Google squeezed ‘topics’ suggestions into desktop search results

Illustration: The Verge

In case you missed it, Google has redesigned the top of its search interface on the desktop to include a list of related “topics” designed to help you refine your search. What used to be a row of tabs allowing you to filter your search for things like “News,” “Images,” “Videos,” or “Shopping” is now a row of pill-shaped icons that adds topics to the old filters, which still appear.

Google initially announced the feature for mobile in December and, as early as last month, had made it available on desktop for every search made in English in the US. That rollout had been gradual and was earlier spotted by 9to5Google. The feature subsequently appears to have started rolling out internationally since, as of this week, I’m now seeing it for...

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Apple’s AirTag is available at its best price of the year

You can get a discount on a single AirTag or a pack of four today. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Father’s Day is next week, and if you’re looking for a good budget-friendly gift Dad will actually like, one of our top recommendations is currently available at a rare discount. Right now, you can buy a single Apple AirTag from Amazon and Best Buy for $25 ($4 off), which is the lowest we’ve seen the ultra-wideband Bluetooth item tracker go for so far this year. If you’d like to buy multiple AirTags, you can also buy a pack of four for about $89 ($10 off) from Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart.

If Dad tends to lose his keys every other day, the tracker is a handy little gadget that’ll help him keep tabs on them via his smartphone. He can also use the AirTag to locate other items, like his wallet, bag, or even a suitcase if he’s planning on...

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You can thank slumping laptop sales for the 15-inch MacBook Air

The 15-inch MacBook Air is the first Air with a large screen ever. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge

A couple of years ago, laptop sales were through the roof. With the majority of the population stuck at home for both work and school, plus flush with cash from government stimulus checks, many people were in need of better computers for use at home. And many of them bought laptops, to the tune of 340 million units in 2021.

But that wave is long over. Overall laptop sales fell by double digits in 2022, and they haven’t bounced back in 2023. Apple, ever the outlier in so many markets, did manage to squeak out an increase in 2022 over 2021. But the last two quarters have seen the sharpest year-over-year percentage decline in revenue from the Mac in half a decade. Last quarter’s Mac revenue was the lowest since the third quarter of 2020....

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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

Apple now sells MacBooks equipped with its own M-series chips in a wide range of sizes and price points. The offerings start with the 13-inch MacBook Air from 2020 at $999 and go all the way up to last year’s 16-inch MacBook Pro at $2,499 (not counting anything you can spec out to the stratosphere). And while it’s great to have options, it’s even better to find the right one for you on sale. The good news is that finding a deal on a Mac with an M1 or M2 chip — or a higher-end Pro or Max version — is usually not too difficult.

At this point, we don’t recommend buying any older Intel-based Macs. They’re just completely outclassed by all the newer models unless you have some super-niche Windows Boot Camp needs.

Alternatively, purchasing...

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In a shocking turn of events, Netflix subscriptions rise after password-sharing crackdown

Illustration: Alex Castro / The Verge

Well, this might not come as a surprise, but Netflix’s password-sharing crackdown already appears to be working in the US. According to the data analytics company Antenna (via The Wall Street Journal), Netflix saw a huge spike in subscribers in the four days after it notified users about its paid sharing policies on May 23rd.

While average daily signups rose to 73,000 during this window, marking a 102 percent increase over Netflix’s previous 60-day average, Antenna says the streamer also added 100,000 subscribers on both May 26th and May 27th. That’s more subscribers than Netflix raked in once the covid-related lockdowns went into effect in March and April 2020, according to Antenna.

Average daily Sign-ups to Netflix reached 73k during...

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How AI art killed an indie book cover contest

Illustration by Hugo Herrera for The Verge

Science fiction and fantasy authors are struggling with AI-generated media — and formulating strategies to deal with it.

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Spotify says it’s testing an ‘offline mix’ for when your connection’s patchy

Illustration: Nick Barclay / The Verge

Spotify is testing a new feature that could make it easier to keep listening when you’re away from an internet connection. Called “Your Offline Mix” the playlist would automatically save “a mix of your recently played songs for when the vibe is high, but your connection is low,” according to a screenshot shared by Spotify CEO Daniel Ek that shows a roughly three-and-a-half hour long playlist. Ek didn’t share a timeline for when the feature could get a broader rollout, but given he’s tweeting publicly about the test it’s hopefully not too far away.

The audio streaming app already lets users download playlists or albums for offline listening; a useful feature for saving data when you’re not on Wi-Fi, or when you’re away from an internet...

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OpenAI sued for defamation after ChatGPT fabricates legal accusations against radio host

Photo by Jakub Porzycki/NurPhoto via Getty Images

OpenAI has been hit with what appears to be the first defamation lawsuit responding to false information generated by ChatGPT.

A radio host in Georgia, Mark Walters, is suing the company after ChatGPT stated that Walters had been accused of defrauding and embezzling funds from a non-profit organization. The system generated the information in response to a request from a third party, a journalist named Fred Riehl. Walters’ case was filed June 5th in Georgia’s Superior Court of Gwinnett County and he is seeking unspecified monetary damages from OpenAI.

The case is notable given widespread complaints about false information generated by ChatGPT and other chatbots. These systems have no reliable way to distinguish fact from fiction, and...

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Leaked Tesla documents shed new light on why the Cybertruck is taking so long

An image of Tesla’s Cybertruck as of its November 2019 announcement. | Image: Tesla

When the Cybertruck was announced in November 2019, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said he expected production to start in late 2021. But leaked Tesla documents examined by Wiredsuggest that the company was still struggling with the performance of basic elements of a preproduction “alpha” version of the truck in January 2022 including its braking, body sealing, and suspension.

Over a million customers are thought to have put down a $100 deposit to reserve the Cybertruck since its infamous 2019 unveiling, during which Musk smashed two of its windows with metal balls in a failed demonstration of its durability. Although it’s unlikely to be Tesla’s best-selling vehicle, the Cybertruck’s eventual release will be seen as a symbolic victory for a...

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Cowboy e-bikes, now with built-in Google Maps

The new Cowboy app with Google Maps navigation integrated. | Image: Cowboy

E-bike maker Cowboy has swapped the navigation tool used in its app for Google Maps, which should improve the riding experience for many.

The mapping software included in many e-bike companion apps is often lacking, and Cowboy’s app was no exception. “Improved map navigation was the most requested update from within the Cowboy community,” Cowboy co-founder and CTO Tanguy Goretti told me on the sidelines of the Micromobility Europe in Amsterdam yesterday.

The app, according to co-founder and CTO Tanguy Goretti, is heavily used by Cowboy owners, 45 percent of whom regular mount their phones on the integrated wireless charging pad found on the company’s excellent 4-series e-bikes. With this new integration, riders no longer have to switch...

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Fortnite’s new season adds Optimus Prime and lets you ride the raptors

Image: Epic Games

Things are getting pretty wild on the Fortnite island. Epic just launched the latest season of the battle royale game, bringing it up to Chapter 4: Season 3, and it’s called, appropriately, “Wilds.” Epic has been teasing it over the last week — including with a trailer at yesterday’s Summer Game Fest.

The big change is that the center of the map has essentially been destroyed, revealing a new jungle area to explore, complete with ruins. Here’s how the island looks now:

Image: Epic Games

To go along with this theme, there are some notable gameplay changes. Some of these include: the return of raptors, which you can now ride; the ability to grind on vines; mud that you can slide through for stealthy camouflage; new...

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240W USB-C PD chargers are nearly here, says Framework CEO

USB-C is ready to go all the way to 240 watts of power, enough for all but the beefiest gaming notebooks. But though the cables broke cover last year, actual devices have been 100 watts short — the 16-inch MacBook Pro and its compatible chargers have topped out at 140W per port.

Now, Framework is taking us to 180 watts — and the CEO expects 240-watt chargers right around the corner.

Today, the modular laptop company revealed that it will ship its upcoming Framework Laptop 16 with the first 180W USB-C PD 3.1 charger that we’ve ever heard of, developed in partnership with Chicony. It’s only twice the size of its 60W power adapter at 116.6 x 58.2 x 27mm, but with three times the juice, and the two-meter USB-C cable is still detachable...

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Reddit’s API updates: all the news about changes that have infuriated Redditors

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Beloved apps are shutting down, and Redditors aren’t happy.

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League of Legends esports players who walked out reach agreement with Riot Games

Cloud9 player Fudge at Worlds 2022. | Photo by Colin Young-Wolff / Riot Games

North American League of Legends esports players who walked out have reached an agreement with Riot Games.

The League Championship Series (LCS) players, represented by the LCSPA, voted last week to walk out after Riot allowed franchises to stop fielding amateur teams in the North American Challengers League (NACL) for the summer. Shortly after the walkout, Riot delayed the original June 1st start of the summer season by two weeks, but said it was also prepared to cancel the entire summer season — which would disqualify LCS players from the annual end-of-season Worlds competition — if the two sides didn’t come to an agreement.

“The LCSPA, Riot, and the LCS teams have come to an agreement to resume the 2023 LCS Summer Split on June 14th,”...

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Devolver Digital’s showcase featured just four games, but they look like good ones

Image: Devolver Digital

Devolver Digital shared details and trailers about some projects in development during its latest showcase on Thursday. However, much of the presentation revolved around a tongue-in-cheek mascot, “Volvy,” a fictionalized history of the mascot’s impact on gaming culture, and the “return” of the character as a robot (VOLV-E). It was weird, but that’s kind of Devolver’s thing for its presentations.

You can watch the whole 22-minute show right here or catch up on the four featured games below (well, in addition to everything involving Volvy):

Wizard with a Gun

Devolver showed a trailer for Wizard with a Gun, a survival game that’s themed kind of like a fantasy game mixed with a western. You’ll have to collect resources, construct buildings,...

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Logitech is killing off the Blue mic brand, will sell Yeti and Astro under Logitech G

Photo: Blue

Logitech bought gaming headset maker Astro for $85 million in 2017 and purchased mic manufacturer Blue Microphones for $177 million one year later. Now, it’s merging both into its Logitech G brand for gamers and streamers — but while Astro will largely continue, the Blue brand is getting axed.

“Will the Blue Microphones brand go away?” reads a question in Logitech’s brand merger FAQ. “We will be keeping the Yeti brand and moving it under Logitech G. The Blue name will be used to describe our technologies,” the answer begins.

Where do you get support? How will ASTRO, Blue and LFC integrate into Logitech G? Will there be new ASTRO products? Get your questions answered with our official FAQ >> https://t.co/gXzl6j03Fc p...

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It’s not just Apollo: other Reddit apps are shutting down, too

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Apollo for Reddit isn’t the only Reddit app that’s shutting down due to the company’s new API pricing: on Thursday, rif is fun for Reddit (previously Reddit is Fun), ReddPlanet, and Sync also announced that they would be shutting down on June 30th, the same day Apollo will be.

rif is fun for Reddit is shutting down “in response to Reddit Inc’s API changes and their hostile treatment of developers building on their platform,” its developer wrote in a message on r/redditisfun. The developer said Reddit has “unfortunately shown a consistent unwillingness to compromise on all points” mentioned in a previous post, including expected costs “in the ballpark” of Apollo’s expected $20 million per year, Reddit’s decision to block ads in...

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Meta is testing Reels on Quest

Image: Meta

Meta is testing a way for users to watch Reels on its Quest headset. In a post on Meta’s broadcast channel, CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared a video of how a Reel will look when viewed in VR.

Much like when you open other apps on the system, it looks like you can browse through Reels in a window that appears against your virtual background. It’s not exactly clear whether Reels will exist within Meta’s Instagram app for the Quest or if it’ll be available for users to test. Meta didn’t immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment.

GIF: Meta

Either way, bringing Reels to Quest is a sign that Meta is ready to tie its apps and systems together more closely. Its announcement also comes about a week after Meta showed...

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Summer Game Fest featured no women onstage

Image: Summer Game Fest

With the death of E3 nearly complete, Summer Game Fest has become the go-to summer event for gamers to get hyped about. But this year’s Summer Game Fest, while it featured games that included a wide range of genres and a great diversity of characters, did not feature a single woman onstage.

Throughout the almost two-hour showcase, host Geoff Keighley brought up a number of personalities to interview onstage. He had industry veteran Ed Boon up to talk about Mortal Kombat 1. Nic Cage made an appearance to talk more about his Dead by Daylight character. Bryan Intihar came on stage to reveal the release date for Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. But not once was a woman given that opportunity.

The lack of inclusion is particularly jarring because a...

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Meta’s first generative AI feature will be AI stickers in Messenger

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Meta is bringing AI-generated stickers to Messenger as part of a slew of related features it’s working on for its social apps.

During a companywide meeting today that The Verge listened to, Ahmad Al-Dahle, Meta’s vice president of AI, told employees that the company will leverage its image generation model to let users create stickers based on text prompts. Employees will begin testing the feature internally before it’s made available to the public.

“With AI-generated stickers, our users can have infinitely more options for self-expression, cultural representations, and even trend relevance,” Al-Dahle says. “Of course, stickers are just the tip of the iceberg.”

“AI models that are going to transform any image you want in any way you...

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Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will be released in early 2024

Image: Square Enix

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the sequel to the remake of the beloved RPG, finally has a release window. It’ll be coming to the PS5 in early 2024. The announcement was made as part of Summer Game Fest.

In a trailer, we got a major new look at the upcoming game. Cloud and crew wandered grassy fields, visited what looked to be Cosmo Canyon, and took on some fearsome enemies. Even Yuffie, who first came back in Final Fantasy VII Remake’s DLC, showed up in the trailer. The game will be available on two discs, according to the trailer.

The second chapter of the elaborate remake project was unveiled last year, following the launch of Final Fantasy VII Remake in 2020. Over the last few days, Square Enix has been teasing big news about the game...

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Fortnite gets wild in new season trailer

Image: Epic Games

It looks like Epic Games is doing a little rewilding on the Fortnite island. Ahead of the battle royale game’s next season — Chapter 4: Season 3, if you’re counting — the developer gave a brief taste of what to expect through a trailer that debuted at Summer Game Fest. The new season is called “Wilds,” and it introduces a new jungle biome to the map. The change shouldn’t be too much of a surprise; Epic has been teasing the wild theme over the past week. Oh, also, Optimus Prime is in the game now.

While we don’t have much to go on in terms of gameplay changes or other additions — though it looks like you can ride the raptors now — it won’t be too long now before we learn everything. The new season debuts on June 9th.

“Wilds” follows a...

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Marvel Snap adds a competitive ladder with new Conquest mode

Image: Second Dinner

Marvel Snapis one of the best collectible card games this side of vanilla Hearthstone, and it’s getting a new feature players have been asking for since the release of Battle Mode. During Summer Game Fest, Marvel Snap frontman Ben Brode announced the all-new Conquest mode would be launching on June 13th.

“For our most competitive, high-skilled players, we wanted to give them the ultimate challenge with Conquest,” he said in a press release. “Players can now find out who truly is the best of the best and worthy of ultimate Marvel Snap glory!”

Conquest mode is kind of like a competitive ladder standard in other digital card games, and it makes use of Snap’s Battle Mode game format. Players start at the lowest tier, called the Proving...

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GM follows Ford in adopting Tesla’s EV charging standard

Image: GM

General Motors CEO Mary Barra joined Tesla CEO Elon Musk in a Twitter Spaces conversation Thursday to announce the automaker is adopting Tesla’s electric vehicle charging standard, also known as the North American Charging Standard (NCAS). The deal will make available thousands of Tesla Superchargers to owners of GM electric vehicles.

“This is the most exciting time as we look at the transition to EVs,” Barra says on the call. Barra agrees with Musk that NACS is a better charger and should be the North American standard.

GM’s announcement and corresponding surprise Twitter call mirrors Ford CEO Jim Farley’s announcement last month that his company would adopt Tesla charging standard as well. Farley had joined Musk on a Twitter Space and...

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You can finally buy a Matter smart lock

The new Aqara U100 is the first Matter-compatible, Apple Home Key lock. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

You wait for ages for a Matter-compatible smart lock, and then three come along at once. Aqara’s $189.99 Smart Lock U100, which was announced at CES, is available starting today. It’s compatible with Apple Home Key through HomeKit and has beta support for Matter through an Aqara hub. SwitchBot is updating its SwitchBot 2 Hub this week to add Matter support to its smart lock, and just last month, Yale added a Matter module to its $229.99 Assure SL smart lock.

Plus, Apple announced on Monday that Home Key is coming to Matter locks on its platform with iOS 17, meaning they won’t need HomeKit certification to use the feature.

Matter is a new smart home standard designed to make it easier to buy smart devices and have them work with...

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Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 finally has a release date

Image: Insomniac Games

After relentless teasing, showcases, and extended gameplay trailers, we now know when we can play Marvel’s Spider-Man 2. During Summer Game Fest, game director Bryan Intihar made an appearance to share the last bit of the game we haven’t seen — a release date. On October 20th players can suit up as Miles and Peter to take down Kraven the Hunter and Venom in Spider-Man 2.

Also during the presentation, Intihar shared a bit more about one of the game’s villains, Kraven the Hunter. Intihar said that Kraven was unlike any character they’ve ever featured because he’s not superpowered or uses magic; he’s simply the best at what he does. Kraven’s coming to New York for his “greatest hunt,” with Intihar alluding that it’s not only Peter or Miles...

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Horror legend John Carpenter is making a new video game

Image: The Game Awards

Horror legend nerd John Carpenter is helping make a new game called John Carpenter’s Toxic Commando. Based on a brief trailer, it looks like you’ll be taking on hordes of zombies in a first-person shooter — fortunately, there were a lot of cars featured in the trailer that were used to fend off the enemies.

Carpenter is known for his work on some iconic horror franchises, including Halloween and The Thing. But he’s also a big gaming nerd — in a recent interview with AV Club, he said that he’s “addicted” to Fallout 76, “loved” Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart, and thought that Assassin’s Creed Valhalla was “pretty damn good.” Hopefully he takes the best of what he loves from his favorite games and infuses that into Toxic Commando.

John...

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Here’s an extended look at Alan Wake 2 gameplay

Image: Remedy Entertainment

After a long period of relative quiet, Alan Wake 2 now seems to be everywhere. The latest: a lengthy clip of gameplay was shown off at this year’s Summer Game Fest live keynote, which shows just how much of a survival horror experience this sequel will really be.

This fresh look at the game comes not long after developer Remedy Entertainment revealed a new trailer at Sony’s big PlayStation Showcase at the end of May. If you missed it, here’s that clip:

Alan Wake 2 was first revealed at the Game Awards in 2021 as the long-awaited sequel to a game that first launched back in 2010. In the intervening time, Remedy released a number of acclaimed titles, including the supernatural thriller Control, which is getting a sequel and multiplayer...

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Sonic’s back with a new 2D side-scroller

Image: Sega

2D side-scrolling Sonic isback, and this time, he’s bringing his friends (and a very old enemy).

I have remained fixed at Sega’s headquarters, demanding daily that it release Sonic Mania 2. And while my efforts have not yet been recognized, it seems like Sega’s giving me the next best thing. Announced during Summer Game Fest, Sonic Superstars looks like a beautiful mix of 3D graphics and classic 2D Sonic side-scrolling.

Sonic Superstars’ trailer came as a true and wonderful surprise. We’re greeted with 2D, 16-bit Sonic running through Green Hills before passing a barrier transforming him into 3D. Sonic Superstars will let you play as Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and (!!!!) Amy, which will no doubt please her fans whose crops have been dry...

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What it’s like to wear the Dyson Zone around an NYC covered in wildfire smoke

It smelled bad, fam, but at least my phone didn’t try to say the sky wasn’t orange in this picture. | Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge

Things didn’t go the way I thought they would, but then again, what sort of gadget would be equipped for something like this?

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