 17:42

Facebook antitrust trial begins after several attempts to scuttle the case – 22:18

Tariff Watch: tariffs on semiconductors and electronics to be announced later – 31:16

PS5 prices are rising around the world – 34:22

NPR: Whistleblower shows evidence DOGE took sensitive data from federal labor board – 42:35

Sidewalk alerts in Seattle and Palo Alto hacked to play AI-generated messages – 47:18

New details for Mario Kart World – 48:43

Around Engadget / Working On – 51:42

Picks – 54:31

Interview with Legend of Ochi director Isaiah Saxon – 59:59

This week, Engadget's Sam Rutherford dives into his experience with Google's new $499 mid-range smartphone, the Pixel 9a. Is it really the new mid-range king, as we previously predicted? Or is it worth spending more for the Pixel 9? Also, we chat about how the Trump administration's volatile tariff strategy will affect consumer technology (not to mention everything else you buy).  

Sam Rutherford’s Pixel 9a Review: Basic in just the right way – 1:16

Tariff Watch: Switch 2 preorders delayed, Razer pauses laptop sales in the U.S. – 30:27

TikTok ban deadline extended for another 75 days – 42:40

Samsung’s Ballie robot with Google Gemini arrives this Summer (allegedly) – 43:31

Listener Mail – 46:53

Working on – 57:41

Pop Culture picks – 59:23

After Nintendo revealed the full details around the Switch 2 this week, Engadget's Sam Rutherford got some hands-on time with the new console. In this episode, he talks about the major improvements in the new hardware (especially that 1080p, 120 fps screen) and why he doesn't really miss the older Switch OLED. Also, Sam discusses his time with Mario Kart World, the new semi-open world version of Nintendo's classic racer. 

In other news, we dive into the latest updates around the TIkTok ban, and we discuss how the Trump administration's tariff push will affect everything in the technology world and beyond. Stay tuned to the end of the show for our chat with Shinichiro Watanabe, the creator of Cowboy Bebop, about his new anime series Lazarus.

Switch 2 details are finally here, Sam Rutherford got hands-on time with it – 1:47

U.S.’s broad new tariffs on China and beyond could make everything from keyboards to cars more expensive – 49:32

TikTok’s divest-or-ban deadline is April 5, here are the possible buyers – 54:57

xAI buys X, but how much does that matter? – 58:24

Working on – 1:00:59

Pop culture picks – 1:02:31 

This week, we learned that even government officials are addicted to their group chats -- except with the Trump administration those chats include war plans and potentially classified information. In this episode, we dive into the sheer recklessness and stupidity of Signalgate. And speaking of reckless, we also discuss 23andMe's bankruptcy and the privacy concerns around selling off customer DNA data.

Signalgate: What happened, who was involved, and how to safely add someone to a Signal group chat – 0:48

23andMe files for bankruptcy, customers are urged to delete their sensitive data – 21:25

Canon’s PowerShot V1 and R50 V cameras go all in on vlogging – 27:21

Apple announces WWDC dates, updates Airpods Max, and dodges fines in the EU – 32:52

How did Napster sell for $207 million in 2025? – 45:32

Around Engadget – 48:44

Working On – 55:22

Pop Culture picks – 57:56

After a ton of leaks, Google officially announced the $499 Pixel 9a, which has the potential to be the new king of mid-range phones. It has dual cameras and access to Google's AI features -- in many ways, it's everything the iPhone 16e should have been (especially its price). In this episode, Senior Writer Sam Rutherford joins us to discuss what's great about the Pixel 9a, as well as its potential downsides compared to the Pixel 9.

Google’s announces the Pixel 9a - potentially the new midrange king – 1:15

Fujifilm’s GX100RF: a 102MP medium format camera (nice!) with only one F4 lens (boo!) – 21:31

Karissa Bell’s roundup of the craziest stuff from Facebook whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams’ book – 24:14

Donald Trump attempts to fire FTC’s two Democratic commissioners – 29:34

Amazon will send all Alexa recordings to the cloud, no more local processing – 32:52

Chinese EV maker BYD announces chargers that give 249 miles of range in 5 minutes – 39:10

Pebble founder introduces two new e-paper smartwatches – 46:47

Listener Mail: Trying to choose an OLED TV – 57:35

Around Engadget – 1:03:49

Working on – 1:09:56

Pop culture picks – 1:10:28

It's both a great and bad week for Apple. In this episode, we dive into Devindra's review of the excellent M4-equipped MacBook Air (and briefly chat about the new Mac Studio). We also discuss Apple's surprise announcement that it's delaying its smarter, AI-infused Siri, which may not arrive until next year. Did Apple over-promise last year, or is it wise to hold off on advanced AI features until they're ready? After all, Apple doesn't want a fiasco like Microsoft's Recall announcement.
 

The MacBook Air M4 refresh maintains Apple’s seat on the ultraportable throne – 1:40

…but the delay on a Siri upgrade could spell trouble long-term – 15:32

Xbox’s first handheld might not be made by Microsoft – 34:29

The White House turns into a Tesla dealership – 41:30

Meta attempts to block unflattering expose book already on sale – 45:52

Around Engadget: Ninja Swirl and Eero Pro 7 router reviews – 46:38

Working on – 49:21

Pop culture picks – 50:26  

Apple finally dropped some long-awaited updates this week:  An M4 MacBook Air (now starting at $999!), M3 iPad Air, as well as a refreshed Mac Studio with M3 Ultra and M4 Max chips. In this episode, Cherlynn, Devindra and Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham chat about all of Apple's new hardware, as well as some interesting tidbits from Mobile World Congress 2025. Devindra also dives into his reviews of NVIDIA's RTX 5070 and AMD's Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT. It turns out AMD has finally delivered some killer GPUs to counter NVIDIA's dominance.

We mentioned a bunch of stuff from our Mobile World Congress Roundup, you can check it out here

MacBook Air refresh announced with an M4 chip and a slight price drop – 2:04

What’s hot at Mobile World Congress 2025 – 23:10

Lenovo’s Solar PC – 35:20

Xiaomi 15 Ultra (with a fancy Leica camera) – 37:53

New releases from Nothing – 39:16

Samsung releases a trio of A series devices – 40:35  

NVIDIA vs. AMD part ∞: AMD’s Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT edge out the GeForce RTX 5070 – 46:20

Pop culture picks – 54:11 

The keyword for the iPhone 16e seems to be "compromise." In this episode, Devindra chats with Cherlynn about her iPhone 16e review and try to figure out who this phone is actually for. Also, they dive into Amazon's Alexa+ event, where we finally learned more about the company's AI-powered voice assistant. Alexa+ seems useful, but can we trust it?

iPhone 16e review: too expensive with too many compromises – 1:28

Amazon Alexa+ is a conversational assistant powered by AI – 18:39

Framework unveils a cheap 2-in-1 laptop and a…modular desktop? – 40:53

Clone Robotics released a video of a robot with fake skin that will haunt your nightmares – 43:26

NYT: American Psychologists are getting ready to fight AI clone therapists – 44:05

Working on – 47:59

Pop culture picks – 49:02

Interview with Daniel Rausch, VP of Amazon’s Alexa division – 55:34