Will Sattelberg

Welcome to episode 40 of The Sideload, a 9to5Google podcast. This week, Will is joined by Kai Tang and Joe Hollier of Light to discuss the recent announcement of the Light Flip, the urge to disconnect from your smartphone, and finding the right balance between being offline without being inconvenienced.

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Practically every streaming service not named Netflix has turned to bundling options over the past few years, with so-called competitors teaming up to deliver combo packs like Disney+ and HBO Max. No service has been bundled quite as much as Peacock, though. If you’ve somehow managed to avoid one of the many, many ways one can gain access to The Office these days, YouTube Premium members are the latest to join in on the fun.

Welcome to Pixelated episode 109. This week, Damien, Abner, and Will dive into everything Samsung announced at this week’s Galaxy Unpacked, the legacy of the original Pixel Fold, and whether flip phones have a future ahead of them.

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It’s a tough time to be in the market for any type of gadget, and that includes practically everything Samsung announced today. While its refreshed lineup of foldables and smartwatches all look excellent, they’re also more expensive than their predecessors across the board. That makes Samsung’s typical trade-in values — even on the Galaxy Watch 9 and Watch Ultra 2 — more vital than ever.

After months of rumors and leaks, Samsung finally unveiled its summer gadget lineup. While it’s tough to beat the overhaul that was last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 7, the company’s returning to the table with two book-style foldables: a familiar-looking Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, and the short-and-stumpy Fold 8. It’s also back with two new smartwatches, plus a revised clamshell, though as you might expect, not everything has been upgraded across the board this year. Here’s what’s actually new across all five devices.

Like clockwork — sorry, sorry, I’m sorry — Samsung’s returned yet again to its Unpacked stage with a slate of new gadgets ready to beg for your wallet. Alongside a crop of three new foldables, both the standard Galaxy Watch series and the Galaxy Watch Active are getting new hardware, and while not a massive leap over last generation, it’s sounding like a pretty promising package.

Light has built a name for itself in the minimalist smartphone space thanks to its stark designs, custom OS, and a deep focus on nothing more than the basics. But for as impressive as last year’s Light Phone 3 sounded on paper, its initial $800 launch price — now down to $700 for Light’s next preorder window — made for a tough pill to swallow. Light’s latest device knocks a whole bunch of cash off that price, and it arrives in a pretty familiar package.

Welcome to episode 39 of The Sideload, a 9to5Google podcast. This week, Will is joined by Chris Wedel of Gadgets & Gravel to discuss the modern internet landscape, finding moments of peace around technology, and the ever-evolving world of robo-lawnmowers.

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Welcome to Pixelated episode 108. This week, Damien, Abner, and Will briefly dive into Google and Epic’s decision to wrap up their legal battle without a settlement in place, leaving the door open for third-party app stores to live inside Google Play. They also discuss the ever-leaking Pixel 11, including some new Pixel Glow insights and Google’s latest obsession with the color green.

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Waze might not be as popular as Google Maps, but many years after being acquired, it’s held onto its base of dedicated fans all while continuing to evolve. Today, Waze is adding a fresh suite of features that should improve performance while providing drivers with more control over their experience.

Welcome to episode 107 of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, Damien, Abner, and Will dive headfirst into some Pixel speculation following the official announcement of this year’s Made by Google. From phones to smartwatches to pondering what might surprise us, it’s shaping up to be an interesting event.

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Samsung’s next Galaxy Unpacked is officially set for July 22nd, but thanks to some all-too-common leaks, you don’t need to wait to find out what that wider Galaxy Z Fold 8 might look like.

Welcome to episode 38 of The Sideload, a 9to5Google podcast. This week, Will is joined by Peter Huber of Niagara Launcher to discuss the origins of Niagara, what it’s like maintaining a launcher in 2026, their partnership with the upcoming Clicks Communicator and so much more.

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The Supreme Court rendered a decision this morning on a case debating whether or not people have an “expectation of privacy” from their government, even with always-available location tracking enabled on practically everyone’s smartphone, and to my pleasant surprise, the ruling actually fell in the general public’s favor.

Welcome to episode 106 of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, Damien talks Abner and Will through his first impressions of Google’s latest Home Speaker, a reboot of sorts of the company’s smart speaker lineup. After the break, we’re joined by Jonah Becker and Taylor Helgren of Google to discuss the launch of the Fitbit Air and Google Health.

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While some tech categories have spent the better part of this decade feeling a little stagnant, televisions have kept evolving at a pretty steady clip. Sure, some gimmicks didn’t catch on — pour one out for your 3D movie-loving friends — and the advancement to 4K feels like a lifetime ago, but the underlying display technology has only gotten better, brighter, and more vivid, and that’s exactly what Sony’s aiming for with its new Google TV-powered True RGB televisions.

Welcome to episode 37 of The Sideload, a 9to5Google podcast. This week, Will is joined by Andrew Romero to discuss the ongoing rise of smart glasses, what brands are nailing the basics, and what to expect from Google’s entry into the market later this year. Plus, live-ish reactions to the Steam Machine’s pricing.

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Welcome to episode 105 of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, Abner, Damien, and Will return to talk all through the launch of Android 17. From general improvements to Pixel-specific changes, there’s plenty to dig through. Plus, Pixel Screenshots goes cloud, Google’s new smart speaker goes up for pre-order, and it might be easier than ever to jump back and forth between Android and iOS.

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Sponsored by Proton Unlimited: Pixelated listeners can save 30% on an annual subscription to the company’s suite of privacy-friendly services by signing up using our link. Thanks to Proton Unlimited for sponsoring the podcast.

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Foldables combine the extra-large displays of a tablet with something a little more pocket-friendly, especially on modern ultra-thin devices like the Galaxy Z Fold 7. But for all the potential that arrives with that big screen, it can sometimes be difficult to find software that perfectly scales for those square displays. Thankfully, with Android 17, gaming on foldables is getting a huge boost with a new set of virtual controls.

Welcome to episode 104 of Pixelated, a podcast by 9to5Google. This week, Abner, Damien, and Will hop over the walled garden to discuss Siri AI, changes to Liquid Glass and its ripple effects on Android, and plenty of other WWDC thoughts. Plus, Paris Hilton loves Android and Google releases a fourth QPR1 beta.

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Sponsored by Proton Unlimited: Pixelated listeners can save 30% on an annual subscription to the company’s suite of privacy-friendly services by signing up using our link. Thanks to Proton Unlimited for sponsoring the podcast.

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Google’s Fitbit Air might be sweeping the fitness landscape right now — I, for one, think it’s an excellent tracker at its core — but for plenty of Android users, you just can’t swap sway from a real smartwatch. If you’ve been looking to refresh your existing Pixel Watch, you can pick up one of Google’s official bands for as low as $10 right now, and you won’t even have to give up your timepiece to do it.