A nasal spray company wants to make it harder for the FTC to police health claims
In the midst of the covid-19 pandemic, a health products company called Xlear began advertising its saline nasal spray to people desperately searching for ways to protect themselves from a new virus. In its marketing, Xlear pointed to studies that it said supported the idea that ingredients in the spray could block viruses from sticking […]
MindsEye developer undergoing layoffs less than a month after launch
Build a Rocket Boy has confirmed previous reports from IGN that it is undergoing layoffs less than a month after the tumultuous release of its first game MindsEye. The Verge reached out to Build a Rocket Boy to confirm the layoffs, but they did not respond. In a statement made to IGN, Build A Rocket […]
Just say no to NO FAKES Act, EFF argues

The problem is focusing on property rights rather than privacy

The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) says the revised version of the NO FAKES Act, reintroduced in April, would be a disaster for free speech and innovation if signed into law.…

The US is stripping its forests of decades-old protections
The Trump administration wants to open up tens of millions of acres of national forest to development. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced yesterday that it’s rescinding a landmark rule that prevents road construction and timber harvesting in the last unfragmented stretches of national forest.  The USDA says the move will boost timber production, […]
Don't panic, but it's only a matter of time before critical 'CitrixBleed 2' is under attack

Why are you even reading this story? Patch now!

Citrix patched a critical vulnerability in its NetScaler ADC and NetScaler Gateway products that is already being compared to the infamous CitrixBleed flaw exploited by ransomware gangs and other cyber scum, although there haven't been any reports of active exploitation. Yet.…

The Titan 2 is a modernized BlackBerry with 5G, Android, and a second screen
Despite the demise of the BlackBerry, there’s still a demand for smartphones with physical keyboards, if successful products like the Clicks keyboard case are any indication. Unihertz, a Chinese company best known for its small Android handsets, has announced the Titan 2: a follow-up to its first BlackBerry Passport-inspired smartphone that adds modern upgrades like […]
This 55-inch QLED TV is on sale for $565 and looks like a picture frame when it isn’t being used
With Amazon’s Prime Day just a few weeks away, we’re already starting to see deals on TVs ahead of the four-day event. If you want to get a head start on your shopping, TCL’s subbrand, iFFALCON, has dropped the price of its 55-inch QLED 4K Mural TV to a new low price at Amazon. It […]
LLMs can hoover up data from books, judge rules

Anthropic scores a qualified victory in fair use case, but got slapped for using over 7 million pirated copies

One of the most tech-savvy judges in the US has ruled that Anthropic is within its rights to scan purchased books to train its Claude AI model, but that pirating content is legally out of bounds.…

Apple Wallet notifications for an F1 movie promotion ticked off iPhone owners
Apple poured some good money into making F1 – a Formula 1 racing movie starring Brad Pitt – and it wants its customers to know that. To that end, many people, including some Verge staffers, noticed an unusual Apple Wallet notification this morning that’s both an advertisement and promotion for the film.  The notification prompts […]
Paramount Plus with Showtime is getting a rebrand
“Paramount Plus with Showtime” has always been one of the more awkward bits of branding to come out of the streaming era, but soon subscribers will know the tier by another name. This week Paramount informed Paramount Plus subscribers that Paramount Plus with Showtime — the platform’s most expensive tier that features Showtime programming and […]
Axiom Mission 4 finally set for launch June 25

Fifth and final Crew Dragon ready for first flight to the ISS tomorrow

NASA has a launch date for Axiom Mission 4. The much-delayed private astronaut expedition is now targeting for liftoff on Wednesday, June 25.…

Netflix is letting go of some of its best indie games
If you’ve been enjoying Hades on mobile via Netflix, you better get in those last few runs while you still can. First spotted by Engadget, and confirmed via the Netflix app, Supergiant’s Greek mythology inspired roguelike and 21 other games are being delisted from the service next month. Several titles like Braid, Katana Zero, and […]
WD escapes half a billion in patent damages as judge trims award to $1

SPEX Technologies still gets the win, but failed to 'adequately tie a dollar amount' to infringing acts, says order

Western Digital has succeeded in having the sum it owed from a patent infringement case reduced from $553 million down to just $1 in post-trial motions, when the judge found the plaintiff's claims had shifted during the course of the litigation.…

Mozilla rolls out Firefox 140 with ESR status and fresh features

Say hello to a year's support, but bid goodbye to Pocket

The latest Mozilla Firefox is trickling out – and it's an Extended Support Release (ESR).…

Hideo Kojima sees Death Stranding 2 as a cautionary tale
For once, the unflappable Hideo Kojima was overwhelmed. Even close to four decades of game-making experience didn't prepare him for his biggest tribulation so far: developing Death Stranding 2: On the Beach during the covid-19 pandemic. "I thought I can't pull this off. [I can't] meet people or scan people, or shoot with people. I […]
Beware of fake SonicWall VPN app that steals users' credentials

A good reminder not to download apps from non-vendor sites

Unknown miscreants are distributing a fake SonicWall app to steal users' VPN credentials.…

Samsung’s offering a $50 credit if you commit to preordering its upcoming Galaxy foldable
Samsung has announced an Unpacked event that’s happening on Wednesday, July 9th at 10AM ET. Details are sparse, but it shared the tagline “Ultra Unfolds,” which suggests we’re about to learn a whole lot more about a premium foldable phone, and perhaps some other foldables. However, you don’t have to wait for the keynote to […]
Tesla’s robotaxis are operating in a regulatory vacuum
This week, Tesla launched its long-promised robotaxi service in Austin, and almost immediately its vehicles were caught fucking up. In a YouTube video, a Tesla robotaxi briefly drives on the wrong side of the road. Another video shared by Ed Niedermeyer, the author of a book about Tesla's origins, shows a robotaxi braking hard in […]
Google finally lets Android users put Chrome’s address bar on the bottom
Google is starting to roll out a feature for Chrome on Android that lets users move the address bar to the bottom of the screen. It’s something that iOS Chrome users have been able to do since 2023, and it could help make the address bar more easily accessible, especially if you are using a […]
Microsoft makes Windows 10 extended security updates free, but there’s a catch
Microsoft revealed last year that it will charge consumers $30 for a year of extra security updates to Windows 10. Now, it’s allowing consumers to enroll into its Extended Security Updates (ESU) free of charge ahead of the Windows 10 end of support on October 14th. But there’s a catch. Consumers will have three options […]
Philips Hue is raising prices in the US ‘as a direct result of tariffs’
You’ll soon have to pay more for various Philips Hue smart lighting and security gadgets if you live in the US. After vaguely notifying customers that prices will “go up” on July 1st in a promotional message, Philips Hue’s parent company Signify has confirmed that it’s inflating prices across the Philips Hue portfolio “as a […]
The latest Fire TV Stick 4K is half off ahead of Prime Day
Streaming sticks can breathe new life into an older TV, and help you get even more out of a modern one. Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K is one most affordable around, with a snappy interface, access to a plethora of streaming apps, and the ability to control some smart home devices from your couch. The […]
HPE puts all its chips in the agentic AI pot

Another OEM has decided we're now in the agentic AI age

HPE Discover 2025  In another sign that AI agents have taken over the enterprise zeitgeist, the theme at HPE Discover this year is all about cramming the automated workflow bots anywhere they'll fit, whether or not agentic AI is mature for all use cases. …

Nomad’s minimalist MagSafe wallet has a tracking card built in
Nomad already sells a line of leather wallets that can be bundled with the company’s Apple-compatible Tracking Card, allowing them to be located if misplaced. The company’s new Leather Mag Wallet is its first to instead feature the tracker’s electronics built right in, so you don’t need to sacrifice a card slot in order to […]
Roblox wants to better reward creators for bringing players back
Roblox is introducing two new systems that are designed to further encourage creators to bring players onto the social games platform on a regular basis. The systems, part of what Roblox is calling Creator Rewards, will roll out beginning July 24th. One is the Daily Engagement Reward program, which gives Roblox creators 5 Robux for […]
These battery-powered 4K cameras record 24/7
TP-Link just launched a bunch of new security cameras for its Tapo smart home brand, including a 4K-capable line for outdoors and a slew of inexpensive pan and tilt cams that can be used indoors and out — all without any subscription fees. The company is also finally releasing its Tapo HomeBase H500 hub, first […]
Nvidia’s RTX 5050 GPU starts at $249 with last-gen GDDR6 VRAM
Nvidia has announced GeForce RTX 5050 GPUs for both desktops and laptops with support for ray tracing and DLSS 4 with Multi Frame Generation.  On the desktop side, the RTX 5050 will start at $249, draw up to 130W of power, and feature 8GB of last-gen GDDR6 video memory (VRAM) and 2,560 Blackwell CUDA cores. […]
Bezos beams up batch two as Project Kuiper plays catch-up with Starlink

ULA's Atlas V deploys second load of Amazon's broadband satellites

The second batch of Amazon's Project Kuiper broadband satellites has launched, but Team Bezos has a long way to go to match the coverage of Elon Musk's Starlink.…

Anthropic wins a major fair use victory for AI — but it’s still in trouble for stealing books
A federal judge has sided with Anthropic in an AI copyright case, ruling that training — and only training — its AI models on legally purchased books without authors’ permission is fair use. It’s a first-of-its-kind ruling in favor of the AI industry, but it’s importantly limited specifically to physical books Anthropic purchased and digitized. […]
AI may be after your job, but this AI agent promises to help you get a new one

'Jobright Agent' can apply for jobs on your behalf

The jury is still out on whether AI will take your job, but there's a new AI tool that promises to help you find a new one if you're pressed.…

Microsoft is about to retire default outbound access for VMs in Azure

'Things will break,' Aviatrix CPO tells El Reg

Interview  In September, Microsoft will retire default outbound access for VMs in Azure. "It's not quite a Y2K moment," says Aviatrix CPO Chris McHenry, "but things will break."…

Nintendo’s wheelchair basketball game will be out in August
Drag x Drive is the next Switch 2 exclusive to get a release date. Nintendo, via its Nintendo Today news app, announced that the 3 v 3 wheelchair basketball game would be out August 14th. Since the launch of the Switch 2 earlier this month, most of the new console’s catalogue has been third party […]
Microsoft planning ‘major’ Xbox layoffs next week
Microsoft is planning to cut jobs in the company’s Xbox gaming business, as early as next week. I first reported in Notepad earlier this month that Microsoft was planning Xbox layoffs “potentially by the end of the month,” and now Bloomberg says a round of “major layoffs” is due next week. I understand managers at […]
Android’s youthful new design will change the way you make and answer calls
Google is freshening up its Phone app with a new interface that’s supposed to make it easier to find contacts and your calls. The test is gradually rolling out to some of Google’s public beta users, and also includes some style changes that align with Android’s more youthful Material 3 Expressive design language. For starters, […]
I skipped every Death Stranding cutscene and I’ll do it again
I beat the original Death Stranding, but please don't ask me what happened in it. There was a cataclysm - not quite a Gommage - that made the US more divided than ever, and you play as a babysitter-meets-delivery-guy who has special awareness of invisible, hostile creatures called BTs that are "beached," which isn't as […]
Google DeepMind’s optimized AI model runs directly on robots
Google DeepMind is rolling out an on-device version of its Gemini Robotics AI model that allows it to operate without an internet connection. The vision-language-action model (VLA) comes with dexterous capabilities similar to the one released in March, but Google says “it’s small and efficient enough to run directly on a robot.” The flagship Gemini […]
What a set of knockoff headphones taught me about headphones — and knockoffs
As a rule, you should never believe anything you see on social media. And you should really never believe anything someone says in a video with a TikTok Shop link, because they are nakedly trying to sell you something. From candy to headphones to supplements to power tools, TikTok has built a remarkable system: creators […]
Xlibre forks to the rescue – but Kubuntu gives X11 the boot

Summer Solstice release lands as another distro ditches the old display protocol

Depending on who you ask, the recent turbulent times in the world of X11 could be a new dawn – or the eddies around a sinking ship.…

Amazon bringing same-day delivery to ‘millions’ of rural customers
Amazon announced its intention to bring same-day and next-day delivery to “tens of millions” of people who live in live in smaller towns by the end of 2026. Speedier deliveries will be available to residents “in more than 4,000 smaller cities, towns, and rural communities,” the company said in a press release Tuesday. Items categorized […]
Tesla’s robotaxi reality check
After years of grand promises about how robotaxis would change the way we buy and use our cars, Tesla finally launched its taxi service. In one small portion of one city. With only a few cars and a few riders. Plus safety monitors in the passenger seat. Caution is a good thing in this industry, […]
8BitDo’s controllers will work with the Switch 2 after a firmware update
8BitDo announced that eight of its flagship controllers are now compatible with the Nintendo Switch 2 following a firmware update. Although some companies had early access to the Switch 2’s specs to build accessories like cases and screen protectors, many had to wait until launch day to ensure their devices were compatible with the new […]
A week in Xbox VR with Microsoft and Meta’s new $399 headset
Microsoft and Meta announced an Xbox-branded Quest VR headset last year, and it's going on sale today for $399.99. The Meta Quest 3S Xbox Edition is a custom colorway VR headset that comes bundled with an Xbox wireless controller, matching Touch Plus controllers, and three months of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. I've been using the […]
World's largest camera shows galaxy in 3,200 megapixel glory as Rubin telescope goes online

20TB of galactic shots a day, backed by Microsofties

High on a Chilean mountain the Vera C. Rubin Observatory is, at last, photographing the galaxy and the first shots have found 2,104 new asteroids in the Solar System in its initial ten hours of operation.…

AT&T is making it easier to send pictures to 911 dispatchers
AT&T is updating its next-gen 911 network to give users more efficient ways to share important information with emergency services. Starting in October, AT&T’s ESInet emergency communications platform will make it easier for AT&T customers to share pictures and video messages with supported dispatch centers, helping to quickly explain the situation and better prepare first […]
Google Earth adds old Street View captures to rewind time from the street level
Google Earth will now let you look at historical imagery from Street View. The update, which comes as part of the tool’s 20th anniversary, allows you to see how a location has changed over time. Google Earth already offers the ability to switch to Street View while viewing satellite imagery, but now you can look […]
Four REvil ransomware crooks walk free, escape gulag fate, after admitting guilt

Russian judge lets off accused with time served – but others who refused to plead guilty face years in penal colony

Four convicted members of the once-supreme ransomware operation REvil are leaving captivity after completing most of their five-year sentences.…

How AI infiltrated perfume
At a pristine, multimillion-dollar lab on the Manhattan waterfront, just down the street from a men's homeless shelter and the medical examiner's office, a slice of summer plum is being converted into fragrance code. This is the work of Osmo, a fragrance tech startup claiming to build artificial olfactory intelligence. Osmo has parlayed this innovation […]
Waymo’s robotaxis are now available on the Uber app in Atlanta
Uber customers in Atlanta now have the option of hailing a driverless Waymo robotaxi, the company announced today. Atlanta is the second market, after Austin, to play host to Uber and Waymo’s burgeoning autonomous ridehail partnership. At launch, Waymo’s vehicles will be available exclusively on the Uber app in Atlanta. The two companies first announced […]
Verizon adopts Google’s Gemini AI to help customers solve ‘complex’ issues
Verizon is trying to streamline its customer service experience by overhauling it with more chatbots and AI tools. The My Verizon app is being relaunched today with a new “AI-powered Verizon Assistant” that aims to help consumers “manage upgrades, add new lines, ask billing questions, take advantage of savings, and more,” according to the telecom […]
Google faces UK clampdown as watchdog floats market power rules

CMA roadmap outlines potential restrictions on how ad slinger operates in the country

Google is one step closer to strategic market status (SMS) designation in the UK following a proposal from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) regarding search and advertising.…

Riot is shutting down studio behind its Minecraft-like game
Riot Games is closing the studio behind Hytale, its Minecraft-like game that has been in development for nearly a decade. Hypixel Studios, which Riot acquired in 2020 for an undisclosed sum, is shutting down “over the next few months,” according to Hypixel CEO Aaron “Noxy” Donaghey. “After years of pushing forward, adapting, and exploring every […]
Datacenter market offers us captive customer base, say investors

AI boom sparks surge in bit barn funding as firms tout high barriers and sticky clients

What do investors find most attractive about datacenters? One of the simple answers is customer lock-in. "When your contracts come to an end, your customers typically prefer to stay at your datacenter," said one asset firm exec.…

Windows 11’s indicators for volume and brightness can soon be moved out of the way
Microsoft is testing a new feature in Windows 11 that will let you move hardware indicators pop-ups like volume and screen brightness to the top-left and top-center positions of a display. The customization feature is part of a new Dev Channel build of Windows 11 that also includes a new Recall homepage that lists the […]
Tiling terminal multiplexers for the console connoisseur

Split your shell for fun and profit – even over remote connections

All the fun of a tiling window manager right on the console, without needing a GUI at all. What's not to like?…

China’s trying to slim down, which will fatten the smartwatch market

Sales are already surging thanks to Beijing's subsidies and Trump's tariffs

China recently launched an initiative to reduce the incidence of obesity in the country, a move analyst firm IDC thinks will fatten the market for smartwatches and smart wristbands.…

Raleigh One e-bike launches with VanMoof DNA
The Raleigh One e-bike is now official after The Verge first published details of it last week. It was developed for the Accell Group’s Raleigh brand with help from VanMoof’s cofounders, Ties and Taco Carlier, according to my sources. The announcement never mentions their involvement, which could be viewed as good or bad — good if you […]
Lenovo shows what a Chromebook packing a MediaTek Kompanio Ultra can do

Nothing startling, even with Google’s AI extras

Lenovo has released the first Chromebook Plus packing MediaTek’s Kompanio Ultra, the system-on-chip that includes a 50 TOPS neural processing unit, and at first glance it looks speedy and includes some AI features but is otherwise mundane.…

'Psylo' browser tries to obscure digital fingerprints by giving very tab its own IP address

Gotta keep 'em separated so the marketers and snoops can't come out and play

Psylo, which bills itself as a new kind of private web browser, debuted last Tuesday in Apple's App Store, one day ahead of a report warning about the widespread use of browser fingerprinting for ad tracking and targeting.…

Omnissa brings VDI-style app packaging to physical PCs

VMware spin-out is making friends and choosing some enemies

Omnissa, the independent company that acquired VMware’s former end-user compute portfolio, has tweaked its App Volumes product that packages and deploys desktop apps for use on virtual PCs so it works on physical machines too.…

OpenAI’s first AI device with Jony Ive won’t be a wearable
Thanks to a related trademark lawsuit, we know what OpenAI and Jony Ive's first AI device won't be. In court filings submitted this month, leaders from io - the consumer hardware team OpenAI recently acquired from Jony Ive's design studio for $6.5 billion - testified that the first device they plan to release won't be […]
Yale’s new Google Home smart lock is here — but it costs more thanks to tariffs
The Yale Smart Lock with Matter is launching tomorrow, June 24th, for $189.99 — $20 more than when it was first announced in March. Yale tells The Verge the price increase is due to the impact of tariffs. The lock will be available on Amazon and Yale’s website. According to Yale, the new smart lock was […]
Typhoon-like gang slinging TLS certificate 'signed' by the Los Angeles Police Department

Chinese crew built 1,000+ device network that runs on home devices then targets critical infrastructure

A stealthy, ongoing campaign to gain long-term access to networks bears all the markings of intrusions conducted by China’s ‘Typhoon’ crews and has infected at least 1,000 devices, primarily in the US and South East, according to Security Scorecard's Strike threat intel analysts. And it uses a phony certificate purportedly signed by the Los Angeles police department to try and gain access to critical infrastructure.…

Samsung confirms Unpacked for early July
Samsung’s summer Unpacked is officially on, starting at 10AM ET on Wednesday, July 9th. The invitation features a jazzy little bop and the words “Ultra Unfolds,” so I think it’s safe to assume we’re getting that foldable Ultra phone the company previously hinted at. The event is set to take place in Brooklyn, but you […]
T-Mobile’s satellite service officially launches in July
After spending the first half of the year in beta testing, T-Mobile’s Starlink-powered satellite service will go public on July 23rd. While it will only include messaging at launch, the company has some ambitious plans to expand the service before the end of the year. When it goes live next month, “T-Satellite” will be available […]
Nintendo’s GameCube controller for the Switch 2 is available once again
If you missed the chance to pick up Nintendo’s new GameCube Controller for the Switch 2, your time has come. It’s back in stock for $64.99 at the My Nintendo Store. To add one to your collection, you’ll need to have a Nintendo Switch Online subscription, which starts at $19.99 a year for individuals. Once […]
Phew: Apple fixed the Finder icon in macOS Tahoe 26
Apple’s first macOS Tahoe 26 developer beta introduced a big change to the Finder icon that I really didn’t like, but thankfully, the company has reversed it with the second beta released today. A big feature of macOS 26 is Apple’s new Liquid Glass design language, which it has applied across the operating system to […]
The Steam Deck OLED is back in stock
If you’ve been itching to get a handheld, but the Switch 2 isn’t quite up your alley, now you can get your hands on a Steam Deck OLED. As spotted by @Wario64, Valve has started selling the device on its online store again after it was out of stock in the US and Canada for […]
America and Britain gear up with Project Flytrap to bring anti-drone kit to the battlefield

Prepping to fight the next war, not the last one

video  The US Army, alongside British and other NATO partners, is testing the latest counter-drone kit at a training area in Germany. Early feedback is promising, even if most of the hardware isn't American-made.…

Trump’s FTC will approve an ad merger — with a gift to Elon Musk’s X
The all-Republican Federal Trade Commission agreed to approve a $13.5 billion ad merger if it includes a ban on steering ad dollars away from platforms or publishers based on “political or ideological viewpoints.” The order, which was reported by The New York Times earlier this month, would prevent ad giant Omnicom from wholesale avoiding platforms […]
Hue’s new smart button is bigger and more expensive
Smart lighting company Hue has released a new version of its Smart Button, one of the simplest ways of controlling Hue’s colorful smart lights. The new Smart Button has a bigger design and a bit of price hike — in the U.S., at least, where it now costs $32.99 compared to $29.99 for its predecessor. […]
Huawei’s latest notebook shows China is still generations behind in chipmaking

Kirin X90 SoC made on two-year-old 7nm N+2 process

Despite concerted efforts by the Chinese to bolster domestic semiconductor production in defiance of US trade policy, new evidence uncovered by Canadian research outlet TechInsights suggests SMIC, the Middle Kingdom's top chip manufacturer, remains generations behind the rest of the world.…

Apple heard your complaints about the Liquid Glass Control Center
My biggest complaint with Liquid Glass in the first iOS 26 developer beta was that it sometimes made Control Center nearly unreadable, but Apple has seemingly fixed that with the second beta, which is out now. In the first beta, the glassiness of everything meant that you could still see a fair amount of what […]
New York’s getting a new nuclear power plant
New York Governor Kathy Hochul announced plans today to develop a new nuclear power plant, the first to be built in the state in decades.  It’s the latest signal that nuclear energy could see a comeback in the US thanks to wide-ranging support from some strange bedfellows: the Trump administration purporting to seek “energy dominance”; […]
Apple’s USB-C EarPods are an even better buy at just $15.99
Last year, I lost my old AirPods in my apartment and relied on my old-school Lightning EarPods for months before upgrading to an iPhone 16. Honestly, aside from missing wireless connectivity, I hadn’t noticed much difference. That’s why I still think they’re a good investment in 2025, and why I’m considering picking up the newer […]
Iran cyberattacks against US biz more likely following air strikes

Plus 'low-level' hacktivist attempts

The US Department of Homeland Security has warned American businesses to guard their networks against Iranian government-sponsored cyberattacks along with "low-level" digital intrusions by pro-Iran hacktivists.…

Did Sam Altman and Jony Ive Steal Another Company's Idea?
Empire State to site 1 GW nuke as AI bit barns guzzle power

It would be the first major US nuclear plant built in over 15 years

New York State is set to build America's first major new nuclear plant in more than 15 years, amid growing energy demands, particularly from power-hungry AI datacenters.…

Microsoft’s Xbox UI update lets you pin games and customize your homescreen
Microsoft is rolling out a new update to its Xbox Home UI that allows Xbox owners to pin apps and games on the homescreen. It’s part of a number of customization changes to the Xbox Home UI, including the ability to hide system apps and reduce the number of apps and games listed in the […]
House staffers can’t have WhatsApp on their devices
The House of Representatives has banned staff members from using WhatsApp on government devices, according to a report from Axios. In an email viewed by the outlet, the House’s chief administrative officer (CAO) tells staffers that the Office of Cybersecurity “has deemed WhatsApp a high-risk” because of a “lack of transparency in how it protects […]
Nintendo’s Switch 2 is available online at Best Buy
Update, June 23rd: Best Buy has sold out of the standalone console, but it still has stock of the $499.99 Mario Kart World bundle. The Nintendo Switch 2 has been difficult to find in stock since its June 5th launch, though restocks are beginning to ramp up. If you’re looking for one, head over to […]
Second attack on McLaren Health Care in a year affects 743k people

Criminals targeted the hospital and physician network’s Detroit cancer clinic this time

McLaren Health Care is in the process of writing to 743,131 individuals now that it fully understands the impact of its July 2024 cyberattack.…

$1,400 can get you a powerful (and huge) HP Omen laptop with an RTX 5070
Many people gravitate toward compact laptops for their convenience, but there’s a subset of gamers who want a big ass gaming laptop that offers desktop-class performance. If you fall into the latter bucket, you may appreciate knowing that HP is offering 20 percent off its latest Omen gaming laptops, which are equipped with Nvidia’s powerful […]
The new lies spreading about climate change
New strains of misinformation about climate change are spreading, meant to slow the growth of renewable energy needed to fix the problem. Rather than flat-out denying the mountains of evidence that show that humans are causing climate change, more recent talking points aim to mislead people by casting doubt on potential solutions. Renewable energy has […]
JLab’s new party speaker puts a light show in your pocket
JLab has announced a new Party line of wireless speakers that continues an industry trend of adding animated RGB lighting to anything that plays music. That even includes the new budget-minded JLab Pop Party speaker — which is small enough to squeeze into a pocket but still features customizable LEDs. The $19.99 Pop Party is […]
Private equity types to snap up NoSQL biz Couchbase

$1.5 billion offered for database company valued at $1.2 billion four years ago

Document database company Couchbase is set to be bought by a private equity biz in all-cash transaction valued at approximately $1.5 billion.…

Microsoft adds Steam games to its Xbox PC app on Windows
Microsoft is starting to test its new aggregated gaming library in its Xbox PC app on Windows. Xbox Insiders will now be able to see their Steam and Battle.net games all within the Xbox app this week — making it a single launcher for most installed PC games. This new consolidated library will roll out […]
Apple keeps pulling its own ads
Apple has taken down a new ad just one day after posting it, making it the fourth one removed in just over a year, as spotted earlier by MacRumors. The nearly eight-minute-long ad, titled “The Parent Presentation,” featured comedian Martin Herlihy giving students advice on how to convince their parents to buy them a Mac. […]
Hinge CEO Justin McLeod says dating AI chatbots is ‘playing with fire’
Today, I’m talking with Hinge founder and CEO Justin McLeod. Hinge is one of the biggest dating apps in the United States — it’s rivaled only by Tinder, and both are owned by the massive conglomerate Match Group, which has consolidated a huge chunk of the online dating ecosystem. A fair warning here: I’ve never […]
Hinge is planning its own mobile payment system to avoid App Store fees
As part of his appearance on the Decoder podcast, Hinge co-founder and CEO Justin McLeod says that the company would like to introduce an alternative payment service by the end of this year. With a Hinge-run alternative payment service, Apple won’t be able to take a cut of any purchases, and that “changes the equation” […]
Breaking the nerd internet: Three overlapping generations of tech history – in one selfie

Bill Gates, Linus Torvalds, and Dave Cutler have dinner

Sysinternals founder Mark Russinovich's after-dinner photo just flipped the nerd world into Kardashian-like levels of internet meltdown.…

Chromebook Plus laptops like Lenovo’s sleek, new 14-incher are getting free Gemini AI features
Google announced a handful of new Gemini AI features for Chromebook Plus laptops, including a sleek, new 14-inch flagship device from Lenovo that I got to handle recently. The new AI functions include select to search, which allows you to long press the launcher icon or take a screenshot and do a Google search based […]
Wolfspeed to file for Chapter 11 in deal cutting 70% of debt

Power chip biz to hand over equity to lenders, wipe out most shareholders, and keep running during restructuring

Wolfspeed, maker of bandgap chips for power and radio frequency applications, is to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the "near future" after striking an agreement with creditors to cut its $6.5 billion debt by roughly 70 percent.…

Fanfiction writers battle AI, one scrape at a time
In the online world of fanfiction writers, who pen stories inspired by their favorite movies, books, and games, and share them for free, there are unspoken codes of conduct. Among the most important: never charge money for your fanfic, and never steal other people's work. It makes sense then that fanfic writers were among the […]
Death Stranding 2 is much more approachable, if you’re prepared
It took me a long time to appreciate Death Stranding. I'm not even sure I fully got it after my initial playthrough, which was equal parts mesmerizing and dull. The game, in which you play as a postapocalyptic delivery man in a world ravaged by a breach with the afterlife, demands a lot from players. […]
Experts count staggering costs incurred by UK retail amid cyberattack hell

Cyber Monitoring Centre issues first severity assessment since February launch

Britain's Cyber Monitoring Centre (CMC) estimates the total cost of the cyberattacks that crippled major UK retail organizations recently could be in the region of £270-440 million ($362-591 million).…

Nothing Headphone 1 leaks show quirky translucent design
While Nothing is gearing up to officially unveil its first over-ear headphones next week, leaked images and videos have given us a good idea of what they look like. The Nothing Headphone 1 sports an unusual design that appears consistently across leaks from multiple sources, featuring a squircle earcup with the company’s signature transparent elements […]
Economists sceptical over UK Spending Review's partly AI-driven 10% budget cuts

MPs hear doubts over efficiency savings that are reliant on speculative gains from IT, machine learning

Leading economists have questioned how the UK government's Spending Review can determine exactly 10 percent cuts to admin budgets — partly powered by AI and digital transformation — across central departments when they are starting from different places and have different projects to manage.…

The one thing SME IT can do that the big guys can’t: Change the world

Not quite the answer to life, the universe and everything, but not far off

Opinion  The smaller the org, the better the jobs. Not universally true, but a good rule of thumb. Small organizations have fewer layers of management, and each individual has much more influence. One voice in 50 is 100 times louder than one in 5,000. You get to say what you want to do and get to do it. Happiness. …

Techie went home rather than fix mistake that caused a massive meltdown

And was saved by an even worse meltdown caused by someone else

Who, Me?  Welcome to another working week and therefore another installment of Who, Me? – The Register's reader-contributed column where you confess to making a mess and somehow find safe egress.…

Huawei chair says the future of comms is fiber-to-the-room, which China has and the rest of us don’t

Also points to important markets among the 300 million people who will soon work as delivery riders or influencers

Huawei’s chairman Xu Zhijun – aka Eric Xu – has called out China’s enormous lead in fiber-to-the-room (FTTR) installations.…

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