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Happy holidays! Before we disappear into family time and catching up on our favorite shows, we have one more episode for you. And it's 90 minutes of deep nerdery about the smart home. Every year, we try to dig into one standard or spec that has impacted our lives this year, and we couldn't think of anything more potentially great and occasionally infuriating than Matter. Matter is supposed to be the protocol that makes the smart home work — so, uh, how's that going? The Verge's Jennifer Pattison Tuohy joins to discuss the state of the smart home, before we play a game to see how well we understand things. Then, Home Assistant creator Paulus Schoutsen tells us what it's like to try and make Matter work, and where we might be headed next year.
Further reading:
Matter: everything you need to know about the new smart home protocol
Matter’s plan to save the smart home
The Thread 1.4 spec is here, but it will be a while until we see any benefit
What is Thread and how will it help your smart home?
Every device that works with Matter (December 2024)
Home Assistant’s next era begins now
The Home Assistant Green is here to make the most powerful smart home platform more accessible
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The Verge's Victoria Song and Kylie Robison join the show to talk about all of Google's recent AI and XR announcements, and the company's big and Gemini-powered vision for the future of computing. Then Chris Grant, the group publisher for Polygon and The Verge, explains why GTA VI and the Nintendo Switch 2 are so important to the future of gaming — plus a few predictions about how they'll turn out. Finally, The Verge's Helen Havlak answers a hotline question about how she plans her garden in Figma. Which is a real thing she really does.
Further reading:
The Vergecast at CES – come see us on January 8th!
Google launched Gemini 2.0, its new AI model for practically everything
Google’s AI enters its ‘agentic era’
I saw Google’s plan to put Android on your face
GTA VI: all the news on Rockstar’s next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series
Switch 2: all the news and rumors on Nintendo’s next console
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For the second episode in our two-part 2025 preview, Nilay and David are once again joined by Wall Street Journal columnist (and friend of The Verge) Joanna Stern to talk about what will, and won't, happen in tech next year. This time, David joins us after a quick jaunt to the end of next year, and relays a bunch of things that happened in tech in 2025. But some of them are lies. Joanna and Nilay have to decide which things really will happen next year, and which won't. As always, the hosts get points for good guesses and negative points for bad ones. And once we're all in late 2025, we'll declare a winner.
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Nilay, David, and The Verge's Richard Lawler talk about a big week in AI news. First, they go over all the latest on Google's Gemini 2.0 launch, and try to figure out whether Project Astra and Project Mariner will ever turn into products people use. They also discuss OpenAI's release (and un-release) of Sora, the new Reddit Answers tool, and what's new in iOS 18.2. Finally, in the lightning round, there's talk of YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Sonos, and Cruise. There also is and isn't talk of quantum computing. Because that's possible now.
Further reading:
Google’s AI enters its ‘agentic era’
Gemini 2.0: what’s new in Google’s new flagship AI model
Google’s AI-powered smart glasses are a little closer to being real
Google’s new Jules AI agent will help developers fix buggy code
Google is testing Gemini AI agents that help you in video games
Google built an AI tool that can do research for you
Android XR_Keyword
OpenAI has finally released Sora
iOS 18.2 is out now, adding ChatGPT integration and more Apple Intelligence tools
ChatGPT’s side-by-side ‘Canvas’ view is now available to everyone.
Reddit’s new AI search tool helps you find Reddit answers without Google
YouTube is still growing fast on TVs in the living room
Instagram will let creators test experimental reels on random people
It sure sounds like Trump would be okay with a TikTok sale
TikTok failed to save itself with the First Amendment
Sonos Arc Ultra review: don’t call it a comeback (yet)
Google reveals quantum computing chip with ‘breakthrough’ achievements
Amazon’s online car ‘dealership’ with Hyundai is now live
YouTube’s AI-powered dubbing is now available to many more creators
Searching for color at Pantone’s all-brown party
Adam Mosseri on introducing Trial Reels
From WSJ: iOS 18.2 Review: The AI Apple Promised Us
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A week ago, The Verge launched a subscription. And you had questions! So we have answers. The Verge’s Helen Havlak and Nilay Patel join the show to talk about how we priced the subscription, why ad-free podcasts are hard to do, Apple News, what we do during ad breaks, and much more. And if we didn’t answer your question, let us know! Call the Vergecast Hotline at 866-VERGE11, or email [email protected], with all your questions. Thanks to everyone who sent them in!
Further reading:
Nilay's post about The Verge subscription
Subscribe to The Verge
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Welcome to our two-part preview of the year to come! For the first installment, Nilay, David, and Wall Street Journal columnist Joanna Stern bring all the predictions for 2025 — their mildest, medium-est, and spiciest ideas about the year to come. Each host presents their take on TikTok bans, social platforms, smart homes, streaming services, and more, and the others get to decide whether they agree. Whoever gets the most right at the end of the year will win a big prize. (There's a points system for determining all that, but we'll figure that out later.)
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Nilay and David talk a bit about this week’s launch of the Verge subscription, plus what’s coming next. (There’s still time to send questions for next week! 866-VERGE11 or email [email protected].) Then they talk about the streaming news of the week, and the ways streaming services are continuing to act like cable companies. Then Kylie Robison joins to talk about the lowering stakes for AGI, shipmas at OpenAI, and more. Finally, in the lighting round, it’s crypto and browsers and Intel. And more crypto.
Further reading:
Here we go: The Verge now has a subscription
ESPN is coming to the Disney Plus app starting today
Max is testing always-on HBO channels
Max is finally about to start cracking down on password sharing.
Walmart bought Vizio
OpenAI’s 12 days of ‘shipmas’ include Sora and new reasoning model
Sam Altman says AGI will “matter much less” than people expect
Sam Altman on Elon Musk and OpenAI’s relationship with Microsoft.
ChatGPT’s search results for news are ‘unpredictable’ and frequently inaccurate
Stop using generative AI as a search engine
Misinformation expert admits ChatGPT added fake details to his anti-deepfake court filing
Bitcoin just hit $100,000
Dia is the The Browser Company’s AI-powered follow-up to Arc
Threads takes an important baby step toward true fediverse integration
Threads’ next update is a search feature that finds the post you’re looking for
Meta says it’s mistakenly removing too many posts
Intel’s CEO is out after only three years
What happened to Intel?
Trump picks two nominees who could decide the fate of Big Tech and crypto
Spotify Wrapped 2024 adds an AI podcast to recap your listening habits
Apple Music’s yearly recap is finally available in the app
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The Verge's Thomas Ricker joins the show with an update on his question to live the #vanlife. He shares stories about Starlink Mini, the new Peak Design backpack everyone loves, converting a Sprinter van to a mobile apartment, and more. Then, The Verge's Andru Marino takes us through his tests on a bunch of new creator- and social-friendly microphones, which plug into your phone and promise to make everything sound better. Finally, we answer a question about web browsers on the Vergecast Hotline.
(Don't forget to send us your questions about The Verge and The Vergecast for next week's episode! Call 866-VERGE11 or email [email protected] with all your most meta questions.)
Further reading:
Starlink Mini review: space internet goes ultraportable
Peak Design’s Outdoor Backpack is a more versatile everyday bag
Stoke Voltaics’ portable electric cookware review
This backpack solar generator can help you ignore nature
This little box provides on-demand power when off the grid
Living and working from an all-electric VW ID Buzz
DJI’s new wireless mics skip a few features to get smaller and lighter
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2024 is almost over, somehow. So we gathered a bunch of our Verge colleagues and told them each to tell us three things from the year: the biggest story, their favorite new tech thing, and their favorite new non-tech thing. We got a collection of big stories, cool gadgets, great movies, and more good stuff from the year that was.
We're also planning a special episode for Tuesday, December 10th, all about The Verge and The Vergecast. So if you have questions about how we work, what we cover, why we talk about copyright law so much, or what Nilay is actually like to work with every day, tell us! Call 866-VERGE11, or email [email protected], and we'll answer as many as we can on the 10th. Thanks in advance!
Further reading:
Jay Peters:
Story of the year: Google is a monopoly
New thing of the year: Final Fantasy VII Rebirth
Non-tech thing of the year: XOXO Field Notes notebooks
Jake Kastrenakes:
Story of the year: All things AI
New thing of the year: The Wiim Ultra amp
Non-tech thing of the year: Chronoloy
Justine Calma
Story of the year: The US election, and the rise of nuclear power
New thing of the year: Nurse Unseen
Non-tech thing of the year: Sugarcane
Vjeran Pavic:
Story of the year: The Apple Vision Pro
New thing of the year: The Fujifilm X100VI and the Kino app
Non-tech thing of the year: Mountain Gazette
Kylie Robison:
Story of the year: Billionaire crybabies
New thing of the year: Stardew Valley
Non-tech thing of the year: Curated playlists
Barbara Krasnoff:
Story of the year: The US election
New thing of the year: The Elgato Stream Deck
Non-tech thing of the year: Googly eyes
Alex Heath:
Story of the year: The AI rat race
New thing of the year: Granola
Non-tech thing of the year: Shochu
Ash Parrish:
Story of the year: Grand Theft Auto VI and the Nintendo Switch 2, and more industry layoffs
New thing of the year: The Playstation Portal
Non-tech thing of the year: Bucephalus the puppy
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The Verge's Lauren Feiner joins Nilay and David to talk about the US government's proposal in its search antitrust case against Google. They discuss the future of Chrome, what a white-label search engine might look like, and how a Trump administration might change the course of this case altogether. Then Nilay and David talk about the week in AI and gadget news, from the latest on Amazon's new Alexa to Google bailing on tablets all over again. Finally, in the lightning round, they discuss Comcast spinning off its cable channels and the latest in the Threads / Bluesky competition.
Further reading:
DOJ says Google must sell Chrome to crack open its search monopoly
Google responds to DOJ’s ‘extreme proposal.’
Google workers to DOJ: we need protections to make your breakup effective
Apple fights to keep DOJ antitrust suit from reaching trial
Amazon announces new Echo Show 21 and Echo Show 15 smart displays
Google may be about to reboot its laptop and tablet hardware again
Google reportedly cancels Pixel Tablet 2 and might quit the category — again
Sonos’ smart TV plans might have found an OS
Windows 365 Link is a $349 mini PC that streams Windows from the cloud
Comcast is spinning off its cable TV business
Trump names Brendan Carr as his FCC leader
Strava closes the gates to sharing fitness data with other apps
Inside Elon Musk’s messy breakup with OpenAI
Threads’ custom feeds are already rolling out
Threads’ algorithm will focus more on the people you follow
Bose acquires premium audio brand McIntosh
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Richard Lawler joins the show to chat about the Tyson / Paul fight, and more importantly the fact that Netflix didn't seem to be able to keep up. As live sports — and TV in general — move toward streaming, are even the biggest names in tech ready for what's coming? After that, Roland Allen, the author of The Notebook: A History of Thinking on Paper, tells us about the history of the notebook, and why we've been writing things down about our lives for centuries. Even in a digital world, Allen argues, you just can't beat the notebook. Finally, a question from the Vergecast Hotline sends producer Will Poor down a TikTok Shop rabbit hole.
Further reading:
Netflix served the Tyson vs. Paul fight to 60 million households
NFL fans worry Netflix’s bad Tyson vs. Paul stream means it can’t handle football
Netflix adds Beyoncé to live entertainment juggernaut
Netflix snagged global streaming rights for NFL Christmas Day games
Roland Allen’s website
The Notebook: a History of Thinking on Paper
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For the third episode in our series about the future of music, we talk with Ge Wang. Ge is a professor at Stanford, a co-founder of Smule, the conductor of Stanford’s laptop orchestra, and has been at the center of technology and artistry for most of his life. We talk about how humans can use AI without giving in to it, what it means to truly play with technology, and the value of art and creativity and friction when it feels like all those things are being taken away.
Further reading:
Ge Wang’s website
The future of computer music | Stanford University School of Engineering
Ge’s viral TED talk: The DIY orchestra of the future
From Wired: Behind the Scenes With the Stanford Laptop Orchestra
Ge Wang: Human Well-Being Should Be AI Creators’ Goal
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Nilay and David talk about the future of social, in light of Bluesky's recent surge in growth. Threads is huge, Bluesky is ascendent, Mastodon is... around, but can any of them become the next Twitter? Is that even the goal? After that, Kylie Robison joins the show and the gang discusses Apple's smart home device (which is just an iPad), the AI scaling slowdown, and a new twist in the delivery wars. In the lightning round, it's all about disclosures, wireless carriers, and the sad end of Freevee.
Further reading:
Twitter’s succession: all the news about alternative social media platforms
One million people have joined Bluesky in the past week.
Bluesky adds 700,000 new users in a week
The Guardian is quitting X.
Remember the TikTok ban?
Apple’s rumored six-inch ‘AI wall tablet’ could control your smart home by March 2025
Apple is reportedly working on an Apple Home security camera
Anthropic co-founder Darius Amodei said we’ll have artificial general intelligence “in 2026 or 2027.”
Just Eat is selling Grubhub to Marc Lore’s Wonder for $650M
Boost Mobile says it’s a real wireless carrier now
Amazon is shutting down Freevee
Trump says Elon Musk will lead ‘DOGE’ office to cut ‘wasteful’ government spending
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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
Email us at [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you.
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