Toyota offers to buy back its recalled bZ4X electric SUVs

Photo by Abigail Bassett for The Verge

Toyota is offering to buy back its bZ4X electric SUV crossovers after recalling the vehicle in June, as first reported by Electrek. The recall, which Toyota issued not even two months after the bZ4X’s release, involves loose hub bolts on the steering wheel that could cause it to detach while driving.

Toyota initially advised bZ4X owners not to drive the vehicle, and suggested that they notify their local Toyota dealer so they can pick up and store the car while they wait on a fix. The company would then provide customers with a free loaner car in return.

But a letter to customers obtained by Electrek and confirmed by The Verge reveals that Toyota is also offering to throw in a few extra freebies in exchange for the inconvenience,...

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Elon Musk challenges Twitter CEO to a ‘public debate’ about bots

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images

Maybe Elon Musk doesn’t want a court battle with Twitter? After having his lawyers spin up a 165-page argument about why he no longer wants to go through with his $44 billion deal to buy the platform, Musk suggested hashing things out in public — perhaps before a jury of the Tesla fans, Dogecoin hodlers, and potential Mars colonizers among his Twitter followers — to get to the bottom of Twitter’s so-called bot issue.

“I hereby challenge @paraga to a public debate about the Twitter bot percentage,” Musk proclaims to all 102 million members of his forum. “Let him prove to the public that Twitter has <5% fake or spam daily users!”

I hereby challenge @paraga to a public debate about the Twitter bot percentage.

Let him prove to the public...

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California DMV accuses Tesla of making false claims about Autopilot and Full-Self Driving

Photo by Sean O’Kane / The Verge

California’s Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has accused Tesla of falsely advertising its Autopilot and Full Self-Driving (FSD) features, as reported earlier by the Los Angeles Times (via CNBC). The agency filed two separate complaints with the state’s Office of Administrative Hearings on July 28th, alleging Tesla made “untrue or misleading” claims about its vehicles’ autonomous driving capabilities.

In the filings, the DMV claims the names of Tesla’s Autopilot and FSD features, as well as the language the company uses to describe them, wrongly imply that cars equipped with the technology can operate autonomously. The DMV specifically points to the information on Tesla’s Autopilot page, which states its FSD system “is designed to be...

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You can play through Far Cry 6 for free this weekend

Welcome to the weekend. Whether you’re working today, or you’re off, we have a range of deals that you might be interested in. Most of these were big hits throughout the week that we’re resurfacing for your perusal, though we’ve packed in a few deals that popped up more recently. In terms of what to look forward to on The Verge, this week will be Samsung’s Unpacked event. That’s all happening on Wednesday, August 10th, and based on rumors, we expect to see new foldable phones and other gadgets, and plenty of preorder deals. See you then.

At the Epic Games Store on PC, you can play as much Far Cry 6 as you can fit into this weekend. The storefront is offering an extended free trial of Ubisoft’s latest open-world first-person shooter....

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Microsoft Surface Laptop Go 2 review: a little laptop for light work

The Go 2 is the rare, premium sub-compact laptop left

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MSI GS77 Stealth review: don’t let the name fool you

The Stealth line has outgrown its name

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Alex Jones hit with $45.2 million defamation verdict — but could pay much less

Alex Jones speaks to supporters of President Donald Trump during a protest on December 12th, 2020 | Photo by Stephanie Keith/Getty Images

A Texas jury has ordered Alex Jones to pay around $45.2 million for spreading a false conspiracy theory about the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. The punitive damages come on top of a $4.1 million verdict from yesterday, potentially marking a major blow to Jones’s Infowars media empire. But the number could be vastly reduced by limits built into the Texas legal code, which caps damages on defamation punishments.

The jury handed back its verdict on Friday after hearing testimony about Jones’s finances — something he’s allegedly taken significant steps to obscure. It included an assessment that Jones’ company Free Speech Systems was worth at least $130 million; previous testimony indicated its annual revenue in recent years has been...

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TikTok moderators say they were shown child sexual abuse videos during training

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

A Forbes report raises questions about how TikTok’s moderation team handles child sexual abuse material — alleging it granted broad, insecure access to illegal photos and videos.

Employees of a third-party moderation outfit called Teleperformance, which works with TikTok among other companies, claim it asked them to review a disturbing spreadsheet dubbed DRR or Daily Required Reading on TikTok moderation standards. The spreadsheet allegedly contained content that violated TikTok’s guidelines, including “hundreds of images” of children who were nude or being abused. The employees say hundreds of people at TikTok and Teleperformance could access the content from both inside and outside the office — opening the door to a broader leak.

T...

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Code in the Google TV app suggests 50 free TV channels are coming

Wouldn’t it be neat if you could get free streaming TV channels without downloading an app or signing up for a new service? Well, you just might be getting that soon if you’re Google TV user, 9to5Google has decompiled the latest version of the software and reports the company’s TV streaming platform (formally Android TV) contains text that hints at 50 included live TV channels.

The purported new feature seems to be called “Google TV Channels” based on text found in the launcher app. And there’s also an image in the software that hints at what channels will be included in the new service. It’s the usual lineup of internet-streamed free channels like ABC News Live, NBC News Now, and USA Today. There’s also a bunch of background noise...

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Intel denies Meteor Lake is delayed to 2024, says consumer chips will launch in 2023

Intel had an incredibly rough quarter, unexpectedly losing half a billion dollars due to a PC purchasing slump, and yesterday seemed like more bad news — a report from TrendForce about manufacturing delays sparked rumors that Intel’s next big flagship processor Meteor Lake would be delayed until 2024, which would put it as much as a year behind schedule. (In a February investor meeting, Intel said that Meteor Lake would be “powering on” this summer before shipping in 2023.)

However, Intel is flatly denying those rumors today, with spokesperson Thomas Hannaford clarifying to The Verge that not only are they untrue, but that Meteor Lake will actually ship, launch, and be available to consumers in 2023.

Image: Intel ...

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Reminder: Passkeys are not just from Apple

Illustration by Maria Chimishkyan

When Apple introduced passkeys, its implementation of FIDO Alliance’s password-less secure authentication technology, the company did it in the most Apple way possible. It made an icon and printed a very on Apple brand-looking “Passkeys” next to it, complete in the San Francisco font. And if you’ve watched only part of the WWDC presentation on Apple’s passkeys, it’s possible to assume passkeys are an exclusive feature of Apple’s iCloud Keychain. Just a reminder: it’s not.

The term “passkey” will also be used by major players Microsoft and Google. It’s used as a common noun and can be pluralized or singular, for instance: “you should set a passkey for your banking app.” In other words, treat the word “passkey” as you would treat the word...

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We live in notification hell

Clearing notifications is like playing red dot whack-a-mole. | Photo by Thomas Ricker / The Verge

It starts innocently enough. You download an app, and the app asks for your permission to send you push notifications. Sure, you think. What harm could come of it? I’d like to know when my package arrives or my burrito is ready. But then you download more apps, and they all need your permission to send you notifications, and before you know it your lock screen is awash with apps clamoring for your attention.

The apps never shut up. They’re hungry for engagement. They want you to know that your favorite items are on sale, that you haven’t practiced your Spanish today, that your delivery driver is five stops away, that your child at daycare just had a blowout – all day, all at once. Welcome to a place we all live, a place called...

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Valve is working on Joy-Con support for Steam

Photo by James Bareham / The Verge

Valve is working to add support for the Nintendo Switch’s Joy-Con controllers in Steam. As part of the the newest Steam beta, Joy-Cons will be supported either individually or as a matched pair, similar to how you can use them either way for Switch games. If you want to try the feature out, you can opt into the Steam beta — Valve has helpful instructions on the Steam website — though fingers crossed that your Joy-Cons aren’t experiencing any drift.

Valve is also improving its support for Nintendo’s classic controllers it sells for Switch Online subscribers, though in the beta patch notes, the company didn’t specify exactly how. That feature was introduced to the public version of the Steam client just last week, letting you use the...

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How to follow EVO 2022, the most exciting fighting game tournament

Evolution Championship Series

Nature may not be fully healed from the pandemic yet, but EVO is live in Las Vegas again so hopefully that means it’s getting better. For the first time since 2019 and after Sony became part-owner in 2021, the Evolution Championship Series — one of, if not the, biggest fighting game tournament in the world — is streaming live from the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas, Nevada. Starting today until Sunday August 8th, some of the best fighting game players in the world will compete in nine different games including Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate, The King of Fighters XV, and Tekken 7.

EVO 2022 will be streaming on Twitch across seven different channels to ensure you don’t miss any of the nine different tournaments taking place. Most of time will...

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Instagram will soon test ultra-tall photos to match its full-screen reels

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Instagram might have halted its controversial redesign, but that doesn’t mean the company plans to stop focusing on full-screen content. During his weekly Ask Me Anything today, CEO Adam Mosseri confirmed that Instagram will begin testing ultra-tall 9:16 photos “in a week or two.”

“You can have tall videos, but you cannot have tall photos on Instagram,” Mosseri said. “So we thought maybe we should make sure that we treat both equally.” Currently, Instagram tops out around 4:5 when displaying vertical images that’ve been cropped accordingly. But introducing support for slimmer, taller 9:16 photos will help them fill the entire screen as you scroll through the app’s feed.

Instagram’s TikTok-like redesign was criticized by some...

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ChromeOS 104 is rolling out with a new dark theme, and automatic transitions

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Google’s newest update for ChromeOS is rolling out to users this week, and one of its new features is support for switching to a dark theme, as9to5Google reported. Previously hidden behind developer flags while in testing, it finally made an official debut on ChromeOS 104, following dark mode settings popping up more in other Google products.

In a Google blog post mentioning the incoming feature, the company says that the new dark theme would make it easier to “read at night or in low light, and to conserve power,” which switching to a light theme changes the entire UI and wallpaper to make things “bright and airy.” Until now, ChromeOS only included a “Night Light” setting in its software to help you look at your screen in dim light by...

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Sony’s ultra-comfy LinkBuds S are on sale for just $148

The LinkBuds S and their USB-C charging case in white.

Sony’s LinkBuds S are some of the comfiest true wireless earbuds around. A big part of this is owed to their lightweight build of just 4.8 grams per bud, though that light and airy feel normally comes at a hefty price tag of $199.99. However, the LinkBuds S are currently on sale for $148 at Amazon and B&H Photo, while Best Buy also has them discounted to a close $149.99.

Those discounts of around $50 are the best we’ve seen yet on these great buds, which offer active noise cancellation and LDAC support. If you’re in the market for earbuds that may offer you a comfier fit for longer listening sessions, you can have your pick of these in black or white at those multiple retailers. (Best Buy also carries an exclusive desert sand color.)

W...

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The Senate gets one precious step closer to approving Big Tech antitrust bill

Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images

Facing pressure from progressives and tech hawks on both sides of the aisle, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer plans to hold a vote on the bipartisan antitrust bill targeting tech giants as early as this fall, according to a new report from the New York Post on Thursday.

The bill — the American Innovation and Choice Online Act (AICO) — would restrict dominant tech platforms, like Amazon, Apple, Google, and Facebook’s parent company Meta, from favoring their own products and services on their platforms over those of their competitors.

Earlier this year, Schumer vowed to hold a vote on the legislation this summer so long as there were 60 senators who would approve it. But as Congress’ August recess approached, at least a dozen...

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Amazon bought iRobot to see inside your home

Its purchase of iRobot brings Amazon much-needed context for its ambient smart home ambitions. | Image: iRobot

When I spoke to iRobot’s Colin Angle earlier this summer, he said iRobot OS — the latest software operating system for its robot vacuums and mops — would provide its household bots with a deeper understanding of your home and your habits. This takes on a whole new meaning with the news today that Amazon has bought iRobot for $1.7 billion.

From a smart home perspective, it seems clear Amazon wants iRobot for the maps it generates to give it that deep understanding of our homes. The vacuum company has detailed knowledge of our floor plans and, crucially, how they change. It knows where your kitchen is, which your kids’ rooms are, where your sofa is (and how new it is), and if you recently turned the guest room into a nursery.

Knowing...

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The Verge Review of Animals: Bibi the hippo

Bibi gave birth to a baby hippo at the Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden in August 2022. | Image: Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

This column is part of a series where Verge staffers post highly subjective reviews of animals. Up until now, we’ve written about animals without telling you whether they suck or rule. We are now rectifying this oversight.

There’s nothing like a baby hippo to remind me there are still good things in this world, and we have Bibi the hippo to thank for a brand-new 60-poundsocial media star.

Bibi, a hippo at the Cincinnati Zoo, gave birth to her latest little one this week. To commemorate her achievement,the zoo has gifted us with a Twitter feed filled with little ear wiggles.

Bibi and baby did well overnight. They were inseparable and spent the night bonding in the indoor pools! pic.twitter.com/oWvUbsl5CT

— Cincinnati Zoo...

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This extremely hard Pokémon randomizer is the best thing on Twitch right now

Streamer Iateyourpie’s Blissey was a beast.

For the past two weeks, every time I hop onto Twitch, I’ve found myself browsing through Pokémon FireRed and LeafGreen streams so I can watch people play the classic games in perhaps the most difficult ways possible.

If you’ve played through a mainline Pokémon title before, you’ve probably been able to get through the game without too much trouble. I’m pretty sure all of my friends growing up experienced some variation of just letting their starter carry them to becoming the Pokémon champion. But there’s a community of players making the games dramatically more challenging by applying some form of what the community calls “IronMon” rulesets.

The IronMon challenge

The gist of IronMon is that it’s a really hard randomizer. The pokémon you...

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Vergecast: HBO Max omens and iPad rumors

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Every Wednesday and Friday, The Verge publishes our flagship podcast, The Vergecast, where our editors make sense of the week’s most important technology news. On Fridays, Verge editor-in-chief Nilay Patel, editor-at-large David Pierce, and managing editor Alex Cranz discuss the week in tech news with the reporters and editors covering the biggest stories.

Today’s episode raises some questions about the future of HBO Max, the next generation of the iPad, handheld gaming systems, and electric vehicles.

We saw a lot happen with Warner Bros. Discovery this past week: the shelving of the Batgirl movie; numerous Warner TV shows on the chopping block; and a not-so-impressive earnings report. So what’s next for the HBO Max and Discover Plus...

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This is Elon Musk’s case alleging Twitter committed fraud

Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images

Now, you can read the entire argument Elon Musk’s lawyers are making that his latest change of heart is actually all Twitter’s fault, laid out in this 165-page document just made public by the Delaware Court of Chancery.

You know the basics of the story. Musk bought a bunch of Twitter shares. Musk agreed to take a seat on the company’s board and promised not to try to buy Twitter. Then, he changed his mind, lined up the necessary financing using some of his shares in Tesla, and eventually agreed to a $44 billion deal to buy Twitter. Then he changed his mind again and tried to exit the deal, resulting in Twitter suing the world’s richest man to force him to buy the company like he said he would.

Twitter’s lawyers are already poking...

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Meta is putting its latest AI chatbot on the web for the public to talk to

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Meta’s AI research labs have created a new state-of-the-art chatbot and are letting members of the public talk to the system in order to collect feedback on its capabilities.

The bot is called BlenderBot 3 and can be accessed on the web. (Though, right now, it seems only residents in the US can do so.) BlenderBot 3 is able to engage in general chitchat, says Meta, but also answer the sort of queries you might ask a digital assistant, “from talking about healthy food recipes to finding child-friendly amenities in the city.”

BlenderBot 3 is designed to both shoot the breeze and answer questions like Google

The bot is a prototype and built on Meta’s previous work with what are known as large language models or LLMS — powerful but flawed...

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Monkeypox 2022: everything you need to know

Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

It’s not COVID-19 all over again

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Tesla’s Cybertruck is going to be more expensive than originally planned

Tesla’s Cybertruck, that object of intense fascination and ridicule that may or may not go into production next year, was supposed to start at the extremely attractive price of $39,900. But that was back in 2019 when the Cybertruck was first announced, and as Tesla CEO Elon Musk put it recently, “a lot has changed” since then.

Speaking at his company’s annual shareholder meeting, Musk said that the Cybertruck’s specs and price “will be different,” citing inflation and other “various issues” that have cropped up in the three years since the electric truck was first unveiled.

“I hate to give a little bit of bad news”

“I hate to give a little bit of bad news,” he added, before going on to hype the Cybertruck as “one hell of a product” and...

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The 2021 iPad with 256GB of storage (and a headphone jack) is $80 off

The 2021 iPad is the last model of the Apple tablet to be equipped with a headphone jack. | Image: Apple

Originally priced at $479, the 256GB version of the ninth-generation iPad is currently discounted to $399 at Walmart, the best price yet. While this iPad uses the A13 Bionic CPU instead of the faster M1 found in other models, it still has more than enough power for any app. And its 10.2-inch 2160 x 1620 resolution display looks great. A key selling point may be its 3.5mm audio jack, depending on the person. Rumor has it that Apple’s next entry-level iPad may be getting rid of the headphone jack altogether, though we won’t know that for certain until Apple shows it off.

Even without a beefy graphics card, the Asus ROG Flow X13 makes for a pretty decent laptop for gaming and other tasks. Regularly priced at $1,599.99, Best Buy has...

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The Twitter v. Elon trial pregame heats up

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

This Week In Elon, we’re talking about M&A again — but this time, we mean mergers and acquisitions — not marriages and affairs.

The Delaware Court of Chancery handed Elon Musk an unfavorably speedy schedule last month in his ongoing fight to not buy Twitter, and now we’ve got specific dates for the trial: Elon and Twitter will square off from October 17th to October 21st. That leaves two and a half months for both parties to fight over what evidence they’ll get to introduce, and Twitter has already started digging — while Musk has been preparing a counterstrike with whatever dirt he’s already got.

As The Washington Post and the newsletter The Chancery Daily reported earlier this week, Twitter has cast a broad net of subpoenas over...

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Netflix’s Carter puts action above all else

Joo Won in Carter_._ | Image: Netflix

Joo Won stars in the streamer’s new action showpiece

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The best sleep tech you can buy right now

Sleep trackers, earbuds, and smart beds | Kristen Radtke / The Verge

Get your full eight hours

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