Technology news

Illustration: The Verge Google is working on a feature that is so simple and so useful that I’m shocked it hasn’t been part of our lives for a decade: a way to look up a phone number that just called you, right from your recent calls screen. X user AssembleDebug tipped off PiunikaWeb to a new “Lookup” button in the beta version of the Google Phone app that, when tapped, brings up a Google Search with the number already entered for you.Although the Google Phone app is the

Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos from Getty Images Earlier this week, The Wall Street Journal reported that AI companies were running into a wall when it comes to gathering high-quality training data. Today, The New York Times detailed some of the ways companies have dealt with this. Unsurprisingly, it involves doing things that fall into the hazy gray area of AI copyright law.
The story opens on OpenAI which, desperate for training data, reportedly developed its Whisper audio transcription mo

Iowa women's basketball squeaked by UConn — a blue-blood giant of the sport — in the NCAA Final Four on Friday night. Led by superstar Caitlin Clark, the Hawkeyes bested the Paige Bueckers-led Huskies by a score of 71-69. SEE ALSO:Iowa vs. LSU delivered memes, jokes, and a great game from Caitlin Clark
In case you missed it — which is increasingly unlikely considering how the sport is rocketing in popularity during this tournament — it was an amazing game. UConn did about

It’s time, friends. | Photo by Alix Diaconis / The Verge Yesterday afternoon, I was playing Mario vs. Donkey Kong on my Vision Pro (using the visionOS testflight version of app developer Riley Testut’s GBA4iOS) with an official Nintendo NES controller for the Switch. All the while, I was thinking about what a shame it was that Apple doesn’t allow emulators on its App Store. I hadn’t yet seen the news of Apple’s surprise decision to allow emulators on its digital sto

It’s time, friends. | Photo by Alix Diaconis / The Verge Yesterday afternoon, I was playing Mario vs. Donkey Kong on my Vision Pro (using the visionOS testflight version of app developer Riley Testut’s GBA4iOS) with an official Nintendo NES controller for the Switch. All the while, I was thinking about what a shame it was that Apple doesn’t allow emulators on its App Store. I hadn’t yet seen the news of Apple’s surprise decision to allow emulators on its digital sto

Google’s first pair of noise-canceling earbuds are currently down to $139.99 in blue, white, and four other attractive shades. | Image: Google Happy Saturday, folks! Ever since they arrived on the scene in mid-2022, we’ve considered Google’s noise-canceling Pixel Buds Pro to be the wireless earbuds for Pixel phone owners — partly because of their great feature set and partly because they addressed the connectivity issues that plagued earlier models. The best part, however

Meta blocked, then apologized for blocking, a local news organization that published a column criticizing Facebook. The Kansas Reflector, a nonprofit news org, published an op-ed about Facebook this week that criticized the tech giant for refusing ads promoting a documentary about climate change. The Reflector and its readers soon after realized links from the paper were not working on both Facebook and Threads. SEE ALSO:https://mashable.com/article/facebook-video-format-vertical-tiktok
This, of

Elon Musk, as the billionaire head of X and Tesla is wont to do, fired off a tweet announcing major business news without providing further clarification. SEE ALSO:Elon Musk's X pushed a fake headline about Iran attacking Israel. X's AI chatbot Grok made it up.
Musk tweeted Friday, "Tesla Robotaxi unveil on 8/8." That was shortly before 5 p.m. ET after the stock market had closed. This post was almost assuredly a response to a detailed report from Reuters about Tesla's Robotaxi plan. The news se

C’mon, how cute is this? | Image: Things Inc. The similarities between Rooms — a simple, charming game for iOS and the web where you design rooms — and Minecraft are easy to spot. Both share a blocky visual style and a design-your-own-retreat objective. But describing Rooms as a scaled-down Minecraft for people over the age of 12 doesn’t give it enough credit. It’s good, old-fashioned building in the vein of Lego, The Sims, and Animal Crossing. Rooms builds on the t

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge The entire time I was playing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth — the second part of a planned trilogy of FF7 remakes — I couldn’t stop thinking about replaying the first game from 1997. When the credits rolled on Rebirth, I had a difficult decision to make: how to play the original? There is no shortage of options. The game has been ported to most modern platforms, and I still have the original PlayStation discs (all three of them). But ultimately I d

The Mini is a bite-sized version of The New York Times' revered daily crossword. While the crossword is a lengthier experience that requires both knowledge and patience to complete, The Mini is an entirely different vibe.With only a handful of clues to answer, the daily puzzle doubles as a speed-running test for many who play it.So, when a tricky clue disrupts a player's flow, it can be frustrating! If you find yourself stumped playing The Mini — much like with Wordle and Connections &mdas

The biggest digital camera on Earth is finished — and it will soon revolutionize our grasp of the cosmos. The Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory in California announced the completion of its LSST Camera, short for "Legacy Survey of Space and Time." The giant-lensed instrument is the size of a car, the lab said, and in 2025 it will begin snapping deep space images at the much-anticipated Vera C. Rubin Observatory located in the lofty Chilean mountains. You can

There are many options for smartwatches on the market. From more “traditional” smartwatches from Apple and Samsung to fitness-focused options from brands like Fitbit and Garmin, choosing your perfect smartwatch can be overwhelming — especially if you want something with form and functionality. Personally, I’ve been an Apple Watch user for several years, but — while I love the convenience of my Series 4 — I’m kind of tired of wearing it. The appearan

The total solar eclipse will be making its way across North America on Monday, April 8, and you better be set with your eclipse glasses in hand as the astronomical phenomenon passes. But when exactly should the 43 million people under the total solar eclipse path have their heads turned up to the sky? SEE ALSO:Everything about the 2024 solar eclipse you need to know
Where to find total solar eclipse timesNASA's Eclipse ExplorerNASA, of course, has been monitoring the eclipse and updating the pub

A cosmic marvel — a total solar eclipse — is imminent. The event on April 8, 2024, will allow tens of millions in the 115-mile-wide path of totality to experience the moon completely block the sun, turning day to deep twilight and revealing our star's resplendent corona. It's a rare eclipse opportunity, though experiencing it comfortably and safely requires a bit of know-how. Here's what you should avoid doing during an event that experts say you must try to see.SEE ALSO:NASA astrona

TL;DR: Through April 7, this refurbished iPad 6th-Gen and accessories bundle is only $159.99 (reg. $249). Laptops are great until they start to weigh you down. This previously owned 6th-gen Apple iPad is the perfect grab-and-go device and is a fraction of the cost of most brand-new computers.  The 9.7-inch display has stunning graphics and a more pleasurable viewing experience. Enjoy the convenience of the multi-touch screen as you navigate different apps and accomplish tasks fast

If you’re a college student, your laptop is your toolbox, your textbook, your everything — and you need a solid machine that’s going to last you from orientation to graduation. It’s an essential tool, and you need one that you can rely on. No one has the extra cash to replace a subpar laptop halfway through school, and you don’t want to be dealing with unexpected repairs when you have papers to write and parties to attend. Luckily, there are a ton of affordable stud

Netflix has a lot of shows and movies from which to choose. Like, a lot. Sifting through all the streaming options can cause chronic indecision, leaving us scrolling down the Netflix main page just trying to pick something to watch. Instead of getting overwhelmed and rewatching a Netflix OG classic like Stranger Things, The Queen's Gambit, or The Crown, how about trying something new? Sure, even that selection can be overwhelming. But we've done the hard part of watching them, and can confidentl

TL;DR: Through April 7, learn multiple languages with a lifetime subscription to Rosetta Stone for only $179.99 (reg.$399) with code ROSETTA. Whether you’re looking to learn a new language for career advancement or an upcoming vacation to a foreign land, being bilingual can be beneficial in a plethora of ways. This lifetime subscription to Rosetta Stone gives you award-winning interactive software that has 25 different languages to choose from. Rosetta Stone uses an immersive tra

A rare solar eclipse looms large on our cosmic calendars.The moon will pass between the sun and Earth on April 8, 2024, allowing those in the 115-mile-wide "path of totality" to witness a gripping event. It's a celestial coincidence that reveals our star's ghostly corona (atmosphere), and if possible is an experience not to be missed.Tens of millions in the U.S. reside in the coveted path where the moon's shadow traverses Earth's surface, but for those that either aren't in this relatively narro

TL;DR: Through April 7, score a lifetime subscription to Dollar Flight Club's Premium Plus plan for $169.97, no coupon needed.From going on incognito mode to setting price alerts to booking months in advance, there are a plethora of tips doled out by folks in the name of cheaper airfare. But the truth is scoring deals on flights is much harder now than it used to be, with most purported tricks falling short of delivering substantial savings.Rather than dedicating endless hours to hunting down bu

TL;DR: Through April 7, you can get 20TB of cloud storage for life with Prism Drive on sale for $89.97. That’s less than paying for nine months of Dropbox.If you’ve ever had the gut-sinking feeling of losing your phone — or dropping it in the toilet — and feared that you’d just lost all of your precious photos and videos forever, you already know the importance of backing up your devices. It’s better to be safe than sorry, and right now it’s more afforda

TL;DR: Through April 7, this power bank can charge five gadgets at once, and you can get it for $64.97.Nowadays, there are so many devices to carry around with us. Between a smartwatch, wireless headphones, e-reader, and gaming console, that's a lot of stuff to charge. The challenge of having a large tech collection? Having to keep their batteries alive.But if you have a trusty power bank like this one, you don't have to worry about juggling chargers and adapters trying to keep them powered up a

Most people have at least one horror story about online dating. It's a rite of passage — one that single people love to hate.But the horror stories look a little different for members of the LGBTQ+ community. For gay men, online dating throws a unique set of challenges into the mix. On top of the usual woes, such as ghosting and catfishing, you might encounter unnecessary questioning about your past, straight guys who shouldn't be in your feed, and even some not-so-subtle fetishization. No

Few nights in Hollywood's calendar year come close to the glitz and glamor of the Academy Awards. An Oscar statuette is a crowning achievement for anyone involved in the production of film, and those who garner one or more of the gold figurines win the right to label themselves "Academy Award–winning" for the rest of history. Plus, there's the career boost that comes with it. With the terrifically entertaining 96th Academy Awards behind us, let's look back at some of the more memorabl

TL;DR: The Ultimate Cybersecurity and IT Career Certification Pathway Training Bundle is on sale for £22.25 with the code SECURE20.With so much of our lives entangled online, companies of varying sizes and industries are constantly on the lookout for skilled individuals who can protect their respective systems and make them virtually impenetrable. The good news is if you're interested in venturing into this career, you don't necessarily have to go back to school.This Cybersecurity and IT C

TL;DR: Stream Republic of Ireland Women vs. England Women in a UEFA EURO 2025 qualifier for free on ITVX. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.UEFA EURO 2025 will bring together some of the best international women's team in the world, but there isn't enough room for everyone. Qualification is always tough, and some very good teams will not make it. What's clear is that every qualification fixture is crucial.If you want to watch Republic of Ireland Women

TL;DR: A wide range of free AI and ChatGPT courses are available on Udemy. Learn how to boost your business, create search-friendly content, and so much more with this technology.The possibilities are almost endless with AI, but do you really know how to harness the power of this technology? Most people don't know the ins and outs of artificial intelligence, so you could give yourself a serious advantage by better understanding this constantly-evolving world.And the good news for anyone interest

Former employees of Best Buy’s in-house tech support and repair team Geek Squad say there were mass layoffs this week, 404 Media reports. A former Geek Squad agent tells the outlet that they received an email on Tuesday about a work from home event the following day regarding a “company change.”“Our leadership gave individual calls stating we were being let go for the simple fact that the company couldn’t afford to pay us, more or less. It was extremely short notic

Image: Kristen Radtke / The Verge In a motion Meta filed on Friday to try and get the FTC’s monopoly claims dismissed, it includes details of how much advertising revenue Instagram brought in over the last few years. At $32.4 billion for 2021 alone, that’s even more than YouTube, which pulled in $28.8 billion in the same year. Business Insider previously pointed out the lead it has over Google’s video unit, and mentions that YouTube gives up 55 percent of each advertising dolla

Connections is the latest New York Times word game that's captured the public's attention. The game is all about finding the "common threads between words." And just like Wordle, Connections resets after midnight and each new set of words gets trickier and trickier—so we've served up some hints and tips to get you over the hurdle.If you just want to be told today's puzzle, you can jump to the end of this article for April 6's Connections solution. But if you'd rather solve it yourself, kee

Apple’s not too happy that Masimo’s W1 watch didn’t exist when Masimo filed its complaint. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge There was no question that Apple would appeal when the International Trade Commission banned Apple Watch Series 9 and Ultra 2 sales last year. Well, if you’ve got some time, you can now read all 916 pages of Apple’s appeal to the Federal Circuit.A quick recap: the Apple Watch ban centers around whether Apple infringed upon medical