The Verge
The best smart plugs
Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge
These misleadingly simple gadgets are some of the most useful smart devices you can have in your home.
The VergeThe VergeIs my co-worker AI? Bizarre product reviews leave Gannett staff wondering
Image: Mia Sato / The Verge
A smattering of articles recently discovered on Reviewed, Gannett’s product reviews site, is prompting an increasingly common debate: was this made with artificial intelligence tools or by a human?
The writing is stilted, repetitive, and at times nonsensical. “Before buying a product, you need to first consider the fit, light settings, and additional features that each option offers,” reads an article titled “Best waist lamp of 2023.” “Before you purchase Swedish Dishcloths, there are a few questions you may want to ask yourself,” says another. On each page, there is a section called “Product Pros/Cons” that, instead of actually offering benefits and drawbacks, just has one list with a handful of features. The pages are loaded with...
The VergeLisa Frankenstein’s new trailer makes it look like a totally rad monster romance
Most of us associate the name “Lisa Frank” with kittens, unicorns, and dolphins leaping out of neon oceans, but after watching the trailer for Focus Features’ Lisa Frankenstein, you might have to add “reanimated corpse boyfriends” to that list.
From director Zelda Williams and writer Diablo Cody, Lisa Frankenstein tells the story of Lisa (Kathryn Newton), a gloomy high schooler who — like most of her peers — feels deeply misunderstood by the world. Like most of the teenagers in her orbit, Lisa longs to be with someone who can relate to her disdain for the drudgery of everyday life. But whereas Lisa’s friends all pine for living, breathing boys, she only has eyes for a seemingly long-dead corpse (Cole Sprouse).
When Lisa somehow manages...
The VergeRead Phil Spencer’s full Microsoft memo on the new Xbox leadership changes
Image: Laura Normand / The Verge
Microsoft announced some big changes to its Xbox and marketing leadership today. Sarah Bond is being promoted to Xbox president, leading all Xbox platform and hardware work. Matt Booty is now the president of game content and studios, including overseeing Bethesda and ZeniMax studios.
Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer sent an internal memo to Xbox employees today, detailing all the key changes. The Verge has obtained Spencer’s memo, and you can read it in full below:
It’s been a whirlwind two weeks since we closed our deal with ABK, an acquisition that will materially impact our current and future success. Since then, I’ve been on tour, visiting the teams. It’s been awesome to see the ambition of the games they’re making, the depth of...
The VergeHow Figma and Adobe think they could work together
Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge
Regulators are still reviewing Adobe’s $20 billion proposed acquisition of Figma on antitrust grounds.
In the meantime, it’s clear that both companies see lots of ways their products can work together. The below video shared exclusively with The Verge shows some of those ideas for the first time, including how Adobe’s generative AI engine, Firefly, could be integrated directly into Figma. Another example shows a working app prototype from Figma being dropped directly into After Effects, along with shared color palettes and fonts available in both Figma and Creative Cloud.
“It’s really important that Figma operates as an independent team because their customer base is so distinct, and also, they’ve got a great thing going,” Adobe chief...
The VergeBoston Dynamics turned its robot dog into a talking tour guide with ChatGPT
Screenshot: Boston Dynamics via YouTube
We saw Spot run, jump, and even dance... but now we can see Spot talk. In a somewhat unsettling video posted by Boston Dynamics, we see its robot dog outfitted with a top hat, mustache, and googly eyes as it chats with staff members in a British accent, taking them on a tour of the company’s facilities.
“Shall we commence our journey?” Spot asks. “The charging stations, where Spot robots rest and recharge, is our first point of interest. Follow me, gentlemen.” As shown in the demo, Spot is capable of answering questions and even opens its “mouth” to make it seem like it’s actually speaking.
To make Spot “talk,” Boston Dynamics used OpenAI’s ChatGPT API, along with some open-source large language models (LLM) to carefully train its...
The VergeWhat’s on your desk, Kate Cox?
A home space that helps keep an eye on work, the cat, and the kids — all at the same time.
The VergeMicrosoft reorgs its Xbox and marketing teams to prepare for an AI and gaming future
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Microsoft is reorganizing its Xbox gaming and marketing leadership, less than two weeks after acquiring Activision Blizzard. Microsoft is promoting Matt Booty to president of game content and studios, including the new responsibility of ZeniMax, and Sarah Bond to Xbox president, overseeing all Xbox platform and hardware work. On the marketing side, chief marketing officer Chris Capossela is stepping down after 32 years at Microsoft.
The Xbox changes mean Booty will now lead an expanded organization inside Microsoft Gaming that now includes ZeniMax and Bethesda. “ZeniMax will continue to operate as a limited integration entity led by Jamie Leder, President and CEO, reporting to Matt,” explains Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer in an...
The VergeTesla’s first big Supercharger deal is a $100 million sale to BP
BP Pulse charging stations that now include Tesla Supercharger hardware inside. | Image: BP
BP is buying $100 million of Supercharger hardware from Tesla, making it the first company to purchase DC fast-charging equipment from the automaker for use in a third-party charging network. The sale is going to the oil and gas conglomerate’s EV charging business known as BP Pulse, which plans to invest up to $1 billion in building a nationwide charging network by 2030, including $500 million over the next two to three years.
Tesla’s equipment can charge at up to 250kW and features a Magic Dock connector to connect using the standardized North American Charging Standard (NACS) plug from Tesla or a CCS Combo attachment that supports most other EVs. The press release doesn’t mention whether the deal covers Tesla’s updated V4...
The VergeLinksys says its Velop Pro 7 mesh is so good you won’t need an app
The Velop Pro 7 3-pack. | Image: Linksys
Linksys has released the Velop Pro 7, its newest Wi-Fi 7 mesh router, which it says is so smart, it can fix itself — and it’s convinced enough of this that it plans to phase out its router management app. Like the Velops before it, you can buy Linksys’ new kit one at a time or in two- or- three-pack configurations. The router costs $399.99 for one, $749.99 for two, or $999.99 for three.
This is usually where I would tell you about the specs. But first, we need to talk about the app thing. While briefing me on its new routers, Linksys said its customers have overwhelmingly told it that they just don’t like needing to use an app to manage their network, so it’s looking to phase it out. It won’t happen immediately, but that’s the goal....
The VergeThe Beatles’ final song is coming together through the power of artificial intelligence
The album art for “Now and Then.” | Apple / Capitol
Were it not for WingNut Films’ machine assisted learning tech, Peter Jackson’s 2021 The Beatles: Get Back Disney Plus docuseries might not exist the way it does today, and that very same artificial intelligence that made that project possible is why the music group’s final song will soon be available to the public for the first time.
Earlier this year, Paul McCartney teased that the same tech Jackson used to de-mix and isolate all of the Beatles’ speaking voices in old footage had also made it possible to recover John Lennon’s vocals from an old cassette of “Now and Then” — an unfinished track recorded as a demo back in the 1970s. Today, the group announced that, after decades of lying in wait, “Now and Then” is finally being released as...
The VergeGoogle reportedly pays $18 billion a year to be Apple’s default search engine
Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge
Google pays Apple billions of dollars every year to be the default search engine in Safari on Macs, iPads, and iPhones. That, we’ve known for a long time. But exactly how many billions Google pays, what strings are attached to that money, and what might happen if it went away? Those have been the questions raised repeatedly in the ongoing US v. Google trial, and most of the numbers have been reserved for a closed courtroom.
But now, a New York Times report offers a specific figure: it says Google paid Apple “around $18 billion” in 2021. We’ve been hearing educated guesses and rumors during the trial as low as $10 billion and as high as $20 billion, so this number isn’t totally shocking. But it’s at the high end of expectations.
That...
The VergeTicketmaster’s still hiding ticket fees, senator says
Photo by Drew Angerer / Getty Images
Live Nation, the parent company of Ticketmaster, promised to scrap the hidden fees plaguing its ticketing service earlier this year. But one senator says the company’s not doing nearly enough.
In a letter to Live Nation CEO Michael Rapino Wednesday, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) called on the company to turn on an “all-in” pricing filter that it added this year by default. Klobuchar said it’s “still too difficult” for users to turn on the filter that’s “buried within a tab that gives no indication that it contains” the option in the first place.
“Millions of Americans rely on your company for the chance to see their favorite artist, band, or sports team,” Klobuchar wrote. “In return for their business and trust, your customers expect a...
The VergeYou can now build your own awesome Game Boy Mini Camera
The Game Boy Mini Camera, by Christopher Graves. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge
The Game Boy Camera is remembered as a bulbous sphere that sat atop an absolute chonk of a portable gaming machine — but yours doesn’t need to be so huge! Remember the gorgeous Game Boy Mini Camera we introduced you to this summer? Christopher Graves is now ready to help you build your own.
Starting today, you can buy the files, boards, and find instructions at the eight-bit photographer’s website. Expect to spend around $110, assuming you’ve already got a donor Game Boy Camera ($40–$50 used) and a 3D printer so you can print the shell yourself. Even the colorful Game Boy Mini Camera label design is included, though it might be a bit longer before you can order a preprinted label.
Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge
W...
The VergeProject X is a tiny EV with swappable Gogoro batteries
MIH’s Project X EV looks like a toy car, but full humans can fit inside. | Image: MIH
Don’t give up on the dream of a small electric car just yet. At the Japan Mobility Show 2023, there’s a tiny car designed for city driving and powered by Gogoro scooter batteries that owners can swap out and drive away without waiting around at a typical EV charging station.
The car is called Project X (for now) and is built by the Mobility in Harmony Consortium (MIH), which is led by manufacturing conglomerate Foxconn. The vehicle is short in length, stubby, and looks like a cute toy but not too far off from a Smart Fortwo. However, Project X can fit a third person in the back. The space where a fourth seat could have gone is taken up by two angled Gogoro battery back slots for easy insertion and removal.
Image: MIH ...
The VergeApple’s second-gen HomePod in white is $20 off right now
The second-gen HomePod looks just like the original, but it has an updated driver configuration and slightly better smart home applications. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
Apple’s flagship HomePod smart speaker rarely goes on sale after returning from the grave, but right now, you can get the white version for $279.99 ($20 off) at B&H Photo. B&H is also selling the black version for a slightly higher $289, saving just 10 bucks for those who want a more discreet look to their Siri-powered speaker.
The second-gen HomePod is a lot like the original that debuted back in 2018, but the successor adds handy temperature and humidity sensors to be a little more smart home-y, and it has a nice integration with the Apple TV streaming boxes. (You can link two of them as a stereo pair for TV audio.) The HomePod’s signature sound from the original model is mostly the same here, with an emphasis on rich, balanced audio...
The VergeGoogle Maps is becoming more like Search — thanks to AI
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Google is adding a range of new AI-powered features to Maps, including more immersive navigation, easier-to-follow driving directions, and better organized search results. The end result is an experience that will likely remind many users of Google Search.
Some of this news has already been announced, like Immersive View, which is now coming to more cities. Other aspects are intended to enhance previously available features, like EV charging station availability.
But the biggest takeaway is that Google wants Maps to be more like Search: a place where people can obviously come get directions or find coffee shops and EV chargers but also enter vague queries like “fall foliage,” “latte art,” or “things to do in Tokyo” and get a whole...
The VergeLeica’s latest camera encrypts verification info into every photo
Just like the M11, the M11-P comes in a black aluminum body that’s lighter in weight or a silver chromed brass that’s heavier. | Image: Leica Camera
The compact and discreet nature of Leica M rangefinder cameras once made them a popular choice for photojournalists, long before autofocus became pretty much a prerequisite. But while M cameras these days are more likely to be in the hands of an amateur or enthusiast than a conflict photographer shooting for Reuters or The Associated Press, Leica’s new M11-P has a novel approach to verifying the authenticity of photos.
The $9,195 M11-P follows mostly the same playbook as Leica’s prior “P” variants. At its core, it’s mostly the same as the 60-megapixel manual focus M11 rangefinder it’s based on, but it eschews the red dot badge in favor of an old-fashioned engraving, upgrades the LCD cover from Gorilla Glass to sapphire crystal, and, like...
The VergeShutterstock will now let you transform real photos using AI
Image: Shutterstock
Shutterstock will now let you edit its library of images using AI. In an update on Thursday, Shutterstock revealed a set of new AI-powered tools, like Magic Brush, which lets you tweak an image by brushing over an area and “describing what you want to add, replace or erase.”
The AI image editor is still in beta and will also let you generate alternate versions of a stock or AI-generated image as well as expand the background of an image. Additionally, Shutterstock is rolling out a “smart” resizing feature that will automatically change an image’s shape to match your required dimensions, along with an AI-powered background removal tool.
Shutterstock notes that it will compensate artists “if their images are licensed after editing.”...
The VergeThe restaurant nearest Google
Thai Food Near Me, Dentist Near Me, Notary Near Me, Plumber Near Me — businesses across the country picked names meant to outsmart Google Search. Does it actually work?
The VergeThe UK’s controversial Online Safety Bill finally becomes law
Illustration by Hugo Herrera for The Verge
The UK’s Online Safety Bill, a wide-ranging piece of legislation that aims to make the country “the safest place in the world to be online” received royal assent today and became law. The bill has been years in the making and attempts to introduce new obligations for how tech firms should design, operate, and moderate their platforms. Specific harms the bill aims to address include underage access to online pornography, “anonymous trolls,” scam ads, the nonconsensual sharing of intimate deepfakes, and the spread of child sexual abuse material and terrorism-related content.
Although it’s now law, online platforms will not need to immediately comply with all of their duties under the bill, which is now known as the Online Safety Act. UK...
The VergeSamsung’s temporary cloud storage feature makes phone upgrades and repairs less stressful
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Samsung is starting to roll out a “Temporary Cloud Backup” feature to Samsung Galaxy smartphones and tablets running on One UI 6, the company announced on Thursday. It’ll allow users to back up and transfer an unlimited number of photos, videos, and other data for up to 30 days for free.
Giving customers a free place to store their data when they need to reset or transfer between devices and a month to recover it should make the process easier and reduce any “did I remember to transfer everything?” stress. It also brings Samsung up to par with Apple, which also offers temporary iCloud storage with new iPhones and iPads that give customers 21 days to transfer data but can be extended.
Samsung’s “Temporary Cloud Feature” additionally lets...
The VergeIn the end, the FTX trial was about the friends screwed along the way
A Greek tragedy in the Southern District of New York. | Photo Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos by Michael M. Santiago, Bloomberg, Klmax, Whyframestudio, Yevgen Romanenko, Pixhook, Peter Dazeley, Jimkruger, Getty Images
The prosecution’s case against Sam Bankman-Fried had a lot of collateral damage.
The VergeFord is testing drone deliveries at the derelict train station in Detroit it’s rehabbing
A drone flying outside of that abandoned train station that Ford wants to turn into an innovation hub. | Image: Michigan Central
Detroit’s Michigan Central Station, the once beautiful but now abandoned train station that Ford is rehabilitating into an innovation and technology hub, is about to be swarmed by drones.
The Ford subsidiary that operates the train station, Michigan Central, announced today that it’s teaming up with the state’s Department of Transportation (MDOT) to test out the use of unmanned aircraft systems (UAM), or drones, to deliver medicine, food, and other small items to nearby residents.
Image: Michigan Central
The drone delivery testing will take place in what’s being called Detroit’s Advanced Aerial Innovation Region, an area within a three-mile radius of Michigan Central Station in which drones can conduct deliveries...
The VergeFord and UAW reach tentative agreement to end strike
Photo by Michael Swensen/Getty Images
The United Auto Workers (UAW) union and Ford have reached a tentative agreement to end the union’s strike against the automaker. Last month, workers at Ford, GM, and Stellantis factories walked off the job in targeted work stoppages timed just as the large automakers shift to producing more electric vehicles than ever before.
The strike has roiled the auto industry, costing each company hundreds of millions of dollars each week in lost production and throwing the industry’s shift to electric vehicles on ice. An agreement with Ford puts more pressure on GM and Stellantis to strike a deal with the union.
According to preliminary reports, Ford agreed to a 25 percent increase in wages, plus cost of living increases, that will bump the pay...
The VergeValve officially releases SteamVR 2.0
Image: Valve
Valve announced Wednesday that it has released SteamVR 2.0, launching the major update exactly a month after the surprise launch of the SteamVR 2.0 beta in September.
“In this release we’re bringing all of what’s new and exciting on the Steam platform into VR,” Valve says in a Steam post. “This is our first big step in a larger ongoing effort to better unify the Steam ecosystem for all users, providing a more consistent experience across devices. This update also allows us to add new Steam features in the future much faster and more frequently.”
SteamVR 2.0 has been a long time coming, with Valve saying in a 2019 year-in-review Steam post that it was “hard at work” on the update. Here are some of Valve’s highlights for what you’ll find...
The VergeHonor says its new phone lets you open apps with your eyes
The Magic Capsule technology is coming to Honor’s next flagship. | Image: Honor
We were expecting — and we got — a lot of talk about generative AI this morning when Honor CEO George Zhao took the stage at Qualcomm’s 2023 Snapdragon Summit. But the announcement of its Honor 6 flagship came with a surprising detail: it includes a feature that lets you interact with the device using your eyes. With some notable concerns about privacy implications, it looks kinda cool.
The keynote briefly featured a rendering of what this technology will look like, showing a woman looking at her phone with a snippet of the Uber app running at the top of the screen — something like a Live Activity. By changing the direction of her gaze, she opens the app in full.
Honor calls the technology Magic Capsule, and describes it as “eye-tracking...
The VergeKnow the price-matching policies for Best Buy, Target, Walmart, and others
Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge
Nothing is more frustrating than buying a new pair of headphones, an OLED TV, or a backpack just to find out that you could have gotten it for a lot cheaper somewhere else. In order to keep customers happy — and prevent them from going elsewhere — many retailers offer price-matching policies where they promise to match a lower price you’ve found elsewhere. That’s information that could come in handy now that Black Friday and Cyber Monday are just around the corner.
What follows are the price-matching policies for a variety of major retailers. There are a few things to make note of here. First, all price-matching policies have a number of rules attached to them. We’ve summarized some of the rules here, but you’d be advised to go to the...
The VergeZuckerberg says Threads has almost 100 million monthly users
Mark Zuckerberg. | Image: Meta
The rumors of Threads’ early demise have been exaggerated.
Meta’s competitor to Elon Musk’s X has hit “just under” 100 million monthly users since it was released in early July, CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced Wednesday during his company’s quarterly earnings call.
“We’re three months in now, and I’m very happy with the trajectory,” he said, echoing the bullish comments he made about how Threads is doing during a recent interview with The Verge. “We’re now getting to the point where we’re going to be focusing on growing the community further. From what we can tell, people love it so far.”
As the head of Instagram explained at the launch of Threads, Meta sees an opening to seriously compete with the platform formerly known as Twitter now...
The VergeX is officially rolling out audio and video calls
Illustration: The Verge
X, the platform previously known as Twitter, is rolling out audio and video calls. Several users on the platform, including some of us here at The Verge, have received a notification when opening the app, stating: “Audio and video calls are here!”
There’s also a new “Enable audio and video calling” toggle within the app’s settings, which says you can “turn the feature on and then select who you’re comfortable using it with.” It includes options to allow audio and video calls from only people in your address book, people you follow, verified users, or all three. You can then make a call by opening a DM with another user, selecting the phone icon in the top right corner of the screen, and choosing audio or video call.
S...