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by Jess Weatherbed on (#6QGBC)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The partnership announced by Samsung, Qualcomm, and Google last year is developing a pair of mixed reality smart glasses that link to the wearer's smartphone, according to Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon. It's going to be a new product," Amon told CNBC in a recent interview.What I really expect to come out of this partnership, I want everyone that has a phone to go buy companion glasses to go along with it," said Amon. I think we need to get to the point that the glasses are going to be no different than wearing regular glasses or sunglasses. And then with that, we can get scale."Information about the project has been extremely slim since the XR partnership was announced back in February 2023. While the companies never specified what... Continue reading...
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The Verge - All Posts
| Link | https://www.theverge.com/ |
| Feed | http://www.theverge.com/rss/index.xml |
| Updated | 2024-11-23 00:30 |
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by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy on (#6QGBD)
Roborock's Q-Revo Curv is a complete redesign of the company's robot vacuum and dock. | Image: Roborock With the ability to lift itself up to get over room transitions as high as 40mm, fluffy rugs, and other possible obstacles, Roborock's new Qrevo Curve could be a sign that the stair-climbing robot vacuum is almost here.To be clear, Roborock hasn't said this, but based on how fast this company - and others - are innovating in this space, it feels like we're really not that far away. SharkNinja also announced a new robot vaccum with lifting capabilities this week, and the other companies are likely not far behind.Whether we need stair-climbing robovacs is a question I'm not sure I have the answer to yet. Image: Roborock the Qrevo Curv has a sleeker, curvier dock that can auto=empty the bin and clean and refill... Continue reading...
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by Thomas Ricker on (#6QGBF)
Neo can take off and land in the palm of your hand. | Photo by Thomas Ricker / The Verge Priced for mass adoption, you still get a surprisingly capable 4K 30FPS drone that can launch and land in the palm of your hand. Continue reading...
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by Antonio G. Di Benedetto on (#6QGBE)
Of course, when you're plugged into your charger, that's probably the one time you definitely don't need to track it. | Image: Twelve South We all misplace our keys or wallets from time to time, but how many times have you lost your laptop charger? If the answer is even just once, then Twelve South may have the wall charger for you.The $69.99 PlugBug 50 and $119.99 PlugBug 120 are the first USB-C wall chargers to include Find My support, allowing Apple users to track their charger just like they do an iPhone, iPad, or AirTag. Furthermore, each charger can also beep to help you locate it or alert you if you leave it behind at home or the office.The chargers themselves are capable of, as their names imply, 50W and 120W of total output. The PlugBug 50 offers two USB-C ports, and the PlugBug 120 has four. The former should have enough power to simultaneously charge a... Continue reading...
by Allison Johnson on (#6QG8W)
The Magic V3 is barely thicker than a standard slab phone. | Image: Honor Honor is releasing its Magic V3 foldable in Europe following its debut in China earlier this summer. It's not hard to spot the V3's headline feature, which is its incredibly slim profile. It's all the more striking in a category stacked with thick, bulky devices, but like so many other interesting foldable phones, it won't be sold in the US.When folded, the Magic V3 measures 9.2mm thick. That's not a whole lot more than a traditional slab phone like the Galaxy S24 Ultra (8.6mm) or an iPhone 15 Pro (8.3mm). It's a lot thinner than the Galaxy Z Fold 6, which is 12.1mm when it's folded, and it just beats the 10.5mm Pixel 9 Pro Fold. Impressive.The Magic V3 offers a sizable 6.43-inch outer screen and 7.92-inch inner screen, a massive... Continue reading...
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by Allison Johnson on (#6QG8X)
I want this to be me. | Image: TCL TCL is launching two new midrange Nxtpaper phones with matte displays designed to be easy on your eyes. The TCL 50 Pro Nxtpaper 5G and 50 Nxtpaper 5G follow a couple of budget models launched earlier this year with one important feature update: a button that puts the display into - and I quote - Max Ink Mode." Hell yes, gimme that quasi-E Ink mode to the max. They're launching in Europe first, and I have my fingers crossed that they'll come to the US later, too.The Nxtpaper key" is a two-stage slider that puts the display into a reader-friendly monochrome mode mimicking e-ink. Flipping Max Ink Mode on also silences notifications and renders app icons in a wireframe style as if you were using an E Ink display, which is friggin'... Continue reading...
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by Jess Weatherbed on (#6QG8Y)
The deal is expected to close in 18 months, if it gets past regulatory approval. | Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge Verizon has entered an agreement to acquire the fiber internet provider Frontier in an all-cash deal valued at $20 billion. In its press release announcing the transaction, Verizon says the deal will significantly expand Verizon's fiber footprint across the nation, accelerating the company's delivery of premium mobility and broadband services to current and new customers."The deal with Frontier may help Verizon regain its old Fios subscribers, after some of its wireline operations - including Fios fiber internet connections - were purchased by Frontier in 2015 for $10.5 billion. Frontier's existing 2.2 million fiber subscribers in 25 states will now join Verizon's approximately 7.4 million Fios connections in nine states. Frontier... Continue reading...
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by Andrew Liszewski on (#6QG6A)
The Segway-Ninebot ZT3 Pro has six inches of ground clearance thanks to 11-inch tubeless tires. | Image: Segway-Ninebot The new Segway-Ninebot ZT3 Pro is the company's first electric scooter that's designed to handle terrain considerably rougher than the average urban commute.Weighing a hefty 65.5lbs, the ZT3 Pro pairs 11-inch tubeless tires with a fork suspension on the front, a coil suspension swing arm on the back, and six inches of ground clearance beneath its deck. That setup should not only provide a smoother ride when going off road but also help reduce the risk of the ZT3 Pro bottoming out when traversing uneven terrain.Powered by a 1,600-watt electric motor, the US version of the ZT3 Pro will have a top speed of 24.9mph and a maximum range of 18.6 miles in its full-power sport mode. Switching to a much slower eco mode will boost the scooter's... Continue reading...
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by Andrew J. Hawkins on (#6QG6B)
Image: BMW Toyota and BMW are updating their partnership in hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, signing a new memorandum of understanding to accelerate the development of next-generation, zero-emission vehicles. BMW will launch its first hydrogen-powered model in 2028.Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe, but automakers have struggled to market fuel cell vehicles to the public. A severe lack of fueling infrastructure outside of California in the US has prevented hydrogen from becoming as popular or prevalent as battery-electric cars. And vehicle sales have essentially collapsed: only 322 fuel cell vehicles were sold in the US in the first half of 2024, 82 percent lower than a year ago.Toyota and BMW think they can overcome these... Continue reading...
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by Umar Shakir on (#6QG6D)
Like an El Camino with hydros, this robot vacuum tilts and lifts. | Image: SharkNinja SharkNinja has a new 2-in-1 robot vacuum and mop that picks itself up over rugs, high-pile carpet, and other obstacles to both prevent the transfer of wet messes and to help get out of situations where it might get stuck. The lift tilts the robot up to 20mm, which is amongst the highest alongside the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra. But SharkNinja claims no other robot vacuum on the market is designed to lift the entire robot.Boldly called the PowerDetect NeverTouch Pro with NeverStuck" technology, SharkNinja claims its robot vacuum and mop 2-in-1 will, well, never get stuck. And, along with its included Pro Base auto-empty station, you won't need to touch it for up to 30 days. Image: SharkNinja SharkNinja won't be... Continue reading...
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by Gaby Del Valle on (#6QG6C)
Illustration: Nick Barclay / The Verge Meta should allow users to post aspirational" statements for Venezuelan paramilitary groups to be killed, the Oversight Board ruled in a decision released on Thursday. The board's ruling involves two posts on Facebook and Instagram in the wake of Venezuela's contested presidential election, both of which were captioned with calls for violence against members of paramilitary groups, called colectivos. The board found that these posts were statements expressing a hope that violent actors will be killed," rather than specific calls for violence, and therefore said they don't violate Meta's rules.The board's decision noted the limited outlets for free expression" in Venezuela and the colectivos' role in the violent crackdown against... Continue reading...
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by Jess Weatherbed on (#6QG6E)
Content showing intimidation and non-violent aggression is also being restricted. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge YouTube is adjusting its algorithm to restrict videos showing non-violent aggression and idealized physical appearances from being promoted to teenagers on the platform. In a new blog post, YouTube says that such content may be innocuous as a single video" but it could be problematic for some teens if viewed repetitively."The restrictions aim to prevent younger users from falling into harmful rabbit hole" content pipelines without preventing them from viewing such videos entirely, as many are compliant with YouTube's content guidelines. Teens are more likely than adults to form negative beliefs about themselves when seeing repeated messages about ideal standards in content they consume online," YouTube said.The new safeguards are... Continue reading...
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by Wes Davis on (#6QG4A)
Belkin has announced its latest portable chargers at IFA 2024, and among them are two new Qi2-certified BoostCharge Pro magnetic wireless travel chargers that, in many ways, pick up where Apple's discontinued MagSafe Duo left off.A $119 two-in-one model features a 15-watt Qi2 magnetic charging pad and a flip-up Apple Watch puck, while the $129.99 version adds a 5W nonmagnetic Qi charging pad for devices such as AirPods. Both products, like Apple's MagSafe Duo, are made up of square pads that fold into a stack for easy stowing.Each of the chargers can either be unfolded flat or tented for StandBy mode, Apple's feature that can turn certain iPhone models into something like a digital clock or smart home controller when charging in... Continue reading...
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by Umar Shakir on (#6QG4B)
Eufy's updated Permanent Outdoor Lights. | Image: Eufy Eufy, the smart home product company under Anker, is launching new smart lights, including new permanent outdoor lights that can change color depending on who is walking up to your house. It works by communicating with Eufy's video doorbells and security cameras and can be set to turn into, say, a welcoming soft white light for your family member.Another example Anker provided is that it can switch to a harsh bright red for unrecognized folks approaching late at night. That might be a problem for early morning shift Amazon delivery workers, but if you can get each of their faces registered, maybe they all can get a thumbs-up bright green light!The Permanent Outdoor Lights E22 are newer, brighter versions of the existing E120 model with... Continue reading...
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by Umar Shakir on (#6QG4C)
Yes, it does remind me of a macaron. | Image: Anker At IFA 2024, Anker announced a slate of new charging accessories, including a new portable 3-in-1 Qi2 charger. The new MagGo 3-in-1 foldable pad unravels into three wireless pucks tethered by rubbery straps: a Qi2-certified 15W charger on one end, a 5W Apple-certified Watch charger on the other, and a 5W Qi puck in the middle that also houses the USB-C power input port.The new Anker 3-in-1 seems inspired by Twelve South's Butterfly charger design, including its ability to fold back as a kickstand for an iPhone while charging. Still, the Butterfly only charges an iPhone and Apple Watch. Anker's is available today for $88.99 and comes in black, white, and pink, with a green one launching after October." Image: Umar... Continue reading...
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by Wes Davis on (#6QG4D)
The Belkin SoundForm Isolate give you ANC at a budget-friendly price. | Images: Belkin Belkin just revealed some updates to its SoundForm line of budget wireless headphones, adding two new closed-back, over-ear models and two sets of earbuds. Both earbuds are available now, while the new over-ear models are expected later this year.The most notable of these is the $59.99 SoundForm Isolate, a pair of over-ear wireless headphones that offers active noise cancellation (ANC) and a Hear-Thru" transparency mode. They've also got a built-in, looping ambient noise Relaxation" track. Images: Belkin Belkin's SoundForm Surround headphones are nearly identical to the SoundForm Isolate. Those features aside, the Isolate and the $39.99 SoundForm Surround share all the same specs, like 40mm drivers, touch... Continue reading...
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by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy on (#6QG4E)
Philips Hue announced a partnership with Nobilia to bring integrated smart lighting to its new kitchens. | Image: Signify Philips Hue is finally getting into smart under-cabinet kitchen lighting. But as it's Hue, they are doing it in the most expensive way possible, and it will be at least a year before it comes to the US. Still, the new fully integrated smart lighting solution looks a pretty sweet solution if you hanker for full-color lighting to go with your avocado and toast - with no plugs or wires in sight.This week at the IFA tech show in Berlin, Philips Hue's parent company, Signify, announced a partnership with Nobilia, Europe's largest kitchen manufacturer, that integrates custom Philips Hue smart lights into its kitchen furniture.To date, Hue has only offered plug-in light strips controllable by wireless switches, hardwiring them into your... Continue reading...
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by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy on (#6QG4F)
The second-gen Philips Hue Play HDMI sync box featuring 8K and 2.1 HDMI is now available | Image: Philips Hue The rumored Philips Hue Play HDMI sync box 8K has been officially announced and is now available to buy. It'll cost you $350, though - a $50 bump from the first-gen model. Hue promises this version will bring even more impressive music, movie, and gaming entertainment immersion with no latency and ultra-fast refresh rates.According to Philips Hue, the new sync box adds support for the HDMI 2.1 video standard, can handle resolutions up to 8K, and refresh rates up to 120Hz. It supports Dolby Vision and HDR10 Plus content at up to 8K at 60Hz for video content and 4K at 120Hz for console gaming.The sync box uses HDMI inputs to sync your Philips Hue lights in time with the content on your screen, flashing and splashing colorful lighting... Continue reading...
by Justine Calma on (#6QG2D)
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge; Netflix The Verge spoke with Bill Gates about AI, misinformation, andclimate change. Continue reading...
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by Gaby Del Valle on (#6QG2F)
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge A coalition of consumer protection and anti-waste groups wants the Federal Trade Commission to go after software tethering," or the practice of tying hardware's functionality to external software - which often renders products unusable after software updates stop.The groups, including Consumer Reports, iFixIt, US PIRG, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Center for Economic Justice, and Californians Against Waste, have signed onto a letter asking the FTC to create clear guidance" on software tethering. While the FTC has taken some limited actions with regard to this issue, a lack of clarity and enforcement has led to an ecosystem where consumers cannot reliably count on the connected products they buy to last," the letter reads.T... Continue reading...
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by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy on (#6QG2E)
The Voice Mate H1 is a small button-like microphone you lift to activate and then can issue smart home commands to. | Image: Aqara Smart home company Aqara has announced the Voice Mate H1 - a home automation voice control system activated by picking up a small puck rather than its microphone always listening for its wake word. The company is also launching its first outdoor camera, the Camera Hub G5 Pro, which, like its other cameras, will work with Apple's HomeKit Secure Video.These products, along with a new garage door controller, smart valve shut-off device, and new smart switches (for Europe only), were announced at the IFA tech show this week. Aqara hasn't provided pricing or availability yet.While smart speakers and phones with built-in voice assistants are easy ways to control your smart home, by design, they are always listening for their wake word.... Continue reading...
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by Andrew Liszewski on (#6QG2G)
The Ki standard could help reduce the number of power cables clogging your kitchen. | Screenshot: YouTube The Wireless Power Consortium (WPC) has announced that it's releasing the finalized specifications for the Ki wireless power transfer standard that will allow smaller kitchen appliances such as toasters and blenders to operate without the need for power cords. It's not available to consumers just yet but could be just around the corner, as appliance makers will be able to submit products for Ki certification before the end of the year.By now, many of us already take advantage of the convenience of Qi and Qi2 wireless chargers. Using a principle called electromagnetic induction where a magnetic field is used to generate an electrical current, Qi devices allow smaller electronics like smartphones and headphones to be simply positioned on... Continue reading...
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by Emma Roth on (#6QFVK)
Illustration: The Verge X has won an appeal to block parts of California's content moderation law, which requires social platforms to publicly post policies against hate speech and misinformation, as well as submit semiannual reports on their enforcement efforts. A federal appeals court decided on Wednesday that the reporting aspect of the law likely violates the First Amendment, as reported earlier by Bloomberg Law.In the lawsuit, filed against California last year, X alleged the state's social media law violates free speech because it compels companies like X Corp. to engage in speech against their will." A California judge later denied X's request for a preliminary injunction of the law, arguing that the enforcement reporting requirement doesn't appear to... Continue reading...
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by Sheena Vasani on (#6QFVM)
Image: NSA The National Security Agency (NSA) will start sharing stories about some of the agency's past missions in a new podcast. Dubbed No Such Podcast, the podcast will initially focus on foreign signals intelligence and cybersecurity in the first two episodes, both of which will be available to listen to starting tomorrow, September 5th.For years, the work of the NSA has been a closely kept secret. Then, in 2013, former agency contractor Edward Snowden leaked secret information about surveillance programs like PRISM and Boundless Informant. Outrage and intense debate over the agency's actions quickly followed, and it continues to this day.Now, we'll find out what the NSA chooses to reveal in interviews with its experts.
by Gaby Del Valle on (#6QFVN)
Illustration by Laura Normand / The Verge Elon Musk is a self-proclaimed free speech absolutist." He's declared himself so committed to the unfettered, open exchange of ideas that he's said the only way X would let a government suppress speech on its platform is at gunpoint." All of this explains why Musk recently allowed X to be banned in Brazil rather than comply with the country's mandate that the social media platform block certain accounts.It does far less to explain Musk's history of doing that very thing in other countries - often at the behest of right-wing or authoritarian regimes.
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by Lauren Feiner on (#6QFVP)
Illustration: The Verge The Russian government is once again trying to influence the US presidential election, the Biden administration says.In a series of actions across the government on Wednesday, several agencies sought to crack down on alleged disinformation campaigns targeting the November election. The government alleges that Russian actors operated websites and social media accounts that spread propaganda furthering Russian interests and even created fake social media personas to comment on posts to make their efforts more believable. In one of the alleged influence campaigns, Russian-controlled media outlet RT financed a Tennessee company that gained millions of views on videos posted to YouTube, according to the US. The announcements came as the... Continue reading...
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by Emma Roth on (#6QFS2)
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge Verizon's next big acquisition might be Frontier. Reports from The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg suggest that Verizon is in advanced talks" to acquire the communications provider, with a potential announcement coming as soon as this week.Joining forces with Frontier could help Verizon expand its fiber footprint - by clawing back some of its old Fios subscribers. In 2015, Frontier bought Verizon's wireline operations, including Fios fiber internet connections, across three states for $10.5 billion.With AT&T going deeper into fiber and T-Mobile planning to acquire fiber provider Metronet, Verizon executives may have decided that now's a good time to get back into the business. During the Bank of America Securities conference today,... Continue reading...
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by Chris Welch on (#6QFS3)
Image: Roku Roku is the latest company to lean into the trend of throwing artwork onto your TV screen, offering viewers some serene relaxation time when they're not actively watching something. Today the company announced a new feature / app called Backdrops, and it all sounds very familiar.Rolling out first to Roku-branded TVs and third-party Roku TV sets (and then to Roku streaming devices later in the fall"), Backdrops features a catalog that includes famous classics, wide-ranging museum collections, abstract designs, and more."Here's more on what to expect:
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by Emma Roth on (#6QFPB)
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge The Internet Archive has lost its appeal in a fight to lend out scanned ebooks without the approval of publishers. In a decision on Wednesday, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that permitting the Internet Archive's digital library would allow for widescale copying that deprives creators of compensation and diminishes the incentive to produce new works."The decision is another blow to the nonprofit in the Hachette v. Internet Archive case. In 2020, four major publishers - Hachette, Penguin Random House, Wiley, and HarperCollins - sued the Internet Archive over claims its digital library constitutes willful digital piracy on an industrial scale."The Internet Archive has long offered a system called the Open Library, where... Continue reading...
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by Emma Roth on (#6QFJZ)
Image: The Verge Safety regulators are urging the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to investigate the ultracheap e-commerce platforms Shein and Temu. In a statement published Tuesday, two CPSC commissioners say Shein and Temu raise specific concerns," including reports that deadly baby and toddler products are easy to find on these platforms."The statement cites last month's report from The Information, which highlights some of the dangerous products sold on both sites. That includes padded crib bumpers on Temu that have been banned in the US, as well as children's drawstring hoodies on Shein that the CPSC considers a strangulation hazard.CPSC commissioners Peter Feldman and Douglas Dziak say the safety agency should evaluate how Shein,... Continue reading...
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by Tom Warren on (#6QFK0)
Image: Asus Asus is launching its latest NUC mini PC today, complete with Intel's new Core Ultra Series 2 processors. For some reason, Asus has decided to put a dedicated Copilot button on the front of this puck-shaped PC, so you can reach out and launch Microsoft's AI assistant.I'm not entirely sure why you'd want an AI button on a miniature PC that's probably going to sit more than an arm's length away from you on a desk, but it's a button that has now progressed beyond Microsoft's effort to push it on keyboards. Asus also has a fingerprint reader on top of this NUC for Windows Hello authentication, which makes more sense so you can touch the fingerprint reader when you initially power on this mini PC. Image: Asus The full... Continue reading...
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by Andrew J. Hawkins on (#6QFK1)
Image: Volvo Volvo is pushing back its deadline to sell only electric vehicles, now saying it will rely on a mix of hybrids and battery electric vehicles. The company says it will achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions" by 2040.Three years ago, the Swedish automaker made a commitment to only sell EVs by 2030. Since then, EV sales have exploded, but a recent slowdown in growth is leading many manufacturers to reconsider their pledges.Volvo blamed the readjustment on a number of factors, including slower than expected rollout of charging infrastructure, withdrawal of government incentives in some markets and additional uncertainties created by recent tariffs on EVs in various markets."Volvo is now among them, arguing that it will be a... Continue reading...
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by Sheena Vasani on (#6QFK2)
The Galaxy Buds FE remain a good option if you don't like the new open-style Galaxy Buds 3. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Samsung's new Galaxy Buds 3 are nice and all, but that open-ear design and $180 price tag isn't for everybody. If you prefer a pair of buds with a more traditional in-ear design that costs significantly less, the Samsung Galaxy Buds FE are still a good buy and are available for just $61.99 ($38 off) at Woot. That's their best price yet and a deal that'll last until September 14th at 12:59AM ET or while supplies last.The wireless earbuds deliver an excellent set of features for their price. Their active noise cancellation particularly impressed us, but the buds also offer reliable performance and good sound quality. Plus, unlike the open-style Galaxy Buds 3, they feature a wing tip design that could provide for a more secure fit... Continue reading...
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by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy on (#6QFK3)
Thread Group has announced the release of Thread 1.4 spec. | Illustration by Grayson Blackmon / The Verge Thread 1.4 has officially been released, bringing much-needed fixes for the nascent smart home protocol. Chief among these is a solution to the problem of Thread border router interoperability. The new spec also enables better connectivity by leveraging Wi-Fi and ethernet alongside Thread, makes it easier to see what's going on in your Thread network to simplify troubleshooting, and allows manufacturers to connect devices directly to the internet.These updates were announced at CES earlier this year, and today, Thread Group is launching the Thread 1.4 specification and certification program. This means manufacturers can start to implement the upgrades to the spec into their devices.However, the certification process will take some... Continue reading...
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by Jess Weatherbed on (#6QFK4)
The feature is starting to roll out globally this week. | Illustration: Alex Castro / The Verge YouTube is rolling out its new supervision feature globally this week that enables parents and guardians to link their accounts to the accounts of their teenage children. Doing so, according to YouTube, will help parents be more aware of their teen's activity and encourage safe practices around content creation on the platform. Google first teased the feature last month.The accounts can be linked within YouTube's Family Center, allowing parents to see shared insights such as subscriptions, comments, and how many uploads their child has made. Email notifications will also be sent out to both linked accounts to flag notable activity, such as when the teen uploads a new video or starts a livestream. Gif: YouTube H... Continue reading...
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by Andrew Liszewski on (#6QFK5)
Panasonic returns to the US market with a pair of OLED TVs plus a Mini LED model. | Image: Panasonic Panasonic's TVs are returning to the US, starting with a small lineup that includes both OLED and Mini LED models. The company stopped selling its TVs in the US in 2016, three years after ending production of its well-regarded plasma screens. The company is now bringing its TVs back to meet the demands of consumers seeking the highest possible picture quality."Three models are now available in the US: 55- and 65-inch OLED options and a Mini LED TV that goes up to 85 inches for those wanting to go big. Panasonic already sells them internationally with minor regional differences," but in the US, they will continue to run Amazon's Fire TV OS. Image: Panasonic The Panasonic Z95A OLED TV is only available in a... Continue reading...
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by Joanna Nelius on (#6QFK6)
The pop-out controller doubles as a trackpad when docked. | Image: Acer Out of all the new laptops Acer announced at IFA today, Project DualPlay pops out the most. It's a concept laptop that Acer says gives gamers more ways to play on the go, but looking at the design, I'm not sure which gamers it's talking about.For Project DualPlay, Acer took its Predator gaming laptop and added a cutout beneath the keyboard to hold its custom gaming controller face-down. The back of the controller doubles as the laptop's trackpad. A button at the top of the keyboard releases the controller and causes two 5W speakers to pop out from the sides of the laptop. The controller can be further separated into two gamepads, Nintendo Switch-style.Acer's press release says Project DualPlay lets a second person join you just as... Continue reading...
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by Chris Welch on (#6QFF1)
Image: Beats If there's one product that Beats has taken its sweet time upgrading, it's the Powerbeats Pro. Released back in 2019, these wireless earbuds (and their signature ear hooks) have sat in the company's product lineup ever since with no meaningful hardware changes. But the time has finally come for an all-new model. Today, Beats released a teaser for the Powerbeats Pro 2, which will be released sometime in 2025.In the clip, we see the in-ear fit of the revamped design showcased by baseball sensation Shohei Ohtani. Fans of the ear hooks will be happy to see that they haven't gone anywhere; if you want a hook-free design, Beats offers plenty of other options, including the Beats Fit Pro, Studio Buds Plus, and Solo Buds.
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by Emma Roth on (#6QFF2)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Intel's chipmaking business may have run into a bit of a snag, as recent tests using the company's next-gen manufacturing process have failed, according to Reuters.To carry out the tests, Intel reportedly sent Broadcom's silicon wafers - or the components used as a semiconductor's base - through its more efficient 18A manufacturing process. After examining the results, Broadcom found that the process isn't ready for high-volume production, Reuters reports.The 18A process is a key part of Intel's plan to reestablish itself as a leading chipmaker. Intel has been developing this technology for a few years now, and it plans to start producing chips using the process with major partners like Microsoft starting next year. However, the... Continue reading...
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by Thomas Ricker on (#6QFF3)
The new Tado X lineup of products is coming to the UK in November. | Image: Tado The Tado X range of heating products, which launched in Europe earlier this year with support for the Matter smart home protocol, is coming to the UK in early November.As a refresher, the Tado X lineup includes wired and wireless versions of the new thermostat, a smart radiator thermostat, a wireless temperature sensor, and a heat pump optimizer that interoperate to create a smart heating system in your home. The X range runs on Matter-over-Thread and includes an optional Bridge X, which acts as a Thread border router (for homes that don't already have one) to connect each Tado X device to your home's Wi-Fi and ethernet network.Tado is using an upcoming energy price increase in the UK as a selling point for its new X range.... Continue reading...
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by Adi Robertson on (#6QFF4)
Photo by John Lamparski / AFP via Getty Images Meta's semi-independent Oversight Board says the company made the right call in letting Facebook users post pro-Palestine messages with the phrase from the river to the sea."In a decision published today, the board concluded the slogan has multiple meanings and is used by people in various ways and with different intentions." Consequently, it shouldn't be removed under hate speech policies unless it's accompanied by other violating content - like explicitly antisemitic sentiments or praise for terrorist groups.Following the October 7th attack on Israel by Hamas and the subsequent retaliation by Israel, online service operators were faced with a flood of posts and videos related to the conflict, particularly posts that supported... Continue reading...
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by Andrew Webster on (#6QFBK)
Image: Warner Bros. Pictures Move over, Detective Pikachu, there's an even stranger live-action video game movie on the way. And by that, I mean Warner Bros. just released the first teaser trailer for A Minecraft Movie. The film features actual humans and a slightly realistic CG take on Minecraft. But when you mix the game's iconic blocky style with real life, you get, well, this: Image: Warner Bros. Pictures Unsettling imagery aside, A Minecraft Movie looks like some silly family fun, with lots of one-liners, large-scale battles, and Jack Black exclaiming I am Steve!" very proudly. And obviously, there's both mining and crafting. Aside from Black, the movie also stars Jason Momoa, Emma Myers, Danielle Brooks, Sebastian Eugene Hansen, and... Continue reading...
by Joanna Nelius on (#6QFBM)
Image: Acer At IFA today, Acer announced it's expanding its Swift AI laptop line with models featuring Intel's new Lunar Lake chips, Qualcomm's just-announced eight-core Snapdragon X Plus, and AMD's Ryzen AI 300. And, it claims, each of them can theoretically last over 24 hours playing back video or over 17 hours in productivity tests.If you buy them with their IPS panels and 65 watt-hour batteries, Acer claims the new $1,199 Swift 14 AI and $999 Swift Go 14 AI can last:
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by Emma Roth on (#6QFBP)
Image: Zillow Zillow is upgrading its AI search feature with the ability to find homes or rentals based on how far away they are from your office, school, or other points of interest. Instead of narrowing your search by selecting specific locations or filters, you can now simply enter, Homes 30 min drive from Millennium Park."This will be very handy for people like me. I'm always searching for dream homes in spots that I'm not familiar with, and now I'll be able to search for homes near Disney World" rather than casting a huge net over the entirety of Orlando.Zillow will also let you search for homes to buy or rent based on affordability, such as Seattle homes under $4,000 monthly." Zillow first rolled out AI search last year, allowing you to... Continue reading...
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by Charles Pulliam-Moore on (#6QFBN)
Image: Nintendo Zelda's first mainline game feels like a clever crystallization of the franchise's recent experimental era. Continue reading...
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by Wes Davis on (#6QFBQ)
The GoPro Hero 13 Black with some attachments. | Image: GoPro GoPro has announced two new action cameras, the GoPro Hero 13 Black and a smaller GoPro Hero. The Hero 13 Black will cost $399 while the Hero will go for $199. Both are up for preorder now and will be released on September 10th and September 22nd, respectively.Some of the new features GoPro is adding to the 13 Black include magnetic mounting and charging, three new lenses, and a redesigned battery that the company says has a 10 percent higher capacity than its predecessor.The Hero 13 Black comes with in-camera noise reduction and can record HLG HDR video and 10-bit video in G-Log. It also sports a new burst slo-mo mode that can record 720p video at up to 400 frames per second, 900p at 360fps, and 5.3K at 120fps. The camera also... Continue reading...
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by Sean Hollister on (#6QFBR)
Acer has so far stayed out of the handheld gaming PC race, but that's about to change. It's just announced its first Steam Deck and Asus ROG Ally competitor, the Acer Nitro Blaze 7, which looks like it fits somewhere between last year's Asus ROG Ally and the newer ROG Ally X.Like Asus - but unlike most rivals - it features a 7-inch 1080p variable refresh rate IPS screen to keep things smooth, one that refreshes slightly faster at 144Hz. (Acer tells The Verge it's a landscape-native screen.) It's also got a newer Ryzen 7 8840HS chip, albeit with the same Radeon 780M integrated GPU as most other Windows handhelds.With 16GB of 7500 MT/s memory and a 50 watt-hour battery, it's a step ahead of the original Ally's 6400 MT/s memory and 40Wh... Continue reading...
by Andrew Webster on (#6QFBS)
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Sony After eight years in development, it took less than a month for Concord to die.Yesterday, Sony announced that the game, which only launched on August 23rd, would be shutting down on September 6th. Ryan Ellis, game director at developer Firewalk Studios, said that it didn't land the way we'd intended." That seems to be an understatement: the game is going offline, full refunds are being issued, and it's unclear if Concord will ever come back. While the speed at which the game ended may be surprising, the fact that it happened isn't. Concord is just the latest victim of publishers chasing the live-service trend with outsize expectations. Unfortunately, there's only so much room - and Concord was too generic to find space.It's easy to... Continue reading...
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by Tom Warren on (#6QFBT)
Image: Qualcomm Google has committed to releasing an Arm64 version of Google Drive on Windows later this year, after Microsoft and Qualcomm have been working hard to convince app developers to port their applications over to Windows on Arm.Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon made the announcement onstage at the company's IFA event earlier today, where he also revealed that both NordVPN and ExpressVPN will be available on Qualcomm's Snapdragon laptops today.VPN apps and Google Drive have been noticeably absent on the latest Copilot Plus PCs because they needed to be updated for Windows on Arm. Google currently blocks Drive on the latest Qualcomm-powered devices, but it's clear Qualcomm and Microsoft have managed to convince the search giant to invest in... Continue reading...
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by Sean Hollister on (#6QF91)
Image: Qualcomm Qualcomm launched its first big wave of Windows laptops this summer at $999 and up - but a new, somewhat weaker chip could soon shave off at least $100. Today, the company's announcing its first 8-core Snapdragon X Plus chips, which will feature in a new Asus Zenbook S 15 and Dell Inspiron 14 that'll retail for $899 each.While the new Qualcomm chips have all the same features as the 10-core and 12-core models, they're decidedly weaker in some ways - especially graphics. On average, they've got less than half the GPU power for games and other graphical apps. And while they all feature the same 45 TOPS of AI performance from their NPU, they've also got 12MB less CPU cache. Image: Qualcomm 1.7 teraflops is a lot... Continue reading...