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by Adi Robertson on (#6HGXN)
Just be careful not to let major elements from later designs slip in. | Disney It's finally happened: after nearly a century, Mickey Mouse has slipped off Disney's copyright leash. The first versions of the iconic cartoon character, seen in Steamboat Willie and a silent version of Plane Crazy, enter the public domain in the US on January 1st, 2024. (An early version of Minnie Mouse is also fortunately included.) There's still a complicated mess of protections around Mickey, but today is a moment public domain advocates have awaited for decades - and there are plenty of other exciting new entries as well.Duke Law School's Center for the Study of the Public Domain, as usual, has a roundup of prominent works whose copyright protections lapse in the US today. The list includes sound recordings from 1923 and works in... Continue reading...
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The Verge - All Posts
| Link | https://www.theverge.com/ |
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| Updated | 2024-11-25 01:15 |
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by Wes Davis on (#6HGPY)
The LG MyView Smart Monitor. | Image: LG LG will show off a new series of 32-inch 4K computer monitor / TV hybrids called the MyView' at CES this year. The company announced they'll come in a variety of colors, including essence white, mild beige, cotton pink and cotton green." They'll be offered in three variants at two price levels - $599.99 and $499.99, and LG says it will announce availability in the US at a later date."The specs and design language of LG's new smart LED displays are very similar to the Samsung M8. They both come in multiple colors and have a whiff of modern iMac design, though with more adjustable stands (both support tweaks to height, tilt, and rotation). Each can be used as a smart TV with the included remote and all of the new MyView monitors will... Continue reading...
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by Andrew Webster on (#6HGE4)
The Verge / Image courtesy of Sunblink Apple Arcade remains one of the best deals in gaming - even after getting a price bump. Since launch, the service has steadily grown with a mix of original mobile releases and App Store classics, none of which are burdened with the ads or in-app purchases that so often plague smartphone games. 2023 was a particularly strong year for new additions, with everything from daily word games for the Wordle-obsessed to cozy adventures to relax with. If you just picked up a new Apple device, or are using the subscription service for the very first time, here are some great places to start.KnotwordsZach Gage and Jack Schlesinger have partnered on a number of great mobile puzzle games - including Good Sudoku and SpellTower, both of which are... Continue reading...
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by David Pierce on (#6HGE5)
Illustration: William Joel / The Verge Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 19, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, so psyched you found us, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)It's the last Installer of the year, so we're going to do something a little different! We're going to talk about all our favorite things of 2023. Some ground rules / disclaimers: this list is not exhaustive, not everything in here is new this year it's just new to us, this is not an Official List of Every Single Good Thing That Exists, and most importantly, if there's something missing that you find outrageous and unacceptable you know where to find me: installer@theverge.com and (203) 570-8663 on all the... Continue reading...
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by Wes Davis on (#6HG6Y)
The LG Qube is so tiny, so boxy, so handle-y. | Image: LG LG announced the CineBeam Qube (model HU710PB) laser projector yesterday: It's got a minimalist look and stature, weighing 3.28 pounds and measuring 135mm square on one side and just 80mm wide at the front. (For comparison, the iPhone 15 Pro is just shy of 147mm tall.) It also has an unspecified number of HDMI eARC and USB-C ports, and a 3W built-in mono speaker. Impressively, LG says it can project an up-to-120-inch image at full 4K resolution with a pretty standard 1.2 throw ratio. Oh, and it has a handle!There are some apparent drawbacks to this itty bitty projector. For starters, it pushes out a relatively dim 500 ANSI lumens (compared to 2200 ANSI lumens of the larger Xgimi Horizon Pro we reviewed two years ago). That means that,... Continue reading...
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by Wes Davis on (#6HG1S)
A lawsuit alleged that Vizio's claims about refresh rates can be misleading. | Image: Vizio If you bought a Vizio TV in California after April 30th, 2014, Vizio may owe you some money. The company has agreed to pay out $3 million after a 2018 class action lawsuit alleged that its marketing of 120Hz and 240Hz effective" refresh rates was false and deceptive." Vizio denies that it did anything wrong, according to the agreement. The deadline for filing claims is March 30th next year, and requires some sort of evidence of ownership, including proof of purchase or the serial number, to qualify.In addition to paying out for verified claims, Vizio would stop the advertising practices" and provide enhanced services and a limited one-year warranty to all Settlement Class Members," according to details from the website set up for... Continue reading...
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by Ash Parrish on (#6HFX7)
The Verge / Photos via Getty Images Layoffs are an unfortunate reality of any industry, but the scope and scale of video game layoffs in 2023 are far beyond a typical year. More than any specific video game or piece of news, layoffs defined the past 12 months. Companies large and small have felt their impact. Unofficial figures estimate 9,000 workers have been affected, and at the heart of it all are corporations that valued growth at all costs - including people.In September, Epic Games laid off 830 employees. In a statement, CEO Tim Sweeney wrote, We've been spending way more money than we earn. [...] I had long been optimistic that we could power through this transition without layoffs, but in retrospect I see that this was unrealistic." Some of that spending was on... Continue reading...
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by Emma Roth on (#6HFN2)
Image: Microsoft Just days after introducing a Copilot app on Android, Microsoft has rolled out an app for its AI chatbot on iOS and iPadOS. Both versions of the app are now available to download from the Apple App Store.The app gives you access to Microsoft Copilot (formerly Bing Chat) and works similarly to OpenAI's ChatGPT mobile app. In addition to letting you ask questions, draft emails, and summarize text, you can also create images through an integration with the text-to-image generator DALL-E3. Image: Microsoft And, unlike the free version of ChatGPT which runs GPT-3.5, Copilot lets you access GPT-4, the latest large language model (LLM) from OpenAI, without having to pay for a subscription.With Microsoft's rebrand of Bing... Continue reading...
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by Emma Roth on (#6HFKJ)
Image: Getty Michael Cohen, the former lawyer for Donald Trump, admitted to citing fake, AI-generated court cases in a legal document that wound up in front of a federal judge, as reported earlier by The New York Times. A filing unsealed on Friday says Cohen used Google's Bard to perform research after mistaking it for a super-charged search engine" rather than an AI chatbot.The document in question was a motion that asked a federal judge to shorten the length of Cohen's three-year probation, which he's now facing following prison time and a guilty plea to tax evasion and other charges. But after reviewing the letter brief, US District Judge Jesse Furman wrote in a filing that none of these cases exist" and asked Cohen's lawyer, David Schwartz, to... Continue reading...
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by Emma Roth on (#6HFFY)
Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge Nvidia is launching a graphics card specifically for China to comply with US export controls. In a product page on the Chinese version of Nvidia's website, the chipmaker introduces the RTX 4090D: a GPU that's less powerful than the flagship RTX 4090 it sells elsewhere.The RTX 4090D has fewer CUDA cores than its RTX 4090 counterpart, topping out at 14,592 as opposed to 16,384. It also has a slightly lower power draw at 425W instead of 450W. Although most of the other specs remain the same between the two versions of the chips, the RTX 4090D is still around 5% slower in gaming and creating," Nvidia spokesperson Benjamin Berraondo said in an emailed statement to The Verge. Image: Nvidia China Nvidia launched the GPU... Continue reading...
by Sheena Vasani on (#6HFDX)
Amazon's new Echo Show 8 brings a faster chip, better speakers, and the most important update of all: widgets. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge Happy Friday, folks! Well, now that Christmas is officially behind us, the deals are quickly drying up. Nonetheless, there are still a few deals worth busting out those newly minted gift cards for. Amazon's latest Echo Show 8 has dropped to a new low, for example, while the Tile Mate has returned to its best price to date. There's also a bunch of other stuff on sale right now, including a terrific pair of noise-canceling earbuds and OnePlus' first mechanical keyboard, so let's begin.First off, Amazon has apparently decided to save some of its best deals for after the holiday season, or at least until after Christmas. Right now, the third-gen Echo Show 8 is on sale at Amazon for Prime members for $89.99 ($60 off). That's a new all-time... Continue reading...
by Justine Calma on (#6HFB3)
Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images A federal judge has denied X's (formerly Twitter) attempt to temporarily halt a California law that pushes social media platforms to disclose their strategies for moderating harmful content.Passed last year, AB 587 requires large social media companies to share descriptions of how they moderate content that contains hate speech or racism, extremism or radicalization, disinformation, harassment, and foreign political interference. In a complaint filed in September, X argued that the law violates the First Amendment right to free speech.The company formerly known as Twitter failed to make its case. US District Judge William Shubb denied X's request for a preliminary injunction of the law. While the reporting requirement does appear to... Continue reading...
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by Alex Cranz on (#6HFB4)
The Verge / Image courtesy of Apple TV We're four years into the existence of Apple TV Plus, and the network still feels like it's punching above its weight class. It doesn't have nearly the expansive library of its competitors, but the shows (and occasional film) it does have are really, really good -usually.I've heard friends compare it to HBO in the 2000s, and that feels like an apt comparison. There are plenty of great movies, but there's also an astonishingly well-programmed group of TV shows that seem to speak to a very wide audience, from its core group of science fiction shows like For All Mankind and Foundation to its more outlandish fair like Schmigadoon! and The Morning Show.Apple TV Plus has found a way to reach a wide audience with a small array of... Continue reading...
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by Ash Parrish on (#6HFB5)
The Verge / Photo courtesy of HBO The streaming service formerly known as HBO Max completed its magical girl transformation this year, dropping arguably the most recognizable part of its name to just become Max. The questionable rename came at the conclusion of the merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery and, according to WarnerDiscovery executives, was meant to signal to subscribers that the new Max has content for the whole family to enjoy.Immediately post-merger, Max lost 1.8 million subscribers (that WarnerMedia attributes to simple attrition). But the great mushing together of libraries means that highly polished dramas like The Sopranos and Oz appear alongside the highly popular (what's a polite way to say schlock'?) like 90 Day Fiance and Property Brothers t... Continue reading...
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by Richard Lawler on (#6HF1B)
Composite image of a Toyota Corolla and Tesla Cybertruck after the accident. | Image: u/boddhya (Reddit) After Reddit user boddhya posted two pictures of a Cybertruck accident, the California Highway Patrol confirmed to The Verge that units responded to a two-vehicle accident on SR 35 (Skyline Boulevard). It occurred in this area south of Page Mill Road, which Google Maps lists as Palo Alto, around 2:05PM local time and involved a 2023 Tesla Cybertruck carrying three people that appears to have been hit by a 2009 Toyota Corolla driven by a 17-year-old.Tesla's Cybertruck delivery event raised questions about the design and what would occur in an impact with other cars or pedestrians. Fortunately, it doesn't appear that anyone involved in this incident suffered major injury as a result.CHP:
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by Amrita Khalid on (#6HEZJ)
2024 LG Gram Pro | LG Ahead of CES 2024, LG is debuting new laptops in its ultra-light LG Gram and LG Gram Pro series. If you're in the market for OLED displays and better graphics, take a look at the 2024 LG Gram Pro lineup. As our review last year noted, the biggest difference between the Pro and standard laptops last year was the graphics - much less the look and feel. For a more visible difference, we'll keep an eye out for their more fashion-forward cousin, the LG Gram Style.For 2024, there's the Gram Pro 16 and 17, and the LG Gram Pro 2-in-1 (more on what those two things are later). The Gram Pro 16 is available in either the standard Wide Quad or with an OLED display, as well as the 2-in-1. The 2-in-1 doubles as a laptop and a tablet, featuring a... Continue reading...
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by Amrita Khalid on (#6HEZK)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The FDA is warning Amazon to do something about bootleg Viagra" found on its platform, misleadingly disguised as men's energy or health supplements. In a letter to Amazon dated December 20th, the agency threatened legal action and listed seven different products available on the e-commerce platform with ingredients found in Viagra and Cialis. With outlandish names and brightly colored, cartoonish labels, it would be hard to confuse them with real-deal prescription drugs.But a recent investigation by the FDA found several supplements or powders sold on the e-commerce platform contained either sildenafil or tadalafil (the active ingredients in Cialis and Viagra) and failed to disclose it: MANNERS Energy Boost, Round 2, WeFun, Genergy,... Continue reading...
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by Emma Roth on (#6HEZM)
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Microsoft is getting ready to upgrade its Surface lineup with new AI-enabled features, according to a report from Windows Central. Unnamed sources told the outlet the upcoming Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 will come with a next-gen neural processing unit (NPU), along with Intel and Arm-based options.Microsoft's Arm-based devices will be powered by Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X chips, Windows Central reports. These PCs, codenamed CADMUS, will reportedly be designed to run the AI features Microsoft is packaging into a future release of Windows. They'll also come with improvements to performance, battery life, and security on par with Apple silicon, according to Windows Central. Meanwhile, the Intel version of the devices will... Continue reading...
by Barbara Krasnoff on (#6FGVG)
Image: The Verge A recent discussion among friends wondered if anyone really used ringtones anymore. The idea was that most people (those who still use their phones to hold verbal conversations) either go with whatever ringtone their phone comes with or just use vibrations.Once upon a time, ringtones were a thing. You could use them for amusement. (My favorite was a bored voice that said, Ring. Ring. Ring.") You could use them to know who was calling without having to look at the phone (so you knew when to pick up and when to let it go to voicemail). Now, maybe, not so much.Still, Google recently added a bunch of new ringtones to its Pixel phones, so presumably, some of us are still playing around with these sounds. In case you count yourself in... Continue reading...
by Emma Roth on (#6HETZ)
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge For over three years now, Apple has been entrenched in a messy legal battle over a single feature on the Apple Watch - and Apple's opponent, medical device maker Masimo, seems confident it can win. And there's a good reason Masimo might believe that: the company came out on top when it sued True Wearables, a startup run by a former executive with a stint on the Apple Watch team, on similar grounds.In 2018, Masimo filed a complaint against True Wearables over claims its wireless pulse oximeter infringed on Masimo's patent. The court sided with Masimo and issued a permanent injunction against the sale of the device in December 2022.Sound familiar? Well, the pulse oximeter tech isn't the only parallel between Masimo's cases against True... Continue reading...
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by Charles Pulliam-Moore on (#6HEV0)
Netflix's new stop-motion Pokemon series from Dwarf Animation Studio is on the shorter side of things, but each episode is a gorgeous testament to the power of relaxation. Continue reading...
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by Brandon Widder on (#6HEV1)
The OnePlus Keyboard 81 Pro shares a lot in common with the Keychron Q1 Pro, rendering it a great alternative when it's on sale. | Photo by Jon Porter / The Verge As OnePlus continues to expand its reach outside of China and India, it's doing so with more than just phones. Take the OnePlus Keyboard 81 Pro, for instance, which is on sale from OnePlus right now in the Winter Bonfire configuration with double-shot PBT keycaps and tactile switches for $179 ($40 off) or in the Summer Breeze config with lighter marble-mallow" keycaps and linear switches for $199 ($40 off).In many ways, OnePlus' debut mechanical keyboard acts as a redesigned Keychron Q1 Pro - our current pick for the best premium Bluetooth keyboard - with a few added tweaks. The wireless, 75 percent board features an adjustable kickstand, for one, along with cylindrical keycaps that give it a quieter, more modern feel than the Q1 Pro.... Continue reading...
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by Justine Calma on (#6HEV2)
A worker drives a Powered Industrial Truck at the Amazon fullfillment center May 3, 2018 in Aurora, Colorado. | Photo by Rick T. Wilking/Getty Images Amazon is making plans to produce hydrogen fuel at its fulfillment centers. The retail behemoth partnered with hydrogen company Plug Power to install the first electrolyzer - equipment that can split water molecules to produce hydrogen - at a fulfillment center in Aurora, Colorado.The electrolyzer will make fuel for around 225 fork lift trucks at the site, although Plug says it has the capacity to fuel up to 400 hydrogen fuel cell-powered forklifts. This is the first time Amazon has tried to make its own hydrogen on site, and it's not likely to be the last.On-site production will make the use of hydrogen even more energy efficient for certain locations and types of facilities," Asad Jafry, Amazon's director of global hydrogen... Continue reading...
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by Emilia David on (#6HERP)
Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge Apple has resumed selling the latest Apple Watches on its website after a federal appeals court paused a sales and import ban.The Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 are now once again available on Apple's website, a day after some physical Apple stores began selling the watches on December 27th. Apple previously told The Verge that the watches should be available widely in its physical stores by Saturday.The US International Trade Commission issued the ban after finding that Apple had violated patents from medical device maker Masimo around a blood oxygen saturation feature included in the Series 9 and Ultra 2. Apple pulled both models from shelves and its website last week, ahead of the ban officially starting on December 26th.Apple is... Continue reading...
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by Barbara Krasnoff on (#6CQWH)
Graphic by James Bareham / The Verge Now that Apple's latest iPhones are using USB-C cables instead of the traditional Lightning cables, anyone who upgrades to a new iPhone may find themselves with a lot of excess cables. If you're one of those unfortunates, what do you plan to do with them?While we're always being told how to simplify our crammed living spaces and get rid of all the stuff we're no longer using or wearing, it's often hard to figure out just how to do it responsibly without adding to the world's excess trash.Because just dumping them isn't an option. Reusing and recycling old and unneeded stuff has become an important aspect of the push to preserve the world's environment. Many states and urban areas are mandating the recycling of tech, metals, paper... Continue reading...
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by Ash Parrish on (#6HENC)
The Verge / Photo Courtesy of Sony PlayStation's had an interesting year. The company ricocheted between the highs of launching new technology like the PlayStation Portal and a new PS5 Slim (now with a detachable disk drive!) and the lows of layoffs, game cancellations, massive data leaks, and the end of CEO Jim Ryan's 28-year tenure.And though 2023 was the year of the cross-platform blockbusters like Diablo IV and Baldur's Gate 3, PlayStation still had a number of exclusives not to be missed.Spider-Man 2When you start out with a game as good as the original Spider-Man, you don't have to change much. And thankfully that's exactly what the developers at Insomniac did for Spider-Man 2. The sequel has some new ideas - including web wings that let you glide across New... Continue reading...
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by Cameron Faulkner on (#5PDT0)
Samar Haddad; Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Whether you want to go with Samsung, Google, or a different manufacturer, trading in your old Android phone - or selling it - is a smart way to do that, especially since there are those who will decide instead to buy a lightly used phone from an older generation that will suit their needs without breaking the bank.If you've got an older model and are ready for an upgrade, here are a few steps to take in order to get your device ready to sell, followed by how much cash you can expect to earn back. We're going to concentrate on Samsung and Google Pixel phones here, but you can probably expect similar results with phones from other vendors.Inspect your phoneIf your old device is in good condition, you shouldn't have much of a problem... Continue reading...
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by Emma Roth on (#6HEND)
The Verge / Image courtesy of Amazon Prime Amazon Prime Video is the second-best perk that comes with a Prime subscription (aside from free two-day shipping, of course), and its library only continues to grow. While Prime Video is often overshadowed by the likes of Netflix and Max, it has surprising range, whether you're looking for a lighthearted comedy, psychological thriller, or a thrilling animated series.With that out of the way, here's our list of the best shows released on Amazon Prime Video this year.InvincibleIf you're looking for a fresh take on the superhero genre, you'll want to check out Invincible. The animated series first debuted in 2021, but its second season just came out this year - and it doesn't disappoint. Invincible follows 17-year-old Mark Grayson... Continue reading...
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by Amrita Khalid on (#6HE6M)
Samsung Samsung has a smart fridge in the works for the new year that includes some interesting AI features, including an internal camera that can identify individual food items and a connected app that can suggest recipes based what you have in stock. The company plans to unveil the 2024 Bespoke 4-Door Flex Refrigerator with AI Family Hub+ at CES next year. Users can mirror the display of their Galaxy phones to the 32-inch Family Hub touchscreen, and there are even separate apps for TikTok and YouTube videos.While neither the internal camera or the Family Hub app are new (the 2023 model also included an AI-powered camera and could generate recipes), both have been upgraded with more features. The Samsung Food app (which you can access... Continue reading...
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by Sheena Vasani on (#6HE6N)
Image: Freewrite Astrohaus will be shipping the cheapest digital typewriter in its Freewright lineup, the Freewright Alpha, in mid-January for $349. You can preorder it now, however, in black or white from the company's website.The Freewrite Alpha is the follow-up to the original $649 Freewrite and the $499 portable Freewrite Traveler from 2020. Like its predecessors, the Wi-Fi-enabled typewriter is free of distractions like web browsers and emails to help you focus on writing. After you're finished, the gadget wirelessly syncs documents with software services like Google Drive and Dropbox so you can edit and share your documents.However, the Alpha drops the E Ink display in favor of a reflective monochromatic LCD screen, thus keeping costs down. It... Continue reading...
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by Jacob Kastrenakes on (#6HE6P)
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge You can once again buy the latest Apple Watches straight from Apple. The Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 will be available again in some physical Apple stores starting today, with wider availability expected by Saturday. Online sales will resume tomorrow by 3PM ET, Apple spokesperson Nikki Rothberg told The Verge.The restarting of sales comes hours after a federal appeals court paused a sales and import ban that covered both devices. Apple was banned from selling both products in the US after the US International Trade Commission found that the company had violated patents from the medical device maker Masimo.The appeals court said that Apple could continue selling its watches temporarily, while the company waited to hear back on... Continue reading...
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by Barbara Krasnoff on (#6HE3D)
Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge When it comes to apps that I've used for over a year or so - such as the Chrome browser -I can be very boring. I get into the habit of using the app in a particular way, and after that, when interesting new features pop up, I'll often put them aside to try out some other time." After all, if the app's working for me as it is, why bother?The problem is, I should bother - because sometimes those features can be very useful. For example, when I started using and saving tab groups in Chrome, it became much easier to find the tabs associated with a project, and to group them under a single tab temporarily when I didn't need them. (Not that Chrome is the only browser that groups tabs these days; Safari and Edge, among other browsers, have... Continue reading...
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by Charles Pulliam-Moore on (#6HE3E)
Kahhori, one of What If...?'s new characters. | Marvel Studios What If's second season is at its best when it's exploring the edges of Marvel's established cinematic canon. Continue reading...
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by Sheena Vasani on (#6HE0P)
The portable Zendure SuperTank Pro can juice up a pair of MacBook Pros and smartphones at the same time. | Photo by Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge If your New Year's Day plans involve going off-grid or some form of travel, a portable battery pack will come in handy when there are no outlets within reach. Right now, you can scoop up Zendure's 100-watt SuperTank Pro charger for $149.99 ($80 off) at Amazon. That's one of the charger's best prices of the year and just $12 shy of its Black Friday price.With four USB-C ports, the portable battery pack can quickly juice up all of your gadgets at once so you don't need to stuff your bag with multiple chargers. It also delivers up to 100 watts of power, so you can quickly power up your smartphone, laptop, tablet, or Nintendo Switch. As an extra cool perk, it comes with a built-in OLED panel, so you can keep tabs on how quickly your... Continue reading...
by Jacob Kastrenakes on (#6HE0Q)
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Apple has won a temporary pause of the Apple Watch ban that went into effect on Tuesday. A federal appeals court ordered a halt on the import and sales bans today, after Apple requested that they be paused at least until US Customs can determine if changes it's making to the Apple Watch would be enough to avoid the patent dispute that led to the ban. Customs is expected to issue its decision on January 12th.The court's order means that Apple can resume selling the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 for the moment. Both watches were pulled from its website last week and off of store shelves this week, as the ban went into effect. Apple did not immediately respond to a request for comment on whether it would resume sales.Apple... Continue reading...
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by Jon Porter on (#6HDTK)
The Verge / Image courtesy of Larian Studios 2023 is likely to go down in history as one of gaming's greats, and at times it's been challenging just to keep up. Baldur's Gate 3 brought the 20-year-old PC franchise back with a bang, and smaller releases like Slay the Princess were a reminder of the important role PCs still hold for indie games.Given how cross-platform the vast majority of games are these days, we're not going to primarily focus on PC exclusives. Instead, the aim is to highlight a great selection of games that show off PC gaming at its best in 2023. So alongside games like Slay the Princess, which are only available on computer platforms, there are also titles that work particularly well with a mouse and keyboard (Baldur's Gate 3) or which offer interesting... Continue reading...
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by Andrew Webster on (#6HDTM)
The Verge / Photo courtesy of Disney Disney Plus is a service built primarily around the company's core brands of Marvel, Star Wars, and Disney - and that hasn't changed much this year. 2023's new releases were still dominated by superheroes and Jedi, but there were some Na'vi and Time Lords thrown in for good measure. In fact, this year the service's offerings were particularly solid for sci-fi fans, with stories spanning quite a few galaxies and timelines. If you're new to Disney Plus, here are a few movies and shows to stream first.LokiSince its first season, filled with branching timelines and retrofuturistic tech, Loki has carved out its own distinct space within the MCU while still connecting to (and influencing) the broader multiverse. It's something you can enjoy... Continue reading...
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by Emma Roth on (#6HDTN)
Photo by Kena Betancur/VIEWpress The New York Times is suing OpenAI and Microsoft for copyright infringement, claiming the two companies built their AI models by copying and using millions" of the publication's articles and now directly compete" with its content as a result.As outlined in the lawsuit, the Times alleges OpenAI and Microsoft's large language models (LLMs), which power ChatGPT and Copilot, can generate output that recites Times content verbatim, closely summarizes it, and mimics its expressive style." This undermine[s] and damage[s]" the Times' relationship with readers, the outlet alleges, while also depriving it of subscription, licensing, advertising, and affiliate revenue."The complaint also argues that these AI models threaten high-quality... Continue reading...
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by The Verge Staff on (#6H8J4)
The Verge What a year, huh?As 2023 draws to a close, it's time to look back on the year that was. It was a great year for entertainment and a not-so-great year for the people who actually made that entertainment. It was the year Twitter died, and the year Matter mostly failed to launch. Gadgets got gadgety-er, photos got what-is-a-photo-ier, and generative AI was suddenly everywhere.Now through the end of the year, we'll recap the highs and lows in gadgets, social media, and entertainment, and look ahead at how 2024 is shaping up (spoiler: even more AI). We'll talk about our favorite movies and TV shows of the year, including the best stuff on Max, Apple TV Plus, Prime, and Disney Plus, and our favorite games on every platform, from... Continue reading...
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by Chris Welch on (#6HDEH)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Earlier this year, Amazon announced plans to start incorporating ads into movies and TV shows streamed from its Prime Video service, and now the company has revealed a specific date when you'll start seeing them: it's January 29th. This will allow us to continue investing in compelling content and keep increasing that investment over a long period of time," the company said in an email to customers about the pending shift to limited advertisements."We aim to have meaningfully fewer ads than linear TV and other streaming TV providers. No action is required from you, and there is no change to the current price of your Prime membership," the company wrote. Customers have the option of paying an additional $2.99 per month to keep... Continue reading...
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by Ariel Shapiro on (#6HD8N)
Image: Apple Apple has filed an appeal to the International Trade Commission's decision to ban U.S. sales of Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 models, court records show. Additionally, the company is requesting an emergency stay on the ban for at least two weeks until a decision is made on redesigned versions of the banned models.We strongly disagree with the USITC decision and resulting exclusion order, and are taking all measures to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to customers in the U.S. as soon as possible," Apple said in a statement to Reuters on Tuesday. Apple did not immediately respond to The Verge's request for comment.The models, which Apple says are their most popular, were banned after the ITC found that Apple... Continue reading...
by Emma Roth on (#6HD6H)
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Apple can no longer sell the Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 in the US after President Joe Biden's administration declined to veto the ban today.Apple pulled both devices from its website on December 21st and from its store shelves after December 24th. A statement (via CNBC) from the Office of US Trade Representative Katherine Tai said the agency decided not to reverse the ITC's [International Trade Commission] determination" after careful consideration."In a statement published by Reuters, an unnamed Apple spokesperson confirmed it's appealing the ITC decision and said: We strongly disagree with the USITC decision and resulting exclusion order, and are taking all measures to return Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 to... Continue reading...
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by Tom Warren on (#6HD8P)
Image: Microsoft Microsoft has quietly launched a dedicated Copilot app for Android. The new app is available in the Google Play Store, offering access to Microsoft's AI-powered Copilot without the need for the Bing mobile app. Spotted by Neowin, Copilot on Android has been available for nearly a week, but an iOS version isn't available just yet.Microsoft's Copilot app on Android is very similar to ChatGPT, with access to chatbot capabilities, image generation through DALL-E 3, and the ability to draft text for emails and documents. It also includes free access to OpenAI's latest GPT-4 model, something you have to pay for if you're using ChatGPT. Image: Microsoft The Copilot interface on Android The launch of the Copilot app... Continue reading...
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by Jay Peters on (#6HD6F)
The Verge / Image courtesy of Nintendo It's been a fantastic year for the Nintendo Switch. We got new Super Mario games, some great remasters, ports of a few games that previously blew up on PC, and, of course, an absolutely massive sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.Even though the Nintendo Switch's successor is likely just around the corner, there's no shortage of great games to play on the Switch you might already own. Nintendo can take all the time it needs to launch its next console; whenever that comes out, I'll probably still be working through quests in Tears of the Kingdom.Here are some of the best Nintendo Switch games from 2023.Advance Wars 1 + 2 Re-Boot Camp Image: Nintendo Advance Wars 1 + 2 Re-Boot Camp packages up the... Continue reading...
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by Alex Cranz on (#6HD6G)
The Verge / Photo courtesy of Paramount Plus and IMDB I am a Paramount Plus apologist. I know - going by subscription numbers alone - that I have to be because people do not subscribe to the streaming service at the same rate as Netflix or Amazon Prime, but I spend more time in the Paramount Plus app than the other two. It's got older shows like Star Trek, Frasier, and Avatar: The Last Airbender, and newer splashy shows like... everything Taylor Sheridan produces and Frasier. It has a whole mess of football (American) and football (the rest of the world), and while bigger brands like Netflix are only now experimenting with live TV, Paramount Plus has been doing it from the get-go and doing it really well.It is, I think, my desert island streaming service.A lot of new shows aired on the... Continue reading...
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by Tom Warren on (#6HCPK)
The Verge / Photo courtesy of Bethesda Game Studios Xbox Game Pass might have had a rather slow 2022, but its value has really paid off in 2023. There are more than 400 games to choose from, and I've honestly struggled to pick just 10 to recommend this year. For a monthly subscription fee of between $10.99 and $16.99, you get to play a wide range of games like Starfield, Sea of Stars, Tunic, and Inside.If you've just got an Xbox, here's a list of 10 great Xbox Game Pass games that are well worth your time over the holidays.PentimentPentiment is a manuscript murder mystery set in the 16th century. In Pentiment, you play as Andreas Maler, a painter working on illustrated manuscripts in an abbey in Bavaria. The game plays out like a visual novel, where you'll make decisions throughout... Continue reading...
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by Sheena Vasani on (#6HCCE)
A Disney Plus subscription provides access to the full catalog of Star Wars, including recent series like Ahsoka. | Image: Suzanne Tenner / Lucasfilm Ltd. Yes, Christmas is tomorrow - and yes, we know you have yet to buy a gift. We understand that life gets busy, though, and sometimes it feels like the holidays creep up on you out of nowhere. But before you spiral into a full-blown panic attack, take a deep breath. Luckily for you, the internet is filled with a treasure trove of gift cards, subscriptions, and other great digital gifts you can buy as late as Christmas Day itself.To help make your life a little easier, we've curated a list of some of the best digital gifts we've either used ourselves or gifted to our friends and family. We've organized the list by interests, too, so you can find the perfect present whether your loved one is into the arts, exercise, or something else... Continue reading...
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by Antonio G. Di Benedetto on (#6HC9R)
It does one thing well, and yet there are other multi-use devices that are arguably better, but dammit sometimes I'm lazy. Continue reading...
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by Emma Roth on (#6HC8J)
The Verge / Photo Courtesy of IMDB and Hulu Hulu got a big price hike this year, but it's getting increasingly harder to cancel (at least for me) thanks to the overwhelming number of shows and movies to watch on the Disney-owned service. While those of us in the US can currently access Hulu separately from Disney Plus, things are about to change very soon.Disney is planning to launch a combined Hulu and Disney Plus app for users who subscribe to both services, and it's set to come out next year after some initial testing. Keep in mind that this won't change the content available on either service, just how you access it. For now, though, here are some of the best shows released on Hulu this year.Only Murders in the Building (Season 3)Selena Gomez, Steve Martin, and Martin... Continue reading...
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by Richard Lawler on (#6HBZD)
2024 Chevrolet Blazer EV RS in Galaxy Gray Metallic | Image: GM Our automotive editor was scheduled to test a Blazer EV soon, but it looks like that will have to wait - GM has paused sales of its brand-new Chevy Blazer EV following reports of significant issues.In a statement provided to The Verge, Chevrolet communications executive director Chad Lyons said, Our team is working quickly to roll out a fix, and owners will be contacted with further information on how to schedule their update." Chevrolet vice president Scott Bell said, We're aware that a limited number of customers have experienced software-related quality issues with their Blazer EV. Customer satisfaction is our priority and as such, we will take a brief pause on new deliveries." GM did not confirm how many vehicles are affected,... Continue reading...