HBO Max’s first price hike raises the monthly rate by $1

But you’re paying a little more for a lot less than you used to. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

HBO Max is the next streaming service to get a price increase, its first one since launching in 2020. Starting Thursday, the cost of a new subscription to HBO Max will increase from $14.99 to $15.99 per month. Existing subscribers will pay the new price with their next billing cycle “on or after” February 11th.

“This price increase of one dollar will allow us to continue to invest in providing even more culture-defining programming and improving our customer experience for all users,” HBO Max wrote in a press email.

While Netflix’s creeping price hikes have accumulated over several years, in recent months, many streaming services raised prices as they try to prove to investors that they can build viable businesses.

But with HBO Max’s...

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NASA’s James Webb telescope discovers its first Earth-sized exoplanet

This illustration reflects that exoplanet LHS 475 b is rocky and almost precisely the same size as Earth based on new evidence from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. | Illustration: NASA, ESA, CSA, Leah Hustak (STScI)

The James Webb Space Telescope has discovered its first new exoplanet, an Earth-sized rocky planet called LHS 475 b. Located just 41 light-years away, the planet orbits very close to a small, dim star, completing a full orbit in just two days.

The discovery, presented at the American Astronomical Society (AAS) meeting on Wednesday, January 11th, is notable as most exoplanets discovered are typically large gas giants similar to Jupiter. It is harder for most telescopes to detect Earth-like planets because they are much smaller, at less than a tenth of the diameter.

The planet orbits very close to a small, dim star

Previous research with NASA’s Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite, another space-based telescope that was launched in 2018...

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TCL’s 65-inch 6-Series Mini LED TV is a major deal at $699.99

TCL’s 6-Series QLED TV is equipped with a 120Hz refresh rate in addition to the Google smart platform. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

If your New Year's resolution was to get a big 4K TV, we’re here to make quick work of that less than two weeks into 2023. Currently, you can pick up the 65-inch model of TCL’s 6-Series QLED 4K TV at Best Buy for $699.99 (normally $999.99). There are, of course, pricier models available with more bells and whistles, but what this model has makes it a great value for the price. It has a Mini LED-backlit panel that gets brighter and has more contrast than most similarly priced TVs. Plus, it has two HDMI 2.1 ports that can output 4K at a 120Hz refresh rate to consoles and PC. It also comes standard with the Google TV smart platform baked in, giving you access to all major streaming services plus screen mirroring via Chromecast. Read our...

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Six smart home finds from CES 2023 you may have missed

The LG Artcool Gallery AC unit adds some style to your smart home. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

The smart home at CES wasn’t all Matter, Matter, Matter. At The Verge, we covered the launch of literally dozens of new products at the big consumer tech show. From innovations in smart lighting and exciting products in smart home energy management to flying cameras and wirelessly charging smart locks, there was a lot of great new tech to see.

But there were a few that we didn’t highlight during the show, as well as a couple of genuine surprises we discovered roaming the show floor. Here’s a round-up of some of the other innovations, gadgets, and new products that caught our eye in Las Vegas. And in case you missed it, catch up on all our smart home coverage from the show floor here.

GE Lighting solves the under-cabinet lighting...

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Ex-FTX CEO Sam Bankman-Fried is out on $250 million bail and keeping busy by... blogging?

The Verge / Getty Images

Almost until the moment of his arrest in the Bahamas a month ago, Sam Bankman-Fried’s (SBF) post-FTX collapse media tour included days of back-to-back Twitter Spaces and Zoom calls. Now, top executives of companies in his crypto empire have pleaded guilty to criminal fraud charges of fraud and money laundering and are cooperating with the prosecution, while Bankman-Fried — free on a $250 million bond and still giving interviews — pleaded not guilty to eight similar charges and has followed up by launching a newsletter while he awaits trial.

Published this morning on Substack, the “FTX Pre-mortem Overview” message from the former CEO says, among other things, that “I didn’t steal funds, and I certainly didn’t stash billions away.”

h...

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M. Night Shyamalan on season 4 of Servant and its ‘precision movement towards an end’

M. Night Shyamalan at the season 4 premiere of Servant in NYC. | Photo by Kristina Bumphrey/Variety via Getty Images

‘It is terrifying. But I don’t know if there is any other way to go through life.’

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Airbus is testing out autonomous flying tech in some of its planes

Image: WENDELL TEODORO/AFP via Getty Images

Airbus is testing out a suite of new automated technology that it says has the potential to improve the safety and efficiency of flying.

The automated technology, which has been branded as the company’s DragonFly project, includes “automated emergency diversion in cruise, automatic landing, and taxi assistance,” Airbus says.

The company is testing out the new features using an A350-1000 aircraft at the Toulouse-Blagnac Airport, which is a test site for Airbus. The experimentation is being conducted by Airbus UpNext, a subsidiary of the aerospace giant that validates new technology before rolling it out to the wider fleet.

Airbus says the technology is meant to mimic the insect’s ability to recognize certain locations

The name...

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Intel breaks the 6GHz barrier with $699 Core i9-13900KS processor

Intel’s latest 13th Gen CPU breaks the 6GHz barrier. | Image: Intel

Intel is launching its fastest desktop processor to date, breaking the 6GHz barrier at stock speeds for the first time. The new Core i9-13900KS is based on the 13th Gen Core i9-13900K that came close to the 6GHz barrier with its 5.8GHz turbo frequency last year. The new i9-13900KS will be available in stores today, priced at $699.

The 13900KS is the first CPU to reach 6GHz without overclocking, using Intel’s Thermal Velocity Boost technology to reach that 6GHz barrier and improve PC gaming performance. It does it by using more electricity, though. The base power of the 13900K was 125 watts, and Intel has bumped this up to 150 watts on the 13900KS. At max turbo power, it will hit slightly above 250 watts — just like the 13900K.

Other...

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Rocket Lab sets new launch window for Electron rocket mission

The mission, if successful, will deploy three radio frequency monitoring satellites into low orbit. | Image: Rocket Lab

Private spaceflight company Rocket Lab has announced the launch window of its debut Electron rocket mission from US soil. The “Virginia Is For Launch Lovers” mission is set to take off on January 23rd, 2023, from NASA’s Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia from 6PM to 8PM ET.

If successful, the mission will deploy three radio frequency monitoring satellites into low orbit for Virginia-based company HawkEye 360, the first of 15 to be deployed by Rocket Lab by 2024. This first mission was initially scheduled to launch in December 2022 but was pushed back due to unfavorable weather conditions.

After 32 launches from our pads at Launch Complex 1 in New Zealand, this month Electron is set to take to the sky from our U.S. launch pad at @...

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With PC sales down, laptop makers turn to services

AMD CEO Lisa Su announces the new Ryzen 7040 chip at CES 2023. | Image: David Becker/Getty Images

The PC market is in rough waters, and it was for much of last year. Worldwide PC shipments fell by 16 percent in 2022, according to recent analysis by Canalys, while Gartner reported a 28.5 percent year-over-year drop in Q4 — the largest quarterly shipment decline since Gartner began tracking the PC market. Every PC maker except Apple saw year-over-year decline. Laptop sales are said to have suffered the most.

This all made for a somewhat uncertain backdrop heading into CES 2023, the annual conference where tech companies show off the products they’ll be releasing in 2023. Throughout the show, executives and representatives from various PC manufacturers acknowledged that the industry has a big task ahead of it this year: keep the laptop...

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Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 2 Pro can now record lifelike 3D audio

Samsung uses the microphone in each earbud to record sound just as your ears hear it. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Samsung is bringing a nifty new trick to its Galaxy Buds 2 Pro starting today: whenever you’re recording video, the earbuds will now be able to capture more lifelike binaural 3D audio. “The feature picks up 360-degree sound using a microphone in each earbud, placing viewers at the center of a roaring festival crowd or beside a bubbling brook in the middle of a forest,” Samsung wrote in a press release today.

If you share those clips on social media and other platforms, listeners will be placed right in the middle of the sound field and able to hear the audio just as you did; it can make for a more immersive, lifelike experience compared to the standard stereo audio recorded by most smartphones and earbuds. 3D audio sounds as through...

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Official Samsung Galaxy S23 images leak early

The four color options are listed as Phantom Black,” “Botanic Green,” “Mystic Lilac,” and “Cotton Flower.” WinFuture has plenty of additional images available to view in its report. | Image: WinFuture

Samsung’s Galaxy S23 series is expected to be unveiled for the first time at the upcoming Galaxy Unpacked event on February 1st, but we already have a solid idea of what the device will look like. Leaked renders posted by WinFuture reveal both the design and color options available for the base model Galaxy S23 handset.

According to WinFuture’s Roland Quandt, these are official marketing images from Samsung, and not fan-made renders based on previous models or design predictions. If you want a better look at the new handset, WinFuture has other images listed on its report.

Available in four colors: black, white, green, and a pinkish-lilac

If legit (WinFuture has an excellent track record), then the Galaxy S23 will rid itself of the...

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Thursday’s top tech news: an Apple ecosystem for all

Apple’s AirPods Pro, AirPods, and an iPhone. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

There are rumors of more affordable AirPods on the way as Apple’s Music and TV apps come to Windows.

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$99 AirPods could ship as early as next year alongside next-gen AirPods Max

Apple’s third-generation AirPods, released in 2021. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

The next generation of Apple’s popular AirPods headphones could launch in the second half of 2024, or first half of 2025, according to a new prediction from noted Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. The lineup will reportedly include a more affordable pair of AirPods priced at $99, as well as a new model of Apple’s over-ear AirPods Max headphones (released in 2020).

The rumored $99 AirPods would undercut the price of Apple’s current most affordable AirPods (its second-generation model) by $30. Meanwhile, the third-generation AirPods currently sell for $169 for a model that charges via a wired Lightning cable only, or for $179 with a case that can charge wirelessly via MagSafe. Reducing the price of the entry-level AirPods model mirrors what...

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Apple’s Music and TV apps for Windows are now available in preview

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Apple’s Music and TV apps for Windows have made an appearance, with preview versions of the apps being spotted on the Microsoft Store by The Verifier (via MacRumors). LAst October, Microsoft announced they were coming to the platform, letting users finally ditch the old iTunes app and Apple TV web player for native software that is closer to the experience embedded in macOS.

There’s also a third preview of an app called Apple Devices, which is meant to let you manage and sync things like iPods and iPads — functionality that’s currently handled by iTunes on Windows and Finder on the Mac. It also, apparently, contains some references to Reality OS and xrOS, two codenames that have reportedly been associated with Apple’s virtual reality...

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Russia plans to launch new Soyuz spacecraft to replace a leaky one docked at the ISS

Photo by Natalia Kolesnikova / AFP via Getty Images

A Russian Soyuz spacecraft docked to the International Space Station (ISS) began leaking coolant early last month, leading to concerns about whether the vehicle would be safe to transport ISS crew members back to Earth.

NASA and Russian space agency Roscosmos have now announced they will be sending a replacement spacecraft for NASA astronaut Frank Rubio and Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitry Petelin in which to travel home. A SpaceX Crew Dragon is also available as a contingency option should it be required.

Roscosmos will send a replacement Soyuz called MS-23 to the ISS, launching on February 20th so it can be used to return the astronauts to Earth. This mission had been scheduled to launch in March carrying new crew...

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Here are the best tablet deals right now

The 128GB configuration of the 2021 12.9-inch iPad Pro is currently discounted to $800.99 at Best Buy. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Tablets exist in a space between phones and laptops that is becoming increasingly muddled. As phones become more powerful and gain larger displays, laptops continue to get lighter. Tablet manufacturers haven’t been resting on their laurels, though. Many of the more recent tablets we’ve seen are looking to bridge the gap in terms of performance and, in select cases, handle some tasks more efficiently than both phones and laptops.

The tablet spectrum is varied, too. Inexpensive models like the Amazon Fire HD 10 make for excellent media streaming devices, while those in Microsoft’s versatile Surface lineup can easily serve as ad-hoc laptops when paired with an optional folio-style keyboard. Then there’s the ubiquitous iPad, a slate that has...

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Google strikes back in search antitrust lawsuit

Illustration: The Verge

Courts have unsealed Google’s motion to dismiss an antitrust lawsuit over its search engine — one that could fracture a core Google service in order to increase online competition. In a motion for summary judgment filed on December 12th, the company argues that the complaint misrepresents its agreements with browser developers and Android phone makers, unfairly punishing its success. “Requiring Google not to compete vigorously — or requiring browser developers to alter their product designs and provide a worse experience for their customers,” it says, “would turn competition law on its head.”

The US Department of Justice and a coalition of state attorneys general sued Google in 2020, part of a multi-pronged approach to limit the web...

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Google Meet emoji reactions are finally here

Emoji reactions on Google Meet float up the left side of the screen and “burst” when multiple are used. | Image: Google Meet

Google is finally rolling out emoji reactions for Meet, something myself and other colleagues have been patiently waiting for since Google announced the feature last year. Now the video conferencing platform will let you silently send out reactions to colleagues during calls.

The emoji don’t stay static like they do on Zoom, though. A line of reactions used during the call will instead float up the left side of the screen and will burst if multiple people use the same ones. Small emoji badges will also appear in the upper-left corner of your video tile, so you’ll get to see who reacted with what. While I haven’t gotten the chance to try it out myself yet, it seems like a fun way to liven up typically routine meetings.

I...

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Verily, Alphabet’s health-focused company, is cutting jobs

A photo of a Verily building. | Image: Verily

Verily, the health-focused company housed under Google parent Alphabet, is laying off staff and announcing a sweeping reorganization, as shared in an email from CEO Stephen Gillett posted on Verily’s blog. “Approximately 15 percent of Verily roles” have been cut, Gillett said, which translates to more than 200 employees, according to The Wall Street Journal.

As part of Verily’s changes, the company will be discontinuing development on its Verily Value Suite (which you can read more about on this jargon-filled page) and some “early-stage products,” Gillett wrote. It will be shifting to a centralized product organization with “increasingly connected healthcare solutions.” Gillett also detailed the new leadership team, though noted that the...

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Apple might finally make a touchscreen Mac

An M2 MacBook Air with a screen that doesn’t respond to touch. | Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge

Apple is working on Macs with touchscreens, according to a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman. While it’s uncertain whether the devices will actually come to market, Gurman says in a tweet that we could see a touchscreen MacBook Pro as early as 2025. The report also notes that the screens may use OLED technology, as opposed to the Mini LED displays that are currently in the 14- and 16-inch models.

The project seems to be in relatively early stages, with engineers being “actively engaged,” according to the report. Gurman says that there are no final plans for launching touchscreen Macs and that plans could always change — we’ve seen Apple scrap projects before, and the company has made prototype Macs with touchscreens that never saw the...

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Meta Quest users can now track their heart rate in VR workouts

Both heart rate and Android workout tracking integrations are necessary for VR fitness to become popular. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Meta is adding two new fitness-related features to the Meta Quest. The first is Health Connect integration, meaning Android users can finally sync their Quest workout data automatically. Perhaps more exciting for VR fitness buffs: you’ll now be able to pair Bluetooth heart rate monitors and view your stats in real time.

Health Connect is Google’s health API, which allows Android users to share health and fitness data between multiple apps and consolidate that information in one place. The integration means you can now link your Quest Move VR workouts to Google Fit without having to do anything. Meta enabled a similar integration with Apple Health for iOS users last year.

Image: Meta

You’ll have to enable syncing...

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Apple’s MicroLED dream: what it means for the Apple Watch and beyond

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Apple is reportedly planning to build MicroLED displays into future Apple Watch models — either in 2024 or 2025, according to a January 10th report from Bloomberg. The move would continue Apple’s progression toward using the company’s own parts across its products without having to rely on components from outside suppliers. Another report from Mark Gurman just this week said that Apple is currently at work on an all-in-one chip that handles Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular networking. The company’s in-house silicon already powers the iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and Apple TV.

With all of these efforts, the end goal for Apple is to have greater control over future products with less risk of delays and setbacks that are out of the...

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Skull and Bones gets lost at sea, delayed yet again

Image: Ubisoft

Skull and Bones is quickly becoming the Duke Nukem of the ‘20s as Ubisoft has announced, in response to poor overall sales and an economic downturn, that it is yet again postponing the pirate simulator.

In a press release and subsequent investor call, Ubisoft said it was “surprised” that Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope and Just Dance 2023 underperformed. As a result, Ubisoft said it would push the release of Skull and Bones to 2024.

Delays and Skull and Bonesare becoming synonymous with the game being pushed back almost every year since 2018. This latest delay, the game’s fifth overall, will put Skull and Bones — that, according to Kotaku, started in 2013 as Assassin’s Creed DLC — in its 11th year of development. Ironically, Skull and...

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Meta confirms it’s rescinded some full-time job offers

At least 20 signed, full-time job offers were withdrawn by Meta | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

According to a report by TechCrunch, Meta confirmed reports it has revoked full-time job offers that were extended to some candidates. Meta hasn’t commented on how many people or departments were affected by this action, but TechCrunch quotes a company spokesperson saying, “While this decision did not come lightly, it allows us to remain thoughtful as we readjust our hiring through 2023 to align with our highest-priority work.”

A tweet from writer and software engineer Gergely Orosz claims that this action from Meta has affected at least 20 people that initially had offers to start in February. The tweet also points to a statement from Meta recruiters from last October to not rescind full-time job offers, with only part-time offers being...

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The Royal Mail tells customers to hold international items after ‘cyber incident’

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

The Royal Mail says it’s suffered from a disruption to its ability to ship packages or letters internationally, which the BBC says is because of a “cyber incident.” The courier is advising customers to “hold any export items” until it solves the issue.

At the moment, it’s unclear whether the incident is an actual attack from hackers or some other technical error, though the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre says it’s working with the Royal Mail “alongside the National Crime Agency, to fully understand the impact.” The BBC also says that regulators have been told about the issue.

We're experiencing disruption to our international export services and are temporarily unable to despatch items to overseas destinations.

We strongly advise...

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Microsoft employees are getting unlimited time off

Illustration: The Verge

Microsoft is giving its US employees unlimited time off. The announcement was made in an email to employees from Kathleen Hogan, Microsoft’s chief people officer, today in a memo seen by The Verge. Microsoft is calling its unlimited time off “Discretionary Time Off,” and it will apply to all salaried US employees.

“How, when, and where we do our jobs has dramatically changed,” explains Hogan in the internal memo. “And as we’ve transformed, modernizing our vacation policy to a more flexible model was a natural next step.”

The changes will start on January 16th and mean even new Microsoft employees don’t need to wait to accrue vacation time anymore. Microsoft will offer 10 corporate holidays, leaves of absence, sick and mental heath time...

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The regulatory maze behind health tech vaporware

Movano’s Evie Ring has been in the works for a while. It’s currently going through trials to get FDA clearance. | Image: Movano

Every year at CES, you’ll see a lot of fascinating health tech concepts and prototypes—at-home urinary scanners, smartwatches that can noninvasively monitor blood sugar, and a wearable patch to prevent sexual dysfunction.And then, nothing ever seems to make it to market. Or if it does, it only happens years later, and often, the final product isn’t nearly as capable as the initial pitch.

There are three letters why: FDA.

The Food and Drug Administration is meant to protect public health. One of the many ways it does that is by regulating medical devices. This is a good thing. When human health is on the line, you want medical technology to be accurate, safe, and reliable. You want these devices to have gone through the appropriate...

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CES 2023: all the news from the year’s biggest tech conference

Samar Haddad / The Verge

At the year’s biggest tech show, we’ll see next-gen TVs, stylish laptop updates, questionable smart home tech, and a lot of strange and surprising gadgets.

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Crypto collapse: FTX’s fall is one piece of a long, cold, contagious crypto winter

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

FTX is just the latest company facing an uncertain future as cryptocurrency values drop, revealing flaws in risky financial strategies that fueled the recent crypto and NFT boom.

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