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by Sheena Vasani on (#67EBP)
Image: Acer Acer is introducing the Halo Swing, a portable smart speaker with glowing lights and a simple display that can show you weather, alerts, and more. The Halo Swing is compatible with Google Assistant, so you can use it to set alarms and control other smart devices with just your voice.Like the older Acer Halo, the Halo Swing stands out because of its unique appearance. The Halo Swing shares the Halo’s RGB-lit base, which emanates colorful lights and thus makes the speaker double as a light source. These lights also respond to the beat of your music, making this a speaker clearly well-suited for parties. Plus, they even change colors while interacting with Google Assistant. Image: Acer The other highlight here is the... Continue reading…
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The Verge
| Link | https://www.theverge.com/ |
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| Updated | 2026-08-09 03:03 |
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by Cameron Faulkner on (#67EBN)
The 27-inch X27U is wall-mountable, while Acer still doesn’t seem to know whether its curved 45-inch OLED will be yet. | Image: Acer PC and console gamers who want brilliant picture quality and contrast will have two more OLED monitor options to consider in 2023, thanks to Acer. Today, the company is announcing a 27-inch flat panel called the Predator X27U and a 45-inch 800R curved ultrawide model called the Predator X45. Both will release in the US and Europe sometime in the second quarter.These OLED 1440p (QHD) gaming monitors are pretty similar to the ones that LG showed off a few weeks ago. Both have a 240Hz refresh rate and an incredibly fast .03-millisecond response time, but the spec similarities aren’t a one-to-one match. Getting the price out of the way first, the X27U is $100 pricier than LG’s similarly sized option, costing $1,099. The X45 will be $1,699 —... Continue reading…
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by Tom Warren on (#67E69)
Image: Intel Intel’s 13th Gen desktop CPUs have already delivered impressive performance to beat their AMD counterparts, and now Intel is bringing Raptor Lake to its mobile processor lineup. The flagship Core i9-13980HX is built for upcoming gaming laptops, and there are also the regular H-, P-, and U-series chips for a variety of more mainstream laptops.Intel’s Core i9-13980HX is the star of the show with a 5.6GHz turbo frequency and 24 cores. It’s the first time a laptop CPU has supported a 24-core configuration, and Intel claims it’s the “world’s fastest mobile processor.” Image: Intel Intel’s top 13th Gen HX mobile processors. Image: Intel Intel’s 13th Gen H-series lineup. Intel has... Continue reading…
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by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy on (#67E68)
Cync’s new Dynamic Effects Neon Rope lights can be configured into any shape you want. | Image: Cync GE Lighting announced a big expansion of its smart lighting brand Cync’s Dynamic Effects line this week. The new entertainment-themed products position Cync even more squarely as a cheaper Philips Hue and Nanoleaf competitor.New hexagon wall panels, neon-style rope lights that can be shaped how you like, and A19 and BR30 bulbs join the full-color gradient indoor and outdoor light strips Cync launched late last year, which are around $40 cheaper than comparable Hue versions.All Dynamic Effects products can display 16 million colors, tunable white light, and preset and custom lighting effects similar to Hue and Nanoleaf products. The LEDs are addressable and can display multiple colors simultaneously — even the A19 and BR30 bulbs,... Continue reading…
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by Jess Weatherbed on (#67E6A)
The Apple Pencil 2 was released back in 2018, and I’m still eagerly awaiting a next-gen upgrade. Perhaps this new Apple patent could bear some fruit in that regard. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge Apple has filed a patent for an Apple Pencil stylus that can identify and digitally replicate colors and textures from real-world objects. Patently Apple spotted the application last week (which we saw via MacRumors), which describes a stylus equipped with a color sensor, light detector, and light emitter within its “pencil” tip. According to the patent doc, the stylus can wirelessly transmit “color sensor measurements, texture measurements, and associated angular orientation measurements” to external devices like an Apple iPad.The patent says that the stylus is capable of measuring texture by detecting how lighting and angles affect an object’s surface. Similarly, a combination of optical sensors can be used to measure how reflective... Continue reading…
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by Sheena Vasani on (#67E29)
Sprig Shower Infusion System. | Image: Kohler Ever wish you could bring the spa home with you? Well, now you kind of can. Kohler announced a new aromatherapy shower infusion system at CES 2023 that will add a spa-like experience to your daily showers — just get ready to add shower pods to your shopping list.Kohler’s Sprig Shower Infusion System consists of a gadget capable of attaching to any showerhead paired with Sprig Shower Pods. Once the shower is on, Kohler’s Sprig Shower Pods infuse the water stream with a combination of scents, like eucalyptus, chamomile, and lavender, as well as ingredients that are supposed to be good for the skin, like hyaluronic acid and sodium. Kohler says the pods are safe to use on the entire body and should run for “several minutes.”While you can... Continue reading…
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by Jon Porter on (#67E2A)
Samsung Display’s 77-inch QD-OLED TV panel. | Image: Samsung Display Although Samsung is yet to officially reveal its lineup of QD-OLED TVs for the year, its display division has just teased a couple of key specs: a maximum peak brightness of 2,000 nits, and an increase in power efficiency of up to 25 percent.2,000 nits of peak brightness is around double what Samsung’s debut QD-OLED TV, the S95B, was able to put out last year. It also appears to be higher than the 1,800 nits that an LG spokesperson told FlatPanelsHD that its 2023 G3 model should be able to reach (although LG’s TV may go higher depending on exact picture settings).Although peak brightness isn’t the be-all-and-end-all of picture quality, brighter screens tend to produce better HDR with more impact and vibrancy. And if they’re able to... Continue reading…
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by Jon Porter on (#67DYW)
The left side of the Flex Hybrid folds, the right side slides. | Image: Samsung Display Samsung Display’s Flex Hybrid is a new prototype device with a display that’s both foldable and slidable. The left side of the concept “smart mobile device” can be unfolded to reveal the display, while the right side can then slide outwards for even more screen real-estate. It’s being shown off at CES 2023 alongside a new 17-inch slidable display, as well as automotive panels designed for self-driving cars.Although there’s no detail on specs like resolution or peak brightness, Samsung Display says the Flex Hybrid can expand from a 10.5-inch 4:3 display to a 12.4-inch screen with a 16:10 aspect ratio. It’s not hard to imagine the display eventually being used in a foldable smartphone, allowing the device to be unfolded for a small... Continue reading…
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by Cameron Faulkner on (#67DWN)
This image shows the pricier 4K InZone M9, but its design is virtually identical to the M3. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge The more affordable, lower-spec companion to Sony’s $899 InZone M9 gaming monitor has arrived. The InZone M3 is launching for $529 and is available now, with an identical 27-inch size and a PS5-esque white on black design. This monitor rounds out Sony’s interesting year in making hardware that appeals to more than just core PlayStation fans. It’s attempting to build credentials and popularity in the PC gaming space, which it brands like LG, Samsung, MSI, Acer and many others are the top choice.As for what’s different, the biggest change is its IPS panel’s drop from 4K resolution to 1080p. The PS5 natively supports 1440p, but this monitor doesn’t. The M3’s screen also lacks full-array local dimming, which gave the M9 spectacular... Continue reading…
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by Chris Welch on (#67DNK)
WebOS has been slightly redesigned and streamlined on the 2023 lineup. | Image: LG Last year, LG cranked the brightness on its G2 and C2 series TVs up to new highs, bringing a meaningful improvement to the company’s already-fantastic OLED lineup. These TVs are considered by some to be the best on the market dollar for dollar thanks to their perfect black levels, incredible contrast, and top-notch gaming capabilities. So how is LG going to improve upon that with the new models it’s introducing at CES 2023?It’s going to push the brightness even higher while also focusing on image processing and software enhancements.The G3 succeeds the G2 and “incorporates brand-new light control architecture and light-boosting algorithms to increase brightness by up to 70 percent,” according to LG’s press release. That number is in... Continue reading…
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by Sean Hollister on (#67DKT)
When I set out to buy my first home security cameras, the Arlo Q was my obvious pick — every reviewer pointed out that it offered seven days of free cloud storage instead of forcing you into a subscription. Heck, Arlo even advertised it on the packaging.But on January 1st, 2024, the company’s killing that feature for many Arlo cams — and reserving the right to eliminate all cloud functionality, including email alerts, push notifications, and other “bundled services or features,” for any camera that hasn’t been manufactured for four years. Image via Chris Rauschnot (YouTube) “Watch Anywhere With 7 days FREE Cloud Recordings,” Arlo advertised. Arlo’s delivering that news in the form of a new retroactive... Continue reading…
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by Georgina Torbet on (#5TAP3)
After decades of work, the launch is here Continue reading…
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by Georgina Torbet on (#67DKV)
Pillars of Creation (MIRI Image) | Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI, J. DePasquale (STScI), A. Pagan (STScI) As Christmas approached last year, astronomers and space fans around the globe gathered to watch the much-anticipated launch of the James Webb Space Telescope. Though a wondrous piece of engineering, the telescope was not without its controversies — from being way over budget and behind schedule to being named after a former NASA administrator who has been accused of homophobia.Despite the debates over the telescope’s naming and history, one thing has become abundantly clear this year — the scientific ability of JWST is remarkable. Beginning its science operations in July 2022, it has already allowed astronomers to get new views and uncover mysteries about a huge range of space topics.The most pressing aim of JWST is one of the most... Continue reading…
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by Sean Hollister on (#67DKW)
One year ago this month, Microsoft announced it would spend $68.7 billion to acquire Activision Blizzard, highlighting how it would get “iconic franchises” including Call of Duty, Warcraft and Candy Crush for that fee. But now that gamers and regulators are worrying Microsoft might keep Call of Duty from appearing on Sony’s PlayStation, Microsoft’s lawyers are suddenly pretending they have no idea why Call of Duty is special.Or even when it came out, for that matter.
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by Mitchell Clark on (#67DF2)
Samsung’s Bespoke AI Oven has a trick up its sleeve hinted at by its name: the company says you can put food in it, and it will automatically recognize what you’re asking it to cook, and recommend the appropriate temperature, time, and mode. Part of its smarts even include “burn detection,” according to a press release, with EU models having the ability to warn you that your food is getting overcooked.The in-wall oven can recognize “80 different dishes and ingredients” via an internal camera, though you can also use a 7-inch touchscreen to manually adjust settings and check the status of your cook. The company notes that the European model is capable of recognizing 106 dishes — which, given that it calls out burn detection as... Continue reading…
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by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy on (#67DF3)
The new Matter-ready Mui Board 2nd Gen will arrive later this year. | Image: Mui Labs The smart home has had an interface challenge that goes back to its earliest days with The Clapper. When it comes to simple things, such as turning on your smart lights or adjusting the temperature in your home, voice control can be cumbersome and erratic, smartphone apps are fiddly and distracting, and sensors are not smart enough (yet) to always get it right.What the smart home needs are quick and easy ways to control exactly what you want — from turning on a single light to triggering a completely automated scene. Something more robust than smart switches with their limited interfaces and less obtrusive than smart displays (people don’t want multiple screens in every room). One answer is interfaces that can provide context when... Continue reading…
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by Andrew J. Hawkins on (#67DF4)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Tesla delivered just over 1.3 million vehicles in 2022, missing its goal of achieving 50 percent growth year-over-year. The company needed to hit approximately 1.4 million deliveries to meet its target, indicating that transportation and logistics challenges continue to plague the EV company.Tesla said it delivered 405,278 vehicles in in the fourth quarter of 2022, which includes 17,147 Model S and X vehicles and 388,131 Model 3 and Y vehicles. Wall Street analysts had been predicting 415,000 vehicles delivered during the quarter. For the year, the company delivered 66,705 Model S and X vehicles, and 1,247,146 Model 3 and Y vehicles.Analysts were hoping for a robust 1.8 million vehicles delivered for the year, but Tesla needed to... Continue reading…
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by Mitchell Clark on (#67DBX)
I feel threatened by the breadth of this monitor. | Image: Samsung Remember the Samsung Odyssey Ark? Of course you do — it was released last year, had a monstrous 55-inch display that towers over you in portrait mode, and used Mini LED tech. In his review, my colleague Cameron Faulkner said that using it “feels like being in VR,” and called its presence “magnetic.” In short, it’s a monitor dialed (literally) so far past 11 that its Multi View mode was barely able to keep up.So of course Samsung went and made something even bigger, with even higher-end specs, and is announcing it at CES. Enter the new Odyssey Neo G9 (ignore the fact that new and neo mean the same thing), a follow-up to Samsung’s $2,499 49-inch Mini LED display of the same name, released in 2021. This time, it has a 57-inch “super... Continue reading…
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by Cameron Faulkner on (#67DBW)
Samsung claims that the 49-inch Odyssey G95SC is the world’s first 32:9 aspect ratio OLED gaming monitor. | Image Credit: Samsung OLED gaming monitors are everywhere at CES 2023, and Samsung’s lineup is no exception. The company revealed the Odyssey G95SC monitor today, a 49-inch model that it claims is the world’s first 32:9 aspect ratio OLED gaming monitor. It also reminded us that its Odyssey 34-inch G8 QD-OLED monitor that debuted in the fall during IFA 2022 will be releasing “very soon.”What sets these two models apart from what LG recently announced is that they use Samsung’s own QD-OLED tech, not LG Display’s latest panels. Below I’ve embedded a sidebar explaining how QD-OLED differs from OLED, but the TL;DR is that it’s able to produce a more contrast-rich picture at higher brightness levels — one of the few limitations of conventional OLED tech.I have a... Continue reading…
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by Chris Welch on (#67DBV)
The ViewFinity has an aluminum stand and enclosure. | Image: Samsung Samsung’s 2023 monitor plans don’t just include Odyssey gaming screens and a new version of its Smart Monitor: the company is also directly coming after Apple and LG with a 27-inch, color-accurate 5K monitor called the ViewFinity S9. Samsung says the 5120x2880 IPS display has a matte finish to reduce glare and covers 99 percent of the DCI-P3 wide color gamut.The ViewFinity S9 will support a wide mix of I/O including HDMI, Thunderbolt 4, USB-C, and DisplayPort. It can charge laptops at up to 96 watts. The S9’s sleek design and metal enclosure are in keeping with Apple’s Studio Display and LG’s higher-end OLED monitors. Unfortunately, I couldn’t get an answer at press time as to whether Samsung’s latest monitor includes local dimming. I’m... Continue reading…
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by Mitchell Clark on (#67DBY)
If you need a new battery, now might be the time. | Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge Apple is raising the price of getting a new battery installed in most iPhones, iPads, and Macs, starting on March 1st. The company made the announcement on the devices’ repair pages, in small text under its price estimators, which was noticed by 9to5Mac.How much the price hike is depends on what device you have. For iPhones, it’s simple — Apple’s site says “the out-of-warranty battery service fee will be increased by $20 for all iPhone models prior to iPhone 14.” For phones with a home button, that means the price will be going from $49 to $69, and for Face ID phones that means it’ll be going from $69 to $89. Those prices, by the way, were put in place in 2019, after Apple ran a year-long promotion where you could get a new battery for... Continue reading…
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by Andrew J. Hawkins on (#67CRR)
Photo by Andrew J. Hawkins / The Verge As of January 1st, 2023, a bunch of electric vehicles became newly eligible for the $7,500 tax credit, which passed into law as part of the $430 billion Inflation Reduction Act a year ago.Some models new to the list had lost their eligibility when their manufacturer hit the previous credit’s sales cap of 200,000 vehicles (Tesla models, Chevy Bolts). Others have recently shifted their production to North America, meeting one of the crucial requirements (VW ID.4).There’s still a lot in the air right nowThere’s still a lot in the air right now — the Treasury Department has set a March deadline for releasing guidance on some of the thornier issues surrounding battery material sourcing and other rules that could drastically reduce the... Continue reading…
by Emma Roth on (#67CH4)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Telegram’s latest update includes an overhauled media editor outfitted with a bunch of new tools to decorate — or conceal — parts of your image or videos. In an update on its blog, Telegram says it’s introducing a new blur tool that lets you block out certain areas of a photo or video, allowing you to hide sensitive information, or blur the faces of passersby who appear in the background.To make the blurred portion of your photo blend in, Telegram says you can use the eyedropper tool to match the color of the blur brush to your image. Additionally, Telegram’s adding a way to change the size, font, and background of text (sort of like Instagram or Snapchat) when adding it to photos or videos. Image: Telegram T... Continue reading…
by Antonio G. Di Benedetto on (#67CH5)
Sony has pioneered many state of the art features in modern cameras, but it still feels like you’re wielding something not quite meant for human hands. There’s only so much that really needs to be said about Sony’s A7R V mirrorless camera. Sony made so many right decisions with this new model, that it’s easily one of the best cameras money can buy right now. The new AI autofocus system is an excellent jump forward. The improved built-in image stabilization is excellent for hand-holding slower shots. The new articulating display is so good it should just be copied by all other manufacturers as soon as possible. And the 61-megapixel sensor yields some of the best image quality you can get today without jumping to medium format — trusting your computer and storage are up to the task of processing these beefy files.But while Sony has made some recent strides to offer quality-of-life... Continue reading…
by Andrew Webster on (#67CEG)
Giancarlo Esposito and Tati Gabrielle in Kaleidoscope. | Image: Netflix On the surface, Kaleidoscope is a straightforward, albeit generic, heist story. It hits all of the beats you’d expect: the revenge-filled backstory, the complex process of finding a team and forming a plan, and the satisfaction of watching that plan unfold. And since Kaleidoscope’s story spans around 25 years, you get plenty of all of those things over the course of its eight episodes. But that’s not what makes the show interesting. Kaleidoscope is also a fascinating experiment, an attempt to tell the kind of drama most viewers are familiar with — but designed so that you can watch episodes in any order. As a nonlinear story, it’s a success — but as a fun crime caper, Kaleidoscope leaves a lot to be desired.The series is centered on Leo... Continue reading…
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by Emma Roth on (#67C3G)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Tesla’s accused of violating national labor laws by allegedly telling employees at its Orlando, Florida location not to talk about pay and working conditions, as first reported by Bloomberg. In a complaint filed in September, the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB) regional director in Tampa claims Telsa “told employees not to complain to higher level managers about their pay or other conditions of employment” and said “not to discuss their pay with other persons.”The complaint goes on to accuse Tesla of instructing employees not to discuss the hiring, suspension, or termination of employees with others. These incidents occurred from December 2021 to January 2022, the complaint alleges, and violates laws that prevent companies from... Continue reading…
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by Emma Roth on (#67BZ3)
Grubhub has been ordered to pay $3.5 million to settle a lawsuit from the District of Columbia that claims the company misled customers by tacking on hidden fees to their orders. According to a press release, Grubhub must pay $800,000 to DC as a civil penalty, while the remaining $2.7 million “will be paid back to affected customers.”In March, DC Attorney General Karl Racine filed a lawsuit against Grubhub, accusing it of falsely promising “free” online orders to customers, as well as “unlimited free delivery” for those who subscribe to Grubhub Plus. The lawsuit alleges this practice is “deceptive” since Grubhub still takes a service fee for non-pickup orders made by Grubhub Plus customers, and charges both delivery and service fees for... Continue reading…
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by Mitchell Clark on (#67BZ4)
It’s no more. It’s well and truly curtains for 3G, one of the key technologies that helped usher in the age of the smartphone. Throughout December, Verizon has been disconnecting its customers who were still using the tech, cutting off their phones’ ability to use data, make calls, and send texts. It was the last major US carrier to do so — AT&T turned off its 3G service in February, and T-Mobile started winding its old networks down the month after.Verizon customers with 3G devices have had plenty of warning. It previously said the network would be going offline in 2019, but with one delay after another, the date has slowly been pushed back to December 31st, 2022. In the meantime, it’s sent people new, LTE-capable phones, as well as letters... Continue reading…
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by Emma Roth on (#67BWA)
Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge A new leak could confirm rumors that Nvidia’s planning on releasing the “unlaunched” 12GB RTX 4080 graphics card as the RTX 4070 Ti. The company briefly posted the specs for its upcoming RTX 4070 Ti GPU on its website, but Twitter user @momomo_us managed to snag a screenshot before Nvidia pulled the page down.So far, the leaked specs look identical to that of the 12GB RTX 4080, with the chip sporting 7,680 CUDA cores, a 2.61 GHz boost clock, and 12GB of memory. It also says the GPU could run 4K at up to 240Hz or 8K at 60Hz with DSC and HDR, while an included chart indicates that the RTX 4070 Ti could outperform the RTX 3080 by about 3.5 times when playing Cyberpunk 2077 with its new Ray-Tracing: Overdrive mode.
by Alice Newcome-Beill on (#67BSK)
Micha Huigen / The Verge If you’re the proud owner of a shiny new Steam Deck, here are some of The Verge’s favorite games to enjoy on Valve’s handheld. Continue reading…
by Emma Roth on (#67BE4)
Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Meta’s throwing more money into the metaverse with its acquisition of Luxexcel, a Netherlands-based company that specializes in 3D-printing prescription lenses for smart glasses. The news was first reported by Dutch outlet De Tijd (via TechCrunch), but Meta has since confirmed to The Verge that it purchased the company.“We’re excited that the Luxexcel team has joined Meta, deepening the existing partnership between the two companies,” Meta says in a statement provided by Ryan Moore, the company’s head of financial communications. While the terms of the deal are unknown, Meta CTO and Reality Labs head, Andrew Bosworth, revealed in a blog post earlier this month that the company’s pouring “about half” of the metaverse-focused division’s... Continue reading…
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by Emma Roth on (#67BBV)
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Twitter will soon let you swipe to switch between different views containing recommended and followed tweets, trends, topics, and more. In a tweet, Elon Musk announced that support for the navigation feature will arrive in January.Musk first hinted at the feature earlier this month, noting the “main timeline should allow for an easy sideways swipe between top, latest, trending and topics that you follow.” The platform already lets users swap between a chronological timeline that shows the latest tweets in order, and the Home timeline, which displays recommended tweets, by tapping the stars icon in the upper right corner of the screen.
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by Justine Calma on (#67B8A)
Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was discovered by astronomers using the wide-field survey camera at the Zwicky Transient Facility this year in early March. This fine telescopic image was taken on December 19th. | Dan Bartlett via NASA Here’s something to look forward to in the new year: 2023 could give us a once-in-a-generation chance to see a new comet grace our skies.Stargazers can keep their eyes peeled for Comet C/2022 E3 (ZTF) throughout January and early February, although they’ll need a telescope or binoculars to spot it at first. As the comet races closer to Earth, however, there’s a chance the comet could become visible to the naked eye under dark skies. If that happens, it’ll be the first comet to reveal itself to the unaided eye since NEOWISE passed us by in 2020.This new comet was discovered last March while it was within Jupiter’s orbit. The comet’s current trajectory should bring it closest to the sun by January 12th. On February 2nd, according to... Continue reading…
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by Mitchell Clark on (#67B19)
Photo by Thilina Kaluthotage/NurPhoto via Getty Images The time has come: Dark Sky, the (mostly) beloved weather app for iOS is going to stop working on January 1st, according to in-app warnings. The sunsetting has been in the forecast for a while — Apple announced it was planning on shutting down the service last year after acquiring it in 2020, and it removed Dark Sky from the App Store a few months ago, according to 9to5Mac. But if you’ve been putting off finding a new weather app, now’s the time to finally get around to it.As for what alternatives iPhone users have available (the Android app was axed in 2020), perhaps the most obvious is Apple’s own built-in Weather app. The company even has a support document titled “How Dark Sky users can use the Apple Weather app,” which talks about... Continue reading…
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by Sean Hollister on (#67B1A)
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge From pirates to spies to kid detectives, it’s a common Hollywood trope: hold a simple spyglass or binoculars up to your eyes, and you’ll get a crystal-clear cylindrical picture of what’s going on.That’s horseshit, of course. Unless you’ve got the hands of a surgeon, it’s surprisingly hard to line up eyeballs, multiple pieces of glass, and a faraway subject. Kid Sean was sad to learn that fact. But I’ll never forget the day Teen Sean pressed the magic button that made all the difference: the button atop the image-stabilized binoculars that Canon still sells today. Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge The binoculars come in many different magnifications, from 8x to 18x, and with varying grades of glass. ... Continue reading…
by Cameron Faulkner on (#67B1B)
Micha Huigen / The Verge There are plenty of great games on Android to play, whether you’re using a phone, tablet, or a dedicated Android handheld. Some of them even work on your Google TV-equipped television with a Bluetooth controller connected. And in 2022, it became much easier to play Xbox and PC games over the cloud if you don’t mind paying a subscription fee to do so.For Android veterans and newcomers alike, jumping into the Google Play Store to find a new game may be overwhelming. (It’s not your fault, the shop’s curation is hard to navigate.) Instead of leaving you alone to find what’s good from the immense selection, we’ve pulled out a couple handfuls of recommendations. All of these games should support touch controls and some may also be compatible... Continue reading…
by Alex Cranz on (#67AZ7)
Micha Huigen / The Verge Apple TV Plus is one of the best bangs for your subscription buck. It started with a limited number of shows back in 2019, but the offerings have steadily increased, the shows that have ended have ended super satisfyingly, and there’s just a whole lot of stuff you can binge on there.The problem is that, unless it’s Ted Lasso, you might have problems finding other people in your friend group to watch these shows with. But there are probably dozens — dozens! — of us watching Apple TV Plus. Below are some of the best shows you can watch. I excluded Ted Lasso from this list because I’m positive you’ve already watched it.SeveranceYou know it’s been a long year when you realize Severance premiered this same year. The show is about people... Continue reading…
by Richard Lawler on (#67AJ3)
A still image from Andrew Tate’s Twitter profile promoting his Hustler’s University program. | Image: Andrew Tate / Twitter Andrew Tate — an “alpha male” influencer / podcaster of sorts who has described himself in videos as “absolutely a misogynist” and has been banned from TikTok, Facebook, and Instagram — and his brother Tristan were detained in Romania by police investigating organized crime, human trafficking, and rape.He was led away from his home in Romania by police one day after his Twitter dustup with young environmental activist Greta Thunberg went viral, as he targeted her with a boast about his 33 cars and their “enormous emissions” while she remained unimpressed by the size. In a now-deleted YouTube video, Tate, who was born in the US and is a British citizen, said “40 percent” of his reason for moving to Romania was “because in Eastern... Continue reading…
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by Mitchell Clark on (#67AFY)
Google says it’s using “advanced artificial intelligence” to determine if a call is legit. | Image: Google Google has announced that it’s adding a red “suspected spam caller” warning to Google Voice calls if it doesn’t think they’re legitimate. In a post on Thursday, the company says it’s identifying spam “using the same advanced artificial intelligence” system as it does with its traditional phone app for Android.If the spam label appears, you’ll also have the option of confirming that a call was spam — in which case any future calls will be sent straight to your voicemail — or clarifying that it wasn’t, which will get rid of the label for future calls.Google Voice has had the ability to automatically filter calls identified as spam to voicemail for years, and has also allowed you to screen calls before actually picking them up, but those... Continue reading…
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by Umar Shakir on (#67AE2)
I just want a rolling battle station. | Image: Tesla Steam, the PC gaming platform, is making its way around town as part of Tesla’s latest holiday update. It fulfills a promise Tesla CEO Elon Musk made almost two years ago: that you’ll be able to play The Witcher 3 using the car’s built-in hardware. But unfortunately for me, I won’t get to play it, and it doesn’t look like there will be any easy path toward upgrading.I have a 2018 Tesla Model 3, and I think I should mention it’s received plenty of upgrades over the years, including overhauled user interface, Autopilot visualizations, streaming apps, and arcade games. But in my car, all of Tesla’s fancy new software is running on the Intel Atom — a processor designed for cheap netbooks from the previous decade (Remember the Eee PC?). So... Continue reading…
by Allison Johnson on (#67ABB)
Alleged renders of the Samsung A34 show a silver, pearlescent color option that’s way more fun than awesome black. | Image: The Tech Outlook A fresh batch of leaked renders allegedly show an upcoming Samsung device in a range of flashy colors. The leak is courtesy of The Tech Outlook (spotted by XDA-Developers) and features the Galaxy A34 with some healthy midrange specs: a 6.5-inch 1080p OLED, 48-megapixel main camera, and an Exynos chipset. But what’s really exciting are the color options: Lime! Purple! Pearlescent! If these renders are accurate, then we could see a more colorful outlook for budget phones in 2023, and it’s about damn time.Sometime in recent history, phone makers decided that people in the US — particularly those on a budget — only wanted black phones. A quick turn through Samsung’s current A-series options shows most models in exactly one color choice:... Continue reading…
by Jess Weatherbed on (#67A8B)
Rejoice gamers: 240Hz OLED gaming monitors are finally a reality, and many are being showcased during CES 2023. | Photo by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge CES 2023 is now just days away, and there’s already a standout category that we’re particularly excited about: 240Hz OLED gaming monitors.Generally speaking, OLED panels can achieve better picture quality and a faster response time than their LED or IPS equivalents but have historically lacked the ability to match them in providing high-refresh rates. There have been some exceptions — such as the Alienware AW3423DW, a QD-OLED running at 175Hz — but now, OLED gaming displays have finally achieved the optimal 240Hz refresh rate prized by gamers who specialize in eSports and FPS titles.There are several 240Hz OLED displays (that we’re aware of) being showcased at the CES 2023 conference. One of the more innovative offerings is the... Continue reading…
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by Justine Calma on (#67A4N)
Crowds watch as Mexican free-tailed bats are released by Mary Warwick, Wildlife Director at Houston Humane Society at the Waugh Bridge Bat Colony in Houston, Texas, on December 28, 2022. | Photo by MARK FELIX/AFP via Getty Images Hundreds of bats rescued from the winter storm that struck the US over the past week were finally able to return to their homes in Texas last night. The bats nearly froze to death as the storm brought a blast of cold Arctic air down to the Lone Star State and much of the continental US.Mexican Free-tailed bats started dropping from their roosts as temperatures dipped below freezingMexican Free-tailed bats started dropping from their roosts as temperatures dipped below freezing on the evening of December 22nd, according to the Houston Humane Society. At one colony under Waugh Bridge in Houston, the tiny bats plummeted 15 to 30 feet to the pavement. Suffering hypothermic shock, the bats might have perished on the pavement. Weighing in... Continue reading…
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by Cameron Faulkner on (#67A4P)
New York governor Kathy Hochul signed the Digital Fair Repair Act on December 28th, 2022, and the law will go into effect on July 1st, 2023 — a full year after it was originally passed by the NY State legislature. The bill establishes that consumers and independent repair providers have a right to obtain manuals, diagrams, diagnostics and parts from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) in order to repair their own devices. However, the bill was meaningfully compromised at the last minute by amendments that give OEMs some convenient exceptions and loopholes to get out of obligations that many right to repair advocates had been hoping for.One of the most controversial adjustments in the signed law is that it allows OEMs to sell... Continue reading…
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by Sheena Vasani on (#67A30)
LG’s Gram 16 laptop is on sale for $799 at BuyDig. | Image: LG If you’re tired of constantly relying on a second monitor or resizing windows for work because your laptop’s screen isn’t spacious enough, today’s deal on LG’s latest Gram 16 is one you’ll want to consider. Regularly $1,396.99, you can currently buy it with 16GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, and an Intel i5-1240P processor for just $799 from BuyDig until December 31st.This is the 16-inch version of LG’s new Gram 17 we reviewed in October, which is our favorite laptop for fans of big screens. While this model’s display is one inch smaller, both still share a large, high-resolution screen so you can easily open up multiple windows and apps. Yet despite its size, the laptop’s also light enough to carry around while traveling or commuting.... Continue reading…
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by Chris Welch on (#67A31)
Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge I can’t be the only one that’s had this experience: I’ll be passing time scrolling through my Instagram feed when all of a sudden, my iPhone’s screen cranks the brightness up to 11 for a random video clip or reel. It’s worse if you’re in a dark environment or dimly lit bar when this happens because these bursts ignore your brightness settings and can get pretty unpleasant for your eyes.The reason this happens is that people are increasingly sharing HDR (high dynamic range) videos on social platforms — whether they know it or not — and when your fancy smartphone plays them, the display goes into overdrive to showcase, in Apple’s words, the “true-to-life color and contrast” made possible by HDR. But the thing you’ll notice most of all,... Continue reading…
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by Andrew Webster on (#67A0S)
Micha Huigen / The Verge There are plenty of good games to download right now in Apple’s regular App Store — hello, Marvel Snap — but the fact remains that if you’re going to play on your iPhone or iPad regularly, Apple Arcade is the best deal. For $4.99, you get unlimited access to a growing library that now includes not only exclusives like Fantasian but also many of the best releases from the iPhone’s gaming glory days. And none of the games feature ads or microtransactions, so you can just enjoy them without having to worry about forking out extra cash.Since its debut in 2019, the library of games has steadily expanded, and Apple has settled into a nice rhythm of releasing a game almost every week. Here are the eight best additions to the service from 2022.... Continue reading…
by Victoria Song on (#67A0T)
Micha Huigen / The Verge HBO Max, as we currently know it, is not long for this world. In 2023, the app will merge with Discovery Plus, and that’ll become its own thing. But that’s later. Now is the time to catch up on all the shows from the past year before the inevitably messy transition begins.The premium network has a little bit of everything for everyone. There are stripped-down stand-up specials, screwball dramedies, irreverent animated series, CGI dragons, and everything in between. It’s a lot to take in at once. Lucky for you, we’ve compiled a handy list of shows to get you started.HacksHacks is a series about an unlikely pair of comediennes — a legendary stand-up diva in need of a new act and a young, disgraced TV writer trying to salvage her... Continue reading…
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by Patrick George on (#679VK)
Remember when this guy was in charge of a car company? | Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images Layoffs, lawsuits, delays, Twitter chaos, stock in free fall, factory shutdowns — What happened to America’s favorite electric car company? Continue reading…
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by Jess Weatherbed on (#679VM)
India is following in the EU’s footsteps and will require all mobile devices to support USB-C charging by 2025. The country is also looking into a standardized charger for wearables. | Photo by Vlad Savov / The Verge Mobile devices in India will be required to adopt USB Type-C as the standard charging port for electronic products by March 2025, according to a report by Business Standard. This follows similar legislation being passed by the European Union which requires new smartphones and other portable devices sold within the EU to use USB-C charging by December 28th, 2024 in a move meant to combat e-waste.The Indian government is also exploring the possibility of enforcing a standardized charger for wearables such as smartwatches and fitness trackers. “The government will come up with two common types of charging ports for mobiles and wearable electronic devices,” said Rohit Kumar Singh, Secretary to the Department of Consumer Affairs. No details... Continue reading…
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