The Verge

Fitbit is apparently preparing an update to its line of Charge fitness trackers, and newly-leaked images offer our best look yet at what will likely be the refreshed design.The renders, from leaker Evan Blass, purportedly show the upcoming Charge 5 model. It looks like it shares design notes with Fitbit’s recent Luxe tracker, released in April. There’s an organic feel to the tracker, with a curved screen that blends into a more rounded body.Two slim panels on either side of the device look like they will offer capacitive controls, letting users tap and slide to navigate the tracker’s settings. Fitbit has put capacitive buttons on past devices like the Charge 4 and Fitbit Sense, but they’re far from universally adored. In our own... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Google is developing a new accessibility feature for Android that lets you control a phone using facial expressions like a smile or raised eyebrows, XDA Developers reports. The “Camera Switch” feature has arrived with version 12 of Android’s Accessibility Suite app, released alongside Android 12’s fourth beta. The new version of the app isn’t available via Google Play just yet, XDA reports, but there’s an APK to sideload if you want to give it a try.According to XDA Developers, facial expressions (which also include looking left, right, or up) can be used to access a number of controls, ranging from scrolling, going home, or viewing quick settings or notifications. Screenshots show you can adjust how sensitive the software is when... Continue reading…

Cooler, quieter, cheaper Continue reading…

Michael Keaton stars as a doctor who prescribes OxyContin to his patients in Dopesick | Hulu In addition to keeping up with The Good Fight and Ted Lasso (seems like people either really loved or really hated the latest Christmas-themed episode; I liked it but admit I found it a bit jarring that the show hit pause on several promising plot lines so Ted could wear a Santa hat), I also got caught up in The White Lotus, a series that everyone on Twitter is apparently watching. Lotus has its first-season finale tonight, and while I’m an episode behind right now, I’m sort of pushing myself to see it through.There are standout performances by Steve Zahn and Jennifer Coolidge, but the show’s just not clicking for me so far. Bad things happen to mostly awful people and one dies, but we don’t know who yet. The show takes place in Hawaii... Continue reading…

T Mobile may have suffered a customer data breach | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge T-Mobile confirmed Sunday that it’s looking into an online forum post that claims to be selling a large trove of its customers’ sensitive data. Motherboard reported that it was in contact with the seller of the data, who said they had taken data from T-Mobile’s servers that included Social Security numbers, names, addresses, and driver license information related to more than 100 million people. After reviewing samples of the data, Motherboard reported it appeared authentic.“We are aware of claims made in an underground forum and have been actively investigating their validity,” a T-Mobile spokesperson said in an email to The Verge. “We do not have any additional information to share at this time.”It’s not clear when the data may have... Continue reading…

An Asian giant hornet attacking a paper wasps’ nest is all kinds of nope. | Washington State Dept. of Agriculture The Washington State Department of Agriculture has confirmed the first sighting of a live Asian giant hornet (nickname: murder hornet) in the state this year, the agency said in a news release.Yes I am back on my murder hornet BS. And coincidentally, I am writing this about an hour after a regular-sized (enormous) wasp was prowling around in my kitchen and I had to shoo it outside with a broom handle and a lot of swearing.You may recall last year, when many of us were introduced to the Asian giant hornet after it was spotted in the US for the first time. The WSDA trapped its first specimen last August, and eradicated its first Asian giant hornet nest in October. I encourage you to read the news release of that eradication event... Continue reading…

Twitter has reinstated several Indian politicians’ accounts, after suspending them for a tweet about a child murder. | Illustration by Alex Castro Twitter has reinstated the accounts of several politicians in India’s opposition party, which were suspended after party leader Rahul Gandhi tweeted a photo of himself with the parents of a girl who was allegedly raped and murdered in New Delhi, Reuters reported. Gandhi had tweeted his support of the girl’s family, saying that they deserved justice and others had shared his tweet.However, Indian law prohibits the disclosure of the identities of children and sexual assault victims. According to a notice posted on the Lumen database, India’s National Commission for Protection of Child Rights requested Twitter take action. A Twitter spokesperson said in an email to The Verge that Gandhi submitted a copy of an authorization letter from the... Continue reading…

An improved ThinkPad X1 Yoga with an updated screen Continue reading…

Apple ordered to pay $300 million in a patent dispute | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Apple must pay $300 million in royalties following a retrial in a patent dispute, a Texas jury determined Friday. As reported by Reuters, the jury found that Apple should pay patent company Optis Wireless Technology and its related companies because the technology Apple used in its iPhones, iPads, and Watches allegedly infringed Optis’ patents.Last year, a jury awarded Optis $506 million in the dispute, but a judge vacated that award in April, and ordered a new trial focused on damages only. US District Judge Rodney Gilstrap said the first jury had not been allowed to consider whether the amount was awarded on the “fair, reasonable, and non-discriminatory,” or FRAND, terms required in standard-essential patent cases.The five patents... Continue reading…

Ford seeks to have GM’s lawsuit over the name “BlueCruise” dismissed | Photo by JEFF KOWALSKY/AFP via Getty Images Ford has filed a motion asking the US District Court in San Francisco to dismiss a lawsuit from rival GM over Ford’s BlueCruise self-driving feature. Last month, GM filed a trademark infringement lawsuit claiming that the name BlueCruise was too close to Super Cruise, the name of GM’s hands-free driving tech, which it introduced in 2017, as well as its autonomous vehicle subsidiary Cruise.Ford said in its motion that the term “cruise” has been been in “ubiquitous use” over the past 50 years to refer to driver-assist features. “Consumers understand “cruise” to refer to a feature in their vehicle that performs part of the driving task or assists them in driving, and they do not associate that term with any one company or brand,” Ford... Continue reading…

Some workers use remote jobs to juggle multiple employers | Photo by Fabian Strauch/picture alliance via Getty Images For journalists and others in creative and technical fields, having a side hustle or doing freelance work is extremely common. In addition to a day job an editor, for example, one may write paid-per-piece articles for other publications who aren’t competitors of her primary employer, and typically (ideally) with her employer’s explicit or tacit approval. Some people do so for the needed additional income, some like the work.And according to a story in The Wall Street Journal, a new website provides tips for tech workers who want to earn two full-time paychecks while working remotely, giving half-assed effort to one (or both) and without letting either employer know about the other. The WSJ describes the scenario:

The HBO Max app has suffered glitches | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge An upgraded Max app is in the works Continue reading…

The new Samsung Galaxy z Flip 3 | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Google Fi new and existing customers can get the new Samsung Galaxy Z Flip3 for $400 off, a significant discount on its $999 price tag. There are a few caveats, of course, and you have to purchase the phone first and keep it on a Fi plan for 30 days before you get the discount in the form of a bill credit. But if you’re an existing Fi subscriber and had your eye on the Flip 3 anyway, this deal makes a lot of sense.If you’re an existing Google Fi customer on one of its full-service plans — data-only plans are not eligible— buy the phone at fi.google.com and activate it on your plan. You have to keep the phone active for 30 days to receive the discount, which comes in the form of a bill credit.Non-Fi subscribers have to activate the... Continue reading…

Is a $900 monitor worth it for next-gen gaming? Continue reading…

In June, we got wind that DJI was about to release its most affordable drone yet: the $299 DJI Mini SE. It appeared to be a revamped Mavic Mini for $100 less — or depending on how you think, $150 more affordable than the $449 DJI Mini 2, our current fav under the $500 mark. The only question was, would it have any real improvements over the aging Mavic Mini or just be an affordable rebrand?This week, DJI quietly put the Mini SE on sale, and we now have the answer.Here are the only differences between the old $399 Mavic Mini and the new $299 Mini SE, as far as we can tell by poring over the company’s spec sheets and FAQ:

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Amplitude Studios’ upcoming strategy game, Humankind, will be the first Stadia release to feature a new touch-focused control scheme when it comes out on August 17th, according to 9to5Google and confirmed to The Verge by Google. “Direct touch” is designed around multitouch finger inputs like a traditional mobile game, rather than the previous way you may have played Stadia on your phone, with a Bluetooth controller or gamepad overlay.The screenshots Google shared give a pretty good idea of how playing with direct touch works in Humankind. A single finger tap selects in-game objects, holding a finger down previews content, two fingers cancel, dragging your fingering around moves your view in-game, and three fingers brings up the pause... Continue reading…

Photo by Avery White for The Verge You could be forgiven for forgetting about Motorola’s folding phones in light of new shiny ones announced by the likes of Samsung, but someone at the company must care about them — a new OS update has been released for the 2019 Razr, bringing it from Android 10, to Android 11 (via Droid-Life). Yes, that’s correct — the OS that started hitting Pixels in September of 2020 is the one that became available for the Razr today.Note: The original Razr reboot and the Razr 5G both became available in 2020. However, the first one was announced in 2019, so I’ll refer to it as the 2019 Razr to help avoid confusion between it and the Razr 5G.Getting the update only a few months after its much better successor isn’t too shabbyWhile it may seem like... Continue reading…

Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge Google has infringed upon Sonos’ patents, according to an initial ruling from a US International Trade Commission judge. Sonos has been locked in a legal battle with Google after it sued the search giant, claiming that it had infringed on five of its patents relating to smart speakers. In a statement to The Verge, Sonos says that the ruling “is only a first step in a lengthy battle” but calls it an “important milestone in the ongoing effort to defend Sonos’ technology against Google.”The suit began in January of 2020, with Sonos alleging that Google stole technology it had access to as part of a partnership between the two companies. In the lawsuit, Sonos says that Google used that tech in its own products and undercut Sonos. As part... Continue reading…

Locals use water hoses to extinguish burning trees in Mugla on August 3, 2021. Turkey’s struggles against its deadliest wildfires in decades came as a blistering heatwave gripped southeastern Europe in July and August, creating tinderbox conditions that Greek officials blame squarely on climate change. | Photo by YASIN AKGUL/AFP via Getty Images July 2021 was officially the hottest month humans have ever recorded. This July narrowly beat out three previous months in 2016, 2019, and 2020 that had tied for the previous title. The fact that all of this has happened so recently just screams climate change.The fact that all of this has happened so recently just screams climate change.“In this case, first place is the worst place to be,” Rick Spinrad, administrator of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), said in a statement. NOAA confirmed the new temperature record today, which Spinrad said, “adds to the disturbing and disruptive path that climate change has set for the globe.”

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge If you opened your Reddit app today and noticed a new video button next to the search bar, you could be a tap away from experiencing the forum platform’s take on TikTok. TechCrunch writes that the video feed, which pulls content from subreddits you follow along with some you don’t, started rolling out to iOS users on Friday.Loading up the feed on my own Reddit iOS app, the experience is unavoidably TikTok-like. You can scroll through a vertical, perpetual list of videos featuring content from the wide world of Reddit. Interaction options include upvoting and downvoting, along with commenting, “awarding” (using Reddit’s in-app currency to purchase medals and reactions), and sharing. The video feed in the Reddit iOS app... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Twitter is readjusting the contrast on its buttons following feedback about its design updates from earlier this week. Some people have reported eye strain, headaches, and migraines due to the higher visual contrast in the colors of buttons and links, as well as the new font, Chirp.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Apple has filled in more details around its upcoming plans to scan iCloud Photos for child sexual abuse material (CSAM) via users’ iPhones and iPads. The company released a new paper delving into the safeguards it hopes will increase user trust in the initiative. That includes a rule to only flag images found in multiple child safety databases with different government affiliations — theoretically stopping one country from adding non-CSAM content to the system.Apple’s upcoming iOS and iPadOS releases will automatically match US-based iCloud Photos accounts against known CSAM from a list of image hashes compiled by child safety groups. While many companies scan cloud storage services remotely, Apple’s device-based strategy has drawn... Continue reading…

Image: Nikola This week hydrogen trucking startup Nikola announced that it won a $2 million grant from the Department of Energy. While the DoE announced the grants in July, Nikola is promoting the news just two weeks after founder and former chairman Trevor Milton was indicted for allegedly committing fraud.The grant is meant to help Nikola research autonomous refueling technologies for hydrogen refilling stations. It was awarded by the DOE’s Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy transportation office as part of its Hydrogen and Fuel Cells R&D program, which is focused on proving the reliability and sustainability of using hydrogen as a zero-emissions power source.The DOE grant comes at a time when the department is getting ready to ramp up... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Twitter is once again putting a halt on applications to its verification program, saying that it needs to work on the application and review process that lets people into the blue check mark club. This change is coming after Twitter admitted that several fake accounts, which reportedly seemed to be part of a botnet, were incorrectly verified.If you’ve recently applied for verification, there is a chance you’ll get it — Twitter Verified has said that it’ll still be reviewing existing applications, so the freeze is just preventing new people from being able to apply. Twitter hasn’t indicated that it’ll be making changes to the criteria that it uses to deem accounts as verifiable or not. The company didn’t immediately respond to a request... Continue reading…

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Sonos might be developing a voice assistant alternative to Alexa or Google Assistant for its speakers, according to a customer survey spotted by VoiceBot.ai. The survey, shared by a Sonos customer on Reddit, describes an on-device voice control system that would improve user privacy by not routing questions and commands through the cloud.In the survey (pictured below thanks to Reddit user EdmundFitzgerald29), Sonos writes that its “potential new product offering” would use the wake word “Hey Sonos” and let users control playback, search through songs, and move music to other speakers with their voice. The survey claims that the assistant can respond faster because it would be processing everything on device, rather than relying on an... Continue reading…

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images Immunocompromised people should get a third dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention committee recommended today. After taking only a standard, two-dose series of the Pfizer / BioNTech or Moderna vaccine, patients may not generate enough antibodies against the coronavirus.“I have known of patients who are immunocompromised and in the hospital, they did all the right things. They’re just suffering from a lack of good vaccine protection,” says Camille Kotton, clinical director of transplant and immunocompromised host infectious diseases at the Massachusetts General Hospital, during the CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) meeting today.The decision follows the Food and Drug... Continue reading…

For those who can afford to throw cash at something that sounds great Continue reading…

Somebody get a doctor, this Lambo is sick Continue reading…

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Facebook is adding end-to-end encryption for voice and video calls in Messenger. The company announced in a blog post that it’s rolling out the change today alongside new controls for its disappearing messages. Some users may also see new test features related to encryption.Facebook Messenger got end-to-end encryption for text messages in 2016, when Facebook added a “secret conversation” option to its app. Now, that mode also supports calling. Facebook says it’s adding the feature as interest in voice and video calls grows, saying Messenger now sees more than 150 million video calls a day. Image: Facebook Encrypted video calling on Messenger Facebook chat app WhatsApp already offered calling with end-to-end... Continue reading…

Image: Boeing Boeing’s Starliner astronaut capsule won’t be launching to the International Space Station until it’s gone through “deeper-level troubleshooting” to fix an issue with stuck propulsion system valves, according to a press release from the company. That troubleshooting means removing the capsule from the Atlas V rocket it’s been coupled to and bringing it back to Boeing’s facility.The spacecraft’s initial launch attempt late last month was scrubbed hours before liftoff after engineers noticed a group of fuel valves in the Starliner’s propulsion section weren’t positioned as programmed. That valve issue, whose cause remains a mystery, is the latest engineering predicament to curse Starliner nearly two years after the capsule failed its... Continue reading…

Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge It’s a real robot, with some real robot issues Continue reading…

With the exception of an anime series on Netflix, the last few years have been quiet when it comes to the gothic action series Castlevania. It looks like that’s about to change, though: developer Konami just announced a new game coming exclusively to Apple Arcade.The new title is called Castlevania: Grimoire of Souls, and it’s described as “an original side-scrolling action game that features a line-up of classic, well-loved characters from the series’ hit catalogue.” The graphics certainly look like a departure for the series, but there are some notable names on board, including character designer Ayami Kojima and composer Michiru Yamane, both of whom have contributed to the series since the iconic Symphony of the Night. Grimoire of... Continue reading…

A Snopes editor reportedly plagiarized other news sites | Image: Snopes A startling new report from BuzzFeed News finds that the co-founder of Snopes, a website known for fact-checking and debunking fake news items, was himself plagiarizing other news outlets under a phony byline, his own name, and a Snopes byline for several years.According to BuzzFeed:

Matter — the upcoming smart home standard that looks to help unify Google, Apple, and Amazon’s separate smart home systems into a single cross-functional standard — has been delayed again to sometime in 2022, Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) CEO Tobin Richardson announced in a blog post.While Matter itself has a “feature-complete specification,” the group still has to finish developing the SDK and the certification program by which developers will be able to get both existing and new hardware officially labeled as Matter-approved. While the original goal was to have much of that work done this year, with the first Matter-certified hardware rolling out by the end of 2021, the new timetable pushes that out to sometime vaguely in the... Continue reading…

The new Nest Hub Max is displayed during the 2019 Google I/O conference at Shoreline Amphitheatre on May 07, 2019 in Mountain View, California. | Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Google is adding air quality data to its Nest Hub smart displays. While the new feature is still only available in “select” US markets, it’ll give some users an idea of how much risk they might face from smoke and pollution in the area.It’ll give some users an idea of how much risk they might faceGoogle says it will roll out the new feature “over the coming weeks.” An Air Quality Index badge will show up on the clock and weather widget on the Nest Hub’s Ambient screen. Anyone who doesn’t want to see the badge will be able to opt out.The data comes from the Environmental Protection Agency, which rates air quality on a scale from zero to 500, with zero being the best air quality. It also color-codes its ratings in categories ranging... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge During the course of the pandemic, the future of movie theaters looked grim. Cinema owners teetered on the edge of bankruptcy amid ongoing closures and lockdown orders, and streaming services introduced new release models that made clawing back theatrical exclusivity even harder for already struggling exhibitors. Theaters appeared to be facing an existential crisis, close to being snuffed out by a world that no longer needed them for distribution.But as cinemas have begun to reopen their doors and feature films finally make their silver screen debuts following prolonged delays, the story has started to change. In recent months, a number of studio owners have struck deals with exhibitors — including Regal parent Cineworld, Cinemark, and A... Continue reading…

Apple executive Craig Federighi says iCloud Photos’ plans to scan for child sexual abuse material (or CSAM) will include “multiple levels of auditability.” In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Federighi — Apple’s senior vice president of software engineering — offered new details about its controversial child safety measures. That includes a claim that the iPad and iPhone’s device-level scanning will help security experts verify that Apple is using the system responsibly.Like many companies with cloud storage services, Apple will check iCloud Photos images against a list from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), looking for exact matches with known CSAM pictures. But unlike many services, it will run... Continue reading…

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Every Friday, The Verge publishes our flagship podcast, The Vergecast, where co-hosts Nilay Patel and Dieter Bohn discuss the week in tech news with the reporters and editors covering the biggest stories.This week on The Vergecast, Nilay, Dieter, Alex Cranz, and Chris Welch discuss the hardware announcements from Samsung’s August Unpacked event, including the Galaxy Z Flip 3 and the Galaxy Z Fold 3. The crew discusses the upgraded features on this upgrade of the new foldables and question where they fit in the realm of Samsung’s flagship phones.In the second half of the show, senior reporter Adi Robertson explains the important changes coming to Messages and iCloud with Apple’s new tools on the iPhone meant to combat child abuse, and... Continue reading…

Razer’s PBT keycaps can now be bought with a matching USB cable. | Image: Razer Razer is expanding its range of mechanical keyboard accessories with new keycaps, cables, and wrist rests which offer a convenient way to change the look and feel of your keyboard. The accessories start at $20 for the new wrist rests, ranging up to $50 for a customization kit that includes both colorful keycaps and a matching USB cable.If you’ve spent any time on forums like the Mechanical Keyboards subreddit, then you’ll be no stranger to the fantastically colorful keycaps people like to customize their keyboards with. But beyond fast-growing enthusiast stores like Drop and Glorious PC Gaming Race, many of the best caps out there come from limited runs from smaller manufacturers, or with lengthy wait times. Razer’s designs might be... Continue reading…

Airbnb is updating its arbitration policy | Photo by Nikolas Kokovlis/NurPhoto via Getty Images Airbnb said Friday it will change its terms of service so that its arbitration provisions “will no longer apply to sexual assault or sexual harassment claims” by its hosts (the people who rent out their homes on the platform) and guests.The company said in a statement that “incidents of sexual assault are extremely rare on Airbnb,” and that the upcoming changes would “codify a practice we have already had in place.” Airbnb has not “asked a court fo force any of the very few cases involving sexual assault or sexual harassment claims by hosts or guests into arbitration” since January of 2019, and will continue to not enforce arbitration in such cases until the TOS are updated sometime in the fall.“We believe that survivors should be... Continue reading…

Lionheart. | Image: Netflix The streaming giant meets one of the world’s biggest film industries Continue reading…

A midrange phone with a big screen, huge battery, and all kinds of 5G connectivity Continue reading…

Microsoft’s flagship subscription combines Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Live Gold in one attractive package. | Photo by Nick Statt / The Verge If you’re a gamer, Xbox Game Pass is one of the best deals in town. Microsoft’s popular subscription service — which touted more than 18 million subscribers earlier this year — has been dubbed the “Netflix of video games,” namely because it provides access to more than a hundred Xbox titles for a flat, monthly fee. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate takes things a step further, combining Xbox Game Pass with Xbox Live Gold, giving subscribers access to exclusive deals, online multiplayer, EA Play titles, and Microsoft’s cloud gaming service, xCloud, which is now widely available on iOS and PC.Typically, a three-month subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate runs $45. And while Microsoft’s ongoing promotion will knock the price down to $1 for new... Continue reading…

Photo by SAEED KHAN/AFP via Getty Images Last weekend, a close friend texted me with the jarring news that her COVID-19 test had come back positive. She was vaccinated and had been since April. She got her first shot just a few days before I got mine.Before I got that text, I’d been reminding my friends and family that some people who get vaccinated are going to get COVID-19 anyway. Vaccines aren’t perfect. I cautioned that when cases are surging, like they are right now in New York City, the raw number of vaccinated people who get sick is going to go up. Unvaccinated people still face even higher risks of catching the disease.I know all of that. I think about those facts and statistics every day when I’m reading studies and checking transmission levels around the country.... Continue reading…

Screenshot: GTA3 Rockstar Games’ Dundee studio is working on remastered versions of three classic PS2-era Grand Theft Auto titles: Grand Theft Auto 3, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, and Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Kotaku reports. A late October or early November release is said to be tentatively planned for the titles, which could eventually be released for PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X and S, Switch, PC, Stadia, and mobile phones.Rumors of the remastered titles have been floating around for some time, but this month Rockstar Games’ parent company Take-Two Interactive confirmed it has plans to release “three unannounced” iterations of old games, alongside current-gen ports of GTAV, GTA Online, and Kerbal Space Program. However, considering... Continue reading…

Amazon has decided to produce its upcoming Lord of the Rings TV series in the UK from the second season on. Although the first season was filmed in New Zealand, as with Peter Jackson’s movies, Amazon now says pre-production on season two will begin early next year in the UK while season one post-production continues in New Zealand through June.It’s not clear exactly where the series will be shot. Amazon is shipping the complex sets it built for the first season over to the UK and is currently booking stages for them, according to Deadline. The company films several Prime Video series in the UK already, including Neil Gaiman adaptations Good Omens and Anansi Boys.The move to the UK won’t be without controversy. Author J.R.R. Tolkien... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The Food and Drug Administration will allow people with compromised immune systems to get a third dose of the Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna COVID-19 vaccines. The agency amended the emergency use authorizations for each vaccine to allow this specific group of people to get an extra shot.Usually, the standard two doses are enough for a person to generate plenty of antibodies to fight off the coronavirus. But research done over the past few months shows that many immunocompromised people make too few antibodies or none at all. A third dose might give some of those patients the boost they need to produce antibodies. French officials have been recommending those patients get a third shot since April.The Center for Disease Control and... Continue reading…

Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images The US Attorney won’t be filing any charges against Jake Paul, according to TMZ and a statement sent to The Verge by Paul’s lawyers. Paul was being investigated by the FBI, who raided his house, for his involvement in an incident that took place at an Arizona mall in May 2020.These particular legal troubles began when Paul was filmed in and around a mall in Scottsdale, AZ, which was being looted in the wake of police brutality protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd. Paul denied participating in the looting (and wasn’t seen doing so in the videos that circulated on social media), but was still charged with criminal trespassing and unlawful assembly by the Scottsdale Police Department.According to police, the charges against Paul... Continue reading…

Image: Marvel Following a high-stakes lawsuit over Disney’s day-and-date release of Marvel’s Black Widow on its Premier Access streaming platform and the company’s compensation of the film’s star Scarlett Johansson, the head of Disney today defended both the company’s payouts to talent as well as its decisions around various pandemic movie releases.During the company’s third-quarter earnings call, Disney boss Bob Chapek explained the company’s multi-pronged approach to releasing its films throughout the pandemic, which included theatrical exclusives, straight-to-digital releases on Disney Plus, and a hybrid of both that saw films debut on Disney’s paid Premier Access platform the same day they premiered in theaters. Premier Access was chosen as the... Continue reading…

Image: Amazon Your Amazon packages may be getting an express ticket — Amazon has finished building its $1.5 billion air hub, located at the Cincinnati / Northern Kentucky International Airport, and has started operations there. Amazon started building the 800,000-square-foot facility in 2019, and it now boasts robots, miles of conveyor belts, and more.A big benefit of having a centrally located place to process packages and get them on planes is speed — that’s why UPS has a hub in Louisville, Kentucky; FedEx ships many packages through Memphis, Tenessee; and DHL has a hub in the same airport as Amazon. Amazon’s press release says that the cargo hub will help with the “rapid transport of customer packages throughout the U.S.” Jeff Bezos also made that... Continue reading…