Google is under investigation by the European Union over concerns that it breached competition rules by imposing restrictions on web publishers and YouTube creators to gain an unfair advantage over other AI companies. Concerns outlined by the European Commission include using content from web publishers for features like AI Overviews and AI Mode in Search, … Read more
Over two years after Fairphone introduced its first pair of modular and repairable wireless headphones, the company has announced an upgraded version. The new Fairbuds XL look similar to the originals but feature an updated design with more comfortable fabrics and improved sound thanks to new drivers. What’s most interesting about these is that thanks … Read more
The discount brings the price down to $299 ($100 off). | Image: The Verge We thought Black Friday and Cyber Monday would bring the lowest prices of the year, but apparently not. Right now, you can snag Apple’s Watch Series 11 in the 42mm configuration with GPS for a new all-time low of $299 ($100 … Read more
Slack users can now access Anthropic’s Claude Code directly in Slack by tagging Claude on coding-related messages and threads. The new feature is launching today in beta as a research preview. When Claude is tagged, it will now automatically scan the message to see if it’s a coding task and, if so, route it to … Read more
Lenovo has already demonstrated its ability to put rollable OLEDs into laptops by graduating last year from demo concept models to shipping the ThinkBook Plus Gen 6, an actual device you can buy. It has a built-in mechanism that expands the screen vertically to give you more screen real estate for typing and scrolling. However, … Read more
At their biggest and most expensive, video games all sort of look the same. The reason often comes down to simple economics: More resources means more costs that need to be recouped, and historically the way publishers have done that is by being comically risk-averse. Hence the glut of semi-realistic rocky wastelands that look like … Read more
Joshua Aaron, the developer of the ICEBlock app, is suing Attorney General Pam Bondi, US Homeland Security Secretary Kirsti Noem, acting director of ICE Todd Lyons, White House “Border Czar” Tom Homan, and other federal officials over the Trump administration’s “unlawful threats” made against Aaron and its actions to pressure Apple to pull the app … Read more
Google provided this photo of Project Aura, as we were not allowed to take our own. | Photo: Google, Xreal Teased at Google I/O, Project Aura is a collaboration between Xreal and Google. It’s the second Android XR device (the first being Samsung’s Galaxy XR headset) and is expected to launch in 2026. Putting it … Read more
That vivid OLED display is one of the OmniBook’s biggest draws. You know what I love more than OLEDs? Cheap OLEDs. And that’s exactly what drew me to the 14-inch HP OmniBook 5. It’s a $700 Windows laptop with a Snapdragon X Plus processor and an OLED screen. That means it should have great battery … Read more
As if the Analogue 3D wasn’t nostalgic enough, the 4K N64 emulator will soon be available in a handful of transparent “Funtastic” limited editions going on sale on December 10th at 8AM Pacific/11AM Eastern. The vibrant transparent models will be available “in highly limited quantities,” and they’ll cost more than the standard model at $299. … Read more
Skate Story is two very different things simultaneously. On the one hand, it’s a visceral take on skateboarding, providing a tight, fast, ground-level view as you brute-force your way through tricks and combos. But it’s also a surrealist trip through the underworld where you control a skateboarding demon who faces off against the devil. Think … Read more
Meta will soon give Instagram and Facebook users in the European Union the option to limit personalized ads, in an effort to comply with the bloc’s tech rules. The European Commission announced that the new advertising options will be rolled out in January 2026, and that this is “the first time that such a choice … Read more
We’re one year into the experiment of running The Verge with subscriptions, and so far things are going quite well – but we’ve heard a lot of feedback so far, and we’ve got some exciting changes in store to try and make this thing even better. We hit our subscriber goals for 2025, and an … Read more
Power strips are generally pretty boring. You plug stuff into them, then you try your best to hide the strip along with all of the cables feeding into it. But Genki’s Moonbase is meant to be displayed loud and proud on your desk. The retrofuturism-inspired strip we wrote about at the end of last year … Read more
OpenAI has turned off some promotional app messages in ChatGPT after users complained that the chatbot was showing them ads. In a post on X, OpenAI’s chief research officer, Mark Chen, said that the company is working to improve the experience after showing ChatGPT users in-app messages promoting companies like Peloton and Target, and that … Read more
The Boys‘ fifth and final season is headed to Amazon Prime Video on April 8th, 2026. In addition to a release date, Prime Video revealed the trailer for season five during CCXP in Brazil, offering a look at the reunion between Supernatural costars Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles, as reported earlier by Variety. The Boys … Read more
Today, I’m talking with Willem Avé, who’s head of product at Square. You know Square — it was started by billionaire Jack Dorsey, of Twitter fame, more than 15 years ago, and it got big on the back of that little magnetic reader that plugged into the headphone jack of the iPhone and let small … Read more
Paramount has launched a $108.4 billion hostile takeover bid for Warner Bros. Discovery, calling Netflix’s $83 billion arrangement to purchase the entertainment giant’s studios and streaming service “inferior.” The Paramount proposal, unlike Netflix’s, would also include the linear networks owned by WBD. Paramount says its deal offers a “superior alternative to the Netflix transaction,” citing … Read more
Segway’s modest e-bike lineup is about to gain a new entrant. The Ninebot-owned brand, once known for its pioneering self-balancing scooters, currently only sells two e-bikes: the moto-styled Xyber and the low-step Xafari. Now it’s getting a third, Myon, which it plans on officially debuting at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas next year. … Read more
In 1914 Joseph Pilates was sitting in a World War I-era internment camp watching his fellow inmates waste away when he had an idea. As he later recounted to a journalist, the skinny prison courtyard cats kept spry and limber, stretching and moving even as they starved — could the German citizens interned in the … Read more
There’s an argument to be made that “the real monster is trauma” has become an overused trope in modern horror. Hereditary, The Babadook, and, much less effectively, Smile, are just a few higher-profile examples. But, if you ask me, few films have deployed this trope quite as effectively as the 2020 film His House. The … Read more
In November, Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s co-CEO made a trip to the White House for a lengthy meeting with Donald Trump. According to Bloomberg, the two discussed a number of topics, but chief among them was Netflix’s plan to bid on Warner Bros. At the end of their conversation, Sardonos felt that “Netflix wouldn’t face immediate … Read more
Friday, the EU slapped X with a €120 million fine (about $140 million) for violating the Digital Services Act (DSA). It was the first time that a company had been hit with a penalty for running afoul of the law. Elon Musk responded with his trademark tact and professionalism by posting “Bullshit” on X in … Read more
It’s easy to think about AI as a sort of existential battle between human and machine. Maybe it will be, someday, in a Skynet sort of way. But there are also lots of people trying to figure out how to use AI not as a replacement for human creativity and thinking but as a tool … Read more
Google didn’t invent the concept of smart glasses, but it did help make them mainstream. In retrospect, 13 years after their launch, this is both a good and bad thing. Glass made a lot of people dream about new ways to use computers without staring down at screens all day. Glass also made a lot … Read more
Year Walk. | Image: Simogo It may be hard to believe now, but the App Store was once a thriving place for inventive indie games. The ubiquity of the iPhone coupled with the relative ease of development for the platform meant that smaller studios were able to get their games in front of huge audiences, … Read more
This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on how to work anywhere, follow Thomas Ricker. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers’ inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. How it started I’ve worked from home for 20 years. In that time, … Read more
Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 108, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, hope your holiday shopping is going well, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I’ve been reading about Ariana Grande and pelvic floors and … Read more
Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman is reporting that Johny Srouji, senior vice president of hardware technologies, told Tim Cook he is “seriously considering” leaving Apple for another company in the near future. It was reported in October that Srouji was “evaluating his future at the tech giant.” While nothing is confirmed, it seems the executive is leaning … Read more
It’s a great time to consider buying Nintendo’s latest console. | Photo: Cameron Faulkner / The Verge Cyber week has just about wrapped up, but there are still some amazing Cyber Monday leftovers that you can save money on. The one deal we can’t stop telling readers about is the unexpected $50 discount on Nintendo’s … Read more