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by Emma Roth on (#5YC5H)
Best Buy will take away anything from TVs to old laptops. | Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images Best Buy’s offering to take away and recycle your unwanted tech and appliances for a $199 fee. The standalone haul-away service includes the pickup of two large items, like a TV or washing machine, as well as an unlimited number of smaller products, from laptops to printers. Best Buy will then send your products off to a “trusted recycling partner,” where they will be repurposed, repaired, or recycled.You can view the entire list of products Best Buy will pick up and recycle on its haul-away service page, separated by what it considers large and small items. Best Buy says you’ll have to do all the disconnecting and disassembling yourself, so technicians can actually move it out of your home.Best Buy’s existing recycling program accepts... Continue reading…
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The Verge - All Posts
| Link | https://www.theverge.com/ |
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| Updated | 2024-11-29 23:30 |
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by Loren Grush on (#5YC5J)
An artistic impression of a micronova explosion on a white dwarf. | Image: Mark Garlick Star explosions can happen on very different scales, from massive supernovae to plain old novae. Now, scientists think they’ve identified an even smaller way for a star’s surface to explode — dubbed the “micronova.” It’s a type of explosion that occurs in just one region on the surface of some stars, lasting for hours at a time but still packing quite a punch.Specifically, micronovae occur on a type of zombie star known as a white dwarf. These odd objects are actually the leftover cores of dead stars, remnants of celestial bodies like our Sun that have used up all their fuel and blown most of their materials out into space. White dwarfs are quite small but incredibly dense, sometimes the size of Earth but with the same mass as the Sun.... Continue reading…
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by David Pierce on (#5YC31)
Image: Zoom Zoom’s reaction emoji are one of the platform’s handiest features, letting you quickly applaud a co-worker or send a heart to a friend. With the latest update to its desktop apps, Zoom is making a couple of those reactions easier to find. Its gesture recognition feature will show a thumbs-up emoji in the meeting when you give one to your webcam, or flag a raised-hand emoji when you raise your hand.Gesture recognition won’t be news to those who use Zoom’s iPad and iPhone apps, which have supported the same two gestures since last summer. And those who have used it know that it can be as frustrating as it is helpful. Zoom has a tendency to read “I’m scratching my face” as “I’m raising my hand,” and at least in my experience only responds... Continue reading…
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by Alice Newcome-Beill on (#5YC32)
The 2021 iPad Pro and 2020 iPad are discounted to their lowest price ever. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge You came to the wrong house if you’re shopping for weed jokes — we only distribute good wholesome content here on Verge Deals. For instance, both the 2020 version of the iPad Air and the 2021 model of the 11-inch iPad Pro are discounted to their lowest prices ever.The 2020 iPad Air normally costs $749 but is discounted to $599.99 at Amazon. The price will appear to be $649.99, but if you add one to your cart, an extra $50 will get knocked off the final price of this lightweight 256GB tablet.Alternatively, the 11-inch model of the 2021 iPad Pro usually goes for $800 in its 128GB configuration but can currently be found at Amazon and Best Buy for just $699.99. This is the lowest price we’ve seen for this tablet since Black Friday.Both... Continue reading…
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by Kim Lyons on (#5YC33)
DuckDuckGo says it’s now preventing AMP tracking. | Image: DuckDuckGo Privacy-oriented search engine DuckDuckGo says it will “protect” against tracking by web pages with Google’s Accelerated Mobile Pages framework (or AMP) enabled. “When you load or share a Google AMP page anywhere from DuckDuckGo apps (iOS/Android/Mac) or extensions (Firefox/Chrome), the original publisher’s webpage will be used in place of the Google AMP version,” the company said on Twitter. The technology allows Google to track users, DuckDuckGo notes, and forces publishers to use AMP by prioritizing those links in its search results.
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by Ash Parrish on (#5YC34)
Sega In the lead-up to Sonic’s 31st birthday (feel old yet?), Sega has finally revealed the details behind Sonic Origins, a remastered collection of Sonic The Hedgehog 1, 2, Sonic 3 & Knuckles, and Sonic CD. Don’t expect straight ports of these Sega classics, though. In addition to remastered visuals updated for today’s consoles, Sonic Origins includes new achievements, collectibles, animated shorts, and game modes, putting a fresh pair of sneakers on these old classics.In Sonic Origins, players will be able to choose between playing in classic mode or anniversary mode. In classic mode, players will experience the games in all their original glory and original aspect ratios. Anniversary mode offers a full-screen experience along with... Continue reading…
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by Vjeran Pavic on (#5YC14)
No battery, no screen, no GPS, no fan, and no metal housing? There’s a lot of stuff missing from the new GoPro Hero10 Black Bones. But then again, a normal GoPro isn’t well-suited for the acrobatics of an FPV drone. So when GoPro sent us a review unit of its new stripped-down Hero10 Black designed for drone pilots, we recruited FPV drone pilot Reza Kurniawan to see if it’s up to snuff — and you can see his flying skills on full display in our video review above.Kurniawan is the kind of drone enthusiast who inspired the Bones to begin with. He’s been de-casing Hero10 GoPros to decrease their weight from 154 grams all the way down to about 33 grams. The demand for so-called “naked GoPros” has been high enough that it has become a service... Continue reading…
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by Barbara Krasnoff on (#5YC15)
Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge If you mainly use your Windows 11 computer at home, and you don’t have curious children or roommates who might mess with it, then having to sign in with a password can be a pain in the neck — especially if you have a long, secure, and complicated password.Thankfully, you have alternatives. If you do take your Windows laptop out occasionally, there are several other ways you can sign in to your laptop that are a little simpler. We’ll also show you how to remove your password altogether (although, to keep your device secure, we recommend that you go with one of the options above rather than eliminating any kind of sign-in).You also have the option to use a physical security key (usually a USB key) to sign in, but you’ll have to purchase... Continue reading…
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by Cameron Faulkner on (#5YC16)
Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Sony has released an app for Windows 11 and 64-bit Windows 10 computers that lets you update the firmware of its DualSense PS5 controllers. Previously, the update process required you to connect a controller to a PS5 console, which many people don’t yet have the luxury of owning due to the ongoing chip shortage and intense demand. This new app is particularly helpful for PC gamers who want to buy a DualSense to use as a Bluetooth controller.The app, suitably called “Firmware updater for DualSense wireless controller,” can be downloaded here. And, just like the process on the console, you’ll need to connect the DualSense to your PC with a USB cable. What you’ll see when you plug in a DualSense that isn’t in need of an... Continue reading…
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by James Vincent on (#5YBYM)
The iPhone 13 Mini and iPhone 13. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge When will we see a new iPhone with a totally unimpeded display? In 2024, according to a prediction from well-known Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. By then, says Kuo, Apple could be happy to move both its front-facing camera and Face ID under the screen for its high-end devices, which would make the iPhone 16 Pro the likely first candidate for such an upgrade.Kuo made this prediction in a pair of tweets, linking back to comments he’d made last month saying Apple was unlikely to release any new iPhones with under-display fingerprint readers in the next two years. (Kuo previously predicted this could happen sometime in 2023 at the earliest.) The reason? Well, Kuo’s framing is that demand for the return of Touch ID was mostly a response to the... Continue reading…
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by Jon Porter on (#5YBYN)
If you set out to design the most deluxe version of The Lord of the Rings books imaginable, I think you might end up close to The Folio Society’s latest edition. They’re hardback, obviously, and quarter bound in burgundy leather with silver page tops — the perfect accompaniment for an apartment that smells of rich mahogany.Most importantly, however, they feature illustrations by Alan Lee, whose conceptual design work on Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings films helped establish the visual style of J.R.R. Tolkien’s world on the big screen. His work on The Return of the King won him an Oscar in 2004 for Best Art Direction. Lee has contributed a preface to The Folio Society’s edition of these books and has hand-signed each of the 1,000... Continue reading…
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by Kathleen Wong on (#5YBYP)
Illustration by Melissa Mathieson / The Verge Computers can see details that humans can’t Continue reading…
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by Andrew J. Hawkins on (#5YBWM)
BMW announced a new electric 7 series luxury sedan, the i7 xDrive60. The upcoming EV will have an estimated range of “up to 300 miles” and a starting price of $120,295. Interested car buyers can pre-order the i7 starting today and deliveries are expected to start later this year.Chock full of high-tech features, like a massive 8K theater screen for rear passengers, BMW is hoping the i7 will become a segment leader in the increasingly crowded luxury electric sedan space. Certainly the automaker’s 7 series has long held the place as the brand’s ultimate expression of luxury (alongside the 8 series). And BMW recently nipped the crown for best-selling luxury brand in the US from Mercedes-Benz, but Tesla is right on its heels.BMW recently... Continue reading…
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by Victoria Song on (#5YBTE)
The Garmin Vivosmart 5 adds a practical button to the tracker line. | Image: Garmin If there’s one thing that Garmin seems to understand better than other wearables companies, it’s that athletes like buttons. And, it looks like the company’s finally added a practical button to its latest fitness tracker, the $149.99 Vivosmart 5.The Vivosmart 5 is a refreshed version of the Vivosmart 4 that was first launched in 2018. It keeps much of the same design as Vivosmart 4, but instead of an elegant vibe, it opts for a more practical, sportier look. The band itself has a rounded edge, and there’s no more metal border surrounding the display. In its press release, Garmin also emphasized that the display is 66 percent bigger and has larger text so that it’s easier to read. But the biggest difference is that the Vivosmart 5 has a... Continue reading…
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by James Vincent on (#5YBTF)
Tesla’s Shanghai factory previously produced about 2,100 cars a day. | Xinhua/Ding Ting via Getty Images Tesla is restarting production at its massive Shanghai factory as the city of 25 million begins to ease lockdown restrictions following a substantial COVID outbreak.According to a report from Bloomberg News that cites internal company memos, the factory will re-open in what’s being called a “closed-loop system” — an approach encouraged by Shanghai authorities to get people back into the workplace while maintaining the country’s zero-covid strategies. Essentially, this means nobody goes in or out: employees will live and work at the factory, with the first “shift” entering earlier this week and expected to stay until May 1st under the city’s current COVID policies.The Shanghai factory is Tesla’s largestAccording to the Telsa memo... Continue reading…
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by James Vincent on (#5YBR8)
The latest Pixel Watch render leak looks familiar. | Image: Evan Blass / 91Mobiles We’ve been hearing rumors about Google’s Pixel Watch for years now, but it does finally seem like pieces for the project are finally falling into place. A purported render of the device shared by Evan Blass over at 91Mobiles lines up with past leaks and rumors, showing a device with a familiar circular design, physical crown, and Fitbit integration.Of course, there’s also a lot missing from the render. The image doesn’t include the watch’s lugs (which would show how the strap will connect to the face) or give any idea of its overall build. If the image looks a bit funny, though, it’s perhaps because of the watch’s rumored bezel-less design (also seen in mock-up renders shared last year by Jon Prosser).Interestingly, though, we have... Continue reading…
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by Richard Lawler on (#5YBE1)
Image: Disney Over the last day or so, Disney Plus subscribers may have noticed that certain episodes of their favorite shows are missing. The folks at What’s on Disney Plus collected a list of some of the shows with known missing episodes early Tuesday, and it’s a long one, including favorites like Hannah Montana, Wizards of Waverly Place, Once Upon a Time, and many others.Disney commented to Deadline that the “purge” is an accidental glitch it’s working to fix, and we’ve noticed that episodes have been restored for some series, like season one of Agent Carter. Meanwhile, others like DuckTales, or Rocket & Groot, are still incomplete. Image: Richard Lawler via DisneyPlus.com An occasional hiccup on a streaming platform is to be... Continue reading…
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by Sean Hollister on (#5YBE2)
Photo by James Bareham / The Verge I thought it was really strange when Apple kept selling the original $299 HomePod months after it got discontinued. But now, it’s starting to make sense — not only are some people still willing to pay a premium for the somewhat smart speaker, they’re willing to pay more than Apple charged for it.We took a look at eBay sales numbers after spotting 9to5Mac editor-in-chief Chance Miller’s tweet, and we soon discovered it wasn’t just a joke: on average, an Apple HomePod fetched $375 this past week. That’s 25 percent more than Apple charged.Of course, some HomePods are worth more than others — a used speaker with no box might only net you $220 before eBay fees, but we’ve seen a few factory sealed non-refurbished HomePods sell for over... Continue reading…
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by Mitchell Clark on (#5YBE3)
And it may not be in a notch. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Apple’s next iPhones could have an improved selfie camera, with autofocus capabilities and a wider aperture, according to a prediction by well-known analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Unlike Apple’s current fixed-focus design, an autofocus-enabled front-facing camera could let the iPhone 14 take clearer pictures even if you’re closer or further away from the camera. A wider aperture — Kuo predicts f/1.9 vs. the iPhone 13’s f/2.2 — would add a touch of background blur and let in more light, making it slightly better for nighttime selfies or FaceTime portrait mode.Kuo and others have predicted that Apple will be getting rid of the notch on the iPhone 14 Pro, instead opting for a hole-punch design. While that does mean that Apple would have to fit the... Continue reading…
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by Mitchell Clark on (#5YBC0)
Ads could be coming to Netflix in the next few years. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge After years of rejecting calls for an ad-supported streaming tier, Netflix co-founder and co-CEO Reed Hastings said on Tuesday’s earnings call that the company is “quite open to offering even lower prices with advertising, as a consumer choice.”Apparently, the company is now looking into the option and “trying to figure out over the next year or two.” Hastings admits that introducing an ad-supported tier would be a big change in thinking for the company, saying that he’s historically been “against the complexity of advertising and a big fan of the simplicity of subscription.”Hastings now pitches the idea of an ad-supported tier as something that “makes a lot of sense” for “consumers who would like to have a lower price and are... Continue reading…
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by Sean Hollister on (#5YBC1)
In 2008, the fast-talking expletive-spewing video game reviewer Yahtzee of Zero Punctuation coined the phrase “The Glorious PC Gaming Master Race,” joking about how snobbish PC gamers allegedly looked down upon their “dirty console playing peasant” counterparts. (I remember it being quite funny at the time.)Then, something unfortunate happened: the PC gaming community decided to brand itself that way. “PC Gaming Master Race” became the community’s biggest subreddit, and in 2014, some guy also decided he’d use it to sell mousepads, mice, and keyboards to people, Nazi-era connotations be damned.Some guy has now realized the error of his ways — and so his company, “Glorious PC Gaming Race,” is ditching the name. It’s just “Glorious” now;... Continue reading…
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by Emma Roth on (#5YBC2)
Governor Kevin Stitt is bound by a non-disclosure agreement, preventing him from revealing the company’s name. | Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images Governor Kevin Stitt of Oklahoma called on lawmakers to approve an enormous financial incentives package that’s supposed to coax an unnamed company with ties to the electric vehicle (EV) industry to the state, according to a report from Fortune and local media outlet News 9. A non-disclosure agreement barred Governor Stitt from revealing the name of the company and the amount of money pledged to the package — but there’s good reason to believe that this company may be Panasonic.“Tens of billions of dollars are going to be invested over the next five to seven years in this space, and we want Oklahoma to be the spot that these folks land,” Governor Stitt said in a press conference. “But I’ll tell you this, if I don’t get it passed, it’s... Continue reading…
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by Jay Peters on (#5YBAJ)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Chris Novak, Xbox’s head of research and design who has been at Microsoft for nearly 20 years, is leaving the company, he announced Tuesday on LinkedIn. In his current role, which he’s had for more than five years, he led the user experience for things like Xbox Game Pass, Xbox Cloud Gaming, and Xbox Live, according to his LinkedIn. At Microsoft, he also held the roles of design architect and design director.“I have loved my time with Xbox,” Novak said in a post on LinkedIn. “Building end-to-end experiences for gamers is a privilege. There are very few things one gets to work on in life which evoke such passion in people around the world. I adore listening to gamers and envisioning that next moment of unexpected delight. Gaming is... Continue reading…
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by Nicole Wetsman on (#5YB8S)
Photo by Rolf Vennenbernd/picture alliance via Getty Images Blood tests that screen pregnant people for signs of genetic abnormalities run the risk of giving people false or misleading information, the Food and Drug Administration warned Tuesday. The agency put out a safety communication stressing that the widely used tests, often called noninvasive prenatal tests (NIPTs), aren’t cleared or approved by a regulatory body.These tests often screen for rare genetic conditions in developing fetuses. But they’re just screening tests, the FDA said in a statement, and a positive result does not guarantee a fetus has a genetic condition. “We strongly urge patients to discuss the benefits and risks of these tests with a genetic counselor or other health care provider prior to making decisions based on... Continue reading…
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by David Pierce on (#5YB8T)
When Google launched Nearby Share in 2020, Android users everywhere rejoiced. They finally had a tool to rival Apple’s AirDrop, a simple way to move files between devices without having to attach them to an email or upload them to Google Drive just to download them again on a new device.Now, ahead of Google I/O, a few users have noticed an upgrade lurking in Google Play Services that makes Nearby Share even easier. The new “self-share” mode, as spotted by Esper’s Mishaal Rahman (via Android Police), appears to let you send files between your own devices with a single tap. The feature has been rumored for months but now appears to be much closer to being ready.
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by Andrew J. Hawkins on (#5YB8V)
Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge Tesla is asking a judge to delay a lawsuit filed by California’s civil rights agency that accuses the company of racial discrimination and harassment at its factory in Fremont, California.In a filing in state court in Oakland, Tesla revealed that it is also being investigated by a different civil rights agency into similar allegations, accusing both agencies of conducting a “turf war.” The news was first reported by Reuters.Last February, the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing (DFEH) filed a lawsuit against Tesla in which it accuses the company of operating a “racially segregated” workplace.Tesla revealed it is also being investigated by the US Equal Employment Opportunity CommissionIn its court filing this week,... Continue reading…
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by Jay Peters on (#5YB8W)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Netflix announced in March that it plans to crack down on password sharing, and in its first quarter earnings letter to shareholders (pdf), it gave a big clue as to why.
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by Mitchell Clark on (#5YB6V)
Fruit Stand Workers United is organizing at Apple’s Grand Central Terminal location. | Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images Fruit Stand Workers United, the union attempting to organize Apple’s Grand Central Terminal store, says that if its drive succeeds it plans on pushing for a $30 an hour minimum wage for the location’s employees (via CNBC). The union updated its website on Monday with its goals, including the wage increase, health and safety research, and better education and retirement benefits.A $30 minimum wage means that a full-time employee would start off making roughly $62,000 a year. The union also wants pay calculated using a “matrix based on role, tenure, and performance.”Fruit Stand Workers United says it also wants to negotiate for increases in vacation time accrual, 401(k) matching rates, and tuition reimbursement as well as more options... Continue reading…
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by Chris Welch on (#5YB6W)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Netflix’s struggle to boost its subscriber count took a dire turn in the first quarter of 2022. The company reported a loss of 200,000 subscribers globally compared to Q4, and it’s forecasting even bigger losses to come. Netflix estimates it could lose up to 2 million subscribers in the second quarter.“Our revenue growth has slowed considerably,” Netflix acknowledged in its letter to shareholders. “Covid clouded the picture by significantly increasing our growth in 2020, leading us to believe that most of our slowing growth in 2021 was due to the Covid pull forward.” Netflix ended the quarter with roughly 222 million subscribers, so it’s still the largest streamer — but it’s facing a slew of challenges.In January, Netflix announced... Continue reading…
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by Jay Peters on (#5YB4P)
Photo by John Keeble/Getty Images The Pokémon Company has acquired Millennium Print Group, a company that prints cards for the hugely popular Pokémon Trading Card Game. Millennium Print Group has been working with The Pokémon Company since 2015.“With this acquisition, The Pokémon Company International aims to further develop Millennium Print Group’s capabilities, infrastructure, and scale to become a premier printer of trading cards, serving the broader industry,” The Pokémon Company said in a press release. “Millennium Print Group will continue to operate as a separate, autonomous organization, but will gain both investment and industry expertise from The Pokémon Company International.”Pokémon cards have been very popular during the pandemic, with The Pokémon Company... Continue reading…
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by Ash Parrish on (#5YB29)
Blizzard Entertainment World of Warcraft is bringing back the dragons. In a livestream, World of Warcraft developers announced Dragonflight, WoW’s ninth expansion in 18 years.Dragonflight will focus on the return of the Dragon Aspects, the magical guardians of Azeroth who disappeared after the events of the Cataclysm expansion 12 years ago. Players will journey to the mysterious and heretofore hidden Dragon Isles to explore five zones, each themed after one of the five dragon aspects. Dragonflight will also add a new race / class combo called Dracthyr Evokers, a race of draconic humanoids (think the Worgen from Wrath of the Lich King) with ranged damage and healing powers related to the Dragon Aspects. Unlike the Worgen, however, Dracthyr can only be the... Continue reading…
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by Monica Chin on (#5YB2A)
I didn’t want to get rid of this handy left-hand search bar either. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge If you’re like me and are using an old-school desktop PC, you probably haven’t been able to install Windows 11. You may also still be running Windows 10 if you’re a business user with a workflow still optimized for Windows 10 or a leisure user who just prefers it. Motives aside, there are a lot of us. And, fortunately, we now have an update available.Windows 10 version 21H2 is now available for broad deployment according to Microsoft (first spotted by Neowin). If you’re not an IT administrator, the changes in this update likely won’t be too interesting to you. It’s stuff like “GPU compute support for the Windows subsystem for Linux (WSL)” and “Wi-Fi WPA3-Personal H2E support.” If you are an IT administrator, Microsoft has an article... Continue reading…
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by Victoria Song on (#5YAZR)
Apple introduced blood oxygen readings on the Series 6. | Vjeran Pavic / The Verge If you’ve been hunting for a new smartwatch, you’ve probably come across the terms SpO2 sensors, pulse ox, or blood oxygen levels. SpO2 sensors measure your blood oxygen saturation — or, put more simply, the amount of oxygen you have in your blood. In fact, these sensors and metrics are included in most modern smartwatches and fitness trackers. The only issue is that not every wearables maker uses these sensors in the same way.Some smartwatches measure your SpO2 passively as you sleep while others will let you take a direct measurement. But don’t worry, we’ll get into what SpO2 sensors are, how they work, and their limitations. We’ll also dive into how to set up SpO2 measurements on some of the more popular wearables that support this... Continue reading…
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by Jay Peters on (#5YAZS)
Assassin’s Creed Origins is set in Ancient Egypt. | Image: Ubisoft Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed Origins (the one set in Ancient Egypt) is headed to Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft’s Megan Spurr said in a blog post on Tuesday. Spurr said the game will arrive sometime “in the next two months” and will be available to play on console, over cloud streaming, and on PC via the Ubisoft Connect app.We’ve asked Ubisoft if it can share a more specific date for when we might expect the game. Microsoft spokesperson Autumn Fox said the company doesn’t have additional information to share beyond what’s in the blog post.Ubisoft has a few other games on Game Pass already, including Rainbow Six: Extraction, which was available on Game Pass the same day the game was released in January. Ubisoft also plans to bring its... Continue reading…
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by Adi Robertson on (#5YAZT)
Meta Meta is updating its mixed reality hand tracking system with support for more types of motion, including gestures like clapping. A new version of its Presence Platform API is launching for everyone after a limited preview with a few developers, promising more sophisticated and reliable interactions on the Meta (formerly Oculus) Quest headset.The Presence Platform update is designed to improve Quest hand tracking — which uses cameras mounted in the headset to replace the default hardware controllers — across the board. In addition to general reliability updates, it focuses on recognizing movement when part of your hand is blocked from the camera’s view. It’s now supposed to catch clapping, high-fives, crossed hands, and other gestures... Continue reading…
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by Mitchell Clark on (#5YAZV)
Photo by Camilo Freedman/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Delta CEO Ed Bastian said the airline has tested out SpaceX’s Starlink technology, according to a report by The Wall Street Journal. The report calls the tests “exploratory” and says there weren’t any further details, but it does seem like one of the major US airlines is at least interested in Elon Musk’s satellite internet service.In July last year, SpaceX said it was “in talks with several” airlines and that it was trying to “get that product finalized to be put on aircraft in the very near future.” A few months before that, the company sought FCC approval to provide service to moving vehicles such as planes, boats, and trucks. (CEO Elon Musk has said the equipment is currently too big to put on passenger cars, though that hasn’t... Continue reading…
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by Nicole Wetsman on (#5YAZW)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) officially launched a new center that will forecast infectious disease outbreaks. The Center for Forecasting and Outbreak Analytics is “the equivalent of the National Weather Service for infectious diseases,” the agency said in a statement Tuesday.Along with experts in data analytics and disease modeling, the center will also have communications specialists on staff to interpret the information for the public.Planning for the center began last August. It attempts to correct some of the major deficiencies the COVID-19 pandemic revealed in the United States’ public health infrastructure. The CDC has never had a dedicated infectious disease forecasting program, and it has spent the... Continue reading…
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by Justine Calma on (#5YAZX)
At the Material Recovery Lab in Austin, Texas, engineers and experts use a pilot-scale industrial electronics shredder for research and development. Apple’s newest recycling machine, Taz, was developed out of this process, designed to help conventional bulk electronics recyclers recover more precious materials. | Image: Apple Apple products contained almost 20 percent recycled materials in 2021, the highest percentage the company has achieved to date. Apple shared new details on its recycling programs today, along with some new features it’s offering customers ahead of Earth Day on April 22nd.In a first for any Apple device, recycled gold was used in the plating of the main logic board in the iPhone 13 and iPhone13 Pro, as well as in wire in the device’s front camera and rear cameras. That “milestone,” Apple says, was the result of the company “pioneer[ing] industry-leading levels of traceability to build a gold supply chain of exclusively recycled content.”A first for any Apple deviceThat builds on the company’s previous efforts to retrieve gold from... Continue reading…
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by Ash Parrish on (#5YAXP)
Photo by Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images for BAFTA LA Amy Hennig’s new video game studio is working on a Star Wars game. In a press release, Skydance New Media wrote it is working in “collaboration with Lucasfilm Games to develop and produce a richly cinematic action-adventure game featuring an original story in the legendary Star Wars galaxy.”Skydance New Media, a video game offshoot of the Skydance movie production company, was formed in 2018 with former EA and Naughty Dog creative director Amy Hennig as its president. Ironically, Hennig was already working on a Star Wars title at EA before leaving the company in 2018.“I’m not doing anything Star Wars,” Hennig told Eurogamer in an interview about her departure from EA.It is not yet known if this game is the same as the one Hennig was... Continue reading…
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by Mia Sato on (#5YATW)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Spotify is shutting down its live audio app creator fund without much fanfare, the company told applicants in an email on Monday. Greenroom (now called Spotify Live) launched last June as a Clubhouse competitor, where users stream live conversations with celebrities, influencers, and other creators. The fund, announced in tandem with the live audio app, was meant to lure in creators through weekly payouts based on performance.In an email obtained by The Verge, Spotify tells people who had registered to the fund that the program would not be moving forward. “We plan to shift toward other initiatives for live creators,” the company writes. Spotify didn’t offer an explanation for the change in plans and did not immediately respond on the... Continue reading…
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by Loren Grush on (#5YATX)
The planet Uranus, seen from Voyager 2. | Image: NASA/JPL-Caltech The space science community thinks the time is ripe to study Uranus in depth — and they’re being serious. A new report compiled by planetary scientists from across the United States says that sending an interplanetary probe to study the ice giant planet should be considered the top priority for planetary exploration over the next decade.Specifically, scientists are calling on NASA to create the Uranus Orbiter and Probe, or UOP. The mission concept would send a spacecraft into orbit around Uranus, along with a probe that would plunge into the planet’s atmosphere. Scientists envision such a mission launching sometime in the early 2030s as long as engineers get started on it as soon as next year.If it works, the UOP mission could provide... Continue reading…
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by Emma Roth on (#5YATY)
Nitecore’s UFZ100 is compatible with an array of Sony cameras. | Image: Nitecore The Nitecore UFZ100 camera battery is here to release photographers from Sony’s proprietary grasp — a built-in USB-C charging port lets you power it up using the same hardware as many of your other devices (via Gizmodo). It hasn't been officially released yet, but you can use the battery with the Sony A7 III, A7R III, A7R IV, A7S III, A9 (ILCE-9), A9 II, A6600, A7C, A1, FX3, and A7 IV, saving you from lugging around a separate charger if you want to bring along (and charge) an extra battery on a shoot.As Gizmodo points out, the battery has a slightly smaller capacity than its proprietary equivalent, with the Sony NP-FZ100 coming with a 2,280mAh capacity and the Nitecore UFZ100 featuring 2,250mAh. In terms of charging times, Nitecore’s... Continue reading…
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by Nilay Patel on (#5YAR9)
Photo Illustration by The Verge A plan to revive US manufacturing gone wrong Continue reading…
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by Andrew J. Hawkins on (#5YARA)
Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images A number of transportation providers, including Uber, Amtrak, and all three major airlines, said they wouldn’t require employees or customers to wear masks anymore after a federal judge struck down the Biden administration’s mask mandate.On Monday, US District Judge Kathryn Kimball Mizelle ruled that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not have the authority to introduce a mask mandate and did not follow the proper rules to implement a mandate. The Biden administration said it was weighing whether to appeal the ruling. (The mask mandate for air travel and public transportation was set to expire April 18th but was recently extended to May 3rd.)many private transportation providers aren’t waiting for the White House’s... Continue reading…
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by Amanda Chicago Lewis on (#5YARB)
Illustrations by Emily Lopez for The Verge As the world shut down in March 2020, anxious knowledge workers barricaded themselves at home, scrubbing produce with soap. Fear sometimes manifested as altruism: checking on neighbors, organizing mutual aid. But the crisis also prompted cynics to root around for new loopholes to exploit, for ways to raise prices, feign hardship, get a rent reduction, slack off. For every person who spent that spring self-soothing with Animal Crossing or struggling to manage small children, there was someone else out there thinking, “How can I take advantage of the chaos?” This is a story about one of those people.You see, freaking out was for normies. In the early days of the pandemic, a true hustler smelled opportunity, and Hiam Kaplan is a true... Continue reading…
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by Antonio G. Di Benedetto on (#5Y9ST)
Sony PlayStation 5 restocks are still trickling in. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge It’s time for another chance to buy the most sought-after console currently on the market: Sony’s PlayStation 5. Walmart once again has a restock of PS5 consoles coming up for Walmart Plus subscribers. The members-only drop is scheduled for today, April 19th, at 12PM ET / 9AM PT, and it’s set to include both the disc-based PS5 for $499 and the PS5 Digital Edition for $399. You’ll need a paid Walmart Plus account to get a crack at either one (no free trials allowed), and while the premium subscription costs $98 annually, you can subscribe for just one month for $12.95 to try your hand at a PS5.We’ve been through this drill at Walmart many times before, and while nobody likes paying extra for access to purchase a console, the retail giant... Continue reading…
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by Sean Hollister on (#5YANM)
The cards in this photo are now worth $1,569 — down from $2,605 last March. | Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge For nearly two years, netting a PS5, Xbox Series X, or AMD Radeon and Nvidia RTX graphics cards without paying a fortune has been a matter of luck (or a lot of skill). At its peak, scalpers were successfully charging double or even triple MSRP for a modern GPU. But it’s looking like the great GPU shortage is nearly over.In January, sites including Tom’s Hardware reported that prices were finally beginning to drop, and drop they did; they’ve now dropped an average of 30 percent in the three months since. On eBay, the most popular graphics cards are only commanding a street price of $200–$300 over MSRP. And while that might still seem like a lot, some have fallen further: used Nvidia RTX 3080 Ti or AMD RX 6900 XT are currently fetching l... Continue reading…
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by Andrew Webster on (#5YANN)
While many big games have been delayed recently, Xenoblade Chronicles 3 is moving in the opposite direction: Nintendo announced that the sci-fi RPG will now launch on July 29th instead of the previously planned September release. No specific reason was given for the change. The game will be a Nintendo Switch exclusive.Xenoblade Chronicles 3 will be the first main game in the series since its predecessor debuted on the Switch in 2017 and Nintendo first announced it earlier this year as part of the February 2022 Nintendo Direct. Like the rest of the series, the new game takes place in an expansive sci-fi universe; in addition to the release date, Nintendo also revealed a new trailer (embedded above) to further tease the story and world.T... Continue reading…
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by Sheena Vasani on (#5YANP)
Apple’s 14-inch MacBook Pro is down to $1,749.99 at Amazon, a price you’ll see at checkout. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Somehow, we’ve reached the middle of April, which means graduation for the class of 2022 is just around the corner (congrats in advance). If you’re looking for a pricey-yet-practical gift, Apple’s newest 14-inch MacBook Pro would certainly be a welcome present. It’s an especially good one to consider today now that this model is on sale for just $1 shy of its best price to date. Right now, Amazon is selling the M1 Pro-powered MacBook Pro with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of SSD for $1,749.99 ($200 off). Note, however, that the current discounted price applies at checkout.We gave the latest 14-inch MacBook Pro, which can be configured with either Apple’s new M1 Pro or M1 Max processor, a rare 9.5 out of 10 in our review. We were impressed with... Continue reading…
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by The Verge Staff on (#5YANQ)
Illustration by Melissa Mathieson / The Verge A big part of imagining the future is picturing what we’ll bring with us from the present. Some things will stubbornly cling to us — like a produce sticker refusing to be composted. But other visions of the future will take a bit more work to manifest. During The Verge’s Conservation Week, we’re looking at the efforts of people who want to bring different worlds into being: whether that’s a forested future, thanks to tree-planting drones; a wildlife-filled future fueled by AI-backed research; or even a future where the world’s first MMO is still online. Along the way, meet a sustainability scientist using TikTok to fight climate doom, a group of fans fighting to preserve an early virtual world, and a community trying to maintain a more... Continue reading…
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