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The Fairphone 4’s updated design makes it look like a modern smartphone. | Image: Fairphone 4 Fairphone, the manufacturer focused on making easy to repair smartphones made out of ethically sourced materials, just took the wraps off its fourth-generation handset. The Fairphone 4 uses a modular design that’s similar to the company’s previous phones, only now with more powerful internals, a five-year warranty, and a promise of two major Android updates and software support until the end of 2025. Prices start at €579 / £499 for the phone, which will ship on October 25th. I’ve been using the Fairphone 4 for a couple of days as my primary phone, and while I’m not ready to give a final verdict just yet, it feels like a big step forward compared to the dated designs and low-power components found in the company’s previous phones. Stay... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/2Y4JDuh

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Microsoft is launching its Xbox Cloud Gaming (xCloud) service in Australia, Brazil, Mexico, and Japan. The software giant has been testing streaming Xbox Game Pass Ultimate games in these markets over the past few months, and is now ready to greatly expand the reach of its xCloud technology. XCloud will be available to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscribers in Brazil and Mexico later today, meaning it technically launches in Australia and Japan in the early hours of October 1st. Xbox Cloud Gaming will be available through the dedicated Android and Xbox Windows apps, or via the web for iOS and other devices. Microsoft is now offering Xbox Cloud Gaming in 26 countries, thanks to this big expansion. “Since cloud gaming is powered by custom... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3omeGfQ

Xbox Series X console. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Microsoft’s Xbox chief, Phil Spencer, says console supply issues will continue into 2022. In an interview with The Wrap , spotted by Video Games Chronicle , Spencer admits the Xbox supply issues will last for the rest of the year and into 2022 due to supply chain complications beyond just a chip shortage. “I think it’s probably too isolated to talk about it as just a chip problem,” says Spencer. “When I think about, what does it mean to get the parts necessary to build a console today, and then get it to the markets where the demand is, there are multiple kind of pinch points in that process. And I think regretfully it’s going to be with us for months and months, definitely through the end of this calendar year and into the next calendar... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/2Y6Q8wk

Honda is increasing its research and development spending in three futuristic areas: rockets, robots, and electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL), otherwise known as flying cars. The automaker will spend $45 billion (5 trillion yen) on R&D over the next six years. But Honda won’t say what fraction of that amount will be spent on developing rockets, robots, and flying cars, nor even if it plans on pursuing those projects as commercial businesses. In fact, Honda sees robots, rockets, and eVTOL aircraft as an extension of its main business of manufacturing automobiles. If the company can get a better electric vehicle platform out of it, for example, then it will be worth the investment. Basically, it wants to see if it can... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3kW94GI

Getty Images A preview of arguments to come Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3AWI3IS

Amazon has settled a dispute with two workers that the National Labor Relations Board said were fired for their activism . In April 2020, the company fired Emily Cunningham and Maren Costa after they had organized a protest against Amazon’s work with oil and gas companies, as well as raising concerns with the company’s coronavirus measures at its warehouses. In a joint statement , Costa and Cunningham said that the company would have to pay them lost wages as well as inform employees that they couldn’t be fired for organizing. They haven’t mentioned whether they would be getting their jobs as UX designers back. At the time of the NLRB’s ruling, Amazon said that it disagreed with the findings, and that Costa and Cunningham had been fired... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3zVkbEn

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Facebook has shared the internal research about the impact of Instagram on teenage mental well-being reported on by The Wall Street Journal earlier this month . The Wall Street Journal reported that the files showed Instagram knew the social media network has a negative affect on teens’ mental health. Facebook has pushed back on the WSJ’s characterizations of its research, saying that “it is simply not accurate that this research demonstrates Instagram is ‘toxic’ for teen girls.” The research slide decks are available on Facebook’s newsroom here , split into two PDFs. We’ve also embedded the PDFs at the bottom of this story. Notably, the two PDFs have been annotated by Facebook in an effort to provide context. “teens who have lower life... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/2Ybg61Y

It is rare for a big company to come out and categorically deny an entire report, but that’s what Nintendo just did today — the Japanese corporate entity has issued a press release insisting that Bloomberg ’s seeming revelation that Nintendo was pushing developers to build 4K-resolution games for an upcoming but potentially canceled “Switch Pro” handheld was entirely incorrect. Nintendo writes the report “falsely claims that Nintendo is supplying tools to drive game development for a Nintendo Switch with 4K support” and insists that it’s “not true.” Separately, it says that it has no plans for any new Nintendo Switch other than the slightly refined OLED model that’ll be out next week. While there’s always a possibility that... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3zOxtCB

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Several Chinese companies have filed a class-action complaint against Amazon for banning them from the Amazon marketplace over their use of paid reviews, a new complaint filed on September 13th claims. In the last year, Amazon has cracked down on companies soliciting paid reviews on its platform, claiming to have permanently banned 600 Chinese brands across 3,000 seller accounts. The companies listed in the complaint, doing business as Sopownic, Slaouwo, Deyixun, Cstech, Recoo Direct, Angelbliss, and Tudi, are seeking “recovery of funds that are being illegally and improperly withheld by Amazon” and are filing the class action to “stop any further misappropriation and misuse of funds that are legally and rightfully due to thousands of... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3AYuyZh

Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty Images Virgin Galactic is cleared to resume flights of its SpaceShipTwo space plane, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said Wednesday, after capping a safety investigation into issues that came up during the company’s July flight carrying its founder Richard Branson. During that mission, SpaceShipTwo strayed from its designated airspace on its descent from space, and Virgin Galactic didn’t tell the FAA about it when it was supposed to. With the investigation now closed, the FAA required Virgin Galactic to make changes “on how it communicates to the FAA during flight operations to keep the public safe,” it said in a statement. Virgin Galactic said that includes “updated calculations to expand the protected airspace for future flights”... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/39PhvgR

Photo by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge Don’t get me wrong; we’re excited about Nintendo’s new OLED Switch — the number of preorders in The Verge newsroom confirms it. But what about the more powerful Switch that so many of us thought was around the corner? A new Bloomberg report suggests that the global chip shortage is why plans fell through for a “Switch Pro” with upgraded hardware from Nvidia and 4K resolution. The outlet previously reported on the device and backs up those reports by saying it’s identified at least 11 developers, like Zynga, who have received 4K Nintendo Switch development kits. Specifically, Bloomberg claims employees heard from Nintendo that they should design games to target the higher resolution. In response, Nintendo told Bloomberg its reporting was... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3mgOD7c

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge TikTok has agreed to settle a lawsuit with Bev Standing, the voice actress who said she was behind the app’s original text-to-speech voice. Standing sued TikTok in May, saying that the app was using her voice without permission . A robotic version of what sounded like Standing’s voice had been in the app for months, speaking over what felt like every other video at the time. A lawyer for Standing said the settlement was still being finalized and details around payment could not be disclosed. “They’ve reached an amicable resolution,” Robert Sciglimpaglia, who represents Standing, said in a phone call with The Verge . Sciglimpaglia said TikTok would license Standing’s voice as part of the agreement, but it’s up to TikTok whether or not to... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3D2wvoh

Photo by Sean O’Kane / The Verge The 2022 Escalade is heading into production, but it’ll be missing a key feature when the first customers pick up their new ride: the hands-free driving mode known as Super Cruise. It’s the latest feature to get the axe as a result of the global semiconductor shortage, which has been an especially big drain on the auto industry. The shortage is also forcing Cadillac to hold off on adding Super Cruise to the CT4 and CT5 sedans, according to Roadshow . With the Bolt currently not on sale due to the massive battery recall, that means parent company General Motors’ most advanced technological feature is currently not available on any new car. “[W]e’re confident in our team’s ability to find creative solutions to mitigate the supply chain... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3zOeGax

A new version of the excellent Nest Hello video doorbell (pictured) will arrive in 2022. | Photo by Florence Ion for The Verge Google is working on a successor to the excellent Nest Hello doorbell, which it recently rebranded the Nest Doorbell (wired). The new Nest Doorbell will support 24/7 recording, will work with the Google Home app (not the Nest app), and should launch in 2022. Rishi Chandra, GM of Google Nest, shared the news in a blog post on the Google Nest Community forum today. “We commit to being more transparent with you on where we are taking the camera portfolio,” writes Chandra. “We know that those with wired doorbell connections prefer to have a doorbell that can also support 24/7 continuous video history (via the Nest Aware subscription). We are excited to share that we will be launching a 2nd generation of Nest Doorbell (wired) in 2022.” There... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3iiGL3O

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Twitch is adding new tools in the fight against harassment on the platform. Twitch announced it will be adding phone verification chat controls that will allow streamers to require a viewer to have a verified phone number in order to chat. Additionally, Twitch is tweaking the existing email verification settings to give creators greater control over who gets to chat. Today we're putting more power in the hands of the community, by enabling phone verified chat! Now creators and mods can require viewers to verify their account via phone number (or email) before they can chat. For more information review the blog: https://t.co/TlqCS4OzQC — Twitch (@Twitch) September 29, 2021 With these new tools, creators can set email or phone... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3kSByBx

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Sonos developed a system called “Concurrency” that could make multiple voice assistants interoperable on its smart speakers but had to put its plans on hold because of Google, a new Washington Post report explains. Concurrency does more or less what its name suggests by allowing Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa to be used side by side. “Sonos today sells speakers that let you choose between Alexa and Google, but only one can operate at a time — you have to disable one before you can use the other. In the Concurrency demo, talking to both of them required nothing more than saying their names,” The Washington Post shares about Sonos’ demo. Sonos wants voice assistants to work together The basic idea behind relying on multiple... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3kRjNlO

Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images On Tuesday, Elon Musk accused Jeff Bezos and his companies of using the legal system to slow SpaceX’s progress during a talk at the 2021 Code Conference. Just a few hours later, Amazon — which is working on a competing satellite-based internet project — sent The Verge an unsolicited 13-page list of lawsuits, government petitions, and other legal actions that SpaceX has taken over the years. “Attached is a list of some of the times SpaceX has sued the U.S. government on procurement matters and protested various governmental decisions,” a spokesperson for Amazon’s satellite division, Project Kuiper, wrote in the email. “It is difficult to reconcile their own historical record with their recent position on others filing similar actions.” “... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3iieBG5

The Pro 8 offers Thunderbolt 4 support, a 120Hz display, a better camera, more storage, and more. During its recent Surface event , Microsoft launched the largest upgrade of its flagship Intel-powered Surface Pro lineup in years: the Surface Pro 8 . The new 2-in-1 machine boasts a 120Hz display, Thunderbolt 4 support, and new processors, but all of those improvements come at a cost — literally. Whereas the Surface Pro 7 starts at $549.99 , the Surface Pro 8 starts at $1,099.99, meaning it’s nearly double the price. And that’s also before you factor in the cost of Microsoft’s new stylus and detachable keyboard, two add-ons that are more like necessities if you intend to use the 2-in-1 as advertised. With all that said, is it worth upgrading or picking up the Pro 8 over the last-gen model when it launches on October 5th? To help make your... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3ofMBGU

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge For years, Apple has let you redownload many built-in apps from the App Store that you may have deleted, but store listings for those apps had a distinct difference from others: there was no way to leave a rating or review. That appears to have changed recently, though, as you can now review Apple’s apps in the store. In a cursory, unscientific scan of some of Apple’s apps, many of them don’t have overwhelmingly positive scores. Files, Apple Maps, and Home all had ratings between three and three-and-a-half stars. Apple News is currently sitting at 2.3 stars. As 9to5Mac observed , Podcasts has a whopping two-star rating. There aren’t a lot of ratings yet That said, most of Apple’s apps just don’t have many ratings — many don’t break triple... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3zQxOo3

Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge These days, you have to pay for the privilege Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/2Y1M4gt

Photo by Sean O’Kane / The Verge General Motors announced a new “end-to-end” software platform for its cars called “Ultifi” — a play on the name Ultium , which is the automaker’s new electric vehicle battery architecture. GM says the new software will enable over-the-air (OTA) updates , in-car subscription services, and “new opportunities to increase customer loyalty.” The automaker envisions the new software powering everything from the mundane, like weather apps, to potentially controversial features like the use of in-car cameras for facial recognition or to detect children to automatically trigger the car’s child locks. The Linux-based system will also be available to third-party developers who may want to create apps and other features for GM customers. GM is... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3ok6nBg

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge The iPhone 13 Pro Max can charge a bit faster than other models, according to tests done by YouTuber ChargerLAB (and backed up by other tests ), which show that the phone sips up to 27 watts of power when plugged into a compatible charging brick. If you have a 13 Pro Max and want to fill up its massive battery as fast as possible, you may want to look into getting a 30W charger that, according to tests cited by @duanrui1205 , can charge it from zero to full in less than 90 minutes. This appears to be an upgrade from the previous generation — 9to5Mac reports that the iPhone 12 caps out at around 22W charging speeds. That’s about a 5W boost, which is nothing to sneeze at. The benefit of a bigger charger is limited to the Pro Max, according... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/2XYGhbR

Here it is. | Image: Drop Sure, why not. Stack Overflow has teamed up with tech retailer Drop to release this cute little keyboard called The Key. It’s programmed to do exactly two things: copy and paste. The product started as an April Fools’ Day joke earlier this year — Stack Overflow users were shown alerts claiming that they had a limited number of copy / pastes and that they could only lift that cap by purchasing The Key. Users, as Stack Overflow’s blog post notes, were disappointed to find out that The Key was not a real thing they could buy. So, you can buy it now. It’s up for preorder on Drop’s website for $29. Per the company, the next batch is shipping on December 13th. Image: Drop What more could you need? As you can see,... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/39Lzvc5

The new Withings ScanWatch Horizon showing SpO2 oxygen saturation. | Image: Withings The ScanWatch Horizon is Withings’ latest hybrid smartwatch to combine a digital display with a traditional mechanical format. You buy a Withings because you hate the look of typical health-focused wearables and abhor the bombardment of notifications that plague other smartwatches. Withings says it took design inspiration for the 43mm ScanWatch Horizon from “luxury dive watches” like the Submariner or Seamaster — influences that can be seen in the reflection-free sapphire-glass casing with titanium finish, a stainless-steel rotating bezel, and luminescent watch hands and indicators for visibility in low light. Its water resistance is only rated at 10 ATM, however, making it ill-suited for deep dives. But it should be fine for swimming,... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3CPUzKI

Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Apple has reportedly fixed the issue that broke the “unlock with Apple Watch” feature on iPhone 13 models. The feature, which lets Apple Watch users unlock their iPhones without a password when wearing a mask, now works again as of the second iOS 15.1 beta, as reported by 9to5Mac . Apple noted on its support page a few days ago that it was working on this problem. I’ve run into the issue myself on my personal iPhone 13 Pro and can confirm that it’s been pretty annoying after having gotten used to the feature since it was introduced earlier this year. Newer iPhones don’t have fingerprint readers, so the only way to unlock them when your mask interferes with Face ID is by using a password. There’s no word on when iOS 15.1 will be released... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3odLo2Q

Jane Tyska/Digital First Media/The Mercury News via Getty Images A Steve Jobs biography makes an appearance in court — but it doesn’t explain Theranos’ problems Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3CUSrBD

You can soon set your Nest doorbell to cackle at your visitors. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge Google Nest is bringing back seasonal ringtones for its video doorbells, which now include the Nest Doorbell (wired) — previously known as Nest Hello — and the new Nest Doorbell (battery) . First up are Halloween-inspired tones, which will stick around through October, then the winter holiday-themed options arrive. For the past three years Nest has offered them, the ringtones have disappeared following the holidays, leaving you with the standard ding dong. But this year, the new Nest Doorbell will also get six “evergreen” ringtones that are usable year-round. They will arrive with the Halloween options, but Google tells me they aren’t coming to the older Nest Doorbell (wired). The spooky-themed ringtones should arrive on October 1st and... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/2WpoHNI

Astro did not put that beer there! | Image: Amazon Amazon introduced a new robot today with the face of an Echo Show , the sensor-laden body of Panera Bread delivery bot , and a pair of cupholders for a trunk . The instant it was announced, people clamored for a reason for its existence beyond “mobile camera with a cute face” and “potentially invasive surveillance drone.” Most seemed to settle on “beer fetcher.” But friend, a pair of cupholders does not a robowaiter make. While the $1,000 Astro could very well have a wide variety of capabilities beyond home surveillance, it’s not gonna be fetching you anything. For one, it reportedly sucks. “Astro is terrible and will almost certainly throw itself down a flight of stairs if presented the opportunity,” a source who claimed to work on the... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/2XQPpz3

Tesla and SpaceX boss Elon Musk criticized President Joe Biden as “not the friendliest administration” after the White House snubbed his company last month. Musk’s comments came during a Code Conference interview and followed a tweet in which the Tesla CEO mocked Biden using similar insults as former President Donald Trump. The Biden administration invited auto executives to the White House last month to discuss the shared goal of increasing the production of electric vehicles. Top officials from Ford, General Motors, and Stellantis were invited. But Tesla, which is the largest EV maker in the world, was not. “Controlled by the unions” One potential reason that Tesla wasn’t invited is that its factory workforce is not unionized, while... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3kNjcla

Asa Mathat Tesla has been making participants in the “Full Self-Driving” beta test sign non-disclosure agreements , but CEO Elon Musk said Tuesday “we probably don’t need” them. The reason? “There’s a lot of videos” being shared of the beta software in action, Musk said on Tuesday during the 2021 Code Conference. “People don’t seem to listen to me” and are “just ignoring it anyway.” “I don’t know why there’s an NDA,” he said. Tesla has had a small group of owners testing out the beta version of its “Full Self-Driving” software — which, despite the name, does not make the company’s cars fully autonomous — on public roads for about a year now. But this week, Vice reported that the company makes participants in the program sign NDAs. These agreements... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3zKnCO9

When you see a flight of stairs. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge Some of the people building Amazon’s Astro home robot are not impressed with it, according to a report by Vice . One person who worked on the robot, which was announced today , reportedly called it a “disaster that’s not ready for release,” while another said it was “terrible,” and the idea that it’d be a useful accessibility device (part of Amazon’s pitch is that Astro can help with elder care) was “absurdist nonsense.” The sources also mentioned that the bot doesn’t handle stairs well, with one even saying that it would “throw itself down” them “if presented the opportunity.” To make matters worse, Vice also reports that the robot is fragile and that several devices had broken. That’s not great news for a $1,000 (or $1,449) robot that... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3uos0Bo

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Facebook’s interest in understanding and eventually acquiring younger users extends well beyond Messenger Kids or the currently paused plans for a child-friendly Instagram . A new report in The Wall Street Journal ’s series on Facebook’s internal research shows the company’s focus on kids goes much deeper , including studying children younger than four years old in the hopes of better designing future products. The company’s child research is primarily motivated by the success of apps like TikTok and Snapchat in attracting younger users. “With the ubiquity of tablets and phones, kids are getting on the internet as young as six years old. We can’t ignore this and we have a responsibility to figure it out,” a confidential Facebook document... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3ASlNQm

Elon Musk isn’t happy that fellow mega-billionaire Jeff Bezos keeps suing to stop SpaceX’s projects, and he shared a message for the Amazon founder during the 2021 Code Conference on Tuesday: “you cannot sue your way to the Moon, no matter how good your lawyers are.” Musk was responding to a question from journalist Kara Swisher about how Bezos’ space company, Blue Origin, recently sued to block a contract NASA gave SpaceX to develop a lunar lander. Amazon has also protested SpaceX’s Starlink internet satellites with the Federal Communications Commission. Swisher asked Musk Tuesday if he has spoken to Bezos about the legal fights. “Not verbally, just... subtweets,” Musk said. (In August, Musk tweeted : “Turns out Besos [sic] retired in... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3kMc5tc

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Nearly a year after making its debut, the PlayStation 5 remains notoriously difficult to get your hands on . Sony has been one of the most reliable retailers when it comes to console restocks, however, and the company often opens its online queue for customers who don’t mind waiting for a chance to secure Sony’s next-gen console. If you want to have another go at it, Sony has reopened the queue for ordering the disc-based PS5 and the PS5 Digital Edition via its direct store. You don’t have to refresh the landing page once you’ve arrived — just wait it out — but we do recommend that you keep your PlayStation Network account info at the ready, just in case you’re allocated a spot to buy one when the countdown finishes. While you wait... I... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3kLdf8q

Oxenfree. Netflix is continuing its push into video games with the acquisition of Night School Studio, the team best-known for 2016’s Oxenfree and 2019’s Afterparty . ( Oxenfree , it should be noted, had strong Stranger Things vibes — and Night School also previously worked on a canceled Stranger Things title .) “Night School wants to stretch our narrative and design aspirations across distinctive, original games with heart,” Night School’s Sean Krankel said in a statement . “Netflix gives film, TV, and now game makers an unprecedented canvas to create and deliver excellent entertainment to millions of people. Our explorations in narrative gameplay and Netflix’s track record of supporting diverse storytellers was such a natural pairing. It felt like... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/39Nv28O

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Thus Sprach Technoking Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/2XY8HSZ

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Apple tells Ars Technica that it thinks the “jelly scroll” effect some users have noticed on the new iPad Mini is normal LCD behavior that the company won’t have to fix. The effect, also known as skewing, can make it seem like one half of the display is slightly behind the other while you're scrolling, and it’s most apparent while using the iPad Mini in portrait mode. Verge executive editor Dieter Bohn noted the issue in a tweet and in his review of the device published this morning. Despite our requests before and after publishing the review, the company did not respond or comment. Ars explains that the issue happens because the iPad starts drawing the lines on one side of the screen, and it takes time to go from one side to the other.... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3F0znUo

Mohamed Hamaki will be featured in Fortnite . | Image: Epic Games Epic Games has announced the next set of musical performances coming to Fortnite , called the Soundwave Series . The new series will feature artists from around the world, and players will be able to experience music from each artist in an interactive experience in-game. Epic is well known for bringing musical performances to Fortnite , including spectacular shows for huge artists like Travis Scott and Ariana Grande and concerts hosted on the non-violent party royale island . But Epic is increasingly working with its community to create signature experiences for the game in Fortnite ’s Creative mode, such as with this summer’s Easy Life virtual concert and the Balenciaga-themed “Strange Times” hub . The first show in the Soundwave Series,... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3uiPEyW

Shedworks Zoom through sandy dunes vibing to the sounds of Japanese Breakfast Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3kMaS5i

Photo by SAMEER AL-DOUMY/AFP via Getty Images Even as more and more people in the United States start to have access to their medical records online, most are still far more likely to use their computers to log in to patient portals than a smartphone app, according to a new report from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology. Almost 40 percent of US adults said that they accessed their health records through a patient portal in 2020, according to the report, which analyzed data from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) run by the National Cancer Institute. That’s up from 25 percent in 2014. The survey only collected data from January through April 2020. That captures the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic when doctors started to... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/2XYPa4T

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Tesla is making owners who opt in to the controversial beta version of its “Full Self-Driving” software sign non-disclosure agreements and is also discouraging them from sharing video clips that show the driver assistance system making mistakes. According to a copy of the NDA obtained by Vice , Tesla tells those who sign the document that “there are a lot of people that want Tesla to fail; Don’t let them mischaracterize your feedback and media posts.” The company also says owners in the beta should “share on social media responsibly and selectively” and “consider sharing fewer videos, and only the ones that you think are interesting or worthy of being shared.” Vice’s report comes as Tesla is now working on expanding access to the “Full... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3ulVQ9x

Mobius Digital / Annapurna Interactive Entering a state of desperation is essentially a requirement to solve many of Outer Wilds ’ puzzles. The game’s new $15 expansion, Echoes of the Eye , features one such puzzle that had me feeling like I’d exhausted every option. I had the right tool in hand, I was in the right room. I had followed the vague tips in the slide reels I had seen so far, left behind by an intelligent species. So I did what I usually do when I lose hope in the game: reset the loop. Maybe I needed to start again with a fresh perspective. Then I woke up in a different world. I hadn’t solved the puzzle completely, but I inadvertently progressed through the story by taking a chance on a hunch. Taking chances is core to progressing in Outer Wilds , and it’s also the... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3zPJTdd

The Ring Alarm Pro is the latest generation of Ring’s home security system and features a built-in Eero mesh Wi-Fi router. | Image: Ring With 24/7 internet backup and on-board video processing, too, this Z-wave alarm system is now a serious smart home hub Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3ofufWp

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Amazon announced a fleet of new products at its hardware event, including the Astro home robot, several Ring home security products, and other products like a bigger Echo Show 15 and the Amazon Glow for kids. Unlike previous years, the list of products that you’ll soon be able to preorder is rather short, leaving the most interesting products available on an invite-only basis. Still, we’re going to point you to where you can find out more about getting one of them for yourself. Here are all of the biggest announcements from Amazon’s show , if you want to catch up. Image: Amazon How to buy Amazon’s Smart Thermostat One of Amazon’s most affordable devices announced today is its Smart Thermostat, which costs $59.99 . It... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/39IoOqr

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Microsoft is starting to test its Xbox Cloud Gaming (xCloud) integration with Xbox consoles today. Some Xbox Insiders in the Alpha Skip-Ahead and Alpha rings will be able to access the xCloud integration today, a feature that lets you click play on an Xbox Game Pass game and stream it immediately. This new xCloud integration will allow Xbox owners to try games before they fully download them and potentially demo or try before you buy in the future. More than 100 Xbox Game Pass titles will be available as part of this initial xCloud integration, and Xbox players can even jump into multiplayer games as soon as friends send an invite. Image: Microsoft xCloud integration in the Xbox dashboard. I... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/39Ifd30

Astro features cameras, sensors, and motors to assist as it rolls around your home. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge Amazon announced a home robot called Astro during its fall hardware event today , September 28th, which is designed to serve as a helpful mobile assistant that can navigate around the main floor of your home. Amazon promises Astro will be able to patrol your home while you’re away, carry small objects from room to room (as long as a human places the object in its storage compartment), follow a person around with its periscope camera while on a video call, play music, and play games with children, as well as carry out a bevy of other small tasks. It’s essentially an Echo Show 10 on wheels, complete with Alexa support, mixed with some of the expectations of a robot vacuum sans vacuuming — room assignment, navigation, and self-charging via a... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3ujpCvu

Photo illustration by William Joel | Photo by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds / AFP via Getty Images The company’s least-bad option might also do a lot of good Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3od1FF4

Popular image-sharing site Imgur has been acquired by MediaLab , a Santa Monica-based firm that describes itself as a “holding company of consumer internet brands.” The company owns a number of B-list tech and internet services, including messaging apps Kik and Whisper, lyrics annotator Genius, and viral video aggregator WorldStarHipHop. Imgur, which currently claims some 300 million users, says the move will help the company “keep the main Imgur team focused on what we do best: creating the best place for community-powered entertainment online.” In a blog post , the company said “Imgur’s journey is far from over” and that MediaLab is committing to “investing more resources in engineering and community.” MediaLab has bought a number of... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3CRXN0l

A redesigned lock screen could make better use of horizontal space. | Image: XDA Developers Big foldable-focused improvements are on the way for Android, if leaked code analyzed by XDA Developers is to be believed. Previous reports have suggested that this year’s Android 12 is going to be followed by a minor revision, which is expected to be called Android 12.1 based on previous naming conventions. XDA ’s analysis suggests this update may deliver a host of improvements for how the operating system handles large foldable-sized screens, including offering a better split-screen UI, a lockscreen that makes better use of horizontal space, and a new taskbar that makes it easier to use multiple apps at once. They’re helpful additions that should reduce the need for manufacturers like Samsung to build their own foldable-focused UI... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/3uinoMR

The function row has dedicated emoji, voice dictation and mic mute keys. | Image: Logitech Logitech’s MX Keys Mini is a compact, platform-agnostic wireless keyboard that lacks the numpad found on the standard MX Keys . It costs the same amount at $99.99 despite its smaller size, yet there might be enough additions to make this one the preferable option (you know, if spending $100 on a keyboard is feasible). Logitech added a dedicated emoji key to the top row of Mini’s function keys that lets you add some personality to your messages, in addition to a voice dictation key and a mic mute key that mutes on a system level, not per application. Joining them on the function row are media and volume keys, along with an option to adjust the brightness of the keyboard backlighting. The MX Keys Mini charges via USB-C and can flip between... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/2XYizgf