Smart phone cameras have been getting better and better at capturing flawless, true-to-life images. But is that what the people really want?David Imel joins Nilay Patel and Jake Kastrenakes to talk through the Pixel 11's Camera Looks. They're Google's nod to the trend of retro digital and analogue cameras, and alter how a photo is processed on the sensor level. At the same time, its super zoom is still hallucinating text and making stuff up.
Then it's a supersized Brendan Carr is a Dummy, with increasingly infuriating tales of how Brendan Carr is being a Dummy, culminating in the FCC's quest to make sure your internet connection remains slow.
Plus, we talk through the confounding AirPods camera leak, the Fairphone, and YouTube's new method for counting views.

Further reading:
<ul>
 <li><a href="https://www.theverge.com/tech/978084/google-camera-looks-interview-computational-photography">Google is making the Pixel cameras better by making them worse</a></li>
 <li><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/media/ng-interactive/2026/aug/19/brendan-carr-fcc-white-house-exclusive">Revealed: FCC chair Brendan Carr’s close coordination with White House and rightwing media</a></li>
 <li><a href="https://www.theverge.com/streaming/981392/abc-fcc-broadcast-license-lawsuit">ABC sues the FCC over Trump and Carr’s campaign of threats</a></li>
 <li><a href="https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/08/fcc-abolishes-gigabit-speed-goal-suggesting-it-is-unfair-to-slower-technologies/">FCC abolishes gigabit speed goal, suggesting it is unfair to slower technologies</a></li>
 <li><a href="https://www.theverge.com/tech/981326/apple-airpods-with-cameras-demo-video-leak">Apple’s camera-equipped AirPods appear in leaked video</a> </li>
 <li><a href="https://www.theverge.com/report/982414/meta-glasses-work-surveillance-labor-security">Meta glasses are a workplace menace</a></li>
 <li><a href="https://www.theverge.com/tech/982587/apple-reportedly-wont-launch-airpods-with-cameras-until-next-year">Apple reportedly won’t launch AirPods with cameras until next year.</a></li>
 <li><a href="https://www.theverge.com/tech/980876/fairphone-6-plus-us-t-mobile-amazon">Fairphone’s latest repairable phone is going on sale in the US</a></li>
 <li><a href="https://www.theverge.com/streaming/981105/youtube-video-view-counting-update">YouTube is changing how it counts views to give the numbers a boost</a></li>
 <li><a href="https://www.theverge.com/streaming/982534/youtube-is-reportedly-offering-channels-millions-of-dollars-not-to-cross-post-videos-on-netflix">YouTube is reportedly offering channels “millions of dollars” not to cross-post videos on Netflix.</a></li>
</ul>

We’re also on video!<a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL39u5ZEfYDEO5PaNRWyqloGY6zzJ1fjBa"> Check us out on YouTube.</a>

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