Posts

I held the Trump phone

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Where's the Trump phone? We're going to keep talking about it every week . We've reached out, as usual, to ask about the Trump phone's whereabouts. We don't have the phones we preordered yet, but this week included an unexpected in-person encounter with the T1. You see a lot of interesting phones when you're among tech journalists. I'm thinking of two in particular that I held this past week: One was solid gold, with ornate engravings. It was elaborately embellished, heavy - an actual work of art. The other was the Trump phone. I know. The Trump phone. The one announced almost a year ago that has shipped to almost nobody . But when you asso … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/948464/trump-phone-t1-hands-on

Here are the price-matching policies for Best Buy, GameStop, and others

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Nothing is more frustrating than buying a new pair of headphones, an OLED TV, or a laptop just to find out that you could have gotten it for cheaper somewhere else just a few days or weeks later. That’s why, in order to keep customers happy and prevent them from shopping elsewhere, some retailers offer price-matching policies in which they promise to match a lower price found elsewhere. That kind of information comes in handy no matter the time of year, but it’s especially helpful during shopping events like Amazon’s Prime Day 2026 sale, which kicks off June 23rd and lasts through June 26th. What follows are the price-matching policies for a number of major retailers. There are a few things to note here. First, every retailer has its own set of rules and restrictions. We’ve summarized some of them here, but we recommend visiting the provided links and reading the policies carefully. Second, most retailers that serve as a marketplace for other sellers,...

I’ve found the Goldilocks of portable MIDI controllers

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I have tested more portable MIDI controllers than I can keep track of, and I will tell you right now: 37 keys is the ideal size. While Arturia's 25-key MiniLab MK3 is a solid controller that easily fits in a backpack, it feels a bit claustrophobic. The new $149 MiniLab 37 adds another octave, giving you much more room to play bass and lead simultaneously, or just play more expansive chords. Physically, the MiniLab 37 isn't very different from its smaller sibling. It's got the same solid (if slightly springy) keybed, eight pads, eight endless encoders, four faders, a pair of touch strips, USB-C, and a full-size five-pin MIDI DIN out on the b … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/948024/arturia-minilab-37-midi-controller-review

You can just tell the Instagram algorithm what you want now

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Instagram is going to let you tweak what its algorithm shows you on your main feed. With the Your Algorithm feature, "you can now see the topics we think you're interested in, and change them, across all the major parts of Instagram," according to Instagram boss Adam Mosseri . Right now, the feature will only surface topics, but Instagram is working on "supporting requests for people, different moods or vibes, content types, and more." The company has been slowly giving users more agency over some algorithms on Instagram, having already launched the Your Algorithm feature for your Reels feed and the Explore page . With Wednesday's announcemen … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/947898/meta-instagram-your-algorithm-main-feed-tell

Google will save your Lens photos, Search Live recordings, and Translate audio for AI training

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Google is making some changes to how it saves your interactions with Search. In an email sent to users, Google says it will save the images, files, audio, and video you use to search under a new "Search Services History" setting . That includes the images you search for with Google Lens, recordings from its real-time Search Live tool , voice searches, and phrases spoken into Translate, according to an update on the company's website . You can switch off the Search Services History setting and disable the "Save Media" option if you don't want Google to save these interactions. Google says it will use your Search Services History to "provide, d … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/947836/google-search-privacy-settings-images-audio

SwitchBot’s E Ink Weather Station is already 20 percent off

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We’re only a few days since the SwitchBot Smart E Ink Weather Station launched, and you can already save $25 on the smart home gadget. Visit Amazon and clip the on-page coupon to bring the price down to $85 at checkout, or use coupon code APAP23 on the SwitchBot site. The 7.5-inch framed panel shows information like current date and time, sunrise and sunset, and current weather, as well as the forecast for up to six days — all on a contrasty E Ink screen.  SwitchBot Weather Station Where to Buy: $109.99 $84.99 at Amazon $109.99 $84.69 at SwitchBot The Weather Station has a built-in AI assistant that provides practical insights and inspirational quotes based on the weather. However, the display is good for more than just showing weather-based information. It can sync up with iCal, Google, and Outlook to display calendar information for up to five people. It also integrates with the SwitchBot Hub to control compatible smart devices using the c...

Apple is embracing the fantasy of AI photo editing

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Apple’s feature showcase at WWDC 2026 didn’t flag which if these “photographs” are real or created with its new AI fakery. | Images by Apple / compiled by The Verge Apple used to question whether generative AI-powered editing features were worth the risk of distorting our perceptions of the world. Now it seems Apple no longer believes that photos should accurately capture reality. At WWDC 2026 , the company announced a host of new AI-powered photo editing tools . They give users effortless powers of manipulating images that Apple still refers to as "photos." Two years ago, Apple launched Clean Up - an AI-powered object removal tool in Apple's Photo app that's similar to the Magic Eraser feature in Google Photos. At the time, Apple software chief Craig Federighi said that it was important for the company … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/946850/apple-ai-photo-editing-tools-i...