The Verge

Image: World Worldcoin, the cryptocurrency / human identity network / UBI project co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, is now known as World. Along with the name change, World introduced an updated version of its eyeball-scanning Orb device which is designed to solve a problem that does not currently exist: authenticating that someone is human in the age of AI."People registered to the system get a World ID that they can use to securely and anonymously" prove their humanness online, as well as a share of its associated WLD cryptocurrency token.The new Orb is made with 30 percent fewer parts than its predecessor, which is supposed to make it easier and cheaper to build, and equipped with Nvidia's robotics and AI platform, Jetson, for some reason.... Continue reading...

Save me some money, Ultrahand. | Image: Nintendo If you've been waiting to pick up one of the all-time great games for the Nintendo Switch, you can do so now for as cheap as it gets. Woot is offering first-time customers the chance to buy a physical version The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom for $39.99 ($30 off) when you use code ZELDAWELCOME at checkout. If you've purchased from Woot before you can still buy the game for a solid $49.99 ($20 off) - or just make a new Woot account, we're not the cops.Last year's mega-hit from Nintendo followed in Breath of the Wild's footsteps as a direct sequel, but it rewrote the formula of its open-world take on Hyrule with new crafting, physics, and exploration mechanics. It's the kind of game that opens up all kinds of avenues for your... Continue reading...

Image: Nintendo Fans of the popular Mario blog, Supper Mario Broth, have come together to remind us that the internet can still be a place where good things happen.Supper Mario Broth is one of the most wholesome Mario blogs on the internet. Since 2017, its owner has posted a regular stream of Mario-flavored tidbits he could dig up including interesting glitches, old advertisements and merchandise, screenshots, gifs, artwork, and more. If it's obscure and has to do with Mario, Supper Mario Broth will let you know about it and the blog has become a celebrated institution in the broader Nintendo community.However on October 17th, the person behind all this wonderful content posted a video saying the entire endeavor was in danger of being permanently... Continue reading...

Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is probing whether John Deere used unfair practices related to the repair of its agricultural equipment that might violate the FTC Act.The investigation into John Deere's restrictions on customers' right to repair agricultural equipment was revealed by data analytics company Hargrove & Associates, Inc. (HAI), as it fights a subpoena-like civil investigative demand (CID) from the FTC to hand over sales data. As reported earlier by Reuters, the company fears sharing the information the FTC seeks about agricultural equipment sales could harm its business relationships. Screenshot: Hargrove & Associates, Inc.'s Petition to Quash or Limit Civil Investigative Demand (FTC) We are... Continue reading...

Ploopy's trackpad can be purchased preassembled or in a DIY kit. | Image: Ploopy Ploopy is expanding its collection of mod-friendly peripherals with a new seven-inch trackpad that supports multi-finger gestures and features like palm rejection. Like Ploopy's mouse and trackballs, its new trackpad runs on the QMK open-source firmware, further expanding how its functionality can be customized.The trackpad is powered by a Raspberry Pi RP2040, while finger tracking is handled by a Microchip ATMXT1066TD processor which can all be found on a single mainboard that's easy to swap into another case. Although Ploopy says the included 3D-printed case has a fantastic surface finish" and is great to use all day," you can download the case's open-source design files to print it using a different material or change its design... Continue reading...

Image: Bluesky A handful of changes coming to X may be pushing users to its competitor. Bluesky, the decentralized social platform, says it added 500,000 new users in a day this week. The new wave of signups could be related to several controversial changes on X in the last few days.This week, X users got a pop-up message notifying them that their posts will be visible even to users they've previously blocked. Those accounts still won't be able to interact with their posts, but it's a substantial change to how the block feature works that could open users up to harassment.Today, block can be used by users to share and hide harmful or private information about those they've blocked," an official X account posted. Users will be able to see if such... Continue reading...

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge WP Engine is asking a court to put a stop to Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg's public campaign against the company. In a motion for a preliminary injunction filed against Automattic and Mullenweg on Friday, the third-party hosting platform requests that the court restore its access to WordPress resources and allow it to regain control of its plugin that had been taken over.In the filing, WP Engine claims it's facing multiple forms of immediate irreparable harm" as a result of Mullenweg and Automattic's actions, including loss of customers, market share and goodwill." The company also says it saw a 14 percent increase in cancellation requests from September 26th to the 30th - just days after Mullenweg called WP Engine a cancer" to the... Continue reading...

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge I have always had an adversarial relationship with alarm clocks. They are gadgets designed to ruin my most precious time, and in order to work effectively, they must be as annoying as possible. Which is why I was intrigued by Nintendo's surprise reveal of Alarmo. (Once I got over my surprise of it not being the long-awaited Switch 2 announcement.) What if getting up in the morning could be a little more playful? Maybe what I really needed all along was Princess Zelda's soothing voice or the chirps of tiny pikmin to ease me into consciousness in the morning.After a week with Alarmo, I have to admit that it hasn't changed much about my sleep patterns. It has some clever ideas, and it looks great on a shelf, but ultimately, it's still an... Continue reading...

Image: Alex Parkin / The Verge Amazon launched four new Kindles this week, maybe the biggest single launch day in the 17-year history of the company's wildly successful e-reader. One of them even comes in color! It is very much not a coincidence that the launch happened roughly a year after Panos Panay joined the company. Panay, a longtime Microsoft executive who was for years in charge of all things Windows and Surface, is now leading the devices and services team at Amazon. His big task is Alexa and turning Amazon's assistant into the AI platform of the future. That's apparently coming soon. Maybe. But first: e-readers.On this episode of The Vergecast, Panay joins the show to talk about how he decided to join Amazon, why people love their Kindles so much, the S... Continue reading...

Illustration: The Verge Google is planning to ban advertisers from running ads related to the US presidential election after polls close on November 5th. Axios reports that this is the second time Google has decided to ban election ads once polls close, after first implementing the policy during the 2020 election.Google says it's reenacting the policy again this year out of an abundance of caution and to limit the potential for confusion, given the likelihood that votes will continue to be counted after Election Day."During the last presidential election in 2020, it took days for President Biden's win to be confirmed after an influx of postal voting during the pandemic. Google's policy applies to any US election ads or ads that refer to the US elections that... Continue reading...

Image: The Verge Google is updating Chrome on Android next month to greatly improve how password mangers operate inside the mobile browser. Chrome on Android will allow third-party password managers to natively autofill forms on websites, improving the experience of apps like 1Password, Dashlane, and others.Google offers its own password manager in Chrome, alongside passkeys and autofill support for information like your address and payment card data. While you can set a preferred autofill service on Android, it uses a compatibility mode inside Chrome that makes it feel super glitchy for third-party password managers. I regularly swap between iOS and Android devices, and using 1Password on iOS feels like a far better experience in Chrome even though it... Continue reading...

Image: The Verge OpenAI is testing a ChatGPT app for Windows - but it's only available to paid users for now. You can download an early version of the app from the Microsoft Store.Just like the Mac version of the app, ChatGPT on Windows lets you ask the AI-powered chatbot questions in a dedicated window that you can keep open alongside your apps. You can quickly access the app by using the Alt + Space shortcut.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Last year, YouTube axed Premium Lite, its cheaper version of YouTube Premium, but the company has been testing a new version of the subscription in Australia, Germany, and Thailand, YouTube confirmed to Android Authority.The company confirmed the tests to The Verge as well, with spokesperson Jessica Gibby saying that it has been testing a different version" of the subscription with some users in Australia, Germany and Thailand for several months (with the most recent one beginning in Australia at the start of this year)." Gibby adds that we don't have anything else to share in terms of a broader rollout at this time."According to a screenshot shared by singer-songwriter Jonah Manzano on Threads, the Premium Lite subscription in... Continue reading...

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge Automattic CEO Matt Mullenweg offered a second buyout round to employees who don't agree with his actions, according to a report from 404 Media. In a message to employees seen by the outlet, Mullenweg gave employees until October 17th to decide whether they would resign in exchange for nine months of pay.New alignment offer: I guess some people were sad they missed the last window. Some have been leaking to the press and ex-employees," Mullenweg wrote in the message seen by 404 Media. You have until 00:00 UTC Oct 17 (-4 hours) to DM me the words, I resign and would like to take the 9-month buy-out offer' You don't have to say any reason, or anything else. I will reply Thank you.' Automattic will accept your resignation."Earlier... Continue reading...

Image: McLaren McLaren is updating the version of Google Chrome on its F1 racecar. By that, I mean: McLaren's got more Google Chrome logos and chrome finish than usual on the F1 car it's bringing to the US Grand Prix at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, this weekend.McLaren's MCL38 continues the tradition of rocking Google-colored wheels and logos, but like last year's special British Grand Prix version, the livery for this weekend's race has a splash of literal chrome beneath the Chrome logo, looking like it came out of a custom car shop from the aughts. This time, however, McLaren has added extra Chrome logos and what looks like a heavier slathering of metallic chrome that extends down the sidewalls.It's a lot of chrome, as driver... Continue reading...

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge The Federal Police of Brazil announced the arrest of the hacker linked to a breach that leaked 2.9 billion records that included sensitive personal information, including some Social Security numbers. The data from that hack, which came to light in August, was put for sale on the dark web in April by an entity identifying themselves as USDoD.As pointed out by Bleeping Computer, according to a machine translation of the department's press release, the hacker was linked to two publications selling" federal police data. The hacker also boasted of disclosing the personal data of 80,000 members of the FBI's InfraGard program, the department said.Security researchers at Atlas have created a tool to search the leaked records and told P... Continue reading...

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images Apple Pay will now include Klarna as an option at checkout. The addition of the buy now pay later (BNPL) service comes just months after Apple shut down Pay Later, its own BNPL service launched in 2023.Klarna lets users purchase products with four interest-free installments. Even though BNPL services like Klarna are rising in popularity, surveys suggest the services may lead to overspending. Image: Apple These loans are also harder to track because most aren't reported to credit bureaus. Earlier this year, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau issued a rule that classifies BNPL services as credit card providers, requiring them to investigate disputed purchases and provide refunds for returned products.Alongside... Continue reading...

Illustration: The Verge Google is making a big change to company leadership. In a memo to staff posted on Thursday, Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced that Prabhakar Raghavan, the senior vice president in charge of search, ads, and other important segments, will now take on the role of chief technologist.Prabhakar has decided it's time to make a big leap in his own career," Pichai writes. After 12 years leading teams across Google, he'll return to his computer science roots and take on the role of Chief Technologist, Google. In this role, he'll partner closely with me and Google leads to provide technical direction and leadership and grow our culture of tech excellence."Raghavan has been in charge of ads and commerce since 2018 and was promoted to the head... Continue reading...

Image: The Verge Xbox is putting on a 20-minute no fluff, all games" showcase from third-party studios. Continue reading...

Photo illustration by The Verge / Photo: Digitas The future of marketing - and, in a way, everything else - is getting a shakeup. Continue reading...

SETIA ALAM, KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA - 2024/07/21:A charging plug seen attached to BYD car 6 at the EvX expo. | Photo" Getty Images Automakers aren't doing enough to identify and prevent human rights abuses along supply chains for EV batteries, Amnesty International warns in a new report.The charity ranked 13 of the world's largest EV manufacturers, giving each a score based on its human rights policies and practices. BYD, one of the leading companies in global EV sales, and Mitsubishi scored the worst. They scored just 11 and 13, respectively, out of 90 points possible. Mercedes-Benz and Tesla scored the highest - earning 51 and 49, respectively.The scores are still pretty grim across the board, though, showing how much work the industry has to do to protect workers and communities near mines. None of the companies included in the report show that they are... Continue reading...

Amazon's 2024 lineup includes a new note-taking Kindle Scribe, a faster Kindle Paperwhite, an upgraded entry-level model, and the apt-titled Colorsoft. Earlier this week, Amazon refreshed its entire Kindle lineup while adding a new color model to the mix. The updated entry-level Kindle ($109.99) and Kindle Paperwhite ($159.99) are available now, while the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition and updated Kindle Scribe will launch on October 30th and December 4th, respectively.We've yet to fully test Amazon's latest e-readers, but we came away impressed after briefly tinkering with them. They're faster than prior models, particularly the new Paperwhite, and the Kindle Colorsoft offers an impressive color display, even if it doesn't rival a tablet.We'll let you know how they stack up to other models after we spend more time with them, but if you can't wait, we've rounded up all the info... Continue reading...

The latest update to the Philips Hue app adds the ability to customize the intensity and color of lighting effects. | Image: Signify Philips is introducing four new lighting effects through its Hue app including an underwater option simulating the glimmer of light beneath the waves. The added effects are part of a new app update, spotted by Hueblog, that also introduces the ability to customize the lighting effects already available through the app, as well as any new effects Philips introduces in the future.Existing lighting effects include options that can make Hue lamps and bulbs simulate the appearance of a candle with a soft flickering yellow glow, or a fireplace with more intense flashes of red and orange. Version 5.28 of the Hue app - which is now available for iOS, iPadOS, and Android - adds cosmos, underwater, enchant, and sunbeam effects, bringing the total... Continue reading...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Instagram is launching several new features designed to protect teens from sextortion scams, which occur when scammers threaten to share intimate images of victims unless they receive a payment or more photos.One guardrail that's rolling out soon will prevent people from screenshotting or screen recording disappearing images or videos sent in a private message. If the sender enables replays of the image or video, Instagram will block people from opening them on the web. This won't stop scammers from capturing the image or video by recording it with another device, however. GIF: Meta Starting today, Instagram will begin using certain indicators, like how new an account is, to detect scammy behavior as well. The... Continue reading...

Image: Netflix Seven years after Simon Stalenhag's The Electric State was picked up for a live-action adaptation, and a few weeks after first-look images were revealed, we finally have the first trailer. The clip sets up what seems like a big battle in a retrofuturistic world - but it's hard not to focus on the cartoonish tech and robots, which feel like goofier takes on Stalenhag's distinctive art.The Netflix adaptation is being directed Avengers-returnees Anthony and Joe Russo, and according to the streamer it's set in an alternate, retro-futuristic version of the 1990s," exploring life in a society where sentient robots resembling cartoons and mascots, who once served peacefully among humans, now live in exile following a failed uprising."It... Continue reading...

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge In early 2004, the world was shaking it like a Polaroid picture, flocking to theaters to see what was going to happen with all those hobbits, and wondering if that Tom Brady guy was something special. Meanwhile, a few folks around the world were inventing the web as we know it now: A world-shaking social network was brewing in a Harvard dorm room. A Google employee was dreaming up the future of email in their spare time. The coolest cellphone of all time was just about to drop. The internet was still a niche activity, but that was about to change - and fast.In so many ways, the digital world in which we now all live was created 20 years ago. Google went public and began to ascend to rule the web. Facebook, Gmail, Firefox, Flickr, and... Continue reading...

Image: Kristen Radtke / The Verge, Getty Images In 2024, you can go onto YouTube, one of the most popular media distributors in the United States and the world, and you can pull up Janet Jackson's 2004 performance at the Super Bowl. There are videos with her whole 11-minute performance and others that show only the three seconds that shook the country. Justin Timberlake, standing to Jackson's left and singing better have you naked / by the end of this song" from his song Rock Your Body," reaches across her body, grabs her garment, and yanks. A wardrobe malfunction" ensues, and instead of revealing a pretty red bra, you - for not even a full second - see her nearly bare breast, a star-shaped shield obscuring most of her nipple.It's just a nipple. They're everywhere on the internet... Continue reading...

I never owned an iPod Mini. Even as a college freshman back at the time of its introduction, I was already more of a full-size iPod kind of nerd. Mine was the third-gen model with the backlit buttons, which I maintain was the best version ever released. I wanted the most storage possible for the flourishing music collection that I'd amassed through years of painfully slow downloads over Napster, LimeWire, and Usenet groups. (There were some legal iTunes purchases mixed in there, I promise.)But by 2004, the iPod had a starting price of $299 and could run as high as $399. Apple needed to offer a music player that many more people could afford. And that came in 2004, the year of the first-ever iPod Mini.Onstage at Macworld, Steve Jobs... Continue reading...