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Photo by Louis Grasse/PxImages/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Joe Rogan has issued a response to the ongoing controversy that has seen artists including Neil Young and Joni Mitchell removing their music from Spotify because of not wanting to share a platform with his popular podcast, The Joe Rogan Experience . In a nearly ten-minute video uploaded to Instagram, Rogan defends his decision to book contentious guests, apologizes to Spotify for the backlash, and details how the podcast may change in the future. “These podcasts are very strange because they’re just conversations,” Rogan says. “And oftentimes I have no idea what I’m going to talk about until I sit down and talk to people. And that’s why some of my ideas are not that prepared or fleshed out because I’m literally having them in real time,... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/FBTYgNwSx

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Apple will now let developers distribute unlisted apps through the App Store that only users with a direct link can access (via MacRumors ). While unlisted apps aren’t discoverable by the general public through search results, App Store categories, charts, or recommendations, they’re available to administrators via the Apple Business Manager or Apple School Manager. Unlisted apps are ideal for “limited audiences” Apple notes that unlisted apps are ideal for “limited audiences,” such as guests at a special event, members of an organization, research study participants, or a specific group of employees. To make an app unlisted and obtain a link, developers will first need to submit a request to Apple. Apps that have only been approved for... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/zHN9qhwgv

Spotify will now add COVID-19 content advisories to podcast episodes that discuss COVID-19 following criticism of the platform’s handling of the controversial content in the Joe Rogan Experience . The advisory will lead to Spotify’s COVID-19 hub , which contains credible and up-to-date information about the pandemic. To increase transparency around its treatment of the issue, Spotify is making its COVID-19 content policy and general platform rules publicly available on its site. Spotify says anyone who breaks the rules may have the content in question removed, with repeat offenders potentially having their accounts suspended or banned. The Verge obtained this policy ahead of the platform’s public release , and an internal memo revealed that... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/a5jmBr94X

Screenshot via Halo on Paramount Plus A new teaser for Paramount Plus’ live-action Halo series reveals the long-awaited show’s release date: March 24th, 2022 (via IGN ). At around the 52-second mark, you can hear the announcer state the fast-approaching release date. We’re just getting started. Watch the #HaloTheSeries Official Trailer today during halftime at the AFC Championship Game on @CBS and @ParamountPlus . pic.twitter.com/dER2sgbLkI — Halo on Paramount+ (@HaloTheSeries) January 30, 2022 The one-minute video teases a longer trailer set to debut during tonight’s AFC championship game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Cincinnati Bengals — it flashes between clips of the live-action series and both teams on the field. The upcoming trailer will air during the game... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/HzSZmtqcE

Brené Brown is the host of popular podcasts Unlocking Us and Dare to Lead . | Photo by Rick Kern / WireImage Popular podcast host and author Brené Brown says she’s not going to release any new podcast episodes “until further notice” and didn’t offer a specific reason why. Brown’s pause on her podcasts comes shortly after both Neil Young and Joni Mitchell pulled their music off Spotify in protest of Joe Rogan’s controversial podcast series. Brown signed a multi-year deal with Spotify in 2020 , and is the host of Spotify exclusive podcasts Unlocking Us and Dare to Lead . “I will not be releasing any podcasts until further notice,” Brown wrote on Twitter. “To our #UnlockingUs and #DaretoLead communities, I’m sorry and I’ll let you know if and when that changes.” I will not be releasing any podcasts until further notice. To our #UnlockingUs and #... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/AqxSDapX4

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge AT&T has a new Unlimited Max prepaid plan with 5G, and it’s available at Walmart for $45 / month . The plan comes with unlimited 5G data, unlimited talk and text, 100GB of cloud storage, HD streaming, and 10GB of available data when using your phone as a mobile hot spot. AT&T’s lowest-priced unlimited 5G plan available outside of Walmart (which doesn’t even come with HD streaming) will cost you $65 / month . While the Walmart-only Unlimited Max plan does allow for HD streaming, it streams in standard definition by default. You can stream in HD by turning off Stream Saver (a mode that plays video in 480p to save data) on AT&T’s prepaid site , or by calling 611. For comparison, several standard prepaid unlimited 5G plans, like Metro by... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/iEv6hKnNQ

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has announced over $1.2 billion in funding through the Rural Digital Opportunity Fund to expand broadband service across 32 states. The FCC calls this “the largest funding round to date,” and notes 23 broadband companies will provide service to more than one million new areas. In addition, the FCC also introduced the Rural Broadband Accountability Plan , which will double the number of audits and verifications performed this year in comparison to 2021. It will also require the FCC to make the results of verifications, audits as well as speed and latency tests public on the Universal Service Administration Company’s (USAC) website . The new Rural Broadband Accountability Plan will streamline our... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/hVnsSyKPZ

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge T-Mobile will fire corporate employees who aren’t fully vaccinated against COVID-19 by April 2nd, according to an internal email viewed by Bloomberg . T-Mobile’s head of human resources, Deeanne King, reportedly says employees who’ve only received one dose as of February 21st will be put on unpaid leave. There will be “limited” exceptions for certain employees “T-Mobile’s badge-controlled offices continue to be accessible only to those who are vaccinated against COVID-19,” T-Mobile said in a statement to The Verge , referencing the digital pass system the company uses to keep track of employees’ vaccination status. “We have shared with employees that we are requiring office workers to be fully vaccinated by April 2.” The mobile carrier... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/ajYVhdCRv

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The Treasury Department and Internal Revenue Service (IRS) are reportedly looking for alternatives to the controversial facial recognition software ID.me, according to a report by Bloomberg . As Bloomberg notes, the agencies didn’t cite a reason for the possible change, and also didn’t mention any privacy concerns about the service. The IRS can’t establish its own software due to a “lack of funding” “The IRS is consistently looking for ways to make the filing process more secure,” Treasury Department spokesperson Alexandra LaManna said in a statement to Bloomberg . “We believe in the importance of protecting the privacy of taxpayers, while also ensuring criminals are not able to gain access to taxpayer accounts.” LaManna also told B... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/CQnbuPSHL

Logi’s popular, 1080p webcam is an ace when it comes to picture quality. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Ladies and gentlemen, the weekend deals! While some of us on the East Coast may be busy shoveling snow this Saturday morning, we hope many of you are having a restful weekend chock-full of deals and discounts. Kicking things off on the deals front is Logitech’s StreamCam, which is currently on sale in its graphite colorway at Amazon for $108 . That’s about $62 off the regular price of this excellent webcam, one we consider to be the best webcam you can buy in terms of image quality. The StreamCam is Logitech’s flagship 1080p camera and is able to achieve 60 frames per second, allowing for a smooth, crisp look. The Capture software can also keep you centered in the frame, much like the Center Stage feature found on Apple’s newer iPads, and... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://bit.ly/3HdSDyq

Joni Mitchell has decided to remove all of her music from Spotify, joining Neil Young in protest of Joe Rogan’s podcast that Young says spreads misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccines (via The Wall Street Journal ). “I stand in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities on this issue” “I’ve decided to remove all my music from Spotify,” The Canadian singer-songwriter writes in a post on her website. “Irresponsible people are spreading lies that are costing people their lives. I stand in solidarity with Neil Young and the global scientific and medical communities on this issue.” Mitchell also includes a link to an open letter to Spotify, which was signed by dozens of medical and scientific professionals... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://bit.ly/3g6RRHt

Save on this excellent QLED from Samsung | Samsung If you’re looking to pick up a TV ahead of the Super Bowl, Samsung is currently discounting many of its QLED TVs, matching their lowest prices ever. Normally, the 75-inch model of the Samsung QN85A QLED TV costs $2,999.99 but is currently on sale at Samsung and Best Buy for $1,999.99. This massive, slim-bezel display features amazing visual fidelity and also includes a variety of other handy features. The Tizen OS grants access to most major streaming services and a number of helpful apps, and the TV features built-in support for Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, allowing you to control playback or find your favorite show with ease. The already excellent picture quality is enhanced even further thanks to HDR10+ support, a 120Hz refresh... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3s1PA5Q

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge With more than 2 billion users, WhatsApp is already one of the most popular messaging apps in the world. But its largest markets are all outside of the US. Now, Facebook, the parent company of WhatsApp that recently rebranded to Meta, is hoping to change that. Starting this weekend, Meta is kicking off the first-ever US marketing push for WhatsApp, focusing on the privacy offered by the app’s encryption. The first TV ad will air Sunday during the AFC Championship Game, comparing unencrypted messages to a stranger opening your physical mail. Similar ads touting WhatsApp’s privacy will soon start appearing on billboards around the country and online. The goal of the marketing push is to get more people in the US to switch to WhatsApp by... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3g5durW

“We Love Neil” — subtle stuff. | Image: Apple Music / The Verge Earlier this week, Neil Young pulled his music from Spotify after falling out with the platform over its hosting of Joe Rogan and COVID misinformation. So now, of course, rival streamer Apple Music is courting Young and his fans, sending out tweets , playlists , and even push notifications to brand itself as “The home of Neil Young.” It’s all a bit of theatrical silliness, of course. Neil Young is a legendary songwriter, yes, but his presence or absence won’t decide the fate of this or that streaming platform. He’s no Kanye or Taylor Swift. Instead, Apple is simply indulging in the time-honored corporate tradition of inserting itself into a relevant news cycle while the going is good. The company’s not been subtle about it either. It even... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3r8vckz

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Apple made more money than ever during the holiday season, and its growth during 2021 has helped the company add 150 million more active devices. During an earnings call with investors last night, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed that Apple now has 1.8 billion active devices. That’s up from the 1.65 billion Apple reported a year ago, and the 1.5 billion active devices in January 2020. While Cook didn’t delve deeper into the device details, Apple crossed the 1 billion active iPhones milestone a year ago, after selling its billionth iPhone in 2016 and then hitting 900 million active iPhone users in 2019. Apple counts a device as active as long as it has engaged with an Apple service within the past 90 days, so the 1.8 billion number covers a... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3o31CLq

Logitech’s G413 TKL. | Image: Logitech Logitech has announced a pair of new wired mechanical keyboards, G413 SE and G413 TKL . The first is a fullsize keyboard costing $79.99, and the second is a tenkeyless model, which omits the numpad for a more compact footprint and costs $69.99. The G413 SE and G413 TKL are interesting for a couple of reasons. First is that unlike many of Logitech’s other keyboards, these designs are relatively understated. The cases are a simple black-brushed aluminum-magnesium alloy with a plain Logitech G logo on the top right. Meanwhile, the keycaps use a simple black design and are made of durable PBT plastic with transparent lettering that lets the keyboard’s white backlighting shine through. Image: Logitech There’s all a... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3Hc82iD

GeForce Now is exiting beta on LG TVs. | Image: Nvidia Nvidia’s GeForce Now app for LG TVs has exited beta, the graphics card manufacturer announced today. The cloud gaming service was released in beta last November for select LG televisions and lets you stream games off Nvidia’s servers bought on stores like Steam and the Epic Games Store. If you’ve got a compatible 2021 LG TV , you can download the GeForce Now app from the LG Content Store . To celebrate the launch, Nvidia is offering six months of GeForce Now’s Priority tier free with qualifying LG TV purchases between February 1st and March 27th. Although it’s previously been possible to access Nvidia’s streaming service on the Nvidia Shield, being able to access the service directly from a TV itself is a much more streamlined solution.... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/33QFZqP

Photo by Felix Zahn / Photothek via Getty Images When you’re in the middle of a Zoom video meeting at home and your cat suddenly decides to start bawling for its dinner, you’ll want to mute your audio in a hurry. In that case, you have a choice: you can either reach for your mouse or touchpad and start searching for the “Mute” button or you can use a quick keyboard shortcut to cut off that noise immediately. Zoom has a long list of keyboard shortcuts that you can use before or during a videoconference. By using these shortcuts, you can quickly join a meeting; mute and unmute the audio; start, pause, and stop recording; switch views from Speaker (a large image of the person speaking) to Gallery (several equally sized images, no matter who is speaking); and perform a variety of other... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/2wDEgEn

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Fans of inky blacks and bright highlights rejoice: Netflix now officially lists HDR support for Google’s Pixel 6, 6 Pro, and more affordable 5A. That’s according to one of the streaming giant’s support pages , spotted by 9to5Google , which appears to have been updated some time after January 14th . The update also appears to have listed the phones as supporting HD on the service. The update should mean owners of Google’s latest smartphones won’t have any problem watching HDR or HD content on Netflix. Although the streaming service often lists new devices as compatible on the day of their release, as with the Galaxy S21 series , there are occasionally times when it doesn’t list support until much later, like with the OnePlus 8 . It’s not... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/34ft4OH

Google’s ambitions for gaming-focused Chromebooks might be close to reality. After years of teasing Steam for Chrome OS and even Nvidia demoing support for DLSS and ray tracing on Arm-based Chromebooks, references to new gaming Chromebooks have now been spotted in test versions of Chrome OS. Google revealed two years ago that it was working on Steam support for Chromebooks , but we’ve heard very little ever since. 9to5Google reports that three codenames for potential gaming Chromebooks have been spotted, all with RGB keyboards. The publication speculates that both HP and Lenovo could be testing gaming Chromebooks, based on employee contributions to Chrome OS code. A third mysterious device, codenamed Ripple, appears to be a tablet with a... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3IIQJX2

Image: Studio Ghibli A theme park based around the work of legendary Japanese animation house Studio Ghibli will open on November 1st in Nagakute, Japan, the company’s official Twitter account has announced . Plans for the park, which shouldn’t be confused with the existing Ghibli Museum in Mitaka , were initially announced in 2017 . Ghibli Park will be located on the site of the 2005 World’s Fair in the city of Nagakute, around 90 miles east of Kyoto and 150 miles west of Tokyo. A recreation of Satsuki and Mei’s house from My Neighbor Totoro was already built on this site for the fair, but the new park will expand on this with new attractions based on other Ghibli films. 『ジブリの大倉庫』の目玉です。 pic.twitter.com/w6GsIgaGdc — スタジオジブリ STUDIO GHIBLI (@JP_GHIBLI) January... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3G66qph

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Amazon has shuttered a controversial influence campaign in which it paid workers to tweet about how much they love working at Amazon, reports The Financial Times . Employees at the retailer’s warehouses (which it calls fulfillment centers) were paid to share positive impressions about the company and to deny widely-reported workplace failings — like employees being forced to urinate in bottles in order to meet performance targets. According to internal documents shared by The Intercept in 2021, the scheme launched in 2018 in response to waves of criticism of Amazon’s safety standards and working conditions. Workers were selected for their “great sense of humor” and told to respond “in a polite — but blunt — way” to the company’s critics,... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3rTC2JQ

Microsoft is planning to launch a public preview of its Android apps for Windows 11 next month, alongside some taskbar improvements and redesigned Notepad and Media Player apps. Windows chief Panos Panay outlined the upcoming changes to Windows 11 in a blog post today , and they appear to be part of Windows 11’s first big update. The taskbar improvements include a mute and unmute feature and likely the ability to show a clock on secondary monitors. Both were missing at the launch of Windows 11, but Microsoft is still working on improving the taskbar further to bring back missing functionality like drag and drop. The upcoming Windows 11 next month will also include the weather widget returning to the taskbar, something Microsoft started... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3r04Ilc

The Chaparral and its cargo pod in front. | Image: Elroy Air Elroy Air, a startup that wants to make cargo deliveries using autonomous hybrid-electric aircraft, has unveiled its pre-production craft: the Chapparral. Described by Elroy Air’s co-founder Clint Cope as “a hybrid between a rough-and-ready helicopter and a battle-hardened bush plane,” the Chaparral is a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) craft that transitions between hovering using eight vertical fans and forward flight using four swiveling propellers. A hybrid-electric powertrain gives it a range of up to 300 miles (482km) and a cargo capacity of 300 to 500lbs (136 to 226kg). Goods are loaded into an underslung pod that can autonomously be picked up and dropped off. “The Chaparral will be a vital logistics link for people around... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3KKLnMF

By going back in time, the game moves the series forward Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3u2zeNg

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge In case you were looking for a deal on the Oculus Quest 2, Amazon has you covered. Its “Renewed Store,” where refurbished and used products are sold, will begin selling an appealing VR headset bundle on Tuesday, February 1st, although you can preorder it now for $249 (via Slickdeals ). The kit contains a “like-new” Oculus Quest 2 128GB headset (normally $299 by itself), along with controllers, a silicon facial interface, along with a rugged, customizable head strap, and a hard case for the headset. The accessories aren’t official, as in, made by Oculus, but it’s enough to get you started. Read our review of the headset. This kit is sold and shipped from Amazon, which offers a one-year limited manufacturer’s warranty on the product. We’ve... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3tZEeC2

Xiaomi has announced the Redmi Note 11 series, continuing its popular line of budget-friendly handsets that sell in huge numbers in India and various other markets. There are four phones in total, but they only differentiate themselves in a few specific areas. All of them have what Xiaomi describes as a “trendy flat-edge body” — in other words, yes, it looks like an iPhone — and most of the specs are shared across at least two models. Here’s how it all breaks down: The Redmi Note 11 Pro 5G is the highest-end model and has a Qualcomm Snapdragon 695 processor with 5G support. The screen is a 6.67-inch 120Hz 1080p OLED panel, there’s a 5,000mAh battery with 67W fast charging, and a 108-megapixel main camera backed by an 8-megapixel... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3AxxX1V

Crytek has teased a new entry in its long-running Crysis series in a short trailer posted from its Twitter account. “Join the journey. Become the hero,” the trailer reads as it displays a large “4.” The announcement comes almost nine years after the release of the last numbered entry in the Crysis series, Crysis 3 , which was released on February 19th, 2013. The official Crysis 4 teaser comes just hours after Crytek China appeared to confirm news of the game early in a post on Chinese social media site BiliBili. Its post , which now appears to have been deleted, said “The ‘ Crysis 4’ project is confirmed, opening a new nano battlefield!” when translated into English, according to Eurogamer. It's time to join the journey and be the hero. A... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3KEykwh

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge So long, Self-Driving Coalition for Safer Streets ; hello, Autonomous Vehicle Industry Association! The AV industry’s top lobbying group in Washington, DC is rebranding, dropping the reference to “self-driving” in exchange for a more straightforward moniker. The group, which was founded in 2016 by Waymo, Ford, Lyft, Uber, and Volvo, lobbies lawmakers to pass legislation favorable to its members. It has since grown to include the top AV operators in the country, including Cruise, Aurora, Argo AI, Motional, Nuro, and Zoox. It’s the latest move by the AV industry to distance itself from the term “self-driving” It’s the latest move by the AV industry to distance itself from the term “self-driving,” which many observers interpret as an... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3FWUo1D

Huawei’s P50 Pocket. | Image: Huawei Huawei, the embattled Chinese tech giant that continues to be the target of strict US sanctions, has announced that its flagship P50 Pro and foldable P50 Pocket will be sold outside of China. The P50 Pro will cost €1,199 (around $1,353), while the P50 Pocket will start at €1,299 (around $1,466). Huawei’s press release says the two phones will be available in “key markets across Asia Pacific, The Middle East & Africa, Europe and Latin America,” but declined to say exactly when and where. Nevertheless, at those prices, and without access to key Google apps and services like the Google Play Store, both devices will represent interesting curios rather than anything you should seriously consider buying. Sanctions have also impacted Huawei’s... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3H5nxsy

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge YouTube NFTs may be in the works. In a letter published today, YouTube CEO Susan Wojcicki suggested the company is looking to branch into NFTs in the future as another source of revenue for creators. “We’re always focused on expanding the YouTube ecosystem to help creators capitalize on emerging technologies, including things like NFTs, while continuing to strengthen and enhance the experiences creators and fans have on YouTube,” the letter reads. The detail was part of Wojcicki’s latest letter to the YouTube community, which outlines areas the company plans to invest in, like gaming and shopping, and how it plans to support creators. Wojcicki said YouTube is looking to Web3 “as a source of inspiration,” specifically noting the... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/35ruAhD

A triumph for Intel, but a shrug from us Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3ICyVws

Image by Plaid Plaid, a go-between for financial apps like Robinhood, Venmo, and Betterment and bank accounts, has created a privacy hub where you can manage all of your financial connections. The hub is a requirement of a lawsuit Plaid settled about its handling of user data. The hub, called Plaid Portal, shows users exactly which apps they’re connected to by Plaid. It can be found by accessing my.plaid.com , where the service will prompt users to set up an account. Then, it’s possible to browse connections and disconnect unused apps from bank accounts. The portal details the kinds of data users sharing through Plaid, as well as which bank accounts are connected. It’s also possible to wipe all of a user’s linked data through the portal. If you don’t... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3H1JEAk

A render of Amazon’s upcoming store in Mill Creek. | Image: Amazon Amazon is bringing its cashierless Just Walk Out technology to a new format of stores aimed at suburbs, the company announced today. The new stores will use the Amazon Go branding that the company already uses for its locations in city centers, but will instead be located further afield where they’ll sell food, snacks, alcohol, and “a few every day essentials.” They’re convenience stores, basically, and come at a time when a shift to home working means that people are spending more time in the vicinity of their homes rather than commuting into city-based offices. Like its other Just Walk Out stores, Amazon says customers will be able to browse the store, pick up items, and then leave without having to interact with a cashier or... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3KHvNkU

Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images After the gold rush of signing Joe Rogan, Spotify now has to deal with the harvest. The latest difficulty in reaction to Spotify’s controversial star turn comes from singer and songwriter Neil Young, who says he’s extremely unhappy to be sharing a platform with Rogan. “I want you to let Spotify know immediately TODAY that I want all my music off their platform,” Young wrote in an open letter to his manager and record label (which has since been deleted from his website ). “They can have [Joe] Rogan or Young. Not both.” The reason? Rogan’s hand in spreading vaccine misinformation. As first reported by Rolling Stone , Young writes: “I am doing this because Spotify is spreading fake information about vaccines – potentially causing death to... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3rRjNoe

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Nvidia is reportedly preparing to give up on its $40 billion purchase of chip designer Arm, according to Bloomberg News . The deal has faced intense scrutiny from regulators and vocal opposition from rivals, forcing Nvidia to adjust its original timeline for the purchase. Now, Bloomberg says Nvidia is telling partners it doesn’t expect the deal to go through at all, while Arm’s current owner SoftBank is reportedly “stepping up preparations” to take Arm public via an initial public offering — which could be an alternative way to profitably rid itself of the firm. Both Nvidia and SoftBank remain publicly committed to the deal, and Bloomberg notes that no final decision has been made. But such rumors are not surprising given it’s long been... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/343ze4v

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The Dutch competition regulator, the Authority for Consumers and Markets (ACM), has fined Apple €5 million (around $5.6 million) for failing to let dating app developers use third-party payment methods, the ACM has announced . The regulator says that Apple will continue to be fined €5 million a week until it properly complies with the order, which was publicly issued on December 24th . With a market cap of well over $2 trillion and revenues last quarter of $83.4 billion, Apple’s bottom line is unlikely to be impacted by these €5 million fines. But the Dutch regulator’s actions, like South Korea’s before it , could embolden others to take action against Apple’s App Store policies, as well as Google’s which are also being scrutinized. Apple... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3H3tQNi

Ford’s hot-in-demand 2022 Maverick pickup truck appears to be sold out, with The Wall Street Journal reporting that the automaker has taken the unusual step of suspending reservations. Ford reached out to its dealers to tell them it was suspending customer orders, the Journal reports. The company will resume taking orders for the plug-in hybrid truck this summer. A Ford executive confirmed the unusual move in an interview with the paper as well, stating: “We didn’t want to take more orders than we could build,” said Dean Stoneley, general manager of Ford trucks, in an interview. “We’re getting customers who would have perhaps bought a used car and are now buying the Maverick because it is so affordable,” he said. The Maverick’s... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3IABgb8

Netflix After years of being trapped in different circles of development hell, co-director Guillermo del Toro’ s long-awaited take on Pinocchio is finally happening, and the stop-motion feature’s first teaser trailer is here to introduce the world to the story’s minuscule moral center. Set during Benito Mussolini’s fascist reign over Italy in the 1930s, del Toro’s Pinocchio once again tells the tale of a wooden puppet who suddenly comes to life, much to his woodcarver “father’s” surprise. Unlike some of the other Pinocchio tellings you may be familiar with, though, this film’s Pinocchio (Gregory Mann) quickly gets into the sorts of cruel mischief that put him at odds with Geppetto (David Bradley), who loves his son but can’t help but see that he... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3qS7UPI

Illustration by Alex Castro The attorneys general of three states and the District of Columbia are suing Google for the allegedly deceptive collection of location data on Android. The complaints, which build on a 2020 lawsuit filed by the Arizona Attorney General, allege that Google’s “complex web” of settings obfuscated whether users were sharing their location at a given moment. Furthermore, they allege Google pushed Android users with “repeated nudging, misleading pressure tactics, and evasive and deceptive descriptions” to share more information either “inadvertently or out of frustration.” “Google falsely led consumers to believe that changing their account and device settings would allow customers to protect their privacy and control what personal data the... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3GYdWUy

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Did you think the season of giving was over? Not at The Verge ! Not only are we continuing to give you a heads-up regarding discounts and sales on the latest gadgets, but we have another mystery bag stuffed full of freebies to give away to one lucky reader. This time, we’ve filled an Alienware M17 Elite Backpack ( which typically retails for $99.99 ) with a whole bunch of goodies. In total, the combined value of the bag and its contents is about $623. We’d be remiss to keep all of these gadgets to ourselves, so we’re offering them to one of you. Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Just where did we get all this stuff? Well, The Verge is always trying out and reviewing the latest tech, and sometimes we end up... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3GXYqbg

Toshihiro Nagoshi, former chief creative officer at Sega, where he led development of the Yakuza series as general director of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, has announced his next move. He’s started up his own studio, simply titled Nagoshi Studio , which is being wholly funded by Chinese internet and gaming company NetEase. Nagoshi announced his departure from Sega last October, but today’s news also follows a report from Bloomberg back in August that named NetEase as his prospective future partner. Masayoshi Yokoyama, who The Verge interviewed last year about his work on the most recent Yakuza game Like a Dragon , is the new head of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and is currently working on the next game in the series. Nagoshi Studio will be headquartered... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3s39fCP

Venmo is just one of the many apps that uses Plaid to link your bank account. | Photo Illustration by Rafael Henrique / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images If you’ve connected your bank account to financial apps like Robinhood, Acorns, Venmo, American Express, Coinbase, and Credit Karma, you may be entitled to some cash, according to a report by Fast Company . Plaid, the financial service these apps (and 5,500 others ) use to link your bank account, has settled a class-action lawsuit accusing the company of collecting more financial data from users than necessary. The suit also alleges Plaid obtained users’ bank login information “through its user interface, known as ‘Plaid Link,’ which had the look and feel of the user’s own bank account login screen.” In reality, users were inputting their information “directly to Plaid.” Plaid denies these claims and says it was transparent with its... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3rMkzCO

Image: evleaks (Twitter) Potential European pricing information for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S22 series has been released by reliable leaker Roland Quandt, as reported by Android Police . Samsung appears to have carried over its prices from the previous S21 lineup , with the only inconsistency being an equally-priced S22 Ultra model that supposedly comes with less RAM than its S21 predecessor. Whoever said S22 series was to be cheaper, didn't think of Covid, parts shortages and inflation. Actual official EURO prices: S22 8/128GB = 849 S22 8/256GB = 899 S22+ 8/128GB = 1049 S22+ 8/256GB = 1099 S22 Ultra 8/128GB = 1249 S22 Ultra 12/256GB = 1349 S22 Ultra 12/512GB = 1449 pic.twitter.com/QRnfrhkzTz — Roland Quandt (@rquandt) January 22, 2022 Quandt claims the S22 will... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3557kFJ

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Apple has extended its deadline requiring online group and event apps to comply with the company’s in-app purchase policy once again, as announced in a post on the company’s developer’s blog (via 9to5Mac ). Apps in this category can now use alternate payment options until June 30th, allowing them to skirt Apple’s 15 to 30 percent cut the company takes out of in-app purchases. “In 2020, we chose to support apps and developers that needed to adapt services from in-person to digital as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Apple writes in the post. “Given the recent resurgence of COVID and its continued impact on in-person services, we’ve extended the most recent deadline.” Apple first deferred its rule targeting group event apps in November... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3rLLQFy

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge On Thursday, the European Parliament voted to approve the initial draft of a bill that aims to curb Big Tech’s invasive advertising practices (via Bloomberg ). The Parliament adopted the draft with 530 votes of approval, 78 against, and 80 absentations. The Digital Services Act , which was first introduced in 2020 , will prevent platforms, like Google, Amazon, and the Meta-owned Facebook, from using sensitive information, such as sexual orientation, race, and religion for targeted ads. It will require services to give users the ability to easily opt out of tracking, and pressures platforms to remove illegal content and products online, including hate speech or counterfeit goods. Yes! with a huge majority, the European Parliament adopted... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3tNXq5P

The fitness company can’t catch a break on TV. | Image: Showtime Spoilers ahead for And Just Like That... and Billions. Peloton really can’t catch a break. Not only did rumors it’s temporarily suspending production of its connected bikes and treadmills send the stock plunging on Thursday, but — in a plot twist worthy of the big screen — a second TV show character has been shown having a heart attack while riding a Peloton. This comes just over a month after a beloved character from Sex and the City was killed off after a workout on one of the company’s bikes. Mr. Big’s ghost rides again to haunt Peloton In the season six premiere of Billions (available in an early release via streaming, including for free on YouTube , ahead of the show’s usual Sunday night time slot), the character Wags’ Peloton ride... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3nMRLZJ

A dangerous remote code execution (RCE) exploit found in Dark Souls 3 could let a bad actor take control of your computer, according to a report from Dexerto . The vulnerability only puts PC gamers who play online at risk and may potentially affect Dark Souls , Dark Souls 2 , and the upcoming Elden Ring . The exploit was seen in action during The__Grim__Sleeper’s Twitch stream of Dark Souls 3 online. At the end of the stream ( 1:20:22 ), The__Grim__Sleeper’s game crashes, and the robotic voice belonging to Microsoft’s text-to-speech generator suddenly starts criticizing his gameplay. The__Grim__Sleeper then reports that Microsoft PowerShell opened by itself, a sign that a hacker used the program to run a script that triggered the... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3439Ls5

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge WhatsApp might be working on a feature that lets you migrate your chat history from Android to iOS, as reported by WABetaInfo via ( Android Central ). The feature was first spotted in the latest WhatsApp beta version 22.2.74 for iOS, and appears to corroborate WABetaInfo ’ s previous discovery in beta version 2.21.20.11 for Android . Both updates point towards a feature that may let you transfer your WhatsApp chats from Android to iOS using the Move to iOS app . Image by WaBetaInfo WABetaInfo also shared a couple of screenshots that show what the feature may look like. Judging by the images, it appears WhatsApp will ask for permission before starting the transfer process, and will then instruct you to keep the app open and... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3fQ7Sl6

US athletes have been advised not to bring their phones to the 2022 Winter Olympics. | Photo by Yu Zhiqiang / VCG via Getty Images The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee is telling athletes to ditch their personal phones for burners ahead of next month’s Winter Olympics in China, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal (via Android Central ). “Every device, communication, transaction and online activity may be monitored” The advisory was reportedly sent out twice last year to warn athletes about the possibility of digital surveillance while in China. “Every device, communication, transaction and online activity may be monitored,” the bulletin states. “Your device(s) may also be compromised with malicious software, which could negatively impact future use.” As noted by the WSJ , Great Britain, Canada, and the Netherlands have also cautioned... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3fLYzm7

NYC Mayor Eric Adams received his first paycheck in cryptocurrency. | Photo by Alex Wong / Getty Images Even in the midst of a crypto slump , New York City Mayor Eric Adams isn’t backing out of his plans to take his first three paychecks in Bitcoin and Ethereum. Bitcoin fell beneath $36,000 on Friday — a 47 percent dive from its all-time high in November — dragging the entire cryptocurrency market cap below $2 trillion . If the crypto market continues to trend downwards, Adams’ first check may evaporate Adams officially received his first paycheck yesterday, which was converted to Bitcoin and Ethereum through cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase. According to the New York Post , the NYC mayor receives biweekly paychecks of about $5,900, amounting to a salary of $258,750 a year. Adams didn’t reveal how much of his $5,900 check is split between... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3KwO6t1