On Gear Live: Apple’s $400,000,000 Secret to Saving the Planet

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Apple is on a mission to hit carbon neutrality by 2030—a goal that goes far beyond its products and supply chain. This video explores the tech giant’s groundbreaking Restore Fund, a $200 million initiative aimed at reforesting Brazil’s Atlantic Forest while tackling the hardest-to-eliminate 25% of its carbon footprint.

A key highlight of this story is an exclusive interview with Lisa Jackson, Apple’s Vice President of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives. Lisa shares insights into how Apple’s Restore Fund is blending corporate responsibility with tangible environmental results, and how their commitment to renewable energy and carbon neutrality is setting a new standard for the tech industry.

The story dives into the heart of the Atlantic Forest, where Apple and local partners like Symbiosis are restoring biodiversity, planting resilient trees, and using cutting-edge tech like the iPhone’s LIDAR to measure their impact. The video examines whether nature-based solutions like the Restore Fund can scale up fast enough to make a significant difference and how global companies like Apple are shifting from minimizing harm to actively restoring ecosystems.

Gallery: Apple’s $400,000,000 Secret to Saving the Planet


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AI has been hyped up like the world’s next superstar athlete, but when it comes time to perform, has it actually stuck the landing? In this episode, we dive into the state of AI today, breaking down what’s working, what’s failing, and how companies like Apple, Google, and OpenAI are shaping the future.

We discuss Apple Intelligence, its delayed rollout, and whether Apple’s privacy-first approach is actually hurting its AI capabilities. Plus, what’s going on with AI-generated images, the evolution of Siri, and the battle between Google Gemini, ChatGPT, and Apple’s attempts to keep up. And of course, we analyze whether companies are just slapping "AI" on everything from bird feeders to massage chairs to sell more products.

On top of that, we discuss T-Mobile’s partnership with Starlink and the conspiracy theories running rampant about Elon Musk tracking everything. Also, are we witnessing the slow demise of TikTok in the U.S.? Taylor Lorenz joins the discussion to break it all down.

Gallery: Is Apple Intelligence All Hype? w/ Taylor Lorenz - Geared Up 202


What if I told you there's a robot vacuum that not only cleans your floors, but also outsmarts every obstacle in your home and gives you a literal break from maintenance for months at a time? Today, we're diving into a cleaning beast that might just change how you think about smart home tech. This is the Dreame X40 Ultra.

The Dreame X40 Ultra is one of the most advanced robot vacuums I've come across in a while. This thing combines modern tech upgrades with a focus on hands-off intelligent cleaning. It can handle tricky pet hair to dusty corners without constant supervision. Let's break down why the X40 Ultra is making waves and why you might never need to clean your floors manually again.

Click to continue reading The Dreame X40 Ultra is the Ultimate HANDS-OFF Robot Vacuum!

Gallery: The Dreame X40 Ultra is the Ultimate HANDS-OFF Robot Vacuum!


iPhone passcode entry

Imagine this: You’re at a bar with your friends, enjoying a drink and chatting. You take out your iPhone to check something and enter your passcode. You don’t notice the person behind you who’s watching your every move and memorizing your passcode. A few minutes later, they snatch your iPhone from your hand and run away.

You might think that’s bad enough, but it gets worse. Within minutes, the thief has used your passcode to gain access to your iPhone and change your Apple ID password, which enables them to disable Find My, make purchases using Apple Pay, gain access to passwords stored in iCloud Keychain, and scan through Photos for pictures of documents that contain a Social Security number or other details that could be used for identity theft.

This is not a hypothetical scenario. It’s a real threat that has been happening across the US. The Wall Street Journal’s Joanna Stern has been hearing from victims who have lost thousands of dollars and their entire digital lives after their iPhones were stolen with the thieves obtaining their passcodes.

Click to continue reading How iPhone Thieves Can Ruin Your Digital Life in Minutes

Gallery: How iPhone Thieves Can Ruin Your Digital Life in Minutes


In this episode I talk to Apple about the design process of Apple Silicon, the M2 chip, the M2 Max MacBook Pro, the M2 Pro Mac mini, and more. These are some of the most powerful and innovative Macs that Apple has ever created, and I wanted to learn more about how they came to be and what they can do. I'm joined by Laura Metz, the Director of Product Marketing, Anand Shimpi of Hardware Engineering, and Tuba Yalcin from the Pro Workflow team. They're all very passionate and knowledgeable about Apple's design process, and they shared some amazing insights.

This is a rare opportunity to hear from some of the people behind the scenes of Apple's amazing products and learn more about how they create and optimize them for different use cases. If you are a tech enthusiast or an Apple fan, you don't want to miss this video.

You can find my M2 Max MacBook Pro review, as well as pick one up for yourself!

Gallery: Talking with Apple about M2 Chip Design and the Power It Brings to the latest Macs


I had the opportunity to sit down with Jim Elliott, Corporate Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Samsung Semiconductor, Inc. at Samsung Tech Day last October. He runs Memory sales and marketing at Samsung’s North America Semiconductor subsidiary. We talked about how Samsung Semiconductor's technology is ushering the future of artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, super-fast 5G wireless networks, and more. Talking to Jim, it became clear that we're on the cusp of some major technological advancements that will drive forward a new age of innovation. This is similar to what we saw when 4G enabled us to carry devices in our pockets that let us order cars directly to our precise location, stream music and videos no matter where we happen to be, and the ability to post content to social networks for anyone to read or watch. So the question becomes, what's next?

Click to continue reading A Deep-Dive Conversation with Samsung about Powering the Future of Innovation

Gallery: A Deep-Dive Conversation with Samsung about Powering the Future of Innovation


Samsung flew me down to its annual Tech Day event so I could get an up-close look at the company’s latest announcements, including Samsung Semiconductor’s new mobile smartphone processor and 5G modem, to see how they’ll make our devices better in the future. The yearly event is part of Samsung’s ongoing effort to foster innovation across the technology ecosystem, with hundreds of attendees learning about and discussing the future of consumer and business technology. With all the year-end activities keeping us all busy, I finally put my experience at Samsung Tech Day into words - here’s how Samsung is aiming to lead the future of tech innovation.

Just shy of two months after announcing the Exynos 980, Samsung announced a new chipset at the event, the Exynos 990. The new processor is built on Samsung’s 7nm process, and includes a Mali-G77 GPU that increases graphical performance and power efficiency compared to Samsung’s previous chip by up to 20 percent as well as an octa-core CPU that should be 20 percent faster.

Click to continue reading Samsung Tech Day: A look at How Samsung is Leading the Way to the Future

Gallery: Samsung Tech Day: A look at How Samsung is Leading the Way to the Future


The Death of the Xbox

On this week's Geared Up, we talk about the upcoming Amazon Prime Day, celebrating Amazon's 25th anniversary. I bring you my tips on finding the best Prime Day deals, while naming a couple of my favorite Prime Day launch deals (which you can find right now - the Anker PowerPort Atom III and the Jabra Elite 85h headphones!) This year Amazon is extending Prime Day to be a two-day shopping event, which means competing retailers are also preparing their own deals to steal away some attention.

High-quality video game streaming is nearly here, with early launches of both Microsoft Project xCloud (an Xbox streaming service,) and Google Stadia both taking place in the fall of 2019. A listener asked if the fact that people will be able to stream their games to any device - from web browser, to smartphone to smart TV and more - spells the end of the Xbox and PlayStation dedicated video game consoles as we know them. I weigh in with my thoughts, along with my impressions of using Project xCloud (which you can see in the video embedded below!)

Samsung sent out invites for its Galaxy Unpacked event, which takes place at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY on August 7th. This will be where the Samsung Galaxy Note 10 will make its debut, and we should likely hear news of updated launch plans for the Samsung Galaxy Fold as well. I discuss the expected features and specs for the new Samsung flagship smartphone.

Finally, I also talk about Jony Ive leaving Apple and what his departure means for the future of the company as many wonder if the iconic designs that Apple is known for will suffer as a result.

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LINKS MENTIONED IN THE SHOW

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Listen to the episode in the player below or subscribe to Geared Up in your favorite podcast app to listen on the go:

Listen to this episode of the Geared Up podcast for analysis of the latest from Amazon, Apple, and Samsung.

Gallery: Geared Up: The Death of the Xbox, Amazon Prime Day 2019 Deals, & Samsung Galaxy Note 10 Rumors!


Nintendo Switch Mini vs Switch

This week on Geared Up, we talk about the latest rumors say that Microsoft is working on a new secret new foldable Surface tablet device that will be able to run Android apps and iCloud services, with a stripped down Windows Core OS - this will likely be more of a mobile device than a laptop, with LTE and 5G options available. This reminds me of the Microsoft Courier project from back in 2009 - take a look at the embedded video below!

Nintendo is ready to release two new updates to the Nintendo Switch lineup. First, a new miniature version of the popular Switch console that will likely be the successor to the Nintendo 3DS. In addition, there will be a more powerful Nintendo Switch "Pro" that will be 4K-capable when docked, with an upgrade to a 1080p display on the Switch unit itself.

Apple and Spotify's battle intensifies in court, with the two companies going back-and-forth in a public battle.

Finally, we also talk about the death of YouTube creator, Etika, and the state of mental health of content creators in this day and age.

SPONSOR: National Car Rental. Go National. Go like a pro.

LINKS MENTIONED IN THE SHOW

SPONSOR: National Car Rental - skip the line with the Emerald Club. Go National. Go Like a Pro.

Listen to the episode in the player below or subscribe to Geared Up in your favorite podcast app to listen on the go:

Listen to this episode of the Geared Up podcast for analysis of the latest from Microsoft, Apple, and Nintendo.

Gallery: Geared Up: Microsoft’s Mystery Foldable Surface Tablet, Updated Nintendo Switch Mini, & Apple vs Spotify Intensifies!


Apple Mac Pro and Pro XDR Display

E3 2019 is in the books, and Microsoft Xbox came out swinging! In this episode of Geared Up, we talk about all the big announcements coming out of the Xbox E3 keynote.

First up, Project Scarlett - the all-new next-generation Xbox console that will be launching toward the end of 2020. Microsoft says Project Scarlett will be four times more powerful than the Xbox One X (currently, the most powerful game console on the market.) Additionally, the company announced and demo'd Project Xcloud. Xcloud goes into beta in October and allows gamers to play their Xbox games anywhere they have WiFi or cell connectivity.

In addition to all the Xbox news, we pick up where we left off in the last episode to talk in depth about the upcoming Apple Mac Pro.

I also mentioned the new Ecobee Smart Thermostat that I've been testing - here's the video if you want to check it out:

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Listen to the episode in the player below or subscribe to Geared Up in your favorite podcast app to listen on the go:

Listen to this episode of the Geared Up podcast for analysis of the latest from Apple and Xbox.

Gallery: The Insane Apple Mac Pro, 8K Xbox, and xCloud Game Streaming!


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