Russia says it’s blocking Facebook in alarming new censorship push

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Russia’s communications agency Roskomnadzor announced Friday that it is blocking access to Facebook in Russia. It cited 26 cases of “discrimination against Russian media and information resources by Facebook” since October 2020, in addition to the more-recent restrictions Facebook has placed on Russian state media outlets.

In response, Meta president of global affairs Nick Clegg tweeted in response to the move, saying “Soon millions of ordinary Russians will find themselves cut off from reliable information, deprived of their everyday ways of connecting with family and friends and silenced from speaking out. We will continue to do everything we can to restore our services so they remain available to people to safely and securely express...

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How to decide which laptop to buy

Here’s the Gigabyte Aero 16, an option for creators with deep pockets. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

The thing nobody tells you about working as a professional laptop reviewer is that everyone in your life who you are even somewhat acquainted with will, at some point, ask you what laptop they should buy.

There are variations, of course. There’s “Which laptop should I buy for my son?” or “Which laptop should I buy for my sister?” or “Which laptop should I buy to start my podcast?” I’ve heard them all. I imagine most laptop reviewers on the internet can say the same.

My answers are very often disappointing. I think people often expect that because I use these things for my job, I’ll be able to give them the perfect recommendation immediately. But — as I imagine many gadget reviewers will tell you — that’s much harder than you think.

H...

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Tech’s cult of thinness needs to come to an end

More devices need to follow in the footsteps of Apple’s recent (bigger) MacBook Pros | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Gadgets are getting too thin, again.

These past few weeks saw some of the latest victims of the seemingly unending drive towards making our devices as thin as possible, no matter the consequences. Samsung’s Galaxy S22 and S22 Plus — what will undoubtedly be some of the most popular Android phones of the year — are thinner than last year’s models and held back by disappointing battery life. The new Dell XPS 15 is “exceptionally thin and light” but barely lasts four hours on a change and runs nearly as hot as the sun. And the OnePlus 10 Pro is a flagship smartphone that can somehow be snapped in half with your bare hands.

It seems that despite over a decade of chasing the thinnest, lightest phones and computers around to the detriment of...

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Vergecast: Apple ‘Peek Performance’ event preview, Ford splits itself in two, and Russia starts a star war

Image: ULA

Every Friday, The Verge publishes our flagship podcast, The Vergecast, where co-hosts Nilay Patel and Dieter Bohn discuss the week in tech news with the reporters and editors covering the biggest stories.

There is an Apple event next week, so Dan Seifert comes on to talk about what we can expect. He thinks there will be some new hardware but isn’t completely sold that we will see anything with a new design.

Loren Grush comes on to talk about the conflict in Ukraine and how it’s affecting space flight. She also gives Elon and SpaceX the appropriate credit for delivering Starlink to Ukraine after a tweet requesting it.

And there was a Rivian debacle this week, so Andrew Hawkins comes on to tell us about how vehicle pricing went up by as...

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A heartfelt farewell from Dieter Bohn

Photo by Vjeran Pavic

I’m moving on from media

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EA is halting sales of its games in Russia and Belarus

Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

EA is halting sales of its games and content in Russia and Belarus in response to the invasion of Ukraine, the publisher announced Friday. On Wednesday, the company said that it was removing Russian teams from its FIFA and NHL games, but Friday’s actions go a significant step further.

“We have made the decision to stop sales of our games and content, including virtual currency bundles, in Russia and Belarus while this conflict continues,” EA said in a blog post. “As a result, our games and content will no longer be available for purchase in our Russian region storefront on Origin or the EA app, including through in-game stores. We are also working with our platform partners to remove our titles from their stores and stop the sale of new...

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Apple CEO Tim Cook tells employees the return to offices will begin on April 11th

Apple is phasing in its return to offices | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Apple will begin phasing in its planned hybrid work pilot on April 11th, bringing employees back to the office one day a week to start, according to an email from CEO Tim Cook to Apple employees, which was seen by The Verge. Apple originally announced its plans for a hybrid work pilot in November.

In the third week of the pilot, Cook writes, employees will come in twice a week, with the full hybrid pilot — where workers will come into the office on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday and work “flexibly” on Wednesday and Friday — would go into effect May 23rd. The timing may vary from office to office depending on local conditions, Cook added.

“For many of you, I know that returning to the office represents a long-awaited milestone and a...

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Save on Bose noise-canceling headphones and earbuds at Best Buy

The QuietComfort 45s are on sale at Best Buy | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

If you’re in the market for some new headphones or earbuds, Bose has got you covered. Currently, you can find the Bose QuietComfort 45 headphones at Amazon or Best Buy for $279, matching their lowest price. The Verge staffer Chris Welch reviewed the QuietComfort 45 headphones for us and was generally impressed by the overall comfort and effective noise cancellation of these headphones.

The Bose QuietComfort Earbuds are also on sale, discounted from their regular $279 price to $219.99 at Amazon and Best Buy. These earbuds have been available for as low as $199.99 before, but they haven’t been available for that price since early January. Chris Welch also reviewed these earbuds for us and praised their sound quality and noise-cancellation...

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After mistaken identity and confusion, a piece of space junk slams into the Moon

After years of zooming through deep space, a presumed leftover piece of a Chinese rocket slammed into the Moon today, just as space tracking experts expected it would. At least, it should have hit the Moon around 7:30AM ET this morning, as long as the law of gravity has not changed. The collision brings an end to the rocket’s life in space and likely leaves a fresh new crater on the Moon that may be up to 65 feet wide.

The now-expired rocket has caused quite a buzz this past month. First of all, the vehicle was never intended to crash into the Moon, making it a rare piece of space debris to find its way to the lunar surface by accident. Additionally, there was some confusion over its identity, with various groups trying to nail down...

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Russian ‘fake news’ law could give offenders 15 years in prison

Russia’s lower house of parliament has passed a law punishing “fake news” with up to 15 years in prison, according to Reuters. The rule would impose fines or jail terms for spreading false information about the military, as well as fines for people who publicly call for sanctions against Russia. Courts would mete out the harshest sentences for fake news that leads to “serious consequences.”

According to earlier coverage from The Moscow Times, the bill is meant to penalize people who knowingly “distort the purpose, role and tasks of the Russian Armed Forces, as well as other units during special military and other operations,” including people who spread information about Russian war losses.

“Literally by tomorrow, this law will force...

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Dygma Raise: splitting the difference between gaming and ergonomics

Dig it or quit it?

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Kogonada’s After Yang finds beauty in the quiet dystopia of grief

Justin H. Min stars as Yang, an android at the end of his life

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Here’s what you can expect from GTAV on PS5 and Xbox Series X

The PS5 and Xbox Series X / S versions of Grand Theft Auto V will launch on Tuesday, March 15th, as will a separate version of GTA Online that — for the first time — won’t require the base game to play.

Rockstar Games shed some light on what’s coming a few weeks ago when it teased that development on _GTAVI_was underway. But today, it’s providing some more details of what you can expect from the updated games and how character migration will work if you’re a fervent GTA Online player.

As for GTAV, there will be graphical touchups throughout, and it will offer three graphics settings: a 4K fidelity mode with ray tracing, a comparatively stripped-back, upscaled 4K (1080p on Series S) performance mode that runs faster at 60 frames per...

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Microsoft pulls the plug on ‘new’ sales of products and services in Russia

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

In a blog post published Friday morning, Microsoft president Brad Smith confirmed the company “will suspend all new sales of Microsoft products and services in Russia.”

It didn’t go into further detail about what that looks like or specify what meaningful financial impact the move will have on its businesses, as CD Projekt Red did yesterday while announcing a ban on services to Russia and Belarus. In response to a request for more information by The Verge, a spokesperson said the company had nothing more to share at this time.

“we are coordinating closely and working in lockstep with the governments of the US, EU, and the UK”

Microsoft is only the latest tech company to announce a stop in some of its services to Russia following...

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Battle at Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plant raises global alarm

Two cooling towers dominate the landscape as the Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant is situated on the bank of the Kakhovka Reservoir formed on the Dnipro River, Enerhodar, Zaporizhzhia Region, southeastern Ukraine, July 9, 2019.  | Photo credit should read Dmytro Smolyenko/Future Publishing via Getty Images

A fire broke out at the site of Ukraine’s largest nuclear power plantduring an apparent Russian attack, Ukrainian officials told the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). The fire at the Zaporizhzhia power plant has been put out and did not affect the nuclear reactors’ safety systems. Radiation levels at the plant remained the same, the IAEA reported early morning on March 4th.

The fire started when a projectile hit a training building near one of the plant’s reactors, the agency said. The incident heightened concerns about vulnerabilities at Ukraine’s nuclear facilities during Russia’s invasion. This is the first time war has broken out in a place so heavily reliant on nuclear energy. Ukraine typically gets over half of its...

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Disney Plus is adding a cheaper ad-supported subscription tier later this year

Image: Disney

Disney Plus will be adding a cheaper, ad-supported subscription tier sometime in “late 2022,” the company announced today. The tier will come to the US first before expanding internationally in 2023.

Crucially, Disney hasn’t said how much cheaper the advertisement-supported version of Disney Plus will be compared to the standard, ad-free plan (which currently costs $7.99 per month or $79.99 per year) or when exactly it’ll be launching the new tier of service.

Adding cheaper options with ads has become increasingly popular among subscription services. HBO Max last year introduced a $10 per month plan that shaved $5 off the ad-free price, although in addition to adding commercials, the cheaper plan also is limited to HD content (and not...

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The Verge’s favorite non-tech gadgets

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge

Let’s admit it — most, if not all, of the people who work here at The Verge are gadget enthusiasts. But while most of those gadgets come under the heading of tech — headphones, smartphones, laptops, speakers, and all the other electronic gear that we love to play with — there are also some really interesting, fun, and useful gadgets out there that we don’t usually think of as tech, per se.

So, for this article, we asked the staff to come up with their favorite non-tech gadgets — things that don’t have Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or an app. Admittedly, some of what they came up with sit on the border between tech and non-tech — where, for example, do espresso machines belong? But hey, let’s not be picky. Here are the kitchen gear, home tools, and...

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The creators of Triangle Strategy know it has a weird name

The last few games that Tomoya Asano has worked on all have a few things in common. A producer at Square Enix, Asano’s most recent titles have been attempts at reimagining the classic Japanese role-playing game for modern audiences, harking back to the glory days of turn-based Final Fantasy adventures. They also all have extremely weird names like Bravely Default, Octopath Traveler, and Various Daylife. That trend continues with the release of Triangle Strategy on the Nintendo Switch today.

“We do want the titles to have a uniqueness to them,” Asano tells The Verge. “We also try to be careful that it’s not outrageously weird to the point that consumers can’t remember the name of the game.”

At first glance, Triangle Strategy doesn’t seem...

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Samsung addresses throttling reports, says an update is on the way

Samsung says the software was included on S22 devices. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Samsung has addressed reports that it is throttling the performance of thousands of popular apps, saying a software update will return control to users.

“We value the feedback we receive about our products and after careful consideration, we plan to roll out a software update soon so users can control the performance while running game apps,” said Samsung spokesperson Kelly Yeo in a statement to The Verge.

Samsung’s response follows reports that its phones are throttling the performance of around 10,000 apps, including social media services like Instagram and TikTok, as well as games like Genshin Impact. But the software didn’t appear to affect popular benchmarking apps like 3DMark, which means benchmarks may not accurately reflect the...

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iFixit teardown shows how Samsung packed an S Pen into the S22 Ultra

The S22 Ultra (left) and regular S22 (right). | Image: iFixit

The release of Samsung’s latest flagship smartphone means we’ve got another excellent iFixit teardown to enjoy, which offers a great look at the insides of the Galaxy S22 and S22 Ultra.

The teardown gives us a look at how Samsung has gone about integrating its S Pen stylus into the Galaxy S22 Ultra, as well as the new vapor chamber for keeping the phone cool during use. But the most interesting discovery relates to the vibration motor inside the S22 devices, which _iFixit_notes is now built into the bottom speaker rather than the top.

The speculation is that Samsung is trying to catch up to the performance of the iPhone’s Taptic Engine, but it’s doing so with a component that takes up less internal space. The changes Samsung has made to...

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Google pauses all ad sales in Russia ‘in light of the extraordinary circumstances’

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Google has paused all ad sales in Russia in response to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.

“In light of the extraordinary circumstances, we’re pausing Google ads in Russia,” a Google spokesperson told The Verge.“The situation is evolving quickly, and we will continue to share updates when appropriate.”

It’s difficult to say what financial losses the company will incur as a result, but the move shows how the online world has become a subsidiary battleground between Russia and the West following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

The pause by Google follows similar blanket bans on ads in Russia enacted by Twitter and Snapchat. Google also previously blocked Russian state media like Russia Today from monetizing their websites and YouTube channels...

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BBC resurrects WWII-era shortwave broadcasts as Russia blocks news of Ukraine invasion

Photo by Vuk Valcic/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

The BBC is resorting to broadcasting news bulletins over shortwave radio in Russia after the country blocked access to BBC websites, The Guardian reports. The BBC announced it was bringing back the WWII-era broadcasting technology in the region just hours before its sites were banned. News of the ban was also reported by Russian state news agency RIA.

Shortwave radio uses frequencies that carry over long-distances and are accessible on portable sets. The BBC says its shortwave broadcasts will be available on frequencies of 15735 kHz from 6pm to 8pm and 5875 kHz from midnight to 2am, Ukraine time. News will be read in English, which the BBC says will be available in Kyiv as well as “parts of Russia.”

Скачайте наше приложение в...

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Pebble’s reign as Kickstarter king comes to an end

Prolific fantasy author Brandon Sanderson has just broken the Kickstarter record for the most successful crowdfunded project of all time, cracking the $20,338,986 milestone set by the Pebble Time all the way back in 2015.

Sanderson’s achievement isn’t just notable for the sheer amount of money raised but for the speed. The project — for four new novels that the author wrote in secret over the course of the pandemic — was announced on Tuesday, March 1st and broke the record by early Friday morning, March 4th.

The project’s original goal was to raise $1,000,000 in 30 days; Sanderson hit that number in around 35 minutes, according to The New York Times. The campaign currently exceeds 82,000 backers and still has 27 days to raise...

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Sony and Honda plan to make electric vehicles together

Sony and Honda are planning to form a new company to design and sell electric vehicles together. The venture hasn’t been finalized just yet, but the two companies have signed a memorandum of understanding that states their intent. The as-yet unnamed new company is expected to be formed this year, with sales of the first EV model planned for 2025.

Honda will manufacture the first model, with the new company handing the vehicle’s design, development, and sales, and Sony set to develop a mobility service platform. The partnership is intended to combine Honda’s expertise in making and marketing cars with Sony’s capabilities in image sensors, telecommunications, and entertainment.

“Sony’s purpose is to ‘fill the world with emotion through...

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Here are the best Amazon Echo deals right now

The Echo Show 5 (left), Echo Show 8 (middle), and the Echo Show (right). | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge

Amazon’s current Echo lineup offers a broad selection of smart speakers and displays that can fit just about anywhere in your home. Whether you want to place a voice assistant in every room or simply a touchscreen-enabled model to showcase recipes in the kitchen, there's an Echo device for just about every occasion and use case.

Regardless of why you might want one, there’s always a way to save on an Echo device, from the last-gen Echo Dot to Amazon’s latest Echo Show 10. Even when they’re selling for full price, Amazon offers a 25 percent discount when you trade in select devices, meaning there are still other ways to save money when none of the models are on sale.

The best Echo Dot deals

Last year, Amazon released the fourth...

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Google tests an even darker ‘dark mode’ for its Android app

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Google’s testing a darker dark mode for its Android search app (viaAndroid Police), according to 9to5Google. This new shade still isn’t the same as the one presented in Google’s test of a pitch-black dark mode on desktops last month. Rather, the one spotted in the mobile app is darker than the usual dark gray but still lighter than pitch black. I momentarily had the pitch-black search page on desktop, but shortly after, it switched back to dark gray.

The new dark mode in Google’s mobile app could be more attractive for devices with OLED displays looking to save battery life, or who just prefer to use dark mode more. Android Police said that the new shade is available Google’s latest 13.8 beta in the Google Play Store which you can getv...

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Apple is starting to remove mask requirements for its workers

Photo by Tayfun CoÅkun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

Apple is beginning to change its mask requirements for employees, according to Bloomberg. Vaccinated corporate staffers will not have to wear a mask at offices where “local indoor-mask mandates have been eliminated,” while masks will be optional for retail workers at “a small number of locations” beginning Friday, the publication says.

Just last week, Apple began to drop mask requirements for Apple store customers in several states. At the time, employees were still required to wear masks, but it appears Apple is beginning to relax those rules for some. Apple had previously dropped mask requirements for some stores and offices in June, but brought them back in July.

Apple didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment from The Verge.

...

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Twitter’s CEO says employees can return to the office starting March 15th

He reiterates that employees can work fully remote if they want. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Twitter will be fully re-opening its offices and bringing back business travel starting on March 15th, according to a post written by CEO Parag Agrawal. In his note (see the full text below), Agrawal reiterates the policy put into place by former Twitter lead Jack Dorsey, saying that employees will be allowed to work remotely full-time if that’s what they’re comfortable with.

While Agrawal says that he wants Twitter employees to work wherever they “feel most productive and creative” and that the company is committed to “truly flexible work,” his statement does lean a lot on the benefits of office work. It mentions how difficult distributed work is while also saying that “office visits, team meetings, and events all bring that culture to...

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Clean energy broke records in 2021 but still can’t catch up with oil and gas

Lemoore, California July 2021. Westlands Solar Park, near the town of Lemoore in the San Joaquin Valley of California. | Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Clean energy just had a record-setting year in the US,but without a drastic shift in policies, oil and gas will continueto dominate the US energy sector for the next three decades, according to two new energy reports released today.

The Energy Information Administration’s (EIA) annual energy outlook forecast that the US, the world’s top producer of oil and gas, will continue to produce record amounts of crude oil and gas through 2050if it continues down its current path. Petroleum and gas will also continue to be the country’s “most-consumed” sources of energy through the middle of the century unless something changes. “Though renewable sources grow faster, there is still a large established base of fossil fuel use that we simply do...

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This is the Osom OV1, a new phone from Essential’s former engineers and designers

The Essential Phone heritage is clear. | Image: Osom

Osom, the company formed by Essential’s employees after the startup went under, has released new details about its upcoming OV1 phone, including a very familiar list of build materials. Meant to compete with flagships from Apple, Google, and Samsung, the OV1 will have a stainless steel and titanium housing, a ceramic back, Corning Victus cover glass, and a Qualcomm processor.

The stainless steel is for the phone’s frame, while titanium will be used for accents like the power and volume buttons as well as the ring around the camera bump, according to Android Police. It sounds like the phone will have a heft to it — Osom says the OV1 will be “noticeably bigger” than the Essential Phone, which had razor-thin bezels and a 5.7-inch screen....

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