The Verge

The feature should eventually be available on the Galaxy Watch 5 (left) and Watch 4 (middle and right) lineups. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Samsung announced today that it received clearance from the Food and Drug Administration for a forthcoming irregular heart rhythm notification feature for its Galaxy Watches. This is meant to work alongside its FDA-cleared EKG feature and first arrive on its upcoming Galaxy Watch 6.Functionally, it’s more similar to Fitbit’s passive AFib monitoring feature that was introduced last year than the EKG spot-checks Apple introduced with the Series 4 in 2018. Unlike the EKG measurements, these irregular heart rhythm notifications don’t require the user to do anything. Once enabled, the Galaxy Watch will monitor for irregular heart rate rhythms in the background and will only alert users once a certain number of consecutive measurements are... Continue reading…

Take advantage of the PlayStation Plus Collection before it’s gone tomorrow. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Last call! Today presents the final moments in which PlayStation 5 owners can claim the PlayStation Plus Collection of last-gen hit games. And you can do so for cheaper by getting a one-year PlayStation Plus Essential membership for $48.43 (about $12 off) at Eneba with offer code USPlus. This deal from Eneba was initially set to expire today, but it’s been extended through May 9th at 7AM ET — just enough time to allow more gamers to claim games like Ratchet & Clank (2016), God of War (2018), Bloodborne, The Last Of Us Remastered (the PS4 version, not the PS5 remake), and Persona 5 (which, confusingly, went away and returned) from Sony.And yes, you can just claim all 20 games being offered by adding them to your account (you don’t even... Continue reading…

Nintendo Live 2023 event poster. | Image: Nintendo Nintendo’s next big live event will take place in Seattle this September, and today, the company revealed dates and more details about Nintendo Live 2023. The event will run from September 1st through September 4th at the Seattle Convention Center and is intended to be an all-ages celebration of Nintendo’s games, as just one of many gaming companies planning events this summer in the shadow of E3 2023’s cancellation.Nintendo Live 2023 is going to be a free event, and there are two ways to get tickets. You can register in a randomly selected drawing on Nintendo’s website at some point between May 31st and June 22nd, where you could get a one-day pass for a group of up to six people.

The Nest Hub interface has been essentially the same since 2020. But maybe not for long. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge Google I/O is a couple of days away and, with it, the likely launch of the Pixel Tablet. By itself, the device is just another Android tablet, but when it’s connected to its charging dock, which has built-in speakers, it looks an awful lot like the Nest Hub Max. Like the Nest Hub Max, it can act as a smart home controller — and I sure hope it paves the way for a better smart home interface. It had better.The Nest Hub exemplifies everything that’s gone wrong with smart home controls: its interface is unintuitive and inflexible, its responses are laggy, and its responses are unpredictable and often just plain wrong.Google seems to be using the Pixel Tablet as a chance for a do-over. The Pixel Tablet will run Android, and from what... Continue reading…

Apple’s latest pair of wireless earbuds offer improved sound and more features without sacrificing the great ease of use for which AirPods are known. Happy Saturday, dear readers! In case you weren’t already aware, Mother’s Day is next weekend, which means you have about a week or so to pick up a gift if you were planning on doing so. We’ve assembled a wide array of picks in our Mother’s Day gift guide, but, if want a quick suggestion, Apple’s third-gen AirPods are on sale once again at Amazon and Best Buy for $149.99, nearly matching their best price to date.In many ways, Apple’s latest pair of earbuds are tailor-made for iPhone users. The third-gen earbuds feature automatic device switching, head-tracking spatial audio, and deeper Find My integration than the prior model, helping you to better pinpoint their location if you happen to lose them. They also sound better than the... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge A race to reserve usernames is kicking off on Discord.Starting in the next couple of weeks, millions of Discord users will be forced to say goodbye to their old four-digit-appended names. Discord is requiring everyone to take up a new common platform-wide handle. For Discord, it’s a move toward mainstream social network conventions. For some users, though, it’s a change to the basics of what Discord is — a shift that’s as much about culture as technology.Discord has historically handled usernames with a numeric suffix system. Instead of requiring a completely unique handle, it allowed duplicate names by adding a four-digit code known as a “discriminator” — think TheVerge#1234. But earlier this week, it announced it was changing course... Continue reading…

Image: Bluesky Bluesky, the chaotic, invite-only “errors and asses” platform, told its users today there’s a new rule: no heads of state. I’m guessing the posters are too feral to be trusted.In some sense, this is understandable. The thing is still in beta. The team is tiny, and actively juggling moderation while trying to ship features. I’m not sure who got invited, but something prompted today’s announcement. An official skeet. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is already there, as is Sen. Brian Schatz and Sen. Ron Wyden. There are celebrities there, as well — CNN’s Jake Tapper, filmmaker Rian Johnson, model Chrissy Teigen, and filmmaker Lilly Wachowski. But the more high-profile members that join, the more moderation challenges the... Continue reading…

Illustration: Samar Haddad / The Verge Passwords have always been a necessary evil, giving you the choice of either using one that is too simple (so you can easily remember it) or one obscure enough to be secure but complicated enough to require a password manager.Until now, the best way to keep your accounts secure was to partner a password with two-factor authorization (2FA). But now, Google is offering another choice: using a passkey — a secure credential tied to the PIN or biometric authentication your device already uses. The passkey only exists on your device, not in the cloud, making it even safer.Want to give it a try? Here’s how.What are the hardware / software requirements?Currently, you can create a passkey on any compatible hardware, including laptops /... Continue reading…

Image: Yahoo Marissa Mayer says Yahoo should’ve bought Netflix or Hulu, not Tumblr, during her time as CEO.“We looked at a transformative acquisition, and we bought Tumblr,” Mayer said in an interview with Tech Brew. “At the same time, we were also considering whether it was possible to buy Hulu or, ironically, Netflix. And I think Netflix was $4 billion and Hulu was at $1.3 billion at the time. And either of those, with hindsight being 20/20, would have been a better acquisition.”Yahoo paid $1.1 billion for Tumblr in 2013 but struggled to make sense of the platform among its other media efforts. The company started bringing ads to Tumblr and pushed employees to meet unrealistic sales goals. In 2016, Yahoo wrote down Tumblr’s value by $230 million.... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Gmail is getting more persistent advertisements that have started popping up in the middle of some users’ inboxes, as first reported by 9to5Google. Several screenshots posted to Twitter show promotional messages mixed in with actual emails on Gmail’s desktop site, and users aren’t very happy about it.While Gmail has long placed ads at the very top of the Promotions and Social inboxes, it never dared to stick them in between messages. The new placement makes it even more confusing to distinguish between actual emails and ads, even if the promotions have the little green “Ad” icon placed next to them. It’s not clear if this is some kind of test or a gradual rollout. (I’m not seeing ads scattered within any of my inboxes just yet.)

The new backgrounds in Microsoft Teams. | Image: Microsoft Microsoft is refreshing the backgrounds available in Microsoft Teams and adding in new animated versions. It’s the biggest update to the virtual backgrounds in Teams since the original collection launched in 2020, with new options to replace the messy room behind you with an idyllic scene.Initially, these will be a large collection of new still images followed by some animated versions in June. Microsoft is sharing some details on the new still background imagery today, but it looks like we’ll have to wait until next month to see how these animated backgrounds compare to the ones that have been available on rival Zoom for years.“Featuring all-new images, the reimagined visual library for Teams has been thoughtfully designed to... Continue reading…

Apple’s Live Activities and always-on display are a showcase for what our phones could be. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge The always-on display, Live Activities, and Dynamic Island tease a frictionless future where we spend less time in apps. Continue reading…

Rebecca Ferguson in Silo. | Image: Apple The latest sci-fi series on Apple TV Plus is more than just another post-apocalyptic drama. Continue reading…

The touchscreen offers quick access to earbud settings along with extras like timers and even a flashlight. It’s not a super compelling addition right now, but this is only the beginning of what’s sure to become a trend. Continue reading…

There’s currently no release date, but garage door controls are available to try in the Google Home public preview. | Illustration: The Verge Controls for smart garage doors are coming to the Google Home app. The feature has already started to roll out to some users, with one Reddit user (spotted by 9to5Google) posting an image of the large pill-shaped open / close toggle controls that have silently appeared on the app. Image: u/MickotheNestPro The design mirrors Google Home’s usual pill-shaped toggle. We should note that this feature has only landed on the preview Google Home app so far and doesn’t have an official release yet. Google is currently in the process of overhauling its Home app to prepare for Matter and has been testing the updated version since October last year. Given Google’s I/O event is just around the corner, we might get some... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge After years of multibillion-dollar investments, “just around the corner” promises of robotaxis, and predictions that today’s children might never need to learn to drive, 2022 ended with a hard wake-up call for the autonomous car industry.High-profile crashes made headlines instead of big technological leaps. Major companies raised the white flag and retreated from the effort. And the demise of respected tech leader Argo AI left investors and industry officials alike wondering if they can’t do it, who can?But even with a newfound understanding that driverless cars are years or even decades away, automakers and tech companies alike are still aiming for that goal. And big investments in driverless technology are being made, proving that... Continue reading…

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge The deadline to claim the titles included in the PlayStation Plus Collection is fast approaching, meaning you’ve got until May 9th to claim the dozen-plus PS4 classics that are included as part of a PlayStation Plus subscription. Eurogamer notes that the list currently includes some absolute cracking games like Bloodborne, God of War, Ratchet and Clank, The Last Guardian, and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End.Sony launched the collection alongside the PlayStation 5 console back in 2020, allowing owners of its new console to catch up on some of the biggest games of the previous generation. It was a neat incentive to subscribe to PlayStation Plus, and a reminder of the wealth of PS4 titles available to play via backwards compatibility in the... Continue reading…

AMD’s AI-capable MI300 data center APU is set to arrive sometime later this year. | Photo by ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images Microsoft has allegedly teamed up with AMD to help bolster the chipmaker’s expansion into artificial intelligence processors. According to a report by Bloomberg, Microsoft is providing engineering resources to support AMD’s developments as the two companies join forces to compete against Nvidia, which controls an estimated 80 percent market share in the AI processor market.In turn, Bloomberg’s sources also claim that AMD is helping Microsoft to develop its own in-house AI chips, codenamed Athena. Several hundred employees from Microsoft’s silicon division are reportedly working on the project and the company has apparently already sunk around $2 billion into its development. Microsoft spokesperson Frank Shaw has, however, denied that... Continue reading…

ChatGPT isn’t out of the EU’s data privacy woods just yet. | Illustration: The Verge The European Union’s fight with ChatGPT is a glance into what’s to come for AI services. Continue reading…

Like Amazon’s Echo speakers, its various smart displays come in a range of sizes. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge Amazon’s current Echo lineup offers a broad selection of smart speakers and displays that can fit just about anywhere in your home. Whether you want to place a voice assistant in your living room, replace the bulletin board in your office, or pick up a touchscreen-enabled device to showcase recipes in the kitchen, there's an Echo device for just about every occasion and use case.Regardless of why you might want one, there’s always a way to save on Echo devices, from the last-gen Dot to the wall-mounted Echo Show 15. Even when they’re selling at full price, for instance, Amazon offers a 25 percent discount when you trade in select devices, meaning there are still other ways to save money when none of the models are on sale.Below,... Continue reading…

Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge Apple surpassed Wall Street expectations and said it had reached an all-time high in services revenue and set a new March quarter record for iPhone revenue in a report on its second quarter earnings on Thursday. The numbers show continued demand for the iPhone 14 lineup even as substantial upgrades (including USB-C connectivity) approach this fall. But Apple’s other divisions, including Mac and iPad, were down year over year.“We are pleased to report an all-time record in services and a March quarter record for iPhone despite the challenging macroeconomic environment, and to have our installed base of active devices reach an all-time high,” CEO Tim Cook said in the company’s earnings release. He told CNBC in an interview that, unlike... Continue reading…

This is the company that Pluto TV’s co-founder is reportedly working on. | Image: Telly The co-founder of Pluto TV, Ilya Pozin, wants to give away free ad-supported TVs — yes, you read that right. That’s according to a report from Janko Roettgers in his Lowpass newsletter, who says the free television set will come with a second, built-in screen dedicated solely to ads and a soundbar.Instead of profiting from TV sales, Roettgers reports Pozin’s new company, called Teevee Corporation, would make money off of the ads that appear on TV’s secondary screen. The idea isn’t as ridiculous as it sounds, as Vizio, for example, already makes far more money from ads and commissions than it does from selling TVs.Sources tell Roettgers that the built-in screen would be about the same height as a smartphone and stretch across the... Continue reading…

Slack GPT will eventually provide conversation summaries with a single click. | Image: Slack With Slack GPT, natively integrated AI features are being developed for Slack that could help boost productivity without disrupting how users already interact with the platform. Some examples include directing the tone and length of messages composed directly in Slack and even attending Huddles on your behalf, summarizing them along with any unread messages you may have missed.Introduced at the Salesforce World Tour event on Thursday, Slack GPT is a new generative AI experience that has three main focus points: the aforementioned natively integrated AI features, customizable automated workflows, and a dedicated Einstein GPT app for Slack. It’s going to be a while before any of these features are available to everyday Slack users, but... Continue reading…

Illustration: The Verge From the Pixel 7A to the rumored Pixel foldable, here’s what we’re expecting out of Google’s hardware division in May and beyond. Continue reading…

Image: Asus The 2023 model of Asus’ ROG Zephyrus G14 is now available for purchase. The release, first announced in January, brings a 504-zone Mini LED screen, Nvidia’s Advanced Optimus feature, and AMD’s Zen 4 CPU architecture to the bestselling gaming line.The new G14 can be purchased at Best Buy or on Asus’ website for a purported starting price of $1,429.99. I’m not seeing a model for this price available on Asus’ store, however, but I have found several models currently selling at Best Buy. It appears that the $1,429.99 model includes an Nvidia RTX 4050, a Ryzen 7 7735HS, 16GB of DDR5 memory, and 512GB of storage. I’m not going to recommend most people buy that model (the combination of the low-powered RTX 4050 and limited storage is not great... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Hulu is adding a few new channels to its live TV lineup. That includes the local PBS stations that are available across the country, PBS Kids, and the Magnolia Network.Hulu says local PBS channels and PBS Kids will start streaming on its Live TV subscription in “the coming months,” which includes shows like American Experience, Antiques Roadshow, Frontline, and Nature. While PBS first brought its local channels to YouTube TV in 2019 and later started airing them on DirecTV Stream, the broadcasting company also offers local stations available to stream from its website.Meanwhile, the Magnolia Network, a home-improvement-focused channel, will join Hulu’s live TV lineup on May 25th. This channel airs shows like Fixer Upper, Beach Cottage... Continue reading…

AI was a hot topic at the 2023 Game Developers Conference. | Image: GDC The early days of AI in game development have been full of questions and murky answers. Continue reading…

Photo by Patrick T. Fallon / AFP via Getty Images The Boring Company, Elon Musk’s mostly unreliable tunnel digging venture, has won the approval to expand its “Vegas Loop” system to — wait for it — 69 stations. Nice? Not really.The tunnel system is Musk’s supposedly futuristic idea to alleviate road traffic by shifting some of that bumper-to-bumper traffic underground. The expansion, approved by the Clark County Commissioners, allows The Boring Company to construct 25 miles of additional tunnels for a total of 65 miles and 18 additional stations.The original vision for the Vegas Loop was 51 stations and 29 miles of tunnels — so this represents a pretty big vote of confidence in Musk’s idea of an underground network of Teslas whizzing through tunnels that are only slightly larger... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge It’s been a rough couple of weeks for Xbox that’s had fans questioning the state of Microsoft’s console gaming business. First, there was news of a 30 percent drop in Xbox hardware revenue, followed by the CMA’s decision to block Microsoft’s giant $68.7 billion Activision Blizzard acquisition, and topped off by Redfall launching earlier this week to a very lukewarm reception.When you combine all of this with a quiet year of Xbox releases in 2022, Xbox fans are wondering when Microsoft is going to deliver a slew of triple-A games like we saw with the Xbox 360 generation.“We’re not in the business of out console-ing Sony or out console-ing Nintendo,” says Xbox chief Phil Spencer in an interview with Kinda Funny Games. Spencer said s... Continue reading…

It’s got a rower and a treadmill, guys. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Peloton isn’t keen on the fact people mostly think of it as that bike company, which is why CEO Barry McCarthy says the company will “relaunch its brand” later this month so that more people are aware that it does other things, too. Part of that is relaunching the Peloton app with a new tiered subscription structure.There’s no information on the pricing just yet, but on today’s Q3 2023 earnings call, CFO Liz Coddington said the “app tiers will have different amounts of content variances” depending on the price. Only users who have bought Peloton hardware and pay for All-Access membership will get everything Peloton has to offer.McCarthy also noted on the call that unaided awareness for the Row is at 4 percent, while the Guide, its... Continue reading…

Image: Apple Apple Arcade is getting 20 new games, and that includes the exclusive launch of a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle roguelike.The game, called TMNT Splintered Fate, is a top-down co-op roguelike that has Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael fighting their way through enemies as they search for Master Splinter, who’s gone missing. You can team up with friends or go it alone as you traverse New York City while enlisting help from other characters like April, Metalhead, Casey Jones, and more along the way.