The Vergecast

Victoria Song, a technology reporter at The Verge, shares her hands-on experience with Meta's latest smart glasses, highlighting their innovative features and the discomfort they can bring. She discusses the implications of privacy and how these glasses might be misused. Joining her is Stephen Robles, a podcaster and Apple Shortcuts expert, who clears up misconceptions about the app and demonstrates practical automations, including creating a 'Home ETA' shortcut. Their insights provide a fascinating look into current tech trends and the future of automation.

In this engaging discussion, journalist Ash Parrish and gaming expert Chris Grant dive into the cultural explosion of Guitar Hero. They explore its rapid creation by Harmonix and Red Octane, the transformative feeling it gave non-musicians, and the viral success through early YouTube. Personal tales abound as they reminisce about retail challenges, community engagement, and the game’s eventual decline amidst market saturation. They also muse over the future of rhythm games, suggesting nostalgic elements could still resonate today.

The hosts dive into the exciting world of AI browsers as OpenAI's ChatGPT enters the fray. They warn about the dangers of old surge protectors after a scary home fire story. Samsung's Galaxy XR headset gets compared to Apple's Vision Pro, highlighting design choices and performance. The discussion includes the fallout from Warner Bros. Discovery's acquisition and the implications for the media industry. Finally, they touch on the AWS outage, a protest against AI surveillance, and GM's move to ditch CarPlay for Gemini.

Sean Hollister, a Senior Reporter at The Verge, delves into the controversial Xbox Ally handhelds, arguing that they don’t truly embody the Xbox spirit and face stiff competition from the Steam Deck. Hayden Field, an AI and technology specialist, examines how AI might be dulling our cognitive skills based on recent studies, revealing concerning trends like reduced neural connectivity among users. The discussion wraps with an intriguing listener question about hybrid devices, rekindling nostalgia for modular technology.

The podcast explores the iconic Sony Watchman, the first portable TV that shaped media consumption. Hosts discuss its innovative flat display and design, as well as its cultural significance in the 1980s. They analyze early marketing efforts, including a vintage ad featuring a young Jason Alexander. Critics’ mixed reactions at launch and the ways consumers used the device are highlighted. The hosts debate potential redesigns and what features could benefit modern tech, all while pondering if a dedicated portable TV could thrive in today's streaming era.

An engaging discussion kicks off with the rise of Apple’s M5-powered devices and whether hardware bumps inspire excitement. Nilay shares insights from his summer with AI, particularly how smart home tech struggles with basic tasks like turning on lights, highlighting significant gaps in AI reliability. They critique the Vision Pro's weight and unclear market fit while exploring the ethics of AI-generated music covers on platforms like TikTok. The episode wraps up with chatter about TiVo's last DVR sales and the peculiar impact of AI in ads.

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Joining the discussion are Victoria Song, a tech journalist specializing in wearables, and Allison Johnson, a reporter focused on phones and foldables. They dive into Google's impressive gadget lineup, ranking the Pixel gadgets from least to most impressive. Highlights include details on the improvements in the Pixel Watch 4's durability and functionality. They debate the Pixel A-series' unbeatable value, while the Pixel Tablet struggles at the bottom of the list. Plus, they explore the growing interest in minimalist phones, weighing practical steps for dialing down smartphone dependency.

Nilay Patel, a senior technology editor, and Joanna Stern, a tech columnist and BlackBerry enthusiast, dive into the fascinating history of BlackBerry Messenger (BBM). They discuss how BBM revolutionized mobile messaging, introducing features like real-time delivery and group chats back in 2005. The duo reflects on its cultural impact, cross-platform dilemmas, and the operational issues that led to its decline. With engaging anecdotes and sharp insights, they explore whether BBM could have thrived today and what modern apps might learn from its legacy.

Hayden Field, a technology reporter specializing in AI, joins to explore the buzz around OpenAI's recent Dev Day and its ambitious app store plans. The discussion highlights the innovative Sora app, focusing on its unique video generation features and the social implications of AI personalizability. They also tackle the challenges of copyright and moderation within Sora's growing ecosystem. As the conversation evolves, they touch on the competition among chipmakers and the ongoing shifts in digital content sharing cultures.