Astronomers warn that a recent FCC decision about mirror-equipped satellites could hinder their ability to observe the cosmos, as well as lead to permanent eye damage.
AI models are trying desperately to accomplish mysterious goals. ‘Spiralism’ was the first time they tried it on a mass scale.
It takes a little more work, but phones can now legitimately rival point-and-shoot cameras.
Google’s AI leadership changes may have come down to pressure to speed up products — and internal ethical conflicts.
Apple yanked Telegram from the App Store over an instance of illegal content, while allowing X to remain amid a flurry of nonconsensual deepfakes.
Plus, in this week’s Installer: Spider-Man is back again, a cozy game worth trying, Elon roasts, and much more.
Plus, in this week’s Installer: Impressive new Nothing earbuds, adult Play-Doh, a Burning Man doc, and much more.
Plus, in this week’s Installer: Nolan did it again, a silly new AI gadget, a great update to a great notes app, and more.
Plus, in this week’s Installer: A new tiny e-reader, a word game from the word experts, life as a YouTuber, and more.
Data center bans in states like Florida reveal how the anti-AI movement is channeling bipartisan backlash.
It’s the second-largest data center market behind Virginia.
Words are cheap and the pledge lacks enforcement mechanisms.
Community pushback from across the US and beyond is making some companies reconsider their data center buildout plans.
How you feel about AI’s energy use might change how you feel about computers entirely.
Hit by an icy EV slump and a literal tornado, Rivian bets it all on the R2.
The Trump administration might not want trans kids to exist, but they’re living their lives anyway.
Experienced white-collar workers are now part of a miserable gig economy.
The incident impacts customers who ordered Steam devices in Europe.
Your Sonos speakers can now control your Lutron Caséta lights, plugs, and shades alongside your music with Sonos Voice Control. This is the second lighting integration for the speaker’s built-in assistant, which added the ability to control your Hue lights last year.
Google announced that you can now pay with your Venmo account on the Play Store, allowing you to purchase games and other content with your existing funds, linked cards, or bank accounts.
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Kata promises to “help users control devices, create automations, set up products, and troubleshoot issues simply by typing or speaking what they need.” It requires SwitchBot App version 9.29 or later.
Sky Sports reports that the Amazon founder is part of an investment consortium, along with Facebook co-founder Eduardo Saverin, close to buying a roughly 30-percent stake in one of the Premier League’s most successful clubs. Saverin has tried this before — he was part of a failed 2022 attempt to buy rival team Chelsea.
Game store Aptoide is now available through Google’s own Android storefront in the US.
Sony’s quest to bring good cybersecurity practices to its headphone names continues with the rumored WH-1000XM4C.
Zack Simpson:
My biggest gripe with the WH-1000XM4 was that it didn’t have enough letters and numbers in its name. Big fan of this change!
Get the day’s best comment and more in my free newsletter, The Verge Daily.
The assistant is rolling out to the Ford mobile app now. And by 2027, it will be available through the vehicle itself.
Muse Glimmer — essentially an open-weight version of Meta’s Muse Spark — is a 30 billion parameter model that can run on a Mac or PC with a single graphics card, allowing users to generate code, text, and images. While bigger parameter counts doesn’t necessarily mean better performance, Glimmer’s 30 billion is notably smaller than models from Chinese rivals, including Alibaba’s Qwen3.8-Max (2.4 trillion) and Moonshot AI’s Kimi K3 (2.8 trillion).
[Meta AI Research]
This report from The New York Times lays out the impact that Flock camera’s are having on communities in Texas, noting that 700 police departments across the state have now contracted with the surveillance company. Locals are pushing back, including cellphone tower repairman Philip, who uses the DeFlock app to publicly map the cameras: “Am I just being paranoid? No, they’re actually everywhere.”
[The New York Times]
Xbox and PC gamers in Australia are reportedly being notified that they’ll soon need to verify their age before purchasing 18+ rated apps and games on both the Xbox Store and Microsoft Store. Existing purchases and downloads won’t be affected. Microsoft has a September 9th deadline to comply with Australian online safety rules, or risk facing an almost AUS$50 million fine (about $34.9 million in US monies).
Is the inclusion of “happy little trees” in ad-loving LG’s digital art gallery enough of a reason to connect its TVs to the internet. Probably not.
Christopher Nolan’s epic has now grossed more than $289 million from IMAX screens alone (and over $1.1 billion in total), besting the $256 million lifetime IMAX gross of James Cameron’s Avatar. And releases in China and Japan are still to come. Yes, the format is worth it.
Podnews found evidence of the new ad-skipping function appearing “for Premium users in selected markets,” with the button appearing on screen as soon as ads, promos, or intros start. In a statement to the publication, Spotify noted that many people are skipping those things anyway: “We’re exploring ways to make podcast listening and viewing more intuitive for Premium subscribers based on how people use the platform.”
Shout out to subscriber Only Forward for sharing this on our post looking for your favorite bad movies. Propstore is auctioning off the original costume worn for the 2003 film, which is pretty terrifying in its own right. But somehow the empty suit is even more horrifying.
With the success of Whoop and other screen-free fitness bands like the Fitbit Air, Polar Loop, and Helio Strap, it’s not a surprise that the company is weighing its options. But nothing is set in stone yet. According to Mark Gurman:
The company is considering new devices with no displays, as well as different types of screens and various sizes. While unlikely to hit the market, round screens have even been considered. I’m told the work also includes potentially adding premium models beyond the Ultra and Hermès variants. On the lower end, Apple is considering more affordable concepts besides the current SE model.
The original episode featuring Paul Scheer and Jason Mantzoukas is one of the funniest things to ever grace a television screen. If you’ve never seen it, stop everything and watch it on YouTube now. There’s even a bonus, extremely spoilery bonus cut that’s fun as well. For the 10th anniversary, Gethard got the band back together, and it’s a blast.
The small cruise ship Wilderness Legacy rescued the skiff that ran out of fuel.
He still takes responsibility, saying ‘you don’t just turn it [driving] over to a computer.‘
Two people have filed a class action suit against Mercedes-AMG, claiming that a raised metal logo on the seats of certain models literally brands them on hot days. According to the Associated Press:
Lahigani, a Los Angeles resident, had leased a new 2026 Mercedes-AMG E-Class vehicle from an authorized Mercedes-Benz dealership in Los Angeles, according to the suit. He reported receiving second-degree burns on his back on May 31, after entering his vehicle wearing a tank top. A board-certified dermatologist subsequently documented first- and second-degree burns, describing the injury as “AMG inscribed.”
When catastrophe strikes, having your whole computer in the cloud makes recovery a breeze.
It’s the latest change in what has been a tumultuous few years for creators.
A couple of weeks ago, I admitted to you all that I love bad movies. Don’t get me wrong — I love arthouse films and critically acclaimed blockbusters, but some of the most fun I have had watching a movie has been introducing my siblings to Troll 2 and sharing Fateful Findings with friends over Zoom during the pandemic. So I want to know: what’s your favorite so-bad-it’s-good movie that I need to check out?
It’s rare that a video alone can make me motion sick, but yikes. This mod from RaYRoD TV puts you in the driver’s seat and is free to download. RaYRod has already put together similar mods for Star Fox 64, Sonic Robo Blast 2, and more. But something tells me this is the one most likely to make you lose your lunch.
This episode of BBC’s Tomorrow’s World features people weirdly excited about internet radio and online gaming. But it’s this bit about creating a digital avatar and trying to capture your personality in code that feels oddly prescient in the age of AI chatbots, but also deeply dystopian.
An Amazon-owned site in Pecos County, Texas, received a permit to release up to 33 million tons of CO2.
Just like the orange and grey special edition of the Fitbit Air we got in May, a new leak shows the Pixel Watch 5 with a similar band, suggesting Steph Curry will be lending his name to more Google gear.
Arturia’s Pigments is my go-to synth plugin. It’s powerful, versatile, and shockingly easy to build complex patches in. It’s currently marked down to $129 from its usual price of $199. But if you’re hesitant to commit even that much, the company just launched Pigments Play, a free stripped-down version.
[Arturia]
The host challenged the company to take on someone its own size.
It will be going away in 24 hours, but to celebrate 8/08 Bjooks, the company behind Beat Gems and Pedal Crush, is making Inspire the Music — 50 Years of Roland History free to read. The company is also offering 15 percent off the hardcover version for the day.
[Patch & Tweak]
Plus, in this week’s Installer: A new all-purpose backpack, the latest Bose cans, an Anthony Bourdain movie, and more.
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Restart’s former editor-in-chief says the ‘entire editorial team’ has been cut.
