Podcasting has emerged as a major billion-dollar industry, with ad revenue in the U.S. alone expected to hit $2 billion this year -- a figure that's set to double by 2024. Against that backdrop, major players in the field are bolstering their podcasting armory, with Spotify recently doling out around $85 million for two companies specializing in podcast measurement and analytics, while Acast recently snapped up Podchaser -- an "IMDb for podcasts" that gives advertiser deeper data insights -- in a $27 million deal. But as the big platforms lock horns in the hunt for podcasting riches, smaller players continue to arrive on the scene with their own ideas on how they can advance the podcast medium for creators and consumers alike. One of these is Snipd, a Swiss startup building a podcast app that uses AI to transcribe content and synchronize with note-taking apps; automatically generate book-style "chapters"; and, as of this week, deliver podcast highlights in a TikTok-style personalized feed. Similar to other so-called "podcatcher" apps, Snipd works by users searching and subscribing to podcasts that are of interest to them -- this could be anything from true crime to history and sport.

Most of us know how delightful it is to hear a computer-generated song playlist that feels entirely personal. Now, Google wants to create a similar type of bespoke audio experience--not with music, but with news. The company is adding some new features to its existing news aggregation service called Your News Update, which gathers news clips from different outlets and plays them in one continuous audio feed. Think of it like a Feedly or Flipboard-type service for spoken stories from your preferred news publications. Google has updated the service to create a more fluid listening experience, so that sitting through an entire session doesn't feel like you're just working your way through a hodgepodge of disparate stories.

Google has launched a dedicated podcast app for Android smartphones -- to rival a similar application bundled with Apple's iOS operating system since 2012. The Google Podcast app is now available to download free for users worldwide and supports 47 different languages. The new app syncs playback across devices, allowing Android users to pause on their smartphone, and immediately pick-up the episode from the same point on their Google Home smart speaker. Google has pledged to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to improve the app over time, promising the version of Podcasts available today is'just the beginning'. Google Podcasts is available as a free download on Android smartphones and tablets.

Google has released its standalone Podcasts app for Android and is available worldwide in the Play Store. The Google Podcasts app will have Assistant integrated so that the app will be able to provide personalized recommendations. "Integrated with the Google Assistant across your devices and packed with personalized recommendations, Google Podcasts is designed to make it easier than ever for Android users to discover and listen to podcasts," Google said in its blog post. "We're also announcing a partnership with industry experts to improve diversity in podcast creation, and sharing a peek at how AI can help transform podcasting for the better." The Google Podcasts app for Android features a home screen that will display a carousel of shows that the user is already subscribed to.

In case you needed another sign that we're at the height of this console cycle, Sony is rolling out a greatest hits lineup for the PS4. At the same time, GameStop is looking over its options, and Google finally has a podcast app for Android. We'll give them $4.50 cash and five dollars in store credit.GameStop confirms buyout talks as downloads take their toll In the wake of a Reuters leak, GameStop has confirmed it's in talks about a "potential transaction." While the retail chain is shy about what those discussions involve and isn't promising a deal, the sources claimed the chats were in response to "buyout interest" from private equity companies like Sycamore Partners. Just recently, luxury automaker Porsche teased its electric Mission E sports car, showing its shadowy silhouette that's not unlike its other non-EV cars.

Podcasts may have started on Apple devices, but millions of Android users listen to them on their phones every day. And now Google is finally getting in on the act with its own standalone podcast player, aptly called Google Podcasts. While podcasts have always been available for listening inside the Google Play Music app or via searching inside the Google app, Google Podcasts represents the first real default presence for podcasts on the platform. But if Google wants Podcasts to become as synonymous with podcasts as YouTube is to video, it has a long way to go. The impact on you at home: Google Podcasts would have been a better app in 2016 than 2018, but it's not a terrible first start.

Whether you're listening to the newest installment of a daily podcast you're subscribed to or binging the latest true crime series, being able to pause a podcast on one device and pick it back up on another is a useful feature. And according to Pacific Content, it's a feature that Google offers right now. If you start an episode on your Android phone, for example, you can finish it with your Google Home, and Zack Reneau-Wedeen, Google's podcasts product manager, says this "device interoperability" will eventually expand to everything on which you use Google. We asked Google about the feature and were told that it's "not new" but it's unclear how long the ability has been around. Though Apple launched its podcast app in 2012, Google still doesn't have a dedicated app for podcasts.

We review the best Android phone you'll probably never get to buy, the wonderful game mash-up of Super Mario 64 and Ocarina of Time and Google's podcast app -- which was apparently there all along. Amazon is also looking to build a domestic robot we've been dreaming of. It won't be the first. We're upgrading Engadget's daily newsletter and want to hear from you. Tell us exactly what you think by emailing us at themorningafter(at)engadget.com.

In the episode we talk to two gents from Ireland's biggest trade union for production workers. An industry known for its automation increases not only planned for the future but also in the past. We are no longer screwing the caps on toothpaste tubes, robots in automation are doing it for us. Automation is not a new term, it doesn't always refer to a robot process but has been taking place for thousands of years. We no longer build our buildings the way the Ancient Egyptians shifted over 2 million rocks weighing over 3 tons each in a pyramid shape.