Now Google Search results for cars include what’s on the lot at nearby dealerships
Illustration: The Verge
Google isn’t just useful for helping research your next car; it can also help you shop for one while you search. SearchLab initially reported that the search giant has opened up access to a vehicle listings feature that lets dealerships advertise inventory right beside search results (via 9to5Google and Search Engine Land).
The listings have been appearing as part of a beta, but SearchLab notes that now all dealerships in the US with a Google Business Profile can add any motor vehicle to their inventory as long as it has a Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). That includes cars, trucks, motorcycles, RVs, and more. A support page for dealers shows activity from last year, as well as more recent updates earlier this month.
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YouTube says it’s fixing the bug that let someone fake a new oldest video
“Me at the Zoo” is still the oldest video. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
YouTube is setting the record straight: “Me at the zoo” is still the oldest YouTube video.
“Me at the zoo,” uploaded on April 23rd, 2005 and featuring YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim standing in front of elephants at the San Diego Zoo, is an important piece of internet history, as it marks the oldest video on one of the most influential video services on the planet. But earlier on Thursday, a video started circulating that, somehow, had an even earlier upload date: April 5th, 2005.
Titled “Welcome to YouTube!!!”, the 48-second video definitely looks like something that could have been used to test out a mid-aughts video website. The video has just one image: a low-res graphic with a YouTube logo with the text “Welcome to YouTube!!!!”...
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Google’s expanding Chrome’s Incognito lockdown on mobile and Safety Check
Keep your Incognito tabs away from prying eyes. | Illustration: The Verge
Google is rolling out access to a feature that lets you lock your Chrome Incognito sessions behind biometric authentication, making it so someone using your phone won’t be able to open your browser and see what you were looking at privately, according to a Thursday blog post. The feature has been available in the iOS version of Chrome for a while now, but now it’s becoming more widely available on Android (read: won’t require activating via a flag).
The Lock Incognito tabs when you close Chrome feature does what its name suggests — you can open Incognito tabs normally, but if you switch to another app, you’ll have to unlock Chrome when you return to get at the hidden tabs. You can do that via your phone’s unlock pin or through biometrics...
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Ford focuses on mobile services to help more customers escape dealership trips
A Ford owner getting service at home — and looking ecstatic to not need to drive to the dealership they probably hate. | Image: Ford
Ford is ramping up its remote service offerings to save customers a trip to their dealership for things like oil changes and recall repairs. The updated program promises that more Ford owners nationwide can get access to complimentary pickup and delivery of their vehicles, as well as mobile repair options.
Mobile services from Ford won’t operate from a central location, though. It will still be up to dealerships to offer remote services and to choose what services to provide at a customer’s home or business. Ford is, however, lending dealers a hand to get the services up and running. “We’ve been working with multiple teams at Ford to offer our customers more ways to personalize vehicle service,” stated Ford National Dealer Council...
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New York City will require Uber and Lyft to go 100 percent electric by 2030
Image: Noam Galai/Getty Images for Uber Eats
In his State of the City speech Thursday, New York City Mayor Eric Adams announced that Uber and Lyft will be required to be zero emission by 2030. The decision by one of the world’s largest markets for app-based ridehailing has the potential to affect an estimated 100,000 for-hire vehicles.
Adams said the move will build on efforts his administration has made to electrify the city’s fleet of vehicles while installing charging infrastructure to power those vehicles throughout the five boroughs. The mayor will likely implement his plan through the city’s Taxi and Limousine Commission, which regulates the for-hire vehicle industry, including Uber and Lyft.
Uber and Lyft, which normally chafe at new requirements and have been known to sue...
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Spotify is back after an outage
You can now get back to your music. | Image: Nick Barclay / The Verge
Spotify says it has recovered from an outage that took place on Thursday.
While there were issues, the company said on its community forums that “We’ve received some reports that our website www.spotify.com is presenting some technical difficulties so some of our services like the web player are being affected.” In a later update to that page, the company confirmed that “the Spotify app on different platforms is also affected.”
I was having some problems with the service even though I’m not a subscriber. Spotify.com wouldn’t load for me on Chrome, and I was running into a “something went wrong” error message when I try and open the Mac app. As of this writing, however, both are working for me.
Everything’s looking much better now!...
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TikTok’s pushing its expanded DM options
Image: Nick Barclay / The Verge
TikTok has been letting users know about its expanded DM options, which include the ability to let anyone message you. According to The Information, the platform has been sending emails to some users to let them know about the relatively new options, which were added in November and include the ability to let anyone DM you, potentially signaling that the company’s trying to push its private messaging features.
One of TikTok’s main competitors, YouTube, is closer to the pure entertainment side. While its comments system provides more interactivity than, say, Netflix, the site doesn’t have a system for private messaging (though it did at one point and recently added @name handles for easier tagging).
Closer to the other end of the...
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The Samsung Galaxy S23 might be able to survive a waist-high drop on concrete
This is not a Samsung Galaxy S23, but rather a puck Corning uses to test its glass. | Image: Corning
Samsung will officially announce its next Galaxy smartphones on February 1st, including a new Ultra — and Corning just revealed they’ll be the first phones to protect their screens with Gorilla Glass Victus 2.
Like I told you in November, Corning says its new cover class should be able to survive a one-meter drop on concrete, one of the more difficult landings for a phone because of all those jagged bumps. (The original Gorilla Glass Victus from 2020 claimed to be able to survive two-meter drops, but only on smoother asphalt; Victus 2 can do that as well.)
Now, we don’t know that Samsung’s phones will actually survive any of those drops. Yours might not! Corning’s latest press release with Samsung doesn’t tout the one-meter claim at...
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Microsoft strikes ‘strategic alliance’ with solar manufacturer
Microsoft president Brad Smith speaks during a climate initiative event in Redmond, Washington, on Thursday, January 16th, 2020. | Image: David Ryder/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Microsoft just forged a strategic alliance with a major solar panel manufacturer to try to make good on its clean energy goals. The deal comes as supply chain woes and allegations of labor abuse are making it increasingly difficult to deploy solar energy across the US.
The plan is for solar energy heavyweight Qcells to provide more than 2.5 gigawatts of solar panels and related services to developers working with Microsoft. That’s enough to power some 400,000 homes, according to Microsoft, which hailed the collaboration as a “first-of-its-kind.”
Supply chain woes and allegations of labor abuse are making it increasingly difficult to deploy solar energy across the US
The company has a goal of cutting its greenhouse gas emissions by “more...
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The Pod Generation envisions the future as an egalitarian dystopia of the soul
Chiwetel Ejiofor. Rosalie Craig, and Emilia Clarke in The Pod Generation. | Image: MK2
In writer / director Sophie Barthes’ peculiar new sci-fi satire The Pod Generation, there’s little doubt or disagreement about how overworked, hyper-surveilled, and disconnected from nature many people are. Set in a near future where things like freshly 3D-printed toast have become the norm, most everyone understands how deeply messed up it is that their child-obsessed society’s given up on any semblance of a public educational system. People who have quality healthcare through their jobs know that they’re a privileged class, and it’s no secret how that kind of stratification can be harmful. It’s just that people are far, far too enamored with and preoccupied by the beautifully designed technology that controls most aspects of their...
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Audi’s latest concept car is a luxury coupe that transforms into a truck
Image: Audi
Audi’s been on a run lately with some interesting concept cars, tackling everything from a giant urban people mover to a villainous sedan that drives itself. The latest is the Activesphere, an extremely sleek-looking electric luxury coupe that can transform into a pickup truck with off-roading capabilities.
With some truly impressive ground clearance, big 22-inch wheels, and a hatchback that can transform into an open cargo bed at the touch of a button, the Activesphere is described as Audi’s most versatile concept. When you’re tired of cruising the mean streets of whatever city you live in, you can take this rugged spaceship of a car onto the open road without any concern about leaving the pavement behind.
The Activesphere is the...
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BuzzFeed says it will use AI tools from OpenAI to personalize its content
BuzzFeed is the latest digital publisher to adopt the latest AI tools for producing content. | Image: Getty Images
BuzzFeed says it’s going to use more AI tools to “enhance” and “personalize” its content, according to a memo sent this morning to staff by CEO Jonah Peretti. News of the memo was first reported by The Wall Street Journal, which says BuzzFeed will specifically be working with tools made by OpenAI, creator of the AI chatbot ChatGPT.
In the memo, Peretti says AI will be one of the two major trends defining the future of digital media (the other being “creators”). Peretti says that in 2023, BuzzFeed’s “AI inspired content” will launch on the site, “enhancing the quiz experience, informing our brainstorming, and personalizing our content for our audience.”
“Our industry will expand beyond AI-powered curation (feeds), to AI-powered creation...
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Yes, Twitter changed its font
It’s not just you. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
As I was browsing Twitter.com this morning, I refreshed the page, and something jumped out at me: the font was different.
The change was minor — Twitter hadn’t suddenly switched to a serif font or anything like that. But a quick Twitter search showed that I wasn’t the only one who noticed the shift, and my co-workers did, too.
It’s unclear why Twitter changed the font, and the company didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment. (It has dissolved its press office, so I’m not expecting one.) And the company hasn’t posted anything on @TwitterSupport, where it’s shared a lot of recent product updates.
However, some have speculated that Twitter changed the font to make it easier to spot impersonators. Molly White, the author of Web3...
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Succession’s first season 4 trailer is here ahead of the show’s March return
Jeremy Strong, Sarah Snook, Kieran Culkin in Succession. | Image: HBO
At the end of Succession’s third season, each of Logan Roy’s children had been reminded of just how conniving a strategist their father’s always been and how much stronger the three of them can be when they fight together rather than with one another. Tom might have ruined the Roy sibling’s plans for a calculated takeover of the family business, but in the first trailer for Succession’s quickly approaching upcoming fourth season, it’s clear that the fight’s far from over.
It’s likely that Kendall (Jeremy Strong), Shiv (Sarah Snook), and Roman (Kieran Culkin) all want to literally kill Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) for cluing Logan (Brian Cox) into their plot to wrest control of his company from him in season 3. Tom knows it, too, and the new...
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This free watermark removal tool is surprisingly effective against stock images
Stock image platforms like Shutterstock and Adobe Stock may be content with AI while it generates cash for them, but they likely won’t be so keen on it being used to steal their assets. | Image: Shutterstock / Phonlamai Photo
The already-contentious relationship between AI and the creative industry might soon get even more complicated thanks to a free-to-use service that can completely remove watermarks from images. Watermark Remover.io (as seen via Creative Bloq) is a tool offered by Pixelbin.io that removes identifiable watermarks with a single click and has sparked conversations surrounding copyright protections since being listed on Product Hunt last year.
The functionality of Watermark Remover.io isn’t new — similar tools already exist, and you can also remove watermarks using things like Adobe Photoshop’s content-aware fill. However, these aren’t as accessible as Watermark Remover.io (they’re often paywalled), which is completely free, available on the...
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Uber’s ‘View as Delivery Person’ shows how much of your info couriers get
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Uber Eats is introducing a feature that will tell you how much of your personal information a courier has access to throughout the delivery process. The feature, called “View as Delivery Person,” is meant to “provide consumers with additional transparency and peace of mind,” especially after potentially awkward or uncomfortable encounters, according to Zach Singleton, Uber’s head of privacy and equity product.
The idea is that the Uber Eats app will show you what information a delivery person has about you before they pick your food up, while they’re making the delivery, and afterward. The basic gist, according to Singleton, is that they’ll only have an approximate delivery location until they actually pick up your order. In most cases,...
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Blink’s new Mini Pan Tilt adds robotics to its compact home security camera
The Blink Mini camera attached to the new Pan Tilt mount. | Image: Amazon
Blink’s giving its blocky Mini security camera a new robot body. The new Mini Pan Tilt is a very literally named mounting accessory that converts your existing Blink Mini camera from a stationary device into a controllable camera that lets you look around the room.
Setup sounds like it’ll be easy for the Pan Tilt: you connect the Mini camera to the mount, plug in the Micro USB cord, and the camera now has 360-degree movement from the Blink app. You can even install it on a tripod or wall mount (not included), or you can just place it on a table.
You can preorder the Mini Pan Tilt mount today on Amazon for $29.99. There’s also a bundle that gets you the mount as well as a Blink Mini camera if you don’t have one already for $59.99.
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The best use for AI eye contact tech is making movie stars look straight at the camera
Over the past few years, a bunch of tools have been released that use AI to edit video calls in real time so that the caller is making eye contact with the camera. FaceTime can do it. Microsoft Teams can do it. And Nvidia Broadcast can do it, too. (Provided, in each case, you have the necessary hardware or software.)
This tech comes with a bunch of interesting questions, of course. Like: is constant unbroken eye contact good or a bit creepy? Are these tools useful for people who don’t naturally like eye contact? Or is this all just the thin edge of a wedge labeled, for the sake of argument, “the increasing use of AI to create a more polished digital version of ourselves is contributing to an increased sense of alienation and loss of...
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Season: A Letter to the Future is a soothing bike ride through the end of the world
Season: A Letter to the Future. | Image: Scavengers Studio
There’s no shortage of games — or any stories, for that matter — about the end of the world. But I can’t think of many that are as calm and soothing as biking around the end times in Season: A Letter to the Future. Instead of fighting for your life or searching for ways to survive an impending apocalypse, you’re documenting the world as it is so future generations have a chance to learn about it when it’s gone forever. It makes the apocalypse almost cozy.
The game takes place in a world where the eras of humanity are split into seasons, which can last a few centuries, and when they end, they take almost everything with them. Season starts not long before the next season (sorry), and you play as a young explorer leaving their small town...
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Apple’s Studio Display costs a slightly less ridiculous $1,299 at Amazon
If you care about pixel perfect scaling in macOS, the Studio Display is your best option. For everyone else, there are many other monitors to buy. | Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge
Apple’s 27-inch Studio Display provides amazing 5K picture quality and great pixel scaling for macOS computers, but it’s notorious in a few ways: its webcam isn’t best in class, its 60Hz refresh rate cap is a bummer, it comes with a tilt-only stand by default (the VESA mount is an added cost), and its usual $1,599 price is steep. However, it’s more sensibly priced right now at Amazon, costing $1,299.99. Costco is offering a similar deal, too (via Slickdeals). Head over to Apple’s refurbished online store if you want to peep discounts on other variations of the Studio Display.
It’s good timing on this discount since January 26th marks the release day for Apple’s updated Mac Mini and MacBook Pro models with the M2 and M2 Pro chips.
In our...
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Angry Miao’s quirky new keyboard saves space by using a touch panel for arrow keys
That tiny touch panel at the keyboard’s front is what you use for arrow gestures.
Angry Miao is at it again with another unique mechanical keyboard that costs a small fortune. This time it thought, “Hey, wouldn’t you love to use perfectly straight swipe gestures instead of physical arrow keys?”
This new board is called the AM Compact Touch. Angry Miao calls it a 65 percent board, but it doesn’t have arrow keys. Instead, it has a small touchpad on the front for swiping your up, down, left, and right directions. If that sounds tedious and finicky, well, you’re right, though this keyboard is much more than that. It’s also a mixed bag of impeccable build quality, excellent typing feel, and some confounding design decisions. It’s set to launch February 2nd on Indiegogo, ranging in price from $398 to a hefty $615 depending...
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OnePlus’ first tablet might share its upcoming smartphone’s ‘black hole’ camera bump
Unofficial renders suggest the tablet will have an interesting camera bump. | Image: OnLeaks / MySmartPrice
Unofficial renders from leaker OnLeaks and MySmartPricehave given us our best idea yet of what OnePlus’ debut tablet might look like when it’s announced alongside the OnePlus 11 next month. The Oppo subbrand has quietly confirmed that it’ll be launching the tablet at its February 7th event by listing the “OnePlus Pad” on the event’s landing page on its Indian website.
However, given the same name isn’t present on the company’s US or UK landing pages, the tablet might be exclusive to India for the time being, much like the company’s lineup of TVs.
Leaked renders of the OnePlus Pad suggest it’s going to have a similar black hole-inspired camera bump to the OnePlus 11. Interestingly, it seems to be positioned in the middle of the long...
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ChatGPT can’t be credited as an author, says world’s largest academic publisher
Photo by Ben Hasty/MediaNews Group/Reading Eagle via Getty Images
Springer Nature, the world’s largest academic publisher, has clarified its policies on the use of AI writing tools in scientific papers. The company announced this week that software like ChatGPT can’t be credited as an author in papers published in its thousands of journals. However, Springer says it has no problem with scientists using AI to help write or generate ideas for research, as long as this contribution is properly disclosed by the authors.
“We felt compelled to clarify our position: for our authors, for our editors, and for ourselves,” Magdalena Skipper, editor-in-chief of Springer Nature’s flagship publication, Nature, tells The Verge. “This new generation of LLM tools — including ChatGPT — has really exploded into the...
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Smartphone sales are so bad even the holidays couldn’t help, says IDC
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Smartphone shipments have dropped nearly 20 percent year-over-year during the recent holiday period, as consumer demand softens amid inflation and economic uncertainties. It’s the “largest-ever decline in a single quarter,” according to IDC, and it contributed to 2022 having the lowest annual shipment of smartphones since 2013.
While there were still 1.21 billion smartphones shipped in 2022, shipments during the all-important holiday quarter were actually down from the previous quarter for the first time ever. “We have never seen shipments in the holiday quarter come in lower than the previous quarter,” says Nabila Popal, research director at IDC. “However, weakened demand and high inventory caused vendors to cut back drastically on...
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