The Verge

Just a few months after getting back into the smartwatch game, Motorola is targeting the premium end of the market with the first Moto Watch Ultra. It comes with some upgrades from the recent Moto Watch - most obviously the jump to Wear OS - but lacks the outdoorsy features that would make it a [...]

Lenovo is announcing the IdeaPad Vibe, a productivity laptop aimed at taking on the MacBook Neo with a similar starting price and a wider range of colors. The Vibe comes in 14- and 15-inch sizes, with AMD and Qualcomm chip options due out in October and November, respectively. Intel versions (likely Wildcat Lake) are set [...]

Lenovo is announcing a new concept laptop for IFA 2026 that uses solid-state cooling instead of traditional fans, making it incredibly thin and super light. The 14-inch Project AeroBlade concept laptop is less than 10mm thick and weighs under 1.8 pounds / 830g. For reference, recent ThinkPad X1 Carbons are around 14mm at their thickest [...]

All the rumors leading up to Nvidia's announcement of its Arm-based RTX Spark chips over the summer mentioned two specific chips: the N1X and N1. While the N1 won't be arriving this year, Nvidia says its N1X chip is arriving in RTX Spark laptops in two different configurations in October. You'll be able to buy [...]

Google is rolling out AI-powered voice assistant modes for Gmail, Docs, and Keep that allow you to manage the apps by talking to them. The real time conversational capabilities are called Gmail Live, Docs Live, and Keep Live, and like the Gemini Live experience for Google's chatbot, aim to make it easier to note down [...]

Lenovo's latest rollable concept, announced at IFA 2026, is the ThinkBook Project Swan: a business laptop with a screen that expands horizontally from 14 to 17 inches. Rollable screens are nothing new for Lenovo. The company has shown off several concepts and even launched a real one last year (and it was pretty great). But [...]

Nvidia is announcing its new Personal AI Router (PAIR), a free tool that syncs up your home computers for tackling local AI inference tasks with tools like Ollama and LM Studio. Let's get the obvious thing out of the way, despite what its name might imply: PAIR is not a hardware router. It's open-source software [...]

SwitchBot has launched a new retrofit smart lock that gives owners multiple ways to enter European homes without a traditional key. Announced at IFA today, the SwitchBot Lock Ultra Max Vision Pro Combo provides multi-user entry and up to 19 ways to unlock doors, including, fingerprint scans, passcodes, NFC card access, contactless authentication via facial [...]

With the P80 Ultra, TCL's E Ink-esque Nxtpaper phones are finally going OLED. Just like previous LCD models, the phone can switch to a low power, monochromatic display mode that replicates the look of paper when you want to read or minimize distractions. Only now you can switch back to what the company calls a [...]

Anker's new robot lawnmower might take over for your weedwacker, too. Announced at IFA 2026, the Eufy Robot Lawn Mower S2 Max comes with an extendable trimming arm to clean up the grass around your driveway and flowerbeds. The dual-blade mower offers vSLAM navigation that uses built-in cameras to build a 3D map of your [...]

Microsoft is changing how it reports its finances to investors by splitting its businesses into two segments and disclosing quarterly revenue for its Azure cloud business for the first time. The changes are meant to reflect the ongoing impact of AI on Microsoft and how the company now operates. The software giant has previously reported [...]

Detail-preserving optical lens shift is not something you expect to find on an ultra-short throw projector running Google TV, but that's exactly what you'll find inside of Awol Vision's new LuxVision. It also promises to produce an incredibly bright (6000 ISO Lumens) 4K 120Hz image measuring 120 inches when placed just 7.5 inches from the [...]

After selling accessories for attaching Apple's AirTags to everything from keys to backpacks, Belkin is introducing its own trackers that work with either Apple's Find My or Google's Find Hub tracking networks. In addition to compatibility with Android and iOS, what differentiates these trackers from AirTags and Google's recently announced Pixel Tag is that you [...]

Belkin is joining companies like BMX, Kuxiu, and Zens with the launch of its first power banks featuring semi-solid-state battery technology. The company claims the new accessories have been "engineered to last up to 3x longer than other power banks" with the addition of a "gel-like layer" alongside the liquid electrolyte typically found in lithium-ion [...]

In what could be fortuitous timing for hearing aid users, Anker announced its first over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids at IFA 2026. It was only a couple months ago when LXE Hearing, the parent company for Eargo and Lexie Hearing - two major OTC manufacturers in the US - decided to end US operations and exit [...]

After introducing a consumer-friendly UV printer last year capable of printing designs directly on materials like wood, metal, glass, and acrylic, Anker's eufyMake brand is introducing a new machine that can print directly on fabrics. With an expected launch sometime in the spring of 2027, Anker hasn't yet revealed an official name for the new [...]

Anker is launching the Eufy MindBase, a local AI hub for its security cameras that runs an on-device, Anker-developed LLM, which the company says can process your footage without it ever leaving your home. It's also announcing a handful of other smart home security products at the IFA tech show in Berlin this week, including [...]

Anker just announced its new Soundcore Sleep Earbuds 4 and 4 Pro for side-sleepers. They include the same audio masking tech found on last year's A30 sleepbuds (that can really silent a snoring partner) only now with longer battery life and improved ANC to help silent other noises in the environment. Both sets of buds [...]

Philips Hue is finally adding wall panels into its smart lighting portfolio. But instead of developing its own, it's partnered with longtime rival Nanoleaf, the company that invented the smart modular wall panel category. Starting today, September 3rd, if you own Nanoleaf Hexagon, Triangle, or Mini Triangle wall panels, you can integrate them into your [...]

Philips Hue's AI assistant can now build automations based on natural language, letting you describe what you want your lights to do. The feature, called Custom AI Behaviors, goes beyond simply changing colors or creating a scene and lets users orchestrate complex automations that weren't previously achievable in the Hue app. Announced at a press [...]

Philips Hue is slashing the steep entry price of its entertainment sync offerings. The new stripped-down Sync Box 4K starts at $150, compared to $385 for the 8K model. The brand also launched its first camera-based solution, the Play Screen Sync, for $119.99. Both were on display this week at the IFA tech show in [...]

I love smart lighting, but I don't love many of the form factors it comes in. With a few exceptions, most smart, color-changing lamps and fixtures fit better in my teenage son's dorm room than my living room. So, I was pleasantly surprised to see Philips Hue's new line of architecturally focused smart lights, launched [...]

Uber beat out Waymo in launching a commercial robotaxi service in London, the city's first. The vehicles use autonomous driving tech developed by Wayve, a UK-based startup, and will initially feature safety drivers behind the wheel. The launch is a milestone for Uber, which has been plotting a UK launch with Wayve for several years. [...]

Google launched Gemini 3.8 Flash, arriving just a few weeks after its predecessor. The company claims the new model "works harder" than Gemini 3.7 Flash by performing more reasoning steps on complex tasks and "calling tools iteratively." It has the same introductory pricing as 3.7 Flash, $0.75 per million input tokens and $3.75 per million [...]

Summer is winding down, but REI's Labor Day sale is here to help save you some bucks on gear that'll let you get the most out of your upcoming outdoor expeditions. There are many, many discounts, from men's and women's clothing and REI Co-op gear to equipment for camping and hiking and more. The sale [...]

1Password faced immediate backlash from customers this week over a $300,000 pledge in support of a Linux distro created by David Heinemeier Hansson, who has regularly published overtly racist blog posts that include comments calling for deportation of ethnic minorities in Europe. The popular password manager is now a "distinguished corporate patron" of Omacom, the [...]

Amazon is trying to combat impersonation scams with a new feature that allows you to use its AI assistant to determine whether an email, text message, or phone call actually came from the company. With the update, you can ask Alexa for Shopping about a message you received, and it will use AI to compare [...]

I think automakers are finally getting the memo. Rather than try to reinvent the wheel with its new electric vehicle, Range Rover just made one that looks nearly identical to its lineup of gas-powered SUVs. They didn't try to pass off some sleek, spaceship-looking pod as a Range Rover. Sometimes familiar designs are the way [...]

OpenAI is on the cusp of releasing its most powerful AI model yet, Astra, following weeks of delays to shore up safety protocols after its agents attacked real targets during testing. As details about the model trickle out, researchers are warning it "may be the single worst development for AI security/safety to date." Shortly after [...]

The Trump administration has intervened in The New York Times' copyright lawsuit against OpenAI, making an argument in favor of the AI lab. The landmark lawsuit, filed in December 2023, alleging that OpenAI unlawfully trained its AI systems on articles from The New York Times and seeks to recoup "billions of dollars" in damages from [...]

MrBeast will feature Gemini, Google Health, and the Fitbit Air in upcoming videos as part of a multi-year partnership with Google. The deal will kick off with a video featuring Jimmy "MrBeast" Donaldson turning to Gemini for wilderness survival advice: First up on September 5 is a new MrBeast video following Jimmy and his crew [...]

US District Court Judge Leonie Brinkema declined the Justice Department's request to make Google sell off parts of its ad tech business, accepting milder remedies to restore competition to markets it illegally monopolized for years. Brinkema said she would adopt most of the behavioral changes proposed by the parties, with some modifications. But those won't [...]

This is Optimizer, a weekly newsletter sent from Verge senior reviewer Victoria Song that dissects and discusses the latest gizmos and potions that swear they're going to change your life. Opt in for Optimizer here. My mom was a dramatic woman prone to overreacting. When I was a snotty teen, I told her she needed [...]

Verge readers can get a discount on Belkin's SoundForm Mini 2 wireless headphones. The kid-focused on-ear headphones feature an 85-decibel volume limit and easy controls, and a mode that lets them beam audio (wired or wirelessly) to a second pair without extra hardware. Readers can use the code VERGE25OFF to save 25 percent on up [...]

OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman are facing 30 new lawsuits that accuse them of providing "substantial assistance and encouragement" to the suspect in Canada's Tumbler Ridge school shooting, as reported earlier by TechCrunch. The new wave of lawsuits was filed in a California federal court on Wednesday by the students, teachers, and the principal [...]

New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani has announced a new policy today that will ban younger schoolchildren from using AI in classrooms. The one-year moratorium, effective in the 2026-2027 school year, will impact about 600,000 public school students in 2-K through eighth grade and is being introduced alongside additional limits on digital devices and a [...]

When Google ignominiously exited the European thermostat market last year, it pointed its customers to Tado. This week, the German-based smart home company is launching its Smart Thermostat X (2nd gen), and aiming to attract European Nest users who haven't already jumped ship. Google shutting down the servers for its 1st- and 2nd-gen thermostats drove [...]

The New York Times has prepared some exclusive goodies for its subscribers: a weekly drop of bonus puzzles based on the publication's popular games. Five to six new puzzles will be released every Wednesday, each featuring "a twist" on games like Wordle, Strands, Connections, and Crossword that are designed to keep puzzleheads playing with fresh [...]

Believe it or not, the Tesla Cybercab is coming. Nearly two years after Elon Musk first unveiled the gold-tinted, gull-wing-door sporting, steering-wheel-free, two-seaters as the future of Tesla's autonomy efforts, the company is finally putting them into operation as part of its robotaxi service in Austin, Texas. Public rides are here, and as Musk fans [...]

Last week, I powered on a 26-year-old copy of Pokemon Pinball, one of the best Game Boy games ever made. My save file was no more. The Charmander I'd caught for my daughter, the high scores we'd set together... gone. Before flash memory, Nintendo cartridges used tiny watch batteries to save their games, and those [...]

In 2007, the US was on the cusp of an economic recession, and Buddy Rizer was tasked with finding Loudoun County, Virginia, a new way to make money. Rizer's earlier career as a radio DJ didn't exactly make him an obvious candidate to find a solution, but he was looking for what he called a [...]

Acer is announcing a new laptop poised to rival the MacBook Air's thinness and lightness - and in the process, it cops another laptop's name. The Acer Swift Blade 14 (not to be confused with the Razer Blade 14) is a productivity machine weighing just 1.76 pounds / 799g and measuring as little as 0.51 [...]

For the last few years, PC gamers on the go have had a choice: Buy a gaming laptop, or pick up one of the many Steam Deck-inspired handhelds that are a fraction of the size but a lot less versatile. Acer's latest concept device, Project DualPlay Mini, is an attempt to upend that dichotomy by [...]

Microsoft is getting ready to roll out its memory integrity security feature of Windows 11 to more devices next month. The kernel-level protection feature is designed to stop malicious code or drivers running on a Windows 11 machine, but Microsoft previously warned it can also impact PC gaming performance. "Windows quality updates will begin enabling [...]

Dell's new Dell 14S laptop sounds a lot like a MacBook Neo: it comes in four colors, is aimed at students, and it starts with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Announced at IFA 2026, the 14S is meant to sit below the recently launched XPS 13 and offer another affordable laptop option as [...]

iRobot has announced a new flagship robot vacuum, which it will showcase at IFA in Berlin this week, the company's first big tech trade show in years. The Roomba maker will be exhibiting under its new owner, Picea Robotics, the contract manufacturer that purchased the once-troubled American robotics company out of bankruptcy in January. The [...]

Google has reportedly been reaching out to a number of Hollywood's biggest studios, hoping to strike licensing agreements that would allow it to train its AI models on copyrighted material in exchange for massive piles of cash. In theory, these deals would be a win-win: a huge financial boon to the studios that would also [...]

Anthropic says its newest AI models, Fable 5.1 and Mythos 5.1, address criticisms from customers about price, data retention, and overzealous safeguards. The company claims Claude Fable 5.1 offers stronger performance than Fable 5, but costs around 25 percent less typically and up to 45 percent less for complex agentic tasks, thanks to reduced pricing [...]