Every Friday, The Verge publishes our flagship podcast, The Vergecast, where co-hosts Nilay Patel and Dieter Bohn discuss the week in tech news with the reporters and editors covering the biggest stories.
This week: lots of events and showcases! Nilay, Dieter, and Verge managing editor Alex Cranz start the show with coverage of all the devices announced at Amazon’s fall hardware event. Say hello to Astro — Alexa on wheels — along with a video chat gadget for kids, an Echo Show to hang on your wall, new wearable devices, and a whole lot more.
Google also held an event this week focusing on its core search functions with products like Google Maps, Google Lens, and of course, shopping and e-commerce. The crew discusses the important announcements.
There are more events covered in this week’s Vergecast! Verge senior reporter Alex Heath joins the show to discuss what happened at Code Conference this year — with interviews with Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and many others.
You can listen to the full discussion here or in your preferred podcast player.
Stories discussed this week:
- Amazon’s fall hardware event 2021: rumors, news, and announcements
- Amazon’s race to create the disappearing computer
- Here’s the deluge of announcements from Amazon’s fall devices event
- Say hello to Astro, Alexa on wheels
- Amazon’s Astro cannot fetch your beer
- Amazon Astro is ‘terrible’ and will ‘throw itself down’ stairs, developers reportedly claim
- Amazon’s automotive efforts appear to be taking a pit stop
- Don’t be fooled — Amazon’s Astro isn’t a home robot, it’s a camera on wheels
- Remember when beta testing was free?
- Amazon’s new Echo Show 15 is meant to hang on your wall
- Amazon’s AZ2 CPU knows your face
- Amazon Glow is a video chat gadget with built-in games to keep kids engaged
- Amazon announces new wearable and services to try to make you fitter
- Amazon’s new Ring Alarm Pro combines a security system with an Eero router
- Blink’s first doorbell is finally released, four years later
- Ring Video Doorbells are finally getting package alerts
- Amazon takes on Nest with a $59.99 smart thermostat
- Google’s Search On fall 2021 event: news and announcements
- Google Search’s next phase: context is king
- Google expands shopping searches with Lens and in-store inventory checks
- Google Maps is making it easier to see wildfires and tree coverage
- Google Lens will soon search for words and images combined
- Google is using AI to help users explore the topics they’re searching for — here’s how
- Elon Musk to Jeff Bezos: ‘you cannot sue your way to the Moon
- Elon Musk: ‘we probably don’t need’ NDAs for Tesla’s ‘Full Self-Driving’ beta
- USB-C cables are getting new, confusing logos for faster 240W charging standard
- Nintendo categorically denies that a 4K Switch Pro is in development
- ‘Rife with sexism’: employees of Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin describe ‘toxic’ workplace culture
