GeekWire

Yes -- several, in fact! In a classic surprise move, Amazon announced half-dozen new Echo devices on Wednesday. Some of them seem useful, inexpensive and impressively designed, but some just seem silly. We break it all down on this episode of Geared Up. Follow all our tech coverage at GeekWire.com and subscribe to our live behind-the-scenes videos on GearLive, youtube.com/gearlive Thank you to this week's sponsors: The University of Washington Human Centered Design and Engineering department -- learn more at hcde.washington.edu; Hughes Marino, the commercial real estate company now expanding to Seattle -- learn more at hughesmarino.com; and Kinects, Seattle’s iconic new high-rise apartment tower -- learn more at kinectstower.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Personal data used to be something we could control easily -- but now digital services, websites and even the government are collecting our personal data at an unprecedented rate. How can we protect it? And what rules should be in place to keep personal data private? We discuss with Washington State Chief Privacy Officer Alex Alben on this episode of the GeekWire podcast. Follow all our tech coverage, including coverage of privacy and cybersecurity, at GeekWire.com Thank you to this week's sponsors: The University of Washington Human Centered Design and Engineering department -- learn more at hcde.washington.edu; Hughes Marino, the commercial real estate company now expanding to Seattle -- learn more at hughesmarino.com; and Kinects, Seattle’s iconic new high-rise apartment tower -- learn more at kinectstower.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

What’s the best way to beat the nightmarish traffic in Seattle? We decided to find out. GeekWire reporters raced a car, ride shares, a bike, a high-tech skateboard and the good old bus system to find the most effective way through rush-hour traffic, and share our take-aways on this episode of the Week In Geek. Also on this episode: A new biotech HQ built to destroy cancer, the Seattle Sounders ditch Ticketmaster, and Microsoft opens a mysterious office in a town outside Seattle. Follow all our coverage and read the stories we talked about this week at GeekWire.com Thank you to this week's sponsors: The University of Washington Human Centered Design and Engineering department -- learn more at hcde.washington.edu; Hughes Marino, the commercial real estate company now expanding to Seattle -- learn more at hughesmarino.com; and Kinects, Seattle’s iconic new high-rise apartment tower -- learn more at kinectstower.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Nest, a Google-owned smart device company, announced tons of new products this week and when you put them all together, you can make a smart home security system. Plus, Google’s weird $1 billion deal with HTC, a new lamp that comes with Alexa inside and upset over the new Apple Watch 3. Follow all our tech coverage at GeekWire.com and subscribe to our live behind-the-scenes videos on GearLive, youtube.com/gearlive Thank you to this week's sponsors: The University of Washington Human Centered Design and Engineering department -- learn more at hcde.washington.edu; Hughes Marino, the commercial real estate company now expanding to Seattle -- learn more at hughesmarino.com; and Kinects, Seattle’s iconic new high-rise apartment tower -- learn more at kinectstower.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Want to know something about anything? Follow the money, and see where it goes. That's what we do on this episode of the GeekWire podcast with Pitchbook founder and CEO John Gabbert, who is elbow-deep in the finances that fuel the tech world. We'll dive into venture funding, unicorns, IPOs and much more. Read more and follow all our tech coverage at GeekWire.com Thank you to this week's sponsors: The University of Washington Human Centered Design and Engineering department -- learn more at hcde.washington.edu; Hughes Marino, the commercial real estate company now expanding to Seattle -- learn more at hughesmarino.com; and Kinects, Seattle’s iconic new high-rise apartment tower -- learn more at kinectstower.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amazon's "one-click patent" is about to expire -- it's a classic example of why the U.S. patenting process doesn't mesh with tech. We discuss on this episode of the Week In Geek. Plus: What we know so far about the huge Equifax hack, Seattle's proposed Air BnB tax and we dive into the world of Kubernetes, the hottest thing in cloud tech. Follow all our coverage and read the stories we talked about this week at GeekWire.com Thank you to this week's sponsors: The University of Washington Human Centered Design and Engineering department. Learn more: www.hcde.washington.edu; and Hughes Marino, the commercial real estate company now expanding to Seattle. Learn more: hughesmarino.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Tony Blau saw a big problem with cancer treatment: we can’t make sense of all the data we can gather. So he founded a startup that connects experts, doctors and patients to sort through their data and build an ever-smarter cancer database. We speak with Blau on this episode of GeekWire’s Health Tech podcast. For more Health Tech stories visit GeekWire.com/healthtech. Thank you to our sponsor, Providence St. Joseph Health’s Digital and Innovation Group. Follow them at twitter.com/provinnovationSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Two years ago, the University of Washington and China's premier tech school, Tsinghua University, announced a first-of-its kind project: The Global Innovation Exchange. It's an innovative new approach to teaching entrepreneurship and it's approaching its official launch. On this episode of the GeekWire podcast, we speak with GIX Co-Director and UW's VP of innovation strategy Vikram Jandhyala about the new project and how it's setting out to disrupt the innovation economy. Follow all our coverage and learn more about GIX at GeekWire.com  Thank you to this week's sponsors: The University of Washington Human Centered Design and Engineering department. Learn more: www.hcde.washington.edu; and Hughes Marino, the commercial real estate company now expanding to Seattle. Learn more: hughesmarino.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apple *finally* revealed its new iPhone lineup, after what feels like a year of hype, leaks and rumors. It's premium device: The iPhone X (as in the roman numeral ten, not the letter "x"). We geek out on all the new tech packed into the phone and break down what sets it apart from the iPhone 8 and 8 plus, also announced today. Plus, a new Apple Watch and upgrades to Apple TV. Follow all our tech coverage at GeekWire.com and subscribe to our live behind-the-scenes videos on GearLive, youtube.com/gearlive Thank you to this week's sponsors: The University of Washington Human Centered Design and Engineering department. Learn more: www.hcde.washington.edu; and Hughes Marino, the commercial real estate company now expanding to Seattle. Learn more: hughesmarino.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amazon surprised everyone Thursday morning when it announced it is looking to build a second headquarters in a city in North America. The news has big implications for Seattle, Amazon’s home, as well as cities around the country that are already lining up to woo the tech giant. We break down the news, what it means for Seattle and where we think Amazon will go next on this episode. Follow all our coverage and read the stories we talked about this week at GeekWire.com Thank you to this week's sponsors: The University of Washington Human Centered Design and Engineering department. Learn more: www.hcde.washington.edu; and Hughes Marino, the commercial real estate company now expanding to Seattle. Learn more: hughesmarino.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.