The Verge

The USB-C Backbone One (second-gen) offers the same experience as the Lightning version pictured. As good as the Backbone One is (read our review of the original version), it can be hard to justify earmarking $100 for a mobile gaming controller. Even at its common $70 sale price, you're entering pro controller territory. That said, a 50 percent discount for the second-gen Backbone One (USB-C) seems worth jumping over the fence for. Today only, you can get it for $49.99 at Best Buy, which is a record low price and just in time for the Resident Evil 2 remake that's soon launching on the iPhone.The Backbone One's USB-C connector means it works both with Android smartphones and iPhones 15 or newer. It's sleek with a bubbly grip sized just right to comfortably reach any of its face buttons, triggers, bumpers, or analog sticks. Ergonomically, it'll lose to bulkier controllers, but should feel pretty good in most hands and is infinitely better than pecking away at the screen. The controller also has USB-C passthrough charging and 3.5mm for headphones and headsets.The Best Buy-exclusive Warzone Mobile edition on sale here is mostly a spiritual tie-in: it's visually and functionally identical to the standard Backbone One, but comes with free in-game rewards. You can use it with any games or apps with controller support, including cloud streaming services like Xbox Cloud Gaming and GeForce Now. The purchase includes a free one-month trial of Backbone Plus ($40 a year afterward), which unlocks more app features like gameplay recording, live streaming, and Play on Any Screen (the latter enabling wired gaming on PC and tablets). You'll also get three months of Apple Arcade ($7 a month value).More deals and discounts

Illustration: The Verge Tumblr is introducing a new Community feature - in-app groups organized by topic or interest.Communities are similar to subreddits or Facebook groups and had previously been in beta. Topics include things like film photography, marine biology, LGBTQ, and video games, and each topic has its own landing page where posts shared with the community populate. Many of the features mirror Reddit, like a count of how many members are online, moderators, and community guidelines. Posts shared to communities also get a new comments section that's only visible within the group. Communities have the option to be public or private. Image: Tumblr Tumblr's video games community Tumblr pulling a page from Reddit's playbook shouldn't be surprising. As other communities and forums on the web have died off or been eaten by Google, Reddit has been on the up-and-up, growing its user base and turning a profit for the first time. But Subreddits managed by users are both Reddit's crown jewels and a thorn in the side of corporate interests, as demonstrated by the coordinated action taken last year in protest of changes to the platform's API pricing structure. As Google Search degrades in usefulness - or is replaced by AI summaries - platforms like Reddit have become a central part of finding helpful information online.Reddit is also adding search engine-like features, including an AI-powered summary tool called Answers announced earlier this week. Though Tumblr's communities feature - and Tumblr in general - isn't the search destination Reddit is, the new grouping feature does streamline how users can find and engage with topic-based content and peers with similar interests. Communities is available on the web, iOS, and Android.

Image: Alex Parkin / The Verge ChatGPT launched roughly two years and two weeks ago. Now, as we near the end of 2024, the AI race is... well, where is it, exactly? It's more competitive than ever, there's more money being poured into new models and products than ever, and it's not at all clear when or even whether we're going to get products that make it all worthwhile.On this episode of The Vergecast, we talk about a lot of different AI news, all along a single trend line: the tech industry trying desperately to build a killer app for AI. (Ideally, for them, also one that makes money.) The Verge's Richard Lawler joins us as we discuss Google Gemini 2.0, Project Astra and Project Mariner, and everything else Google is doing to put AI in the products you already use every day. We also talk through the new Android XR announcement, and Google's renewed commitment to making headsets and smart glasses that work. It's all an AI story, no matter how you look at it.After that... more AI! We talk about the launch and near-immediate disappearance of OpenAI's Sora, what's new in iOS 18.2, Reddit's clever-but-primitive new Answers feature, and more.Finally, in the lightning round, it's a smorgasbord of tech news. YouTube is big on TVs; Instagram is testing a way for you to test your posts; the TikTok ban is coming, but a sale sounds like the answer; Sonos once again made a great soundbar; and what the heck happened to Cruise? The year's almost over, but the news keeps coming.If you want to know more about everything we discuss in this episode, here are some links to get you started, beginning with Google:

Photo by Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images Microsoft has quietly ended the sale of new credits and phone number features for Skype this week. Skype Credit and Skype Number are both being discontinued in favor of Microsoft pushing subscriptions instead.Skype Credit was a pay-as-you-go plan for making calls both locally and internationally, and Skype Number allowed you to have a phone number that people could call and get through to your Skype account. Both have existed in Skype for years, making it a popular choice for calling landlines and mobile phones over the internet.New sales of Skype numbers and Skype credit have stopped, but customers can still use existing Skype numbers and credits," says Amit Fulay, vice president of Microsoft Teams and Skype, in a statement to The Verge. Users can also purchase new outbound PSTN calling services through monthly Skype subscriptions or use Skype's free VoIP services for voice or video calls."While existing Skype phone numbers will continue to work for now, it seems inevitable that Microsoft will eventually force existing users into a subscription, too. Existing Skype Credit can also be used, but you can't buy any additional top ups. Even with Microsoft's Skype subscriptions, there's still no direct replacement for having a phone number that people can ring to get to your Skype.Microsoft made the surprise decision to remove ads from Skype earlier this year, alongside new features like AI image creation. The communications app, acquired by Microsoft in 2011, has struggled to remain relevant in recent years up against WhatsApp, Zoom, FaceTime, and other video calling apps. Microsoft has also turned its attention more to Teams in recent years, especially after launching a personal version of Teams in 2020.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge After the surprise ousting of former Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger last week, the chip maker is facing an uncertain future that could involve splitting the company up. The temporary co-CEOs of Intel both appeared at Barclays investment banking conference on Thursday, hinting at a potential manufacturing spinoff.Intel's manufacturing business finances and operations are already being separated into a standalone subsidiary, according to Reuters. Intel's chief financial officer, David Zinsner, admitted that's going to happen," but stopped short of confirming whether Intel would ever fully spin off its manufacturing business. Does it ever fully separate? That's an open question for another day," said Zinsner.Intel Products CEO, Michelle Johnston Holthaus, also discussed the possibility of a manufacturing spinoff, as the two co-CEOs wait for Intel's board to find a Gelsinger replacement. Pragmatically, do I think it makes sense that they're completely separated and there's no tie? I don't think so. But someone will decide that," said Holthaus.The decision on splitting up Intel will be a key one for the company, and any incoming CEO. Intel had to outsource the manufacturing of its Lunar Lake laptop chips to its rival TSMC earlier this year, in what turned out to be a financial mistake.It won't be easy for Intel to spin off its own foundries, though. Intel receives nearly $8 billion in CHIPS and Science Act funding from the US government, and the US Department of Commerce has oversight over any change of control. If Intel does end up spinning off its manufacturing business, then it will turn into a company that designs chips much like its direct rivals.Now, it's all eyes on Intel's 18A" process which is set to arrive next year and may struggle to beat TSMC and deliver a flagship PC chip to rival AMD. Intel has faced a series of setbacks this year, ranging from the Lunar Lake financial mistake to crashing 13th and 14th Gen chips and underwhelming next-gen desktop CPUs.

Image: Gearbox Software We already knew it was in the works, and now we have an idea of how it will look and play. At the Game Awards, Gearbox Software revealed the first proper trailer for Borderlands 4, which is due out in 2025. The trailer starts with a cinematic depicting a large-scale conflict of some sort, before getting into the actual gameplay - which is as colorful and violent as you'd expect from the franchise. The game is playable solo or co-op with up to three other players, and Gearbox says that there are billions" of weapons to use.Here's the basic set-up:

Illustration: Cath Virginia / The Verge; Photo: Getty Images The Securities and Exchange Commission is preparing numerous counts" against Elon Musk, according to a letter from his lawyer that Musk posted to X. It has also reopened an investigation into Neuralink."The letter is short on specifics - such as what the charges may be, and how many Musk companies are affected. Instead, Musk's lawyer, Alex Spiro, complains that the Commission Staff issued a settlement demand that required Mr. Musk agree within 48 hours to either accept a monetary payment or face charges on numerous accounts." Even this is somewhat unclear; presumably, Spiro means that Musk would pay a penalty rather than accept money from the SEC.

Not a photo of an Nvidia LAN, since I can't find my old photos of them! | Photo by Julian Stratenschulte/picture alliance via Getty Images It's been 13 years since Nvidia hosted its last LAN party, inviting hundreds of people to physically haul their gaming PCs onto a decommissioned aircraft carrier and jack them in for networked gaming bliss. Now, the GeForce LAN is finally coming back - and you're theoretically invited, should you manage to reserve one of the 400 available spaces right here on December 16th at 6AM PT / 9AM ET.The GeForce LAN 50 will run January 4th through January 6th, 2025 in Las Vegas, Nevada, with satellite events in Berlin, Taipei, and Beijing, and it promises to be a online & in-person 50 hour gaming marathon" with contests, tournaments, raffles, and swag.It'll kick off 4:30PM PT on January 4th, and you'll need to provide a fully refundable $125 deposit to sign up. Nvidia tells me those 400 slots are for everyday gamers, and do not count the influencers who may also show up.If you can't or don't want to make it, Nvidia says it'll offer one small set of rewards online - if you stream Diablo IV, The Elder Scrolls Online, Fallout 76, The Finals, or WoW from its GeForce Now cloud gaming service continuously for 50 minutes," there'll be some kind of in-game reward. Nvidia will also be offering prizes in a marketing celebration it's calling GeForce Greats".The LAN party is happening right before Nvidia's CES 2025 keynote in Las Vegas, where we're expecting the company to announce the RTX 5090, RTX 5080, and possibly the RTX 5070 as well, and the fact that this is the GeForce LAN 50" is probably a tease for those 50-series cards - the last LAN that Nvidia hosted was the GeForce LAN 6," not GeForce LAN 49" or anything like that.Starting in 2004, the GPU company began to host major LAN parties almost every year until it stopped in 2011. Here's one of my minor claims to nerd fame: I helped set a Guinness World Record for the largest, longest LAN party at one in 2008. Image: Sean Hollister Record scratch, freeze frame, yep that's me (on the left)... That Nvidia LAN wasn't held on an aircraft carrier, but rather the San Jose Convention Center, as part an event that Nvidia called NVISION 08." The company never held another NVISION, but it rebooted its event the very next year, at the very same location, as the GPU Technology Conference (GTC). There was a time Nvidia would sponsor third-party LANs as well.Apparently Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has a soft spot for LANs, making a surprise visit to a small one in Vietnam last year. While gamers have largely moved online for multiplayer games, the LAN party subculture has been getting a bit of nostalgic attention as of late - there's even a coffee table book now documenting the era.

Image: The Game Awards Geoff Keighley's enormous and expensive video game commercial show celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. It's that time of the year. The Game Awards 2024 starts December 12th at 7:30 PM ET / 4:30 PM PT on Twitch and YouTube. This year marks the awards' tenth anniversary so expect some big surprises to celebrate the occasion. We already know Borderlands 4 will make an appearance as well as the next game from Hazelight Studios, the developers behind Game of the Year 2021 It Takes Two.Keighley's BFF Hideo Kojima will probably show up to show off more of Death Stranding 2 or maybe even his new game / movie hybrid project OD. And with 2025 mere weeks away, the GTA VI hype season will officially start, likely with a new, potentially record busting trailer. Here are all the news, trailers, and surprises for this years Game Awards.As for me, the only thing I'm excited about for TGAs 2024 is the possibility of Flute Guy and Metaphor: ReFantanzio Monk Guy sharing the same stage.

Image: Chris Welch / The Verge Apple's rumored combo Bluetooth and Wi-Fi chip might be introduced with some of the company's home products in 2025, including a new HomePod Mini and Apple TV, reports Mark Gurman for Bloomberg.Apple's new chip, codenamed Proxima," is meant to be a major transitional change for the company's devices that reduces reliance on Broadcom, which makes Bluetooth and Wi-Fi components for various devices in Apple's lineup. Sources speaking to Gurman say the chips have been in development for several years and will be produced by TSMC - the same manufacturer that makes Apple Silicon chips.Gurman didn't specify when the new HomePod Mini and Apple TV might debut next year. The Proxima chip could also appear in iPhones later in 2025 and in the iPad and Mac in 2026, Gurman says.Apple is also working on a standalone security camera, Gurman says. Gurman has previously reported that the company is gearing up to introduce a wall-mounted smart display for controlling your smart home next year as part of a bigger push into the home.

Image: The Verge Moderators of multiple Reddit communities say the company has banned posts that include the alleged manifesto of Luigi Mangione, who has been charged for murder in the killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson.In a post on Wednesday, a moderator of r/popculturechat wrote (emphasis theirs):

Image: Google Experts believe that one day, quantum computers could make today's systems of encryption utterly obsolete. But Google tells The Verge its new breakthrough" Willow chip is nowhere near ready for that.The Willow chip is not capable of breaking modern cryptography," Google Quantum AI director and COO Charina Chou tells The Verge.A so-called cryptanalytically relevant quantum computer," or CRQC, could jeopardize civilian and military communications, undermine supervisory and control systems for critical infrastructure, and defeat security protocols for most Internet-based financial transactions," the White House warned in 2022, ordering that US agencies must transition to new systems to mitigate that risk by 2035.But Willow is not a CRQC, according to Google. While the company does claim it can solve a computing challenge in five minutes that would take the world's fastest supercomputer ten septillion years, Google has only produced 105 physical qubits worth of that computing power and suggests it would need millions to literally crack the codes.Estimates are we're at least 10 years out from breaking RSA, and that around 4 million physical qubits would be required to do this," Chou writes. She says Willow doesn't change the timeline at all.And though Chinese researchers have repeatedly claimed to discover new ways to break RSA encryption with much smaller quantum computers, ones with just a few hundreds or thousands of qubits, security experts have repeatedly been skeptical.Google is one of the many companies preparing to defend against the potential threat of broken encryption with post-quantum cryptography, or PQC, ever since the Edward Snowden leaks revealed that spy agencies like the NSA were quietly funding code-breaking quantum computer research.A few years back, we wrote about how the National Institute of Standards and Technology created a competition to develop quantum-safe cryptography standards back in 2016. This August, NIST released three finalized algorithms and its standards for integrating them into products and systems, and plans to select one or two more by the end of the year.The RAND Corporation, a think tank famous for advising on US national security in the past, suggested in a 2023 editorial that the moment an RSA-breaking quantum computer exists, it'll trigger a worldwide rush to defend against it:As soon as the existence of the CRQC becomes public knowledge - or is even considered plausible - and the threat becomes concrete, most vulnerable organizations will immediately move to upgrade all their communications systems to post-quantum cryptography."

Adobe's Reflection Removal tool is now available as a technology preview inside Camera Raw. | Image: Adobe Adobe's Project See Through, a tool that is capable of eliminating distracting reflections in photos taken through windows, is now available as a technology preview and is now called the Reflection Removal tool. Originally revealed as a Sneak" during the Adobe's annual Max conference last year, you can use the tool through Adobe Camera Raw in preview with a Lightroom release coming soon," according to Adobe.The best way to ensure a photo isn't marred with reflections is to avoid shooting through a window, but Adobe's new tool will increase the chances that the beautiful mountain vista you captured during a flight will actually be worth sharing. The tool works by distinguishing the two scenes that make up an image with a reflection, which are often distinguished by different content, white balances (indoor scenes tend to look warmer than outdoor ones), and their sharpness. Image: Adobe An example of the artificial reflections Adobe created for training data by merging thousands of photos together. The AI model the Reflection Removal tool uses was trained on a database of thousands of photographs without reflections that were paired and merged to create millions of images with simulated reflections. Through a reinforcement process, the model learned how to extract the original photos from a single combined image, which are both available in the new tool. The results are often impressive, but Adobe points out that if a reflection is so strong or complex that a person looking at the photograph struggles to figure out what is what, then our model might struggle as well."To access the new tool, which currently only works with RAW images (support for JPEGs and HEICs is planned) you need to open the Camera Raw tool and then the Technology Previews section of its Preferences Panel where you can enable the New AI Settings and Features Panel before restarting Adobe Photoshop or Adobe Bridge. Image: Adobe The original photo (left) next to a version with reflections removed (center) and the reflected image itself isolated (right). With a RAW file imported, you'll find a Reflections option in the Distraction Removal section of the Remove panel. After a few seconds of processing a reflection-free version of the image will be presented (hopefully!) along with a slider set to 100. Dragging the slider down to zero will restore the reflections, while dragging it to -100 will reveal only the reflected image.

Remember your old friend 5G? | Image: The Verge Verizon is making good on one of the many unfulfilled promises of 5G with a new service called Enhanced Video Calling.According to the company's website, it delivers optimized video and sound quality on calling apps," even in times of congestion. That may not sound exciting on its own. But under the hood, Verizon is using network slicing to boost video call performance, which is a new technology only possible on a standalone 5G network.Unlike remote robot banana surgery, network slicing is a real benefit of 5G technology that we can reasonably expect to see in more places in the next few years. Slicing lets network operators provide the right resources for certain kinds of demanding activities where a strong connection is critical. Right now, that means boosting performance for video calls, but in the future it could mean being able to prioritize the data needed to safely guide an autonomous vehicle through an intersection.The catch is that you need a standalone 5G network to pull this off, and much of the US' 5G networks still operate on 4G cores. T-Mobile has been able to move quicker on this thanks to its Sprint acquisition, and it rolled out its first feature based on slicing this fall with a service that gives priority to first responders. Verizon has been testing slicing for the past year or so, but this is its first rollout of a consumer feature based on the technology.In order to try Enhanced Video Calling out for yourself, you have to meet a specific set of requirements. It's available in more than 150 metro areas" right now, with more to be added in 2025. But you also need to be on Verizon's priciest plan, Unlimited Ultimate, which costs $90 per month for one line with autopay. And you'll need an iPhone 14 or newer running iOS 18.2. Samsung Galaxy S23 and newer and Pixel 9 phones will be compatible too, but support for Android video calling apps on Android is arriving in 2025.If you meet the above prerequisites, you should see a setting in iOS that reads Enhance 5G" if you go to Settings > Cellular, according to Apple's documentation.

Toyota's Urban Cruiser is a compact electric SUV coming to Europe. | Image: Toyota Toyota revealed its latest all-electric vehicle today as the Urban Cruiser compact SUV. The EV, which will be fully revealed at the Brussels Motor Show next month, is intended for the European market, first coming to the UK in the third quarter of 2025.Toyota says the wheelbase is only about 5 inches longer than the European-only Yaris Cross, making it another fun-sized electric EV slated for the continent like the recently revealed Ford Puma Gen-E or Hyundai Inster.The Urban Cruiser has clear design inspiration from last year's Urban SUV concept. It also shares its new EV platform built in conjunction with Suzuki, which announced its made-in-India E Vitara SUV last month. Toyota's other EV, the bZ4X, also shares its EV platform with another automaker, Subaru, which has the Solterra EV. Image: Toyota Toyota Urban Cruiser features a side-by-side 10.25-inch cluster screen and a 10.1-inch infotainment system. Toyota's Urban Cruiser has nearly match-for-match specs as the E Vitara, including a relatively small 49 kWh battery with an FWD drivetrain and a 61 kWh battery with an option for AWD.Toyota says power output can get as high as 135kW in the AWD version (with 40kW on the rear axel for stable and secure performance on loose and slippery surfaces") and up to 300 Nm of torque. While the official range is not announced, it'll likely match the E Vitara's expected 248 miles on a single charge.Additionally, the Urban Cruiser has downhill assist and trail modes for added control, and the FWD model includes a snow mode. All models come with a heat pump and include the ability to manually start preconditioning the battery to prepare for a DC fast charging session.Toyota has been slower in building and adopting EVs than other legacy manufacturers. The automaker has been focused on its outstanding hybrid technology as well as hydrogen vehicles.But the automaker isn't done with EVs - it's planning to have 15 EVs, including six models on a next-gen shared platform by 2026, and it just invested nearly another $1 billion in Kentucky for a paint facility to prepare for a three-row electric SUV for the US.

Image: Amazon Amazon is testing a new Prime Video feature that recommends groups of content using AI rather than traditional algorithms. If you're part of the test, you'll see new AI Topics" tailored to your interests, like mind-bending sci-fi," fantasy quests," or thrilling character journeys."Each category will have shows, movies, and linear channels that match these AI-generated labels. You can also continue refining recommendations further by selecting topics related to the category you're looking at, which Amazon says allows you to discover more content without hitting a dead end." Image: Amazon Streaming services like Netflix have long used machine learning algorithms to spit out recommendations based on viewing history. But with this announcement, it seems like Prime Video is putting an extra AI spin on things - which isn't very surprising given the hype surrounding the tech and Amazon's own efforts to portray itself as an AI leader. For now, Amazon says AI Topics are rolling out to select" living room devices in the US, such as the Fire TV.Last month, Prime Video also rolled out AI recaps you can use to summarize TV seasons, entire episodes, and even portions of episodes.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge If you've been contemplating signing up for Xbox Game Pass Ultimate so you can play Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, you might want to head on over to Woot. Now until 1:59AM ET on December 13th, the retailer is offering a three-month subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for $28.99 (about $31 off) with promo code GAMEPASS. Only customers making their first purchase on Woot are eligible, though; everyone else will have to pay $33.99 to redeem the digital code.Woot's current promo is a terrific deal considering a month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate will normally run you $19.99. After you finish playing the new Indiana Jones game, you can play dozens of other downloadable titles for both Xbox and PC, including new releases like Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and older titles like Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Starfield, Diablo IV, Halo Infinite, and Hi-Fi Rush. Subscribers can even stream select non-Game Pass titles they own via their TV, smartphone, tablet, and PC through a web browser. This includes Baldur's Gate 3, Hogwarts Legacy, Balatro, and more.In addition to granting access to a wide range of games - including EA Play titles - an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscription lets you take advantage of exclusive deals, online multiplayer, and other perks, some of which aren't available on the cheaper Game Pass tiers.Other deals and discounts of note

Illustration: The Verge Meta's Threads is getting another feature seemingly inspired by Bluesky: curated groups of accounts that you can follow all at once. They basically sound like Meta's take on Bluesky's handy starter packs.Instagram boss Adam Mosseri announced Thursday that Meta is starting to test the feature, and he said that you'll see the collections when signing up for Threads and within the For You feed." A handful" of Threads community leaders" curated and shared the current collections.People will be able to find collections built around topics like basketball, style and fashion, food, books, pop culture, and more," Meta spokesperson Alec Booker tells The Verge. We'll iterate on this feature based on learnings from the test, and hope to expand the functionality to more people soon." Image: Meta Image: Meta Meta has upped the pace of Threads feature updates after users really started flocking to Bluesky last month - Threads introduced its own take on custom feeds just five days after announcing the feature in testing, for example.While I personally think Bluesky is the heir apparent to Twitter, Threads is still significantly larger. Meta saw 35 million Threads signups in November, but Bluesky user growth has seemingly slowed to a crawl: as I write this, Bluesky is on the cusp of surpassing 25 million users, a five million user jump from nearly a month ago.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Gemini's integration into Google Drive is getting a little more useful. In addition to summarizing documents or answering questions about a project, the AI assistant can now generate summaries of everything inside a folder.With the feature, you can open a folder and select the new Summarize this folder" button at the top of the page. Gemini will then give you a breakdown of the folder's contents. As noted by Google, you can use Gemini to find specific files inside a folder, or ask questions about it, like What is the theme of this folder?"You can also drag and drop a folder into the Gemini sidebar, as well as right-click on a folder and choose Ask Gemini." GIF: Google For now, Google says Gemini can only provide information about text documents, PDFs, spreadsheets, and presentations. However, when 9to5Google tested the tool, it found that Gemini could identify images in a folder, too.Google first brought Gemini to the sidebar in Drive, Docs, Sheets, and Slides in June. Gemini's folder summary feature is rolling out now to Google One AI Premium subscribers, along with Gemini Business, Enterprise, Education, and Education Premium users.

Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos from Getty Images Nearly half of US teens are almost constantly" online, though the platforms they spend their time on vary significantly, according to a new Pew survey.Despite some variety in their overall online habits, virtually all teenagers use YouTube. Of the 1,391 teenagers polled by the Pew Research Center, 90 percent said they use the site, a slight decrease from 95 percent in 2022. And 73 percent of them go on YouTube every day, making it by far the most popular platform for teenage users. The second-most popular app is TikTok, which 63 percent of teens say they use. Pew Research Center Almost all teenagers polled by Pew use YouTube, but very few are on Threads. But there's a gender divide, especially among teenagers who say they almost constantly" use either app: 19 percent of girls say they use TikTok that often, while the same share of boys are constantly on YouTube.And even this extremely online demographic isn't using all websites equally. Just 6 percent of teenagers polled said they use Threads, Meta's microblogging app, and only 32 percent use Facebook - down from 71 percent a decade ago. The only Meta product a majority of teenagers use is Instagram, whose popularity has increased since 2014.There seems to be a preference for image- and video-based platforms among the teenagers polled: X and Reddit were also much less popular, with 17 percent and 14 percent of teens saying they use them, respectively. And teens' X usage has declined significantly over the past decade: a decade ago, when it was still called Twitter, 33 percent of US teens used it. But teens' use of some image-based apps - including Snapchat - is on the decline as well. In fact, the only app that has experienced a rise in popularity is WhatsApp, which is now used by 23 percent of teenagers.

Image: Microsoft I honestly thought I'd hate Microsoft's controversial Recall feature and immediately disable it, but after using it for the past couple of weeks, I've been both creeped out and impressed with what it's capable of.Recall, a Windows 11 feature that takes snapshots of mostly everything you see on your screen, quickly became a controversy earlier this year after Microsoft announced it. Privacy advocates immediately started warning about potential issues with Recall without even using it, and security researchers found big holes in a prerelease version of the feature. Microsoft delayed Recall multiple times to give the company more time to address the security issues, and it's now in testing for Windows Insiders ahead of a broader rollout next year.The first thing I noticed about Recall is that the initial setup experience is very clunky and feels unfinished. You launch the app, and it redirects you to Windows Update, where AI models will start downloading and installing. Once you've installed a trio of these, it looks like the install process is complete - but then Windows Update will find another component of Recall to install. After fiddling around for 10 minutes, Recall will... Read the full story at The Verge.

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge iOS 18 introduces more customization and the first rollout of Apple Intelligence. Apple has released iOS 18 - plus iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, watchOS 11, and other new updates - bringing several key updates to how the company's devices operate and setting the stage for generative AI features.The most discussed feature of iOS 18 is the Apple Intelligence suite. With the release of iOS 18.2 on December 11th, features that are available now include generating images in Image Playground, creating custom Genmoji" emoji, and ChatGPT integration. Other features of Apple Intelligence, including writing tools such as the ability to rewrite your text in different styles, trickled out to customers starting in October.There are major non-AI changes to consider too, like the ability to change your default apps or test your hearing with AirPods.Meanwhille, iPadOS 18 now has a calculator app and can solve math equations in notes, watchOS is keeping an eye out for sleep apnea, and now your iPhone can even message Androids with RCS.Read on for all the news about Apple's latest set of operating system updates.

The Supernote A5 X2 Manta is more expensive than the Remarkable 2, but will potentially last longer with upgradeable components. | Image: Supernote Supernote has announced its new A5 X2 Manta E Ink tablet that could be a potential alternative to the reMarkable 2 for those wanting a larger screen and a device that can be easily upgraded and repaired. It's available now for $459, something of a jump from the $379 reMarkable 2. The latter also includes a stylus, while the Supernote A5 X2 requires you to provide your own - or spend at least another $59 to buy one of the company's pens (which, according to Supernote, don't need charging and are fitted with ceramic tips that won't wear down).On the other hand, the new tablet is very fixable. A panel on the back of the Supernote A5 X2 can be removed without tools, giving quick access to some of the tablet's internal components. This includes its 3,600mAh battery, which can be replaced when it loses capacity or stops charging, and the A5 X2's motherboard, potentially allowing for performance improvements or new features down the road without having to replace the entire device. There's also a microSD slot that can use a memory card to expand the A5 X2's storage from 32GB up to 2TB. Image: Supernote You don't even need to reach for a screwdriver to open the A5 X2's back panel. The 10.7-inch 300 ppi E Ink screen on the Supernote A5 X2 is larger and has more resolution than the reMarkable 2's 10.3-inch 266 ppi panel, but like the four-year-old reMarkable, the A5 X2 skips screen lighting for what the company calls an improved writing experience and a true paper look in natural light." That could be a tough sell when alternatives like the Amazon Kindle Scribe and the Kobo Elipsa 2E can be easily used in the dark. Even reMarkable now offers an E Ink tablet with an illuminated screen.Powered by a 1.8GHz RK3566 quad-core processor, the Supernote A5 X2 runs a custom Android 11-based OS called Chauvet that supports features like two-finger gestures and offline handwriting recognition that can convert your notes to editable text. The tablet also has Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, allowing documents to be synced through cloud-based services like Dropbox or Google Drive, or to be transferred directly to other devices wirelessly using an accompanying mobile app. For extra security, you can even plug a flash drive into the A5 X2's USB-C charging port and transfer files manually. Image: Supernote A loop for holding a stylus to the side of the tablet can be removed for those wanting a cleaner look. Other features include touch-sensitive strips on the bezels on either side of the screen that can be used to scroll long document and a fabric loop for storing a stylus that can also be removed entirely.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Epic Games' annual holiday sale is now live, and like previous years, the company is also going to be offering a bunch of free games you can claim during the sale. Over the course of this sale, the store will have 16 free games, according to a blog post.Epic isn't spilling the beans about which games will be on offer, teasing only that you'll be able to claim some absolutely amazing titles." But in pervious years, Epic has given away big games like Destiny 2: Legacy Collection and Control, so fingers crossed that Epic has some good holiday surprises up its sleeve.For paid deals, there are some good games to sift through, like 35 percent off Dragon Age: The Veilguard and Star Wars: Outlaws. During the holiday sale, Epic is also giving users 10 percent back on their purchases as part of the Epic Rewards program, which is a boost from the usual 5 percent.The sale ends at 11AM ET on January 9th, 2025.

A worker handles wafers at the GCL Technology production plant in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, China, on Tuesday, July 2, 2024. GCL Technology is one of the world's largest makers of polysilicon, a key material in solar panels. | Photo: Getty Images Tariffs on solar wafers, polysilicon, and certain tungsten products from China are going to rise dramatically come January 1st, 2025, the Biden administration announced Wednesday. That means higher price tags on key materials needed to make solar panels at a time when solar is the fastest growing source of electricity in the US.Polysilicon is used to make solar wafers, which are the semiconductors in solar panels. Tungsten - the same material in old-school incandescent lightbulbs - has many uses in electronics because of its high melting point. The metal is also part of supply chains for the aerospace, automotive, defense, medical, and oil and gas industries.That means higher price tags on key materials needed to make solar panels at a time when solar is the fastest growing source of electricity in the USIt's the latest instance of the Biden administration hiking up tariffs on goods from China - which dominates solar manufacturing - as part of its plan to build up domestic supply chains for clean energy.Solar products from the Xinjiang region in particular also face accusations of forced labor and human rights abuses. The Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) also said that the decision to raise tariffs follows an investigation into cyber theft and economic espionage by China.The tariff increases announced today will further blunt the harmful policies and practices by the People's Republic of China," ambassador Katherine Tai said in a statement. These actions will complement the domestic investments made under the Biden-Harris Administration to promote a clean energy economy, while increasing the resilience of critical supply chains."Starting next year, tariffs on polysilicon and solar wafers will double from 25 to 50 percent. Tariffs on certain tungsten products will go from zero to 25 percent. Chinese companies produce more than 75 percent of the world's polysilicon. Considering all the manufacturing stages for solar panels, which includes polysilicon and wafers, China holds more than 80 percent of global capacity.American manufacturers welcomed the changes. These trade measures will begin to counter the pervasive Chinese government subsidies in solar manufacturing. It is a step in the right direction," Mike Carr, executive director of the Solar Energy Manufacturers for America (SEMA) Coalition, said in an emailed statement.To be sure, Chinese policies aimed at boosting solar manufacturing have led to economies of scale that have allowed prices for solar panels to plummet around the world. Chinese companies also make much more affordable electric vehicles than US manufacturers. EVs from China have been similarly subject to soaring tariffs during the Biden administration to 100 percent from 25 percent this year. In May, Biden also announced that tariffs on battery parts and lithium-ion batteries would rise to 25 percent from 7.5 percent. In addition, he increased the tarifff rate on solar cells from 25 percent to 50 percent. And by 2025, the rate on semiconductors from China will double to 50 percent.President-elect Donald Trump has said he plans to hike tariffs on imported goods from China even more than his predecessor, which is expected to increase prices on everything from cars to electronics.

XR stands for extended reality," which you should get used to explaining to lots of people. | Image: Google Google is taking another run at making headsets work. The company just announced Android XR, a new operating system designed specifically for what Google calls extended reality" devices like headsets and glasses. It's working with Samsung and lots of other hardware manufacturers to develop those headsets and glasses, is making the new version of Android available to developers now, and hopes to start shipping XR stuff next year.We don't yet have a ton of details on exactly how Android XR will work or how it might differ from the Android on your phone. (The Verge's Victoria Song got to try a few demos and prototypes - make sure you read her story.) Google is making immersive XR versions of apps like Maps, Photos, and YouTube and says it's developing a version of Chrome that lets you do multiwindow multitasking in your browser. It will also support existing phone and tablet apps from the Play Store, much in the same way Apple supports iPad apps in the Vision Pro.Google's Gemini AI, of course, is at the very center of the whole experience. Google has been trying to crack headsets for more than a decade - there was Glass and Cardboard and Daydream, all of which had good ideas but none of which turned into much - and the company thinks AI is the key to making the user experience work. We believe a digital assistant integrated with your XR experience is the killer app for the form factor, like what email or texting was for the smartphone," said Sameer Samat, who oversees the Android ecosystem at Google, in a press briefing ahead of the launch. As Gemini becomes more multimodal, too, able to both capture and create audio and video, glasses and headsets suddenly make much more sense. Image: Google This is the kind of AR interface you'll get with Android XR. The choice of the term XR" for the OS is maybe the most interesting part. There are a million terms and acronyms for this space: there's virtual reality, augmented reality, mixed reality, extended reality, and others, all of which mean different but overlapping things. XR is probably the broadest of the terms, which seems to be why Google picked it. When we say extended reality or XR," Samat said, we're really talking about a whole spectrum of experiences, from virtual reality to augmented reality and everything in between."Google imagines headsets that can seamlessly transition from virtual worlds to real ones - again like the Vision Pro - and smart glasses that are more of an always-on companion. It's also interested in audio-only devices like the Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses. Some things might be standalone; others might be more like an accessory to your phone. We'll see if Google ends up building its own XR hardware, but it's clearly trying to support a huge spectrum of devices.Android XR is still in its early stages, and most developers are only now going to start getting the software and hardware they need to build for the new OS. But Google's trying to move quickly next year: a device it's building with Samsung, codenamed Moohan, is apparently slated to ship next year. Android XR is, in some ways, a culmination of bets Google has been making in AI, the broader Android ecosystem, and the wearable future of technology. All of those bets are about to get the real test: whether anyone actually puts them on.

Google didn't let me take my own photos, but this is strikingly similar to the demo I saw with my own eyes. | Image: Google I demoed Google's new Android XR platform, Samsung's Project Moohan, and prototype smart glasses. I felt as close to Tony Stark in a controlled demo as I'll ever be. It's an ordinary Tuesday. I'm wearing what look like ordinary glasses in a room surrounded by Google and Samsung representatives. One of them steps out in front of me and starts speaking in Spanish. I don't speak Spanish. Hovering in mid-air, I can see her words being translated into English subtitles. Reading them, I can see she's describing what I'm seeing in real time.I mumble an expletive. Everyone laughs.This is my first experience with Android XR - a new mixed reality OS designed for headsets and smart glasses, like the prototypes I'm wearing. It's Google's big bet to power a new generation of augmented reality devices that embody all our wildest dreams of what smart glasses can be.Google is no stranger to augmented reality. Google Glass crashed and burned with the public more than 10 years ago before being repurposed for enterprise users and eventually discontinued. But things are different now. Apple has the Vision Pro. Meta has the Ray-Ban smart glasses, and their AI features have garnered positive buzz. That's why Google is jumping back into the fray with Android XR.Google wants everyone to know the time is finally right for XR, and it's pointing to Gemini as its north star. Adding Gemini enables multimodal AI and natural language - things it says will make interactions with your environment richer. In a demo, Google had me prompt Gemini to name the title of a yellow book sitting behind me on a shelf. I'd briefly glanced at it earlier but hadn't taken a photo. Gemini took a second, and then offered up an answer. I whipped around to check - it was correct.On top of that, the platform will work with any mobile and tablet app from the Play Store out of the box. Today's launch is aimed at developers so they can start building out experiences. The average person won't be able to buy anything running Android XR right now, but in 2025, Samsung will be launching its long-rumored XR headset. Dubbed Project Moohan (Korean for infinity), the headset will be the first consumer product to ship with Android XR. Technically, it's running the same software as the glasses I tried, but Project Moohan will also be capable of VR and immersive content - stuff that wouldn't be suited to a pair of smart glasses. It's essentially a showcase for everything that could be possible. Hence why Google is going with XR - a catch-all term that stands for extended reality" and encompasses AR, VR, and mixed reality. Image: Google, Samsung Project Moohan felt like a mix between a Meta Quest 3 and Vision Pro headset. Samsung's headset feels like a mix between a Meta Quest 3 and the Vision Pro. Unlike either, the light seal is optional so you can choose to let the world bleed in. It's lightweight and doesn't pinch my face too tightly. My ponytail easily slots through the top, and later, I'm thankful that I don't have to redo my hair. At first, the resolution doesn't feel quite as sharp as the Vision Pro - until the headset automatically calibrates to my pupillary distance.It's at this point when I start feeling deja vu. I'm walked through pinching to select items and how to tap the side to bring up the app launcher. There's an eye calibration process that feels awfully similar to the Vision Pro's. If I want, I can retreat into an immersive mode to watch YouTube and Google TV on a distant mountain. I can open apps, resize them, and place them at various points around the room. I've done this all before. This just happens to be Google-flavored.I want to ask: how do you expect to stand out?I don't get the chance to before I'm told: Gemini.For the skeptic, it's easy to scoff at the idea that Gemini, of all things, is what's going to crack the augmented reality puzzle. Generative AI is having a moment right now, but not always in a positive way. Outside of conferences filled with tech evangelists, AI is often viewed with derision and suspicion. But inside the Project Moohan headset or wearing a pair of prototype smart glasses? I can catch a glimpse of why Google and Samsung believe Gemini is the killer app for XR.For me, it's the fact that I don't have to be specific when I ask for things. Usually, I get flustered talking to AI assistants because I have to remember the wake word, clearly phrase my request, and sometimes even specify my preferred app.One thing I'm really confident about, something that's not just different from before, is that Gemini is really that great," says Kihwan Kim, EVP at Samsung Electronics, who nods furiously in agreement when I mention this. To Kim, it's the ability to fluidly speak to Gemini and the fact that it understands a person's individual context that opens dozens of different options for the way each person interacts with XR. That's why I clearly see that this headset will give more insight about what [XR] should be."I was shocked at how well my translation demos went, which were in the same spirit as the video here.In the Moohan headset, I can say, Take me to JYP Entertainment in Seoul," and it will automatically open Google Maps and show me that building. If my windows get cluttered, I can ask it to reorganize them. I don't have to lift a finger. While wearing the prototype glasses, I watch and listen as Gemini summarizes a long, rambling text message to the main point: can you buy lemon, ginger, and olive oil from the store? I was able to naturally switch from speaking in English to asking in Japanese what the weather is in New York - and get the answer in spoken and written Japanese.It's not just interactions with Gemini that linger in my mind, either. It's also how experiences can be built on top of them. I asked Gemini how to get somewhere and saw turn-by-turn text directions. When I looked down, the text morphed into a zoomable map of my surroundings. It's very easy to imagine myself using something like that in real life.But as cool as all that is, headsets can be a hard sell to the average person. Personally, I'm more enamored with the glasses demo, but those have no concrete timeline. (Google made the prototypes, but it's focusing on working with other partners to bring hardware to market.) There are still cultural cues that have to be established with either form factor. Outside of Gemini, there has to be a robust ecosystem of apps and experiences for the average person, not just early adopters.The headset demos felt more familiar, though Circle to Search was unique to Android XR.It's not going to be a singular product. It's Android," says Shahram Izadi, Google's VP of AR and XR, noting that Google has a three-pronged strategy for Android XR: laying the groundwork with devs is one element; Gemini's conversational experience is another; and the third is the idea that no one device is the future of XR. Headsets, for example, may just be episodic" devices you use for entertainment. Glasses could supplement phones and smartwatches for discreet notifications and looking up information.The way I see it, these devices don't replace one another. You'll use these devices throughout your day, and if there's consistency with Gemini and generative AI experiences across these form factors, people will get more comfortable with wearing computers on their faces. That's the on ramp to get to more immersive devices," says Izadi.Listening to Kim and Izadi talk, I want to believe. But I'm also acutely aware that all of my experiences were tightly controlled. I wasn't given free rein to try and break things. I couldn't take photos of the headset or glasses. At every point, I was carefully guided through preapproved demos that Google and Samsung were reasonably sure would work. I - and every other consumer - can't fully believe until we can play with these things without guardrails.But even knowing that, I can't deny that, for an hour, I felt like Tony Stark with Gemini as my Jarvis. For better or worse, this example has molded so much of our expectations for how XR and AI assistants should work. I've tried dozens of headsets and smart glasses that promised to make what I see in the movies real - and utterly failed. For the first time, I experienced something relatively close.

Image: Cath Virginia, Adobe Stock The Indian storytelling app gives its audience an unending stream of audio stories about lucky individuals who become rich. It might as well be an allegory for its own creator economy. Read the full story at The Verge.

Photo by Andrew J. Hawkins / The Verge Hyundai and Kia will integrate Google Maps data into their current vehicle infotainment platforms ahead of a switchover to the Android Automotive operating system, the automakers announced today.Hyundai, Kia, and the luxury nameplate Genesis will use Google Maps Platform's Places API to inject 250 million points of interest into the existing navigation software. Kia will be the first to get the new data integration in North America, with subsequent expansions" to other Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis models globally. Hyundai says the changes are part of an ongoing Google partnership that accelerates their development of what the automaker calls software-defined vehicles," or SDV.We asked Hyundai if current models on the road will get Google Maps data through a software update and will update this story when we get a response. The current navigation app for the companies primarily uses points of interest data from digital mapping company TomTom. Tesla is also one of several automakers that has its own navigation software on a closed OS but uses Places API for mapping data.However, Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis will soon follow the industry-wide trend of moving to Google's Android... Read the full story at The Verge.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge I maintain that YouTube TV is the very best of the streaming TV services, but good grief is it getting expensive. Today YouTube announced the service's latest price hike, which brings the monthly subscription to $82.99. The change is effective immediately for new customers and will be reflected starting January 13th for most existing customers." As usual, the company attributes this increase to the rising cost of content and the investments we make in the quality of our service."$82.99 is the same price as Disney's Hulu + Live TV bundle.YouTube TV last raised its subscription cost to $72.99 in March 2023. Before that, it was $64.99. The days when the service ran only $50 now feel like a lifetime ago. Some of you who got in early might even remember it costing a mere $35 per month.But since then, YouTube has routinely found itself in carriage disputes with Disney, NBCUniversal, and other content owners, and those renegotiated agreements have led YouTube TV's price to climb higher and higher. The YouTube TV of today is much different than it used to be; there are more channels, yes, but the service has also shed a number of regional sports networks.The company is quick to note that none of the service's core benefits are changing. The base subscription still includes over 100 channels, cloud DVR with unlimited storage, up to six user accounts per household, and the flexibility of three concurrent streams. But YouTube TV still charges extra for 4K streaming, which seems harder to rationalize after this $10 price bump.Customers are predictably none too pleased about the news and are weighing whether a service that now costs more than double its original price is still worth it.

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge In an announcement today, Chatbot service Character.AI says it will soon be launching parental controls for teenage users, and it described safety measures it's taken in the past few months, including a separate large language model (LLM) for users under 18. The announcement comes after press scrutiny and two lawsuits that claim it contributed to self-harm and suicide.In a press release, Character.AI said that, over the past month, it's developed two separate versions of its model: one for adults and one for teens. The teen LLM is designed to place more conservative" limits on how bots can respond, particularly when it comes to romantic content." This includes more aggressively blocking output that could be sensitive or suggestive," but also attempting to better detect and block user prompts that are meant to elicit inappropriate content. If the system detects language referencing suicide or self-harm," a pop-up will direct users to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, a change that was previously reported by The New York Times.Minors will also be prevented from editing bots' responses - an option that lets users rewrite conversations to add content Character.AI might otherwise block.Beyond these changes, Character.AI says it's in the process" of adding features that address concerns about addiction and confusion over whether the bots are human, complaints made in the lawsuits. A notification will appear when users have spent an hour-long session with the bots, and an old disclaimer that everything characters say is made up" is being replaced with more detailed language. For bots that include descriptions like therapist" or doctor," an additional note will warn that they can't offer professional advice. Character.AI Narrator: it was not a licensed CBT therapist. When I visited Character.AI, I found that every bot now included a small note reading This is an A.I. chatbot and not a real person. Treat everything it says as fiction. What is said should not be relied upon as fact or advice." When I visited a bot named Therapist" (tagline: I'm a licensed CBT therapist"), a yellow box with a warning signal told me that this is not a real person or licensed professional. Nothing said here is a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis, or treatment."The parental control options are coming in the first quarter of next year, Character.AI says, and they'll tell parents how much time a child is spending on Character.AI and which bots they interact with most frequently. All the changes are being made in collaboration with several teen online safety experts," including the organization ConnectSafely.Character.AI, founded by ex-Googlers who have since returned to Google, lets visitors interact with bots built on a custom-trained LLM and customized by users. These range from chatbot life coaches to simulations of fictional characters, many of which are popular among teens. The site allows users who identify themselves as age 13 and over to create an account.But the lawsuits allege that while some interactions with Character.AI are harmless, at least some underage users become compulsively attached to the bots, whose conversations can veer into sexualized conversations or topics like self-harm. They've castigated Character.AI for not directing users to mental health resources when they discuss self-harm or suicide.We recognize that our approach to safety must evolve alongside the technology that drives our product - creating a platform where creativity and exploration can thrive without compromising safety," says the Character.AI press release. This suite of changes is part of our long-term commitment to continuously improve our policies and our product."

Apple's new Share Item Location is already integrated into the latest version of United Airlines' mobile app. | Image: United Airlines Following the official release of Apple's new Share Item Location feature with iOS 18.2 yesterday, United Airlines has announced it has integrated it into its mobile app. Passengers finding themselves at their destination without their luggage can now file a delayed baggage report through United's app along with a Share Item Location link that will potentially expedite a reunion.Passengers will need to ensure the United mobile app is up to date, but once a report has been submitted with a Share Item Location link connected to an AirTag or a tracker that's compatible with Apple's Find My network, customer service agents will be able to determine its current or last known location using an interactive map, according to United Airlines. Having access to the Find My network data for a missing bag will allow the airline to more quickly find delayed bags and reunite them with customers." Image: United Airlines Sharing a lost bag's location through United's mobile app will potentially expedite its return. You don't actually need the app to take advantage of the new integration. After filing a delayed baggage report either in person at an airport, over the phone, or through United's website, passengers will receive an automatic text notification with information to track misplaced luggage and add a Share Item Location link for their AirTag or Find My network accessory."Once a passenger is reunited with a missing bag its shared location will be disabled automatically. The location sharing can also be manually stopped by the passenger at any time, and for added security and privacy the link will automatically expire after seven days - hopefully long after the luggage is located and returned.Apple says that Air Canada has also integrated the feature, and in the coming months more than 15 airlines will begin accepting Find My item locations as part of their customer service process for locating mishandled or delayed bags."

Plant identification - now powered by ChatGPT. | Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge I was about to okay my friend's restaurant suggestion for lunch - an Indian place on 2nd - when Apple Intelligence swooped in with another idea. How about The Ritz?" appeared above the keyboard as a suggested response, highlighted in that telltale AI rainbow glow. The other suggested response, Sounds good!" was much more reasonable. But ignoring both, I typed out my affirmative answer, hopped on my bike, and headed to downtown Seattle, where there are, to my knowledge, zero Ritzes.Suggested replies aren't new in iOS 18.2, but they're a piece of the Apple Intelligence feature set that's falling into place with this week's public release of 18.2. Those suggestions I got while planning lunch kind of sum up my whole experience with Apple's AI up 'til now: occasionally helpful, sometimes way off base, and often good for a laugh. But once the novelty wears off, it's easily ignored - just like the AI feature sets on every other so-called AI smartphone I've used this year.Apple had to get something out the door for its built for Apple Intelligence" iPhonesApple took its time getting here. The first set of AI features dropped with iOS 18.1 at the end of October, including... Read the full story at The Verge.

Image: Epic Games A year ago, Epic kicked off a bold plan to turn Fortnite into a broader ecosystem for all kinds of games. And that plan was led by the launch of Lego Fortnite, a Minecraft-style survival game that sits alongside the likes of battle royale and the music-themed Fortnite Festival inside of Fortnite. Now, Epic is pushing into another new direction with the launch of Brick Life, a Lego-themed city where players can live virtual lives, much like in Grand Theft Auto roleplaying servers.The ongoing goal, according to Devin Winterbottom, Epic's executive vice president of game development, is to keep expanding in ways that make people rethink what Fortnite actually is. The worst outcome for us is that everything looks like battle royale," Winterbottom says. That's not what we want to do."For Brick Life, that takes the form of a family-friendly nonviolent space where players can explore and socialize inside of a Lego city. It launches today as part of a broader rebranding of Lego Fortnite; now, those two words refer to a hub that houses all of the Lego experiences in the game, while the survival title has been renamed Lego Fortnite Odyssey. In between those two major releases, Lego... Read the full story at The Verge.

Image: Archer Electric aviation startup Archer Aviation signed an exclusive deal with Palmer Luckey's defense contractor, Anduril Industries, to jointly develop next-generation aircraft for the military. Archer also announced a new funding round of $450 million to help propel its defense ambitions.The first product will be a hybrid propulsion vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) aircraft that will serve as the basis for the companies' bid for a contract with the US Department of Defense. Archer is also formalizing its efforts to be an aircraft supplier to the military through the creation of a new internal division called Archer Defense.While Archer has been racing to finalize the government certification process that it will need to get the necessary government approvals for its electric vertical takeoff and landing, or eVTOL, aircraft, it's also getting more deeply involved with the military-industrial complex. The San Jose, California-based company also recently delivered one of its Midnight eVTOL aircraft to the US Air Force as part of its evaluation program. Other advanced aviation companies have made similar moves.The first product will be a hybrid propulsion vertical takeoff and landing aircraftArcher also announced it will be the recipient of a fresh capital round, with $430 million coming from preexisting investors such as Stellantis and United Airlines as well as new funders like Wellington Management and Abu Dhabi investment holding company 2PointZero, a subsidiary of the United Arab Emirates' largest listed entity, IHC. Archer says it has raised a total of $2 billion to date.Archer came out of stealth in spring 2020 after having poached key talent from Wisk (formerly Kitty Hawk) and Airbus' Vahana project. (Wisk later sued for alleged trade secret theft, which was finally settled last year.) The company has a $1 billion order from United Airlines for its aircraft and a deal to mass-produce its eVTOL craft with global automaker Stellantis. Alongside Archer, other eVTOL companies hope to eventually win full Federal Aviation Administration approval. That got a boost recently when the agency published highly anticipated final regulations for eVTOL vehicles that it says will chart the path for the air travel of the future." Archer praised the FAA for providing clear direction on what is required for the safe operation of eVTOL aircraft in the U.S."Air taxis, sometimes misidentified by the mainstream media as flying cars," are essentially helicopters without the noisy, polluting gas motors (though they certainly have their own unique noise profile). In addition to Archer, companies like Joby Aviation, Volocopter, and Beta Technologies have claimed they are on the cusp of launching services that will eventually scale up nationwide. But others have floundered; German company Lilium recently said that two of its subsidiaries were insolvent and could cease operations.Meanwhile, Anduril is a military technology company, founded by Oculus creator Luckey, that makes surveillance and reconnaissance tech as well as military drones. The company recently teamed up with OpenAI to integrate the ChatGPT maker's software into Anduril's counterdrone systems.

The Pokemon Company If you've been playing Pokemon TCG Pocket since launch, you've probably already collected most of the cards from the game's first expansion. But a new set is about to debut in just a few days.Today, The Pokemon Company announced that Mythical Island, a new expansion set featuring the pokemon Mew, is coming to Pokemon TCG Pocket on December 17th. A trailer for the expansion reveals a handful of new Pokemon cards coming to the game for the first time like Purrloin, Serperior, and Marshadow. Previously, the only way to obtain a Mew card was by collecting cards featuring each of the 150 original pokemon from the Kantonian Pokedex, but it should be much easier to snag the new Mew EX card simply by ripping a few packs.The Pokemon Company also announced that TCG Pocket has exceeded 60 million iOS and Android downloads since the game launched at the end of October. The ability to actually trade cards with other people hasn't come to the game just yet, but it's going to be very useful given that there's a bunch of fresh cards on the way.

Image: Voicemod Voicemod has released a hardware solution that enables its popular soundboard and voice-changing desktop software to work on Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch consoles. The Voicemod Key dongle is now available in the US after initially being teased in July, with Voicemod planning to launch it in additional countries soon."Universal voice changers have previously been limited to desktop PCs and Macs, with software limitations preventing Voicemod from building an app for consoles. The Voicemod Key serves as a workaround - it sports a USB-C connection that plugs into a tablet or smartphone (including older iPhones thanks to an included lightning adapter), and two audio jacks that connect to your console and a wired gaming headset. The Voicemod mobile app can then be used to access the platform's soundboard and real-time voice-changing features in console chats. Image: Voicemod Here's an example of how the setup works - it's worth noting that Voicemod Key will only work with wired headsets. The Voicemod Key is supported on iOS 16 and Android 8.1 or higher. Availability is restricted to paid Voicemod subscribers, and the Key price will depend on your... Read the full story at The Verge.