The Verge

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Meta has been snapping up AI training chips and building out data centers in order to create a more powerful new chatbot it hopes will be as sophisticated as OpenAI's GPT-4, according to The Wall Street Journal. The company reportedly plans to begin training the new large language model early in 2024, with CEO Mark Zuckerberg evidently pushing for it to once again be free for companies to create AI tools with.The Journal writes that Meta has been buying more Nvidia H100 AI-training chips and is beefing up its infrastructure so that, this time around, it won't need to rely on Microsoft's Azure cloud platform to train the new chatbot. The company reportedly assembled a group earlier this year to build the model, with the goal of speeding... Continue reading...

A screenshot from a 2015 video interview, titled Oral History of Dennis R. Austin, that was published by the Computer History Museum. | Screenshot: Wes Davis / The Verge Dennis Austin, who co-created PowerPoint, passed away at his home in Los Altos, California, on September 1st, reports The Washington Post. His son, Michael Austin, said he'd had lung cancer that had metastasized to his brain, according to the Post. He was 76 years old.Austin studied engineering at several universities, including MIT and UC Santa Barbara, before going to work as a software developer, eventually joining the software company Forethought and co-developing PowerPoint. The company released the software in 1987, and Microsoft bought the company just a few months later. Austin served as PowerPoint's primary developer from 1985 to 1996 when he retired.The Washington Post notes that Robert Gaskins, PowerPoint's other... Continue reading...

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge As you can imagine, there are a lot of interesting - and occasionally off-the-wall - conversations that take place on The Verge's Slack channels, especially when the weekend is on its way. One of them occurred recently, when reviewer Jennifer Pattison Tuohy happened to ask how many apps people had on their phones. The reaction was immediate - and actually rather telling. It turns out you can find a lot about a person when you talk to them about their phone - and their apps.If you're at all curious about how many apps some of The Verge's staffers have on their phones (and their excuses for that number) - read on.I currently have 31 apps on my iPhone 12 Mini. I'm pretty aggressive about only keeping apps that I actually use on a regular... Continue reading...

Image: Sabotage Studio Sea of Stars is basically a modern-day SNES RPG. I had a sense that would be the case going in: it has pixel art clearly inspired by 16-bit classics, pits a ragtag group of adventurers against evil forces, uses a clever turn-based battle system, and is filled with stunning music (including a few tracks from Chrono Trigger composer Yasunori Mitsuda). But I was glad my hunch was right. I devoured Sea of Stars in a little over a week, and each time I booted it up, I felt like I was playing the type of old-school RPG I would have spent afternoons with as a kid.A lot of that nostalgia came from Sea of Stars' gorgeous pixel art, which looks similar to games like Secret of Mana and Chrono Trigger but with an incredible amount of modern-day... Continue reading...

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge According to a post from Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, it's looking more likely that Apple won't launch its line of M3-powered MacBooks before the end of this year."While there haven't been any solid rumors about when Apple will launch its first laptops with next-generation chips, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said last month that Apple could introduce its M3 chip to entry-level" Macs during an October launch event.Reports suggest that Apple could put its M3 chip, which is expected to feature a more efficient 3nm process, in a new 13-inch MacBook Pro, 13- and 15-inch MacBook Air laptops, and a Mac Mini. Gurman believes that we could see all of these new products over the course of the next year.It wouldn't be that surprising if Apple... Continue reading...

Image: Roblox Roblox announced a new conversational AI assistant at its 2023 Roblox Developers Conference (RDC) that can help creators more easily make experiences for the popular social app. The new tool, the Roblox Assistant, builds on previously announced features that let creators build virtual assets and write code with the help of generative AI.With the Roblox Assistant, creators will be able to type in prompts to do things like generate virtual environments. In one demo, somebody types in I want to make a game set in ancient ruins," and Roblox drops in some stones, moss-covered columns, and broken architecture. Make the player spawn by a campfire in the ruins" adds a campfire and a stool. Add some trees for the player to chop down" adds... Continue reading...

This is not Framework's module but rather a community design by zero0d. | Image: zero0d You can hot-swap a DisplayPort, ethernet, even an extra 3.5mm audio jack into your modular Framework laptop - and today, the company is finally beginning work on a full-size SD Expansion Card to go with them.But seriously, it's just beginning that work: the company says it's breaking tradition by pre-announcing" a module that may never ship. We've set a target for what we want it to be, but as we proceed and learn, there's a chance it could change or even be canceled," Framework writes. Don't worry: it's not trying to cash in ahead of time; the idea is by doing it this way, Framework can take you behind the scenes.The full-size SD card is still going strong thanks to photographers and videographers, of course, and in an official... Continue reading...

Image: Hugo Herrera / The Verge The nations of the world have to seriously ramp up their clean energy ambitions because time is running out to meet the goals of the Paris climate agreement, a sweeping new United Nations report card says.It's the first Global Stocktake" of the progress nearly 200 countries have made since they adopted the Paris agreement in 2015. By pushing nations to slash their greenhouse gas emissions, the global accord strives to avoid climate change so extreme that life on Earth would struggle to adapt.The planet has gotten about 1.2 degrees Celsius hotter since the Industrial Revolution, and that's already been enough to cause more extreme weather, intensify wildfires, and raise sea levels high enough to push coastal communities away from their... Continue reading...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The organization behind the Grammys wants to make it clear that the AI Drake song Heart on My Sleeve" won't qualify for an award. In a video on Instagram, Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. says the song is not eligible for Grammy consideration" (via Deadline).On Tuesday, the anonymous creator, who goes by Ghostwriter, released another track using the AI-generated vocals of Travis Scott and 21 Savage. That's when a report from The New York Times also suggested that the creator is shooting for a Grammy, with Mason Jr. telling the outlet that as far as the creative side, [the Drake song is] absolutely eligible because it was written by a human."

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Spotify is planning on rolling out a free audiobook trial for subscribers, The Wall Street Journal reports. The pilot program will feature titles from some of the largest US publishers, and users can expect up to 20 hours of listening - roughly two audiobooks - per month.Spotify first began offering audiobooks last year after acquiring Findaway, an audiobook platform. The main difference is it's so far been using a pay-per-download model. However, as the WSJ notes, users had to purchase audiobooks via a web browser in an attempt to circumvent Apple's 30 percent commission for in-app purchases. The pilot program will instead allow users to download books directly within the app.The program will purportedly roll out to English-speaking... Continue reading...

The new Apple Watches will purportedly get a new optical heart rate sensor and U2 UWB chip. | Image: Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge This year's Apple Watch leaks haven't been terribly exciting. So far, we've heard there'll be a new, faster processor and potentially a darker color for the Ultra 2. However, a new Bloomberg report suggests that's because the major updates this time around will revolve around the sensors - namely, a new optical heart rate sensor and a new U2 ultra wideband chip. The same report also suggests the iPhone 15 Pro models will be about 10 percent lighter than prior models and perhaps more repairable thanks to an internal redesign.It's been a while since Apple did a major overhaul of the Apple Watch's internal components. The last time the processor got a significant boost was the Series 6 in 2020 - and that's about when Apple introduced a new... Continue reading...

Image: Lotus Lotus revealed the 2024 Emeya electric hypercar, a four-door sedan with nearly 1,000 horsepower and a burning desire to reach 60mph in under three seconds.Lotus claims that the Grand Tourer is one of the fastest GTs in the world" - but we'll need to see some unbiased testing first before we agree to that hyperbole. Still, the Emeya seems fast, with a top speed of 155mph and a zero to 60mph time in 2.8 seconds. When it goes into production in early 2024, the Emeya is expected to compete with other luxury sports cars, like the Audi E-tron GT and Porsche Taycan.Lotus didn't reveal a lot of the most relevant specs, like battery capacity or range. The company did say that the Emeya is expected to be broadly similar" to Lotus' first EV,... Continue reading...

Netflix Netflix has just released a new trailer for Castlevania: Nocturne, and it's all about the Bloodlines.The new trailer features more of Richter Belmont (Edward Bluemel), the new scion of the Belmont house, as he does what his family does best: kill vampires. Nocturne is set during the French Revolution as a new vampire cult rises around a so-called vampire Messiah, Erzsebet Bathory (Franka Potente), who has pledged to do her bloody, bitey bidding. To stop her, Richter will need the help of his new friends, some of whom will be familiar to longtime Castlevania fans.

Tesla's Universal Wall Connector can charge this Mustang Mach-E and the Tesla to the left. | Image: Hilton Tesla and Hilton are teaming up to install up to 20,000 electric vehicle charging stations at Hilton hotels and properties. The project will kick off in early 2024, and the chargers are slated for installation at 2,000 locations in the US, Canada, and Mexico.Hilton states this is the largest planned EV network by any hospitality company. On paper, there are enough chargers to have 10 installed per location, but distribution may vary, as Hilton says that at least six" will be installed at any location. According to the company, EV charging availability is playing a major role in 2023 in converting searches to stays on Hilton.com.Tesla's recently launched Universal Wall Connector charger (which Hilton is ordering) specifically can power... Continue reading...