The Verge

This is the OLED Switch, not Nintendo’s next console. | Photo by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge The Nintendo Switch with an OLED screen isn’t even a month old, but the company is already talking about some kind of successor to its wildly popular console / handheld hybrid — although vaguely.In a presentation to investors, Nintendo hints toward some of its plans in an extremely unspecific way. The company plans to “continue to expand its business around the core concept of creating unique integrated hardware-software products,” which I’m taking to mean that the company will (brace yourself) make more video games and video game hardware in the future.On the slide, which you can see for yourself on page 41 here (PDF), Nintendo also has a timeline of some of its hardware efforts and specifically includes its “next gaming system”... Continue reading…

There’s a lot to like about this intergenerational calling device, but Amazon is a bit bossy Continue reading…

The Department of Justice has opened an investigation into struggling electric vehicle startup Workhorse, according to The Wall Street Journal. The probe is reportedly being led by the US Attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York, which often investigates financial crimes.Workhorse is already part of an investigation from the Securities and Exchange Commission that first came to light in September, when short-selling research firm Fuzzy Panda released a report accusing the EV startup of fraud. It’s the third EV startup under investigation from both agencies, following Nikola (whose founder was indicted on fraud charges earlier this year) and Lordstown Motors (which Workhorse has deep ties, too). Both of those startups came... Continue reading…

Image: Microsoft Every Friday, The Verge publishes our flagship podcast, The Vergecast, where co-hosts Nilay Patel and Dieter Bohn discuss the week in tech news with the reporters and editors covering the biggest stories.This week on The Vergecast, The Verge’s Nilay Patel, Dieter Bohn, Alex Cranz, and Tom Warren discuss Microsoft’s take on the metaverse at the Ignite event this past week.In the next segment, Verge editor Chris Welch joins the show to discuss his review of the Beats Fit Pro and how they may have the AirPods Pro beat.In segment three, the crew discusses Apple senior vice president Craig Federighi’s speech at Web Summit 2021, where he spoke out against the European Commission’s proposed Digital Markets Act, which, if passed, would allow... Continue reading…

Image: Apple A decent Korean original series debut for the platform, helmed by a seasoned director Continue reading…

Facebook sued by founders of defunct photo app Phhhoto for putting it out of business | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Defunct photo app Phhhoto is suing Meta, formerly Facebook, on antitrust grounds, claiming the social media platform feigned interest in working with it, but then copied its features and hid its name from search results, effectively driving it out of business.Phhhoto’s technology allowed users to capture five frames “in a single point-and-shoot burst,” which could be looped into a short video (a phhhoto) to be shared either on its platform or Instagram. Sound familiar? That’s because, according to Phhhoto, Facebook copied Phhhoto’s main feature and released it on its Instagram platform as Boomerang in 2015, after blocking Phhhoto from Instagram’s API and from being pre-populated in Instagram posts.“The actions of Facebook and... Continue reading…

Lime announced today that it raised $523 million in debt financing, a sign that investors are feeling more optimistic about the long-term survival of shared electric scooters in a post-pandemic world. Lime must be feeling more optimistic, too, because a spokesperson confirmed that the company plans on going public sometime in 2022.Last September, Insider reported that Lime was hoping to raise up to $200 million in convertible debt from Uber and other previous investors. The scooter company was also reportedly in talks with investment bank Evercore about going public via a reverse merger with a special acquisition company, or SPAC, but Insider says those talks fizzled.Now, Lime says that its most recent funding round was... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Pfizer’s antiviral pill is highly effective at preventing people who catch COVID-19 from becoming seriously ill, the company said today in a press release. A clinical trial showed that the pill, which has the brand name Paxlovid, cut the risk of hospitalization and death by 89 percent for adults at high risk of developing severe disease when it was given within three days of symptoms appearing.The company said it plans to submit its data to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for emergency use authorization “as soon as possible.”This is the second effective anti-COVID-19 pill. The first, developed by pharmaceutical company Merck, cut risk of hospitalization and death by about half. The United Kingdom’s health agency authorized the... Continue reading…

Photo Illustration by Thiago Prudencio/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Cryptocurrency and blockchain news presents many headlines that are hard to believe, so when a seemingly authentic press release ties a major retail outlet to second-tier crypto, it can take a moment to find out the truth. That was the case with a fake “Walmart takes Litecoin” release in September, and again this morning as PR Newswire published an illegitimate announcement claiming Kroger will start accepting Bitcoin Cash.Because Kroger’s webpage pulls in the releases from PR Newswire, the fake release actually appeared on Kroger.com until it was removed. Kroger has been linked to cryptocurrency but does not accept it as payment. A partnership announced with Lolli late last year allowed users of that rewards program to earn small... Continue reading…

The new $1,399 12.9-inch iPad Pro is selling for $1,249 instead | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge If you need a powerful iPad with plenty of storage and a gorgeous display, Amazon and Best Buy are selling the 512GB, Wi-Fi version of the latest 12.9-inch iPad Pro for its lowest price yet. Normally $1,399, the retailer is selling it for $1,249 instead. In Dieter Bohn’s review, he deemed this the best and nicest iPad out there. Powered by Apple’s M1 processor, the 2021 iPad Pro is a speed demon and it comes with features like Thunderbolt connectivity, Wi-Fi 6 compatibility, Apple Pencil support, as well as Face ID unlocking.As we noted yesterday, if you’re looking for something cheaper and smaller, Apple’s 2021 11-inch iPad Pro (128GB, Wi-Fi) is also on sale, selling for $699 instead of $799 at at Best Buy and Amazon.Supply might... Continue reading…

Image: Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures Stillsuits reclaim more than just sweat and tears Continue reading…

Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 3. | Photo by Dieter Bohn / The Verge Google’s rumored foldable device could release next year with similar camera hardware to what older Pixel phones used prior to this year’s big Pixel 6 overhaul, 9to5Google reports. Reports about the device first emerged this summer, at which point it was expected to launch before the end of the year. Now the device, whose codename appears to have changed from “Passport” to “Pipit,” seems to be on track for a launch in 2022.These latest details have emerged thanks to code discovered in the Google Camera app. In particular, they suggest that the foldable will use a 12.2-megapixel IMX363 sensor for its main camera. That suggests the foldable won’t be equipped with the same 50-megapixel Samsung GN1 camera sensor Google used on this year’s P... Continue reading…

The ROG Phone 5S Pro, which has a small display on its rear. | Image: Asus Asus has announced pricing for the ROG Phone 5S series in Europe, following their launch in Taiwan in August. The ROG Phone 5S costs €999 for 12GB of RAM and 512GB of storage, while €1,099 gets you a step-up model with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of storage. The top of the line 5S Pro has an excessive 18GB of RAM and the same 512GB of storage and retails for €1,299. Meanwhile in the UK, Pocket-Lint reports that the 16GB model will cost £999, and the 18GB Pro model will set you back £1,099, but there’s no mention of pricing for the 12GB model.The ROG Phone 5S and 5S Pro are functionally minor updates to the ROG Phone 5 and 5 Ultimate that Asus released earlier this year. They have a faster Qualcomm Snapdragon 888 Plus processor and their... Continue reading…

Image: Google Google is finally allowing Stadia players to join multiplayer games without needing an invite. This basic feature is available on most console platforms and PC launchers, but it has taken Google nearly two years to add it to Stadia. A new support page confirms the feature is live in Far Cry 6 on Stadia, so friends can join you without you having to dig into menus and issue an invite.Google mentions the feature is only available in “select games,” and is disabled by default. 9to5Google noticed that the feature is actually enabled by default, and we’ve confirmed it’s also been enabled on one of our Stadia accounts. The join without an invite feature is also available in the Stadia app for Android, and is available through the web version... Continue reading…

The Colonial Pipeline attack targeted key fuel pipelines, like these pipes seen in Canvey Island, in the UK. | Photo by John Keeble/Getty Images In May, a ransomware attack shut down a pipeline carrying 45 percent of the fuel used on the US East Coast. The Colonial Pipeline incident led to panic buying and heightened fears about the threat posed by simple hacks to national infrastructure. Now, the US State Department is offering a bounty of up to $10 million to anyone who can supply the “identity or location” of the leaders of the group responsible — an outfit known as DarkSide.In addition to the $10 million bounty, the state department is offering a reward of up to $5 million for information leading to the arrest or conviction “of any individual conspiring to participate in or attempting to participate in a DarkSide variant ransomware incident.” What exactly that means isn’t... Continue reading…

The search button appears on the top right of a user’s profile page on iOS. | Screenshot: Twitter Twitter has added a new search button on profile pages that makes it easier to search through tweets from a specific user. Social media consultant Matt Navarra noted that the button had started appearing for a small number of users last month, but now XDA Developers says that the feature has rolled out widely in the service’s iOS app.Being able to limit a search to a single user’s tweets is not a new Twitter feature. You can achieve the same result by using the format “from:[Twitter handle] [search term]” in the regular Twitter search box. So, for example, if you wanted to search my (bad) tweets for every time I mentioned the word “keyboard,” you could tap the search icon in the app and enter:

Courtesy of DJI One of the most anticipated drone releases is finally out. Actually, it’s two drones. Today, DJI has released the Mavic 3 and Mavic 3 Cine.There are a few big headline features shared between both of the new drones, but let’s start with the one reserved for the $4,999 Mavic 3 Cine. The Cine model is capable of filming Apple ProRes 422 HQ footage at 5.1K up to 50FPS, and it has a built-in, but not user-replaceable, 1TB SSD.The cheaper $2,199 Mavic 3 doesn’t come with ProRes or a built-in SSD but shares the same dual-camera system powered by a 4/3 CMOS sensor. Both drones are capable of filming in 4K at up to 120fps and capturing 20MP photos. In addition to the main 24mm lens, there is also a hybrid zoom lens capable of 28x digital... Continue reading…

Image: Brembo High-end Italian brake manufacturer Brembo announced in October its plan to release Sensify, an AI-enhanced braking system that promises both “driving pleasure and total safety” when it rolls out via an unnamed manufacturer in 2024. Going beyond anti-lock brakes, traction, and stability control, it replaces hydraulic controls with electronic ones for design flexibility and, potentially, more precise control.Incorporating AI into vehicles isn’t new, as algorithms control playlists, maps, driver assistance, and even “self-driving” to various degrees. AI-based brake systems, however, are enough to raise eyebrows about how exactly they will work or enhance safety.“They’re only as good as the training data you have”“As you start to deal... Continue reading…

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Apple’s new iPhone 13 lineup might pack a lot of new features, but they now have a major restriction that makes it much harder for independent repair shops to replace broken screens. If you try to swap the screen, Face ID just won’t work — that is, unless you know how to microsolder and can successfully move a tiny microcontroller from the original screen to a new one, as detailed in an article from iFixit.The change makes a very common replacement much more difficult for independent repair shops that may rely on screen repairs as a significant part of their business. Authorized Apple shops apparently don’t run into the problem, as they have access to software that “can make an iPhone 13 accept a new screen with a few clicks,” according... Continue reading…

Photo by: Lindsey Nicholson/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Uber is preparing to relaunch its carpooling service as a way to combat price increases, officials said in a call with investors. Uber Pool was shuttered in March 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and remained so even as vaccines became widely available and customers returned to the app.But that could soon change, according to Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, who hinted that a new shared rides product could be released soon. Along with its rival Lyft, Uber has been struggling to recover from the pandemic, as drivers fled the platform, wait times increased, and the cost of rides soared.“We are launching an Uber shared pool product,” Khosrowshahi said. “We have been investing for years in a high-capacity product, which is looking... Continue reading…

Illustration by James Bareham / The Verge New York City’s mayor-elect Eric Adams said in a tweet Thursday that he wants his first three city paychecks paid in Bitcoin, in a bid to show up the mayor of Miami and indicate his hopes that New York will be a place where the cryptocurrency industry is welcome.To put it lightly, the feasibility of Adams actually getting paid in Bitcoin seems dicey. (Is the city’s payroll even set up for that? How will this work with the fluctuating price of Bitcoin? My goodness, what’s the tax situation going to be like?) Whether it actually happens or not, though, he’s sending a clear message about his intended plans as a mayor — you probably wouldn’t say something like that if you’re going to ignore cryptocurrency and Bitcoin completely.

Photo by Mitchell Clark / The Verge EV startup Rivian’s former sales and marketing vice president has sued the Amazon-backed company for discrimination, claiming it has a “toxic bro culture that marginalizes women.” The suit, first reported by The Wall Street Journal, comes just days before Rivian is set to become a publicly traded company, and a few weeks after it started delivering its first electric vehicles to customers.Laura Schwab, the former VP, says she was fired last month after alerting a human resources executive about discrimination. She sued the company Thursday in Orange County Superior Court, according to the WSJ, though the complaint was not publicly available at the time this article was published. Scwhab also published a blog post Thursday titled “Life... Continue reading…

Taika Waititi is set to co-write and direct an adaptation of The Incal, the sci-fi graphic novel from writer Alejandro Jodorowsky with art by Jean Giraud, better known as Moebius, according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter.Jodorowsky’s name has been a popular one in Hollywood recently due to the release of the latest incarnation of Dune earlier this year. Jodorowsky was famously working on a surreal and bizarre adaptation of the novel (alongside Moebius and H.R. Giger), but unfortunately was never able to get any major studios to take the risk on his idea. The journey of that process has since been the subject of its own documentary, Jodorowsky’s Dune.The Incal is also just the first work in a series of connected comics that... Continue reading…

Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge GoPro says the global chip and other supply chain shortages won’t affect its holiday sales this year, meaning the action camera company is poised to finish one of its best years in recent memory in strong fashion.“Despite supply chain constraints that are affecting many industries, we have successfully partnered with our suppliers to produce inventory to support our fourth-quarter revenue expectations,” CEO Nick Woodman said while discussing the company’s third-quarter financial results on Thursday. “GoPro.com and our retail partners will be stocked and ready for shoppers this holiday season.”That’s especially good news for GoPro’s bottom line because the new Hero10 Black is selling incredibly well despite the higher $499 price tag.... Continue reading…

Twelve South’s new ActionBand for Apple Watch. | Image: Twelve South One of the defining features of the Apple Watch is the vast number of bands you can buy to make it fit your needs and style. That can be particularly useful for workouts. You might not want to wear a leather band during a long run, but you can easily swap in bands made of other materials that can better withstand sweat. If you’ve been looking for a full-on wrist sweatband to use alongside your Apple Watch, though, accessories maker Twelve South now has you covered with the ActionBand for Apple Watch.The ActionBand is a terry cotton band that sits tight on your wrist and has a frame for you to slot in the watch part of your Apple Watch. The frame is designed in such a way to let you access the Digital Crown and the watch’s side button,... Continue reading…

Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge Microsoft has started warning Windows 11 users that certain features in the operating system are failing to load due to an expired certificate. The certificate expired on October 31st, and Microsoft warns that some Windows 11 users aren’t able to open apps like the Snipping Tool, touch keyboard, or emoji panel.A patch is available to fix some of the issues, but it’s currently in preview, meaning you have to install it manually from Windows Update. The patch, KB4006746, will fix the touch keyboard, voice typing, emoji panel, and issues with the getting started and tips sections of Windows 11. You’ll be able to find this patch by checking for updates in the Windows Update section of Settings in Windows 11.Microsoft still needs to fix the... Continue reading…

Photo by Micah Singleton / The Verge A new Alphabet company will use artificial intelligence methods for drug discovery, Google’s parent company announced Thursday. It’ll build off of the work done by DeepMind, another Alphabet subsidiary that has done groundbreaking work using AI to predict the structure of proteins.The new company, called Isomorphic Laboratories, will leverage that success to build tools that can help identify new pharmaceuticals. DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis will also serve as the CEO for Isomorphic, but the two companies will stay separate and collaborate occasionally, a spokesperson said.For years, experts have pointed to AI as a way to make it faster and cheaper to find new medications to treat various conditions. AI could help scan through... Continue reading…

Image: Cash App Square has announced that people over 13 years old can use Cash App to deposit and spend money or send it to friends. The app was previously only available to people aged 18 or older, and while minors will have to get their parent or guardians’ permission to use the app (and that parent-figure will have significant oversight), they’ll still be able to use some of the app’s most popular features.Teens won’t be able to do just anything with Cash App, though — they won’t have access to the investing or Bitcoin features, despite Jack Dorsey’s passion for crypto, and Square says they won’t be able to deposit checks. That last one really feels like a missed trick, as I remember getting a lot of checks as gifts or payments for odd jobs as a... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Verizon and AT&T are delaying the rollout of their wider 5G networks after the Federal Aviation Administration warned that the new wireless technology could interfere with the safety systems of some aircraft, The Wall Street Journal reports.The two companies planned to light up new 5G networks that use so-called “C-band” frequencies on December 5th. That rollout will now be delayed until at least January 5th, the companies said Thursday.Verizon and AT&T still currently offer ultra-fast 5G connectivity in specific areas using high-band millimeter-wave technology and much slower 5G over low-band frequencies. But the two companies have been banking on using the C-band — which covers midrange frequencies with good-to-great speed — to... Continue reading…

Jinx in Fortnite. | Image: Epic Games and Riot Games One of the biggest games in the world is getting a character from one of the other biggest games in the world. League of Legends’ Jinx, a star of the upcoming Netflix series Arcane, is the latest gaming character to join Fortnite. You’ll be able to buy her skin in the Fortnite item shop starting Thursday at 8PM ET.

Jeff Bezos’ spaceflight venture Blue Origin has lost out on its lawsuit against NASA over a contract to build the space agency’s next human lunar lander. The judgement puts an end to Blue Origin’s monthslong quest to receive government funding to develop the company’s lander, called Blue Moon, for NASA.Judge Richard Hertling, who oversaw the federal court case, issued a short ruling today, noting that Blue Origin’s motion for judgement had been denied. The opinion has not been issued publicly yet. All the parties involved will propose which parts they want redacted before the opinion is released openly on November 14th.Blue Origin had hoped to be involved in NASA’s ambitious plan to return humans to the Moon, an initiative called the... Continue reading…

Elden Ring, the newest Souls game from FromSoftware, was featured in a livestream event showing off 15 minutes of new footage — the biggest chunk of gameplay we’ve seen yet. The preview debuted some exciting, never-before-seen features like item crafting and a very detailed world map while also giving us a glimpse of what’s sure to be a crowd favorite — the spirit horse.The Elden Ring footage was from a PC build, showing off impressive visuals from the world known as the Lands Between. Instead of bonfires or lanterns, sites of grace are now where Tarnished can rest and replenish their health. Occasionally, touching a site of grace will spawn a beacon that can guide players to their next objective, which will definitely come in handy... Continue reading…

Photo by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge Last year, a small company called Backbone Labs released arguably the best iPhone gaming controller on the market right now, the Backbone One. Starting Thursday, you’ll be able to use that controller with many more devices — including Android phones — though it won’t work exactly as you might expect and requires a new Backbone Plus subscription to set it up.Here’s how using the controller with other devices works. The Backbone One is designed to let you slot in an iPhone in landscape mode to a Lightning port on the right side of the controller. To use the Backbone One with a non-iPhone device, you can’t plop it into the controller since it requires plugging into that Lightning port. Instead, you have to pick what type of device you want... Continue reading…

Image: HBO Max Warner Bros. may be putting a solid contender in the annual competition for the worst Christmas movie if the official trailer for 8-Bit Christmas is anything to go by. Picture the kid from Jingle All The Way having to embark upon a wacky adventure to find himself the perfect toy for Christmas, told through a How I Met Your Mother-style framing device, and you’re pretty much there.The trailer sees Neil Patrick Harris narrating a story from one of his childhood winters, in which he and a group of friends compete to win an original NES for Christmas. After all, what could be more festive than a brand-new video game console? And no global chip shortages in sight! Bliss.No global chip shortages in sightAs far as I’m concerned, outside of a... Continue reading…

Image: Google Google is preparing to beta test new search filters in Google Drive, which will hopefully make it easier to find the exact file you’re looking for. Dubbed “search chips,” the feature adds a line of filters to the top of the Drive interface, letting you limit your search by things like file type, last modification date, or which other users are associated with a specific file.Google Drive already has some search filtering options, but they’re relatively basic and hidden in a sub-menu in the search bar. In contrast, the new search chips are presented front and center, and they look set to offer a wider range of filtering options. A similar feature was introduced in Gmail early last year.If you’d like to try out the new Drive search... Continue reading…

A human stem cell. In 2019, the Food and Drug Administration won a major victory when a judge shut down a clinic in Florida claiming to treat everything from back problems to heart diseases with stem cells. The decision was additional juice for the FDA to regulate the growing industry, which sells risky, unproven stem cell procedures as cure-alls.But despite the high-profile success in Florida, the problem has gotten worse. There are more than four times as many businesses in the United States advertising unproven stem cell therapies now than there were four years ago, according to an analysis published today in the journal Cell Stem Cell that used online searches and Google Maps to find clinics. That’s despite a common perception that there’s been an... Continue reading…

An artistic rendering of a potential Earth-like exoplanet | Image: NASA Laying the groundwork for the next few decades of astrophysics Continue reading…

Aurora, the startup that was founded by the former head of Google’s self-driving car project, has officially begun trading on the Nasdaq stock exchange under the ticker symbol “AUR.” It’s a significant milestone for the AV industry, which has struggled with overinflated expectations, missed deadlines, shuttered businesses, and a host of technological challenges.Last summer, Aurora announced that it would go public through a reverse merger with a special acquisition company, or SPAC, called Reinvent Technology Partners Y. Upon closing this deal, Aurora said it has $1.8 billion in “gross proceeds and cash in hand,” which will help its quest to become a provider of self-driving hardware and software to companies in the trucking and... Continue reading…

Intel’s latest chips fight back against AMD Continue reading…

Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images The Biden administration on Thursday announced a rule that requires private businesses with 100 or more employees to ensure their workers are either vaccinated or tested for COVID-19 on at least a weekly basis. This new push to bump vaccination rates comes after the White House set a rule requiring federal contractors to establish plans ensuring their employees are vaccinated against COVID-19.The new rule (PDF) was drafted by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, a government subagency under the US Department of Labor that covers about 84 million private-sector employers and workers. It requires that employers provide paid time for employees to go get vaccinated and ensure all unvaccinated workers wear a face mask at... Continue reading…

Our new documentary now streaming on your TV Continue reading…

Image: Amazon If you’re in need of an affordable 4K TV that punches above its price class before the Black Friday shopping craze begins, Insignia’s F50 QLED 4K TV might be exactly what you’re after. Normally $650, it’s just $400 at Best Buy and Amazon. The F50 is one of the company’s latest models, and it’s a big upgrade over its previous Fire TV Edition models. The F50 still features Amazon’s Fire TV software built in, with the ever-helpful Alexa just a button press and ping word away, but it has slimmer bezels, and its panel supports quantum dot HDR technology. With it, the TV should provide better color accuracy, more vivid contrast, and more realistic lighting.Bose’s QC35 Series II over-ear, wireless headphones with noise cancellation have hit... Continue reading…

Image: CBS T-Mobile is once again offering its customers a free streaming deal: starting on November 9th, any T-Mobile or Sprint customer (new or existing) on post-paid cellular or home internet plans can sign up to get a free year’s subscription of Paramount Plus Essential.As always, there are caveats for the deal. The promotion only includes access to Paramount Plus’ Essential plan, which typically costs $4.99 per month and has “limited commercial interruptions.” Additionally, unlike the $9.99 per month Premium plan, it doesn’t include a live feed of your local CBS station, although NFL and Champions League games are still available on the lower tier.For new Paramount Plus subscribers, or customers who are already subscribed to the Essential... Continue reading…

Photo Illustration by Rafael Henrique/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images The largest US cryptocurrency exchange, Coinbase, is testing a new subscription service that reduces its trading fees in return for a monthly fee, The Block reports. The subscription service, which is reportedly being called Coinbase One, waives the commission fee Coinbase charges for trades, but customers will still have to pay spread fees to buy or sell cryptocurrency. There’s currently no word on the cost of the subscription, which the company plans to offer to a small number of users to start.Coinbase confirmed its test of the subscription program in a statement given to The Block. “Customers in the test group will have the ability to buy, sell, and convert digital currencies on the Coinbase platform without a Coinbase fee for each... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Google has announced changes it will make to its in-app payments options in South Korea — a significant step back for the tech giant as governments around the world seek to curb the control Google and Apple wield over their mobile ecosystems.In a blog post, Google says it will allow third-party payment options for in-app purchases to appear alongside its own Google Play billing system in Android apps. The company will still charge developers a commission if users pay using a third-party system, but this fee will be reduced slightly as compensation for the costs of supporting alternative payments.Says Google:

Image: Arlo If you’re looking to set up a security camera that can keep watch in areas without Wi-Fi, or that’ll still be able to keep an eye on things if your home internet goes out, Arlo’s new LTE-powered camera may be of interest. The $250 Arlo Go 2 LTE / Wi-Fi camera is built to go in somewhat remote places, like on a barn, cabin, or boat dock, and features full HD video recording (though saving that to the cloud will require a subscription, more on that later), weather resistance, and a rechargeable and swappable battery.The original Arlo Go was significantly more expensive at around $400, didn’t support Wi-Fi (and therefore couldn’t use its cellular connection as a backup to your home internet like the 2 can), and also only recorded in 720p.... Continue reading…

Illustration by Maria Chimishkyan The crypto world is full of dangers, with scammers lying in wait for newbies and novices. A recent report from security outfit Check Point Research highlights a potent form of attack: using Google Ads to direct users to fake crypto wallets. In its report, CPR said it has seen roughly half a million dollars siphoned off through these methods in just the last few days.Here’s how the scam works. Attacker buys Google Ads in response to searches for popular crypto wallets (that’s the software used to store cryptocurrency, NFTs, and the like). CPR says it’s noticed scams targeting Phantom and MetaMask wallets, which are the most popular wallets for the Solana and Ethereum ecosystems.The scam is a fairly typical phishing attackWhen an... Continue reading…

Photo by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge Nintendo had a relatively quiet quarter for Switch sales, with 3.83 million units shipped between July and September. That’s a big drop on the same period last year, when the company moved 6.86 million units. Nintendo has now sold 92.87 million Switch consoles to date.Nintendo says “the extended impact of both COVID-19 and the global semiconductor shortage creates a state of continued uncertainty” and is revising its Switch sales forecast for the financial year down by 1.5 million units. The company had previously expected to sell 25.5 million consoles between April 2021 and March 2022, but has now set the figure at 24 million. However, Nintendo isn’t altering its expectations for revenue, and actually expects operating profit to be 4... Continue reading…

Forza Horizon 5. | Image: Microsoft Forza Horizon 5 is an absolutely stunning showcase of the Xbox Series X. Cars look incredible, and I’ve loved taking in the game’s lush and colorful landscapes as I’ve raced through the streets of Mexico blasting classical music. On a console that’s largely lacking in big-name exclusives, it’s one of the rare games that really shows what the latest Xbox is capable of. Turns out it’s also a fantastic portable game.Hear me out. Yes, the graphics are amazing and are a joy to take in on a big screen. But Forza Horizon 5’s accessible gameplay and bevy of customizability options means it translates really well to something the size of a smartphone. I’ve been playing the game via console streaming with my iPhone 12 Mini plugged into a Backbone... Continue reading…