The latest tech news about the world's best (and sometimes worst) hardware, apps, and much more. From top companies like Google and Apple to tiny startups vying for your attention, Verge Tech has the latest in what matters in technology daily.
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Gmail’s tabs are actually useful now that I’ve found this extension
Thanks to this extension, I can now organize my inboxes in ways that make sense for my life.
Apple is finally rolling out AirPlay in hotel rooms
Your iPhone’s AirPlay feature connects to the TV starting today at ‘select’ hotels throughout the US, Canada, and Mexico.
Apple’s headset doesn’t have an official Netflix app, but MacRumors mentions Best Buy’s app has arrived.
Just put on your Vision Pro, open the Best Buy Envision app and scroll through hundreds of options to see them appear digitally, right in front your eyes, in your physical space.
Now, all we need is a Netflix app for those virtual TVs.
Like Rainbow Six Siege, Call of Duty, and Destiny 2, the developers of Overwatch 2 are going after players who use “unapproved peripherals” to combine the precision of mouse and keyboard controls with the aim assist granted to controller players.
Over the next few weeks, there will be permanent account bans against players who are the most severe abusers of unapproved peripherals. These actions will be targeted towards high-ranked players who have been reported by others and who our data clearly shows are using an unapproved peripheral.
Zhang Yiming founded ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, but previously served as the CEO of 99Fang, a Chinese home finder startup with “very powerful” tech for search, image processing, and recommendations.
Now, The New York Times reports that former contractors suing Susquehanna, an investor in both companies, claim technology they developed for 99Fang was used to create TikTok without compensating them.
Futurism spotted what looks to be AI photo shenanigans in Netflix’s What Jennifer Did, a true crime documentary detailing a murder-for-hire plot. The possible AI-generated images appeared in scenes describing the subject, Jennifer Pan’s personality. Futurism rightly points out that fake AI images in a true crime documentary are controversial, at the least.
In 2020, Apple sued a recycling partner after more than 11,000 pounds of gadgets disappeared. But a Bloomberg report reveals that workers pilfering iPhones isn’t the only problem with Apple’s recycling program.
The company regularly ordered the recycling partner to destroy “tens of thousands” of refurbishable devices, legal filings show. Such waste occurs regularly throughout the globe.
[Bloomberg]
Co-CEO Greg Peters says the streamer doesn’t have a “set position” on a ceiling for its subscription pricing:
You can look at pay TV as a potential markers for where people have spent before but we really actually don’t think of it so much is defined by that... As we add more entertainment value, then of course we can go back to our subscribers and ask them to pay a little bit more to keep that virtuous cycle moving.
If it pushes through, the European Commission could look into whether Microsoft’s $13 billion investment into OpenAI restricts competition, Reuters reports. The commission floated the possibility of an investigation in January.
The partnership between the two companies already drew scrutiny from the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority and the Federal Trade Commission in the US.
Eisenberg sent the price of MNGO tokens up, then withdrew $110 million in crypto. He did not testify.
His defense pointed out the was permitted by the crypto’s code. Turns out code isn’t law!
The Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act has been circulating since at least 2020, seeking to close this loophole in constitutional privacy protections. A version of the bill finally passed Wednesday evening, in a 212–199 vote.
Spyra recently sent me its new $54 SpyraGo electric water blaster, so I decided to bring back a literal blast from the past: a 1998 Super Soaker CPS 2500, one of the most effective hosers ever made.
Below, see how they perform against the flagship $179 SpyraThree and the $15 X-Shot Epic Fast Fill, one of the best budget soakers you can buy!
As we saw in the beta release this new version of Adobe Express packs the same creative, editing, and generative AI features that desktop users have into an iOS and Android app.
It’s free to use, but to access Firefly and the full suite of editing tools you’ll need a $10 per month Premium membership.
The Short Stack: a scale model of a Nintendo Wii one-thirteenth the size, with an actual trimmed Wii motherboard inside. Four headset jacks do duty as working GameCube controller ports, attached to custom PCBs that add USB-C power, HDMI output, and microSD storage.
Update: Here’s a video of it working, GameCube pad and all!
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We’ve seen Zuck in his grilling phase (both meat and in front of Congress) as an MMA athlete, a metaverse CEO, and now... announcing AI updates as a middle-aged man wearing a chain.
The good news is that, unlike the “gold” chain I bought on Virginia Beach in the 90s, I doubt it will turn his skin green.
A group of key senators introduced the Future of AI Innovation Act Thursday to promote artificial intelligence research and innovation and create global standards for the technology.
The group’s sponsors include Commerce Committee Chair Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Todd Young (R-IN), a member of Majority Leader Chuck Schumer’s AI working group, and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN), and John Hickenlooper (D-CO).
[www.commerce.senate.gov]
Apple Watch ban: everything you need to know
Apple’s ability to sell the Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 in the US is in trouble due to a patent dispute — here’s all the latest news.
Alex told us they were coming, but it looks like Meta is flipping the switch as we speak — adding Meta AI searches alongside traditional ones in each app’s default search box. Oh, and some Ask Meta AI mini-prompts, too. If Meta AI has an answer to something you type, it’ll show a blue-violet circle next to that search result.
Microsoft has been testing an Xbox Mastercard for more than six months and it’s now opening it up to everyone in the US today. The Xbox Mastercard is a no annual fee credit card issued by Barclays, and purchases made using the card will generate points that can be redeemed on Xbox games and add-ons.
Reviews
The OnePlus Watch 2 is what redemption looks like
The internet really is a series of tubes
Anker’s latest Soundcore Sleep earbuds actually improve slumber
Smart string light showdown: Nanoleaf versus Lifx
At Kernel, your veggie burger will be served by a robot
Its robotic arm heats vegan burgers and crispy potatoes while relegating humans to assembly line jobs.