Hello! This is The Vergecast, the flagship podcast of The Verge... and your life. Every Friday, Nilay Patel and Dieter Bohn make sense of the week's tech news with help from our wide-ranging staff. Join us every week for a fun, deeply nerdy, often off-the-rails conversation about what's happening now (and next) in technology and gadgets.
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Solo Acts: Tinymakesthings' custom keycaps
On today's episode of our Solo Acts mini series, Ashley Esqueda talks with Tiny of tinymakesthings, who makes artisan keycaps for mechanical keyboards. Tiny explains how she got started making her projects on Twitch, the process for designing the keycaps, and the community she built with her art. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Spotify's redesign, streaming boxes suck, and Gigi Sohn withdraws from FCC nomination
The Verge's Nilay Patel, David Pierce, Alex Cranz, and Richard Lawler discuss Spotify's changes within its app, what happening this week at Twitter, Gigi Sohn withdrawing her nomination for FCC commissioner, and a whole lot more. Further reading: The Cybertruck wiper does not appear to extend Spotify’s new design is part TikTok, part Instagram, and part YouTube Spotify is going big on video podcasts After layoffs, SiriusXM looks to star-studded podcasts Apple will launch its standalone classical music app on March 28th All the streaming boxes suck now How a single engineer brought down Twitter Twitter just let its privacy- and security-protecting Tor service expire The FTC’s Twitter privacy investigations have ramped up since Elon Musk’s takeover Hey, where’s the Twitter Blue revenue sharing Elon Musk promised a month ago? Tesla under investigation after Model Y steering wheels fall off Congress rolls out new bill allowing nationwide TikTok ban Gigi Sohn withdraws her nomination for President Joe Biden’s FCC Now the Florida GOP wants political bloggers to register with the government Dish CEO says data was stolen in cyberattack that’s kept systems down for days Dish Network’s internal systems are so broken some employees haven’t worked in over a day Microsoft Bing hits 100 million active users in bid to grab share from Googlet Is buzzy startup Humane’s big idea a wearable camera? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Giles Martin and Sonos CEO Patrick Spence on the new Era 100 and Era 300 speakers
Today, Sonos announced a new line of speakers — the Era 100 and the Era 300 — with the latter finally taking on this format that has been a hit-or-miss experience for music lovers, supporting Amazon Music and Apple Music’s spatial audio. Though spatial format Dolby Atmos has been supported on the Sonos Arc soundbar, the Era 300 signals a music-first approach to its speakers supporting 3D soundscapes. Sonos CEO Patrick Spence believes this is the right time to do it. “We didn’t know that, in 2022, 85 of the top Billboard 100 artists would actually release Atmos tracks, but they did,” Spence says. “We feel like we’re at an inflection point.” On board with Sonos for this shift in music listening is record producer Giles Martin, who mixed the first-ever spatial audio album (a remix of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, The Beatles album that his father, George Martin, originally produced) and several albums and live experiences in Dolby Atmos since. Martin is also the senior vice president of sound experience at Sonos and was involved in the development of the speaker. “When you’re building a product which has multi sort of use and orientations, you do prioritize ... in a way of, what’s the wow factor?” Martin explains. “The wow factor, which I think is truly extraordinary out of the 300, is the fact that it does spatial out of a single box. And it’s really compelling.” Both Patrick and Giles joined Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel for The Vergecast to talk about the new speakers, supporting spatial audio, and why this is the time to do it. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Solo Acts: Madison Karrh on her adventure puzzle game 'Birth'
On episode three of our Solo Acts miniseries, Ashley Esqueda chats with Madison Karrh, an indie game developer who launched her most recent game Birth a few weeks ago. Birth is an adventure puzzle game about constructing a creature from spare bones & organs found around the city in order to quell your loneliness. Madison explains the challenges of making an entire game on your own and why that path is so important to her. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
MWC 2023 gadgets, Meta's AR / VR roadmap, and TikTok's Bold Glamour filter
The Verge's Nilay Patel, Alex Cranz, and Richard Lawler discuss the phones and laptops announced at Mobile World Congress, Meta's AR and VR hardware roadmap for the next few years, Tesla's "Master Plan", and more of this week's tech news. Further reading: MWC 2023 was a preview of what future phones could (and should) look like HMD's latest Nokia phone is designed to be repaired in minutes The Xiaomi 13 Pro is going global Realme’s ridiculous 240W fast-charging phone is getting an international release Motorola’s new Razr foldable is arriving this year Lenovo’s rollable laptop and smartphone are a compelling, unfinished pitch for the future This is Meta’s AR / VR hardware roadmap for the next four years Elon Musk says Twitter employees will receive ‘very significant’ stock awards on March 24th Twitter shut off its internal Slack, and now ‘everyone is barely working’ Twitter Blue head Esther Crawford is out at Twitter Elon Musk's 'lab leak' tweets could be an issue for Tesla's plans in China Tesla’s new ‘Master Plan’ is coming — let’s grade the first two Elon Musk unveils a new Master Plan, a path to sustainable energy future, no new cars Why won’t TikTok confirm the Bold Glamour filter is AI? OpenAI announces an API for ChatGPT and its Whisper speech-to-text tech Microsoft now lets you change Bing’s chatbot personality to be more entertaining Microsoft’s Phone Link app now lets you use iMessage from your PC Sony announces 2023 TV lineup: better late than never Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call our Vergecast Hotline at 866-VERGE11, we'd love to hear from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Apple glucose monitor rumors, Marvel fatigue, and podcast misinformation
Today on the flagship podcast of hyper specific wearable sensors: 01:19 - Victoria Song joins Alex Cranz to talk about the latest rumors around Apple’s big progress in blood glucose monitoring. Apple Makes Major Progress on No-Prick Blood Glucose Tracking for Its Watch Continuous glucose monitor startups still have to prove their worth Apple is looking at opportunities to do great things in health in India: Sumbul Desai 17:14 - Ariel Shapiro talks with Valerie Wirtschafter, a data analyst at the Brookings Institution, about how often podcasts spread political misinformation, and what that means for the medium. Audible reckoning: How top political podcasters spread unsubstantiated and false claims Policy recommendations for addressing content moderation in podcasts 43:57 - Alex and Charles Pulliam-Moore chat about the latest episode of The Last of Us and all the Marvel movie fatigue that has cropped up since Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania came out. [Warning: Spoiler alert] HBO’s The Last of Us is pushing all the right buttons by telling new stories HBO’s The Last of Us is wisely skipping to the cutscenes Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania review: this is your brain on Kangs Email us at vergecast@theverge.com, or call the Vergecast Hotline at 866-VERGE11 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Solo Acts: McRib Locator's Alan Klein
In this next episode of our Vergecast Solo Acts mini series, Ashley Esqueda talks with Alan Klein, the creator of the McRib Locator, a website that helps people track and submit where McDonald's BBQ pork sandwich is available in stores. Alan shares what drove him to make this free tool for people back in 2009, what he does with the data he's collected, what's next for the site after the McRib's "farewell tour" this past fall, and more. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
The Supreme Court hears Section 230 arguments, Sam Bankman-Fried's latest woes
The Verge's Nilay Patel, Alex Cranz, T.C. Sottek, and Adi Robertson discuss the Supreme Court cases that could reshape the future of the internet. Later, Verge policy reporter Makena Kelly joins the show to discuss new charges against FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried. Further reading: The Supreme Court hears arguments for two cases that could reshape the future of the internet Thomas starts talking about pagers for some reason Google: it’s not helpful when states make their own decisions that affect us A Signal group is at the center of Bankman-Fried’s latest woes Spotify’s new AI-powered DJ builds and commentates on custom playlists Microsoft recruited Nintendo and Nvidia to help fight Sony over the Activision deal Tesla announces new engineering headquarters in California Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
PSVR 2 review, and the best multiroom audio gadgets
Today on the flagship podcast of not-yet-announced Sonos speakers: Adi Robertson and Sean Hollister discuss their review of the PSVR2, and how it ranks among the other VR options today, along with its predecessor. PSVR 2 review: love on a leash We plugged the PSVR2 into a PC, and here’s what it does Meta is improving Quest hand tracking so you can touch buttons and type on virtual keyboards Alex Cranz, Chris Welch, Chris Person, and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy discuss the world of multi-room audio devices to play music. How do smart speakers like Sonos, Amazon Echo, and Google Home compare to audiophile gadgets like the WiiM Mini and the Raspberry Pi? WiiM’s Mini and Pro are the Chromecast Audio’s real replacement Exclusive: these are the new Sonos Era speakers Amazon’s Alexa app gets more Sonos-y with new multiroom audio controls How to set up multiroom music playback with Google Home speakers Email us at vergecast@theverge.com, or call the Vergecast Hotline at 866-VERGE11, we'd love to hear from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Solo Acts: Raluca Pop, founder of Hive Social
This is episode one of our Vergecast mini-series "Solo Acts", which features people who are working independently to create great things on the internet, hosted by Ashley Esqueda. Today, Ashley talks with Raluca Pop, founder of the social media app Hive Social, which was created when Raluca was only 19. Ashley and Raluca discuss the challenges of building a social media app from scratch in the world of Big Tech, what happens when you need to address problem like a mass influx of users and security issues, and working with such a small team. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Bing is a liar, Elon's tweets are everywhere, and YouTube CEO steps down
Today on the flagship podcast of wanting to smooch your laptop: 01:23 - The Verge's Nilay Patel, Alex Cranz, Richard Lawler, Adi Robertson, and James Vincent discuss the flaws with Microsoft's Bing AI, and why it can be an "emotionally manipulative liar." 34:56 - Platformer managing editor Zoë Schiffer joins to explain why Twitter is showing everyone all of Elon Musk's tweets. 50:33 - The crew discuss YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki stepping down after nine years at the helm. Further reading: Microsoft’s Bing is an emotionally manipulative liar, and people love it AI search engines are not your friends These are Microsoft’s Bing AI secret rules and why it says it’s named Sydney Microsoft says talking to Bing for too long can cause it to go off the rails The Supreme Court could be about to decide the legal fate of AI search Microsoft’s Bing AI, like Google’s, also made dumb mistakes during first demo From Bing to Sydney (Stratechery) A Conversation With Bing’s Chatbot Left Me Deeply Unsettled (The New York Times) Seeing other people’s AI art is like hearing other people’s dreams Yes, Elon Musk created a special system for showing you all his tweets first Elon Musk’s reach on Twitter is dropping — he just fired a top engineer over it Twitter is just showing everyone all of Elon Musk’s tweets now Elon Musk says Twitter should be ready for new CEO by end of year YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki steps down after nine years at the helm The maze is in the mouse (Praveen Seshadri) Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra review: practically peerless Razer Blade 18 review: the price is going up Tesla recalls 362,758 vehicles equipped with Full Self-Driving beta for ‘crash risk’ Mazda MX-30 electric SUV review: a perfect storm of range anxiety Hyundai and Kia forced to update software on millions of vehicles because of viral TikTok challenge Less money and more fear: what’s going on with tech Erase browser history: can AI reset the browser battle? Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call our Vergecast Hotline at 866-VERGE11, we'd love to hear from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Fixing your own gadgets, from HomePods to Harmony remotes
Today on the flagship podcast of home theater remotes: repairing broken gadgets and why you should do it. XX:XX - David Pierce talks with Nic of Nic’s Fix, a repair service specializing in Apple’s original HomePod. Nicsfix.com New Apple HomePod 2023 Comparison and Teardown; Is it better? Is it fixed?? XX:XX - Alex Cranz talks with Quin at Harmony Remote Repair, who offers fixes for the discontinued universal remote from Logitech. harmonyremoterepair.com Logitech officially discontinues its Harmony remote XX:XX - iFixit CEO Kyle Wiens joins the show to talk about the state of fixing your own stuff and what’s next in the fight for the right to repair. Rebble with a Cause: How Pebble Watches Were Granted an Amazing Afterlife | iFixit News New York breaks the right to repair bill as it’s signed into law Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
We tried Bing powered by ChatGPT AI and things got dark
The Verge's Nilay Patel, Alex Cranz, Richard Lawler, and James Vincent discuss Microsoft's upgraded Bing search engine with ChatGPT AI. Can Microsoft beat Google at search? Is it actually an upgrade? Also: Disney layoffs, Elon's Twitter reach is dropping, and more of this week's tech news. Further reading: Microsoft and Google are about to Open an AI battle Microsoft announces new Bing and Edge browser powered by upgraded ChatGPT AI Microsoft’s ChatGPT-powered Bing is open for everyone to try starting today Microsoft thinks AI can beat Google at search — CEO Satya Nadella explains why Google announces ChatGPT rival Bard, with wider availability in ‘coming weeks’ Google shows off new AI search features, but a ChatGPT rival is still weeks away Google is still drip-feeding AI into search, Maps, and Translate Google’s AI chatbot Bard makes factual error in first demo Elon Musk’s reach on Twitter is dropping — he just fired a top engineer over it Disney’s laying off 7,000 as streaming boom comes to an end Bob Iger wants more Zootopia, Frozen, and Toy Story sequels from Disney Nintendo Direct February 2023: the biggest news and trailers Fox's Super Bowl LVII ads won't include any crypto companies Email at vergecast@theverge.com, we love to hear from you. Or call our hotline at 866-VERGE11. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
“The Hidden Hand Behind Your Swipes” from Land of the Giants
We are sharing an episode of Land of the Giants: Dating. Big tech is transforming every aspect of our world. But how? And at what cost? In this season of Land of the Giants: Dating Games, The Verge and New York Magazine's The Cut trace the evolution of the multi-billion dollar dating app industry. Hosts Sangeeta Singh Kurtz and Lakshmi Rengarajan explore the modern dating landscape forged by companies like Tinder, Bumble, and Hinge, and their impact on our hopes for connection. They answer the question – are the business goals of dating app companies aligned with users' romantic aspirations? Follow Land of the Giants to hear new episodes every Wednesday. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
Samsung announces the Galaxy S23 and the Galaxy Book3 Ultra
The Verge's Nilay Patel, Richard Lawler, Allison Johnson, and Monica Chin discuss the announcements from Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event. Further reading: Samsung’s S23 and S23 Plus look a little more Ultra The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is a minor update to a spec monster Where’s the Galaxy S23’s satellite connectivity, Samsung? Samsung Galaxy S23 vs. S23 Plus vs. S23 Ultra: spec comparison The Galaxy Book3 Ultra is Samsung’s shot at the MacBook Pro Samsung’s Galaxy Book3 gets new chips and a big display upgrade Anker launches cheaper USB-C fast charging options for Samsung Galaxy phones Where’s the Galaxy S23’s satellite connectivity, Samsung? Apple’s iPhone 14 Pro supply problems sank its holiday revenues Apple won’t name a new head of hardware design Anker finally comes clean about its Eufy security cameras Mark Zuckerberg says Meta is making this the ‘year of efficiency’ White House goes after app store ‘gatekeepers’ Apple and Google Apple and Google face mounting pressure to remove TikTok from app stores Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices