Google Episodes

Google news and rumors, daily, with the latest about Pixel, Android, Home, and Chrome OS.
Thu. 02/06 - Google Maps Freshens Up For Its Birthday
Feb. 6, 2020

Thu. 02/06 - Google Maps Freshens Up For Its Birthday

Google Maps turns 15 and puts on a fresh coat of paint, it turns out you WILL be able to unlock your car via iPhone and really soon, Huawei is suing Verizon, Twitter impresses investors, Casper has a rollercoaster IPO, and does the fact that Google has stopped reporting a key metric basically guarantee that they have crossed the ad-load Rubicon? Sponsors: TinyCapital.com Podcorn.com Links: Google Maps gets a new icon and more tabs to celebrate 15th anniversary (The Verge) New ‘CarKey’ feature in...
Thu. 01/02 - A Grand Unified Theory of the Google Civil War
Jan. 2, 2020

Thu. 01/02 - A Grand Unified Theory of the Google Civil War

Dell kicks off CES season with two new laptops, Imagination Technologies is back in Apple’s good graces, the IRS is finally sticking it to tax prep software firms, and a grand unified theory of the Google Civil War. Sponsors: WeWorkRemotely MintMobile.com/ride Links: Dell’s latest XPS 13 has a new design with a bigger display and Ice Lake chips (The Verge) Dell debuts 5G-ready Latitude 9510 laptop, adds iOS mirroring to PCs (VentureBeat) Apple restores Imagination GPU chip agreement after public...
Wed. 12/18 - Did Google Almost "Rage Quit" the Cloud?
Dec. 18, 2019

Wed. 12/18 - Did Google Almost "Rage Quit" the Cloud?

Everyone comes together to create a smart-home standard, did Google consider walking away from its cloud business, the last holdout comes to streaming, Gary Larson stops holding out on the web and the math behind that gift-wrapping video. Sponsors: Tiny Capital Aircall.io/ride Links: Apple, Google and Amazon are cooperating to make your home gadgets talk to each other (CNBC) We Tested Ring’s Security. It’s Awful (Motherboard) Google Brass Set 2023 as Deadline to Beat Amazon, Microsoft in Cloud (...
(Bonus) A Google Civil War? With Bloomberg's Mark Bergen
Dec. 7, 2019

(Bonus) A Google Civil War? With Bloomberg's Mark Bergen

I had already reached out to Bloomberg’s Mark Bergen this week to talk about the Google Civil War, but then, of course, there was other big Google news this week. So, come for the assessment of Google’s culture at the moment but stay for an assessment of regime change and a lot more. Sponsors: Metalab Mealime
Guest: Mark Bergen
Wed. 12/04 - Larry and Sergey Into The Sunset
Dec. 4, 2019

Wed. 12/04 - Larry and Sergey Into The Sunset

Larry and Sergey ride their Segway’s off into the sunset, a new entrant in the streaming wars, more news from the re:Invent conference, YouTube says it’s algorithm change is working and the year that was, in the world of Reddit. Sponsors: Metalab Capterra.com/ride GiveWell.org/ridehome Links: A letter from Larry and Sergey (The Keyword) GOOGLE’S THIRD ERA (The Verge) Plex launches a free, ad-supported streaming service in over 200 countries (TechCrunch) With Outposts, Local Zones, and Verizon, A...
Thu. 11/21 - Google's Culture Is Dead
Nov. 21, 2019

Thu. 11/21 - Google's Culture Is Dead

Google is changing its rules around political ads, PayPal is acquiring Honey for a ton of money, why have a Dash Button when you can have a Dash Shelf? Route puts all your orders in one place and I’m afraid Google’s original culture is definitively dead. Sponsors: Castro.fm SVB.com/next Links: An update on our political ads policy (The Keyword/Google) Google to Limit Targeting of Political Ads (NYTimes) Facebook Weighs Steps to Curb Narrowly Targeted Political Ads (WSJ) PayPal to acquire shoppin...
Mon. 11/18 - Google Stadia and the Mustang Mach-E
Nov. 18, 2019

Mon. 11/18 - Google Stadia and the Mustang Mach-E

The Mustang Mach-E wants to out Tesla Tesla, John Legere is stepping down from T-Mobile, .org domain names might be getting a lot more expensive, and the reviews on Google Stadia are decidedly mixed, but at least it works. Sponsors: Castro Mealime Links: FORD’S MUSTANG MACH-E IS AN ELECTRIC SUV WITH UP TO 300 MILES OF RANGE (The Verge) UP CLOSE WITH FORD’S ELECTRIC MUSTANG SUV, THE MACH-E (The Verge) Wayve raises $20 million to give autonomous cars better AI brains (VentureBeat) John Legere to s...
Tue. 11/12 - Google Wants Your Medical Records
Nov. 12, 2019

Tue. 11/12 - Google Wants Your Medical Records

Google has hoovered up the health records of millions of folks without telling anyone, Instagram debuts a TikTok competitor, Facebook debuts Facebook Pay, WordPress.com debuts recurring payments and Disney+ literally just debuts.Sponsors:PixelUnion.netNetgear.com/bestwifiLinks:Google’s ‘Project Nightingale’ Gathers Personal Health Data on Millions of Americans (The Wall Street Journal)Instagram Stories launches TikTok clone Reels in Brazil (TechCrunch)Facebook Pay is a new payment system fo...
Fri. 11/01 - Google Acquires Fitbit
Nov. 1, 2019

Fri. 11/01 - Google Acquires Fitbit

Google acquires Fitbit, Apple TV+ officially launches, might the US Government be about to bring the hammer down on TikTok, and of course, the Weekend Longreads suggestions. Sponsors: Tiny Capital Leap.FidelityCareers.com Links: Google to acquire Fitbit, valuing the smartwatch maker at about $2.1 billion (CNBC) Maps Incognito is launching for Google Maps Android Users (Google Maps Help) Apple TV+ is now live in the TV app: Start watching Apple’s original TV shows and movies (9to5Mac) Exclusive: ...
Wed. 10/23 - Google Says We've Achieved Quantum Supremacy!
Oct. 23, 2019

Wed. 10/23 - Google Says We've Achieved Quantum Supremacy!

Mr. Zuckerberg went back to Washington, Google claims “Quantum Supremacy,” Apple overtakes Starbucks, HireVue is a controversial AI hiring tool and is the influencer bubble on the wane?Sponsors:leap.Fidelitycareers.comMealime.comLinks:Zuckerberg, in Washington to Talk Cryptocurrency, Gets Grilled on Everything (NYTimes) Snapchat beats in Q3, adding 7M users & revenue up 50% (TechCrunch)Apple Pay Overtakes Starbucks as Top Mobile Payment App in the US (eMarketer)Google Claims a Quantum Break...
Tue. 10/15 - The #MadeByGoogle Event
Oct. 15, 2019

Tue. 10/15 - The #MadeByGoogle Event

All the headlines from the Google hardware event, Apple butts in with new Beats, Libra loses another one, your movie theater wants to rent you movies, and Fortnite is back from the “black hole.” Sponsors: WeWorkRemotely Zapier.com/ride Links: PIXELBOOK GO: GOOGLE FINALLY MADE A REASONABLY PRICED CHROMEBOOK (The Verge) Google announces Pixel 4 and Pixel 4 XL (The Verge) BEATS ANNOUNCES SOLO PRO ON-EAR HEADPHONES WITH NOISE CANCELLATION (The Verge) Facebook's Libra announces board as support shrin...
Mon. 09/23 - Google Play Pass And WeWork Soap Opera
Sept. 23, 2019

Mon. 09/23 - Google Play Pass And WeWork Soap Opera

Google Play Pass might usher in a new era of mobile gaming, the WeWork saga is becoming a soap opera, Facebook’s foes and (erstwhile) friends are talking to the FTC, and has Google ushered in the era of quantum supremacy?Sponsors:Metalab.coZapier.com/rideLinks:Google Play Pass bundles 350 Android games and apps for $4.99 per month (The Verge)Some WeWork Board Members Seek to Remove Adam Neumann as CEO (WSJ)SoftBank’s Masa Son is in favor of ousting WeWork CEO Adam Neumann (CNBC)How Adam Neu...
Mon. 08/26 - The Most Powerful Chromebooks Ever
Aug. 26, 2019

Mon. 08/26 - The Most Powerful Chromebooks Ever

Google and Dell team up for enterprise-grade Chromebooks, Baidu makes big leaps in smart-speaker market share, Binance lets you lend crypto for interest, publishers sue Audible and why, when it comes to autonomy, maybe we should swim before we try to drive. Sponsors: Castro LinkedIn.com/ride Links: Google and Dell team up on the first Chromebooks made for business (Engadget) Baidu replaces Google to become number two in smart speaker market in Q2 2019 (Canalys) Binance enters into crypto lending...
Thu. 08/22 - Google Deserts Desserts (h/t The Verge)
Aug. 22, 2019

Thu. 08/22 - Google Deserts Desserts (h/t The Verge)

Will we see an iPhone Pro next month? Google has a new proposal for ad tracking, Android deserts dessert nomenclature, why hasn’t tech solved parking yet, and why The Irishman might be a major fork in the road for Netflix. Sponsors: PixelUnion BRD.com on Twitter! Links: Apple Readies Camera-Focused Pro iPhones, New iPads, Larger MacBook Pro (Bloomberg) Google proposes new privacy and anti-fingerprinting controls for the web (TechCrunch) Google deserts desserts: Android 10 is the official name fo...
Mon. 07/29 - Google Leaks, So We Don't Have To
July 29, 2019

Mon. 07/29 - Google Leaks, So We Don't Have To

Google continues to leak Pixel 4 details itself, Github bans users from specific countries, will we eventually see a TikTok phone? Consolidation in the food delivery space, and all hail our first official Fortnite World Cup Champion. Sponsors: WeWorkRemotely Lightstream.com/ride Links: (Don’t) hold the phone: new features coming to Pixel 4 (The KeyWord) GitHub confirms it has blocked developers in Iran, Syria and Crimea (TechCrunch) Amazon Wants to Rule the Grocery Aisles, and Not Just at Whole ...
Fri. 06/21 - Google Abandons Tablets
June 21, 2019

Fri. 06/21 - Google Abandons Tablets

Google is getting out of the tablet business, there’s a MacBook Pro recall but not because of keyboard issues, a startup is aiming to disrupt the billable hour in the legal space, the world’s “first” electric plane is here, and, of course, the weekend longreads suggestions.Sponsors:CastroLighstream.com/rideLinks:Google's officially done making its own tablets (Computerworld)GOOGLE WAS NEVER REALLY SERIOUS ABOUT TABLETS (The Verge)Apple launches recall program for select MacBook Pros du...
Thu. 06/06 - This is Google Stadia (?)
June 6, 2019

Thu. 06/06 - This is Google Stadia (?)

Google Stadia details are revealed, Amazon shows off its delivery drone and Uber debuts Uber Copter, Facebook is going to do an official white paper for its cryptocurrency, and our mobile gadgets have finally dethroned the television.Sponsors:Tiny.websitePantheon.io/rideLinks:GOOGLE’S STADIA GAME SERVICE IS OFFICIALLY COMING NOVEMBER: EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW (The Verge)Google cloud boss Thomas Kurian makes his first big move — buys Looker for $2.6 billion (CNBC)Facebook plans Jun...
Wed. 06/05 - YouTube Takes Action-ish
June 5, 2019

Wed. 06/05 - YouTube Takes Action-ish

YouTube actually DOES make some changes, Peloton is going public, could Prime open Amazon up to anticompetitive scrutiny, more on that Sign in with Apple controversy, and why your local police department might want to buy you Ring doorbell.Sponsors:Eero.com/ride promo code RIDETiny.websiteLinks:YouTube just banned supremacist content, and thousands of channels are about to be removed (TheVerge)Peloton, the connected fitness company, has filed to go public (TheVerge)Amazon may soon f...
Thu. 05/30 - Google Tells Adblockers To Jump Off A Bridge
May 30, 2019

Thu. 05/30 - Google Tells Adblockers To Jump Off A Bridge

Microsoft brings the Xbox Game Pass to PCs, Google gives the finger to adblockers (and all of us), the DOJ will only approve the Sprint/T-Mobile merger if there’s no actual market consolidation, GoGo wants to bring 5G to airplanes and when will an e-sports stadium come to your town?Sponsors:MealimeSonic.com/rideSponsors:Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass is coming to PC (Engadget)Google to restrict modern ad blocking Chrome extensions to enterprise users (9to5Google)Apple, Google and Whats...
Wed. 05/15 - Is Google Effectively Deprecating Search?
May 15, 2019

Wed. 05/15 - Is Google Effectively Deprecating Search?

There’s a new major chip flaw called ZombieLoad, the major tech companies sign on to the so-called Christchurch Call to Action, San Francisco bans facial recognition tech, is Google effectively deprecating search, and did Beyonce make $300M on Uber?Sponsors:Tech.FidelityCareers.comWeWorkRemotely.comLinks:New secret-spilling flaw affects almost every Intel chip since 2011 (TechCrunch)Facebook changes livestream rules after New Zealand shooting (CNN)White House declines to back Christc...
Wed. 05/08 - The Pixel 3a and Flagship "Lite" Phones
May 8, 2019

Wed. 05/08 - The Pixel 3a and Flagship "Lite" Phones

Google is talking big on privacy, but going after cookies helps their bottom line as well, why the Pixel 3a might usher in a new era of flagship “lite” phones, the huge Binance bitcoin hack and why does Bird want to sell you a scooter, not just rent you one?Sponsors:Metalab.coVistaprint.com/RIDELinks:Google strengthens Chrome's privacy controls (TechCrunch)Facebook talked privacy, Google actually built it (TechCrunch)US digital advertising exceeded $100 billion in 2019 (TechCrunch)Goo...
Tue. 05/07 - All The Headlines From Google I/O
May 7, 2019

Tue. 05/07 - All The Headlines From Google I/O

All the news that I could possibly grab from Google’s I/O keynote, again, Alexa IS spying on you, Cruise Automation raises a big round... and will we ever actually see the Galaxy Fold?Sponsors:Lightstream.com/rideMetalab.coLinks:THE PIXEL 3A PUTS GOOGLE’S PHENOMENAL CAMERA IN A $400 PHONE (The Verge)Alexa has been eavesdropping on you this whole time (The Washington Post)Check your Alexa recording archive hereStudy: Voice Assistants Far From Hot Marketplace For Buying (MediaPost)GM’s...
Tue. 04/16 - YouTube's Algorithms Continue To Suck Out Loud
April 16, 2019

Tue. 04/16 - YouTube's Algorithms Continue To Suck Out Loud

YouTube’s algorithms are abhorrent in a new way, details on the next Playstation console, Google makes nice with developers, and three interesting sides to the TikTok story.Sponsors:EveryKey.com 20% off with promocode RIDE20Mealime AppLinks:YouTube shows 9/11 link on live videos of unrelated Notre Dame fire (The Verge)EXCLUSIVE: WHAT TO EXPECT FROM SONY'S NEXT-GEN PLAYSTATION (Wired)15 MONTHS OF FRESH HELL INSIDE FACEBOOK (Wired)Next major macOS version will include standalone Mus...
Wed. 04/10 - Day 2 of Google’s Cloud Next Conference
April 10, 2019

Wed. 04/10 - Day 2 of Google’s Cloud Next Conference

Day two of Google’s Cloud Next conference, an update on the unicorns still queueing up to come to market, the heat death of iTunes is closer to reality, and Walmart doubles down on robots.Sponsors:remars.amazon.com, promo code: rideTiny.websiteLinks:Google Assistant now works with your G Suite work calendar (GeekWire)Google launches new security tools for G Suite users (TechCrunch)Google launches an end-to-end AI platform (TechCrunch)Remove, Reduce, Inform: New Steps to Manage Problem...