The Verge - All Posts

The new Air’s display is noticeable taller and larger than the old one, and it includes a notch. | Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge The 2022 MacBook Air laptop with the M2 processor, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage is now $999 at Amazon (in the starlight color, which will arrive after Christmas) and B&H Photo. This is the first time that its starting price has sunk below the $1,000 mark, which is $50 less than it usually costs on a deal. Compared to the 2020 version that impressed us with its smooth performance and long battery life, this newer laptop has those qualities and an assortment of other selling points. Its design is thinner and lighter and its 13.6-inch screen is bigger and sharper, housing a much-improved webcam in its center notch. Like the 14-inch and 16-inch MacBook Pros, it uses the convenient MagSafe magnetic charging port.This laptop is great in... Continue reading…

Owners of VW’s electric ID cars all over the world have reported problems with infotainment screens. The German automaker’s ID family of electric cars are plagued with buggy software, causing customer headaches and leading to major setbacks for the company’s next-gen Trinity project. How can VW patch the problem? Continue reading…

Google has launched chatbots like Assistant, but has kept AI improvements to its search engine in the background. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge The launch of ChatGPT has prompted some to speculate that AI chatbots could soon take over from traditional search engines. But executives at Google say the technology is still too immature to put in front of users, with problems including chatbots’ bias, toxicity, and their propensity for simply making information up.According to a report from CNBC, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai and Google’s head of AI Jeff Dean addressed the rise of ChatGPT in a recent all-hands meeting. One employee asked if the launch of the bot — built by OpenAI, a company with deep ties to Google rival Microsoft — represented a “missed opportunity” for the search giant. Pichai and Dean reportedly responded by saying that Google’s AI language models are just as... Continue reading…

Image: Microsoft Microsoft is planning to add Teams chat integration into Outlook. The software giant has started testing this new feature recently, and Microsoft says it will be available for all users in March 2023.“This feature provides an easy Teams chat experience from Outlook in the context of a meeting for participants to send a quick message or review the chat,” reads an item on Microsoft’s roadmap for its productivity and cloud services.The chat integration appears to be limited to Outlook calendar items, and will be useful for meeting organizers and participants to discuss a meeting in real time rather than sending emails back and forth.Teams messages will also appear in Outlook on the web search resultsMicrosoft is also planning to... Continue reading…

Illustration: The Verge Sam Bankman-Fried, founder and former CEO of FTX, was denied bail on Tuesday after a Bahamian judge deemed him a flight risk, according to Reuters. An extradition hearing is scheduled for February 8th.Bankman-Fried, nicknamed “SBF,” was arrested in the Bahamas Monday evening after US prosecutors informed the Bahamas of sweeping criminal charges expected to be filed against the disgraced crypto darling. In an unsealed indictment Tuesday, prosecutors at the Justice Department’s Southern District of New York charged Bankman-Fried with eight counts of fraud, including lying to investors and violating US campaign finance law.Earlier on Tuesday, Bankman-Fried appeared before a Bahamas court in his first public appearance since FTX’s November... Continue reading…

The now-playing screen shows a red DJ button that enables the live streaming-like function. | Image: Tidal Tidal, the high-bitrate quality music streaming service, is testing a new feature that lets its HiFi Plus subscribers play DJ. Participants of the service’s Early Access Program can switch from playing music just for themselves to a DJ session, which then provides a link that can be sent to friends who can listen in.Tidal DJ works like running your own live radio broadcast or a headphones-only silent party. It’s similar to remote sharing features from other streaming services, like Spotify’s remote group session or Apple’s SharePlay — except you don’t have to know who the listeners are. In that way, it’s more like Turntable.fm or the old Spotify add-on (when Spotify wanted to be the “OS of music”) SoundDrop.The Tidal feature can let... Continue reading…

The company also said its improved its spam detection. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge YouTube says it will begin to warn users when it’s spotted and removed their comments for violating the company’s guidelines, according a post signed by “Rob” at TeamYouTube. Big creators have been increasingly drawing awareness to comment spam on the platform, and this change and other updates shared Tuesday could help reduce the volume of spam.If the user keeps posting abusive comments, YouTube may block them from posting further for up to 24 hours. “Our testing has shown that these warnings / timeouts reduce the likelihood of users leaving violative comments again,” Rob writes in the post. The notification is only available for English comments for now, “but we hope to bring it to more languages in the coming months,” Rob says. The... Continue reading…

Image: Viz Media Netflix is making yet another live-action anime adaptation, and this time, it’s taking on My Hero Academia. In an announcement on its website, the streamer says filmmaker Shinsuke Sato (I Am a Hero, Kingdom) will serve as director, while Obi-Wan Kenobi producer Joby Harold is penning the script.My Hero Academia takes place in a universe where the majority of humans are born with superpowers — called quirks — and centers around the once-quirkless Izuku Midoriya (or Deku). When Midoriya’s granted super strength from the hero he idolizes the most, All Might, he’s accepted into the prestigious UA High School for heroes-in-training. There, meets other quirk-wielding students while working toward unlocking his true strength and coming... Continue reading…

NPR will not host its usual throngs of summer interns this year due to financial pressures. I hope you all had a great weekend. We have a lot to dive into today, so let’s get to it: NPR cuts its summer internship program, Proof leads to justice, and SiriusXM keeps a longtime podcast in the fold with a new deal.Facing $10 million in budget cuts, NPR axes summer internship programNPR, which instituted a near-total hiring freeze last month, is taking another drastic step to save money by canceling its prestigious summer internship program.The news was first tweeted out Tuesday morning by All Things Considered technical director Stu Rushfield. “This makes me truly sad,” he said. “@NPRinterns are part of NPR’s lifeblood & a pipeline of great talent.” Former interns chimed in that many owe their careers in radio to the training... Continue reading…

T-Mobile is doing spectrum stuff again. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge T-Mobile has enjoyed an undeniable head start in 5G in the US, thanks to its lucrative Sprint deal, and it’s turning some old spectrum around to pad out its lead. The company has deployed its 1,900MHz spectrum nationwide on its mid-band Ultra Capacity 5G network. The 1,900MHz band has a new lease on life after previously serving the now-defunct Sprint LTE and T-Mobile 3G networks.T-Mobile used its 1,900MHz holdings in a past life to host 3G HSPA+ service while it built out an LTE network using 1,700MHz spectrum. This was also instrumental in making sure unlocked 3G iPhones could use T-Mobile’s network — the 1,700MHz spectrum it relied on for 3G wasn’t compatible with the iPhone. Meanwhile, Sprint used its 1,900MHz spectrum to build out... Continue reading…

Image: Apple It’s not every day that Apple releases a brand new app, but you’ll likely notice a new icon in your library after updating to iOS and iPadOS 16.2 or macOS 13.1. On Tuesday, Apple launched the Freeform app, which its press release describes as “an infinite canvas” for “creative brainstorming and collaboration.” In short, it’s a virtual whiteboard you can use with friends — so we tried it out to see how well it handled that task.Apple announced Freeform during its WWDC keynote earlier this year, showing off the ability to add photos, files, drawings, links, notes, and more to a virtual canvas, either by yourself or with others. Of course, Freeform also integrates with other Apple apps — the app has buttons that let you launch a discussion... Continue reading…

Yuga Labs may have landed the Bored Ape Yacht Club in hot water. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge On Thursday, December 8th, Scott+Scott Attorneys at Law LLP filed a class action complaint on behalf of plaintiffs Adam Titcher and Adonis Real with the United States Central District Court of California, Western Division. The complaint targets the company Yuga Labs Inc., most famously known for its Bored Ape Yacht Club NFT collection. However, other defendants include a long list of celebrities deemed responsible for unrealistically hyping up the value of Yuga Labs’ intangible goods.A report by Deadline also pointed out that some of the defendants cited in the class action include Justin Bieber, Paris Hilton, Madonna, Jimmy Fallon, and Kevin Hart, among others.Some of the specific charges include violations of unfair competition... Continue reading…

FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried, who’s been arrested. | Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images And an important fusion energy announcement is expected later today. Continue reading…

Race Routes is now officially live in watchOS 9.2. | Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge watchOS 9.2 started rolling out today along with the iOS 16.2 update, and with it comes two new running features: Automatic Track Detection and Race Routes. The former uses Apple Maps and GPS to detect the exact lane of a track you’re running on, while the latter lets you race against your past self on your favorite routes. Additionally, the Apple Watch Ultra can now get up to 17 hours in Low Power Mode during multisport activities.Automatic Track Detection can tell whenever you arrive at any standard 400-meter outdoor track. Runners will be prompted to select the lane at the start of an Outdoor Run workout. (If you have to run to the track itself, you’ll be prompted during the workout after arriving.) During track workouts, you’ll also... Continue reading…

The App Store may no longer be the only place to get software for your iPhone or iPad. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Apple is planning to let users install alternative app stores on iOS, according to a report from Bloomberg. The shift would be a remarkable change from the company, which has famously only allowed iPhone and iPad users to download apps from the App Store.The plans are reportedly being spurred on by the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which is meant to enact “rules for digital gatekeepers to ensure open markets” when its restrictions become a requirement in 2024, according to a press release.

Amazon shrunk its second-gen Echo for your car, but it hasn’t gotten any more useful. Continue reading…

Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge It sounded like a really nice holiday extra: you could tip your hard-working Amazon delivery driver by simply using your Alexa device (or the app on your phone) to thank your driver, and they would get a $5 tip from the company.The program started on December 7th and was probably meant to publicize Amazon’s new feature that allowed users to thank their drivers through their Alexa apps. Available to all US delivery drivers delivering on behalf of Amazon, it didn’t last long. Amazon only offered the virtual tips in response to the first one million thank you’s — and that $5 million was apparently used up within a couple of days. When you thank your driver, you will get an acknowledgment. According to Lauren Samaha,... Continue reading…

Instagram’s take on BeReal is called “Candid.” | Image: Instagram Instagram is announcing a suite of new features that could be big focuses for the company in 2023, including a BeReal clone called Candid Stories, the ability to post very short text “Notes,” and groups.Candid Stories appear to mirror much of what has made BeReal popular. You’ll be able to share an image that includes a snapshot from both your front and back cameras, and you’ll be able to take a candid from a daily notification reminder. You’ll also be able to snap candids from the Stories camera or a multi-author Story.Instagram confirmed it was testing this feature earlier this year, and Candid Stories will launch first as a test in South Africa beginning Tuesday, according to The Wall Street Journal. If you just want to take a photo... Continue reading…

The high-powered Nova Laser before it creates nuclear fusion inside its target chamber at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in 1986. | Photo by Roger Ressmeyer/Corbis/VCG via Getty Images On Tuesday, December 13th, scientists with the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory announced that they’d achieved “fusion ignition.” The Verge has an updated post on the news here.A “scientific breakthrough” in the development of fusion energy is expected tomorrow from the Biden administration. For more than half a century, people have poured billions of dollars into nuclear fusion research, hoping to create a source of abundant, clean energy.The rough idea is this: if we develop technology that can replicate the way the sun generates energy in a controlled way, we could power the world with energy that’s free of greenhouse gas emissions and long-lived radioactive waste. But scientists have been unable to trigger a fusion reaction... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Qualcomm has new Wi-Fi 7-capable chipsets that are part of its new “Immersive Home Platform” — built for home networking manufacturers that are ready to integrate the upcoming IEEE 802.11BE specification into its devices.The new Qualcomm chips are currently being sampled to companies that make home routers and mesh Wi-Fi devices and are expected to be available in the second half of 2023. Once it is, you can expect to see far more Wi-Fi 7 routers to choose from — at more affordable price points — than the current options of TP-Link’s BE900 or Deco BE-series mesh routers. Image: Qualcomm Lots of routers today already use Qualcomm’s Wi-Fi chips, whether they’re Wi-Fi 6 or Wi-Fi 6E, including models like the Netgear... Continue reading…

The west gate entrance to the US Department of Energy’s Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in Livermore, California, US, on Monday, December 12th, 2022. | Photo by David Paul Morris / Bloomberg via Getty Images For the first time, researchers have created a fusion reaction that resulted in a net energy gain. The results, from the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, mark a significant step on the very long road toward generating clean energy from nuclear fusion.“Last week, lo and behold, indeed, they shot a bunch of lasers at a pellet of fuel, and more energy was released from that fusion ignition than the energy of the lasers going in,” White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Arati Prabhakar said at a press conference announcing the achievement in Washington, DC, today. “I just think this is such a tremendous example of what perseverance really can achieve.”“A tremendous example of what perseverance... Continue reading…

Jake Sully and his daughter Kiri floating in the ocean. | Image: Disney James Cameron’s second Avatar movie is a visually stunning but narratively uninspired return to Pandora that drowns some of its best ideas in military morass. Continue reading…

Photo by Frazer Harrison / Getty Images for Coachella Pedro Eustache’s viral performance at The Game Awards was just one of many such moments he’s had over his decades-long career. Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge DoNotPay, the company that bills itself as “the world’s first robot lawyer,” is launching a new AI-powered chatbot that can help you negotiate bills and cancel subscriptions without having to deal with customer service.In a demo of the tool posted by DoNotPay CEO Joshua Browder, the chatbot manages to get a discount on a Comcast internet bill through Xfinity’s live chat. Once it connects with a customer service representative, the bot asks for a better rate using account details provided by the customer. The chatbot cites problems with Xfinity’s services and threatens to take legal action, to which the representative responds by offering to take $10 off the customer’s monthly internet bill.

Illustration: The Verge About 12 hours after we learned authorities in the Bahamas have arrested FTX co-founder and former CEO Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF), the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) revealed the first of multiple sets of charges he’ll face. Those were quickly followed by another civil lawsuit filed by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and, finally, criminal charges filed by the US attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York.The criminal charges were filed last Friday and unsealed today. They include eight counts that cover allegations of wire fraud against customers and those who lent money to his firms, securities fraud, and money laundering.The SEC complaint accuses Bankman-Fried of executing a “years-long... Continue reading…

The Eve Motion sensor is one of the first smart home devices that will work with Matter. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge Christmas has come a little early for the smart home: the first Matter-compatible devices are finally here. Starting today, December 12th, Eve Systems is beginning the roll-out of a firmware update to its Thread-enabled Eve Energy smart plug, Eve Door & Window contact sensor, and Eve Motion motion sensor to upgrade them to Matter.Matter is a new smart home standard that will allow devices such as smart plugs, light bulbs, and door locks to work with any platform you choose. Up until now, Eve’s devices have only been compatible with Apple Home. With this update, they’ll work with the Samsung SmartThings ecosystem, as well as Google Home and Amazon Alexa (once those platforms roll out their Matter updates).While Matter officially... Continue reading…

Hayao Mizayaki | Photo by Frazer Harrison / Getty Images The next release from famed animation house Studio Ghibli is due to hit Japan next year. How Do You Live (still a tentative title), the latest feature directed by Hayao Miyazaki, will be in theaters in the country on July 14th, 2023. There’s no word on the international release yet, but as part of the announcement, Ghibli also put out this new poster for the film:

Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge It’s the holiday shopping season, and although people are once again visiting stores in person, most of us are also (or only) shopping online. That means there are a lot of packages being sent and received — and, unfortunately, stolen. Social networks and the media are full of warnings about “porch pirates,” thieves who take packages that are sitting in front of peoples’ doors. According to Security.org, 49 million Americans have had at least one package stolen in the past 12 months.Whether or not there are more packages being stolen these days than before, the fact is that none of us want to have to deal with deliveries that have been mislaid, misdelivered, or misappropriated. While no method is foolproof, here are some ways you can... Continue reading…

High on Life | Image: Squanch Games The latest release from Squanch Games, led by Rick and Morty co-creator Justin Roiland, is an absurdist sci-fi adventure. Continue reading…

Photo by ALASTAIR PIKE / AFP via Getty Images WordPress founder Matt Mullenweg says the New York Post’s 2020 story on Hunter Biden forced parent company Automattic to weigh difficult moderation questions for the WordPress VIP hosting service — although the company concluded it shouldn’t take any action on the story.In October 2020, the Post ran a report based on material it said came from an abandoned Biden laptop. Facebook and Twitter temporarily restricted links to the story as questions about the provenance of the laptop’s content swirled: Facebook limited its spread under potential misinformation rules, while Twitter placed a more extreme ban on links to it, citing rules against posting hacked materials. (It had previously enforced those rules against leaked police department... Continue reading…

The feature prompts you to turn in the direction of the satellite. | Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge Emergency SOS via satellite, a new safety feature introduced with the iPhone 14 that lets users contact emergency services when they don’t have regular cellular or Wi-Fi signal, is now available in select European countries. The feature launched in the US and Canada last month, but as of today it’s available in France, Germany, Ireland, and the UK.The feature is aimed at helping iPhone owners in emergency situations by letting them send messages (but not make traditional phone calls) to emergency services if cellular or Wi-Fi connectivity isn’t an option. After you try, and fail, to call emergency services the traditional way, the iPhone 14 will prompt you to “Report Emergency” and will present you with a questionnaire to gather... Continue reading…

Tim Cook being shown an iPhone. | Image: Tim Cook Tim Cook has tweeted an admission that Apple uses Sony image sensors in its iPhones as part of the CEO’s supplier tour of Japan. “We’ve been partnering with Sony for over a decade to create the world’s leading camera sensors for iPhone,” Cook tweeted, and thanked Sony CEO Kenichiro Yoshida for showing him around the Kumamoto facility. A photo shows Cook being shown his company’s own smartphone, which is objectively very funny.Apple largely keeps tight-lipped about the specifics of the hardware components that go into each iPhone, so outright confirming that it’s used Sony camera sensors for over a decade is notable. Apple’s website tends to just list the specs of each iPhone’s camera — such as resolution, aperture, and field of view —... Continue reading…

Reports also claim that the US has filed criminal charges against. | Photo: Getty Images Just over one month after the crypto exchange FTX filed for bankruptcy, Ryan Pinder, the Attorney General of the Bahamas, announced the arrest of its founder and former CEO, Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF).According to a notice, the arrest came after the US government informed the Bahamas of criminal charges filed against Bankman-Fried and said it’s likely to request his extradition from the nation where he was residing, and which had served as a base of operations for FTX. The US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Damian Williams, confirmed the arrest, saying in a statement that “We expect to move to unseal the indictment in the morning and will have more to say at that time.”