Mobile Tech Podcast with tnkgrl Myriam Joire · WorldPodcasts.com / Gorilla Voice Media

All hail Purse Computer, Halide app review, Google Pixel 10a, Samsung Galaxy AI teasers, special Apple Experience, Nothing launch event, Vivo V70, and more with Allison Johnson of The Verge

February 22, 2026·1 hr 20 min·5 clips

The show starts with the feeling that phone season has gone from quiet to crowded. The host welcomes Alison Johnson and quickly frames the stretch ahead as phone madness. They work through a series of recent stories Alison has written about and treat them as signals of where the category is heading. The purse computer naming joke gets its moment, with the pair leaning into the absurdity of how these devices get labeled. From there, the discussion moves into Halide and its Process Zero update. The conversation makes clear that the app matters because it gives users more control over processing. They talk through the long-running tension between more data in the pipeline and the pull toward richer contrast. The show lands on the idea that many phones now flatten images too much. That turns into a broader case for why some users still want manual control and a more natural-looking image pipeline. The discussion also touches on iPhone photography and the appeal of richer contrast. Chinese phones come up as examples of devices that still give users that look. The episode then widens out to the coming wave of phone news and anticipation. There is a lot of forward motion, but the core point stays the same: the phone week-and-a-half is about to get busy. The pair keep the tone brisk and practical rather than theatrical. They move quickly from one idea to the next. That pace fits the moment, because the backlog of phone stories is already building. The result feels like informed friends comparing notes in real time. There is opinion here, not just recap. There is also a clear sense of what they think matters: how devices shoot, how they feel, and whether the headline features actually improve use. The episode closes on the promise of more Samsung coverage to come. It leaves the listener with a strong sense that this is only the start of a busy stretch.

As heard by us

Fast, opinionated phone coverage that makes phone-week chaos feel worth following.

This episode moves quickly through phone-week chaos, with Alison Johnson and the purse computer naming joke doing a lot of the anchoring. The Halide Process Zero update gets a clear, sharp look, and the camera talk has a real point of view around contrast, processing, HDR, and…

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

Phone week hits hard, and this one keeps up without losing the plot.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from Mobile Tech Podcast with tnkgrl Myriam Joire