The Verge
Lenovo’s Yoga Book 9i is for the two-screen lifestyle
The Yoga Book 9i jettisons the traditional lower laptop deck for a second touchscreen, which opens up some interesting use cases along with some compromises.
The VergeThe VergeHow to add users to your PS5, Xbox Series X, or Xbox Series S
Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge
If you’ve invested hours in achieving high scores, exploring open worlds, and leveling up, then you absolutely don’t want someone you live with — or a passing guest — to sit themselves down in front of your console and interfere with all that hard work.
Whether you use a PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, or Xbox Series S, you can configure multiple user accounts so that games, achievements, and apps belong to you and you alone — while giving other people the chance to play on the console as well.
And you have a couple of options, depending if these are registered users or guests. Users who already have their own Sony or Microsoft accounts will only need to enter the credentials for these accounts once and can protect those accounts with a...
The VergeRepublicans defend Elon Musk in FTC’s Twitter probe
Image: Tom Williams / CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
House Republicans came to the defense of Elon Musk Thursday, tearing into Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan over an agency investigation they claim borders on “obsession” with Twitter and its owner.
The blustering support for the billionaire dominated a Thursday House Judiciary Committee hearing overseeing the agency’s work under Khan’s leadership. The committee’s chair, Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), set the tone right out of the gate, calling Khan’s leadership a “disaster” and suggesting that the FTC’s Twitter probe was politically motivated.
“Why are you harassing Twitter?” Jordan pressed Khan Thursday. “This wasn’t harassment. It was a shakedown.”
The hearing came hours after Musk asked a federal court to end the FTC’s investigation...
The VergeYour LG TV and appliances are about to get more annoying
LG CEO William Cho (pictured above at CES 2023) has revealed how the company plans to squeeze additional revenue out of its customers. | Photo by David Becker/Getty Images
LG Electronics is looking to squeeze some additional cash from its customers by going all in on advertising and subscription offerings for its home appliances and televisions. It’s part of a plan to increase global annual revenue from the $51 billion reported last year to almost $79 billion by 2030. Part of that growth strategy is to get webOS — the operating system running LG smart TVs — onto more external TV brands and “other product groups.”
On Wednesday, LG CEO William Cho announced the Korean tech giant’s intention to transform itself into a “smart life solution company” by diversifying its current business portfolio and creating a business model that focuses on “customer engagement.” LG’s new growth strategy will introduce a...
The VergeFord made a rally-inspired version of the Mustang Mach-E for Goodwood Festival
At press time, we weren’t provided images of the rally-inspired Mustang Mach-E, so please enjoy this photo of the Mustang logo until such images become available. | Image: Ford
Ford announced a “first-ever” rally-inspired Mustang Mach-E for the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK, which kicked off this week. And what’s more, the special-edition EV will be available to order in the US and Europe later this year.
We don’t have much more information about the Mustang Mach-E Rally, as Ford would not provide specifications or images of the vehicle before the publication of this article. But the company did say the EV would be a true off-roader with a focus on speed and performance — as is typical of vehicles designed for the notoriously hilly Goodwood Festival.
“The freedom to venture off the asphalt and beyond the beaten path”
“Mustang Mach-E took the freedom and fun of Mustang and made it free from emissions....
The VergeSamsung’s new TV rumored to be its first with OLED panel from rival LG Display
Samsung’s 83-inch S90C OLED TV. | Image: Samsung
At first glance, Samsung’s new 83-inch S90C OLED TV doesn’t look too different from the company’s existing 2023 OLED TV range. But keen-eyed observers at Forbes and HDTVTest have spotted that the $5,399.99 TV, which has the model number 83S90C, appears to have a screen size larger than any of the QD-OLED panels produced by Samsung Display.
That means we’re almost certainly looking at the first Samsung OLED TV to use a panel produced by the display division of its South Korean rival LG. “There is no doubt whatsoever in my mind that this 83 inch Samsung OLED TV will be equipped with a white OLED panel also known as WRGB OLED panel from LG Display,” HDTVTest’s supremely knowledgeable Vincent Teoh said in a video last month after news of the...
The VergeLego isn’t just for kids: the latest news for nostalgic adults and adult budgets
Image: Lego
All the Lego news that Verge readers deserve.
The VergeReddit is getting rid of its Gold awards system
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Reddit is sunsetting its current coins and awards systems, meaning you soon won’t be able to thank a kind stranger for giving you Reddit Gold for one of your posts.
Awards are little icons on posts you might have come across while scrolling around Reddit, and they’re given by other users to show appreciation for a post. Perhaps the most commonly-known award is Reddit Gold, which shows up as a gold medal with a star, but there also reaction awards and awards specific to certain communities.
Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge
See all those icons? Those are awards.
To buy an award, you need to use Reddit Coins, but if you don’t already have some, you aren’t able to get any more of them as of Thursday, according...
The VergeOne of Reddit’s biggest communities is suggesting users move to Discord
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
The biggest Reddit community that’s still private as part of the Reddit protest is now encouraging its users to congregate elsewhere: Discord and Substack.
If you currently try to visit r/malefashionadvice, which has more than 5 million subscribers, you’ll be greeted with a page that suggests you visit the community’s Discord and Substack instead. r/malefashionadvice was a great resource for fashion conversation and guides, and the Discord and Substack offer alternative homes for those resources. Specifically, the Discord lets members of the community chat amongst themselves and post about things like fits and inspiration, while the Substack hosts a lot of guides.
Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge
“One of the...
The VergeThe PS5 game that was ‘impossible without SSD’ doesn’t need one on PC
Image: Sony
Ratchet and Clank: Rift Apart was the poster child for the PlayStation 5’s blazing fast solid-state drive — but on PC, it doesn’t technically need one at all.
In a now-vanished blog post on Steam, Sony, Insomniac, and lauded port developer Nixxes have revealed the game’s PC system requirements, which show you can get away with the standard spinning magnetic platters of a traditional hard drive if you’re satisfied with minimum spec (720p at 30fps).
Image: Sony
PC system requirements. Tap for larger image.
Before you hold this up as the latest proof that the PS5’s SSD was unnecessary, you should also know there’s another technological innovation at work here: Microsoft’s DirectStorage, whose recent version...
The VergeElon Musk sues four unknown individuals for scraping Twitter’s data
Image: Laura Normand / The Verge
The Elon Musk-owned X Corp. is suing four unnamed individuals over allegations they illegally scraped user data from Twitter, as first reported by CNBC. The lawsuit was filed in a Dallas County, Texas, court on July 6th and seeks over $1 million in damages.
According to the complaint, the four entities, which are identified only by their IP addresses, unlawfully scraped Twitter user data in violation of the platform’s terms of service. The lawsuit describes these IP addresses as “flooding” Twitter’s sign-up page with “automated requests,” which allegedly put a strain on the company’s servers and disrupted users’ experience.
X Corp. says it “has been unable to ascertain” the identities of all four individuals. The company alleges that...
The VergeActors say Hollywood studios want their AI replicas — for free, forever
The AMPTP proposal will sound familiar to Black Mirror fans. | Image: Netflix
During today’s press conference in which Hollywood actors confirmed that they were going on strike, Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, SAG-AFTRA’s chief negotiator, revealed a proposal from Hollywood studios that sounds ripped right out of a Black Mirror episode.
In a statement about the strike, the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) said that its proposal included “a groundbreaking AI proposal that protects actors’ digital likenesses for SAG-AFTRA members.”
When asked about the proposal during the press conference, Crabtree-Ireland said that “This ‘groundbreaking’ AI proposal that they gave us yesterday, they proposed that our background performers should be able to be scanned, get one day’s pay, and their companies...
The VergeTwitter says it will start paying creators this week
Illustration: Alex Castro / The Verge
Months after Elon Musk announced that some Twitter users will be eligible to earn money via ads on the platform, popular creators are finally getting an update: the money is coming “within the next 72 hours.”
The revenue sharing program is only available to users who pay for a Twitter Blue subscription and is driven by ads placed in the replies to tweets. So far, payout amounts are ranging from a few thousand dollars to nearly $40,000 for accounts with a few million followers. In a thread, Twitter says it will expand eligibility to more creators later this month.
Twitter is starting to share a portion of ad revenue with creators. This has long been promised, so it’ll be interesting to see what the cut of revenues are actually like p...
The VergeHyundai enhances Ioniq 5 with new performance N variant
Get that rally car feeling — but with an EV. | Image: Hyundai
Electric vehicles aren’t often thought of as fun to drive machines compared to gear-shifting gas vehicles, but Hyundai is doing its part to bridge the gap with the new Ioniq 5 N performance variant. As the name suggests, the automaker handed its popular crossover EV off to the teams at its “N” subbrand and is giving it a virtual eight-speed transmission and up to 478kW (the equivalent of 641 horsepower).
The new “e-shift” dual-clutch transmission is designed to make the 2024 Ioniq 5 N feel like an internal combustion engine vehicle without the emissions. It simulates gear shifting by adjusting torque output on the dual motors and includes jolts and fake engine noises that help you pretend you’re firing pistons on the racetrack. You can...
The VergeSAG-AFTRA goes on strike at midnight tonight
Image: SAG-AFTRA
After weeks of unsuccessful negotiations between the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), the union representing about 160,000 of the entertainment industry’s American laborers will begin striking at midnight tonight
On Wednesday evening, just hours after the nominees for this year’s Emmy Awards were announced and not long after the already-extended deadline to hammer out a new labor contract came and went, SAG-AFTRA announced that its board would convene on Thursday morning to decide whether to follow in the Writers Guild of America’s footsteps by striking. In a statement about the latest developments, SAG-AFTRA...
The VergeAdobe’s $20 billion Figma bid is under threat from UK antitrust regulators
The investigation has been referred to the next phase, where the merger will be assessed by an independent panel. | Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge
Adobe’s $20 billion bid for cloud-based design platform Figma will now be subject to an in-depth probe by the UK’s competition watchdog, which will decide whether to approve the merger or block the deal entirely.
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) announced on Thursday that it had referred the acquisition for a “phase two” investigation — a longer, more intensive assessment carried out by an independent CMA panel — after Adobe and Figma informed the regulator that they wouldn’t provide resolutions to address concerns the merger would cause a “substantial lessening of competition” for designers in the UK.
The CMA has until December 27th to conclude the second phase of its investigation
Following its initial “phase one”...
The VergeThe Xbox Series X is on sale for $50 off — an all-time low
Now, if only Starfield could get here a little quicker. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge
It’s not often we see sold-out Amazon Prime Day deals suddenly resurrect from the dead less than a day after the event ended, never mind on a console like the Xbox Series X. That’s why it’s worth jumping on this rare deal while it’s still around. Right now, you can pick up Microsoft’s next-gen console on sale at Dell for $449.99 ($50 off).
Unlike the smaller Xbox Series S, the Series X features a built-in Blu-ray drive, allowing you to play both physical games and digital titles. It’s equipped with 1TB of storage — twice that of the Series S — and more processing power, which, combined with the console’s support for 120Hz gaming, make it a noticeable step up from Microsoft’s entry-level system. It’s also a great way to tap into one of...
The VergeMeet Microsoft Office’s new default font: Aptos
Microsoft’s new Aptos default font. | Image: Microsoft
Microsoft is replacing its Calibri default font with Aptos, a new sans-serif typeface that’s inspired by mid-20th-century Swiss typography. Previously known as Bierstadt, Microsoft has been on the hunt for its new Aptos default font over the past couple of years. The software giant commissioned five new custom fonts for Office in 2021, and the Aptos font was picked as the default after years of feedback.
“Today we begin the final phase of this major change where Aptos will start appearing as the new default font across Word, Outlook, PowerPoint and Excel for hundreds of millions of users,” explains Si Daniels, a principal program manager at Microsoft, in a design blog post today. “And, over the next few months it will roll out to be the...
The VergeFTC investigating OpenAI on ChatGPT data collection and publication of false information
Photo by Win McNamee / Getty Images
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is investigating ChatGPT creator OpenAI over possible consumer harm through its data collection and the publication of false information.
First reported by The Washington Post, the FTC sent a 20-page letter to the company this week. The letter requests documents related to developing and training its large language models, as well as data security.
The FTC wants to get detailed information on how OpenAI vets information used in training for its models and how it prevents false claims from being shown to ChatGPT users. It also wants to learn more about how APIs connect to its systems and how data is protected when accessed by third parties.
The FTC declined to comment. OpenAI did not immediately...
The VergeRipple’s XRP token was a security sometimes, a judge rules
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Ripple’s XRP token was an investment contract when the company sold it to institutional investors, a judge ruled today. The case, brought by the Securities and Exchange Commission, is one of the biggest in determining whether tokens are securities. Though this is an intermediate ruling in a larger case, it’s still significant.
In the ruling, Judge Analisa Torres found that Ripple’s $728.9 million sales of XRP to institutional investors — hedge funds, etc. — were unregistered securities offerings. However, the programmatic sales and those by Ripple’s CEOs weren’t. The case will go to a jury trial to decide other claims.
There are long-standing questions about whether cryptocurrencies are actually securities
In the suit, the SEC alleged...
The VergeHere’s your first look at EA Sports FC 24, which launches in September
Image: EA
EA’s foray into its post-FIFA future starts very soon. During a livestreamed event, the publisher announced today that its new soccer franchise, EA Sports FC, will debut in early access on September 22nd before a wider launch on September 29th. It’ll be available on the PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X / S, Xbox One, PC, and Nintendo Switch. You can get a first look at the new title — officially known as EA Sports FC 24, or FC24 for short — in the first gameplay trailer above.
The event opened with a lengthy monologue from EA CEO Andrew Wilson, in which he explained his long history with the sport, including his work at EA Sports, and managed to not say the word FIFA once. “We’re going to take another giant leap forward,”...
The VergeOpenAI will use Associated Press news stories to train its models
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
OpenAI will train its AI models on The Associated Press’ news stories for the next two years, thanks to an agreement first reported by Axios. The deal between the two companies will give OpenAI access to some of the content in AP’s archive as far back as 1985.
As part of the agreement, AP will gain access to OpenAI’s “technology and product expertise,” although it’s not clear exactly what that entails. AP has long been exploring AI features and began generating reports about company earnings in 2014. It later leveraged the technology to automate stories about Minor League Baseball and college sports.
AP joins OpenAI’s growing list of partners. On Tuesday, the AI company announced a six-year deal with Shutterstock that will let OpenAI...
The VergePlayStation’s accessibility controller goes on sale in December
Image: Sony
PlayStation’s accessibility controller finally has a release date and a price.
July is Disability Pride Month, a celebration of people with disabilities established to mark the anniversary of the passage of the landmark Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990. PlayStation seems to be getting in on the celebration with its announcement that its Access controller will be available for preorder on July 21st, with the controller launching officially in the US on December 6th.
The Access controller is deeply customizable, designed to accommodate any player’s specific needs. From Sony’s blog: “You can map buttons to create up to 30 control profiles, adjust stick settings, toggle commands on / off, or disable buttons altogether to stop...
The VergeNothing Phone 2: all the updates on the road to a flashy new phone
The rear of 2022’s Nothing Phone 1. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge
Our constantly updated list of all the information about Nothing’s second phone.
The VergeThe best laptop you can buy in 2023
Illustration by William Joel / The Verge
The best laptops for you, from ultraportables to high-powered editing machines
The VergeNothing Phone 2 review: the vibes abide
Form, function, and a good midrange phone.
The VergeFormer Celsius CEO arrested on fraud charges as FTC lines up a $4.7 billion fine
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
The former CEO of the fallen Celsius crypto lending company, Alex Mashinsky, and the company’s chief revenue officer, Roni Cohen-Pavon, have been arrested on charges of committing securities fraud, according to Bloomberg. On Thursday, the Justice Department unsealed charges against Mashinsky and Cohen-Pavon for inflating the price of Celsius’ crypto token, called CEL, while lying to Celsius customers about the token, their activities, and the company’s overall health.
The DOJ claims Mashinsky and Cohen-Pavon “illicitly manipulated the price of CEL,” causing investors to buy the token at inflated prices. The DOJ claims that selling their tokens, even as Mashinsky told Celsius customers he wasn’t selling, pulled in $42 million for...
The VergemacOS Sonoma lets Chrome use passwords stored in iCloud
Illustration: The Verge
If you’re using the new macOS Sonoma beta, you might want to know about a glorious new bridge between ecosystems that lets Mac Chrome users connect with their iCloud passwords. Apple has updated its iCloud Passwords Chrome extension with a new feature that lets you directly pull passwords from iCloud, keeping you from needing to open Safari or migrate your iCloud passwords to another password manager.
Apple software engineering manager Ricky Mondello tweeted about the new feature yesterday. Mondello explained that the Chrome extension can also AutoFill passwords and one-time codes, save new passwords, and lets you right-click QR codes to set up code generators.
‼️ macOS Sonoma brings Apple’s password manager to Google Chrome,...
The VergeCongress is trying to stop discriminatory algorithms again
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
US policymakers hope to require online platforms to disclose information about their algorithms and allow the government to intervene if these are found to discriminate based on criteria like race or gender.
Sen. Edward Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Doris Matsui (D-CA) reintroduced the Algorithmic Justice and Online Platform Transparency Act, which aims to ban the use of discriminatory or “harmful” automated decision-making. It would also establish safety standards, require platforms to provide a plain language explanation of algorithms used by websites, publish annual reports on content moderation practices, and create a governmental task force to investigate discriminatory algorithmic processes.
The bill applies to “online platforms” or any...
The VergeThe Witcher’s new trailer teases a big, bloody season 3 finale
Image: Susie Allnutt / Netflix
We’re approaching the end of an era for Netflix’s adaptation of The Witcher. When the final episodes of season 3 drop on July 27th, it will mark the conclusion of Henry Cavill’s run as Geralt of Rivia, with Liam Hemsworth taking over the role for subsequent seasons.
In a new trailer, Netflix shows what fans can expect in those last episodes — and it looks like a big, bloody war. At one point, Geralt’s sword shatters in battle, suggesting his new big bad enemy is a tough one, and the trailer ends with him saying, “There’s no coming back from this.” Now that’s ominous.
The first half — or volume, as Netflix calls it — of The Witcher’s third season started streaming in June, and it was clearly setting up this kind of large-scale conflict...