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Photo by David Pierce / The Verge Meta is introducing some big changes with its Quest v71 update, including a redesign of Meta Horizon OS, a calendar app, and the ability to use Travel Mode on a train. The update will start rolling out gradually next week.Let's start with the redesign. Meta says that it's tweaking the look and feel of Horizon OS" and the dark and light themes have been optimized for clarity viewing and reading contrast." Meta has also made assorted changes to the way panels look and behave, where the control bar resides, the colors of various UI elements, and so on," according to a blog post. And the Settings menu has a new look and layout" and improved search. Image: Meta An image of the updated settings menu. The... Continue reading...

The Hurricane Compact Electric Bike offers a range of 30 miles. | Image: Schwinn The Schwinn Hurricane, an iconic kids bike of the late 70s and early 80s, could soon be a staple of the suburbs once again thanks to an electric revival. The new Schwinn Hurricane Compact Electric Bike isn't an exact dupe of the original, but shares a lot of the classic's styling, with the added convenience of an electric motor and a rechargeable battery.The electric Hurricane is designed for riders 13 years and older who weigh up to 260lb, but its smaller frame and 14-inch aluminum wheels make it better suited for teens. It's available now through Schwinn's website for $599.99.That's not necessarily cheap as smaller bikes go, but it is cheaper than e-bikes from brands like Juiced Bikes and Super73 which have already attracted the... Continue reading...

Image: Microsoft Microsoft is modernizing how its Windows Hello authentication, which includes facial and fingerprint recognition, works in Windows 11. The revamp to the Windows Hello experience is now in beta testing with Windows Insiders, and includes visual changes, new iconography, and improvements to passkeys.Not only will this new UI appear on the Windows 11 login screen, but also when you're using passkeys to sign into websites and apps. We redesigned Windows security credential user experiences for passkey creating a cleaner experience that supports secured and quick authentication," explains the Windows team. Users will now be able to switch between authentication options and select passkey / devices more intuitively." Image:... Continue reading...

Screenshot: Pocket It's hard to keep up with everything you come across on the web, such as an article you don't have time to read at the moment or a video you'd like to run again later. Years ago, I started getting the better of this issue with Pocket, a well-known app that allows you to bookmark an article to a separate server and then retrieve it to read at your leisure. Since then, a number of similar services have appeared, offering a variety of features - and a variety of prices.What follows is a description of Pocket and some of the available apps. Most offer free versions and sync across a number of devices, including web browsers, Android devices, and iPhones.Pocket Screenshot: Mozilla Pocket has developed an attractive... Continue reading...

Image: Epic games Epic Games is about to host big in-game event ahead of its next throwback season - and it could be pretty musical.The event's title suggests the music theme - Remix: The Prelude" - and a post from Epic suggests to be at the event with the volume UP". Fortnite is already famous for bombastic musical events, so this event to wrap up the latest Marvel-themed season could be quite a show.But the Remix" title is also pointing at Epic bringing back and remixing elements of its Chapter 2 seasons, kind of like it did with the Chapter 1-themed OG" season last year, The company has already teased what some of those remixes might look like, including a character that combines Meowscles, a swole cat (yes), with Midas.If you want to watch the... Continue reading...

Turns out, taking things apart is still just as much fun as when you were a kid. | Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge My first DIY smartphone repair project was off to an inauspicious start.I'd successfully removed the back of the HMD Skyline, but the next instruction called for a T3 screwdriver bit. I had a T4 bit, which worked well enough to turn the screw that popped the corner of the phone's back panel up. But a T4 was just too big for the tiny screws holding the battery connector cover in place. I needed that T3.The Skyline is one of HMD's latest user-repairable phones. It's a midrange phone, one of the first Android phones with Qi2 wireless charging, plus a 6.55-inch OLED panel, three rear cameras, and a big 4,600mAh battery for $449. In my limited use, the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 seems prone to lagginess, and the 1080p screen resolution really... Continue reading...

Image: Pixelmator Apple has agreed to acquire Pixelmator, a popular image editing app available on Mac and iOS. Pixelmator announced the news in a post on its blog, saying it will now have the ability to reach an even wider audience and make an even bigger impact on the lives of creative people around the world."Pixelmator issued the following statement about the acquisition (emphasis ours):

Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge Apple is taking a 20 percent stake in its iPhone satellite connectivity partner GlobalStar - a stake worth $400 million - as part of an expansion of its deal with the company. GlobalStar will also receive a prepayment of $1.1 billion from Apple that is intended to improve satellite infrastructure.Apple relies on GlobalStar's satellites to enable to send emergency text messages, iMessage reactions, and more through the skies in areas with no cell signal. GlobalStar disclosed the details of the deal expansion in an SEC filing, which includes a new satellite constellation, expanded ground infrastructure, and increased global [mobile satellite services] licensing."Apple launched its Emergency SOS feature on the iPhone 14 in 2022 and... Continue reading...

Illustration: The Verge WhatsApp is adding yet another way to organize all your chats. If you're tired of struggling to find certain conversations, now you can slot them into custom categories, called Lists.You can create and label lists dedicated to specific chats, such as those with your family or work colleagues. The messaging app will then display them at the very top of your inbox, alongside the All," Unread," and Groups" filters WhatsApp rolled out earlier this year. Image: WhatsApp To create a list, tap the +" icon in the filter bar at the top of your chats tab. You can then enter a name for your list and choose which conversations to add. WhatsApp will let you add both group chats and one-on-one conversations to your lists. If... Continue reading...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Once upon a time, Black Friday - the day after Thanksgiving and the traditional apex of sales events - meant lining up in front of your favorite store along with thousands of other would-be customers, waiting for the stampede to begin. How old-fashioned! These days, many of us take the easy way out by shopping those sales from our couches. And Amazon, as might be expected, saves its best deals for members of its Prime program.This year, Amazon's Black Friday sale takes place on Friday, November 29th. Cyber Monday, when the deals concentrate on tech devices, will be Monday, December 2nd. If you're interested in the goodies being offered but haven't signed up for Amazon Prime, don't worry - Amazon makes it very easy.If you're attracted... Continue reading...

The Wyze Scale Ultra includes a 4.3-inch color screen that shares more health data. | Image: Wyze The addition of a 4.3-inch color TFT screen makes the new Wyze Scale Ultra one of the brand's most expensive smart scales to date, but at $43.99, it's still considerably cheaper than offerings from companies like Withings. It's available from Wyze directly or from Amazon in white or black.The Wyze Scale Ultra says it can track 13 different health metrics, including your heart rate, your metabolic age (a comparison of how your body burns calories at rest to others your age), and measurements of fat, muscle, and water.Previous versions of Wyze's smart scales featured simple segmented LED displays to display basic information like weight, BMI, and muscle mass, leaving more detailed breakdowns of your health metrics for an accompanying... Continue reading...

Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images I regret to inform you that former President Donald Trump has once again filed what is almost inarguably a SLAPP complaint, this time against CBS for editing its own interview of Vice President Kamala Harris.Trump's lawsuit, first reported by Fox News yesterday, escalates a weeks-long crusade against CBS for its 60 Minutes interview with Harris. Trump argues CBS - which published multiple cuts of the interview - deceptively edited Harris' answer to make her appear more coherent. This is the kind of editing decision it's reasonable to argue about, and that people in fact constantly argue about with Trump's own words. It is less reasonable to:

Illustration: The Verge Google is adding a Google Home extension to the Gemini app, allowing you to control your smart home while chatting with the AI assistant. The update, which is available to Android users as part of Google Home's Public Preview program, will let you use natural language prompts, like Set the dining room for a romantic date night" to adjust lighting, or Help me clean up the kitchen" to turn on the vacuum.Previously, the Gemini app would open Google Assistant if you tried to control your smart home. With the new Google Home extension, you can perform actions across smart lighting, climate control, window coverings, TVs, speakers, and more from within the Gemini app. The extension in Gemini doesn't support all smart devices,... Continue reading...

Image: Alex Parkin / The Verge You just left your house. As you peel out of the driveway and tear down the street in the coolest way possible, your garage door... well, what does it do? The answer's probably nothing, and that feels like the wrong answer. The smart home was supposed to have fixed this by now.On this episode of The Vergecast, we didn't necessarily set out to talk about smart garage doors for as long as we did, but The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern joined the show with a lot of thoughts about Apple Intelligence, notification summaries, and how we all - and in particular, how Apple's software leader Craig Federighi - manage their own houses. Given the reporting that Apple is gearing up for a big hardware push into the smart home, what does the... Continue reading...

Hardware is hard. | Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge Apple's journey to making its own wireless chips has been a long one, but the end might be in sight. Analyst Ming-Chi Kuo posted on X that Apple's switch to its own in-house Wi-Fi / Bluetooth chips will start with the iPhone 17 in the second half of next year.Kuo also agrees with 9to5Mac's report that the iPhone SE 4, expected in spring of 2025, will be the first device to use Apple's own homemade 5G modem. He says that the SE will continue using a third-party Wi-Fi chip made by Broadcom, and that the iPhone 17 will be the first device to use both an Apple-made modem and Wi-Fi chip.Modems are hard, apparently. Apple has been trying to get away from using Qualcomm's RF modems since at least 2019, when it bought Intel's modem division.... Continue reading...

The Quick Insert button is on the Galaxy Chromebook Plus and is coming to future 2025 Chromebooks. | Image: Google Starting today, Google's ChromeOS 130 update with Quick Insert, Focus Mode, Welcome Recap, and other features is rolling out. Chromebook Plus models with NPU also get exclusive special features in 130, such as the new recorder app with AI, enhanced mic, camera effects, and Gemini AI tools like help me read" summaries.There's a long list of changes in 130, but here are some highlights. Quick Insert is a way to add emoji, GIFs, or links to recently visited sites and access AI features from a menu. On most devices, that means using the launcher or Google button plus f on your keyboard. The Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus is the first Chromebook to replace the launcher key with a new button that activates Quick Insert with a single press,... Continue reading...

Image: The Verge The music streaming app Tidal is laying off more workers. In a statement to Fortune, an unnamed Tidal spokesperson confirmed the elimination of some roles across our business and design teams."On Wednesday, Fortune published a leaked memo from Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Tidal parent company Block Block Head, who said that the company is going to part ways with a number of folks" on the team. We're reducing the size of our design team and foundational roles supporting TIDAL, and we will consider reducing engineering over the next few weeks as we have more clarity around leadership going forward," Dorsey wrote, according to Fortune.Though Dorsey's message didn't specify how many employees would be laid off, sources told Fortune that it... Continue reading...

Image: Netflix Netflix released a new teaser for Squid Game's second season on Thursday. Gi-hun, again played by Lee Jung-jae, is participating in the games again, but based on the trailer, it appears that he will try to convince he other contestants to rebel against the competition - and that, at times, he may not be successful.Three years after winning Squid Game, Player 456 gave up going to the states and comes back with a new resolution in his mind," according to description of the show from the trailer. Gi-hun once again dives into the mysterious survival game, starting another life-or-death game with new participants gathered to win the prize of 45.6 billion won."(I'm curious if the setup means the season will end similarly to the second... Continue reading...

Image: The Verge Claude, the AI chatbot made by Anthropic, now has a desktop app. You can download the Mac and Windows versions of the app from Anthropic's website for free.Last week, Anthropic released its computer use" feature in public beta, which allows the Claude 3.5 Sonnet model to control a computer by looking at a screen, moving the cursor, clicking buttons, and entering text. This capability isn't available within the app, however.

Image: Microsoft Microsoft is once again delaying the roll out of its controversial Recall feature for Copilot Plus PCs. The software giant had planned to start testing Recall, which creates screenshots of mostly everything you see or do on a Copilot Plus PC, with Windows Insiders in October. Now, Microsoft says it needs more time to get the feature ready.We are committed to delivering a secure and trusted experience with Recall. To ensure we deliver on these important updates, we're taking additional time to refine the experience before previewing it with Windows Insiders," says Brandon LeBlanc, senior product manager of Windows, in a statement to The Verge." Originally planned for October, Recall will now be available for preview with Windows... Continue reading...

The Mudita Kompakt E Ink phone is expected to sell for under $500. | Image: Mudita Mudita is not the first company to build a phone with an E Ink screen, but its Kompakt isn't only about bringing the benefits of e-paper to smartphones. The company describes the Kompakt as a minimalist E Ink phone" that's designed to reduce distractions with a limited collection of bundled apps.The Kompakt is being made available to consumers through a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign. The earliest backers can pre-order one for around $325 with shipping expected as early as April 2025. Full retail pricing is expected to be closer to $476, making the Kompakt cheaper than other E Ink phones from companies like Hisense.Unlike the Boox Palma, which is a pocket-friendly 6.13-inch e-reader offering additional functionality through a full... Continue reading...

Photo by Andrew Hawkins / The Verge Ford is idling the factory where it makes its F-150 Lightning electric pickup trucks until next year, the company said today. It's another unwelcome hiccup in Ford's path to becoming a global EV producer.The plan is to shut things down after the last shift on Friday, November 15th, at which point the plant will be closed for seven weeks, including holidays in which no work would have occurred anyway. The reasons are a bit vague, with Ford spokesperson Emma Berg citing a need to adjust production for an optimal mix of sales growth and profitability."That last word - profitability - is surely driving most of this decision. While Tesla just had a better-than-expected earnings quarter, Ford is still struggling to squeeze profit out of... Continue reading...

Image: Vjeran Pavic / The Verge When the Playdate first launched, one of the hooks was that the little yellow handheld came with a season" of 24 games from notable developers like Keita Takahashi and Zach Gage. And now Panic has confirmed that a second season is coming at some point in 2025.As for what will be included, we don't have a lot to go on right now. Panic says that details on price, the exact number of games, and the developers behind the games of season 2 will come in 2025." But during a livestream today, the company said it would probably feature about a dozen games" and will also include a really cool surprise."Last year Panic launched a Playdate store called Catalog where developers could release games outside of the season structure, and during... Continue reading...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge For the last decade or so, Google has released major Android updates in the fall after an extended developer and beta preview process, but for 2025, at least, that's changing. Now, Google is planning its next major release for Q2 instead of Q3, confirming a recent report from Android Authority about Android 16, which will carry the dessert-themed codename Baklava."The announcement says this will better align with the schedule of device launches across our ecosystem, so more devices can get the major release of Android sooner." Other changes Google is talking about today include improvements to the Play Store, where users can share preferences for better recommendations on new apps the way they already could for games, and in... Continue reading...

Illustration by Aaron Fernandez for The Verge Despite Amazon and other retailers having filled the summer and fall months with more sales than ever before, Black Friday and Cyber Monday remain the biggest shopping days of the year. Thankfully, like in previous years, we'll be working to highlight the best prices on phones, TVs, headphones, gaming gear, and other tech throughout the deal-packed week, whether you plan to shop in person or online.You can always count on us to publish the best deals that you need to know about, no matter the season; however, if you want to be among the first people to discover price drops on the products you're interested in, you'll want to get a head start on your Black Friday game plan. Your checklist should include scoping out early sales at your... Continue reading...

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Apex Legends is one of the only battle royale games that lets you play on a Steam Deck gaming handheld - Fortnite, Valorant, PUBG and more never supported it in the first place, citing concerns about anti-cheat. But today, Electronic Arts and Respawn are taking the game away for that very same reason.In our efforts to combat cheating in Apex, we've identified Linux OS as being a path for a variety of impactful exploits and cheats. As a result, we've decided to block Linux OS access to the game," writes EA, in a blog post explaining the decision.Apex Legends did have anti-cheat software that did run on the Steam Deck - specifically, the game uses Epic Games' Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC), which has been compatible with the Linux gaming... Continue reading...

Image: The Verge ChatGPT is officially an AI-powered web search engine. The company is enabling real-time information in conversations for paid subscribers today (along with SearchGPT waitlist users), with free, enterprise, and education users gaining access in the coming weeks.Rather than launching as a separate product, web search will be integrated into ChatGPT's existing interface. The feature determines when to tap into web results based on queries, though users can also manually trigger web searches. ChatGPT's web search integration finally closes a key competitive gap with rivals like Microsoft Copilot and Google Gemini, which have long offered real-time internet access in their AI conversations.This launch comes as AI-powered search heats up... Continue reading...

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Microsoft is finally revealing that it will charge consumers $30 for a year of extra security updates to Windows 10. Support for Windows 10 will end on October 14th, 2025, but consumers will be able to purchase a single year of Extended Security Updates (ESU) for $30 for the first time ever.While businesses will be charged $61 for a single year of ESU, they also have the option to pay $122 for a second year and then $244 for a third year of updates. Microsoft will only offer consumers a single year if they're willing to pay the $30 fee. Enrolled PCs will continue to receive Critical and Important security updates for Windows 10; however, new features, bug fixes, and technical support will no longer be available from Microsoft," e... Continue reading...

Ring's latest Battery Doorbell has a wider field-of-view to see packages and people head-to-toe. | Ring It's a little too late to spook trick-or-treaters with ghastly remote greetings, but there are plenty of other reasons to consider installing a video doorbell. For starters, it's incredibly affordable and easy to do so when you have devices like the new Ring Battery Doorbell sharply discounted. It's down to $59.99 ($40 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target right now, matching its all-time low.We haven't tested the 2024 Ring Battery Doorbell yet, but it borrows a couple of nice features from the Battery Doorbell Plus, which is also on sale for a record low $99.99 ($50 off) at Amazon and our top pick for battery-powered doorbells. The not-so-plus model still features a 1080p camera, but now with a 1:1 aspect ratio and a 150-degree... Continue reading...

The OnePlus 13 will go on sale in China starting on November 1st, with a global release expected later. | Image: OnePlus OnePlus has officially announced its next flagship smartphone, the new OnePlus 13. Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite processor with an upgraded vapor cooling system, the OnePlus 13 will be available in China starting on November 1st in configurations ranging from 4,499 (around $632) for 12GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage, up to 5,999 (around $843) for 24GB RAM and a full terabyte.The biggest upgrades on the OnePlus 13 is a new 6,000mAh battery, which OnePlus says offers up to 11 hours of video playback, according to Notebookcheck. While it offers more capacity than the 5,400mAh battery used in the previous OnePlus 12, the OnePlus 13's battery uses silicon carbon technology which offers more power density than traditional lithium... Continue reading...

This adapter has a Ford logo, so it will probably work well. | Image: Ford Ford is making its own branded specialty adapter to enable Tesla Supercharger access for its EV customers. The automaker will offer its new adapter alongside the current Tesla-produced one for customers still awaiting a complementary adapter and will start shipping it today.The adapters are being manufactured by EV equipment supply company Lectron, which has already made its own Vortex" NACS to CCS adapters. Lectron had to recall its adapters previously due to a design flaw where it could unlatch while charging.Lectron's CEO Christopher Maiwald said in a State of Charge interview that the problem had been fixed. In an email to The Verge, PR representative for Ford Eddie Fernandez wrote that the new adapters are not connected to the... Continue reading...

Image: The Verge / Getty Images Don't worry - Elon Musk is somehow also involved. Continue reading...

The Verge Google Maps is getting new navigation features that should make inner-city driving a little easier. When enhanced navigation rolls out in November, the blue line on Google Maps will provide a visual of which lane you need to drive in to make your next turn, while the map itself might display crosswalks, signs, and lane restrictions.This feature is coming to 30 US metros and will show up on Android and iOS. It should hopefully make driving through unfamiliar areas a bit less stressful, as it will add to some of the other helpful navigation features Maps has, such as lane guidance and the ability to see your routes in 3D. Image: Google Starting this week, Google Maps is also rolling out an update to its destination... Continue reading...

Image: Waze Waze is testing a handy-sounding update that will let you report traffic incidents while speaking naturally. With the new feature, you can tap the app's reporting button and then say what you see, such as, Looks like there's a traffic jam up ahead."The Google-owned driving app will then use the Gemini AI model to understand" what you've said and create a report. If you make a vague report, like There's something on the road," Waze might ask follow-up questions, like Can you describe what you see?" Depending on your reply, the app will then use that information to categorize your report. Image: Waze You can currently only report incidents on Waze by tapping through options within the app, which isn't always... Continue reading...

Image: Google Google Maps is getting a big update that's supposed to help you find new places to visit with AI. Starting this week, you'll be able to explore more locations with Immersive View and search for specific spots based on a descriptive query like things to do with friends at night."Google will then use its Gemini AI model to come up with inspirational collections" matching that description. For late-night options, Google Maps might pull up locations categorized as speakeasies" or places with live music." Meanwhile, regular search results remain below these collections. GIF: Google Google Maps will let you type in a question or choose from ones it generated with AI. But that's not the extent of the AI features... Continue reading...

Image: AMD After bizarrely teasing a 9000-series X3D announcement last week, AMD is making it official today that the Ryzen 7 9800X3D will be available on November 7th. Priced at $479, the 9800X3D is a direct successor to the best gaming CPU on the market right now, the Ryzen 7 7800X3D. There's a lot to be excited about with this next-generation X3D chip, too.AMD is increasing the base clock speed up to 4.7GHz on the 9800X3D, with a max boost of 5.2GHz. Combined with an increase to a 120-watt TDP, this may well help improve productivity workloads - something the X3D chips have always fallen behind their non-X3D counterparts on. Image: AMD AMD claims its 9800X3D is on average 8 percent faster than the 7800X3D. The 9800X3D... Continue reading...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Peloton's got a new head honcho. The company announced that Ford executive Peter Stern will take over as CEO and President starting January 1st. Stern previously worked at Apple and Time Warner Cable.As a cofounder and driving force behind Apple Fitness Plus, Peter led his growth to millions of members, and is responsible for successfully scaling over a dozen other subscription services ranging from Ford BlueCruise to Apple iCloud to Time Warner Cable Home Security," said Karen Boone, Peloton's interim CEO, on today's Q1 2025 earnings call. Importantly, Peter has also been a passionate member of the Peloton community since 2016."In a Q&A with investors, Boone also emphasized that Stern was known for execution" and that the ability... Continue reading...