After Nintendo revealed the full details around the Switch 2 this week, Engadget's Sam Rutherford got some hands-on time with the new console. In this episode, he talks about the major improvements in the new hardware (especially that 1080p, 120 fps screen) and why he doesn't really miss the older Switch OLED. Also, Sam discusses his time with Mario Kart World, the new semi-open world version of Nintendo's classic racer. In other news, we dive into the latest updates around the TIkTok ban, and we discuss how the Trump administration's tariff push will affect everything in the technology world and beyond. Stay tuned to the end of the show for our chat with Shinichiro Watanabe, the creator of Cowboy Bebop, about his new anime series Lazarus.Switch 2 details are finally here, Sam Rutherford got hands-on time with it – 1:47U.S.’s broad new tariffs on China and beyond could make everything from keyboards to cars more expensive – 49:32TikTok’s divest-or-ban deadline is April 5, here are the possible buyers – 54:57xAI buys X, but how much does that matter? – 58:24Working on – 1:00:59Pop culture picks – 1:02:31 

This week, we learned that even government officials are addicted to their group chats -- except with the Trump administration those chats include war plans and potentially classified information. In this episode, we dive into the sheer recklessness and stupidity of Signalgate. And speaking of reckless, we also discuss 23andMe's bankruptcy and the privacy concerns around selling off customer DNA data.Signalgate: What happened, who was involved, and how to safely add someone to a Signal group chat – 0:4823andMe files for bankruptcy, customers are urged to delete their sensitive data – 21:25Canon’s PowerShot V1 and R50 V cameras go all in on vlogging – 27:21Apple announces WWDC dates, updates Airpods Max, and dodges fines in the EU – 32:52How did Napster sell for $207 million in 2025? – 45:32Around Engadget – 48:44Working On – 55:22Pop Culture picks – 57:56 

After a ton of leaks, Google officially announced the $499 Pixel 9a, which has the potential to be the new king of mid-range phones. It has dual cameras and access to Google's AI features -- in many ways, it's everything the iPhone 16e should have been (especially its price). In this episode, Senior Writer Sam Rutherford joins us to discuss what's great about the Pixel 9a, as well as its potential downsides compared to the Pixel 9.Google’s announces the Pixel 9a - potentially the new midrange king – 1:15Fujifilm’s GX100RF: a 102MP medium format camera (nice!) with only one F4 lens (boo!) – 21:31Karissa Bell’s roundup of the craziest stuff from Facebook whistleblower Sarah Wynn-Williams’ book – 24:14Donald Trump attempts to fire FTC’s two Democratic commissioners – 29:34Amazon will send all Alexa recordings to the cloud, no more local processing – 32:52Chinese EV maker BYD announces chargers that give 249 miles of range in 5 minutes – 39:10Pebble founder introduces two new e-paper smartwatches – 46:47Listener Mail: Trying to choose an OLED TV – 57:35Around Engadget – 1:03:49Working on – 1:09:56Pop culture picks – 1:10:28 

It's both a great and bad week for Apple. In this episode, we dive into Devindra's review of the excellent M4-equipped MacBook Air (and briefly chat about the new Mac Studio). We also discuss Apple's surprise announcement that it's delaying its smarter, AI-infused Siri, which may not arrive until next year. Did Apple over-promise last year, or is it wise to hold off on advanced AI features until they're ready? After all, Apple doesn't want a fiasco like Microsoft's Recall announcement. The MacBook Air M4 refresh maintains Apple’s seat on the ultraportable throne – 1:40…but the delay on a Siri upgrade could spell trouble long-term – 15:32Xbox’s first handheld might not be made by Microsoft – 34:29The White House turns into a Tesla dealership – 41:30Meta attempts to block unflattering expose book already on sale – 45:52Around Engadget: Ninja Swirl and Eero Pro 7 router reviews – 46:38Working on – 49:21Pop culture picks – 50:26  

Apple finally dropped some long-awaited updates this week:  An M4 MacBook Air (now starting at $999!), M3 iPad Air, as well as a refreshed Mac Studio with M3 Ultra and M4 Max chips. In this episode, Cherlynn, Devindra and Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham chat about all of Apple's new hardware, as well as some interesting tidbits from Mobile World Congress 2025. Devindra also dives into his reviews of NVIDIA's RTX 5070 and AMD's Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT. It turns out AMD has finally delivered some killer GPUs to counter NVIDIA's dominance. We mentioned a bunch of stuff from our Mobile World Congress Roundup, you can check it out here MacBook Air refresh announced with an M4 chip and a slight price drop – 2:04What’s hot at Mobile World Congress 2025 – 23:10Lenovo’s Solar PC – 35:20Xiaomi 15 Ultra (with a fancy Leica camera) – 37:53New releases from Nothing – 39:16Samsung releases a trio of A series devices – 40:35  NVIDIA vs. AMD part ∞: AMD’s Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT edge out the GeForce RTX 5070 – 46:20Pop culture picks – 54:11 

The keyword for the iPhone 16e seems to be "compromise." In this episode, Devindra chats with Cherlynn about her iPhone 16e review and try to figure out who this phone is actually for. Also, they dive into Amazon's Alexa+ event, where we finally learned more about the company's AI-powered voice assistant. Alexa+ seems useful, but can we trust it? iPhone 16e review: too expensive with too many compromises – 1:28Amazon Alexa+ is a conversational assistant powered by AI – 18:39Framework unveils a cheap 2-in-1 laptop and a…modular desktop? – 40:53Clone Robotics released a video of a robot with fake skin that will haunt your nightmares – 43:26NYT: American Psychologists are getting ready to fight AI clone therapists – 44:05Working on – 47:59Pop culture picks – 49:02Interview with Daniel Rausch, VP of Amazon’s Alexa division – 55:34

Well we didn't get the iPhone SE fourth-gen this week -- instead Apple debuted the iPhone 16e, a $599 model based on the iPhone 14's design. It has a 6.1-inch OLED screen and the A18 chip for Apple Intelligence, but should we really consider it a cheap iPhone? In this episode, Devindra and Cherlynn dive into the iPhone 16e and how it compares to the rest of the iPhone 16 family.Apple unveils its SE successor, the iPhone 16e for $599 – 1:22Trump administration planning on 25 percent tariffs on auto and semiconductor imports – 32:02Acer to raise prices by 10 percent following tariff talk – 34:26Humane AI sells to HP, pin will go offline February 28 – 36:42Microsoft’s new quantum computing chip runs on topological qubits – 41:14Working on – 47:28Pop culture picks – 50:06 

We joked about "President Musk" shortly after Donald Trump took office, but it turns out that wasn't far from the truth. Over the past few weeks, Elon Musk and his DOGE team wasted no time in trying to dismantle the American administrative state. They've illegally accessed the Treasury Department's federal payment system, pushed for USAID to be dismantled, and have also infiltrated the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. In this episode, we chat with 404 Media's Jason Koebler about what Musk and his young tech cronies are up to, and how it ties into Silicon Valley's approach to the new Trump administration.Move Fast and Break Things: What is Elon Musk’s DOGE doing to the United States government? – 1:04iPhone SE 4 announcement expected soon – 34:54Elon Musk makes $97.4 billion offer for OpenAI, Altman declines in a tweet – 39:03France wants to build a gigawatt of new nuclear plants to power AI ambitions – 41:27Working on – 44:05Pop culture picks – 44:48 

This week, Devindra chats with Volvo Group CTO Lars Stenqvist about the company’s progress developing zero emissions trucks, both of the electric variety and experimental hydrogen options. While it’s a completely different company from Volvo Cars, Volvo Group still impacts consumers as one of the largest producers of heavy trucks. Stenqvist dives into how Volvo is thinking about new technology, and we chat a bit about how it’s approaching completely autonomous vehicles. (Note: This interview was recorded in early January, so we didn’t have a chance to talk about this week’s partnership between Volvo and the self-driving truck startup Waabi.)

A Chinese startup has shaken the AI scene with its open-source R1 model, promising to outshine giants like OpenAI. The conversation also critiques an odd AI/blockchain project aimed at Hollywood, highlighting the confusion around such ventures. Meanwhile, Helion's ambitious fusion reactor plans spark debate about sustainability and energy innovation amid skepticism about feasibility. Plus, tech stagnation in smartphones and gaming industries raises eyebrows, and a dive into quirky anime brings forth delightful recommendations.