New Things with Joanna Stern

Hello! Hope you had a good week. I did, though I spent a bit too much of it thinking about Perv Technology—AKA glasses and earbuds with cameras—and whether Google Glass poisoned that well for everyone. Then, the first installment of Ask Joanna, where you send questions and I attempt answers. Reply to this email and we might answer it in a future edition. And finally, Chumby! Remember the Chumby?! If you do, congratulations, it’s probably time to schedule a colonoscopy. The hottest tech of the summer?

Good morning! We’ve set a New Things world record: Wednesday’s feature video is actually out before lunch. Please alert Guinness. More below on a very 2026 problem: Companies want us talking to AI bots. Humanity would prefer not to hear it. So now there’s tech that can hear whispers and conceal our voices. Especially timely after this week’s AirPods-with-cameras leak and Apple’s increasingly obvious plans to turn AirPods into an AI device.

I’ve officially run out of ways to greet you on a summer Friday. Happy Friday? We made it? Anyway, I hope you can unplug early today. I’ve been doing a surprising amount of unplugging over summer weekends, thanks to the Brick—the first thing I’ve tried that has actually kept me off social media for days at a time. More on that below. Then Instagzam’s new logo (not a typo) and an Old Thing from 1965 that still works today.

Good morning! I’m in your inbox a bit early because Google just announced its new Pixel phones, and I’ve got all the details, including a cool LED ring on the back that lets you know who is trying to get in touch with you. Yes, notification lights are back, baby! Then, Anthropic is watermarking Claude outputs, Amazon is sending oddly vague shipping emails and Mark Zuckerberg has written his open-model opus.

We’ve made it through another week. I spent a lot of mine folding open a phone. More below on why the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 changed my outlook on foldables, and made me even more excited for Apple to join the fold. Then, Google Maps has some new AI tricks—that work… sometimes. And happy birthday to the Apple Newton! 🎂 I’ve spent years making fun of foldable phones. I’ve stuck a hot dog in one. I’ve complained about their awkward shapes and flimsiness.

Hello, and welcome to August, the month when the news is supposed to slow down. Apparently, nobody told the AI models. And if you’re wondering if AI wrote that sentence, more below on what I call AI Slop Vibes™ and my testing of AI detectors. Also, HBO goes vertical, OpenAI responds to Apple, Casio puts a watch on a ring and some tech glasses even the haters will love. 🕶️ 🚨In other news, we have just launched on Spotify. Follow our show there! 🚨 You’re currently a free subscriber to New Things.

Hello! We made it to Friday. It’s going to be a beautiful weekend. Perfect for grilling, swimming, relaxing…and watching our interview with OpenAI President Greg Brockman, if you haven’t already. But first, some reading: I finally wrote about how a remarkably simple screen saved my family from our calendar chaos and how Big Tech never thought to make it. Then, how to fight the growing tide of AI slop on LinkedIn. And, finally, our oldest Old Thing yet.

Hello from the City of Brotherly Love, where I’ve shuttled in for the day to give a talk about AI. Sadly, no AI has offered to bring me a cheesesteak. Yet. Speaking of AI: As promised, our video interview with OpenAI President Greg Brockman just posted. You can watch it now—and below, I’ve shared a few behind-the-scenes moments, along with the biggest takeaways. 🎥 After that, the ins and outs of Apple’s new device-leasing program, which launched Tuesday.

Hello! I hope you had a great week—and, unlike me, didn’t have to ask ChatGPT why your neck sounds like a bowl of Rice Krispies every time you move it. More below on how many of us are turning to ChatGPT and other AI tools with our health questions. Then: All your apps would like a word. Spotify, ChatGPT and Claude now want you to talk to them. Plus, a throwback to one of the greatest gadgets of all time, which celebrates its 47th birthday this month.

Good morning! We’re in your inbox early with all the Samsung phone news you could possibly unfold 📱🗺️: the new sizes, what they mean for the market, the coming Apple foldable competitor and an interview with one of Samsung’s top executives. Plus: a new Light phone that’s basically the anti-foldable, Apple’s device-leasing program, OpenAI’s rogue hacking model and, naturally, watching “The Odyssey” on the tiniest screen possible—just as Christopher Nolan intended.