This week, Apple committed another $100 billion towards US investments in a bid to avoid the Trump administration’s chaotic tariff plans. Oh, and Tim Cook gave Trump a unique plaque with a 24-karat gold base. Just a normal business meeting in a normal country. In this episode, Devindra and Engadget's Sam Rutherford discuss what this latest Apple investment ultimately means (and just how embarrassing appeasing the Trump administration looks). And since the news is fairly slow, we also take some time to answer a few listener questions. Apple attempts to avoid tariffs with another $100 billion U.S. investment and a shiny object for the president – 1:21Nintendo announces blockbuster Switch 2 sales numbers, price hikes for original Switch models – 12:39Trump demands Intel’s new CEO to step down over conflicts of interest – 16:51ChatGPT conversations no longer searchable in Google (why were they there in the first place?) – 18:55Hulu to shut down app in 2026 and be absorbed into Disney+ – 22:15Listener Q&A: HDMI or Optical for sound bar connection, moving off of Windows 10, and good alternatives to the Lenovo Yoga 7 – 26:59Working on – 48:04Pop culture picks – 53:29.
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A taste of iOS 26, Liquid Glass and more Apple updates
We’ve been playing around with the developer betas of Apple’s latest software, and now that we’ve spent time with iOS 26, Liquid Glass and more on actual devices, we have thoughts. From representation in Genmoji and Live Translation adventures to Apple Intelligence musings, our hosts Cherlynn Low and Mat Smith share what you can expect on your iPhones later this year. We also go over our reviews of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 and Galaxy Z Flip 7, as well as Microsoft’s SharePoint server vulnerabilities.Cherlynn and Mat on how iOS 26 feels in the developer beta – 1:17Our reviews of Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7, Flip 7, and Watch 8 – 43:07Microsoft Sharepoint vulnerability -- who's impacted so far (including the Department of Energy) – 50:58Pop culture picks – 54:15
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Ancestra director Eliza McNitt defends AI as a creative tool
VR filmmaker Eliza McNitt has explored the cosmos with her previous work, but with her short film Ancestra, she taps into Google’s AI tools to tell a personal story. Based on her own birth, the film follows a pregnant woman who is shocked to learn she needs an emergency cesarean delivery. We hear her frightened thoughts as she thinks back to the creation of life and the way all living creatures are connected.In this episode, Devindra chats with McNitt about Ancestra and the creative potential (and many dangers) of AI as a video production tool. While she ultimately believes it’s up to every artist to judge the costs and benefits of every tool on their own, she also agrees that AI companies need to be more transparent about how their models are built, especially when it comes to training them on copyrighted works.
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Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Flip 7 + Prime Day madness
Samsung has finally debuted its latest foldables (after plenty of leaks), and boy they sure look thin. This week, Engadget's Sam Rutherford joins us to chat about the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7, as well as other highlights from its Galaxy Unpacked event. Also, we dive into a few of the best deals from Amazon Prime Day. You won't believe how cheap huge TVs have gotten. Breaking down the Samsung Galaxy Fold 7 and everything else from Unpacked 2025 – 1:58Galaxy Z Flip 7: bigger screens, bigger battery – 16:06 Galaxy Watch 8: now with an antioxidant sensor? – 20:59 Great deals still available as Amazon Prime Day 2025 comes to a close – 30:38Linda Yaccarino leaves X, xAI’s Grok goes on an antisemitic tirade – 39:03Cloudflare could make AI web crawlers pay a toll – 41:28Jack Dorsey unveils Bitchat, a “secure” Bluetooth mesh messaging app – 43:40Marco Rubio AI imposter attempts to gain access to government information – 46:33A U.S. version of TikTok is currently in development – 49:43Anthropic wins significant Fair Use copyright case – 52:38Working on – 1:00:53Pop culture picks – 1:02:25
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Reviewing VPNs and a security debrief with Engadget’s Sam Chapman
This week, Devindra chats with Sam Chapman, Engadget’s new security reporter who’s been reviewing VPNs and related products. He dives into what led him to security, the VPNs he likes the most and thoughts on potential cyberattacks. Additionally, we discuss Microsoft’s latest news around the Windows 10 Extended Security Update, and Devindra explains why M3GAN 2.0 absolutely rules.
A weekly news show where your favorite Engadget editors tear themselves away from their crippling technology addiction, to discuss our collective crippling technology addiction.
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