It’s a GPS! It’s a camera! It’s a computer! It’s...your smartphone. And in 2021, it feels like you can’t live without it. But when Blackberry and iPhone got into the game in the mid-2000s, that wasn’t yet the case. In just 15 years, our technology has changed dramatically — and so has the culture around it.To help us make sense of it all is Nilay Patel, Edit ... Show More
Dec 2021
Christmas Movie Wars | A Very Merry Rivalry | 1
In 2009 the Hallmark Channel launched "Countdown to Christmas," which included four original movies made on a modest budget that follow a predictable formula. It was an immediate ratings hit, catapulting Hallmark to the top of the cable charts. Competitors start to take notice, m ... Show More
24m 54s
Dec 2021
Christmas Movie Wars | Once Upon A Christmas Ratings Hit | 2
In 1951, the founder of Hallmark Cards, the successful greeting card company, decides to get into television by sponsoring a live opera airing on Christmas Eve. It’s a success, and Hallmark becomes a regular sponsor of television programming for decades. But when they launch thei ... Show More
22m 34s
Feb 2025
Pocket Power: The History of Smartphones
Phones weren’t always smart! In this episode, we’ll talk about how phones changed over time, starting with big, heavy ones that could only make calls. We’ll learn how they got smaller, faster, and smarter, turning into the smartphones we use today. We’ll talk about cool invention ... Show More
8m 11s
Aug 2025
The rise and fall of BlackBerry
In the early 2000s, BlackBerry was the phone that ruled the world. But within a decade, it collapsed, overtaken by the touch screen revolution.Sam Gruet speaks to former co-CEO Jim Balsillie about BlackBerry’s meteoric rise, its battle against Apple, and the moment he knew it was ... Show More
9m 50s
Jan 2022
Introducing the BlackBerry
Research In Motion were once the world’s most popular maker of smartphones, but when they launched the BlackBerry 850 on 19th January, 1999, the device had no phone functionality: it was marketed as a two-way pager.
However, the gadget’s ability to bounce emails from a desktop se ... Show More
11m 50s