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by Andrew J. Hawkins on (#6DF0E)
Photo by Andrew Hawkins / The Verge Ford is restarting production of its F-150 Lightning electric truck after a six-week shutdown for factory upgrades. The automaker says the increased capacity will allow it to triple production to a targeted annual run rate of 150,000 trucks by this fall.The news comes after a somewhat dour earnings report in which the Blue Oval reported losing $1.1 billion before interest and taxes on its EV business, more than twice as much as it lost over the same period last year. It also follows news that Ford is slashing prices on the F-150 Lightning by as much as $10,000 as EV competition heats up and inventory rates at dealerships skyrocket.A targeted annual run rate of 150,000 trucks by this fallThe Rouge Electric Vehicle Center, located... Continue reading...
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The Verge - All Posts
| Link | https://www.theverge.com/ |
| Feed | http://www.theverge.com/rss/index.xml |
| Updated | 2024-11-26 05:15 |
by Umar Shakir on (#6DF0F)
That Lombardi trophy is going to be a sticky kiss this season. | Image: CBS Sports / Nickelodeon The next Super Bowl is going to be a sticky one. CBS Sports announced that it's connecting with Nickelodeon to air an alternate telecast of Super Bowl LVIII that gives the NFL a more family-friendly watching option by adding superimposed characters like SpongeBob SquarePants and animated slime-filled touchdowns.This year's Super Bowl will take place in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium, home of the Raiders, on Sunday, February 11th, 2024, at 6:30PM ET. At that time, fans can tune in to their local CBS station or the Paramount Plus streaming app for the standard broadcast or let their kids change the channel to Nickelodeon - tricking them into enjoying some good gridiron.
by Jess Weatherbed on (#6DEWW)
The board wants Meta to patch up the policy loopholes that allowed content promoting gender-based violence to slip through moderation. | Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Meta's Oversight Board is urging the company to take a stricter stance against content that normalizes gender-based violence after discovering a Facebook post mocking an injured woman had remained on the platform for almost two years without being viewed by a human moderator. On Tuesday, the board asked Meta to address a gap within its bullying and harassment policy that seemingly permits content promoting gender-based violence by praising, justifying, celebrating, or mocking it" to slip through its moderation practices.An image depicting a woman with visible marks of a physical attack, including bruises on her face and body" was published on Facebook in May 2021, alongside a caption in Arabic that alludes to her husband being... Continue reading...
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by Sean Hollister on (#6DEWY)
The AnkerMake M5C. | Image: Anker Anker didn't exactly knock it out of the park with its first 3D printer, the AnkerMake M5, but today, it's trying again. The new AnkerMake M5C, shipping today in the United States, ditches some of the original's clumsier features in exchange for a $400 price tag. That's half what the AnkerMake M5 cost when it arrived last year.The M5C still offers the same 49-point automatic bed leveling system, removable flexible magnetic plate for easy adhesion and removal, and remarkably fast printing speeds up to 500mm per second (though no promises about quality at maximum speed). It still prints down to 0.1mm in resolution, has a hefty aluminum base and dual screws for the Z-axis, and now boasts a one-piece design for faster, simpler setup.... Continue reading...
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by Victoria Song on (#6DEWX)
There's a new three-tab structure and a more minimalist overall design. | Image: Google Fitbit's been going through a lot of changes over the past year - and it looks like that's only going to continue. The Google-owned app is getting a total redesign this fall, and select Fitbit users may see an invite to try a beta version starting today.For starters, Fitbit is reorganizing how it presents your data. Going forward, the app will be divided into three tabs: Today, Coach, and You. The Today tab isn't changing too drastically from what it is now, but the main metrics you see up top can be customized to highlight different focus areas. For example, if you want to sleep better, you'll see your Sleep, steps, mindfulness, and Zone Minutes first thing. If your goal is to improve your heart health, the app will instead emphasize... Continue reading...
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by Brandon Widder on (#6DEWZ)
Few speakers offer as much bang for your buck - let alone charm - as Sony's colorful XB100. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge The world of portable speakers is vast and varied - a fact that is immediately apparent if you punch the words Bluetooth speaker" into Google or Amazon. Thankfully, if you've been scouring the web for something affordable that will still sound better than your phone, Sony's SRS-XB100 speaker is on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and direct from Sony for as little as $48 ($12 off), its lowest price to date.Despite its pint-size design, the XB100 manages to dish out crisp, clear sound with a surprising amount of low-end bass. The rugged little speaker offers up to 16 hours of continuous battery life and IP67 dust and water resistance, too, making it as suitable for an outing in the park as a pool party in your own backyard. You can even pair... Continue reading...
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by Jess Weatherbed on (#6DETE)
Google Takeout is getting new features that will allow users to upload their Google account data to third-party services. | Illustration: The Verge Google is making it easier to backup and transfer your personal data between third-party services, in response to a GDPR investigation by Italy's AGCM competition watchdog.In a press release announcing the changes, the AGCM said that Google's binding commitments will ensure significant automation of the procedure available for data export," and improve the interoperability mechanism that makes the data available in the Google ecosystem accessible to third-party platforms."Google has made three commitments to resolve the investigation. The first two involve enhancing Google Takeout, while the third will introduce a new solution to allow direct data portability from service to service" for authorized third-party operators,... Continue reading...
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by Jon Porter on (#6DEQZ)
Illustration: Nick Barclay / The Verge Meta could launch AI-powered personas" in its services - which include Facebook and Instagram - as soon as next month, giving users a new way to search, get recommendations, and otherwise engage with its products, the Financial Times reports. Citing conversations with three company insiders, the FT notes that the chatbots could come with distinct personalities, including one that offers travel recommendations in the style of a surfer" and another that speaks like Abraham Lincoln.The imminent launch could help Meta compete on two fronts. On the one hand, built-in chatbots could be a way to boost engagement with services like Facebook and Instagram in the face of competition from the likes of TikTok. On the other, the chatbots could... Continue reading...
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by Emma Roth on (#6DEDT)
Illustration: The Verge Google is planning to update Assistant with features powered by generative AI, according to a report from Axios. In an email obtained by the outlet, Google tells staff members that it has already started exploring a supercharged" Assistant powered by the newest large language models (LLM), similar to the technology behind ChatGPT and Google's own Bard chatbot. According to the email, A portion of the team has already started working on this, beginning with mobile."As part of this change, Google says it's condensing the team that works on Assistant. The email obtained by Axios states that the company is eliminating a small number of roles," although it's unclear how many employees are affected. According to Axios, Google laid off... Continue reading...
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by Wes Davis on (#6DE9G)
Workers prepare to dismantle a large X logo on the roof of X headquarters on July 31st, 2023, in San Francisco, California. | Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Well, that was fast. Twitter, which is currently rebranding itself to X, is now removing the giant, garishly lit X logo that was placed on top of its San Francisco headquarters, as previously reported by CNBC and ABC7 News. The sign, rapidly erected and supported in part by sandbags, had already received complaints from residents living near the building.According to the city's complaint, Twitter repeatedly denied access to inspectors seeking access to the roof, explaining to them that the X logo was a temporary lighted sign for an event."Patrick Hannan, communications director for the San Francisco Department of Building Inspection and City Planning, confirmed to The Verge in an email that a notice of violation was issued to the... Continue reading...
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by Wes Davis on (#6DEC7)
Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge Microsoft has started selling controller parts on its online store. Owners of both the Xbox Elite Series 2 Wireless Controller and the standard Xbox Wireless Controller can head to the Microsoft store right now to buy replacement boards, sticks, buttons, covers, and more. Now, if your shoulder buttons are broken or your sticks are drifting, it means you don't have to rely on third-party sources for parts and directions to attempt a repair that could be much cheaper than replacing controllers that can cost $59.99 or $179.99 brand-new.The Elite series 2 controller repair kits range in price from $23.99 for button sets to $59.99 for a replacement PCBA and motor assembly. As you'd expect, prices are lower for the standard controller,... Continue reading...
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by Barbara Krasnoff on (#5HEAF)
Illustration: Samar Haddad / Photo by Becca Farsace While many companies are encouraging their employees to return to the office, working remotely (when possible) seems to have caught on and is probably not going anywhere in the near future. Many of us are still using videoconferencing apps to keep in touch with work colleagues, family, and friends. Zoom continues to top the list of these meeting apps, but there are a bunch of other free applications out there that will allow you to meet others online.What follows are descriptions of some of the more interesting free video conferencing apps. We've concentrated on applications that allow at least 10 or more participants. Rather than simply assume that Zoom is best for you, you may want to try one or two of these out for yourself to see... Continue reading...
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by Emma Roth on (#6DEC8)
Illustration: The Verge The BBC has launched its own experimental" Mastodon server, marking one of the first major news outlets to establish an instance on the Twitter alternative. You can access the server at social.bbc, which encompasses posts from a handful of BBC accounts, including BBC Radio 4, BBC Taster, BBC Research & Development, and a few more.The BBC says the outlet will try out the server for six months before it decides whether and how to continue." While you can't actually create accounts or posts on the server, you can still leave replies from the instance that you're using, as well as follow its accounts.Despite this, the BBC still has some concerns about content moderation, as Mastodon doesn't have a dedicated moderation team and leaves it... Continue reading...
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by Andrew J. Hawkins on (#6DE9D)
Image: ABC 15 The backup driver in the self-driving Uber vehicle that killed a 49-year-old woman in Tempe, Arizona, in 2018 pled guilty to one count of endangerment and was sentenced to three years' probation on Friday.Rafaela Vasquez worked as a safety driver for Uber's autonomous vehicle test program in Arizona. She was behind the steering wheel when her vehicle ran over Elaine Herzberg, who was pushing a bicycle across the street. The crash, which happened on March 18th, 2018, is believed to be the first fatal collision involving a self-driving car.Prosecutors described Vasquez as the eyes and ears" of the vehicle, which was operating in autonomous mode at the time of the collision, according to the Arizona Republic. Police alleged that she... Continue reading...
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by Wes Davis on (#6DE9E)
Two early test images from the Euclid space telescope mission. | Image: European Space Agency Today, the European Space Agency (ESA) showed off the first test images taken from the Euclid space telescope as it approaches its final orbit around the Earth (via Ars Technica). Once in place, scientists at the ESA and its partners in the US, Canada, and Japan hope to gain radical new insights into the very formation and expansion of the universe as well as the role played by dark energy, dark matter, and gravity in all of that.The first test images, captured by the telescope's two onboard cameras - the VISible instrument (VIS) and the Near-Infrared Spectrometer and Photometer (NISP) - are a series of detailed shots of the night sky, showing a vast collection of stars, star clusters, galaxies, and more. Knud Jahnke of the Max Planck... Continue reading...
by Victoria Song on (#6DE9F)
I don't see much of a point in a second-gen Apple Watch Ultra if there isn't a noticeably better experience. | Photograph by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge The next Apple Watch Ultra may come in a darker titanium color. Supposedly. The rumor comes courtesy of Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman's Power On newsletter - but even Gurman himself doesn't seem entirely sure about it. Besides that, the second-gen Ultra might be a little lighter and feature a faster processor.I hate to say it, but if that's all we can expect to change, perhaps Apple shouldn't release a second-gen Ultra later this year.I say this as someone who's been using the Ultra consistently since it launched. The watchOS 10 beta runs just swell. My Ultra's battery has yet to crap the bed. I have maybe one minuscule nick on the titanium body, and I've gotten used to the weight and size on my petite wrist. Barring new health... Continue reading...
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by Sheena Vasani on (#6DE9H)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Samsung's Galaxy SmartTag 2 appeared in an FCC listing today, offering us a small preview of what to expect from the forthcoming location tracker (via 9to5Google).Perhaps most notably, the FCC listing refers to one version of the tracker that will come with ultra-wideband (UWB) connectivity for more precise tracking. That doesn't rule out Samsung releasing a second variant later. The $39 SmartTag Plus - which combined BLE with UWB - came after the original $29 standard SmartTag, which featured only Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).Another notable difference is that the Galaxy SmartTag's loop appears significantly larger than that of its predecessor. In fact, it looks bigger than the Tile Pro, which should make it even easier to attach the... Continue reading...
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by Andrew J. Hawkins on (#6DE9J)
Image: GM Raise your hand if you've tried one of those newfangled hands-free driver-assist systems. Now raise both hands. But for the love of god, keep your eyes on the road!Love them or hate them, hands-free driving systems are becoming more prevalent on the road. Most major automakers offer hands-free driving as an option or a subscription, from GM's Super Cruise to Ford's BlueCruise to Nissan's ProPilot. (Tesla's Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) systems are not technically hands-free, a fact that annoys most Tesla owners to no end.)But with more hands-free driving entering the realm of what's possible, more risks inevitably come with it. Last week, GM launched a public education campaign to help customers better understand what... Continue reading...
by Justine Calma on (#6DE9K)
Coral fragments of wild Florida elkhorn and staghorn in the living gene bank at The Reef Institute. | Image: NOAA; courtesy ofThe Reef Institute. Federal authorities and scientists are scrambling to relocate corals from Florida's coastlines before a killer heatwave wipes them out.The water is unbearably hot for corals, animals whose bodies form the reefs that coastal communities and other marine life depend on. Corals get their color from a symbiotic relationship with photosynthetic algae that provide them with the nutrients they need to survive. Unusually high temperatures, as the Atlantic Ocean is experiencing this summer, drive that colorful algae away. It's a problem called coral bleaching that, if it lasts too long, ultimately kills corals.Our hands-on restoration work is now all that stands between these animals and their extinction."Anticipating a mass die-off,... Continue reading...
by Sheena Vasani on (#6DE6D)
Amazon's new Echo Pop comes in a unique semi-circular form yet sounds good for its size. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge Since Prime Day was an Amazon event, a lot of the best Prime Day deals we saw earlier this month naturally landed on Amazon's smart speakers and displays. While Amazon's deals have since long gone, other retailers are jumping in to give you a second chance if you missed out. Right now, for example, you can buy the latest Echo Dot for $22.99 ($27 off) from Best Buy and The Home Depot. If you prefer a smart display, the latest Echo Show 8 is also on sale at Best Buy for $59.99 ($70 off).Perhaps one of the most notable deals, though, is this one on the new Echo Pop. At the moment, Amazon's newest smart speaker is just $17.99 ($22 off) at Best Buy and The Home Depot. The new speaker stands out from others in the lineup thanks to its... Continue reading...
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SAG-AFTRA says interim agreements are ‘a vital part’ of its plan to weather Hollywood’s labor strike
by Charles Pulliam-Moore on (#6DE6E)
SAG-AFTRA's striking logo. | Image: SAG-AFTRA When the Screen Actors Guild began giving independently produced projects clearance to continue production during Hollywood's two ongoing labor strikes earlier this month, there was a sizable amount of confusion about how the process worked and why the union was doing it, given that it had called for an industrywide work stoppage just days earlier. Now, as more people have begun to question the logic behind the interim agreements being granted, SAG-AFTRA says they're very much a part of its plan to help its members survive a strike that's already taken some particularly ugly and telling turns.On Sunday evening, SAG-AFTRA posted a lengthy statement to its website explaining what its interim agreements are and how they're being handed out... Continue reading...
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by Jon Porter on (#6DE6F)
You get extra keycaps and a combination switch/keycap puller in the box. OnePlus' debut mechanical keyboard, the Keyboard 81 Pro, may be little more than a redesigned Keychron Q1 Pro with a couple of tweaks. But the Keychron Q1 Pro is one of the best mechanical keyboards available today, and the tweaks OnePlus has made to its design range from inoffensive" to actually kind of neat." I wouldn't go as far as to say the Keyboard 81 Pro is better than the Q1 Pro, but it's a nice alternative version with its own strengths.As a reminder, Keychron's Q1 Pro is a wireless version of the Keychron Q1. It's made of a solid aluminum chassis, with a gasket-mounted switch plate that gives it a premium typing feel and is packed with extra features like hot-swappable switches (helpful if you want to change its typing feel... Continue reading...
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by Emilia David on (#6DE6G)
Photo by Monica Chin / The Verge It isn't just software companies looking to enter the generative AI fray.Dell, the PC maker, is going all in on generative AI and offering hardware to run powerful models and a new platform to help organizations get started.The company released what it calls Dell Generative AI Solutions for clients to set up access to large language models and create generative AI projects. The company will offer new hardware setups, a managed service platform, and computers to run generative AI projects faster.Dell is known for releasing laptops and monitors, but the company also produces server racks and other enterprise hardware. While the more public face of the AI arms race is between developers of large language models like Meta, OpenAI, and... Continue reading...
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by Umar Shakir on (#6DE31)
Local newspaper Ekalaka Eagle thinks it might be the first EV charged in town. | Image: Eric Dietrich / MTFP A Tesla driver from California thought they could quietly borrow some joules in the EV-barren town of Ekalaka, Montana - population 400 or so - but their Model Y ended up on the front page of the local newspaper, dubbed a UEV (or unidentified electric vehicle). Borrowed Volts," read the article title in the Ekalaka Eagle, which mentions that it might be the first electric vehicle ever to charge in the town.It was just sitting there, so I plugged in," the driver told the Montana Free Press.The port was a NEMA 14-50, the kind often used to power RVs, and despite the passenger's concern about charging at a random outlet, it was better than their original backup plan of finding a 120-volt plug that might take days to charge the vehicle.... Continue reading...
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by Emma Roth on (#6DE32)
Image: Richard Heart via YouTube Crypto influencer Richard Heart is facing a lawsuit from the Securities and Exchange Commission over claims he used at least" $12 million in proceeds from his crypto products to buy luxury products. That includes the purchase of sports cars, luxury watches, and a 555-carat black diamond called The Enigma - supposedly the largest in the world.Heart was born in the US and currently lives in Finland. He has operated a YouTube channel since 2017, where he promotes his own crypto products, including the Hex token and its sister product PulseChain, which operates on the PulseX protocol.In its lawsuit, the SEC alleges Heart raised over $1 billion through his unregistered Hex, PulseChain, and PulseX crypto securities. According to the SEC,... Continue reading...
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by Ash Parrish on (#6DE33)
Image: eBay eBay is the latest company to be hit with unfair labor complaints as this year's hot labor summer continues amid strikes, threats of strikes, and workers all over the country organizing for better working conditions. The complaints were filed on behalf of workers at TCGplayer, a company eBay acquired in 2022 that's known for selling and authenticating trading cards from games like Yu-Gi-Oh!, Pokemon, and Magic: The Gathering. The complaints allege that after workers at TCGplayer won their union election back in March, management of eBay and TCGplayer has refused to acknowledge the union and engaged in tactics designed to impede or delay workers' ability to negotiate for a fair contract.My colleagues and I haven't had a cost-of-living... Continue reading...
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by Antonio G. Di Benedetto on (#6DDZX)
Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge The Fire TV Stick 4K Max is on sale once again for its all-time low price of $24.99 ($30 off) at Best Buy and Target. It's one of the best streaming devices you can buy, especially if you prefer one that can neatly hide behind your TV and has excellent support for voice controls. Its Fire TV operating system highlights Prime Video content a lot, and it does have some ads, but its speedy performance and Wi-Fi 6 speeds at this low price are a worthwhile tradeoff. Plus, the Fire TV Stick 4K Max has a tight integration with Amazon smart home accessories, allowing you to ask Alexa to set the mood by dimming the lights in addition to calling up apps or searches with your voice.Another notable deal on Amazon hardware is the latest Echo Show 8... Continue reading...
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by Jon Porter on (#6DDZY)
The N Edition and Fami Edition of the keyboard. | Image: 8BitDo Nintendo doesn't make keyboards, but 8BitDo's Retro Mechanical Keyboard might be the next best thing. The $99.99 device comes in two color schemes: an N Edition," which has the same gray color scheme the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) had in the West, and a red and white Fami Edition" that draws obvious inspiration from the Japanese Famicom. Preorders open today, and the keyboard is expected to ship on August 10th.The keyboard comes with a pair of Super Buttons" - giant red versions of the buttons found on the original NES controller. They're programmable and come equipped with clicky Gateron Green switches that should make them feel suitably chunky to press. The Super Buttons connect to the keyboard via a 3.5mm cable, and there... Continue reading...
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by Wes Davis on (#6DDZZ)
Illustration: The Verge Twitter, which is rebranding as X, is now listed as X in the iOS App Store, suggesting the app got special treatment from Apple to allow a single-character name. The renaming was briefly hindered by a rule forbidding single-character app names within the App Store - the actual app name on iPhones and iPads already showed up as X.The exception could be a sign Apple wants to keep the hatchet buried with X owner Elon Musk. Late last year, the then-CEO of Twitter accused Apple of threatening to remove the Twitter app from the store. After meeting with Apple CEO Tim Cook, Musk later said it was a simple misunderstanding."Alongside the X rebranding, the company also updated its tagline in the store, from it's what's happening" to blaze... Continue reading...
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by Emma Roth on (#6DE00)
Illustration by Laura Normand / The Verge Twitter - now called X - is threatening to sue the Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) for its research into hate speech on Twitter that the company claims is driving away advertisers. In a letter to the CCDH, which was first reported by The New York Times, Twitter lawyer Alex Spiro claims that the CCDH regularly posts articles making inflammatory, outrageous, and false or misleading assertions" about Twitter with the goal of harming its reputation.The CCDH is an organization that aims to hold social media companies accountable for the spread of hateful material online. Since Elon Musk's takeover of Twitter, the CCDH has published numerous reports that suggest the platform is failing to protect users from hate speech. In its... Continue reading...
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by Charles Pulliam-Moore on (#6DE01)
Image: Disney Loki's first season ended by cracking the multiverse so wide open that it seemed like all of existence might be in serious jeopardy or at least on the verge of being conquered by a certain Kang. Both of those possibilities have seemed like they're becoming realities judging from Marvel's recent films, but in the first trailer for Loki's upcoming second season, there appears to be some hope that things can still be put right.After two Spider-Verse movies about people traveling to other dimensions and glitching out because they're not supposed to be there, it's interesting to see Loki (Tom Hiddleston) time slipping" in Loki's new season 2 trailer, both because of the visual similarities between the two phenomena and because it's... Continue reading...
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by Tom Warren on (#6DE02)
Illustration by William Joel / The Verge Microsoft has submitted a new change of circumstances document to the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in the UK, arguing its case for its proposed Activision Blizzard deal to be reconsidered for approval.The CMA first blocked Microsoft's proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard in April, with the regulator making it clear it had concerns over the effect Microsoft's acquisition could have on the emerging cloud gaming market. Weeks later, the European Commission then approved the deal thanks to Microsoft's cloud gaming agreements with Nvidia, Boosteroid, and others and a commitment to the EU to open up cloud licensing access to Xbox and Activision Blizzard games.Microsoft now argues the UK regulator should take into... Continue reading...
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by Tom Warren on (#6DDQR)
Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge Microsoft is making it a lot more convenient to use multiple high refresh rate monitors with Windows 11. The software giant has started testing a Windows 11 update that automatically adjusts refresh rates on multiple monitors depending on what content is being displayed, which should improve power usage and could even result in some GPUs spinning up their fans less often.We have improved refresh rate logic to allow different refresh rates on different monitors, depending on the refresh rate for each monitor and content shown on the screen," explains Microsoft in a Windows Insider blog from last week, spotted by Neowin. This will help most with refresh rate-dependent multitasking, like playing a game and watching a video at the same... Continue reading...
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by Tom Warren on (#6DDQS)
Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Sony has started testing a new PlayStation 5 software beta that includes Dolby Atmos support, up to 8TB of M.2 SSD storage support, and a variety UI improvements. The beta is rolling out in select countries today and Sony typically makes beta features available to all PS5 consoles within a few months.The biggest addition is Dolby Atmos support. In PS5 games it looks like Sony's 3D Audio implementation (Tempest 3D AudioTech) will be compatible with Dolby Atmos devices like sound bars, TVs, or home theater systems. Media apps like Netflix can also update their apps on PS5 soon to support Dolby Atmos audio. Tempest 3D AudioTech specifically renders to the Dolby Atmos audio devices in use - including overhead channels - allowing for even... Continue reading...
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by Jacob Kastrenakes on (#6DD9T)
Illustration: The Verge If your kid has been mysteriously busting through the Screen Time limits you set on their Apple device, the Wall Street Journal might know why: the publication found that a bug has been preventing certain Screen Time limits set via the Family Sharing system from saving correctly for months. Apple was supposed to fix the issue back in May, but apparently the problem has persisted.Apple's Family Sharing system allows parents to put usage limits on their kids' devices, with one of the key controls being the ability to monitor and limit their usage of specific apps and the device as a whole through a feature called Screen Time. The Journal reports finding that a specific setting known as Downtime, which blocks access to the entire device,... Continue reading...
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by Jacob Kastrenakes on (#6DD82)
An iPhone 14 Pro Max. | Image: Nilay Patel / The Verge Some big changes are expected to come to this year's iPhone 15 Pro lineup - but they might come alongside a price hike, too. In Bloomberg this morning, reporter Mark Gurman confirmed a handful of details that have been floating around all year about what to expect when the next iPhone lineup is announced in just over a month.The new Pro models will both come with titanium frames, instead of stainless steel, making them stronger and lighter, according to Gurman. Their screens will also have thinner bezels, thanks to a new display technology, shrinking the size of the black border by about a third. (Earlier leaks show what that might look like.) And as previously reported, expect the mute switch to be swapped out for a customizable button... Continue reading...
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by Alex Cranz on (#6DCY0)
X is coming for every last mention of Twitter. | Image: The Verge Last week, Elon Musk announced the death of Twitter as a brand. He had the sign on the HQ taken down and replaced with a garish X, and he axed the logo on the website and in the app, too. Lingering longer was the tweet" button itself. Today, the tweet button briefly changed to post, hinting that, soon, all evidence of the little blue bird and its associated Twitter will be scrubbed from every place X, the company formerly known as Twitter, can touch.But that's not why I think it's time to retire the tweet." I wanted to save it. I felt that it was clearly becoming independent of the brand that had adopted it. I argued we should call all microblog posts tweets to avoid this goofy cycle of toots, skeets, threets, and now, xeets. But with... Continue reading...
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by Andrew Marino on (#6DCW8)
A 1970s-era model of the Zenith Space Command. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge The Space Command didn't rely on infrared - or batteries. Continue reading...
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by Alex Cranz on (#6DCTR)
The Nook Glowlight 4e struggles to stand out, but at least it's got buttons to turn the page. | Photo by Sheena Vasani / The Verge The company is looking to give its stores an indie bookstore vibe, but its e-readers have more of an Amazon Kindle in the early 2010s vibe. Continue reading...
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by Mia Sato on (#6DCNM)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge D., a carpenter and Etsy seller of several years, recently sold a piece of custom, made-to-order furniture for around $150. The sale itself was business as usual for their shop - but it came with a sense of exasperation. Their earnings would be tied up for weeks while bills, rent, and expenses pile up.Since late June, Etsy has had D.'s account under restrictive settings, putting a hold on the bulk of money that's coming in as customers place orders. In D.'s case, 75 percent of earnings from a $150 order, as an example, are being held by Etsy - in what's known as a payment reserve" - for anywhere between two weeks and 45 days. After Etsy fees, taxes, and other expenses are pulled from the remaining 25 percent D. has access to, they're... Continue reading...
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by Sheena Vasani on (#6DCNN)
You can buy four AirTags for $84.99, or about $21 each. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Now we've reached the end of July, back-to-school season is officially upon us. If you're starting to shop for supplies to help kick off the new school year on the right note, we curated a guide to a range of helpful gadgets. We also found a number of good deals this week that'll help you prepare.Right now, for example, you can buy some of the best item trackers from Tile and Apple at some pretty notable prices. First off, the latest Tile Mate in black with a pack of lost and found labels for $19.99 ($10 off) from Amazon, which is an all-time low. The platform-agnostic Tile Mate will help you or your children keep track of backpacks, lunch boxes, tote bags, keys, and other belongings up to 250 feet away. That might be 150 feet less than... Continue reading...
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by Jay Peters on (#6DC60)
Image: Nintendo Masahiro Sakurai, the creator of the Super Smash Bros. series, is famous for his extremely hands-on role in developing the games. But even though he's said in the past that he's done too much of the work myself" on the series, in a new video, he said that he can't really imagine a Smash Bros. title without me."Sakurai made the statement as part of a video on his YouTube channel about the development of Super Smash Bros. Brawl for the Nintendo Wii. That was the first Smash Bros. title where Sakurai as a freelance director instead of as a staffer for HAL Laboratory.During the video, Sakurai pondered how Nintendo might structure a team for a potential next entry in the Smash Bros. series and his fears that there isn't one person who... Continue reading...
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by Jay Peters on (#6DC61)
A screenshot from the Horizon Worlds game Super Rumble. | Image: Meta Meta's long-in-the-works mobile version of Horizon Worlds, its VR metaverse social platform, may finally launch soon, according to Friday's Lowpass newsletter from Janko Roettgers.We've been aware of Meta working on a mobile version of Horizon Worlds, the company's metaverse social platform that is currently only available on its Quest VR devices, for quite some time, but it's still not here. Apparently, the company had built a working version last year, but we ended up not shipping it," Vishal Shah, Meta's metaverse VP, said in an interview with Roettgers. It was a little bit too much of a VR game on mobile as opposed to a mobile-native experience."Shah didn't tell Roettgers exactly when the app will be available on mobile, though.... Continue reading...
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by Sean Hollister on (#6DC62)
That's not a cassette tape! | Image: Remax As a 90s kid who dreamed of being an 80s adult, this immediately commanded my attention: you can now charge your phone with a cassette tape.Shenzhen accessories manufacturer Remax has apparently been on it for over a year, debuting 10,000mAh" batteries that look like classic cassettes. Depending on the color - yellow, red, or the new green 2023 model - you can charge them up with USB-C, micro-USB, or even an Apple Lightning cable, then output up to 22.5W over USB-A or USB-C to fast-charge a phone. The $20-$40 batteries aren't quite as nifty as I originally imagined. While they do awesomely come with their own transparent cassette tape cases, they're definitely larger than a classic cassette, and there's no spinning... Continue reading...
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by Ash Parrish on (#6DC63)
Image: Square Enix Critically acclaimed MMORPG Final Fantasy XIV is finally coming to Xbox.During the Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fest keynote, Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer appeared to announce the news alongside game director Naoki Yoshida. We want to bring the Xbox community and your warriors of light together, in a way that is safe, secure, engaging, and, above all, fun." Spencer said.
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by Jay Peters on (#6DC64)
The Verge Twitter, which Elon Musk is currently rebranding to X, is officially rolling out its ads revenue sharing program for creators. The company had given some creators payouts earlier this month, but now, users globally who meet the eligibility criteria can apply for the program from the monetization tab in settings.To be eligible for the program, you need to be subscribed to X Blue (which appears to be the new name for Twitter Blue) or be a Verified Organization, have at least 15M impressions on your cumulative posts within the last 3 months," and have at least 500 followers, according to a support document about the program.We want the process to be as simple as possible, so all eligible X Blue and Verified Organizations subscribers are... Continue reading...
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by Ash Parrish on (#6DC3T)
Image: Square Enix It's finally time for the Final Fantasy XIV beach vacation episode!This year's Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fest kicked off the American leg of the global event in Las Vegas this weekend. Thousands of fans braved the absolute blistering Las Vegas heat for cosplay events, concerts, and, of course, presentations designed around everybody's favorite critically acclaimed MMORPG.During the keynote kicking off FanFest, Square Enix revealed the game's latest expansion, Dawntrail, with a brief introduction trailer.The trailer reintroduces us to the series' main characters as they explore a tropical island, noted as Eorzea's New World." Seems like the Scions are enjoying a much-needed break from saving all of existence, going on treasure hunts and... Continue reading...
by Ash Parrish on (#6DC65)
Image: Square Enix It's finally time for the Final Fantasy XIV beach vacation episode!This year's Final Fantasy XIV Fan Fest kicked off the American leg of the global event in Las Vegas this weekend. Thousands of fans braved the absolute blistering Las Vegas heat for cosplay events, concerts, and, of course, presentations designed around everybody's favorite critically acclaimed MMORPG.During the keynote kicking off FanFest, Square Enix revealed the game's latest expansion, Dawntrail, with a brief introduction trailer.The trailer reintroduces us to the series' main characters as they explore a tropical island, noted as Eorzea's New World." Seems like the Scions are enjoying a much-needed break from saving all of existence, going on treasure hunts and... Continue reading...
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by Allison Johnson on (#6DBEA)
Verizon would very much like you to switch to its new Unlimited Welcome plan. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The carriers are at it again: Verizon and AT&T are both notifying customers on older unlimited plans to expect a new fee on their bill soon. Customers on Verizon's 5G Start and AT&T's Unlimited Elite plans are affected, and the fees go into effect in August. It's a classic move from the wireless carrier shenanigans" playbook designed to push customers to newer, more profitable plans.Verizon customers on Reddit and Twitter report that the company has just sent notice of a new monthly Plan Rate Adjustment" charge of $3 per line. Older plans are affected, including 5G Start, which Verizon introduced as Start Unlimited four years ago and costs $70 per month for a single line. Verizon would very much like customers on that legacy plan to s... Continue reading...
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by Chris Welch on (#6DC0J)
Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Earlier this week, a reader contacted me with a dilemma: his wife has always had super sharp hearing when it comes to environmental / ambient noise. She can hear a gnat blink at 1,000 yards. Forty years ago, she could hear electronic clocks running," he said. And so they've been in search of a solution that would help eliminate some of that background clamor while still helping her clearly hear conversations happening directly in front of her.I'm no doctor, nor am I any kind of hearing health expert. Consulting an audiologist would be my top recommendation for next steps - regardless of anyone's age. But increasingly, consumer earbuds are trying to plug away at these common issues: everyday life can get loud. And when it happens... Continue reading...