The Verge

You can't buy the Huawei Watch 5 in the US, but it has an interesting twist on health tracking. Most smartwatches and fitness trackers measure your metrics from a sensor array that presses into your wrist. The Watch 5 has that, but it also adds a new sensor on the watch's side that measures EKGs, [...]

The Motorola Razr Ultra is something special, but it's not quite Ultra. It's gorgeous. It's a delight to use, and even after several generations of this revamped Razr flip format, checking bus arrival times on the outer screen still feels like getting away with something. This phone is a lot of things - but Ultra [...]

Roblox is going to let creators sell physical items from their games. The company has been testing its tools to do so since last year, but today, it's announcing that it's opening up its Commerce APIs to eligible Roblox creators. Shopify is the first integrated partner" for the APIs, and if a creator or brand [...]

At its best, Netflix's Love, Death, and Robots creates the same feeling as picking up a collection of sci-fi short stories. You don't always know what to expect, and not everything is brilliant, but you're guaranteed to experience something interesting. That was especially true of volume 3 of the animated anthology, which offered nine shorts, [...]

Apple is officially rolling out the next generation of CarPlay - and it's called CarPlay Ultra. The update is available with new Aston Martin vehicle orders in the US and Canada, but it will be rolling out to existing models with supported infotainment systems in the coming weeks." Carmakers like Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis are [...]

Microsoft is shutting off access to its Bing Search results for third-party developers. The software maker quietly announced the change earlier this week, noting that Bing Search APIs will be retired on August 11th and that any existing instances of Bing Search APIs will be decommissioned completely, and the product will no longer be available [...]

The future of everything from smartphones, to military equipment, to electric vehicles hangs on 17 rare earth minerals and the magnets that they're made into. And China, the world's largest refiner and producer, is tightening its grip and threatening the US' largest automakers. Over the last 30 years, China has methodically cornered the market on [...]

The latest versions of OpenAI's multimodal GPT AI models are now rolling out to ChatGPT. OpenAI announced on Wednesday that GPT-4.1 will be available across all paid ChatGPT account tiers and can now be accessed by Plus, Pro, or Team users under the model picker dropdown menu. Free users are excluded from the rollout, but [...]

Apple is trying to dissuade Europeans from using iOS apps that support alternative payment options by making them look scary. Daring Fireball's John Gruber spotted that a red exclamation mark icon is being prominently displayed on the App Store listing for Instacar, alongside a message warning users that it doesn't use Apple's private and secure [...]

Leica is bringing a new kind of filter effect called Artist Looks" to its Lux camera app for iPhones, with the first one adjusting your photos to resemble the style and body of work of celebrity photographer Greg Williams. Artist Looks, like the other color and black-and-white looks in Leica's app, are essentially one-click filter [...]

We Are Rewind, a Paris-based company that has relaunched the cassette player with modern features like support for wireless headphones and rechargeable batteries, has announced a larger boombox version. Streamlining the design of the portable stereos that were popular in the 80s, the 449 (around $500 USD) GB-001 can function as a Bluetooth speaker and [...]

EA is asking employees to return to the office for three days per week under a hybrid model - and it sounds like the company will be significantly reducing remote hiring. CEO Andrew Wilson and president of EA Entertainment and technology Laura Miele sent emails to staff about the change, IGN reports. Kotaku's Ethan Gach [...]

Music-sharing platform SoundCloud is saying it has never used artist content to train AI models," and that it's making a formal commitment that any use of AI on SoundCloud will be based on consent, transparency, and artist control." The update comes several days after artists reported that changes made last year to its terms of [...]

A leak of old text messages sent to Steam customers with one-time codes for logins was not a breach of Steam systems," Valve says in a post published Wednesday. Valve's response follows news that a hacker is allegedly in possession of 89 million user records and put them up for sale for $5,000, as BleepingComputer [...]

Apple is testing a feature that will let users scroll through Vision Pro apps using the headset's eye-tracking capability, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Eye-based scrolling will apparently work across all of Apple's built-in apps, and Gurman says the company is working on letting third-party developers use the feature, too. How it would actually function [...]

The Trump administration plans to weaken drinking water rules meant to protect Americans from forever chemicals" that have been linked to cancer, reproductive risks, liver damage, and other health issues. Last year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) finalized the nation's first legally enforceable federal drinking water limits on the most common types of forever chemicals. [...]

Apple is updating Maps to show recommendations and information from outside sources like Michelin, The Infatuation, and Golf Digest, according to a press release. Michelin recommendations will be available first, with rankings and insights" from The Infatuation and Golf Digest added soon" and more expert sources to follow," Apple says. With this update, place cards [...]

Microsoft is testing a feature for Copilot Voice that will let Windows 11 users start a conversation with the app by saying Hey Copilot!" Windows Insiders who have the updated app can try it out once they opt in and activate the feature. Similar commands have been available for years with Siri, Google, Alexa, and [...]

Netflix is adding an important category to its live offerings: talent competition. The streamer announced that it will be reviving Star Search, the classic American Idol and America's Got Talent precursor that has been off the air since 1995. The modern iteration will air live twice a week on Netflix, and viewers will be able [...]

Grok, the AI model from Elon Musk's xAI, was sending strange responses to people on X earlier on Wednesday. In responses to a number of people, Grok focused on debunking claims of white genocide in South Africa - even when tagged into a post about totally unrelated topics. Check out this thread to get an [...]

Netflix has more than doubled the number of people watching its ad-supported tier over the last year. At its upfront presentation for advertisers on Wednesday, the company revealed that the $7.99 per month plan now reaches more than 94 million users around the world each month - a big increase from the 40 million it [...]

Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time Remake was originally supposed to arrive on January 21st, 2021. Since then, it's been delayed three times, got shipped to a different studio, reportedly started over from scratch, and may have lost the original writer and amazing performances of its English voice actor. But Ubisoft has revealed the [...]

Nintendo's Switch 2 specs page is light on details. However, Digital Foundry has shared what it says are rock solid" specifications for the upcoming console in an article and a video, offering new information about its processor and a testing tool for developers for GameChat. On its specs page, Nintendo only describes the Switch 2's [...]

The US Energy Department says it's rolling back long-standing efficiency standards for appliances, which advocates are calling a clear violation of the law. Continuing the Trump administration's assault on federal water and energy efficiency programs, the department announced today what it's calling its largest deregulatory effort in history." The agency is trying to rollback 47 [...]

Plugable has announced a new docking solution for Windows and Mac users that supports up to five simultaneous displays, including a mix of 4K and 8K. The new $279.95 UD-7400PD dock actually supports more displays than the pricier Thunderbolt 5 docks that have recently launched which max out at three 4K screens. But Plugable's latest [...]

Max, formerly HBO Max, is now HBO Max again. Warner Bros. Discovery announced the change today, rolling back one of the clumsiest rebrands in history from a streaming service that's had more than its share of clumsy ideas. Right from the start, it seemed like everyone outside of Warner Bros. Discovery knew the change was [...]

Another glimpse at James Gunn's Superman just dropped - and this time things aren't looking so great for the hero. While previous looks at the movie had a more inspirational tone, the latest has the Man of Steel defending his heroic actions in an interview with Lois Lane. There's clearly going to be some conflict [...]

Square Enix has announced that it is cancelling the mobile spinoff Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link. In a statement on the game's website, Square Enix apologized to fans who were anticipating the game. The announcement also mentioned that Square was still hard at work on Kingdom Hearts IV perhaps to allay fears that this cancellation might indicate [...]

Uber announced a new type of ride that travels along a set route, comes every 20 minutes, includes up to two other passengers, and costs up to 50 percent less than an UberX ride. In other words, a bus. For years, Uber and its smaller rival Lyft have been gently mocked online for occasionally releasing [...]

TikTok is introducing new accessibility features that make it easier for people with visual impairments to see text and use screen readers on the platform. After adding alt text support for still images in April, TikTok is now testing a feature that automatically adds an AI-generated alt text description to photographs when a creator hasn't [...]

Warner Bros. Discovery is changing the name of its streaming service back to HBO Max. During its Upfront event on Wednesday, the company announced that it will rebrand Max this summer, a change HBO head Casey Bloys said better represents" its offering. HBO Max launched in 2020, but Warner Bros. Discovery relaunched the service three [...]

WiiM has announced three new wireless audiophile devices including the brand's first smart speaker called the Sound with a design that looks inspired by the Apple HomePod. The speaker is joined by the company's first sub-woofer called the Sub Pro that pumps out 250W of bass, and the WiiM Amp Ultra, a new amplifier that [...]

Rewind a few years, and it looked as if offshore wind might take off in the US. The Biden administration moved to open up much of the nation's coastlines to development, blue and even a couple swing states agreed to work with the White House to speed things up, and Congress passed sweeping tax incentives [...]

The Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), a bill imposing sweeping obligations on tech platforms to protect children that use them, has been revived in the Senate after a failed sprint to become law late last year. The bill's lead sponsors, Sens. Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) and Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), reintroduced the bill roughly five months after [...]

What initially appeared to be a power play by Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to take over the US Copyright Office by having Donald Trump remove the officials in charge has now backfired in spectacular fashion, as Trump's acting replacements are known to be unfriendly - and even downright hostile - [...]

As promised, Marvel just released the first proper trailer for its upcoming Ironheart series on Disney Plus. Ironheart takes place after the events of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, and follows Riri Williams (Dominique Thorne) as a genius inventor with a badass mech suit (she also made her first appearance in Wakanda Forever). The new trailer [...]

Google is preparing to add a new section to restaurant and bar search profiles. The new section will let owners include timely deals or events in search results in a way that they can control, either manually or by linking to a social media profile, the company says in a post spotted by Search Engine [...]

Finnish studio Remedy is best known for its single-player action games, like the survival horror of Alan Wake and the supernatural thriller Control. With FBC: Firebreak, the developer is going in a different direction. It's the studio's first multiplayer release: a three-player co-op shooter set in the universe of Control. But while it won't have [...]

Eight Sleep is launching the Pod 5, the fifth generation of its expensive smart sleeping system. It packs two main upgrades: a temperature-controlled blanket and speakers that can play soothing soundscapes." The Pod 5 builds on top of Eight Sleep's existing tech, shipping with the same temperature controlled mattress cover and height-adjustable base that Eight [...]

Toyota confirmed today that the all-electric C-HR, previously only available in Europe, will arrive in the US next year. You might recall the C-HR as the gas-powered compact crossover sold in the US from 2018-2022. But now it has been resurrected as a battery electric vehicle with an estimated driving range of up to 290 [...]

Nvidia's efforts to suck up to the Trump administration have seemingly paid off, with the US now lifting export limits on US-made AI chips and cracking down on anyone using Huawei's emerging alternatives. The announcements come as Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang joined President Trump in Saudi Arabia this week to solicit AI investments for US [...]

Sony just announced its financial forecast for the next year, and it's expecting to be impacted by tariffs to the tune of 100 billion yen (about $680 million). To compensate, the company says it's considering options including moving manufacturing to the US and increasing prices for consumers. Speaking to investors during the company's earnings call, [...]

Universal appears to have confirmed that the next Mario film will be titled Super Mario World. The title was included in a press release about upcoming movies, but apparently by mistake, since it was removed shortly after publication. The title first appeared in a press release about NBCUniversal's upcoming content slate, listed as part of [...]

I recently took up travel journaling as an honest alternative to performative social media. My kit cobbles together the best pen, paper, and photo printer I could find to document vanlife adventures for my spawn and some version of my future self that I've yet to meet. My father left behind a typewritten memoir that [...]

Long-simmering tension between Silicon Valley and the press that covers it is surfacing during the Federal Trade Commission's antitrust trial against Meta. During a heated cross-examination of the FTC's key economic expert, Scott Hemphill, Meta's lead attorney, Mark Hansen, noted that Hemphill joined Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes and former Biden official Tim Wu in pitching [...]

By the time you read these words, it's quite possible that Adorama will be out of stock of the new DJI Mavic 4 Pro. But when I wrote them, the US-based retailer was still selling a drone that wasn't supposed to go on sale in the US at all, with roughly 70 left in stock. [...]

A California judge slammed a pair of law firms for the undisclosed use of AI after he received a supplemental brief with numerous false, inaccurate, and misleading legal citations and quotations." In a ruling submitted last week, Judge Michael Wilner imposed $31,000 in sanctions against the law firms involved, saying no reasonably competent attorney should [...]

Apple is pushing a new software update for Apple TV today that includes a useful feature for home theater setups: the ability to automatically calibrate the synchronization of Dolby Atmos surround sound audio with your speakers. The new tvOS 18.5 update enhances Apple's existing Wireless Audio Sync feature, introduced in 2019, that lets you use [...]

Last week, Paul McCartney, Dua Lipa, Ian McKellen, Elton John, and hundreds of others in the UK creative industry signed an open letter backing an effort to force AI firms to reveal the copyrighted works used to train their models. They support an amendment to the UK's Data (Use and Access) Bill proposed by letter [...]