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Danica Novgordoff It was a beach date that would transform Chris Michaud, though the memorable parts were neither the beach nor the date but what he saw that day. Both in their early 30s, summer of 2017, Chris had met Gemma recently, swiping on Bumble. They decided to head to the New Hampshire coast, not far from where they both lived in Portsmouth. Before arriving at the beach, Gemma suggested they do a little birding. In a marsh, they spotted egrets, a glossy ibis, and “some other cool stuff.” Later, they went to the beach, as promised, but Chris just kept thinking about the birds. This moment, in birding lingo, is called the “spark,” when a person sees something that inspires them to be a birder for life. (Nearly everyone I talked to for this story... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/fWqCcYn

Fujifilm’s X-H2S camera with the upcoming 18-120mm powered zoom lens. | Image: Fujifilm Fujifilm’s latest X-Summit event is happening today in Omiya, Japan, and it brings several new announcements for its X-series of APS-C mirrorless cameras, including two cameras and two lenses. The headliner is the 26-megapixel X-H2S camera, which Fujifilm calls its new high-speed flagship model. It is the successor to 2018’s X-H1 and will launch on July 7th for $2,499 (without a lens). Joining this camera at release is a new XF 150-600mm super-telephoto zoom lens costing $1,999, with an XF 18-120mm powered zoom due out later in mid-September for $899. Fujifilm also teased another camera, the X-H2, with a new 40-megapixel non-stacked sensor that’s also coming in September. These new cameras are more pro DSLR-like than anything else in... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/x1AnQ2p

An Android phone without Google. No Google apps, no Google Play Services, no peppy Google Assistant. No Google surveillance and data snooping, no incessant ad targeting, no feeling like privacy is a pointless exercise. Some companies, like Huawei, have been forced to figure out how to build this kind of device. A few others have tried for the sake of maintaining your privacy and as a way to fight back against the tyranny of Big Tech. None of it has ever really worked. The team at Murena has been working on de-Googling Android phones for the last few years, starting back in 2017 when Gael Duval created an operating system he originally called Eelo. “Like millions others, I’VE BECOME A PRODUCT OF GOOGLE,” Duval wrote in 2017 . He said he... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/yopq82I

iRobot has launched a new operating system for its household robot cleaners | Image: iRobot The robots are getting smarter. Two years after releasing iRobot Genius Home Intelligence, an AI-powered platform for its robot vacuums and mops , iRobot has announced its new software platform: iRobot OS. This operating system for its Roomba robot vacuum cleaners will take them to the next level, says Colin Angle CEO of iRobot, providing the household bots with a deeper understanding of your home and your habits, so they can clean both harder and smarter. While at launch the iRobot OS is not immediately adding features to existing products, it is laying the foundation for a larger leap. “The idea of moving from the iRobot Genius to iRobot OS is a declaration that the intelligence of the robot is going to be the primary differentiator of... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/V9m6cNx

Externally, the laptop looks very similar to its predecessor. | Image: Microsoft Microsoft looks set to announce an updated version of its compact Surface Laptop Go, if an early retailer listing from Korea is to be believed. The biggest change with the Surface Laptop Go 2 appears to be its newer 11th-gen Intel CPU (an i5-1135G7), which replaces the 10th-gen model found in the original 2020 laptop . The Go 2 will ship with Windows 11 this time around, and a Google Translate of the retailer page says its webcam will have “improved HD camera performance.” Preorders are set to open on June 2nd, so an official announcement might not be far away. WinFuture previously reported that the laptop could have a starting price of $650. Otherwise, the new laptop appears to be very similar to its predecessor. It still has a... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/ArMbCnZ

Nikos Nikolopoulos Welcome to the inner beauty pageant Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/khIT9Ry

Image: DeLorean DeLorean Motor Company has revealed the first images of the Alpha 5 electric vehicle (EV), the brand’s attempt at resurrecting the DeLorean name in an all-electric form. Staying true to the classic ‘80s-era DeLorean known for its appearance in Back to the Future , the Alpha 5 comes with those iconic gull-wing doors and can reach 60mph in about 2.99 seconds (or 88mph in 4.35 seconds, if you’re curious). Before we dive into the details, it’s worth noting the company behind the Alpha 5 isn’t actually the same one behind the original DeLorean vehicles — that company went defunct in 1982. An unrelated Texas-based company, which supplies replacement parts to the owners of vintage DeLorean vehicles, snapped up the rights to the DeLorean brand... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/RWe69Hx

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge They do not go together like peanut butter and jelly Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/2q3xSjE

Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge Amazon is ending support for its Cloud Cam security camera and offering owners a free Blink Mini to replace it. MacRumors noted the change late last week, and The Verge obtained a copy of an email sent to customers announcing the change. Cloud Cam owners will be able to use their cameras and download video until December 2nd of this year, after which all recordings will be deleted and the hardware will no longer function. Customers with the Cloud Cam Key Edition will also lose the ability to connect to smart locks, although they can get a free fourth-generation Echo to replace the functionality. “As the number of Alexa smart home devices continues to grow, we are focusing efforts on Ring, Blink, and other technologies that make your home... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/n7irYUt

The Pitaka MagEZ Case Pro comes with a magnetic charging puck that attaches to the back. | Image: Pitaka If you’ve wanted MagSafe-style convenient charging on an iPad Mini, Pitaka’s latest case is here for you. The new $79 MagEZ Case Pro for the sixth-generation iPad Mini (aka the iPad Mini 6) has magnetic points on the back that pass power through the iPad’s USB-C port when used with the included pad. Or you can use it with the $129 MagEZ Charging Stand , which elevates the tablet and provides a second Qi charging spot in its base for a phone or headphones. There are some downsides to this approach. Pitaka’s case doesn’t make use of the magnets built into the back of the iPad Mini, and it blocks the USB-C port from access, leaving you with the magnetic pad as the only way to charge the device. Forget about transferring any data over a wired... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/TEdJjiR

An early image of Google’s upcoming tablet, released earlier this month. | Image: Google Google’s upcoming Pixel Tablet might support the cross-manufacturer USI (Universal Stylus Initiative) standard, allowing it to be used with a range of third party styluses, if a recently-discovered entry in the USI’s list of certified products is to be believed. The entry, which we spotted via NuGiz , lists a device from Google with the product name “Tangor” and the model number “Tablet,” which are presumably placeholder names for the Android-powered tablet Google announced earlier this month . USI is an industry-wide stylus standard that Google joined in 2018 . It’s already supported across a range of Chromebooks, allowing them to be used with a variety of styluses from different manufacturers. But while there are plenty of proprietary... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/eTp9tCs

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge RealityOS — the name Apple is reportedly using for the operating system running on its rumored virtual and augmented reality headset — has appeared in a trademark filing spotted by Parker Ortolani . Bloomberg News was first to report the “reality operating system” branding back in 2017, and references to the name have appeared in Apple’s software . The trademark application hasn’t officially been filed by Apple, but it’s common practice for large companies to apply for trademarks under one-off company names — like Realityo Systems LLC, in this case — in the state of Delaware for the sole purpose of maintaining anonymity. The trademark application is the latest evidence that Apple is on the cusp of announcing its long-rumored headset. It... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/ZQjPsbH

It measures 6.5 feet in length with both blades attached. | Image: Hasbro Hasbro has designed a lifelike lightsaber just in time for the premiere of the new Obi-Wan Kenobi series , one that might be the toymaker’s most ambitious — and expensive — replica yet. The Black Series Reva Force FX Elite Lightsaber costs $499 and measures a total of 6.5 feet long with both blades attached. It’s modeled after the lightsaber wielded by the Third Sister, also known as Reva, a cold and callous Inquisitor set on hunting down Obi-Wan. Just like the iconic lightsabers we’ve seen held by Inquisitors in past Star Wars series, you can take off one of the blades, as well as remove half of the circle in the center of the lightsaber. There are a number of cool lighting and sound effects that you can activate too, and they work... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/DLIl6RU

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Apple’s attempt to dismiss an amended antitrust lawsuit filed by the creator of Cydia, an app store for jailbroken iPhones, has failed (via Reuters ). California District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers denied Apple’s motion to dismiss the case on Thursday and is giving the company 21 days to respond to Cydia’s refiled complaint. Cydia developer Jay Freeman (who also goes by the username Saurik), first filed a lawsuit against Apple in 2020 . The complaint alleges Apple “has wrongfully acquired and maintained monopoly power” in iOS app distribution and payments, ultimately “depriving” third-party app stores of “the ability to compete with the App Store.” Cydia emerged before the Apple App Store even existed, and allowed users to find and... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/sdyprUB

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Apple may finally bring always-on display to the upcoming iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max. According to a report from Bloomberg ’s Mark Gurman , Apple could introduce the feature with iOS 16, allowing the iPhone to display a limited amount of information even when it’s locked. Gurman says the iPhone’s version of always-on mode could work similarly to the way it does with the Apple Watch Series 5 and up — the iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max will drop the lock screen’s frame rate with always-on mode enabled, letting them conserve energy while the display remains powered on. It’s unclear if the new iPhone will use the same low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) display Apple uses in newer Watch models. These low-powered screens play a huge part in... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/mBkLYAQ

Image: Aspyr Media Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic ( KOTOR ) II: The Sith Lords is heading to the Nintendo Switch on June 8th, as announced at this year's Star Wars Celebration event. The sequel to the classic KOTOR RPG is supposed to feature some performance enhancements and resolution upgrades, as well as a Restored Content DLC set to arrive post-launch. Image: Aspyr Media As you might’ve guessed, the Restored Content DLC comes with the content that Obsidian Entertainment and Aspyr Media, the game’s developers, left out during their rush to launch the game in 2004. There’s already a fanmade mod for KOTOR II on Steam that restores some of this lost content, but it’s unclear how similar the official DLC will be when it comes out. Y... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/kEWeoVI

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Twitter started testing Circle earlier this month with a limited group, and now it looks like it’s starting to roll out to more users (via Android Police ). The feature works a lot like Instagram’s Close Friends , as it allows users to send out tweets to a specific group of people rather than all of Twitter. To check if you have access to Twitter Circle, update your Twitter app or head to Twitter in a web browser. When you start composing a tweet, you’ll see a dropdown menu at the top that reads Everyone . From here, you can choose Twitter Circle to limit your tweet to a select audience, or you can hit Edit to add or remove people from your Circle. Twitter won’t notify users if you add or remove them. Choose “Twitter... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/rCXHP1K

The Ayn Loki inherits much of its design from the Ayn Odin. | Image: Ayn Ayn, the maker of the Odin Android handheld , is releasing a lineup of what it calls the “most affordable” portable Windows gaming consoles yet (via Liliputing ). The cheapest of the bunch starts at just $299 — $100 less than the 64GB Steam Deck. Ayn announced the news in a YouTube video and a series of posts on Instagram, giving us a look at what we can expect for looks, tech specs, and pricing. While the entry-level $299 Loki Mini comes with 64GB of storage and an Intel Alder Lake U chip, the standard Loki handheld has an AMD Ryzen 5 6600U chip with three different storage options: 64GB, 256GB, and 512GB, each costing $499, $599, and $699, respectively. The $799 Loki Max features an upgraded AMD Ryzen 7 6800U chip and 512GB of storage. ... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/A8pJfLb

comcast Comcast has received a patent for a smart speaker — one with a very unusual design, to say the least (thanks to @SteveDonohue on Twitter for pointing this out). Instead of opting for a spherical shape that comes with the Amazon Echo and Apple HomePod Mini , or even the rounded rectangular look of the Google Nest Audio device , a sketch shows what appears to be a speaker with a sloped top and a wide base. Online records show that Comcast first filed for the patent last year, but it didn’t get approved until April 2022. As seen in the sketch, the device seems to have playback controls on the side of the speaker, with an additional button and a small stand on the bottom. Image: Comcast via USPTO The smart speaker... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/fIGoCJc

The 2022 iPad Air looks a lot like the 2020 model, but with faster performance. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge It’s officially Memorial Day Weekend. Time to get the grill going, throw some drinks in the cooler, and saddle up for some hot deals. We’ve been covering sales and discounts for Memorial Day all week , and we’ve got some fresh ones for your Saturday. First off, Apple’s latest iPad Air with expanded 256GB storage is down to $679 at Amazon. This $70 discount is the best price in over a month for this configuration. If you don’t feel that you need the extra storage, the 64GB model is $569.99 (about $30 off) at Amazon and Walmart . Though the 256GB helps ensure you don’t run short on space too quickly. This latest generation of the iPad Air looks a lot like the previous model from 2020, but it’s been given a big performance boost by borrowing... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/5bxzJ8c

Vecna in his natural habitat. | Image: Netflix Vecna is here to terrorize Hawkins Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/YGANxLe

Photo by James Bareham / The Verge While Google’s Chromebooks are all about online services, sometimes you need a good old-fashioned printout to accompany your digital adventures. Printing from a Chromebook has gotten a lot easier over the years, but it still isn’t always obvious how to get started or which paths to embrace. Follow this guide, and with any luck, you’ll be churning out paper from your cloud-centric computer in no time. [Note: unfortunately, the Cloud Print system, which made it a lot easier to print using any cloud-connected device, was relegated to the Google graveyard in 2020. This means that some older printers may not be able to print from a Chromebook, period. Before purchasing a printer, especially a used one, make sure it’s compatible with ChromeOS.... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/K4eRHmX

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images As concerns mount about the future of Elon Musk’s buyout agreement, Twitter’s board of directors has seen an unexpected shake-up. On Wednesday, Silver Lake co-CEO Egon Durban failed to win support from a majority of Twitter shareholders to remain on the board for another term after two investor groups raised concerns that Durban sits on the board of too many public companies. Durban offered his resignation in the wake of the vote, but on Friday , the other board members declined to accept it, instead forging an agreement for Durban to resign from two other board seats over the course of the next year. “accepting Mr. Durban’s tendered resignation at this time is not in the best interests of the Company” In the filing , the board takes note... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/hcMib1w

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Sony will broadcast almost half an hour of PlayStation trailers and announcements during its State of Play livestream next Thursday at 3PM PT (6PM ET), the company announced today . It’s yet to announce any specific games that are set to appear at the event but says it’ll include “exciting reveals from our third-party partners” as well as a look at “several” games in development for its upcoming virtual reality headset, the PlayStation VR2. News of the livestream follows an announcement at Sony’s investor day that it plans to have over 20 “major” titles available for the VR headset at launch (the date of which is yet to be announced). There’s currently just one confirmed game for Sony’s upcoming headset , a spinoff of the Horizon... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/eKhIB1E

Concept art from Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Dune bible. Spice DAO, the cryptocurrency collective that bought a script bible for Alejandro Jodorowsky’s never-made Dune adaptation, is apparently still figuring out what to make of its success. Earlier this week, the collective stopped working with a core member who posted virulently hateful messages as part of a self-described internet art project. Now, the project’s originator has suggested Spice DAO will back off its quixotic goal of creating a community-owned media powerhouse — but it’s not clear the group is actually changing any plans. Towards the end of 2021 , the decentralized autonomous organization (or DAO) raised millions of dollars to purchase a rare copy of Jodorowsky’s Dune bible, then found itself with a sizable leftover treasury... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/DqTZaSf

Chrome OS isn’t the most option-packed operating system around, but there are some things you can do to make your Chromebook’s desktop look and work the way you want. Ready? Customize your Chromebook’s wallpaper First, let’s tackle your desktop’s basic appearance: Right-click anywhere on your Chromebook’s desktop and select Set wallpaper from the menu that appears. Click on one of Google’s categories to see a selection of preset images, or click the My Images option to choose an image from your own local storage. If you want your wallpaper to change to a new image every day, click the Change Daily button that’s available at the top of any of Google’s category pages. (That option, unfortunately, isn’t currently available with your own... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/9KeSHk6

The Retro 35 charger. | Image: Shargeek / Indiegogo Accessory-maker Shargeek has launched an Indiegogo to fund a 35W USB-C charger shaped like a tiny Apple Macintosh computer. The page for the Retro 35’s crowdfunding campaign is very careful not to mention the name of Apple’s classic computer, but it’s drawn some very obvious inspiration, from the beige color scheme down to the placement of the disk drive. The device is eventually set to retail for $49, with Indiegogo “early bird” pricing starting at $25. As increasing numbers of phone manufacturers have stopped shipping charging bricks with their devices, aftermarket chargers are becoming more popular. Often, these bricks offer additional ports or higher charging speeds compared to their first-party equivalents, but it’s fun to see... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3VfQ4yK

Gucci is making its presence inside of Roblox a little more permanent. The fashion brand previously collaborated with the virtual world for more short-lived experiences, like the surreal Gucci Garden from last year , and is now releasing a more persistent space called Gucci Town. The space features a central garden that links together various areas, including a space for mini-games, a cafe, and a virtual store where players can, of course, purchase virtual Gucci gear for their Roblox avatar. (The company says the virtual outfits make use of Roblox ’s new “ layered clothing ” tech.) Gucci says that more than 20 million players visited the garden last year, despite it only being available for two weeks, and it expects the new space to steadily... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/9Tsp8gC

Joby Aviation, a leading electric aviation company based in Northern California, announced that it has received its first certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The agency awarded the company with a Part 135 Air Carrier Certification, which Joby will need to operate an on-demand air taxi service. The certification was awarded ahead of schedule, with Joby initially targeting the second half of 2022 for its receipt. Under Part 135 , Joby can officially conduct commercial air taxi services — though it still needs two more certifications, alongside type certification and production certification , before its aircraft can legally carry passengers. Type certification means the aircraft meets all the FAA’s design and... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/BdbJR9w

Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge What if your cable could magnetically stick to itself , forming a neat coil that doesn’t get all floppy and tangled in your drawers and bags? What if they were good cables, too, capable of charging and syncing all the things over USB-C, Lightning, and more? Well... you can now buy USB cables that do the first part! And they’re cool enough that I really wish cable manufacturers would figure the rest of that shit out. For the past few weeks, I’ve been testing some seriously nifty USB cables that can actually do the magnetic coiling snake trick. Originally brought to the English-speaking world’s attention by a brand called SuperCalla, they’re now sold by a whole bunch of no-name brands at the likes of Amazon and Alibaba. And they are... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/wmjbqcp

The Top Gun Flight Simulator expansion is available now. | Image: Microsoft Microsoft’s long-awaited Top Gun: Maverick expansion for Microsoft Flight Simulator is now available free for all players. After being delayed to match the movie’s shifted release date, the Top Gun expansion arrived on Wednesday to test players piloting skills. The free update includes a Top Gun: Maverick Edition livery for the F/A-18E Super Hornet, three training missions for the Super Hornet, and even a particularly demanding aircraft carrier landing challenge. The training missions are designed to train Microsoft Flight Simulator players to learn unrestricted take-offs, high-speed maneuvering, and the low altitude stunts that are found in Top Gun: Maverick. Once training is over there are five challenges that will test traversing... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/bNTWfs6

The previously-revealed design of the PlayStation VR2. | Image: Sony Sony expects to have over 20 “major” titles available for its PlayStation VR2 headset at launch, according to a company investor presentation . While it didn’t confirm the names or developers of all the games, a slide confirmed that the list will be made up of a combination of first- and third-party titles, and suggested it’d include the previously announced Horizon spinoff — Horizon Call of the Mountain. “ There is a considerable amount of money being spent on partnerships with independent and other third-party developers to secure a considerable pipeline of attractive VR content at the launch of PlayStation VR2,” said Sony Interactive Entertainment president Jim Ryan, in comments reported by Video Games Chronicle . I... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/6JeVCfO

Image: Hello Games Today, No Man’s Sky launches Leviathan , the game’s newest expedition that offers perhaps the most interesting gameplay experience yet. In the Leviathan launch trailer, a mysterious message splashes across the screen telling the player that “death is not the end” and that they must “re-enter the loop.” If you think that language sounds a little roguelike (heh), you’re right. In Leviathan , Hello Games is putting a little bit of Returnal chocolate in No Man’s Sky ’s peanut butter. In Leviathan , death resets a Traveller’s individual progress, forcing them to start over with a newly generated loadout. However, as the community lives, dies, and repeats, they feed into a global progress goal that awards players higher quality items with each... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/oj9VbzK

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Resellers aren’t the problem — their buying bots are Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/bNhj8Bf

The robot in question is ElliQ. Think of it like a more proactive Siri or Alexa . | Image; Intuition Robotics The state of New York will distribute robot companions to the homes of more than 800 older adults. The robots are not able to help with physical tasks, but function as more proactive versions of digital assistants like Siri or Alexa — engaging users in small talk, helping contact love ones, and keeping track of health goals like exercise and medication. The scheme is being organized by the New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA), and is intended to help address the growing problem of social isolation among the elderly. An estimated 14 million Americans over the age of 65 currently live alone , and this figure is projected to increase over the next decade as the boomer generation ages. Studies have suggested that long-term loneliness... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/VUH5Cdy

The new Home Smart app controlling a Dirigera hub in an Ikea smart home. | Image: Ikea Dirigera makes Home Smart easier to use and more robust Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/caFRuok

The app now suggests which speaker you might like to use. | Screenshot: YouTube Music YouTube Music will now attempt to suggest which of your Cast-enabled speakers you want to stream music to. It’s a nice upgrade over the previous approach, where the app would simply list all of the Cast-enabled devices on your network in alphabetical order. If you’re anything like us, that could mean having to hunt through a list of half a dozen speakers, even if there’s only one you use on a regular basis. Now, ChromeUnboxed has spotted that attempting to Cast from the YouTube Music app will bring up a new menu, with a “Suggested” device highlighted above the standard alphabetical list. Google spokesperson Paul Pennington confirmed the new feature in an email to The Verge , and said that suggestions are based upon usage, history, and the... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/ybAsuxP

Mike Calabro urbancamper.com Serial 1, the e-bike company spun out of Harley-Davidson nearly two years ago, unveiled another premium model designed to make you open your wallet in helpless surrender. The Bash/Mtn is the company’s first electric mountain bike, and from the look of it, it can absolutely destroy an off-road trail. A rigid, single-speed eMTB (electric mountain bike), the Bash/Mtn is designed for serious off-roading, while also promising to require less maintenance thanks to its simplified design. But it won’t be cheap, with a suggested retail price of $3,999. “No fussy suspension to tune, no finicky drivetrain to adjust — just two wheels, one gear, and one purpose, to provide the most direct connection between you and the trail,” the company says. “... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/2tQoylH

The new game will be released one day before Amazon’s big new show. | Image: Daedalic Entertainment The Lord of the Rings: Gollum , the upcoming video game starring Gollum that was first revealed in 2019 , will finally be released on September 1st, developer Daedalic Entertainment announced Tuesday. The game will be available on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X / S, with a Switch version in the works for “later this year,” according to a press release. I was able to see a short preview of the game in a Zoom call last week. If you’re familiar with Gollum’s shadowy nature from the books and movies, you won’t be surprised to hear that you’ll be doing a lot of sneaking around to get to where you need to go. But the video featured quite a bit of environmental traversal as well — Gollum spent a lot of time scaling walls and making... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/49Cmh0U

illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge If you’ve finally given up on the world’s most popular social media network, it’s not too complicated to remove yourself from the service. But before you delete all of those pictures, posts, and likes, you should download your personal information from Facebook. Your Facebook archives contain just about all of the pertinent information related to your account , including your photos, active sessions, chat history, IP addresses, facial recognition data, and which ads you clicked, just to name a few. That’s a ton of personal information that you should probably maintain access to. To download your archive using the web: Click on the down arrow in the upper-right corner. Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings . In the left-hand column, click... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/tVCdLEK

The standard Nova Pro is a compelling wired option, too Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/9vMaesN

You can’t summarize the webcomic Mr. Boop better than its first panel, which emerged out of what felt like the raging id of the internet on February 28, 2020. “My wife Betty Boop is really hot,” says Alec, the strip’s spectacled, grinning protagonist, a cartoon avatar for actual writer and artist Alec Robbins. His wife, you see, is Betty Boop. She’s really hot. At first blush, Mr. Boop might not seem all that different from the webcomics that largely defined the genre’s boom a decade or so ago: imperfectly drawn panels, constant flirtation with copyright violation, and a horny, endlessly self-indulgent hero based directly on the author. But Robbins isn’t just channeling the tropes of a largely bygone era of fanfiction; he’s weaponizing... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/XCkiwP7

Remember, the x360s are the flippy ones. | Image: HP HP’s newest budget laptop, the Pavilion x360 14, will be available this summer for a starting price of $599, the company has announced. The clamshell, higher-end Pavilion Plus 14 — HP’s thinnest ever Pavilion model at 0.65 inches — is another addition to the line, available now for a starting price of $799. The new x360 14 also has optional 5G support via Intel’s 5G Solution 5000. While we don’t know exactly how much the 5G-enabled model will cost, the $599 base price makes it likely that this will be one of the most affordable ways to get 5G on a laptop this year (many other 5G-enabled models cost well over $1,000). The Pavilion x360 14 will also be HP’s first consumer laptop to include a manual camera shutter — another feature... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/9rYnXVp

Sample images from Google’s new text-to-image AI. | Image: Google (collage by The Verge) Imagen what else this thing can do Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/ehEkNfp

Microsoft’s Build social media profile template has a cute cat as a placeholder. You can download it here (warning: 75MB zip file) along with themed wallpapers and Teams backgrounds. | Screenshot: Umar Shakir / The Verge Microsoft’s yearly developer conference is kicking off Tuesday, May 24th and running through Thursday, May 26th. The conference, historically attended by IT professionals, engineers, and students, moved online in 2020 due to the pandemic and also became an entirely free event. Microsoft is continuing this trend in 2022 and keeping its sessions open to anyone interested in learning the latest on what the company is cooking up. So if you’re into checking out the latest Windows and Edge browser updates, understanding the difference between a product and a platform , and learning from other people that work heavily in Microsoft land, check out the links below! How to watch MS Build 2022 Keynote and Sessions If you want to attend any sessions,... Continue readin

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge A Food and Drug Administration committee will meet in mid-June to review data on COVID-19 vaccines for children six months through five years old, the agency announced Monday . If all goes as expected, it could sign off on the shots for that age group within days of that meeting. The announcement came just after Pfizer / BioNTech said in a Monday morning press release that three doses of their COVID-19 vaccine produced a strong immune response in children between six months and five years old. They plan to submit the data to the Food and Drug Administration this week. A preliminary analysis of data from the clinical trial of 1,678 children also showed that the shots were around 80 percent effective at preventing symptomatic COVID-19... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/1d6QqUI

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images GameStop has launched a beta for its very own Ethereum wallet that will let users store, send, and receive both cryptocurrency and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) through their web browsers. The wallet is currently available as an extension for Google Chrome and Brave, but GameStop’s wallet website indicates it will also be available as an iPhone app in the future. After GameStop reached meme stock status last year, the company’s fan base has become largely split between two groups: gamers and investors. Those dedicated to “hodling” the stock may be in favor of GameStop’s foray into Web3, but many gamers dislike having the concept wedged into their pastime as much or more than they used to hate GameStop’s preorder policies or its insulting... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/uwMHP2d

Yes, the lid actually looks like that. | Image: AMD This fall, AMD is planning a clean break with the past, and it thinks your need for speed might convince you to do the same. Today at Computex 2022 , the company revealed the key facets of its next-generation Ryzen 7000 desktop CPUs, their Zen 4 architecture, and — for the first time in five years — a brand-new kind of motherboard you’ll need to buy. While even some of the company’s oldest AM4 motherboards can be updated to support its latest Ryzen 5000-series desktop CPUs, the upcoming Ryzen 7000 requires AM5. As the company told us in January , the Ryzen 7000 are the first PC chips based on a 5nm process, and the AM5 motherboard platform is designed to support DDR5 and PCIe 5.0 out of the box. AM5 = 5nm + DDR5 + PCIe 5.0 + 5GHz But... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/gTYb94M

Computex is set to begin in a matter of hours. | Photo by Joan Cros/NurPhoto via Getty Images Computex is just hours away and will feature keynotes from some of the biggest names in tech, including AMD, Nvidia, and Microsoft. There will almost certainly be some exciting announcements from each brand, but since Computex takes place in Taipei, Taiwan, the keynotes don’t occur at the most convenient times (at least for those of us in North America). Microsoft and AMD’s keynotes will have you staying up into the wee hours of the morning tonight, while Nvidia’s keynote doesn’t take place until late tomorrow evening. Here’s how and when to tune into each keynote: How to watch AMD’s keynote AMD CEO Lisa Su is set to speak in a keynote titled “AMD Advancing the High-Performance Computing Experience,” which is set to highlight AMD’s... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/cVszGCj

Valve has confirmed that The International will take place in Singapore this October . | Photo credit should read STR/AFP via Getty Images Dota 2 ’s annual tournament, The International, will take place in Singapore this October. While Valve has held The International in the US, Canada, China, Germany, and Romania in the past, this is the first time the global esports competition is heading to a country in Southeast Asia. Valve teased the upcoming event in a tweet but didn’t offer any additional details besides a location and date. The tournament is known for its very generous rewards, with last’s years winning team getting a piece of the $40 million prize pool. That large sum is crowdfunded by in-game purchases made by the Dota 2 community and has only continued to increase over the years. We don't know how much is up for grabs at this year’s competition, but we likely... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/YdKxEL9

Hyundai is building facilities dedicated to manufacturing electric vehicles (EVs) and batteries in Savannah, Georgia, marking Hyundai’s first EV-only plant in the US (via CNBC ). The South Korean automaker will spend $5.5 billion on the new facilities and will receive an additional $1 billion investment from its suppliers. Hyundai expects production at the 2,923-acre site to begin in the first half of 2025, with construction starting in early 2023. The EV factory is set to make 300,000 vehicles per year and will add around 8,100 new jobs. Hyundai doesn’t specify which EV models will be manufactured at the plant — it only hints at a “wide range” of models hitting Georgia’s assembly lines. The company doesn’t reveal much about its... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/VJlWK4H