Category: Mobile Devices

Jon Westfall and I discuss:

• Microphone hardware noise cancellation
• ByteDance also turned off CapCut as well as TikTok (briefly)
  
• Adobe Podcast Studio (beta) new AudioGram feature
• Microsoft Office apps unsupported on Windows 10 after Windows 10 sunsets on Oct. 14 2025
• Microsoft Copilot now included in Microsoft 365 (Office) personal & family editions
• Google Adds Gemini AI to Workspace Apps, But There’s a Catch
• Jon’s Time Tracking using the self-hosted TimeTagger

Available via Apple iTunes.
MobileViews YouTube Podcasts channel
MobileViews Podcast on Audible.com

I had Google NotebookLM write this podcast summary using the actual audio podcast that Jon Westfall and I recorded. I also had it generate a 9 minute audio podcast summary of the original podcast using NotebookLM’s audio summary feature.

NotebookLM generated summaries (with Todd’s edits)

Todd Ogasawara and Dr. John Westfall discuss their underwhelming perception of CES 2025, focusing on the prevalence of vaporware and concepts over readily available products (as is normal for CES announcements).  They highlight a few items of interest though, including an **AI-powered fan**, a **robot vacuum with a robotic arm**, and a **petal-shaped camera**,  comparing these to existing technologies.  The podcast also features discussions on **older technologies**,  **consumer tech blind spots**, and the importance of **disaster preparedness**.  Finally, they share anecdotes about their experiences with various tech products and companies.

Timeline of Main Events Discussed in the Podcast

• Pre-January 12, 2025:
• Past CES Events: The speakers, Todd and John, discuss previous CES events, noting a trend of companies showing concepts and vaporware that often don’t ship, or ship with major changes. They recall the Mudra band being announced for the Apple Watch, but its features were made redundant by Apple itself by the time it shipped.
• Previous Technology: Todd and John had various experiences with technology, such as earlier Bluetooth headsets, earlier versions of Apple Watch, Microsoft Surface products, various earbuds and more, and recall Microsoft’s push of ActiveX technology.
• January 12, 2025:
• CES 2025: The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) of 2025 takes place, and is found by Todd and John to be underwhelming as many of the devices seem to be recycled concepts from years past, or things that don’t make it to market.
• Todd’s Observations: Todd identifies two interesting items at CES: a Dreo “Poly Fan 707s” with AI to detect and follow people and adjust airflow and a RoboRock robot vacuum with a robotic arm that picks up objects.
• John’s Observations: John finds the Petal Camera from Wonder, which is similar to the bird feeders with built-in cameras he has seen advertised recently, to be interesting, although unnecessary.
• Other CES Mentions: There is mention of a laptop with a “rolling screen” that expands vertically. Nvidia’s new mini PC with its AI engine is also mentioned.
• Podcast Recording: Todd and John record podcast episode 544, discussing their experiences at CES 2025 and the state of tech.
• Earbud Review: Todd describes reviewing a unique pair of over-the-ear earbuds that have a touchscreen on the case and UV sanitization feature.
• Headphone Test: Todd mentions testing over-the-ear Bluetooth headphones and evaluating their microphone quality, in preparation for the podcast.
• Microsoft Money Mention: There is an aside about how some people still use old software, like Microsoft Money 2002.
• Recent Past (within the past month):
• AirPods Pro 2 Experience: Two of John’s friends purchased AirPods Pro 2 during holiday sales and were impressed, leading to a conversation about tech “blind spots.”
• Todd’s Surface Pro 11 Issues: Todd’s relatively new Microsoft Surface Pro 11 experienced a battery drain issue and is now only used sparingly, partially due to incompatibility issues with software like Insta 360 Studio. He discusses the poor history he has had with the Surface line of products.
• Google AI Studio Discovery: Todd discovers Kevin Stravik’s video on Google AI Studio and notes its features for analyzing and manipulating spreadsheets.
• Recent Power Jetties: Todd’s home in Hawaii has experienced ten multi-hour power outages in 2024, making him think about disaster preparedness.
• Recent California Wildfires: The LA wildfires prompt discussion about disaster preparedness.
• Recent Personal Disasters: Todd mentions that a 25-year food bucket he had been storing had passed its expiration date, and he purchased a new one. He also recalls a personal experience preparing for a tsunami in the past where he made a list, and when it was needed, he realized that he had forgotten to add in that he had a child since the time that list was created.

For this end of 2024 podcast, I’m joined once again by the Google NotebookLM podcast bots. And, once again, I used the beta-release interactive chat mode to interject during the podcast bots discussion. Note: the image used for this podcast was generated by Meta’s Messenger AI.

Note: Jon Westfall will rejoin the podcast for the first podcast of 2025.

NotebookLM’s summary of the podcast:
MobileViews Podcast 541, Part 2, focuses on listener tech complaints. Adam Lein criticizes the inconsistencies of USB-C charging, while Todd Ogasawara suggests improvements to USB-C cable standardization. Jason Dunn expresses frustration with limitations of the Google Pixel 9 Pro’s Gemini AI, particularly regarding locked-screen voice access. Finally, Ogasawara lists further grievances, including Google’s discontinuation of Google Podcasts and its VPN service, and the lack of a Pixel Tablet 2 and wider availability of Microsoft’s Recall feature.

Available via Apple iTunes.
MobileViews YouTube Podcasts channel
MobileViews Podcast on Audible.com

In this podcast, Jon Westfall and I discuss:

• iPadOS 18.2 public beta 2 – Image Playground
• Google Gemini app now available for iPhone
• YouTube Premium new AI “Ask” function for YouTube Android app
• Todd’s M4 Mac mini impressions
• Jon’s M4 Pro MacBook Pro impressions
• Homebrew package manger for Jon’s new Mac installation
• Jon finally got around to trying the WorkOutDoors app
• Jon subscribed to ChatGPT Premium to make custom GPTs. His first project: Constructive Student Paper Feedback

Available via Apple iTunes.
MobileViews YouTube Podcasts channel
MobileViews Podcast on Audible.com

Jon Westfall and I are joined by frequent guest panelists Sven Johannsen and Don Sorcinelli for this podcast.

• I note that Windows 10 is one year away from its End Of Life data (Oct. 14, 2025). My plan is to convert my un-upgradeable Windows 10 laptop (a 2019 HP Envy with an AMD Ryzen processor) to ChromeOS Flex
• Logitech’s apparent environmental influenced design choice to build keyboards using non-rechargeable batteries (alkaline or lithium)
• Don and Sven’s initial Android OS 15 impressions on their new Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro (respectively) phones
• The recently announced, and soon to be available, iPad mini A17 Pro (which we refer to as the iPad mini 7)

Available via Apple iTunes.
MobileViews YouTube Podcasts channel
MobileViews Podcast on Audible.com

In this podcast Jon Westfall and I discuss:

• GNU APL
• J901 for iPad: Inspired by APL. APL & J both created by Ken Iverson
• Google is developing tools to let you run Debian in a VM on Android
• Apple Watch Vitals is detects illnesses before they appear. Oura ring has done this for a number of years now. Is it useful to know that you’re about to get sick?
• Heart rate monitor
• Blood Pressure needs to be taken properly
• Finger mouse vs. vertical mouse vs. conventional mouse
• Android OS 15
• Mac mini M4, iPad mini 7?

Available via Apple iTunes.
MobileViews YouTube Podcasts channel
MobileViews Podcast on Audible.com