It looks like Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard is trucking along, following a court rejection of the FTC’s injunction attempt. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra chat with Jordan Minor, a Senior Analyst at PCMag covering games, about this massive deal and what it means for the gaming industry. Will further consolidation end up being harmful for consumers (as we’ve been saying for a while), or will Microsoft actually help the beleaguered Activision? Also, we dive into our experiences with the latest Apple betas: iOS 17, iPadOS 17, macOS Sonoma and watchOS 10.Microsoft is (mostly) cleared to buy Activision Blizzard for $69 billion – 00:56Our previews of the iOS 17, iPad OS 17, macOS Sonoma, and WatchOS 10 betas – 21:55Meta’s Threads hits 100m users, Elon is not happy about it – 47:58Microsoft confirms Chinese hackers used 365 email exploit to access US government accounts – 51:32Google’s Bard can now speak 40 languages – 52:29Around Engadget: Sam Rutherford’s ROG Ally review and Katie Malone on why passkeys are suddenly everywhere – 1:01:46Working on – 1:05:47Pop culture picks – 1:07:06

It’s been a wild week for social media! While Twitter encountered many self-inflicted wounds, users jumped to Blue Sky and Mastodon. Then Meta decided it was a fine time to drop its Twitter copycat, Threads. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra chat with Engadget’s Karissa Bell about where all of these services are headed. Will Threads be the clear winner, thanks to Instagram’s social graph? Or will the future lie with fully decentralized platforms like Mastodon? Twitter continues to crumble, Meta introduces Threads Twitter clone – 1:10The next AirPods Pro release could include health features like a hearing test and body temperature sensors – 34:06Google’s Pixel 8 Pro prototype leaked – 37:18EU Digital Markets Act identifies a class of large ‘gatekeeper’ tech companies for additional regulation – 51:07 U.S. Federal Trade Commission announces huge fines for fake product reviews – 55:45Working on – 1:03:19 Picks – 1:06:15

This episode, Cherlynn is joined by senior writer Sam Rutherford and senior commerce editor at Wired Julian Chokkattu to talk about our reviews of the Pixel Fold. Will the recent spate of foldables by companies like Motorola and Google give Samsung some real competition and motivation to step up its game? We can only wait to find out. Samsung is holding its next Galaxy Unpacked in late July, and we’ll see what it has to unveil then. This episode, we also take a look at the latest addition to the Google Graveyard and the state of the podcast industry.Google’s Pixel Fold is the challenger Samsung needs – 1:22Google has given up on making its own AR glasses, will focus on AR software – 38:50Automotive organization SAE will create a standard version of Tesla’s charging plug for EVs – 45:19SiriusXM will shut down widely used podcast app Stitcher on August 29 – 52:11 RIP John Goodenough, inventor of the lithium-ion battery – 54:53 Working on – 56:01Pop culture picks – 59:02

This episode, Cherlynn is joined by senior reporter Jess Conditt and special guest Michael Fisher to talk about the week of reviews. From the Moto Razr+ to the Pixel Tablet, we look at how these devices fit into our lives and make them better (or worse). Than, we go over the highlights from Summer Games Fest and dig into that Titanic situation. Moto Razr+ review: a foldable with an external display you’ll actually want to use – 1:56Pixel Tablet review: Google made a great smart display and a passable tablet – 31:53 The doomed OceanGate submarine was piloted with a Logitech game controller – 47:50 Amazon is shutting down Halo health services at the end of July – 59:15 Jess Conditt’s takeaways from Summer Game Fest – 1:02:51 Working on – 1:19:27Pop culture picks – 1:20:51

What good is Reddit without the support of its community? This week, Cherlynn and Devindra discuss the recent subreddit revolts, following the company’s decision to dramatically increase the cost of its API for third parties. They’re joined by Ryan Broderick, the internet culture reporter behind the must-read newsletter Garbage Day. Will the protests amount to any sort of change? Or will Reddit CEO Steve Huffman prevail and make the company ready for a potential IPO? Also, we dive into our reviews of the new MacBook Air 15, as well as the M2 Ultra Mac Studio. Who needs a Mac Pro when Apple has such a powerful desktop already? Why are Redditors protesting Reddit’s API changes? – 1:15M2 Mac Studio and 15-inch MacBook Air reviews – 19:14U.S. Federal Trade Commission files injunction to block Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision/Blizzard – 27:04Alan Wake 2, South of Midnight and Baby Steps are Summer Games Fest standouts – 30:29 Working on – 34:06Pop culture picks – 36:26

After tons of typing and running around Apple’s campus, we’re ready to wrap up WWDC 2023. This week, Devindra chats with Editor-in-Chief Dana Wollman and Senior Writer Sam Rutherford about Apple’s foray into spatial computing with the Vision Pro, the 15-inch MacBook Air, and the company’s many (many) software announcements. Also, we discuss Spotify’s latest podcast flubs, Diablo 4, and the new Genndy Tartakovsky animated series Unicorn: Warriors Eternal.Wrapping up WWDC 2023: a few more thoughts on the newly-announced Vision Pro – 1:44MacBook Air 15-inch, Mac Studio refresh, and the first Mac Pro update since 2019 –10:40What's new in iOS 17, iPadOS 17, and MacOS Sonoma – 16:34Spotify lays off 200 in podcast group, combines Gimlet and Parcast into Spotify Studios – 40:57Working on – 47:19Pop culture picks – 49:16

We’ve survived day one of Apple’s WWDC ‘23, and we’re ready to talk about the company’s new Vision Pro mixed reality headset. In this bonus episode, Cherlynn and Devindra dive into their thoughts on Apple’s spatial computing play, as well as Devindra’s 30-minute hands on session with the headset. It’s undoubtedly the best AR/VR experience we’ve seen yet, but there are still plenty of issues Apple needs to solve.

It’s only a few days until the beginning of Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference next week, and we’re eager to see what the iPhone maker is cooking up. This week, Cherlynn and Devindra are joined by Engadget Senior Writer Sam Rutherford to dive into all of the Apple rumors: That fabled mixed reality headset, a potential 15-inch MacBook Air and more! But really, all eyes are on the headset. Is Apple setting itself up for failure, or for a future where smart glasses are actually a thing? Also, we discuss the late-breaking news about Meta’s Quest 3 headset, which sounds like it will offer better VR and color mixed reality support for $500.Apple’s AR Headset, iOS 17, MacOS 14 and everything else we expect to see at WWDC 2023 – 1:16Meta Quest 3 details drop ahead of Apple’s developer conference next week – 33:48 Oppo debuts MR Glass Developer Edition – 37:41 AI leaders issue dire warning on its risks, neglecting their own responsibility in its development – 41:46Chatbot rolled out by National Eating Disorders Association taken offline after giving bad advice – 45:37Working on – 52:17Listener mailbag – 56:41Pop culture picks – 58:39

It’s a bigger than usual AI week for Microsoft, thanks to its Build developer conference. This week, we chat with Panos Panay, Microsoft’s Chief Product Officer, about Windows Copilot, a new “AI assistant” headed to Windows 11. Is this just a smarter Clippy, or will AI actually transform the way we use Windows? Also, Cherlynn and Devindra discuss what’s up with Apple’s Mixed Reality headset as we gear up for WWDC in a few weeks.Microsoft announces AI in just about everything at Build 2023 – 1:42Devindra’s interview with Microsoft Chief Product Officer Panos Panay – 11:28 Processing the interview with Panos and other headlines from Build – 33:57 Bloomberg report on Apple’s AR headset reveals significant divisions within the company – 45:55 Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announces his Presidential bid in a glitch-filled Twitter Space with Elon Musk – 56:00 Amazon’s Fire Max 11 looks read to do actual work – 1:03:22 What we’re working on – 1:08:01 Pop culture picks – 1:09:59

This week, we’re focusing on Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD), an annual event meant to promote the need for accessible tech solutions. Cherlynn returns to tell us what Apple, Google, Adobe and others are doing to make their products more useful for people with disabilities (and, it turns out, many general users too). We also discuss Sam Altman’s trip to Congress, and why we’re not entirely impressed with the OpenAI CEO’s calls for AI regulation. Finally, we explain why the BlackBerry movie is one of the best films about tech ever made (take that, Tetris!).Tech companies highlight new features for Global Accessibility Awareness Day – 1:27OpenAI CEO Sam Altman goes to Congress and advocates for A.I. regulation – 34:24Amazon announced a bunch of hardware: new Echo Buds, Echo Show and Echo Pop – 45:10Montana’s TikTok ban has been signed, scheduled to go into effect in 2024 – 49:04Working On (and Cherlynn’s experience on the ground at Google I/O) – 53:55 Pop culture picks – 1:04:44