The Verge
Spotify’s podcast plan is going off the rails
Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge
The company is entering the ‘next phase’ of its podcast strategy — but will it learn from its mistakes?
The VergeThe VergeSome HBO shows could be heading to Netflix soon
Warner Bros. Discovery dropped the “HBO” from “HBO Max” in May. | Image: Jeff Kravitz / Warner Bros. Discovery
After more than a year of brutal cancellations and layoffs at HBO, it looks like Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav’s devotion to quick revenue is as strong as ever. Warner Bros. Discovery may be licensing HBO Original Series to Netflix, Deadline reported yesterday. Deadline’s sources claim it’s a financial move HBO’s old guard disagreed with but that it’s necessary to shore up the bottom line. They also say it’s possible the deal may not see the light of day.
The show rumored to be the subject of the agreement is Issa Rae’s Insecure, which lived on HBO for five seasons until it ended in December 2021. Other shows would follow that. The deal wouldn’t be exclusive; WBD would still be able to show the series on its own platform, Max.
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The VergeOpera launches revamped browser equipped with an AI sidekick
Image: Opera
Opera has launched Opera One — a new version of the browser that comes packaged with an AI-powered chatbot called Aria. Just like the Bing chatbot on Microsoft Edge, Opera’s AI assistant lives within the browser’s sidebar, where you can have it answer questions using real-time information, generate text or code, brainstorm ideas, and more.
The built-in chatbot is powered by Opera’s Composer AI engine and connects to OpenAI’s GPT model. To use the tool, you need to sign up for an Opera account if you don’t have one already. Once that’s done, you can click the Aria icon on the left side of the screen to start chatting. While Opera first started testing the revamped version of the browser in May, now it’s available to everyone who downloads...
The VergeRivian’s R2 electric SUV will cost between $40,000 and $60,000
The R2 will probably be like this R1S in some ways but smaller and less flashy. | Photo by Daniel Golson for The Verge
Rivian has had a few interesting weeks that included its alignment with big legacy automakers to adopt Tesla’s North American Charging Standard (NACS) on future vehicles and a little poaching of Tesla’s head of raw materials. But under the radar is one more surprise: CarBuzz is reporting the growing EV company revealed some pricing details last week on its upcoming R2 platform vehicle.
The smaller-size SUV, built on the lower-cost R2 platform, will cost from $40,000 to $60,000. That’s according to Rivian CFO Claire McDonough, who spoke at last week’s Deutsche Bank conference. McDonough said that it “creates a nice stretch for the brand,” mentioning that the current R1 platform vehicles start at around $73,000.
McDonough also shared that...
The VergeReddit says it’s ‘not acceptable’ for communities to go NSFW in protest
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Reddit is cracking down on the latest form of community protest: switching to Not Safe For Work (NSFW). Some subreddits had switched to NSFW to protest Reddit’s recent treatment of moderators and upcoming API pricing changes, but a Reddit admin — that is, an employee — said Wednesday that doing so is “inappropriate” and against the rules.
“Changing a previously SFW community to a NSFW community in order to protest Reddit policies is inappropriate for the members of your community and not acceptable overall,” the admin, ModCodeofConduct, wrote on Wednesday. ModCodeofConduct said that moderators may be violating Reddit policies by “incorrectly marking your community,” which can lead to warnings or removal.
Switching a community to NSFW...
The VergeYouTube TV expands multiview beyond sports — but you still can’t customize it
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Being able to watch multiple things on TV at the same time is obviously a huge convenience for sports fanatics. So it makes sense that YouTube TV focused exclusively on sports when launching its multiview feature. It’s been several months since then, and today, the company says it’s (slowly) expanding multiview to also feature news, business, and weather programming. That’s the good news.
The bad news is that for now, one frustrating catch remains: you’re limited to the preselected multiview groupings that YouTube TV chooses itself and can’t yet customize any of this yourself.
And, we’re ROLLING
Starting today in the Home tab, a small portion of members will see us testing up to 5 brand new multiview streams that will be available...
The VergeHow to check your version history on Google Docs
Image: Samar Haddad / The Verge
Anyone old enough to have used a typewriter knows that a major advantage of word processors is that nothing is permanent — if you make a mistake, you can easily fix it. However, sometimes the fix is worse than the mistake: you may accidentally delete a word, a phrase, a paragraph, or an entire section and then realize minutes, hours, or even days later that you should have kept it. What do you do?
Not a problem — just go back and check the previous versions of the document. While Google Docs automatically saves your documents every few minutes, it also keeps a record — a version history — of what has been done in the document since it was created.
It’s very simple to find your version history:
- Go to the top menu and select File >...
The VergeSennheiser SoundProtex earplugs review: concert safety without sacrifice
Foam earplugs are convenient and cost virtually nothing. But with ticket prices these days, it’s worth spending a bit more on earplugs that preserve the fidelity of live music.
The VergeAn AT&T-backed cellular satellite company sent a 4G LTE signal from space
AST SpaceMobile is working on space-based cellular signals. | Image: AST SpaceMobile
A Texas company called AST SpaceMobile managed to successfully transmit a 4G LTE signal from space that was picked up by “everyday, off-the-shelf smartphones,” the company announced this morning. The satellite AST used, called BlueWalker 3 (BW3), will try a 5G connection for its next major test. The company says its recent test was a “world first.”
Testing was conducted in Hawaii on AT&T’s spectrum using Nokia RAN technology, and the signal, which was beamed from AST’s satellite in low Earth orbit, reached speeds of up to 10.3Mbps. That’s fast enough for some video streaming, general internet use, and more ordinary cell phone usage.
LTE 10Mbps downloads confirmed!!!!!! https://t.co/KByto1Y8pJ pic.twitter.com/raK5k28FM5
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The VergeApple reportedly has fitness features for the Vision Pro we haven’t seen yet
Image: Apple
While Apple imagines users wearing its Vision Pro headset to do a variety of things, like watch movies, capture videos, and multitask, it still hasn’t mentioned one pretty major application: fitness. But now, a report from The Information suggests that Apple had been planning workout apps for the mixed reality headset, but they just weren’t ready in time for its June reveal.
Former Apple employees tell The Information that staff members explored partnering with Nike to create workouts for the Vision Pro and also looked into creating face cushions designed for “sweaty, high-intensity workouts.” Apple employees even reportedly weighed the idea of letting Vision Pro wearers interact with content while on a stationary bike.
Although Apple...
The VergeEasily replaceable phone batteries might be back, and I’m here for it
Screenshot by Barbara Krasnoff / The Verge
The other day, I was going through a bag full of old tech — I mean, really old tech — trying to convince myself to finally get rid of phones that I hadn’t used for 10 years or so when I came across a battery. One of the batteries that I used to carry around in case my phone ran out of juice.
You see, once upon a time, smartphones had replaceable batteries. Instead of having to carry around a portable charger or search desperately for a wall socket so you could charge up your failing phone (assuming you had a power cord with you), you could pull off the back of your phone, replace the out-of-power battery with a fully charged one, and proceed happily on your way.
This Samsung Galaxy Note phone from 2012 had a back that...
The VergeFigma’s design tools are now free on Chromebooks for all US school students
I’m not ready to have my rudimentary product design skills humbled by a five-year-old. | Image: Figma
Figma is expanding its partnership with Google for Education in a bid to introduce more school-age students to its product design and collaboration platforms. Announced during the Config event on Wednesday, June 21st, all K-12 students across the US can now access Figma for free on education Chromebooks. Figma is also expanding its educational partnership with Chromebooks outside of the US, starting with Google schools in Japan.
Today’s announcement effectively opens up the beta program that Figma released last year, which was initially limited to select US high schools. As with the beta, students will have access to both Figma (the company’s flagship product design platform) and FigJam, Figma’s collaborative whiteboarding app. Figma’s...
The VergeApple’s last-gen iPad is on sale for $200 less than the newest model
Behold! A device with an actual headphone jack. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge
Amazon Prime Day officially kicks off on July 11th, and while we’re expecting to see steep discounts on Amazon’s line of inexpensive Fire tablets, it’s safe to say that Amazon’s latest slates still can’t match an iPad when it comes to design and performance. Fortunately, the 2021 iPad is currently on sale at Amazon in the 64GB / Wi-Fi configuration for $249.99 ($79 off) at checkout — a price we haven’t seen since March of last year.
On the whole, Apple’s ninth-gen slate remains the best budget iPad you can buy, even with the introduction of the 10th-gen model last year. The entry-level tablet packs in a sharp 10.2-inch screen, a 12MP front camera, and Apple’s A13 Bionic chip, which is still surprisingly fast despite having been first...
The VergeThe best laptop you can buy in 2023
Image: William Joel/The Verge
The best laptops for you, from ultraportables to high-powered editing machines
The VergeMicrosoft is hiking the price of Xbox Series X and Xbox Game Pass
Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge
Microsoft is increasing its Xbox Series X prices in most countries in August apart from the US, Japan, Chile, Brazil, and Colombia. The Xbox maker is also increasing the monthly prices of its Xbox Game Pass and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate subscriptions for the first time next month, which will see the base Game Pass subscription for console move up to $10.99 a month from $9.99.
“We’ve held on our prices for consoles for many years and have adjusted the prices to reflect the competitive conditions in each market,” says Kari Perez, head of communications for Xbox, in a statement to The Verge.
Xbox Series X console pricing will largely match the price hike Sony announced for the PS5 last year, with the Xbox Series X moving to £479.99 in the...
The VergeGary Vaynerchuk is ‘petrified’ of Slack
Photo illustration by Alex Parkin / The Verge
If you’ve spent more than two minutes somewhere on social media, you have come across Gary Vaynerchuk.
And for years, I have wondered, is this just a character? Or is there a real Gary Vaynerchuk somewhere behind “GaryVee,” the social media entrepreneur and internet brand?
Vaynerchuk got his start working at his family’s liquor store, which he turned into an online wine shop. That’s where he started in social media, hosting a long-running YouTube show called “Wine Library TV.”
He parlayed that into the gigantic GaryVee brand, which, at its core, is about entrepreneurship. Gary himself co-founded the restaurant reservation platform Resy, which he sold to American Express in 2019, and Empathy Wines, which he sold in 2020.
But the...
The VergeThe 5 biggest announcements from the June 2023 Nintendo Direct
Super Mario Bros. Wonder. | Image: Nintendo
Prior to Nintendo’s second big Direct presentation of the year, the company’s holiday 2023 calendar was pretty sparse. But that’s no longer the case. Nintendo announced a handful of major releases heading to the Switch over the coming months, including a pair of Super Mario titles and new WarioWare and Detective Pikachu games. We also got a better look at the upcoming expansions for Pokémon Violet and Scarlet, and Nintendo even teased new Luigi and Princess Peach games for next year.
If you missed the showcase live, here are the five biggest announcements.
A new side-scrolling Super Mario game
A busy year for the plumber continues when Super Mario Bros. Wonder hits the Switch on October 20th. The game looks like it retains the style and...
The VergeElemental’s co-writers wanted it to be open, honest, and not another Zootopia
Wade and Ember taking in a movie together. | Image: Pixar
Elemental co-writers Kat Likkel and John Hoberg set out to tell a story about romantic and familial love — not just one about watery racism and fiery bigotry.
The VergeDetective Pikachu... Returns!
Image: Nintendo
Detective Pikachu is getting a sequel. In October, you’ll be able to once again solve mysteries with Tim Goodman and his coffee-loving Pikachu with a voice that sounds suspiciously like Will Arnett.
The first Detective Pikachu game launched on the DS in 2018. In it, Tim Goodman and a strangely verbose Pikachu in a funny hat worked together to solve various mysteries around Ryme City while investigating the disappearance of Tim’s missing father. Despite it being a Pokémon game, Detective Pikachu had some oddly dark themes with a plot that’s basically a Nintendo-ified version of a James Bond movie. (I’m not kidding — there’s a conspiracy by a media exec to engineer pokémon-related disasters so he can report on them and increase the power...
The VergeThe best entertainment of 2023
The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. | Image: Nintendo
Right now, we are absolutely spoiled for choice when it comes to entertainment. TV shows, movies, and games all come out at such a fast and furious pace that it’s hard to keep up. Not all of them are worth your time, of course — which is where we come in.
Our team spends a lot of time immersed in the various realms of pop culture so that we can handpick our favorites for you. That could mean a hot new indie game you might’ve otherwise missed or the streaming series that will become your new obsession. Either way, if you’re finding it hard to sort through the flood, this is the place to find a curated selection of the best stuff.
And like last year, this page will be updated regularly throughout the year — so make sure to check back in...
The VergeNetflix’s new show ranking system doesn’t change much
Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge
Netflix is overhauling the way it calculates its top 10 shows and movies — but it doesn’t make the metric any more helpful. Instead of ranking popular titles by total viewing time, the company now says it will rank them based on “views,” something it defines as the number of hours viewed divided by the total runtime, as first reported by The Hollywood Reporter.
As an example of its new system, Netflix says Extraction 2 starring Chris Hemsworth got 43 million “views,” or 88.38 million hours viewed divided by 2.07 hours of runtime, from June 12th to June 18th. In other words, Netflix still isn’t disclosing how many people are actually watching the content on its platform from start to finish, which, you know, would be way more useful to...
The VergeGoogle may be readying new ‘Chromebook X’ branding for more premium ChromeOS laptops
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Google could be about to launch a new branding initiative for Chromebooks dubbed “Chromebook X,” according to a new report from 9to5Google. The publication has pulled together several code commits referencing the new name, which suggests that the branding could be used for laptops that meet certain spec requirements and allow them to offer exclusive features. One source tells 9to5Google that the first Chromebook X laptops could launch before the end of the year.
Although the ChromeOS operating system is best known for running on affordable laptops used in places like schools, over the years, it’s picked up some higher-end features like support for productivity apps like LumaFusion and the ability to run Linux programs. 9to5Google s...
The VergeChuck Schumer calls on Congress to pick up the pace on AI regulation
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer gives a thumbs up after Senate passes debt limit deal.
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is launching a new “all-hands-on-deck” effort Wednesday to regulate artificial intelligence, aiming to strike a balance between economic competitiveness and safety.
Schumer laid out his vision in a speech at a Washington think tank on Wednesday, calling on his Senate colleagues to create new rules regulating the emerging AI industry. The plan, the SAFE (Security, Accountability, Foundations, Explain) Innovation Framework, doesn’t provide specific policy requests or define the boundaries of “AI.” Instead, it asks lawmakers to work together to address a variety of AI’s potential risks, from national security and job loss to misinformation, bias, and copyright.
“AI could be our most spectacular...
The VergeThe new Pokémon Scarlet and Violet DLC trailer is all about style
It would have been nice to get a proper release date for Pokémon Scarlet and Violet’s upcoming DLC during today’s Nintendo Direct. But at the very least, the new trailer for The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk expansions does deliver on something players have been jonesing for since launch: more fashion.
Along with new trainers Carmine and Kieran, The Teal Mask and The Indigo Disk’s latest trailer provides a bit more detail about Kitakami, the new locale Pokémon Scarlet and Violet players will travel to as they participate in the town’s traditional Festival of Masks. In addition to a variety of new hairstyles and outfits that weren’t available in the games previously, the DLC will also feature a storyline revolving around new pokémon...
The VergePatreon is launching a free membership tier — and will let fans buy things, too
Image: Patreon
Patreon built a user base with creators who wanted to charge a fee for the content they create. Now, the company is pulling down the paywall, allowing fans to subscribe to their favorite creators for free.
It’s the first time Patreon has offered a free subscription option for creators who want to give fans a taste of their content before having them pay for access. Patreon’s expansion into free content comes at a time when other platforms like TikTok and Instagram are increasingly adding paywalls and subscription features — with the idea being that, eventually, the free audience might level up and start to pay.
“There’s a lot of interest from fans [with paid membership], but subscribing to the paid membership right out the gate is a...
The VergeWarioWare’s latest gimmick is making you move your body
Image: Nintendo
Nintendo is releasing a new WarioWare game for Switch, and the gimmick for this one is moving. In WarioWare: Move It!, you’ll move and shake your way through more than 200 microgames while holding onto Joy-Con controllers.
Nintendo’s trailer for the game showed off a whole bunch of silly microgames, which will force you to do things like shake paws with a dog, ski down a mountain, flail your arms in the air, and even slide down a slide you might be familiar with if you’ve played Super Mario 64. The game isn’t just a solo endeavor: you’ll also be able to play local co-op with a friend for what’s sure to be some very silly shenanigans, or you can play special minigames in a party mode with up to three other people.
WarioWare: Move It! is...
The VergeSuper Mario Bros. Wonder brings 2D action to the Switch in October
Image: Nintendo
Mario’s big year continues. Following the debut of a theme park and an animated movie, 2023 will also be getting the next Super Mario Bros. game. It’s called Super Mario Bros. Wonder and is a return to the 2D side-scrolling action of the original games and the New Super Mario Bros. series. It has some weird new abilities, including the ability to turn into an elephant. It launches on October 20th.
The last mainline Super Mario game was Odyssey, which hit the Switch back in 2017. Since then, we’ve had spinoffs like Super Mario Maker 2, the retro collection Super Mario 3D All-Stars, and the 3D World expansion Bowser’s Fury.
Of course, even without a new game, this would’ve been an incredibly successful year for Nintendo’s plumber. The S...
The VergeSuper Mario RPG is getting a remake for Nintendo Switch
Nintendo is remaking one of the most beloved RPGs of all time: Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Stars. The new version of the game for Nintendo Switch, titled only Super Mario RPG, was revealed during the June Nintendo Direct presentation on Wednesday.
Super Mario RPG looks like a faithful reimagining of the original, though with a modern art style. I saw a bunch of iconic characters and moments from the Super NES classic: Mallow and Geno are back, for example, as are baddies like Birdo and Booster (!). It appears the battle system will be largely similar as well. And the game’s reveal trailer was filled with remixes of songs from the original game. To my ears, they were awesome adaptations of the tracks from Legend of the Seven...
The VergeFTC sues Amazon for tricking customers into signing up for Prime
Illustration: Alex Castro / The Verge
The Federal Trade Commission is suing Amazon for enrolling customers in its Prime program without their consent and making it difficult for them to cancel their subscriptions.
In its complaint filed Wednesday, the FTC accuses Amazon of “knowingly” deceiving millions of customers into subscribing to Amazon Prime through the use of “dark patterns.” Specifically, the FTC describes how Amazon’s checkout process would allegedly present customers several options to subscribe to Prime, making it difficult to locate the option to simply finish a purchase. The commission also alleges that Amazon required customers to go through multiple unnecessary steps before successfully unsubscribing from the program.
“Amazon tricked and trapped people into...
The VergeHere are the best iPad deals right now
Select iPad models go on sale quite regularly. | Image: Vjeran Pavic / The Verge
While the best iPad deals come around during major sale events like Black Friday, Cyber Monday, and Amazon Prime Day, you can still find plenty of great discounts at all times of the year if you know where to look. Whether you’re after the high-end iPad Pro or the most affordable entry-level iPad, there’s likely a sale going on somewhere that you may be interested in.
Of course, it’s difficult to know exactly where you can find the most notable deals unless you’re scouring the major retailers on a daily basis. But that’s often what our deal hunters at The Verge are doing each and every day, so let us help you out. Below, we’ve listed the best deals you can get on each iPad model that is currently available, including the latest ones...