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If you’re keen to get a new 4K TV that has built-in streaming services provided by Amazon’s Fire TV software, it’s tough to get more for your money than with Hisense’s U6 . The company’s 75-inch, feature-packed mini-LED TV is an even better value than usual thanks to the discount happening on the final day of Amazon’s Big Spring Sale . Right now, you can get it for an all-time low of around $549.96 ($750 off) at Amazon and Best Buy , which is actually $30 less than the discounted 65-inch model . You’re saving money while getting 10 more inches of screen real estate, not to mention more dimming zones. Hisense U6 mini-LED TV (2025) Where to Buy: $899.99 $549.96 at Amazon (75-inch) $899.99 $549.99 at Best Buy (75-inch) $759.99 $579.99 at Amazon (65-inch) The U6 is full of appealing specs. Aside from its mini-LED backlighting, which lends to its bright picture and vivid contrast, Hisense’s midrange TV supports up to a 144Hz refresh rate at 4K resolution through two of its f...

The Aqara G350 is the first camera you can buy that supports Matter. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge The Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) released Matter 1.5.1 today , building upon the camera and video doorbell support added as part of the Matter 1.5 update last November . Although 1.5.1 is a minor update, it brings several improvements that will benefit both end users and companies making these types of devices. The most notable update is more efficient camera streaming that will help reduce bandwidth demands when multiple people or systems are accessing the same feed. With Matter 1.5.1, cameras can simultaneously deliver multiple video streams with quality settings tailored to what it's being used for. A video recorder would get a hi … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/904361/matter-spec-update1-5-1-camera-video-streaming-heic-doorbell-chimes

iPhone and Android users might be able to make interoperable video calls through their messaging apps - eventually. Last week, the GSM Association (GSMA) announced that the finalized RCS Universal Profile 4.0 standard will let users turn 1-to-1 or group RCS chats into video calls thanks to a feature called Messaging‑Initiated Video Calls (MIVC). "MIVC will ensure the continuity of the conversation by allowing group members to join an ongoing video call that they could not accept when it started, as well as synchronise MIVC logs within the chat timeline," the GSMA says . "When implemented, MIVC paves the way for the first natively supported v … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/903509/apple-iphone-google-android-video-calls-rcs-universal-profile-4-0

This isn’t an official Pixel 11 color, according to Android Headlines. | Image: OnLeaks via Android Headlines The launch of the Google Pixel 11 is still months away, but leaked renders shared by Android Headlines may give us an idea of what to expect. Based on the images, the Pixel 11 could come with slimmer bezels than its predecessor, along with a completely black rear camera bar. The Pixel 10, which launched in September , places its rear camera lenses against a black background, while surrounding its flash with the same color as the body of the phone. Other than these tweaks, it doesn't look like much else has changed visually between the two phones. As noted by Android Headlines , the Pixel 11's rumored 152.8 x 72 x 8.5mm dimensions are nearly … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/903381/google-pixel-11-leak-bezels-camera-bar

"I'm pleased to report to you that Apple's back on track." It was May of 1998, and Steve Jobs was about 10 months into his second stint leading the company he'd cofounded more than two decades earlier. (It was also a bit more than a decade after that company forced him out.) Jobs took the stage at the annual Macworld conference in a white shirt and dark jacket, and told the audience the Apple team had been working harder than ever to finish up a new computer, one designed with the internet in mind. It was called iMac. "We think iMac's going to be a really big deal," he told the audience. He was right. When Jobs came back to Apple in 1997, h … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/900655/steve-jobs-imac-ibook-ipod

People don’t like that they can’t identify AI music. | Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge AI has touched every part of the music industry, from sample sourcing and demo recording , to serving up digital liner notes and building playlists . There are technical and legal challenges, fierce ethical debates, and fears that the slop will simply crush working musicians through sheer volume. Is it art or just an output? What exactly is “ really active “? Whether it’s a new model or a new lawsuit, we’re covering it all to make sure you don’t miss any major developments. So follow along as we dig into the latest in AI “music.” Suno leans into customization with v5.5 The music industry has embraced a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy about AI. North Carolina man pleads guilty to AI music streaming fraud. Apple Music adds optional labels for AI songs and visuals Qobuz is automatically detecting and labeling AI music now, too. This Chainsmokers-approved AI music producer is joining Googl...

The latest app from the team behind Bluesky is Attie, an AI assistant that lets you build your own algorithm . At the Atmosphere conference, Bluesky's former CEO, Jay Graber, and CTO Paul Frazee, unveiled Attie, which is powered by Anthropic's Claude and built on top of Bluesky's underlying AT Protocol (atproto). Attie allows users to create custom feeds using natural language. For example, you could ask for "posts about folklore, mythology, and traditional music, especially Celtic traditions." To start these custom feeds will be confined to a standalone Attie app. But the plan is to make them available in Bluesky and other atproto apps. … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/903190/bluesky-attie-ai-custom-feeds

Juliette Gariépy’s Kelly-Anne is an uncomfortable mystery. | Image: Nemesis Films Productions It's rare for a movie to get technology right. And it's even rarer for that movie to be a thriller or horror, where realism takes a backseat to scares and tension. But Red Rooms mostly gets it. Nothing takes me out of a film quicker than a tech MacGuffin that might as well be literal magic. Yes, the phrase " dark web " will always sound a bit silly, but at no point during its 118 minutes does the tech become a distraction. It's not the tech that makes Red Rooms great, though. It's just something that could have easily tanked an otherwise excellent movie. What carries the film is the expert tension building by director Pascal Plante. The perf … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/entertainment/903174/red-rooms-movie-review-serial-killer-dark-web

Bird feeders have come a long way since their inception in the early 1900s. These days, it’s not all that surprising to see feeders kitted out with cameras and solar roofs, two marquee features you’ll find on feeders from both BirdBuddy and Netvue. And while modern hoppers can command a pretty penny, Amazon’s Big Spring Sale has dropped the Netvue Birdfy Feeder to $135.99 ($124 off) and Birdbuddy Pro to $179.99 ($120 off), which are some of the best prices we’ve seen. At their core, both smart bird feeders are designed to help you keep an eye on your soon-to-be feathery friends, allowing for image stills, video, notifications, and AI-powered identification. Birdfy’s offering cuts corners on hardware to keep costs down, though. It features the widest viewing angle of any model at 155 degrees; however, the video quality maxes out at 1080p, whereas the Birdbuddy Pro allows you to capture crystal-clear 2K video (with slow-mo). The accompanying solar panel isn’t integrated directly int...

This is The Stepback , a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on the legal travails of Big Tech, follow Adi Robertson . The Stepback arrives in our subscribers' inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here . How it started The year was 1998, and reigning personal computer giant Microsoft was on trial for violating antitrust laws, including by targeting its smaller competitor Apple. Apple occupied only a fraction of the PC market, while Microsoft held north of 80 percent. But its cross-platform QuickTime multimedia player threatened Microsoft's own offerings, and a court determined that Microsoft … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/column/902668/apple-antitrust-app-store-war

Slop yourself. | Image: Suno Suno just released one of its biggest updates yet with v5.5 of its AI music model. Where previous updates focused mostly on improving fidelity and creating more natural vocals , v5.5 is about giving users more control. It includes three new features: Voices, My Taste, and Custom Models. In the release notes, Suno says that Voices is its most requested feature. It lets users train the vocal model on their own voice. They can upload clean accapellas, finished tracks with backing music, or just sing directly into the mic on their phone or laptop. The cleaner and higher quality the recording, the less data is required. And to prevent someone fro … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/entertainment/903056/suno-ai-music-v5-5-model

The Trumpometer is just beginning to shift. | Image: The Verge / Shutterstock Where's the Trump phone? We're going to keep talking about it every week . We've reached out, as usual, to ask about the Trump phone's whereabouts. This week I think I've found an FCC listing for the phone, showing it's received certification to launch in the US. Last week I issued a reminder that Trump Mobile's T1 Phone does not exist, and may never exist, despite the fact that the company showed me a phone in an effort to convince me otherwise. Today instead I bring cause for optimism for the Trump phone believers: it appears to have been certified by the FCC. FCC listings for a smartphone with the trade name "T1" show that it was tested … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/902399/trump-phone-mobile-t1-fcc-certification-authorization

If you’re constantly switching between working at home and on the go, Anker’s latest 160W Prime Charger can lighten your load by replacing multiple chargers with a single device. It’s normally $149.99, but right now you can buy it at both Amazon and Anker’s online storefront (with coupon code WS24MNV8G7 ) for $99.99 thanks to Amazon’s ongoing Big Spring Sale , which drops it to its lowest price to date. Anker Prime Charger (160W, 3 Ports, Smart Display) Where to Buy: $149.99 $99.99 at Amazon $149.99 $99.99 at Anker (with code WS24MNV8G7) Despite being roughly the size of an AirPods Pro 3 case, Anker’s newer charging gizmo is surprisingly powerful. It features a trio of USB-C ports, each capable of supplying up to 140W on its own, with a combined output of 160W across all three. Each port provides enough power to charge a 16-inch MacBook Pro to 50 percent in about 25 minutes, while simultaneously topping off two smaller devices, such as your phone or a pair of earbuds....

The Nuki Smart Lock is the best retrofit smart lock currently available for people who want a minimalist, feature-packed upgrade to their preexisting deadlock. It’s currently selling for $149 at Amazon — its cheapest price ever — during the Big Spring Sale . Its fast unlocking speed, Matter-over-Thread support, and broad smart home compatibility impressed my colleague Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, enough for her to consider it the most advanced model she’s tested in her review . Nuki Smart Lock The Nuki Smart Lock makes it easy to upgrade your home security system without replacing your entire lock. It installs in minutes and can even sense when you’re approaching, automatically unlocking the door for you. It supports every major smart home platform through Matter, and you can easily share digital access with friends or family — perfect for when you’re on vacation and need someone to water the plants. Where to Buy: $199 $149 at Amazon The Nuki Smart Lock’s pricing history is a...

We hardly knew ye. I was ready to give up on the Galaxy Z TriFold. We had a strong case for getting a refund from the eBay seller - they'd claimed it was the version sold in Taiwan, but the phone that arrived at my door came with a Chinese serial number . That meant no Google services and lots of unfamiliar apps all requesting sensitive permissions. It was weird. Better off just sending this one back and trying again to acquire the US version, I thought. Then Samsung discontinued it . Suddenly, the TriFold on my desk wasn't just a funny thing that happened on the way to getting a real TriFold. It was the only TriFold I was likely to get my hands on, probably e … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/901525/samsung-galaxy-z-trifold-hands-on-singapore-rom

Govee’s good-sounding speaker / smart lamp hybrid can brighten your space with millions of colors. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge Speaking from experience, better lighting can completely change how a space feels. Over the years, I’ve filled my apartment with Govee’s color-changing lights, and they’ve made it feel calmer and more cheerful. That’s why it’s worth noting that a couple of its table lamps are on sale as part of Amazon’s Big Spring Sale , including the Table Lamp 2 Pro , which has returned to its all-time low of $134.99 ($45 off) at Amazon , Best Buy , and Govee’s storefront . The more basic, bedside-friendly Table Lamp 2 is also available from Amazon , Best Buy , and Govee for $55.99 ($24 off), nearly matching its lowest price to date. Govee Table Lamp 2 Pro Where to Buy: $179.99 $134.99 at Amazon $179.99 $134.99 at Govee $179.99 $134.99 at Best Buy Govee Table Lamp 2 Where to Buy: $79.99 $55.99 at Amazon $79.99 $55.99 at Govee ...

Second-generation Ray-Ban Meta glasses. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge 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. Meta and its AI glasses hardware partner EssilorLuxottica are getting ready to launch the next generation of their Ray-Ban AI glasses. That's according to a series of FCC filings for two new Meta Ray-Ban models that were published by the agency earlier this month. The filings describe the tested devices as production units, suggesting that Meta may launch them soon. When the company unveiled its second-generation Ray-Bans in late 2023, it did so a little over a month after the … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/column/901314/meta-new-ray-ban-ai-glasses

The Supreme Court has issued its ruling in a lengthy copyright battle between Cox Communications and major record labels, determining that the cable and internet service provider isn't responsible for illegally downloaded music, as reported earlier by the Associated Press . The unanimous decision says Cox "neither induced its users' infringement nor provided a service tailored to infringement." Several record labels, led by Sony Music, sued Cox in 2018, alleging the company allowed 60,000 internet subscribers to download over 10,000 copyrighted songs illegally. A jury found Cox liable for piracy in 2019 and granted Sony $1 billion in damages … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/policy/900502/cox-communications-music-labels-piracy-supreme-court

Six times the slop. | Image: The Verge Google is expanding the capabilities of its Lyria 3 music-making AI, enabling it to create tracks up to three minutes long and from within multiple other Google Products. Until now, Lyria had been limited to 30-second clips. Lyria 3 Pro not only increases the maximum length sixfold, it also allows the user to prompt for specific elements like intros, choruses, and bridges for greater control over arrangements. Lyria 3 Pro works much like other popular music generation tools, such as Suno and Udio. Describe a mood, style, or instrumentation, and it spits out a track. It can also generate lyrics based on your prompt, or even a reference photo … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/900425/google-lyria-3-pro-ai-music

It’s not the phone I was hoping I’d pick, but at least it’s green! | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge It takes a week to switch phones. First, there's the technical process of moving eSIMs across devices, which takes either a few minutes (if you're switching from one Android phone to another) or two days, a half-dozen calls to Verizon, a verification text message sent to your mom, and approximately 11,000 restarts of your phone (if you're switching from iPhone to Android). Then comes a few hours of app downloading, settings tweaking, and personalization, because every phone has a bunch of unique ideas about everything. You can be up and running on a new phone in an afternoon, but by the time you've downloaded all your Kindle books, synced … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/899602/best-phone-android-ios-app-store

Android Automotive in a Volvo EX90 | Image: Volvo Google announced a new version of its Android Automotive open-source operating system for software-defined vehicles. Whereas previously Android Automotive operated exclusively in the car's infotainment system, Google is now expanding its "open infrastructure" to the non-safety parts of the car's internal computer system. As cars have swiftly become "computers on wheels," there is still a lot of fragmentation in the industry, with many car manufacturers using different, mismatched software modules from dozens of different suppliers. Google wants to solve this fragmentation problem by - what else? - becoming the de facto software provider fo … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/899034/google-android-automotive-os-software-defined-vehicle

The early 2020s were kind of a dark time if you were a fan of Rock Band . PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X owners didn’t get an improved, more feature-packed guitar controller until early 2024 when PDP launched the Riffmaster. While it launched for $129.99 and later rose to $149.99, you can now grab it for $99.99 at Amazon , Walmart , and Best Buy in the run-up to Amazon’s Big Spring Sale. The current deal price (which has only happened once before) applies to both the Xbox and PlayStation versions, as well as the newer Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 versions. PDP Riffmaster PDP’s Riffmaster is a wireless guitar accessory compatible with Rock Band 4 and Fortnite Festival. It has two sets of color-coded buttons you can press to hit notes as they appear on the screen, a built-in 3.5mm audio jack for connecting headphones, and an analog stick to help you easily navigate through each game’s menus. Where to Buy: $149.99 $99.99 at Amazon (PlayStation 5) $149.99 $99 at Amazon (Xbox...

Andy Weir on the set of Project Hail Mary. | Image: Amazon MGM Studios Andy Weir has done pretty well when it comes to adaptations. His first novel, The Martian , was turned into a movie in 2015 , and the Ridley Scott-directed picture earned more than $600 million at the box office. And Project Hail Mary just had a huge opening weekend that puts it on track to be one of the year's biggest movies. However, despite that success, Weir tells me that he does his best to keep the idea of an adaptation out of his mind when he starts a new novel. "I try not to think about it at all," he explains. The reason, according to Weir, is that the two mediums are just so different. That's something he's learned over the last dec … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/entertainment/898918/project-hail-mary-andy-weir-writing-advice-interview

First came the AI beauty pageant. Then the AI music contests. Now, there is an award for AI Personality of the Year - perhaps the inevitable next step for the AI influencer economy as it transforms from quirky novelty into a serious and lucrative industry. The contest, a joint venture between generative AI studio OpenArt and AI-powered creator platform Fanvue, with backing from AI voice company ElevenLabs, opens on Monday and runs for a month. The organizers said it is intended to "celebrate the creative talent 'behind' AI Influencers" and recognize their growing commercial and cultural clout. Contestants will compete for a total prize f … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/898781/ai-personality-of-the-year-influencer-contest

Siri, can you tell me where I belong? | Image: DEEWEE Last week's recommendation , Sotomayor's Wabi Sabi , has a very particular vibe that you don't find in a lot of records. One of the few things it called to mind was 2022's Topical Dancer from Charlotte Adigery and Bolis Pupul, which I ended up revisiting this week a lot. The two records don't seem particularly alike on the surface. But they're both rough around the edges smash-ups of electronic and organic elements packaged for dancefloor abandon. The way the sounds and rhythms click together feels very much of the same ilk. There are, of course, differences. Significant ones. Adigery and Pupul draw more heavily from rock and early electroni … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/entertainment/898796/charlotte-adigery-bolis-pupul-topical-dancer-review

That’s some sloppy looking slop. | Image: Rex_Spy / Reddit Reviews of Crimson Desert have been mixed , but the bigger issue for the game has been the discovery of what appeared to be AI-generated assets in the final release. Now the developer has acknowledged that AI art was indeed used during the game's creation, but says that it was intended to be replaced before release. In a statement on X , the company said it was conducting a "comprehensive audit" to identify and replace any AI-generated content. The company apologized for both its inclusion in the final release and for not being more transparent about its use during development. "We should have clearly disclosed our use of AI," it said. The … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/games/898771/crimson-desert-dev-apologizes-ai-art

Amazon’s Prime Day sale may arrive earlier than usual this year , but there’s a deal event happening much sooner: Amazon’s annual Big Spring Sale, which is happening March 25th through the 31st. While it won’t be as big as Prime Day or Black Friday, it does offer you a chance to save money at a time when US tariffs have effectively increased the price of many gadgets and goods over the course of the past year. Dozens of excellent deals — some of which we haven’t seen in months — are already starting to pop up. Some items, like Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K Max , have dropped to their best price since Black Friday, while a few others, like the new Echo Dot Max and Ecovacs Deebot X8 Pro Omni , have fallen to new low prices. You don’t need a Prime membership to take advantage of many of these deals, either. Retailers like Best Buy, Walmart, and Target are also matching Amazon’s pricing in many instances, so you can choose where you want to shop. We’ve rounded up some of the best deals we...