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A picture of two LG TVs at CES 2022. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge LG told the FCC it’s pulling support for the ATSC 3.0 standard in its TVs next year because of a “challenging and uncertain patent landscape,” according to LightReading (via ZatzNotFunny ). ATSC 3.0, aka Nextgen TV, is the next-generation broadcast format that would bring 4K TV and advanced video and audio formats like HDR and Dolby Atmos, as well as interactive apps, for free. As we wrote about the standard in 2017 : ATSC 3.0 is the next major version of the broadcast TV format. (Version 2.0 was intended as a backward compatible update that was eventually canceled in favor of the more significant 3.0 update.) Where ATSC 1.0 added digital technology and HD video, ATSC 3.0 is planned to be an IP-based (internet protocol) system. It’s still... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/30/23897460/lg-drops-atsc-3-0-support-fcc-broadcast-tv

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Apple has acknowledged user complaints that iPhone 15 and 15 Pro phones are overheating, reports Forbes , but said that contrary to speculation, it has nothing to do with the phone’s hardware design. The company further told Forbes that the fix, which should come with iOS 17.1, won’t result in throttled performance, which some, like Apple supply chain analyst Ming-Chi Kuo , have said was a possibility. In its statement, Apple also said it is working with developers of apps like Instagram and Uber to address the issues and Forbes noted an update to Instagram has already rolled out with ver302 of that app. Apple also said other factors, like USB-C power adapters with more-than-20W charging, can make a phone warmer than an iPhone user might... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/30/23897273/apple-iphone-15-overheating-ios-17-1-bug-fix

The outside of The Sphere during the U2:UV Achtung Baby Live concert on September 29th, 2023. | Photo by Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images U2 played the first-ever show at the Las Vegas Sphere, a massive, dome-shaped venue wrapped in over a million LEDs. The concert, a live performance centered on the band’s Achtung, Baby album, was also the band’s first in a series of performances it will put on at the venue through the end of December . The cheapest tickets for the shows that haven’t sold out yet start at about $400, as of this writing. From videos being posted to social media, it looks like shows at The Sphere can be breathtaking, probably more than a little nauseating, and undoubtedly expensive to produce. A review in The New York Times says the concert alternated between gigantic, trippy visual effects sweeping across the domed display and the more standard concert... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/30/23897156/the-sphere-las-vegas-

Apple’s StandBy mode is a convenient feature that gives you a good excuse to buy a MagSafe stand. | Image: Apple The iPhone 15 and iOS 17 do a whole bunch of new things that many of us here at The Verge enjoy, but one of our favorites is Apple’s StandBy mode. The simple little feature turns your iPhone into a small smart display once you place it on a MagSafe / magnetic Qi stand in landscape orientation. This allows you to see an assortment of full-screen widgets, including a pleasant desk clock, a calendar, or both. Using the new StandBy mode may involve some menu diving if you want to customize it to your liking (which is definitely part of the fun), but getting started is as simple as turning on the feature and plopping your phone on a charger sideways. Of course, if you don’t already own a magnetic charging stand for your iPhone, you’ll need... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/30/23894737/iphone-magsafe-charging-stand-belkin-anker-standby-mo

Sony’s $199.99 gaming device is available to preorder from major retailers like Amazon and Best Buy. | Image: Sony For months, rumors had been circulating about the release date for Sony’s upcoming handheld, the PlayStation Portal. And last month, Sony finally gave us an answer: the PlayStation Portal will launch on November 15th . The portable device, which will be able to stream PlayStation 5 games over Wi-Fi, will retail for $199.99. There is a chance the PlayStation Portal will sell out as quickly as the PlayStation 5 did when it was first released , which is perhaps why Sony is currently limiting orders to one device per customer. We have yet to test the Portal, but if you’re someone who wants to secure a unit at launch, rest assured that multiple retailers have already opened up preorders in the US and several other countries. Here’s what you... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/8/31/23850592/sony-playstation-portal-preorder-buy-price-availabil

Onewheel at CES in 2015. | Image: The Verge Future Motion, the maker of the Onewheel electric skateboard, is recalling every one of them, including 300,000 Onewheel self-balancing vehicles in the US. Alongside the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), the company now seeks to remedy the products after four known death cases — three without a helmet — between 2019 and 2021. The recall comes a year after Future Motion took issue with the CPSC’s calls for recall and claimed that it tested and found nothing wrong with the Onewheels. At the time, the company issued a press release in objection to the CPSC and called the agency’s statements “unjustified and alarmist.” Now Future Motion is moving forward with a voluntary recall it chose not to do almost a year earlier. The... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/29/23896151/onewheel-cpsc-recall-future-motion-crash-death

A painting of Munchlax and Snorlax inspired by Van Gogh’s “The Bedroom.” | Image: The Pokémon Company The horde of people that descended upon the Van Gogh Museum yesterday to snatch up as much merchandise as they could was the first sign that the Pokémon x Van Gogh collaboration might be a bit more chaotic than expected. While there was hope that all the fracas might die down and give everyone a chance to get in on the fun, unfortunately, it doesn’t look like that’s going to be the case. Initially, it seemed like The Pokémon Company’s plan was for people to be able to easily find multiple pieces of merchandise from the special Pokémon x Van Gogh Museum collection online at the Pokémon Center, even if you couldn’t make it to the actual exhibit in Amsterdam. This afternoon, though, The Pokémon Company announced that its online store is... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/23896251/pokemon-van-gogh-pikachu-sold-out-scalping-promos

An Xbox 360 wireless headset. | Photo by Alphathon (Wikimedia Commons) If you’re going to do financial crimes, maybe an Xbox isn’t your best bet? That is one but hopefully not the only lesson learned by 26-year-old Anthony Viggiano, a former Goldman Sachs investment analyst who’s been indicted for insider trading, along with two of his friends. He allegedly tipped off those friends to big financial deals using both encrypted messaging and — incredibly — a game console’s audio chat. According to the indictment ( via Kotaku ), the FBI secretly recorded Viggiano admitting that he passed on illegal info, possibly via an Xbox 360, of all things: Salamone: You have shit where you’re giving fucking information to fucking Steve [Forlano Jr.]? VIGGIANO: Nah. Nah. Because similar to you . .. signal, or like XBOX... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/29/23896150/xbox-360-chat-insider-trading-anthony-viggiano-christopher-salamone-stephen-forlano

Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images Ford CEO Jim Farley accused the United Auto Workers of holding contract negotiations “hostage” over the company’s forthcoming electric vehicle battery plants. The UAW strike, which is now in its third week, expanded today to include more facilities, including those operated by Ford. The strike comes amid a historically consequential shift in the auto industry away from gas-guzzling vehicles to battery-powered ones with zero tailpipe emissions. The automakers are spending billions of dollars to develop whole lineups of battery-powered vehicles, while striking autoworkers want assurances that the transition will use union labor. Like other automakers, Ford is committed to investing tens of billions of dollars in the transition,... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/29/23896139/ford-uaw-strike-contract-hostage-ev-battery-factory

A PS5’s internals, inside a QuantumX waterblock, inside a Raijintek case, with custom water cooling and bracket. | Image: EK Water Blocks Changing the look of your PS5? Easy — the slightest amount of elbow grease will let you pop on new plates . But if you want to seriously mod that sucker for bragging rights, you can now preorder a $450 monoblock that lets you liquid-cool every single component on both sides of Sony’s board. It’s called the QuantumX , and it’s by EK Water Blocks, a company that sells all kinds of gear for DIYers to build their own custom loop water cooling for high-end PCs. Image: EK Water Blocks A closer look at the waterblock, mounted inside a case. And let’s be clear: you will need all kinds of custom liquid cooling gear if you go down this road. The company isn’t selling an entire DIY kit, just the cooling block. Your $450... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/29/23895967/water-cooled-ps5-ek-water-blocks-quantum-x

Image: OceanGate It’s only been months since the implosion of OceanGate’s Titan tourist submersible , but Hollywood producers are already working on a film based on the incident. MindRiot Entertainment will make the film, with E. Brian Dobbins ( The Blackening , Black-ish ) serving as co-producer, according to a report from Deadline . The movie will follow the events that took place before, during, and after the Titan’s implosion, Deadline reports. In June, the Titan submersible set off on a journey to tour the wreckage of the Titanic at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean. After losing contact with the surface , the US Coast Guard found that the Titan experienced a “catastrophic implosion” on the way down, killing all five passengers on board, including the CEO... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/29/23895953/titan-submersible-film-production

Journalism and other fields are dealing with a new wave of tools like Google Bard. | Image: Google The arrival of generative artificial intelligence has accelerated the use of AI in different fields, including journalism. AI is most visible in journalism when things go wrong. Some newsrooms have published AI articles riddled with errors or offensive suggestions. There’s widespread anxiety that AI will be used to replace journalists on the cheap. But a new global survey demonstrates the ways that AI has worked its way into the business, even as journalists worry about its implications — and they don’t just involve writing articles. The report was published this week by JournalismAI, an initiative from Polis, the London School of Economics and Political Science’s journalism think tank. It is supported by the Google News Initiative. “... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/28/23894651/ai-newsroom-journalism-study-automation-bias

Photo illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Between the Apple Watch Series 9, the Ultra 2, and the second-gen SE, there are more options than ever. We’ll help you sort through them. Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/23037217/apple-watch-series-9-ultra-2-second-gen-se-best-smartwatch-how-to

Image: Creative Assembly / Sega Sega is canceling the live-service shooter Hyenas before the game’s launch. Sega announced the news in a press release , stating the cancellation was due to “the lower profitability of the European region.” In addition to Hyenas , Sega will also cancel other unannounced in-development projects. Hyenas was billed as a live-service extraction shooter that looked similar to the Payday games. However, instead of robbing banks for cash, players in Hyenas would steal high-value collectibles, some of which were based on various video game properties, including a Sonic the Hedgehog doll or an Atari 2600. Hyenas was apparently a source of friction within Sega. During a quarterly earnings call back in August , Sega executives said they were... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/28/23894156/sega-cancels-hyenas-creative-assembly-layoffs

College basketball player Lyric Swann poses in the official Nerfball gear. | Photo: Hasbro Here’s Nerfball, the first official ‘sport’ from the company behind the blasters. Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/28/23893892/nerf-nerfball-foam-hit-detection-xo-nano-sport

Image: Netflix Netflix’s latest video game adaptation has its first trailer. At its Drop 01 animation event, the company revealed the first look at Tomb Raider: The Legend Of Lara Croft , an upcoming animated series starring the iconic archaeologist. It doesn’t show much, but it definitely feels like the series will be adopting the grittier tone of the most recent games . Netflix first announced that it was partnering with Legendary on a Tomb Raider series in 2021 ; it announced the Skull Island show at the same time, which started streaming earlier this year . The Legend Of Lara Croft doesn’t have a specific date yet, but Netflix says it will premiere sometime in 2024. The news comes as part of a resurgence of sorts for the Tomb Raider franchise. Amazon... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/27/23892308/tomb-raider-lara-croft-anime-trailer-netflix

Young Portuguese citizens (C) arrive at the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) in Strasbourg, France, for a hearing in a climate change case against 32 countries, on September 27th, 2023.  | Photo by FREDERICK FLORIN / AFP via Getty Images A groundbreaking climate hearing went down today in the European Court of Human Rights. The youngest plaintiff in the case is 11 years old; the oldest is 24. They all survived wildfires that raged through Portugal in 2017. And they’ve filed suit against 33 governments in Europe, saying their planet-heating pollution violates their human rights. The case, Duarte Agostinho and Others v. Portugal and 32 Other States, was brought by a group of six young people from Portugal in 2020. If successful, they could get a legally binding decision that pushes countries — including the 27 EU member states — to act faster on climate change. “As in many other places young people are leading the way and demonstrating that there are legal avenues through...

Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge Microsoft is releasing one of its biggest updates to Windows 11 today. It includes access to the new Windows Copilot, AI-powered updates to Paint, Snipping Tool, and Photos, RGB lighting support, a modernized File Explorer, and much more. Windows Copilot is the big new feature for this Windows 11 update, bringing the same Bing Chat feature straight to the Windows 11 desktop. It appears as a sidebar in Windows 11, allowing you to control settings on a PC, launch apps, or simply answer queries. Microsoft is integrating Copilot into many parts of Windows , too. Image: Microsoft The Copilot feature in Windows 11. Copilot will essentially exist as an AI-powered digital assistant, much like Microsoft’s vision for... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/26/23890621/microsoft-windows-11-update-copilot-paint-snipping-tool-features

Most of these streaming services are in the Streaming Innovation Alliance. | Image: Wes Davis / The Verge Streaming companies have formed the Streaming Innovation Alliance (SIA), reported Axios . The new trade group should give companies like Netflix and Disney a solid foundation from which to deal with current and future regulation by the federal government related specifically to streaming. The SIA formed as regulators look for ways to deal with a changing entertainment landscape that increasingly includes content creators on social platforms, which these companies don’t necessarily want to be lumped in with. In addition to Netflix and Disney, Axios lists SIA members Paramount Plus, Warner Bros. Discovery’s Max, Peacock, TelevisaUnivision, and some small streamers like For Us By Us Network, Vault, and AfroLandTV. Other streaming services... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/26/23890778/streaming-companies-trade-group-sia-regulation-net-neutrality

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Apple just made its biggest push in decades to boost original content on its podcast app, which has been refreshed with the recent update to iOS 17 . It’s also casting a wider net for its audience by allowing users to connect through third-party apps. Following up on Apple’s WWDC announcements in June , more than 60 original podcasts are now available to Apple Music, Apple News Plus, Calm, and Lingokids subscribers. There are more than 100 new podcasts on Apple Podcasts, and new shows will launch every week this fall, the company says . Apple launched Apple News+ Narrated yesterday, for example, which features articles narrated by professional voice actors. There are four shows on Apple News now and another 42 on Apple Music, including... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/26/23890734/apple-podcasts-original-programming-third-party-apps

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge The Federal Trade Commission and more than a dozen state attorneys general have filed a sweeping antitrust lawsuit against Amazon, alleging that the e-commerce giant has unlawfully leveraged its market dominance to stamp out would-be competitors. “Our complaint lays out how Amazon has used a set of punitive and coercive tactics to unlawfully maintain its monopolies,” FTC Chair Lina Khan said in a statement Tuesday. “The complaint sets forth detailed allegations noting how Amazon is now exploiting its monopoly power to enrich itself while raising prices and degrading service for the tens of millions of American families who shop on its platform and the hundreds of thousands of businesses that rely on Amazon to reach them.” “The lawsuit... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/26/23809817/amazon-ftc-antitrust-lawsuit-monopoly

It may be a 75 percent layout, but this hefty keyboard is anything but compact. Angry Miao usually specializes in bespoke mechanical keyboards with zany or nonsensical designs that cost small fortunes. But today, its new Japan-based sub-brand, Dry Studio, is announcing a Lamborghini-inspired gaming keyboard that looks like a futuristic race car on your desk, yet it clocks in at a price some of us mere mortals can actually stomach. It’s called the Black Diamond 75, a pre-built 75 percent mechanical keyboard (switches, PBT keycaps, and PCB-mounted stabilizers all included and preinstalled) with an integrated wrist wrest, and it starts at just $240 on Indiegogo ($204 on an “early bird” special) — with expected shipments in November. A respectable $240 for the base model or $295 for an even fancier special edition The... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/23885308/dry-studio-black-diamond-75-mechanical-keyboard-specs-price-impressions

John David Washington as Joshua in The Creator . | Image: Oren Soffer Gareth Edwards’ new dystopian sci-fi epic is a gorgeous morass of AI doomerism that’s lacking in the way of novel ideas. Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/23889089/the-creator-movie-review-gareth-edwards

Well, that certainly looks like a new set of Fan Edition hardware. | Image: Samsung Samsung has leaked its own latest “Fan Edition” product lineup that includes the new Galaxy Buds FE earbuds, Galaxy S23 FE smartphone, and Galaxy Tab S9 FE tablet. The new products have come to light via the company’s Argentinian website, where a product page for the new earbuds has seemingly launched prematurely — and includes photos of the rest of the lineup ( via SamMobile ). On Monday, a report from SamMobile cites specs and pricing re-shared by an anonymous source with it. The Galaxy S23 FE will allegedly start at $599 while confirming the Galaxy Buds FE will be $99. The story lists a larger 6.4-inch AMOLED display that, at 1,450 nits peak brightness, is a bit dimmer than the 1,750-nit Galaxy S23’s screen . Other notable details... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/22/23885350/samsung-leaks-fan-edition-galaxy-buds-s23-tab-fe

Pain Hustlers. | Image: Brian Douglas / Netflix Film festivals like TIFF are a great chance to get a sense of what’s coming to theaters in the coming months, but they’re also a good way to preview the upcoming streaming calendar. Last year in Toronto, for example, Netflix gave an early look at two of its biggest releases with both Wendell & Wild and Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery . This year was no different, with upcoming movies coming to Netflix, Hulu, and Apple TV Plus all part of the program. (The streamers also went shopping at TIFF, so there’s more on the way: Netflix acquired the rights to both Anna Kendrick’s Woman of the Hour and Richard Linklater’s Hit Man during the festival.) The good news is that you can stream a number of these movies from home very soon. Plan your... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/23889070/tiff-2023-movies-streaming-netflix-hulu-apple-tv-plus

Illustration: The Verge Tinder announced a $499 per month invite-only subscription, Tinder Select , on Friday, Bloomberg reports . As part of the premium plan, subscribers can message people they’ve not matched with, while the “most sought-after” users will see their profiles. Tinder says it only offers the plan to less than 1 percent of its users it considers “extremely active” and that the applications will open up on a rolling basis. “We know that there is a subset of highly engaged and active users who prioritize more effective and efficient ways to find connections,” said Tinder’s chief product officer, Mark Van Ryswyk. “So we engaged in extensive tests and feedback with this audience over the past several months to develop a completely new offering.” If... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/25/23889285/tinder-select-match-group-dating-apps

Rick, Summer, and Morty. | Image: Adult Swim Adult Swim has been tight-lipped about its plans to keep Rick and Morty going following the scandal-related departure of series co-creator and star Justin Roiland earlier this year. For months, fans have wondered how the show might continue with its titular characters being voiced by someone else, and while Adult Swim hasn’t announced the new actors’ names just yet, Rick and Morty ’s latest season 7 trailer makes it pretty clear the newcomers are up to the task. Between the haunted jewelry, robot ghosts, and voracious inhalation of spaghetti, it’s difficult to tell just where Rick and Morty ’s seventh season will pick up. What does jump out rather shockingly, though, is how Rick and Morty sound essentially the same as they did before the... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/23889455/rick-and-morty-season-7-trailer-new-voice-actors

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Reddit is going to let users spin Reddit gold into real money as part of its new “Contributor Program,” the company announced on Monday . It also shared details on the replacement for its old Reddit Gold system that let users show extra appreciation for posts or posts that they liked. Let’s start with the Reddit Gold update since it’s a critical part of that Contributor Program. Under the new gold system, you can long-press an upvote button on mobile or hover over it on desktop to be able to buy gold. Reddit will offer six different purchase options for awarding gold, starting at a $1.99 option to buy one gold and going up to $49 for 25 gold. After you give your gold, you’ll see what Reddit calls a “golden upvote” next to the comment or... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/25/23887226/reddit-gold-system-contributor-program

Amazon has commited to an initial $1.25 billion investment that can be increased by an additional $2.75 billion. | Image: Amazon / Anthropic Amazon announced on Monday that it will invest up to $4 billion into Anthropic — the AI startup best known for its Claude chatbot and founded by siblings Dario and Daniela Amodei who used to work for OpenAI. This deal pales in comparison to the reported $13 billion that Microsoft has so far invested into OpenAI , the biggest name in generative AI technology right now, but that partnership has been blossoming since 2019 . Nevertheless, it’s a clear sign that Amazon is staking its claim in the escalating AI arms race. Anthropic says it’s Claude AI model is safer than rival AI services because it can revise its own responses without human moderation Anthropic’s Claude and Claude 2 large language model–based chatbots are similar to OpenAI’s... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/25/23888841/amazon-4-billion-investme

A teaser image of the Pixel 8 and 8 Pro released by Google. | Image: Google Google’s upcoming Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro could come with seven years of software support, according to a leaked list of specs published by 91Mobiles . Kamila Wojciechowska , the original source of the leak, has also published US pricing for the two unannounced phones ahead of their October 4th launch. The Pixel 8 Pro is reportedly due to start at $899, the same as the 7 Pro, while the Pixel 8 could start at $699, a $100 increase over the $599 starting price for the Pixel 7. Wojciechowska notes that it’s unclear whether Google will offer seven years of major Android OS updates for the phones, or whether the figure just refers to seven years of security patches (my money’s on the latter, for what it’s worth). But either way it’s a decent... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/25/23888831/pixel-8-pro-seven-years-software-support-price-rumors-leak

The Writers Guild of America has been on strike since May 2nd. | Photo by Frederic J. Brown / AFP via Getty Images The Hollywood writers strike may be close to an end. After a more than 140-day work stoppage, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) announced on Sunday night that it reached a “tentative agreement” with major Hollywood studios on pay, working conditions, and more. “We can say, with great pride, that this is an exceptional deal — with meaningful gains and protections for writers in every sector of the membership,” the WGA negotiating committee wrote in an email to members. WGA leadership said details of the agreement couldn’t be shared until its language is finalized; after that, writers will have to vote to approve the deal. The guild said its leaders may end the strike as soon as Tuesday, once the contract is finalized and sent to members... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/24/23883641/hollywood-writers-strike-tentative-deal-wga-amptp

The tall lady from Resident Evil Village comes to iPhones soon. | Image: Capcom Capcom quietly revealed an October 30th release date for Resident Evil Village on a page for the iOS and iPadOS versions of Village and the Resident Evil 4 remake. Resident Evil 4 remains listed as “available 2023.” Capcom doesn’t list any prices, but for reference, the macOS version of the game is $29.99 on the Apple App Store. Yesterday, Gematsu reported that Capcom had announced the same release date for the port in Japan. Capcom hasn’t formally announced the release date for the US version of Village outside of the page linked above. We’ve reached out to the company to confirm the release date is as listed on its site. Screenshot: Wes Davis / The Verge Resident Evil Village for iOS and iPadOS appears to have a... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/24/23888326/resident-evil-village-iphone-15-pro-ipad-pro-air-m1-m2-release-date

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Meta is preparing to announce a generative AI chatbot, called “Gen AI Personas” internally, aimed at younger users, according to The Wall Street Journal . Reportedly set to launch during the company’s Meta Connect event that starts Wednesday, they would come in multiple “personas” geared towards engaging young users with more colorful behavior, following ChatGPT’s rise over the last year as one of the fastest-growing apps ever. Similar, but more generally targeted, Meta chatbot personas have already been reportedly tested on Instagram . According to internal chats the Journal viewed, the company has tested a “sassy robot” persona inspired by Bender from Futurama and an overly curious “Alvin the Alien” that one employee worried could imply... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/24/23887773/meta-ai-chatbots-gen-ai-personas-young

Victoria Thiem, system safety engineer from Lockheed Martin, checks the temperature of the actual size OSIRIS-REx’s return capsule sample during the recovery rehearsal at Lockheed Martin, Waterton Canyon campus in Littleton, Colorado on Tuesday, June 27, 2023.  | Photo by Hyoung Chang/The Denver Post The OSIRIS-REx mission, launched in 2016, has collected as much as several hundred grams of asteroid material, which could help scientists understand the earliest stages of the solar system. Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/24/23887975/nasa-asteroid-sample-osiris-rex-bennu-explained

NASA Seven years after the OSIRIS-REx mission launched, a capsule containing rocks captured from the asteroid Bennu in 2020 will land in Utah on Sunday morning. Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/24/23887196/nasa-osiris-rex-asteroid-sample-return

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 7, your guide to the best and Verge -iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, first of all, hi, hello, welcome, and second of all, you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage .) This week, I’ve been reading about the AI writing lives of real writers , rewatching the John Wick movies to prepare for The Continental , shopping for StandBy-capable iPhone docks , getting back into VR exercise with Supernatural boxing , and really, really, really hoping Microsoft’s controller-first vision for the future of gaming comes true soon. I also have for you a new super-slick Windows laptop, two crypto-related podcasts you should hear, a reason to try Bard again, OpenAI’s new image-making tool, a... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/23885600/ios-ipados-interactive-widgets-dalle-3-amazon-echo-installer-newsletter

Driverless trucks from Waymo. | Credit: Waymo Governor Gavin Newsom has vetoed Assembly Bill 316 , which would have required human attendants in driverless vehicles over 10,000 pounds, reports Reuters . The bill saw broad support among state legislators and was backed by the Teamsters and other labor organizations. At the moment, The governor wrote in his veto message that the bill “is unnecessary for the regulation and oversight of heavy-duty autonomous vehicle technology,” adding that the existing regulatory framework is “sufficient.” The California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) was given regulatory authority over autonomous vehicles in the state. Newsom writes that the DMV consults the state highway patrol, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, “and others with... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/23/23886997/california-governor-veto-self-driving-trucks-safety-driver-bill-assembly-bill-316-autonomous-vehicle

The Apple Watch Series 8 bears more than a striking resemblance to this year’s model (surprise, surprise). | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge The Apple Watch Series 9 has officially landed, bringing with it a few minor improvements under the hood, watchOS 10 , and a new Millennial pink(!) color. The new smartwatch is technically the best Apple has ever made, though the updates are all pretty iterative. Thankfully, if you’re looking to pick up an Apple Watch for the first time or make the jump from an earlier model, the last-gen Series 8 is on sale at Best Buy in select styles starting at $279 ($120) or at Amazon for $20 more . So, what exactly do you lose out on opting for the Series 8 over the Series 9? Well, for starters, the Series 9 packs a new S9 SiP chip, which allows for quicker performance, onboard Siri processing, and Apple’s handy double-tap feature. It also features... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/23/23886191/apple-wa

The Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Pixel 8 camera specs and a new AI promo video for the phone were posted by 91Mobiles , courtesy of leaker Kamila Wojciechowska , giving us our first real look at how Google will integrate more AI into its flagship smartphones ( via 9to5Google ). Magic Editor, which the company said earlier this year would come to “select” Pixel phones, is like a supercharged version of Magic Eraser. It enables you to remake any picture you take so it looks like you want it to. That’s shown in a demonstration where a person takes three pictures of a family on a carousel and combines them into one shot so that everyone is smiling and looking at the camera at the same time. Screenshot: Wes Davis / The Verge This will be a nice family... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/23/23886765/google-pixel-8-pro-camera-specs-leak-ai-magic-editor

Apple didn’t choose the USB-C life, but boy are we glad it got here anyway. Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/23879619/apple-iphone-15-pro-max-review

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Microsoft’s big Windows and Surface event focused on its AI vision of the future. Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/21/23882273/microsoft-event-surface-windows-office-ai

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge If you’ve just picked up a new iPhone 15 device, before you transfer over your data from an older phone, make sure to update that new phone to iOS 17.0.2 first. An Apple support document says that the update, which came out on Thursday, fixes an issue that “may prevent transferring data directly from another iPhone during setup” ( via MacRumors ). Note that iOS 17.0.2 is only available for the just-launched iPhone 15 phones; the most current software for older iPhones is iOS 17.0.1, which also launched on Thursday and included some big security updates . After attempting to start a transfer, your new phone might prompt you to update — at least, that’s what happened to one colleague of mine at The Verge . The iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro are... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/22/23885885/apple-iphone-15-pro-ios-17-0-2-data-transfer

Quantic Dream is famous for choose-your-own-adventure games like Heavy Rain and Detroit: Become Human , where protagonists can die along the way — and apparently, Disney and Lucasfilm have signed off on that idea for its upcoming Star Wars game. “There’s no game over. Anyone can die, anything can happen, and the story sort of continues,” Quantic Dream marketing VP Lisa Pendse told IGN at the 2023 Tokyo Game Show. “One of the big focuses we’ve had when we announced Star Wars Eclipse was to make sure it was clear that this is actually an action adventure game that has all of the elements that you would come to expect and want from a Quantic Dream title, which is intricately branching narratives, multiple playable characters,” she told the... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/22/23885843/star-wars-eclipse-quantic-dream-tgs-2023-update

Screenshot by Chris Welch / The Verge As excited as I am to pick up a new iPhone 15 Pro Max later today, every release day for Apple’s latest phones brings back a nagging feeling: I still miss 3D Touch. Introduced on the iPhone 6S and lasting through the XS and XS Max, this feature could determine how much pressure you were applying to the screen with each finger press, and software could respond differently based on the level of force. I remember having my mind blown by the live wallpaper animations, which would play (and then rewind back in reverse) based on how hard or softly I was pressing down. 3D Touch also brought other useful tricks like “peek” and “pop,” which let you preview a link or other content with a light press and then fully open it with a firm one. To... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/23885489/apple-ios-17-haptic-touch-duration-how-to

Hyundai’s home charger install deal only works with residential properties. | Image: Hyundai If you were holding off on buying an EV because you didn’t know where to start on getting a home charger installed, Hyundai’s new deal might help you out. The automaker is now offering a free home electric vehicle charger plus up to $600 off the installation cost with the purchase or lease of select Hyundai EVs. Hyundai is offering up the ChargePoint Home Flex Level 2 charger on the Hyundai Home Marketplace. The charger is currently listed at $549 on the website and supports up to 50 amps, which could get you around 37 miles of driving range per hour of charging. The additional $600 installation credit applies only to services ordered through Hyundai’s website. To qualify for the deal, you’ll need to follow this process: Purchase or... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/21/23883677/hyundai-free-home-charger-offer-install-discount-ioniq-5-6-kona-ev

Image: Microsoft Microsoft has revealed the Surface Hub 3 , the latest version of the company’s all-in-one collaborative touchscreen device. Unlike its predecessors, the Surface Hub 3 supports smart rotation and portrait mode, allowing users to physically rotate the screen to a vertical orientation while the layout updates automatically. The Surface Hub 3 comes in two sizes: 50 and 85 inches. As is the case with previous devices, the Surface Hub 3 is meant to live in conference rooms as a replacement for TVs and monitors. The device runs Microsoft Teams on Windows, which means the device will offer a “consistent experience across all meeting spaces,” allowing users to “effortlessly transition from one room to another.” Microsoft says the Surface Hub will... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/21/23883955/microsoft-surface-hub-3-portrait-mode

Okay, but you just know there is an Apple fanboy somewhere who would love this. | Image: Google Google is revisiting the “Get The Message” publicity campaign started last year to pressure Apple into adopting the Rich Communication Services, or RCS, messaging protocol. The latest installment includes new content and a cheesy video advertising a fake “iPager” gadget — a jab at Apple for converting iMessages texted to Android devices into old-fashioned SMS and MMS. “iPager isn’t real, but the problems that Apple causes by using SMS are,” said Google in the video description on YouTube. “Let’s make texting better for everyone and help Apple #GetTheMessage and upgrade to RCS.” RCS offers several improvements to messaging, including end-to-end encryption, read receipts, and the ability to share high-resolution photos and videos.... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/21/23883609/google-rcs-message-apple-iphone-ipager-ad

Image: Amazon Amazon Alexa is getting Emergency Assist, a new feature announced during the company’s 2023 hardware event that allows users to contact emergency services through their Echo device by saying, “Alexa, call for help.” The service costs $5.99 per month or $59 for an entire year. While Alexa can’t contact 911 directly, it will connect users with an agent who can alert emergency services on their behalf. Users can also input their home addresses, the medications they’re taking, and any allergies they may have, which Emergency Assist will relay to first responders. It will also inform responders which device they’re using. What if we told you @alexa99 can help keep you and your family safe? With the Alexa Emergency Assist service, anyone in... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/20/23882337/amazon-alexa-emergency-assist-echo

Image: Amazon Amazon just announced a new version of its Alexa-equipped Echo Frames audio glasses at its September 2023 devices event. The new glasses are quite stylish and have some tech improvements, too. One big tech change is improved battery life. At the event, Amazon said that the new Echo Frames have six hours of battery life, and if that holds up in real-world use, that’s up from the just over three hours of active use Dieter Bohn got when he reviewed the original version . They also support multipoint pairing so that you can easily pair and switch the frames between two devices. You can also set up a new feature that lets you ask Alexa to help find your glasses. Image: Amazon The new Echo Frames also come in seven new... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/20/23882193/amazon-echo-frames-audio-glasses-september-2023-event

Image: TikTok TikTok is introducing a new way for creators to label content that was made using artificial intelligence tools. The feature was first spotted by users last month and was announced by TikTok today in a blog post. TikTok’s user guidelines already require creators to disclose when content is made using AI tools. The new feature will prompt a creator to turn on the labeling feature so viewers know when videos and photos were created using AI software. The AI label appears below the username in the corner of videos. The prompt also includes a reminder that content could be removed if it’s not disclosed that AI tools were involved. The company also says that, this week, it will begin testing a way to automatically label content as... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/19/23880630/tiktok-ai-generated-content-label-effects-filters

Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge Last night, the biggest Xbox leak in history revealed multiple new Xboxes , including plans for an ambitious hybrid Xbox that could arrive in 2028. It also revealed communications from Microsoft’s top execs — including one conversation from a joyous Phil Spencer to CEO Satya Nadella about the just-announced Sony PlayStation 5. That email is now available completely unredacted, so you can see just how confident Microsoft seemed in March 2020 right after the PS5 spec reveal . According to an executive summary prepared by former Xbox CVP Elizabeth Hamren for Microsoft’s Senior Leadership Team (SLT) and forwarded to Nadella, the company believed the Xbox Series X would have up to 30 percent higher real-world performance compared to the PS5 — a... Continue reading… source https://www.theverge.com/2023/9/19/23880635/microsoft-ps5-reveal-email-xbox-nadella-spencer