The Verge - All Posts

Narwal's Freo X Ultra mops floors exceptionally well while doubling as a decent robot vacuum. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge If you like the idea of investing as little effort as possible into mopping your hardwood floors, you might want to check out the current deal on the Narwal Freo X Ultra. Right now, our favorite robot vacuum for mopping is down to its second-best price of $999.99 ($400 off) at Amazon, which is just $50 shy of the all-time low we saw during Prime Day. Narwal is also matching said discount when you apply the promo code SUMNXU at checkout.The Narwal's spinning triangular mop pads do an excellent job of cleaning hard surfaces while offering some impressive smarts. The robovac / mop hybrid is capable of adapting the pressure of its mop based on the floor type, for example, applying more to tile and less to hardwood. The bot can also make... Continue reading...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Apple recently rejected DOS emulator iDOS 3 from the App Store, but following App Store rule changes that look to have cleared the way for PC emulator apps, iDOS 3 is now available for download, developer Chaoji Li announced.In June, Li said that Apple had rejected iDOS 3 because it violated App Store guideline 4.7. At the time, that rule was what allowed retro game console emulator apps to appear on the store, but Apple was only allowing retro game console emulators under the rule - not PC emulators; UTM SE, another PC emulator app, had also said it was rejected for violating the rule.But in July, Apple reversed course and approved UTM SE, and earlier this month, it added the words PC emulator" to guideline 4.7, which is seemingly... Continue reading...

Image: Google Google's earlier-than-expected Pixel hardware event is just around the corner - it's scheduled for Tuesday, August 13th. Thanks to the relentless flow of leaks that have emerged over the past few weeks, we have a pretty good idea of what to expect.Google has already confirmed that it's launching the Pixel 9 and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, but the company may have some other surprises in store, including the Buds Pro 2 and maybe even the Pixel Watch 3.Here's a roundup of everything we know so far.Google Pixel 9 lineup adds a smaller Pro optionAlongside the Pixel 9, Google is expected to release the Pixel Pro in two sizes: a larger 6.8-inch model and a smaller 6.3-inch variant. It'll be the first time the Pro features are available in two... Continue reading...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Patreon memberships sold on the iOS app will soon be subject to Apple's 30 percent commission on in-app purchases. In a post on Monday, Patreon says Apple is forcing the platform to use the company's in-app payment system starting in November or risk being kicked out of the App Store."As part of the change, creators will need to switch to Patreon's subscription billing method to keep earning money through the platform's iOS app. That means Apple's 30 percent commission will apply when a new membership is initially purchased, as well as each time it's renewed. To help offset the costs of the new fee, Patreon will give creators the option to automatically increase their prices in the iOS app. GIF: Patreon The fee... Continue reading...

Image: The Verge Paint 3D, once Microsoft's biggest update to its Paint app, is being removed from the Microsoft Store later this year and no longer supported. The app was originally released as part of Microsoft's focus on creators with Windows 10 and was even set to replace the original MS Paint at one point.Paint 3D is deprecated and will be removed from the Microsoft Store on November 4th, 2024," reads a support note from Microsoft. Users of the app will also see a banner inside the app warning them about the end of support. Microsoft is recommending Windows users install its 3D Viewer app if they need to view 3D content.Microsoft has now put most of its focus on the existing Paint app within Windows 11 instead, adding some of Photoshop's best... Continue reading...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge YouTube Music is rolling out a new personal radio" feature that lets you broadcast daily playlists based on your favorite tunes for others to play. The new feature, discovered by a Reddit user last week, is starting to appear on some YouTube Music user channel pages - where you'd normally go to check out your top music stats.As reported by 9to5Google, personal radio is the newest addition to YouTube Music's profiles page, which launched in April of last year. Personal radio, like stats, are set to private by default, so users must update their channel settings if they want it to appear for others, as outlined in an updated YouTube Music help page.Once the feature is available, you can turn it on by going to your profile icon in... Continue reading...

A leaked image appearing to show Google's Pixel Buds Pro 2 in porcelain. | Image: OnLeaks via Android Headlines Google's upcoming Pixel Buds Pro 2 could come with a new Tensor A1" chip that powers twice the Active Noise Cancellation" (ANC), according to leaked specs posted by @MysteryLupin and spotted by 9to5Google. If true, this will be the first time Google expands its in-house Tensor processor from its phones to its earbuds.The post suggests the Pixel Buds Pro 2 could come with up to 30 hours of audio playback with the case (or up to eight hours without), but it's not clear whether that's with ANC turned on or off. The original Pixel Buds Pro offer up to 31 hours of listening time with the case and ANC turned off (or up to 11 hours without).

Image: Caltrain For the first time, two new all-electric passenger trains are operating in the US, which is woefully behind the rest of the world in electrifying its rolling stock.The two new trains are operated by Caltrain. California Governor Gavin Newson and House Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi were on hand to take the inaugural ride, which took place on Saturday. The trains were put into regular service the following day, running along the route between San Jose and San Francisco.It's taken almost 20 years since the idea of electric trains was first proposed in California. But officials insisted the new trains will be quieter and faster than the diesel-powered trains in current operation while also providing a better experience for passengers. The... Continue reading...

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Even four years on, Sony's WH-1000XM4 remain a stalwart choice among wireless noise-canceling headphones - especially now that they've returned to their lowest price of about $198 ($150 off) at Amazon, B&H Photo, and Best Buy. That's thanks in large part to their very good sound quality (which may be just a touch bass-y, to be fair), up to 30 hours of battery life, and some mighty fine active noise cancellation. They're also comfy enough to wear for long sessions, and unlike their replacement model, the WH-1000XM5, they fold down for easier travel and commuting.The XM4 were our overall top pick among headphones for years until they were dethroned by their successor, but they're still a great choice in 2024. Yes, you can sometimes find... Continue reading...

Photo illustration by The Verge / Photo by Replika The head of chatbot maker Replika discusses the role AI will play in the future of human relationships. Continue reading...

Image: Alejandro Otero The latest news about space junk and global cleanup efforts. Continue reading...

Image: Tango Gameworks Hi-Fi Rush developer Tango Gameworks has been spared closure, three months after Microsoft announced plans to shut down the studio. Krafton, the South Korean publisher behind PUBG: Battlegrounds and The Callisto Protocol, announced on Monday that it had acquired the game and its Japanese studio, and is working with Xbox to enable a smooth transition" to ensure the Tango Gameworks team can continue developing the Hi-Fi Rush IP and explore future projects."Microsoft had initially announced in May that it was closing Tango Gameworks, alongside Redfall developer Arkane Austin and Mighty Doom developer Alpha Dog Studios - three studios it inherited after acquiring ZeniMax in 2021. The impending Tango Gameworks closure was widely criticized... Continue reading...

A Waymo car out on the job. | Photo: Smith Collection / Gado / Getty Images If you've ever wondered what happens to all those self-driving taxis when the world is asleep, one YouTube channel has you covered. Since the beginning of the month, software engineer Sophia Tung has been livestreaming a San Francisco parking lot that Waymo is renting to give its robotaxis somewhere to go during their downtime.Tung told The Verge via email that the company appeared to partially" take over the lot on July 28th then later took over the entire lot. Waymo recently opened up its robotaxi service to anyone in San Francisco.Days later, she set up the livestream, complete with LoFi study beats. Tung told us she's running it off of a mini PC she had laying around, with a webcam surrounded by a cereal box to reduce glare.... Continue reading...

Illustration: The Verge Longtime Google rivals like Yelp and DuckDuckGo received a huge victory Monday when a federal judge ruled that Google is an illegal monopoly. But their statements on the ruling expressed restraint. That's because the work of restoring competition has just begun, and the judge has yet to decide what that work will include. With a lot of options on the table, Google's competitors are pushing for changes they believe will help their businesses, which might be harder than it sounds.While we're heartened by the decision, a strong remedy is critical," Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman wrote in a blog post after the ruling, referencing the new trial phase that will kick off in September.We've passed a key milestone, but there's still a lot of... Continue reading...

Illustration by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposed a new set of rules this week that would require robocallers to disclose when they're using artificial intelligence for phone calls and text messages.The proposal builds on the FCC's ban on making AI-generated robocalls without the express prior consent of the person being called. The agency now hopes to require callers to say, while seeking that consent, whether they plan to use AI for future calls and messages, the FCC writes. Similar disclosures would have to be added to any AI-generated phone calls, which the agency says contain an enhanced risk of fraud and other scams."The regulator suggests defining an AI generated call" as any that uses technology to create an artificial... Continue reading...

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Using the Fold can feel special, but Google needs to make some obvious upgrades for the follow-up. Continue reading...

Disney After The Way of Water, James Cameron's Avatar franchise is turning the fire up next December.At this year's D23 Expo, James Cameron, Zoe Saldana, and Sam Worthington announced that Avatar: Fire and Ash will hit theaters on December 19th, 2025. Disney also revealed a new title card that makes it seem like the film will focus on Pandora being engulfed in flames.

Illustration: Alex Castro / The Verge Instagram has starting testing a new feature that looks a whole lot like Snap Maps.This allows Instagram users to post text and video updates to a map based on where they were taken. The map is shared with friends, whose updates can all appear alongside each other. It is, pretty much, just Snap Maps, which was originally launched in 2017.The difference for now seems to be that Instagram may have much more limited privacy settings. Users have to choose a specific group of people" to share their location with, such as Close Friends or only followers they follow back," Christine Pai, a Meta spokesperson, told The Verge. Snapchat allows public posts to Snap Maps.Instagram's feature is currently only available as a small test" in a few... Continue reading...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Signal is being blocked in Venezuela and Russia. The app is a popular choice for encrypted messaging and people trying to avoid government censorship, and the blocks appear to be part of a crackdown on internal dissent in both countries.In Venezuela, the blockage follows the disputed results of the country's presidential election last month, which have led to protests and arrests as president Nicolas Maduro clings to power, according to MSNBC. (The US has recognized opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez as the winner of the election.) Internet monitoring service NetBlocks said Thursday evening that Signal had become unreachable on multiple internet providers" in the country. Maduro has also ordered a block on X, The Associated Press... Continue reading...

Image: Netflix Several upcoming anime titles from Netflix have shown up on X and 4Chan, including season two of Arcane and Terminator Zero. Today Netflix confirmed the leaks, as reported earlier by IGN.One of our post production partners has been compromised and footage from several of our titles has unfortunately leaked online. Our team is aggressively taking action to have it taken down," Netflix spokesperson Sabryna Phillips said in a statement provided to The Verge.Netflix's Arcane anime is supposed to conclude with its second and final season this November, while Terminator Zero will stream on the platform starting August 29th. The leaks first started surfacing earlier this week, revealing screenshots, clips, and full episodes of several anime... Continue reading...

Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge Google might be having a big Pixel phone event next week, but this week the company had to reckon with a major loss to the Department of Justice, who found the company liable for violating US antitrust law.Naturally we had to break the entire case down on The Vergecast. So Lauren Feiner, who covered the case, and Alex Heath, who has been reporting on the reactions from the tech world, joined Nilay and myself to cover the best bits of the judge's decisions and try to figure out what this all means.Then, keeping with the legal theme, we talked about Elon Musk's very silly lawsuit against advertisers who *checks notes* don't want to advertise on X. That's a thing they're allowed to do! But it hasn't stopped Musk from lobbing a lawsuit... Continue reading...

Image: Neon Director Tilman Singer's Cuckoo feels tailor-made for this summer of atmospheric, unsatisfying horror. Continue reading...

Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge Intel has a big update on its crashing 13th and 14th Gen desktop CPUs - including a hint that maybe, just maybe, it might be able to do something about chips that are already failing instead of requiring you to return them.You can read its statement below in full, but here are the parts I find interesting:

Image: Stellantis Dodge has let rip the final version of its virtual engine sound profile for its upcoming Charger Daytona electric muscle car, and it sounds like a gallon of gasoline combusting in a hot flash.The new Charger Daytona is, of course, an EV that does not burn any gas. But that isn't stopping Dodge from trying to trick owners and onlookers with its new Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust" system that sounds like it's carrying some sort of Hemi engine but built expressly for a spaceship.We know our Dodge enthusiasts want that visceral feel," Dodge brand CEO Matt McAlear says in a press release. The Charger's new Fratzonic system delivers the adrenaline-pumping spirit that they expect." And Dodge might be on to something: a recent survey... Continue reading...

Illustration: The Verge Apple is tweaking its App Store rules in the EU after regulators charged the company with breaking the Digital Markets Act (DMA) in June. At first glance, the updated rules appear to give developers more freedom when linking to outside purchases - but a restrictive new fee structure will force developers to pay Apple a commission for sales made across any platform, not just iOS, for as long as they include outside links.Starting this fall, all developers in the EU will be able to include links that lead to purchases outside their apps. The updated rules will let developers tell their users about offers on the web, on another app store, or otherwise at a destination of their choice." It allows developers to include as many links as they... Continue reading...

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge Apple Maps will finally let you manually refresh your search as you pan around to find similar destinations in adjacent (or distant) areas. In the iOS 18 beta, Apple Maps displays a new search here" button after you search for things like coffee shops or restaurants and then shift the map to a new area. Image: The Verge Sometimes when I'm hungry, I want to know my options in the next town without waiting for Apple Maps to refresh. In the current version, Apple Maps intermittently updates the search area as you pan around, which can get frustrating when I'm attempting to invoke (or avoid) a refresh. As reported by MacRumors, Apple Maps still auto-refreshes as you move around, but at least you no longer need to... Continue reading...