GeekWire

Two portable virtual reality headsets launched onto the stage in the past weeks: The highly affordable and convenient Oculus Go and the more sophisticated but pricey Lenovo Mirage Solo. So how do they compare? We go hands-on with both devices to find out on this episode. Plus, big news from the PC world with the launch of several new HP computers and a class-action lawsuit against Apple over the M...

On this episode, we take a deep dive into two technologies that co-hosts Andru Edwards and Todd Bishop have been using lately. Andru gives us his take on two Nokia Health's smart devices and Todd tells us how he was lured back to using Windows by his new favorite PC. Plus, what is Apple doing with virtual reality? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode, we come to you live from Microsoft's annual Build developer's conference. We sit down with Scott Guthrie — the head of Microsoft's cloud and enterprise division — to talk intelligent edge, the future of cloud and more. We also speak with Mixed Reality GM and Studio Manager Lorraine Bardeen about Microsoft's path forward in virtual and mixed reality, particularly its emphasis on en...

The Seattle City Council is considering a tax on Amazon and other high-earning companies in the city — and the conflict over it got nasty this week. We explain it all on this episode. Plus, a Seattle-based startup wants to give you doctors appointments from your smartphone with help from an AI chatbot. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Oculus Go sprang onto shelves in a surprise launch Tuesday. Is the lower-power, portable VR headset the future of virtual reality? We debate on this episode. Plus: What the T-Mobile / Sprint merger means for wireless customers and Apple reports record-breaking iPhone sales in the first months of 2018.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Technology and politics are butting heads more than ever before. Issues like net neutrality and data privacy have stormed the national stage and Senator Maria Cantwell is in the middle of it all, from Mark Zuckerberg's hearing in Congress to the fight to restore net neutrality protections. We sit down with her to talk about all those issues on this episode of the GeekWire podcast.  See omnystudio....

If you only know Marvel from the movies, you don't really know   Marvel. That's the sense you get when you enter the world-premiere exhibition at the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, " Marvel: Universe of Super Heroes ." On this episode, we take you on a tour through the exhibit with its curator, Ben Saunders, to get the inside story of Marvel's history, its impact on society and some of the incr...

Rand Fishkin is the co-founder and former CEO of Seattle technology company Moz, and in his seventeen years in the startup world, he's learned a thing or two about being an entrepreneur. He shares some of those stories — personal and professional — in his new book, Lost and Founder, out April 24. Rand joins us on this episode of the GeekWire Podcast to talk about his unwavering dedication to trans...

Amazon made a surprise move this week: A new partnership with Best Buy. It seems the age of the retail store is far from over. Plus, the company finally announced the number of Prime members it has: More than 100 million. And finally, former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer holds the first-ever shareholders meeting for American taxpayers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Apple's HomePod smart speaker has been out for a while now — and it's clear the device is struggling in a competitive smart speaker market. What led to its demise? Plus, Amazon reveals how they assign the preferred "Amazon's Choice" label to products, Apple is rumored to be entering the news business and how Xbox's backward compatibility might be the console's saving grace. See omnystudio.com/list...

The fallout around data privacy scandals has put Facebook in a tough spot. After CEO Mark Zuckerberg spent two days testifying before Congress, many are asking, what's next? And some say that next comes a big change in the tech economy. Plus, Uber is remaking its image after a scandal-filled year, thanks in no small part to its new CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi. On the Random Channel: The big Gmail redes...

A look at GeekWire's new daily news show, TLDR. Subscribe to TLDR in your favorite podcast app for new episodes every weekday, or get the video version by subscribing to GeekWire's YouTube Page. If you're an Alexa fan, both the podcast and video are available on Echo devices. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A new technology called "parallel reality" lets many different people see completely different content on the same screen, simultaneously, without goggles. So how does it work, and how could it change the world? On this episode of the Week in Geek, we talk with two of the founders of Misapplied Sciences, the company that has developed the technology, Chairman and CTO Paul Dietz, CEO Albert Ng. Plu...

How should gadget fans think about privacy? Andru, for one, says growing concerns about data privacy with Amazon, Google and Facebook will be a boon for Apple and other companies that don't base their businesses on advertising revenue. But doesn't that mean you're locked in to Apple's ecosystem? "Yes – locked into greatness," he says. Listen to our privacy discussion on this week's episode, plus a...

Silicon Valley is the birthplace of some of the most innovative companies in the world, but these days it’s also become infamous for something else. Bloomberg Technology host Emily Chang calls that something “Brotopia,” a culture that has built giants like Google and Facebook but has made the tech industry toxic and even dangerous for women and other minorities. Chang joins us to talk about her ne...

President Trump is "obsessed" with Amazon, but not in the same way as the rest of us Prime members. A report that Trump is looking for ways to regulate the tech giant torched Amazon's stock this week, but is it all bluster or a serious threat? Plus, two Seattle-area tech companies file for their IPOs in the same week, and on the Random Channel, we say farewell one of this show's longest-running ch...

Apple announced a new $299 iPad aimed at schools this week, along with tons of other education products -- but will they give the company the edge to catch up with Google and Microsoft in ed tech? We pose that question to GeekWire contributor and ed tech expert Frank Catalano on this episode of Geared Up. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Facebook is reeling from the revelation that a British firm, Cambridge Analytica, improperly used millions of its users' data. #DeleteFacebook is trending and those in the tech world are closely watching how users react to the news. Can the tech giant turn a new leaf? What are we willing to give up for the convenience of tech platforms? And would paying for services like Facebook solve the problem...

Apple announced a mysterious education event, hosted at a high school in Chicago. Is the company aiming to make a comeback in the education technology market? Plus, Apple is rumored to be making its own displays, Microsoft marches on with its always on PCs strategy and a new plan to make Alexa talk less. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cancer research and treatment is at a tipping point. Breakthrough science is helping patients live longer, healthier lives and even curing patients in desperate situations. That's why Seattle journalist Luke Timmerman is preparing to summit Mount Everest this spring, raising hundreds of thousands of dollars in cancer research funds in the process. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...

This week, we take a trip back to the heyday of Walkmen and the Apple IIe. GeekWire reporter Kurt Schlosser got to visit the new, interactive 80s exhibit at the Living Computers Museum + Labs. Plus, a controversial lawsuit over the next generation of apples (not the computers, this time) and a new study sheds light on why so few female students go into tech roles. See omnystudio.com/listener for p...

We get a hands-on review of the brand new Samsung Galaxy S9, set to launch Friday. Plus, Apple buys digital magazine service Texture and Andru gives us his take on Amazon's acquisition of smart home security company Ring -- and why it might be bad for consumers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Memes, reaction GIFs and urban legends like Slenderman are all examples of a new culture developing in the U.S. and across the world -- one that's unique to the web. On this episode of the GeekWire Podcast, we speak with two archivists from the Library of Congress that built the library's web culture archive to preserve elements of this culture and the unique communities that are growing online. S...

Is Amazon good for Seattle? That's the question a community forum asked this week, and the results point to the complex relationship Amazon has with the communities around it. Plus, Uber and Lyft are the latest tech companies to dive into healthcare and Amazon's Alexa voice assistant gives us a reason to laugh... or not. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It's International Women's Day, and in the tech world, the discussion about diversity, harassment and inclusion is coming more and more into the spotlight. What can companies and individuals do to make tech more welcoming for minorities and women? What is unconscious bias, and how can companies fight against it? We get into those questions with two diversity and humans relations experts: UniquelyH...