LG says its new 4K projector is a ‘stylish art object’

The LG Qube is so tiny, so boxy, so handle-y. | Image: LG

LG announced the CineBeam Qube (model HU710PB) laser projector yesterday: It’s got a minimalist look and stature, weighing 3.28 pounds and measuring 135mm square on one side and just 80mm wide at the front. (For comparison, the iPhone 15 Pro is just shy of 147mm tall.) It also has an unknown number of HDMI eARC and USB-C ports, and a 3W built-in mono speaker. Impressively, LG says it can project an up-to-120-inch image at full 4K resolution with a pretty standard 1.2 throw ratio. Oh, and it has a handle!

There are some apparent drawbacks to this itty bitty projector. For starters, it pushes out a relatively dim 500 ANSI lumens (compared to 2200 ANSI lumens of the larger Xgimi Horizon Pro we reviewed two years ago). That means that,...

Continue reading…

Vizio agrees to pay $3 million for alleged ‘false’ refresh rate claims

A lawsuit alleged that Vizio’s claims about refresh rates can be misleading. | Image: Vizio

If you bought a Vizio TV in California after April 30th, 2014, Vizio may owe you some money. The company has agreed to pay out $3 million after a 2018 class action lawsuit alleged that its marketing of 120Hz and 240Hz “effective” refresh rates was “false and deceptive.” Vizio denies that it did anything wrong, according to the agreement. The deadline for filing claims is March 30th next year, and requires some sort of evidence of ownership, including proof of purchase or the serial number, to qualify.

In addition to paying out for verified claims, Vizio would “stop the advertising practices” and “provide enhanced services and a limited one-year warranty to all Settlement Class Members,” according to details from the website set up for...

Continue reading…

2023’s great games were overshadowed by a dark cloud of layoffs

The Verge / Photos via Getty Images

Layoffs are an unfortunate reality of any industry, but the scope and scale of video game layoffs in 2023 are far beyond a typical year. More than any specific video game or piece of news, layoffs defined the past 12 months. Companies large and small have felt their impact. Unofficial figures estimate 9,000 workers have been affected, and at the heart of it all are corporations that valued growth at all costs — including people.

In September, Epic Games laid off 830 employees. In a statement, CEO Tim Sweeney wrote, “We’ve been spending way more money than we earn. [...] I had long been optimistic that we could power through this transition without layoffs, but in retrospect I see that this was unrealistic.” Some of that spending was on...

Continue reading…

Microsoft’s Copilot app is now available on iOS

Image: Microsoft

Just days after introducing a Copilot app on Android, Microsoft has rolled out an app for its AI chatbot on iOS and iPadOS. Both versions of the app are now available to download from the Apple App Store.

The app gives you access to Microsoft Copilot (formerly Bing Chat) and works similarly to OpenAI’s ChatGPT mobile app. In addition to letting you ask questions, draft emails, and summarize text, you can also create images through an integration with the text-to-image generator DALL-E3.

Image: Microsoft

And, unlike the free version of ChatGPT which runs GPT-3.5, Copilot lets you access GPT-4, the latest large language model (LLM) from OpenAI, without having to pay for a subscription.

With Microsoft’s rebrand of Bing...

Continue reading…

Former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen accidentally cited fake court cases generated by AI

Image: Getty

Michael Cohen, the former lawyer for Donald Trump, admitted to citing fake, AI-generated court cases in a legal document that wound up in front of a federal judge, as reported earlier by The New York Times. A filing unsealed on Friday says Cohen used Google’s Bard to perform research after mistaking it for “a super-charged search engine” rather than an AI chatbot.

The document in question was a motion that asked a federal judge to shorten the length of Cohen’s three-year probation, which he’s now facing following prison time and a guilty plea to tax evasion and other charges. But after reviewing the letter brief, US District Judge Jesse Furman wrote in a filing that “none of these cases exist” and asked Cohen’s lawyer, David Schwartz, to...

Continue reading…

Nvidia is releasing a slower RTX 4090 in China to comply with US restrictions

Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge

Nvidia is launching a graphics card specifically for China to comply with US export controls. In a product page on the Chinese version of Nvidia’s website, the chipmaker introduces the RTX 4090D: a GPU that’s less powerful than the flagship RTX 4090 it sells elsewhere.

The RTX 4090D has fewer CUDA cores than its RTX 4090 counterpart, topping out at 14,592 as opposed to 16,384. It also has a slightly lower power draw at 425W instead of 450W. Although most of the other specs remain the same between the two versions of the chips, the RTX 4090D is still around “5% slower in gaming and creating,” a Nvidia spokesperson tells Reuters.

Image: Nvidia China

Nvidia launched the GPU after the US tightened export restrictions on...

Continue reading…

The fourth-gen Echo and latest Echo Show 8 are up to 50 percent off

Amazon’s new Echo Show 8 brings a faster chip, better speakers, and the most important update of all: widgets. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

Happy Friday, folks! Well, now that Christmas is officially behind us, the deals are quickly drying up. Nonetheless, there are still a few deals worth busting out those newly minted gift cards for. Amazon’s latest Echo Show 8 has dropped to a new low, for example, while the Tile Mate has returned to its best price to date. There’s also a bunch of other stuff on sale right now, including a terrific pair of noise-canceling earbuds and OnePlus’ first mechanical keyboard, so let’s begin.

First off, Amazon has apparently decided to save some of its best deals for after the holiday season, or at least until after Christmas. Right now, the third-gen Echo Show 8 is on sale at Amazon for Prime members for $89.99 ($60 off). That’s a new all-time...

Continue reading…

Elon Musk’s X can’t get around California’s content moderation law, judge rules

Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images

A federal judge has denied X’s (formerly Twitter) attempt to temporarily halt a California law that pushes social media platforms to disclose their strategies for moderating harmful content.

Passed last year, AB 587 requires large social media companies to share descriptions of how they moderate content that contains hate speech or racism, extremism or radicalization, disinformation, harassment, and foreign political interference. In a complaint filed in September, X argued that the law violates the First Amendment right to free speech.

The company formerly known as Twitter failed to make its case. US District Judge William Shubb denied X’s request for a preliminary injunction of the law. “While the reporting requirement does appear to...

Continue reading…

The best shows on Apple TV Plus in 2023

The Verge / Image courtesy of Apple TV

We’re four years into the existence of Apple TV Plus, and the network still feels like it’s punching above its weight class. It doesn’t have nearly the expansive library of its competitors, but the shows (and occasional film) it does have are really, really good —usually.

I’ve heard friends compare it to HBO in the 2000s, and that feels like an apt comparison. There are plenty of great movies, but there’s also an astonishingly well-programmed group of TV shows that seem to speak to a very wide audience, from its core group of science fiction shows like For All Mankind and Foundation to its more outlandish fair like Schmigadoon! and The Morning Show.

Apple TV Plus has found a way to reach a wide audience with a small array of...

Continue reading…

The best shows on Max in 2023

The Verge / Photo courtesy of HBO

The streaming service formerly known as HBO Max completed its magical girl transformation this year, dropping arguably the most recognizable part of its name to just become Max. The questionable rename came at the conclusion of the merger between WarnerMedia and Discovery and, according to WarnerDiscovery executives, was meant to signal to subscribers that the new Max has content for the whole family to enjoy.

Immediately post-merger, Max lost 1.8 million subscribers (that WarnerMedia attributes to simple attrition). But the great mushing together of libraries means that highly polished dramas like The Sopranos and Oz appear alongside the highly popular (what’s a polite way to say ‘schlock’?) like 90 Day Fiance and Property Brothers t...

Continue reading…

First reported Tesla Cybertruck accident results in only ‘minor’ injury

Composite image of a Toyota Corolla and Tesla Cybertruck after the accident. | Image: u/boddhya (Reddit)

After Reddit user boddhya posted two pictures of a Cybertruck accident, the California Highway Patrol confirmed to The Verge that units responded to a two-vehicle accident on SR 35 (Skyline Boulevard). It occurred in this area south of Page Mill Road, which Google Maps lists as Palo Alto, around 2:05PM local time and involved a 2023 Tesla Cybertruck carrying three people that appears to have been hit by a 2009 Toyota Corolla driven by a 17-year-old.

Tesla’s Cybertruck delivery event raised questions about the design and what would occur in an impact with other cars or pedestrians. Fortunately, it doesn’t appear that anyone involved in this incident suffered major injury as a result.

CHP:

Our preliminary investigation indicates a Toyota...

Continue reading…

LG’s new ultra-lightweight Gram laptops include some OLED screens and AI Boost

2024 LG Gram Pro | LG

Ahead of CES 2024, LG is debuting new laptops in its ultra-light LG Gram and LG Gram Pro series. If you’re in the market for OLED displays and better graphics, take a look at the 2024 LG Gram Pro lineup. As our review last year noted, the biggest difference between the Pro and standard laptops last year was the graphics — much less the look and feel. For a more visible difference, we’ll keep an eye out for their more fashion-forward cousin, the LG Gram Style.

For 2024, there’s the Gram Pro 16 and 17, and the LG Gram Pro 2-in-1 (more on what those two things are later). The Gram Pro 16 is available in either the standard Wide Quad or with an OLED display, as well as the 2-in-1. The 2-in-1 doubles as a laptop and a tablet, featuring a...

Continue reading…

Hey Alexa, quit it with the bootleg Viagra, says the FDA

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

The FDA is warning Amazon to do something about “bootleg Viagra” found on its platform, misleadingly disguised as men’s energy or health supplements. In a letter to Amazon dated December 20th, the agency threatened legal action and listed seven different products available on the e-commerce platform with ingredients found in Viagra and Cialis. With outlandish names and brightly colored, cartoonish labels, it would be hard to confuse them with real-deal prescription drugs.

But a recent investigation by the FDA found several supplements or powders sold on the e-commerce platform contained either sildenafil or tadalafil (the active ingredients in Cialis and Viagra) and failed to disclose it: MANNERS Energy Boost, Round 2, WeFun, Genergy,...

Continue reading…

Microsoft’s next Surface laptops will reportedly be its first true ‘AI PCs’

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Microsoft is getting ready to upgrade its Surface lineup with new AI-enabled features, according to a report from Windows Central. Unnamed sources told the outlet the upcoming Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 will come with a next-gen neural processing unit (NPU), along with Intel and Arm-based options.

Microsoft’s Arm-based devices will be powered by Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X chips, Windows Central reports. These PCs, codenamed CADMUS, will reportedly be designed to run the AI features Microsoft is packaging into a future release of Windows. They’ll also come with improvements to performance, battery life, and security on par with Apple silicon, according to Windows Central. Meanwhile, the Intel version of the devices will...

Continue reading…

How to change the ringtone on your Android phone

Image: The Verge

A recent discussion among friends wondered if anyone really used ringtones anymore. The idea was that most people (those who still use their phones to hold verbal conversations) either go with whatever ringtone their phone comes with or just use vibrations.

Once upon a time, ringtones were a thing. You could use them for amusement. (My favorite was a bored voice that said, “Ring. Ring. Ring.”) You could use them to know who was calling without having to look at the phone (so you knew when to pick up and when to let it go to voicemail). Now, maybe, not so much.

Still, Google recently added a bunch of new ringtones to its Pixel phones, so presumably, some of us are still playing around with these sounds. In case you count yourself in...

Continue reading…

Why Masimo thought it could take on Apple

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

For over three years now, Apple has been entrenched in a messy legal battle over a single feature on the Apple Watch — and Apple’s opponent, medical device maker Masimo, seems confident it can win. And there’s a good reason Masimo might believe that: the company came out on top when it sued True Wearables, a startup run by a former executive with a stint on the Apple Watch team, on similar grounds.

In 2018, Masimo filed a complaint against True Wearables over claims its wireless pulse oximeter infringed on Masimo’s patent. The court sided with Masimo and issued a permanent injunction against the sale of the device in December 2022.

Sound familiar? Well, the pulse oximeter tech isn’t the only parallel between Masimo’s cases against True...

Continue reading…

Pokémon Concierge is a beautiful reminder to take some time off

Netflix’s new stop-motion Pokémon series from Dwarf Animation Studio is on the shorter side of things, but each episode is a gorgeous testament to the power of relaxation.

Continue reading…

OnePlus’ first mechanical keyboard is on sale today for $40 off

The OnePlus Keyboard 81 Pro shares a lot in common with the Keychron Q1 Pro, rendering it a great alternative when it’s on sale. | Photo by Jon Porter / The Verge

As OnePlus continues to expand its reach outside of China and India, it’s doing so with more than just phones. Take the OnePlus Keyboard 81 Pro, for instance, which is on sale from OnePlus right now in the Winter Bonfire configuration with double-shot PBT keycaps and tactile switches for $179 ($40 off) or in the Summer Breeze config with lighter “marble-mallow” keycaps and linear switches for $199 ($40 off).

In many ways, OnePlus’ debut mechanical keyboard acts as a redesigned Keychron Q1 Pro — our current pick for the best premium Bluetooth keyboard — with a few added tweaks. The wireless, 75 percent board features an adjustable kickstand, for one, along with cylindrical keycaps that give it a quieter, more modern feel than the Q1 Pro....

Continue reading…

Amazon plans to make its own hydrogen to power vehicles

A worker drives a Powered Industrial Truck at the Amazon fullfillment center May 3, 2018 in Aurora, Colorado. | Photo by Rick T. Wilking/Getty Images

Amazon is making plans to produce hydrogen fuel at its fulfillment centers. The retail behemoth partnered with hydrogen company Plug Power to install the first electrolyzer — equipment that can split water molecules to produce hydrogen — at a fulfillment center in Aurora, Colorado.

The electrolyzer will make fuel for around 225 fork lift trucks at the site, although Plug says it has the capacity to fuel up to 400 hydrogen fuel cell-powered forklifts. This is the first time Amazon has tried to make its own hydrogen on site, and it’s not likely to be the last.

“On-site production will make the use of hydrogen even more energy efficient for certain locations and types of facilities,” Asad Jafry, Amazon’s director of global hydrogen...

Continue reading…

Apple is now selling Apple Watches on its website again

Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge

Apple has resumed selling the latest Apple Watches on its website after a federal appeals court paused a sales and import ban.

The Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 are now once again available on Apple’s website, a day after some physical Apple stores began selling the watches on December 27th. Apple previously told The Verge that the watches should be available widely in its physical stores by Saturday.

The US International Trade Commission issued the ban after finding that Apple had violated patents from medical device maker Masimo around a blood oxygen saturation feature included in the Series 9 and Ultra 2. Apple pulled both models from shelves and its website last week, ahead of the ban officially starting on December 26th.

Apple is...

Continue reading…

How to responsibly get rid of the stuff you’ve decluttered

Graphic by James Bareham / The Verge

Now that Apple’s latest iPhones are using USB-C cables instead of the traditional Lightning cables, anyone who upgrades to a new iPhone may find themselves with a lot of excess cables. If you’re one of those unfortunates, what do you plan to do with them?

While we’re always being told how to simplify our crammed living spaces and get rid of all the stuff we’re no longer using or wearing, it’s often hard to figure out just how to do it responsibly without adding to the world’s excess trash.

Because just dumping them isn’t an option. Reusing and recycling old and unneeded stuff has become an important aspect of the push to preserve the world’s environment. Many states and urban areas are mandating the recycling of tech, metals, paper...

Continue reading…

The best PlayStation games from 2023

The Verge / Photo Courtesy of Sony

PlayStation’s had an interesting year. The company ricocheted between the highs of launching new technology like the PlayStation Portal and a new PS5 Slim (now with a detachable disk drive!) and the lows of layoffs, game cancellations, massive data leaks, and the end of CEO Jim Ryan’s 28-year tenure.

And though 2023 was the year of the cross-platform blockbusters like Diablo IV and Baldur’s Gate 3, PlayStation still had a number of exclusives not to be missed.

Spider-Man 2

When you start out with a game as good as the original Spider-Man, you don’t have to change much. And thankfully that’s exactly what the developers at Insomniac did for Spider-Man 2. The sequel has some new ideas — including web wings that let you glide across New...

Continue reading…

How to sell or trade in your old Android phone

Samar Haddad; Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Whether you want to go with Samsung, Google, or a different manufacturer, trading in your old Android phone — or selling it — is a smart way to do that, especially since there are those who will decide instead to buy a lightly used phone from an older generation that will suit their needs without breaking the bank.

If you’ve got an older model and are ready for an upgrade, here are a few steps to take in order to get your device ready to sell, followed by how much cash you can expect to earn back. We’re going to concentrate on Samsung and Google Pixel phones here, but you can probably expect similar results with phones from other vendors.

Inspect your phone

If your old device is in good condition, you shouldn’t have much of a problem...

Continue reading…

10 great shows from 2023 to stream on Amazon Prime Video

The Verge / Image courtesy of Amazon Prime

Amazon Prime Video is the second-best perk that comes with a Prime subscription (aside from free two-day shipping, of course), and its library only continues to grow. While Prime Video is often overshadowed by the likes of Netflix and Max, it has surprising range, whether you’re looking for a lighthearted comedy, psychological thriller, or a thrilling animated series.

With that out of the way, here’s our list of the best shows released on Amazon Prime Video this year.

Invincible

If you’re looking for a fresh take on the superhero genre, you’ll want to check out Invincible. The animated series first debuted in 2021, but its second season just came out this year — and it doesn’t disappoint. Invincible follows 17-year-old Mark Grayson...

Continue reading…

Samsung’s new AI-enabled smart fridge can design recipes based on your dietary needs

Samsung

Samsung has a smart fridge in the works for the new year that includes some interesting AI features, including an internal camera that can identify individual food items and a connected app that can suggest recipes based what you have in stock. The company plans to unveil the 2024 Bespoke 4-Door Flex Refrigerator with AI Family Hub+ at CES next year. Users can mirror the display of their Galaxy phones to the 32-inch Family Hub touchscreen, and there are even separate apps for TikTok and YouTube videos.

While neither the internal camera or the Family Hub app are new (the 2023 model also included an AI-powered camera and could generate recipes), both have been upgraded with more features. The Samsung Food app (which you can access...

Continue reading…

Astrohaus will be shipping its cheapest Freewrite digital typewriter in January

Image: Freewrite

Astrohaus will be shipping the cheapest digital typewriter in its Freewright lineup, the Freewright Alpha, in mid-January for $349. You can preorder it now, however, in black or white from the company’s website.

The Freewrite Alpha is the follow-up to the original $649 Freewrite and the $499 portable Freewrite Traveler from 2020. Like its predecessors, the Wi-Fi-enabled typewriter is free of distractions like web browsers and emails to help you focus on writing. After you’re finished, the gadget wirelessly syncs documents with software services like Google Drive and Dropbox so you can edit and share your documents.

However, the Alpha drops the E Ink display in favor of a reflective monochromatic LCD screen, thus keeping costs down. It...

Continue reading…

Apple Watch ban: everything you need to know

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Apple’s ability to sell the Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 in the US is in trouble due to a patent dispute — here’s all the latest news.

Continue reading…

Apple resumes Apple Watch sales after ban is paused

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

You can once again buy the latest Apple Watches straight from Apple. The Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 will be available again in some physical Apple stores starting today, with wider availability expected by Saturday. Online sales will resume tomorrow by 3PM ET, Apple spokesperson Nikki Rothberg told The Verge.

The restarting of sales comes hours after a federal appeals court paused a sales and import ban that covered both devices. Apple was banned from selling both products in the US after the US International Trade Commission found that the company had violated patents from the medical device maker Masimo.

The appeals court said that Apple could continue selling its watches temporarily, while the company waited to hear back on...

Continue reading…

How to take advantage of Chrome’s side panel

Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge

When it comes to apps that I’ve used for over a year or so — such as the Chrome browser —I can be very boring. I get into the habit of using the app in a particular way, and after that, when interesting new features pop up, I’ll often put them aside to try out “some other time.” After all, if the app’s working for me as it is, why bother?

The problem is, I should bother — because sometimes those features can be very useful. For example, when I started using and saving tab groups in Chrome, it became much easier to find the tabs associated with a project, and to group them under a single tab temporarily when I didn’t need them. (Not that Chrome is the only browser that groups tabs these days; Safari and Edge, among other browsers, have...

Continue reading…

What If…? season 2 doesn’t get good until it really lets loose

Kahhori, one of What If...?’s new characters. | Marvel Studios

What If’s second season is at its best when it’s exploring the edges of Marvel’s established cinematic canon.

Continue reading…