The generally accepted way to launch your new car company is by building something fancy and expensive. Call it Founder’s Edition or name it after a precious metal, hope people pay for the privilege of exclusivity, and go from there. Slate Auto is doing… the opposite. The three-year-old company just announced its first vehicle, and it’s building a sub-$20,000 pickup with no stereo, no paint, and practically no options at all. It’s nothing like anything we’ve seen. And yet, at least according to the initial reaction to the Slate Truck, it might be exactly what we’ve been looking for.

On this episode of The Vergecast, freelance tech and auto journalist Tim Stevens joins the show to talk all about the Slate Truck. He tells us how the company’s manufacturing process works, why it’s placing such an emphasis on customizability, and whether Slate’s big bets can actually pay off. The car is supposed to be available sometime next year, and there are reasons to be optimistic it’ll hit that goal.

After that, Casey Johnston, who writes the She’s a Beast newsletter (and has a book coming soon!), tells us about her screen time journey. Casey has spent months rethinking the way she uses her phone, how she interacts with social media and other apps, and just how online she wants to be. She offers some tips on how to make your phone less enticing, and how to embrace the space without screens.

Finally, we answer a question from the Vergecast Hotline (call 866-VERGE11 or email [email protected]!) about the Windows ecosystem’s answer to the MacBook Air. The solution there used to be simple; now it’s anything but. Still, we have some thoughts.

If you want to know more about everything we discuss in this episode, here are some links to get you started:“