Episodios
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On today's show: sleep gadgets, AI DJs, and sneaky TVs. Victoria Song joins the show to talk about her experiences with the Eight Sleep mattress pad, the Oura Ring 4, and other sleep gadgets. Can you really measure your way to a better night of sleep? After that, Allison Johnson gives us her take on Spotify's AI DJ, and we wonder exactly how an AI tool is supposed to help us find and listen to music. Finally, Nilay Patel comes on to answer a question from the Vergecast Hotline about the Samsung Frame TVs — and how to figure out whether you need a TV at all.
Further reading:
Eight Sleep Pod 4 Ultra review: for sale, good night’s sleep, just $4,700
Ozlo Sleepbuds hands-on: resurrected and I’ve slept so good
Oura Ring 4 review: still on top — for now
Spotify’s AI is no match for a real DJ
Samsung’s Frame TV is finally getting the knockoffs it deserves
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For the second episode in our three-part miniseries about the future of music, Charlie Harding, a music journalist and co-host of the Switched on Pop podcast, joins the show to tell the story of Auto-Tune. He walks us through how a simple plugin became such a recognizable sound in music, why both artists and fans gravitated to the Auto-Tune sound, and why Auto-Tune has continued to grow even through backlash in the music business. Then we look ahead to AI, and try to figure out what — if any — lessons we might be able to learn about the sound and culture of the AI era to come.
Further reading:
Charlie Harding on X
Switched on Pop
From Pitchfork: How Auto-Tune Revolutionized the Sound of Popular Music
From Rick Beato: How Auto-Tune DESTROYED Popular Music
From Gabi Belle: The Problem with Autotune on TikTok
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Nilay and David talk about the election, and how The Vergecast plans to cover and talk about the next four years of the Trump administration. But only for a minute. Then it's onto our reviews of the new Mac Mini and MacBook Pro, which reset Apple's desktop and laptop lineup in an excellent way. After that, Sean Hollister joins the show to discuss his review of the PlayStation 5 Pro, the news about backwards compatibility for the Nintendo Switch successor, and the state of Nintendo's fight against emulators. In the lightning round, we talk about really expensive domain names, oddly named smart home standards, and cloud gaming whales. Which apparently exist.
Further reading:
Donald Trump wins the 2024 presidential election
What does Trump’s election mean for EVs, Tesla, and Elon Musk?
All the Big Tech leaders congratulating Donald Trump
Google CEO says company should be ‘trusted source’ in US election
Another Trump presidency is literally toxic — his opponents are gearing up for battle
Here’s FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr sucking up to Donald Trump by threatening to take NBC off the air
Apple Mac Mini M4 review: a tiny wonder
Apple MacBook Pro 14 (2024) review: the Pro for everyone
Amazon says it’s fixing the Kindle Colorsoft’s yellow screen
Kindle Colorsoft owners complain of a yellow bar on the e-reader’s screen
PS5 Pro review: how close is your TV?
Nintendo’s next generation is off to a great start
Nintendo says the Switch successor will be compatible with Switch games
Why is Nintendo targeting this YouTuber?
Did OpenAI just spend more than $10 million on a URL?
The Matter smart home standard gains support for more devices, including heat pumps and solar panels
Nvidia to cap game streaming hours on GeForce Now instead of raising fees
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November 6th marks 10 years to the day since Amazon surprise-launched a new, cylindrical device called the Echo. It introduced the world to smart speakers, and to the idea that you might be able to get stuff done just by shouting aloud in your living room. But a decade in, what has Alexa really accomplished? The Verge's Jennifer Pattison Tuohy joins the show to talk through the history of Alexa, Amazon's struggles to improve and extend its voice assistant, and the promise of a language model overhaul that might in theory make Alexa far more useful. There's a chance Alexa's second decade might be even more interesting than the first.
Further reading:
Amazon just surprised everyone with a crazy speaker that talks to you
Amazon Echo review: listen up
Alexa, where’s my Star Trek Computer?
Alexa, thank you for the music
The Alexa Skills revolution that wasn’t
The Amazon Echo graveyard
Amazon’s supercharged Alexa won’t arrive this year
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For the first episode in our three-part miniseries on the future of music, we tell the story of Track Star, a music game show that has become a viral hit on TikTok and Instagram. Jack Coyne, the show's friendly host, tells us how Track Star came to be, why the format works so well, and why A-list celebrities like Olivia Rodrigo, Ed Sheeran, and Kamala Harris are all clamoring to be on the show. Coyne also tells us where Track Star might go next — and why the future of music content might look a lot like the past.
Further reading:
Track Star on TikTok
Jack Coyne on Instagram
The Olivia Rodrigo episode
The "Every Track Star Song" playlist
The Malcolm Todd episode
Public Opinion
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Nilay and David discuss a big week in AI news, including the new web search features in ChatGPT and the reporting that Meta is working on something very similar. They also briefly talk about this quarter's tech earnings, and what they say about the ways AI is really being used. Then, Wall Street Journal columnist Joanna Stern joins the show to talk about Apple Intelligence, Apple's week of Mac launches, and why Siri still can't open her garage. Finally, in the lightning round, the hosts talk about Netflix's gentle push into social features, Tony Fadell's AI thoughts, and our endorsement of Kamala Harris.
Further reading:
OpenAI’s search engine is now live in ChatGPT
Meta is reportedly working on its own AI-powered search engine, too
Microsoft’s gaming revenue keeps going up, even though hardware sales are down
Reddit is profitable for the first time ever, with nearly 100 million daily users
Snap Inc. - Financials - Quarterly Results
Apple’s Mac week: everything announced
Apple announces redesigned Mac Mini with M4 chip — and it’s so damn small
Watch Apple show off the M4 Mac Mini in its reveal video - The Verge
Apple’s new Magic Keyboard, Magic Mouse, and Magic Trackpad have USB-C
Apple put the Magic Mouse’s charging port on the bottom again
Apple updates the MacBook Pro with M4 Pro and M4 Max chips
Apple updates the iMac with new colors and an M4 chip
Apple’s first smart home display could pay homage to a classic iMac
Apple Intelligence is out
WSJ: Apple’s Craig Federighi Explains Apple Intelligence Delays, Siri’s Future and More
Netflix is making it easier to bookmark and share your favorite parts of a show
Tony Fadell calls out Sam Altman
Tim Walz and AOC are going to play Madden together on Twitch
The Verge’s guide to the 2024 presidential election
Tech leaders line up to flatter Trump’s ego
Jeff Bezos is no longer relentlessly focused on customer satisfaction
“You have a Washington Post problem.”
From The New York Times: Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and the Billions of Ways to Influence an Election
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Kylie Robison joins the show to talk about the recent dueling AI blog posts from OpenAI's Sam Altman and Anthropic's Dario Amodei. What do these CEOs think the future of AI looks like? Then, Will Poor tells us the story of ShakeAlert, an earthquake alert system that has huge potential and some surprising challenges. On The Vergecast Hotline, Allison Johnson joins Will to figure out whether the iPhone's new Camera Control is really as fast as advertised.
Further reading:
Sam Altman: The Intelligence Age
Dario Amodei: Machines of Loving Grace
Anthropic’s CEO thinks AI will lead to a utopia — he just needs a few billion dollars first
OpenAI plans Orion AI model release for December
ShakeAlert
If you live on the West Coast and you have an iPhone, here's how to turn on the "Local Awareness" feature that speeds up WEA messages:
Download the MyShake app on for iOS
or for Android
Ready.gov's earthquake advice:
About emergency and government alerts on iPhone
Apple iPhone 16 and 16 Plus review: all caught up
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Nilay, David, and Richard Lawler talk about all of the coming Apple gadgets and software, from the new iPad Mini to the upcoming week of Mac announcements to the many flavors of iOS and Apple Intelligence heading to a device near you soon. Then they talk about the other news in AI, from Anthropic's new computer-using model to the growing set of lawsuits against AI companies. In the lightning round, they discuss the Boox Palma 2, T-Mobile's "lifetime" deals, and the battle over FTC's click-to-cancel rule.
Further reading:
Apple iPad Mini 2024 review: missing pieces
iOS 18.2 will let everyone set new default phone and messaging apps
Apple’s first iOS 18.2 beta adds more AI features and ChatGPT integration
Apple teases ‘week’ of Mac announcements starting Monday
Apple is preparing an M4 MacBook Air update for early next year
Tim Cook says he uses every Apple product every day — how does that work?
Tim Cook on Why Apple’s Huge Bets Will Pay Off
Anthropic’s latest AI update can use a computer on its own
Humane slashes the price of its AI Pin after weak sales
Apple is ‘concerned’ about AI turning real photos into ‘fantasy’
News Corp sues Perplexity for ripping off WSJ and New York Post
Kevin Bacon, Kate McKinnon, and other creatives warn of ‘unjust’ AI threat
Industry groups are suing the FTC to stop its click to cancel rule
The Boox Palma 2 has a faster processor and adds a fingerprint reader
Seniors are PISSED that T-Mobile won’t honor its “lifetime” price guarantee.
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The Verge's Victoria Song joins the show to talk about her year of testing smart rings, and which of the many new options is the one you should buy. Then Chris Welch takes us through his testing of the new hearing health features for Apple's AirPods, including the surprisingly intense hearing test you can take right on your phone. Finally, Andrew Webster helps us answer a question on the Vergecast Hotline: why doesn't Apple buy Nintendo, and what would happen if it did?
Further reading:
We tested six smart rings, and there’s a clear winner
Oura Ring 4 review: still on top — for now
Apple’s AirPods Pro hearing health features are as good as they sound
Apple’s AirPods Pro 2 could forever change how people access hearing aids
Super Mario Run hands-on: like Mario, just simpler
Microsoft’s Phil Spencer says acquiring Nintendo would be ‘a career moment’
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For the last eight months, David Cogen has been living a double life. By day: a YouTuber and creator, the face of the TheUnlockr channel, reviewing phones and testing ebikes and explaining how food smokers really work. By night and morning and every single other available in-between moment: a coffee shop entrepreneur, working to get a Brooklyn spot called Coffee Check up and running. In this episode, the second in the two-part miniseries that we’re calling How To Make It In The Future, Cogen tells the story of how a YouTuber becomes a coffee shop owner — and how to bring those two things together without ruining them both.
Further reading:
TheUnlockr on YouTube
David’s Coffee Check announcement
Coffee Check’s website
Another fun YouTuber story: Me, Myself, and iJustine
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Nilay and David talk about the week in gadget news, after scoring their predictions on last week's Tesla event. (Spoiler alert: nobody did very well.) They talk about the new iPad Mini, the new Sonos Ace Ultra soundbar, and the new Analogue N64 emulator. Then Amazon's Panos Panay joins the show to discuss this week's big Kindle news, and where he thinks the future of e-readers is headed. Finally, Nilay and David do a lightning round, with a lot of Google org chart news and just a little bit of Trump news.
Further reading:
The Optimus robots at Tesla’s Cybercab event were humans in disguise
The Tesla Cybercab is a cool-looking prototype that needed to be much more than that
Tesla’s Robovan is the surprise of the night
Apple just announced a new, faster iPad Mini
AMD and Intel are teaming up to fend off ARM chips
Sonos announces ‘breakthrough’ Arc Ultra soundbar and Sub 4
Analogue’s 4K Nintendo 64 launches next year for $249
Amazon’s new Kindle family includes the first color Kindle
Amazon’s Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition hands-on: color E Ink looks pretty good
Amazon Kindle Scribe 2024: a new design and AI tools for note takers
Amazon’s new Kindle and Kindle Paperwhite are faster and brighter
Amazon discontinues the last Kindle with physical buttons
Google is replacing the exec in charge of Search and ads
Here’s a bunch of bananas shit Trump said today about breaking up Google
Trump says Tim Cook called him to complain about the European Union
Anthropic’s CEO thinks AI will lead to a utopia — he just needs a few billion dollars first
The New York Times warns AI search engine Perplexity to stop using its content
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Before a podcast was a “podcast,” it was… well, it wasn’t really much of anything. It was in 2004, though, that many of the earliest names in on-demand audio began to smush “iPod” and “broadcast” into the word we’ve come to know as the way we all download and listen to shows now. In this episode, we go back two decades to the first days of the podcast. Then we hit the skip button to today and look at where podcasts are headed next.
Further reading:
From PodNews: The history of the word 'Podcast'
From The Guardian: Audible revolution
From Wired: The First Podcast: an Oral History
From The New York Times: An MTV Host Moves to Radio, Giving Voice to Audible Blogs
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Danny and Steven Sanicki are twins, competitive golfers, and suddenly the biggest names in online mini golf. They started making mini golf content on TikTok about a year ago, and it took off; since then they've been trying to ride the viral wave and also turn it into something that lasts. For this episode, the first in a miniseries we're calling How To Make It In The Future, we talk to the Sanickis about their journey to turn putt-putt into their life's work — without killing the fun in the process.
Further reading:
@dannysanicki on TikTok
Twin Tour Golf on Instagram
Twin Tour Golf on YouTube
From Golf Digest: How college golf twins and some friends with time to kill accidentally created a viral mini-golf sensation
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Nilay and David make some predictions about Thursday evening’s Tesla event — which you’ve already seen, but we haven’t! Then they talk about the week’s gadget news, from Nintendo’s new Alarmo alarm clock to Apple’s upcoming iPads and Macs. Then Lauren Feiner joins to talk about the latest on all fronts in Google’s antitrust fight, and how the government might be planning to break up the company altogether. Then it’s time for a lightning round about Google Docs tabs, FEMA misinformation, and Zoom AI avatars.
Further reading:
The bill finally comes due for Elon Musk
In the past week, 4 of Elon Musk's direct reports have announced their exits from Tesla
All the buzz about Nintendo’s Alarmo clock
I totally forgot we wrote about Nintendo’s sleep tracking alarm clock 10 years ago.
Nintendo’s original alarm clock prototypes were a lot less playful
A closer look at Nintendo’s adorable Alarmo clock
Shrunken Mac Minis and a new iPad Mini might come in November
Apple’s Vision Pro leader, Dan Riccio, is retiring
A Google breakup is on the table, say DOJ lawyers
How the DOJ wants to break up Google’s search monopoly
Google must crack open Android for third-party stores, rules Epic judge
The filing: Microsoft Word - FINAL - Google Remedy Framework
Google’s response: DOJ’s radical and sweeping proposals risk hurting consumers, businesses, and developers
Google Docs is making it much easier to organize information
Zoom will let AI avatars talk to your team for you - The Verge
Hurricane Milton hits tonight, and it’s past the point of evacuation. Creators are still there.
Instagram and Threads moderation is out of control - The Verge
FEMA adds misinformation to its list of disasters to clean up
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For this full-on “what is a photo” episode, we start by chatting with Halide developers Ben Sandofsky and Sebastiaan De With about what it means to build a camera app in 2024 — and what it means to try and accurately capture a photo. Then The Verge’s Allison Johnson joins the show to talk about her experiment going all-in on AI-ifying her photos. Finally, we answer a hotline about which gadgets to attach to your head when you go for a run.
Further reading:
Halide
Halide’s Process Zero feature captures photos with no AI processing
Let’s compare Apple, Google, and Samsung’s definitions of ‘a photo’
No one’s ready for this
Google’s AI tool helped us add disasters and corpses to our photos
The AI photo editing era is hare, and it’s every person for themselves
This system can sort real pictures from AI fakes — why aren’t platforms using it?
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Nilay, Alex, and David discuss Microsoft's new Copilot announcements, and the friendlier face the company is trying to put on its chatbot. They also wonder: what, exactly, is an AI companion supposed to do for you, and how is it supposed to do it? They then dive into OpenAI's huge funding round, before exploring all the new gadgets of the week and some deep drama in the WordPress universe. Finally, it's time for a lightning round of news about Dish and DirecTV, Progressive Web Apps, and Nintendo's fight against emulation. We also send off Alex, our sadly departing co-host, with cake and Plex servers.
Further reading:
Microsoft gives Copilot a voice and vision in its biggest redesign yet
Read Microsoft’s optimistic memo about the future of AI companions
Shh, ChatGPT. That’s a Secret. - The Atlantic
College students used Meta’s smart glasses to dox people in real time
Sonos has a plan to earn back your trust, and here it is
Chromebooks are getting a new button dedicated to Google’s AI
Microsoft is discontinuing its HoloLens headsets
Google’s Pixel Buds are now fully supported on Windows and macOS.
Automattic demanded a cut of WP Engine’s revenue before starting WordPress battle
DirecTV and Dish are merging
Nintendo has reportedly shut down Ryujinx, the Switch emulator that was supposedly immune
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The Verge's Jennifer Pattison Tuohy joins the show to discuss a bunch of updates in the smart home world, including what's new from Google Home and in iOS 18, plus some big news in the world of smart locks and video doorbells. Then, The Verge's Chris Welch comes on to test some new earbuds, and see which pair has the best sound – and the best mic. After that, a new take on the Vergecast's chaotic wearables theory.
Further reading:
Ki is bringing wireless power to kitchen appliances
The Eufy Smart Lock E30 is the company’s first Matter device
The Ultraloq Bolt Mission from U-tec is the first smart lock with UWB
Assa Abloy buys Level Lock to bolster its smart lock business
TP-Link Tapo D225 Video Doorbell Camera review
Ring’s entry-level wireless doorbell gets a head-to-toe view
iOS 18 lets you control Matter devices without a smart home hub
The Thread 1.4 spec is here, but it will be a while until we see any benefit
Google TV gets a big upgrade
Google is set to supercharge Google Home with Gemini intelligence
And on wireless earbuds:
The best wireless earbuds to buy right now
Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Pro are its best earbuds yet
Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 review: big upgrade, much smaller earbuds
Bose’s new QuietComfort Earbuds offer top-tier ANC for under $200
Apple AirPods 4 review: defying expectations
Nothing’s first open-ear headphones keep you aware of your surroundings
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Michael Sayman, the creator of a viral new app called SocialAI, joins the show to discuss why he built a social network where you're the only human around. He tells us how he thinks about AI interfaces, what's next for ChatGPT and other chatbots, and why posting to a language model might be better than posting on a social network.
Further reading:
SocialAI
Michael Sayman on LinkedIn
SocialAI: we tried the Twitter clone where no other humans are allowed
From TechCrunch: Friendly Apps raises $3 million, pre-product, for apps that improve people’s well-being
From Wired: I Stared Into the AI Void With the SocialAI App
From New York Magazine: Does Anyone Need an AI Social Network?
From Ars Technica: “Dead Internet theory” comes to life with new AI-powered social media app
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The Verge's Alex Heath joins Nilay, Alex, and David to talk about all the announcements coming out of Meta Connect: the impressive (and expensive) Orion glasses, the new features for the Ray-Ban Smart Glasses, and lots and lots of new AI. Then they discuss the latest executive departures at OpenAI, as the industry's foremost AI company undergoes a huge shift. In the lightning round, it's time for more AI gadgets, the PS5 Pro... and then some more AI gadgets.
Further reading:
Meta Connect 2024: biggest news and announcements
Hands-on with Orion, Meta’s first pair of AR glasses
Meta’s Ray-Bans will now ‘remember’ things for you
Why Mark Zuckerberg thinks AR glasses will replace your phone
Meta’s VR app store is about to fill up with phone-style 2D apps
Mark Zuckerberg: creators and publishers ‘overestimate the value’ of their work for training AI
Meta’s AI can now talk to you in the voices of Awkwafina, John Cena, and Judi Dench
Kristen Bell told Instagram to ‘get rid of AI’ before she became its official voice
OpenAI CTO Mira Murati is leaving
Just 5,000 people use the Rabbit R1 every day
Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 review: big upgrade, much smaller earbuds
I played the PS5 Pro, and it’s clearly better
Inside Jony Ive’s Life After Apple and His LoveFrom Design Business
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Kylie Robison joins the show to talk about OpenAI’s new model, o1, and what this new “reasoning” model says about the state of the art in AI — and what AI companies are willing to put up with in the name of building God. Then, Gaby Del Valle and Adi Robertson talk through the latest on the TikTok ban, the Trump crypto chaos, and the ongoing adtech antitrust trial against Google. (All with as little politics-talk as possible.)
Further reading:
OpenAI releases new o1 reasoning model
OpenAI’s new model is better at reasoning and, occasionally, deceiving
TikTok ban: all the news on attempts to ban the video platform
TikTok oral arguments will weigh security risks against free speech
TikTok faces a skeptical panel of judges in its existential fight against the US government
Donald Trump is hawking tokens for a crypto project he still hasn’t explained
US v. Google redux: all the news from the ad tech trial
How Google got away with charging publishers more than anyone else
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