The Verge

Apple Apple Podcasts now offers in-app subscriptions in more than 170 countries, about a month after the feature was first scheduled to launch. With this feature live, listeners can pay to support shows and networks for access to ad-free content and, in some cases, other perks like early access to episodes. They can also pay for access to a channel, which is basically like supporting a podcast network and applying these paid perks to all the shows it makes.A few big shows and networks are participating at launch. Luminary, which made its name selling subscriptions for its own in-app content, is now selling subs through Apple. NPR also sells ad-free subscriptions, as does Wondery, among many others.Once people have paid for access, a... Continue reading…

With Swift Playgrounds, the iPad can finally submit iOS apps. | Image: Apple Apple’s latest iPad Pro is its most powerful tablet yet. And going into WWDC 2021, many viewers (myself included) had long wishlists of features we were hoping we might finally get to see — multiuser support, a more advanced Files app, native support for Final Cut and Photoshop, better compatibility with external displays.We didn’t get many of those dream features, but we did get something of a surprise: Apple announced Swift Playgrounds 4, the newest version of its Swift Playgrounds sandbox, a program Apple SVP Craig Federighi claimed will bring “a whole new dimension of productivity to iPad.” It was a quick announcement that was easy to miss in the flurry of new tools that crossed the stage. But developers say it will drastically... Continue reading…

Cruise is getting a $5 billion line of credit from General Motors’ financial division as it begins pre-production on its Origin autonomous shuttle. It’s another big infusion of cash for Cruise, arguably one of the better capitalized autonomous vehicle companies in the world.Cruise CEO Dan Ammann said the new financing “bumps up Cruise’s total war chest to over $10 billion as we enter commercialization.” This will help the company as its fully autonomous shuttles enter series production at the GM Detroit-Hamtramck Plant (rebranded as Factory Zero) sometime in 2022.Ammann writes in a blog post, “$10 billion. It’s a big number.” “However, when you think about what we’re building — safer, cleaner, and more accessible transportation for... Continue reading…

Spotify Spotify continues its run on signing podcasts to exclusive deals, and this time, it’s locked down Call Her Daddy, the popular show that covers topics like sex, dating, and mental health. The show will go exclusive on July 21st, meaning the entire back catalog and future episodes will only be available on Spotify. The details of the deal weren’t shared, but The Wall Street Journal reported last week that the licensing deal could be for as much as $20 million.Spotify’s goal with this deal is clear: it says the show was the fifth most popular on the platform last year, with multiple other Spotify-signed podcasters at the top of that list, as well, including Joe Rogan and Michelle Obama. This is the second big deal Spotify has inked this... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge US Reps. Cori Bush (D-MO) and Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ) are introducing a bill today that would decriminalize not just cannabis but all drug possession, in favor of what they’re calling a “health-centered approach.”The Drug Policy Reform Act (DRPA) would end criminal penalties for “personal use” drug possession at the federal level, expunge criminal records, and shift the regulatory authority from the attorney general to the secretary of Health and Human Services, “to emphasize that substance use is a health issue and not a criminal issue.”Under the act, people could still face fines for drug possession, but a court could waive the fine if the person is unable to pay. The act would require HHS to establish a commission on... Continue reading…

EMBARGO: June 15, 2021, 10:30am ET | Photo by Andrew J. Hawkins / The Verge Austin Russell, the 26-year-old CEO of lidar maker Luminar, folds his lanky six-foot, four-inch frame into the back of a Toyota RAV4 and declares with giddy enthusiasm: “This is our first live demo!”It may seem late in the game for a public demo, especially for a company that was founded in 2012 and recently went public via a $3.4 billion SPAC deal. There will be an even longer wait for those who want to see Luminar’s Iris lidar sensors in action: series production of Volvo vehicles with the company’s laser sensors embedded in the roof is not scheduled to begin until late 2022.“This is our first live demo!”But on a rainy day in Manhattan, Russell is clearly excited to show off what Iris can do. He is in New York City for an event... Continue reading…

Image: Ikea Ikea and Sonos have today officially introduced the latest product in their Symfonisk line. It’s the $199 picture frame / wall art speaker that The Verge exclusively reported on earlier this year and Ikea later prematurely posted on its website. The “picture frame with Wi-Fi speaker” will be available for purchase starting on July 15th. Though it’s very confusingly called a picture frame, you can’t customize it with your own images. It’s really just a piece of artwork.The front art can be removed, revealing the speaker drivers underneath, and swapped out for other colors and designs. Several styles from artist Jennifer Idrizi will be available, but options will vary by market. Image: Ikea The power cable can be... Continue reading…

Photo by James Bareham / The Verge Editor’s Note: On May 28th and 29th, 2021, we published two articles promoting a deal from Daily Steals for an Apple charger and cable for a discounted price. As it turns out, the chargers and cables Daily Steals is selling are apparently counterfeit and not genuine Apple products. If you purchased the cable and charger that were part of this deal, please contact support@dailysteals.com with your order number in the email to get a refund.At Best Buy, several Smart Battery cases (as well as a few iPhone 12 Mini cases) are steeply discounted and well below half off their usual cost for today only. The battery case that Apple made for the iPhone 7 fits the same dimensions of the iPhone SE (2020), and it’s just $40 today (usually $100). If... Continue reading…

Nintendo’s Direct presentation is one of the last big happenings of E3 2021. It’s a 40-minute show that Nintendo says is focused exclusively on Switch games (and not new hardware, for everyone hoping for Switch Pro news). So, what will we see? It’s possible that the unnamed sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild will make an appearance, as well as Splatoon 3. Maybe Metroid Prime 4 will see its debut after being announced all the way back in 2017, then — in an unprecedented move — having its development restarted in early 2019. Knowing it’s Nintendo, there will likely be several unexpected announcements.When does Nintendo’s E3 2021 Direct begin?This presentation will begin streaming on Tuesday, June 15th at 12PM ET / 9AM PT.... Continue reading…

IRL’s groups and events can be accessed on its app or website. | Image: IRL Do people want an app specifically for discovering events and messaging as a group? That’s the bet behind IRL, a young social network that has been quietly growing over the past year and just attracted an eye-popping amount of money to take on Facebook.The two-year-old startup is betting that a post-pandemic world will fuel its mission to help people “do more together,” usually by meeting up in real life — you know, IRL. The idea has attracted the deep pockets of the Japanese tech conglomerate SoftBank, which is the biggest investor in a new $170 million round of funding that values IRL at roughly $1 billion.That’s a remarkable amount of money for an app with roughly 12 million monthly users and no revenue. Even still, IRL is finding... Continue reading…

Realme is launching its highest-end phone yet in several European countries today, describing it as a “flagship killer.” The Realme GT is a high-end device with a fast Qualcomm processor, a smooth OLED screen, and a price that starts as low as €369 (about $450).The GT is an attractive device, with a long glossy black panel breaking up this model’s bright yellow mock-leather finish — it’s all very evocative of sports cars, which is clearly what Realme was going for with the phone’s name as well. The only tell-tale sign that this isn’t an expensive flagship is the slightly large chin below the screen — that and the headphone jack.“Flagship killer” is, of course, what OnePlus used to call its phones before the company started making more... Continue reading…

The OnePlus N200 is one of the least expensive 5G phones to go on sale in the US. | Image: OnePlus OnePlus has confirmed that the inexpensive Nord N200 5G will be available in the US and Canada starting on Friday, June 25th, for $239, making it one of the most affordable 5G phones in the US. With US wireless carriers demanding more 5G devices, the N200 will likely get a lot more company soon.OnePlus had previously dropped a few other details about the upcoming device, like its 6.49-inch 1080p display with 90Hz refresh rate and big 5,000mAh battery. Other newly confirmed specs include a Snapdragon 480 5G chipset (also used by the freshly announced Motorola Moto G Stylus 5G), 4GB of RAM, 64GB of expandable built-in storage, and a rear triple camera with a 13-megapixel main camera. OnePlus doesn’t specify details for the other two... Continue reading…

Photo Illustration by Grayson Blackmon / The Verge CTO Jahmy Hindman on farming, data, and right to repair Continue reading…

Digit is building on its automated savings know-how with a new $9.99 per month banking feature called Direct that will launch later this year. With the new service, you’ll have access to “spending” and “bills” accounts, a debit card (with access to ATMs), and all of the usual AI-enabled savings tools Digit’s gained over the years, but with no waiting for bank transfers and theoretically even easier saving.Along with the banking basics offered by Digit’s partner for the service, MetaBank, Digit Direct includes a redesign of the Digit app. Digit’s original app put savings goals front and center. Goals are still part of Digit in Direct, but the emphasis now is on the two new accounts the service adds to the mix. Image:... Continue reading…

The Level Lock looks like a standard deadbolt from the outside | Image: Level Smart lock company Level is announcing a new model in its lineup today, simply named the Level Lock. The new Level Lock is very similar to the model introduced last year (now known as the Level Lock Touch) but without the touch controls. It sits in the middle of Level’s lineup and is available starting today in matte black, satin nickel, satin chrome, or polished brass for $249.Like the $329 Level Lock Touch, the Level Lock uses the core technology that first debuted in the Level Bolt to completely hide all of the smart lock’s electronics and battery in the bolt of the lock itself. This allows the design of the lock to be very discreet and modern — you wouldn’t know it’s a smart lock just by looking at it. Level says the single CR2... Continue reading…

Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge Nvidia’s GeForce RTX 3070 Ti Founders Edition card went on sale last week, but buyers looking for the $599 GPU have found it impossible to find. While we’re used to seeing extremely low stock of new GPUs, none of Nvidia’s own RTX 3070 Ti Founders Edition models appear to have gone on sale in the US or UK — and Nvidia won’t say why not.Nvidia has partnered with Scan Computers in the UK to sell its Founders Edition cards, and with Best Buy in the US. While Scan had a reasonable amount of stock of the RTX 3080 Ti earlier this month, the RTX 3070 Ti was non-existent. Scan has not responded to a request for comment by The Verge, and the company has been telling people on Twitter that “all Founders Edition cards are released direct through... Continue reading…

Slot in your Apple Watch, and the NightWatch magnifies its screen. | Image: NightWatch Have you ever tried using your Apple Watch as a bedside clock, but given up because the screen is just too dang small? Well, boy do we have a $49.99 dock for you. The NightWatch is combination charging dock, magnifying glass, and acoustic amplifier, bringing together these functions to turn the Apple Watch’s nightstand mode into a bona fide bedside alarm, complete with a tap-to-wake feature to show you the time.We’ve previously covered novelty docks that turn the Apple Watch into a miniature Macintosh replica or an iPod. But the NightWatch attempts to make the Apple Watch work better in nightstand mode, by making its screen bigger and easier to read and using “integrated sound channels’ to amplify the sound of your alarm. ... Continue reading…

Image: Amazon Amazon’s cashierless Just Walk Out technology is coming to a full-size grocery store for the first time, the company has announced. The new 25,000 square foot Amazon Fresh store is significantly bigger than the 10,400 square foot Amazon Go Grocery store it opened last year, or its standard 1,200 and 2,300 square feet Go stores, marking a minor milestone as Amazon scales up its technology. The new store will be Amazon’s fourteenth Fresh location in the US when it opens on June 17th in Bellevue, Washington.When Amazon previously opened a 35,000 square foot Amazon Fresh store last year using its high-tech Dash Carts, it prompted speculation that the company’s Just Walk Out technology wasn’t suitable for larger stores. But Amazon has always... Continue reading…

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Netflix has tapped the original story of one of the music industry’s biggest startup successes for a forthcoming untitled original series. The series will tell a “fictionalized account” of Spotify’s co-founders, including the service’s chief Daniel Ek.The six-part series — which is already listed on Netflix, though with limited information — will pull from authors Jonas Leijonhufvud and Sven Carlsson, which documents the rise of Spotify under Ek and his business partner Martin Lorentzon, according to Variety. The book is said to have drawn from “over seventy interviews, along with previously untapped sources” for a “David vs Goliath story about how strong convictions, unrelenting willpower, and big dreams can help small players take on... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge E3 2021 is nearly over — there’s just one more full day left. The show has delivered some big announcements so far, including a trailer and release date for the highly-anticipated Elden Ring, a trailer for Ubisoft’s gorgeous Avatar game, a release date for Microsoft and Bethesda’s Starfield, and even the reveal of a chaos-filled and action-heavy Final Fantasy spinoff.But on Tuesday, there’s still one more potentially huge event on the calendar: a Nintendo Direct with “roughly 40 minutes” of information about upcoming Nintendo Switch games. (Fingers crossed for news on the sequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.) And there are also shows from Bandai Namco (the publisher of Elden Ring, I should add) and GameSpot to look forward... Continue reading…

Image: Razer Razer had a few announcements timed for E3 2021, including its new Razer Blade 14 with AMD’s Ryzen 9 processors, and an updated Raptor 27 gaming monitor along with a 130W GaN charger. We weren’t expecting to hear about anything else, but Razer CEO Min-Liang Tan announced that its Project Hazel mask will actually go on sale, starting early in the fourth quarter of this year.Tan said that Hazel will be released in “drops” exclusively on its website, with the first coming in that fourth quarter timeframe. Image: Razer A slide from Razer’s E3 2021 presentation announcing the launch plan. Alongside that availability announcement, Tan also shared some changes coming to the mask since it was first shown in January.... Continue reading…

Here’s the Razer Blade 14. | Razer After months of rumors and speculation, many gamers’ dreams have finally come true. Today, Razer has announced the new Razer Blade 14, which is powered by AMD’s flagship Ryzen 9 5900HX. It’s the first Razer Blade to include an AMD processor, and it’s available for purchase now on Razer’s website starting at $1,799.99.The 14-inch gaming rig will also feature up to an Nvidia GeForce RTX 3080 GPU and a QHD 165Hz display as well as an FHD 144Hz option. Razer says the Blade will be the smallest 14-inch gaming laptop on the market, with dimensions of 12.59 x 8.66 x 0.66 inches. There’s also a 720p webcam (which isn’t a given on gaming laptops these days).The rest of the laptop looks like a fairly standard Razer Blade, including the... Continue reading…

The new Raptor 27 looks the same as the previous model Razer has refreshed its minimalist Raptor 27 gaming monitor with FreeSync Premium support with low frame rate compensation for smoother gameplay; a slightly faster 165Hz refresh rate (the previous model topped out at 144Hz); and THX certification claiming to deliver great color, tone, and image accuracy. Like the 2019 version, this one has Nvidia G-Sync compatibility, and its matte 27-inch QHD IPS panel covers 95 percent of the DCI-P3 color space.This monitor will cost $799.99 when it releases in Q3 2021, which is $100 more than the previous version. The improvements make it at least worth considering if you want to game on PC with enhanced variable refresh rate tech. That, and Razer’s Raptor 27 is tough to beat when it comes to design,... Continue reading…

Capcom has announced that Resident Evil Village will be getting downloadable content. The news was revealed during an E3 2021 Showcase that was short of new announcements. A quick message during the livestream confirmed that DLC has entered production “by popular demand.”While there were no more details beyond this, the implication is that we could be getting more content featuring the game’s most popular character, Lady Dimitrescu. Another possibility could be the return of fan-favorite Ada Wong, who was originally planned to feature in Resident Evil Village, as revealed via early concept art that can be unlocked in the game. Of course, it could be a while before this additional DLC comes out, as it appears there had been no plans... Continue reading…

Update June 15th, 5:39AM ET: The creators of the mod, Next-Hack, have taken down the video. In a comment on Reddit they say they “had a request to remove this post and all public material.” We’ve reached out to see what that request might have been.“Can it run Doom?” is a question nearly as old as Doom itself, as creative hardware hackers and software savants across the internet work to try and get the 1993 classic shooter to run on virtually anything that has a microprocessor. The latest absurd entry: an Ikea Trådfri GU10 345 RGB LED bulb, which Next-Hack has managed to hack into running a modified version of Doom.The actual hack is a bit of a cheat, given the fact that unlike past Doom hack candidates, like the Nintendo Game &... Continue reading…

The newest Chromebook Spin 713 is just as good as last year’s model Continue reading…

Sure, it costs nearly as much as a Series X, but look at it! | Turtle Beach Gaming peripheral company Turtle Beach announced at E3 2021 that it’s getting into a new product category: flight sim hardware. The company is launching the VelocityOne Flight system for $350, and it’s compatible with PC and Xbox consoles via USB. And, for a first effort in this competitive space, it seems like a very comprehensive offering and a decent value if you’re into playing Microsoft Flight Simulator 2020.The VelocityOne Flight was made in collaboration with aeronautical engineers and pilots to provide a realistic flight experience. It has a 180-degree yoke handle with rear rudder controls for easy access. To its right, there’s a modular throttle quadrant with an integrated trim wheel, as well as both vernier-style and lever... Continue reading…

Image: Adult Swim Tuca & Bertie is back on the air thanks to Adult Swim, and you can watch the entire first episode of season 2 for free on Adult Swim’s YouTube channel right now.Tuca & Bertie is an animated show from BoJack Horseman producer and artist Lisa Hanawalt starring Tiffany Haddish and Ali Wong as two best friends navigating their adult lives. The show first premiered on Netflix in 2019 and debuted to rave reviews, but the streaming service canceled it after just one season.In 2020, though, Adult Swim picked up a 10-episode order of the show. The first episode of that new season premiered Sunday night, and if you missed the debut or just want to check out the show for yourself, you can catch it on YouTube.If you watch this first episode and... Continue reading…

An example of the YouTube masthead ad. YouTube will no longer be accepting ads relating to alcohol, gambling, politics, or “prescription drug terms” for its masthead ad slot, which appears at the top of the website and app, Axios first reported. Google told The Verge the limitations on what kind of ads can appear in this slot will help “lead to a better experience for users.”The masthead slot is one of the first things users see when they open YouTube, so it’s understandable that keeping ads about drugs, alcohol, or gambling out of it would make YouTube more inclusive for everyone. As for politics, it could help the platform avoid controversies, like the one that arose when then-President Donald Trump purchased the slot for three days during the 2020 election. ... Continue reading…

We called the DJI Mini 2 the best drone you can buy under $500, but what if you don’t have $449 to spend? Walmart has leaked a new entry in DJI’s Mavic Mini line that might start at just $299, which should make it the company’s most affordable drone ever.Not only did we just find that price at Walmart’s website, it’s apparently migrated to at least one set of Walmart store shelves already:

343 Industries gave us a first glimpse at Halo Infinite’s free multiplayer mode yesterday, and now we’re getting even more information on how the weapons, armor, and sandbox experience will work. Halo Infinite is launching on Xbox One, Xbox Series X / S, and PC later this year, allowing friends to play the free multiplayer mode across multiple platforms using crossplay and cross-progression.The free multiplayer mode will also include a battle pass that never expires after you’ve purchased it. We don’t know how much the battle pass will cost yet, but Halo Infinite players will be able to purchase old season passes and choose which battle pass to focus progression toward.343 Industries is leaning heavily into armor, weapon, and vehicle... Continue reading…

Reality Winner, a former intelligence contractor jailed for leaking classified information, has been released from prison to serve her remaining sentence in a halfway house program. Winner’s attorney Alison Grinter tweeted the news this morning, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons’ website lists Winner in custody of San Antonio’s Residential Reentry Management field office, which oversees community-based programs for incarcerated people.“I am thrilled to announce that Reality Winner has been released from prison. She is still in custody in the residential reentry process, but we are relieved and hopeful,” Grinter tweeted in a statement. “Reality and her family have asked for privacy during the transition process as they work to heal the... Continue reading…

Asus Asus has released its latest Ryzen-powered Chromebook, the Chromebook Flip CM5. The CM5 has a 15.6-inch screen, and Asus is pushing it as a device for cloud-based gaming. It’s available now at Abt and Newegg starting at $499.99.The most exciting thing is that the CM5 supports both Google Stadia and Nvidia GeForce Now. Of course, it only has a 60Hz screen and Radeon integrated graphics, so it’s far from a “gaming laptop” of any sort. Still, Asus has made a few design tweaks to better evoke the aesthetic. Namely, the WASD keys are outlined in orange, which Asus says “lets users stand out while enjoying quick, intuitive gameplay in cloud-based games.” Some Windows laptops have done bold things with their WASD keys, but this is the first... Continue reading…

Here’s the Dell XPS 13 OLED. If you’ve been waiting for a 13-inch laptop with the best display technology out there, Dell now has an option for you. Dell has finally released an OLED version of its XPS 13, and I’m typing this review on it right now.The test unit I was sent has a Core i7-1185G7, 16GB of RAM, and 512GB of storage. The OLED configuration costs exactly the same as an identically specced non-OLED 4K model ($1,699.99), and $300 more than an identically specced FHD touchscreen model. Nothing else about this XPS is new: it has the same thin and light build, the same tiny bezels and webcam, the same glass-fiber palm rests, and the same 16:10 aspect ratio as the past couple Dell XPS 13s I’ve reviewed. So the considerations here really come down to how much... Continue reading…

Beats tried to do a lot at once — probably too much — with its new earbuds Continue reading…

Image: Beats Beats today announced its second pair of true wireless earbuds, the new Beats Studio Buds. Priced at $149.99 and available in red, black, or white, the Studio Buds have a much different, more compact design than the previous Powerbeats Pro. There are no ear hooks on these, nor any stems, and that results in a very lightweight, comfortable fit. Preorders start today in the US and Canada from Apple and other retailers like Amazon and Best Buy, and the earbuds will be available in stores on June 24th.The Studio Buds include active noise cancellation, IPX4 water and sweat resistance, and can last for up to five hours on a charge. (If you leave noise cancellation off, they can eke out eight hours of continuous playback. They also use USB-C... Continue reading…

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Father’s Day is coming up this weekend. Not to nag, but time is running out to buy a gift and have it delivered on time. We’ve put together a gift guide that’s full of fun ideas. And with Prime Day 2021 just around the corner on June 21st and 22nd, more and more products are available with a discount. You’ll find today’s best deals just below.The 2021 version of Amazon’s Echo Buds are $80 for Prime members today, costing $40 less than their original price (you’ll need to be logged into your Prime account to see the lower price). If you want a wireless charging case, that model costs $100 — also reflecting a $40 discount. Amazon has been discounting many of its own tech products in the lead-up to Prime Day 2021, but this is one of its... Continue reading…

Packed with power and stellar features for a great price Continue reading…

The Verge is turning 10 this year, and we’d like to hear from you Continue reading…

Photo by Dante D’Orazio / The Verge Microsoft is ending support for Windows 10 on October 14th, 2025. It will mark just over 10 years since the operating system was first introduced. Microsoft revealed the retirement date for Windows 10 in an updated support life cycle page for the OS. Thurrott reports that this is the first time Microsoft has ever described the end of support for Windows 10.It’s not clear exactly when the support document was updated, but Thurrott reports it only previous documented “when specific Windows 10 versions would leave support,” and not the entire OS. It could be another hint that a new version of Windows is on the way.Microsoft keeps dropping Windows 11 hintsMicrosoft has been dropping lots of hints that it’s ready to launch Windows 11.... Continue reading…

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Verizon is joining several states in offering a financial incentive to get the COVID vaccine: its customers who have gotten at least one dose can get a 10 percent discount on accessories, from either its online or physical stores. To sweeten the deal even more, Verizon is letting customers stack that discount on top of sale prices, which can be used to get some pretty solid deals. It’s unclear if or how you’ll have to prove your vaccination status.For example, Verizon has the AirPods Pro on sale until June 20th, and the 10 percent discount brings them down to $180 from their normal price of $250. If you’re more a fan of headphones and can snag the discount, you’ll be able to pick up Sony’s delightfully named WH-1000XM4s for $270. The... Continue reading…

Getty Images Steve Burns, the CEO of General Motors-backed startup Lordstown Motors, has resigned following an investigation into allegations that he and other executives lied about preorders for the company’s electric pickup truck. The startup’s chief financial officer Julio Rodriguez has also resigned.The resignations come just weeks after Lordstown Motors admitted that it needs more money to execute on its production plans for the pickup truck and its auditor saying the company may run out of cash, despite raising nearly $700 million late last year. It’s one of many electric vehicle startups running into trouble after going public by merging with a special purpose acquisition company.The investigation found that while Lordstown Motors said on... Continue reading…

Photo by Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images The two-shot COVID-19 vaccine made by Novavax is 90 percent effective against the disease, the company said today.The Novavax shots are a different type of vaccine than the ones already available: it’s a protein-based vaccine that directly delivers bits of the coronavirus spike protein, which the body then makes antibodies against.Novavax tested its vaccine in 29,960 people across the US and Mexico who were randomly assigned to get either the vaccine or a placebo injection. There were 77 cases of COVID-19 in the study: 14 in people who’d received the vaccine, and 63 in the group that got a placebo. All 14 cases in the vaccine group were mild. In the placebo group, ten cases were moderate and four were severe, showing the shots... Continue reading…

Niantic is expanding from cute critters to giant robots. Today, the game developer announced its next project: a location-based augmented reality game called Transformers: Heavy Metal. The game is expected to launch globally this year, with a soft launch in select countries “soon.” Niantic says that it has partnered with Seattle-based studio Very Very Spaceship, which will be leading development.You might be wondering just how towering transforming robots will translate to Pokémon Go-style gameplay. Here’s the basic description from Niantic:

The Apple Watch Series 6, released last year. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge This year’s Apple Watch could feature an improved screen and updated ultra-wideband support, Bloomberg reports, but more substantial improvements like temperature and blood glucose monitoring will not appear until later models. The company is also reportedly planning a successor to last year’s more affordable Apple Watch SE, as well as a new extreme sports-focused model, due for release in 2022.The improvements coming to this year’s model, which will almost certainly be called the Series 7, appear to be small. Its display bezels are said to be thinner, and a new lamination technique could reduce the distance between the display and the front cover. The watch’s ultra-wideband support could also be improved after getting its Apple... Continue reading…

LG is now offering a 5-year warranty for its G1 OLED. | Image: LG LG is offering an extended 5-year warranty on its 4K G1 OLED in the US, covering any problems that develop with its panel after the standard one-year warranty. In the UK the company says the extended warranty also applies to its Z1 8K OLED. It’s unclear in how many other countries LG is offering the extended warranty, and the company did not immediately respond to The Verge’s questions.The extended warranty appears to be an attempt to upsell customers from LG’s popular lower-end sets like the C1 to its more premium G1 model. But it should also allay any fears that the new brighter Evo OLED panel LG is using in the G1 won’t last as long as its previous OLED panels. Or, as LG said in a statement given to TechRadar, “The warranty is... Continue reading…

Google is announcing some changes to its Workspace suite of apps and services today, including availability for anybody who has a Google account. Google says that there are over three billion users of its Workspace apps — though it’s probably a safe bet that Gmail accounts for a healthy chunk of that userbase.A lot of people will soon have the option to switch over to Google’s more modern system for Gmail, Docs, and Chat. All of them can be integrated in a single tab more easily, for example with chats sliding over to the left to reveal a shared spreadsheet. It’s also related to the company’s new “smart canvas” push, which is also designed to interlink its various apps via “smart chips.”To get started, Google is now officially offering... Continue reading…

Amazon is opening up access to its game streaming service Luna to all Amazon Prime members on June 21 and 22 (Amazon Prime Day). Previously, to test out Luna you had to request access or sign up from supported Fire TV devices. But for this limited-time only, any Prime subscribers in the mainland US will be able to start a 7-day trial of Luna right away.Luna is available on Windows PC, Mac, Fire TV, and via the web on iPhone, iPad, and “select Android phones.” Regular pricing is $5.99 a month for access to games including Control, GRID, and Metro Exodus. Or, once you’ve got a Luna account, you can pay $14.99 a month for the Ubisoft Plus beta channel. This gets you access to a big range of Ubisoft games, including the latest titles from... Continue reading…

Illustration: Alex Castro / The Verge The UK’s competition regulator, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), will collaborate with Google as it attempts to rework online ad targeting, the regulator and Google have announced. It comes as Google is attempting to phase out the use of third-party cookies for tracking and targeting users with ads and instead use a new set of technologies it’s calling Privacy Sandbox.In its announcement, Google said this is the first time regulators and technology companies have worked together on new technologies like this. As well as the CMA, the UK’s data protection regulator (the Information Commissioner’s Office, or ICO) will also be involved. “The CMA is taking a leading role in setting out how we can work with the most powerful tech... Continue reading…

An alleged render of the Galaxy S21 FE. | OnLeaks Samsung has downplayed a report that claimed the company has suspended production of an upcoming phone called the Galaxy S21 FE. Korean publication ETNews alleged over the weekend that production of the unannounced phone had stopped because of a shortage of semiconductors, and that Qualcomm processors had been reallocated to foldable devices.The report has since been deleted, and Samsung now says it hasn’t made a decision on whether to halt production. In a statement texted to Bloomberg, the company says “While we cannot discuss details of the unreleased product, nothing has been determined regarding the alleged production suspension.”The Galaxy S21 FE — the FE stands for Fan Edition — was expected to be a cut-down, more affordable... Continue reading…