The Vergecast: Ad-Free Edition

Today on the flagship podcast of zombie kisses: 02:02 - The Verge’s managing editor Alex Cranz chats with film & TV reporter Charles Pulliam-Moore about HBO’s The Last of Us and how it handles the video game adaptation. [Spoilers for episode 1 + 2] 22:40 - Historian and author of the book The Code: Silicon Valley and the Remaking of America Margaret O'Mara talks about how the lack of non-compete clauses shaped Silicon Valley. 38:30 - We answer your questions left on our Vergecast Hotline! Thunderbolt docks, end-to-end encryption, and smart assistants. Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we'd love to hear from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Today on the flagship podcast of automated content creation: 02:23 - The Verge's Nilay Patel, Alex Cranz, Richard Lawler, and Alex Heath start the show with an overview of what we've learned from Elon Musk running Twitter over the past few months.24:50 - Inside CNET’s AI-powered SEO money machine48:34 - Apple's Mac and HomePod announcements from this weekFurther reading: Inside Elon Musk’s “extremely hardcore” Twitter Twitter Blue arrives on Android for $11 a month  Inside CNET’s AI-powered SEO money machine Apple announces MacBook Pros with M2 Pro and M2 Max chips Apple announces a Mac Mini with the M2 and M2 Pro How the new MacBook Pros compare to the rest of Apple's MacBook lineup  Apple is reportedly working on an iPad-like smart display  Apple announces revamped full-size HomePod two years after discontinuing original Apple’s new HomePod unsurprisingly sounds close to the original Apple reportedly shelved its plans to release AR glasses any time soon  Reed Hastings is stepping down as Netflix’s co-CEO Microsoft announces big layoffs that will affect 10,000 employees Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call the hotline at 866-VERGE11, we'd love to hear from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Verge’s Alex Cranz talks with senior reviewer Monica Chin about the laptops she saw at CES this year and what it means for 2023’s computer trends. Verge reviewer Victoria Song joins the show to discuss the FDA regulations behind health tech, and whether the stuff we saw at CES will ever be available in the United States.Further reading: The Lenovo IdeaPad Flex 3i is the CES 2023 gadget I’m most excited for Lenovo Yoga Book 9i hands-on: the dual-screen future OLED plus E Ink: Lenovo’s ThinkBook Twist is halfway to my dream laptop  Lenovo ThinkPhone by Motorola hands-on: a ThinkPad’s best friend The new Asus ZenBook Pro 14 leads a line of impressively refreshed OLED laptops  Acer’s new Predator Helios laptops can pack a bright 250Hz Mini LED screen The LG Gram Style might be the prettiest laptop of 2023 With PC sales down, laptop makers turn to services The HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook is neat, but what's with the RGB? The regulatory maze behind health tech vaporware Withings wants you to pee on its latest device  How do you sell over-the-counter hearing aids when nobody knows who you are? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Verge's Alex Cranz, Richard Lawler, and Dan Seifert discuss the numerous Apple rumors we heard about this week, a Samsung Unpacked preview, and the latest gadget news.Further reading: Apple might finally make a touchscreen Mac Apple is reportedly making an all-in-one cellular, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth chip iPhone 16 Pro models could feature under-display Face ID  Apple's next custom hardware trick might be its own Micro LED screens  Apple’s MicroLED dream: what it means for the Apple Watch and beyond $99 AirPods could ship as early as next year alongside next-gen AirPods Max Official Samsung Galaxy S23 images leak early  Samsung confirms February 1st Unpacked, its first in-person event in three years  Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Pro can now record lifelike 3D audio HBO Max’s first price hike raises the monthly rate by $1  John Deere commits to letting farmers repair their own tractors (kind of)  At CES one company was showing off...an E-Ink headset?  The Pinecil is the best soldering iron for most people Six smart home finds from CES 2023 you may have missed  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Verge’s Alex Cranz, Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, Chris Welch, and Andrew Hawkins discuss the best TVs, cars, and smart home gadgets they saw at CES 2023 — from a color-changing car to a vacuum suction system on an OLED TV.Further reading: CES 2023: Verge Video’s best of Why Matter mattered at CES The $3,000 totally wireless Displace TV is the definition of CES absurdity Roku does the obvious thing and announces its own TV line  TCL’s 2023 TVs have new branding and are gaming powerhouses Samsung’s 2023 TV lineup bets everything on picture upgrades and AI tricks LG’s latest Signature OLED TV receives all of its audio and video wirelessly LG’s 2023 OLED TVs are brighter (again) and make webOS smarter LG wants to reinvent how you think of TV picture modes Sony breaks from tradition and won’t announce new TVs at CES 2023  Sony and Honda just announced their new electric car brand, Afeela The Peugeot Inception concept is an EV knife aimed straight at the future The BMW i Vision Dee is a future EV sports sedan that can talk back to you Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

CES 2023 is in full swing! The Verge's Nilay Patel, Alex Cranz, and Richard Lawler parse the vapor ware from the cool new tech we hope to see ship this year.Further reading: Sony and Honda just announced their new electric car brand, Afeela The BMW i Vision Dee is a future EV sports sedan that can talk back to you Check out BMW’s color-changing concept car in action   Mercedes-Benz and ChargePoint are going to install thousands of EV fast chargers in the US The Ring Car Cam is now available to order for $200  Google’s new high-definition maps are arriving first on Volvo and Polestar electric vehicles  Google’s new split-screen look for Android Auto is rolling out to everyone LG’s latest Signature OLED TV receives all of its audio and video wirelessly LG wants to reinvent how you think of TV picture modes Sony breaks from tradition and won’t announce new TVs at CES 2023  Samsung takes on Apple and LG with its own 5K display for creative pros Dell’s new 32-inch 6K monitor gives Apple’s ProDisplay XDR some competition Samsung's latest Flex Hybrid is a prototype display LG’s 2023 OLED TVs are brighter (again) and make webOS smarter Samsung’s 2023 TV lineup bets everything on picture upgrades and AI tricks Roku does the obvious thing and announces its own TV line  TCL’s 2023 TVs have new branding and are gaming powerhouses Razer made a soundbar that tracks your head to optimize sound AMD’s new Ryzen 7000 mobile processors include a massive 16-core chip AMD promises RTX 3060 desktop graphics performance with new RDNA 3 laptop GPUs Lenovo’s new Yoga Book 9i laptop has a second screen above its screen Lenovo’s new ThinkBook has modular accessories that add LTE, a webcam light, and more Lenovo’s new all-in-one is all screen Lenovo made a Kindle Scribe The HP Dragonfly Pro Chromebook is neat, but what’s with the RGB? Razer's Edge 5G handheld is coming to Verizon this month for $359.99 Delta and T-Mobile are making in-flight Wi-Fi free for all SkyMiles members Qi2: How Apple might finally harness MagSafe by giving it away  Philips Hue is getting a $130 app for TVs Samsung’s SmartThings Station is a smart home hub hidden in a wireless charger Kohler shower pods are here to turn your bathroom into a spa Withings wants you to pee on its latest device Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Verge's Nilay Patel, Alex Cranz, Chris Welch, and Sean Hollister celebrate the holiday season with a full show dedicated to Bluetooth.03:57 - We play Bluetooth Jeopardy! Play along here30:38 - The crew discuss the many codecs layered onto the Bluetooth spec, and where the standard is headed.46:56 - Former Bluetooth SIG executive director Dr. Mike Foley joins the show to discuss his time in charge of Bluetooth.Happy Holidays!Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we'd love to hear from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Verge's Nilay Patel, Alex Cranz, and Richard Lawler break down all the news from this week.Further reading: FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried arrested in the Bahamas Apple is reportedly preparing to allow third-party app stores on the iPhone Twitter Blue is back, letting you buy a blue checkmark again Elon Musk sells yet another $3.58 billion of Tesla shares - The Verge  Twitter suspends @ElonJet after Musk promises not to ban it - The Verge  Elon Musk booed at Dave Chappelle show, claims it was only like ‘10 percent boos’   Jack Dorsey on Musk’s Twitter files: ‘There’s nothing to hide’ - The Verge  https://www.theverge.com/2022/12/15/23511260/everything-ok-in-there-mr-musk-sincerely-the-ftc Twitter’s newsletter tool is shutting down on January 12th The golden age of the streaming wars has ended Apple is expanding Mythic Quest with a new spinoff series Westworld is leaving HBO Max Director Patty Jenkins says there was ‘nothing’ she could do to move Wonder Woman 3 forward Where are all the new Macs? iOS 16.2 arrives with improved always-on display and iCloud end-to-end encryption Google won’t launch ChatGPT rival because of ‘reputational risk’ The Echo Show 15 with Fire TV: a major upgrade with a major flaw Google is beta testing digital state ID cards in its Android Wallet app How to use Instagram’s new Notes feature TikTok starts testing a horizontal full-screen mode Google Nest and Android devices are now Matter compatible — yes, right now Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call us at 866-VERGE11, we'd love to hear from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Verge's Alex Cranz, Nilay Patel, and Charles Pulliam-Moore focus on the big streaming services — Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime, Peacock, Paramount Plus — and discuss which are the winners and losers are for this year.Email us at vergecast@theverge.com or call the hotline at 866-VERGE11, we'd love to hear from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In the final episode on our series about creator economies, David Pierce is joined by producer Hadley Robinson to explore the world of livestreaming and its recent popularity across every social platform. Livestreaming is certainly not a new thing though, so why does it seem to be having a moment? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices