Engadget Podcast 158 - 08.07.2009
By Trent Wolbe 
posted Aug 7th 2009 2:30PM
posted Aug 7th 2009 2:30PM
The gang's all here, folks! Yes, it's been a rough couple weeks apart, but Josh, Paul, and Nilay have finally managed to reunite, and Engadget Podcast 158 is the happy result. Join the boys as they take Apple to task for its recent App Store shenanigans and the dismissal of Eric Schmidt from the board of directors, pick apart the Windows 7 upgrade matrix, and then shift into cruising gear for a run to The Shack and some quick thoughts on a trio of new cameras. Yeah, it's good to be back.
Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Song: Ruby Soho
Hear the podcast
00:02:20 - FCC queries AT&T, Apple on Google Voice iPhone app rejection
00:03:10 - Google's Eric Schmidt resigns from Apple board over "conflict of interest"
00:12:40 - Phil Schiller says Apple didn't censor a dictionary.
00:35:15 - Official Windows 7 upgrade chart is ridiculous
00:45:20 - The Shack! Radio Shack's current bid for relevance
00:52:43 - Nikon Coolpix S1000pj projector-cam beams into reality along with friends
00:59:28 - Kodak Zi8: Kodak Zi8 impressions: surprising functionality, but it's still a pocket camcorder
01:04:38 - Sony Party-show dock: Sony's Party-shot dock snaps incriminating Facebook photos while you drink
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Contact the podcast
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Twitter: @joshuatopolsky @futurepaul @reckless @engadget
40.7mb. geebus.
Downloading.... Only started listening to your podcasts 4 weeks ago, quite enjoying them!
I agree with Apple being the new Microsoft. I hated MS in the late 90s but they stopped acting like that. Now I get free beta versions of new OSes and *free development tools*. The new MS is phenomenally different from the one that I knew in high school. Apple needs to learn to open up. Being free and open worked wonders for MS - Apple should embrace an open attitude or risk becoming a lame monolith with diminishing mind share.
The segment on Apple's Schiller discussing censoring the app store is spot on. So incredibly infuriating. Jonathan Zittrain's book, "The Future of the Internet and How to Stop It" covers a lot of this stuff. Very good read. Plus, you can download a PDF version for free from his website. http://futureoftheinternet.org/
On a side note, just started listening to the podcast last week. I'm really enjoying it! Thanks guys.
After reading Sherwin's comment I figure I should clarify my statement a bit. I wasn't just referring to the censorship of the dictionary, but also of their "censoring" of other apps like the Google Voice ones. Poor choice of words on my part. I meant the approval process. Either way, you made a good point that the Safari web browser makes it easy to access much of the same content that they're blocking via the rating system. The truth is that Apple is not my mom (and shouldn't be our Big Brother either).
Also I hope people will let up on you guys about being "pro Apple." It's just not true.
Just listened to your podcast. I think your outrage over Apple "censoring" apps does not compare to the outrage I as a parent of small children have with the kind of garbage that media puts in front of our kids. I'm all for freedoms and liberties like you are but that kind of freedom also extends to the right of parents to protect small children (who like sponges absorb everything in their environment) from inappropriate content that is way too easily accessible to them with today's technology. The only effective way for me to do this is with ratings. If a movie is Rated R, it's probably not a good idea to take my 6 year old. If I don't want my 8 year old saying certain swear words, maybe I can elect to turn off Apps with 17+ ratings. If I'm a parent that doesn't care, I can elect not to use parental controls. I applaud Apple for supporting this when so many others in media and technology couldn't care less. I always enjoy listening to your podcasts but I think you guys are really not come at it from a full perspective of parents trying to raise children. By the way, I'm also an App Developer and I've had my fair share of frustrations with the approval process.
Don't forget to get turn off Safari, too (if that's even possible). Wait, you got your 8 year old an iPhone?
I think you have a great point about not wanting your kids to have access to crude material. Yes, just turn off access to 17+ apps and that problem will be mostly solved, of course. But, you face another problem with your child getting crude content via Safari. The iPhone has pretty good parental controls as of version 3.0
On the flip side, if you find that you cannot effectively protect your 8-year-old from inappropriate content via the iPhone, then you may consider not letting your kid have an iPhone - at least right now. It's not a necessity, especially for someone so young. (The young ones in my family don't have smart phones doe that very reason.)
Was the opening song Ruby Soho. Cause if it was I would be so happy
Pretty sure it was. Might've made my afternoon... :)
Last 10 min was so effin funny, thank you for podcast
Come on, no mention of the worldwide Twitter/Facebook outage? Twitter's still not working for me. Yeah, it's not exactly gadgets, but it's pretty significant tech news, no?
Facebook? Nothing has been wrong for me on Facebook.
Also, I totally agree that the Shack is somewhere where you might go to get killed. And that they should have kept the radio part. How about just "The Radio"? LOL
although actually, I guess i should b greatful for it, because that name is so funny.
Whoa. Just listened to a the part where where you mentioned games not getting banned/rejected. In the UK Manhunt got rejected by the BBFC because they thought it had the violent content was excessive and too callous.
Don't really see how you can compare the situation on consoles to the situation on the Iphone. Anyone can i principle make a game for the ps3 and 360. As you wrote some day's ago porn streaming is even possible on the ps3, and we all know what sony's fellings are about porn. There might be some kind of selection for the psn or xb-live service thought, but you atleast have the option of buying whatever you want on DVD/blu-ray for both consoles.
Stop interupting each other.
Just so you know, a custom install of Windows 7 is not an actual format of your hard drive. It just moves everything currently on the drive to a folder called Windows.old. All settings will be lost unless you use Windows Easy Transfer, but the files are still there even if not "installed". I'm not sure I'd recommend anyone with XP hardware to install 7 anyway. Just get it with a new computer like most people. Also, if people can deal with getting new computers then they can deal with a Windows 7 custom install.
Don't be daft. You don't have to wipe your harddrive on Windows 7 custom install.
You make reference to listening to the Engadget Mobile podcast...... am I missing something... or have they not recorded one in like 3 months?
Apple are such Hippocrates, i mean just look at the 1984 commercial Microsoft is Big Brother and he a big scary guy who says NO, No NO, And now there B B and saying what we can and cant have. If you are so worried about the consumer experience do what Cyidia does and have filters so when you first start up the app store it has a pop up that says please select what you are Eg Consumer (recommended) Power User( Not Recommended It May Confuse You)
How many nongeeks do you know that will actually desire to upgrade to windows 7? none. My mom and brother don't know what it is and when I asked if they wanted it for only $50.00 they said no. They don't care, they said the current OS is fine and not worth the money. Also wasn't there a lot of under-the-hood changes to windows in vista and 7? How is it so inconceivable that clean install is required. What percent of windows sales is just the box of the OS? Do you think mom's will be going to spend hundreds of dollars to upgrade? This only affects more technology fluent people who should be able to back up their files.
Best Engadget podcast.... ever.
Very enjoyable gentlemen. Love the rage... and the shack.
Re: Windows XP to Windows 7 upgrade.
It's probably better that Microsoft didn't allow windows xp users to upgrade to 7 cause if they did can you imagine how big that table would be?
someone better patent that Murderer Detection technology
Could, like, y'all, like, try to, like, not say "LIKE" every, like, fifth word? It would also be stronger if you wouldn't end each sentence as a question?