New iPads, Microsoft reorg, and Europe's new privacy rule

The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, and Alex Cranz discuss AI tools announced at this weeks Pixel 9 event, Nilay's TV competition, tech regulatory news, and more. Further reading: AI overshadowed Pixel at the Pixel event All the AI features coming to Google's Pixel 9 series  Google debuts Pixel Studio AI image-making app Google makes your Pixel screenshots searchable with Recall-like AI feature Every time Google dinged Apple during its Pixel 9 launch event Google Gemini’s voice chat mode is here Using Gemini Live was faster than Google, but also more awkward Google Pixel 9 launch event: all the announcements and products  Google's Pixel 9 lineup is a Pro show  The Pixel 9 Pro XL showed me the future of AI photography Google’s Zoom Enhance camera trick is finally available  Inside the competition that named the Sony A95L the best TV of 2024 Patreon adds Apple tax to avoid getting kicked out of the App Store  Apple is finally going to open up iPhone tap-to-pay Apple relents and approves Spotify app with EU pricing  AltStore PAL drops its annual subscription thanks to a grant from Epic Epic judge says he’ll ‘tear the barriers down’ on Google’s app store monopoly The FTC’s fake review crackdown begins this fall Ex-Google CEO: AI startups can steal IP, hire lawyers to “clean up the mess” Flipboard is going to let you follow fediverse accounts right inside the app Halide’s Process Zero feature captures photos with no AI processing Realme’s 320W fast charging can fully charge a smartphone in four and a half minutes Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

16 Aug 20241h 38min

Today on the flagship podcast of the correct height-to-width ratio of a foldable phone:  The Verge’s David Pierce, Allison Johnson, Victoria Song, and Chris Welch discuss all the new gadget announcements from Google’s Pixel event — including the Pixel 9, the Pixel Watch 3, the Pixel buds, and more. Further reading: Google Pixel 9 launch event live coverage: all the news Google’s Pixel 9 lineup is a Pro show Google’s new Pixel Buds Pro 2 seem better in every way that matters The Pixel 9 Pro XL showed me the future of AI photography Google Pixel Watch 3 hands-on: a big leap forward The Google TV Streamer might be the Apple TV 4K rival we’ve been waiting for Why Google decided now’s the time to move on from Chromecast The Nest Learning Thermostat gets its biggest upgrade in over a decade Google’s Pixel Fold one year later: I can’t wait for the sequel Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

13 Aug 202456min

The Verge's Nilay Patel, Alex Cranz, Alex Heath, and Lauren Feiner discuss a federal judge ruling that Google violated US antitrust law, X suing a group of major advertisers over an “illegal boycott”, and the rest of this week's wild tech news. Further reading: Judge rules that Google ‘is a monopolist’ in US antitrust case All the spiciest parts of the Google antitrust ruling X files antitrust lawsuit against advertisers over ‘illegal boycott’  The Global Alliance for Responsible Media is 'discontinuing' after Elon Musk's X filed an antitrust lawsuit against it Disney’s password-sharing crackdown starts ‘in earnest’ this September Disney’s streaming business turned a profit for the first time The price of Disney Plus is about to go up Logitech’s ‘forever’ mouse isn’t happening Google is discontinuing the Chromecast line The Google TV Streamer might be the Apple TV 4K rival we’ve been waiting for Humane’s daily returns are outpacing sales  Samsung’s Frame TV is finally getting the knockoffs it deserves  Microsoft says Delta ignored Satya Nadella’s offer of CrowdStrike help Hands-on with Google’s new Nest Learning Thermostat OpenAI won’t watermark ChatGPT text because its users could get caught Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

9 Aug 20241h 23min

Today on the flagship podcast of what the future of Kindle turns out to be:  We’re once again trying out a couple of our favorite new show formats.  In Version History, we talk through the whole story of Quibi, from its early days as NewTV to its extremely ill-timed launch to its ultimate demise.  From Variety: Quibi Has Raised $1.75B After Closing $750M Round to Fund Launch From Variety: Jeffrey Katzenberg’s NewTV Closes $1B, Major Studios Among Investors Quibi’s CES 2020 launch Quibi app review: short-form streaming in a shifting landscape Steven Spielberg is writing a horror series you’ll only be able to at night Quibi’s Super Bowl 2020 commercial From The Wall Street Journal: Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman Struggle With Their Startup—and Each Other How Quibi imploded less than six months after launch 11 reasons why Quibi crashed and burned in less than a year Next, we try out our as-yet-untitled debate show. The Verge’s Kevin Nguyen and Alex Cranz take on a surprisingly contentious topic: is the future of books print or digital?  The Boox Palma is an amazing gadget I didn’t even know I wanted Kobo’s great color e-readers are held back by lock-in From The Wall Street Journal: How the Kindle Became a Must-Have Accessory (Again) The Playdate makes a surprisingly good e-reader Later, producer Andru Marino answers a question from The Vergecast Hotline about a very unusual shopping situation for MP3 players.  NW-E394 Walkman Digital Music Player  Mighty’s ‘iPod shuffle for Spotify’ gets upgraded battery and Bluetooth Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

6 Aug 20241h 14min

The Verge's Nilay Patel, Allison Johnson, and Victoria Song discuss Apple iOS 18.1 beta. upcoming Pixel 9 rumors, Olympics coverage, AI deepfake regulation, and more. Further reading: The best way to watch the Olympics is on TikTok Apple releases iOS 18.1 developer beta with the first ‘Apple Intelligence’ iPhone features  Apple’s iOS 18.1 developer beta adds AI call recording and transcription A first look at Apple Intelligence and its (slightly) smarter Siri Apple’s new AI features will reportedly miss the iOS 18 launch and wait for iOS 18.1.  Google Pixel 9 event: rumors and what to expect  Pixel 9’s ‘Add Me’ feature puts you in a group photo even when you’re not there   Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra review: if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em  Samsung hypes the Galaxy Z Flip as a great police bodycam Logitech CEO Hanneke Faber wants your next mouse to last forever Microsoft wants Congress to outlaw AI-generated deepfake fraud Google tweaks Search to help hide explicit deepfakes Lawmakers want to carve out intimate AI deepfakes from Section 230 immunity  Elon Musk posts deepfake of Kamala Harris that violates X policy The Copyright Office calls for a new federal law regulating deepfakes.  Senators will introduce the No Fakes Act to keep AI ... Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

2 Aug 20241h 34min

Today on the flagship podcast of dedicated streaming hardware:  We try out a couple of show formats we’ve been planning for a while.  In Version History, we tell the story of the Roku Netflix Player, debate its legacy, and try to decide whether this thing belongs in the Version History Hall of Fame.  From Fast Company: Inside Netflix’s Project Griffin: The Forgotten History Of Roku Under Reed Hastings From CNBC: How Roku used the Netflix playbook to rule streaming video From CNN: Netflix Player offers PC-free movie watching From Wired: Review: Roku Netflix Set Top Box Is Just Shy of Totally Amazing From The New York Times: Why the Roku Netflix Player Is the First Shot of the Revolution After that, it’s time for debates. Nilay Patel and David Pierce yell at each other about who should own the screens in your car. Are CarPlay and Android Auto the answer, the solution to universally crappy automaker software? Car companies haven’t figured out if they’ll let Apple CarPlay take over all the screens The rest of the auto industry still loves CarPlay and Android Auto Everybody hates GM’s decision to kill Apple CarPlay and Android Auto for its EVs Rivian CEO says CarPlay isn’t going to happen Apple’s fancy new CarPlay will only work wirelessly Later, David answers a question from The Vergecast Hotline about political spam texts. From The Washington Post: How to stop receiving spam texts From PCMag: Stop Robotexts: How to Block Smishing and Spam Text Messages Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

30 Jul 20241h 4min

On this episode of The Vergecast, we look at why TV and movie recommendations are so complicated, and whether AI might be able to make them better. If Spotify can build infinite playlists of music you’ll like, and YouTube and TikTok always seem to have the perfect thing ready to go, why can’t Netflix or Hulu or Max seem to get it right? If you want to know more about everything we discuss in this episode, here are a few links to get you started: Movievanders Reelgood The internet is a constant recommendations machine — but it needs you to make it work Netflix’s Greg Peters on a new culture memo and where ads, AI, and games fit in From Scientific America: How Recommendation Algorithms Work—And Why They May Miss the Mark From Google: Multimodal prompting with a 44-minute movie Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

28 Jul 202438min

The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, and Jake Kastrenakes discuss OpenAI's new SearchGPT product, Amazon's plan to launch a paid version of Alexa, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold review, and whole lot more. Further reading: OpenAI announces SearchGPT, its AI-powered search engine Bing’s AI redesign shoves the usual list of search results to the side Reddit is now blocking major search engines and AI bots — except the ones that pay Google had a massive quarter thanks to Search and AI Amazon’s paid Alexa is coming to fill a $25 billion hole dug by Echo devices The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is a great phone that’s out of ideas Asus ROG Ally X review: the best Windows gaming handheld by a mile Samsung Galaxy Ring review: keeping you in Samsung’s orbit Apple’s first foldable iPhone could arrive in 2026 Apple Maps launches on the web to take on Google The Disney Plus, Hulu, and Max streaming bundle is now available Rivian CEO says CarPlay isn’t going to happen The NBA’s new TV deals put a lot of games on Amazon’s Prime Video starting in 2025 Reddit’s NFL, NBA deals bring more sports highlights — and ads Spotify CEO confirms a ‘deluxe’ version with hi-fi audio is coming soon Sonos CEO apologizes for disastrous rollout of new app Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

26 Jul 20241h 31min