Solid State Podcast

Episode 23 - Apple October iPad and AppleTV Announcements

If you haven’t figured it out yet, this show is about tech… more specifically the tech we love and the tech we don’t-so-much “get”… 
It’s not that we don’t understand the literal mechanics of it all, we’ve spent far too many sleepless nights ripping this stuff apart and kinda-sorta putting it back together again…
In those situations is the narrative around the tech and, more than likely, those selling it that has us at a loss…
This week Apple refreshed some literal tentpoles of their product set… both ends of the iPad spectrum that make up the overwhelming majority of the global tablet market, and the AppleTV hardware that is supposed to be the physical manifestation of their media-based aspirations….
So when products such as these are dropped with about as much fanfare as a new Blizzard flavor at Dairy Queen, that tends to get our attention. The question remains though, was there really nothing exciting to say, or is there an even more interesting story to be had in what wasn't…
Let’s find out…   

Episode 22 - Tech, Disaster Prep, and You (Hurricane Ian Special)

The thing about disasters, “natural” ones at least, is that more often than not you really don’t see them coming… an alarm may give you the edge of a few minutes lead, or surrounding conditions may create the gut feeling of “something’s not right”… but in the case of a hurricane, usually they’re a little too big to miss…
The setup for this week’s episode is exactly one of those situations… Hurricane Ian is swirling around quite literally as I speak, and when it turned our way several days ago we decided it was an opportunity to take a long, hard look at how technology has developed around exactly these types of impending disasters…
Solar “generators”, cloud-based backups, and this thing called “Business Continuity” as a whole are all on tap, but the underlying message we hope comes through it all is, no matter what’s going on be safe, be prepared, and at the end of the day just try to be a good human… 
And on that early bombshell, I’m going to go tighten my storm shutters and charge this laptop… 

Episode 21 - Apple’s ”Far Out” iPhone and Apple Watch Event

The other night, while preparing for this episode, I happened across one of those movies that, any time it’s on I have no choice but to watch the rest of it. We all have “those movies”, right? 
In this case, the movie in question was Apollo 13… After all, it has everything… drama, heroism, and rooms full of fellow nerds doing what they do best…
I happened to tune-in just in time for the scene where the crew of the so-far-undamaged Apollo 13 were broadcasting mid-mission back to Earth… only to have their families discover the major TV networks hadn’t even picked up the live broadcast…
You see, at this point in the story, Apollo 13’s mission had allegedly become, dare-they-say, “business as usual”…
In a very different set of stakes, some parallels can be drawn to this week’s show… seemingly every year around this time, a California-based gadget creator calls upon press, influencers, and loyal followers to see the latest metal and glass slab to adorn the pocks of countless millions in just a few weeks time… 
It represents the now-annual cycle of a production, logistics, and sales undertaking never before seen on on this planet… trillions of components, thousands of workers, and a globe encircled in deliveries. But for many, might we say it’s become “business as usual”?
You’ve no doubt guessed, we’re talking about Apple’s fall “Far Out” iPhone announcement event… where we were treated to a sort-of-new watch, a really new watch, and a phone with some dynamic takes on a few well-known ideas… 
Underneath the sheen of “we’ve been here before” though, something just a little bit different is in the air…

Episode 20 - What’s in the box... Samsung Flip 4

Sometimes… you just have a false start. For us here at Solid State, a false start looks like an episode starting with aggressively mediocre audio quality because one host forgets to hit the record button on the main feed… 
But when you’re a multi-Billion dollar international technology brand, a false start looks a bit different… 
More along the line of thousands of devices recalled, millions spent in re-engineering, and a brand supposedly left in tatters…
The thing is though, when the brand you’re talking about is SAMSUNG, they are both experienced and accomplished at rising to that challenge. 
With the storied launch of the original Galaxy Fold in 2019, that should have been where the story both began and ended. But here we are just three years later with the newly minted Galaxy Z Fold and Flip 4… 
Is this even a comeback anymore or are we actually approaching a power-move for dominance? Let’s go hands-on and find out what’s in the box....

Episode 19 - The thing about camera tech

On this show, it’s become something of a recurring theme that “gadgets” are so much bigger than just your smartphone or laptop…
In past episodes we’ve covered the tech around everything from headphones to vinyl records, and this week we keep that theme up with the true and honest gadget-tech around modern day cameras and broader photography…
It’s one to really take in if the genuine art behind the scene is of interest to you, and even if not I have to at least suggest listening very closely in the last 10-15 minutes… because you might just hear the sound of Eric and I buying the same camera “live” on-show with no pre planning and less than no permission… 
Why do I feel like we’re starting a bit of a trend here…

Episode 18 - What’s in the box... Apple M2 MacBook Air

Often enough when it comes to consumer electronics, the equation is pretty simple… when the “next generation” comes out it should be better, faster, stronger and probably a little more expensive. But, we tell ourselves credit-card-in-hand, it’s worth it for the “new one”, right?
All kidding aside, that very rough math normally holds up whether it’s the latest phone, the biggest new TV, or the shiniest smart watch. With this year’s much-anticipated MacBook Air refresh, though, things just don’t feel that “cut and dry”, with it’s predecessor hanging out on the Store page right alongside with an often-discounted price tag to boot. 
This week, we’re hands-on with Apple’s newly minted M2 MacBook Air and dive through all of its updates, upgrades, and occasionally controversial features.
And in the end, that simple equation from earlier is met with an equally age-old question… is it worth it?

Episode 17 - The many faces of Android

The history of technology and gadget culture is one of debates and ideologies… “VHS or Betamax”… “I’m a Mac, and I’m a PC”… “Red vs. Blue”…
Today, though, no such standoff may be more present or far-reaching than that of iOS versus its age-old nemesis… Android…
But just saying something “runs Android” is kind of like saying a car “has an engine”… there are countless shapes, sizes, and takes on features that in a lot of ways vary based on the badge on the back of the device. 
So this week let’s take a look at what can only be described as the “many faces of Android”, and see which might suit you best?  

Episode 16 - The thing about High Quality Audio

On this show, nothing is ever quite good enough… we can’t help ourselves! Battery life can always be longer, load times can definitely be shorter, and in the case of this week’s episode the clear, crisp audio can always be refined just that little bit more…
Audio tech is every bit as much a “gadget” as your Xbox or Surface Pro, and really transcends so much of our gear because, at the end of the day, what good is a 4K Ultra-HD Blu-Ray if you can barely hear the action on screen? 
It’s time to deep dive the world of the aptly named (and priced) “High Quality Audio” tech, while trying not to spend our entire year’s budget in a single episode of browsing and wishful thinking…

Episode 15 - Parts Bin: Meta Quest news, Apple’s M2 MacBook Pro, and Atari Turns 50

If you’ve been with us since the beginning, you’ve probably at least figured out we’re just a little bit passionate about the tech we talk about each week…
And for better or for worse, we figured the only thing better than one piece of tech to chat on is… maybe three or four?
Okay, we admit it, you’re in for a bit of a roller coaster this week as we take a brisk run through the latest going on at Meta... first reactions to Apple’s “new” M2 MacBooks Pro… Atari celebrates 50 years… and finally wrap it up with some “what’s in the box” action with Asus’ new Zephyrus G14… 
All that, and maybe even a few other bits sprinkled in because we can’t help ourselves… welcome to our very first Solid State “Parts Bin” episode…

Episode 14 - The thing about Subscription Services...

The words “click to subscribe” may be one of the more immortalized of this generation… let’s face it, it’s everywhere!
Most of the time it’s a hook… to ensure that content garners someone’s attention not just once, but hopefully many times down the road…
But if we take a step above the “harmless” transaction of subscription… the economies in question quite literally change the moment actual currency enters the equation…
Yep, we’re talking subscription services this week… from the ubiquitous red envelop in every mailbox on your street (once upon a time) to vacuum-packed food cooked with a button-press so simple maybe you should have just had it cooked for you and delivered in the first place? 
So this week let’s take stock of where those credit card charge are actually going in $9.99 increments, while remembering to go hit “subscribe” on this show while you’re at it?