The Vergecast

Stories discussed this week:

• Dr Disrespect is the villain who could change the future of TV
• This backpack has it all: Kevlar, batteries, and a federal investigation
• The art and craft of scientific glassblowing
• Samsung Galaxy S20 review: just right
• Leaked watchOS 7 code reveals new ‘International’ watchface
• Apple watchOS 7 features leak: sleep tracking, watchface sharing, and more
• Apple Watches may soon detect blood oxygen levels
• More iOS 14 leaks hint at next Apple hardware and a new home screen view
• iOS 14 will reportedly have improved mouse cursor support
• New MacBook models with scissor-switch keyboards are reportedly coming soon
• Google Pixel 4A hands-on reveals specs, camera, and a possible release window
• Google can reportedly revoke Android licenses if TV makers also partner with Amazon
• A sneaky attempt to end encryption is worming its way through Congress
• Congress takes aim at Google search in antitrust hearing

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Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel talks with Verge health reporter Nicole Wetsman and Verge deputy editor Liz Lopatto about the health concerns of the coronavirus outbreak as well as its economic effect in the United States. 

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Stories discussed this week:

• Everything you need to know about the coronavirus 
• The Verge Guide to 2020 Election
• Congress proposes anti-child abuse rules to punish web platforms — and raises fears about encryption
• The Verge tech survey 2020
• Apple reportedly releasing an iPad keyboard with a trackpad later this year
• Apple is planning to launch a 14.1-inch MacBook Pro with a ...
• Mac Pro review: the price of power - The Verge
• Apple Pro Display XDR review: category of one
• TCL’s new foldable and rollable concepts imagine a wild future of phones
• Vivo’s Apex 2020 concept has breakthrough cameras and an ultra-curved screen
• Get a closer look at the Xiaomi Mi Mix Alpha in MKBHD’s hands-on video
• New Google Pixel features coming this month include more emoji, dark mode scheduling, and Google Pay improvements
• Samsung launches its 2020 lineup of 4K and 8K QLED TVs

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Verge policy reporter Makena Kelly chats with Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel about important points in US tech policy recently as we go into the 2020 presidential election.

Nilay and Makena get into the policy topics that The Verge will be covering heavily this year — including political advertising on social media, amendments to Section 230, encryption and privacy legislation, and broadband access in rural areas.

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Stories discussed this week:

• Samsung Galaxy S20 Ultra review: shutter bug
• Samsung pledges to improve Galaxy S20 camera after reviewers see issues
• Bob Iger steps down as Disney CEO, replaced by Bob Chapek
• Meet Bob Chapek, Disney’s new CEO and the Tim Cook to Iger’s Steve Jobs
• Disney’s new corporate synergy nightmare is personified in Simpsons promo
• New Juul patent application hints at AI-powered vape to help users quit nicotine
• Apple’s new Mac Pro and Pro Display technology overviews show off just how ‘pro’ they are
• Sony did a phone with a headphone jack!
• LG’s new V60 ThinQ 5G shows steady evolution for a company in need of big change
• Amazon’s Eero routers get updated with Apple’s HomeKit support
• Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus review: better sound, even better stamina
• Huawei announces the Mate XS foldable with a more durable display and faster processor
• Xbox Series X official specs: AMD CPU, 12 teraflop GPU, SSD, and more
• Microsoft’s Xbox Series X will be able to resume games even after a reboot
• Microsoft confirms Xbox Series X will support "four generations of gaming"

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One of the burning questions facing the world of self-driving cars is whether it makes sense to go all-electric or not. Some, like GM-owned Cruise, is all in on battery-electric vehicles. Others are going half-and-half, like Waymo building a fleet that includes both all-electric Jaguar I-Pace SUVs and gas-burning Chrysler Pacifica minivans.

Argo, the Pittsburgh-based self-driving company backed by Ford and Volkswagen, has concerns about an all-electric fleet, especially when it comes to the need to recoup the cost of all the expensive technology that makes the car autonomous. The company’s CEO, Brian Salesky, sat down with The Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel and senior reporter Andrew Hawkins to explain why.

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Stories discussed this week:

• Folding glass: how, why, and the truth of Samsung’s Z Flip
• A Motorola Razr’s screen is reportedly peeling right on the fold
• Galaxy Z Flip teardown reveals that its hinge brushes may not block much dust
• Galaxy Z Flip durability test calls Samsung’s Ultra Thin ‘Glass’ into question
• Leaked images show TCL prototype phone with expandable, slide-out display
• Dish Network floats merger with DirecTV over pace of cord-cutting
• CBS is planning an improved streaming service after squandering its head start with All Access
• HBO and HBO Max are headed to YouTube TV
• HBO Max’s first ad wants to remind you how many of your favorite shows and movies it owns
• Disney+ has surpassed 28 million subscribers since launch …
• Tiger’s retro LCD handheld games are making a comeback
• The most interesting new Android 11 features so far
• Android 11 will fix dozens of small annoyances, but what about the apps?
• Google releases Android 11 developer preview earlier than expected
• Apple considers allowing apps like Chrome and Gmail to be set as iOS defaults

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Chief Product Officer of Adobe Scott Belsky chats with Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel and reporter Dami Lee about what he learned from putting Photoshop on the iPad, adapting products to new creators and platforms, Creative Cloud for the Mac Pro, and the goals of the Content Authenticity Initiative.

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Stories discussed this week:

• Motorola Razr review: folding flip phone flops
• Motorola Razr undergoes iFixit’s ‘most complicated’ teardown yet
• Samsung learned some tough lessons from the Galaxy Fold debacle
• Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip beats the Motorola Razr in nearly every way
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip first look: folding glass changes everything
• The Galaxy S20 is the first high-refresh display phone many people will own
• Why Samsung’s 108-megapixel camera isn’t just a gimmick
• All of the biggest announcements from Samsung’s Galaxy S20 event
• Samsung confirms its AirDrop-like ‘Quick Share’ is launching on the Galaxy S20
• Here’s how Samsung’s Galaxy S20 stacks up against the Pixel 4, OnePlus 7T, and more
• Samsung’s regular Galaxy S20 doesn’t support ultra-fast 5G
• Samsung’s Galaxy S20, Plus, and Ultra first look: cameras, 5G, and 120Hz screens
• Samsung confirms its AirDrop-like ‘Quick Share’ is launching on the Galaxy S20
• T-Mobile and Sprint win lawsuit and will be allowed to merge
• The court let T-Mobile buy Sprint because Sprint completely sucks

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In this week’s Vergecast, former New Jersey attorney general Anne Milgram stopped by the studio to talk with Verge editor in chief Nilay Patel and me, senior reporter Colin Lecher.

As Nilay notes, Milgram, who also co-hosts the podcast Stay Tuned with Preet Bharara, is “the first cop we’ve ever had on the show,” and gave some thoughtful responses to questions about surveillance, predictive policing, and more.

“We all, I think, have the right reaction, which is we don’t want to use data that’s biased or we don’t want to have problems,” Milgram says. “And yet in our personal lives, we give access to a huge amount of information and a lot of it is not public.”

The rise of home security systems like Amazon’s Ring camera have raised serious questions about privacy, and Milgram weighed in on the issue. Below is an excerpt for that conversation, lightly edited for length and clarity.

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Stories discussed this week;

• Election tech was supposed to clean up the Iowa caucus …
• Iowa's caucus fracas shows we're still too ignorant about how …
• America is bad at voting (it isn’t just Iowa)
• US attorney general says tech and telecom industries should invest in Huawei competitors
• Donald Trump ‘apoplectic’ in call with Boris Johnson over Huawei
• US pushing tech and telecom industries to build 5G alternative to Huawei
• Microsoft’s Windows future is now tied to hardware
• Microsoft's Surface chief now leads Windows and hardware ...
• YouTube is a $15 billion-a-year business, Google reveals for …
• Creators finally know how much money YouTube makes, and ...
• Google now has a 'multibillion-dollar' hardware business
• Google opens its latest Google Glass AR headset for direct purchase
• The Super Bowl is streaming in 4K HDR for the first time ...
• Roku and Fox strike a last-minute deal to keep Super Bowl ...
• Apple might be releasing a new Apple TV soon

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Intel is one of the biggest names in the tech world, with chips that quite literally are the brains behind most of the computers and servers that we use every day. But the world of computers is expanding and Intel is changing, too, with a focus on both edge computing that puts processing resources in the cloud and the power that’s available directly on the physical device. 

And at the head of that is Dr. Venkata (Murthy) Renduchintala, the chief engineering officer and group president of the Technology, Systems Architecture and Client Group at Intel. Renduchintala joined Intel in 2016, having previously headed up competitor Qualcomm’s chip business. 

Renduchintala is the person in charge of almost all of Intel’s hardware, from design to engineering to manufacturing. He joined Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel and news editor Chaim Gartenberg for an interview episode of The Vergecast this week to discuss the present and future of Intel, including the company’s place in the development of 5G, the changing landscape of personal- and cloud-based computing, and what the next-generation of processors could look like. 

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Stories discussed this week:

• Former Windows chief reveals Microsoft's reaction to the iPad …
• Apple's iPad changed the tablet game 10 years ago today …
• The iPad is still finding its place ten years in
• Microsoft's Surface Pro X is the world's most extravagant ...
• Apple's iPhone 11 and AirPods help company hit a new …
• Apple reportedly working on tracking tags, high ...
• Google's ads just look like search results now
• How much longer will we trust Google's search results?
• Google is backtracking on its controversial desktop search …
• Google aims to unify its workplace tools and messaging apps into one service
• The Scroll subscription service is an ingenious web technology hack
• Scroll makes hundreds of websites ad-free for $5 per month …
• Pentagram designed a smart speaker that’s like HitClips for kids
• Here’s what you need to watch the Super Bowl in 4K HDR
• WarnerMedia takes $1.2 billion revenue hit in hopes that HBO ...
• AT&T tried to buy out the streaming wars — and customers are ...
• Comcast is raising rates for cable subscribers as it moves ...
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip rumor roundup: everything we think …

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Musician Neil Young and tech executive Phil Baker have been trying to push the tech industry to make it easier for consumers to listen to high-quality audio for almost a decade now. The duo’s hi-res music player Pono aimed to fix problems they said plagued MP3 players like the iPod and music software like iTunes — like compressed, lossy, and low-fidelity audio files that were not similar enough to their original recordings.

But five years after the Pono was released, Young believes the tech industry has still not advanced enough for consumers to easily listen to high resolution audio. The two men’s new book, To Feel the Music: A Songwriter’s Mission To Save High Quality Audio, details the hurdles they had to overcome to create the Pono, as well as what the tech industry should do in order to get consumers to realize what their missing with streaming and “CD-quality” music.

In an interview with The Vergecast, Young tells Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel that even though Grammy-winning artists are able to make music almost anywhere they go on their laptop or mobile devices, they’re still sacrificing on audio fidelity.

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Stories from this week:

• Trump demands Apple unlock iPhones: ‘They have the keys to so many criminals and criminal minds’
• How to FBI-proof your encrypted iPhone backups 
• Can Apple live up to Apple’s privacy ads?
• Apple rejects AG Barr’s claim that it didn’t assist with Pensacola shooting probe
• The FBI has asked Apple to unlock another shooter’s iPhone
• Senator asks Jeff Bezos for more information on Saudi-linked hack
• Saudi Arabian prince reportedly hacked Jeff Bezos’ phone with malicious WhatsApp message
• PSA: Never open a WhatsApp message from the crown prince of Saudi Arabia
• Here’s a first look at Android on Microsoft’s dual-screen Surface Duo
• Microsoft’s software plan for the Duo Android phone is surprisingly realistic
• Introduction to dual-screen devices
• Motorola’s foldable Razr will launch on February 6th after delay
• Cruise driverless taxi: no steering wheel, no pedals
• Sonos will stop providing software updates for its oldest products in May
• Comcast plans price hikes for cable customers as it looks ahead to streaming Peacock launch
• Google’s ads just look like search results now

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After a congressional hearing with executives from Sonos, Tile, Basecamp, and PopSockets, the chairman of the House Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commercial and Administrative Law, Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI), speaks to The Verge’s Nilay Patel and Adi Robertson about leading an investigation into how big tech platforms like Google, Amazon, and Apple are affecting competition for other tech companies.

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Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel interviews Yves Behar and Jason Jason, co-founders of the smartlock company August about their new products, the state of the smart home, and making products that work in both European and American homes.

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Editor-in-chief of The Verge Nilay Patel talks to CEO of AMD Dr Lisa Su at CES 2020 about AMD's new Ryzen laptop chips, the competition with Intel for consumer laptops, and if she is going to take on the high end of Nvidia's GPUs.

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Stories this week:

• The Verge Awards at CES 2020: welcome to the land of the concept
• Eight big takeaways from CES 2020
• These gaming PCs want to compete in the console wars
• Laptops were boring at CES, but there’s hope for the future
• The most important TVs of CES 2020 were finally for the masses
• Microsoft’s new Edge Chromium browser launches on Windows and macOS
• How to install extensions on Microsoft’s new Edge browser
• The browser wars are back, but it’s different this time
• Google is finally killing off Chrome apps, which nobody really used anyhow
• Google to 'phase out' third-party cookies in Chrome, but not for ...
• Roomba’s robot vacuum could grow arms in the near future
• OnePlus confirms its next phone will jump to a 120Hz screen
• Latest Galaxy S20 Plus leak shows off 120Hz display and no …
• Samsung’s Galaxy S20 and its many cameras revealed in leaked photos 

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Anna Wiener talks to Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel about her book Uncanny Valley, a memoir about her time in Silicon Valley working for startups when they were new and flashy. Wiener also discusses the shift in tone to the reality of what technology and connection do to us and our culture.

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At CES 2020, The Verge's Nilay Patel and Dieter Bohn sat down with OnePlus CEO Pete Lau in his first podcast appearance to talk about the OnePlus concept phone with a disappearing camera as well as his thoughts on newer technologies in the smartphone world, like 5G and folding phones.

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Nilay Patel, Dieter Bohn, Ashley Carman, and Sean O'Kane highlight the most important, weird, and surprising things The Verge saw at CES 2020.

Stories from this episode:

• Sonos said what every smaller tech company was thinking: working with big tech sucks
• Amazon’s hardware boss responds to Sonos accusations of stolen technology
• Sony’s electric car is the best surprise of CES
• Byton’s 48-inch screen might not be as distracting as it looks
• Mercedes-Ben’s Avatar-themed concept car with scales
• Sony surprises with an electric concept car called the Vision-S
• Segway S-Pod
• Quibi versus the world
• Spotify will use everything it knows about you to target podcast ads
• 2020 might be the year of reasonably okay foldable PCs, maybe
• Foldable and dual-screen laptops desperately need Windows 10X
• Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Fold is a $2,499 PC with a folding OLED screen
• PS5 logo
• Intel NUC Extreme platform
• Neon CEO explains the tech behind his overhyped ‘artificial humans’
• Samsung’s ‘artificial humans’ are just digital avatars
• This is Intel’s first discrete graphics card in 20 years, but you can’t buy one
• Samsung’s Ballie
• The most promising AirPower alternative isn’t ready yet
• Royole’s new smart speaker has a wraparound touch display

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Recorded live in Las Vegas, The Verge's Nilay Patel, Dieter Bohn, and Ashley Carman discuss what has already been announced at the start of CES 2020 as well as what to expect throughout the week.

Stories discussed in this episode:

• Amazon’s Fire TV soundbars will get Dolby Atmos, HDMI switching, and more later this year
• Samsung details its stunning bezel-less 8K TV
• Samsung’s new Sero TV can rotate vertically for your TikTok and Instagram videos
• LG unveils eight ‘Real 8K’ OLED and LCD TVs ahead of CES
• LG’s smart TVs are the latest to add Apple TV, and you won’t have to buy a 2020 model to get it
• Sony’s first TVs of 2020 include its smallest 4K OLED ever
• TCL will enable variable refresh rates for some TVs later this year
• Vizio’s 2020 lineup includes its biggest TV yet and first-ever OLED
• TCL’s new soundbar uses reflectors for more immersive Dolby Atmos audio
• Roku launches program to let third-party soundbars integrate with Roku TV
• Amazon’s Fire TV soundbars will get Dolby Atmos, HDMI switching, and more later this year
• Vizio’s new soundbar rotates its speakers for better Dolby Atmos surround sound
• Ring adds lightbulbs, solar power to its smart lighting lineup
• The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook is beautiful, fast, and expensive
• Segway’s newest self-balancing vehicle is an egg-shaped wheelchair
• My favorite thing so far at CES
• Dell’s Concept Ori and Concept Duet laptops imagine a foldable and dual-screen future
• Lenovo’s ThinkPad X1 Fold is a $2,499 PC with a folding OLED screen

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Stories discussed this week:

• Google and YouTube moderators speak out on the work that’s …
• Big tech is finally working together to fix the smart home
• Z-Wave is making a huge change so it doesn’t get left behind in the smart home wars
• Ikea 2.0: inside the furniture giant’s big bet on the smart home ...
• This Apple Watch charger plugs directly into a USB-C port so you can carry fewer cords
• Xbox Series X: all the news about Microsoft’s next-gen game console
• Microsoft’s next Xbox is Xbox Series X, coming holiday 2020
• The Xbox Series X is basically a PC
• The Xbox One Series X: bad name, good design 
• Google Stadia should have stayed in beta

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Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel talks Verge news reporter Zoe Schiffer about the concerning work conditions at luggage startup Away and the details from the Verge investigation.

Further reading:

Former Away employees describe a toxic work environment

Away replaces CEO Steph Korey after Verge investigation

The Away scandal is a moment of reckoning for Slack

Here’s the leaked memo in which Away tells employees not to fave The Verge’s investigation

Away’s new CEO was going to be second in command — until a toxic workplace story blew up

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Stories this week:

• Apple’s most expensive Mac Pro costs $52,599
• Apple’s most expensive Pro Display XDR requires a special, Apple-made cloth to clean it
• You can now buy Apple's new Mac Pro and Pro Display XDR …
• The Mac Pro's optional wheels cost $400
• Logitech made a bespoke $200 magnetic 4K webcam for …
• Apple will reportedly release an iPhone without any ports in 2021
• Lightroom finally adds direct photo import on iOS
• The Apple TV remote is so bad that a Swiss TV company developed a normal replacement
• Rewound is a new app that turns your iPhone into an iPod
• The Verge’s gadgets of the decade
• Twitter is funding research into a decentralized version of its ...
• A decentralized Twitter would bring the company back to its past
• Twitter will now let you post iOS Live Photos as GIFs
• Twitter is bringing back labels for US election candidates

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Editor-in-chief of The Verge Nilay Patel and Verge reporter Julia Alexander sit down with CEO/Co-Owner of FaZe Clan Lee Trink. Lee talks how he runs a multifaceted company from working with talent to the dependence on platforms to selling apparel.

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2:00- Tesla Cybertruck first ride: inside Elon Musk’s electric pickup truck

23:55 - Ford’s Mustang Mach-E is an electric SUV with up to 300 miles of range

30:30 - No, e-bikes aren’t cheating

37:03 - Elon Musk tries to explain Twitter in ‘pedo guy’ defamation case

1:00:55 - Paul’s weekly segment “In the apocalypse, we don’t need space bars”

1:03:23 - Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin relinquish control of Alphabet to CEO Sundar Pichai

1:19:05 - Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 865 flagship is here — without integrated 5G

Other links:

• Tesla Cybertruck will get up to 500 miles of range and start at $39,900
• Elon Musk explains why Tesla’s Cybertruck windows smashed during presentation
• Elon Musk promises Cybertruck vs. Ford F-150 rematch after controversy
• Google’s third era
• Larry Page is the tech world’s Dr. Manhattan
• The rise, disappearance, and retirement of Google co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin
• Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 865 promises 5G, camera, and gaming improvements
• In 2020, Qualcomm’s slower chips may be more important than its best ones
• Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 765 chip could usher in the first affordable 5G phones
• Emotonal Baggage: Inside the toxic work environment at Away
• The dark side of electronic waste recycling

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Verge reporter Adi Robertson talks to Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel about how to spot lies, false information, and trolling online and how to handle it as a user on the internet. Adi just published a guide on The Verge that details a system for slowing down and thinking about information — whether that information is true, false, or something in between.

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Congress is in the process of passing a non-partisan bill to increase support for enforcement against illegal pirate radio operations: Fines can now go as high as $2 million, and the FCC will fund “enforcement sweeps” in major radio markets. Does this target well-intentioned community radio, designed to speak to immigrant communities?

Episode three of The Verge's Pirate Radio mini-series featuring Bijan Stephen.

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How the Hmong diaspora uses the world's most boring technology to make something weird and wonderful.

Episode two of The Verge's Pirate Radio mini-series featuring Mia Sato.

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When the US entered Afghanistan, local DJs were hired to help with the war effort. And when the American military pulled out, they abandoned those voices, leaving many of them for dead.

Episode 1 of The Verge's Pirate Radio mini-series featuring Chris Harland-Dunaway.

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This week on The Vergecast, Nilay, Dieter, and Paul go through the products announced this week including Apple's 16-inch Macbook Pro and Motorola's new Razr foldable phone. Julia Alexander then joins the show to cover the initial launch of Disney+ and the ongoing streaming wars.

Stories this week:

• The everything town in the middle of nowhere
• Apple’s 16-inch MacBook Pro is here, and it has a good keyboard
• A fully loaded 16-inch MacBook Pro costs $6,099
• Apple’s new Mac Pro is shipping next month
• Google’s rollout of RCS chat for all Android users in the US begins today
• Motorola resurrects the Razr as a foldable Android smartphone
• John Carmack stepping down as CTO of Oculus to work on AI
• Disney+ experiencing ‘unable to connect’ errors on launch day
• The Mandalorian’s first episode shows that Star Wars can work on the small screen
• Disney+ doesn’t have to sell anyone on streaming
• How to get a year of free Disney+ from Verizon
• The Simpsons’ aspect ratio is messed up on Disney+
• Verizon’s new set-top box is possibly the worst option out there for streaming
• Apple could bundle news, TV, and music into one subscription as soon as 2020

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On this week’s Vergecast interview, Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel talks to finance professor and an economist at the NYU stern school of business Thomas Philippon. Thomas just wrote a book called The Great Reversal: How America Gave Up on Free Markets all about competition and consolidation in different markets.

When Thomas moved to the United States from France in the 90s, he noticed everything from laptops to internet access was cheaper in America, but over time has gotten more and more expensive. In the interview Nilay and Thomas discuss why that is — unsurprisingly the answer is consolidation in a lot of our markets.

Thomas makes a point that in some places, concentrations are actually good and creates value for the consumers, but in some markets like healthcare, technology, and airtravel, that consolidation has resulted in way higher prices for Americans. Since the prices go up slowly, we don’t actually notice.

If you have been listening to The Vergecast and been paying attention to our big conversations about whether or not we should be breaking up big tech companies, whether we should regulate them, or whether tech companies with network effects like Google and Facebook are different than companies like AT&T and GE, this conversation is up your alley. Below is lightly edited except of the conversation.

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In a bonus episode of The Vergecast this week, Dieter Bohn hosts a Microsoft Surface roundup with deputy editor Dan Seifert and senior editor Tom Warren. The trio go through reviews of this years new product lineup and how they compare with their counterparts.

Links:

• Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15-inch review: it’s a bigger Surface Laptop
• Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 13.5-inch review: have a normal one
• Microsoft Surface Pro 7 review: I wish this looked like a Surface Pro X
• Microsoft Surface Pro X review: heartbreaker
• Surface Pro X vs. Pro 7: ARM needs some legs
• Microsoft bet against Intel with its new Surfaces — and lost
• Microsoft leak reveals Windows 10X will be coming to laptops
• Microsoft unveils new Edge browser logo that no longer looks like Internet Explorer
• Microsoft’s Edge Chromium browser will launch on January 15th with a new logo
• Microsoft previews the future of Office documents with Fluid Framework for the web
• Hands-on with Microsoft’s xCloud game streaming service
• Xbox Game Streaming hands-on: turn your Xbox into a game streaming server
• Xbox Elite 2 controller review: Microsoft’s best Xbox controller just got better

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This week on The Vergecast, everything that happened at Adobe Max 2019, reviews for the Microsoft Surface Pro X and AirPods Pro, and missed text messages from Valentines Day.

Stories this week:

• Adobe Max 2019: all the top announcements
• Adobe’s Photoshop for the iPad is finally here, with more features to come 
• Adobe is developing Illustrator for the iPad, to be released 2020
• Adobe Aero turns Photoshop layers into interactive AR experiences
• Adobe’s Fresco drawing app arrives on Windows
• Photoshop adds an extremely helpful AI subject selection tool 
• Adobe previews an AI feature that can tell when an image has been manipulated- 
• Adobe’s AI-powered video framing tool is available now in Premiere Pro
• Adobe is launching a free AI-powered Photoshop Camera app
• Adobe is building live-streaming into Creative Cloud apps
• Adobe’s Premiere Rush can now publish directly to TikTok
• Microsoft Surface Pro X review: heartbreaker
• Microsoft's Edge Chromium browser will launch on January …
• Microsoft unveils new Edge browser logo that no longer looks ...
• Microsoft’s new Office app for iOS and Android combines Word, Excel, and PowerPoint
• Microsoft previews the future of Office documents with Fluid Framework for the we
• A ton of people received text messages overnight that were originally sent on Valentine’s Day
• Somehow, Android's messaging mess is about to get even …
• AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile have finally agreed to ...
• Apple AirPods Pro review: perfect fit
• Google buys Fitbit for $2.1 billion
• Google is buying Fitbit: now what?

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This week on The Vergecast, Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel talks with Jeremy Singer-Vine, the data editor for the BuzzFeed News investigative unit, about his story that was published recently regarding the fake comments on the Federal Communications Commission’s online net neutrality debate.

If you haven’t read the piece, you should. The investigation details where all of the fake comments in the FCC’s net neutrality process came from, including dead people leaving comments and shady political operatives involved in the scam.

It’s not really a story about net neutrality; rather, it’s about how systems designed for public participation in the government are so easily scammed, and what the challenges are for preventing such scams from happening.

Nilay and Jeremy discuss why it happened, how it happened, and what happens next if we want to use the internet to encourage open access participation in government without corruption.

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Live at The Glass Room in San Francisco, Nilay Patel, Dieter Bohn, and Ashley Carman are joined by Google Pixel camera product manager Isaac Reynolds and Instagram head of product Robby Stein to talk about how the photos we share influence the photos we take — and vice versa.

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Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel interviews cryptocurrency expert Amber Baldet, co-founder of Clovyr and on the board of the Zcash foundation. Nilay and Amber discuss where cryptocurrencies on the blockchain are going, the potential of Facebook's Libra project, and how the blockchain can revive our trust in putting our data online.

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Stories discussed this week:

• Foxconn finally admits its empty Wisconsin ‘innovation centers’ aren’t being developed
• Foxconn’s giant glass dome in Wisconsin is back, baby
• Google Pixel 4 and 4 XL review: more than the sum of its sensors
• Google to update Pixel 4 face unlock with eye detection ‘in the coming months`
• The Pixel 4 is more like an iPhone than any other Android phone
• Google promises another Pixel 4 software update, this time for the screen’s refresh rate
• Google’s older Pixels won’t get the Pixel 4’s dual exposure and Live HDR+ features
• Google’s Pixel 4 was $100 off on Amazon for a second time
• Microsoft Surface Pro 7 review: I wish this looked like a Surface Pro X
• Microsoft Surface Laptop 3 15-inch review: it’s a bigger Surface Laptop
• Apple TV app launches on Amazon Fire TV devices
• Comcast’s ‘free’ streaming box actually requires an additional $13 / month fee
• Disney CEO says Scorsese and Coppola can ‘bitch about movies’ if they want 
• Verizon is offering a free year of Disney+ to unlimited data and Fios customers
• There’s a new Banana Phone, and it can play ‘Bananaphone’
• Twitch megastar Shroud is joining Ninja on Mixer as an exclusive streamer
• Caffeine hopes celebrities and entertainment can help it beat Twitch

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This week for our interview series on The Vergecast, host and Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel talks to Gigi Sohn, a distinguished fellow at Georgetown Law’s Institute for Technology Law and Policy. We’ve had Gigi on the show before to talk about the ramifications following the repeal of net neutrality.

This time, we brought her back to talk about some recent developments in the tech policy world, including lawmakers in states like California introducing net neutrality bills.

We also talk to Gigi about the Sprint and T-Mobile merger and the issues surrounding how that merger will seemingly go through unless it’s stopped by a lawsuit from several states. Can Dish become a fourth mobile carrier?

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• 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
• 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

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Vergecast hosts Nilay Patel and Dieter Bohn attended Google's hardware event on Tuesday and sat down with SVP of Devices & Services Rick Osterloh to discuss Google's new products: the Pixel 4, the Pixelbook Go, the Nest Mini, and the Pixel Buds 2.

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Twitter’s head of product Kayvon Beykpour sits down with Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel and Silicon Valley editor Casey Newton to talk about how Twitter juggles its policy with trust and safety, the state of verification, the future of video in your feed, and how tweets can become more ephemeral. 

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This week on The Vergecast, Nilay Patel, Dieter Bohn, and Paul Miller go deep on Apple's updated operating systems: macOS Catalina and iPadOS. 

Also, Sony confirms their next console will be the PS5 in 2020. 

Stories this week: Apple’s macOS Catalina update is coming todayCatalina ReviewPhotoshop and Lightroom users should wait before updating to macOS CatalinaNetflix confirms it won’t port its iPad app to macOSYou need a MacBook with a butterfly keyboard or a modern Mac desktop to use macOS Catalina’s SidecarWhy I’m turning off auto-updatesApple starts selling Microsoft’s Xbox controller after adding support in iOS, macOS, and tvOSiPadOS review: it’s complicated, finallyLinksys' mesh routers can now detect motion using Wi-FiApple’s Siri can now play music through SpotifyiOS 13 has gotten better, but there’s still a long way to go Apple iPad (2019) review: no competitionSony confirms next console is called PlayStation 5 and coming holiday 2020The next console war is going to be way more fun than the last oneSamsung made the smartwatch Google couldn’t

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This week on The Vergecast interview series, Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel speaks to current CEO of Logitech Bracken Darrell.

Logitech has acquired a couple of companies over the past few years, notably Blue Microphones and Ultimate Ears. Recently, Logitech acquired their first software company Streamlabs, a streaming software company used by almost half of all streamers on platforms like Twitch and YouTube.

Nilay and Bracken talk about how acquiring this software company makes sense for Logitech, its own hardware that works with Streamlabs, and what it’s like making hardware for big companies like Apple, Microsoft, and Google.

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Stories this week: Mark Zuckerberg leaked audioRead the full transcript of Mark Zuckerberg's leaked internal Facebook meetingsElizabeth Warren: companies like Facebook ‘repeatedly fumble their responsibility to protect our democracy’Microsoft is building a phone   again, it’s called the Surface DuoWindows 10X is Microsoft’s latest stab at a ‘Lite’ operating system, exclusively for dual-screensMicrosoft announces dual-screen Surface Neo, coming next holidayMicrosoft’s future is built on Google’s codeMicrosoft doesn’t think Windows is important anymoreA first look at Surface Duo, Microsoft’s foldable Android phoneMicrosoft Surface Neo first look: the future of Windows 10X is dual-screenInside Microsoft’s new custom Surface processors with AMD and QualcommMicrosoft announces Surface Pro 7 with long-awaited USB-C portThe Surface Pro X and Surface Laptop 3 are upgradable, but only a littleMicrosoft’s Surface Laptop 3 comes in two sizes and with two different processorsMicrosoft Surface Pro X and Surface Pro 7 hands-on: It’s ARM vs. IntelMicrosoft Surface Earbuds first listen: live transcribe your lifePolitical Operatives Are Faking Voter Outrage With Millions Of Made-Up Comments To Benefit The Rich and PowerfulThe FCC can repeal net neutrality, but it can’t block state laws, says court  iOS 13.1.1 now available with fixes for battery drain, third-party keyboard bug, and moreApple is fixing iOS 13’s bugs at a breakneck pace with another new update today

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Chief Product Officer of Microsoft Panos Panay joins editor-in-chief of The Verge Nilay Patel and senior editor Tom Warren hours after Microsoft’s Surface hardware event to talk about the new Surface lineup — including the debut of their foldable devices. 

Mr. Panay also talks about why Microsoft is using Android for their Duo device, their relationship with Google, and the future of dual-screen form factors. Below is a lightly edited transcript of the conversation. 

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This week on our Vergecast interview series, editor-in-chief of The Verge Nilay Patel chats with filmmaker Davis Guggenheim on his new documentary “Inside Bill’s Brain: Decoding Bill Gates” on Netflix.

Davis talks about how he got Bill Gates to participate in the film, the structure for the documentary, the most surprising thing he’s learned about Bill, and more.

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Stories this week: Amazon pushes Alexa privacy with new delete optionsAmazon’s new Echo Studio sounds like the future of smart speakersThe top 8 Echo products Amazon announced todayHere are all of the other new Echo and Ring products announced todayAmazon announces third-generation Echo smart speakerAmazon’s new $59 Echo Dot with Clock includes an LED displayAmazon’s Echo Buds sound good and are great at noise reductionUsing Amazon’s Echo Loop ring is like whispering a secret to AlexaAmazon Echo Frames preview: trying on the Alexa smart glassesAmazon’s new Echo Loop puts Alexa in a discreet smart ringAmazon follows up its Alexa microwave with a new Alexa Smart OvenAmazon is simplifying device setup with ‘Certified for Humans’ programAmazon announces Fetch pet tracker that uses new Sidewalk networkingAmazon’s new Echo Flex lets you put Alexa everywhere in your homeAmazon’s Echo Glow is a $29 lamp for Alexa dance parties and bedtime storiesAll the new features coming to Alexa, including a new voice, frustration mode, and Samuel L. JacksonJeff Bezos says Amazon is writing its own facial recognition laws to pitch to lawmakersFacebook says it will build AR glasses and map the worldOculus will add new social features powered by FacebookOculus Link will let you plug your Quest headset into a gaming PC to play Rift gamesOculus is launching hand tracking on Quest next yearFacebook acquires neural interface startup CTRL-Labs for its mind-reading wristbandOculus CTO John Carmack says ‘we missed an opportunity’ as the Gear VR diesXiaomi’s Mi Mix Alpha is almost entirely made of screenThe OnePlus TV is finally here7 good and 3 bad things in iPadOSSamsung will let Galaxy Fold owners replace their screens once for $149

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