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Image: Asus AMD’s latest generation of mobile processors is here. We already know a lot about them, thanks to AMD’s CES 2022 keynote, like that they’re the first processors to ship with Microsoft’s Pluton security processor, which was built to block new attack vectors that have been used to compromise PCs. More importantly to gamers, some of these new processors (including AMD’s new discrete graphics offerings) seem very powerful.You’ll be able to find Ryzen 6000 H-series processors in laptops from Alienware, Asus, Acer, Lenovo, Razer, and more releasing in the coming weeks and months. But right now, all eyes are on Asus’ ROG Zephyrus G14, which is among the first to launch with AMD’s latest components. Here’s our verdict on that laptop. ... Continue reading…

A great affordable handset that feels more Oppo than OnePlus Continue reading…

The OnePlus Nord CE 2 in blue and gray. | Image: OnePlus The OnePlus Nord 2 CE is the latest entry in the company’s more affordable Nord range. It’s a stripped-down version of last year’s Nord 2, similar to the original Nord CE. The CE stands for “Core Edition,” similar to Samsung’s FE or “Fan Edition” devices. It costs £299 (€349) and will be available in Europe and India (but not the US). It’ll be available to pre-order from March 3rd and will go on general sale on March 10th in Europe. Check out our full review right here.Although this is a relatively affordable smartphone, a number of its specs only started appearing on flagship smartphones relatively recently. It supports up to 65W fast charging via an included SuperVOOC charger (OnePlus has ditched its own Warp Charge branding in favor... Continue reading…

Image: Snap Snapchat will let users change their usernames with an update arriving globally later this month, the company announced today. It means you’ll be able to leave behind the name you used originally without having to create an entirely new account. Snapchat says the new feature will be available for both iOS and Android, and will launch on February 23rd.In order to change your username, head to the profile screen by tapping the Bitmoji icon in the top right corner of the camera. Tap the gear icon, then “Username” and select “Change Username.” Changing a username won’t have any impact on your contacts, Snap code, Snap Score, or memories, according to Snapchat’s press release. Image: Snap A walkthrough of the steps to... Continue reading…

Sonantic’s demo pairs an AI generated voice with a real human actor. | Image: Sonantic The quality of AI-generated voices has improved rapidly in recent years, but there are still aspects of human speech that escape synthetic imitation. Sure, AI actors can deliver smooth corporate voiceovers for presentations and adverts, but more complex performances — a convincing rendition of Hamlet, for example — remain out of reach.Sonantic, an AI voice startup, says it’s made a minor breakthrough in its development of audio deepfakes, creating a synthetic voice that can express subtleties like teasing and flirtation. The company says the key to its advance is the incorporation of non-speech sounds into its audio; training its AI models to recreate those small intakes of breath — tiny scoffs and half-hidden chuckles — that give real... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Chrome, Firefox, and Edge are about to hit version 100, in a triple release that could break some websites. The move to version 100 in the coming weeks could result in bugs or compatibility issues on some websites not ready to read triple-digit user-agent strings. Google, Mozilla, and Microsoft are busy trying preempt any big issues.Mozilla, Google, and Microsoft have been warning about the upcoming version 100 release for months, which is about to drop in March for both Chrome and Edge, followed by Firefox in May. Mozilla and Google have both been running experiments to test websites and report breakages. There’s a running list of issues, which is fairly small right now, and Engadget notes that the notable sites affected include HBO... Continue reading…

Photo by Matt Cardy/Getty Images Amazon will continue to accept Visa credit cards after reaching a global deal, just weeks after the retail giant threatened to stop accepting Visa credit cards in the UK. Bloomberg reports that Amazon will also stop charging Visa credit cardholders an extra fee on purchases made in Singapore and Australia.At the core of the dispute were the payment fees Visa charges Amazon each time a customer makes a purchase with one of its credit cards. In the UK in particular, Visa’s interchange fees on credit cards had risen from 0.3 percent to 1.5 percent after the UK left the European Union and was no longer bound by EU fee limits.“This agreement includes the acceptance of Visa at all Amazon stores and sites today”Bloomberg reports that Amazon... Continue reading…

Microsoft’s big upcoming feature list for Windows 11 includes some important optimizations and improvements behind the scenes for PC games. The software giant is planning to bring its Xbox HDR Game Calibration app to Windows 11, and make older games run with less input lag, Auto HDR, and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) if they’re running windowed instead of fullscreen.The upcoming Windows HDR Calibration app will allow PC gamers to improve color accuracy and consistency of an HDR display, just like on Xbox. It will include three test patterns to calibrate HDR efficiently, and Windows 11 testers will be able to access the app soon ahead of its general release.Windows 11 shipped with the Auto HDR feature from the Xbox Series X / S consoles,... Continue reading…

An illustration of a Samsung laptop is shown alongside a series of other device. | Image: Samsung Samsung is teasing the announcement of a new Galaxy Book laptop at an event on February 27th coinciding with this year’s Mobile World Congress (MWC). In a small animation released alongside the invitation, a laptop can be seen unfolding itself, before being joined by a collection of other Samsung products, including a smart watch, smartphone, and a tablet. The event will be streamed on Samsung’s YouTube channel at 1PM ET / 10AM PT on February 27th.In an accompanying blog post, Samsung Electronics’ head of new computing R&D team Hark-sang Kim gives some hints about the company’s priorities for its “next generation Galaxy Book lineup.” Kim says the aim is to offer a “seamless experience across devices and operating systems” with various... Continue reading…

Oppo has released official images of its latest flagship phone, which will be part of the Find X5 series. The company posted pictures of black and white versions of the device along with details on its launch event, which will take place at 6am ET on February 24th, just ahead of Mobile World Congress 2022 in Barcelona.The Find X5 Pro has already leaked extensively, with the Hasselblad partnership and branding revealed in a hands-on photo last month. Oppo made the Hasselblad partnership official earlier this week, following last year’s collaboration between the camera company and Oppo sub-brand OnePlus. Oppo says the Find X5 Pro has a “cutting-edge camera like no other” and a “futuristic flagship design” made from a... Continue reading…

If you upload data to a service, you can’t count on it staying private. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge A report recently published by Politico about the automated transcription service Otter.ai serves as a great reminder of how difficult it can be to keep things truly private in the age of cloud-based services. It starts off with a nerve-wracking story — the journalist interviewed Mustafa Aksu, a Uyghur human rights activist who could be a target of surveillance from the Chinese government. But though they took pains to keep their communication confidential, they used Otter to record the call — and a day later, they received a message from Otter asking about the purpose of the conversation with Aksu.Obviously, it was a concerning email. After receiving mixed messages from an Otter support agent about whether the survey was real or not,... Continue reading…

Photo by Lino Mirgeler/picture alliance via Getty Images Nick Clegg — Meta’s head of policy and communications — is getting a fancy new title: he’s being upgraded from vice president of global affairs to president of global affairs. The move seems less about elevating Clegg’s responsibilities and more about positioning him (rather than CEO Mark Zuckerberg or COO Sheryl Sandberg) front and center for Meta’s major policy decisions and interactions with governments.“For the last three years, Nick has managed some of the most complex issues our company faces — including content policy, elections, the establishment of the Oversight Board, and more,” Zuckerberg wrote in a post announcing the move. “Nick will now lead our company on all our policy matters, including how we interact with governments... Continue reading…

A ‘pageless’ Google Docs document | Image: Google During Google’s I/O event last year, the company laid out plans to significantly revamp the look and feel of its Workspace cloud apps (they were called G Suite until a 2020 name change). That includes a new look for Gmail that’s starting to roll out this month, search chips (you can just call them filters) for Google Drive, and a set of changes that are about to arrive for Google Docs and Google Sheets.The theme of this approach is called “smart canvas.” It takes some hints from productivity apps like Notion to give you more options for blending the features of multiple tools in one screen and to promote ways that you can collaborate remotely with coworkers, powered by Google’s AI. Integrating its various office apps is an approach... Continue reading…

Photo Illustration by Rafael Henrique / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is investigating the relationship between the US branch of cryptocurrency exchange Binance and two trading firms that have ties to Binance CEO Changpeng Zhao, as reported by The Waall Street Journal. The two firms, Merit Peak Ltd. and Sigma Chain AG, serve as market makers that continually buy and sell crypto on Binance.US, helping to lower price volatility.The SEC is particularly concerned with the way Binance discloses its ties to the two trading firms, WSJ reports. On the Binance.US website, the crypto exchange tells users that affiliated market makers can trade on the platform. However, it doesn’t name specific firms.The SEC has asked Binance.US for more information about both firmsThe... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Spotify is making more podcast acquisitions. The company announced today it’s acquiring both Chartable and Podsights — two of the most prominent podcast marketing and ad attribution companies. The deal price hasn’t been disclosed, but this marks the first major acquisition the company has made this year in a long line of audio purchases.Both Podsights and Chartable allow podcasters and networks to include tags in their shows that are used to track who listened, if they heard an ad, and whether they took action upon hearing it. Spotify says it plans to use Podsights’ technology outside podcasting and will bring it to the “full scope of the Spotify platform, including audio ads within music, video ads, and display ads.” The Chartable... Continue reading…

Here’s the first image from the show, which was posted in September. | Image: Neil Druckmann on Twitter HBO’s upcoming The Last of Us series seems like it will be a faithful adaptation of the hit video game — but unfortunately, it won’t be airing this year, according to comments HBO chief content officer Casey Bloys made to The Hollywood Reporter.“The Last of Us is shooting right now in Canada. We haven’t announced an air date yet,” Bloys said. “But it’s not 2022. They’re still shooting in Calgary.” He said something similar to Deadline, too: “[The Last of Us] is not going to air in 2022 — they are still shooting in Canada. I imagine you will see it in ’23.”While it’s a bummer that the show won’t be out in 2022, I’m just fine with HBO taking all the time it needs. The Last of Us is one of my favorite video games, and I really want to see... Continue reading…

A patient with the Argus II. | Photo by Dunyagoz Hospital/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images More than 350 blind people around the world have implants in their eyes made by the company Second Sight Medical Products, which could help partially restore aspects of sight. But the company abandoned the technology a few years ago when it was teetering on the verge of bankruptcy, according to a new investigation from IEEE Spectrum. Now, if something goes wrong with the implants, users are left stranded.“It is fantastic technology and a lousy company,” Ross Doerr, a Second Sight patient, told IEEE Spectrum.Second Sight’s implants, the Argus I and the Argus II, don’t restore normal vision; people see things in shades of gray that disappear when they move their heads. And results vary from person to person. Some users of the implants,... Continue reading…

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Right now, you can save $30 on Microsoft’s Xbox Series S at eBay, which drops the price to $269.99 — the lowest we have seen yet. Reputable eBay seller Antonline is offering two options: the standard Xbox Series S console and the Xbox Series S Fortnite and Rocket League Bundle. Both packages get you the console and a matching white controller for that nice $269.99 price, but the Fortnite and Rocket League bundle includes extra in-game content for both free-to-play titles. If you’re hesitant about eBay purchases, Antonline maintains a 98.8 percent positive feedback score on its eBay store and offers a 30-day money-back return policy.While the Series S may be the lesser of the two Xbox consoles in terms of features and power, lacking a... Continue reading…

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Owners of Bose’s QuietComfort 45 noise-canceling headphones can now customize the bass, mid-range, and treble EQ settings to their liking. With a new firmware update released yesterday, the QC45s are no longer stuck on their default, out-of-the-box tuning. You can dial in your preferred settings or choose from a few of Bose’s own presets, including bass boost, treble reducer, and so on.QC45 owners are already comparing the EQ adjustments on Reddit, with many dialing up the bass response a bit. I noted in my review of the otherwise-excellent QC45s that it was disappointing to see them released without EQ customization, so I’m glad the company got around to adding it.The latest QC45 firmware also “makes it easier to pair with and... Continue reading…

Amazon workers in New York will vote on unionization | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Workers at an Amazon warehouse on Staten Island in New York City will hold an election next month to decide whether to unionize, the Amazon Labor Union (ALU) said Wednesday. Workers at the warehouse, called JFK8, will vote between March 25th and March 30th, according to the ALU, which is representing the workers. The election will be held in person at a tent outside the warehouse, the ALU tweeted.The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) did not immediately confirm the dates and said the two sides were “still in discussion” Wednesday afternoon. But the regulator determined last month that unionization efforts at Amazon’s JFK8 warehouse had “reached a sufficient showing of interest” to hold an election.

The LTE versions of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 4 has reached new all-time lows. | Photo by Dieter Bohn / The Verge If you, like me, pigged out on one too many chocolates on Valentine’s Day and / or chicken wings during Super Bowl Sunday, today’s smartwatch deal may help you get back on track with your fitness goals. Right now, Samsung’s LTE-outfitted Galaxy Watch 4 is on sale in both size configurations for its lowest prices to date. At the moment, you can pick up the 44mm version at Amazon and Best Buy for $249.99 instead of $329.99 or the 40mm variant for $219.99 (Amazon, Best Buy).The Galaxy Watch 4 is an excellent Android smartwatch, one that is particularly ideal for those already tapped into the Samsung ecosystem. As we noted in our review last year, the latest Samsung wearable sports a responsive interface and offers greater support for... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge On Wednesday, Google announced the start of a multi-year process to overhaul ad tracking on Android phones, moving the mobile platform along a similar path to the one sketched out by Apple’s tracker blocking on iOS last year.Currently, Android devices are each assigned a unique identifier known as an “advertising ID,” which is used to build a profile of an Android user that developers can use to target in-app ads. But when the new changes are implemented, the advertising ID will be phased out in favor of alternative targeting mechanisms that Google says will be more favorable to user privacy, according to a blog post published Wednesday.“Today, we’re announcing a multi-year initiative to build the Privacy Sandbox on Android, with the... Continue reading…

Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal will be taking a few weeks of paternity leave. | Photo Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal plans to take “a few weeks” of paternity leave for the birth of his second child, the company confirmed Wednesday. First reported by The Washington Post, Agrawal announced he was taking the leave at a company all-hands meeting last week, although he apparently will take less than the full 20 weeks that Twitter provides.“At Twitter, we encourage and fully support employees taking parental leave in whatever way works best for each person,” Laura Yagerman, head of corporate communications at Twitter, said in a statement emailed to The Verge. “It’s a personal decision, and we created a parental leave program (supporting up to 20 weeks of flexible leave) that is customizable for that reason.” She added that... Continue reading…

Concept art for Disney’s first planned “Storyliving” community: Cotino, California. | Image: Disney Disney has launched a new business for fans who can’t bear to leave the pristine, family-friendly world the corporation has nurtured through its theme parks and media ventures.“Storyliving by Disney” will operate as part of the company’s theme parks division, developing a series of master-planned communities for residential living, designed by Disney’s creative staff and offering the same pampered tranquility found in its resorts.Disney’s new planned communities will be as pampered and pristine as its resorts“Picture an energetic community with the warmth and charm of a small town and the beauty of a resort,” said Disney Parks, Experiences and Products exec Helen Pak in a promotional video.Only one location has been announced so... Continue reading…

Let the games begin! Continue reading…

It’s got better GPS and solar charging, but the best part is it’s comfortable Continue reading…

Microsoft acquired AltspaceVR in 2017. | Image: Microsoft Microsoft is removing all social hubs hosted in AltspaceVR and requiring users to log into the virtual reality app using a Microsoft account. The changes are designed to improve safety and moderation on AltspaceVR, and Microsoft will also turn its existing safety bubble feature on by default and mute attendees joining meetings in AltspaceVR by default.“As platforms like AltspaceVR evolve, it is important that we look at existing experiences and evaluate whether they’re adequately serving the needs of customers today and in the future,” explains Alex Kipman, head of Microsoft’s mixed reality efforts. “This includes helping people better connect with those who have shared common interests while also ensuring the spaces they access are... Continue reading…

Screenshot: Wordle As a fairly enthusiastic — if not very expert — Wordle player, I wasn’t thrilled with the idea that The New York Times was adding the word game to its quiver. But I understood why the Times would want it, and why the game’s creator would want to not have to deal with its unexpected popularity. So I heaved a sigh, and prepared to continue to play on the new site.The day came: I clicked on the familiar powerlanguage.co.uk/wordle URL and saw www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html in the address field. I mentally shrugged, and prepared for my morning battle with the English language.And — nothing.A blank screen. No 404 notice, no “your internet connection is loused up” message — and especially, no Wordle. Just a blank screen. ... Continue reading…

The process is relatively simple. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge If you’ve decided to delete your TikTok account for whatever reason, there’s good news — it’s relatively easy to do and should only take a few minutes (provided you’re already logged in or remember your password). The process can be done either in the app or on the web — here’s how:Deleting your TikTok through the appTikTok makes it relatively easy to delete your account through the iOS or Android app.

Ashley Carman, editor of Hot Pod We’re thrilled to announce that Hot Pod Summit — our invite-only event for the people pushing the audio industry forward — is returning to On Air Fest at the gorgeous Wythe Hotel in New York City. The day-long gathering on February 24th will be hosted by The Verge’s senior reporter Ashley Carman and will feature programming on the biggest topics in audio, including podcast subscriptions, competing with big tech, moderation, and more.This is The Verge’s first Hot Pod Summit since acquiring the newsletter in 2021, and we couldn’t be more excited to keep this important event going. We’re putting on the event with our partners at work x work; this marks their 5th consecutive year producing the event. And if you want to see what On Air Fest... Continue reading…

Apple Music Replay 2022. | Screenshot: Apple Music A month and a half into 2022, Apple Music’s roundup of your listening habits throughout the year is already live, 9to5Mac reports. Unlike Spotify, whose Wrapped feature launches each December, Apple’s competing Music Replay feature is available from now until the end of the year. So if you’re an Apple Music subscriber keen to see what your music tastes have been like over the past 47 days, now’s the time.Of course, there’s a decent chance you haven’t actually listened to enough music this year for Apple Music to generate your Replay summary. As 9to5Mac notes, the summary shows your top 100 most played songs, your top 10 played albums, and your most listened to artists. You can find your stats by heading over to replay.music.apple.com,... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge For the first time, Uber is allowing its customers to see how many five-star ratings they’ve received from drivers — as well as how many shameful one-star reviews they’ve racked up.For years, the two-way rating system has fueled Uber’s power over its riders and drivers. Low-performing drivers — those with an average of four stars or less — were at risk of deactivation. Even some poorly behaved passengers could get kicked off the platform if they received enough one-star ratings. Now, Uber is offering its customers fresh insight into how they are perceived by drivers.Customers will be able to access a breakdown of their average ratings in the Uber app’s new privacy menu, which will be available to customers globally starting today. ... Continue reading…

The “sunrise blue” Realme 9 Pro Plus turns red in sunlight. Realme has announced the Realme 9 Pro and Pro Plus, two new phones that now sit at the top of its extremely popular mid-range numbered series. We reviewed the 8 Pro last year and found it to be one of the best value phones available anywhere — except the US, of course, where Realme doesn’t have a presence.The two new 9 Pro phones are big upgrades on the 8 Pro. The physical design is all new, combining thin flat sides with a curved back panel that, at least on the “sunrise blue” model, uses a photochromic layer that changes color under exposure to sunlight. Take the phone outside on a reasonably sunny day and it’ll change from blue to a reddish tint in a matter of seconds. Vivo, which shares the same BBK ownership as Realme, launched a... Continue reading…

Nintendo is winding down new purchases on its Wii U and 3DS marketplaces. The Nintendo Switch has been Nintendo’s main console for years now, but the company has still kept the Wii U and Nintendo 3DS’s eShop open for people who want to buy games on those platforms. In March 2023, though, that will no longer be the case — Nintendo won’t let you buy things on the Wii U or Nintendo 3DS eShop “as of late March 2023,” the company announced on Tuesday.Nintendo will be slowly making changes to eShop purchases up until that deadline:

On February 15th, Microsoft released its first big public update to Windows 11 with the long-awaited ability to use Android apps. What are they like? Well, we covered that when they originally hit the Beta Channel for Windows 11 insiders, and so far it feels largely identical — so here’s our October 2021 story and video.Original story:Microsoft has released the first preview version of its Android apps support in Windows 11. It’s available to testers in the Beta Channel version of Windows 11, which means you’ll need to opt into the Windows Insider program to get access. I’ve installed the preview version on two systems — a gaming rig with a Core i9 11900K and Microsoft’s Surface Pro X — to get a feel for exactly how well Android apps... Continue reading…

Photo by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images Showtime’s anthology series Super Pumped is getting a second season, and this one will be about Facebook with a focus on founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s relationship with COO Sheryl Sandberg, according to The Hollywood Reporter.There are some big names in the cast of the first and forthcoming Uber-focused season — Joseph Gordon-Levitt plays Uber founder Travis Kalanick, Kyle Chandler plays venture capitalist Bill Gurley, and Uma Thurman plays Arianna Huffington — so we have to wonder who will be tapped to play Zuckerberg and Sandberg season two. (Perhaps Showtime will bring Jesse Eisenberg back to reprise his role from The Social Network?)It seems that the relationship between the two Facebook (now Meta) leaders will be... Continue reading…

Photo by Andrew Liptak / The Verge GM is set to resume production of its electric Chevy Bolt in April after halting production to address a battery recall, according to reports from the Wall Street Journal and The Detroit News. The automaker originally predicted it wouldn’t start building Bolts until at least the end of January 2022.GM paused production of all Bolts last August“GM will resume production at its Orion Township, MI, plant the week of April 4, 2022,” GM spokesperson Dan Flores said in a statement obtained by The Detroit News. “We remain committed to Bolt EV and EUV and this decision will allow us to simultaneously replace battery modules and resume retail sales soon, which were strong before the recall.”Recalls for the 2017-2019 Chevy Bolt started in 2020... Continue reading…

Mercedes-Benz continues to make good on its promise to go all-electric by 2030 with the announcement of the AMG EQE, a high-performance version of the automaker’s electric E-class sedan.The AMG EQE is the second battery-electric production car from the automaker’s in-house performance AMG subsidiary, following the AMG EQS sedan announced last September. Both cars will be built on Mercedes’ EVA2 platform, which underpins the EQS, the smaller EQE, and several SUV sister models. The EVA2 is designed for medium and large vehicles, while the automaker’s MMA (Mercedes Modular Architecture), debuting in 2025, will be for electric compact cars such as the EQA and EQB.The new Mercedes-AMG EQE will be wicked fastThe new Mercedes-AMG EQE will... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge On Tuesday, Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence suffered from a DDoS attack that prevented users from accessing its website, and two Ukrainian banks lost access to online banking services, according to statements from the government.In a tweet posted at around 7PM local time (12PM ET), the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence said that its website was probably being hit with a DDoS attack and that work to restore service was underway. Four hours later, the site still could not be accessed.PrivatBank faced a “massive DDoS attack” that blocked online banking services, including payments and balance inquiriesThe DDoS attack comes as Russia has claimed to be de-escalating potential conflict by withdrawing troops from the Ukraine border — a statement... Continue reading…

Photo credit should read Long Wei / Costfoto/Future Publishing via Getty Images TSMC’s new Arizona chip-making plant has run into construction delays, according to a new report from Nikkei Asia, which notes work has fallen three to six months behind schedule due to a mixture of labor shortages, COVID-19 surges, and complexities in obtaining construction licenses.According to Nikkei Asia’s report, TSMC originally hoped that the construction of facilities would have reached the point that it’d be able to start moving in chip-making equipment by September. It’s now expecting to have to push that to early 2023 instead.It’s important to note that the delays here aren’t actually directly related to chip-making — it’s not that TSMC can’t get a hold of enough semiconductor production equipment. Rather, it seems the... Continue reading…

Knuckles is getting his own series. | Image: Paramount Sonic the Hedgehog 2 won’t be the only time we get to hear Knuckles voiced by Idris Elba. At an investor presentation on Tuesday, Paramount announced that a series focused on the red echidna is in the works for its Paramount Plus streaming service, and Elba will reprise his role. And that’s not the only Sonic news from Paramount: even though we’re still weeks away from the April 8th release of Sonic the Hedgehog 2, Paramount also said Tuesday that a third movie is in development.

Image by Paramount Plus The live-action Halo show on Paramount Plus has been renewed for a second season, just over a month before the first season is set to premiere. According to a press release, David Wiener (who’s worked on shows like Fear the Walking Dead, Homecoming, and Brave New World) will act as showrunner and executive producer for the second season. The news was announced during an investor event, where ViacomCBS also said that it’s rebranding as Paramount as part of its focus on streaming.Announcing a season two renewal early might help pull in skeptical viewers who remember incidents like Netflix’s live-action Cowboy Bebop, which was abruptly canceled shortly after season one aired. The live-action Halo has already been through a long development... Continue reading…

ViacomCBS is getting a new name: Paramount.The media behemoth — which was created through the merger of CBS and Viacom in 2019 — said the rebrand is meant to focus on the company’s goal of becoming a major player in streaming. It is also, plainly, just a better name.Paramount intends to “turn streaming into a sustainable business for the future,” Paramount CEO Bob Bakish said during an investor event this afternoon, “and know this, we are committed to that future and creating that value.”Paramount Plus will get exclusive streaming rights in 2024The company intends to hit 100 million streaming subscribers by 2024 — up from its previous goal of 65 million to 75 million during the same timeframe. The company plans to further its... Continue reading…

Rivian’s Gear Guard features keep watch over your truck and stuff. | Photo by Mitchell Clark / The Verge Rivian has come out with a video about the Gear Guard system for the R1T, which shows off the electric pickup’s ability to record video if people get too close and to send a notification to an owner’s phone if there’s an event significant enough to set off the car alarm. As Rivian’s UX designer explains in the video, Gear Guard isn’t one specific feature, but rather a suite of systems that can work together — the video monitoring system is part of Gear Guard, but so is the cable which you can use to lock bikes, kayaks, and more to the truck.In the video, which you can watch below, Rivian employees explain the R1T’s video monitoring system, which uses five of the built-in cameras to record a 360-degree view if it detects that someone is... Continue reading…

The smoke stacks at American Electric Power’s (AEP) Mountaineer coal power plant in New Haven, West Virginia, October 30, 2009. In cooperation with AEP, the French company Alstom unveiled the world’s largest carbon capture facility at a coal plant. | Photo credit should read SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images On Tuesday, the Biden administration issued new guidelines for federal agencies on how to assess proposals to capture and sequester carbon dioxide pollution. The new guidance lays out steps that could encourage “widespread deployment” of a controversial form of climate tech, as well as the network of pipelines and other infrastructure that come along with it.The bipartisan infrastructure law passed last fall included more than $12 billion for Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Sequestration (CCUS) projects. The US will likely need such technologies to reach Biden’s climate goals, the new guidelines say. But the technologies, which draw CO2 out of smokestack emissions or the ambient air, are a divisive strategy for slowing climate change.... Continue reading…

Photo by Gareth Fuller/PA Images via Getty Images If you, like me, find yourself writing the same email over and over again or copying and pasting the same message multiple times, Gmail gives you an easier option. By creating and saving email templates, you can insert them the next time you compose a message and save yourself some time.You can store up to 50 templates at a time, so it’s easy to create different templates for different situations. Here’s how.Create an email template:

Illustration: Alex Castro / The Verge Search chips, a feature that’s supposed to make it easier to search for files in Google Drive, is becoming available to all Workspace users, including G Suite Basic and Business users. It was first released as a beta in November and should let you narrow down your search results by location, file type, date modified, people, tasks, and shared label. Image by Google Search chips appear right below the search bar after you conduct a search. As Google demonstrates in the above GIF, you can use search chips by entering a keyword in Drive’s search bar as you normally would. Right below the search bar, you’ll see six different dropdown menus for search chips: Location, File Type, People, Last Modified, Title only,... Continue reading…

The feature is still in beta but will be available to many more people. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Twitter is significantly expanding the beta of its Safety Mode feature, the company announced Tuesday. Safety Mode, which initially rolled out in September, lets you temporarily autoblock accounts that send you harmful or abusive tweets.Safety Mode was previously available to approximately 750 beta users, but it will be expanding to ~50 percent of people in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, Ireland, and New Zealand, Twitter spokesperson Tatiana Britt tells The Verge.Twitter is also introducing proactive Safety Mode prompts. “Since the initial rollout of the Safety Mode beta in September, we’ve learned that some people want help identifying unwelcome interactions,” Britt said. “For this reason, our technology will now proactively identify... Continue reading…

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Today, Nvidia’s Shield TV got some software fixes with the rollout of Shield Experience Upgrade 9.0.1 (via 9to5Google), a much-needed patch to last month’s buggy 9.0 release based on Android 11. Nvidia posted release notes on its forum today that detail some more fixes and details in another post some known issues that still lurk in the update.The Shield is one of the most-upgraded Android devices ever releasedThe biggest fix of the bunch resolves major Plex Media Server issues and the handling of file access permissions that changed as a part of the move to Android 11. This stable release follows about a month of the company trickling out smaller hotfix patches to brave users willing to subject their Shield TVs to beta releases.But... Continue reading…