 |
by Umar Shakir on (#6R9EZ)
The Caper Cart. | Image: Instacart If you always have trouble finding that specific pasta sauce like I do, there's a smart grocery shopping cart that can map it out for you. Instacart's Caper Cart, which has a touchscreen and payment terminal up front where you'd normally seat your toddler or play Jenga with your produce, now has a new store map system that can help navigate you to products you're looking for, on-sale items, and even send you on fetch quests that can land you savings. And there's ads on them, too.The Caper Carts have been in limited operation in select grocery stores for several years; when you drop in products, the cart automatically tallies them up on the screen (except for specific types of produce) thanks to several cameras, sensors, and a scale... Continue reading...
|
The Verge - All Posts
| Link | https://www.theverge.com/ |
| Feed | http://www.theverge.com/rss/index.xml |
| Updated | 2024-11-22 09:00 |
by Barbara Krasnoff on (#6R9CE)
Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge For several years now, it's been possible to personalize your iPhone screen by creating your own icons, mostly by using Apple's built-in Shortcuts app (and we have instructions for doing just that). But if you want to do a little customization in a short amount of time, a new feature in iOS 18 lets you tweak the color of your app icons in a matter of moments. Here's how.On your iPhone homescreen:
 |
by Lewis Gordon on (#6R9CF)
Image: Calligram Studio In Phoenix Springs, it's not so much the ravishing hand-drawn visuals that first grab the attention, but the voice of narrator and protagonist Iris. Befitting her name, she behaves like a roving eye, investigating and describing her surroundings with a clinical, almost robotic detachment. Yet Iris is no blank slate: you quickly come to learn that she is a snob with little regard for the homeless. She even appears to have short shrift for the player, delivering a withering putdown when you make a connection she deems just a little too obvious.Iris, a tech journalist by trade, is the perfect protagonist for a point-and-click adventure, a genre whose mechanics often begin with the simple act of looking. Eventually, in classics like Grim... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Tom Warren on (#6R9AD)
Master Chief in Unreal Engine 5. | Image: Halo Studios Microsoft is moving its Halo development to Unreal Engine 5, after more than a year of rumors of an engine switch following a leadership overhaul at 343 Industries, layoffs, and other changes. 343 Industries is now becoming Halo Studios as part of this engine change announcement, hoping to mark a new chapter in the history of Halo.Halo moving to Unreal Engine 5 is being positioned as the first step of a transformation for Halo Studios to change its technology, structure, processes, and even culture. We're not just going to try improve the efficiency of development, but change the recipe of how we make Halo games," says Pierre Hintze, studio head at Halo Studios. Image: Halo Studios Master Chief in Unreal Engine 5.... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Wes Davis on (#6R917)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The Federal Communications Commission has given SpaceX and T-Mobile temporary approval for direct-to-cell service using Starlink satellites in areas affected by Hurricane Helene,SpaceX:
|
by Wes Davis on (#6R8WP)
Willem Dafoe in Nosferatu. | Screenshot: YouTube Can you feel it? There's a slight chill in the air, the Sun is retiring earlier, and the leaves are beginning to change (at least in my Midwestern city). We're wading right into the time of year when everyone starts posting the vampire Kermit the Frog meme to show how ready they are for Halloween. I'm even starting to eye that Shudder re-subscribe button.October has its own vibe at the cinema, and theatrical releases this month include Operation Blood Hunt, a movie about 1944 special forces fighting werewolves in the Pacific theater, and Seven Cemeteries, a Danny Trejo-starring film about a guy who hires a witch to resurrect his posse to save a woman's ranch. And let's not forget Rumours, which I'm very excited for.So I've got a... Continue reading...
 |
by Wes Davis on (#6R8V5)
The old Mac Mini design may finally be on its way out after more than a decade. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Apple is planning to announce in late October that new Macs, including a rumored Mac Mini that's about the size of an Apple TV, will be available to buy starting on November 1st. That's according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, who also writes in his Power On newsletter today that the iPad Mini is getting an overdue refresh - its first since 2021.The Mac Mini may be the most exciting of the updates, given the rumored significant physical revamp coming along with a new M4 chip. Despite its shrunken size, the M4 Pro version might have a healthy connectivity spread (albeit without any USB-A ports).Gurman writes that Apple will also announce M4 versions of the base model 14-inch MacBook Pro, as well as the high-end 14- and- 16-inch MacBook... Continue reading...
|
by Wes Davis on (#6R8T3)
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge The iPhone 16, despite its marketing so far, still doesn't have Apple Intelligence. That's set to change on October 28th with the release of iOS 18.1, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman in today's Power On newsletter.The update will bring with it AI-powered notification summaries, Gurman writes. Though he only lists that example, the iOS 18.1 beta has also included some Siri improvements (like understanding you better when you stumble over your words), along with writing tools and a new rainbow-colored glowing edge graphic when you summon Siri on a phone or iPad.Apple Intelligence only runs on the iPhone 15 Pro and up, but it's also been available in beta for Macs and iPads with Apple silicon chips (M1 and and up), so even if you... Continue reading...
 |
by David Pierce on (#6R8RN)
Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 55, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, get ready to ruin your phone's storage, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)This week, I've been reading about AI girlfriends and Bobbi Althoff and baseball pitchers, watching Nobody Wants This (my favorite new show in forever) and the new noodle-focused Chef's Table (a long-standing fave), falling in love with Coldplay all over again, listening to John Oliver talk journalism, playing a lot of Alphaguess, and painstakingly moving all my junk to my new blue iPhone 16. It's so pretty.I also have for you a handy new way to track your stuff, a great app for posting to social... Continue reading...
|
by Quentyn Kennemer on (#6R8F0)
The Pixel Watch 2 can still serve you well in 2024 if you don't need a bigger or brighter screen. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge The Pixel Watch 3 may be the shining refinement Google's wearable lineup needed, but the last-gen Pixel Watch 2 is still a great buy. That's especially true when you can get it for as low as $224 ($26 off) - which is the watch's current starting price at both Amazon and Best Buy.Although the Pixel Watch 3 introduces a host of solid improvements - including a bigger and brighter display, a new 44mm size, AI-generated workout suggestions, and offline Google Maps - the second-gen Pixel Watch is still a looker. It only comes in one size (41mm), and the usable display area is only about 10 percent smaller than the third-gen model. It also uses the same Qualcomm Snapdragon Wear W5 Gen 1 chip, though it lacks the ultra wideband chip that lets... Continue reading...
 |
by Wes Davis on (#6R8DS)
Illustration: Alex Castro / The Verge Google is rolling out a new set of features aimed at making it less easy for thieves to access your data. That's according to Mishaal Rahman, who posted on Reddit that the features are showing up in a new update after seeing that his Xiaomi 14T Pro phone now has Theft Detection Lock and Offline Device Lock, two of three features Google announced in May. Others say they only see the third one, called Remote Lock.The flashiest of the new features is Theft Detection Lock, which uses AI to lock your screen when it detects common motion associated with theft," like someone snatching your phone out of your hand. Meanwhile, Offline Device Lock locks a device's screen when it's offline for a while, and Remote Lock lets users lock their phone... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Wes Davis on (#6R8C1)
New Shepard in 2022. | Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images Blue Origin is preparing to launch its NS-27 mission with the RSS Karman Line, its new crew capsule, on Monday at 9AM ET. It will be the first launch for the capsule, which the company says in its announcement will have improved performance and reusability, along with an updated livery, and accommodations for payloads on the booster."The flight will carry two LIDAR sensors into space that will be used for Blue Origin's Lunar Permanence program to develop Moon landers. Those are among 12 payloads that also include ultra-wideband proximity operations sensors, a reproduction of the black monoliths from 2001: A Space Odyssey, and student postcards submitted to its Club for the Future nonprofit. Blue Origin will stream the launch on its... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Justine Calma on (#6R8C2)
Steam rises out of the nuclear plant on Three Mile Island on March 26, 2019 before it closed later that year. | Photo: Getty Images Major tech firms, in search of carbon pollution-free electricity for data centers, are helping to revive nuclear energy in the US. Continue reading...
|
by Andrew Webster on (#6R8AH)
Image: Bethesda It's been a long time coming for Starfield players. Bethesda's sci-fi take on Skyrim originally launched last summer, and while there have been some updates and improvements since then, it's taken more than a year for the game to get its first major expansion. This lead-up means there's a lot riding on Shattered Space - which is a perfectly fine addition to the game that also feels incredibly underwhelming. After a promising setup, it ends up mostly being more of the same.Things start, as they so often do in expansions, with a distress call. This one leads you to a derelict space station that is brimming with ghostly apparitions and which eventually whisks you away to the home planet of the House Va'ruun, a religious sect that worships... Continue reading...
by Jay Peters on (#6R8AJ)
Illustration by Laura Normand / The Verge Just over a year ago, Epic Games laid off around 16 percent of its employees. The problem, Epic said, was its own big ideas for the future and just how expensive they were to build. For a while now, we've been spending way more money than we earn," Epic CEO Tim Sweeney wrote in an email to staff.On Tuesday, onstage at the Unreal Fest conference in Seattle, Sweeney declared that the company is now financially sound." The announcement kicked off a packed two-hour keynote with updates on Unreal Engine, the Unreal Editor for Fortnite, the Epic Games Store, and more.In an interview with The Verge, Sweeney says that reining in Epic's spending was part of what brought the company to this point. Last year, before Unreal Fest, we were... Continue reading...
 |
by Elizabeth Lopatto on (#6R84W)
Hedging one's bets, I suppose. | Photo by Gregg DeGuire/Getty Images After the podcast where Ben Horowitz repeatedly congratulated himself for being brave enough to support Donald Trump in public, it turns out Horowitz will also be donating to Kamala Harris. Or so he says.As I mentioned before, Felicia and I have known Vice President Harris for over 10 years and she has been a great friend to both of us during that time," Horowitz wrote in an email to his venture capital firm obtained by Axios. As a result of our friendship, Felicia and I will be making a significant donation to entities who support the Harris Walz campaign."Like, how do you walk that back?"I... listen. Two things. First, one of the most striking things about the podcast Horowitz made with his a16z co-founder Marc Andreessen was how... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Sean Hollister on (#6R83M)
Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge Intel may have one less worry on its very full plate: it believes it has now fully addressed its desktop CPU instability woes with 13th and 14th Gen Raptor Lake" chips.While the company says there's still no fix for processors that are already damaged, it confirms to me that the Vmin Shift Instability" is the root cause of the unusual instability and crashes that these desktop CPUs have been demonstrating for many months.And, Intel says, the four sets of mitigations it's now shipped are the fix for the problem.Yes, we're confirming this is the cause and that it is fixed," Intel spokesperson Thomas Hannaford tells The Verge.That's good! It also wasn't clear until now. As of August 30th, Intel was still telling us that Vmin... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Emma Roth on (#6R81X)
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge WordPress and its cofounder Matt Mullenweg are embroiled in a public battle against the third-party hosting provider WP Engine. Continue reading...
|
 |
by Emma Roth on (#6R81Y)
Image: MKBHD via YouTube MKBHD's new wallpaper app has received its first big update after users criticized the app over pricing and the advertising setup for free accounts. On Friday, the Panels account announced on X that people using the app for free can now download high-resolution images - not just standard-definition ones - by watching a single ad.The app previously required users to sign up for a $11.99 per month (or $49.99 per year) subscription to access images in full resolution. It also required free users to watch two ads before downloading standard-definition wallpapers. Panels has since taken this requirement away and will now let users download standard-definition images without seeing ads.
|
by Wes Davis on (#6R7Z7)
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge This week, DirecTV announced it intends to buy Dish, Sling TV, and the rest of EchoStar's television business for a dollar (while also taking on all of Dish's debt), combining almost 20 million satellite TV subscribers from two companies that have been circling one another for decades.But it's not just DirecTV and Dish. AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, General Electric, GM, News Corp, Tumblr, and the various incarnations of Time Warner have also gotten mixed up or split up while trying to bridge the gap between communications and media over the years.Here's a partial timeline of the events that might end with these two companies joining together at last.AOL, meet Time Warner At the turn of the 21st century, it was obvious that the internet... Continue reading...
 |
by Emma Roth on (#6R7WX)
Matt Mullenweg at WordCamp 2024 in Europe. | Image: WordCamp The lines between the WordPress open-source project, the nonprofit backing it, and the commercial arm owned by Automattic are blurring. Continue reading...
|
 |
by Emma Roth on (#6R7WY)
Illustration: Cath Virginia / The Verge After months of waiting, now Android users can take the Arc Search app for a spin. It's now available as an open beta on the Google Play Store after developers teased an Android version of the app in August.Arc is The Browser Company's take on web browsing, billing itself as offering better customization options than competitors. The Arc Search app also comes with an AI feature, called Browse for me," that searches the web for your query and comes up with a summary based on its sources.The app also automatically archives old tabs, blocks ads by default, and gets rid of data-tracking popups, which has me tempted to switch away from Edge. While Arc initially launched as a Mac-only desktop browser, the Arc Search app launched widely... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Sheena Vasani on (#6R7WZ)
The 6.1-inch Boox Palma looks a lot like a smartphone, but it's designed to be an e-reader. | Image: Boox Kindles are great and all, but if you want a pocketable e-reader that doesn't require you to lock yourself into Amazon's ecosystem, the Boox Palma might be worth a look. The 6.1-inch ebook reader normally runs for $279.99, but now through October 9th, readers of The Verge can score a rare $30 discount and a free cover case (valued at $16) when they buy it from Wellbots using code BOOXVERGE30.My colleague David Pierce waxed poetic about the Palma after spending time with it. I've only started testing the e-reader, but so far, I can understand the appeal. It's slick and stylish in a way the Kindle isn't, but more notably, it's smartphone-sized, so you really can slip it into your pocket and comfortably hold it in one hand.Aside from... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Sheena Vasani on (#6R7X0)
The fashionable and discreet Oura Ring Generation 3is down to nearly its best price to date. | Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge Oura may have just announced the new Oura Ring 4, but until its release on October 15th, the Oura Ring Generation 3 is still the best smart ring on the market. We don't typically see it go on sale often, but right now, you can buy the Horizon model in black or silver starting at $299 ($50 off) from Amazon, Best Buy, and Oura - which is just $2 shy of its lowest price to date. The high-end titanium model is also available from Amazon, Best Buy, and Oura in various sizes starting at $349 ($100 off).The third-gen Oura Ring doesn't offer some of the advanced fitness tracking features found in smartwatches; nevertheless, it's still a good option if you're looking for a stylish, discreet way to keep tabs on your health. It can last up to a... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Gaby Del Valle on (#6R7SY)
Illustration: The Verge A popular financial newsletter is accusing Roblox of allowing large-scale child sexual exploitation and inappropriate content on its platform, drawing on years of media reports. The allegations are detailed in The Bear Cave, a short selling newsletter - but Roblox says The Bear Cave's founder is highlighting rare instances of abuse to profit by making the service look bad.This article contains misleading, irresponsible and in many cases false accusations about Roblox to further the author's motives as a short seller," Eric Porterfield, Roblox's senior director of policy communications, told The Verge. We reject the claim that child endangerment is a widespread or systemic problem on Roblox, and millions of people have a safe and... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Umar Shakir on (#6R7SZ)
Photo by Vlad Savov / The Verge A Samsung smart home software update released this week put some users' Galaxy S10 and Note 10 (including e, Lite, Plus, and 5G versions) and A90 and M51 smartphones in an infinite boot loop, rendering their devices useless. After some sleuthing, Reddit users narrowed it down to a Samsung SmartThings framework app update that was automatically applied to the devices.According to posts on Reddit, Samsung replaced the buggy update with a new version that won't brick the five-year-old devices. (The Galaxy S10 series was released in 2019.) Still, some users recommend staying cautious and turning off auto-updates anyway.Samsung service centers in Korea reportedly have a fix for the problem that avoids a factory reset and the associated data... Continue reading...
|
by Mia Sato on (#6R7T0)
Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Facebook is announcing a host of updates to its platform today, many of which focus on pushing users outside of their social bubble of friends and family.Among the updates are new tabs being added to Facebook that are meant to surface more content for users, including recommendations based on a person's location. A new Local" tab will collect content from other Facebook surfaces like the resale platform Marketplace, local groups, and events - essentially what sounds like Facebook's version of Nextdoor. The Local tab is being tested in 10 US cities including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Austin, Texas.Facebook will also begin testing an Explore" tab, which sounds similar to the Instagram feature of the same name: a personalized... Continue reading...
 |
by Mia Sato on (#6R7PR)
Image: Meta A new AI-powered video generator from Meta produces high-definition footage complete with sound, the company announced today. The announcement comes several months after competitor OpenAI unveiled Sora, its text-to-video model - though public access to Movie Gen isn't happening yet.Movie Gen uses text inputs to automatically generate new videos, as well as edit existing footage or still images. The New York Times reports that the audio added to videos is also AI-generated, matching the imagery with ambient noise, sound effects, and background music. The videos can be generated in different aspect ratios.In addition to generating new clips, Meta says Movie Gen can also create custom videos from images or take an existing video and... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Andrew Webster on (#6R7PS)
Image: Hasbro Epic is trying to turn Fortnite into an ecosystem of games and has enticed the likes of Lego to build experiences for the platform. Now, Hasbro is jumping in as well, with plans to create Fortnite adaptations of its most popular board games.The first is called Murder Mystery: Clue, and it's available today. It's not exactly a board game (see the screenshot above) but, rather, a reimagining in the form of a multiplayer murder mystery that takes place over multiple rounds, a style that has proven popular in games like Among Us. (Epic launched its own take on the genre with a limited-time Fortnite mode back in 2021.) Hasbro is also planning a version of Guess Who? for later this month and Connect Four in December.The games were built... Continue reading...
|
 |
by David Pierce on (#6R7PT)
Image: Alex Parkin / The Verge The new Microsoft Copilot is a big departure. It shed some of its Bing-y styling and increasingly corporate vibes in favor of something warmer and friendlier, all in an effort to be more than just a work tool. It might just be a website redesign, but it feels like a shift in how Microsoft perceives the future of AI assistants.On this episode of The Vergecast, we try to make sense of that future. Everyone seems to believe in the potential for agentic" AI, which can use apps and devices on your behalf, but most current tech along those lines feels woefully unfinished. As they get warmer and fuzzier, though, maybe the whole Getting Things Done aspect of AI doesn't matter so much. We try to figure out where we're headed next and how long... Continue reading...
|
by Charles Pulliam-Moore on (#6R7PV)
Image: Warner Bros. Todd Phillips' new Joker sequel is a pitchy mess that wants to explore what happens when villains become folk heroes. Continue reading...
 |
by Andrew Liszewski on (#6R7PW)
Each case includes two matching Bic EZ Reach lighters. | Image: Bic Bic, the company best known for ballpoint pens, razors, and lighters, has just revealed a collaboration that no one could have possibly had on their 2024 bingo cards. Its new Hold the Phone case has a molded cutout on the back to hold one of Bic's EZ Reach lighters, specifically those designed by Martha Stewart and Snoop Dogg as part of a collaboration with the company.Just two color options will be available starting today at 10AM ET in limited quantities: a blue version designed to complement the EZ Reach lighters Stewart helped design and a purple one for Snoop Dogg's. They're $49.99 each, made of urethane rubber, and Bic recommends letting the lighters cool for five seconds after use before inserting them back into the case. iPhones... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Emma Roth on (#6R7M9)
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg offered employees $30,000, or six months of salary, to leave the company if they didn't agree with his battle against WP Engine. In an update on Thursday night, Mullenweg said 159 people, making up 8.4 percent of the company, took the offer.Automattic, which is in charge of WordPress.com and its commercial services, has been involved in a public dispute with WP Engine after Mullenweg called the third-party hosting service a cancer" to the WordPress community and banned it from accessing WordPress.org.Mullenweg has claimed WP Engine is violating the WordPress trademark and criticized the company for not giving back to the WordPress open-source project. On Wednesday, WP Engine, which is owned by the private... Continue reading...
|
by Antonio G. Di Benedetto on (#6R7MA)
$500 is a lot for a point-and-shoot film camera, but it rewards you with a joyous experience. Continue reading...
 |
by Jess Weatherbed on (#6R7MB)
The Gmail Q&A feature on iOS is only available for users with specific Google accounts. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Google is rolling out iOS support for its Gmail Q&A feature, which gives users a Gemini-powered AI assistant to help manage their inbox. The Gemini side panel for Gmail was introduced to web and Android devices earlier this year and can potentially provide an easier way to locate specific information that's buried within emails and Google Drive.Users can ask the Gmail chatbot questions about the contents of their inbox or connected Google Drive, such as finding lost contact information or company data. The Gmail Q&A feature can summarize emails around a particular topic, surface unread messages or emails from a specific sender, and answer general questions from Google search directly within the inbox. Image: Google ... Continue reading...
|
by Jay Peters on (#6R7MC)
Image: Epic Games In February, Disney and Epic Games announced that they were collaborating on a persistent universe" that would feature characters from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and more. Disney franchises have been featured in Fortnite for years, but this new universe promises to be something grander - and will be interoperable with Fortnite.Disney and Epic didn't share many details about how this would all work when it was announced. But after talking to Epic executives during Unreal Fest in Seattle this week, I've learned a bit more about what to expect.A lot of it comes down to connecting into Epic's ecosystem. Disney wants a persistent place where all things Disney can be there, but they want to be part of an ecosystem we've built," Epic... Continue reading...
by Andrew J. Hawkins on (#6R7MD)
Photo by Daniel Golson for The Verge Rivian said it would make fewer electric vehicles this year than it did in 2023, resulting from a parts shortage. The news came as the company reported third quarter production and delivery numbers that came in below analyst expectations.Rivian says it expects to produce between 47,000 and 49,000 vehicles this year, down from the 57,000 vehicles it originally forecast. That number was flat from the previous year, when the company produced 57,232 vehicles and delivered 50,122.Rivian said the disruption is due to a shortage of a shared component on the R1 and RCV platforms," referencing the company's R1T and R1S vehicles, as well as its commercial van platform. This supply shortage impact began in Q3 of this year, has become more... Continue reading...
by Jess Weatherbed on (#6R7HW)
Canvas should make it easier for ChatGPT users to make alterations to code and text without rewriting entirely with additional prompts. | Image: OpenAI OpenAI has launched a new canvas" interface for ChatGPT that allows users to adjust sections of text or code generated by the chatbot in a side-by-side collaboration. Canvas opens a separate editing window next to the existing ChatGPT chat box, which can be used to manually change text or code, or highlight specific sections to better target editing suggestions and feedback from ChatGPT.With canvas, ChatGPT can better understand the context of what you're trying to accomplish," OpenAI said in its announcement. Making AI more useful and accessible requires rethinking how we interact with it. Canvas is a new approach and the first major update to ChatGPT's visual interface since we launched two years ago."
 |
by Andrew J. Hawkins on (#6R7HX)
Image: Waymo Waymo has its sights set on its next robotaxi: the Hyundai Ioniq 5.The Alphabet company announced that it was entering a multi-year, strategic" partnership with the Hyundai Motor Group that will result in the Ioniq 5 eventually joining its robotaxi fleet.But first, the Ioniq 5 will need to undergo on-road testing with Waymo's self-driving technology, which the company says will begin in late 2025. Waymo wouldn't specify when the Ioniq 5 will be used for passenger trips, except to say it would be years" later.Vehicles intended for Waymo's fleet will be manufactured at Hyundai's $7.6 billion Metaplant factory in Georgia, which is nearing the end of its construction. The companies have agreed to produce a number of Waymo-equipped... Continue reading...
|
by Jess Weatherbed on (#6R7FV)
The checkmarks are only being displayed on a limited number of businesses, and are only visible to some users right now. | Image: Google / Jay Peters Google is experimenting with a new verification feature in search that should make it easier for users to avoid clicking on fake or fraudulent website links. Some people are seeing blue verified checkmarks beside business links in Google search results that indicate the company - like Meta or Apple - is genuine, and not some copycat attempting to benefit from a recognizable brand.We regularly experiment with features that help shoppers identify trustworthy businesses online, and we are currently running a small experiment showing checkmarks next to certain businesses on Google," Google public affairs spokesperson Molly Shaheen told The Verge.My colleague Jay Peters spotted checkmarks next to official site links for Microsoft, Meta,... Continue reading...
by Umar Shakir on (#6R78T)
Image: Ford Ford is launching a redesigned version of the largest SUV in its lineup, now including Ford's brand-new Digital Experience infotainment system. The 2025 Expedition is the second Ford to get the Android Automotive-based system after the new Explorer, but the new SUV's dashboard and UI look like a chopped-down version of the giant panoramic display first introduced in the 2024 Lincoln Nautilus.The new Expedition, which is first being teased with a drone light show today in Texas, looks like it has only the left half of the Lincoln's 48-inch pillar-to-pillar panoramic display, leaving behind just a 24-inch panel for the Expedition.You're getting the same instrument cluster and navigation combo in front of the driver's seat, but without... Continue reading...
 |
by Jay Peters on (#6R78V)
Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Many ports along the East and Gulf coasts were shut down, threatening the country's supply chains, after unionized port workers went on strike on Tuesday. But those workers will return to work after reaching a tentative agreement on wages with the group representing port employers.As part of the agreement on wages, the United States Maritime Alliance has offered to up wages by 62 percent over a six-year contract, The New York Times reports. The two groups still have other issues to negotiate, and they have agreed to extend the Master Contract" until January 15th, 2025.The International Longshoremen's Association, which represents the workers, and the United States Maritime Alliance, which represents their employers, shared a joint... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Sean Hollister on (#6R78W)
(C) Disney (C) & TM Lucasfilm Three years ago, Disney revealed the most convincing replica of a Star Wars lightsaber ever devised - one whose glowing blade fully and automatically retracts inside the handle due to a cleverly patented device.Now, its lead inventor, Lanny Smoot, says he's hoping that lightsaber might turn into a product you can actually buy - and it sounds like plans could already be in motion, unless Smoot was misinformed.At Disney's D23 fan expo last month, a fan asked that question with a camera rolling, as documented by YouTuber Finding The Force. Smoot replied:
|
 |
by Umar Shakir on (#6R77B)
The container full of burnt batteries. | Image: Pepe's Towing Service A truck full of lithium-ion batteries was knocked over near the Port of Los Angeles on September 26th, exploded, and was left to burn for days - interrupting traffic on highways, and a bridge and shutting down port terminals. A local towing company, Pepe's Towing Service, caught the explosion on camera and vlogged the incident for days until it was time for them to haul the remnants away.Pepe's Tow Service owner Josh Acosta uploaded a lengthy video today chronicling the point of explosion, the long wait as the Fire Department let the batteries burn, and the process of lifting the container full of burnt batteries to transport. In the video, we see what looks like stacks of batteries with liquid cooling pipes between each layer. ... Continue reading...
|
by Jay Peters on (#6R77C)
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Apple has just released iOS 18.0.1, the first official update for iOS 18, and it includes a handful of bug fixes that particularly benefit the iPhone 16 lineup. And after yanking iPadOS 18 just a day after it came out in September for bricking some M4 iPad Pros, Apple has released iPadOS 18.0.1, and it's available for those M4 iPads, MacRumors reports.According to the patch notes, the update addresses the issue of iPhone 16 and 16 Pro touchscreens becoming temporarily unresponsive. iOS 18.0.1 also includes a fix for the camera freezing under very specific circumstances when recording a macro mode video on the ultrawide camera on the iPhone 16 Pro.Here are Apple's full iOS 18.0.1 patch notes, which I just grabbed from the update on my... Continue reading...
by Jay Peters on (#6R75D)
Image: Firaxis Games The news, trailers, hands-on impressions, and more from the new game from the legendary series. Continue reading...
 |
by Andrew Liszewski on (#6R75E)
Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Sony has released new firmware updates for its premium wireless WF-1000XM5 earbuds and WH-1000XM5 headphones that adds support for new features introduced with the company's LinkBuds Speaker as well as compatibility with Google's Find My Device network, potentially making them easier to locate if they go missing away from home.Sony announced its refreshed LinkBuds earbuds lineup a few days ago and introduced a wireless speaker. The LinkBuds Speaker is notable for its new Auto Switch feature, allowing it to take over playback from wireless headphones when users stop using them. Currently, only five pairs of Sony wireless headphones are compatible with the Auto Switch feature, including the WH-1000XM5 and the WF-1000XM5, once the new... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Elizabeth Lopatto on (#6R72S)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge A little over a year after the collapse of the crypto banks Silvergate and Signature, financial institutions are very interested in crypto. PayPal has used its proprietary stablecoin to pay auditors Ernst & Young LLP, using a hub provided by SAP. Visa is helping to bridge existing fiat currencies with blockchains" through its Visa Tokenized Asset Platform (VTAP).A lot has happened since those bank collapses, huh? We have a Bitcoin ETF, we have crypto bros meddling in politics, and a mini boom-and-bust cycle on Bitcoin prices. I have to assume PayPal and Visa got started on this stuff a while ago in order to get it popping now, but I do think it's curious they are focused on stablecoins.Kinda seems like the big industry players are... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Andrew Liszewski on (#6R72T)
A screen on the Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro's shows battery status and allows for certain settings adjustments to be made. Anker has released its new Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro wireless earbuds that include improved noise canceling and faster charging than their predecessors. The most obvious change, though, is the upgraded case with a screen to show battery life or adjust ANC settings without grabbing your phone.The Liberty 4 Pro is available now for $129.99, which is $20 cheaper than the $149.99 Soundcore Liberty 4 that debuted in 2022 and $70 cheaper than the previous version, the $169.99 Liberty 3 Pro from 2021. Image: Anker The Liberty 4 Pro are available in three color options: glossy black, white, and glossy light blue. The screen added to the Liberty 4 Pro's charging case could be a welcome addition for those with battery... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Lauren Feiner on (#6R72V)
Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Representing California in Congress comes with a unique challenge: navigating national politics while reflecting the interests of the most populous state in the US, including a large constituency from the tech industry. It's a challenge both current California Sen. Laphonza Butler and Vice President Kamala Harris - who previously held that title - have taken on. And right now, governing the tech world means addressing AI.Congress hasn't made much headway on a national framework for regulating generative AI. But California is the epicenter of the AI industry, home to companies like OpenAI and Google. On the national stage, Harris has acted as an AI czar within the Biden administration, leading discussions with industry players and civil... Continue reading...
|