The Verge

At a private, closed-door event in Austin, Texas today, Tesla officially launched its gilded car of the future: the Cybercab. It's a huge milestone for Elon Musk, who has been hyping the imminent arrival of driverless cars for years and has bet the future of his company on AI, autonomous vehicles, and humanoid robots. It [...]

Last September, Steve Ballmer insisted in an ESPN interview that the Clippers weren't involved in a shady-looking $28 million endorsement deal for his star player, Kawhi Leonard, that involved no actual endorsing. Now, the former Microsoft CEO has been suspended by the NBA for a year, while the league says his team will forfeit five [...]

Does your power bank have "CryoPulse technology" or a "Cyber Window"? If you disappointingly answered "no" to both, you might want to consider upgrading to Ugreen's new MagFlow Pro Magnetic Power Bank. It's available starting today for $149.99, which puts it on the really expensive end of power banks with only a 10,000mAh battery, but [...]

A Ravenloft series is currently in development from executive producer Alfonso Cuaron, writer and executive producer John August, and Hasbro Entertainment, Deadline reports. It could bring to life one of Dungeons & Dragons' most iconic campaign settings, which got an update earlier this year with Ravenloft: The Horrors Within. Netflix's Ravenloft series will reportedly center [...]

TikTok backed out of a congressional committee's "public roundtable" set for this month over concerns it would be asked about child safety practices, the chair of the committee said. After negotiating "in good faith" to bring TikTok's chief security officer before the House Select Committee on China to answer questions about Chinese government access to [...]

Researching, buying, then finally assembling a sound system for your TV is daunting, but it doesn't have to be. If you want one of the best kits you can get at a rare discount, Best Buy and Amazon are selling the Samsung Q990F Soundbar for $999.99. It normally retails between $1,300 and $1,600. This bundle [...]

OpenAI's next big model is here: GPT-6 Astra. The company calls it a "generational leap in capability" for areas like cybersecurity, professional work, software engineering, science, and computer use. As OpenAI announced earlier this week, it's also the first model designated as meeting OpenAI's "critical cybersecurity capability threshold" - but the company promises that won't [...]

Microsoft says it will let anyone access Xbox Cloud Gaming in November, without the need to subscribe to Xbox Game Pass. The change to a pay-as-you-go model is part of some sweeping changes to Xbox Cloud Gaming today, and is designed for people who don't use cloud access enough to warrant a monthly subscription. "Players [...]

Microsoft is announcing some major changes to Xbox Cloud Gaming today, less than a year after opening up cloud gaming to its Xbox Game Pass Premium and Essential tiers. While all Game Pass plans have included unlimited cloud gaming over the past year, from November this will be limited to just 15 hours on Ultimate, [...]

Circular announced its new Ring 3 Series today as a follow-up to the Ring 2 that debuted at CES 2025 with upgraded sensors and FDA-cleared atrial fibrillation detection. The new Ring 3 collection consists of both a Pro model that carries forward those same health-tracking features, and a smaller Slim option that offers more limited [...]

Just a few months after getting back into the smartwatch game, Motorola is targeting the premium end of the market with the first Moto Watch Ultra. It comes with some upgrades from the recent Moto Watch - most obviously the jump to Wear OS - but lacks the outdoorsy features that would make it a [...]

Lenovo is announcing the IdeaPad Vibe, a productivity laptop aimed at taking on the MacBook Neo with a similar starting price and a wider range of colors. The Vibe comes in 14- and 15-inch sizes, with AMD and Qualcomm chip options due out in October and November, respectively. Intel versions (likely Wildcat Lake) are set [...]

Lenovo is announcing a new concept laptop for IFA 2026 that uses solid-state cooling instead of traditional fans, making it incredibly thin and super light. The 14-inch Project AeroBlade concept laptop is less than 10mm thick and weighs under 1.8 pounds / 830g. For reference, recent ThinkPad X1 Carbons are around 14mm at their thickest [...]

All the rumors leading up to Nvidia's announcement of its Arm-based RTX Spark chips over the summer mentioned two specific chips: the N1X and N1. While the N1 won't be arriving this year, Nvidia says its N1X chip is arriving in RTX Spark laptops in two different configurations in October. You'll be able to buy [...]

Google is rolling out AI-powered voice assistant modes for Gmail, Docs, and Keep that allow you to manage the apps by talking to them. The real time conversational capabilities are called Gmail Live, Docs Live, and Keep Live, and like the Gemini Live experience for Google's chatbot, aim to make it easier to note down [...]

Lenovo's latest rollable concept, announced at IFA 2026, is the ThinkBook Project Swan: a business laptop with a screen that expands horizontally from 14 to 17 inches. Rollable screens are nothing new for Lenovo. The company has shown off several concepts and even launched a real one last year (and it was pretty great). But [...]

Nvidia is announcing its new Personal AI Router (PAIR), a free tool that syncs up your home computers for tackling local AI inference tasks with tools like Ollama and LM Studio. Let's get the obvious thing out of the way, despite what its name might imply: PAIR is not a hardware router. It's open-source software [...]

SwitchBot has launched a new retrofit smart lock that gives owners multiple ways to enter European homes without a traditional key. Announced at IFA today, the SwitchBot Lock Ultra Max Vision Pro Combo provides multi-user entry and up to 19 ways to unlock doors, including, fingerprint scans, passcodes, NFC card access, contactless authentication via facial [...]

With the P80 Ultra, TCL's E Ink-esque Nxtpaper phones are finally going OLED. Just like previous LCD models, the phone can switch to a low power, monochromatic display mode that replicates the look of paper when you want to read or minimize distractions. Only now you can switch back to what the company calls a [...]

Anker's new robot lawnmower might take over for your weedwacker, too. Announced at IFA 2026, the Eufy Robot Lawn Mower S2 Max comes with an extendable trimming arm to clean up the grass around your driveway and flowerbeds. The dual-blade mower offers vSLAM navigation that uses built-in cameras to build a 3D map of your [...]

Microsoft is changing how it reports its finances to investors by splitting its businesses into two segments and disclosing quarterly revenue for its Azure cloud business for the first time. The changes are meant to reflect the ongoing impact of AI on Microsoft and how the company now operates. The software giant has previously reported [...]

Detail-preserving optical lens shift is not something you expect to find on an ultra-short throw projector running Google TV, but that's exactly what you'll find inside of Awol Vision's new LuxVision. It also promises to produce an incredibly bright (6000 ISO Lumens) 4K 120Hz image measuring 120 inches when placed just 7.5 inches from the [...]

After selling accessories for attaching Apple's AirTags to everything from keys to backpacks, Belkin is introducing its own trackers that work with either Apple's Find My or Google's Find Hub tracking networks. In addition to compatibility with Android and iOS, what differentiates these trackers from AirTags and Google's recently announced Pixel Tag is that you [...]

Belkin is joining companies like BMX, Kuxiu, and Zens with the launch of its first power banks featuring semi-solid-state battery technology. The company claims the new accessories have been "engineered to last up to 3x longer than other power banks" with the addition of a "gel-like layer" alongside the liquid electrolyte typically found in lithium-ion [...]

In what could be fortuitous timing for hearing aid users, Anker announced its first over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids at IFA 2026. It was only a couple months ago when LXE Hearing, the parent company for Eargo and Lexie Hearing - two major OTC manufacturers in the US - decided to end US operations and exit [...]

After introducing a consumer-friendly UV printer last year capable of printing designs directly on materials like wood, metal, glass, and acrylic, Anker's eufyMake brand is introducing a new machine that can print directly on fabrics. With an expected launch sometime in the spring of 2027, Anker hasn't yet revealed an official name for the new [...]

Anker is launching the Eufy MindBase, a local AI hub for its security cameras that runs an on-device, Anker-developed LLM, which the company says can process your footage without it ever leaving your home. It's also announcing a handful of other smart home security products at the IFA tech show in Berlin this week, including [...]

Anker just announced its new Soundcore Sleep Earbuds 4 and 4 Pro for side-sleepers. They include the same audio masking tech found on last year's A30 sleepbuds (that can really silent a snoring partner) only now with longer battery life and improved ANC to help silent other noises in the environment. Both sets of buds [...]

Philips Hue is finally adding wall panels into its smart lighting portfolio. But instead of developing its own, it's partnered with longtime rival Nanoleaf, the company that invented the smart modular wall panel category. Starting today, September 3rd, if you own Nanoleaf Hexagon, Triangle, or Mini Triangle wall panels, you can integrate them into your [...]

Philips Hue's AI assistant can now build automations based on natural language, letting you describe what you want your lights to do. The feature, called Custom AI Behaviors, goes beyond simply changing colors or creating a scene and lets users orchestrate complex automations that weren't previously achievable in the Hue app. Announced at a press [...]

Philips Hue is slashing the steep entry price of its entertainment sync offerings. The new stripped-down Sync Box 4K starts at $150, compared to $385 for the 8K model. The brand also launched its first camera-based solution, the Play Screen Sync, for $119.99. Both were on display this week at the IFA tech show in [...]

I love smart lighting, but I don't love many of the form factors it comes in. With a few exceptions, most smart, color-changing lamps and fixtures fit better in my teenage son's dorm room than my living room. So, I was pleasantly surprised to see Philips Hue's new line of architecturally focused smart lights, launched [...]

Uber beat out Waymo in launching a commercial robotaxi service in London, the city's first. The vehicles use autonomous driving tech developed by Wayve, a UK-based startup, and will initially feature safety drivers behind the wheel. The launch is a milestone for Uber, which has been plotting a UK launch with Wayve for several years. [...]

Google launched Gemini 3.8 Flash, arriving just a few weeks after its predecessor. The company claims the new model "works harder" than Gemini 3.7 Flash by performing more reasoning steps on complex tasks and "calling tools iteratively." It has the same introductory pricing as 3.7 Flash, $0.75 per million input tokens and $3.75 per million [...]

Summer is winding down, but REI's Labor Day sale is here to help save you some bucks on gear that'll let you get the most out of your upcoming outdoor expeditions. There are many, many discounts, from men's and women's clothing and REI Co-op gear to equipment for camping and hiking and more. The sale [...]

1Password faced immediate backlash from customers this week over a $300,000 pledge in support of a Linux distro created by David Heinemeier Hansson, who has regularly published overtly racist blog posts that include comments calling for deportation of ethnic minorities in Europe. The popular password manager is now a "distinguished corporate patron" of Omacom, the [...]

Amazon is trying to combat impersonation scams with a new feature that allows you to use its AI assistant to determine whether an email, text message, or phone call actually came from the company. With the update, you can ask Alexa for Shopping about a message you received, and it will use AI to compare [...]

I think automakers are finally getting the memo. Rather than try to reinvent the wheel with its new electric vehicle, Range Rover just made one that looks nearly identical to its lineup of gas-powered SUVs. They didn't try to pass off some sleek, spaceship-looking pod as a Range Rover. Sometimes familiar designs are the way [...]

The doors to Europe's largest consumer tech show haven't opened to the public yet, but there's already plenty of news coming out of IFA 2026 in Berlin, Germany. If you're already struggling to keep up with what has been announced, here are some of the best new gadgets and upgrades from the show - including [...]

OpenAI is on the cusp of releasing its most powerful AI model yet, Astra, following weeks of delays to shore up safety protocols after its agents attacked real targets during testing. As details about the model trickle out, researchers are warning it "may be the single worst development for AI security/safety to date." Shortly after [...]

The Trump administration has intervened in The New York Times' copyright lawsuit against OpenAI, making an argument in favor of the AI lab. The landmark lawsuit, filed in December 2023, alleging that OpenAI unlawfully trained its AI systems on articles from The New York Times and seeks to recoup "billions of dollars" in damages from [...]

MrBeast will feature Gemini, Google Health, and the Fitbit Air in upcoming videos as part of a multi-year partnership with Google. The deal will kick off with a video featuring Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson turning to Gemini for wilderness survival advice: First up on September 5 is a new MrBeast video following Jimmy and his crew [...]

US District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema declined the Justice Department's request to make Google sell off parts of its ad tech business, accepting milder remedies to restore competition to markets it illegally monopolized for years. Brinkema said she would adopt most of the behavioral changes proposed by the parties, with some modifications. But those won't [...]

This is Optimizer, a weekly newsletter sent from Verge senior reviewer Victoria Song that dissects and discusses the latest gizmos and potions that swear they're going to change your life. Opt in for Optimizer here. My mom was a dramatic woman prone to overreacting. When I was a snotty teen, I told her she needed [...]

Verge readers can get a discount on Belkin's SoundForm Mini 2 wireless headphones. The kid-focused on-ear headphones feature an 85-decibel volume limit and easy controls, and a mode that lets them beam audio (wired or wirelessly) to a second pair without extra hardware. Readers can use the code VERGE25OFF to save 25 percent on up [...]

OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman are facing 30 new lawsuits that accuse them of providing "substantial assistance and encouragement" to the suspect in Canada's Tumbler Ridge school shooting, as reported earlier by TechCrunch. The new wave of lawsuits was filed in a California federal court on Wednesday by the students, teachers, and the principal [...]

New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced a new policy today that will ban younger schoolchildren from using AI in classrooms. The one-year moratorium, effective in the 2026-2027 school year, will impact about 600,000 public school students in 2-K through eighth grade and is being introduced alongside additional limits on digital devices and a [...]

When Google ignominiously exited the European thermostat market last year, it pointed its customers to Tado. This week, the German-based smart home company is launching its Smart Thermostat X (2nd gen), and aiming to attract European Nest users who haven't already jumped ship. Google shutting down the servers for its 1st- and 2nd-gen thermostats drove [...]