GeekWire

Amazon announced Friday morning that it has reached an agreement to acquire grocery retailer Whole Foods for more than $13 billion. On this special coverage episode of the GeekWire podcast, we get into the nitty-gritty of the deal and what it means for Amazon and other retailers around the country. Follow all our special coverage of the news at GeekWire.com Thank you to this week’s sponsor: GoDaddy — who is offering GeekWire listeners 35 percent off their purchase of a GoDaddy domain. Just use offer code gearedup35 at checkout, goddaddy.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amazon announced it latest — and tiniest —  gadget Thursday: the Amazon Dash Wand with Alexa. It’s designed as a kitchen assistant, and we got our hands on one to test it out for this episode of the Week In Geek. Plus, why Amazon is suing a former AWS employee and how two Seattle entrepreneurs are trying to make doctors’ lives easier. On the Random Channel this week: What will Safeco Field’s new name be? Follow all our coverage and read the stories we talked about this week at GeekWire.com Thank you to this week’s sponsors: Wealthsimple — GeekWire listeners pay no management fees for a year when they invest up to $15,000 on Wealthsimple’s automated investing platform. Wealthsimple.com/geekwire GoDaddy — who is offering GeekWire listeners 35 percent off their purchase of a GoDaddy domain. Just use offer code gearedup35 at checkout, goddaddy.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Taking a pill isn’t so hard. The tricky thing is remembering to take it. Patients not taking medication properly is a huge problem for the health industry, but these three entrepreneurs think they have a solution: A gadget that can fit in the palm of your hand. Thank you to our sponsor, Providence St. Joseph Health’s Digital and Innovation Group. Follow them at twitter.com/provinnovation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stephen Dubner and Steven Levitt have more in common than a first name: They’re also fanatics about numbers. GeekWire’s Todd Bishop sat down with Dubner and Levitt, founders of the popular Freakonomics podcast and books, at Microsoft’s Data Insights Summit this week. On this episode of the GeekWire podcast, the three talk about everything from healthcare to Amazon to how data is changing the world. Follow all our coverage, including more about Microsoft's Data Insights Summit, at GeekWire.com Thank you to this week’s sponsors: Wealthsimple — GeekWire listeners pay no management fees for a year when they invest up to $15,000 on Wealthsimple’s automated investing platform. Wealthsimple.com/geekwire GoDaddy — who is offering GeekWire listeners 35 percent off their purchase of a GoDaddy domain. Just use offer code gearedup35 at checkout, goddaddy.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s that time of the year -- E3, the United State’s biggest video game conference, is in full swing and the first day was all about Xbox. Microsoft announced all the details on the new Xbox One X, previously known as Project Scorpio, along with planned releases of backward compatible original Xbox games. Our own Andru Edwards is on site at E3 and we go over all the Xbox news with him on this episode of Geared Up. Follow all our 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: Wealthsimple — GeekWire listeners pay no management fees for a year when they invest up to $15,000 on Wealthsimple’s automated investing platform. Wealthsimple.com/geekwire GoDaddy — who is offering GeekWire listeners 35 percent off their purchase of a GoDaddy domain. Just use offer code gearedup35 at checkout, goddaddy.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

BMW car-sharing service Reach Now launched a new service this week: Ride, a ride-sharing service that's taking on Uber and Lyft. We tried it out and tell you all the juicy details on this episode of the Week In Geek. We also explain why Snapchat's parent company paid $200 million for a Seattle startup and why new engineering centers mean Seattle continues to reign supreme in cloud technology. On the Random Channel: Scathing reviews of some hot new tech ventures. Follow all our coverage and read the stories we talked about this week at GeekWire.com Thank you to this week’s sponsors: Wealthsimple — GeekWire listeners pay no management fees for a year when they invest up to $15,000 on Wealthsimple’s automated investing platform. Wealthsimple.com/geekwire GoDaddy — who is offering GeekWire listeners 35 percent off their purchase of a GoDaddy domain. Just use offer code gearedup35 at checkout, goddaddy.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

iPads, iMacs, HomePods, oh my! Apple’s annual World Wide Developers Conference set off a flurry of news from the tech giant this week, including big updates in the works for iPhones, a new iPad and an Amazon Echo competitor, the Apple HomePod. We break down all the news and tell you what you really need to know in this episode of Geared Up. Thank you to this week’s sponsors: Wealthsimple — GeekWire listeners pay no management fees for a year when they invest up to $15,000 on Wealthsimple’s automated investing platform. Wealthsimple.com/geekwire GoDaddy — who is offering GeekWire listeners 35 percent off their purchase of a GoDaddy domain. Just use offer code gearedup35 at checkout, goddaddy.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

At just 35 years old, computer scientist Shwetal Patel has made a career out of taking on "grand challenges." Now he's tackling his biggest challenge yet: health. He’s using code and some creativity to turn the smartphones we carry around every day into powerful medical devices. Thank you to our sponsor, Providence St. Joseph Health’s Digital and Innovation Group. Follow them at twitter.com/provinnovation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We're excited to share a teaser for our newest show -- Health Tech, a podcast all about digital health. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amazon has had some wacky ideas over the years, but this might take the cake. The company patented a shipping label that turns into a parachute, designed to safely deliver packages from drones to your doorstep. Plus, bored by today's NBA games? Steve Ballmer has a solution: real-time, AI-fueled graphics that are layered over the game. We discuss how AI, drones and other tech are impacting all corners of our lives on this episode of the Week In Geek. On the Random Channel this week: our favorite TV shows of the moment. Follow all our coverage and read the stories we talked about this week at GeekWire.com Thank you to this week’s sponsors: Wealthsimple — GeekWire listeners pay no management fees for a year when they invest up to $15,000 on Wealthsimple’s automated investing platform. Wealthsimple.com/geekwire GoDaddy — who is offering GeekWire listeners 35 percent off their purchase of a GoDaddy domain. Just use offer code gearedup35 at checkout, goddaddy.com.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.