The Verge

Arlo cameras and video doorbells are getting an AI-powered upgrade with new facial recognition capabilities and the ability to identify specific cars. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge Arlo is upgrading its security cameras and video doorbells with additional AI capabilities. The company is adding the ability for its cameras to recognize people and vehicles and learn to detect custom objects or changes in the surroundings. While an Arlo camera can currently alert you when it spots a person or vehicle (as well as packages and animals), it can now be trained to tell you exactly who it sees and which vehicle.The new capabilities are part of Arlo Secure 5, a package of AI-powered features combined with machine learning. Secure 5 is available now to Arlo users in the US, Canada, and Asia-Pacific, with other regions coming soon, according to Ashton Good, senior director of marketing at Arlo.If the new alerts work well,... Continue reading...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge It's time for another PlayStation State of Play livestream where Sony showcases its next big game and hardware announcements. Sony has promised we'll see more than 20 upcoming PS5 and PS VR2 games from studios around the world" during the 30-minute-plus presentation.Sony announced Astro Bot during its May State of Play stream, and the game racked up Game of the Year" nominations once it launched earlier this month. Now, September's showcase will try to present strong follow-ups that keep the momentum going.The new State of Play comes just two weeks after the company announced a new beefed-up PS5 Pro" model, which will be open for preorder on September 26th. The new system's larger GPU and support for PlayStation Spectral Super... Continue reading...

The Dab 1a electric motorcycle was inspired by the atomic purple Game Boy Color. | Image: Dab Motors Dab Motors has announced a new finish for its Dab 1a electric motorcycle that's inspired by Nintendo's atomic purple Game Boy Color. Customers who preorder the bike, which starts at 14,900 (over $16,500 USD), can opt for a transparent purple body that will look familiar to those who remember playing the handheld.Created by Dab Motors' bespoke service branch," the atomic purple version of the Dab 1a also includes custom handlebars with controls made to look like the Game Boy Color's D-pad and action buttons. Between them, the bike's screen features an overlay with a red status light on one side mimicking the Game Boy display many of us spent too much of our childhood staring at. Image: Dab Motors The Dab 1a's GBC... Continue reading...

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge; Getty Images You should never voluntarily hand your phone to a police officer.It's going to become increasingly tempting for the cops to ask and for you to comply, especially as more and more states adopt digital ID systems that allow driver's licenses and state IDs to be added to Apple Wallet on iOS and Google Wallet on Android. Californians can now add their driver's licenses and state IDs to their iPhones and Apple Watches in addition to Android devices, making the state one of seven - alongside Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Hawaii, and Ohio - to allow storing digital IDs through Apple's system.These particular digital IDs are so far pretty limited. California's are for use at select TSA checkpoints" and participating businesses, for... Continue reading...

Image: Sony Sony has introduced a new OLED gaming monitor that's aiming to appeal to competitive players across both PC and PS5 systems. The 27-inch InZone M10S was codeveloped with the popular Fnatic esports team to be tournament ready," sporting a 1440p panel that pairs a speedy 0.03ms response time with a variable 480Hz refresh rate.The M10S is available to order online starting today, with a recommended retail price of $1,099.99. Its specs alone make it one of the fastest OLED gaming displays you can buy, matching the capabilities of the high-end panels that LG Display unveiled at CES back in January. Achieving the full 480Hz will be dependent on frame rate and GPU performance for PC users, however, and PS5 consoles will cap that at 120Hz.S... Continue reading...

The noise-canceling AirPods 4 offer a few premium features the standard model lacks, including a case with a built-in speaker. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge It's turning out to be a good week for Apple fans. First, the new black Apple Watch Ultra 2 received a $50 discount, and now both versions of the new AirPods 4 are on sale for the first time. The AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation are down to $169 ($10 off) at Amazon, while the standard AirPods 4 are on sale at Amazon for $119 ($10 off). Neither is an enormous discount, but if you're an early adopter, it beats the prices you'd be paying at Best Buy, Apple, and other retailers.Regardless of which model you choose, the AirPods 4 represent a substantial upgrade over their predecessor. Both pairs of earbuds deliver better sound than the second-gen AirPods, with more bass than the third-gen AirPods. They also sport the Voice Isolation... Continue reading...

Illustration by Alvaro Bernis / The Verge Warner Bros. Discovery (WBD) is partnering with Google Cloud to generate closed captioning for content on the studio's Max streaming service in the US. WBD will use a new caption AI" solution that runs on Google Cloud's Vertex AI platform to generate speech-to-text for some shows, starting with unscripted programming."Captions generated for the Max shows will have human oversight for quality assurance. According to Google, the workflow will reduce caption file creation time by up to 80 percent and cut costs by up to 50 percent compared to manual methods. WBD will continuously refine and train caption AI to make fewer mistakes.Notably, most content on Max already has closed captioning tracks, and WBD hasn't said how extensively it... Continue reading...

ANDORRA, SPAIN - FEBRUARY 16: A photovoltaic power plant in Teruel, Aragon. | Photo: Getty Images Nearly 200 countries have pledged to triple global renewable energy capacity by the end of the decade - a goal that's within reach" as long as governments act fast, according to a new report.The International Energy Agency (IEA) released its roadmap today for how countries can make it happen. It's still a tough climb ahead with a hell of a lot new infrastructure needed. But falling costs and supportive policies can help them get there.To ensure the world doesn't miss this huge opportunity, the focus must shift rapidly to implementation," IEA executive director Fatih Birol said in a press release.To ensure the world doesn't miss this huge opportunity, the focus must shift rapidly to implementation."An international commitment to... Continue reading...

Image: Insta360 Insta360 has announced two new versions of its Link webcam with smaller designs and new automated tracking capabilities optimized for presentations or livestreaming. The $199 Link 2 carries forward the innovative two-axis gimbal of the original while introducing improvements to its noise reduction capabilities, while the $149 Link 2C doesn't move itself at all.Both webcams also come with a new magnetic mount making them easier to attach to some surfaces and are much cheaper than the original Insta360 Link, which debuted at $299.99 in 2022. Image: Insta360 The Link 2 has a much smaller base than the original Link webcam. Both the Link 2 and new Link 2C use the same half-inch sensor of the original Link paired... Continue reading...

Image: The Verge Google is updating Street View imagery in nearly 80 countries, such as Australia, Brazil, Denmark, Japan, the Philippines, Rwanda, Serbia, South Africa, and more. It's also bringing Street View to a handful of countries where it's never been available, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Namibia, Liechtenstein, and Paraguay.Google says its more portable Street View camera, which launched in 2022, will help offer images of even more places in the future." Image: Google An enhanced Street View image of Logstor, Denmark. Meanwhile, Google Maps and Google Earth are getting sharper satellite imagery as well thanks to the company's cloud-removal AI tool that takes out clouds, shadows, haze, and mist. This should result in... Continue reading...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Dozens of X posts containing images of Mario - including an AI-generated picture of the plumber holding a beer and a cigarette, created by The Verge using xAI's Grok - were removed after a company called Tracer apparently used AI to identify the images and serve takedown notices on behalf of Nintendo.According to an email received by The Verge's Tom Warren, a Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) notice was issued to X by customer success manager" Ben Arzen of Tracer, which offers AI-powered services to companies purported to identify trademark and copyright violations online. Here's the image that got Tom's post removed. Image: X Potential copyright issues aside, why is there cigarette smoke coming out of... Continue reading...

Get ready for a new Mozilla look with old-school internet vibes. | Image: Mozilla Mozilla has overhauled its branding to pay homage to its Netscape roots and better distinguish the wider organization from its Firefox web browser. The most notable change is to the company's logo: what was previously a sans-serif wordmark styled as Moz://a" has been updated to correctly spell out the Mozilla name, featuring a new customized typeface and an M-shaped flag.According to Mozilla, the flag symbolizes the brand's activist spirit." That fits with the image that the Mozilla Foundation, which is leading the company, is attempting to build: describing itself as a non-profit organization that promotes openness, innovation, and participation on the Internet" and regularly releasing privacy reports that investigate tech... Continue reading...

Image: Alex Parkin / The Verge OpenAI's new model, called o1, appears to think and ponder as you use it. But is it thinking? Or pondering? And what does it mean if it is? Would that make it worth the risks, which appear to be both greater and more plausible than ever? How do you balance the risks of destroying humanity with the possibility of improving it? This is the thing about talking about artificial intelligence: it has this nasty penchant of getting all existential on you.On this episode of The Vergecast, we get all existential about AI. The Verge's Kylie Robison joins the show to discuss why OpenAI built o1, why it's launching the way it is, what to make of the folks who are worried about what they're seeing from the model, and how we should think about this... Continue reading...

Ecovacs' Deebot N30 Omni includes a dock that cleans and dries its spinning mopping heads. | Image: Ecovacs Ecovacs has announced new additions to its budget-focused N-family line of robovacs. The Deebot N30 Omni includes a base station that can clean and dry the vacuum's mopping heads, while the N20 Pro Plus' dock can empty the robot's dirt bin and store it in a plastic bin that eliminates the need for replaceable dust bags. Both robovacs debut at under $800.The Deebot N30 Omni isn't the cheapest robovac you can buy with mopping capabilities and a dock, but at $799.99, it includes features typically only found on autonomous cleaners well over $1,000, like the Roborock S8 MaxV Ultra and the DreameBot X30 Ultra. The robot includes a spiral brush with a design that helps prevent long hairs from getting tangled around it and a pair of spinning... Continue reading...

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Nothing has announced its first pair of open wearable stereo (OWS) earbuds that could be better suited for activities where you actually want to hear what's going on around you. With a design that rests just inside your ear, the new Nothing Ear Open could also be a more comfortable alternative to earbuds that rely on silicone tips inserted into the ear canal.The Nothing Ear Open join a growing trend in headphones where active noise cancelling technology is eschewed for a design that deliberately lets outside sounds in. Shokz' headphones have long offered this through the use of bone conduction technology that keeps your ears completely open. In February, Bose introduced its $299 Ultra Open earbuds and positioned them as headphones that... Continue reading...

Spotify subscribers in additional countries can now create playlists using text descriptions. | Image: Spotify Spotify is expanding an AI feature that creates customized playlists from your text descriptions to additional English-speaking regions. Starting today, people in the US, Canada, Ireland, and New Zealand with Premium Spotify subscriptions (which start at $5.99 per month for students or $11.99 for individuals) can access AI Playlist in beta, following its initial launch in the UK and Australia earlier this year.Subscribers can locate the feature within the mobile app by tapping the +" button at the top right of their Spotify library. Selecting AI Playlist" from the drop-down menu will then open a chat box to describe the playlist you want, such as spooky songs to play during Halloween" or soothing folk music for a chill bath time."... Continue reading...

The second-gen QC Earbuds have wireless charging and multipoint right out of the box, which hasn't been the case for Bose's pricier buds. Continue reading...

Image: Roku One day after the Google TV Streamer hit stores, Roku is announcing its latest streaming player. And unlike Google's big design overhaul, the new Roku Ultra is playing things very safe. I'd argue maybe too safe. It's still $99.99, still delivers Dolby Vision and Atmos, and it looks exactly the same as before, though the company says there are notable improvements inside.The 2024 Ultra is 30 percent faster than any of Roku's other players, and it now features Wi-Fi 6. That upgrade puts it ahead of the Google TV Streamer, which stuck with Wi-Fi 5. Roku is now on par with the Apple TV but behind Amazon's flagship Fire TV streamers, which include Wi-Fi 6E connectivity. And yes, there's still a built-in ethernet jack for those of you who... Continue reading...

Image: Brompton It might not be immediately obvious, but the Brompton G Line is the first major redesign of the iconic British folding bicycle in its nearly 50-year history. It's even bigger than the launch of its first e-bike in 2019, literally and figuratively.The G Line is available as a standard bike with an internally geared Shimano Alfine 8-speed hub or as a 4-speed e-bike with derailleur. Both models feature bigger 20-inch wheels with fat grippy Schwalbe tires, hydraulic disc brakes from Tektro, wider handlebars, and a frame geometry that more closely resembles full-size bicycles.It all adds up to what should be a less twitchy ride that's suitable for more varied terrain on a bike that's easier to service over time given the selection of... Continue reading...

Image: Pinterest Pinterest will now let you build upon other collages and mood boards with its new remix feature, making it easier to get started on a creation if you're running low on ideas.You can use the feature to add your own images, text, and drawings to an existing collage. And if you don't want other people adding to your mood board, Pinterest will give you the option to turn remixing on or off. GIF: Pinterest Pinterest first introduced collages with the launch of its Shuffles app in 2022, allowing users to cut out" images and place them on a single canvas to create mood boards, style guides, and other interesting mishmashes. The platform built the feature into the main Pinterest app in 2023 and says it has seen a 418... Continue reading...

Gemini for Workspace is also now certified for SOC 1/2/3 and ISO 27701 security and privacy standards. | Image: The Verge Google is making Gemini AI a core part of its Workspace productivity suite, which could see the chatbot adopted by millions more users. In its latest blog post, the search giant announced that the standalone Gemini app is being included as standard on Workspace Business, Enterprise, and Frontline plans starting sometime in Q4, replacing the need to purchase a separate Gemini add-on.Google says that Gemini is subject to the same enterprise terms as other core Workspace services like Gmail and Docs, and won't use an organization's data, generated responses, or user prompts to train or otherwise improve its Gemini AI model. Workspace Administrators will also soon" be able to manage if Gemini stores generated responses and user prompts,... Continue reading...

Image: Logitech After acquiring Steam Deck rival Loupedeck last year, Logitech is launching a $199.99 MX Creative Console that's designed to control Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Pro. The control panel includes a Stream Deck-like keypad and a dialpad that has an analog dial and plenty of buttons to speed up creative tasks.Logitech has created custom plugins for Adobe apps like Photoshop, Lightroom Classic, Premiere Pro, After Effects, Audition, and Illustrator for its MX Creative Console. In Premiere Pro you can use the dial to scrub through a timeline, and there are four buttons around the dial to activate functions like undo.There's also a roller for navigation, allowing you to easily adjust the level of zoom on a Premiere Pro timeline for more... Continue reading...

Image: The Verge An official OpenAI account on X was taken over to peddle a cryptocurrency scam on Monday evening.On Monday at 6:24PM ET, the @OpenAINewsroom account, which shares news from OpenAI and has nearly 54,000 followers, made a now-deleted post advertising an $OPENAI" token.We're very happy to announce $OPEANAI: the token bridging the gap between Al and blockchain technology," the post said. All OpenAI users are eligible to claim a piece of $OPENAI's initial supply. Holding $OPENAI will grant access to all of our future beta programs." The post also included a link to a spoofed version of OpenAI's website at a URL that wasn't openai.com. Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge Two posts from the hijacked OpenAI Newsroom... Continue reading...

Plastic bottles and other trash piled up along the bank of the San Gabriel River just a few hundred yards from the Pacific Ocean. | Photo: Getty Images ExxonMobil has misled consumers for years by perpetuating a myth" about plastic recycling, according to a new lawsuit filed by the state of California.ExxonMobil is the world's leading producer of single-use plastics that become waste, according to the state attorney general's office. To encourage people to buy products made with single-use plastics, the suit alleges, ExxonMobil deceived Californians for almost half a century by promising that recycling could and would solve the ever-growing plastic waste crisis."They clearly knew this wasn't possible."Plastic is quite difficult to reuse, which is why very little of it is ever recycled. Promoting recycling as a cure-all for plastic waste can actually lead to more of it becoming... Continue reading...

Illustration by Hugo Herrera for The Verge Amazon Prime Day is one of the biggest shopping events of the year outside of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, with this year's autumnal incarnation (once again dubbed Prime Big Deal Days) running from October 8th through the 9th. The two-day shopping affair will likely grant Prime members access to some of the best prices of the year on Amazon devices, as well as products from Sony, Sonos, Peloton, Withings, and other well-known brands. This applies to items spanning a range of categories, including gaming peripherals, laptops, 4K TVs, phones, PC accessories, and more.As always, you can count on us to publish only the best deals during Prime Big Deal Days - as well as any worthwhile ones featured at Walmart, Best Buy, and other... Continue reading...

Image: Riley Testut The excellent Delta emulator for iOS is going to get even better: sometime soon, the app will get support for online multiplayer in Nintendo DS games, according to Delta developer Riley Testut. Testut's post about the feature includes a video of a Mario Kart DS race between two people being played on the emulator, and it immediately transported me back to playing the game on my own DS many years ago.Nintendo shut down the DS's online services way back in 2014, so we asked Testut how the online services will work. It's based on melonDS' online support, which connects to 3rd-party Nintendo [Wi-Fi Connection] servers (such as Kaeru, Wimmfi, AltWFC, etc)," Testut tells The Verge. This means all 10 million+ Delta users will be able to... Continue reading...

You've probably seen those door access panels before. | Image: Assa Abloy Assa Abloy, the major Swedish conglomerate that owns a whole lot of lock and security companies like Kwikset, Level lock, and the non-US version of Yale, is partnering with Boston Dynamics to build a new digital door access system that enables Boston Dynamics' Spot robots autonomous entry into secured areas. The two intend to make it easier for companies to implement a robot security dog that can patrol buildings unfettered inside and outside.Boston Dynamics' Spot robot has been equipped with digital access credentials that use Bluetooth to communicate with Assa Abloy's HID-branded Signo readers, making it easy for the bots to pass through auto-opening doors. No need to tap a paw on the panel.Some companies like Asylon Robotics built... Continue reading...

Image: The Verge X will now make your posts visible to users you've blocked. In a reply on Monday, X owner Elon Musk said the block function will block that account from engaging with, but not block seeing, public post."Currently, X displays a You're blocked" message when trying to view the profile of a person who's blocked you. In addition to blocking all posts, it also prevents you from seeing their replies, media, followers, and following list.While a source at X told The Verge that the platform is making this change because people can already view posts from users who've blocked them when using another account or when logged out, several of us at The Verge (myself included) have noticed that X actually prevents you from viewing someone's profile... Continue reading...

Mercedes-Benz AG Drive Pilot, Mercedes-Benz's Level 3 conditionally automated driving" feature, is getting a speed bump. The system will now support speeds of up to 95km/h (59mph) on German motorways, a sign that the automaker is feeling bullish about its boundary-pushing technology.Mercedes is still waiting for approval from German regulators before pushing out a software update to customers of vehicles that support Drive Pilot. But once that happens, the company boasts that it will have the world's fastest Level 3 system in a series-production vehicle."Drive Pilot is similar to hands-free" highway driving systems like GM's Super Cruise, Ford's BlueCruise, and Tesla's Autopilot in so far that it allows drivers to take their hands off the steering... Continue reading...

The Switch OLED boasts a vibrant seven-inch screen and comes with either white or red and blue Joy-Con controllers. | Photo by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge Just in time for the release of The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom on September 26th, Woot is selling the Nintendo Switch OLED for $299.99 ($50 off) with either white or neon red and blue Joy-Con controllers. That's $10 shy of the console's best price to date, and a deal that will last through 1AM ET on September 29th or while supplies last.Nintendo could announce a new Nintendo Switch any day now, one that is expected to sport a larger, eight-inch screen and more horsepower. But for now, the Switch OLED offers the best-looking handheld experience in the existing lineup. Its seven-inch OLED display is more spacious and vibrant than the screen found on the standard Switch or Switch Lite, and it features improved sound and a... Continue reading...

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Telegram will now turn over a user's phone number and IP address if it receives a request from authorities, according to its just-updated privacy policy:

An aerial view of the Ratcliffe-on-Soar coal-fired power station, near Nottingham in central England on September 19, 2024. | Photo: Getty Images By the end of the month, the United Kingdom is set to shutter its last operating coal-fired power plant.The Ratcliffe-on-Soar power station in Nottinghamshire is slated to close on September 30th, marking the end of coal power in the UK. It's turning the page on an era of dirty energy that the UK helped usher in globally and now has to leave behind to meet climate goals.The coal power plant was first commissioned in 1967, and received its last coal delivery in June. The 2,000 megawatt-capacity plant can produce enough electricity for some two million homes, according to the energy company Uniper that owns it. Over its decades in operation, it's generated enough energy to make more than 21 trillion cups of tea, or roughly 1 billion... Continue reading...

Image: WinFuture Nothing is expected to reveal its Ear (Open) headphones tomorrow, but a set of leaked images from WinFuture seems to have spoiled the surprise. The new earbuds appear to have a curved band that hooks around the back of your ear for a potentially more comfortable fit.The speaker, which rests just outside your ear, could come with a 14.2mm driver, according to WinFuture. Just like Nothing's other earbuds, it looks like the Ear (Open) will sport a transparent design on the stem with the company's branding.Additionally, WinFuture reports that the new earbuds offer up to eight hours of battery life without the case (or 30 hours with it). The buds are rumored to come with touch controls, the ability to connect to multiple devices at once,... Continue reading...

Illustration: Alex Castro / The Verge YouTube is telling Premium subscribers outside the US that they'll be paying more for the service soon, social media users began reporting over the weekend. So far, the higher prices are being reported in regions that include the EU, the Middle East, and South America, according to Android Authority.The price increases affect both individual and family plans. In some EU countries, people have said they were told their family plans will be going from 17.99 to 25.99 (or 11.99 to 13.99 for individuals) starting on November 7th. Posts on social media are reporting similar increases in places like Singapore, Colombia, and Saudi Arabia. A Reddit user is tracking the amounts in one thread.Another Reddit user posted screenshots of a... Continue reading...

JBL's party lights can sync their animations to the company's speakers. | Image: JBL JBL has announced two new accessories for its PartyBox line of LED-enhanced Bluetooth speakers: the PartyLight Stick, which looks like a glowing animated lightsaber, and the PartyLight Beam, which can cast a light show on walls or ceilings.The $99.95 PartyLight Stick and the $149.95 PartyLight Beam can each function as standalone lights. You can adjust the intensity, speed, and motion of each light to match a party's vibe using a mobile app, but they both include built-in microphones that will make their animated light shows match up to whatever music is playing in the room.Both lights become more capable when wirelessly connected to one of JBL's PartyBox speakers. Their glowing animations will be synchronized to the LEDs in the... Continue reading...

Image: The Verge Microsoft made security its No. 1 priority for every employee earlier this year, following years of security issues and a scathing report from the US Cyber Safety Review Board. Nearly six months after Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella told the entire company that security should be prioritized above all else, the software giant is providing a report on its progress.Microsoft first kicked off its Secure Future Initiative (SFI) in November 2023, just months before the US Cyber Safety Review Board concluded that Microsoft's security culture was inadequate and requires an overhaul." That blistering review really kicked Microsoft into gear, and the company is revealing today that it now has the equivalent of 34,000 full-time engineers working... Continue reading...