Meta is highlighting a splintering global approach to online speech

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images

Meta’s overhaul of its content moderation and fact-checking policies in the US is bringing into focus a key geopolitical tension likely to grow under the incoming Trump administration: the regulation of speech online.

CEO Mark Zuckerberg made no secret of his attempt to align his interests with those of President-elect Donald Trump, saying he planned to work with Trump to “push back on governments around the world that are going after American companies and pushing to censor more” — naming Europe specifically. The US and the European Union have long had different approaches when it comes to digital regulation, which has at times inflamed tensions since many of the largest tech companies that end up being targeted by Europe’s rules are the US’s crown jewels. That dynamic is likely to be exacerbated under a second Trump administration, with the incoming president’s protectionist policies.

“The inflection point is Trump, and Facebook is just following along,” says Daphne Keller, director of the program on platform regulation at Stanford University’s Cyber Policy Center. Through the policy change, Meta is signaling to Trump that “we want to be part of a fight with Europe. We’re on...

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LA residents find a lifeline in this free wildfire-tracking app

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Watch Duty, a nonprofit-run app that tracks wildfires with live maps and alerts, has shot to the top of Apple’s App Store charts this week as Californian residents look to navigate catastrophic blazes devastating the area.

The app launched in 2021 and is now available in 22 states, providing evacuation warnings, real-time text, photo and video updates, and a map interface with flame icons to show regions where fires are blazing. Users can access information on evacuation routes, shelter locations, and firefighting efforts, alongside zooming in on the map view to see the latest updates for precise locations. It’s a one-stop shop for everything needed during a fire emergency.

Watch Duty is powered by a team of around 200 volunteers, many of which are retired or active firefighters, dispatchers, or first responders. The app pulls its wildfire information from official government reports, volunteer reporters, and 911 dispatch calls which are then vetted and monitored using radio scanners, wildlife cameras, satellites, and local announcements from law enforcement and fire services.

Watch Duty says that the community-bolstered network allows it to provide more real-time information than fire-tracking services like CalFire and InciWeb which rely on government alerts. The app is used by active firefighters and has become a lifeline for people across the western United States who live in areas deemed to be high-risk fire zones — Watch Duty says its active users increased to 7.2 million by December 2024 compared to 1.9 million in 2023.

Californians on social media are encouraging each other to download the app in light of the ongoing LA fires raging across thousands of acres of land fueled by high winds and extremely dry conditions. As of Thursday morning, the LA Times reports that the fires have killed five people and destroyed more than 2,000 buildings, including the homes of celebrities like Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal, Adam Brody, and James Woods.

Over 367,000 California households are currently without power according to PowerOutage, and at least 130,000 LA residents are now under evacuation orders.

“Seconding the Watch Duty app so hard,” said one Californian on a Threads post encouraging users to download the app. “I live in Butte County, CA, (near where the Camp Fire was in 2018) and Watch Duty has been immeasurably helpful during fires like the Park Fire last summer.”

Watch Duty’s vice president of operations Nick Russell says that users are drawn to the app because it’s more accessible than manually checking several sources and social media updates, and because of its network for vetting and verifying factual information. Conspiracy theories surrounding natural disasters and climate change have become a common occurrence online, with misinformation regarding weather-related events being shared by users across social media platforms.

“One of the big things for us, our big theme, is quality over quantity. We’re not in a big hurry to get information that we’re going to have to go and retract later,” Russell told NBC News on Wednesday. “And so if it takes a few extra minutes to get it out there, that’s fine, but we want it to be that official info; and because we built a one-way communication platform, we don’t offer that venue for people to circulate nonsense ... And so it really puts the ball in our court for good information.”

Russell also noted that Watch Duty doesn’t collect or sell user data, instead relying on premium app subscriptions and funding from private donations to stay up and running. The core features of the app that are essential for fire monitoring, safety, and evacuation, are entirely available for free.

“I think it’s really important in today’s world, where so many people are trying to profit off disaster, to really understand that that’s not what Watch Duty is,” Russell said. “Watch Duty will remain free forever.”

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Up close with the Nvidia GeForce RTX 5090 FE, an incredibly compact flagship video card

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

We might be skeptical of some Nvidia’s claims, like whether a $549 RTX 5070 will truly deliver the performance of a $1599 RTX 4090. But it’s almost impossible not to be impressed by the RTX 5090 Founder’s Edition, where Nvidia fit 575 watts of graphics power, including 21,760 CUDA cores and 32GB of GDDR7 memory, into a video card just two slots wide.

It almost has to be seen to be believed, and we sent my colleague Antonio around the CES show floor in Las Vegas in what was initially a fruitless search. No PC manufacturer seemed to have an interactive game demo running on a 5090, much less the two-slot card.

But on Wednesday, we finally spotted the real deal at Nvidia’s offsite event — and then some. It’s heavy, and the uniquely desirable $2,000 card may wind up being rare, but it’s here, and it works.

Below, find our pictures of the relatively compact 5090; its incredibly compact PCB with the Blackwell chip on top; a game demo running on the 5090; a picture of the 5090, 5080, and 5070 Founder’s Editions side by side; and some examples of just how bulky every other partner’s cards can be compared to Nvidia’s own.

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

The...

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Google can turn your Discover feed into an AI-generated podcast

Illustration: The Verge

Google is testing an experimental AI feature that creates a personalized podcast using your Search and Discover feed history. The Daily Listen feature in Google’s Search Labs is rolling out to Android and iOS users in the US according to 9to5Google, and works similarly to the Audio Overviews feature for Google’s NotebookLM project.

Daily Listen references search data and Discover feed interactions to assess which news articles would be of most interest to the user, and then summarizes those stories and topics into a roughly five-minute audio overview. It provides a text transcript, alongside audio scrubber controls that allow users to play, pause, mute, rewind, or skip to the next story.

Image: Google (Via 9to5Google)

Here’s a few screengrabs of the Daily Listen UI, showing where the feature is located and how it presents related topics.

Search Labs users who opt-in to try this experiment will find Daily Listen in the personalized widget carousel underneath the Search bar at the top of the Google app. A “Related stories” tab will appear at the bottom of the audio player that corresponds to content within the overview that allows users to like or disapprove of each story with a thumbs up/down, and explore new topics.

There’s currently no word on when/if this feature will be rolled out to the wider public. Google’s AI Search Overviews were tested in a similar way via Search Labs before launching to a general audience last year, so it’s possible that Daily Listen may one day become a persistent feature — hopefully one that’s easier to opt out of than AI Overviews.

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Apple says Siri isn’t sending your conversations to advertisers — even if it accidentally records them

Illustration: The Verge

Apple is refuting rumors that it ever let advertisers target users based on Siri recordings in a statement published Wednesday evening describing how Siri works and what it does with data.

The section specifically responding to the rumors reads:

Apple has never used Siri data to build marketing profiles, never made it available for advertising, and never sold it to anyone for any purpose. We are constantly developing technologies to make Siri even more private, and will continue to do so.

The conspiracy theory the company is responding to resurfaced last week after Apple agreed to pay $95 million to settle a lawsuit over users whose conversations were captured by its Siri voice assistant and potentially overheard by human employees.

While Apple’s settlement addresses an issue that The Guardian reported in 2019. The report showed human contractors tasked with reviewing anonymized recordings and grading whether the trigger was activated intentionally, would sometimes receive recordings of people discussing sensitive information. But it doesn’t include any reference to selling data for marketing purposes.

After T_he Guardian’s_ report in 2019, Apple apologized and changed its policy, making the default setting not to retain audio recordings from Siri interactions and saying that for users who opt-in to sharing recordings, those recordings would not be shared with third-party contractors.

However, reports about the settlement noted that in earlier filings like this one from 2021, some of the plaintiffs claimed that after they mentioned brand names like “Olive Garden,” “Easton bats,” “Pit Viper sunglasses,” and “Air Jordans,” they were served ads for corresponding products, which they attributed to Siri data.

Apple’s statement tonight says it “does not retain audio recordings of Siri interactions unless users explicitly opt in to help improve Siri, and even then, the recordings are used solely for that purpose. Users can easily opt-out at any time.”

Facebook responded to similar theories in 2014 and 2016 before Mark Zuckerberg addressed it directly, saying “no” to the question while being grilled by Congress over the Cambridge Analytica scandal in 2018.

So, if Apple (and Facebook, Google, etc.) is telling the truth, then why would you see an ad later for something you only talked about?

There are other explanations, and attempts to check the rumors out include an investigation in 2018 that didn’t find evidence of microphone spying but did discover that some apps secretly recorded on-screen user activity that they shipped to third parties.

Ad targeting networks also track data from people logged onto the same network or who have spent time in the same locations, so even if one person didn’t type in that search term, maybe someone else did. They can buy data from brokers who collect reams of detailed location tracking and other info from the apps on your phone, and both Google and Facebook pull in data from other companies to build out profiles based on your purchasing habits and other information.

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Here are the best Apple Watch deals right now

The latest Apple Watch SE is an entry-level smartwatch if there ever was one. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

In September, Apple launched its latest smartwatch, introducing the Apple Watch Series 10 alongside a black rendition of the Apple Watch Ultra 2. Each wearable has its own pros and cons, as does the second-gen Apple Watch SE, but the recent introduction of the new wearables also means there are now more Apple Watch models on the market than ever before — and a lot more deals to be had.

But with all of those options, which one should you pick? Generally speaking, you want to buy the newest watch you can afford so that it continues to receive software updates from Apple. The latest update, watchOS 11, launched in September on the Apple Watch Series 6 and newer, ultimately leaving those still using an older Series 4 or Series 5 behind.

That being said, picking up a watch from the latest (or a recent) generation ensures you’re getting a smartwatch with an updated design, a robust number of features, and plenty of sensors.

Now, let’s get to the deals.

The best Apple Watch Series 10 deals

The Apple Watch Series 10 represents the latest wearable in Apple’s flagship Series lineup. It features the new S10 SiP chip, faster charging, and a wide-angle OLED display that’s brighter, larger, and easier to read than that of previous models. It weighs half as much as the Ultra, too, and is about 30 percent thinner despite its new 42mm and 46mm sizing. Other upgrades include an added depth and water temperature sensor, as well as a new FDA-cleared sleep apnea detection feature, the latter of which is also available on the last-gen Series 9 and Ultra 2.

While the improvements are certainly welcome, the Series 10 isn’t a vast departure from the prior model, the Series 9. That being said, you can already pick it up at Amazon and Best Buy in the 42mm sizing with GPS starting at $329 ($70 off), which matches the wearable's best price to date. The GPS-equipped model is also on sale at Amazon and Best Buy in the 46mm variant for $359 ($70 off), while the LTE models can be had at Amazon and Best Buy starting at $429 ($70 off).

Read our Apple Watch Series 10 review.

The best Apple Watch Series 9 deals

In 2023, Apple introduced the Apple Watch Series 9 alongside the second-gen Ultra. It uses Apple’s last-gen S9 SiP chip and a second-gen ultra wideband chip, which allows for onboard Siri processing and precision finding with select iPhone models. It also features a brighter, 2,000-nit display and support for Apple’s nifty “double tap” feature — two minor additions that are also present on the Series 10.

The Series 9 has been out for more than a year, but certain configurations have become increasingly difficult to find with the arrival of Apple’s latest watch. Luckily, the GPS-equipped Series 9 is still on sale in the 45mm configuration at Walmart starting at $279 ($150 off), or at Amazon and Best Buy in the 41mm sizing starting at $299 ($100 off). There are also a handful of deals to be had on the LTE models with cellular connectivity, though none of them undercut the current price of the LTE-equipped Series 10 model by much, hence their exclusion here.

Read our Apple Watch Series 9 review.

The best Apple Watch SE deals

The Apple Watch SE received a refresh in late 2022. It has the same chipset as the Series 8, which is great, but with fewer sensors, no always-on display, and a slightly outdated design compared to the Series 8, Series 9, and Series 10. Those omissions might take this out of the running for some people, but it still may be exactly what you’re after. Best of all, it starts at $249 for the 40mm Wi-Fi / GPS model, which is $30 less than the previous generation’s baseline cost. Opting for cellular connectivity bumps the starting price up to $299 for the 40mm size (44mm adds $20 to each configuration).

At the moment, the best deals on the latest Apple Watch SE can be found at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy, where you can pick the 40mm model with GPS for $199 ($50 off). The 44mm configuration, meanwhile, is available at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy for $229 ($50 off). If you want the LTE configuration, the 40mm configuration is currently on sale at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy for $249 ($50 off), or in the larger 44mm sizing at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy for $279 ($50 off), its typical sale price.

Read our Apple Watch SE (second-gen) review.

The best Apple Watch Ultra 2 deals

The latest Apple Watch Ultra launched at $799 in September with GPS and LTE support, much like the original model. The ultra-capable smartwatch has the most features, sensors, and ruggedness of any Apple Watch model available thus far, along with a display that’s 50 percent brighter than the first Ultra. The 49mm smartwatch also packs Apple’s S9 SiP and second-gen ultra wideband chips, just like the Apple Watch Series 9, while maintaining long-lasting battery life, precise GPS tracking, and a bevy of diving-friendly sensors.

In recent months, we saw the Apple Watch Ultra 2 dip to as low as $642 ($157 off) in select configurations. Right now, however, it’s only on sale at Amazon and Best Buy with a Trail Loop starting at $719.99 (about $79 off), or with an Alpine Loop at Amazon starting at $759 ($40 off). You can also pick it up at Amazon with an Ocean Band starting at $769 ($30 off), which is about $80 more than the lowest price we’ve seen on the elastomer-equipped model.

Read our Apple Watch Ultra 2 review.

A note on the more premium models

While all of the Apple Watch models and colorways covered here are encased in aluminum (except the Ultra 2, which has a titanium build), Apple does make a more premium range built out of stainless steel and titanium. These offerings are functionally and aesthetically similar to their aluminum counterparts, with slightly refined colors and finishings — polished for the stainless steel and brushed for the titanium. However, they start at much steeper prices of $699 and above. They, too, can often be found on sale, but they’re never discounted as low as the standard base models, so we don’t include them here.

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This robovac has an arm — and legs, too

This robot vacuum from Dreame has a robotic arm that can pick up items and use tools from its toolbox (pictured in the background) to clean more areas of your home. | Image: The Verge

I’ll see your arm and raise you an arm and two legs. It was the battle of the bots on the CES show floor as robot vacuum manufacturers Dreame and Roborock each added limbs to their rival robovacs.

Dreame launched its X50 Ultra at the show earlier this week, debuting the first robovac that can use its legs to navigate steps and room transitions up to 6cm high. But elsewhere at the show, competitor Roborock was showing off its latest flagship, the Saros Z70, which has an arm that can pick up items like socks.

Not to be outdone, Dreame then showed off a soon-to-be-released model at its CES booth, combining those two step-climbing legs with a robotic arm of its own.

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Dreame’s model has a chunkier-looking arm than the Roborock’s, and it says it can pick up items up to 500 grams, whereas Roborock’s can only tackle items up to 300 grams. Dreame says its arm can pick up sneakers as large as men’s size 42 (a size 9 in the US) and take them to a designated spot in your home. The concept could apply to small toys and other items, and you’ll be able to designate specific areas for the robot to take certain items, such as toys to the playroom and shoes to the front door.

However, I didn’t see the robot picking up a sneaker — or anything at all — apparently, the infamous CES show floor Wi-Fi couldn't hack it. Instead, they showed the robust-looking arm moving up, down, and around while the robot lifted itself up on its two small legs. It looked like a tiny horse.

Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

The robot vacuum lifting itself up on its legs while its arm stretches out.

Another interesting invention is a separate toolbox with various brushes that Dreame says the arm can connect to, enabling it to reach into corners and tight spaces where the bot itself cannot go and sweep out the dirt and dust. They also had a new base station that dispenses multiple mopping pads. This allows the robot to choose different pads for different jobs around your home — one for the kitchen another for the bathroom — to help avoid cross-contamination around your home.

Dreame’s Longdong Chen told _The Verg_e that the step-climbing, tool-using, arm-touting bot should be available later this year. A price hasn’t been announced, but it’s a safe bet that it’ll cost an arm and a leg.

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Microsoft is reverting its Bing AI image generator because of quality complaints

Illustration by Haein Jeong / The Verge

Microsoft is rolling back a model upgrade to its AI-powered Bing Image Creator, reports TechCrunch. The rollback came after weeks of complaints by users that the tool just didn’t work as well after Microsoft “upgraded” to a new version of the DALL-E 3 model on December 18th.

Microsoft declined to comment on its decision to roll things back or offer specifics on what may be causing the gap between user’s expectations and its output.

Today, Microsoft’s head of search, Jordi Ribas, tweeted that they could reproduce “some of the issues reported” and are reverting to an older version of the DALL-E model for now, although it could take a few weeks until it’s complete.

Since the launch of Bing Image Creator last spring, users have generated billions of images with text prompts. I'm pleased to share our latest updates to enhance your creative experience. Starting today, we’re rolling out the latest DALL-E 3 model PR16, which will create images… pic.twitter.com/3p9HsYMlr6

— Jordi Ribas (@JordiRib1) December 18, 2024

Thanks again for the feedback and patience. We've been able to repro some of the issues reported and plan to revert to PR13 until we can fix them. All Pro users and about 25% of the requests using boosts are now on PR13. The deployment process is very slow unfortunately. It…

— Jordi Ribas (@JordiRib1) January 8, 2025

As soon as Ribas posted about the change in December, there were complaints that Bing Image Creator was producing less-detailed results or images that didn’t accurately reflect their prompts. In his initial replies, Ribas said the model’s output quality “should be a bit better on average” than before.

It was the same story in posts and comments on Reddit and OpenAI’s community forums. On OpenAI’s forums, a person complained about the model’s handling of fabric on an anime-style character’s dress. The person who posted the below images says the one on the left is “perfect quality” while the one on the right is “over-lit.”

Screenshot: OpenAI community forum

Another didn’t like the way Bing placed starburst effects:

Screenshot: OpenAI community forum

All of these things are subjective, and I can’t claim to think any of them look better than any others. If anything, it feels like an indication that Microsoft doesn’t just have to deal with complaints about bugs or people upset about feature changes — now it has to deal with AI art critics comparing the machine’s output to what they imagine it should create. Perhaps they should ask the artists whose work the generators were trained on for tips about managing a client’s expectations?

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Microsoft teases ‘major’ Surface business announcement for January 30th

The Surface Laptop 7 with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite processor. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Microsoft is preparing for a “major” Surface announcement later this month. The software giant has started teasing “a major announcement from Surface for Business” this week in a LinkedIn post spotted by Windows Central. The announcement will be made during Microsoft’s AI tour in New York City on January 30th.

Microsoft is rumored to be launching Intel-powered variants of its Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 11 devices soon, and a prototype of a Surface Laptop 7 with Intel’s Lunar Lake chips appeared on a Chinese second-hand marketplace in October. It’s likely that Microsoft will announce Lunar Lake versions of the Surface Laptop 7 and Surface Pro 11 that are designed for businesses.

The Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6 both shipped with Intel’s Meteor Lake processors earlier in 2024, before Microsoft went on to launch refreshed Surface Copilot Plus devices with new designs and Qualcomm chips.

The Surface Laptop Studio is also due for an upgrade from the current model’s 13th Gen Intel chips, but that’s less of a business-focused device so it’s unlikely to be part of this event. There are also rumors of an 11-inch Surface Go / Surface Laptop Go hybrid device powered by a Snapdragon X Plus processor, but again that’s unlikely to be targeted to businesses.

We’ll be following Microsoft’s AI tour live later this month, so stay tuned for details on the Surface “major announcement.”

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The best smart locks you can buy right now

Illustration: The Verge

Never get locked out again with a smart lock you can control from your phone, with your voice, or with just a touch of your finger.

Read the full story at The Verge.

Tonal upgrades its smart weightlifting machine with heavier weights and a better camera

Image: Tonal

Tonal on Wednesday launched the Tonal 2, an upgraded version of its smart in-home strength trainer.

Launched in 2018, the Tonal is a wall-mounted strength training machine with electromagnetically adjustable resistance and a touchscreen display. It can monitor lifting form, offer virtual coaching,predict and set the optimal weight for each exercise, and responsively adjust as you lift for a personalized workout. The company also offers on-demand workouts.

Along with sporting a new all-black design and chrome accents, the Tonal 2 comes with a host of meaningful internal improvements, including a new adaptive weight system with up to 250 pounds of digital resistance, up from the 200 pounds in the original trainer.

The latest version of the trainer now offers drop sets via a software update also available on the Tonal 1, with the option toautomatically reduce weight during a set as muscle fatigue builds up. The Tonal 2 also comes with a new “Aero HIIT” mode, which lets you combine cardio and strength training into a single session.

Tonal also improved its optional Smart View feature, which uses cameras to watch your form and give real-time coaching cues. On the Tonal 1, Smart View required you to use your phone camera, and used the on-device camera for a second angle in some exercises; on the Tonal 2, it uses the built-in camera, with an option to use your smartphone for a second angle. The company says the camera also can now use AI to “analyze 500 data points per second.”

The Tonal 2 is available now, starting at $4,295, not including delivery and installation, plus a $495 “smart accessories bundle” that the company’s website says is “required to unlock the best Tonal experience.” It also requires a $60/month subscription, with a one-year commitment to start. Tonal noted on Instagram it will be introducing a trade-in program for existing Tonal 1 owners looking to upgrade, but didn’t give specifics. Tonal told The Verge the Tonal 2 can be mounted on the original Tonal’s existing wall mount for easier installation.

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AGDQ’s best moments happen when you least expect them

Photo: Wes “Fish” Chan / Games Done Quick

Awesome Games Done Quick, the annual charity speedrunning marathon is in full swing, already amassing over $500,000 for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. With three more days to go, there’s a great many runs of popular games coming up. But relying on the schedule or your own preferences to determine when to tune in is a surefire way to miss the best AGDQ has to offer.

Take today, for example. I’ve never played Batman Forever: The Arcade Game, but after watching the speedrun, I might have to. It’s a Batman-flavored beat-’em-up that bears precious little resemblance to the movie it’s based on. The runner, LRock617, chose to play as Robin and within moments of starting the game, I was hooked. The graphics were reminiscent of the early Mortal Kombat games, appropriate since it was published by Acclaim Entertainment. But there was a surreality to them that — when combined with Robin’s overpowered abilities (like one that has him essentially go Super Saiyan), the runner’s charisma in explaining what’s happening, and the audience getting in on the fun with funny donation messages — gave the run an absurd goofiness that was a sorely needed shot in the arm at 9AM on a Wednesday morning....

Read the full story at The Verge.

The best Android phones for everyone

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge

Whether you want everything but the kitchen sink or top-tier performance for a midrange price, you’ve got options.

Read the full story at The Verge.

Is this the Nintendo Switch 2?

Nintendo isn’t officially at CES, but it might have stolen the show anyway: accessories-maker Genki brought a 3D-printed mockup of what it says is Nintendo’s Switch successor, and we got to hold it and take some high-resolution pictures.

Based on the mockup of what we’ll call the Switch 2, Nintendo’s next console appears to be wider than the original, with slightly larger Joy-Con controllers that seem like they’ll be more comfortable to hold. Compared to a Steam Deck OLED, the Switch 2 mockup still feels noticeably smaller, in part because the Joy-Cons are not as pronounced and ergonomic as the Deck’s grips. But the mockup still feels closer in size to Valve’s handheld than the original Switch.

As previous rumors have indicated, the Switch 2’s Joy-Cons will attach to the console via magnets instead of a sliding rail, Genki cofounder and CEO Eddie Tsai tells The Verge. To detach a Joy-Con from the Switch 2, you press a big button at the top of the backside of each controller, Tsai says, and that button apparently pushes out a pin that nudges against the chassis of the console, disconnecting the magnets.

You can remove the Joy-Cons with brute force if you really wanted to, according to Tsai, but he says, overall, they feel secure for regular use and that the big release button detaches the Joy-Cons with ease. Tsai declined to share where he’d learned details of the new console.

Tsai also tells The Verge that housed within the mounting channel of the Joy-Cons is an optical sensor, and by using another attachment the new Joy-Cons may offer mouse-like functionality. It sounds a bit like what Lenovo does with its Legion Go handheld.

Nintendo has promised that it will announce the Switch’s successor before April 2025, and as that deadline creeps closer, there have been waves of leaks and rumors about the new hardware. In December, YouTube channel SwitchUp posted a video showing a 3D-printed, non-functional Switch 2 mockup provided by a Chinese case manufacturer. That mockup basically looked like the current Switch but bigger, and it revealed a few other potential changes like a new USB-C port on the top of the device and a mysterious new square button under the Home button on the right Joy-Con.

Days later, accessories-maker Dbrand announced its “Killswitch 2” case, and CEO Adam Ijaz told The Verge that it was designed based on “actual dimensions” based on a “3D scan of the real hardware.” Ijaz also said that it was his “understanding” that the console’s Joy-Cons are magnetically attached. And Dbrand’s imagery showed that the new square button had a “C” printed on it, though Ijaz didn’t know what it was. Days after that, our colleague Sean Hollister spoke with a Redditor who shared apparent photos of the Switch 2’s dock and the inside of what appears to be a Switch 2 Joy-Con.

With that April 2025 deadline inching closer every day, it seems like it won’t be long until Nintendo officially, finally reveals the Switch 2. But until that happens, at least we have these pictures to look at.

Photography by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge

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The OnePlus 13 is already on sale with a free storage upgrade and a smartwatch

The OnePlus 13 is an excellent alternative to phones from Samsung and Google. | Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge

Samsung’s Galaxy S25 might be just around the corner, but if you’re looking for a solid Android alternative, OnePlus is already offering the new OnePlus 13 with a free storage upgrade, dropping the price of the 512GB model with 16GB of RAM to $899 ($100 off). It’s also throwing in a OnePlus Watch 2R (a $229.99 value) or a free pair of the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 (normally $179.99) with each purchase. Amazon and Best Buy, meanwhile, are bundling it with a $100 gift card, though only the latter is doing so with the free storage upgrade.

The OnePlus 13 is a stunner of a phone, one that impressed us in a number of ways. It boasts a 6.82-inch 120Hz display and runs on Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Elite, making it even faster than its predecessor. Its massive 6,000mAh battery also stands out amongst a sea of 5,000mAh Android phones, allowing you to use it for multiple days on a single charge. The triple-array camera — which consists of a 50-megapixel main shooter, an ultrawide, and a telephoto — is also on par with the best, letting you produce sharp photos in dim lighting.

Even more notable, though, is that the OnePlus 13 finally offers all the flagship features you’d expect from a phone at this price. That includes support from all three major US wireless carriers and an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. OnePlus also promises four years of OS updates and six years of security support, rendering it a better investment than the company’s previous smartphones. Sure, the OnePlus ecosystem still isn’t as rich as that of Samsung or Google, but if that doesn’t bother you, it’s otherwise an excellent phone.

Read our OnePlus 13 review.

More deals and discounts of note

• The 2024 Asus Zenbook Duo ison sale for an all-time low of $1,499.99 ($200 off)at Best Buy with an Intel Core Ultra 9 H-series processor, 1TB of storage, and 32GB of memory. The Duo is a great option if you need a lot of screen real estate, as the laptop offers a pair of 14-inch 120Hz OLED screens, one of which is hidden beneath a trackpad and a removable full-size keyboard. The unique laptop also features a stylus and a solid port selection, including a pair of USB-C ports, an HDMI port, a USB-A port, and a 3.5mm audio jack. Read our comparison with the Lenovo Yoga Book 9i.
• Costco members can buy thestainless steel Ember Mug 2 for $69.99 ($30 off) through January 10th (it’s also available to non-members who pay a $5 surcharge). The 14-ounce, app-controlled smart mug can keep your coffee or tea heated to your preferred temperature for up to 90 minutes using the built-in battery — or indefinitely when docked on the included charging coaster.
• The second-gen Bose Soundlink Flex is on sale at Amazon starting at $111.34 (about $38 off). The original model was one of our favorite Bluetooth speakers thanks to its travel-friendly size and detailed sound, which the latest model expands upon with support for AAC and aptX Bluetooth audio codecs. It also retains anIP67 rating for dust and water resistance — meaning it makes for a great pool companion — along with up to 12 hours of battery life.

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Social networking alternatives for the Meta- and Musk-averse

Image: Alex Parkin / The Verge

As I write this, there are a lot of social network users who are wondering if they should look for a new home. Over at X, Elon Musk has essentially become part of the incoming Trump administration, while various changes have made the formerly popular social network a dark and forbidding forest for many of its former inhabitants.

Meanwhile, Meta’s announcement that it was abandoning third-party fact-checkers and moving its trust and safety teams from California to Texas is making some Facebook and Instagram members nervous. So nervous, in fact, that while we previously included Meta’s Threads social network in this article as a possible alternative to X, we’ve pulled it — at least for now.

So, if you’re no longer feeling safe at your current social network, where do you go?

We’ve been looking into the various possibilities and have put together what is admittedly an incomplete list of some of the current alternatives to X, Facebook, and Instagram that you may want to check out if you’re thinking about leaving your current hangout.

Probably nothing will become the combined news / gossip / conversation / spam source that Twitter once was, and it may be difficult to leave the kind...

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Threads and Instagram are for politics now, says Adam Mosseri

Illustration: The Verge

It’s been nearly a year since Instagram and Threads defaulted to blocking recommendations of “political” content from accounts you don’t already follow, but now Instagram boss Adam Mosseri says, “...we’re going to be adding political content to recommendations” on both platforms.

That’s a sharp turn from his statements in 2023 laying out the goal of a “less angry place for conversations” that wouldn’t do anything to encourage politics or hard news. However, under Meta’s new approach to moderation — and new rules about what users can say on its platforms — that goal is going out the window just as the Trump administration prepares to take over.

Until now, users have had to opt-in to seeing recommendations of content deemed political, but the change rolling out this week in the US and to the rest of the world next week will turn on the recommendations and a content control setting available with options for less, standard (the default setting), and more.

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A post shared by Adam Mosseri (@mosseri)

In a series of Threads posts, Mosseri reiterated, “I’ve maintained very publicly and for a long time that it not our place to show people political content from accounts they don’t follow,” and that “it’s proven impractical to draw a red line around what is and is not political content.”

In a video on Instagram, he said that the push for political content — particularly from users on Threads — is “by the way, very different from the feedback we were getting only a few years ago about people feeling that they were overly exposed to political content on our platforms.” Of course, according to the Wall Street Journal, that was before Mark Zuckerberg experienced the effects of filters cutting down the reach of his post about recovering from a torn ACL and before Meta’s new and friendlier-to-Trump policy chief took over.

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Bluetti has two new flagship energy storage kits for the home and beyond

Two Apex 300 units with several expansion batteries. | Image: Bluetti

Bluetti just took the wraps off its EnergyPro 6K and Apex 300 energy storage systems. The EnergyPro 6K is a fixed whole-home backup solution, while the modular Apex 300 is designed to provide portable power when at home, at an off-grid cabin, at a job site, or during an RV trip. Both systems can scale in capacity and power to support your individual needs.

The launch is all part of Bluetti’s rebranding around three series of power solutions: EnergyPro products that require professional installation, Apex systems for advanced energy demands, and the smaller Elite lineup of portable power stations and solar generators for more casual use.

The Apex 300 features 3840W of max AC output and 3072Wh of LFP battery storage. It can be combined with the company’s B300K, B300, and B300S batteries, including future expansion batteries yet to be announced. The Apex 300 has an idle power draw of 20W, according to Bluetti, which is pretty efficient for such a large inverter that can simultaneously support both 120V and 240V loads.

Image: Bluetti

The Bluetti Apex 300.

Multiple Apex 300 units can be linked in parallel to increase the maximum output to 11.52kW — enough to power just about any home device or EV. Storage capacity can be expanded to 58kWh with three units and 18 battery packs to keep an entire home running for a few days in the event of a blackout, or much longer if you’re only powering critical devices like the fridge, HVAC systems, and water pumps. It supports up to 30,720W of solar input and is expected to be available in April in the US.

Image: Bluetti

Two worry-free owners of a pair of EnergyPro 6K units connected to an AT1 Smart Distribution Box.

Bluetti bills the EnergyPro 6K as “a reliable, affordable and cost-effective home energy solution ideal for small to medium-sized homes.” It can be configured with 5.8kW to 29kW of power output and between 7.68kWh and 38.4kWh of LFP battery storage. It’s designed to integrate seamlessly into existing rooftop solar systems. It can be paired with a Bluetti AT1 Smart Distribution Box to provide whole-home backup to critical circuits and automatic cutover to a standby generator when needed. Bluetti is also teasing an EnergyPro 13K system, offering 13.2kW to 39.6kW of output and between 9.6kWh and 57.6kWh of storage capacity. The company says that the EnergyPro 6K is expected to be released in Q2 of 2025.

No prices were given as part of today’s announcement, but you can expect both systems to start in the low thousands, or even tens of thousands if you’re looking at a fully specced installation.

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Here’s how small Nvidia’s $3,000 Digits supercomputer looks in person

Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge

One of the biggest announcements in Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s CES keynote was the small “Project Digits” AI supercomputer, and if you want to get an idea of just how tiny the $3,000 machine is in real life, we snapped a couple photos of the device under glass today at the show.

Take a look: we’ve captured the front of a Digits computer in the photo at the top of this post, and below this paragraph is a photo of the back featuring the computer’s ports. I really like the textured design.

Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge

The Digits computers will come with Nvidia’s GB10 Grace Blackwell Superchip, which offers “a petaflop of AI computing performance for prototyping, fine-tuning and running large AI models,” according to Nvidia’s press release. It also includes a GPU built with Nvidia’s Blackwell architecture, 128GB of unified memory, and up to 4TB of NVMe SSD storage.

This isn’t a computer for most people; Nvidia says that Project Digits is intended to provide “AI researchers, data scientists and students worldwide with access to the power of the NVIDIA Grace Blackwell platform.” It definitely isn’t something I will ever buy.

But it is impressively tiny given its capabilities — small computers have been on a tear lately!

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The fallout of Meta’s content moderation overhaul

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images

Meta is ending its third-party fact checks and making sweeping changes to its content moderation policies.

Meta is making sweeping changes to its content moderation policies, including abandoning third-party fact checks in favor of crowd-sourced “Community Notes” and loosening restrictions on topics like immigration and gender identity. Under the updated Hateful Conduct policy, for example, calling gay and trans people “mentally ill” is now allowed, while an explicit ban on referring to women as “household objects” has been removed.

New policy lead Joel Kaplan said that in pursuit of “More Speech and Fewer Mistakes,” Meta will focus more on preventing over-enforcement of its content policies and less on mediating potentially harmful but technically legal discussions on its platform.

It comes just two weeks before President-elect Donald Trump is set to return to the White House, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s announcement appealed to many of the incoming administration’s talking points. Zuckerberg has promised to move US content review from California to Texas, where he says there’s “less concern about the bias of our teams,” and said Meta would work with Trump to “push back on governments around the world that are going after American companies and pushing to censor more.”

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Can Nvidia’s RTX 5070 really deliver RTX 4090 performance for $549?

Photo by PATRICK T. FALLON / AFP via Getty Images

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang made a bold claim onstage at CES earlier this week when he was introducing the next-generation RTX 50-series GPUs. “The RTX 5070, 4090 performance at $549,” said Huang. It’s a claim that’s been echoed on YouTube, TikTok, and social media networks and has generated a debate over the RTX 50 series and DLSS 4’s Multi Frame Generation.

So, can a $549 RTX 5070 really deliver the same level of performance as a $1,5999 RTX 4090? The answer is yes and no, and it all comes down to a “fake frames” argument about DLSS Frame Generation that might not even be a big problem for a lot of PC gamers.

Nvidia’s big RTX 5070 claim is all based on its latest generation of DLSS. “Impossible without artificial intelligence,” admits Huang after promising that the RTX 5070 can deliver RTX 4090 levels of performance. DLSS 4 has a new Multi Frame Generation technique that can generate up to three additional frames per every traditionally rendered frame.

Some PC gamers have long argued that this technique, which Nvidia introduced originally with DLSS 3, is simply “fake frames” and not reflective of the true rasterization performance of GPUs that we’ve been used to for decades.

“...

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Omi is another AI companion wearable — but this one’s trying to read your mind

Seriously: would you wear something like this on your face if it could really read your mind? | Image: Omi

Nik Shevchenko closes his eyes and starts to focus intently. He’s spent the last half hour or so telling me about his new product, an $89 wearable called Omi that can listen to, summarize, and get information out of your conversations. Now he wants to show me the future. So his eyes are closed, and he’s focusing all his attention on the round white puck stuck to his left temple with medical tape. (Did I mention he’s had this thing on his face the whole time? It’s very distracting.)

“Hey, what do you think about The Verge, like as a news media website?” Shevchenko asks, to no one in particular. Then he waits. Fifteen or so seconds later, a notification pops up on his phone, with some AI-generated information about how reputable and terrific a news source The Verge is. Shevchenko is thrilled, and maybe a little relieved. The device read his brain waves to understand he was talking to it, and not to me, and answered his question without any prompting or switching.

So far, that’s all the brain-computer-interface stuff Omi can do. And it seems pretty fragile. “It just understands one channel,” he says, “it’s one electrode.” What he’s trying to build is a device that understands when you’re talking to it and when you’re not. And then eventually understands and saves your thoughts, which Shevchenko both waves off as total science fiction and says will probably be possible in two years. Whenever it happens, he thinks it might change the way you use your AI devices.

Image: Omi

This is the (more normal) way most people will wear devices like Omi.

For now, the Omi’s actual purpose is much simpler: it’s an always-listening device (the battery apparently lasts three days on a charge) that you wear on a lanyard around your neck that can help you make sense of your day-to-day life. There’s no wake word, but you can still talk to it directly because it’s always on. Think of it as 80 percent companion and 20 percent Alexa assistant.

Omi can summarize a meeting or conversation and give you action items. It can give you information — Shevchenko offhandedly wondered about the price of Bitcoin during our conversation and got a notification from the Omi companion app a few seconds later with the answer. There’s also an Omi app store, which developers are already using to plug the audio input into things like Zapier and Google Drive.

For Shevchenko himself, though, Omi is a personal mentor above all else. “I was born in the middle of nowhere on an island near Japan,” he tells me, and always wanted access to the tech visionaries he grew up admiring. For years, he says he cold-emailed people like Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk asking for advice and mentorship on how to make it in tech but never got much response. With no real-life options, Shevchenko decided to build his own.

Omi already has a product called “Personas,” which allows you to plug in anyone’s X handle and create a bot that assumes their social network persona. When Shevchenko shares his screen with me, it shows he’s been chatting with an AI Elon Musk for a long time. “It helps me to understand what I should be working on tomorrow,” Shevchenko says. “Or when I’m talking to someone and I don’t know an answer to the question, it will give me a small nudge — it sometimes tells me I’m wrong!” His wearable heard him say he was sick a few days ago and has been reminding him ever since to get more rest. He asks it every month to give him feedback and tell him how to do better.

He gets a lot of notifications from the Omi app, including during our call, and not all of them make much sense — one was just a transcription of a sentence he’d said a minute earlier. Shevchenko acknowledges it’s early, but he doesn’t seem bothered by the system’s misses. The communication works for him.

Image: Omi

Omi’s tech is actually pretty simple — it’s mostly just a microphone. The AI is the trick.

Most people won’t use Omi this way, though. The product will ship widely in the second quarter of this year, but Shevchenko says the 5,000 people with an early version of the device are using it to help remember things, look up information, and perform other tasks common to AI assistants.

In that sense, Omi has a lot in common with devices like the Limitless Pendant and bears a striking resemblance to another wearable called Friend. When Friend launched last year, Shevchenko claimed Friend CEO Avi Schiffmann was stealing his work, and the subsequent beef included everything from sniping on X to a freestyle rap diss track. Omi was actually called Friend for a while, and Shevchenko says he changed the name both to avoid confusion and because Schiffmann dropped $1.8 million on Friend.com and subsequently dominated search results.

Shevchenko is confident that Omi can improve on those other devices. All of Omi’s code is open source, and there are already 250 apps in the store. Omi’s plan is to be a big, broad platform, rather than a specific device or app — the device itself is only one piece of the puzzle. The company is using models from OpenAI and Meta to power Omi, so it can iterate more quickly on the product itself.

For all their issues and underlying concerns, it’s clear that AI models are already good enough to feel like a true companion to millions of people. You can feel about that however you’d like, but from Omi and Friend to Character.AI and Replika, bot friends are quickly becoming real friends. What they need, then, is both more information about you and more ways to help you. Omi thinks the first answer is an always-on microphone, and the second is an app store. Then, I guess, comes the brain.

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You can get a $50 credit when you preorder the next Samsung Galaxy devices

Samsung announced its first Galaxy Unpacked event of 2025, which it’s historically used to introduce the latest flagship Galaxy smartphones. That would be the Galaxy S25 family if our count is right, including the base model, the expected Galaxy S25 Ultra, and whatever else falls between. We’ll know for sure before too long with an unveiling scheduled for January 22nd.

But before the company even confirms what we’re getting, you can already place a reservation to preorder the device. If you sign up at Samsung’s website or the Shop Samsung app by January 22nd at 1 PM ET (which only entails submitting your name and email address) and later place your pre-order, you’ll get a $50 credit that’s good toward any additional devices or accessories you’re purchasing alongside it. That sadly means you can’t use the $50 toward the device itself. The fine print also mentions that you can get a $100 credit toward your pre-order of a qualifying 2025 TV (perhaps some of the models it announced at CES) or audio device using the same email address, hinting that we may see more than just smartphones at the event.

As for what to expect from the Galaxy S25 family, they could be some of the first “Qi2 Ready” devices, which would mean they’ll support the wireless charging standard, but require cases to use them with magnetic Qi2 chargers. A recent video leak suggests the Galaxy S25 Ultra may get a slight redesign with a curvier chassis. We may even get a Galaxy S25 “Slim” to turn the de facto trio of flagships into a quartet.

And we didn’t need to see the letters “AI” in Samsung’s teaser to know that would be a central selling point for its latest devices. We’ve already seen Galaxy AI deployed in several of its devices over the last couple of years, which includes features like Circle to Search, computational photography and video tricks with generative photo manipulation, summarized notes and transcriptions, and live translations. Samsung will presumably continue building that experience out as part of One UI 7.

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Mythic Quest is working through its AI woes in new season 4 trailer

Mythic Quest’s third season ended on a hopeful note as the Playpen team hunkered down to start developing an all-new expansion, but all that hard work looks like it’s just going to lead to more headaches judging from the show’s latest season 4 trailer.

While Mythic Quest’s new season will find Dana (Imani Hakim), Jo (Jessie Ennis), and Brad (Dani Pudi) basking in the success of their Cozy Galaxy project, things are going to be a bit tougher for Ian (Rob McElhenney) and Poppy (Charlotte Nicdao) as they try to figure out how keep players coming back to Playpen. In the trailer, David (David Hornsby) says that he wants the pair to take their time to come up with some genuinely good ideas. But it’s clear that he really wants those solutions quickly, which feels like part of why one of Ian’s first moves is to incorporate an AI duplicate of himself into his workflow.

Poppy’s idea to let Playpen players create their own in-game content seems a bit more on the level and like something that might actually get people logging on regularly. But of course, the first thing players want to do with the features is find ways to make their characters pantomime sex, which is exactly the sort of thing that gets Congress wondering who the game is actually for. No one actually says “Roblox” in the trailer, but it’s obvious that Mythic Quest’s writers room has been reading the news and getting the sense that something smells a bit off about games with these kinds of business models. Which is probably why the show won’t pull any punches when it returns on January 29th (and its spin-off debuts on March 26th).

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Meta tests eBay listings in Facebook Marketplace

Illustration: Nick Barclay / The Verge

Meta is testing eBay listings on Facebook Marketplace in the US, Germany, and France. The company said in a post on Wednesday that it’s making the change to comply with last year’s antitrust order by the European Union, though it continues to appeal the decision.

With the test, Facebook Marketplace users can browse eBay listings on Facebook Marketplace and then check out on eBay. Meta said it could “benefit” both platforms, as it exposes eBay sellers to Facebook’s audience, while giving Marketplace users access to “a broader array of listings from the eBay community.” The news was reported earlier by Bloomberg.

Image: Meta

“It’s a small test for now, so not all people will see it, but we hope to expand soon,” Meta spokesperson Jocelyn Jones said in an emailed statement to The Verge. Facebook Marketplace users will see both local eBay listings and items that can be shipped, according to eBay’s FAQ.

Last year, the EU fined Meta $840 million over claims it forcibly exposed Facebook users to Marketplace by linking its selling and social platforms. It also accused Meta of imposing “unfair trading conditions” on rival classified ads services to benefit Marketplace, and ordered Meta to stop engaging in this allegedly illegal behavior. At the time, Meta said it would work on a solution while appealing the fine, saying that the EU’s decision relies “on a hypothetical potential to harm competition.”

Update, January 8th: Added a statement and more information from Meta.

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AT&T will credit you for a day’s service after some fiber or wireless outages

Illustration: The Verge

AT&T has announced a new “AT&T Guarantee” program promising better communication around outages and compensation that includes bill credits for a day’s service when the outage meets certain thresholds, reports Reuters. The new automatic-credit program covers both AT&T fiber and wireless services.

AT&T promises to email or text customers when there’s an outage and credit them for a full day’s worth of service if the outage meets its criteria. Those include fiber outages lasting at least 20 minutes and “wireless downtime lasting 60 minutes or more caused by a single incident impacting 10 or more towers.”

AT&T also says it will issue reward cards worth at least $5 for certain tech support issues like long wait times or failed callbacks.

The company excludes any of these events if they resulted from bad weather, natural disasters, and other events out of its control, according to small print.

Last year, AT&T had multiple outages, including a massive 12-hour one in February last year that the FCC found had cut off 5G and voice for 125 million devices in all 50 states.

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The weirdest tech at CES 2025

Image: Yukai Engineering

CES is home to some of the coolest, cutting-edge, and most innovative technology around. But within this sea of tech are always some pretty strange gadgets. This year’s conference was no different, packed with a whole bunch of wacky devices, some of which might have a chance of taking off, and others... maybe not so much.

Here’s a roundup of all the weird tech we spotted on the CES show floor and beyond.

1. Mirumi, the shy sloth-like robot

Image: Yukai Engineering

Mirumi is a furry little robot that latches onto your purse or backpack strap. It turns its head to look curiously around the room using built-in sensors. But much like an infant, Mirumi is designed to be a bit shy, so it might bury its face if it’s touched or approached by strangers. The company behind Mirumi, Yukai Engineering, plans to launch the bot through a crowdfunding campaign this year with an expected price of $70.

2. A phone battery charger that resembles a toaster

Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge

No, my colleague Allison Johnson isn’t sticking her phone in a toaster — that white box is actually a charging hub made by Swippitt. It’s designed to power up a series of external batteries that go into Swippitt’s Link phone case, giving your device a little extra charge. When your battery is on the verge of dying, insert your phone into the hub, and it will automatically swap out the external battery for one that’s fully charged, no cords or wireless charging stations needed.

3. This retractable keyboard

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I never even thought I needed a keyboard that retracts to reveal a trackpad and number pad, and after seeing my colleague Sean Hollister use it... I still don’t think I need it. The AutoKeybo uses a built-in camera to detect the position of your hands and will automatically switch between setups when you raise them slightly. It’s supposed to help you “boost productivity” by saving you from moving your hands between your mouse and keyboard, and it comes with a pretty hefty $700 price tag.

4. An even more portable LG StanbyME display

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LG is back with a second version of its portable StanbyME monitor. But this time, you can add a shoulder strap to the 27-inch monitor, letting you haul it around while on the go (or hang it up in a room). There’s even a new folio case that makes it look like an absurdly large tablet. Aside from the new accessories, the StanbyME comes with other upgrades over its predecessor, including a higher 1440p resolution, a longer four-hour battery life, and two USB-C ports.

5. SwitchBot’s modular, multitasking robot

SwitchBot made a modular robot capable of completing many different types of chores. Built on a version of SwitchBot’s mini robot vacuum, the Multitasking Household Robot K20 Plus Pro comes with a wheeled “FusionPlatform” that you can equip with various devices, like the company’s air purifier, fan, security camera, and more, allowing it to roll around your house while completing all kinds of tasks. It will be able to do even more in the future with the in-development robotic arms you can see in the video above.

6. An 18-karat gold smart ring

Image: Ultrahuman

Forget your traditional engagement ring. What about presenting your partner with an 18-karat gold smart ring? Well, Ultrahuman made just that, with its “artisanal” Rare ring, costing $1,900 in gold (or $2,200 in platinum). Aside from full access to all of Ultrahuman’s features and lifetime membership to its warranty program, this device has the same specs as the far cheaper $349 Ultrahuman Ring Air — just in a far more expensive package.

7. LG’s air purifier your cat can sit on

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The LG AeroCatTower is exactly what it sounds like: an air purifier that doubles as a cat tree. In addition to providing a heated spot for your feline friend, it filters out pet dander and even weighs your cat, too. The AeroCatTower connects to the LG ThinQ app, where you can see information about your cat’s weight and track how long your cat was asleep.

8. The “world’s first wearable solar panel”

Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge

This jacket from Anker is still just a concept for now, but it gives off real Cyberpunk 2077 vibes with its LED light strips and perovskite solar cells wrapped around the outside of the cloak. It offers a 30W maximum input, along with a USB-C output you can use to charge your phone.

9. LG’s indoor gardening side table

Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge

Like LG’s AeroCatTower, the company’s latest take on indoor gardening combines multiple functions in a single package. The device looks similar to your typical side table, but it features a lamp you can grow plants beneath. It also automatically waters your plants using its built-in tank and has a built-in speaker. LG made a taller, lamp-style garden as well.

10. Encapsulated anime girls that talk to you

Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge

This is exactly what it looks like: a pod containing 3D models of dancing anime girls. But it doesn’t have to house anime girls; you can upload any character to Character Livehouse’s 1200p display, and it will use AI to interact with you. The capsule comes equipped with cameras and microphones with sound recognition, allowing the character to detect your presence. Code 27, the company behind Character Livehouse, says the model can cheer you on in games and even “gently” wake you up. It’s headed to Kickstarter soon with a price range of $400 to $500.

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EU races to conclude investigation into X’s content moderation efforts

Image: The Verge

The European Union is reportedly close to deciding whether X’s attempts to combat illegal or harmful content are compliant with the bloc’s digital service rulebook. A probe into X’s risk management and content moderation will be concluded “as early as legally possible,” according to a letter to EU lawmakers seen by Bloomberg. It comes a day after Meta announced sweeping moderation changes on its own platforms inspired by X.

In the letter, the EU’s justice chief Michael McGrath and tech policy leader Henna Virkkunen vowed to “energetically” push the investigation forward. Bloomberg reports that the letter was prompted by a complaint from center-right German lawmakers over concerns regarding Elon Musk’s promotion of Germany’s far-right party leader on X.

The probe was launched under the bloc’s Digital Services Act (DSA) in December 2023, with a focus on “the dissemination of illegal content in the context of Hamas’ terrorist attacks against Israel,” and how effective X’s Community Notes system is at tackling information manipulation. Additionally, the same investigation yielded preliminary findings that found X to be in breach of DSA regarding advertising transparency, dark patterns, and its “blue check” user verification system. Platforms deemed to have breached the DSA risk fines of up to six percent of their global yearly revenue.

Since purchasing X (previously known as Twitter) in 2022, Elon Musk has transformed its verification system into a subscription service and cut back its trust and safety team to focus on community-driven moderation. The EU criticized X over rising levels of disinformation on the platform, something that Musk himself actively engaged in promoting, following these changes. More recently, Musk has landed himself a position on President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration, which has issued threats over perceived biases in moderation.

US tech giants are already heeding to Republicans’ complaints regarding online speech rules. Yesterday, Meta announced it was inspired by X to scrap its third-party fact-checkers in favor of implementing its own Community Notes program, alongside removing restrictions around topics like immigration and gender identity. While these changes will initially be rolled out in the US, both Meta and X operate on a global stage — and the eyes of EU regulators are ever watchful.

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Google Home hubs can now work locally thanks to Matter

Google Home hubs get a big upgrade. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge

One of the key changes Matter is bringing to the smart home is a standardized way to enable local control of smart devices. This means your light bulb doesn’t have to talk to the cloud when you ask your voice assistant to turn it off. While some smart home ecosystems already offer local control, Matter should make implementing it easier for every smart home platform.

This week, Google announced it has added full local control of Matter devices to its Google Home hubs by integrating Home Runtime. Now, Google Nest hubs and speakers, Chromecasts, Google TV devices on Android 14, and some LG TVs can connect to and control Matter devices locally.

“This means when a user who has a hub for Google Home device (at home) is viewing or controlling their Matter devices (at home), they can do so with higher reliability, privacy, and lower latency,” Jeannie Zhang, product manager for Google Home, told The Verge.

If the internet is down, Google Assistant should still be able to turn on the lights

This is a significant change for the platform, which has historically relied on cloud connectivity for device control. Now, if the internet is down and you ask Google Assistant to turn on the lights, it should actually be able to follow through.

Google also shared details on its recent efforts to help developers make more products that work with Matter. These include working with the Connectivity Standards Alliance to make certifying Matter devices easier and partnering with MediaTek to build a new chipthat includes Wi-Fi, Bluetooth LE, and Thread. This should make it “easier and more affordable for device OEMs to build Thread into all their new products,” Google Home senior engineering director Matt Van Der Staay writes.

Finally, Google is opening its Home APIs to all developers. This allows developers to integrate Google Home devices and automations into their own apps, allowing them to focus their resources on building devices rather than integrations.

Google announced the Home APIs at I/O, but they weren’t available to all developers. The program had been in an early access phase with companies such as Eve, Nanoleaf, LG, ADT, Cync, Yale, and Aqara. Now, any company can access the Android version of the Home APIs in public developer beta, with the iOS version coming soon. Google says the Home APIs consist of:

Device and Structure APIs: With one single integration, get access to over 600M devices already connected to Google Home and a single unified interface to manage and control both cloud-connected and Matter devices across Google Home, enabling local control, broad device reach, and support for Matter custom clusters.

Commissioning API: Simplifies device set up with Fast Pair on 3 billion Android devices, commission Matter devices directly within your app, enabling seamless onboarding, voice control via Google Assistant, and compatibility with the Google Home ecosystem.

Automation API: Empower your users with all the tools needed to create and manage home automations directly in your app, leveraging extensive signals, commands, and Google specific AI-driven capabilities for personalized and intelligent home experiences.

Essentially, all of this allows developers to use the Google Home platform to power their app’s automations and integrations with other devices. While this can significantly speed up development — it helped Eve finally launch an app for Android — the downside is if Google ever pulled the API access (as it did when it shut down its Works with Nest program), developers would be left high and dry.

However, despite its history here, the likelihood of that happening seems slim. From what I’ve seen, the company does seem to be taking a more thoughtful, thorough approach to the smart home.

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Samsung is rolling out a smartphone subscription next month

Samsung’s Galaxy S24 and S24 Plus. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge

It looks like Samsung is finally ready to roll out a paid subscription for its AI-powered smartphones, but it might not look like what we were expecting.

According to ETNews, Samsung Electronics vice chair Han Jong-hee has confirmed that the company’s AI Subscription Club, which launched last December for some of Samsung’s home appliances in South Korea, will soon roll out to both Galaxy phones and the upcoming Ballie AI robot.

“We will apply the subscription service to Galaxy smartphones starting next month,” he says. “Ballie will be introduced first in Korea and the US, and we plan to supply it as a subscription in Korea.”

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Five years after it was first revealed, Samsung says Ballie is ready to release in 2025.

The AI Subscription Club isn’t a requirement to access the Galaxy AI features on Samsung’s phones and other devices, which the company has previously said will remain free to users at least until the end of 2025, with plans beyond that point unconfirmed.

The model currently gives Korean consumers the ability to sign up for a monthly subscription of their AI-powered TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, and more, including optional repair and maintenance services, for the sake of a lower upfront cost.

It’s not clear if the subscription model will expand beyond South Korea, but there’s a chance we’ll find out more soon. Samsung has a Galaxy Unpacked event in San Jose, California, scheduled for January 22nd, when it is expected to unveil the Galaxy S25 series.

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