The PC Pro Podcast

The podcast discusses the recent collapse of the UK's air traffic control system, Elon's plan to add voice calling to X, Apple's support for Right to Repair, the new Fairphone 5, ordering a McFlurry, and the WiPry Clarity from Oscium for analyzing Wi-Fi traffic.

Chip designer Arm plans to float on Nasdaq; Microsoft's acquisition of Activision; 40% of workers needing AI training; Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 tablet discussed; concerns about SoftBank's valuation and Arm China; Nvidia's access to PC Game Pass games on GeForce Now; chat GPT as a valuable content generation tool; controversy over Microsoft's travel guide to Ottawa; dangers of AI-generated content; lawsuit against Sotheby's for selling NFTs; news stories and tribute; initial impressions and features of Samsung S9 tablets.

Discussion on Sandisk SSDs dying, class actions for consumer recourse, reliability of portable SSD drives, manipulating product reviews, future of CAPTCHAs, Google's web environment proposal, decline in thread usage, and analysis of the Samsung Z Flip 5 smartphone.

The team discusses a concerning spate of institutional data leaks, asks whether Facebook really affects your mental health, and raises an eyebrow at Zoom’s demand for employees to start coming into the office. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Hak5 Packet Squirrel Mark II, a pocket-sized network-monitoring device.

The team discusses Intel’s return to profitability, warnings that a discarded printer could leak your Wi-Fi password, and an under-the-bonnet refactoring for Chrome OS. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Asus RT-AX59U, a compact Wi-Fi 6 router that’s crammed with high-end features for a very reasonable price.

The team discusses the new products launched at Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event, the abrupt renaming of Twitter and the potential dangers of overheating e-bike batteries. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Audio-Technica AT2020USB-XP, a USB microphone aimed at podcasters, streamers and anyone else wanting to capture high-quality vocal recordings.

The team discusses Microsoft’s AI-powered Copilot service, a new type of wireless networking based on infrared light, and the unexpected consequences of Netflix’ crackdown on password sharing. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Ubiquiti WiFiMan Wizard, a tiny portable Wi-Fi scanner that works with an iPhone to analyse and troubleshoot network connections in any location.

The team discusses a potentially significant resignation in the emerging XR market, says farewell to Intel’s diminutive NUC platform, and looks back over a huge first week for Threads. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Inventr.io Adventure Kit 2, a pack of components that introduces kids to electronic engineering through a series of hands-on challenges themed around a thrilling space adventure.

The team discusses Twitter’s latest travails and the arrival of Meta’s new Threads app; controversy over the use of facial recognition to crack down on shoplifters; and the latest accomplishments of AI researchers. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Synology DVA1622, a NAS appliance with built-in security camera support and machine-learning functions for smart surveillance capabilities.

The team discusses the Australian PM’s surprisingly on-point cybersecurity advice; a new privacy-focused browser from DuckDuckGo; more criticism of the UK’s proposed anti-encryption laws; and how Wimbledon is using AI to analyse player pairings. Our Hot Hardware candidate is the Cherry UM 9.0 Pro RGB, a multicoloured microphone aimed at streamers – check out some sample recordings at pcpro.link/347cherry.