The Verge

I can’t be the only one who appreciates how similar the logo is. | Image: Motorola I’m generally a Windows user, but one of the things that’s always sorely tempted me about the Apple ecosystem is the interconnectedness. Not only are macOS and iOS comfortably similar in form and function (and getting moreso every year), but there are so many easy ways to transfer content between a Mac and an iPhone. That’s why I enjoyed testing out Lenovo’s ThinkPhone by Motorola, which is supposed to be — and I never thought I’d be writing this phrase — the smartphone version of a ThinkPad.The ThinkPhone has a Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chipset, a 6.6-inch OLED screen, a 5,000mAh battery, a bunch of fancy enterprise security features (a phrase ThinkPad enthusiasts will certainly be familiar with) and two rear cameras including a... Continue reading…

Sim Wong Hoo, the Singaporean entrepreneur, who founded and ran Creative Technologies. | Image: Creative Creative Technologies founder, CEO and chairman Sim Wong Hoo has died, his company has confirmed. He “passed away peacefully on 4 January 2023,” according to a press release. He was 67 years old.It might seem hard for younger readers to believe, but there was a time that computer sound wasn’t guaranteed. If you wanted to plug in headphones or speakers that could do more than bloops or bleeps, you probably needed a sound card — and none were as successful as Creative Labs’ Sound Blaster. It sold over 400 million units as of its 30th anniversary in 2019.In the pre-Windows 95 / DirectX era, few words in PC gaming were as important as the phrase “Sound Blaster compatible,” allowing players to hear the dogs bark in Wolfenstein 3D, or mess... Continue reading…

It’s running the ad in partnership with the CWA. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Microsoft has been going out of its way to encourage regulators to approve its proposed $68.7 billion deal for Activision Blizzard, and in its latest move, the company is running an ad in The Washington Post spelling out the tech giant’s acceptance of unions. The ad is co-signed by the Communications Workers of America (CWA), which represents workers in industries like communications and media.“As we enter a new year, we remain committed to creating the best workplaces we can for people who make a living in the tech sector,” the beginning of the ad reads. “When both labor and management bring their voices to the bargaining table, employees, shareholders and customers alike benefit.”Microsoft also acknowledged the new ZeniMax Media... Continue reading…

Photo: Games Done Quick Mike Uyama, who launched the first GDQ in his mother’s basement in 2009, is stepping away due to health reasons. Continue reading…

People walk along an overpass above the Cross Bronx Expressway, a notorious stretch of highway in New York City that is often choked with traffic and contributes to pollution and poor air quality on November 16th, 2021, in New York City. | Photo by Spencer Platt / Getty Images For the first time in over a decade, the Environmental Protection Agency could toughen its standard for how much soot is allowed in the air we breathe. Today, it proposed lowering the regulatory threshold for fine particulate matter, commonly called soot. Still, some major health and environmental groups say the EPA’s plan is too lenient on the pervasive pollutant that disproportionately burdens communities of color.“Today’s proposal from EPA to update the national annual limits on particulate matter pollution misses the mark and is inadequate to protect public health from this deadly pollutant,” Harold Wimmer, president and CEO of the American Lung Association, said in a statement.“Today’s proposal from EPA to update the national... Continue reading…

Image: Razer Including massive 18-inch screens, two screens, and E Ink displays. Continue reading…

Poem’s end. | Image: Minecraft There is no question who wrote the poem at the end of Minecraft, the best-selling video game of all time. Julian Gough is the one who gave the game’s unseen gods their voice, beautifully telling the player how the universe loves them — and how the player is the universe, dreaming of itself.We know it is Julian because he put his name in the poem, and because game studio Mojang put his name in the credits, and because Mojang founder Markus “Notch” Persson personally and very publicly recruited him for the task. What we did not suspect — not till we read Gough’s new Twitter thread and an epic 10,000-word blog post that is well worth a full read — is that Microsoft may not actually own the rights to the game’s ending.

SE fans may have to go a long time between upgrades. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge We may not be getting a new iPhone SE in 2024, according to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who bases his predictions on sources in the supply chain. On Friday, Kuo wrote in a blog post that Apple had canceled production and shipment plans for the phone after his prediction last month that a fourth-gen iPhone SE could be canceled or delayed.Kuo thinks the reason the phone is getting axed could be that Apple’s lower-end phones were selling worse than the company hoped (in September, Bloomberg reported that there was more demand for iPhone 14 Pros than regular iPhone 14s) and due to concerns that another price increase for the lineup could make it less attractive to price-conscious buyers.

Satechi’s new charger powering up a phone, laptop, and iPad. | Image: Satechi At CES 2023, Satechi announced what it calls its most powerful charger yet: a new GaN charging hub capable of delivering 200 watts of power. Basically, it can charge a lot of stuff at once and do it at high speeds, too.The GaN charger comes with six USB-C PD ports, so you can charge up to six devices at the same time. Weighing a little over a pound and measuring about 4.1 x 4.1 x 1.4 inches, it’s also small enough that you could fit into your backpack and pull it out while on the go.Unlike its predecessor — a 165-watt charger launched last year at CES — this new model also comes with two USB-C PD 3.1-compatible ports, which are capable of delivering more power than their predecessor. That’s in addition to four USB-C PD 3.0 ports, as... Continue reading…

Samsung’s ViewFinity S9 5K monitor. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge A weird thing has happened at CES this year: display manufacturers not named Apple have announced true 5K and 6K monitors designed for creative work and productivity. These new monitors, which will appeal to Mac users for reasons other than “it’s white and doesn’t have RGB lights,” are providing some actual competition to Apple’s Studio Display and even an alternative to the staggeringly expensive pro-level Pro Display XDR.It’s hard to overstate how rare this actually is. Though there have been many monitors marketed toward MacBook owners over the years, with features such as USB-C connectivity, high-wattage charging, and nicer than average designs, they’ve typically all had traditional 4K panels and sub-par pixel densities, as opposed... Continue reading…

Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images French automaker Peugeot revealed its Inception concept, a deadly looking electric car that’s all sharp angles and brutalist designs. The concept, which was announced at CES this week, will inspire a lineup of future EVs that will start making their way to customers in 2025.Stellantis, which owns Peugeot, had a heavy docket at this year’s CES, including a Chrysler cockpit concept and a battery-electric Ram 1500 truck that borrows a lot from the world of muscle cars. But the Peugeot Inception was arguably the most CES-y of all the announcements, with its rectangular steering wheel, hyper-minimal dashboard, and color-shifting interior. There’s even a device inside the car called “the Halo Cluster” with a 360-degree screen, for some... Continue reading…

M3gan reading a book to Cady, her best friend and primary user. | Image: Universal Pictures Universal and Blumhouse’s M3gan is exactly the right amount of ridiculous, which is why it can afford to be a little shaggy toward the end. Continue reading…

Participants at Summer Games Done Quick 2022. | Photo by ICED / Games Done Quick It’s almost time for Games Done Quick’s first speedrunning extravaganza of the year. The 2023 edition of Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) kicks off on Sunday, and this year’s event looks to once again feature a week-long feast of incredible gaming feats.The first game on tap is an any-percent run of Splatoon 3, meaning the runner can use any means necessary to beat the game, and I can’t wait to see how an expert inks their way to the ending in just over an hour. That’s followed by a 29-minute run of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, which will almost certainly feature a lot of ridiculous physics stunts; you can get a preview of what’s in store by watching this recent video from the AGDQ runner.From there, the schedule is c... Continue reading…

The second-gen Apple TV 4K with 32GB of storage is on sale for $74.99 at Best Buy. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Getting back into the swing of things after New Year’s Day always feels like, well, a year in and of itself. Thankfully, if you’re feeling the need to unwind with your favorite show this weekend, the second-gen Apple TV 4K is currently on sale at Best Buy in the 32GB configuration for $99.74 ($80 off) and the 64GB configuration for $109.24 ($90 off).The 2021 Apple TV 4K may no longer be the latest and greatest set-top box in Apple’s lineup, but that doesn’t mean it’s a slouch when it comes to specs. Although it lacks HDR10 Plus and a Siri Remote that supports USB-C — two hallmarks of the third-gen model — it’s still plenty quick and supports Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, Wi-Fi 6, and HDMI 2.1 for TVs that support faster refresh rates over... Continue reading…

Image: Cake Cake, the Swedish maker of deliciously designed electric motorbikes, finally has an e-bike with actual pedals, not pegs. The Cake Äik comes in two street-legal variants: In the US, it ships with a throttle and mid-drive 500W motor (with a 1000W peak) with a 20mph (32km/h) top speed, while in Europe it’s pedal-assist only and you’re stuck with a 250W motor (500W peak) capable of just 16mph (25km/h) max.Like the Cake Ösa electric moped I reviewed last summer, Åik is positioned less for commuters, and more as a utility bike for people that rely upon two-wheeled transport for their livelihoods or rugged outdoor fun. Image: Cake Mount a fridge on the back and power it off one of your three 750kWh batteries. The... Continue reading…

Android 13 will soon support “uninterrupted listening” between multiple devices. | Image: Google / The Verge Google is introducing new features for Android 13 that should make it easier for users to transition between different audio devices when listening to music. Announced at CES 2023, media notifications will ask users if they want to switch over to a different listening device based on their proximity, allowing you to seamlessly transition between your phone, speakers, headphones, TV, car, and more.This feature uses the cross-device software development kit (SDK) released by Google last year. The tech uses Bluetooth Low Energy, Wi-Fi, and ultra-wideband to detect which audio devices are physically near the user, and then identifies which device a user may want to use based on their current activity — for example, switching audio playback... Continue reading…

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge I will admit that I was skeptical when I first saw pictures of Lenovo’s new dual-screen Yoga Book 9i. I’ve tried foldables and dual-screens aplenty, and while many are usable, many also have serious limitations. But this is the first dual-screen laptop I’ve ever tried that I could see myself actually buying. And that’s because Lenovo has clearly done the software engineering necessary to make sure it can address many of the somewhat... obvious concerns that shoppers might have with such a device. Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge This butterfly flaps its wings when you open and close the laptop, by the way. The first objection is an obvious one: there’s no visible touchpad on the Yoga Book i9. That’s what first... Continue reading…

Image: Getty Samsung has just released its earnings guidance for the three months ending December 31st 2022, and they don’t contain great news for the South Korean tech giant. The figures suggest Samsung may have just had its least profitable quarter in eight years, Reuters notes, as the global economic slowdown hits the company’s core chip making and consumer tech businesses.Operating profit is estimated to have fallen by over two thirds compared to the same period the previous year, down from 13.87 trillion Korean won (around $10.9 billion) to 4.3 trillion Korean won (around $3.4 billion). Sales were down by a smaller 9 percent to 70 trillion Korean won (around $55.1 billion).Competitor LG’s profits are also downMultiple areas of Samsung’s... Continue reading…

Wait until you see the screen. Razer has given us a first look at the Razer Blade 16 and Razer Blade 18, which will be released in the next few months. And I will say right now: I am impressed.The Blade 18 is the biggest and most powerful Razer Blade that has ever been released, which is neat in itself. But I’m actually even more excited about the Blade 16, which is debuting some never-before-seen on a Razer Blade. That’s some COLOR. First, there’s a Mini LED screen. And it looks great. On the screen, some shades looked blindingly bright against black backdrops, where they might’ve looked washed out on other gaming displays. Black areas, speaking of, looked gorgeously black.Next to the Blade 16 model in its demo area, Razer actually had a... Continue reading…

Photo by Dieter Bohn / The Verge I couldn’t justify keeping Apple’s MagSafe Battery Pack because it didn’t stay firmly stuck to my phone without swiveling, and I’ve seen third-party attachments that are much, much worse. Thankfully, the next version of the Qi wireless charging standard, Qi2, will mandate magnet strength, size, and dimensions in addition to its electrical properties — even though that’s the opposite of what I reported yesterday.(The bigger news about Qi2: it should mean that future Android phones and Apple phones will be able to use the same wireless magnetic charger, effectively MagSafe for Android.)“Magnet strength testing” is anticipatedToday, I got an email from WPC spokesperson Paul Golden apologizing for passing along incorrect information... Continue reading…

Image: Blizzard When Blizzard teased the arrival of Overwatch 2’s Battle For Olympus event, I had hopes I would have another game mode like Junkenstein’s Revenge to sink my teeth into. The limited-time event / game mode is now live, and while it’s not quite what I was hoping for, I’m still encouraged that Overwatch 2 is finally on the right track with its content releases.Basically, Battle For Olympus is simply Overwatch 2’s Deathmatch mode with a very pretty coat of Olympian paint. Once again, the Overwatch 2 art team has killed it with these skin designs. Medusa Widowmaker is *chef’s kiss*. Players can choose from a handful of heroes, each with their own Olympian god theme, and battle it out with some major tweaks to heroes’ abilities.All the... Continue reading…

Image: Stellantis Ram’s late to the game with an EV truck, but this ‘open letter to the fanbase’ packs a ton of wild features. It even follows you around. Continue reading…

The Golden Gate Bridge is seen through heavy rain on January 4th, 2023, in Sausalito, California. | Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images A deluge of storms is dumping serious amounts of rain across notoriously dry California. Even so, this week’s downpours are still nowhere near enough to pull the state out of its intense years-long drought.A bomb cyclone is working its way across the state today, flooding homes and roads and knocking out power for hundreds of thousands of residents. Officials warned it could be the worst storm to crash into California in years — even though it’s just one in a series of storms to pass through in the span of a couple weeks.It all comes on the heels of a long dry stretch for the Golden State. 2022 marked the end of the driest three-year period for the state on record. But in a dramatic shift, California rang in 2023 with wet weather —... Continue reading…

From left to right: The EcoFlow Wave 2, Blade, and Glacier. | Image: EcoFlow EcoFlow announced three new devices today — a refrigerator / ice maker, an air conditioner / heater, and a robotic lawnmower / leaf collector — as part of its burgeoning ecosystem of portable, battery-powered solutions for residential homes, off-grid cabins, and RVs. They join the company’s new whole-home battery backup kits, also announced at the big Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas.The EcoFlow Glacier makes me feel seen as a budding vanlifer and cocktail enthusiast. The battery-powered portable fridge, freezer, and ice cube maker has a removable 297Wh battery that can power the device for up to 24 hours on a single charge and be topped up directly using solar panels, which EcoFlow will be happy to supply. It can produce exactly... Continue reading…

This EcoFlow Smart Control Kit consists of a Smart Home Panel and two Delta Pros for up to 7200W of output. | Image: EcoFlow EcoFlow is now selling Whole-Home Backup Power Solutions that bundle together a variety of the company’s products that are already available a la carte. The kits are basically a more scalable version of Tesla’s Powerwall+ without the long installation wait times, that also remains portable so you can take some of that idle power with you for an off-grid getaway.The new EcoFlow kits make it easy to choose the right amount of backup power for your needs and budget. Prices start at $3,699 and approach $20,000 if you want unlimited emergency power. That’s a lot of money (even after a US tax credit) compared to noisy gas generators, but EcoFlow’s emission-free kits don't require maintenance and could also help reduce your day-to-day energy... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The Federal Trade Commission is looking to ban noncompete clauses in employment contracts, which companies put in place to prevent employees from going to work for competitors or leaving to start similar businesses. On Thursday, the regulator issued a notice of proposed rulemaking, saying that the clauses hurt innovation and “decrease competition for workers,” which leads to lower wages overall.While the proposed rule, which you can read here, would benefit workers across industries, it’s especially relevant in tech.For years, we’ve seen big tech companies attempt to get workers at every level to sign noncompete contracts — Kickstarter’s union fought against them while it was bargaining with the company, Acer sued a former CEO... Continue reading…

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Peloton is starting off 2023 with a $19 million fine. According to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the company has agreed to pay the civil penalty to settle charges that the company knowingly failed to immediately report safety issues with its recalled Tread Plus. The fine will also resolve charges that Peloton continued to sell 38 Tread Plus units after the recall in violation of the Consumer Product Safety Act.As a refresher, Peloton recalled both of its treadmills — the Tread and Tread Plus — in 2021. While the Tread’s issue was a wobbly screen, the more premium Tread Plus caused multiple reports of injuries and, in one instance, the death of a small child. Because of the Tread Plus’ slatted belt and raised deck,... Continue reading…

Air travel is still a hellscape, but at least the Wi-Fi will be free. | Photo by Urbanandsport/NurPhoto via Getty Images After hinting that it would be coming in 2023, Delta has confirmed that all SkyMiles members will get free in-flight Wi-Fi as part of a partnership with T-Mobile. The wireless carrier already offers free Wi-Fi on Delta flights to its subscribers, but starting on February 1st, that program will expand to any SkyMiles member, regardless of whether they’re a T-Mobile customer. But — as it so often does — this free service comes with a side of targeted advertising.Not every flight will include free Wi-Fi at first; Delta is starting domestic. According to today’s news release, “most” mainline domestic flights will be included at launch, and by the end of 2023, the service should be available on more than 700 planes. The company plans to add... Continue reading…

The 5G version is coming very soon at a not-outlandish price. | Image: Razer Razer and Verizon co-announced the pricing for the 5G-enabled Edge gaming handheld during CES 2023. It’s launching on January 26th for $359.99 when you add it as a new tablet line to your account. With an installment plan, Verizon says the math works out to $10 per month for 36 months. This pricing is available for a limited time, but a timeframe wasn’t provided by Verizon, so we’ve followed up to find out. The retail price for the 5G model is $599.99, which is $200 more than the Wi-Fi-only model.We first heard about the Edge (Razer’s revival of the awkward 2013 tablet-handheld hybrid) in October 2022. It has a 6.8-inch OLED screen with a fast 144Hz refresh rate, and it sits snugly in between the Kishi V2 Pro, a modified version of the... Continue reading…

The new split-screen Android Auto UI. | Image: Google The Android Auto look and feel has evolved greatly since we reviewed it in 2015, but now its biggest update is starting to roll out to all users, introducing a split-screen UI that can let you see more things at once. Keeping the map on screen while also adding one or two other panes makes it a bit more like Apple’s current approach to CarPlay, and Google says its focus is on creating a “more personal, easy-to-use experience from behind the wheel.”Wherever the inspiration comes from, I appreciate it. Dubbed “Coolwalk” in testing over the last year or so, the new UI has been publicly available in beta form for several months after it was publicly announced in the spring, and as a longtime Android Auto user, I’ve had it in my car.While... Continue reading…