The Verge

Veritone’s Marvel.AI platform will let celebrities and influencers create AI copies of their voices. | Image: Veritone Recording advertisements and product endorsements can be lucrative work for celebrities and influencers. But is it too much like hard work? That’s what US firm Veritone is betting. Today, the company is launching a new platform called Marvel.AI that will let creators, media figures, and others generate deepfake clones of their voice to license as they wish.“People want to do these deals but they don’t have enough time to go into a studio and produce the content,” Veritone president Ryan Steelberg tells The Verge. “Digital influencers, athletes, celebrities, and actors: this is a huge asset that’s part of their brand.”With Marvel.AI, he says, anyone can create a realistic copy of their voice and deploy it as they see fit. While... Continue reading…

A Samsung laptop you might actually want Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Dolby Vision gaming is arriving on the Xbox Series X and S for testers who are a part of the Xbox Insider’s “alpha ring” group. This HDR format offers an upgraded set of features like support for dynamic metadata. Microsoft says the feature means “brighter highlights, sharper contrast, and more vibrant colors” in games when you’re playing on a Dolby Vision-compatible TV, offering “better clarity in both light and dark scenes.” The consoles currently support HDR via the less advanced HDR10 standard.We’ve known Microsoft’s current generation of Xboxes would support Dolby’s HDR standard since before the consoles’ release. Last September, Dolby announced that they’d be “the first consoles to support the Dolby Vision HDR format with dynamic... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Google has filed an amicus brief to protect a program that allows the spouses of H-1B visa holders to work in the United States. The brief has been signed by numerous tech giants including Apple, Amazon, Twitter, and Microsoft.The tech industry has long relied on foreign talent to fill the gaps in its workforce. In 2020, Google and Amazon were among the top sponsors of H-1B visas, which are reserved for highly skilled workers.Under President Trump, the program came under fire. The former president drastically boosted denial rates of H-1B applications, as reported by the Seattle Times. He also went after H-4 visas, which are reserved for the spouses of people with H-1B status. Trump threatened to ban H-4 visa holders — a group that is... Continue reading…

Balmuda, a Japanese design company known for its stylish appliances, has announced plans to make a smartphone. There aren’t many details on the device itself yet, but it’ll be a 5G handset that’s expected to be released in November. SoftBank will sell it as a carrier model, while Balmuda will also offer an unlocked version.In its announcement, Balmuda notes that since the smartphone business is getting increasingly commoditized, the company wants to provide an experience that only it can. However, the actual manufacturing is out of Balmuda’s wheelhouse, so it’s partnering with Kyocera on the phone.Balmuda’s toaster sells for about $235 in JapanBalmuda has a fairly limited product line for the home including air purifiers, humidifiers,... Continue reading…

Image: Google Google is rolling out the ability to access Chat messages right from Gmail to more iOS and Android users, after introducing it as a feature for Google Workspace users last July (via 9to5Google). It’s still a test feature, so getting access to it can take a bit of work, and it may not be available to your depending on your account settings (my colleagues and I were able to enable it on personal accounts, but not our work accounts). If you can get it working, though, you’ll be rewarded with a new tab at the bottom of the Gmail app, giving you access to your IMs.To enable the feature on iOS or Android, open the side menu and scroll down to Settings. If you have multiple accounts, select the one you want, then look for “Chat (early access)”... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Expert testimony continues Continue reading…

Image: Netflix Netflix announced that it’s partnering with Tsuburaya Productions to create a new CG Ultraman movie, in the hopes of bringing the popular Japanese character to an even larger global audience. Ultraman’s never been a household name outside of Japan despite leaving a huge impression on popular culture — the original Ultraman series popularized the “giant man in a suit fights people dressed up as monsters in a model city” genre — but Netflix is hoping to change that.The new CG Ultraman film, besides leaving the franchise’s original live action format, will feature a different version of the character and what sounds like a slightly unusual setup for the plot — Ultraman has undergone “dadification”. Per Tsuburaya Productions’ synopsis:

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Cryptocurrency exchange Binance is being investigated by the Internal Revenue Service and the Department of Justice, Bloomberg reports, with officials who handle money laundering and tax offenses in particular taking a interest in Binance’s business.Founded in 2017, Binance is the largest cryptocurrency exchange in the world. It’s incorporated in the Cayman Islands and has an office in Singapore. According to Bloomberg, the US Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has been investigating whether Binance allowed Americans to make illegal trades on its platform, by letting them buy derivatives linked to digital tokens. US residents can only purchase these kinds of products from firms registered with the CFTC. Binance has said in... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge TikTok is being sued by a voice actor who claims to be behind its viral text-to-speech feature, but says she never authorized TikTok — or just about anyone, really — to use her voice this way. The lawsuit, filed last week, says Bev Standing’s voice has been used to repeat “foul and offensive language” and that TikTok’s use will cause her “irreparable harm.”It’s unclear how Standing’s voice could have come to be used by TikTok, at least by the lawsuit’s telling. Standing says that she did voice recordings for a text-to-speech feature “several years ago” for a group called the Institute of Acoustics (IOA). Those recordings were meant to be used for translations of Chinese texts as part of a contract with an unnamed Chinese company, the... Continue reading…

The Google Pixel 3 was one of the best Android phones of 2018, and though it might not be the showstopper it once was, it’s a standout if you can find it for the right price. Thankfully, if you’re looking to upgrade or take the plunge into the Android ecosystem, Woot is currently offering a 64GB, unlocked version of the Pixel 3 for $160 — a discount of $240.Despite its age, the Pixel 3 remains more than capable with its Snapdragon 845 processor. The phone lacks a headphone jack and its bezels aren’t exactly small, but it packs a 5.5-inch OLED display and a terrific 12-megapixel rear camera, one capable of capturing vibrant shots and decent low-light photos. The Pixel 3’s dual front-facing cameras even churn out wide-angle selfies, while... Continue reading…

Disney has confirmed that its upcoming releases Free Guy and Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings will be the company’s first two films to debut exclusively in theaters (on August 13th and September 3rd, respectively).But when they do hit theaters, it’ll be for a far shorter amount of time, with just 45 days of theatrical exclusivity, instead of the traditional 90 days.Shorter windows are the new standardThe studio is by no means the only one: Warner Bros. has already announced that its return to theaters in 2022 will feature a 45-day window; Paramount has said that upcoming blockbuster films like Mission: Impossible 7 will get 45-day windows, while smaller movies will have an even shorter 30-day window. And Universal has signed... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Can you imagine being able to actually search Twitter to find a conversation, instead of just scrolling through endlessly to hopefully find what you’re looking for? That could be a reality for Twitter DMs in the near future.First off, the company’s finally bringing a DM search bar to Android today, nearly two years after it first appeared on iOS. More importantly, it’s going to drastically expand how helpful that bar is by surfacing older conversations and even actual words you’ve typed in those conversations sometime “later this year.” (Currently, you can only search for the names of the people you’ve spoken to.)

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge An Oregon man who authorities say stole and resold customers’ credentials for Netflix and other streaming services has been indicted on fraud charges, the US Attorney’s office announced.According to the indictment, Samuel Joyner and Evan McMahon stole and sold more than 200,000 customer account credentials — for streaming services including Netflix, HBO Max, and Spotify Premium — as part of the operation of an online service called AccountBot. Users of the site paid a subscription fee to obtain others’ credentials for paid streaming services at a lower rate than the services charged.As of March 2019, the service allegedly had some 52,000 customers and offered more than 217,000 stolen streaming account credentials.AccountBot allegedly... Continue reading…

SpaceX plans to have its first Starship test flight to orbit launch from Texas and splash down off the coast of an island in Hawaii, according to a document the company filed with the Federal Communications Commission on Thursday. The orbital flight test would mark the first time SpaceX stacks both elements of its massive Starship system together, the next key development step in its attempt to build a rocket that could one day land on Mars.As outlined in the document, a super heavy booster stage will launch Starship from SpaceX’s Boca Chica, Texas, facilities and separate in midair nearly three minutes into flight. About five minutes later, that booster stage will return back to Earth and splash down in the Gulf of Mexico — or as... Continue reading…

Photo by James Bareham / The Verge There’s been some buzz recently about how Apple is having problems getting rid of its HomePods, with the now-discontinued Siri speakers still being on sale two months after Apple announced their discontinuation. And yet, the speakers are still $300, which is only slightly lower than their launch price of $350. Apple: it’s time to put them on sale.Here’s an anecdote to show how hard it’s been for Apple to unload these things: I bought a HomePod the day its discontinuation was announced. An online tool tells me that it was made in October 2017, which was before Apple even started selling them in January 2018. That’s pretty rough, especially given that it’s a “space gray” one, seemingly the more popular of the two colors given that the... Continue reading…

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge The Italian Competition Authority (ICA) handed Google an approximately $120 million (€100 million) fine today for not letting a third-party charging app on Android Auto in 2019 (via 9to5Google). The case started with a probe into the search giant’s automotive software business, which until October 2020 had limitations around what kinds of apps were allowed to be developed and released for use while driving.Enel Group, an Italian energy company, originally complained in 2019 that Google wouldn’t allow its Enel X Recharge app on Android Auto. The app can help find charging locations for electric cars, a feature Google first added to Google Maps in 2018. Today’s ICA fine is focused on Enel X JuicePass, which is the renamed version of the... Continue reading…

Illustrative image of two commemorative bitcoins seen in front of the Tesla car logo. On Saturday, February 27, 2021, in Dublin, Ireland. | Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images Elon Musk shouldn’t hold his breath waiting for bitcoin to become environmentally friendly enough for Tesla to take it as payment. Musk announced yesterday that Tesla was walking away from the cryptocurrency because of the fossil fuels used for bitcoin mining and transactions. In the announcement, he left the door open for Tesla to accept bitcoin again if mining the cryptocurrency eventually runs on “more sustainable energy.” But some experts caution that renewable energy is not a silver bullet for bitcoin’s sustainability problem.

A woman receives a vaccine in a Pennsylvania clinic. | Photo by Preston Ehrler / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images People who are fully vaccinated can shed their masks and gather indoors or outdoors without worrying about social distancing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced today.“If you were fully vaccinated, you can start doing the things that you had stopped doing because of the pandemic. We have all longed for this moment, when we can get back to some sense of normalcy,” CDC director Rochelle Walensky said in a press conference today.People are considered to be fully vaccinated two weeks after receiving their final dose of a COVID-19 vaccine.There are a few caveats. Vaccinated people who are immunocompromised should talk to their doctor before getting rid of their masks, Walensky said. Certain settings will... Continue reading…

Photo by Hanna Lassen/Getty Images At the end of March, Netflix acquired the rights to two Knives Out sequels in a blockbuster deal reportedly worth more than $400 million, and the cast for the first sequel is quickly shaping up to be as epic as the one for the original movie.We got the first inkling about the new cast on Monday, when Deadline reported that Dave Bautista was joining the cast of the film. (He talked about his role with Polygon’s Tasha Robinson in an interview published on Tuesday.) Then, on Tuesday, Deadline had another scoop, reporting that Ed Norton has signed on as well. On Wednesday, The Hollywood Reporter said that musician and actress Janelle Monáe is joining the cast. And on Thursday, Deadline reported that Kathryn Hahn, who you might know from her... Continue reading…

The 2720 Flip is a feature phone with a classic design and access to modern apps. | Photo by Jon Porter / The Verge Have you been dreaming of consciously uncoupling from your smartphone? Ready to embrace a digital detox lifestyle but want to stay connected to your friends? Are you nostalgic for the days of tapping out messages in T9?Dream no more — HMD’s Nokia-branded 2720 Flip is arriving in the US soon. It’s an updated take on the classic flip phone, offering 4G connectivity and compatibility with modern apps like WhatsApp, Google Maps, and Facebook. Two years after its launch in 2019, it’s coming to the US on Verizon on May 20th for $80.While in concept the 2720 Flip sounds appealing if you’d like to spend less time staring at your smartphone, in practice we found it to be more frustration than it’s worth. Keeping up with WhatsApp conversations... Continue reading…

Image: HBO The Friends reunion special finally has a release date: Thursday, May 27th. The episode was was meant to launch with HBO Max in May 2020 but was delayed due to the pandemic. It will feature all six original cast members, as well as guest stars like Malala Yousafzai, Lady Gaga, and BTS, according to The Hollywood Reporter.Friends was previously available on Netflix, but HBO bought the streaming rights for an eye-watering $425 million. HBO Max seems to be trying to set itself up as the streaming service for ’90s nostalgia. It’s also hosted a reunion for The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and is the streaming home of both that show, Friends, and movies like The Matrix and Pulp Fiction.HBO has even released a teaser for the Friends reunion,... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Microsoft has announced new text-to-speech and speech-to-text features for Xbox Party Chat, which aim to help make communication on the platform more accessible. The features are currently being tested through the Xbox Insider program.The speech-to-text feature puts a window on the screen with automatic transcriptions of what people in the voice chat are saying, along with an indicator of whether the message was typed or spoken aloud. This could help people who are hard of hearing to participate in the chat, even if the other participants are speaking instead of typing. Image: Microsoft The window in the top right shows transcribed text from voice chat. The text-to-speech feature goes the other way, reading... Continue reading…

Framework The modular Framework Laptop is now available for preorders, with prices starting at $999 for a fully assembled computer or $749 for the DIY Edition, which adds the option of paying less upfront if you’re willing bring your own RAM, SSD, charge, and Wi-Fi card.For prebuilt systems, Framework is offering three starting configurations. There’s the entry level, $999 Base, which offers a Core i5-1135G7 processor, 8GB of RAM, a 256GB NVMe SSD, and Wi-Fi 6. The Performance model, starting at $1,399, ups the processor to a Core i7-1165G7 and doubles the RAM and SSD storage. And the Professional configuration, starting at $1,999, has a Core i7-1185G7, 32GB of RAM, 1TB of storage, and Windows 10 Pro.Whether fully prebuilt or DIY, the... Continue reading…

Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images After a devastating and deeply embarrassing cyberattack on one of the United States’ largest oil pipelines, one that forced many gas stations to shut down and reportedly caused average national gas prices to rise above $3 for the first time since 2014, the oil is flowing again. But Bloomberg is reporting that Colonial Pipeline had to pay a nearly $5 million ransom to get there, and it paid that ransom within mere hours.That’s striking, because it’s the opposite of what Reuters, CNN, and others reported in the wake of the attack. “Sources familiar with the company’s response,” a phrase often used when a company doesn’t want to be named, suggested the company had no plans to pay hackers. CNN’s sources insisted Colonial Pipeline had not... Continue reading…

Illustration by Grayson Blackmon / The Verge The beauty and misery of private RSS feeds Continue reading…

Image: 343 Industries Microsoft’s Xbox Game Studios is teaming up with Tencent’s TiMi Studios, developer of the wildly successful mobile hits Call of Duty: Mobile and Honor of Kings. According to a Google Translated version of the announcement from TiMi, the two companies have formed a “strategic partnership” to create “game content,” but it’s unclear exactly what that might mean or when we might be able to play anything resulting from the cooperation.TiMi Studios is no stranger to adapting hit franchises to mobile: Call of Duty: Mobile just crossed 500 million downloads worldwide and the studio is also the developer of the upcoming mobile strategy game Pokémon Unite. Perhaps Microsoft wants to bring some of its biggest titles to mobile platforms in some... Continue reading…

Photo: Alex Bailey/Legendary Sherlock’s kid sister is making a return. Today, Netflix announced Enola Holmes 2, a sequel to last year’s crime caper that took the Sherlock story in a slightly younger direction, focusing on the famous detective’s teenage sister.We don’t have many details about the new movie just yet — such as what it’ll be about or when it’s hitting the streaming service — but at the very least, many of the key figures are returning. That means Millie Bobby Brown and Henry Cavill will reprise their roles as Enola and Sherlock, respectively, and that director Harry Bradbeer and writer Jack Thorne are also on board again. The new movie will be produced by Legendary “in partnership with Netflix.”

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Qualcomm has announced that it will skip Mobile World Congress’ in-person show in Barcelona this year, making it the latest major company to announce that it will miss the potential COVID-19 superspreader event in June in favor of an online presence at the show.“While we appreciate the health and safety measures being put into place by the GSMA for MWC Barcelona, we have decided that it is in the best interest of our employees and customers for Qualcomm’s participation to be virtual this year,” the company said in a statement obtained by TechCrunch.Qualcomm is by no means the only major company opting for a digital appearance at MWC this year: Google, Nokia, Ericsson, Sony, and Oracle have all pulled out of this year’s show entirely,... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released a two-page preliminary report on the deadly crash of a Tesla Model S in Texas last month in which local authorities said there was no one in the driver’s seat.There are several relevant disclosures in the NTSB report. The first is that security camera footage from the owner’s home captured the owner entering the driver’s side door, while his companion got in on the passenger side. The car leaves the house, travels 550 feet before departing the road on a curve, hitting a drainage culvert, a raised manhole, and a tree. The car then burst into flames, killing the two occupants.There has been much speculation from Tesla’s many interested online observersThe second relevant finding... Continue reading…

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Several Apple suppliers may have used forced labor in China, according to The Information. Working with two human rights groups, the publication identified seven companies that supplied products or services to Apple and supported forced labor programs, according to statements made by the Chinese government. The programs target the country’s Muslim minority population, particularly Uyghurs living in Xinjiang.Six of the seven suppliers were said to participate in work programs operated by the Chinese government, The Information reports, which human rights groups describe as frequently offering cover for forced labor. Workers can be jailed for refusing to join the work programs, the report says, and those enrolled in the programs are often... Continue reading…

Image: FaceBook Facebook has announced on Twitter that it will start testing a pop-up that asks users if they’re sure they want to share an article that they haven’t opened. The pop-up will prompt users to read the article, but they can also choose to continue sharing it if they want. Facebook doesn’t say how wide the test will be.The pop-up is similar to Twitter’s, which it started testing in June 2020. Twitter’s implementation of the feature can be annoying to users (myself included) who have read the article elsewhere and decide to share it when they see it pop up on their feed.Facebook says the pop-up is meant to help people be more informed about the articles they share, likely as an attempt to combat the spread of misinformation the platform has... Continue reading…

Photo by Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images The group behind the ransomware that took down Colonial Pipeline late last week has apologized for the “social consequences,” claiming that its goal is to make money, not cause societal problems. The group is called DarkSide, and the FBI has confirmed that the group’s malware was responsible for compromising one of the US’s largest fuel pipelines.According to Vice, the group’s apology was posted to its dark web site. It reads:

LiveWire, the first electric motorcycle from Harley-Davidson, will now become its own standalone brand. The Milwaukee-based company announced that it would be spinning out its electric motorcycle division as its own company with a distinct lineup and a tailored retail experience. Harley-Davidson plans to unveil the “first LiveWire branded motorcycle” on July 8th to coincide with the International Motorcycle Show.It’s a similar move to how Harley-Davidson approached its new electric bicycle company, Serial 1. The idea is that LiveWire continues to benefit from its relationship with its parent company while also forging its own brand identity that is distinct from Harley-Davidson.Harley-Davidson is interested in letting its electrified... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge YouTube has run the numbers and discovered what greeting its vloggers most use to open videos: “Hey, guys.” Those findings may not be surprising if you’ve watched a lot of YouTube, but the report actually shows a lot more, including what the runners-up are, how greetings have changed in popularity over time, and how video genre affects the most common openings. Let’s just jump into it!To get these findings, YouTube did quite a bit of data analysis, looking at the auto- and creator-generated captions from over a million videos. YouTube picked videos that had over 20,000 views from channels that had over 20,000 subscribers, so it is worth noting that the results are more reflective of how relatively popular videos open, rather than of... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge In an open letter today, the National Association of Attorneys General called on Facebook to abandon plans for an Instagram platform focused on children under the age of 13. The letter is signed by 44 different state-level attorneys general (including non-states like Guam, Puerto Rico, and the Northern Mariana Islands), representing a majority of US territories.“It appears that Facebook is not responding to a need, but instead creating one, as this platform appeals primarily to children who otherwise do not or would not have an Instagram account,” the letter reads. “The attorneys general urge Facebook to abandon its plans to launch this new platform.”“The attorneys general urge Facebook to abandon its plans”Plans for the child-focused... Continue reading…

And create the vocabulary for an absurd, ingenious art form. Continue reading…

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Bird, the electric scooter company that helped launch the global micromobility boom, is planning to go public via a reverse merger with a special acquisition company, or SPAC, according to dot.LA. Bird is merging with Switchback II Corporation, a Dallas-based “blank check” company focusing on companies reducing carbon emissions, according to documents reviewed by the website.Bird is the latest transportation company, but one of only a few e-scooter companies, to go public. A record number of companies have gone public this past year by merging with SPAC shell corporations, which avoids the scrutiny of a traditional IPO.Bird is the latest transportation company, but one of only a few e-scooter companies, to go publicReports first... Continue reading…

A classic point-and-click adventure game mashed with a Hollywood movie Continue reading…

Image: Ford Ford announced the name of its upcoming electric pickup truck: the F-150 Lightning. The new electric vehicle is set to debut on May 19th at an event held at the automaker’s Dearborn, Michigan, headquarters. It will also be live-streamed.The Ford F-150 has been the bestselling truck (and vehicle) in the US for more than 40 years, so its imminent electrification is a big deal. As such, Ford is treating the reveal as a major event, with dozens of ways to tune in across multiple platforms. The company is also hosting 18 in-person events around the country, including in Times Square and Las Vegas.The Lightning branding had leaked prior to today’s announcement, and as Car & Driver noted, it’s a somewhat familiar name for Ford, having... Continue reading…

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Sony is nearing the release of its next set of noise-canceling true wireless earbuds, according to a post at The Walkman Blog. There are images of the WF-1000XM4 from pretty much every angle, and they line up with an initial leak back in February.The new design differs quite substantially from the aging 1000XM3s. Sony has seemingly downsized these earbuds quite a bit; they no longer have the flattened pill shape and are thus closer in line with competitors like the Galaxy Buds Pro, Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2, and other earbuds with a round outer design. Sony has moved its logo to the side, so the branding won’t be so obvious this time around. Image: The Walkman Blog Sony has made some major design... Continue reading…

Illustration by Grayson Blackmon / The Verge For years, “infrastructure week” was a kind of running joke in Washington — a stand-in for all of the boring but popular rebuilding work that could happen if Donald Trump ever decided to get serious. Under Joe Biden, this idea has become something more tangible: the trillion-dollar American Jobs Plan, which lays out investments in everything from bridges to broadband.But while Congress grinds away on the details, we still want to think bigger. The pandemic showed just how shaky America’s foundation really is, whether it’s having enough hospital beds to survive a pandemic or having a connection fast enough to support a Zoom call. Fixing our infrastructure means looking at all of that — even the stuff like power grids and credit systems... Continue reading…

Venom: Let There Be Carnage, the extremely on-the-nose sequel to 2018’s Venom, has gotten its first trailer ahead of its pandemic-delayed September 24th release date. It promises more of the peculiar buddy cop comedy and Tom Hardy’s over-the-top acting that made the original a surprisingly fun watch.Picking up after the last movie, the trailer shows that Eddie Brock and the Venom symbiote have achieved a sort of domestic peace: a “no eating people” sign is tacked up on the wall of Brock’s apartment, and Venom helps Eddie make breakfast in what might be the worst Ratatouille impression of all time. He’s trying.“No eating people”Things shift focus to Cletus Kasady, a murderous serial killer (Woody Harrelson, doing his best Dark Knight... Continue reading…

Image: Razer Best Buy has an attractive deal on Razer gaming gear, including headsets, keyboards, mice, and mouse pads. If you buy any two listed on the site, you’ll get 20 percent off the total at checkout. But if you get three, you’ll get 25 percent off the total. This deal seems especially great if you just got a gaming PC and are looking to get set up with all of the peripherals you need. For around $50, you can get the BlackShark V2 wired headset, the excellent Viper ambidextrous mouse, or the DeathAdder V2 wired gaming mouse. Near the $100 level, you’ll be opened up to deals on wireless gaming mice, keyboards, and more.Digital storefront Eneba is selling copies of Resident Evil Village for PC (redeemable on Steam) for around $43 when you use... Continue reading…

A county-by-county look at the broadband gap Continue reading…

‘This is a major, major investment in setting America on the right path for the years ahead’ Continue reading…

Pony.ai’s next-generation robotaxi is distinctive because it appears to be missing the cone-shaped LIDAR sensor perched on the roof that’s typical of most autonomous vehicles. That’s because the startup, which is based in Silicon Valley and Guangzhou, China, is teaming up with Luminar to use the fast-growing LIDAR company’s sleek new sensors that are more flush with the vehicle’s roof.The new vehicles with Luminar’s LIDAR sensor won’t be up and running until 2022, but Pony.ai founder and CEO James Peng said preparation was already underway for mass production of the next-gen robotaxi. After testing the vehicle next year, Peng said it will be ready for the company’s robotaxi customers in 2023. Pony.ai currently offers limited... Continue reading…

Corning manufactures glass for Apple and many Android device makers. | Image: Apple Apple is awarding Corning another $45 million investment from its Advanced Manufacturing Fund, in addition to the $450 million it’s already given to the US-based company over the past four years. According to Apple’s announcement, the investment will “expand Corning’s manufacturing capacity in the US and drive research and development into innovative new technologies that support durability and long-lasting product life.”Corning provides glass for a variety of Apple products, including the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. The two companies have a history dating back to the original iPhone. Last year, they collaborated on the iPhone 12 lineup’s Ceramic Shield technology, which Apple claims is “tougher than any smartphone glass” and makes... Continue reading…

Vivo X60 Pro Plus. | Photo by Sam Byford / The Verge Vivo’s upcoming X-series flagship phones will receive three years of Android OS upgrades and security updates, the company announced today. The policy will come into force for phones launched after July 2021 in Europe, Australia, and India.“We are making a promise to our customers that they will be able to enjoy a premium smartphone experience for an extended period and continue to benefit from the latest software features,” Vivo’s CTO and senior vice president Yujian Shi said in a statement.With today’s announcement, Vivo is joining a small but growing group of Android manufacturers promising three years of OS updates for their flagship smartphones. Google has long had a similar policy for its Pixel phones. Last year, Samsung... Continue reading…

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Sony doesn’t expect the PlayStation 5 supply situation to improve any time soon, according to comments its CFO reportedly made to analysts following the company’s recent earnings report. Hiroki Totoki said that it’s difficult for Sony to keep up with demand for the PS5, according to Bloomberg, and that the situation is likely to continue into 2022.“I don’t think demand is calming down this year and even if we secure a lot more devices and produce many more units of the PlayStation 5 next year, our supply wouldn’t be able to catch up with demand,” Totoki reportedly said, later adding “We have sold more than 100 million units of the PlayStation 4 and considering our market share and reputation, I can’t imagine demand dropping easily.”“I... Continue reading…