MobileViews.com Podcast

Google just added the "Take Notes for Me" feature to the consumer version of Google Meet if you have a Google AI Pro or AI Ultra subscription. This was previously only available to Google Workspace group subscriptions. I opted to turn on the feature for this and future podcasts. You can find this Google Meet generated summary on MobileViews.com.

With episode 616, recorded on June 28, 2026, we marked the halfway point of the year with a deep dive into a term that I previously dismissed but am now on-board with:  "Microslop"—a term for the frustrating decline and fragmentation of Microsoft's ecosystem. The Microsoft 365 Copilot app, which recently stripped out its scanning function, turned a previously simple task into a multi-step ordeal....

I opened with a "mini-rant" about the frustrations of the USB-C ecosystem and aparent power requirement issues with a new Acer USB-C external LCD display. We also observed possible tangible effects of "AI scarcity," noting that Google Meet recordings and Alexa Plus responses are taking significantly longer to process, likely due to the processing demands of modern AI models. This scarcity sparked...

In MobileViews 614, Jon Westfall and I were joined by frequent guest panelists Sven Johansson, and Don Sorcinelli discuss the highlights from Apple’s recent Worldwide Developer Conference—or, as it we call it: the "Apple AI Conference". We also discussed the branding shift as my Google One 2TB plan was officially rebranded to Google AI Plus, signaling a broader industry trend toward AI-centric sub...

In MobileViews 6136, Jon Westfall and I tackled the increasingly complex world of AI ecosystems. I shared my early impressions of Google Labs’ "Dream Beans," an interesting daily briefing tool that uses AI to generate an illustrated summary of topics it thinks you'll find interesting based on your activity. While the illustrations are very nice looking and the content relevant, the app is currentl...

Jon Westfall and I welcomed back our long-time friend Don Sorcinelli, who hasn’t been on the show since last October (podcast 583). Don shared his deliberate "low-tech" approach to entertaining his two-year-old granddaughter, opting for traditional toys over tablets to encourage focus and avoid the "out" that screen time provides. This sparked some fun tech nostalgia, as I recounted my own experie...

Jon Westfall and I were joined by frequent guest panelists Frank McPherson, and Sven Johannsen to discuss  the announcements from the recent "Gemini I/O" and Android shows. I kicked off the episode with a real-world tech success story: the Google app on my Pixel devices provided a magnitude and epicenter alert for a 6.0 earthquake in Hawaii that occurred 200 miles away. I felt a relatively mild ru...

I started off the podcast by noting that I'm testing yet another budget-friendly microphone, the Boya CastMic G30, which features a gaming-style "glow" that led us into a deep dive on the recently announced Googlebook and its Battlestar Galactica Cylon-like Glowbar. Announced at a pre-Google I/O Android Show, the Googlebook is an AI-first, Android-based premium device positioned above the Chromebo...

In MobileViews Podcast 609, Jon Westfall and I discuss the evolving landscape of AI tools and consumer technology. I start by highlighting that the Google AI Plus subscription is now shareable via the Google One family plan, which I consider a helpful step in bridging the "AI divide" for households. Then we revisit the recurring topic of the rising trend of "vibe coding," with Jon explaining how h...

In MobileViews 608, I spent some time venting about Microsoft's new "Windows K2" effort to fix the performance and reliability issues in Windows 11—a move that feels long overdue considering, as Jon Westfall noted, the current OS uses React for the start menu rather than native forms. I also shared a warning about expiring secure boot certificates coming in June 2026, which may require manual regi...

Jon Westfall and I kicked off episode 607 with the news that Tim Cook is stepping down as Apple’s CEO to become Chairman, with John Ternus taking the helm this September. We speculated that his leadership might usher in a full "Neo" ecosystem—budget-friendly iPads and iPhones—that could finally bring the cost of a complete Apple setup under $1,500 for students. Jon is already leaning into this stu...

In this podcast, Jon Westfall and I discussed the FCC's ban on foreign-made routers, noting that Netgear received a unique exception until October 2027. This led us to consider the merits of "rolling your own" router using OpenWrt and a supported consumer WiFi router, or a Raspberry Pi to maintain better control over home gateways. I’ve also started testing the new Gemini Mac OS app, which feature...

In this podcast Jon Westfall and I were joined by our long-time friend Steve Hughes, who returned to the show after a long period of heavy travel. I used the opening of the show to test a new Boya CM40 condenser microphone, comparing its sound quality to my MacBook’s built-in mic, my 4K USB camera, and my AirPods. It is always fun to play with new toys.. I have become a massive fan of NotebookLM a...

Jon Westfall and I were joined by Sven Johannsen for MobileViews Podcast 604. We spent a good portion of the show reflecting on a major milestone: Apple turned 50 on April 1st. Beyond the nostalgia, we dove into Google's latest AI subscription changes and some clever new hardware gadgets.. I’ve been getting a lot of mileage out of Google AI Pro, and they recently gave their subscription service mo...

For MobileViews 603, recorded on March 29, 2026, I decided to return to my classic Blue Yeti Nano microphone, which I used for hundreds of episodes in years past. Much of our hardware discussion this week centered on my ongoing fascination with the MacBook Neo. I discovered that while it officially only supports one external display, you can effectively run a three-screen setup by using an iPad as...

Jon Westfall and I (Todd Ogasawara) started the podcast with a technical experiment. We recorded the first portion of the show using Adobe Podcast’s new video recording feature. While the service is included in my $100-a-year Adobe Express Premium subscription, Jon found the interface a bit "sparse and sad" compared to our usual Google Meet setup, noting a significant amount of wasted screen space...

In this episode, Todd Ogasawara and Dr. Jon Westfall dive into weathering long  power outages, hands-on impressions of new tech hardware, and the magic of modern software development workflows. Surviving the Hawaii Storms and Tech Infrastructure Failures Todd shared his experience dealing with a severe storm system that swept through Hawaii, knocking out power for roughly 138,000 customers. The 36...

Jon Westfall and I were joined by frequent guest panelist Frank McPherson who was on the podcast with me way back in 2008. Frank first joined us all the way back on Podcast #2 on Nov. 28, 2008, when the hot topic was the T-Mobile G-1—the very first Android phone. Jon hopped on board with Podcast 69 on Dec. 22, 2013, to discuss the transition from Windows Mobile/Phone to other platforms and Microso...

In MobileViews Podcast episode 599, panelists Jon Westfall and I (Todd Ogasawara) are joined by frequent guest panelist Sven Johannsen. We start off with thoughts on the new Google Nano Banana 2 (Gemini 3.1 Flash Image), with Todd noting its impressive capabilities. I also shared a recent AI experiment where he fed his 100-song Apple Music Replay All Time list to Google Gemini Pro to generate a pl...

Jon Westfall and I (Todd Ogasawara) covered several major industry updates and rumors this week: Apple's Upcoming Events: We discussed the rumors surrounding the Apple March 4 launch event , including the highly anticipated A18 Pro budget MacBook , which is expected to bring fun colors and a more accessible price point. Google's Latest Offerings: We touched on the Google Gemini Lyria 3 music creat...