Better Offline - The State of Consumer Tech with Lisa Eadicicco

Episode Date: December 10, 2025

Welcome to Radio Better Offline, a tech talk radio show recorded out of iHeartRadio's studio in New York City. Ed is joined in-studio by CNN Tech Editor Lisa Eadicicco to talk about the state of consumer electronics, Samsung’s Vision Pro competitor, and why every phone kind of looks the same. https://www.cnn.com/profiles/lisa-eadicicco https://x.com/LisaEadicicco Want to support me? Get $10 off a year’s subscription to my premium newsletter: https://edzitronswheresyouredatghostio.outpost.pub/public/promo-subscription/w08jbm4jwg YOU CAN NOW BUY BETTER OFFLINE MERCH! Go to https://cottonbureau.com/people/better-offline and use code FREE99 for free shipping on orders of $99 or more. --- LINKS: https://www.tinyurl.com/betterofflinelinks Newsletter: https://www.wheresyoured.at/ Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/BetterOffline/  Discord: chat.wheresyoured.at Ed's Socials: https://twitter.com/edzitron https://www.instagram.com/edzitron https://bsky.app/profile/edzitron.com https://www.threads.net/@edzitron Email Me: [e-mail] omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Run a business and not thinking about podcasting. Think again. More Americans listen to podcasts than ads supported streaming music from Spotify and Pandora. And as the number one podcaster,

IHearts twice as large as the next two combined. Learn how podcasting can help your business. Call 844-844-I-Hart. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier.

This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer, Streeter Seidel, help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends

on the Iheart radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Life is full of hurdles. So how do you keep going? On Hurtle with Emily Abadi, we're talking with the most inspiring women in sports and wellness, from professional athletes, coaches, and Olympic champions

about the challenges that shape them and the mindset that keeps them moving forward. At our level, at this scale, being able to fail in front of the entire world. Like, I can do anything. I can do anything. Listen to Hurtle with Emily Abadi on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Clifford Taylor, the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media.

Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilts of conversations with athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Clifford Show on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok podcast network on TikTok. Enter the twisted mind of Ed Zitron. This is Better Offline. That's right. We're here in New York City, New York State, and we've got a great guest, Lisa Edichiko from CNN. Thank you so much for joining us, Lisa, on this horrible wet day. Truly one of the ugliest days in New York history. But nevertheless, we're going to talk about consumer tech today. And everyone says, oh, Ed, you've got to be nicer. You've got to be like things more. But what's a gadget you've actually liked this year?

Like what's some stuff you've been enjoying? Yeah, and it's kind of funny because I feel like when I think about gadgets, I think about them two ways. There's one, like the gadgets I would actually buy and that I actually use every day. And then two, the ones that are, I think, interesting for what they say about the industry or that have been fun to write about and fun to cover. And for the things that I have enjoyed using this year, I would say it's a lot of the things you'd expect. Like the Nintendo Switch 2 is a fun one this year. the new Apple Watch because I'm a big Apple Watch user, things like that. And then there's the other category of things that I think have been really fun to write about.

And for that, I would say the Galaxy XR definitely stands out. So what is the Galaxy? So that's the Vision Pro competitor, right? Yes. So how comfortable is it? Start there. I would say, I mean, none of these things are super comfortable, to be honest. It's still this thing that's bigger than a pair of glasses, bigger than something you're used to wearing on

your face, so it's always going to be a little bit uncomfortable. I do think the Galaxy XR was like very easy to adjust and get to fit correctly. For me, I feel like a lot of these headsets usually are a little too big for me or might like fall off my head or something like that. I have a giant bons, giant head, and that thing, trying to get that thing on was like balancing a cup of tea on my head. Exactly. It's never, it's never that comfortable. It's kind of weird. I do feel like it was easy to adjust. It wasn't the most comfortable thing to wear. And I only wore it for like maybe about 20 minutes at a time. So I do feel like wearing it for extended use cases, the kinds of things that Samsung and Google think you'll use it for, like productivity and entertainment. I think that's,

I don't know how comfortable it would be to wear it for like, you know, if I'm working on a project or watching a movie or something. So you wouldn't do like your actual work inside it. I would try it. I think it would just take some time to get used to, you know, wearing that thing for like an hour or longer. Because as like a vision pro truther, and I think I mentioned this in person previously, but I can't use my vision pro right now. I can use it, but I can't update it unless you keep it on your head during the update, which is one of the most insane ideas ever. But I genuinely like, that, when I was trying it, I was so torn because 85% of the time I fucking hate it. I really, I was just like mad at it because like it would something would like my cat would brush my head

and now it would be out of focus. But there were these times on getting out and be like, this is actually really cool. I'm like writing. I wrote a whole thing on it. Like it was back in the earlier days of the show. I was like, I really like this got some music in the background. And then again, like, Babu, my cat would knock me in the head because he's very affectionate.

No, he's a lovely affectionate cat. Massive part of the show. And then I'd need to readjust it and then I would start to get a headache. Did you find that the software was good on the Galaxy one? Like, how was it in comparison? Yeah, so there's a couple of big things that stand out to me. I think the Gemini integration is really good and it should be because that's the one thing that Google and Samsung are kind of pitching as setting this apart from the Vision Pro and previous attempts at mixed reality and VR. But the idea that you can just look at something and ask a question about it, like in my demo from October, I was looking at photos and Google photos. And yes, it's cool that you can look at them on a giant screen and everything. But for me, what felt like the new thing that this is bringing to the table is being able to look at. look at that photo and be like, oh, where in the world do those types of trees usually grow? And I can like that combination of like knowing what you're looking at without having to really

specify. I do think the vision pro is better at certain things like media, for example. Right. I mean, some of the like spatial videos that have been created for the vision pro are just like breathtaking when you look at them. But I don't know that I would buy a vision pro for that reason, but it is very impressive. It is the thing. Like even the, with both of them, they have the same problem where it's like, this. is a cool idea like oh I know where that tree is now like great but it's like practically within my life when am I sitting down being like when where's that tree for like where is the where's the practical uses in with the vision pro it's like great I can put this on my head and walk around

with it I can kind of see who is this for yeah I think that's the big question and I feel like that's kind of at least for me when I try to look at okay what new products have been successful and did actually start a category and catch on with consumers and which ones haven't. And the thing that I've kind of noticed is the ones that haven't are when you really try to kind of force a user behavior that isn't there. And sometimes I feel like that's what's happening with these headsets is that the technology is very, very cool. It's very advanced. But it always feels like it's a step towards something more natural that we haven't gotten to yet. And you could say that about the Oculus Rift that came out more than 10 years ago.

In some cases, even the headsets today, I still feel that way about. And the steam, have you seen the steam frame? We just had the valve. I haven't tried it. I've seen. I don't think I just had Steve from Gamers Nexus on and he tried it a bit. But it's with all these things, it's like, I wish they'd have waited four years. Yeah.

I wish they'd have waited. Because there are those moments like you mentioned with the spatial video where it's like, holy shit. Like this is actually really cool. Like I watch like a basketball game on the Vision Promot. I'm like, this is actually. It's hard until you try it, right? And the best of things, I don't feel like that many people are going to have the opportunity to really try it at length to work it into their lives. But yeah, the idea of like, oh my God, it really does feel like I'm sitting courtside right now.

That's very cool. And the other thing is that even if it's just a big TV, that is cool. The problem is you can just sit down and watch a television. You just turn the bloody thing on. I have this Nebula X1 projector, which I fucking like, it's like an anchor. It's so good sound port now. And I just got like a nice screen. I pull up.

And that just, even that it's like. like two or three minutes to diddling around, but I now have a hundred inch screen in my apartment. That's so much less work than the Vision Pro, because the Vision Pro is like constant maintenance. And I feel like if they waited, I don't know, it may, Casey Cicago, friend of the show, he suggests that this will just never happen. I honestly don't necessarily know if I disagree with him on this one. But it's like, I really hope it does, because if it was just something, like maybe, no, like a hat that just worked, that would be cool. But we're like, no, not even close. Right, exactly.

And I think that's kind of why a lot of these companies are kind of working towards these smart glasses instead because they are natural. They do feel like something you would wear whether there was tech in them or not. But again, I feel like convincing people that this is something that's actually going to be more convenient might be difficult. Although, I don't know. I mean, people who wear glasses might say, hey, I need new glasses anyway. That looks cool. Maybe I'll try it. The thing is with the smart glasses is I just have to wonder about the social problem.

Because I know if one of my friends, other than like Victoria's Songo came on wearing them, if someone was wearing them when I was like at a bar, I wouldn't want to look at them. I have to wonder how most people would feel about that. I think there's that. That's an important part. I also feel like the interaction element is going to be weird socially because you're out. Let's say we're sitting here talking or we're at a cafe and we're talking about something. And I'm like, oh, let me go look that up on my phone. If instead I were to say, I can just ask Gemini in my glasses or meta.

And you're just staring dead out. Right, exactly. Well, that Victoria's song was from the Verge was showing. It's like when you're looking, it is this weird kind of dead eye, this dead eyed stare because you're just, your eyes staring at the corner. And I just wonder, like, as cool as it is, what's the point of the smart glasses as well? Like, I can, I see the Vision Pro as a more, and even the Galaxy one as a more. fundamentally sound idea than the glasses because at some point it's like okay if I'm wearing glasses like I need guidance where I'm going I guess that's useful but like am I just putting this on

versus okay I'll put on a helmet and watch a sports game I think the way that I see glasses if they do take off the reason why I would almost think of them as like kind of like the way you think of AirPods and wireless earbuds like something that's on you you can use it to listen to music to take calls as you're walking and then it also has that optional displays so that you can, you know, see where you're going or look at directions or whatever you might want to look at, like the time, whatever. So kind of like bridging together, like what you would use a smart watch for and what you would use wireless earbuds for. Yeah, I see that. And I just wonder as well, will Apple even bother? Will Google even like

actually, if Google does it again, I have to respect them after the whole Google Glass debacle. Another podcast from some SNL late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. Me and hilarious guests from Jim Gaffigan to Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day

and head writer Streeter Seidel help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. There's the worst singer in the group. The worst? Yeah. Me. Is there anything to the idea

that because you're from Harvard, uh, you only got in the, Your parents made a huge donation. The group. The yard birds, right? That's the name. The Harvard Yard.

But they're open. Do you have a name suggestion? We're open. Since you guys are middle-aged. One erection. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Humor me.

I need some jokes to make me seem funny. Run a business and not thinking about podcasting, think again. More Americans listen to podcasts than ads supported streaming music from Spotify and Pandora. And as the number one podcaster, IHeart's twice as large as the next two combined. So whatever your customers listen to, they'll hear your message. Plus, only IHeart can extend your message to audiences across broadcast radio. Think podcasting can help your business. Think IHeart.

Streaming, radio, and podcasting. Call 844-844-I-Ehart to get started. That's 844-8-4-4-Ehart. hard. Life throws hurdles big and small. The question is, how do you conquer them? On hurdle with Emily Abadi, we sit down with the most inspiring women in sports and wellness, professional athletes, coaches, and Olympic champions to talk about the challenges that shaped them and the mindset that keeps them going from the WMBA standout Kate Martin and rising hockey star Layla Edwards. If a boy can do it, I don't see why a girl can't. Like, I've never understood that. Like,

it didn't make sense in my brain. It's hard to be in spaces that no one looks like you, but don't never feel like you don't belong. Don't let that be the reason you don't do it. An Olympic champs Gabby Thomas and Katie Ladeke. The ability to show a gold medal to someone and have their face light up and smile, that means the world to me. And that's what motivates me to win more gold medals. At our level, at this scale, like being able to fail in front of the entire world. Like, I can do anything. I can do anything. Because resilience isn't just about winning. It's about showing up, even when it's hard.

Listen to Hurtle with Emily Abadi on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions,

my journey from basketball to college football, or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brain. new podcast, The Clifford Show. This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated.

One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me, or you're just chasing down a dream, this is right what you need to be. Listen to the Clifford show on the IHard Radio app,

Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. Are they still around Google Glass? I can't remember. I don't know where the latest on Google Glass stands. I don't think they are. I know they kind of pivoted to Enterprise.

Yeah, that's why I wasn't sure if they'd done away. Because I know Microsoft has basically killed HoloLens, but they have a very small. enterprise division. Yeah, I mean, at this point with, I feel like I don't know for sure. I can't speak for Google, but it would make sense for them to, I feel like, focus more on Android XR and the future of that platform at this point. Well, for me, taking a slight change. The one thing I will say is, this is an unpopular opinion. I'm going to have my house for this one. I love the iPhone air. And I heard that they're delaying the next one to like 20, 37. I'm very disappointed. I'm very

upset by this. I love the iPhone air. I do like it too. Everyone's mad at me for it. No, I, I, I think it's a good phone and for Apple I feel like they don't you know that's all they need is a good iPhone yeah will buy it right it doesn't have to reinvent the wheel every single time they come out with a new phone I do think where Apple can struggle sometimes is when you have these in between models that are like not too different in price from whatever the cheapest iPhone and the most expensive iPhone is like that for for whatever reason this is just again my own observation apple's audience has a hard time latching on to like whatever that like in between model is whether it's the plus or the mini or the air,

it seems like it's hard for them to generate demand. It does kind of feel like a weird. I wonder, I hope, because the whole thing, it feels like, I didn't think of it as an in-between as well, because you're right. It feels like they would naturally try and make the main ones this thing,

because that's the whole reason I like it. It feels like a smaller, it feels like an in-between between an iPad mini and an iPad. But I love, I love the iPad pro. I love having a very thin device. And every phone's getting fatter, it feels like.

Yeah, and I think we're at the, point also where people aren't super wowed by how thin technology you can get because we've been there for a while. So I don't think this premise of an iPhone Air really hit the same way the iPad Air did, the way the MacBook Air did. And I think it's just kind of for that reason that we're desensitized to it. And I think Apple shoppers tend to fall into two categories. Either I've had an iPhone for years and I'm not even thinking about what phone I have. I'm just going to get the next iPhone whenever my current one dies. And then you have the people that do get excited about new iPhones and those people do care about things like maybe not having an extra camera or, you know, the best

battery life or whatever. It's also the camera's pretty bad. I've gone around it, but like it sucks. Yeah. I mean, like I'm not, I'm the person that takes casual photos all the time. And I think the camera's fine. I haven't been blown away by it in my own just, you know, usage here and there. It does feel like we're approaching peak phone, though. Oh, I feel like we've been there for a while. Like the iPhone 17 Pro Max, whatever, it's just it's the same phone. Exactly. I feel like we've been at peak phone for a while.

And I do feel like that's part of what Apple's trying to do here with the iPhone Air is show that it can make something that's different, that's unexpected. That's not just the same phone repackaged. And then people hated it. So now they don't know what to do. I do feel like, and this is a common argument, but I do feel like it's a stuff. towards a foldable iPhone, at least in my opinion. That's what I want. Because the technology needs to be, they need to engineer the phone differently for it to be foldable.

It's not just about the crease and all that, but you have to think about the battery, the components. And like, engineering wise, that was a big step forward with the iPhone air. I have to wonder as well if the reason they've jumped on the foldables is they're still very experimental. I see Jerry Riggs everything. There was someone who did a review of a foldable and they made it, like one of the Google ones that's set on fire. And just from like bending it too much, it's like, if we're still there, Apple doesn't want to touch this with a 50-foot pile. Yeah, I feel like foldables have gotten really good.

I feel like Samsung's in particular, like, because they have been doing this for so long, it's finally gotten to the point where the fold feels like a regular phone. Yeah. And that's really cool. But I do feel like it's still a subset of the phone market. Most people just want a new phone. But I agree. I feel like the minute there is a foldable iPhone, I'm going to buy one mostly out of curiosity. but also because I really do enjoy using foldable phones.

And it does make the experience feel a little different. And this, like the iPhone Air, to me, as soon as I picked it up, I was like, this just feels like a Z flip that doesn't fold in half. Yeah. That's the Motorola one. Oh, in the Galaxy. Yeah, that's like the Galaxy flip phone one. And then, of course, Motorola has one as well.

Yeah. I know Michael Fisher, Mr. Mobile himself, loves those things. And that's like the trifold ones as well. I love these crazy Chinese phones where it's like, three giant things that you unfold probably breaks very Samsung just announced there was like last night too yeah yes yes I want more weird phones me too I want phones to be weird again I had a Microsoft kin

back in the day like I had the Samsung juke I had all these weird phones tell me about what is the Microsoft kin I remember the name but I don't remember what it was so this was like way before I was writing about phones I was just like this thing's weird I want it it was their social media phone oh my God yeah so like your front I'm bringing up a picture now.

I've got to look at this. Yes, that was like peak weird phone. It, like, had this cover screen that would look like your Facebook feed, and then you would open it up. And there would be a keyboard on the inside. I had the second generation one. So that one looked a little bit more like a regular phone? So the one that looks like an egg? No, not the egg one.

The other one. Yeah, that first one. Yeah, so they had one one that looked like a Palm Pre, it looks like, and then one that kind of looked like a normal phone. 2010 as well. Yeah. What a, what a classic 2010 decision? Exactly. I loved it. I thought it was so cool, but it was so glitchy. And that's why I ended up getting rid of it was that like the operating system just crashed one day and I just couldn't use it anymore. And this was before I really knew how to like troubleshoot things and before I was really even interested in technology. And I just got to, I think at that point I finally switched to a smartphone. But yeah, I mean, phones were weird back then and it was really cool. And I kind of missed that. But I feel like foldable phones to your point are filling that void. Because if you look at the comments, thread between weird phones is that they're all trying to be some kind of like hybrid device.

Yeah. Like those phones of the 2010s were like, oh, you still kind of want to use your keyboard, but you also want something that feels like a smartphone and, you know. My favorite was so I definitely, the Blackberry Storm, I don't know if you remember that as far as. Yeah. There was that weird generation when everyone was just trying something weird. And there was this horrible, horrible Blackberry where it was like haptic, but it just felt like pressing into fudge.

Oh gosh. Yeah. so cool. But I just looked this up. Samsung Duke, what the, look like a key ring? Yeah, it was supposed to be like a MP3 player slash phone. It was weird. But also it came out at the point where you could already store your music on a regular phone. But I don't know, I thought it was cool and weird and it was so tiny. Yeah, it was so tiny. I kind of love how small it is. It looks like a chocolate bar. Yeah, yeah. It like swings open. I miss when we were doing weird shit with Me too.

There was that weird. There were just everyone. Everything just looks like this now. Yeah, everything's a brick. Yes. And it's a shame. It feels like everything is just kind of normalizing around it when we need more weird shit. But I guess we've now seen what happens when you're actually no.

The iPhone Air wasn't weird enough. That's the problem. Exactly. I think that that's, you know, when I talk about those like in between phones and I think what makes it hard to kind of really create a lot of demand for those phones is that they're not different enough. They're just in between and they're not that different. and price and I think that's, you know, a big part of what can make it difficult to kind of

sell somebody on that. It's not that much less expensive than the pro, but it's thinner. So like, do you... And also, there's still like a thousand dollars. Right. These are not cheap. No, not at all. No, it's meant to be like a pro that's thinner, I think, except, you know, hardware is different, obviously.

And it's pretty fast. I like it a lot. It's just, I'm annoyed because the camera is, it's just shitting up. It's not that it's bad. It's like just a little bit worse. Like, it can't really zoom. You have to do digital zoom. Yeah, it doesn't have a lot of Zoom.

Even digitally, it doesn't zoom in that far, yeah. It's weird how little has happened with Apple in the last year as well, because they tried the Vision Pro and then they just went, uh, mm-mm. Yeah, I don't know. I feel like the Vision Pro is one of those things that it's going to, I don't know. I feel like people were expecting it for a long time. The expectations were really high. And I think for Apple, they're especially high because they have this history of creating,

not necessarily being the first, but being the first to get people excited about a new category and show, yeah. Yeah, and like show how this should be done like with the smart watch. Like the Apple Watch was not the first smart watch by any means, but it was the first one that got kind of popular or popular enough at least. And they were smart enough to treat it as a fashion item, which. Right. Although that's not what it is at all now.

It's so funny to see how that's, not that they don't care about fashion. Yes. The launch was like a vanity vogue spread and they were really, there was a $10,000 dollar amaze one. Yes. Oh my God. I remember that. I love that they tried that and they just walked away.

Just like, yeah, that's a sports thing now. And that's the thing is like when you create a new category, it's really hard to predict what people are actually going to use it for or what they're going to gravitate towards. I think they were doing it just for the marketing. I think it was literally just to get people to write about it in a different one. But also smart watches were so ugly back then. That's the other thing is that the reason why. What were the other ones? There was like a dad.

There was the pebble, which I. loved so much, honestly. They're back? It looked, yes, they are back. You know, the original Pebble Watch didn't look like anything special, but it was like... Wasn't an Ian Kuzwell?

Was this? Yeah. Yeah, I love that. It was like funky and weird. It was like a monochrome display. And I just loved... And it's funny because I'm not usually this person like that cares about customizing things,

but you could customize the watch face to be like literally anything you want. And talk about like weird gadgets. Like I feel like that was also like, not weird, but they had such a fun community around it that would develop all these custom watch faces and things like that. And it was just really, it was a cool little device. Another podcast from some SNL late night comedy guy, not quite.

Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends, me and hilarious guests from Jim Gaffigan to Bob Odin Kirk, to David Letterman, help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel, help an Acapella band with their between songs banter. There's the worst singer in the group. The worst? Yeah. Me.

Is there anything to the idea that because you're from Harvard, you only got in because your parents made a huge donation. The group. The yard birds, right? That's the name. The Harvard yard, but they're open. Do you have a name suggestion? We're open.

Since you guys are middle aged. One erection. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and Friends on the I-Heart Radio app, podcast or wherever you get your podcast. Human me, I need some jokes to make me seem funny. Run a business and not thinking about podcasting, think again. More Americans listen to podcasts than ad-supported streaming music from Spotify and Pandora. And as the number one podcaster, IHeart's twice as large as the next two combined.

So whatever your customers listen to, they'll hear your message. Plus, only IHeart can extend your message to audiences across broadcast radio. Think podcasting can help your business. Think IHeart. Streaming, radio, and podcasting. Let us show you at IHeartadvertising.com. That's iHeartadvertising.com. Life throws hurdles big and small.

The question is, how do you conquer them? On Hurtle with Emily Abadi, we sit down with the most inspiring women in sports and wellness, professional athletes, coaches, and Olympic champions to talk about the challenges that shaped them and the mindset that keeps them going. From the WMBA standout, Kate Martin, and Rising Hockey, star Layla Edwards. If a boy can do it, I don't see why a girl can't. Like, I've never understood that.

Like, it didn't make sense in my brain. It's hard to be in spaces that no one looks like you, but don't ever feel like you don't feel like. Don't let that be the reason you don't do it. An Olympic champs Gabby Thomas and Katie Ladeki. The ability to show a gold medal to someone and have their face light up and smile, that means the world to me. And that's what motivates me to win more gold medals.

At our level, at this scale, like being able to fail in front of the entire, world. Like, I can do anything. I can do anything. Because resilience isn't just about winning. It's about showing up, even when it's hard. Listen to Hurtle with Emily Abadi on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports. A win is a win.

A win is a win. I don't care which I'm saying. Yep, that's me. Cliver Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, the reactions, my journey from basketball to college football. or my career in sports media. Well, somewhere along the way, this platform became bigger than I ever imagined. And now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Clifford Show.

This is a place for raw, unfiltered conversations with some of your favorite athletes, creators, and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. One week, I'll take you behind the scenes of the biggest moments in sports and entertainment, and the next we'll talk about life, mental health, purpose, and even music. The Clifford Show isn't just a podcast. It's a space for honest conversations, stories that don't always get told, and for people who are chasing something bigger. So, if you've ever supported me or you're just chasing down a dream,

this is right where you need to be. Listen to the Clifford Show on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network on TikTok. I feel like that era was great. I realized there was a lot of fraud on Indieggo on Kickstarter, but there was also just weird shit. And now that's all in China.

Yeah. It's just GP. You play with any GPD stuff? You ever seen them? No. Yeah, they just make gaming PCs but the handhelds and they all cost. Oh, that's cool.

They have one. It's cool, but it's also you're like, you wacky sons of bitch. They're doing a handheld one where you have an external battery. It's just like, sure, why not? It's like at that point. Why not? And they always make $4 million on Kickstarter. I hope all that money's not from criminal enterprises.

I'm not suggesting it is, but every time. But it's just, I wish that there was. I'm sure that there are economic reasons for sure someone to shoot me an email about this I wish we have more American firms willing to try shit because it's dull right now

it's boring out Yeah it's things have looked the same for a long time And you had like a brief moment In like the mid 2010s Like 2016, 2017 When Alexa was just starting to become really popular And then everyone thought the smart home

Was gonna take off in a way that it never did Wow that yeah that one But I'm thinking about like these different phases Of like everyone's like Oh this is gonna be the next big thing after phones and like we still have not reached that moment. I don't have it. I mean,

to the point of everything being the same as well, it's like you buy a, you buy a Google device, it's called Gemini on it, you buy an Apple device, it's got Apple intelligence, you immediately turn it off. It's just everything kind of feels and looks the same.

And you watch a commercial, it's just more fucking Gemini. I don't know if you use Gemini. I still don't know why Gemini 3 has caused so much. It's the same. Yeah, I mean, it's like a, sure, it's like a better version of,

the same. I've used it here and there. I don't, I use AI a lot in like my like personal life or whatever just to get things done. But it's not like I don't think we're at the point yet where at least in my personal usage, I don't see that much of a difference between chat GPT and Gemini in terms of what I use them for. And I think it's, that's one interesting thing I feel like about AI compared to a lot of the other products in our lives. Like when you have a phone or a computer, you're like, okay, I'm a Mac or a PC person, I'm iOS or Android. I feel like with AI, people do use different models for different things. I don't feel like people are loyal to just one all the time.

I also think that it's the, you know how I feel about AI, but it's also, it's not clear what makes one different from the other. Like with a, I guess that's the case with phones as well, except phones don't just burn money every time you turn them on. But it's strange because this Gemini thing has really taken off. The stock market, you got people writing it. You wrote this piece about like, oh, Google. Google is the new leader in AI.

But it's just like why, and I think it comes down to, they mostly do the same. It makes me think people are going to love this. I think that like the only company that will even do LLM's long term is Google and then they'll just make it, they'll pull back the prices. But it's like, no one can really explain what the difference is and thus no one actually has any brand power. Yeah, I think for Google, it's an extension of like their business model naturally. like people use Google search to find information and do things. And now people have started

using LLMs for that. So of course it makes sense for them to do that and they have an advantage in that sense. I think Google has that advantage, right? That you have all these people that don't even know about AI are just going to naturally start using their product because it's Gemini and their models are now baked into almost everything Google does. AI mode, everything else. You know, Open AI, I think their advantage has been that they were, you know, GPT kind of became a household name pretty quickly. So it's hard to kind of once any brand has that kind of like has made that kind of impression. I feel like it's hard to compete with that or, you know, I feel like that's why I see so much consolidation in the tech industry in particular is because

it's really hard to be that third, right? You have like one or two that are really big and then being that third is is really challenging. It's also there's little, I feel like there's not really much reward for being first with this as well or even being the household. They just burn a bunch of money. There was a story in the information that came out this week. This will run now a week after that. But where it's like Open AI zone code read because of Geminiite's like, and you read the article. It's really funny because there's a bit where it's just like, step one, make Chad GPT's answers better.

Step two, make it able to do more. Step three, make people like it. It's like, what have you been doing? What have you been doing the last six months? Honestly, that may be what Gemini three is. It's just that they said, I went, what would make people use this more? Well, what's interesting is, like, you have kind of the opposite, like, Open AI and Google are in the opposite scenarios. They're like the inverse of each other.

Like, Google is already playing in so many different areas from search to phones to all these other products that shopping, right? All of these things that we do every day online. And because they have that in place already, they can just kind of sprinkle AI into things as they go along. Open AI had the opposite where they had this one like breakout AI service and now they're you know kind of in this mode where they're like hey we're not just this one thing we're the next big internet company right that's kind of what they're projecting based on all of these areas that they're trying to expand into so I think it's kind of interesting back years ago the New York Times had that piece where Google was saying we're in a code yes yes yes yes

and now open AI according to that article is you know facing that moment of its own I just I also think that no one knows what to do with large language. But I just don't, I think at this point, so much money's gone in and you can't get a straight answer out of any of them as to why you're using them. Like in your personal office, I imagine brainstorming stuff or like looking stuff up. Right. Like stuff that I would probably use Google for otherwise. Yeah. And it's like, if this ends with just Google manages to pull in the customers the open AI had and then ends up probably making it putting some of this away because it's too expensive. It's just like, of caught. If this is, that actually is probably how it ends with just like a large company destroying a

startup and nothing happening. I hope so. The sooner the better. I mean, it's, it is three years and we've not really had a proper use case beyond better search. It's strange. It's everywhere. Yeah, I would agree in that. Like, I do think it's moving fast in terms of like it started out, you know, the shift from just being able to answer simple questions to being able to, like, reason and whatever and think on these questions more. But to your point, that's not the use case. That's the technology that's changing. It's also just more search. Like it really is just knowledge search instead of web search. Right. And sometimes it gets it wrong. Well, I'm sure I'm sure you've heard this term more times than you would like. I even hate saying it because I feel like it's become such a nonsense buzzword. You could probably guess what I'm going to say. but AI agents are supposedly going to be the next step of whatever this AI search trend. I love this. Well, it's funny. When you go and look at the term agent, it just means like chat.

It really does just mean chat ball. Right now, yes. Or even you go back to 2023. That's how open AI defined it. Yeah. But I loved, I saw this statistics just like 11% it was AI agents. It's like, no, it wasn't. If you're just considering AI search agent, that's just search engines.

And I keep reading about these shopping integrations. as well, but I can never make them work. Because I go and try. I go and try the Walmart wouldn't work. I managed to make it do something in Canva. Right. But it's like I could have just done that in Canva. Right, and that's the thing. That's, I think

for me, where a lot of the skepticism comes in is that I feel like we've been talking about these agents for years. To the point, since ChatGPT came out, they're like, this is what these things are going to go and do stuff. Right. These things are going to do stuff for you. And I do think that could be really helpful, honestly, but I also have a lot of skepticism and concerns about, like, I don't know, handing over anything that I remotely care about being done the right way to an AI agent.

Like, I'm skeptical that people are going to trust it enough to handle things. Well, it's also, it doesn't seem to be able to do it is my big thing. But even when you look to, like, the AI browsers from like, there's, what's a comet from perplexity and Atlas from Open AI or whatever, when you look, there's like this thing of the prompt injection attacks. I don't know if you've seen this. Yes, I've seen a little bit of that. just the website, if you use them on a website, the website could attack you.

What I love, though, is the people who are innovating appear to just be criminals. The people who are, like, actually finding AI innovations are, like, Cambodian pig butchering operations. North Korea, I was, North Korea, I heard this story the other day from a mate where it's North Korean people are using, like, in, in, like, hacker groups are applying to and getting American jobs. Oh, really? use and using deep,

called deep fakes for the know your customer stuff and like, it's really fucking grim. It's just like, no, everything I read is just like, man, there is innovation. Crime.

Well, actually Robert Evans of Cool Zone Meter in 2024 said that was the actual innovation. We were walking to a restaurant. He said, no, that's where it is. It's like fraud. Massive fraud.

No, I mean, and I feel like anytime you have a new technology, the bad guys always find a way to make use of it before, you know, faster than the good guys. I think they are the only ones. They're making, I will say, North Korean hacker groups, I'm pretty sure are making more profit than Open AI, which is cool.

I think that that's cool. I think that that's the world we deserve, honestly. And I think that's where we're heading towards, because when you create a technology that you're not really sure what it does, of course somebody malign is going to use it to your own point. It's like, of course they're going to find a way around it. All right, as we wrap up, is there anything you're actually looking forward to in the tech industry, though? Is there anything on the horizon? It's okay if there isn't. Honestly, there isn't really just one thing right now.

I feel like, you know, all of this AI stuff is a little dizzying and there's a lot of skepticism about it. But I will say as someone who's been covering this industry for like a little more than 10 years and a lot of that just being the same, I feel like it's been fun to write about something that it does feel new, whether for better or for worse. It's something that feels new and different. What am I looking forward to? I want weird phones again. That's what I'm looking forward to. I hope that phones get weird again. I want things with hand cranks on the...

I mean, that's the Playdate console. I mean, even the Nintendo Switch 2 was kind of safe. It's good. I like it a lot. No, but it's weird for Nintendo to do that, I feel like, doing... After the Wii U. I loved it. No, I have like almost every Nintendo console, but yeah.

I feel like coming out with more of the same is not usually in their playbook, but the Switch was so successful that they kind of had to. People, could you imagine if the Switch 2 was entirely different and wasn't a better version of the same console? I do wonder if we're going to get a pushback on this eventually, though. If people are just going to, we need some weird shit again. That's what I, the energy I'm putting into the universe today. Yes, me too. So where can people find you?

You can find me on, I'm on X, Blue Sky and Threads at Lisa Etichico, and you can also find my work, of course, at CNN.com. Wonderful, and you can find me at betteroffline.com, subscribe to the newsletter. Email me on my web verse. Thank you for listening. Love you all. Thank you for listening to Better Offline. The editor and composer of the Better Offline theme song is Mattersowski. You can check out more of his music and audio projects at Mattersowski.com. M-A-T-T-O-S-O-S-K-I.com.

You can email me at E-Z at Better Offline.com or visit Better Offline.com to find more podcast links and, of course, my newsletter. I also really recommend you go to chat. Where's YourEd.at to visit the Discord and go to our slash Better Offline to check out our Reddit. Thank you so much for listening. Better Offline is a production of Cool Zone Media. For more from Cool Zone Media,

visit our website, coolzonemedia.com, or check us out on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast. Another podcast from some SNL, late-night comedy guy, not quite. Unhumor me with Robert Smygel and friends. me and hilarious guests from Bob Odenkirk to David Letterman help make you funnier. This week, my guest, SNL's Mikey Day and head writer Streeter Seidel,

help an a cappella band with their between songs banter. Where does your group perform? We do some retirement homes. Those people are starving for banter. Listen to humor me with Robert Smigel and friends on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Life is full of hurdles. So how do you keep going?

On Hurtle with Emily Abadi, we're talking with the most inspiring women in sports and wellness from professional athletes, coaches, and Olympic champions about the challenges that shape them and the mindset that keeps them moving forward. At our level, at this scale, being able to fail in front of the entire world. Like, I can do anything. I can do anything. Listen to Hurtle with Emily Abadi on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Presented by Capital One, founding partner of IHeart Women's Sports.

A win is a win. A win is a win. I don't care what I'm saying. Yep, that's me, Cliford Taylor the 4th. You might have seen the skits, my basketball and college football journey, or my career in sports media. Well, now I'm bringing all of that excitement to my brand new podcast, The Cliford Show. This is a place for raw, unfilts of conversations with athletes, creators,

and voices that not only deserve to be heard, but celebrated. So let's get to it. Listen to The Cliford Show on the IHeard Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast. And for more behind the scenes, follow at Clifford and at TikTok Podcast Network, On TikTok. I'm Michelle McPhee, and I've been unraveling the strangest criminal alliance I've ever reported on. A Mormon polygamist and an Armenian businessman. Multi-million dollar house, Ferraris and Lamborghinis, private jets, a billion dollar fraud.

But how long can this alliance last? Tell me what you know. Is somebody coming after me? Listen to Kingdom of Fraud on the I-Heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast. Guaranteed human.