The Verge

The Verge After Facebook’s Bitmoji-style avatars invaded Instagram and Messenger, now they’re coming to Whatsapp, too. According to a report from WABetaInfo, WhatsApp is rolling out support for customizable avatars in the latest 2.22.23.9 beta on Android, but only for some users.Those with access to the feature will see a new “Avatar” category in their settings menu that they can use to customize the digital version of themselves. Just like on Meta’s other apps, WhatsApp will then generate a sticker pack with the avatar in various poses, which users can use to express themselves when messaging family and friends.

Ecobee’s next product could be a video doorbell. | Image: ZatzNotFunny Ecobee, a company best known for its line of smart thermostats, may be working on a video doorbell. A leaked image from ZatzNotFunny shows what looks like an Ecobee-branded video doorbell with rounded corners and a button outlined in blue.As noted by ZatzNotFunny, the doorbell features a green light status light, as well as two small holes, one of which could be a microphone, placed directly beneath the camera. Its overall design seems to glean elements from existing doorbells on the market, such as the bright blue light used by the Amazon-owned Ring and Blink, and the rounded edges featured on Arlo and Nest devices.But aside from this one picture, we don’t know much else about the device, including whether it will be wired or... Continue reading…

The Kerbals prepare for liftoff After several delays, Kerbal Space Program 2 is finally entering early access on February 24th, 2023. Developer Intercept Games initially announced that it was working on KSP2 back in 2019, but only revealed the early access release date for the Kerbal Space Program sequel last week, outlining its expectations in a roadmap leading up to the eventual 1.0 release. KSP2 is currently available to wishlist on Steam and will also be available on the Epic Games Store for $49.99.The original Kerbal Space Program is a brutal, rewarding, and occasionally hilarious simulation of the complexities of space flight that allows you to construct your own rockets, shuttles, rovers, and other interstellar vehicles. All manned by the ambitious Kerbals,... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The Republican National Committee (RNC) is suing Google for allegedly sending “millions” of campaign emails to users’ spam folders (via Axios). According to the lawsuit filed in California’s Eastern District Court on Friday, the RNC accuses Google of “throttling its email messages because of the RNC’s political affiliation and views.”For months, the RNC has been complaining about Google’s alleged spam filtering bias, claiming it disproportionately puts Republican-backed political emails in spam folders when compared to messages sent by Democrats. The RNC’s frustration was only exacerbated by a North Carolina State University study that suggested Google was sending RNC emails to spam folders more frequently, leading a group of... Continue reading…

There is nothing else like this on the market Continue reading…

Apple’s second-gen trackpad is compatible with Windows or Apple devices via Bluetooth | Image: The Verge Happy Saturday, everybody! Everyone on the Verge Deals team is enjoying their weekend and we hope you are, too. If you were looking to engage in a little retail therapy or do a little window shopping, we’ve collected a handful of deals we think you’ll want to check out.Normally $129.99, you can currently pick up Apple’s second-gen Magic Trackpad at Woot right now with a 90-day warranty for just $84.99, which matches the peripheral’s lowest price to date. The clever trackpad makes for an excellent addition to any desktop or laptop setup thanks to its comfortable glass surface, which provides you with more real estate than the trackpad found on MacBooks and brings multi-touch gesture controls and Apple’s Force Touch technology to your... Continue reading…

TiVo OS looks like other interfaces you might be familiar with. | Image: Xperi Remember TiVo? It still exists, even if you probably haven’t used a TiVo device in quite awhile. (Unless you’re one of the few who tried the company’s Android TV dongle.) Even though the vast majority of people have since moved to TV software that is built into their device or runs on a dedicated piece of hardware like the Apple TV, TiVo owner Xperi is getting into the TV software game with TiVo OS.Yes, that means there will be yet another company vying to run the software that powers your TV. But TiVo’s angle with TiVo OS is to be a “first-of-its-kind neutral platform,” which means in part that equipment manufacturers will have more control over the experience.Right now, the US TV software market is largely dominated by Roku, which... Continue reading…

And you might actually want to keep it on your phone, solving the issue of having to carry it around and remember it Continue reading…

Image: HBO House of the Dragon’s season finale is apparently following in Game of Thrones’ footsteps, leaking onto the internet a few days before it was meant to air. In a statement given to IGN and Variety, HBO says it’s “disappointed that this unlawful action has disrupted the viewing experience for loyal fans of the show” and is “aggressively monitoring and pulling these copies from the internet.”For fans, this could mean that spoilers will be floating around social media — though a colleague who watches the show tells me that’s not necessarily a new thing, given that it’s hewn pretty close to its source material, George R. R. Martin’s Fire and Blood. Still, it’s easier to avoid a Game of Thrones wiki than someone tweeting about something that... Continue reading…

If you’ve noticed some changes, you’re not the only one. | Image: Twitter Twitter is introducing a brand-new look for the icons used across the social network, the company confirmed in a thread on its design account on Friday. To my eyes, the icons use slightly thicker lines, and everything feels a bit more angular.“The goal was to create a cohesive set of icons that are bold in shape and style yet still relatable and a little cheeky where possible,” Twitter said in the thread. Two tweets from the thread make it easy to see what’s changed. This one shows what they looked like before and now. The one after shows a whole bunch of them in one picture.

At the base of an Icelandic volcano, Climeworks’ direct air capture plant sucks carbon dioxide from the air and turns it to rock, locking away the main culprit behind global warming. | Photo by HALLDOR KOLBEINS/AFP via Getty Images Swiss company Climeworks plans to phase out the first-generation technology that made it a pioneer in the business of carbon removal. The move is part of Climeworks’ pivot away from selling its captured carbon dioxide to companies like Coca-Cola. Instead, Climeworks says it will focus on efforts to store the CO2 underground permanently.Climeworks became the first company to suck carbon dioxide out of the air and sell it as a product back in 2017. That’s when its direct air capture (DAC) plant called Capricorn opened in Hinwil, Switzerland. Beyond being foundational to Climeworks’ continued growth, Capricorn’s mere existence was a major milestone for the brand-new carbon removal industry. Five years later, Capricorn is essentially... Continue reading…

It’s basic wireless plan ABC’s: Always Be Confusing. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Yesterday, Verizon announced new prepaid phone plans with lower prices — but thanks to some clever shuffling of plan discounts, they’re not actually getting any cheaper. While the published prices on its unlimited and 15GB prepaid plans are indeed $5 lower, the company will no longer let you apply autopay and loyalty discounts — meaning the lowest price on each plan stays exactly the same.Here’s how it adds up: the “standard” price on Verizon’s top-tier prepaid plan, Unlimited Plus, is now $70 per month, reduced from $75. After the first month, you can apply a $10 / month autopay discount to bring that cost down to $60. Image: Internet Archive Previously, you could combine a $5 autopay discount and $10 loyalty... Continue reading…

From left: Mbambi Mbungu and Jacob Chiza lead the march during “Justice for Black Lives” at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, Massachusetts, on June 6th, 2020. | Image: Craig F. Walker/The Boston Globe via Getty Images The journal Nature published a special issue on racism in science this week. In it, Black and Indigenous scientists, doctors, and researchers share how they’ve experienced racism in their work. Many of them experienced discrimination as they entered their chosen fields, then faced backlash as they called out wrongdoing in those same places. It takes bravery to share this kind of pain so publicly. Their stories are raw and revelatory.This special issue of Nature came about as part of the journal’s own efforts to grapple with racism. After the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police in 2020, there was an upswell of voices calling out systemic racism in all areas of society, including in academia and science. Ahead of a “Strike for... Continue reading…

LG’s 32-inch 4K Smart Monitor with Ergo Stand. | Image: LG LG’s new 4K monitor can pull double duty if you work from home and don’t have the energy (or space) to flop over to the couch to engage in binge-watching. The $499 LG Smart Monitor (32SQ780S) (via HomeKit News) has a 31.5-inch display, a built-in USB-C hub providing power and ports for your work laptop, and comes with a desk-mounting and height adjustable Ergo Stand that’s similar to the one that comes with LG’s unusual taller-than-it-is-wide DualUp monitor.What makes the LG Smart Monitor more like a TV is that it supports the company’s Bluetooth Magic remote (though it’s unfortunately sold separately), and it runs webOS just like LG smart TVs, along with support for Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit. It’s similar in concept to the StanbyMe... Continue reading…

Image: Ebb Software In Scorn, the survival horror game that slithered onto Game Pass last week, it’s just another day at the flesh factory. A couple of hours in, that’s what it feels like. I’m just a guy, clocking in at H.R. Giger & Sons to hit buttons, stick my fingers into prehensile holes, and scoop the innards out of screaming human meat things. Just all in a day’s work for a blue collar working stiff like me.I wanted to try Scorn because, well, it’s on Game Pass, which obliterates my usual hesitation in trying weird games that look like they’ll trigger the shit outta my misophonia. I also wanted to try it because it’s the high holy days of Spooky Season, and Scorn itself generated a lot of buzz on social media despite receiving little fanfare or... Continue reading…

The Oura Ring is the only smart ring that’s found any real commercial success. | Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge Smartwatches stole the spotlight from phones this fall, but there’s another wearable form factor waiting in the wings: smart rings. Korean outlet Naver recently reported that Samsung has filed a patent with the US Patent and Trademark Office for a smart ring of its own, complete with EKG and smart home control. And while it’d be awesome if Samsung did kick down the doors next fall with a new wearable, the reality is it’ll be a long, long time before this kind of futuristic smart ring is ready for prime time.It’s easy to see why smart rings are an attractive prospect. Compared to smartwatches, they’re more discreet, fingers are better for heart rate measurement, and rings are way more comfortable to wear 24/7. They’d be ideal health... Continue reading…

Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge If your workplace (or organization, or friends group, or whatever) is anything like mine, and you’ve used Slack for more than, say, a month, you have no doubt amassed a lot of channels (also known as conversations). This can result in a lot of scrolling — I mean, a lot of scrolling — to find the channel you want to use. You can also spend a lot of time trying to figure out which channels you need to pay attention to now and which ones you can save until later.Luckily, there are several ways you can organize that long list of channels on the left side of your Slack app to make it at least somewhat easier to deal with. Unluckily, this is only available in paid versions of Slack. Normally, we try to only describe free features; but perhaps... Continue reading…

The Pixel Buds Pro are a sharp-looking pair of earbuds, especially in this lemongrass color. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge You feel that? It’s Friday, and it’s time to take some good deal vibes into the weekend. Wellbots is currently discounting a bunch of great tech from Google, including the Pixel Buds Pro, Nest Audio, Nest Hub Max, and the latest Nest Hub and Nest Mini — and frankly, they’re all bangers.First up are the excellent Google Pixel Buds Pro, a pair of wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation and a mic that can combat the stiff winds of an NYC ferry. Now through October 29th, they’re on sale for an all-time low of $149.99 at Wellbots when you use promo code VER50 at checkout, which knocks $50 off their regular price of $199.99. The Pixel Buds Pro are the ideal earbuds if you just got a Pixel 7 phone, as they offer great sound quality and... Continue reading…

Nick Barclay / The Verge The person in charge of the physical look and feel for Apple’s iPhones, Macs, and everything else is leaving the company, as Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman first reported. Industrial design vice president Evans Hankey will only remain with Apple for another six months. Hankey took over hardware design three years ago after longtime chief design officer Jony Ive exited to start his own design firm.No replacement or next step for Hankey has been publicly announced. However, Bloomberg reports her departure was announced internally this week and quotes a statement from an Apple spokesperson saying, “The senior design team has strong leaders with decades of experience. Evans plans to stay on as we work through the transition, and we’d like to thank... Continue reading…

The SwitchBot Blind Tilt can tilt your blinds automatically. | Image: SwitchBot SwitchBot, the smart home company that takes robotics to places no one imagined, has come up with another ingenious gadget. The new $69 SwitchBot Blind Tilt launches today on Kickstarter, with orders expected to ship before Christmas. And, yes, it looks as ugly as you’d expect. But as an inexpensive way to replicate the benefits of smart shades, it’s a promising product.Automated motorized shades and blinds are something of a luxury as they’re generally very expensive — starting at around $300 to $400 per window and rapidly rising from there. The benefits, though, are quite impressive: energy savings, convenience, security, and smart lighting.Smart blinds can automatically adjust to keep your home well-lit throughout the day, keep... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Last night, I was casually wondering (as you do) which songs from Scottish electronic duo Boards of Canada’s seminal debut album, Music Has the Right to Children, use audio samples from Sesame Street? It’s the sort of idle fact-checking that humans in the 21st century are blessed to indulge in, and so (as you do), I whipped out my smartphone to Google it.Thirty seconds later, I got so annoyed, I downloaded the Wikipedia app instead.The problem I faced is not a new one. Many people have noted the slow degradation of Google’s search in recent years, partly a result of macro changes to the web’s structure and partly Google’s own fault for relentlessly privileging its own ads and services. And in this particular case, when I searched for... Continue reading…

A pokémon trainer getting ready to catch a pokémon. | Image: Nintendo The first truly open-world Pokémon games feel like what Game Freak and Nintendo have been building toward this whole time Continue reading…

Kratos and Thor face off in God of War Ragnarök. | Image: SIE Lead combat designer Mihir Sheth explains how the team at Santa Monica Studio approached the PS5 sequel Continue reading…

Microsoft’s PC Manager app. | Screenshot by Tom Warren / The Verge Microsoft is working on a PC Manager app that’s designed to boost your computer’s performance. Much like CCleaner, a beta version of Microsoft’s PC Manager includes storage management and the ability to end tasks quickly and control which apps start up with Windows.Much of this functionality is already baked into Windows, but this PC Manager app puts it all in one useful location. There’s even a browser protection section that makes it easier to change default browsers than what exists in Windows right now. Image: Tom Warren / The Verge You can easily switch default browsers with this app. The storage manager feature includes the ability to manage apps or remove those that are rarely used, and there’s also a... Continue reading…

Who’s whispering in Elon Musk’s ear? | Illustration by Lille Allen / The Verge Look, I’ve been avoiding talking about Elon Musk’s meddling in international affairs largely because I am not expert enough in international affairs to say much of anything. But now we’ve got Fiona Hill, formerly an advisor to Donald Trump who gave testimony at his first impeachment hearing, out here suggesting that Musk is “transmitting a message for Putin.”This shit’s weird, dude, even for me. Musk set off an international shitposting incident by tweeting a peace proposal for the war in Ukraine. In response, sitting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy polled Twitter about whether users preferred a pro-Russia or pro-Ukraine Musk; sitting Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda likened Russia’s actions to someone stealing the wheels... Continue reading…

EVs are perfect for off-roading, but how will other nature lovers react? | Image: Rivian Everyone knows off-road vehicles are loud, obnoxious, and polluting. But what this article presupposes is, what if they weren’t? Continue reading…

A new beta client update will list the factory-installed components within Steam Deck handhelds. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Valve is rolling out a fresh batch of beta updates for its Steam Deck, one of which could help with servicing and repairs for the handheld gaming PC by listing internal components and saving owners from cracking the device open themselves to find out.The new component lookup view will display the model and manufacturer of each major hardware element within individual Steam Decks. However, the list is only a snapshot of factory-installed components, and so won’t recognize or update for any fresh hardware that users install themselves. Users who have enabled beta client updates can access the new component lookup via Settings > System > Model/Serial Numbers button.The feature will list factory-installed componants, but not recognise new... Continue reading…

Arlo’s new Safe app has a “Walk with Me” hold button that will trigger an emergency response if no longer pressed, and the new Safe button accessory is a Bluetooth panic button. | Image: Arlo Arlo is launching a new family and personal mobile safety app and service that includes features like crash detection, a software panic hold switch for walking safely in unfamiliar places, and an optional Bluetooth alert button.Known for its wireless cameras, smart video doorbells, and, more recently, its DIY home security system, Arlo is expanding into the growing market of family tracking and personal safety apps. “Features like 24/7 live agent emergency support, location sharing, family check-ins, and safety alerts provide on-the-go protection to keep you safe in a time of need,” said Arlo’s SVP of products, Tim Johnston, in a press release.Arlo’s Safe app includes a “Walk with Me” feature that operates like a dead man’s switchA... Continue reading…

Amazon Glow was designed to help keep kids engaged on video calls. It’s shutting down this year. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge Amazon will stop supporting its Glow video calling device for kids on December 31st, 2022. The innovative projector-powered gadget with a screen built-in was designed to make it easier for children to communicate with friends and family remotely by making games and activities part of the process. Last month, the company announced it was discontinuing sales, and it recently confirmed in an email to users that Amazon Glow devices, accessories, and the companion app will stop working entirely at the end of the year.Launched a little over a year ago, the $300 Glow struggled to find an audience, possibly because kids can once again play with friends and family in real life. If you bought one, expect to see a refund by the end of October,... Continue reading…

YIKES About 7,500 people currently work at Twitter — and 75 percent of them can expect to be shown the door, The Washington Post reports. Elon Musk, who is acquiring the company, has been telling prospective investors that he plans drastic firings to bring down costs.Musk has a deadline to close the purchase of Twitter by October 28th. In a sign the deal is proceeding, Twitter froze its employees’ equity awards, Bloomberg reported. Anonymous sources tell The Post that the deal is moving forward in good faith.Job cuts were planned anyway. Before Musk’s bid, Twitter management planned to slice almost a quarter of the workforce, chopping $800 million from payroll. Musk’s planned cuts, which are larger, are “unimaginable,” the former head of... Continue reading…

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge The next Supercharger station location is up to Tesla owners.The all-electric automaker put out the invitation to vote on new locations via its Tesla Charging Twitter account but had originally announced its intention to democratize Supercharger station expansion last month. Tesla owners can log in to participate via their user accounts and can vote for up to five locations in the list of 183 possible sites. There’s even a page where you can suggest a location that’s not on the list yet.

The plan now costs $22.99 per month. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge A YouTube Premium family plan now costs $22.99 per month following a price hike, as reported by 9to5Google. The family tier offers benefits like ad-free viewing and background playback for you and up to five other people, and it now costs $5 more per month.The price change is already in effect for new subscribers, meaning you can’t sign up at the previous $17.99 price any longer. For current subscribers, “this change will take place on your next billing cycle starting on or after November 21, 2022,” YouTube said in an email shared by 9to5Google. However, if you were grandfathered in at a lower price as a former Google Play Music subscriber, you’ll pay that lower rate until your April billing date, according to an email sent to a Verge... Continue reading…

Amazon acquired Fabric.com in 2008. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Crafters, home sewists, and small businesses will soon lose a major online fabric source. Fabric.com, a longtime retailer of fabrics, trims, notions, and other supplies, is shutting down.Since launching in the late ’90s, Fabric.com has been a mainstay for casual crafters and small business owners alike, offering by-the-yard fabric from hundreds of companies as well as other sewing supplies. When Amazon acquired the company in 2008, the tech giant said the acquisition would give its crafting customers more variety to choose from. The website’s vast inventory and competitive prices made it a favorite for many craftspeople and companies buying in large quantities to make products.The impending closure was first reported by the Craft... Continue reading…

The company uses wireless antennas to provide internet, rather than cables or fiber. | Image: Starry Starry, the ISP that delivers internet to your home using wireless antennas instead of cables, is laying off around half its workforce, or just over 500 people, according to a statement from the company and a report in The Boston Globe. The company is also telling investors that they can no longer count on the expectations it set for this year — information that probably doesn’t come as a surprise after its earnings report this summer revealed that it had around $100 million in cash and had lost almost $90 million since the beginning of 2022.Starry says it’s also freezing hiring and non-essential expenditures, again in order to “curtail our cash burn while we pursue strategic options,” as Chet Kanojia, the company’s CEO, put it in a... Continue reading…

Anti-abortion groups are pushing back against hormonal birth control. | Photo by Jim Watson / AFP via Getty Images Tech companies picked an interesting time to start including women’s and reproductive health in their products. For years, they sidestepped the issue: Apple didn’t include period tracking in its health app until 2015. Fitbit only added “Female health tracking” in 2018. For products that claim to help people understand their bodies, most spent years sidestepping the basic biology that affects half the population.But over the past year or so, companies have started juicing up their menstrual tracking and fertility features, and there’s been more investment in so-called femtech. And they caught up just in time for the end of federal abortion protections in the United States, a right-wing pushback on birth control, and a culture war... Continue reading…