We’re back in review mode this week! Cherlynn dishes her thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy S21 and S21 Ultra, and whether they’re worthy upgrades over last year’s phones. Do all those cameras make a difference? And is there a point to releasing a Galaxy Note this year? Also, Devindra discusses the virtual inauguration for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris, as well as the rumors around Apple’s upcoming and potentially pricey VR headset. Is this the best strategy to get to an AR headset? The Biden Presiden...
Jan 22, 2021•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 108
We lived through CES 2021 and all we have to show for it is our tired typing fingers. This week, Devindra, Cherlynn and UK Bureau Chief Mat Smith chat about the most notable announcements from the show. Sure, there were tons of TVs, but PC hardware like AMD’s new Ryzen 5000 laptop chips and NVIDIA’s RTX 30-series mobile GPUs will also shape all the systems we see throughout the year. And they also touch on what happened after the US Capitol was attacked by right-wing extremists. It turns out, so...
Jan 14, 2021•1 hr 41 min•Ep. 107
This week, Devindra and Cherlynn were planning to chat about everything coming at CES 2021... but the siege on the U.S. Capitol by right-wing extremists changed things. We discuss how social media and mobile tech played a huge role in planning and executing the attempted coup, and what this means for Twitter and Facebook. And then we somehow manage to keep talking about gadgets and CES. Online extremism’s role in the siege on US capitol – 1:11 CES Preview: TVs and computers – 19:58 CES Preview: ...
Jan 08, 2021•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 106
For the last episode of 2020, Cherlynn and Devindra answer a slew of listener questions, covering everything from when to buy a PlayStation 5 to the future of folding PCs. We also look back at the best moments of covering tech throughout the year (which mostly involve this podcast). And of course, we can’t help but dream about what we’d like to see in 2021, when society (hopefully) shifts back into gear. We answer your questions about this year in tech – 3:25 What we’re looking forward to in 202...
Dec 31, 2020•58 min•Ep. 105
This week, Cherlynn and Devindra look back at 2020 to figure out the best and worst of tech. From Apples M1 chip to the downfall of Quibi, it was a year of serious highs and lows for the tech industry, especially once you factor how the COVID-19 pandemic changed our lives. Tech’s Winners of 2020 (Consoles and…the LG Wing?) – 1:31 Tech’s Losers of 2020 (RIP Quibi but not really) – 36:49 In other news – 59:28 Working On – 1:02:19 Picks – 1:06:20
Dec 18, 2020•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 104
This week, Cherlynn and Devindra dive into Apple’s newest headphones, the AirPods Max, and discuss if they’re actually worth $549. They also chat about the FTC’s antitrust charges against Facebook, and Warner Bros.’ decision to premiere all of their 2021 films on HBO Max. Jessica Conditt also joins to discuss her impressions of Cyberpunk 2077 — was it worth the long wait? Topics: Airpods Max – 1:28 Facebook hit with massive antitrust suit – 13:06 WB to release next year’s movies on HBO – 26:25 C...
Dec 11, 2020•1 hr 13 min•Ep. 103
This week, Cherlynn is joined by senior editor Jessica Conditt and special guest Harris O’Malley aka Dr. NerdLove to talk all about the ways tech affects dating, relationships and breakups. Will Google Photos, Facebook and Instagram ever stop sending us “memories” of our exes? What are the newest ways to be “Facebook Official”? Are there etiquette rules on when or whether you should remove your ex’s pictures from Instagram? Then, our hosts share what they’ve been working on, including coverage o...
Dec 04, 2020•52 min•Ep. 102
In this holiday interview special, Devindra chats with Team Asobi creative director Nicolas Doucet on developing Astro's Playroom, a game that's bundled with every PlayStation 5 and shows off the full capabilities of its DualSense controller.
Nov 24, 2020•23 min•Ep. 101
Apple’s new M1-equipped MacBook Air is a doozy of an ultraportable. This week, Devindra and Cherlynn chat about what makes it so special, and what it means for the future of Apple’s M1 Mac lineup. How can Intel and AMD even compete? Also, they discuss if Twitter’s Fleets feature is any good, and what Amazon’s Pharmacy push means for online medication ordering. The Macbook Air M1: Does it live up to the hype? – 1:32 M1 on Macbook Air: benchmarks – 24:49 The ongoing US election/other news – 28:39 ...
Nov 20, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 100
This week, we go over our deeper thoughts on Apple’s announcements from its Mac event on Tuesday. Does Apple have a better shot at making ARM-based laptops work than Microsoft? Plus, our hosts take a closer look at our iPhone 12 Mini and Pro Max reviews and share more thoughts on the PlayStation 5. Apple Unveils its M1 Chip – 1:41 iPhone 12 hands on and final thoughts – 20:17 Playstation 5 launch day – 30:46 In other news… – 41:31 Working on – 50:15 Picks – 52:55...
Nov 13, 2020•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 99
This week, Devindra and Jessica Conditt dive deep into their Xbox Series X and S reviews. Do Microsoft’s next-gen systems live up to the hype? Also, Tech on the Ballot! A few important tech-related ballot initiatives were decided in California, Massachusetts, and Maine. Xbox Series X and S: The Full Review – 1:42 Tech on the Ballot – 30:21 Working On – 41:36 Picks – 43:16
Nov 06, 2020•47 min•Ep. 98
This week, Devindra and Cherlynn are joined by Jess Conditt to talk about both new consoles -- well, as much as they can say anyway. Jess chats about her PlayStation 5 preview, and we can finally compare it to the Xbox Series X and S final hardware. Also, they dive into what’s up with AMD and NVIDIA’s latest GPUs, the RTX 3070 and Radeon RX 6000 series. PS5 vs. Xbox Series S: case and controller overview – 1:41 Other gaming news (RTX 3070, switch game streaming) – 21:51 Social media takes steps ...
Oct 30, 2020•1 hr 5 min•Ep. 97
This week, Devindra chats with Senior Mobile Editor Chris Velazco about his iPhone 12 and 12 Pro reviews. Do they live up to the hype? Are they a decent upgrade over last year? And does 5G matter? Also, they dive into Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s brilliant Among Us Twitch stream, as well as the (wholly unsurprising) death of Quibi Do you really need to upgrade to an iPhone 12? – 1:46 Twitch might be the new frontier for political promotion – 35:56 RIP Quibi, Lifespan: Six Months – 45:44 Working On...
Oct 23, 2020•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 96
It’s been a hardware-heavy week, with Apple’s iPhone 12 event delivering four new iPhones to gawk at. Devindra and Cherlynn take a look at some of the more controversial and outstanding discussions about Apple’s latest and greatest. Then, we talk about Cherlynn’s experience reviewing the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5, and Jessica Conditt joins our hosts to talk about the Xbox Series X after having spent three weeks with the console. Apple finally unveils the iPhone 12 (pro and mini, too!) – 1:23 Final...
Oct 16, 2020•1 hr 12 min•Ep. 95
The legendary Bill Nye joins our hosts Cherlynn and Devindra on this week’s episode to discuss his new VR Science Kit, as well as climate change, the postal service and the Trump administration’s stance on science. “Uncle Bill,” as we’re allowed to call him (sparingly) also talked about TikTok as a learning platform and the internet as a public service. Then, commerce editor Valentina Palladino shares some advice on how to prepare for Amazon’s upcoming Prime Day on October 13th and 14th. Bill Ny...
Oct 09, 2020•51 min•Ep. 94
Google’s finally shown off the Pixel 5, and people are not too impressed. At its Launch Night In event this week, the company revealed details on its latest phones as well as the new Chromecast and Nest Audio speaker. Not to be outdone, Microsoft dropped some new Surface news the next morning, launching the Surface Laptop Go and updated Surface Pro X. Cherlynn and UK bureau chief Mat Smith break down all the news on this week’s podcast, before going over some takeaways from our iOS 14 review. Go...
Oct 02, 2020•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 93
This week, Devindra and Cherlynn dive into Microsoft’s massive (and surprising!) acquisition of Bethesda, and all of the other ZeniMax Media studios. Also, Cherlynn dives into her experience with the Apple Watch SE — is it enough to tempt her away from Android? Microsoft shakes the gaming industry with huge studio buy – 1:42 TikTok is now partly owned by Oracle and [checks notes] …Walmart? – 13:51 Apple Watch SE in depth review – 17:39 Samsung Unpacked (Fan Edition) – 33:29 Baseless speculation ...
Sep 25, 2020•55 min•Ep. 92
This week, it’s (almost) all about Apple as Cherlynn and Devindra are joined by Valentina Palladino to dive into Apple’s event on Tuesday. Is the new Apple Watch Series 6 impressive? Is $279 for the Watch SE a good price? Then, Devindra tells us about his review of the Oculus Quest 2 and NVIDIA’s RTX 3080. Then, we look at the crazy LG Wing before catching you up on the flood of news in tech this week. There was an Apple event, but no iPhones (yet) – 1:50 Apple Watch Series 6 (and Watch SE and F...
Sep 18, 2020•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 91
The Surface Duo reviews are in and the verdict is a resounding meh. Devindra and Cherlynn talk about what excited them about Microsoft’s dual-screen debut, and explain why using it in the real world was frustrating. Then, UK bureau chief Mat Smith joins our hosts to discuss the Xbox Series S and X versus Sony’s Playstation options, as well as what Apple might have in store for the September 15th event it announced this week. Finally, we can talk about what the Microsoft Duo is actually like – 1:...
Sep 11, 2020•1 hr 1 min•Ep. 90
As if Samsung unveiling the Z Fold 2 plus an NVIDIA event weren’t enough to keep us busy this week, we also got a slew of news from companies all over the consumer electronics industry thanks to IFA 2020. Cherlynn and Devindra are joined by senior mobile editor Chris Velazco to discuss his impressions of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 after spending a day and a half with it. Then, our hosts geek out over NVIDIA and Intel’s latest processors, before blazing through the plethora of IFA news from companies li...
Sep 04, 2020•1 hr 6 min•Ep. 89
This week, Cherlynn and Devindra chat about what it’s like to live with the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, plus they dive into Epic’s war with Apple over the App Store. Also, they’ll discuss how Facebook is still trying (and failing) to make Instagram a Tiktok killer. Notes from the Galaxy Note 20 review – 1:52 Fortnite v. Apple’s app store – 17:34 Oculus will soon require Facebook login – 28:23 Facebook tries Reels, but can it stand up to TikTok? – 33:12 Working On – 39:14 Picks – 47:26...
Aug 21, 2020•58 min•Ep. 88
This week was dominated by Microsoft’s Surface Duo news, with the company finally unveiling full details and availability info for its dual-screen device since it was first showed off last year. Cherlynn and Devindra discuss why this is such a compelling product and spell out some concerns that could hold the Duo back. How can Microsoft justify the controversial price tag and is the software any better than previous efforts? Our hosts also take a deeper look at Cherlynn’s experience reviewing th...
Aug 14, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 87
t’s a jam-packed week of news thanks to Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event. Cherlynn and Devindra chat about the Galaxy Note (and Ultra!), the Z Fold 2, Tab S7 and S7+, Watch 3 and Buds Live. Whew. And they still find time to go into Cherlynn’s glowing Pixel 4a review, and the crazy Microsoft/Tiktok deal and Trump’s latest attempt to block Chinese companies. Samsung announces so many things – 2:00 ZFold2 – 6:07 Galaxy Note 20 – 16:47 Galaxy Tab – 26:10 Watch 3 – 35:06 Buds Live – 40:38 Google’s Pix...
Aug 07, 2020•1 hr 16 min•Ep. 86
This week on the show, Devindra and Cherlynn chat about Facebook, Apple, Google and Amazon’s congressional antitrust hearing. Are they too big to compete fairly? Or is the tech industry being overly criticized? (It’s most likely the former.) Also, we dive into Garmin’s lackluster response to its widespread system outage, Quibi’s surprising Emmy noms, and Tenet’s international opening. Facebook, Amazon, Apple, and Google Testify in Anti-Trust Hearings – 2:05 Garmin Gets Hacked, Tries to Play it C...
Jul 31, 2020•52 min•Ep. 85
This has been a gadget-and-gaming heavy week for Team Engadget, and it’s right in our comfort zone. As Devindra was busy hosting Engadget’s Xbox livestream event, Cherlynn is joined by UK Bureau Chief Mat Smith. They dive into the OnePlus Nord, which was launched this week, and has been hyped up by the company and its fans. The Nord is a return to good affordable phones for OnePlus, and Mat shares his impressions after playing with it for a bit. Our hosts also go over the OnePlus Buds, Xiaomi’s ...
Jul 24, 2020•45 min•Ep. 84
After Cherlynn’s review of the Snapdragon-powered Lenovo Flex 5G laptop was published this week, our hosts decided to take a deeper look at Windows on ARM. Between buggy performance and confusion over app compatibility, there’s a lot to unpack. Then, Devindra and Cherlynn look at Apple Silicon and the challenges that might be in the company’s way as it makes its two-year transition to ARM. Will an ARM-based Macbook be powerful enough for the most demanding users? Then, as usual, we share what we...
Jul 17, 2020•52 min•Ep. 83
We’re back from the July 4th break and we’re ready to dive into some seriously nerdy news. This week, Devindra and Cherlynn chat about Intel’s Thunderbolt 4 standard, and what it means for your next PC. We also dive into Qualcomm’s latest announcements, including the gaming-focused Snapdragon 865 Plus. And finally, we explore why Facebook just can’t seem to do much right these days, especially when it comes to appeasing civil rights groups. Thunderbolt 4 – 5:09 Qualcomm Announces 865 Plus – 14:0...
Jul 10, 2020•56 min•Ep. 82
The biggest news event of the week was Apple’s virtual WWDC keynote, during which the company showed off a ton of upcoming features to its various software products. In Devindra’s absence, Cherlynn is joined by Dan Cooper as guest co-host, as well as senior mobile editor Chris Velazco to rip into Apple’s latest updates. From iOS 14 vs Android, to watchOS 7, to macOS and Apple’s transition to ARM chips, there’s plenty to discuss. Then, our hosts are joined by CNBC’s health and health-tech reporte...
Jun 26, 2020•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 81
Sony unveiled the PlayStation 5 last week, sharing with the world the console’s design, specs, games and accessories. One question remains in everyone’s mind: How much will it cost? Devindra and Cherlynn are joined by deputy managing editor Nathan Ingraham to discuss this device’s eye-catching appearance, size and speculate how much it will cost. Nate also tells us why The Last Of Us II is a heartbreaking game worth the emotional investment. Then, our hosts take a look at the latest developments...
Jun 19, 2020•49 min•Ep. 80
It’s all about Android this week as we dive deep into Google’s just-released beta for the upcoming version of its mobile OS. Devindra and Cherlynn are joined by seasoned Android and smart home reporter Florence Ion to discuss their feelings about the preview. What are Bubbles? Is getting more controls and drawers better for organization or is it more clutter? Then, our hosts go over what they’ve been working on, explaining why they are excited for developments in the processor world. As usual, w...
Jun 12, 2020•53 min•Ep. 79
