The Vergecast

• Why are online puzzle games having a moment?

  Hooked on LinkedIn’s Queens? Gotta extend your Wordle streak in the New York Times games app before you start your day? You’re in good company on today’s Vergecast episode. Allison Johnson is joined by Simon Anthony and Mark Goodliffe, world-class puzzle champs and hosts of the delightful Cracking the Cryptic, a YouTube channel where they solve a puzzle on camera every single day. They specialize in Sudoku — and not just the classic number games you might be familiar with. Simon and Mark tackle mind-bending, seemingly impossible puzzles, working through it all in realtime, sometimes over the course of several hours. What happens when you get stuck? How can you tell the difference between a puzzle made by a human and a computer-generated one? Why are we addicted to puzzle games all of a sudden? They help us crack the clues. Then Allison sits down with Marc Levoy, one of the pioneers of computational photography, to talk about his new camera app: Project Indigo. Levoy is known for his earlier work on the Pixel camera, and was a driving force in shaping phone photography into what it is now. We last caught up with him in 2020 when he left Google for Adobe, so we got up to speed on what the heck he’s been doing for the last five years — and the important difference between HDR and an HDR-ish photo. Finally, Allison takes a hotline question from someone who is not particular about their phone camera’s image quality, but does have a beef with camera bumps. Cracking the Cryptic — YouTube This 25-minute video is the most riveting sudoku puzzle you will ever watch The Atlantic is making a big push into games I regret to inform you that LinkedIn’s games are very fun The mastermind of Google’s Pixel camera quietly left the company in March The brain behind the Google Pixel camera is building a universal camera app for Adobe Marc Levoy on the balance of camera hardware, software, and artistic expression Adobe launches a new ‘computational photography’ camera app for iPhones Adobe’s new camera app is making me rethink phone photography Email us at [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• The Pixel 10's AI screamed at us

  The Pixel 10 is in the house, and we’ve been testing them for over a week now. Allison and Vee sit down with Jake to discuss their tests — the good, the bad, and the poorly translated. They demo the Pixel 10's live phone call translations and dive into Pro Res Zoom, which uses AI to enhance photos zoomed in up to 100x. Then, it’s time to talk Dish, Intel, and Elon. Dish is giving up on being a major mobile carrier, Intel is now partially owned by the US government, and Elon has filed a questionable lawsuit against Apple. Finally, we wrap up with a Thunder Round to discuss K-Pop Demon Hunters, YouTube Shorts’ secret “AI,” Android’s registration requirement for developers, Taco Bell’s drive through AI attempt, and a delivery locker on wheels. Further reading: Google Pixel 10 Pro review: AI, Qi2, and a spec bump too Apple’s iPhone 17 launch event is set for September 9th Dish gives up on becoming the fourth major wireless carrier The Trump administration promised a fourth wireless carrier — America got a hot mess instead US government takes 10 percent stake in Intel in exchange for money it was already on the hook for Elon Musk’s xAI is suing OpenAI and Apple Elon Musk’s xAI quietly dropped its status as a public benefit corporation My new beat is K-Pop Demon Hunters Taco Bell AI Drive thru sna-fu Is YouTube’s Shorts experiment using AI or just upscaling? | The Verge This new delivery robot will bring the entire grocery store to you Google will verify Android developers distributing apps outside the Play store Email us at [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• Zooming in on weird cameras

  This week on The Vergecast, Chris Niccolls and Jordan Drake of PetaPixel’s YouTube channel join The Verge’s Allison Johnson and Vjeran Pavic to geek out about the last half-decade of camera advancements — the good, the bad, and the Sigma BF of it all. Then, Allison is joined by Verge News Editor and fellow phone nerd Dominic Preston to help answer a boatload of listener questions from people contemplating which smartphone to buy next. They help navigate the intricacies of living in a mixed iOS/Android household to the best options for someone who wants a headphone jack (spoiler alert: there aren’t many). It’s a mega-hotline-turned-therapy session for iPhone Mini owners reluctant to let go of their tiny phones in a world where phones come in two sizes: big and bigger. Further reading: Sigma BF review: Beautiful Foolishness — PetaPixel The Fujifilm X half is Just Plain FUN! — PetaPixel Fujifilm X Half hands-on: whimsical, refreshing, and simply fun Sigma BF review: the perfect camera for a minimalist In pursuit of a viral, five-year-old compact camera Samsung Galaxy S25 review: incredibly iterative Nothing Phone 3 review: flagship-ish If you really want a smaller phone, try the tiny Jelly 2 Oppo Find N5 review: the final evolution of foldables Honor launches the ‘world’s thinnest’ foldable Motorola spoiled a good budget phone with bloatware The Xperia 1 VII is a greatest hits of Sony R&D The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra isn’t so ‘ultra’ anymore The Fairphone 6 no longer feels like a compromise (except in the US) My first DIY phone fix made me a self-repair believer Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold review: in great shape Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 review: stunning, bendy, and spendy Ditching my phone for an LTE smartwatch was a humbling experience I took my own advice and bought a last-gen iPhone — I regret nothing How Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip failed me without actually breaking Email us at [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• Google's AI-stuffed Pixel 10 event

  It’s Pixel week. Jake, Vee, and Allison are chatting about all things Google. First, there’s the Pixel 10, 10 Pro, 10 Pro XL, and 10 Pro Fold, which get a mix of hardware upgrades (dust-proofing on a foldable!) and downgrades (a worse camera on the Pixel 10?) and a ton of new AI features, including Magic Cue and Pro Res Zoom, which puts AI right inside the camera app. Next, there’s the Pixel Watch 4, Fitbit’s AI fitness coach, the Pixel Buds 2A, and a tease of Google’s next smart home speaker. Finally, we wrap it up with the Thunder Round and a discussion of Hank Green’s Focus Friend, Ricoh’s GR IV, Netflix’s new content strategy, Masimo’s attempt to sue over the Apple Watch again, and most importantly, Chipotle’s drone delivery. Further reading: The Made by Google event felt like being sucked into an episode of Wandavision The Google Pixel 10 and 10 Pro come with magnets, a new chip, and AI everywhere The Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold is the first fully dust-resistant foldable  Google says the quiet part out loud: IP68 protection doesn’t last  The best new features of the Pixel 10 lineup The Pixel 10 Pro puts generative AI right inside the camera  The magnets are the coolest thing about the Pixel 10 Google is launching its first magnetic wireless charging accessories  Building a more empathetic big phone.  The Pixel Pro 10 phones include a certified Thread radio. Google’s Pixel Watch 4 has big ideas — and an even bigger focus on AI  Fitbit’s AI health coach is the first I might actually be interested in The unbearable obviousness of AI fitness summaries Google’s Pixel Buds 2A add Gemini, noise cancellation, and a replaceable battery  Google’s Pixel Buds Pro 2 are getting new AI-powered features in September Gemini for Home is Google’s biggest smart home play in years Is that a new Nest smart speaker I spy? Hank Green’s Focus Friend swapped my screen time for bean time  Now Masimo is suing US Customs over Apple Watch imports  Ricoh GR IV will cost $1500 It's Raining Chips & Guac: Chipotle Is Testing Drone Delivery YouTuber Mark Rober is getting a Netflix series YouTube star Ms. Rachel is coming to Netflix The Duffer Brothers are joining the Paramount family Email us at [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11, we love hearing from you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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• Do we really want Rosie the Robot?

  This week on The Vergecast, the co-founder and former CEO of iRobot, Colin Angle, joins The Verge’s smart home reviewer, Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, to discuss what the ideal home robot is. Are we close to creating a Rosie the Robot — an all-in-one humanoid robot that can take care of our homes, or should we take an entirely different approach to home robotics? They dive into the advances in technology powering this shift and ponder what purpose robotics in the home should really serve. Then, Jen takes a journey back into smart home history to help us understand its future. Grant Erickson, Principal of Nuovations, a former Apple, Nest, and Google engineer who was part of the team that developed Thread, joins the show. He shares the story of how and why, back in 2011, the Nest team, led by Tony Faddell and Matt Rogers, decided to create a smart home protocol. It involves a thermostat, fragmented ecosystems, and one of the best smart home products ever made. They discuss how Thread became the foundation of the Matter smart home standard — an unprecedented industry collaboration with a herculean task — to make the smart home simpler. To close out the show, Grant sticks around to help answer a Vergecast hotline question (call 866-VERGE11 or email [email protected]) about how Matter manages your data. Further reading: Maybe I don’t want a Rosey the Robot after all Amazon left Roomba with a huge mess to clean up Figure will start ‘alpha testing’ its humanoid robot in the home in 2025 Amazon Astro review: too much Alexa, not enough arms Samsung is finally releasing Ballie This Pixar-style dancing lamp hints at Apple’s future home robot iRobot’s founder is working on a new kind of home robot iRobot OS is the newest ‘brain’ for your Roomba Amazon bought iRobot to see inside your home I tested a robot vacuum with an arm, and my dog may never forgive me Inside the Nest: iPod creator Tony Fadell wants to reinvent the thermostat Nest CEO Tony Fadell on Google acquisition Fire drill: Can Tony Fadell and Nest build a better smoke detector? How big companies kill ideas — and how to fight back, with Tony Fadell Situation: there are too many competing smart home standards Matter’s plan to save the smart home Nest’s home security system costs $499 and comes with magnetic door sensors Google says Matter is still set to fix the biggest smart home frustrations Thread is Matter’s secret sauce for a better smart home Nanoleaf launches a smart switch after eight years of trying Thread count: Ikea is stitching together a smarter home Why Thread is Matter’s biggest problem right now The four changes in Thread 1.4 that could fix the protocol It could be 2026 before all your Thread border routers work together Matter will be better in 2025 — say the people who make it The Nest Learning Thermostat gets its biggest upgrade in over a decade killedbygoogle.com Google’s ADT partnership finally has a new home security product to show for it Google discontinues Nest Protect smoke alarm and Nest x Yale door lock Google discontinues its Google Nest Secure alarm system Appliance makers are teaming up to reduce your electricity usage — and save you cash Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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