The Engadget Podcast

This week, Devindra and Cherlynn dive into Microsoft’s massive (and surprising!) acquisition of Bethesda, and all of the other ZeniMax Media studios. Also, Cherlynn dives into her experience with the Apple Watch SE — is it enough to tempt her away from Android? Microsoft shakes the gaming industry with huge studio buy – 1:42 TikTok is now partly owned by Oracle and [checks notes] …Walmart? – 13:51 Apple Watch SE in depth review – 17:39 Samsung Unpacked (Fan Edition) – 33:29 Baseless speculation on the Amazon product event – 40:31 Working On – 44:19 Picks – 46:51

This week, it’s (almost) all about Apple as Cherlynn and Devindra are joined by Valentina Palladino to dive into Apple’s event on Tuesday. Is the new Apple Watch Series 6 impressive? Is $279 for the Watch SE a good price? Then, Devindra tells us about his review of the Oculus Quest 2 and NVIDIA’s RTX 3080. Then, we look at the crazy LG Wing before catching you up on the flood of news in tech this week. There was an Apple event, but no iPhones (yet) – 1:50 Apple Watch Series 6 (and Watch SE and Fitness +) – 5:25 iPads 8 get and Air – 30:11 Oculus Quest 2 Review – 39:27 Other news: PS5 price announced, LG Wing – 51:58 Working On/RTX 3080 review preview – 1:03:49 Picks – 1:10:04

The Surface Duo reviews are in and the verdict is a resounding meh. Devindra and Cherlynn talk about what excited them about Microsoft’s dual-screen debut, and explain why using it in the real world was frustrating. Then, UK bureau chief Mat Smith joins our hosts to discuss the Xbox Series S and X versus Sony’s Playstation options, as well as what Apple might have in store for the September 15th event it announced this week. Finally, we can talk about what the Microsoft Duo is actually like – 1:38 Xbox Series S, what a surprise – 24:09 A timely Apple announcement – 40:30 Working On – 50:44 Picks – 54:01

As if Samsung unveiling the Z Fold 2 plus an NVIDIA event weren’t enough to keep us busy this week, we also got a slew of news from companies all over the consumer electronics industry thanks to IFA 2020. Cherlynn and Devindra are joined by senior mobile editor Chris Velazco to discuss his impressions of the Galaxy Z Fold 2 after spending a day and a half with it. Then, our hosts geek out over NVIDIA and Intel’s latest processors, before blazing through the plethora of IFA news from companies like TCL, Qualcomm, Lenovo and Samsung (again). Galaxy Z Fold 2 first impression – 1:40 NVIDIA makes a huge step forward – 23:17 Dispatch from Intel – 29:05 So many new things at IFA – 37:05 Working On – 56:51 Picks – 58:54

This week, Cherlynn and Devindra chat about what it’s like to live with the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra, plus they dive into Epic’s war with Apple over the App Store. Also, they’ll discuss how Facebook is still trying (and failing) to make Instagram a Tiktok killer. Notes from the Galaxy Note 20 review – 1:52 Fortnite v. Apple’s app store – 17:34 Oculus will soon require Facebook login – 28:23 Facebook tries Reels, but can it stand up to TikTok? – 33:12 Working On – 39:14 Picks – 47:26

This week was dominated by Microsoft’s Surface Duo news, with the company finally unveiling full details and availability info for its dual-screen device since it was first showed off last year. Cherlynn and Devindra discuss why this is such a compelling product and spell out some concerns that could hold the Duo back. How can Microsoft justify the controversial price tag and is the software any better than previous efforts? Our hosts also take a deeper look at Cherlynn’s experience reviewing the Galaxy Watch Active 3 and provide updates on some Intel and Avatar news that came out this week.

t’s a jam-packed week of news thanks to Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event. Cherlynn and Devindra chat about the Galaxy Note (and Ultra!), the Z Fold 2, Tab S7 and S7+, Watch 3 and Buds Live. Whew. And they still find time to go into Cherlynn’s glowing Pixel 4a review, and the crazy Microsoft/Tiktok deal and Trump’s latest attempt to block Chinese companies. Samsung announces so many things – 2:00 ZFold2 – 6:07 Galaxy Note 20 – 16:47 Galaxy Tab – 26:10 Watch 3 – 35:06 Buds Live – 40:38 Google’s Pixel 4a might be the best midrange smartphone – 44:01 Apple refreshes the 27-inch iMac – 55:50 White House tries to block Chinese companies/Working on – 59:10 Pop Culture Picks – 1:09:01

This week on the show, Devindra and Cherlynn chat about Facebook, Apple, Google and Amazon’s congressional antitrust hearing. Are they too big to compete fairly? Or is the tech industry being overly criticized? (It’s most likely the former.) Also, we dive into Garmin’s lackluster response to its widespread system outage, Quibi’s surprising Emmy noms, and Tenet’s international opening. Facebook, Amazon, Apple, and Google Testify in Anti-Trust Hearings – 2:05 Garmin Gets Hacked, Tries to Play it Cool – 25:46 Quibi was Nominated for [checks notes] 10 Emmys?? – 31:39 Working On – 40:20 Picks – 44:56

This has been a gadget-and-gaming heavy week for Team Engadget, and it’s right in our comfort zone. As Devindra was busy hosting Engadget’s Xbox livestream event, Cherlynn is joined by UK Bureau Chief Mat Smith. They dive into the OnePlus Nord, which was launched this week, and has been hyped up by the company and its fans. The Nord is a return to good affordable phones for OnePlus, and Mat shares his impressions after playing with it for a bit. Our hosts also go over the OnePlus Buds, Xiaomi’s Mi Smart Band 5 (and other products), the ASUS ROG Phone 3 and other gaming phones. And since we’re talking to someone in the UK, we also discuss the differences in attitude towards Chinese-made gadgets in America and Europe.

After Cherlynn’s review of the Snapdragon-powered Lenovo Flex 5G laptop was published this week, our hosts decided to take a deeper look at Windows on ARM. Between buggy performance and confusion over app compatibility, there’s a lot to unpack. Then, Devindra and Cherlynn look at Apple Silicon and the challenges that might be in the company’s way as it makes its two-year transition to ARM. Will an ARM-based Macbook be powerful enough for the most demanding users? Then, as usual, we share what we’ve been working on and relaxing with, and offer entertainment recommendations you should check out. What’s up With Wednesday’s Big Twitter Hack? – 1:32 Lenovo Flex 5G/Windows on ARM – 6:51 What Does This Mean for MacOS on ARM? – 23:13 In Other News…– 32:39 Working On – 39:19 Picks – 43:37