The Verge

The Gmail Q&A feature on iOS is only available for users with specific Google accounts. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Google is rolling out iOS support for its Gmail Q&A feature, which gives users a Gemini-powered AI assistant to help manage their inbox. The Gemini side panel for Gmail was introduced to web and Android devices earlier this year and can potentially provide an easier way to locate specific information that's buried within emails and Google Drive.Users can ask the Gmail chatbot questions about the contents of their inbox or connected Google Drive, such as finding lost contact information or company data. The Gmail Q&A feature can summarize emails around a particular topic, surface unread messages or emails from a specific sender, and answer general questions from Google search directly within the inbox. Image: Google ... Continue reading...

Image: Waymo Waymo has its sights set on its next robotaxi: the Hyundai Ioniq 5.The Alphabet company announced that it was entering a multi-year, strategic" partnership with the Hyundai Motor Group that will result in the Ioniq 5 eventually joining its robotaxi fleet.But first, the Ioniq 5 will need to undergo on-road testing with Waymo's self-driving technology, which the company says will begin in late 2025. Waymo wouldn't specify when the Ioniq 5 will be used for passenger trips, except to say it would be years" later.Vehicles intended for Waymo's fleet will be manufactured at Hyundai's $7.6 billion Metaplant factory in Georgia, which is nearing the end of its construction. The companies have agreed to produce a number of Waymo-equipped... Continue reading...

Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images Many ports along the East and Gulf coasts were shut down, threatening the country's supply chains, after unionized port workers went on strike on Tuesday. But those workers will return to work after reaching a tentative agreement on wages with the group representing port employers.As part of the agreement on wages, the United States Maritime Alliance has offered to up wages by 62 percent over a six-year contract, The New York Times reports. The two groups still have other issues to negotiate, and they have agreed to extend the Master Contract" until January 15th, 2025.The International Longshoremen's Association, which represents the workers, and the United States Maritime Alliance, which represents their employers, shared a joint... Continue reading...

(C) Disney (C) & TM Lucasfilm Three years ago, Disney revealed the most convincing replica of a Star Wars lightsaber ever devised - one whose glowing blade fully and automatically retracts inside the handle due to a cleverly patented device.Now, its lead inventor, Lanny Smoot, says he's hoping that lightsaber might turn into a product you can actually buy - and it sounds like plans could already be in motion, unless Smoot was misinformed.At Disney's D23 fan expo last month, a fan asked that question with a camera rolling, as documented by YouTuber Finding The Force. Smoot replied:

The container full of burnt batteries. | Image: Pepe's Towing Service A truck full of lithium-ion batteries was knocked over near the Port of Los Angeles on September 26th, exploded, and was left to burn for days - interrupting traffic on highways, and a bridge and shutting down port terminals. A local towing company, Pepe's Towing Service, caught the explosion on camera and vlogged the incident for days until it was time for them to haul the remnants away.Pepe's Tow Service owner Josh Acosta uploaded a lengthy video today chronicling the point of explosion, the long wait as the Fire Department let the batteries burn, and the process of lifting the container full of burnt batteries to transport. In the video, we see what looks like stacks of batteries with liquid cooling pipes between each layer. ... Continue reading...

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Sony has released new firmware updates for its premium wireless WF-1000XM5 earbuds and WH-1000XM5 headphones that adds support for new features introduced with the company's LinkBuds Speaker as well as compatibility with Google's Find My Device network, potentially making them easier to locate if they go missing away from home.Sony announced its refreshed LinkBuds earbuds lineup a few days ago and introduced a wireless speaker. The LinkBuds Speaker is notable for its new Auto Switch feature, allowing it to take over playback from wireless headphones when users stop using them. Currently, only five pairs of Sony wireless headphones are compatible with the Auto Switch feature, including the WH-1000XM5 and the WF-1000XM5, once the new... Continue reading...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge A little over a year after the collapse of the crypto banks Silvergate and Signature, financial institutions are very interested in crypto. PayPal has used its proprietary stablecoin to pay auditors Ernst & Young LLP, using a hub provided by SAP. Visa is helping to bridge existing fiat currencies with blockchains" through its Visa Tokenized Asset Platform (VTAP).A lot has happened since those bank collapses, huh? We have a Bitcoin ETF, we have crypto bros meddling in politics, and a mini boom-and-bust cycle on Bitcoin prices. I have to assume PayPal and Visa got started on this stuff a while ago in order to get it popping now, but I do think it's curious they are focused on stablecoins.Kinda seems like the big industry players are... Continue reading...

A screen on the Anker Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro's shows battery status and allows for certain settings adjustments to be made. Anker has released its new Soundcore Liberty 4 Pro wireless earbuds that include improved noise canceling and faster charging than their predecessors. The most obvious change, though, is the upgraded case with a screen to show battery life or adjust ANC settings without grabbing your phone.The Liberty 4 Pro is available now for $129.99, which is $20 cheaper than the $149.99 Soundcore Liberty 4 that debuted in 2022 and $70 cheaper than the previous version, the $169.99 Liberty 3 Pro from 2021. Image: Anker The Liberty 4 Pro are available in three color options: glossy black, white, and glossy light blue. The screen added to the Liberty 4 Pro's charging case could be a welcome addition for those with battery... Continue reading...

Robert Gauthier/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Representing California in Congress comes with a unique challenge: navigating national politics while reflecting the interests of the most populous state in the US, including a large constituency from the tech industry. It's a challenge both current California Sen. Laphonza Butler and Vice President Kamala Harris - who previously held that title - have taken on. And right now, governing the tech world means addressing AI.Congress hasn't made much headway on a national framework for regulating generative AI. But California is the epicenter of the AI industry, home to companies like OpenAI and Google. On the national stage, Harris has acted as an AI czar within the Biden administration, leading discussions with industry players and civil... Continue reading...

Image: Aqara Aqara has launched its first-ever smart lever lock, the U300 we saw earlier this year at CES. Available in black or silver for $229.99 on Amazon, the U300 is one of the first smart lever locks to support Matter-over-Thread and Apple Home Key.You can unlock these doors through Aqara's app or Matter apps like Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home, but Aqara also offers a wide range of other entry options, including the built-in fingerprint reader, keypad, or physical keys. Apple Home Key support also means you can just tap your iPhone or Apple Watch to enter, even when they've run out of power.Lever locks are typically found on doors for garages, side entries, and home offices. The Verge's smart home reviewer, Jennifer Tuohy, is... Continue reading...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) is appealing a federal judge's ruling in its yearlong legal battle against Ripple over sales of its XRP token.This extends the battle over whether Ripple violated securities laws, as an SEC spokesperson told CoinDesk, We believe that the district court decision in the Ripple matter conflicts with decades of Supreme Court precedent and securities laws and look forward to making our case to the Second Circuit."In August, a federal judge in the Southern District of New York fined Ripple $125 million despite the SEC asking for a much higher penalty of $2 billion. The much lighter punishment partly stems from an earlier ruling. In 2023, Judge Analisa Torres decided that while Ripple defrauded... Continue reading...

The Samsung partnership will give Kohler smart shower users another way to control their setups. | Image: Kohler Samsung is integrating Kohler's Anthem luxury smart showers into its SmartThings ecosystem, allowing users to control the shower, adjust its temperature, set timers, and manage presets, as well as monitor water usage through SmartThings-compatible devices.Kohler's Anthem smart showers can be operated using physical controllers mounted inside the showers or in a bathroom using the Kohler Konnect app on a smartphone or through existing integrations with Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple Home. This new partnership will expand the remote control options for Anthem installations to the SmartThings app running on Samsung smart TVs, hubs, and mobile devices. It will also allow the smart showers to be integrated into automated... Continue reading...

Samsung Galaxy smartphones and watches will soon be able to act as a digital key for your home. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge At some point next year, Samsung users should be getting access to the same convenience iPhone users have had for years: the ability to tap their phone or watch on a smart door lock to unlock it. No more messing with keys or unlocking your phone and opening an app; your phone becomes your key.This week, Samsung announced it's adopting the new Aliro smart lock standard for Samsung Wallet's Digital Home Key. This will enable tap-to-unlock and hands-free unlocking for any compatible door locks.Currently, you can add a digital key for a smart lock to your Samsung wallet and open that to access the lock's control from your phone. With this new function, you won't need to unlock your phone or access the wallet to control the door; just tap... Continue reading...

Illustration: The Verge If you can't capture what you want to search for with just a picture, Google Lens will now let you take a video - and even use your voice to ask about what you're seeing. The feature will surface an AI Overview and search results based on the video's contents and your question. It's rolling out in Search Labs on Android and iOS today.Google first previewed using video to search at I/O in May. As an example, Google says someone curious about the fish they're seeing at an aquarium can hold up their phone to the exhibit, open the Google Lens app, and then hold down the shutter button. Once Lens starts recording, they can say their question: Why are they swimming together?" Google Lens then uses the Gemini AI model to provide a response,... Continue reading...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge YouTube Shorts, the company's answer to TikTok, is getting updates including longer video lengths, the company announced today.Beginning on October 15th, creators will be able to upload YouTube Shorts that are up to three minutes in length - a feature YouTube says was highly requested by users. TikTok currently allows videos as long as 10 minutes and has steadily increased the limit over the years.YouTube also announced a template feature that lets creators reuse the format of other Shorts. YouTube says creators will be able to match their clips to trending sounds pulled from other videos, which is similar to a TikTok feature where users can pick from preset video styles and then tweak their own clips based on their preferences. Both... Continue reading...

Image: Google Google is rolling out ads in AI Overviews, which means you'll now start seeing products in some of the search engine's AI-generated summaries.Let's say you're searching for ways to get a grass stain out of your pants. If you ask Google, its AI-generated response will offer some tips, along with suggestions for products to purchase that could help you remove the stain. The products will appear beneath a sponsored" header, and Google spokesperson Craig Ewer told The Verge they'll only show up if a question has a commercial angle." GIF: Google Google's AI Overviews could contain relevant products. Google has been testing ads in AI Overviews since May but says it's moving forward with a full rollout because it... Continue reading...

Forget to create an offline playlist before a flight, Spotify can now autogenerate one for you based on tracks it has cached. | Image: Spotify Spotify has introduced a new feature that will keep your music playing even when your device unexpectedly goes offline. The app will automatically generate an Offline Backup playlist filled with recently streamed and queued songs that have already been downloaded and cached, and it will evolve" over time and customize the playlist based on your listening habits.The streaming app already allows you to download tracks and playlists that can be played offline, but that needs to be done manually while a data connection is available. Spotify's Offline Backup is an alternative for those times when an internet connection disappears unexpectedly or when you intentionally turn it off, like when activating airplane mode during a flight. ... Continue reading...

Image: Umar Shakir / The Verge Tesla issued a recall notice for the Cybertruck due to faulty software causing a slow-to-display rear camera feed. It's the fifth recall for the polarizing electric truck since Tesla started customer deliveries last November. Other recalls have involved faulty wipers, loose trim, and jammed accelerator pedals.According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's report, the recall applies to over 27,000 Cybertrucks manufactured between November 13th, 2023 and September 14th, 2024," which applies to essentially every Cybertruck ever made.Tesla Cybertrucks running version 2024.32.5.2 or later could have a condition where the reverse camera feed may appear blank for up to 6 to 8 seconds" if the customer tries to back up... Continue reading...

Image: Paramount There's a new game coming in the world of Avatar: The Last Airbender. Paramount and Saber Interactive are teaming up to make the action RPG, which will put you in control of an all-new, never-before-seen Avatar," as reported earlier by IGN.Details about the upcoming game are still slim, but the companies say in a press release that it will let players master all four elements with dynamic combat alongside companions" as well as experience the challenges and decisions that come with being the keeper of balance in the world."Since the release of the animated ATLA series in 2005, we've seen several video game and live-action adaptations, including one on Netflix. Last year, Bamtang Games released Avatar: The Last Airbender - Quest for... Continue reading...

Illustration:The Verge / Image: Blizzard Entertainment Journalist Jason Schreier discusses his new book, Play Nice: The Rise, Fall, and Future of Blizzard Entertainment. Continue reading...

Ken Pillonel has created a protective case that also upgrades old AirPods charging cases to USB-C. | Screenshot: YouTube Those of us still rocking AirPods with Lightning ports finally have a way to upgrade them to USB-C that doesn't require complicated modifications or the cost of completely replacing the case. Engineer Ken Pillonel has created a smart case for older AirPods models that includes a USB-C charging port on the outside.The protective cases are made from a durable but flexible 3D-printed plastic and can be installed on an AirPods charging case in about 10 seconds. The USB-C port on the outside passes power along to the AirPods' Lightning port using some added electronics hidden in the base, but the case is also easily removable should direct access to the Lightning port still be needed. Image: Ken Pillonel Pillonel's... Continue reading...

A John Deere tractor and air seeder planting garbanzo beans near Pullman, Washington. | Photo by: Rick Dalton / Design Pics Editorial / Universal Images Group via Getty Images Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) is pressuring John Deere to update its manuals to better enable customers to repair their tractors. By omitting information about repair rights and pollution control systems, Warren alleges that John Deere could be in violation of the Clean Air Act.John Deere has been at the center of an ongoing battle over the right to repairJohn Deere has been at the center of an ongoing battle over the right to repair, especially as it incorporates more software into farm equipment. Warren's office contends that the company is making it almost impossible for farmers to fix their own equipment or turn to independent repair shops.Withholding repair information from its customers in its manuals could also be illegal,... Continue reading...

I'd like Gemini to address me in the formal usted.' | Illustration: The Verge Google initially rolled out Gemini Live, its conversational AI voice chat, in just one language: English. Today, the company is expanding the service to a handful of other languages, starting with French, German, Portuguese, Hindi, and Spanish. And while support for these languages does appear to be imminent for a lot of people, the company is still couching promises of other Gemini features with fuzzy coming weeks" timelines.Google expects that the languages starting to roll out today will be available to all users in a couple of weeks." As for other languages, Google says it will have more than 40 languages over the coming weeks," which is harder to pin down. Still, Google's timeline from announcement to full rollout for Gemini... Continue reading...

Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge If you're anything like me, you spend a lot of each day jumping between multiple email accounts - and multiple email apps - trying to get to inbox zero. Anything that can be done to reduce the number of places where messages are piling up can save time and reduce confusion. Gmail can import emails from other accounts like iCloud or Outlook so you don't have to necessarily check multiple inboxes multiple times a day.Setting up an email import isn't particularly difficult. I'm going to start with a little bit of explanation first and then go on to detail several ways to gather all your emails in your Gmail account. There is also a way to use your mobile Gmail app to read and answer emails from other accounts; I'll cover that as well.Y... Continue reading...

Illustration: Alex Castro / The Verge Epic's game store is finally on mobile. Next up, the company plans to add features that make people want to use it - on both mobile and PC.A key thing Epic Games wants to introduce is what store boss Steve Allison calls a social framework" - think the types of social and chat features you see on consoles or Steam.Our social features on PC suck," Allison says in an interview with The Verge. Let's call it what it is." Social features are the battery that powers Fortnite," Allison says, and Epic wants to take that battle-tested social framework and move it up from Fortnite up to the store level." The idea is that you'll be able to party up and chat with your Epic Games friends across devices, theoretically meaning that friends on... Continue reading...

WP Engine said the lawsuit aims to address abuse of power, extortion, and greed." | Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge The WP Engine web hosting service is suing WordPress co-founder Matt Mullenweg and Automattic for alleged libel and attempted extortion, following a public spat over the WordPress trademark and open-source project. In the federal lawsuit filed on Wednesday, WP Engine accuses both Automattic and its CEO Mullenweg of abuse of power, extortion, and greed," and said it seeks to prevent them from inflicting further harm against WP Engine and the WordPress community.WP Engine is a major rival to WordPress.com, with more than 200,000 websites using the service. Mullenweg runs Automattic, which owns WordPress.com, a company that sells a hosted version of the open-source WordPress software - just like WP Engine.The lawsuit was initiated after... Continue reading...

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge; Getty Images First, it was Spotify, then Verizon, then PlayStation, and now it's apparently Bank of America's turn to have an outage this week. Some customers reported problems accessing their bank accounts on Wednesday, with the balances showing $0 or --" instead of what should be there.Some mobile and online banking clients experienced an issue accessing their accounts and balance information earlier today," writes Bank of America media relations executive Matt Card in an email to The Verge. These technology issues have been fully resolved. We apologize for any inconvenience."Reports spiked just before 1PM ET on Downdetector, with posts across X and Reddit from people reporting that their account balances don't show anything (some mentioned... Continue reading...

Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge Did you, like me, buy a Ring Alarm system for your home because it offered the most affordable professional 24/7 monitoring around, at just $10 a month or $100 a year? Then I expect you - like me - just got an email stating you'll now pay twice as much starting the next time you renew.Here's the top of the email I received a few hours ago, telling me I'll pay $20 a month or $200 a year starting in March, which matches the price of the Ring Protect Pro plan that Amazon started selling three years ago. I was previously on Ring Protect Plus: Image: Sean Hollister / The Verge Price hike. Price hikes are always annoying, but Ring is still a relatively affordable alarm service, I suppose. The truly infuriating part:... Continue reading...

Image: The Verge Charter's Spectrum TV Select cable plan will include a free ad-supported Peacock Premium subscription next year, reports Reuters. The addition comes as Charter announced today that it has reached a new multi-year deal" with NBCUniversal, which owns Peacock, to keep its TV channels in Charter's cable lineup.Charter recently lined up a similar agreement with Disney that lets it bundle Disney's ad-supported Disney Plus Basic with Spectrum TV Select. (Upgrading to Spectrum TV Select Plus adds ESPN Plus, too.)It's all part of Charter's new hybrid approach to bundles that allows it to bundle other companies' streaming subscriptions with its cable plans and even sell them to its internet customers, too. That lets the company boost the... Continue reading...

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Welcome to the streaming era of the wrestling wars. WWE's flagship weekly show, Raw, is ditching cable and headed for Netflix in January. And today, Warner Bros. Discovery and All Elite Wrestling announced a multiyear rights extension that will bring AEW content to Max starting in... you guessed it... January 2025. The news was first reported by Variety.Tony Khan's wrestling promotion will gain a significant presence on the popular streaming service. Episodes of AEW's weekly shows, Dynamite and Collision, will simulcast on Max on Wednesday and Saturday nights in addition to airing on TBS and TNT, respectively. Past episodes will also be available to watch on demand. AEW's TV programming has aired on WBD networks from the very start, so... Continue reading...

Image: Kristen Radtke / The Verge New York City Mayor Eric Adams, who was indicted last week on charges including fraud, bribery, and soliciting donations from foreign nationals, told federal investigators he forgot his phone password before handing it over, according to charging documents. That was almost a year ago, and investigators still can't get into the phone, prosecutors said Wednesday.During a federal court hearing, prosecutor Hagan Scotten said the FBI's inability to get into Adams' phone is a significant wild card," according to a report from the New York Post. The FBI issued a search warrant for Adams' devices in November 2023. Adams initially handed over two phones but didn't have his personal device on him. The indictment does not mention what type of... Continue reading...