ChatGPT can now handle reminders and to-dos

Illustration: The Verge

OpenAI is launching a new beta feature in ChatGPT called Tasks that lets users schedule future actions and reminders.

The feature, which is rolling out to Plus, Team, and Pro subscribers starting today, is an attempt to make the chatbot into something closer to a traditional digital assistant — think Google Assistant or Siri but with ChatGPT’s more advanced language capabilities.

Tasks works by letting users tell ChatGPT what they need and when they need it done. Want a daily weather report at 7AM? A reminder about your passport expiration? Or maybe just a knock-knock joke to tell your kids before bedtime? ChatGPT can now handle all of that through scheduled one-time or recurring tasks.

To use the feature, subscribers need to select “4o with scheduled tasks” in ChatGPT’s model picker. From there, it’s as simple as typing out what you want ChatGPT to do and when you want it done. The system can also proactively suggest tasks based on your conversations, though users have to explicitly approve any suggestions before they’re created. (Honestly, I feel like the suggestions have the potential to create annoying slop by accident).

All tasks can be managed either directly in chat threads or through a new Tasks section (available only via the web) in the profile menu, so it’s easy to modify or cancel any task you’ve set up. Upon completion of these tasks, notifications will alert users on web, desktop, and mobile. There’s also a limit of 10 active tasks that can run simultaneously.

OpenAI hasn’t specified when (or if) the feature might come to free users, suggesting Tasks might remain a premium feature to help justify ChatGPT’s subscription costs. The company has monthly $20 and $200 subscription tiers.

While scheduling capabilities are a common feature in digital assistants, this marks a shift in ChatGPT’s functionality. Until now, the AI has operated solely in real time, responding to immediate requests rather than handling ongoing tasks or future planning. The addition of Tasks suggests OpenAI is expanding ChatGPT’s role beyond conversation into territory traditionally held by virtual assistants.

OpenAI’s ambitions for Tasks appear to stretch beyond simple scheduling, too. Bloomberg reported that “Operator,” an autonomous AI agent capable of independently controlling computers, is slated for release this month. Meanwhile, reverse engineer Tibor Blaho found that OpenAI appears to be working on something codenamed “Caterpillar” that could integrate with Tasks and allow ChatGPT to search for specific information, analyze problems, summarize data, navigate websites, and access documents — with users receiving notifications upon task completion.

The rise of “agentic” AI in 2025 isn’t just about technological advancement — it’s about economics

As I previously wrote back in October, the rise of “agentic” AI in 2025 isn’t just about technological advancement — it’s about economics. These agent-like features represent a strategic way to monetize expensive AI infrastructure. While OpenAI’s decision to put this functionality behind ChatGPT’s paywall was predictable, the real question remains: will it deliver reliable results? The last time I got an OpenAI agent demo, it produced inaccurate information. The coming months will reveal whether the team has solved these fundamental reliability challenges.

I also think of this new feature as a slightly more sophisticated script, but at the end of the day, Tasks is following a simple, rote set of instructions, much like a typical bot. The goal of many frontier AI labs like OpenAI is to evolve these features into something that is able to interact with environments, learn from feedback, and make decisions without constant human input.

However, questions remain about how reliable these scheduled tasks will be and what happens if ChatGPT fails to deliver time-sensitive information. OpenAI’s decision to launch Tasks in beta suggests it’s still working out these details and wants to gather real-world feedback before a wider rollout.

For now, if you’re a paying ChatGPT user, you can start experimenting with Tasks by looking for the “4o with scheduled tasks” option in your model picker. Just remember that it’s still in beta — so maybe don’t rely on it for that super important meeting reminder just yet.

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Wyze cameras will use AI to describe what they see

For those moments when you don’t have time to check your camera footage. | Image: Wyze

Wyze’s latest AI feature aims to reduce how often you need to manually check security footage by instead just describing what the camera has seen. The new Descriptive Alerts will send notifications that “accurately summarize motion events” with more contextual detail than simply telling users that the camera has detected movement or an object, according to Wyze.

An example alert provided by the company is “a delivery driver wearing a blue hat leaves a package on the doorstep, then leaves. A green SUV is parked in the street.” Rival smart home security companies like Ring, Google’s Nest, and (to some extent) Arlo provide similar AI summarization features for their own cameras, but Wyze’s video-to-text alerts seem to be the only service that specifies detail like color in its descriptions.

Image: Wyze

Here’s an example showing the new alert alongside the footage that’s being described.

Wyze’s Descriptive Alerts are available to Cam Unlimited Pro members — a new $19.99 per month (or $199.99 per year) subscription that bundles other features like facial recognition, searching videos using descriptive keywords, and simultaneously viewing live feeds from multiple Wyze cameras. The Cam Unlimited Pro subscription will also include 60 days of cloud storage, though Wyze says this won’t be available until “Spring 2025.”

Just remember, Wyze cameras have suffered from serious security and privacy issues in the past. Choose wisely.

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Luigi was everywhere at AGDQ 2025

Image: Nintendo

Though there were only a handful of Super Mario games showcased during Awesome Games Done Quick 2025, his brother Luigi was everywhere — and it’s pretty clear why.

In the gaming community, Mario’s taller, greener brother is beloved in his own right, celebrated for his goofiness or memed because his genial nature apparently conceals something a bit darker. However, in light of the actions of Luigi Mangione, the man charged with the murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, the gaming community’s love for Luigi has taken on a different significance. That significance was on full display during AGDQ 2025 where his name popped up early and often.

During the charity speedrunning marathon, there were frequent opportunities for viewers to have their donations fund bidding wars for things like the player completing a specific task during the run or for naming rights to a character. For example, during the Pokémon: Let’s Go Eevee run, viewers could donate for the privilege of naming the trainer, and they picked Luigi. Throughout the marathon viewers submitted Luigi for almost every naming-based bid war, and it won quite often.

Luigi was the character name in Fallout: New Vegas and Skyrim. He was the name for the warrior in Guantlet IV and it was the file name in The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker. And of the four named characters in Final Fantasy Legend 2, “Lugi” was three of them (as the game only supports four-letter names). Overall, all of the bids for Luigi — not just those that ultimately won — earned over $18,000.

Games Done Quick has a reputation for its inclusiveness and social consciousness — once cancelling a live event in Florida in 2023 over the state’s “Don’t Say Gay” law and lax COVID-19 policies. So while it’s impossible to know for sure whether or not the preponderance of Luigi was due to typical gamer memeing or if it represented some kind of tacit statement of support for Luigi Mangione’s actions, it’s probably easy to say it was a little bit of both.

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US finalizes rule to effectively ban Chinese vehicles, which could include Polestar

Image: Daniel Golson

The Biden administration finalized a new rule that would effectively ban all Chinese vehicles from the US under the auspices of blocking the “sale or import” of connected vehicle software from “countries of concern.” The rule could have wide-ranging effects on big automakers, like Ford and GM, as well as smaller manufacturers like Polestar — and even companies that don’t produce cars, like Waymo.

The rule covers everything that connects a vehicle to the outside world, such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular, and satellite components. It also addresses concerns that technology like cameras, sensors, and onboard computers could be exploited by foreign adversaries to collect sensitive data about US citizens and infrastructure. And it would ban China from testing its self-driving cars on US soil.

“Cars today have cameras, microphones, GPS tracking, and other technologies connected to the internet,” US Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo said in a statement. “It doesn’t take much imagination to understand how a foreign adversary with access to this information could pose a serious risk to both our national security and the privacy of U.S. citizens. To address these national security concerns, the Commerce Department is taking targeted, proactive steps to keep [People’s Republic of China] and Russian-manufactured technologies off American roads.”

“A foreign adversary with access to this information could pose a serious risk”

The rules for prohibited software go into effect for model year 2027 vehicles, while the ban on hardware from China waits until model year 2030 vehicles. According to Reuters, the rules were updated from the original proposal to exempt vehicles weighing over 10,000 pounds, which would allow companies like BYD to continue to assemble electric buses in California.

The new rule is the latest escalation in the ongoing trade restrictions put in place on Chinese-made vehicles, including components like computers and batteries. It comes at a time when China is churning out more cars then ever before, earning its status as the No. 1 auto exporter in the world. The rule also covers vehicles and components made by Russia.

China’s access to vehicle software presents “a significant threat” to the US in that it would grant an adversary “unfettered access” to critical tech systems and the user data that they collect, the White House said.

“As [the People’s Republic of China] automakers aggressively seek to increase their presence in American and global automotive markets, through this final rule, President Biden is delivering on his commitment to secure critical American supply chains and protect our national security,” the administration adds.

The new rule is the latest escalation in the ongoing trade restrictions put in place on Chinese-made vehicles

The auto industry sought to delay the rule by a year, effectively delivering it to the incoming Trump administration to enforce but was unsuccessful. The Alliance for Automotive Innovation, which represents GM, Ford, Volkswagen, Toyota, and others, said in comments submitted last April that it supports the goal of the proposed rules but warned that the global automotive supply chain “is one of the world’s largest and most complex” and that parts could not be simply swapped out without disruptions.

Other automakers were more explicit in their criticisms. Polestar, an electric vehicle manufacturer owned by Geely, said in October that the rule “would effectively prohibit Polestar from selling its cars in the United States, including the cars it manufactures in South Carolina.”

Indeed, the White House states in its fact sheet that the rule prevents the import or sale of connected vehicles “by entities who are owned by, controlled by, or subject to the jurisdiction or direction of the PRC or Russia – even if those vehicles were made in the United States.”

Meanwhile, Waymo, which is planning on using vehicles manufactured by Geely’s Zeekr for its next-gen robotaxi, said that it takes precautions to ensure that the vehicles it purchases for its fleet arrive without any manufacturer-installed telematics systems. Still, the rule could significantly disrupt the Alphabet-owned company’s plans to expand if the government decides to ban the import of the Zeekr vehicle under the new rule.

“Waymo filed comments in support of the rule last fall,” Waymo spokesperson Ethan Teicher said in an email. “We’re reviewing the final rule, and appreciate the Department’s prompt rulemaking.”

A spokesperson for Polestar did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Update January 14th: Updated to include a comment from Waymo.

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Zuckerberg says Meta will lay off more ‘low-performers’

Image: Nick Barclay / The Verge

Meta will soon lay off more “low-performers” across the company, according to an internal memo from CEO Mark Zuckerberg that was shared by a source at the company.

“I’ve decided to raise the bar on performance management and move out low-performers faster,” Zuckerberg says in the memo, which you can read in full below. “We typically manage out people who aren’t meeting expectations over the course of a year, but now we’re going to do more extensive performance-based cuts during this cycle — with the intention of backfilling these roles in 2025.”

While the exact number of job cuts is unclear, managers at Meta have been told that about 5 percent of employees will be let go starting February 10th. Bloomberg first reported on Zuckerberg’s memo and the planned layoffs. Meta last laid off employees in October after cutting 21,000 workers between 2022 and 2023.

Here’s Zuckerberg’s full memo to employees:

Meta is working on building some of the most important technologies in the world — Al, glasses as the next computing platform, and the future of social media. This is going to be an intense year, and I want to make sure we have the best people on our teams.

I’ve decided to raise the...

Read the full story at The Verge.

Meta Quest 3S with 256GB of storage is $50 off right now

The Quest 3S doesn’t look any less alien than the original Quest 3. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

The Meta Quest 3S VR headset is a great alternative to the Meta Quest 3. The base 128GB version of the Quest 3S starts at $299.99 at Amazon, which is $200 less than the Quest 3 yet delivers essentially the same mixed reality experience. And now, you can step up to the 256GB version of the Quest 3S for just $349 ($50 off) from Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy.

Now through the end of April, your purchase includes a copy of Batman: Arkham Shadow (one of the best VR games yet, if I say so myself) and three months of Meta Quest Plus. The service is normally $7.99 a month or $59.99 a year, and grants instant access to more than two dozen free games with new additions every month, plus exclusive discounts.

Since the Quest 3S has the same Snapdragon XR2 Gen 2 processor and Touch controllers as the base Quest 3, you’ll have access to all of the same games and mixed reality features. But the displays are not as sharp: the Quest 3S has a lower per-eye resolution of 1832 x 1920 (compared to 2064 x 2208) with a narrower field of view. It also doesn’t have a dedicated depth sensor to go along with its pair of triangular camera arrays, and it’s a bit heavier than the Quest 3. That said, you do get some exclusive perks like a slightly longer 2.5-hour battery life and a dedicated button to switch between immersive and passthrough modes.

Read our Meta Quest 3S review.

More deals, discounts, and ways to save

• If your 2025 goals include a digital detox during fabulous vacationing, the HMD Barbie can help you maintain societal connections without excessive distractions. Amazon is selling the pink flip phone for a record low $79.99 ($50 off). You can activate it on most American carriers with 4G LTE; its nostalgically basic features — which include calling, texting on a T9 keypad, and browsing a less flashy web — won’t require heavy mobile plans. If nothing else, it can be a fun conversation starter and a symbol of gratitude for the technological advancements we often take for granted. Read our hands-on impressions.
• The Ugreen Uno Magnetic Wireless Power Bank (10000mAh, 15W) is down to $44.99 ($25 off) at Amazon, which is its lowest price to date. The charger conveniently snaps to the back of your MagSafe iPhone, along with any other Qi2 Ready smartphones we might see in 2025. That means it supplies the fastest charge you can get without using a cable, though you can get a 20W charge using its two-way USB-C port. It has a sturdy metal kickstand to keep the phone propped up, and the integrated display uses cutesy robotic faces to show an approximation of the battery’s remaining power.
• You can get the newest Amazon Fire 7 tablet with 32GB of storage and lock-screen ads for $44.99 ($35 off) at Amazon, which is an all-time low price. You can also get it without ads for $59.99 ($35 off), or pay afterward to remove them. The affordable Fire 7 is great for light browsing and apps or for enjoying digital content such as movies, music, and books. You can even use your voice and ask Alexa to place a video call. It may not be as smooth or fun as an iPad, but at that price, the durable 7-inch tablet is easily replaceable and has features the iPad can’t claim, like a 3.5mm headphone jack and expandable storage with microSD cards up to 1TB. Read our review.

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FBI hacked thousands of computers to make malware uninstall itself

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

The FBI hacked about 4,200 computers across the US as part of an operation to find and delete PlugX, a malware used by state-backed hackers in China to steal information from victims, the Department of Justice announced on Tuesday.

In an unsealed affidavit, the FBI says the China-based hacking group known by the monikers “Mustang Panda” and “Twill Typhoon” used PlugX to infect thousands of Windows computers in the US, Asia, and Europe since at least 2012. The malware, which infects computers through their USB ports, operates in the background while allowing hackers to “remotely access and execute commands” on victims’ computers.

To do this, infected computers contact a command-and-control server run by the hackers, which has its IP address hard-coded into the malware. From there, hackers can remotely access users’ files and obtain information about infected computers, such as their IP addresses. At least 45,000 IP addresses in the US have contacted the command-and-control server since September 2023, according to the FBI.

The FBI used this very exploit to remove PlugX from infected computers. In collaboration with French law enforcement, which launched a PlugX deletion operation of its own, the FBI gained access to the command-and-control server and requested the IP addresses of infected computers. It then sent a native command to make PlugX delete the files it created on victims’ computers, stop the PlugX application from running, and delete the malware after it’s stopped.

Last year, the FBI similarly dismantled a network of infected Quakbot computers by instructing devices to download software to uninstall the malware. The agency also remotely hacked hundreds of computers to protect them from the Hafnium hack in 2021.

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Joe Biden signs executive order to speed AI data center construction

A CloudHQ data center under construction on Waxpool Road in Ashburn, Virginia, US, on Wednesday, March 27, 2024. | Photo: Getty Images

President Biden issued an executive order today aimed at speeding the development of AI data centers in the US.

It directs the Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Energy (DOE) to lease federal sites to private companies building gigawatt-scale AI data centers and clean power facilities. It also tells federal agencies to “prioritize” and speed up permitting of AI infrastructure. The measure could create “categorial exclusions” to speed environmental review under the National Environmental Protection Act.

Developing new AI tools is an increasingly energy-hungry endeavor. Nevertheless, the Biden administration seems to think it’s worth the risk of further derailing US climate goals and putting additional pressure on already stressed power grids.

Developing new AI tools is an increasingly energy-hungry endeavor

“We will not let America be out-built when it comes to the technology that will define the future,” Joe Biden said in a statement today.

Prior to the announcement today — in response to reports that the White House was considering measures to fast track data center development — environmental and consumer advocacy groups as well as Democratic lawmakers had urged the White House to avoid exempting AI from typical permitting procedures and environmental standards.

“We urge you to reconsider any potential executive action that could lead to increased pollution and costs for consumers,” says a letter sent by senators Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Edward Markey (D-MA), Brian Schatz (D-HI), and Peter Welch (D-VT) to the Biden administration on December 17th. “We are the United States of America; there is no doubt that we can win the AI race while accelerating our decarbonization efforts,” it reads.

Electricity demand from data centers has tripled over the past decade, according to estimates published by the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) on December 20th. It’s likely to double or triple again by 2028, according to the report. Data centers used about 4.4 percent of US electricity in 2023, which could rise to as much as 12 percent by 2028.

That rise in demand is the result of the tremendous compute power needed to train AI models. Utilities are already extending the lives of polluting coal and gas infrastructure to try to meet skyrocketing electricity demand. Customers also face rising electricity bills as a result.

Developers building new AI data centers on federal land will be required “to pay all costs of building and operating AI infrastructure so that this development does not raise electricity prices for consumers,” according to the White House.

That includes constructing the data center itself, as well as power facilities and transmission lines. Companies will be responsible for sourcing electricity that data centers use from new sources of “clean” electricity. They’ll also have to assess the security implications of AI models developed at federal sites and purchase “an appropriate share” of American-made semiconductors.

“In the race to dominate AI, we can’t lose sight of the very real race to stop the pollution that’s warming our planet and harming our health,” Johanna Neumann, a senior director at the Environment America Research & Policy Center, said in a December 19th statement.

Neumann arguedthat the focus should be on making sure that new computing facilities are more efficient, and that they run on renewable electricity. “Without those guardrails, AI’s insatiable thirst for energy risks crashing America’s efforts to get off dirty and dangerous fossil fuels,”Neumann added.

The government already leases federal lands for energy production, including fossil fuel exploration and renewable energy projects. Under the executive order, by February 28th, the Secretary of Defense and Secretary of Energy are supposed to find at least three sites each to host new AI data centers on land that their departments manage.

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WhatsApp is making it easier to react to messages

Illustration: The Verge

WhatsApp is rolling out some new features and design improvements to help you become faster and more creative when messaging. Starting today, WhatsApp users can double-tap to react to messages in chats rather than tapping and holding, with their most-used emojis now being displayed in the scrolling pop-out menu instead of the generic selection that was previously provided.

It’s a similar quality-of-life feature that Discord provides: placing your favorite reactions within easy reach to prevent you from having to hunt through a massive wall of emojis. WhatsApp users can still easily access their other emoji options by clicking the plus symbol on the reaction bar. On the other hand, Meta’s Messenger app still only displays the same five emojis as reactions for each message — I’d like to see this update carried over from WhatsApp in the future.

Image: WhatsApp

A few small, but welcome upgrades to personalize chats.

The filters and virtual backgrounds that WhatsApp introduced for video calls last year are now coming to its messages, allowing users to edit shots using 30 different visual effects when they take a photo or video in chats. Sticker packs can now also be shared directly to chats, and users can turn their selfies into custom stickers by tapping on the sticker icon. The Sticker selfies feature is currently only available on Android, with iOS support coming “soon,” according to WhatsApp.

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YouTube star Ms. Rachel is coming to Netflix

Image: Netflix

Popular YouTube toddler learning show Ms. Rachel is coming to Netflix. It will start with a four-episode season of “curated compilation” videos on January 27th, the company announced today.

Netflix says this first batch of “research-backed” educational videos aimed at early child development will cover topics like learning to talk or read. Here’s the list from Netflix’s announcement:

Learn to Talk — “What’s in the Box?” Speech and Toddler Learning

Baby Learning — First words, Milestones, Nursery Rhymes, and Songs

Learn to Read — Phonics, ABCs, and Preschool Learning

Hop Little Bunnies — Plus More Songs and Nursery rhymes

As a work-from-home parent who had a toddler and no daycare options early in the covid pandemic, I’m well familiar with the shortfalls of YouTube Kids, where shows like Ms. Rachel exist but which is also filled with inane content. Past reporting has also found the algorithmic recommendations included inappropriate videos.

There aren’t always great alternatives, either. Other streaming platforms have programming for kids, but it’s comparatively sparse. As my child has gotten older, that stuff has gotten boring, even with the limited screen time we allow. Ms. Rachel’s debut on Netflix may not fix that for older kids but it could offer parents of very young children somewhere to go besides YouTube.

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Dremel put a stud sensor and laser level into its new multipurpose drill

The Multi-Drill incorporates three tools commonly used by DIYers. | Image: Dremel

Dremel has announced a new multi-functional drill designed for DIYers working on smaller projects around their homes like attaching a TV mount to a wall. The Blueprint Multi-Drill can be used to drill holes or drive screws but also features an integrated stud sensor and a removable laser level.

The Multi-Drill is available now through Dremel’s online store for $99.99, but can also be found at retailers like Amazon and The Home Depot.

Powered by a 12V brushless motor and an included rechargeable battery, the Multi-Drill has a top speed of 800 RPM and produces ‎175 inch-pounds of torque. For comparison, Amazon also sells a $100 18V Milwaukee drill (without a battery) with a top speed of 1,800 RPM and 500 inch-pounds of torque. You won’t want to tackle building a shed or deck with Dremel’s new tool, but it’s powerful enough for lighter tasks like drilling into studs or driving screws while assembling Ikea furniture.

Image: Dremel

The Multi-Drill’s integrated stud sensor detects the edges of hidden beams.

The drill’s knuckle guard includes an LED light targeted at the tip of its drill bit for extra illumination, as well as a stud sensor for finding the edges of a wooden beam hidden behind drywall. Its functionality is basic compared to dedicated stud sensors that can indicate the center of a beam and even warn when hidden electrical wires are detected. But this stud sensor will never be misplaced in the middle of a project.

The Multi-Drill’s integrated but removable leveling tool features two bubble levels ensuring it’s properly positioned vertically and horizontally before projecting a level laser reference line. So as not to leave marks or holes behind when attached to a wall, Dremel’s tiny laser level uses reusable mounting putty. It also features its own rechargeable battery that can be topped off with a standard USB-C cable.

The multi-functional approach Dremel is taking here isn’t going to appeal to professionals. The Multi-Drill is designed to give amateur renovators a basic set of tools and features for tackling smaller projects without the need for a toolbox to keep them all organized. In addition to a rechargeable battery and the laser level, Dremel also includes a set of nine driver bits of varying sizes and standards, plus three drill bits.

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TikTok could get a 270 day extension to make a deal

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images

TikTok’s luck might not run out just yet, if a new bill extending its January 19th deadline for a sale is approved by Congress.

Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA), announced on the Senate floor Monday that he plans to introduce the Extend the TikTok Deadline Act to give the company an extra 270 days to divest from its Chinese parent company ByteDance to avoid facing a ban in the US. The bill notably wouldn’t overturn Congress’ initial bill, but it would give the company more time to make a deal, as its legal options dry out. The Supreme Court is expected to decide this week whether the initial law, the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, violates the First Amendment, as applied to TikTok — but many court-watchers predict the ruling is unlikely to go in TikTok’s favor.

Markey voted to approve the initial law, which was included in a foreign aid package before the Senate. And in his remarks on the floor Monday, he acknowledged that “TikTok has its problems.” But, he said, “a TikTok ban would impose serious consequences on millions of Americans who depend on the app for social connections and their economic livelihood. We cannot allow that to happen.”

The Senator filed an amicus brief in late December — alongside Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) and Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) — with the Supreme Court in support of TikTok and its creators, arguing the law does not stand up to First Amendment scrutiny. “Its principal justification—preventing covert content manipulation by the Chinese government— reflects a desire to control the content on the TikTok platform and in any event could be achieved through a less restrictive alternative,” they argued in the brief. “And its secondary justification of protecting users’ data from the Chinese government could not sustain the ban on its own and also overlooks that Congress did not consider whether less drastic mitigation measures could address those concerns.”

Even if Congress takes up the deadline extension, ByteDance will face the same decision it does now in less than a year: whether it can or wants to sell TikTok. While prospective buyers have expressed interest, it’s still unclear if the Chinese government would be willing to sell it — although some recent reporting suggests they’re at least considering the option.

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Power line may have sparked LA wildfire, lawsuit alleges

A general view of destroyed houses in a neighborhood that was destroyed by the Eaton Fire which remains without electricity or water on January 12, 2025 in Altadena, California. | Photo by David McNew/Getty Images

As wildfires across Los Angeles continued to burn, some residents are already starting to point fingers at the local power utility as the culprit. Southern California Edison is facing multiple lawsuits alleging the company is responsible for the deadly Eaton fire that nearly leveled Altadena.

While officials continue to investigate the cause of the fire, at least four suits allege that SCE failed to de-energize power lines, the Los Angeles Times reports. A lawyer for one of the plaintiffs said they filed suit early in an effort to preserve evidence.

“We have video, we have photographs, we have eyewitness accounts.”

Utilities have faced a string of lawsuits in recent years in the wake of devastating wildfires, typically over power lines sparking blazes. SCE alone has had to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in settlements for at least seven previous blazes, according to NPR.

“We have video, we have photographs, we have eyewitness accounts, not just from our clients but other residents that were there and alleged to have seen sparking, to have seen arcing occurring on those lines that subsequently triggered a fire,” Ali Moghaddas, an attorney representing an Altadena resident...

Read the full story at The Verge.

DirecTV launches MySports streaming bundle with live NFL, NBA, and MLB games

Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images

DirecTV is launching MySports, a sports-focused streaming package offering access to live NFL, NBA, MLB, and NHL games across more than 40 channels, including ESPN, Fox Sports, TNT Sports, and USA Network, along with local ABC, Fox, and NBC stations. The service will cost $69.99 per month and is available to stream from DirecTV’s app on mobile and smart TV platforms — no satellite TV subscription required.

The announcement comes just days after the Disney-owned ESPN, Fox, and Warner Bros. Discovery called off their live sports streaming venture, Venu, after facing an antitrust lawsuit from Fubo. Though Fubo dropped its lawsuit after Disney agreed to merge Hulu + Live TV with the service, DirecTV and EchoStar weren’t happy about the decision.

DirecTV bills MySports as a cheaper alternative to competitors like YouTube TV, which starts at $82.99 per month, and Fubo, which costs $79.99 / month and up.

Despite offering access to dozens of channels, MySports is still working to add local CBS content. Vince Torres, DirecTV’s chief marketing officer, told Bloomberg the company is in “early discussions” with the network about a potential deal. MySports should help fix the fractured sports streaming landscape, which currently scatters live NFL, NBA, and MLB games across different services like Prime Video, Netflix, Peacock, Apple TV Plus, and Paramount Plus.

To start, a beta version of MySports will only be available in 24 metro areas, including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Miami-Ft. Lauderdale, and others. The MySports app is supported by several smart TV platforms like Roku, Amazon Fire, and Apple TV, and also offers unlimited DVR. DirecTV says it will add additional networks, local stations, and ESPN Plus to MySports at a later date for “no extra cost.”

Along with this sports streaming package, DirecTV plans to launch similar streamlined bundles soon. “This is the first of several genre-based options we plan to launch over the coming months on our path towards a brighter TV future for consumers.” DirecTV CEO Bill Morrow said in the press release.

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Nintendo adds Wind Waker soundtrack to its music app

Image: Nintendo

Break out your batons and call the King of Red Lions because The Legend of Zelda: Wind Waker music has been added to the Nintendo Music app. The game’s arrival adds 133 new tracks to the app along with three Wind Waker themed playlists: Makar, Tetra, and Medli. Wind Waker joins a growing list of Zelda soundtracks in the app, including Skyward Sword, Breath of the Wild, and Ocarina of Time.

While its great that Wind Waker music is available for your study or work sessions, the announcement couldn’t not have come at a busier time. With all eyes watching for the imminent reveal of the company’s next console, getting a push notification — any push notification — from the Big Red Company is likely to cause a bit of a commotion. In fact, it seems like Nintendo’s doing a bit of plate clearing ahead of its Switch 2 reveal, announcing Alarmo retail sales and the Lego Game Boy set.

Stand down, this isn’t The Announcement just yet, but it is coming. At least for now we can all chill out to “Makar’s Prayer” while we wait.

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Meta Quest 3S review: probably the one we’ve been waiting for

The Quest 3S has its flaws, but it’s a great first VR headset.

Read the full story at The Verge.

Motorola’s new phone is tougher than most flagships for a fraction of the price

The 2025 Moto G Power is tougher than it looks. | Image: Motorola

Motorola has announced the first 2025 updates to its Moto G line of budget phones, with new versions of the Moto G and Moto G Power. The latter is the standout, with an IP69 water-resistance rating that surpasses most flagship phones despite a price tag of just $299.99.

The 2025 Moto G Power combines both IP68 and IP69 ratings, meaning it’s rated for both submersion in water and exposure to high-pressure water jets and steam, in addition to full protection from dust. It’s a level of protection that until recently was restricted to the bulkiest rugged phones, with last week’s OnePlus 13 the first mainstream phone in the US to adopt the rating. At $899, that phone costs triple the new Motorola.

Like 2023’s ThinkPhone, co-branded with Lenovo, the G Power has also passed MIL-STD-810H certification for exposure to harsh environments. Motorola claims the phone has been tested to survive falls from nearly four feet, temperatures from -4 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit, and up to 95% humidity. This is all, to be clear, tougher than most people need their phones to be, but there’s nothing wrong with a little peace of mind.

At less than 9mm thick, the new G Power is surprisingly svelte for how tough it is, but it’s by no means a small phone — the 6.8-inch LCD display, covered in Gorilla Glass 5, makes this about the same size as Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra. A large 5,000mAh battery and wireless charging make the most of the extra space, which Motorola has also used to squeeze in a 3.5mm headphone jack, a rare treat in 2025.

Image: Motorola

The 2025 Moto G is the spitting image of its tougher sibling.

The G Power is joined by the $199.99 Moto G, which looks similar but with a 6.7-inch display runs just a little smaller, and is limited to IP52 protection and Gorilla Glass 3. However, both phones share the same MediaTek chipset and similar 50 megapixel rear cameras, so performance should be comparable if you don’t need the Power’s added durability.

The big question for Motorola is on software. We were fans of the 2024 Moto G Power’s hardware, but felt the phone was spoiled by excessive pre-installed bloatware. Here’s hoping Motorola has reined that in a little this year.

The unlocked Moto G will be available online at Motorola.com, Amazon, and Best Buy starting January 30th, with the Power following on February 6th. Both will be stocked by all the major carriers over the following months.

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Donkey Kong Country Returns is a little easier on the Switch — but still hard as hell

Image: Nintendo

For a game about collecting bananas and throwing barrels, Donkey Kong Country Returns is surprisingly inventive. The game, which originally launched on the Wii in 2010, takes the classic SNES side-scroller and steadily infuses it with new ideas, creating an experience that’s at times both tense and thrilling. You’ll do everything from fly a rocket through bat-filled caves to avoid the tentacles of a giant squid. It gets intense. It’s also a game that’s known for being very hard. But a new port on the Switch makes it slightly easier to enjoy all of those thrills without getting too frustrated.

It’s called Donkey Kong Country Returns HD, and it’s basically what it says right there in the title: the original game but with cleaned-up graphics. Fundamentally, there isn’t a lot of difference. The premise, which involves an evil mask turning a bunch of animals against Kong, remains the same, as do the levels you’ll explore; though, as a nice bonus, the port does include stages that were previously only available in the 3DS version of the game.

And just like the 3DS version, the Switch game has two modes to play through. One, called “Original,” is exactly what it sounds like, a straight port of the Wii game. The other is called “Modern Mode.” It doesn’t actually change the difficulty but instead offers a greater selection of helpful boosts, the option to carry nine of those items at once, and an extra heart by default. There’s also a returning feature called the “Super Guide.” If you die a few times, this option will appear, and it lets you watch a playthrough of the level so you can see what you’re doing wrong. It also lets you bypass the level altogether, so you can skip troublesome stages and come back to them later.

Image: Nintendo

That’s important because, like I said, this game gets hard. There are precarious jumps to navigate, scenes where you have to fire yourself out of a barrel at just the right moment, and multistage boss battles that will test your patience. That hasn’t changed here, but the game gives you more ways to deal with the frustration.

And it’s worth it because Donkey Kong Country Returns is a delightful game. It may not have the whimsy or playfulness of something like Super Mario Bros. Wonder, but that doesn’t make it any less creative. While there are standard stages where you hop around, stomping on bad guys, the best parts of Returns have an almost cinematic feel. There are perilous minecart levels that force you to react quickly as the world crumbles around you. There are levels where you’re avoiding destructive forces — like the aforementioned squid or devastating waves — as you inch your way to the goal. It can have the vibe of a high-stakes action movie, only, you know, you’re playing a giant monkey wearing a tie.

Sure, we’re at the tail end of the Switch’s life, but you could do a lot worse for the end of a console than ports of games like Returns and the upcoming Xenoblade Chronicles X. The series has a sense of tension and scale that set Donkey Kong Country apart from other side-scrollers, and Returns might be the one that pushes it the furthest. Now, it’s simply a little more approachable — without losing any of its original bite.

Donkey Kong Country Returns HD launches on January 16th on the Nintendo Switch.

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The TikTok ban, and what comes next

Image: Alex Parkin / The Verge

Goodbye to our personal Chinese spies. With five days left until the date by which TikTok is to be either sold or banned in the United States, millions of users are reckoning with what happens when one of the internet’s most important media platforms just up and disappears. (Or, more likely, sticks around for a while, consistently gets worse, and then dies with a whimper.)

On this episode of The Vergecast, we reckon with how we got here, and where we go next. The Verge’s Lauren Feiner walks us through the years-long history of the fight over TikTok, and takes us inside last week’s Supreme Court hearing, where the country’s highest court appeared to be in favor of the ban. Even with a few days left, though, the story’s not over: Donald Trump has said he wants to save the app, and he’ll be inaugurated as president the day after the ban is set to go into effect. And now there are rumors Elon Musk might be involved with the app’s future, too. If we’ve learned one thing about the TikTok ban, it’s that it’s always coming and seemingly never actually here. But it sure feels close now.

After that, we chat with Kickstarter CEO Everette Taylor about a different kind of creator platform....

Read the full story at The Verge.

DJI Flip official: the unique bicycle spoke folding drone starts at $439

At $439, the DJI Flip could be a good starting point for people who don’t typically buy drones at all. You can unfold it, launch it from your hand with a single button, land it on your hand again, or optionally use joysticks, all while capturing higher quality photos and video than the immediate competition.

In August, my colleague Thomas Ricker told you how DJI rival Hover had changed the game by selling a $349 flying camera that doesn’t require people to learn joysticks; with the $199 DJI Neo, DJI looked poised to muscle in on that in a big way. But the $439 Flip not only lets you launch and film basic dronies, orbits, and follow-me shots from the drone itself, it dramatically increases camera quality, flight stability, battery life (a quoted 31 minutes), and lets you launch it faster. You just won't be able to fly it FPV like some of us were hoping.

Not only is the Flip the first DJI drone to look like a Star Wars AT-AT walker or a penny-farthing bicycle when folded, it’s also the first to automatically power on when you unfold it, saving two button presses. And when you flip out each of its four spoke-filled full-coverage propeller guards — which DJI says are a first for its folding drones — they join an auto-braking, forward-facing 3D infrared sensor to protect the camera from any front impacts as well.

And while that camera isn’t quite as impressive as the 1.0-inch type found on DJI’s Osmo Pocket 3, I was impressed by my first results in good light! It’s smaller 1/1.3-inch 4K60 sensor with 4:3 aspect ratio is capable of taking 2.7K vertical video or 48 megapixel stills behind a fast f/1.7 aperture lens. Here are a couple of my unedited early flights, a drone selfie, and a photo, to give you an idea:

An aerial photo from the DJI Flip.

Frankly, the DJI Neo — which costs less than half as much — can’t come close to this level of performance; over the same lake and the same park, the Neo couldn’t even maintain a smooth level shot as the breeze blew its lighter frame around, and its images were muddy and washed out by comparison. The Flip has a three-axis gimbal to help maintain that stability. Also, pros can record in 10-bit D-Log M.

But other, pricier DJI drones could offer better performance still, plus true vertical shooting by rotating the gimbal — and it’d be hard to imagine a drone enthusiast picking the Flip instead of waiting to see what DJI’s unannounced Mini 5 might bring to the table.

“There are currently no plans to retire the Mini Series. The DJI Flip is a new entry-level drone series that will be offered alongside the DJI Neo and DJI Mini. Each of these drones are designed to meet the needs of different types of beginners,” DJI spokesperson Daisy Kong confirms to The Verge.

I am continually surprised by how large the Flip is; while it stays under the 249-gram weight limit that typically triggers government compliance standards like publicly broadcasting your location. Despite its folding arms, it doesn’t fold down smaller than a Mini so there’s no way I’m fitting it into any but the biggest cargo pants pockets I own. It’s also quite loud despite its ducted propellers — absolutely not among the quieter drones that the company sells.

And despite costing more than the $199 DJI Neo, it doesn’t support any FPV headsets to let you virtually soar like a bird.

But the Flip does cost just $439 complete with a basic RC-N3 joystick controller that lets you use your phone as a screen, plus the launch-it-from-your-hand modes; a $779 kit comes with three batteries, a carrying case, and a more capable DJI RC 2 controller with a built-in daylight visible 700-nit screen. The DJI Mini 4 Pro versions of each of same kits cost $959 and $1,099 respectively, a $320 difference.

The DJI Flip should be available to buy and ship today, from DJI’s website.

Photography and video by Sean Hollister / The Verge

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Samsung announces more flexible trade-in program, no purchase required

The Galaxy S23 phones are the most recent in its flagship line currently eligible for trade-in. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge

Samsung has announced a change to its Galaxy Trade-In program that allows consumers to trade in select Galaxy smartphone models to the company year-round, without the need to make a new purchase at the same time.

The new program is set to start today in South Korea and France, with other markets to follow later in 2025. The company says that its aim is to “boost the value of Galaxy devices” in the long-term by providing “amazing savings” through the trade-in process.

There are two key changes to the program, which will be operated by insurance and repair company Likewize. The main change is the purchase requirement: before this policy shift, trade-ins to the company have required a new purchase from samsung.com or the company’s app, with the option to start a trade-in only appearing during the checkout process.

The second change is “year-round” availability. Trade-ins are already available at any time in the US and most other Western markets, but in South Korea they’ve previously been locked to specific windows — usually just after major new product launches like next week’s S25 reveal, for example.

There’s still one big limit to the scheme however: you can only trade in specific Samsung flagship phones. Right now, that’s limited to the Galaxy S20 series through to the S23, and foldables from the Z Flip 3 and Z Fold 3 through to the Z Flip 5 and Z Fold 5. Curiously, last year’s Galaxy S24 and Z Flip/Fold 6 aren’t included, so you can’t sell anything too recent.

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Apple’s latest iPad Mini is down to its lowest price to date

The seventh-gen iPad is the cheapest tablet in Apple’s current lineup to support Apple Intelligence. | Photo: David Pierce / The Verge

If you’re in the market for a highly portable tablet, Apple’s smallest tablet has fallen to its lowest price to date at multiple retailers. Right now, the latest iPad Mini is on sale at Amazon and Best Buy with Wi-Fi and 128GB of storage starting at $399 ($100 off). If you need more storage, you can also buy the step-up model with 256GB of storage for $499 ($100 off) or the 512GB variant for $699 ($100 off).

With its 8.3-inch screen and lightweight design, the latest iPad Mini is closer in size to the iPhone than any other tablet in Apple’s lineup. As a result, it’s easier to carry on the go and hold with one hand, making it an excellent option if you read a lot on your tablet. Its small size doesn’t come at the expense of performance, though. In fact, the onboard A17 Pro chip is snappier than the A14 Bionic chip found in the entry-level iPad, even if it’s not as speedy as the processors in the M4-powered iPad Pro or M2-powered Air.

Unlike the base iPad, the seventh-gen Mini supports Apple Intelligence, so you can take advantage of a host of AI-based features — such as AI-assisted summaries, Genmoji, ChatGPT, and the ability to erase unwanted objects in photos. It also supports the newer Apple Pencil Pro, along with Wi-Fi 6E and faster USB-C performance. They’re pretty iterative updates overall; however, they’re also a lot more appealing at $399 than they are at the tablet’s typical retail price of $499.

Read our iPad Mini review.

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Google Messages brings back customizable contacts

Illustration: The Verge

Google is adjusting the “profile sharing” feature in its Google Messages app to allow users to set custom contact names and photos on their own devices for their stored contacts and others they send text messages. As reported by 9to5Google, a change rolled out late last year that overrode your custom names and photos with each individual’s broadcasted profile, but now you can change it back to give friends, colleagues, and family members the names and avatars that you think they should have.

The profile-sharing feature was announced in late 2023, as Google continued to push the rollout of RCS, and works similarly to Contact Posters on iPhones. Android Authority found a reference in Android code in October that Google was working to allow for customer profile photos yet again.

Google’s updated support page for profile sharing now outlines steps to set a local contact photo that replaces the one shared by your contact. To customize their name or appearance, tap on a contact name or picture of a person in a Google Messages chat, then tap their photo on the details page. From there, you can switch between their shared one or your own custom one for them.

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‘Goodbye to my Chinese spy’ might be the last great TikTok trend

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images

TikTokers are coping with the app’s potential ban with an unusual trend: by bidding farewell to their “personal Chinese spy.” The trend, which pokes fun at security concerns surrounding the app, has users thanking their “spy” for surveilling them and filling their For You page with entertaining content, while others proclaim that they’d rather share their data directly with the Chinese government than switch to Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts.

One post, which garnered more than 1.5 million likes, depicts an emotional scene from Squid Game with the caption, “Me saying goodbye to my Chinese spy on the 19th (He perfected my algorithm).” Other TikTokers are speaking — and singing — in Chinese, while some pretend to be the “spies” powering individual algorithms.

@_unsc_

#tiktokban

♬ original sound - _unsc_

“It is a great honor to spy on you for the last few years,” TikToker yanxiao1003 says in a video. “I wish you all have a great life in the future... Laura from California, you shouldn’t drink that much Coca-Cola, it’s bad for your health.”

For years, TikTok has faced scrutiny over the ties of its parent company, ByteDance, to China, with lawmakers calling it a “national security threat” and accusing the app of sending US user data to China. But now the platform’s ban is imminent, with the Supreme Court set to hand down a decision on whether to uphold the law that would either ban TikTok or force ByteDance to divest it by January 19th.

@yneeky

#tiktokban #fyp #fypシ #foryoupage

♬ original sound - Neeky

@yanxiao1003

No gathering lasts forever #tiktokban #chinesespy

♬ See You Again - Saymon Cleiton & jhonatan Rodrigues

@lisandravcomedy

An open letter to my special Chinese Spy #tiktokban #politicstiktok #comedy

♬ Carmen Habanera, classical opera(1283412) - perfectpanda

@cool_cammy

i’m gonna miss my chinese spy

♬ original sound - cool_cammy

@celestialdemon9909

#tiktokban

♬ original sound - Ancoleman9909

@matcha.mix

sometimes it’s the one who’s always been in front of you that you never notice #tiktokban #invisiblestring #lovejourney #matchamix #data #china #datinglife

♬ original sound - alex

@kozylifekiki

Tiktok ban who they can have all the info they want on me to keep tiktok from getting banned #tiktokban

♬ original sound - JamieJL651

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Meta is already working on Community Notes for Threads

Illustration: The Verge

Meta announced last week that it would be ditching fact-checkers in favor of X-like Community Notes, and self-described **“**leaker” Alessandro Paluzzi shared screenshots on Monday showing what the feature might look like in Threads.

Based on the screenshots, it appears you’ll be able to start the process of writing a Community Note from the three-dots menu on a post, which is where you can already access features like muting an account or reporting a post. Another screenshot shows that when you write a Community Note, your note will be anonymous.

A third screenshot appears to show an Instagram help center page about Community Notes that has a button to join a waitlist for the program. However, the layout of the page looks different from other live help center pages I can see right now.

Meta didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment.

Meta said last week that it plans to “phase in Community Notes in the US first over the next couple of months” and then “improve it over the course of the year,” but it hasn’t specified exactly when the feature might be available on Threads. My colleague Alex Heath reported Sunday that Community Notes “was not on the product roadmap before this week.”

In addition to the move to Community Notes, Meta said it’s also getting rid of “a number of restrictions” on topics like immigration and gender, and phasing “civil content” back into Facebook, Instagram, and Threads. Instagram boss Adam Mosseri published a video today showing how to set the amount of political content you see on Threads.

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AGDQ 2025 earns $2.5 million for charity with its best event yet

Image: Games Done Quick

Awesome Games Done Quick 2025 has concluded, raising just over $2.5 million for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. Every Games Done Quick event is worth tuning in to either live or later via VODs, but this AGDQ was uniquely fantastic, filled with runs that’ll go down as some of the best GDQ has to offer. Here are some of our favorites:

New Super Mario Bros. Wii

The great thing about the speedrunning community is that it’s often not enough to be the fastest runner of a particular game. That’s boring. For Wes, simply running New Super Mario Bros. Wii wasn’t enough to satisfy him. He had to get creative with it, deciding to master playing the game as fast as possible while playing the piano. But how can someone play a video game if both their hands are occupied, you ask? The answer is obvious: by controlling the game with your head and feet. I don’t know what inspires a human to do this kind of thing, and I don’t care. All that matters is that Wes put the depth of human ability (and multitasking) on display, and it was brain-breaking to watch.

Elden Ring bonus showcase

Speaking of incredible human talent, how about playing Elden Ring — a game known for its punishing difficulty — with a saxophone. I was looking forward to this run all week, and Dr. Doot did not disappoint, but not for the reason I expected. It’s one thing to beat the likes of Malenia, Blade of Miquella with a specially programmed aerophone. But nothing could have prepared me for every input, from landing an attack to using consumables, sounding a hilarious “doot” noise. I cried laughing it was so funny.

Super Metroid

Super Metroid is a GDQ staple, often anchoring the event’s last day in a week’s worth of programming. But lately, GDQ has gotten away from featuring a mere run of the game to instead showcase all the work the Super Metroid modding community has put into keeping this game from 1994 fresh and interesting. This four-way race of Super Metroid included a map randomizer, meaning the game’s normal layout had been shuffled around and put together in an all-new configuration.

Map randomizers for a Metroid game are uniquely dangerous because all of the abilities you need to progress are no longer laid out in a logical fashion. Samus might run into the fiery pits of Lower Norfair long before finding the heat-shielding Varia suit. And with the map randomized, it’s now way harder (and takes way longer) to find where the suit is. Now add an element of competition, and you’ve got one of the finest races in AGDQ history.

Crazy Taxi with live backing band

It used to be that if you wanted to avoid DMCA strikes for playing a game on Twitch with licensed music, you just turned the music off. But AGDQ has come up with a novel way to get around this old problem. For this run of Crazy Taxi, every song was played by a cover band that transformed AGDQ from a speedrunning video game event into an impromptu punk rock show — mini-mosh pit and all — and it ruled. I’m not gonna share any details. Just go watch it for yourself.

GDQ is a uniquely special event for more reasons than featuring cool, creative, or crazy-ass runs. In a world where cowardly corporations have decided it’s okay to call women and LGBTQ+ people slurs, and one where gamers have a unique reputation for being awful to each other for differences beyond our control, Games Done Quick has been very vocal in its support of marginalized people. Whether it be its diverse programming with Frame Fatales or Black in a Flash or the mere fact that every other donation featured a message of “Trans Rights,” which was enthusiastically read aloud and enthusiastically cheered by the live crowd.

Games Done Quick has been a shining example of how intentionally curated communities can foster acceptance and be a source of joy and goodness in a climate that needs it, and AGDQ 2025 was one of the best.

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Chinese social media app RedNote tops App Store chart ahead of TikTok ban

Photo Illustration by Sheldon Cooper/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images

RedNote, the Chinese social media app also known as Xiaohongshu, rose to the number one spot on the Apple App Store as a US ban closes in on TikTok. The app offers a mix of pictures, short-form videos, and text posts across “follow,” “explore,” and “nearby” feeds.

A cursory scroll through RedNote’s Explore page shows English-language posts scattered among those written in Chinese. Many American users call themselves “TikTok refugees” in videos, while others write in text posts that they’re in search of a new community because of the potential TikTok ban. Some are even asking questions to Chinese users, such as “What are some popular memes in China?”

Screenshot: The Verge

RedNote, which launched in 2013 as a shopping-focused app, now has more than 300 million monthly active users and surpassed $1 billion in profit last year, according to Bloomberg.

Last week, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments over whether to uphold the law that will ban TikTok or force its China-based owner, ByteDance, to sell it to an American company. The Supreme Court has until January 19th to issue a decision.

TikTok users may be flocking to RedNote now, but the ban also implicates other Chinese-owned apps, including RedNote, WeChat, and the other apps run by ByteDance like Lemon8 and CapCut.

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Nintendo’s Alarmo will be available for everyone starting in March

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Another day, another announcement from Nintendo that isn’t the next Switch. Today the company revealed that its alarm clock, Alarmo, will be available at select retailers starting this March. The announcement includes the US, UK, and Europe.

The $99 alarm clock launched late last year, but is currently only available to those with a Nintendo Switch Online subscription. Today’s news opens that up to the larger public. The motion-controlled device lets users turn it off simply by getting up, though in my experience, that functionality wasn’t much use if you share a bed. It also includes a number of sounds and themes based on Nintendo properties, including Mario Kart 8 Deluxe through a recent update.

The news comes the same week that Nintendo is widely expected to detail its next console, which could happen on January 16th. It also follows a series of other announcements in recent months from the company. Most recently, Nintendo announced that a Lego Game Boy was in the works, which was preceded by announcements covering a museum, music service, and a test for a mysterious MMO.

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eBay’s new acquisition could make it easy to buy a car from anywhere

The Verge

eBay has “signed a definitive agreement” to buy online automotive transaction platform provider Caramel to help make buying and selling vehicles on the auction site “more simple than ever.”

Caramel has a site and app that helps private parties and independent dealers sell cars by handling the paperwork, ownership transfer, financing, shipping, insurance, and more. The company has several marketplace and auction partners as well.

Although eBay has hosted listings for used car sales and auctions on the site for years, it currently leaves it to the dealer to process payment and complete any paperwork. Fees such as titling charges are also handled through the seller, and you’d have to negotiateseparately over things like dealer-installed accessories.

Last month, online retail giant Amazon started its own “Autos” website for people to buy new vehicles from dealers (only Hyundai models to start). However, Amazon advertises that you can complete the transaction (including a vehicle trade-in) to completion and only need to pick up the car at the dealership.

How eBay’s process will look is still to be determined. eBay says its agreement with Caramel was signed on January 11th, and the deal is expected to close in the first quarter of this year.

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Free Our Feeds wants to build a social media ecosystem ‘resistant to billionaire influence’

Image: Free Our Feeds

Technology advocates and celebrities are backing the launch of Free Our Feeds, a campaign designed to “save social media from billionaire capture.” The project aims to raise $30 million over three years to support the development of a social media ecosystem powered by the AT Protocol, or the decentralized network powering Bluesky.

The raised funds will go toward launching a public interest foundation to support the project, while creating an “independently hosted infrastructure” giving Bluesky users, developers, and researchers access to the content and data posted “no matter what the company decides to do in the future.”

After starting as a research project under former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, Bluesky became an independent company in 2021 and went on to create the AT Protocol, an open-source infrastructure that aims to create a social ecosystem with interoperable apps. Bluesky built its own social network atop the framework, raising millions in funds and attracting a growing number of users.

Despite these efforts, Free Our Feeds believes “social infrastructure run in the public interest cannot be governed by a private social media company” forever.

“Bluesky’s underlying technology, the AT Protocol, could offer a new pathway for the social web. Yet as it stands, it is still venture-capital backed,” Wikipedia co-founder and Free Our Feeds supporter Jimmy Wales said in a statement. “This important initiative aims to safeguard Bluesky’s underlying technology and put it on an independent pathway, so that the future of social media can be freed from the whims of any one company or group of billionaires.”

Free Our Feeds will be led by nine custodians — including the Mozilla Foundation’s Nabiha Syed and Mark Surman — who will oversee the project’s “major governance decisions.”

Mastodon is also moving away from the single ownership model used by social platforms like Mark Zuckerberg’s Meta and Elon Musk’s X. On Monday, Mastodon CEO Eugen Rochko announced that he will transfer the ownership of the decentralized social network to a nonprofit organization because “Mastodon should not be owned or controlled by a single individual.”

With Meta making drastic changes to its content moderation policy, and X’s transformation under Musk’s ownership, the Free Our Feeds project couldn’t come at a better time — even if it might take some time for its efforts to come to fruition.

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