Samsung’s new Z Flip and Z Fold get battery-protection feature

The Z Flip 3. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge

The Z Fold 3 and Z Flip 3 have inherited a battery protection that was previously exclusive to Samsung’s tablets, which when enabled is designed to maximize the lifespan of batteries, _SamMobile_reports. The “Protect battery” feature limits the devices’ charge level to 85 percent, preventing the full charge to 100 percent that’s believed to wear down batteries over years of use.

The feature, which is available in the Settings app under Device Care > Battery > More battery settings, comes with the obvious trade-off of limiting the max battery life you’ll get out of either phone per charge. In our reviews we noted that both the Z Fold 3 and the Z Flip 3 average around a day of battery life by default, which means you might have to commit...

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The iPhone 13’s rumored satellite link sounds like it’s just for emergencies

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Apple plans to let you connect your iPhone to satellites so you can contact emergency services in areas that don’t have cellular coverage, according to a new Bloomberg report. _Bloomberg’s_article was published after Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo said Sunday that the iPhone 13 may be able to make satellite calls. Kuo often reveals details about Apple’splans before the company officially announces them, but Bloomberg’s sources indicate that Apple’s approach for iPhone satellite connectivity may be more limited to start.

One feature, called Emergency Message via Satellite, will let you text emergency services and emergency contacts when you don’t have a cell signal by harnessing a satellite network, according to Bloomberg. These messages will...

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Chrome 94 beta tests some next-gen tech for gaming in your browser

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Google’s Chrome Beta 94 announcement mentions that Google is implementing some new web standards that could make browser-based gaming experiences even better. The soon-to-be-released WebCodecs could help make cloud gaming easier and faster, while the experimental WebGPU could make it easier for developers of games that run in the browser to tap into your computer’s power.

WebCodecs is an API designed to give developers better access to the video encoding/decoding codecs that are already bundled with your browser, which figure out what to do with video streams. While there are already methods of getting video to play in Chrome, they’re not necessarily designed for things like cloud gaming, which is best when it’s as low-latency as...

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HBO Max and YouTube are now on Spectrum TV

Image: Spectrum TV

Two of the biggest players in streaming, HBO Max and YouTube, have officially arrived on Spectrum TV.

It’s the first time the apps have been supported on Spectrum TV, Charter’s digital cable provider and live TV app, and users will be able to access content from both apps through the platform’s guide on channels 2004 for HBO Max and 2003 for YouTube. Users will also be able to find them by searching the guide or from the guide’s apps menu. (A subscription to HBO Max, which costs $10 per month with ads or $15 to go ad-free and unlock same-day theatrical releases, will still be required to access the content.)

The two apps are huge additions to Spectrum’s platform. HBO Max, which launched well over a year ago, offers more than 13,000...

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GM temporarily stops making the Chevy Bolt after latest recall

Image: Chevrolet

General Motors is halting production of the Chevy Bolt EV after a number of battery fires prompted a massive recall that has already cost the company nearly $2 billion. The automaker won’t resume making the 2022 Bolt and Bolt EUV until at least mid-September. It had initially stopped production last week because of the global chip shortage.

The recall repair process is also on hold, as GM is still waiting to get new battery modules from its supplier, South Korean conglomerate LG, that it is confident are free of defects. “We will not resume repairs or restart production until we are confident LG is producing defect free products for us,” GM spokesman Daniel Flores said in a statement to The Verge.

It’s the latest blow to one of the most...

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Shape-shifting storms like Ida are cities’ worst nightmare

First responders prepare to launch rescue boats to transport residents out of floodwater left behind by Hurricane Ida in LaPlace, Louisiana, U.S., on Monday, Aug. 30, 2021 | Luke Sharrett/Bloomberg via Getty Images

With less time to act as climate change churns up more rapidly intensifying storms like Hurricane Ida, coastal communities might have to rethink how they prepare for future storms. They could be forced to make tough decisions before a threat even fully materializes. Or they might take cues from how cities prepare for other types of disasters.

Ida grew monstrous overnight. In less than a day, its wind speed jumped from 85 to 150 miles per hour, making it the fifth strongest storm to land in the mainland US. After Ida pummeled Louisiana for hours over the weekend, “virtually no one” had electricity in the state Monday morning, Gov. John Bel Edwards said in a video posted to Twitter. Some places are under boil water advisories with water...

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Apple sets debut date for The Problem with Jon Stewart

Image: Apple

Apple’s upcoming show starring Jon Stewart, The Problem with Jon Stewart, will debut on Apple TV Plus on September 30th, the company announced Monday. Apple describes the show as a “multiple-season, single-issue series, taking a deep dive on the issues affecting us most.” It will also have a companion podcast, which will “extend the conversation from each episode.” New episodes of the TV show will premiere every other week, while new episodes of the podcast will be released weekly.

Apple released a short teaser to promote the premiere date that features Stewart wondering, “what the hell happened to my face?” You can also listen to a teaser of the podcast right now, though it’s only 15 seconds long and doesn’t give us a great idea of...

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You’ll have to tell Instagram your birthday to keep using the app

Image: Instagram

If you haven’t given Instagram your birthday, it’s about to start asking for it a whole lot more — and it’ll eventually be required for you to use the app. Instagram started requiring that new users add their birthdates in 2019, but if you had an older account, it was possible to skate by without providing that info. Now it seems that’ll become increasingly more difficult.

According to the press release, Instagram will ask you for your birthday when you open the app, if you haven't already added it to your profile. You’ll be able to ignore it, but only up to a certain point — eventually, Instagram says, you’ll have to add your birthday if you want to keep using the app. Instagram also says that if it doesn’t have your birthday, it’ll ask...

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Invest at PayPal could compete with Robinhood and Square’s retail stock trading

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

The next platform to host a rush on stocks like GameStop and AMC could be PayPal, as CNBC reports the company hired a brokerage industry vet to lead the effort. CNBC points out that Rich Hagen served as Ally Invest president after that company acquired a startup he co-founded called TradeKing, and now his LinkedIn page lists him as the CEO of Invest at PayPal.

The meme stock trading action of the last year may have convinced PayPal it can’t let Robinhood or Square take over the market of retail investors who want to easily trade individual stocks.

Regulatory slaps on the wrist and financial nihilism haven’t stalled activity on those apps. However, it may be a while before PayPal is a tool in the arsenal of r/WallStreetBets. PayPal’s CEO...

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DrLupo is the latest streamer to move from Twitch to YouTube Gaming

Photo by Matt King / Getty Images

Streamer Ben “DrLupo” Lupo has signed a deal to stream exclusively on YouTube Gaming, following in the footsteps of other well-known streamers like Jack “CouRage” Dunlop and Rachell “Valkyrae” Hofstetter in moving from Twitch to YouTube. Lupo’s first YouTube Gaming stream will take place on August 31st.

Lupo already has a sizable presence on YouTube, with more than 1.7 million followers. But in switching to the Google-owned platform, he’s moving on from his large audience on Twitch, where he has 4.5 million followers.

A Loaded PR representative declined to comment on the terms of Lupo’s YouTube Gaming deal. In December 2019, Lupo signed a deal with Twitch that was reported to be worth millions of dollars per year. The Amazon-owned...

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What’s the best student laptop? We asked students

The Dell XPS 13 is one of the best laptops for high school and college students. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Shopping for a laptop can be stressful — doubly stressful if you or your children will be learning online for the first time. Kids of different ages have a range of different laptop use cases and different needs. And as the choices for best laptop and best Chromebook evolve, so do students’ needs. So I spoke to some experts on the subject: students themselves.

My recommendations here are meant to accommodate a variety of preferences and price ranges. But they’re a jumping-off point rather than an exhaustive list: every student is different. Before making a decision, you’ll want to make sure you read reviews and try out devices yourself if you can. I’ll do my best to keep this article up to date with items that are in stock.

Best laptop...

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Apple buys classical music streaming service Primephonic

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Apple Music is pushing more extensively into classical music. Today, Apple announced that it has acquired Primephonic, a service that specializes in streaming the classical genre, and will incorporate the app’s functionality and playlists into Apple Music. The result will be “a significantly improved classical music experience,” Apple said in a press release. There will also be a standalone Apple Music classical app coming sometime in 2022.

Effective immediately, Primephonic is no longer accepting new customers, and the service as it exists today will shut down on September 7th.

Apple says Primephonic’s playlists and “exclusive audio content” will be first to be integrated into Apple Music. Down the line, it’ll add “the best features...

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Apple cares about privacy, unless you work at Apple

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

The company has taken a strong stance on safeguarding its customers’ data — but some employees don’t believe it protects theirs

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TikTok’s parent company acquires VR headset maker Pico

TikTok parent company ByteDance is acquiring Chinese virtual reality headset maker Pico. CNBC confirmed the news today after it was rumored last week and verified by Chinese publication Nweon. ByteDance told CNBC in a statement that Pico’s “comprehensive suite of software and hardware technologies, as well as the talent and deep expertise of the team, will support both our entry to the VR space and long-term investment in this emerging field,” saying it was “optimistic about the future of VR and its alignment with our mission.”

Pico is known for its Neo lineup of standalone virtual reality headsets, most recently the Pico Neo 3. It caters to both consumer and professional customers, and a June IDC report estimates that Pico is the third...

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Electric robotaxis may not be the climate solution we were led to believe

Photo by Andrej Sokolow/picture alliance via Getty Images

For years, we’ve been told that electric autonomous taxis can help fight climate change by reducing air pollution. But new research from Harvard Law School suggests these supposedly “zero emissions” vehicles could actually exacerbate many of the problems we are facing today.

A new study led by Ashley Nunes, a fellow at the Labor and Worklife Program at Harvard Law School, concluded that fleets of electric autonomous taxis could “dramatically increase energy consumption and emissions that contribute to climate change — not reduce them.”

“While electric vehicles themselves have lower emissions than traditional gasoline-powered ones, our work shows that deploying electric robocabs en masse on America’s streets could actually increase the...

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The N64 controller was a weird but essential introduction to joysticks

In the annals of gaming history, there’s no controller better known than the three-pronged piece of plastic that shipped with the Nintendo 64. That’s likely for a few reasons. There’s the unique design, which renders it instantly and unmistakably recognizable as the N64’s gamepad. There’s the popularity of the console, which helped cement Nintendo as one of the definitive names in gaming.

But the most important part of the N64 controller isn’t the design or the box it attached to: it was the joystick, which introduced millions to a new way of controlling games and paved the way for modern 3D gaming that’s virtually standard today.

Nintendo didn’t invent the joystick, but it did popularize it

Nintendo didn’t invent the joystick or the...

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The latest iPad Air is $100 off at Best Buy and Amazon

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

It’s almost unspoken wisdom at this point that you should think twice about buying some costly Apple products in the late summer months, as the company usually announces new stuff during its annual September event. But if you really need or want an iPad with a few pro-level features (but without the high cost of the iPad Pro), this $100 off deal at Amazon and Best Buy on the iPad Air released in 2020 might be what you’re after.

Normally $599 for the 64GB version, you can get it now for $499, matching the lowest price we’ve seen yet. This model has a 10.9-inch display, and like the 11-inch and 12.9-inch iPad Pro, it charges via USB-C and supports the latest Apple Pencil. Uniquely, it sports a Touch ID sensor within the power button along...

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How police laid down a geofence dragnet for Kenosha protestors

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

ATF investigators used a controversial technique to investigate arson incidents connected to the 2020 police protests

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Fossil announces new smartwatches for 2021 that won’t have Wear OS 3 until 2022

Fossil Gen 6 watches | Fossil

Fossil has announced its fall 2021 smartwatch lineup running Wear OS, which it is calling the Gen 6 Touchscreen. As with the Gen 5 Fossil watches, the Gen 6 will come in a few different styles and sizes and there will also be versions sold under the Michael Kors brand. Prices will start at $299 and they’ll be available for preorder immediately. It does not appear that Fossil will offer LTE options.

Unfortunately, these watches will be shipping with the current Wear OS 2 software and not the new Wear OS 3 that runs on the latest Samsung Galaxy Watches. Fossil says that it’s going to offer upgrades to Wear OS 3 for Gen 6 watches in 2022, though exactly when in 2022 is a trickier question. Google has said that Wear OS 2 watches wouldn’t...

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Gumroad announces cheaper pricing for creators

Image: Gumroad

Gumroad is announcing a new pricing structure today that streamlines the fees and features of its platform, making it easier for creators to get started selling products or memberships online. Gumroad was one of the early “help people sell things online” businesses, but this change is a sort of reset for the company as the space grows even more crowded.

The first major change is an end to Gumroad’s free and paid “Pro” tiers. Previously, Gumroad locked features like using a custom domain name or offering HD video streams behind a $10 per month subscription. That caused some confusion from users just starting out — did it make sense to commit to paying upfront? Now everyone receives the same features without having to pay extra or worry...

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Kids in China now restricted to just 3 hours of online gaming per week

A child plays an online mobile game. | Photo by Visual China Group via Getty Images

Chinese gaming platforms like Tencent and NetEase must limit online gaming to minors to just three hours per week following new rules imposed by regulators on Monday, according to Bloomberg citing state media reports. The change is being made in response to growing concern over gaming addiction and a broader crackdown on China’s tech giants.

Children under the age of 18 will now be restricted to one hour of gaming from 8pm to 9pm on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday; and on public holidays. That’s a change from the previous limit of 1.5 hours of online gameplay on most days. Gaming companies must restrict online game play outside those hours, according to Reuters, and must have a real name verification system in place to ensure the new rules...

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The first Neon Genesis Evangelion Blu-rays you can actually buy ship November 9th

You might have heard that Neon Genesis Evangelion, the seminal 1995 anime series seemingly about giant mech battles but far deeper and more disturbing than that,is coming to Blu-ray for the very first time in the US, UK, and beyond. What you might not have heard: when that news was first announced nearly two weeks ago, it was just for a $275 limited-edition Neon Genesis Evangelion’s Ultimate Edition whose stateside release of just 5,000 copies sold out in the blink of an eye.

Today, GKids is rectifying that with a five-disc Standard Edition that costs just $60 and will actually ship a month earlier than those $275 copies, technically making it the actual first official Blu-ray release in the United States when it arrives November 9th....

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Clubhouse embraces spatial audio for more lifelike conversations

Leah Lamarr is currently featured as the Clubhouse icon. | Image: Clubhouse

Clubhouse began rolling out a iOS app update on Sunday that enables spatial audio support. The Android update is “coming soon,” according to the company. The feature works by introducing subtle spatial cues that position speakers on Clubhouse calls into three-dimensional space around your head, making the remote listening experience a better approximation of being in a room full of people. It works best with headphones, either Bluetooth or wired.

Clubhouse tweeted out a video allowing you to hear for yourself how it sounds.

Hear ye, hear ye spAAaAaAatial audio on Clubhouse!

It's like surround sound, but w/ your own headphones. A more vibrant, human experience! Plus makes it much easier to tell who's talking.

thanks to @juberti for this...

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GoPro’s next flagship action camera leaks

The GoPro Hero 10 Black leaks in full. | Image: WinFuture

Images and specs of the GoPro Hero 10 Black have apparently leaked in full. According to WinFuture, which accurately leaked the redesigned Hero 9 Black at this same time last year, the new flagship GoPro action camera will look pretty much the same as last year’s miniature cam only with a more powerful GP2 processor of GoPro design inside for improved overall performance.

The new GP2 processor is expected to provide a major boost in performance with support for 5.3K videos shot at a smooth 60fps, or 4K video recorded at 120fps which is useful for slo-mo. That’s an improvement from 5K30 and 4K60 on last year’s flagship. The Hero 10 Black can also record at 2.7K and 240fps for even more motion control but at reduced resolution. There’s...

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Apple Watch Series 7 reportedly has flat sides and bigger screens

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

The upcoming Apple Watch will feature its first new hardware design in years, according to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman’s Power On newsletter. Gurman says the Apple Watch Series 7 will have “a flatter display and edges,” seemingly continuing Apple’s quest to flatten the sides of every product in its lineup.

The display is said to be slightly larger than the current panels found in the Series 6, and the cases’ sizes will also be a little bigger than before, with each model getting a 1mm bump to 41mm and 45mm. Unverified leaked images last week suggested the same 41mm and 45mm sizing. Gurman says Apple will include multiple new watch faces to make the most of the extra screen real estate.

Physical appearance aside, the Series 7 will also...

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The iPhone 13 could have satellite connectivity

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Finally a fun iPhone 13 rumor! If Apple holds to its traditional schedule we’re mere weeks away from a new iPhone, and until now the rumors have been slight and, dare I say boring. Yet noted Apple prognosticator and analyst Ming-Chi Kuo is now claiming the iPhone 13 could have the ability to make satellite calls built right in, according to MacRumors.

The X60 would likely be supporting another element of 5G

In a note to investors, Kuo claims that the iPhone 13 will be able to connect directly to low earth orbit (or LEO) satellites thanks to a customized Qualcomm X60 baseband chip. LEO satellites are probably best known as the backbone of Elon Musks’ Starlink internet service which relies on satellites in a lower orbit to beam internet...

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Astra rocket does a real smooth slide before failing to reach orbit

The Astra LV0006 sliding across the launch pad after an engine failed to fire. | NASASpaceflight

Astra’s first rocket launch since it the company went public wasn’t exactly the success the company hoped for. An engine failing to fire a second into the launch caused the rocket to hover sideways before attempting to reach orbit. The flight safety crew purposely stalled the engines 2 minutes and 28 seconds into the flight after a piece of the rocket appeared to break off.

Before returning to earth it had reached an altitude of 31 miles.

The two-stage Launch Vehicle 0006 (or LV0006) was originally scheduled to launch from the Pacific Spaceport Complex in Kodiak, Alaska on Friday, August 27. That launch was delayed until August 28 after the rocket’s guidance system called an abort. According to Space the initial abort was due to an...

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Hurricane Ida strengthens into a life-threatening storm overnight

A satellite image of Hurricane Ida over the Gulf of Mexico. | GOES-East NOAA

Hurricane Ida is about to pummel Louisiana as an “extremely dangerous” storm after strengthening rapidly over the weekend. The hurricane is swirling towards the coast with winds of 150 miles per hour, accompanied by a life-threatening surge of water, forecasters with the National Hurricane Center warned on Sunday.

“This will be one of the strongest hurricanes to hit anywhere in Louisiana since at least the 1850s,” Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards said at a press conference on Saturday.

Ida already had wind speeds of 103 miles per hour on Saturday night. Just six hours later, the storm had strengthened into a major hurricane with wind speeds increasing to 130 miles per hour.

.@NOAA's #GOESEast ️ is tracking the extremely dangerous...

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Dating’s hard when you live the #vanlife

Illustration by Claudia Chinyere Akole

Tinder doesn’t quite work for those living a ‘nomadic’ lifestyle

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V-Moda BoomPro X review: turn your favorite headphones into the perfect gaming or Zoom headset

An easy way to upgrade your headphone microphone

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