The Verge

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge I grew up relying on technology to bring family together Continue reading…

TikTok has released its first augmented reality filter that can utilize the iPhone 12 Pro’s LIDAR sensor for an enhanced confetti effect that realistically settles on people or objects in your room.The effect itself is just a somewhat belated 2021 ball drop (which feels like it would have been a lot more useful a few days ago.) But the ball drop filter is just the start, with TikTok promising to “develop more innovative effects in 2021.” And the fact that one of the most popular video platforms in the world is jumping onboard with support for one of the marquee features on Apple’s more pricey and premium smartphones is certainly notable.

Image: The Verge A recent beta update for Steam has added new features for gamers using Xbox controllers. One of the more interesting additions is for Xbox Elite controller users, who can now use Valve’s software to bind the accessory’s rear paddles in controller configurations. The feature gives players more flexibility with how to use the extra inputs on the premium controller.Other updates for Xbox controllers include the ability to bind the Series X gamepad’s share button in controller configurations, and the ability to use more than four Xbox controllers with Steam at a time. Support for trigger rumble has also been added for games using the Windows.Gaming.Input API.There are also new features in store for PS5 controller usersThe Steam beta... Continue reading…

February 12th marks the first day of Lunar New Year, with 2021 ushering in the Year of the Ox and saying farewell to the Year of the Rat. To celebrate, Apple is releasing limited edition AirPods Pro in certain Asian countries, with a case branded with a new version of the cow emoji.Apple has also given an ox-themed makeover to its logo on some regional versions of its website: The special edition AirPods Pro sell for the same price as the regular AirPods Pro, which is just as well considering you can order those with any text or emoji you want engraved on the case for free. They’re 1,999 yuan ($310) in mainland China, for example, and they’re also for sale in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, and Malaysia.Apple is limiting... Continue reading…

Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images On January 6th, 2021, President Donald Trump, the former reality television star of NBC’s The Apprentice, escalated his assault on 244 years of democratic rule by inciting a mob of his supporters to break into the US Capitol building. In images that will haunt our republic for generations, Trump’s crazed supporters terrorized our elected representatives and their staffs and forced them to evacuate the seat of American government. CBS News reports that four people died in the ensuing chaos.Trump is now finally facing a ban from Facebook and Twitter. For more than four years he has polluted the internet, turning large swaths of our shared spaces into fever swamps of conspiracy and hatred. At best, platforms have temporarily limited his... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Twitch banned the popular PogChamp emote Wednesday after the person depicted in it published tweets “encouraging further violence” following a riot at the US Capitol.“We’ve made the decision to remove the PogChamp emote following statements from the face of the emote encouraging further violence after what took place in the Capitol today,” Twitch said in a statement Wednesday evening. “We want the sentiment and use of Pog to live on — its meaning is much bigger than the person depicted or image itself — and it has a big place in Twitch culture. However, we can’t in good conscience continue to enable use of the image.”

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Facebook has blocked President Trump from posting on the site for 24 hours, the company said Wednesday evening. The decision comes after the company already removed posts he made in support of the pro-Trump mob that attacked the US Capitol on Wednesday.“We’ve assessed two policy violations against President Trump’s Page which will result in a 24-hour feature block, meaning he will lose the ability to post on the platform during that time,” the statement reads.Trump’s account on Facebook-owned Instagram will also be locked for 24 hours, Instagram head Adam Mosseri confirmed.

LG LG has announced its 2021 lineup of Gram laptops, which feature a new design as well as some internal upgrades. There are five models. They include three clamshells (the Gram 17, the Gram 16, and the Gram 14) as well as two convertible models (the Gram 2-in-1 16 and the Gram 2-in-1 14).LG hasn’t changed the Gram lineup’s signature features. LG Gram laptops are known for being astonishingly light (hence the name “Gram”). The Gram 17 is just 2.98 pounds, the same weight as its predecessor. It’s highly unusual to see a 17-inch laptop under three pounds, and using one really messes with your mind — I always felt like I was carrying nothing when holding the 2020 model, because I expected it to feel so much heavier. The Gram 16 is just 2.62... Continue reading…

Image: Sony Electronics Sony has announced that it’s going to start selling a series of modular displays that can be used to create digital movie sets (via The Hollywood Reporter). If this kind of technology seems familiar, it may be because Industrial Light & Magic and Epic Games built similar sets to help create The Mandalorian.They displays are part of Sony’s Crystal LED line, which are modular panels that use MicroLEDs, and were previously marketed as being used for signage. The screen tech and modularity means that you can make enormous displays using a bunch of panels connected to a controller. That’s useful if you’re trying to create a virtual set out of displays.They get quite brightThe ones announced today are part of the new B-series, and are... Continue reading…

Photo by Samuel Corum / Getty Images He incited a riot against Congress — Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube should remove him Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Twitter is locking President Donald Trump’s account for 12 hours after removing three tweets that contained “repeated and severe violations” of its civic integrity policy. It says the account will be permanently suspended if violations continue, and it will not be unlocked unless Trump entirely deletes the three offending tweets. The decision comes after Trump tweeted a video that Twitter said posed a “risk of violence.”“As a result of the unprecedented and ongoing violent situation in Washington, DC, we have required the removal of three @realDonaldTrump tweets that were posted earlier today for repeated and severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy,” the Twitter Safety account tweeted. “This means that the account of... Continue reading…

Supporters of US President Donald Trump protest inside the US Capitol on January 6th, 2021, in Washington, DC. Demonstrators breached security and entered the Capitol as Congress debated the 2020 presidential Electoral Vote Certification. | Photo by Saul Loeb / AFP via Getty Images As seen from inside the Capitol building Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge As rioters attacked the US Capitol on Wednesday, Facebook removed a video from President Donald Trump responding to the violence. The decision came around an hour after the video was posted on the platform.“This is an emergency situation and we are taking appropriate emergency measures, including removing President Trump’s video,” said Guy Rosen, Facebook vice president of integrity, in a tweet Wednesday. “We removed it because on balance we believe it contributes to rather than diminishes the risk of ongoing violence.”

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge YouTube has removed a video from President Donald Trump addressing a mob attack on the Capitol today because the president repeats false information about the outcome of the 2020 election, The Verge has learned.The company will allow Trump’s message to appear in other creators’ videos if there is proper educational or news context; basically, if people are talking about Trump’s message as part of a greater point, YouTube will allow it to remain up. The removal comes after YouTube instituted a new policy update in December 2020 that forbids any type of content that alleges widespread voter fraud impacted the results of the 2020 presidential election. In Trump’s new video, which was also posted to Twitter and Facebook, he continued to... Continue reading…

Photo by Mandel Ngan / AFP via Getty Images In the wake of an unprecedented mob attack on the Capitol building, Twitter restricted and then removed a tweet from President Donald Trump, including its attached video. Users initially could no longer reply to, like, or retweet the post due to what Twitter referred to as a “risk of violence.” The tweet containing the video was then deleted entirely with a nonspecific link to Twitter’s policy guidelines.In Trump’s Wednesday Twitter video, he responded to mob violence at the US Capitol calling on rioters to peacefully “go home” hours after the chaos began. But he also repeated false claims that the 2020 presidential election was fraudulent and did not denounce the violence, leading some to find the calls for order unconvincing. “We had... Continue reading…

Photo by Ringo Chiu / AFP via Getty Images The concept of “petro-masculinity” was on full display Wednesday as Trump supporters and extremists like the Proud Boys haphazardly parked vehicles on the National Mall in Washington, DC before breaking into the Capitol, causing an evacuation. The astounding images depict a collective act that is simultaneously wholly un-American and yet completely in line with the psychology of this country as it relates to car ownership, personal freedom, and tendencies toward authoritarianism.Petro-masculinity has lingered as a concept for years (think of the discourse around the “rolling coal” phenomenon), but it was codified in a 2018 paper by political scientist Cara Daggett called “Petro-masculinity: Fossil Fuels and Authoritarian Desire.” In it,... Continue reading…

Photo by Samuel Corum / Getty Images A mob of President Donald Trump supporters stormed the US Capitol building this afternoon, and the event was live-streamed. On YouTube, Twitch, Facebook, and more, you could get a view of protesters gathered outside — and eventually inside — of the US Capitol. In some cases, the streams were monetized through tipping features. In others, streamers encouraged viewers to donate to accounts on Patreon or GoFundMe.The event presented a sudden and serious moderation challenge for YouTube and other platforms, particularly ones that allowed live streams. YouTube, Facebook, and other social media networks prepared for the 2020 elections in November by setting up policies around labeling and banning misinformation and calls for violence. As... Continue reading…

Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images Pro-Trump protesters have stormed the US Capitol building, effectively halting a vote to certify the results of the 2020 election. The Capitol is currently on lockdown, and lawmakers from both chambers have been evacuated as the mob has breached both congressional chambers and voting floors. Tear gas has reportedly been deployed in the rotunda in an effort to secure the building.At least one person was shot during the incident (warning: graphic video) and news reports confirm that she later died from her injuries. Improvised explosive devices were also recovered from both major party headquarters and from the grounds of the Capitol itself. One of the protesters who breached the Senate floor has been identified as a prominent promoter of... Continue reading…

Image: Mint Mint, the free personal finance app from Intuit, is receiving an update today, adding more automated features like subscription tracking and new “insights” to keep you informed where your money is spent, Fast Company reports. Mint’s new features may bring it more in line with the competition from banks and companies like Google that have been nipping at its heels with built-in budget tracking features and other services over the years.Mint’s main function is tracking spending by automatically sorting transactions based on type. By connecting a checking or savings account, Mint can start combing through purchases to see how much is spent in categories like groceries, electronics, or gas. From there, you can create a budget by setting a... Continue reading…

Teachers who have found themselves holding class over Zoom have probably already figured out clever hacks to show their students documents, but there’s now an app designed specifically for that purpose (via 9to5Mac). Overviewer was made by developer Charlie Chapman, and it allows teachers (or anyone, really) to easily use their phone’s camera as a replacement for an overhead document viewer.If it’s been a minute since you were a student, or if your school didn’t have these overhead devices, they’re basically webcams pointing straight down that allow teachers to show students a printed document, book, hand drawing, or other piece of writing or image. It’s a useful ability to have, but many teachers are working from home because of COVID... Continue reading…

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge If you were gifted a PS5 over the holidays or still own a PS4 and need to renew your PlayStation Plus membership, you can snag two one-year PlayStation Plus subscriptions at Eneba for $58 when you enter the discount code 2021PLUS at checkout (while supplies last). Usually, one year of PlayStation Plus would set you back $60, so getting two one-year subscriptions for less than the normal retail price is a real bargain, and this promotion will likely sell out quickly.Ideally, this is great for a PS4 or PS5 user looking to stack up on PlayStation Plus subscriptions for the next two years, or if you want to gift one PlayStation Plus membership to a friend and keep the other one for yourself. If you don’t need more than one PlayStation Plus... Continue reading…

The new Windows 10 taskbar feature. | Microsoft Microsoft is making a big change to its Windows 10 taskbar soon, with the addition of a news and weather widget. The new feature is available to testers today, and it will allow Windows 10 users to access a feed of news, stocks, and weather information straight from the taskbar. You’ll be able to quickly glance at the weather without having to open the Start menu, install a third-party app, or check online.The taskbar feature will pop out into a mini feed of content that can be personalized with the latest sports news, headlines, and weather information. Microsoft is using its Microsoft News network to surface news and content from more than 4,500 sources. The company has been curating this through artificial intelligence in recent... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Microsoft’s Xbox consoles are considered a pillar of the industry, part of a trifecta that makes up modern gaming. The first Xbox launched in 2001; the Xbox Series X and S arrived just last year. Today, Xbox is a powerhouse, yet it wasn’t always so. Bloomberg’s Dina Bass published an oral history on the creation of Microsoft’s Xbox that recounts the console’s conception, from an executive retreat through release day — with snags like a failed bid at Nintendo detailed along the way.The original Xbox was known as Midway — or Coffin Box to some, according to Xbox technology officer Seamus Blackley, “because they worried that it would fail and end their career at Microsoft.” As part of an effort to lock in exclusive games, Microsoft tried... Continue reading…

Nintendo is winding down support for the Netflix app on the Wii U and 3DS. The app will be shut down for existing users on June 30th, and if you’ve never downloaded it, it isn’t available anymore. You can redownload the app if you’ve downloaded it in the past, however.“Starting Dec 31st, 2020, the Netflix app will no longer be available for new users to download from Nintendo eShop on the Wii U console or Nintendo 3DS family of systems,” Nintendo said in a statement on the listings for the Wii U and 3DS Netflix app. “During that time, it will be possible for existing users to re-download these applications. Service for existing users will continue until June 30th, 2021. Thank you to everyone who enjoyed Netflix on these platforms over... Continue reading…

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge The US Department of Labor has finalized a decision that could make it easier for “gig economy” companies to classify their workers as independent contractors, rather than employees that can claim legal benefits. The Trump administration released its final version of the rule today, and it’s set to take effect on March 8th, although this could change after President-elect Joe Biden takes office in January.The DOL proposed a new framework last year for classifying employees and contractors. It focuses on two “core factors” for distinguishing the two: the “nature and degree of control over the work” and the “opportunity for profit or loss” based on initiative and investment. It also lists additional “guideposts” that include “the amount... Continue reading…

Charlie Harding, the host of the podcast Switched On Pop, noticed something strange when he searched his podcast name on Amazon yesterday: a price tag. An $8.95 price, to be exact, marked as a “limited deal” with the suggestion to buy an Audible subscription to get a discount.Harding’s show, which details the making and meaning of popular music, is already freely available in all podcast apps through an RSS feed. It also recently became available for free inside Audible, which is owned by Amazon, when podcasts were added to its app in October. But for some reason, Amazon had started advertising the show as paid content. Even more strangely, the Audible promotion was really for a price hike, marking the show as originally costing $0 and... Continue reading…

Photo by Sean O’Kane / The Verge Waymo is saying so long to “self-driving.”The Google sister company says it is through using the term “self-driving cars” to describe its fleet of autonomous vehicles. And it is subtly pointing fingers at Elon Musk’s Tesla as the reason why.Waymo says it is committing to “using more deliberate language” in its marketing, educational, and promotional materials going forward. This means the company will no longer refer to its vehicles as “self-driving,” Waymo says. For example, the company is changing the name of its three-year-old public education campaign from “Let’s Talk Self-Driving” to “Let’s Talk Autonomous Driving.”“It may seem like a small change, but it’s an important one, because precision in language matters and could save... Continue reading…

Image: NBC Chances are if you’re looking into signing up for Peacock (“Ugh, another streaming service!”), it’s because you’re trying to watch The Office — and NBC knows it.The Office isn’t just a big deal to college students who are just getting into Jim and Pam’s “will they, won’t they” relationship; it’s a massive play for subscribers from NBCUniversal. And now, the streamer’s marketing attempts reflect that importance. Instead of simply saying “this plan will give you access to these types of titles,” Peacock’s pricing is broken down by just how much you personally love The Office.

Windows 7 appears to still be running on at least 100 million machines, despite Microsoft ending support for the operating system a year ago. ZDNet has been analyzing the proportion of PCs still running Windows 7 across various analytics reports. While each data source pegs Windows 7 at different percentages of market share, most agree that the OS still makes up for around 20 percent of PCs.Microsoft has said for years that there are 1.5 billion users of Windows across multiple versions worldwide. It’s difficult to get an exact number of Windows 7 users owing to the different methods used by analytics companies, but it’s at least 100 million. If you drop Microsoft’s estimate of 1.5 billion users of Windows to just a billion (there are 1... Continue reading…

Samsung is today announcing its upper tier of 2021 8K and 4K HDR TVs. And like TCL and LG before it, the company is moving to a more precise backlighting system that uses Mini LED technology for improved contrast and greater picture quality than its previous full-array local dimming systems — and Samsung’s premium QLED LCD TVs were already impressive.The latest Mini LED advancements are being branded as “Neo QLED” and will be found in several different tiers in the 2021 lineup. There are two 8K models: the QN900A (a successor to last year’s top-tier 8K QLED with barely there bezels) and the QN800A. From there, three series of 4K TVs will get Mini LED: the QN95A, QN90A, and QN85A. Mini LED lets Samsung pack more LEDs... Continue reading…

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge With its 2021 lineup of 4K and 8K QLED TVs, Samsung is introducing a new Eco Remote Control that the company claims will “reduce tons of plastic waste per year” and further its efforts to reduce its environmental impact.From the front, the Eco Remote Control looks like any of Samsung’s TV clickers from recent years. But flip it around and you’ll see a long panel of solar cells that can charge the internal battery. The remote is made from 31 grams of plastic, and Samsung says 28 percent of that comes “from recycled polyethylene terephthalate.” Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Samsung estimates you’ll be able to use the Eco Remote Control for two years before its battery gives out and needs a full recharge. Overall,... Continue reading…

If you’re feeling swept up in New Year’s resolutions for getting fit and want a device that’s going to hold you accountable to meet your goals, Amazon’s Halo tracker is $25 off its usual $100 price. All sizes and colors are the same price. The Halo was actually about $10 cheaper when it first launched, but this is the next-best deal. In case you don’t know much about this product, it’s a tracker that can monitor more granular metrics than most fitness devices, like the tone of your voice and a general approximation of how much overall body fat you have.To get all of the features Halo offers, you’ll need a subscription. You’ll get six months for free with purchase. After that, it’s $3.99 per month if you want to continue. If not, then... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Throttling could be much harder under a Democratic Senate Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Amazon has pledged to spend more than $2 billion over the next five years to build tens of thousands of affordable housing units in three of the e-commerce giant’s major employment hubs, underscoring the ongoing housing crises affecting parts of the US where large, high-paying tech employers reside. Amazon’s pledge, announced on Wednesday, follows similar commitments from Apple, Facebook, and Google, all of which previously promised between $1 billion and $2.5 billion each to tackle similar issues plaguing the San Francisco Bay Area.The parts of the US Amazon plans to invest in include Washington state’s Puget Sound region that encompasses Seattle, as well as Arlington, Virginia and Nashville, Tennessee where Amazon has opened... Continue reading…

With 2020 consumed almost entirely by the COVID-19 pandemic, more than half of US residents turned to video games to fill the time. According to Nielsen company SuperData’s 2020 year in review, 55 percent of people picked up video games — out of boredom, to escape the real world, to socialize — during the first phase of lockdowns.The shift points to a larger one in entertainment. Movie theaters, sports, plays, and more have been largely inaccessible, if not outright dangerous to public health. Just as streaming, both of the Twitch and Netflix variety, became a huge source of entertainment, so did games — especially for adults. According to SuperData, 66 percent of consumers from 18 to 24 played more console games, while 60 percent... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Facebook has been ordered to pay €3.83 million (around $4.72 million) in damages to an Italian developer over the social network’s “Nearby” feature. Reuters reports that the Milan-based appeals court upheld a 2019 ruling saying Facebook had copied the feature from developer Business Competence’s Faround app.The case dates back to 2012. That year, Business Competence launched Faround which was designed to help users find Facebook friends near their location. The app quickly gained ground in the Italian market, Reuters previously reported. However, just months later, Facebook launched its own Nearby feature, which also competed with the likes of Foursquare and Yelp, and downloads of Faround reportedly plummeted.The original complaint... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Microsoft is finally starting to roll out history and tab sync for its Edge browser. After nearly a year since its initial release, some Microsoft Edge users now see the full web history and tab sync features available in their browsers. The roll out is gradual, but you can check to see if it’s available in your country by navigating to settings > profiles > sync and enabling “history” and “open tabs” in the options.Not every country has access to the additional sync features just yet, but we understand the UK is one of the first markets that will see history and tab sync initially. These new features will let Edge users sync all web pages they’ve visited to additional Windows 10 or macOS devices, or even to the mobile versions of Edge... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Amazon is developing a new Alexa-powered device that can track and monitor for signs of sleep apnea using radar, according to a new report from Business Insider. The palm-sized device is reportedly designed to sit on a bedside table and use millimeter-wave radar to sense your breathing, keeping an eye out for interruptions associated with the apnea sleeping disorder.The idea of using radar to monitor sleep isn’t new, and at least one other high profile company has attempted to commercialize the technology. Way back in 2014 Nintendo announced a “non-wearable” device that could track sleep via radio waves. However, less than two years later Nintendo said it wasn’t confident the device could become a viable product, and it was never... Continue reading…

The charging stand can also store its accessories. | Image: LG LG’s new vacuum cleaner, the ridiculously named LG CordZeroThinQ A9 Kompressor Plus, should be a little easier to empty than most cordless vacuums. Its charging station is equipped with a “fully-automated dust removal system,” which sucks the contents of the vac’s dustbin into a dust bag as the device charges.We’ve seen similar auto-emptying features in robot vacuum cleaners like the iRobot Roomba i7 Plus before, but LG’s solution is more unique in the world of cordless stick vacuums. Samsung sells a Clean Station to work with its upright vacuum cleaner, but using it involves first detaching the vacuum’s dustbin, rather than it happening automatically during charging.Honey, did you charge the LG CordZeroThinQ A9 Kompressor Plus?As... Continue reading…

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge The Nest Cam IQ Outdoor is no longer available to buy, Google has confirmed to 9to5Google, after the site noticed that the camera was out of stock in most countries around the world. The company says, however, that “Nest will keep investing in new innovations” including a “new lineup of security cameras for 2021.”For now, Google still sells the $129 Nest Cam Indoor, the $299 Next Cam IQ Indoor, and the $199 Nest Cam Outdoor. The IQ models have upgraded video quality and AI-based features like face and pet recognition. Google says it will continue to support its existing Nest cameras with new features and security updates. None of the current hardware is newer than 2017, though, so an upgrade is probably overdue.Google didn’t provide... Continue reading…

Photo by: Cristiano Minichiello/AGF/Universal Images Group via Getty Images Gabe Teninbaum, a professor at Suffolk University Law School, is calling on ExamSoft to fix a serious bug with its test-taking software: failure to recognize faces. It’s a problem that can delay test takers — or bar them from starting their exams altogether — and per reports, it disproportionately impacts people with dark skin tones.ExamSoft’s software records students while they complete remote exams and monitors for signs of academic dishonesty. Teninbaum’s report addresses an ExamSoft feature called ExamID, which aims to verify that test-takers are who they say they are. The first time a student logs into their exam portal, they upload a photo of themselves (their “baseline image”); they’re then prompted to take another selfie... Continue reading…

The Apple Watch’s ability to act as a camera remote for your phone got a mention in its announcement keynote, so it’s been around a while, but I’ve only ever used it once or twice to take group pictures. Twitter user @PeterSciretta, however, has pointed out that you can also use it as a vlogging aid.Doing this is simple: On your watch, go to the Camera Remote app. This will open the camera app on your iPhone, and you can switch it to video mode, set it up, and record. You don’t even have to strap your watch to your phone like he does in the tweet; the remote camera will totally work while your watch is on your wrist.

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images President Trump has signed a new executive order prohibiting transactions with the companies behind eight Chinese apps, including Ant Group’s Alipay and Tencent’s QQ and WeChat Pay. Transactions will be prohibited in 45 days. Reuters was the first to report the news.The full list of apps includes: Alipay, CamScanner, QQ Wallet, SHAREit, Tencent QQ, VMate, WeChat Pay, and WPS Office.“The pace and pervasiveness of the spread in the United States of certain connected mobile and desktop applications and other software developed or controlled by persons in the People’s Republic of China... continue to threaten the national security, foreign policy, and economy of the United States,” the order reads.US Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross c... Continue reading…

A photo from the CIA’s Corona spy satellite program. | National Reconnaissance Office US spy satellites inadvertently collected vital environmental data at the height of the Cold War. This trove of photos and data from the Central Intelligence Agency has become crucial to the study of Earth’s environmental changes, as detailed in two fascinating stories in The New York Times this week. One story details the life of a scientist who analyzed them for years, another follows the history of the spy satellites that provided them.Linda Zall, an environmental engineer, worked at the CIA for decades, leading a team that analyzed images from spy satellites to gather data for environmental studies. She wrote classified reports about how reconnaissance imagery could be used for earth and environmental science, running a research... Continue reading…

Apple’s MagSafe charging system offers a whole new way to charge iPhones, and third-party companies like Anker are jumping at the chance to make their own magnetic chargers — both official ones that work with Apple’s system and unofficial ones that just take advantage of the magnetic setup.Anker’s $22 charger falls into the second category: it’s not an official MagSafe charger, meaning it doesn’t offer the faster 15W charging speed or the fancy NFC tricks as “official” MagSafe products. But even with that 7.5W charging limit, Anker’s charger does look a lot like Apple’s, at least at first glance. Look closer at the other end of the plug, though, and there’s an obvious difference: the Anker model has a weirdly oversized USB-C plug. ... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Five days into the new year, and TikTok’s hottest 2021 trend is teens using enterprise software to go viral.As if the coronavirus pandemic hadn’t already blurred the lines between work and home enough, students and teens are going viral on TikTok after making Notion boards that mimic teen Tumblr feeds. Some users filled their Notion headers with vibey coffeehouse photos or pictures of anime or other characters that inspire them.Navigating around Notion’s website, many people wouldn’t expect to see a bunch of teenagers using the software as replacements for their school planners. The site features tweets from folks like XOXO Festival organizer Andy Baio and other Silicon Valley pseudo-celebrities touting how they use the trendy app... Continue reading…

Image: Tile Tile is working on a new tracker that relies on ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, which would put the company in direct competition with Apple’s yet-to-be-announced AirTags, according to a report from TechCrunch. The new tracker would go a step further than the company’s Bluetooth devices by allowing you to know more precisely where a lost item is in relationship to yourself, without having to listen for a chime the tracker plays.Apple’s AirTags haven’t been officially announced, but there’s already a list of potential features they might have, like the ability to remind you if you’ve left an item behind or help you find lost items using augmented reality. Samsung has also expressed interest in offering similar features, so Tile could be... Continue reading…

Photo Illustration by Igor Golovniov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images GitHub says it will now offer its full range of services in Iran, after imposing restrictions on the platform for Iranian developers due to US sanctions. The changes are due to an exemption granted by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), the sanction enforcement arm of the US Treasury Department.“Today we are announcing a breakthrough: we have secured a license from the US government to offer GitHub to developers in Iran. This includes all services for individuals and organizations, private and public, free and paid,” GitHub CEO Nat Friedman wrote in a blog post published Tuesday. “Over the course of two years, we were able to demonstrate how developer use of GitHub advances human progress, international communication, and the... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Verizon is indefinitely delaying the shutdown of its 3G network, pushing back the original plan for the network to shutter at the end of 2020 to an as-yet-undetermined point in the future.The news comes from Verizon spokesperson Kevin King, who tells Light Reading, “Our 3G network is operational and we don’t have a plan to shut it down at this time. We’ll work with customers to move them to newer technology.”According to Light Reading, Verizon previously announced that it planned to shutter the 3G network at the end of 2020, which was already a delay. (The company originally intended to close the network at the end of 2019.) Now, it seems that Verizon is once again punting that decision down the road.The interesting part of this... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Apple has been granted two patents that describe adding two-way wireless charging to its devices (via 9to5Mac). The patents, first spotted by Patently Apple, include drawings that show a MacBook charging various devices, including an iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch, as well as drawings of iPads and iPhones doing the same.If this sounds familiar, it’s because many other phone makers have released devices with similar reverse wireless charging technology. Although Apple’s take is a little different. According to the patent images, a MacBook’s lid, palm rest, or trackpad could be used to charge a wireless charging-compatible iOS device. Image: Apple The patent shows a future MacBook device charging an iPhone and... Continue reading…