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Xreal is filing against competitor Viture, which also makes AR glasses. You know a gadget category is starting to go mainstream when patent lawsuits start cropping up. Today, Xreal filed a lawsuit in the US against Viture, alleging the firm is infringing on a patent for its AR glasses technology. According to Xreal's press release, the suit was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Texas and involves US Patent No. 11,988,839 . In a nutshell, the patent outlines optical tech that helps enhance image quality and field-of-view in a lightweight form factor. Xreal argues Viture has several products, including the Viture Pro, Luma Pro, and Luma Ultra, that infringe on its technology. I … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/gadgets/862542/xreal-viture-smart-glasses-patent-suits

Despite being acquired by Google five years ago, Fitbit remains one of the most recognizable names in the industry. While its products aren’t designed with hardcore athletes, Fitbit makes excellent devices for tracking overall activity as well as monitoring certain health and wellness metrics, like EKGs and blood oxygen levels. That said, we’re still in the transitional period from the Fitbit of old to whatever Fitbit will be in the future. We’re further away from 2023, which was a particularly messy year. There were multiple Fitbit server outages, and I’m still frustrated by the decision to sunset legacy community features — including challenges — or the fact that all Fitbit accounts will require you to log in via Google beginning in February 2026 . Speaking of which, the Fitbit-to-Google account migration started in 2023 and is required if you buy the Fitbit Charge 6 or the Google Pixel Watch 4. The Fitbit app also got a more Google-like makeover , which didn’t go over well wi...

Subway Surfers City , a follow-up to the popular endless runner mobile game / sludge content star Subway Surfers , will be launching on February 26th on iOS and Android, with preregistration open now. "Building upon the original title, Subway Surfers City brings players home from the franchise's World Tour and into the heart of the Subway Surfers universe: Subway City," according to a press release. "The modern multicultural metropolis features four distinct districts for players to unlock and race through, including The Docks, Southline, Sunrise Blvd, and Delorean Park. The game will also introduce fresh content each Season, including addit … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/news/861594/subway-surfers-city-release-date-ios-android

The United Kingdom has walked back plans to make its upcoming digital ID scheme a mandatory requirement for working adults. While the UK government remains "committed to mandatory digital right-to-work checks," an unspecified government spokesperson told The Times , digital ID will now be optional when the initiative is introduced sometime in 2029. The national digital ID plans were announced by Prime Minister Keir Starmer in September with the aim of cracking down on illegal migrant workers, specifying that digital ID "will be mandatory for right to work checks by the end of the Parliament." The digital ID will include a person's name, date … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/news/861890/uk-backpeddles-mandatory-digital-id-requirements

Google's Gemini AI is getting what could prove to be a very big upgrade: To help answers from Gemini be more personalized, the company is going to let you connect the chatbot to Gmail, Google Photos, Search, and your YouTube history to provide what Google is calling "Personal Intelligence." This isn't the first time Google has introduced some form of personalization with its AI chatbot; in September 2023, when Gemini was still called Bard, Google announced a way for it to connect to Google's apps and services to be able to retrieve information based on what's stored in your account. Gemini can also already recall past conversations . But the … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/news/861576/google-gemini-ai-personal-intelligence-gmail-search-youtube-photos

Around 10 percent of Meta's Reality Labs division, which develops its XR products and services, will be laid off beginning on Tuesday, as reported by Bloomberg . Meta spokesperson Tracy Clayton confirmed the layoffs in a statement to The Verge : "We said last month that we were shifting some of our investment from Metaverse toward Wearables. This is part of that effort, and we plan to reinvest the savings to support the growth of wearables this year." Meta's Ray-Ban smart glasses have stolen the spotlight from its VR headsets in recent years, especially with last year's launch of the Meta Ray-Ban Display . As Bloomberg also reported on Tuesd … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/news/861295/meta-reality-labs-layoffs-shift-to-wearables

Former NYC Mayor Eric Adams has come under fire after his new cryptocurrency token crashed just hours following its launch on Monday. As reported by CoinDesk , Adams' "NYC Token" hit a $580 million market capitalization at its peak before plummeting to around $130 million at this time of writing. Data from the blockchain analysis platform, Bubblemaps , flagged "suspicious" activity surrounding the coin. A wallet linked to the NYC Token's deployer withdrew around $2.5 million in liquidity when the token reached its peak. It later added around $1.5 million back after the coin dropped by 60 percent, but, as noted by CoinDesk , around $900,000 was … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/news/861269/former-nyc-mayor-eric-adams-accused-of-2-5-million-crypto-rug-pull-as-his-nyc-token-crashes

Paramount is turning up the pressure on Warner Bros. Discovery in the wake of its merger with Netflix, as it's now suing the David Zaslav-helmed company in an attempt to get more details surrounding the agreement. In addition to the lawsuit, Paramount CEO David Ellison revealed that the company plans to nominate directors to WBD's board to vote against its deal with Netflix. After fielding offers from a range of companies , including Paramount, WBD settled on a deal with Netflix, which will acquire the company's studio, HBO, and HBO Max for $82.7 billion . But Paramount isn't taking no for an answer; the company launched a $108.4 billion host … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/news/860664/paramount-warner-bros-discovery-lawsuit-netflix-merger

If you’ve got a recent smartphone, chances are it’s got a really good camera — and don’t you want to take the best photos you can? One way to do that is via the DJI Osmo Mobile 7P Gimbal Stabilizer , a selfie stick that includes a tripod, a telescoping arm, and (perhaps best of all) a module that offers built-in computer vision that automatically tracks you, stops and starts, and adjusts framing with a wave of your hand. And it’s currently on sale at Amazon , Adorama , and B&H for $103, down to its lowest price from its usual $129.  DJI Osmo Mobile 7P Where to Buy: $129 $103 at Amazon $129 $103 at B&H $129 $103 at Adorama In fact, the Osmo Mobile 7P’s Multifunctional Module offers a treasure trove of tricks to help you make the most of your camera, including a built-in fill light with adjustable color temperature. You can also pair it with one of DJI’s wireless mics. According to Sean Hollister, our reviewer, he got five hours of battery life with tracking, ...

Over the past couple of weeks, users on the r/alexa subreddit have reported getting automatically upgraded to Alexa Plus as a perk for their Prime memberships. The update doesn't appear to be opt-in, but there's an option to roll it back. Screenshots of a message from Amazon sent to users state that, "After your device updates, you can still revert to the original Alexa by saying, 'Alexa, exit Alexa+.'" Alexa Plus is an LLM-powered overhaul of Alexa that's intended to help Amazon's voice assistant compete with rivals like Google Gemini. Not everyone is eager to use the latest version of Amazon's AI, though, and the rollout of the Gemi … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/news/860581/amazon-prime-alexa-plus-automatic-upgrade

Responsible spending? I don’t choose you! | Image: Lego After teasing its first collaboration with the Pokémon franchise last March but sharing very few details, Lego's first Pokémon sets are now available for preorder through the company's online store . The cheapest of the three is an articulated version of Eevee, but there's also a budget-busting set featuring Charizard, Blastoise, and Venusaur that's a whopping $649.99. Along with Lego's first Smart Brick sets launching in March , it's already shaping up to be an expensive year for Lego fans. Shipping for all three Pokémon sets is expected to start on February 27th. A set that is only for the most diehard Pokémon fans and Lego collectors is t … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/860511/lego-pokemon-pikachu-poke-ball-eevee-venusaur-charizard-blastoise

It happens every year: we set ambitious New Year's resolutions - work out more, spend less, keep the house cleaner - full of optimism and motivation. Then life happens, and suddenly it's June and you can't recall what your resolutions even were. But it doesn't have to be that way. Sometimes the problem isn't a lack of motivation but rather a lack of tools, the kind that can make those goals feel more manageable and easier to achieve. After all, the right gear can help turn good intentions into habits that actually last. Below, we've rounded up a few of our favorite tools, all of which are designed to help our readers achieve many of the m … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/gadgets/855851/new-years-resolution-gifts-ideas-2026-tech-gadgets-fitness

GameStop CEO Ryan Cohen is in line to potentially earn $35 billion in stock options, so long as the company hits a $100 billion market cap. One way to hit that target is by cutting costs, and one way of cutting costs is to close down a bunch of stores . The company closed 590 stores in fiscal year 2024, and said in a recent SEC filing that it anticipates "closing a significant number of additional stores in fiscal 2025." With the fiscal year set to end on January 31st, it appears the race is on, and according to a blog tracking closures , GameStop is planning on shuttering (or already has) over 430 stores this month. As of Sunday, January 11t … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/news/860329/gamestop-is-kicking-off-2026-by-shutting-down-over-400-stores-in-42-states

In 2023, what was then still called Twitter, open-sourced at least portions of the code that decided what it served up in your feed. But that GitHub repository is hopelessly out of date, with the vast majority of the files appearing to be from the initial upload three years ago. Elon Musk says that in seven days, he will open-source X's new algorithm and finally give people a peek behind the curtain and possibly a technical explanation as to why your feed is 90 percent rage bait. Elon has always made promises to open-source parts of X, and has followed through to at least some degree, including Grok-1 in 2024. But xAI is now on Grok-3, and … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/news/860294/elon-musk-open-source-x-algorithm

The FCC approved SpaceX's plan to launch an additional 7,500 Gen2 Starlink satellites on Friday. That brings the total number of satellites the company will have in orbit to around 15,000 worldwide. As part of the approval, the government is also waiving previous requirements that prevented overlapping coverage and enhanced capacity. SpaceX originally sought approval for 30,000 satellites, but for now, the FCC is only greenlighting 15,000. The company will be on a deadline, too. The government says 50 percent of the Gen2 satellites must be launched and operational by December 1st of 2028, with the rest to follow by December of 2031. But the … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/news/860210/fcc-spacex-7500-more-starlink-satellites

The start of the year is typically a great time to snag deals on health and fitness gear, including trackers and wireless earbuds , and this week was no exception. We found plenty on sale and highlighted the best picks below. Not all of the deals are related to New Year’s resolutions, though; there are also a number of other worthwhile deals worth checking out. Despite the Consumer Electronics Show wrapping up earlier this week, we’re already seeing deals roll in, for example. And if your main goal is to unwind this weekend, we’ve spotted solid deals on Blu-rays to help you relax. Below, you’ll find all of our favorite deals from this week.  Of fitness trackers on sale right now,  the deal on the Amazfit Active 2 is ideal, especially if you’re on a budget. It’s currently on sale for just $84.99 ($15 off) at Amazon , Best Buy , and Target , which is just $5 shy of its lowest price to date. ​​We think the Active 2 is one of the best fitness tracker you can currentl...

Apple and Google are being dragged into the uproar around X's AI chatbot that has continued to virtually undress women in images without their consent this week. In a letter to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai, Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR), Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM), and Ed Markey (D-MA) wrote that "X's generation of these harmful and likely illegal depictions of women and children has shown complete disregard for your stores' distribution terms." X users have identified several cases where Grok undressed or sexualized apparent minors in the AI-created images. The senators point to the app stores' own policies for why the app should … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/news/859631/democrats-x-grok-apple-google-app-store

We saw a ton of cool new products at CES 2026, but not all of them made the cut when it came to deciding what was best of show . One of those products that we nevertheless think holds promise is Anker’s AeroFit Pro 2 , which are wireless earbuds that can double as open-ear headphones. You pick the mode you want: wedge them into your ears for better sound enhanced by active noise cancellation, or let them pump out sound near your ears so that you can keep stay tuned into your surroundings. By using the code WSTDA3875US at Anker ’s site, you can knock $30 off their $179.99 price. Anker Soundcore AeroFit Pro 2 Where to Buy: $179.99 $149.99 at Anker The AeroFit Pro 2 have an ear hook design, which could make them a great fit for working out. They contain sensors that can determine how you’re wearing them and adjust features accordingly. They can recalibrate the EQ, and in earbud mode, turn on active noise cancellation by way of their six built-in microphones. However, as our an...

They’ll launch through Nintendo’s stores in New York and San Francisco. | Image: Nintendo After exclusively launching in Japan last August , Nintendo has announced its My Mario product line will be available in the US starting next month. That includes the interactive Hello, Mario! app featuring an interactive 3D version of Mario's head that reacts to being poked, tugged, and flung around the screen. The app will be available as a free download for the Switch, Switch 2, and iOS and Android devices starting on February 19th, 2026. The My Mario physical products coming to the US include apparel for infants and toddlers; a board book that, like the mobile app, lets kids interact with Mario's face; plush versions of Mario and items f … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/858587/nintendo-my-mario-apparal-toys-book-mobile-app

I hate when friends and family ask me which LED face mask to buy. That's because LED face masks are another prime example of the wild wellness west . There's compelling science behind using red and infrared light therapy to address skin concerns, particularly wrinkles. However, wellness influencers have taken that concept and absolutely ran away with it. View this post on Instagram While it's a legitimate treatment you can get from a dermatologist, you'll also see at-home masks touted on TikTok, in wellness spas, and even gyms as a cure-all for this and that ailment. Every year at CES, I see plenty of companies jump … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/857164/ces-2026-hands-on-loreal

The show may be best known for the debut of high-end, budget-busting TVs - of which there was no shortage this year - but in recent years many companies have used CES to announce their latest charging innovations. Unlike CES 2025 where several companies embraced built-in charging cables , there's no unifying theme to the hardware revealed at CES 2026. But the new chargers and power banks are getting more powerful, more portable, more functional, and more stylish… even though all some of us want is a return to basic and inexpensive . Here are our picks for the standout chargers and power banks making their debut at CES this year. Anker 45W Na … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/855028/ces-2026-best-chargers-wireless-power-bank-qi

The Qrevo Curv 2 Flow can tackle wet and dry messes. | Image: Roborock The market leader in robot vacuums has been behind in the latest trend - roller mops. But not for much longer. At CES this week, Roborock announced the Qrevo Curv 2 Flow, its first robot vacuum and mop with a motorized self-cleaning roller mop. The Flow features an extra-wide mop that the company says can clean more surface area in one pass than other models, and it spins at 220rpm with 15 Newtons of downward pressure. It self-cleans with eight water jets and a built-in scraper. The Flow has a "roller shield" that activates when the robot is on carpet, and the mop can extend from the bot to reach along edges. Roborock's current flagship v … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/853827/roborock-qrevo-curv-2-flow-roller-mop-robot-vacuum-specs-price-release-date

LG is launching its dual mode GX7 OLED monitor in the US, with refresh rates up to 720Hz. Based on LG Display's fourth-generation WOLED panel , the 26.5-inch 27GX790B can run at 540Hz in 1440p resolution, or an impressive 720Hz in a not-so-impressive 720p resolution. The dual mode option lets you switch between the 540Hz and 720Hz modes with a hot key, allowing you to change to higher refresh rates for esports games that can run at higher frame rates and switch back to the 1440p resolution for games where you don't need anything close to 720Hz. Priced at $999.99, LG says the 27GX790B is the company's brightest OLED gaming monitor so f … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/news/856173/lg-27gx790b-oled-monitor-720hz-540hz-modes

The best of both worlds. | Image: Anker Anker announced a new version of its AeroFit Pro headphones at CES 2026 that give you the option to hear the world around you, or block it out using ANC. The traditional design of open-ear headphones leave your ears wide open, but Anker's new Soundcore AeroFit 2 Pro have an adjustable ear hook design that can be used to reposition the drivers at the entrance of the ear canal, creating a seal that enables both passive and active noise cancellation. Two sensors in each earbud are used to recognize how the AeroFit 2 Pro are being worn and to automatically recalibrate the EQ to ensure "consistent and optimized sound performance across both list … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/852887/anker-soundcore-aerofit-2-pro-sleep-a30-special-boom-go-3i-bluetooth-headphones-earbuds-speaker

The Motorola Razr Fold is reportedly coming soon, according to prolific leaker Evan Blass . Details are scant at the moment. All the info we have is based on a single slide from a marketing deck that talks up the Fold's camera system and displays, and squeezes in a mention of AI for good measure before proclaiming that it will set a "new standard for what's possible in a foldable device." While we don't have any specs for the Razr Fold, there's very little we don't know about the upcoming Motorola Signature , the company's new non-folding flagship. Originally leaked as the Motorola Edge 70 Ultra, the rebranded Signature will pack three 50-MP … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/news/854016/motorola-razr-fold-leak

Govee is known for putting lights in every corner of your room: in your bulb sockets, in the corner for a little multicolored bias lighting, and even behind the TV with its scene-matching LED strips. And it has some curious announcements at CES 2026 that tackle a new part of the room: the ceiling. Govee has announced the Sky Ceiling Light and the Ceiling Light Ultra. The Sky Ceiling Light, shown above, is designed to mimic daylight, so as to present the illusion that you have a view to the great outdoors. Govee envisions this being a worthwhile addition for windowless spaces, saying that it has "refined white-light performance" that can cre … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/853006/govee-sky-ceiling-light-ultra-specs

Valve has announced the winners of the 2025 Steam Awards and, unsurprisingly, Hollow Knight: Silksong , took home the Game of the Year honors. It was also given the "Best Game You Suck At" award, which, I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not. Given the relentless fawning over Silksong since its release in September, an event that nearly brought the entire digital video game distribution system to its knees, that it would win Game of the Year felt like something of a forgone conclusion. The Best Game on Steam Deck was awarded to Hades II (an award we'd already unofficially granted it). The mechanics of Hades lend it to being played in sh … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/games/853786/hollow-knight-silksong-steamawards-game-of-the-year

Shortly before the US military launched an attack on Venezuela and captured President Nicolás Maduro , an account on Polymarket made some very suspiciously timed investments. The prediction market had been running bets on when or if Maduro would be removed from power, with prices for "out by January 31, 2026" as low as $0.07 late Friday evening. But within 24 hours of the military action, a newly created account invested tens of thousands of dollars, racking up several hundred thousand in profits. The account was created less than a week ago, and invested over $30,000 the day before the assault, turning a profit of over $408,000 . The activit … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/news/853765/someone-made-a-ton-of-money-betting-on-maduros-capture

We posted a couple of times about Meta’s Quest 3S during the holidays. The virtual reality headset that typically sold for $299.99 was — and still is — available for $249.99. Better yet, you can get in on a promotion at Amazon that includes a $50 digital account credit with purchase. You can find a similar sale price of $249.99 at other retailers, but it seems like Amazon is the only one that includes a gift card. The Quest 3S is a wonderful device for first-time virtual reality explorers. It builds on what made the Quest 2 so good (comfortable, easy to use, surprisingly capable) and adds more power. In fact, it has the same chipset as the pricier Quest 3, but with similar optic materials and screens as the Quest 2 it’s meant to replace. The Meta Quest store is filled with fun games and apps, and PC gamers can link the headset (wired or wirelessly) to their machines to play Steam VR games, such as the immersive VR showpiece Half-Life: Alyx . Read our review . Meta Quest 3S The M...

The Mui Board is a minimalist, screen-free interface for controlling tech in your home. One of the fun parts of being a tech journalist for over a decade is that occasionally you get to watch a truly unique gadget go from concept to reality - and, eventually, into your living room. That's the case with the Mui Board , a smart home controller built into a piece of wood. The Mui was first demoed at CES in 2019 , and I've seen it at several shows over the years, in various iterations, always with the promise that it would ship soon . Well, this year it did (in limited quantities!), and I finally got to try one out in my living room. Mui Board A minimalist smart home controller made from a piece of wood, the Mui Board works with Mat … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/852598/mui-board-smart-home-controller-matter