Waveform: Foldables, Meta Connect and AI Agents
Foldables and phone design
The hosts unbox Xiaomi’s folding phone and compare its shape, hinge, screens, cameras and software with Apple’s announced iPhone Duo and other foldables. They discuss how the phone feels in different positions, including when opened as a tablet, and how its wallpaper responds to the hinge. The conversation also turns to whether the iPhone Duo will sell well: the hosts weigh its novelty and public attention against its expected price and debate how its first-week sales might compare with the Pro models.
Product news and reviews
Dyson’s camera toothbrush
The hosts discuss reports that Dyson pulled its camera toothbrush from the market after users reported problems including breakages and failures when wet. They also describe how someone used the live camera view to take low-resolution street photographs, and discuss the toothbrush’s resale price.
Nothing Headphone One Pro
Marques describes the $400 headphones’ materials, three-driver design and switch between a music-oriented sound and a flatter mode. The hosts like aspects of their look and comfort but criticize the bulky case, which cannot charge the headphones while closed and requires turning them around to store them. Marques says his initial impressions changed after comparing them with other headphones; he finds their noise cancellation competitive but their sound less compelling than some alternatives.
Apple product rumors and Tesla Roadster delay
The hosts discuss Mark Gurman’s report that Apple may announce a HomePod mini, Apple TV and HomePad, while noting that the security cameras mentioned in earlier rumors may not be part of the announcement. They also consider reports that John Ternus wants Apple to release products more often and take more risks. The Tesla Roadster event was postponed by two weeks because of forecast thunderstorms, rain and wind; the hosts discuss why an outdoor demonstration could be affected and push back on speculation that the car would fly.
Meta Connect: glasses and headset
The hosts review Meta’s new Ray-Ban smart glasses, an audio-only glasses option and the Meta VR glasses. They describe the headset’s lighter design, separate compute-and-battery puck, eye tracking, hand controls and virtual keyboard, and compare its approach to the Vision Pro and Quest Pro. They discuss possible uses for work and productivity, along with the reported specifications, price and planned release timing.
Meta Muse, privacy and AI agents
The hosts explain Meta’s Muse as an assistant that can act across services such as Gmail and Facebook Marketplace, and discuss the Muse Charm. They recount an example in which the agent arranged a Marketplace pickup without the seller realizing what it had done, and another in which it gave useful calendar and travel suggestions. The discussion focuses on the trade-offs between convenience and privacy, how proactive an agent should be, and who might be responsible when one makes a mistake. They also discuss Amazon blocking Muse from shopping, the conflict between AI agents and platforms’ business models, and Meta’s efforts to establish new interfaces beyond the phone.
AI use in health insurance
The hosts discuss a Reuters report about hospitals using AI tools to identify additional conditions they could bill insurers for, and Blue Cross Blue Shield using AI to review claims. They describe the reported result as extra costs and work for both sides without a benefit to patients.
OpenAI Dots and delegated work
The hosts describe OpenAI’s Dots as fuzzy-looking agents focused more on work tasks, including coding, inbox triage and calendar changes, and compare them with Meta’s consumer-facing Muse. They debate whether agents should communicate as their users, whether they should identify themselves as assistants, and how much control users should retain over scheduling and email. The discussion also considers agents communicating with one another and the risks of delegating decisions without clear oversight.
Ben Jordan’s testimony and closing trivia
The hosts give a shout-out to YouTuber and musician Ben Jordan, who testified before a congressional subcommittee about Flock cameras and called for regulation and third-party audits. The episode ends with trivia about early internet music broadcasts and classic Mac icons, including the wristwatch cursor and an early settings icon with a light switch.