Six vaping companies are getting sued by the federal government

The FDA is stepping up its actions against e-cigarette companies. | Photo by John Keeble / Getty Images

The Food and Drug Administration just took its first legal action against companies it says are selling e-cigarettes illegally. After facing criticism for not doing enough to keep illegal vapes off the market, the agency asked the Department of Justice to file for injunctions against six manufacturers — which would bar them from selling the products.

“We will not stand by as manufacturers repeatedly break the law, especially after being afforded multiple opportunities to comply,” Brian King, director of the FDA’s Center for Tobacco Products, said in a statement.

Companies need clearance from the FDA before they’re able to sell tobacco products, which includes vapes and e-cigarettes. Over the past year, the agency has been fielding...

Continue reading…

Netflix password-sharing crackdown will roll out globally in ‘early 2023’ — and here’s how it could work

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Netflix plans to crack down on password sharing beginning in 2023. After giving users the ability to transfer their profiles to new accounts, the streamer says it will start letting subscribers create sub-accounts starting next year in line with its plans to “monetize account sharing” more widely.

This is part of Netflix’s earning results today, which says the company added 2.4 million subscribers this quarter as the streaming service looks to launch its ad-supported tier next month and clamp down on password sharing. The streamer says it has grown by 104,000 paid subscribers in the US and Canada over the last three months, up from 73,000 in the same period last year, and says it remains committed to the “bingeable release model.”

E...

Continue reading…

New York attorney general calls for laws banning murderers’ livestreams of killings

Photo by Lev Radin / Pacific Press / LightRocket via Getty Images

A report on this year’s white supremacist mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, asks legislators to criminalize a perpetrator or their accomplice filming a murder — and let states fine people, including the operators of large web platforms, who redistribute the videos. The recommendation is intended to stop terrorists from using livestreams as a propaganda tool, and it comes with additional requests for broadcast television-like restrictions on streaming platforms.

The report was compiled by the office of New York Attorney General Letitia James and released today, five months after James announced an investigation into the May attack. In addition to urging reform in gun control and mental health support, it traces the shooter’s...

Continue reading…

iPad accessories are more confusing than ever

The Magic Keyboard Folio only works with the new iPad even though the tablet is a very similar size to other Apple tablets. | Image: Apple

Apple introduced new iPads and a bunch of new accessories today, but instead of using the launch as a time to simplify, knowing what works with what is more confusing than ever.

Let’s focus first on the 10th-generation iPad, which got the biggest changes. Its new design more closely matches the company’s other recent iPads, with a USB-C port, slimmer bezels, and Touch ID on the sleep / wake button, just like the iPad Air and iPad Mini. From pictures, you’d be hard-pressed to tell which is the base model iPad and which is the Air.

The similarity to those other two iPads might make you think this new one supports the second-generation Apple Pencil, which can magnetically stick to the side of tablets for charging and pairing. But it...

Continue reading…

YouTube’s most important podcast play

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Hey, everyone. Ariel and Jake here for a combo issue this fine Tuesday morning / afternoon / evening, time zone dependent. We’ve been having a good time prepping for Hot Pod Summit, scoffing at political podcast launches, and wondering whether the future of audio in the metaverse has any legs.

Today, we’ve got rumors of Spotify’s long-awaited HiFi plan, big ad moves from YouTube, and some headphone jack feelings. But first, speaking of Hot Pod Summit, Ariel has some exciting news to share…

Hot Pod Summit LA is coming up fast

Hot Pod Summit LA is only two weeks away (!), and we have some excellent additional panelists to announce. Joining us will be:

• Crooked Media EVP of programming and production Sandy Girard and VP of politics Shaniqua...

Continue reading…

Belkin’s mount to turn your iPhone into a camera is now available

The Belkin accessory that Apple showed off during its announcement of Continuity Camera — an iOS 16 / macOS Ventura feature that turns your iPhone into an excellent webcam — is now available for $29.95. It uses a hook, which also doubles as a kickstand, to latch onto your laptop’s display and MagSafe to hold your phone up in portrait or landscape mode so its cameras can see you.

Belkin’s press release also says that there’ll be a version of the mount meant to be used with desktops and external monitors coming soon, but for now, the “for notebooks” is the only version that’s available. It’s compatible with most of Apple’s laptops, including MacBook Airs from 2018 on, 13-, 14-, 15-, and 16-inch MacBook Pros, and even the MacBook Retina...

Continue reading…

There’s about to be a big boom in carbon capture projects

The Hawiyah Natural Gas Liquids Recovery Plant, operated by Saudi Aramco in June 28, 2021. The plant is designed to process 4 billion standard cubic feet per day of sweet gas as pilot project for carbon capture technology. | Photographer: Maya Siddiqui / Bloomberg via Getty Images

The business of capturing carbon dioxide from industrial emissions is booming around the world. The technology is gaining popularity as a way for companies to limit the pollution they produce that causes climate change. But even as it grows, the carbon capture industry is holding tight to its ties to oil and gas.

Across the globe, the capacity to capture and store planet-heating carbon dioxide has grown by 44 percent over the past 12 months, according to a new report from think tank Global CCS Institute, which advocates for carbon capture and storage (CCS). That includes projects to scrub CO2 out of smokestack emissions from a veritable pantheon of the most notorious pollution sources: power plants, natural gas processing plants, oil...

Continue reading…

OnePlus 10 Pro review: settling in

It’s a likable device, but OnePlus still has some work to do

Continue reading…

Windows 11’s new tabbed File Explorer and taskbar improvements are available today

Image: Microsoft

After releasing the Windows 11 2022 Update with something new for everyone last month, Microsoft is now bringing even more features to its latest OS today. Top of the list is tabs in File Explorer, alongside suggested actions to make it easy to call people and the Task Manager shortcut returning to the taskbar.

Windows users have been waiting years for tabs in File Explorer, and the feature also includes a refreshed design that makes it easier to quickly access folders or find favorite files. The new File Explorer design includes tabs to navigate multiple folders in a single window and the ability to move tabs around freely. Microsoft originally tested tabs in Windows 10 apps four years ago in a feature named Sets. File Explorer tabs...

Continue reading…

Here’s how to buy Apple’s new, refreshed iPad

The 10th-gen iPad supports the first-gen Apple Pencil for drawing and writing. | Image: Apple

Apple announced the 10th-gen iPad today, which launches on October 26th alongside a new M2 iPad Pro and brings with it a slew of new features. Falling in line with its pricier brethren, this new iPad does away with the 3.5mm headphone jack and home button in favor of a fuller 10.9-inch display. It’s still got a fingerprint reader for Touch ID, but like the newer iPad Air and Mini, it’s located in the power button on the side. It also matches those models with a USB-C port for some added convenience when it comes to charging. This big redesign comes at a significantly steeper price, however, as the 10th-gen iPad now starts at $449 with 64GB of storage.

Thankfully, last year’s ninth-generation iPad seems to be sticking around for those...

Continue reading…

Twitch star Amouranth is safe, shares update on her abuse situation

Image: Kaitlyn “Amouranth” Siragusa / Twitch

Kaitlyn “Amouranth” Siragusa has revealed she and her pets are safe, she is in control of her finances, and her spouse is no longer living with her and seeking help. The news comes after the content creator, one of Twitch’s most popular and highest paid, revealed she was a victim of intimate partner violence at the hands of her husband. During a stream on October 16th, Siragusa revealed she was married, a fact she said she was forced by her husband to keep secret in order to not “ruin the business model.”

Content warning: this article contains references to intimate partner violence.

Clips of that stream circulated on social media featuring a tearful Amouranth being berated by her husband over the phone. She shared that she was afraid to...

Continue reading…

EA teases the ‘next generation’ of The Sims with Project Rene

Image: EA

Nearly a decade after The Sims 4 launched, EA has confirmed that the next major entry in the franchise is in the works. At a Sims livestream event, the company announced Project Rene, described as “the next generation The Sims game and creative platform.” It sounds very early in development and far from release — hence the codename, instead of being announced as The Sims 5 — but the company did provide a few early details.

Here’s the official description:

The game will stay true to what The Sims has always been while pushing to evolve how those Sims think and behave. It will reimagine The Sims with even more ways to play, tools to encourage creativity, and the ability to tell meaningful stories. With Project Rene, players will have the...

Continue reading…

The Apple TV HD is no longer available on Apple’s store

So long, and thanks for all the streams. | Image: Apple

Apple appears to no longer be selling the Apple TV HD, a less expensive alternative to its 4K streaming boxes, in its store (via MacRumors). The HD was a long-standing product in Apple’s lineup, originally announced in 2015 as the fourth-generation Apple TV and becoming the budget option as Apple rolled out 4K models — such as the one it announced today.

In 2022, the HD didn’t make a ton of sense; starting last year, it came with Apple’s new remote, which was nice, but it was $149 and used Apple’s A8 processor from the iPhone 6. Meanwhile, the new Apple TV 4K starts at $129, has the much newer A15, double the storage, and of course, supports much higher resolution content (not to mention HDR). The HD maybe kind of sort of (but not...

Continue reading…

Chrome is the next Android app to get tablet-focused updates

Google is updating its Android apps ahead of the launch of its Pixel Tablet (pictured) next year. | Image: Google

Google is rolling out a series of user interface updates for its Chrome browser on Android tablets as it prepares for the launch of its Pixel Tablet next year. The update started rolling out to a small number of users last week but should reach the majority in the coming days. It includes changes to how Chrome handles tabs on Android, new drag-and-drop functionality, and an option to have the browser always request the desktop (rather than mobile) version of a website.

Google has been making a big effort in recent months to improve the usability of Android apps on large-screen devices like tablets. It announced plans to update over 20 of its own Android apps earlier this year, and it’s also worked to optimize TikTok, Zoom, and Facebook....

Continue reading…

Apple’s Magic Keyboard Folio for the new iPad has a 14-key function row

Count ‘em: that’s 14 function keys. | Image: Apple

Apple has a new keyboard case for its redesigned lower-end iPad, the Magic Keyboard Folio, and unlike the company’s other keyboard covers for its tablets, this case has an entire row of 14 dedicated function keys.

The order of the cover’s function keys largely mirrors what you might already be familiar with from Apple’s computer and laptop keyboards. On the left, you have access to keys like escape and brightness changers, and on the right, there are keys for things such as media playback and volume.

Apple’s Magic Keyboard Folio comes in a two-piece design. The keyboard attaches to the bottom of the iPad while it’s in landscape mode and also has a large trackpad. The back panel / stand combo, which can be set up at different viewing...

Continue reading…

Peloton extends refund period for recalled Tread Plus by another year

You’ve got until November 6th, 2023, to file for a refund. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

In May 2021, Peloton and the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recalled the troubled Peloton Tread Plus after several reports of injuries and the death of a child. As part of the recall, Tread Plus owners were given until November 6th, 2022, to get a full refund. Now, Peloton and the CPSC say they’re extending the refund period for another year.

“Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled Tread Plus treadmills,” the CPSC said in a statement. It also noted that, to date, Peloton has received 335 incident reports, with the number of reported injuries increasing from 72 to 87 since the recall was first issued. According to the CPSC, roughly 125,000 Tread Plus units were recalled in total.

Tread Plus owners will now have...

Continue reading…

Firefox’s new View panel helps you keep tabs on all your tabs

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

With the release of Firefox 106, the company announced a new panel called Firefox View, which lets you keep track of the recently closed and open tabs across all your devices. This panel hides in the tiny Firefox logo in the top-left corner of the browser, beside the first tab you have open.

Firefox View shows a list of up to 25 recently closed tabs, making it a little easier to find that article you clicked on but hadn’t read all the way through yet. And if you’re signed in to your Firefox account on devices aside from your computer, like a phone or tablet, Firefox View will show a “Tab pickup” section that shows a list of the open tabs you have across your synced devices.

Image: Firefox

Firefox View shows up to...

Continue reading…

Lenovo shows off mysterious rollable laptop

Look how tall it is. | Image: Lenovo

In a promotional video for its Tech World 2022 event, Lenovo showed off a laptop with what appears to be a rollable screen. In a brief working demo, you can see the screen of what appears to be an old-school notebook slowly begin to rise from the keyboard deck, unfurling into a display that is monstrously, disconcertingly tall.

My initial impression is that this thing looks a bit... tall. It’s not clear from the video whether I could stop the screen anywhere I wanted in the progression or whether I’d need to fully unroll it every time. It’s also not clear exactly how tall the display gets. Eyeballing the video, it looks like the display gains an additional 50 percent or so in height, meaning it might grow from 9-ish to 13.5-ish inches...

Continue reading…

Turtle Beach’s new Atom controller splits in half to clamp onto your Android phone

The Atom’s clamping system should accommodate most Android phones with the cases left on. | Image: Turtle Beach

Hot on the heels of releasing its first cloud-focused controller, Turtle Beach is announcing a dedicated game controller for Android phones. The new Turtle Beach Atom is focused on mobile gaming and cloud streaming, as it’s solely an attachment for Android phones. The Atom’s left and right halves attach to a phone via clamps and connect to it via Bluetooth 4.2, which should save the hassle of having to remove your phone’s case each time you want to play.

This $99.99 Android controller is available to preorder now and set to launch on November 14th in three colors: red, black and teal, and black and yellow. The latter is officially licensed by Xbox, complete with a branded guide button and one month of Xbox Game Pass included for new...

Continue reading…

Apple’s new iPad only supports the old Apple Pencil — and needs an adapter to do so

Lightning one end, USB-C the other. | Image: Apple

The base model iPad’s switch to USB-C has made using an Apple Pencil with the tablet... complicated. The new 10.9-inch tablet only works with Apple’s first-generation Pencil, which requires a Lightning port to charge. That’s a little bit of a problem when the new iPad uses USB-C.

Apple’s solution, naturally, is a dongle. A “USB-C to Apple Pencil Adapter,” to be precise, although from what I can tell, it’s technically a USB-C to Lightning port adapter. Apple’s press release notes that the adapter will be included in the box with new Apple Pencils for $99 and will be available separately for $9 for existing Pencil owners. “A new USB-C to Apple Pencil Adapter is required for pairing and charging,” Apple’s press release unequivocally...

Continue reading…

The ugly business logic behind Kanye West’s Parler acquisition

Photo by Gotham / GC Images

On Monday, Kanye West, now legally known as Ye, announced that he would buy Parler, an alternative social media platform, in a surprise move that has sparked both interest in the platform and concern for the billionaire rapper’s plans. But the move comes at a perilous time for Parler, which has seen months of stagnating usage and at least one attempt to find a buyer for the platform before Ye.

According to a source familiar with the discussions, Parler’s parent company, Parlement, has been trying to offload its social media platform to potential buyers over the last few weeks. One prospective buyer described Parlement’s asking price for the platform as wildly inflated, and said they were stunned by the site’s low number of daily active...

Continue reading…

How to preorder the 2022 Apple TV 4K

The new Apple 4K TV.

Alongside the redesigned iPad and the iPad Pro with the M2 processor, Apple announced a new and improved version of the Apple TV 4K. The big news with the third-gen Apple TV 4K is that it has a faster A15 Bionic chip (the previous model has the A12) and support for HDR10 Plus. The accompanying Siri Remote has also been updated, with Apple adding a USB-C port instead of Lightning. The streaming box starts at $129, which is even cheaper than its predecessor, and it will be able for purchase in stores on November 4th. We have yet to test the new model but will soon, so keep an eye out for our review.

Where to preorder the Apple TV 4K

While the Apple TV 4K won’t be available until November, you can preorder the streaming device from the A...

Continue reading…

Amazon workers vote against unionizing in Albany

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Workers at Amazon’s ALB1 warehouse near Albany, New York, have voted against unionizing with the Amazon Labor Union (ALU). There were 406 no votes and 206 yes votes, with 918 hourly full-time and regular part-time associates at the fulfillment center being eligible to vote, according to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). There were 31 challenged ballots, which was not enough to affect the winner.

According to organizers, the union campaigned on improving pay and safety at ALB1. In the lead-up to the election, Amazon raised wages for all fulfillment and transportation employees, but union leaders at ALB1 responded by saying the $17 an hour the company offers isn’t enough. According to the ALU, Amazon has responded to the union...

Continue reading…

Opioid addiction doctors want telehealth rules to stay relaxed

Buprenorphine can help people with opioid-use disorder. | Photo illustration by Joe Raedle/Getty Images

Doctors treating patients with opioid-use disorder want pandemic-era telehealth rules to stay relaxed, according to a new survey. Tens of thousands of people in the United States die each year from opioid overdoses, and telehealth makes it easier to connect people who are at risk of overdose with treatments.

“Continued flexibility would allow more individuals to access life-saving treatment,” study author Tamara Beetham, who studies health policy and management at the Yale School of Public Health, said in a statement.

Before 2020, doctors could only prescribe controlled substances after an in-person visit with a patient. Controlled substances include medications like Xanax and Adderall, but they also include buprenorphine and...

Continue reading…

Here’s how to buy the 2022 iPad Pro with the M2 processor

Image: Apple

Apple announced new versions of its 11- and 12.9-inch iPad Pro models in a press release, alongside a new Apple TV 4K with more storage and a redesigned iPad with a higher-than-usual price (and a horizontally oriented selfie cam). The new iPad Pro features the M2 processor that has found its way into just a few of Apple’s other devices (so far, at least), the redesigned MacBook Air and the 13.3-inch MacBook Pro. The 2022 iPad Pro also supports Wi-Fi 6E, which could be all the reason you need to get a 6E-compatible router. Here’s Chris Welch with many more details on the new models.

The iPad Pro for 2022 will arrive soon, on Wednesday, October 26th (just two days after iPadOS 16 launches), but you can preorder one now to ensure that...

Continue reading…

You can now buy an Apple TV remote with a USB-C port

When you’re done watching every show available on Apple TV Plus, you can recharge your remote with a USB-C cable. | Image: Apple

Apple’s just-announced Apple TV 4K comes with a new Siri Remote that has a USB-C port instead of a Lightning port, but if you want to buy the remote separately for the Apple TV device you already own, you can order one for $59 from Apple’s website. As I write this, I can order it today for delivery on Thursday or pickup at a local Apple Store on Friday.

Beyond the changed charging port, the design of this third-generation Siri Remote is the same as the last generation, which itself was a significant redesign and a massive improvement. Apple says the new remote is compatible with “all generations” of the Apple TV 4K and Apple TV HD.

Image: Apple

Besides the new port, the third-gen Siri Remote looks the same.

O...

Continue reading…

The new Apple TV 4K has a remote with USB-C and a lower starting price

The remote looks the same as it did before — just with a new port. | Image: Apple

Apple has announced a new Apple TV 4K, which includes its A15 Bionic chip, HDR10 Plus support, a USB-C powered remote, and a lower starting price of $129. The streaming box now also gets a storage bump compared to its 2021 predecessor, with the entry-level model including 64GB and the $149 step-up model including 128GB.

The new price point definitely puts Apple’s box, which used to start at $179, more in line with competitors from Roku and Amazon (though it’s definitely still a premium option).

Unlike the previous generation, the base model is missing a few features compared to the slightly more expensive one. The $129 model is Wi-Fi 6 only, whereas the $149 model has an Ethernet port and includes a Thread radio for better smart home...

Continue reading…

Apple launches redesigned iPad with a bigger screen and USB-C

Image: Apple

Apple has taken the wraps off a new iPad, and it comes with some pretty major design changes. The device has a larger 10.9-inch Liquid Retina display with flatter edges, giving it a much sleeker look and, for the first time on an iPad, moves the webcam to the longer side of the display.

The new model uses USB-C connectivity instead of a Lightning port this time around, making it the last modern iPad model to make the switch. The company also ditched the headphone jack on this device (which is a pretty big bummer) as well as the home button. Apple has instead chosen to put Touch ID on the power button, bringing the device in line with newer models of the iPad Air and iPad Mini (while the iPad Pro uses Face ID). The device comes with...

Continue reading…

Apple will release iPadOS 16 on October 24th

Photo by David Pierce / The Verge

This year Apple split the release date for the tablet version of its mobile operating system away from the release of iOS 16, and the company just announced the iPadOS 16 update will roll out starting on Monday, October 24th. The new iPads announced today will ship with the latest software on them, and it will be available as an update for the base model iPads (5th gen and later), iPad mini (5th gen and later), iPad Air (3rd gen and later), and all iPad Pro tablets.

Based on our experiences with preview versions, one big reason for the delay is the addition of Stage Manager, a new addition for iPadOS 16 that’s supposed to bring laptop-level multitasking. It should be able to take better advantage of the M1 (and now, in new iPad Pro...

Continue reading…

Valve’s new dock won’t replace your Switch, but it makes the Steam Deck more useful

Using the dock to play through Portal 2 co-op is a great idea. | Image: Valve

I’ve been waiting for Valve’s official Steam Deck dock for quite a while, so when the $89 accessory finally went on sale earlier this month, I ordered one right away. A few months ago, I wrote about how Steam Deck has changed the way I buy games in part because I believe I’ll be able to access my games on Steam for far longer than I can on other platforms. But I wasn’t ready to go all in because playing the handheld on my TV wasn’t as smooth an experience as it is on the Nintendo Switch.

To be fair, TV gaming has never been the intention of the Steam Deck, as it’s clearly designed to be a portable device. But I’ve been testing the dock to see if it makes playing on my TV easier anyway. To me, it makes the Steam Deck even more useful; the...

Continue reading…