Apple goes back to school, but will it make any difference in its battle with Chromebooks? Microsoft unveils a game subscription service, because we live in the era of subscription services. And Facebook has another bad week.
Mar 29, 2018•1 hr 5 min•Ep 48•Transcript available on Metacast Facebook made us all think about the power of social media and the value of our personal data this week, but was Mark Zuckerberg's response enough? In equally heavy news, the first autonomous vehicle fatality happened this week. And finally, Apple's retargeting the education market.
Mar 22, 2018•1 hr 1 min•Ep 47•Transcript available on Metacast The U.S. government kills the Broadcom/Qualcomm merger, Apple buys a magazine subscription service, and Facebook and YouTube take stands of a sort against questionable posts on the Internet.
Mar 15, 2018•49 min•Ep 46•Transcript available on Metacast Into a somewhat boring smartphone market comes our first glance at Android P, MoviePass gets caught tracking its users, iPhone app development turns 10, and is that a creepy laugh coming from the Amazon Echo?
Mar 08, 2018•57 min•Ep 45•Transcript available on Metacast This week we analyze many of the phone announcements from Mobile World Congress, including a new Samsung Galaxy and the return of a phone you may remember from a film made in the previous century. Plus, Amazon is knocking on Google's door by acquiring all the Internet doorbell companies.
Mar 01, 2018•48 min•Ep 44•Transcript available on Metacast Twitter is banning a bunch of bot accounts (again) and Microsoft is struggling to shed legacy technology in Windows (again), while the next flagship smartphone has been leaked (again).
Feb 22, 2018•56 min•Ep 43•Transcript available on Metacast Apple's software quality may have caught up with it, while Snapchat is dealing with the fallout of its recent redesign. All the while, Facebook is doing Facebook things and we really need a fuzzy puppy update.
Feb 15, 2018•49 min•Ep 42•Transcript available on Metacast It's corporate results season, so we check in on how things are going at all the tech giants, including Apple, Google, Amazon, Facebook, and Netflix. Oh, and a billionaire shot a sportscar into space.
Feb 08, 2018•1 hr•Ep 41•Transcript available on Metacast It's a weird week in tech news: A fitness app leaked the location of secret military bases, Amazon and a bunch of pals got into healthcare, someone in the Trump Administration fired up PowerPoint to propose nationalizing the 5G wireless network, and the world waited (or didn't) for the Apple HomePod.
Feb 01, 2018•1 hr 3 min•Ep 40•Transcript available on Metacast After a long delay, Apple prepares the HomePod for release, but who (if anyone) is buying? Long lines greeted the opening of Amazon's new automated store that's supposed to do away with lines, but what's the endgame? Plus we've got good news about machine-learning cybersecurity and viral bird videos.
Jan 25, 2018•51 min•Ep 39•Transcript available on Metacast We discuss the top trends at CES 2018 with two survivors of the show, plus Facebook makes big news feed changes, Apple brings money home, and networking is harder than it looks.
Jan 18, 2018•58 min•Ep 38•Transcript available on Metacast It's CES week, so there's a lot to talk about in the world of voice assistants, robots that may not be robots, cars, impractical televisions, smart bathrooms, and more.
Jan 11, 2018•1 hr•Ep 37•Transcript available on Metacast A new year brings big tech news stories, including a huge security flaw in almost every microprocessor out there, and Apple doing damage control with a discounted iPhone battery replacement program. And our panelists predict major trends in the tech world for the rest of the year.
Jan 04, 2018•55 min•Ep 36•Transcript available on Metacast Disney has set shockwaves through the media world with its proposed purchase of Fox. What does it mean for streaming services like Hulu and Netflix, not to mention whatever Apple is up to? How can Bart Simpson and Mickey Mouse coexist under one brand?
Dec 21, 2017•1 hr 2 min•Ep 35•Transcript available on Metacast A former Facebook executive bemoans the world he helped create, and Patreon goes back on its controversial change in how it collects money. In lighter news, Stephen is looking at a 21st-century Clapper and Jason is ordering an iMac Pro.
Dec 14, 2017•56 min•Ep 34•Transcript available on Metacast Microsoft returns to ARM with Windows 10 running on Qualcomm chips, Amazon and Google get into a slap fight (while Prime Video sneaks on to the Apple TV), and Bitcoin continues to rise into the stratosphere.
Dec 07, 2017•56 min•Ep 33•Transcript available on Metacast We're recovering from Black Friday and Cyber Monday with two members of the Wirecutter staff and talking about what cities are doing to woo Amazon's HQ2 and Net Neutrality.
Nov 30, 2017•44 min•Ep 32•Transcript available on Metacast It's a holiday in the United States, so we've gone international this week. We discuss 2017's flagship smartphones and their various compromises, American biases in the tech industry, and whether tech makes good gifts.
Nov 22, 2017•52 min•Ep 31•Transcript available on Metacast Wearable tech that can make us healthier or save our lives, a potential renewal of the debate of government access to encrypted data, and how Facebook knows everything about you even if you're not on Facebook. Plus, Jason pours one out for CompuServe.
Nov 16, 2017•55 min•Ep 30•Transcript available on Metacast 2017's flagship smartphones are all out, and the dust is starting to settle. In the desert, driverless vehicles are taking to public roads with mixed luck. And Snap works to dig itself out of bad quarterly results.
Nov 09, 2017•54 min•Ep 29•Transcript available on Metacast The iPhone X is almost here, and we've got three people who have one in their hands. Plus, what's the deal with Apple's iPhone X PR strategy? Meanwhile in D.C., tech companies are facing down Congress.
Nov 02, 2017•59 min•Ep 28•Transcript available on Metacast It's a week of big questions: The Google Pixel 2 XL is showing all sorts of screen issues, but how big of a deal are the problems really going to be in the market? Is Amazon Key the utopian dream or creepy nightmare? Who's ordering an iPhone X?
Oct 26, 2017•1 hr•Ep 27•Transcript available on Metacast Windows 10 gets an update, the choice between compatibility and security, the future of Microsoft, and Wi-Fi security gets KRACKed wide open.
Oct 19, 2017•1 hr 8 min•Ep 26•Transcript available on Metacast A postmortem of Windows Phone, tech companies continue to write big checks to the entertainment industry, and the Google Home Mini triggers our concerns about cameras and microphones in our homes.
Oct 12, 2017•1 hr 2 min•Ep 25•Transcript available on Metacast The Made By Google event takes center stage next week, as Google unveils the Pixel 2 (and 2 XL), wireless earbuds, a new AI-driven camera, and a premium Chrome OS laptop. Plus there's intelligent assistant news from Sonos, which hooked up with Amazon's Alexa this week.
Oct 05, 2017•54 min•Ep 24•Transcript available on Metacast In Seattle, Amazon held a surprise media event and unveiled all the Echoes. In Orlando, Microsoft held its Ignite conference, sharing information on new products as well as its vision for the future.
Sep 28, 2017•40 min•Ep 23•Transcript available on Metacast Hands on with the iPhone 8 (and an iPhone X imposter), Google absorbs part of HTC, and Wirecutter editors discuss the art of the modern product review.
Sep 21, 2017•50 min•Ep 22•Transcript available on Metacast It's Apple's biggest week of the year. But announcing the iPhone 8 and iPhone X simultaneously is a risky move for the company to make. Also, what's the value of a cellular-connected Apple Watch, and does Apple's Apple TV 4K strategy make sense?
Sep 14, 2017•58 min•Ep 21•Transcript available on Metacast Silicon Valley companies are back in the political arena with their reactions to DACA. Meanwhile, Apple and Amazon are in a bidding war over James Bond while the Boston Red Sox are cheating using their Apple Watches.
Sep 07, 2017•48 min•Ep 20•Transcript available on Metacast The world of voice assistants gets more complicated with an Alexa-Cortana link-up, Google counters Apple's augmented-reality toolkit with an announcement of its own, and Berlin's IFA trade show brings announcements of new smartwatches and mobile PCs.
Aug 31, 2017•54 min•Ep 19•Transcript available on Metacast