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.