Apple’s AR / VR headset could release in January, analyst predicts

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Apple’s long-rumored mixed reality headset, which will reportedly offer a combination of augmented and virtual reality experiences, will “likely release” in January 2023, according to respected Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. In a new analyst note seen by 9to5Mac, Kuo notes that the headset is “the most complicated product Apple has ever designed” but that its release could help fuel “rapid growth” in the market for head-mounted displays.

This is far from the first time Kuo has predicted when Apple’s headset could release, but previous predictions have had far wider release windows. Last year he said we might see the headset released at some point in 2022 (which now seems unlikely), and just this month he predicted that a release could come...

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Twitter’s closed caption toggle is now available on iOS and Android

Decide whether you want to see captions or not.

Twitter has announced that a button to toggle captions for its video player is now available for everyone on iOS and Android. The button, which shows up in the top-right corner of the video if it has captions available, lets you choose whether you want to see written descriptions. Twitter started testing this feature in April, but it was only available to a limited number of iPhone users.

For years, whether subtitles show up or not on your mobile device has been determined by a variety of factors, like if you’ve turned closed captions on in your phone’s accessibility settings, or if you’re watching the video with your sound off. While those are still taken into account, now you can easily turn them on or off whenever you want, just like...

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Chris Pratt says his Mario voice is ‘unlike anything you’ve heard’

Chris Pratt, the voice of Mario. And Garfield. | Image: Nintendo

I know it’s been nine months, but I’m honestly still reeling from the announcement that Chris Pratt will be voicing Mario in the upcoming Mario movie. What on earth is that going to sound like???

Pratt, at least, seems to think it’s going to be something special. “I worked really closely with the directors and trying out a few things and landed on something that I’m really proud of and can’t wait for people to see and hear,” Pratt said in an interview with Variety. “It’s an animated voiceover narrative. It’s not a live-action movie. I’m not gonna be wearing a plumber suit running all over. I’m providing a voice for an animated character, and it is updated and unlike anything you’ve heard in the Mario world before.”

Nintendo, please,...

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Senator posts cryptocurrency bill on GitHub, chaos ensues

On Wednesday, Sen. Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) found a surprising way to develop her upcoming cryptocurrency regulation bill: she put it on GitHub.

“As promised, you can now contribute comments on my bill establishing a framework for digital assets with [Sen. Gillibrand],” Lummis wrote in a tweet sharing the news. “Civil comments and criticisms welcome. Please share widely. We want to get this right. Help us iterate publicly on policy.”

Best known as a repository for open-source code, GitHub includes a number of tools for that could be useful in developing public proposals — particularly the ability to publicly comment on, revise, and fork the text into different versions.

As of press time, Github users have commented on 24 issues in the bill...

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Epic monster battles will be at the heart of Final Fantasy XVI

Image: Square Enix

Ifrit, Shiva, and Pheonix, oh my!

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Acclaimed strategy game Into the Breach comes to mobile via Netflix

The beloved indie game is headed to Netflix. | Image: Subset Games

Into the Breach, the sci-fi turn-based strategy game from the makers of FTL: Faster Than Light, will be available on iOS and Android as part of a Netflix subscription beginning July 19th, developer Subset Games announced Thursday.

Since late last year, Netflix has offered a selection of mobile games that subscribers can play for free. The company has been steadily adding titles in the months since launch, and although much of what’s available is generic-looking casual fare, Netflix seems committed to adding more notable games like Into the Breach. Earlier this month at its Geeked Week event, for example, Netflix revealed that a bunch of indie titles, including Spiritfarer and a new entry in the Reigns series, would be added to its...

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Tesla partners with California utility on virtual power plant

A contractor installs hardware for a Tesla Powerwall battery unit at a home in San Jose, California. | Photo by David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Tesla and California utility PG&E launched a new program that will pay eligible Powerwall owners to send extra electricity to the grid when it’s vulnerable to blackouts. Working together, the Powerwalls create a “virtual power plant” that can help keep the lights on during emergencies or energy shortages.

By signing up, Powerwall owners will receive $2 for every additional kilowatt-hour they feed to the grid during designated “events” when the grid is under a lot of stress. That includes any time the California grid operator, CAISO, issues an energy alert, warning or emergency.

Tesla started a similar beta program with PG&E and a couple of other utilities last July, but that was a voluntary program with no payouts. Now, with a monetary...

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The best noise-canceling headphone deals

You can save $120 on the AirPods Max. | Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge

With more people working from home than they used to, owning a good pair of noise-canceling headphones has become more appealing than ever. However, they can be expensive and difficult to shop for due to the range of available models, many of which cater to different lifestyles and priorities. Some are better suited for long-haul flights, for instance, while others are ideal for multitasking and marathon listening sessions.

That’s why we’ve curated this list of the best deals on noise-canceling headphones. Here, you’ll find sales on all kinds of on-ear and over-ear headphones, all of which are designed to eliminate outside noise but come with their own strengths and weaknesses. And if you want to do even more research before making a...

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Keanu Reeves apparently likes NFTs now

He’s not laughing at them anymore. | Image: Fluf

It seems like Keanu Reeves may have had a change of heart around NFTs. In December, the actor was sent into peels of laughter after my colleague Alex Heath asked him about the idea of digital scarcity and digital collectibles. Reeves commented that digital items are easily reproduced.

Now, though, he’s joined a project from Non-Fungible Labs, acting as an advisor for a program called the Futureverse Foundation, which aims to improve “the digital and physical worlds through the support of diverse artists and creative communities.” According to The Hollywood Reporter, that involves introducing traditional artists to NFTs and funding their efforts.

Reeves, reacting to a question about NFTs.

The art connection here...

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Solana is making a crypto phone with help from former Essential engineers

Solana CEO Anatoly Yakovenko with the Saga smartphone | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

The phone previously known as the Osom OV1, built by a team consisting of former engineers and designers from Essential, is being renamed and repurposed today, and it’s all in the name of crypto. This afternoon in New York City, blockchain company Solana announced its own mobile phone, called the Saga, made in collaboration with Osom. It’s priced at $1,000, and preorders open today. A $100 deposit is required, and Solana says the Saga will ship in the first quarter of 2023.

The phone will have a 6.67-inch OLED display, 512GB of storage, and 12GB of RAM. It’ll be powered by Qualcomm’s latest and greatest Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 chip. But more than the standard hardware specs that most gadget nerds are interested in, the Saga is meant to...

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Meta reportedly plans to shut down CrowdTangle, its tool that tracks popular social media posts

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

One thing researchers have used to track the spread of viral stories on Facebook — including ones that spread misinformation — is a tool that Meta owns called CrowdTangle. Based on anonymous sources, Bloomberg reports what many have suspected — that Facebook has largely removed development support from CrowdTangle and is making plans to shut the tool down.

Removing CrowdTangle would pull access that people like Kevin Roose have used to surface data showing high engagement with right-wing news sources on Facebook, listing results that sometimes appear to be at odds with Facebook’s curated official reports. In an article last July for The New York Times, Roose described internal “data wars” about how much information the company should...

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Netflix cuts around 300 jobs after losing subscribers

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Netflix is cutting around 300 jobs today as part of a second round of layoffs. The company previously laid off around 150 employees and dozens of contractors in May.

The layoffs impact “many different teams” and mostly workers in the US, though international roles are being cut as well, Netflix spokesperson Bao Nguyen said in a statement to The Verge. Variety first reported on the job cuts.

“Today we sadly let go of around 300 employees,” Nguyen said. “While we continue to invest significantly in the business, we made these adjustments so that our costs are growing in line with our slower revenue growth.”

It’s the latest round of job cuts after Netflix’s rough Q1 earnings report, where it announced that revenue growth was slowing and...

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How to sign up for Amazon Prime

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Amazon has announced that its annual Prime Day sales are scheduled for Tuesday, July 12th, and Wednesday, July 13th, and this year, as always, Amazon will be dropping prices on a lot of its products for its Prime members. In fact, it looks like there’s already some momentum building up to the big two-day event with some early deals.

If you’re interested in the goodies being offered but haven’t signed up for Amazon Prime, don’t worry — Amazon makes it very easy. (Not surprisingly — after all, it would be the sorry vendor who would make it difficult for people to become new customers.)

If you’re attracted by the goodies being offered but haven’t signed up for Prime, Amazon makes it very easy

Besides giving access to Prime Day bargains,...

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Nintendo and the Steam summer sale are here to ruin you financially

Two consoles, both out to ruin your wallet | Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge

It seems that both Nintendo and Valve are determined to keep me indoors all summer, and that’s fine by me. Both the Nintendo eShop and Steam have kicked off their seasonal sales, discounting a number of excellent titles. While these sales tend to roll around several times a year, this is an ideal time to round out your library with some titles you may have overlooked. The Steam summer sale starts today and runs until July 7th, while the Nintendo eShop Big Ol’ Super Sale lasts until July 6th.

To help you find the best deals for both of these platforms, The Verge Deals team has selected some highlights for the Nintendo Switch and PC that you might consider adding to your collection at a discounted price.

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Where’s the next generation of COVID-19 shots?

Illustration by Grayson Blackmon / The Verge

Omicron boosters might be around the corner

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Kate Bush loves that Stranger Things is introducing the youth to her music

Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield. | Netflix

Thanks to the popularity of Stranger Things’ music-heavy fourth season and social media, Kate Bush’s “Running Up That Hill” has climbed up to the very top of music charts around the world 37 years after the song initially released. A number of Bush’s longtime (and generally older) fans have felt a type of way about younger people discovering her music for themselves by way of a sci-fi love letter to the ’80s. But Bush — herself a longtime Stranger Things fan — sees the sudden resurgence of interest in “Running Up That Hill” as an exciting and touching testament to the power of art.

In a recent interview with BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour, Bush — who generally doesn’t speak to the public — opened up about what it’s been like to watch a new...

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Bungie sues Destiny YouTuber for sowing chaos with fake copyright strikes

Image: Bungie

Bungie has sued a Destiny player who allegedly filed dozens of fake copyright strikes in its name. The lawsuit, covered by TheGamePost, says California YouTube creator Nick Minor turned a single Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) takedown notice into 96 fraudulent claims against other YouTubers.

The complaint claims Bungie “brand protection” contractor CSC Global sent Minor a legitimate copyright notice in December 2021, asking him to remove music from the soundtrack of Destiny expansion The Taken King. Minor allegedly responded by creating a Gmail account that mimicked the CSC one and then filing similar requests with a bevy of other YouTube accounts — even hitting an official Bungie account. He identified himself as a CSC...

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Khaby Lame is now the most-followed TikToker in the world

Photo by Rosdiana Ciaravolo/Getty Images

TikTok has a new reigning champion. Khaby Lame, a 22-year-old Senegalese-born creator, became the most-followed person on TikTok last night, surpassing American TikTok star Charli D’Amelio, who formerly had the distinction. Lame now has more than 142.7 million followers compared to D’Amelio’s 142.3 million.

Lame, who’s based in Italy, initially rose to fame through his use of TikTok’s duet and stitch features, reacting wordlessly to complicated and absurd “life hacks.” He now primarily posts silent comedy skits, racking up millions of views and likes. His following began exploding last year, and in recent weeks, fans have launched efforts to push him to the top.

Lame’s ascent and unseating of D’Amelio is significant. D’Amelio and her...

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New White House partnership aims to speed construction of offshore wind farms

Deepwater Wind installing the first offshore wind farm in Block Island, Rhode Island, on August 14th, 2016. | Photo by Mark Harrington/Newsday RM via Getty Images

The White House and 11 governors from East Coast states forged a new partnership on Thursday to build up domestic supply chains for offshore wind farms and related infrastructure. The new Federal-State Offshore Wind Implementation Partnership includes governors from Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Rhode Island.

As part of the announcement, the Biden administration committed to the facilitation of “timely and effective permitting and environmental reviews” for offshore wind projects and lease sales. In the past, permitting has been a significant bottleneck for advancing offshore wind projects.

Crucially, President Joe Biden also moved to ease...

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Cruise is now charging for rides in its driverless vehicles in San Francisco

Cruise, the autonomous vehicle company backed by General Motors, is now officially a commercial service. The company began charging for rides in its self-driving taxis in San Francisco this week, marking an important milestone for the company’s plans to expand its service.

The company said that fared driverless rides are currently taking place with “most riders” in the Northwest section of San Francisco. Cruise will continue “expanding our paid service in alignment with the smoothest customer experience possible,” a spokesperson said.

Cruise currently offers a range of services, from daytime rides in its autonomous vehicles with safety drivers behind the wheel to nighttime trips in its fully driverless cars. (The company is currently...

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Businesses risk ‘catastrophic financial loss’ from cyberattacks, US watchdog warns

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

A government watchdog has warned that private insurance companies are increasingly backing out of covering damages from major cyberattacks — leaving American businesses facing “catastrophic financial loss” unless another insurance model can be found.

The growing challenge of covering cyber risk is outlined in a new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), which calls for a government assessment of whether a federal cyber insurance option is needed.

The report draws on threat assessments from the National Security Agency (NSA), Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and Department of Justice to quantify the risk of cyberattacks on critical...

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Chrome for iOS is getting better protections against malicious sites

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Enhanced Safe Browsing, the Chrome feature that offers to share website URLs with Google to help it maintain a database of potentially dangerous sites, is coming to the browser’s iOS app, Google announced today as part of a collection of browser updates. The feature has previously been available on Android and desktop versions of Chrome, but now Google says it’ll be coming to iPhone and iPad with its next iOS release.

Alongside the security upgrade, Google says it’s also improving the browser’s built-in translation feature on iOS. An updated language identification model will more accurately recognize when visiting a site in a different language that needs to be automatically translated for you to understand it.

Image:...

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Microsoft Edge gets new Xbox and PC gaming performance features

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Microsoft is making its Edge browser a little more gamer-friendly today thanks to some Xbox and PC gaming improvements. Alongside a new gaming-focused homepage and casual games integration, Edge is also getting a Clarity Boost to improve Xbox Cloud Gaming streams and an efficiency mode to prevent Edge from taking PC resources when a game is being played.

The new efficiency mode is the most interesting addition for PC gamers. Both Windows 10 and Windows 11 users will be able to benefit from enabling this efficiency mode in Edge, and it will stop the browser from taking resources when a game is opened. “With this feature, you do not need to close the browser to play and reopen it when you are done. As soon as you close the game, Microsoft...

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Snapchat will pay emerging Black creators $10,000 a month to make more content

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Twenty-five Black Snapchat creators will receive funding, mentorship, and other resources through a one-year accelerator program, the company announced today. The program follows similar efforts at other major platforms to provide support to emerging creators from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds.

“Black creators face unique systemic barriers across the creator industry — from disparities in compensation and attribution, to toxic experiences and more,” Snap says. “We believe one of the ways we can help remove some of those barriers is to provide mentorship and financial resources to emerging Black creators in the early stages of their professional career.”

The resources Snap says it will offer selected applicants range from...

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Google’s new Chromebook features make it easier to connect to Android phones

Image: Google

Google has been working on new Android and Chromebook features that better bridge the gap between phones and laptops over the past year. Today, ChromeOS version 103 arrives with some features to improve how Chromebooks connect to Android phones.

The Phone Hub feature of ChromeOS, announced last year, is getting a new recent photos addition. With the 103 ChromeOS update, you’ll be able to quickly access the latest photos you’ve taken on your phone inside the Phone Hub. It’s an easy way to avoid emailing yourself a photo or having to dig into Google Photos to find your recent photos. It even works if you’re offline.

Image: Google

Recent photos in the Phone Hub on ChromeOS.

Google is also improving its Nearby...

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FTC orders Harley-Davidson to follow right-to-repair rules

Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The US Federal Trade Commission has ordered Harley-Davidson and generator company MWE Investments to stop voiding customer warranties over repairs, marking a new step in the FTC’s fight over right-to-repair issues.

The order covers Harley-Davidson’s motorcycles and Westinghouse outdoor generators and related equipment, which is manufactured by MWE. Both companies must remove illegal terms in their warranties that discouraged customers from using third-party parts and repair services, and the warranties must inform consumers that they can make third-party repairs without affecting their coverage. They also have to proactively inform buyers of their rights and order officially authorized dealers to avoid deceiving customers about the...

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Samsung Australia owes $9.7 million for misleading waterproof claims

Pools and phones don’t play well together. | Image: Australia Competition and Consumer Commission / Samsung Australia

Samsung Australia has been ordered by the Federal Court to pay a $14 million (about $9.7 million USD) fine for a misleading marketing campaign, as spotted by PhoneArena. The ads in question suggested that some of its water-resistant phones could be used in pools and at beaches, which Samsung’s own website advises against.

The ads ran between March 2016 and October 2018, depicting Galaxy A-series, S7-series, and S8-series phones. They’re all rated IP68, which means you can fully submerge them in water for an extended amount of time — in this case, up to 30 minutes to a depth of 1.5 meters (about five feet). But that protection only extends to freshwater — saltwater and chlorinated pool water are a different matter.

I...

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Juul’s e-cigarettes can’t be sold in the US, FDA says

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Juul has to remove its e-cigarettes from the market in the United States, the Food and Drug Administration announced today. The agency rejected the company’s application to sell tobacco- and menthol-flavored e-cigarettes.

“We recognize these make up a significant part of the available products and many have played a disproportionate role in the rise in youth vaping,” said FDA Commissioner Robert Califf in a statement.

The FDA said that it rejected Juul’s application because there wasn’t enough evidence to evaluate any potential toxicological risks of Juul’s products.

E-cigarette and vaping companies have to get clearance from the FDA in order for their products to be marketed and sold. The agency deferred enforcing the policy, in place...

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Toyota recalls bZ4X electric SUVs over wheel that could detach while driving

Toyota issued a global recall of its 2023 bZ4X electric crossover SUV less than two months after the vehicle was released. The automaker said the hub bolts on the wheel can become loose while driving, which could cause the entire wheel to detach. Naturally, Toyota is warning owners not to drive their vehicles until the problem is fixed.

The recall represents a setback for the world’s largest automaker, which has pledged to spend $17.6 billion to roll out 30 battery-electric models by 2030. The bZ4X, which began customer deliveries less than two months ago, is seen as the tip of the spear in Toyota’s belated attempt to shift to electric vehicles.

Toyota says the cause of the loose hub bolts is still being investigated

Toyota says the...

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Anker’s Liberty 3 Pro noise-canceling earbuds are $70 off for the first time

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

The theme of today’s Verge Deals roundup is that, well, there is no theme. We’re just a few weeks out from Amazon’s Prime Day extravaganza, happening on July 12th and 13th, and it’s typical to see a relative calm before the storm of deals arrives. Why not kick things off today with a stellar deal on some already inexpensive true wireless earbuds? Anker’s Soundcore Liberty 3 Pro (in black) are just $99.99 at Best Buy as part of the retailer’s deal of the day. They normally cost $169.99, and normal sale prices typically sit around $130.

These $100 earbuds might be exactly what you’re after if you need active noise cancellation (ANC), several ear and wing tips included in the box for a cozy custom fit, and Bluetooth multipoint support,...

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