Latest Technology

There are so many things about the Palma 2 that could be better. But it’s still great at what it does. Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/x2AC4rM

Image: David Pierce / The Verge Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 61, your guide to the best and Verge -iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, happy Hallmark season, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage .) I missed you all last week — thanks to everyone who told me you missed Installer , too! Warms my heart, and also makes me feel terrible for not being there, but mostly warms my heart. Let’s get back at it. This week, I’ve been reading about venom and deadly car races and hockey phenoms , setting up the new Mac Mini I finally caved and bought, watching The Day of the Jackal (which is spectacular) and Wolfs (which is fine), devouring the Dark Matter and Say Nothing books before I watch the shows , seeing if Google’s... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/ENy5whB

Microsoft’s new Game Assist browser overlay can automatically surface tips and tricks for you. | Image: Microsoft Microsoft has announced that Microsoft Edge Game Assist, a new Edge-powered in-game browser overlay, is available for beta testing in Windows 11. The “game-aware” overlay lives in the Microsoft Game Bar and is designed to automatically find and show you links to tips and guides for the game you’re playing, using the Edge browser. Game Assist uses the profile you’re logged into in Edge, so it’ll give you access to your data, like cookies, autofill, and favorites, so “you don’t need to log into sites again.” Like other Game Bar widgets, you can pin it above your game as you play. Game Assist is currently available in English, and you’ll need to opt into the preview and set Microsoft Edge Beta 132 as your default browser to use it. Here’s a... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/CFtvpf1

Still beautiful. Still good. Still the wrong form factor for basically everybody. Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/OljSe1v

A cozy workspace full of character and characters — and a cat. Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/HR5eV2z

Kristen Radtke / The Verge Bluesky feels like the big winner right now. I’ve been covering Bluesky ever since I got my invite in April 2023. I’ve felt the platform has always had promise, especially with features like feeds with custom algorithms and the ability to let users pick their own moderation filters. But for a long while, it didn’t have the critical mass of users that I could follow to make it the first social network I load up every day. Over the course of this month, that’s changed. It added 700,000 new users in a week. Then, it crossed the 15 million-user mark. This week, CEO Jay Graber said it crossed more than 20 million users and had been adding more than a million users per day . Part of the interest in Bluesky is that it looks and feels like a... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/SkDZKni

Image: Nick Barclay / The Verge A tentative proposal to tax cryptocurrency mining to raise funds for climate action took off during a United Nations climate conference that’s set to come to a close today. A levy on energy-hungry crypto mining, at $0.045 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity used, could generate $5.2 billion in revenue annually, according to a report released last week by the Global Solidarity Levies Task Force, led by Kenya, Barbados, and France. The Bitcoin network is estimated to use more electricity annually than a majority of the world’s countries do individually . The idea is that a climate tax could reduce emissions by incentivizing mining firms to clean up their operations. And it could provide desperately needed funding to help less affluent... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/xJEVDnT

Some Apple Home users have shoehorned iPads into wall-mounted home controllers. However, reports indicate Apple is developing a dedicated home control device. | Photo By Carlos Avila Gonzalez / The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images The smart home has an interface problem . Searching for an app on your phone, fighting with a confused voice assistant, and fiddling with a “smart” display to turn off a light is enough to send anyone running back to the wall switch. But now, Apple is taking a crack at solving the frustrations of smart home control — and it has the opportunity to actually make the smart home work. Next year, the company will reportedly launch an “AI wall tablet for home control,” and it’s said to be developing more devices for the home (including cameras , a tabletop robot , and maybe even a TV ). Among other features, such as video calling, this new smart display will reportedly be a hub for Apple’s home automation platform, Apple Home , providing a communal...

The Butter Bot has a functional camera that can live stream video to an included wireless remote. | Image: Kickstarter Geek Club and CircuitMess have created a functional replica of one of Rick and Morty ’s most tragic characters — the Butter Bot — with new capabilities so the bot is more than just a breakfast butler. With a camera, working treads, and AI capabilities, this Butter Bot can navigate the world, recognize your face, and chat with you. The tiny robot is available for preorder now through a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign for $139, with delivery expected as early as August 2025. For aspiring Ricks, the Butter Bot is also available as part of a pricier $219 “Mad Scientist Pack” that includes a collection of upgradeable modules expanding its functionality. With any crowdfunded product there’s always the risk of delays or delivery never... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/UZ10zqF

Who even carries eight six-sided dice with them anyway? | Image: Timestop Dice hoarding is a common hobby among Dungeons and Dragons players, but I’m betting most won’t have a digital watch in their collection. Alongside displaying the time, day, and date, the Timestop D-20 includes all the dice-rolling features you need to play tabletop roleplaying games directly from your wrist at the push of a button. The watch allows the wearer to digitally roll a 4-, 6-, 8-, 10-, 12-, 20-, or 100-sided dice, alongside “Advanced Combat” features such as rolling up to 12 dice at once, and D20s with advantage or disadvantage (a fancy way of rolling two dice and taking either the higher or lower results). It’ll also display specific icons when a D20 rolls a 1 or a 20 — known as a “critical failure” or “critical success”... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/DnOfRN4

As an entry-level device, the FE doesn’t quite nail the right mix of price, features, and hardware. Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/6hRBzIm

Illustration: The Verge Google employees met with the Department of Justice Antitrust Division last month to share workers’ perspectives ahead of the government’s expected proposal to break up the company . Their message? That as the DOJ attempts to end Google’s search monopoly, any effective remedy must make sure workers are protected and empowered to speak out. Three members of the Alphabet Workers Union (AWU) met virtually with staff from the DOJ Antitrust Division on October 23rd, workers who attended the meeting told The Verge exclusively. During the hour-long conversation, the Google employees urged the government to consider how any remedies imposed by the court could impact workers and to make sure workers are protected and aware of their rights to share... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/iOaL7Me

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Uber has launched a new airport-only fare option in its ride-sharing app called UberXXL. It surpasses UberXL’s single X by guaranteeing rides with trunk space that can handle large families with lots of big bags — no more sitting at the curb trying to figure out what to do next. Screenshot: Uber The new option is available today at more than 60 airports worldwide, with more coming down the road. In terms of pricing, UberXXL will sit somewhere between UberXL and Uber Black, the company says. XXL also adds a stopgap before Uber Shuttle , the charter-style option it launched in New York last month that lets you book up to five seats for a trip to the airport with discounted rates and protection against surge pricing. T... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/JWyVrHC

I nstagram users can soon clear and make a fresh start on the content that’s recommended to them. | Image: Meta Instagram is testing a new feature that will let users completely refresh the content that’s recommended to them on the platform. The recommendations reset feature will “soon roll out globally,” according to Meta’s announcement , and can be used to clear the algorithmic content that currently appears in Feeds, Explore, and Reels. The new feature will be available to users of all ages, including Teen accounts. “We want to make sure everyone on Instagram – especially teens – has safe, positive, age-appropriate experiences and feels the time they’re spending on Instagram is valuable,” Meta said. “We want to give teens new ways to shape their Instagram experience, so it can continue to reflect their passions and interests as they evolve.” ... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/284fAXt

Photos by Jesse D. Garrabrant/NBAE via Getty Images The NBA has reached an 11-year agreement with Warner Bros. Discovery that will continue the development of content like Inside the NBA , which will appear on ABC and ESPN. The settlement comes months after Warner Bros. Discovery sued the NBA for dropping TNT’s licensing package. In July, the NBA chose licensing deals with Amazon’s Prime Video , Disney, and NBCUniversal over TNT. This resulted in a lawsuit from Warner Bros. Discovery that accused the NBA of breach of contract. During the 2025-2026 season, dozens of the NBA’s regular-season and playoff games will stream on Prime Video service, while some games will still appear on ESPN, ABC, and NBC. Warner Bros. Discovery’s settlement includes the highlight rights to NBA games, which it can... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/Q98A2zc

Illustration: The Verge Roblox is starting to roll out some recently-announced child safety features, and the updates include some new limitations for how users under 13 can communicate on the platform. Beginning Monday, users younger than 13 won’t be able to DM players outside of games or experiences on Roblox. And they’ll need parental permission to be able to send in-game DMs — though this change won’t be fully implemented across the platform until the first quarter of 2025. The changes follow recent reports highlighting instances of Roblox failing to protect children. A big article from Bloomberg described how predators on the platform use chat to communicate with kids. And a report from Hindenburg Research described Roblox as “an X-rated pedophile... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/L5t1nYv

Image: LG LG’s 27-inch OLED gaming monitor is one of the fastest models we’ve seen to date and it’s finally ready for preorder. The UltraGear 27GX790A (or GX7 for short) is priced at $999.99 and is built around a 480Hz panel from LG Display announced in early January with a 2560 x 1440 resolution and 0.03ms response time. The base specs of the GX7 are on par with the $1,100 InZone M10S that Sony released in September. That makes the UltraGear GX7 a smidge cheaper, but it lacks some of the performance modes and variable refresh rate features available on Sony’s offering. The UltraGear GX7 is listed as available for preorder on LG’s US website , but there’s no mention of a delivery date and it can’t yet be added to the basket for checkout. We’ve... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/go6EUKB

Image: The Verge An Ohio man named Larry Dean Harmon will serve three years in prison and forfeit more than $400 million worth of cryptocurrency and other assets, the Department of Justice announced on Friday . Harmon was indicted in 2020 on money laundering conspiracy charges related to Helix, a darkweb cryptocurrency “mixer” service he ran. Also known as crypto “tumbling,” services like Helix are designed to hide cryptocurrency transactions — often for illegal drugs — and the identity of people involved. From 2014 to 2017, Harmon processed more than 350,000 Bitcoin (about $311 million USD at the time) in such transactions, according to the DOJ’s announcement. Harmon, who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit money laundering in August 2021, will be on... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/YnFaf5E

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images Elon Musk’s X may have tweaked its algorithm to boost his account, along with those of other conservative-leaning users, starting around the time he announced his support of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign. That’s according to a new study published by the Queensland University of Technology (QUT), which found that Musk’s posts in particular were suddenly much more popular. The study’s authors — QUT associate professor in digital media Timothy Graham and Monash University communications and media studies professor Mark Andrejevic — first looked at Musk’s engagement before and after his July endorsement of Trump . They report that starting around July 13th, Musks’ posts received 138 percent more views and 238 percent more retweets than... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/TnlSrJm

Image: Samar Haddad / The Verge Ge Wang doesn’t use computers to make music the way most people use computers make music. He uses computers to make... computer music. Wang works at Stanford, as an associate professor in the Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics. He also conducts the school’s famed Laptop Orchestra , was a co-founder of the music app maker Smule, and created a programming language called Chuck that turns code into sound. He understands how computers, music, and humans interact more deeply than most. He also has some ideas about where it’s all headed. On this episode of The Vergecas t , the third and last in our mini-series about the future of music, we chat with Wang about what’s next for computer music. He tells us about teaching his... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/PSKM0N5

Image: Square Enix We’re in a pretty good moment for sprawling, complex role-playing games. New releases like Metaphor: ReFantazio and Dragon Age Absolution , along with older titles like Elden Ring ( including this year’s expansion ), Cyberpunk 2077 , and Baldur’s Gate 3 have sucked millions of people into their expansive worlds. They can be all-consuming experiences, offering players all kinds of freedom to explore their worlds and characters. But honestly? Sometimes I don’t want to fuss with conversation wheels or make difficult, narrative-altering choices. I just want to go on a big adventure and slowly turn into an overpowered hero fighting monsters — and that’s where the excellent new remake of Dragon Quest 3 comes in. The game originally came out way... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/h0szd59

Concept art for Half-Life 2: Episode 3 , from the Half-Life 2 20th Anniversary Documentary. | Screenshot: YouTube Unsurprisingly, yesterday’s big Half-Life release wasn’t the sequel to Half-Life 2 or even the third Half-Life 2: Episode entry, but a 20th-anniversary update to Valve’s legendary 2004 game. And given what studio co-founder Gabe Newell has to say on the subject in a 2-hour documentary that the company released in tandem with the update, it seems less likely than ever that we’ll be seeing either follow-up anytime soon. Newell explains what he calls his “personal failure” near the end of the video: You can’t get lazy and say, “oh, we’re moving the story forward.” That’s copping out of your obligatiion to gamers, right? Yes, of course they love the story. They love many, many aspects of it. But sort of saying that your reason to do it is... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/TOfXIrh

Image: Samar Haddad / The Verge So, you’ve finally decided to give Bluesky a shot. The social network has come a long way since the early bare-bones days of invite-only signups and recently grew past the 15 million user mark . Along the way, it’s gathered a lot of familiar posting platform features, like direct messages , pinned posts , and the ability to post videos up to 60 seconds in length . But there’s a lot more to it than that, and I’m not only talking about lore. (Yes, Bluesky has lore , and that’s probably the most classic Twitter thing about it.) It’s also got a number of features and settings you won’t find on X or Threads, like the ability to choose your own algorithm or moderation tools. These serve not just as a fast lane to getting the platform to feel... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/oJpsvjV

Image: Playstack / Color Gray Games The Case of the Golden Idol was a rewarding series of point-and-click murder mysteries that became one of my favorite games of 2022. And while I felt there was more story to explore about the titular golden idol, I wasn’t sure if a potential sequel could live up to its clever puzzles and fascinating, slowly unfolding story. Turns out, I had nothing to fear: The Rise of the Golden Idol , the newly launched sequel , easily surpasses the original by improving on just about everything. At its core, Rise is a very similar game to Case . The new game takes place in the 1970s, around 200 years after the events of the original, and each of Rise ’s cases drops you into a specific moment in time, typically during or shortly after a murder. You’re... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/HnjhLz7

Image: HBO HBO’s new Dune prequel series sharpens the Bene Gesserit’s history into pointed drama that calls for some patience. Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/FjmSZqh

Nick Barclay / The Verge The hacker behind one of the biggest-ever cryptocurrency heists will serve five years in prison for conspiring with his wife to launder billions in stolen Bitcoin. Ilya “Dutch” Lichtenstein was sentenced in Washington federal court Thursday after he admitted to hacking the Bitfinex crypto exchange in 2016 and stealing almost 120,000 Bitcoin tokens. Lichtenstein and his wife Heather Morgan were arrested in 2022, and in August last year both pled guilty to conspiring to commit money laundering . The stolen cryptocurrency, worth around $71 million at the time of the theft, had soared in value to approximately $4.5 billion by the time Lichtenstein and Morgan were arrested. Valued at today’s prices, the stolen funds would be worth an even more... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/sJVxSF4

Illustration: The Verge Google has placed some new limitations on a Google Photos feature that allows users to automatically share images and videos in their library with a partner. The update to Partner Sharing now means that users can only share photos or videos that were taken using their device’s default camera app, meaning partners are unable to see screenshots or images shared on services like WhatsApp. Some Reddit users who utilize Partner Sharing initially reported the issue as a bug, but several comments made by a presumed Google employee say the change was intentionally made “to better align with most users’ expectations.” This is backed up by an updated Partner Sharing help article that says “photos from other apps on Android aren’t shared with your... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/S0nbzrd

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Once known only for its self-destructing pics, in recent years Snapchat has sneakily evolved into a location-oriented social media app . It’s now leaning further than ever into that identity with a new real-time location sharing feature that allows family members to share their live locations with each other. The feature will roll out alongside other new location and privacy tools in the coming weeks. Once you have the update, you’ll see an option in the Family Center that lets parents request their teen’s locations, and vice versa. The hub will also allow parents to view their child’s location-sharing settings alongside existing privacy settings to ensure they’re using the app safely and responsibly. If that’s not enough, Snap is... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/MPy9H1V

In the AI chatbot world, ubiquity is everything. Companies have raced to build desktop and mobile apps for their bots, in order to both give them new capabilities but also to make sure they’re right in front of your face as often as possible. There’s no better example of that than Google’s new Gemini app for iPhone , which quietly hit the App Store around the world this week. The free app is simple and straightforward: it’s just a chat window and a list of your previous chats. You can query the bot with text, voice, or your camera, and it’ll give you answers. It’s effectively identical to the Gemini section of the Google app, or what you’d get by opening a browser and going to the Gemini website. The Gemini app does have one newish... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/j2K45dL

The Verge Google has added some new travel and shopping features to Maps that aim to make it easier to find local products and stay on time during busy periods. Starting today, Maps now allows users to search for items like home goods, clothing, and electronics, and find stores nearby that sell them — a useful feature to have for any last-minute holiday shopping. The search results in Maps will display individual product listings alongside locations where generic examples of desired items can be found (showing nearby stores that sell “holiday sweaters,” for example). The product listings are presented similarly to products in Google Shopping, only with useful information like store distance and if the item is currently in stock. G... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/RXW83UB

PayPal is making it easier to collectively pool together funds on the platform. | Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge; Getty Images PayPal is introducing a new money-pooling feature that aims to make it easier to collect and pay for things as a group. The feature is free and allows PayPal users to create a pool online or via the platform’s app, invite friends and family to contribute, track contributed funds, and transfer that cash to their own PayPal balance. Provided you trust the pool organizer who will hold the power to spend or withdraw those funds, the pooling feature should provide a simple way to gather cash for things like gifts and group traveling collectively. Pool organizers can share pool joining links via “text, email, WhatsApp, and more” to people regardless of whether they have a PayPal account or not. Contributions can be made using a PayPal balance... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/OCcbV3L

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge Short-form posting platform Bluesky crossed the 15 million user mark today amid a recent surge of user signups in the wake of the US presidential election. That’s according to a stat-tracking site put together by Bluesky developer Jaz , using the Bluesky API. The platform, which rests on the decentralized AT Protocol, added about a million new users in the last week. Bluesky COO Rose Wang recently told The Verge that the “majority” of new users flocking to the platform have been from the US. The Bluesky app is currently at number one in the iOS app store, followed by Threads, ChatGPT, and the Google app. Screenshot: iOS App Store Bluesky is the number one free iOS app this morning. Meta’s Threads is still... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/yQ0F9f8

Image: Patreon Subscriptions are the main way creators on Patreon make money, as they must build an audience willing to shell out a few dollars a month to access their writing, podcasts, or videos. The company announced today that creators and their fans can now give away gift memberships, which could be a powerful way for creators to grow their subscriber base. Patreon said earlier this year it was working on a gifting subscription feature similar to what already existed on other subscription-powered platforms like Substack (which, incidentally, has been pushing deeper into the creator space beyond newsletters ). Gifting is also a core part of Twitch’s streaming platform, where fans and streamers often give away subscriptions based on specific goals... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/f4eKLs0

Photo: Wes Davis / The Verge The Vision Pro VR headset is such an Apple product — meticulously designed and packed with incredible tech, but designed to be used Apple’s way, whether you like it or not. For many, that means the headset is aggressively uncomfortable to wear due to its weight distribution. For the last several days, though, I’ve been testing a solution Apple now sells that’s so simple, so obvious, that I’m actually miffed at Apple for not including something like it from the very beginning: the Belkin Head Strap . Belkin’s strap works in tandem with Apple’s Solo Knit Band. The Solo Knit Band wraps around your head with an elastic cushion, clamping the headset to your face but putting a lot of strain on your neck. Belkin’s strap gives you more support... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/zSuc8gY

Polestar revealed new pricing and range details for the rear-wheel drive version of its Polestar 3 SUV , which began reaching customers earlier this month. The single-motor RWD Polestar 3 will be the most affordable and longest range version of the EV, starting at $68,900 (including a $1,400 destination charge) and getting an EPA-rated range of 350 miles. The long-range single motor EV will be built alongside the dual-motor, all-wheel drive version of the Polestar 3 at its factory in South Carolina. With that starting price, and its North American manufacturing bonafides, the RWD Polestar 3 should qualify for the $7,500 federal EV tax credit — at least as long as it still exists. (President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to kill the tax... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/1nLcXid

Here’s everything you get in iFixit’s $1,207 inner screen replacement kit for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold. | Image: iFixit iFixit has started listing repair parts for Google’s Pixel Pro 9 Fold, but it’ll be cheaper to buy a regular brand-new phone than pay for a screen replacement. The inner display specifically, which includes the frame, hinge, side buttons, and OLED screen itself, will set customers back $1,199 for “Part Only.” The full kit that also includes iFixit’s repair tools bumps that up to $1,207. With prices starting at $1,799, the Pixel Pro 9 Fold is one of the most expensive smartphones on the market. iFixit’s inner screen replacement for last year’s Pixel Fold was also costly at $899 , but this is still an alarming jump for the latest model. For context, $1,199 is the same price as an iPhone 16 Pro Max , and more expensive than a 13-inch M3... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/J4q0E1X

Image: Nvidia Nvidia is officially launching its Nvidia app on PC today, designed to overhaul and replace the GeForce Experience app. The Nvidia app originally went into beta earlier this year , and it’s now feature complete enough for the beta label to be removed and for the app to soon be bundled with GeForce drivers. The Nvidia app includes a redesigned and improved overlay, with support for 4K 120fps AV1 video capture, Nvidia’s AI-powered RTX game filters, and an improved customizable statistic overlay. Image: Nvidia The new Nvidia app also gives you access to a bunch of other Nvidia apps. Just like GeForce Experience before it, the Nvidia app includes optimal playable settings for games and it even includes a number of... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/tjJQPOq

A pretty book that costs a pretty penny. | Image: Apple Music / Assouline You can now buy a physical version of the 100 Best Albums list that Apple Music released this year — if you have some serious cash to burn, that is. Apple Music: 100 Best Albums , a 208-page coffee table book produced by luxury print company Assouline, is available to preorder today for $450, with an estimated shipping date of November 25th. Shipping itself is thankfully free. One explanation for the high price tag is that availability is extremely limited — only 1,500 copies are up for grabs, each numbered on the rear and inside the book. The design of the book itself is also very luxurious, featuring a “custom-designed translucent acrylic slipcase etched with the Apple Music logo” that protects the white linen hardcover, and gold... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/5PqaVRm

Image: Digital Eclipse For such a simple game, Tetris has a wild history. Developed in the mid-1980s by Alexey Pajitnov in the Soviet Union, Tetris ’ global expansion involved a complex web of software copyright, clandestine meetings, handshake deals, and someone stretching a tourist visa to the very limits. It’s a story that inspired a feature film — but it might be best explored in Tetris Forever , the latest retro game collection from Digital Eclipse. The studio has made a name for itself with its interactive documentary format. The idea is that, instead of just presenting a bunch of games and supplementary material and leaving it to players to sort through it, the collections put everything into a timeline you can explore in chronological order. This... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/P2s5xYp

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images Efforts to influence President-elect Donald Trump’s policies via Elon Musk are already beginning. On Friday, nonprofit AI advocacy group Americans for Responsible Innovation (ARI) launched a public petition asking Trump to make Musk his special adviser on AI, saying he is well positioned to protect the US lead on the technology while ensuring it’s rolled out safely. “No one is better equipped to help the Trump Administration make America lead on AI than Elon Musk,” reads the petition circulated by ARI, which is led by former Democratic representative Brad Carson and says it doesn’t take corporate funding . Musk has been a leading critic of OpenAI, a company he cofounded but more recently has distanced himself from and made into an... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/YerTOsZ

Remember the race to 5G? | Image: The Verge Boost Mobile has announced it is on its way to meeting FCC coverage deadlines by the end of the year and says it has earned the title of MNO — Mobile Network Operator — rather than MVNO, which is a virtual network operator mainly reselling service from other carriers. Mission... accomplished? Sort of. It’s progress, at least. Boost, you will remember, is supposed to be our nation’s fourth wireless carrier thanks to a wonky deal that allowed T-Mobile to buy Sprint . Dish Network — now owned by EchoStar — bought the brand as part of the deal and is required by the FCC to hit certain milestones in its 5G network buildout to hold up its part of the bargain. Last June, it was required to cover 70 percent of the US population ; by the end of the... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/fOQLm5i

The first part of Wicked, starring Ariana Grande (left) and Cynthia Erivo (right) will arrive in theaters on November 22nd. | Image: Universal Pictures Barbie producer Mattel has issued an apology after customers spotted its Wicked edition dolls listed an adult website on the packaging. The toy merchandise mistakenly directed customers to the homepage of the Wicked Pictures pornographic movie studio, instead of the correct WickedMovie.com URL. “We deeply regret this unfortunate error and are taking immediate action to remedy this,” Mattel said in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter . “Parents are advised that the misprinted, incorrect website is not appropriate for children.” Mattel said that the dolls, which have been released to coincide with Universal’s film adaptation of the Tony Award-winning musical, are “primarily sold in the US” and that the error was a “misprint.” It’s unclear... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/rtSOwxu

Image: Disney Star Wars spinoff Andor is finally coming back for its second and final season on Disney Plus April 22nd, 2025, Disney announced during its D23 event in Brazil yesterday. And in a clear nod to Rogue One , the 2016 film it’s setting up, it has a new logo with the subtitle “ A Star Wars Story .” The new season will complete the so far excellent story of Cassian Andor’s (Diego Luna) transformation from street rat to hard-bitten rebel alliance spy in the lead-up to the events of Rogue One. Its 12-episode run will be broken up into blocks of three episodes, each covering three-day events taking place in a four-year period, as TheWrap notes . On April 22, 2025, #Andor returns to @DisneyPlus . pic.twitter.com/c6P3pdNBi6 — Star Wars (@starwars) N... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/h4CxFrH

Image: Samar Haddad / The Verge Popular music changes all the time, but there’s been one consistent element in practically everything released in the last two decades: Auto-Tune is everywhere. What started as a simple audio processing tool in the 1990s has become the dominant force in music. Artists are training to sing with Auto-Tune; songs sound like Auto-Tune. Like it or hate it, Auto-Tune is everywhere. And to be clear, most people like it. On this episode of The Vergecast , the second installment in our series about the future of music, music journalist and Switched on Pop co-host Charlie Harding tells us the story of Auto-Tune. (Disclosure: Switched on Pop is part of the Vox Media Podcast Network, as is The Vergecast .) It starts, of all places, in the oil and gas... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/hKYHncv

Was anyone asking for this? | Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge At the risk of stating the obvious, AI is absolutely everywhere lately. There’s AI in your car , AI in your messaging app , AI in your glasses . I’ve gotten pretty desensitized to it all as a hazard of the job, but it was Spotify’s AI DJ that actually got my attention. I’ve listened to a top 40 radio station in the past two decades, so I’m familiar with the concept of a robot picking music for me. In that context, an AI DJ doesn’t seem like much of a stretch. But after using it on and off for a week, I’m convinced it’s the perfect analogy for our AI-everything moment. It’s eerily human, and it plays a lot of music I like. But take it from someone with access to a high-quality local indie radio station — one that employs human DJs! — there... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/Okr6bZs

Seagate’s proprietary storage solution ain’t cheap, but it remains the easiest way to outfit your Series / X with additional space. | Image: Seagate Black Friday won’t be here for several more weeks, but the holiday promos are beginning to take shape at Amazon, Best Buy, and other retailers. We expect to see steep discounts on a number of gaming goods when many of the early sales kick off next week , but if you want to shop ahead of time, Seagate’s 2TB Storage Expansion Card for the Xbox Series X / S is already matching its all-time low of $199.99 ($160 off) at Amazon , Best Buy , and Seagate’s online storefront . While pricey, Seagate’s proprietary expansion cards are a great way to expand the storage capacity of your Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S. The NVMe-based, Microsoft-licensed cards — of which there are currently two — are incredibly easy to install, fast, and allow you to run... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/ozP5nWh

Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge Google Photos continues to get new and improved features on a regular basis, and one of the most recent Android updates has focused on video editing. Even if you don’t have the latest Pixel 9 phone (which is required if you want to try out the weird new Reimagine tool ), you can now speed up, slow down, and enhance your clips with a few taps as well as trim them down more easily. You can also expect what Google calls “AI-powered video presets” on both the Android and iOS versions of Google Photos. After the app algorithm analyzes your clips, you get a choice of effects — trims, zooms, slow-mos — you can apply with a tap. The app takes the role of director and chooses where and how these tweaks should be applied. When the changes arrive on... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/F6xeA02

Image: Kristen Radtke / The Verge You know that thing where, just after you’ve opened Instagram and become invested in whatever video was already loaded, a new video pops in and seemingly yeets the old video into the void, never to be seen again? That’s a thing of the past, according to Instagram boss Adam Mosseri, who says in an AMA from his Instagram Story yesterday that the app now waits for you to scroll to show you the new stuff. That behavior — which Instagram apparently called “rug pull” internally — wasn’t just some weird bug. Mosseri says the app did it “because we were trying to load new content, and it was taking a while, so we showed you something that was already downloaded in the meantime, and it is generally good for engagement.” But that’s “really... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/eCBHxEZ

This walking pad was supposed to help me relieve stress. Then I overcomplicated it. I became so mired in the smart features, I forgot to walk. Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/oyp91gh

Photo: Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge A collection of fun, affordable, and unique gifts fit for everyone on your list. Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/LXGJhRS

Image: Palworld Palworld developer Pocketpair has revealed the patents at the center of the infringement lawsuit Nintendo and The Pokémon Company filed in Japan back in September . Pocketpair has also shared that, in addition to 5 million yen each plus late fees, they’re “seeking an injunction against the game and compensation for a portion of the damages incurred between the date of registration of the patents and the date of filing of this lawsuit. The Pokémon Company cites three Japanese patents, No. 7545191 , No. 7493117 , and No. 7528390 . From the translation of the claims, they appear to describe Pokémon-style activities, with ‘191 focused on the act of throwing a ball at characters in a field, ‘117 tied to aiming, and ‘390 on riding characters.... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/sKIdkjq

Photo: Vjeran Pavic, The Verge Think about how you like to play video games. Are you the type to sink into your couch, controller in hand, TV across the living room, for a few hours of Madden? If so, Sony’s new PlayStation 5 Pro is not for you . But if you find yourself leaning forward, creeping ever closer to the screen, looking for every clue hidden in the grass or every tiny twitchy graphical advantage, a $700 console might not be such a silly idea. On this episode of The Vergecast , The Verge ’s Sean Hollister joins the show to talk about his experience with the PS5 Pro. We go through what you can expect from this super-powered new gaming machine, which games and which gamers might get the most from it, and why the PS5 Pro might have more in common with a gaming PC... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/DfRSKOA

Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge AMD launched its latest Ryzen 7 9800X3D to glowing reviews this week, but if you’re looking to buy one then you might have to wait for more stock. The 9800X3D is currently sold out at Newegg and Best Buy , with the majority of Micro Center locations also sold out of AMD’s best gaming processor. The situation is similar across Europe, too. In Germany most retailers have run out of stock , with new shipments not expected to arrive until later this month. In the UK Scan is accepting preorders for the 9800X3D, but stock won’t arrive until November 29th. Overclockers in the UK says its stock is currently held at UK customs and that its first and second shipments are allocated and sold out. It’s not expecting another shipment until December. S... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/ERmG8YH