The Verge

Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge Back in 2017, Equifax announced that hackers stole half of the US population's Social Security numbers in what, we said, will likely end up being one of the worst data breaches to ever affect the country." Perhaps - until this year, when about 2.9 billion rows of data were collected through a breach at National Public Data (NPD), a company that resells collected personal data for background checks. This data included names, Social Security numbers, and other personal information.As usual, when this sort of thing hits the news, our immediate reaction is to wonder what we can do to prevent ourselves from falling prey to identity theft, unauthorized withdrawals, false credit applications, and other nasty consequences. And, also, as... Continue reading...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge AI-enabled ammunition vending machines could facilitate mass shootings and let people circumvent federal bans prohibiting people with certain criminal convictions from buying ammunition, two senators warn.Massachusetts Senators Ed Markey and Elizabeth Warren sent a letter to the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) asking it to closely examine" facial recognition-enabled ammunition vending machines that have recently been installed in supermarkets in certain states.Easy access to ammunition helps to fuel our country's gun violence epidemic, which now claims more than 44,000 lives annually."The machines, distributed by the Texas-based company American Rounds, began appearing in grocery stores in Alabama, Texas,... Continue reading...

Illustration: The Verge Google representatives gave ad buyers tips on how they could reach teens, even though the company bars targeted advertisements to users under the age of 18 based on their demographics, according to a report from Adweek.Three unnamed ad buyers told Adweek that Google sales reps suggested they might be able to reach teens by targeting a group of unknown" users, whose age, gender, parental status, or household income" Google doesn't know. Adweek said it also reviewed written documents backing up the sources' claims. A Google spokesperson told Adweek that the unknown category can include users who aren't signed in to their accounts or who've turned off personalized ad targeting.Google's stated policy is to block ad targeting based on... Continue reading...

Image: Microsoft Microsoft says it's planning to allow Windows testers to try out its controversial Recall AI feature in October. The software giant was originally planning to launch Recall with its Copilot Plus PCs in June but was forced to hold back the feature after security concerns were raised.At the time of the delay on June 13th, Microsoft promised the feature - that screenshots nearly everything on your PC - would be available for Windows Insiders in the coming weeks," but that's now more like the coming months. With a commitment to delivering a trustworthy and secure Recall (preview) experience on Copilot Plus PCs for customers, we're sharing an update that Recall will be available to Windows Insiders starting in October," says Windows and... Continue reading...

Image: Umar Shakir / The Verge Tesla is issuing a new recall for more than 9,000 of its Model X SUVs due to roof cosmetic trim pieces that could fly off while driving because they may have been adhered without primer. It's the second such recall from the company to address the issue on the Model X, the first one issued in 2020, and it is again specific to early 2016 vehicle models.Tesla often pushes software updates to address recalls, including a repeat Autopilot safety issue where it does not warn drivers effectively. But for the Model X roof issue, Tesla will need to actually take a gander at thousands of vehicles in person.To remedy the Model X voluntary recall, Tesla Service will test the roof trim adhesion and reattach the trim pieces as necessary" for free.T... Continue reading...

Magic Editor's new tool helped us add the bike and car with nothing more than a text prompt. | Photo: The Verge As it turns out, a rabbit wearing an AI-generated top hat was just the tip of the iceberg.Google is the latest phone company this year to announce AI photo editing tools, following Samsung's somewhat troubling, mostly delightful sketch-to-image feature and Apple's much more seemingly tame Image Playground coming this fall. The Pixel 9's answer is a new tool called Reimagine," and after using it for a week with a few of my colleagues, I'm more convinced than ever that none of us are ready for what's coming.Reimagine is a logical extension of last year's Magic Editor tools, which let you select and erase parts of a scene or change the sky to look like a sunset. It was nothing shocking. But Reimagine doesn't just take it a step further -... Continue reading...

The AI is inconsistent, but the hardware is oh so good. Continue reading...

A new firmware update brings audio sharing to the Beats Studio Pro. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Apple has released a firmware update for the Beats Studio Pro that finally brings audio sharing to the headphones, allowing an iPhone or iPad to stream audio to two pairs of wireless headphones simultaneously. The new feature, spotted by 9to5Mac, was noticeably missing when we reviewed the Beats Studio Pro last year, but now better positions the headphones as an alternative to Apple's more expensive AirPods Max.Audio sharing was added to the Beats line shortly after its debut in 2019. It's a feature found in all of Apple's headphones featuring the company's W1 or H1 chips, but the Beats Studio Pro debuted with a different chip that ensured all of the headphone's features were compatible with both Apple and Android devices.The firmware... Continue reading...

Gimme that excellent desk clock action while charging all the things. | Image: Nomad Nomad is course-correcting from a small design blunder last year on its three-in-one MagSafe charging stand. Like its predecessor, the new Stand One Max for 2024 is a wireless multi-charger for a compatible iPhone, Apple Watch, and set of AirPods. However, now you can charge all of those devices with your phone in landscape orientation, allowing you to use Apple's nifty StandBy mode for glanceable information like the time and weather. The new stand is also Qi2-compatible, and at $150, it's actually $30 cheaper than the original's launch price, which I love to see.Other than that, the new Stand One Max (which Nomad calls third-gen" to align with other models in its lineup, even though it's only the second version) has a lot in common... Continue reading...

The ROG Rapture GT-BE19000 is an '80s retro-future headcrab. | Image: Asus Asus announced three new Wi-Fi 7 products today, including a tri-band ROG Rapture GT gaming router, a dual-band router, and a new Wi-Fi 7 USB adapter.The ROG Rapture GT-BE19000 has a familiar '80s retro-future look shared by predecessors like the quad-band GT-BE98, along with most of the same specs, including two 10Gbps and five 2.5Gbps ethernet ports. It also supports 320MHz channel bandwidth on the 6GHz band, which unlocks much higher throughput (although you'll need a 2Gbps or higher connection to your ISP for that to shine). Image: Asus The ROG Rapture GT-BE19000 has seven ethernet ports. Since the GT-BE19000 uses Wi-Fi 7's multilink operation feature, you can connect a supported device to the 6GHz and... Continue reading...

Photo by Alex Cranz / The Verge Last year, Amazon launched the Echo Show 8 Photos Edition that could default to displaying owners' favorite pictures - as long as they paid an extra fee. Now it looks like that plan has been abandoned, with the Echo Show 8 Photos Edition and its accompanying $2 / month PhotosPlus subscription nearly erased from Amazon's website.One customer received a message saying the service has been canceled and that Amazon will no longer offer the subscription starting September 23rd.The PhotosPlus subscription is what owners need to make photos the primary content you see" on the Echo Show 8 Photos Edition with a slideshow that rotates every 30 seconds. It also offers the ability to show photos indefinitely," as other Echo Show displays will... Continue reading...

Six Super Mario: Mario Kart-themed Lego sets will debut on January 1st, 2025. | Image: Lego After teasing the next expansion of its Super Mario line back in March, today, Lego announced the first six Mario Kart sets that will release just after the holidays on January 1st, 2025.Lego's Mario Kart collection includes new buildable versions of characters like Yoshi, Donkey Kong, and Toad; baby versions of Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach; and several kart designs, from motorcycles to flying pirate ships.There are also green and red shells that can actually be fired from the karts. The new sets are compatible with existing interactive Lego Super Mario figures, with Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach playing sound effects like horns or the squeal of a drifting kart's tires from the Mario Kart games.The Mario Kart collection... Continue reading...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Ford is canceling its electric three-row SUV and delaying the launch of a new electric pickup truck until 2027. The Expedition-like SUV had already been delayed to 2027; with its cancellation, the company will now pivot to making new gas and hybrid-powered three-row SUVs.Ford now says it won't release any new electric vehicles until it can ensure profitability on the models within the first year of launch (beyond vehicles we've already heard about, like the European-only Capri and Explorer). Ford will also prioritize a new commercial EV van that will begin production in Ohio in 2026.Ford has struggled to bring its spending on EV production in line with the revenue brought in by its vehicle lineup, which includes the Mustang Mach-E,... Continue reading...

Photo by Steve Jennings / Getty Images for TechCrunch After launching remotely during the covid-19 pandemic in 2020, Nothing has now mandated that its 450 employees will have to come into the company's London office five days a week. In an email to staffers last week, Nothing CEO Carl Pei suggested that those unable to transition from remote working should leave the company and find an environment where you thrive."Pei's goal, according to the email he published on LinkedIn, is to improve collaboration and innovation across design, engineering, and manufacturing, which he argues does not work well remotely." The new mandate will take effect in two months, and Pei will be accepting live questions about the decision from Nothing staffers during the company's next town hall meeting.Remote... Continue reading...

While billionaires have pushed Kamala Harris to depart from President Joe Biden's antitrust policy, the Democratic Party seems to be doubling down.The word competition" comes up 18 times in the party's 2024 platform, compared to nine in the 2020 version. Other key policy areas, like tackling junk fees and noncompetes, are mentioned several times in the 2024 platform as well, compared to just one passing reference to noncompetes in the 2020 document. Notably, those are areas where the Federal Trade Commission, led by Lina Khan - a target of ire from more business-minded Democrats like Reid Hoffman - has been instrumental.The platform is an indication of where Democrats stand on key issues, which will serve as an important signal to... Continue reading...

Lucid Motors CEO Peter Rawlinson demonstrating the Gravity SUV's front trunk seating. | Image: Tim Stevens Different brands do different things under the hoods of their EVs. Some fill that space with inverters and high-voltage cabling. Others carve out a cubby of extra storage, the frunk that many EV aficionados demand but few actually use.With the Gravity SUV, Lucid is taking the frunk option a step further, creating a space that can be used as a seat. I confess, I thought it was a gimmick, but sitting in that frunk is surprisingly comfortable. It's a bit cozy for two adults, as I found when Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson joined me, but we fit just fine.The Gravity is no longer a conceptRawlinson was representing Lucid at the Pebble Beach Concours d'Elegance, where the Gravity was situated on the so-called Concept Lawn," just a few feet... Continue reading...

Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photo: Getty Images Microsoft's latest monthly security update is wreaking havoc on dual-boot Windows and Linux systems. The software giant issued a security patch last week to fix a two-year-old vulnerability in the GRUB open-source boot loader used by lots of Linux devices. Microsoft's patch wasn't supposed to hit dual-boot devices, but many have found it has and it's now stopping their Linux installs from booting properly.Ars Technica reports that multiple Linux dual-boot users are seeing security policy violation" messages, along with something has gone seriously wrong" errors. There are reports of issues across Reddit, Ubuntu forums, and elsewhere. Distributions including Ubuntu, Debian, Linux Mint, Zorin OS, and Puppy Linux have all been affected... Continue reading...

The touchscreen on the JBL Tour Pro 3's charging case is now 30 percent larger. | Image: JBL JBL has announced an upgraded version of its first wireless earbuds with a touchscreen charging case. The new JBL Tour Pro 3's case features a larger screen and now works as a transmitter, broadcasting audio to the earbuds from a wired source such as a plane's in-flight entertainment system. However, that larger screen also comes with a steeper price tag. They'll sell for $299, which is nearly $50 more than the JBL Tour Pro 2.The 1.57-inch touchscreen on the JBL Tour Pro 3's charging case is 30 percent larger than the screen on the Tour Pro 2's, giving it enough room to fit additional info like the name of the song currently playing. That will potentially make it even more useful as an alternative to reaching for your smartphone if you... Continue reading...

Illustration: The Verge Google is upgrading its Gemini writing tools in Gmail to help you polish drafts that you've already written. Now, among other Gemini-powered Help me write" options like Formalize and Elaborate, you can tap Polish" to refine your emails, Google says in a blog post. The company has also added shortcuts that appear in the body of your emails on Android and iOS, making it more obvious that there are AI writing tools to use.The tools are available to people who pay for Google One AI Premium accounts or who have paid for Google's Gemini add-on for Workspace. If that's you, when you open an empty draft, you'll see a Help me write" shortcut appear that you can tap to have Gemini draft text for you. Once you have 12 or more words in a draft -... Continue reading...

Illustration: The Verge Today, Google announced it's making assigning group work in Google Classroom easier and faster with a new feature called Student Groups. Teachers will now be able to add individual students to predefined groups before creating and assigning group work.Google is entering this school year with a bunch of new updates for the now 10-year-old Classroom platform, like a new Education Navigator, a Read Along feature, and Dark Mode to the mobile app. But teachers have been waiting for something like Student Groups for a long time.Previously, teachers would need to create an assignment first and then individually add students to that assignment if they wanted to assign group work. For occasional group projects, this worked okay, but it was a... Continue reading...

How many of those $5 skirts do these retailers have to sell to pay their lawyers? | Image: The Verge The Shein complaint about Temu kicks off with a bang, accusing Temu of being an unlawful enterprise built on counterfeiting, theft of trade secrets, infringement of intellectual property rights, and fraud" in just the first sentence. But I guess you have to go big when the lawsuit against you accuses you of using Mafia-style" intimidation tactics.It gets worse, Shein alleges. Temu isn't a marketplace at all. It controls every aspect of its seller's activity," the complaint says. It directs what products they can list and the prices for which they can sell; encourages them to infringe the intellectual property rights of others; and even prevents them from removing their products from Temu's website after they have admitted to... Continue reading...

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge If you want the old Sonos app back, it's not coming. In a Reddit AMA response posted Tuesday, Sonos CEO Spence says that he was hopeful until very recently" that the company could rerelease the app, confirming a report from The Verge that the company was considering doing so. But after testing that option, rereleasing the old app would apparently make things worse, Spence says.Since the new app was released on May 7th, Spence has issued a formal apology and announced in August that the company would be delaying the launch of two products until our app experience meets the level of quality that we, our customers, and our partners expect from Sonos."Here's Spence's explanation as to why it can't bring back the old app:

Image: Bethesda Microsoft and Bethesda are officially bringing Indiana Jones and the Great Circle to PS5 after it debuts first on Xbox. During Gamescom Opening Night Live, Bethesda confirmed Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is coming to Xbox and PC first on December 9th, before launching on PS5 in spring 2025.The confirmation comes months after The Verge exclusively revealed Microsoft was considering launching Indiana Jones and the Great Circle on PS5. I wrote in February that Bethesda's Indiana Jones game would have a rather short period of exclusivity, with Bethesda considering a PS5 launch months after the December 2024 launch on Xbox and PC.Sources familiar with Bethesda's plans tell me the company has been targeting an April 2025 release for I... Continue reading...

Image: The Verge You'll soon be able to access your saved passwords, bookmarks, and addresses in Chrome by simply signing in to your Google account on the browser. The change lets you skip the extra step of toggling on Chrome sync - and it's coming to Chrome on Android and desktop following last year's rollout on iOS. GIF: Google Google already rolled out the streamlined process on iOS. Google says it will give you the option to sign in to Chrome for a customized browsing experience," allowing you to send tabs and use your saved passwords across devices. But you don't have to sign in to your account on Chrome if you're not keen on linking your browsing data to your Google account. Google also notes that saving your history... Continue reading...

Image: Gearbox Software Gearbox is planning to launch Borderlands 4 sometime in 2025, the company announced at the Gamescom Opening Night Live show on Tuesday. The game is set to launch on PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X / S.The reveal trailer was pretty mysterious, and the trailer's description on YouTube doesn't offer much in the way of specifics, either. In this next installment of the definitive looter shooter, players will assume the role of a legendary Vault Hunter as they blast their way through hordes of enemies in search of new treasures to loot on an all-new planet," according to the description. At the very least, this new game seems like it will continue the legacy from other titles in the series.The announcement follows the Borderlands movie's g... Continue reading...

Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge If you happen to crack the screen on your brand-new Pixel Watch 3, Google won't repair it; the new smartwatch is replacement only," a Google representative told Android Authority. That means this is the third smartwatch in a row where Google won't offer repairs.That's a shame, especially when you consider how Pixel Watch screens have held up in our reviews of the last two. Replacements are $49 if you happen to have bought Preferred Care, Google's device insurance program - but that program costs $89 for two years of coverage (or $4 per month for 60 months).Google representative Erin Cizek confirmed to The Verge via email that those with damaged Pixel Watch 3s can contact the Google Pixel Watch Customer Support Team to check your... Continue reading...

Photo by Sascha Thelen / picture alliance via Getty Images Geoff Keighley ends the summer of video game events with ONL live from Gamescom. Continue reading...

Image: The Verge A group of authors has sued Anthropic, accusing it of training its models on pirated books, as reported by Reuters. The proposed class action lawsuit was filed in a California court on Monday and alleges Anthropic built a multibillion-dollar business by stealing hundreds of thousands of copyrighted books."In the lawsuit, the authors say that Anthropic used a sprawling, open-source dataset known as The Pile" to train its family of Claude AI chatbots. Within this dataset is something called Books3, a massive library of pirated ebooks that includes works from Stephen King, Michael Pollan, and thousands of other authors. Earlier this month, Anthropic confirmed to Vox that it used The Pile to train Claude.It is apparent that Anthropic... Continue reading...

Image: Microsoft Microsoft is starting to test its new Xbox Game Pass Standard tier with Xbox Insiders today. The new Game Pass Standard subscription includes the usual Game Pass library for Xbox but with online console multiplayer, too. Crucially, it doesn't include immediate access to day-one game releases, though.During the test period, Xbox Insiders will be able to access Xbox Game Pass Standard for just $1. Any renewals during the preview period will also be $1 per month," says Megan Spurr, senior community lead for Xbox Game Pass. Once this Standard tier launches fully, it will be priced at $14.99 per month. Image: Microsoft The new Game Pass lineup. Microsoft is also providing some clarity on when day-one games and... Continue reading...

Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photo from Getty Images Iran is behind attempts to hack into Republican and Democratic presidential campaigns and has already succeeded in compromising Donald Trump's campaign, intelligence officials said in a statement issued Monday.The joint statement from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) says:

The Echo Hub is a smart home controller that's simple to use and set up and is currently $35 off at multiple retailers. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge If you're looking for a simple and intuitive smart home controller even the most tech-averse family members or roommates can use, Amazon's Echo Hub is an excellent solution. And right now, it's down to an all-time low price of $144.99 ($35 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H Photo.The Echo Hub lets you control a wide range of smart home devices like smart lights, security devices, thermostats, and more by simply tapping its eight-inch touchscreen. It's also mountable, so you can hang it up in the kitchen or some other place for the whole household to access. Naturally, as an Amazon gadget, the Echo Hub integrates best with Alexa, making it a particularly great buy if your smart home runs on a bunch of Alexa-enabled devices. However, the... Continue reading...

Mecha Break lets you ask for advice from in-game characters. | Screenshot: YouTube Nvidia ACE, the company's AI-powered system for giving voices and conversation skills to in-game characters, is set to debut in Mecha Break, a new multiplayer mech battle game coming to PC, Xbox X / S, and PlayStation 5 in 2025.In Mecha Break, players can choose from a variety of mechs across categories like assault, melee, and sniper for online matches where they'll fight both on the ground and in the air. It looks similar to something like the Armored Core series, just without a single-player mode.Nvidia writes that players will be able to interact via natural language with game characters" and that the characters can see" and identify you or objects around you through your webcam, using GPT-4o. It'll also use a combination of... Continue reading...