The Verge - All Posts

Photo by Roland Krivec / DeFodi Images via Getty Images Starting tomorrow, my sleep schedule is going to be in complete disarray. The 2023 Women's World Cup kicks off in Australia and New Zealand on July 20th, which means that I'll be getting up very early - and staying up pretty late - in order to catch as much of it as I can. It's an exciting moment because the women's game has never been as popular as it is today, and the field for this year's tournament truly feels wide open. There's just one problem: I have no idea where to post about it.For years, the answer was obvious. Twitter may not have been the global town square it aspired to be, but during live sporting events, it was pretty darn close. World Cups, the Olympics, and the NBA Finals turned into two-screen experiences. While you... Continue reading...

Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer. | Image: Universal Christopher Nolan's Oppenheimer epic offers a series of visceral glimpses into the life of the father of the atomic bomb but gets too busy to reach its full potential. Continue reading...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Reddit is bringing back r/Place - a collaborative project where individual users can edit pixels on a giant canvas - at a time when users are still furious over things like Reddit's API pricing that forced beloved third-party apps to shut down, the company's decision to remove chat history from before 2023 with hardly any warning, and its recent announcement that it would be sunsetting the current system to give Reddit Gold. The 2023 version of r/Place kicks off on Thursday, July 20th.As you might expect, users are already using the announcement post to air their grievances toward the company. The current top comment in reply to the post just says fuck u/spez" (spez" is CEO Steve Huffman's Reddit username), and many of the other... Continue reading...

Image: The Verge Apple is creating its own AI-powered chatbot that some engineers are calling Apple GPT," according to a report from Bloomberg. The company reportedly doesn't have any solid plans to release the technology to the public yet.As noted by Bloomberg, the chatbot uses its own large language model (LLM) framework called Ajax," running on Google Cloud and built with Google JAX, a framework created to accelerate machine learning research. Sources close to the situation tell the outlet that Apple has multiple teams working on the project, which includes addressing potential privacy implications.As other tech giants, including Meta, Microsoft, and Google, have moved quickly releasing generative AI products of their own to businesses and the... Continue reading...

I want to be very clear: this is not my car. An Audi E-tron parked across multiple spots in order to access a Tesla Supercharger. | Image: Umar Shakir / The Verge Earlier this year, I purchased my first electric vehicle, a 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 Pro S - moonstone gray, moon roof, all-wheel drive. I knew that the car would start losing value as soon as I drove it off the dealer lot - just like the old saying goes. What I didn't realize was that the whole charging system that my shiny new EV relied on was about to become obsolete.In May, Ford and Tesla announced a surprise deal in which the Blue Oval would adopt Elon Musk's charging connector, named the North American Charging Standard (NACS). Tesla's Supercharger network is widely considered vastly superior to the junky, bug-riddled public charging network in the US. Ford made a strategic decision to throw its lot in with the winners.The dominoes... Continue reading...

WhatsApp is now a Wear OS 3 app. | Image: Meta First teased at Google I/O, Meta just announced that WhatsApp is officially rolling out to Wear OS smartwatches starting today, provided you have a Wear OS 3 smartwatch.The app itself isn't complicated. It'll allow users to start new conversations, reply to messages, and take calls from the wrist. They'll also be able to respond with voice messages, emoji, regular text, and quick replies. And if you have an LTE-capable Wear OS 3 watch, you'll be able to respond to messages without needing your phone nearby.The main thing here is timing and reach. For starters, the Samsung Unpacked event is next week, where we're expecting to see the new Galaxy Watch 6 and, if rumors are to be believed, the Galaxy Watch 6 Classic. There's a good... Continue reading...

Samsung is first out of the gate with GDDR7, but it might be a while before we see it installed into market-ready products. | Image: Samsung On Wednesday, Samsung announced that it has completed the development of the industry's first GDDR7 DRAM, the next generation of graphics memory that will feature in future computing, vehicle, and gaming hardware releases. The company's key partners can expect to install the new chips into their next-gen systems later this year for testing. If all goes well, we could see products running Samsung's GDDR7 memory hitting the market sometime next year.Our GDDR7 DRAM will help elevate user experiences in areas that require outstanding graphics performance, such as workstations, PCs and game consoles, and is expected to expand into future applications such as AI, high-performance computing (HPC) and automotive vehicles," said Yongcheol Bae,... Continue reading...

You can order the Studio Pros beginning today. | Image: Beats For the first time since 2017, Beats is announcing a brand-new pair of flagship headphones. Today, the Apple-owned company is introducing the $349.95 Beats Studio Pros. They're available to order beginning today and will be in Apple retail locations (and other stores) on July 20th.As recent leaks have given away, the external design is largely a carryover from the prior Studio 3 headphones. But looks can be deceiving, and Beats has made a number of upgrades to the Studio Pros focusing on sound, noise cancellation, comfort, and more. Technically, these are the first Apple headphones to support lossless USB-C audio playback. And they continue Beats' efforts to appeal to both iPhone and Android users by including support for native... Continue reading...

They look like a lazy refresh from the outside, but the noise-canceling Studio Pros include a ton of new features like transparency mode and lossless USB-C audio. And they solidify Beats' unique appeal as a dual-ecosystem brand. Continue reading...

Nothing CEO Carl Pei knows better than most how hard it is to make a dent in the hardware world. | Image: Nothing Nothing wants to invent the future. But you don't get to invent the future if you can't first make it in the smartphone biz. Continue reading...

Image: Nintendo If you haven't played a Pikmin game before, you might be surprised to learn that the series can get quite dark. Sure, it stars a bunch of adorable plant-like beings - the titular pikmin - who navigate a huge world full of similarly cute creatures. It's bright and colorful in the way that Nintendo games tend to be. But it's also pretty creepy at times, with unsettling enemies to go up against, dark caverns to explore, and the way the pikmin will throw themselves into battle, with hordes able to overwhelm and kill larger creatures, whose corpses they then cart off to be repurposed. Pikmin is light on the surface but darker the more you think about it - and the latest entry takes things a step further with a survival mode and some ghostly... Continue reading...

Photo by Hakan Nural / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Microsoft and Activision Blizzard have agreed to extend their merger agreement pending the outcome of negotiations with UK regulators. Both parties will now have until October 18th to finalize the transaction, after missing yesterday's original deal deadline.The recent decision in the US and approvals in 40 countries all validate that the deal is good for competition, players, and the future of gaming," tweeted Lulu Cheng Meservey, Activision Blizzard's CCO and EVP of corporate affairs. Given global regulatory approvals and the companies' confidence that CMA now recognizes there are remedies available to meet their concerns in the UK, the Activision Blizzard and Microsoft boards of directors have authorized the companies not to... Continue reading...

ME GRIMLOCK. How much would fans pay for the ultimate action figure? A company named Robosen seems determined to find out - with Transformers toys that transform themselves like they do in the classic cartoon.First, it was a $750 self-transforming Optimus Prime robot, then a $750 transforming trailer to go with it - $1,500 total to bring the leader of the Autobots to life.Now, Hasbro and Robosen are introducing Grimlock so you can own the king of the Dinobots, too, for a cool $1,700 all by itself.

ByteDance hasn't yet announced when TikTok Music will be launching to US markets. | Image: TikTok / The Verge / Canva TikTok is rolling out its new subscription-based music streaming platform - aptly named TikTok Music - to new markets, almost two weeks after the service first debuted in Indonesia and Brazil. According to a press release shared with The Verge, TikTok is inviting select users from Australia, Mexico, and Singapore to join a closed beta test starting today, providing participants with a three-month free trial for the TikTok Music service.TikTok Music is a new kind of music service that combines the power of music discovery on TikTok with a music streaming service offering millions of tracks from thousands of artists," the company said via its press release. Participating users can join the beta by downloading the TikTok Music app, either... Continue reading...

Image: Intel Intel announced earlier this week that its compact and upgradable NUC computers were being discontinued, but now Asus is stepping in to manufacture and develop future NUC systems instead. While Intel won't be making its cute small form factor PCs anymore, Asus will receive a non-exclusive license to Intel's NUC (Next Unit of Computing) product designs.As we pivot our strategy to enable ecosystem partners to continue NUC systems product innovation and growth, our priority is to ensure a smooth transition for our customers and partners," says Sam Gao, general manager of Intel Client Platform Solutions. I am looking forward to ASUS continuing to deliver exceptional products and supporting our NUC systems customers." P... Continue reading...

Illustration: The Verge I am not big on blurring out or replacing my office background with premade images, but then again, I'm fortunate enough to have a small environment I'm completely in control of at my disposal, and I want people to see the Doctor Zhivago DVD on the shelf behind me. I could, however, see myself using the new AI-generated backgrounds Google is now testing in its Workspace Labs (via XDA-Developers / 9to5Google).The feature was spotted by Artem Russakovskii, who tweeted about it this afternoon. For those who already have the feature enabled on their account, activating it is as simple as either clicking on the effects icon in the bottom right of your preview video prior to joining a meeting, typing in a prompt describing what you'd like,... Continue reading...

Illustration: The Verge Roblox is developing tools that will let developers offer subscriptions within their experiences, according to a blog post published Tuesday, which could prove to be a major new way for developers to make money in their experiences.Roblox already offers developers a lot of ways to monetize their experiences, including the ability to sell virtual items in an experience or on the Roblox marketplace, offering in-experience passes to certain content and gating experiences behind paid access. However, those examples are all one-time fees, and Roblox argues that subscriptions would offer a way for developers to establish a recurring economic relationship with their users and potentially increase the predictability of their earnings." (Other... Continue reading...

Capcom Dinos in crisis. Continue reading...

If you're not a fan of the new pixelated Reddit icon on your iPhone, I have some bad news: unless you want to switch to an icon themed around the Dogecoin dog or WallStreetBets, you'll have to subscribe to Reddit Premium to be able to use an icon that just features the regular Reddit logo, as spotted by 9to5Mac's Benjamin Mayo.Below are the current options. (I put them together side by side so that you won't have to scroll through a giant vertical image.) The free ones are OrangeRed" (the pixelated one), Doge," and Wall Street," while the icons with regular Reddit logos are at the bottom of the list. Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge Reddit acquired Alien Blue, a third-party app, in 2014. If I paid... Continue reading...

Image: The Verge Threads is getting a follows" tab, but it's not the following-only feed that users have been asking for. As outlined in this post from Threads developer Cameron Roth, the new tab lives on the app's activity page and only lets you see a list of users who recently followed you.Threads previously listed your recent followers in its all" tab on the activity page, so this isn't that big of a change - it just makes your new followers easier to find. There are also two other filters for quotes" and reposts," letting you filter recent activity by who reposted or quoted your thread.Additionally, Threads is rolling out translations, which should come in handy if you follow people from different countries. While I'm not seeing the option... Continue reading...

It's a basic-looking Xbox controller with a basic-ass name, but what's on the inside makes it unique. | Image: GameSir Stick drift can plague any controller still using wear-and-tear-prone potentiometers, and unfortunately for us, that includes all current first-party gamepads from Nintendo, Sony, and Microsoft. However, after years of notoriously drift-prone Joy-Cons, third-party accessory makers like 8BitDo and GuliKit have been slowly stepping up to offer alternatives that utilize drift-free Hall effect sensors. The latest is the GameSir G7 SE, the first licensed Xbox controller with Hall effect sticks.GameSir's G7 SE is a new model based on the G7 it released earlier this year, which is a solid gamepad I gave a small nod in our Xbox controller buying guide. Like the standard G7, the SE is a wired-only controller for Xbox Series X / S and PC with a... Continue reading...

The OnePlus 11 5G. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge Specs for the OnePlus 12 have leaked, showing some key incremental changes including faster charging and a bigger battery but with a design that's not a lot different from the OnePlus 11 5G, reported Smartprix in collaboration with prominent leaker OnLeaks.According to Smartprix, the phone is getting a new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC, a 5,400mAh battery, and a 64-megapixel telephoto camera, all upgrades from the OnePlus 11 5G. The battery capacity is a slight boost over the OnePlus 11's 5,000mAh battery, as is the faster 100-watt wired charging. Smartprix says OnePlus is reintroducing 50-watt wireless charging, too, which fans of the phones will likely welcome back after the company dropped wireless charging entirely with the 11 5G.... Continue reading...

The NYPD conducted its test on Sunday following weeks of heavy rain and flooding across the city. | Photo by James Carbone / Newsday RM via Getty Images The New York City Police Department is testing new drones that are designed to transmit audio messages to the public, such as announcements warning of dangerous weather or nearby emergencies. On Sunday, NYC's emergency notification system announced on Twitter that the NYPD would be conducting a test of remote-piloted public messaging capabilities" that day, following several weeks of heavy rain and rare flash flood warnings impacting the city.A police spokesperson later confirmed to AM New York that these tests took place at Hook Creek Park in Queens, ahead of further downpours expected to hit the city this week, but refused to share the results of its test with the publication. One example of how these audio drones may be utilized is... Continue reading...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Twitter is working on a feature that will let you publish articles on the platform, according to owner Elon Musk. The feature will allow users to post very long, complex articles with mixed media," Musk said in a reply to a user tweeting about the in-development tool, which is apparently now called Articles" instead of Notes." You could publish a book if you want."The feature will further expand the ways you can write on the platform, which, under Musk's ownership, is starting to move beyond its microblogging roots. Twitter Blue subscribers can already publish tweets with 10,000 characters, which is far above the 280-character limit imposed on non-Blue subscribers. Whenever the articles feature launches, it sounds like it will let... Continue reading...

Mobileye's system can detect illustrated signs as well as regular speed limit signs. | Image: Mobileye Driverless car tech developer Mobileye has a new vision-only system designed for one job: figure out the proper speed limit. The company's new product is a type of Intelligent Speed Assist (ISA) solution that not only automatically reads numbers on speed signs but can also decipher illustrated signs like ones that show children at play - communicating proper speed adjustments to vehicles accordingly.Mobileye's new ISA system is certified by 27 EU countries, plus Israel, Norway, Switzerland, and Turkey. It comes as the EU is launching new General Safety Regulation (GSR) standards that call for all new vehicles to include live speed limit sensors.Many cars on the road today can tell you the current speed limit on your instrument cluster... Continue reading...

Illustration: The Verge This is Platformer, a newsletter on the intersection of Silicon Valley and democracy from Casey Newton and Zoe Schiffer. Sign up here.I.On July 5th, Meta released Threads into the world. Its arrival came after months of anticipation, but ultimately a bit earlier than Meta had planned. Elon Musk's characteristically self-defeating move to limit free users to viewing a small number of tweets each day had given Meta an unusually opportune moment to strike, and it seized the moment.The outsized success that followed - Threads was the fastest app to hit 100 million downloads, and later blew past 150 million - came as a surprise to almost everyone involved. That includes the app's makers at Meta, who hadn't built a homegrown hit this big... Continue reading...

Image: Microsoft Microsoft Teams users will be able to get access to a new AI-powered Microsoft 365 Copilot feature during calls and inside chat messages. Microsoft is announcing an expansion of Copilot into the calls interface of Teams and in regular chats, beyond the meeting experience it outlined earlier this year. It's all part of Microsoft 365 Copilot, which Microsoft put a steep price point on today.Copilot for Teams phone calls will add a generative AI experience for real-time summarization or the ability to generate dates, names, and key points during calls. I can imagine this will be super useful for salespeople who have to deal with multiple clients and track key dates and numbers that are being discussed on these types of calls. ... Continue reading...

The Amazon Smart Thermostat offers a lot of bang for your buck, especially if you're embedded in Amazon's ecosystem. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge Amazon Prime Day brought some incredible deals on Amazon devices that have sadly since disappeared. If you don't mind buying a refurbished device, you can still save a lot of money on some of Amazon's best gadgets, ranging from smart displays to smart speakers. However, one of the best and most relevant deals - given how hot it is in much of the US - is on the Amazon Smart Thermostat. Right now, Amazon is selling it refurbished for $39.99 from Amazon. That is $15 cheaper than the Prime Day discount we saw on the new model, as well as $40 less than the cost of the smart thermostat new at its full retail price.Amazon's Smart Thermostat offers a lot of value for your money. Not only can it help reduce your energy consumption and (as a... Continue reading...

Rocket Lab's Electron rocket took off from New Zealand. | Image: Rocket Lab Rocket Lab successfully retrieved the first stage of its Electron rocket during its Baby Come Back" mission on Monday - but it didn't catch it with a helicopter this time around. When Electron lifted off from New Zealand's Mahia Peninsula on Monday, its first stage separated about two and a half minutes later and splashed down into the Pacific Ocean, where Rocket Lab's team recovered the reusable booster.After separation, the booster began its descent toward Earth at over 9,000kmph (5,592mph), reaching a temperature of 2,400 degrees Celsius (4,352 degrees Fahrenheit) along the way. The rocket deployed its main parachute about eight minutes after liftoff, allowing it to safely splash down into the ocean, where Rocket Lab brought it onto... Continue reading...

Four layers of modular components - including a swappable discrete GPU - right at your fingertips. Continue reading...