The Verge

Apple software developer Karen Xing details and demos Continuity Camera. | Screenshot by Sean Hollister / The Verge It was easy to laugh yesterday when Apple revealed that you’ll soon be able to stick an iPhone on the back of your Mac to get a better webcam. Some joked that Apple design legend Jony Ive was off crying somewhere. Others wondered whether this was truly the best Apple could come up with after years of grainy MacBook images and how the Apple Studio Display’s camera fell short.

A few years ago, I was shopping for a Chromebook to take on a business trip. I wanted something lightweight enough to carry around all day and inexpensive enough that I wouldn’t mind as much when I spilled coffee on the keyboard. I was considering two different models when a sales rep came over to see if I needed help. “You’re aware,” he said, “that these are Chromebooks, right? They only work online; you can’t save any files to the hard drive.”It wasn’t the first time I’ve caught a sales rep in a mistake, of course. But this is a mistake that seems to have persisted.Yes, Chromebooks were created to be used predominantly online. In fact, when the first Chrome OS laptops were introduced in 2011, there were very few apps that could be... Continue reading…

Photo by Andrew Hawkins / The Verge Ford has been vocal about the new F-150 Lightning’s bi-directional charging capability that enables owners to use the electric truck’s massive battery to charge other EVs. And, now, the company is apparently including a new accessory so these Good Samaritan truck owners can help out stranded Teslas.A member of an online forum for new F-150 Lightning owners shared a photo of the new accessory, a J1772 Adapter for Tesla vehicles by an EV charging company called Lentz. The owner was surprised because the adapter was not listed among the standard accessories that would be provided with the new truck.While most electric vehicles feature a standard J1772 charging connector, Tesla requires a proprietary connector that’s found at the... Continue reading…

Image: Instagram Instagram now lets you pin up to three posts or reels to the top of your profile. Just like pinned posts on TikTok and Twitter, they’ll sit at the forefront of your Instagram grid as if you recently posted them.You can use the feature by selecting one of your posts or reels and then tapping the three dots at the top-right corner of the post. From there, hit Pin to your profile. When you return to your profile, you’ll see your post at the top-left corner of your grid with a white pin icon. If you decide to add another post or reel, any existing pinned posts will get pushed to the right.

Level Infinite Honor of Kings, one of the highest grossing mobile games of all time, is getting a worldwide release. Today, developer Level Infinite announced that it’s bringing Honor of Kings to the rest of the world and that invites to a closed beta would be coming soon.

This large Pokemon Go SMS group text thread gets inundated with iOS Tapback reactions. | Image: Umar Shakir / The Verge Anyone who’s been in a text message group chat with participants spread across iOS and Android probably knows about the annoying reaction texts coming from iPhone users, usually formatted as: Person A Liked/Disliked “Person B’s message.” But now, after Google implemented a workaround inside its text message app on Android, Apple is doing something about it with iOS 16. After the update, it will hide those written messages and output them as the expected bubble icon next to the message it was in reaction to (via 9to5Mac).Google’s fix on the Android side earlier this year worked a similar way, by adding iOS-friendly emoji reactions to the Google Messages app. Apple’s iMessage Tapbacks have since appeared as proper emoji icons on Androids... Continue reading…

Updates coming to the iPhone, iPad, and Mac operating systems make them a little more human-centric. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Apple’s WWDC 2022 announcements lacked big, splashy new features, and Siri was largely MIA. But in the absence of Apple’s virtual assistant, we got a lot of small but potentially meaningful software updates centered around a very real individual: you. And me. Developers know us as “end users,” but we’re otherwise known as humans.Humans are different from end users, because we forget words, make typos, and accidentally hit send on an important email before it’s ready. Humans also have individual personalities and strong opinions about typefaces, and we’d like it if the devices we carry around 24/7 reflected that a little more. Historically, Apple has preferred to keep a tight grip on every aspect of its devices, from how they look to... Continue reading…

Kerry Washington as Professor Dovey, Charlize Theron as Lady Lesso. | Helen Sloan/Netflix © 2022 While most children grow up simply thinking of figures like Cinderella as fictional people, in Netflix’s upcoming live-action adaptation of Soman Chainani’s The School for Good and Evil, fairy tales are very real accounts of historical events that everyone should know. Agatha and Sophie, the story’s heroines know that there’s a reason everyone in their village insists that kids learn the lessons woven into tales about the fae folk and warn them to steer clear of the nearby menacing forest.But, in The School for Good and Evil’s first teaser trailer that dropped as a part of this year’s Netflix Geeked Week, Agatha (Sofia Wylie) and Sophie (Sophia Anne Caruso) discover that the truth that’s been looming over them their whole lives is... Continue reading…

A new plant in Puertollano, Spain, will be Europe’s largest production site for green hydrogen for industrial use. | Image: Angel Garcia/Bloomberg via Getty Images The Department of Energy kicked off a new $8 billion program yesterday to develop a network of hubs for producing hydrogen as a clean fuel. It’s a milestone for one of the Biden administration’s most contentious strategies for tackling climate change.Hydrogen has the potential to slash emissions from some of the industries that are the hardest to clean up. It might replace coal used in making steel or fossil fuels that power diesel trucks and cargo ships. When burned, it produces water vapor instead of greenhouse gas emissions (although it can still contribute to nitrogen oxide pollution in the air).The tricky part is that not all hydrogen is created the same wayThe tricky part is that not all hydrogen is created the same way and can... Continue reading…

Photos By: Coco Van Oppens Photo After two seasons, HBO Max has decided to cancel the sci-fi TV show Raised by Wolves, Variety reports. Originally ordered to series for the cable channel TNT, its first season premiered in 2020, and four months after HBO Max launched, it ranked as the service’s top streaming series.The first two episodes were directed by Ridley Scott, and the plot, which focused on two androids raising human children on a desolate alien planet, aligned well with the hallmarks of his style. We mentioned the show as one of the standout options on HBO Max in 2021, saying, “There is a strong sense of foreboding in this world, but you just can’t turn away.” The cancellation of big-budget shows with intense fandom followings is a move we’ve seen from Netflix... Continue reading…

Microsoft is releasing its next big Windows 11 update to the Release Preview ring of final testing today. Windows 11 22H2 is expected to be available in the coming months and will include a number of big changes to the operating system, including new Start menu folders, updated touch gestures, and drag and drop for the taskbar.While you can wait for Microsoft to officially roll the update out through Windows Update, you can grab the final version, build 22621, through the Windows Insider option inside the Windows Update section of Windows 11. Just follow the prompts to sign up for the Windows Insider Program, and make sure you select Release Preview. Image: Microsoft Windows 11’s new Start menu folders. W... Continue reading…

Because they tend to be inexpensive and fairly hardy, Chromebooks are often bought as laptops for families — to be shared between parents and kids or passed around among friends. And because a Chromebook may have more than one user, it needs to have more than one login so that each user has access to their own personal apps and content.Adding a new user to a Chromebook is not difficult. Here’s how to do it:

Wendell & Wild. | Image: Netflix Regardless of the circumstances, it’s never not a great idea to make deals with demons from the underworld when they pop up offering to make deals. In the first look at Netflix’s upcoming stop-motion animated feature Wendell & Wild, from director Henry Sellick, that’s precisely what an unsuspecting teenager does.Rather than debuting a new Wendell & Wild teaser or trailer during this year’s Netflix Geeked Week, the streamer instead released a short clip introducing Kat Elliott (Lyric Ross), a 13-year-old girl dealing with a load of guilt that leads to her making a pact with demon brothers Wendell (Keegan-Michael Key) and Wild (Jordan Peele).

Image: Apple Apple can’t seem to build its own car, so it’ll just have to take over everyone else’s.At its annual WWDC event on Monday, the tech giant announced that the next generation of CarPlay will soon break free from the bonds that confine it to the main infotainment screen and spread to additional screens within the vehicle. CarPlay will also, for the first time, use vehicle data to show crucial driving information like speed, fuel level, and engine temperature measurements as well as allow users to control settings including radio or climate.Will your car be ready for this more expansive version of CarPlay? Because the car companies certainly aren’t.Will your car be ready for this more expansive version of CarPlay? Because the car... Continue reading…

Jamie Foxx as Bud Jablonski. | PARRISH LEWIS/NETFLIX In Netflix’s upcoming action horror thriller Day Shift from director J.J. Perry, Jamie Foxx stars as Bud Jablonski, a father who provides for his family by living a dangerous double life. While his loved ones believe Bud spends his days working hard as a pool cleaner, in reality he’s one of many unionized vampire hunters who’ve committed their lives to exterminating the bloodsucking living dead.For this year’s annual Geeked Week presentation of its upcoming projects, Netflix has just released a new behind-the-scenes look at Day Shift that teases a sizable chunk of the fast-paced action that Foxx, Perry, and producer Chad Stahelski have infused the film with. In the video, Stahelski describes how his previous working relationships with... Continue reading…

When Game of Thrones was in its prime in 2014, I was really, really annoying about it. All I wanted to do was talk about the show and books, and I was running out of humans in my life who cared enough about it. Podcasting as an industry was far less developed than it is now, but there were still plenty of GOT recap and analysis pods to feed my obsession — some good, like Boars, Gore and Swords and A Cast of Kings, and some very bad, which I won’t name because it was eight years ago and we are all different people now. They allowed me to obsess over details, criticize the show when necessary (which was often), and, maybe most importantly, kept me awake on my 4AM commute to MSNBC.Inspired by grassroots recap podcasts, official podcasts... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Google Meet is getting an automatic transcription feature for educators signed up to Google’s Workspace for Education Plus and Teaching and Learning Upgrade plans. The text-based documents should take up less space than a full recording for educators looking to store or share their past lessons and may also make it easier to review, search through, and send lessons to students.Google is also bringing polls and Q&A sessions to teachers who use Meet to livestream their lessons, potentially opening up more opportunities for interactivity. These features were already available in standard meetings but not during livestreams.Users will be able to livestream events directly to YouTubeGoogle is expanding the reach of Meet livestreams as... Continue reading…

Figma CEO Dylan Field. | Image: Getty Google for Education has announced a new partnership with Figma. The companies will bring Figma’s design and prototyping platform as well as its collaborative whiteboarding app FigJam to education Chromebooks. Schools can apply now to the beta program, which will begin over the summer.Verge reporter Dami Lee described Figma as “Google Docs for design.” Like Google’s software, Figma is primarily web-based and is a lighter load for a computer to run than many industry-standard creative programs. Figma also allows team members to collaborate in a way that is similar to how they might in Google Docs — but on prototypes and design projects rather than text. Users can add annotations and notes to projects, mark things with stickers, and even... Continue reading…

The iOS 16 developer beta is here. | Image: Apple At this year’s WWDC, Apple introduced a bevy of new features for the forthcoming iOS 16. That includes new lock screens and widgets as well as the ability to edit Messages. And, if you’ve got an Apple developer account, you can now download the developer beta to get a firsthand look.Fair warning: beta software isn’t the finished product. If you download the iOS 16 developer beta, you have to be prepared for some apps and features to be a bit wonky. That’s why we recommend downloading the beta onto an iPhone that isn’t your daily driver. If that’s not an option for you, it’s not a bad idea to wait for the public beta, which arrives next month. And as always, back up your phone before you download the beta in case anything goes wrong.T... Continue reading…

Image: Instagram Instagram’s Sensitive Content Control feature, which puts an adjustable filter on content recommended by the platform, now applies to more areas on Instagram. In a post on its blog, Instagram says it’s expanding the setting’s impact beyond the Explore page to include anywhere it makes recommendations, including in your feed, search, hashtag pages, Reels, and Accounts You Might Follow.While you could always choose from three toggles that vary in how much sensitive content Instagram filters out, Instagram is renaming those existing options. Instead of “Allow,” “Limit,” and “Limit Even More,” Instagram’s now calling the tiers “More,” “Standard,” and “Less.” Instagram will set accounts on Standard by default, which will allow you to see... Continue reading…

Family Sharing gets a simpler setup in iOS 16. | Image: Apple I’m irrationally excited about a new feature coming to Apple’s Screen Time, the company’s gentler term for parental controls. When my kid wants that extra 15 minutes on her favorite app, her plaintive request will come through iMessage as well as a pop-up notification on my Apple devices.Why is this exciting? Well, it’s a small thing, but if you miss that Screen Time notification, which is currently the only alert you get, you have to dive into the Settings app to manually address the request. This is fiddly and time-consuming, especially when you’re in the middle of making dinner, as it involves passcodes and multiple taps. With the request sitting handily in my Messages app with a dropdown menu that presumably will give me the same... Continue reading…

Image: Waymo Waymo and Uber, former legal foes and bitter rivals in the autonomous vehicle space, are teaming up to speed up the adoption of driverless trucks. Waymo is integrating Uber Freight, the ride-hail company’s truck brokerage, into the technology that powers its autonomous big rigs.This “long-term strategic partnership” will enable fleet owners to more quickly deploy trucks equipped with Waymo’s autonomous “driver” for on-demand delivery routes offered by Uber Freight, the companies said.The announcement represents a convergence between two of the companies’ major side projects. Waymo divides its autonomous projects into two divisions: Waymo One, its consumer ride-hailing service, and Waymo Via, which is focused on goods delivery in both... Continue reading…

TikTok is launching a new feature that lets users turn themselves into custom animated avatars in the style of Apple’s Memoji, Snapchat’s Bitmoji, and Meta’s Avatars.The feature is rolling out globally today and is accessible from the app’s camera alongside TikTok’s various other effects. To use the feature on yourself, open the app, flip the camera to selfie mode, tap effects, and select the avatar effect. You can then either use a preset look or hit “new” to create a custom avatar. This lets you customize your avatar’s face shape, skin tone, hairstyle, and accessories, including makeup and piercings. You can then record a video with the avatar following your movements and facial expressions. The new avatar feature... Continue reading…

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales The Google Pixel 6 Pro, a behemoth smartphone with a brilliant telephoto lens (along with wide and ultrawide lenses), is $100 off in time for Father’s Day. Normally $899, it’s $799 at Amazon, Best Buy, and the Google Store through June 19th. What kind of person surprises their dad with a $799 phone? Someone who’s very giving, obviously, but also someone who wants their dad to be able to take pretty spectacular photos wherever they go.But back to that 48-megapixel telephoto lens with 4x optical zoom, which makes the Pixel 6 Pro worth getting if you or your dad is into taking intimate, close crop shots — whether portraits or landscapes. One of the biggest gripes we had in our review of this phone, however, was the price you have to pay... Continue reading…

Illustration by Mengxin Li / The Verge In March 2021, an artist called Beeple sold an NFT-based artwork for a record-setting $69 million — and NFTs began to shake up the art world, the tech world, and dozens of other subcultures. The year that followed has been a rollercoaster: artists and collectors have made fortunes off NFTs, brand after brand has launched digital marketing gimmicks, and NFT apes even made it onto The Tonight Show.But more recently, the NFT scene has lost much of that early momentum. Sales of NFTs have cratered, and the entire crypto market has lost much of its value. This slowdown has put the space in a new light. Can the tremendous growth and the communities that formed around it in the early days of NFTs be maintained, or was this whole thing just a... Continue reading…

Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan. | Image: Marvel Studios Ms. Marvel stars Iman Vellani as Kamala Khan Continue reading…

The Wyze Scale X adds additional modes for measuring luggage, pets, and babies. | Image: Wyze Wyze announced today that it’s launching the $33.99 Scale X, a refresh of its previous Wyze Scale. For the most part, it’s a slightly cheaper but pretty standard smart scale. But the interesting thing is it includes new Baby, Pet, and Luggage modes so you can more easily measure other things without having to do the math.It might seem like a silly thing. After all, anyone can whip out their phone to subtract a baby, pet, or suitcase’s weight from their own. That said, doing the math for you is neat as it saves you from having to measure twice — once by yourself and once with the thing you’re trying to actually measure. As someone who regularly has to wrangle a cranky 18-pound cat to see if his diet is working, eliminating the extra... Continue reading…

Furbo’s dog treat camera can now rotate 360 degrees to catch your pooch wherever he may be. | Image: Furbo A favorite among Verge staff, Furbo is a smart dog camera that lets you see, hear, and talk to your pet and — their favorite part — throw treats at them. But it’s had one flaw: your animals roam around all day, and this camera can’t move. (Well, unless you pop it in the back of Amazon’s Astro home robot, but that’s a whole other blog). This week, Furbo fixed that issue with the launch of its new Furbo 360° Dog Camera, which is available now and costs $210 but is launching on Amazon and Furbo.com at the discounted price of $167.In addition to rotating 360 degrees on its base to catch all the action, the new Furbo has been upgraded with a wide-angle lens, color night vision, and auto dog tracking to automatically follow your pup as they... Continue reading…

Mengxin Li / The Verge What happens when the hype wears off? Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Conservative judges are falling for the glamour of big data Continue reading…

Illustration by Mengxin Li / The Verge In the Sotheby’s salesroom one evening in late February, fluorescent lights beamed down on the assembled crowd. A sea of spectators is not unusual for Sotheby’s — the 278-year-old auction house typically hosts more than 600 sales per year — but this sale was different. It was the auction house’s first-ever evening sale dedicated solely to NFTs.Sotheby’s described the event, titled “Punk it!,” as “a truly historic sale for an undeniably historic NFT project.” It consisted of a single lot — 104 CryptoPunks sold as an all-or-nothing bundle. Sotheby’s estimated the bundle would go for $20–30 million, on par with sales of paintings by David Hockney or Jean-Michel Basquiat.To drum up interest, the auction house had thrown a series of events... Continue reading…

macOS Ventura. | Image: Apple A new version of macOS means a new collection of Macs can no longer run Apple’s latest desktop operating system. Perhaps most notably, the new macOS Ventura update won’t be available for the 2015 MacBook Pro.This laptop quickly became a fan-favorite model because it was one of the last to come with a traditional scissor switch keyboard before Apple ditched it in favor of its much derided butterfly keyboard. Thankfully, Apple has since brought back this traditional keyboard design, meaning there are some very good Apple Silicon-powered replacements available for anyone still holding on to the 2015 machine.Here’s the complete list of Macs that Ventura is compatible with:

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Apple is finally adding the ability to see your stored Wi-Fi password in iOS 16. MacRumors reports that the iOS 16 developer preview includes an option to view a Wi-Fi password and even copy it to share with friends or family. You need to authenticate with Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode to see a stored password, and then you get an option to copy it.If you own an iPhone then you know of the struggle to share Wi-Fi passwords when a family member or friend visits and they’re a green bubble aficionado (Android user) or they own a Windows laptop. Even though your phone is connected to the network, you still have to search around for the Wi-Fi password at the back of the router or on that old crusty piece of paper where you shouldn’t be... Continue reading…

Photo by James Bareham / The Verge Apple is adding native support for the Nintendo Switch Pro and Joy-Con controllers in iOS 16. Riley Testut, one of the iOS developers behind AltStore, discovered the new controller support in a developer beta of iOS 16 that was released yesterday.The Nintendo Switch Pro Controller works “perfectly” according to Testut, and both Joy-Con controllers show up as a single device for apps and games to take advantage of. Nat Brown, an engineering manager at Apple, has confirmed the new controller support and even revealed there’s a neat method to switch how the Joy-Cons work in iOS 16. You can dynamically switch between using both Joy-Cons as a single controller or two separate ones by holding the screenshot and home buttons for a few... Continue reading…

Image: Apple As part of today’s announcements at WWDC 2022, Apple briefly mentioned a new addition to its security tools that will apply to iPhone, iPad, and Mac platforms called Rapid Security Response. It didn’t go into a lot of detail about what Rapid Security Response is, but Apple is promising to have important security updates that get to your devices even faster. Currently, iOS and macOS users get their security updates rolled in with full system patches, usually with .1 or .0.1 version numbers, which can take quite some time for users to download and install.Now, Apple says its Rapid Security Response updates include important security improvements that “can be applied automatically between standard software updates.” MacRumors reports that... Continue reading…

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Apple is adding a new feature to iOS 16 to make the Hidden and Recently Deleted albums in Photos much more private. Starting with iOS 16, those albums will now be locked by default, and you’ll be able to unlock them using Face ID, Touch ID, or a passcode, according to Apple’s iOS 16 features page.In iOS 15, those albums are hard to find, but they they aren’t behind any protection. That means somebody who might have unwanted access to your phone can easily see what’s there if they know where to look — which somewhat defeats the purpose of the Hidden album in particular. With the change in iOS 16, people won’t be able to see photos in either album unless you unlock them. This new feature will also be available in iPadOS 16 and macOS... Continue reading…

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Are you the kind of person who’d hesitate to charge gadgets from a public charger — like the ones coming to the seat of your plane? Apple’s first beta of the just-announced macOS 13 Ventura includes a feature seemingly designed to address tampering fears. It’ll make USB-C and Thunderbolt accessories explicitly ask for your permission before they can communicate with MacBooks powered by Apple’s M1 or M2 chips.Here’s the full description of the feature from Apple’s release notes:

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Update June 6th, 8:03PM ET: Costco has removed the landing page for its PlayStation 5 bundle, indicating it has sold out or is simply no longer available.If you’re a Costco member, you now have another chance at nabbing Sony’s PlayStation 5 console. Right now, the retailer is selling the disc-based PS5 console in a bundle with an extra DualSense controller, a Pulse 3D wireless headset, a DualSense charging station, and four $25 PlayStation Store gift cards all for $789.99. If you want to take part but are not a member, you’ll have to purchase a Costco membership, which starts at $60 a year.As always, double-check your billing and shipping address details are both correct, add the bundle to your cart, and try to check out as soon as... Continue reading…

David Pierce/The Verge Apple revealed a new version of macOS at its Worldwide Developers Conference. The new operating system, macOS Ventura, includes a new Stage Manager tool, updates to Spotlight, Mail, and Safari, and other continuity features that bring the operating system closer to iOS.Enabled from the Control Center, the utility will automatically organize your open windows on the left side of your screen while centering the one you’re working in. Users can also group windows together to easily open more than one at a time. Spotlight comes with new updates as well: it can now find images in your photo library and can search for them by location, people, scenes, objects, or included text (via the Live Text feature). You’ll... Continue reading…

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Apple announced Monday that iOS 16 will let you switch on haptics when you type, meaning you’ll feel a tiny vibration every single time you press a key on your iPhone’s virtual keyboard. Apple’s haptics — powered by the company’s Taptic Engine — are some of the best out there on mobile phones (though many Android devices have caught up), and now you’ll get to feel a satisfying pulse while you’re chatting with your friends or composing an email.Previously, if you wanted haptic feedback on your keyboard, one option was to turn to... Google. The search company added haptic feedback to its Gboard keyboard for iPhone in 2019. I personally gave up on using third-party keyboards years ago because it’s a lot easier to just use Apple’s stock... Continue reading…

watchOS 9 will not support the Series 3. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge It’s been five years since Apple debuted the Series 3, and at WWDC 2022, it effectively laid the smartwatch to rest. watchOS 9 will not support the Series 3, and that likely means the Apple Watch SE will officially take over as Apple’s budget smartwatch.The Series 3 introduced cellular calling when it launched in 2017, and at the time, it was a great smartwatch. (Though, the battery life could’ve been a bit better.) While Apple continued to support the watch over the years, it became increasingly clear that the Series 3’s days were numbered. Since the release of watchOS 7 in 2020, many users have reported the Series 3 struggles to update to new software. And watchOS 9 introduced a lot of new health and fitness features.When the Apple... Continue reading…

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge There were a whole lot of exciting announcements that came out of WWDC, but one update Apple didn’t mention onstage is that iOS 16 will bring support for using Face ID in landscape mode.As noted on Apple’s iOS 16 preview page (thanks @ParkerOrtolani for spotting), Apple states that you’ll soon be able to unlock your iPhone, make payments, autofill your passwords, and more with Face ID when your phone is tilted horizontally. You can already use Face ID when your iPad is in landscape mode, so expanding the feature to iPhones is overdue. When the feature is out, you’ll no longer have to ensure your phone is in portrait position to use Face ID, which can be somewhat of an annoyance if you frequently have your phone turned to the side.A... Continue reading…

I’m also crossing my fingers it will the final season. | Photo: Apple Ted Lasso’s upcoming third season is being written as if it’s the final one, Brett Goldstein, who plays the foul-mouthed Roy Kent and writes for the show, told The Sunday Times (via Variety). “We are writing it like that,” he said. “It was planned as three. Spoiler alert — everyone dies.” (I’d wager that last part isn’t true.)Ted Lasso is arguably Apple TV Plus’ biggest hit, but it hasn’t been clear when it might end. As Variety noted, Ted Lasso co-creator and star Jason Sudeikis has spoken about the story taking place over three seasons. “That three-season arc is one that I see, know, and understand,” he told Entertainment Weekly. It’s also unclear when this third season might debut, but it seems like it might arrive later than the... Continue reading…

Apple’s HomeKit gets a new Home app. | Image: Apple Apple announced an all-new Home app for its HomeKit smart home platform at WWDC this week. The new app will arrive with iOS 16 later this year and has a completely new design. Apple said that architecturally the app has been rebuilt from the ground up making it more efficient and reliable, especially for homes with multiple accessories.The navigation has also been redesigned to make it easier to find, organize, and control devices, and a new Categories section for climate, lights, speakers and TVs, water (sprinklers and faucets), and security will let you access those devices in one place. This should make it simpler to turn off all the lights or lock all the doors, even though they are in different rooms.You can now see your entire... Continue reading…

Etsy is launching a purchase protection program for shoppers and sellers, the company announced today. The program, which begins August 1st, will refund customers when an item arrives damaged, is missing, or doesn’t match the listing description.Purchases under $250, including shipping and taxes, are covered by the program, according to the updated seller handbook. The company says it will put $25 million per year into the program to cover refunds and that it’s free for sellers to participate in the program.“Easy issue resolution is a critical part of the e-commerce shopping experience, and our new Etsy Purchase Protection program aims to help make shopping on Etsy even more worry free,” Raina Moskowitz, Etsy’s chief operating... Continue reading…

Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images Back in February, Nike sued StockX, a popular online sneaker reseller, for launching a non-fungible token (NFT) series based on Nike’s shoes. It then accused StockX last month of knowingly selling counterfeits — a thing that shouldn’t be possible since StockX claims it authenticates the shoes sold on its site. Now, StockX is hitting back. In a court filing, the sneaker reseller says that Nike’s complaint is “nothing more than a failed attempt to bolster its still meritless claims.”StockX introduced its Vault NFT series in January. In the company’s own words, the idea was to allow customers to buy NFTs tied to a physical product akin to a digital receipt. According to the company, the benefit would be more efficient trading as a buyer... Continue reading…

The MacBook Air has been an iconic laptop design since Steve Jobs slid it out of a manila envelope in 2008. This year’s model, which Apple just announced at WWDC and is also the first Apple laptop to come with an M2 chip, abandons the famous wedge shape but also improves almost everything else about the Air. The wedge is gone! The first thing you notice? Colors! The new design is 11mm thick and weighs 2.7 pounds, and while it is now a more traditional slab-shaped design, it comes in a very handsome dark blue called “midnight” and a light gold called “starlight” in addition to the familiar silver and space gray. They’re not quite as colorful as, say, the new iMacs, but the midnight color is a particularly cool dark... Continue reading…

From left to right: silver, space grey, starlight, and midnight. | Apple Apple’s WWDC isn’t an event that traditionally packs in several hardware announcements, but nevertheless, a new MacBook Air took the stage during the keynote. The new 2022 model has been designed around the more powerful M2 processor, and its design comes closer to that of the 14-inch MacBook Pro, with a more squared-off look than the traditional wedge shape. It features MagSafe charging, two Thunderbolt USB 4 ports, and a headphone jack. It’s 11mm thick and comes in at 2.7 pounds. It will be available in silver, space grey, and new “starlight” gold and “midnight” blue colors. One nice touch is that each model includes a braided MagSafe cable that matches the colorway.This MacBook Air will be available in July starting at $1,199. The... Continue reading…