Meet the auto repair professor pivoting to EVs

With the number of electric vehicles on the roads poised to skyrocket this decade, millions of drivers are going to need auto mechanics who can fix their new batteries-on-wheels. But today, the vast majority of auto repair professionals do not have the training or equipment to repair EVs, which are anatomically very different from their gas-powered predecessors.

As a result, many early EV adopters have been forced to rely on vehicle manufacturers and dealerships to service their cars — a situation that can drive up repair costs and lead to frustratingly long wait times.

Ruth Morrison, who chairs the Automotive Technology Department at Southern Maine Community College (SMCC), wants to change that. Morrison, who was an auto mechanic...

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Coinbase makes it easier to report cryptocurrency taxes

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Coinbase, one of the largest and most popular cryptocurrency exchanges, is adding a new tax center to its app and website to help US customers work out how much they might owe to the IRS as a result of their crypto transactions, the company has announced. The section is designed to gather every taxable transaction into one place to simplify matters come tax day.

Although cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin often appear similar to the fiat money we’re accustomed to, in the eyes of the IRS, the digital assets are actually property, according to this FAQ from the federal agency. That means cryptocurrency transactions may need to be reported as capital gains or losses, and that means keeping track of a cryptocurrency’s value as it’s bought and...

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Amazon’s Blink outdoor cameras with floodlight and solar-charging configurations are $50 off

Image: Amazon

Mondays are for football hangovers, extra strong coffee, and deals. If the weekend brought you grief due to some big playoff upsets, we’re here to ease the pain with great savings on gadgets. What better way to dull the sting of an abysmal 13-10 loss to the sixth seed when you’re supposed to be the favorite to win it all? Put down the cheese and dry those tears with some excellent deals.

First up, the latest Blink Outdoor cam with a floodlight attachment is currently just $89.98 at Amazon and Best Buy, which is $50 less than its regular price of $139.98. It comes equipped with a 700-lumen LED floodlight and the Sync Module 2 for connectivity. If you want to make battery anxiety a thing of the past, the Blink Outdoor camera with a solar...

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An OpenSea bug let attackers snatch Apes from owners at six-figure discounts

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

A bug in OpenSea, the popular NFT marketplace, has let hackers buy rare NFTs for well below market value, in some cases leading to hundreds of thousands of dollars in losses for the original owners — and hundreds of thousands of dollars in profits for the apparent thieves.

The bug appears to have been present for weeks and seems to be referenced in at least one tweet from January 1st, 2022. But exploitation of the bug has picked up significantly in the past day: blockchain analytics company Elliptic reported that in a 12-hour stretch before the morning of January 24th, it was exploited at least eight times to “steal” NFTs with a market value of over $1 million.

One of the NFTs, Bored Ape Yacht Club #9991, was purchased using the exploit...

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AT&T’s new 5-gig and 2-gig fiber internet is here, starting at $110 a month

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

AT&T is rolling out 2Gbps and 5Gbps speed tiers for its fiber-optic internet option. The company made the announcement to kick off its Life Gigified event, where it said new and existing AT&T Fiber customers will soon be able to take advantage of these multi-gig connections.

If you don’t know what multi-gig is, it means a single connection that offers speeds higher than 1Gbps. AT&T’s new multi-gig speeds need Wi-Fi 6 technology for “optimal” performance, which means you’ll probably want to upgrade your router, and of course, AT&T has a new “All-Fi” device ready. The company may offer even faster speeds eventually; AT&T says it reached speeds of 10Gbps in a lab environment.

The 2Gbps plan will cost $110 / month, while the 5Gbps plan is...

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Meta has built an AI supercomputer it says will be world’s fastest by end of 2022

Servers at a Facebook datacenter. | Photo: Vjeran Pavic

Social media conglomerate Meta is the latest tech company to build an “AI supercomputer” — a high-speed computer designed specifically to train machine learning systems. The company says its new AI Research SuperCluster, or RSC, is already among the fastest machines of its type and, when complete in mid-2022, will be the world’s fastest.

“Meta has developed what we believe is the world’s fastest AI supercomputer,” said Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg in a statement. “We’re calling it RSC for AI Research SuperCluster and it’ll be complete later this year.”

The news demonstrates the absolute centrality of AI research to companies like Meta. Rivals like Microsoft and Nvidia have already announced their own “AI supercomputers,” which are slightly...

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Ford reportedly suspends reservations of its Maverick hybrid pickup truck

Ford’s hot-in-demand 2022 Maverick pickup truck appears to be sold out, with The _Wall Street Journal_reportingthat the automaker has taken the unusual step of suspending reservations.

Ford reached out to its dealers to tell them it was suspending customer orders, the Journal reports. The company will resume taking orders for the plug-in hybrid truck this summer. A Ford executive confirmed the unusual move in an interview with the paper as well, stating:

“We didn’t want to take more orders than we could build,” said Dean Stoneley, general manager of Ford trucks, in an interview. “We’re getting customers who would have perhaps bought a used car and are now buying the Maverick because it is so affordable,” he said.

The Maverick’s...

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Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is finally a real wooden boy in first teaser

Netflix

After years of being trapped in different circles of development hell, co-director Guillermo del Toro’s long-awaited take on _Pinocchio_is finally happening, and the stop-motion feature’s first teaser trailer is here to introduce the world to the story’s minuscule moral center.

Set during Benito Mussolini’s fascist reign over Italy in the 1930s, del Toro’s _Pinocchio_once again tells the tale of a wooden puppet who suddenly comes to life, much to his woodcarver “father’s” surprise. Unlike some of the other _Pinocchio_tellings you may be familiar with, though, this film’s Pinocchio (Gregory Mann) quickly gets into the sorts of cruel mischief that put him at odds with Geppetto (David Bradley), who loves his son but can’t help but see that he...

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Google sued by DC and three states for ‘deceptive’ Android location tracking

Illustration by Alex Castro

The attorneys general of three states and the District of Columbia are suing Google for the allegedly deceptive collection of location data on Android. The complaints, which build on a 2020 lawsuit filed by the Arizona Attorney General, allege that Google’s “complex web” of settings obfuscated whether users were sharing their location at a given moment. Furthermore, they allege Google pushed Android users with “repeated nudging, misleading pressure tactics, and evasive and deceptive descriptions” to share more information either “inadvertently or out of frustration.”

“Google falsely led consumers to believe that changing their account and device settings would allow customers to protect their privacy and control what personal data the...

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Win a mystery bag from The Verge chock-full of free tech

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Did you think the season of giving was over? Not at The Verge! Not only are we continuing to give you a heads-up regarding discounts and sales on the latest gadgets, but we have another mystery bag stuffed full of freebies to give away to one lucky reader.

This time, we’ve filled an Alienware M17 Elite Backpack (which typically retails for $99.99) with a whole bunch of goodies. In total, the combined value of the bag and its contents is about $623. We’d be remiss to keep all of these gadgets to ourselves, so we’re offering them to one of you.

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Just where did we get all this stuff? Well, The Verge is always trying out and reviewing the latest tech, and sometimes we end up...

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Panasonic will reportedly start mass producing next-gen Tesla batteries in 2023

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Panasonic is due to start mass producing next-generation lithium-ion batteries for Tesla with five times the energy capacity of existing models as early as 2023, according to a report from Nikkei Asia. Although the batteries are being manufactured primarily for Tesla, a Panasonic executive didn’t rule out supplying them to other companies in a November interview. The new batteries promise to boost the range of electric cars, and make them more affordable to produce and sell.

In a statement given to Reuters, Panasonic declined to confirm _Nikkei’s_report. “We are studying various options for mass production, including a test production line we are establishing this business year,” the company said. “We don’t, however, have anything to...

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Boeing sinks more money into electric air taxi project it’s co-developing with Kitty Hawk

Wisk Aero, the electric air taxi startup, raised $450 million from Boeing in a new funding round that it claims will make it “one of the most well-funded [advanced air mobility] companies in the world.”

In its announcement, Wisk highlights the fact that its “a privately-backed AAM leader,” setting up a contrast with a slate of similar startups that have gone public in recent months by merging with special purpose acquisition companies, also known as SPACs or “blank check” companies. Wisk Aero was formed in 2019 as a joint venture between Boeing and Kitty Hawk, the flying taxi company bankrolled by Google co-founder Larry Page.

Wisk says it will use the new funds to undertake a period of rapid growth, adding new employees to its current...

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Recreational drones banned in United Arab Emirates after oil facility attack

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has banned the flying of consumer drones by hobbyists. The news comes after a suspected drone attack hit an oil facility and airport in the country’s capital, Abu Dhabi, last week.

The ban was announced by the Ministry of the Interior on Saturday and also applies to light aircraft like gliders. The ministry did not mention the recent attacks in its statement, but referenced “misuse spotted recently,” incidents of drone pilots “trespassing into areas where these types of activities are prohibited,” and a need to “ensure the safety of lives and property.”

The attack involved ‘ballistic missiles and explosive-laden drones’

The recent attack on the oil facility and airport in Abu Dhabi reportedly involved both...

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Yakuza director announces new studio after leaving Sega

Toshihiro Nagoshi, former chief creative officer at Sega, where he led development of the Yakuza series as general director of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio, has announced his next move. He’s started up his own studio, simply titled Nagoshi Studio, which is being wholly funded by Chinese internet and gaming company NetEase.

Nagoshi announced his departure from Sega last October, but today’s news also follows a report from Bloomberg back in August that named NetEase as his prospective future partner. Masayoshi Yokoyama, who The Verge interviewed last year about his work on the most recent Yakuza game Like a Dragon, is the new head of Ryu Ga Gotoku Studio and is currently working on the next game in the series.

Nagoshi Studio will be headquartered...

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Plaid, the service used by Venmo, Acorns, Robinhood, and more, may owe you some money

Venmo is just one of the many apps that uses Plaid to link your bank account. | Photo Illustration by Rafael Henrique / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images

If you’ve connected your bank account to financial apps like Robinhood, Acorns, Venmo, American Express, Coinbase, and Credit Karma, you may be entitled to some cash, according to a report by Fast Company.

Plaid, the financial service these apps (and 5,500 others) use to link your bank account, has settled a class-action lawsuit accusing the company of collecting more financial data from users than necessary. The suit also alleges Plaid obtained users’ bank login information “through its user interface, known as ‘Plaid Link,’ which had the look and feel of the user’s own bank account login screen.” In reality, users were inputting their information “directly to Plaid.” Plaid denies these claims and says it was transparent with its...

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Samsung Galaxy S22 European price leak suggests a base Ultra model with less RAM

Image: evleaks (Twitter)

Potential European pricing information for the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S22 series has been released by reliable leaker Roland Quandt, as reported by Android Police. Samsung appears to have carried over its prices from the previous S21 lineup, with the only inconsistency being an equally-priced S22 Ultra model that supposedly comes with less RAM than its S21 predecessor.

Whoever said S22 series was to be cheaper, didn't think of Covid, parts shortages and inflation.

Actual official EURO prices:
S22 8/128GB = 849
S22 8/256GB = 899
S22+ 8/128GB = 1049
S22+ 8/256GB = 1099
S22 Ultra 8/128GB = 1249
S22 Ultra 12/256GB = 1349
S22 Ultra 12/512GB = 1449 pic.twitter.com/QRnfrhkzTz

— Roland Quandt (@rquandt) January 22, 2022

Quandt claims the S22 will...

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Apple extends in-app purchase exemption for online group and event apps yet again

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Apple has extended its deadline requiring online group and event apps to comply with the company’s in-app purchase policy once again, as announced in a post on the company’s developer’s blog (via 9to5Mac). Apps in this category can now use alternate payment options until June 30th, allowing them to skirt Apple’s 15 to 30 percent cut the company takes out of in-app purchases.

“In 2020, we chose to support apps and developers that needed to adapt services from in-person to digital as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Apple writes in the post. “Given the recent resurgence of COVID and its continued impact on in-person services, we’ve extended the most recent deadline.”

Apple first deferred its rule targeting group event apps in November...

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European Parliament approves initial proposal to ban some targeted ads

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

On Thursday, the European Parliament voted to approve the initial draft of a bill that aims to curb Big Tech’s invasive advertising practices (via Bloomberg). The Parliament adopted the draft with 530 votes of approval, 78 against, and 80 absentations.

The Digital Services Act, which was first introduced in 2020, will prevent platforms, like Google, Amazon, and the Meta-owned Facebook, from using sensitive information, such as sexual orientation, race, and religion for targeted ads. It will require services to give users the ability to easily opt out of tracking, and pressures platforms to remove illegal content and products online, including hate speech or counterfeit goods.

Yes! with a huge majority, the European Parliament adopted...

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Yet another TV show features a character having a heart attack on a Peloton

The fitness company can’t catch a break on TV. | Image: Showtime

Spoilers ahead forAnd Just Like That...andBillions.

Peloton really can’t catch a break. Not only did rumors it’s temporarily suspending production of its connected bikes and treadmills send the stock plunging on Thursday, but — in a plot twist worthy of the big screen — a second TV show character has been shown having a heart attack while riding a Peloton. This comes just over a month after a beloved character from Sex and the City was killed off after a workout on one of the company’s bikes.

Mr. Big’s ghost rides again to haunt Peloton

In the season six premiere of Billions(available in an early release via streaming, including for free on YouTube, ahead of the show’s usual Sunday night time slot), the character Wags’ Peloton ride...

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Dark Souls 3 exploit could let hackers take control of your entire computer

A dangerous remote code execution (RCE) exploit found in _Dark Souls 3_could let a bad actor take control of your computer, according to a report from Dexerto. The vulnerability only puts PC gamers who play online at risk and may potentially affect Dark Souls, Dark Souls 2, and the upcoming Elden Ring.

The exploit was seen in action during The__Grim__Sleeper’s Twitch stream of Dark Souls 3 online. At the end of the stream (1:20:22), The__Grim__Sleeper’s game crashes, and the robotic voice belonging to Microsoft’s text-to-speech generator suddenly starts criticizing his gameplay. The__Grim__Sleeper then reports that Microsoft PowerShell opened by itself, a sign that a hacker used the program to run a script that triggered the...

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WhatsApp may soon let you transfer your chats from Android to iOS

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

WhatsApp might be working on a feature that lets you migrate your chat history from Android to iOS, as reported by WABetaInfo via (Android Central).

The feature was first spotted in the latest WhatsApp beta version 22.2.74 for iOS, and appears to corroborate WABetaInfo’s previous discovery in beta version 2.21.20.11 for Android. Both updates point towards a feature that may let you transfer your WhatsApp chats from Android to iOS using the Move to iOS app.

Image by WaBetaInfo

WABetaInfo also shared a couple of screenshots that show what the feature may look like. Judging by the images, it appears WhatsApp will ask for permission before starting the transfer process, and will then instruct you to keep the app open and...

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US athletes told to use burner phones at Beijing Winter Olympics

US athletes have been advised not to bring their phones to the 2022 Winter Olympics. | Photo by Yu Zhiqiang / VCG via Getty Images

The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee is telling athletes to ditch their personal phones for burners ahead of next month’s Winter Olympics in China, according to a report from the Wall Street Journal (via Android Central).

“Every device, communication, transaction and online activity may be monitored”

The advisory was reportedly sent out twice last year to warn athletes about the possibility of digital surveillance while in China. “Every device, communication, transaction and online activity may be monitored,” the bulletin states. “Your device(s) may also be compromised with malicious software, which could negatively impact future use.” As noted by the WSJ, Great Britain, Canada, and the Netherlands have also cautioned...

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NYC Mayor takes pay cut as cryptocurrency market plunges

NYC Mayor Eric Adams received his first paycheck in cryptocurrency. | Photo by Alex Wong / Getty Images

Even in the midst of a crypto slump, New York City Mayor Eric Adams isn’t backing out of his plans to take his first three paychecks in Bitcoin and Ethereum. Bitcoin fell beneath $36,000 on Friday — a 47 percent dive from its all-time high in November — dragging the entire cryptocurrency market cap below $2 trillion.

If the crypto market continues to trend downwards, Adams’ first check may evaporate

Adams officially received his first paycheck yesterday, which was converted to Bitcoin and Ethereum through cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase. According to the New York Post, the NYC mayor receives biweekly paychecks of about $5,900, amounting to a salary of $258,750 a year. Adams didn’t reveal how much of his $5,900 check is split between...

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YouTube TV is $10 off for your first three months

New YouTube TV subscribers can pay YouTube TV $54.99 each month instead of $64.99. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Just in time for Super Bowl season, a three-month subscription to the YouTube TV streaming service is a little more affordable. Right now, new subscribers can pay $54.99 each month instead of $64.99 for your first three months. Normally, that would cost you around $195, so that means you’ll pay $165 by the end of this discount period.

That’s still expensive, but it’s a welcome discount for a service that significantly gone up in price within the last few years. Nevertheless, it’s a solid streaming app if you want many channels on-demand (with DVR capabilities available), presented in a familiar YouTube interface. For this price, you’ll get access to over 85 major channels, covering live sports, news, entertainment, and more. It also...

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What we know about Intel’s $20 billion bet on Ohio — and US manufacturing

Intel Sandy Bridge Chips

Hint: It’s not about the chip shortage

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Google Pixel Stand (2nd gen) review: nice but not a must-have

Fast wireless charging speeds and a few extras

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Here are the best AirPods deals you can get right now

Apple’s AirPods Pro wireless earbuds are a go-to pick that’s often on sale. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and the holidays may have come and gone, but there are still some great discounts available on Apple’s AirPods.

Since Apple launched the third-gen AirPods in October and unveiled its new AirPods lineup, we’ve seen the starting price of the second-gen, entry-level model drop from $159 to $129. Even better, we’ve seen many retailers starting to heavily discount the second-gen AirPods as well as the more expensive AirPods Pro and Max, which offer noise cancellation and better sound quality than the standard model. We’ve even recently seen some significant discounts on the third-gen AirPods, despite how recently they launched.

Here, we’ll run through the best deals available on each model, including the...

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Digital cash gets a look from the Fed

It goes over the pros of a federally-backed digital currency. | Photo Illustration by Budrul Chukrut/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

A digital dollar backed by the US government might lead to faster money transfers, and be more accessible than the current banking system, according to a new paper from the Federal Reserve (via CNBC).

The paper is meant to act as “the first step in a discussion,” and doesn’t advocate for actually creating a “central bank digital currency” (or CBDC). Still, the creation of a digital dollar would be a massive shift in how big a role the government would play in our finances. Potential downsides could include making commercial banks less attractive to consumers, and affect the Fed’s ability to influence the financial system. The Fed is now inviting comments, including on anything the paper may have missed.

There are many other countries...

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Here’s where you can buy a Nintendo Switch

The Nintendo Switch OLED model boasts a vibrant, 7-inch display and slate of minor upgrades. | Image: Nintendo

The Nintendo Switch was, like most consoles during the pandemic, once in short supply. Thankfully, retailers like Best Buy, Amazon, and Walmart now routinely stock the Nintendo Switch and Switch Lite in multiple color configurations and models, giving those who struck out ample opportunity to purchase Nintendo’s versatile console.

We’re keeping an eye across the web to find where you can buy a Nintendo Switch, the Nintendo Switch Lite (the portable-only version of the console), and the new Nintendo Switch OLED model, as well as any bundles that seem like good deals.

Where can I buy a Nintendo Switch right now?

• Over at Amazon, you can buy an updated Nintendo Switch model with gray Joy-Cons, plus a 64GB SanDisk microSD card, for $312.49...

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Amazon facing formal complaint from labor board over worker firing

The NLRB will issue a formal complaint against Amazon unless it settles a case with a fired worker | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

The National Labor Relations Board is preparing to issue a complaint against Amazon alleging the company illegally fired a worker at one of its New York warehouses, unless the company settles the case first. At issue is whether Daequan Smith, an organizer with the newly-formed Amazon Labor Union (ALU), was fired for trying to organize.

As first reported byBloomberg, NLRB spokesperson Kayla Blado confirmed Friday that the agency’s regional director Kathy Drew King determined allegations by the ALU that Smith was fired illegally had merit and would issue a complaint if the case doesn’t settle. “The complaint would allege a discharge because of union and other protected concerted activities, among other allegations,” Blado said.

Amazon...

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