Apple News Plus is getting crossword puzzles with iOS 17

Image: The Verge

Apple’s upcoming iOS 17 update will add daily crossword puzzles to the Apple News app, but only for News Plus subscribers, the company said on its iOS 17 preview website. The addition of crosswords could make News Plus a more enticing subscription offering — right now, the main benefits to News Plus are access to digital versions of publications and audio versions of some articles.

Interestingly, adding crossword puzzles will put the Apple News app in even closer competition with The New York Times. The NYT is famous for its own crossword puzzles, which you can access in both the main NYT app and NYT Games app, and similar to what’s coming for Apple News, the full NYT crossword is only available in those apps with a paid subscription....

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CNET is overhauling its AI policy and updating past stories

Illustration by Fagiani / The Verge

Months after news broke that tech outlet CNET had quietly begun producing articles with generative AI systems, the site is clarifying how it will — and won’t — use the tools in the future.

Among its promises: stories will not be written entirely using an AI tool, and hands-on reviews and testing of products will be done by humans. CNET will also not publish images and videos generated using AI “as of now.” But the outlet says it will “explore leveraging” AI tools to sort and analyze data and to create outlines for stories, analyze existing text, and generate explanatory content. The in-house tool CNET is using is called Responsible AI Machine Partner, or RAMP, according to the memo.

CNET has also gone back and updated the dozens of...

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The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom — all the latest on Nintendo’s huge sequel

Link in The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom_._ | Image: Nintendo

Going deep on the biggest game of the year with analysis, interviews, and the wildest builds.

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Tears of the Kingdom glitch hunters aren’t just breaking the game — they’re expanding it

Image: Nintendo

Inside the international community trying to stay ‘one step ahead’ of Nintendo.

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How does Apple’s new 15-inch MacBook Air compare to the 13-inch models?

There’s a new MacBook Air for people who love big screens, and it starts at $1,299. | Image: Apple

Apple’s WWDC keynote brought a new Mac Pro and Mac Studio, software updates around iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS, and even a “one more thing” moment. However, the newest Apple product people are likely to buy is not a mixed reality headset but the forthcoming 15-inch MacBook Air.

For the first time since Apple phased out the 11-inch model, the Air is now offered in two distinct sizes and three different models: a 13-inch model with an M1 chip, a 13-inch model with Apple’s newer M2 chip, and a new 15-inch configuration with an M2 chip (which is available June 13th for $1,299). It’s the most crowded lineup of MacBook Airs ever, so allow us to help you sort out the differences and determine which laptop might be right for you.

What’s new in the...

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SiriusXM’s 360 strategy, with CEO Jennifer Witz

Photo illustration by Alex Parkin / The Verge

SiriusXM scooped up Stitcher, Pandora, and Team Coco in recent years, but satellite radio in cars still drives the business.

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What’s so ‘pro’ about Apple’s Vision Pro headset?

Image: Apple

Apple needs developers to make the case for its new augmented reality headset.

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The Verge’s favorite travel gear

Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge

It’s summertime, and the traveling is easier when you have the right tech.

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Here are the best noise-canceling headphone deals we could find

The Sennheiser Momentum 4 (right) offer improved noise cancellation and better comfort than the prior model (left). | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

With more people working from home than they used to, owning a good pair of noise-canceling headphones has become more appealing than ever. However, they can be expensive and difficult to shop for due to the range of available models, many of which cater to different lifestyles and priorities. Some are better suited for long-haul flights, for instance, while others are ideal for multitasking and marathon listening sessions.

That’s why we’ve curated this list of the best deals on noise-canceling headphones. Here, you’ll find sales on all kinds of on-ear and over-ear headphones, all of which are designed to eliminate outside noise but come with their own strengths and weaknesses. And if you want to do even more research before making a...

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Western Digital announces Xbox expandable storage cards, starting at $79.99

Image: Western Digital

Western Digital is offering some much-needed competition in the Xbox expandable storage card market today. Western Digital is now offering its own 512GB and 1TB expansion cards for Xbox Series S / X consoles. It’s the first time we’ve seen Xbox expandable storage that’s not manufactured by Seagate, and Western Digital’s own cards are priced at $79.99 for the 512GB model and $149.99 for the 1TB version.

Those prices seemed like a big price drop when we first heard cheaper Xbox expandable storage cards were on the way earlier this year, but Seagate also heard about Western Digital’s plans and has adjusted its own pricing accordingly. The 512GB Seagate version is available at $89.99, and the 1TB card is $149.99. So Western Digital is...

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Across the Spider-Verse’s greatest feat is the way it takes Spider-Man’s fandom to task

Sony / Marvel

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse deepens the mythos of Miles Morales by turning one of the ugliest parts of Spider-Man’s fandom into a canonical conundrum.

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The Tamagotchi Uni device features the ‘metaverse of the Tamagotchi world’

Image: Bandai Namco

The newest Tamagotchi device, the Tamagotchi Uni, isn’t just a new toy that lets you care for a virtual pet; it can also connect to the Tamaverse, which Bandai Namco describes in a press release as “the metaverse of the Tamagotchi world.”

“Fans can now play together with the Tamaverse’s Tama Arena, Tama Parties, Tama Fashion, and Tama Travel features, opening up the fun to a global scale,” according to the release about the Tamagotchi Uni. The device can connect to Wi-Fi, which means it can potentially meet up with other Tamagotchis from around the world, according to Tara Badie, senior director of brand strategy for Bandai Namco’s toys and collectibles America division. But there isn’t any direct communication between players, like you...

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Honda announces Acura ZDX will be first EV with Google built-in

Image: Acura

Honda’s next vehicle to feature Google built-in integration, enabling native Android apps and over-the-air (OTA) software updates, will also be its first electric vehicle: the 2024 Acura ZDX.

The performance brand’s upcoming SUV will come available with apps like Google Assistant and Google Maps and more on Google Play. Google’s native integration will come standard on all trim levels of the ZDX.

To refresh, Google built-in is the branding used by the company for cars that support Google Automotive Services. Google apps and services are directly integrated into the vehicle. In this way, it’s different than Android Auto, which just projects your phone onto the vehicle’s infotainment screen. It’s also different from Android Automotive OS,...

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Coinbase is being sued by the SEC

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

After months of indications the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) would sue US crypto giant Coinbase, it’s finally happened.

The lawsuit filed Tuesday in the Southern District of New York accuses Coinbase and its parent company, CGI, of breaking securities law by acting as an unregistered broker for its main crypto trading platform, its Coinbase Prime product, and the Coinbase Wallet. In addition to those alleged violations, the SEC is suing over Coinbase’s staking-as-a-service platform that allows its customers to earn a return for participating in “proof of stake” blockchains.

Coinbase’s alleged failures deprive investors of critical protections, including rulebooks that prevent fraud and manipulation, proper disclosure,...

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Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K Max is on sale for just $34.99

Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K Max offers exceptional voice capabilities and is cheaper than ever. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

If you’re kicking yourself for not taking advantage of recent Memorial Day sales, there’s no need. It turns out some deals are once again resurrecting in the run-up to Father’s Day, including a few on excellent streaming sticks like Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K Max. Right now, the device has returned to its all-time low of $34.99 ($20 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target.

If you’re already embedded in Amazon’s ecosystem, the 4K Max offers excellent value for your money mainly due to its impressive Alexa integration. In fact, you can even use your voice to turn the TV on to something as specific as “ESPN on Sling TV” via the included Alexa remote. The gadget also provides access to a wide selection of streaming apps while boasting support...

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This startup is zapping seawater to tackle climate change

A rendering of Equatic’s technology that takes CO2 out of the air and water and produces hydrogen fuel in the process. | Image: Equatic

A new California-based startup is trying to take on climate change by simultaneously taking carbon dioxide out of the ocean and air while creating hydrogen as an alternative fuel. Boeing has already inked an agreement with Equatic, the company that launched last week.

The deal is for Boeing to purchase 2,100 metric tons of hydrogen from Equatic that it can use in sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). The hydrogen is a byproduct of Equatic’s efforts to filter planet-heating CO2 out of air and seawater. Boeing has also agreed to purchase 62,000 metric tons’ worth of carbon removal to offset some of its own climate pollution.

Equatic’s technology brings together two nascent strategies for climate change that are starting to take off in the US

E...

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Summer gaming events 2023: with E3 canceled, here’s what’s next

Starfield. | Image: Bethesda Softworks

E3 isn’t happening, but the news isn’t stopping.

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The Bunker is the most nerve-wracking Amnesia game yet

Image: Frictional Games

Developer Frictional Games moves outside of its comfort zone for the latest Amnesia, and the results are appropriately stressful.

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Apple is making it easier for adults and minors to avoid unsolicited nudes in iOS 17

With iOS 17, adult users will have access to expanded nudity protection features that are currently provided to children using iMessage. | Illustration: The Verge

Apple’s Communication Safety feature for iPhone — designed to protect children from viewing nude images over iMessage — is being expanded to cover adult users in addition to video content and other communication methods. Announced during the WWDC event on Monday, the protections will arrive with iOS 17 later this year with all image and video processing happening right on the device itself to ensure everything is kept private, even from Apple.

The Communication Safety in Messages feature uses on-device machine learning to automatically blur nude images in iMessages before a child can view them. With iOS 17, the expanded feature will also protect children from viewing or sharing photos that contain nudity via AirDrop, new Contact...

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Ford F-150 Lightning loses about a quarter of its range when carrying maximum payload

Image: AAA

Trucks are for carrying things — big things, preferably. Ford knows this, which is why it put towing and hauling capabilities at the centerpiece of its pitch for the F-150 Lightning, the battery-powered version of the bestselling vehicle in the US.

But hauling things with an electric truck isn’t so simple. The heavier the load, the less range you’re going to be able to squeeze out of the F-150 Lightning’s 98kWh battery (or 131kWh for the long-range version). And while there have been several tests to see how much range the Lightning loses when it’s towing something, less attention has been paid to a far more common scenario: payload.

AAA recently set about testing the F-150 Lightning’s payload-to-range-loss ratio and found that the...

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Everywhere Apple imagines you’ll use its $3,499 headset

A man wearing Apple’s Vision Pro sticks out his tongue. | Image: Apple

The first bar has been cleared — critics agree the $3,499 Apple Vision Pro is an amazing tech demo. But is it a new computing paradigm with limitless possibilities? That’s not quite the impression I got from the company’s marketing, which has remarkably strong ideas on where and when you’d use this technology.

Let’s take a look, shall we?

You can use the Vision Pro:

While sitting on a comfy couch staring into the void where a TV might have been...

Or in a nice chair...

Or a horrible airplane seat...

Or standing still in front of a horizontal surface...

Or lying flat.

...

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Kirby’s motion-based Tilt ‘n’ Tumble Game Boy game comes to Switch Online

Image: Nintendo

Nintendo has announced four retro games being added to its Switch Online service this month including a couple of interesting additions like the motion controlled Kirby Tilt ‘n’ Tumble and the original Harvest Moon. There are two Game Boy games, one NES game, and one SNES game, and all are available as part of a Nintendo Switch Online subscription costing $19.99 a year.

First up is Kirby Tilt ‘n’ Tumble, a game originally released for the Game Boy with an accelerometer built into the cartridge that let you tilt the handheld to play the game. According to Nintendo, these motion controls are emulated by the gyro controls built into the Switch console. The release of Tilt ‘n’ Tumble on Switch was originally teased in February.

Four...

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I wore the Apple Vision Pro. It’s the best headset demo ever.

Apple’s new don’t-call-it-a-VR-headset is the best riff on some very familiar ideas, but still searching for a purpose.

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Microsoft to pay $20 million FTC settlement over improperly storing Xbox account data for kids

Illustration: Alex Castro / The Verge

Microsoft is set to pay the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) a $20 million settlement over charges that the company violated the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). The company retained certain personal information of kids far longer than it should have when they made accounts, according to a press release.

Microsoft will also have to make some changes as part of a proposed order filed by the Department of Justice (DOJ) on behalf of the FTC. Those changes include telling parents that a separate child account comes with additional privacy protections, requiring parents to give consent for child accounts made before 2021, making systems to delete data about necessary to get parental consent for a kids’ account, and telling...

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Spanish fascists stole a game publisher’s domain

Image: Ecumene Games

Last week, IGN featured a game called Ecumene Aztec — in which you play as an Aztec warrior going full guerrilla warfare on Spanish conquistadors. In the wake of this IGN profile, Ecumene Aztec’s developers have been harassed by far-right extremists, including having the website associated with the publisher stolen by far-right trolls, who then made it into a page promoting Spanish imperialism.

In the initial write-up for the game, IGN named Giantscraft as Ecumene Aztec’s developer and publisher. Giantscraft is also listed as the publisher on press materials for the game that The Verge has obtained. There are no links to Giantscraft’s site on IGN’s article, but searching for Giantscraft reveals a single Instagram page.

On this Instagram...

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The iPhone 8, 8 Plus, and X aren’t getting iOS 17

Sorry, iPhone X owners. | Photo by James Bareham / The Verge

Apple’s just-announced iOS 17 won’t be coming to the iPhone X, the device that ushered in the era of Face ID. It was announced in 2017 along with the iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, which will also miss out on the next iOS upgrade. That makes the iPhone XS, XS Max, and XR the oldest devices that will be eligible for iOS 17 when it becomes available this fall, but that doesn’t mean they’ll get every new feature.

Every phone that’s eligible for iOS 17 will get the biggies: the new design-driven contact cards, the StandBy display for quick info while you’re charging, and the Check In feature to notify someone that you’ve arrived home safely. But a few features are reserved for newer iPhones. Gesture-based reactions with AR effects in FaceTime will...

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Intel is on track with its new PowerVia chip architecture

A waver holding Blue Sky Creek test chips. | Image: Intel

After years of struggling to make good on its chipmaking promises, Intel is publishing two papers at next week’s VLSI Symposium detailing a new way to build chip nodes that should make for more efficient processors, according to its press release today. It’s called PowerVia, and if Intel pulls this off, it’s a pretty big deal in the race to make smaller and smaller processor nodes.

PowerVia would be crucial for making the smaller, less power-hungry chips that are part of Intel’s road map debuted in 2021. It would move all power rails to the back of the chip, bringing power directly to the components that need it instead of routing it around the side and up into an “increasingly chaotic web,” to borrow Intel’s phrasing, of layered power...

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Apple’s Vision Pro headset uses iris scanning for logins with Optic ID

Apple’s Optic ID as depicted in the WWDC Keynote. | Image: Apple

Apple is introducing Optic ID, its latest biometric security authentication technology and the first from the company to be based on the details of your iris. Optic ID will be used to unlock Apple’s new Vision Pro mixed reality headset that was introduced today at the WWDC 2023 event.

According to Apple, Optic ID works by analyzing a user’s iris through LED light exposure and then comparing it with an enrolled Optic ID stored on the device’s Secure Enclave. During the WWDC keynote, Apple’s VP of technology development group, Mike Rockwell, said the system could detect iris differences even with identical twins.

Photo by Dieter Bohn / The Verge

Face ID was introduced in 2017 on the iPhone X.

Apple’s existing...

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Apple’s Vision Pro headset will turn you into a digital avatar when FaceTiming

Image: Apple

Apple’s Vision Pro headset will let you replace your face with a hyperrealistic avatar when you’re using FaceTime. As shown during WWDC 2023, you can scan your face using the headset to create a digital “persona” of yourself that will appear during video calls.

Unlike the cartoony avatars you can make with apps like Microsoft Teams and Meta’s Horizon Worlds, it looks like Apple is aiming to create a virtual version of your face that’s accurate to how you really look. In the video Apple showed at WWDC, a user holds the headset in front of their face, allowing the device to scan it with “an advanced encoder-decoder neural network” that Apple says has been trained on a “diverse group of thousands of individuals.”

GIF:...

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Apple’s most expensive M2 Ultra Mac Pro is $40,000 cheaper than the maxed-out Intel model

Photo by Nilay Patel / The Verge

Apple’s just-announced Mac Pro with an M2 Ultra chip isn’t a cheap computer — it’s designed for extreme workloads, after all — but you might be surprised to hear that the most expensive version of the machine is more than $40,000 cheaper than the maxed-out version of its Intel-powered predecessor.

If you get the new $6,999 Mac Pro tower and add the following upgrades:

• $1,000 for the M2 Ultra chip with a 24-core CPU, 76-core GPU, and 32-core Neural Engine
• $1,600 for 192GB of unified memory
• $2,200 for 8TB of SSD storage
• $400 for the wheels
• $149 for the Magic Mouse and Magic Trackpad

You get a total computer cost of $12,348. If you throw in Final Cut Pro ($299.99) and Logic Pro ($199.99), it comes out to $12,847.98. And if you max out...

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