Latest Technology

Today, I’m talking with New York Governor Kathy Hochul, and I’ll just warn you — this episode moves really fast. It’s an election year, after all, with a shocking amount of tech policy at stake, and Governor Hochul has taken strong positions on almost every major tech issue there is. For example, Meta just reached a settlement with dozens of states, including New York, which will restrict how teens use platforms like Instagram in very specific ways. Governor Hochul is a strong supporter of those restrictions and more, as you’ll hear. But those come with a cost — widespread age verification means adults will also have to show ID to use the internet, which will essentially make it impossible to be anonymous online.  Verge subscribers, don’t forget you get exclusive access to ad-free  Decoder  wherever you get your podcasts. Head here . Not a subscriber? You can sign up here . So I asked about that, and if these new restrictions amount...

“AI creator” accounts like Aitana Lopez will get a new “AI-generated profile” label. | Image: Aitana Lopez Instagram is finally taking steps to address the rise of fake AI-influencer accounts that have gotten harder to spot . It's also renaming the "AI creator" label to "AI-generated profile" to make it clear when a profile features an AI-generated person that's not a real human being. "We've heard that people don't like seeing a profile that seems human, only to find out later that the person featured is AI-generated," said Instagram in a blog post . "They want to know when a profile features an AI-generated person." To that end, Instagram will be hunting down accounts that don't self-label their AI-generated profiles, and penalize them by limi … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/5tREUV9

As backlash grows over Flock's AI surveillance cameras, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has frozen state spending on them. The move came just ahead of the publication of a Texas Tribune investigation that revealed the state spent over $30 million on Flock cameras. That money was primarily raised by tacking a $1 fee onto insurance policies, allegedly to help fight catalytic converter theft. Flock cameras have increasingly drawn ire from across the political spectrum as they've become the subject of privacy concerns. There have been multiple incidents of officers being placed on leave or criminally charged for misusing Flock systems, including at … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/1iDw9MW

Chess.com has done one thing, and one thing very well, for almost 20 years, but now it's going beyond its domain name. The biggest name in online chess quietly launched its first companion site in beta back in May: Gambit , a free online poker website where players can learn the game without risking any real money. Now Gambit's ready to really get the ball rolling with its first livestreamed event and collaborations with content creators, and Chess.com is planning to branch out into even more games from here. Chess.com's chief growth officer, Albert Cheng, told The Verge the company chose poker for its first companion site because, like ches … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/Ghk145X

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 142, your guide to the best and Verge -iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, how is it almost September already, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage .) This week, I've been remembering Dolly Parton , Tim Curry , and Peter Cullen , absorbing everything in Rockstar's big GTA VI preview , wondering if Apple will announce a foldable iPhone at its September event , getting sucked into Summoning Salt's latest speedrunning documentary about competitive Tetris , listening to Weird Al's new Tiny Desk concert ("The Saga Begins!"), and getting a Reuben from my favorite lo … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/fagP9ij

BYOK is a no-frills, single-purpose gadget that 90 percent of people will find absolutely frivolous. But for those who spend a significant chunk of their lives putting words to virtual paper, there is an obvious allure. Personally, I think it's at its best when you just stick to the bare minimum, focusing on pure text drafting. Certain users, though, need more. They want BYOK to take notes, they want to use it for writing screenplays, or maybe they want to organize a sprawling novel. Balancing the wants and needs of these more demanding users has been a challenge that BYOK founder Nick Sjolinder has been trying to figure out how to tackle. … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/70qXFc3

10 out of 10 beard. | Photo: Ben Mekler Joseph Fink is the cocreator and cowriter of Welcome to Night Vale , arguably the most important fiction podcast ever. He's also the creator of the noir podcast Unlicensed and Alice Isn't Dead , which takes some of the conspiratorial cosmic horror of Night Vale and turns it into fodder for a more serious series about relationships, trauma, and the open road. There's also a sequel series out now called Don't Tell Alice that takes the story down an even darker path in which protagonist Keisha is the one with a secret. Joseph is also an accomplished author. In addition to co-writing the three Welcome to Night Vale novels, he's also penned the Al … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/W62D1sO

The Z Flip 8 is designed to be used shut more than ever before. | Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge What do you want from a flip phone when it's closed? A simple interface, perhaps notifications and a widget or two, for handling the basics? Or a fully fledged Android experience shrunk down for the Flip form factor? For years, Samsung has insisted on the former, even as some fans - and Razr rival Motorola - have pushed for the latter. With the Galaxy Z Flip 8, Samsung has given in. Although the Z Flip 8's hardware is almost unchanged year-on-year, Samsung has fundamentally rethought how this phone is meant to be used when shut. The cover screen feels more like a regular Android phone, with easier access to the full versions of every single … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/loM21Is

As audio-focused generative tools and platforms have gotten more sophisticated , the internet has become increasingly filled with AI-generated music whose melodies and vocals are algorithmically derived from the work of human artists. While some of the people pumping out this kind of content immediately own up to using AI , others have denied using the technology until increasing public scrutiny forced them to tell the truth . For musicians - especially those creating art in technologically-focused spaces like electronic dance music - the increasingly complicated question of what is "real" and what isn't feels particularly urgent and personal … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/1X2Uqfz

The unofficial version of DLSS 5 makes Jesse Faden’s features much more pronounced. | Image: gabdeg via YouTube Modders are trying out an unofficial version of Nvidia's DLSS 5 on Skyrim , Cyberpunk 2077 , GTA V , and a bunch of other games after code for the AI upscaling tech appeared in an early-access build of NBA 2K27 . Members of the RenoDX modding channel on Discord reportedly found a way to extract the DLSS "Neural Rendering" file and apply it to Control before it expanded to other games, as reported earlier by Notebook Check and VideoCardz . In one video , a person shows how Control protagonist Jesse Faden's facial features become more and less defined as they tweak various DLSS 5 settings enabled by the RenoDX modders. With the "Neural Uplift" sett … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/LNUPkl1

You know the person blocking your view of the concert because their phone is swaying in the air, recording the entire thing? Get ready for the unfolded version of it. This week on The Vergecast , we dive right into the big week of Apple news. First, it's the refreshed Mac Mini and Mac Studio, as well as the new M6 and M5 Ultra chips. Apple is advertising them all as achievements in AI inference, but we're skeptical this is more than a marketing ploy for now. Then we get into the newly announced Apple event, why we're not expecting to see an iPhone 18, and whether the folding phone form factor is really good enough yet for Apple. After that, … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/47uqUFd

Apple raised the price of its streaming service for new and current subscribers on Friday, bumping it up from $12.99 per month to $14.99, Deadline and Variety are reporting. An annual subscription now costs $119, up from $99. Apple also increased the cost of its individual Apple One subscription, which includes Apple TV and Apple's other subscription services, from $19.95 per month to $21.95. According to Deadline and Variety , the price change is effective immediately, and current subscribers will be notified of it before their next bill. This price hike comes almost exactly a year after Apple last increased its Apple TV subscription fe … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/sYLnfHS

Confusion is a generally accepted side effect of mystery box shows . They slather on secrets with the promise of a satisfying payoff in the end, and sometimes the cast and crew even have a hard time following what's going on . But even by the standards of the genre, Dark Matter is extreme. Its multiversal premise, which involves a man kidnapping a version of himself from another world, can be hard to wrap your head around, and as the first season went on, things only got harder to follow. With the return of the show for season 2, I have both good and bad news: The show is more dramatic and thrilling than ever, while also being ever so much har … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/IFOtdRg

Samsung announced its upcoming lineup of Odyssey gaming monitors today at Gamescom, and says that several will feature "world-first innovations" across display speeds and design. This includes the 27-inch Odyssey G6 it initially unveiled in December, which now features a 1,100Hz refresh rate, alongside new OLED Odyssey G9, G8, and G7 updates for 2027. The Odyssey G6 G60H's upgraded 1,100Hz final launch specification is a smidge faster than the already ridiculous 1,040Hz refresh rate that Samsung announced it would have at CES 2026. Little has changed otherwise, so this is still a dual-mode gaming monitor with an IPS-based display and a 1ms … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/lm3wTjs

The Note 17 Pro Max also has a photochromic design, which is revealed by sunlight. The 9,210mAh dual-cell battery in the new Redmi Note 17 Pro Max is the biggest that Xiaomi has fit in any phone it's sold in Europe - and remarkably, in some other markets the phone comes with an even larger 10,000mAh single-cell design. As you can probably guess, this is a silicon-carbon battery either way, one with a high 16 percent silicon content, meaning it's more energy-dense than most. It's allowed Xiaomi to fit this huge battery into a phone that's basically the same size as an iPhone 17 Pro Max , but 8g lighter and fractionally thinner too. Xiaomi says the Redmi Note 17 Pro Max should give you "worry-free use" for up to three days, … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/IPof8jn

The Bose QuietComfort Headphones Gen 2 look a lot like all other Bose headphones from the past few years. Bose QuietComfort headphones used to be innovative. Bose's noise-canceling research is the reason the technology is where it is today, and its headphones set the standard. They were the ubiquitous traveler's accessory. But over the past few years, it's felt like Bose has rested on that reputation, as other companies have caught up. Sony and Apple have both surpassed Bose in noise-canceling performance, and even midrange headphones like the $130 Soundcore Space 2 are close for much less money. That means the $359 Bose QuietComfort Headphones 2nd Gen need to stand out in other ways - and I don't think they do. Bose QuietComfort Headphones Gen … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/1meASEW

Bill Gates, chair of the Gates Foundation, speaks during a 2024 conference. | Bloomberg via Getty Images Bill Gates has been reflecting a lot on AI lately, and the process has triggered a stark awakening. Once a staunch AI optimist, the Microsoft cofounder is now deeply pessimistic about what AI means for our collective future. Having been conspicuously quiet on AI issues recently, Gates is back with a nearly 6,000-word essay seeking to reclaim a central role in shaping the technology globally. Titled "The turbulent AI era is here. The choices we make now are critical," Gates warns the world is not remotely ready for what is coming. Worse still, he notes, "we are not preparing for it." Gates attempts to chart a path forward, but the essay l … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/gYfrBD8

Some pieces in the Yxstaby collection are more obviously Xbox-inspired than others. | Image: Ikea Ikea has teamed up with Microsoft to launch a new assortment of gaming-inspired furniture and home accessories, coinciding with the 25th anniversary of the first Xbox console. The nine-piece Yxstaby collection (good luck pronouncing that) includes a TV stand, laptop stand, side table, lounge chair, and multi-functional toolbox, with standout products like a stool, cushion, decorative platter, and mirrored display box being specifically designed around recognizable Xbox controller motifs. The Yxstaby range makes it easier to "bring play into a room and tuck everything away afterwards," according to Ikea's press release, with each piece creat … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/R437Qup

The Asus Xbox Ally X20 looked like it could be one of the best handheld gaming PCs yet made - but originally, Asus wanted you to buy a bundle pairing it with pricy AR glasses. In July, we told you that bundle would no longer be necessary, and today it's official: you can pre-order a standalone handheld at Best Buy or Asus's online store for $1,300, shipping October 15th. Asus spokesperson Don Nguyen tells us it's the same basic ROG 20th Anniversary handheld I tried at its US offices, so you should be getting a translucent gadget with gold trim. Bling isn't the reason to buy it, though. If I were buying, it'd be because of the larger new … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/TFRlSPk

Website design is my passion. Without thinking, I scribbled over what I'd just written. It's what I would have done if I was writing with pen and paper. But I didn't have a pen in my hand; my canvas was an LCD and the letters on my page were just pixels. Score one point to the TCL Note A1. TCL's Note A1 Nxtpaper tablet (its full government name) is supposed to make you forget that you're using a tablet. It has one of the company's signature low-glare matte displays and ships with a stylus. The pen's haptics even mimic the scratching of a pencil on paper. On the software side, the A1 takes a lot of cues from the Remarkable tablet . Instead of a typical Android home scr … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/cIoWL4x

The current EV market is flush with variety. I've driven single-motor economy-minded machines, dual-motor EVs with all-wheel drive, tri-motor vehicles that dial up the performance stakes, and even wild quad-motor performance cars, like the Rimac Nevera . But this is the first time I've ever driven a five-motor EV, one with the agility and speed to turn a 360 even more smoothly than an electric G-Wagon . It also makes quick work of terrible turf. This is, of course, a lawn mower, and it only uses two of those motors to drive the wheels. The other three turn a trio of blades that cut a 54-inch-wide swath in a single pass. It also promises four … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/QWkn1Eo

Netflix executives have considered making third-party streaming services available within its app, according to a report from The New York Times . The recent discussions reportedly centered around bringing Peacock and Fox One to Netflix, though it's unclear whether the streaming giant would sell subscriptions to the other services or add their content to its app. While Amazon's Prime Video and Roku have long sold subscriptions to rival services, the move would be a major change for Netflix, which has only joined bundles with other streamers. YouTube - Netflix's biggest rival - will also include access to Peacock as part of its Premium subscr … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/xy1uFoi

The Razr Ultra line is among those due to receive GrapheneOS support next year. | Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge GrapheneOS, an open source version of Android that prioritizes security and privacy, has detailed its plans for supporting Motorola smartphones. Official support is set to arrive next year, starting with traditional flagships, before rolling out to Motorola's foldable phones and perhaps cheaper models, eventually. In a Mastodon thread , the GrapheneOS Foundation announced that it will initially support a Motorola slab flagship phone, but will later support both Razr Fold and Razr Ultra foldables - the latter of which would be the first flip phone to officially run GrapheneOS. Graphene has always had stringent security standards when it com … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/WKRM1Hp

Tiangong Ultra (left) also broke the 400 meter world record during this year’s World Humanoid Robot Games. | Image: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images The 9.58-second 100-meter dash record set by Usain Bolt in 2009 has been outpaced by Chinese robots participating at the World Humanoid Robot Games in Beijing. In a preliminary heat on Saturday, Tiangong Ultra, made by the Beijing Humanoid Robot Innovation ​Center, ran the distance in 9.39 seconds, followed by the Honor-developed Lightning at 9.47 seconds. It's one of several notable achievements to take place at the event, which can best be described as a sort of annual robot olympics that's designed to showcase advancements in bipedal bot technology. After launching in 2025, 2,056 robots from 16 countries are participating in this year's … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/uehtN28