Tech News Weekly (Audio)

Amazon makes a bid for TikTok in the US. What Amazon's new Alexa+ can and cannot do. Nintendo officially unveils the Switch 2 console. And OpenAI & Anthropic are taking on the education market. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Abrar Al-Heeti Guest: Kyle Orland Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: drata.com/technewsjoindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT

Some alternatives to Teslas. A law in Utah makes app stores rather than companies responsible for age verification. 23andMe files for bankruptcy. And OpenAI is following in the footsteps of its rival, Anthropic. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Emily Forlini Guest: Geoffrey Fowler Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: get.stash.com/tnwveeam.combitwarden.com/twit

Will iRobot's new Roomba's bring the company back to the forefront of robotic vacuums? What to know about Amazon's change of handling voice recordings through Alexa devices. Two new PebbleOS watches are available for pre-order! And the lowdown on the new Pixel 9a smartphone that Google recently announced. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy Guest: Jason Howell Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: threatlocker.com for Tech News Weeklyjoindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWITveeam.comMelissa.com/twit

Does OpenAI have the capability for creative writing? Would you want to be coached in gaming through AI? What is Apple planning for its possible operating system redesign? And does AI have inconsistencies when providing the correct information to search queries? Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling Guest: Mark Gurman Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: veeam.comuscloud.comget.stash.com/macbreakzscaler.com/security

There was something in the air for sure as Apple released updates to the iPad and iPad Air, alongside the M4 MacBook Air and Mac Studio with the M4 Max and M4 Ultra chips. Some of the exciting and interesting devices shown at the Mobile World Congress 2025 event. The recent iOS 18.4 beta introduced AI-powered summaries in the App Store. And Prime Video is testing AI-powered dubbing for some of its video content. Host: Mikah Sargent Guests: Dan Moren and Patrick Holland Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWITbitwarden.com/twitveeam.comcachefly.com/twit

Anthropic's Claude AI is now playing Pokemon through Twitch - albeit slowly. Emily Forlini was at the Amazon event this past week and talks about Alexa+ that was announced at the event. And Framework announced a new desktop PC, but did Framework really need to get into the PC desktop space? Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Emily Forlini Guest: Sean Hollister Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: veeam.comget.stash.com/tnwzscaler.com/security

In this episode, Mikah Sargent is joined by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy of The Verge to discuss NVIDIA's work on an AI platform for American Sign Language and her review of the Skylight Calendar Max. Zac Hall of 9to5Mac talks about the new iPhone 16e, and Scott Stein of CNET discusses the end of the Humane AI Pin. - NVIDIA is collaborating with the American Society for Deaf Children and creative agency Hello Monday to develop Signs, an online platform that uses AI to help people practice and understand American Sign Language. The platform aims to create a validated dataset to account for variations in signing and provide real-time feedback to learners. - Jennifer reviews the Skylight Calendar Max, a 27-inch digital touchscreen display for managing family schedules. She finds the AI-powered Sidekick feature, which can parse various data formats to create calendar events, to be incredibly useful and a potential glimpse into the future of AI in smart home devices. - Zac Hall discusses the newly announced iPhone 16e, which replaces the iPhone SE 3 and iPhone 14. Priced at $599, it offers a modern design with Face ID and an A18 chip for Apple Intelligence features, making it a compelling upgrade for those with older iPhones. - The Humane AI pin is being sold to HP for $116 million, and users will lose access to its services on February 28th, 2025, with no recourse or refunds for most customers. Scott Stein shares his experience reviewing the AI pin, its shortcomings, and his thoughts on the future of AI-augmented devices and their relationship with smartphones. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy Guests: Zac Hall and Scott Stein Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: Melissa.com/twitthreatlocker.com for Tech News Weeklyuscloud.comjoindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT

It's an AI-filled episode of Tech News Weekly! Is AI making us think less critically than before? Are AI chatbots accurately summarizing news? A BBC study finds that they are not. Google plans to use machine learning to estimate a user's age. Thomson Reuters wins the first major AI copyright case within the US. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling Guest: Emma Roth Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: zscaler.com/securityveeam.comcachefly.com/twit

In this episode of Tech News Weekly, Mikah Sargent and CNET's Abrar Al-Heeti talk the latest developments in self-driving tech, Sonos' work on a new streaming box, an AI-assisted Beatles song winning a Grammy, and the current state of Meta's Quest platform according to developers. - Uber is expanding its partnership with Waymo, allowing people in Austin to summon a Waymo robo-taxi through the Uber app. Abrar shares her experiences with self-driving cars and discusses the evolving relationship between Uber and Waymo. - Sonos is reportedly working on a new streaming box codenamed "Pinewood," which includes an HDMI switch to address inconsistencies in smart TV firmware and software. The device is expected to cost between $200 and $400, and it aims to provide a full-featured streaming sound setup. - An AI-assisted Beatles track, "Now and Then," won the Grammy for Best Rock Performance, sparking conversations about the role of AI in music and art. The US Copyright Office has stated that AI tools used to assist in the creative process don't undermine the copyright of the work. - Developers are struggling with declining sales and visibility on the Meta Quest app store, despite record revenue for Meta Reality Labs. Meta's focus on its own Horizon Worlds app seems to be at the expense of traditional VR games. Some developers find it more profitable to sell on other platforms like Steam and PlayStation VR. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Abrar Al-Heeti Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsor: joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWIT

Bookshop.org is now offering a Kindle alternative. How hackers are hijacking WordPress sets to put out malware. And how people are freaking out about DeepSeek since it made a huge splash this past week. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Dan Moren Guest: Eric Migicovsky Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Join Club TWiT for Ad-Free Podcasts! Support what you love and get ad-free shows, a members-only Discord, and behind-the-scenes access. Join today: https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: uscloud.comzscaler.com/securityveeam.com

A massive data breach affected millions of students, parents, and teachers. Someone discovered security flaws within Subaru vehicles. And everything that was announced at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2025. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Emily Forlini Guest: Patrick Holland Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: threatlocker.com for Tech News WeeklyMelissa.com/twit

A whole slew of smart products were unveiled at CES 2025 this year. Could this year be the year of smart home devices? TikTok is inching closer to being shut off in the US in a few days. And following Microsoft's announcement of end of support for Windows 10, the company announced it will no longer support Office apps on Windows 10 after October 14th, 2025. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy Guests: Kaya Yurieff and Ben Wilson Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: joindeleteme.com/twit promo code TWITveeam.comzscaler.com/security

This week on Tech News Weekly, host Mikah Sargent is joined by guest co-host Dan Moren to discuss Siri privacy concerns and how Apple could leverage AI to improve the user experience. Jason Hiner of CNET reports on CES 2025 on the latest TV displays, NVIDIA's AI innovations, and more. Then Imran Ahmed, CEO of the Center for Countering Digital Hate, weighs in on Meta's controversial decision to end fact-checking on its platforms. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Dan Moren Guest: Jason Hiner Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: veeam.comuscloud.comMelissa.com/twit

In the first episode of 2025, Mikah and Abrar discuss Meta's plans to add AI bots to their social media platforms, the rise of AI-generated phishing scams, the trend of parents giving their kids retro tech devices to reduce screen time, and the current state and future potential of passkeys for secure logins. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Abrar Al-Heeti Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

A look back at some of our favorite interviews from the past year: Host: Mikah Sargent Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit

Nvidia announces a tiny $249 AI supercomputer for AI hobbyists. The company Flipboard has a new social media system that allows you to create your own curated feeds. A look back at this past year's home theater tech with a friend of the network. And a look into sleepwear tech that will help you take a nap - on demand. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Emily Forlini Guests: Scott Wilkinson and Nasha Addarich Martínez Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: 1password.com/twituscloud.comcachefly.com/twit

Amanda Silberling of TechCrunch joins us this week! Did OpenAI's Sora video generation model train on gaming and streaming content? A judge ruled that Automattic is to stop blocking WP Engine's access to WordPress.org. And Image Playground, Genmoji, and more generative AI features now available within Apple Intelligence. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling Guest: Jason Howell Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: INFO.ACILEARNING.COM/TWIT - code TWIT100bigid.com/tnwshopify.com/twitMelissa.com/twit

Abrar Al-Heeti joins Mikah Sargent on Tech News Weekly this week! Abrar talks about TikTok blocking teenagers from using beauty filters on the platform. There's an AI app that can predict your death. A new competitor enters the mixed-realty headset market. And learn about the data company the FTC recently banned from selling sensitive location data. Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Abrar Al-Heeti Guests: Scott Stein and Joseph Cox Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: veeam.come-e.com/twituscloud.com1password.com/twit

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy of The Verge joins Mikah Sargent this week! Amazon announces the new Echo Show 21 and the Echo Show 15 smart displays. Is AI allowing the robotics revolution to come to fruition? Microsoft announces the Windows 365 Link mini desktop PC. And will the DOJ get Google to sell off Chrome following the DOJ's call to divest the company? Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy Guests: Zac Bowden and Leah Nylen Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: shopify.com/twit1password.com/twitflashpoint.ioveeam.com

Reports are trickling out that Apple plans to expand into different product categories. What to know about Bluesky, the social media network growing in popularity and users following the U.S. elections. And some advancements with ChatGPT and OpenAI that seek to help users out more daily. Host: Mikah Sargent Guest: Mark Gurman Download or subscribe to Tech News Weekly at https://twit.tv/shows/tech-news-weekly. Get episodes ad-free with Club TWiT at https://twit.tv/clubtwit Sponsors: threatlocker.com for Tech News Weeklyuscloud.comINFO.ACILEARNING.COM/TWIT - code TWIT100cachefly.com/twit