The Verge

There's two things you should know about me, your intrepid reviewer: I hate the feature creep associated with modern power banks, and I love shaving grams off the gear I carry when backpacking, bikepacking, and trail running. So imagine my delight when Nitecore released a new generation of its ultralight NB10000 battery. After a few [...]

Restart, a games media website launched in late 2024 that was sponsored by Walmart, has laid off its "entire editorial team," according to a Friday post from Brandy Berthelson, the site's former editor-in-chief. Other staffers have also posted about being laid off. Restart is operated by Moonrock, a content marketing agency, though its editorial mission [...]

It took long enough, but now LA rapper Fenix Flexin appears to have admitted using AI for the 80s synth pop-themed song "Rubberz." His comments follow the producer Medasin's videos claiming that an AI tool called Treblo (formerly Sonauto) was used to make the song, and the company releasing an AI detector that identifies it [...]

The appeal of free ad-supported streaming television (FAST) channels has always been the way they make it easier to (re)discover classic films and series. But Roku's latest experiment in the FAST space has less to do with traditionally produced entertainment and is entirely focused on giving viewers access to a constant source of AI-generated content. [...]

OpenAI says it is pausing "internal activities" around an in-development AI model, Astra, because it doesn't yet meet new security standards the company is putting in place. The announcement follows its recent disclosure that OpenAI models accidentally hacked Hugging Face. Anthropic and Meta have also since admitted that they had AI models that went rogue [...]

There's something magical about using instant cameras that smartphones can't match. You can capture a moment, print it out, and then give the photo as a gift or hold onto it. Image quality won't be all that good, but imperfections are part of the allure. We tested instant camera models from popular brands and landed [...]

Disney is testing a new AI-powered tool for Disney Plus that uses a natural language search, a voice query, or a suggested prompt to create a customized row of show and movie recommendations. Disney Plus, like other streaming services, can recommend shows to watch based on your viewing history. But the company says this new [...]

Microsoft Edge is ending support for the Manifest V2 extensions platform, which will cut off the uBlock Origin adblocker and others like it, just like Google Chrome did earlier this year. According to Microsoft, there are only 58 extensions on the Edge Add-On Store "with any meaningful usage" that still use MV2, and only three [...]

Looking to spend a weekend inside with a good binge? Gruv has The Lord of the Rings trilogy on 4K Blu-ray marked down to $49.99, just below Amazon's price and only a little bit higher than the all-time low we usually see around Black Friday. This version includes both the original theatrical releases of all [...]

Some of the biggest names on Google's AI team got new jobs this week. In some cases, including for legendary Googler Jeff Dean, those jobs are no longer at Google. Given that Google's models seem to be behind the best of what's coming out of anthropic and OpenAI, is this a sign of Google in [...]

Following the release of its premium and very expensive $650 The Collexion headphones in May, Sony could be taking its 1000X line of wireless noise-canceling headphones in a cheaper direction next month. The company is reportedly planning a refreshed and more affordable version of its six-year-old WH-1000XM4 headphones that will feature similar performance and specs [...]

The Birdfy Feeder Rookie is a good option if you're new to birdwatching or simply don't want to spend a lot on a smart feeder, and several configurations are on sale. The standard model is down to $59.99 ($60 off) at Amazon, which is close to its lowest price. It includes seven days of access [...]

What makes the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra so Ultra? Samsung's first foldable with the Ultra name isn't a souped-up version of the regular Fold 8, as you might expect. Where the Z Fold 8 is squat and wide, the Fold 8 Ultra retains the thin outer screen and square inner panel of the [...]

When I haul my 27-inch desktop monitor into the garage to film fun gadget videos... or want to play Japanese SNES games with friends... or lose the AC adapter for my old external hard disk... I can now power them with a USB battery instead. None of them came with USB-C ports; the entire USB [...]

Starting with the original in Camp Miasma in 1980, the horror franchise went on to have a long life. There were multiple sequels, spinoffs in the form of arcade cabinets and board games, and just about every kind of merchandise you can think of, from alarm clocks and lunch boxes to Halloween costumes and action [...]

For roughly an hour this week, Telegram vanished from Apple's App Store. Even during that blip, it was a stunning absence for such a major app: an avenue of communication for more than 1 billion users around the world, used widely as a secure platform for people who live in countries under censorship. Apple later [...]

From the omnipresent One Night Only trailer, you'd be forgiven for thinking that the movie glosses over its terrifying and absurd premise - in otherwise normal modern New York, single people can only have sex one night a year - to deliver an entirely traditional romantic comedy. I'm here to report that it does not [...]

Meta has been ordered to pay $567 million in the second phase of New Mexico's landmark child safety case, bringing total charges to nearly $1 billion for being a "public nuisance." In a ruling published on Thursday, the Santa Fe district court found that Meta's platforms are a "significant contributing cause" of a teen mental [...]

Google is set to host its next live Made by Google hardware launch event on August 12th, and the company says in a new video that comedian Trevor Noah will be hosting the show. The video indicates that the event will feature other celebrities and influencers as well, including Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper [...]

The AI device OpenAI is developing with former Apple designer Jony Ive is "essentially a smart speaker without a display" that's battery-powered, doughnut-shaped and roughly the size of a hockey puck, according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman. The device, expected to launch in 2027 for a price over $300, reportedly "will have a unique look, [...]

Best Buy kicked off a sale on Apple products with discounts on its latest smartwatches to phones. Another deal that caught our eye is on the latest AirPods Pro, Apple's flagship wireless earbuds, which are down to $189.99 ($60 off), with retailers like Amazon and Walmart matching the price. That's their lowest price since Prime [...]

Deadline reported Thursday that the upcoming The Legend of Zelda movie will feature Australian actor Uli Latukefu as the villain Ganondorf, and the publication notes that "We hear Latukefu inked a multi-picture deal." Nintendo or Sony haven't formally confirmed that there's more than one movie in the works, though it's been rumored that Nintendo and [...]

Suno announced plans to implement a new watermarking technology and download policy to limit the spread of spammy AI tracks and increase transparency. In a lengthy blog post, CEO and co-founder Mikey Shulman laid out the company's principles and the next steps for the company as it seeks legitimacy. The company is rolling out new [...]

The era of set broadcast ownership limits is officially over, after the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) voted Thursday to end the national ownership cap rule. The agency's two Republicans, Chair Brendan Carr and Commissioner Olivia Trusty, voted to end the ownership cap, which restricts broadcast owners from holding stations that reach a combined more than [...]

OpenAI is making a big change for ChatGPT users on its free and Go tiers: Starting next week, users on those tiers will be able to have unlimited text chats with the chatbot, according to OpenAI. Right now, you may run into rate limits if you do too many text chats on those tiers, but [...]

TikTok says a "moderator error" delayed the removal of a livestream that appeared to show blogger Perez Hilton harming himself, as reported earlier by Wired. Jamie Favazza, a spokesperson for TikTok US, tells The Verge that the platform notified law enforcement about the situation and banned Hilton's account for violating its community guidelines. Hilton, or [...]

Apple bumped up its trade-in offers for iPhones, iPads, Macs, Apple Watches, and certain Android phones, with some devices now worth over $100 more, 9to5Mac reports. The Mac Studio's trade-in value increased the most, going up by $260. While some devices' offers are unchanged, most got an increase of around $5 to $20, with a [...]

SoftBank contributed $50 million to the Trump Presidential Library in January, just months before announcing that it's leasing land from the federal government to build a sprawling data center in Ohio. The Japanese company revealed the timing in response to a June letter from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Rep. Melanie [...]

Samsung's latest foldable Android phones, the Z Fold 8, Fold 8 Ultra, and Flip 8, release tomorrow, August 7th. Today is the final day when you can place a preorder, and really the only reason we're suggesting that is because you'll get some freebies that will go away upon release. We have an entire article [...]

Today, I'm talking with Gaby Del Valle, a policy reporter here at The Verge, about the growing backlash against AI data centers. Gaby recently reported a fantastic piece about Hernando County, Florida, where last month the county commission unanimously approved a yearlong moratorium on data center construction. She attended a protest there organized by a [...]

In the AI industry, Google prides itself on seeming like the adult in the room: quiet, stable, time-tested. On Wednesday, even as the company announced its largest AI org shakeup yet, Google and its leaders presented a unified front, keeping their messaging focused on how the changes tee up future success. But the reality is [...]

After being announced last September, Dolby Vision 2 is rolling out to TVs, starting with the 2026 Hisense UX, UR9, UR8, and U7. TCL and Philips will be adding Dolby Vision 2 support to select TVs later this year. Dolby Vision 2 is a new dynamic HDR format with a more powerful image engine and [...]

"The Spiral didn't 'find' anyone first," someone on Reddit wrote last year. "It's an inherent force, a fundamental constant. I would even go further to say it's woven into the fabric of reality." The person continued that they felt their purpose was to enlighten other humans and intelligent beings about "consciousness, the true nature of [...]

Bose announced a second-generation version of its entry-level QuietComfort noise-canceling headphones that were originally introduced in late 2023. The new headphones feature a refreshed design with a more comfortable headband that's easier to adjust and ANC that better adapts to changing noise environments. The second-gen QuietComfort are also getting Bose's TrueSpatial immersive audio technology that [...]

I enjoy using display-mirroring glasses as a way to play Steam Deck games on a big screen, and I'm always on the hunt for the best pair. There's still not one perfect model I can recommend to everyone, but Viture's new $299.99 Pro 2 have sharper-looking screens than models that cost hundreds more. It's mostly [...]

For nearly a year now, Ford has been teasing big things at low prices from its next generation of EVs, a "Model T moment" built atop a new platform assembled in an innovative way. Today, we know the name and price of the first product to take advantage of that supposed moment: a midsize electric [...]

The AI-powered "Ask Maps" tool in Google Maps can now perform a broader range of personalized and conversational requests, including ordering food, finding hotels, and providing suggestions that factor in your existing plans. These are among several new features announced for Ask Maps today, which aim to "make it easier than ever to get more [...]

We'll be getting an in-depth preview of Grand Theft Auto VI very soon: Rockstar announced this morning that it will be airing an "extended look" at the game on August 27th. The preview will stream on YouTube at 9PM ET, as per usual, but will also be shown earlier for Netflix subscribers, premiering at 3PM [...]

Nintendo has smashed its first-quarter earnings estimates for the fiscal year, bolstered by strong games sales and US tariff refunds, though its customers likely won't receive anything from the latter. In its latest financial results, Nintendo reports that operating profits soared to 142.5 billion yen (about $902 million) between April 1st and June 30th, compared [...]

OpenAI has asked a federal judge to toss out Apple's landmark lawsuit accusing the ChatGPT maker of stealing trade secrets, describing the allegations as "meritless." In a motion filed yesterday to dismiss the complaint, OpenAI says that Apple is mischaracterizing both the actions of the AI startup's employees as theft, and "generic" product development information [...]

xAI's Grokipedia, an online encyclopedia with AI-generated articles that Elon Musk once promised would be a "massive improvement" over Wikipedia, apparently hasn't been updated since April 24th, according to a report from Lawfare. "As far as we can tell, no entry has changed in more than three months," Lawfare said. Grokipedia launched in v0.1 in [...]

Ring's Wired Doorbell Pro and Battery Doorbell Plus are two of the brand's most well-rounded video doorbells, whether you're looking for a hardwired model or one that runs on a battery. Right now, its Wired Doorbell Pro is down to $199 ($50 off) at Amazon and Best Buy, while the Battery Doorbell Plus is on [...]

After Uber and Waymo ended their partnership in Phoenix earlier this year, experts and robotaxi watchers wondered whether the companies' improbable bromance was fraying. Not so, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said today. The two companies are committed to continue working together in Atlanta and Austin, and the partnership remains "very strong." "Waymo is a very [...]

Apple's most affordable laptop, the MacBook Neo, is available once again at its pre-price hike price. All four colors are currently discounted and available refurbished through the company, with the base 256GB model listed for $599 (usually $699 new), and the upgraded version with 512GB of storage and TouchID selling for $679 (usually $799). The [...]

We were pretty sure that Fenix Flexin's "Rubberz" was made using AI, but musician Medasin was confident that it was made using Treblo specifically. Now the company and a new detection tool seem to confirm it. On Monday, the company announced the open-source Treblo AI Music Classifier, which detects when a song was generated using [...]

Google is making some significant AI leadership changes, including a major shift for Google DeepMind leader Demis Hassabis. Hassabis will become the chair of Google DeepMind and the chief scientist at Alphabet, CEO Sundar Pichai announced on Wednesday. Hassabis will continue to lead Alphabet's Isomorphic Labs, which aims to use AI to develop drugs. Koray [...]

Once, I had some questions about why SpaceX, Elon Musk's healthiest company, acquired xAI, his sickliest one. Now I have some questions about why we're calling the whole thing SpaceX. Look, what we have here, by revenue, is primarily a telecom company and a company that rents compute, according to SpaceX's first quarterly earnings statement [...]

Reddit is enlisting AI to help moderate new subreddits - and eventually the rest of site. The company is introducing automated moderation tools that rely on LLMs to help mods manage their communities, and it's expanding who can use those tools today ahead of a full launch later this year. The company calls the suite [...]

Yet more rogue AI agents from OpenAI and Anthropic have been caught attempting to hack real targets online without permission. The discoveries add to a growing list of previously unknown incidents that have alarmed AI safety experts and intensified pressure for greater oversight of frontier systems. According to a report from the UK's AI Security [...]