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Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy is a damn good superhero video game
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A tracklist of ’80s mega-hits isn’t the only thing Guardians has going for it
The VergeThe VergeSamsung is bringing its One UI design to its Windows laptops
Samsung is bringing its One UI 4 mobile interface design to its Galaxy Book series of Windows laptops. The new design changes will appear inside Samsung’s Windows apps like Samsung Notes, Samsung Gallery, and Samsung Settings. The changes are designed to match the mobile interface that Samsung’s bringing to its latest Android phones, to make it easier to switch between the two.
The main Samsung Settings app has been overhauled to better fit the design changes in Windows 11, with new app icons, menu layouts, and more. Samsung’s Notes app also has a new menu layout, updated icons, and refreshed folders.
Image: Samsung
The new One UI 4 changes in Samsung’s Notes app for Windows.
Image:...
The VergeUber aims for 50,000 Teslas on its platform by 2023
Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images
Uber is acquiring 50,000 Tesla vehicles to rent to its drivers as part of an ambitious plan to electrify its fleet in the US by 2030. The ride-hailing company is working with rental car company Hertz, which announced yesterday that it had ordered 100,000 Teslas.
The move comes as car companies and transportation providers around the world are coming under regulatory pressure to phase out gas-powered vehicles in favor of those that produce zero emissions. California, the largest auto market in the US, set in place rules for ride-hailing companies like Uber and Lyft, requiring that 90 percent of their fleets be electric by 2030.
Uber has long offered discounts on car rentals to drivers who don’t own their own vehicle, with Uber and Hertz...
The VergePolice arrest 150 suspects after closure of dark web’s largest illegal marketplace
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
A 10-month investigation following the closure of the dark web’s largest illegal marketplace, DarkMarket, has resulted in the arrest of 150 suspected drug vendors and buyers.
DarkMarket was taken offline earlier this year as part of an international operation. The site boasted some 500,000 users and facilitated around 320,000 transactions, reports the EU’s law enforcement agency, Europol, with clientele buying and selling everything from malware and stolen credit card information, to weapons and drugs. When German authorities arrested the site’s alleged operator in January this year, they also seized valuable evidence of transactions which led to this week’s arrest of key players.
According to the US Department of Justice and Europol,...
The VergeHere’s how to get the Google Play Store running on Windows 11
The Google Play Store running on Windows 11.
A developer and design student has managed to get the Google Play Store working on Windows 11. Google’s Android app store is fully functional within Windows 11 using this method, allowing you to install a game or app and run it alongside traditional Windows apps.
Microsoft started testing Windows 11 Android app support last week, but the official implementation is limited to the Amazon Appstore and less than 50 apps during the preview phase. Getting the Google Play Store installed opens Windows 11 up to every Android app or game you’d want to use.
ADeltaX, an Italian UX design student, has successfully installed the Google Play Store on Windows 11, and detailed all the steps required to get it working. If you’re not familiar with Linux...
The VergeSpotify expects to have over 400M users by the end of the year
An infographic released by the company. | Image: Spotify
Spotify now has 172 million paid subscribers and 381 million monthly active users, the company announced today in its latest earnings release. That’s up from 165 million paid subscribers and 365 million monthly active users last quarter, with both figures up 19 percent year-over-year. Those are in line with what Spotify was expecting this quarter.
The growth means that Spotify continues to be the biggest music streaming service in the world. Although competitors Amazon Music and Apple Music don’t regularly release subscriber numbers, figures compiled by Music Allyput their subscriber counts at around 55 million and 60 million respectively. By the end of the year, Spotify expects to have in excess of 400 million monthly active users, and...
The VergeYou can now ask Google to remove images of under-18s from its search results
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Google has launched a new safety feature that lets under-18s request the removal of images of themselves from the company’s search results. The feature was originally announced in August (along with new restrictions of ad targeting of minors) but is now widely available.
Anyone can start the removal process from this help page. Applicants will need to supply the URLs of images they want removed from search results, the search terms that surface those images, the name and age of the minor, and the name and relationship of the individual that might be acting on their behalf — a parent or guardian, for example.
Google will make exceptions for “cases of compelling public interest or newsworthiness”
As ever with these sorts of removal...
The VergeWindows 11’s new Microsoft Store is now available for Windows 10 testers
The Windows 11 store running on Windows 10. | Image: Rudy Huyn (Twitter)
Microsoft is close to releasing Windows 11’s new Microsoft Store for Windows 10 users. The software maker has now released this new app store to Windows 10 testers in the Release Preview ring, alongside a final version of the upcoming Windows 10 November 2021 Update.
The updated Store is identical to the one found on Windows 11, offering greater access to win32 apps, a more modern design, and all of the new apps that have made their way into Microsoft’s store recently. This new Microsoft Store is also more open that before, allowing third-party stores like the Epic Games Store to be listed.
Exciting news today, the new #MicrosoftStore (modern design, support for win32 apps, Disney+ movies and way more) is now available to Windows 10...
The VergeThe Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro will arrive with a day-one update
Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge
Assuming you managed to order a Pixel 6 or Pixel 6 Pro, then you should know that once the phone is in your possession, you’ll need a little extra time to get everything set up and working. That’s because, as a post on the Google support forums points out (via 9to5Google), there is a software update to install.
The post indicates you’ll need it to get all of the features, although it’s unclear what would be missing if you simply started using the phone without it other than the November security update. According to Google, the build number is the same for both phones, and it should display SD1A.210817.036 or SD1A.210817.036.A8 for Verizon customers. If your phone arrives early, then the update might not available at first.
According to...
The VergeTheranos FOMO kept the DeVos family from doing its investment homework
The family office took Elizabeth Holmes at her word
The VergeGoogle Stadia tries something new: a free 30-minute game trial
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Google’s Stadia cloud gaming service is still coming up with new ways to attract gamers, and it’s finally trying one that we’ve suggested for years: free time-limited trials of entire games, so you can see whether it’s for you. As 9to5Google reports, you can now hop on over to Stadia, sign in with your Google account, and be playing a 30-minute free trial of Hello Engineerjust by following this link and scrolling down to the “Free trial” button you see below.
Google also has this dedicated webpage for other free trials that it might offer in the future, though it only appears to include _Hello Engineer_for now. Google previously tried some limited demos.
Honestly, it’s still not as seamless as it could be. You still do...
The VergePikmin Bloom hands-on: a cute app that tries to make walking a little more magical
There’s something strangely satisfying about leaving a trail of colorful flowers in your wake as you explore a neighborhood. It’s also one of the main hooks of Pikmin Bloom, the next release from the creator of Pokémon Go, and another app designed to get you moving in the real world. I’ve been able to play the game for the past few days, and while it’s less of a game than Pokémon Go, it definitely adds some magic and fun to a daily walk.
Pikmin Bloom is starting its gradual rollout today, and it’s part of a new partnership between Nintendo and Niantic. The game is billed as a collaboration between Nintendo and Niantic’s Tokyo studio, and Mario creator Shigeru Miyamoto even appears in the launch trailer. Pikmin isn’t necessarily the most...
The VergeNiantic’s Pikmin Bloom is rolling out globally starting today
Pikmin Bloom, the next game from Pokémon Go creator Niantic, is starting its global rollout today. The developer says that the app — which is billed as a joint project with Nintendo — “will be available on the App Store and Google Play over the coming days.” The rollout will start with Australia and Singapore before gradually hitting the rest of the world.
The new Pikmin was first announced in March as part of a new collaboration between Niantic and Nintendo. Like Pokémon Go, the game is designed to get people outdoors and walking. In Pikmin Bloom, players can collect the titular plant creatures by gathering and planting seeds; in order for them to grow, you have to walk a certain distance, sort of like hatching an egg in Pokémon Go....
The VergeCowboy Bebop’s first proper trailer has slick noir action and an adorable corgi
GEOFFREY SHORT/NETFLIX
The official trailer for Netflix’s live-action Cowboy Bebop series is finally here. Released during a live countdown event featuring appearances from stars John Cho, Daniella Pineda, and Mustafa Shakir, the trailer is another peek into what we can expect from the highly anticipated adaptation of the legendary anime series.
The trailer starts with John Cho as Spike Spiegel standing on the deck of the eponymous Bebop as we hear him talking to his old friend Anna about what he’s up to these days. We’re treated to scenes of Spike’s old life as a mobster, his new partner Jet, and a moody shot of a reflection in a puddle that should send Bebop fans into a frenzy.
The Cowboy Bebop trailer features the same highly-stylized action Netflix...
The VergeNetflix scrambled internally to suppress a controversial movie from search results
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
The streaming giant kept Cuties from appearing in some search results and recommendations after backlash to the poster
The VergeWhatsApp’s iPhone-to-Android chat transfer is now available on Pixels and new phones
Image: Google
Google announced that WhatsApp’s chat history migration feature to bring your messages from iPhones to Android is now available on “all Pixel phones” and that it’ll “become available on new smartphones that launch with Android 12.” The feature was already available for Samsung phones but will make the experience of switching from iOS to Android easier, as you won’t have to give up your messaging history.
The process should be relatively simple, as long as you’ve got WhatsApp up to date on both your iPhone and Android phone, and you’ve got a USB-C to Lightning cable handy. Google says that while setting up your Android phone, you’ll be prompted to scan a QR code with your iPhone, which will let you start the transfer process.
...
The VergeNintendo 64 games on Nintendo Switch are not too up to snuff
Textures and environments are outputting inconsistently in the Switch version of Ocarina of Time
Monday evening, Nintendo released its latest features bundled into the Nintendo Switch Online subscription: Nintendo 64 and Sega Genesis games via an “Expansion Pack.”
As soon as players got a chance to throw down another $30 on top of their $20 / year sub, they immediately took to Twitter to share their disdain of the less-than-ideal emulation quality.
A particularly fascinating set of images posted to Twitter by speedrunner ZFG1 comparing the Water Temple on N64, Wii Virtual Console, and Switch was a hot topic today. The Switch version was noticeably lacking fog, revealing terrible-looking textures that represent water.
I launched Mario 64, StarFox 64, and _Zelda: Ocarina of Time_for a quick test. Input speed for Mario 64 and StarFox 64...
The VergeDJI leak shows unreleased Mavic 3 Cine drone from pretty much every angle
Image: WinFuture
Rumors have swirled around DJI’s unreleased Mavic 3 drone, but it’s now thoroughly leaked ahead of its expected November launch, with images, spec sheets, and more. The leaks come to us from TechnikNews,WinFuture, and DroneXL’sJasper Ellens. They show what the drone looks like from almost every angle and detail the three different Mavic 3 bundles that will be available (as well as the differences between them).
Previous rumors indicated the Mavic 3 will have better battery life than its predecessor and USB-C charging, plus two cameras (one “main” wide-angle shooter with a Four Thirds sensor and one with a telephoto lens). Today's leaks suggest the drone will ship in both DJI’s standard “fly more” bundle and a new “Cine” bundle. As with...
The VergeTikTok and Snap want to prove they’re not Facebook
Photo by Samuel Corum/Getty Images
Snap, TikTok, and YouTube set out with one important goal for Tuesday’s Senate hearing on child safety: to convince lawmakers that they are nothing like Facebook. While lawmakers were encouraged by the companies’ transparency, their humble approach hasn’t dissuaded lawmakers from pursuing new legislation.
While YouTube’s parent company Google has testified before, it was the first time representatives from Snap and TikTok testified before Congress, and they came prepared to differentiate themselves from the social media giant at the center of yet another series of scandals. It was Facebook whistleblower Frances Haugen’s leaks that led senators to pursue these hearings. The Facebook Papers loomed over the event, reinforcing Snap and...
The VergeMicrosoft Office, Windows, and cloud boosts Q1 2022 earnings
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Microsoft posted the first quarter of its 2022 financial results today, reporting revenue of $45.3 billion and a net income of $20.5 billion (GAAP). Revenue is up 22 percent, and net income has increased by 48 percent. Microsoft has seen strong revenue performance in its cloud, server, and Office businesses this quarter.
Microsoft might have just launched Windows 11 earlier this month, but in the months ahead of this new version of Windows, PC sales have started to decline in the US due to supply issues.
That doesn’t seem to have impacted Microsoft’s Windows revenues, though. Windows OEM revenue has increased by 10 percent this quarter, despite what Microsoft calls “continued PC demand impacted by supply chain constraints.”
...
The VergeGoogle just had another record quarter because or in spite of everything going on
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Google has done it again — raking in more money than ever before for the second quarter in a row as the COVID-19 pandemic continues on. Alphabet’s Q3 2021 earnings show an all-time record revenue of $65.1 billion and record profits for the _fifth_quarter in a row at $18.9 billion.
As we mentioned last quarter, the growth we’re seeing in 2021 is unusually large: a huge leap over 2020.
Google’s revenue in Q3
2021: $65.1 billion
2020: $46.2 billion
2019: $40.5 billion
2018: $33.7 billion
2017: $27.8 billion
2016: $22.5 billion
2015: $18.7 billion
2014: $16.5 billion
2013: $13.8 billion
2012: $13.3 billion
2011: $9.7 billion
2010: $7.3 billion
2009: $5.9 billion— Jon Erlichman (@JonErlichman) October 26, 2021
Revenue increased 41 percent year over...
The VergeApple’s MacBook Pro is a GPU-shaped warning to Nvidia and AMD
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales
Apple hit Intel hard with its first M1 chips, offering a rare step-change improvement in performance with its 2020 MacBook Air and 13-inch MacBook Pro. Less than a year later, it’s already starting to compete with the best GPUs from AMD and Nvidia as well. The new MacBook Pros with M1 Pro and M1 Max offer a first glimpse at how well Apple’s M1 chips can scale to provide raw performance that rivals the discrete graphics cards we typically find inside Windows-powered laptops.
Nvidia has been trying to woo many of Apple’s professional and creative customers with its Studio laptops, but Apple has not only managed to fix the mistakes it made with its MacBook port selection and keyboard, but it’s also scaled up its M1 chips to meet the...
The VergeBlizzard will ‘pause’ plans for an online BlizzCon event in 2022
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
The pandemic canceled BlizzCon 2021, and it appears that a planned online event next year from Blizzard will also be a scratch. An uncredited blog post says, “We’ve decided to take a step back and pause on planning the previously announced BlizzConline event scheduled for early next year.”
It didn’t specifically cite a reason, but after revelations surfaced about a company culture rife with sexual harassment and discrimination, the last several months have seen an employee walkout, the departure of president J. Allan Brack, and several competing investigations.
Most recently, Blizzard renamed the cowboy hero in Overwatch to Cole Cassidy. The employee the character got his name from was one of several high-profile departures following...
The VergeSamsung announces cloud gaming for Tizen TVs, offers no further details
Image: Samsung
Samsung has announced that it’s jumping into the cloud gaming arena with an offering for its Tizen smart TV platform. The news came during its Samsung Developer Conference keynote, and the company didn’t provide any more details about what games would be available, what other platforms it would be available on, if any, or when it will launch. Cloud gaming is an area that many of its big tech competitors are getting into, but it’s also an area Samsung has dabbled in before.
In the early 2010s, Samsung worked with a game streaming company called Gaikai to bring an early version of cloud gaming to its high-end TVs. The pitch was basically the same as it is these days — Samsung Cloud Gaming would let you play games with only a TV, internet...
The VergeSpringboard: The Secret History of the First Real Smartphone is out now
A decade before Steve Jobs introduced the iPhone, a tiny team of renegades imagined and tried to build the modern smartphone. Nearly forgotten by history, a little startup called Handspring tried to make the future before it was ready. In Springboard: the secret history of the first real smartphone, The Verge’s Dieter Bohn talks to the visionaries at Handspring and dives into their early successes and eventual failures.
It’s a half-hour-long documentary featuring the key players at Palm and Handspring: Donna Dubinsky, Jeff Hawkins, Ed Colligan, and more. It’s one of our most ambitious video projects to date, and we can’t wait to show it to you.
Handspring may no longer be a household name, but it was briefly one of the fastest growing...
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The VergeDune: Part Two is officially happening to adapt the other half of the book
Dune is officially getting a sequel, with Warner Bros. and Legendary announcing that Dune: Part Two will continue the story (and, presumably, adapt the rest of the original novel) that began in the recently released film.
The sequel is set to hit theaters in October 2023, Deadline reports, with director Denis Villeneuve returning for Part Two. Core cast members like Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, and Javier Bardem will presumably return to reprise their roles as well, although there’s no official word on casting yet.
It was all but guaranteed that Dune would be getting a sequel: the film literally starts with a “Dune: Part One” title card and very obviously tees up a second...
The VergeAT&T’s confusing 5G Plus expansion confirms T-Mobile was right all along
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
AT&T’s new 5G Plus expansion gives T-Mobile the perfect “I told you so” moment. AT&T currently offers two “flavors” of 5G: 5G Plus over the high-band mmWave spectrum and regular 5G, which is comparable to 4G LTE. Now, a blog post details that AT&T is bolstering 5G Plus with the mid-band C-band spectrum in 2022 — a concept that T-Mobile has been preaching for years.
Former T-Mobile CEO John Legere slammed AT&T for not having a mid-band spectrum in 2019, stating that 5G needs a low-band, mid-band, and high-band spectrum to work efficiently. This is because that high-band mmWave 5G offers the fastest speeds over shorter distances, making it best for highly concentrated areas. Conversely, low-band 5G provides the bare minimum for speed over...
The VergeUS lays out new guidelines for vaccinated international travelers
Photo by Artur Widak/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Fully vaccinated international travelers will now be allowed to travel to the United States with proof of vaccination, the CDC announced on Monday. The order will go into effect on November 8th and applies to non-US citizens who are not immigrants, with an exemption for children under 18.
The order will require fully vaccinated travelers with FDA-approved and World Health Organization emergency use listed vaccines to have a negative test taken three days before their travel date. Travelers who are not fully vaccinated, including US citizens and permanent residents, will now require a test within one day of their US travel date. This rule exempts children under two and accommodates people who have a documented recovery from COVID-19 in...
The VergeSamsung promises Matter support for SmartThings hubs, Galaxy devices, TVs, and fridges
Samsung announced its Family Hub refrigerators will be getting support for Matter and built-in SmartThings hubs. | Image: Samsung
The Matter smart home train is picking up steam. Following Google’s commitment to the new standard at its developer conference last week and Apple’s addition of Matter support in iOS 15 at WWDC, Samsung is now following suit. The company announced a complete adoption of Matter across Samsung’s Galaxy devices, televisions, Family Hub appliances, and SmartThings hubs at SDC21, its virtual developer conference being held this week.
A founding member of the Matter group (formerly known as Project ChiP), Samsung also announced that it has joined the Thread Group Board of Directors, where it will sit alongside the likes of Apple, Google/Nest, Lutron, Qualcomm, and Silicon Labs to shape the future of the primary protocol that Matter devices...