The Verge

Amazon is gearing up to launch new hardware to go along with its AI-upgraded Alexa. During an interview with Bloomberg, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy said the company has a brand new lineup of devices that are coming in the fall that are beautiful." On Wednesday, Amazon revealed Alexa Plus, a more conversational version of the [...]

Cricut has announced new versions of its crafting machines designed to print, cut, and emboss various materials using a collection of swappable tools. The new Cricut Maker 4 and Cricut Explore 4 are the first updates to both machines in nearly four years and offer faster cutting speeds for some materials, improved accuracy, and cheaper [...]

Apple announced in a whitepaper that it plans to introduce a bunch of new child safety features, including letting parents share their kids' age ranges with apps, refreshing the App Store's age ratings system, and making it easier for parents to set up Child Accounts for their kids. The company says it will introduce the [...]

Microsoft is releasing a native Copilot app for macOS today. Much like the Windows app, the Copilot version for Mac will provide access to the web-based version of Microsoft's AI assistant, where you can upload images and generate images or text. The macOS version of Copilot also includes a dark mode and a shortcut command [...]

OpenAI is launching GPT-4.5 today, its newest and largest AI language model. GPT-4.5 will be available as a research preview for ChatGPT Pro users to start. OpenAI is calling the release its most knowledgeable model yet," but initially warned that GPT-4.5 is not a frontier model and might not perform as well as o1 or [...]

Oh, Alexa, how you've changed. The long-awaited new Alexa, Alexa Plus, is set to bring a more conversational, context-aware, and capable assistant to your smart home. With a new voice (eight of them, in fact) and a new attitude, this is the biggest change to the voice assistant since it debuted in 2014. And it [...]

I tell Amazon's Alexa to shut up on a near daily basis. I have almost zero interest in speaking to Gemini after our first awkward chat. The hitches, misunderstandings, and lag in any given AI conversation" mean I'm always wasting time speaking when I could be texting instead. But speaking to Maya," one of two [...]

Meta has fired aroughly 20a employees who leaked aconfidential information outside the company,a according to a spokesperson. We tell employees when they join the company, and we offer periodic reminders, that it is against our policies to leak internal information, no matter the intent,a Meta spokesperson Dave Arnold tells The Verge exclusively. aWe recently conducted [...]

Meta is making sweeping changes to its content moderation policies, including abandoning third-party fact-checks in favor of X's crowd-sourced Community Notes" approach and loosening restrictions on topics like immigration and gender identity. Under the updated Hateful Conduct policy, for example, calling gay and trans people mentally ill" is now allowed, while an explicit ban on [...]

PlayerUnknown Productions, the studio from PUBG creator Brendan Greene (aka PlayerUnknown), has shared a gameplay trailer for Prologue: Go Wayback!, a single-player survival game that's launching in early access on Steam this year. The studio previously shared that the game would be built with machine-learning-driven terrain generation technology," and in this new trailer, you can [...]

Katy Perry will fly to space during Blue Origin's next crewed mission, the Jeff Bezos-owned space company has announced. The pop star will join CBS host Gayle King and Bezos's fiance Lauren Sanchez aboard the New Shepard rocket this spring, marking its 11th human flight. Along with Perry and Sanchez, who is known for her [...]

Microsoft might say its top priority right now is security, but itas been clear for months that AI is just as important. The odd division out has been Xbox, which hasnat discussed its use of AI much in public. But that changed last week when Microsoft ripped the band-aid off and waded, somewhat clumsily, into [...]

After an epic wait, the Powerbeats Pro 2 are finally here. No, seriously. The original Powerbeats Pro released nearly six years ago, roughly an ice age as far as gadgets go. Turns out, it was worth it thanks to new active noise canceling, a transparency mode, and heart rate monitoring. None of these features are [...]

From Monster Hunt Wilds to Ninja Gaiden 4, there are a ton of great Xbox Series X / S games coming out this year. Luckily, if you need more storage to play them all, Western Digital's officially licensed WD_Black C50 Storage Expansion Card for Xbox is down to its best price since Black Friday, with [...]

Lazarus, Shinichir Watanabe's upcoming anime about a world plunged into chaos by a mysterious miracle drug, finally has a premiere date. Today, Adult Swim announced today that Lazarus will debut on April 5th with encores hitting Max on Thursdays beginning April 10th. Along with the announcement, Adult Swim also dropped a new Lazarus trailer teasing [...]

While Elon Musk hacks away at the federal bureaucracy in the name of efficiency," his company Starlink appears poised to steal a multibillion-dollar government contract from Verizon. The Federal Aviation Administration is on the cusp of canceling a $2.4 billion contract to overhaul the communication system for the nation's air traffic control system and handing [...]

President Donald Trump says his 25 percent tariffs on imports from Canada and Mexico, and additional 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports will go into effect as scheduled on March 4th, unless imports of drugs including fentanyl are stopped or seriously limited." Drugs are still pouring into our Country from Mexico and Canada at very [...]

Bad news for folks hoping the Powerbeats Pro 2 can replace their chest strap at the gym: while the workout buds are great at playing music and can connect to various gym equipment to track heart rate, they can't do both at the same time. The issue was pointed out in YouTuber DC Rainmaker's review [...]

Disney Plus will begin exclusively airing a bite-sized version of ESPN's SportsCenter, the company announced on Thursday. The show, called SC Plus, will feature a fast-paced" update with the day's most important moments in sports. It debuts on March 3rd. SC Plus will be based on SportsCenter's top 10 format, offering a quick rundown of [...]

DoorDash is paying restitution after keeping tips from as many as 63,000 of its New York delivery workers thanks to a settlement with the New York Attorney General's office, The New York Times reports. Attorney General Letitia James announced on Monday that DoorDash will pay $16.8 million, which will be spread across workers who were [...]

Each Pokemon Presents stream is special in its own way, but we're expecting big things from this year's showcase given the imminent arrival of the Switch 2. A new console means a new generation of games like Pokemon Legends: Z-A and the franchise's next mainline title. But there should also be some major updates for [...]

Many years ago, I built my first PC inside a repurposed Gateway chassis with just a regular old screwdriver and a grounding bracelet. I'll spare you the ugly details, but let's just say I wish I had tools specially made for the job. If you want to avoid pain in your own projects, you should [...]

Amazon is making its foray into quantum computing with the launch of a new chip designed to make quantum error correction more efficient. In an announcement on Thursday, Amazon Web Services (AWS) said the chip, called Ocelot, can reduce the costs of implementing quantum error correction by up to 90%, compared to current approaches." Quantum [...]

Crypto is, once again, exploding. Momentum born of a potentially friendlier regulatory atmosphere has met rising coin values, with Bitcoin more than doubling in value last year. Meanwhile, powered by advances to the underlying infrastructure, crypto is evolving beyond speculation and into real utility. Thatas driving new use cases for AI and enabling seamless experiences [...]

Hey, and welcome to Decoder. This is Alex Heath, deputy editor at The Verge. I'm guest hosting today's episode for Nilay. Today, we're diving into the bromance between Elon Musk and President Donald Trump, and more specifically, how it's impacting the changing right-wing political movement here in the United States. There's no better place to [...]

In 2022, I watched a video of mine and wanted to hide under a rock. My skin looked sallow, the dark circles under my eyes pronounced. Loved ones reassured me I was seeing things, but commenters confirmed my worst insecurities. While relating my woes to a friend, she interrupted my pity party to say I [...]

Like its predecessor, Pokemon Legends: Z-A is bringing back three classic starter pokemon to get you started on your next adventure. Though Pokemon Legends: Z-A will likely introduce a number of new creatures, Chikorita, Tepig, and Totodile will be the first three partner pokemon you can choose between as you journey into the depths of [...]

To celebrate the day almost 30 years ago when Pikachu pika'd his way into our hearts and minds, the Pokemon Company held a Pokemon Presents showcase highlighting what games and experiences to expect in the coming months. There were updates on Pokemon Legends: Z-A, a new season of Pokemon Concierge, and a totally new multiplayer [...]

Sony is cutting the price of its PlayStation VR 2 headset in March. The VR 2 will be discounted to just $399.99, down from the original $549 pricing when it launched in February 2023. The headset will also see a price cut in Europe (449.99), the UK (399.99), Japan (66,980), and other regions. Sony is [...]

Instagram is reportedly considering spinning its Reels feature into a standalone short-form video app to take advantage of TikTok's uncertain future in the US. Instagram head Adam Mosseri was overheard discussing the plans with staff this week according to an anonymous source cited by The Information. The Reels app is reportedly part of a Meta [...]

Xiaomi has announced its 15 Ultra flagship phone at a launch event in China, where it's going on sale starting at 6,499 yuan (around $893). The Android phone joins the company's Xiaomi 15 and 15 Pro, which went on sale there in October 2024. It is a mostly iterative upgrade on last year's model, but [...]

Europe has an electric bike problem. Direct-to-consumer e-bikes from inexpensive Chinese brands like Engwe and countless others can be easily purchased online despite openly flouting EU restrictions. They feature throttles and powerful motors that can be easily unlocked to far exceed the 25km/h (16mph) legal speed limit a no pedaling required. Here in Amsterdam, cheap [...]

The iPhone 16E is everything I love and hate about iOS. FaceTime at your fingertips. A reliable camera. Simplicity. Familiarity. Theyare the pillars of the iPhone experience, and Appleas newest phone has aem. My husband picked up the 16E, concerned that he would have to alearn something newa to use it. He swiped around for [...]

The moment Vjeran and I got to the demo room at Frameworkas San Francisco event, we knew right away a the mint and pink version of the Framework Laptop 12 was the one I wanted to touch, the one he wanted to photograph and film. One of the women standing next to the demo stations [...]

In late September, Automattic CEO and WordPress cofounder Matt Mullenweg started a public dispute with the hosting provider WP Engine, calling the company a cancer to WordPress." He accused WP Engine of not contributing enough to the WordPress ecosystem and profiting off of trademark confusion. As a result, WP Engine was blocked from accessing WordPress.org's [...]

Of the three major gaming consoles, the Xbox Series X / S may have the most diverse controller selection, but Microsoft's basic Xbox Wireless Controller is still the best Xbox controller for most people. That's mostly because it's the cheapest one you can buy with native support for Xbox's built-in wireless protocol (you can also [...]

Exposure to extreme heat could lead to faster aging, a new study published today in the journal Science Advances suggests. Older people living in hotter areas of the US showed faster aging at the molecular level than people living in cooler areas. The study looked at measures of a person's biological, or epigenetic, age, which [...]

It's technically already Pokemon Day in Japan, and while we're still a few hours away from this year's big Pokemon Presents showcase, there's a new animated short film out that right now feels like the perfect way to get pumped up for whatever surprises Nintendo has in store. Many of the Pokemon Company's animated projects [...]

Amazon is bringing the new AI-powered Alexa Plus to a wide range of its existing Echo devices -but the upgrade will skip many of the earliest models. The majority of the company's first-generation Echos won't get support, according to the Alexa Plus FAQ page, though Amazon says they will continue to work with the standard [...]

Amazon is refreshing the alexa.com website and the Alexa mobile app so that Alexa Plus subscribers will be able to use the revamped, AI-powered voice assistant. We don't have many details beyond that, but the website and the app could be handy new ways to interact with the revamped Alexa, which was announced at an [...]

Amazon announced a new version of its smart assistant today. Alexa Plus comes with expanded capabilities, the company appeared to demonstrate, like finding concert tickets on your behalf or ordering an Uber to pick up someone at the airport. The upgraded smart assistant will also make it easier to have more natural conversations with it, [...]

Though Max has always said that it planned to charge more for access to its CNN and Bleacher Report Sports add-ons, the price hikes are coming in a roundabout way, targeted at subscribers of the streamer's cheapest tier. Max announced today that it no longer intends to charge subscribers of its Standard ($16.99 / month [...]

In a move promoted as supporting freedom of speech, The Washington Post will no longer publish opinion columns that oppose the core views of Post owner and Amazon executive chair Jeff Bezos, Bezos has reportedly told staff. New York Times reporter Benjamin Mullin and Semafor reporter Max Tani published details about the move on Wednesday, [...]

It's shaping up to be a good week to be a Sonos fan. First, Sonos launched a sale for existing customers that includes steep discounts on soundbars, speakers, and headphones, and now the Sonos-ready Victrola Stream Onyxis more than 50 percent off. Now through February 28th, you can buy the two-speed, belt-driven turntable at Woot [...]

Google just announced it's received FDA clearance for the Pixel Watch 3's Loss of Pulse Detection feature. It will start rolling out to US devices sometime at the end of March. The Loss of Pulse Detection feature is exactly what it sounds like: if the Pixel Watch 3 senses that you've lost your pulse through [...]

While showing up at a protest can demonstrate your opinion to the world, you may not want your face a or the faces of other protesters a to be included, especially when there is the possibility that authorities will collect and use that information (as they did for tracking movements during COVID-19 social distancing). As [...]

Amazon is finally launching the long-awaited generative AI version of Alexa - Alexa Plus - that, if all goes well, will take away much of the friction that comes with talking to a speaker to control your smart home or getting info on the fly. Some of the new abilities coming to Alexa Plus include [...]

Lucid Motors founder and CEO Peter Rawlinson will step down, as the luxury EV company sets its sights on doubling production over the next year. Rawlinson won't be leaving the company. Instead, he'll be assuming the role of Strategic Technical Advisor to the Chairman of the Board," the company said. Chief operating officer Marc Winterhoff [...]

Amazon is set to announce new Alexa features beginning at 10AM ET this morning - and we hope a few devices accompany them. There isn't a way to watch the event remotely, but our team is here in person to bring you all of the updates as they happen. We're expecting Amazon to announce its [...]

Ncuti Gatwa's version of the Doctor will be back pretty soon. Disney Plus and the BBC announced that the next season of Doctor Who will start streaming on April 12th, with new episodes dropping weekly. The season will span eight episodes total. Perhaps more interesting than the date, though, is a pair of new characters [...]