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Amazon Prime Day 2023: the latest news, deals, and coverage
Illustration by Hugo Herrera for The Verge
Every ounce of coverage for Amazon’s big, made-up shopping holiday currently taking place on July 11th and 12th.
The VergeThe VergeThe best Amazon Prime Day deals you can get
Illustration by Hugo Herrera for The Verge
From earbuds and smart displays to robot vacuums and phones, here’s the best of what Prime Day has to offer on tech and gadgets.
The VergePopular AO3 fanfiction site goes down in wave of DDoS attacks
The group taking credit for the attack is threatening to keep the site down for weeks. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
The popular fanfiction platform Archive of Our Own (AO3) is currently experiencing a wave of distributed-denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks that have forced the website offline since Monday. AO3 first acknowledged the outage on the company’s official Twitter account on July 10th at 8.24AM ET, later confirming that the issue was caused by “a DDoS attack” — a malicious cybercrime in which threat actors overwhelm a server with traffic — “causing the servers to fall over.”
A group claiming to be Anonymous Sudan has taken credit for the attack, and is demanding a ransom to stop the ongoing operation.
The AO3 team is currently trying to defend against the attack and restore the platform, warning that users may experience various error messages...
The VergeSomething odd is happening when you try and search Twitter for Threads links
Twitter users trying to find links to Meta’s microblogging rival Threads are finding that the Elon Musk-owned social media network appears to be limiting results. That’s despite Twitter currently being filled with links to Threads content, which you’d expect to be able to find via search. We spotted the behavior via a Threads post from Andy Baio, but the behavior is also being widely reported by Twitter users.
The issue was first noticed when using the “url:” search operator, which is normally used to search for links to a specific URL. For example, searching “url:theverge.com” on Twitter brings up every single tweet that links to any page on The Verge, regardless of whether the URL has been shortened. But searching for “url:threads.net”...
The VergeGoogle’s AR software leader is out over the company’s ‘unstable commitment and vision’
Illustration: The Verge
Mark Lucovsky, the former head of operating systems on Google’s augmented reality team, has left the company. In a tweet on Monday, Lucovsky says “changes in AR leadership and Google’s unstable commitment and vision” contributed to his decision.
Lucovsky’s departure adds to the numerous challenges Google’s AR team has faced in recent months, including a round of layoffs and the resignation of Google’s former head of VR, Clay Bavor. In June, a report from Insider indicated that Google has given up on its plans to build AR glasses, codenamed Project Iris. It’s also discontinued the enterprise edition of Google Glass.
Lucovsky worked at Facebook for four years, where he served as the general manager of Oculus VR. He joined Google in 2021 to...
The VergePorsche is updating how CarPlay works in its cars, adding climate controls and more
The My Porsche app allows CarPlay to set up Siri controls, adjust climate settings, and more. | Image: Porsche
Porsche is releasing an iPhone app update that gives drivers a taste of what future CarPlay can look like — including new buttons for climate, interior lighting, and other controls.
The automaker’s My Porsche iOS app connects with the car after scanning a QR code inside the vehicle’s infotainment system, which is known as Porsche Communication Management or PCM. Upon connecting, third-party software (like Apple Music) in Porsche’s infotainment system can link accounts with the iPhone.
And for the company’s electric vehicles, the CarPlay interface will also be able to display the battery state of charge — which would go great with a recent Taycan software update that supports Apple Maps’ EV routing feature.
Image:...
The VergeFoxconn drops out of another big factory deal, this time in India
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
iPhone assembler Foxconn is dropping out of a $19.5 billion deal with a major Indian company to build a semiconductor factory in the country, according to Reuters. The canceled Foxconn deal was part of a joint venture with the large oil and metal corporation Vedanta.
Foxconn provided a vague explanation as to why it ended its plans to build a semiconductor facility in the country. “Foxconn has determined it will not move forward on the joint venture with Vedanta,” reads a company statement to Reuters. Foxconn says the deal was ended mutually. Vedanta has “lined up other partners” to set up the foundry, the company said in a statement.
The Foxconn-Vedanta fallout is a blow to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s economic growth efforts...
The VergeThat Google memo about having ‘no moat’ in AI was real — and Google’s AI boss disagrees with it
Illustration: The Verge
Just a couple of months ago, a leaked memo said to be from a Google researcher cast doubt on the company’s future in AI, stating that it has “no moat” in the industry — and now, we seemingly have confirmation that it was real. In an interview with Decoder, Demis Hassabis, the CEO of Google’s DeepMind, told The Verge that although he believes the memo was legitimate, he disagrees with its conclusions.
“I think that memo was real. I think engineers at Google often write various documents, and sometimes they get leaked and go viral,” Hassabis said. “I think it’s interesting to listen to them, and then you’ve got to chart your own course. And I haven’t read that specific memo in detail, but I disagree with the conclusions from that.”
The...
The VergeOn the cusp of 24/7 service, robotaxis face pleas and protest in San Francisco
Photo by Justin Sullivan / Getty Images
On a recent Friday evening, a driverless car pulled up alongside an outdoor dining shed in the Mission district of San Francisco, put on its hazard lights, and waited. As traffic began to pile up behind the vehicle, a man smoking a cigarette outside a nearby bar rolled his eyes.
“I don’t drive a car,” he grumbled, “so I don’t really care about these things.”
Other residents of this hilly city by the bay are not so ambivalent about the coming onslaught of autonomous cars. The California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) is poised to vote this Thursday on whether to allow Cruise and Waymo, the two main companies with autonomous vehicles in San Francisco, to expand their paid ridehailing services to operate 24/7.
Other residents of this...
The VergeThe best smartphone you can buy for under $500
You can get a great device for less than $500 these days if you know how to pick your priorities. | Image: The Verge
You can’t have absolutely everything at this price, but you can get a great smartphone. Whether you want an iPhone, a 120Hz screen, or water resistance, you’ve got options.
The VergeTumblr says it’s going to ‘fix’ its ‘core experience’ to appeal to new users
Illustration: The Verge
Tumblr’s staff blog has posted a long update on the future of the platform, alluding to coming changes that include redesigning its reply and reblog features. The goal, according to Tumblr staff, is to make Tumblr less intimidating — implicitly at a time when it could attract users disillusioned with platforms like Reddit and Twitter.
“In order for Tumblr to grow, we need to fix the core experience that makes Tumblr a useful place for users. The underlying problem is that Tumblr is not easy to use. Historically, we have expected users to curate their feeds and lean into curating their experience. But this expectation introduces friction to the user experience and only serves a small portion of our audience,” says the post (emphasis in...
The VergeInside Google’s big AI shuffle — and how it plans to stay competitive, with Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis
Photo illustration by Alex Parkin / The Verge
Google invented a lot of core AI technology, and now the company’s turning to Demis to get back in front of the AI race for AI breakthroughs.
The VergeSega workers form largest multi-department video game union in the US
Image: Allied Employees Guild Improving Sega
Workers at Sega of America, representing multiple departments, have voted to form a union. With 91 employees voting yes out of a total number of 212 eligible employees, the Allied Employees Guild Improving SEGA (also known as AEGIS-CWA) becomes the fifth video game union in the United States and its largest multi-department video game union.
“We are overjoyed to celebrate our union election win as members of AEGIS-CWA,” Ángel Gómez, a translator for Sega, said in a press release announcing the news. “Now, through our union, we’ll be able to protect the parts of our jobs we love, and strengthen the benefits, pay, and job stability available to all workers.”
The AEGIS union drive was announced in April but was a year in the works for the...
The VergeHow to move your notes out of Evernote
Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge
When it launched in 2008, Evernote became the go-to application for many for taking notes, tracking documents, organizing projects, and generally being the place to put anything you might want to find later. However, in the last few years, Evernote’s reputation has suffered due to an overloaded interface, privacy missteps, increased fees, and performance issues.
And as if that wasn’t enough, last year, the application was acquired by app developer Bending Spoons, and that company has recently announced that it was laying off most of its US employees and moving Evernote’s operations to Europe.
When an app is depended on by a large number of people — especially one that’s been around long enough so that a number of its users may have a...
The VergeSocial networks can keep storing EU user data in the US under new agreement
Illustration by William Joel / The Verge
The European Union and the US have settled on a new transatlantic data-sharing pact. In an announcement on Monday, the European Commission says the new framework should allow information to flow freely between both locations, easing risks for social media companies that operate across them.
The decision comes three years after the EU’s top court struck down the Privacy Shield, a protocol that let companies based in the US collect and process data from EU citizens — an essential aspect of digital businesses run by companies like Meta and Amazon. At the time, the court said the Privacy Shield didn’t do enough to keep users’ data out of the hands of US intelligence agencies.
When this policy was annulled, however, it left companies on the...
The VergeThe person who swatted Ubisoft has been sentenced.
Police responded to a fake hostage situation at Ubisoft Montreal’s offices on November 13th, 2020. | Photo by Eric Thomas / AFP via Getty Images
Twenty-two-year-old Yanni Ouahioune was recently sentenced in France to three years of community service for calling in a fake hostage situation in 2020, also known as swatting, at the Ubisoft Montreal offices, as well as initiating DDoS attacks against a French government office and making threats toward Minecraft maker Mojang, according to Montreal Gazette.
Ouahioune was allegedly upset about having been banned from Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege more than 80 times for cheating. He was named as a suspect in the case in April of 2021, Montreal outlet La Presse reported at the time.
Ouahioune routed his calls through Russian servers to avoid detection, Montreal Gazette reports. After his calls, Ubisoft Montreal’s offices were swarmed by...
The VergeTwisted Metal fires off lots of bullets and even more jokes in new trailer
Image: Peacock
The bullets fly in the latest trailer for Twisted Metal — and so do the jokes. Our previous look at Peacock’s adaptation of the PlayStation vehicular mayhem series didn’t show much other than how Will Arnett and Samoa Joe were joining forces to play the murderous clown Sweet Tooth. But the latest clip gives a much better idea of what viewers can expect when the series starts streaming later this month.
Unlike the video games, which follow a tournament that’s sort of like a cross between a destruction derby and a fight to the death, the show takes place in a postapocalyptic version of the US where cities are walled off from the lawlessness outside. That means courier drivers — like the lead character, played by Anthony Mackie — are both...
The VergeThe best phone to buy right now
Photo Illustration by William Joel / The Verge
Bad news: flagship phones cost a small fortune these days. Good news: we can help you pick the right one and get the most for your money.
The VergeDeadpool 3’s well-dressed Wolverine may be a sign of good things to come
Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine in Deadpool 3_._ | Image: Marvel Studios
After years of Fox’s live-action X-Men movie franchise (RIP) being violently allergic to the idea of letting Marvel’s mutants be seen wearing anything but boring black getups vaguely inspired by Frank Quitely’s New X-Men designs, Deadpool 3 seems ready to switch things up.
Following last week’s surprising announcement that Jennifer Garner has signed on to Deadpool 3to reprise her role as Greek assassin Elektra Natchios, Ryan Reynolds — who’s currently filming on set — took to his Instagram account today to post a photo of himself and co-star Hugh Jackman in-costume as Deadpool and a very animated-looking Wolverine. Reynolds and Jackman have been teasing how Deadpool 3 — in addition to folding their characters into the MCU — will...
The VergeWhat’s the best student laptop? We asked students
The Dell XPS 13 is one of the best laptops for high school and college students. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Editor’s note: Amazon Prime Day is just on the horizon. Thankfully, if you were hoping to pick up some savings ahead of time, we’ve rounded up the best early Prime Day deals you can already get.
Shopping for a laptop can be stressful — doubly stressful if you or your children will be learning online for the first time. Kids of different ages have a range of different laptop use cases and different needs. And as the choices for best laptop and best Chromebook evolve, so do students’ needs. So I spoke to some experts on the subject: students themselves.
My recommendations here are meant to accommodate a variety of preferences and price ranges. But they’re a jumping-off point rather than an exhaustive list: every student is different....
The VergeHere’s why Threads is delayed in Europe
Image: Nick Barclay / The Verge
Last week, Meta debuted its Twitter competitor, Threads. The app gained more than 100 million users in the US, UK, and hundreds of other countries in less than a week — but you won’t be able to download it in the European Union anytime soon. The app has been held up by what Meta spokesperson Christine Pai described to The Verge as “upcoming regulatory uncertainty,” widely assumed to refer to the EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA).
Tech companies and regulatory skeptics have long claimed that laws like the DMA hold back innovation by requiring onerous user protections, but the looming competition law doesn’t stop Meta from introducing new products — and Meta hasn’t indicated it will forgo a European launch. If anything, the DMA adds friction...
The VergeThe best noise-canceling headphones to buy right now
Sony’s WH-1000XM5 headphones have an all-new design. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
Get some peace and quiet with any of our top picks for noise-canceling headphones. Sony’s still the best overall, but there are reasons to go elsewhere, too.
The VergeGoogle’s Pixel 7A is an even better value now that it’s $50 off ahead of Prime Day
Google’s Pixel 7A has a very good camera and solid specs all around in an affordable package. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge
Amazon’s Prime Day sales event kicks off tomorrow in earnest, though deals have been piling on early for well over a week. A new discount that’s coming in pretty hot is a $50 discount on Google’s latest phone, the Pixel 7A, which is now available at Amazon and Best Buy for $449. The excellent midrange phone offers a nice sampling of what Google’s fancier Pixel 7 flagships feature but at a much more modest price. It’s our top pick of phones around $500, in part due to its fast 90Hz refresh screen, matched Tensor G2 processor from its higher-end brethren, and the inclusion of wireless Qi charging (finally). Wrap all that up with an approachable 6.1-inch screen size and a great dual-camera setup, and you’ve got yourself plenty of phone for...
The VergeEA is making a single-player Black Panther game
No screenshots yet, so you’ll have to put up with this logo for now. | Image: EA
Another big Marvel property is being turned into a video game. This time, EA is developing what it calls “an original, third-person, single-player Black Panther game.” We don’t have many other details just yet — not even a screenshot — but development is being handled by a new EA studio called Cliffhanger Games in partnership with Marvel Games. Cliffhanger is led by Kevin Stephens, who was previously studio head at Shadow of Mordor developer Monolith Productions.
“We’re dedicated to delivering fans a definitive and authentic Black Panther experience, giving them more agency and control over their narrative than they have ever experienced in a story-driven video game,” Stephens said in a statement. “Wakanda is a rich superhero sandbox,...
The VergeThe Elon Musk private jet tracker resurfaces on Threads and immediately goads Mark Zuckerberg
There’s also an account set up to track Mark Zuckerberg’s private jet, though this hasn’t posted any information yet. | Illustration: The Verge
Jack Sweeney, the college student and creator of the banned @ElonJet Twitter account that tracked the movements of Elon Musk’s personal jet, has now launched the tracking project on Meta’s rival platform, Threads. “ElonJet has arrived to Threads!” Sweeney posted to the new @elonmusksjet account on Thursday. As of Monday, July 10th, the Threads account currently has 80,000 followers.
Sweeney addressed his second posting on the @elonmusksjet Threads account directly to Mark Zuckerberg, asking the Meta founder if he can remain on the platform. Sweeney includes a shoutout in the Threads bio of @elonmusksjet to the @zuckerbergjet account dedicated to tracking the location of Zuckerberg’s private jet. That account hasn’t posted any live...
The VergeUgreen’s 300W GaN charger features four high-power USB-C ports for all your devices
Ugreen’s new 300W GaN charger. | Image: Ugreen
Ugreen is teasing a new 300W GaN charger with enough ports to charge a suitcase-worth of gadgetry. The $269 device has four USB-C ports and one USB-A port, and spokesperson Roger Wan says it will go on sale in mid-August. The most powerful port is able to deliver as much as 140W via the PowerDelivery 3.1 spec, enough to fast charge a modern 16-inch MacBook Pro when used with Apple’s MagSafe 3 to USB-C cable, even with four other devices being charged concurrently.
With every USB connection in use, the charger can provide 140W via its first USB-C port, 65W from its second, 45W from its third, 20W from its fourth, and 22.5W from its USB-A port, according to Ugreen’s table below. But if you’ve got fewer devices plugged in then some of these...
The VergeRad Power Bikes is pulling out of Europe to focus on US e-bike sales
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
After several rounds of layoffs and a number of high-profile lawsuits, Rad Power Bikes’ new CEO is determined to get costs and safety under control
The VergeInstagram’s Threads surpasses 100 million users
Illustration: The Verge
Instagram’s new Threads app has already surpassed 100 million users, meaning it reached the milestone dramatically faster than even ChatGPT. OpenAI’s chatbot passed the mark after two months, but Threads, which only launched on Wednesday, got there in a matter of days.
Threads proved to be an early hit almost immediately. In the first two hours, it hit 2 million users and steadily climbed from there to 5 million, 10 million, 30 million, and then 70 million. The launch has been “way beyond our expectations,” CEO Mark Zuckerberg said on Friday.
Users aren’t just signing up: they’re posting, too. As of Thursday, my colleague Alex Heath reported that there have already been more than 95 million posts and 190 million likes shared on the app.
T...
The VergeThe best early Prime Day deals
The Echo Pop (left) and Echo Dot (right) are just two of the many early Prime Day deals you can currently get. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
Amazon Prime Day may not start until Tuesday, July 11th, but early deals are already trickling out. We’re expecting to see some worthwhile discounts on wireless earbuds, noise-canceling headphones, tablets, TVs, smart home tech, games, and other gadgets on the actual days of, with the early deals functioning as a kind of small temperature check.
As the ghosts of Prime Days past can tell us, the ahead-of-schedule deals are almost always on Amazon-owned devices and brands. There are sure to be more deals coming online in the days ahead — especially since Amazon has promised discounts from brands like Sony and Bose — but early bird shoppers already have some decent discounts to take advantage of.
Usually, these early deals will hold...
The VergeEvernote has laid off most of its US staff and will move most operations to Europe
Image: Evernote / Bending Spoons
Note-taking company Evernote has laid off most of its US- and- Chile-based employees, the company announced yesterday. Now Italian parent company Bending Spoons is taking most of Evernote’s operations to Europe.
The company says the step is intended to “boost operational efficiency and to make the most of the Bending Spoons employer brand, which is extremely strong in Europe.”
Bending Spoons acquired Evernote in November last year, and at the time, Evernote CEO was quoted as saying the deal would help the company work on building new features, using Bending Spoons’ “proven app expertise and wide range of proprietary technologies.” The company previously laid off 129 workers in February, with a Bending Spoons representative telling Tech...