Old's Cool — A Retro Tech Podcast

On this week's show, Stephen and Daniel discuss Apple in all its current messy glory. The company has just released a spate of products, from the mature and dependable iPhone 18 Pro to the troubled iPhone Duo to the interesting and unproven HomeView to the ultra-expensive MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR Display (say that 10 times fast). What do they all have in common? They're not directly dependent on Apple becoming an AI company to succeed. The guys discuss the parallels and differences to Apple in the 90s and today, and where they need to go from here.

Also on the show: Alphabet's Q3 was a bit of a mixed bag, but it provides further proof that Google's self-disruption with AI Mode and AI Overviews is not going to resolve itself anytime soon.

Show notes and links:

• Google had a very good, very bad Q3
• I’ve used the Pixel 11 Pro XL and iPhone 18 Pro Max, and Apple’s ecosystem isn’t enough anymore

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On this week's show, Stephen and Daniel talk fall's stacked gaming lineup, including Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4, Zelda Ocarina of Time Remake, and Switch Sports Resort. Why, did you think there was another one worth talking about?

Plus, IT'S ALIVE! Stephen finally has his Palm V working again after 25 years and it's all thanks to his best and most expensive friend, Codex.

Finally, is the iPhone Duo the phone of the year? Yes, but only one half of it.

Show notes and links

• Foldables are about to get huge (9to5Google)
• iPhone Duo review: The future is foldable (9to5Mac)
• Unboxing a New Palm V in 2022 - Factory Sealed for Over 20 Years! (StevealiciousTech on YouTube)

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On this week's episode, Stephen and Daniel discuss the downfall of niche digital media in light of Android Central's shutdown and the reshaping of the media landscape in general. Plus, Stephen falls in love with his AI agent, and Daniel tries not to let Paw Patrol into his house — again.

Show notes and links:

• Gemini 4 Argon must reverse Google's AI inertia (and an ode to Android Central)

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The boys are back in town (literally and figuratively) after some much-needed R&R. This week marks season 2 of Old's Cool (why? why not) and Stephen and Daniel talk about the new Motorola Signature 27 and how any company not named Apple or Samsung is going to have a tough time competing in this economy.

Plus, the iPhone Duo, the latest AI news, and lots more.

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On this week's episode, Stephen and Daniel make up for lost time (sorry for the missed week — life got in the way) by diving into the week's latest news, including the introduction of new Sonos speakers and an updated software platform. Do people actually want to talk to their speakers using AI? Sonos thinks so. And why hasn't modern tech killed the fax machine?

Show notes and links

• Sonos Introduces Sonos 27, the Next Generation of Its Audio Operating System (Sonos Newsroom)

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On this week's show, Stephen and Daniel review the new Pixel 11 series and talk about Google's place in the smartphone market. Daniel is a lot warmer on the Pixel 11 than many of his peers, but Google doesn't care either way — it's after bigger fish than tech reviewers.

And they discuss this new Luddite Crew, a group of young people who embracing flip phones — or no phones at all. Now this is a movement the guys can get behind!

Show notes and links:

• The trials and tribulations of reviewing a Pixel (9to5Google)
• Pixel 11 Pro Initial Review: Gemini Intelligence is the highlight, not HiLight (9to5Google)
• Gen Z's new anti-tech rebellion: making eye contact and listening to each other (Business Insider)
• Cranky Geeks 1987 - John C Dvorak (YouTube)

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In this week's show, Stephen and Daniel dive into Google's Pixel 11 launch, a successful release that happened right next to the biggest shakeup to its org chart in years. Can Google's Pixel grow its market share in the AI age?

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After a week off, Stephen and Daniel review the new Samsung Galaxy Fold 8 and burn Daniel's terrible taste in DIY phone cases. Plus, the latest AI scandals and trends.

Show notes and links:

Phones are getting fun (and weird) again - 9to5Google

Everyone thinks the iPhone Ultra will crush Samsung. They’re wrong - Android Authority

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On this episode, Stephen and Daniel dive into Samsung's recent Unpacked event where it launched the Galaxy Z Fold 8 series. What makes the new Fold 8 so interesting, and why does it matter that it's launching just months before Apple's rumored iPhone Ultra foldable? That's not a rhetorical question, we're asking you.

Show notes and links:

• After using the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, I'm left with one expensive question (Android Authority)
• Galaxy Z Fold 8 hands-on: This redesign proves Google was right the first time [Video] (9to5Google)
• This might be the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, and Fold in their new colors [Gallery] (9to5Google)

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This week, Stephen and Daniel recount OpenAI's highs (GPT 5.6's success) and lows (being sued by Apple) over the past week.

Plus, Google's Gemini 3.5 Pro is delayed and the company risks falling too far behind the competition, particularly as Chinese competitors like Moonshot's Kimi K3 are catching up to Fable 5 and GPT 5.6 Sol.

Finally, we talk smartphones and the many pressures of competing in the US. With OnePlus closing up shop and Google's Pixel line struggling for market share, are we resigned to a two-horse race?

Show notes and links:

• What Is GPT-5.6? OpenAI's Three-Model Tier System Explained
• The Wildest Allegations in Apple's Trade Secrets Lawsuit Against OpenAI- Techcrunch
• Google Gemini 3.5 Pro Launch Delayed as Model Falls Short of Internal Goals - Bloomberg
• Kimi K3: Open Frontier Intelligence — Moonshot AI's 2.8 Trillion Parameter Model
• Google Releases First Pixel 11 Teaser, Officially Reveals Pixel Glow - 9to5Google
• OnePlus Officially Shutting Down in the US and Europe - 9to5Google

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On this week's show, Stephen and Daniel talk about archiving floppy discs in a digital age; the newest AI models from OpenAI, Meta, and others; Sony's old school Vaio laptops; how AI is destroying the way we teach and learn, particularly in university; and whether generative AI can really make you a better fiction writer. Plus, the best AI benchmark is a pelican riding a bicycle. Seriously.

This episode's a long one, and it's all over the place, but it's better for it.

Show notes and links:

• Machine Stories: How LLMs Set My Writing Free - The Yale Review
• Brown Professor Suspects Most of His Class Used AI to Cheat - Inside Higher Ed
• Copy That Floppy! – A Practical Guide to Imaging Floppy Disks for Long-Term Preservation - Digipress
• Batman: Return of the Joker - Stages 1&5 (Floppy Drives) - MausolfB Music (YouTube)
• Can AI Keep a Parent Alive? - The New Yorker
• Pelican Riding a Bicycle (AI benchmark) - Simon Willison's Weblog

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This week, Stephen and Daniel celebrate Independence Day the only way they know how: talking about an alternative history where Napoleon defeated the English at Waterloo. It's good stuff.

Also: Sony is discontinuing physical PlayStation discs in 2028, and the bots are taking over the Internet. Plus, an e-paper Game Boy? It's a thing.

Show notes and links:

• Game Boy Emulator on ESP32 + E-Ink (M5Stack PaperS3) — Paper Boy S3 | YouTube
• Cloudflare's New Policy Pushes AI Companies to Pay for Publishers' Content | TechCrunch
• Physical disc production ending in January 2028 for new games releasing on PlayStation consoles | Sony

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On this week's show, Stephen and Daniel talk about how the rise of AI is killing cheap tech, and that may not be entirely a bad thing (though it's still mostly a bad thing). They talk about the Steam Machine's exorbitant price, and how intra-generational price increases have never really happened like this. Unprecedented times, indeed. Finally, they talk about forming human bonds with AI and how to negotiate that strange and uncomfortable place.

Oh, and there's a bit of talk at the beginning about bowling. If you want to avoid that, skip ahead to 7:39.

Show notes and links:

• The Wholesale Plagiarism of Obscure Sorrows - Waxy
• Blu-ray Disc Turns 20: A Look Back at the Format's Launch Day - The Digital Bits
• Valve Steam Machine: Official Price and Release Date Confirmed - The Verge
• AI Demand Begins to Justify Massive Cost of Data-Center Buildout - Bloomberg ($)
• Hivemind – AI-Powered Intelligent Narrator for Shared Storytelling

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This week, Stephen and Daniel compare their delicate wrists while showing off the Pebble Time 2, and debate nostalgia projects done right versus *very* wrong.

Plus, can chatbots actually be made safe for kids? These parents aren't so sure.

Show notes and links:

• Pebble Time 2 Review – A Redditor's Real-World Take (r/pebble)
• Pebble Time 2 Review: Resurrection Time (MrMobile on YouTube)
• U.S. Government Forces Anthropic to Pull Fable 5 and Mythos 5 Over National Security Concerns
• Anthropic Shuts Down Fable 5 & Mythos 5 Over U.S. Export Control Order — A Sovereign AI Wake-Up Call
• Apple's Price Increases Are Coming — Blame the AI Memory Crunch
• Americans and AI 2026: Chatbots, Smart Devices and Views on Impact (Pew Research Center)

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This week, Stephen and Daniel chat through their favorite childhood games, consoles, and controllers, and share what they think are the best games of all time.

Then, in the second half of the show, they dive into the biggest announcement from WWDC 2026, Siri AI, and the impact (or lack thereof) it will make on Apple's hardware business.

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This week, Stephen and Daniel dive into the choppy waters of AI writing, and whether it's ever OK to consume AI-made media.

And how AI-based coding tools may be the only way to fix obsolete machines that lack proper documentation.

Plus, is the Pope a friction-maxxer?

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On this week's show, Stephen and Daniel dive into their childhoods full tape decks and portable CD players, their shared love of MiniDiscs, and how today's rise of friction-maxxing is bringing them all back (well, except maybe MiniDiscs).

Plus, Daniel shares a deep dark secret he's never shared before, and Stephen tell us about his time as a DJ.

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This week on the show, we dive into the many, many announcements from Google I/O 2026, including new Gemini models, how ads will inevitably end up in Google's AI products, and whether the singularity is nigh (derogatory).

Plus, our feelings on reality TV and 90s daytime television. We miss you, Bob Barker. Get your pets spade or neutered!

Resources & Links:

• Everything Google Announced at I/O 2026: Gemini, Search, Android XR & More - 9to5Google
• Google's AI Search Is the New Ad System - Ad Infinitum
• Google I/O 2016 Keynote: All the Highlights and Announcements - The Verge

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This week on the show, Stephen and Daniel dive into wonderful world of Google's Android Show, where they discuss the Googlebook; Android 17's Agentic AI transformation; and whether AI art is ever actually satisfying.

Plus, a primer on cognitive surrender, and why Daniel always finds himself getting existential at around the three-quarter mark of every episode.

AI-generated time stamps:

02:02 - Geopolitical headlines: Elon Musk, China, and the semiconductor ghost town

10:17 - Android’s latest: What Google announced last week and the significance of the Pixelbook upgrade

14:34 - Google's Gemini AI: Automating everyday tasks and system-wide AI integration

16:54 - The evolving interface: Background AI automation and user experience dilemmas

20:31 - Ambient computing and privacy fears: When AI starts 'knowing' too much

26:19 - The rise and fall of Apple's AI ambitions and Siri’s future

28:48 - Practical AI: From organizing photos to making your newsletter easier

30:10 - Deepfakes and AI-generated avatars: Ethical questions and emotional reactions

33:01 - Cognitive surrender: When we start trusting AI over our own thinking

35:12 - The ethics of AI art, fan creations, and the uncanny valley

41:24 - Nostalgia trip: Remembering early laptops like PowerBooks and ThinkPads

44:34 - How AI transforms niche content creation and micro-podcasts

51:17 - The long game: AI's role in consumer devices and the future of multitasking

55:20 - Will AI replace creative jobs? Perspectives on art, audio, and design

58:07 - Google’s new Google Book platform: A premium take on Chromebooks and ecosystem integration

64:10 - Hardware dreams: Combining the power of smartphones, Chromebooks, and desktop modes

65:50 - The dangers of AI-automated shopping and personal assistants

71:26 - Podcast consumption: Long form, background listening, and future trends

73:00 - Wrapping up: Reflections on trust, nostalgia, and the path ahead

Resources & Links:

• Everything Announced at The Android Show I/O Edition 2026 - 9to5Google
• Why does the Googlebook exist? - The Verge
• I used the Motorola Razr Fold for a week, and I think it's the best foldable - 9to5Google
• Is AI Coming for Our Thinking? Behold the Age of 'Cognitive Surrender' - The Globe and Mail

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In this week's episode, Stephen and Daniel delve into the evolution of fitness trackers by looking at the Fitbit Air; Google’s new universal AI-powered health platform; and the negative implications of smart glasses with cameras.

Plus, Daniel gets addicted to vibe coding (it was only a matter of time) and Stephen teaches us how to bowl like a pro.

AI-generated timestamps and descriptions:

• The transition of Fitbit into Google's AI-powered health ecosystem and its impact on data interoperability (timestamps: 1:06–2:04)
• The significance of device flexibility and unified health data across platforms like Apple, Fitbit, and Google (timestamps: 2:27–4:35)
• The challenges of translating raw health data into actionable insights, especially for casual users (timestamps: 8:04–10:50)
• Personal routines and sleep hygiene, and how sleep tracking tech continues to improve (timestamps: 21:38–26:38)
• Privacy concerns with wearable recording devices, including Ray-Ban Meta glasses and legal gray areas (timestamps: 33:56–37:27)
• The recent restrictions on portable power banks on airplanes, lithium-ion fire risks, and historical context with Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 (timestamps: 39:36–43:02)
• The influence of nostalgia and market dynamics on device pricing and the resurgence of retro tech (timestamps: 47:42–47:57)
• Innovative app development via AI assistance and security considerations of auto-generated and publicly accessible code (timestamps: 48:24–52:00)
• The potential oversaturation and design uniformity of AI-generated web and mobile apps (timestamps: 52:26–53:30)

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