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Now a text prompt is all it takes to generate reality-warping images using Google Earth's satellite, aerial, and 3D imagery, like these images generated by Digital Digging 's Henk van Ess that show "refugees near the Mexican border" and a bomb crater near a hospital in Gaza. Google responded to Digital Digging 's AI-altered images, saying, "We take misinformation seriously - every image created with Nano Banana in Google Earth includes the SynthID digital watermark, so if someone is unsure about an image, they can ask the Gemini app or use Lens in Search to see if the image was AI-generated." In addition to using Google's "@verifyai" tag in … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/973764/google-earth-ai-satellite-images

Several record labels, including the big three - Universal Music Group, Sony Music, and Warner Music Group - have proposed rules regarding chart eligibility for AI songs . In short, they wouldn't be . The proposal goes quite a bit further than a labeling proposal put forth by the RIAA, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), SAG-AFTRA, and others. That would create a set of standardized labels for AI-generated and AI-assisted music. The labels' proposal would require songs be clearly labeled, but it would also keep them off international charts unless they met specific criteria, including being "substantially human … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/973741/ai-music-major-record-labels-charts

Weeks ahead of Google's next Pixel hardware event, Leaker Evan Blass has shared what appear to be marketing renders of the unannounced Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold in a post on his Substack . The renders, if accurate, show that the new foldable will look fairly similar to last year's model - it has a tall outer screen instead of using a shorter style like the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the rumored foldable iPhone . The renders also show that the inner screen will retain the 8-inch size. However, the Pixel 11 Pro Fold's back camera array has been slightly redesigned and will apparently get the glowy light that Google has already teased for the Pixel … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/973249/pixel-11-pro-fold-buds-watch-leaks-google-launch-event

Do you remember Friend? The Friend that launched an AI pendant, spent $1.8 million of its $2.5 million to acquire friend.com, and plastered the NYC subway with ads promoting artificial companionship? Yeah well, if you didn't remember, Friend is back . And now, it's twice the price. Introducing friend. pic.twitter.com/T5vUCj7iqv - friend (@friend) July 30, 2026 This morning, Friend launched a new ad showing two people talking to their Friend pendants about very personal life problems. It didn't say it explicitly, but the ad showcased a new feature the pendant now includes: a speaker. Before, Friend would only message back to you, but now, … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/gadgets/973163/friend-re-launches-its-ai-pendant-with-a-speaker-that-talks-to-you-for-twice-the-price

When the Trump administration announced yesterday that it was banning "advanced robotic devices" from entering the United States , the headlines were all about humanoids . But spying doesn't require legs - and neither does the FCC's robot ban. The robot ban will sweep up robot vacuum cleaners too , FCC media relations director Katie Gorscak confirms to The Verge. It's not coming for your existing Roomba, and companies can keep importing and selling already approved ones. But the government claims that future foreign robots pose a national security risk, and even robovac companies are suddenly being asked to commit to US manufacturing. Whi … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/policy/972312/us-robot-ban-sweep-up-chinese-vacuums

As schools across the country continue to implement cell phone bans, a new Pew Research Center survey shows they continue to gain support. Seventy-seven percent of US adults support banning cell phones in middle and high school classes, and 48 percent support banning them for the entire school day. That's the first time more Americans have supported, rather than opposed, so-called bell-to-bell bans. Two years ago, just 36 percent of American adults supported an all day ban. Across all age groups over 18 that were surveyed, most respondents support in-class bans. That support is lower but still at least half for all-day bans across most ag … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/policy/972607/full-school-day-cell-phone-bans-are-more-popular-than-ever

New Yorkers who want to see their Instagram or TikTok feed curated by an algorithm, or receive notification after midnight, will soon have to verify their ages to access those features. New York Attorney General Letitia James (D) released a set of final rules on how to implement the SAFE for Kids Act, signed into law by Governor Kathy Hochul (D) in June 2024. The rules lay out in more detail what social media platforms subject to the law will need to do in order to comply, including standards for understanding users' ages, and how to go about obtaining parental consent for kids to use walled-off features. The law will officially go into eff … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/policy/972007/new-york-safe-for-kids-act-age-verification

While the summer months are great for putting in the miles on your favorite bike, it can be frustrating to have to hang it up when the weather turns. This smart bike trainer turns your road bike into an indoor exercise bike, with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth to connect to your PC, iOS, or Android device, and support for a wide variety of interactive and training apps. Multiple retailers have the Kickr Core 2 on sale for $399.99 (usually $549.99) in both the Cog and Click version ( Wahoo , Amazon ) which fits 8-13 speed bikes, and the version with an included 11-speed cassette ( Wahoo , Amazon ). Wahoo Kickr Core 2 Where to Buy: $549.99 $399.99 at Wahoo (11-speed cassette) $549.99 $399.99 at Wahoo (Cog and Click) One of the main advantages to a trainer like the Kickr is access to dynamically adjustable resistance, which can work in concert with training apps to tune your workout, or interact with riding apps to replicate inclines and group rides. If you u...

Warner Bros. Discovery is bringing a vertical video feed to HBO Max to help you find something new to watch. Streaming platforms like Netflix , Disney Plus , and Peacock already offer TikTok-like vertical video feeds to surface content that might be interesting to users, and now HBO Max will have a similar feed of its own. The feed, called "HBO Max Shorts," will be accessible from an icon on the bottom navigation menu. It will show you things like trailers, clips, and bonus content from the HBO Max library, and it's tailored to you based on your watch history. You can jump into a show or movie right from the HBO Max Shorts clip or add it to y … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/streaming/971880/hbo-max-vertical-video-feed-shorts

Nanoleaf's Blocks Combo XL Smarter Kit comes with nine color-changing LED panels. | Image: Nanoleaf Nanoleaf’s Blocks Combo XL Smarter Kit is a fun back-to-school buy that can add pops of customizable light and storage to your wall. It combines colorful smart lighting panels with a low-profile shelf and pegboard, and right now you can buy the kit for half off at $99.99 from Nanoleaf , which marks a new low price. Nanoleaf Blocks Combo XL Smarter Kit Where to Buy: $249.99 $99.99 at Nanoleaf The kit can hold up to 6.6 pounds and 3.3 pounds, respectively, making them handy for holding headphones, controllers, notebooks, a tablet, a small plant, or a couple of books. It comes with both large and small modular light panels that glow from edge to edge, and they can be rearranged or expanded down the line to create a design that’s unique to your space.  Of course, the light panels support custom lighting scenes, and Nanoleaf’s app has a feature call...

YouTube's ad-free Premium subscription is getting another perk: access to Peacock. In an announcement on Monday , NBCUniversal says the multi-year agreement will allow Premium subscribers to stream Peacock's ad-supported shows, movies, and live sports directly through the YouTube app in 2027. YouTube will bundle Peacock in its standard subscription, which increased to $15.99 / month in April , YouTube spokesperson Jessica Gibby confirmed to The Verge . That makes it cheaper than subscribing to both services individually, as Peacock currently starts at $10.99 / month for its ad-supported plan. The news of the deal comes at a pivotal time for P … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/streaming/971452/youtube-premium-peacock-streaming-deal

We’re leaning in with the playing card metaphor. Across New York City, London, and Washington, DC, ads for Meta's smart glasses have been plastered over with satirical posters from activist groups. One guerrilla ad calls these "the biggest advancement in pervert technology since the trenchcoat." Another transposes the words "mass surveillance predator glasses" over influencer Kylie Jenner's face, calling her out for partnering with the company as a glasses ambassador. The message of these ads is clear. These glasses may violate your privacy - and would you trust Meta? Meta seems spooked. For so long, the company's privacy efforts for smart glasses have essentially relied on a single LE … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/970948/meta-smart-glasses-privacy-wearables

Thankfully the movie is bonkers enough to live up to the artwork. | Image: Vinegar Syndrome There's something about a movie like The Room , Troll 2 , or Fateful Findings that I find irresistible. These sorts of "so bad they're good" films are marvelous curiosities where ambition far outstrips resources, ability, and self-awareness to become something much greater than the sum of their parts. Champagne and Bullets (also released as GetEven and Road to Revenge ) is a film on par with those classics of outsider cinema. The movie is almost entirely the work of one man, John De Hart. Hart wrote, directed, and stars as Rick Bode in the film. He even performs a musical number early in the proceedings - The bizarre " Shimmy Slide ." During th … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/column/971103/champagne-and-bullets-bad-movies-review

Meta’s AI glasses have been the focus of controversy. | Photo: Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge According to Mark Gurman , Apple is planning to reveal its first smart glasses at WWDC next June, with an expectation that they'll launch by the end of 2027. Part of the hold-up may be around the company's efforts to get its privacy features and messaging in order. Smart glasses in general, and Meta's in particular, have ignited controversy over their ability to stealthily capture photos and videos. As Gurman points out: The company has spent more than a decade making privacy one of its defining product messages. Simply entering the same category as Meta risks undermining that reputation, regardless of how Apple's approach differs. Apple … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/971101/apple-smart-glasses-privacy

The government is prosecuting US citizen Sam Tunick for allegedly providing authorities with a " duress password " that wiped his phone when they tried to seize it at Atlanta's Hartsfield-Jackson airport on January 24th, 2025. Federal agents detained Tunick at the airport, allegedly questioning him about child exploitation images. However, a motion filed by Tunick's lawyers argues this was simply "a pretext for a fishing expedition into Mr Tunick's connections" to the Stop Cop City movement in Atlanta. The government is turning to a little-known and rarely-used statute that makes it illegal to destroy or damage property to stop authorities fr … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/policy/971097/us-charging-american-citizen-wiping-phone-duress-password

Subscribing to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate on a recurring basis has been tough to justify recently, even after Microsoft reduced the monthly cost from $29.99 to $22.99. But you can get a better deal on a three-month subscription (valued at $69) by grabbing a digital code at Eneba that costs $39.01 at the time of publication. Game Pass Ultimate grants you access to the full Game Pass library on Xbox (compared to a more limited slice with Premium), including first-party titles and online multiplayer access. The subscription also gives PC gamers access to Microsoft’s catalog of Game Pass games through the Xbox app, though the selection differs a bit between console and desktop. Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Where to Buy: $69 $39.01 at Eneba You don’t need me to tell you why deals like these are nice. The costs of subscriptions generally only go in one direction over time, and it is becoming more rare to find worthwhile discounts that give you a break. If you...

Ryan Gosling on stage at Comic-Con | Image: Marvel Studios While perhaps less dramatic than in years past, Marvel nonetheless had some big reveals lined up for Comic-Con. The highest profile was certainly the announcement that Ryan Gosling would be joining the MCU as Ghost Rider, with the Shawn Levy-directed ( Deadpool & Wolverine ) standalone feature set to drop sometime in 2028. The studio also brought out Ryan Coogler, who officially confirmed Black Panther III is slated for release on December 15th, 2028. He also introduced David Jonsson ( The Long Walk , Alien Romulus ) as T'Chala's son and the new Black Panther in the franchise. Marvel also showed off a new Avengers: Doomsday trailer and seemed t … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/entertainment/971071/marvel-ryan-gosling-ghost-rider-black-panther-comic-con

This is The Stepback , a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on all things vertical video, follow David Pierce . The Stepback arrives in our subscribers' inboxes on Sunday at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here . How it started For a while, every social and media platform had its own identity. YouTube was for clips of TV shows and movies, and the home of so many members of a burgeoning creator community. Instagram was mostly pictures. Netflix was trying to be the on-demand HBO. Facebook was about friends. Twitter was about news. Snapchat was a messaging app. All these apps did have one important … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/column/970756/vertical-video-tiktok-youtube-instagram-streaming-facebook

Google's Vice President of Devices and Services, Shakil Barkat, all but confirmed in an interview with 9to5 Google that its next Pixel phone would cost more than the Pixel 10. Considering the ongoing RAM supply issues due to the explosion of AI data centers, the rumored price hike is not a complete surprise. Companies from Apple to Nintendo , Microsoft to Roku , have all raised their prices in response to the soaring cost of memory. Barkat said that Google had "shielded our consumers from supply fluctuations for as long as possible," but that the "economics have fundamentally shifted and we're not immune to that." He went on to tell 9to5 tha … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/971041/google-confirms-pixel-11-price-hike

Meta says its AI chatbot is going beyond just answering questions and generating images. | Image: Meta Meta is upgrading its AI chatbot with new productivity features in a bid to compete with rivals like Gemini, ChatGPT, and Claude. The update will allow Meta AI to tap into your calendar to help you plan events and generate daily briefings, as well as perform in-depth research that you can steer as it progresses. In a blog post, Meta says this update marks its "next step toward personal superintelligence," something CEO Mark Zuckerberg has touted as the future of AI . Meta is powering the update with its newly released Muse Spark 1.1 model , which the company says will allow its chatbot to go beyond its current capabilities of answering questi … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/970570/meta-ai-chatbot-productivity-update

OpenAI is rolling out ChatGPT Health to everyone in the US on Thursday, allowing more people to connect their medical records and health-tracking information to the chatbot. During a briefing, Ashley Alexander, OpenAI's vice president of health product, says the company's models "are now capable of reasoning at levels that are better than clinician level." When asked for more information about how the performance of OpenAI's models stacks up against human clinicians, OpenAI health lead Karan Singhal says that he would "temper" the claim that they are reasoning at better levels, but that "there have been individual studies that have been poi … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/970115/openai-chatgpt-health-launch-claims

Xbox Insiders can stream games from their libraries for free in ad-supported streaming sessions starting today. The free streaming sessions are limited to games you already own, and sessions are capped at one hour. However, ads will only play "before sessions begin." It's also optional - you won't need to watch ads if you have a paid cloud gaming subscription. Microsoft says the ad-supported streaming option will only be available for a limited time during a "test period." It previously began internally testing an ad-supported version of Xbox Cloud Gaming late last year, with sources telling The Verge at the time that the test included abo … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/games/969969/xbox-testing-ad-supported-streaming

Code found in an iOS 27 beta would allow Apple to put a financed iPhone in "Restricted Mode" if it detects any missed payments, 9to5Mac reports . The finding follows a story from Bloomberg earlier this week claiming Apple is preparing to launch a new "Apple Upgrade" financing program for leasing new devices. iPhones in "Restricted Mode" would reportedly lose access to nearly all apps, except for basics like the Phone app, Settings, and the App Store. It uses a new "App Managed Features" system that allows financing or partner apps to continually check if a financed device is in good standing. According to 9to5Mac , the code also includes a … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/969596/apple-restricted-mode-ios-27

With a camera on every pair, Gogle and Samsung’s AI glasses face the same privacy problems as Meta’s. | Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge Samsung has given us our first chance to check out its upcoming smart glasses in person, revealing two new designs and the first specs in the process, including an impressive 9-hour battery life. The glasses, developed in collaboration with Google and the eyewear brands Gentle Monster and Warby Parker, are due to launch this fall. Google and Samsung have been teasing the new glasses for some time, and revealed the first two designs at I/O in May. Now there are two more frames : Both are unsurprisingly boxy, with a new set of squared off black glasses from Gentle Monster, and a more rounded, red-brown pair from Warby Parker. Jaein Choi, the e … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/969382/samsung-google-smart-glasses-gentle-monster-warby-parker

Parents will also get a weekly email summarizing their teen’s Twitch activity. | Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Twitch is giving parents more control over how their children are using the streaming platform, including the ability to block them from broadcasting entirely. Parental controls are now available that allow guardians to link Twitch accounts with their 13- to 17-year-old children, providing account management features and a weekly email summarizing their teen's activity, including channels and hours watched. The controls can be used to prevent teens from livestreaming their own content and disabling Whispers, Twitch's private messaging feature. This includes blocking minors from sending or receiving DMs. Parents can also set flexible daily t … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/968480/twitch-parental-controls-block-streaming-live-dms

It must be earnings day, because Tesla is making a Robotaxi announcement. The company said in a post on X that it was launching its Robotaxi service in Orlando and Tampa, attaching a pair of maps that show each city's service area. No word on fleet size or whether interested customers would be able to hail a vehicle right away. The timing of the post is noteworthy, considering later today Tesla CEO Elon Musk is expected to provide an update on the progress of the company's Robotaxi service during its second quarter earnings call. Adding two new cities to the docket probably sounds like progress to some investors. Robotaxi now in Tampa … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/transportation/968624/tesla-robotaxis-orlando-tampa-florida-earnings

A judge partially granted the request from a dozen state attorneys general to temporarily place the $110 billion merger of Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery on hold, as reported by Variety and Reuters . US District Judge Araceli Martínez-Olguín said that based on the new company's market share, "the Court is persuaded that it can presume the proposed merger is likely to violate antitrust laws," and that the states showed "irreparable harm" could occur without a temporary restraining order. A week ago , California, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Washington sued … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/business/968055/paramount-wbd-merger-pause-tro

Welcome to the “what is a photo” debate, Adobe. | Image: Adobe Adobe's experimental camera app has taken an unexpected turn. After Project Indigo was launched last year to provide a "more natural (SLR-like) look" for iPhone photography, the Indigo camera app is now being updated with a suite of generative AI tools. And the change doesn't rely upon Adobe's own Firefly AI models. Adobe describes the new "AI Playground" tooling suite as an experiment and says there's a button that allows users to opt out and continue using the app as before. Free access to the suite with no sign-on requirement is being tested with a small percentage of Indigo users over the next few weeks. "Our goal is to learn how people … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/967791/adobe-indigo-camera-app-ai-playground-update

Sure is a lot of porcelein in there. | Image: Kieran Hebden Just why? ʅ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡(̸̢̛̼̞̭͋ͅ)̸͚̰͛̔̾̀̿͒͂:̴͓̞̑̌̂̆̊͋̀:̸͎̟̯̂̓̌　҉　　　　　͡　͞　͞　͞　҉● ࿀ ●  ࿀  ●　　　҉⃝ 　　　⃝͢ ͞　　　͘　͞⃝̕ ͢　　　　̛　⃝ 　　　̸　̡　　͢⃝̧ 　͡　͡　　̀　̧　̢⃝͜ 　 　҉　　͞...

I’m partial to that avocado green one. | Image: Reto Project Following the success of its $99 Kodak-branded Snapic A1 , Reto Project is releasing the Kodak EC35 , an even more affordable 35mm film camera for just $34.99. The EC35 certainly isn't fancy. Its 25mm acrylic lens with a fixed f/10 aperture and 1/100 shutter speed basically put it on par with a drugstore disposable. The fact that it has a manual wind and rewind only emphasizes that. And you can really lean into that disposable aesthetic thanks to its built-in automatic flash. Unlike the A1, there's no double exposure feature here or zone focusing. The EC35 is designed to require almost no thought to use. Its one special feature is the sliding … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/gadgets/967687/kodak-ec35-point-and-shoot-film-camera

1010Benja won’t apologize for using AI. | Image: 1010Benja / Instagram I would never go so far as to say there's no place for AI in music (I'm a fan of Holly Herndon, after all). But I generally find music made with generative AI to be offensively boring , especially the outputs of Suno . So I'm having a bit of a tough time processing the fact that I actually quite enjoy 1010Benja's " Semiramis' Dream ." Benja has been unapologetic about his use of generative AI on his latest EP, Time Has Nothing To Do With What You Choose… The other three tracks can't quite hold a candle to what you find on 2024's Ten Total . But the opener "Semiramis' Dream" is infectious. It explodes out of the speakers with a jungle beat and Be … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/entertainment/967678/1010benja-semiramis-dream-suno-ai-music

ICE agents hide behind masks while skulking through the halls of immigration court | Image: Michael Nigro/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images According to the New York Times , federal agents have been told that the FBI will no longer be investigating confrontations involving ICE agents. The DHS and DOJ denied the change in policy to The Times. The reported change in guidance follows renewed scrutiny of violence by ICE agents who have killed two people in the last two weeks. The shootings in Maine and Texas were just the latest civilian deaths at the hands of ICE agents, who have attempted to intimidate witnesses following its recent spate of high-profile killings. The new guidance would end FBI investigations of assaults against DHS agents. The government has aggressively pursu … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/policy/967674/fbi-wont-investigate-ice-assaults

The 2018 Solar Car Challenge was the last time participants took their designs out on the open road. | Image: Lehman Marks / Solar Car Challenge On July 19th, dozens of teams of high school students will begin a five-day, 630-mile road race from Fort Worth to Fort Stockton in Texas. But this is not your typical contest. The students design and build the cars themselves, using off-the-shelf parts and 3D printed materials. The winner is the team that accumulates the most driven miles. And the only fuel they can use to power their Frankenstein-looking vehicles comes from that mass of incandescent gas that hangs in our sky: the Sun. This year is the 30th anniversary of the annual Solar Car Challenge , a contest that brings together high school students from around the country with the on … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/transportation/966701/solar-car-challenge-high-school-student-race-texas

Dave Eggers attends the "The Turning Point: To Be Destroyed" premiere. | Image: John Lamparski/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival Last year, Sam Altman invited author Dave Eggers to give a talk to around 200 OpenAI staffers. The man has written countless novels , screenplays, pieces of journalism, started McSweeney's , and founded multiple schools and nonprofits that support writers and the arts more broadly. So one might expect he'd roll into the company's offices and offer tips on being relentlessly prolific, or how to excel in multiple fields. Instead, he apparently laced into the company. According to the Financial Times , Eggers told the staff: "The effect of ChatGPT on educators' lives is catastrophic. Whether you intended to do it or not, you've made every teache … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/967630/dave-eggers-openai-chatgpt-sil...

The Pixel 10a shipped with a last gen processor. | Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge Mystic Leaks suggests that the Pixel 11a will return to featuring a flagship-grade processor with the Tensor G6. Rather than the Tensor G5 found in the Pixel 10 and 10 Pro , the Pixel 10a shipped with the previous generation Tensor G4. That was a huge disappointment since, typically, the Pixel a lineup kept the modern processor, but cut corners in other places to keep costs down. The Tensor G6 is rumored to feature the same PowerVR DXT-48-1536 GPU as the G5, but it should still be an improvement over the Mali-G715 in the Tensor G4. The big upgrade is that the G6 moves on from Samsung's Exynos modems and instead uses a MediaTek M90 modem. Tha … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/967612/google-pixel-11a-tensor-g6-leak

Now, if you want to, you can use Google's 3D emoji in your own creations. The company shared some details about how it went about designing the little pictograms and why, as part of World Emoji Day on Friday. Things you might not necessarily worry about in a 2D illustration suddenly become very important when you're talking about a 3D model. Is a smiley face a sphere? A mask? A flat disc? In addition to offering a behind-the-scenes look at Google's design process, it also announced that it would be completely open-sourcing the emoji set: We're handing over raw .OBJ files to the community so they can use them to build immersive VR worlds, … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/design/967606/google-open-source-3d-emoji

Apple Music is more expensive now. In the US, an individual plan now costs $11.99 per month, a $1 bump up from the previous $10.99 price. A family plan now costs $19.99 per month, up from $16.99, and a student plan costs $6.99 per month, up from $5.99. Apple, in a statement to Music Business Worldwide , says it is increasing prices "as a result of rising licensing costs." Music Business Worldwide also reports that prices gone up in the UK and Europe, and the publication "understands" that hikes are hitting other countries as well. Apple didn't immediately reply to a request for comment from The Verge . Apple Music last got a price increase i … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/967379/apple-music-price-increase

Apple is suing OpenAI . The complaint is readable and intense, as these things often are, though many experts seem to think many of the allegations are just the ways things are done . So what does Apple really want here, and why is it picking such a public fight with OpenAI? On this episode of The Vergecast , Nilay and David go through the lawsuit, and look at Apple's history of splashy litigation to determine whether Apple is worried about a possible competitor or simply looking to capitalize on a weak moment for OpenAI . All this is happening as Apple ships the public betas of its new software, headlined by the new Siri AI , and we have though … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/podcast/967244/apple-openai-lawsuit-vergecast

Leaker Evan Blass shared images of Samsung's redesigned Galaxy Z Fold 8 just days before the July 22nd launch event where Samsung is expected to officially announce the phone. The leaked images show a shorter, wider foldable matching earlier leaks of the Z Fold 8. They also reveal some of its specs, including a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite For Galaxy processor, 50MP wide and 50MP ultra wide rear cameras, 10MP selfie cameras on the inside and outside screens, and an advertised battery life of "up to 26 hours of video playback." Blass also posted images of the Galaxy Z Flip 8 and shared images of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra in an email receive … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/967198/samsung-galaxy-z-fold-8-images-specs-leak

Sometimes it feels like keeping your floors clean is one of those never-ending chores, which is why it's nice to have a versatile robot vacuum take it off your hands. The Ecovacs Deebot X11 robovac / mop hybrid is designed to do just that, and it's now $699 ($400 off) at Amazon and directly from Ecovacs , which is a new low price. The Deebot X11 is the latest version of one of our former top picks for the best robot vacuum / mop. While the Matic has since taken its place in our rankings, the X11 remains an excellent option, especially at nearly half the price. It combines powerful 19,500Pa suction along with a handful of features that make … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/gadgets/966651/ecovacs-deebot-x11-robot-vacuum-deal-sale

Google CEO Sundar Pichai | Bloomberg via Getty Images Today, the European Union ordered Google to give its AI rivals greater access to Android, the open-source operating system that powers billions of devices worldwide. The demand is hardly surprising . It may look like a defeat on paper for Google, which has spent years resisting exactly this kind of access, but it is a regulatory win. It's also a sign that Google may have outmaneuvered Apple by playing Brussels' regulatory game far more shrewdly. In one of two decisions handed down on Thursday, the European Commission - the EU's executive arm and the principal enforcer of the bloc's competition rules - said Google must give rival AI assistan … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/policy/966588/eu-dma-ai-android-siri-ai

Google is giving its AI note-taking app a new name. The company announced on Thursday that NotebookLM is becoming Gemini Notebook, but will remain a standalone app even as it integrates more deeply across Gemini and Google Search. Google first revealed Gemini Notebook - then called Project Tailwind - in May 2023 before widely releasing the app just months later . Over the past few years, Google has been adding new features to the app to help organize and make sense of your notes, such as the ability to summarize them as AI podcasts , narrated slideshows , and TikTok-style clips . It recently started letting users connect their notebooks to the … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/966112/google-gemini-notebook-notebooklm

Lucid Motors found itself in a tough bind this week, fending off bankruptcy rumors and watching its stock price plunge as a result. The company quickly denied the report, calling it "completely false" and pointing to its available free cash flow as evidence that it has enough runway to operate into next year. But despite the swift response, the damage was widespread. The panic immediately bled into competing automakers, pulling down shares of Rivian and Polestar as investors speculated about the long-term survival of EV-only companies in the face of slowing consumer demand and whiplash policy shifts. And it cast a harsh light on the precari … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/transportation/965924/lucids-bankruptcy-rumor-is-a-bad-sign-for-the-ev-future

OpenAI is finally releasing some hardware. No, it isn't the mysterious AI-powered device the company is developing with former Apple designer Jony Ive , a project already tangled up in a messy lawsuit . Instead, it's a product designed to be used with its coding platform, Codex. The device, a square-shaped block of buttons called Codex Micro, is a collaboration between the AI company and keyboard maker Work Louder. OpenAI said it is a limited-run collaboration that will give users more ways to monitor and manage their agents. The pad closely resembles Work Louder's Creator Micro 2 , and marketing images show what appears to be an identical … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/ai-artificial-intelligence/965901/openai-hardware-codex-micro-launch

Google is announcing a big change to the Google Images homepage in honor of the platform's 25th anniversary this week. Instead of a mostly blank page with a search bar, the homepage will soon show you a bunch of images that it thinks you might like before you even start searching. The company says the new "browseable" homepage features a "dynamic, immersive gallery of images from across the web - updated in real time and intelligently tailored to your unique interests." Based on images Google has shared, the layout reminds me of platforms like Pinterest and Imgur that stuff a lot of images in one place for you to scroll through. You'll also … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/965138/google-images-homepage-ai-overviews-search-nano-banana

Golden Gate’s public beta should be at parity with the third developer beta, which is pretty stable. The macOS 27 Golden Gate public beta is here , and anyone with an M-series Mac now has easier access to test-drive Apple's latest changes - including a more subdued Liquid Glass aesthetic. That's reason enough to be at least a little excited for macOS 27 (particularly if you're on Tahoe and disliking all the transparency). But there are other things that make trying out this beta a little more appealing than usual. There was a rumor earlier this year that this new macOS would focus on performance optimizations, bug fixes, and a bunch of small quality-of-life improvements, rather than being a major overhaul. And aside from dialing down Liquid … Read the full story at The Verge. source https://www.theverge.com/tech/964701/apple-macos-27-golden-gate-public-beta-impressions-liquid-glass-siri-ai