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Updated 2025-07-09 09:04
Meta cracks down on ‘Yahoo Boys’ and thousands of sextortion accounts
Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Meta shut down 63,000 Instagram accounts based in Nigeria that it says were engaged in financial sextortion scams and connected to what Meta calls a loosely organized" group of cybercriminals known as the Yahoo Boys."Meta has been getting serious about cracking down on sextortion scams and educating users about how to avoid them. Earlier this year, Meta said it would automatically send suspected sextortion account messages to users' hidden requests folder. If users were already talking to a potential scam or sextortion account, it would display a safety notice prompting them to report threats to share private images. Meta said it would also make it so that potential sextortion accounts wouldn't be able to view the Message" button on... Continue reading...
iPhones will soon be able to stream live video on 911 calls
Image: Apple / RapidSOS First responder networks are lining up to support a major new emergency feature in iOS 18: Live Video support. Now, 911 support platforms, including RapidSOS Unite and Prepared, are integrating with Apple's Emergency SOS Live Video, which was announced at WWDC in June.The new feature lets you video chat with 911 dispatchers and emergency responders, aiding them in finding you fast when you need help. Apple's Emergency SOS could already relay a voice call and send texts to responders, as well as share your location.This is all part of Apple's bigger push to add safety features in recent years, including Crash Detection, which was introduced on the iPhone 14 and newer and later added to the Apple Watch Series 8, Ultra, and the second... Continue reading...
Reddit is now blocking major search engines and AI bots — except the ones that pay
Illustration: The Verge Reddit is ramping up its crackdown on web crawlers. Over the past few weeks, Reddit has started blocking search engines from surfacing recent posts and comments unless the search engine pays up, according to a report from 404 Media.Right now, Google is the only mainstream search engine that shows recent results when you search for posts on Reddit using the site:reddit.com" trick, 404 Media reports. This leaves out Bing, DuckDuckGo, and other alternatives - and that's likely because Google has struck a $60 million deal that lets the company train its AI models on content from Reddit.It's a bold move for a massive website like Reddit to block some of the most popular search engines, but it's not all that surprising. Over the past year,... Continue reading...
Olympic drone spying scandal lands Canadian coach a red card
Canadian soccer coach Bev Priestman will miss the Olympic team's opening match against New Zealand. | Photo by Vaughn Ridley / Getty Images A member of the Canadian Olympic women's soccer team was caught using a drone to spy on New Zealand's practice session on Monday. It's said to be the second drone incident" at a New Zealand practice over the past week.As a result, the Canadian Olympic Committee has announced that soccer coach Bev Priestman will not coach the Olympic team's opening match tomorrow. Two other staffers have been removed from the team and are being sent home from the games.The Canadian women's soccer team is the defending Olympic champion after winning gold at the Tokyo Games in 2021. According to TSN, the New Zealand team is currently ranked 28th. Taking Priestman's place as head coach during tomorrow's match will be the team's assistant coach, Andy... Continue reading...
Chrome adds new warnings and cloud scanning for suspicious downloads
Image: Google Google has updated the suspicious file warnings Chrome displays for why it might have blocked a potentially suspicious or dangerous file download to hopefully give users clearer explanations. For people who turn on the anti-phishing Enhanced protection feature, opting in to upload suspicious files for scanning in the cloud, it's also shifted to automatic scans, saying files sent for deep scans are 50 times more likely to be marked as malware.In response to widespread targeted cookie theft attacks on YouTube channels and other groups, like the Linus Tech Tips hacker takeover last year, Chrome has also added a prompt to scan encrypted archive files such as .zip files that have a password. Users will be prompted to enter the password so... Continue reading...
Sony tests a new PS5 3D audio profile setup to personalize in-game effects
Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge The latest PlayStation beta lets you create personalized 3D audio profiles on your PS5 that could help you better sense the positions of characters and objects in a game world." If you're wearing headphones or earbuds with your PS5, you can perform sound tests to optimize the audio to best suit your needs.As shown in the video provided by Sony, the tests will ask you various questions, like where you hear a particular sound coming from and the angle you hear a sound moving in. Based on your answers, your PS5 will create an audio profile that will be saved to your account and ideally improve the simulated effect to help you track sounds around you in games.You can create an audio profile by going to the settings menu and selecting S... Continue reading...
The Sonos Ace headphones are seeing their first discount at $40 off
The Ace have an understated design that's very sleek, especially in white. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge If you're looking to be an early-ish adopter of some fancy headphones and you like the color white, you're in luck. The porcelain-colored Sonos Ace are on sale for $409.99 ($40 off) at Amazon.Sonos' first wireless headphones feature top-notch sound quality, noise cancellation, and a transparency mode. These features may be par for the course among its equally pricey competition, but what makes the Ace unique is its integration with the Sonos home audio ecosystem. If you're invested in Sonos speakers or soundbars, the Ace uses the Sonos app and has a nifty extra where you can instantly swap your TV audio from an Arc soundbar to the privacy of your headphones (if you're on iOS, since the feature has been delayed for Android). This... Continue reading...
We experimented with macOS on the iPad, and it was surprisingly good
Apple executives Greg Joswiak and Craig Federighi have made it well known that the company has little interest in getting the iPad prepared for macOS software. During an event following Apple's 2024 Worldwide Developers Conference in June, Federighi said, We want to keep making iPad the best iPad it can be. We are not trying to create a Windows 8 PC or whatever." But that hasn't stopped Apple users from craving something more out of their iPads.Across our articles, videos, and podcasts, we see comments asking about what it would take to get macOS on their devices or asking for predictions of the day Apple will change its mind. So, we decided to try to find the answer.In this latest video from The Verge, video director Owen Grove... Continue reading...
Apple’s Sunny imagines a cozy future where screens fade into the background
Sunny the robot has a very expressive face. | Image: Apple The murder mystery was a chance for showrunner Katie Robbins to imagine a different kind of sci-fi vision. Continue reading...
The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 is a great phone that’s out of ideas
Samsung's flagship foldable is as good as ever, but it feels anything but fresh. Continue reading...
Google has big new ideas about the Play Store
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Google is bringing a handful of new features to its Google Play store on Android today. There are new categorized Collections" that highlight content from apps you've already installed. The company's reward program is adding more prizes, including Pixel hardware. Google's Play Pass subscription service is introducing more versatile gaming capabilities. And in Japan, Google is rolling out a curated space for comics, which will let people dive into first chapter previews without needing to install third-party apps first.Taken together, these changes are intended to make Google Play an end-to-end experience that's more than a store."The company previewed some of the latest updates at a media briefing in New York City on Tuesday. Google... Continue reading...
The wireless GameSir G8 Plus controller works with smartphones and the Switch
In addition to iOS and Android mobile devices, the GameSir G8 Plus works with the Nintendo Switch. | Image: GameSir GameSir's latest mobile controller has an added bonus - it also works with the Nintendo Switch. In addition to turning iOS and Android smartphones into handheld consoles not dependent on finicky touchscreen controls, the new GameSir G8 Plus can replace the Switch's Joy-Cons with more ergonomic alternatives that will never succumb to joystick drift.Unlike many clamp-on gaming controllers for mobile devices that physically connect through a USB-C or Lightning port, the GameSir G8 Plus uses Bluetooth. That's what allows it to connect to smartphones, tablets, the Switch, and even PCs without requiring users to pick a version with a specific connector.The tradeoff is that the gamepad relies on a pair of 500mAh rechargeable batteries. That... Continue reading...
The moral bankruptcy of Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz
In venture capital, you are what you fund. | Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge Two of Silicon Valley's famous venture capitalists make the case for backing Trump: that their ability to make money is the only value that matters. Continue reading...
Twitch is cracking down on sexual harassment in chats
Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Twitch has introduced new policy and moderation updates that aim to help curb sexual harassment. The streaming platform announced in a blog post that it has made its sexual harassment policy easier to understand" by more clearly outlining prohibited conduct. Twitch's moderation tools will now also allow streamers to more easily filter out inappropriate chat messages.Twitch says the policy itself is largely unchanged," but now better defines what the Amazon-owned company considers sexual harassment - including non-physical behaviors of a sexual nature" that would make users feel degraded, uncomfortable, or generally unwelcome on the platform.We prohibit unwanted comments - including comments made using emojis/emotes - regarding... Continue reading...
CrowdStrike blames test software for taking down 8.5 million Windows machines
Image: The Verge CrowdStrike has published a post incident review (PIR) of the buggy update it published that took down 8.5 million Windows machines last week. The detailed post blames a bug in test software for not properly validating the content update that was pushed out to millions of machines on Friday. CrowdStrike is promising to more thoroughly test its content updates, improve its error handling, and implement a staggered deployment to avoid a repeat of this disaster.CrowdStrike's Falcon software is used by businesses around the world to help manage against malware and security breaches on millions of Windows machines. On Friday, CrowdStrike issued a content configuration update for its software that was supposed to gather telemetry on possible... Continue reading...
E-commerce is driving up pollution near warehouses
Trucks near a warehouse in San Bernardino County, California | Image: Wes Reel / The Verge The data is in, and it shows a significant rise in air pollution where e-retailers build their warehouses, and the neighborhoods hit the hardest have more people of color living in them.Warehouses have mushroomed across the US with the rise of e-commerce - creeping closer to Americans' homes and becoming more common than office buildings. They're there to store, sort, and send off packages that wind up at our doorsteps seemingly out of thin air. In reality, that flurry of activity sends fleets of trucks and delivery vehicles through communities, affecting neighborhoods closest to warehouses the most.I would argue that it's a very meaningful, impactful amount."The first nationwide study of its kind linked truck traffic from warehouses... Continue reading...
X replaced the water pistol emoji with a regular gun, for some reason
Image: The Verge Years after Twitter replaced the pistol emoji with a green and orange water gun, X has decided to change it back to a regular handgun. An X employee announced the change in a post last week.The company hasn't explained the change, but it feels on brand for Elon Musk's social network. Twitter originally switched its emoji to display a water gun in 2018, following others like Google and Facebook. (Apple made the switch in 2016; Microsoft was a brief holdout.) We've embedded a screenshot of the X post so you can see the gun image. (On some devices, the actual post still shows a water gun when embedded.) Eventually, the Unicode Consortium, which decides which emoji get made in the first place, followed the platforms'... Continue reading...
KOSA sponsors urge ‘quick and clean’ Senate vote with less than two weeks until recess
Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) will finally get its moment on the Senate floor this week after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) announced he'd move for a procedural vote on the bill as soon as Thursday. It fulfills a promise Schumer made to parent advocates who have championed the bill, which would impose a duty of care for online platforms to mitigate certain risks to kids. But the timing means that even if KOSA passes the Senate before the week is out, the House itself will only have a week to consider the measure, since the August recess is close at hand.At a press conference Tuesday, advocates and bill sponsors urged other senators to quickly vote to pass the bill, without other amendments that could stall its progress... Continue reading...
Elon Musk is not answering the most important questions about the Tesla robotaxi
Photo by Gary Hershorn/Getty Images Will the Tesla robotaxi have a steering wheel or not? Elon Musk won't say.The Tesla CEO dodged several questions during an earnings call Tuesday about the status of the company's long-promised autonomous vehicle, including whether it would have traditional controls like pedals and steering wheels.It's an increasingly important question left hovering over Tesla's robotaxi plans, which have been already been delayed to allow more work on the prototype. Theoretically, a steering wheel- and pedal-less vehicle could take months, if not years, to be approved for public roads. A more traditional looking vehicle, meanwhile, could be released a lot sooner.Theoretically, a steering wheel- and pedal-less vehicle could take months, if not... Continue reading...
The cheapest Wi-Fi 7 router is this $99 TP-Link
Image: TP-Link TP-Link has debuted the Archer BE3600, a $99 Wi-Fi 7 router that is the cheapest one we've seen released in the US so far since the first routers supporting the new standard started arriving last year.It doesn't have the new 6GHz band like its pricier cousins or even many of the Wi-Fi 6E routers already on the market, though. As a result, for many people, TP-Link's new router probably won't get you your downloads a lot faster - if at all - than would a much older router.The new tricks can mean a little throughput boost or a more stable connection than routers built to older specs in congested areas, though, thanks to the way Wi-Fi 7 handles its data streams. But without the one-two 6GHz punch of wider data channels and much more... Continue reading...
Deadpool & Wolverine is a desperate Hail Mary
Image: Jay Maidment / Marvel Studios Beneath the dick jokes and solid X-Men cameos, Deadpool & Wolverine feels like Marvel's way of admitting how much of a mess its multiverse era has been. Continue reading...
Google had a massive quarter thanks to Search and AI
Illustration: The Verge Google made nearly $85 billion over the past few months as revenue from its Search and cloud computing businesses soared. That's according to the quarter two earnings report released by Google's parent company, Alphabet, on Tuesday, which says Search alone raked in $48.5 billion.Meanwhile, Google's cloud division hit $10 billion for the first time while also achieving $1 billion in operating profit. During an earnings call on Tuesday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai said the company's generative AI solutions for Cloud customers already generated billions in revenues and are being used by more than 2 million developers."We are innovating at every layer of the AI stack," Pichai says in a letter to investors. Our longstanding infrastructure... Continue reading...
Tesla’s profits sank sharply in the second quarter of 2024
Photo by Osmancan Gurdogan / Anadolu via Getty Images Tesla published its second quarter earnings report, in which the company said it earned $1.48 billion in net income on $25.5 billion in revenue. That represents a 2 percent increase year over year compared to $24.9 billion in revenue in Q2 2023 but a 45 percent drop in net income.Tesla's gross margins were in the spotlight again, as bullish investors hoped to see improvements after years of steady decline. Rampant price cutting and cooling demand as well as cheaper financing have pushed the company's once-vaunted margins to their lowest point in six years.EV penetration returned to growth"The company reported 18 percent gross margins based on generally accepted accounting practices, slightly more than the 17.4 percent reported last... Continue reading...
Stuff this trackable wallet with everything but an AirTag
You won't need to stuff an AirTag inside ESR's Geo Wallet to find it. | Image: ESR With its own integrated tracking module compatible with Apple's Find My network and a traditional bifold design, ESR's Geo Wallet can be located using an iPhone if it goes missing and without the bulge of an AirTag stuffed inside.There's no shortage of wallets designed to accommodate an AirTag or credit card-sized trackers such as the Chipolo, but by using its own tracking module with a rechargeable lithium battery that's only 1.6 millimeters thick, the bifold Geo Wallet offers the same functionality with room inside for more than just a handful of cards. Image: ESR You can squeeze cash, coins, nine cards, and even a couple piece of ID in the Geo Wallet. Inside the Geo Wallet are slots for nine cards,... Continue reading...
How K-pop might lead to the downfall of Korea’s richest self-made tech mogul
Every Korean, Korean American, or K-pop fan you know probably has the KakaoTalk app. | Photo: Getty Images Kakao Corp. founder Kim Beom-su was arrested Tuesday in Seoul, South Korea. That might not mean much to Westerners, but the story is a bizarre tale of how a celebrated, self-made tech billionaire fell from grace... partly because he bought a scandal-ridden K-pop agency.Kim, who also goes by Brian, stands accused of manipulating SM Entertainment's stock price during a high-profile acquisition battle. Kim's chief rival in the bidding war? Hybe, the K-pop label that is best known for BTS. Prosecutors indicted Kakao's chief investment officer, Bae Jae-hyun, last year on similar charges. Kim has denied any wrongdoing.To back it up a bit, Kakao Corp. is best known for KakaoTalk, South Korea's most popular messaging app, used by roughly 47... Continue reading...
Kamala Harris wants you to know she’s having a ‘Brat’ summer
Image: Kamala HQ On Sunday, President Joe Biden shocked the country with his announcement that he would not seek reelection in November. He threw his support behind Vice President Kamala Harris. If elected, Harris would be the first Black and Asian American woman to become president, and her historic run is already creating excitement. Most Democrats are quickly falling in line. Some would say Harris is having a Brat" summer.Brat summer" is a phrase that's become the defining pop culture meme of the season - at least for the very online set - and references an album released in June by pop artist Charli XCX titled Brat. Charli XCX is a 31-year-old English woman who's been around for a while, though her influence is greater than her name recognition.... Continue reading...
Spotify CEO confirms a ‘deluxe’ version with hi-fi audio is coming soon
Photo by David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images for Spotify The saga of Spotify HiFi has many twists and turns. First announced over three years ago, the music service's higher-quality streaming tier has still yet to materialize. Recent reports have said lossless audio will be bundled together with other perks (like advanced library management, AI-powered playlists, and headphone sound quality optimization) as an add-on to Spotify's premium subscription. And today, during Spotify's earnings call, the company's CEO, Daniel Ek, confirmed that a better-than-Premium offering is still in the works - though he offered no firm timetable as to when it'll be available.In what might be my favorite-ever use of a cliche tech industry phrase, Ek said the effort is still in early days." (For those keeping... Continue reading...
Wooting joins Razer with a speedy new keyboard feature for PC gaming
Image: Wooting Earlier this month, Razer beat Wooting to a speedy new keyboard feature that lets players counter-strafe more quickly in a variety of competitive PC games. Now, Wooting has implemented the same feature.Normally, to switch strafe directions in a first-person shooter, you have to fully release one key before pressing the other. If both are pressed, they cancel each other, and you stand there like a dummy for a moment until you release one of the keys. Professional players have mastered not overlapping A and D keys to get perfect counter-strafing and movement in games, but with Razer's Tap Snap and Wooting's new Simultaneous Opposing Cardinal Directions (SOCD) beta, you don't need to release a key and can rapidly tap the A or D key to... Continue reading...
Chuck Schumer plans to bring two major kids online safety bills to the Senate floor this week
Photo by Alex Wong / Getty Images Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) plans to announce in a speech that he will bring the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) and the Children and Teens' Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA 2.0) to the Senate floor this week for a procedural vote. This tees up the biggest step yet on the federal level to move forward with a law in the area of children's online safety legislation.Over the past few months I've met with families from across the country who have gone through the worst thing a parent could endure - losing a child," Schumer said in a statement. Rather than retreating into the darkness of their loss, these families lit a candle for others with their advocacy. I am proud to work side-by-side with them and put on the floor... Continue reading...
Apple’s first foldable iPhone could arrive in 2026
Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge Apple continues to work on a foldable iPhone, which could arrive as early as 2026, according to a report from The Information. The phone is rumored to fold horizontally, like the clamshell-style Samsung Galaxy Z Flip.In February, The Information reported that Apple was in the early stages of developing two folding iPhone prototypes. But now, it seems Apple may have settled on a design, as The Information says the device has an internal nickname, V68, indicating the idea has moved beyond the conceptual stage" and is now "in development with suppliers." Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge Apple's folding iPhone could look similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5. Apple is reportedly still working to flatten... Continue reading...
Netflix has a new gaming boss after hiring former Epic exec
Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge There's a new name in charge of Netflix's ongoing gaming efforts. As Variety reports, the streamer has hired Alain Tascan as the new president of its gaming division, after he previously served as executive VP of game development at Fortnite maker Epic Games. The news comes as the game division's former boss, Mike Verdu, moved into a different role at Netflix focused on a new team on the cutting edge of game innovation."In his previous role at Epic, which he held since 2018, Tascan was in charge of the company's first-party output, which included not only Fortnite and its various modes like Lego Fortnite but also other live-service games like Rocket League and Fall Guys. In a statement, Tascan explained that he took the role at the... Continue reading...
Microsoft is bringing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III to Xbox Game Pass
Image: Activision Microsoft is bringing last year's Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III to Xbox Game Pass tomorrow. It's the first time a Call of Duty game will be available on Game Pass, and it's the last in Activision's franchise to have PlayStation-exclusive content now that Microsoft owns Activision Blizzard.Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III will be available for Xbox Game Pass for Console, PC Game Pass, and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on July 24th. The announcement comes just weeks after Microsoft revealed price hikes for its subscription service.Microsoft announced price hikes for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass earlier this month. The launch of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III on Game Pass could soften the blow of the price increases, which, in... Continue reading...
Declutter your desk with Sharge’s new 100W charging station
You can power up to six devices with Sharge's new charging station. | Image: Sharge Sharge's new 100W charging station falls somewhere between a compact multi-port USB charger and a plastic power strip. Designed with a small footprint so it can live on a desk and stay easily accessible, it delivers enough USB-C power to keep laptops charged while also accommodating hardware dependent on a three-prong plug.The charging station can deliver up to 100W of power across four USB ports. If you have a device plugged into one of the two 100W USB-C ports, it can draw up to 100W. But if both 100W USB-C ports are in use, one will drop to 65W while the other is capped at 35W. With all four USB ports in use, the fastest power delivery from any one USB-C port will be limited to just 45W. The USB-A port maxes out at 18W but is still a... Continue reading...
The 78 minutes that took down millions of Windows machines
Photo by Diego Radames/Anadolu via Getty Images On Friday morning, shortly after midnight in New York, disaster started to unfold around the world. In Australia, shoppers were met with Blue Screen of Death (BSOD) messages at self-checkout aisles. In the UK, Sky News had to suspend its broadcast after servers and PCs started crashing. In Hong Kong and India, airport check-in desks began to fail. By the time morning rolled around in New York, millions of Windows computers had crashed, and a global tech disaster was underway.In the early hours of the outage, there was confusion over what was going on. How were so many Windows machines suddenly showing a blue crash screen? Something super weird happening right now," Australian cybersecurity expert Troy Hunt wrote in a post on X. On... Continue reading...
Helldivers 2 is getting its biggest update very soon
Image: Arrowhead Studios The team at Arrowhead Game Studios is working on the biggest Helldivers 2 update yet. On August 6th, the Escalation of Freedom update will offer players new game modes, enemies, mission objectives, and a much more punishing difficulty. In the announcement trailer, chief creative officer Johan Pilestedt and design director Niklas Malmborg went over the details, sharing that they're planning on bringing back an old enemy from the original Helldivers to terrorize freedom lovers across the galaxy.
Amazon’s paid Alexa is coming to fill a $25 billion hole dug by Echo devices
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Amazon's plan to launch a paid version of Alexa is part of a strategy change to reverse the over $25 billion in losses that its devices business incurred from 2017 to 2021, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. The AI-supercharged Alexa, which is rumored to cost up to $10 / month, could arrive as soon as this month.With a potential launch just weeks away, employees reportedly have doubts about whether the new version of Alexa will catch on. A person who worked on the Alexa team told the WSJ that the division is racing toward the deadline to launch the subscription even though the technology isn't there." Amazon's former head of devices, David Limp, first revealed Amazon's plans to charge for an improved version of Alexa... Continue reading...
GM ditches Cruise’s custom-designed driverless car
The Cruise Origin in 2020. | Image: Vjeran Pavic / The Verge General Motors told reporters on Tuesday that it has indefinitely suspended production of its self-driving Cruise Origin robotaxi, reports The New York Times. The company will refocus on using the Chevy Bolt EV, which Cruise has already been using. A modified version will go into production next year.The Origin created regulatory uncertainty" owing to its design, GM CEO Mary Barra said in her letter to shareholders today. It was to be purpose-built for self-driving, with no steering wheel or pedals, no clear front or rear, and no driver; but estimates put each vehicle's cost in the hundreds of thousands. The company said in September of last year that it was just days away" from regulators approving the Origin for mass production. ... Continue reading...
Angry Miao’s new $559 mechanical keyboard has Game Boy vibes
The gray model may lack some of the Game Boy's vintage vibes like the other colors on offer, but the design homages are there once you look close. Between the Analogue Pocket and the proliferation of game emulators on Apple's App Store, retro gaming is more than chic in 2024. So, it's not terribly surprising that boutique keyboard maker Angry Miao is getting in on some of that sweet nostalgia with its latest mechanical board, the Game Boy-inspired AM RGB 65.But the real surprise is that what at first blush looks like a near-$600 parts bin rehash of an existing board is actually Angry Miao's best mech to date. There's a lot of Cyberboard DNA here, but oh so much better. The RGB 65 is a 65 percent layout keyboard, but its large dot matrix LED forehead means it takes up almost as much space as most 75 percent keyboards. It looks a whole lot like a shrunken-down... Continue reading...
Inside the global computer crash
Photo: Andrey Rudakov / Bloomberg via Getty Images It all started with a configuration file. A seemingly routine update, the kind that happens hundreds of times a year to millions of computers around the world. But last week, that update crashed 8.5 million computers and wreaked havoc on banks, airlines, schools, and more.On this episode of The Vergecast, The Verge's Tom Warren joins the show to talk about the story and legacy of the CrowdStrike crash. We talk about what exactly happened, how CrowdStrike and Microsoft scrambled to fix it, and whether we're due for a reckoning over how much we rely on complex and fragile technology. (Don't forget to subscribe to Notepad!)After that, we chat with The Verge's Victoria Song along with Adrian Hon, a writer and game designer who spent many... Continue reading...
Are you being exploited by AI-powered surveillance pricing?
Image: Hugo Herrera / The Verge Nearly a decade ago, Uber revealed that customers are more willing to pay surge prices when their phones are about to die. That data point sparked a pervasive belief that Uber and other ridehailing apps use algorithms to tailor each passenger's price to their behavior and willingness to pay - a practice known as surveillance pricing." A related myth - that airlines use your search history to jack up prices for flights you're interested in - is similarly ubiquitous even though it's not true.Surveillance pricing may not be widespread yet, but experts say it's on the horizon, and consultants are starting to offer surveillance pricing models to businesses across various industries. The Federal Trade Commission announced today that it's... Continue reading...
Adobe rolls out more generative AI features to Illustrator and Photoshop
Illustrator's new Generative Shape Fill tool allows users to fill a selected shape with scalable generated images. | Image: Adobe Adobe is introducing some new tools and generative AI features to its Illustrator and Photoshop design software that aim to help speed up creative workflows. The most notable updates are coming to Illustrator courtesy of Adobe's latest Firefly Vector AI model, which is available in public beta starting today.Adobe's latest Firefly Vector model powers new Illustrator features like Generative Shape Fill, which allows users to add detailed vectors to shapes via descriptive text prompts. The updated model also improves the Text to Pattern beta feature, which can be used to create scalable, customized vector patterns for things like wallpapers; and Style Reference, which generates outputs that mirror existing styles. I... Continue reading...
Cadillac’s extra-long, extra-yellow EV has a fridge in the back seat
Image: Cadillac Cadillac has a new convertible concept EV that's longer than some SUVs, has giant pillar-to-pillar infotainment screens, and can keep you cool for the summer with a refrigerator in the back seat.It's called the Sollei, and it's a new electric vehicle concept that looks like a convertible version of Cadillac's bespoke Celestiq" - the automaker's answer to exclusive luxury vehicles like the Rolls-Royce. The new vehicle converts the $340,000 full-size electric sedan into a manilla cream" coupe that tries to evoke the sun with ray patterns emanating from the center of every seat and from the wooden panels on the back of them.The Sollei was shown off at the Cadillac House at Vanderbilt in Warren, Michigan - the same place high-rolling... Continue reading...
The soon-to-be-released Motorola Razr Plus flip phone is already $100 off
The new Motorola Razr Plus features an even bigger and more delightful cover screen. | Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge Many smartphones are impressive, but few stand out like the Motorola Razr Plus. Arriving in bright poolside colors like hot pink, green, and blue, the new flip phone is as much fun to use as it is to admire, and it's currently on sale. Priced at $999.99, you can preorder an unlocked Razr Plus with 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage for $899.99 ($100 off) from Amazon and Best Buy ahead of its release date on July 24th.As The Verge smartphone reviewer Allison Johnson wrote in her review, few phones are as delightful as the Razr Plus. That's largely because of its upgraded cover screen, which now measures four inches - much bigger than its predecessor and the 3.4-inch external screen on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 - and is even more... Continue reading...
Amazon is making it easier for members to find their Prime TV shows and movies
Image: Amazon Amazon's Prime Video is fixing one of the most frustrating things about its interface. Its redesigned UI comes with a new tab dedicated to all the content included with your Prime Video subscription - no paid movies or series mixed in.You'll find the new Prime" tab in the main navigation bar that's now situated at the top of the screen, rather than on the left side. Alongside options for movies, TV shows, sports, and live TV, there are tabs dedicated to other services you're subscribed to, such as Max, Crunchyroll, and Paramount Plus. If you don't have any services linked to Prime, you'll see a subscriptions" tab with other services you can sign up for. GIF: Amazon The redesign, which has started to roll out now,... Continue reading...
The newest Roomba can wash its own mop and will work with Matter
The Roomba Combo 10 Max is the company's first robot vacuum with a charging dock that can wash the bot's mop as well as empty its bin and refill its mopping tank. | Imge: iRobot The Roomba Combo 10 Max is a new robot vacuum and mop from iRobot that can wash its mop, empty its bin, and refill its mopping tank - meaning less manual labor on your part. The company's new flagship robot vacuum will also be its first to support the smart home standard Matter. The vacuum is available for preorder starting today at irobot.com for $1,399.99, and in the UK for 1,499 and Europe for 1,499. Shipping starts in August, when it will also come to other retailers.Building on the Roomba Combo j9 Plus' retractable mopping system that picks itself up when it vacuums carpet, the Roomba Combo 10 Max robot and Auto Wash Dock is the company's first robot vac with a fully multifunction charging dock. In addition to emptying the... Continue reading...
Wiz rejects Google’s $23 billion takeover in favor of IPO
Wiz reportedly abandoned the deal over antitrust and investor concerns. | Illustration: The Verge Cybersecurity startup Wiz has turned down a $23 billion takeover bid from Google's parent, Alphabet, breaking off what would have been the largest acquisition in the search giant's history. In an internal memo seen by CNBC, Wiz co-founder Assaf Rappaport said the company would instead pursue an initial public offering.Saying no to such humbling offers is tough," Rappaport said in the memo sent to Wiz employees. Had the acquisition gone ahead, it would have doubled the $12 billion valuation that Wiz announced in May after the company raised $1 billion in private funding. According to the memo, Wiz will now focus on achieving $1 billion in annual recurring revenue alongside the IPO - goals the security firm had set before its talks with... Continue reading...
Tech billionaires can’t build their ‘California Forever’ city yet
Apparently AI-generated artwork that was first used to promote California Forever's city. | Image: California Forever California Forever tech billionaire-backed plan to build a new city 60 miles away from San Francisco is on hold for at least two years, pending an environmental impact study, reports The New York Times.Last year, the Times reported that a group of Silicon Valley investors (including LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, Andreessen Horowitz investors Marc Andreessen and Chris Dixon, former GitHub CEO Nat Friedman, and Emerson Collective founder Laurene Powell Jobs) had secretly bought up hundreds of millions of dollars worth of farmland in Solano County to build their own city.With former Goldman Sachs trader named Jan Sramek spearheading the project, it filed for permission to develop the land only months after its plans became known. A... Continue reading...
Slack introduces iPhone widgets to make work more inescapable
Slack introduced its first three iPhone and iPad widgets today. | Screenshot: Slack Today, Slack introduced the first four widgets for the iOS version of its mobile app. Three of them are designed for the iPhone's homescreen, while the fourth can be added to the lockscreen, allowing users to jump immediately into the Slack app after unlocking their device.The homescreen widgets include Catch Up, which provides an at-a-glance look at how many unread messages and mentions a user has without opening the app. It gives a little more detail than the Slack app icon's badge, and tapping the Catch Up widget takes users directly to that section of the Slack app so they can quickly swipe through conversations they've missed.
Intel says it has found the issue causing 13th and 14th Gen CPUs to crash
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Intel says it has found the source of the widespread instability issues affecting its Core 13th and 14th Gen processors. In an update on Monday, Intel confirmed that CPUs are experiencing elevated operating voltage" and that a patch is on the way.We have determined that elevated operating voltage is causing instability issues in some 13th/14th Gen desktop processors," Intel employee Thomas Hannaford writes on the company's forum. Our analysis of returned processors confirms that the elevated operating voltage is stemming from a microcode algorithm resulting in incorrect voltage requests to the processor."Intel says it's working to release a microcode patch for motherboard manufacturers in mid-August and that anyone affected by the... Continue reading...
CrowdStrike CEO to testify about massive outage that halted flights and hospitals
Image: The Verge CrowdStrike CEO George Kurtz was called to testify before the House Homeland Security Committee over the major outage affecting Windows PCs spurred by a faulty update that brought flights, hospital procedures, and broadcasters to a halt on Friday, The Washington Post reported.Recognizing that Americans will undoubtedly feel the lasting, real-world consequences of this incident, they deserve to know in detail how this incident happened and the mitigation steps CrowdStrike is taking," Homeland Security Chair Mark Green (R-TN) and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee Chair Andrew Garbarino (R-NY) wrote in a letter later shared with The Verge. They asked that CrowdStrike schedule a hearing with the subcommittee by end... Continue reading...
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