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The technology industry isn't thrilled with Arkansas' law requiring social media age checks. NetChoice, a tech trade group that includes Google, Meta and TikTok, has sued the state of Arkansas over claimed US Constitution violations in the Social Media Safety Act. The measure allegedly treads on First Amendment free speech rights by making users hand over private data in order to access social networks. It also "seizes decision making" from families, NetChoice argues.

The alliance also believes the Act hurts privacy and safety by making internet companies rely on a third-party service to store and track kids' data. State residents often don't know or associate with the service, NetChoice claims, and an external firm is supposedly a "prime target" for hacks. The law tries to regulate the internet outside state laws while ignoring federal law, according to the lawsuit. As Arkansas can't verify residency without requiring data, it's effectively asking everyone to submit documents.

State Attorney General Tim Griffin tells Engadget in a statement that he looks forward to "vigorously defending" the Social Media Safety Act. The law requires age verification for all users by submitting driver's licenses and other "commercially reasonable" methods. Anyone under 18 also needs to get a parent's consent. There are exceptions that appear to cover major social networks and their associated categories, such as those for "professional networking" (think LinkedIn) or short entertaining video clips (like TikTok).

Arkansas' requirement is part of a greater trend among politicians to demand age verification for social media. States like Utah, Connecticut and Ohio have either passed or are considering similar laws, while Senator Josh Hawley proposed a federal bill barring all social media access for kids under 16. They're concerned younger users might be exposed to creeps and inappropriate content, and that use can harm mental health by presenting a skewed view of the world and encouraging addiction.

There's no guarantee the lawsuit will succeed. If it does, though, it could affect similar attempts to verify ages through personal data. If Arkansas' approach is deemed unconstitutional, other states might have to drop their own efforts.

Sega is not for sale, according to company COO Shuji Utsumi. The executive told Bloomberg News that the company isn’t open to acquisition talks at the moment, despite rampant speculation that Microsoft was about to swoop in and force a shotgun wedding between Sonic and Master Chief.

Some of these rumors popped up due to a general consolidation trend in the gaming industry, with big fish gobbling up everything in sight. Microsoft’s one of the biggest fish of all and it’s been many years since Sega sat on top of the gaming throne, despite remaining a solid developer and publisher. Also, a potential merger between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard led to the FTC filing an antitrust lawsuit, which is ongoing. During the associated trial, it was revealed that Microsoft had many companies on its wishlist, including Sega. So the rumor mill continued unabated.

Utsumi declined to comment as to whether or not Microsoft approached Sega with an acquisition offer, but touted the “great relationship” between the two companies. This relationship has been on full display in recent years, with former Playstation exclusives from the Yakuza series to the Persona series showing up on Xbox consoles. A next-gen refresh of Yakuza: Like a Dragon was even an Xbox Series X/S exclusive for a few months before going multi-platform.

The budding corporate friendship (aww) is extremely important to Microsoft, as Sega titles are popular in Japan and, well, Xbox consoles aren’t. This is another reason the acquisition rumors spread so readily. However, Sega will remain as Sega Sammy Holdings for the time being, even if documents indicate that Microsoft was, at one point, ready to fork over serious cash to buy the house that Sonic built. Speaking of, there’s a new sidescrolling Sonic title launching later this year along with a new sidescrolling Mario. What is this, 1991?

For some bizarre reason (OK, manywidelyreportedreasons), Twitter is becoming less useful almost by the day. In its latest misstep, it seems the service is no longer letting people who aren't signed in see any tweets.

Until now, logged-out users were still able to check out tweets and user profiles, but at least for the time being, they'll have to either sign up for an account or plug in their login credentials to see whatever unattributed meme Twitter owner Elon Musk pinched today. The Verge spotted the issue, which Engadget has confirmed on multiple browsers and devices.

Twitter won't confirm whether this was a technical error or an intentional decision, as one of Musk's first moves after he took over the company was to all but wipe out its communications team. In any case, logged-out users haven't been able to use Twitter's search function since April.

It's unclear what kind of impact moves such as this and Twitter's API changes will have on things like Google being able to include tweets in its search results. This could also prove a roadblock to services that scrape data from public-facing platforms like Twitter.

Making tweets visible only to signed-in users won't necessarily prompt people to sign up for an account. If someone wants to share a tweet with a person who doesn't use Twitter, they may now be more inclined to send a screenshot than a link, perhaps making it less likely that the non-user will join the service.

Researchers have found that most US adults are spending less time on Twitter after Musk bought the service. You might think Twitter would be doing whatever it could to get more eyes on tweets and ads, given that its advertising revenue is said to have plummeted. Putting up a barrier between potential new users and content perhaps isn't the wisest way to go about that.

The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) plans to perform an in-depth probe into Adobe’s acquisition of Figma, the agency announced today (viaThe Wall Street Journal). Citing concerns about “a substantial lessening of competition” for screen design software, it plans to move into a “phase two” investigation. However, it’s giving the companies five business days to “offer legally binding proposals” to address the concerns; if their response doesn’t satisfy the CMA, the probe will begin. Adobe announced its plans last year to buy its smaller rival for $20 billion.

“The CMA found that Figma has established a substantial share of the market for screen design software and that Adobe has been continuously investing in and competing in this segment,” the UK agency, which recently rejected Microsoft’s proposed $75 billion purchase of Activision, wrote today. “The CMA found that competition between Figma and Adobe has driven investment in updating and developing screen design software, and this important rivalry could be lost if the deal goes ahead.” It described Figma as “an emerging competitive threat” to the Photoshop maker, expressing concerns about the reduced innovation that could come from Adobe scooping up an upstart competitor. The agency said it’s concerned the acquisition could lead to higher costs and fewer / less innovative products.

Adobe’s purchase of San Francisco-based Figma, founded in 2012, would be the largest-ever acquisition for the 41-year-old design behemoth. In Sigma’s 11 years on the market, it has established itself as a popular tool for vector-based design. The cloud-based software specializes in remote collaboration and is a direct competitor to Adobe’s XD and Illustrator products. At the time of the acquisition, Adobe said it wanted to bring features from its Creative Cloud suite into the collaborative software while incorporating more of Figma’s team-focused features into its core products — predictably framing it as a win-win for customers. The company added it was “deeply committed” to keeping Figma an independent company while insisting there was “no plan” to change its pricing — including its free tier.

“We’re worried this deal could stifle innovation and lead to higher costs for companies that rely on Figma and Adobe’s digital tools — as they cease to compete to provide customers with new and better products,” said Sorcha O’Carroll, the CMA’s Senior Mergers Director. “Unless Adobe can put forward viable solutions to our concerns in the coming days, we will move to a more in-depth investigation.”

Sony just announced North American availability for its unique Mocopi motion-tracking system. The tools allow you to control digital avatars in real-time using full body movement, thanks to six motion sensors and a proprietary smartphone app. In addition to real-time control, this translated body movement can be used in videos and 3D animations, via an SDK that imports motion data into affiliated software. 

The obvious use for this is VR, particularly social apps like VRChat, though the technology extends to filmmaking and other creative pursuits. In other words, this is a much easier way to create full-body motion capture footage. If only George Lucas had this when creating the galaxy’s favorite Gungan.

The SDK is now available for major 3D development software suites like Unity, MotionBuilder and Unreal Engine, so expect more CGI characters to begin popping up in indie titles with smaller budgets. Sony says it’s currently expanding the number of partners to develop unique services and features linked to the toolset.

The sensors attach to your head, hip, ankles and wrists, with each tiny sensor weighing just 8 grams. Once attached via Velcro straps, connect to the app via Bluetooth and start recording. Each sensor is completely wireless, thanks to Bluetooth receivers, and includes integrated batteries. The system ships with a variety of avatars to pick from, but you can obviously use your own, just cool it with Sonic. There are already too many animated hedgehogs in VRChat as it is.

Sony’s Mocopi system is available for preorder now, at $450, with shipments starting on July 14. The price is $100 more than when the system was originally announced, though Sony provided no details on the increase. The metaverse must also suffer from inflation.

The July 4th weekend is upon us and, among other things, that means there are deals aplenty to be had. If you’re looking for a set of Apple AirPods (perhaps to help drown out those noisy fireworks), there’s some good news as several models are on sale. Some are available for the lowest prices we've seen for them to date, including the most recent AirPods Pro. Both the second-gen and third-gen regular AirPods are on sale as well. Meanwhile, folks looking for a more premium experience may be tempted by the AirPods Max, which are currently $99 off the usual price.

AirPods Pro

Take, for instance, the AirPods Pro. The second-gen earbuds have big improvements over the first model, including better audio quality, an excellent transparency mode and solid active noise cancellation (ANC). They can be all yours for $199. At $50 off, that's a record low price.

AirPods (third-gen)

As for the standard AirPods, those have dropped by $10 to $159 — a more modest discount, but a deal nonetheless. We feel that Apple’s third-gen earbuds have much better audio quality than the previous generation, a more comfortable design and a greatly improved battery life. However, they don't have an ANC mode.

AirPods (second-gen)

Those looking for a less expensive, but still very capable set of AirPods can opt for the previous model. They're on sale for $99, which is $30 off the regular price. While the second-gen AirPods are four years old at this point, they're still a good set of true wireless earbuds. That's more true if you're already invested in the Apple ecosystem, given how well AirPods mesh with the company's other devices.

AirPods Max

Last but by no means least, there's a solid deal on Apple's premium AirPods Max as well. The over-ear headphones have dropped by $99 to $450 as part of the sale. That's close to a record-low price. We feel that AirPods Max have excellent audio quality and great ANC, along with a good battery life. These won't be the ideal headphones for most people (you can certainly find more budget-friendly options elsewhere). But folks entrenched in the Apple ecosystem who are looking for over-ear cans may find this deal worth considering.

Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter and subscribe to the Engadget Deals newsletter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.

A group of bipartisan senators are said to have asked Meta to explain Instagram's alleged failure to prevent child sexual abuse material (CSAM) from being shared among networks of pedophiles on the platform. Lawmakers from the Senate Judiciary Committee also want to know how Instagram's algorithms brought users who want to share such content together in the first place, according to The Wall Street Journal.

In a letter to the company, 10 senators including committee chair Dick Durbin and Republican ranking member Lindsey Graham reportedly said they were “gravely concerned that lnstagram’s failure to prevent this perverse use of its algorithms is not due to a lack of ability, but instead a lack of initiative and motivation." They are said to to be worried that Meta doesn't seem to have made CSAM one of its main priorities, "especially when its platform directly facilitates and bolsters the black market for child sexual abuse material.”

They demanded answers on why Instagram didn't detect that CSAM was being shared and what the platform is doing to prevent the same thing from happening again. The senators also want to know more about a task force Meta says it has set up to tackle these issues. They asked the company to respond by July 12th. Engadget has requested a copy of the letter.

Earlier this month, the Journal reported that Meta's algorithms helped to "connect and promote a vast network of accounts" that propagated CSAM. The report suggested that pedophiles are buying and selling CSAM on Instagram. Meta says it has set up a task force to address the issue. It pledged to take down CSAM networks and says it's trying to prevent its systems from putting potential abusers in contact with each other.

Meta has declined to comment on the letter, instead reiterating its statement on the Journal's initial report. “Child exploitation is a horrific crime,” it said, “We’re continuously investigating ways to actively defend against this behavior.”

A European Union official has also ordered Meta to address CSAM issues quickly, warning that the company may face heavy sanctions otherwise. From the end of August, Meta and other major tech platforms will have to comply with the bloc's Digital Services Act, which has specific rules on how they have to handle issues like CSAM. If a company doesn't comply with the act, it can face fines of as much as six percent of its annual global turnover.

Amazon has announced that Prime Day 2023 will begin on July 11th, but you don't have to wait until then to get a good deal. The company has started to roll out a few early Prime Day deals before the two-day shopping event officially commences, including, as expected, several discounts on its own devices and services. We've rounded up the best early access Prime Day deals we can find below. Remember that you'll need to subscribe to Prime to take advantage of many (but not all) of the offers, and that there's always a chance that prices drop lower during the event itself. For those with no interest in Prime, we've also included a few of the best tech deals from this week that aren't explicitly tied to the event. We'll stay on the lookout as Prime Day gets nearer and update this roundup with new offers as they arise.

Amazon's Fire HD 10 tablet

Prime members can save 50 percent on Amazon’s Fire HD 10 tablet right now, which is $75 off its $150 list price, and the lowest we’ve seen for the company’s largest slate. It’s a decent entertainment companion, letting you stream video, browse the web, get sucked into social media and make Zoom calls. It has a 1080p screen resolution, 3GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. Note that the 50 percent discount applies to the version with lockscreen ads, so you’ll see promotions on both when your device is in sleep mode and at the bottom of your home screen. If you want a Fire HD 10 without ads, you’ll pay $90, which is still a 45 percent discount, but again, only for Prime members

Echo Buds (2023)

The latest generation of Echo Buds just came out in May yet they’re already 30 percent off at Amazon for Prime members. Usually $50, you can get them for $35, which is $15 off and the lowest price we’ve seen yet. For the third generation of Amazon’s buds, the company dropped the starting price $70 lower than the second gen buds, but also removed the active noise cancellation and changed the shape to eliminate the in-ear tip. Most other specs stayed the same, including built-in Alexa assistance and customizable tap controls. The charge capacity of the case actually went up by a few hours, giving you 20 total hours from the buds and case combined.

Amazon Kindle Unlimited 3-month membership

If you're a Prime member who has never subscribed to Kindle Unlimited, you can get a three-month trial to Amazon's e-book service for no extra cost. Normally, the subscription goes for $12 a month after a 30-day free trial. Just note that the membership will be set to auto-renew by default. As a refresher, Kindle Unlimited makes a selection of e-books, audiobooks and digital magazines accessible on-demand. It doesn't include every e-book in the Kindle library, but it may still be worthwhile if you're a particularly avid reader. If nothing else, this deal makes it easier to figure out if it's worth paying for. 

Audible Premium Plus 3-month membership

Similar to that Kindle Unlimited offer, Prime members who are new to Audible Premium Plus can get three months of the audiobook service for free. This membership usually costs $14.95 a month after a 30-day free trial, so you're saving about $30. Premium Plus is Audible's upper tier: Like the less expensive Audible Plus, it provides an assortment of audiobooks, podcasts and other audio content you can access on-demand. The main difference is that it also includes a monthly credit that you can use to buy any book in the Audible store permanently. As with Kindle Unlimited, Premium Plus will be most worth it if you burn through audiobooks and podcasts quickly, but this extended trial is a comfier way to see if it's useful. Again, be aware that the subscription will be set to auto-renew by default.

Motorola Razr+

The foldable Moto Razr+, which went on sale just this week, is already getting a 15 percent discount at Amazon for Prime Day. The promo is only for Prime members and you’ll need to request an invite, after which you’ll be able to buy the phone on prime day for the discounted price. While jumping through Amazon’s hoops is mildly annoying, doing so will get you an unlocked Razr+ $850 instead of $1,000.

We spent some time with the new foldable before it came out and gave it a full review upon its debut. The verdict? Samsung’s Galaxy foldables have some serious competition. The Razr+ has a 6.9-inch screen when open and offers a 3.6-inch screen when folded, which is much larger than the 1.9-inch exterior screen on the Galaxy Z Flip 4. The foldable design unlocks different uses, including acting as its own tripod and taking up less space in your pocket. Plus the compact puck has a cool retro vibe, while feeling futuristic at the same time.

Eero Pro routers

A number of Eero and Eero Pro WiFi router packs have been discounted for Prime members ahead of the shopping event. You can pick up one Eero router for as low as $45, or an Eero Pro router for $70. We recommend going for the Eero Pro if you can, since it's a tri-band system that supports speeds up to 1Gbps and covers slightly more square feet than the standard Eero does. Just keep in mind that these are not the latest Eero systems; for WiFi 6 support, you'll have to shell out a bit more money for an Eero 6 set.

Amazon Eero 6+ system + FireTV Stick 4K Max

If you’ve signed up for gigabit internet from your ISP, this might be a good time to get a mesh WiFi system that can deliver those speeds. Right now Amazon is selling three Eero 6+ mesh WiFi routers bundled with a FireTV Stick 4K Max for $195 to Prime members. That’s $160 less than you’d pay for the four devices separately. The streaming device can turn any TV smart and supports not just 4K video, but also the enhanced throughput of WiFi 6. If you don’t need the FireTV Stick, the three Eero 6+ mesh routers alone are selling for the same $195, which is a 35 percent discount off the list price.

Apple AirPods Pro (2nd gen)

Apple's second-generation AirPods Pro are back on sale for $200, which is $50 off their usual rate and a record low. These remain the best true wireless earbuds for Apple lovers, even though the company didn't overhaul their design with the latest update. All of the new features are under the hood, with Apple noticeably improving sound quality, noise cancellation and transparency mode.

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom is $10 off at Amazon and Walmart, bringing the hit Switch game down to a more traditional price of $60. As our review notes, Tears of the Kingdom doesn't stray too far from Breath of the Wild, but it enriches its landmark predecessor's ideas with a full-size underworld, fantastical sky islands and malleable crafting mechanics. Most importantly, it gets the core promise of a Zelda game right: that sense of being and adventuring in another world.

There are a few other video game deals of note. For the Switch, Metroid Dread, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 and Fire Emblem: Three Houses are each down to $42, the remake of the classic RPG Live A Live is down to $35 and the Portal Companion Collection is on sale for $10. Over on PC, the open-world racer Forza Horizon 5 is down to $30, while Prime members can claim a couple of underrated older gems, the space FPS Prey and the 2D Metroidvania SteamWorld Dig 2, for no added cost.

Samsung Pro Plus microSD card

The 128GB version of Samsung's latest Pro Plus microSD card is down to a new low of $13. That's $6 off its MSRP. If you need more space, the 512GB model is within a few cents of its best price at $43.52. The Pro Plus is the top pick in our guide to the best microSD cards, as it finished at or near the top of all of our sequential and random speed tests. It also comes with a 10-year warranty.

Apple Watch Series 8

Apple’s flagship smartwatch, the Apple Watch Series 8, usually sells for $399 for the 41mm GPS model, but right now Amazon is selling it for $329, which matches its all-time low. The smartwatch has dipped to this discount quite a few times over the last few months and this time it applies to the Midnight, Silver and Starlight colorways, not the Product Red version. The option with the larger, 45mm case is currently $359, or 16 percent off its usual $429, but only in Midnight or Starlight — Product Red and Silver are not on sale. The Series 8 is our top pick in our guide to smartwatches because it combines detailed health and fitness tracking with seamless iPhone integration. New features include temperature sensors, ECG and blood oxygen readings, crash detection, and improved sleep metrics.

Apple iPad (9th gen)

The 64GB model of Apple's 9th-gen iPad is down to $250 at Amazon, matching the lowest price we've tracked. You'll see the price listed as $279 and an additional $29 discount will apply at checkout. Apple normally sells the device for $329, though we've seen it retail closer to $275 in recent months. This is the budget pick in our iPad buying guide: It lacks the accessory support, thinner bezels and laminated display of the iPad Air, but it's by far the most affordable route into iPadOS, and it remains fast and comfortable enough for casual reading, streaming and gaming. It's also the only current iPad with a headphone jack.

Apple MacBook Air M1

Apple's M1 MacBook Air is back on sale for $800, which is a deal we've seen multiple times before but ties the laptop's all-time low. Like the 9th-gen iPad, the M1 MacBook Air is on the older side these days; if you can afford the newest Air with an updated design, better webcam and faster M2 chip, it's worth doing so. But if you just want a competent MacBook to do light work and web browsing for as little cash as possible, the M1 Air remains a solid value at this price. Its keyboard, trackpad and battery life are still excellent, and the M1 chip is still fast enough for the essentials. Just make sure you stick to lighter workloads, though, as this model only has 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. 

Xbox Series X + bonus controller bundle

Microsoft had a big showing at this month's Summer Game Fest, so if you planned on picking up an Xbox Series X before Starfield and Forza Motorsport arrive, note that Verizon is selling the $500 console with a second controller for no extra cost. That isn't anything crazy, but spare Xbox controllers normally go for $50 or so, and discounts of any kind for the Series X have been few and far between. In fact, Microsoft said this week that it's raising the price of the console in much of the world on August 1. The $300 Xbox Series S is still a strong value for those who don't care about top-of-the-line hardware, but if you need a disc drive and more consistent performance, the Series X is your best bet.

Shark RV1001AE

Shark makes some of our favorite robot vacuums and right now the Shark RV1001AE is half price, making it $300 instead of its $600 street price. This model has a bagless, self-emptying base, that you won’t have to empty for quite some time as it has a claimed capacity of up to 45 days. While we didn’t try this exact model, we’ve found vacs from Shark to be easy to set up and appreciate Shark’s easy-to-use companion app. Shark’s mapping function is also accurate and the bagless base will save you money in the long run as buying device-specific bags can get pricey.

Samsung QN90B 55-inch 4K TV

The 55-inch version of Samsung's QN90B, a recommendation from our gaming TV buying guide, has dropped to $998. That's a new all-time low. Most reviews say this TV delivers enough brightness for well-lit rooms, with smooth motion performance and richer contrast than most non-OLED TVs thanks to its Mini LED backlighting. It also has four full HDMI 2.1 ports and can play up to 120 Hz in 4K. It still can't match the contrast, response time or viewing angles of a good OLED TV, but it should be better equipped for rooms plagued by glare. Like most Samsung TVs, however, it doesn't support Dolby Vision HDR. Samsung has replaced this 2022 model with the new QN90C, but the 55-inch version of that set currently costs $600 more, so the QN90B remains the better value for the time being. 

Samsung Galaxy Watch 5

The Samsung Galaxy Watch 5 is down to $229 for a 40mm model and $259 for a 44mm model. Neither deal represents an all-time low, but both are within $10 of their best prices to date. We gave the Galaxy Watch 5 a score of 85 last year, and it's currently the "best for Android users" pick in our smartwatch buying guide. While its battery life could be better, its design is durable and attractive, its OS is easy to navigate and its health tracking is relatively comprehensive. Samsung is expected to announce a Galaxy Watch 6 in the coming weeks, however, so it may be worth waiting to see how that model stacks up if you don't need a new smartwatch right this instant.

Google Pixel 7a + Pixel Buds A-Series

Amazon knocked $100 off a bundle that includes the Google Pixel 7a smartphone and the Pixel Buds A-Series, bringing it down to $499. This is a great bundle if you've needed a phone upgrade but didn't want to spend a ton of money. The Pixel 7a is the best midrange phone you can get right now, thanks to its fast Tensor G2 chipset, smooth 90Hz display, IP67 water resistance, fantastic cameras and support for wireless charging. The Pixel Buds A-Series are almost the earbud-complement to the Pixel 7a — they're not as feature-rich as the Pixel Buds Pro, but they have deep Google Assistant integration, solid sound quality and a comfy fit.

Your Prime Day Shopping Guide: See all of our Prime Day coverage. Shop the best Prime Day deals on Yahoo Life. Follow Engadget for the best Amazon Prime Day tech deals. Learn about Prime Day trends on In the Know, and hear from Autoblog’s car experts on must-shop auto-related Prime Day deals.

ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, has debuted a new app designed to make it easier for creators to compose and edit music they could use for their content. The app called Ripple is only available in the US for now, and the company is testing it in a closed beta environment. ByteDance says it can assist creators in the way portable smart digital audio workstations (DAWs) can and is perhaps most useful for beginners and anybody who'd rather not deal with more complex systems. It was also designed to make it easier for creators to add custom soundtracks to their short-form videos for TikTok and other platforms.

Ripple can create songs in various genres based on a melody the user hums. The app prompts them into humming into the phone mic and then generates instrumentals they can use, such as drums, bass and piano. The length of the song output will match the length of the input, though — the app can't generate a full soundtrack from just a few seconds of humming. Also, Ripple can only generate instrumental music, leaving the vocal work to creators.

ByteDance told us that Ripple's model was trained on music it owns and music that was licensed to the company. The company also said that it's committed to respecting the rights of its artists and its rightsholder partners. To note, there have been concerns about the source of data used to train artificial intelligence systems and algorithms. Just recently, a lawsuit seeking class action status was filed against OpenAI, accusing it of violating the copyrights and privacy of countless individuals by using data scraped from the internet to train the model used for ChatGPT. 

At the moment, Ripple is invite-only, and ByteDance doesn't have further rollout plans yet. Those who want to check it out before anybody else can visit Ripple.club, where they can find a download link for the app on iOS and from where they can request an invite.

This episode, Cherlynn is joined by senior writer Sam Rutherford and senior commerce editor at Wired Julian Chokkattu to talk about our reviews of the Pixel Fold. Will the recent spate of foldables by companies like Motorola and Google give Samsung some real competition and motivation to step up its game? We can only wait to find out. Samsung is holding its next Galaxy Unpacked in late July, and we’ll see what it will unveil then. This episode, we also take a look at the latest addition to the Google Graveyard and the state of the podcast industry.

Listen below or subscribe on your podcast app of choice. If you've got suggestions or topics you'd like covered on the show, be sure to email us or drop a note in the comments! And be sure to check out our other podcasts, the Morning After and Engadget News!

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Topics

• Google’s Pixel Fold is the challenger Samsung needs – 1:22

• Google has given up on making its own AR glasses, will focus on AR software – 38:50

• Automotive organization SAE will create a standard version of Tesla’s charging plug for EVs – 45:19

• SiriusXM will shut down widely used podcast app Stitcher on August 29 – 52:11

• RIP John Goodenough, inventor of the lithium-ion battery – 54:53

• Working on – 56:01

• Pop culture picks – 59:02

Livestream

Credits
Hosts: Cherlynn Low and Sam Rutherford
Guest: Julian Chokkattu
Producer: Ben Ellman
Music: Dale North and Terrence O'Brien
Livestream producers: Julio Barrientos
Graphic artists: Joel Chokkattu and Brian Oh