The Verge

The Ear 1 earbuds released last year for $99. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Nothing is hiking the price of its debut Ear 1 earbuds from $99 to $149, the company’s CEO Carl Pei has announced. Citing “an increase in costs,” Pei said that the new price will come into effect on October 26th. No price changes were announced for Nothing’s more recently-announced Phone 1 smartphone.In a followup tweet, Pei justified the price increase by noting the amount of development effort that’s gone into the earbuds since their original release last year. “When we started developing it, we only had 3 engineers,” the CEO said. “A year later, we have 185. During this time, the Ear 1 has received 15 firmware and tuning updates, and is a completely different product to when we launched it.”

Looks like 4K’s back on the menu, boys. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge YouTube has ended the experiment that locked the ability to watch videos in 4K behind its $11.99 a month premium membership, according to one of its official Twitter accounts (via 9to5Google). Earlier this month, the company made waves when it confirmed with a series of now-deleted tweets that some of its users were part of a test meant to explore “the feature preferences Premium & non-Premium viewers,” and asking users to provide feedback on the idea.The idea of having to pay to access higher resolution videos was a divisive one, with some users calling it a sign of the platform’s downfall, and others saying it was understandable given the cost of streaming 4K content. YouTube’s announcement that it had “fully turned off” the... Continue reading…

The 2024 Celestiq is not your typical Cadillac. The low-volume ultra-luxury Celestiq is the second EV in Cadillac’s lineup and features a host of 3D-printed parts for extensive customization Continue reading…

Two thirds of new hires in 2021 didn’t last 90 days. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Last year, only a third of Amazon’s new hires stayed with the company for more than 90 days before quitting, being fired, or getting laid off, according to leaked documents obtained by Engadget. The report is the latest indication that Amazon is having serious issues retaining employees, and it reveals the company’s estimate that its attrition rate costs it almost $8 billion a year across its global consumer field operations team.The report, which is based off internal research papers, slide decks, and spreadsheets from Amazon, claims that workers are twice as likely to leave by choice, rather than because they were laid off or fired. It also says that the issue is widespread throughout the company, not just with warehouse workers; from... Continue reading…

The Fossil Gen 6 smartwatches are eligible for the upgrade to Wear OS 3 starting today. | Photo by Dieter Bohn / The Verge Last week, Fossil announced the Gen 6 Wellness Edition, its first Wear OS 3 smartwatch. But starting today, the company is also beginning to roll out the Wear OS 3 update for patient owners of existing Gen 6 smartwatches. The update has a few significant omissions, but one of the more surprising ones is Google Fit — an app that was once preloaded onto nearly every Wear OS 2 smartwatch. The app is also missing from the newly launched Pixel Watch.First reported by 9to5Google, the lack of Google Fit was confirmed in an update that Fossil posted in r/WearOS. The gist is the Google Fit app hasn’t been updated to support Wear Health Services, a new system layer in Wear OS 3 that collects health data for apps in a more battery-efficient way.... Continue reading…

Destroyed houses, hotels and railway tracks pictured during ongoing cleanup efforts in the Ahr Valley region following catastrophic flash floods on August 4th, 2021, near Dernau, Germany | Photo by Thomas Lohnes / Getty Images Earthquake sensors can detect fast-moving floods barreling toward them, new research finds. That information is especially valuable to people working on early warning systems for floods, which could give people crucial time to get to safety, preventing deaths and flood damage, according to the authors of a recently published paper.Communities in Germany’s Ahr Valley experienced a devastating flood that washed away homes and killed almost 200 people in July 2021. Studying that disaster, the researchers discovered that a nearby seismometer station — intended to monitor earthquakes — detected valuable details about the flood as it was happening.“If the data stream from that station had been available and analysed as our research now... Continue reading…

Illustration by Lille Allen / The Verge Not all gadgets are meant to make life easier.Some gadgets break things, exploiting cracks in our digital systems, prying them open, and crawling inside. Most often used by penetration testers — a kind of white-hat hacker hired to test a company’s security by breaking in themselves — these gadgets serve as a kind of road map to the most common vulnerabilities in our digital world.For the most part, they’re commercialized versions of tech that already existed in a scrappier form, leaning on open-source software projects and decades of work developing attacks. But most importantly, they’re available, so if you decide you want to try out one of these attacks, the equipment is only a click away.Please use them only for good. Continue reading…

Harrison Ford will appear in the next Captain America movie. | Photo by Vittorio Zunino Celotto / Getty Images The rumors are true: Harrison Ford will be appearing in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. He’ll be taking over the role of General Ross in the fourth Captain America movie, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Ross was previously played by William Hurt, who died earlier this year.Ford will join Anthony Mackie in Captain America: New World Order. Mackie will reprise his role as Sam Wilson and, after the events of the Disney Plus series The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Captain America. The new movie is currently scheduled to debut on May 3rd, 2024.Ford has had something of a resurgence in tentpole movie franchises over the past several years, though many of his appearances have been reprisals. He came back to play Han Solo in Star Wars:... Continue reading…

The G Cloud Gaming Handheld from Logitech has a launch price of $349.99. | Photo by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge Happy Monday, campers, the Verge Deals team is back in action. While we aren’t seeing quite the same amount of exciting discounts we saw during last week’s Prime sale, there are still plenty of deals to take a look at. Starting off, if you’re excited about the impending release of Logitech’s new G Cloud Gaming Handheld, today is your last chance to preorder one and save $50 off the launch price at Best Buy, Amazon, and the Microsoft Store.Logitech G Cloud Gaming Handheld Our review of the Logitech handheld makes it clear that cloud gaming has an awful lot of potential in this form factor, even if it isn’t a perfect device by itself. The G Cloud differs from conventional gaming handhelds like the Nintendo Switch or Steam Deck in that... Continue reading…

Sony Electronics announced new over-the-counter hearing aids. | Image: Sony Electronics Hearing aids are now available over the counter for the first time in the United States. They’re on sale at places like Walgreens and Walmart, and companies like Sony have already developed new hearing aids for this new regulatory turn.The Food and Drug Administration announced the rule change allowing over-the-counter hearing aids in August. They go into effect Monday, opening up cheaper and more accessible options to people with mild to moderate hearing loss.Prescription hearing aids can cost thousands of dollars a pair. In contrast, Walmart will offer over-the-counter hearing aids at a price point ranging from $199–$999 per pair. “Offering easy access to OTC hearing aids — something that seems quite small — is a solution that can... Continue reading…

Wargaming Sydney helped to develop gaming architecture used by online titles and MMOs such as World of Tanks. | Image: Wargaming Video game developer and publisher Riot Games has announced its acquisition of Wargaming Sydney, a gaming software development studio that’s part of Cyprus-based Wargaming, the publisher behind titles such as World of Tanks and World of Warships. Riot did not disclose the price of the purchase.Wargaming Sydney is one of the largest games studios in Australia, formed under its original name of BigWorld back in 2002. It was by Wargaming in 2012. The studio has created game development tools and other software architecture required to develop online games such as MMOs. After the acquisition by Riot, Wargaming Sydney will be renamed Riot Sydney and will assist in the development of Riot games such as Valorant and League of Legends.W... Continue reading…

Speeds are going up for many plans. | Image: Comcast Comcast is upgrading internet speeds for more than 20 million Xfinity customers, the company announced Monday. The changes, which will affect “most of our customers” across the country, according to a statement from Bill Connors, president of Xfinity for Comcast Cable, roll out beginning this week. Speeds will go up at no extra charge.Here’s which plans are impacted and how much they’re changing, per a press release:

Persona 5 Royal is just as good as you might have hoped on Nintendo Switch. | Image: Atlus The Nintendo Switch is a fantastic machine for role-playing games; it’s something Nintendo has been aware of from the very start. The hybrid nature of the Switch makes it easy to settle in for hours-long sessions on your TV or, when you have just 15 minutes to spare on the bus, tackle a mission or battle in handheld mode.More than five and a half years in, the Switch has a robust library of RPGs, both new and old. But this month, two modern classics join that collection — including Persona 5 Royal, which is just as good as you might have hoped.Everything that made Persona 5 such a hit is intactI first played through Royal in 2020 on the PS4, and to me, the Switch version feels nearly exactly the same. Everything that made Persona 5... Continue reading…

Ye at Paris Fashion Week. | Photo by Edward Berthelot/Getty Images Kanye West, the musician now known as Ye, is buying Parler, a social media platform that styles itself as a “free speech” alternative to Twitter. The acquisition was announced by Parler in a press release, which said that it has entered into an agreement in principle with Ye that’s expected to close later this year.“In a world where conservative opinions are considered to be controversial we have to make sure we have the right to freely express ourselves,” said Ye in a press statement.

The Chromecast with Google TV 4K, originally released in 2020. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Android 12 is rolling out for the 4K model of the Chromecast with Google TV, 9to5Google reports. The update for the 2020 streaming dongle follows the release of Google’s cheaper HD model last month, which shipped with Android 12 out of the box. To download the update on the 4K dongle, navigate to the profile icon at the top right of the interface, then hit Settings, System, About, and select System Update.The update doesn’t add any major new features to the two-year-old streaming dongle, but it contains a couple of new settings that should improve playback in certain situations. FlatPanelsHD reports that the biggest is a new frame rate matching feature that should cut down on judder by allowing the Chromecast to match the frame rate of... Continue reading…

Image: G4 TV Comcast is shutting down G4 after attempting to relaunch the gaming channel last year, according to a report from Deadline. The channel first appeared on linear cable back in 2002 until it met its demise as the final studio shows were axed in 2012, and it was eventually replaced by the Esquire Network.Dave Scott, the CEO of Comcast’s Spectacor division, announced the shutdown in an internal memo obtained by Deadline before it was even sent, saying that the channel has had low viewership and has not “achieved sustainable financial results.”

The EQE SUV will be out by 2023. | Image: Mercedes-Benz The Mercedes-Benz EQE has been SUV-ified. The German automaker revealed a higher riding, more utility-focused version of its EQE sedan, and while the price is still being kept under wraps, the EQE SUV is expected to hit US dealerships starting in 2023.We’ve known that we’d be getting an SUV version of the EQE sedan since it was first revealed last year. Mercedes did the same for its flagship EV, the EQS, coming out with the SUV version earlier this month. It’s the fourth EV to be built on the automaker’s new EV platform.Mercedes says the EQE SUV will be “the most spacious representatives of its class”With the EQE SUV, we’re getting three trim levels — one rear-motor and two dual-motor versions — as well as an AMG performance... Continue reading…

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Microsoft failed to properly protect Windows PCs from malicious drivers for nearly three years, according to a report from Ars Technica. Although Microsoft says its Windows updates add new malicious drivers to a blocklist downloaded by devices, Ars Technica found these updates never actually stuck.This gap in coverage left users vulnerable to a certain type of attack called BYOVD, or bring your own vulnerable driver. Drivers are the files your computer’s operating system uses to communicate with external devices and hardware, such as a printer, graphics card, or webcam. Since drivers can access the core of a device’s operating system, or kernel, Microsoft requires that all drivers are digitally signed, proving that they are safe to use.... Continue reading…

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Apple is working on a dock for the iPad that would allow the device to function as a smart display and speaker, according to a report to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. The company reportedly plans on introducing the capability as soon as next year, converting the iPad into an Amazon Echo Show-like device that you can set atop a counter or nightstand.Amazon already does something similar with its Fire tablets, as the company lets users place the devices into a charging dock to prop them up like a smart display. Even Google announced a docking accessory for its upcoming Pixel Tablet last week, which is supposed to serve as both a magnetic charging station and speaker. Once the tablet’s in place, it’ll function like a Nest Hub Max, letting you... Continue reading…

This Xbox version of the Hammerhead HyperSpeed is the definitive version, so says Razer. It can work with PlayStation and Xbox, while the PS-specific version can’t work with Xbox. | Image: Razer To stand out from the many over-ear headsets that Razer has released for consoles, the company is bringing a new version of its Hammerhead wireless earbuds to PlayStation and Xbox in November for $149.99. Each console is getting its own color treatment of the Hammerhead HyperSpeed (white with blue accents for PlayStation, black with green for Xbox). This model features active noise cancellation — and of course, Chroma RGB lighting effects. Included with each is a USB-C audio transmitter along with a USB-C-to-A adapter since the Series X / S consoles don’t have a USB-C port.As you might have anticipated, each version handles connectivity a little differently but both support 2.4GHz wireless and Bluetooth 5.2 for pairing with mobile... Continue reading…

$399.99 is an aggressive price for a promising Android handheld that has a 6.8-inch OLED screen with 144Hz refresh rate. | Image: Razer Razer is finally showing off the Edge, its portable Android gaming handheld. Good news: it looks a lot better than the last time we saw it in December 2021. There’s a lot to go over with this one. The Edge will release in a Wi-Fi-only version for $399.99 in January 2023, followed by a 5G-ready version through Verizon in early 2023. It’ll support the carrier’s ultra wideband and sub-6GHz networks. Razer’s following the Steam Deck reservation model, allowing people to pay $5 to reserve an Edge.It’s meant to be a great device for cloud game streaming through Xbox Cloud Gaming or Nvidia GeForce Now. Razer says that the Edge supports up to 144 frames per second through the Steam Link app when you’re streaming PC games locally. The Edge runs... Continue reading…

Image: Meta Horizon Worlds, Meta’s social universe set in virtual reality (VR), is reportedly struggling to gain and keep users. According to internal documents obtained by the Wall Street Journal, Horizon Worlds currently has around 200,000 monthly active users, a dip from the 300,000-user milestone Meta confirmed it hit back in February.Horizon Worlds lets users create (or visit) spaces where they can hang out, play games, meet other people, and chat with friends. The platform’s userbase actually increased tenfold following its expansion to all Quest users in the US and Canada last December, something the popularity of Meta’s Quest 2 headset during last year’s holiday shopping season likely contributed to as well.But now it looks like Meta’s... Continue reading…

Google’s Pixel 6 was a great value at $599, but a $200 discount makes it even more attractive. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge As expected, the sun has set on Amazon’s Prime Early Access sale, along with the litany of counter sales running elsewhere. Despite this, however, there are still plenty of solid deals to check out at Amazon and Best Buy, many of which are holdouts from earlier in the week. Some of these products may not be available for their lowest prices ever, true, but they’re still worth a look if you missed them earlier this week.A bit of housekeeping before we dig in, though. While there are plenty of other deals available today, you can also sign up for our sweepstakes for a chance to win a sack full of free gear hand-picked by The Verge’s deals team. Just head over to this page and sign up before the morning of October 19th to throw your hat in... Continue reading…

Jeff Sheldon’s desk is a well-known thing on the internet – now he’s trying to upgrade it. Ugmonk started as a T-shirt store — now founder Jeff Sheldon is trying to turn it into something much more ambitious. But as he knows, hardware is hard. Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge AT&T Illinois will pay $23 million after it admitted to making payments to former Illinois Speaker of the House Michael J. Madigan’s political ally in return for his “vote and influence over a bill,” according to a Friday press release from the Department of Justice (via Ars Technica). The company will also have to cooperate with the government’s investigation into the alleged misconduct and will have to set up a compliance and ethics program that the government will receive reports on. If the company keeps up its end of the bargain, the government will dismiss its prosecution.According to the DOJ, in 2017 AT&T paid one of Madigan’s allies $22,500 through a lobbying firm that it worked with. AT&T employees tried to make it seem as if... Continue reading…

Kristen Radtke / The Verge Workers at Apple’s Penn Square store in Oklahoma City have voted to unionize with the Communications Workers of America, with 56 yeses, and 32 nos. According to the National Labor Relations Board, which oversaw the election, all regular full-time and part-time employees at the store were eligible to vote, 95 in total.The election was only the second one carried out for a US Apple store. In June, workers in Maryland voted to unionize in association with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. Another election was scheduled to happen in Atlanta, but the CWA called it off, claiming that the company had made a fair election “impossible” by intimidating workers.Apple has faced several complaints about anti-union... Continue reading…