Hosted by Andy Ihnatko and Florence Ion.
Material is a weekly discussion about the Google and Android universe. Your intrepid hosts try to answer the question, “What holds up the digital world?” The answer, so far, is that it’s Google all the way down.
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Latest Episodes
#159: Dark Thoughts of Revenge
July 12th, 2018 · 74 minutes
We're not feeling vengeful right now, but we are feeling rambly. Flo has some gripes to get out of at the beginning of the episode, while Andy shows off a trick he figured out for exporting his Google Play Music playlists. The two also discuss the exciting concept behind the TicWatch Pro, regulating tech companies that track users, and Vanity Fair…
#158: Jail with a Capital G
July 6th, 2018 · 67 minutes
We are posting a day late this week, but it's just in time to catch you headed into the weekend! Let Andy and Flo start you off with a rousing discussion of silly, Internet-connected things. The duo also discusses the Google Home outage that took place before the holiday (and subsequent apology), Google's picks for Android Excellence Apps (includi…
#157: Use Your Radio Voice
June 28th, 2018 · 70 minutes
Andy and Flo have finally figured out how to use Android Messages on the web. And they're better off for it. The duo talk tips, how to converse with your Google Home like it's a real person, and the latest Google Maps update. There's also some talk on the Nvidia Shield and how it's still a formidable Android TV player, as well as all those Googl…
#156: Waiting for Google
June 21st, 2018 · 67 minutes
Like in Waiting for Godot, does it ever feel like you're just waiting for Google to figure out its app trajectory? We can't even get Android Messages for the web to work. Andy and Flo spend the better part of this week wishing and waiting for Google to settle on what's next.
#155: Everything is an Assistant
June 14th, 2018 · 79 minutes
Andy and Flo wish they were playing outside, enjoying the new late afternoon sun. Instead, they're on this week's show, wondering aloud if there were ever a more precocious time than the one we're in now, where AI can be programmed to do nearly everything for us. The pair also discusses the latest soccer—er, football app controversy, and whether…
#154: Hey Google, Make Me a Movie
June 7th, 2018 · 66 minutes
We didn't ask for Google Photos to make us a movie out of screenshots, but it did it anyway! This week, Andy and Flo espouse the benefits of Chrome OS and the weirdness of YouTube Music. There's also ample discussion about where Google Lens is most useful in real life, why the egg is missing from Android's salad emoji, and whether we'll see smart …
#153: A Server Farm’s Opinion
May 31st, 2018 · 73 minutes
Andy and Flo start off this week wondering what attracts them to certain robot voices, and how that will inform their choices with the Google Home's latest voices update. The duo then delves into AN EARTHQUAKE and a bit of leftover discussion on Google's Pentagon contracts before musing over Essential's future as an Android player. And for those o…
#152: Will YouTube Music Fix Everything?
May 24th, 2018 · 74 minutes
This week, Andy and Flo are left wondering whether a new music service from Google really means that it's figured out what to do with its music apps. The two discuss YouTube Music and its impact on Google's future as a music provider. And is porn next? Probably not, but it's a way to segue to a warning that there's a little talk of porn on this we…
#151: Material 151
May 17th, 2018 · 66 minutes
The common thread this week is Google Duplex, and we're not just talking about what it can do. We're musing about its effectiveness and how it will exist alongside the ordinary world (whatever that means in this day and age). Andy and Flo also discuss the newly dubbed Google One service and how it will affect their freelance lives (it won't, and t…
#150: Material and chill
May 11th, 2018 · 62 minutes
This week is a crazy week, which is why you're seeing us a day later than usual! Russell joins Andy and Flo once more before heading to space to recap the Google I/O 2018 keynote. The three comrades discuss everything from Google Duplex's human-like intonations to their shared disappointment over still not being able to remove fences from photos t…