Andy and Flo get access to Bard, and that's all they're talking about. There are two new significant security vulnerabilities affecting Pixel smartphones. What a polarizing week!

Links and Show Notes:

• Try Bard and share your feedback

• Generative AI Prohibited Use Policy

• Google Search’s guidance about AI-generated content

• Google says Exynos chip flaw puts several phones at security risk (Updated)

• internet-to-baseband-remote-rce.html">Project Zero: Multiple Internet to Baseband Remote Code Execution Vulnerabilities in Exynos Modems

• Pixel Markup vulnerability lets some screenshots be un-redacted, un-cropped; fixed by March

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Will Google I/O 2023 turn out to be a hardware show? The rumor mill certainly thinks so. We'll discuss Google's plans to infuse AI into Workspace, Samsung's "space zoom" controversy, and the YouTube TV price increase.

Links and Show Notes:

• The next generation of AI for developers and Google Workspace

• Does It Matter if Samsung's Phone Cameras Fake Their Moon Shots?

• YouTube TV's Price Is Increasing to $73 a Month, and It Makes Me Want to Cancel My Subscription

• Flo's Discord

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YouTube has a new CEO, so we officially say goodbye to Susan Wojcicki and the legacy left behind. Google also revealed when Google I/O 2023 will take place. And Disney thinks it's cheeky putting Baby Yoda into search.

Links and Show Notes:

• wojcicki-youtube-ceo-step-down.html">Susan Wojcicki, YouTube’s Longtime CEO, Says She Will Step Down

• A personal update from Susan

• Google I/O 2023 will be on May 10

• Google teases I/O 2023 with literal input/output puzzle

• Google’s Latest Peek at Android 14 Shows Off iOS-Style Security Features

• takes-on-google-in-new-easter-egg-promoting-the-mandalorian.html">Grogu Fights Google Via Search Engine Easter Egg

• Flo's Discord

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Flo and Andy break down the weirdest and whackiest bits from this week's Mobile World Congress, including folding smartphones and ones that charge too fast. We're not too sure about the Motorola Rizr with a rollable display. Nokia has a budget-priced easy-to-repair smartphone in the U.K., the Pixel Watch finally has fall detection, and Google introduced new widgets this week for Keep.

This episode of Material is sponsored by:

• Rocket Money: Cancel unwanted subscriptions and manage your expenses.
• ExpressVPN: High-Speed, Secure & Anonymous VPN Service. Get an extra three months free.

Links and Show Notes:

• gt3-chinese-firm-claims-smartphone-can-charge-in-9-minutes.html">Chinese startup Realme launches $649 smartphone it says can be fully charged in just over 9 minutes

• Thought 240W was fast? Redmi now has 300W charging tech!

• OnePlus 11 Concept brings water cooling to a phone, with questionable results

• Motorola’s Rizr is back as a concept phone with a rollable screen

• HMD's latest Nokia phone is designed to be repaired in minutes

• Google Starts Rolling Out Fall Detection to the Pixel Watch

• Magic Eraser plus more Google Photos features coming to Google One

• Spring into action with these 9 new features for Android and Wear OS

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We didn't expect this episode to be so religious, but what else did you expect from our 400th episode? We're celebrating our podcast about Google just as a recent ex-Googler spills the I-just-quit tea to everyone willing to read.

Links and Show Notes:

• Our 400th episode anniversary cake

• The maze is in the mouse. What ails Google. And how it can turn…

• Why Did I Leave Google Or, Why Did I Stay So Long?

• Flo's Discord

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Google's chatbot hasn't been officially released, and yet it's delivering a cornucopia of interesting tidbits. Flo is still out this week, so consider this part two of Andy catching you up on how Google is scrambling to join the AI race.

Links and Show Notes:

• chairman-john-hennessy-google-bard-hesitation.html">Alphabet Chairman John Hennessy explains why Google was hesitant to put out its ChatGPT competitor

• Leaked memo shows Google CEO Sundar Pichai is asking staffers for help testing its Bard AI chatbot

• Google's CEO Tells Staff to Spend Hours Working Out 'Bard' AI Kinks

• AI-powered Bing Chat loses its mind when fed Ars Technica article

• Users Report Microsoft's 'Unhinged' Bing AI Is Lying, Berating Them

• The maze is in the mouse. What ails Google. And how it can turn…

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This week's podcast is a beautiful primer on everything that's been going on with Google lately, and you'll want to tune in if you wonder why everyone's scratching their heads at the company lately. Andy will walk you through Google's latest earnings call, including where it's making money and losing it. Plus, what that AI-based event in Paris was all about, and why Google employees aren't too thrilled with Bard, the so-called ChatGPT competitor.

This episode of Material is sponsored by:

• Rocket Money: Cancel unwanted subscriptions and manage your expenses.
• Issuu: Get started with Issuu today for FREE or sign up for an annual premium account and get 50% off
• ExpressVPN: High-Speed, Secure & Anonymous VPN Service. Get an extra three months free.

Links and Show Notes:

• googl-earnings-q4-2022.html">Alphabet misses on earnings and revenue as YouTube falls short

• Google presents: Live from Paris

• In Paris demo, Google scrambles to counter ChatGPT but ends up embarrassing itself

• Google ChatGPT Rival Bard Flubs Fact About NASA's Webb Space Telescope

• employees-slam-ceo-sundar-pichai-for-rushed-bard-announcement.html">Google employees criticize CEO Sundar Pichai for 'rushed, botched' announcement of GPT competitor Bard

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It's been a week. We'll recap everything we saw at Samsung Unpacked and then some. We'll talk about the new SmartThings Station, why Flo's smart home is a mess, and why the Galaxy S23 Ultra is kind of boring. Then, why Google is shaking in its bones about ChatGPT and what it plans to do to outrun it.

Links and Show Notes:

• Samsung Unveils SmartThings Station at CES 2023, Making Smarter Homes Accessible for Everyone
• Everything Samsung Announced at Galaxy Unpacked 2023
• Samsung's Galaxy S23 Ultra Has the Ultimate Smartphone Camera Lens
• Where’s the Galaxy S23’s satellite connectivity, Samsung?
• testing-chatgpt-like-chatbot-apprentice-bard-with-employees.html">Google is asking employees to test potential ChatGPT competitors, including a chatbot called 'Apprentice Bard'
• Google is holding an event about search and AI on February 8th

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Yet again, Flo is out sick this week. But thankfully, we have Andy to hold down the fort and explain why it's been an alarming week for Google. First, there were massive layoffs, with news that resonated through the zeitgeist. And then, the US Department of Justice came down with the antitrust banhammer. What will happen to Google next?

This episode of Material is sponsored by:

• Issuu: Get started with Issuu today for FREE or sign up for an annual premium account and get 50% off

Links and Show Notes:

• Google parent Alphabet is slashing 12,000 jobs: Sundar Pichai emails staff saying he takes ‘full responsibility for the decisions that led us here’

• A difficult decision to set us up for the future

• ceo-defends-layoff-process-in-heated-town-hall-monday.html">Google CEO defends job cuts in animated town hall as employees demand clarity on process

• A major Alphabet investor said the company should cut even more jobs and address 'excessive' pay in the wake of mass layoffs

• files-second-antitrust-lawsuit-against-google.html">DOJ files second antitrust suit against Google, seeks to break up its ad business

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Andy and Flo catch up before discussing the not-so-wild rumor that Google is working on its version of Apple's AirTag tracking mechanism. Then, why is Google pushing its work in AI so hard this week? Does the company doth press release too much? We'll also discuss why the Google Podcasts app may not be long for this world--or at least its integration into search results.

This episode of Material is sponsored by:

• Rocket Money: Cancel unwanted subscriptions and manage your expenses.

Links and Show Notes:

• Google reportedly working on 'Grogu' tracker to compete with Apple's AirTags

• Why we focus on AI (and to what end)

• 7 ways Google is using AI to help solve society's challenges

• research-2022-beyond-language.html">Google Research, 2022 & Beyond: Language, Vision and Generative Models

• Google Podcasts disappears from Google Search

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