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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Microsoft just posted the second quarter of its 2024 fiscal financial results. The software maker made $62 billion in revenue and a net income of $21.9 billion during Q2. Revenue is up 18 percent, and net income has increased by 33 percent. This is the first quarter Microsoft is reporting earnings as a $3 trillion company and also the first time the company has reported additional revenue from its Activision Blizzard acquisition. While Office and cloud revenue remain strong, devices revenue from Surface sales has continued to decline this quarter, with Windows bouncing back after a slow period for the PC market. Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge The Surface Laptop Studio 2. Microsoft did warn that... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/i08wsV2

MSCHF The art collective MSCHF is stirring up some trouble on the internet again. For its latest project, ASCII Theater , the group will broadcast a popular new film daily in ASCII format that anyone can watch for free. Just paste the command on your Mac or PC’s terminal, and you can watch films like Barbie exactly as, well, virtually no one has intended. ASCII art films are nothing new and date back to the early days of the internet. They are made by converting a film, frame by frame, into lines of text characters. Instead of pixels, you’ll see text. One of the most famous examples is the ASCII art version of the original 1977 Star Wars movie, which was completed by New Zealand-based programmer Simon Jansen in 1997 and is still available... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/wfoxzR4

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Location tracking can be very handy — it’s convenient when an app can tell you, say, where the nearby restaurants or gas stations are — but it’s also a privacy issue (something that at least one of Google’s competitors has used in its sales pitch ). You probably know that Google can track your location and movements through its Google Maps app. But you may not realize that your Android phone is also tracking your movements and activities through several other built-in apps. If you really don’t want your phone to be tracking any of your movements and activities, there is a way to turn tracking off for all (well, most) of them. You just need to be aware that you’re probably going to render many of your apps (such as rideshare apps, weather... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/lOjrUFR

The New York Times will begin building a team to explore the use of generative AI in its newsroom. Zach Seward, who was recently hired by the publication to head AI initiatives, posted on Threads that the team will be “focused on prototyping uses of generative AI and other machine-learning techniques to help with reporting and how the Times is presented to readers.” Seward’s post said the Times plans to hire a machine learning engineer, a software engineer, a designer, and a couple of editors to round out the AI newsroom initiative. So far, the Times has posted job listings for an associate editorial director for AI initiatives and a senior design editor. “The team, led by the editorial director for A.I. initiatives, will also include... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/k4FYUnO

You can buy the portable power bank on sale at Amazon in a variety of colors. | Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge Anker’s new Qi2-compatible chargers may be capturing all the attention, but that doesn’t mean older devices like the Anker 622 Magnetic Battery (MagGo) aren’t worth a look. The portable, 5,000mAh charger may not be as fast as Anker’s new Qi2 MagGo Power Bank , but it’s still one of our favorite models — one you can currently pick up for $34.99 (half off) at Amazon and Walmart . While the new 6,600mAh MagGo Power Bank recharges your phone twice as quickly, Anker’s magnetic Qi charger still delivers a respectable 7.5 watts of power to MagSafe-compatible phones. It also weighs a lot less, making it a better option if you want something you can easily slap onto your phone while on the go. Its foldable kickstand may not be as sturdy as the new... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/cf8By50

Image: The Verge Last week, I turned on my PC, installed a Windows update, and rebooted to find Microsoft Edge automatically open with the Chrome tabs I was working on before the update. I don’t use Microsoft Edge regularly, and I have Google Chrome set as my default browser. Bleary-eyed at 9AM, it took me a moment to realize that Microsoft Edge had simply taken over where I’d left off in Chrome. I couldn’t believe my eyes. I never imported my data into Microsoft Edge, nor did I confirm whether I wanted to import my tabs. But here was Edge automatically opening after a Windows update with all the Chrome tabs I’d been working on. I didn’t even realize I was using Edge at first, and I was confused why all my tabs were suddenly logged out. After the shock... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/Zj39yt7

One of iRobot’s Roombas in action. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge Amazon’s deal to buy Roomba maker iRobot is off, the companies announced today , after iRobot said the deal has “no path to regulatory approval in the European Union.” iRobot is also announcing that it’s laying off around 350 employees, or around 31 percent of its workforce as part of a restructuring . As part of the announcement, iRobot’s chairman and CEO Colin Angle is stepping down. iRobot’s current executive vice president and chief legal officer Glen Weinstein will serve as interim CEO, and Andrew Miller, formerly lead independent director of the board, will become chairman. The announcement comes after the $1.4 billion acquisition ran into difficulties with EU regulators. Last November, the European Commission said it believed the... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/FpUr2mD

SLIM landed close to its target, but engine troubles during the descent saw the lander flipped upside-down and unable to properly recharge its solar batteries. | Image: Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) Japan’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) has been resurrected, over a week after the probe ran out of electricity following its troubled lunar touchdown on January 20th, leaving it upside-down and its solar panels pointing in the wrong direction. On Monday, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) announced that communication with the SLIM spacecraft had been re-established, and operations to hunt for clues about the Moon’s origins had resumed. JAXA had predicted that a change in sunlight direction could allow the probe’s battery to be recharged from its awkwardly angled solar panels. It’s unclear how long this power will last — the agency previously said that SLIM was not designed to survive a lunar night, which will next... Continue reading… from The V

The Nomad Stand offers 15W of wireless iPhone fast charging for $100. | Image: Nomad Nomad’s Stand is the latest Qi2 charger to hit the market, offering up to 15W of wireless charging speed to Qi2-compatible phones like the iPhone 15. The accessory was announced in late December , but it’s now shipping in a choice of black or white for $100 from Nomad’s website . It’s $100 price point makes the Stand $10 cheaper than Nomad’s equivalent MagSafe model, the Stand One , and offers the same “up to 15W” charging speeds and magnetic attachment compatibility as Apple’s MagSafe (Apple helped develop the Qi2 charging standard). The bad news is that Nomad’s $100 asking price doesn’t include the required 20W power adapter — you just get a USB-C to USB-C cable. Image: Nomad Nomad’s Stand in black. Nomad’s... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/5KavIz2

Arc Search browses the web for you, and then builds you the webpage you wanted. That’s the idea, anyway. | Image: The Browser Company / David Pierce A few minutes ago, I opened the new Arc Search app and typed, “What happened in the Chiefs game.” That game, the AFC Championship, had just wrapped up. Normally, I’d Google it, click on a few links, and read about the game that way. But in Arc Search, I typed the query and tapped the “Browse for me” button instead. Arc Search , the new iOS app from The Browser Company, which has been working on a browser called Arc for the last few years, went to work. It scoured the web — reading six pages, it told me, from Twitter to The Guardian to USA Today — and returned a bunch of information a few seconds later. I got the headline: Chiefs win. I got the final score, the key play, a “notable event” that also just said the Chiefs won, a note about... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/clwV2IR

Image: William Joel / The Verge Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 23, your guide to the best and Verge -iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, so psyched you found us, and also, you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage .) This week, I’ve been reading about the sudden rise in freight train heists and the strange state of Air Jordans , watching Jon Stewart’s Mark Twain Prize speeches all over again, wondering if I should buy an original Macintosh on eBay instead of continuing to pay my mortgage, scheming to get my hands on the “real” Star Wars lightsaber , tracking at-home workouts with Weller , and trying to replace doomscrolling on my phone with the Chess.com app . I also have for you a new show from the Silicon Valley creator,... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/PZoNGq6

Image: The Verge X says it will hire 100 full-time employees for a new trust and safety office in Austin, Texas, according to a Saturday report by Bloomberg . The plan comes, as the article notes, just a few days before CEO Linda Yaccarino’s scheduled January 31st hearing before the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding X’s handling of child sexual exploitation moderation. The team would reportedly focus mainly on CSE and would be the first proper trust and safety team since Elon Musk gutted it shortly after purchasing the platform formerly known as Twitter. X updated a blog post about its CSE moderation approach to mention the new office yesterday, as well, though it doesn’t reveal what the new team will be doing, nor when the office will open. The... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/X0TqVI8

Illustration: The Verge X appears to have blocked searches for Taylor Swift as a reaction to a recent trend of graphic AI fakes of the world-famous recording artist being posted to the site . Right now, if you search “Taylor Swift” or “Taylor Swift AI” on X, formerly Twitter, you may see a “Something went wrong” message. After Platformer ’s Casey Newton posted about the apparent block, we tried some other searches. If X is intentionally blocking searches for illicit AI-generated images of Swift, it doesn’t seem to have gotten very far. That’s because if you run into a blocked search term and decide to put the barest amount of effort into trying something else, you’ll get around it. “Taylor AI Swift” or simply putting quotation marks around her name both returned... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/m9abYcS

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Microsoft released a new Canary test build for Windows yesterday that brings the company’s Voice Clarity feature, which previously only worked on Surface devices , to all Windows machines, including those using ARM CPUs. The company says in a blog post that the feature uses “low complexity AI models” to filter out background noise, echo, and reverberation in real-time. If Voice Clarity works well enough, its obvious best use case is to make Zoom or Teams meetings less insufferable — after all, how many times have you found yourself lost because someone is giving a presentation while standing 10 feet away from a laptop, their voice awash in a sea of reverb or echo? Or been unable to concentrate on what you’re saying because your every... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/pNWnO6g

Illustration: The Verge Is it a joyous outage where you get to relax, or something mission critical going wrong? Either way, “a portion” of Microsoft Teams is down — with outages in North America, South America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, according to the latest status update from Microsoft’s official account. So yeah, if you can’t communicate with your colleagues right now via Microsoft’s biz comm platform, that’s probably why. Some users are reportedly not able to log into Teams, while others may see missing messages, missing attachments, delays, etc. We've completed the failover in the EMEA region and service telemetry is showing some improvement. The failovers for the North and South America regions are ongoing and we continue to monitor.... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/7CBFrN8

For the past few years, Lionsgate has dominated the stylish, hyper-choreographed, bullet-hole-ridden action-thriller genre with a steady stream of John Wick movies as well as a spinoff series . But the first trailer for Universal and Blumhouse’s Monkey Man from director Dev Patel makes it seem like a glorious challenge to viewers to understand how much bigger, wilder, and more visually inspired these kinds of movies can be. Set on the streets of modern-day Mumbai, Monkey Man tells the story of a man named Kid (Patel), an ex-con whose return to society is a brutal reminder of how India’s caste system keeps poor, vulnerable people trapped in cycles of violence and systemic poverty. Kid has fond memories of an idyllic childhood being raised... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/LyH8k9D

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge The iPhone’s app ecosystem is about to go through its biggest shake-up since the App Store launched in 2008. Today, Apple announced how it plans to change the rules for developers releasing iOS software in the European Union in response to the bloc’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) coming into force in March. The big news is that third-party app stores will be allowed on iOS for the first time, breaking the Apple App Store’s position as the sole distributor of iPhone apps. The changes will arrive with iOS 17.4 in March. Here’s how the new “alternative app marketplaces,” as Apple called them, will work. Users in the EU and on iOS 17.4 will be able to download a marketplace from that marketplace’s website. In order to be used on an iPhone, those... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/bjpWzog

A view of Meta’s data center in Clonee Co Meath, Ireland. Picture date: Tuesday June 13, 2023.  | Photo by Niall Carson/PA Images via Getty Images Data centers could gobble up twice as much electricity by 2026 thanks in large part to cryptocurrencies and artificial intelligence, according to a new report from the International Energy Agency (IEA). We rely on data centers to store all our emails, photos, cat videos, and everything else floating around in the cloud. More and more, data centers are cropping up to mine Bitcoin and train AI. That’s already triggered backlash over the environmental impact of cryptocurrencies and AI tools like ChatGPT , since all those data centers are responsible for greenhouse gas emissions tied to their electricity use. The world will need a lot more renewable energy to clean up pollution from power grids and satiate skyrocketing electricity demand... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/yBNhbR7

The third-gen AirPods currently start at $159 ($10 off) when you buy them with a Lightning-only charging case. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge If you know where to look, there are often some great discounts available on Apple’s ever-popular AirPods. Since Apple launched the third-gen AirPods toward the end of 2021, we’ve seen the starting price of the second-gen, entry-level model slowly dip to around $100. And now that the second-gen AirPods Pro has been on the market for over a year, we’re also seeing their price fall more often, too. We’re even seeing great deals land on the newer updated AirPods Pro with USB-C . Here, we’ve curated the best deals currently available on each model, including the entry-level AirPods, the AirPods Pro, the third-gen AirPods, and the AirPods Max. The best AirPods (second-gen) deals In 2021, Apple lowered the list price of the... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/aVIZmOU

Image: The Verge This is Hot Pod , The Verge’ s newsletter about podcasting and the audio industry. Sign up here for more. On Friday, Insiders got part one of a Q&A with NPR’s new podcasting chief, Collin Campbell, who led new show development at Gimlet before the studio was dismantled by Spotify. We discussed how his strategy for NPR differs from his predecessor and how the network is moving forward after last year’s layoffs and cancellations. Today, I have the second part of the interview, in which we got into how NPR is operating in the new, competitive podcasting landscape, and what (if anything) he learned from the tumult at Gimlet. But first, some more Hot Pod Summit news! Throughline and Israel Story are coming to Hot Pod Summit It’s shaping up... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/TgkYq02

LG’s C3 OLED TVs offer bright, vivid displays along with several gamer-friendly features. | Image: LG Super Bowl season traditionally brings with it steep discounts on last year’s TVs, and while it’s still some time away, the deals are starting to trickle in. If you want to upgrade your TV ahead of the event, BuyDig is throwing in up to $200 in gift cards when you buy the last-gen LG C3 OLED TV in various configurations. You can, for instance, buy the 77-inch model at its all-time low price of $2,296.99 ($200 off) with a $200 gift card, while the 65-inch is $1,596.99 ($1,000 off) with a $100 gift card included. If you prefer a different retailer, Amazon and Best Buy are also discounting the TVs but without a gift card. The forthcoming LG C4 is brighter and has more processing power, but the last-gen TV is still an impressive... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/lDcHuxg

Motorola’s classic clamshell modernized with a flexible OLED display finally feels worth the money after a $450 discount. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge Between foldable smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Flip 5, the Pixel Fold , and the OnePlus Open , it’s easy to forget the Motorola Razr Plus exists. The flip phone is a throwback to Motorola’s roots, only the sharp-edged number pad departs to make room for the 6.9-inch OLED display that greets you when opening it. (You can still ride the nostalgic wave with a software-based dialer resembling the classic design.) Thanks to a steep 45 percent discount at Woot that’s only around for the next couple of days (or while supplies last), you can buy the newest Razr Plus in black for just $549.99 ($450 off). That price is even cheaper than the $699.99 base model and about $150 cheaper than we’ve seen at other retailers during last... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/1ZzCn0W

Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge iOS 17.3 is out, and it comes with a new security feature that’s supposed to prevent thieves from taking your iPhone and quickly taking over access to anything stored in iCloud as well as other important accounts like your bank or email. Instead of relying on your lock screen passcode for security (as thieves have learned to trick people into entering it in front of them before they take off with the phone), Stolen Device Protection requires you to scan your fingerprint or use Face ID when performing certain actions, such as viewing saved passwords or applying for a new Apple Card. Image: Wes Davis iOS 17.3 update notes The feature also introduces a waiting period when performing more sensitive actions, such... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/8nMXCqE

Image: Nvidia Nvidia’s RTX Remix tool is now available for modders to try. The game remastering tool, currently out in open beta , allows modders to give older games a makeover with AI-powered texture tools, ray tracing, and Nvidia DLSS 3. This is the same tool that was used to give Portal a visual boost with upgraded textures, models, and improved lighting. It’s also what a community of modders are using to remaster Half-Life 2 with some realistic-looking headcrabs and way better textures. But now that it’s available for all modders to try, it should make for an even wider range of upgraded games. Not every classic game is compatible with RTX Remix, though. Nvidia says that the tool works best with DirectX 8 and 9 games “with fixed function... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/mi9aQgd

Image: Apple Apple is kicking off the week with the first trailer for its sci-fi series Constellation . The show stars Noomi Rapace as an astronaut who “returns to Earth after a disaster in space — only to discover that key pieces of her life seem to be missing.” In the trailer, this appears to manifest itself as a series of mysteries — a strange piano, an unknown voice on a tape recorder — along with plenty of unsettling hallucinations. The rest of the cast includes Jonathan Banks, James D’Arcy, Julian Looman, William Catlett, and Barbara Sukowa, and the series is being helmed by creator and writer Peter Harness ( Doctor Who ). Constellation premieres with three episodes on February 21st, and new episodes stream on Wednesdays after that. (Between this... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/pmjRO9x

Screen time is on my side, yes it is. | Image: Ford The 2024 Lincoln Nautilus will get the new super-sized screen, with other models to follow. And yes, it still supports CarPlay and Android Auto.  Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/K9UxTdr

Image: Meta EU users will be able to unlink their Instagram and Facebook accounts, as well as other Meta services ahead of the bloc’s new Digital Markets Act (DMA) coming into force in March, the company has announced . The changes will apply in the European Union, European Economic Area, and Switzerland, and notifications informing users of the change will appear in the coming weeks. The changes mean that EU users will be able to use many of Meta’s services without their information being shared between them. People will be able to use Facebook Messenger as a stand-alone service without a Facebook account, for example, and if they’ve previously linked their Facebook and Instagram accounts they’ll be able to unlink them. ( Meta’s help page notes that... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/Yfv53dh

Image: Apple It won’t be a huge shocker if the bulk of the “over 1 million” apps that Apple says the Vision Pro will launch with are mostly just existing iPad or iPhone versions . But what is a little surprising is that some of Apple’s big first-party apps will be, too, including Podcasts, News, Calendar, and Reminders, according to Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter for Bloomberg today. It seems like a bizarre choice for Apple’s big, shiny new platform at first glance. But whether it’s actually a problem may depend on how well the Vision Pro’s gaze-and-tap interface ports to the apps’ touch-first approach. After all, it’s not like the Reminders app needs mind-blowing immersive 3D effects. But part of the appeal of the platform for some folks will be... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/r1USzQf

The Magic Mouse’s new shoe. | Image: Wes Davis / The Verge This past Christmas, there was a box in my stocking that held something I had half-jokingly added to my wishlist: an “ergonomic” grip that raises, widens, and adds wireless charging to Apple’s Magic Mouse 2. It’s like a little boot with a Lightning adapter tongue that plugs right into your Magic Mouse’s underbelly. Best of all, it’s magnetic, making it perfect for use with a MagSafe puck. Does this thing totally ruin the sleek Apple aesthetic? Absolutely! And I’m not even remotely convinced by its cheap-feeling plastic that it will last longer than a few months before it just stops working. Yet, somehow, it’s exactly what the Magic Mouse needs. What it’s called doesn’t really matter, because this isn’t a product any company you’ve ever... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/AThigOW

Illustration: William Joel / The Verge Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 22, your guide to the best and Verge -iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, so psyched you found us, and also, you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage .) This week, I’ve been reading about the unbearable sameness of coffee shops and what happened to Twitch , testing out the Funnel iOS app for quick-capturing everything, marveling over Federico Viticci’s truly wild iPad setup , setting up my Flipboard all over again now that Artifact is dead , filling my cabinets thanks to this list of great new snacks , adding all the Emmy winners to my Sofa queue, and watching every behind-the-scenes Jon Bellion video that exists on the internet. I also have for you a huge new Samsung... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/7qAmbSG

Pssh. Who needs an SpO2 sensor, anyway? | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Lately, it seems like all the talk regarding the Apple Watch seems to revolve around Apple’s ongoing patent dispute with medical device maker Masimo — a legal battle that has resulted in Apple recently removing the blood oxygen features found on the Series 9 and Ultra 2. Sales have continued uninterrupted for the latest Apple Watch SE given it lacks the SpO2 sensor, however, and now the second-gen smartwatch can be had for as little as $179 ($50 off) at Walmart. To be honest, most healthy individuals are not missing out on the SpO2 sensor, nor are first-time smartwatch buyers likely to complain about the SE’s lack of an always-on display or some of the fancier health tracking features found on the Series 9. Apple’s latest entry-level... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/dGZh05y

Image: Square Enix Making sure an event as large as Games Done Quick (GDQ) runs smoothly is a monumental task. There are lots of technical moving parts, from video equipment, to lighting, sound, and stream overlays, to donation trackers that have to be kept running 24 hours a day for a week straight. The tech team also has to consider the individual needs of over 100 runners playing on consoles that range in age and complexity from the NES to the PlayStation 5. With all of that going on, I wondered which game out of the thousands that have been run at GDQ throughout its 10-plus-year history the tech team hates the most, and the answer surprised me. It’s the PSX SquareSoft (remember them??) RPG Chrono Cross . After speaking with GDQ’s director of technology,... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/gWqSytb

Amazon’s note-taking Kindle Scribe is on sale as a part of a bundle. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge When it comes to finding a device to use to read your ebooks, you have a few options to choose from. You can always buy a tablet or use your phone, but those devices are multipurpose and can be used for a ton of things, like surfing the web or doom-scrolling on Twitter. If you are looking for something to strictly read books, e-readers, while niche, are designed to store all of your books in a virtual library with limited functionality. Amazon, one of the pioneers of the e-reader, has dominated the space for years with its ever-expanding Kindle lineup, which consists of several unique models with their own pros and cons. The bulk of the devices function as simple ebook readers; however, with the Kindle Scribe , Amazon looks to be moving... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/xJRYL94

Govee’s full-color light strip features tunable LEDs and the ability to sync with your music. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge Let’s face it, January can be a bleak month. The holidays are over, and all that’s left are dark, cold days, which is enough to bring anybody’s spirits down. Thankfully, Govee’s Matter-ready LED Strip Light M1 is on sale to brighten up your day. Right now, you can buy the light strip for just $39.99 ($20 off) at Amazon , which matches its all-time low price. You can also buy it for $5 more directly from Govee . If you miss seeing colorful holiday lights everywhere, then you’ll love Govee’s 6.56-foot (2m) light strip. The bright, tunable LEDs are capable of jazzing up your home with a wide range of vibrant colors and effects, making it almost feel as if it’s Christmas all over again. What’s even cooler is that the lights also flash and... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/kP9RCfy

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Apple’s most outspoken critics aren’t thrilled with the company’s recent App Store changes. In a statement to The Verge , Spotify spokesperson Jeanne Moran says that the new 27 percent tax on alternative payment methods shows that Apple “will stop at nothing to protect the profits they exact on the backs of developers and consumers under their app store monopoly.” The company updated its App Store policies to comply with a court order handed down as part of the Epic v. Apple ruling . The change lets developers in the US link to alternative payment methods, but only if they shell out a 27 percent commission for each purchase made outside the App Store. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney was one of the first to call out Apple’s changes as... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/CbEQx1V

The Galaxy S24 Plus (left) and the S24 (right). Samsung’s Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus don’t have the bigger screen or 5x telephoto camera of the more expensive Galaxy S24 Ultra, nor do they have its stylus. But in a year when “Galaxy AI” is almost all Samsung wants to talk about, it feels like those differences will matter a little less than usual when these phones start shipping on January 31st. Yes, Samsung’s suite of new AI-infused features is here, and perhaps the single most important thing to know about Samsung’s new S24 lineup is that these are the same whether you opt for the $799.99 Galaxy S24, the $999.99 Galaxy S24 Plus, or the $1,299.99 Galaxy S24 Ultra. In the US, the phones are all using Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processors, meaning the performance of the on-device AI features... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/Il4Y8h2

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The broad legislation is already forcing some major shifts in the tech industry. Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/EUp3PaQ

Apple’s mixed-reality headset lets users switch between virtual and augmented reality using a physical dial. | Image: Apple After first introducing the Vision Pro during last year’s Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple recently revealed that the forthcoming headset will be available starting February 2nd. If you can’t wait to get your hands on it, however, you can preorder it from US Apple Store locations and online for $3,499 starting at 8AM ET on January 19th. If you plan on placing your order as soon preorders later this week, it’s a good idea to read up on everything you need to know ahead of time. To make doing so a little easier, we’ve rounded up all the info you’ll need to place a preorder below, including a few details regarding the upcoming headset, the various accessories it comes packaged with, and more. We’ll also be updating this post when... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/9SQKDyd

It’s impossible to look cool in a VR headset, even if it’s the $3,499 Vision Pro. | Image: Apple I know what I saw, but I’m still trying to figure out where this headset fits in real life. Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://www.theverge.com/24040075/apple-vision-pro-hands-on-virtual-reality

Illustration: The Verge Yesterday TikTok presented me with what appeared to be a deepfake of Timothee Chalamet sitting in Leonardo Dicaprio’s lap and yes, I did immediately think “if this stupid video is that good imagine how bad the election misinformation will be.” OpenAI has, by necessity, been thinking about the same thing and today updated its policies to begin to address the issue. The Wall Street Journal noted the new change in policy which were first published to OpenAI’s blog . ChatGPT, Dall-e, and other OpenAI tool users and makers are now forbidden from using OpenAI’s tools to impersonate candidates or local governments and users cannot use OpenAI’s tools for campaigns or lobbying either. Users are also not permitted to use OpenAI tools to discourage... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/0GSYQZX

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge The blood oxygen feature is about to disappear from new Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 devices. While Apple itself has not released a statement or responded to our request for comment, both Bloomberg and 9to5Mac are reporting that the feature will be going away and that US Customs and Border Protection has approved the measure, which would allow Apple to consider selling both products after their sale was banned last year. The Apple Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 were both banned in the US late last year as the result of a patent dispute with medical device maker Masimo. The International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled that the blood oxygen sensors in both devices infringed on patents from Masimo. Apple pulled the Watch Series 9... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/1wO4qpx

Image: Microsoft Microsoft first launched its AI-powered Office features for businesses in November, but just two months later the company is already offering them to consumers. Copilot Pro is launching today as a $20 monthly subscription that provides access to AI-powered features inside Office apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint alongside priority access to the latest OpenAI models and the ability to build your own Copilot GPT. If you’re already a Microsoft 365 Personal or Home subscriber then the extra $20 per month (per person) subscription will immediately unlock Copilot in Office apps on Mac, Windows, and iPad. These features include the ability to generate entire PowerPoint slide decks from a chatbot-like prompt, and inline Copilot experiences... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/82i7yCX

Razer’s newest gaming laptops are certified for Wi-Fi 7. | Image: Razer The Wi-Fi Alliance announced at the beginning of CES last week that it had begun certifying Wi-Fi 7 devices. Not having the certification doesn’t mean a device won’t work, but it does mean that it’s been confirmed to work within the standard’s specification and is therefore compatible with other Wi-Fi devices. Handily, the Wi-Fi Alliance has a searchable database of what’s certified, and a few notable ones have already earned the Alliance’s stamp of approval for the new standard. You may already have a Wi-Fi 7 smartphone if you own the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra . Qualcomm’s FastConnect 7800 network adapter, which is now certified for the new Wi-Fi standard, is included with Samsung’s 2023 flagship phone. The only trouble is, to date,... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/PhmrIaz

Image: FedEx FedEx announced that it will launch a new “data-driven commerce platform” this fall called “fdx” that would put FedEx in the loop of every part of online sales, from purchases to delivery and returns. The platform will integrate with ShopRunner, an online e-commerce store the company bought in 2020 . The company writes that sellers using fdx can ShopRunner platform can use it to “see shipments in near real time,” choose supply chain resources based on carbon impact, and to handle returns. FedEx says when fdx launches in the fall, it will give sellers “more efficient, cost-effective deliveries” using its data. FedEx’s system would also enable a “custom post-purchase experience” so brands can give customers more accurate shipment... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/zNMEh3c

Image: Ubisoft Two weeks into 2024, and we’ve already got a GOTY. Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/57KIiQa

Image: William Joel / The Verge Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 21, your guide to the best and Verge -iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, sorry for all the bad jokes, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage .) I’ve been in Vegas all week for CES, the annual extravaganza of gadgets and gizmos aplenty, whozits and whatsits galore. Most of what’s here isn’t yet available for purchase (and a lot of it never will be), but I love getting a peek into what the tech industry is dreaming about, so I figured I should share some of the best new stuff here. I’ve also been reading about how Cyberpunk 2077 turned into a hit , learning some new tech minimalism ideas , watching Patriot and rewatching Archer , and trying out a new... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/E5piBgx

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Peacock is the only source for tonight’s playoff game between Miami and Kansas City, and the most surprising result is that through three quarters, the service is mostly holding up to the task. The game just entered the fourth quarter, which is going to be “commercial free,” but that may not be enough to make everyone happy about the deal the NFL made to take a playoff game away from regular TV broadcast availability and put it on a streaming service operated by NBCUniversal. Most initial viewer complaints online were more about needing Peacock to tune into the game, instead of connection or login issues that have occasionally marred live sports streaming before. However, some folks have noted audio problems, or had streams glitch and... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/cdBIbz6

Using WowMouse to control a computer mouse. | Image: Doublepoint A company called Doublepoint announced a new app during CES this week called WowMouse that turns Android smartwatches like the Samsung Galaxy Watch into a gesture-based mouse for your computer. That means waving your arm around to move the mouse and pinching your fingers to click (similar to the Double Tap feature on the Apple Watch Series 9). The app is available now on the Google Play store . WowMouse works by broadcasting the watch as a Bluetooth Human Interface Devices (HID) mouse, allowing it to work with a variety of operating systems, by just pairing it like you would any other Bluetooth mouse. According to Doublepoint’s site , that includes Windows, Linux, macOS, and iPadOS. It’s confirmed that it works on certain Wear OS watches,... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/Z7btfc4

Fun new game just dropped! Go to the internet platform of your choice, type “goes against OpenAI use policy,” and see what happens. The bossman dropped a link to a Rick Williams Threads post in the chat that had me go check Amazon out for myself. Screenshot by Liz Lopatto Hell yeah, [product name]! On Amazon, I searched for “ OpenAI policy ” and boy, did I get results! I’m not entirely sure what this green thing is but I’ve been assured that it will “Boost your productivity with our high-performance [product name], designed to deliver-fast results and handle demanding tasks efficiently, ensuring you stay of the competition.“ Phenomenal! Unfortunately, there are no customer reviews — yet, anyway! ... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/RWzQlij

The 8-1 Qi2 charger announced by Anker during CES 2024. | Image: Nathan Edwards / The Verge Last year, you couldn’t mention CES without bringing up Matter. It was a pivotal year for the smart home standard, as big names like Samsung, GE, and Amazon promised better interoperability between their devices and a world of sensors, appliances, and accessories. But that promise largely started and ended with smart home tech. This year, things were a little different at CES: the idea of making products work nicely across ecosystems bled into other areas of the showcase and rippled across a range of different devices — even putting rivals on the same page to better serve users. Google, for instance, revealed several updates to Android that show a clear push toward interoperability. One of Google’s biggest updates was to Nearby Share,... Continue reading… from The Verge - All Posts https://ift.tt/OnH0DvI