False
        

    Skip to main content
                * Tech
                * Reviews
                * Science
                * Entertainment
                * AI
                * Policy
                *
                *
            Top StoriesLatestFollowing
                          Google’s upcoming Pixel phones are for the fans, even if its launch event isn’t

                      Google wants to have it both ways.

                        Dominic Preston Aug 11
                              The AI takeover of mathematics has begun
                            Robert Hart
                              Why your Amazon order confirmation emails have become so unhelpful
                            Mia Sato
                              Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t understand how to live
                            Elizabeth Lopatto
                              What happens to Bose when headphones become AI?
                            Nilay Patel
                            The AI takeover of mathematics has begun
                          Robert Hart
                            Why your Amazon order confirmation emails have become so unhelpful
                          Mia Sato
                            Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t understand how to live
                          Elizabeth Lopatto
                            What happens to Bose when headphones become AI?
                          Nilay Patel

              The latest Quick Posts

            AI impact / The AI industry is influencing daily life in unexpected ways.

                                AI detectors are creating a new era of distrust

                            Tools that promise to detect AI writing can be dubious, but educators and publishers are using them anyway.

                              Emma Roth
                                AI bots started a religion — humans immediately followed

                            AI models are trying desperately to accomplish mysterious goals. ‘Spiralism’ was the first time they tried it on a mass scale.

                              Hayden Field
                                Can Reddit fend off a new wave of AI SEO spam?

                            The era of AI-powered search has made Reddit mentions highly valuable. Subreddit moderators are catching brands trying to take advantage.

                              Mia Sato
                                AI warfare is already here

                            Anthropic’s fight with the Pentagon highlights the risks of autonomous warfare — but obscures just how close it is.

                              Hayden Field

            Pixel peeping / This year’s Made By Google event doesn’t kick off until later this week, but plenty of details have already surfaced.

                                What to expect from Google’s 2026 Pixel hardware launch event

                            Get ready for a bunch of new phones, smartwatches, and maybe even an item tracker.

                              Jay Peters
                                Pixel 11 Pro Fold design leaks ahead of Google launch event

                            Leaked marketing renders appear to show a new smartwatch and earbuds, too.

                              Jay Peters
                                Pixel 11 specs and price leak with no surprises

                            More confirmation that price hikes and RAM cuts are coming our way.

                              Terrence O'Brien
                                The Pixel colors might rule this year

                            If this hot pink Pixel is real, that would be awesome.

                              Emma Roth

          Most Popular

             1. 1
                          Mark Zuckerberg doesn’t understand how to live
                        Elizabeth Lopatto Aug 10
             2. 2
                          Why your Amazon order confirmation emails have become so unhelpful
                        Mia Sato Aug 11
             3. 3
                          Anker’s travel charger works in almost any country and is down to $20
                        Sheena Vasani Aug 10
             3. 3
             4. 4
                          Costco’s great Switch 2 console bundle includes over $100 in free stuff
                        Brad Bourque Aug 10
             4. 4
                          Why your Amazon order confirmation emails have become so unhelpful
                        Mia Sato Aug 11
             5. 5
                          Watching Roku’s AI channel is like eating from a trough
                        Charles Pulliam-Moore Aug 7
                          Claude will apply invisible watermarks to AI text and images
                        Jess Weatherbed Aug 11

            Staff picks / Our favorite stories you don’t want to miss.

                                The messy politics behind Google’s big AI shakeup

                            Google’s AI leadership changes may have come down to pressure to speed up products — and internal ethical conflicts.

                              Hayden Field
                                How an OpenAI influencer trip backfired

                            What did the content creators learn about ChatGPT at the “summer club” weekend trip?

                              Mia Sato
                                You could be taking way better photos on your phone

                            It takes a little more work, but phones can now legitimately rival point-and-shoot cameras.

                              David Imel
                                Why does Apple keep banning Telegram, but never X?

                            Apple yanked Telegram from the App Store over an instance of illegal content, while allowing X to remain amid a flurry of nonconsensual deepfakes.

                              Emma Roth

            Review roulette / A selection of our latest reviews, from games to gadgets.

                        3

                        Verge Score

                                Is this $450 laptop from an unknown brand too good to be true?

                            Short answer: Yes. Longer answer: Yeeeeeeeeeessssssss.

                              Antonio G. Di Benedetto
                                Nitecore’s latest power bank is the lightest and most compact yet

                            You gotta pay to play though.

                              Thomas Ricker
                                Samsung’s Z Fold 8 Ultra is more of the same, but better than ever

                            It doesn’t quite feel ‘Ultra,’ but it’s a comprehensive improvement on last year’s phone.

                              Dominic Preston
                                Big Walk is like co-op Breath of the Wild

                            You explore a vast world and solve tricky puzzles — but in Big Walk, you figure it all out with your friends.

                              Jay Peters
              LatestFollowing
                            Sean Hollister 47 seconds ago
                            Sean Hollister 12:51 AM UTC
                            Are you seeing a rival Android app store inside the US Google Play Store — or not?

                            Aptoide is the first third-party app store inside Google Play after Epic’s victory, but Aptoide CEO Paulo Trezentos tells me “I’d say 50% of people with a US account are not yet able to access it.” Most Verge staffers I’ve asked can, but a fully updated Pixel 9 review unit can’t. Google spox Dan Jackson tells me the feature is fully rolled out. Can you see it?

                                  Does your phone show an install button?
                              Saber denies replacing Rideshare Stimulator’s writers with ChatGPT

                          Saber’s CEO says the game’s story was ‘written entirely by real people’ except for one experimental mode.

                            Jay Peters 13 minutes ago
                            Richard Lawler An hour ago
                            Jay Peters 12:39 AM UTC
                            Richard Lawler Aug 11
                            JCB Hydromax sets a new land speed record for hydrogen combustion vehicles.

                            The FIA has recognized the Hydromax’s Speed Week runs at Utah’s Bonneville Salt Flats, measuring 400.623 mph and 412.135 mph for an average of 406.320 mph, as the new record for a hydrogen internal combustion-powered vehicle.

                            JCB makes heavy equipment and shoved two “production-based” hydrogen digger engines into a slim frame to set the record, with British driver and outright land speed record holder Andy Green behind the wheel.

                              Xbox Elite 3 prototype pad leaks with tiny built-in screen

                          Not a screen for your games, though.

                            Sean Hollister Two hours ago
                            Emma Roth Two hours ago
                            Sean Hollister Aug 11
                            Emma Roth Aug 11
                            OpenAI’s ethics chief has reportedly left the company.

                            Chloé Bakalar departed OpenAI last month, less than a year after joining OpenAI as its head of ethics, according to a report from the Financial Times. A source tells the outlet that there currently isn’t a replacement for Bakalar, who previously served as the chief ethicist at Meta for over three years.

                              OpenAI’s head of ethics leaves start-up less than a year after joining

                              [Financial Times]

                              An FCC filing points to new Sonos headphones coming soon

                          Some recently released FCC documents include the name Sonos Ace Ultra as potential successors to the brand’s first headphones.

                            John Higgins Aug 11
                            Jay Peters Aug 11
                            Apple updated the Siri app icon in its latest iOS 27 developer beta.

                            Now, it’s a glassier orb. I like it.

                            With beta 5, Apple also tweaked the Safari, Preview, Settings, and Remote app icons, according to 9to5Mac. I grabbed a screenshot of the new icons — what do you think?

                                  Image: Apple
                            Emma Roth Aug 11
                            An update on the Phoebe Gates shopping app saga.

                            Internal communications viewed by Bloomberg suggest that Phoebe Gates — Bill Gates’ daughter — knew that her shopping app, Phia, claimed commission for sales it didn’t drive using a method known as “cookie stuffing:”

                            Phoebe Gates was aware of features that automatically set cookies from at least Dec. 18, according to an internal Slack discussion reviewed by Bloomberg and confirmed by people familiar with the matter… Gates wanted to verify that Phia’s cookie was being dropped automatically when the box popped up even if the shopper didn’t click to use a coupon, according to two of the people. This would allow Phia to take the credit and commission for the total value of products sold.

                              ChatGPT and Gemini both just passed 1 billion users

                          OpenAI’s still the chatbot leader, but the race appears to be tightening fast.

                            David Pierce and Hayden Field Aug 11
                            Richard Lawler Aug 11
                            MegaLag is still digging up dirt on Honey.

                            Nearly two years after the YouTuber’s first video accusing PayPal’s Honey browser extension of ripping off customers, affiliated creators, and even retailers, he’s back.

                            This time, there are updates about how others like Rakuten have (belatedly) ended relationships with Honey, and the current state of the legal proceedings, while Austin Evans’ recent video examines how this scandal has both shaped and changed YouTuber sponsorships.

                            David Pierce Aug 11
                            Today’s Vergecast: Lessons from the very first chatbot.

                            Before Alexa and Siri, there was ELIZA. The first chatbot ever was the creation of a man named Joseph Weizenbaum, who built the bot almost as a magic trick — and then couldn’t believe how many people fell for it. David Berry and Mark Marino, two members of a team dedicated to restoring and understanding ELIZA, explain how Weizenbaum created the virtual conversant, why he came to regret it, and what ELIZA can teach us about life in the AI age.

                            Watch | Listen | Get ad-free

                            Stevie Bonifield Aug 11
                            Linux has a native ChatGPT desktop app now.

                            OpenAI announced that the new app is available in preview on Ubuntu, Debian, and Fedora, and includes ChatGPT along with Work and Codex.

                              Threads has a VR app now

                          Doomscrolling, but in VR.

                            Jay Peters Aug 11
                              Google’s free streaming service now lets you pick shows and movies to watch

                          Google TV Freeplay now lets you watch titles on demand, like Lady Bird, Hell’s Kitchen, and Seventeen Again.

                            Emma Roth Aug 11
                            Andrew Liszewski Aug 11
                            Another ’80s-era Commodore joystick has been resurrected.

                            The TAC-2 (totally accurate controller) first launched 43 years ago for Atari and Commodore personal computers. It’s still in demand today among retro enthusiasts, so the creators of the C64 Ultimate are bringing it back starting at $49.99 with a stronger steel joystick shaft and a bunch of new color options.

                                    *
                                    *
                                  1/2
                                  The TAC-2 is available for preorder now but not expected to start shipping until late October.
                                  Image: Commodore
                            Jay Peters Aug 11
                            The boss of Apple Pay is retiring.

                            Jennifer Bailey will be leaving Apple in October, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports. That means she’ll be leaving shortly after incoming CEO John Ternus takes over on September 1st.

                            In a memo to staff included in Gurman’s article, SVP of services Eddy Cue said that a succession plan will be announced before Bailey departs.

                              Another OpenAI executive takes off

                          Brad Lightcap, special projects lead and the company’s former COO, will be departing.

                            Hayden Field Aug 11
                            David Pierce Aug 11
                            ‘We have Formula 1 at home.’

                            ESPN lost Formula 1 rights last year, when Apple spent big to get the rights for Apple TV. Now, Disney is replacing F1 with… Formula E, the all-electric (and increasingly Formula 1-ish) racing series, starting this December on Disney Plus and ESPN Plus. Shockingly, this deal might come with less talk about battery management than whatever’s happening with F1.

                              Disney+ Revs Up as the Global Streaming Home of Formula E | The Walt Disney Company

                              [The Walt Disney Company]

                            TC Sottek Aug 11
                            Trump pioneers a new travel class.

                            Possibly not since ex-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn escaped Japanese authorities by hiding inside a music equipment box have we seen a powerful executive smuggle himself out of a country. The New York Times reports that our own chief executive Donald Trump hid in an airport catering container to travel surreptitiously from Turkey to Britain in July. Of course he left journalists on Air Force One unaware, perhaps as bait for “threats” from Iran.

                              Trump Said to Have Secretly Used Military Jet to Leave Turkey Amid Threats

                              [The New York Times]

                              The budget-friendly Pixel Buds 2a are even cheaper right now

                          Plus, catch discounts on Star Fox for Switch 2, Anker’s charging block with a screen, or a Philips wake-up light.

                            Brad Bourque Aug 11
                            Sean Hollister Aug 11
                            Razer’s new mouse turns a divisive feature into a new button.

                            The $180 Razer Naga V3 Pro MMO mouse has mouse buttons under three fingers instead of two. The entire ring finger rest is a button. The rest has been polarizing for years — the original Naga even let you remove it — but the new button is optional. You can lock it with a switch.

                            If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

                                    *
                                    *
                                    *
                                  1/3
                                  Not pictured: 22 other programmable buttons, including up to 12 on the left side panel.
                                  Image: Razer
                              Google’s upcoming Pixel phones are for the fans, even if its launch event isn’t

                          Google wants to have it both ways.

                            Dominic Preston Aug 11
                              Made by Google 2026: all the Pixel news and announcements

                          Google is set to reveal the Pixel 11 lineup and its next-gen foldable at this year’s event.

                            Emma Roth Aug 11
                            Stevie Bonifield Aug 11
                            Gundam director says his new post-apocalyptic series was inspired by AI.

                            Kamiyama Kenji said in an interview with Variety that Mobile Suit Gundam RG XARX-ZERO, releasing next year, is a metaphor for tech humanity is “already beginning to struggle to handle.”

                            Can we truly master a technology we did not create ourselves, or will we end up being used by it? It is a metaphor for technologies that humanity is already beginning to struggle to handle in reality, such as AI.

                            Jay Peters Aug 11
                            The Galaxy Z Fold 8 survives JerryRigEverything’s bend test.

                            It’s still a stomach-clenching moment, though. He also did a cool teardown.

                            Emma Roth Aug 11
                            FlightAware is suing Kalshi for using its flight data for bets.

                            The flight-tracking site claims Kalshi is using its data to “run gambling markets on flight cancellations” even after it asked the prediction market platform to stop. “Kalshi instead accessed FlightAware’s data without authorization and then represented to customers that market outcomes were ‘verified from FlightAware,’” the lawsuit states.

                              FlightAware sues Kalshi over flight cancellation prediction markets | TechCrunch

                              [TechCrunch]

                              Apple could help you prove your iPhone photos aren’t deepfakes

                          ‘Apple Reference Image’ may soon allow iPhone users to authenticate photographs at the point of capture.

                            Jess Weatherbed Aug 11
                            Emma Roth Aug 11
                            Manus is officially splitting up with Meta.

                            Meta acquired the agentic AI startup for $2 billion last year and has already added some of Manus’ tools into its platforms. But now, Manus has announced that it will “return to operating as an independent company” after China blocked the deal.

                              A Note to Our Users

                              [Manus]

                            Jay Peters Aug 11
                            Reigns is getting a 10th anniversary update today.

                            The update adds 190 new cards, some new deaths, and even a new secret ending to Nerial and Devolver Digital’s Tinder-like adventure game.

                            Since launching in 2016, the original game has been followed up by sequels and even themed spinoffs based on Game of Thrones and The Witcher.

                            Andrew Liszewski Aug 11
                            Satechi upgraded its screen-equipped charger to six USB-C ports and 240W of power.

                            The original version of the ChargeView debuted in April with four USB-C ports and a total output of 140W for $99.99. The new version carries forward the status display but bumps the charger’s connectivity to six USB-C ports and increases the shared power output to up to 240W for $149.99.

                            If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

                                    *
                                    *
                                    *
                                  1/3Image: Satechi
                            Charles Pulliam-Moore Aug 11
                            Luke Skywalker and Captain America walk into a bar.

                            Though the idea of a Star Wars and Marvel crossover comic sounds kind of terrible, that isn’t stopping Kevin Smith and artist David Marquez from working on Hope Assembles — a five-issue limited series that will “anchor the Star Wars franchise firmly in Marvel’s 616 universe” remix aspects of A New Hope.

                              Star Wars and Marvel set first-ever crossover with Kevin Smith-penned comic event

                              [Entertainment Weekly]

                            Jay Peters Aug 11
                            Insomniac says the disc version of Marvel’s Wolverine will be “fully playable” at launch.

                            No extra download needed, though there will be a day one patch, Eurogamer reports. Still, it’s good news in light of Sony’s recent announcement that it will stop making physical discs for new games starting in 2028.

                              Marvel's Wolverine "fully playable" on disc when it releases, Insomniac clarifies, perhaps making it one of the last few PlayStation games that will be

                              [Eurogamer.net]

                            Stevie Bonifield Aug 11
                            Voyager 2 gets to do science for another year after “Big Bang” update.

                            The probe’s remaining science instruments will keep working for an extra year or more after NASA powered off certain devices in favor of lower-powered ones. NASA also plans to send the “Big Bang” update to the probe’s twin, Voyager 1, in the coming months.

                              NASA Engineers Help Prolong Voyager 2’s Science Mission - NASA Science

                              [NASA Science]

                              ‘Zoomsday’ hack uncovered using fewer than 20 AI prompts

                          The Zoom vulnerability allowed hackers to take over everyone’s device on a call, security researchers say.

                            Emma Roth Aug 11
                            Andrew J. Hawkins Aug 11
                            Take a peek inside a Tesla Cybercab.

                            This Reddit user claims a Tesla employee left the door open on this Cybercab while charging. Sure! There’s steering wheel inside, which we’ve seen before. But also there’s something called “Rodeo controls” on the touchscreen, with buttons labeled “Short oops,” “Long oops,” “Win,” and “Voice notes.” These are no doubt controls for safety driver to record incidents or mistakes made by the self-driving system. Business Insider previously reported the existence of Tesla’s Project Rodeo, in which safety drivers would deliberately delay taking manual control longer than a typical driver.

                            Stevie Bonifield Aug 11
                            The Palma 2 now has a “BOOX-optimized” version of Instapaper.

                            The new version of the read-it-later app has “firmware-level integration” that Boox says significantly reduces screen ghosting and offers a faster refresh rate. It’s rolling out now on the Palma 2 and Palma 2 Pro in the V4.2 firmware update.

                            If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

                              How to Build a Deep Reading Habit: The BOOX x Instapaper Collaboration

                              [BOOX]

                            Charles Pulliam-Moore Aug 11
                            David Ellison’s ready to pull Paramount out of California.

                            David Ellison has reportedly decided to begin the process of moving Paramount out of California on October 1st if state attorney general Rob Bonta refuses to settle. As Variety notes, October 1st is when Paramount has to begin paying Warner Bros. Discovery shareholders $7 million per day in fees as the companies await their antitrust trial set for next March.

                              David Ellison Threatens to Pull Paramount Out of California Starting Oct. 1 if States Refuse to Negotiate Settlement in Antitrust Suit

                              [Variety]

                            Emma Roth Aug 11
                            Samsung is bringing hearing aid capabilities to its Galaxy Buds.

                            The FDA-approved hearing aid feature will arrive on the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro in the US and select markets later this year. Samsung has also announced that users will be able to perform a hearing test with the buds, which will use the results to amplify the sounds they have trouble hearing the most.

                                  Image: Samsung
                              Why your Amazon order confirmation emails have become so unhelpful

                          Good news! Your Beauty and Electronics items are arriving tomorrow!

                            Mia Sato Aug 11
                            Andrew Liszewski Aug 11
                            Maximize your carb loading with Panasonic’s new bread and ice cream maker.

                            Although the pairing may seem counterintuitive, bread machines are very good at stirring thick mixtures. In addition to mixing dough in a heated baking pan, Panasonic’s new multi-tasking but compact SD-PMC100 can churn ice cream ingredients in an included insulated bowl you freeze for at least eight hours ahead of time.

                                    *
                                    *
                                  1/2
                                  The SD-PMC100 is smaller than other bread makers and can only make bread loaves up to 500 grams in size, but it will also take up less counter or kitchen cabinet space.
                                  Image: Panasonic
                  More Stories
                Follow topics and authors on stories you like to see related articles here. Or try one of these:
                  * ai
                  * apple
                  * apps
                  * business
                  * features
                  * film
                  * gadgets
                  * gaming
                  * deals *
                  * google
                  * microsoft
                  * news
                  * policy
                  * reviews
                  * science
                  * smart home
                  * transportation
                  * tv shows
                * Free to read DONE
                  Already a Member? Sign In
              *
              *
              *
              *
              *
            * Contact
            * Tip Us
            * Community Guidelines
            * Archives
            * About
            * Ethics Statement
            * How We Rate and Review Products
            * Cookie Settings
            * Terms of Use
            * Privacy Notice
            * Cookie Policy
            * Licensing FAQ
            * Accessibility
            * Platform Status

        © 2026 Vox Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved