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Leaked Motorola Razr 3 images reveal an upgraded camera and a boxier design

The 2020 version of the Motorola Razr. | Photo by Dieter Bohn / The Verge

A pair of leaked images from reliable leaker Evan Blass (via 91Mobiles) gives us a first look at what appears to be a testing model of the third generation Motorola Razr. The device, codenamed Maven, notably houses two upgraded cameras on its back: a 50MP f / 1.8 main sensor and a 13MP sensor for macro and ultra-wide shots.

In the image of the device fully closed, you’ll notice that it seems to have lost its “chin,” or the lip that extended outward in previous iterations of the device. It looks like it folds over on itself to form a square shape when it’s closed, deviating from both the modern remakes of the device and its original design.

Image: Evan Blass via 91Mobiles

Blass also notes that the fingerprint sensor...

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Some new BMWs will reportedly come without Android Auto and Apple CarPlay

Economic Photo Illustrations

Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

BMW is temporarily shipping some new vehicles without support for Android Auto and Apple CarPlay after changing chip suppliers, according to a report from Automotive News Europe (via 9to5Google). The chips from the new supplier reportedly aren’t compatible with Android Auto and CarPlay yet, and require an update for the software to work.

“The chips built into these cars in the first four months of this year need updated software in order to be fully functional and offer Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and Wi-Fi capability,” BMW said in an emailed statement to Automotive News Europe. BMW didn’t immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment.

An OTA update is coming by the end of June

Drivers may not have to wait too much longer to get...

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Ncuti Gatwa will star as Doctor Who’s Fourteenth Doctor

27th Annual Critics Choice Awards - Arrivals

Gatwa previously starred in Netflix’s Sex Education. | Photo by Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

The BBC has named Ncuti Gatwa as Doctor Who’s Fourteenth Doctor. Gatwa will take over the role in 2023, replacing Jodie Whittaker as the current Doctor.

“This role and show means so much to so many around the world, including myself, and each one of my incredibly talented predecessors has handled that unique responsibility and privilege with the utmost care,” Gatwa said in a statement to the BBC. “I will endeavour my upmost to do the same.”

The future is here! Ncuti Gatwa is the Doctor. ❤️❤️➕ #DoctorWho

Read more here ➡️ https://t.co/KoxPmoNAdL pic.twitter.com/peKsH6gCjI

— Doctor Who (@bbcdoctorwho) May 8, 2022

The Scottish actor previously played Eric Effiong in Netflix’s comedy series Sex Education, and will also star alongside...

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Tesla sues former engineer for allegedly stealing its supercomputer’s secrets

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Tesla is suing former engineer Alexander Yatskov for allegedly stealing “confidential and tightly guarded” information related to the company's supercomputer technology, called Project Dojo, as first reported by Bloomberg. In a copy of the complaint, Tesla accuses Yatskov of downloading the information to his personal devices and refusing to give it back.

Yatskov, who Tesla claims lied on his resume about his work history and skillset, started working for the electric vehicle maker as a thermal engineer in January and aided in the design of Dojo’s cooling systems. Dojo is Tesla’s neural net training computer that processes large amounts of data used to train the AI software in Tesla’s self-driving cars. According to the complaint,...

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An Xbox outage is preventing some players from launching digital titles

Photo by James Bareham / The Verge

Xbox is having issues preventing some players from launching cloud games, playing digital games, and making purchases from its store. According to Xbox’s status page, the outage started around 4PM ET, and the company is currently working on a fix.

“We’re aware that some users are unable to purchase & launch games or start Cloud Gaming sessions,” Xbox Support said in a tweet. “Our teams are investigating. Please keep an eye here and on our status page for updates. http://Xbox.com/status.”

We're aware that some users are unable to purchase & launch games or start Cloud Gaming sessions. Our teams are investigating. Please keep an eye here and on our status page for updates. https://t.co/kQKp1LYR4o

— Xbox Support (@XboxSupport) May 7, 2022

...

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California governor signs executive order shaping cryptocurrency regulation in the state

SFChronicleNewsom

Governor Gavin Newsom’s executive order aims to “create a transparent and consistent business environment” for businesses in crypto. | Brontë Wittpenn/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images

California Governor Gavin Newsom signed an executive order on Wednesday that lays the groundwork for bolstering and regulating the cryptocurrency industry in the state (via CNBC). As outlined in the executive order, Newsom’s goal is “to create a transparent and consistent business environment for companies operating in blockchain,” that balances “the benefits and risks to consumers.”

The executive order calls upon the California Governor’s Office of Business and Economic Development (GO-Biz) to collaborate with the state’s Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI) and Business, Consumer Services and Housing Agency (BCSH). Together, the state agencies are tasked with devising “potential blockchain applications and...

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Elon Musk thinks he can double Twitter’s revenue through subscriptions alone

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images

Elon Musk — the world’s richest man and Twitter’s new owner — expects Twitter to earn almost $10 billion in revenue from subscriptions by 2028, a projection that doubles the $5 billion in total revenue the platform made last year, according to a report from The New York Times.

In a pitch deck viewed by the Times, Musk gave investors a taste of what to expect under his ownership. This reportedly includes driving up Twitter Blue subscribers to 69 million by 2025 and more than doubling that number to 159 million by 2028. Launched last year, Twitter Blue is the service’s $2.99 / month subscription that gives users access to an “undo tweet” button, app customization, ad-free articles, and other exclusive features. Musk expects a huge growth...

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Elden Ring on PlayStation is $10 off at Amazon

elden ring

FromSoftware’s fantasy RPG sold more than 12 million copies worldwide in its first month alone. | Image: Bandai Namco

Elden Ring has been the talk of the town since its release in late February. It has taken over the landscape of gaming discourse, and for good reason. If you primarily play games on Sony’s PlayStation consoles, now is the perfect time to jump into FromSoftware’s open-world take on its acclaimed dark fantasy “Souls-like” formula. Amazon has both the PS4 and PS5 physical versions of Elden Ring for $49.94 — a discount of about $10.

That may not sound like a huge price cut, but the only sales on this hot title so far have been on the Xbox and PC versions. Plus, when you factor in how many hours you can pour into The Lands Between (many of us at The Verge have crossed the 100-hour mark on just our first playthrough), it makes it an even more...

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Amazon is making ‘some management changes’ at JFK8

The New York Times reports “more than half a dozen” people were fired. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Amazon has reportedly fired several senior managers that were part of “operations and leadership” at JFK8, the facility in Staten Island, New York that recently voted to unionize. According to the The New York Times, Amazon told the managers it was going through an “organizational change,” but some of their co-workers see it as a punishment for the union’s win.

The Times writes that “more than half a dozen” managers were fired, and that many of them had been tasked with responding to unionization efforts. What that means is frustratingly vague — it could mean that the managers were tasked with keeping the union from winning, and that they were fired for failing to do so. But it could also mean that the managers had helped the union in...

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Snap didn’t make enough Pixy drones, but won’t say how many it made

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Snap’s new flying camera, the $230 Pixy drone, went on sale last week — but the earliest buyers were told they’d have to wait three months to actually get the gadget. We’re now thinking that the company didn’t make enough, because Snap has extended the Pixy’s shipping time to four whole months, according to the drone’s website.

Estimated shipment in 15-16 weeks for the Pixy drone, per Snap’s website

“Honestly, in hindsight, we probably should have made more,” Evan Spiegel told me before the launch https://t.co/7ePpWWUimA https://t.co/ACON9SlJ2A

— Alex Heath (@alexeheath) May 4, 2022

Does this mean the Pixy is selling well? It’s possible, but it seems more likely that Snap didn’t make that many to begin with. In the past, Snap lost...

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US punishes Blender.io for helping North Korea launder millions in stolen Axie crypto

It says the Lazarus Group funneled around $20 million through the service. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

The US Treasury Department announced on Friday that it’s sanctioning Blender.io, essentially cutting the Bitcoin mixer off from the US financial system (legally speaking, anyway). The department alleges that the service, which lets people obfuscate the record usually kept by the blockchain, was used by North Korea to “support its malicious cyber activities and money-laundering of stolen virtual currency.”

According to the Treasury’s press release, Blender.io was used by the Lazarus hacking group to launder $20.5 million worth of the cryptocurrency it allegedly stole from the crypto-based game Axie Infinity. The entire proceeds of the hack, which the Treasury linked to Lazarus and North Korea in April, were estimated to be worth around...

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Microsoft’s new ‘One Outlook’ email client for Windows is starting to leak out

Image: Microsoft

Microsoft’s new Outlook email client for Windows, the so-called “One Outlook” project the company has been working on for some time, appears to be almost ready for prime time. Some users have been able to download the new app, as first spotted by Windows Central, though it seems to only function for work and educational accounts right now. Those who can get in are finding... well, it’s pretty much exactly what you’d expect.

We’ve long heard that the future of Microsoft’s mail clients would look a lot like the Outlook web app, and indeed, the new app appears to be just that. It’s much lighter and simpler than previous versions of Outlook for Windows and much more powerful than the built-in Mail app it is also slated to eventually replace....

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The best deals on Nintendo Switch games right now

Science-fantasy deckbuilder Griftlands is one of several titles currently discounted on the Nintendo eShop.

The Nintendo Switch is one of the most popular consoles ever released, one with an ever-expanding library of games to choose from. Odds are if a game is capable of working on the Switch’s hardware, it’s either already available or it will be soon.

Thankfully, a number of games are currently receiving price breaks if you’re looking to expand your collection, including first-gen offerings like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and remasters like Diablo III: Eternal Collection. However, if you want to add some less conventional indie titles to your collection, Klei Entertainment has also discounted the deckbuilding roguelike Griftlands and the Tim Burton-esque survival game, Don’t Starve.

Below, we’ve rounded up some of the deals on...

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Judge dismisses Donald Trump’s Twitter ban lawsuit

Illustration by Michele Doying / The Verge

A district judge in California has dismissed Donald Trump’s lawsuit against Twitter, saying the former president’s 2021 ban from the platform appears entirely legal. The order, handed down today, gives Trump and a group of other banned users until May 27th to file an amended complaint.

But while it leaves the door open for an appeal, the order is highly critical of the lawsuit’s claims — suggesting any amended version will face an uphill battle. In particular, the order dismisses Trump’s claims that Twitter violated the First Amendment and rejects a claim that Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act is unconstitutional.

“Plaintiffs are not starting from a position of strength,” Judge James Donato notes in the first paragraph of...

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A pig virus may have contributed to the death of first pig heart transplant patient

Photo by Thomas Trutschel/Photothek via Getty Images

A preventable infection by a porcine virus might have contributed to the death of the first patient to have a heart transplant with a pig organ, MIT Technology Review reported this week.

David Bennett Sr, who had severe heart disease, received a genetically modified pig heart in early January of this year — a major milestone in animal-to-human transplants, or xenotransplantation. He died in March. Initially, the hospital where the procedure was performed said that the cause of death was unknown.

But last month, Bennett’s transplant surgeon said in a webinar that the heart was infected with porcine cytomegalovirus, a virus that doesn’t infect human cells but can damage the organ. Virus-free hearts transplanted into baboons survived much...

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Amazon’s made it a little harder to buy Kindle books on Android

It felt like a sneaky hack because, for years, you could buy a Kindle book on the Amazon app on an Android device when you couldn’t do the exact same thing on an iOS one. But that unique relationship has ended, as first noted by Ars Technica. When attempting to purchase ebooks on the Amazon app on Android, you’re now directed to a new screen explaining why the purchasing option is gone. If you happen to update the app, you’ll see a similar note as to what you see on an iOS device that says purchasing digital products on the app is unavailable.

Amazon pulled digital book buying support from iOS devices back in 2011. The goal was to avoid the “tax” Apple’s App Store inflicts on digital goods. Comixology, the comic book app, lost the...

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Microsoft’s Xbox streaming stick and TV app are less than 12 months away — again

In November 2020, Microsoft gaming CEO Phil Spencer revealed you’d likely be able to stream Xbox games to your TV “in the next 12 months.” And, in June 2021, the company confirmed it would soon offer both a smart TV app and an Xbox streaming stick to make it happen.

But it’s been 11 months since “soon” and 17 months since Spencer suggested it’d be 12 months. And, now, both VentureBeat’s Jeff Grubb and The Verge’s own Tom Warren are reporting that the wait isn’t over.

Grubb now says we can expect the Xbox puck “in the next 12 months,” which I will remind you is the same exact phrase Spencer uttered 17 months ago, alongside the words, “I don’t think anything is going to stop us from doing that.” (I will also remind you that Microsoft...

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AirTags are sending a new kind of false alarm, report says

An AirTag

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Apple’s AirTags have been sending out “phantom” alerts that are confusing iPhone users, according to a new Wall Street Journal report. The AirTags, which launched last year, feature anti-stalking measures that are designed to alert users when an unknown AirTag has been detected on their person over an extended period of time. The idea is to discourage AirTags from being used to track people without their consent.

The WSJ reports that these false alerts generally occur in the middle of the night and have started popping up in recent weeks. When a person receives an unknown AirTag alert, they’re supposed to see an accompanying map that shows where and how long the AirTag was detected on their person. These false alarms, however, are...

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Google’s latest Roboto variant is a font customizable to its core

As someone who is really into fonts, I know that most people don’t share my passion — but I genuinely think that anyone who cares at all about typography will have some interest in what Google announced on Thursday. If you’ve ever used anything made by Google, you’ve seen Roboto. Now, Google’s introducing something called Roboto Flex. As the name implies, it’s a version of its famous font that you can tweak and customize in a ton of ways.

I can sense I might be about to lose a lot of people, so let’s try this: here’s a gif showing all the customizable parameters Roboto Flex has. There’s no trickery going on — I’m not changing a raster image with Photoshop or anything. Everything you see is built into the font itself and can be changed as...

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Spotify will shut down its radio-like listening app Stations on May 16th

Besides podcasts, things for your car, and annual listening recaps, Spotify has been running another experiment since 2018 with Stations, a “lightweight” app available for free and paid subscribers.

After its initial debut overseas with an Android version, Spotify launched an iOS version of the app in 2019 and opened it up to users in the US. However, now the test is over, and 9to5Google reports Spotify has started notifying users that the app will shut down on May 16th.

If you used Stations, you can visit the site to move your favorite curated lists over to the main Spotify app, which includes the following message:

Stations is shutting down on May 16th. The stations you created will go away, but you can still enjoy Spotify by logging...

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Sweeping legal ruling orders ISPs to block pirate sites

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

A copyright battle has spawned a sweeping order demanding internet service providers block a set of pirate sites — one of the broadest such rulings to date.

As TorrentFreak recently reported, a New York district judge ruled in late April on a series of copyright lawsuits against three sites that rebroadcast mostly Hebrew-language television. The rightsholders demanded monetary damages from the site operators — who didn’t show up in court — and an injunction meant to prevent viewers from accessing the services. Judge Katherine Polk Failla approved the request and ordered a voluminous list of ISPs to block Israeli-TV.com, Israel.tv, and Sdarot.com. The companies are required to block not only the current addresses but also any domain known...

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The DJI Mini 3 Pro has thoroughly leaked in an unboxing video and retail post

Retail photo of the Mini 3 Pro. | Image: DroneDJ

On Thursday, DJI tweeted a teaser for a May 10th announcement, saying it’s about to reveal “a twist in the plot.” It seems likely that the company plans on releasing a new drone — especially given that a YouTube video showing a DJI Mini 3 Pro and its controller being unboxed was uploaded on the same day as DJI’s teaser (via DroneDJ).

In their video, YouTuber DM Productions says they got footage of the unboxing from someone who received the unannounced DJI Mini 3 Pro drone early. The video gives us a good look at the drone itself, with its bevy of obstacle avoidance sensors as well as its controller.

As DM Productions points out, the controller is similar to DJI’s current RC Pro, with a few buttons and ports removed. The Mini 3 Pro’s...

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Lucid raises its EV prices as the company continues to struggle with production

Photo by Andrew Hawkins / The Verge

Lucid Motors is raising the prices of its luxury electric vehicles, as the company continues to struggle with production. The company reported delivering only 360 vehicles to customers in the first quarter of 2022.

As of June 1st, Lucid’s newly increased prices will be $154,000 for the Air Grand Touring (previously $139,000), $107,400 for Air Touring (up from $95,000), and $87,400 for Air Pure (up from $80,000). That represents an average increase of around 11 percent. The new Lucid Air Grand Touring Performance model, announced just two weeks ago, will remain priced at $179,000. (All of Lucid’s vehicles are eligible for the $7,500 federal EV tax credit as well as any available state and local incentives.)

In a call with investors, Lucid...

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The best deals on 4K TVs

LG’s fantastic C1 OLED is on sale in the 55-inch configuration for around $1,197, its lowest price to date. | Image: LG

With CES 2022 having wrapped earlier this year, the future looks bright for those who are looking to nab a great TV at a substantial discount. Many manufacturers — including LG and Samsung — announced new versions of some of their most popular models during the event, ranging from The Frame to LG’s new C2 lineup and new QD-OLED models coming from Samsung and Sony. And now that manufacturers like Samsung and LG have announced official pricing details and are starting to launch their new TVs, we’re noticing prices beginning to fall on the last-gen, 2021 models.

However, if you’re looking to pick up a solid deal before the new models arrive, fret not, as there are already some great discounts available. There are currently a number of...

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Here are the best Apple Watch deals right now

The Apple Watch Series 7

Apple’s latest Apple Watch, the Series 7, currently starts at $313 instead of $399, a new all-time low. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Thinking about picking up a new Apple Watch? It might be tempting to order one of the Series 7 models, but newer hardware always comes at a premium. And while Apple’s latest wearable offers a slightly larger display and some improvements to durability, it is largely the same Apple Watch we’re familiar with.

Thankfully, each Apple Watch model offers ample functionality and has seen its fair share of discounts over the last year. So which ones should you consider if you’re in the market for Apple’s popular smartwatch while trying to shop smarter?

There are currently four Apple Watch models to choose from, all of which support watchOS 8. The highest-end is the Apple Watch Series 7, which starts at $399. The last-gen model, the Series 6,...

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Sennheiser’s flagship wireless earbuds are now better and cost less

New design, more features, and the same signature sound

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Cycle-tracking apps stand behind their privacy policies as Roe teeters

BioWink GmbH Secures $7million In Funding From Investors

Fertility and cycle tracking apps are widely used and can be useful tools that help people monitor their health. But reports regularly show that, like other health apps, they fall short when it comes to protecting user privacy. That shortfall is particularly concerning for users in the US after a leaked Supreme Court opinion indicated that the court intends to overturn Roe v. Wade — eliminating the right to an abortion in the United States and allowing states to criminalize the safe and lifesaving medical procedure.

Information stored in cycle-tracking apps isn’t covered by the medical privacy law HIPAA, so companies have broad leeway with how they use it — and who they share it with. They often share information with data brokers,...

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Nvidia fined $5.5 million for hiding how many gaming GPUs were sold to crypto miners

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Nvidia will pay $5.5 million to settle charges that it unlawfully obscured how many of its graphics cards were sold to cryptocurrency miners. The US Securities and Exchange Commission announced the charges and a settlement with the company today. Its order claims Nvidia misled investors by reporting a huge boost in revenue related to “gaming,” hiding how much its success relied on the far more volatile crypto market. Nvidia isn’t admitting to wrongdoing as part of the settlement, but it agrees to stop any unlawful failures to disclose information.

The charges stem from Nvidia’s fiscal year 2018 financial reports. The SEC notes Nvidia saw an explosion in crypto mining-related sales in 2017, when the rewards of mining Ethereum grew...

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The best Sonos speaker and soundbar deals

The Sonos Roam launched last year is now on sale in refurbished condition at Best Buy. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Most would agree that Sonos offers some of the best speakers and soundbars currently on the market. That’s because Sonos makes speakers that — more often than not — boast great sound quality, support for all the major streaming platforms, and simple multi-room functionality. Unfortunately, however, all of those perks often come at a high price. Sonos products aren’t cheap, and, outside of the occasional rogue discount, they rarely go on sale. However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t ways to save at least a few dollars on Sonos gear.

If you’re comfortable buying refurbished, for example, you could save a decent amount. We also occasionally see sales on Sonos’ collaborative series with Ikea and discounted bundles that include Sonos...

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Adding physical buttons to Fitbit’s next-gen devices is a smart idea

The Versa 2 was the last Fitbit smartwatch to have a physical button. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

To button, or not to button? When it comes to wearables, the answer is you should always opt for physical buttons. And while they’re abundant on smartwatches, fitness trackers tend to favor touchscreens and capacitive buttons. But it looks like there may be some good news for fans of physical buttons. A new leaked photo of the Fitbit Versa 4 indicates that the side button is back, baby.

The photo comes from 9to5Google, and for the most part, it looks almost identical to the Versa 3 — except if you zero in on the right-hand side, where you can see a teeny little raised button.

It might not seem like it, but this is actually a significant design change. Earlier iterations of the Versa — one of Fitbit’s most popular devices — had a...

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