The Verge

Last year, we published a series about what Google had done to the web, capped off by a feature about search engine optimization titled The People Who Ruined the Internet." It made more than a few SEO experts upset (which was tremendously fun for me because I love watching people yell at Nilay on various social platforms).But a year has passed, and we've had a change of heart. Maybe search engine optimization is actually a good thing. Maybe appeasing the search algorithm is not only a sustainable strategy for building a loyal audience, but also a strategic way to plan and produce content. What are journalists, if not content creators?Anyway, SEO community, consider this our apology. And what better way to say our bad, your industry is not a cesspool of AI slop but a brilliant vision of what a useful internet could look like" than collecting all the things we've learned in one handy print magazine? Which is why I'm proud to introduce The Verge Guide to Search Engine Optimization: All the Tips, Tricks, Hints, Schemes, and Techniques for Promoting High-Quality Content! Just kidding! (You weren't fooled for a second, were you?)... Read the full story at The Verge.

Okay, we're doing this.Today we're launching a Verge subscription that lets you get rid of a bunch of ads, gets you unlimited access to our top-notch reporting and analysis across the site and our killer premium newsletters, and generally lets you support independent tech journalism in a world of sponsored influencer content. It'll cost $7 / month or $50 / year - and for a limited time, if you sign up for the annual plan, we'll send you an absolutely stunning print edition of our CONTENT GOBLINS series, with very fun new photography and design. (Our art team is delightfully good at print; we've even won a major magazine award for it.)A surprising number of you have asked us to launch something like this, and we're happy to deliver. If you don't want to pay, rest assured that big chunks of The Verge will remain free - we're thinking about subscriptions a lot differently than everyone else.Let me explain.If you're a Verge reader, you know we've been covering massive, fundamental changes to how the internet works for years now. Most major social media platforms are openly hostile to links, huge changes to search have led to the death of small websites, and everything is... Read the full story at The Verge.

MSI has officially announced its next crack at handheld gaming is here with the Lunar Lake-powered MSI Claw 7 AI Plus and MSI Claw 8 AI Plus. The two Windows-based handhelds come with 32GB of RAM and larger batteries than their predecessors. They release on December 25th, but you can preorder them now, starting at $799 for the Claw 7 and $899 for the Claw 8.When the original MSI Claw shipped last spring, MSI needed to address battery life and performance, both of which were both sticking points in Sean Hollister's Verge review. The Claw 8 brings more significant changes here; its 80-watt-hour battery is a big jump over the original model's 53 watt hours. The Claw 7 has a much smaller increase at 54.5 watt hours. The Claw 8 also has an easy access" SSD storage slot that the Claw 7 lacks.Both devices have a 120Hz variable refresh rate LCD display, but the Claw 8's 8-inch screen is slightly higher resolution (1920 x 1200) than the Claw 7's 7-inch one (1920 x 1080). Performance-wise, MSI claims the handhelds will have a 113 percent higher peak FPS and 20 percent higher average FPS than its competitors under identical power conditions." MSI doesn't say which competitors it's referring to, but in Sean's review, the previous model was outdone by the Steam Deck OLED, Asus ROG Ally Z1E, and the Lenovo Legion Go. Image: MSI The new MSI Claw 8 AI Plus and Claw 7 AI Plus. Other changes to both handhelds include redesigned Hall effect sticks and triggers, and updated bumpers and D-pad. MSI also added a second Thunderbolt 4 port to each one's complement of I / O ports that includes an audio jack and a microSD card reader.

Image: Elen Winata for The Verge It's actually Tuesday, but that doesn't mean all the deals have suddenly vanished. We're rounding up the best of the rest that you can still shop. We hope you had a chance between holiday festivities to get some shopping done, but if not, you may not be out of luck. While some of the best deals have expired, many others from the long Black Friday and Cyber Monday weekend are still holding on - and a handful are even cheaper. Today might be your very last chance to snag a great deal, but you're not in it alone. We're sorting through them all to make sure you can find a great deal on something and get through checkout before the gates fully close.Since this time last week, we've been sifting through what feels like endless discounts on everything under the sun, but especially things that delight techies, tinkerers, gamers, and fidgeters. There are still great Cyber Monday deals on TVs, earbuds, laptops, Apple devices, smart home gadgets, and far too many more tech things to name here. And everything we highlight has been tried, tested, or vouched for in some way by Verge staffers, so you don't have to guess whether any of the deals are too good to be true.Below, we've included navigation links that you can use to jump between categories that interest you most, or just scroll at your leisure until you see something you like. Don't worry if you missed out on something specific you've had your eye on - many products typically go on sale at least once more throughout the holiday season, although there's no guarantee they'll be as cheap.Featured dealsThe best Apple deals

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge China has imposed new limits on the sale of chip-making materials to the US, a move that comes just one day after the Biden Administration announced sanctions that will make it harder for Chinese companies to produce advanced semiconductors, as reported earlier by CNN.On Tuesday, the Chinese Ministry of Commerce said it will no longer allow the sale of gallium, germanium, antimony, and other key minerals with potential military applications to the US to safeguard national security. The country will also closely scrutinize the export of graphite.The US Department of Commerce introduced new rules on Monday to further impair" China's ability to produce semiconductors for AI and weapons systems. The rules put new limitations on the equipment and software used to manufacture semiconductors, along with high-bandwidth memory chips. It also began barring exports to 140 new Chinese companies.This action is the culmination of the Biden-Harris Administration's targeted approach, in concert with our allies and partners, to impair the PRC's ability to indigenize the production of advanced technologies that pose a risk to our national security," US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said in a statement.Over the past several months, China has started tightening control over its supply of rare materials. It started limiting the export of antimony - a mineral used for chipmaking and to create military equipment - in September and later began requiring exporters to explain in detail how they'll be used in Western supply chains, according to The New York Times.Things could get even more heated in the coming months, with President-Elect Donald Trump vowing to impose additional tariffs on Chinese goods.

Illustration: Nick Barclay / The Verge Meta is mistakenly removing too much content across its apps, according to a top executive.Nick Clegg, Meta's president of global affairs, told reporters on Monday that the company's moderation error rates are still too high" and pledged to improve the precision and accuracy with which we act on our rules."We know that when enforcing our policies, our error rates are still too high, which gets in the way of the free expression that we set out to enable," Clegg said during a press call I attended. Too often, harmless content gets taken down, or restricted, and too many people get penalized unfairly."He said the company regrets aggressively removing posts about the COVID-19 pandemic. CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently told the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee the decision was influenced by pressure from the Biden administration.We had very stringent rules removing very large volumes of content through the pandemic," Clegg said. No one during the pandemic knew how the pandemic was going to unfold, so this really is wisdom in hindsight. But with that hindsight, we feel that we overdid it a bit. We're acutely aware because users quite rightly raised their voice and... Read the full story at The Verge.

Image: Elen Winata for The Verge There's still some time to save on a wide range of Verge-approved goods, including streaming services, iPads, and ebook readers. Continue reading...

Type 00 | Image: Jaguar Jaguar's new ethos is copy nothing," and the first concept car of its new era is trying to deliver.The leaks earlier were accurate, with the Type 00 two-door coupe presenting a long hood that leads to a low roof and fastback rear profile that foregoes any rear window. Jaguar chief creative officer Gerry McGovern said in a presentation that when Jaguar was at its best, it threw away the design rulebook and created E-Type and the XJS...objects of desire." This car is supposed to be another step in that direction.There are plenty of details, like its 23-inch wheels, oval steering wheel, three brass bars running through the cabin, butterfly doors, and a stone plinth separating the seats. We also can't miss the Lincoln Nautilus-like... Continue reading...

Photo by Thomas Ricker / The Verge Combing through the deluge of ongoing Cyber Monday deals can be a daunting task - particularly in the final hours - but the most affordable end of the spectrum is always a good place to start. In fact, there are still plenty of discounts available on budget-friendly gadgets and goodies, many of which are under $30. You're not just getting junk, either.If you know where to look, it's not hard to find something useful for your arsenal. Right now, for example, you can get a great smart speaker in the fifth-gen Echo Dot, pick up a fun game like Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, or even level up your home security with cameras like the Blink Video Doorbell or Ring Indoor Cam. Many of the deals make for great stocking stuffers,... Continue reading...

Because everyone loves an electric screwdriver. | Image: Hoto Whenever Verge staffers are asked to describe their favorite games, smart tech, desktop accessories, or whatever, they are free to talk about things they recently bought, things they picked up 10 years ago, or things they've had sitting around their house for decades. Unsurprisingly, many of those items are on sale for Cyber Monday. Good news!Deep-sea strategy board gameJennifer Pattison Tuohy, reviewerFinding a board game that will entertain a 13-year-old girl, a 16-year-old boy, my partner, and me is a challenge. We've cycled through all the classics as well as newer options - Carcassonne, Ticket to Ride, Catan, and more. While these are all great, inevitably one of the group develops a passionate dislike for a game (usually... Continue reading...

Image: Blizzard GOG has announced that even if games in its recently launched preservation program are delisted from its store, it will maintain compatibility with those games and offer players a seamless experience and tech support for those titles." The first games covered are Warcraft I and II, scheduled for delisting on December 13th.That promise extends to Windows changes that affect how playable a game is, GOG says.The Preservation Program launched last month, offering ongoing tech support and compatibility updates for some classic games. GOG started it with a list of 100 games, including Diablo and Resident Evil 1-3.Warcraft I and Warcraft II are being delisted from GOG at the publisher's request," the company says. Their publisher,... Continue reading...

Looks like an official Lenovo rendering of the Legion Go S. | Image: Windows Central Lenovo's Legion Go handheld gaming PC cost $700 when it launched in the spring, and while you can get one for $484.99 right now, there have been rumors about a revised Legion Go S that starts at about $399. Windows Central has a hold of some seemingly genuine renderings of what the upcoming cheaper device will look like.A firmware leak last week for the Legion Go S 8ARP1" indicated the cheaper machine will have AMD's Rembrandt APU inside.While it's based on a new Ryzen Z2 platform, Videocardz points out the chip will have Zen 3-plus cores that aren't as powerful as the current generation Z1 Extreme with Zen 4 cores inside the current Legion Go.From the images, it looks like the Legion Go S will have RGB lights, two USB-C ports up... Continue reading...

Missed Black Friday? No problem. The Cyber Monday deals are available for just a bit longer. | Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge A laptop is one of the larger tech purchases for most people, and now's your last chance at some Cyber Monday savings for that big investment. Windows laptops, MacBooks, and even Chromebooks all have their regular cadence of discounts and sales promotions from retailers like Best Buy, but this time of year is often when you can save a few hundred bucks and get a quality machine that should easily last more than a few years.Yes, the timing can feel slightly awkward because CES is right around the corner in January, and all the big Windows laptop makers debut new generations of products there. But those anticipated models can take another couple of months to actually hit store shelves - and even longer before they see any sizable sales.... Continue reading...

The black Apple Watch Ultra 2 is $80 off this Cyber Monday. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge The holiday shopping season is here - which means it's a great time to snag deals on smartwatches and fitness trackers.Cyber Monday, in particular, is an excellent opportunity if you or a loved one have health or fitness-related goals for the year ahead. That said, it can get a little daunting sifting through the dozens of models out there. Not to worry - we've rounded up the best deals for smartwatches and fitness trackers out there.The best Cyber Monday smartwatch and fitness tracker deals

The original Pixel Tablet only had a 60Hz display. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge The Pixel Tablet 2 may never see the light of day, but new details reported by Android Authority reveal what Google may have had up its sleeve for the sophomore device, including a high-refresh display, 5G connectivity, and more.The Tablet 2 apparently would have gotten a 120Hz 10.95-inch LCD display, doubling the refresh rate of its predecessor, while the resolution would've been unchanged at 2,560 x 1,600 pixels. The Tablet 2 had some camera upgrades, too: it would've gotten the same 10MP selfie camera as the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, and Google had updated the rear camera with an 11MP shooter.Google also reportedly planned to bring over the 5G modem from the Pixel 9 series, though while Tablet 2 models with cellular connectivity would... Continue reading...

Image: PlayStation There are certain sounds that just feel good to the over 30 set. There's the sound of dial-up internet or the new message jingle on AIM or MSN Messenger. Most of these nostalgic noises have been replaced with new ones or lost to time, but PlayStation has revived one in celebration of its 30th anniversary. Yeah, you know the one.Play this to immediately disarm any gamer over 30.For a limited time, players can customize their PS5 UI using themes from throughout PlayStation's past. Choose a theme from any of the four previous PlayStation consoles and a special 30th anniversary theme. I'm guessing most players will go with the OG PSX theme while a fair number will likely settle on the PS2.In addition to these slick-ass PS5 themes,... Continue reading...

The 10th-gen iPad is faster than its predecessor and comes with a USB-C port. It's down to one of its best prices to date for Cyber Monday. The Cyber Monday deals on Apple devices have been some of the best in the run-up to the sale, and they're just as good now - or better, in some cases - than they were a week ago. It feels like there are more Apple deals than ever on products across every category.Some of the best deals currently available on Apple devices are the latest AirPods Pro and second-gen Apple Watch SE, down to their lowest prices to date. There are also steep discounts to be had on iPads, MacBooks, Apple Pencils, MagSafe-compatible chargers, and other accessories.To make sorting through the various discounts easier, we've organized the deals below based on category. It's always possible that some of these items will drop further in price throughout Cyber... Continue reading...

Image: Elen Winata for The Verge These days, Black Friday and Cyber Monday aren't so much single-day shopping holidays as they are an ever-expanding, monthslong event that often begins as early as October. The 24-hour deal blitz that once was the focus of newspaper headlines and mobs outside of stores is no more, which makes knowing when and where you should be spending your cash all the more confusing.Luckily, we're here to help. We've been poring through thousands upon thousands of deals over the last few weeks to separate the real discounts from the unexciting, made-up bargains every retailer seems to hawk around the holidays. We've put together tips on how to find the best deals and when to shop, and we'll continue to flag the most compelling sales through the end... Continue reading...

The Tesla app with phone key is coming to Apple Watch. | Image: Tesla Tesla is packing some big features into this year's Holiday Update, including a digital phone key for Apple Watch, Sentry Mode security video access from your phone, reverse cross-traffic alert safety add-in, a Santa Mode" for Cybertruck, and more.Tesla's update will start rolling out next week and will finally bring Apple Watch support to the Tesla app, including native phone key access. That means you can leave your smartphone behind to run errands or quickly pop your trunk to grab something after running outside without realizing you don't have your phone or wallet on you (I've done this too many times with my Model 3 than I care to admit.)The native Apple Watch experience lets you view the charge status, pop the frunk, and... Continue reading...