MobileViews.com Podcast

MobileViews 588: Aluminium OS? AI workflows? Fav 2025 gadgets

In this podcast, we discuss:

Google Aluminium OS," a potential merger of Android and ChromeOS designed to bring a premium, AI-first experience to desktop devices. The hosts also explore practical AI applications, discussing significant updates to NotebookLM—such as Deep Research and new source support—and how these tools can be optimized for teaching workflows. This episode also introduces a new segment called "Ctrl-Keep-Delete," a Marie Kondo-style guide for tech enthusiasts looking to declutter their gadget collections.

On the personal front, the conversation turns to "Holiday Pivots," where the hosts share strategies for adapting when seasonal plans fall apart. The episode wraps up with their top gadget picks for 2025: Jon recommends the Plaud NotePin for AI meeting transcriptions, Sven highlights the MuteMe physical button for managing Zoom calls, and Todd endorses the Logitech Flip Folio for iPad productivity.

MobileViews 587: Google AI upgraded; Quick Share; Zotero research assistant; M386 Office mini-rant

I'm trying something different this week. Instead of the usual text summary of the podcast in the blog I used Google Gemini 3 and Google Nano Banana Pro to create an infographic based on the show notes that Jon Westfall and I used for this podcast.

MobileViews 586: Boya Magic Wireless Mics; Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE; low cost Macbook in 2026? Open Broadcast Studio

Jon and I are back after a brief hiatus, and we had a lot to catch up on, starting with our ever-evolving audio gear! I tested out a new budget microphone, the Boya Measureless, which I’m using in a shotgun mode on a tripod. Jon is actually using the same mic in lavalier format. It’s a pretty advanced 4-in-1 mic that even comes with its own charging case and windscreens. I'm glad it’s working out for both of us! Shifting gears, I needed some help rationalizing a recent purchase: the Samsung Galaxy Tab S10 FE. It was a good bundle from Costco, including the S Pen (which uses Wacom EMR technology) and a nice magnetic keyboard case, all for around $500. I was looking for a replacement for my Pixel tablet, which Google is apparently not going to continue developing. I like that the S10 FE is IP68 water and dustproof, has a micro SD slot (I added a 256GB card for 384GB total storage!), and supports both Face ID and fingerprint login. I'm even learning how to use Samsung's additional windowing system on top of the standard Android UI.

We discussed the rumor of a budget MacBook (codenamed J700) possibly coming out in 2026 with the iPhone's A18 Pro processor. I think it would be fantastic in the $499 range, especially for schools and people new to desktop operating systems. We also touched on the mind-blowing news that an AI-written song hit number one on the Billboard country music chart. I remember being wowed by the first all-CGI movie, The Last Starfighter, back in the '80s, and it feels like AI music is on a similar path to becoming normal. Jon then walked me through a cool, old trick for Google Sheets: using the Google Visualization API with a SQL query embedded in a URL to fetch specific data, which he uses for his weekly jokes. Finally, Jon demoed Open Broadcast Studio (OBS), which is a free, versatile tool for broadcasting and recording, offering commercial-level features for mixing audio and video sources.

MobileViews 585: 17 years of this podcast! Free Affinity creative suite. Azure DNS outage. Jon's Discord bot

In this week's episode, Jon Westfall and I kicked things off by discussing "falling back" for Daylight Saving Time and reminiscing about dealing with dark mornings. We then moved on to some podcast milestones. I realized that MobileViews is about to turn 18, with the first episode dating back to November 26, 2008 . We also noted that Jon's 12th anniversary on the show is coming up in December. This got us talking about the early days of podcasting. I recalled listening to pioneers like Adam Curry (the "Podfather") and Adam Christiansen ("The Mac Cast") , and how I was amazed they could produce so much content solo . We contrasted that with today's landscape, which seems dominated by celebrity-hosted shows, and I made sure to thank Jon, as I'm certain the podcast would have ended years ago without him.

We discussed the recently released free Affinity all-in-one creative suite for MacOS, which both Jon and I had previously purchased, becoming a free all-in-one app on the Mac following its acquisition by Canva. We also chatted about the recent Microsoft Azure outage , which briefly gave me trouble accessing a file on OneDrive , and shared a laugh about how "it's always DNS". On the AI front, I shared a song I generated with Suno AI called "DNS Blues" and we discussed the news of an AI artist, Xenia Monet, debuting on the Billboard charts. Jon shared his own impressive AI project: in about 30 minutes, he used ChatGPT to build a Python-based Discord bot that can serve up Disney trivia, psychology questions, or bad jokes pulled from his 12-year spreadsheet archive.

MobileViews 584: Microsoft Journal? ChatGPT Atlas browser. Apple M5 products. Copilot Groups

On this week's podcast, my co-host Jon Westfall and our buddy Sven Johannsen joined me. We started by discussing the recent trend of journaling apps, including the new Microsoft Journal , which Jon thinks looks like a stripped-down version of OneNote. Jon mentioned he still uses the dedicated Day One app but wished that "on this day" features came with trigger warnings. I also talked about my experience testing OpenAI's new ChatGPT Atlas Browser ; while it's fast , Jon was annoyed because it requires you to set it as the default browser to get extended limits. We also covered the new Samsung Galaxy XR headset , which, like the Vision Pro , is still far too expensive for me at around $1,800.

 

While Apple's new M5 products were announced, none of us are planning an upgrade. I noted that I'm still interested in the rumored future MacBook Pro if it includes a touch screen - something Sven thinks is unnecessary. We also shared our experience with the new Microsoft Copilot Groups ; we used it to prepare for the show, but when we returned the next day, our entire chat history had vanished. Sven showed off a very versatile and affordable Moft Dynamic Folio for his iPad , and Jon detailed his recent home automation upgrades, including a new LNDU smart lock that offers six different ways to unlock , such as an offline, time-based one-time-passcode feature. Finally, Jon about a dancing pickle that Sven saw at Hallmark, does actually sing "I'm sexy and I know it".

MobileViews 583: AI as a Platform? NotebookLM enhancements. Rumor-Touchscreen 2026 MacBook Pro

In this week's MobileViews Podcast 583, I was joined by Jon Westfall and Don Sorcinelli to discuss several current topics in personal technology. We began with a report that Apple may release a MacBook Pro with an OLED touch screen in 2026. While I am interested in the concept based on my positive experiences with Windows touch screen laptops, Jon and Don expressed some skepticism about the utility of a touch screen on a non-convertible device. We also covered Google's new "Recovery Contacts" feature, an account security option that allows you to designate a trusted person to help you regain access if you're locked out.

 

The second half of the show focused on the rapid evolution of AI. Jon shared how he has been using Google's NotebookLM in his college classes to create study guides and quizzes from open educational resources, effectively replacing publisher-provided supplements. I discussed how the new integration of the Nano Banana imaging model into NotebookLM significantly improves its ability to create narrated slideshows with relevant visual examples. This led to a broader conversation about the concept of "AI as a platform," prompted by Walmart's new partnership with OpenAI that allows users to make purchases from within the chat interface. We concluded by discussing the rush by all major tech companies to integrate AI into their products and the potential long-term implications of these new platform and business models. 

MobileViews 582: Farewell Windows 10 and iOS Mini-Rants. Guest panelist Don Sorcinelli

This week, Jon Westfall and I are joined by our good friend, Don Sorcinelli, for MobileViews 582, where we had a lot to cover, particularly about saying farewell to things. This includes the impending sunset of Windows 10, which I’m sad to see go, especially after I already decided to wipe one of my last Windows 10 devices and install Ubuntu Linux on it. As usual, I had a few “mini-rants,” chief among them being the stability issues I'm experiencing after the latest iOS and watchOS updates. I'm seeing really bad battery life on my phone and, worse, my AirPods Pro 3 and Powerbeats Pro 2 have become unstable, giving me static or losing audio entirely. I also finally figured out why my Raspberry Pis won’t power up with my nice Gan chargers—they only deliver 3 amps, but the Pi requires 5 amps, a specification I am disappointed I did not check years ago.

We wrapped up with our ongoing segment on favorite and least-favorite Windows CE and Windows Mobile devices. While Jon and I have our preferences, Don surprised us by naming the non-touch Windows Mobile smartphone, the HTC Excalibur (T-Mobile Dash), as his favorite, largely due to its pocketability and durability. I had to point out that the Dash was one of the few phones that fit perfectly in the notoriously tiny chest pockets of my aloha shirts back in the day. His least favorite was the Palm Treo, which he found heavy and clunky. The conversation naturally led us to Windows Phone, and I reiterated my belief that it ultimately failed because the essential daily tools didn't migrate from Windows Mobile 6 to Windows Phone 7, which was a "humongous problem" for developers and users alike.

MobileViews 581: Reminiscing about the 2013 Nokia Lumia 1020; Ubiquiti Dream Router SEVEN; Google App for Windows

Jon Westfall and I are joined by frequent guest panelist Sven Johannsen for podcast 581. First, we dove into our mini-series on remembering Windows mobile operating systems, with Sven defending his favorite: Windows Phone. He loved its unique tiled UI and the superb Nokia Lumia 1020 hardware, especially its 41-megapixel camera (amazing for a phone released in 2013) and its colorful design. Jon and I, however, preferred the earlier Windows Mobile due to its broader app selection and the sheer variety of manufacturer devices and various models with physical keyboards. Speaking of hardware, I mentioned Amazon's recent event where they announced new Echos and Kindles—including a color Kindle Scribe—but no new Fire HD tablets, which I'm still waiting for as an affordable Android alternative. I also shared my short-lived experience with the new Google app for Windows, which I uninstalled immediately after it tried to download my entire Google Drive to search locally.

Jon also shared his recent, non-flashy but impactful tech purchase: an upgrade to a Ubiquiti Dream Router SEVEN with a U6 extender. He noted how much better his home network is now that it supports his 60-70 IoT devices, and he encouraged listeners to consider upgrading their own aging router equipment for better performance, Wi-Fi 6/7 support, and improved features like easier network isolation. We wrapped up with a brief discussion of the handy, feature-rich, and affordable nature of some of the low-end Windows Phones, like the $40 model available at Walmart, which offered a camera, FM radio, and GPS with free offline maps thanks to Nokia's Here We Go navigation system.

MobileViews 580: Raspberry Pi 500+; Amazon Alexa+; Android+ChromeOS; AR/VR, AI & more

In MobileViews Podcast 580, Jon Westfall and I discussed a bunch of new tech, starting with the Raspberry Pi 500+. I'm excited about this new keyboard computer because, unlike its predecessor, it features a mechanical keyboard and, most importantly, an NVMe SSD slot for faster performance, moving beyond the slow SD card. I still haven't figured out what I'd actually do with one, but the specs are impressive! I also shared my experience with the Amazon Alexa Plus early access, noting that my older Echo Dot and Echo Flex were surprisingly supported, though the new female default voice has some annoying vocal fry. I'm also looking forward to Google's experimental Google app for Windows, hoping it delivers the AI PC experience that Microsoft's Surface Pro 11 hasn't quite fulfilled. Finally, I touched on the rumor of Google merging Chrome OS and Android, a move that I hope combines the best of both platforms, especially for tablets.

Jon Westfall brought up the topic of the things that have sparked "tech joy" for him over the past year. He is particularly excited about the continuing evolution of AR/VR glasses, mentioning Meta's new glasses and the potential for an Apple Vision "amateur." He sees these as a fantastic way to facilitate human communication, especially for those of us who struggle to remember names and details. Jon is also very enthusiastic about the Large Language Models (LLMs), specifically their use as a "junior assistant" for tasks like drafting his promotion portfolio at work and serving as a quick "junior developer" for software prototypes. This is a great way to handle tedious work! I seconded the excitement around AI by mentioning the fun I've had with Google AI Pro's photo and video tools on my Pixel 10 Pro. We then wrapped up with a mini-rant about a poorly designed Bluetooth scale and some interesting reading recommendations, including a LinkedIn article by Ed Margulies about fear of change when trying to be a change agent in the enterprise and another about Roblox and the skins market in modern gaming.

MobileViews 579: AirPods Pro 3 mic vs. other mics; Nothing Ear (3), Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses, & our fav Windows CE devices

In this podcast, Jon Westfall and I discuss several new technology releases and personal experiences with gadgets. They talk about Google's plans to integrate AI features into the Chrome browser to improve security and search functionality.

Nothing Ear (3) earbuds, which have an interesting feature where the charging case can be used as a microphone.

AirPods Pro (3), noting the magnetic case and the new ear tips, and he and Ogasawara compare the sound quality of various microphones.

Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses with a heads-up display and gesture control, but express frustration over the limited availability and the requirement to get a demo at a few select stores.

We also briefly touch upon the new iPhone Air, speculating that it is a test run for a future foldable iPhone.

Mac OS 26 update and its effect on the VO2 Max calculation, which has led to inconsistent readings for users. The podcast ends with a nostalgic discussion of their favorite Windows CE devices. I talked about my first Windows CE device: The HP 320LX Handheld PC. Jon discussed his first "real" smartphone, the HTC Himalayas, and his all-time favorite, the HTC Kaiser or Titan II, praising its form factor and features.