The best deals you can still get from Amazon’s October Prime Day

Illustration by Lucia Pham / The Verge

Love it or leave it, Prime Big Deal Days is now in the rearview mirror. Amazon’s latest two-day bombardment of deals — which will (most likely) function as the last discount-heavy holiday prior to Black Friday and Cyber Monday — technically wrapped yesterday, yet there’s still a scattershot helping of deals available to those who missed it.

In typical Amazon fashion, there’s not a whole lot of rhyme or reason as to what remains, with many of Amazon’s marque deals having vanished as soon as the clock struck midnight. Still, between earbuds and Apple stuff, we’ve rounded up a nice selection of both budget-friendly and big-ticket items, which is good news for procrastinators or deal sickos like us who think two straight days of discounts is...

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GM now has its own API for software developers to make cool apps for its cars

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

General Motors is ramping up its efforts to create “a free, universal language” for software developers to make cool apps for its vehicles — and, notably, the vehicles of its competitors.

GM announced a new vehicle services definition called “uServices” for the automotive software developer community. In essence, uServices is meant to serve as GM’s own API for other software developers to build apps that can work across multiple lineups of vehicles. The automaker is also submitting the new definition to the Connected Vehicle Systems Alliance (COVESA), a global alliance focused on the development of open standards and technologies for connected vehicles.

This new definition aims for standardized software “to securely access vehicle...

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New Starlink page launched to promote cellular service coming in 2024

The homepage promoting the new feature. | Screenshot by Jon Porter / The Verge

SpaceX has published a new webpage to promote its upcoming “Starlink Direct to Cell” service that plans to offer cellular connectivity to “existing LTE phones” via satellite. The website, which PCMag reports went live earlier this week, notes that the service will initially be limited to texting services in 2024, with voice and data functionality following in 2025, alongside support for IoT devices.

“Direct to Cell works with existing LTE phones wherever you can see the sky. No changes to hardware, firmware, or special apps are required, providing seamless access to text, voice, and data,” SpaceX’s website reads.

The Elon Musk-owned space company announced plans for the service last year alongside US partner T-Mobile. The...

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Here’s our first official look at the OnePlus Open

OnePlus’ first folding phone arrives soon with the alert slider intact. | Image: OnePlus

The OnePlus Fold is set to arrive on October 19th, and this is our first official look at the folding-style phone. In an official teaser image provided to The Verge, it looks to be a relatively thin design with at least one fan-favorite feature: a three-stage alert slider.

OnePlus president and COO Kinder Liu isn’t being shy about the phone’s potential. In a conversation conducted via translator with The Verge late last month_,_ he told us it would “bring the foldable experience to new heights.” That’s a big claim to make about your first entry into a market where Samsung has dominated for years, but according to Liu, this device — which parent company Oppo will release under another name — has been a long time coming. His statements...

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AVerMedia launches its first HDMI 2.1 USB capture card, priced at $299.99

Image: AVerMedia

It’s nearly three years since HDMI 2.1 consoles like the Xbox Series X and PS5 launched and we’re finally seeing HDMI 2.1 capture cards appear on the market. AVerMedia is launching its $299.99 Live Gamer ULTRA 2.1 (what a name) HDMI 2.1 USB capture card today, offering streamers and gamers the ability to play the latest consoles with 120Hz options turned on and still capture at 4K/60fps.

Streamers have been eagerly awaiting 4K/60fps capture over USB, as right now there are limited options for capturing this resolution and frame rate over USB, especially as Elgato’s 4K 60 S+ was discontinued late last year. Most have had to opt for PCIe capture cards instead.

AVerMedia’s latest capture card supports up to 4K/144Hz pass-through, complete...

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X defends itself over EU accusations of playing host to Israel-Hamas war disinformation

Image: The Verge

X CEO Linda Yaccarino has said the social media platform formerly known as Twitter has identified and removed “hundreds” of Hamas-affiliated accounts, and has “taken action to remove or label tens of thousands of pieces of content” in the wake of terrorist attacks carried out by Hamas against Israel. Yaccarino’s letter comes in response to concerns raised by EU commissioner Thierry Breton that X is being used to “disseminate illegal content and disinformation,” in possible violation of the EU’s tough new Digital Services Act (DSA).

The back-and-forth between X and the European Union comes as the EU implements the DSA, which imposes obligations on large online platforms to remove illegal content and mitigate risks to public security more...

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The Fitbit app has been having some issues for hours

Image: Google / Fitbit

The Fitbit app has been dealing with some issues for hours, and the Google-owned company acknowledged Wednesday night that there are some problems right now.

“We’re aware that some customers are experiencing issues with the Fitbit app and we are currently investigating,” Fitbit wrote in a message on X (formerly Twitter) at 8:01PM ET. “We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience, thank you for your patience!” In a reply to a frustrated user asking for an ETA, Fitbit said that “we can’t provide any time frame as of now.”

Fitbit’s community page also has a big banner that reads: “We’re continuing to investigate the issue affecting Fitbit devices. Thank you for your patience.”

Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge

There...

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Alameda’s paper trail leads straight to Sam Bankman-Fried

Her ex-boyfriend told her not to write anything down she wouldn’t want to see in The New York Times, then leaked her love notes to The New York Times. | Photo Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photo by Michael M. Santiago, PM Images, Getty Images

And his “very valuable” hair, too.

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Microsoft owes $29 billion in back taxes, says IRS

Illustration: The Verge

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has informed Microsoft that the company owes back taxes of $28.9 billion “plus penalties and interest” for the tax years 2004 through 2013, according to an SEC filing.

Microsoft’s corporate VP for worldwide tax and customs Daniel Goff responded to the audit in a blog post, and says the company has changed its corporate structure and practices since the years covered by the audit. “The issues raised by the IRS are relevant to the past but not to our current practices,” Goff states.

The IRS’s proposed adjustments don’t reflect the amounts the company paid under the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, according to Goff, who claims that could decrease the final tax owed by up to $10 billion. Additionally, Microsoft...

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Crunchyroll is in the news today, but not for the reason it needs to be

Photo by Stefan Etienne / The Verge

Crunchyroll is in the news today, and I’m gonna get to all of that. But first, a moment of silence. When I saw Crunchyroll in a headline flying across my RSS feed, I thought for sure it was the streaming service announcing it has fixed its app for smart TV. Instead, it launched a new FAST channel and settled a class action lawsuit.

Crunchyroll, which is owned by Sony, who purchased it from AT&T and WarnerMedia, is one of the primary ways to get anime legally and inexpensively in the United States. It frequently airs shows at the exact same time they air in Japan, it carries both dubbed and subtitled versions of those shows, and it has an enormous library featuring what feels like every major anime of the last 20 years.

But Crunchyroll...

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Vapes, chargers, and other ‘invisible’ e-waste are a 9-million-ton problem

Single-use disgarded vapes in a Lidl, Recycling Bin on May 4,2023 in London, England. | Photo by Peter Dazeley/Getty Images

“Invisible” e-waste — from disposable vapes to toys and tangles of cables — is piling up and robbing supply chains of valuable materials. A new analysis counts up all the small electronics people often don’t recognize as e-waste, and the numbers are wild.

The weight of all the vapes tossed out annually across the world equals three Brooklyn Bridges, it estimates. Altogether, vapes and other small consumer items considered “invisible” weigh in at 9 billion kilograms (9 million metric tons) a year. That’s like half a million dump trucks worth of electric toothbrushes, ugly holiday sweaters adorned with LEDs, drones, and other small electronics. Lined up bumper to bumper, those trucks would span from Nairobi to Rome.

The weight of all the...

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Death, Sex, and the future of WNYC podcasts

Image: WNYC

This is Hot Pod_,_ The Verge’s newsletter about podcasting and the audio industry. Sign up here for more.

On Wednesday afternoon, staffers at WNYC’s podcast division sat down for an all-hands meeting looking for answers. Last week, 6 percent of New York Public Radio’s workforce was let go — with most of the cuts targeting its podcast vertical, WNYC Studios.

LaFontaine Oliver, CEO of New York Public Radio, said the nonprofit would be shifting its current strategy of producing both national radio shows and on-demand podcasts to a new model known as “broadcast to podcast.” The podcast studio would focus on shows that can work for both broadcast audiences in New York and online audiences globally, he said. For the most part, WNYC will no...

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T-Mobile is pushing some unlimited customers onto pricier plans

Photo by Anna Moneymaker / Getty Images

Starting next week, T-Mobile will move subscribers of some of its older unlimited plans to new (and, in some cases, more expensive) options, the carrier has confirmed to CNET.

The plan will apply to users on the One, Simple Choice, Magenta, and Magenta 55 Plus plans, according to documentation posted on Reddit. Impacted users will be informed by “an SMS and email,” and the new plans will take impact beginning with the November billing cycle. The price increases customers see will vary depending on their plan, but most can expect a bump of $5 or $10 per line.

T-Mobile clarified to CNET that those impacted can opt out of the move and stay on their old plans. In order to do so, you’ll need to call T-Mobile’s Customer Care support line.

F...

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RIAA wants AI voice cloning sites on government piracy watchlist

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) now considers AI voice cloning a potential copyright infringement threat and wants the US government to include it in its piracy watchdog list.

In a submission to the US Trade Representative (USTR), the RIAA asked the government to include the category of AI voice cloning in its annual list of entities that reportedly promote piracy or counterfeiting. The Review of Notorious Markets for Counterfeiting and Piracy often includes specific companies, websites, or territories to warn users of potential copyright infringement. For example, AliExpress, WeChat, and The Pirate Bay have been on the list for years.

The RIAA called out only one company in the space, Voicify.AI, which provides...

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FCC proposal would force cable companies to issue rebates for channel blackouts

A blue screen that popped up last month while Disney and Charter negotiated over a new TV deal. | Photo Illustration by Mario Tama / Getty Images

The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has a pair of proposals aimed at dealing with channel blackouts (via Deadline). They follow a recent dispute where millions of Spectrum (Charter Communications) subscribers abruptly lost access to Disney-owned channels such as ABC and ESPN, even forcing a US Open finalist to watch pirate streams of the event he was playing in.

One proposed new rule requires cable and satellite providers to give rebates to customers when there’s a blackout due to failed retransmission agreements with broadcast stations and channel group owners. The other one says Multichannel Video Program Distributors (MVPDs) have to notify the FCC via an online portal before any expected blackouts (ones that last 24 hours...

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WordPress now offers official support for ActivityPub

Photo illustration by Pavlo Gonchar / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images

Bloggers and other publishers using WordPress to host their site can now use it to join the fediverse through an official ActivityPub plug-in, announced today by WordPress.com.

ActivityPub allows social networks to talk across platforms, meaning users can see and engage with content on other platforms from where they are without making a new account. WordPress.com owner Automattic acquired the ActivityPub for WordPress plug-in earlier this year, and the feature is now available for anyone to install through WordPress settings.

Image: WordPress.com

The ActivityPub plug-in is available for WordPress.com plans.

In the case of a WordPress.com blog, audiences will be able to follow a publisher through other...

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The latest Apple Watch SE is matching its best price to date for Prime Day

The second-gen SE features all the trappings of an Apple Watch minus a few of the more advanced sensors. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

The Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 have arrived, but not everyone needs an always-on display or an abundance of advanced sensors geared toward activities they may never do (ahem, diving). Luckily, if you’re a first-time smartwatch buyer, the latest Apple Watch SE is a great alternative that’s currently on sale at Amazon starting at $199 ($50 off) as part of the retailer’s Prime Big Deals Days event.

Like the first-gen model, Apple’s midrange timekeeper offers the usual set of health and fitness tracking features, allowing you to monitor your sleep, heart rate, and a variety of exercises. It lacks some of the more advanced hardware found on newer Apple Watch models — including the new temperature, EKG, and blood oxygen sensors — though...

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Lightroom for Android now comes with Ultra HDR image editing

Lightroom Mobile is getting ready for the HDR photography future. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Right in time for Android 14, Adobe has added support for Ultra HDR image editing in Lightroom mobile for Android. Google’s newest OS supports the new image format, and it stands to make a big change for the better in how our smartphone photos look. Being able to make edits in Lightroom will let discerning smartphone photographers have plenty of control over the final product — but it’ll be a while before most people can actually see the finished product on their own devices. Viewing an HDR image requires the right display and software that supports the format, which most people don’t have at the moment.

Importantly, Ultra HDR isn’t the bad kind of HDR we’re all tired of. It uses a wider range of light and dark tones to express an image...

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The Google trial shows that Apple’s search deal is the most important contract in tech

Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge

Search is the biggest business in the business. And for anyone wanting to make it big in search, the fastest way to win is in Safari.

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Google has fixed its recent history of terrible speakers with the Pixel 8 Pro

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

I carried around a Pixel 7 Pro as my primary phone for several months and enjoyed many aspects of it — but the audio that came from its speakers was thin and feeble compared to flagships from Apple, Samsung, and others. And this wasn’t a new flaw in the Pixel line by any stretch: it’s something Google has overlooked over multiple years now.

I’d argue that things really went off the tracks starting with the Pixel 5, when Google replaced the conventional earpiece speaker with an over-engineered, under-display alternative that used vibrations to produce sound. The result was something that was passable for voice calls but underwhelming for anything else. It was a noticeable downgrade coming from perfectly adequate stereo speakers that...

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Fortnite is pushing creator-made maps with a YouTube-like redesign

Happy Halloween! | Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge

This year, Fortnite’s big Halloween update included an unwelcome surprise: a redesign that aggressively pushes players toward creator-made experiences and spending money in the in-game store.

The biggest change is on the “Play” tab that serves as the game’s lobby. In addition to showing you things like your current game mode and which friends are in your party, you’ll now see a partial row of icons on the bottom of the screen, tempting you to scroll toward them to see what they’re about. If you do, you’ll see a horizontal list of what appears to be previous modes you’ve played and some suggested ones for you to check out. Keep scrolling down and you’ll find seemingly infinite lists of recommended experiences, many with garish thumbnails...

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One of our favorite smartwatches for Android users is down to $170

The crisp OLED display on the Amazfit GTR 4 is easily one of its best features, if not the best. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Looking to add a smartwatch to your wrist but not excited about spending over $300 on an Apple Watch Series 9 or Samsung Galaxy Watch 6? Lucky for you, the Amazfit GTR 4 — a budget wearable that offers many of the same features — is matching its all-time of $169.99 at Amazon ($30 off) as part of the retailer’s fall Prime Day event.

In terms of specs, the GTR 4 offers an abundance of fitness tracking features, including over 150 sports modes and the ability to withstand up to 50 meters of water pressure. It also features multiband GPS — a rarity at this price point — as well as a host of sensors for monitoring your heart rate, blood oxygen saturation, and stress levels. It can even last up to two weeks on a single charge, so long as...

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Microsoft has closed the free Windows 11 loophole — Windows 7 keys no longer work

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Microsoft is now blocking Windows 7 and Windows 8 keys from activating a copy of Windows 11. It’s been a loophole that has existed for years, allowing people to upgrade from Windows 7 or 8 to Windows 10 or 11 free of charge.

Microsoft originally announced the changes to block Windows 7 and Windows 8 keys from Windows 11 late last month, but at the time, we saw that keys were still activating, and it wasn’t clear when the block would actually come into force. As of this week, Windows 7 keys are now fully blocked from clean installs of Windows 11, Microsoft confirms to The Verge.

Screenshot by Tom Warren / The Verge

Windows 11 won’t activate Windows 7 keys anymore.

I’ve tested several Windows 7 keys on a clean...

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Anker’s bassy Sport X10 earbuds are nearly 40 percent off for Prime Day

Like other Anker goods, the Sport X10 are known for offering reliable performance in an affordable package. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

If you’re tired of your earbuds always falling out when you’re running on the treadmill or working out, it may be time to finally invest in some exercise-friendly audio. That’s where Anker’s Soundcore Sport X10, one of our favorite pairs of wireless earbuds, come in. Normally $69.99, the rotatable in-ears are currently receiving the discount treatment at Amazon as part of the retailer’s fall Prime Day event, which sees them marked down to an all-time low of $51.99 ($18 off).

The Sport X10 solve one of the biggest problems for gym-goers: the irritating sensation you feel when your earbuds are starting to jettison from your ears. The platform-agnostic buds are equipped with ear loops like other workout-friendly earbuds, but unlike the...

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Today is the last day to save on Disney Plus and Hulu before the price hike

You can save $30 on the annual Disney Plus plan by signing up before the price goes up on October 12th. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Like nearly every streaming service these days, Disney is raising the prices of its ad-free Disney Plus and Hulu plans. Starting tomorrow, October 12th, Disney Plus will go from $10.99 per month to $13.99, while its annual ad-free plan will go from $109.99 to $139.99. In addition, Hulu’s no-ads tier will increase from $14.99 a month to $17.99.

Thankfully, there’s still time to save on either plan ahead of Disney’s price hike. If you subscribe to a year of Disney Plus Premium today, you’ll be able to get a full year for $109.99 before having to fork out an extra $30. Just make sure to mark your calendars as you’ll be charged $139.99 on the next billing date, which will be a year from now.

You can also save if you subscribe to the...

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Pixel 8 and 8 Pro review: in Google we trust?

These might just be the Pixel phones we’ve been waiting for, but it all depends on how much trust you’re willing to put into Google.

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Google Pixel Watch 2 review: better battery, better watch

Google’s addressed a lot of what annoyed me about the first Pixel Watch, but repairability and continued Fitbit integration are still question marks.

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Sony will let you stream PS5 games to the PS5 very soon

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

Sony is set to officially launch the ability to play cloud-streamed PS5 games on your PS5 in Japan, Europe, and North America beginning later in October, the company announced in a PlayStation Blog post on Wednesday.

Streaming PS5 games will be a perk for people who subscribe to PlayStation Plus Premium, the most expensive tier of Sony’s PlayStation Plus offerings (which recently got a price hike). Sony plans to roll out the feature in phases, with the below target release dates for each region:

• Japan: October 17th
• Europe: October 23rd
• North America: October 30th

To start, Sony is promising that you’ll be able to stream “select” PS5 games, but it plans to have “hundreds” of PS5 games available for streaming down the line. The cloud...

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EU gives Meta 24 hours to respond to pro-Hamas content

Illustration: The Verge

European Commissioner Thierry Breton warned Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg Wednesday that failing to remove pro-Hamas content across his platforms could put the company in violation of new EU moderation regulations.

In a letter to Zuckerberg Wednesday, Breton urged Meta “to be very vigilant” in removing illegal terrorist content and hate speech amid the ongoing war in Israel. Breton said that the European Commission had seen “a surge of illegal content and disinformation being disseminated in the EU,” potentially putting social media platforms in violation of its Digital Services Act, or DSA.

The DSA went into effect in August, making tech giants like Google, Meta, and Amazon liable for content that’s illegal in the EU being posted on their...

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Marvel is already ‘rebooting’ its upcoming Daredevil Disney Plus reboot

Charlie Cox as Daredevil. | Image: Netflix / Marvel Studios

Daredevil: Born Again — Marvel Studios’ forthcoming live-action Daredevil reboot — is meant to further reintroduce Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock to the Marvel Cinematic Universe following the winding down of the studio’s yearslong partnership with Netflix, where the original Daredevil series previously streamed. While Marvel still seems to have big plans for the Devil of Hell’s Kitchen, it seems as if Born Again has hit some major production snags that are almost certain to delay its Disney Plus debut.

According to a new piece from The Hollywood Reporter, Marvel has parted ways with former Daredevil: Born Again head writers Chris Ord and Matt Corman after determining that the duo’s vision for the series wasn’t in line with its own. Though...

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