Latest Technology

The new Paramount Plus app will feature Showtime’s catalogue | Image: Paramount You can now access the content packed into Paramount Plus and Showtime from a single app. First bundled as a subscription last September, Paramount and Showtime’s catalogs have been separated between two apps for viewers in the US, but viewers can now access the full roster of TV shows and films from the Paramount Plus app. For new subscribers, the Paramount Plus and Showtime bundle is available at a discounted rate until October 2nd, at $7.99 per month for the Essential plan (which includes ad breaks) with Showtime and $12.99 per month for the Premium plan with Showtime that adds more sports, live broadcasts of your local CBS station, and downloads for offline viewing on mobile, and mostly removes ads, except on live TV and certain... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/UH0mp3h

Various Nanoleaf lights are on sale, including the Nanoleaf Lines starter kit. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge Smart lighting accessories make for cute home and dorm decor, but they’re often expensive. However, today until September 5th, Nanoleaf’s back-to-school sale is making it just a little more affordable to brighten up your dorm or house. Right now, you can buy Nanoleaf’s colorful Mini Triangle five-pack starter kit for just $49.99 ($70 off) at Amazon and directly from Nanoleaf itself. The kit consists of five small triangles you can customize into whatever kind of layout you prefer, as well as a controller and power supply. All of the lights integrate with Apple’s Siri, Amazon’s Alexa, and Google Assistant, and you can sync them with music or even the lights emanating from your games for a more immersive experience. However, if you want... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/FRv3tzw

The button you reach for in someone else’s time of need. | Image: Mitchell Clark / The Verge Elevator buttons can sometimes be fickle things — confusing labels or tricky security systems can start a trip up or down a building off on a slightly sour note. But on the control panel, there’s one button that stands out for its ability to make someone’s day instead of ruining it: the open door button. There’s no mystery as to what its job is. If the elevator doors are open, pressing and holding the open door button will usually make sure they stay that way. If the doors have started to close, jabbing the button often adorned with an icon of opposing arrows should stop the process and make the elevator accessible again. What makes the open door button special is that it gives elevator passengers (the ones standing within arm’s reach of... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/EdPnip9

It’s a 17-inch foldable that actually works Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/Kq0Qisa

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Portal 2 will be the last Xbox 360 game available free to Xbox Live Gold subscribers through Microsoft’s Games with Gold program. Microsoft announced last month that Xbox Games with Gold will no longer include Xbox 360 games in October, simply because the company has “reached the limit of our ability to bring Xbox 360 games to the catalogue.” The Games with Gold for September , spotted by Ars Technica , lists Portal 2 for Xbox 360, the last title before the October 1st cutoff point. Valve’s classic puzzle-platform game was released more than 10 years ago on Xbox 360, so it’s a fitting end to the nearly decade-long program of free Xbox 360 games for Xbox Live Gold subscribers. Games with Gold is a monthly benefit for subscribers of Xbox... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/5jNVwfb

Image: LG LG has announced its first bendable OLED TV which works either completely flat or as a curved display. The LG OLED Flex (model LX3) is a 42-inch OLED TV that bends into a curved (900R) TV thanks to LG’s latest display technology. Curved displays are suited for a more immersive gaming experience, while flat screens are better for watching TV broadcasts or streaming services. LG OLED Flex owners can automatically bend and adjust the TV into its curved mode using a dedicated button on the TV remote. (As opposed to some morphing monitors which have to be manually adjusted ). There are two presets or owners can adjust the curve of the display in five percent increments through 20 different levels. Image: LG LG is... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/ZcszXtE

Millie Bobby Brown in Enola Holmes 2 | Image: Netflix It’s almost September, which means the holidays are creeping up on us — and for Netflix, that means a lot of movies. The streamer just released its schedule for holiday film releases in 2022, and it’s led by a pair of big sequels in Enola Holmes 2 on November 4th and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery on December 23rd. Elsewhere, the streamer has some notable animated features, like Guillermo del Toro’s take on Pinocchio (December 9th), Henry Selick and Jordan Peele’s Wendell & Wild (October 28th), Drifting Home (September 16th) from Studio Colorido, and My Father’s Dragon (November) from the studio behind Song of the Sea and Wolfwalkers . Other titles to watch out for include Noah Baumbach’s post-apocalyptic White Noise (December 30th)... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/IhEfkWX

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Uber is overhauling its four-year-old app safety toolkit, adding a new feature for riders to contact security company ADT during rides. The company is also expanding the availability of a feature enabling customers to text 911. The safety toolkit is a section of Uber’s app through which customers can contact emergency services, report a safety issue to the company, or share their location with a family member or friend. It was first rolled out in 2018 as a way to address the company’s abysmal record on safety. Uber claims its rides are getting safer, and today’s announcement is meant to reflect these improving conditions. “With so many safety features, it is time for an upgrade,” Rebecca Payne, the company’s lead safety product manager,... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/nMY9LVd

Team Red has been cooking up next-gen processors and graphics cards, set for release later this year. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge AMD revealed price, performance, some release dates, and more about the upcoming RDNA 3 graphics cards and Ryzen 7000 series processors during its “together we advance_PCs” livestream on Monday. Four CPUs using the new Zen 4 desktop processing architecture (codenamed “Raphael”) will launch on September 27th, 2022. The flagship Ryzen 9 7950X chip will cost $699 at launch and features 16 cores, 32 threads, and a boost clock of up to 5.7GHz. Image: AMD A rundown of pricing, specs and release date for the upcoming Ryzen 7000 series. The three other processors include the Ryzen 9 7900X (12 cores, 24 threads and a 5.6GHz boost) for $549, the Ryzen 7 7700X (8 cores, 16 threads and a 5.3GHz boost) for $399, and the... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/EiATZ86

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Sony has once again quietly launched a revised PS5 model that’s more lightweight. Press Start , an Australian-based gaming site, reports that both the disc and digital versions of the PS5 are a lot lighter now, after new models began appearing in Australia this week. The new disc model (CFI-1202A) now weighs 3.9kg (8.6 pounds), a 7 percent reduction from the 2021 revision (4.2kg / 9.2 pounds) and an even bigger 13 percent reduction from the original model (4.5kg / 9.9 pounds). The digital PS5 has a similar weight loss, with the 2022 revision now weighing 3.4kg (7.5 pounds), down 13 percent from the original weight of 3.9kg (8.6 pounds). The new models mean the disc version of the PS5 now weighs the same as the original digital PS5 model. P... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/rW0YBlz

Photo by Yang Bo/China News Service via Getty Images The French government has collected nearly €10 million in additional taxes after using machine learning to spot undeclared swimming pools in aerial photos. In France, housing taxes are calculated based on a property’s rental value, so homeowners who don’t declare swimming pools are potentially avoiding hundreds of euros in additional payments. The project to spot the undeclared pools began last October , with IT firm Capgemini working with Google to analyze publicly available aerial photos taken by France’s National Institute of Geographic and Forest Information. Software was developed to identify pools, with this information then cross-referenced with national tax and property registries. The project is somewhat limited in scope, and... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/7bFXJVf

Nick Barclay / The Verge Gadgets galore Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/7afpsx5

Tesla Powerwalls in Toronto | Andrew Francis Wallace / Toronto Star via Getty Images Tesla’s latest virtual power plant is in Japan. The company announced Friday that it has been quietly installing its Powerwall batteries at homes on the island Miyako-jima since 2021 and now has over 300 installed. It’s the largest commercial virtual power plant in Japan, according to the statement. Virtual power plants take advantage of solar panels and batteries in private homes. People with those setups can sign up to send extra power back to the electrical grid in their area, giving it an extra boost during situations when it’s at risk of a blackout. The grid can use that power instead of pulling from the gas-fired power plants typically used when the power supply is strained. The virtual power plant is based on a program at local... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/Ij1TtWh

Image: Massive Monster I’m putting Cult of the Lamb on my game of the year shelf right next to Elden Ring . The dark yet cutesy cult simulator roguelike mixes the best parts of Animal Crossing with all the fun of a dungeon-crawling murder fest. The unique way the game combines these two disparate elements makes it more than worthy of claiming a spot on 2022’s game of the year list. Cult of the Lamb starts with the titular lamb being offered up as a sacrifice to sate the hunger of a handful of eldritch gods that look like the parasites that probably live between the folds of Lord Cthulhu’s tentacles. As you tremble and cry, you’re saved at the last minute by another, eldritch-ier looking god who promises you power if you do their bidding and kill the gods who... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/vqGO5KM

You can now buy bananas without ever leaving WhatsApp. | Image: WhatsApp WhatsApp users in India can now do their grocery shopping without ever leaving their messaging app. Meta announced a new integration with JioMart today, through which users can text “Hi” to a certain number and be taken to an in-app shopping experience. The shopping experience looks fairly familiar, akin to what Instacart and other delivery services have been designing for years. But here, there’s no other app. And for WhatsApp, that’s a big deal. Meta is convinced that business messaging is a big part of how WhatsApp will make money going forward. (Well, that and ads, but the ads thing is causing WhatsApp some trouble .) “Business messaging is an area with real momentum and chat-based experiences like this will be the go-to way people... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/d7L3rlx

Image: NASA NASA delayed the launch of its colossal next-generation Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, as an engine bleed issue forced the agency to scrub its plans. The launch director halted the Artemis I launch attempt at approximately 8:34AM ET. SLS is a key component of NASA’s Artemis program , which aims to send humans back to the Moon by 2025. The massive rocket will carry the Orion crew capsule, which aims to carry its first astronauts in 2024. NASA determined it could not successfully launch “Launch controllers were continuing to evaluate why a bleed test to get the RS-25 engines on the bottom of the core stage to the proper temperature range for liftoff was not successful, and ran out of time in the two-hour launch window,” the agency said... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/bPxv3l0

National Cinema Day has 3,000 participating theaters so far. | Photo by Noam Galai/Getty Images Movie tickets across the US will cost just $3 on Saturday, September 3rd in celebration of National Cinema Day ( via Associated Press ). If you’ve never heard of such a holiday before (at least in the US), that’s because it never existed until now , apparently. The $3 ticket price (not including tax) applies across all tickets, formats, and showtimes — and yes, this includes IMAX and 3D movies. So far, a growing list of 3,000 theaters, including popular chains, like Regal , Cinemark , and AMC, have agreed to take part in the new holiday. You might not want to count out your local, independently-run theaters, either. In a list of participating theaters viewed by The Verge , we spotted several smaller locations, like the Starmax Cinemas in... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/DpNBMI2

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Trademark filings spotted by Bloomberg suggest Apple might incorporate “Reality” in the name and branding of its long-rumored mixed reality headset. Three separate filings show trademarks for “Reality One,” “Reality Pro,” and “Reality Processor,” matching the realityOS name that cropped up in Apple’s code and a trademark application that potentially refers to the headset’s operating system. The applications weren’t filed by Apple itself, but by a company called Immersive Health Solutions, LLC. Companies like Apple often use the names of shell companies when filing for a patent or trademark to help keep their plans private. But, as Bloomberg points out, the Delaware-based Immersive Health Solutions was registered by Corporation Trust Co.... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/CMFABa7

Photo: Mission Workshop In August 2021, we asked the staff of The Verge to tell us about their go-to laptop bags. Now, a year later, some are still using the same bags — but not all. It’s surprising how attached you can get to a bag — especially the bag that you use to carry your laptop, your sweater, your lunch, your notebook, your exercise shoes, your kids’ diapers, or any of the other stuff you need. Whether you’re heading to the office, visiting a friend, hanging in a coffee shop, going on a hike, or just sitting outdoors to read or work, having a bag that can accommodate everything on your “gotta have this” list can help you avoid a lot of aggravation. So, here’s this year’s staff picks — some old, some new. Most of the staff wrote about their backpacks,... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/INZLwED

Nichelle Nichols died on July 30th, 2022 at age 89. | Photo by Araya Diaz/Getty Images for Ovation The ashes of Nichelle Nichols, the actress who played Lieutenant Nyota Uhura in the original Star Trek , will get sent into deep space on a rocket that memorializes her and several other Star Trek veterans ( via Reuters ). Nichols’ son, Kyle Johnson, donated her ashes after she died in July at age 89 . Nichols’ ashes will head to space on a rocket fittingly called the Vulcan Centaur, with the memorial spaceflight company, Celestis, running the “Enterprise Flight” mission . There still isn’t a set date for the send-off, and it will likely depend on the United Launch Alliance’s ongoing development of the Vulcan rocket . During the mission, Nichols will be joined by the remains of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry and his wife, Majel Barrett,... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/21sgcem

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge As Google carries out the needlessly complex process of combining both the Meet and Duo apps, now it’s throwing a feature copied from Zoom in the mix. In an update on the Google Workspace blog , the company announced that Google Meet will soon give you the ability to unmute yourself by holding down the spacebar and to mute yourself again by releasing it. If you frequently use Zoom, this feature might sound a lot like its push-to-talk feature — and that’s because it’s essentially the same thing. Zoom has had the feature since at least 2020, and it comes in handy whenever you want to chime in during a meeting but don’t want to stay unmuted for long. Google says it'll start rolling out its own version of the shortcut to all Workspace users... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3TzskEX

Yes, it looks as weird as it sounds, but it works well as a basic smart lock  Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/LMGicxz

Screenshot: Emma Roth / The Verge Netflix is testing gamertag-style handles that users can create and publicly display when playing its selection of mobile games, as first spotted by mobile developer Steve Moser ( via TechCrunch ). This should let members identify and invite other users to play games based on their handles, as well as see where they rank on leaderboards. I got to experience the feature for myself after updating my Netflix app and downloading Into the Breach and Mahjong Solitaire . Netflix gave me the option to create and manage the game handle associated with my particular Netflix profile in both games. Just like creating your gamertag (or public-facing username on any other gaming platform), your game handle must be unique, which Netflix will automatically... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/CSKrXpN

Photo by Joel Kowsky/NASA via Getty Images NASA’s massive Space Launch System (SLS) is almost ready for liftoff . This highly anticipated rocket launch has been over a decade in the making and marks NASA’s return to crewed missions to the moon. This mission is called Artemis I, and while there won’t be any astronauts on board during this launch, it will serve as a test for the future goal of putting the first woman and the first person of color on the Moon . During its first launch, the SLS will catapult NASA’s Orion capsule into space, where it will embark on a voyage around the Moon that could take anywhere from 39 to 42 days. Last week, NASA rolled the 322-foot rocket to launch pad 39B at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida — a four-mile journey that took nearly 10 hours. Now... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/nSO8Nuy

Image: Apple It’s the weekend, which means that our Verge Deals team is kicking back and recharging for next week. But we have a few time-sensitive deals to pass your way in case you feel like making some additions to your repertoire of gadgets. Starting things off is the ninth-generation iPad, which is discounted to $279.99 at Best Buy , Amazon , and Target ($50 off). Target’s site says this deal will end Saturday, though we don’t currently know if that applies to the other retailers. If you just need an affordable yet relatively powerful iPad, this 2021 model is likely the one for you. It has a 10.2-inch display, and it runs on Apple’s capable yet not cutting-edge A13 Bionic chip. There isn’t much you won’t be able to do on this iPad compared to... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/92f6A7F

A little phone with big performance Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/o1T9i0a

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The plan is to make a lot of money as cheaply as possible Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/cJFw4ZI

Illustrations by Alex Castro / The Verge Nintendo’s Switch console won’t be added to the list of price-hiked tech products impacted by inflation. The company gave a statement to Eurogamer , reiterating what company president Shuntaro Furukawa told shareholders in June, saying it had “no plans to increase the trade price of its hardware.” Here’s the full statement shared with Eurogamer : “As our president Mr Furukawa stated at the 82nd Annual General Meeting of Shareholders in June: ‘While we cannot comment on pricing strategies, we currently do not have any plans to change the price of our hardware due to inflation or increased procurement costs in each country. We will determine our future pricing strategies through careful and continued deliberations.’ “While the final price... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/zrYHknd

Photo by Andrew Hawkins / The Verge The auto industry is still processing the new and confusing electric vehicle credits signed into law by President Joe Biden as part of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022. Foreign automakers, in particular, are scrambling to find some loophole through the new rules that would seem to disqualify the vast majority of their EV fleets , while others are speeding up plans to build new factories in the US. EVs built outside North America are not eligible for the $7,500 tax credit. The law also includes provisions aimed at preventing use of battery components or critical minerals derived from China, which currently controls around three-fourths of the global battery market. EVs built outside North America are not eligible for the $7,500 tax... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/B8AU7pm

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Crypto critics have had a very good year. Much of what they predicted has come to pass: that high-profile projects would be revealed as Ponzi schemes ; that security lapses would lead to massive thefts ; and that average people would be left holding the bag . Bitcoin, which was trading around $67,000 in November, is at $21,570 today; plenty of other cryptocurrencies are much worse off. As I noted here last month , though, on social networks it can feel like the crypto crash really never happened. Over the past few months, Facebook and Instagram added ways for users to showcase non-fungible tokens, and Spotify let artists use NFTs as their profile pictures . The origin of that piece was the news that Reddit , the venerable social news... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/BPRQSuH

A $400 smartwatch for just $1,290 Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/M2DOQh9

Photo by Peerapon Boonyakiat/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images Moderna is suing Pfizer and BioNTech over alleged infringement of its mRNA vaccine technology patents, the company announced today . “We are filing these lawsuits to protect the innovative mRNA technology platform that we pioneered, invested billions of dollars in creating, and patented during the decade preceding the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Moderna chief executive officer Stéphane Bancel in a statement . Moderna said in 2020 that it would not enforce its patents during the pandemic to allow for an unhindered public health response. It’s still not planning to enforce patents in low- and middle-income countries, the company said in a statement. But it’s coming after Pfizer and BioNTech, which it said it expected to “respect its... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/Hkfs6i1

The 0ktapus phishing campaign is one of the best-executed security attacks of this scale to date. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Over 130 organizations, including Twilio , DoorDash , and Signal , have been potentially compromised by hackers as part of a months-long phishing campaign nicknamed “0ktapus” by security researchers. Login credentials belonging to nearly 10,000 individuals were stolen by attackers who imitated the popular single sign-on service Okta, according to a report from cybersecurity outfit Group-IB . Targets were sent text messages that redirected them to a phishing site. As the report from Group-IB states, “From the victim’s point of view, the phishing site looks quite convincing as it is very similar to the authentication page they are used to seeing.” Victims were asked for their username, password, and a two-factor authentication code. This... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/fpbZQU7

Walmart can deliver your groceries to your garage. | Image: Walmart Walmart is expanding its Walmart Plus InHome program , adding Chamberlain’s myQ smart garage door controller technology to its list of in-home / in-garage delivery partners. Starting in September, Walmart Plus InHome delivery customers can have their groceries securely delivered into their garage if they have a myQ smart garage door controller. And if they don’t have one, the company will install one for free. Walmart’s in-home delivery service currently works with the Level Lock smart lock and the Aladdin Connect Genie smart garage door opener , as well as any keypad-controlled lock or garage door . Even without the free offer, partnering with Chamberlain will greatly expand the number of customers who are equipped to use the service; The... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/kKXBNhA

DuckDuckGo’s Email Protection dashboard. | Image: DuckDuckGo After rolling out its Email Protection service in private beta last year, DuckDuckGo has announced that it’s finally available to all users. Email Protection is a forwarding service that assigns you a free “@duck.com” email address and intercepts email trackers before they hit your personal inbox. If you need a refresher on exactly what DuckDuckGo’s Email Protection service does, it lets you use either a personal or private “duck” address to shield your real email address from companies. Before the email hits your inbox, DuckDuckGo strips it of the trackers that snoop on your location when opening an email, when you opened it, and the device you used. It also breaks down how many trackers it removed, as well as which companies they were... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/zJluhHo

Can’t decide between buying a flat or curved monitor? Corsair thinks it might have the solution to your (admittedly, niche) woes with the Xeneon Flex 45WQHD240 : a flexible OLED gaming monitor that you can literally bend by hand to switch form factors. The transforming display is possible thanks to a W-OLED panel from LG Display, which Corsair worked closely with to develop the Xeneon Flex. Interestingly, in contrast to a prototype LG Display showed off at CES last year which used motors to transform between flat and curved modes, Corsair has you manually bend its monitor into shape with a pair of handles that extend from the left and right sides of the display, as this video from YouTuber Bitwit explains . You can even adjust the... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/O5siX9T

Peiter Zatko, Twitter’s former security chief-turned-whistleblower. | Photo by Matt McClain/The Washington Post via Getty Images Twitter’s former security chief Peiter “Mudge” Zatko will testify in Congress next month after he went public with damning allegations about the social media company’s security practices and attempts to mislead regulators, the Washington Post reports . Zatko is scheduled to speak at a hearing on September 13th and is expected to address the privacy and national security concerns raised in his complaint. “Mr. Zatko’s allegations of widespread security failures and foreign state actor interference at Twitter raise serious concerns,” said the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee Senator Richard J. Durbin (D-Ill) and the committee top Republican Senator Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa) in a joint statement . “ If these claims are accurate, they... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/bTPiIDc

Nick Barclay / The Verge The Ethereum Foundation has announced that September 6th will be the starting date for the system-wide transition known as the Merge. The first domino will be toppled on the 6th with the activation of the Bellatrix upgrade, which will then set the rest of the Merge process in action, with a completion date expected between September 10th and 20th. The Merge refers to the switchover of Ethereum from proof-of-work to proof-of-stake — two different methods of validating transactions on the blockchain. If you’re not particularly interested in world of crypto, then the technical differences between the two approaches are a little arcane ( The Guardian has a good explainer here ). But the big upshot is that the new proof-of-stake method will... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/7tBuwO9

Psilocybin is the compound in hallucinogenic mushrooms. A combination of psychedelics and therapy appears to help people with alcoholism cut down on the number of days per month they drink heavily, according to a new study . Researchers used psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms, to treat patients over eight months and saw a dramatic improvement in participants’ drinking habits. Using psychedelics as treatments for alcoholism was a popular idea in the 1960s and 1970s, and studies on LSD found that it reduced alcohol misuse. But the approach went quiet in the decades after, according to an editorial published in the journal JAMA Psychiatry alongside the new study. The new research marks a “rekindling of interest,” the authors of the editorial wrote. The study included... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/k0nQK8d

Can’t tell the Versa 4 or Sense 2 apart? Squint, and you might see the Sense 2’s sensor on the edges of the display. | Image: Fitbit After several leaks and a not-so-subtle teaser yesterday, Fitbit officially announced what we all knew was coming: the Sense 2, the Versa 4, and the Inspire 3. And while Fitbit is introducing new software alongside the new hardware, this update is more about incremental improvements and refining what you already know rather than launching anything revolutionary. Oh, and yes, the Sense 2 and Versa 4 have physical buttons! The $299.95 Sense 2 and $229.95 Versa 4 both have minor design tweaks. For starters, both are thinner and lighter. The button on both devices also sits higher up, as does the area where you attach straps. Meanwhile, the Sense 2 incorporates its health sensors into the device’s display using “vaporized electrodes.” That... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/bCZjHI3

Image: Nintendo Despite feeling uncannily similar to play as past installments , Splatoon 3 is packed with smart changes and updates that will likely lead to people — or at least, me — keeping the game in rotation for much longer than before. I got to play over an hour of the game’s various modes ahead of its September 9th launch, including just a few levels of the main story, a few rounds of Salmon Run (the game’s surprisingly difficult but rewarding horde mode), and Turf War ( Splatoon’s take on a four-versus-four deathmatch). You’ll notice a welcome quality-of-life change right when you boot it up. Instead of being forced to sit through an intro presentation of the latest announcements for in-game activities each time you restart the game, as past S... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/xWu12iH

Windows 8 was released nearly 10 years ago. A former Microsoft employee has revealed what the missing Windows 8 startup sound was supposed to be. Microsoft has used unique startup sounds in Windows versions for decades, but Windows 8 ended that tradition with a silent bootup process. While startup sounds eventually returned for Windows 11, the missing Windows 8 sound has been hiding in Windows 10 and Windows 11 for years now. Jensen Harris, the former director of program management for the Windows user experience team at Microsoft, was behind the original startup sound removal in Windows 8. In a new YouTube video, Harris reveals what the missing Windows 8 sound is. (See video below.) It’s actually the same as the startup sound in Windows 10 and Windows 11, which isn’t enabled by... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/jg3DRQp

Nick Barclay / The Verge Gadgets galore Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/eLSjYxt

Photo by: Weiss Eubanks/NBCUniversal/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images Well, we didn’t know this one was coming: they’re making a film about former-mobile-titan BlackBerry, and it’s going to star Glenn Howerton of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia as the company’s co-CEO, Jim Balsillie. According to The Globe and Mail , production wrapped this week, though when exactly the film will hit cinemas is unknown. The film, simply titled BlackBerry , is based on the 2015 book Losing the Signal: The Spectacular Rise and Fall of BlackBerry, by journalists Sean Silcoff and Jacquie McNish. According to its blurb, the book focuses on “an unlikely partnership between a visionary engineer, Mike Lazaridis, and an abrasive Harvard Business school grad, Jim Balsillie” — the two founders of Research in Motion (RIM), which... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/VZ1vPSg

Laura Normand / The Verge This morning CNN and The Washington Post reported new whistleblower claims by Twitter’s former head of security, Peiter “Mudge” Zatko, that the company’s statistics on bot activity are misleading, its security approach sucks, and that execs aren’t incentivized to look further. The timing of the report is key, given Elon Musk’s arguments about why he should be allowed to break his agreement to buy Twitter for $44 billion, and Twitter CEO Parag Agrawal has responded to the charges in an email sent to employees, posted to Twitter by CNN reporter Donie O’Sullivan. NEW: First time Twitter CEO @paraga weighs in on whistleblower story. Sending this message to staff this morning. pic.twitter.com/WY4TCqbA5q — Donie O'Sullivan (@donie) August... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/LziurO0

Your rings shouldn’t be arbitrary. They should reflect your lifestyle and fitness goals. | Samar Haddad / The Verge Apple makes a big deal out of closing your rings , but sometimes we all need a little help doing that. Whether you’re injured and need a rest day or want to challenge yourself, you can edit your fitness goals directly from your Apple Watch or iPhone. The three rings Apple uses are the red Move ring, the green Exercise ring, and the blue Stand ring. When you set up your Apple Watch, your Move goal is automatically set based on your demographic data, such as height, weight, age, and gender. The default Exercise and Stand goals are 30 minutes and 12 hours, respectively. These rings used to be limited to Apple Watch owners, but starting with iOS 16, Apple’s making the Fitness app available to all iPhone users . These are fine goals, but they... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/uoFY9IB

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The days of Twitch partner exclusivity are over. Twitch told partnered streamers in an email this morning that the platform was lifting its long-standing exclusivity agreement that denied partners the ability to stream on other services. Partners will now be able to stream on YouTube, Facebook Live, and other platforms — though in some cases, Twitch still limits what they’re able to do. “Starting today, you are now allowed to create live content on other platforms,” Twitch wrote to streamers. In the email, Twitch recognized that streamers use multiple platforms to connect with their communities and said this move would grant them greater flexibility to grow those audiences off-platform. Content creators can now go live on other platforms... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/yw8x0Gm

Don’t let the colorway fool you. The Xbox-styled Nova 7X Wireless works with the same consoles and platforms as the other colorways. | Image: SteelSeries The barrier to entry for SteelSeries’ flagship wireless gaming headset, the Nova Pro Wireless, is quite high at $350 . That price will likely be worth it to some people, but if you’re cool with getting just a fraction of that headset’s features in a $179.99 package, the Nova 7 Wireless has your name on it. It’s missing swappable batteries, active noise cancellation, and the handy wireless base station for making quick adjustments. But it keeps some of the Nova Pro Wireless’ most important features, like the simultaneous multisource audio coming in from Bluetooth and its 2.4GHz USB-C audio transmitter. Along with some even more affordable wired headsets that SteelSeries is announcing today, the Nova 7 riffs on the Pro’s refreshed design,... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/KAdSDUs

The mid-tier SteelSeries Arena 7 includes screen-mimicking RGB lighting and a subwoofer (not pictured). | Image: SteelSeries SteelSeries is introducing a new line of gaming-focused desktop PC speakers that provide booming sound and options for RGB lighting and 5.1 surround. The new SteelSeries Arena speakers are split into three different products — Arena 3, Arena 7, and Arena 9 — offering options ranging from simple to more ornate setups. I got to try out the Arena 3 and Arena 7, which I envision most people opting for over the pricey top-tier model. Here’s what they’re all about. Starting at the bottom, the $129.99 Arena 3 is a no-frills two-channel arrangement with four-inch drivers for PCs, Macs, and other devices via its 3.5mm connection. The Arena 7 takes the base speakers and adds programmable RGB lighting, a floor-standing subwoofer, and PlayStation... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/zM8Jurn

Blue jeans are an iconic staple of just about any wardrobe. But all that denim has a dirty secret: the dye that makes blue jeans so ubiquitous is actually made from fossil fuels and toxic chemicals . For thousands of years, when humans wanted to get a deep blue color, they used natural indigo from Indigofera plants. But in 1897, German chemists started selling a cheaper synthetic version for industrial use. Most pairs of jeans today are dyed with synthetic indigo. It’s hard to say just how many jeans are made each year, but most estimates are in the billions. To get that blue color, over 70,000 tons of indigo dye are made each year. When the dye (and garment dyes in general) isn’t handled properly, it can end up polluting waterways,... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/2BgfZFA

A tough day for Twitter. | Alex Castro / The Verge Twitter has hidden negligent security practices, misled federal regulators about its safety, and failed to properly estimate the number of bots on its platform, according to testimony from the company’s former head of security, the legendary hacker-turned-cybersecurity-expert Peiter “Mudge” Zatko. The explosive allegations have huge potential consequences, including federal fines and the unravelling of Elon Musk’s bid to buy Twitter. Zatko was fired by Twitter in January, and claims that this was retaliation for his refusal to stay quiet about the company’s vulnerabilities. Last month, he filed a complaint with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that accuses Twitter of deceiving shareholders and violating an agreement it made... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/oTilCrf

YouTube TV’s interface as of February 2021. | Image: Google YouTube TV, Google’s take on cable TV, could soon let viewers watch up to four live streams simultaneously in a new feature called “Mosaic Mode” reports Protocol . That’s according to a non-public presentation Google gave to its smart TV hardware partners, in which the search giant also discussed optimizations coming for YouTube Shorts on the big screen, as well as new YouTube Music functionality. Mosaic Mode brings to mind a similar feature that was available with Sony’s now-defunct PlayStation Vue service. Although it was announced in a presentation for Google TV and Android TV hardware manufacturers, Protocol notes that the feature is likely to eventually arrive on non-Android smart TVs from Samsung and LG given that Google likes to... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/fdUG6wy

Who should buy Acer’s flagship notebook (and who shouldn’t) Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/klHqx6f

Photo by Alexander Kramer for The Verge Apple’s expanding its DIY repair program to include MacBook Air and MacBook Pro laptops equipped with the M1 chip. Once the program officially opens tomorrow, you’ll get to purchase genuine parts for the 2020 M1 MacBook Air, 13-inch MacBook Pro, and the 14- and 16-inch 2021 M1 MacBook Pros from Apple’s Self Service Repair Store . This expands on the repair program Apple launched earlier this year, which initially included parts for the iPhone 12 and 13 , such as the display, battery, and camera. While the program is currently only available in the US, Apple plans on bringing it to Europe next. Apple’s making a number of MacBook parts available to start, including the display, top case with battery, Touch ID, and trackpad. According to T... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/G2bBS3R

Van’s best friend Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/pnfaLR3

Image: Microsoft Microsoft has started putting more ads in Outlook mobile for iOS and Android in recent months. The Outlook mobile app gives users two options for organizing their inbox: a single inbox with everything in it or a tabbed inbox split into two categories — “focused” with important mail and “Other” with all the rest. Previously, Microsoft only put ads in the “Other” tab for free users, but it’s now adding them to the single-inbox mode, too. Image: James Vincent / The Verge An ad inside Outlook mobile on iOS. The change has been rolling out over the past few months and essentially means Microsoft is making it harder for free users to avoid ads in Outlook mobile. Whatever inbox mode you use, there’ll be ads somewhere... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/8mGu5dx