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Nvidia's CEO Jensen Huang denied reports that he was unhappy with OpenAI and said his company still planned to make a "huge" investment in the ChatGPT firm. NVIDIA announced in September that it would invest up to $100 billion in OpenAI, but recently, th ere have been suggestions that the deal might not happen. While Huang told reporters in Taipei that it was "nonsense" to say he was unhappy with OpenAI, when asked if Nvidia would be investing over $100 billion, he replied, "No, nothing like that." Reuters reported Huang said: "We are going to make a huge investment in OpenAI. I believe in OpenAI, the work that they do is incredible, they … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/871818/nvidia-ceo-jensen-huang-unhappy-openai

It was too cold to take off my mittens and check Google Maps so I put my faith in the trickle of bundled-up people ahead of me. All of them were carrying signs and wearing whistles around their necks on top of layers and layers of winter clothing. At first there were dozens of us walking toward Government Plaza, across the street from Minneapolis City Hall, and within a block it was hundreds. By the time I arrived it was thousands. Some reports said five to ten thousand, but on the ground, it felt like a single vibrating mass that was too large to count. I made my way through the throng, repeating "excuse me" and "pardon me" despite the di … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/policy/871606/minneapolis-general-strike-anti-ice-protest

SpaceX filed a request with the FCC on Friday seeking approval to put a constellation of 1 million data center satellites into orbit. While the FCC is unlikely to approve a network that expansive, SpaceX's strategy has been to request approval for unrealistically large numbers of satellites as a starting point for negotiations. The filing proposes establishing a network of solar-powered data centers in low Earth orbit that communicate with one another via lasers. The filling speaks of the constellation in ambitious sci-fi terms, calling it a "first step towards becoming a Kardashev II-level civilization - one that can harness the Sun's ful … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/871641/spacex-fcc-1-million-solar-powered-data-centers-satellites-orbit

Happy Saturday, folks! After a few weeks of middling deals, we’re starting see things pick up. Some of our favorite deals of the holiday season have returned in some fashion, making now a great time to pick up deal stalwarts like the AirPods 4 with ANC or Google’s TV Streamer (4K) . We also stumbled upon a deal that knocks $5 off a pair of Lego Roses , as well as another that lets both new and returning subscribers snag a month of Apple TV Plus , completely free of charge. So let’s get into it, shall we? If you can afford it, I highly recommend the AirPods Pro 3, which are on sale at Amazon and Walmart right now for $199 ($50 off). However, if you’re an Apple user looking to save some cash, the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation make for a surprisingly good alternative, especially since they’re on sale at Amazon and Walmart for $119 — about $20 shy of the all-time low we saw during Black Friday. Despite their open-style design, the AirPods 4 with ANC offer the best sou...

If the February 2nd wet dress rehearsal is successful, the Artemis II mission could launch as early as February 8th. | Photo by Jim Ross / NASA As a result of cold weather and windy conditions moving through Florida, NASA is now targeting Monday, February 2nd for a wet dress rehearsal of the Artemis II Space Launch System (SLS) rocket. Depending on how Monday's rehearsal goes, NASA will potentially set a launch date for Artemis II. But as a result of the weather-related delays, NASA says February 6th and 7th "are no longer viable opportunities" for a launch. Sunday, February 8th will instead be the first potential window. NASA originally planned to conduct the wet dress rehearsal for the rocket this weekend, which is currently stacked with the Orion spacecraft on Launch Pad 39B at … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/science/870767/nasa-artemis-ii-mission-launch-delay-sls-space-launch-system-orion-moon

The violent federal occupation of Minneapolis - and the subsequent killings of two residents at the hands of immigration agents - began with a vlog. Nick Shirley, a roving 23-year-old with a smartphone and a taste for outrage, made a YouTube video with unfounded allegations of fraud at daycares operated by the local Somali American community. Like so much partisan media in history, he was trying to rile up the right-wing base. But he was also playing to another audience: the algorithm. When I wrote about Shirley in early January, I described him as an influencer - a catch-all term that could be applied to a wide range of people, anyone fro … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/news/869824/right-wing-influencers-nick-shirley-slopaganda

If past timing is any indication, Samsung is likely to hold its next Unpacked event in late February. However, we’re not expecting the company to shake up its earbuds lineup until the summer — the winter keynote is typically reserved for smartphone announcements — which makes today’s discount on the Galaxy Buds FE far more attractive. Right now, you can pick up the budget earbuds at Amazon and Walmart for $69.99 ($30 off), which is the best price we’ve seen since August. Samsung Galaxy Buds FE Where to Buy: $99.99 $69.99 at Amazon $99.99 $69.99 at Walmart The entry-level Galaxy Buds 3 remain a solid pair of wireless earbuds, even if they are getting somewhat long in the tooth (they launched in the back half of 2023). They don’t include wireless charging or proper multipoint support, though, for the money, they deliver good sound, solid noise cancellation, and up to six hours of playback with ANC on or 8 hours with it off. They also support both a game mode for reduc...

Pick your vibe. Popular iPhone camera app Halide is debuting a major update today : Halide Mark III. It's been years in the making , and it'll be available as a "Public Preview," letting users get their hands on new features while design is finalized. This update includes the next iteration of the app's much-discussed Process Zero mode , adding HDR and ProRAW support to what is intended to be a hands-off, anti-computational image processing method. There's a new black-and-white film simulation that also supports HDR, and more new "Looks" to come. This is my semi-regular cue to remind you that HDR is not a dirty word . We tend to associate the term with an over … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/869354/halide-mark-iii-process-zero-update

The latest AirPods 4 offer good noise cancellation for their price, tuning out distracting noises well enough when you’re listening to music. The AirPods Pro 3 may be on sale for $199 ($50 off) , but that’s still a lot of money. If you want noise cancellation for less, fortunately you can buy the AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation for $119 ($60 off) at Amazon and Walmart . That’s the cheapest they’ve been since the holidays, and only $20 more than their lowest price to date. Apple Airpods 4 with ANC Where to Buy: $179 $119 at Amazon $179 $119 at Walmart For the price, the AirPods 4 do a surprisingly good job of tuning out the outside world. While they don’t drown out noise as completely as the AirPods Pro, they significantly reduce ambient and low-frequency sounds on planes and in offices, especially when listening to music. In our testing , outside noise was easy to ignore even with the volume set to about 50 percent. Beyond noise cancellation, the AirPods 4 of...

The routine is familiar by now. A new online shooter with bright, colorful graphics launches and rockets up the charts despite the fact that you maybe haven't even heard of it. Or maybe it just has a really forgettable name. But everyone seems to be talking about it, and it's free, so you figure you may as well jump in. This moment of promise and anticipation may end up being the best this game will ever be - and there's a good chance that feeling won't last long. I could be describing any number of games, but the most recent example is Highguard , which just launched on the PS5, Xbox, and Steam. The 3v3 shooter is the first release from Wil … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/entertainment/868558/highguard-online-shooters

Removing or restricting access to Grok's AI image editor might not be enough to stop the flood of nonconsensual sexualized images being generated by AI. A report from the Tech Transparency Project (TTP) released on Tuesday found dozens of AI "nudify" apps similar to Grok on Google and Apple's platforms, as previously reported by CNBC . TTP identified 55 apps on the Google Play Store and 48 on Apple's App Store that can "digitally remove the clothes from women and render them completely or partially naked or clad in a bikini or other minimal clothing." These apps were downloaded over 705 million times worldwide, generating $117 million in re … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/news/868614/nudify-apps-ttp-report-google-apple-app-stores

Microsoft is announcing a successor to its first in-house AI chip today, the Maia 200. Built on TSMC's 3nm process, Microsoft says its Maia 200 AI accelerator "delivers 3 times the FP4 performance of the third generation Amazon Trainium, and FP8 performance above Google's seventh generation TPU." Each Maia 200 chip has more than 100 billion transistors, which are all designed to handle large-scale AI workloads. "Maia 200 can effortlessly run today's largest models, with plenty of headroom for even bigger models in the future," says Scott Guthrie, executive vice president of Microsoft's Cloud and AI division. Microsoft will use Maia 200 to … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/news/867670/microsoft-maia-200-ai-chip-announcement

TikTok has suffered from extensive problems on its first weekend after completing the sale of its US arm, though some issues appear to have spread globally. TikTok has yet to confirm any issues a day after troubles began, making it difficult to surmise the extent of the problems. Nevertheless, Tiktokkers - including some Verge writers - have confirmed issues including difficulty logging in, an inability to upload videos, a For You Page algorithm that appeared to have reset itself, problems loading comments, and other site features. According to DownDetector , the issues spiked in the early hours of Sunday morning, but some users are still … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/news/867625/tiktok-down-weekend-broke-fyp-video-uploads-review

It's not surprising when the guy who's been yelling about the horrors of late-stage capitalism on Instagram for the last five years turns his ire towards ICE. But something different has been happening over the week or so, following the most recent shootings of civilians by federal agents - even accounts that stay laser focused on golfing , chopping wood, and playing cats like bongos have started to speak out. The tenor on social media and Reddit took an even sharper turn yesterday, following the killing of Alex Pretti by ICE. Even the moderator of normally politics-free r/catbongos (a subreddit "Where gentlemen, gentlewomen, and gentlethem … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/policy/867451/creators-and-communities-take-a-stand-against-ice

Shortly after federal agents killed Alex Pretti Saturday morning, DHS began to run with the story that the dead man had been armed and dangerous. He had a gun, DHS said. (A Bellingcat analysis of the video concludes that Pretti was unarmed when he was shot.) He had approached the agents holding the gun, DHS said. (He was holding a phone, the New York Times reports.) Pretti died on his knees, surrounded by armed Border Patrol agents, with shot after shot unloaded in his direction. America's Second Amendment is beloved by conservatives. Minnesota allows open carry with a permit. Pretti lived in a city where people are regularly being assaul … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/policy/867455/dhs-ice-border-patrol-minneapolis-alex-pretti

Turning your phone into a handheld with the M4 could be risky. As a retro gaming fan, I was thrilled when Apple opened its App Store to emulators in 2024 , but I've yet to find a controller that makes me want to fully embrace retro gaming on my phone. Clamp-on controllers like the Backbone Pro are a bit too bulky, and I don't want to prop my phone up somewhere to use a standalone gamepad. The Abxylute M4 seemed exactly what I was looking for when it debuted a few months ago . It's a compact wireless gamepad that uses a magnetic mount to attach to my iPhone. It's a clever design, but one that's let down by stiff thumbsticks and a magnetic mount that doesn't always feel like it's securely supporting my ph … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/864821/abxylute-m4-snap-on-mobile-controller-magsafe-magnetic-bluetooth

Welcome to the weekend, friends! We’re still in a bit of a deals lull before the Presidents Day and V-Day sales begin, the bulk of which we anticipate kicking off the first week of February. However, for now, we’re still seeing some solid discounts on a few newer gadgets and some old, Verge -approved favorites. Anker’s Nano Travel Adapter has returned to its best price to date, for instance, as has Samsung’s last-gen Frame TV . You’ll also find discounts on microSD Express cards , budget-friendly robot vacuums , and more, so let’s get into it. If you have plans to spend some time outside of the US this year, Anker’s versatile Nano Travel Adapter is on sale at Amazon in black and white — and directly from Anker with code WS7DV21AXQQZ — for $19.99 ($6 off), matching its lowest price to date. Anker’s thin, foldable charger measures a mere 0.98 inches thick and sports a pair of USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, and a US-style Type A outlet on the front, in addition to four plug types...

Some Gmail users have noticed that promotional emails that normally go to their own siloed tab have started flooding their inbox. Reports have been hitting the Google forums and Reddit that messages are bypassing the Updates and Promotional filters and going straight to Gmail inboxes. Some are also reporting seeing a banner at the top of some messages warning them to "be careful with this message," explaining that it hasn't been fully scanned for spam or malware. Google acknowledged the issue, posting on the Workspace Status Dashboard : Gmail users might see banners indicating missing spam checks.We are experiencing an issue with Gmail beg … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/867247/gmails-spam-filter-broken

Every month, Circana video game analyst Mat Piscatella posts fascinating data about video game sales on Bluesky, highlighting trends like November's historically bad month for game hardware and Battlefield 6 's big launch in October . But he doesn't just share data about what is selling the most; as of late, he's also posted delightful lists of games that have sold just a single physical copy over a certain period of time, and the lists often include retro games that take me down memory lane or titles that I didn't even know existed. The list of games that sold one physical copy in October , for example, includes the Xbox 360 version of Burnou … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/games/867004/circana-gaming-sales-data-mat-piscatella-one-copy-obscure-games

The Heddon hub simplifies streaming audio to multiple speakers. | Image: Marshall Marshall has announced a new music streaming hub called the Heddon that can broadcast to multiple speakers using the Bluetooth Auracast feature that's finally starting to catch on. Similar to Sennheiser's BTA1 TV Transmitter announced earlier this week, the Heddon doesn't require wireless audio devices to go through a pairing process to stream audio, as long as they also support Bluetooth Auracast. But while Sennheiser's transmitter has an HDMI port for broadcasting audio from movies and TV shows, Marshall focuses on music. The Heddon hub includes Wi-Fi which is used to directly connect to streaming services including Spotify Connect and Ti … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/866640/marshall-music-streaming-hub-heddon-bluetooth-auracast-speakers

Most of the US is bracing for a prolonged stretch of frigid weather and a massive winter storm that could wreak havoc on roads and power grids over the next several days. At least 170 million Americans are under winter weather alerts . "Bitterly cold temperatures and dangerously cold wind chills" will linger even after the storm is done dumping heavy snow, sleet, and freezing rain across the Southern Rockies all the way to New England through Monday, the National Weather Service (NWS) warned Friday. Forecasters expect low temperatures to break numerous records, with wind chills as frigid as -50 degrees Fahrenheit in the Northern Plains. It … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/science/866624/winter-storm-forecast-drivers-climate

This is Lowpass by Janko Roettgers , a newsletter on the ever-evolving intersection of tech and entertainment, syndicated just for The Verge subscribers once a week. When free TV startup Telly came out of stealth in 2023 , it did so with big promises: Company executives told the media at the time that Telly would ship 500,000 units of its unique TV set, which incorporates a second screen for ads and widgets, before the end of the year. "Shipping 500,000 TVs … that's not going to be a problem," chief strategy officer Dallas Lawrence told StreamTV Insider in May of 2023 . Two months later, Telly executives told the same outlet that the company … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/column/865645/telly-units

Developers have been comparing the strengths and weaknesses of Anthropic's Claude Code, Anysphere's Cursor, and Microsoft's GitHub Copilot for months now, looking for a winner. While no individual AI coding tool manages to be the best at every task that software developers do each day, Claude Code is increasingly coming out on top for its ease of use, both for developers and nontechnical users. It seems like Microsoft agrees, as sources tell me the company is now encouraging thousands of its employees from some of its most prolific teams to pick up Claude Code and get coding, even if they're not developers. Microsoft first started adopting … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/865689/microsoft-claude-code-anthropic-partnership-notepad

Personal Intelligence can tap into your Gmail inbox to check for bookings and purchase receipts. Google is helping AI Mode to provide more personalized responses in Search by allowing the chatbot to analyze your Gmail and Google Photos accounts. After launching for Gemini AI last week, "Personal Intelligence" is now coming to tailor AI Mode search results to your interests and daily life by gathering information from your emails and photos, instead of requiring you to manually create and adjust your preferences. For example, Google says Personal Intelligence allows AI Mode to suggest travel itineraries by referencing hotel bookings in your Gmail and holiday snaps in Photos. If you take a lot of selfies with ice cream, then it could cur … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/news/865548/google-ai-mode-search-personal-intelligence-update

A sample of a polymetallic nodule at the Viridian Biometals lab in Pasadena, California. | Photo: Getty Images The Trump administration took the next step toward unilaterally jumpstarting deep-sea mining this week, announcing a "consolidated" permitting process for both searching for and commercially extracting minerals that have so far remained relatively untouched. These minerals are found so deep in the sea that they're beyond any single nation's national jurisdiction - which is why President Trump has sparked outrage over his efforts to bypass an international mining code. A chorus of scientists and ocean advocates warn that disturbing the deep seabed could trigger a chain of unforeseen consequences that could eventually harm coastal communities … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/news/864916/deep-sea-mining-trump-fast-track-permits-battery-minerals

The LinkBuds Clip Open’s charging case can be customized with optional colored covers. | Image: Sony Sony is the latest company to announce a pair of open-style wireless earbuds that clip onto the back of your ear instead of resting inside it. The new Sony LinkBuds Clip Open earbuds are similar to the Bose Ultra Open Earbuds , JVC's Nearphones , and Shokz' OpenDots One , with a design that doesn't block the ear canal so you can hear your environment, or conversations with people, alongside whatever you're streaming from your phone. The LinkBuds Clip Open are available starting today in black, greige (no, that's not a typo), green, and lavender color options for $229.99. That's cheaper than the $299.99 Bose Ultra Open , but more expensive than … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/864848/sony-linkbuds-clip-open-earbuds-wireless-headphones-bluetooth

The 13-inch Pro is getting dangerously close to laptop territory. | Photo: Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge While the best iPad deals usually land during major sale events like Black Friday, many great iPad deals are available outside of those times. The day-to-day discounts come and go like changing winds, so there’s often some amount to be saved, particularly on Apple’s most affordable iPad, the iPad Mini, and the latest iPad Air. Hell, you can even often find discounts on the latest M5 iPad Pro , which is already on sale at multiple retailers. If you don’t need the latest tech, though, now may be a good time to save on the M4 Pro as inventory dwindles. All that being said, it’s difficult to know where exactly you can find the most notable iPad deals unless you’re scouring the major retailers on a daily basis. But that’s often what our deal hunters at  The Verge  are doing, so let us help you out. Below, we’ve listed the best deals you can get on each iPad model ...

Though Netflix's upcoming Star Search reboot will feature a panel of celebrity judges, viewers are going to have a hand in choosing which contestants win the competition. Ahead of Star Search 's premiere tonight, Netflix has announced that it is launching a new real-time voting functionality that will give you the ability to tell the streamer which performer you want to see succeed. Rather than having to send in a text message or visit a special website as was the case with American Idol , Star Search 's voting can be done within the Netflix app while the show is airing live on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 9PM ET / 6PM PT. In addition to the a … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/entertainment/864424/netflix-star-search-live-voting

Doug Bowser is joining Hasbro's board of directors just weeks after retiring as Nintendo of America's president, according to an announcement on Tuesday . Though Hasbro's press release doesn't provide any specifics about Bowser's role on the board of directors, the company has big plans for its future in video games. Hasbro already licenses its intellectual property, including Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons , for video game titles, but the company's chief marketing officer, Jason Bunge, said the company aims to develop its first video game this year as part of a broader foray into the gaming industry. Bowser became the head of N … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/news/864412/nintendo-doug-bowser-joins-hasbro-build

I live in Minneapolis. I grew up not far from here, in a suburb of St. Paul; after stints on both coasts, my wife and I settled here to raise our daughters in a freezing state that had always welcomed us warmly. As the ongoing occupation by over 3,000 ICE agents stretches into its third week - with no clear end in sight - I've received a steady string of messages from increasingly concerned friends across the country. They all start the same way: Uh… is this really as bad as it looks from the outside? My answer to that question is easy: no, it's worse. Not since the pandemic has my daily life been ruptured in such a frightening and surreal … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/policy/864195/minneapolis-ice-invasion-organizing-immigration

Sphere Entertainment, the company behind the eye-catching interactive venue in Las Vegas, has announced its "intent to develop" another Sphere in Maryland that will be located 15 minutes south of Washington, DC. A timeline and exact location haven't been finalized, but the Maryland Sphere would be the company's second venue in the US, following plans to build a Sphere in Abu Dhabi announced in October 2024. The second US sphere would be built in an area known as National Harbor in Prince George's County, Maryland. Located along the Potomac River, National Harbor currently features a convention center, multiple hotels, restaurants, and shops … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/864192/sphere-entertainment-mini-venue-maryland-national-harbor

Bungie is putting an official date on Marathon today, its delayed extraction shooter. The slick-looking shooter from the makers of Halo and Destiny was originally set to release in September, but will now launch on March 5th . Bungie will launch Marathon on Xbox Series S / X, PS5, and PC, priced at $39.99. Bungie initially delayed Marathon in June last year following plenty of alpha test feedback . The studio recently held playtests that included new features like proximity chat and an option to solo queue into games. Marathon is set in a sci-fi universe in 2850, where players take on the role of a Runner to scavenge what's left behind. As … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/news/864146/bungie-marathon-release-date-march-5th-price

Animal Crossing has always been anti-instant gratification. By design, you have to take your time, wait for days to pass in real time, and complete a seemingly endless list of chores to build a meaningful life with your animal friends. The slowness is part of its appeal. But with New Horizons , some of that slowness became tedious: crafting its many items one at a time, painstakingly building cliffs and rivers by hand, picking up and placing objects one by one. As I gathered when I previewed it last month, the newly released, free 3.0 update for Animal Crossing: New Horizons addresses those issues with quality-of-life fixes that still fit t … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/games/863747/animal-crossing-new-horizons-update-3-0-switch-2-quality-of-life