GeekWire

Alexa, Amazon’s artificial intelligence personal assistant, can now make phone calls -- so, of course, we try it out live on this episode of the Week in Geek. Plus, hear about Microsoft’s bold new strategy and the surprise guest that showed up at the Amazon Spheres this week. 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. GoDaddy — who is offering GeekWire listeners 35 percent off their purchase of a GoDaddy domain. Just use offer code gearedup35 at checkout.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week’s episode of Geared Up is all about electric transportation. Join Todd and GeekWire contributor Tim Ellis as they take a ride in Tim’s brand new Chevy Bolt, one of the all-electric cars making a buzz in the automotive world. We also check out Tim’s collection of electric-powered skateboards. Follow all our coverage at GeekWire.com and subscribe to our live behind-the-scenes videos on 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. GoDaddy — who is offering GeekWire listeners 35 percent off their purchase of a GoDaddy domain. Just use offer code gearedup35 at checkout.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s been 15 years since Reid Hoffman co-founded LinkedIn. The company was acquired by Microsoft last year for $2.6 billion and Hoffman now sits on Microsoft’s board,  but he’s still very much an entrepreneur. On this episode of the GeekWire Podcast, we share Hoffman’s full talk at the recent Technology Alliance Luncheon in downtown Seattle, where he shares thoughts on how to drive entrepreneurship, the success of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and, of course, Settlers of Catan. Follow all our coverage, including more on Hoffman's talk, 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. GoDaddy — who is offering GeekWire listeners 35 percent off their purchase of a GoDaddy domain. Just use offer code gearedup35 at checkout.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Lots of news from the tech world this week: Microsoft takes on Apple and Google with a striking new laptop, Bill Gates and Roger Federer put on an epic tennis match and we consider what our lives would be like without Apple, Amazon, Facebook or Google. All that and more on this episode of the Week in Geek. Follow all our coverage, including all the stories we discuss in this episode, on 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. GoDaddy — who is offering GeekWire listeners 35 percent off their purchase of a GoDaddy domain. Just use offer code gearedup35 at checkout.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Five years ago, GeekWire co-founder Todd Bishop shared his experience about deciding to drop his unlimited AT&T data plan. Things have changed dramatically in the past five years, with new services and devices pushing change in the wireless industry. This week on Geared Up, we take a fresh look at unlimited data plans and ask: did Todd make the right decision? Follow all our coverage at GeekWire.com and subscribe to our live behind-the-scenes video on at 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.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s earnings season, and GeekWire reporters have been busy diving into the quarterly financial reports put out by tech giants like Microsoft, Amazon, Nintendo and more. The reports cut through all the flashy marketing to give a glimpse into how these companies are really doing, and what products and departments are succeeding or struggling. On this episode of the Week in Geek we share a big-picture view of what all these numbers tell us about the tech giants in Seattle and around the country. Follow all our coverage, including detailed looks at the recent earning reports, at GeekWire.com. Thank you to this week’s sponsors: Wealthsimple — an automated investing service, on a mission to simplify investing to help everyone (including you!) become an expert investor. GoDaddy — whose mission is to radically shift the global economy toward life-fulfilling independent ventures and helping their customers kick ass by giving them the tools, insights and people to transform their ideas into success.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

E-commerce powerhouse Amazon has drastically changed the retail landscape, threatening traditional retailers left and right with their new model of selling things. A few years ago, Best Buy was a victim of that changing market and on the verge of collapse. But the company has clawed its way out of the hole thanks to a new emphasis on multi-channel commerce, in-store and online. Today we’re sitting down with Best Buy Chief Digital Officer Bala Subramanian to hear how the retailer has integrated digital and online commerce to turn its business around. See more stories about Best Buy here and follow all our coverage at GeekWire.com. Thank you to this week's sponsors: Wealthsimple — an automated investing service, on a mission to simplify investing to help everyone (including you!) become an expert investor. GoDaddy — whose mission is to radically shift the global economy toward life-fulfilling independent ventures and helping their customers kick ass by giving them the tools, insights and people to transform their ideas into success.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amazon unveiled a puzzling new device this week: The Echo Look, an Alexa-powered speaker that comes with a camera and lighting. It's marketed as a fashion device, but Todd and Andru aren't buying it —  in more ways than one. Plus, equally puzzling news about new projects from Twitter and Apple, and we finally get a hands-on look at the new Samsung Galaxy S8.  Follow all our coverage at GeekWire.com and subscribe to our live behind-the-scenes video on GearLive. Thanks to our sponsors: Wealthsimple — an automated investing service, on a mission to simplify investing to help everyone (including you!) become an expert investor.  GoDaddy — whose mission is to radically shift the global economy toward life-fulfilling independent ventures and help their customers kick ass by giving them the tools, insights and people to transform their ideas into success.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In ominous sci-fi future news this week, Facebook is working on a program that could let people type with their brain and hear with their skin. Is it a revolutionary idea or a Pandora's Box that could go wildly wrong? Plus, we hear about the world of Amazon's secretive horticultural program and bring back one of our favorite segments: The Random Channel. See links and details in this week's show notes.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The new iPhone is months away from being released, but some insiders are already getting chatty about its design. On this episode of Geared Up, we take a look at the rumors and speculations about what Apple will do with the next edition of its most popular product. Meanwhile, Nintendo cut production of the popular NES classic edition — could it be gearing up for a classic edition of the SNES? Plus, Todd isn't wowed by Pandora Premium, and Andru has some harsh words for Facebook's new VR chat feature.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.