by Dane McMillan on (#6DRQ5)
Every weekend, The Verge's editor-at-large will tell you about the best and Verge-iest stuff you should know about Continue reading...
The Verge
| Link | https://www.theverge.com/ |
| Feed | http://www.theverge.com/rss/index.xml |
| Updated | 2026-03-23 14:49 |
 |
by Antonio G. Di Benedetto on (#6DRQ6)
Image: Poncle Keeping up on the latest news, updates, and musings on this juggernaut of an indie game. Continue reading...
|
 |
by Umar Shakir on (#6DRQ7)
Image: Rockstar Games Rockstar Games is working with a popular mod developer team to bring in official support for roleplay servers to the company's games. Announced today, Rockstar says it's partnering with the Cfx.re team," the creator of the FiveM and RedM modding tools that lets players make and play through entirely custom experiences in games like Grand Theft Auto V and Red Dead Redemption 2.The status of the arrangement isn't entirely clear, even though Rockstar stated in the release that Cfx.re is now officially a part of Rockstar Games," without going into detail about how that's happening.
|
 |
by Justine Calma on (#6DRQ8)
An aerial image taken on August 10th, 2023, shows destroyed homes and buildings on the waterfront burned to the ground in Lahaina in the aftermath of wildfires in western Maui, Hawaii. | Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images Maui faces a long road to recovery from the devastating blazes this week - Hawaii's deadliest natural disaster since 1960. At least 55 people have died. Lahaina, the capital of the Hawaiian Kingdom for a time before the US annexed the islands in 1898, is still smoldering.Fire experts in Hawaii knew the land was primed to burn. It hasn't always been that way; fire risk arrived on the islands relatively recently in Hawaii's history. That risk is growing, but there's a lot that communities can do to adapt.To understand how fire came to be a looming threat in Hawaii and what to do about it, The Verge spoke with Elizabeth Pickett, co-executive director of the Hawaii Wildfire Management Organization. The nonprofit organization works with... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Antonio G. Di Benedetto on (#6DRQ9)
These are the best prices yet on the M2 Pro MacBook Pro. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge If you're in need of a speedy laptop that can handle some extensive creative workflows with long battery life, you'd be hard-pressed to find anything better than Apple's latest crop of MacBook Pros. And with the base-model 14-inch MacBook Pro with M2 Pro processor now selling for $1,749 ($250 off) at Amazon, you won't find a better deal than this right now. But if 512GB isn't enough storage, the 1TB configuration is also on sale for its own all-time low of $2,199 ($300 off) at both Amazon and B&H Photo.The 2023 14-inch MacBook Pro looks just like the redesigned model that came before it in 2021 - which is totally fine since that was an excellent return to form for Apple's Pro laptops. It's got the same MagSafe charger, three Thunderbolt... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Chris Welch on (#6DRQA)
Image: MySmartPrice Bose is nearing the announcement of its latest flagship headphones and earbuds, according to leaked images published by MySmartPrice. Both products will reportedly be branded under a new QuietComfort Ultra" name when they ship in the coming months. The QuietComfort Ultra headphones look like a mashup of the Noise Canceling Headphones 700 and QuietComfort 45; they lean more heavily on the latter's overall design, but you can see some premium upgrades to the headband and ear pads.The $400 Noise Canceling Headphones 700 were announced back in 2019. Technically, they're still the company's top-of-the-line product, so the timing is about right for a sequel. But the fact that Bose came back two years later and announced the QuietComfort 45... Continue reading...
|
by Amrita Khalid on (#6DRKN)
Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images This story originally ran in Hot Pod Insider, a newsletter from The Verge on podcasting and the audio industry. Sign up here.American Public Media and Audacy's Cadence13 will exit a multiyear advertising partnership at the end of August - roughly a year before its intended end date, Hot Pod has learned from APM. Neither company has disclosed the exact reasons for the contract's termination or its timing, though APM cited changing market dynamics" and Audacy referred to the deal as onerous." The public radio broadcaster will take ad sales and brand partnerships for its podcasts in-house as a result.Given the changing market dynamics, APMG, Audacy and Cadence13 have mutually decided to end their partnership, effective August 31st,... Continue reading...
 |
by Jess Weatherbed on (#6DRE6)
There's no word yet on when the new feature will start rolling out. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Google is reportedly planning to introduce a new Android feature that will let users link their various Android devices together, similar to Continuity features across the Apple ecosystem. Android expert Mishaal Rahman posted about the potential feature, noting that it could allow Android devices that are signed into the same Google account to communicate with each other.This could enable features like Call Switching," which allows users to jump between connected devices during calls, and Internet Sharing," which Android Authority speculates could be an easier way to quickly set up a personal hotspot across the linked devices. Apple has a similar call-switching feature called iPhone Mobile Calls" that allows users to make and... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Tom Warren on (#6DRE7)
Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Microsoft has shut down its Cortana app for Windows 11. A new update is rolling out for Cortana that simply disables the digital assistant three years after Microsoft also discontinued its Cortana apps for iOS and Android.If you attempt to launch Cortana on Windows 11 you'll now be met with a notice about how the app is deprecated and a link to a support article on the change. Microsoft is now planning to end support for Cortana in Teams mobile, Microsoft Teams Display, and Microsoft Teams Rooms in the fall of 2023." Surprisingly, Cortana inside Outlook mobile will continue to be available," according to Microsoft. Screenshot by Tom Warren / The Verge Cortana has been discontinued in Windows 11. Cortana... Continue reading...
|
by Jon Porter on (#6DRBR)
Circling! Underlining! And more! | Image: Google Google is adding a new annotation feature to its Slides presentation software that'll let users doodle on their work while presenting it. The search giant hopes that having the ability to circle, underline, draw connections or make quick notes" will make for presentations that are more engaging, interactive and impactful."While Microsoft PowerPoint users have long had the ability to doodle on their decks, Google Slides users haven't been so lucky. In response, people have developed workarounds like using Chrome extensions like Annotate and Web Paint to draw over their browser while presenting. Needless to say, having the feature natively built into Slides should be much simpler.Releasing for everyone in the coming weeksAccording... Continue reading...
 |
by Jay Peters on (#6DQBC)
EMBARGOED until February 1st 2023 at 1PM ET | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge After a brief delay, Samsung has announced the launch of its beta program for One UI 6, its version of Android that's based on this year's Android 14 release. Key features for this next revision are a simplified design and more customization options.On the design front, many elements have been tweaked to create a more modern look and feel," according to a press release from Samsung. That includes a new default font and new emoji you can use from the Samsung Keyboard. The company has also updated the look of the Quick Panel so that you can more easily get to commonly-used features. Image: Samsung Two screenshots showing what you can expect in Samsung's One UI 6. As for customization, One UI 6 will let you... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Richard Lawler on (#6DR7X)
The Verge The Twitter Blue - pardon me - X Premium Ads Revenue Sharing payouts that were supposed to roll out last week have been delivered, as the @Support account posted the news Monday night. Asked about the delay, X employee Eric Farraro said the late Friday announcement of a delay came only once the company was sure payments would not go out.As for future rounds, he wrote, We've done payouts to a much smaller number of creators before, but scaling to thousands of creators adds new challenges in terms of engineering, operations, and support. Having completed the initial wave of payouts yesterday, repeating that process is an easier task."We've seen some of the emails sent to participants in the program, and while the payments showed up,... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Mia Sato on (#6DR7Y)
Image: Instagram A new Instagram feature allows users to add music to their grid posts - and Olivia Rodrigo is the first person to do it.The feature was introduced today by Rodrigo, who used it to unveil her new song, bad idea right?" Instagram users can attach a song of their choice to soundtrack a carousel post with multiple photos, similar to how tracks can be added to Stories or Reels. The feature appears to be in the process of rolling out to users.
|
 |
by Andrew J. Hawkins on (#6DR52)
Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Waymo and Cruise were approved to operate their paid robotaxi services 24/7 in San Francisco after a contentious six-hour public hearing in which residents voiced their support and opposition to the vehicles. It's a big win for autonomous vehicle operators, who have spent tens of billions on the technology with very little return.The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) voted 3-to-1 in favor of allowing the two companies to operate their vehicles at any hour of the day throughout the city of San Francisco while charging for rides.Today is the first of many steps in bringing AV transportation services to Californians," CPUC Commissioner John Reynolds said at the end of the hearing. (Reynolds, a former general counsel at... Continue reading...
|
by Sean Hollister on (#6DR0Z)
LG's 27-inch OLED monitor. | Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge OLED might be the future of monitors, but first, they need to finish addressing burn-in fears. In my recent review of LG's 27-inch OLED desktop gaming monitor, I wrote how the company's warranty explicitly excludes burned-in images resulting from improper usage." And when I reached out to clarify, I couldn't get a straight answer about burn-in coverage from the company.But after four months of conversations with The Verge, LG Electronics has changed that warranty. LG now has a two-year burn-in warranty for its OLED gaming monitor in the US, Christopher De Maria, LG's head of consumer PR for North America, tells The Verge.The new warranty, which De Maria says also applies retroactively to any LG 27GR95QE-B monitors that have already... Continue reading...
 |
by Jay Peters on (#6DR10)
Image: Square Enix Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis, a new game in the FFVII universe, will be released on iOS and Android on September 7th. The game brings together moments from other FFVII titles, adds some new ones, and will let you experience the journey of a young hero Sephiroth." You can preorder it on the App Store and preregister for it on Google Play right now ahead of the official launch.Ever Crisis' art style takes inspiration from the original PlayStation release's blocky characters but updates it so that Cloud actually has hands. I think it looks quite charming, and it's one of the reasons I want to play the game for myself.
|
 |
by Victoria Song on (#6DR11)
It's less violently green in person, but what I appreciated was how it changes up the feel of the watch without me having to do anything. | Image: Nomad It's no surprise that most fitness trackers have swappable straps these days. Watches - smart or otherwise - are a fashion statement, people have different needs from their wearables, and everybody's skin reacts differently to certain materials. But after trying out Nomad's new glow-in-the-dark Apple Watch strap and Samsung's hybrid eco-leather strap this week, I find myself yearning for straps that serve multiple purposes.Nomad's strap launched earlier this week, and it's as straightforward as you can get. It's the definition of business during the day, party at night. In normal lighting, all you see is a normal cream-colored strap. In the dark, it turns day-glo green. I'll admit it's not the most practical strap - it's a subtler glow... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Emilia David on (#6DR12)
Image: Daniela Vladimirova / Flickr Aug X released Augie, an AI-powered video creation platform incorporating a voice cloning feature to read ad copy without booking a recording studio.Partnering with ElevenLabs, Aug X lets users record their or someone else's voice and clone it to use for other short videos. The Augie platform, aimed primarily toward marketers and social media teams, lets people quickly add narration, photos, text, and music to videos without needing to learn audio and video editing.Jeremy Toeman, founder of Aug X, said the company wanted to add a voice cloning feature after realizing some people do not like speaking into a microphone or recording voice-overs.You'd be surprised at the number of people who've used our voice cloning feature that came... Continue reading...
|
by Jay Peters on (#6DR13)
Image: Roblox Roblox has created a virtual career center inside Roblox where people can learn more about the metaverse platform, prepare for interviews at the company, and attend events hosted by Roblox itself, according to a blog post. In the future, some initial interviews will even happen directly in the experience, Roblox says.You can get an idea of what it looks like in this video, which I've also embedded at the top of the post. You'll see what it's like to work here and how you can join us in shaping the future of human connection and communication," says a voiceover in the clip. In the experience, you can go to places like a lobby (with plaques featuring the company's values), a library, an auditorium, a boba cafe, and more.I briefly... Continue reading...
 |
by Andrew J. Hawkins on (#6DR14)
Image: Wisk.aero Wisk and Archer, two leading air taxi startups, have settled their legal dispute over allegations of stolen trade secrets, avoiding a jury trial that would have cast a negative light on the emerging aviation technology sector.Wisk, a wholly owned subsidiary of Boeing, sued Archer in 2021 for allegedly stealing its trade secrets and infringing on its patents. A judge sent the lawsuit to trial in June, but now, the two sides have settled the dispute.Wisk said it will become the exclusive provider of autonomous flying technology to Archer, should Archer decide to pursue a self-flying aircraft. Boeing will invest in the private investment in public equity (PIPE) financing that Archer released today as part of its second quarter earnings... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Emma Roth on (#6DR15)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Amazon is slashing the number of in-house brands it offers on its marketplace. The retail giant plans on cutting 27 of its 30 private-label clothing brands as it looks to cut costs and stave off antitrust scrutiny, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal.Over the years, Amazon has created dozens of private-label brands across a variety of departments, most of which operate without Amazon branding, such as Solimo, Wag, and Mama Bear. However, this cutback will leave Amazon with just three in-house clothing brands: Amazon Essentials, Amazon Collection, and Amazon Aware.Additionally, the WSJ notes that Amazon is ditching some private-label furniture brands as well, including Rivet and Stone & Beam. Sources close to the... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Charles Pulliam-Moore on (#6DQYD)
Image: The Writers Guild of America After recently meeting to discuss the possibility of resuming talks about a new labor contract, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) are now set to return to the negotiation table this Friday - more than three months into Hollywood's writers strike.Variety reports that the AMPTP plans to meet with the WGA this Friday to present a formal response to the guild's list of proposals for a new labor contract, which includes changes like improved minimum rates, a larger percentage of streaming residuals, and staffing requirements for writers rooms.In an email sent out to WGA members, the union said that AMPTP president Carol Lombardini personally reached out with the request... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Barbara Krasnoff on (#6DQYE)
Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge Many app homepages have gotten incredibly busy, filled with suggestions and ads, many based on your previous searches or stuff you've read / written / watched in the past. YouTube is certainly no exception - in fact, it's one of the worst offenders - but recently, Google's video service announced that users now have a choice. If you turn your watch history off and have no significant prior watch history," all that confusion will disappear, and your homepage will only show the search bar and the Shorts, Subscriptions, and Library buttons.In other words, you'll have a clean, simple, easy-on-the-eyes YouTube page.The change in the home feed is being slowly rolled out over the next few months, but it doesn't hurt to be ready for it. The... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Jay Peters on (#6DQYF)
Photo by Adam Bow / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images NFL RedZone, the NFL's excellent whip-around show that jumps from game to game to showcase highlights and key moments as teams are about to score, is coming to the NFL Plus subscription service. It wasn't a total surprise: RedZone host Scott Hanson had teased the announcement on Wednesday. NFL Network is also being added as a perk for subscribers.NFL Plus launched last year with two tiers: NFL Plus and the more expensive NFL Plus Premium, which added the ability to watch game replays. A key caveat with the service, however, is that you can't watch live local and primetime regular season and postseason games on anything bigger than a tablet (like your TV), which might be a dealbreaker for some people - unless they own that new 14.6-inch S... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Jay Peters on (#6DQV9)
Illustration by The Verge Substack wants to make the platform a better place for readers and will be adding features to its reading apps so that they feel increasingly useful and fun," co-founders Chris Best, Hamish McKenzie, and Jairaj Sethi said in a post on Thursday. Substack is perhaps best known as a place for writers to build newsletter audiences and make a living from their work, but the co-founders spelled out a vision for how Substack itself can be a better place to actually read things as well.The internet revolutionized reading, but instead of a utopia, it has delivered a mess," the co-founders said. The main places where we read online today are cacophonic, stressful, and milking our minds for ad dollars." They acknowledge that there are nice but... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Ash Parrish on (#6DQVA)
Image: Larian Studios Baldur's Gate 3 just changed the game. I don't mean the fact that it's become the second most played game on Steam right now, catching up to Steam mainstays CS:GO and DOTA 2. I don't mean how it's enjoying incredible success without elements like a battle pass or microtransactions. And I don't even mean how it's a game crafted to appeal to a wide range of players across race, gender, and sexuality. Any one of these qualities alone makes Baldur's Gate 3 an incredible game.On Thursday, with yet another hotfix, Larian Studios blew the doors off the hinges for what a developer can do with a game with one simple sentence: As of today, we're also reactivating cross-saves as we near our PlayStation 5 launch." (Cross-saves were deactivated... Continue reading...
|
by Justine Calma on (#6DQVB)
A screenshot of a video showing LK-99 partially levitating. A group of researchers who developed the material say it's evidence that LK-99 is the world's first room-temperature superconductor. Experts are skeptical. | Image: A screenshot taken of a video uploaded to ScienceCast byHyun-Tak Kim LK-99 hasn't turned out to be the miraculous superconductor some people initially claimed it was.The newly discovered material made headlines after a research team claimed it was the first room-temperature superconductor, which could revolutionize our energy system. Speculation that it could bring on a perfect power grid or easily make trains levitate sparked a frenzy to test whether LK-99 really was as game-changing as portrayed by the original team.But the results so far indicate that LK-99 is not a superconductor, at room temperature or otherwise. A slew of research groups have released studies that counter claims originally made about LK-99.With a great deal of sadness, we now believe that the game is over. LK99 is NOT a... Continue reading...
 |
by Ash Parrish on (#6DQVC)
Image: Blizzard There's hope that the game's new story missions and game type will win back fans disappointed by PvE's cancellation. Continue reading...
|
by Brandon Widder on (#6DQVD)
It's no The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom, but Skyward Sword HD is still worth revisiting in 2023. | Image: Nintendo It often feels as though we encounter a buy two, get one sale every other month or so, whether that's on video games, keycap sets, or other tech. GameStop's latest promo lets you get two for the price of one, however, allowing you to pick up an assortment of Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, and Xbox games at a steep discount for a limited time.The full list of available titles is pretty staggering, with many of the best BOGO deals being on Switch titles such as The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword HD, the ever-moody Metroid Dread, and Live A Live, the last of which is really just a playable short story collection masquerading as an old-school RPG. That said, the current promo also applies to next-gen standouts like the fantasy epic Elden... Continue reading...
 |
by Makena Kelly on (#6DQVE)
Photo by Oscar Del Pozo / AFP via Getty Images After weeks of back and forth, the Federal Election Commission decided that it will, maybe, make rules regulating the use of AI-generated content in political ads.At an open meeting Thursday, the FEC voted to open up the petition for public comment, kicking off a process that could result in new rules governing how campaigns use AI going into effect before the end of the year. The petition, filed by the advocacy group Public Citizen, calls on the commission to leverage its authority to punish fraud by creating rules banning candidates and political parties from using AI to misrepresent their opponents.The need to regulate deepfakes and other deceptive uses of AI in election ads becomes more urgent with each passing day"The need to... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Jon Porter on (#6DQVF)
Image: Bethesda Softworks Two years after the surprise announcement and release of a remastered version of the original Quake, Quake II is getting a similar glow-up to coincide with the start of QuakeCon. Its remaster, which is simply titled Quake II, is available today for $9.99 for PC, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation. It's available as part of a Game Pass subscription if you have one, and if you already owned Quake II via the Microsoft Store, Steam, or Good Old Games (GOG), the new version should be available as a free update.From the screenshots and trailer released today, developer id Software looks like it's stuck pretty close to the 1997 original for its remaster. But the remaster is packed with modern conveniences, including cloud saves, 4K Ultra... Continue reading...
|
by Jay Peters on (#6DQVG)
Screenshot taken from a Kai Cenat YouTube video. On Wednesday night, streamer Kai Cenat went live on Twitch for the first time since his chaotic Union Square giveaway event in New York City on Friday. Thousands of people descended on Union Square after Cenat and another streamer promised to give away prizes like PS5s and gift cards, and Cenat has been charged with at least two counts of inciting a riot and unlawful assembly for the gathering.After Friday, I've come to realize the amount of not only power but influence that I have on people," says Cenat. And I'm saying that to say this: I am beyond disappointed in anybody who became destructive that day. That shit is not cool." (You can watch a shortened replay of his stream on YouTube.)Cenat added that none of that was my... Continue reading...
 |
by Charles Pulliam-Moore on (#6DQQM)
Corey Hawkins as Clemens and Aisling Franciosi as Anna in The Last Voyage of the Demeter. | Image: Universal The Last Voyage of the Demeter turns one of the most riveting chapters from Bram Stoker's Dracula into a soggy feature-length horror that never finds its sea legs. Continue reading...
|
 |
by Parker Ortolani on (#6DQQN)
Photo by Parker Ortolani / The Verge Hats! Stickers! Mugs! Questions about org charts! Continue reading...
|
 |
by Emilia David on (#6DQQP)
Image: AP Several media organizations called for rules protecting copyright in data used to train generative AI models.The open letter urged lawmakers around the globe to consider regulations that require transparency into training datasets and consent of rights holders before using data for training. They also request allowing media companies to negotiate with AI model operators, identifying AI-generated content, and mandating AI companies eliminate bias and misinformation in their services.Signatories of the letter include Agence France-Presse, the European Pressphoto Agency, the European Publishers' Council, Gannett, Getty Images, the National Press Photographers Association, the National Writers Union, News Media Alliance, The Associated... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Jess Weatherbed on (#6DQQQ)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge YouTube is taking preventative measures to tackle the increase in scams and spam appearing across its TikTok rival, YouTube Shorts. Starting August 31st, YouTube will gradually make links across Shorts comments, descriptions, and the vertical live feeds unclickable to prevent users from potentially being exposed to malware, phishing scams, and other harmful scam-related content.YouTube says that it's planning to introduce a new, safer way for creators to link their Shorts viewers to other YouTube content by the end of September." Image: YouTube A new, safer way for creators to direct their Shorts viewers to other YouTube content will be introduced by the end of September. The video streaming giant will also... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Emma Roth on (#6DQQR)
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge The US Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) is calling for stricter SIM swapping protections and the transition to a passwordless future following last year's Lapsus$ attacks. In a lengthy report released on Thursday, the agency details the teen hacking group's key techniques and provides recommendations to prevent similar attacks going forward.Lapsus$ made headlines last year after it took credit for the cyberattacks affecting major tech companies like Nvidia, Samsung, Ubisoft, T-Mobile, Uber, and Microsoft. The group also managed to steal and leak 90 videos containing gameplay footage from Rockstar's upcoming Grand Theft Auto VI game. Seven teenagers connected to the group were arrested in London last year.
|
 |
by Emma Roth on (#6DQQS)
A Skydio drone | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Skydio is done making drones for consumers. Though the self-flying drone startup has been denying for years it would pivot to enterprise, it confirmed on Thursday that it's sunsetting its consumer business in favor of creating drones for use by commercial businesses and the public sector.Skydio began shifting its focus toward government and military use in 2020 with the launch of its self-flying X2 model. In an interview with The Verge at the time, Skydio CEO Adam Bry said that the company had more consumer-facing drones on the way. The only consumer drone it's released since was a minor hardware update to the Skydio 2 that addressed some big shortcomings.Our drones are making the core industries that our civilization runs on -... Continue reading...
|
by Jess Weatherbed on (#6DQKW)
A single USB-C cable for a display tablet? About dang time. | Image: Wacom Wacom is fleshing out its range of affordable drawing tablets with four new additions to the Wacom One product family. Designed as an entry-level platform for students, educators, and those new to creative drawing hardware, the new Wacom One range aims to provide choice and customization" to support different needs.The four tablets come in two varieties: the Wacom One 12 ($399.99) and Wacom One 13 touch ($599.99) pen display" tablets with built-in screens or the Wacom One S ($99.99) and Wacom One M ($149.99) traditional pen tablets," which don't feature a display. Image: Wacom The new Wacom One 12 and 13 touch look visually similar to the existing Wacom One display tablet. The Wacom One 12 and Wacom One 13... Continue reading...
 |
by Tom Warren on (#6DQKX)
Image: Chris Welch / The Verge I bought a Sonos Arc soundbar and an LG OLED G2 six months ago to use with my Xbox Series X thinking it would be the most convenient way to expand my existing Sonos setup to handle Dolby Atmos audio from apps like Netflix, Apple TV Plus, and Disney Plus. Now, however, my Sonos Arc soundbar sounds like it's exploding with a startling loud bang and a series of audio pops when I try to use Dolby Atmos content. I'm not alone, either. I was shocked to learn that hundreds of Sonos Arc owners have experienced these extremely loud audio pops for nearly three years without a fix.Sonos markets its Arc soundbar as being able to bring all your entertainment to life and experience breathtakingly realistic spatial audio powered by Dolby Atmos." The... Continue reading...
|
by Antonio G. Di Benedetto on (#6DQKY)
Flip and fold a $50 bill back into your wallet. | Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge Launch day for Samsung's new generation of foldable phones is tomorrow, and Samsung really isn't wasting any time getting the deals out early. Not only can you still get a free storage upgrade when you preorder the Galaxy Z Fold 5 or Galaxy Z Flip 5 (a $120 value) but also Samsung is throwing in a raw $50 discount at checkout if you order directly from its site. That drops the starting price of the ultra-flagship Z Fold 5 to $1,749.99 and the quaint Z Flip 5 to $949.99.The reviews of both phones are in, and while some of this year's updates are a little iterative, both foldables look promising. The more affordable Z Flip 5 has a larger exterior cover display for easy access to some handy app widgets, and the Z Fold 5, well, it looks a... Continue reading...
 |
by Umar Shakir on (#6DQKZ)
A display showcasing the Cadillac's 55-inch screen and driver controls, but there's no room made for CarPlay here. | Image: Umar Shakir / The Verge There will be no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto in Cadillac's new ultra-luxury Escalade IQ. Despite the huge new 55-inch pillar-to-pillar infotainment screen in the new EV revealed yesterday, compatibility for the popular phone projection features is completely gone.GM said earlier this year that it would restrict access to CarPlay and Android Auto in its future electric vehicles. In April, GM's VP of software, Scott Miller, shared some reasons for the decision, including allowing more EV-centric functionality like battery preconditioning when navigating to a charging station.Tesla offers a similar feature and also does not have CarPlay or Android Auto options. But customers nowadays expect these features in new vehicles. Even Apple... Continue reading...
|
by Jon Porter on (#6DQGP)
The K70 Max is styled much like Corsair's other gaming keyboards. | Photo by Jon Porter / The Verge I've been testing Corsair's new $229.99 K70 Max mechanical keyboard for the last few days - its first to use magnetic Hall effect sensors to register keypresses, allowing for new features like the ability to customize how far you have to press a key before it registers a keypress. The company is branding the switches as Corsair MGX" to distinguish them from its existing optical mechanical OPX switches and keyboards with standard mechanical Cherry MX switches. Alongside it, the company is also announcing a new headset: the HS80 Max Premium Wireless RGB.Manufacturers like SteelSeries and Wooting have been making keyboards equipped with Hall effect sensors for a few years now. The basic idea is that each switch has a magnet inside its... Continue reading...
 |
by Sean Hollister on (#6DQGR)
It's been 20 years since the final flight of one of the most beautiful planes ever made - the supersonic Concorde - and you'll soon be able to buy one in Lego form.The $200 Lego Icons Concorde is nearly three and a half feet long, has a 17-inch (43cm) wingspan, and three neat tricks up its sleeve. Not only does it capture many of the real plane's iconic curves, but it's also got an incredible Lego mechanism hidden inside to raise and lower its landing gear with a twist of the tail cone on the end. Photo: The Museum of Flight The real plane: compare to the Lego thumbnail atop this story. Image: Lego So sleek. Click for larger image. The hidden gears run nearly the full length... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Allison Johnson on (#6DQGQ)
Samsung's head start in foldables is paying off, but it'll have to do more next time around to stay in front. Continue reading...
|
 |
by Emma Roth on (#6DQGS)
Image: Television Academy The 75th annual Emmy Awards have officially been postponed. Instead of taking place in September, the Television Academy says the ceremony will now air on January 15th, 2024, marking the first time the Emmys have been delayed in over 20 years.While the Television Academy doesn't mention why the awards have been delayed, it's because the show would look rather empty without all the Hollywood writers and actors who are currently on strike. The rules of the strike prevent unionized writers and actors from accepting awards for struck work and also bars them from attending events that promote it.Last week, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) held its first meeting with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) in... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Jay Peters on (#6DQGT)
Image: Samar Haddad / The Verge As explained in a recent article, Meta has rolled out the ability to verify a link to your Threads profile on social media platforms like Mastodon, according to a Threads post from Instagram head Adam Mosseri. In other words, the Mastodon account on your profile will show a verified checkmark for a Threads profile - so you're using your Threads account to signal to people looking at your profile on Mastodon that you own the Threads link you're pointing to.It's a pretty straightforward process. However, while it worked for us, at least one Verge staffer had problems with it, as did some others who tried it, so there's a chance it may not work for you.Here's how we were able to do it: Screenshot by Jay Peters / The... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Jess Weatherbed on (#6DQE4)
Yup, even the building signs are up for grabs. Providing you're the one arranging the grabbing'. | Photo by David Odisho/Getty Images Now that Elon Musk's plan to rebrand Twitter to X is in motion, the company is looking to sell a bunch of stuff tied to its previous image in what feels like a comically unhinged estate sale. Hundreds of items from X's San Francisco headquarters will be available to buy via an online auction next month that's running from September 12th to 14th.Everything currently has an opening bid set at $25 so there's the potential to grab some real bargains here. Most of the listings are for the kind of office equipment you'd expect from a big corporation, like desks, printers, and laptop docking stations. Several of the lots being advertised - such as soundproof office booths and designer chairs - were also listed in an auction back in January.... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Jon Porter on (#6DQE5)
The end call button now sits much closer to the rest of the call controls. | Screenshot by Jess Weatherbed / The Verge Apple looks set to be moving one of the most well-used buttons in iOS; the Phone app's red end call button. Beta versions of iOS 17, which will likely get an official release this fall alongside the forthcoming iPhone 15, feature a redesigned call interface that shifts the red button down and to the right, and eliminates the distance between it and the rest of the call controls.The new interface was technically made available with the very first developer beta of iOS 17, but it hadn't been widely spotted until this week when the likes of CNBC and Gizmodo covered the change. Here's a before and after comparison of the call interface between iOS 16 and beta iOS 17:To me, it looks like Apple has made the change to account for iOS 17's... Continue reading...
|
 |
by Jon Porter on (#6DQBD)
Users will be able to request full signatures or initials, with the ability to auto-generate a date for when it was signed. | Image: Google Google is adding native support for eSignatures to Docs and Drive in an attempt to make it easier for users to request signatures and sign documents from within its cloud-based productivity software, the company has announced. Google is now releasing the ability to request and leave eSignatures in beta, after more than a year of testing the feature in alpha.There are plenty of pieces of software that already offer eSignature support, ranging from cloud-based options like Dropbox through to local programs like Adobe Acrobat. So Google's addition of this feature is more about offering parity with its competitors rather than forging new ground, and means user's shouldn't have to switch between different apps and tabs as much while working... Continue reading...
|