Apple TV Plus is free to stream this weekend

Image: Apple

Apple TV Plus will be free to stream this weekend from January 4th through the 5th. The company posted the news on social media alongside a short trailer featuring some of its top shows, with the tagline “see for yourself.” Apple had teased last week that it might provide some free streaming days, which the company has not offered previously.

A full weekend may be enough to binge some of Apple’s top shows, including Severance, which has its hotly anticipated season 2 launching on January 17th. The free days could also help potential subscribers get a taste of Apple’s eclectic mix of sci-fi shows, such as the space race drama For All Mankind, postapocalyptic thriller Silo, and the Godzilla serial Monarch: Legacy of Monsters.

This weekend, see for yourself.

Stream for free Jan 4-5. pic.twitter.com/8p6PCUYpms

— Apple TV (@AppleTV) December 30, 2024

Apple doesn’t provide more detail than that in its teaser post, which doesn’t say if the promotional period includes the entire Apple TV Plus library or only Apple Originals content. We’ve reached out for more details but have not heard back before publication.

Apple’s deal is reminiscent of HBO’s free weekend offerings on cable TV. Streaming services like Netflix have also offered limited free streaming on some of their top content.

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Apple could bring its ‘Pro’ OLED displays to the entire iPhone 17 line

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

One of the big benefits of buying a “Pro” iPhone is currently that you get a fancy high-refresh rate OLED display, but that may become standard across the iPhone 17 lineup, according to a Weibo leak from Digital Chat Station spotted by MacRumors. The outlet notes that Digital Chat Station leaked accurate details about the iPhone 15 line’s camera sensors and the display panel of the iPhone 12.

The rumor is a bit vague, saying only that the base iPhone 17 will have a high refresh rate. But it follows some more specific supply chain whispers we’ve heard in recent months. MacRumors pointed to one in February that suggested Apple will use the same LTPO panel tech, which drives Apple’s variable refresh rate “ProMotion” iPhone 16 Pro displays, for all of next year’s phones. That was later echoed by others, including display supply chain analyst Ross Young in September.

The next set of iPhones is also expected to replace the base model “Plus” iPhone with an iPhone 17 “Slim” in 2025, which Young suggested will have ProMotion, too. Instead of differentiating by display tech, Apple could stratify the lineup in different ways, like by giving the iPhone 17 Pro Max a smaller Face ID sensor and Dynamic Island cutout, as well as 12GB of RAM for both sizes of iPhone 17 Pro and 8GB for the standard and Slim models.

The whole line is rumored to have 24MP front-facing cameras instead of the 12MP found in current iPhones, and they may all use an Apple-designed Wi-Fi / Bluetooth chip for the first time.

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The best PS5 games in 2024

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge

PlayStation had a rocky 2024 but still put out some great games.

Read the full story at The Verge.

The Steam Deck has finally been surpassed — by a fork of Valve’s own experience

An Asus ROG Ally X, running Bazzite. It looks just like SteamOS, because they share an interface.

The first time I installed Bazzite on a Windows gaming handheld, I laughed. It looked like such a blatant clone of Valve’s Steam Deck interface. Its many bugs kept me at bay.

Now, an Asus ROG Ally X running Bazzite has all but replaced the Steam Deck in my life. For the moment, it may be the best handheld your time and money can buy — because it brings 90 percent of the Deck’s ease of use to the Ally’s more powerful hardware, larger 80 watt-hour battery, and variable refresh rate screen. Depending on the game, it can even offer better performance and battery life than the very same handheld with Windows. I’ve been testing it for five months, and I’ve rarely looked back.

This combination won’t be for everyone, because the $800 Ally X costs far more than a Steam Deck, and Bazzite still has annoying quirks. But because Bazzite can so convincingly transform a Windows handheld into a true Steam Deck rival, I believe it singlehandedly proves that handheld manufacturers are making the wrong choice if they doggedly stick with Windows, and that others should join Lenovo in hedging that bet as soon as possible. Bazzite is one way — another may come as soon as next month, when we’re...

Read the full story at The Verge.

DJI now makes a very powerful car charger for its big ass batteries

DJI’s new fast car charger connected to a DJI power station. | Image: DJI

DJI has quietly introduced a powerful new car charger for its giant portable batteries. The $299 / €269 Power 1kW Super Fast Car Charger can charge the company’s expanding lineup of power stations at up to 1000W from your car’s alternator when the engine is running.

This new class of (nearly) do-it-yourself alternator chargers are having a moment now that the most popular makers of solar generators and power stations have embraced DC-to-DC chargers. I wouldn’t have survived without one when remote working from my van last summer.

Once the Power 1kW is mounted inside your vehicle and connected to the car’s battery via the included 5m (16 feet 5 inches) fused cable, it then connects to the proprietary SDC port of the dongle-happy DJI Power 1000 power station I recently reviewed. It’ll also charge DJI’s 2048Wh Power 2000 Expansion Batteries when daisy-chained together with SDC cables for up to 11kWh of stackable storage capacity. The Power 1kW can also be configured to reverse-charge your car’s battery to prevent battery drain.

At full power the DJI Power 1kW Super Fast Car Charger can charge the Power 1000’s 1024Wh battery in just over an hour’s drive. However, out of the box the Power 1kW is pegged to 500W of charging output. To reach 1000W you have to purchase yet another dongle — the $25 DJI Power Dongle — and then adjust the setting to 1000W in the app. Fortunately, DJI is bundling that dongle as a “free gift” with new purchases of the DJI Power 1kW Super Fast Car Charger, at least in the US.

DJI’s announcement follows the arrival of the 800W EcoFlow Alternator Charger I reviewed last summer and the new 560W Bluetti AC500 announced in the fall (review is coming). EcoFlow’s charger, like DJI’s, uses a proprietary connector making it best suited to charge its own giant batteries, whereas the Bluetti AC500 can charge solar generators and power stations from nearly every manufacturer, but at half the rate of the DJI. Of course, all this assumes that your vehicle is fitted with a high-capacity alternator that can spare the amps.

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LG’s microwave has a 27-inch display that’ll be perfect for ads

LG’s new microwave mounted above its range, thereby ‘eliminating the need to bend down and check the oven manually.’ | Image: LG

LG has responded to Samsung in the battle to slap displays on every home appliance you own, culminating in the LG Signature microwave which puts a superfluous 27-inch LCD touchscreen and speakers into an appliance you probably don’t even need.

LG says the microwave’s display provides “an immersive entertainment experience” that’ll surely prevent the onset of buyer’s remorse at having overpaid for a potential advertising machine centrally located in your kitchen. And when paired with LG’s oven, it “conveniently shows the cooking progress of dishes in the range, eliminating the need to bend down and check the oven manually.”

In 2023, LG announced plans to transform its hardware-based business into a platform-based service model that continuously generates profits. In September, the company started displaying full-screen ads on its idle televisions.

Image: LG

LG’s latest Signature devices.

The company’s second-generation Signature lineup of Wi-Fi appliances continues the tradition of putting a giant transparent OLED “Instaview” touchscreen on its fridge, alongside smaller LCDs on its washer and dryer. LG’s Signature displays can be used to operate the local appliance, access entertainment, and control devices in the LG smart home.

The announcement follows Samsung recently announcing a wider variety of display choices on its home appliances, ranging from 4.3 inches all the way up to 32 inches. It’s all part of the company’s strategy to put “screens everywhere,” instead of easy-to-use buttons and dials that rarely fail and are cheap to replace.

LG hasn’t announced any prices, countries of availability, or shipping dates for its new Signature lineup of appliances. But we’ll surely learn more when everything is demonstrated at the giant CES show which kicks off on January 7th in Las Vegas.

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LG’s 2025 gaming monitor lineup includes a bendable 5K2K OLED

Image: LG

LG isn’t waiting until CES begins to reveal its new collection of gaming monitors. The 2025 lineup is led by the UltraGear OLED Bendable Gaming Monitor, which LG claims is the “world’s first 5K2K-resolution bendable OLED display.” That strikes me as extremely specific, but hey, it’s always worth bragging when you’re first, I suppose. The 45-inch monitor has an expansive resolution of 5120x2160, so you’re getting the same vertical pixel count as a typical 4K screen but a much wider canvas to game on.

And with a 21:9 aspect ratio, LG believes it provides “a immersive gaming experience than standard 16:9 displays, while maintaining better content compatibility than 32:9 monitors.” This format also makes the display a great fit for productivity work when you’re not immersed in gameplay.

The UltraGear OLED Bendable Gaming Monitor (model 45GX990A) can transition from completely flat to a 900R curvature, and the latest version of LG’s Dual-Mode feature “allows users to switch effortlessly between resolution and refresh rate presets, and customize the aspect ratio and picture size.” It’s certified for Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, but the press materials don’t specify a maximum refresh rate. I’ve asked for more details there.

Image: LG

Both 45-inch monitors have a 5K2K resolution of 5120x2160.

LG is also releasing a non-bendable model with a permanent 800R curve. Otherwise, it’s the same 45-inch size, same aspect ratio, and same 5K2K resolution. LG’s press release says you can expect “sharp, lifelike images with the stunning colors and exceptional contrast LG OLED products are known for.” Shared specs between both monitors include a 0.03ms (GtG) response time and support for DisplayPort 2.1, HDMI 2.1, and USB-C with 90W power delivery. The 45GX950A uses a RGWB subpixel layout to improve readability of text on the screen and make the aforementioned productivity work easier on your eyes.

Along with these two monitors, LG is also introducing the curved UltraGear 39GX90SA, a webOS-powered “home entertainment hub” with easy access to streaming services — just like LG’s TVs. It seems like the company has taken some cues from Samsung’s smart monitors here. At 39 inches, this one’s a bit smaller than the other GX9 displays, but it retains the 21:9 aspect ratio and 800R curve. “Equipped with USB Type-C ports, it offers convenient connectivity, and incorporates LG’s ergonomic and space-saving L-shaped stand for a clutter-free desk setup,” LG said in tonight’s press release.

As per usual with CES news, pricing and a specific release date are still to come later in 2025. But we’ll be getting our first in-person look at the UltraGear GX9 series in Las Vegas, so stay tuned for impressions early next month — along with an avalanche of stunning screens from many other companies, too.

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More of the DJI Flip folding drone appears in new leaked images

The DJI Flip is expected to fly nearly twice as long as the DJI Neo, pictured here. | Photo by Thomas Ricker / The Verge

New images of the rumored DJI Flip folding drone hit late last week, showing the compact, light-colored drone both folded and unfolded, and even in a carrying case. The images appeared in posts by Igor Bogdanov, who has shared other credible DJI leaks in the past.

Bogdanov added in a post yesterday that DJI is preparing a new Cellular Dongle 2 module for the compact drone. The new leaks join earlier images of ND filters for the Flip, its propeller set, and charging hub, which Bogdanov wrote can charge two batteries in a minimum of 45 minutes, and can use “a 65W parallel charger.”

Oh, how. Flip gonna have a Cellular Dongle 2. #dji #djiflip pic.twitter.com/CbpZpnSHj0

— Igor Bogdanov (@Quadro_News) December 28, 2024

Below are some of the other pictures Bogdanov posted, including of its front screen, which drone leaker Jasper Ellens notes shows “all the handsfree Quickshots we know from the Neo.”

Ellens posted a short video of the drone yesterday, writing that the Flip’s registration numbers put it in DJI’s FPV drone category, meaning that it could allow for first-person streaming during flight. In early December, he also leaked details like the drone’s compact folding approach and that it should get about 30 minutes of flight thanks to a battery that’s bigger than the one in DJI’s Neo selfie drone.

Fun fact. The #DJIFLIP product numbers are registered under the #FPV product line of DJI. This drone will be a #hybrid in many ways. I wish you all happy holidays and see you in the new year. Thank you for reading. Fly safe, stay safe. Cheers! Jasper pic.twitter.com/csGagm0U2M

— Jasper Ellens | X27 (@JasperEllens) December 28, 2024

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YouTube is testing a floating ‘Play something’ button

Illustration: Alex Castro / The Verge

YouTube is testing a new floating “Play something” button that will pick a video for you, 9to5Google spotted in the YouTube app for Android. The button floats just above the bottom bar of the app, and when tapped, it picks a YouTube video to play for you.

Just as in earlier versions of this feature YouTube’s been testing, the new button reportedly uses the portrait-oriented YouTube Shorts player to show videos, regardless of whether they’re vertically formatted Shorts or standard YouTube videos. Hopefully that changes by the time the feature gets a wide release.

Other incarnations the company has been testing for over a year include a “Play Something” banner and a simple button that looks like a black-and-white YouTube logo. If the feature’s name sounds familiar, perhaps it’s because Netflix retired a similar random video picker last year called “Surprise Me,” which originally launched in 2021 as “Play Something.”

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Spotify showed porn videos in search results for some popular artists

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge

A Reddit user posted a screenshot overnight of a Spotify search that brought a surprise: a pornographic video tucked into suggested results for the rapper M.I.A. Here’s a NSFW link to the thread. The video shown in their screenshot didn’t appear for us, but we found others after scrolling through dozens of results in the “Video” tab.

One of the accounts that posted videos we saw has published erotic audio for years but has sprinkled in sexually graphic videos more recently. Another account, which was named with a long string of alphanumeric characters, has been publishing equally nonsensically-titled explicit videos as a podcast account since mid-November.

Spotify representative Laura Batey told The Verge in an email that the examples we provided “have been removed due to violation of our policies.” Those policies include forbidding sexually explicit material. We asked Spotify for more information on how the videos made it past its moderation and will update here if it responds.

The videos we found appear to be unmoderated podcast uploads, and reporting them isn’t very convenient. The Spotify app lacks a button for doing so — instead, users have to copy the content’s URL and head to a webpage for reporting possible violations.

Porn on Spotify isn’t a new thing. Other recent Reddit posts contain examples of unexpected explicit video in search results and even erotic audio tracks being suggested in one user’s Discovery Weekly algorithmic playlist. A 2022 Vice story also detailed sexually explicit audio on the platform, as well as other content like graphic nudity in user-made playlist cover art.

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Is your iPhone sharing photos with Apple by default?

iOS 18 introduced an “Enhanced Visual Search” toggle for the Photos app. | Screenshot: iOS 18 Settings app

Apple occasionally makes choices that tarnish its strong privacy-forward reputation, like when it was secretly collecting users’ Siri interactions. Yesterday, a blog post from developer Jeff Johnson highlighted such a choice: an “Enhanced Visual Search” toggle for the Apple Photos app that is seemingly on by default, giving your device permission to share data from your photos with Apple.

Sure enough, when I checked my iPhone 15 Pro this morning, the toggle was switched to on. You can find it for yourself by going to Settings > Photos (or System Settings > Photos on a Mac). Enhanced Visual Search lets you look up landmarks you’ve taken pictures of or search for those images using the names of those landmarks.

To see what it enables in the Photos app, swipe up on a picture you’ve taken of a building and select “Look up Landmark,” and a card will appear that ideally identifies it. Here are a couple of examples from my phone:

Screenshots: Apple Photos

That’s definitely Austin’s Cathedral of Saint Mary, but the image on the right is not a Trappist monastery, but the Dubuque, Iowa city hall building.

On its face, it’s a convenient expansion of Photos’ Visual Look Up feature that Apple introduced in iOS 15 that lets you identify plants or, say, find out what those symbols on a laundry tag mean. But Visual Look Up doesn’t need special permission to share data with Apple, and this does.

A description under the toggle says you’re giving Apple permission to “privately match places in your photos with a global index maintained by Apple.” As for how, there are details in an Apple machine-learning research blog about Enhanced Visual Search that Johnson links to:

The process starts with an on-device ML model that analyzes a given photo to determine if there is a “region of interest” (ROI) that may contain a landmark. If the model detects an ROI in the “landmark” domain, a vector embedding is calculated for that region of the image.

According to the blog, that vector embedding is then encrypted and sent to Apple to compare with its database. The company offers a very technical explanation of vector embeddings in a research paper, but IBM put it more simply, writing that embeddings transform “a data point, such as a word, sentence or image, into an n-dimensional array of numbers representing that data point’s characteristics_.”_

Like Johnson, I don’t fully understand Apple’s research blogs and Apple didn’t immediately respond to our request for comment about Johnson’s concerns. It seems as though the company went to great lengths to keep the data private, in part by condensing image data into a format that’s legible to an ML model.

Even so, making the toggle opt-in, like those for sharing analytics data or recordings or Siri interactions, rather than something users have to discover seems like it would have been a better option.

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Architecting one of the year’s most ambitious films

Adrien Brody in The Brutalist | A24

Brady Corbet’s 3.5-hour saga is a tale of one man’s journey through architecture and assimilation — and one of the year’s best films. The director tells The Verge how he got away with it.

Read the full story at The Verge.

2024 was a big year for Windows on Arm

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images

With rumors of Nvidia entering the CPU market, 2025 might be an even bigger year for Microsoft’s Arm efforts.

Read the full story at The Verge.

Meta’s ‘software update issue’ has been breaking Quest headsets for weeks

A Meta Quest 3 on a charging dock. | Photo by David Pierce / The Verge

Meta updated a note on the top of its Quest support site to say that a “software update issue” has been bricking Quest 2, Quest 3, and Quest 3S headsets. The company writes that while “most” people can now use their headsets normally, it’s “actively working on resolving the issue for all users.”

That Meta is now saying it’s working on a fix “for all users” may be good news for Quest 2 and 3 owners who’ve reported that Meta wouldn’t fix or replace their headsets because they were out of warranty. Some Reddit users say the company has emailed a confirmation that they were getting out-of-warranty service for the issue, and a Meta support forum community manager wrote in an update yesterday that Meta’s customer support “should have new directions on how to support users now.”

We're aware that some new Meta Quest 3S devices are having trouble with the initial software update. Our team is working on a solution but in the meantime, please use our software update tool (https://t.co/bgR14KPfvv) to resolve this issue. We appreciate your patience while we…

— Meta Quest Help (@MetaQuestHelp) December 6, 2024

Meta posted on December 6th that there were software update issues affecting “some new Quest 3S devices,” but didn’t mention Quest 2 or 3 headsets or what software version was involved, either then or in an earlier version of the new support site message that UploadVR reported this week. The company announced on December 9th that it was rolling out its most recent update, Meta Quest v71, adding features like a revamped virtual desktop display connection method and keyboard passthrough support in virtual environments.

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The US proposes rules to make healthcare data more secure

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

The US Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office for Civil Rights (OCR) is proposing new cybersecurity requirements for healthcare organizations aimed at protecting patients’ private data in the event of cyberattacks, reports Reuters. The rules come after major cyberattacks like one that leaked the private information of more than 100 million UnitedHealth patients earlier this year.

The OCR’s proposal includes requiring that healthcare organizations make multifactor authentication mandatory in most situations, that they segment their networks to reduce risks of intrusions spreading from one system to another, and that they encrypt patient data so that even if it’s stolen, it can’t be accessed. It would also direct regulated groups to undertake certain risk analysis practices, keep compliance documentation, and more.

The rule is part of the cybersecurity strategy that the Biden administration announced last year. Once finalized, it would update the Security Rule of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), which regulates doctors, nursing homes, health insurance companies, and more, and was last updated in 2013.

US deputy national security advisor Anne Neuberger put the cost of implementing the requirements at “an estimated $9 billion in the first year, and $6 billion in years two through five,” writes Reuters. The proposal is due to be published in the Federal Register on January 6th, which will kick off the 60-day public comment period before the final rule is set.

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The SwitchBot S10, one of our favorite robovac / mop hybrids, is $500 off

The SwitchBot S10 offers a nearly hands-free cleaning experience for $699.99. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

If you’re somebody who likes to clean and declutter in preparation for a new year, one way to speed it up is by investing in a good robot vacuum. The SwitchBot S10 is one of our favorite vacuums that also happens to be a terrific mop, too, and is currently down to its all-time low price of $699.99 ($500 off) when you clip the on-page coupon at Amazon. It’s also available for the same price directly from SwitchBot when you apply the promo code BFCM500A.

Of all the robot vacuums we’ve ever tested, the SwitchBot S10 offers the most hands-free experience, so you really can set it and forget it. The self-cleaning roller mop does an excellent job of polishing up your floors, and is even capable of lifting itself up to keep carpets dry. What’s more, the Switch S10 comes with an auto-empty dock as well as a separate battery-powered dock water station, which means the bot can empty and refill its own water tank. Just bear in mind you’ll have to hook it into your water supply.

Aside from offering a fantastic mopping and hands-free experience, the SwitchBot S10 is also a good vacuum with 6,500Pa suction power and decent AI-powered obstacle avoidance, although it admittedly can’t rival specs from competitors like Roborock, Dreame, and Ecovacs. That said, the SwitchBot S10 costs about $1,000 less, and for the price it does a great job of leaving the floor mostly spotless.

Read our SwitchBot S10 review.

Some more deals to kickstart your weekend

• The Mobvoi Home Walking Treadmill is on sale for $79.99 ($160 off) at Amazon, which is an all-time low price. The under-desk walking treadmill supports Bluetooth and can connect to Android smartwatches, allowing you to keep tabs on your steps and other metrics from your wrist. That said, it works best if you own a Mobvoi smartwatch, given you’ll need the Mobvoi Health app if you want to save your data on your phone. Read our review.
• Sennheiser’s Momentum 4 Wireless headphones are on sale for $199.99 ($200 off) at Amazon, which is their best price to date. The over-ears headphones deliver impressive battery life and can last a whopping 60 hours on a single charge, which is why they’re amongst our favorites. They also offer other impressive capabilities, including excellent noise cancellation, comfort, and sound. Read our review.
• The Twelve South AirFly Pro is on sale for $39.99 ($15 off) at Amazon and Best Buy, which is its second best price to date. The Bluetooth transmitter features an integrated 3.5mm cable, allowing you to pair two sets of wireless Bluetooth-equipped wireless headphones or earbuds to in-flight entertainment systems. It works with other tech as well, like treadmills and the Nintendo Switch, while offering an an aux input for older devices.

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Hackers hijacked legitimate Chrome extensions to try to steal data

Illustration by Carlo Cadenas / The Verge

A cyberattack campaign inserted malicious code into multiple Chrome browser extensions as far back as mid-December, Reuters reported yesterday. The code appeared designed to steal browser cookies and authentication sessions, targeting “specific social media advertising and AI platforms,” according to a blog post from Cyberhaven, one of the companies that was targeted.

Cyberhaven blames a phishing email for the attack, writing in a separate technical analysis post that the code appeared to specifically target Facebook Ads accounts. According to _Reuters, s_ecurity researcher Jaime Blasco believes the attack was “just random” and not targeting Cyberhaven specifically. He posted on X that he’d found VPN and AI extensions that contained the same malicious code that was inserted into Cyberhaven.

Other extensions possibly affected include Internxt VPN, VPNCity, Uvoice, and ParrotTalks, as Bleeping Computer writes.

Our team has confirmed a malicious cyberattack that occurred on Christmas Eve, affecting Cyberhaven's Chrome extension. Here's our post about the incident and the steps we're taking: https://t.co/VTBC73eWda

Our security team is available 24/7 to assist affected customers and…

— Cyberhaven (@CyberhavenInc) December 27, 2024

Cyberhaven says hackers pushed an update (version 24.10.4) of its Cyberhaven data loss prevention extension containing the malicious code on Christmas Eve at 8:32PM ET. Cyberhaven says it discovered the code on December 25th at 6:54PM ET and removed it within an hour, but that the code was active until December 25th at 9:50PM ET. The company says it released a clean version in its 24.10.5 update.

Cyberhaven’s recommendations for companies that may be affected include that they check their logs for suspicious activity and revoke or rotate any passwords not using the FIDO2 multifactor authentication standard. Prior to publishing its posts, the company notified customers via an email that TechCrunch reported Friday morning.

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10 terrific Nintendo Switch games from 2024 to check out

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images

We’re all impatiently awaiting Nintendo’s next console, but in the meantime, it’s been quite the sendoff year for the Switch.

Read the full story at The Verge.

Kindle Scribe (2024) review: nothing to write home about

Amazon’s finally added a key feature to the Scribe, but it has a long way to go before it’s actually useful.

Read the full story at The Verge.

Apple pulls remaining Lightning-based devices from European stores

Lightning’s days have come to an end in the EU. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Apple is no longer selling its iPhone SE and iPhone 14 series in Europe — the last phone models with Apple’s proprietary Lightning charging port — as the EU shifts to a common charging solution built around USB-C. EU Directive 2022/2380 goes into force today in an effort to reduce e-waste and solve market fragmentation.

A spot check by The Verge shows the iPhone SE, iPhone 14 and 14 Plus, and the Lightning-based Magic Keyboard have been pulled from stores in The Netherlands, France, and Germany. Those same devices are still for sale in the US and other countries outside the EU’s 27 member states. A new iPhone SE with USB-C and other upgrades like an OLED display is rumored for 2025.

In addition to requiring a USB-C port on a wide range of devices sold in the EU from December 28th, 2024, the Directive also requires devices that support fast charging to support the USB PD standard, allows for the unbundling of charging bricks from retail devices, and helps consumers to better understand the power requirements of the devices they’re buying through improved labeling.

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Trump asks the Supreme Court to let him rescue TikTok

Donald Trump. | Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos from Scott Olson, Getty Images

President-elect Donald Trump is asking the Supreme Court to let him negotiate a deal to save TikTok from an imminent US ban.

In an amicus brief filed to the court, Trump says he “seeks the ability to resolve the issues at hand through political means once he takes office,” and that he “alone possesses the consummate dealmaking expertise, the electoral mandate, and the political will to negotiate a resolution to save the platform.”

Last week, the Supreme Court agreed to hear arguments that a bill passed by Congress banning TikTok on national security grounds violates the First Amendment. The bill gives wide latitude to the president to delay its enforcement if there’s progress being made towards a deal ensuring TikTok isn’t fully controlled by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. But the deadline for that determination is January 19th — one day before Trump is set to assume the presidency.

In his Supreme Court filing, Trump asks for the bill’s January 19th deadline to be stayed, arguing that the deal he’d negotiate “would obviate the need for this Court to decide the historically challenging First Amendment question presented here on the current, highly expedited basis.”

He argues that having over 14 million followers on TikTok, along with his ownership of Truth Social, gives him unique ability to “evaluate TikTok’s importance as a unique medium for freedom of expression, including core political speech.” He also cites Brazil’s temporary ban of Elon Musk’s X as an example of “the historic dangers presented” by banning TikTok.

While Trump pushed for a TikTok ban during his first term, he changed his tune after his campaign successfully used the platform during the 2024 election. He recently met with TikTok CEO Shou Chew at Mar-a-Lago and told a crowd that “maybe we gotta keep this sucker around for a little while.”

Developing...

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How to choose which Apple Watch to buy

Image: Cath Virginia. / The Verge

Between the Apple Watch Series 10, the Ultra 2, and the second-gen SE, there are more options than ever. We’ll help you sort through them.

Read the full story at The Verge.

The Batman 2 is delayed to 2027, but Mickey 17’s release date is moving up

Image: Warner Bros.

If you’ve been waiting patiently to see how Matt Reeves’ story for The Batman continues once the reboot’s sequel arrives, you’ll have to wait a little longer. It was once set to open October 2nd, 2026, after an initial delay caused by the Hollywood writers’ strike derailed Warner Bros. plans to release it in 2025, but the studio has now announced that it’s pushing The Batman Part II even further back to October 1st, 2027, according to Variety.

It appears the most recent shift could be strategic. Variety adds that Warner Bros. has rushed to fill that October 2nd, 2026, slot with an unnamed film featuring Tom Cruise and directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu.

While that sucks for fans of the bat, one nice consolation is news that Bong Joon-Ho’s Mickey 17 is coming even sooner than expected; it is now scheduled for March 7th, 2025, after delays of its own caused the original 2024 release to slip. Mickey 17 stars Robert Pattinson (who also plays Bruce Wayne in The Batman Part II) and is directly inspired by the Edward Ashton novel Mickey7, which follows a willingly and literally disposable employee through his many doors of death. Also starring in the film are Steven Yeun, Naomi Ackie, Toni Collette, Mark Ruffalo, and Thomas Turgoose. Warner Bros. reportedly swapped its release date with Ryan Coogler’s Sinners, which now opens April 18th, to give Mickey 17 more time on Imax screens.

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The best Fitbits for your fitness and health

Fitbit makes an array of fitness trackers, from basic fitness bands to full-fledged smartwatches, though the best Fitbit smartwatch isn’t technically a Fitbit. | Photo illustration by William Joel / The Verge

Whether you want a basic fitness tracker or a smartwatch, there’s a Fitbit for everyone — though the best Fitbit smartwatch isn’t technically a Fitbit.

Read the full story at The Verge.

Do Kwon will be extradited to the US to face charges over Terra’s $40 billion crypto crash

Image: Getty

Do Kwon, the co-founder of the collapsed cryptocurrency firm Terraform Labs, will be extradited to the US to face federal fraud charges, as reported earlier by Bloomberg. The Montenegro Ministry of Justice announced the decision on Friday, which comes more than one year after the authorities arrested Kwon in the country.

Kwon faces charges in the US and South Korea after the TerraUSD stablecoin and its sister token Luna crashed in 2022, causing investors to lose $40 billion in the process. Both countries have issued extradition requests for Kwon, and have been awaiting Montenegro’s decision for months.

“It was concluded that most of the criteria provided for by law support the extradition request of the competent authorities of the United States of America,” a machine-translated version of Montenegro’s Ministry of Justice’s statement said. It doesn’t say when Montenegro plans on releasing Kwon to the US. As noted by Bloomberg, it’s also unclear whether this decision is final, since Montenegro ruled to extradite Kwon to South Korea in August.

Federal prosecutors in New York charged Kwon with wire fraud, commodities fraud, securities fraud, and conspiracy to defraud and engage in market manipulation last year. In June, Terraform Labs and Kwon agreed to pay more than $4.5 billion to settle a separate lawsuit from the Securities and Exchange Commission.

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Elon Musk riles up Trump’s far-right base by praising immigrants

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images

Elon Musk, Vivek Ramaswamy, and other members of President-elect Donald Trump’s Silicon Valley coalition are clashing with the MAGA movement’s hardline anti-immigrant faction, and it’s allegedly resulted in Musk stripping far-right critics’ verification badges on X.

The conflict centers on Musk and Ramaswamy’s recent praise for foreign tech workers, beginning soon after Indian immigrant Sriram Krishnan joined the team of Trump’s AI and crypto czar David Sacks. It’s pitted Trump’s tech mogul donor class against his older network of far-right influencers like activist and Trump companion Laura Loomer while escalating into racist rhetoric against Indian Americans in particular. The ugly, extremely online fight between the American far-right influence network parallels the immigration debate currently being hashed out more quietly in Washington.

Anti-immigrant rhetoric was a cornerstone of Trump’s pitch to voters; on top of promoting false, racist rumors about immigrants and promising mass deportations that could destabilize the American economy, he’s expected to revive an H-1B visa crackdown that he imposed during his first term. At the same time, Trump is leaning heavily on...

Read the full story at The Verge.

The Beats Fit Pro, our favorite fitness-centric earbuds, are matching their best price

The Beats Fit Pro offer built-in wing tips and excellent noise cancellation, making them a great pair of gym-friendly earbuds. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

If you need help shedding pounds from all the junk food you indulged in over Christmas, music is a great activity motivator — which is why wireless earbuds are a useful investment. Luckily, today the Beats Fit Pro — our favorite pair of earbuds for working out — are matching their all-time low price of about $149 ($50 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart.

The Beats Fit Pro offer a wide range of features that’ll help you keep motivated while working out. They sport excellent noise cancellation and a transparency mode that sounds natural, so you can tune distractions out and allow outside sound in when needed. They’re also designed for vigorous workouts, with built-in wing tips to keep them firmly in place and IPX4 rating for water resistance.

Even more conveniently, the wireless earbuds offer a host of Apple-centric features typically reserved for AirPods, like support for head tracking spatial audio, Find My, and automatic device switching. They also work well with Android devices, though you won’t be able to take advantage of native Android features like Fast Pairing that are found in newer models like the Studio Buds Plus. All in all, these are a fantastic pair of fitness-friendly earbuds that most people will find helpful, even if they do lack a wireless charging case.

Read our Beats Fit Pro review.

Some more ways to save

• Epicka’s Universal Travel Adapter has returned to its all-time low price of $19.99 ($5 off) at Amazon. The all-in-one adapter features four USB-A ports, a single USB-C port, and one AC socket, allowing you to simultaneously charge smartphones, laptops, tablets, and other gadgets. The adapter also works in over 150 countries, ranging from the UK and Canada to Japan, China, Australia, Argentina, and more.
• You can buy two Meross Matter Smart Wi-Fi Plug Minis at Amazon starting at $26.99 ($8 off) while a bundle of four is on sale for $38.99 ($11 off). That’s some of the best prices we’ve seen on the plugs, which add smarts to lamps, TVs, blenders, coffee makers, and other traditional gadgets. Most notably, they’re compatible with Matter, so you can connect them to a wide a range of smart home platforms.
• Target is still selling the green Fujifilm Instax Mini 12 Instant Camera Gift Set for $79.99 ($10 off) and throwing in a $5 gift card. The instant camera is my top pick for most people, as it’s easy for all ages to use and prints relatively true to life photos. The bundle also includes a pack of ten sheets, a photo album, camera case, and stickers, making it an excellent value all around even if you just plan on gifting it to yourself.

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NASA’s Parker Solar Probe has survived the closest-ever Sun flyby

An artist’s rendering of the Parker Solar Probe. | Image: NASA

NASA sent its Parker Solar Probe just 3.8 million miles from the surface of the Sun — and it survived. The probe transmitted a signal back to Earth on the night of December 26th, “indicating it’s in good health and operating normally,” according to NASA.

The mission marks the closest the Parker Solar Probe — or any human-man object at all — has ever gotten to the Sun. The probe set off on its mission on December 20th, with the closest approach occurring on December 24th as it flew 430,000 miles per hour past the solar surface. Mission operations were out of contact with the probe during this time.

Now that NASA has confirmation of the mission’s success, it expects the Parker Solar Probe to send “detailed telemetry data on its status” on January 1st. The close flyby is supposed to help scientists get a better understanding of solar wind, the Sun’s heat, and how “energetic particles are accelerated to near light speed.”

The Parker Solar Probe was first launched by NASA and Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in 2018. It’s designed to why study the corona — the atmosphere surrounding the sun — gets so hot. To survive these close encounters, the Parker Solar Probe is equipped with a Sun-facing heat shield that reaches around 2,500 degrees Fahrenheit, while the probe itself remains just 85 degrees Fahrenheit.

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9 great Game Pass games for your Xbox

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From postapocalyptic wastelands to cozy sci-fi futures, there’s a lot to dig into on Microsoft’s subscription service this year.

Read the full story at The Verge.

The Canon R5 Mark II is everything I love about this camera line

I’ve finally had a chance to test out the new hybrid powerhouse from Canon, the R5 Mark II. The camera comes with much-improved autofocus powered by the new Digic X processor, new eye-controlled autofocus, a backside illuminated sensor capable of faster readout and better low-light performance, and stunning video specs like recording in 8K internally with Canon Log 2 color profile.

But as much as those specs sound impressive (and they are), using the R5 Mark II also brought back so many memories I’ve made with previous 5D cameras that have been a huge part of my professional and personal life for well over 15 years, specifically the 5D Mark II.

In this review video, I decided to try something a little bit different. Instead of going through every single one of the specs and pixel-peeping every photo I’ve taken over the past month, I’ve picked the top three photos that have taught me something about the new Canon R5. Let us know what you think about the new format.

Read the full story at The Verge.