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Andy's buying little outfits for his Nest Minis, and this is one of the last times we'll ever bring up Google Play Music. After the ad, we discuss Google's latest earnings report to investors and where all that money is going. And, Flo gets flustered over Android 12's blush aesthetic. It is times like these when a respiratory monitor built into your smartphone is a good idea. 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. Links and Show Notes: Nest Mini alarm clock stand Bye-Bye, Google Play Music MotleyFool: Alphabet Earnings Transcript XDA Developers: This could be Android 12, Google's next Android OS Google Blog: Take a pulse on health and wellness with your phone Support Material with a Relay FM Membership

Flo's Chromecast with Google TV gets stuck in a boot loop, and Andy wonders whether his investment in a Stadia controller will ever pay off. Then, why two Google engineers resigned over the firing of AI ethics researcher Timnit Gebru. This episode of Material is sponsored by: ExpressVPN: High-Speed, Secure & Anonymous VPN Service. Get an extra three months free. Links and Show Notes: Google Support: New Chromecast with Google TV recently reset itself and now displays an Android Recovery screen Ars Technica: Google closes Stadia’s dedicated game studios after less than 2 years Google Blog: Focusing on Stadia's future as a platform, and winding down SG&E 9to5Google: Pixel Slate out of stock on Google Store, likely discontinued Reuters: Two Google engineers resign over firing of AI ethics researcher Timnit Gebru The Verge: Two Google engineers quit over firing of ethical AI leader Timnit Gebru Vinesh Kannan on Twitter CNN: Google CEO discusses Black talent pipeline concerns with HBCU leaders Real Abril🌈 on Twitter DoL: Google LLC, US Department of Labor settlement resolves alleged pay, hiring discrimination at California, Washington State locations Android Police: Chrome 88 rolls out dino-themed QR codes on Android and desktop Support Material with a Relay FM Membership

What's Google up to this week? The company faces a standoff Down Under and refuses to validate conspiracy theories through its employee-contributed PAC. We also bid adieu to Google's Project Loon and its VR painting app, Tilt Brush. 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. Links and Show Notes: The Verge: Google threatens to remove its search engine from Australia if new law goes into effect Axios: Google won't donate to members of Congress who voted against election results Loon's final flight. Loon's time as an Other Bet is coming… The Verge: Google’s VR painting app is getting the axe, but it will live on as an open-source project Support Material with a Relay FM Membership

Andy and Flo lament about internet caps and other things out of their control. We discuss why Google is investigating another one of its top AI ethicists and how ex-Google engineer, Anthony Levandowski, got off scot-free for spilling trade-secrets. We opine on the future of Wear OS now that the Fitbit acquisition is finalized. This episode of Material is sponsored by: Mint Mobile: Get your new wireless plan for just $15 a month Links and Show Notes: Axios: Scoop: Google is investigating the actions of another top AI ethicist MMitchell on Twitter BBC: Ex-Google engineer among those pardoned by Donald Trump Google Blog: Devices & Services Google completes Fitbit acquisition FitBit Blog: Fitbit Joins Google MarketWatch: Google and Fitbit said ‘I do,’ but the marriage could still be annulled Klobuchar Statement on Google's Acquisition of Fitbit Android Central: After just buying Fitbit, Google wants to know how you feel about Wear OS Support Material with a Relay FM Membership

Why did Google Maps bother showing us our stats from the year prior? Doesn't it know we want to leave it behind? Andy tells us why he's flirting with Stadia, just as LG announces it's bundling the cloud gaming platform with its TVs. We discuss why Google is pausing political advertising for the month and whether there were any worthy announcements from this year's virtual CES. Then briefly, a bit on the Assistant's new Guest Mode. 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. Links and Show Notes: YouTube suspends Trump's account, barring uploads and comments YouTubeInsider: Response Google pausing all political ads following Capitol siege Wired: Google’s New Union Is Already Addressing Political Issues LG’s first flexible smartphone, the LG Rollable, is coming “early this year” Google Blog: Guest Mode: An easy privacy control for your home devices Support Material with a Relay FM Membership

The first episode of 2021 is all about doing out with the old and in with the new. Flo starts us off with why she's putting the Chromecast with Google TV on all the screens. Then, we'll discuss Google and YouTube's responses to this week's attempted insurrection at Capitol Hill and get into the details of the Alphabet Workers Union. Plus, one mad genius's successful attempt at running all major operating systems on a Pixelbook, and we take a look at the Google Home's new scheduling features. This episode of Material is sponsored by: ExpressVPN: High-Speed, Secure & Anonymous VPN Service. Get an extra three months free. Links and Show Notes: Reddit: Chromecast w/ Google TV USB C hub support Google Docs: Chromecast with Google TV - Compatible Hardware List Business Insider: Google CEO Sundar Pichai calls Capitol Hill violence the 'antithesis of democracy' in memo to employees The Verge: YouTube removes Trump video addressing Capitol attack The Verge: YouTube says it will punish Trump and other channels that continue to spread election lies TechCrunch: Michelle Obama calls on Silicon Valley to permanently ban Trump and prevent platform abuse by future leaders NYTimes: Hundreds of Google Employees Unionize, Culminating Years of Activism NYTimes: Opinion | We're Google Workers. And We're Forming a Union. Reddit: Pixelbook triple boot: MacOS, Win10, Linux Mint. : PixelBook Google Developers: Google Home now has Google Assistant scheduling features Support Material with a Relay FM Membership

Flo and Andy share the highs and lows of their pandemic Christmas holiday. We'll then talk about the biggest Google search trends of 2020 and what it revealed about this hell year. Plus, what's in store for Google in 2021. This episode of Material is sponsored by: Linode: Cloud Hosting & Linux Servers. Get a $100 in free credit. Links and Show Notes: Google: The Year in Search 2020 YouTube Blog: 2020's top-trending videos and creators Support Material with a Relay FM Membership

It's a holiday week, but Google is still doing some kerfuffling. Andy and Flo sandwich the news between two slices of holiday cheer, plus some good news about the Nexus 7—yes, that Nexus 7. And don't worry, kids: Santa is still delivering presents this year, and you can track his journey through the Google Assistant! Happy holidays, friends. Thank you for being here. This episode of Material is sponsored by: Linode: Cloud Hosting & Linux Servers. Get a $100 in free credit. Links and Show Notes: NYTimes: Google Denies Antitrust Claims in Early Response to U.S. Lawsuit NYTimes: Google’s Legal Peril Grows in Face of Third Antitrust Suit Google Blog: Redesigning Search would harm American consumers and businesses 9to5Google: Free Play audiobooks using Google auto-generated narrators Google Blog: 6 new ways Android can help this holiday season Google Play Store: Dictated Audio Books 9to5Google: Official LineageOS 17.1 support comes to Nexus 7, more Google Blog: Santa's Village is back, firing on all candy canes Support Material with a Relay FM Membership

Andy tries to plant his own koala in the Christmas tree but to no avail, and the Google Home Max is officially dunzo. We'll tell you why you couldn't read your Gmail this week and how Google plans to breathe new life into expired PCs and Macs. Before we sign off, Andy regales us with a bit of operatic knowledge. 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, 2021, and can be used only once. Links and Show Notes: The Verge: Google discontinues the Google Home Max The Verge: Gmail, YouTube, Google Docs, and other Google services hit by massive outage Google Cloud Status Dashboard Ars Technica: Google sees major services outages two days in a row Engadget: Google will officially support running Chrome OS on old PCs Google Arts and Culture presents: Blob Opera Support Material with a Relay FM Membership

Flo is back from taking her Project Baseline COVID test, and she'll tell us all about it. Then, it's all about Dr. Timnit Gebru. We'll tell you who she is, why she was fired from Google Brain, and what's transpired in the days since. We'll also talk about why you want ethics in artificial intelligence and what Google's losing with her sudden departure. And don't worry, we'll cleanse the palate with a cute Christmas critter from Down Under. This episode of Material is sponsored by: Linode: Cloud Hosting & Linux Servers. Get $100 in free credit. Links and Show Notes: Project Baseline: COVID-19 FAQ Google Walkout: Setting the Record Straight #ISupportTimnit #BelieveBlackWomen Google Walkout: Standing with Dr. Timnit Gebru — #ISupportTimnit #BelieveBlackWomen Platformer: The withering email that got an ethical AI researcher fired at Google MIT Technology Review: We read the paper that forced Timnit Gebru out of Google. Here’s what it says. Twitter: Dr. Gebru Axios: Google CEO pledges to investigate exit of top AI ethicist Twitter: Dr. Gebru's response Facebook: 1300Koalaz - 🎼Tis the season to be jolly... Support Material with a Relay FM Membership