The Verge - All Posts

Some of the best features just got hints in the feature breakdown at the end. | Image: Apple Apple mentioned a few new features coming to the Vision Pro during its WWDC 2024 keynote presentation on Monday, such as the ability to turn your 2D photos into 3D ones and support for using the headset on trains. But the company glossed right over some of the most sorely needed features that it's adding to visionOS - and those quieter changes make for a much more exciting update.After the update arrives this fall, you'll be able to see a Magic Keyboard while you're working in a virtual environment, use any Bluetooth mouse you want, and rearrange your homescreen icons - including putting iPad and iPhone apps where you want. These are all features that probably should have been there from the beginning, and they'll improve the day-to-day... Continue reading...

Image: Netflix After showing us a couple of brief teasers, Netflix has finally dropped a full trailer for the second and last season of Arcane. According to Netflix, the final chapter of the League of Legends adaptation sets up a dire escalation" between the cities of Piltover and Zaun - and sisters Vi and Jinx.Just because this is the final season, it doesn't mean we won't see any more League of Legends adaptations going forward. In a League Dev Update posted on Tuesday, the Arcane team says this is only the first of many stories they will tell in Runeterra."Arcane is just the beginning of our larger storytelling journey and partnership with the wonderful animation studio that is Fortiche," Arcane producer Christian Linke says in a statement.... Continue reading...

Image: BioWare It has a new name and now a first gameplay trailer: here's your first proper look at Dragon Age: The Veilguard. The clip was released as the final portion of Summer Game Fest and followed an announcement from BioWare that the next Dragon Age would no longer be called Dreadwolf. The studio says that the footage shown here, which includes around 15 minutes of actual gameplay, takes place during the opening moments of the game," and has been edited somewhat to avoid spoilers. It shows off some of the combat, conversations, and a handful of cutscenes.Earlier during Summer Game Fest, the developer released a short trailer at the Xbox Games Showcase, which showed off a few of the new characters in the fantasy RPG:It's been a long time... Continue reading...

Image: BioWare Game director Corinne Busche talks about the next entry in the RPG franchise. Continue reading...

The Light Phone 3 is a little bigger and more phone-looking than the last model. | Photo: Light Five years after the Light Phone 2 launched, co-founder Kaiwei Tang says it's selling better than ever. This is both extremely unusual for a phone and kind of the point of the thing: Tang, co-founder Joe Hollier, and their team built a phone that was designed to do very little and last practically forever. Their E Ink device became a hit among people looking for a way to get away from their smartphones for a bit, to go light," in the company's parlance. The Light Phone 2 made calls, sent texts, and not much else. That worked really well for a lot of people, for a long time.Now, Light is trying to do something a bit different. The company is launching the Light Phone 3, which comes with a new display, a camera, and a few other features... Continue reading...

Illustration: Beatrice Sala Security researchers are reporting that a significant volume of data" has been stolen from hundreds of Snowflake cloud storage customers via compromised login credentials, with the incident being linked to massive data breaches at Ticketmaster and Santander Bank.Mandiant, a security firm investigating the data theft alongside Snowflake, announced on Monday that it had tracked the activity to a financially motivated threat actor" it identified as UNC5537. The two companies have notified at least 165 Snowflake customer organizations that may have been compromised since the ongoing threat activity was discovered in April, with Mandiant saying its investigation hasn't found any evidence to suggest" that Snowflake's enterprise environment... Continue reading...

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Spotify is getting ready to launch a premium add-on that offers access to high-fidelity audio, according to a report from Bloomberg. The new tier will reportedly cost $5 extra and will also come with tools to help users create playlists and manage music libraries.A source familiar with Spotify tells Bloomberg that users will be able to add the HiFi audio tier to their existing plans. If added to the Spotify Premium plan, which goes up in price to $11.99 next month, it will cost $16.99. Bloomberg reports that the add-on will also give users the ability to generate custom playlists for specific activities, dates, and times of year. The Verge reached out to Spotify with a request for comment but didn't immediately hear back.Spotify... Continue reading...

Image: Apple Apple will let you record and transcribe phone calls in iOS 18. The company announced the feature during its Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday and says it will automatically tell call participants that they're being recorded.The image shared by Apple shows a new recording option on the Phone app, which displays a soundwave, along with how long you've been recording. It then transcribes your call in the Notes app, where you can generate a summary using the new Apple Intelligence AI system. You'll be able to record and transcribe audio from within the Notes app as well.As noted in the footnote on Apple's iOS 18 preview page, audio transcription will only be available in English, Spanish, German, French, Japanese, Mandarin... Continue reading...

The Steve Jobs Theater. | Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge The WWDC keynote may be over, but we still have lots of questions about the state and future of Apple Intelligence. And in a somewhat unusual move, Apple is here to answer some of them: Craig Federighi and John Giannandrea, two of the executives in charge of all of Apple's AI efforts, are taking the stage in the Steve Jobs Theater to talk about everything Apple announced on Monday.Federighi, of course, is Apple's software chief, overseeing nearly all the platforms and features we saw at WWDC. Giannandrea is Apple's SVP of machine learning and AI strategy and has been an important figure in the AI world for a long time. (Before coming to Apple, he was an engineering VP at Google, overseeing a lot of the same stuff.) Together, they've... Continue reading...

Image: Ubisoft The reveal of Assassin's Creed Shadows mostly focused on its story, characters, and setting. But a new trailer gives a better idea of how the game will actually play. The lengthy gameplay overview, which clocks in at around 12 minutes long, shows off the game's sprawling rendition of Japan, while also detailing the different skills and approaches of its two playable leads. It's also very bloody.This is the game's second gameplay trailer in as many days. Ubisoft also released a shorter clip during the Xbox Games Showcase on Sunday:Shadows is the latest entry in the series to have dual protagonists (see: Assassin's Creed Syndicate), as players can choose between the samurai Yasuke and the shinobi assassin Naoe. It follows last year's M... Continue reading...

Image: Ubisoft We're getting very close to the launch of Star Wars Outlaws, Ubisoft's Grand Theft Auto-style take on a galaxy far, far away. Which means it's a good time for another trailer detailing the sorts of criminal escapades players can get into. The new overview focused primarily on the different Star Wars locations you'll be exploring and the various not exactly legal missions you'll take on. Among various aspects featured are dealing with the Hutts, riding a speeder bike, and finding new recruits for your scoundrel gang.You can get a quicker taste of the gameplay in the video above, or check out this 10-minute-long deep dive:These aren't the only Outlaws trailers from the last few days: Ubisoft released a very brief teaser during the... Continue reading...

Support for robot vacuums is coming to Apple Home with iOS18. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge Apple has announced that Apple Home will finally support robot vacuums with iOS 18. This was one of just a few updates to its smart home platform that Apple announced at WWDC 2024. The company also revealed that hands-free unlocking is coming to compatible smart door locks as well as the ability to share guest codes for access to your home (another thing we've been impatiently waiting for). Plus, there's a new electricity usage feature coming to the Home app, although it's limited to Pacific Gas & Electric users in California at launch.Apple said that the Home app now supports the core functionality of robot vacuum cleaners, such as power control, cleaning mode, vacuum, mop, and charge status." The floor cleaning devices can also... Continue reading...

Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge Apple's new Apple Intelligence" AI features will let you make your own custom emoji and images, the company announced at WWDC 2024.The custom emoji are called Genmoji," and they look like a lot of fun. In one example, during Monday's keynote, Apple showed how the prompt smiley relaxing wearing cucumbers" generates a yellow smiley face emoji with cucumbers over its eyes. If you don't like the initial emoji that Apple makes, you can swipe to pick from a few different options.The creation of official emoji is a pretty big process, so it's nice that Apple is offering a way for users to create their own on the fly. (Google also offers a tool for users to create emoji with its Emoji Kitchen.)There's also a new Image Playground" that... Continue reading...

Apple announcing ChatGPT in Siri at WWDC 2024. | Allison Johnson / The Verge Apple is partnering with OpenAI to put ChatGPT into Siri, the company announced at its WWDC 2024 keynote on Monday.ChatGPT will be available for free in iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia later this year without an account, and Apple says that user queries won't be logged. The popular chatbot will also be integrated into Apple's systemwide writing tools. In addition, paid ChatGPT subscribers will be able to link their accounts to access premium features from OpenAI within Apple's operating systems.The long-awaited partnership emerges as Apple strives to integrate AI features that rival those of other big tech companies. Apple had been in discussions with both Google and OpenAI to incorporate their AI technology into its operating systems.... Continue reading...

Apple's new Passwords app. | Image: Apple At WWDC 2024, Apple revealed a new Passwords app that expands on its existing iCloud Keychain features and syncs your passwords across more devices. Now, with Passwords, Apple is releasing a standalone app to manage passwords and passkeys on more devices, including Apple's Vision Pro headset, as well as Macs, iPhones, and iPads. It also syncs with PCs via the iCloud for Windows app.Platforms that have so far gone unmentioned? Just as the earlier rumor indicated, Google Chrome and Android.You can also view your Wi-Fi passwords in one place and share passwords in groups with people you want to have them.One big advantage could be that it will integrate even more deeply with your Apple logins and family sharing setups than other options... Continue reading...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Apple has announced several AI-powered features coming to its Siri virtual assistant, such as an updated design and improvements to how it speaks and understands spoken language commands. These features, announced during Apple's WWDC event on June 10th, come courtesy of Apple Intelligence - the company's new personal intelligence system which the company says will be able to control actions on users' behalf in apps.For Siri, Apple says these actions include things like retrieving information from user emails if asked to check when their mom's flight is landing, or the ability to locate an image of a driver's license on the device, and extract that information to fill out a form for you.Today's announcement follows several months of... Continue reading...

Image: Apple Apple announced Apple Intelligence" at WWDC 2024, its name for a new suite of AI features for the iPhone, Mac, and more.The company that once refused to use the term artificial intelligence" when talking about its machine learning features now has AI enhancements across its platforms. The company has been behind companies like Google and Microsoft, which started racing ahead with their own generative AI features as soon as OpenAI broke the dam open in 2022. Now, it's making its bid to catch up.Apple Intelligence will take action for you in appsApple said its AI features will be able to do things for you in apps. It will be able to manage your notifications, automatically write things for you, or summarize text in mail and other... Continue reading...

Apple's tvOS doesn't get the primary focus at WWDC, but it's still adding a few new features this fall, including one that will be familiar to people who've used Amazon's streaming service.The new InSight feature is limited to Apple TV Plus original shows and movies, where it will show details about the actors and characters onscreen as well as pull up details about the show's soundtrack so you can add tracks to Apple Music. Amazon's similar X-Ray feature began its life on the Kindle platform before rolling out for TV shows and movies across the Fire tablets and smart TV devices over the last decade. Image: Apple InSight is also viewable on your iPhone when you're using it as an Apple TV remote.Another new... Continue reading...

Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge Apple officially announced macOS 15 Sequoia at WWDC 2024 on Monday, with Apple Intelligence, iPhone mirroring, Continuity updates, automatic window tiling - finally - and a cross-platform Passwords app. The developer beta is available today, with public betas in July. The full version releases in fall 2024.Most significantly, MacOS Sequoia will include Apple Intelligence, a suite of AI features that work across iPhone, iPad, and iOS. Among the features mentioned at WWDC: it'll be able to manage your notifications, summarize text in emails and other apps, and automatically draft replies to emails. Siri will now be able to act for you in apps, and pull contextual information based on your personal information - all with voice commands.... Continue reading...

Unlike the FreeStyle Libre systems (pictured above), Abbott's new continuous glucose monitors won't require a prescription. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Abbott announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration has cleared two new over-the-counter continuous glucose monitors (CGM). The Lingo is designed for health-conscious consumers who want to get greater insight into their metabolism. Meanwhile, the Libre Rio is designed for Type 2 diabetics who don't rely on insulin.CGMs are small wearable sensors that you typically wear for about 14 days at a time. They don't actually measure your blood sugar but instead measure glucose in interstitial fluid - the stuff between your cells - just under the skin. Thus far, they've generally been used for people with Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes who rely on insulin for treatment. However, there's been a growing push among medical device makers and... Continue reading...

I'd probably be boring and buy it in black, but more speakers should come in fun colors. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge The Echo Pop is the cheapest and simplest way into Amazon's smart home ecosystem, and the tiny Alexa-enabled smart speaker is on sale for just $19.99 ($20 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. The rounded wedge offers Alexa voice commands and can control connected smart bulbs and thermostats in your home, as well as streaming music from services like Spotify and Apple Music. Plus, in addition to the standard black and white models, it comes in some fun teal and lavender colors (which are on sale for the same price).Amazon's colorful speaker doesn't get much cheaper than this, as it's currently just $2 shy of the all-time low we saw during last year's holiday shopping season. While the Pop is the entry model to Amazon's stable of... Continue reading...

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Spotify's personalization features are about to pop up in more areas of the app. The service will soon start showcasing banners and in-app messages tailored to your listening habits, such as telling you how many times you listened to artists like Doja Cat last month.In addition to giving you insight into your activity on the app, Spotify's messages will prompt you to listen to Doja Cat or encourage you to use Spotify's AI DJ to play similar music. Another example, as shown in the image embedded below, links you to your Daylist, a feature that comes up with a playlist based on what you typically listen to throughout your day. Image: Spotify Spotify doesn't say when - or how often - these personalized messages will... Continue reading...

The RansomHub extortion group have claimed responsibility for the cyberattack against Frontier on April 14th. | Illustration: Beatrice Sala Frontier Communications has revealed that information for over 750,000 customers - including full names and Social Security numbers - was exposed in a data breach following a cyberattack on April 14th. Hackers claim to have even more and will release it unless Frontier pays a ransom.The attack enabled hackers to access 751,895 customers' personal data on Frontier's systems according to a sample of the notice Frontier submitted to the Office of the Maine Attorney General. Frontier has notified impacted customers and provided them with one year of free credit monitoring and identity theft services, but says it does not believe" customer financial information was exposed in the breach.Bleeping Computer reports that the RansomHub... Continue reading...

Image: Microsoft Game Studios It's a mad world once again. At its Xbox Games Showcase at Summer Game Fest, Microsoft revealed the latest entry in the sci-fi shooter series: Gears of War E-Day. It's being developed by The Coalition, Xbox's internal studio dedicated to all things Gears. The game doesn't currently have a release date, but it being built on Unreal Engine 5.The announcement trailer harkens back to the classic Mad World" commercial for the original Gears. Fittingly, E-Day is set 14 years before the first Gears, and tells the story of the first Locust emergence on Sera." It once again stars Marcus Fenix and is being billed as an origin story.This will be the first title in the series since Gears 5 in 2019, which was part of a plan from Microsoft to turn... Continue reading...