There are two big things we need to talk about today: Google’s new gadgets and Mark Zuckerberg’s remarks on free speech.
So this week on The Vergecast, hosts Nilay Patel, Dieter Bohn, and Paul Miller go through all the products Google announced at its hardware event on Tuesday, then invite senior reporter Adi Robertson and Silicon Valley editor Casey Newton to discuss Zuckerberg’s speech at Georgetown University on Thursday.
In the first half of the show, the crew discusses what we saw Google announce this week: the Pixel 4, the Nest Mini, the Nest Wifi, the Pixelbook Go, and the new Pixel Buds. After attending the event and interviewing Google’s hardware leader, Rick Osterloh, earlier this week, today’s episode turns to how the Pixel 4 fits into the broader “flagship phone” group and how its camera stands up to the iPhone.
In the second half of the show, Casey Newton and Adi Robertson join in to analyze what Mark Zuckerberg was trying to say about free speech in regards to Facebook and political advertising. How big of a role will Facebook have in the 2020 election? Should Facebook just ban all political ads?
There’s a whole lot more in between all of that — like Paul’s weekly segment “The crime, teens, is flavor” — so listen through to get it all.
Stories discussed this week:
- The biggest announcements from Google’s 2019 Pixel event
- The Pixel 4 has a radar chip that lets you control music and wave at pokémon
- Google Pixel 4 and 4 XL hands-on: this time, it’s not about the camera
- The Pixel 4 lacks one of the best perks that came with Google’s previous flagship phones
- Google improves the Pixel 4 camera with Live HDR and more
- With no buds or adapter, Pixel 4 opens the door to rival headphone makers
- Pixel Buds 2 hands-on: Google takes on the AirPods
- Pixelbook Go: Google finally made a reasonably priced Chromebook
- Google’s new Nest Mini has better controls, similar sound, and the same price
- Nest Wifi first look: Google finally combined a smart speaker and a router
- Google’s Stadia wireless controller won’t be very wireless at launch
- Juul suspends sale of fruity flavor pods
- Facebook’s decision to allow lies in political ads is coming back to haunt it
- Democrats are striking back against Facebook’s ads policies
- Mark Zuckerberg on lies in political ads: ‘I don’t think it’s right for a private company to censor politicians’
- Mark Zuckerberg took on China in a speech defending free expression
- Facebook privacy abuse targeted by ‘Mind your own business’ bill
The Vergecast /
Weekly tech roundup and interviews with major figures from the tech world.