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Material is a weekly discussion about the Google and Android universe. Your intrepid hosts try to answer the question, “What holds up the digital world?” The answer, so far, is that it’s Google all the way down. Hosted by Andy Ihnatko and Florence Ion.
Episodes
Mentioned books

May 14, 2021 • 59min
307: The Deets
Things have really slowed down to a snail's pace, so Flo is playing games with the Razer Kishi controller for Android. We pretend to be Hollywood gossip columnists relating the latest saga between YouTube TV and Roku and then speculate on what's happening at Google I/O next week. And fans of The Office are going to love Google Search's latest easter egg.
This episode of Material is sponsored by:
Pingdom: Start monitoring your website performance and availability today, and get instant alerts when an outage occurs or a site transaction fails. Use offer code MATERIAL to get 30% off. Offer expires on January 31, 2022, and can be used only once.
Top Four: Good, better, best, and one more thing. Listen now.
Links and Show Notes:
Razer Kishi
Google: We put YouTube TV in the main YouTube app. What now, Roku?
Samsung is officially contributing to Google’s next-generation Fuschia OS
Google, You Should Already Know How People Feel About Wear OS
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May 7, 2021 • 1h 1min
306: What’s Going Onn?
Andy starts us off by getting into the YouTube of it all. The Google I/O schedule is up, and we're intrigued. We talk about Google's new Google TV-like home screen for Walmart's Onn tablets and why Roku and YouTube are still feuding. Then, how we're feeling about Google's multiyear partnership with the WNBA.
This episode of Material is sponsored by:
ExpressVPN: High-Speed, Secure & Anonymous VPN Service. Get an extra three months free.
Pictorial: A conversation with your eyes. Listen now.
Links and Show Notes:
Reddit: Youtuber that has been making videos for over 13 years is scheduled to have his channel terminated over copyright disputes from a channel that stole his content
Google I/O 2021 Schedule
Google Blog: Blast off into Entertainment Space on your Android tablet
Gizmodo: Google Is Bringing a Google TV Experience to Android Tablets
YouTube: An update to our YouTube TV members on Roku
ESPN: As 25th season approaches, WNBA agrees to multiyear partnership with Google
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Apr 30, 2021 • 1h 4min
305: A Very Profitable Business
Flo switched to the Pixel 5, and Andy's Pixelbook revived in time to beg him not to buy the new iPad Pro. Google had a great quarter, and we're gonna tell you all about it. Plus, it turns out that COVID-19 contact tracing on Android wasn't so private after all. And why YouTube TV on Roku might be nearing its end of days.
This episode of Material is sponsored by:
Pingdom: Start monitoring your website performance and availability today, and get instant alerts when an outage occurs or a site transaction fails. Use offer code MATERIAL to get 30% off. Offer expires on January 31, 2022, and can be used only once.
Clockwise: Four people, four tech topics, thirty minutes. Listen now.
Links and Show Notes:
CNN: Google parent Alphabet sees revenue jump 34% to $55.3 billion in the first quarter
Gizmodo: It Turns Out Covid-19 Contact Tracing on Android Is Not So Private After All
TheMarkup: Google Promised Its Contact Tracing App Was Completely Private—But It Wasn't
Axios: Roku says it may lose YouTube TV app after Google made anti-competitive demands
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Apr 23, 2021 • 1h 8min
304: Engage Smug Mode
How can we not? We talk about Apple's announcements this week from an Android user's perspective. Plus, why Google FLoC isn't flying high, and the sad dystopia of Google Maps' emergency alerts.
Note that there's a serious content warning for this episode as we discuss gun violence toward the end.
This episode of Material is sponsored by:
Pingdom: Start monitoring your website performance and availability today, and get instant alerts when an outage occurs or a site transaction fails. Use offer code MATERIAL to get 30% off. Offer expires on January 31, 2022, and can be used only once.
Parallel: A tech podcast with accessibility sprinkles. Listen now.
Links and Show Notes:
Ars Technica: Google’s ad-tracking tech getting no love
Gizmodo: Google Needs to Make a Real iPad Pro Alternative
Reddit: Google Maps helped me avoid this area reported with active shooting
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Apr 16, 2021 • 1h
303: Workflow Vulnerability
Flo got the ginormous OnePlus Watch, and Andy's Pixelbook keyboard has gone kaput. We chat about Android's continued troubles with unified messages, how ad-blockers kept us from getting the show out this week, and why the Google Earth Timelapse feature is an important one to share with others.
This episode of Material is sponsored by:
Pingdom: Start monitoring your website performance and availability today, and get instant alerts when an outage occurs or a site transaction fails. Use offer code MATERIAL to get 30% off. Offer expires on January 31, 2022, and can be used only once.
Make Do: The joys and anxieties of art and making. Listen now.
Links and Show Notes:
Gizmodo: The Plan to Give Android Users Their Own Version of iMessage Is Officially Dead
The Verge: Apple says iMessage on Android ‘will hurt us more than help us’
9to5Google: Adblockers are causing issues with Google Docs layouts
CNN: Google Earth's new Timelapse feature shows the chilling effect of climate change
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Apr 9, 2021 • 1h 13min
302: Thanks For All The Phones
Despite the flurry of news this week, Andy and Flo find some time for a subjective point of view. We walk you through Google's win at the Supreme Court and what a Pixel-perfect system-on-a-chip looks like. We attempt a bit of hype for the all-virtual Google I/O 2021, the dates of which were announced this week. Then, say goodbye to LG as we walk through our favorite phones. And hear how Andy is doing with the Nest Hub's built-in sleep tracking capabilities.
Don't forget to sign up for the Material Studies Bookclub by becoming a member! 👇
This episode of Material is sponsored by:
Privacy: Smarter payments. Get $5 to spend on your first purchase.
Technology Untangled: Join Michael Bird as he untangles innovation through a series of interviews, stories, and analyses with some of the industry’s brightest brains.
Pingdom: Start monitoring your website performance and availability today, and get instant alerts when an outage occurs or a site transaction fails. Use offer code MATERIAL to get 30% off. Offer expires on January 31, 2022, and can be used only once.
Focused: Life is more than cranking widgets. Listen now.
Links and Show Notes:
CNBC: Supreme Court rules in Google's favor in copyright dispute with Oracle over Android software
9to5Google: Pixel 6 powered by Google-made 'GS101' Whitechapel chip
CNBC: Google is accelerating partial reopening of offices and putting limits on future of remote work
9to5Google: Google I/O 2021 will be virtual and free to attend
Engadget: Remembering LG's finest (and strangest) phones
Ars Technica: LG Optimus G Pro Review: the phone-tablets are here to stay
MobileSyrup: Photos of LG's rollable and V70 surface, phones will never officially launch
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Apr 2, 2021 • 1h 23min
301: The Eco-friendly Route
We're still pumping the good vibes this week. Andy reminds us there are some real treasure troves available to stream on YouTube, and Flo wants to know if you have any questions about the OnePlus 9 or OnePlus 9 Pro that you'd like answered? Then we tell the tale of how Google simultaneously discovered and shut down a nine-month hacking operation. We also dissect a new privacy feature coming to Android, YouTube's experimentation with hiding how many people "disliked" a video, and why Google Maps' eco-friendly route offerings won't prevent climate change.
This episode of Material is sponsored by:
Privacy: Smarter payments. Get $5 to spend on your first purchase.
Technology Untangled: Join Michael Bird as he untangles innovation through a series of interviews, stories, and analyses with some of the industry’s brightest brains.
ExpressVPN: High-Speed, Secure & Anonymous VPN Service. Get an extra three months free.
Rocket: Accelerated geek conversation. Listen now.
Links and Show Notes:
MIT Technology Review: Google's unusual move to shut down an active counterterrorism operation being conducted by a Western democracy
9to5Google: Google to limit Android apps from seeing what's installed
Twitter: @YouTube
Reuters: Google Maps to start directing drivers to 'eco-friendly' routes
YouTube: The Astrologer
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Mar 25, 2021 • 1h 19min
300: Not Just Another Material Podcast
It's been 300 episodes of the Material podcast! We have cake! We have commemorative Oreos! And we have a rundown of our favorite tombstones in the Google Graveyard. We'll give you a bit of the week's news, too, plus what you get when you do a Google search for the number "300."
This episode of Material is sponsored by:
Mint Mobile: To get your new wireless plan for just $15 a month, and get the plan shipped to your door for free, click this link.
Privacy: Smarter payments. Get $5 to spend on your first purchase.
Fortnite, from Epic Games: Embrace your wild side in Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 6: Primal.
Roboism: Robots, -isms, and tech (but mostly robots). Listen now.
Links and Show Notes:
Flo's chocolate-covered Oreo tin
Squash that Android bug
Pixel phones betrayed the family and no longer offered protection
The Google Graveyard
A YouTube video of babies fighting over a pacifier
Thank you to everyone who has helped us make this show possible for at least 300 episodes!
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Mar 18, 2021 • 1h 16min
299: Incognito Mode
Flo is freaking out over signing her kid up for a Google account, while Andy is completely locked out of his. We gush over the shiny new gadget announcements this week, including the second-generation Nest Hub and the affordable Samsung Galaxy A52. We also discuss why Google is in trouble for its Incognito Mode and how YouTube creators are getting more control over copyright infringement.
This episode of Material is sponsored by:
Pingdom: Start monitoring your website performance and availability today, and get instant alerts when an outage occurs or a site transaction fails. Use offer code MATERIAL to get 30% off. Offer expires on January 31, 2022, and can be used only once.
Privacy: Smarter payments. Get $5 to spend on your first purchase.
Automators: Automation for the people. Listen now.
Fortnite, from Epic Games: Embrace your wild side in Fortnite Chapter 2 Season 6: Primal.
Links and Show Notes:
Google Blog: Google Nest Need a better night's sleep? Meet the new Nest Hub
Ars Technica: Samsung Galaxy A52 is the follow-up to Samsung’s best-selling phone
Ars Technica: Judge rules $5 billion Google Chrome Incognito mode lawsuit can go forward
9to5Google: YouTube rolls our copyright 'checks' before you get in trouble
9to5Google: Google 3D animals list: Lions, tigers, dinos and more!
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Mar 11, 2021 • 1h 6min
298: 10 Years of Burner Laptops
Andy and Flo take a walk down memory lane to celebrate 10 years of Chromebooks. We recap the dawn of the cloud-based machines, and we'll clue you in on the new features Google announced to mark the anniversary. We also cover a not-so-celebratory news report out of NBC News. Plus, Google is the most trusted company, though not when it comes to self-driving cars.
Remember, you can send us an email at materialpodcast@gmail.com with your comments and concerns. Or, tell us what you'd love to see from our 300th episode in a few weeks!
This episode of Material is sponsored by:
Pingdom: Start monitoring your website performance and availability today, and get instant alerts when an outage occurs or a site transaction fails. Use offer code MATERIAL to get 30% off. Offer expires on January 31, 2022, and can be used only once.
DeleteMe: Remove your personal info from data brokers. Get 20% off with code MATERIAL.
Links and Show Notes:
Google Blog: Chromebook turns 10
YouTube: Google Chrome OS Open Source Project Announcement
Chromebooks announces new features for 10th birthday
NBC News: Google advised mental health care when workers complained about racism and sexism
ZDNet: Facebook, TikTok least trusted by Americans, Google most trusted, says survey
SEO Clarity: https://www.seoclarity.net/blog/americans-and-trusting-tech
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