Robinhood Crypto fined $30 million for alleged regulatory violations in NY

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Robinhood’s cryptocurrency division has been fined $30 million by the New York Department of Financial Services over alleged anti-money laundering and cybersecurity violations (via The Wall Street Journal). This marks the state’s first enforcement action related to cryptocurrency.

The settlement resolves the investigation opened by the NYDFS last March, which Robinhood disclosed in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission before the company went public. While Robinhood initially estimated that the NYDFS would fine the company up to $15 million, it later amended its filing to reflect an estimated $30 million fee.

According to the NYDFS, Robinhood Crypto’s cybersecurity program had “critical failures” that “did not fully...

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The Nintendo Switch OLED is $25 off for today only

Nintendo’s upgraded Switch model sports a larger OLED display and slight redesign. | Photo by Cameron Faulkner / The Verge

While much attention has been given to Valve’s Steam Deck in recent months, the Nintendo Switch remains the de facto handheld console for most people. Today, the premium version of Nintendo’s popular console with an OLED screen is discounted as part of a one-day deal from Woot. The Switch OLED version in white is down to $324.99 at Woot ($25 off). Be sure to snatch this one up quickly if you want some of the premium upgrades this Switch offers (that the standard version does not) — notably, a larger seven-inch OLED panel with much-improved color and contrast. It also has slightly improved build quality with a more useful kickstand. Note, however, that it isn’t more powerful than the other Switch models. Read our review.

If you’re...

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Usain Bolt’s e-scooter rental company isn’t bolting around anymore

Photo by BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP via Getty Images

Bolt Mobility electric scooters aren’t bolting around anymore. The dockless rental company co-founded by famed sprinter Usain Bolt has reportedly abruptly shuttered in cities across the US, even outright ghosting some city officials (via TechCrunch).

According to the report, Bolt halted operations in US cities including Portland, Oregon, Burlington, Vermont, South Burlington, Vermont, Winooski, Vermont, Richmond, California, and Richmond, Virginia, with confirmation from city officials. The Verge reached out to Bolt through the company’s online contact form, but we have not received any response.

The Bolt app shows no scooters in Portland.

You’re not going to find any Bolts here either.

The...

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Nomad crypto bridge loses $200 million in ‘chaotic’ hack

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

After a few quiet months, it’s happened again: another blockchain bridge hack with losses in the hundreds of millions of dollars.

Nomad, a cryptocurrency bridge that lets users swap tokens between blockchains, is the latest to be hit after a frenzied attack on Monday, which left almost $200 million of its funds drained.

The hack was acknowledged by the Nomad project’s official Twitter account on Monday, August 1st, initially as an “incident” that was being investigated. In a further statement released early Tuesday morning, Nomad said that the team was “working around the clock to address the situation” and had also notified law enforcement.

Update: We are working around the clock to address the situation and have notified law...

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Meta sued for violating patient privacy with data tracking tool

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Facebook’s parent company Metaand major US hospitals violated medical privacy laws with a tracking tool that sends health information to Facebook, two proposed class-action lawsuits allege.

The lawsuits, filed in the Northern District of California in June and July, focus on the Meta Pixel tracking tool. The tool can be installed on websites to provide analytics on Facebook and Instagram ads. It also collects information about how people click around and input information into those websites.

An investigation by The Markupin early June found that 33 of the top 100 hospitals in the United States use the Meta Pixel on their websites. At seven hospitals, it was installed on password-protected patient portals. The investigation found...

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Microsoft’s new Outlook Lite app is now available on Android

Outlook Lite for Android. | Image: Microsoft

Microsoft is releasing a new smaller and faster Outlook Lite app for Android this week. The lightweight version of Outlook is designed to have a smaller app size, faster performance, and lower battery usage, all while including the core features of the regular Microsoft Outlook mobile app.

Outlook Lite is around 5MB in download size, and Microsoft says it “uses extremely low storage on your phone.” It has been optimized to run quickly on all Android devices and even ones with just 1GB of RAM. As it’s a little more lightweight, it uses fewer phone resources and should save on battery usage. Most importantly, it’s designed to work well across all mobile networks, including 2G and 3G ones that are still in use in many countries worldwide.

M...

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Apple should have followed Google’s Pixel 6A playbook with the iPhone SE

The iPhone SE’s 4.7-inch screen is just too small. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge

There’s a great phone under $500 that I’d recommend to just about anyone looking for the best midrange phone on the market. It uses the same chipset as the company’s much more expensive flagships, and it includes an IP67 rating, a very good 12-megapixel camera, and a long lifespan ahead of it with software support for many years to come. It’s not the iPhone SE, which I wish I could recommend as freely as the current category winner: the Pixel 6A. It’s a better phone, and it’s what the SE should have been. Here’s what Google got right — and what Apple should have done differently.

The Pixel 6A’s 6.1-inch screen isn’t perfect. It’s not great outdoors, and it’s a 60Hz screen in a world where faster refresh rates are becoming the norm. But...

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Why Hank Green can’t quit YouTube for TikTok

All the ways to make money as a creator

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Uber’s seeing positive cash flow for the first time ever

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Uber reported $382 million in free cash flow for the first time ever, an indication that the rideshare company’s “hardcore” effort to rein in costs is starting to pay off, even in the midst of a cooling economy.

Uber is still burning a lot of money but mostly in the realm of its investments in other startups. The company reported a record revenue of $8.1 billion in the second quarter of 2022, a 105 percent spike compared to the same quarter last year. And it said it lost $2.6 billion, which was mostly attributable to its equity stake in Aurora, Grab, and Zomato. Additionally, it lost $470 million in stock-based compensation.

But, all in all, Uber beat expectations

But, all in all, Uber beat expectations, mostly thanks to growth in its...

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Uber receipt emails are crashing Microsoft Outlook

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Microsoft has acknowledged an issue where Outlook on Windows will stop responding or crash when you view Uber receipt emails. The issue started recently in what Microsoft calls the Current Channel Version of Outlook that’s available for Microsoft 365 subscribers. Microsoft is developing a fix, but it won’t be available until Patch Tuesday on August 9th.

In a support note, spotted by BleepingComputer, Microsoft explains that opening, replying to, or forwarding an Uber receipt email will cause this issue. Uber uses “complex tables” in its emails, and it appears that Microsoft Word, which Outlook uses to view emails, is struggling to render these tables.

Image: Microsoft

Outlook crashing on Windows when reviewing an...

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Daybridge thinks it’s time we reimagined digital calendars

Daybridge is trying to be a smarter, more thoughtful take on time management. | Image: Daybridge

Hypothetical question: would you send your date a calendar invite? You’ve been out, let’s say, twice, and you’re going to meet for dinner on Friday at 7:30PM. You’d text them that info — you might even tell them over the phone — but would you send them a calendar invite? Or, I’ll do you one better: if you haven’t picked a time yet, would you send them your Calendly link to find a time to meet? Kieran McHugh, the CEO of a new calendar app company called Daybridge, thinks it’s a “no” across the board. But he’d like to change that.

Daybridge is launching officially today after almost two years of development. What McHugh and his team have built so far is… well, it’s a calendar app. It connects to Google Calendar (no Outlook yet, but that’s...

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EA is already announcing deals for its post-FIFA future

Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski. | Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

FIFA 23 isn’t even out yet, but Electronic Arts is already preparing for its post-FIFA future. Today, the publisher announced a new deal with Spain’s LaLiga — which is home to iconic clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona — for a “one of a kind, multi-year partnership” that kicks off with the 2023–2024 season and will make EA the title sponsor for the league. That also happens to be the season in which EA will be ditching its longtime partner FIFA for a new soccer franchise called EA Sports FC, making FIFA 23 the last EA game with FIFA branding.

According to EA, the new deal will include:

...title naming rights for all LaLiga competitions, a complete rebrand of LaLiga with EA Sports including all logos, graphics, fonts, and other visual...

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Indonesia unblocks Steam and Yahoo, but Fortnite and FIFA are still banned

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Indonesia has lifted its ban on Steam and Yahoo now that both companies complied with the country’s restrictive laws that regulate online activity (via @ZhugeEX). The Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Information (Kominfo) announced the news in a translated update on Twitter, noting that Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Dota 2 are back online as well.

Last week, Indonesia blocked access to Steam, PayPal, Yahoo, Epic Games, and Origin after the companies failed to meet a deadline to register with the country’s database. This requirement is bundled with a broader law, called MR5, that Indonesia first introduced in 2020. The law gives the Indonesian government the authority to order platforms to take down content considered...

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US gamers are spending a lot less on video games now than they did in 2021

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

US consumer spending on video game products has fallen by $1.78 billion in Q2, according to market research firm NPD. Overall, spending in video gaming in the US totaled $12.35 billion in the recent quarter, down 13 percent year over year. The findings follow both Microsoft and Sony reporting revenue declines in gaming as the pandemic growth slows.

Sony warned of a weaker PlayStation business earlier this week as it saw game software sales plummet 26 percent year over year. Sony blamed the slump on a lack of big PlayStation titles this year compared to 2021 and less time spent playing games in general. Microsoft’s Xbox hardware revenue dipped 11 percent year over year in its recent quarter alongside a 6 percent drop in Xbox content and...

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The first 240W USB-C power meter is here

Don’t look now, but the USB-C connector is evolving under your nose — soon, it’ll carry 240W of electricity, more than double its previous limit and enough to power all but the beefiest laptops. The PD 3.1 specification is finished, the cables are here, and now we’re just waiting for the first computers and chargers that’ll actually reach for that 240W peak. But there’s another brand-new 240W gadget you could nab in anticipation of that historic day: the Plugable USBC-VAMETER3.

It’s the third generation of Plugable’s handy power meter, and it does pretty much exactly what you’d think. Stick it between your USB-C gadget and its source of USB-C power, and you can see how much power (volts, amps, and watts) is being transferred between...

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Insta360’s Link webcam is a hardware answer to Apple’s Center Stage

Its gimbal and impressive software put it well ahead of the competition

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iFixit and Samsung are now selling repair parts for some Galaxy devices

A good option for people with slightly older phones. | Image: Samsung

Samsung and Fixit have launched their repair program that lets Galaxy S20, S21, and Tab S7 Plus owners buy replacement parts for their devices and access guides on how to do DIY fixes. The program still has most of the caveats that my colleague Umar Shakir pointed out when it was announced in March — it’s not launching with parts for Samsung’s latest flagship devices and there’s a limited number of repairs you can do — but it’s good to see that at least some Galaxy owners will now be able to do their own repairs at home. Samsung also says it’s planning to expand the devices and types of repairs that are covered in the future.

You’ll be able to buy the parts and tools for screen, back glass, and charging port replacements through iFixit...

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The Verge’s Guide to working from home

Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge

It would be an interesting experiment to go back in time three or four years and inform your earlier self that — guess what? — you’re probably going to be working from home soon, and there’s a good chance that it may be a permanent change.

Since the pandemic lockdowns of early 2020, many people have remained working from home. In the time since then, people have moved out of commuting distance from their offices or have not yet decided it was comfortable to return to a crowded office — or simply decided they liked working from home. And many businesses have changed their policies to accommodate their employees.

But working from home, especially on a regular basis, means accommodating the needs of your workday. In this guide, we look at...

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How to look your best on a video call

Well into the third year of this pandemic, it is very clear that everyone could use a refresher course in looking their best on camera. Nice lighting and perfectly decorated bookshelves were once the standard for video meetings, but now, it seems as though my co-workers couldn’t care less about hiding their messy living rooms, bedrooms, and offices. And long gone are the days of flattering lighting.

As a Verge video producer and host, let me assure you: your messy background and poor lighting are still wildly distracting. So, let’s resolve to refresh our video chat setups: from knowing where to sit to get the best lighting and choosing the right microphone to just staying comfortable.

Here are my tips and tricks to once again become a...

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The uneven energy costs of working from home

Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge | Photography by Bloomberg / Getty Images

The COVID-19 pandemic has given us a sneak peek into how working from home changes electricity demand and what that might mean for Americans’ utility bills. The picture it’s painted so far isn’t very pretty, particularly for anyone who’s already struggling to meet their needs.

The transition to remote work is changing our energy system in ways that could worsen racial and economic inequities in the US. Working from home shifts energy costs from employers to workers. That burden is bigger for people who live in older, less efficient homes.

“I was either freezing in my house in the winter and trying to work from the kitchen or burning in my house in the summer,” Destenie Nock, an assistant professor of engineering and public policy at...

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Natural Cycles now accepts temperature data from the Oura smart ring

The Oura Ring Generation 3 smart ring | Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge

The Oura smart ring is now compatible with Natural Cycles digital birth control, the companies announced today. The partnership lets Natural Cycles users pull in temperature information from their Oura Ring rather than manually take a temperature for the app each morning.

Natural Cycles uses daily temperature measurements and period cycle tracking information to predict the days of the month when someone is least likely to get pregnant. That daily temperature data originally came from a thermometer measurement done each morning. Last July, the company received clearance from the Food and Drug Administration to use temperature data from wearables like the Oura.

A few months after Natural Cycles received FDA clearance, Oura Ring a...

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Apple is reportedly aware of the Studio Display’s audio issues

Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge

An internal Apple memo obtained by MacRumors suggests the company is aware of the audio issues that users have been experiencing when using its $1,599 Studio Display, but that it doesn’t have a permanent fix for the issue available. Instead, the memo, which was reportedly distributed to Apple’s network of authorized service providers, recommends that affected users unplug the Studio Display from its power source, disconnect accessories, and then connect the monitor back up and power it on after a 10-second wait.

Apple released the Studio Display in March. Along with the screen itself, the display is also designed to integrate many of the other devices found on a typical desk, and includes built-in speakers, microphones, and a webcam. But...

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Google’s brand new Pixel 6A can now install the somewhat new Android 13 beta

Illustration by William Joel / The Verge

The Pixel 6A may have only been released last Thursday, but Google is wasting no time in bringing the latest beta version of Android 13 to its new midrange device. 9to5Google reports that Android 13’s latest beta, version 4.1, is now available for the Pixel 6A. The software was first released last Monday, when it was initially available for the Pixel 4 through 6 Pro.

Android 13 is shaping up to be a relatively minor update for Google’s mobile operating system. It builds on some of the design changes seen in last year’s Android 12 update with expanded support for theming app icons, and also adds support for the new Bluetooth LE Audio standard, as well as new privacy features.

Previously available up to Pixel 6 devices

You shouldn’t have...

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Logitech announces a dedicated cloud gaming handheld that supports Xbox Cloud Gaming and more

Image: Logitech

Logitech G is working with Tencent Games to launch a dedicated cloud gaming handheld later this year. The new hardware will be designed for cloud gaming services, offering a dedicated device with controls instead of the typical cases you attach to phones. The cloud gaming handheld will support Xbox Cloud Gaming and Nvidia’s GeForce Now service, and Logitech and Tencent are both working with Microsoft and Nvidia on the hardware.

Logitech and Tencent are simply teasing the device today, and there’s no mention of a release date, pricing, or even what the cloud gaming handheld looks like. Logitech will obviously be leaning on its experience building PC and console gaming accessories, while Tencent looks to be more of an operations partner.

“...

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Apple drops mask requirements for most of its corporate workers

“Wearing a face mask will no longer be required in most locations” | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Apple is dropping its mask mandates for corporate employees at “most locations,” according to an internal email from the COVID-19 response team, obtained by The Verge.

“Don’t hesitate to continue wearing a face mask if you feel more comfortable doing so,” the email reads. “Also, please respect every individual’s decision to wear a mask or not.”

The move comes amid a surge in the highly transmissible BA.5 variant of COVID-19. Earlier this week, the Bay Area transit system BART brought back its mask mandate.

Apple started requiring some employees to return to the office in April, but stopped short of implementing its full hybrid model, which would mandate three days of in-person work for all employees, every week.

Read Apple’s internal...

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Roku has a problem — its buttons aren’t printing enough money

Pictured: a big reason Roku made less money than it expected from its players. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

No, you didn't suddenly forget how to read: Roku, the streaming box and service company, is worried about how much money its buttons are bringing in. Not because it suddenly started making clicky actuators for other companies to include in their products (what a pivot that would be), but because Roku’s really an advertising company in streamer’s clothing. And it absolutely has prime real estate to sell to streaming services: for a fee, it’ll plaster their logos onto buttons that customers will likely see every time they use a Roku. Even better, those buttons will only launch that service.

Basically, Roku’s best ROI may be the Netflix-red and Disney-blue paint its suppliers buy.

Near the bottom of each Roku remote, you’ll see four...

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A mysterious battery-powered Google device appears in FCC filings

As far as we know, it’s not a Nest Audio. But it could be a new Nest product of some kind. | Photo: Dan Seifert / The Verge

It’s officially August, which means we’re getting close to the fall hardware season, and two recent FCC filings from Amazon and Google could hint at a couple products the companies may — or may not — reveal.

Google’s product is pretty mysterious; the product is described only as a “Wireless Device.” It appears to be battery-powered — there’s no AC connection — though it can be powered over a 5V USB connection, and one diagram shows it connected to a laptop for testing. As 9to5Google observed, the filing could indicate that this is some kind of Nest device — some Nest cameras have used 3.65V rechargeable batteries, for example.

Google has already said the Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, and Pixel Watch will arrive this fall, so whatever this...

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Tiffany is selling custom CryptoPunk pendants for $50,000

Yes, that is a CryptoPunk pendant. | Image: Tiffany & Co.

For about $50,000 (30 Ethereum), CryptoPunk holders can get a handcrafted pendant modeled after their NFT (non-fungible token) from Tiffany & Co. — and no, this is not a joke (via Decrypt). The pendant, which will feature “at least” 30 diamonds or gemstones, will hang on an 18K gold chain with five pave diamonds on the clasp.

The offer is exclusive only to people who own a CryptoPunk, aka the odd pixelated avatars you keep seeing on Twitter (no, not those ones, the other ones). But don’t let the overly simplistic art fool you — the average cost of these things is about $200,000, even after several months of declining sales activity for the market overall. There are only 10,000 CryptoPunk designs, and now you can get your very own...

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Here are the best Kindle deals right now

Amazon’s ad-supported base Kindle from 2019 remains the cheapest Kindle you can buy at $89.99. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

When it comes to finding a device to use to read your ebooks, you have a few options to choose from. You can always buy a tablet or use your smartphone, but those devices are multipurpose and can be used for a ton of things, like surfing the web or doom-scrolling on Twitter. If you are looking for something to strictly read books, e-readers, while niche, are designed to store all of your books in a virtual library with limited functionality.

Amazon, one of the pioneers of the e-reader, has dominated the space for years with its Kindle lineup, which consists of several unique models with their own pros and cons.

Below, we’ve listed each model currently available. Sometimes, there isn’t a deal for one or any of the products — which is...

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Amazon's climate pollution is getting way worse

A semi truck drives past an Amazon sort center under construction in the Otay Mesa neighborhood of San Diego, California, on Wednesday, March 9th, 2022. | Image: Bing Guan/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Amazon's greenhouse gas emissions ballooned big time last year despite the company's efforts to sell itself as a leader in climate action. Its carbon dioxide emissions grew an eye-popping 18 percent in 2021 compared to 2020, according to its latest sustainability report.

Amazon generated 71.54 million metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent last year, about as much pollution as 180 gas-fired power plants might pump out annually. This is the second year in a row that Amazon's climate pollution has grown by double digits since it made a splashy climate pledge and started reporting its emissions publicly in 2019. Comparing that year to 2021, the company's CO2 pollution has actually grown a whopping 40 percent.

This is the second year in...

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