The Verge

Disney will release the rest of its 2021 movies in theaters first | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The remaining movies on Disney’s 2021 slate will all be released in theaters exclusively before being released on its Disney Plus streaming platform, the company announced late Friday.“Following the tremendous box office success of our summer films which included five of the top eight domestic releases of the year, we are excited to update our theatrical plans for the remainder of 2021,” Kareem Daniel, chairman, Disney media & entertainment distribution said in a news release, adding that “confidence in moviegoing continues to improve.”The coronavirus pandemic and temporary closures of movie theaters that began last spring led movie studios to delay the release of many of their films, hoping to allow time for pandemic restrictions to... Continue reading…

The Sonos Roam, like most other Sonos speakers, is about to see a price hike. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge If you want to save up to $100 on Sonos products, now is the time. Starting Sunday, September 12th, Sonos will be increasing its prices from $10 to $100, depending on the product, meaning today is the last day you will be able to pick up one of the company’s many smart speakers at their current price.The Sonos Arc will jump the highest in price, going from $799 to $899. You can also expect to pay $50 more for the Sonos Five, Sonos Sub, and Sonos Amp. The Five will go for $549 instead of $499, while the $699 Sonos Sub will sell for $749 and the $649 Sonos Amp will retail at $699. Sonos will also increase the prices of the Sonos One and One SL by $20, and the company will tack on an additional $10 to the portable Sonos Roam, offering it... Continue reading…

Apple says its iPhone cameras may be damaged by motorcycle vibrations | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge A new post on Apple’s Support forum says exposing iPhones to high-amplitude vibrations, “specifically those generated by high-power motorcycle engines” could degrade the devices’ camera system. The company recommends against mounting an iPhone on a motorcycle, as the vibrations may be transmitted via the bike’s handlebars and chassis.Here’s the technical explanation from Apple:

Image by Epic Games Apple stands to lose billions; Epic failed to #FreeFortnite Continue reading…

Illustrator by Alex Castro / The Verge Ransomware has been a hot-button topic in 2021 due to its impact on critical infrastructure, hospitals, and computer manufacturers. However, a recent report from NBC News may be one of the more heartbreaking accounts of the effects hackers can have: it details how data leaks from attacks on schools can put student’s most sensitive information out onto the internet, available to anyone who knows how to find it and is willing to pay. It’s a story that’s well worth a read for all the details it goes into and edge cases it explores.According to NBC’s report, one school district had an Excel sheet called “Basic student information” posted to the dark web after it refused to pay a ransom, according to the FBI’s instructions. The article’s... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge In 2019 a New York Times report called Google’s then-121,000-strong assortment of temporary employees “a shadow work force that now outnumbers the company’s full-time employees.”Now, a whistleblower has filed a complaint with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) stating that gaps in pay between temporary workers and full-time employees doing similar work had widened over the last few years, stretching far enough that the Guardian reports it broke local laws in the UK, Europe, and Asia. Even worse, documents viewed by the Guardian and the New York Times reveal that last December, Google managers discovered the problem and instead of addressing it immediately, they held off on taking action and only applied correct rates for the... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge During the Apple v. Epic trial, Apple software leader Craig Federighi argued that tight control over the App Store was necessary for securing the iPhone. But Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers didn’t buy it, writing in her ruling Friday that he may have been “stretching the truth for the sake of the argument.”Federighi cast heavy doubts about whether Apple would be able to secure iPhones without its App Review system acting as a gateway, by saying that the macOS security was basically in a bad place. Judge Rodgers doesn’t think Federighi has the proof to back it up (you can read her quotes below in context on page 114):

Photo by Scott Eisen/Getty Images for Warner Bros. Author Stephen King and Humble Bundle are teaming up to release an exclusive short story called “Red Screen.” All pay-what-you-want proceeds (starting at a $5 minimum) from “Red Screen” will benefit the American Civil Liberties Union while the story is available, from September 10th through September 16th.Besides being notable as one of the newest entries in King’s prolific body of work, “Red Screen” is also the first Humble Bundle Exclusive. Based on what little has been shared of the plot, it certainly sounds...interesting. The description follows (emphasis mine): “The never before published story follows a cop who interrogates a deranged plumber who just murdered his wife, only to discover something far more insidious.”It’s likely... Continue reading…

The Analogue Pocket has experienced a few delays already due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s suffering another, the company shared on its site. Preorders for the retro handheld that can play Game Boy cartridges and other formats like Game Gear, Neo Geo Pocket Color, and more via adapters will ship “at the latest in December.” The $199 console was previously slated to launch in October, following a delay that pushed it from its original 2020 launch window.Analogue says that “due to new Covid restrictions with our assembly partners, their capacity to deliver within our agreed timeframe has been affected.” Though understandably frustrating for people who like to stay entertained during tough times, you can’t pin blame just on Analogue... Continue reading…

Sony themselves is often one of the most reliable sources to get a PS5, with a little luck. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Update September 10th, 5:01PM ET: Sony appears to have sold out of PS5 consoles for the day. We’ll make sure to let you know when the next opportunity comes up.The PlayStation 5 is still difficult to get, but as restocks come and go one of the most reliable sources is Sony itself. Sony’s direct online store has opened a queue for ordering the disc-based PlayStation 5 console and PlayStation 5 Digital Edition.Once you’re on the landing page, you do not have to refresh the page, just try to wait patiently. When the countdown finishes, make sure you have your PlayStation Network account info ready to log in and complete the purchase if you are allocated a spot to buy one.While you wait...There are also a variety of accessories to... Continue reading…

Sheepwave Magic: The Gathering is a painful game. It hurts to see your meticulously crafted deck obliterated by a killer combo by turn four or to have your game-winning creature fizzle into nothing with a well-timed Counterspell. But Sheepwave — a streamer, artist, and Magic: The Gathering content creator — doesn’t think this already ruthless game is painful enough. To add a little spice to her Magic games, Sheepwave made the Shockbox — a box that delivers a tiny electrical jolt whenever a player takes damage.Sheepwave says the Shockbox was born out of a “twisted” sense of humor and an affinity for electrical engineering projects.“The whole thing started as a one-off joke I made,” Sheepwave tells The Verge. “But people really responded to it,... Continue reading…

The App Store may never be the same.Today’s ruling from Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers in the Epic v. Apple trial mandates that Apple must allow all developers the option to point directly to other payment systems, in addition to Apple’s own in-app purchasing system (IAP). It’s a decision that cuts right to the heart of the roughly $19 billion a year the App Store brings in for Apple, because at the end of the day, the App Store makes most of its money off in-app purchases inside free-to-download games.It’s not a total sledgehammer to the heart of Apple’s walled garden; the ruling still maintains the App Store as the only place that users can go to to buy or download new apps, and doesn’t challenge Apple’s 30 percent cut of those... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The pace of change is quickening even as Apple tries to stop it Continue reading…

Image: Porsche AG Porsche is taking inspiration from the world of esports and livestreaming for its next racecar concept. The all-electric Porsche Mission R, first introduced at this weeks’ 2021 IAA Mobility conference in Munich, is what Porsche believes is “the future of customer motorsport.”According to Porsche, the Mission R is designed to create “new ways for fans and driver to interact.” The car features a mostly glass roof — reminiscent of consumer EVs like the Tesla Model 3 or Porsche’s own Taycan — so the driver can be viewed from above during the entirety of race. Inside there are mounted cameras for the driver’s helmet, a movable camera on the car’s A-pillar, and a backward-facing dashboard cam so fans can get up close and personal. Porsche... Continue reading…

Image: Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz has shown off the electric Maybach EQS, an opulent concept car that the company says is a preview of what the future of high-end electric cars may look like. The company revealed the EV SUV at the IAA Mobility show, where it also announced a G-Class SUV concept, and a more attainable electric sedan.When compared to the existing Maybach GLS, the EQS concept doesn’t look particularly outlandish. Mercedes says that the one-off vehicle is based on its modular electric architecture — the same that powers its upcoming EQS sedan. The company says that the concept is meant to show off its vision for “a locally emission-free future,” without giving up the exclusivity and luxury that the Maybach name implies — Mercedes says the... Continue reading…

Over a dozen vehicles from the 2015 cult classic Mad Max: Fury Road are being put up for a virtual auction. The vehicles will be available for bidding in a series of auctions held by Lloyds on September 25th-26th.Reading through the descriptions of each vehicle — and hats off to the auctioneers, they really did a commendable job describing each lot — really made me want to fire up George Miller’s blood-and-sand-drenched movie for another watch. WITNESS ME!

Photo by Mark Wilson / Getty Images Amazon slammed Elon Musk’s SpaceX as a serial rule-breaker on Wednesday amid an enduring fight over the two companies’ plans to build rivaling satellite networks. The conflict, waged within lengthy filings to the Federal Communications Commission, is nothing new. But this time, Amazon sent FCC officials a laundry list of Musk’s past troubles with other regulators, mounting its most aggressive attempt yet to push back on SpaceX’s speedy timeline for deploying its broadband satellites.“Try to hold a Musk-led company to flight rules? You’re ‘fundamentally broken,’” Amazon wrote in its filing, referring to the time Musk complained that the Federal Aviation Administration’s regulatory structure slowed down SpaceX’s operations. “Try to hold a... Continue reading…

The ‘Orca’ direct air capture and storage facility, operated by Climeworks AG, in Hellisheidi, Iceland, on Tuesday, Sept. 7, 2021. | Arnaldur Halldorsson/Bloomberg via Getty Images The biggest industrial plant yet to suck tons of planet-heating carbon dioxide out of the air came online yesterday in southwest Iceland. Direct air capture plants like this one have been hyped up lately by world leaders and giant corporations — notably Microsoft — that are looking to erase their legacy of greenhouse gas pollution.This particular operation is ideally located to test the emerging technology. The new plant, built by Swiss company Climeworks, is powered by renewable energy from a geothermal power plant nearby. Climeworks also plans to lock the captured CO2 away in basalt rock formations just three kilometers from the geothermal plant. It’s a storage plan that likely bypasses the need for controversial new carbon dioxide... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge YouTube is cutting the number of subscribers you need to be able to make Community posts in half, the company announced Thursday. Starting October 12th, instead of requiring 1,000 subscribers, you’ll need more than 500 subscribers. In a tweet, YouTube said that will open up the feature to “millions” more channels.

Spotify is rolling out a new feature called “Enhance,” which will automatically spiff up your playlists with recommended songs that (theoretically) fit in with your music’s existing style and theme.The feature works through a new Enhance button that now appears at the top of playlists. Tap it to toggle it on, which causes Spotify’s algorithm to automatically add recommended songs that it thinks will fit into your playlist. Enhance-recommended songs will be marked with a bright green sparkles icon to indicate that they weren’t part of your original list and can be added permanently by tapping the plus button that appears next to the song.Spotify’s algorithm is here to spice up your playlists with new songsSongs added through Enhance... Continue reading…

Hands-on with Facebook and Ray-Ban’s first pair of smart glasses Continue reading…

Image: Lego Lego’s latest Mario-themed set is a giant homage to Super Mario 64, a giant question mark block that unfolds to reveal four levels from the Nintendo 64 game: Peach’s Castle; Bob-omb Battlefield; Cool, Cool Mountain; and Lethal Lava Trouble. The “Lego Super Mario 64 ? Block set,” to use its official title, is made up of over two thousand pieces and will cost $169.99 when it goes on sale in Lego’s stores on October 1st.From the trailer released today, the set looks great: four blocky dioramas of a game that itself looks pretty blocky by modern standards. But I have to split hairs and point out that, as far as I’m aware, the question mark block never actually appears in Super Mario 64. Seriously, go back and look at screenshots if you... Continue reading…

Microsoft is debuting its first ad campaign for Windows 11 today. The 60-second TV commercial is set to “All Starts Now” by Odessa and features the new Microsoft Store, Master Chief from the world of Halo, Microsoft Teams, and more.Explaining what a new version of Windows will bring to consumers is never easy, and Microsoft has opted for a similar approach to its first Xbox Series X commercial. An actress walks through walls of apps and selects Xbox Game Pass, which triggers Master Chief to appear and blast a Halo banshee out of the sky. Image: Microsoft Master Chief appears and blows up a Halo banshee. The new bloom default wallpaper in Windows 11 also appears, alongside the built-in Microsoft Teams... Continue reading…

Roll through mazes as an inanimate Sega console because why not? | Sega September 9th marks the anniversary of the US launch of Sega’s Dreamcast, its final console before the company pivoted completely to game development and publishing in the early aughts. Sega is honoring the Dreamcast, along with the Game Gear and Saturn, in the most illogical, but hilarious way by adding them as playable characters in the upcoming Super Monkey Ball Banana Mania.

Stephen Brashear/Getty Images Microsoft is shelving its plans to fully reopen its US offices next month. The software giant had planned to reopen its headquarters on October 4th, but the ongoing uncertainty of COVID-19 and the spike in cases has forced the company to delay its back to the office push. Microsoft isn’t providing a new date to employees, though.“Given the uncertainty of COVID-19, we’ve decided against attempting to forecast a new date for a full reopening of our US work sites in favor of opening US work sites as soon as we’re able to do so safely based on public health guidance,” explains Jared Spataro, Microsoft’s corporate vice president of modern work.This latest delay follows a number of postponements this year to fully reopen Microsoft’s offices.... Continue reading…

Microsoft Teams with Apple CarPlay support. | Image: Microsoft Microsoft is continuing to improve the remote meeting experience in Microsoft Teams with better camera support and other improvements that will let you stay in meetings 24/7, if you choose.After rolling out Together Mode last year, and a vision for the future of meetings earlier this year, Microsoft Teams will soon be updated to support intelligent cameras. These cameras will be supplied by partners like Jabra, Neat, Poly, and Yealink and will enable AI-powered active speaker tracking, multiple video streams, and people recognition.They’re the type of cameras that can actually deliver on some of Microsoft’s promises for the future of meetings, enabling cameras in meeting rooms to use audio, facial movements, and gestures to detect... Continue reading…

Google has released a new teaser trailer for its upcoming Pixel 6 that includes several shots of the smartphone being used in the real world. The footage comes a little over a month after Google released its first official images of the upcoming device, which were limited to renders rather than actual photographs.Over on its Instagram page, Google has also teased the phone in a new post which may give some hints about when its official launch might take place beyond “this fall.” As Android Police points out, the clock widgets in these images show the date as “Tue 19th.” And yes, the 19th of October falls on a Tuesday. That’s a little later than when Google announced the Pixel 5 last year (September 30th), but it’s definitely the right... Continue reading…

Image: Roku Roku’s first feature-length film is Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas, a TV movie based off the NBC show Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, the company has announced. The film will be available free on the ad-supported Roku Channel in the US this holiday season, as well as in Canada and the UK. The film will be directed by Richard Shepard (who directed the show’s original pilot), and written and executive produced by the show’s creator Austin Winsberg.Zoey’s Extraordinary Christmas marks the latest step in Roku’s foray into original content, which kicked off with its acquisition of defunct streaming service Quibi’s library earlier this year. Since then it’s launched its own Roku Recommends show, and has ordered additional seasons of ex-Quibi... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Moderators say smaller groups are helping them block trolls and build community Continue reading…

BMW’s two concept e-bikes envision geofencing to limit speeds inside cities. | Image: BMW BMW recently showed off not one, but two e-bike concepts. The announcements are sprinkled with tons of gee-whiz claims that are easy to make when something only lives on paper, not roads. But one idea stood out to me as a real solution: the use of geofencing to limit fast e-bike speeds inside congested cities. Especially since BMW already has a working geofencing solution deployed around Europe.In Europe at least, fast e-bikes known as speed-pedelecs (or Class 3 e-bikes in the US) are capable of going 45km/h (28mph), just like BMW’s new concept bikes, the BMW i Vision AMBY and BMW Motorrad Vision AMBY.BMW sees the i Vision as a pedal-assisted e-bike fitted with a massive 2,000Wh battery that’s “fast charging,” naturally, for a range... Continue reading…

Blocks? Chains? How does this whole thing work? Continue reading…

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Microsoft is starting to test the ability for TV remotes to navigate around the Xbox dashboard. A new version of the Xbox dashboard for Xbox Series S / X consoles is being tested with selected Xbox Insiders, and it enables new HDMI-CEC features that let ordinary TV remote controls navigate around the Xbox dashboard and control streaming apps like Netflix.While the Xbox Series S / X consoles have had some HDMI-CEC features to control TV volume or turn on TVs when an Xbox boots up, these new additions mean you won’t have to reach for an Xbox controller if you just want to watch content from Netflix, Twitch, YouTube, or many other streaming apps.

Facebook and Ray-Ban are set to announce their smart glasses collaboration later today, September 9th, and right on cue Evan “Evleaks” Blass has posted a ton of alleged photos of the product lineup. The glasses are called Ray-Ban Stories, and other than the box it doesn’t look like Facebook branding appears anywhere on the product.Evleaks’ images include three distinct frame styles — Wayfarer, Round, and Meteor — and they all look pretty close to the classic Ray-Ban designs. The difference, of course, is the presence of two cameras by the hinges on either side. There’s also a button along the top of the right temple, which could potentially be used to operate the cameras. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg previously said of... Continue reading…

The dog poop avoiding feature is only available on the new Roomba j7+. | Image: iRobot Using a robot vacuum has always been a bit hazardous for pet owners. Leaving a robovac to do its thing in your absence can be a problem if your less-than-perfectly-trained dog or cat also does its thing while you’re out. A quick Google of “Roomba dog poop” gives you some idea of what the outcome can be, as unheeding robots with spinning brushes barrel into the mess and proceed to spread it liberally around the house.But now, Roomba-maker iRobot say it’s fixed this scatological problem. The company’s latest robovac, the Roomba j7+, uses built-in machine vision and AI to identify and avoid pet messes of all sorts. “It’s a big deal for us,” iRobot founder and CEO Colin Angle tells The Verge. “We’ve been working on it for a long time and... Continue reading…

Today, Google released the final Android 12 beta before the OS properly launches, and with it a few of the visual changes and features we saw back when Android 12 was announced. Some of the notable inclusions in Beta 5 are the lovely geometric clock widgets, a redesigned calculator, and a new lock screen shortcut.The clock app has also gotten some tweaks, according to 9to5Google, with an updated design, new animations, and (of course) colors that are responsive to your phone’s theme.9to5Google also reports that Beta 5 brings the promised Material You overhaul for the calculator app as well, complete with pastel colors and more playful buttons. Here’s new vs. old: Image: Google The new design of Calculator 8.0... Continue reading…

Elizabeth Holmes, outside the courtroom | David Odisho / Getty Who is Elizabeth Holmes, really? Continue reading…

The Nerf Hyper Rush-40. Are these new blasters really the future of Nerf? Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Google reached a settlement with a fired employee who the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) claims was let go from the company for his workplace activism, Bloomberg reports. The employee, Laurence Berland, was fired in 2019 allegedly for violating Google’s data security policies. He had been a vocal critic of Google’s work with the US Customs and Border Protection and was terminated amid internal organizing.The settlement was approved in July by the NLRB, though the terms haven’t been revealed, according to Bloomberg. Google hasn’t replied to a request for comment from The Verge.The NLRB has accused Google of violating labor law in firing Berland and four other workers in 2019 over organizing activities and is still battling Google... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Robinhood is rolling out a new feature that lets you automatically invest in cryptocurrencies on a daily, weekly, or monthly schedule. The investment app says this service will let you automatically invest in things like Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dogecoin, and other supported cryptocurrencies without a commission fee.Before we go any further, though, I should warn you that nothing in this article is qualified or expert financial advice. It’s probably wise to talk with an expert who can help you come up with an investment strategy that’s right for you.Robinhood’s approach here is automatic investing, not trading. It won’t sell the crypto for you when an algorithm decides it’d make financial sense to do so. Instead, it’s just steadily building... Continue reading…

Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Netflix Netflix is doubling down on TikTok star Addison Rae with a new multi-picture film deal that could see the social media celebrity bringing even more eyes to the streaming service, As part of the deal, Netflix will develop projects specifically for Rae to star in and executive produce (via Variety).The motivation seems to be the early success of He’s All That, the gender-swapped remake of She’s All That, which was first announced in September 2020. The company projects the film will be watched by more than 55 million households in the first month of release and says it reached #1 on the company’s chart “in 78 countries, including Brazil, France, and Saudi Arabia.” Critical reception to He’s All That has been mixed, from surprisingly... Continue reading…

Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images The Los Angeles Police Department asked officers to gather social media information as a standard part of their interviews with civilians, whether or not the people were implicated in a crime. The practice, revealed in public records obtained by the Brennan Center for Justice, is part of a larger LAPD social media monitoring strategy — one that’s similar to other US police department policies but may go beyond them.As the Brennan Center notes, a 2015 memo from LAPD Police Chief Charlie Beck told the department that “similar to a nickname or an alias, a person’s online persona or identity used for social media and communication can be highly beneficial to investigations and possibly even future outreach programs.” Beck said that officers... Continue reading…

Jeff Bezos speaks during a news conference at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2019. | Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg via Getty Images Jeff Bezos’ $10 billion Earth Fund just doled out millions more in funding to groups fighting off climate change. This time, a lot of the cash is going to groups that advocate for communities of color and low-income neighborhoods, which often face the first and worst effects of climate change and fossil fuel pollution.The fund announced a total of $203.7 million in new grants today. Of that, more than $53 million will go toward communications on climate change and efforts to cut emissions from businesses. Another $20 million will go to groups focused on climate justice — a movement to stop climate change from taking a disproportionate toll on already marginalized communities.A movement to stop climate change from taking a... Continue reading…

The James Webb Space Telescope, humanity’s next big space-bound eye on the cosmos, has a new launch date of December 18th, NASA announced on Wednesday. It’s the latest among dozens of other delays for a telescope that was originally planned to go to space as early as 2007.The $8.8 billion observatory, named after NASA’s second administrator, is a tennis court-sized successor to NASA’s famed Hubble telescope. Its 18 hexagonal gold-plated mirrors will allow the spacecraft to view distant planets and the far reaches of the universe with a level of detail that far surpasses Hubble’s capabilities.Astronomers have been looking forward to the telescope’s launch for years, but its development has been set back by years of delays, development... Continue reading…

Fitness company Whoop has a new tracker that squishes five LEDs, four photodiodes, a pulse oximeter, skin temperature sensor, and more into a package that is 33 percent smaller than its predecessor — all while still offering five days of battery life. But a particular change to the tracker’s battery chemistry is one of the biggest reasons Whoop was able to do all this in the first place.The change was pioneered by a Silicon Valley company called Sila Nanotechnologies, which was co-founded in 2011 by Gene Berdichevsky, one of Tesla’s earliest employees. And it’s one that, if it scales up, could help break some of the biggest limitations currently facing lithium-ion technology.On paper, it’s a simple change: the battery’s anode is now... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase seems to have some issues with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) over a planned feature that lets people lend cryptocurrency through its platform. In a Medium post on Tuesday, Coinbase’s chief legal officer wrote that the regulatory agency threatened to sue the company if it launched the feature. Coinbase’s CEO posted a Twitter thread on Tuesday evening saying that the SEC wasn’t clear about what it wanted.According to Coinbase’s CEO, Brian Armstrong, the company told the SEC about its new Lend feature as a courtesy but didn’t anticipate pushback, based on his impression that similar features exist on other platforms. However, according to Armstrong, the SEC informed the company that the lend... Continue reading…

Kevin Paffrath wants to be the candidate for the /r/wallstreetbets voter Continue reading…

Image: Appcessori Corporation As cool as videoconferencing hardware can look, it’s often exorbitantly expensive — the $2,000 Series One Desk 27 for Google Meet being a perfect example. Luckily, alongside that expensive Meet machine, Google also announced its “Designed for Google Meet” program and a more affordable first entry, the Rayz Rally Pro. It’s a $200 Nest Mini-like phone speaker that doubles as a microphone for Google Meet calls.The Rayz Rally Pro comes in a gray-tone fabric-covered body that looks a bit like Google’s smart speakers but with a phone dock carveout. The speaker dock comes in two varieties: a Lightning connector iPhone model and a Google Pixel version that should work with any USB-C phone. Both versions can work as a Bluetooth speaker,... Continue reading…

Existing Xbox One controllers. | Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge Microsoft is starting to test a new firmware update for existing Xbox One, Xbox Elite 2, and Xbox Adaptive Controllers today that will bring some important improvements to existing hardware. The biggest addition is the ability to quickly switch between paired devices on an Xbox controller, and Microsoft is also adding Dynamic Latency Input (DLI) to improve input latency on older controllers.This new firmware update includes Bluetooth Low Energy support for compatible controllers. Most of Microsoft’s existing Xbox One controllers include Bluetooth support for use on smartphones or PCs, but the controllers connect to Xbox consoles through the Xbox Wireless protocol. This new firmware will now make it easier to switch between the two,... Continue reading…