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by Sheena Vasani on (#6R6ZQ)
Image: Aqara Aqara has launched its first-ever smart lever lock, the U300 we saw earlier this year at CES. Available in black or silver for $229.99 on Amazon, the U300 is one of the first smart lever locks to support Matter-over-Thread and Apple Home Key.You can unlock these doors through Aqara's app or Matter apps like Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home, but Aqara also offers a wide range of other entry options, including the built-in fingerprint reader, keypad, or physical keys. Apple Home Key support also means you can just tap your iPhone or Apple Watch to enter, even when they've run out of power.Lever locks are typically found on doors for garages, side entries, and home offices. The Verge's smart home reviewer, Jennifer Tuohy, is... Continue reading...
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The Verge - All Posts
| Link | https://www.theverge.com/ |
| Feed | http://www.theverge.com/rss/index.xml |
| Updated | 2024-11-22 09:00 |
by Emma Roth on (#6R6ZR)
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Meta is bringing reminders to its Ray-Ban smart glasses, a feature it previewed during its Connect event last month. With the update, you can ask Meta AI to remember your surroundings, like where you parked, and even time up reminders to make a phone call.The other features coming with the update include the ability to send and record voice messages on WhatsApp or Messenger without taking out your phone. You can now ask Meta AI to scan QR codes or call phone numbers that you come across, too.Meta is also updating how you invoke Meta AI while wearing the smart glasses. Instead of saying Hey Meta" before each question, you now only need to say Hey Meta" for your first question and then ask any additional questions without the prompt.... Continue reading...
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by Gaby Del Valle on (#6R6ZS)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is appealing a federal judge's ruling in its yearlong legal battle against Ripple over sales of its XRP token.This extends the battle over whether Ripple violated securities laws, as an SEC spokesperson told CoinDesk, We believe that the district court decision in the Ripple matter conflicts with decades of Supreme Court precedent and securities laws and look forward to making our case to the Second Circuit."In August, a federal judge in the Southern District of New York fined Ripple $125 million despite the SEC asking for a much higher penalty of $2 billion. The much lighter punishment partly stems from an earlier ruling. In 2023, Judge Analisa Torres decided that while Ripple defrauded... Continue reading...
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by Andrew Liszewski on (#6R6ZT)
The Samsung partnership will give Kohler smart shower users another way to control their setups. | Image: Kohler Samsung is integrating Kohler's Anthem luxury smart showers into its SmartThings ecosystem, allowing users to control the shower, adjust its temperature, set timers, and manage presets, as well as monitor water usage through SmartThings-compatible devices.Kohler's Anthem smart showers can be operated using physical controllers mounted inside the showers or in a bathroom using the Kohler Konnect app on a smartphone or through existing integrations with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple Home. This new partnership will expand the remote control options for Anthem installations to the SmartThings app running on Samsung smart TVs, hubs, and mobile devices. It will also allow the smart showers to be integrated into automated... Continue reading...
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by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy on (#6R6ZV)
Samsung Galaxy smartphones and watches will soon be able to act as a digital key for your home. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge At some point next year, Samsung users should be getting access to the same convenience iPhone users have had for years: the ability to tap their phone or watch on a smart door lock to unlock it. No more messing with keys or unlocking your phone and opening an app; your phone becomes your key.This week, Samsung announced it's adopting the new Aliro smart lock standard for Samsung Wallet's Digital Home Key. This will enable tap-to-unlock and hands-free unlocking for any compatible door locks.Currently, you can add a digital key for a smart lock to your Samsung wallet and open that to access the lock's control from your phone. With this new function, you won't need to unlock your phone or access the wallet to control the door; just tap... Continue reading...
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by Emma Roth on (#6R6WE)
Illustration: The Verge If you can't capture what you want to search for with just a picture, Google Lens will now let you take a video - and even use your voice to ask about what you're seeing. The feature will surface an AI Overview and search results based on the video's contents and your question. It's rolling out in Search Labs on Android and iOS today.Google first previewed using video to search at I/O in May. As an example, Google says someone curious about the fish they're seeing at an aquarium can hold up their phone to the exhibit, open the Google Lens app, and then hold down the shutter button. Once Lens starts recording, they can say their question: Why are they swimming together?" Google Lens then uses the Gemini AI model to provide a response,... Continue reading...
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by Mia Sato on (#6R6WF)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge YouTube Shorts, the company's answer to TikTok, is getting updates including longer video lengths, the company announced today.Beginning on October 15th, creators will be able to upload YouTube Shorts that are up to three minutes in length - a feature YouTube says was highly requested by users. TikTok currently allows videos as long as 10 minutes and has steadily increased the limit over the years.YouTube also announced a template feature that lets creators reuse the format of other Shorts. YouTube says creators will be able to match their clips to trending sounds pulled from other videos, which is similar to a TikTok feature where users can pick from preset video styles and then tweak their own clips based on their preferences. Both... Continue reading...
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by Emma Roth on (#6R6WG)
Image: Google Google is rolling out ads in AI Overviews, which means you'll now start seeing products in some of the search engine's AI-generated summaries.Let's say you're searching for ways to get a grass stain out of your pants. If you ask Google, its AI-generated response will offer some tips, along with suggestions for products to purchase that could help you remove the stain. The products will appear beneath a sponsored" header, and Google spokesperson Craig Ewer told The Verge they'll only show up if a question has a commercial angle." GIF: Google Google's AI Overviews could contain relevant products. Google has been testing ads in AI Overviews since May but says it's moving forward with a full rollout because it... Continue reading...
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by Kylie Robison on (#6R6WH)
Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images It had all the makings of a typical recruiting event for a tech startup in San Francisco. There was free food, drinks, and live music generated via code being written in real time.But there were also mandatory metal detector screenings, ID checks, and security guards everywhere. It was held by Elon Musk at the original Mission District headquarters of OpenAI, which Musk cofounded before leaving after (reportedly) failing to take it over. And Musk was there to convince people to join his latest startup, xAI.The timing felt intentional. That same day, OpenAI was hosting its annual Dev Day across town, where CEO Sam Altman had spoken hours earlier to a packed auditorium of developers. The Silicon Valley rumor mill was buzzing about... Continue reading...
by Ash Parrish on (#6R6WJ)
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Wizards of the Coast Wizards of the Coast is fundamentally changing how Magic: The Gathering's most popular format will operate. Earlier this week, the card game's publisher announced that it will assume control of the Commander format after a week of controversial decisions punctuated by an outpouring of violent harassment. The decision ends the format's 13-year run as a volunteer-led and community-driven entity wholly independent of Wizards of the Coast.Last week, the Commander Rules Committee, a volunteer panel of Magic: The Gathering experts, made the decision to ban four highly sought-after and powerful cards, prohibiting their inclusion in Commander decks. In response, some players began harassing committee members, which included sending death and... Continue reading...
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by Andrew Liszewski on (#6R6WK)
Forget to create an offline playlist before a flight, Spotify can now autogenerate one for you based on tracks it has cached. | Image: Spotify Spotify has introduced a new feature that will keep your music playing even when your device unexpectedly goes offline. The app will automatically generate an Offline Backup playlist filled with recently streamed and queued songs that have already been downloaded and cached, and it will evolve" over time and customize the playlist based on your listening habits.The streaming app already allows you to download tracks and playlists that can be played offline, but that needs to be done manually while a data connection is available. Spotify's Offline Backup is an alternative for those times when an internet connection disappears unexpectedly or when you intentionally turn it off, like when activating airplane mode during a flight. ... Continue reading...
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by Umar Shakir on (#6R6SC)
Image: Umar Shakir / The Verge Tesla issued a recall notice for the Cybertruck due to faulty software causing a slow-to-display rear camera feed. It's the fifth recall for the polarizing electric truck since Tesla started customer deliveries last November. Other recalls have involved faulty wipers, loose trim, and jammed accelerator pedals.According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's report, the recall applies to over 27,000 Cybertrucks manufactured between November 13th, 2023 and September 14th, 2024," which applies to essentially every Cybertruck ever made.Tesla Cybertrucks running version 2024.32.5.2 or later could have a condition where the reverse camera feed may appear blank for up to 6 to 8 seconds" if the customer tries to back up... Continue reading...
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by Emma Roth on (#6R6SD)
Image: Paramount There's a new game coming in the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Paramount and Saber Interactive are teaming up to make the action RPG, which will put you in control of an all-new, never-before-seen Avatar," as reported earlier by IGN.Details about the upcoming game are still slim, but the companies say in a press release that it will let players master all four elements with dynamic combat alongside companions" as well as experience the challenges and decisions that come with being the keeper of balance in the world."Since the release of the animated ATLA series in 2005, we've seen several video game and live-action adaptations, including one on Netflix. Last year, Bamtang Games released Avatar: The Last Airbender - Quest for... Continue reading...
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by David Pierce on (#6R6SE)
A revolving set of tech, together with some great family art. Continue reading...
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by Nick Statt on (#6R6SF)
Illustration:The Verge / Image: Blizzard Entertainment Journalist Jason Schreier discusses his new book, Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment. Continue reading...
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by Andrew Liszewski on (#6R6SG)
Ken Pillonel has created a protective case that also upgrades old AirPods charging cases to USB-C. | Screenshot: YouTube Those of us still rocking AirPods with Lightning ports finally have a way to upgrade them to USB-C that doesn't require complicated modifications or the cost of completely replacing the case. Engineer Ken Pillonel has created a smart case for older AirPods models that includes a USB-C charging port on the outside.The protective cases are made from a durable but flexible 3D-printed plastic and can be installed on an AirPods charging case in about 10 seconds. The USB-C port on the outside passes power along to the AirPods' Lightning port using some added electronics hidden in the base, but the case is also easily removable should direct access to the Lightning port still be needed. Image: Ken Pillonel Pillonel's... Continue reading...
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by Justine Calma on (#6R6SJ)
A John Deere tractor and air seeder planting garbanzo beans near Pullman, Washington. | Photo by: Rick Dalton / Design Pics Editorial / Universal Images Group via Getty Images Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is pressuring John Deere to update its manuals to better enable customers to repair their tractors. By omitting information about repair rights and pollution control systems, Warren alleges that John Deere could be in violation of the Clean Air Act.John Deere has been at the center of an ongoing battle over the right to repairJohn Deere has been at the center of an ongoing battle over the right to repair, especially as it incorporates more software into farm equipment. Warren's office contends that the company is making it almost impossible for farmers to fix their own equipment or turn to independent repair shops.Withholding repair information from its customers in its manuals could also be illegal,... Continue reading...
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by Allison Johnson on (#6R6SK)
I'd like Gemini to address me in the formal usted.' | Illustration: The Verge Google initially rolled out Gemini Live, its conversational AI voice chat, in just one language: English. Today, the company is expanding the service to a handful of other languages, starting with French, German, Portuguese, Hindi, and Spanish. And while support for these languages does appear to be imminent for a lot of people, the company is still couching promises of other Gemini features with fuzzy coming weeks" timelines.Google expects that the languages starting to roll out today will be available to all users in a couple of weeks." As for other languages, Google says it will have more than 40 languages over the coming weeks," which is harder to pin down. Still, Google's timeline from announcement to full rollout for Gemini... Continue reading...
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by David Nield on (#6R6SH)
Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge If you're anything like me, you spend a lot of each day jumping between multiple email accounts - and multiple email apps - trying to get to inbox zero. Anything that can be done to reduce the number of places where messages are piling up can save time and reduce confusion. Gmail can import emails from other accounts like iCloud or Outlook so you don't have to necessarily check multiple inboxes multiple times a day.Setting up an email import isn't particularly difficult. I'm going to start with a little bit of explanation first and then go on to detail several ways to gather all your emails in your Gmail account. There is also a way to use your mobile Gmail app to read and answer emails from other accounts; I'll cover that as well.Y... Continue reading...
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by Jay Peters on (#6R6QD)
Illustration: Alex Castro / The Verge Epic's game store is finally on mobile. Next up, the company plans to add features that make people want to use it - on both mobile and PC.A key thing Epic Games wants to introduce is what store boss Steve Allison calls a social framework" - think the types of social and chat features you see on consoles or Steam.Our social features on PC suck," Allison says in an interview with The Verge. Let's call it what it is." Social features are the battery that powers Fortnite," Allison says, and Epic wants to take that battle-tested social framework and move it up from Fortnite up to the store level." The idea is that you'll be able to party up and chat with your Epic Games friends across devices, theoretically meaning that friends on... Continue reading...
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by Jess Weatherbed on (#6R6QE)
WP Engine said the lawsuit aims to address abuse of power, extortion, and greed." | Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge The WP Engine web hosting service is suing WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg and Automattic for alleged libel and attempted extortion, following a public spat over the WordPress trademark and open-source project. In the federal lawsuit filed on Wednesday, WP Engine accuses both Automattic and its CEO Mullenweg of abuse of power, extortion, and greed," and said it seeks to prevent them from inflicting further harm against WP Engine and the WordPress community.WP Engine is a major rival to WordPress.com, with more than 200,000 websites using the service. Mullenweg runs Automattic, which owns WordPress.com, a company that sells a hosted version of the open-source WordPress software - just like WP Engine.The lawsuit was initiated after... Continue reading...
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by Richard Lawler on (#6R6A0)
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge; Getty Images First, it was Spotify, then Verizon, then PlayStation, and now it's apparently Bank of America's turn to have an outage this week. Some customers reported problems accessing their bank accounts on Wednesday, with the balances showing $0 or --" instead of what should be there.Some mobile and online banking clients experienced an issue accessing their accounts and balance information earlier today," writes Bank of America media relations executive Matt Card in an email to The Verge. These technology issues have been fully resolved. We apologize for any inconvenience."Reports spiked just before 1PM ET on Downdetector, with posts across X and Reddit from people reporting that their account balances don't show anything (some mentioned... Continue reading...
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by Victoria Song on (#6R6JC)
The ring will come in six colors. | Image: Oura Oura is giving its popular smart ring and app a substantial makeover. The company just announced the $349 Oura Ring 4, which will feature a slimmer design, improved accuracy, and more sizes. Starting today, the Oura app will also be getting a complete redesign to better organize the swath of new features introduced over the past few months.At a glance, the Oura Ring 4 doesn't look too different from the Gen 3. However, the new ring will be fully made from titanium. (The previous ring had an epoxy interior.) All the rings will also be completely round, like the current Horizon models, with no flat edge. Perhaps most notably, the sensors no longer have protruding dome-shaped covers. Instead, they're recessed for a flatter, more... Continue reading...
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by Sean Hollister on (#6R6DS)
Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge Did you, like me, buy a Ring Alarm system for your home because it offered the most affordable professional 24/7 monitoring around, at just $10 a month or $100 a year? Then I expect you - like me - just got an email stating you'll now pay twice as much starting the next time you renew.Here's the top of the email I received a few hours ago, telling me I'll pay $20 a month or $200 a year starting in March, which matches the price of the Ring Protect Pro plan that Amazon started selling three years ago. I was previously on Ring Protect Plus: Image: Sean Hollister / The Verge Price hike. Price hikes are always annoying, but Ring is still a relatively affordable alarm service, I suppose. The truly infuriating part:... Continue reading...
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by Wes Davis on (#6R6DT)
Image: The Verge Charter's Spectrum TV Select cable plan will include a free ad-supported Peacock Premium subscription next year, reports Reuters. The addition comes as Charter announced today that it has reached a new multi-year deal" with NBCUniversal, which owns Peacock, to keep its TV channels in Charter's cable lineup.Charter recently lined up a similar agreement with Disney that lets it bundle Disney's ad-supported Disney Plus Basic with Spectrum TV Select. (Upgrading to Spectrum TV Select Plus adds ESPN Plus, too.)It's all part of Charter's new hybrid approach to bundles that allows it to bundle other companies' streaming subscriptions with its cable plans and even sell them to its internet customers, too. That lets the company boost the... Continue reading...
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by Chris Welch on (#6R6CF)
Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Welcome to the streaming era of the wrestling wars. WWE's flagship weekly show, Raw, is ditching cable and headed for Netflix in January. And today, Warner Bros. Discovery and All Elite Wrestling announced a multiyear rights extension that will bring AEW content to Max starting in... you guessed it... January 2025. The news was first reported by Variety.Tony Khan's wrestling promotion will gain a significant presence on the popular streaming service. Episodes of AEW's weekly shows, Dynamite and Collision, will simulcast on Max on Wednesday and Saturday nights in addition to airing on TBS and TNT, respectively. Past episodes will also be available to watch on demand. AEW's TV programming has aired on WBD networks from the very start, so... Continue reading...
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by Andrew Liszewski on (#6R6CG)
Image: Nintendo The Nintendo Museum opened today in the company's hometown of Kyoto, and it is already limiting some gift shop items to one per person in an attempt to discourage visitors from flipping exclusive merch online.The two-story museum highlights the company's history dating back to 1889, when Nintendo started making hanafuda playing cards. It also features interactive exhibits letting visitors play Nintendo games in unusual ways, including using oversized NES controllers and Wii Remotes that need two people to operate.What's generated even more buzz than the museum's exhibits are the exclusive items available in the museum's gift shop. Some of the items, which were available during preview events at the museum, have already shown up on... Continue reading...
by Umar Shakir on (#6R69W)
Image: Tesla Tesla is no longer selling the sub-$40,000 rear-wheel drive Standard Range version of the Model 3 that has been in the company's lineup since 2023. The most affordable trim is now the Model 3 RWD Long Range that starts at $42,490. The change was first pointed out by Electrek and comes as Tesla announces a year-over-year increase of vehicle deliveries in its third quarter of 2024.Tesla has slashed - and raised - prices numerous times over the past few years as it struggles to retain its pole position in the market. But an increasing number of customers have strayed to other vehicle brands, leaving Elon Musk's company grappling with year-over-year sales decreases.Tesla also occasionally discontinues certain trims, often without notice... Continue reading...
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by Gaby Del Valle on (#6R69X)
Image: Kristen Radtke / The Verge New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who was indicted last week on charges including fraud, bribery, and soliciting donations from foreign nationals, told federal investigators he forgot his phone password before handing it over, according to charging documents. That was almost a year ago, and investigators still can't get into the phone, prosecutors said Wednesday.During a federal court hearing, prosecutor Hagan Scotten said the FBI's inability to get into Adams' phone is a significant wild card," according to a report from the New York Post. The FBI issued a search warrant for Adams' devices in November 2023. Adams initially handed over two phones but didn't have his personal device on him. The indictment does not mention what type of... Continue reading...
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by Allison Johnson on (#6B1NJ)
With a few steps, you can put live sports scores on your iPhone lockscreen and stay on top of your team's race to the playoffs. | Image: Samar Haddad / The Verge When it introduced iOS 16, Apple added a feature called Live Activities as part of a broader update to notifications and the lockscreen. Live Activities is a little different from a standard push notification or widget - it offers a way for apps to put real-time information in a persistent notification bubble on your lockscreen. It's especially useful for sports scores if you want to keep tabs on a game without committing your full attention to it. (There are, after all, 162 games per team in a baseball season.) Better yet, if you have an iPhone 14 Pro, 14 Pro Max, or newer, you'll see live scores in the Dynamic Island when you're following a game.Enabling Live Activities to follow a game on your lockscreen isn't hard, so you're just a... Continue reading...
by Sheena Vasani on (#6R69Y)
Image: Garmin Today, Garmin announced the Lily 2 Active, a sportier version of the fashion-forward Garmin Lily 2. For $50 more, you get buttons and built-in GPS, which addresses some of our main complaints with the original Lily 2.Built-in GPS is a particularly welcome update, as it means you can now accurately track outdoor activities like running and cycling without needing a smartphone. The wearable's pair of side buttons are a nice touch, too, given the Lily 2's touch display has always been finicky to use. Plus, Garmin promises nine days of battery life, which is nearly double the Lily 2's. We've yet to test the wearable, but if that claim holds true in real life, that'd put it nearly on par with the $1,000 Garmin Epix Pro Sapphire Edition -... Continue reading...
by Antonio G. Di Benedetto on (#6R69Z)
Duh-nuh-nuh-nuhhhhhh!" | Image: Nintendo Zelda's first time out as a playable character in the lands of Hyrule launched less than a week ago, but you can already get her new game with a modest discount. The physical cartridge version of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom is on sale at Woot for $51.99 ($8 off) through October 4th (or until it sells out, which happened briefly before an unexpected restock).Echoes of Wisdom is quite different from your typical Legend of Zelda game, and not just because it finally centers the character the series is named after. It borrows the chibi miniature-style art design from the Link's Awakening remake of 2019 but remixes it into a new open world. Instead of relying solely on a sword, Zelda uses her new magical Tri Rod to create copies... Continue reading...
by Lauren Feiner on (#6R66W)
Illustration: Beatrice Sala The Federal Communications Commission is making up to $200 million available to help schools and libraries make their computer systems more secure.The Schools and Libraries Cybersecurity Pilot Program will be used to evaluate whether to fund this kind of program on a more permanent basis. The funding will come through a pool of money called the Universal Service Fund (USF), which is made up of contributions from telecommunications companies. Schools and libraries participating in the program will be able to reimburse things like advanced firewalls, identity protection and authentication services, malware protection, and VPNs.The pilot program will be available to schools and libraries eligible for the FCC's E-rate program, another... Continue reading...
by Kylie Robison on (#6R66X)
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge; Getty Images OpenAI just closed a historic funding round, taking in a $6.6 billion investment at a $157 billion valuation, to continue pursuing its mission to build artificial-general intelligence according to a company blog post.The funding round was led by Thrive Capital, which committed $1 billion, according to the Financial Times. It was also reported that Thrive got a special deal (not offered to other investors) that allows it to invest another $1 billion next year at the same valuation if the AI firm hits a revenue goal, Reuters reported.These funds are apparently contingent on OpenAI going through with a rumored restructure as a for-profit company. The company's for-profit wing is currently overseen by a nonprofit research body, and... Continue reading...
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by Andrew Webster on (#6R63N)
Image: Apple Another beloved Apple TV Plus show is getting a second season. The streamer announced today that the detective series Sugar, which stars Colin Farrell in the titular role, has been renewed for season 2. It's not clear yet when the show will return.Sugar debuted earlier this year. And while it started out as a clever story about a private investigator, a big twist midway through the first season - you can read about it here, but (obviously) spoilers abound - pushed it into sci-fi territory, a space Apple has been very successful in. There aren't many details about the upcoming season, but in a press release, Apple says that season two will see Sugar back in Los Angeles, taking on another missing persons case as he continues to look for... Continue reading...
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by Tom Warren on (#6R63P)
Getty Images Xbox cofounder J Allard joined Amazon last month as a vice president on the company's devices and services team. In an email to The Verge, Allard confirmed his new role but says it's too early to have anything to say" about what he'll be working on at Amazon beyond new ideas."Allard will report to former Windows and Surface chief Panos Panay at Amazon, according to GeekWire. Panay left Microsoft last year after being at the software giant for almost 20 years. Allard spent more than 20 years at Microsoft, cofounding the Xbox division, launching Microsoft's Xbox Live network, and developing the Xbox 360 console. Allard also oversaw the development of the Zune, Microsoft's iPod competitor.Allard departed Microsoft in 2010, following his... Continue reading...
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by Jay Peters on (#6R63Q)
Image: Amazon Amazon just announced a new Fire HD 8 tablet, and like many new gadgets in 2024, generative AI-powered tools are among the big new features. But you won't necessarily need to buy the new Fire HD 8 to try them; Amazon says they're coming to the Fire HD 10 and Fire Max 11 tablets, too.The new AI tools are things you've probably seen before. There's a writing assist feature, which will help you polish up your writing and is built into the device's keyboard. You'll be able to get webpage summaries when using Amazon's Silk browser. And you'll be able to create a wallpaper from a prompt. Amazon says the tools will start rolling out to all compatible Fire tablets later this month."Amazon is also rumored to be launching an upgraded Alexa... Continue reading...
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by Nathan Edwards on (#6R63R)
Image: PFU America After weeks of incredibly obvious teasers, PFU America has revealed the HHKB Studio Snow, a white version of one of the best and strangest keyboards I've used. A new color might seem like a minor thing, and it is. But it does answer one of the common complaints about the HHKB Studio, which until now was only available in black with black legends. The Snow edition is available today for $329 at PFU's website and mechanicalkeyboards.com.The HHKB Studio, which I reviewed last year, takes the layout from the cult classic Happy Hacking Keyboard, adds a ThinkPad-style trackpoint and mouse buttons, swaps the Topre electrocapacitive dome switches that are in the Professional series for standard Cherry MX-compatible mechanical ones, and adds... Continue reading...
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by Quentyn Kennemer on (#6R63S)
The Paperwhite Kids could be a great holiday gift to keep your kids reading over school breaks. | Image: Amazon If you're looking for an alternative to traditional tablets for your kid, perhaps you should consider an ebook reader. The Kindle Paperwhite Kids - which is essentially identical to the standard Paperwhite but with a couple of added freebies - would be a great place to start. It's now on sale at Amazon for $114.99 ($55 off) with a playfully designed magnetic protective case in either dark and light green or yellow and purple. That's only $5 more than the all-time low that was established this time last year. You can also get it with a forest green and orange warrior cats" case for $124.99 ($55 off).The Kindle Paperwhite is one of the most economical ways to acquire and store books from both a monetary and space-saving standpoint. Its... Continue reading...
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by Umar Shakir on (#6R63T)
I guess I don't need to worry about the Wi-Fi reaching outside anymore. | Image: Umar Shakir / The Verge Enel X Way North America, which owns EV charger brand JuiceBox, is closing down its electric vehicle business in the US and Canada and will shut off connectivity services for commercial and home hardware. In a statement posted on the JuiceBox website, the company said it will close down on October 11th, but it's turning off all customer support lines effective immediately."If you own a JuiceBox charger at home, you'll soon lose all connectivity with the app, but it will still charge your EV without the features. Enel is removing the Enel X Way app (which currently has a 2.7-star rating) from the App Store. The app lets you check charging status and history, set charging schedules, see energy use, and lock the charger down for only... Continue reading...
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by Victoria Song on (#6R63V)
Meta's glasses include a privacy light, but it's not always easily visible. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Two Harvard students have created an eerie demo of how smart glasses can use facial recognition tech to instantly dox people's identities, phone numbers, and addresses. The most unsettling part is the demo uses current, widely available technology like the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses and public databases.AnhPhu Nguyen, one of the two students, posted a video showcasing the tech in action that was then picked up by 404 Media. Dubbed I-XRAY, the tech works by using the Meta smart glasses' ability to livestream video to Instagram. A computer program then monitors that stream and uses AI to identify faces. Those photos are then fed into public databases to find names, addresses, phone numbers, and even relatives. That information is then fed... Continue reading...
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by Justine Calma on (#6R60K)
Workers, community members, and business owners clean up debris in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Marshall, North Carolina, on September 30th, 2024. | Photo: Getty Images Tropical storms take many more lives than officially recorded, according to a sobering study published today in the journal Nature. It comes as people across the Southeastern US scramble to find loved ones in the wreckage of Hurricane Helene.The average tropical storm or hurricane leads to the early deaths of between 7,170 and 11,430 people, the researchers estimate. That's astronomically higher than the average of 24 direct deaths per storm documented in government records spanning more than half a century.We were quite stunned. So, if folks are surprised by these results, you know, we were right there, too," says Rachel Young, a coauthor of the study who is an environmental economist and postdoctoral fellow at the University of... Continue reading...
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by Tom Warren on (#6R60M)
Image: Microsoft Microsoft wants to hear from game developers who might be skipping Xbox or those already building games using the company's developer tools. The software maker is expanding its Xbox Research team to include the community of game developers, seeking feedback directly from developers about tools, support, and the overall pain points of the Xbox platform.A new program, much like Microsoft's Xbox Insider one, is now open to all members of game studios, not just technical employees. Typically, it takes a lot of people to make and ship a game, including marketing, user research, artists, audio, PMs, community managers, and more," says Deborah Hendersen, PhD, principal user researcher for Xbox. We want to hear from everyone who works on... Continue reading...
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by Jess Weatherbed on (#6R60N)
AFMF 2 is now widely available after rolling out to beta testers earlier this year. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge AMD has officially launched the latest version of its Fluid Motion Frames tech that can boost gaming frame rates on RDNA 2- and RDNA 3-based graphics hardware. Following its technical preview in July, Fluid Motion Frames 2 (AFMF 2) is now widely available after being released on Tuesday alongside its supporting Adrenalin 24.9.1 GPU driver.AFMF is a frame generation technology similar to Nvidia's DLSS Frame Generation but operates on the driver level instead of game-specific integration. The second-gen AFMF update can be enabled in OpenGL, Vulkan, DirectX 11, or DirectX 12 games - meaning FPS can now be improved in titles that don't support FSR and DLSS - and currently works on AMD Radeon RX 6000, RX 7000, 700M, and 800M GPUs. ... Continue reading...
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by Emma Roth on (#6R60P)
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge Automattic, the parent company of WordPress.com, asked rival hosting service WP Engine to hand over 8 percent of its revenue each month before igniting a very public battle over what you can and can't do with an open-source project.On Wednesday, Automattic published the proposed deal that it sent to WP Engine on September 20th. The proposal lays out a seven-year agreement that gives WP Engine the right to use the WordPress trademark in exchange for a hefty payment. The 8 percent cut could either be paid as a royalty fee to Automattic or as salaries for WP Engine employees who would contribute to the WordPress.org open-source project.If WP Engine chose to pay a royalty fee, Automattic said it would publicly attribute part of its... Continue reading...
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by Charles Pulliam-Moore on (#6R60Q)
Image: Nintendo The latest top-down Zelda game turns your knowledge about dungeons into the ultimate superpower. Continue reading...
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by Umar Shakir on (#6R60R)
Toyota is betting big on air taxis. | Image: Toyota Toyota is investing another $500 million in Joby Aviation to support the air taxi startup's certification and commercial production of eVTOL (electric vertical takeoff and landing) aircraft for use in a ridehailing service. The automaker has now invested a total of $894 million since 2018.Toyota's investment will come in the form of two $250 million tranches, the first of which will be completed this year and the second in 2025. The automaker will also establish a manufacturing alliance with Joby for the first commercialization phase. The companies had signed an agreement in 2023 to let Toyota make powertrain components for Joby's air taxi.The California-based Joby Aviation is run by JoeBen Bevirt, who started the company in 2009. The... Continue reading...
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by Andrew Liszewski on (#6R60S)
The adult version of the Unos by Sz shoes can expand a full size to accommodate growing feet. | Image: Target Target is introducing a new line of sneakers with a clever design that allows them to grow alongside the wearer, extending how long they can be worn before they're too small. The UNOS by Sz shoes (which is short for U Need One Size") are available in kids sizes for $34.99 and adult sizes for $49.99, in 16 different color options.The UNOS by Sz feature a sole that's split into two sections by a Z-shaped channel, but each side remains connected by flexible fabrics. The design allows the shoes to expand in width and length while still being providing a secure fit - up to a half size in the kids version and up to a full size in the adult one. Image: Target The kids version of the UNOS by Sz also feature elastic laces... Continue reading...
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by Charles Pulliam-Moore on (#6R60T)
DC Studios Though we've yet to see just what kinds of features DC Studios has been cooking up under James Gunn and Peter Safran's co-leadership, the company has already announced yet another big movie built around (a pair of) Gotham's heroes.Last night, Gunn - who recently wrapped filming on his upcoming Superman reboot starring David Corenswet - took to his X account to announce that DC Studios is partnering with the newly founded New Orleans-based studio Swaybox to produce Dynamic Duo.
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by Andrew J. Hawkins on (#6R5XB)
Photo by Mario Tama / Getty Images After two straight quarters of declines, Tesla's vehicle sales are finally on the upswing.Tesla reported producing 469,796 vehicles over the three-month period that ended in September, a 9.1 percent increase compared to the third quarter of 2023. The company also reported delivering 462,890 vehicles to customers during Q3 of 2024, a 6.3 percent jump from Q2 2023.It was also a measured improvement over the previous quarter's numbers. Production was up 14.4 percent as compared to the second quarter of 2024, while delivery increased 5.8 percent. Tesla is making and selling more vehicles than it was earlier this year.The Cybertruck may be helping, but Tesla doesn't break out the numbers for its polarizing electric truck. The bulk of its... Continue reading...
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