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by Chris Welch on (#68K7K)
A 3D product rendering of the upcoming Sonos speaker, codenamed Optimo 2, as created by The Verge | Product render by Alex Castro / The Verge Sonos is preparing a new generation of smart speakers, known as the Era 300 and Era 100, that will debut in the coming months, The Verge has learned. The speakers, which The Verge previously detailed under the codename Optimo, will be pitted against Apple’s $299 HomePod and other smart home speakers from Google and Amazon. The flagship Era 300 is designed to showcase spatial audio music tracks and Dolby Atmos content. Both speakers have a completely new design compared to existing Sonos products.The Verge can exclusively report the consumer-facing names as Sonos finalizes plans for the Era 300 and 100. As further evidence of the new Sonos product family, a document from Sanus, a manufacturer of TV mounts and speaker accessories,... Continue reading…
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The Verge - All Posts
| Link | https://www.theverge.com/ |
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| Updated | 2024-11-27 07:30 |
by Richard Lawler on (#68K7M)
Overwatch 2 | Image: Blizzard Other than a new map, a dating sim, and a tie-in with One Punch Man, Blizzard is also touching up practically every aspect of Overwatch 2 with the introduction of the game’s third season. A blog post provided an overview of the big changes players will see when the game is updated tomorrow, February 7th, but now the patch notes have all the details.Major changes include a health reduction for tank characters during non-role queue modes, the return of the Workshop Editor, and an update to the game’s ping system so you can tell your allies if an ability like Immortality Field or Resurrection is on cooldown and for how long and allows players to choose any Ping to place on their Ping wheel menu. It’s a small change, but it should make it... Continue reading…
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by Tom Warren on (#68K7N)
Illustration: The Verge Microsoft is holding a major news event tomorrow on February 7th. The software giant first mailed out invites to an in-person event at the company’s Redmond headquarters last week and is now officially announcing the event minutes after Google made its ChatGPT rival official.Microsoft’s event starts at 10AM PT / 1PM ET on February 7th, and the company isn’t teasing much ahead of time. But it’s likely the company will focus on its rumored ChatGPT integration into Bing and its broader partnership with OpenAI.The invite says Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella will “share some progress on a few exciting projects,” so expect a number of important announcements. The invite comes just days after Microsoft extended its OpenAI partnership in a $10... Continue reading…
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by Charles Pulliam-Moore on (#68K54)
Nicole Kidman in AMC’s “We Make Movies Better” ad. | Image: AMC Theatres Starting pretty soon, some tickets at AMC locations are going to be getting cheaper and more expensive depending on where you sit as the movie theater chain introduces a new tiered pricing scheme called Sightline.Today, AMC announced its plans to roll out Sightline at AMC, a new pricing structure that will split auditorium seats into three differently priced tiers in theaters across the country beginning this Friday. In a statement about the new program, Eliot Hamlisch, AMC’s chief marketing officer, described Sightline as an effort to get consumers thinking about buying movie tickets the same way they might events at “many other entertainment venues.” Hamlisch also said that the new pricing structure is meant to give people who have... Continue reading…
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by Allison Johnson on (#68GQT)
Indie studio Cyan is bringing its latest Myst remaster to iOS. | Image: Cyan The classic puzzle game Myst is celebrating its 30th birthday this year with a new way to play: on your iOS device. Myst Mobile is based on the remastered version of the original that’s been released for Oculus headsets and PCs over the past few years. It hits mobile devices on February 9th.The new iOS port will support iPhones and iPads with A12 bionic chipsets and newer, so you can experience the mind-numbing frustration of turning dials and locating switches wherever you take your phone. Compatible iPhones include the XS, XS Max, XR, and newer; the eighth-gen iPad, third-gen iPad Air, and fifth-gen iPad Mini and newer will all be compatible, too.Mobile ports of Myst have existed for quite a while. The Masterpiece edition with... Continue reading…
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by Ash Parrish on (#68K55)
Image: Blizzard A long whispered prayer has finally been answered: Overwatch 2 is getting a dating sim. Stealthily announced as a part of Overwatch 2’s season 3 battle pass, starting on February 13th, players can go to https://www.Loverwatch.gg to play a text-based dating sim in which they can choose to pursue either Genji or Mercy with the help of a Cupid-ified Hanzo. Check out the season 3 trailer below.It sounds like players will choose a hero and go through the criminally short 30-minute game to woo either the ninja or the angel. The Overwatch 2 developers were swift to mark in big, bold letters that anything contained within the dating sim was not canon. But when has anything as inconsequential as canon stopped the Overwatch shipping community? I... Continue reading…
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by Jay Peters on (#68K56)
We’re just a couple weeks away from the launch of the new headset. | Image: Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Sony has posted an extensive FAQ about the PlayStation VR2 ahead of the imminent launch of the next-generation virtual reality headset. Though a lot of the questions cover what we already know, the FAQ page includes a handful of interesting tidbits about what you can expect from the headset when it launches on February 22nd.Personally, I was most happy to see Sony confirm that there are more than 100 games in development for the platform. The headset will have an impressive launch window lineup that includes games like Tetris Effect, Rez Infinite, and, after a free update available on launch day, Gran Turismo 7, but now we know for certain that there will be a lot of games to look forward to down the line. The folks at Resetera c... Continue reading…
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by James Vincent on (#68K57)
An illustration from Getty Images’ lawsuit, showing an original photograph and a similar image (complete with Getty Images watermark) generated by Stable Diffusion. | Image: Getty Images Getty Images has filed a lawsuit in the US against Stability AI, creators of open-source AI art generator Stable Diffusion, escalating its legal battle against the firm.The stock photography company is accusing Stability AI of “brazen infringement of Getty Images’ intellectual property on a staggering scale.” It claims that Stability AI copied more than 12 million images from its database “without permission ... or compensation ... as part of its efforts to build a competing business,” and that the startup has infringed on both the company’s copyright and trademark protections.The lawsuit is the latest volley in the ongoing legal struggle between the creators of AI art generators and rights-holders. AI art tools require illustrations,... Continue reading…
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by Emma Roth on (#68K0A)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge According to a report from The New York Times, child sexual abuse imagery (CSAM) still persists on Twitter, despite Elon Musk stating that cracking down on child exploitation content is “priority #1” for the company.While working with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection, which helped match abusive images to its CSAM database, the Times says it uncovered content across Twitter that was previously flagged as exploitative, as well as accounts saying they could sell more.During its search, the Times says it found images containing 10 child abuse victims in 150 instances “across multiple accounts” on Twitter. Meanwhile, the Canadian Centre for Child Protection had similarly disturbing results, uncovering 260 of the “most explicit... Continue reading…
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by Victoria Song on (#68K0B)
Image: Fitbit No, it’s not you — Fitbit is currently experiencing a major outage.According to Downdetector, the outage started at about 8AM ET, with most reports indicating the problem was with the Fitbit mobile app. However, some users are also reporting issues with the Fitbit website.The main problem appears to be that users can’t sync their data, set up devices, or view updates. Essentially, anything related to using the Fitbit app appears to be borked. Other users on Twitter have said that uninstalling and reinstalling the app effectively locks them out, as the app will not let them log in or re-pair their devices.
by Antonio G. Di Benedetto on (#68K0C)
It’s hard to beat the Apple Watch for versatility and value if you own an iPhone and you can get one on sale. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge I don’t know if there’s something in the water or if it’s all somehow linked to the buildup to the Super Bowl, but man, there are a lot of deals going on right now.Starting off with arguably the best one on offer today, all configurations of the Apple Watch Series 8 are discounted by $70 at multiple retailers. The base 41mm model with GPS is selling for $329 at Best Buy, Walmart, and Target. And the larger 45mm version is equally discounted, making it $359 at Best Buy, Walmart, and Target. Both sizes have the standard aluminum case and come in four colors (midnight, starlight, white, and red).The Series 8 is not the most exciting upgrade over the Series 7 from 2021. But in addition to its table stakes of iPhone-accompanying features,... Continue reading…
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by Ash Parrish on (#68K0D)
Image: Nothing, Forever / Twitch Transphobia ruins everything, from your favorite wizarding franchise to, now, your favorite AI show about nothing. Nothing, Forever, the 24/7/365 AI-generated Seinfeld spoof that has exploded in popularity on Twitch, is going dark for two weeks, as the channel’s been hit with a suspension. As reported by Vice, the suspension stems from Larry (totally not Jerry), making transphobic remarks in his standup routine, wondering aloud if trans people are mentally ill and are ruining the fabric of society.In a statement to The Verge, Skyler Hartle, co-creator of Nothing, Forever, wrote, “We are embarrassed, and this doesn’t reflect our values or opinions at all. This was the result of a mistake on our side that resulted in a technical issue.”I... Continue reading…
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by Sheena Vasani on (#68K0E)
The latest pair of Apple’s water-resistant AirPods Pro are $199 ($50) at multiple retailers. | Image: Chris Welch / The Verge Good news if you were contemplating gifting Apple’s second-gen AirPods Pro as a Valentine’s Day present: they’ve returned to their lowest price yet. Regularly $249.99, the popular buds are available for around $199 at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target.If you’re unfamiliar with Apple’s latest pair of premium earbuds, here’s a brief summary: they offer significantly better noise cancellation and improved sound quality alongside a few new unique perks over their predecessor. Volume is much easier to adjust now that you can turn it up or down by simply swiping the stem, for example, while the new extra-small fourth ear tip should more securely fit smaller ears. Apple even improved the included MagSafe charging case, adding a new lanyard loop and... Continue reading…
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by Andrew Webster on (#68K0F)
Agent Elvis. | Image: Netflix Netflix’s lineup of adult animation just got a little weirder. The streamer just revealed the first trailer for Agent Elvis and, with it, the news that Matthew McConaughey will voice the iconic signer. It’s a combination that makes a certain amount of sense, especially when you see the description of the show:
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by Justine Calma on (#68K0G)
Heirloom’s direct air capture facility in Brisbane, California | Image: Heirloom A trio of companies says they’ve taken carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and used it to make concrete for construction projects across California’s Bay Area.This is the first time this has been done anywhere in the world, according to the announcement Friday. And if the effort takes off, there’s potential for it to become a useful strategy for slashing the tremendous amount of greenhouse gas emissions that come from concrete.Cleaning up concrete’s mess has become one of the trickiest climate challenges and a magnet for funding from Big Tech. Concrete is responsible for about three times as much carbon dioxide pollution as aviation. And it’s no wonder the stuff has a huge impact on climate change, given that it’s the most consumed... Continue reading…
by Jess Weatherbed on (#68JJT)
Last year’s iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Apple is reportedly thinking about introducing a higher tier iPhone this year Continue reading…
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by Jess Weatherbed on (#68JM2)
The layoffs will reduce the number of global Dell employees to its lowest point in six years. | Photo by Brandon Bell/Getty Images Computer manufacturer Dell is set to cut about 6,650 jobs representing 5 percent of its global workforce, according to a report from Bloomberg. Announced in a memo on Monday, Dell Co-Chief Operating Officer Jeff Clarke said that the company’s previous cost-cutting measures, such as a pause on hiring and limitations on travel, have proved insufficient, and that the company is experiencing market conditions that “continue to erode with an uncertain future.”The layoffs were announced in the face of falling demand for PCs and laptops. Following a surge in PC sales during the global covid pandemic, most major computing manufacturers are now seeing a sharp drop in demand. Industry analyst IDC reported a 37 percent decline in Dell’s computer... Continue reading…
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by Thomas Ricker on (#68JJS)
Would you buy a Rivian e-bike? | Photo by Nilay Patel / The Verge Electric automaker Rivian is developing an electric bike, according to sources speaking to Bloomberg. CEO RJ Scaringe apparently told staff about the e-bike effort during a company meeting on Friday, noting that a small team is currently working on it.Bloomberg says it’s unclear if Scaringe was talking about a battery-assisted bicycle (aka an e-bike) or an electric motorcycle. However, Scaringe has teased an entry into micromobility in the past and the company has patents for e-bike designs and components.Despite all the hype behind EVs, electric bikes have actually outsold electric and plug-in hybrid cars in the US since 2021. And in Europe, e-bike sales are on track to overtake the number of all cars sold, electric or not. That’s a... Continue reading…
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by Emma Roth on (#68J53)
Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images Elon Musk says Twitter will let bots providing “good content” access the Twitter API for free. As noted in a post on Twitter, Musk announced that the platform will enable a “light, write-only” API for eligible bots — a partial reversal of his policy that puts API access behind a paywall.After shutting down third-party clients, like Tweetbot and Twitterrific, Twitter announced last week that developers will need to sign up for a “paid basic tier” to access Twitter’s API starting on February 9th. At the time, Musk justified the move by saying that the free API is “being abused” by bot scammers and spammers, adding that an around $100 per month subscription “with ID verification” can “clean things up greatly.”
by Emma Roth on (#68HZ5)
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Apple’s exploring the possibility of launching a more expensive iPhone “Ultra” above the iPhone Pro and Pro Max models, according to Apple tracker Mark Gurman. The high-end device could arrive as soon as 2024 with the iPhone 16 lineup.Last September, Gurman predicted that an “Ultra” model could replace the Pro Max branding with this year’s iPhone 15, but his latest theory suggests that Apple wants to establish a more powerful — and more expensive — tier of iPhones. That means the device could have an even higher price tag than the iPhone 14 Pro Max, which starts at $1,099.During Apple’s earnings call last week, Apple CEO Tim Cook didn’t rule out the possibility of a future price increase on iPhones. He instead indicated that customers... Continue reading…
by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy on (#68HZ6)
The newest SmartThings hub can also charge your smartphone and find your keys — plus it’s a Matter controller and Thread border router. But there’s no support for Z-Wave, and too many features are only for Galaxy phones. Continue reading…
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by Emma Roth on (#68HJG)
The Model Y just got more expensive. | Image: Getty Images Tesla raised the price of its Model Y electric vehicle (EV) just hours after the US Treasury Department adjusted its EV tax credit rules, as first reported by Bloomberg. While the Tesla Model Y Long Range now costs $1,500 more at $54,990, the Model Y Performance went up by $1,000 to $57,990, excluding shipping fees.On Friday, the Treasury Department updated the way it classifies vehicles that qualify for its $7,500 EV tax credit as part of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA). The change should allow more vehicles — including the Model Y — to qualify for the credit, as it no longer puts certain SUV crossovers in the same category as sedans.Previously, some models of the Model Y, alongside the Cadillac Lyriq, weren’t eligible for the EV... Continue reading…
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by Emma Roth on (#68HGD)
Spotify CEO Daniel Ek (left) and Neko Health co-founder Hjalmar Nilsonne (right). | Image: Neko Health Spotify founder Daniel Ek is getting into the healthcare industry. A post shared on LinkedIn names Ek as the co-founder of a startup, called Neko Health, which specializes in providing body scans powered by artificial intelligence (AI), as reported earlier by European news outlets Sifter and Tech.eu.“After four years of intense research and product development, we are officially launching Neko Health today,” the post reads. “The company was founded by Hjalmar Nilsonne and Daniel Ek with the vision to create a healthcare system that can help people stay healthy through preventive measures and early detection.”According to a translated version of Neko Health’s website, the Swedish company’s non-invasive full-body scanner can detect and... Continue reading…
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by Makena Kelly on (#68HEH)
Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge A California judge is allowing Meta to close its acquisition of virtual reality fitness startup Within despite an ongoing antitrust case by the Federal Trade Commission, according to an unsealed ruling. On Wednesday, Bloomberg reported that the court denied the FTC’s request to block the deal but with a one-week delay that will give the FTC time to appeal. The orders were posted on Tuesday, and a status hearing on the case is set for February 7th.The FTC sued in July of 2022 to stop Meta’s acquisition of Within, which makes the popular VR app Supernatural. The agency argued that Meta’s purchase would expand its dominance in the consumer VR market, where Meta has staked many of its resources in recent years. The commission highlighted... Continue reading…
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by Brandon Widder on (#68HBZ)
The midrange Galaxy Chromebook 2 packs plenty of bang for just $499. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Happy Saturday, readers! During its Unpacked event on Wednesday, Samsung introduced a new line of Galaxy Book3 laptops with better displays and Intel’s 13th Gen Core processors. However, if you don’t need an ultraportable laptop or a high-end machine squarely aimed at the MacBook Pro 16, Samsung’s Galaxy Chromebook 2 is on sale at Amazon and Best Buy in its fiery, “fiesta red” colorway for $499 ($200 off), its lowest price to date.The midrange Chromebook 2 certainly isn’t the most powerful Chromebook you can get — blame it on the 10th Gen Intel Core i3-10110U processor — but it should suffice for everyday work use and multitasking, especially with the machine’s 8GB of RAM. Moreover, it touts decent battery life (when compared to the o... Continue reading…
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by Emma Roth on (#68HC0)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Twitter wants to cash in on businesses on the platform by charging them $1,000 per month to keep their gold checkmarks, according to a report from The Information. As noted by The Information, brands who don’t pay the $1,000 per month fee will lose their gold badges, although it’s unclear when that will happen.Internal messages viewed by the outlet also reveal that Twitter’s looking to tack on an extra $50 per month charge to add badges to each account affiliated with the business. This aligns with a screenshot posted by social media consultant Matt Navarra, which shows what appears to be an email between Twitter product manager Evan Jones and an unnamed business.“As an early access subscriber, you’ll get a gold checkmark for your... Continue reading…
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by Andrew Webster on (#68HC1)
Priya Kansara in Polite Society. | Image: Sundance Institute It was a busy festival filled with gruesome horror, inventive sci-fi, and plenty more films that will be coming to theaters and streaming services in the coming months. Continue reading…
by Victoria Song on (#68H8Z)
Hydration doesn’t have to be this high-tech or complicated, but nerdy endurance athletes might find the data worth the price. Continue reading…
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by Mitchell Clark on (#68GXZ)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Over 40 contractors for YouTube Music are going on strike — a first at Google, according to the Alphabet Workers Union (or AWU). The action is in response to an order to return to in-person work next week, something that many of the workers say they can’t do. They’re demanding a return-to-work policy that’s “fair, flexible, and does not threaten the safety and livelihoods of workers,” according to an AWU press release.The workers are part of the YouTube Music Content Operations team via Cognizant, a subcontractor for Alphabet, Google and YouTube’s parent company. Their jobs are to “ensure music content is available and approved” for the platform, according to a prior press release from the AWU.The objections to the return to office... Continue reading…
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by Andrew J. Hawkins on (#68GQX)
Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images A jury deliberated for about an hour, then found Tesla CEO Elon Musk is “not liable” for losses incurred by investors who accused him of fraud based on his tweets in August 2018 that he was thinking of taking the company private, adding “funding secured,” according to reports from The New York Times and CNBC.The deliberation was exceptionally quick. While cases can be difficult to compare directly, juries took days to deliberate on verdicts for Elizabeth Holmes and Martin Shkreli, both of whom were on trial for fraud. The decision for Musk took a fraction of that time.“We are still considering next steps,” Nicholas Porritt, an attorney for the plaintiffs said in an emailWith Musk in attendance, the jury in the billionaire’s... Continue reading…
by Jay Peters on (#68G5X)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Plus fresh details on Meta’s next AI headset, and another smart home company begins its Matter transition. Continue reading…
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by Mitchell Clark on (#68GTN)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Nvidia says there’s a fix for a recently discovered issue where Discord being open in the background limited the performance of some graphics cards. According to a tweet from the company, the patch will download automatically when you log into Windows, so you won’t have to go through the trouble of manually downloading a graphics driver or other software update.The issue, which affected systems with cards like the RTX 3080 and RTX 3060 Ti, was seemingly caused by a recent Discord update. It kept GPUs from reaching their maximum memory clocks, missing by around 200Mhz. That came with a slight performance penalty when playing games, which isn’t exactly ideal given that Discord is made to help you talk to friends while gaming.
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by Umar Shakir on (#68GTP)
Photo by Umar Shakir / The Verge Remember how rising gas prices weren’t a concern to electric car owners? Electrify America is giving users of its DC fast charging network a reminder about one of the biggest frustrations of owning internal combustion engine cars again — by increasing electricity rates at its stations (via Ars Technica).Starting on March 6th, Electrify America will be charging US customers a standard rate of $0.48 per kilowatt hour. The company, a subsidiary of Volkswagen Auto Group, was charging $0.43 per kWh, but now, it is emailing customers to share the price increase details.Tara Geiger of Electrify America’s corporate communications emailed the company’s statement on the price changes to The Verge:
by Jay Peters on (#68GTQ)
Apex Legends Mobile is one of the games shutting down. | Image: EA Over the course of this week, the developers of several major live service titles announced that their games would be shutting down. That means that players who actively enjoyed those games — and possibly spent money on them — might have to move on to something else.The shutdowns are a reminder of the challenges facing these ambitious online titles. If they don’t quickly become massive hits, they might be closed down before they really have time to find their footing. Any new entrants have to fight an uphill battle to compete against juggernauts like Destiny 2, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Fortnite.That means, for many of these newer games, they’re stuck in a chicken-and-egg situation: they need players to become a hit, but players may... Continue reading…
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by Antonio G. Di Benedetto on (#68GQV)
A deal on a TCL 6-Series TV offers a whole lot of bang for the buck. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge It’s almost time for the Super Bowl, the only game that functions more akin to an annual holiday in the US than a mere sporting event. This means there are bound to be not only good prices on chips and dip at your local grocery store but also great deals on some of our favorite TVs.Even if you don’t care one iota about the NFL or American football as a whole, or you only enjoy tuning in for the spectacle of the halftime show and all the cheesy commercials, there’s no reason not to save money on a new TV set when given the opportunity. So we’ve been on the lookout for 4K models with the best discounts that are worthy of your money — and not the junky, ultra-cheap ones many big-box retailers overhype at this time of year.TCL 6-SeriesY... Continue reading…
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by Mitchell Clark on (#68GQW)
It’s currently unclear what the government wants removed from the site. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Wikipedia has been blocked in Pakistan over “sacrilegious” content on the site, according to a report from Bloomberg. The ban comes after the government ordered the site to remove offending content within 48 hours, and the country’s telecom authority “degraded” its services.It’s not currently clear what Wikipedia is being asked to remove, though Bloomberg reports that it’s still in talks with Pakistani officials. Wikimedia, the foundation in charge of Wikipedia, didn’t immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment on the matter. According to research from the OpenNet Initiative, the country blocks sites that have content it considers to be “blasphemous, anti-Islamic, or threatening to internal security.”
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by Jay Peters on (#68GQY)
It’s more regulatory pressure on the deal. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Microsoft is seemingly facing more regulatory opposition to its proposed acquisition of Activision Blizzard. According to Politico, the European Union has issued a formal antitrust warning against Microsoft regarding the $68.7 billion deal.Politico didn’t share exact details about the contents of the warning, but the publication says that in a “statement of objections,” EU officials “laid out the reasons why the deal could threaten fair competition on the video game market.”In a statement to The Verge, Microsoft spokesperson David Cuddy said, “We are committed to solutions and finding a path forward for this deal. We are listening carefully to the [European Commission’s] concerns and are confident we can address them.” The EU didn’t... Continue reading…
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by Mitchell Clark on (#68GM6)
Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge TikTok has announced an update to its moderation system, which will implement account strikes, similar to YouTube’s community guidelines strikes. The company says it’s doing this because its previous system could be confusing to creators and exploited by bad actors.If TikTok removes content, such as a video or comment, for violating a community guideline, the account behind it will get a strike, which expires after 90 days. There are multiple types of strikes — you can get them for specific product features like Comments or Live or for sections of TikTok’s policies (so strikes for doing a dangerous challenge won’t necessarily be counted with strikes for leaving a spammy comment).Getting enough strikes in any category will result in a... Continue reading…
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by Ash Parrish on (#68GM7)
Image: Mihoyo Elon’s messing up the game — literally. Two extremely popular online games, Arknights and Genshin Impact, have warned that players who use Twitter to log in may be affected by Twitter’s pending API changes.“We are in the process of confirming the impact of the Twitter API adjustments on game account login and the corresponding resolutions,” read the tweet on Genshin Impact’s official Twitter account. “To prevent possible account login problems, we recommend going to the HoYoverse Account page to link your email address for account logins.”Arknights’ tweet suggested similarly. “We STRONGLY recommend players binding their game accounts with the Yostar account if have not done so in case of any contingency.”It’s not known if the changes... Continue reading…
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by James Vincent on (#68GM8)
A screenshot purportedly showing the “new Bing,” inviting users to query an AI chatbot. | Image: Owen Yin Microsoft is reported to be capitalizing on the success of ChatGPT by integrating the AI chatbot into its search engine Bing. But what might that look like? We may now have some idea, thanks to Bing users who said a new, AI-assisted version of the search engine mysteriously appeared (and disappeared) earlier today.Student and designer Owen Yin reported seeing the “new Bing” on Twitter this morning. He told The Verge via Twitter DM that he has Bing set as his homepage on Microsoft’s Edge browser and the new UI just loaded up. “Didn’t do anything to find it,” said Yin. “After a couple of minutes it stopped working ... Jaw dropped when I realized what I was looking at!”(The Verge has been unable to verify the authenticity of these... Continue reading…
by Adi Robertson on (#68GM9)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The Federal Trade Commission is reportedly exploring an antitrust suit against Amazon, although its future remains uncertain. The Wall Street Journal reported the news today, saying that the case could cover an “array” of Amazon business practices. But the agency reportedly hasn’t committed to the suit or heard dissenting arguments from key Amazon executives.FTC head Lina Khan has leveled heavy criticism at Amazon over allegedly monopolistic business practices, including before joining the agency; she’s the author of an influential 2017 Yale Law Review article titled “Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox.” (Amazon unsuccessfully attempted to disqualify her from regulating the company based on her statements.) And over the past years, she and... Continue reading…
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by James Vincent on (#68GF8)
Illustration: The Verge The competition between Google and Microsoft over tech’s AI future continues to heat up. While Microsoft is firmly entangled with ChatGPT creator OpenAI, Google may have turned to a company founded by former OpenAI employees: the little-known Anthropic.According to a report from the Financial Times, in late 2022, Google invested around $300 million in the startup, though the news was not reported at the time. In return for the money, Google got a 10 percent stake in the company, and Anthropic is required to buy cloud computing resources from the search giant, says the FT.This dynamic is somewhat similar to the partnership between Microsoft and OpenAI. There, OpenAI provides the research expertise, while Microsoft supplies not only b... Continue reading…
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by Mitchell Clark on (#68GF9)
Image: Laura Normand / The Verge Elon Musk says that Twitter will start sharing revenue from reply-thread ads with creators who are subscribed to Twitter Blue Verified. (According to Musk, “legacy” verified marks will be going away in “a few months.”) He says the program will start today, though there are currently very few details about how it will work.Currently, subscribing to Blue will cost you $8 per month if acquired directly via its site or $11 per month from Apple’s App Store or Google Play, but the cheapest version is an annual subscription directly from Twitter for $84. It’s unclear how many viral tweets it would take to pay that off, but it could be difficult given Twitter’s rocky relationship with advertisers right now.
by Jay Peters on (#68GFA)
Sorry, Joel, you’re going to have to wait a bit longer to play the game on PC. | Image: Sony The Last of Us Part I for PC has been delayed to March 28th, developer Naughty Dog announced on Friday. The remake of the first The Last of Us game was originally set to launch on March 3rd, so the delay isn’t too long, but it still might be disappointing to fans who may have circled the original date on their calendars.“We want to make sure that The Last of Us Part I PC debut is in the best shape possible,” Naughty Dog wrote in a tweet. “These additional few weeks will allow us to ensure this version of The Last of Us lives up to your, and our, standards.”
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by Andrew J. Hawkins on (#68GFB)
Image: Getty Images The US Treasury Department says it is modifying the electric vehicle tax credit to potentially allow more vehicles to qualify — for now.In a press release, the department said that to determine whether a vehicle is a sedan, SUV, pickup truck, or van, it would use the Environmental Protection Agency’s Fuel Economy Labeling standard rather than the EPA’s corporate average fuel economy, or CAFE, standard.In plain language, this could clear up some of the confusion around which vehicles qualify for the $7,500 tax credit, which was written into law last year as part of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA).In plain language, this could clear up some of the confusion around which vehicles qualify for the $7,500 tax credit“This change will... Continue reading…
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by Chris Welch on (#68GFC)
Samar Haddad / The Verge If you’ve read through our review of the latest HomePod, you’ll know that one of Apple’s smart speakers alone sounds pretty good. But combining two of them in a stereo pair really takes the listening experience to a different level. It’s not a cheap proposition, but you’ll end up with even more immersive room-filling sound — and if you use two HomePods as speakers for an Apple TV, they’ll outperform many sound bars that are in a similar $600 price range.It’s important to note that you need two of the exact same model (first-gen HomePod, HomePod Mini, or second-gen HomePod) for a stereo pair; you can’t mix the old and new HomePods together, for example.Outside of that limitation, Apple makes it simple to pair two HomePods. There are a... Continue reading…
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by Jess Weatherbed on (#68GFD)
Nickolas Sharp worked on one of the teams investigating his illegal activities while holding Ubiquiti data ransom for 50 Bitcoin. | Illustration: Beatrice Sala A former employee of network technology provider Ubiquiti pleaded guilty to multiple felony charges on Thursday after posing as an anonymous hacker in an attempt to extort almost $2 million worth of cryptocurrency while employed at the company.Nickolas Sharp, 37, worked as a senior developer for Ubiquiti between 2018 and 2021 and took advantage of his authorized access to Ubiquiti’s network to steal gigabytes worth of files from the company during an orchestrated security breach in December 2020. The press release announcing his plea does not mention the company’s name, calling it only Company-1, but he has been identified publicly as a former employee and in a lawsuit filed by Ubiquiti.Prosecutors said that Sharp used the Surfshark... Continue reading…
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by Ash Parrish on (#68GFE)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge A Securities and Exchange Commission probe into Activision Blizzard has concluded with the company paying a $35 million penalty.At the heart of the probe were charges that Activision Blizzard did not have adequate procedures in place that allowed it to document employee workplace misconduct complaints. As a result of this inadequacy, Activision Blizzard could not, therefore, determine if the misconduct problems were severe enough to warrant shareholder disclosure. Additionally, the SEC found that wording in the company’s separation agreements was in violation of an SEC whistleblower protection rule, requiring former employees to notify the company if they received a request for information from the Commission or other investigative... Continue reading…
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by James Vincent on (#68GAA)
More media publishers are turning to AI to crank out content. | Image: Joe Raedle/Getty Images Another major publisher is using AI to generate stories in the name of efficiency.Arena Group Holdings, a media firm whose brands include Sports Illustrated, TheStreet, Parade, and Men’s Journal, says it’s partnering with AI language startups Jasper and Nota to broaden and increase the speed of “its AI-assisted efforts.” These include training AI language models on the company’s archives to generate stories that are then edited by humans.In Men’s Journal, for example, evergreen articles like “Proven Tips to Help You Run Your Fastest Mile Yet” and “What All Men Should Know About Low Testosterone” have been written using tools made by ChatGPT creator OpenAI. The stories’ bylines are attributed to “Men’s Fitness Editors,” while a... Continue reading…
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by Charles Pulliam-Moore on (#68GAB)
Evelyne Ily Juhen as Prisca in Mami Wata. | Image: Fiery Film Company Out of all the films that debuted at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, none were quite as visually striking as Nigerian writer / director C.J. Obasi’s Mami Wata, a monochromatic modern-day myth about a small village during a time of upheaval. One doesn’t need to be familiar with Mami Wata’s eponymous embodiment of the divine feminine to appreciate its story about multiple generations of women doing everything in their power to keep their people safe. But as you let Mami Wata wash over you, the film paints a picture of people fighting to understand their beliefs in forces larger than themselves. And in each of those people, you can see shades of Mami Wata.Set in a small village called Iyi, Mami Wata tells the tale of three women whose... Continue reading…
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