Category: podcast

Jon Westfall and I are joined by frequent guest panelists Sven Johannsen and Don Sorcinelli for this podcast. After a brief rant (by me) lamenting the continuing movement from one-time purchases to subscription models (Apple’s Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro), we focus announcement from last week’s Google I/O.

• Apple brings Final Cut Pro and Logic Pro to iPad
  iPad versions are subscription vs. one-time payment for MacOS versions
• Google I/O 2023
• Pixel Fold Trade-in and Google overpaying for trade-in value
• Google Fold
• Google Pixel Tablet
• Google Pixel 7a
• Google Bard updates as of 2023.05.10
  one-click options to export content generated by Bard, including formatting, directly into Google Docs and Gmail.
• Google Labs
• Google Photos Magic Editor
• Google MusicLM
  More Muzak than Music
• Introducing Duet AI for Google Cloud – an AI-powered collaborator
  Google’s response to Microsoft Copilot
  Although Google calls everything Workspace, commercial or consumer, Duet AI appears to only apply to commercial accounts.
• Google Find my Device

Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.

MobileViews Podcast from Audible.com

In this podcast, Jon Westfall and I discuss:

• Happy Military Brats Day
• Windows 10 won’t receive any more feature updates
  Windows 10 will reach end of support on October 14, 2025
• Another cloud-dependent hardware product bites the dust
  Our decision to wind down Amazon Halo

  We are fully refunding customer purchases made in the preceding 12 months, and we are supporting impacted employees.

  Beginning on August 1, 2023, Amazon Halo devices, and the Amazon Halo app, will no longer function.

• Service for MSN Companion shutdown October 2003
• Microsoft SPOT watch service turned off Jan. 1, 2012
• Pogoplug shut down Sept. 28, 2016
• I expect Google to do away with the Fitbit within the next 24 months. It has already removed features: 1) Fitbit Charge 5 lost the stair climbing counter that was in the Charge 4. 2) It shutdown the community driven daily challenges for groups this year.

Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.

MobileViews Podcast from Audible.com

This is a follow-up to questions that were unanswered in MobileViews Podcast 456 & 457

• Question: How can you point a device directly to the Amazon Eero’s 2.4 or 5GHz frequencies. Answer you can’t. In my experience, other WiFi access point/routers let you designated separate SSIDs for each frequence. This is the reply I received from Amazom:
  

  eero Mesh network does not split the bands for .24 and 5ghz – Both bands broadcasting at the same time – the Device itself chooses what band to connect to.

• Google VPN is now part of the Google One subscription bundle. This is true for even the less expensive subscription tier ($20/year). Google VPN supports Android (of course), iOS/iPadOS, Windows, and MacOS. However, it does not support Google’s own ChromeOS/Chromebooks. This is Google’s reply to my question.
  

  Please be informed that Google One VPN is not yet available in Chromebook as of the moment, but we are thankful about the idea. Currently the VPN by Google is available in Windows, MacOS and Android phones but please know that our Engineering team is working very hard to enhance the product and I’ll be glad to send this feedback to our specialist hopefully to make this possible in the near future.

• How can you use time durations in calculations? E.g, add 50 minutes to 20 minutes. The site Office Watch has an excellent article explaining how to do this using cell Custom Formats.
  

  Time durations are possible in Excel

In this podcast, Todd Ogasawara and Jon Westfall discuss:

• Todd finally created a Mastodon account: @mobileviews
• Google VPN now part of Google One lowest tier package ($20/year). Took it for a spin. It works on Android, iOS, Windows, and Mac. But, oddly, it does NOT appear to work with a Chromebook.
• Bard now helps you code
  Catching up with Bing/GitHub Copilot. It can also help write function for Google Sheets

  I can help you write functions for Google Sheets in a few ways. First, I can help you understand the syntax of Google Sheets functions. Second, I can help you debug your functions. Third, I can help you improve the performance of your functions.

  Here are some specific examples of how I can help you with each of these tasks:

  Understanding the syntax of Google Sheets functions: I can help you understand the syntax of Google Sheets functions by providing you with examples and explanations. For example, I can show you how to use the SUM() function to add up the values in a range of cells.
  Debugging your functions: I can help you debug your functions by identifying and fixing errors in your code. For example, I can help you identify errors in your function arguments or in your logic.
  Improving the performance of your functions: I can help you improve the performance of your functions by optimizing your code. For example, I can help you avoid unnecessary loops or calculations.

• Thinking aloud: Can Bing/Bard help keep mainframes running?
  Harking back to my misspent youth thinking about how to emulate/preserve domain-based knowledge.I wonder if LLM + old-school rule-based expert systems might be useful in domains with few human experts.
• Discussion Topic: What do you want to see at WWDC (6 weeks away) Rumors starting to heat upMacRumors Roundup
• Jon’s Mini Rant: Why is duration calculations such a stupid thing in MS Excel (e.g., See this)

Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.

MobileViews Podcast from Audible.com

In this podcast, Jon Westfall and I discuss:

• Make Something Wonderful
  Free book. Collections of Steve Jobs’ speeches interviews, and correspondence
• Microsoft Designer preview access
• Todd’s outdoor ABSGEEGA wireless lavalier microphone tests
• Raspberry Pi Org’s web code editor (free)
• The End of Computer Magazines in America
• WiFi routers, WiFi 6 / 6E
• Apple Fitness challenges/goals

Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.

MobileViews Podcast from Audible.com

In this podcast, I speak with Kieran Garcia, Microsoft Senior Modern Work Specialist. We discuss Microsoft Copilot, Loop, and Designer. All are in preview releases. And, interestingly, Loop and Designer previews are currently only available for consumer subscriptions (vs. enterprise/government).

Available via Google Music Podcasts and Apple iTunes.

MobileViews Podcast from Audible.com