Jason Momoa has family feelings in the trailer for Fast X

Universal

Since Fast Five, each Fast & Furious movie has gotten more patently ridiculous than the last. The series has sent cars into space, returned two characters from the dead, and perhaps most incredulously, proposes that somehow John Cena and Vin Diesel are biological brothers. For the Fast X trailer, it feels like the series is taking a step back from its action movie power creep and returning to its roots as a good old-fashioned family drama with the occasional exploding car. After all, not too many places you can go once you’ve gone to space. Maybe underwater?

Rita Moreno makes her Fast debut as Dominic Torretto’s (Vin Deisel) mother, and Jordana Brewster returns as his sister Mia. Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Tyrese Gibson, Sung Kang,...

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Uber’s driver app is getting Apple CarPlay support

Uber’s driver app with Apple CarPlay interface. | Image: Uber

Uber’s driver app is getting Apple CarPlay support, which will enable drivers with iPhones to accept trip requests and navigate via their car’s infotainment screen. The feature is just now rolling out to Uber drivers and will be available to all drivers in the US by the end of the month.

The Uber driver app running on CarPlay will let drivers view and accept trips, add more rides to their queue, and use Uber’s navigation to get to pickup and drop-off points. Additionally, drivers can view more route options, better see side streets, and look at heat maps to learn which areas are busy — all without needing to look at their phones.

Image: Uber

“Jenny?”

Once available, the feature can be used by just opening the...

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Here are 28 last-minute gifts you can still get before Valentine’s Day

The Beats Fit Pros are on sale for $149.95 and should arrive in time for Valentine’s Day. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Fret not! There’s no need to kick yourself if you’ve waited until the last minute to start shopping for a Valentine’s Day gift. As it turns out, there are still plenty of tech goodies you can pick up that’ll arrive in time for the holiday. And although Amazon Prime and Best Buy TotalTech subscribers can take advantage of free two-day shipping, non-members still have time to pick up a variety of gifts, from Amazon’s latest Kindle and the new Echo Dot to the third-gen AirPods and a smart mug that can keep your drink at the perfect temp.

Below, we’ve rounded up an assortment of ideas, all of which should arrive before February 14th. And hey, if you’re a true procrastinator and stumble upon this article the night before V-Day, rest assured...

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Disney’s Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur is a slick, stylish break from the MCU and all its baggage

Moon Girl and a pair of other kids dancing in a park. | Image: The Disney Channel

Disney’s brilliant new Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur cartoon has smarts, style, substance, and one hell of a musical score.

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You can get a free Echo Show 5 for kids when you buy the $75 Echo Show 8

The Echo Show 8 is on sale for its second-best price to date (with a free Echo Show 5 Kids). | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge

It seems like whenever there’s a holiday approaching, discounts on Amazon’s popular smart displays pop up everywhere we look. Most of them are decent, but today’s bundle deal on the second-gen Echo Show 8 is great. Not only is the latest Echo Show 8 selling for $74.99 on Amazon — $50 off and its second-best price ever — but it comes with a free Echo Show 5 Kids. Given the latter smart display normally retails for $94.99, the current discount equates to a savings of $149.99.

For the unfamiliar, the kid-friendly edition of the Echo Show 5 is nearly identical to the standard Echo Show 5. The only difference is that it comes with parental controls, a two-year warranty, and a vibrant, chameleon-like design. It’s also bundled with a year of...

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Nowatch review: a chic stress tracker for the Goop faithful

It’s an elegant device, but the ‘awareable’ may not appeal if cultivating mindfulness isn’t your main priority.

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Notorious Russian cybercrime network unmasked and sanctioned by US and UK

Illustration by Carlo Cadenas / The Verge

Seven individuals connected to an infamous Russia-based cybercrime network that launched attacks against schools, hospitals, public utilities, and governments were exposed on Thursday after sanctions were imposed by US and UK authorities. The US Department of the Treasury and the UK Foreign Office released pictures of the seven individuals alongside their online aliases, full legal names, email addresses, and dates of birth.

The accused cybercriminals had their assets frozen and face travel bans. The sanctions additionally prohibit companies and organizations in the US and UK from making funds available to the seven individuals, including extortion payments made in cryptocurrency.

As part of historic joint cyber sanctions with the UK,...

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The best Etsy alternatives for selling your crafts

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge

Since its launch in 2005, Etsy has become well known as the place to go for handcrafted, one-of-a-kind items from a wide variety of creators. Unfortunately, over the last few years, that rosy reputation has darkened a bit. To begin with, buyers have been noticing an influx of mass-market goods that are noticeably not handmade. I’ve talked to more than one person who feels that Etsy is now less about selling handmade craft and more about dropshipping — enterprises that advertise and sell a product and then pass the order on to a third party, which ships it.

There has been a lot of discontent online from sellers as well, due both to the increased number of manufactured goods and to increased expenses such as mandatory market plans. The...

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GMC Hummer EV review: bummer EV

Photo by Emme Hall for The Verge

GM resurrected the Hummer as a luxury electric truck with off-road aspirations. But the end result is too big for the trail — too big for anywhere, really. Fact of the matter is the Hummer EV is too extra for its own good.

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Microsoft to demo its new ChatGPT-like AI in Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook soon

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Microsoft is getting ready to demonstrate how its new ChatGPT-like AI will transform its Office productivity apps. After announcing and demonstrating its Prometheus Model in its new Bing search engine earlier this week, Microsoft is gearing up to show how it will expand to its core productivity apps like Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook.

Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans tell The Verge that the company is preparing to detail its productivity plans for integrating OpenAI’s language AI technology and its Prometheus Model in the coming weeks. The software giant is tentatively planning an announcement in March, highlighting how quickly Microsoft wants to reinvent search and its productivity apps through its OpenAI investments.

...

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Friday’s top tech news: a pair of DIY projects for the weekend

Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge

It’s gotten a lot easier to buy an upgraded SSD for the Steam Deck, or to set up you own Mastodon instance.

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Windows 11 will soon control your RGB lighting for PC gaming accessories

Alex Castro / The Verge

Microsoft is working to bring native support for RGB PC gaming accessories to Windows 11. The Windows lighting experience will include the ability for PC gamers to configure accessories with RGB lighting without having to install third-party software.

Twitter user Albacore has spotted early work for integrating this new lighting experience into Windows 11 in the latest public test builds of the operating system. Options for controlling brightness, lighting effects, speed, and colors can all be found in the settings interface of Windows 11. There’s even a feature that will match your accessories to the Windows accent color.

New settings for device lighting make an appearance in build 25295. Is this the beginning of the end for low...

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Cloudflare wants to help you set up your own Mastodon server in ‘minutes’

A promotional image for the Wildebeest project. | Image: Cloudflare

Wildebeest is a new project from Cloudflare that’s designed to make it easier for individuals to set up and run their own Mastodon-compatible servers. It highlights one of the key strengths of Mastodon over centralized competitors like Twitter, which is that anyone can host an instance of the microblogging service that’s connected it to the wider network (aka Fediverse).

“You can quickly deploy your Mastodon-compatible server on top of Cloudflare and connect it to the Fediverse in minutes,” Cloudflare’s Celso Martinho and Sven Sauleau write in a co-authored blog post. “You don’t need to worry about maintaining or protecting it from abuse or attacks; Cloudflare will do it for you automatically.”

Cloudflare’s Wildebeest helps configure...

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Tesla’s Autopilot was not cause of fatal Texas crash, NTSB determines

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

The National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) has exonerated Tesla’s Autopilot system as the cause of a fatal and fiery Texas crash involving a Tesla Model S in 2021. Investigators for the NTSB issued their final report this week that determined the driver was operating the vehicle up until it impacted the tree and that they had been under the influence of alcohol and drugs (via Ars Technica).

Here’s the probable cause as written in the NTSB’s final conclusion:

The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the Spring, Texas, electric vehicle crash was the driver’s excessive speed and failure to control his car, due to impairment from alcohol intoxication in combination with the effects of two...

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Google is working on making Chrome’s picture-in-picture more useful

The Verge

The latest Chrome beta, version 111, includes a trial for a feature that could make the browser’s picture-in-picture feature significantly more useful. Instead of being only for playing videos, Google’s looking into letting it display basically any web content in a floating window that stays on top of all your other windows.

There are quite a few ways this feature, which is called Document Picture-in-Picture, could be useful. Some of Google’s examples are mostly just spins on how picture-in-picture already works, such as video players but with custom UI (such as buttons to like or dislike a video, a timeline, or captions), or a miniplayer for video conferences that let you see a grid of people and access controls to mute yourself or...

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The best deals on MacBooks right now

The 2020 MacBook Air, one of the best laptops you can get, is frequently on sale. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

With multiple configurations and various models to choose from, finding a deal on a Mac equipped with an M-series chip is not all that difficult. It’s sometimes a slightly different story for the MacBook Pros with beefier M1 Pro and M1 Max CPUs, but with a little luck, you can score those excellent laptops for as much as $400 off. As for the most recent batch of M2-powered 13-inch MacBook Pro and MacBook Air, they, too, get their fair share of modest savings with some regularity. And with the recent introduction of M2 Pro and M2 Max 14- and 16-inch MacBook Pros, it’s probably just a matter of time until you can save some money on those refreshed models, too.

Here, we’ll run through the discounts that are currently available for Apple’s...

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Google wants to help developers make experiences like Maps’ new ‘immersive’ view

Image: Google

Google wants to make it easier for others to make powerful mixed reality experiences with the official release of a new Google Cloud tool, Immersive Stream for XR. The tool lets you scan a QR code or click a link to access a mixed reality experience, and behind the scenes, Google Cloud GPUs will host, render, and stream those experiences to your device, according to a blog post.

Google says it’s already using the technology for its new immersive view in Google Maps, which lets you look at a 3D model of certain cities overlaid with details like traffic and nearby restaurants. But the company is also highlighting other ways to use Immersive Stream for XR, like for placing virtual furniture in augmented reality (not exactly a new idea) or...

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Framework now sells 2TB Steam Deck upgrade drives

Ready to open up my Steam Deck. | Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge

Game recognizes game. Framework, maker of the modular Framework Laptop, is now stocking a part for the other easily repairable portable PC that’s been making headlines — Valve’s Steam Deck. You can now buy a 2TB SSD upgrade from the company, and it might be the easiest way to do so yet.

See, while it’s fairly easy to replace the Steam Deck’s SSD, it’s not quite as easy to buy the right parts. The Steam Deck uses the smallest kind of modular SSD — the M.2 2230, which measures just 30mm long — and it’s only designed to fit a single-sided one, which has flash memory chips on one side.

Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge

Two M.2 2230 drives, one with an EMI shield.

More importantly, M.2 2230 drives are generally...

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The best magnetic chargers to buy for your MagSafe iPhone

The Verge

Making sense of Apple’s messy MagSafe charging ecosystem, where the first-party options are far from the best ones.

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Neuralink probed for allegedly transporting contaminated devices removed from monkey brains

A monkey with a Neuralink implanted in its brain. | The Verge

Elon Musk’s brain implant company is under investigation by the US Department of Transportation (USDOT) after allegations surfaced today that it may have illegally transported pathogen-laced devices removed from monkeys.

An animal welfare group raised concerns in a letter sent to the USDOT today asking it to investigate Musk’s company Neuralink “for violations of the federal hazardous material transportation law and fine it accordingly.”

Neuralink aims to develop a device capable of controlling a computer when implanted in the brain. But Neuralink already faces a federal probe following previous allegations of animal abuse and rushed experiments leading to unnecessary deaths.

“We take these allegations very seriously”

The letter was...

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Kraken pays a $30 million fine and shuts down crypto staking in the US

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Kraken will end its crypto staking program in the US and pay $30 million in penalties as part of a settlement with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The regulator charged the company with selling unregistered securities through its “crypto asset staking-as-a-service program.” It’s been clear for a while now that the SEC was planning to clamp down on crypto yield programs. In 2021, it got into a spat with Coinbase over the exchange’s plans to launch a lending feature in the US, and last year, it (and several states) settled with BlockFi for $100 million over the company’s interest accounts.

Kraken will continue to offer staking outside the US via a separate subsidiary

Coinbase CEO Brian Armstrong tweeted concern about “rumors” the...

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Elon Musk’s reach on Twitter is dropping — he just fired a top engineer over it

Illustration by Laura Normand / The Verge

The chaos continues inside Twitter 2.0 as employees worry about what will break, what will get them fired, and what will get them busted by the FTC.

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Epic’s new clips app helps you easily share moments from Fortnite and Rocket League

Land an awesome jump? Clip it. | Image: Epic Games

Epic Games has just released Postparty, a new iOS and Android app to help you share clips from your Fortnite games on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, and PC. You can already capture gameplay on your own on those platforms, but Postparty is designed to make it easier to save, edit, and share your clips. Postparty also works with Rocket League, though only on PlayStation and Xbox for now.

To make clips using Postparty, download it from the mobile store of your choice and log in with your Epic Games account. Make sure the Fortnite or Rocket League account you want to make clips with is tied to your account, then jump into a game to start clipping.

I tried Postparty in a round of Fortnite, and as soon as I landed on the island, I started...

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1Password is trying for zero passwords

Image: 1password

1Password is announcing today that, one day soon, it will support the option to create and unlock 1Password accounts using biometric-based passkey technology, ditching the feature that is the name of its entire product.

“For passkeys to be the way forward, it’s not enough for them to replace some of your passwords,” said 1Password chief product officer Steve Won. “They have to be able to replace all passwords – including the one you use to unlock 1Password.”

This follows the password manager’s announcement in November last year, where it revealed customers will be able to securely log in to apps and websites through its platform using passkeys sometime in “early 2023.” 1Password has since confirmed to The Verge that users can expect...

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A live-action Spider-Man Noir series is coming from Amazon

Spider-Man Noir holding on to a lit match. | Image: Sony / Marvel Studios

Spider-Man Noir might not be returning in Sony’s upcoming Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Versesequels, but apparently the hardboiled, black-and-white Marvel hero is about to make his live-action debut in a new Amazon series.

Variety reports that Sony and Amazon are developing a currently untitled Spider-Man series that “will follow an older, grizzled superhero in 1930s New York City.” The new show — which is being executive produced by Oren Uziel, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller, and Amy Pascal — will be set in its own universe and will not focus on Peter Parker. Word of the new series comes just a few weeks after Nicolas Cage — who voiced a version of Spider-Man Noir in Into the Spider-Verse — told Screen Rant that he hadn’t been asked to...

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The Verge’s 2023 Valentine’s Day gift guide

Image: The Verge

A few gift ideas for that special someone in your life that aren’t just candies, chocolates, or cringe.

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Metroid Prime’s remaster is the best way to experience a classic

Samus is back on Nintendo Switch. | Image: Nintendo

Metroid Prime is my favorite game of all time. It was the Super Mario 64 of Metroid, brilliantly ushering the sci-fi platformer series from 2D to 3D. Obviously, I was thrilled to hear about Nintendo’s surprise release of Metroid Prime Remastered, which you can play right now. But I’ll admit that I was a touch nervous to return to the game, which I hadn’t played in years. Would it hold up? In my first hour with Remastered, the answer so far is definitely yes.

I was overcome by waves of nostalgia from the moment I booted up the game. The glitchy, electronic, and somewhat spooky theme song is just as effective at setting the tone of the game as it was when I first played Metroid Prime in 2002 on the GameCube. So is the legendary main menu...

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7 problems facing Bing, Bard, and the future of AI search

Image: The Verge

Microsoft and Google say a new era of AI-assisted search is coming. But as with any new era in tech, it comes with plenty of problems, from bullshit generation to culture wars and the end of ad revenue.

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Luther is back in the first trailer for Netflix’s The Fallen Sun

Image: Netflix

Things aren’t looking so great for John Luther in the first trailer for Luther: The Fallen Sun. The upcoming Netflix film sees Idris Elba return as the beleaguered detective, and the new clip shows him breaking out of prison in order to solve a crime that continues to haunt him before going up against a menacing new villain played by Andy Serkis.

The movie itself is a continuation of Luther the TV series, which ended in 2019 after five seasons. In addition to Elba and Serkis, it also stars Cynthia Erivo and Dermot Crowley, who reprises his role as detective superintendent Martin Schenk. It’s directed by Jamie Payne, who directed several episodes of the show, with a screenplay from series creator Neil Cross. With all of these familiar...

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Bob Iger wants more Zootopia, Frozen, and Toy Story sequels from Disney

Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde, two of Zootpia_’s anthropomorphic animal cops._ | Image: Disney

Following last month’s rumblings that Disney might be gearing up for a massive round of layoffs, CEO Bob Iger confirmed during this week’s earning call that the company plans to let go of 7,000 employees in an effort to deal with our current “challenging economic environment.” Firing off swaths of workers is one way to cut costs in the short term, but as Iger looks to the future, he also sees doubling down on the studio’s massive movie franchises with sequels as its key to continued growth.

Iger insisted on Wednesday that this newest chapter of Disney’s story will be defined by structural transformation meant to “improve margins and returns and better [position’] us to weather future disruption.” But the newly returned CEO also made...

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