NASA’s Perseverance rover finally snatched its first Mars rock sample

One of the clearest pictures available of the rock core captured by Perseverance, as photographed by the rover’s Mastcam-Z camera | NASA/JPL

NASA’s Perseverance rover captured its first sampling of rocky Mars material last week after its first attempt in August mysteriously turned up empty. The new rock sample, about the size of a small cigar, checks off a crucial first step in a broader decade-long effort to bring humanity’s first Martian samples back to Earth in pristine condition.

The rover’s successful sample grab happened last Wednesday at 5:36PM ET, digging into a rock scientists nicknamed “Rochette.” Using a hollow, tube-like drill bit that traps rocky material inside, Perseverance drilled a hole a few inches deep using a rotary-percussive drill installed at the end of its seven-foot sampling arm. A twisting mechanism inside the drill bit snapped the rock core off of...

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Activists push to delay most high-profile climate summit since Paris agreement

UN Climate Change Conference or COP26 President Alok Sharma during a meeting with India Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change Bhupender Yadav in New Delhi on August 18th, 2021. | Photo by Prakash Singh / AFP via Getty Images

Environmental activists, including Greenpeace and the Climate Action Network,around the world are calling on the United Nations to further delay a pivotal climate conference scheduled for this fall. The unevenrollout of COVID-19 vaccines around the world could prevent many delegates and advocates from attending, they say, especially representatives of countries hardest hit by both COVID-19 and the climate crisis.

The UK is preparing to host the climate talks in Glasgow in November, a year after they were supposed to take place. But the virus that delayed the talks in the first place is still killing thousands of people across the world daily, many of whom are living in countries where it’s hard to get a vaccine.

“Not only unfair but...

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Crypto exchanges struggle as El Salvador adopts Bitcoin

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Today, Bitcoin is becoming an official currency in El Salvador, and the markets and crypto exchanges seem to be struggling. On Tuesday morning, the price of Bitcoin plunged from around $50,000 down to under $43,000 according to Coinbase — it seems that the country’s official Bitcoin app also hasn’t been able to keep up.

CNBC reports that El Salvador’s official crypto app, Chivo, was unavailable for new users to install on Tuesday morning. The country’s president, Nayib Bukele, has since announced that the app would be reopening for signups, though he did call the new uptime a “test.”

Major exchanges like Coinbase and Kraken have also reported having issues with payments or transactions not going through or being delayed. Not everyone is...

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Facebook and Ray-Ban tease smart glasses announcement on September 9th

Ray-Ban

Facebook and Ray-Ban are teasing an announcement around their upcoming smart glasses on September 9th. Ray-Ban posted a promotional page with a silhouette of a pair of glasses, the date “09.09 2021,” and the text “sign up now to get your release notification” — although it doesn’t specify whether that’s news about the release or the release itself. Ray-Ban’s homepage also promises that “this is one story you’re going to want to follow,” plausibly a reference to Facebook Stories.

The announcement coincides with someapparentteaservideos from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and virtual and augmented reality head Andrew Bosworth. The posts show point-of-view video clips from Bosworth and Zuckerberg, including Bosworth playing golf and...

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The Matrix: Resurrections teases a full trailer on Thursday with a familiar choice

_The Matrix: Resurrections_is still a ways off with a premier date of December 22nd, 2021, but you can watch two (and maybe more) teasers for the highly anticipated film today, in advance of a full trailer on Thursday. The teasers appear on the recently revived “What is The Matrix” website, gated by the film franchise’s all too familiar choice — red pill or blue pill?

The red pill teaser, after pushing through recognizable threads of vertical green scrolling code, makes immediate callbacks to the revolutionary conflict at the heart of the series, with clips of what looks like returning star Carrie-Anne Moss as Trinity, Keanu Reeves as Neo, and new cast member Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. A voiceover directed at you, the viewer, notes the...

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Bose takes on the Sonos Arc with its first Dolby Atmos soundbar

Image: Bose

Fresh off the announcement of its QuietComfort 45 headphones last week, Bose is shifting some attention to its home theater business. Today, the company introduced its latest flagship soundbar, the $899.95 Smart Soundbar 900. With features like Dolby Atmos — a first for Bose soundbars — HDMI eARC, multi-room Wi-Fi music playback, AirPlay 2, and support for both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, Bose’s latest soundbar seems very much intended to compete with the Sonos Arc. (It also allows for streaming audio over Bluetooth, which the Sonos does not.) It’ll be available starting September 23rd, with preorders beginning now.

Bose claims the Smart Soundbar 900 “produces a layer of realism no other speaker can duplicate” thanks to the...

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VW’s ID Life concept teases a truly affordable electric car

Images: Volkswagen

One of Volkswagen’s latest concept cars teases what will eventually be the most affordable entry in its lineup of ID-branded electric vehicles.

Revealed at the IAA Mobility conference in Munich, Germany over the weekend, the ID Life concept is a boxy little four-door compact car that’s actually more reminiscent of the overly cute Honda E than its more streamlined ID siblings. It won’t go on sale until 2025 (meaning we’re likely at least two years away from seeing the final production version), but when it does, VW says it will cost around €20,000 (roughly $24,000).

That is an incredibly aggressive price tag, and it’s one of two big reasons VW (and the larger Volkswagen Group) has spent so many billions of dollars developing the modular...

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Apple’s next event will take place on September 14th

A promo image for Apple’s next event. | Image: Apple

Apple’s next big fall event will take place on Tuesday, September 14th at 1PM ET, the company announced. The event, which carries the tagline “California streaming,” will be another virtual event broadcast from Apple Park.

The company typically announces the year’s new iPhones at the fall event, and this year’s entry is expected to be called the iPhone 13. The new series of phones will apparently come in the same sizes as the iPhone 12, but a headline feature for some models could be high refresh rate screens, finally delivering tech that has been available on many Android phones. The new phones are also expected to have smaller display notches and improved cameras.

It’s hard to pull specific clues from Apple’s static event invite,...

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Microsoft Start is a personalized news feed designed for Windows 11, mobile, and more

Microsoft Start is a personalized news feed. | Image: Microsoft

Microsoft is launching Microsoft Start today, a personalized news feed that integrates into Windows 11 and is accessible online and on iOS and Android. Microsoft Start is very similar to the MSN feed that exists today and to Microsoft News. Microsoft is rebranding these into Microsoft Start and integrating the feed into the Windows 11 widgets section and the Windows 10 taskbar.

Much like Microsoft News, Microsoft Start includes news and media channels from more than 1,000 publishers. Microsoft uses AI and machine learning algorithms to sort through which news is presented to users and to personalize content based on interests and how you engage with content. There’s also some “human moderation” involved, but Microsoft did layoff dozens...

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Tesla is planning for a wider release of its controversial ‘Full Self-Driving’ software

Screenshot: YouTube/James Locke

Nearly a year after Tesla started testing its controversial “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) beta software with a select group of customers, the company’s CEO Elon Musk said he is aiming for a wider release by the end of September. The news comes as an older version of the software leaked online.

Musk said on Twitter that the company would begin rolling out FSD version 10 to customers in its early access program at midnight on September 10th. Then, the software “will need another few weeks after that for tuning [and] bug fixes,” which Musk estimated would take four weeks. At that point, a “public beta button” will be made available to more Tesla customers, which is expected to take the form of a download button for people who purchased the FSD...

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Intel’s Mobileye will launch a robotaxi service in Germany in 2022

Mobileye, the Intel-owned company that specializes in chips for vision-based autonomous vehicles, announced that it will launch a robotaxi service in Germany in 2022. It’s the latest big move by a company seeking to buck the trend in AV development by becoming both a supplier of autonomous driving technology as well as a fleet operator and service provider.

The taxi service will be operated in partnership with German rental car company Sixt and Moovit, an Israel-based startup that specializes in mobility data that was recently acquired by Intel for $900 million. Customers can hail a ride through either Sixt’s or Mobileye’s app.

But it won’t be a full-fledged robotaxi service at launch

But it won’t be a full-fledged robotaxi service at...

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Demon’s Souls and Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart for PS5 are discounted

People who own a PS5 console with a disc drive can enjoy some small but noteworthy discounts on exclusive games at Walmart, GameStop, and Amazon. You can get up to $25 off of the Demon’s Souls remake, while Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart is $10 off.

The new version of Demon’s Souls made for the PS5 was developed by Bluepoint Games, the same studio that tackled the remastering of classics like Shadow of the Colossus, the Metal Gear Solid HD Collection, and more. Demon’s Souls for PS5 features overhauled graphics and a new orchestral recording of the original soundtrack. And, of course, this one will satisfy if you like difficult games. Normally $70, it’s $45 at Walmart and Amazon, while GameStop is selling it for $50.

Insomniac Games’...

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The Verge enters agreement to acquire Hot Pod

Nicholas Quah, Ashley Carman, and Nilay Patel

Vox Media today announced it’s entering an agreement to acquire Hot Pod, the preeminent publication covering the podcasting industry, founded by Nicholas Quah in 2014. At Vox Media, Hot Pod will become part of The Verge, with Quah deepening his long-running relationship with New York and _Vulture_as a full-time podcast critic.

Senior reporter Ashley Carman will take over as lead writer of Hot Pod for The Verge, expanding Carman’s must-read coverage of podcasting and audio. The acquisition also marks The Verge’s first paid product as it will continue to publish Hot Pod’s weekly subscriber-only newsletter Hot Pod Insider, laying the groundwork for more paid _Verge_products in the future.

“I can’t think of a better home for Hot Pod than The...

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Alan Wake Remastered is coming to PlayStation, Xbox, and PC

Remedy Entertainment’s 2010 cult classic Alan Wake is getting a remastered version for multiple platforms. Epic Games’ publishing arm will release Alan Wake Remastered across PlayStation 4/5, Xbox Series S/X, and the Epic Games Store on PC.

Originally an Xbox 360-exclusive title that went through a protracted development period, Alan Wake is a psychological thriller where you play a writer searching for his missing wife in the Pacific Northwest. The game was later released for PC in 2012, but Alan Wake Remastered will mark the first time it’s been available on PlayStation platforms.

Epic says the remaster will feature “all-new rendered 4K visuals,” commentary from writer and creative director Sam Lake, and the expansions The Signal and T...

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How Slack changed Apple’s employee culture, with Zoë Schiffer

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Remote work has made organizing easier

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TikTok reportedly overtakes YouTube in US average watch time

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

TikTok’s users now spend more time each month watching content than YouTube users, according to a report from app analytics firm App Annie. In the US, ByteDance’s app first overtook YouTube in August last year, and as of June 2021 its users watched over 24 hours of content per month, compared with 22 hours and 40 minutes on Google’s video platform. In the UK the difference is even more stark: TikTok overtook YouTube in May last year and users there now reportedly watch almost 26 hours of content a month, compared to less than 16 on YouTube.

The figures only include viewership on Android phones, however, so may not be representative of mobile users as a whole. But caveats aside, they show the extent of TikTok’s meteoric rise over just a...

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New Apple MagSafe charger spotted in FCC alongside four new phones

Diagrams show a very similar accessory to the existing MagSafe iPhone charger. | Image: FCC

Apple could have a new version of its iPhone MagSafe charging puck on the way. A new FCC listing for a “Magnetic Charger” first spotted by blogger Dave Zatz shows an accessory with a new model name (A2548) that looks otherwise identical to Apple’s existing charger (A2140). The new charger has been tested with a variety of devices including four marked as “New Phone,” which almost certainly correspond to Apple’s anticipated iPhone 13 models.

There aren’t too many hints about what’s new in the official FCC documents. _9to5Mac_notes that it’s been tested with all four existing iPhone 12 models (marked as “Legacy Phone”) as well as the four unannounced devices, which suggests this new MagSafe charger should be compatible with both...

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El Salvador becomes first country to adopt Bitcoin as an official currency

A recently-installed Bitcoin ATM.

As of today, Bitcoin is an official currency of El Salvador alongside the US dollar, after the Central American country became the first to adopt the cryptocurrency as legal tender. At three minutes to midnight local time, the country’s populist president Nayid Bukele tweeted that the country was about to “make history” with the move, after previously confirming that it had purchased 400 Bitcoins, the equivalent of around $20.9 million at today’s prices.

Supporters argue the move will make it cheaper and easier for migrants to send money home to El Salvador, which is important given such remittances account for over 24 percent of the country’s gross domestic product, according to figures from the World Bank reported by CNBC. There are...

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LG’s portable Xboom 360 speaker brings its own light show

Who’s ready to for some scratching? | Image: LG

LG, the company that maintains an entire lineup of “party speakers” adored by muscle-y guys who buy beer in buckets, is back with a subdued model. The LG Xboom 360 (model RP4) speaker has a design that still says “party,” but with a more wine-from-a-box aesthetic.

The portable 360-degree speaker has a 29Wh battery that lasts for up to 10 hours between charges. The speaker can supply up to 120W of power to its 5.25-inch woofer and 2-inch horn tweeter when plugged into the wall, and accepts audio over Bluetooth, USB, or Aux-in sources. The integrated light has ambient, nature, and party presets, and can be further customized in the companion app. It’s available in your choice of beige, burgundy, black, or green fabric coverings.

...

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ProtonMail court order leads to the arrest of French climate activist

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

The private email service Protonmail is drawing harsh criticism from its users after providing IP information linked to a French activist who used the service, as first reported by TechCrunch.

The data was requested as part of a broader investigation into a group of climate activists who have occupied a number of apartments and commercial spaces in Paris. While the members of the group are anonymous, one had used the address “jmm18@protonmail.com” in online postings. As a result, French police sought to identify any persons linked to the account.

“The prosecution in this particular case was very aggressive”

Because ProtonMail is based in Switzerland, it is not subject to French or EU requests. But the company is still subject to requests...

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California bill takes aim at Amazon’s productivity-tracking algorithms

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

California is poised to pass a new bill pushing back against the productivity measurement algorithms allegedly used in Amazon fulfillment centers, as recently reported by NPR’s Morning Edition and The New York Times. The bill passed California’s lower legislative chamber in May, and the upper chamber is expected to vote on it next week. If passed, the bill would place new transparency requirements on automated quota systems, and block any such systems that could endanger the health and safety of workers.

Introducing the bill in July, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez (D-San Diego) cited a Verge report that found “hundreds” of Amazon warehouse employees had been fired for failing to meet productivity quotas at a single facility in Baltimore...

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Phoebe Waller-Bridge exits Amazon’s Mr. and Mrs. Smith series

Photo by Paul Archuleta/WireImage

According to Deadline and Variety, Phoebe Waller-Bridge has decided to leave Amazon’s upcoming Mr. and Mrs. Smith series. She was originally set to co-star alongside Donald Glover, but the Hollywood publications report that creative differences between the two have led the Fleabag creator to depart the production.

Her exit is described as amicable, and Glover will remain onboard while Waller-Bridge’s role will be recast.

Amazon’s Mr. and Mrs Smith series, based on the 2005 film starring Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt, was scheduled to go into production in 2022; in addition to her co-starring role, Waller-Bridge also originally planned to executive produce the series along with Glover.

The two previously appeared together in 2018’s S...

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VW is reviving its iconic microbus as an electric robotaxi

Five years after Volkswagen first unveiled its concept for an electric version of its iconic microbus, we’re finally getting our first glimpse of the vehicle on the road. But rather than some throwback to an era of hippies and flower power, the ID Buzz is outfitted with a high-tech suite of sensors and computing smarts for its new role as an autonomous test vehicle.

VW says the autonomous ID Buzz will serve as a platform for the automaker’s full-scale commercial ride-hailing and delivery operation that it plans on launching in Germany in 2025. For now, VW plans to deploy the ID Buzz on public roads for testing in Munich, as well as at a private track near the city’s airport. The van made its public debut at the 2021 IAA Mobility Event...

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Microsoft Flight Simulator’s Top Gun expansion also delayed to 2022

Microsoft’s Top Gun expansion for Microsoft Flight Simulator is being delayed to match the movie’s shifted release date. Paramount announced earlier this month that it’s delaying the rest of its 2021 films, pushing Top Gun: Maverick from its Thanksgiving weekend release date to May 27th, 2022.

The Top Gun expansion for _Microsoft Flight Simulator_had been planned for later this year, and will now be “released alongside the movie,” according to Microsoft and Asobo Studio. We still don’t have a whole lot of information on what Asobo Studio is planning to add with the Top Gun expansion, apart from some jets and locations from _Top Gun: Maverick. “_We look forward to sharing more information in the future,” says a blog post from Microsoft’s...

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Automated hiring software is mistakenly rejecting millions of viable job candidates

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Automated resume-scanning software is contributing to a “broken” hiring system in the US, says a new report from Harvard Business School. Such software is used by employers to filter job applicants, but is mistakenly rejecting millions of viable candidates, say the study’s authors. It’s contributing to the problem of “hidden workers” — individuals who are able and willing to work, but remain locked out of jobs by structural problems in the labor market.

The study’s authors identify a number of factors blocking people from employment, but say automated hiring software is one of the biggest. These programs are used by 75 percent of US employers (rising to 99 percent of Fortune 500 companies), and were adopted in response to a rise in...

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Sims 4 Spa Day update adds high maintenance Sims and ways to pamper them

Image: Maxis

The Sims 4’s Spa Day Game Pack, which was first released over six years ago in 2015, is receiving a free update this week that adds nail designs created by modder Ebonix. The update, which will be available on September 7th, adds a host of other features including a new “High Maintenance” trait and the ability for child Sims to do yoga and meditation.

There are also new options to get manicures, pedicures, and facial masks, and Sims can earn money by teaching mindfulness, developer Maxis says. Sims can now aspire to be a “Zen Guru,” “Self-Care Specialist,” or simply seek out “Inner Peace.”

So not only do I have a Simself in an OFFICIAL @TheSims Trailer, but I also worked with them to create these beautiful nails for the Spa Day...

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New Trailers: Moonfall, The Wheel of Time, Belfast, and more

Halle Berry stars in Moonfall | Lionsgate

I have to say I’m really appreciating what_Ted Lasso_ is doing in season 2, and this week’s episode had some really great work from Jason Sudeikis and Sarah Niles. I won’t spoil it, but it was remarkable how the couch scene, which would have been just another “Ted being loopy” scene played for comic effect in season one hit completely different now that Ted’s realized he needs help with his mental health. Also, I recommend this _New York Times_profile of Niles — it’s a few weeks old but nicely captures how she sees Dr. Sharon fitting in with the rest of the Lasso team.

Now on to this week’s teasers and trailers:

Moonfall

“What if the moon fell to earth” is the premise of this Roland Emmerich flick, which looks like about what you’d...

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Firefly releases video and more details about its Alpha rocket that exploded mid-flight

Firefly’s Alpha rocket takes off from Vandenberg Space Force base on September 3rd | Firefly

Firefly’s Alpha rocket exploded mid-flight on Thursday, but the company posted a new video on Sunday and provided more detail on what happened. “Although the vehicle didn’t make orbit, the day marked a major advancement for our team,” the company tweeted. “We demonstrated we ‘arrived’ as a company capable of building and launching rockets.”

Alpha, a two-stage rocket, lifted off from the Vandenberg Space Force base in California at 9:59PM ET on Thursday, carrying a payload of private satellites. It was the company’s first-ever mission, and two minutes after liftoff the rocket began tipping horizontally, falling short of reaching its maximum aerodynamic pressure.

According to Firefly, the rocket cleared the launch pad successfully, but...

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Segway’s Navimow robot will mow your lawn using GPS

The Segway Navimow robot uses GPS to navigate your lawn as it mows | Segway

Segway has introduced its first robot mower, the Navimow, that uses GPS to stay on your lawn and keep it neatly trimmed. So unlike other robot mowers, you won’t have to install a boundary wire to keep the robot on the right patch of grass.

Segway says its Exact Fusion Locating System keeps the Navimow to “precise positions and systematic mowing patterns,” keeping its position accurate to within two centimeters. If its GPS signal is temporarily weak, the Navimow has sensors that will keep it mowing.

Users define the boundaries of the area to be mowed for the Navimow using its smartphone app, including giving it directions for which areas to avoid. Segway says the Navimow’s algorithm “determines a systemic mowing path,” and doesn’t have...

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Mercedes-Benz takes another shot at launching an electric SUV in the US

Images: Mercedes-Benz

Just months after Mercedes-Benz launched its first true compact electric SUV, the EQA, the German automaker now has a slightly larger and more capable companion: the EQB. Revealed in full today at the 2021 IAA Mobility show in Germany, the company will start building the EQA in Hungary and China this month, and it will start selling the SUV in the US in 2022.

Mercedes-Benz trotted out the EQB alongside a few other new electric vehicles that it’s adding to its stable. There’s the EQE sedan, which is a more attainable version of its flagship executive electric, the EQS. Mercedes-Benz also rolled out AMG and Maybach versions of the EQS. There’s even now going to be an electric version of the G-Wagen — though that’s not coming for a while,...

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