Google is going to let you annotate search results

Illustration: The Verge

Ever wanted to add your own annotations to search results you find on Google? With Google’s new “Notes” experiment, launching Wednesday as an opt-in feature through Search Labs, you’ll be able to.

If you’ve opted in to Notes, buttons to add and see notes will appear under search results and under articles on Discover in the Google app. When you create a note, you can add colorful fonts and images.

During a briefing, Google showed me a note for an article about different kinds of frosting that had green text, an image of a cake, and a heart sticker. (At the bottom of the note, there was a link to the article the note was about.)

If you post a note, it should show up “within minutes,” unless it’s flagged for human review, Google VP Cathy...

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WhatsApp for Android will again use Google Drive space for backups

Illustration: The Verge

Android users on WhatsApp won’t have a free ride anymore when it comes to backups. The change comes after five years of Android users’ backups not counting toward Google Drive storage limits at all — something that was never true for iOS users.

Google and WhatsApp both announced that, starting for WhatsApp beta users in December, chat history, including images and videos, will again chew away at Google Drive storage, whether you have the company’s free 15GB plan or you pay for storage.

WhatsApp said the change will come to all of its Android users in the first half of 2024, and it will notify users 30 days ahead of time. The notification will be in the form of a banner in Settings > Chat > Chat backup.

Users who don’t want to use...

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Aqara’s new camera is one of the cheapest HomeKit cameras you can buy

Aqara’s Camera E1 is a pan and tilt indoor smart security camera that works with Apple Home, Amazon Alexa, and Google Home. | Image: Aqara

Aqara’s latest smart home security camera, the Camera E1, is the company’s least expensive camera that still packs high-end features. First shown at the IFA 2023 tech conference, the $60 indoor camera is now available to buy in the US and Europe. It has impressive specs for its price point: 2K video, a wide-angle lens, a 360-degree pan and tilt view, local storage, and on-device processing of smart alerts.

The camera also continues Aqara’s commitment to Apple’s HomeKit Secure Video (HKSV), making it one of the cheapest options to work with Apple’s end-to-end encrypted video storage service. There are several inexpensive cameras that work with Apple HomeKit, but not many that also support the HKSV service. Other similar options include E...

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Amazon’s new security robot is kind of cute

Image: Amazon

Because the world wasn’t frightening enough already, companies can now buy a security robot from Amazon to patrol their businesses. Lucky for humans, this thing looks like it’s just a step above a Roomba — it’s giving Wall-E instead of Terminator.

Amazon launched Astro for Business for customers in the US today, a robot for sale for $2,349.99. It roves around autonomously or via remote control. It’s also equipped with an HD periscope camera with night vision and offers a 24/7 live view and two-way talk. Along with the robot, Amazon is also offering three different subscription services to help companies monitor their facilities.

It’s giving Wall-E instead of Terminator.

For $99 a month, its Virtual Security Guard subscription allows...

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Snapchat and NYX launch new beauty filter that’s also a stealth shopping tool

Snapchat and NYX Professional Makeup launched a new AR filter and shopping tool called Beauty Bestie. | Image: Snapchat

Snapchat just launched a new AR makeup filter that links to products that users can buy to recreate their looks in the real world. It’s a partnership with cosmetics brand NYX Professional Makeup that they’re calling Beauty Bestie.

AR beauty filters are nothing new, but Snapchat and NYX have turned this filter into a marketing tool for products consumers would typically find in a local pharmacy. With struggling pharmacy chains shutting down a lot of locations lately, this is one way NYX might be able to nab more customers online.

Snapchat and NYX have turned this filter into a marketing tool for products consumers would typically find in a local pharmacy

Users can find the filter by searching “NYX Beauty Bestie” or visiting the makeup...

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Mario’s big year continues with an excellent Super Mario RPG remake

Image: Nintendo

Nintendo may have a conflicted relationship with its history, but if there’s one thing the company loves, it’s selling you classic games over and over again. I’ve honestly lost count of the number of platforms on which I own games like Super Metroid and Super Mario Bros. 3. That lack of attention from Nintendo is part of what makes Super Mario RPG such a curiosity — and its new remake on the Switch such a welcome sight.

In 1996, Nintendo teamed up with Final Fantasy maker Square Enix (then known as Squaresoft) to craft a roleplaying game set in the Mushroom Kingdom. Not only was this seemingly strange combination a hit, but it also spurred two separate Mario RPG franchises. Mario RPG was both beloved and influential — and yet, there are...

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The first OLED Roku TV is here after a long, long wait

Image: Sharp

Today, Sharp is announcing the first Roku TV that features an OLED display. Until this point, the program — launched back in 2014 — has exclusively produced sets with LCD panels from a slew of different TV manufacturers. But with its new Aquos OLEDs, Sharp is finally bucking that trend.

Available in 55-inch and 65-inch sizes, these TVs support Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10, and feature four HDMI ports that all support variable refresh rate (VRR) for smooth 4K 120Hz gameplay. The Aquos OLED sets also include a 30-watt speaker system and full Dolby Atmos compatibility.

Image: Sharp

It’s an OLED, so you can bet this is one thin TV.

But as always with Roku TVs, the biggest hook is the easy-to-use software. You’re...

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Google Maps tweaks transit directions, adds emoji reactions and collaborative lists

Image: Google

Google announced a slew of updates to Maps, including improved transit directions, emoji reactions, and collaborative lists.

With transit directions, Google Maps will now recommend different routes depending on what you want, with options such as “best route,” “fewer transfers,” “less walking,” “wheelchair accessible,” or “lowest cost.” The app will also clearly display station entrances and exits so you don’t accidentally get on the wrong train.

It’s the latest feature in Google Maps’ ongoing effort to make itself more user-friendly for commuters and transit riders. In 2019, it added new transit crowdedness predictions, allowing customers to see how crowded their bus, train, or tube is likely to be before heading out on their commute....

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The incredible shrinking heat pump

Illustration by Nico H. Brausch for The Verge

For now, the window heat pump in apartment 1D sticks out like a sore thumb. Set between off-white lace curtains, it looks like a brand-new oven installed in a grandma’s living room.

The heat pump replaced a radiator — those rattling, hissing things that are hallmarks of most old buildings in New York City. And if the heat pump proves itself this winter, it could one day make its way into virtually every room in every home in the city’s public housing system. And that could just be the start for the future of home heating.

The prototype in this room at the Woodside Houses in Queens, New York, is already an engineering feat that New York state has funneled tens of millions of dollars into developing because nothing like it was on the...

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Uber failed to help cities go green — will robotaxis, too?

Illustration by Nico H. Brausch for The Verge

Robotaxi companies are eager to present themselves with a green halo.

“Climate change is the single biggest issue we face as a global community,” Cruise declared in a blog post published on Earth Day 2022. “Each of us has an opportunity to make an impact. Cruise knows the AV industry can –– and should –– help lead the charge.” Its rival Waymo seems to agree. In a post this summer, the company stated, “Cities where we operate gain another zero-emission transportation option, which could help them meet their climate goals.”

Sustainability is critical to the public pitch of robotaxi companies, which are under growing scrutiny after California regulators suspended Cruise’s driverless permit last month due to safety concerns. But the idea...

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Tesla’s Cyberquad for Kids is back and officially a toy again

Orders for the new Model 915 Cyberquad for Kids are expected to ship in late November. | Image: Tesla

After being recalled last year for not meeting product safety standards, Tesla’s $1,900 Cyberquad for Kids is once again available to purchase on the Tesla webstore in the US. The latest release of the Cybertruck-inspired ride-on toy — identified as Model 915 — is an updated version of the Model 914 Cyberquad for Kids that launched back in December 2021. Orders for the Model 915 are expected to begin shipping in late November.

Like the Model 914, the new Model 915 Cyberquad for Kids was jointly created by Tesla and popular children’s toy maker Radio Flyer, best known as the makers of the Little Red Wagon. The battery-powered Cyberquad for Kids has a 500W motor with a top speed of 10 mph (that parents can switch to 5 mph) and a max range...

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Microsoft investigating Windows activation issues after closing a key loophole

Image: Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Microsoft is investigating Windows activation issues that appear to be linked to the company’s recent move to block Windows 7 and Windows 8 keys from activating copies of Windows 10 and Windows 11. If you have an installation of Windows 10 / 11 that has been activated using the free upgrade from Windows 7 or 8, then there’s a chance it might become deactivated if you swap some hardware components or even upgrade your BIOS version.

I personally experienced this in late October on a copy of Windows 11 after swapping a motherboard in one of my test PCs and no longer being able to activate it using the digital key assigned to my Microsoft account. I had to purchase a new Windows 11 key instead.

A Verge reader experienced the same issue and...

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YouTube’s non-solution for AI podcasts

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

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

Today we have a look at how YouTube’s new AI rules will (and will not) affect podcasting, another late-night host ditching TV for audio, and a bunch of your recs on podcasts covering the Israel-Hamas war.

What do YouTube’s new AI rules mean for podcasts? Not much.

This morning, YouTube released new terms regarding AI-generated content on its platform. As my Verge colleagues Mia Sato and Nilay Patel reported, the company is creating a two-tier system in the way it moderates such content: a strict set of rules for music and a looser, nearly unenforceable standard for everything else (including podcasts). For creators who make podcasts...

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The best ebook reader to buy right now

Image: Will Joel / The Verge

From reading in the bath to scribbling notes in the margins, from diving into the Amazon ecosystem to avoiding it outright, there’s an e-reader for everyone.

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Pokémon Concierge’s first trailer has perfect stats

Almost everything about the world of Pokémon revolves around humans and their magical monster buds fighting to near-death for fame and glory. But the first trailer for Netflix’s upcoming Pokémon Concierge series from Dwarf Animation Studio is a reminder that in order to succeed in battle, one must also make time to relax.

Set on a tropical island where pokémon travel for some much-needed downtime, Pokémon Concierge tells the story of Haru (​​Karen Fukuhara), a young woman working at resort that caters to the specific desires of its many pokémon guests. As new hires, there’s a lot about tending to the needs of battle-hardened pokémon that Haru and her partner Psyduck have to learn. But as tricky as it can be figuring out what pokémon...

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How to share large files over the web

The Verge

There’s no shortage of ways to share files with other people, whether you want to send them in a group chat, attach them to an email, or ping them over via AirDrop or Nearby Share. These all work perfectly well, but they’re all best for smaller files.

If you’ve got a larger file to send to someone — like a high-res video or an archive of many different files, for example — you can start to run into problems. Email clients might reject your file for being too big, or you might be waiting a while for the file to transfer over a protocol like Bluetooth.

In addition, if you’re looking to limit the amount of time a file is available for download, or if you want to limit who has access and the kind of access they have, a more feature-filled...

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Right-to-repair advocates are asking the FTC for stronger rules

Image: iFixit

Right-to-repair proponents are asking the FTC to introduce new rules for electronics manufacturers that aim to make it easier for consumers to fix their own devices. The repair guide site iFixit and the US Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) on Tuesday submitted a petition to the federal agency, with the end goal of kicking off a new rulemaking process for right to repair. Although three states (California, Minnesota, and New York) have recently enacted right-to-repair laws, nationwide reforms have stalled in Congress. The repair reforms outlined in the petition also go well beyond what states have so far enacted.

The Biden administration’s FTC is in support of right to repair, but proponents say more aggressive action is needed to...

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Threads might get DMs after all — but it’ll probably be through Instagram

Image: The Verge

The will-they-won’t-they of Threads direct messages has been going on for a while now. Last we heard, Instagram (and Threads) head Adam Mosseri said that Threads was not planning to build DMs. That still appears to be true — but it’s not the whole story.

Mosseri said on Tuesday, in a Threads post replying to Platformer’s Casey Newton, that his reluctance to build DMs into Threads stems from the fact that he thinks Instagram’s messaging service might be the right one for Threads. Threads is, after all, build on top of the Instagram app and is already connected to Instagram in a number of ways. And Mosseri has been hinting for months that he thinks Instagram DMs can be the main place for private chat.

“My hope is that we can make the...

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Social media giants must face child safety lawsuits, judge rules

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Meta, ByteDance, Alphabet, and Snap must proceed with a lawsuit alleging their social platforms have adverse mental health effects on children, a federal court ruled on Tuesday. US District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers rejected the social media giants’ motion to dismiss the dozens of lawsuits accusing the companies of running platforms “addictive” to kids.

School districts across the US have filed suit against Meta, ByteDance, Alphabet, and Snap, alleging the companies cause physical and emotional harm to children. Meanwhile, 42 states sued Meta last month over claims Facebook and Instagram “profoundly altered the psychological and social realities of a generation of young Americans.” This order addresses the individual suits and “over...

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Amazon has begun replacing Android with its own software on some products

The third-generation Echo Show 5 is running a new OS 1.1 instead of the standard Fire OS. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

Last week, it was reported that Amazon is quietly developing its own operating system that will replace Android on its Fire TV devices before expanding to other products, including the company’s many smart displays. Janko Roettgers spilled the details in his Lowpass newsletter. The report predicted that Amazon’s software, codenamed Vega, could appear on Fire TV streaming hardware as soon as next year.

But as discovered by Zatz Not Funny!, it turns out this new homegrown OS is already being used on the latest Echo Show 5, which displays its software as “OS 1.1” instead of the expected Fire OS. The low number is an obvious indication that we’re dealing with a brand-new platform; the Echo Show 8, by comparison, currently runs Fire OS...

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Gaming brands are learning the right lessons from enthusiast mechanical keyboards

The Asus ROG Azoth (top) and Razer BlackWidow V4 75% (bottom) aren’t your typical gaming keyboards.

The new Razer BlackWidow V4 75% and Asus ROG Azoth play to traditional gaming strengths, while feeling and sounding significantly nicer to type on.

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Truck bloat is killing us, new crash data reveals

Image: Getty

American car buyers can’t get enough big, tall SUVs and trucks — but new data suggests that the downsides of this trend are growing increasingly deadly.

Crashes involving vehicles with hood heights that are 40 inches or higher are 45 percent more likely to result in a fatality as compared to vehicles with hood heights that are 30 inches or less with a sloping profile, according to a new report analyzing federal crash statistics by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

The data comes amid an ongoing pedestrian safety crisis in the US in which fatalities are at a 40-year high and the number of pedestrians killed has increased by 80 percent since hitting a low in 2009.

The data comes amid an ongoing pedestrian safety crisis...

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Polestar’s electric future looks high-performing — and promising

Image: Daniel Golson

Last week, I attended Polestar Day, a massive event put on by the Geely-owned Swedish brand in a hangar at the Santa Monica airport.

The Volvo offshoot company invited hundreds of media, investors, and owners to experience the latest products and upcoming models and learn about a bunch of new technology innovations and partnerships that were announced at the event.

Polestar 3 SUV

This was the media’s first opportunity to ride in the Polestar 3, the Porsche Cayenne-fighting SUV that will be built in South Carolina and go on sale in the US in the second quarter of 2024. I rode in a fully loaded 3 with the optional Performance package, which bumps output to 517 horsepower, adjusts the torque vectoring and all-wheel drive...

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The best smart holiday string lights

Smart string lights can bring some festive cheer to your holiday season. | Photo Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge

Put some smarts into your sparkles this holiday season.

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Disney Pinnacle is preparing to be the next big NFT failure

Image: Dapper Labs

NFTs aren’t gone yet — Disney will launch an “all-new socially driven collectible experience” called Disney Pinnacle later this year, turning characters from Pixar, Star Wars, and its classic animated films into tradable digital pins. The Disney Pinnacle website has a waitlist for interested traders and collectors; however, it doesn’t explain what the “digital pins” are actually like or why the company would bother to create a verifiable digital hoard.

While announcing Pinnacle, Disney and its partner Dapper Labs won’t even say the word “NFT.” Dapper Labs still calls itself “the NFT company,” but between a variety of scams, an eye-blistering episode at a recent Bored Ape event, and a market that has plunged since peaking in early 2021,...

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Here are your bingo cards for Google CEO Sundar Pichai’s Fortnite testimony

We cut Peely the Banana — he’s been pretty absent so far. | Illustration: Cath Virginia

The Epic v. Google trial is absolutely chock-full of intriguing lingo, so we couldn’t resist — we whipped up a custom set of bingo cards to make your trial live blog experience that much sweeter.

Here are four bingo cards to get started with; you can click to enlarge and save whichever strikes your fancy.

Want to print them out for the authentic experience? Be our guest! Unless you don’t have a printer anymore for some reason, of course. There are no prizes, but feel free to let us know in the comments if you win.

You might be wondering what some of these terms mean. May I direct your attention to times they previously came up and why? That way, you’ll be fully prepped f...

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Amazon will now let you track Buy with Prime orders from your Amazon account

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

If you buy something from a merchant that uses Amazon’s Buy with Prime button, you’ll now be able to track those orders on your Amazon account, access 24/7 customer service over live chat, and be able to return “eligible” orders at “more drop-off locations” without having to box them up or add a label, Amazon announced on Tuesday.

Amazon’s Buy with Prime initiative lets shoppers buy things from non-Amazon websites and merchants but still be able to take advantage of Prime benefits like free two-day shipping. The company launched it in April 2022 and expanded its availability earlier this year. However, until now, you couldn’t track a Buy with Prime order from an Amazon account, which could be useful if you end up doing a lot of holiday...

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Amazon’s Map View arrives to create a digital map of your smart home

The new Map View for the Alexa app should make managing devices in the app a little easier. | Image: Amazon

Finally, no more scrolling through an endless list of devices named “First Motion Sensor” or “Fourth Light” in Amazon’s Alexa app. The smart home controller is getting the option of a new user interface — Map View.

Launching November 14th in public preview, the new map interface allows you to create a digital version of your home’s floor plan and pin your Alexa-connected devices to each room. “Now you have a single place where you can quickly check the status of everything, see which Echo is playing music, see the temperature, see if lights are on or off, and everything is controllable from the map,” Amazon’s Charlie French, director of smart home, explained in an interview ahead of the launch.

First announced at Amazon’s fall hardware...

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The Fitbit Charge 6 is already nearly 40 percent off ahead of Black Friday

With more features and a lower price tag, Fitbit’s latest fitness band represents a small — albeit welcome — return to form. | Image: Google / Fitbit

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: the line between modern smartwatches and fitness trackers is getting increasingly difficult to make out. Thankfully, Google appears to be correcting course somewhat with the launch of the Fitbit Charge 6, further differentiating the Fitbit lineup from newer smartwatches like the Google Pixel Watch 2. And now, less than a month after its release, Amazon, Best Buy, and Target are all offering the Fitbit Charge 6 for $99.95 ($60 off).

At its core, the Charge 6 is a lot like the last-gen Charge 5, save for a new haptic button on the side and a handful of software updates. The feature-rich fitness tracker still touts long battery life, a bright always-on display, and a full suite of sensors for...

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The best instant cameras you can buy right now

Image: Kristen Radtke / The Verge

We found the best cameras for your budget and needs.

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