The smart home company Brilliant is back in business. A review on Dell's take on a Copilot+ laptop. Amazon is officially launching an AI version of its Alexa services. And the California State Assembly passes a sweeping AI safety bill.

• Brilliant, a smart home company, has been bought by private investors and plans to release the next generation of its smart home control panel later this year.
• Devindra Hardawar of Engadget reviewed the Dell XPS 13 Copilot+ laptop and recommends whether it is worth purchasing.
• Caroline O'Donovan of the Washington Post discusses Amazon officially releasing an AI-powered version of Alexa in October.
• And Mikah discusses the California State Assembly's passing of a sweeping AI safety bill and what the bill aims to do within California.

Host: Mikah Sargent

Guests: Devindra Hardawar and Caroline O'Donovan

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Amanda Silberling recounts her time at the White House Creator Economy Conference held earlier this month. Microsoft's Recall AI feature won't be available until later this year. A review of Google's Pixel 9. And what was surprising about Samsung's Galaxy Ring device following a teardown of the device?

• Amanda Silberling participated in the White House Creator Conference earlier this month and shares her experience and time with President Joe Biden when he made an unannounced stop at the event.
• Mikah Sargent talks about Microsoft delaying its Recall AI feature to testers until October to continue testing the security changes to the feature following initial security concerns.
• Lisa Eadicicco of CNET joins Mikah to discuss her review of Google's Pixel 9 phone.
• And Shahram Mokhtari of iFixit stops by to talk about iFixit's teardown of Samsung's Galaxy Ring,their findings with the device, and how it compares to similar devices such as the Oura Ring Gen3.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Amanda Silberling

Guests: Lisa Eadicicco and Shahram Mokhtari

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Apple is forcing Patreon to switch to its App Store billing system, allowing Apple to take 30% of new subscriptions made through its App Store. KOSPA passed in the U.S. Senate recently: what's next for the controversial bill. And Google announced a lot at its Made by Google event, including new Pixel phones and a big push for Gemini AI.

• Dan Moren of Six Colors joins Mikah this week! Dan talks about Apple forcing Patreon to switch to using its App Store billing system, or Patreon will be removed from the App Store.
• Mikah Sargent talks about KOSPA being passed recently in the U.S. Senate and what's behind the controversial 'child safety' bill.
• Jason Howell of Techsploder joins Mikah for the 2nd half of the show! Jason talks about everything Google announced at its recent Made by Google event, including focusing on what its AI can do for its various devices, and announced the Pixel 9, Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Watch 3, and Pixel Buds Pro 2.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Dan Moren

Guest: Jason Howell

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Google released a new version of its Nest Learning Thermostat. Google is also looking to enhance the Google smart home experience with Gemini intelligence. A look into the coming that's gathering 'human data' for every major AI company. Mark Gurman reports that the Mac Mini will be updated with the M4 chip and a design change later this year.

• Jennifer Pattison Tuohy joins Mikah this week to talk about the latest iteration of Google's Nest Thermostat and the new design and features of the device.
• Jennifer also talks about how Google is bringing its Gemini intelligence to Google Home to join the market of other smart home systems using AI.
• Reed Albergotti of Semafor stops by to talk about Turing, the company helping major AI companies gather 'human data' for their AI systems.
• And Mikah talks about a Mark Gurman report that we may see an update to the Mac Mini with M4 chips and a design change later this year.

Host: Mikah Sargent

Guests: Jennifer Pattison Tuohy and Reed Albergotti

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Mikah Sargent is out this week, but Emily Dreibelbis of PCMag is hosting for Mikah! Meta's AI generator is allowing influencers to let their fans message an AI version of themselves. Following the OpenAI controversy with Scarlett Johansson, the company released its 'Advanced Voice Mode' to its alpha users. What is 'White Dudes for Harris'? And inside the health crisis at a town in Texas involved with bitcoin mining.

• Abrar Al-Heeti is joining the show this week. Abrar talks about Meta's AI Studio and how the company is continuing to expand into creating AIs for its userbase to interact with their favorite creators and allowing select users to generate their own AIs.
• Emily talks about OpenAI rolling out its 'Advanced Voice Mode' feature to select users,' following the controversy with OpenAI using a voice similar to Scarlett Johansson.
• Will Oremus of The Washington Post stops by to chat with Emily about 'White Dudes for Harris' and the suspension of its X account following a massive fundraiser for Vice President Kamala Harris's presidential campaign.
• Finally, Andrew Chow of TIME discusses the health crisis that a town in Texas has been experiencing since the arrival of a Bitcoin mine in the summer of 2022.

Hosts: Emily Dreibelbis and Abrar Al-Heeti

Guests: Will Oremus and Andrew Chow

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What could go wrong with Gemini AI being used in live coverage of the 2024 Paris Olympics? A new study using Fitbit data shows connections between sleep and diseases. What Samsung Galaxy AI features are worth using? And how AI's use in video game development is impacting the industry.

• The Paris Olympics will feature Google's Gemini AI during NBCUniversal's coverage. Emily Dreibelbis wonders, in Steve Gibson's great words, "What could possibly go wrong?"
• Mikah Sargent loves a good story about sleep coverage, so it's no surprise that he talks about a study using Fitbit data that uncovered connections between sleep and diseases.
• Lisa Eadicicco of CNET stops by to discuss Samsung's Galaxy AI features and her favorite ones.
• And finally, Brian Merchant of WIRED talks about how AI is impacting the video game industry.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Emily Dreibelbis

Guests: Lisa Eadicicco and Brian Merchant

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What is the future for Apple's HomePod? Leaked documents show what phones Cellebrite can and can't unlock. The security risks when using stalkerware apps. And initial thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy Ring after some hands-on with the device.

• Jennifer Pattison Tuohy joins Mikah this week on Tech News Weekly! Jennifer talks about the future for Apple's HomePod following code discovered in the public beta for tvOS 18.
• Mikah Sargent talks about the Cellebrite leak, which 404 Media obtained and verified, and what devices Cellebrite can and can't unlock.
• Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai of Techcrunch talks about stalkerware apps and, besides the ethical reasons for using such apps, why using them can present a security risk for users.
• And finally, Lexy Savvides of CNET got her hands on the Samsung Galaxy Ring and shares her thoughts on it.

Hosts: Mikah Sargent and Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

Guests: Lorenzo Franceschi-Bicchierai and Lexy Savvides

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Surface Duo Hands-on, Russian SIMs, Apple's unannounced subscription bundles.

• Harry McCracken from Fast Company has the Microsoft Duo foldable Android device and shares his thoughts after spending one week with the prerelease hardware.
• Joseph Cox from VICE got the inside scoop on a secretive Russian SIM network that enables all sorts of illegal activity, and he explains how they work.
• Apple is expected to announce a collection of subscription bundles for its services and Mikah isn't quite sold on the value of them.
• Epic Games added a new in-game payment method for Fortnite that bypasses Apple and Google's own in-app payment systems, and the consequences are beginning to take shape.

Hosts: Jason Howell and Mikah Sargent

Guests: Harry McCracken and Joseph Cox

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