Latest News from TheVerge
A news aggregator from various RSS feeds, like technology, gaming, development and general news sites.
Six thoughts on Apple’s new M3 iPad Air
This year’s iPad Air was a surprise to me. Apple launched the last Air less than a year ago, and that was a very good device that could already support Apple Intelligence — and most of Apple’s recent gadget upgrades have been about supporting Apple Intelligence. I figured Apple might launch a better Magic Keyboard […]
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Death Stranding 2 is coming on June 26th
Death Stranding’s sequel continues to look absolutely bonkers. The upcoming game — known as Death Stranding 2: On the Beach — got a fresh trailer and a long-awaited release date of June 26th during a presentation at SXSW. The PlayStation 5 exclusive will cost $69.99 and is available for pre-order starting on March 17th. Those […]
Some Chromecasts are giving ‘Untrusted device’ errors today
Reports are cropping up today that second-generation Chromecasts and music-streaming Chromecast Audio devices are failing, displaying an error on the device they’re trying to cast from that seems to imply the streamers may no longer be supported, reports 9to5Google. Text from screenshots of the error posted to Reddit reads, “Untrusted device” and continues, saying the […]
Here’s what the newest iPhone Air leaks say about its design
Apple is expected to release its thinnest phone yet later this year with the iPhone 17 Air. Rumors have held that the phone will be thinner than the 6.9mm iPhone 6 was, but recent leaks give us a better idea than we’ve had before of what to expect. Rumors of the iPhone 17 Air’s dimensions […]
Forza Horizon 5 will require a Microsoft account on PS5
The PS5 version of Forza Horizon 5 will require you to link a Microsoft account to your PlayStation Network account in order to play the game, according to a FAQ on the game’s official website. The FAQ says that players will be prompted to link the two the first time they load the game. And […]
Apple’s plans for a smart display suffer a Siri-related setback
Late last week, Apple delayed its big Siri AI upgrade, and it seems that will take the company’s rumored smart display with it. According to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in today’s Power On newsletter, Apple has postponed the device because it at least partially “relies on the delayed Siri capabilities.” It’s been rumored for months now […]
Some nice upgrades for Apple’s best gadgets
Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 74, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, sorry in advance for my terrible TV taste, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I’ve been reading about Bybit, Walmart, and sports analytics; […]
Retroid offered very limited returns for its unfixable handheld
The Retroid Pocket Mini has an unfixable issue that’s causing certain graphical effects for emulated games not to work properly. Retroid, the China-based company that makes the Pocket Mini, announced on Discord that it will accept returns of the device but only during a limited March 8th to March 14th window — and capped at […]
The Last of Us season 2 gets an explosive new trailer
Warner Bros. Discovery just released a new trailer for the second (and maybe last) season of The Last of Us, offering an action-packed view of the fraught world Pedro Joel Miller (Pedro Pascal) and his daughter Ellie (Bella Ramsey) are facing. Things look bleak for both of them, and the show’s fungal-based zombies don’t seem […]
Trump’s DOJ still says Google should be broken up
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) is still pushing to break up Google, according to a revised proposal filed Friday with federal Judge Amit Mehta. As in its proposal last year, the DOJ says Google should be forced to sell its web browser, Google Chrome, and potentially Android, as punishment for being a monopolist, as […]
Check your DVDs for disc rot — Warner Bros. says it’s replacing them
If you, like me, still have your DVD collection hanging around, now is a good time to dust off your DVD player and make sure they haven’t succumbed to disc rot. That’s because many of the discs produced by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment (WBHE) between 2006 and 2008 are failing prematurely, the company acknowledged in […]
The Apple Watch Series 10 just received its first $100 discount
The biggest Apple news of the week was the announcement of a sky blue MacBook Air and an M3-powered iPad Air; however, in the deals world, it was all about the Apple Watch Series 10. That’s because, right now, Apple’s flagship smartwatch is on sale at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy in its 42mm base […]
It’s a great moment for classic RPGs
Suikoden is a game that I’ve been meaning to play for years. A highly regarded roleplaying game from the original PlayStation era, it’s renowned for its sprawling storyline and huge cast of playable characters. That also makes it pretty intimidating, and I’ve had a copy sitting on my PS Vita just waiting for when I […]
The best entertainment of 2025
Free time is a rare thing — which is all the more reason to make sure you’re downtime isn’t going to waste. To help out, we’ve put together this list of our favorite games, TV shows, and movies from 2025. It’s a space designed to make the process of finding something to play or watch […]
MainFrames is a charming platformer that takes place inside computers
MainFrames is a perfect example of a game with a clever idea that doesn’t overstay its welcome. In the new indie platformer, you play as an adorable floppy disk that traverses computer desktops. The aesthetic is ridiculously charming: the many characters sprinkled throughout the game are so dang cute, and the levels are filled with […]
How Samsung’s Galaxy Z Flip failed me without actually breaking
When the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 arrives, likely this July, it could be a pretty decent upgrade over the Z Flip 5 I own. It’ll reportedly have a slightly bigger battery than the Flip 6, which had a slightly bigger one than the Flip 5, plus a much bigger outer screen. Unfortunately, I can’t […]
Jim Jordan subpoena pushes YouTube to restore ‘free speech’ like Meta
Meta may have caved on their content moderation policies for the sake of “free speech”, but there’s a world of other Big Tech companies out there – and more social media platforms for conservatives to de-censor. On Thursday, Rep. Jim Jordan subpoenaed Alphabet, the parent company of Google, demanding documents that show whether YouTube removed […]
A Reddit moderation tool is flagging ‘Luigi’ as potentially violent content
Reddit’s automatic moderation tool is flagging the word “Luigi” as potentially violent — even when the content isn’t. Earlier this week, a moderator from r/popculture saw Reddit’s AutoModerator system flag a post about the video game Luigi’s Mansion 3 because it included the word “Luigi,” giving them instructions to “check for violence.” A Reddit spokesperson, […]
Inside the high-wire business of MrBeast
The biggest YouTuber in the world is looking beyond videos to build a multibillion-dollar empire. For the last several months, Jimmy Donaldson, aka MrBeast, has been talking with investors about raising $200 million in a funding round that would value his holding company, Beast Industries, at more than $5 billion. An investor pitch deck I’ve […]
Mickey 17 is a big middle finger to space-obsessed strongmen
The well-deserved hat trick that director Bong Joon Ho pulled off at the Oscars in 2020 with Parasite all but ensured that studios would fight tooth and nail to back his next cinematic project. It was always going to be difficult for Bong to top what he accomplished with Parasite — a shapeshifting masterpiece of […]
Apple dodges a second Apple Watch ban
AliveCor has suffered another setback in its long-running patent case against Apple. Today, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has upheld a decision that the medical device maker’s EKG patents are not actually patentable. As a result, the Apple Watch won’t face a second import ban from the International Trade Commission (ITC). […]
Volkswagen is bringing back physical buttons
Volkswagen is planning a return to physical buttons in its future vehicles over haptic sliders and touchscreen toggles for vital functions such as climate controls. The automaker’s design head Andreas Mindt told Autocar that the company “will never, ever make this mistake again” and promises to bring together physical controls for volume, heating controls, fan […]
Uranium is in the crosshairs of the US-Canada tariff battle
President Donald Trump’s tariff threats could raise the price of uranium used to fuel US nuclear reactors, which could have ripple effects on a tenuous nuclear renaissance spurred by the growth of energy-hungry data centers. The US gets more than a quarter of its uranium from Canada, more than from any other country. The Trump […]
Netflix’s plan to spend $18 billion on content is ‘not anywhere near the ceiling’
Netflix plans to spend around $18 billion on content this year – and chief financial officer Spencer Neumann thinks that number could increase down the line. “We are not anywhere near a ceiling,” Neumann said during the Morgan Stanley Tech, Media, and Telecom Conference this week, as reported by Variety. “I think we are still […]
JD Vance is posting through it
Vice President JD Vance is a busy man. Over the past three weeks, he’s traveled to France and Germany, addressed the crowd at a massive conservative conference, berated the Ukrainian president, and visited the US-Mexico border. Despite his busy schedule, Vance seemingly always finds time to engage in one of his favorite hobbies: posting. During […]
LG’s new air conditioner directs cool air towards people it detects.
The Artcool AI Air doesn’t look as artsy as LG’s previous Artcool air conditioners, but it does offer improved energy efficiency by detecting the room’s layout and the position of its occupants so it can direct airflow right to them. The company hasn’t announced pricing or availability, nor does it detail what technology the Artcool […]
The M4-powered Mac Mini has returned to its Black Friday sale price
Apple might have just updated the Mac Studio with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips, but if all you need is a good daily driver, they’re completely overkill. The M4-powered Mac Mini is probably the better option in most instances, especially since the desktop is currently matching its all-time low of $529 ($70 off) at […]
Apple delays upgraded Siri: it’s taking ‘longer than we thought’
Apple’s more personalized Siri features need a little more time in the oven. Company spokesperson Jacqueline Roy gave this statement to Daring Fireball today announcing the delay: Siri helps our users find what they need and get things done quickly, and in just the past six months, we’ve made Siri more conversational, introduced new features […]
Crypto funds seized by the government may go into a ‘digital Fort Knox’
President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to establish a Bitcoin reserve held by the US government. The reserve, which crypto czar David Sacks has likened to a “digital Fort Knox,” will include the assets the government collected as part of criminal or civil forfeitures – currently estimated at around 200,000 Bitcoin. Along with […]
AMD is launching its latest Ryzen 9 X3D gaming processors on March 12th
AMD is announcing that its latest gaming-oriented Ryzen 9 9950X3D and 9900X3D processors will be available next week. The new chips improve on the 9800X3D, which is widely considered as the best gaming CPU. The new ones feature 16 Zen 5 cores and second-generation 3D V-Cache technology that could help those looking to do more […]
The Nintendo Switch 2 will have NFC and Wi-Fi 6, FCC filings show
The Nintendo Switch 2 is already official, but there’s a lot we still don’t know — like, will Nintendo’s new handheld support the NFC-equipped Amiibo figurines that can wirelessly unlock content in games? Today, it seems likely they will, because filings at the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) reveal the console will support NFC. They even […]
SpaceX’s latest Starship explosion lights up the sky over the Caribbean again
Stop us if you’ve heard this one before. Similar to the aftermath from SpaceX’s failed seventh test flight on January 16th, yesterday’s explosion following the launch of Starship’s eighth test flight created another spectacle in the night sky as debris rained down over parts of the Caribbean causing flights to be delayed and diverted in […]
Netflix brought back A Different World of AI-upscaled nightmare fuel
Thanks to AI upscaling technology, the version of A Different World that’s currently on Netflix won’t look how you remember it did when it aired. And not in a good way. The “HD” remaster of the 1980s sitcom being streamed is a nightmarish mess of distorted faces, garbled text, and misshapen backgrounds. People started spotting […]
Apple’s The Studio makes moviemaking look like a crucible in latest trailer
Behind every big budget movie production there is a team of executives who know that getting too involved in the creative side of things can lead to disastrous results. Common sense usually tells them to let the artists do their thing in peace, but in the world of Apple TV Plus’s new comedy series The […]
Google screwed up Pixel vibrations again
Google’s Pixel devices are having a weird change with their notification and call vibrations after the March 2025 update. Multiple people have posted on the Google Pixel subreddit complaining about the change, with one user describing it as a “hollow feeling” vibration with “less thunk” post-update. This wouldn’t be the first time Google has messed […]
Four book logging apps to keep you reading
A lot of us are feeling tense these days, to say the least. So when you’re being bombarded by disturbing news flashes or angry videos online, it might be a good idea to turn to an old-fashioned method of escape — like a book. If you’re a dedicated reader, though, it may not be enough […]
Apple’s chip bumps, big and small
Apple updated a couple of its most-loved products this week, both in relatively minor ways. The iPad and iPad Air both got new processors and not much else, the MacBook Air got a new processor and a new color, and the Mac Studio got a new processor. All this is both good news, and thoroughly […]
MWC 2025 was all about the odds and ends
Mobile World Congress shows us the best and wackiest new ideas in mobile tech every year, with a side of jamón and “Oh, shit, was that the king of Spain who just walked by?†It’s a real trip. But this year’s conference was a mix of unusually odd oddities, including phone camera concepts I swear […]
Intuitive Machine’s lunar landing goes sideways again
The second lunar lander made by Intuitive Machines has touched down on the Moon, but like the private aerospace company’s first spacecraft, it may not be upright. The Athena vehicle for Intuitive Machines IM-2 mission landed yesterday just 100 miles from the lunar south pole, but there’s uncertainty around its orientation which may impact the […]
Android phones are getting lock screen widgets this year
Google has announced that lock screen widgets are coming to Android 16 phones later this year. Widgets have been available on the lock screen of the Pixel Tablet since last year, but Google is now bringing them to phones and more tablets. All widgets will support the lock screen by default, though app developers will […]
Apple has 90 days to allow app sideloading in Brazil
Apple has been told it has to allow alternative app stores on iOS in Brazil within 90 days, as reported by Brazilian publication Valor International and 9to5Mac. Apple has already been forced to allow third-party app stores on iOS in the EU due to the Digital Markets Act. The judge who issued today’s ruling said […]
Gundam GQuuuuuuX will stream on Amazon next month
English-speaking Gundam fans won’t have to wait long before they can stream dubbed versions of the franchise’s newest (and most difficult to pronounce) series. Today, Amazon Prime announced that it has secured the rights to stream dubbed and subbed versions of Gundam GQuuuuuuX, a new show produced by studio Khara, directed by Kazyua Tsurumaki, and […]
FCC chair says we’re too dependent on GPS and wants to explore ‘alternatives’
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) plans to vote on an inquiry to explore alternatives to GPS, FCC chair Brendan Carr says in a blog post. Carr says that while GPS has been “indispensable,” the technology “isn’t infallible” and that “disruptions to GPS have the potential to undermine the nation’s economic and national security.” Carr says […]
AMD says the $549 RX 9070 is real but doesn’t deny reports of possible bait and switch
Yesterday, reviewers agreed: AMD is finally beating Nvidia with its RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT graphics cards, assuming they actually launch with sufficient stock at their $549 and $599 prices. But this morning’s launch, while better than recent Nvidia launches in terms of supply, may not have met that bar — and AMD would […]
AMD says the $549 RX 9070 is real, but doesn’t deny reports of possible bait-and-switch
Yesterday, reviewers agreed: AMD is finally beating Nvidia with its RX 9070 and RX 9070 XT graphics cards, assuming they actually launch with sufficient stock at their $549 and $599 prices. But this morning’s launch, while better than recent Nvidia launches in terms of supply, may not have met that bar — and AMD would […]
Now Google Maps is starting to use Android 16’s live update notifications
Google Maps is the first app we’re seeing adopt Android 16’s new Live Updates feature, according to Android Authority. Users on Android 16 beta 2.1 can now see the time until their next turn and estimated time to arrival on the status bar of their device. Google introduced the Live Updates feature in its first […]
Anker’s 8-in-1 charging station has dropped to a new low price
If you’re planning on giving your desk or workspace a good spring cleaning, Anker’s MagGo Magnetic Charging Station (8-in-1) is a relatively affordable way to rid your life of excess cable clutter. That’s especially true right now, as Anker’s versatile charging gadget is down to an all-time low of $49.99 ($20 off) at Amazon in […]
Nvidia denies reports that its RTX 50 laptop GPUs are missing ROPs, too
Remember when Nvidia categorically told us that “no other Nvidia GPUs” had shipped, or would be shipping, with missing render units? Well, you can imagine our surprise to read that the company’s RTX 50-series laptop GPUs might be affected as well, with Heise Online and HardwareLuxx reporting that Nvidia has asked manufacturers to check their […]
Jackbox games are coming to smart TVs
Jackbox Games are going to be available on smart TVs as part of a new cloud streaming service, according to a blog post. Jackbox aims to launch a beta of the service on “one or two smart TV platforms in the Spring of 2025.” Generally, Jackbox titles are offered in bundles called “Party Packs” that […]
What went wrong with Skype?
Skype was Microsoft’s biggest-ever acquisition in 2011, a deal brokered by former CEO Steve Ballmer when the company was trying to compete with the rise of the iPhone. But after spending $8.5 billion on Skype, Microsoft dropped the ball again and again over the past 14 years, to the point where Skype was so irrelevant […]
Telo’s electric MT1 mini-truck gets a new preproduction prototype
Telo Trucks, the company building a compact, modular electric pickup truck, revealed its new preproduction prototype in Los Angeles. The San Carlos, California-based startup recently closed a $5.4 million funding round and is working with bespoke manufacturing partner Aria Group (which has built EV restomods including for companies like Everrati) to enter the next development […]
Reddit will tell you if your post breaks the rules before you publish it
Reddit is introducing some new features for posts that should make it easier to know if your post meets a subreddit’s rules and if it’s for the appropriate community, according to a blog post. The new Rules Check will flag a potential issue as you’re writing the post. As shown in a GIF of the […]
Cybercriminals arrested for stealing hundreds of concert tickets through StubHub exploit
Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour ended last year, but authorities have finally apprehended a pair of thieves who managed to steal hundreds of tickets by exploiting a loophole in StubHub’s back end. Per The Hollywood Reporter, two cybercriminals who stole and re-sold hundreds of digital tickets to different concerts and sporting events like the U.S. Open […]
The MagicX Zero 40 has a vertical display to properly handle DS games
With Nintendo exhausting its supply of DS repair parts, fans of the dual-screen handheld may have another way to play when their original hardware finally dies. The MagicX Zero 40 is yet another handheld emulator but with a peculiar design incorporating a four-inch vertically-oriented 800×480 touchscreen display allowing emulated DS titles to be played like […]
Flying is still safe for now — but the FAA isn’t
I was on a flight back to New York the other day, and something really odd happened when we landed: the passengers burst into applause. I’ve only ever seen that happen after a flight with really bad turbulence or a big delay. But this was a totally boring flight that took off and landed on […]
Netflix follows Paul vs. Tyson fight with another boxing stream in July
Netflix is airing another live boxing match. The service will exclusively stream a rematch between Amanda Serrano and Katie Taylor on Friday, July 11th, according to an announcement on Thursday. The two boxers previously went head-to-head on Netflix in the leadup to the boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul last November, which ended […]
The Take It Down Act isn’t a law, it’s a weapon
It’s internet safety law season again. After a narrow failure to pass the Kids Online Safety Act in 2024, Congress is now advancing the Take It Down Act, which criminalizes nonconsensual intimate imagery (NCII, once dubbed “revenge porn,” including AI-generated content) and sets requirements for web platforms to remove it. The bill has gained support […]
The Corvette ZR1’s 233-mph run had to start in a virtual world
Last October, the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 set a top speed of 233 mph on consecutive runs around a closed track. That’s not the fastest street-legal production car in the world: the Bugatti Chiron Super Sport 300+ will, as the name implies, top 300 mph. What’s special about the ZR1, then? Its $174,995 starting price may […]
1Password is making it easier to find passwords based on your location
1Password introduced a new feature today that will make it easier to find the login, password, or access code you’re looking for, based on where you’re using the app. It will now let you add a specific physical location to items, and they’ll automatically appear in the new Nearby section of the app’s home tab, […]
NASA is making sacrifices to keep the Voyager mission alive
It’s been 47 years since the twin Voyager spacecraft started their historic mission. Having travelled through interstellar space, farther from Earth than any other human-made objects, their nuclear batteries are depleting — but NASA is taking measures to squeeze as much life out of the aging probes as possible. The Voyagers’ radioisotope power system loses […]
DuckDuckGo is amping up its AI search tool — but will still let you leave it behind
DuckDuckGo has big plans for embedding AI into its search engine. The privacy-focused company just announced that its AI-generated answers, which appear for certain queries on its search engine, have exited beta and now source information from across the web — not just Wikipedia. It will soon integrate web search within its AI chatbot, which […]
Our first look at Apple’s sky blue MacBook Air
Aside from a new color, the M4 MacBook Air looks a whole lot like last year’s model. And we’ve got the hands-on experience and pictures to prove it. Apple’s got five main updates for its refresh of the 13- and 15-inch MacBook Airs for 2025. First, it’s got a similar M4 chip to the base […]
12 Chinese hackers charged with US Treasury breach — and much, much more
The Department of Justice (DOJ) announced today it has criminally charged 12 Chinese nationals it says are behind attacks that hit more than 100 US organizations, including the Treasury, in a string of attacks going as far back as 2013. The DOJ accuses the people of carrying out their attacks either on their own or […]
Reddit will warn users who repeatedly upvote banned content
Reddit will now issue warnings to users who “upvote several pieces of content banned for violating our policies” within “a certain timeframe,” starting first with violent content, the company announced on Wednesday. “This will have no impact on the vast majority of users as most already downvote or report abusive content,” a Reddit employee says […]
The Trump administration wants to review all prospective citizens’ social media accounts
The Trump administration may soon demand the social media accounts of people applying for green cards, US citizenship, and asylum or refugee status. US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) — the federal agency that oversees legal migration, proposed the new policy in the Federal Register this week — calling this information “necessary for a rigorous […]
Here’s how to preorder Apple’s new MacBook Air and Mac Studio
Shortly after introducing the new iPad and iPad Air, Apple has announced a slew of new Macs. The M4-powered MacBook Air starts at $999 in its 13-inch configuration, while the 15-inch variant starts at $1,199. You can also buy the new Mac Studio with an M4 Max chip starting at $1,999, or an M3 Ultra-powered […]
Big Tech is now slightly less silent on Trump’s tariffs
President Donald Trump’s tariffs on goods imported from Mexico, Canada, and China are in effect, but Big Tech companies have remained mostly silent despite the potential impact tariffs could have on their businesses. I’ve written about this twice already: once shortly after Trump announced them in February, and again a week later after the initial […]
Car prices expected to increase by as much as $12,000 thanks to Trump’s tariffs
Car prices are already at record highs, and President Donald Trump’s tariffs — if they stay in place — could send them into the stratosphere. The situation remains extremely fluid, with Trump administration officials today announcing a one-month reprieve for the auto industry, according to Politico. But if tariffs stay in place, sticker prices could skyrocket by […]
Kia’s EV9 will soon be able to power your home
Kia EV9 owners can soon take advantage of the SUV’s Vehicle-to-Home power backup capabilities with the availability of a bi-directional charger coming in June. The new Wallbox Quasar 2 electric vehicle charger is the first home EV power connector in the US that works with the EV9 and is now up for preorder for owners […]
The Volkswagen ID. EVERY1 is an affordable EV for the masses
Volkswagen is bringing up the lights on the ID. EVERY1 show car that it says will become the promised €20,000 (about $20,800 USD) affordable EV that will hopefully turn around the automaker’s struggling business. As market leaders like Tesla continue to promise — but not deliver — the elusive entry-level EV, VW is hoping to […]
Amazon Prime Video is getting into the wrestling business with new AEW deal
All Elite Wrestling and Amazon’s Prime Video today announced a multi-year deal that will see the streaming service carry AEW’s pay-per-view events in the US, Canada, and the UK. Their partnership will start this coming weekend with AEW Revolution, which airs Sunday night. Unlike Thursday Night Football and other sports content that comes included with […]
Netflix’s live push continues with John Mulaney’s late-night talk show
Netflix is diving deeper into live content with a new late-night talk show hosted by comedian John Mulaney. Starting March 12th, Netflix will air Everybody’s Live with John Mulaney every Wednesday at 10PM ET. The late-night show, which Netflix will stream live for 12 weeks, will feature chats with celebrity guests. It marks the second […]
Google is adding more AI Overviews and a new ‘AI Mode’ to Search
The AI-ification of Google Search continues to accelerate: the company announced on Wednesday that it will start showing AI Overviews for even more kinds of queries, and that users around the world, even those who are logged out of Google, will start seeing them too. There’s an even more ambitious AI search tool coming to […]
Delta Airlines bets on ‘blended-wing’ flight to reduce emissions
Delta Airlines is backing a startup that wants to design more fuel efficient, blended-wing-body aircraft, in the hopes of reducing its carbon footprint and making air travel more sustainable. The airline said today that it will help support the development of startup JetZero’s blended-wing-body (BWB) demonstrator aircraft that aims to cut fuel consumption, emissions, and […]
Nintendo wins piracy lawsuit against file-sharing site
Nintendo has won its legal battle against Dstorage, the French company it accused of hosting pirated games on its file-sharing site 1fichier.com. In a press release sent to outlets like Eurogamer and GBATemp, Nintendo says a French Court agreed that 1fichier.com is “liable for failing to remove or block access to unauthorised copies of Nintendo […]
YouTube brings its more affordable ‘Premium Lite’ subscription to the US
YouTube is expanding its pilot of a new Premium Lite subscription plan to the United States, the company announced today. Priced at $7.99 per month compared to the $13.99 charge for regular YouTube Premium, the cheaper tier offers “most” videos without ads — including “gaming, fashion, beauty, news, and more.” The major exception is music. […]
Why I love the Logitech MX Vertical wireless mouse
Victoria Song is a senior reviewer at The Verge who mostly focuses on health tech and wearables and who, she says, occasionally has “existential crises over silly gadgets I bought on TikTok against my better judgment.” One of her favorite gadgets is the Logitech MX Vertical wireless mouse. When did you get the Logitech MX […]
Dyson’s high-tech hairdryer for professionals will soon be available to everyone
Since its launch just over a year ago, Dyson’s upgraded Supersonic r hairdryer has only been available for purchase by salons and professional stylists. But today the company announced the styling tool will be available to everyone in the US starting tomorrow, and in April for those in Europe, according to a report by Yahoo. […]
AMD Radeon RX 9070 / 9070 XT review: Nvidia gets some big next-gen competition
Nvidia’s dominance over the latest generation of graphics cards ends today. AMD might have surrendered the high end of the GPU market, but its new $549 Radeon RX 9070 and $599 RX 9070 XT look set to bring Nvidia back to reality, at least in the midrange. After a disappointing $549 RTX 5070, a $749 […]
I wore a one-horsepower exoskeleton to the world’s biggest tech show
It was a cold Thursday afternoon in Las Vegas, and I was running late for my last appointment of the show. There was no telling how long an Uber might take, now that thousands upon thousands of CES 2025 attendees were leaving town and competing for space on the roads. “No problem,†I told myself. […]
Apple launches new Mac Studios with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips
After over a year and a half, Apple is updating the Mac Studio with a curious new quirk: it straddles two generations, with an M4 Max for the base model and an M3 Ultra for the upgraded model. You can preorder both versions at Apple’s site for $1,999 (M4 Max) and $3,999 (M3 Ultra), and […]
Apple announces MacBook Air with M4 chip and a price cut
Apple just updated the MacBook Air with an M4 processor, a new sky blue color option, and — most surprising of all — a lower price. The 13-inch starts at $999, while the 15-inch begins at $1,199. They’re available to order now and launch on March 12th. Both 13- and 15-inch models of the MacBook […]
This little AI phone has some wild ideas
It was just a year ago that I had my first demo of the Humane AI pin — which was also my last, as it turned out. But another AI gadget at this year’s MWC is trying to take off where Humane crashed and burned, and in ways it’s even weirder than the AI pin. […]
The questions ChatGPT shouldn’t answer
Chatbots can’t think, and increasingly I am wondering whether their makers are capable of thought as well. In mid-February OpenAI released a document called a model spec laying out how ChatGPT is supposed to “think,†particularly about ethics. A couple of weeks later, people discovered xAI’s Grok suggesting its owner Elon Musk and titular President […]
Hyundai teams up with Yandex spinoff Avride to develop robotaxis
Hyundai is teaming up with Yandex spinoff Avride to jointly develop fully driverless cars for autonomous ridehailing, the companies announced today. The partnership will enable Avride to deploy 100 Hyundai Ioniq 5 SUVs retrofitted with autonomous driving technology this year. Avride currently operates fleets of sidewalk delivery robots in several cities and aims to launch […]
Latest Turing Award winners again warn of AI dangers
Two trailblazing scientists who today received this year’s Turing Award for creating fundamental artificial intelligence training techniques are using the spotlight to shine concern on the dangers of rushing AI models out for public consumption. University of Massachusetts researcher Andrew Barto and former DeepMind research scientist Richard Sutton warned that AI companies are not thoroughly […]
Digg is coming back, thanks to its founder — and Reddit’s
Sometime last fall, Kevin Rose started thinking seriously about Digg again. A smidge over two decades ago, he’d launched a social and link sharing website that, for years, was known as “the homepage of the internet.” Since then, Digg had been through several owners and many pivots, Rose had gone on to several other careers, […]
Volvo’s ES90 is a high-riding electric sedan with 434 miles of range
Volvo has pulled back the curtain on its upcoming ES90 electric sedan with 434 miles of range and a tech stack that includes Nvidia’s powerful Drive AGX Orin computer in a dual setup. Volvo has been trickling news out about the ES90 over the past several weeks, but today’s announcement includes our first full look […]
Cadillac’s new electric Escalade IQL will be the longest SUV in production
Cadillac is taking its large and can-charge electric Escalade IQ and making it just a longer to accommodate some more luggage and leg room for third-row passengers. The new version, called the Escalade IQL, now surpasses the length of the longest gas-powered Escalade, while also adopting the ICE version’s boxier silhouette. When it goes into […]
Daredevil: Born Again is a rough reboot with a promising future
Before Disney Plus and its parade of post-Endgame Marvel series, shows like Daredevil gave the studio a convenient way to infuse the MCU with a grittier, more dramatic energy. Being a Netflix project, the original Daredevil could go harder with its action and darker with its nuanced depiction of the man without fear. And with […]
CFPB lets banks off the hook and drops Zelle lawsuit
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) today dismissed a lawsuit against Early Warning Services, the company that runs the Venmo-like Zelle payment platform, as well as the three banks that share ownership of it, reports CNBC. The CFPB, which enforces regulations against the financial services industry, had claimed in its December 2024 lawsuit that the […]
Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 5070 Founders Edition cards won’t launch until later this month
Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 5070 Founders Edition cards won’t launch alongside other 5070s. Reviews of the new $549 graphics card just dropped today, but in an email to The Verge, Nvidia GeForce global PR director Ben Berraondo says the RTX 5070 Founders Edition will be available “later in March.” That means that people who want it […]
Best Buy and Target CEOs say prices are about to go up because of tariffs
Target and Best Buy say Trump’s tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China could raise prices in their stores as soon as this week. During an interview with CNBC, Target CEO Brian Cornell said consumers will “likely see prices increase over the next couple of days,” while Best Buy CEO Corie Barry similarly told investors that […]
YouTube warns creators an AI-generated video of its CEO is being used for phishing scams
YouTube is warning creators about a new phishing scam that attempts to lure victims using an AI-generated video of its CEO Neal Mohan. The fake video has been shared privately with users and claims YouTube is making changes to its monetization policy in an attempt to steal their credentials, according to an announcement on Tuesday. […]
The crypto industry got what it paid for
The crypto market never closes, so it was fitting President Donald Trump made the announcement on a Sunday: he was going to reward the billionaires who funded his presidential run. “A U.S. Crypto Reserve will elevate this critical industry after years of corrupt attacks by the Biden Administration,†Trump wrote in a post on Truth […]
The best stuff we’ve seen at MWC so far
Mobile World Congress 2025 is well under way in Barcelona, Spain, and while there’s still two days left, the mobile-focused show has already delivered lots of new laptops, smartphones, concepts, and innovative accessories. Some of the biggest announcements were made over the weekend, so we want to make sure you didn’t miss anything. Here are […]
Here’s where you can preorder the new entry-level iPad and M3 iPad Air
As predicted, Apple announced not one but two new iPads this week. The new entry-level iPad starts at $349, while the 11-and 13-inch iPad Airs start at $599 and $799, respectively. Both tablets are set to arrive on March 12th, though you can preorder them from Apple and Best Buy starting today, March 4th. Unsurprisingly, both […]
YouTube will soon restrict creators from mentioning certain online gambling sites
YouTube is tightening its policies on gambling content. The platform has announced that it will soon prohibit creators from verbally referring to gambling services not approved by Google, as well as displaying their logos and linking to them in videos. The new rules, which go into effect on March 19th, may also put age restrictions […]
Monster Hunter Wilds is breaking Capcom’s sales records
Though only out for a grand total of four days, Monster Hunter Wilds has sold an astonishing 8 million copies. That’s according to Capcom, reporting that the monster hunting action RPG has become the company’s fastest selling title ever. The Monster Hunter franchise has racked up a number of superlatives for its publisher with 2018’s […]
Apple reportedly challenges the UK’s secretive encryption crackdown
Apple is pushing back against the UK’s secret order to give the government access to encrypted iCloud files. The company has filed an appeal with the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, which deals with complaints about the “unlawful intrusion” of UK intelligence services and authorities, according to a report from the Financial Times. As noted by FT, […]
Nintendo announces a new Switch OLED bundle ahead of the Switch 2
The Nintendo Switch is now eight years old and the company is announcing what could be its final retail bundle push before the introduction of the Switch 2. The new bundle includes the Nintendo Switch OLED system with a digital copy of Super Mario Bros. Wonder and a 3-month Nintendo Switch Online individual membership for […]
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 remake launches in July
After a whole lot of teasing, it’s now official: remakes of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 and 4 are on the way. Activision officially announced the new release — called Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3 + 4 — which will include remakes of both seminal skateboarding games and is launching on Xbox, PlayStation, PC, and […]
Sony’s new beta program lets you test PS5 updates early
Sony is launching a new PlayStation beta program to offer “an easier, more consolidated way for gamers to sign up to participate in future PlayStation betas across a wide range of PlayStation experiences,” according to a blog post by Sony’s Sid Shuman. By signing up for the beta program (technically called the “Beta Program at […]
AI now ‘analyzes’ LA Times articles for bias
Yesterday morning, billionaire Los Angeles Times owner Patrick Soon-Shiong published a letter to readers letting them know the outlet is now using AI to add a “Voices” label to articles that take “a stance” or are “written from a personal perspective.” He said those articles may also get a set of AI-generated “Insights,” which appear […]
Google Messages is using AI to detect scam texts
Google Messages is introducing an AI feature that aims to help protect Android users from text message scams. The new AI-powered scam detection tool was announced today alongside other new features, including live location sharing in the Find My app for Android users and features specifically for Pixel owners like multicamera streaming support and new […]
Microsoft’s new Copilot app for Windows has an improved UI
Microsoft is finally rolling out a native version of its Copilot Windows app, nearly a year after turning it into a basic web app. A new Copilot app is rolling out to Windows Insiders this week that’s built using native XAML and includes a new side panel and an improved UI. The Copilot app on […]
Donald Trump wants to delete ‘climate’ from federal websites — here’s how you can track the changes
The Trump administration has been hacking away at federal government websites, taking down information about climate change and anything deemed “woke.” Now, there’s an online tool you can use to track the changes and find missing information. Researchers initially developed the Federal Environmental Web Tracker to document similar changes during the first Trump administration, and […]
Split Fiction doesn’t need to be original when the co-op play is this good
Split Fiction, the new game from It Takes Two developer Hazelight Studios, doesn’t do anything particularly new. The game is a straightforward co-op adventure that strings together disparate sci-fi and fantasy games like links on a chain. If you bundled together the sci-fi and fantasy sections as separate entities, they wouldn’t form a cohesive experience […]
The team behind Shredder’s Revenge and Streets of Rage 4 is making a fantasy beat ’em up
Dotemu, the studio and publisher best-known for retro revivals like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge and Streets of Rage 4, has announced its next game — and this time it’s a brand-new property. Called Absolum, and it’s a fantasy beat ‘em up with roguelike elements; it’s being described as a “rogue ‘em up.” Dotemu […]
What if your phone’s camera was much, much bigger?
The cameras on our phones won’t stop getting bigger. Xiaomi’s new 15 Ultra is dominated by an enormous ring of cameras on the back, Nothing has rethought its camera layout from scratch to fit a periscope into the Phone 3A Pro, and consistent rumors suggest that even Apple is going to strap a big ol’ […]
CFPB staff and leaders clash about whether they’re allowed to work
Leadership and staff at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) are clashing in court over whether the Trump administration is seeking to wind down the agency and if it has allowed workers to continue their legally required duties. Now, a key agency executive is expected to testify in a hearing next week, after a judge […]
A new version of Monopoly replaces cash and math with a mobile app
Hasbro announced a new version of Monopoly that simplifies gameplay by replacing cash and the banker with a mobile app that handles all of the game’s transactions. With Monopoly App Banking, a smartphone or tablet takes over the role of banker and keeps track of every player’s money and properties. It will make the game […]
This Google change is breaking some digital photo frames
Google is changing the way apps can access Google Photos libraries, which is creating problems for owners of some digital photo frames. While the change is designed to make your photo library more private, it’s also breaking how digital photo frames — such as those made by Aura and Cozyla — automatically update slideshows on […]
Apple refreshes the iPad, but doesn’t add Apple Intelligence
For the first time in more than two years, there’s a new base-model iPad on the market. Apple just announced the 11th-generation iPad with a press release, but unlike the new products Apple has launched lately, this one doesn’t come with Apple Intelligence. The new iPad comes equipped with an upgraded A16 chip, along with […]
Apple launches a new M3-powered iPad Air
The iPad Air is a tricky tablet. At times, it has been the most compelling of Apple’s lineup, the Goldilocks-perfect combination of features and price. Other times, it starts to feel like an awkwardly placed option, both too expensive and not good enough. With the new model, which Apple just announced via a press release, […]
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 review: definitely not a $549 RTX 4090
The RTX 50-series launch hasn’t gone smoothly so far. Severely limited stock, high prices, and manufacturing issues have left PC gamers frustrated. Now, Nvidia is trying to get things heading in the right direction with the RTX 5070, a GPU that it promised would deliver $1,599 RTX 4090-like performance for $549. It doesn’t, and it […]
Alienware has a $549 QD-OLED gaming monitor
2024 was the year OLED cemented its victory — and 2025 might let more gamers actually afford the glorious screens. Today, Alienware says it will try* to bring the price of a QD-OLED gaming panel down to $549 this summer with the AW2725D, a new 27-inch 2560 x 1440 QHD monitor that’ll offer OLED’s incredible […]
Peak Design Roller Pro review: rethinking the carry-on
Let me lay my cards on the table: I’m a big fan of Peak Design bags and have been for almost a decade. That’s why I jumped at the chance to review the company’s first roller bag with admittedly high expectations. Like Peak Design’s new Outdoor Backpack I recently reviewed, the four-wheel roller bag didn’t […]
How to mirror your Samsung phone on Windows
If you’re a Windows and Android user who has been envying the iPhone mirroring capabilities of macOS, there is a similar feature you can use — albeit with a caveat. First, the good news: this is a free tool that’s built right into Windows 11, with no extra download required. It works as part of […]
The James Bond Cinematic Universe
Bald head. Big muscles. Once a renowned businessman, now making a series of questionable decisions in order to obtain more political power. Weird side hobbies, some involving rockets. Perfect recipe for a Bond villain! Also a decent description of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos. So maybe it’s appropriate that Amazon has struck a deal to give […]
Trump imposes tariffs on Mexico, Canada, and China
President Donald Trump has followed through on his temporarily delayed tariff threats. The US will impose a 25 percent tariff on goods imported from Mexico and Canada, while China will face an additional 10 percent tariff on top of the 10 percent tax previously enacted. On Monday, Trump dashed hopes that a deal could be […]
Samsung heard you like weird screens so it brought some to MWC
For a phone show, there’s an awful lot of cool non-phone stuff at Mobile World Congress this year. Take Lenovo’s ThinkBook Flip concept, which answers the question: “What if your laptop unfolded, and then unfolded again?” Samsung’s Display group has been apparently thinking along the same lines, because it has some interesting new folding concepts […]
The future of BMW is being built at a battery factory in Germany
While other automakers rethink their plans as the global appetite for EVs slows down, BMW is vowing to stay the course. The German automaker says it still plans to offer an EV in every vehicle segment across all of its brands, including Mini and Rolls-Royce. And most importantly, BMW is investing billions of dollars in […]
Waymo is now available exclusively on Uber in Austin
Today’s the day: Waymo’s unlikely partnership with Uber is now live in Austin, Texas. The former rivals have joined forces in the hopes of accelerating the transition to autonomous vehicles, and as of today, any Austin resident with a desire to take a trip in a fully driverless robotaxi can open their Uber app and […]
Nothing’s Phone 3A and 3A Pro use AI to organize all your stuff
The Nothing 3A phones were just announced with a new take on the company’s “make tech more fun again” ethos. These devices have improved hardware over the Phone 2A, updated cameras, and a new feature called the Essential Space to store and index your miscellaneous screenshots, voice memos, and photographs, all through a dedicated button. […]
TSMC announces $100 billion investment in US chipmaking
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. – the world’s biggest chipmaker – will invest at least $100 billion to expand chip manufacturing in the US. During a press conference on Monday, President Donald Trump said the funding would go toward building two additional chip manufacturing facilities in Phoenix, Arizona. The $100 billion investment builds upon the $65 […]
Self-driving cars: Google and others map the road to automated vehicles
Google and a number of automakers are spearheading the movement to get automated vehicles on America’s roads. Self-driving cars are street legal in three states, and Google’s fleet has collectively logged over 300,000 miles of time on the road. However, there are several obstacles in the path of widespread adoption, with legal and moral opposition […]
Google Play is going to start highlighting apps with widgets
Google is making some changes to Google Play on Android devices to better highlight apps that include widgets, according to a blog post. The changes include a new search filter for widgets, widget badges on app detail pages, and a curated editorial page dedicated to widgets. “Historically, one of the challenges with investing in widget […]
Logitech’s best gaming mouse has fallen to its lowest price ever
If you’re looking for a top-notch gaming mouse you can use for both work and play, Logitech’s G Pro X Superlight 2 is a great option that’s currently on sale for its best price to date. Right now, you can buy it at Walmart in select colors starting at $113.99 ($45 off) or at Best […]
The FTC is being hit by terminations
At least a dozen probationary staffers at the Federal Trade Commission were terminated last week, The Verge has learned. The terminations took place across the agency, according to two sources familiar with the matter, one of whom said that included both the Bureau of Consumer Protection and Bureau of Competition. The sources did not definitively […]
SwitchBot launches cut-your-own smart shades
SwitchBot’s inexpensive, adjustable smart roller shades are finally here. First announced in September, the SwitchBot Roller Shades go on sale today at switch-bot.com, claiming to be the world’s first adjustable smart shades. This means you don’t need to worry about getting your measurements right before ordering, as you can adjust the width of both the […]
The iPhone 15 Pro will get Visual Intelligence with iOS 18.4
Apple’s latest iOS 18.4 developer beta adds the Visual Intelligence feature, the company’s Google Lens-like tool, to the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max, as reported by 9to5Mac. Apple had told Daring Fireball that the feature would be coming to those iPhones in a future software update, but didn’t say which. Barring any […]
Microsoft’s new Dragon Copilot is an AI assistant for healthcare
Microsoft has announced Microsoft Dragon Copilot, an AI system for healthcare that can, among other things, listen to and create notes based on clinical visits. The system combines voice-dictating and ambient listening tech created by AI voice company Nuance, which Microsoft bought in 2021. According to Microsoft’s announcement, the new system can help its users […]
YouTube is stepping up its efforts to sell you other streaming services
YouTube is preparing a big redesign of its TV app that will make it look more like Netflix, according to a report from The Information. The new design, which is expected to launch “in the next few months,” will reportedly display paid content from various streaming services on the homepage. YouTube currently lets you explore […]
T-Mobile’s parent company is making an ‘AI Phone’ with Perplexity Assistant
Deutsche Telekom is building a new Perplexity chatbot-powered “AI Phone,” the companies announced at Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona today. The new device will be revealed later this year and run “Magenta AI,” which gives users access to Perplexity Assistant, Google Cloud AI, ElevenLabs, Picsart, and a suite of AI tools. The AI phone […]
Google brings Gemini widgets to iPhone as it looks to seize on Siri’s weaknesses
Google’s Gemini app for iOS and iPadOS now includes a handful of lockscreen widgets that make it easier (and faster) to access the AI assistant’s various features. As noted by 9to5Google, the app’s latest update adds six widgets in total, with each of them letting you hop right into a particular Gemini function. The company […]
The US faces ‘devastating’ losses for weather forecasts, federal workers say
The federal agency that produces weather forecasts and leads research on climate and the oceans has canceled leases for research centers and slashed its staff to “devastating” effect, current and former employees tell The Verge. Last week, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) laid off hundreds of probationary employees, who make up roughly 10 […]
Amazon’s Panos Panay on the long road to Alexa’s AI overhaul
Today, I’m talking with Panos Panay, who’s in charge of devices and services at Amazon. That includes everything like Alexa, Ring security cameras, Eero Wi-Fi routers, and the Project Kuiper satellite internet service that’s meant to compete with Starlink. Panos and I talked the day after he announced Alexa Plus, the new AI-powered version of […]
Google’s Pixel 7 Pro is on sale for just $199.99 (update: sold out)
Update, March 3rd:Â The Google Pixel 7 Pro has sold out at Best Buy. It may be a few years old at this point, but the Google Pixel 7 Pro is still a good investment given it currently costs less than some of the best budget phones on the market. Right now, you can pick up […]
BYD cars now have an on-vehicle DJI drone launch platform
EV maker BYD unveiled “Lingyuan,” a vehicle-mounted drone launching system developed in collaboration with DJI that is available for all of the company’s vehicles, reports Chinese state media outlet Xinhua. The system is only available in China, like BYD’s vehicles, and costs 16,000 yuan (or about $2,197). BYD’s video below, reposted by YouTube channel ShanghaiEye, […]
Tim Cook teases a new Apple ‘Air’
Apple CEO Tim Cook just teased the launch of a new device coming to its Air lineup this week. In a post on X, Cook posted a short video with the text, “There’s something in the air” alongside a caption saying “this week.” Though Cook doesn’t specify which device Apple plans to launch, it’s likely […]
Doctor Who is ready to take the long way around again in new season 2 trailer
A little doom and dread always helps Doctor Who hit that much harder, and the show’s new season 2 trailer makes it seem like it’s going to come out swinging when it returns to Disney Plus in a few weeks. Though many of the Doctor’s (Ncuti Gatwa) companions have been amazed by their adventures to […]
Google’s Chrome extension cull hits more uBlock Origin users
Google is disabling the original uBlock Origin ad blocker for more Chrome browser users, alongside other extensions that are no longer supported as the browser migrates to its new extension specification, Manifest V3. According to Google, the new standard aims to improve privacy and security, but also removes a feature that some ad blocking extensions […]
All the news about Netflix’s gaming efforts
Netflix is making a big push into video games. The company first dabbled in games with interactive titles like Black Mirror: Bandersnatch and a Carmen Sandiego game. But starting in 2021, it made gaming a much bigger priority — Netflix hired a former EA exec and let people play a selection of mobile games for free as […]
Blue Ghost private lander reaches the Moon intact
The Blue Ghost spacecraft has landed on the moon, making history as the first private lander to “successfully” achieve this feat according to its creator, Firefly Aerospace. The Texas-based commercial aerospace firm announced on Sunday that its lander had “softly touched down on the Moon’s surface in an upright, stable configuration.” This is technically the […]
Driverless racecar sets a new autonomous speed record
Look out: there’s a new fastest robot in the world. A Maserati MC20 Coupe with no one in the driver seat set a new land speed record for autonomous vehicles, reaching 197.7 mph (318 km/h) during an automotive event at the Kennedy Space Center last week. The Maserati was running self-driving software developed by Politecnico […]
Hulu prematurely ended its Oscars stream right before the final awards
Hulu subscribers watching the Academy Awards ceremony on Sunday night were outraged when the streaming service ended its broadcast before the show was actually over. Viewers saw a “thank you for watching” message that falsely claimed “the live event has now ended” — despite the fact that the Best Actress and Best Picture Oscars were […]
Infinix’s new concepts use solar power to charge your phone
Chinese phone brand Infinix is known to show off a flashy concept, and at this year’s MWC the company is looking skyward for inspiration. It’s showing a phone with an integrated solar panel on the back, as well as a solar charging phone case. They’re both in the concept phase, but the demo units I […]
Lenovo’s concept laptop add-ons include multiple monitors and an emoji friend
Lenovo is throwing ideas at the wall with new modular accessories for the magnetic Magic Bay connector of its ThinkBook 16P Gen 6 laptop. The company announced at Mobile World Congress four different proof-of-concept add-ons that may or may never be released, and they’re as cool as they are quirky: There aren’t many details on […]
Lenovo’s new concept laptop can be charged by the sun
Lenovo has announced a new concept laptop at Mobile World Congress that encourages you to work outside by reducing your dependence on power cables. The Yoga Solar PC is an early proof of concept device featuring a solar panel integrated into the laptop’s lid. It can harness light from any source to boost its battery, […]
Lenovo’s ThinkBook Flip puts an extra-tall folding display on a laptop
Lenovo has another funky experiment it’s announcing at Mobile World Congress: the ThinkBook “codename Flip” AI PC Concept. It’s a productivity / business laptop with a flexible display, allowing it to be used as a traditional 13.1-inch clamshell, a folded-up 12.9-inch tablet, or a laptop with an extra-tall 18.1-inch vertical screen. The ThinkBook Flip uses […]
Lenovo’s ThinkPad X13 gets even lighter
Lenovo may have some cool new flippy-screened and solar-powered laptops it’s showing off at Mobile World Congress this year, but it’s also announcing the generational notebook updates you’ll actually be able to buy within the coming months. Some of the new models include a redesigned and super lightweight ThinkPad X13 notebook, the first T-Series convertible […]
Trump names Bitcoin and others as part of coming ‘Crypto Strategic Reserve’
In a pair of social media posts today, President Donald Trump named some cryptocurrencies he says will be part of a Crypto Strategic Reserve being created by an executive order he signed in January. Those include Bitcoin and Ether, which he says “will be the heart of the Reserve.” Trump said in the first of […]
FAA staff reportedly ordered to find funding for deal with Musk’s Starlink
Officials at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Friday ordered staff “to begin finding tens of millions of dollars for a Starlink deal” to upgrade air traffic control communications, anonymous sources have told Rolling Stone. The story follows reports that Starlink may be taking the job from Verizon, which already has a multibillion-dollar contract with […]
Siri’s real AI upgrade could still be years away
Apple Intelligence was supposed to finally deliver a more natural version of Siri, but now, people who work in Apple’s AI department believe the company won’t release a ”true modernized, conversational version of Siri … until iOS 20 at best in 2027,“ writes Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in today’s Power On newsletter. Apple is expected to roll […]
HMD’s new earbuds can top off your phone’s battery
HMD announced a new set of earbuds today with a case that doubles as a backup phone battery. The aptly named wireless Amped Buds come in a Qi2 charging case that uses reverse wireless charging to boost your phone’s charge. With a slim design and a 1,600mAh battery, it’s a portable case that offers just […]
Xiaomi Buds 5 Pro are the first to deliver on Qualcomm’s promise of Wi-Fi earbuds
Xiaomi has given a European launch to its Buds 5 Pro, the first earbuds to use Qualcomm’s S7 Pro chip to stream audio over Wi-Fi, in addition to Bluetooth, with no increase in power consumption. Qualcomm announced the technology in October 2023, and this is the first hardware to launch. The Buds 5 Pro were […]
Xiaomi 15 Ultra review: ugly phone, beautiful camera
After two years telling anyone who’d listen that Chinese manufacturer Vivo made the best cameras in any smartphone, last year’s Xiaomi 14 Ultra changed my tune. It became my favorite phone and camera, handling everything from holiday snaps to product review photoshoots. With the 15 Ultra, Xiaomi took the best and made it better with […]
Xiaomi brings its 15 and 15 Ultra flagships to Europe — but the US misses out
Just days after revealing the 15 Ultra in China, Xiaomi has announced a UK and European launch for its latest flagship phone, together with the base Xiaomi 15. There’s no sign of the Pro model, but there is an array of tablets, earbuds, and fitness trackers appearing alongside the phones. The 15 and 15 Ultra […]
Our favorite speakers, headphones, and other music gear
Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 73, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, belated happy Pokémon Day, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I’ve been reading about the Zizians and fancy suits and Heavyweight, watching Suits […]
Samsung reveals Galaxy A56 with more AI and a modest spec bump
Samsung is bringing even more AI to its line of budget-friendly phones. The new Galaxy A56, A36, and A26 now come with what the company calls “awesome intelligence,” enabling an array of new AI-powered image editing features already available with Samsung’s pricier S25 lineup. One of these features is Best Face, an AI tool that […]
Ikea registered a Matter-over-Thread temperature sensor with the FCC
Ikea has registered its first Thread device, a new Matter-supporting temperature and humidity sensor called the “Timmerflotte,” with the FCC, reports HomeKit News. A diagram from the filing, which was spotted by CybermodStudios, shows a circular device that’s powered by two AAA batteries and features a QR code and 11-digit number for Matter setup. The […]
What can a 100-pixel video teach us about storytelling around the world?
Since its founding in 2007, the Mumbai-based collaborative studio CAMP has used surveillance, TV networks, and digital archives to examine how we move through and record the world. In addition to their film and video projects, the wildly prolific studio runs a rooftop cinema in Mumbai and maintains several online video archives, including the largest […]
New email tells federal employees to list recent accomplishments weekly
Federal workers started getting emails on Friday night, “asking them to provide a list of accomplishments from the week,” reports The New York Times. According to the outlet, the message told workers they’ll now be expected to provide such a list every Monday by 11:59PM ET. This time around, the Times writes that “employees who […]
Amazon’s latest Fire TV Stick 4K Max is more than 30 percent off
Planning on spending your Sunday watching the 97th annual Academy Awards or catching up on the latest episode of Severance? If you don’t already own a smart TV, Amazon’s latest Fire TV Stick 4K Max can make setup easy and inexpensive, especially now that it’s down to just $39.99 ($20 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, […]
How to find images in Google Photos
Google Photos makes backing up photos and videos from your phone pretty seamless: set it to work in the background and all your precious memories are saved to the cloud without you having to do anything else.  The smoothness of this process does tend to mean you can find yourself with a rather gigantic collection, […]
One of my favorite pop albums is a video game — and now it’s on the PS5
Of all of my favorite games, Sayonara Wild Hearts might be the hardest to describe. It’s a rhythm game, but also you ride on a motorcycle and a dragon, wield giant swords while dodging fireballs, and teleport to a retrofuturistic VR world. It’s structured like a pop album, telling a story of love and loss, […]
Asus ROG Flow Z13 (2025) review: hold up, integrated graphics are good now?
The beefy Windows gaming tablet is back, and it’s done two things I thought impossible. It made me respect integrated graphics, and it convinced me a Windows tablet can be fun. The Asus ROG Flow Z13 is a 13-inch tablet with a detachable keyboard, a bright screen, and the guts of a gaming laptop. I […]
With Alexa Plus, Amazon finally reinvents its best product
The biggest surprise at Amazon’s press conference last week was the lack of hardware announcements. Traditionally, Amazon announces dozens of new gadgets at its events, but this time, Amazon spent 70 minutes talking about software. Specifically, Alexa Plus, its new generative AI-powered Alexa voice assistant. And that was exactly the right move. Over the past […]
Mozilla is already revising its new Firefox terms to clarify how it handles user data
Mozilla is revising its new Terms of Use for Firefox introduced on Wednesday following criticisms over language that seemed to give the company broad ownership over user data. With the change, “we’re updating the language to more clearly reflect the limited scope of how Mozilla interacts with user data,” the company says in a Friday […]
Google’s co-founder tells AI staff to stop ‘building nanny products’
For the last couple years, it has been evident that Google co-founder Sergey Brin is back in the building. This week, he sent a clear message to hundreds of employees in Google’s DeepMind AI division, known as GDM: the pressure to win the AGI race is on. “It has been 2 years of the Gemini […]
Zapier says someone broke into its code repositories and may have accessed customer data
Zapier informed customers on Friday that an “unauthorized user†accessed “certain Zapier code repositories†and may have gained access to customer information as a result. The customer data had been “inadvertently copied to the repositories for debugging purposes,†according to an email obtained by The Verge. The company says it became aware of the unauthorized […]
The Verge looks back on Skype
It may be difficult to believe in this time of Zoom, Google Meet, and Slack, but at one point, Skype was one of the primary ways to make contact with friends, family, and colleagues. First released in 2003 and, after going through several owners, finally purchased by Microsoft in 2011, the app allowed you to […]
The UK will neither confirm nor deny that it’s killing encryption
The United Kingdom dealt a significant blow in its war on encryption last week that, aside from blemishing Apple’s meticulously curated privacy commitments, could have worldwide ramifications for personal data protections. And while several days have passed since Apple pulled its Advanced Data Protection (ADP) feature from UK customers, other end-to-end encryption providers like Meta, […]
The armless PP-1 turntable is made from a solid block of aluminum
A Paris-based creative studio has announced a minimalist turntable with controls streamlined to just a play button and a volume knob. Waiting For Ideas’ PP-1 — short for Plug and Play — doesn’t even have a visible tonearm, and it’s made from a solid block of anodized aluminum requiring about 12 weeks of production time […]
Tesla Superchargers coming to dozens of Steak ‘n Shake locations
Tesla is planning to install dozens of Supercharger sites at Steak ‘n Shake locations across the country, according to an exchange between the companies on X. The companies have signed an agreement for over six sites, with over 20 more to come. And if Steak ‘n Shake gets its way, possibly 100 restaurants will see […]
The Verge hires Tina Nguyen as senior reporter to cover the Trump administration
Tina Nguyen is joining The Verge as a senior reporter, covering the Trump administration, Elon Musk’s takeover of the federal government, and the tech industry’s embrace of the MAGA movement. Nguyen joins The Verge from Puck, where she was a founding partner and national correspondent covering the evolution of the MAGA political ecosystem. Before that, […]
Cold Wallet’s director wanted to make a revenge thriller for the crypto era
Cold Wallet, Well Go USA’s new darkly comedic home invasion thriller from director Cutter Hodierne, becomes increasingly more absurd as it unfolds. At every turn, the movie’s heroes — a group of excitable retail investors — make unhinged choices that make them feel more like cartoons than people who have complex lives outside of Reddit. […]
DOGE wants to lay off the ‘vast majority’ of CFPB workers, employees say
The Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is planning to fire the “vast majority” of employees at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), agency employees — some using pseudonyms for fear of retaliation — told a federal court in sworn declarations. Seven current and five former CFPB employees submitted the declarations as part of the National […]
Steam’s Next Fest is full of weird-ass, cool-ass games
Steam Next Fest is going on until March 3rd, and I’ve spent a considerable amount of time wading through a seemingly endless carousel of games, filling up my Steam Deck’s internal and external memory looking for the Good Shitâ„¢. I’ve landed on four standout game demos that are worth your time now and whenever their […]
Mozilla says its new Firefox terms don’t give it ownership of your data
Mozilla introduced its first Terms of Use for Firefox this week, but the company has already had to post an update to address criticisms of language that appeared to give Mozilla overly broad ownership over user data. Specifically, some users took issue with this line in the terms, as reported by TechCrunch: “When you upload […]
EVgo says no to fast-charging extension cables and breakaway adapters
Electric vehicle charging network EVgo changed its terms of service Thursday to include new language explicitly prohibiting the use of high-speed DC extension cables and breakaway adapters at the company’s stations. The terms, which go into effect March 8th, are another bump in the road for enterprising companies looking to cash in on EV charging […]
Intel pushes Ohio chip factory opening to 2030
Intel is delaying the opening of its $28 billion Ohio chip plants yet again. In an update on Friday, Intel executive vice president Naga Chandrasekaran said the company now expects its first factory to begin operations between 2030 and 2031 – years later than its initial plan to kick off production in 2025. Meanwhile, the […]
What to expect at MWC 2025
Mobile World Congress 2025 is nearly upon us, and we’re heading to Barcelona to see what the world’s smartphone manufacturers have to offer as they launch new devices, tease new features, and talk incessantly about AI. The show officially kicks off on March 3rd and runs to March 6th, but the first announcements should arrive on […]
MWC 2025: all the phones, gadgets, and commentary from Barcelona
The Verge is heading to Barcelona, Spain, for Mobile World Congress 2025. We’re fresh off CES, where we saw plenty of new gadgets, from TVs to gaming handhelds and smart glasses. But, as it says right in the name, MWC 2025 is more focused on… mobile stuff. And it’s for a global audience, which means […]
Apple accused of misleading consumers with Apple Watch ‘carbon neutral’ claims
Apple customers filed a class action lawsuit against the company, alleging it misled consumers with claims that certain Apple Watches are carbon neutral. For a product to be considered carbon neutral, its manufacturer has to offset or cancel out any pollution the item generates. Apple said in 2023 that “select case and band combinations” of […]
Severance opens up a new kind of terror in latest episode
Severance has always been a horror story, albeit one set in a mostly generic office. That blandness is a large part of what makes it so scary: underneath the corporate speak, drab decor, and unflattering fluorescent lighting is something very sinister. And in the show’s latest episode, it uses that energy to tap into a […]
The high stakes for AI Alexa
Amazon has been trying to make virtual assistants happen for more than a decade. Alexa is, by many definitions, wildly successful, but it has so far failed to become the kind of omnipresent, omnipotent helper the company imagines. (It has also, by all accounts, failed to become a compelling business for Amazon.) This week, though, […]
Microsoft is shutting down Skype in favor of Teams
It’s the end of an era. Microsoft is shutting down Skype in May and replacing it with the free version of Microsoft Teams for consumers. Existing Skype users will be able to log in to the Microsoft Teams app and have their message history, group chats, and contacts all automatically available without having to create […]
NHL officials will start wearing Apple Watches on ice
The Apple Watch is now the smartwatch of choice for National Hockey League officials. Apple and the NHL just announced a collaboration where on-ice officials will wear Apple Watches that are running special software to receive important in-game information. Using the custom-built NHL Watch Comms app, on-ice referees can view the game clock directly from […]
Meme coins aren’t subject to securities regulations, says SEC
According to the Securities and Exchange Commission, meme coins don’t meet the requirements to be protected by federal securities law. In new guidance issued on Thursday, the SEC announced that it doesn’t view most meme coins — cryptocurrencies that originate from internet memes or cultural phenomena — as securities, and that transactions around them do […]
Official: AMD Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT start at $549, ship March 6th
AMD’s answer to Nvidia’s RTX 50-series GPUs is arriving next week — and its new graphics cards are aggressively priced against Nvidia’s $749 GeForce RTX 5070 Ti and $549 RTX 5070. The AMD Radeon RX 9070 and 9070 XT ship March 6th for $549 and $599 respectively, one day after the RTX 5070 arrives. AMD […]
Elon enters the circus
The shadow president paced around the stage after his speech, sunglasses on, mouth frozen in a grin, raising a chainsaw overhead to the delight of an adoring crowd as a large rectangular canvas made its way from the back of the audience toward him. He grabbed the painting, visibly thrilled. On the canvas, as onstage, […]
Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia now works for DOGE
Airbnb co-founder Joe Gebbia has joined President Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) service. Gebbia, a close friend of Elon Musk and fellow billionaire, announced that he’s been tasked with “improving the slow and paper-based retirement process,” though the specifics of his involvement are unclear. “Excited to share I’m bringing my designer brain and […]
EA open sources four more Command & Conquer games
Electronic Arts (EA) is releasing the source code for four Command & Conquer titles under the open source GPL license. The original Command & Conquer (since subtitled Tiberian Dawn) is joined by Red Alert, Renegade, and Generals, the code for all of which can now be found on EA’s GitHub page. Only the code has […]
Aurzen Zip tri-fold projector review: mirror anything (without DRM)
Tri-folds are having a moment. There’s that impressive Huawei device, my favorite 3-in-1 Apple charger, and now this: the Zip tri-fold projector from a company called Aurzen. It’s the most gadgety gadget I’ve tested in a long time. The Zip’s heft, texture, and hinge stiffness evokes quality at first touch and it’s impressively bright for […]
Kia’s next EV is the affordable, long-range EV4 sedan
Kia is launching a new EV4 sedan and hatchback with promising range figures for an affordable electric car. The vehicle was announced at Kia’s 2025 EV day event in Spain today, where the company also revealed an urban-focused EV2 small electric SUV concept and the PV5 electric passenger and cargo van. The EV4 sedan was […]
Meta’s AI chatbot will soon have a standalone app
Meta is planning to launch a dedicated app for its AI chatbot, according to a report from CNBC. The Verge can also confirm that Meta is working on the standalone app. The new app could launch in the second quarter of this year, CNBC says, joining the growing number of standalone AI apps, including OpenAI’s […]
Amazon CEO says ‘beautiful’ new Alexa hardware is coming this fall
Amazon is gearing up to launch new hardware to go along with its AI-upgraded Alexa. During an interview with Bloomberg, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said the company has a “brand new lineup of devices that are coming in the fall that are beautiful.” On Wednesday, Amazon revealed Alexa Plus, a more conversational version of the […]
Cricut’s new crafting machines are more accurate, faster, and cheaper
Cricut has announced new versions of its crafting machines designed to print, cut, and emboss various materials using a collection of swappable tools. The new Cricut Maker 4 and Cricut Explore 4 are the first updates to both machines in nearly four years and offer faster cutting speeds for some materials, improved accuracy, and cheaper […]
Apple will let parents share their kids’ ages to limit app access
Apple announced in a whitepaper that it plans to introduce a bunch of new child safety features, including letting parents share their kids’ age ranges with apps, refreshing the App Store’s age ratings system, and making it easier for parents to set up Child Accounts for their kids. The company says it will introduce the […]
Microsoft releases a Copilot app for Mac
Microsoft is releasing a native Copilot app for macOS today. Much like the Windows app, the Copilot version for Mac will provide access to the web-based version of Microsoft’s AI assistant, where you can upload images and generate images or text. The macOS version of Copilot also includes a dark mode and a shortcut command […]
OpenAI announces GPT-4.5, warns it’s not a frontier AI model
OpenAI is launching GPT-4.5 today, its newest and largest model. GPT-4.5 will be available as a research preview, and OpenAI is calling it the company’s “largest and most knowledgeable model yet,” but warning that it’s not a frontier model and might not perform as well as o1 or o3-mini. GPT-4.5 will have better writing capabilities, […]
Hands-on with Alexa Plus in the smart home
Oh, Alexa, how you’ve changed. The long-awaited new Alexa, Alexa Plus, is set to bring a more conversational, context-aware, and capable assistant to your smart home. With a new voice (eight of them, in fact) and a new attitude, this is the biggest change to the voice assistant since it debuted in 2014. And it […]
Sesame is the first voice assistant I’ve ever wanted to talk to more than once
I tell Amazon’s Alexa to shut up on a near daily basis. I have almost zero interest in speaking to Gemini after our first awkward chat. The hitches, misunderstandings, and lag in any given AI “conversation” mean I’m always wasting time speaking when I could be texting instead. But speaking to “Maya,” one of two […]
Meta is firing about 20 employees for leaking
Meta has fired “roughly 20†employees who leaked “confidential information outside the company,†according to a spokesperson. “We tell employees when they join the company, and we offer periodic reminders, that it is against our policies to leak internal information, no matter the intent,†Meta spokesperson Dave Arnold tells The Verge exclusively. “We recently conducted […]
Here’s a new trailer for the ambitious survival game from PUBG’s creator
PlayerUnknown Productions, the studio from PUBG creator Brendan Greene (aka PlayerUnknown), has shared a gameplay trailer for Prologue: Go Wayback!, a single-player survival game that’s launching in early access on Steam this year. The studio previously shared that the game would be built with “machine-learning-driven terrain generation technology,” and in this new trailer, you can […]
Jeff Bezos is sending Katy Perry to space
Katy Perry will fly to space during Blue Origin’s next crewed mission, the Jeff Bezos-owned space company has announced. The pop star will join CBS host Gayle King and Bezos’s fiancé Lauren Sánchez aboard the New Shepard rocket this spring, marking its 11th human flight. Along with Perry and Sánchez, who is known for her […]
Microsoft pushes ahead with AI in gaming
Microsoft might say its top priority right now is security, but it’s been clear for months that AI is just as important. The odd division out has been Xbox, which hasn’t discussed its use of AI much in public. But that changed last week when Microsoft ripped the band-aid off and waded, somewhat clumsily, into […]
WD’s Xbox expansion cards are nearly matching their Black Friday low
From Monster Hunt Wilds to Ninja Gaiden 4, there are a ton of great Xbox Series X / S games coming out this year. Luckily, if you need more storage to play them all, Western Digital’s officially licensed WD_Black C50 Storage Expansion Card for Xbox is down to its best price since Black Friday, with […]
Shinichirō Watanabe’s Lazarus hits Adult Swim in April
Lazarus, Shinichirō Watanabe’s upcoming anime about a world plunged into chaos by a mysterious miracle drug, finally has a premiere date. Today, Adult Swim announced today that Lazarus will debut on April 5th with encores hitting Max on Thursdays beginning April 10th. Along with the announcement, Adult Swim also dropped a new Lazarus trailer teasing […]
Starlink poised to take over $2.4 billion contract to overhaul air traffic control communication
While Elon Musk hacks away at the federal bureaucracy in the name of “efficiency,” his company Starlink appears poised to steal a multibillion-dollar government contract away from Verizon. The Federal Aviation Administration is on the cusp of canceling a $2.4 billion contract to overhaul the communication system for the nation’s air traffic control system, and […]
Trump’s tariffs on China, Canada, and Mexico will take effect March 4th
President Donald Trump says his 25 percent tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, and additional 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports will go into effect as scheduled on March 4th, unless imports of drugs including fentanyl are stopped or “seriously limited.” “Drugs are still pouring into our Country from Mexico and Canada at very […]
Roblox is getting faster on Chromebooks
If you play Roblox on a Chromebook, things could feel faster soon. Roblox is rolling out an x86 version of the game “built specifically for Chromebooks,” where players can expect “up to 2x faster performance on x86 devices across all your favorite games and experiences,” according to a ChromeOS blog post. This will translate to […]
The Powerbeats Pro 2 can’t play music while tracking heart rate on gym equipment
Bad news for folks hoping the Powerbeats Pro 2 can replace their chest strap at the gym: while the workout buds are great at playing music and can connect to various gym equipment to track heart rate, they can’t do both at the same time. The issue was pointed out in YouTuber DC Rainmaker’s review […]
Disney Plus is adding a bite-sized version of ESPN’s SportsCenter
Disney Plus will begin exclusively airing a bite-sized version of ESPN’s SportsCenter, the company announced on Thursday. The show, called SC Plus, will feature a “fast-paced” update with the day’s most important moments in sports. It debuts on March 3rd. SC Plus will be based on SportsCenter’s top 10 format, offering a quick rundown of […]
DoorDash will pay $16.8 million to New York delivery workers after misusing their tips
DoorDash is paying restitution after keeping tips from as many as 63,000 of its New York delivery workers thanks to a settlement with the New York Attorney General’s office, The New York Times reports. Attorney General Letitia James announced on Monday that DoorDash will pay $16.8 million, which will be spread across workers who were […]
Hoto’s 48-in-1 electric screwdriver set hits a record low $70
Many years ago, I built my first PC inside a repurposed Gateway chassis with just a regular old screwdriver and a grounding bracelet. I’ll spare you the ugly details, but let’s just say I wish I had tools specially made for the job. If you want to avoid pain in your own projects, you should […]
DJI’s autonomous drone-in-a-box can now launch from moving vehicles
DJI has announced the third iteration of its drone-in-a-box solution designed for autonomous missions like safely inspecting power lines and emergency response. As with previous versions, the DJI Dock 3 is small enough to be transported in the back of a pickup truck, but it’s the first that allows DJI’s new Matrice 4D and Matrice […]
Amazon says its new quantum computing chip will make error correction more efficient
Amazon is making its foray into quantum computing with the launch of a new chip designed to make quantum error correction more efficient. In an announcement on Thursday, Amazon Web Services (AWS) said the chip, called Ocelot, can “reduce the costs of implementing quantum error correction by up to 90%, compared to current approaches.” Quantum […]
BoldHue review: the best foundation is the one you print
In 2022, I watched a video of mine and wanted to hide under a rock. My skin looked sallow, the dark circles under my eyes pronounced. Loved ones reassured me I was seeing things, but commenters confirmed my worst insecurities. While relating my woes to a friend, she interrupted my pity party to say I […]
Understanding Elon Musk’s polarizing ascent in the MAGA movement
Hey, and welcome to Decoder. This is Alex Heath, deputy editor at The Verge. I’m guest hosting today’s episode for Nilay. Today, we’re diving into the bromance between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump, and more specifically, how it’s impacting the changing right-wing political movement here in the United States. There’s no better place to […]
Five predictions for where crypto is headed in 2025
Crypto is, once again, exploding. Momentum born of a potentially friendlier regulatory atmosphere has met rising coin values, with Bitcoin more than doubling in value last year. Meanwhile, powered by advances to the underlying infrastructure, crypto is evolving beyond speculation and into real utility. That’s driving new use cases for AI and enabling seamless experiences […]
Pokémon Legends: Z-A’s starters make their debut in new trailer
Like its predecessor, Pokémon Legends: Z-A is bringing back three classic starter pokémon to get you started on your next adventure. Though Pokémon Legends: Z-A will likely introduce a number of new creatures, Chikorita, Tepig, and Totodile will be the first three partner pokémon you can choose between as you journey into the depths of […]
Pokémon Champions gets right to the fights
To celebrate the day when Pikachu pika’d his way into our hearts and minds almost 30 years ago, The Pokémon Company held a Pokémon Presents showcase highlighting what games and experiences to expect in the coming months. There were updates on Pokémon Legends: Z-A, a new season of Pokémon Concierge, and a totally new multiplayer […]
Pokémon Presents 2025: all the biggest news and trailers
Each Pokémon Presents stream is special in its own way, but we’re expecting big things from this year’s showcase given the imminent arrival of the Switch 2. A new console means a new generation of games like Pokémon Legends: Z-A and the franchise’s next mainline title. But there should also be some major updates for […]
Sony drops PlayStation VR 2 price to $399
Sony is cutting the price of its PlayStation VR 2 headset in March. The VR 2 will be discounted to just $399.99, down from the original $549 pricing when it launched in February 2023. The headset will also see a price cut in Europe (€449.99), the UK (£399.99), Japan (¥66,980), and other regions. Sony is […]
Instagram’s Reels may get its own app
Instagram is reportedly considering spinning its Reels feature into a standalone short-form video app to take advantage of TikTok’s uncertain future in the US. Instagram head Adam Mosseri was overheard discussing the plans with staff this week according to an anonymous source cited by The Information. The Reels app is reportedly part of a Meta […]
Xiaomi 15 Ultra is a small update with a big periscope lens
Xiaomi has announced its 15 Ultra flagship phone at a launch event in China, where it’s going on sale starting at 6,499 yuan (around $893). The Android phone joins the company’s Xiaomi 15 and 15 Pro, which went on sale there in October 2024. It is a mostly iterative upgrade on last year’s model, but […]
Engwe Mapfour N1 Pro e-bike review: the new ‘premium’
Europe has an electric bike problem. Direct-to-consumer e-bikes from inexpensive Chinese brands like Engwe and countless others can be easily purchased online despite openly flouting EU restrictions. They feature throttles and powerful motors that can be easily unlocked to far exceed the 25km/h (16mph) legal speed limit — no pedaling required. Here in Amsterdam, cheap […]
iPhone 16E review: Eh, it’s alright
The iPhone 16E is everything I love and hate about iOS. FaceTime at your fingertips. A reliable camera. Simplicity. Familiarity. They’re the pillars of the iPhone experience, and Apple’s newest phone has ‘em. My husband picked up the 16E, concerned that he would have to “learn something new†to use it. He swiped around for […]
Mint and pink: a closer look at the backflipping Framework Laptop 12
The moment Vjeran and I got to the demo room at Framework’s San Francisco event, we knew right away — the mint and pink version of the Framework Laptop 12 was the one I wanted to touch, the one he wanted to photograph and film. One of the women standing next to the demo stations […]
The Xbox Wireless Controller is just $39 right now
Of the three major gaming consoles, the Xbox Series X / S may have the most diverse controller selection, but Microsoft’s basic Xbox Wireless Controller is still the best Xbox controller for most people. That’s mostly because it’s the cheapest one you can buy with native support for Xbox’s built-in wireless protocol (you can also […]
Living with extreme heat might make you age faster
Exposure to extreme heat could lead to faster aging, a new study published today in the journal Science Advances suggests. Older people living in hotter areas of the US showed faster aging at the molecular level than people living in cooler areas. The study looked at measures of a person’s biological, or epigenetic, age, which […]
Kick off Pokémon Day 2025 with this gorgeous short film
It’s technically already Pokémon Day in Japan, and while we’re still a few hours away from this year’s big Pokémon Presents showcase, there’s a new animated short film out that right now feels like the perfect way to get pumped up for whatever surprises Nintendo has in store. Many of the Pokémon Company’s animated projects […]
Alexa Plus leaves behind Amazon’s earliest Echo devices
Amazon is bringing the new AI-powered Alexa Plus to a wide range of its existing Echo devices — but the upgrade will skip many of the earliest models. The majority of the company’s first-generation Echos won’t get support, according to the Alexa Plus FAQ page, though Amazon says they will continue to work with the standard […]
Streaming services keep getting more expensive: all the latest price increases
Death. Taxes. All your streaming services getting a little more expensive all the time. These are the new certainties in life, it seems. In recent years, as the streaming TV and movie business has gotten more competitive and companies around Hollywood have thrown billions into building their own platforms and libraries in order to compete […]
Max’s ad-supported tier is losing CNN and the Bleacher Report
Though Max has always said that it planned to charge more for access to its CNN and Bleacher Report Sports add-ons, the price hikes are coming in a roundabout way targeted at subscribers to the streamer’s cheapest tier. Max announced today that it no longer intends to charge subscribers to its Standard ($16.99/month or $169.99/year) […]
Jeff Bezos bans Washington Post opinion writers from opposing ‘free speech and free markets’
In a move promoted as supporting freedom of speech, The Washington Post will no longer publish opinion columns that oppose the core views of Post owner and Amazon executive chair Jeff Bezos, Bezos has reportedly told staff. New York Times reporter Benjamin Mullin and Semafor reporter Max Tani published details about the move on Wednesday, […]
Alexa Plus’ AI upgrades cost $19.99, but it’s all free with Prime
Amazon announced a new version of its smart assistant today. Alexa Plus comes with expanded capabilities, the company appeared to demonstrate, like finding concert tickets on your behalf or ordering an Uber to pick up someone at the airport. The upgraded smart assistant will also make it easier to have more natural conversations with it, […]
Victrola’s cheapest Sonos-compatible turntable is over half off today
It’s shaping up to be a good week to be a Sonos fan. First, Sonos launched a sale for existing customers that includes steep discounts on soundbars, speakers, and headphones, and now the Sonos-ready Victrola Stream Onyx is more than 50 percent off. Now through February 28th, you can buy the two-speed, belt-driven turntable at Woot […]
Pixel Watch 3 gets FDA clearance for Loss of Pulse alerts
Google just announced it’s received FDA clearance for the Pixel Watch 3’s Loss of Pulse Detection feature. It will start rolling out to US devices sometime at the end of March. The Loss of Pulse Detection feature is exactly what it sounds like: if the Pixel Watch 3 senses that you’ve lost your pulse through […]
Amazon is launching Alexa.com and new app for Alexa Plus
Amazon is launching an alexa.com website and a new mobile app where Alexa Plus subscribers will be able to use the AI-powered voice assistant. We don’t have many details beyond that, but the website and the app could be handy new ways to interact with the revamped Alexa, which was announced at an event this […]
How to hide faces and scrub metadata when you photograph a protest
While showing up at a protest can demonstrate your opinion to the world, you may not want your face — or the faces of other protesters — to be included, especially when there is the possibility that authorities will collect and use that information (as they did for tracking movements during COVID-19 social distancing). As […]
Amazon announces AI-powered Alexa Plus
Amazon is finally launching the long-awaited generative AI version of Alexa that, if all goes well, will take away much of the friction that comes with talking to a speaker to control your smart home or getting info on the fly. Some of the new abilities coming to Alexa Plus include doing things for you […]
Lucid’s CEO steps down, as EV maker aims to double production
Lucid Motors founder and CEO Peter Rawlinson will step down, as the luxury EV company sets its sights on doubling production over the next year. Rawlinson won’t be leaving the company. Instead, he’ll be assuming the role of “Strategic Technical Advisor to the Chairman of the Board,” the company said. Chief operating officer Marc Winterhoff […]
Amazon Alexa event live blog: all the news from the keynote
Amazon is set to announce new Alexa features beginning at 10AM ET this morning — and we hope a few devices accompany them. There isn’t a way to watch the event remotely, but our team is here in person to bring you all of the updates as they happen. We’re expecting Amazon to announce its […]
Doctor Who returns in April with an evil new cartoon villain
Ncuti Gatwa’s version of the Doctor will be back pretty soon. Disney Plus and the BBC announced that the next season of Doctor Who will start streaming on April 12th, with new episodes dropping weekly. The season will span eight episodes total. Perhaps more interesting than the date, though, is a pair of new characters […]
All the news from Amazon’s AI Alexa event
The Verge is live blogging Amazon’s big Alexa event in New York City. It kicks off at 10AM ET on February 26th, and we’re expecting the company to announce a new subscription-based version of Alexa that’s beefed up with a bunch of AI features. It seems like a good time for the company to announce […]
Framework Desktop hands-on: a possible new direction for gaming desktops
Framework’s mission is to “fix consumer electronics, one category at a time†by making them modular, repairable, and upgradable. It’s the only laptop maker to ever truly succeed at that “upgradable†part. But desktop PCs are already modular, so why is Framework making one? At first, I thought it saw a unique opportunity to make […]
More than 1 billion people are now watching podcasts on YouTube every month
YouTube isn’t a podcast app, but that hasn’t stopped it from becoming the number one place people who want to consume online radio shows now turn to. According to the company, a staggering 1 billion people are tuning into podcasts every month on YouTube. That’s not just more than either Apple or Spotify can claim […]
Google makes it easier to remove your contact information from Search results
Google is making it easier to remove and update Search results that contain your personal information. The company’s “Results about you” tool for detecting personal information like addresses and phone numbers that appear in Search has been updated to make it “easier than ever” for users to sign up and for removals to be requested […]
Qualcomm wants to bring longer Android support to more phones
More Android phones could soon provide longer lifetime support updates thanks to a new agreement between Qualcomm and Google. Qualcomm announced on Monday that “up to eight consecutive years of software and security updates” will be available to Android phones running on future Snapdragon 8 and Snapdragon 7-series chips. As Android specialist Mishall Rahman points […]
ChatGPT is a terrible, fascinating, and thrilling to-do list app
Every day for the last few weeks, I’ve received a notification on my phone at 7:30 in the morning. The notification comes from ChatGPT, and it always contains the same thing: instructions for a 20-minute full-body workout and a 10-minute meditation. The instructions are simple, and I’ve actually come to appreciate the daily prodding. I […]
Volvo ES90 will charge faster, drive farther than other Volvo EVs
Volvo is continuing to drop hints about its upcoming high-tech electric sedan, the ES90, ahead of the EV’s official reveal next month. Today, the Swedish automaker provided new details about the ES90’s range and battery efficiency, calling it “a car that goes further and charges faster than any electric Volvo before.” That’s mostly thanks to […]
‘We’re nowhere near done with Framework Laptop 16’ says Framework CEO
Two years ago, the last time Framework had an event in San Francisco, California, the highlight was the Framework Laptop 16 — a laptop promising the “holy grail” of upgradable graphics cards, and easily one of the most ambitious laptops ever made. But today, the Framework Laptop 16 got little mention at its new event, […]
Razer’s new Blade 18 offers Nvidia RTX 50-series GPUs and a dual mode display
Razer is adding a fresh gaming laptop to the pile of new models up for preorder today: the Blade 18. Like its smaller (but far from small) Blade 16 cousin, the new Razer Blade 18 will come with Nvidia’s RTX 50-series GPUs and Intel Arrow Lake CPUs. But one major way it differs is its […]
Samsung’s first Pro series Gen 5 PCIe SSD arrives in March
The first PCIe Gen 5 SSDs from the likes of Seagate and Crucial began hitting the market nearly two years ago, but Samsung has been notably absent with its own model. That will change in March with the arrival of the Samsung 9100 Pro series, its first consumer-ready pure PCIe Gen 5 SSD built with […]
We finally know who’s legally running DOGE
The White House has named Amy Gleason as the acting administrator of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The news, delivered by an unnamed White House official to CNBC and other media outlets, follows days of obfuscation in courtrooms, the press, and the pseudo-department itself. It designates Gleason a likely target for the nigh-continuous legal challenges […]
Apple is fixing a voice dictation bug that substitutes ‘Trump’ for ‘racist’
Apple has acknowledged a peculiar bug with the iPhone’s dictation feature that briefly displays “Trump” when someone says the word “racist.” The Verge has been unable to reproduce the issue, but it picked up attention on Tuesday after a video demonstrating the strange substitution went viral on TikTok and other social media. The company provided […]
How to secure your phone before attending a protest
Back in June 2020, when this article was first written, people were taking to the streets to organize for justice and protest against systemic racism and police brutality. It was revised two years later when people were taking to the streets to protest the possibility that the Supreme Court might overturn Roe v. Wade (and we […]
Sonos speakers and soundbars are 25 percent off for existing customers
Since its app fiasco last year, Sonos has been busy slowly rebuilding its reputation with customers. This latest sale, which is exclusive to existing customers, seems to be a part of that strategy — and we’re not complaining, because the deals are solid. Through March 2nd, Sonos is taking 25 percent off one select Sonos […]
Xbox Cloud Gaming will let you invite friends with just a link
As part of its February Xbox update, Microsoft is making it easier to invite your friends to an Xbox Cloud Gaming session by letting you generate shareable links. You can send the link through an Xbox message or by copying it to your clipboard for pasting into any messaging app you want. Players can accept […]
Infinity Nikki’s spooky new event will put my cheapskate skills to the test
It’s time to put all the lessons I’ve learned about Infinity Nikki’s gacha system to the test. There’s a new event coming to the game and with that comes a new outfit I actually want this time. After the game taught me an unfortunate lesson on the gacha economy, I’ve kinda taken it easy with […]
8BitDo’s Ultimate 2 controller gets an upgrade to next-generation anti-drift sticks
8BitDo has released an upgraded version of its Ultimate controller now available to preorder through Amazon for $59.99 in purple, black, and white color options. The new 8BitDo Ultimate 2 features a similar asymmetrical stick layout to 8BitDo’s original Ultimate controller that launched in 2022, but adds additional buttons, interactive LED lighting, and tunneling magneto-resistance […]
Technicolor is winding down operations
Technicolor Group, the French VFX giant that owns some of Hollywood’s most in-demand post-production houses, appears to be on the brink of collapse — putting thousands of jobs at risk. Variety reports that Technicolor has begun winding down operations after failing to secure a new round of investment necessary to keep the entire international outfit […]
Warner Bros. Games is canceling its Wonder Woman game and shutting down three studios
Warner Bros. Discovery is making even more big changes to its troubled gaming efforts. As reported by Bloomberg, the company’s gaming division is canceling the Wonder Woman game announced in 2021 and shutting down three studios: Wonder Woman developer Monolith Productions, MultiVersus developer Player First Games, and Warner Bros. Games San Diego. WBD confirmed the […]
Framework’s first tiny Desktop beautifully straddles the line between cute and badass
Framework, the modular computer company, has just announced its first desktop PC, which is something it absolutely did not need to do — but I’m glad it did. Partly because the world needs more tiny 4.5-liter mini-ITX PCs, partly because it uses AMD’s most powerful APU ever (Strix Halo) with some actual gaming chops and […]
Framework wants to fix the budget laptop with its first touchscreen machine
Framework, the modular repairable computer company, says budget laptops generally suck — and it plans to fix that this year. Today, it’s previewing a computer called the Framework Laptop 12 that’ll be its smallest laptop yet, its first with a touchscreen, its first with a 2-in-1 convertible hinge, and its first with a rubber-esque shock […]
The Framework Laptop 13 has just been upgraded to AMD’s Strix Point
Framework has done it again — it’s built a new AMD-powered modular computer that fits into any previous version of its 13-inch laptop for $449, or that you can buy as a brand-new laptop starting at $899 for DIY or $1,099 entirely prebuilt for you. If you’re reading these words, I’m currently at Framework’s event, […]
Donald Trump broke the law by removing climate change references from USDA websites, lawsuit alleges
The US Department of Agriculture’s decision to purge information about climate change from its websites harms organic farmers and threatens their livelihoods, a new lawsuit alleges. Since President Donald Trump stepped into office, the USDA has removed “scores of vitally important webpages” that mention climate change, the suit says. The administration has been racing to destroy public resources that […]
Anker’s new USB-C HDMI cable supports 140W fast charging
Anker has released a new HDMI to USB-C cable that allows you to connect a mobile device to an external display without draining its battery. The Anker Nano USB-C to HDMI Cable Adapter, now available through Amazon for $28.99, is Thunderbolt 5 compatible and includes a USB-C port on the HDMI connector so you can […]
Dark Horse is shutting down its iOS comics app
The Dark Horse Digital service is being shut down, and as part of that, the Dark Horse Comics iOS app will no longer be supported, according to an announcement. Dark Horse Comics says people should download comics they’ve purchased by March 30th, as it will end support for its iOS app and the standalone Plants vs. […]
Microsoft makes Copilot Voice and Think Deeper free with unlimited use
Microsoft made OpenAI’s o1 reasoning model free for all Copilot users last month, and now it’s providing unlimited use of this model and Copilot’s voice capabilities to everyone. Previously, both Think Deeper (powered by o1) and Voice in Copilot had limits for free users, but Microsoft is removing these today to allow Copilot users to […]
Chegg sues Google over AI Overviews
Online education company Chegg filed a lawsuit on February 24th against Google claiming that the company’s AI-generated summaries of search results have hurt its traffic and revenue, Reuters reports. It’s believed to be the first antitrust lawsuit filed by a single company over the AI Overviews feature, Reuters says. Chegg claims Google uses its power […]
Tesla reportedly launches FSD in China — or has it?
Tesla is starting to push a software update to its customers in China that appears to fulfill a long-gestating goal for the company to offer its controversial Full Self-Driving features in its largest car market. Or does it? According to Not a Tesla App, its unclear whether the version of FSD that Tesla is offering […]
Clicks’ BlackBerry-style keyboard case is coming to Android phones
The BlackBerry might be dead, but one of its best ideas — a tiny thumb-friendly keyboard for phones — lives on in the Clicks keyboard case, which will soon be available for several Android devices. Over 100,000 of the original Clicks keyboard cases have been sold around the world, the company says in a press […]
The new Beeper app combines all of Automattic’s messaging systems
Automattic-owned Beeper has announced a new beta update to its desktop and iOS apps to finally merge its service with Texts, which Automattic acquired in 2023. You can download the desktop version or see instructions for using the iOS beta in TestFlight by going to this page. Beeper says the new desktop version is built […]
You can get four Apple AirTags for a record low $68
Apple AirTags can help you find your lost items, but what if you need to keep track of more than one or two items, or you want to equip the whole family? The occasional deal on a four-pack can help a ton, especially when it’s down to $67.99 (about $31 off) Amazon, Best Buy, and […]
UK newspapers blanket their covers to protest loss of AI protections
Major newspapers across the UK today are all on the same page for once. Specifically, their front covers, which feature the same campaign imagery protesting government proposals that could eviscerate copyright protections against artificial intelligence. Brits popping into their local store or newsagents will be greeted by a spread of bright blue pages demanding the […]
Xbox’s new Fable game is delayed to 2026
Microsoft has decided to delay the release window of its upcoming Fable game to 2026. The Xbox maker originally said last year that Fable would arrive at some point in 2025, but now Xbox Game Studios chief Craig Duncan has provided an update on the game during an appearance on the official Xbox podcast. “We […]
This RC purse redefines fast fashion with a top speed of 9 mph
Looking for an accessory that can keep up with your busy lifestyle? Nik Bentel Studio has created a leather purse with a remote control car built into its base. The battery-powered RC Car Bag is four wheel drive, and while its rubber tires can handle minor obstacles like discarded napkins and crumbs while zipping across […]
Ron Wyden asks for rules about whether you own your digital purchases
Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR) has sent a letter to Federal Trade Commission (FTC) chair Andrew Ferguson urging the FTC to require that companies admit when you’re not really buying an ebook or video game. Wyden’s letter, shared with The Verge, requests guidance to “ensure that consumers who purchase or license digital goods can make informed […]
YouTube will show fewer ads in ‘interruptive’ slots
Starting May 12th, YouTube says it will show fewer mid-roll ads that it thinks will interrupt sentences or action sequences, and more at “natural break points” like pauses or transitions, according to a help page on the change. The company says it’s also inserting “additional, automatic ad-slots at natural break points” into older videos with manually-placed slots, […]
The Casio Ring Watch is extremely silly, and that’s why I love it
I am the last person on earth who needs another watch. As The Verge’s resident wearables reviewer, I’m always double-wristing the latest smartwatches. I am also the last person who needs another ring after spending a whole summer wearing six of them like a high-tech mafia wife. But I never said I had good sense, […]
How AI PCs are removing barriers to workplace connection
To be the best at their jobs, people need relationships in the workplace. Employees who feel comfortable taking work challenges to peers or problem solving in tandem are more likely to excel in their work. They’re also more likely to be happy, as recent research has revealed. Social connections in the workplace contribute to a […]
GIGABYTE’s latest AI motherboards push gaming performance forward
With the rapid introduction of computing that leverages AI, the gaming experience is set to take a step forward in 2025. In January, at CES, GIGABYTE provided a glimpse at that future when it introduced its B800 series motherboards. Built to work with Intel B860 and AMD B850 chipsets, the mainstream B800 series models are […]
The future of the internet is likely smaller communities, with a focus on curated experiences
The modern internet is nearly three decades old, and it’s starting to show its age. Think back to the ’90s: some of what we built back then, though groundbreaking, now feels outdated. The Verge recently created a special issue on what we were doing online in 2004, highlighting how Web 2.0 was born. Take a […]
Panasonic’s Lumix S1RII full-frame camera captures 8K video
Panasonic has announced an upgrade version of 2019’s Lumix S1R with a new sensor, smaller body, faster autofocus, and video recording that tops out at 8K at 30 frames per second. Although the Lumix S1RII’s new 44.3-megapixel back-side illuminated CMOS sensor is smaller than the 47.3-megapixel sensor in its predecessor, its improved video capabilities, including […]
Silent Hill 2 developer is working with Konami on a mystery game
Like Will Smith and Martin Lawrence, Konami and Bloober Team are back in action together. Bloober Team announced that it will continue its partnership with the Japanese publisher on a new project. “The trust built upon the success of Silent Hill 2 laid the foundation for signing another agreement for a new project,†the announcement […]
We can’t quit electric cars — or robotaxis
There was a time, not so long ago, when people wouldn’t shut up about a revolution in automobiles. No matter where you looked, you’d find someone telling you about how self-driving, all-electric vehicles would change the way we think about car ownership, lead to a total reinvention of how cities work, change the economy, and […]
Trello’s new update helps you manage Slack, email, and everything else
Trello is launching several new features this week, all designed to turn the Atlassian-owned app into something like a universal to-do list for everything in your life. By integrating with Slack (and soon Teams), email, and Siri, the company is hoping it can help you put all your important stuff in one place – and then […]
Adobe’s new Photoshop app for iPhone is more like the real thing
Adobe has released a powerful new Photoshop mobile app that includes many of the design, editing, and generative AI tools found on the desktop version. The app integrates with Photoshop on the web to allow creatives to work on projects across multiple devices and is globally available today on iPhone, with Android coming “later this […]
‘Tesla Takedown’ wants to hit Elon Musk where it hurts
On a recent Saturday afternoon, around 50 sign-wielding protesters stood outside the Tesla showroom in Manhattan’s Meatpacking neighborhood, screaming insults at passing Tesla vehicles. “Uncool car!†“Don’t buy a Swatsticar!†“Major loser!†The excitement peaked when an unsuspecting Cybertruck suddenly pulled around the corner.
New leaks suggest Samsung’s Z Fold 7 is getting much thinner
It looks like Samsung may have an answer to Oppo’s Find N5 after all, as new leaks claim that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 will only be fractionally thicker than the world’s thinnest foldable. That’s according to renders created by OnLeaks based on leaked information. OnLeaks, together with Android Headlines, reports that the Z Fold […]
Three years later, the Steam Deck has dominated handheld PC gaming
Today is the third anniversary of Valve’s Steam Deck, the handheld gaming PC that all but created the market for handheld gaming PCs. It was a mess to start! But three years later, The Verge has data showing how it has dominated the nascent market. While Valve told us in November 2023 that it had […]
Google Gemini’s AI coding tool is now free for individual users
A free version of Gemini Code Assist, Google’s enterprise-focused AI coding tool, is now available globally for solo developers. Google announced today that Gemini Code Assist for individuals is launching in public preview, aiming to make coding assistants “with the latest AI capabilities” more accessible for students, hobbyists, freelancers, and startups. “Now anyone can more […]
Microsoft is testing free Office for Windows apps with ads
Microsoft has started testing a free version of Office for Windows that includes ads. Right now, you have to pay for a monthly Microsoft 365 subscription to get access to the full desktop version of Office, but Microsoft has been quietly testing an ad-supported version in certain countries. Beebom first noticed that the ad-supported version […]
Powerplay 2: Logitech made its magic mousepad cheaper instead of better
I’ve never reviewed a perfect product, but Logitech’s Powerplay Wireless Charging System comes close. For over three years and counting, I’ve never even had to think about charging my wireless mouse. It’s so dead simple, it feels like magic, and it’s shame that most people probably can’t afford it at $120. The good news: Logitech […]
Everything you need to know about Disney, ESPN, and Bob Iger’s return as CEO
Disney has had a tumultuous run since Bob Iger’s return as the company’s CEO, which came just two years after he handed the reins over to Bob Chapek. Iger has since worked to undo some of Chapek’s changes as the company contends with a streaming-focused future. Iger has big plans for the future of Disney […]
Nvidia admits some early RTX 5080 cards are missing ROPs, too
When Nvidia originally confirmed that some of its new RTX 50-series graphics cards had a “rare” manufacturing issue that left them missing some promised render units and a slight amount of performance as a result, it only named three affected cards: the RTX 5090, RTX 5090D, and RTX 5070 Ti. But now, Nvidia has confirmed […]
Epic Games v. Apple: the fight for the future of the App Store
After months of preparation, Epic Games will finally take on Apple in court in a trial that could fundamentally change the makeup of the App Store. The fight dates back to August, when Epic added a direct payment mechanism to its hit battle royale game Fortnite in violation of Apple’s rules. The iPhone maker quickly […]
The quirky Alarmo clock is no longer exclusive to Nintendo’s online store
Ongoing scarcity has made it challenging to purchase Nintendo’s adorable Alarmo since its soft launch last year, but it appears those days are behind us. The $99.99 alarm clock is now readily available from third-party retailers in the US, starting with Best Buy. You can also buy it directly from Nintendo without a subscription, with […]
The government is still threatening to ‘semi-fire’ workers who don’t answer an email from Elon Musk
We’re nearing the deadline that Elon Musk imposed for government workers to reply to a mass email about productivity, and the results have been predictably confusing — with even a direct statement from President Donald Trump failing to clear things up. Government agencies have taken significantly different tacks toward the Musk-promoted email, which he announced […]
Freedom of speech is ‘on the line’ in a pivotal Dakota Access Pipeline trial
A pivotal trial over the embattled Dakota Access Pipeline opens today that could have grave consequences for protests in the US and the future of the environmental group Greenpeace. Members of the Standing Rock Sioux and more than 500 other tribes protested the development of the pipeline alongside demonstrators who joined from across the US nearly […]
SpaceX thinks it knows why Starship exploded on its last test flight
SpaceX believes it knows what caused the explosion during the seventh test flight of its Starship spacecraft and Super Heavy booster on January 16th, 2025. Fires in the aft section of Starship, located between the bottom of its liquid oxygen tank and rear heat shield, caused “all but one of Starship’s engines to execute controlled […]
AT&T and Verizon connect first cellphone-to-satellite video calls
Verizon and AT&T have each announced milestones in making cellphone-to-satellite video calls in partnership with satellite company AST SpaceMobile. Verizon has completed its first cellphone-to-satellite video call, while AT&T has completed its first using satellites that will be used as part of a commercial network. There’s lining up competition to T-Mobile’s arrangement with SpaceX and […]
What to expect from Amazon’s big Alexa event this week
Amazon is holding a press event this week, where we expect it to finally launch its “new” Alexa. This could be the beginning of a major shift in how we use generative AI in our homes, or it could be a big disappointment. The latter seems likely, based on the delays and persistent rumors that […]
Annapurna’s 2025 lineup of indie games is full of tea and T-poses
Annapurna Interactive is hosting its first showcase of the year, and it’s an important one. Last year, Annapurna Interactive’s entire staff resigned en masse after negotiations to spin off the respected indie game publisher into its own independent entity broke down. Since then, those employees have formed their own company and even have a new crop […]
Google Drive gets searchable video transcripts
Google has announced new searchable transcripts for videos you store in Google Drive. The feature is rolling out to all Google Workspace users, starting today and finishing by March 26th. The transcripts look a lot like those you’d see on YouTube. If one is available, it’ll appear in a sidebar next to the video as […]
Anthropic’s new ‘hybrid reasoning’ AI model is its smartest yet
Anthropic is releasing Claude 3.7 Sonnet, its first “hybrid reasoning model” that can solve more complex problems and outperforms previous models in areas like math and coding. In addition to a new model, Anthropic is also releasing a “limited research preview” of its “agentic” coding tool called Claude Code. While Anthropic already powers AI coding […]
Andor is on the offensive in latest season 2 trailer
Though new episodes of Andor dropped individually (for the most part) during the show’s first season, Disney Plus is switching things up when the show returns this April. Along with a new Andor trailer showcasing some of the action Cassian (Diego Luna) is going to get into in the show’s second and final season, Disney […]
Ember’s high-tech smart mug has fallen to its lowest price to date
Warm beverages are a winter staple, particularly when the flu is making the rounds. Keeping your favorite drinks warm is a battle if you’re not one to chug; however, the Verge-favorite Ember Mug 2 lets you sip and savor your beverage of choice at the ideal temperature all day long. And right now, Amazon and […]
Balatro’s PEGI 18 rating in Europe has been changed following appeal
Balatro, the hit roguelike with poker imagery and poker hands but no actual gambling, no longer has a PEGI 18 rating in Europe following an appeal, PEGI announced today. LocalThunk, the creator of Balatro, has publicly shared his frustrations the rating — the game was originally given a PEGI 3 rating, but it was bumped […]
Google is replacing Gmail’s SMS authentication with QR codes
Google is planning to move away from sending six-digit authentication codes through SMS messages as a two-factor authentication tool for Gmail, Forbes reports. Instead, over the next few months, QR codes will be rolled out as a replacement for SMS codes in an attempt to “reduce the impact of rampant, global SMS abuse,” Gmail spokesperson […]
Conservative podcaster Dan Bongino named deputy FBI director
President Donald Trump announced Sunday night he has named conservative podcaster Dan Bongino as the FBI’s new deputy director. Bongino has worked as a New York police officer and US Secret Service agent, but has no FBI experience. Bongino is well-known in conservative media, thanks to credits like having hosted a Fox News show and […]
Apple designer Susan Kare made 32 new, Mac-inspired physical icons
Legendary Apple artist Susan Kare has released 32 new retro-inspired icons that are designed to live outside of your computer screen. Instead, the “Esc Keys” collection Kare created in collaboration with Asprey Studio consists of mechanical keyboard keycaps and wearable pendants, each featuring an 8-bit pixel art illustration like a dog, a plant, mail, and […]
Monster Hunter Wilds thrives on spectacle
In my first few hours with Monster Hunter Wilds, I fought against a gigantic spider in waters that were as red as blood and dodged the onslaught of a twisting dragon amid a desert storm, complete with powerful strikes of lightning terrorizing the ground around me. I went up against sandworms and giant apes and […]
Vimeo CEO Philip Moyer is betting on the human touch — and AI
Today, I’m talking with Vimeo CEO Philip Moyer. You probably know Vimeo from its beginnings as an artsier, more creative competitor to YouTube. But over the last few years, and especially after it went public in 2021, Vimeo has really turned itself into an enterprise software company, selling video hosting services to companies of all […]
Sigma’s BF is a minimalist full-frame camera with no memory card slot
Sigma has announced a new compact 24.6-megapixel full-frame camera called the BF with a clean, minimalist design featuring just four button controls and a dial. The BF’s body is milled from a single block of aluminum, its user interface has been redesigned with a “completely new information structure compared to conventional digital cameras,” according to […]
How to set up crash detection on your Android phone
Your phone comes with a number of useful features that we hope you’ll never have to use — and crash detection falls into that category. Movement sensors detect when you’re driving — and when you come to a sudden and abrupt stop. Your phone or watch can then alert emergency services, along with family and […]
Apple’s iPhone 17 lineup is looking a little Pixelated
Apple is several months away from launching the iPhone 17 series but a significant camera redesign may be on the horizon. Leaker Majin Bu has shared CAD renders of what are purported to be the iPhone 17, 17 Pro, 17 Pro Max, and the rumored iPhone 17 Air — with the latter three all featuring […]
What’s the deal with all these airplane crashes?
First, let’s lay out the facts. Four commercial jet crashes have occurred in the last 10 weeks: Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243 on Christmas Day; Jeju Air Flight 7C2216 on December 29th; American Airlines Flight 5342 on January 29th; and Delta Connection Flight 4819 on February 17th. There have been several private airplane crashes in the […]
Apple responds to tariff threat with a $500 billion US investment
Apple has announced plans to invest more than $500 billion in the US over the next four years, including hiring 20,000 new employees and launching a new server factory in Texas. The announcement was teased after a meeting last week between CEO Tim Cook and President Donald Trump, and comes as the company tries to […]
Grok blocked results saying Musk and Trump “spread misinformation”
Grok, Elon Musk’s ChatGPT competitor, temporarily refused to respond with “sources that mention Elon Musk/Donald Trump spread misinformation,” according to xAI’s head of engineering, Igor Babuschkin. After Grok users noticed that the chatbot had been given instructions to not respond with those results, Babuschkin blamed an unnamed, ex-OpenAI employee at xAI for updating Grok’s system […]
The Space Force shares a photo of Earth taken by the X-37B space plane
On Friday, the Space Force published a picture taken last year from a camera mounted on the secretive X-37B space plane while high above the Earth. Space.com notes that the “one other glimpse†of the plane in space was while it was “deploying from Falcon Heavy’s upper stage†during its December 2023 launch. The Space […]
Elon Musk claims federal employees have 48 hours to explain recent work or resign
Elon Musk tweeted Saturday that federal workers would soon get an email “requesting to understand what they got done last week.” According to the New York Times, the email from the Office of Personnel Management went to agencies across the federal government that afternoon, including the FBI, State Department, and others, with a deadline for […]
Hades II just keeps getting better
Hades II just received its second major update as part of its early access development, which was a great excuse for me to jump back in. Since its initial release, I’ve logged more than 30 hours and actually held myself back from playing much more – I don’t want to get tired of the game […]
Apple’s M4 MacBook Air bump may be just around the corner
Apple is readying its MacBook Air line for an update to M4 chips in March, according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in today’s Power On newsletter. With the slim laptops’ spec bump, the MacBook line’s M4 transition will be complete. Gurman didn’t provide timing beyond that the laptops are coming next month, but as usual before […]
Our favorite apps for listening to music
Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 72, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, hope you like gadgets, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I’ve been reading about Hasan Piker and calculator apps and car thieves and […]
The iOS 18.4 beta brings Matter robot vacuum support
Apple released the first developer beta of iOS 18.4 yesterday, which users have since discovered contains support for robot vacuums in the Apple Home app through Matter. As spotted by 9to5Mac, Smart Home Centre confirmed the functionality using a Switchbot S10, which offers its own beta support for Matter. (Switchbot first added Matter robot vacuum support last […]
The long wait for a glimpse of Luigi
There are so many people here that nobody can tell where the end of the line is. New people arrive, ask if there’s a line, shuffle into a blob of bodies idling and waiting for someone to give them instructions. The hallway is horribly warm — unclear if it’s from the bodies or the heat […]
Spotify HiFi was announced four years ago, and it’s almost here — maybe
I’m hard-pressed to find another example of a tech company announcing something and then waiting over four years to actually ship it, but that’s exactly the situation we’ve reached with Spotify and its long-delayed HiFi feature. The latest reports indicate it’s finally coming in a matter of months as part of a Music Pro package […]
AT&T will let you split your bill with people on your plan
AT&T has introduced SplitPay, a new payment option that lets those sharing a phone plan with others split their payment line-by-line, so no one person has to pay the entire bill. The company says the program is available for “select postpaid wireless plans,” and that those using SplitPay can still get multi-line discounts. It sounds […]
ASUS is making a ‘Fragrance Mouse,’ and it’s coming to the US
If you were paying attention to CES this year, you may have come across the Asus Aidol 14 Air Fragrance Edition’s curious gimmick: a magnetically-attached oil diffuser in the lid that emits the aroma of essential oils once the laptop heats up. Asus has now announced a “Fragrance Mouse” to go with it; and it’s […]
Lost Records: Bloom & Rage blends its teen drama with a heavy dose of ’90s nostalgia
The fuzz of the cathode-ray tube (CRT) monitor, alongside static grains and flickering scanlines, is a touchstone for ’90s-era nostalgia. It’s shorthand for those halcyon days when technology was predominantly analog and millennial kids spent their summers shoving bulky tapes into VHS players, recording favorite bits of their after-school television shows, and making their own […]
Lenovo Legion Go S review: feels good, plays bad
The Lenovo Legion Go S was supposed to change things. It was poised to show Valve isn’t the only one that can build an affordable, portable, potent handheld gaming PC — you just need the right design and the right OS. I was intrigued when Valve’s own Steam Deck designers told me this Windows handheld […]
Die in the Dungeon will keep you busy until Slay the Spire 2
Die in the Dungeon is a new roguelike deckbuilder that pulls some ideas from Slay the Spire, one of my favorite games, but adds some dice-based twists that have me hooked. In Dungeon, your goal is to survive through progressively harder maps of enemies by building a deck — but instead of collecting cards, you’re […]
Nvidia confirms ‘rare’ RTX 5090 and 5070 Ti manufacturing issue
It’s true: Nvidia has just confirmed it shipped some RTX 5090, RTX 5090D, and even some RTX 5070 Ti graphics chips that were missing render units, as TechPowerUp originally reported — and that you’ll be able to get a replacement if your card was affected. Nvidia GeForce global PR director Ben Berraondo tells The Verge: […]
Reddit is experiencing outages again
Following some apparent outages yesterday, Reddit is dealing with more issues Friday evening. When logged in on my desktop browser, Reddit won’t load at all — I just run into error pages. In an incognito window, the site loads, though it seems to load slower than usual. I was also able to load the site […]
Elon Musk’s AI said he and Trump deserve the death penalty
Elon Musk’s OpenAI rival, xAI, says it’s investigating why its Grok AI chatbot suggested that both President Donald Trump and Musk deserve the death penalty. xAI has already patched the issue and Grok will no longer give suggestions for who it thinks should receive capital punishment. People were able to get Grok to say that […]
Grok resets the AI race
Just a few weeks after everyone freaked out about DeepSeek, Elon Musk’s Grok-3 has again shaken up the fast-moving AI race. The new model is ending the week at the top of the Chatbot Arena leaderboard, while the Grok iOS app is at the top of the App Store, just above ChatGPT. Even as Musk […]
The GSA is shutting down its EV chargers, calling them ‘not mission critical’
The General Services Administration (GSA), which manages buildings owned by the federal government, is planning to shut down all of its electric vehicle chargers nationwide, describing them as “not mission critical.” The agency, which manages contracts for the government’s vehicle fleets, is also looking to offload newly purchased EVs. The GSA currently operates several hundred […]
Elon Musk’s first month of destroying America will cost us decades
Let’s pause and look at what the Elon Musk administration has done so far. There’s been a lot of panic about the immediate but somewhat abstract constitutional crisis as Elon Musk’s misleadingly-named Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) rips the government apart. And as much fun as we all are having watching Congress render itself irrelevant […]
How the EU’s DMA is changing Big Tech: all of the news and updates
The European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) has come into force, and it’s meant that some of the world’s biggest tech companies are having to make major changes to how they operate. The law, which is designed to increase competition in the EU’s digital markets, designates some large online companies and their services as “gatekeepers.” […]
The first iOS 18.4 developer beta is here, with support for Priority Notifications
Apple just released its first developer betas of a new round of software updates, and early testers have spotted support for Priority Notifications in the iOS 18.4 preview. It’s an Apple Intelligence-powered feature that uses on-device processing to try to detect which updates are especially important and sort them into a separate section above your […]
Federal workers launch a new site to share inside information about DOGE
Around a dozen current and former federal workers are behind a new website created as an outlet to share anonymous stories and technical expertise about the Department of Government Efficiency’s dismantling of government agencies. “We the Builders” aims to be a secure outlet for government workers to share how their workplaces are being impacted by […]
Apple’s News app is getting a recipes section
Apple is adding a recipes section to its News app that will be available to News Plus subscribers, according to a press release. The new section, Apple News Plus Food, will be available as part of iOS 18.4 and iPadOS 18.4 when those updates release in April. The section will feature “tens of thousands of […]
South of Midnight’s Southern Gothic folklore world is rooted in authenticity
It was hard playing a preview of South of Midnight because, 20 minutes in, I just started bawling. The demo for the action-adventure platformer starts at the beginning of chapter three. The protagonist, Hazel, is working her way through a swamp trying to find her mother, who, along with their house, had been washed away […]
How to set up crash detection on your iPhone and Apple Watch
Your phone comes with a number of useful features that we hope you’ll never have to use — and Crash Detection falls into that category. The idea is that movement sensors can detect when you’re driving, and if you come to a sudden and abrupt stop, your phone or watch can then alert emergency services […]
Adidas plugs its website and app into Amazon’s ‘Buy with Prime’ program
Adidas’s site and app will soon get “Buy with Prime” Amazon fulfillment, allowing Prime members to receive free shipping and streamlined returns when ordering directly from the three-stripe brand. Beginning in the spring, paying US-based Amazon Prime subscribers will see Prime-eligible items for sale on adidas.com and through the Adidas app. By logging into their […]
The busiest US airline now supports Apple’s AirTag location sharing
American Airlines has announced support for Apple’s Share Item Location feature, potentially making it easier for passengers to be reunited with lost luggage tracked with an AirTag. The airline transported 226,405,000 passengers around the world last year, making it the busiest and one of the largest carriers in the US. Share Item Location was first […]
The Verge’s favorite kitchen gadgets
Many members of The Verge’s staff enjoy cooking — and all enjoy eating. Inspired by that admittedly obvious thought, we asked them to say which kitchen tools they most enjoy using these days. We got a wide and fascinating array of answers. They include gadgets that need to be charged, such as electric kettles, blenders, and […]
Nickelodeon’s next Avatar animated series is finally coming together
Rumours about the next mainline Avatar series have been circulating ever since Nickelodeon announced that Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko were returning to lead Avatar Studios. But now, we finally know a bit more about where the franchise is heading after The Legend of Korra. Today, Nickelodeon announced that the Avatar saga (which began with […]
DJI’s RS 4 Mini camera stabilizer can now track moving people
DJI has announced a new version of the smallest camera stabilizer in its Ronin series. Like last year’s RS 3 Mini, the upgraded RS 4 Mini is a more compact, lighter, and cheaper alternative to DJI’s RS 4 and RS 4 Pro stabilizers, but designed for smaller mirrorless cameras and smartphones. Although it’s slightly heavier […]
Kia unveils PV5 electric van as a futuristic people-mover
Kia revealed the exterior design of the upcoming PV5 electric van, the automaker’s first EV to come out under its “Platform Before Vehicle” (PBV) brand. With the PV5, Kia has declared its intention to compete with heavy hitters like the Volkswagen ID Buzz, Ford E-Transit, Mercedes e-Sprinter, and Ram ProMaster EV. There are very few […]
Apple is bringing Visual Intelligence to the iPhone 15 Pro
The iPhone 15 Pro will get Visual Intelligence, Apple’s Google Lens-like tool that lets you point your phone’s camera at things in the world to learn more about them, in a future software update, Apple representatives told John Gruber of Daring Fireball. Visual Intelligence was originally introduced with the initial iPhone 16 lineup in September, […]
Among Us 3D will let you deduce from a first-person perspective
Those little Among Us beans are being transported to a new dimension. Developer Innersloth has announced a new game called Among Us 3D, which is exactly what it sounds like: the hit multiplayer deduction game, but played in a three-dimensional world from a first-person perspective. If that sounds familiar, it’s because that’s what the VR […]
How to master decision making in a world of uncertainty
With the world around us changing rapidly, uncertainty is inescapable. We feel it in both our personal and professional lives. And while previous generations have experienced periods of profound uncertainty, the scale, pace and complexity of the changes in today’s world mark a radical ‘step change’ in our comfort when it comes to making decisions.  That’s […]
Amazon’s Appstore is pulling Android support
Amazon is ending Android support for its Appstore this year on August 20th. The retail giant announced the update on an FAQ support page with no explanation for the shutdown, but said its Appstore will still be available on Fire TV and Tablet devices, where it serves as the default app marketplace. Apps downloaded from […]
Apple’s Murderbot series starts streaming in May
One of Apple’s next big sci-fi shows has a premiere date. The company announced that its adaptation of Murderbot, based on the novels by Martha Wells, will debut on Apple TV Plus with two episodes on May 16th. The season finale will stream on July 11th. The show will star Alexander Skarsgård in the titular […]
Microsoft prepares for OpenAI’s GPT-5 model
Microsoft engineers are currently readying server capacity for OpenAI’s upcoming GPT-4.5 and GPT-5 models, according to a source familiar with the company’s plans. While OpenAI CEO Sam Altman acknowledged recently that GPT-4.5 will launch within a matter of weeks, I understand that Microsoft is expecting to host the new AI model as early as next […]
GTA V’s next-gen console upgrades are coming to PC
Grand Theft Auto V on PC will be getting a bunch of improvements, including upgrades that were previously added to the PS5 and Xbox Series X / S versions of the game, through a free update that will be available on March 4th, Rockstar announced on Thursday. The update will include things like PC-exclusive ray […]
The standard iPhone needs ProMotion more than ever
Apple’s goal with the new iPhone 16E seems to be the same as with the iPhone SE: offer a very good, cheap smartphone to entice price-sensitive shoppers to either leave Android or upgrade from a much older iPhone. From what we’ve seen so far, the company seems to have succeeded — but maybe a little too […]
Leaked details reveal potential pricing for Lego’s Nintendo Game Boy
Aside from an October 2025 release, the teaser Lego and Nintendo released in January for their upcoming Game Boy collaboration was light on details. But according to an Instagram account that Video Games Chronicle says has a reliable track record for sharing accurate details about new sets before Lego does, the brick-built Game Boy will […]
Jeep’s parent company announces ‘hands free, eyes off’ driving feature
Stellantis, the parent company of Jeep, Dodge, and Ram, announced its first “hands free, eyes off” partial autonomous driving feature. The company is pitching this new feature, which is called STLA AutoDrive, as for drivers who want to reclaim “valuable time” while stuck in stop-and-go traffic. But that said, Stellantis isn’t launching the feature quite […]
Amazon now has creative control over the James Bond franchise
Barbara Broccoli’s longstanding beef with Amazon is a big part of what kept the e-commerce giant-turned-studio from producing new James Bond movies following its acquisition of MGM in 2021. But now, it seems like both parties have set aside their differences in order to get the ball rolling on 007’s next chapter. Today, Amazon MGM, […]
Our favorite things: gear, gadgets, and other stuff
We all have our favorite stuff. It could be a laptop that you’ve used for several years or the snazzy new one that just arrived last week. It could be the headphones that deliver your favorite music and podcasts, the controller that helps you win your games, or the app that puts a weird background […]
Skylight Calendar Max review: a game-changer for busy parents
Spring is my busy season. Since my kids were old enough to play team sports, the impending arrival of March brings an avalanche of organizational tasks. Practice schedules, game schedules, and snack signups equal so many dates to remember. They arrive in different ways — paper flyers, Excel sheets, text chains, or through yet another […]
Xbox Game Pass was supposed to be the Netflix of gaming — what happened?
Hello, and welcome to a special episode of Decoder! This is David Pierce, editor-at-large at The Verge. Nilay is off this week for a much-deserved break from what I can only describe as a pretty bleak news cycle. So I’m filling in for him, and the Decoder team thought this would be a good opportunity […]
The Dune survival game launches in May, but you can build a character now
It’s almost time to touch down on Arrakis. Developer Funcom announced that its upcoming multiplayer survival game Dune: Awakening will be launching on Steam on May 20th. But there are a pair of apps launching today that will help tide you over until you can drink the blood of your enemies. First up is the […]
iPhone 16 Pro versus Galaxy S25 Ultra: which camera is better?
At Samsung’s Unpacked event last month, the company announced the latest smartphones in its Galaxy S-series: the S25, S25 Plus, and S25 Ultra. As The Verge’s reviewer, Allison Johnson, said in her review, “Samsung didn’t need to reinvent the wheel.†The company has had solid scores for the last few years, and it looks like […]
Scuf’s Valor Pro is a promising start for its Hall effect Xbox controllers
Scuf just announced its latest pro-style controller for Xbox and PC, the first to come close to the $100 price point. The $99.99 Scuf Valor Pro — available for purchase starting today in 15 different styles — isn’t exactly a budget controller in its own right, but context matters. I’ve tested the delightfully translucent version […]
Spotify is making it easier to release audiobooks narrated by AI
Spotify is bringing more AI-narrated audiobooks to its platform via a new partnership with ElevenLabs. On Thursday, the audio streaming giant announced it would begin accepting audiobooks recorded using ElevenLabs’ AI voice software, saying it “recognizes the potential of digital voice-narration to grow and expand the audiobook market.” To be clear, AI-recorded audiobooks are already […]
Canon’s new PowerShot V1 puts video first
Canon has announced a new point-and-shoot compact camera called the PowerShot V1 designed to appeal more to video content creators. The V1 pairs a wide-angle lens with a new sensor from the company, and it’s the first PowerShot model to introduce “moods” that customize the look and feel of videos, plus a product demo mode […]
Twelve South’s Find My-compatible charger is on sale starting at just $49
Twelve South’s PlugBug is a compact USB-C wall charger that also happens to function as a location tracker, making it a particularly useful gadget if you prefer to pack light while traveling or commuting. And right now, you can buy the space-saving device for its best price to date at Amazon, with the 50W configuration going […]
Ring’s new security camera supports 2K video out of the box
Ring has announced its first outdoor security camera that supports 2K video at launch. Ring’s outdoor cameras previously only supported 1080p video, but earlier this year, the Amazon-owned company released software updates upgrading its Floodlight Cam Pro and Spotlight Cam Pro with 2K capabilities. The new Ring Outdoor Cam Plus works in 2K video right […]
This smart thermostat compay is considering charging users for its app
In a first for a smart thermostat company, Tado is exploring charging its customers £1 / €1 a month just to control their devices from its app. Multiple users have reported that Tado, manufacturers of smart thermostats, radiator valves, and heat pump controllers for Europe and the UK, sent a message through their app alerting them to […]
The iPhone is done with home buttons — here’s why I’ll miss it
For the first time since the iPhone’s debut in 2007, Apple no longer sells a smartphone with a home button. The iPhone 16E announced yesterday removes it. The removal was long overdue, having been surpassed by all touchscreen controls many years ago. But while the home button’s time is over, it leaves behind an important […]
Oppo’s new foldable can remote control a Mac
Today Oppo launched the Find N5, the thinnest book-style foldable phone yet, but there’s more to the phone than a slim design: it’s capable of connecting to a Mac for file transfers and even remote control. It’s not quite the first Android phone to do so, but it is the only one you can buy […]
Oppo Find N5 review: the final evolution of foldables
Oppo’s Find N5 feels like the end game for foldable phones. Not because it’s make or break for a segment of the phone market that never quite took off like manufacturers hoped it would, but because I simply don’t know where we go from here. There’s scarcely room to make the phone thinner without ditching […]
The world’s thinnest foldable phone doesn’t come cheap
Oppo has launched the Find N5, the thinnest foldable phone in the world. It’s launching in markets worldwide, including across Europe and Asia, at $2,499 SGD (about $1,867 USD). That’s more expensive than either the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 or Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold in Singapore, though comparable once you adjust for storage. […]
Twitch is limiting streamers to 100 hours of Highlights and Uploads
Twitch is planning to cull some of the content archived by streamers to save on storage costs. On Wednesday the streaming platform announced that it will introduce a 100-hour storage cap for Highlights and Uploads starting April 19th, warning that users will have their content automatically deleted until it falls below the limit. Twitch says […]
Volvo’s ES90 sedan will be built with a Nvidia supercomputer
Volvo’s next electric vehicle, the ES90 midsized luxury sedan, sounds like its got some serious computing chops. The new EV will come with a dual Nvidia Drive AGX Orin configuration, making it the “most powerful car Volvo ever created in terms of core computing capacity,” the company claims today. The new supercomputer is included as […]
Rabbit shows off the AI agent it should have launched with
The Humane AI Pin has collapsed, but Rabbit is still kicking. The company published a blog post and video today showing off a “generalist Android agent,” slowly controlling apps on a tablet in much the same way that Rabbit claimed its R1 device would over a year ago. (It couldn’t, and can’t.) The work builds […]
Nvidia is launching ‘priority access’ to help fans buy RTX 5080 and 5090 FE GPUs
Nvidia has yet to explain why it launched its GeForce RTX 5090 and 5080 GPUs with barely any inventory, some major launch driver issues, and the occasional melting power connector, but it has apparently reconsidered its stance when it comes to scalpers. The company’s just announced a way for Nvidia fans to sign up for […]
Limited Run says potentially damaging NES carts are supplier’s fault
Limited Run Games has apologized for a potential issue with two games it has offered on NES carts — Rugrats: Adventures in Gameland and Piopow — that could cause damage to the cartridges or to NES consoles. The statement follows a Time Extension report about the games. In a statement emailed to customers, Limited Run […]
The Last of Us: all the news about the video game franchise turned TV series
The Last of Us has caught our attention ever since the game’s launch on the PlayStation 3 in 2013, but the cordyceps-infested franchise has only continued to grow since then. While The Last of Us Part II came out on the PlayStation 4 in 2020, the first game’s remake launched on PlayStation 5 in 2021. […]
The Last of Us season 2 finally has a premiere date
HBO has narrowed down exactly when the second season of The Last of Us will debut. Today the network announced that season 2 will kick off on April 13th on both HBO and Max; previously we only knew it would appear some time in April. It’s been a long time coming, as the show’s debut […]
A popular Japanese distraction-free writing device is coming to the US
For the first time since 2018, King Jim, a Japanese stationery company, is making one of its distraction-free writing tools available in the US. The Pomera D250 launched in Japan in 2022 and while it looks like a compact laptop, its functionality is limited to being a digital typewriter. There’s no email, no social media, […]
Hope you weren’t planning to play PhysX games on Nvidia’s new 50-series GPUs
Remember PhysX, the GPU-accelerated technology that let games realistically simulate destructible cloth, shattering glass, moving liquids, smoke, fog, and other particle effects? It only ever got deployed in a few dozen games — but with PhysX turned on, those games reportedly now run faster on Nvidia’s last-gen cards than they do on a new RTX […]
Verge staffers react to the iPhone 16E: what we love and don’t love
Apple has launched its new iPhone 16E with an updated design, additional features — and no home button or MagSafe charging. This revamped version of the company’s budget phone will be going for $599 and will include a USB-C port, a notch, a customizable Action Button, a fast A18 chip, and lots of extras. So […]
The BBC’s library of classic sci-fi sounds is now available to sample
The original BBC Radiophonic Workshop put itself on the map by crafting the music for radio adaptations of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and the original Doctor Who theme song before shuttering in the late ‘90s. The Workshop’s experimental approach to audio engineering in pursuit of unique sound effects made them early pioneers of […]
Rivian’s new Dune edition lets you channel your inner Fremen
Rivian announced the California Dune edition of its R1 electric vehicles, with new 20-inch All-Terrain wheels, a new paint color, and a protective underbody shield for those with a desire for some serious off-roading. The company says the California Dune edition vehicles are “built to tackle the toughest terrains.” Rivian’s tri-motor EVs already offer a […]
Hades II gets a big update with a final boss and more story
Hades II’s second major update today, dubbed “The Warsong Update,” is available now, and it adds a new final boss, another hot god to receive boons from, and a bunch of other changes, according to developer Supergiant Games. Supergiant is keeping the identity of the new boss a mystery, but they will be the final […]
Here’s when and where you can preorder the new iPhone 16E
Following months of rumors, Apple has finally announced the iPhone 16E, a spiritual successor to the last-gen iPhone SE that’s set to launch on February 28th. Preorders for Apple’s forthcoming handset start at $599 with 128GB of storage and open at Apple’s online store on Friday, February 21st, with other retailers and carriers likely to follow. […]
Apple no longer sells new iPhones with Lightning ports
Apple has stopped selling new iPhones with Lightning ports with the launch of the iPhone 16E and the removal of the iPhone 14 and the third-generation iPhone SE from its website. All new iPhones have a USB-C port. Finally. This change isn’t a surprise. Apple has slowly migrated its products to USB-C from Lightning, which […]
The Rabbit R1: all the latest news about this hare-raising AI gadget
With artificial intelligence being so prevalent across, well, just about everything these days, it’s no small feat for AI developers to make their products stand out among the deluge. Very few have managed to capture as much attention as Rabbit, the AI startup that’s managed to sell 40,000 units of its standalone $199 R1 gadget […]
This 1.9-pound smartphone’s massive battery offers six months of standby
What if a smartphone maker decided to cram as many features into a device as possible and not worry about maintaining a pocket-friendly design? That’s the approach that Oukitel has taken with its new WP100 Titan smartphone. The company is known for creating chunky phones with extended battery life, and its new 1.3-inch thick Titan […]
Nightreign is shaping up to be a fast and frantic take on Elden Ring
A bunch of Verge staffers came back from the weekend chatting about our experiences with Elden Ring Nightreign’s network tests. We generally enjoyed the fast-paced, co-op-focused spin on Elden Ring that takes cues from roguelikes and battle royale games — and when things were good, they were really good. But we also ran into some frustrating connection issues that […]
Murena released a de-Googled version of the Pixel Tablet
After launching several privacy-focused smartphones, Murena has released its first tablet. The French company customizes mobile devices with a version of Android called /e/OS that removes Google’s apps and services so the search giant can’t collect your data and personal info. The company is sticking with that familiar playbook for the Murena Pixel Tablet which […]
How the new iPhone 16E compares to the rest of Apple’s iPhone 16 lineup
If the iPhone 16 is out of your budget, Apple now has a more affordable, pared-down version for you to consider. The company on Wednesday announced the new iPhone 16E, a budget-friendly option that costs $599 and features Apple’s first in-house 5G modem, the C1. It will be available on February 28th, though you can […]
8 important things to know about the iPhone 16E
Apple just announced the long-rumored iPhone 16E. With a starting price of $599 (up from the $429 SE), it’s now the most affordable smartphone in the iPhone lineup and offers the company’s latest A18 processor, Apple Intelligence software features, and a much better OLED display. But if you’re mulling an upgrade from the now-discontinued iPhone […]
iPhone 16E: all the news on Apple’s new $599 phone
Apple has announced an update to the iPhone SE, but this time around, it’s called the iPhone 16E. As the rumors predicted, Apple’s new budget iPhone model has an updated design with a Face ID-enabled notch, replacing the old model that had a home button and Touch ID interface. Another new element is that this […]
Google Chrome is adding a Circle to Search-like feature for iPhones
Google is rolling out new search gestures that allow iPhone users to highlight anything on their screen to quickly search for it. The Lens screen-searching feature is available on iOS in both the Google app and Chrome browser and provides a similar experience to Android’s Circle to Search, which isn’t supported on iPhones. The new […]
Instagram will now let you schedule and pin DMs
Instagram’s direct message function is getting a big infusion of features today, including scheduled direct messages that you can prewrite and set to send on a later date, up to 29 days in advance. You can also now pin up to three messages to the top of the chat. Meta says the changes are intended […]
NetEase says it’s ‘investing more’ in Marvel Rivals despite layoffs
Earlier this week, the US-based developers working on Marvel Rivals began reporting on LinkedIn that they had been laid off. The developers did not give a reason for the layoffs, which came as a shock to the gaming community because of Rivals’ evident success. However, in a statement to The Verge, NetEase has clarified that […]
Apple discontinues the iPhone 14
Apple appears to have stopped selling the iPhone 14. The device, first released in 2022, seems to have vanished from Apple’s website following the launch of the iPhone 16E. Apple removed the mention of the iPhone 14 from its website’s navigation bar, and even though the device still appears in search results, selecting it redirects […]
Watch Apple show off the new iPhone 16E in its reveal video
Apple may not have given the full launch event and keynote treatment to the iPhone 16E, but it dropped a launch video for the new affordable iPhone that shows it off. The video was uploaded to YouTube and added to the company’s iPhone 16E launch page. Apple CEO Tim Cook introduces the “new member of […]
Apple launches the iPhone 16E
It’s official: the home button is dead. Apple has launched the iPhone 16E with an updated design and, with it, killed off the iPhone’s classic Touch ID interface. Instead, the 16E moves to a Face ID-enabled notch and adds the latest A18 chip and support for Apple Intelligence under the surface. The 16E is a […]
Tesla Cybertruck: all the news about Elon Musk’s futuristic pickup truck
Here’s everything you need to know about Tesla’s first pickup truck, which Elon Musk has called “heart-stopping” and his “personal favorite” of Tesla’s vehicles. Pickups have become more popular lately — their share of the US light vehicle market increased to 17.5 percent in 2019, from just under 13 percent in 2012. They’re also the […]
The Cybertruck is the latest Tesla to score a 5-star crash rating
The Tesla Cybertruck finally has its first crash safety rating over a year after deliveries first began in November 2023. And like all other Tesla vehicles before it, the electric truck scored a 5-star rating in nearly all the individual categories. The categories include frontal and side crashes, as well as risk of rollover. To […]
Microsoft’s Xbox AI era starts with a model that can generate gameplay
I reported in November that Microsoft was about to start a bigger effort to bring AI features to Xbox, and today, the company is unveiling what it’s calling a breakthrough in AI for gaming. Microsoft’s new Muse AI model could help Xbox developers create parts of games in the future, and the company says it’s […]
Microsoft announces quantum computing breakthrough with new Majorana 1 chip
Microsoft believes it has made a key breakthrough in quantum computing, unlocking the potential for quantum computers to solve industrial-scale problems. The software giant has spent 17 years working on a research project to create a new material and architecture for quantum computing, and it’s unveiling the Majorana 1 processor, Microsoft’s first quantum processor based […]
Apple’s first in-house iPhone modem is the C1
Apple has just introduced the iPhone 16E, a spiritual successor to the iPhone SE line that has a significant first: it introduces Apple’s long-awaited in-house 5G modem, called the C1. The chip, which Apple says is the most power-efficient modem in a phone, is Apple’s bid to end its reliance on Qualcomm’s 5G chips. Apple […]
Eero announces its new Wi-Fi 7 line-up
Amazon-owned Eero is updating its mainline mesh routers with Wi-Fi 7 options in the new Eero 7 and Eero Pro 7 that are available for preorder now ahead of their launch on February 26th. Pricing for the Eero 7 and Eero Pro 7 ranges from $169.99 and $299.99 for single routers to $349.99 and $699.99 […]
Fiverr wants freelancers to create AI models
The freelance service platform Fiverr will now let creators train AI models on their own work. Clients can then purchase access to custom AI models and generate content “with the speed of AI with the expertise of a pro,” the company says. The feature is part of its new Fiverr Go suite of tools, allowing […]
EV truck maker Nikola goes bust
Struggling electric truck company Nikola said it was filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection on Wednesday and would sell off its assets, effectively ending a challenging journey punctuated by rapid cash burn, allegations of fraud, and the incarceration of its first CEO and founder. Nikola said it would seek an auction and sale process, pending […]
Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti review: a cheaper RTX 4080
Nvidia’s new RTX 5070 Ti graphics card is the most intriguing entry in the 50-series lineup so far, promising to outperform last-gen cards that were even more expensive. At $749, it comfortably beats AMD’s $899 RX 7900 XT, trades blows with the $999 RX 7900 XTX, and is closer than I was expecting to Nvidia’s […]
The women who made America’s microchips and the children who paid for it
Mark Flores sits at the kitchen table drawing birthday cakes. At 44, he loves to draw circles, a skill he’s mastered over the past decade of his life. His thick black hair is neatly combed like the Superman cartoon on his T-shirt. Grasping thick Crayola markers, he lines up small circles in rows within larger […]
The Humane AI Pin never had a chance
Ten days from now, the Humane AI Pin will be able to tell you how much battery it has left, and essentially nothing else. To be fair, though, it couldn’t do that much before. And it doesn’t matter anyway, because you almost certainly didn’t buy one. But if you did, that’s the bad news: Humane […]
This smart video lock unlocks with a wave of your hand
Anker’s smart home arm, Eufy, has announced its first smart lock that uses palm vein recognition to unlock your door. The $399 FamiLock S3 Max is also a video doorbell with a 2K-capable camera and an interior screen that shows a live video feed through the door lock. The S3 works over Wi-Fi 6 and […]
Reddit vs. Wall Street: the latest in the GameStop saga
Subreddit r/WallStreetBets has been the talk of the Internet this week, as its members have driven GameStop’s stock prices from around $20 to over $300. The community brands itself as “like 4chan found a Bloomberg Terminal,” and as time has gone on, it’s targeted other unlikely stocks like AMC, Blackberry, and Tootsie Roll. They’ve also […]
FTC Chair praises Justice Thomas as ‘the most important judge of the last 100 years’ for Black History Month
Newly appointed Federal Trade Commission Chair Andrew Ferguson praised his former boss, the conservative Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas, as “the most important judge of the last 100 years,†in a memo to agency staff honoring Black History Month. The message, obtained by The Verge and confirmed by the FTC, sheds light on how Ferguson […]
DOGE can keep accessing government data for now, judge rules
A US federal judge declined to block Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) from accessing or transferring data from seven government agencies, or stop further firings of their workforce. DC District Court Judge Tanya Chutkan denied a temporary restraining order (TRO) sought by a group of 14 Democratic state attorneys general, led […]
Humane’s AI Pin: all the news about the dead AI-powered wearable
After a very long windup, Humane finally revealed all the details of its AI-powered wearable at the end of 2023. The small gadget could attach to your clothes using a magnetic battery pack so that it’s within easy reach. By tapping the AI Pin, you could ask it to do smartphone-y things like make phone calls, […]
Humane is shutting down the AI Pin and selling its remnants to HP
Humane is selling most of its company to HP for $116 million and will stop selling AI Pin, the company announced today. AI Pins that have already been purchased will continue to function normally until 3PM ET on February 28th, Humane says in a support document. After that date, Pins will “no longer connect to […]
Marvel Rivals’ US team is undergoing layoffs
Marvel Rivals, the Overwatch 2-lunch-eating multiplayer shooter that boasted 20 million players within days of its December 2024 launch, has laid off an unspecified number of employees in its US operations, according to separate posts by recently laid off employees on LinkedIn. “Welp, just got laid off from my job working on Marvel Rivals with […]
Facebook is about to mass delete a lot of old live streams
Facebook will start deleting users’ live broadcast recordings after 30 days starting on February 19th. Users who go live after that date must download the videos to save them from getting deleted before their 30-day expiration period ends. Alternatively, you could share the recordings to your profile as Reels, although that means fitting clips into […]
Google Meet’s AI transcripts will automatically create action items for you
Google Meet’s Gemini-powered note-taking feature is getting a bit more useful for Workspace teams. It will now generate a checklist of suggested next steps at the end of your meetings, going as far as assigning due dates and attaching a primary stakeholder to the task. The note-taking feature was initially launched in August last year. […]
Rockstar’s working on bringing Roblox creators to GTA VI
With GTA VI looming over the fall 2025 release schedule, a new report from Digiday claims that Rockstar is going all-in on user-generated content. According to the report, the developer is having discussions with Fortnite, Roblox, and GTA creators about making “custom experiences” inside what’s shaping up to be the biggest gaming release since the […]
Amazon scraps its TikTok-style Inspire feed
Amazon has discontinued Inspire, its TikTok-like feed featuring photos and videos of products, as reported earlier by TechCrunch. In a statement to The Verge, Amazon spokesperson Maxine Tagay said the company “regularly evaluate[s] various features to better align with what customers tell us matters most, and as part of that, Inspire is no longer available.” […]
It’s clearly time: all the news about the transparent tech renaissance
Gadgets, much like fashion, can make style comebacks. For tech: we’ve lived through the ’80s beige keyboards, transitioned to the ’90s with gray and black plastic video game systems plus bright colors for Sony’s Walkman and Nintendo’s Game Boy handhelds, and then, at the turn of the millennium, welcomed the amazing see-through iMacs, N64 controllers, […]
Acer is the first to raise laptop prices because of Trump
Acer CEO and chairman Jason Chen says your laptop will cost an extra 10 percent in the United States next month — and that his rivals might attempt price gouging if they think you’ll pay even more. “We think 10pc probably will be the default price increase because of the import tax. It’s very straightforward,” […]
Electricity demand surges for the world’s two biggest polluters
China and the US, the world’s two top greenhouse gas polluters, could burn through a lot more electricity over the next couple of years, according to the latest forecast from the International Energy Agency (IEA). The steepest rise in global electricity demand in a while is expected over the next few years, with much of that coming from new data […]
Mira Murati is launching her OpenAI rival: Thinking Machines Lab
After her sudden departure from OpenAI last fall, ex-CTO Mira Murati vanished from public view to start something new. Now, she is ready to share some details about what she’s working on. Her new AI startup is called Thinking Machines Lab, and while the specifics of what it plans to release are still under wraps, […]
Three months later, S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is the glorious pain in the ass its makers intended
When S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of Chornobyl was released in November, it was clearly not yet the game its developers, GSC Game World, wanted it to be. Sure, this imagining of the Zone was fabulously moody, a desolate and bleak expanse of bog, scrubland, abandoned warehouses, and pallid vistas. For all the ways it was transportive […]
WhatsApp is now a Very Large platform in the EU, and will face tougher regulation
Meta’s WhatsApp has now gathered enough users to be designated a Very Large Online Platform (VLOP) under the European Union’s Digital Services Act (DSA), opening it up to stricter regulations in the region, reports Bloomberg. The DSA assigns VLOP status to any online service with more than 45 million users, a threshold WhatsApp crossed last […]
Magic: The Gathering’s Final Fantasy sets will tell the stories of the games
Magic: The Gathering has revealed a look at its forthcoming Final Fantasy-themed set. In an interview with IGN, senior game designer Daniel Holt talked about the collaboration and this initial look, which focuses on four major character cards and their associated pre-constructed Commander decks. The revealed cards include Terra from Final Fantasy VI, Tidus from […]
All of Chipolo’s Bluetooth trackers are discounted in sitewide sale
Did you know Apple’s AirTags weren’t the first Find My Bluetooth trackers for iPhones? Chipolo actually beat Apple to its own game in 2021 with the Chipolo One Spot. It’s easy to pass them up given that AirTags are often discounted, but Chipolo’s ongoing sale is tempting. All of Chipolo’s trackers are discounted right now, […]
Meta’s new ‘LlamaCon’ event will focus on AI
Meta is holding a new “LlamaCon” conference where it will share updates on “open source AI developments” to help developers create apps and products, the company said on Tuesday. LlamaCon will take place on April 29th, 2025 — months ahead of its Meta Connect conference, which it just announced will run from September 17th to […]
Insta360’s new gimbal add-on brings subject tracking to any camera app
Insta360 has announced a new accessory for its Flow 2 Pro smartphone gimbal that allows any camera app to take advantage of the company’s AI-powered tracking technology. Previously, subject tracking required the use of the company’s own Android or iOS camera app, or iOS apps that supported Apple’s DockKit framework. The new Insta360 Flow 2 Pro […]
Chase will start blocking Zelle payments over social media
Chase Bank is going to make it harder to use Zelle for transactions stemming from social media. In an update to its policy on Zelle, Chase says it may “decline or block” payments related to purchases from social media marketplaces or messaging apps, as spotted earlier by Bleeping Computer. The new policy, which goes into […]
Nothing’s new video pits the Phone 3A’s camera against the iPhone 16 Pro Max
Nothing is comparing its coming budget Phone 3A’s camera against that of the iPhone 16 Pro Max in a new YouTube video released today. Specifically, it’s showing off the performance of the Phone 3A’s 50MP periscope camera, which appears in the bottom right of the triangular three-camera array in the photo (emailed to the The […]
Can Meta still make the metaverse?
Meta is clearly all in on AI, and for good reason. With models like Llama, products like the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses, and a monetization plan like Facebook ads, it’s one of the companies best positioned to make AI really work. But it wasn’t that long ago that Meta was making a different, just as […]
Nanoleaf is permanently cutting prices for its signature LED light panels
Nanoleaf has announced that the company’s “most popular products” are getting a permanent price cut as part of its new SmarterLife Pricing Initiative. “For the past two years, Nanoleaf has been working closely with their manufacturing and supply chain teams to completely reexamine, rework and reoptimize processes, materials, and structures to reduce costs,” the company […]
Elon Musk doesn’t work for DOGE
Elon Musk is — according to a new legal filing from the US government — not running the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), despite his leadership appointment by President Donald Trump. In fact, claims the new White House declaration, he isn’t technically even a DOGE employee despite representing himself as the key decision maker behind its activity. […]
Everything we know about Apple’s Vision Pro
People have been speculating about Apple’s entry into the world of virtual and augmented reality headsets for the better part of a decade. At WWDC 2023, it finally revealed the Vision Pro, which will launch as the first visionOS device on February 2nd. The Vision Pro starts at $3,499 with 256GB of internal storage, while […]
DJI’s new Osmo Mobile 7 Pro has so very many tricks up its sleeve
Personally, I can’t imagine using my smartphone as a baby steadicam anymore now that I have DJI’s Osmo Pocket 3 — we saw it everywhere at CES 2025, and its one-inch-type sensor offers image quality beyond what today’s smartphones allow. But if you like the idea of sticking your phone into a set of stabilized […]
The OnePlus Watch 3 finally adds a proper rotating crown
I’ve had the $329.99 OnePlus Watch 3 for a few days, and so far, this isn’t an Android watch that flips the script. Instead, it’s a story about refinement (and playing a bit of catch-up), rather than pushing boundaries. And you know what? If it means a strong Google / Samsung alternative with a rotating […]
Huawei’s trifold phone launches outside of China
Huawei’s trifold Mate XT phone is launching outside of China, but it won’t come cheap. The world’s first and only phone that folds at two separate points in the display costs €3,499 (about $3,660) — and like other Huawei phones, won’t officially support any Google apps. The Mate XT launched in China in September 2024. […]
Microsoft isn’t automatically keeping you signed in to your account just yet
Microsoft was planning to make some changes to the way you sign in to a Microsoft account in February, keeping accounts signed in automatically unless you sign out or use private browsing. While the changes were communicated to Outlook.com users through a notification and in a now-removed Microsoft support article, Microsoft has now confirmed to […]
Elon Musk’s xAI adds ‘Big Brain’ reasoning to Grok-3
Elon Musk’s xAI unveiled Grok-3 on Tuesday, announcing that the new artificial intelligence model has “more than 10 times” the compute power of its predecessor. xAI said its latest flagship outperforms OpenAI’s GPT-4o, Google’s Gemini, and DeepSeek’s V3 models in early testing, and now features “advanced reasoning” capabilities. So-called reasoning models are trained to answer […]
Switch 2: all the news and rumors on Nintendo’s next console
The Nintendo Switch 2 has finally been announced, and it will launch sometime in 2025. It’s bigger than the original Switch, has Joy-Cons that attach to the side of the console, and will be getting a new Mario Kart game — beyond that, Nintendo hasn’t shared a lot more. But the company is planning a […]
Spotify’s HiFi streaming could finally arrive this year
It’s been nearly four years since Spotify announced a HiFi tier for its music streaming service that would support lossless audio. That wait could end this year, Bloomberg reports, as the company works to finalize details, including streaming rights. Spotify could charge as much as $5 or $6 extra per month for the new tier […]
DOGE is trying to access the IRS’s data on millions of taxpayers
The Department of Government Efficiency has requested access to the Internal Revenue Service’s taxpayer data system — potentially giving it access to highly sensitive information, including Social Security Numbers and tax returns — according to a report from CNN. DOGE has also launched an IRS-specific account on X and is soliciting “insights on finding and […]
Here are the best streaming service deals available right now
It being winter and all, there’s a high probability that many of us are spending more time bingeing TV shows and movies indoors than we might otherwise. And while it’s true that most streaming services don’t cost much in comparison to most of the tech we cover, we all know monthly subscription fees have a […]
A team from SpaceX is being brought in to overhaul FAA’s air traffic control system
A team from Elon Musk’s SpaceX is visiting the Air Traffic Control Command Center in Virginia Monday to help overhaul the system in the wake of last month’s deadly air disaster in Washington, DC, US Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy announced. The news comes after CNN reported that the Federal Aviation Administration fired hundreds of […]
The war on DEI is a smoke screen
Violent metaphors abound for what’s happening in Washington: Elon Musk and his allies have taken a “slash-and-burn†approach to the government and a “sledgehammer†to government institutions, doing away with supposed waste and excess while leaving the fundamental structure intact. All of this is being done with the stated goal of ridding the federal workforce […]
X is blocking links to Signal
X users are currently unable to post links to Signal.me, which are used to quickly and securely send direct messages to Signal users. A variety of failure notifications are being reported when X users attempt to post Signal links on the platform, some of which identify the blocked message as containing spam, harmful content, or […]
The New York Times adopts AI tools in the newsroom
The New York Times has reportedly approved artificial intelligence tools that newsroom staff can use for editing copy, summarizing information, coding, and writing. The publication announced in an internal email that product and editorial staff will receive AI training, according to Semafor, and introduced a new internal AI tool called Echo for summarizing articles, briefings, […]
BMW’s next-gen EVs depend on an unassuming black box called ‘Heart of Joy’
Last November, I strapped into the rear passenger seat of an all-electric, four-door sedan with BMW test driver and 24-hour racer Jens Klingmann behind the wheel. It was a cold day at BMW’s Performance Driving Center in Greer, SC, and beneath the five-point harnesses, roll cage, and heavily camouflaged body, Klingmann had an unexpected co-pilot: […]
YouTube TV has a deal to keep Paramount content
Days after YouTube published a blog post saying it could lose Paramount content soon, it updated the post to announce a deal to keep it. The company posted on X that, as a result, channels such as CBS, CBS Sports, and Nickelodeon and add-ons like Paramount Plus, Showtime, and BET Plus will stick around after […]
A treasure trove of comedy history
Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 71, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, happy long weekend to all those allowed to celebrate, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I’ve been reading about Alan Turing and OnlyFans […]
‘TeslaTakeover’ protests are small, but numerous
Today marked a second weekend of scattered protests at Tesla showrooms, following a “TeslaTakeover” hashtag that has been trending on Twitter alternative Bluesky this week. Protestors’ messages largely focused on the divisive efforts of Tesla CEO Elon Musk as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency since the start of Donald Trump’s Presidency. The […]
The Nintendo DS Drastic emulator is gone from Google Play
The popular Nintendo DS emulator Drastic has disappeared from the Google Play store, reports Android Authority. It’s not clear at the moment why the app is now gone, but it seems likely that it was the developer, not Nintendo, that prompted its removal. Developer Exophase made Drastic free-to-download last year and indicated that it planned […]
Amazon’s revamped Alexa might launch over a month after its announcement event
Amazon won’t launch the AI-powered upgrade for Alexa for at least a month after its showcase at an event set for February 26th, according to The Washington Post. The delay is reportedly at least partly because the updated assistant has issues with giving inaccurate answers to test questions. An anonymous Amazon employee told the outlet […]
Elden Ring Nightreign is already up for preorder with a $10 gift card
Elden Ring Nightreign’s rocky network test might have left some fans disappointed this week, but I sincerely doubt a few breif server issues did much to diminish the growing anticipation for FromSoftware’s next soulslike for Xbox, PlayStation, and PC. Thankfully, if you were still planning on picking up the Elden Ring spin-off when it launches […]
The Vision Pro NBA app turns some games into a miniature 3D diorama
The NBA has introduced a new AR feature for its Vision Pro app this week called Tabletop, which places a floating render of a basketball court in your space during “select” live games, according to an NBA help page describing the feature. On the court, digital avatars mirror the game’s actual players as they move, […]
Vision Pro apps: the good, the bad, and the ridiculous
The Vision Pro is Apple’s newest computing platform, and that means we’re going to see a whole bunch of new apps. Apple pitches apps built for the Vision Pro as “spatial” experiences, and even after our initial review experience, we’ll have to see how those differ from or improve upon the virtual reality and mixed […]
Technics AZ100 earbuds review: audiophiles and multitaskers unite
It can be surprisingly daunting to follow up on a great pair of earbuds. The objective is to make improvements wherever possible without sacrificing anything that people loved about the previous set. That’s where Technics found itself with the $299.99 EAH-AZ100 earbuds, which it announced at CES 2025. I was rather taken with the company’s […]
While Waiting is a playful reminder of the joys of boredom
Boredom is something of a dying concept. Our phones, filled with games and videos and social feeds, allow us to fill every moment with something, whether we’re on a long flight or in line for 30 seconds waiting for coffee. But the silly and playful While Waiting is a good reminder that that can be […]
Google’s Android-based earthquake detector had a false alarm
Google has disabled its Android earthquake detection feature in Brazil after many smartphone users in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro received false emergency alerts on Friday morning, Android Police reports. The alerts of a nonexistent 5.5 magnitude earthquake were sent to devices around 2AM this morning, and pinpointed earthquakes in the country’s Ubatuba and […]
Trump admin pulls hundreds of videos from CFPB’s YouTube channel
Nearly 400 videos that were posted on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s YouTube page have been removed, as the Trump administration continues to pare back the agency, including its team of skilled technologists. The CFPB YouTube page, which has 15,000 subscribers and was created in 2011, has had every one of its videos removed as […]
OpenAI’s board ‘unanimously rejects’ Elon Musk’s offer to buy the company
OpenAI’s board of directors has responded to Elon Musk’s bid to buy the company. In a statement on X, OpenAI chair Bret Taylor said, “OpenAI is not for sale, and the board has unanimously rejected Mr. Musk’s latest attempt to disrupt his competition.” Musk and a coalition of backers offered to buy OpenAI for $97.4 […]
Trump administration adds anti-trans notices to restored websites
President Donald Trump’s administration has ordered federal agencies like the Food and Drug Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to add disclaimers railing against “gender ideology” to pages restored by a recent court order, The Washington Post reported. The notice reads: Per a court order, HHS is required to restore this website […]
Mastodon will add quote posts, even though some users don’t want them
Mastodon is making a change that might have some users divided. In an update on Friday, the decentralized platform announced that it’s working to add quote posts “to help people to transition away from proprietary, billionaire-owned social media to the open social web,” as spotted earlier by TechCrunch. Mastodon initially decided against implementing quote posts […]
Climate group that called for ‘free Palestine’ stripped of federal funding
A grassroots environmental alliance that called for a “free Palestine” has lost the more than $50 million it was supposed to receive under the Biden administration’s signature climate law, the Inflation Reduction Act. The Climate Justice Alliance (CJA) became the target of conservative attacks after advocating for a ceasefire in Gaza, and a group of of federal workers […]
WhatsApp is getting themed chat bubbles
WhatsApp is turning up the customization features for chats by including new theme options, custom colors for chat bubbles, and a bunch of new wallpapers to choose from. A new blog post says the feature is rolling out now and will be available globally “over the coming weeks.” There are 30 new wallpaper options to […]
Meta’s Ray-Bans have sold 2 million pairs — its maker is prepping to sell 10M each year
Two weeks ago, we exclusively reported Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s remarks on how many pairs of Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses the company had recently sold and might theoretically sell — 1 million pairs in 2024, with the possibility of reaching 2 million or even 5 million by the end of 2025. But glasses giant EssilorLuxottica, […]
Senate Republicans introduce bills to make EVs more expensive
Two bills were introduced in the Senate that, if enacted, would dramatically increase the price for most electric vehicles. The first bill, sponsored by Sen. John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), would eliminate the $7,500 EV tax credit, while a second one from Sen. Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) would impose a $1,000 tax on the purchase of any new […]
The EV tax credit: all the cars, rules, and updates
The electric vehicle tax credit, also known as the “clean vehicle tax credit,” or 30D, if you like IRS code, can offer up to $7,500 off the purchase of a new EV. Sounds nice, right? But of course, it’s not that easy. This is the IRS we’re talking about after all. Before you can collect […]
Netflix says its brief Apple TV app integration was a mistake
Considering the trajectory of 2025 so far, perhaps we should’ve known that Netflix finally playing nice with the Apple TV app was too good to be true. And now the streaming giant has confirmed that’s exactly the case. Netflix spokesperson MoMo Zhou has told The Verge that this morning’s window where Netflix appeared as a […]
Treasury inspector general will investigate DOGE payments access
Two government watchdogs will investigate the Department of Government Efficiency’s access to sensitive Treasury payments systems, they confirmed in letters to Congress. In a letter to Senate Democrats, Treasury Deputy Inspector General Loren Sciurba said that the office opened an audit into the Bureau of Fiscal Service’s payments systems on February 6th. The IG’s office […]
The inexpensive Roomba Combo j5 is over 50 percent off for Verge readers
Looking for a robot vacuum or mop that won’t set you back a few hundred dollars? Right now, Verge readers can pick up the Roomba Combo i5 — the upgrade to our top budget pick, the Roomba i3 Evo — from Wellbots for a new low of $189 ($160 off) with offer VERGE160. The Roomba Combo j5, […]
TikTok isn’t out of the woods yet
Happy Valentine’s Day. I’m sending this from the NBA All-Star Technology Summit in San Francisco, where I’ve never seen so many major streaming competitors onstage at once. This week, I go inside TikTok, Google, and Meta. Keep reading for what Elon Musk really wants with his bid for OpenAI… TikTok turns up the heat — […]
Meta is working on ‘humanoid’ robots, too
Meta is planning to design the hardware and software for humanoid robots, according to a report from Bloomberg. Sources tell the outlet that a newly formed team within Meta’s Reality Labs division will start by working on “humanoid robot hardware” capable of completing household chores. Bloomberg notes that Meta has broader goals of making “the […]
Roblox is still trying to convince lawmakers it’s not social media
As the new Congress has already started working on legislation to protect kids from social media harms, Roblox is doubling down on its efforts to convince lawmakers it shouldn’t be lumped in with products like Instagram and YouTube. Even though the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) failed to become law last year, despite passing handily […]
Instagram starts testing new button that might downrank comments
Instagram is beginning to test a button that “gives people a private way to signal that they don’t feel good about that particular comment,” Instagram boss Adam Mosseri says in a post on Threads. The button, based on a screenshot from a Threads user, is a downward-facing arrow next to the like button in comments. […]
Amazon’s killing a feature that let you download and backup Kindle books
Starting on February 26th, 2025, Amazon is removing a feature from its website allowing you to download purchased books to a computer and then copy them manually to a Kindle over USB. It’s a feature that a lot of Kindle users are probably not aware of, given books can be more easily sent to devices […]
Small businesses are already feeling Trump’s tariffs
President Donald Trump’s tariffs on China, Canada, and Mexico are presented by the president and his boosters as a boon to American businesses. If products from China are more expensive, the argument goes, then people will instead buy from counterparts based in the US. But for small businesses manufacturing in the US, the tariffs are […]
Nosferatu is making its Peacock streaming debut next week
Robert Eggers’ excellent Nosferatu remake will finally be available to stream very soon. Peacock announced today that Nosferatu — which stars Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult, and Bill Skarsgård — will make its streaming debut on February 21st. Along with the film’s original theatrical cut, Peacock subscribers will also be able to watch the extended cut […]
You can get a 55-inch Hisense U7 for under $500
I sorely recall the early onset of the current gaming generation, which kicked off in late 2020. The Xbox Series X/S and PlayStation 5 were a bit difficult to come by, so much so that I committed the cardinal sin of paying a reseller more than $200 over MSRP for the latter. The TVs that […]
Yellowjackets continues to stretch itself thin in season 3
The third season of Yellowjackets is a bit like getting lured back to the high school reunion that was delightfully fun the first time but eventually becomes an exercise in diminishing returns. Maybe it’s part of our soft human inability to let go of the past, especially coming-of-age drama that seems increasingly romantic and valid […]
Xiaomi’s 15 Ultra looks a lot like a Leica in new leaks
It looks like Xiaomi is soon launching a new flagship Ultra smartphone model that takes its Leica licensing beyond just the lens. Android Headlines has posted what appear to be official renders of a Xiaomi 15 Ultra, with Leica camera styling that includes duo-tone white and rough-finished black verticle strips down the rear of the […]
Kagi’s search engine adds a more private way to search
The paid search engine Kagi has added an even more private way to search. The new feature, called Privacy Pass, lets you make searches without having them traced back to you. Privacy Pass is based on an authentication protocol standardized by the Internet Engineering Task Force. It works by allowing users to authenticate themselves to […]
More Tesla showroom protests planned for this weekend
Protestors are planning more demonstrations outside Tesla showrooms nationwide this weekend, as Elon Musk’s polarizing behavior and political activities within the Trump administration continue to have negative side effects on his electric car business. The protests are being advertised on BlueSky under the tags “Tesla Takeover” and “Tesla Takedown,” similar to demonstrations held last weekend. […]
The best iPad to buy
There are no bad iPads. That’s the best news about Apple’s tablet lineup: 15 years after Steve Jobs first debuted the device, the iPad is the best tablet on the market, and it’s not particularly close. Apple’s App Store is enormous and filled with great apps, Apple’s performance and battery life are consistently excellent, and […]
Elon Musk: agent of chaos
It’s hard to think of a time when a single figure has been so central to seemingly everything in the way that Elon Musk is right now. Musk is overseeing and overhauling the federal government, while bending it toward his own financial gain. He’s also ubiquitous in the artificial intelligence world, where this week he […]
Netflix finally decides to play nice and support the Apple TV app
Some Apple TV 4K users in the US are being prompted to connect their Netflix accounts to the Apple TV app. This would appear to signal an end to the streaming service’s longtime refusal to have its content aggregated into third-party platforms. Users who link their accounts are able to add certain Netflix originals like […]
The technology team at financial regulator CFPB has been gutted
Around 20 technologists at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau were fired on Thursday evening, gutting a team that specialized in understanding Big Tech’s entrance into financial products, three sources familiar with the matter tell The Verge. It follows an earlier round of layoffs of mostly contractors and probationary employees on Tuesday, as reported by Wired, […]
Elden Ring Nightreign’s director isn’t sorry about how stressful it is
My first time playing Elden Ring Nightreign, I was stressed the hell out. My team and I were in an underground dungeon, trying to make our way past traps and dangerous blind corners, all while knowing there was an invisible clock ominously ticking down above our heads. If we were still underground when it hit […]
Elon Musk’s DOGE website has been defaced because anyone can edit it
The DOGE website created to document how Elon Musk’s team is eviscerating the US federal government is wide open for anyone to edit. This is the same DOGE organization that has gained unprecedented access to sensitive US financial systems with data on millions of Americans. Two web development experts reported the security flaw to 404Media […]
Microsoft Outlook’s new minimize button makes mobile emails much easier
Microsoft is adding a super useful button to Outlook mobile that will let you quickly minimize a draft email and task switch on the go. If you’re like me and you send a lot of emails from your iPhone or Android device, it can be really annoying to have to switch out of a draft […]
Open source code repository says ‘far-right forces’ are behind massive spam attacks
The open source code repository Codeberg has blamed the far right for a recent campaign of abuse and harassment across its systems. “Projects advocating tolerance and equal rights” were subjected to spam campaigns using abusive messages, which escalated to spam emails sent to users via Codeberg’s own automated systems. Codeberg says it stands strong “against […]
TikTok is coming back to the App Store
Apple is putting TikTok back in the US App Store, according to a source familiar the situation. The return follows US Attorney General Pam Bondi sending a letter to Apple assuring that it won’t be fined for hosting the app, according to Bloomberg, which first reported the news. TikTok is also now live in Google’s […]
Gemini AI can now recall past conversations
Google’s Gemini AI assistant can now recall past conversations to provide more relevant responses if you have a subscription to Gemini Advanced via Google One AI Premium. With the update, you’ll no longer have to recap previous chats or search for a thread to pick up a conversation, as Gemini will already have the context […]
Nvidia delays the RTX 5070 till after AMD’s reveal
As always, the most important Nvidia graphics card is the one you can actually buy, and Nvidia’s talked a big game for its RTX 5070, making the dubious but nuanced claim it can deliver RTX 4090 performance for just $549. On February 28th, AMD will get its chance to intercept with the Radeon RX 9070 […]
Google’s latest Pixel phones are down to some of their best prices
If you’re on the market for an excellent Android phone, multiple retailers are offering some of the best prices we’ve seen on some of Google’s devices. The last-gen Pixel 8 (8GB RAM/128GB storage) starts at $399 ($300 off) at Amazon and Best Buy, for example, but the real highlight is the Pixel 9 lineup. Right […]
How to get TikTok back on your phone if you deleted it after the ban
TikTok’s app is still working for people in the US — as long as it’s already on their phone. While the service quickly returned after the brief shutdown in January, the app itself is no longer available on either Apple’s App Store or Google’s Play Store. That means that if you removed the app, never […]
Amazon revamps Prime Video’s Apple TV app
Amazon’s Prime Video app just got a big update on Apple TV. The app is now better optimized for tvOS, allowing you to swipe on the Siri Remote to scroll through Prime Video’s shows and movies as well as use touchpad gestures for fast-forwarding, rewinding, and scrubbing through content. Amazon has updated the app’s search […]
Audio-Technica’s new cartilage conduction headphones offer better battery life
Audio-Technica has announced a new version of its open-ear cartilage conduction headphones the company says deliver improved sound and better battery life. The headphones use a technology that’s similar to bone conduction headphones from companies like Shokz and Suunto but instead deliver sound through the softer cartilage around your ears. The approach still leaves the […]
Bose headphones and earbuds are nearly 25 percent off for Presidents Day
If you need a new pair of headphones, earbuds, or a portable Bluetooth speaker, Bose’s ongoing Presidents Day sale presents a few compelling options. In fact, now through February 17th, several QuietComfort and SoundLink devices are receiving steep discounts, including some of our favorite models. Several products are matching their lowest price to date, such […]
What’s with the EPA seizing ‘gold bars’?
The Trump administration is attempting to take back around $20 billion of funding that the Biden administration previously awarded to reduce air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Trump’s appointee to lead the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Lee Zeldin, posted a cryptic video last night and followed up with a press release today claiming “roughly $20 […]
Double magnetic rings are here to stick your phone to anything
I like my phone, so I put a ring on it back in 2022 — the year my colleagues Jen and Allison introduced me to the Anker ring we now call “The best MagSafe phone gripâ€. It’s a simple magnetic ring attached to a non-magnetic finger ring that doubles as a kickstand. But what if […]
Apple’s next Studio Display could get a much-needed Mini LED upgrade
Apple is preparing a new 27-inch display with Mini LED backlighting for release later in 2025 or early next year, according to analyst Ross Young (and highlighted by MacRumors). The purported follow-up to 2022’s Studio Display would leave the monitor’s size unchanged but offer meaningful gains in contrast, black levels, and (potentially) overall brightness. Even […]
RFK Jr., an anti-vax activist, will lead Health and Human Services following Senate confirmation
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is now President Donald Trump’s new secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) following a Senate confirmation vote. As head of the HHS, Kennedy will oversee agencies like the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration. While Kennedy has said that he is […]
Android 16’s next public beta adds new features for pro photographers
Google is releasing the second public beta of Android 16 today that will introduce new features for professional photographers who want more control while capturing images and videos. The upgrades include new manual control options when using auto-exposure, precise color temperature and tint adjustments, and support for Ultra HDR images in the HEIC image format. […]
The UK’s war on encryption affects all of us
The encryption wars have reached a fever pitch, and the most contentious battle is not happening in the United States, where much of the action has been in the past — like the government’s efforts to restrict exports of encryption software until the 1990s and the FBI’s standoff with Apple in 2016. It’s in the […]
Captain America: Brave New World is trying twice as hard to be half as good
With its first few Captain America films, Marvel Studios sold audiences on the idea that its superhero movies could be more than live-action cartoons. By borrowing from other genres, they could become gritty, character-focused thrillers like The Winter Soldier or splashy crossover events like Civil War. And the tonal shifts between each feature made it […]
Blue Origin is laying off around 10 percent of workers
The Jeff Bezos-owned space company Blue Origin has announced plans to lay off around 10 percent of its workforce. The company currently has more than 10,000 workers, according to Bloomberg, meaning the layoffs could affect around 1,000 employees. In an email obtained by The Verge, Blue Origin CEO David Limp told employees that fast growth […]
OnePlus won’t release a foldable phone in 2025
OnePlus says it won’t launch a new foldable phone this year, axing expectations that the company was prepping a proper sequel to its Open foldable from 2023, 9to5Google reports. A new OnePlus “Open 2” could have followed the blueprint of its subsidiary company Oppo’s new ultra-thin Find N5 that’s launching in China and internationally next […]
Apple’s sci-fi movies are way behind its shows
Apple TV Plus has steadily become the preeminent home of streaming sci-fi shows, and that reputation has really only grown over time. Silo just wrapped up its thrilling second season, Severance is back after a long hiatus, and promising adaptations of Neuromancer and The Murderbot Diaries are in the works. Even the service’s detective shows […]
The next Xbox is going to be very different
I’ve been thinking a lot about the next Xbox lately. While Microsoft publicly lines up a busy year of game releases and ports for the PS5 and Switch 2, the company has also been secretly building its future Xbox hardware and platform. There haven’t been any giant leaks about next-gen hardware yet, but Microsoft has […]
Final Fantasy iOS game shuts down over unfixable bug
Square Enix has shut down the iOS version of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles and removed it from the App Store following an unfixable bug that blocked people from accessing content they had paid for. “The issue is due to changes made to the in-app purchases model,” Square Enix says in a post. “Further investigation revealed […]
Twisted Metal’s second season streams this summer
It’s going to be a hot vehicular combat summer: Peacock has announced that the second of Twisted Metal will start streaming later this year. The show, which is an adaptation of a classic and long-dormant PlayStation series, premiered in the summer of 2023 and was renewed later that year. Season 1 was an origin story […]
Tim Cook teases a new Apple launch next week, and it’s probably the iPhone SE
Apple is getting ready to show its newest device during an event on Wednesday, February 19th. Tim Cook revealed the date in a post on X, saying “Get ready to meet the newest member of the family,” alongside a GIF of the Apple logo. Apple is widely expected to reveal the latest generation of its […]
The FCC is a weapon in Trump’s war on free speech
I’ve been the editor-in-chief of The Verge for over 10 years now, and a tech journalist for about 15 — and until recently, it felt pretty safe to assume that there was a zero percent chance that the US government would punish me for doing my job. There’s that whole First Amendment in this country, […]
Amazon has renewed The Rings of Power for a third season
At least one more season of Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will be coming to the small screen sooner than later. Today, Amazon announced that it has greenlit production on another installment of its Lord of the Rings prequel series starring Morfydd Clark as Galadriel, Charlie Vickers as Sauron, Robert […]
State Dept.’s plan to buy $400 million worth of armored Teslas hastily changed to ‘armored EVs’
On Wednesday, reports from The New York Times and Drop Site News pointed out that the US Department of State included an order for $400 million worth of armored Teslas in its 2025 procurement forecast. But shortly after these reports emerged, the agency replaced its mention of “Armored Tesla (Production Units)” with a much vaguer […]
Dell XPS 13 review: out with a whimper
The Dell XPS 13 was once the best thin-and-light Windows laptop you could get, with amazing build quality, good battery life, and decent port selection (and eventually, a serviceable webcam). But it peaked in 2020 and it’s been slipping since. It got OLED screen options that tanked the battery life. Then there was a baffling […]
Going back is the only way to get out in the Until Dawn movie’s latest trailer
The first teaser for Sony and Screen Gems’ big screen Until Dawn adaptation made it seem like it might just be another supernatural horror with a splash of Groundhog Day tossed in to keep things mildly interesting. But judging from the way the studios are describing the film, it sounds like this Until Dawn will […]
YouTube is going to let you put AI-generated video clips in Shorts
YouTube has added new generative AI video features that creators can use when making Shorts. The video platform announced that Google’s Veo 2 video model is being integrated into YouTube’s experimental Dream Screen feature, alongside allowing users to generate standalone video clips that can be added to Shorts. Dream Screen was introduced in September 2023 […]
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is getting DLSS 4 support next week
Bethesda is adding DLSS 4 Multi Frame Generation and DLSS Ray Reconstruction to Indiana Jones and the Great Circle in an update due next week. Both technologies will improve the image quality of Indiana Jones, and Multi Frame Generation will also enable smoother frame rates in the process. Nvidia has released a new Game Ready […]
Honda and Nissan cancel their proposed $60 billion merger
Honda and Nissan have announced they are calling off a $60 billion plan to merge their two companies. The pair were in talks for just over a month trying to join forces, a plan that was especially important for Nissan, since it reportedly would only survive another year due to nosediving profits. The merger could […]
iPhone AI features will be powered by Alibaba in China
Alibaba has announced that it is partnering with Apple to provide artificial intelligence features to iPhones in China. Apple Intelligence features have not yet been enabled in China, which is thought to have contributed to the company’s local decline in smartphone sales. “They talked to a number of companies in China. In the end they […]
Vision Pro launch: all the news about Apple’s pricey new headset
Apple’s Vision Pro is finally here. Tim Cook arrived at Apple’s Fifth Avenue store in New York City to greet the crowd of customers at the doors who were waiting to try out the headset or buy one for themselves. The Vision Pro is Apple’s take on a mixed-reality headset, which, according to our review, ”feels like […]
Mysterious new Vision Pro retail app appears in the App Store
Apple has quietly released a new app that suggests it may soon allow third-party retailers to sell its Vision Pro headset. The “Vision Pro Demo Fit” app was spotted in the App Store Preview by Apple firmware detective Aaron Perris (seen via 9to5Mac), and includes various features for matching customers to their required Vision Pro […]
Avowed makes the wait for the next Elder Scrolls much easier
We’re likely still a long way out from Bethesda’s next Elder Scrolls game. But that wait isn’t such a big deal when the Xbox has other excellent roleplaying games like Avowed. The latest from Fallout: New Vegas and The Outer Worlds developer Obsidian, Avowed doesn’t shake up the genre. It’s just a really solid fantasy […]
Federal workers say they increasingly distrust platforms like Facebook
As Elon Musk and President Donald Trump have sought to gut and remake the federal government to their liking, federal workers have changed how they communicate with one another and with friends. They have locked down communication channels, migrated to new platforms, and what was once skepticism has grown into deep distrust — not just […]
Apple has started advertising on X again
Apple has resumed advertising on X for the first time since pausing ads more than a year ago. The company was one of many to halt advertisements over concerns for brand safety following Elon Musk’s purchase of the social network. While X’s approach to content moderation has changed little since then, Big Tech’s relationship with […]
Trump’s January 6th Twitter lawsuit settled for ‘about $10 million’
Elon Musk’s X has agreed to pay President Donald Trump “about $10 million” to settle his lawsuit against Twitter, reports The Wall Street Journal. The settlement would come on top of an estimated $250 million that Musk, who now seemingly has broad authority over government agencies as the head of DOGE, put toward helping Trump […]
Returnal studio Housemarque is back with a haunting new shooter
Housemarque, the PlayStation-owned studio that made the excellent sci-fi roguelike Returnal, has just announced its next game: Saros. The game will launch on PS5 in 2026. Here’s a brief description of the game from its reveal trailer: Set on the planet Carcosa under the threat of an ominous eclipse, take on the role of Arjun […]
You can now get one of Apple’s best Macs for just over $500
Apple has just added its redesigned Mac Mini to the Certified Refurbished store and is knocking as much as $210 off some base models. To begin with, you can get the M4 (non-Pro) base model with 16GB of RAM for just $509, a $90 discount from the $599 retail price of the brand-new one. That […]
Elizabeth Holmes’ bizarre PR campaign continues
I have heard it said that fame is the most addictive of all drugs. I have been skeptical about this, but Elizabeth Holmes’ ongoing PR saga makes me wonder if it is, in fact, true. Holmes has appeared in People magazine to tell us that prison is “hell and torture,” in the same way that […]
Elizabeth Holmes sentenced to 11 years in prison for her Theranos fraud
Elizabeth Holmes, the founder and CEO of disgraced blood-testing company Theranos, has been found guilty on three counts of wire fraud, as well as a count of conspiracy to commit fraud along with her co-founder Sunny Balwani. On November 18th, 2022, she was sentenced to 135 months, or about 11 and a half years, in […]
PS5 State of Play February 2025: the best trailers and biggest reveals
Sony is starting out 2025 by sharing exactly what it has in store for the PlayStation 5 this year. The company will be streaming a 40-minute State of Play event on February 12th, which is aimed at showcasing upcoming PS5 titles, so you can expect a mix of new reveals and closer looks at previously […]
Woot is offering steep discounts on some of our favorite headphones
If you’re on the hunt for a good pair of new wireless earbuds or headphones, you might want to head on over to Woot. Now through February 19th, the retailer is offering steep discounts on some excellent earbuds and over-ears we’ve reviewed from brands like Beats, Samsung, Sennheiser, and more. There’s plenty of good stuff […]
Jeep’s Wrangler-like Recon EV is ready to launch this year
Jeep quietly launched a new landing website for its upcoming all-electric Recon and teased the vehicle in a Super Bowl ad last Sunday in anticipation of its arrival later this year. Jeep’s commercial stars Harrison Ford, and it flashed models such as the Wrangler 4xe Plug-in Hybrid — but if you blink, you might have […]
Popcorn brand distances itself from DOGE employee ‘Big Balls’ after backlash
Popcorn brand LesserEvil is the latest group caught up in the chaos of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency’s whirlwind of action over the past couple of weeks. The company recently sent a cryptic email to customers after the brand owner’s connection to a DOGE staffer became public. LesserEvil CEO Charles Coristine is reportedly the […]
OpenAI is rethinking how AI models handle controversial topics
OpenAI is releasing a significantly expanded version of its Model Spec, a document that defines how its AI models should behave — and is making it free for anyone to use or modify. The new 63-page specification, up from around 10 pages in its previous version, lays out guidelines for how AI models should handle […]
Amazon’s app will start listing items Amazon doesn’t sell
Despite the way it seems, Amazon doesn’t sell everything. To fix this, the company is beta-testing a new shopping feature that will include products it doesn’t sell in search results on its app, and then send you to the brand’s website to purchase them. In a blog post published this week, Amazon announced that this […]
New trailer for The Handmaid’s Tale’s final season teases the war to come
Though the hype around Hulu’s adaptation of The Handmaid’s Tale gradually faded as time went on, the show’s final season looks like it’s going to be a sobering and timely reminder of what made Margaret Atwood’s story so powerful in the first place. Though June Osborne (Elisabeth Moss) seemed ready to put Gilead behind her […]
OpenAI lays out plans for GPT-5
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman detailed plans for the company’s GPT-4.5 and GPT-5 AI models in a roadmap published on X on Wednesday. In the post, Altman also acknowledged that OpenAI’s product lineup has gotten complicated and says that the company wants to do “a much better job” simplifying its offerings. “We hate the model picker […]
Yamaha made a boat remote
Yamaha has announced a new handheld controller that gives a captain full control of a boat from anywhere onboard. It’s compatible with Yamaha’s Helm Master EX control system, which is designed to make boating more accessible. The Helm Master EX Wireless Control — which looks like an upgraded version of the Nunchuk controller used with […]
Waste.gov locks down after people discover it’s just a WordPress template
Waste.gov, a new government website registered by the Trump administration, has been hidden and locked down after 404 Media reported that it mostly displayed an unedited WordPress template. The archived version of the site contained the tagline, “Tracking government waste,” and another new website, DEI.gov, redirects to the same URL. But the rest of site […]
Apple TV Plus is reportedly about to debut on Android
Apple is going to launch its Apple TV Plus app on Android phones as soon as today, according to Bloomberg. An Apple TV Plus app is already available for Android TV, but this expansion would make the app available on Android phones, too. Apple didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment from The Verge. […]
Overwatch 2 is adding a CS:GO-style mode and bringing back loot boxes
Overwatch 2 is getting quite the shakeup in 2025 as it faces growing competition from other online shooters. It starts with the season 15 update that’s coming on February 18th that’ll tease a new hero and introduce an in-game Perks system for existing ones, plus the return of the 6v6 competitive queues Blizzard tested late […]
Google will use machine learning to estimate a user’s age
Google will soon use machine learning to estimate the age of its users. In an update on Wednesday, Google said it’s testing a machine learning model in the US to help determine whether someone is under 18, allowing it to “provide more age-appropriate experiences” across its platforms. YouTube CEO Neal Mohan first revealed the change […]
The Titan’s implosion: the latest news on the Titanic wreckage tourist sub
On June 18th, 2023, a small sub called the Titan was lost about an hour and forty-five minutes into its voyage carrying five people on a tourist visit to the wreckage of the Titanic. After days of searching in the North Atlantic, the Coast Guard confirmed it found debris showing the sub suffered a “catastrophic […]
Scarlett Johansson calls for deepfake ban after AI video goes viral
Scarlett Johansson is calling on the government to pass a law limiting the use of AI after a video featuring an AI deepfake of the actress circulated online. In a statement to People, Johansson said, “It is terrifying that the U.S. government is paralyzed when it comes to passing legislation that protects all of its […]
Samsung Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus review: incredibly iterative
Samsung’s Galaxy S-series is in its software era. Maybe the whole smartphone industry is, too, save for a few phones with hinges (Samsung’s included). But overall, we have exited the hardware-driven innovation cycle and are firmly in the midst of a software-based one. If you want proof, the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus are a […]
A 3D-printed VHS cleaner is saving memories from mold
A common problem I’ve come across with decades-old analog media — particularly VHS — is mold that develops inside the cassette cartridge. The white fuzzy glaze on black magnetic tape often develops after being stored in damp basements and attics for years on end. Tapes like this, if run through a VCR, could do a […]
How to watch PlayStation’s State of Play for February 2025
It’s still relatively early in the year, but 2025 has already been a pretty busy one for gaming announcements. Nintendo officially unveiled the next Switch (with more details on the way), Xbox had an impressive game-filled event, and now it’s Sony’s turn. The company is holding its semi-regular State of Play stream this afternoon, which […]
Adobe’s Sora rivalling AI video generator is now available for everyone
Adobe’s text- and image-to-video AI generator has been released for anyone to try online. Generate Video is available starting today in public beta following a limited early access testing period last year. The beta tool can be accessed via the re-designed Firefly web app, alongside new image generation and translation capabilities, and AI credit subscription […]
Apple launches wide-ranging health study to help develop future features
Apple announced today it’s launching a brand-new research study — the Apple Health Study. But this one is different from its previous efforts in the space. Case in point: there’s no specific area of focus. Instead, the study will gather data from iPhones, Apple Watches, and AirPods to try and discover new relationships between different […]
Elden Ring Nightreign takes a big swing at a bigger audience
It’s inaccurate and reductive to call Elden Ring Nightreign a Dark Souls take on Fortnite. And yet, if pressed for an extremely brief elevator pitch — say, the kind you’d give to your friends who are curious about soulsborne games but are put off by all the discussions of their difficulty — it’s about as […]
Elden Ring: all of the updates about FromSoftware’s open-world hit
Elden Ring is finally here. The huge game, from Dark Souls developer FromSoftware, is set in a world created in part by Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin. It largely lives up to the massive hype, but it didn’t have a perfect launch. Bandai Namco issued a PSA on the day of release, promising […]
Overwatch 2: all the news about the sequel to Blizzard’s hit hero shooter
Overwatch 2, the sequel to Activision Blizzard’s hit hero shooter Overwatch, is finally launching in October after first being announced in 2019. One major change is the shift to five-on-five matches in PVP, and Blizzard is also adding new characters, including Overwatch’s first Black female hero. The PVP multiplayer will be available in early access […]
Crysis 4 is on hold as developer Crytek announces layoffs
Crytek is laying off around 15 percent of its 400 employees, affecting development teams and shared services. The announcement comes months after Crytek put the development of its next Crysis game “on hold” in Q3, 2024. “Like so many of our peers, we aren’t immune to the complex, unfavorable market dynamics that have hit our […]
Wacom’s new Intuos Pro drawing tablet reinvents the wheel
Wacom has completely overhauled its Intuos Pro drawing tablets to make them more compact, convenient, and customizable for creative professionals. This is the biggest redesign for the Intuos Pro lineup since its introduction in 2013, featuring a new layout that relocates user controls from the side to the top of the tablet and replaces the […]
Samsung’s Galaxy A56 leaked from every angle
Leaker Evan Blass has shared a set of spinning GIFs of Samsung’s midrange Galaxy A56 that show the phone in four colors and a host of different angles. The Galaxy A56 is rumored to launch in March, right around the same time as rival devices from Apple and Google. The new animations from evleaks show […]
The Trump administration restores federal webpages after court order
The Trump administration brought webpages back online, meeting a court-ordered deadline at 11:59PM on February 11th. Doctors for America (DFA), which represents physicians and medical students, filed suit last week against the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Department of […]
FCC to investigate Comcast for having DEI programs
Federal Communications Chair Brendan Carr has asked his agency to investigate Comcast’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) practices, reports Newsmax. “We have received an inquiry from the Federal Communications Commission and will be cooperating with the FCC to answer their questions,” Comcast spokesperson Joelle Terry confirms to The Verge. According to Newsmax, Carr said that […]
Thomson Reuters wins an early court battle over AI, copyright, and fair use
On Tuesday, US District Court of Delaware judge Stephanos Bibas issued a partial summary judgment in favor of Thomson Reuters in its copyright infringement lawsuit against Ross Intelligence, a legal AI startup. Filed in 2020, it’s one of the first cases that will deal with the legality of AI tools and how they are trained, […]
Trump administration illegally allowed DOGE to access workers’ data, lawsuit alleges
The Trump administration breached a federal privacy law by letting workers from Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) access information on millions of government workers, privacy advocates including the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) allege in a new lawsuit filed on behalf of two labor unions and a group of current and former federal employees. […]
The best President’s Day sales you can already shop
Valentine’s Day and President’s Day are happening on the same weekend this year, meaning there are plenty of sales to take advantage of between the two of them. Thankfully, if you’re looking to get ahead, Amazon, Best Buy, and other retailers are already discounting plenty of tech, including some of the items we fawn over […]
Apple Maps now shows the Gulf of America
Apple is renaming the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America in its Maps app. The company started rolling out the name change for US users this afternoon, and Bloomberg reports that it will soon display the name for users globally, too. Google Maps started showing the “Gulf of America” for users in the […]
Google announces the dates for I/O 2025
Google’s next I/O developer conference will take place on May 20th and May 21st, the company announced today. The event will be “open to everyone online” and will include “livestreamed keynotes and sessions,” according to an FAQ. Like past years, there will also be an in-person component at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. […]
Perplexity tried to sponsor an F1 team — but got blocked by a bigger tech company
The high-stakes world of Formula 1 racing just became the latest battleground for AI companies. AI-powered search startup Perplexity has been in negotiations to sign a sponsorship deal with Red Bull Racing, worth $5 million a year. But after both parties had agreed to the terms, the deal was blocked by Oracle, the team’s biggest sponsor, according to sources […]
Framework will reveal new gadgets on February 25th — can you decipher its glyphs?
Nearly two years ago, Framework announced one of the most ambitious laptops ever live on a San Francisco stage, plus an AMD upgrade for its modular Intel machines. On February 25th, it’s promising “an even bigger set of announcements,” and that it’ll show “everything that we’ve been working on for the last two years.” What […]
Shopify pulls Kanye’s website offline over swastika merch
On Tuesday, Shopify shut down the Yeezy store run by Ye (formerly known as Kanye West) after it listed shirts with swastikas for sale. Ye advertised the site in a commercial shown during the Super Bowl on Sunday. It previously sold things like sneakers and t-shirts, but on Monday, the only item for sale was […]
BuzzFeed wants to fight AI-driven social media with a platform of its own
BuzzFeed plans on launching a new social platform “built specifically to spread joy and enable playful creative expression.” In a blog post published on Tuesday, BuzzFeed co-founder and CEO Jonah Peretti highlights the “growing discontent” with platforms using AI-driven algorithms to keep users glued to their screens, adding that BuzzFeed’s social network would use AI […]
Leaked Pixel 9A renders show almost no camera bump
A new set of leaked Pixel 9A renders appears to confirm months of rumors that Google is virtually ditching the camera bump this year. The images, published by Android Headlines, also show the phone in four colors — black (Obsidian), white (Porcelain), pink (Peony), and purple (Iris) — will look like. Smartphones that lay flat […]
Ninja’s new ice cream machine delivers soft serve and hard scoops
Ninja just announced a new ice cream maker that does something its existing Creami model can’t: make soft serve. The Ninja Swirl packs the option to create both regular scooped ice cream and softer swirls, and, like the original Creami, it’s versatile enough to create frozen yogurt and other variants too. Because the Swirl is […]
Kickstarter will alert backers when a project has failed
Kickstarter will start notifying supporters when a fundraising campaign faces “significant fulfillment failures” and breaks the platform’s rules. The notification will also inform supporters how it’s addressing the issue, including by “restricting the creator from launching future projects.” The update comes as part of a series of changes Kickstarter plans to make this year that […]
L’Oreal’s nifty hair coloring wand is on sale for its lowest price to date
Wish there was a magic wand for quickly covering up your grays? L’Oreal’s Colorsonic might be as close as it gets, and today, it’s a little more affordable thanks to the skincare company’s latest promo. For a limited time, you pick it up directly from L’Oreal Paris for $99 ($25 off), which matches its lowest […]
Unity unites the indie game industry against its new pricing model
Unity, a company that makes a suite of video game development tools, has recently sparked a major controversy in the industry after announcing changes to its pricing model. Under the new model, Unity plans to charge developers on a per-install basis after certain revenue and game download thresholds are met. Sentiment regarding the new pricing […]
Unity’s struggles continue with fresh wave of layoffs
Unity has been hit with another round of layoffs. This is according to posts on LinkedIn from recently laid off staff and confirmed by reporting from Game Developer and 80.lvl. According to reports, employees were notified via emails sent out at 5 AM local time, while the layoffs affect a number of different teams within […]
uTag lets you use Samsung’s SmartTags trackers with any Android device
Samsung’s SmartTags trackers and Galaxy Find network offer similar functionality to Apple’s AirTags and Find My network, including precision finding using ultra wideband (UWB) radios. The downside is that they only work with Samsung Galaxy devices. A free open-source app called uTag (short for Universal Tag), developed by Kieron Quinn, lets Samsung’s SmartTags trackers work […]
Motorola’s new Paris Hilton edition Razr is the ultimate Y2K throwback
Motorola has teamed up with Paris Hilton to release a limited-edition version of the Razr Plus. It’s exactly what you expect: pink, pricey ($1,199.99 to be exact, $200 more than the standard model), and comes with a custom baby pink vegan leather case that looks like a teeny handbag. It even includes an alternative sparkly […]
AI chatbots are distorting news stories, BBC finds
AI chatbots struggle with factual inaccuracies and distortions when summarizing news stories, research from the BBC has found. The study, which examined whether OpenAI’s ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, and Perplexity can accurately summarize news, found more than half of all the AI-generated output had “significant issues of some form.” As part of the study, […]
Donald Trump reignites the lightbulb wars
President Donald Trump wants to make America incandescent again. He posted on his social media platform Truth Social that he plans to end Biden-era standards for lightbulbs that accelerated the adoption of LED lighting. According to that post, he’ll direct his appointee Lee Zeldin to “go back to the common sense standards,” for lightbulbs. Zeldin […]
Netflix’s Sirens of the Deep is a throwback to classic Witcher monster hunting
The Witcher is in a period of transition right now. While the live-action TV series is shifting to a new lead actor in the role of Geralt as it approaches its finale, the next game will switch things up even more, with Ciri as the protagonist. These are huge changes for the fantasy franchise. And […]
Apple Intelligence might turn itself back on with the latest software updates
Updating a newer iPhone, iPad, or Mac to the latest software could have an unintended side effect of re-enabling Apple Intelligence. Users who turned off Apple’s AI features in iOS / iPadOS 18.3 or macOS 15.3 — the first set of updates to enable the features by default — have reported that the software suite […]
Playstation starts its 2025 with a new State of Play
Sony has announced that it will hold a presentation to show off the next batch of upcoming Playstation games. The presentation will take place Wednesday, February 12th at 2 PM PT / 5 PM ET. It’ll have a runtime of 40 minutes and feature, “creative and unique selection of exciting games from studios around the […]
The new Powerbeats Pro 2 have a sleeker design and heart-rate monitoring
Beats just announced the $249 Powerbeats Pro 2, the long-awaited sequel to a pair of fitness earbuds released way back in 2019. The new model retains the ear hook design that’s synonymous with the Powerbeats line, but the buds are significantly smaller and 20 percent lighter than their predecessors. The charging case has also been […]
Powerbeats Pro 2 review: the workout buds to beat
After an epic wait, the Powerbeats Pro 2 are finally here. No, seriously. The original Powerbeats Pro released nearly six years ago, roughly an ice age as far as gadgets go. Turns out, it was worth it thanks to new active noise canceling, a transparency mode, and heart rate monitoring. None of these features are […]
Civilization VII is mostly fine on the Steam Deck, which is great news
There are few things more daunting than attempting to win a game of Civilization by way of cultural victory… except maybe trying to play a complex strategy game on the Steam Deck. And while I’m still struggling on the culture victory aspect, I can say, playing Civilization VII on my Steam Deck was far less […]
YouTube is now even bigger on TVs than phones
It’s official: people are spending more time watching YouTube on their TVs than on their phones. In the platform’s annual letter, YouTube CEO Neal Mohan revealed that viewers are watching more than 1 billion hours of YouTube content on their TVs every day. For the past two years, YouTube has maintained its position as the […]
What $200 of ChatGPT is really worth
Over the last few weeks, OpenAI has done the previously unthinkable: it has consistently shipped interesting new user-facing products. First there was Tasks, a way to engage ChatGPT in helping you get things done. Then there was Operator, a way for the chatbot to actually do things for you. And finally there was “deep research,†[…]
EU mobilizes $200 billion in AI race against US and China
The European Union says it will channel €200 billion (about $206 billion) into artificial intelligence investments in a bid to compete with the US and China. At the AI Action Summit in Paris on Tuesday, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen announced the bloc would spend €50 billion (about $51 billion) to top up […]
Meta wants to teach kids how to spot predators online
Meta has partnered with the nonprofit organization Childhelp to create a curriculum that will teach middle schoolers how to recognize forms of online exploitation, such as sextortion scams and grooming. The curriculum was “fully funded” by Meta and is free for any school, parent, or organization to access. Meta says the curriculum consists of lesson […]
Don’t wait around for Pebble founder’s Small Android Phone
In 2023, when I realized small phones were truly dead, I decided I couldn’t wait for the Small Android Phone Project to revive them. That project, from the founder of the Pebble smartwatch, just wasn’t far enough along. Unfortunately, things aren’t any better in 2025 for small phone lovers — now that founder Eric Migicovsky […]
Google Maps now shows the ‘Gulf of America’
Google Maps now shows the “Gulf of America” in place of the “Gulf of Mexico” for users on both web and mobile in the United States. It made the change after the Trump administration formally changed the name today of the body of water spanning between the eastern coast of Mexico and the Florida panhandle. […]
Hacker pleads guilty of taking over SEC’s X account to post fake Bitcoin news
Hacker Eric Council Jr. pleaded guilty Monday to charges of conspiracy to commit aggravated identity theft and access device fraud after he took over the SEC’s X account in January 2024. Once Council gained access to the account, his unnamed co-conspirators posted a doctored image, message, and fake quote by then SEC Chairman Gary Gensler […]
Elon Musk just offered to buy OpenAI for $97.4 billion
In a dramatic escalation of Silicon Valley’s most heated AI rivalry, Elon Musk just announced that he’s leading a $97.4 billion bid to buy OpenAI’s nonprofit arm, according to The Wall Street Journal. The bid was reportedly delivered to the board Monday morning. The offer brings together a powerful coalition of backers, including Musk’s own […]
Big Tech is still silent on Trump’s tariffs
President Donald Trump’s 10 percent tariff on goods imported from China has been in effect for nearly a week. Ahead of the tariff going into effect, I wrote that “Big Tech has been silent on Trump’s tariffs” — almost no one in the industry had a public reaction or said how they would respond. A week […]
Google’s upgraded NotebookLM is now included in its One AI Premium plan
Google is bringing its upgraded note-taking app to its One AI Premium plan. That means subscribers will now gain access to NotebookLM Plus at no added cost, which offers higher usage limits and premium features, like the ability to customize NotebookLM’s responses. Google first launched NotebookLM in 2023, allowing people to use AI to research […]
Elon Musk’s DOGE activities trigger protests, vandalism for Tesla
Elon Musk’s role in carrying out President Donald Trump’s dirty work has triggered a wave of opposition that is spilling over into protests against his flagship company, Tesla. Over the last week, some people have held demonstrations while others have vandalized Tesla vehicles owned by individual buyers and showrooms — with actions stretching from New […]
Amazon’s latest Kindle Paperwhite is nearly matching its best price to date
If you’re wondering what to gift the bibliophile in your life for Valentine’s Day, Amazon’s ongoing President’s Day sale is worth a look. The Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition has returned to its best price to date, while the latest Kindle Paperwhite has received its first discount since the holidays. Right now, the ad-supported Paperwhite, one […]
Apple releases security updates to block iPhone passcode hacking tools, again
Apple released iOS 18.3.1, iPadOS 18.3.1, and iPadOS 17.7.5 today to address a zero-day exploit that might allow attackers to access data on a locked device. The update patches the OS against an attack on USB Restricted Mode, which Apple first implemented in devices with the release of iOS 11.4.1 in 2018, to prevent attempts […]
Sonos’ chief marketing officer has left the company
In a continued shuffling of the top ranks at Sonos, chief marketing officer Jordan Saxemard has exited the company. His departure is effective immediately. The news was announced during an internal call on Monday. Lindsay Whitworth, who has been at Sonos for over 20 years, will lead the brand’s marketing on an interim basis. Internally, […]
Roblox, Discord, OpenAI, and Google found new child safety group
Google, OpenAI, Roblox, and Discord have formed a new non-profit organization to help improve child safety online. The Robust Open Online Safety Tools (ROOST) initiative aims to make core safety technologies more accessible for companies and provide free, open-source AI tools for identifying, reviewing, and reporting child sexual abuse material. The initiative was partially motivated […]
Wool, clay, and elbow grease: bringing stop-motion games to life
One of the biggest lessons of working on stop-motion video games? Rolling up your sleeves — literally. “It’s such a nightmare,” Talha & Jack Co developer Jack King-Spooner told me over a video call. “You spend maybe half an hour doing one of the cutscenes. The cutscenes are the most precarious things because you have […]
Chip race: Microsoft, Meta, Google, and Nvidia battle it out for AI chip supremacy
The rise of generative AI has been powered by Nvidia and its advanced GPUs. As demand far outstrips supply, the H100 has become highly sought after and extremely expensive, making Nvidia a trillion-dollar company for the first time. It’s also prompting customers, like Microsoft, Meta, OpenAI, Amazon, and Google to start working on their own […]
OpenAI is reportedly getting closer to launching its in-house chip
OpenAI remains on track to start producing its in-house AI chip next year, according to a report from Reuters. Sources tell the outlet that OpenAI plans to finalize its design over the next few months before sending it to the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) for fabrication. By making a chip of its own, OpenAI […]
Our favorite mopping vacuum is a whopping $500 off right now
Whether you’re picking up after a rowdy Super Bowl party or need help battling a growing army of children, cats, and dogs, grabbing a robot vacuum that can mop is one of the smartest decisions you can make going into 2025. There are a number of great options available, but few can match the mopping […]
Lyft eyes robotaxi launch in 2026
Lyft says it will launch a fleet of robotaxis, using self-driving technology from Intel’s Mobileye, in Dallas in “as soon as 2026,” with plans to scale to ”thousands” of vehicles in additional markets in the months to follow. To signal its seriousness, the company tapped Marubeni, a Japanese conglomerate, to run fleet operations. Lyft’s news […]
Sen. Ron Wyden is here to stop Elon Musk
Today, I’m talking with Sen. Ron Wyden, a Democrat and the senior senator from Oregon. He’s been in the Senate for almost 30 years, which makes him one of the longest-serving members of the institution. He’s also deeply involved in tech policy — in fact, he co-authored Section 230 in 1996. That’s the law that […]
Teenage Engineering OP-XY review: extremely fun, extremely powerful, extremely expensive
Teenage Engineering is a design firm as much as it is a musical instrument company. Its devices rarely look or behave anything like what you’d buy from a Korg or a Moog. The best distillation of its identity remains the OP-1, a quirky groovebox that garnered as much attention for its aesthetics as its all-in-one […]
The Practice Pro app has all the tools I want for music rehearsal
An iOS app called Practice Pro hit the App Store last week that might be the ideal music rehearsal app. It features a customizable interface with widgets like a digital tuner, metronomes, and audio recorder, and it’s an ad-free pay-once-and-its-yours affair. The app costs $0.99 cents right now, an introductory price that its developer, Joe […]
Roblox: all the news about the popular social and gaming platform
Roblox is a massive app — as of September 2023, Roblox says it has more than 65 million daily active users — and it’s becoming an increasingly interesting platform to watch amid growing competition from social and metaverse platforms like Epic Games’ Fortnite and Meta’s Horizon Worlds. While Roblox has traditionally been associated as a […]
Discord now lets you quietly block people
Discord is offering users a new way to block people without the confrontational nature of an actual block. The new feature, called Ignore, is essentially a mute function that can hide annoying or abusive users without attracting unwanted attention — thus avoiding unnecessary anxiety or flare-up drama. You can apply the new Ignore feature by […]
The Verge’s 2025 smart start gift guide
The cliche “new year, new me” rally cry doesn’t exclusively apply to resetting common goals related to health, finances, or education. The turning of the calendar is also a great reminder to check whether your daily sanctuary could be more pleasant or functional. There are many ways to usher in change, too, whether that’s with […]
OnePlus Watch 3 arrives next week with five days of battery
OnePlus has announced that the Watch 3 will launch in the US and Europe on February 18th. It features even better battery life than the OnePlus Watch 2, running for up to five days without needing a charge. It also introduces a new digital crown, which unlike the last one can rotate to navigate Wear […]
Elon Musk’s rapid unscheduled disassembly of the US government
Almost 250 years after the Declaration of Independence, America has gotten herself a new king. His name is Elon Musk. “Wait a minute,†you may be saying. “What about President Donald Trump?†Trump ran, much like Silvio Berlusconi before him, primarily to avoid prosecutions. He has never liked being president and he has already gotten […]
Nvidia’s RTX 5090 power connectors are melting
Ah shit, here we go again. Two owners of Nvidia’s new RTX 5090 Founders Edition GPUs have reported melted power connectors and damage to their PSUs. The images look identical to reports of RTX 4090 power cables burning or melting from two years ago. Nvidia blamed the issue on people not properly plugging the 12VHPWR […]
First look at the ‘world’s thinnest’ foldable
In just ten days time, Oppo will launch the Find N5, the world’s thinnest book-style foldable. I just spent a few minutes with the device and what follows are my early impressions. Oppo is careful to use that “book-style” disclaimer, because the Find N5 isn’t quite as thin as Huawei’s trifold Mate XT, launched in […]
T-Mobile’s Starlink messaging service is now free to try, even if you aren’t on T-Mobile
T-Mobile’s Starlink-powered direct-to-cell satellite messaging service is now open for anyone in the US to try for free — including people who aren’t T-Mobile customers. The service will be limited to text messaging at first but the company hopes to have some apps and even limited multimedia support ready by the time it goes live […]
Rivian is now selling electric vans to anyone who wants one
Rivian’s electric van is now available to be purchased by anyone with a commercial fleet, the automaker said today. For several years, Rivian’s van was exclusive to Amazon. Now, the platform on which the e-commerce giant based its delivery van is open to anyone with a fleet of commercial vehicles and some money to burn. […]
Inside OpenAI’s $14 million Super Bowl debut
OpenAI just made its Super Bowl debut with a 60-second spot that positions AI alongside humanity’s greatest innovations. The commercial traces humanity’s technological evolution through a distinctive pointillism-inspired animation style, transforming abstract dots into iconic images of progress – from early tools like fire and the wheel to modern breakthroughs like DNA sequencing and space […]
Here’s Tim Cook hanging out in New Orleans for the Super Bowl
Apple CEO Tim Cook was seen making the rounds yesterday in New Orleans, where the Super Bowl LIX matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles is being played today. Accompanying him for at least some of that time has been fellow Apple senior VP of services Eddy Cue. Thanks to his mild-mannered […]
Sony is giving PS Plus members extra days following PSN’s big outage
Following the huge PlayStation Network (PSN) outage that ended yesterday, Sony is giving an automatic five extra days of service to PlayStation Plus subscribers, according to a post from the official Ask PlayStation support account on X. “Network services have fully recovered from an operational issue,” the company wrote in the post. “We apologize for […]
How close is Elon Musk to controlling a nuclear weapon?
What was once ridiculous is now possible. Elon Musk, the richest person in the history of the world, has become President Donald Trump’s attack dog. Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have unprecedented access to the government’s data and computer system. Earlier this week, that came to include systems in the Department of […]
How to hide files and folders on macOS
When you set up a new Mac, you’re instructed to keep it locked down with a password, a Touch ID, and / or an Apple Watch authorization. But you can’t guarantee that your macOS system will only be seen by you and you alone. Maybe your kids want to borrow your MacBook to play a […]
Amazfit Active 2 review: outsized bang for your buck
A common reader request I get goes something like this: what should I buy if I don’t want a smartwatch but want basic fitness tracking? When I suggest alternatives like budget fitness bands or smart rings, I get an unsure hmm and a displeased scrunch of the nose. After a few more back-and-forths, I usually […]
Trump vs. Twitter: The president takes on social media moderation
After Twitter gave one of President Trump’s tweets a modest reality check, the president threatened to “shut down” social media companies, personally targeted a Twitter employee, and signed an executive order that would affect the entire internet. It’s the latest salvo in a long-simmering feud between the president and his favorite social media platform. Although he has […]
The entire story of Twitter / X under Elon Musk
Elon Musk bought Twitter, and now he’s rebranding it as X. Signs have gone up (and back down), icons are changing, and an old plan is new. How’d we get here? On April 4th, 2022, we learned that Musk had purchased enough shares of Twitter to become its largest individual shareholder. Eventually, he followed up […]
Two new games you can play basically forever
Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 70, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, go Chiefs I guess, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I’ve been reading about kicking sugar and NBA trades and the rise of […]
Civilization VII is getting a Quest VR port this spring
The Civilization franchise is getting the VR treatment with Sid Meier’s Civilization VII – VR on Meta Quest headsets this spring, 2K and Firaxis Games have announced. The “virtual and mixed reality” game will be available for the Quest 3 and 3S, but no price or specific release date has been announced quite yet. How […]
TikTok now offers its Android app for download outside of Google Play
TikTok is now offering US downloads of the Android version of the app on its own website, the company announced last night. With the change, Android users in the United States now have an easy way to download or update the app for the first time since Google removed it from Google Play last month […]
Federal judge blocks DOGE from accessing sensitive Treasury records
A federal judge temporarily blocked Elon Musk’s DOGE from accessing Treasury Department records containing personal information like Social Security numbers early this morning, reports Inner City Press. The order is in response to a lawsuit filed yesterday in New York’s Southern District Court. The suit alleges that the administration exceeded its authority, broke the US […]
How to stream Super Bowl LIX on Fox and Tubi
Getting ready for the Big Game? Once you’ve invited your friends over and picked what food to order, the most important thing is deciding how and where to watch Super Bowl LIX. But thankfully, it’s going to be very, very easy to catch the Eagles and Chiefs facing off in New Orleans. If history’s anything […]
Everything we think we know about the next iPhone SE
Apple is expected to announce a new iPhone SE as early as next week, and it could mark a major shakeup to the company’s affordable iPhone, adding in Face ID and killing off the classic home button. We have a pretty good idea of what’s coming after months of leaks and rumors, so here’s everything […]
Spirit Swap has way more than lo-fi beats to match-3 to
It’s odd that a match-3 game got me in my feelings so much that I’m considering adding making games to my profession of covering them. But that’s exactly what happened after my delightful time with Spirit Swap: Lofi Beats to Match-3 To. It’s a mouthful of a name, but damned if the game doesn’t do […]
Zoox robotaxi hands on: safe, but lagging
I’m standing outside a nondescript corporate office park in Las Vegas next to a box-shaped vehicle with no proper front or back. It’s got a set of sliding doors, no steering wheel, and touchpad controls. It’s bidirectional, meaning it can move in either direction without turning around. And to be completely frank, it looks more […]
My water filtration kit for good times and the very bad
Access to water is always a concern when heading off the grid in my van — not when I’m home in Amsterdam, a city surrounded by the stuff. That certainty changed recently when government ministers began quietly prodding citizens to stock up on emergency supplies due to an increased risk of armed conflict and other […]
PlayStation Network is down
PlayStation Network (PSN) is experiencing some major problems as of Friday evening. According to Sony’s PSN status page, account management, gaming and social, PlayStation Video, PlayStation Store, and the PlayStation Direct website are all dealing with issues. For gaming specifically, Sony says that “you might have difficulty launching games, apps, or network features.” A colleague […]
Meta goes to war with leakers
During a Q&A with employees earlier this week, one of Meta’s top executives gave an ominous warning.
GM will reportedly stop making gas-powered Chevy Blazer
The combustion engine version of the Chevy Blazer is reportedly being discontinued and will eventually only be offered as an EV, sources tell GM Authority. Both the Chevy Blazer EV and the gas-powered Chevy Blazer have been assembled at GM’s Ramos Arizpe plant in Mexico, but with the gas Blazer now sunsetting with the 2025 […]
Google Calendar removed events like Pride and BHM because its holiday list wasn’t ‘sustainable’
Some Google Calendar users are angrily calling the company out after noticing that certain events like Pride month are no longer highlighted by default. Black History Month, Indigenous People Month, Jewish Heritage, Holocaust Remembrance Day, and Hispanic Heritage have also been removed, according to a Google product expert. One user called the move “shameful” and said that the […]
Netflix’s Prince documentary has been axed by the late artist’s estate
Netflix definitely wanted to debut Ezra Edelman’s nine-hour-long documentary chronicling Prince’s life, but that won’t be happening thanks to the late singer’s estate.Though Edelman’s untitled documentary was already completed, Netflix announced on Thursday that it has “come to a mutual agreement†with Prince’s estate to keep the film from being released.
Musk promises to reinstate DOGE staffer linked to racist account
Marko Elez, the 25-year-old staffer Department of Government Efficiency staffer linked to a social media profile with racist posts, “will be brought back,” shortly after he resigned, Elon Musk announced on X. Elez resigned from his role where he reportedly had the ability to rewrite code in sensitive payments systems at the US Treasury, once […]
FEMA’s website started deleting ‘climate change’
The term “climate change” has started to vanish from Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) website. Its former “climate resilience” website has been rebranded under the title “future conditions.” There are still subtle references to climate change there, but it’s more of a whisper than an urgent warning as it was before. The edits come as […]
How small businesses are leveraging tech to unite generations
Today’s workplace stretches four generations. The oldest members of Generation Z are reaching their mid-20s, while the youngest baby boomers are turning 60. That leaves employers to account for a range of backgrounds and ways of working. It’s become vital that companies use technology to enable more seamless collaboration and productivity. But it’s not just […]
DOGE wreaked havoc on the government in just one week
Within the past week, Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE)-affiliated staffers have gained unprecedented access to sensitive US financial systems with data on millions of Americans, claimed to shut down one federal agency without an act of Congress, and invaded numerous government agencies. They’ve been opposed by lawsuits, public protests, and resistance […]
A minimalist E Ink alternative to budget smartphones
With a 6.13-inch black-and-white E Ink screen, Bigme’s new Hibreak Pro looks similar to the Boox Palma 2 that debuted last October. But while the Palma 2 is positioned as a pocket-sized e-reader, the Hibreak Pro features a more powerful processor and dual-SIM 5G capabilities. The Bigme Hibreak Pro is currently available for preorder through […]
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man gets community justice right
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man star Hudson Thames left many eyebrows raised last week after his comments about fearing the Disney Plus series would be “annoying and woke.†During a subsequent Reddit AMA, series creator Jeff Trammell was quick to start doing damage control, and he insisted that Thames had misspoken. But even in its most […]
A tiny satellite showed it can take high-res pics from space
Tokyo-based startup ArkEdge Space claims it has snapped what is “probably” the highest quality images of Earth taken by a small CubeSat. The photos were taken 410 kilometers above the Earth’s surface by the company’s CubeSat called ONGLAISAT, co-developed by Taiwan’s space agency TASA. It has precision attitude control, a TASA-developed Korsch off-axis optical system, […]
Apple drops lawsuit against former iOS engineer accused of leaking Vision Pro details
Apple has dismissed its lawsuit against the former engineer it sued for leaking information about its Journal app and Vision Pro headset, as reported earlier by 9to5Mac. The former employee, Andrew Aude, issued an apology on X, saying, “Leaking was not worth it. I sincerely apologize to my former colleagues who not only worked tirelessly […]
Trump suspends order that created delivery chaos
President Donald Trump has paused the removal of the de minimis exemption on goods from China, temporarily putting an end to the confusion and high fees that have plagued both customers and businesses over the past few days. The de minimis exemption allows packages valued at less than $800 to enter the country duty free, […]
Trump administration halts $5 billion EV charging program that benefited Tesla
The Trump administration’s war on electric cars continues with the halt of a national program that sends money to states to install EV charging equipment. It was the latest move by President Donald Trump to reverse Biden-era EV policies — even as those policies have personally enriched his top ally, Elon Musk. According to a […]
Go Read This: The Verge’s favorite reads from all over the web
The internet is filled with awesome stuff to read, and there’s new awesome stuff to read being published every day! That’s the good news. The bad news is that finding the good stuff feels harder than ever. You either find your favorite writers or sources and check them religiously or just hope that the algorithm […]
Now you can strap Crocs to your face with this Vision Pro faceplate
Dbrand has announced a unique (disturbing? unsettling?) way to protect the Apple Vision Pro that completely negates the sleek aesthetics of the headset’s curved laminated glass display. Its new Aperture faceplate, which was originally conceived by a former AR designer at Snap, features a trypophobia-inducing pattern of seemingly random holes that are actually all strategically […]
Hasbro is summoning a live-action Magic: The Gathering ‘universe’
Hasbro is teaming up with movie production company Legendary Entertainment to create a live-action film and TV “universe” based on Magic: The Gathering. The project will initially focus on a currently untitled feature film according to Hasbro’s press release, with television series and “other content” then expected to follow as the cinematic universe develops. Neither […]
Google Pixel Watch 3 is $60 off for Verge readers
The Android faithful have more smartwatch options than ever, but there are a few obvious starting points. If you’re on a Samsung smartphone (like the Galaxy S25 series that’s launched today), you should probably go for a Galaxy Watch. For almost every other brand, the Google Pixel Watch 3 should be at or near the […]
Donald Trump’s tariffs, explained
If you live in the US, congratulations — you are now a foot soldier in what has been called “the dumbest trade war in history.†And if you live in one of the top three countries that trade most with the US (Canada, Mexico, and China), apologies: you are part of this as well. Donald […]
Let’s talk about the battery in smart glasses
We were whizzing down the slopes, screaming because it is sort of ridiculous to go flying down a snowy hill in an inflatable tube. There was a friendly family competition going on to see who could get down the hill the fastest. Other snowtubers had their phones out — my spouse had planned to record […]
These retractable USB-C cables replaced everything else in my bag
I have a cable problem. I’m the guy with a giant box (three, actually) of ancient power cables that connect to nothing, just in case a time traveler appears with my hard drive from 2006 and demands I plug it in. I have approximately a thousand Lightning cables, even though the only Lightning-charging device I […]
Mentions of trans kids scrubbed from national child safety clearinghouse website
The National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), a child safety nonprofit that works closely with the government and major tech platforms, has recently removed publications that reference queer and transgender children from its website. The removals come amid reports that NCMEC was ordered to cull mentions of LGBTQ+ issues under threat of losing […]
Google faked Gemini AI output in Super Bowl ad
Google appears to have faked AI output in a commercial set to run during the Super Bowl. The ad shows a business owner using Gemini to write a website description, but the text portrayed as generated by AI has been available on the business’s website since at least August 2020, as shown on this archived […]
Amazon will pay $4 million to settle driver tip theft lawsuit
Amazon has agreed to pay the District of Columbia $3.95 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that the retail giant had stolen more than $60 million in tips intended for its Flex delivery drivers. DC Attorney General Brian L. Schwalb announced the settlement today, which includes $2.45 million in penalties and requires Amazon to clearly […]
Elon Musk’s computer coup
Elon Musk and the team at the Department of Government Efficiency figured out one thing really fast: if you control the computers, you control everything. And so Musk and his merry band of engineers have spent the last week or so parading into various US government agencies and taking control of their systems. There’s so […]
I tested ChatGPT’s deep research with the most misunderstood law on the internet
In the vast number of fields where generative AI has been tested, law is perhaps its most glaring point of failure. Tools like OpenAI’s ChatGPT have gotten lawyers sanctioned and experts publicly embarrassed, producing briefs based on made-up cases and nonexistent research citations. So when my colleague Kylie Robison got access to ChatGPT’s new “deep […]
PS Plus members can score nearly 20 percent off a PlayStation Portal right now
Sony can be somewhat stingy about offering discounts on first-party accessories like the PlayStation Portal, which is why the latest PlayStation sale is worth checking out. Now through February 19th, PlayStation Plus members can buy two PlayStation 5 accessories and get 20 percent off purchases over $100. If you aren’t a PS Plus member, you […]
How to enable end-to-end encryption for your iCloud backups
Apple has advanced security features that you can enable to protect more of your data. Among other things, it includes highly secure end-to-end encryption for iCloud backups under the name Advanced Data Protection. This means that essentially only you can access the data stored in your iCloud device backup — Apple doesn’t have the key […]
Apple ordered to open encrypted user accounts globally to UK spying
Apple has reportedly been ordered by the UK government to create a backdoor that would give security officials access to users’ encrypted iCloud backups. If implemented, British security services would have access to the backups of any user worldwide, not just Brits, and Apple would not be permitted to alert users that their encryption was […]
Microsoft Edge now has an AI-powered scareware blocker
Microsoft has started rolling out a new scareware blocker in its Edge browser this week. The AI-powered feature runs on Windows PCs and can identify and block existing scams, and even detect new and emerging ones thanks to a local machine learning model. “Scareware blocker adds a new, first line of defense to help protect […]
Acer’s new Predator Helios Neo gaming laptops offer RTX 5070 Ti GPUs and lots of ports
Nvidia’s RTX 5090 and 5080 desktop GPUs sort of launched last month, but on the laptop front, we’re still awaiting the avalanche of 50-series notebooks to come crashing in, starting with these hefty new mid-rangers from Acer. The (deep breath) Predator Helios Neo 16 AI and Predator Helios Neo 18 AI can be configured with […]
Sony apparently hates fun, axes the Bloodborne demake with another copyright claim
Will Sony ever release a remake or remaster of Bloodborne, the Dark Souls successor that became one of our favorite games of 2015? Even Sony’s former games chief isn’t sure — but that isn’t stopping Sony’s copyright enforcers from shutting down fun in the meanwhile. Last week, it axed the 60fps mod that let the […]
Nintendo patents show the Switch 2 Joy-Con may indeed work like a mouse — and so might a new controller
Newly-published Nintendo patents show that the company has been exploring a version of its Joy-Con controllers that can work like a computer mouse, a feature Nintendo has hinted will be coming to the Switch 2. In its Switch 2 teaser video last month, Nintendo showed two Joy-Con controllers sliding along the ground, much like you’d […]
Apple’s new iPhone SE might be announced next week
Apple’s next iPhone SE might be announced “as early as next week” ahead of it being on sale later in February, Bloomberg reports. The new phone has already seemingly appeared in photos and video and Bloomberg says Apple’s inventory of the current iPhone SE has started running low, which all could point to an imminent […]
Tinder adds new Explore categories to help you find likeminded dates
Tinder is updating its Explore page with new categories to help you find dates with similar relationship goals. With the update, you can now browse profiles in groups such as “Serious Dater,” “Long-Term Partner,” “Non-monogamy,” and “Short-Term Fun.” The dating app notes that you can only qualify for the Serious Dater category if you have […]
DOGE staffer resigns after reporters uncover racist posts
Marko Elez — the 25-year-old Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) staffer who has reportedly been combing through the Treasury Department’s payment systems — resigned from his position after the Wall Street Journal uncovered an old social media account linked to him with numerous posts promoting racism and eugenics. “99% of Indian H1Bs will be replaced […]
This Pixar-style dancing lamp hints at Apple’s future home robot
We’ve got more evidence that Apple is developing a tabletop robot for the home, courtesy of a blog post published on Apple’s Machine Learning Research site. First spotted by MacRumors, the post summarizes a paper by an Apple research team that developed a robot with expressive movements to see how much more engaging it is […]
GTA VI: all the news on Rockstar’s next entry in the Grand Theft Auto series
It’s been a decade and two console generations since the release of GTA V. But that time’s over. Rockstar announced that it would reveal the game’s first trailer on Tuesday, December 5th, 2023, at 6AM PT / 9AM ET. Unfortunately, an early leak prompted the company to release the trailer more than half a day […]
AMC is upping the price for its A-List Stubs subscription
Following AMC’s recent changes to its Stubs program — a set of perks that actually seemed like a solid way to get people to sign up — the theater chain is now planning to raise the subscription service’s prices. Variety reports that, beginning May 7th, a membership to Stub’s A-List tier — which currently allows […]
Today is your last chance to snag a preorder deal on Samsung’s latest Galaxy phones
Thousands of retailers and carrier stores in the US will be stocked with the Samsung Galaxy S25 ($799.99), S25 Plus ($999.99), and S25 Ultra ($1,299.99) on Friday, February 7th. Hardware-wise, the S25 series is a marginal improvement over last year’s S24 series, with the most noteworthy changes coming in the form of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 […]
Another bill wants to ban kids from social media
Lawmakers’ efforts to limit the use of social media by kids are continuing into 2025 with the Kids Off Social Media Act (KOSMA). The bill, which would prevent kids under 13 from creating social media accounts, advanced through the Senate Commerce Committee on Wednesday, as reported earlier by Politico. Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and Ted […]
Sonos explored creating a MagSafe speaker for iPhones
Not long before last year’s software quagmire thrust the company into controversy, Sonos tinkered with an idea that some employees believed might resonate with Gen Z customers. Engineers at Sonos prototyped a miniature speaker that could magnetically connect to the back of Apple’s recent iPhones. At least conceptually, the since-abandoned product sounds rather similar to […]
Deadline for government’s ‘Fork in the road’ mass resignation program delayed by court
A federal judge in Massachusetts temporarily blocked the Trump administration’s “deferred resignation” program, meant to push out career government workers as part of the Elon Musk-run Department of Government Efficiency’s alleged effort to cut federal spending, several outlets report. The program gave employees a deadline just before midnight on Thursday to accept the offer, which […]
Trump has California’s high-speed rail in his crosshairs again
President Donald Trump has set his sights on California’s high-speed rail plan, calling it “the worst-managed project†with massive cost overruns that deserve to be investigated. “They have hundreds of billions of dollars of cost overruns,†Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday, according to the Los Angeles Times. “It’s impossible that something […]
The Apple Watch SE is the cheapest it’s been in months
The Apple Watch Series 10 is a great smartwatch for iPhone owners, but it’s overkill if you want to track the basics and little else. In those instances, the latest Apple Watch SE might be the better buy, especially when you can get it at a steep discount. Fortunately, Apple’s entry-level watch is available at Amazon and Best […]
NASA is going to do a Twitch stream from the ISS
NASA is planning to host a live Twitch stream next week from the International Space Station (ISS) – its first from the ISS. The stream, which takes place on February 12th at 11:45AM ET on NASA’s Twitch channel, will feature Don Pettit, an astronaut currently on the ISS, and Matt Dominick, who returned to Earth […]
World of Warcraft finally tackles the housing crisis
After 20 years, World of Warcraft is finally adding player housing. During its Warcraft 30th Anniversary Direct last year, Blizzard delighted players with the surprise announcement that the feature — a long-time staple in other MMOs — was on the way. Now the studio has revealed a bit more information with a new blog explaining […]
Google’s Gemini Super Bowl ads push AI as a tool you can use every day
Google debuted a pair of new Super Bowl commercials that portray AI as a technology that’s as central to people’s lives as the phone or computer they access it on. But, like some of Google’s other Super Bowl ads, the company is once again attempting to make you pull out your tissues in between plays. […]
Here’s why your smart fridge needs an expiration date
Have you thought about what you’re going to do when your smart fridge is too old to download its latest software update? While you’d probably replace your phone or computer when its software hits its end of life, your fridge will still keep your food cold even if it can’t stream TikToks like those fancy […]
Head of DOGE-controlled government tech task force resigns
Ted Carstensen, the head of the United States Digital Service (USDS) organization that has been renamed to Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), is resigning instead of taking the “Fork in the Road†buyout offer for federal employees. “I write to let you know that I have decided to resign from USDS and today […]
Leica made a $329 iPhone camera grip
Leica has announced a new iPhone accessory called the Leica Lux Grip designed to make using its iOS-only Leica Lux app feel more like shooting with its dedicated cameras. It adds a DSLR-style grip to the iPhone and features customizable function buttons, a two-stage shutter button, and a control dial. It’s available now for $329 […]
Rooster Teeth is coming back
Rooster Teeth — the studio behind animated web series such as RWBY, Red vs. Blue, and Gen:Lock — seemed like it was shuttering for good last year. The company announced that it was winding down operations due to parent company Warner Bros. Discovery’s inability to find a party interested in buying the production outfit. But […]
Elon Musk’s DOGE storms federal weather forecasters’ headquarters
Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) has reportedly infiltrated the headquarters of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the agency that collects and shares vital weather and climate information. Sources have told The Verge, as well as other news outlets, that they’re worried about drastic changes that could impact the public’s access to […]
Google is adding AI watermarks to photos manipulated by Magic Editor
Google Photos is adding its digital SynthID watermarks to photos that have been edited using the Magic Editor’s generative AI feature. The new feature is rolling out “this week” according to Google, and is intended to make it easier for people to quickly identify images that have been manipulated using the “reimagine” tool in Magic […]
What’s on your desk, Nick Statt?
What exactly is a producer? Well, according to Nick Statt, who is senior producer on The Verge’s Decoder podcast with Nilay Patel, “the word ‘producer’ means a lot of things in a lot of different contexts.” In his case — here at The Verge and in the world of audio — it means he and […]
Microsoft Teams is getting a Facebook-like feed and follow button
Meta is shutting down its Workplace platform next year, but Microsoft is planning to keep the dream of Facebook at work very much alive. Multiple sources at Microsoft tell me the company has started testing a fully integrated Facebook-like feed inside Microsoft Teams recently. Teams users will be able to post to the feed, known […]
Shipping companies warn of delays and new charges from Trump’s China tariffs
In the two days since President Trump enacted new tariffs on goods from China, none of the major US shipping companies and couriers have yet announced detailed policies on new fees, though some have warned of possible delays and disruption. Despite that, both senders and recipients are already reporting being asked to pay import taxes […]
Researchers trained an OpenAI rival in half an hour for less than $50
Researchers managed to create a low-cost AI reasoning model rivaling OpenAI’s in just 26 minutes, as outlined in a paper published last week. The model, called s1, was refined using a small dataset of 1,000 questions and for under $50, according to TechCrunch. To do this, researchers at Stanford and the University of Washington used […]
Spotify signs Warner Music deal heralding new subscription tiers
Spotify and Warner Music Group have inked a new multi-year deal covering publishing and recorded music that aims to “shape the future of audio-visual streaming.” In its announcement, Spotify says the agreement will expand the streaming platform’s catalog of audio and visual content and provide “new paid subscription tiers.” Spotify and Warner Music Group didn’t […]
Elon Musk’s presidency is just getting started
On today’s episode of Decoder, we’re discussing a very big problem with extremely far-reaching consequences: how dysfunctional has the federal government in the United States become, and how much of it has been handed to Elon Musk? If you’ve even glanced at the news over the past week, you’ve likely come across some alarming headlines […]
The Verge’s 2025 Valentine’s Day gift guide
Valentine’s Day might seem like any other commercial holiday given the abundance of candy and the sheer number of cards lining store shelves, but if you put in a little effort and a lot of heart, it can be about so much more. After all, at its core, February 14th is about celebrating love in […]
This vintage-looking camera has a button for computational photography
OM System has announced a new Micro Four Thirds mirrorless camera called the OM-3 with a design inspired by the Olympus OM-1 film camera that first debuted in 1972. Despite its vintage appearance, the OM-3 offers features similar to last year’s OM System OM-1 Mark II in a more compact and affordable body. These include […]
The Peloton story: everything you need to know
Peloton was a pandemic darling — one of the businesses that seemed to find its purpose as something more than a cultish fad when the world shut down. And then, everything went horribly wrong. First, the supply chain issues with monthslong delays for bikes that irked new customers. Then, a disastrous recall affected both of […]
Lyft is using Anthropic’s Claude AI for customer service
Lyft announced a new partnership with Anthropic to use the Claude AI assistant to handle customer service requests. Claude is already being put to use handling service inquiries from drivers, reducing the average resolution time for a request by 87 percent, the company said. In an example provided by Lyft, a driver asks the chatbot […]
Microsoft is bringing major MIDI improvements to Windows 11
Windows 11 is rolling out the biggest update to MIDI since the musical communication format was first released in 1983. Microsoft announced that its latest Windows 11 Canary test build includes a public preview of Windows MIDI Services, which supports MIDI 2.0 and updates allowing MIDI 1.0 to run on Windows on Arm. MIDI (which […]
AT&T customers can now see why a business is calling
Customers on AT&T’s network are getting one more tool to help them decide when to pick up the phone: an indication of why a business is calling you, right from the incoming call screen. It’s a continuation of the branded calling feature that AT&T and TransUnion introduced last year, and only works on Android phones. […]
Warner Bros. is streaming full movies for free on YouTube
Warner Bros. has made it easier to watch some of its movies online for once, bucking a trend of wiping them from existence. As spotted by Gizmodo, the official Warner Bros. Entertainment YouTube channel has quietly added more than 30 full movies to a playlist over the past month that you can watch here for […]
World’s first lab-grown meat for pets goes on sale
Dog treats made from lab-grown meat have gone on sale in the UK, in what the manufacturers say is a world-first. Chick Bites are getting a limited release at a single pet store from Friday, but Meatly says it is expanding production and hopes to make its lab-grown meat more widely available as it scales […]
The Asus Zenfone 12 Ultra is skipping the US
The Zenfone 12 Ultra officially launches today, but unlike previous generations, this one won’t be sold in the US. As expected, the 12 Ultra is a de-gamer-ified ROG Phone 9 Pro with a big screen, a Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset, and a unique gimbal-like stabilizer in the main camera. It’s the same formula Asus followed […]
China tariffs may already be hiking up import fees
US consumers may already be seeing additional fees on shipments from China after President Donald Trump’s tariff on Chinese goods took effect on Tuesday. Clint Reid, the founder and CEO of a company that offers software to help with cross-border commerce, posted screenshots on X showing additional charges added to a shipment from DHL: Another […]
Volkswagen claims it’s actually making that $20,000 EV and will show it next month
Volkswagen has announced that next month, it will show off a new low-cost, entry-level EV that could cost just €20,000 (about $20,800 USD), the price it suggested it would hit back when it announced the ID. Life concept in 2021. That’s a steal compared to current low-end US EVs like the over-$28,000 Nissan Leaf. Meanwhile, […]
Steam now warns you if an ‘early access’ PC game might be abandoned
Steam’s early access program helps small to medium-sized developers get an idea off the ground, but not every game actually does. Now, Valve has a notice designed to warn Steam users when they visit an early access game’s store page if it’s been a minute since the last update. If the dev’s lofty goals for […]
Qwertykeys halts keyboard shipments to US over tariff costs and confusion
The keyboard company Qwertykeys has temporaily halted all shipments to the United States in response to President Trump’s tariffs on Chinese goods going into effect. The company says it’s working on ways to mitigate shipping costs and that the tariffs have made it so that “all keyboards from China to the U.S. are now subject […]
Google tells employees why it’s ending DEI hiring goals
Google is joining Meta, Amazon, and other big tech companies in winding down its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs. In a Wednesday memo to employees that I obtained (and you can read below), Google’s head of HR, Fiona Cicconi, said there will no longer be DEI hiring targets due to the company’s status as […]
Ford lost $5 billion on EVs in 2024
Ford’s electric vehicle and software business lost $5.1 billion in 2024, up from $4.7 billion lost in 2024. And the automaker doesn’t anticipate any relief this year, when it predicts it will lose as much as $5.5 billion on its EV business. Ford reported its fourth quarter and full-year earnings on Wednesday, beating Wall Street […]
There’s a hidden message in Amazon’s event invites
Amazon sent out five different invites to its upcoming product event, and when pieced together, they spell out a familiar word: Alexa, the name of the company’s digital voice assistant. We assumed the event would be about Alexa’s long-heralded renaissance, and given this message, plus Amazon telling Reuters that the event will be Alexa-focused, it seems certain the new Alexa […]
Sonos lays off 200 employees as its struggles continue
Things at Sonos are getting worse before they get better — if they’re going to get better. Today the company laid off approximately 200 employees, The Verge has learned. The news was announced at around 4PM ET, and a letter to employees from interim CEO Tom Conrad was posted on Sonos’ website shortly thereafter. “One […]
All the news on Qi2 wireless charging
The Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) has (finally) released the new Qi2 standard that will help new devices and chargers line up perfectly, thanks to the magic of magnets. Version 2.0 of the Qi wireless charging standard supports up to 15W charging so that iPhone owners don’t have to get expensive MagSafe-certified accessories to enjoy optimal […]
What’s on your desk?
Many of us work from home, and so one of the most important places in those homes is our workspaces — in other words, our desks. Everyone’s workspace is different. What kind of desk — and desk chair — do you use? Is your workspace neat and organized or filled with tchotchkes and toys? Do […]
ChatGPT drops its sign-in requirement for search
ChatGPT no longer requires you to log in to use the AI chatbot’s search engine, OpenAI announced on Wednesday. With the feature, ChatGPT will surface responses based on information from the web while presenting a list of sources it used to inform its answer. OpenAI first launched its search engine to paid ChatGPT subscribers last […]
Newer Sony cameras can now upload images to Google Drive and Lightroom
Sony has updated its Creators’ Cloud platform so that images uploaded to a user’s cloud storage from select Sony cameras can be automatically transferred to Google Drive or Adobe Lightroom. With Google Drive, you can save photos for backup and sharing, and with Adobe Lightroom, images can be processed almost immediately, even by a remote […]
Reddit tells communities threatening Elon Musk and DOGE workers to cool down
Reddit has seen an increase in rule-breaking posts across “several communities,” and it has issued a temporary ban on one that featured users calling for violence against people who work for the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). That community, r/WhitePeopleTwitter, was given a 72-hour ban on Tuesday, as reported by Engadget. Screenshots shared […]
Look at this keyboard
Hey, real quick: look at this keyboard. There’s something cool about it. It’s a mechanical keyboard. It’s a laser keyboard. It’s a magnetic induction keyboard. It has the new switches. It has the old switches. It’s very thin. It’s got a weird layout. It has a trackpoint. Or a screen. It has cool keycaps. It […]
Nintendo says it’s ‘taking risks’ to meet Switch 2 demand
Nintendo is gearing up for the Switch 2’s launch sometime in 2025, and president Shuntaro Furukawa says that the company is “taking risks and proceeding with production so that we can meet as much demand as possible,” according to a machine translation of an earnings Q&A. The company had some trouble keeping the original Switch […]
Longer-lasting laptops: the modular hardware you can upgrade and repair yourself
When it comes to improving the sustainability of consumer electronics, there’s a growing movement to design devices with a focus on upgradability and repairability that can extend their longevity, instead of just making them easier to recycle after a few years of use. At one time, nearly every laptop maker was caught up in a […]
iOS App Store apps with screenshot-reading malware found for the first time
Apps distributed through both Apple and Google’s app stores are hiding malicious screenshot-reading code that’s being used to steal cryptocurrency, the cybersecurity software firm Kaspersky reported today. It’s the “first known case” of apps infected with malware that uses OCR tech to extract text from images making it into Apple’s App Store, according to a […]
Herman Miller made a convertible standing desk that actually looks great
Herman Miller has announced a new height-adjustable desk that doesn’t look like one. Instead of relying on just two columns to raise and lower its work surface, the Spout Sit-to-Stand Table uses four cylindrical legs, each containing their own motor. The design makes the Spout table easier to move around (it even includes optional wheels), […]
‘The biggest heist in American history’: DC is just waking up to Elon Musk’s takeover
The long block outside of the US Treasury Department on Tuesday was lined with protesters. They flooded across the street with signs bearing slogans: “Nobody elected Muskâ€; “This is illegal”; “Stop the coup.†It was one of multiple DC protests targeting billionaire Elon Musk’s reported access to core government payment systems, attended by Democratic members […]
VW and Audi dealers are suing Scout over its no-dealers plan
A coterie of Florida car dealers filed a lawsuit this week against Scout Motors over its direct-to-consumer sales model. The complaint alleges that Scout, which operates under the Volkswagen Group, is in violation of Florida law which blocks automakers from trying to bypass dealers by selling directly to consumers. The suit, which was filed by […]
A reviews site embroiled in AI scandal is back from the dead
Last summer, the staff at Gannett’s consumer reviews site Reviewed received terrible news: the media giant was shuttering the entire vertical and would be laying off dozens of employees. Effective November 1st, Reviewed would cease operations. Gannett blamed Google’s changing search algorithm, which had “degraded [its] business model.” The shuttering was a blow to the […]
Google pulls incorrect Gouda stat from its AI Super Bowl ad
Google has edited Gemini’s AI response in a Super Bowl commercial to remove an incorrect statistic about cheese. The ad, which shows a small business owner using Gemini to write a website description about Gouda, no longer says the variety makes up “50 to 60 percent of the world’s cheese consumption.” In the edited YouTube […]
Amazon announces February product event
Amazon sent out invites today for a February event in New York City. The invite gives few clues as to what will be announced at the event, which will be hosted by Panos Panay and the Amazon Devices & Services team on February 26th. However, a blue swirly logo behind the words “You’re invited” does […]
The Gemini AI app can now show its thinking
Google is bringing its experimental “reasoning” artificial intelligence model capable of explaining how it answers complex questions to the Gemini app. The Gemini 2.0 Flash Thinking update is part of a slew of Gemini 2.0 AI rollouts announced by Google today, including its latest Gemini 2.0 Pro flagship model. This comes as the search giant […]
Bandai’s live-action Gundam movie is getting a theatrical release
For a while, it looked like the first live-action Gundam movie was going to make its debut on Netflix, but Bandai now plans to put the movie in theaters. Though details about the film are still very slim, Bandai and Legendary announced today that their live-action Gundam feature will now be written and directed by […]
Beats Studio Buds Plus are matching their record low with $50 off
We’re still awaiting a new pair of Powerbeats Pro to drop sometime this year, but if you’re a Beats fan in need of a solid pair of wireless earbuds to bridge the gap, you’re in luck. The Beats Studio Buds Plus are on sale for their all-time low of price of $119.99 (about $50 off) […]
The end of Squid Game and Stranger Things solidifies Netflix’s new era
Netflix has a busy year of premieres ahead, but it might be most notable for what’s ending. As the streaming service continues to push into a new era full of live events, reality TV, and ad sales, it’s also saying goodbye to arguably its two biggest franchises, with both Stranger Things and Squid Game wrapping […]
Disney is doubling down on its plan to make ESPN the future of sports streaming
Disney wants to win the sports streaming war by making ESPN available “however the consumer wants it, wherever the consumer wants it,” Disney CEO Bob Iger said during an earnings call on Wednesday. The entertainment giant aims to give viewers multiple ways to watch ESPN, whether it’s through a standalone app slated to launch this […]
Comcast is adding Dolby Atmos to its ‘4K’ Super Bowl broadcast this year
From a presentation standpoint, Super Bowl LIX will largely be sticking to the status quo on Sunday. Fox Sports is capturing the game in 1080p HDR and upscaling that to 4K for its own networks and the free Tubi live stream. Comcast just announced that it’ll be airing the game in Dolby Vision, which it […]
Jurassic World Rebirth’s new trailer makes it sound like a video game
The larger Jurassic Park franchise feels like it should be telling stories about dinosaurs having taken over the entire planet at this point, but the new trailer for Jurassic World Rebirth makes it seem like the movie is going to retread old territory with a bit of a video game-inspired twist. Set five years after […]
Nintendo shares more info on its Switch 2 direct
As we settle in for the long, excruciating wait for more tangible news on the Switch 2, Nintendo has thrown us a little extra nugget of information. While we knew the company was planning to share more about the Switch 2 on April 2nd, now we have a time: 9 AM ET / 6 AM […]
Kagi search engine won’t bill you next month if you forget to use it
Kagi, a paid alternative to Google Search, now says it will credit your account if you subscribe and forget to use it. The company introduced what it calls “Fair Pricing” in a blog post yesterday, writing that any time you don’t use any of your searches during a full billing cycle, it will apply a […]
USPS backtracks, will accept parcels from China after all
The US Postal Service has reversed yesterday’s surprise decision to stop accepting inbound parcels from China and Hong Kong. It will continue to accept international shipments from the two countries, though it warns of “disruption” to deliveries. USPS previously announced that it was temporarily halting all packages shipped from China and Hong Kong. The decision […]
Rift of the NecroDancer’s story is an intro to some incredible music
Rift of the NecroDancer, a new music game from the creators of the music roguelike Crypt of the NecroDancer, solves the problem of exploring a big library of tracks with a simple idea: a story mode. In Rift, you have to press buttons in time with notes that appear on lanes in front of you, […]
Six ways to send a message to your representatives
We are living through what can charitably be called interesting times, and one of the questions that many people are asking is: “What can I do?†One answer to that question — no matter what side of the political spectrum you fall on — is to contact your federal or local representatives and let them […]
DJI explains why it won’t stop drones from flying over the White House — and what happens in a US ban
Time is not on DJI’s side. The world’s largest drone maker has less than a year to convince the Trump administration to save its products from an automatic US ban — at a time when drone fears have been stoked more than ever. Some of those fears were exacerbated by DJI’s own bad timing: days […]
Google scraps promise not to develop AI weapons
Google updated its artificial intelligence principles on Tuesday to remove commitments around not using the technology in ways “that cause or are likely to cause overall harm.” A scrubbed section of the revised AI ethics guidelines previously committed Google to not designing or deploying AI for use in surveillance, weapons, and technology intended to injure […]
Uber to Austin: get ready for Waymo
Uber is getting ready for the launch of Waymo’s public robotaxi service in Austin, Texas, prompting customers to join a list of people interested in riding in the Alphabet-owned company’s AVs when they finally go live. It also revealed photos of the new co-branded robotaxis that will operate across a swath of the Texas capital […]
Your packages are about to get slower and more expensive
The United States Postal Service announced Tuesday that it’s temporarily suspending inbound packages from China and Hong Kong, a move that’s likely to create delays and problems for packages from other destinations too. The suspension comes after President Trump used an executive order imposing a 10 percent tariff on Chinese goods to also close a […]
Microsoft’s Build developer conference starts on May 19th
Microsoft Build is once again being held in Seattle this year, just over the lake from Microsoft’s headquarters in Redmond, Washington. The developer conference will start on May 19th and run through May 22nd at the Seattle Convention Center. Microsoft hasn’t provided any hints about what the company plans to launch at Build, but it’s […]
Apex Legends: everything you need to know about the Titanfall battle royale
Instead of making Titanfall 3, developer Respawn took the franchise in a completely different direction with Apex Legends. A free-to-play battle royale game that mashes together elements of Overwatch and Fortnite, Apex Legends was a complete surprise when it launched, but it has turned out to be a big hit early on, luring tens of […]
Elgato’s Wave Link 2.0 promises clear vocals in any environment
Elgato is releasing a new version of its audio stream control software Wave Link that includes new AI-powered voice enhancements for your mic. It also has a new OS-level management system to redirect audio streams to certain apps, split audio to yourself and your audience, add audio effects, and quickly mute channels. The latest version […]
Google has ‘very good ideas’ for native ads in Gemini
Google’s Gemini AI assistant doesn’t have ads today, but the company has “very good ideas” for ways they could show up down the road, CEO Sundar Pichai said on an investor call this afternoon. Right now, you can access Gemini for free or pay for a subscription to use advanced features, but it sounds like […]
Apple Invites is at its best for people already in Apple’s world
Apple launched a new app today, called Apple Invites, which lets you create, share, and manage invitations for events. With it, you can generate a quick digital invitation that, when shared with your friends, lets them gather all the info about the event, RSVP, and add it to their calendar. That includes your Android friends, […]
Here’s OpenAI’s new logo
OpenAI just gave itself a full rebrand, complete with a new typeface, logo, and color palette, as explained to Wallpaper in an interview about the process behind the changes. You’ll have to look closely to spot the difference between the redrawn logo and its old one, but a side-by-side comparison shows the updated “blossom” with […]
Turmoil at OpenAI: what’s next for the creator of ChatGPT?
The world’s hottest AI company went through three CEOs in under a week and ended up with the same one it had at the start — so what happened, and what’s next? On November 17th, 2023, OpenAI’s nonprofit board abruptly announced that co-founder and CEO Sam Altman was out. The shake-up came just shy of […]
Google expects to spend $75 billion this year on the AI race
Google parent company Alphabet expects to invest “approximately $75 billion” in capital expenditures in 2025, according to a statement from CEO Sundar Pichai in Alphabet’s Q4 2024 earnings release. Capital expenditures have become a hot topic as of late as big tech companies race to build infrastructure to support their growing AI ambitions, and today’s […]
Age of Empires is the latest Microsoft franchise coming to PS5
Microsoft is bringing its storied real-time strategy series Age of Empires to the PlayStation 5, starting with Age of Mythology: Retold and its Immortal Pillars expansion pack, both launching on March 4th. Microsoft is continuing to evolve the Xbox platform with cloud gaming that works on almost any device, and bringing more of its biggest […]
You can grab a year of Peacock Premium for just $30
If you’d like to catch up on Oscar-nominated films like The Wild Robot ahead of the awards show next month, you might want to check out Peacock’s latest promotion. Through February 18th, new and lapsed subscribers can get one year of ad-supported Peacock Premium for $29.99 if you sign up now. That’s over half off […]
I plugged an Nvidia RTX 5090 into a gaming handheld
Two weeks ago, I showed you how the world’s fastest graphics card works in a small form factor PC. To my surprise, Nvidia’s RTX 5090 Founders Edition delivered the vast majority of its performance even in a 12.7-liter desktop with a five-year-old CPU. It made me wonder: what if I plugged this card into a […]
AppleCare Plus is getting more expensive
Apple raised the cost of its monthly AppleCare subscription prices for iPhones by 50 cents, MacRumors reports. The 50 cent price hike applies to both standard AppleCare Plus and AppleCare Plus with Theft and Loss monthly plans for Apple’s current iPhone lineup. So, for example, the standard AppleCare Plus for the iPhone 16 will cost […]
Threads now lets you share your custom feeds
Threads will now let you share the custom feeds you’ve created, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced on Tuesday. This means other users can pin your custom feed to their homepage, giving them access to the same stream of curated content. Threads first rolled out custom feeds in November, which you can use to track your […]
Instagram’s Threads: all the updates on the new Twitter competitor
As Twitter continues to flail about under Elon Musk, all eyes are on the newly launched Instagram Threads as a potential replacement. Meta launched Threads on iOS, Android, and the web on July 5th — a little bit ahead of schedule. Two days in, Mark Zuckerberg said Threads has registered over 70 million accounts, and […]
After a bruising year, Sonos readies its next big thing: a streaming box
After the most tumultuous nine months in Sonos’ history, the brand is trying to find its footing again. Even as work continues to rehabilitate the company’s beleaguered mobile app, Sonos is planning to take a big swing in a new product category: it’s getting into video for the first time. In the coming months, Sonos […]
Steam Deck, ROG Ally, and more: all the news about the handheld PC gaming revolution
In July 2021, Valve revealed the Steam Deck, a Switch-like handheld device packed with features including a huge variety of control options, a 7-inch touchscreen, the ability to connect to external displays, and a quick suspend / resume feature. The device began shipping in February 2022, starting at $399. With an unprecedented degree of support […]
Nomad’s new USB-C cable can charge your iPhone and Apple Watch at the same time
Nomad has announced a new USB-C cable designed to charge multiple devices simultaneously. Instead of copying Anker’s homework and releasing a charging cable with dual USB-C connectors on one end, Nomad’s new Universal Cable for Apple Watch features an inline charging puck for Apple’s smartwatch on one end. It seems ideal for travelers wanting to […]
Cruise announces layoffs as GM acquires defunct robotaxi company
Defunct robotaxi company Cruise has begun to lay off employees today, sources tell The Verge. The layoffs come two months after General Motors said it would no longer fund Cruise, and would instead shift its spending toward advanced driver assist and personally owned autonomous vehicles. Cruise held an all-hands meeting today, in which it announced […]
Fox plans to launch a streaming service by the end of 2025
Fox is getting ready to launch a standalone streaming service by the end of 2025. During an earnings call on Tuesday, Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch said the streaming service would offer a “holistic” streaming package featuring sports and news from the network’s existing brands, according to a transcript. Murdoch positioned the streaming service as a […]
The Nintendo Switch closes in on a major milestone
The Switch is on track to complete a major milestone for Nintendo this year. As of the end of 2024, the Nintendo Switch has sold over 150 million units in the eight years since its release. That’s an impressive number, and yet…that’s still not enough to make it the company’s best selling piece of hardware […]
Verizon bundles Google AI into its wireless plans for an extra $10
Verizon is adding a new option to bundle Google One AI Premium into its wireless myPlan and myHome internet plans, the company announced today. The add-on will be available for an extra $10 per month, or about half of the $19.99 Google charges for the subscription on its own, starting on February 6th. Google One […]
This 4K projector’s periscope arm lets you install it almost anywhere
Fujifilm has announced a new ultra-short throw projector with its lens attached to an articulated arm that can pivot and rotate. Unlike most UST projectors that require moving the entire unit to reposition where an image is being projected, the FP-ZUH6000 can switch between projecting on walls, ceilings, and even floors while remaining mounted in […]
Infinity Nikki taught me a painful lesson
I’ve been having a great time with Infinity Nikki. I do my dailies, grind for materials, and desperately search for an outfit that works with the single ugliest piece of clothing in the game: a red vest. But as I’ve progressed, the game has given me — a gacha newbie — an unfortunate crash-course education […]
Apple leaks event-planning ‘Invites’ feature
Apple seems to have accidentally confirmed its rumored events planning feature ahead of an official announcement. An update to its iCloud page lists “Invites” as one of the key features of its iCloud Plus subscription, even though the feature is not yet available. The branding was spotted earlier by MacRumors. “Upgrade to iCloud+ to get […]
Meta says this is the make or break year for the metaverse
Meta CTO Andrew Bosworth is giving the metaverse a year to become a hit, according to an internal forum post reported by Business Insider. That time period will determine whether Reality Labs’ mixed reality efforts are “the work of visionaries or a legendary misadventure,” he writes. Bosworth details his expectations early in the post: We […]
Accidental wildfire alerts prompt probe from Congress
House of Representative members from California want to know what led to accidental evacuation alerts that fomented confusion during devastating Los Angeles fires in January. The Palisades and Eaton wildfires broke out in early January, killing at least 29 people and destroying more than 16,000 structures. In the midst of the chaos, some 10 million […]
The timeline apps are here, and they’re awesome
The folks at Iconfactory, which once made a wonderful Twitter client called Twitterrific, launched a new app on Tuesday. It’s called Tapestry, and it’s a cross between a social app and a news reader. The app can ingest feeds of all kinds: someone’s Bluesky posts, your favorite YouTube creator’s videos, a blog’s new posts, all […]
California bill would make AI companies remind kids that chatbots aren’t people
A new bill proposed in California (SB 243) would require AI companies to periodically remind kids that a chatbot is an AI and not human. The bill, proposed by California Senator Steve Padilla, is meant to protect children from the “addictive, isolating, and influential aspects” of AI. In addition to limiting companies from using “addictive […]
Adobe Acrobat’s AI chatbot can now summarize contract jargon
Adobe is adding features to Acrobat’s AI Assistant that should help users to better understand contracts. The new “contract intelligence capabilities” allow the PDF management software’s chatbot to automatically recognize when files and scanned documents are contracts and summarize complicated language to make it easier for users to understand. The Acrobat AI Assistant is available […]
Space is the next frontier in Fantastic Four: First Steps’ new trailer
Thankfully, the new teaser for Marvel’s Fantastic Four: First Steps doesn’t spoil all that much of the film, but it does give you a sense of just how big a problem Galactus is going to be for the MCU. Rather than rehashing the details of how Reed Richards (Pedro Pascal), Sue Storm (Vanessa Kirby), Sue’s […]
Samsung’s S25 Ultra and the end of the flagship phone
After almost exactly 18 years, you could make the argument that the tech industry has finally finished what the iPhone started. It’s not that there’s no innovation left in phones, or that there aren’t other big ideas to be had about the devices we carry around, but the specific thing the first iPhone was — […]
Grubhub security breach compromises customer and driver data
Food delivery company Grubhub has confirmed that it suffered a security breach, with user, driver, and merchant data compromised, including hashed passwords and partial credit card details. Grubhub says that it noticed “unusual activity” that it traced back to an account used by a third-party service provider for its customer support team. The account’s access […]
‘Scared and betrayed’ — workers are reeling from chaos at federal agencies
As the third week of Donald Trump’s presidency begins, workers across federal agencies are scrambling to find their footing among the chaos. From the US Agency for International Development and the Department of Agriculture, to the Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Labor, federal workers are facing an onslaught of changes that threaten to […]
Spotify finally turned a profit for a full year
Spotify raked in enough cash and new subscribers in 2024 to celebrate its first full year of profitability since the service was launched in 2008. The announcement comes as part of Spotify’s fourth-quarter earnings release, with net profits at €1.14 billion (around $1.17 billion) for the whole of 2024, compared to the €532 million (around […]
Opera’s new browser might save you from doomscrolling
Norway-based Opera has announced a new browser, Opera Air, with a focus on mindfulness and mental wellbeing. It includes break reminders, breathing exercises, and a suite of relaxing soundscapes to help users both focus and de-stress. “The web is beautiful but it can be chaotic and overwhelming,” says Mohamed Salah, Opera’s senior director of product. […]
China opens Google antitrust probe in retaliation to tariffs
China has launched an antitrust investigation into Google as part of a salvo of responses to US tariff increases, including its own retaliatory tariffs and export controls. China’s State Administration for Market Regulation announced the Google probe on Tuesday over suspicions the US search giant had violated Chinese antimonopoly laws, according to a machine translation […]
WWE Raw runs into its first streaming problems on Netflix
Netflix and WWE nearly made it a whole month of streaming Raw without any major technical hiccups, but that streak was broken on Monday night. Throughout the February 3rd episode, some viewers were annoyed by the feed intermittently cutting out to a black screen. Audio would also drop whenever these glitches occurred. The problems never […]
Can anyone stop President Musk?
Elon Musk has an uncanny ability to sort out which of America’s rules are real. It turns out punishment from the National Labor Relations Board isn’t real, punishment from NASA isn’t real, and punishment from the FAA isn’t real. The Delaware Chancery Court is extremely real. Based on the past two weeks, the Delaware Chancery […]
Treasury Department sued over DOGE takeover
President Donald Trump’s administration is being sued over Elon Musk’s alleged “massive and unprecedented†intrusion into the American government’s payment systems. The suit, filed in a Washington, DC federal court Monday evening by the advocacy group Public Citizen, calls for the court to stop the “unlawful, ongoing, systematic, and continuous disclosure of personal and financial […]
The best indie games we’re playing right now
Splashy blockbuster games are great, but there are there are a huge number of indie and smaller video games worth playing, too. Whether they’re pushing the boundaries of the medium and or offering a creative spin on classic ideas, indie games can be just as interesting as big-budget epics. Sometimes, though, indie games can fly […]
SoftBank’s Masayoshi Son says AGI will arrive ‘much earlier’ than he thought
SoftBank isn’t just part of the group investing $500 billion into Project Stargate to build American AI infrastructure capacity for OpenAI. It’s also making a Japanese joint venture with OpenAI, will spend $3 billion deploying OpenAI tech across SoftBank companies, and claims it will revolutionize business with AI agents through a new AI system called […]
Sony and CBS are in a Jeopardy! distribution feud
Sony Pictures Television says it’s taking over the distribution rights for top game shows Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! from Paramount-owned CBS starting the week of February 10th, reports Bloomberg, while CBS is fighting back by seeking a temporary restraining order. In October, Sony sued CBS for allegedly not putting in enough effort to grow […]
Shein and Temu depend on a 100-year-old tariff loophole that Trump wants to close
President Donald Trump’s sweeping tariff threats have been touch and go. As it stands currently, the 25 percent tax on goods from Mexico and Canada is on ice for a month, but a 10 percent tariff on Chinese goods is set to take effect on Tuesday, via an executive order of questionable legality. Nestled within […]
The best TV deals to upgrade your setup ahead of the Super Bowl
Missed out on all the terrific TV deals we saw during Black Friday and Cyber Monday? That’s okay, because the weeks leading up to the Super Bowl have historically been one of the better times of the year to snag a discounted set. In fact, Amazon, Best Buy, Woot, and a number of retailers are […]
Apple’s attempt to intervene in the Google Search antitrust trial is denied
US District Court Judge Amit Mehta denied Apple’s emergency request to halt the Google Search monopoly trial that could dismantle their lucrative search that’s reportedly worth as much as $18 billion a year. The order came in late Sunday, with Judge Mehta saying Apple hasn’t demonstrated satisfactory reasons for its emergency motion to stay that […]
Hulu might be rebooting Buffy the Vampire Slayer
It looks like Buffy the Vampire Slayer is coming back from the dead (again) as part of a new Hulu series. Deadline reports that Hulu is close to finalizing a pilot order for a Buffy the Vampire Slayer follow-up set to be directed by Chloé Zhao and written by Nora and Lilla Zuckerman (Poker Face). […]
Meta spends big to make its Ray-Ban glasses a true mainstream hit
Meta isn’t shy about its ambitions to make its Ray-Ban smart glasses a mainstream gadget. So much so, it’s made not one but two Super Bowl ads featuring not one, but two Marvel actors. (And Kris Jenner.) And as a little cherry on top, Meta announced it’s creating a limited edition Super Bowl version of […]
EA wants the community to help shape the next Battlefield
EA has announced a new “Battlefield Labs” community testing program to give people the opportunity to test the next Battlefield game. You can sign up for the program now, and EA says that the “first phase” of testing will go live in “the coming weeks” for invited players in Europe and North America. As I […]
Audi will try to make its model names make more sense
Audi is launching a new global nomenclature system for its vehicles to more clearly represent a vehicle’s type, size, shape, and powertrain. The updated system will still begin with letters like A for “low-floor” vehicles or Q for “high-floor” ones. That will be followed by numbers 1 through 8 that help represent the size or […]
Elon Musk is staging a takeover of the federal budget
In the first two weeks of Donald Trump’s presidency, Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) have reportedly gained access to core parts of the American government’s payment systems, including systems that affect Social Security and Medicare benefits — as federal workers and government officials struggle to respond. DOGE, an unofficial “department†which Trump […]
Apple’s latest AirPods have dropped below $100 for the first time
If you missed out on the steep AirPods discounts we saw during Black Friday, now is your chance. Right now, the second-gen AirPods Pro with USB-C are on sale at Walmart, Best Buy, and Target starting at $169 ($81 off), which is just $16 shy of their all-time low. Meanwhile, the AirPods 4 have dropped to a record […]
Big Tech has been silent on Trump’s tariffs
President Trump announced tariffs as high as 25 percent on goods imported from Canada, China, and Mexico over the weekend. But some of the biggest names in tech and gaming – who could be significantly impacted by the tariffs – have stayed quiet about them. Shortly after the tariffs were announced, The Verge reached out […]
EcoFlow says subscriptions aren’t required for advanced features… yet
EcoFlow has confirmed that it’s currently testing new advanced features for its PowerStream Balcony Solar System that were made available to a small group of testers “on a paid basis.” After other EcoFlow users raised concerns last week about the possibility of having to pay subscription fees for features on devices they already own, the […]
Data brokers can keep selling your social security number, says new CFPB chief
Treasure Secretary Scott Bessent has been named the Acting Director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the bureau announced today. Bessent quickly instructed the agency to “to stop all rulemaking, communications, litigation, and other activities,” reports Bloomberg Law. A source inside the CFPB told Bloomberg Law that his order “appeared to shut down the […]
All the news about Nvidia’s RTX 50-series GPUs
Nvidia’s RTX 50-series GPUs are just around the corner, with the first releases — the RTX 5090 and RTX 5080 — dropping on January 30th. The RTX 5070 Ti and RTX 5070 will follow that with their own releases in February, but some are already getting a sneak peek at the software benefits of the […]
Adaptive Charging could soon extend the lifespan of your Pixel Watch
Google could soon bring its Adaptive Charging battery protection feature from its Pixel phones to the Pixel Watch line. The feature is designed to preserve battery health by preventing overcharging, and hinges on its ability to predict your charging schedule. Android Authority spotted code strings that reference Adaptive Charging in the latest version of the […]
Uber wants to make riding with a service animal easier
Uber introduced a new feature designed to make it easier for people with disabilities to ride with service animals. For years, Uber’s policies toward service animals have been in accordance with state and federal law: they are allowed to ride at all times at no extra cost. But now the company is allowing customers to […]
NetChoice sues to block Maryland’s Kids Code, saying it violates the First Amendment
NetChoice has filed its 10th lawsuit in an ongoing fight against a broad slate of state internet regulations — this time against a Maryland law billed as protecting kids from inappropriate material online. It’s the latest effort to oppose what NetChoice calls an unconstitutional speech code in disguise. NetChoice has become one of the fiercest — […]
Trump agrees to a one-month pause on Mexico tariffs
Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum Pardo and US President Donald Trump announced the US is pausing tariffs against Mexico for one month, as previously reported by Bloomberg. Sheinbaum Pardo said the sides “had a good conversation” that resulted in agreements about border security and weapons trafficking. “Mexico will immediately reinforce the northern border with 10,000 members […]
All the news about EV charging in the US
The state of electric vehicle charging in North America is shaping up like the smartphone charging wars — but focused on much more expensive hardware. Right now, like USB-C and Android phones, the Combined Charging System (CCS, Type 1) plug is on a greater variety of cars. Meanwhile, Tesla’s plug was long compared to Apple […]
Cloudflare is making it easier to track authentic images online
Cloudflare has launched a new feature to help people quickly verify the authenticity of online images. The web security and hosting provider has adopted the Adobe-led Content Credentials system, which applies a digital metadata tag to images and video that tracks who owns it, where it’s been posted, and if it’s been manipulated — including […]
Bookshop CEO Andy Hunter’s crusade to save books from Amazon
Today, I’m talking with Andy Hunter, the CEO of Bookshop.org. Bookshop, at its core, is a website that lets local bookshops all over the country — and in a few other countries — sell their books online. If you want a book, you go to Bookshop and click buy — it’s just as easy as […]
Kobo’s e-readers are now $10 more expensive
Kobo has increased the price of three of its e-readers following a similar price increase by the company in January 2023. The seven-inch Kobo Libra Colour, as well as the six-inch Kobo Clara Colour and Kobo Clara BW, are all now $10 more expensive, as spotted by TheeBookReader. The prices of the larger (and aging) […]
Ontario is ‘ripping up’ Starlink contract in response to US tariffs
The Canadian province of Ontario is canceling a $100 million CA (about $68 million USD) contract with Starlink in response to tariffs US President Donald Trump issued on Canada over the weekend, reports The Associated Press. Ontario Premier Doug Ford wrote on X today that the region is also “banning American companies from provincial contracts” […]
The first ‘approved’ iPhone porn app is coming to Europe
The first “Apple approved” porn app for iPhone is rolling out in Europe, via AltStore PAL’s alternative iOS app marketplace. AltStore PAL developer Riley Testut says that Hot Tub, which describes itself as an ad-free “adult content browser,” has made it through Apple’s notarization review for fraud, security threats, and functionality, and will be available […]
Civilization VII is all about establishing your unique legacy
Sid Meier developed the first Civilization game in 1991 and has contributed to every iteration since. When I visited Firaxis Games last year, I saw that the company maintains the very computer Meier used to develop the game, which can still be booted up and played. Walking through the halls of the studio, I saw […]
That AI-restored Beatles song won Grammy for Best Rock Performance
The Beatles have won their eighth competitive Grammy award thanks to a little help from artificial intelligence. The 2023 track “Now and Then” — which Billboard reports is the first song knowingly created with AI assistance to earn a Grammy nomination — was awarded Best Rock Performance on Sunday, beating out competition from Green Day, […]
Microsoft 365 is losing its free VPN feature
Microsoft is getting ready to remove the VPN feature from its Microsoft 365 subscription later this month. Originally designed as a privacy feature, the VPN in Microsoft 365 utilizes the Microsoft Defender app to encrypt internet traffic and hide IP addresses. Microsoft is now removing this privacy protection feature from Microsoft 365 on February 28th. […]
From ChatGPT to Gemini: how AI is rewriting the internet
Big players, including Microsoft, with Copilot, Google, with Gemini, and OpenAI, with GPT-4o, are making AI chatbot technology previously restricted to test labs more accessible to the general public. How do these large language model (LLM) programs work? OpenAI’s GPT-3 told us that AI uses “a series of autocomplete-like programs to learn language” and that […]
ChatGPT’s agent can now do deep research for you
OpenAI has revealed another new agentic feature for ChatGPT called deep research, which it says can operate autonomously to “plan and execute a multi-step trajectory to find the data it needs, backtracking and reacting to real-time information where necessary.” Instead of simply generating text, it shows a summary of its process in a sidebar, with […]
Automakers brace for ‘massive’ impact of Trump’s tariffs
Your next car purchase is probably going to be more expensive, thanks to President Donald Trump. Around 5.3 million vehicles are built in Canada and Mexico, 70 percent of which are destined for the United States. Those vehicles will soon be subject to 25 percent tariffs, which were just announced by the Trump administration. And […]
PDP’s Riffmaster guitar controller is receiving a rare $20 discount
Last month, Fortnite Festival, the game’s Rock Band-like music mode, rolled out local multiplayer on PlayStation and Xbox. It’s a great addition if you and up to three buddies want to relive the halcyon days of ‘07 on a single TV, particularly if you’re using a nostalgia-inducing peripheral like the PDP Riffmaster — which is now […]
The tech industry’s layoffs and hiring freezes: all of the news
Over the last couple years, it feels like we’ve heard news of mass layoffs and hiring freezes from tech companies nearly every week, and since the beginning of 2024, there’s been a new wave of layoffs and firings. In the first few days of January 2024 alone: And all that adds to the tens of […]
Amazfit Helio Smart Ring review: bargain bin bust
Smart rings are in the middle of a renaissance. That’s great because we finally have way more options than just an Oura Ring. The downside is most of Oura’s would-be rivals are launching their first, maybe second-gen smart rings. Meaning, if you want an Oura Ring alternative, there’s a good chance you’ll have to put […]
I tried the tech that makes hands-free smart locks actually work
Imagine walking up to your front door and it unlocks — even opens — automatically as you approach. It may sound like the stuff of smart home dreams, but it could soon be a reality, thanks to ultra-wideband (UWB) technology arriving on smart locks. With its precise, real-time location capabilities, UWB enables a smart lock […]
All the smart home news, reviews, and gadgets you need to know about
The smart home holds so much promise. It can make life more convenient with lights that turn on as you walk in a room, doors that unlock as you approach, and robots that clean your floors. It can also make your home safer, more energy efficient, and even a little more fun. (Have you tried […]
A better way to buy and read books
Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 69, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, get ready for some web-slingin’, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I’ve been reading about Elon Musk’s gamer habits and spy satellites and […]
Canada will retaliate against Trump with tariffs on US goods
Canada will set its own tariffs against US goods in retaliation to broad 25 percent tariffs President Donald Trump announced Saturday on Canadian imports. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a 25 percent tariff on a total of $155 billion worth of American goods — $30 billion of that on Tuesday when Trump’s tariffs go into […]
The NTSB chooses Elon Musk’s X to update the press on plane crashes
The National Transportation and Safety Board will only update the press about the plane crashes in Washington, DC and Philadelphia on X — not over email, as reported earlier by The Desk. The agency announced on Saturday that it will use its @NTSB_Newsroom account to share ”news conferences or other investigative information.“ The NTSB later […]
US tariffs: how Trump’s tax is impacting big tech and beyond
President Donald Trump has announced that he’s imposing a tariff on goods from some of the US’s biggest trade partners: Canada, Mexico, and China. Under the executive orders signed on February 1st, Canada and Mexico will face a 25 percent tariff, while goods from China will be subject to a 10 percent tax. Energy resources […]
Trump imposes sweeping tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China
The US is officially imposing tariffs on Canada, Mexico, and China. President Donald Trump announced that goods imported from Mexico and Canada will face a 25 percent tariff, while goods from China will face a 10 percent tariff. There will also be a lower 10 percent tariff on energy resources from Canada. In a series […]
Google’s AI Super Bowl ad is wrong about cheese
Google just debuted a series of Super Bowl ads showing how small businesses use Gemini AI across all 50 states, but the cheese lovers out there might notice something a little off about its Wisconsin one. As spotted by @natejhake on X, the ad shows Gemini AI generating text that says Gouda accounts for “50 […]
Trump fires CFPB head Rohit Chopra
President Donald Trump has fired Rohit Chopra, the director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). In a letter posted to X, Chopra confirmed his “term as CFPB Director has concluded.” Chopra was notified of his removal via an email from the White House, according to a report from the Associated Press. During Chopra’s tenure, […]
It took more than a decade for a surreal RPG to get its final translation
In 2008, Mortis Ghost made a game with his friend, composer Alias Conrad Coldwood. It was a surreal roleplaying game about a baseball player fighting ghosts called Off. He shared it for free on a French-speaking forum, where it garnered a small audience. One player was a French artist who was inspired to make a […]
How to hide files and folders on Windows
While your Windows computer should be pretty well locked down with a password or maybe even some kind of biometric protection, it’s impossible to guarantee that no one else is ever going to get access to it, whether it’s a thief swiping your unlocked laptop from a coffee shop or one of your kids wanting […]
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra isn’t so ‘ultra’ anymore
When you yell “Can you just Google it?†at your AI assistant, it’s fair to say that the AI assistant is not doing its job. I was browning some beef on the stove and trying to determine when my husband’s flight was landing. I didn’t have the flight number, but there are only so many […]
The drone pilot who took out an LA firefighting plane pleads guilty to escape jail
On January 9th, 56-year-old Peter Akemann flew his DJI Mini 3 Pro drone far beyond the legal limit of his ability to see — and into a Super Scooper water dumping plane fighting the Los Angeles Palisades wildfires, grounding it for repairs after punching a hole in its left wing. Now that authorities have traced […]
YouTube’s new Discord-like Communities are rolling out to more creators
YouTube is expanding the availability of its dedicated community space feature to more creators on the site, giving them more opportunities to connect with their fans without needing to lean on another platform like Discord. Only available for access via mobile devices, Communities first launched during the Made for YouTube event last fall, letting the […]
Microsoft Paint is getting a Copilot button, too
Windows Insiders will soon see a Copilot icon in one more place: Paint. Insiders in the Canary and Dev channels will see the new button thanks to an update rolling out now, putting AI tools in one location. Clicking the Copilot button in the task bar will reveal a dropdown menu with generative features like […]
Netflix has cancelled The Sandman
Though Netflix is planning to bring back a number of its ongoing series in the coming months, the streamer has decided to cancel its adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s The Sandman. Netflix announced today that The Sandman will conclude with its upcoming second season. In a statement about the show coming to an end, Sandman showrunner […]
BioWare hit with layoffs as it shifts to next Mass Effect
BioWare now has fewer than 100 employees after laying off “around two dozen” staffers and shifting others to different projects at EA, Bloomberg reports. The changes follow BioWare’s own “Studio Update” published this week where GM Gary McKay said the studio had “worked diligently over the past few months to match many of our colleagues […]
Donald Trump’s data purge has begun
Key resources for environmental data and public health have already been taken down from federal websites, and more could soon vanish as the Trump administration works to scrap anything that has to do with climate change, racial equity, or gender identity. Warnings floated on social media today about an impending purge at the Centers for […]
How to stop your MacBook from turning on when you open the lid
In 2016, Apple started including an auto power-on feature for its new MacBook models that activated when you opened the notebook lid or plugged in USB-C power when the lid was open. This is a cool little convenience if you don’t want the added step of pressing the power button — plus it could get […]
Apple reportedly gives up on its AR video glasses project
While Mark Zuckerberg and Meta press forward with augmented glasses projects buoyed by its million-selling set of smart Ray-Bans, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman says that Apple just pulled the plug on an AR glasses project. Codenamed N107, they’re described as something that would’ve looked similar to regular glasses but with added displays in the lenses […]
Common Side Effects’ creators see the US healthcare system as the show’s villain
In Adult Swim’s Common Side Effects from Joe Bennett (Scavengers Reign) and Steve Hely (American Dad!), the discovery of a strange mushroom that can heal any sickness or injury is either a miracle or a doomsday scenario, depending on who you ask. The plant is a godsend to people suffering from debilitating illnesses, but its […]
Sony just axed the 60fps Bloodborne mod with a DMCA takedown
A popular Bloodborne framerate mod is no longer available thanks to a DMCA takedown request from Sony. Australia-based Twitch streamer Lance McDonald first developed the mod back in 2020 before making it available to download in 2021. Lance announced today in a post on X that Sony Interactive Entertainment asked them to remove download links […]
Nvidia says its new GPUs are the fastest for DeepSeek AI, which kind of misses the point
Nvidia is touting the performance of DeepSeek’s open source AI models on its just-launched RTX 50-series GPUs, claiming that they can “run the DeepSeek family of distilled models faster than anything on the PC market.” But this announcement from Nvidia might be somewhat missing the point. This week, Nvidia’s market cap suffered the single biggest […]
Sonos soundbars and speakers are up to $250 off for the Super Bowl
I would have preferred any other Super Bowl matchup than another showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles, but the world doesn’t revolve around me. Regardless, I love a good championship football game, especially one enhanced by an immersive sound system. If you’re in need of a home theater audio upgrade yourself, […]
OpenAI launches new o3-mini reasoning model with a free ChatGPT version
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman teased exactly two weeks ago that o3-mini would ship in “a couple of weeks,” and it’s arriving on time today. OpenAI is launching its latest o3-mini reasoning model inside ChatGPT and its API services and making a version with rate limits available to free users of ChatGPT for the first time. […]
MultiVersus’ next season will be its last
MultiVersus will go offline at the end of its next season, Warner Bros. Games announced on Friday. The free-to-play brawler’s fifth and final season starts on February 4th and runs through May 30th, 2025, after which you’ll only be able to play against AI opponents or through local co-op. It will also no longer be […]
Ugreen’s new wallet tracker is thinner and cheaper than the rest
Ugreen has announced another Apple AirTag alternative with its new Finder Slim wallet tracker. It’s not only much thinner than an Apple AirTag, at just 1.7mm thick, the Finder Slim is also thinner than the 2.4mm Chipolo Card Spot, the 2.8mm Pebblebee Card Universal, the 2.5mm Tile Slim, and the 2.6mm Eufy SmartTrack Card E30. […]
WhatsApp disrupts spyware campaign targeting journalists
WhatsApp says it disrupted a spyware campaign last month that targeted journalists and civil society members, according to reports from The Guardian and Reuters. The campaign originated from an Israeli spyware company called Paragon Solutions and impacted around 90 users. WhatsApp told The Guardian that it has reached out to affected users, saying it had […]
Google’s latest Nest Learning Thermostat is down to one of its best prices to date
If you’re tired of watching your heating bill soar every month, now is a good time to invest in Google’s latest Nest Learning Thermostat. Normally $279.99, right now Amazon, Best Buy, and Google are selling the smart thermostat in all three color options for $239.99 ($40 off), which is just $10 shy of its lowest […]
Apple will pay $20 million to settle Apple Watch battery swelling lawsuit
Apple has agreed to a $20 million settlement in a class action lawsuit over battery swelling in early Apple Watch models. If you experienced the issue and owned an Apple Watch Series 0, 1, 2, or 3, you may be eligible for a small payout. The lawsuit, Smith et al. v. Apple Inc, was filed […]
Apple asks court to halt Google search monopoly case
Apple wants to ensure it has a voice in the remedies trial for the Justice Department’s search monopolization case against Google, and filed an emergency motion to stay the proceedings while it appeals the district court’s denial of its request to be more directly heard in the case. The remedies phase of the trial is […]
AI is ‘an energy hog,’ but DeepSeek could change that
DeepSeek startled everyone last month with the claim that its AI model uses roughly one-tenth the amount of computing power as Meta’s Llama 3.1 model, upending an entire worldview of how much energy and resources it’ll take to develop artificial intelligence. Taken at face value, that claim could have tremendous implications for the environmental impact […]
DeepSeek: all the news about the startup that’s shaking up AI stocks
DeepSeek is shaking up the AI industry with cost-efficient large language models it claims can perform just as well as rivals from giants like OpenAI and Meta. The Chinese startup says its flagship R1 reasoning model is capable of achieving “performance comparable” to OpenAI’s o1 equivalent, while the newly released Janus Pro multimodal AI model […]
Blackmagic’s free camera app brings remote control and tablet support to Android
Blackmagic Design has announced that it’s finally bringing several advanced features already available for the iOS version of its free camera app to Android. The Blackmagic Camera for Android 2.0 update released this week allows several smartphones running the app to be monitored and controlled from a single device, including, for the first time, a […]
How to file and pay your 2024 taxes online
The holidays are over, a new year is here, and along with all the various upheavals that we are facing (including some possible changes in tax law), most of us have to deal with our annual income taxes. Sorry about that. Tax day this year falls, for most of us, on the traditional April 15th. […]
Sundance 2025: all the latest movie reviews and updates from the festival
A new year means a new Sundance Film Festival, and a fresh crop of promising original features that could go on to become awards season darlings in a few months. It might be hard to top last year’s festival where Dìdi, A Different Man, and I Saw the TV Glow all made strong showings. But […]
TikTok traffic is recovering, but it’s still not back in app stores
TikTok’s traffic is almost back to normal despite its delayed return to US app stores, according to Cloudflare Radar data seen by CNBC. The “DNS traffic for TikTok-related domains” is around 10 percent lower than the levels before its abrupt shutdown, David Belson, Cloudflare’s head of data insight, told CNBC. To compare, TikTok’s traffic dipped […]