The Verge

No, it wasn’t ‘Mephisto’ Continue reading…

iMessage’s undo send only works in the public beta so far. | Screenshot by Nathan Edwards / The Verge The upcoming version of iMessage will let you unsend and edit messages for up to 15 minutes. Sounds great, very convenient — Signal and WhatsApp and Viber have had similar features for years. You can try it out right now in the public betas for iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura. Just one small caveat.If the recipient of your attempted rug-sweeping isn’t running the public betas on every device they use for iMessage, you’re the only one who will see history as you wish you’d written it. Screenshots by Mitchell Clark / The Verge In which I feign interest in my colleague’s NFT. On the left is what they saw on an iPhone running the iOS 16 public beta; on the right is how it looked on an iPod Touch running 15.5. ... Continue reading…

Photo by Tasos Katopodis / Getty Images It’s been over a year since the Senate passed its bill to boost domestic semiconductor manufacturing — but with time running out before Congress’ August recess, the White House is pushing hard to make sure that funding gets through.On Wednesday, Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo led a classified briefing with senators stressing the importance of chip funding as a national security concern. If Congress couldn’t agree on the broader bill before its upcoming recess, Raimondo urged it to pass the $52 billion in chip manufacturing incentives by itself.“The message is, ‘Time’s up,’” Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo told CNN after the briefing. “It’s time to make it happen.“It’s time to make it happen”Passed as the US Innovation and... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge After getting off to a small start with paid subscriptions for creators earlier this year, today, Instagram is announcing more features to further build out the experience — and better compete with Twitter in this area. In a video, Instagram CEO Adam Mosseri said the platform aims to be “the best place online for creators to make a living” and that the new additions are the direct result of feedback from creators who’ve participated in the early phase of subscriptions.The most significant new feature is the ability to publish feed posts that are only visible to subscribers. Creators could previously do this with stories, but now they can give their paying supporters access to exclusive, traditional Instagram feed posts. Mosseri said... Continue reading…

Stranger Things 4 | Image: Netflix Netflix’s “global fan event” is returning for a second-straight year. The streaming service announced that Tudum — not to be confused with Netflix’s troubled fan site of the same name — will be streaming on YouTube on September 24th. There aren’t many details yet, but Netflix says the event will cover more than 100 movies and series. And the day will be divided by region: things will kick off with news from Korea, followed by India, the US, Europe, and Latin America, before closing out with Japan.At last year’s Tudum, Netflix showed off some of its biggest series, including Bridgerton, Stranger Things, and The Witcher, while also revealing first looks at the likes of The Sandman and Cowboy Bebop. Outside of Tudum, Netflix also has its... Continue reading…

Image: Sony Sony is launching a new PlayStation Stars loyalty program later this year, and it includes “digital collectibles” rewards. PlayStation Stars will be a free service that allows PlayStation players to earn loyalty points and rewards by completing activities. Points can be redeemed for benefits, including a PSN wallet fund to put toward a game purchase.“Points can be redeemed in a catalog that may include PSN wallet funds and select PlayStation Store products,” explains Grace Chen, Sony’s vice president of PlayStation network advertising, loyalty, and licensed merchandise. “As an additional benefit, PlayStation Plus members enrolled in PlayStation Stars automatically earn points for purchases on PlayStation Store.”Nothing to do with the... Continue reading…

Included tools can be used to remove both the keyboard’s keycaps and switches. | Image: Corsair Corsair’s K70 Pro Mini Wireless is the company’s first mechanical keyboard to feature hot-swappable switches, which means you can easily remove and replace them with an included tool — no soldering required. The $179.99 (£169.99 / €189.99) keyboard is also wireless, lasting up to 200 hours on battery with its RGB lighting turned off.Hot-swappable switches have become increasingly popular on enthusiast mechanical keyboards, giving owners an easy way to get a completely different typing feel without the need to buy an entirely new keyboard. The feature also provides the option of trying out less common hobbyist switches, which can be hard to find preinstalled on off-the-shelf keyboards. Support for hot-swappable switches is still... Continue reading…

The Oura Ring is expanding third-party integrations to include Strava. | Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge Consolidating all your fitness data into one place can be a royal pain, and for many athletes, Strava is the obvious choice as it integrates with nearly every fitness platform. Today, Oura announced it’s joining the club by introducing Strava integration for the Oura Ring.The integration goes both ways. Oura Ring users will be able to import Strava activities into the Oura app, ensuring that data will be incorporated into their Readiness and Activity Scores. Those scores are meant to tell Oura users how well they’ve recovered from strenuous activity and gauge whether they’re meeting their exercise goals. Meanwhile, users can also decide to share certain Oura activities directly to their public or private Strava feeds, as well as their... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Amazon has offered a number of concessions to third-party sellers on its platform in Europe in an attempt to settle an antitrust investigation opened by the EU in 2019.The European Commission accused Amazon of abusing its dual-position as both marketplace operator and retailer; using the sales data it collects from smaller vendors to outmaneuver them. To remedy this, the EU says Amazon has offered to “refrain from using non-public data relating to, or derived from, the activities of independent sellers on its marketplace, for its retail business that competes with those sellers.”It’s long been suspected that Amazon uses its insight into sales on its platform to produce copies of popular products like Allbirds shoes and Peak Design... Continue reading…

A new trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power has been released ahead of the Amazon Prime series’ debut on September 2nd. The clip gives a deeper look following the initial trailer broadcast during the Super Bowl and a second short teaser that was exclusive to Prime subscribers when released last week. Amazon describes it as the “main teaser,” so expect at least a few more trailers between now and when the series premieres.The Rings of Power is one of Amazon’s highest-profile shows in years. The e-commerce giant is reported to have paid $250 million for the franchise rights alone and estimates have pegged the budget for its rumored five seasons plus a potential spinoff to be north of $1 billion. That could make it one of... Continue reading…

General Motors announced a “coast-to-coast” network of fast electric vehicle chargers installed at Pilot and Flying J truck stops and managed by EV charging company EVgo. The announcement is the latest sign that legacy automakers will need to spend their own money to shore up the US’ fractured EV charging infrastructure in order to build customer demand for new plug-in vehicles.GM and Pilot Company say the new network will include 2,000 DC fast chargers installed at up to 500 truck stops and travel centers, capable of offering speeds of up to 350kW. The charging stalls will be built along US highways with the expressed purpose of meeting the needs of long-haul trucking and road-trippers.The chargers will be in addition to the 3,250... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge For decades, blind programmers have been creating the tools their community needs Continue reading…

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge For years, the UK government has been cooking up legislation to more tightly regulate online spaces. Provisions in the Online Safety Bill include mandatory age-checks on porn sites and jail time for tech execs who withhold data from investigators. Now, these ambitious and controversial plans have been delayed, as the Conservative government faces a leadership election after the resignation of Boris Johnson as party leader.The Online Safety Bill was due to be voted on by the House of Commons next week, but this vote has now been delayed until after parliament’s summer recess, according to reports from BBC News and other outlets. The delay is — in theory — temporary, but could prove fatal for the bill if the next UK prime minister... Continue reading…

Illustrations by Alex Castro / The Verge Nintendo has acquired CG production company Dynamo Pictures, and will rename it to “Nintendo Pictures,” the company has announced. The new subsidiary will “focus on development of visual content utilizing Nintendo IP” and the “planning and production of visual content including CG animation.” The company’s IMDB page lists credits on dozens of titles, including motion capture work on Death Stranding and Persona 5, and post-production work on Metroid: Other M.The acquisition comes as Nintendo is gearing up for the most significant cinematic release in years; an animated movie based on the Super Mario Bros. franchise starring Chris Pratt. The film is currently scheduled to release in spring next year, almost thirty years after the last... Continue reading…

Illustration by Grayson Blackmon / The Verge Welcome once again, friends, to the best tech deals Amazon Prime Day 2022 has to offer. It’s now the end of day two, and our Verge Deals team is just about done highlighting the deals and discounts that are actually worth a damn. Instead of trudging through Amazon’s annual garage sale of overstock items yourself, however, let us help you.There are definitely still some worthwhile discounts for those in the market for wireless earbuds, smart home tech, phones, TVs, games, and some other odds and ends. For example, the Beats Fit Pro are some of the best earbuds around and they’re $40 off, as is the unique Samsung M8 monitor / smart TV hybrid, which is on sale in green for $180 off.Our goal is to focus on tech products that we know are... Continue reading…

There are Samsung deals aplenty. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge The best phone prices undeniably come from wireless carriers — but they also come with a lot of strings attached, like lengthy contracts and requirements to stay on expensive unlimited plans. Buying unlocked means that you aren’t tied to a particular carrier or plan, and that’s why we recommend purchasing a phone that way if you can. Unfortunately, it also means missing out on the “free” phone offer.While Amazon isn’t giving out any free phones on Prime Day, you’ll find the next best thing: significant discounts on current models, with no contract or trade-in required. Here you’ll find the very best wireless deals on Prime Day, from accessories to flagships to 4G-only phones, with no strings in sight.Best Amazon Prime Day accessory... Continue reading…

Illustration by Kristen Radtke Not an Amazon Prime member or a fan of Amazon in general? Fret not because plenty of retailers are offering competing Prime Day sales this week, including Target. Even better: you don’t need to buy any sort of membership in order to participate. Starting today, July 11th, and running until July 13th, Target is hosting its “Target Deal Days” event, offering discounts on Apple products, headphones, and all sorts of tech. As an added plus, the retailer is also offering free, contactless pick-up — no membership is required.There’s a lot to choose from, but we’ve curated a list of the very best deals available right now at Target. If you do want to check out what other kinds of great deals are going on at Amazon, however, be sure to browse... Continue reading…

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Amazon Prime Day is one of the few times each year when almost every kind of tech product, including laptops, gets big discounts. We’re bundling some of the best deals to be found on laptops, satisfying people who are looking for something powerful, like a gaming laptop, or something with long-lasting battery life. If you’re looking for deals on products in multiple tech categories, check out our main roundup that we’re frequently updating here. Otherwise, we’re about to hook you up with some stellar laptop deals.Lenovo’s IdeaPad Duet 5 Chromebook-meets-tablet with an OLED screen and detachable keyboard is $299.99. This model features a 13.3-inch 1080p screen, the Qualcomm Snapdragon SC7180 chipset, 4GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. It... Continue reading…

Apple’s superb Beats Fit Pro are on sale at Amazon for $159.95, their lowest price to date. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Amazon Prime Day is an excellent opportunity to save big on those new headphones or earbuds you’ve been eyeing. Amazon is offering substantial savings and discounts on many well-reviewed sets from brands like Sony, Bose, Samsung, Beats, and more. Many of our favorite recommendations are on sale.You can take advantage of these Prime Day deals until the end of today, July 13th. Whether you’re looking for over-ear noise-canceling headphones or a pair of true wireless earbuds for the gym, there’s something for pretty much everyone on this list.The best Prime Day deals on earbuds and headphones overall

Image: TCL If you’re a savvy tech shopper, you can set your watch to the annual cadence of TV deals. There are the big ones, like Black Friday and the Super Bowl, and then smatterings around and in-between with Memorial Day, Labor Day, and some others. Amazon Prime Day has become another notable TV shopping holiday, with its somewhat annual cadence and occasional date changes starting back in 2015. With Prime Day 2022 kicking off, it’s another great chance to get a new 4K TV or upgrade your existing one for something better, faster, and maybe even bigger.Among all the Prime Day deals we’re covering here at The Verge (smart home tech, earbuds, phones, laptops, and much more), this is one of the biggest. There are TVs with OLED and Mini LED panels... Continue reading…

Illustration by Kristen Radtke We’re in the midst of Amazon Prime Day, and yet some of the best Prime Day deals to be had aren’t on Amazon’s site at all. While Best Buy is calling its sales “Black Friday in July” — which makes even less sense than calling a two-day event Prime Day, singular — Walmart is running deals of its own. It’s commonplace to see Walmart and the others matching many of the deals Amazon throws out there, as well as promoting some unique ones of its own.Some of these deals can be a little unexpected and especially good, while some are just what we’d call a fine discount on any other day of the year. However, if you happen to be a Walmart Plus subscriber, there may be added incentive to find these deals at your retailer of choice, like taking... Continue reading…

The fourth-gen Echo Dot is on sale for just $19.99, which is a 50 percent discount. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge Even with Amazon Prime Day going on, deals on inexpensive tech can be hard to come by. Nevertheless, they do exist, and some products are currently on sale on Amazon for less than $25. These deals encompass a range of products, from pint-sized smart speakers and Bluetooth trackers to 4K streaming sticks and video games like Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy, some of which are on sale for the lowest prices to date.Below, we’ve curated a list of just some of the best tech deals under $25 so even those on the tightest of budgets can save big this Prime Day. And don’t forget: for even more sales, be sure to also check out our guide to the best Amazon Prime Day deals available. We’ve also put together guides to the best anti-Prime Day deals... Continue reading…

You can find discounts for the Apple Watch Series 7 on Prime Day. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge It’s Amazon Prime Day 2022 — which means it’s a good time to find a discount on a smartwatch or fitness tracker to help your health goals — especially if you’re hunting for a full-featured wearable that’s usually out of your price range. You can also take a look at our buying guides for Apple Watches, Fitbits, and fitness trackers for some inspiration.Here are the best Prime Day deals for smartwatches and fitness trackers. Keep in mind that you’ll need an Amazon Prime subscription to get access. And once you’re done sussing out which wearable to buy, you can always head back to our best Prime Day deals guide to see if anything else catches your fancy.The best Apple Watch Prime Day dealsLet’s face it. If you’re on iOS, the Apple Watch... Continue reading…

Work-from-home tech doesn’t have to be boring or expensive. | Image: HP Working from home is just how things are done now for many people, whether you’re a full-time remote employee for the long haul or you have a hybrid role. It’s important to have a comfortable space to get your stuff done easily and efficiently, and with Amazon Prime Day ongoing right now, there are some great chances to save you some coin on the tech and tools you’ll use to make your moolah.It’s not just webcams and monitors you may want to consider — though those can be important. There are some ongoing deals for laptops, headphones, and even smart home tech that can make your work life at home a little easier. Here are some highlights of the best Prime Day tech deals for working from home going on at Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and... Continue reading…

The best deals on games and accessories you can find on Prime Day | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Amazon Prime Day is finally upon us, and with it comes a variety of excellent deals on gaming hardware and accessories, not to mention games. This year, you can even grab some cool odds and ends to round out your gaming setup at home, whether you’re looking to personalize your peripherals or elevate the production of your Twitch stream.While it’s still a bit ambitious to expect discounts on next-gen consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, we’re definitely keeping our ears to the ground for restocks of the console at Amazon and other retailers.Best Amazon Prime Day virtual reality dealsWe can wholeheartedly recommend picking the Meta Quest 2 for its ease of use and accessibility, but Amazon has also discounted the HTC Vive... Continue reading…

The 2021 Kindle Paperwhite is available at a new all-time low. | Photo by Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge If you’ve been waiting to score a phenomenal deal on an Amazon device, today’s your lucky day. This year’s Amazon Prime Day is delivering a ton of great deals, but some of the best — naturally — are on Amazon’s own products. So if you’ve been eyeing the newest Kindle or one of the many Alexa-powered smart displays, now is a good time to make the leap.Below, we’ve listed the best Prime Day discounts available on Amazon devices, from e-readers and smart speakers to TVs, home security systems, and even Wi-Fi routers. Also, if you’re looking for deals on non-Amazon goods, be sure to check out our massive list of the best Prime Day deals happening right now. Just remember: you’ll need to sign up for Amazon Prime to take advantage of Amazon’s... Continue reading…

You can also, like, work outside the car too. Hyundai’s V2L adapter lets you power appliances using the car as a battery bank. | Image: Hyundai After serving up a potential camping companion in the Ioniq 5 electric crossover, Hyundai EVP and head of design SangYup Lee pitched the recently-revealed Ioniq 6 as a “personal mobile studio” where you can not only work but also relax and revitalize. During a press briefing this week, the car was described as “a cocoon-like personal space.”If you’re burning out working in a home office, how about switching to a movable one? It has 64 different interior colors and six pre-selected themes to match your mood. They can also brighten as you accelerate — a top-of-the-line model with two motors and AWD can do 0-100km/h (62.14 mph) in 5.1 seconds — to keep you aware of your driving speed.The automaker emphasizes remote work features such... Continue reading…

Illustration by Kristen Radtke Best Buy, along with a host of other retailers, is getting in on the action to take a bite out of Amazon Prime Day. The retailer’s ongoing “Black Friday in July” promotion is bringing sweeping discounts on a wide array of awesome tech, including laptops, gaming keyboards, and noise-canceling headphones. The event runs from now through Wednesday, July 13th — the same Prime Day ends — so it’s worth checking back here if Amazon doesn’t have what you’re looking for. It’s also worth noting that Best Buy has a generous price-matching policy, so if you prefer to buy from a brick-and-mortar retailer but see a better price elsewhere, it’s worth looking into.We’ll continue to update this page with new deals as they become available, in addition... Continue reading…

Prime Day’s bringing in some great deals on the AirPods Pro. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Amazon Prime Day is a great time to score stellar deals on Amazon devices, but it also provides a rare opportunity to purchase pricey Apple products for a lot less. Right now, for example, you can save big on Apple’s AirPods Pro and the third-gen AirPods models, as Amazon is offering both to Prime members for nearly their lowest price to date. If you’re not in the market for a pair of true wireless earbuds, however, fret not, as you can also take advantage of deals on the latest Apple Watch, MacBook Air, and a range of other Apple products.Below, we’ve listed some of the best Apple deals you can get this Prime Day. Amazon’s also been offering some great discounts that aren’t technically Prime Day deals, yet have still gone down... Continue reading…

Ember’s 14-ounce mug is on sale on Amazon for $119.95, about 20 percent of the list price. | Image: Ember The staff members of The Verge are certainly opinionated — and that goes for our opinions of our favorite stuff. As a result, we run an article listing some of our favorite gear every few weeks in a series we have appropriately dubbed, you guessed it, Favorites. They can be items we use to cook, relax, make our pets happy, and more.Since it’s currently day two of Amazon’s Prime Day sales, we thought we’d take a look and see if any of our favorite gadgets are on offer for Prime members — just in case there may be something you’d like as well.Favorite pet gearWhistle Go Explore dog location trackerAs a puppy, my Wirehaired Pointing Griffon, Gus, was the consummate escape artist. He could leap our five-foot-high fence in a single bound... Continue reading…

The entire Tab S8 lineup and other tablets are being discounted during Prime Day. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge Amazon and other retailers are offering some excellent discounts on Android and Apple tablets during Prime Day 2022, and we’re going to tell you about them. We’ll continue to keep this page updated as deals become available or as specific devices sell out. If you’re looking to save on more than just tablets, you should definitely check out our Prime Day hub summarizing all of the best tech deals you can find right now or keep tabs on our live blog for up-to-the-minute information on new and interesting sales. Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge The best Amazon tablet deals

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The crypto crash has claimed another corporate victim: Celsius Network has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. The crypto lending company’s future has been in question ever since it abruptly halted all withdrawals and transfers exactly one month ago. It now hopes to continue operating with its remaining $167 million in cash while bankruptcy courts restructure the company.According to Celsius Network’s filing, the company has between $1 billion and $10 billion in assets but owes a similar amount. The five largest claims range between $20 million and $80 million each. The company was valued at $3.25 billion last year, according to Fortune, and managed as much as $24 billion worth of assets before this year’s sell-off. That had... Continue reading…

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Law students getting ready to take the Bar exam digitally may run into a serious issue: one of the nation’s most frequently-used test-taking software packages, Examplify, is incompatible with Intel’s latest generation of processors.In a notice to users, ExamSoft, the company that owns Examplify, writes that 12th Gen Intel processors aren’t compatible with its software. “New Windows devices containing the Intel 12th generation chipset are triggering Examplify’s automatic virtual machine check,” Examplify’s notice reads. “These are NOT currently supported. Therefore, they cannot be used for the upcoming July 2022 bar exam.” One user drew attention to the issue in a post on Twitter, and included a screencap of what appears to be a notice... Continue reading…

Photo By Michael Macor/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images Andrej Karpathy, Tesla’s head of AI and a key leader in the development of Autopilot, its driver assist feature which requires supervision by a human, announced on Twitter Wednesday that he’s leaving the company.“It’s been a great pleasure to help Tesla towards its goals over the last 5 years and a difficult decision to part ways,” Karpathy wrote. “In that time, Autopilot graduated from lane keeping to city streets and I look forward to seeing the exceptionally strong Autopilot team continue that momentum.” In a follow-up tweet, Karpathy said he has “no concrete plans for what’s next” but wants to revisit “my long-term passions around technical work in AI, open source and education.”

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge On Wednesday, a jury in New York convicted ex-Central Intelligence Agency engineer Joshua Schulte on all nine charges he faced (as first reported by @InnerCityPress) as a result of the single largest leak in agency history. Dubbed Vault 7, the files and information shared by WikiLeaks in 2017 exposed a trove of tactics and exploits the CIA used to hack its targets’ computers, iPhones or Android phones, and even Samsung smart TVs.CIA spokesperson Tammy Thorp said in a statement given to The Verge, “Today’s verdict affirms that maintaining the security of our nation’s cyber capabilities is of the utmost importance. It’s critical to the security of the American people, and it’s critical to our advantage against adversaries abroad. As set... Continue reading…

Yes, that’s a power meter in this USB-C cable that costs only a bit more than $15 right now. | Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge All kinds of stuff are on sale when Amazon Prime Day lasts two whole days. Here are some things we love, some of our favorites, and even some utter crap. But one intriguing piece of tech that’s currently on a Lightning Deal is the Chipofy 6.6-foot USB-C 100W charging cable, complete with a freakin’ built-in display for power metering. This nifty little tool is on sale for just $15.32, a savings of $10.67 (41 percent) off its regular $25.99 asking price. It outputs enough wattage to power and charge even some full-size laptops, but the best part is you’ll know exactly how many watts are actually reaching your device. Read our hands-on impressions here.What else is better to get us tech nerds excited like a speedy USB-C cable that can... Continue reading…

Get it for free while you can — if you’re a Prime member. | Image: BioWare Amazon is giving away a whole bunch of free PC games for Prime members for Prime Day, so if you haven’t claimed them yet, you might want to check out what’s available before the shopping event concludes at the end of the day.Perhaps the biggest game you can get is Mass Effect Legendary Edition, a remastered version of the epic Mass Effect trilogy from BioWare that includes all three single-player titles and more than 40 DLC packs. If the Star Wars side of space is more your thing, Amazon is also offering Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, and Star Wars Republic Commando. And if racing games are more your speed, you might want to grab Grid Legends and Need for Speed Heat.There’s also a big list... Continue reading…

Photo by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge It was wishful thinking that the Opal C1 would be discounted for Amazon Prime Day. It’s not, but Opal is giving Verge readers the next best thing: an invite to buy one. You can bypass Opal’s invite-only system right now by using the code opalverge. Click “Reserve” at the top of Opal’s purchase page, then click “Buy with Invite” to enter the invite code. From there, you’ll be able to enter the code, then quickly and easily purchase a black or white Opal C1 without having to wait for an invite to arrive in your inbox.The Opal C1 is a great webcam that I enjoy recommending to people who care about looking good during video calls. While pricier than most webcams at $300, it offers macOS users a lot of value out of the box in terms of... Continue reading…

Photo by Dieter Bohn / The Verge Wear OS watches could finally get the upgraded chip that they so desperately need (via 9to5Google). Qualcomm teased the possibility in a video posted to Twitter, indicating its next Snapdragon smartwatch chip is “coming soon.”After Samsung and Google announced their collaboration on Wear OS 3 last summer, Qualcomm said it would roll out a new chip in the next year. It looks like Qualcomm’s following through on that promise, although we have no idea when it will launch. (Maybe Google will use it in its upcoming Pixel Watch).

The excellent Roborock S7 mop / vacuum hybrid robot vacuum is $220 off for Prime Day. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge Amazon Prime Day is the second-best time of year to bag some smart home gadgets at excellent prices. While Black Friday and its various offshoots traditionally have deeper discounts and wider product options, Prime Day feels strategically situated on the calendar as an ideal buying season for those invested in the smart home. This is particularly true if you are looking for some bargains on Amazon Alexa devices or compatible gadgets.This year, there are some good deals to be found for Prime members this July 12th and 13th on everything from smart thermostats and smart locks to security cameras and smart lighting. Plus, it’s a great time to stock up on a couple more Echo speakers if there’s a room in your house that still doesn’t have... Continue reading…

Illustrator by Alex Castro / The Verge Earlier on Wednesday, at least 13,000 customers in New Jersey were affected by a major Optimum outage, according to the company’s outage map. As of 4:33PM ET, though, the map shows that the number affected has fallen drastically to over 1,800, indicating that service is getting restored.Optimum, which is owned by Altice USA and offers internet, TV, and phone services, hasn’t specified which of its services are down, though the outages appear to be affecting all three for customers in the Parsippany-Troy Hills and Boonton areas.“Earlier today, a car accident on Route 53 knocked down a pole, causing a fire, which led to a loss of services for some Optimum customers in the Parsippany, NJ area,” Altice USA spokesperson Ashwin Bhandari... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The Food and Drug Administration authorized the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine for people 18 and older, the fourth shot cleared in the United States. It’s been a long road for this vaccine, and the company faced multiple setbacks over the past few years.It’s a different type of vaccine than the ones already on the market in the US — it’s a protein-based vaccine that delivers pieces of the virus spike protein directly to the body. Clinical trials found that the shot was 90 percent effective at preventing COVID-19. The trials, though, were conducted in early 2021 — before the delta and then omicron variants of the virus took over, so those numbers would likely be lower now.Early on in the pandemic, experts thought that the Novavax vaccine... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Suraj Patel — a Democratic congressional candidate in New York — is accusing Hulu of requiring his campaign to remove language related to abortion, climate change, and gun laws from a campaign ad before it would be allowed to air on the platform, as first reported by Jezebel on Wednesday.According to Patel, a Hulu representative called his campaign notifying them that the 30-second ad violated an “unwritten Hulu policy” related to “sensitive” content in political ads shortly after it was submitted to the platform on June 30th.“Hulu demanded we remove footage of Jan. 6 and the word ‘climate change’ from our ad as they were deemed ‘sensitive,’” Patel said on Twitter Wednesday. “How are the two of the biggest issues facing our country –... Continue reading…

Mark Zuckerberg wants a fresh start. He’s betting his company’s future on the metaverse, imagining a world powered by AR glasses that’s lifted from the pages of science fiction. Meanwhile, the rest of us are still here in the present, grappling with Facebook and Meta’s powerful influence over the real world.We explore the original source of that influence in the inaugural episode of the new season of Land of the Giants, Vox Media Podcast Network’s award-winning narrative podcast series about the most influential tech companies of our time. This season, Recode and The Verge team up over the course of seven episodes to tell the story of Facebook’s journey to becoming Meta, featuring interviews with current and former executives.To... Continue reading…

Tesla is asking its customers in Texas to avoid charging their electric vehicles during peak times in order to prevent overtaxing the state’s power grid. The alerts come as Texas’ grid operator, the Electric Reliability Council of Texas or ERCOT, is calling on residents to conserve electricity during the recent heatwave, as the system is being pushed to near-emergency conditions.Tesla sent an alert to customers’ in-car screens advising them to avoid charging their vehicles from 3PM–8PM. “A heat wave is expected to impact the grid in Texas over the next few days,” the alert reads, according to Electrek. “The grid operator recommends to avoid charging during peak hours between 3pm and 8pm, if possible, to help statewide efforts to manage... Continue reading…

Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge Microsoft is experimenting with new UI changes to the Windows 11 taskbar. The software giant is testing out bringing back the familiar search bar from Windows 10, alongside notification badges for the Widgets section in Windows 11.Windows 11 currently ships with a search button on the taskbar, which can be disabled and only shows the search logo. Microsoft is now testing three different search taskbar visual changes. One experiment is the usual search icon, while two others include a small or large search bar in the taskbar. Microsoft is looking for feedback on the changes before they’re rolled out more broadly, and the tests are part of Microsoft’s new experimental Windows 11 features, which does mean they might not ship. ... Continue reading…

Image: Sega Sega has announced that it’s releasing a second edition of its Genesis Mini console in the US on October 27th. The company says this version is more powerful than the hardware released in 2019. It’ll ship with a batch of over 50 games, and this time, some of those will be Sega CD titles. (Yes, Sonic CD and Shining Force CD are among them.) The Genesis Mini 2 will be available exclusively through Amazon, where you can already place a preorder for $103.80. Amazon is also charging $21.99 for shipping; the high costs are because US buyers will be importing this from Sega of Japan.The hardware design is now based on the Sega Genesis Model 2, and you’re getting the six-button gamepad instead of the three-button gamepad that came with the... Continue reading…

Ever wanted to have an action figure of yourself? It’s been possible for the lucky few: movie stars; the occasional contest winner; and those who might be satisfied with a knockoff novelty gift rather than the real deal. But today, Hasbro is announcing that practically anyone will be able to stick their face onto a fully posable, licensed, and highly detailed Power Ranger, Ghostbuster, G.I. Joe, Star Wars, or Marvel figure this fall — thanks to a partnership with Formlabs to scan and 3D print your head before applying it to an iconic action figure body. GIF by Sean Hollister / The Verge The faces look fantastic. (Well, anyone in the United States, that is — it’s limited to the US, with no current plans to... Continue reading…

Photo by Roberto Baldwin for The Verge As cars get more expensive to make and profit margins dwindle, automakers are coming up with new and loathsome ways to squeeze more money out of their customers. Subscription-based access to vehicle features, like heated seats or remote-start key fobs, are the latest attempt to charge people for things their car already came with. The question is whether customers are going to lay down and take it.Earlier this week, some media outlets noticed that BMW was selling $18-a-month subscriptions to heated seats in a number of countries, including South Korea. The German automaker had previously tried and failed to get customers to pay $80 a month for access to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto — features that are otherwise free in other... Continue reading…