The Engadget Podcast

We’ve finally got new gadgets to review! This week, Cherlynn, Devindra and Engadget’s Sam Rutherford dive into the new 14-inch MacBook Pro with an M2 Max chip. Sure, it looks the same as before, but demanding users may appreciate the performance bump. Also, they discuss where the new M2 Pro-powered Mac Mini fits into Apple’s lineup. And of course, Cherlynn and Sam update us on everything they expect from Samsung’s Unpacked event next week. We’ll get the Galaxy S23, naturally, but rumors also point to new computers too.MacBook Pro M2 Max review and Mac mini thoughts – 1:26Samsung Unpacked 2023 preview – 13:02Other news: Hacker leaks 2019 No Fly list – 27:14Microsoft announces multibillion dollar investment in OpenAI days after layoffs – 33:45Scientists found a colony of Emperor penguins after tracking poop markings on satellite images – 43:10Formovie Theater UST projector and LG CineBeam projector reviews – 47:30Ayaneo 2 handheld review: Like a Steam Deck, but fancier – 59:00Pop culture picks – 1:06:14

Apple’s first major announcements of 2023 are here! This week, Devindra and Deputy Editor Nathan Ingraham chat about Apple’s new M2 Pro/Max MacBook Pros and Mac Mini. Sure, they seem like solid upgrades, but did they come too late? Also, we dive into the latest rumors around Apple’s AR and MR headsets, as well as news about cheaper AirPods and new AirPods Max. And in other news, we explore the downside of AI in journalism, as well as another round of layoffs in tech.Apple announces M2 Pro and Max chips for MacBook Pro and Mac Mini – 1:23The big HomePod is back from the dead! – 15:34Apple’s AR headset may be delayed, a cheaper mixed reality headset may be in development – 25:41Other News: CNet’s AI article problem, Twitter breaks third party apps, and layoffs at Microsoft – 32:11Working on – 44:44Pop culture picks – 46:08

The IT Crowd was right! You really should try turning everything off and on again to make it work. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra discuss how the FAA did just that to fix its NOTAM system, which alerts pilots of potential hazards. It turns out a database error was enough to send that system into a spiral, which forced the FAA to ground flights Wednesday morning. But of course, this was just one issue facing air travel in America – we also dive into Southwest’s holiday fiasco, as well as potential transportation alternatives.FAA grounds planes after NOTAM outage – 1:34Other News: Microsoft may have given up on the Surface Duo 3 in favor of foldables – 28:23Biden calls for legislation on social media platforms – 35:31NASA is funding ideas for a seaplane and faster deep space travel – 38:18Hyundai’s new EV can “crab walk” into parallel parking spaces – 40:49Samsung’s first Unpacked of 2023 scheduled for February 1 – 45:13Pop culture picks – 52:47

CES is on! This week, Devindra and UK Bureau Chief Mat Smith chat about some of the biggest news from the show, including massive upgrades for laptops, wild new TV concepts and two different pee analyzers! As usual, CES is a mix of major news and random weirdness. Senior Editor Karissa Bell also joins to give us her perspective on the ground at the show. What to look for at CES 2023 – 1:36PC hardware: Intel and AMD release mobile chips, NVIDIA’s 4090 will be in laptops – 3:53TVs and home theater tech at CES – 21:03Displace’s OLED TV will suction mount to your wall – 24:43Accessibility at CES: L’Oréal’s motorized lipstick applicator and Sony’s Project Leonardo PS5 gamepad –49:28 Weird stuff: Why were there two different pee analyzers at CES? – 51:25Other news – 1:05:52Karissa Bell’s in-person CES experience – 1:08:24Pop culture picks – 1:15:50

Can you believe CES is just a week away? For our final episode of 2022, Cherlynn, Devindra and Senior Writer Sam Rutherford dive into their expectations for CES 2023. We’ll definitely hear more from Intel and AMD when it comes to CPUs, as well as AMD and NVIDIA’s latest mobile video cards. But we’re always keeping our eyes out for the weird stuff at the show, like Lenovo’s wild swiss army lamp, a combination webcam, facelight and USB hub. And of course, there will likely be tons of news around new TVs, PCs and cars. CES 2023 Preview – 1:27PC hardware to look forward to – 5:06Phones and mobile at CES – 22:16New TVs and gaming monitors to expect – 28:11Wearables at CES 2023 – 35:38Other news – 42:07Working on – 44:47Pop culture picks – 46:06

We made it, folks! The end of the year is upon us, so Cherlynn, Devindra and UK Bureau Chief Mat Smith have gathered to break down the high and low points for the tech world. And for the first time, we duke it out to decide the first ever Engadget Podcast awards for the best and worst tech of the year. Let’s just hope things look brighter in 2023.Engadget’s best / worst of 2022 – 1:23Devindra, Cherlynn and Mat’s personal best / worst of the year – 27:07Engadget Podcast Official Best / Worst of the Year – 47:36 FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried arrested in the Bahamas – 1:00:09 Dell’s Concept Luna laptop can be dismantled in seconds – 1:02:41 Google’s smart home devices now support the Matter standard – 1:10:25Working on – 1:13:22 Pop culture picks – 1:15:00

This week, many of us saw our social media feeds taken over by colorful, surreal pictures of people we follow, except they don’t quite look like themselves. The images were generated by Lensa AI, and it’s the latest in what feels like a now-annual trend to use a new app to create mockups of your face in various scenarios. Alongside Lensa, some folks also saw blocks of text from another AI generator, ChatGPT. So on this episode of the podcast, Devindra and Cherlynn chat the appeal, implications and possible future of these types of AI, before being joined by Engadget editor-at-large James Trew for a check in on the state of action cameras.Lensa AI magic avatars and Chat GPT – 1:27 What’s the state of the GoPro-style action camera in 2022? – 23:47 iPhone users can now share digital car keys with Pixel owners – 43:02 iOS 16.2 includes time limits on AirDrop receiving – 47:44 Carl Pei said Nothing wants to come to the US – 53:40 Working on – 1:08:02Picks – 1:10:51

Finally, a Kindle you can write on! This week, we dive into Cherlynn’s review of the Kindle Scribe, Amazon’s first e-reader that can also capture handwritten notes. The hardware is great, but as usual, Amazon’s software feels half-baked. Also, Devindra and Cherlynn discuss the rise of new Twitter alternatives like Hive Social and Post. It looks like many communities are already splintering off to these services, but unfortunately, they can’t yet replicate the magic of Twitter.Kindle Scribe review – 1:13Rise of the Twitter clones: Hive Social, Post, and Mastodon – 19:28Amazon will lose $10 billion on its Alexa division this year – 34:12We’ve got a new trailer for the Super Mario Bros. animated movie – 38:01Working on – 43:58Pop culture picks – 45:30

This week, Cherlynn and Devindra chat with Senior Commerce Editor, Valentina Palladino, about our massive Holiday Gift Guide. If you’re looking for a decent laptop to gift, or maybe some budget gear for yourself, we’ve got you covered! Also, they dig into the FTX debacle (which got much worse than last week!), and Elon Musk’s ongoing fail whale Twitter acquisition. And on a surprising note, we end up having strong feelings about Amazon’s chat-based virtual healthcare service. Engadget 2022 Holiday Gift Guide – 1:24NASA’s Artemis 1 rocket finally launches – 27:20Cherlynn got to try Apple’s SOS satellite text message service – 28:56Qualcomm announces Snapdragon chips with hardware-accelerated ray tracing – 34:33Tuvalu turns to the metaverse to save its culture from climate change – 38:38Meta axes its Portal video chat device – 40:21FTX continues to collapse as regulator investigations begin – 43:15Elon Twitter is a mess: your weekly update – 48:36Working on – 1:02:47Pop culture picks – 1:05:59

We’re still waiting for Apple to deliver a real foldable iPhone, but that didn’t stop a group of engineers in China from crafting their own prototype. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra dive into the possibility of a real foldable iPhone, plus they discuss Meta’s massive layoffs and the fast downfall of the crypto exchange FTX. Also, what are the ethics of Apple limiting AirDrop in China (and eventually the rest of the world)?Chinese modders made a foldable iPhone – 1:32Meta lays off 11,000 people worldwide – 12:48Sale of crypto exchange FTX to Chinese-based Binance fails – 20:56Musk Twitter is a mess: the weekly update – 26:41Apple sets time limit for receiving Airdrops in China – 31:38Volvo unveils its EX90 EV SUV – 35:52Instagram’s web client has finally been redesigned – 39:37Google starts issuing Stadia refunds – 41:22Working on – 47:03Pop culture picks – 49:10