The Verge

Blizzard says that the Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks that were overwhelming its servers with coordinated traffic are over, and that you should be able to log into Battle.net again. During the almost hour-long Wednesday evening attack, you may have experienced serious issues trying to get onto the online service underpinning Overwatch, Call of Duty: Warzone, Hearthstone, Diablo’s online features and more.

Photo by Joshua Bessex/Getty Images It has been less than a year since NBA Top Shot served as an introduction for many sports fans into the world of NFTs, and now the NFL is lining up a similar arrangement. In September, the league announced a partnership with the company that runs Top Shot, Dapper Labs, and now we know the name of the service that will distribute the video highlight clips that make up the “Moments” that become NFTs: NFL All Day.This effort is separate from the Ticketmaster-powered NFTs that the NFL is tying to selected games this season (like the Lions’ annual Thanksgiving appearance on national TV), but launching the branding now doesn’t feel like a coincidence. There will be many blockchain and NFT discussions amongst family members on Thursday,... Continue reading…

One of 13 remaining copies of the Official Edition of the Constitution. | Image: Sotheby’s As of last Thursday night, ConstitutionDAO found itself in possession of around $49.8 million it wasn’t able to spend. The group’s organizers only had a mandate to spend the crowdfunded money on one thing — a rare copy of the US Constitution that they failed to win at auction — so instead of trying to get community approval to use the money toward some other goal, they instead began the process of returning the funds to backers.Returning that much money has been a tricky process, though. Backers have to manually request refunds, so even a week later, tens of millions of dollars are still sitting in ConstitutionDAO’s pockets. And because all of the money was collected in Ether, and sending funds over Ethereum incurs high transaction... Continue reading…

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Updated 5:33PM ET, November 24th: Amazon now has an actual price cut on the 128GB model, dropping from $299.99 to $249.99. Not only can you currently get this price, but entering OCULUS50 at checkout will earn you a $50 Amazon credit.The Oculus Quest 2 standalone VR headset is a great value at its regular $299.99 price. It comes with 128GB of onboard storage, and once you log in with your Facebook account, there’s little else standing in your way of finding some amazing virtual reality experiences and games. It’s even more of an appealing holiday gift idea right now because you can get one with a $50 gift card tossed in at no extra charge through Black Friday until Saturday, November 27th. Several retailers are honoring this promotion,... Continue reading…

THE BRONX, NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK, UNITED STATES - 2015/11/20: Gold shovels surround tree to be planted at Joyce Kilmer Park. | Photo by Andy Katz/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images Trees have become a contentious piece of Democrats’ Build Back Better Act, the budget reconciliation bill that encompasses sweeping social and environmental programs. Congressional Republicans have seized on the $3 billion in the proposed nearly $2 trillion bill earmarked for planting trees, with a focus on boosting ‘tree equity’ — despite the fact that this is a strategy that experts say could reduce health disparities in cities.While opponents have called the tree equity provisions an indicator of Democrats’ “reckless spending spree” and a “waste [of] even more taxpayer dollars,” in reality, disparities in tree coverage across American cities are a huge problem that affects heat exposure, air quality and more, with serious... Continue reading…

Elf is one of 10 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade NFTs up for auction. | Image: Macy’s Macy’s department stores might be closed this Thanksgiving, but that doesn’t mean the company has run out of things to sell. The retailer is auctioning off 10 one-of-a-kind NFTs to mark the 95th year of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.Each NFT references a parade balloon from decades past, going back to a black and white toy soldier from the 1920s. Also featured is an elf character from the 2000s and a spaceman from the 1950s, who lost an arm in the 1955 parade after colliding with a lamppost (the NFT version is fully inflated). Proceeds from the auction benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation, with current bids generating tens of thousands of dollars. The auction ends on November 30th.In addition to the 10 unique NFTs, Macy’s is... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (or FDIC), and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) have issued a joint statement announcing a plan to clarify the rules and regulations around how banks can use cryptocurrencies over the next year (via Bloomberg).The agencies say they’re focusing on setting expectations for what banks can do when it comes to holding crypto, allowing customers to obtain crypto, issuing their own stablecoins (or cryptocurrencies whose value is tied to a fiat currency like the US dollar), and taking crypto as collateral for loans and keeping it on their balance sheets. According to the letter, the goal is to make sure consumers are protected and that banks act responsibly. The... Continue reading…

Dragon Age 4 has lost its senior creative director. According to a report from Kotaku, Matt Goldman left BioWare after working at the Mass Effect, Anthem, and Knights of the Old Republic developer for four years. In an email shared with Kotaku, BioWare general manager Gary McKay wrote, “We understand that Matt’s departure has an impact on you, as well as the game’s development. Rest assured our commitment to a high-quality Dragon Age game has not wavered, and we will not ship a game that is not up to BioWare’s standards.”A BioWare spokesperson also commented on Goldman’s departure to The Verge, saying, “He leaves the next Dragon Age game in excellent hands, with the team here at the studio who will carry forward our vision for the... Continue reading…

3LAU, aka Justin Blau, performing in 2016 in New York City. | Photo by Brian Killian/Getty Images One big knock on cryptocurrencies is that they’re a technology in search of a problem. Venture capitalists want to put everything on the blockchain and generate big returns, but why not just use a database instead? To skeptics, everything else in the space looks like noise — a bunch of grifters and try-hards changing their Twitter profile pictures to pixelated punks and apes in an effort to eventually flip those NFTs to a greater fool.But even as my mentions and direct messages fill up with readers fulminating about crypto — last week, after this piece, a paid subscriber wrote to me telling me he hopes that I die! — good and useful new things keep revealing themselves. Like a video game that pays you to play it. Or a series of free NFTs... Continue reading…

Verizon CEO Hans Vestberg at CES 2019. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge As the Federal Aviation Administration continues examining whether mid-band 5G spectrum could pose a risk to aircraft safety systems, Verizon and AT&T have offered to dial back the power coming from 5G cell towers for a period of six months to ease any industry concerns. Both carriers are preparing to launch crucial upgrades to their respective 5G networks using spectrum acquired in the C-band auction. This will lead to more robust 5G connectivity and faster speeds compared to the base-level 5G experience that Verizon and AT&T currently offer today.In early November, both companies agreed to push back the rollout by an additional month to January 2022. In a letter sent to the FCC today, they made clear that they’ll be moving forward... Continue reading…

Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge If you’re a long-time Android user, you’re used to long-pressing the power button to (logically) power your phone on or off. For a while, long-pressing the button while the phone was on also enabled you to restart it, lock it down, or signal an emergency. (For a short time during Android 10, you could also use it to take screenshots.)So you may have been a little perturbed if, after you upgraded your phone to Android 12, you found that long-pressing the power button did not bring up the shut-down menu but instead activated Google Assistant. This is something that was instituted with the new version of the OS, and it’s supposed to be A Good Thing. Long-pressing the power button can bring up this menu... ... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Instagram chief Adam Mosseri will testify before Congress for the first time next month, as first reported by The New York Times on Wednesday.Mosseri’s December testimony follows months of scrutiny from Senate lawmakers concerned over how Facebook can harm the mental health of young users. Since Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen leaked internal Facebook reports to the Wall Street Journal earlier this year, senators have held a series of hearings on how products like Instagram can encourage self-injurious behaviors in teens, especially in young women.The Senate Commerce Committee’s consumer protection subcommittee held its first hearing in this series in September with Facebook global head of safety Antigone Davis. Responding to the... Continue reading…

On Wednesday, Virgin Galactic announced its first sweepstakes winner that the space tourism company is sending to space. The winner, Keisha S. (her last name is being withheld by the company), is a health coach from Antigua and Barbuda. She will be the first person from the Caribbean islands to visit space and hopes to bring her daughter, who studies astrophysics, on the spacecraft with her as her guest.“I’ve always had a lifelong love of flying and a fascination with space.”“I’ve always had a lifelong love of flying and a fascination with space,” Keisha said in a press release. “This is truly a dream come true for me.”The sweepstakes was done in partnership with Omaze, a fundraising company, and Space for Humanity, a nonprofit that... Continue reading…

Ring has built the perfect smart home hub for most people... just not for me Continue reading…

The Amazon Echo Show family of smart displays. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge From Alexa to Google, the best smart displays to buy right now Continue reading…

Roku LE, or is it SE? | Image: Roku Ever since it appeared as the original Netflix streaming box, Roku has delivered internet video via box, stick, or embedded TV software. However, for Black Friday this year, Roku is releasing its cheapest device that I can remember seeing, the $15 Roku LE Streaming Player.Buying the remote by itself costs $15It’s a 1080p-only box that does exactly what you’d expect from a Roku player, but it will only be available from Walmart.com today and in Walmart stores on the 26th. We don’t have detailed specs, but it’s the same box Roku offered last year on Black Friday for $17, which has been selling at Walmart for $30 or so ever since as the Roku SE.For Roku and Walmart, it doesn’t really matter where this box came from. Walmart gets a cheap... Continue reading…

The Port of Long Beach in Long Beach, California, U.S., on Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021. | Bing Guan/Bloomberg via Getty Images Holiday shopping and broken supply chains have made a pollution crisis worse Continue reading…

The Galaxy S21 Ultra’s four rear cameras. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Samsung has released a new camera app in beta that lets you use Pro Mode across all four of the Galaxy S21 Ultra’s rear cameras. That means it’s supported on both telephoto cameras, rather than being limited to just its main and ultrawide sensors. The new Expert RAW app has been released in the South Korean Galaxy Store, but tipster FrontTron has an APK available to download if you’d like to sideload it. It only seems to be available for the S21 Ultra for now, on devices running Android 12.The new app overcomes a limitation of the Galaxy S21 Ultra, which is that its stock camera’s Pro Mode is only available with two out of its four rear cameras (aka the 108-megapixel main camera and 12-megapixel ultrawide, but not the 10-megapixel 10x... Continue reading…

Image: Roblox Game and social platform Roblox has sued a YouTube creator it banned from the platform over harassment and sexual content, saying he amassed a “mob” that temporarily shut down its October developers conference. The Roblox Corporation filed a complaint against Benjamin Robert Simon, also known as Ruben Sim, for breaching its user contract and violating anti-hacking laws. “Defendant Simon is the leader of a ‘cybermob’ that with malice, fraud, and oppression, commits and encourages unlawful acts designed to injure Roblox and its users,” the suit claims, seeking $1.65 million in damages.Polygon initially reported the existence of the California lawsuit this morning. In it, Roblox says it banned Simon for attempting to upload a near-nude... Continue reading…

Google’s Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are big, slippery phones that can benefit from a good case | Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge As wonderful as the new Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are, their smooth glass backs are extremely slippery, as Dan Seifert mentioned in his review. And the official Google frosted recycled plastic cases are not great solutions, thanks to their cheap feel and still slippery finish. So, where does that leave you, the new owner of Google’s flagship phone? You can’t just leave your pristine new phone naked. That’s why we’ve rounded up some third-party cases that befit the Pixel’s unique design, whether you’re looking for a case for yourself or gifting a case to a new Pixel 6 owner. Just be aware that cases may be out of stock or slow to ship, so you’ll need a lot of luck and patience to find your ideal case this holiday season. Continue reading…

Photo by The Verge Back in February 2020, we ran an article explaining how to use the handy call screening functionality that Google had introduced for its Pixel phones. Screen Call, Google’s screening app, allows you to screen calls for numbers you don’t recognize (or people you don’t particularly want to talk to).Nearly two years later, and with Android 12, the company has added some useful features that can not only save you from having to deal with spam calls but can keep you from having to deal with the tedious and frustrating process of working through call menus. And some of them are available even if you don’t have a Pixel.How does call screening work? When you get a phone call from someone who is not in your contact list, you get a “Screen... Continue reading…

Illustration by Richard Parry Help your loved ones stay healthy and happy with gifts suitable for all budgets Continue reading…

Fortnite’s next big in-game event won’t just mark the end of the latest season — it’ll also draw chapter 2 to a close as well. Called, appropriately, “The End,” the one-time-only event will take place on December 4th at 4PM ET. Developer Epic describes it as “one last stand for the fate of the island,” suggesting that players will soon be playing on a brand-new map.Fortnite’s last chapter-ending event was arguably its most ambitious, when a black hole destroyed the battle royale’s original island, taking the game offline for several days before chapter 2 emerged. There are no hints as to what chapter 3 might look like when it debuts in early December.This season has been building towards some kind of cataclysmic event from the... Continue reading…

The Elecjet Apollo Ultra graphene battery charges five times faster than conventional power banks. | Photo by Thomas Ricker / The Verge The Elecjet Apollo Ultra power bank charges five times faster than conventional battery packs Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Black Friday sales are in full swing, and now some popular streaming services are starting to join the party. Through November 29th, both new and returning customers who qualify for the deal can enjoy 12 months of Hulu’s ad-supported streaming service for just $1 per month. Typically $7 per month — or $84 per year — that equates to a $72 discount or about 85 percent off. While you’ll see an ad popping up every now and then with this plan, you can still access all of Hulu’s TV shows and movies on your TV, streaming box, tablet, laptop, console, and other devices. Two people are also allowed to simultaneously stream on this plan as well, and you can have up to six users profiles.While newcomers to Hulu shouldn’t face any obstacles in... Continue reading…

Verge wireframe logomark T-shirt. We relaunched The Verge Merch Store a month ago for our 10th anniversary — and now, we’re giving Verge fans an extra special treat for Black Friday / Cyber Monday.Now through 11:59PM ET on Monday, November 29th, use promo code VERGEBF at checkout to get 20 percent off your purchase on our online store. Treat someone special — including yourself! — to Verge merch this holiday season.We love hearing from all of you about what kinds of items you’d like to see added to the store next, so be sure to leave a comment below with your requests. Coffee mugs? Baby onesies? Tote bags? Bandanas? Mouse pads? You tell us!Check out all of our Black Friday coverage here — and don’t forget to subscribe to our Verge Deals newsletter for all of the... Continue reading…

Tying your content to hardware may not be such a great idea in the long run. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge When gyms and fitness boutiques closed their doors in early 2020, it was fitness tech’s moment to shine. Stuck at home, people needed new ways to stay active — and for many, that meant stepping into the world of connected fitness. Nintendo Ring Fit Adventure was impossible to find. Fitness influencers turned to Instagram to broadcast live workouts. Even big tech companies started getting into wearables or launching their own on-demand fitness services. But no one had a year quite like Peloton.Ironically, Peloton started 2020 as the butt of everyone’s jokes thanks to a terrible holiday commercial gone viral. Nobody was laughing a few short months later. When lockdowns began, Peloton started by offering a free 90-day trial to its app —... Continue reading…

The sticker maker lets you crop out a background, and add extra flourishes like emoji. | Image: WhatsApp WhatsApp’s web version has been updated with a built-in custom Sticker Maker, which lets you turn ordinary images from your computer into stickers that can be sent via the messaging service. To access it, click the paperclip (attachments) icon, select Sticker, and then pick an image to upload. As well as WhatsApp’s web version, the feature is also coming to its Desktop apps in the next week.Once uploaded, images can be edited to turn them into the perfect sticker. An outline can be drawn around a picture’s subject to cut out the background, and images can also be cropped (though always in a square aspect ratio). Emoji, text, and additional WhatsApp stickers can also be layered on top of your sticker creations.Being able to make your... Continue reading…

Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge If you’re hunting for an Xbox Series X, you might want to check your email inbox. Microsoft has been emailing out special links over the past week to the Microsoft Store, that let you directly order an Xbox Series X bundle. Microsoft says it has a “limited supply of Xbox Series X bundles” that are available to “valued Microsoft customers” in the US.The emails are addressed to Microsoft Store customers, and bundles are available on a first-come and first-serve basis. Microsoft is limiting orders to one bundle per order, or two bundles per 30-day period. The links to order a bundle are unique and tied to a Microsoft Account, and don’t always guarantee that stock is available for a purchase.

The latest game to come to Netflix’s fledgling gaming service is the racing title Asphalt Xtreme, TechCrunch reports. If that name sounds familiar, that’s because the mobile game was originally released in October 2016 but was subsequently pulled from app stores at the end of September 2021. A trailer for the game released on Netflix’s YouTube channel notes that it will be available “exclusively” for the service’s subscribers, with no ads or in-app purchases.It’s an interesting launch that sees Netflix’s gaming service borrowing from its video streaming playbook. Rather than exclusively releasing all-new, original titles, Netflix seems to be bulking out its catalog by licensing previously released games. Same as how Netflix’s video... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Twitter has updated its iOS app to prevent those annoying situations where tweets disappear as you’re trying to read them, the company has announced. “Now when you pause your timeline scrolling to look at a Tweet, it should stay put!” the company tweeted.The updates made on iOS follow similar improvements made on the web version of Twitter last week. Twitter explained that tweets can disappear when replies are being added to an ongoing conversation, because this would push existing tweets up the timeline. “We know it’s a frustrating experience, so we’re working on changing it,” the company said in September.

But you need to really hate the look of televisions Continue reading…

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Apple is planning to partner with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. for the production of its own 5G modems for future iPhones, according to a new report in Nikkei. Apple is said to be planning to use TSMC’s 4nm process node, which hasn’t yet been deployed for any commercial product; the modem is apparently being designed and tested at 5nm before moving to mass production in 2023 at 4nm.Apple’s switch to modems of its own design is widely expected to happen in 2023, and TSMC is the natural manufacturing partner. Qualcomm, which is the dominant player in the industry and produces modem components for the entire iPhone 13 lineup, recently said that it expects to account for just 20 percent of iPhone modem orders in two years’ time.A... Continue reading…

Image: JRR Token It seems our prediction that a Lord of the Rings-themed “JRR Token” cryptocurrency was destined for the fires of Mount Doom was accurate — the World Intellectual Property Organization (or WIPO) has declared that it violated a trademark belonging to the estate of author J.R.R. Tolkien, and ordered that one of the project’s web domains be transferred to that estate (via the Financial Times).If you’re unfamiliar with JRR Token (not Tolkien), here’s the lore — it was a cryptocurrency project that drew heavy inspiration from The Lord of the Rings. Its tagline was “The One Token That Rules Them All,” its website featured Tolkien-esque imagery of rolling hills and wizards, and there was even a promotional video featuring an actor from the... Continue reading…

Photo by Ethan Swope/Getty Images Holmes confesses to a passion for graphic design Continue reading…

Twitter verified a fake account for Norway’s new Minister of Finance, but apparently, it’s not Twitter’s fault. As first reported by Norwegian tech site NRKbeta, the Prime Minister’s Office and Norway’s Security Authority (NSM) mistakenly passed along a fake account for verification.

Image: BioWare According to a report by Deadline, Amazon isn’t relying on the just-launched Wheel of Time series and its upcoming Lord of the Rings show to pull in sci-fi/fantasy viewers. The entertainment news outlet reports that Amazon is “nearing a deal to develop a series” based on the Mass Effect games.While Electronic Arts and BioWare have not announced a series, there have been more than a few hints. Earlier this year, the project director for EA’s remastered Mass Effect: Legendary Edition trilogy set told Business Insider that it’s “not a matter of if, but when” a movie or TV show project appears relating to the game.There was also that interesting Instagram post in February from Henry Cavill, who may want to add male Commander Shepard to his... Continue reading…

Samsung already has a presence in Austin, Texas. | Image: Samsung Samsung officially announced a new advanced chip-making plant in Texas, that’s estimated to cost around $17 billion and could create 1,800 jobs, as reported previously by The Wall Street Journal. The new plant will be located in the city of Taylor, roughly 30 miles away from Austin, where Samsung has an existing facility. The new site is roughly 1,200 acres in size, making it larger than Samsung’s Austin plant, the WSJ notes. Image: Samsung Samsung Austin Semiconductor — The new plant will be even larger than this Kinam Kim, the vice chairman and CEO of Samsung Electronics Device Solutions Division says in a statement that “With greater manufacturing capacity, we will be able to better serve the needs of our... Continue reading…

Image: Apple Apple’s digital driver’s license / ID feature won’t be coming until “early 2022,” according to an update to Apple’s iOS 15 page that MacRumors noticed. The change comes after news broke that Apple was looking for strict control over how states roll out the feature, which was previously listed as coming late this year.Originally announced at WWDC 2021, Apple says that the feature will let you use its Wallet app to store your digital identification for use at airport security checkpoints. Of course, the system is dependent on your state supporting it — the company announced that Arizona and Georgia would be the first to let citizens add their licenses to their phones (with Connecticut, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, Oklahoma, and Utah... Continue reading…

Image: Nintendo Chris Pratt’s voice as Mario is “phenomenal,” says one of the men who has the most to gain if that’s true. But Pratt likely won’t be putting on Mario’s familiar fake Italian accent for the majority of the film.When asked to defend the casting of Chris Pratt (a white American man best known as the Guardians of the Galaxy’s Star-Lord) as Mario (a denizen of the Mushroom Kingdom previously voiced by a white American man of French descent attempting to sound like an Italian plumber from Brooklyn at the request of the character’s Japanese creators, just so we’re clear), producer and Illumination CEO Chris Meledandri suggested to TooFab that it’s OK because:

Funko Pop is teaming up with ViacomCBS for its latest “Digital Pop” NFT collectibles, with a new series of blockchain-based cards featuring classic Star Trek characters.Funko’s “Digital Pop” NFTs aren’t a new thing: they’ve been around since July, and the new Star Trek ones are just the latest incarnation. And as is the case with the other Digital Pop sets, certain specific rare NFTs cards will also include a free physical Funko Pop figure too, which is a potentially nice bonus.But there’s something uniquely depressing about Star Trek NFTs specifically, given the utopian ideals of the Federation and the very intentionally post-scarcity world in which the franchise is set. Thanks to the ubiquity of advanced technology like replicators... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Now Apple has followed WhatsApp and its parent company Meta (formerly known as Facebook) in suing Pegasus spyware maker NSO Group. Along with promising new information about how NSO Group infected targeted iPhones via a zero-click exploit that researchers later dubbed ForcedEntry, Apple says it’s “seeking a permanent injunction to ban NSO Group from using any Apple software, services, or devices.”Apple: NSO agreed to the iCloud Terms of ServiceSenior VP of software engineering Craig Federighi didn’t mention sideloading this time but says in a statement, “State-sponsored actors like the NSO Group spend millions of dollars on sophisticated surveillance technologies without effective accountability. That needs to change...Apple devices... Continue reading…

Photo by Henning Kaiser/picture alliance via Getty Images PlayStation has been hit with a lawsuit that alleges gender discrimination and wrongful termination, as first reported by Axios. According to the details of the lawsuit, former IT security analyst Emma Majo is seeking to establish a class action suit to represent other women who might’ve been affected by PlayStation’s alleged gender discrimination. The lawsuit claims that “Sony tolerates and cultivates a work environment that discriminates against female employees,” alleging that women were denied promotions and weren’t paid equally to male workers who held similar positions.This comes less than a week after PlayStation boss Jim Ryan sent out an email to employees condemning Activision Blizzard’s response to reports of CEO Bobby... Continue reading…

One of 13 remaining copies of the Official Edition of the Constitution. | Image: Sotheby’s The organizers behind ConstitutionDAO have decided to shut the group down after raising $47 million in cryptocurrency and then failing to win an auction for a rare copy of the US Constitution.Many members of ConstitutionDAO had expressed hope that the group could live on, albeit with some alternative goal given that there are currently no other famous copies of the Constitution at auction. Group leaders initially floated launching a new token for members who wanted to take part in the group’s continuation, called We The People tokens, but later backtracked, saying they should have given it more consideration. It was never made clear what, exactly, the group might focus on if it were to continue.“The community has taken all actions that... Continue reading…

The home security experts at Simplisafe are offering big discounts on their home security systems during a Black Friday sale that runs until December 1st. This sale is marking down any new security system by up to 60 percent and will throw in a free indoor camera for your trouble. (If you’re still shopping around, make sure to pay a visit to our Black Friday hub with ongoing coverage of the best early Black Friday deals.)Our own smart home expert, Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, says that “Simplisafe is a good, easy-to-use smart security system that doesn’t rely solely on an app — you can manage the whole system from its keypad. It also has a decent selection of smart home devices to add on to your system, including an excellent door lock and... Continue reading…

McMurdo Station in Antarctica | United States Antarctic Program On a volcanic rock just off the coast of Antarctica, McMurdo Station is abuzz with scientific research this time of year. Run by the US National Science Foundation, the station sees up to 1,000 visitors in the Antarctic summer from October to February, who travel here to conduct research on topics ranging from climate to ocean science.But despite its central role in Antarctic research, McMurdo is lacking something most scientists working at 21st-century laboratories take for granted: high-speed internet.McMurdo sits on the only continent that doesn’t have a high-speed fiber optic cable connection to the rest of the world. That could soon change, however.Earlier this year, the NSF began seriously exploring the possibility of building... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Mozilla announced last week via a support article that its Firefox Lockwise password manager app will reach end-of-life on December 13th. The final release versions are 1.8.1 (iOS) and 4.0.3 (Android) and will no longer be available to download or reinstall after that date.What started in 2018 as a small experimental mobile app called Lockbox ended up bringing a way to access saved passwords and perform autofills on iOS, Android, and desktop devices to a small but enthusiastic following of Firefox fans. The app was also later adapted as a Firefox extension. It seemed like it was apt to stick around for the long run. The login screen for the Lockwise app in iOS advertises Mozilla’s other active products like Mozilla VPN... Continue reading…

Polestar teased its gorgeous sedan concept, the Polestar Precept, giving it a new name — Polestar 5 — and a 2024 production date.The company first revealed the Precept in concept form back in February, with sporty intentions, a software system powered by Google’s Android, and an interior chock-full of sustainable material. This week, Polestar posted a video in which we got the closest look at the new car yet.The company first revealed the Precept in concept form back in FebruaryPolestar, which started out as the performance sub-brand of Volvo, has emerged as one of the more interesting EV companies on the market. The company, which is jointly owned by Volvo and Volvo’s parent company, Geely, recently announced plans to go public by... Continue reading…

Image: Asus The Asus ROG Phone 5S and ROG Phone 5S Pro are finally available in the US. You can snag the 5S model with 16GB of RAM for $1,099 on Amazon and Mobile Advance. The 5S model also has an option for 12GB of RAM, but there’s currently no option to order that one on either site.On the higher end of the scale, the 5S Pro packs 18GB of RAM and goes for $1,299 on Amazon and Mobile Advance. Just keep in mind that while you can get the 5S in both black and white, the 5S Pro only comes in black.Both gaming phones have the Snapdragon 888 Plus, which should offer a small boost in performance when compared to the standard Snapdragon 888 that the Asus ROG Phone 5 and 5 Ultimate come with. The 5S and 5S Pro also offer an improved 360Hz touch-sampling... Continue reading…

Photo by Phil Esposito / The Verge But for $140,000, is it worth it? Continue reading…