Technology news

On this week’s interview episode, Nilay is joined by Federal Communications Commissioner Geoffrey Starks and Verge policy reporter Makena Kelly, on the heels of the agency’s recent announcement that it would likely approve the merger of T-Mobile and Sprint. Commissioner Starks couldn’t say much about the proposed merger deal, but he had plenty to say regarding a host of other issues the FCC has the jurisdiction to chase.Starks was officially confirmed by the United States Sena

Tesla is embracing the growing demand for consumers to be able to fix stuff themselves by releasing a series of do-it-yourself guides for the Model 3.
The idea here is to allow owners to fix a range of problems without going through the hassle, time, and expense of having to schedule a Service appointment. As the list below reveals, the maintenance you can carry out at home is quite basic, but Tesla should be commended for offering this support.Restarting the Touchscreen
Pairing a Bluetooth Phon

Google will now require organizations running ads about abortion to certify whether they actually offer abortions. Starting next month, those certifications will appear inside the ads, letting viewers know whether the organization “provides abortions” or “does not provide abortions,” to prevent viewers from being misled. The disclosures will only be required in the US, UK, and Ireland.
The change comes following last week’s report in the Guardian saying that Google

Every year, graduation season means a fresh new batch of grads are about to enter full-on adulthood. If you know a guy who is gearing up to walk across the stage in a cap and gown to receive his diploma, but you're not sure what to get him for his special day, keep reading.
College graduation is a great time for gift giving because there are so many different categories of things graduates would be happy to receive. You can go the practical route and gift smart home devices or kitchen appliances

SpaceX hopes to launch its Starhopper test vehicle skyward on its first flights soon. The short tests, which will take place out of SpaceX’s launch site in Boca Chica, Texas, will send the rocket to just under 1,640 feet (500 meters) high for its low-altitude flights and up to 16,400 feet (5,000 meters) high for its high-altitude flights, according to a modified application filed with the Federal Communications Commission. The heights match those that the company indicated in a similar fi

It looks like you fell down. Someone will be there between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. to assist you. 
Yes, that's right, everyone's favorite and definitely trusted company, Comcast, is working on a smart  device of some kind with voice-interactive features to monitor customers' health. The news, first reported by CNBC, was independently confirmed by Mashable. The tracker will be pilot tested laster this year. 
Importantly, unlike the Google Home or Amazon Echo, Comcast's foray into in-hom

Tesla has reportedly hired Adam Koszary, the man responsible for the "absolute unit" meme, as its new social media manager.
Koszary, who used to work as the program manager for the Museum of English Rural Life, is known for tweeting a photo of a large ram from the museum's account in April 2018. The caption: "Look at this absolute unit." 
A lot of people did look at that absolute unit, and thus a genuinely good meme was born.look at this absolute unitpic.twitter.com/LzcQ4x0q38
— The M

The only monitor Apple sells directly through its website lives on, despite questions about its survivability over the past few months. The company today resurrected the UltraFine 4K Display, the one made in partnership with LG, as a 23.7-inch model with an additional Thunderbolt 3 port on the back. It costs the same as the previous 21.5-inch model: $699. But this one takes a hit on resolution, dropping down to 3840 x 2160 from 4069 x 2304. That said, with an additional Thunderbolt 3 port, you

Comcast is reportedly working on a device designed to closely monitor a user’s health. That’s according to CNBC, which says the conglomerate is set to begin piloting the product sometime this year before a full launch in 2020. Having one of the most powerful telecom empires in the world tracking your health and lifestyle sure has an unsettling, dystopian ring to it.“The device will monitor people’s basic health metrics using ambient sensors, with a focus on whether someo

Memorial Day is coming up on Monday, May 27th, in the US. It’s a day of remembrance, and, oddly, it’s also one of the year’s biggest shopping holidays. Google Express is driving that point home with its Memorial Day sale. Video game consoles, iPad tablets, and the latest MacBook Air are just a few of the things you can expect to see on sale.
Unlike most sales, you don’t need to worry about pasting in offer codes; each product page on Google Express will let you know whic

YouTube is introducing a major change to the way real-time subscriber counts are displayed, which could prevent analytics sites like Social Blade from actively displaying whether creators are gaining — or, more importantly, losing — subscribers.Instead of seeing a YouTuber’s exact subscriber count (for example, 10,500,000), people will see a flat 10 million. This may not seem like a major change for people who aren’t invested in the messy lives of YouTube creators, but f

Biofourmis, a Singapore-based startup pioneering a distinctly tech-based approach to the treatment of chronic conditions, has raised a $35 million Series B round for expansion.
The round was led by Sequoia India and MassMutual Ventures,the VC fund from Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company. Other investors who put in include EDBI, the corporate investment arm of Singapore’s Economic Development Board, China-based healthcare platform Jianke and existing investors Openspace Ventures,Av

Warning: The following post contains spoilers for the finale of Game of Thrones. 
Game of Thrones may have come to an underwhelming end, but the memes keep on giving. The film boys are out, and they have takes.
While not all fans were pumped with how the show ended, it has always been visually stunning, aside from a few wayward beverages. From the incredibly detailed costumes to the shots of sweeping landscapes, we can at least agree on one thing: Game of Thrones is beautiful. But one cinep

Apple will offer free repairs to owners of 2016 MacBook Pros with backlight issues — a problem that’s increasingly started to appear on the laptops as they age. The repair program, announced this afternoon, covers only the 13-inch MacBook Pro model that debuted in 2016, though both the Touch Bar and non-Touch Bar versions are eligible. Repairs will be covered for four years after a laptop was first purchased.
In recent months, some owners of 2016 MacBook Pros have started to encount

For the last year, T-Mobile and Sprint have been telling anyone who’ll listen that their planned $26 billion merger will bring some incredible benefits to American consumers. To hear the companies tell it, the industry’s latest super-union will result in faster speeds, broader broadband deployment, and a dramatic boost in well-paying American jobs.
But if you’ve seen telecom mergers go through this process before, there’s plenty of reason to be skeptical. Consolidation t

General Motors unveiled a new electronic platform for its vehicles on Monday that’s designed to handle the heavy data loads that will become increasingly necessary as cars get smarter and more autonomous. This new “digital nerve system” will enable smartphone-style over-the-air software updates on all GM vehicles in the next four years, said Mark Reuss, president of GM.“It is a real digital nerve system.”
The new platform will make its debut on the recently unveile

Can Oculus Quest change the game for virtual reality? Titles like Beat Saber and Vader Immortal could have the answer.
The new VR headset became available on Tuesday for $399. It doesn't pack the same power as the Oculus Rift S, which needs to be connected to a high-powered PC. But it has a couple of big advantages. Namely, no wires and inside-out tracking (which means no need for external sensors). It's a self-contained gaming console that you can take with you wherever you go.
SEE ALSO: Oculus

Artificial intelligence-powered voice assistants, many of which default to female-sounding voices, are reinforcing harmful gender stereotypes, according to a new study published by the United Nations.Titled “I’d blush if I could,” after a response Siri utters when receiving certain sexually explicit commands, the paper explores the effects of bias in AI research and product development and the potential long-term negative implications of conditioning society, particularly chil

Despite not yet shipping its smart speaker, the Galaxy Home, Samsung appears to already be working on a follow-up to that device. A new Federal Communications Commission filing shows that Samsung has a new “AI speaker” underway, which looks like a smaller version of the Galaxy Home with a shorter body and no legs. It maintains its cauldron-like shape, and it’s likely going to be a tinier, cheaper counterpart to the original. (Yes, that probably means running on Bixby, too.)
Th

In August of last year, Getaroundscored $300 million from Softbank. Eight months later they handed that same amount to Drivy, a Parisian peer-to-peer car rental service that was Getaround’s ticket to tapping into European markets.
Alven Capital’s Jeremy Uzan
Both companies shared similar visions for the future of car ownership, they were about the same size, both were flirting with expanding beyond their home market, but only one had the power of the Vision Fund behind it.
The Exit i

Microsoft looks set to be the latest in a long line of US-based technology companies that are complying with President Trump’s new executive order to crack down on Chinese tech companies. Google cut off Huawei’s Android license over the weekend, but Microsoft has stayed silent on whether it will prevent the Chinese company from obtaining Windows licenses. The Verge has reached out to Microsoft multiple times for comment, but it has refused to offer any statement on the situation.
Hu

Team Sonic Racing is a huge disappointment. 
Yes, it’s a very mediocre and even frustrating kart racing game, but what really makes it such a bummer is the fact that its predecessor, Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, is perhaps the best kart racing game of all time.
Perhaps my own expectations were too high, but Team Sonic Racing gave me whiplash. It’s astounding how a series could regress so much and seem to ignore every aspect that made it stand out from the kart racin

Microsoft is releasing its Windows 10 May 2019 Update to everyone today. The Windows 10 May 2019 Update includes a new light theme for Windows 10, alongside Kaomoji support, a Windows sandbox feature, and the separation of Cortana and Windows search. Microsoft first released this to testers last month, giving the company plenty of time to avoid potential issues. Today marks the official release to all existing Windows 10 users.
Alongside the release, Microsoft is also launching a new Windows re

You have enough annoyances in your life, spotty WiFi shouldn’t be one of them. Mesh WiFi systems have changed the way internet access is delivered by having multiple devices communicate throughout your home for fuller coverage. These systems replace the need for traditional routers and reduce blackout areas.
Eero is a top brand in Mesh WiFi systems (though it was recently bought by Amazon, which ignited some controversy). The Amazon buyout made millionaires even richer, but you can get a t

Warning: The following post contains spoilers for the finale of Game of Thrones. 
It's been more than 24 hours since the Game of Thrones series finale aired on HBO, so according to an unwritten U.S. law, the American people may now openly discuss spoilers on social media.
Good thing! Because dedicated GOT fans, Elizabeth Warren and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, had a lot of thoughts they wanted to get off of their chests.
On Tuesday, Warren shared a video of her and AOC discussing the highly-an

Spoilers for the finale of Game of Thrones follow.
Westeros apparently has quite the financially forward-thinking Master of Coin on its new small council!
On Game of Thrones, actor Jerome Flynn played mercenary-turned-nobleman Ser Bronn of the Blackwater, whose only true north was gettin' that money. It seems that the IRL Flynn is similarly interested in the value of a coin — even if it's a do-goodery, digital one.
SEE ALSO: 'Game of Thrones' in Silicon Valley: Who tech execs would be in W

Apple just refreshed its 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar and 15-inch MacBook Pros with powerful new Intel processors.
That's cool — faster performance is always appreciated especially if you do things like video editing — but the most important change is to the controversial "butterfly" keyboards. Apple says it's improved the keyboards so that a single-press doesn't produce double keystrokes.
SEE ALSO: Apple 15" MacBook Pro (2018) review: Serious power for a select few
Though

Apple is refreshing its top laptops again by announcing newly updated specs for its 15-inch and 13-inch MacBook Pro models. It’s bringing faster Intel processors and some slight changes to the much-maligned keyboard that Apple says should reduce issues. (More on those here.)The biggest changes are coming to the 15-inch model, which is getting Intel’s 9th Gen Core processors. The base model now starts with a 2.6GHz, 6-core i7 processor, which can turbo boost up to 4.5GHz. The next-st

Apple is announcing an update to its keyboard repair program today. All MacBooks with the so-called “butterfly mechanism” (that’s pretty much all modern MacBooks) will now be fully eligible for Apple’s Keyboard Service Program. The expansion means that a few newer models that weren’t previously covered will be able to get repairs. Unfortunately, Apple is not extending how long that program lasts — it’s still “4 years after the first retail sale of

Now that the end of Game of Thrones has come and gone, you're left with one task. You need to clean up the mess from your finale watch party when your friend threw their chips and dip everywhere because they didn't take the ending too well. You'll need to break out the vacuum to get those tough messes out. If you need a new compact vacuum that you can break out in a flash, then you'll need to check out the deals on the best Dyson stick vacuums. 
SEE ALSO: 7 of the best handheld vacuums for

A new bag-squeezing device company is on Kickstarter, promising to save people hundreds on household cleaning products like hand soap and dishwasher detergent. It’s called Cleanyst, and press coverage of the device so far has breathlessly repeated the company’s line that it’s the “SodaStream for cleaning products.” On their Kickstarter page, Cleanyst says its device “delivers the convenience of a Keurig or Nespresso appliance” and “the environment

If you ever find yourself in need of something to say in the mortifying seconds after you realize you've make a mistake, consider this timeless, charming phrase: "And I oop."
If those three short words sound familiar, it may be because they've been floating around the internet since October 2015, when Jasmine Masters — a drag queen best known for competing on Season 7 of RuPaul's Drag Race — iconically uttered them in a video titled "Jasmine Masters handle your liquor."
Around the 4:

Ahead of its Cannes Film Festival premiere, we have our first full-length trailer for Quentin Tarantino's ninth film Once Upon a Time In Hollywood. 
Leonardo DiCaprio plays unhinged TV star Rick Dalton who is trying to make it big in the movies with his sidekick-slash-stuntman Cliff Booth (Brad Pitt). No big deal but they also encounter his neighbor Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) and cult leader Charles Manson (Damon Herriman) along the way.
The star-studded ensemble includes Timothy Olyphant,

Lyft announced several new initiatives on Tuesday that are designed to enhance the safety of its passengers. The company is adding an in-app panic button for riders who need to call 911. (It did the same for the driver’s app late last year.)Other changes include an enlarged version of the driver’s license plate number in the app, which is an effort to prevent passengers from getting in the wrong vehicle. The changes come a month after a University of South Carolina student was kille

Wyze is known for its budget-friendly smart home products, and its latest addition is an $8 smart lightbulb, fitting called the Wyze Bulb. It’s already up for preorders today in Wyze’s app, with shipping planned for later in June, via ZDNet.Smart lights for cheap
Wyze will only sell the bulbs as $30 four-packs to start at launch, although it plans to sell individual bulbs for the aforementioned $8 price point soon after. The Wyze Bulb will support Alexa, Google Assistant, and IFTTT