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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#429: People Use Google Because It's Helpful

September 14th, 2023 · 76 minutes

Google is officially on trial the same week Apple reminds us why some people can't get enough of its walled garden. Wired interviews Sundar Pichai.

#428: Corporations Aren’t People

September 7th, 2023 · 63 minutes

Google looks back on 25 years of search, just as it announces it's requiring disclaimers on AI-generation political ads. Also, did Android need a capital A?

#427: I’m So Itchy

September 2nd, 2023 · 69 minutes

Google announces the next phase of AI infusion in Workspace. The company also leaked the new Pixel 8 before announcing a launch event in October. The modular Fairphone 5 is excellent but missing what makes everyone buy Apple and Samsung.

#426: Rhubarbs That Turn Into Donnybrooks

August 25th, 2023 · 54 minutes

We answer burning questions, like what Google wants with Johnny Cash's likeness and why it ceased development on an AR/VR device with Samsung. Sorry, parents, YouTube has been targeting ads to kids.

#425: Hump Day

August 17th, 2023 · 70 minutes

Robo taxis are a menace to society, or at least it seems that way in San Francisco. Flo shares her final thoughts on Samsung and Google's foldables. And Google introduces a batch of new AI tools to help summarize web pages on the fly.

#424: Attention K-Mart Shoppers

August 11th, 2023 · 70 minutes

Prepare to get more of Johnny Cash singing Europop hits, as Google is working with Universal on deep fake AI-based music. You can listen to it while making Android apps in your browser. The future!

#423: Fold vs. Fold

August 3rd, 2023 · 70 minutes

Flo has the Pixel Fold and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 in hand, while Andy leads us in a game of "Is This Thing Google's Doing Evil, Or Not?"

#422: New Winds Ahead

July 28th, 2023 · 64 minutes

Flo is back! The two hosts catch up on life over the last nine weeks and discuss the results of Alphabet's latest quarterly earnings, plus Samsung's foldables.

#421: The Me Show

July 20th, 2023 · 78 minutes

Flo is back next week! So Andy is exploiting this final solo episode to make it all about Him. His frustrations about saving web archives from Chrome. He still heroically pivots to his own opinions about technology’s responsibilities to move the needle.

#420: The Snowball of Trust

July 14th, 2023 · 80 minutes

Andy’s joined by a special guest this week: Jason Howell, host of All About AndroidA new rash of civil lawsuits that content creators have filed against Google and other makers of AI language models. And then we talk phones.