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Photo: Smith Collection / Gado / Getty Images At some point in the future, a new “Multi-Purpose Tap” concept will let payment cards or devices like smartwatches and phones accomplish multiple things at once when using NFC. With this in play, a customer in a store might tap their phone with Apple Wallet or Google Pay on a terminal that simultaneously checks their ID if they’re buying booze, add points to their loyalty account, pay for their goods, and provide them with a digital

Thunderbolt 5 cables, like their TB4 and TB3 predecessors, have USB-C tips. | Image: Cable Matters Intel’s Thunderbolt 5 might be the best USB-C cable ever, with 120Gbps of single-direction bandwidth, 240 watts of power, and enough oomph to drive external SSDs, eGPUs, and high-resolution, high-refresh-rate monitors from a single cable at unheard-of levels. But first, it’d have to ship! Today, Cable Matters is shipping the first three certified Thunderbolt 5 cables, which bring us one

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Silvergate Bank, once a cornerstone of the crypto financial world until its collapse in early 2023, defrauded its investors by lying about its anti-money laundering controls and misleading investors about how the fallout from the FTX collapse would affect it, the Securities and Exchange Commission says in a lawsuit. Also named in the suit were the company’s chief executive officer, chief risk officer, and chief financial officer.
Silvergate said it h

Amazon CEO Andy Jassy. | Photo by Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images A couple of months ago, I was sitting in the audience at a tech conference in San Fransisco watching Bloomberg’s Emily Chang interview Reid Hoffman.She asked about Microsoft’s hiring of the team behind Inflection, a would-be OpenAI competitor that Hoffman co-founded. It was an acquisition in everything but name, clearly designed to avoid the scrutiny of antitrust regulators. Not only had Microsoft (where Hoffman is

Image: Vaio Would you believe today marks an entire decade since Sony spun out its Vaio computer brand? Vaio has stood for lightweight laptops pretty much ever since — and now the company’s announcing one of the lightest-ever portable monitors to go with them.The Vaio Vision Plus 14 goes on sale today in Japan as a 14-inch, 1920 x 1200 USB-C monitor that weighs just 0.72 pounds (325g). That’s less than half as much as most of the monitors you’ll find in a typical “b

House of the Dragon Season 2, episode 3, "The Burning Mill," brings viewers back to one of Westeros' most notorious castles: Harrenhal. And what a return it is!The episode sees Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) swoop into Harrenhal with his dragon Caraxes, but this is far from the triumphant conquest he envisioned. Castellan Simon Strong (Sir Simon Russell Beale) is all too ready to turn the castle over to Team Black, no fight needed. On top of all that, Harrenhal is supremely spooky, its melted rui

Photo by Justin Sullivan / Getty Images While the majority of Americans would like to see more clean energy from solar and wind farms — support for new renewable energy projects has started to wane, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey. It also found a drop in interest in electric vehicles following Biden administration policies to slash greenhouse gas emissions and Republican backlash.
The share of people who favor more solar power has dropped from 90 to 78 percent since 2020,

In its annual trends research report, YouTube says fan culture is turning Gen Z into creators. The platform says that the increasing volume of fan-made content — recaps, reactions, parodies, and commentary that can be more popular than its source content — has made fan culture "the central driver of emerging popular culture." As The Washington Post reported last week, the YouTube study found that 65 percent of 350 U.S.-based Gen Z respondents describe themselves as "video content cre

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For those in the market for a new fitness tracker or smartwatch, Amazon Prime Day is the time to shop. The mega retailer tends to drop prices on top brands like Apple, Fitbit, Gar

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The BET Awards 2024 aired on Sunday, June 30, giving a spotlight to some of the most celebrated Black artists of the year — and highlighting some musical legends that made a huge impact on Black pop culture.This year's BET Awards garnered significant attention due to the impact of the historic writers' strike of 2023, which had arguably affected the previous year's event. Actress and repeat host Taraji P. Henson, a supporter of the strike, skipped last year's show in solidarity, adding to

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ChatGPT may not be the only built-in AI chatbot on iPhone.Bloomberg's Mark Gurman reported as much in his latest newsletter. Regarding Apple's new Apple Intelligence initiative, Gurman speculated that we might see an official announcement of a partnership between Apple and Google by the end of this year. This collaboration would involve integrating Google's Gemini chatbot into iPhones where appropriate.SEE ALSO:Google's Gemini AI is coming to Honor's future smartphones
"As for an Apple deal with

Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge Some folks are reporting being left with bricked Pixel 6, 6 Pro, and 6A phones after they factory reset them. Google is aware of the issue and is investigating, according to a comment from a member of the Pixel support forums’ product expert program.Users in the forum thread, which was spotted by Indian tech outlet Tech-Issues Today, say that after attempting to reset their phone, the phone doesn’t boot, throwing up an error message:
“Cannot l

Photo by James Bareham / The Verge Apple says the iPhone X, first-generation AirPods, and first-generation HomePod are now considered “vintage,” as reported by MacRumors. So, if you own a first-generation HomePod — or multiple, like the person I sold my HomePod to in 2022 — it might sting to hear that Apple already considers the six-year-old speaker “vintage.”Apple’s vintage label technically refers to products that it stopped distributing between more t

Image: Meta On Monday, Meta announced that it is “updating the ‘Made with AI’ label to ‘AI info’ across our apps, which people can click for more information,” after people complained that their pictures had the tag applied incorrectly. Former White House photographer Pete Souza pointed out the tag popping up on an upload of a photo originally taken on film during a basketball game 40 years ago, speculating that using Adobe’s cropping tool and flattening

TL;DR: Watch Portugal vs. Slovenia in Euro 2024 for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.Euro 2024 could be Ronaldo's final international tournament, which means this last-16 matchup could be the last time we see the legend take to the pitch in a knockout fixture. Does it all end here? Or will Portugal defeat Slovenia to progress to the quarter finals.If you want to watch Portugal vs. Slovenia in Euro 2024 for free from anywhere in t

Yorgos Lanthimos' latest picture, Kinds of Kindness, is a triad of absurdist, unsettling stories exploring topics — cannibalism, maiming yourself, and rape — not exactly poised for digital trends. But fear not the film released a TikTok lens to promote the movie.SEE ALSO:'Kinds of Kindness' review: A poor thing from Yorgos Lanthimos 
The film stars Lanthimos' Poor Things collaborators Emma Stone, Willem Dafoe, and Margaret Qualley, in addition to The Favourite's Joe Alwyn, as we

It's no secret that TikTok's #BookTok community wields major influence on what books become bestsellers. And the TikTok Book Awards further established TikTok in the book space. SEE ALSO:The 10 best books of 2024 so far, according to BookTok
The awards, which are based in the UK and Ireland, are back for another year. Today, the social media company announced the shortlist for the 2024 TikTok Book Awards.While there are still seven categories, they differ slightly from last year. TikTok divided

UPDATE: Jul. 1, 2024, 12:00 p.m. EDT We've updated this story with the latest invite-only deals live at Amazon for Prime Day 2024.Invite-only deals live ahead of Prime Day 2024Save 55%Sony WH-CH520$35.99 at Amazon(Save $44 with invite)Request inviteSave 33%SodaStream Enso bundle$149.99 at Amazon(Save $73.29 with invite)Request inviteSave 40%Speedo Champion Signature Swim Bundle Box$96 at Amazon(Save $64 with invite)Request inviteSave 60%Citizen Men's Eco-Drive Weekender Brycen Chronograph Watch

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Shopping is a year round activity (for us at least), but summer is an especially good time to be a deal hunter. With Prime Day 2024 coming July 16 and 17, 4th of July sales, and Target Circle Week all in the ether, it's no

Preview of the best self-emptying robot vacuum deals at AmazonBest budget dealShark AI Ultra$299.99(save $300)Get DealBest robot vacuum mop combo dealEufy X9 Pro$449.99(save $450)Get Deal
If a robot vacuum is the big purchase on your radar this Prime Day, you're clearly someone who sees the value in automating one of the most tedious chores. Consider stretching that convenience past the vacuuming itself with a self-emptying robot vacuum — there are already a handful on sale at Amazon ahead

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Between 4th of July deals and early Prime Day savings, Amazon is practically

Did you know that you can now store hotel keys via Google Wallet? If you tend to be absent-minded, making you prone to losing entrance cards, you may be relieved to hear that Google Wallet now supports digital key cards.As 9to5Google spotted, Google recently updated the Wallet Help page, which gives users a quick-and-easy guide on how to store and save hotel key cards. SEE ALSO:Google Pay app is shutting down in the US after being replaced by Google Wallet
How to store hotel key cards via Google

UK-based neobank Monzo has unveiled three app-based security features, aiming to safeguard user accounts from criminals even in the case of phone theft. The new security tools are designed to prevent criminals from transferring or withdrawing amounts from Monzo accounts by offering an additional layer of protection. The digital bank plans to officially roll them out over the coming weeks. To begin with, customers will be able to use the new “known locations” feature to indicate a sp

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Prime Day 2024 is just weeks away, kicking off July 16 and 17. However, you don't need to wait two weeks to start shopping. Summer sales are here with 4th of July deals rolling in and Target Circle Week around the corner. But we know you probably don't want to wait for

Photo: Getty Images The Supreme Court ruled that presidents are “absolutely” immune from criminal prosecution when their actions involve allegedly official acts while they were in office. Former presidents also have a “presumption of immunity” for their official acts while in office — but, the court ruled, there is no immunity for “unofficial acts.”
The decision in Trump v. United States means that the special counsel Jack Smith’s prosecution again

The Stream Deck Neo comes in a simple and clean white color. | Image: Elgato Last week saw healthy savings on Elgato’s jumbo Stream Deck XL macro pad controller for serious Twitch streamers and power users, but today’s best deal is a chance for us normies to feast. That’s because the recently launched Elgato Stream Deck Neo is selling for just $84.99 ($10 off) at Best Buy, Target, and direct from Elgato. This is the first time the nifty controller has gone on sale since its int

Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos via Getty Images On Monday, the Supreme Court issued its decision in two consequential cases about the future of speech on the internet.
The Supreme Court vacated the appeals court decisions in Moody v. NetChoice and NetChoice v. Paxton, ruling that neither court adequately analyze whether the social media content moderation laws in Florida and Texas would be unconstitutional no matter what they applied to. The court sent the cases back down to

Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos via Getty Images On Monday, the Supreme Court issued its decision in Moody v. NetChoice and NetChoice v. Paxton, two consequential cases about the future of speech on the internet. The court explicitly extended First Amendment protections to how social media platforms organize, curate, and moderate their feeds, drawing a comparison between internet content moderation and “traditional publishers and editors.”The decision elaborates th

Samsung is bringing Matter 1.2 to its SmartThings smart home platform. | Image: Samsung SmartThings Samsung SmartThings looks set to become the first major smart home platform to fully support Matter 1.2. According to a press release, the SmartThings platform now works with Matter 1.2, so manufacturers and developers can start integrating their compatible devices with the platform. The SmartThings app won’t be updated to support Matter until later this summer — so you won’t be

Samsung is bringing Matter 1.2 to its SmartThings smart home platform. | Image: Samsung SmartThings Samsung SmartThings looks set to become the first major smart home platform to fully support Matter 1.2. According to a press release, the SmartThings platform now works with Matter 1.2, so manufacturers and developers can start integrating their compatible devices with the platform. The SmartThings app won’t be updated to support Matter until later this summer — so you won’t be

Schiphol Airport in the Netherlands is testing an unusual kind of battery that could prove to be a better, cheaper way to store wind and solar energy.  Developed by US startup ESS, the device is known as an iron flow battery. The airport is currently trialling the technology to power some of its electric ground power units. These machines provide electricity to parked planes to run systems such as lights, avionics, and air conditioning.  But why is Schiphol betting on this lesser-know

Apple Intelligence — Apple's name for a set of artificial intelligence features on its devices — might not always be completely free.In the latest installment of his Power On newsletter, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman says Apple is looking into making money from Apple Intelligence down the road. SEE ALSO:Apple's upcoming AirPods might have built-in cameras
Apple Intelligence, or AI for short, was announced in June 2024, during the company's annual WWDC event. It will launch as a free set of

In yet another blow to big tech, the EU is charging Meta with breaching the bloc’s sweeping online competition rules, known as the Digital Markets Act (DMA). Alongside Google and Apple, Meta is among the tech giants (designated as “gatekeepers“) required to comply with the landmark law as of March this year. A mere two weeks after the act kicked in, the European Commission opened an investigation into all three companies, expressing concerns that the measures they introduced w

Image: The Verge The EU has formally charged Meta with violations of its Digital Markets Act (DMA), marking its second such charge in as many weeks. The European Commission writes in a preliminary ruling that the “pay or consent” advertising model that launched last year for Facebook and Instagram users runs afoul of Article 5(2) of the DMA by not giving users a third option that uses less data for ad targeting but is still free to use.
Regulators found in their investigation that Me

As well as giving Elon Musk a hard time, Stephen King likes to spend his time on X (formerly Twitter) recommending movies, TV shows and books.His latest positive review? A Quiet Place: Day One, the prequel to John Krasinski's apocalyptic blockbuster, this time written and directed by Michael Sarnoski. Starring Lupita Nyong'o, Stranger Things' Joseph Quinn, Djimon Hounsou, and a cat named Frodo, the film takes place in New York City during the initial invasion of the franchise's sound-hunting mon

TL;DR: Watch France vs. Belgium in Euro 2024 for free on ITVX. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.There are a lot of tasty matchups in the first knockout round of Euro 2024, but France vs. Belgium has to be the best. Neither side has looked great so far, but that doesn't really matter at this stage. It's all or nothing in the knockout rounds. Forget what has gone before and focus on the next 90 minutes.If you want to watch France vs. Belgium in Euro 20

TL;DR: Live stream Jakob Ingebrigtsen at Paris 2024 for free on BBC iPlayer. Access this free streaming platform from anywhere in the world with ExpressVPN.There are a number of exceptional athletes performing at Paris 2024, but Jakob Ingebrigtsen might be the most talented. The Norwegian is seriously fast, and will be looking to secure a gold medal in both the 1,500m and 5,000m events at Paris 2024. That will be a big ask, but Ingebrigtsen is a confident guy.If you want to watch Jakob Ingebrigt

Given how bleak House of the Dragon Season 2 has been so far, it almost feels like we're owed a few light-hearted moments — and episode 3 certainly delivered on that front.Enter Daemon Targaryen (Matt Smith) on dragonback to a very gloomy, possibly haunted Harrenhal, fully suited up in his armour and ready to conquer.SEE ALSO:How 'House of the Dragon' Season 2 is different from George R.R. Martin's 'Fire and Blood'
Only instead of being greeted by a battalion of men, the roguish prince was

With the grave-rattling events of Interview With a Vampire: Part II's big finale, fans are lusting for more sex, more blood, and more unreliable narrators. Luckily for us, Season 3 has already been promised, with showrunner Rolin Jones assuring the series would switch focus to Anne Rice's sequel novel The Vampire Lestat. And that means Lestat de Lioncourt becomes a rock star. While the original novel was set in 1985, the year of its release, the show has already pushed the Vampire Chronicle