0:00:00[Music]
0:00:06From relay FM, this is connected episode 111.
0:00:11Today's show is brought to you by Braintree. I'm Federico Vittucci and I'm
0:00:14joined today as always by my friend Myke Hurley.
0:00:18This is so beautiful. Is it? You've just you've just taken my job.
0:00:22It's great. I love it. I'm just gonna sit back here now. I'm very good Federico.
0:00:26I'm very good.
0:00:27We're also joined by our American friend, Steven Hackett.
0:00:32Hey, it's good to be back.
0:00:34I feel in a weird position, Myke.
0:00:36Please save me.
0:00:37Well, because the issue that you have now is if you start the show, you have to get
0:00:42the show going, right?
0:00:44Because you've just done the intros, everyone said hello to you, and now it's on you now.
0:00:48Because I feel like completely that I'm just like chilling now.
0:00:52Okay, so you keep chilling.
0:00:54have a lot of news to talk about today. We have the Google event, Myke is
0:00:58continuing to buy stuff, it appears, but first we gotta do we gotta do follow-up
0:01:03so I'm gonna hand it off to Steven. Alright so a couple things to talk about
0:01:08this week in the realm of follow-up. I wanted to point people to B-Sides 26 on
0:01:14the Relay website. While I was at Release Notes conference last week, even though I
0:01:19didn't join the two of you on Connected, I did record a show. I was joined by
0:01:23by Christina Warren of Rocket and Gizmodo,
0:01:27as well as Ed and Brian from the Simple Beat Podcast.
0:01:30And we drafted our all-time favorite max.
0:01:34- I know you said that you weren't here with us, right?
0:01:37And that's true, but we all know that what you were
0:01:39actually doing was the podcast that you always wanted to do.
0:01:43Which is this one. - Really, it was just
0:01:44a gut reaction when I saw you guys recorded
0:01:47about Snapchat for two hours.
0:01:48My gut reaction was to talk about G3s.
0:01:50- You were cheating on us with all computers.
0:01:53That's what you did.
0:01:54Yes.
0:01:55So I listened to this today and it was really interesting to me.
0:01:59It reminded me of like the parts of ATP where they start talking about cameras or like low-level
0:02:07Python stuff where it's just like I just sit and let the words just flow over me.
0:02:13Yeah.
0:02:14You know, every now and then I was like, "Oh, I've heard Steven talk about that computer
0:02:17before."
0:02:18But other than that, it was like I have no idea what's going on.
0:02:21Yeah.
0:02:22showered in computer talk. Yeah, I took a podcast shower today and it was fantastic.
0:02:29It was a lot of fun to listen to, I enjoyed it a lot. I felt like there was something
0:02:33very fun to listen to, which was that I feel like, I don't know whether you knew this was
0:02:38happening at points, like you and Christina were trying to like out-history each other,
0:02:43which was amazing. Every now and then one of you would throw something in and then the
0:02:46other would like, "Here's another fact for you, here's another fact." And it was so funny.
0:02:52It was a good time.
0:02:53It was like at midnight in my hotel room,
0:02:54so there's some late night zaniness.
0:02:57But it was a lot of fun to do.
0:02:59So I did speak while I was at Release Notes.
0:03:02This is the conference Myke used.
0:03:03You gave the keynote last year.
0:03:06Christina Warren gave it this year.
0:03:08But when my talk is up,
0:03:09I will be sure to share a link with everybody.
0:03:10I think it went really well.
0:03:11So if you went to Release Notes,
0:03:13or you are somebody who helped pull it off,
0:03:15thank you very much.
0:03:16It was great to be there again.
0:03:18If you're on the fence about this next year,
0:03:20I would think, I think Myke, you would say this too.
0:03:22It's a great conference if you are an independent designer or developer,
0:03:25or have a bunch of side work and you want to kind of rally the troops and make it
0:03:29a full-time thing.
0:03:30It's really a great week of talks and getting to hang out with people who
0:03:35do and understand the things that you do.
0:03:37Yeah, it's a great conference. I wish I could have made it.
0:03:40I just couldn't make it work with some of the other travel commitments I've had
0:03:43this end of the year. You're underselling yourself though,
0:03:46because you said the IKNO, which is true, but you closed the conference.
0:03:49Shut it down.
0:03:51That's, I mean, not forever, but like that's, you know,
0:03:54you're not just like some mid carder like Matthew Bischoff,
0:03:57right, you're like closing the thing off.
0:03:59(laughing)
0:04:01- You know he's verified on Twitter.
0:04:03- I do know that, I do know that.
0:04:04- Very impressive.
0:04:06So you guys talked about Snapchat last week,
0:04:09and Myke, something has happened to you
0:04:11where you went from that straight to vlogging.
0:04:14- Yeah, yeah, I've got a YouTube channel now.
0:04:17- So I would point people to Cortex episode 38
0:04:20where you and Gray talk about some of your thinking behind this project and what you
0:04:24want to do with it. And of course, youtube.com/user/mikehurley.
0:04:29So this is the thing, the user thing. So this is just one of the very weird things that
0:04:33I've discovered about YouTube. Like the URL is youtube.com/mikehurley. Like that is the
0:04:39URL. But on random occasions, if you type that in on a mobile browser, it just gives
0:04:44you an error. And it does this for anybody's YouTube channels. It's not like just because
0:04:48I'm new because I was testing it with grey. So I'll type in like youtube.com/ctpgrey
0:04:53and it would just be like "Error! Unknown." And it's like "Uh, what?" So there you go.
0:04:58That's why I've put it in tweets and stuff as /user/mikehirley. This starts my inevitable
0:05:06hate towards the YouTube platform, which I feel like was something I knew was going to
0:05:09happen. But there are a lot of these really, really weird things about YouTube and that
0:05:15is definitely one of them. It's weird. It's really weird.
0:05:19So what are you doing? Like what are the challenges here for you, Myke? What kind of setup do
0:05:24you have? Tell us more about... Give us the details. We want to know the details.
0:05:29The challenges are everything. Everything is challenging because it's new. Like I'm not
0:05:35used to recording video of myself. I'm not used to recording video of things that I see,
0:05:40to be used anywhere. I'm not used to editing video, I'm not used to the system
0:05:47or the platform that I'm using, like everything's difficult, but I am enjoying
0:05:53it so much that I'm like overlooking the difficulty of it all really, which is
0:05:58good because that's the way, the only way that this could work for me because I am
0:06:02enjoying doing this. I don't mind that I'm sitting and kind of like struggling
0:06:06with things a bit. So it's all tough but I'm getting better and I feel like I'm
0:06:12able to apply some skills that I've learned of audio over to video and I'm
0:06:16having ideas and the ideas I'm having are really exciting me. Like me and
0:06:20Steven were just talking before the show that the Apple store on Regent Street
0:06:27is opening up again in a couple of weeks on 15th of October so I'm gonna go down
0:06:33there and shoot some video to put in a vlog which is kind of cool because I'm
0:06:37like oh here's a thing I can go and do which is fun and I can go and turn it
0:06:42into a thing and I'm excited about it. My setup I've considered getting a point
0:06:48and shoot camera because that seems to be what the vloggers do but I've decided
0:06:53to not do that and to just use my iPhone because my iPhone has a really good
0:07:00camera on it and I figure I can probably just get away with that because right
0:07:04now the most important thing is that I kind of get used to doing this and get
0:07:10good at it and I don't think that the quality of the camera is what's going to
0:07:14help me do that and I think if I had to carry around a camera and all of the
0:07:19related equipment I would probably not like to do it as much right like if I had
0:07:25carry around a camera and batteries and SD cards and a tripod and all that stuff
0:07:32like I just wouldn't want to do it so much but right now I'm just carrying
0:07:34around my iPhone in my pocket as normal and I just pull it out and shoot video
0:07:38or something and I have got this little piece of kit on the way that I'm very
0:07:42excited about that Federico told me about called the DJI Osmo mobile which
0:07:48is like a gimbal which is basically like a steady cam like this thing it looks
0:07:53amazing and it basically ends up just becoming a handle for my iPhone which I
0:07:58put the iPhone on the end of like a selfie stick type thing and it looks
0:08:02really cool so that's I'm I'm getting a little far into the rabbit hole
0:08:08now but yeah so my setup is for the time being just the iPhone because you know
0:08:12what else the iPhone has lots and lots of apps and it has lots and lots of
0:08:16camera apps and lots and lots of video recording apps and I'm able to do like
0:08:20interesting things with them like time lapses and stuff like I'm playing around
0:08:23with a few professional camera apps right now to see what I can what I can
0:08:28do but I'm happy using my iPhone to be honest. Good. So I wanted to point people
0:08:35to a blog post it is mostly a recap of what we spoke about a couple weeks ago
0:08:41after the iPhone 7 hissing deal but I put some of those thoughts down into a
0:08:46blog post last week and included some rather hilarious charts and graphs from
0:08:51my YouTube channel dashboard. You can see what the effect of 1.5 million views on
0:08:57a 13 second video will do to things like your average view duration and your
0:09:03watch time. So I don't have anything to add past what we spoke about a couple
0:09:07weeks ago but if you hadn't seen that I wanted to make sure that people knew
0:09:10that I'd written a little more about it and I'm glad it's over and we can never
0:09:14speak of it again.
0:09:15Yeah, I think like everything in the blog post listens to the show of heard, but they
0:09:20should go to the blog post to see the charts because the charts are interesting.
0:09:24Yeah, it was really funny when I started looking into those.
0:09:28I was like, "Oh, this has some really funny effects on my numbers."
0:09:31Now that those numbers really matter much to what I'm doing on YouTube, but it was sort
0:09:34of an overwhelming number of views on a video that was so extreme in its length really has
0:09:41some funny effects.
0:09:42Yeah, your numbers have ruined for a very, very long time.
0:09:46Right?
0:09:47Yeah, my average view time in particular is going to be short for the foreseeable future.
0:09:54Yeah.
0:09:55Maybe next time you find an iPhone floor, just record it for an hour.
0:09:59Yeah.
0:10:00I'll do that.
0:10:01I'll do a whole video.
0:10:02Alright, you gonna go cranky old man on us right now?
0:10:06A little bit.
0:10:07So, I want to talk a little bit about the iPhone portrait mode, which has been spoken
0:10:11about Unconnected as well as Upgrade.
0:10:14And I really wanted to point some attention
0:10:16to my own experience.
0:10:18And I will open this saying this is my own experience.
0:10:21I had a lot of replies immediately after I said
0:10:23that I haven't been super impressed with it.
0:10:25Basically saying well, you're really bad taking pictures
0:10:27or clearly you haven't used it because it's perfect.
0:10:30Like whatever, if you feel that, that's great.
0:10:32This is how I feel.
0:10:34And I have the microphone so I get to share how I feel.
0:10:36The, I think the crux of this is that portrait mode
0:10:40really shines in some very particular cases.
0:10:44So when you're using it,
0:10:45there's some little on-screen text of like,
0:10:47"Hey, this is really too dark."
0:10:48Or, "You need to back up."
0:10:49Or, "You need to be closer."
0:10:51I think too that there is a little bit of bias
0:10:56towards like head and shoulder shots.
0:10:59So some of my examples in these tweets are wider shots.
0:11:03So there's one of my brother kind of from like torso up
0:11:06and it struggles in some areas.
0:11:08and there's one of one of my kids sitting on a tractor,
0:11:11and it really goofs up the edges around the steering wheel.
0:11:13Like, I think the ones that I've taken that I have liked
0:11:16are much more like classic portrait,
0:11:17like you would see in a yearbook or something
0:11:19where it's kind of shoulders up.
0:11:21And I know that it's a beta,
0:11:23and I know that I am going to see things
0:11:26that other people won't like,
0:11:27to your point on upgrade a couple weeks ago.
0:11:28Like, I do have real cameras.
0:11:30I've got a whole stash of them here,
0:11:32and I have a whole bunch of different lenses.
0:11:34And so I have experience with the stuff
0:11:37you know most people don't have. I think most people are going to use portrait
0:11:42mode and be really impressed by it because it is such and it really is such
0:11:45a huge leap over what the iPhone or another smartphone has been able to do
0:11:50thus far. But it's not perfect and it definitely has some issues where you
0:11:57know if someone's standing and their arms are kind of out from their bodies a
0:11:59little bit it will blur on the outside of their arm but the space between their
0:12:03arm and their body it won't always catch. And it's easy to understand why it's
0:12:06doing that. It's doing this layer mapping and it can't really understand that you
0:12:11know that the depth of these you know body parts is the same even though
0:12:16they're like physically separated. Well of course a real lens does it because
0:12:19it's using light and glass and science to make that happen. So I hope that this
0:12:24improves and I think it will. I know there was a new version of the developer
0:12:28beta today which we're going to talk about in a second and I'm hoping that
0:12:31they are tweaking this and they're continuing to make changes to it. My
0:12:34My guess is that they are aware of some of the issues,
0:12:37and maybe asking it to do a really good job
0:12:40around a steering wheel and attractors.
0:12:41Maybe I'm asking too much of it.
0:12:43But I saw that picture and I didn't keep it,
0:12:46because all I can see are the errors.
0:12:49And even small, a lot of people said,
0:12:52"Well, if you put it on Instagram, it's fine."
0:12:54Like, yes, that's true, but if I ever wanted to
0:12:56print this picture out as a fracture,
0:12:58or keep it long-term in my photo library,
0:13:01those errors are, I think, gonna date that image
0:13:03a way that's not good and it's going to kind of look worse over time as this
0:13:08feature and the scammers in general get better. So I'm using it sparingly. I
0:13:12definitely am not using it all the time but it's I don't know I just haven't
0:13:17been as impressed as some people seem to be but I'm willing to give it a pass
0:13:21until it's kind of out of beta right like it's all malleable right now. In fact
0:13:26in my iPhone 7 plus review yesterday I mentioned an essay I'm not reviewing
0:13:30this feature at this point which is why I haven't written about this on the site
0:13:33it's just been a couple tweets because I understand some beta and that hopefully they're improving it and
0:13:36Again that maybe I'm asking too much of it, but so far. I just it honestly hasn't really blown my socks off
0:13:43I mean I would be willing to put quite a lot of money on
0:13:46The iPhone 7 plus never giving you what you want with a portrait. Well sure yeah
0:13:52I mean it's never going to be as good as shooting on my DSLR with a 50 millimeter lens
0:13:56But it should I don't think it's unreasonable to ask that if someone's arm is out from their body that it blurs the background
0:14:02on both sides of their arm.
0:14:04Like I think it should be able to catch that sort of thing
0:14:07because that's a very--
0:14:08- Right, but it can, it just didn't.
0:14:10So this is the thing, it's inconsistent.
0:14:12Like it can do it, it can do stuff like that,
0:14:15but it doesn't always, right?
0:14:16Like there might be examples, like you could sit
0:14:19and try and take that photo of your brother for an hour
0:14:21and it wouldn't work, but move him like over there
0:14:23and it would, right?
0:14:24'Cause it's like it's super weird.
0:14:27Like I've taken like multiple photos at the same time
0:14:31and they've all come out differently, right?
0:14:33Because of just the amount of light
0:14:35that's hitting at that second, the amount of shake,
0:14:37the amount of movement in the person, right?
0:14:39Like, because one thing that I find really funny,
0:14:42you know, it gives you two photos.
0:14:43So it gives you the blurred mode and the standard one.
0:14:46I've had it where those images were different
0:14:49in certain ways.
0:14:50It's like a blink, somebody blinked.
0:14:52And the portrait mode one,
0:14:53it's got the person blinking in it.
0:14:56And the other one hasn't.
0:14:57Right, like I've seen stuff like that.
0:14:58Like it's doing whatever it's doing,
0:15:01but it's doing a ton of stuff
0:15:02to try and make these things work.
0:15:04But like I will say my point on this
0:15:08like over and over again,
0:15:09I can't take photos like this of any equipment I have.
0:15:12The fact that I can now is brilliant.
0:15:15And I just feel like, you know, most, not everyone,
0:15:18but most of the people that are unhappy
0:15:20they read these results
0:15:21because they can take these photos in other ways, right?
0:15:26And you know, and I also,
0:15:27I understand your point about the picture agent and stuff,
0:15:30but if that is your concern, you'll also get the original
0:15:34and you just can keep it.
0:15:36- Yeah, and I don't, I mean, I don't think that me saying,
0:15:39like me having my opinion and you having your opinion
0:15:41are mutually exclusive, and so many people on Twitter
0:15:44want them to be.
0:15:45Like, I totally understand what you're saying,
0:15:47and I agree, right, because,
0:15:49and this is why it's so frustrating to me,
0:15:51because you can see the potential of it,
0:15:52and when it does get it right, it is really nice.
0:15:56It's just that inconsistency is what's a little frustrating
0:15:58because I want to be able to leave the 50 millimeter lens
0:16:01at home when we go to the park
0:16:03and know that I can get consistently nice portraits
0:16:05from my phone and it's just not there yet.
0:16:07And I think, I believe it can be one day.
0:16:10I don't know if it'll ever be, you know,
0:16:13as 100% perfect as a real, I'm gonna use air quotes,
0:16:17like a real big camera may be,
0:16:19but it's showing a promising start.
0:16:22So like you and I can have different feelings about it
0:16:25neither of us are wrong necessarily. I think that's one reason I want to bring
0:16:29it up because I've heard even on other shows that sort of like dichotomy and I
0:16:33just don't think that's an actuality. I think that you can be impressed with it
0:16:37but want it to be better at the same time. Yeah I think so too. Like the things
0:16:43I delete way more of these than I keep right like I know that it's not always
0:16:47wrong but I think the key to the clear difference is it doesn't upset me like
0:16:52when I see it being wrong, you know?
0:16:54Like I don't get frustrated about it.
0:16:55- Yeah, which I think is why they give you the original.
0:16:58And they do that on HDR photos still as well, I think.
0:17:00Apple, the iPhone will always give you the option to say,
0:17:03"Hey, we did this.
0:17:05"If you don't like it, here's the original."
0:17:06And I think that will continue.
0:17:08I mean, how long have we had HDR?
0:17:10And that's still how it works, where you get both versions.
0:17:13- Because every now and then,
0:17:14HDR can give you something weird.
0:17:16- Exactly. - Yeah, so it makes sense.
0:17:19- I feel like I'm following what you guys are saying,
0:17:21but I'm strangely an outsider this time
0:17:24because I'm still using the iPhone 7.
0:17:26And I'm actually quite enjoying it,
0:17:29but all the talk of portrait mode and, you know,
0:17:31dual lens is kind of making me jealous.
0:17:33And all of my friends are like,
0:17:34"Hey, you're testing an iPhone 7?
0:17:36Where's the dual camera?"
0:17:38I'm like, "Well, you know, it's on a different model."
0:17:42- Yeah, I would be very surprised
0:17:43if you don't feel the way that I do.
0:17:45- Oh no, for sure.
0:17:47I mean, I have like complete ignorance in terms of actual photographic equipment.
0:17:55Like I have operated a real camera once and I didn't know what I was doing.
0:18:01I was like, no, no, this is not for me.
0:18:02So I am enjoying the iPhone 7.
0:18:05I'm working on a story on the iPhone 7, but I'm jealous when I hear you guys talk about the 7 Plus.
0:18:10And I can't wait to get one.
0:18:11All right. iOS 10.1 Beta 2 came out.
0:18:15Federico, I know you've installed it.
0:18:16What have you seen?
0:18:17So it came out during the Google event. I found a bunch of quote-unquote "fixes".
0:18:24Basically, one of the most popular, famous bugs of the public release of iOS 10, the Messages app driver.
0:18:36So the icon, the little page dots at the bottom. In iMessage, once you installed a bunch of apps from the iMessage App Store,
0:18:44you could break the interface as I showed during the summer and as many other people realized in September
0:18:49installed more than 20, 30 maybe iMessage apps and
0:18:53the page indicators started overflowing.
0:18:56So I don't know how Apple couldn't figure out that people were going to install a lot of stickers and a lot of iMessage apps
0:19:02but they shipped this broken UI and with the beta today
0:19:06they fixed it by getting rid of the page indicators and now there's a scroll bar and you just
0:19:13Goes from edge to edge as you swipe between iMessage apps and stickers. So it's not a real fix
0:19:18It's just well, we cannot figure out how to display page indicators for these many pages
0:19:24So we're just gonna get rid of them and put in a scroll bar
0:19:27Which I kind of understand because I mean what you're gonna do for pages. Are you gonna have like two rows of page dots?
0:19:33So maybe that solution was was ugly and I mean the entire app drawer needs to be redesigned
0:19:40I think so for now the scroll bar seems like the most obvious solution at least it's not as painful as looking at those overflowing dots
0:19:47the second fix is
0:19:50You were on the iOS 10 public release you could not
0:19:57Drag-and-drop stickers on the iPad while using messages and a second app in split view
0:20:04Basically, if you try to tap and hold on a sticker, it would just display like a blank spot in the little sticker browser.
0:20:12Now when you tap and hold in Split View with messages on the side and a second app, it just does nothing.
0:20:18Like, tap and hold doesn't show the peeling off animation anymore, it doesn't show you the gray spot, it does nothing.
0:20:24So they just got rid of the ability to drag and drop in Split View.
0:20:27Which again, as I said before, I think it's sort of a hint of a proper drag and drop framework coming in the future on the iPad.
0:20:33But for now it was broken so you know what let's just
0:20:36Remove the ability to do so that's what I found. That's how you fix it
0:20:41That's I mean sure at least you fixed a bug by getting rid of the feature
0:20:47Which is kind of backwards, but you know at least there's not a bug anymore
0:20:50Well it's not bug anymore so radar closed
0:20:57You know when your car breaks down instead of fixing the car just leave the car in the road and walk away
0:21:02You have solved the problem! You no longer are trying to use a broken car.
0:21:09Exactly. Anyway, there's probably something else I'm gonna try to find what's new on Reddit.
0:21:16You know, the people on the MacRumors forums, they are crazy. Like, the beta comes out, there's people on MacRumors just digging through every single change.
0:21:24I don't know how they do it. They must have like a checklist of things to
0:21:28things to double check and try as soon as a iOS beta comes out. So, you know,
0:21:33you gotta give them credit to the MacRumors forums people. I see you and you're doing good work.
0:21:38What are they doing? Like literally the only thing they can do is just try all the features?
0:21:43Like there isn't a way they can dig into the code or anything?
0:21:45Yeah, some people do. Some people do, but that requires patience. Even trying every single setting.
0:21:51I mean, there's people who discover when Apple changes the labels of a setting, like the wording here is different.
0:21:59Like, how? How can you know? Still, thank you, you're doing a service for some people like me.
0:22:07So the way to do that, right, is to get a bunch of people together and assign them all one thing, right?
0:22:16And this probably isn't what they're doing, but this is the way you would do it.
0:22:20So you would get all those people in the Mac Room as forum and you'd be like, right, Federico,
0:22:24you look after photos and camera settings in the settings app.
0:22:29Like a beta testing sweatshop?
0:22:32That's what you're thinking of?
0:22:33I mean, if that's what you want to call it, that's fine.
0:22:35I'm going to step away from that.
0:22:38Yeah.
0:22:39No, it's actually an interesting idea for next year's iOS 11, whatever you view, to
0:22:45To get a bunch of people paid them a fair price and to have them help me find every
0:22:51single setting, every single option.
0:22:53I mean that was a joke but I'm actually considering the idea.
0:22:56You could use Alibaba for something like that.
0:22:58I could use a few assistants.
0:23:00No it's not Alibaba, is it Mechanical Turk?
0:23:03Mechanical Turk.
0:23:04Yeah.
0:23:05Alibaba is the company that sells all the stuff, right?
0:23:08Yes.
0:23:09You were close.
0:23:10I mean that was a very broad thing that I just said but that is exactly what Alibaba
0:23:15is they are the company that sells everything everything yeah I'm not
0:23:19familiar with the company okay I think don't they are Yahoo owns a bunch of
0:23:24them right it's a British joke I don't get no it's not a British joke do they
0:23:30sell candles that smell like new max those are sold out oh no what a bummer
0:23:37what's happening here what is this thing so 12 South which is a company whose
0:23:41products I like I have a couple of their products on my desk right now.
0:23:45Me too.
0:23:46They opened a weird product store over the weekend and the the product that got all the
0:23:53headlines and we'll link to Christina's thing over on Gizmodo is a new Mac candle and it
0:24:03is a soy wax hand poured $24 artisanally created candle.
0:24:08It is designed to smell the way a Mac
0:24:15coming out of the box smells.
0:24:17And I can't, I don't wanna live on this planet anymore.
0:24:22- Not an iPhone, just a Mac?
0:24:24- Yeah, I wonder if it is specifically new Mac,
0:24:26or if it is just Apple products.
0:24:29- Yeah, exactly.
0:24:30- I think you guys are thinking way too much about this.
0:24:32I want to just say, I want to be completely upfront about this.
0:24:36If I was going to have a candle, this would be the kind of smell that...
0:24:40Because I love that smell, right?
0:24:42Like the reason this candle exists is because that is a great smell.
0:24:46I think it's a bunch of chemicals like finding oxygen and they produce an awesome smell.
0:24:51It's like gasoline, it's awesome to smell but it kind of gives you cancer I think.
0:24:55I know this sounds ridiculous but I do actually believe they put that smell in there.
0:24:59like the new car thing right like it is a thing that they put in there I think
0:25:03that because the smell is the same right at least to my memory anyway but anyway
0:25:07I love the smell of new Apple products but and I would and if I was gonna have
0:25:12a candle to be a fun candle to have I like that smell and it's funny but
0:25:16nobody should have ever made this if I got given it as a gift I would think it
0:25:21was a cute gift but still no one should have ever made this candle we should we
0:25:25should buy a bunch of these candles. They're all gone? Well, when they're back in stock,
0:25:30we have a little get-together. We light a bunch of these candles and we summon the spirit
0:25:36of the new Mac Pro, so maybe you guys can get new computers. Okay, well I'm fine with
0:25:41my iMac. That's a good idea. I think we should do that. You know, it's just, it's one, I
0:25:46mean it's sort of a ridiculous story, and it definitely made the rounds today. I have
0:25:52a feeling that that smell is added to the box because I've unboxed a bunch of
0:25:57Macs and they all smell nice inside. I agree with Federica though it's probably
0:26:01nothing good for you and I agree with you too. I too like the smell of gasoline. I
0:26:05thought I was the only one. Oh I love it. No I love the smell of gasoline.
0:26:09Oh it's awesome. It's very bad for you. But it's like as bad as smells can be
0:26:14but it's a great one. Yeah but I would never I would not buy this I think it
0:26:18would be as funny as like a white elephant Christmas gift you know for a
0:26:21funny jokey gift, but it's not something that I want to put on my desk.
0:26:25Hold on a second. Myke, how can you love the smell of gasoline if you don't have a car?
0:26:30Do you just go around the smell of gasoline?
0:26:33I'm out in the street where there are cars. You know, every now and then, like, something
0:26:37will spit out some gasoline.
0:26:39I don't think you know how cars work.
0:26:41All right, so for example, for example, the reason this is in the front of my mind is
0:26:46This weekend I was out in London and for reasons unknown to me there was a guy on the sidewalk
0:26:53with a motorbike and he was revving the engine and I could smell the gasoline.
0:26:57I thought you just approached the guy like "I can smell the gasoline".
0:27:02I need a hit man, come on, hook me up.
0:27:05This is a perfect time for a break.
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0:28:23All right then, so first up on the docket today, I received my Echo.
0:28:28I spoke about it last week and it's here and I know we've gone into depth about the Echo
0:28:33in the past of you guys but I wanted to very briefly touch on a few things.
0:28:37Yes, the the heartbreak that is happening in the United Kingdom right now is that IFTTT is only
0:28:45currently supported on US
0:28:47Alexa devices. Oh, no. Oh, no, why?
0:28:50Who knows?
0:28:53Doesn't doesn't make any sense. It makes absolutely no sense. But if you want to
0:28:58If you want to see the rage of British people look at IFTTT's Twitter account
0:29:06Because for the past week you can just scroll through their tweets and see the same one over and over again
0:29:13Amazon's team is working to bring the Alexa service to UK users on IFTTT soon
0:29:18Stay tuned over and over and over and over like there is some poor poor person
0:29:24working the social media account of IFTTT
0:29:27Because that is just being spammed absolutely spammed with it
0:29:33Yeah, that's why you don't do Brexit kids. It's very bad for you. Even automation.
0:29:38I'm sorry Myke, but I
0:29:40couldn't resist. I mean, I'm so I'm really sorry. It's an awesome. I can tell you it's an awesome feature and
0:29:46I'm almost tempted to say I told you so you should get one on eBay, but
0:29:53No, I understand your reasoning. I understand. I'm sorry.
0:29:57And plus, you know for me right now until we move Alexa's not gonna be at full power, you know
0:30:03Like I'm not really bothering to set it up a bunch of stuff
0:30:05So right now I'm just getting used to the basics of it and I absolutely love it
0:30:09We both do me and I really love this thing
0:30:11I'm listening to more music at home, which I know was something that happened to you Federico, and I don't know why
0:30:17Really like it's making me do this. I think it's just purely because it's easier and
0:30:23It's easier and less obtrusive
0:30:27Intrusive for me to do this than using Siri or navigating the menus in the music app, and I'm not 100% sure why
0:30:33But I had been more recently using Siri to listen to music more often
0:30:39so I have been
0:30:42Getting used to the voice control stuff, but like just just saying it as opposed to actually pressing any buttons
0:30:49I kind of I just kind of like that and plus that the Amazon echo speaker is better than the speaker in my iPad
0:30:56Right, like it's just great. I really love that you can set default services
0:31:00So during the setup process as soon as I enable Spotify, it was like hey
0:31:04Do you want to set this as your primary music thing and I was like, yeah, okay
0:31:07I'll do that. Like I thought that was really cool that they just did that
0:31:10and
0:31:13I am now using it as my seven minute workout timer. There's a seven minute workout skill that you can add
0:31:19And I can just say
0:31:22Alexa start my seven minute workout and it would do that which I like
0:31:25A friend of the show, Rob Lewis, he wrote up some initial thoughts about Alexa in the
0:31:32UK as well, which I'll put in the show notes, which I think are pretty good because Rob
0:31:36did the same as I did and it's sad in the same way that I am and happy in the same way
0:31:40that I am.
0:31:43The Echo and the Alexa service is so much better than Siri at understanding what I want
0:31:50to do. And it's also, it understands Adino really well as well, which Siri does not.
0:31:57So it is a big winner in our household with one of the primary reasons of being able to
0:32:03set more than one timer at a time. When we cook, very frequently we're cooking multiple
0:32:10things and they have individual timers on them. One iOS device cannot let you set more
0:32:15than one timer, but the Alexa does. It's great.
0:32:19That's great.
0:32:20That's very handy.
0:32:21We use timers all the time, like for when you're cooking pasta, but you're also cooking
0:32:26the sauce.
0:32:27Exactly.
0:32:28Just awesome.
0:32:29Exactly that.
0:32:30These are the reasons that we need it.
0:32:31And also the interface that it gives you about those timers is really good because you can
0:32:37kind of just say like, "What timers do I have?"
0:32:40And it tells you the length of them and how long is left on each of them.
0:32:43It's really good.
0:32:45I would ask for one additional feature like to be able to add like ad hoc name a timer
0:32:50Like to be like set a timer for potatoes. That's 15 minutes
0:32:55And then when I ask it it could say the potato timer has got 13 minutes left on it
0:33:02That's the only thing that I wish I could add to it. But like that's super like
0:33:06Granular at this point, but I would like to be able to do that. Have you filed a
0:33:12basis a better
0:33:15a quasar what do they call them? I don't know. A posty? I have no idea. Post it? No?
0:33:21Like he owns the post right? I can do that. I'll post it to him. I don't know. I like
0:33:25this thing and I haven't set up any like I have some Wemo switches I'm not
0:33:29bothered to set them up yet. I'm excited for my future with the with the echo. I
0:33:36need to start using my Spotify account. Basically I own a spot I have a Spotify
0:33:40account. I've had it forever and I have multiple family members using my Spotify account. So
0:33:47it's ruined. So I feel like I need to take it back from them. And so I can sort out my
0:33:54selections because I really love the new music thing that Apple Music has. Not the new music,
0:34:01like the favorite mix. The favorite mix thing is amazing. And does Spotify have anything
0:34:07like that, like a favorite mix rather than a new music mix?
0:34:11There's a bunch of new things that they're doing. So right before iOS 10, I think they
0:34:16launched Release Radar, which is like a new music you should listen to. But like two weeks
0:34:22ago, maybe last week, very recently anyway, after iOS 10, they launched, I don't remember
0:34:28the name, but it's, I think, Daily Mix, which is a daily mix of favorites from your listening
0:34:34history or library, you know, that kind of stuff. But it's daily and it's not weekly.
0:34:39So it's kind of similar.
0:34:41Yeah, see, I wished that I could use that stuff. Well, we'll see.
0:34:48Where did you set the Alexa up in your house?
0:34:50Currently, it is in the hallway between the front room and the kitchen. In the new place,
0:35:00It will go, it will go, 'cause we have one really large room
0:35:05that is a kitchen and our living room
0:35:08and it will go in there.
0:35:09And I may get a dot as well to put in my office.
0:35:15- Yeah, I just ordered the dot for my new studio.
0:35:20So I'm gonna have one out here.
0:35:21But it is funny to me how many people end up
0:35:23with the Alexa or the Echo in their kitchen.
0:35:26Like it seems like such the natural place
0:35:29for this sort of tech, whether it be from Amazon or Google
0:35:32or if Siri ever ends up in a little box.
0:35:37It's just so handy, right, like you said,
0:35:38to set timers, listen to music,
0:35:39and that you can do it all without getting your phone out.
0:35:43- I think voice control makes a lot of sense
0:35:45when you're in the kitchen
0:35:46because you usually can't handle your device.
0:35:49- Right.
0:35:51- So I think that's why, it would be in our kitchen,
0:35:54but we do not have a lot of kitchen space.
0:35:57Yeah, it's like where it wants to be.
0:36:01So remind me what the Echo Dot does.
0:36:05Is the little puck that you gotta connect to a speaker?
0:36:08Does it just listen?
0:36:11You have to connect it to a speaker to get the audio output.
0:36:15But it does the...
0:36:17It does everything, right?
0:36:18But like, I don't think it has as many microphones in it.
0:36:22I'm not sure.
0:36:23But yeah, that's kind of the difference.
0:36:25like bring your own speaker.
0:36:27okay so what if I connect it to my headphones and walk around with it?
0:36:31I mean that would probably work it would be really weird but like it would probably work.
0:36:35You're gonna need an extension cord.
0:36:37Yeah.
0:36:38Oh yeah that's it.
0:36:39So you should get the Bluetooth one right?
0:36:42They have the portable one yeah.
0:36:44That's the only one that's not in the UK they're just selling the Dot and the Echo.
0:36:51- And the Dot is pre-order for the second generation
0:36:55and you can do, I think they, you can order it now
0:36:59and it comes out in a couple of weeks.
0:37:01And you can even do a five pack.
0:37:02So Amazon's really pitching, put one of these in every room
0:37:06and there's some new smart stuff going on behind the scenes
0:37:09where it knows which one is closest to you
0:37:13and they can interact with each other
0:37:15and they're really pitching the future
0:37:18just put this little thing in all of your rooms,
0:37:22and even if it's not hooked up to a speaker everywhere,
0:37:24you can still shout commands to it
0:37:26and add things to your to-do list,
0:37:27or change the volume of the one that is playing music.
0:37:30And so I like this approach of it's great in the kitchen,
0:37:34that's where our main echo will be,
0:37:36and I'm just gonna have this one out here
0:37:38hooked up to a sound system
0:37:39where I can just talk to it as needed.
0:37:41I think they're onto something.
0:37:43I think more so than the Google Home
0:37:45or the rumored Siri thing,
0:37:47where it's just one box, like the next step
0:37:50is having this thing available to you
0:37:52wherever you are in the house.
0:37:53So you don't have to put it in the hallway
0:37:55so it can hear you wherever you are,
0:37:57where you can just be like always accessible and always on.
0:38:00I think it's a pretty exciting future,
0:38:04'cause I think as good as the voice stuff is in the kitchen,
0:38:07there's a lot of other places in my house
0:38:09where it would come in handy.
0:38:10Like I would love to have one in the garage.
0:38:11I would love to have one that is,
0:38:14can resist some humidity and water and have it in the bathroom. You know, have it up on the shelf,
0:38:20I can shout at it. Like, "Hey, you know, you're in the shower, you have an idea to put something on
0:38:23your grocery list. You can just shout out to it." I've been very surprised that I can shout downstairs
0:38:29to my Echo and it hears me. It's really, the microphones are amazing. It's really, really,
0:38:35really insane. It's really cool. Steven, I think it nearly is time for the Mac event, so on upgrade
0:38:44this week Jason Snell sounded curiously optimistic about there being an Apple event in October
0:38:51and now there is something potentially that is indicating we have an event coming.
0:38:57Yes, so Apple had last week announced their quarterly call where they get on the phone
0:39:03and they tell everybody how much stuff they sold and how much money they made. And that
0:39:07call was set for Thursday, October 27th, which is a little unusual to be on a Thursday, but
0:39:12but that's when it was.
0:39:13And then yesterday afternoon, Apple said,
0:39:16oh actually, and this is a quote,
0:39:19due to a scheduling conflict,
0:39:22we're gonna now have it on Tuesday, October 25th.
0:39:25Now, Apple is bound by law to enter a quiet period
0:39:30before these conference calls.
0:39:31So they can't dump a bunch of bad news
0:39:34right before the quarterly call
0:39:36and then try to like mask it in their results, right?
0:39:39Now, my understanding, and if someone knows
0:39:42more specifically than I do, please let us know.
0:39:45For my reading on this last night,
0:39:47there's not a set time period
0:39:49that companies have to be quiet.
0:39:51Apple in the past generally has about a week
0:39:53where they don't announce new products
0:39:55for seven days before their quarterly call.
0:39:58And it's not a hard and fast rule, like I said,
0:39:59but that seems to be where Apple normally lands.
0:40:02So I do not think this means that there's gonna be an event
0:40:06on Tuesday, October 25th, and then that afternoon
0:40:08to do their quarterly calls.
0:40:10They actually can't do that.
0:40:12But what I think it means is that we're gonna see
0:40:17a Mac event, and I agree with Jason
0:40:19for all the reasons he said.
0:40:20I think it makes a lot of sense to show
0:40:21these new products off, especially this revised MacBook Pro
0:40:25with Touch ID and the OLED Touch Bar
0:40:27that everyone has talked about for so long.
0:40:30I think these things deserve stage time,
0:40:31and maybe those are now coming at the very end of October.
0:40:36Maybe this event is on Wednesday the 26th
0:40:39or Thursday the 27th, or maybe it's just a week before
0:40:42and Eddy Cue wanted to get his Halloween on early,
0:40:44so they had to move it.
0:40:46But it's very strange that they would change it.
0:40:48And I think that episode of Upgraded,
0:40:50Jason lays out a really good case of why this makes sense.
0:40:54And you know, they're almost out of time.
0:40:56You know, the Mac is not really a holiday item.
0:40:59It's really a back to school item
0:41:01and they miss that, right?
0:41:03Bunch of college kids just went off to school
0:41:06three months ago with old MacBook Airs.
0:41:08But you don't want to be in November, December,
0:41:11and all these things and they get buried by everything else.
0:41:13You have a little window here in October
0:41:15to get these things out the door.
0:41:16And it's not unheard of for Apple to ship Macs in October.
0:41:19They've done it a bunch before.
0:41:20So I am really hoping that Macs are around the corner.
0:41:24I'm hoping that it's an event.
0:41:26I think the Mac deserves an event.
0:41:28It would be fun to be at town hall,
0:41:31but they sort of said goodbye to that.
0:41:33And my guess is when they said goodbye to Town Hall, they didn't anticipate Macs taking
0:41:38so long to get out the door.
0:41:40So maybe they'll be there, maybe they'll be in San Francisco somewhere, but I think we
0:41:45should be expecting invites here in the next couple weeks, that there's going to be something
0:41:48at the end of the month, either a week before or just after this quarterly conference call.
0:41:53And hopefully there'll be some Mac stuff for those of us who are anxious to have new Mac
0:41:59hardware.
0:42:00I still think it's going to be before this call, but that would mean like the 18th.
0:42:06Yeah, like that week before.
0:42:08So we'll see, I mean, you know, if it's that early we would see invites here in the next
0:42:14week or ten days.
0:42:16Because it will probably be like, it won't invite a lot of people, right?
0:42:21They'll keep it super tight.
0:42:24Yeah, I would imagine that it's, I mean even if they do MacBook Pro and say the iMac gets
0:42:31a revision and say just for the sake of argument the Mac Pro gets an update.
0:42:35LOL.
0:42:36That's a really, that's going to be a short event and they'll go over Sierra again.
0:42:41Sierra did not get a mention in the September event so that you know they'll do, hey Sierra's
0:42:46doing great so far because we're auto downloading it now.
0:42:49Lots of people are running it.
0:42:52But even then, you're talking maybe an hour if you stretch it.
0:42:55So I don't, the only thing I'm struggling with is what else do you put in this event,
0:42:59right?
0:43:00There's, if Federico's theories are correct, and I totally believe that they are, we're
0:43:05not going to see iPads.
0:43:07I don't think we're going to be seeing some new category.
0:43:11I don't think Siri in a box is a thing yet.
0:43:16And so what else goes in this event?
0:43:17I don't really know, but.
0:43:19Are you going to announce their car?
0:43:22I don't think that's it.
0:43:24You know what there also, it could be a release date for the AirPods.
0:43:29Yeah, I mean they said late October, in fact the Apple Store says late October, so maybe
0:43:36that gives some stage time as well.
0:43:39Five minutes though?
0:43:40Yeah, it's not much.
0:43:41I agree, like it would make sense, but I can't...
0:43:43I'm just trying to think of stuff they could have for the keynote, or maybe just like a
0:43:47back to the mech, remember that?
0:43:51But that event was Mac OS X Lion with Craig Federighi shaking hand.
0:43:56They drug him up now so his motions are smoother.
0:44:00And MacBook Airs.
0:44:01And there's no software this time.
0:44:03Admittedly, the MacBook Pro would have some software story if this OLED Touch bar is addressable
0:44:08in any way by third-party developers.
0:44:11They will take stage time to explain what it can do and what developers can do with
0:44:16it.
0:44:17Maybe it's a little bit longer than I think, but either way, I am lumping my fate in with
0:44:23Jason and saying, "I think it's time for an event.
0:44:26I think that it will be in October."
0:44:28So, we will see.
0:44:31All right.
0:44:34The app wasn't the only company that does events, and just through pure luck and happenstance,
0:44:40we moved the recording of today's episode and it ended up coinciding with Google's October
0:44:47a fourth event we were able to now cover it because we have the space. I will
0:44:52preface this by saying if you are at all interested in this stuff, if you're at
0:44:57all interested in Google, you should go and subscribe to Material and Relay FM
0:45:02because they're going to do a better job of talking about this topic than we are
0:45:05with more context and more legitimacy. So I recommend that people go and check
0:45:11that out. I'm looking forward to it. I think they're actually recording their
0:45:13episode in a Google Hangout today or something so that'll be fun. So I'm
0:45:16looking forward to checking that out. But we should talk about the event. So Sundar
0:45:20Pichai started off, "I love Sundar so much. I think he is awesome. I think he's
0:45:25fantastic on stage. I really, really like this guy. I feel like I say this every
0:45:30time because it continues to be true. He's like so chill. He's like so chill
0:45:35but like you know he means it like everything he's saying. I think that's great."
0:45:40And he spent some time talking about mobile first to AI first. This is Google's
0:45:46thinking of they kind of referenced some previous shifts in computing. I find it really weird
0:45:52they reference like PC, web and mobile. And my thinking on all these three things is like,
0:45:59you guys didn't do any of those. And I'm not saying that they had to. But it was really
0:46:05interesting to kind of like put that stuff up on stage because that's usually like a
0:46:08very Apple move, right? Like, here were the big changes in interface design. Here were
0:46:13were the three things that we invented
0:46:14that changed those things, right?
0:46:15- Right.
0:46:16Their PC slide actually had a picture of a Macintosh on it.
0:46:20- Yeah, and their mobile slide had a picture
0:46:23of whatever phones, which was funny because it was like,
0:46:26I thought they were gonna show the first Android phone
0:46:28and they obviously knew they couldn't do that, right?
0:46:30'Cause it was like this thing didn't help.
0:46:33I mean, admittedly, Android has helped push smartphones
0:46:36further than Apple have, right?
0:46:38They've brought them to more people.
0:46:42I don't really know how much I agree with my own statement, but you know, there is an
0:46:46argument to be made there that Android have, like Apple started it and then Android have
0:46:50kind of like pushed it over the finishing line.
0:46:52Anywho, it was just funny to see that slide be like PC, web and mobile.
0:46:58And it was kind of like to me, like something to say, like we didn't have a hand in any
0:47:04of these, but we're going to be the, we think what we know the next one is and we're going
0:47:08to be the best at that.
0:47:09And that's artificial intelligence.
0:47:11So they kind of went through some things that they're doing, their translation and photo
0:47:18detection is getting closer and closer to human levels of detection and translation,
0:47:23which was crazy to see how good they're getting at this stuff.
0:47:28And they kind of spent some time as well then showing off Google Assistant.
0:47:32Now I have an issue with the way that this product has been demoed for a second time
0:47:36here of like, here's what we want this thing to be in the future.
0:47:41And it's like, alright guys, how many times are we going to keep seeing this demo from
0:47:45you where you keep showing us these very fake videos that anybody could make?
0:47:54Because all it is is the perfect scenario is what you're creating.
0:47:59You ask it a bunch of questions and it gives you a bunch of answers, but your hardware
0:48:03and your software can't do any of these things right now.
0:48:06Or at least not reliably.
0:48:07So like are we going to keep seeing this video for the next year, two years, three years,
0:48:12like until you're actually able to do this?
0:48:14And it's just a little, it's a little frustrating because it's not even really a pre-announcement
0:48:18of anything because it doesn't exist.
0:48:21Like the language that they choose to use is like, this is where we would like to see
0:48:26it go.
0:48:27I don't know why this annoys me, but it does.
0:48:30Yeah, because it's not really real.
0:48:34They're showing you a demo on stage and you don't know the conditions of voice input,
0:48:41what it's like in a room, what it's like in real life, basically.
0:48:46And I feel like it was sort of a staged demo.
0:48:50And we could argue that all demos are staged and even Apple maybe to an extent.
0:48:54Mykey, we were talking about this, you said maybe even Apple, the demos that they do on
0:48:59stage.
0:49:00necessarily a hundred percent real. You can tell when they're real, when they're using
0:49:05a device, but even in that case we don't know if it's a custom software, we don't know if
0:49:10it's a custom beta, you know?
0:49:12You know, this is, you know, I...
0:49:15You can never know for sure.
0:49:17I can't recall something that Apple have demoed that hasn't worked, right? Like that I haven't
0:49:22been able to do myself, but I just know that if I was in charge of creating a presentation
0:49:28where I needed to demo software, I would want a version that gave me the right answer every
0:49:35single time. So I'm not, you know, like, because there can be factors that can get in the way of
0:49:40these things. That might not be my fault or the device's fault, but it might be that the Wi Fi was
0:49:46bad in the auditorium. Right? Like, I just don't want that to happen to me. This is a whole other
0:49:50thing. But yeah, anyway, I, I was also a little bit underwhelmed with the assistant demo, because
0:49:54to me it just looked like everything that Google Now and Google Now on Tap can currently do but
0:49:59just in a new UI. They didn't show me anything there that I can't recall that I've seen before
0:50:05from them. It was just a new way to show this information. So I would like to see that get a
0:50:12bit better. But the idea of a personal Google is brilliant. The idea that the nugget that they have
0:50:20come across, like, of we can take all of the web and give you anything, but what if you
0:50:27just need the stuff that's important to you and how we can tailor that.
0:50:31And one of my favorite parts of the video demo that they did was like, it said, "Google
0:50:36Assistant, my bike lock code is 3241."
0:50:40And it will remember that forever.
0:50:42That is really cool.
0:50:43I like stuff like that.
0:50:44- So that's a really good idea.
0:50:45I mean, you can already save notes in Google Now, for example, but that seems like next
0:50:50you can save any kind of information and it can give it back to you. That's really, seems really useful.
0:50:55But what this whole event was about was Google's shift into hardware.
0:51:02So this is new in some ways for them. So there is, I think, an element of confusion around this.
0:51:14I think partly Google's fault, partly that the details are strange, but Google are saying
0:51:21now that they are making their own devices. Now they have had devices like the Nexus and
0:51:27the Pixel before. I'll exclude the Pixel from discussion, but say the Nexus. They've had
0:51:32a whole range of Nexus phones going back years and years and years. But these weren't like
0:51:37Google's phones. My understanding of this process is a device manufacturer would make
0:51:42a phone which they would show to Google and be like "is this what you want?" You know,
0:51:47like Google may give out a sheet of specs that they want and then device manufacturers
0:51:51would make one and give it to them and be like "is this what you want?" and then Google
0:51:54would say yes, they would brand it Nexus and they would co-sell it. But these are designed
0:52:01by Google and there was a report from Bloomberg which states that HTC is making these. So
0:52:08So like the rumor was HTC was going to be the next person to be in the Nexus program.
0:52:13That was the whole rumor because it came out that they were making them.
0:52:16But it's a Mark Gurman report, which is interesting to see Mark getting scoops on Google now as
0:52:21well, where he says that basically HTC are to Google that Foxconn are to Apple.
0:52:30They are just flat out just manufacturing these devices.
0:52:36So on the surface of it, Google is making a phone in the same way that Apple makes a
0:52:41phone, right?
0:52:43Yeah, I think so.
0:52:46I mean, it is definitely a shift and I think you can tell in their presentation that they
0:52:52seem to be speaking about it differently.
0:52:54There's a sense of ownership and the branding of course is not Nexus, but it's that G logo
0:53:00on the back of it.
0:53:02I think it's a good move and I think it's one that makes more sense than the Nexus program
0:53:07did.
0:53:08And I think the Nexus program made sense for its time because Google had to exist in a
0:53:13world where manufacturers were making Android phones in a very competitive landscape.
0:53:22And now HTC isn't doing anything that's really important.
0:53:28Moto is running around doing crazy stuff with you can clip on things in the back.
0:53:31has a couple phones but no one really pays attention.
0:53:34Samsung is the dominant Android manufacturer
0:53:36and I think Google doesn't want them to have
0:53:40all of the power and when something goes wrong
0:53:43like the Note 7, that affects Google in a big way
0:53:47because Samsung has a bigger piece of the pie than ever.
0:53:50And so for Google to come out with a first party phone
0:53:53that is designed by them, it is branded with their logo,
0:53:57their company name on it.
0:54:01I think the time is right for that, and I'm excited by it.
0:54:04I said earlier on Twitter, Google and Apple
0:54:07need each other to be making good stuff,
0:54:10and I think that it is time for Google
0:54:14to step into the ring in a big way.
0:54:16And I'm hoping that it continues to move forward
0:54:22in creating phones and other devices.
0:54:24So Sundar introduced a guy whose name I can't remember,
0:54:28but I know I've heard it before.
0:54:29I've seen him on stage before.
0:54:30Rick Osterlow, he is the hardware chief of their new hardware division.
0:54:38All of these products that came out today, it's signaling a change that Google is now
0:54:43thinking about hardware more seriously.
0:54:45So these Pixel phones, I'll run through some of the specs and some of the details.
0:54:50Very similar looking to an iPhone, except it has this really large glass panel on the
0:54:55back which I expect is for like antennas like all the antennas are in there. Yeah
0:55:02but they do have antenna lines as well that do there's no way around it it does
0:55:06look like an iPhone down to the antenna lines but I don't I'm not digging the
0:55:10the look on the back of this thing. It's not the best looking phone really. I you
0:55:16know maybe it's inside what what counts like they put up this slide of specs but
0:55:22But the specs don't really mean anything to me because I'm not really that focused on
0:55:26the Android world.
0:55:27You know, the specs that we get for Apple phones are not like these.
0:55:32We're not comparing our Snapdragons.
0:55:35Like what Apple makes is what they make.
0:55:37And you can't really compare them to what the Android device makers make because there's
0:55:41no... it's like apples to oranges.
0:55:46They have a headphone jack on this thing which is funny.
0:55:49said there was no unsightly camera bump on this thing as well. Also funny.
0:55:53They have two versions of the Pixel. They have the Pixel and the Pixel XL. They have
0:55:58a 5 inch 32 gigabyte starting at 649 and then the 5.5 starts at 769. I think they're doing
0:56:0436 and 128. They're just doing the two sizes. They have three colors of this thing. They
0:56:13give them funny names but it's I think it's like quite black very blue and
0:56:18something silver slightly silver or something like that the blue is a
0:56:23limited edition and I think it's just limited edition to 32 and I think u.s.
0:56:26only it seems but they have a few different colors I don't know if it's
0:56:31like I don't know if I find it ugly I just find it unimpressive what I'm
0:56:37coming back to in my brain right now is when I first saw the 6p I didn't like
0:56:42make the look of that. But I think the 6P is a beautiful phone. So I'm reserving
0:56:47judgment until I see one.
0:56:50Yeah I mean it's no jet black iPhone 7 for sure. Not even a black iPhone 7. I think it
0:56:57looks a lot like an iPhone. It's really, I don't want to say boring, it's not boring
0:57:03it's just it feels obvious. And the back plate, whatever it is, the little, you know,
0:57:09glass square in the back which I don't understand if it was done for aesthetic
0:57:14reason or for functional purposes I don't understand in some photos it looks
0:57:19really ugly like the contrast between the aluminum body whatever it is and the
0:57:24glass at the top or the plastic I don't know if it's glass or plastic I think
0:57:28it's glass it doesn't look nice at all so you know it's it's a decent phone but
0:57:34I also think the 6p was much sexier. I spent a lot of time on the camera so
0:57:39So here's some stuff for you camera people.
0:57:41It has an F2.0 12.3 megapixel rear camera.
0:57:45It has a always on HDR plus mode.
0:57:48It says it can do this because it has no camera lag,
0:57:51so they leave it on by default,
0:57:53and apparently it makes the pictures look better.
0:57:55They have a video stabilization,
0:57:58and they showed a demo of the video stabilization
0:58:00of two cameras side by side taking the same shot.
0:58:03I have no idea what they were doing to the shaky camera.
0:58:07It felt like that maybe they were riding down a hill with a bicycle with square wheels on
0:58:11it or something.
0:58:12I'm not 100% sure what would cause that amount of wobbling.
0:58:17But if it was true, their video stabilization is insane in the membrane.
0:58:22If that is true, I have no idea what they're doing.
0:58:27I am assuming it is machine learning.
0:58:30Yeah.
0:58:31I mean, it's no optical image stabilization.
0:58:34I think I saw this in an article on The Verge, maybe.
0:58:39It's not optical, it uses gyroscopes and a bunch of other sensors and I guess AI to stabilize
0:58:44the video.
0:58:45And I mean, we've seen Google doing this kind of crazy, you know, smoothing up videos with
0:58:51motion seals, for example, and a bunch of other products before.
0:58:54So now they seem to be rolling out this feature at a much larger and more important scale
0:59:00in the camera app of the Google phone.
0:59:04I don't remember the name, the Pixel, because I always associate the Pixel name with the Chromebook.
0:59:09So it's not optical. Speaking of the camera, they kind of bragged about this review that they got from this website called DXO Mark.
0:59:19Yep.
0:59:19Like an 89 score with the iPhone 7 getting 86.
0:59:23So two things that I want to highlight here.
0:59:26DXO Mark makes an iPhone accessory like a camera accessory that you plug into the phone.
0:59:34hasn't reviewed the iPhone 7 Plus, I think.
0:59:36I checked on the website.
0:59:37- It has not, I checked it, it has not done that yet.
0:59:39They said in their iPhone 7 review,
0:59:42stay tuned for our iPhone 7 Plus review.
0:59:46It features additional capabilities,
0:59:48and it's coming, and it's gonna take us
0:59:49a little bit longer to test it.
0:59:52- All right, so we'll see about that.
0:59:53- I have a grand theory here,
0:59:56that there is some other handiness going on.
0:59:58This is really weird.
1:00:01But, you know, okay, like let's say, let's just say, okay,
1:00:06let's just say that they have done an accurate review.
1:00:11All right, let's just say that this review is accurate
1:00:14and that the weirdness, you know,
1:00:15that I'm kind of raising my eyebrow to
1:00:17is that they have yet to publish their plus review
1:00:20and then the plus review is higher than the pixel, right?
1:00:23Let's just say that's the case.
1:00:26Even if that is the case,
1:00:28and let's say that we can trust their reviews.
1:00:31If the Google Pixel camera is better than the iPhone,
1:00:36that's really interesting, right?
1:00:40- Yeah, yeah, for sure.
1:00:42I mean, it just seems to me like it's very,
1:00:46let's say curious timing to have the Pixel,
1:00:52like there's a sandwich of iPhone 7 Pixel
1:00:55and iPhone 7 Plus review coming next.
1:00:57But I mean, I'm giving these folks the benefit of the doubt.
1:00:59I really want to see what kind of review for the 7 Plus they put out.
1:01:03But the second aspect of photography on the Google Pixel phone is I checked on the
1:01:10DxOMark website and there's no mention of white color photography.
1:01:15So white color capture, which is a big feature of photography on the iPhone 7.
1:01:20I don't see any white color gamut spec for the Pixel.
1:01:26I only see HDR+ but no white color, which is, you know, it's a pretty big deal, especially
1:01:32when you compare photos taken in sRGB color space and the Display P3 that Apple is doing
1:01:38with white color.
1:01:39It's a striking difference on the iPhone 7.
1:01:42The thing is, a device won't have that if it hasn't got a display that can show it.
1:01:46Exactly, exactly.
1:01:47So it doesn't have a white color display and of course no white color photography.
1:01:51know, I still, my impression here is that the iPhone 7 Plus overall will still be a
1:01:58superior camera, but I'm kind of curious to check out the Pixel anyway.
1:02:03The review that I will trust is MKBHD's review.
1:02:06When it comes down to the camera, that's the review that I will trust because I'm really
1:02:11excited to see how he, uh, how he grades the 7 Plus.
1:02:15Um, and I'm waiting for that eagerly.
1:02:18because I trust these camera reviews,
1:02:21kind of is what he's talking about and he's good.
1:02:24I wanna go back to that video stabilization thing again
1:02:27just for a second because I think people will,
1:02:30it isn't optical, right, but I think people will knock that.
1:02:34They'll say, oh, it's not optical.
1:02:35But if what they showed on stage is accurate and true,
1:02:40what they have managed to do is better
1:02:43than what optical image stabilization can do.
1:02:47optical image stabilization is not going to smooth out
1:02:51that square wheel bicycle footage
1:02:53in a way that looks like what Google was showing on stage.
1:02:57- Yeah.
1:02:58- Because optical seems to just help it a little bit, right?
1:03:01So if Google are able to pull that off,
1:03:05like genuinely pull that off,
1:03:06that will be fascinating stuff.
1:03:09I'm interested to see what this camera really is like.
1:03:14Rapid charging, this rapid charging stuff.
1:03:17Like I see all these Android phone reviews
1:03:19and I'm like, why, why can we not have this?
1:03:23It will, after 15 minutes of charging the Pixel phones,
1:03:28you will get seven hours of use.
1:03:29- Well, that's Andy.
1:03:33Of any use, like, or is it like low power use?
1:03:37- Use, just seven hours of use is what they say.
1:03:39But I expect it's regularly used
1:03:41because this is what all the Android phones do.
1:03:43like you give them a 15 minute charge and you're ready to go for another half of the
1:03:46day.
1:03:47That's very cool.
1:03:49Yeah.
1:03:50It's this rapid charging.
1:03:51It's all this USB-C stuff, a lot of it.
1:03:54It's got a bunch of different names like rapid charging, fast charging, quick charging, lightning
1:03:58charging, whatever.
1:03:59But you know, that's better than probably what my Apple pencil would give me on similar
1:04:07charging metrics.
1:04:09Like I really just need them to do this.
1:04:11has USB-C. It comes with, this is genius, this is genius, a quick switch cable and software
1:04:20to move data from the iPhone, so calendars, contacts, even iMessages from an iPhone to
1:04:30an Android phone. This is genius.
1:04:32Yeah, I mean, it's Google's response to Apple's move to iOS app on the Google Play Store.
1:04:40doing the same just the other way around. And I saw a screenshot of what you need to
1:04:45do to migrate. You need to turn off iMessage. You need to turn off FaceTime in the settings.
1:04:51So I assume there's going to be some kind of walkthrough in the Android app and it tells
1:04:56you go to the settings on the iPhone and turn off this, turn off that. But if it works,
1:05:03that seems to be quite handy, especially because in my experience, remember when I tried the
1:05:09Nexus 5X. One of the best aspects that impressed me about Android was the easy
1:05:14setup flow. Like when you first set up an Android device, it feels
1:05:20easier than iOS. I don't know if it's because of fewer screens that you need
1:05:25to go through or because the Google backup system feels more reliable and
1:05:30faster than iCloud. Whatever it is, the setup on Android felt much better to me.
1:05:35So if Google can combine that setup flow with an iOS migration, I think that would be really welcome for people who want to move from the iPhone to the Pixel.
1:05:47Because I see this as a big FU, because Apple created that switch to iOS app, so Google are not only going to be creating an app,
1:05:56we're going to put a cable in all of our boxes just to switch from your platform to ours.
1:06:01I like it, I like that hubris.
1:06:04I think that's a good move.
1:06:07It's a lightning cable, basically.
1:06:09I think it's lightning to USB-C, I'm assuming.
1:06:13Something like that.
1:06:14I'm just imagining a crazy scenario where Apple kills access to that lightning cable
1:06:20with a software update, but that would be just messy, you know, from a PR perspective.
1:06:24I'm not actually, do you know what, I'm not, again, I'm riffing here, I'm not sure if it's
1:06:28a cable, I think it might be an adapter.
1:06:30it is a USB to USB-C. Oh yeah, okay. Because then they don't need to go for MFI. Right?
1:06:39Because you're just taking your charging cable that you have and you're plugging it in and
1:06:44it's no problem. Yeah, we'll see. You gotta get a Google Pixel mic and do the migration
1:06:50for us. Well I am getting one. See, just a matter of time until we know the truth. Yeah,
1:06:57I have ordered one of these and I will try this quick switch thing just to see how just
1:07:02how well it works.
1:07:05The reason I got this is a couple of reasons.
1:07:09I like to have one of the latest, greatest Android phones for many reasons.
1:07:15I like to have those devices.
1:07:16I like to understand what's happening there.
1:07:19But really, I really wanted to try out this camera and I wanted to try out this video
1:07:22stuff with my interesting video.
1:07:26if I can get like a smartphone that has this kind of capabilities for video like if this
1:07:30image stabilisation stuff is true I really want to try this out and play around with
1:07:35it so that's one of the reasons that I got this device and I've sold my Nexus P and whatever
1:07:40like I want it and I also want to try out this Daydream stuff which we'll get to in
1:07:46a moment but I guess there's one thing we didn't mention on the cameras which is worth
1:07:50noting anybody that gets a Pixel C will get free unlimited storage for full resolution
1:07:57imagery on Google Photos. This is the future, right? You buy the phone and you get unlimited
1:08:05storage for free for original resolution photos and videos up to 4k. And this is when the worst
1:08:14of Apple users comes out during Google events. The message was very clear. It's unlimited storage
1:08:22for free for every Google Pixel owner and it's original resolution. And already within minutes
1:08:27a bunch of Apple folks on Twitter saying "yeah but it's not really unlimited, it's not really free"
1:08:32I mean that is what they said. It's more unlimited and it's more free. It's unlimited and it's free
1:08:38and it's original resolution. Like the message was extremely clear. Now we could debate whether you
1:08:43You want to upload your photos to Google servers, whether Google is evil and does weird things
1:08:49with your photos.
1:08:51Speaking in terms of what Google says, they do not look at your photos to give you better,
1:08:59more specific ads, but that's debatable anyway.
1:09:02They said, "Unlimited, free, original size."
1:09:05And there's no contest about that.
1:09:08I think this is what Apple should do, that Apple ideally should match, because you buy
1:09:15a phone that costs $1,000 and you get 5GB of free iCloud storage, which is a joke.
1:09:21In 2016, that's the new joke.
1:09:23It used to be 16GB iPhones, now it's iCloud and 5GB for free.
1:09:29Should at least be 50GB for free, and ideally should be the same.
1:09:34be you buy an iPhone we take care of your photos and your videos don't worry
1:09:39about it. I know that Apple wants to make money from services but this feels like
1:09:44the right thing to do and then if you want you can always pay for storage for
1:09:47like documents or you know other stuff but you know ideally this is what they
1:09:52should do. This device is available for pre-order now it's shipping in a couple
1:10:01weeks time. If you want to buy on carrier in the US you have to get it through
1:10:05Verizon it is exclusive to Verizon but can be bought unlocked in Google Play.
1:10:10Outside of the US they're working with a bunch of different carriers and you can
1:10:13buy unlocked as well. The Daydream View headset. So this is the first headset
1:10:20which is for Daydream VR which is Google's VR standard. The headset is
1:10:26is interesting looking, it's like made of soft materials, it's covered in materials
1:10:31that look like athletic wear, I guess it's just nicer to have on your face, but I just
1:10:38like the look of it, it's a design thing, I like the look of it, they're saying it's
1:10:42lightweight, connects wirelessly to the headset, you don't have to plug anything in, and you
1:10:47just pull open a latch, drop your phone in and close it, it's like a super fancy Google
1:10:50cardboard in that way. I have a controller which has a little clickable touchpad and
1:10:55two buttons. The presenter dropped his on stage which is hilarious because he then was
1:11:00like "see it's really nicely built as well" which was a perfect like get out of that moment.
1:11:05Has a bunch of sensors inside, it sits very precise, you can draw with it and you can
1:11:09write your name with it. And then what I love is when you're done it has a place inside
1:11:13of the headset that you can store it. Comes in three colours and it's $79. I've joined
1:11:19the waiting list. If you're in the US, you get one of these for free when you buy a Pixel.
1:11:24If you're in the UK, not so much. As long as supply lasts, that's an asterisk.
1:11:30Well, yeah, I mean, that's always one though, right? But yeah, in the UK, it's like there's
1:11:34no release date. I've joined a waiting list. I'm hoping that like Google do good on this,
1:11:39like can give me one later, because I think it's a bit ridiculous. Like I'm buying the
1:11:43same phone, I'm paying more money for my phone because of Brexit and I don't get it. Like,
1:11:49very strange to me but I'm doing a waitlist I want to try this I think
1:11:52Google cardboard great they've got a lot of really interesting software and
1:11:55partnerships going on then showed up a bunch of games there's a game developer
1:12:00that me and Federico really love called Myke Bethel and he is yes like an
1:12:04exclusive game with the daydream stuff so I'm really excited about that it
1:12:11looks like they've got some really good software so I want to try it out you
1:12:14Yeah, kind of a bummer that they don't seem to be doing any positional tracking, so there's
1:12:21a risk of motion sickness and all that, because they don't have a camera pointing at your
1:12:26face wearing the headset so they can do what the Oculus and what the Vive do, for example.
1:12:31I mean, it's doing some of it by the phone.
1:12:33Yeah, it's doing some of it with the phone. I don't know if it's enough. I for sure want
1:12:38to try it, but that means getting a Pixel so that could be a problem. We'll see.
1:12:44Yeah, I will try and get my hands on one of these. I don't know how. I have put myself
1:12:50on a weightless list, let's see if I can try and get one quicker. I want to try it out,
1:12:53it looks really cool.
1:12:54Next year, when we go to San Francisco together again, you bring your Pixel and you make me
1:13:01try Daydream VR.
1:13:03Alright.
1:13:04That's it.
1:13:05Hopefully I'll have a headset by then.
1:13:06Yeah, I hope so. Wow, that's like ten months or something.
1:13:12Super quick aside.
1:13:13We got PlayStation VR next week. I'm so excited.
1:13:16Yeah, I know. Don't tell Steven, he's still on the show.
1:13:19Back on task, boys.
1:13:21The boss is listening to us, so we better get a mobile mic.
1:13:25We're gonna do a special remaster look out for that.
1:13:27Yes, I know.
1:13:28Google Wi-Fi. No, not you. You know. I hope you know. I'm talking to the listener.
1:13:33Google Wi-Fi.
1:13:35You're talking to me.
1:13:36It seems like an Eero competitor.
1:13:39So Eero, if I've been a previous sponsor, they have the little devices that you put
1:13:43around your home. Same kind of deal. They even like, even to the point of saying you
1:13:47can get singles or you can get three packs, which is Eero's thing. You get multiple devices,
1:13:52set them up around the home and it will spread the connection out. $129 for a single, $299
1:13:57for a three pack. Looks like, I mean, I have no idea. I guess it's good, right? I don't
1:14:03know. I don't know how good the onHub has been which was Google's previous one. So
1:14:09I can't say whether this would necessarily be a good device or not but
1:14:12at least they got the fundamentals down like it's got an app you can set all the
1:14:16things that you need to in the application that kind of stuff. There's a
1:14:19joke about Google snooping on your Wi-Fi network here but I'm not sure how to
1:14:23best deliver it so just skip over. I think we'd all prefer if you just didn't. And then
1:14:32Stephen, Google Home. Stephen, are you interested in Google Home? You have an Echo, like from
1:14:38the very basics that you know about it. Is Google Home something of interest to you?
1:14:43I think if the Echo wasn't so good, I would be interested in it. Like if the Echo had
1:14:47opened me up to the idea of having a little box on my kitchen counter that I could talk
1:14:52to, but it really is great. And so I'm interested in this in the sense that I want this type
1:14:58device and type of platform to excel and I want there to be competition and
1:15:03there to be good options. For me the Echo does everything I want it to do but I'm
1:15:10going to keep an eye on this. I think these devices really shine
1:15:14through all the third-party integration and the Alexa platform is very open.
1:15:18Basically anyone can go create a skill and so there's a skill for everything.
1:15:22There's one that I saw the other day that's like a magic 8-Ball so you can
1:15:25and ask Alexa to shake the Magic 8 Ball
1:15:27and it reads you an answer.
1:15:28Not really useful necessarily,
1:15:30but because it's open, it's really flexible.
1:15:34I don't know how open the Google Home platform is.
1:15:36I know that they said, and they put up a slide of like,
1:15:40these are all the partners that we're working with
1:15:42to put stuff in here.
1:15:43So that story's gonna be the most interesting part to me.
1:15:46If the situation changes and there's stuff
1:15:49that I cannot do with Alexa that Google Home can do,
1:15:53then I would look at this.
1:15:54But for now I'm happy with the Echo.
1:15:55I'm not pre-ordering one of these things,
1:15:58but I'm gonna keep a close eye on it.
1:15:58I think this is a really exciting space.
1:16:00- I would wonder if Google's developer platform
1:16:03would be more robust.
1:16:05- Yeah, I have some details about that
1:16:08because I was looking over the documentation from Google.
1:16:11So it's a system called Voice Actions.
1:16:14And you gotta keep in mind that the assistant
1:16:16is going to be available on three different places,
1:16:19which is Allo, the weird messaging app,
1:16:22the Google Assistant on the Pixel phone,
1:16:25and the Google Assistant on the Google Home.
1:16:27So three different places, a single developer platform,
1:16:31and developers can enable these different types of actions
1:16:34depending on the device they're running on.
1:16:36And the system is kind of similar to Siri,
1:16:38perhaps a little more flexible than SiriKit.
1:16:41It's based on Intents, which are not new to Android.
1:16:43And looking over the docs today,
1:16:46there's a bunch of, let's say domains,
1:16:49like Apple calls them.
1:16:51On Android, these are split across the Google Home, Android Wear, and Android on the phone.
1:16:58They include alarms, system actions, communications, fitness, local, which is like calling a cab,
1:17:06which I think is exclusive to Android Wear, media, which includes the camera, so taking
1:17:10a picture or taking a video, open actions to open URLs or apps, productivity actions,
1:17:17which are not available on iOS, and search actions.
1:17:20So it seems that it's a little more open than Siri when it comes to media.
1:17:26So you can say play this music on Spotify, whatever, or you can create tasks and notes
1:17:32with the productivity actions.
1:17:34That's why we can see there's like Todoist is one of the partners for the Google Home
1:17:39Voice Actions API.
1:17:41And I think at least for now, it's like SiriKit, not 2.0, but maybe 1.5.
1:17:48It's kind of a little more flexible, perhaps a little more advanced.
1:17:51But again, I just looked over the documents for like five minutes.
1:17:55I think it's very nice that at least they have the integration with task managers and
1:18:02media players.
1:18:03So you can call the assistant and say, "Hey, I want to listen to these artists," or, "I
1:18:08want to watch a video."
1:18:09That's very nice.
1:18:10Okay.
1:18:11Yeah, it's interesting.
1:18:12I also think that Google might be able to get more partners on board than Amazon can.
1:18:17So to go through some of the little parts that they've shown today, a lot that we've
1:18:21seen before, best in class voice recognition, swappable voices to fit it into your home,
1:18:26great speaker, great voice recognition, LEDs on top to indicate listening, we saw this
1:18:30at IO, but they did some more demos, stage demos, you know, like Guy would say something,
1:18:36it would respond in the way that it should respond.
1:18:38Now there was a bunch of stuff that we've seen the Echo do, like play me this song and
1:18:42it plays it, it's like oh you can choose your own, you can use Spotify if you want rather
1:18:46in Google Music. Echo does that. Where it became really interesting was in the way that
1:18:52they are able to use Google search. So they did a bunch of different things like play
1:18:58that song by Shakira from Zootopia. And it did it. Now, a couple of days ago, I asked
1:19:05my Echo to play me the newest Mumford & Sons album, and it just started playing Mumford
1:19:10& Sons like just all of it, because it couldn't pass that or couldn't work out what that information
1:19:16And there are times where I ask the Alexa questions that it just doesn't have an answer for
1:19:20Because it doesn't have Google search back behind it
1:19:24And I think that this could be the thing that really makes it great like they ask how to get wine out the carpet and
1:19:29It gives like this stupidly long answer, but like it's giving you the answer that you're looking for
1:19:34And I think that that's gonna be something that really pushes a Google home further than any of these other devices
1:19:40In that it has Google behind it. I think that's really interesting
1:19:45Yeah, it provides sort of a substructure of intelligence where an individual developer
1:19:53may not be able to handle that sort of thing, but because you have Google kind of always
1:19:57there ready to pick up the slack, it'll potentially be more powerful.
1:20:03It's going to be able to interact with smart home devices due to their partnerships with
1:20:08SmartThings, Hue, IFTTT, and their partnership with Nest.
1:20:12I don't know why they have to do a partnership with a different arm of the company.
1:20:16Well, no, that's part of Alphabet, right, still.
1:20:20Or has Nest completely collapsed?
1:20:22So they're a different arm of the company.
1:20:24Google is a part of the Alphabet company.
1:20:27Oh, yeah.
1:20:28Right?
1:20:29And Nest is another part of that company.
1:20:31Can we just take a second?
1:20:34So Nest is doing security cameras and a thermostat, just like they always have.
1:20:39And all of this stuff is Google branded.
1:20:42I know that Tony Fidell's out and they have a new CEO
1:20:44and they're trying to get things into shape.
1:20:48I think recently they pulled some of their
1:20:50software development back into Google.
1:20:51So Nest is sort of half out of Google and half in now.
1:20:55But it continues to be confusing to me
1:20:57why they have these two different companies,
1:21:00or two different divisions depending on how you look at it,
1:21:02doing hardware.
1:21:03And I kind of think that at some point we're gonna see
1:21:07the Nest Cam and the thermostat get rebranded.
1:21:10Like now that the Google's in the home
1:21:13with wifi and a device that's always listening,
1:21:15I think the creepster factor of having a thermostat
1:21:19with a Google logo on it is this pass.
1:21:21Like it doesn't bother me, some people will be bothered by it
1:21:23and they'll pry their nest off the wall, but.
1:21:25- Google doesn't care about those people.
1:21:27The only people that care about the Google's creepy factor
1:21:31are people like thoroughly entrenched in the Apple camp
1:21:34or the Linux camp, but they were never gonna get anyway.
1:21:37Like those people were like deep in their fandom, right?
1:21:42- Sure.
1:21:44- I don't think Google cares about those people.
1:21:46I mean, I don't think they should, but.
1:21:47I don't think the Nest brand will last another year.
1:21:53I think they'll just roll that team into Google again
1:21:57and be like Nest is gone because Google's
1:22:00a better brand than Nest.
1:22:02and now we're making these home products.
1:22:04And it might be the Google thermostat or whatever.
1:22:07One thing I also think looks really cool
1:22:11is that the home integrates with Chromecast
1:22:13to let you fling audio, video, and photos around
1:22:16so you can be like, play Stranger Things on the TV
1:22:19and it will do that.
1:22:20That's awesome.
1:22:22- That's real cool.
1:22:23- Don't the Amazon Fire Sticks do this?
1:22:25I feel like they should be doing this already.
1:22:28- I don't know.
1:22:29I don't think anyone actually owns a Fire Stick
1:22:31except Dan Moran does.
1:22:33Can I stand?
1:22:34No, that's really--
1:22:35- You're thinking of Dan Moran?
1:22:37- Oh, Dan Moran, yes, that guy.
1:22:39- That's really something that if Apple moves
1:22:42into the space, I would want them to do,
1:22:45to say, hey, ahoy, telephone box,
1:22:49play this over here on my Apple TV.
1:22:52That's where this stuff can really get interesting,
1:22:54and Google's doing it, they do have a new Chromecast
1:22:56out today, it does 4K and is rebranded a little bit,
1:23:00But that's really interesting to me.
1:23:03And I think out of all of the stuff that the smart,
1:23:05that Google Home can do, the smart media stuff, I think,
1:23:09is some of the most exciting to me.
1:23:13I don't have a Chromecast.
1:23:14I think for however much they are now, like 49 bucks,
1:23:16I'm probably gonna get one just so I can experience it
1:23:18'cause I've never even used one.
1:23:20But to be able to shout at your computer box
1:23:24in the kitchen to play music in the living room
1:23:26is pretty neat.
1:23:27- Yeah, I'm interested in just Google Home.
1:23:30Again, it's not any time soon coming out here.
1:23:34$129, which is a good price, I think.
1:23:38Pre-ordering today in the US, shipping November 4th.
1:23:42Six base colors, and we mentioned
1:23:45their big developer platform.
1:23:47These devices, both the Echo and the Google Home,
1:23:52they seem underpriced, and I wonder if they're purely,
1:23:56like you're buying into the ecosystems, right?
1:23:58That's because you're paying with your privacy. I'm sorry I keep coming up with these jokes,
1:24:02I don't really mean them by the way. This is not me speaking, I'm just the voice of
1:24:09the other folks on Twitter.
1:24:11I feel like, but like the Echo, you know people don't levy those complaints at Amazon. I wonder
1:24:16if these devices are, they're sold with small margins on them because they get you into
1:24:24the Google ecosystem, they get you into the Amazon ecosystem.
1:24:28You know, $129 for a consumer electronics product that looks really well made, that
1:24:35has a really great speaker in it and incredible microphone technology.
1:24:40That doesn't seem to add up in today's world of technology to me.
1:24:43Well, and two, I think it's easy to say, "Oh, that's so cheap," when we all just spent $1,000
1:24:48on a smartphone last month.
1:24:50But compared to phones, they're simpler and they're cheaper.
1:24:53And I think the price comparison will get really interesting if Apple moves into this
1:24:59space.
1:25:00Like, I don't see Apple doing a Siri box at $129.
1:25:02I see them doing it at $299, but not $130.
1:25:07So I think that pricing conversation could get more interesting.
1:25:12But I think you're mostly right, Myke.
1:25:14I think that it is mostly about, hey, you bought this thing from Amazon or from Google
1:25:19and you're going to be more likely to stay in the ecosystem or spend more money because
1:25:24you have that cost of this thing sitting on your kitchen counter?
1:25:30Yeah, I don't know. I like the look of this thing. I really do. I think it looks really
1:25:37cool. I think Google had the ability to kind of take this further than Amazon because the
1:25:43the Amazon app and the skills is like a dumpster fire of UI horrificness.
1:25:49And I think Google could probably do a better job than Amazon.
1:25:52But we'll see.
1:25:53We'll see.
1:25:54Federico, are you interested in this?
1:25:57I think I'm going to get one.
1:25:58For some reason, Sylvia doesn't like Alexa.
1:26:01She doesn't stand Alexa at a very personal level.
1:26:04I don't know if it's the voice or whatever, but she just hates Alexa very deeply.
1:26:08And so I think on getting the Google Home, and hopefully she will like Google better.
1:26:14But seriously, aside from my girlfriend and her relationship with Alexa, I think Google
1:26:20has a chance to provide much better interface and much better integrations.
1:26:27If only because the Google Home has access to very important data about me, which is
1:26:32my browsing history and my email.
1:26:35I feel like Amazon has access to the stuff that I buy, like my lightning cables and my hard drives.
1:26:42I mean, yeah, but Amazon doesn't really know a lot about me.
1:26:45And we've talked about this before. I'm cool with Google knowing a lot of stuff about me,
1:26:50and I feel like that information can make for a much better smart speaker. So yes, I'm going to get one.
1:26:56Yep, if they ever come out in Europe. Stephen, you're obviously the closest you'll be able to get one this year.
1:27:04Are you gonna buy one?
1:27:06I don't think so.
1:27:08Again, I'm really happy with the Echo, but if it comes to needing to do it for work to
1:27:14talk about it, I may give it a shot.
1:27:16$128 is not that much money.
1:27:18And it could be that I could leave it in the office as opposed to the dot that I just ordered.
1:27:23I think you should take a bullet for the show and pre-order one.
1:27:26I have a company credit card.
1:27:28Get the company to buy it.
1:27:29Go on.
1:27:30Done.
1:27:31And then you can send it to me when you're done.
1:27:32If our accountant is listening, I'm so sorry.
1:27:34I tell you what you get it you try it out and then you send it to me now I can
1:27:38have one. So it costs $129 to do it. Okay so the big question is what color do I get?
1:27:42Right. Get the most outlandish color possible. I think you can only get white.
1:27:47So I have a an XL on the way the pixel XL I think it will be here in a few weeks
1:27:54time it seems to what the website is suggesting kind of towards the end of
1:27:58November so I'm looking forward to trying that out. Federico,
1:28:01Steven has bought the Google Home now, what have you bought?
1:28:05I have placed myself on the waiting list for a Comcast Ultra
1:28:11because I'm the unlucky Italian one and we don't get any of the new things on the Google Store in Italy.
1:28:19So yes, I literally just placed my email in a waiting list, that's all I've done.
1:28:23I've also done that for the Google Home and for the Daydream PR headset.
1:28:30Yeah, on the Italian store there's a grey button that says "Not available".
1:28:36What for the VR headset?
1:28:38No, nothing basically.
1:28:40You can only click the button for the Chromecast.
1:28:43But just to be on the waiting list, not to make a pre-order.
1:28:47So the Daydream VR is just completely greyed out?
1:28:50There's nothing you can do?
1:28:51Yes.
1:28:52Alright, well at least I've got a button that I can click.
1:28:55Yeah, and even the phone is just grey, you can do nothing.
1:28:59for you guys not in Italy. So that's Google. Solid show from Google today I
1:29:06think. They getting better and better at this all the time. I think so too. Yeah I
1:29:10think they do they do a good job in these events. They have a nice diverse
1:29:15cast. They have people who like Apple does clearly involved with the product
1:29:21right. You see product managers and you see designers and you see engineers and
1:29:25And I think they're really firing on all cylinders in these events.
1:29:29They're as much fun to watch for me as an Apple keynote at this point.
1:29:33I watched almost all of it today, and it was a great show.
1:29:38And that's part of it, right? It's about the product, but it's also about how they're presented.
1:29:42And I think they're doing a better job than ever.
1:29:45So I'm just going to put in the show notes a picture that is tweeted out by Daniel Bader.
1:29:53He works at MobileNations and he's the managing editor of Android Central.
1:29:58And he has taken a photo that he's tweeted of the black pixel.
1:30:03I think it looks good.
1:30:05I don't think it looks good.
1:30:07Ehh, not sure about the dual color honestly, but maybe that's just me.
1:30:11I think it looks kind of cool.
1:30:14In its own little way.
1:30:16I don't know, it looks like some kind of credit card reader.
1:30:20I think it's going to look dated.
1:30:22the second they get rid of that on the next generation,
1:30:24it's gonna look really old.
1:30:26- Well, I mean, sure, but so does my iPhone.
1:30:30You literally sent me a picture yesterday
1:30:34of the antenna lines on the previous one,
1:30:36and you were like, this looks old, so.
1:30:38- It's true. - You know.
1:30:39- No, it's a thing that happens.
1:30:42I don't know, if I were to buy one,
1:30:43that blue is, and I usually don't like blue devices,
1:30:47but I think the blue looks the best.
1:30:49- Yeah, I can't get it, though.
1:30:50I was gonna get blue because blue phone but no can't get it
1:30:53I'm I will eventually get one of those really wicked cool cases that they make but I just don't know what I will make it
1:31:00Off, you know, you can get like the custom-made cases
1:31:03But I just don't know what I want to put on my case yet
1:31:05Can make it look like a bunch of stickers. I thought of that
1:31:09I thought of that just like just putting stickers into the case
1:31:13Maybe I'll just take a picture of my iPad
1:31:17Put that on my phone. That's the way to do what if you what if you?
1:31:21made a case
1:31:24That looks like the front of the phone
1:31:27Oh and then and then you have like a dual phone like you take you just take a screenshot
1:31:32That's kind of genius
1:31:37I have so many options like connected listeners. You can tweet with the hashtag Myke's case for your suggestions
1:31:47for what I should make a case out of. Very versatile #Myke, right there. Myke's case.
1:31:54Well you know, is anybody else really using that? I doubt it. I don't think so. So I just
1:32:00tweeted Myke's case. Obviously no punctuation because that breaks the hashtag and there
1:32:06are no tweets found so it's all good. Tweet at me. Alright if you want to find out show
1:32:11notes for this week go to relay.fm/connected/111. If you want to find Federico online he is
1:32:16at the teachy for the ITI CCI. Oh, you should be closing it out, right?
1:32:21No, no, you should. This is your job, Myke.
1:32:23Or he's over at Macstories.net. I was looking at an open tab and was about to say that you
1:32:29write for MacRumors. So congratulations on your big move.
1:32:33Not quite. Well, thank you. Thank you.
1:32:34I'm really excited to see what you do next. Steven is over at @ismh on Twitter and he
1:32:41is at 512pixels.net and I am @imike and you can find my videos over at youtube.com/mikehurley.
1:32:49Look at that, I've got a new outro everyone. Isn't that fancy? Thank you so much to Brain
1:32:53Tree for their support of this week's show and as always, thank you for listening. Until
1:32:58the next time, say goodbye guys. Adios.