The Verge

In development for several years, Sensify is an ambient sensing technology that can turn existing Zigbee-powered lights, switches, and plugs into motion sensors. | Image: Ivani Lights that turn on when you walk into a room and turn off when you leave are one of the most desirable smart home features. But you need to buy additional hardware like motion sensors to make this magic" happen. A new ambient sensing technology called Sensify could make this easier by turning your light bulbs into motion sensors. And it might be landing on a Philips Hue bridge near you very soon.There are tens of millions of devices with the base firmware already out there; we're just working on the final touches to light up the full experience."Sensify is a wireless network sensing (WNS) technology developed by Ivani that can turn mains-powered Zigbee devices into motion sensors for controlling your lights with just a firmware update - no additional hardware needed. The best part is that it can work on devices already in most homes. There are tens of millions of devices with the base firmware already out there; we're just working on the final touches to light up the full experience," Ivani cofounder Justin McKinney tells The Verge.An obvious use case for this is a Zigbee-based smart lighting system such as Philips Hue. There's been speculation that Hue is working on a Zigbee sensing technology since its sister company Wiz debuted a similar tech called SpaceSense in 2022, which uses WNS over Wi-Fi. The well-informed hueblog.com reports that Zigbee wireless network sensing is the technology Hue will most likely use. The Verge reached out to Signify, which owns Hue, but hasn't yet received a response.This engineering video demonstrates how Sensify's Zigbee ambient sensing can turn lights on and off based on occupancy. Video: IvaniMcKinney wouldn't say which companies are using Ivani's Sensify, which has been in development since 2016, but he did share that the company is working with some large household names poised to deploy the technology very soon." He also said it's the only company offering this capability over Zigbee networks.Ivani is a member of the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA), which runs the Zigbee protocol, but Sensify is a proprietary solution that leverages the Zigbee network. Despite reports indicating this sensing tech is coming to all Zigbee devices, the CSA confirmed to The Verge that this is not a new feature within Zigbee itself.WNS works by detecting disturbances in radio frequencies and can also be applied to Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and Thread technologies. McKinney says Sensify requires three or more devices positioned around a detection area to detect motion and occupancy in the space. The tech also allows for precise detection zones based on where the devices are situated. The devices send messages to each other, look at underlying network diagnostic information, and process it to provide occupancy sensing decisions," says McKinney. Image: Ivani Wireless network sensing requires three or more devices to work. This diagram from Ivani illustrates typical topologies. Performance-wise, McKinney says Sensify is equivalent or superior" to passive infrared sensing (PIR) tech, which is traditionally used for motion sensing. It also doesn't need line of sight, as PIR does. However, it's not as precise as technologies like mmWave sensing, which can determine if someone is in a room through as slight a movement as breathing. The lights will still likely turn off if you're still, even if you're in the space," he says.The good news is that Sensify can run on Zigbee networks with a range of chipsets working together, meaning it can be deployed as a software update to existing systems. McKinney also confirmed Sensify runs locally on your Zigbee network, there's no Sensify cloud, and any sensing data is only accessible to the manufacturer deploying the technology.This video, published by the CSA, illustrates how Ivani's wireless network sensing works over a Zigbee network.Motion sensing in the smart home has several use cases, from lighting control and security to energy management and elder care. Two big advantages of WNS here are cost and scale. There's no need to buy additional hardware to get the capability, and many homes already have devices that can use it.Ivani is currently the only company with a Zigbee solution, but there are WNS solutions out there that use Wi-Fi. Origin Wireless and its partner company, Nami, were the first to develop Wi-Fi sensing, and they are leading Matter's efforts around bringing ambient RF sensing technologies to the smart home standard.It really is the promise of what home automation was supposed to be"Origin's technology powered Linksys Aware, a feature the router company launched in 2019 that turned its routers into motion sensors, and last year, Threshold launched a smart plug using Origin's Wi-Fi sensing to allow caregivers to monitor a loved one's activity remotely.In 2021, I tested Hex Home, a proof-of-concept security system from Origin that used Wi-Fi sensing instead of motion sensors. But false positives made it virtually unusable. I also tried Wiz's Wi-Fi-based SpaceSense when it first launched. It was more reliable but still fairly inconsistent. However, according to McKinney, advances in machine learning and AI have brought significant improvements to WNS technology.He says Ivani's Sensify tech is ready for deployment over Zigbee, and they're just waiting for their partners to fine-tune how best to introduce the feature within their product lines." He expects they will update existing products in the next few months. We have the pleasure of experiencing our partner's products and their beta tests in our homes, and it really is the promise of what home automation was supposed to be."There have been a lot of promises around home automation over the years, with very few being fulfilled. But the idea of, say, every Philips Hue light bulb in your home turning into a motion sensor overnight, making it simple to automate control of your lights without sticking white plastic sensors everywhere, is a fairly exciting one.

I want to use this feature just to side-eye Gemini. | Image: Google Google is announcing a variety of classroom and accessibility-focused ChromeOS features today, and one of the standouts is being able to control your computer with your head and facial expressions. The feature - aimed at those with motor impairments - was first announced in early December, but it's now rolling out to more users with compatible Chromebooks (Google recommends 8GB of RAM or more).This isn't Google's first foray into the face-as-a-cursor space. It previously made an open-source AI accessibility tool for Windows games called Project Gameface, which was also announced for Android. Here's a sample video from Google of the tech in action, demoed by software engineer Amanda Lin Dietz who helped develop it.Additionally, Google is also teasing a boatload of new Chromebooks for 2025, with over 20 new devices in its standard Chromebook and Chromebook Plus lines coming this year. That estimate may be a bit of a stretch, since Google seems to be counting the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook Plus that launched back in October, but it does also count the just-announced 14-inch Lenovo Chromebook Plus 2-in-1 and more to come.Along with laptops aimed at educators and students, Google's got a new batch of classroom-focused ChromeOS features called Class Tools. These allow teachers to have real-time control of their students' screens. Once a pairing code is shared, educators will be able to send students direct content on their Chromebook screens, flip on live captions or translations for them, remotely view their screens, and share a student's work with the whole class. Image: Google An educator's view of Google's Class Tools settings. In addition to these collaborative tools, Google Classroom is also getting an integration with Figma's FigJam, allowing teachers to assign online whiteboards to students for brainstorming and group work. Maybe the combination of FigJam with the teacher's ability to snoop on students' screens will reveal who's really doing all the work for the group.

Using the non-touch screen on an older Bambu P1P 3D printer. | Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge Bambu Lab, the company behind my favorite 3D printers, has given itself one hell of a week. Now, I've got answers to some of my burning questions, answers which you might also hopefully appreciate. But first, some backstory.Since last Thursday, some creators have pledged not to buy Bambu printers anymore, even removed some of their 3D models from its online repository, after the company revealed it would add a new proprietary authentication mechanism that could keep you from using third-party tools to remote control your printer.While you'd still be able to stick a file on an SD card and physically put it into your printer or use Bambu's proprietary cloud, the old way of printing remotely from a third-party slicer would be no more - unless you downloaded a new proprietary Windows and Mac Bambu Connect" desktop app to be the middleman between your slicer and Bambu's hardware.Unauthorized third-party software will be prohibited from executing critical operations" - BambuWhile Bambu was clear early on that this would be an optional update, one you could simply choose not to install, the company also positioned it as a necessary one to secure printers against remote hacks.... Read the full story at The Verge.

Image: The Verge President Donald Trump says he'd be open to his buddies Elon Musk or Larry Ellison buying TikTok.Larry, let's negotiate in front of the media," Trump said at a press conference with the Oracle co-founder, SoftBank CEO Masa Son, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman to announce a $500 billion artificial intelligence infrastructure investment. What I'm thinking about saying to somebody is, buy it, and give half to the United States of America. Half, and we'll give you the permit. And they'll have a great partner, the United States."Sounds like a good deal to me, Mr. President," Ellison said.

Image: The White House (YouTube) A plan to build a system of data centers for artificial intelligence has been revealed in a White House press conference, with Masayoshi Son, Sam Altman, and Larry Ellison joining Donald Trump to announce The Stargate Project. Their companies, Softbank, OpenAI, and Oracle (respectively), along with MGX are listed as initial equity funders" for $500 billion in investments over the next four years, building new AI infrastructure for OpenAI in the United States."According to a statement from OpenAI, Arm, Microsoft, NVIDIA, Oracle, and OpenAI" are the initial tech partners, with a buildout currently underway" starting in Texas as other sites across the country are evaluated. It also says that Oracle, NVIDIA, and OpenAI will closely collaborate to build and operate this computing system."Separately, Microsoft announced an update to its partnership with OpenAI, saying that the key elements of their deal remain in place through 2030, covering our access to OpenAI's IP, our revenue sharing arrangements and our exclusivity on OpenAI's APIs all continuing forward."What is changing is that Microsoft says OpenAI has made a new, large Azure commitment that will continue to support all OpenAI products as well as training." However, their exclusive arrangement for new capacity is changing so that now Microsoft has a right of first refusal over OpenAI building new capacity.In a press conference announcing the project, which has been rumored since early last year, Son and Altman spoke directly to Trump, insisting that the project only happened because of his election victory.

Oakleys are considered stylish and popular with athletes - which is probably why Meta's keen to partner. | Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images Meta may be releasing new Oakley-branded smart glasses later this year, according to a new Bloomberg report.The Oakley-branded glasses, internally referred to as Supernova 2", would be based on the brand's Sphaera glasses. Instead of housing the cameras on the side, the Supernova 2 would shift the camera to the center of the frame. The idea is to appeal to cyclists and other outdoor athletes. The report didn't detail any other potential features, though the Oakley glasses would ostensibly have similar features to the current Ray-Ban Meta glasses.Oakley, like Ray-Bans, are a subsidiary of eyewear giant EssilorLuxottica. The move to expand Meta's tech to other brands under EssilorLuxottica's umbrella is a savvy one. While the Ray-Ban Meta smart glasses are good for discreet, everyday wear, they're a bit heavy for endurance sports and lack certain features like polarized lenses for better visibility. Oakleys are also considered stylish and popular among professional athletes. Conceptually, they're similar to the now discontinued Bose Frames Tempo, which allowed athletes to have open-ear audio with polarized lenses in a relatively light form factor. That said, if the goal is to appeal to athletes, Meta and Oakley will likely have to address factors like weight, sweat resistance, and battery life.The report also notes that Meta plans on launching a higher-end version of its current Ray-Ban glasses that include a display capable of delivering notifications, running simple apps, and previewing photos.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Netflix is raising prices yet again. In its latest earnings report released Tuesday, the streaming service announced that we are adjusting prices today across most plans" in the US, Canada, Portugal, and Argentina.Netflix spokesperson MoMo Zhou tells The Verge that the ad-supported tier is increasing from $6.99 to $7.99 per month, while the standard ad-free tier will go from $15.49 to $17.99 per month. Its highest-priced premium tier is also increasing from $22.99 to $24.99 per month. The price hikes will go into effect during subscribers' next billing cycle, according to Zhou.As we continue to invest in programming and deliver more value for our members, we will occasionally ask our members to pay a little more so that we can re-invest to further improve Netflix," the company's letter to investors says. Netflix last raised the price of its subscription in October 2023. This is also the first time it's raising the price of this ad-supported plan, which it rolled out in 2022.Netflix added 19 million new subscribers over the past few months - the most in its history during a single quarter - bringing its global total to 300 million. This is the last time Netflix will reveal how many subscribers it added during the quarter, as the company said last year that it would only announce major subscriber milestones as we cross them" starting in the first quarter of 2025.Even with a subscriber count reaching new highs, and operating income ballooning past $10 billion for the first time, Netflix executives believe the company still has room for growth. The company's letter to investors says it accounts for less than 10 percent of TV viewing in the countries it's available in, which suggests a long runway for growth as streaming continues to expand around the world."Along with the price hike, Netflix announced that it's rolling out a new Extra Member with Ads plan, which will allow those on the ad-supported plan to add someone outside their household to their subscription. It currently costs an extra $7.99 per month to add someone outside your household to an ad-free plan.The streamer ended 2024 with a strong content lineup that included new seasons of Squid Game and the League of Legends spinoff Arcane.Netflix's approach to live content has also gotten more aggressive within the past several weeks, as it has gone from airing sports-adjacent" events like a golf tournament that paired PGA players with Formula One drivers to full-blown NFL games featuring performances from Beyonce and Mariah Carey. But Netflix notes that it's not focusing on acquiring rights to large regular season sports packages; rather, our live strategy is all about delivering can't-miss, special event programming."Despite running into some hiccups, the streamer also touted record-breaking" viewership numbers for last year's live boxing match between Mike Tyson and Jake Paul, while its WWE debut with Monday Night Raw locked in 4.9 million views, according to The Hollywood Reporter.Update, January 21st: Added information from Netflix.

Playstack Balatro has crossed a major milestone, selling 5 million copies in its first year. The news was shared on X and featured a shout out to The Game Awards.To everyone who picked up Balatro after seeing it at @thegameawards, we hope you're having an amazing time with it!" the post read. Balatro was featured prominently during The Game Awards, nominated for a number of awards including Game of the Year and winning the best indie, best debut indie, and best mobile categories.On X, Wout van Halderen, PR manager for Balatro publisher Playstack, added that the game had sold 3.5 million copies by the first week of December. With The Game Awards taking place the second week in December, the implication is that Balatro received a significant 1.5 million unit bump in sales after being featured during Keighley's Christmas Commercial telethon. Even more impressive, the 5 million figure is total units sold and doesn't count the number of downloads the game got for being on the Apple Arcade subscription.Since its launch in February, Balatro has quickly become one of the biggest indie hits of 2024. Developed by a single person over the course of two years, the poker roguelike has garnered a reputation for being a well-crafted number-go-up" game with its developer leaning in on the joke that it devours players' free and not-so-free time.In the 11 months since the game's release, it's only gotten small, cosmetic updates but developer LocalThunk has hinted a major gameplay-focused update is forthcoming this year.Jimbo help us all.

The Korg Handytraxx Play is a portable record player designed for scratching on-the-go. | Image: Korg Korg has announced a new collection of portable record players with each model featuring specialized functionality depending on what you like to do with your vinyl. The Handytraxx Play is designed for DJs who perform with their turntables, the Handytraxx Tube has a more premium build to maximize sound quality, while the Handytraxx 1bit includes additional tools and outputs for digitizing vinyl.They don't have release dates yet, but the collection will start at $399 for the Handytraxx Play. It's a significant jump after that to the $799 Handytraxx Tube, while the 1bit will be even pricier at $999.If the design of the Handytraxx turntables feel familiar, it's because you're probably old enough to remember a similar product from Vestax called the Handy Trax that debuted in the early aughts. Korg's updated versions were developed in collaboration with Vestax's former president and co-creator of the original Handy Trax, Toshihide Nakama, before he passed in 2023. Image: Korg The Handytraxx Play is designed for DJs who like to scratch or sample vinyls as part of a live performance. It features a built-in crossfader, low-pass, high-pass, and EQ filters, a delay effect, and a built-in variable speed looper for recording samples and creating beats. Its control panel can also be flipped around for right or left-handed use.The Play can be powered by an AC adapter or six AA batteries and features a pair of 2.5-watt speakers for entertaining a crowd without the need for additional equipment. You can also plug in a pair of headphones for a private performance. Image: Korg The Handytraxx Tube upgrades the Play with an aluminium die-cast platter that uses software to monitoring its pitch and speed to maintain a stable rotation and optimize playback. Its tone arm also features an adjustable counterweight so you can swap needles while ensuring you always have the proper pressure on your records to prolong their life.As the name implies, the Tube uses Korg's Nutube vacuum tube technology that operates exactly as a triode vacuum tube" and creates the same characteristic rich overtones," the company claims. The tube technology adds pleasant harmonics characteristic of vacuum tubes for a rich, immersive sonic experience," while bass and treble controls let you dial in your preferred balance.Korg is also offering a limited edition version of this turntable called the Tube J as part of a collaboration with a Japanese company called JICO. The J version swaps the Tube's standard JICO J44A 7 cartridge with JICO's Clipper MM Cartridge featuring an upgraded design and improved performance. It also boosts the Tube's price tag to $1,199. Image: Korg The Handytraxx 1bit carries forward the hardware upgrades of the Tube but using Korg's included AudioGate 4 software it can digitize vinyl to the Direct Stream Digital (DSD) format which was originally developed by Sony and Philips for the Super Audio CD (SACD). Instead of capturing 16 audio samples 44,100 times per second as is done with traditional audio CDs, the 1bit and Korg's software captures single samples 5.6 million times per second, resulting in a much higher quality recordings suitable for archiving.

Illustration: The Verge Meta is integrating WhatsApp into its Accounts Center, as WABetaInfo spotted. The change, which is rolling out globally over the next few months," lets WhatsApp users share status updates across Instagram and Facebook, as well as enable single sign-on.Meta says the link won't be turned on automatically, so it's up to you to decide if linking WhatsApp to Accounts Center is something you're into. If you do so, Meta will start using your WhatsApp information to do things like provide, personalize, and improve its products and services, including to show you ads," according to a help page about the change. Image: Meta Meta's other apps won't use WhatsApp personal data unless it's to determine how many people we serve, keep people safe, or to provide optional features that work across Meta products," the company writes. It also says linking your account won't change the fact that messages are end-to-end encrypted in WhatsApp.Down the line, Meta says it will add the ability for users to go to Accounts Center to manage things like Meta AI stickers or AI-generated avatars created using its Imagine Me feature.

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge; Getty Images The UK government is going to launch an app that will allow citizens to digitize their driver's licenses. Science Secretary Peter Kyle announced on Tuesday that the GOV.UK Wallet launching for Android and iOS devices later this year will let users securely store government-issued documents on their phone, allowing them to be accessed immediately instead of waiting for physical versions to arrive in the mail.The wallet will utilize smartphone security features like facial recognition to help protect users' personal data. Veteran cards for former military personnel will be the first documents supported, followed by a pilot for mobile driver's licenses later in 2025." All UK government services that provide paper or card credentials will be expected to offer a digital alternative by 2027. Traditional physical documents will still be available.Along with CDs, the Walkman, and flip phones, the overflowing drawer rammed with letters from the government and hours spent on hold to get a basic appointment will soon be consigned to history," Kyle said in the announcement. GOV.UK Wallet will mean that every letter or identity document you receive from the government could be issued to you virtually."According to Kyle, the new digital wallet app is intended to give UK citizens more control over their own data, making it easier to prove eligibility for welfare benefits and purchase age-restricted products in stores. People in the UK are currently required to present physical identity documents (if assumed to be underage) when clubbing or purchasing alcohol, running the risk of having them lost or stolen.The UK is also launching a new GOV.UK app in summer 2025 that will allow users to access government information, and, eventually, complete tasks like canceling stolen passports and applying for welfare benefits from their phones.There are also plans to add an AI-powered chatbot, imaginatively called GOV.UK Chat," to the app, which TechCrunch reports was co-developed by OpenAI, and to add ways to make payments and receive timely notifications" for government services.

Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for IMDb IMDb founder and CEO Col Needham is stepping down after launching the website 35 years ago, the Amazon-owned company announced on Tuesday. Needham will now serve as executive chair. IMDb chief operating officer Nikki Santoro will take over as CEO.Needham started building the database that later became IMDb in 1990. He remained CEO even after selling the website to Amazon in 1998, overseeing major changes like the rollout of its IMDbPro subscription and an update that lets professionals hide their age.Santoro joined IMDb in 2016 and became COO in 2021. She has helped expand the site's database and build out IMDbPro, according to IMDb's leadership page.As executive chair, Needham will still provide strategic guidance, consult on key initiatives, and serve as a global ambassador" for the company, according to IMDb's press release.[Santoro's] track record of driving growth and enhancing our products and services makes her the ideal person to guide IMDb into a new era," Needham says in a statement. I look forward to continuing to work closely with Nikki and the talented IMDb team in my new role as we build on IMDb's legacy and shape the future of entertainment information."

Photo credit should read CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images CapCut, the ByteDance-owned video editing app that's subject to the same ban as TikTok, is working again in the US.Users who have the app downloaded have seen a notice on Tuesday welcoming them back to the service and thanking them for their patience and support." The notice appears to come after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on the night after his inauguration instructing federal enforcers not to take action against service providers subject to the law for 75 days. Screenshot by The Verge While the order was meant to quash concerns for service providers that could face billions in fines for violating federal law and maintaining the app now that the sale deadline has passed, legal experts say it does little to actually dispense of the legal risk. Perhaps as a result, even though some of CapCut's US service providers appear to be cooperating with Trump's wishes to get the app back online, it still doesn't appear in Apple or Google's app stores - similar to TikTok.Under the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, apps owned by China-based ByteDance were required to be sold to a non-adversary entity by January 19th to continue operating in the US. Instead of making a deal, however, the company pursued its legal options and ultimately lost at the Supreme Court. Trump is now trying to broker a joint venture" that gives the US 50 percent ownership over TikTok to save it from the ban, though that idea also appears to have its own risky legal implications.

Image: Infold Games Clear some room in your closet, stylists: Infinity Nikki's next update is coming soon bringing with it new content, new locations to explore, and most importantly, new outfits. The Firework Season starts January 23rd. The update will be themed around Lunar New Year celebrations, starting a new Mira Journey battle pass while offering limited-time quests and a new area to explore.Infinity Nikki's official website has previews of what outfits will be available as well as a full breakdown of all the new content. Since Nikki is a gacha game, there are a number of premium outfits to try and earn. But developer Infold is also offering three outfits in three colors for a total of nine different outfits all for free. I'm particularly intrigued by the Radiant Night outfit as it looks like as a high-fashion version of Resident Evil VII's Lady Dimitrescu. Check it out as the website also has codes players can use to redeem helpful in-game items. Infinity Nikki has also released a trailer for the update showing off the Firework Isles, the new location that will be available during the season. Expect the the area to be chock full of scenic vistas for stylists to take their best pictures including a magical horse-drawn carriage that zooms through the sky.The game's also adding a new boss encounter, The Dark Bouquet, which will probably be added to the Realm of the Dark boss list for players to challenge weekly. The Infinity Nikki soundtrack is also launching on select music platforms which is a welcome development considering some of those tracks - especially the one for the Ghost Train dungeon - are incredibly funky for a generally lighthearted dress-up game. Fireworks Season starts January 23rd and lasts until February 25th.

The Fujifilm Instax Wide Evo Hybrid Instant Camera is expected to be available starting in February 2025 for$349.95. | Image: Fujifilm Fujifilm has announced a new hybrid instant camera coming to its Instax line that doubles as a smartphone printer. The new Instax Wide Evo Hybrid instant camera is similar to the Instax Mini Evo that Fujifilm launched in the US in 2022, but as its name implies, it instead uses Instax's Wide format instant film that produces prints that are twice as wide.The Instax Wide Evo will be available starting sometime in February 2025 for $349.95. It will launch alongside a matching black case for $49.99 that allows the camera to be used without removing it completely, and a new version of Fujifilm's Instax Wide instant film featuring a brushed metallic border effect in a $24.99 10-pack.In addition to being much larger than the Instax Mini Evo to accommodate the wider film stock, the new Instax Wide Evo features a 15.67mm lens, which is the widest used on any Instax camera to date. It allows you to snap wide-angle images to capture more of a scene, but it can also be turned off using a toggle switch if you prefer a closer crop. Image: Fujifilm There's no viewfinder, so you'll need to rely on a 3.5-inch screen on the back for framing shots. There's no viewfinder, but the back of the camera has a 3.5-inch LCD display for framing shots as well as navigating menus for effects, settings, and editing images. On the front of the camera a small mirror can be used to frame selfies. Fujifilm says the Instax Wide Evo's battery has enough charge to print up to 100 images, and there's a microSD card slot to boost the camera's storage capacity. Out of the box its internal memory can only hold about 45 images. Image: Fujifilm The Instax Wide Evo features several dials and a rotating lens for selecting various effects and dialing in the intensity. Like the Instax Mini Evo, the new Instax Wide Evo offers 10 lens effects and 10 film effects that can be combined (only two at at time) for a wider range of creativity. The intensity of the effects can also be adjusted using a Degree Control, which is controlled by a ring on the lens. Dials on either side of the camera let you scroll through the various lens and film effects.For photographers feeling a bit nostalgic for film, the Instax Wide Evo also offers five additional film style customizations that add effects like film strip holes, a retro contact sheet look," or the date and time superimposed in the corner of an image. The camera even has a small crank with a pop-out handle - similar to what film cameras used to advance exposures - that's instead used to start printing. Image: Fujifilm The Instax Wide Evo wirelessly connects to a smartphone app over Bluetooth and doubles as a portable printer. The Instax Wide Evo can also be used as a printer when wirelessly connected over Bluetooth to a smartphone running its free iOS or Android mobile app. You can print images from your phone's camera roll, or use your smartphone as a wireless remote for the Instax Wide Evo, letting you join group shots without the need for a timer. The app even has a Discover Feed featuring images from other users, and lets you share your own if you're looking for yet another social media fix.

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images In his executive actions on day one of his presidency, Donald Trump rescinded an executive order Joe Biden signed in 2023 to establish safety guidelines for generative AI.The Biden-era order required developers of large AI models like OpenAI's GPT lineup to share the results of safety tests with the US government. It also directed the National Institute of Standards and Technology to develop standards for safety testing, and it tasked other federal agencies with assessing any potential chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, cybersecurity, or critical infrastructure risks AI might pose.Biden's action also included measures meant to protect workers and consumers. It commissioned a report on how AI might affect the labor market and asked agencies to develop practices for addressing AI-enabled fraud and discriminatory algorithms.Donald Trump axed all that yesterday as he signed a flurry of new executive orders. One of his first actions was to rescind 78 Biden-era executive actions, including Executive Order 14110 on Safe, Secure, and Trustworthy Development and Use of Artificial Intelligence."Trump has made the development of new AI tools a priority for his administration. His inauguration was stacked with tech heavyweights, some of whom donated to the president's inauguration budget. Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Tim Cook, Shou Zi Chew, Sundar Pichai, and Sam Altman were all reported in attendance yesterday.The stage is now set for a showdown over the European Union's AI Act that passed last year, which created transparency requirements and bars certain uses of AI.Other measures the Biden administration put in place to boost AI development in the US may have a better shot at surviving. Before leaving office this month, Biden announced a new regulatory framework restricting some international sharing of AI chips and models. Biden also issued an executive order in January meant to speed the development of AI data centers on federal land.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Instagram is taking advantage of TikTok's absence from app stores by offering creators large cash bonuses to exclusively post Reels on the platform, according to a report from The Information. The bonuses reportedly range from $10,000 to $50,000 per month and require creators to post their short-form videos on Instagram before publishing them to other platforms, like TikTok.Meta has boosted payouts for creators to compete with TikTok in the past - but the big bonuses don't seem to last. In 2021, Instagram launched a Reels bonus program, but in 2022, creators said the platform had begun slashing their payments until the program was axed completely in 2023.The report of new bonuses comes at a chaotic time for TikTok, which went dark in the US to comply with the federal divest-or-ban law that came into force on January 19th. Though the app started coming back online on Sunday, it still hasn't returned to app stores. President Donald Trump also signed an executive order delaying its ban.The Verge reached out to Meta with a request for comment but didn't immediately hear back.Within the past week, Instagram has announced a series of updates that appear to cater to TikTok creators. Along with changing the format of profile grids from squares to rectangles, Instagram also extended the maximum length of Reels to three minutes. Instagram head Adam Mosseri also revealed that the company is working on a new video editing and creation app designed to compete directly with CapCut, which is owned by TikTok parent company ByteDance.All this might not be enough to attract TikTok creators, as some aren't happy with Meta's reversal on fact-checking and policy changes that seem designed to appease the new administration.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Samsung is set to announce its Galaxy S25 phones at its Galaxy Unpacked event tomorrow, January 22nd at 1PM ET. The event typically focuses on its next smartphones and software features, which you can bet includes lots of AI, but there should be some other things here and there, too. Here's what we're expecting and how you can watch along.How you can watch Galaxy UnpackedSamsung will stream the event on YouTube, its website, and its newsroom page, and we'll post about the announcements as they happen right here on The Verge. We expect the company to reveal the Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, and S25 Ultra.What we expect Samsung to announceIt sounds like we're getting more of the same with those phones, except for the S25 Ultra, which is expected to receive design tweaks like slightly rounder corners. That's at least according to a preview in a set of leaked renders that hit the internet last week. The company has said its 2025 Galaxy devices will have Qi2 wireless charging support, but it's possible that only means they're Qi2 Ready" phones that need a magnetic case to get the full MagSafe-like experience. Images: Android Headlines Recently leaked renders showed what you can expect from the next Galaxy S25 phones. The phones will run Samsung's tweaked version of Android 15, One UI 7, which launched in beta last month with features like an iPhone Dynamic Island-like Now Bar," a redesigned camera app, and the ability to disable HDR content to avoid being ambushed by overly-bright videos in your social feeds. The company said yesterday that One UI 7 seamlessly integrates AI agents and multimodal capabilities into every touch point." Expect more along those lines during the event.It seems unlikely Samsung will unveil a Galaxy S25 Slim" phone. A recent leak suggested the phone won't launch in the US. There's also a chance the company will talk more about the Project Moohan" VR headset my colleague Victoria Song previewed in December.

The Galaxy S25 phones will probably look a lot like the S24 and S24 Plus. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge I take no pleasure in saying this, but if the rumors about the Galaxy S25 series are true, then these phones look boring as hell. That would be fine, except that Samsung is asking us all to get very excited about them by hosting a big, loud launch event. And I think it's time for Samsung - and honestly, the industry as a whole - to look in the mirror and ask: do we really need this?I'm not saying Samsung or any other tech company should throw a bunch of spaghetti at the wall and cram some questionably useful stuff into their phones just for the sake of it. That helps nobody. It's just that getting up onstage and declaring that these phones are fundamentally different and new should be a truly special occasion. And that used to be true! But now, it's just a thing we do every year that feels a lot like the thing we did last year. Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge This year's Ultra will probably look a lot like last year's Ultra, give or take some rounded edges. In this particular season of mobile innovation, hardware just isn't as important as it once was. Take the iPhone 16; the launch event centered so much on software features that Apple called... Read the full story at The Verge.

Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photo from Getty Images President Donald Trump has issued an executive order telling the Department of Justice to not enforce a rule that demands TikTok spin off from its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, or face a ban.The order, issued on Trump's first day in office, is meant to effectively extend the deadline established by the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act for ByteDance to sell its stake by undercutting penalties on American companies like Apple and Google working with TikTok. It directs the attorney general not to take any action to enforce the Act for a period of 75 days from today to allow my Administration an opportunity to determine the appropriate course forward in an orderly way." The AG is supposed to issue a letter to each provider stating that there has been no violation of the statute and that there is no liability for any conduct that occurred."The order furthermore instructs the Department of Justice to take no action to enforce the Act or impose any penalties against any entity for any noncompliance with the Act" and says they should be barred from doing so for any conduct that occurred during the above-specified period or any period prior to the issuance of this order, including the period of time from January 19, 2025, to the signing of this order."

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images Donald Trump has once again taken the US out of the landmark Paris climate agreement, abandoning the global effort to limit climate change. Trump signed an executive order today to exit.The Paris accord was adopted in 2015, committing nearly 200 countries including the US to working together to stop global average temperatures from rising much higher than they have already. 2024 was the hottest year on record, beating the previous record set in 2023.Scrapping efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the US can have repercussions for Americans and people around the world. The US was already the biggest historical emitter of planet-heating carbon dioxide emissions and the world's leading oil and gas producer, giving it big sway in global climate negotiations. Within America's borders, billion-dollar weather and climate disasters have already grown more prevalent (adjusted for inflation) in recent years.Exiting the Paris agreement is in clear defiance of scientific realities and shows an administration cruelly indifferent to the harsh climate change impacts that people in the United States and around the world are experiencing," Rachel Cleetus, policy director and lead economist for the Climate and Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists, said in an emailed statement.Our planet's climate has stayed relatively stable for the last 11,000 years or so, supporting the rise of agriculture and civilization as we know it, until the Industrial Revolution. The Paris agreement aims to keep global temperatures within roughly the same temperature range, preventing warming of more than 1.5 to 2 degrees Celsius.It might not seem like a big difference in temperature, but climate change has already become severe enough to supercharge weather-related disasters across the US including wildfires still burning around Los Angeles that leveled entire communities this month.Trump took the US out of the Paris accord the last time he was in office. Former President Joe Biden recommitted upon stepping into office in 2021. Now, the US will join Iran, Libya, and Yemen as the only countries not on board with the international agreement. It'll take one year from the date the Trump administration sends notification to the United Nations before US withdrawal from the Paris agreement will be official.

Photo by Alex Wong / Getty Images Brendan Carr is now formally the chair of the Federal Communications Commission, giving him the power to set the agency's agenda and usher through a host of regulations with major implications for the tech and media industries as soon as he has a Republican majority.In a statement, Carr named a few areas of focus: issues ranging from tech and media regulation to unleashing new opportunities for jobs and growth through agency actions on spectrum, infrastructure, and the space economy."Carr's priorities might also be gleaned from a document you might have already heard about: Project 2025. That's because he authored the FCC chapter of the Heritage Foundation's wishlist for a Donald Trump presidency. In that chapter, Carr proposes actions including: limiting immunity for tech companies under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, requiring disclosures about how platforms prioritize content, requiring tech companies to pay into a program that funds broadband access in rural areas, and more, quickly approving applications to launch satellites from companies like Elon Musk's Starlink.Carr also wrote about protecting the US from security threats stemming from China, including by addressing TikTok's threat to national security." Whether that's something Carr takes up as chair now seems more in doubt, as Trump has changed his tune on the app's danger to the US. While Trump was the first to try to ban TikTok from the US, he's now positioning himself as its savior - putting China and TikTok hawk Carr in a tricky position.The new FCC chair has also indicated that he could use his power to revoke spectrum licenses for networks over their decisions to host speech when he deems it a violation of the equal time rule. This came up in a scuffle about NBC's hosting of Kamala Harris on Saturday Night Live before the election - though the network seemed to comply with the rules for giving candidates similar time and placement on public airwaves by offering Trump an appearance on air later on.Regardless, Carr will need a third Republican vote on the commission to approve any measures that are not bipartisan in nature. Trump has nominated Olivia Trusty, a former Senate aide, to join the commission, pending Senate confirmation.Trump's pick to lead the Federal Trade Commission is also now in place. Andrew Ferguson, who was already serving as a commissioner, has a reported agenda that echoes parts of Carr's. It includes a desire to hold big tech accountable and stop censorship" and also to protect freedom of speech and fight wokeness."Correction, January 21st: An earlier version of this article said Mark Meador had been nominated to join Carr. Meador has been nominated to join the FTC, not the FCC.

Photo by Kevin Lamarque - Pool/Getty Images Vivek Ramaswamy has stepped down from co-leading President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), according to the Associated Press. The official line as to why Ramaswamy is moving on is that he plans to run for elected office - he reportedly intends to run for Ohio governor.Vivek Ramaswamy played a critical role in helping us create DOGE," spokesperson Anna Kelly says in the statement to the Associated Press. He intends to run for elected office soon, which requires him to remain outside of DOGE, based on the structure that we announced today. We thank him immensely for his contributions over the last 2 months and expect him to play a vital role in making America great again."Trump gave DOGE, which is not a department of the US government, the remit to advise cuts to wasteful" government spending. Musk and Ramaswamy spelled out their plans in a Wall Street Journal article. But CBS News reported yesterday that Ramaswamy was on the way out:

Fujifilm has added two new models to its Techno-Stabi binoculars line with stabilization and increased magnification. | Image: Fujifilm Fujifilm has announced two new additions to its flagship Techno-Stabi line of binoculars featuring electronic stabilization, as spotted by PetaPixel. The new TS-L2040 and TS-L1640 deliver even more magnification than Fujfilm's previous top-of-the-line offering - 20x and 16x, instead of just 14x - while also being smaller and lighter without sacrificing features like waterproofing. Both new models can survive a complete dunking to a depth of one meter for 30 minutes.The Fujifilm TS-L2040, with 20x magnification, will be $1,299.95 when available for purchase starting on January 31st, 2025. The slightly cheaper TS-L1640, which offer 16x magnification, will be $1,199.95.Using binoculars with more than 10x magnification without a tripod or stable support can result in blurred images because humans are simply incapable of holding them steady enough by hand. Even imperceptible hand movements are exaggerated through a pair of binoculars, making it hard to focus on a distant magnified subject. Image: Fujifilm Fujifilm's new TS-L2040 Techno-Stabi binoculars (right) are smaller and lighter than the company's previous flagship model (left) which weigh about a pound heavier. Fujifilm's new models rely on a gimbal-mounted prism with plus and minus three degrees of electronic stabilization. They're also noticeably smaller and lighter than the company's existing Techno-Stabi TS-X14x40 binoculars - weighing 1.88 pounds instead of 2.9 pounds - making them easier for birdwatchers to carry on a hike.The two new models aren't entirely replacing Fujifilm's heavier and bulkier TS-X14x40 binoculars. Although the older model only offers 14x magnification for the same price as the company's new 20x offering, they feature a more rugged design with plus and minus six degrees of electronic stabilization.In a video comparing the old and new models, Fujifilm technical expert, Michael Bulbenko, says the older model is still a better choice for boaters given the extra movements while out on the water. Image: Fujifilm Fujifilm says both new models run on a pair of AAA batteries that offer up to 30 hours of stabilization. Other features of the new TS-L2040 and TS-L1640 include 40mm objective lenses on the front that allow more light in to boost brightness. Fujifilm's cheapest stabilized binoculars, the $749.95 TS12x28WP, feature much smaller front lenses that are just 28mm in size.Both new binocular models are powered by a pair of AAA batteries that Fujifilm says will keep the image stabilization continuously powered for up to 30 hours. The binoculars will also automatically power themselves off after 60 minutes if you forget to, so if you're headed out on a weekend birdwatching trip, you probably won't need to pack an extra set of AAAs.

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images Donald Trump said today he'll declare a national energy emergency," a move meant to speed the development of fossil fuel infrastructure.The actions taken on his first day in office mark the start of President Trump's attempts to boost oil and gas and retreat from global climate goals. He campaigned on promises to drill, baby, drill," and undo Biden-era policies to reduce pollution and stop climate change.The US will fill our strategic reserves up again, right to the top, and export American energy, all over the world," Trump said in his inauguration speech.Trump also repeated vague pledges he's made to throw out environmental policies that haven't actually been put in place. He said his administration would end the green New Deal, and we will reverse the electric vehicle mandate, saving our oil industry." It's unclear what policies he's referring to with that statement.Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) into law, the most significant piece of climate legislation to date that opened up $369 billion for climate action and clean energy. Trump has previously said that he'd rescind any unspent IRA funds.I'm not that worried about having an EV mandate since there isn't one, but I am concerned that he might take steps to make EVs more expensive for American consumers," Pete Buttigieg, Biden's Secretary of Transportation, recently told The Verge. But Trump has said that he'll eliminate subsidies and tax credits Biden introduced to make electric vehicles more affordable.Biden-era tailpipe emissions standards are likely also on the chopping block. The Biden administration tightened pollution standards aimed at slashing greenhouse gas emissions and encouraging more EV sales.A new White House webpage says a priorities for the Trump administration include streamlining permitting, and reviewing for rescission all regulations that impose undue burdens on energy production and use, including mining and processing of non-fuel minerals."There's little detail on the page about what declaring a national energy emergency will entail outside of using all necessary resources to build critical infrastructure." It does say Trump wants to end federal leasing of areas for wind farms and take the US out of the Paris climate agreement, echoing promises he's made in the pastTrump signed an executive order to exit the Paris agreement later in the evening at his inauguration eve rally.Developing...

Canon's Live Switcher Mobile app is free for iOS and iPadOS devices. | Screenshot: YouTube Canon has announced a new live streaming app that can wirelessly connect to, and switch between, video feeds from three mobile devices. It's currently limited to iPhones and iPads running at least iOS and iPad0S 16. Android isn't supported, but an even stranger omission is that Live Switcher Mobile isn't compatible with any of Canon's digital cameras - that functionality will be added in the future," according to an FAQ.The app is available for download now and can be used for free, but with some limitations. Video quality maxes out at 720p, the output is watermarked, and the app's interface will occasionally be cluttered with ads - but those aren't presented to viewers. For $17.99 per month (which is over $215 per year) output quality gets a bump to 1080p, while ads and the watermark are removed. There's no option to increase the video resolution past HD. Image: Canon The mobile device serving as a live stream's primary camera also provides the switching interface. One device running the app is designated as the host which provides the switching interface and serves as the primary camera. Up to two additional devices can be connected providing video feeds from alternate angles, or a live screen capture of a video game being played.Switching between feeds can be done manually, but if you'd like to avoid poking a device that's serving as one of your cameras, the app can also be set to automatically switch between sources at set intervals of eight to 20 seconds. Multiple videos can be streamed simultaneously using a picture-in-picture effect, while text and image overlays can be added to personalize a livestream, add branding, or provide captioning.Canon says the app supports live streaming to YouTube, Facebook, and other platforms that support RTMP, but its comment display function is limited to those first two platforms.Although its functionality isn't as robust as the free OBS Studio app that also allows mobile devices to be used as video sources, Canon's Live Switcher Mobile is potentially an easier alternative for aspiring influencers just getting started with live streaming.It may currently be limited to mobile devices, but the company has confirmed the app will support Canon's digital camera connection in the future." With that added functionality, and maybe a bump to 4K streaming capabilities, its steep price tag could be easier to justify for those looking for a highly portable streaming solution.

Nvidia's RTX 5090 vs. RTX 4090. | Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge Nvidia's GeForce RTX 5090 Founders Edition graphics card is arriving later this month, and we've managed to unbox one and compare its design to the RTX 4090. Just like our first look at the RTX 5090, this isn't a review. Performance figures, benchmarks, and impressions beyond the hardware are coming later.The first thing that's notable about the RTX 5090 is the packaging design has totally changed since the Founders Edition RTX 40-series. Nvidia has switched to housing the RTX 5090 inside a smaller bone-shaped gray cardboard shell that sits inside a much larger brown cardboard box. Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge A dog and his RTX 5090 bone. The outer box - which reads Inspired by gamers. Enhanced by AI. Built by Nvidia." - holds a new power adapter cable for the RTX 5090 that includes an updated version of the regular 12VHPWR connector. You'll need to use four regular PCIe eight-pin power connectors with this adapter, or a new 12V-2x6 cable. The 12V-2x6 is almost identical to the existing 12VHPWR, as the new connector has shorter sensing pins and slightly longer conductor terminals. The slight variation means that existing 12VHPWR cables will work... Read the full story at The Verge.

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge Rumors have been floating around for months that Apple might launch a brand-new iPhone model this year: the so-called iPhone Air, a new, super-thin iPhone that may mark the first big design shift for the line in many years.More than a facelift, the iPhone Air is a different strategy altogether, being neither a more affordable base model nor a feature-packed Pro phone. Instead, rumors describe a phone that's aimed to please people who are willing to sacrifice some function for a sleeker, slimmer design. Basically, it's the iPhone version of the original MacBook Air.Current rumors suggest the phone will debut as part of Apple's iPhone 17 lineup this fall, giving it the name iPhone 17 Air. Of course, it's not a done deal just yet. Apple could still change its plans or the rumors could turn out wrong. But enough reports have come out to suggest that something real is in the works. Here are all the rumors about the upcoming phone so far:The thinnest iPhone yetThe 17 Air will be very thin, but the rumor mill hasn't totally settled on the exact number.Supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicted a 5.5mm phone in January, which would make it slightly thicker than the 5.1mm M4 iPad Pro that debuted last May. Two days later, Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman reiterated a claim he'd made in December: that the new phone would be about 2 millimeters thinner" than the 8.25mm iPhone 16 Pro. Supply chain analyst Jeff Pu has suggested it would be around 6mm.No matter who is closest, the 17 Air would be one of the thinnest Apple products ever, even more so than the iPhone 6, which currently holds the record for thinnest iPhone at 6.9mm - and was notably prone to bending. Encouragingly, Apple managed to make the M4 iPad Pro surprisingly sturdy.Battery woesApple is said to be working on novel ways to fit enough battery to meet its ultra-slim phone goal. A November 2023 rumor from ETNews said Apple was attempting to create a new, denser kind of battery that uses carbon nanotubes and a mix of materials like nickel, cobalt, manganese, and aluminum for future devices.But in November 2024, Korean leaker yeux1122 posted that Apple is using standard battery tech. They said the company had sought to get thinner internals to enable both more battery capacity and a slimmer phone but failed. The Information wrote later that month that Apple was having trouble finding space for the battery, SIM card, and thermal materials inside, limiting how thin it can be.A more recent rumor from leaker Digital Chat Station suggested that both Apple's phone and the also-rumored skinny Samsung Galaxy S25 will feature a 3,000 - 4,000mAh battery and measure somewhere between 5.xmm-6.xmm."The iPhone 17 Air's displayAll signs right now are pointing to every iPhone 17's OLED display using the same LTPO panel tech found in current Pro models. That could mean both higher refresh rates and less power consumption, as it enables the screens to raise their refresh rates to 120Hz and then drop as low as 1Hz. That's part of why Apple's always-on display feature works without a significant battery cost.As for screen size, rumors generally agree it will measure about 6.6 inches. That's a tad smaller than the 6.7-inch screen of the iPhone 16 Plus, which the 17 Air may be replacing this year. It's expected that the phone will get a Dynamic Island with Face ID, like the rest of the flagship line.In-house chips and Apple IntelligenceBloomberg's Mark Gurman recently said that Apple will outfit the iPhone 17 Air with in-house Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chips, as well as its own bespoke cellular modem. That'll be a first for the company, which has been trying for years to develop its own modem in an effort to ditch Qualcomm. Apple is apparently confident it's done that now, and well enough to start putting it in phones, possibly starting with the iPhone SE 4 within the next few months.Apple will probably put a regular A19 chip in the 17 Air, reserving the A19 Pro chip for its Pro phones. The phone could also have 8GB of RAM and support Apple Intelligence AI features as a result.Camera dietRumors have been steadfast that the iPhone 17 Air will only have one camera on the back. Citing supply chain analyst Jeff Pu in October, MacRumors wrote that it will be a 48-megapixel shooter and that the phone will feature a 24-megapixel shooter for the front-facing selfie cam.How much will it cost?The iPhone 17 Air could be expensive despite lacking the fancy camera array of the Pro phones or the dual-camera setup of the base model. The Information even wrote that it could cost more than the $1,299 iPhone 16 Pro Max does now.Not every rumor agrees. The Wall Street Journal wrote in December that Apple is aiming for something cheaper than the Pro phones. That'd put it below $999, where the iPhone 16 Pro starts.Why is Apple making the iPhone 17 Air?Gurman reported in August that boosting sales is the big motivator for the Air redesign after years of Mini and Plus phone flops. Later, in his January 12th newsletter, he wrote that the company sees the Air strategy as a tried-and-true winner" for getting sales.The Journal's December story echoed that, saying Apple is trying growth with the iPhone 17 Air following its years of largely incremental upgrades." Although the iPhone still makes up about half of Apple's revenue, the outlet wrote, its last big wave of sales gains was in 2021," thanks to carriers' subsidies amid their 5G push.Apple has tried since 2020 to goose sales using four flagships, and the 17 Air approach is no different, CNBC wrote in November. Apple started with the iPhone 12, 12 Mini, 12 Pro, and 12 Pro Max, then swapped out the Mini models for Plus" phones starting with the iPhone 14. But the Mini and Plus models haven't clicked with buyers. Most recently, the iPhone 16 Plus only made up 10 percent of Apple's screen orders in 2023 and 16 percent of them last year, Ross Young of display research firm DSCC told the outlet. The Air could theoretically replace the Plus as a slightly higher-end option.Drumming up sales isn't necessarily the whole story though, as Gurman also offered another explanation in January: Apple is using the phone as a testing ground for new technologies, including its in-house wireless and cell modem chips. But more than that, it's a stepping stone toward the smaller tech needed to eventually build a folding iPhone.