The MashTalk crew discusses the rumored updates coming to the MacBook Pro

This is the final MashTalk for me — AKA C-Mac, AKA Film_Girl — as a host. Don't worry, MashTalk will continue. 

I love you all very much and want to thank the listeners for their patronage and awesomeness over the years. RayRay, Lance and Pete, also thank you for your support and friendship over the years. You guys are the best.

But don't fret, it's not all sad. I settle in with Raymond Wong and Pete Pachal to talk about everything happening in the world of tech.

We kick it off with a discussion about the latest iPhone rumors (2:00). This inevitably leads into yet another conversation about the headphone jack (RIP) and what kind of earbudsApple might package with the device this fall (10:00).

After the iPhone, our talk moves to an Apple product rumored for a big update, the MacBook Pro (16:45). We discuss the rumored design decisions, the ubiquity of USB-C and how much dongle hell we'll all be in. Too bad we're not expecting to see the new MacBook until October.

Moving on, Ray talks about his experience with the Dlodlo VR headset (30:00). It's thin, light and only a little bit dorky looking. OK, it still looks really nerdy. I'm not sure that any third-platform (let alone one from Kickstarter) is going to make waves in VR, but Ray is hopeful that this thing encourages other manufacturers to make sleeker gear. 

Pete's not convinced VR will ever be a thing we wear all the time.

Finally, we talk about the GIF-ban on the Olympics (38:00) and how the internet has gotten around it anyway. The New York Times' approach with swimming animations is really smart. We all basically agree that even though the rationale for NBC might make sense on paper, trying to stop the GIFs is just futile.

Listen to the episode on iTunes or on Stitcher. You can also subscribe to MashTalk on iTunes by clicking the button below to get our latest episodes, instantly. If you like MashTalk, please fill out our audience survey.

Did Yahoo ever have a chance?

On this week’s episode of MashTalk, Lance, Pete and I discuss everything happening in the world of tech. 

After a brief update on Pokémon Go tactics (1:02), we discuss Apple (3:30) and its latest earnings. The company made less money than it did last year, but it still managed to sell its billionth iPhone, which is pretty incredible. 

There is some discussion about whether or not we will see new Macs from Apple in September (14:30). Lance thinks not, but Pete and I are more optimistic. 

The Apple talk dovetails into a long discussion about Yahoo’s sale to Verizon (20:30). We spend some time discussing the last four years under Marissa Mayer and discuss whether this conclusion was really just an inevitability. 

After Yahoo, the discussion turns to a company that tried to buy it eight years ago, Microsoft. Microsoft has a new iOS camera app this week, Microsoft Pix (37:00). Lance talks about the app. It seems really cool, but does the world really need another camera app? 

Speaking of stuff the world needs, Lance tries to convince Pete and Christina whyDyson’s $1,000 360 Eye robot vacuum is something worth buying. 

Listen to the episode on iTunes or on Stitcher. You can also subscribe to MashTalk on iTunes by clicking the button below to get our latest episodes, instantly. If you like MashTalk, please fill out our audience survey.

At WWDC, the real story was Messages

In this episode of MashTalk, Lance, Pete and I do a deep dive on WWDC and everything Apple announced.

We start off offering our take on the keynote (0:30) and the tenor of Apple announcements. 

First up is iOS 10 (8:30) and the impact the new changes coming to Messages on the platform. We spend a lot of time on Messages before moving into a discussion ondifferential privacy (21:25) and whether that can ever offer as good of a predictive experience as services that track you more (Google, Facebook). 

We shift on to talk about the new Home app (29:42) and whether Apple can really make HomeKit a thing. Pete goes on a fun tirade about his propane tank. We have a brief discussion about how you can "delete" pre-installed apps (35:15) and Apple Music (37:00). 

We move on to the renamed macOS (38:12) and Siri coming to Mac. We round out the discussion to talk about the new look on watchOS 3 (44:35) and the changes coming to its Health and Activity apps. Finally, we finish off with tvOS (49:15) and the fact that Single Sign-on is coming to Apple TV.

Listen to the episode on iTunes or on Stitcher. You can also subscribe to MashTalk on iTunes by clicking the button below to get our latest episodes, instantly. If you like MashTalk, please fill out our audience survey.

At WWDC, the real story was Messages

In this episode of MashTalk, Lance, Pete and I do a deep dive on WWDC and everything Apple announced.

We start off offering our take on the keynote (0:30) and the tenor of Apple announcements. 

First up is iOS 10 (8:30) and the impact the new changes coming to Messages on the platform. We spend a lot of time on Messages before moving into a discussion ondifferential privacy (21:25) and whether that can ever offer as good of a predictive experience as services that track you more (Google, Facebook). 

We shift on to talk about the new Home app (29:42) and whether Apple can really make HomeKit a thing. Pete goes on a fun tirade about his propane tank. We have a brief discussion about how you can "delete" pre-installed apps (35:15) and Apple Music (37:00). 

We move on to the renamed macOS (38:12) and Siri coming to Mac. We round out the discussion to talk about the new look on watchOS 3 (44:35) and the changes coming to its Health and Activity apps. Finally, we finish off with tvOS (49:15) and the fact that Single Sign-on is coming to Apple TV.

Listen to the episode on iTunes or on Stitcher. You can also subscribe to MashTalk on iTunes by clicking the button below to get our latest episodes, instantly. If you like MashTalk, please fill out our audience survey.

Now you can listen to podcasts right in Google’s mobile app

Google today is making it easier for Android users to listen to podcasts, by introducingpodcast support right into its Google app for Android. That means you’re able to search for podcasts using Google’s search engine, then click a button to begin listening without having to subscribe or switch over to another app.

The feature also includes standard audio controls at the bottom of the screen, including a Play/Pause button, Rewind and Fast Forward. But what’s even more handy is that you’re able to continue to browse the web or use your phone while you listen. You can even turn off the screen, says Google – the podcast will simply play in the background.

At launch, there are already thousands of podcasts indexed and supported for playing within the Google application, but Google notes that more will be added over time. You’ll definitely have no trouble finding top names, like Serial, Fresh Air, or RadioLab, however.

When you find a podcast you want to hear, the app will display the most recent three episodes in Google’s search results, so you don’t have to click but once to begin listening to the latest show.

Plus, you can use this feature to get caught up on older programs – the search results will display an option to view “More episodes.” This will take you to a longer list of the podcast’s archives. In most cases, this appeared to be the complete back catalog, in fact.

The launch follows Google’s long-awaited debut of podcast support in Google Play Music,which just rolled out yesterday. The inability to search for, discover, subscribe and play podcasts had been a surprising omission to the company’s iTunes competitor. Likely the support for playing podcasts in the Google app is tied to the fact that Google now – at last – maintains an updated catalog of these popular programs on its servers.

It’s also worth pointing out that the Google app’s support for podcasts doesn’t appear to be an effort to promote Google Play Music. The podcasts simply play in the app, and end users aren’t instructed to head over to Google Play to hear more, nor are they linked to the service.

This isn’t the first time Google has introduced support for streaming audio content right within search, of course. Years ago, it began connecting web users to music in the search results, and today it connects mobile users to streaming services and videos when they search for artists and songs. But those features have been more about providing one-off tidbits information, whereas this new podcast support actually works more like an audio streaming app you can use right from your search results page