The Engadget Podcast

This week, Cherlynn is joined by senior editor Jessica Conditt and special guest Harris O’Malley aka Dr. NerdLove to talk all about the ways tech affects dating, relationships and breakups. Will Google Photos, Facebook and Instagram ever stop sending us “memories” of our exes? What are the newest ways to be “Facebook Official”? Are there etiquette rules on when or whether you should remove your ex’s pictures from Instagram? Then, our hosts share what they’ve been working on, including coverage of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 888 news and upcoming game reviews. Navigating relationships, breakups, and their digital footprint with Dr. Nerdlove – 1:55 Working on – 40:36 Picks – 46:19

In this holiday interview special, Devindra chats with Team Asobi creative director Nicolas Doucet on developing Astro's Playroom, a game that's bundled with every PlayStation 5 and shows off the full capabilities of its DualSense controller.

Apple’s new M1-equipped MacBook Air is a doozy of an ultraportable. This week, Devindra and Cherlynn chat about what makes it so special, and what it means for the future of Apple’s M1 Mac lineup. How can Intel and AMD even compete? Also, they discuss if Twitter’s Fleets feature is any good, and what Amazon’s Pharmacy push means for online medication ordering. The Macbook Air M1: Does it live up to the hype? – 1:32 M1 on Macbook Air: benchmarks – 24:49 The ongoing US election/other news – 28:39 Twitter introduces stories: Fleets – 31:54 Amazon expands into prescription drugs – 38:08 Listener mail – 45:03 Working on – 47:52 Picks – 1:00:17

This week, we go over our deeper thoughts on Apple’s announcements from its Mac event on Tuesday. Does Apple have a better shot at making ARM-based laptops work than Microsoft? Plus, our hosts take a closer look at our iPhone 12 Mini and Pro Max reviews and share more thoughts on the PlayStation 5. Apple Unveils its M1 Chip – 1:41 iPhone 12 hands on and final thoughts – 20:17 Playstation 5 launch day – 30:46 In other news… – 41:31 Working on – 50:15 Picks – 52:55

This week, Devindra and Jessica Conditt dive deep into their Xbox Series X and S reviews. Do Microsoft’s next-gen systems live up to the hype? Also, Tech on the Ballot! A few important tech-related ballot initiatives were decided in California, Massachusetts, and Maine. Xbox Series X and S: The Full Review – 1:42 Tech on the Ballot – 30:21 Working On – 41:36 Picks – 43:16

This week, Devindra and Cherlynn are joined by Jess Conditt to talk about both new consoles -- well, as much as they can say anyway. Jess chats about her PlayStation 5 preview, and we can finally compare it to the Xbox Series X and S final hardware. Also, they dive into what’s up with AMD and NVIDIA’s latest GPUs, the RTX 3070 and Radeon RX 6000 series. PS5 vs. Xbox Series S: case and controller overview – 1:41 Other gaming news (RTX 3070, switch game streaming) – 21:51 Social media takes steps against US election misinformation – 27:45 Working on – 36:42 Listener mail – 44:10 Our favorite dead gadgets – 48:36 Picks – 56:09

This week, Devindra chats with Senior Mobile Editor Chris Velazco about his iPhone 12 and 12 Pro reviews. Do they live up to the hype? Are they a decent upgrade over last year? And does 5G matter? Also, they dive into Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s brilliant Among Us Twitch stream, as well as the (wholly unsurprising) death of Quibi Do you really need to upgrade to an iPhone 12? – 1:46 Twitch might be the new frontier for political promotion – 35:56 RIP Quibi, Lifespan: Six Months – 45:44 Working On – 56:09 Picks – 59:04

It’s been a hardware-heavy week, with Apple’s iPhone 12 event delivering four new iPhones to gawk at. Devindra and Cherlynn take a look at some of the more controversial and outstanding discussions about Apple’s latest and greatest. Then, we talk about Cherlynn’s experience reviewing the Pixel 4a 5G and Pixel 5, and Jessica Conditt joins our hosts to talk about the Xbox Series X after having spent three weeks with the console. Apple finally unveils the iPhone 12 (pro and mini, too!) – 1:23 Final review of the Pixel 5 and 4a5G – 28:06 Xbox Series X and S preview with Jess Conditt – 45:02 Working On – 59:21 Picks – 1:05:10

The legendary Bill Nye joins our hosts Cherlynn and Devindra on this week’s episode to discuss his new VR Science Kit, as well as climate change, the postal service and the Trump administration’s stance on science. “Uncle Bill,” as we’re allowed to call him (sparingly) also talked about TikTok as a learning platform and the internet as a public service. Then, commerce editor Valentina Palladino shares some advice on how to prepare for Amazon’s upcoming Prime Day on October 13th and 14th. Bill Nye (The Science Guy!) joins us to talk about VR learning, science leadership, and climate change – 1:05 A Prime Day primer with commerce editor Valentina Palladino – 23:24 Working On – 36:08 Picks – 41:22

Google’s finally shown off the Pixel 5, and people are not too impressed. At its Launch Night In event this week, the company revealed details on its latest phones as well as the new Chromecast and Nest Audio speaker. Not to be outdone, Microsoft dropped some new Surface news the next morning, launching the Surface Laptop Go and updated Surface Pro X. Cherlynn and UK bureau chief Mat Smith break down all the news on this week’s podcast, before going over some takeaways from our iOS 14 review. Google unveils its Pixel 5 and Pixel 4a5G – 1:39 New Chromecast – 18:24 Nest Audio – 25:22 Laptop Go and Surface Pro X from Microsoft – 34:00 Mat Smith’s iOS 14 review – 43:03 Working On – 59:19 Picks – 1:01:47