Material

YAY! Flo and Andy are reunited, and it sounds so good. The two gather around this week's virtual campfire in celebration of their 250th episode of Material. We discuss what we've been binging on television and whether we think the next set of Pixel Buds will be worth the cash. We also chat about Google Stadia going free—except it's not because you have to sign up for the trial period or buy a game...

This week, it's another Andy solo special. We'll talk about Google attempting its part during the pandemic, without being too creepy about how they go about it. Then, Andy is A Weensy Bit Upset with Apple for acquiring the company behind his favorite weather app and tanking many Play Store weather apps in the process. Andy will also guide you through why 3D objects have started showing up in Googl...

We're doing a special segment of the Material podcast this week to help lift your spirits. Flo talks to Juan Carlos Bagnell (also known as [SomeGadgetGuy](https://somegadgetguy.com/) around the web) about the LG V60 ThinQ. We discuss specifications, performance, and how this ginormous Android device fits into the broader smartphone landscape.

Andy is back for a special weekend episode! And he's getting COVID-19 news off his chest. Andy will discuss Google's new responsibilities to the public and its employees and whether Google's promise to limit the spread of disinformation will extend to the White House. He'll also dive into how Google is defusing racist speech at the keyboard level, and he'll prove that Tom Hanks didn't have a volle...

We're stuck at home. You're stuck at home. There's nothing else to do right now, so tune in and listen up. Flo is flying solo again this week, but she's here with tips on how you can help contribute from the confines of your dwelling. Flo will guide you through using the Google Assistant to inform yourself about COVID-19 and how to use the Gmail block button to rid of viral spammers. We'll also wa...

Flo is back, albeit solo, because the Material podcast and its hosts are practicing social distancing. Flo muses about life as a new parent, then launches into a rant about how it isn't fun hanging out in Hangouts anymore. Then, we talk about Verily's Project Baseline, and why it's a bit unnerving that the US government is relying on private companies to conduct testing for COVID-19. We also mourn...

Andy sysadmins his brain; parts of the Android 11 developer preview released last week aren’t previews at all, and how on Earth is Sweyn Forkbeard going to influence my life when 11 ships? Reviewers say the “S” in Galaxy S20 Ultra stands for “schadenfreude,” and just as moral watchdogs warned us, a Google Doodle leads to Poetry.

Andy does this one solo for reasons that have nothing to do with the fact that Flo's baby was due this week! The first developer preview of Android 11 drops! Google Play Store starts enforcing tougher limits on ad-blighted apps! The T-Rex game goes 3D and Andy thinks this mean the dino has taken the red pill! And! Andy lied earlier because Flo TOTALLY had her baby!

Flo and Andy fiddle with Android TV boxes while the Essential Phone burns. Then they talk about Samsung Unpacked, and marvel in hopeful disbelief that new Galaxy Z Flip could be the first folding phone that can't be reviewed with an economical “LOL NO.” A Googler is fired for her activism, and speaks freely of the environment for trans people at the company. Finally, although it's too soon to get...

Andy's waiting for his Walkman to arrive and Flo's hoping she has at least another week before the baby is here. We talk all the juicy details of Google's Q4 2019 earnings call, along with what happened during the Great Google Photos Data Swap of 2019. We'll also reminisce about the days of one-hour photo processing thanks to Google Photos' new print subscription service, and we're wondering how a...

Flo and Andy report on why Google backtracked on its search engine redesign before diving into the viability of the company's "Going Green" initiative. We'll then squee for a bit about Google I/O this spring, and encourage you to try out the latest digital wellbeing experiments. Put your phone down! (After you listen to our podcast, of course.)

Andy learns about Android's TalkBack Accessibility mode at the worst possible time, while Flo appreciates that her co-host knows how to dress like a Trillion-Dollar Company. The two dive into the controversial design changes of Google's search results, Sundar Pichai's call for regulation of artificial intelligence, and why Google "gets away with so much." We'll also touch upon new rules proposed b...

Flo and Andy cash in their yellow card immediately with a conversation on Silk Stalkings _and_ Columbo in Kanji. (We're already Gympie-Gympie Bush influencers—when do we become vintage TV influencers?) Then, we'll tackle why Alphabet's Chief Legal Officer, David Drummond, stepped down from the company, as well as the implications of Google having unfettered access to your medical records. We'll al...

It's another week of the Material podcast, and Flo is incredibly tired. Andy tells the tale of how he lost his Pixel 4 review unit and then found it again—it's a relatable parable. Afterward, we talk about how Chrome OS is strutting its stuff at this year's CES. We'll also run through Google's latest updates for the Assistant, and we offer Sundar Pichai a little advice on tweeting.

Flo rang in the new year by boring her friends with a Google Photos slideshow, while Andy worked on curating the perfect media library. We discuss the year's first major Google news story: a politically-tinged blog post from the company's former Head of International Relations on how Google's policies have morphed over a decade. We'll also take a stroll through the Google Graveyard as of 2019, and...

What better way to spend the day after a significant holiday than listening to Andy and Flo? Andy starts us off with frustration over Google Play Music's much-too-obvious descent into cessation. Then, an update on what's happening with Google overseas. We'll also reel in some realism regarding the salaries of your favorite executives, and take a look at Android's end-of-the-year platform numbers—b...

**Parental Advisory: We may ruin Santa for your children again.** It's our last podcast episode before the Christmas holiday. Flo is surprised over how much time she spends running the heater, and Andy is excited to automate all the things. After the first ad, we'll talk about former Google bard, Claire Stapleton's first-person account of why she was ousted from the company, published in _Elle_ th...

_Content warning before you dive into this episode: we may end up spoiling Santa Claus if your little ones are in attendance._ Flo tosses in her digression card early on in the show, while Andy steers us back on track with why it's so hard to commit to one app in this day and age. After the first break, the two discuss the Department of Justice's probe into Google's FitBit acquisition and why it s...

Andy gets his thoughts out about Google's casting abilities. Then, we talk about Larry and Sergey's hand-off of the company keys to Sundar Pichai and why it's not entirely surprising after all this time. We'll also update you on the status of the Thanksgiving Four before pointing you to a revealing interview with YouTube's Susan Wojcicki. We'll end off the episode on a high note, discussing the Go...

Let Andy and Flo carry you into the holiday week (if you're in the United States) with musings about their favorite holiday traditions. Then, we'll discuss how Google could set a precedent for Silicon Valley by allowing its workers to unionize and why the company has taken an interest in a new coalition to construct a nine-point "Contract For The Web." We'll also touch upon the messy Stadia launch...

Flo and Andy cash in their "off-topic" card earlier on in this week's episode. After the digression, the two discuss why Google is scaling back its weekly all-hands meetings and squeal over Motorola's forthcoming foldable phone option. We'll also regale you with what's on sale at the Google Store for Black Friday, in case you're hoping for a discount on smart speakers and Chrome-based tablets.

Andy and Flo have less than two months in this decade, so they go through all of their accomplishments in the last ten years. (Just kidding, no they don't.) After some catch-up, and a brief discussion on the merits of cooking with butter, the two dive into the implications of Google collecting personal medical data. We wonder out loud if it's time for an amendment to HIPAA now that Silicon Valley...

Andy and Flo run a little behind posting this week's podcast, but we've got plenty of information to carry you through the weekend. Flo talks about the ease (or relative lack of) of her recent move, before the two dive into the Week of Google Updates. We'll also discuss Google's acquisition of FitBit and why the headlines are taking some of the news a little too far, and we'll throw a little shade...

Andy is finally living the dream of stereo Google Home Mini nightstands, and Flo would appreciate it if you held back on the fire puns for a while. We'll talk about last week's Google employee town hall, WearOS's eventual resuscitation, and Google's neat Digital Wellbeing experiments.

It's almost _all_ Pixel 4 talk in this week's episode. Andy and Flo rundown what they like, what they don't like, and what they're still scratching their heads about with Google's new flagship phone. They also discuss why Google employees were riled up in Switzerland, as well as the company's latest Quantum Supremacy computing milestone.