FAA says Verizon and AT&T will soon be able to use the good 5G

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

The Federal Aviation Administration, or FAA, says it expects AT&T and Verizon to be able to more or less fully roll out their 5G C-band networks by July 2023, after multiple delays due to concerns about the radio waves affecting vital safety equipment on planes. The plan, which the FAA says is the result of collaboration between regulators, carriers, and the aviation industry, will allow carriers to turn on their equipment in “carefully considered phases” as airlines work to retrofit their planes with equipment that will mitigate any potential interference from cellular signals.

As AT&T and Verizon were turning on their next-gen networks in January, the FAA protested and the carriers agreed to create buffer zones around dozens of...

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Everest’s base camp is melting

Everest base camp. | Photo by TASHI LAKPA SHERPA/AFP via Getty Images

Nepal is moving the Everest base camp off of the melting Khumbu glacier, the BBC reported.

Research shows that the Khumbu glacier is rapidly thinning as a result of the changing climate. “We see increased rock falls and movement of melt-water on the surface of the glaciers that can be hazardous,” Scott Watson, a researcher at the University of Leeds who studies glaciers, told the BBC.

The current base camp location is becoming destabilized by the ice melt and is no longer safe. Climbers say cracks appear in the ground overnight, and guides say they expect more avalanches and ice falls at the current location going forward. The new base camp will be around 200 to 400 meters lower in altitude — and in a spot where there isn’t year-round...

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Three crypto firms are down bad this week, and things may get worse

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

This week has revealed to the average investor just how interconnected cryptocurrency firms are. Two firms have frozen withdrawals, and a cryptocurrency hedge fund is in trouble. Celsius Network, Babel Finance, and Three Arrows Capital are floundering, and it’s not yet clear how extensive the damage may be.

All three firms managed other peoples’ money

This week started with a Sunday night announcement from the Celsius Network, a gigantic crypto lending company, that it would pause withdrawals and transfers. After that, the value of Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies, already weeks into a slide that some have termed a “crypto winter,” plunged even further, and five days later, the news hasn’t improved much.

All three firms managed other...

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The 65-inch TCL 5-Series with Google TV is down to a new low price of $549.99

The 2022 TCL 5-Series has Google TV built-in, as an alternative to the usual Roku TV. | Image: TCL

With the recent announcement of Amazon Prime Day returning on July 12th and 13th, you may think the best deals on things like TVs are yet to come. While there’s sure to be some great discounts to take advantage of, we’ve got some ready for you in the here and now.

Today, you can get the best price to date on the 65-inch TCL 5-Series TV, which is marked down to $549.99 at Amazon and Best Buy. This model comes equipped with Google TV for all your streaming needs, slightly bucking the trend of TCL sets shipping with Roku’s software — though that version is also discounted the same $150 off if you prefer. Normally priced at $699.99, the TCL 5-Series offers a lot of value at its full price, including Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision support....

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Either a bird went on vacation or scientists need a tourist to return their equipment

Common pied oystercatchers / Eurasian oystercatcher (Haematopus ostralegus) pair on dry stone wall, Shetland Islands, Scotland, UK. | Photo by: Arterra/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

The hunt is on for a bird tracking device that, instead of logging the bird’s movements, is likely tracking the travels of an unwitting tourist. Researchers are asking for the public’s help to retrieve the tracker so that it can be used to study birds again.

An oystercatcher, a black and white bird with a long, red-orange beak for breaking through shellfish, initially brought the tracker from Dublin, Ireland, to Orkney, an archipelago of islands north of Scotland.

The bird seemed to have lost the tracker at the beach on one of the islands, Sanday, on April 7th. It stayed there until late May, when the device started tracking unusual movements for a bird.

“It’s gone on a bit of a Tiki tour”

“It’s gone on a bit of a Tiki tour,” Steph...

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This Week in Elon: smashing the irony button

Image: Dami Lee

Elon Musk may want out of his deal with Twitter, but he has some ideas about how to run the bird app, and they involve layoffs, subscriptions, and… a sarcasm button. Musk turned up on Thursday for a video chat with Twitter employees, and the employees promptly leaked its contents to reporters — including my Verge colleague Alex Heath and The New York Times’ Mike Isaac, who ran a liveblog of the event while it was happening. An apparent digression about aliens notwithstanding, the meeting’s results were fairly predictable but illuminating for anybody who’s spent too much time obsessing over ominous phrases like “authenticate all humans” in the past few months.

In Thursday’s meeting, Musk had the energy of a rich MMORPG fan who buys a...

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Crunchyroll announces reboot of space western Trigun

Image: Crunchyroll

I’m confused. I’m playing Final Fantasy VII, and my partner is playing Resident Evil 4. My ears perk up as I hear the familiar and unmistakable heavy metal guitar chords of this song as Trigun appears on the TV.

I have no idea what year it is.

Late last night, Crunchyroll announced that a new Trigun anime series is in the works, and it seems like 2023 will be the year of maximum millennial nostalgia bait.

25 years after the first anime series, #TRIGUN will
be reborn in 2023 entitled TRIGUN STAMPEDE, produced by the Japan’s best 3D animation
studio Orange (@cg_orange_inc) with an all-new staff and cast. https://t.co/HqMU1s6sMN pic.twitter.com/a0R1TGsnMg

— 『TRIGUN STAMPEDE』アニメ公式 (@trigun_anime) June 17, 2022

The new show, Trigun...

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TCL Stylus 5G review: not quite write

An inexpensive budget phone that could offer more

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Tesla layoffs reportedly affect hourly workers, too

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

According to a report from Electrek, a wave of layoffs at Tesla may affect hourly workers, despite a company-wide email from Elon Musk on June 3rd saying “Tesla will be reducing salaried headcount by 10% as we have become overstaffed in many areas.” On June 4th, Musk tweeted that “[t]otal headcount will increase, but salaried should be fairly flat,” in response to a statement about Tesla’s staffing over the next twelve months.

The email went out clarifying the situation after initial reports of Musk telling company execs it would need to reduce headcount by 10 percent overall and pause hiring worldwide due to his “super bad feeling” about the economy. Tesla did not respond to a request for comment; the company disbanded its public...

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Julian Assange can be extradited to US, says UK home secretary

Photo by Rasid Necati Aslim/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has approved an American request to extradite WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange. Patel signed the order on June 17th, bringing Assange one step closer to facing espionage charges in the US.

Assange’s legal counsel plans to appeal the decision before the UK’s High Court. “This is a dark day for press freedom and for British democracy,” WikiLeaks said in a statement. “Julian did nothing wrong.”

“A dark day for press freedom” says WikiLeaks

Patel’s approval follows a series of legal losses for Assange. In December, the UK’s High Court approved Assange’s extradition, concluding that US authorities had credibly promised humane treatment in the American prison system. He was later refused an appeal by the UK...

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Elon Musk’s plan is to run Twitter off the top of his head

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images

Elon Musk appeared at a virtual town hall for Twitter employees on Thursday to answer their questions, and by the end of the session one question loomed larger than most: can you really run Twitter off the top of your head?

Over 60 or so freewheeling minutes, the world’s richest man fielded queries over remote work, layoffs, content moderation, and other questions of pressing interest to Twitter’s roughly 8,000 employees. Time and again, he offered workers hungry for concrete answers a jumble of sentence fragments.

Will Twitter’s mostly remote workforce be able to continue working from home? Maybe, if they’re “excellent,” Musk said, according to Bloomberg’s live blog. But it’s “much better if you are on location physically,” he said, a...

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Garmin Forerunner 255S review: running with the big dogs

Flagship features for a more palatable price

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Kids under five can now be vaccinated against COVID-19

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

The Food and Drug Administration has authorized COVID-19 vaccines for children under five — the last age group in the United States to get clearance to receive the shots. The agency authorized both Pfizer / BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for this age group.

It’s been a long, long wait for young children to get these vaccines, full of delays and frustrating setbacks. The Biden administration has plans in place for the first vaccinations for this age group, which includes kids between six months and five years old, to start the week of June 20th.

Pfizer / BioNTech’s under-five vaccination series includes three shots at one-tenth the dose of the adult shots. The companies had originally tested a two-shot series at that dose, but it didn’t...

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Niantic’s pet game Peridot is too cute for words

It’s hard to put into words how cute the little creatures in Peridot are. The virtual pets, which star in the next release from Pokémon Go developer Niantic, seem scientifically designed to make you say “awww.” They have big eyes and colorful bodies, and they really react when you give them some attention. I was only able to play a short amount of a pre-release version of the game, but I’m already smitten.

I had the chance to try a hands-on demo of Peridot with senior producer Ziah Fogel at Summer Game Fest last week in Los Angeles. The game is essentially a cross between Pokémon Go and Nintendogs, with all of the augmented reality and location-based gameplay you’d expect from Niantic but with a greater focus on taking care of your...

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The US needs a common charger, Dems say

A group of Senate Democrats is calling on the US Commerce Department to follow Europe’s lead in forcing all smartphone manufacturers to build devices that adhere to a universal charging standard.

In a Thursday letter addressed to Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) — along with Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Bernie Sanders (I-VT) — demanded that the department develop a strategy to require a common charging port across all mobile devices.

The letter comes a week after European Union lawmakers reached a deal on new legislation forcing all smartphones and tablets to be equipped with USB-C ports by fall 2024.

“The EU has wisely acted in the public interest by taking on powerful technology companies over this...

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Fairphone’s phone subscription gets cheaper the longer you look after your phone

Last year’s Fairphone 4. | Photo by Jon Porter / The Verge

Sustainable smartphone manufacturer Fairphone has announced a new subscription service that offers its latest phone, the Fairphone 4, for as little as €21 a month. Fairphone Easy is only available for customers in the company’s home market of the Netherlands for now, who’ll be able to rent the phone for anywhere between 3 and 60 months, but Fairphone spokesperson Ioiana Luncheon says the service could be expanded to more countries in Europe in 2023 depending on the results of this initial pilot.

The subscription service is the sustainable manufacturer’s latest attempt to cut down on the environmental impact of smartphone production, and it’s designed to encourage users to hold onto their existing phones for as long as possible. The...

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Valve VR patent stirs up fresh hopes about rumored standalone Deckard headset

The full headset taken from the recently-published Valve patent.

Valve’s most recent VR headset was 2019’s high-powered, high-priced Valve Index. But rumors have long been swirling that the company is working on another device — a standalone headset code-named “Deckard.” Well, here to give that rumor-pot a fresh stir is a recently-published patent application from the company that could reveal Deckard itself.

Of course, the usual caveats apply: patents are patents, not product roadmaps. And the language used within applications likes this are so purposefully broad as to resist much close-reading.

But the images — ah, the images — they do tell a story. Or at least, they give your imagination enough leeway to tell a story of its own, about the perfect standalone VR headset built by Valve itself....

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Airdrop app makes MacBook notch useful

The notch found on last year’s MacBook Pros. | Photo by Phil Esposito / The Verge

Most people have more or less gotten over the iPhone’s display notch, the once-controversial design element introduced with the iPhone X in 2017. But feelings are more raw when it comes to the MacBook Pro’s cutout, which only got a notch of its own last year. At least until you see how useful it can be thanks to an app under development by Ian Keen, who’s trying to turn the chunk of missing screen into a feature that makes AirDropping files easier.

In a video posted on Twitter, the developer shows how the app causes the notch to flash when the user is dragging AirDrop-compatible files. The idea is that these can then be dragged and dropped onto the notch itself, at which point a traditional AirDrop share window opens up showing in-range...

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TikTok: Facebook wants to connect you, we just want to entertain you

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

As titans of the social media world, Facebook and TikTok often invite comparison. But while Facebook is currently retooling its app to be more like its new rival, TikTok says it has no plans to become more like big blue.

Speaking to CNBC, TikTok’s president of global business solutions Blake Chandlee made the differences between the two companies clear: “Facebook is a social platform. They’ve built all their algorithms based on the social graph. That is their core competency. Ours is not.” He added: “We are an entertainment platform ... The difference is significant. It’s a massive difference.”

(By “social graph,” Chandlee is referring to the data that tracks connections between individuals that companies like Facebook generate to map...

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Sonos says customers that got extra speakers don’t have to send them back

One customer received around 30 shipments as a result of the glitch.

Sonos has confirmed that customers who received extra, unordered devices as a result of a recent software glitch don’t need to return the speakers. “Sonos does not require the return of extra equipment and respects the decision of each impacted customer,” said spokesperson Madeline Krebs. “We have and will continue to be in full compliance with FTC requirements.”

A summary of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) requirements are outlined on the US agency’s website. “You never have to pay for things you get but didn’t order,” the website reads. “You also don’t have to return unordered merchandise. You’re legally entitled to keep it as a free gift.”

“We have and will continue to be in full compliance with FTC requirements”

The software...

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SpaceX fires employees who wrote open letter complaining about Elon Musk: report

Photo by Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for The Met Museum/Vogue

SpaceX has fired a number of employees who wrote and shared a letter criticizing the behavior of CEO Elon Musk, reports The New York Times.

The open letter, first reported by The Verge, described Musk’s behavior as “a frequent source of distraction and embarrassment for us, particularly in recent weeks.” It cites SpaceX’s “No Asshole” policy and asks the company to “publicly address and condemn Elon’s harmful Twitter behavior.”

Said the letter writers: “As our CEO and most prominent spokesperson, Elon is seen as the face of SpaceX — every Tweet that Elon sends is a de facto public statement by the company. It is critical to make clear to our teams and to our potential talent pool that his messaging does not reflect our work, our...

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Capcom is developing a Dragon’s Dogma sequel

Capcom is developing a sequel to its 2012 high fantasy action RPG Dragon’s Dogma, the company announced Thursday. There are few official details, but we do know the title — Dragon’s Dogma 2 — and that it will take advantage of Capcom’s RE Engine, which has been used for many of the studio’s recent games. Director Hideaki Itsuno announced the new game at the end of a video looking back on the creation of the original Dragon’s Dogma.

Dragon’s Dogma II will begin the cycle anew.
Join director Hideaki Itsuno as he reflects on how the world of Gransys came to be and shares the announcement of the upcoming sequel, in development using RE Engine:
https://t.co/Q2HSN1fCji pic.twitter.com/JPp117xuOX

— Dragon's Dogma (@DragonsDogma) June 16, 2022

...

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Snap is working on a paid subscription called Snapchat Plus

Would you subscribe to Snap? | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Snap is doing internal tests of a paid subscription called Snapchat Plus, which will apparently give users early access to features, as well as other abilities. In a statement to The Verge, Snap spokesperson Liz Markman said:

We’re doing early internal testing of Snapchat Plus, a new subscription service for Snapchatters. We’re excited about the potential to share exclusive, experimental, and pre-release features with our subscribers, and learn more about how we can best serve our community.

According to screenshots and information posted to Twitter by app researcher Alessandro Paluzzi, Snap is also testing other features for Snapchat Plus, including the ability to pin one of your friends as your “#1 BFF” (which sounds like a recipe for...

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Baby Shark is getting a second set of NFTs — yes, second

The Baby Shark family is once again moving to the blockchain. | Image: Pinkfong

Pinkfong, the company behind “Baby Shark” — aka the song with the most-viewed video on all of YouTube — has announced an NFT project titled “Baby Shark: Collection No. 2.” The NFTs in the collection, all 10,000 of them, will feature generative art of the titular baby shark and the rest of his shark family. Generative NFTs are like the Bored Ape Yacht Club, where there are a variety of randomized traits across a collection.

When I first heard this news, I had two thoughts simultaneously (using up my entire daily allotment):

• Please tell me they are not trying to sell NFTs to children

and

• Wait, Collection TWO?

So, yes, this is apparently going to be the second set of NFTs featuring Brooklyn (TIL, that’s the baby shark’s name) and his...

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Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII remake coming to consoles and PC this winter

Square Enix

During today’s Final Fantasy VII 25th anniversary event, Square Enix announced a remake of Crisis Core, the prequel to Final Fantasy VII that was previously only released on the PSP.

Dubbed with the exceedingly long and convoluted name, Crisis Core — Final Fantasy VII —Reunion, Crisis Core recounts the story of Zack Fair: the Shinra SOLDIER turned hero turned Aerith’s main boo turned Cloud’s comrade, who is one of the most compelling protagonists in the Final Fantasy canon.

According to the reveal, the Crisis Core remake boasts new, upgraded models, new voiceovers, and new music. All the newness, however, means that, unfortunately, Gackt — the J-pop star who lent his voice to the villain Genesis — will likely not be making a...

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Final Fantasy VII Remake’s sequel is called Rebirth, and it’s out next year

Image: Square Enix

Square Enix officially announced the next chapter of the Final Fantasy VII remakesaga Thursday evening during its Final Fantasy VII 25th Anniversary Celebration stream. The game is titled Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, and it will launch as a PS5 exclusive “next winter.”

Remake ended on a major cliffhanger that set up for a lot more story ahead, and now we have a hint at what the next game might look like. In a brief trailer, Square Enix revealed some of the world outside of Midgar, as well as mysterious scenes of Cloud Strife walking alongside Sephiroth and an injured Cloud huddled against Crisis Core protagonist Zack Fair.

“Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is being designed so that people can enjoy this game whether they know the original game...

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Final Fantasy VII Remake is coming to Steam on June 17th

Image: Square Enix

Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade is coming to yet another platform very soon. Square Enix announced that the game, along with the bonus episode featuring Yuffie (together know as Intergrade), are coming to Steam on June 17th. That’s tomorrow! Notably, the Steam version on Intergrade will indeed be compatible with the Steam Deck, according to the company.

The game originally launched following a lengthy development cycle on PS4 on April 10th, 2020. It was worth the wait, as my colleague Andrew Webster considered it to be a thrilling, thoughtful reimagining on the classic RPG. Square Enix then released PS5-specific performance upgrades and extra story content in June 2021 within the Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade bundle.

Final...

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Google’s Pixel Watch will reportedly have an Apple-like range of straps

Aw yeah, that’s... one... run-of-the-mill strap. | Image: Google

Any modern smartwatch worth its salt comes with swappable straps. So it’s no surprise that Google is reportedly working on a number of strap options for its forthcoming Pixel Watch. According to 9to5Google, the company is making at least seven straps — including the one showcased during the I/O keynote — for when the smartwatch launches this fall.

So far, 9to5Google is reporting that Google’s working on a Milanese-style mesh band, two types of leather bands, a link bracelet, a fabric band, and a silicone band. It’s also purportedly working on a stretchable option reminiscent of Apple’s Solo Loop. If it sounds like Google’s taking several pages out of Apple’s playbook, it is. We still don’t know the majority of the Pixel Watch’s specs,...

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eBay Live is here to make online auctions more like real-world ones

eBay Live looks heavily inspired by Instagram’s livestream feature. | Image: eBay

eBay’s combining online and real-world auction experiences with its newly launched eBay Live platform, where people can chat and react to sellers through Livestream video and buy their products. The service is currently in beta release and will launch with “highly coveted and rare” trading card offerings like a “1998 Kobe Bryant Skybox That’s Jam PSA 10” from eBay seller Bleecker Trading starting on June 22nd at 3PM ET. The event will be hosted live by avid collector DJ Skee, and interested buyers can join in on the official eBay Live page or sign on via the eBay app.

“As the collector community grows, we’re offering a new live platform that combines an engaging environment with incredible ease, allowing our community to come together...

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Amazon Prime Day will have more than 30 free games, including Mass Effect

Amazon is planning to offer more than 30 free games to Amazon Prime subscribers as part of its Prime Day festivities.

Beginning June 21st, ahead of Prime Day, Amazon will make more than 25 games available to claim for free, including Metal Slug 2 and two King of Fighters titles. During the actual Prime Day event, which takes place July 12th and 13th, Amazon will offer some bigger titles.

Perhaps the most notable is Mass Effect Legendary Edition, a remastered version of BioWare’s acclaimed sci-fi RPG trilogy. But Amazon Prime subscribers will also be able to claim two racing games, Grid Legends and Need for Speed Heat, as well as three Star Wars games: Star Wars Jedi Knight: Jedi Academy, Star Wars Jedi Knight II: Jedi Outcast, and Star...

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