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Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge A source told The Information that TikTok was paying Microsoft almost $20 million per month to access OpenAI’s models as of March, making up nearly a quarter of the revenue generated by its increasingly lucrative cloud division.
Microsoft’s cloud AI business was on track to earn $1 billion in annual revenue, according to The Information, but the report notes that TikTok may not need these capabilities this heavily if it develops its own large

The 2024 Microsoft Surface Laptop is currently the least expensive available with a Qualcomm X chip. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Currently, the $999 Microsoft Surface Laptop is the cheapest way to get a Windows machine that runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Plus chip, with all the battery life benefits (and caveats) that might entail. But in 2025, they’ll be cheaper — Qualcomm now says they’ll hit the $700 mark next year.“As we look forward to 2025, in addition

The perfect shape for a car, and a mouse. | Image: Honda Take a look at this HP-X concept from 1984 that has been restored, seemingly so Honda can show the world how cool futuristic cars used to look.As a car born in the Knight Rider era, the HP-X placed advanced tech within the driver’s reach, including a CD player, GPS, real-time telemetry, and “special sonar” technology that warns you about road conditions. At the time, Honda called this tech suite its “electronic driv

Leaked photos of the DJI Neo drone suggest it may cost just $329 to buy a bundle. | Image: Jasper Ellens DJI’s 4K-ready Neo drone has leaked — and according to the photos, box, specs, and leaked Walmart price we’ve now seen, it could be the lightest and cheapest full-featured DJI drone you can buy.
A leaked Walmart listing hints that the DJI Neo Fly More Combo could sell for just $329, and the starting price for a standalone drone could be even less given that DJI’s &ldqu

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge After striking deals with Google and OpenAI, Reddit CEO Steve Huffman is calling on Microsoft and others to pay if they want to continue scraping the site’s data.
“Without these agreements, we don’t have any say or knowledge of how our data is displayed and what it’s used for, which has put us in a position now of blocking folks who haven’t been willing to come to terms with how we’d like our data to be used or not used,

SAVE UP TO 84%: Select multiplayer games for the Nintendo Switch are on sale in the My Nintendo Store through Aug. 11 as part of its Play Together Sale.Our top picks at a glance:For real Olympics heads'Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020'$23.99 at the My Nintendo Store(save $36)Get DealFor platformer fans'Super Monkey Ball Banana Rumble'$37.49 at the My Nintendo Store(save $12.50)Get DealFor cutthroat competitors'Nintendo Switch Sports'$27.99 at the My Nintendo Store(save $12)Get D

The iPhone 16 rumors are flooding in – and we're curious about how it'll be different from the iPhone 15. We’re hearing tons whispers about a RAM boost for the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus models. The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max, on the other hand, are reportedly getting some striking upgrades to the cameras that may dazzle the masses. Here’s a compilation of all the credible rumors about next year's iPhone 16 line.SEE ALSO:New iPhone 16 leak reveals 5 vibrant colors an

Siri’s big upgrade starts now, but you’ll need the right iPhone to access it. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge In iOS 18’s latest developer preview, Siri gets a glow-up. Like, the whole phone actually glows around the edges when you invoke Siri.
A splash screen reintroduces you to the virtual assistant once you enable Apple Intelligence, an early version of which is now available on the iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max in a developer beta. You’ll know Siri is listening when t

SAVE 20%: As of July 31, you can get the Anker MagGo 3-in-1 Charging Station for just $87.99, down from its usual price of $109.99. That's a discount of $22 and the lowest price we've seen. Opens in a new windowCredit: AmazonAnker MagGo 3-in-1 Charging Station$87.99 at Amazon $109.99 Save $22.00Get DealIf you have multiple Apple products, you probably know the unique frustration of dealing with the different cables you need to keep everything charged. Before the move to USB-C for newer iPhones,

Simone Biles didn't forget the haters in the immediate aftermath of Team USA women's gymnastics winning the gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics.The gymnastics GOAT posted an Instagram celebrating with victory with a particular caption. Under a pic of the squad celebrating, Biles wrote: "Lack of talent, lazy, olympic champions."This was a direct shot at Biles' former Team USA teammate MyKayla Skinner.View this post on Instagram
Skinner criticized the squad after its selection."Besides Simone, I feel

A new malware campaign has just been outed and it's targeting Android devices in the sneakiest of ways.According to a new report from ZLabs researchers at the mobile security company Zimperium, there's a massive SMS stealer campaign spreading across the globe that's gaining access to Android users' devices and stealing their sensitive information before sending it to bad actors for financial gain.How are they doing this? By tricking users with fake app download pages or through Telegram bot

SAVE $60: Get the 1TB Samsung T7 portable SSD for $99.99 at Amazon. That's a 38% discount from the list price of $159.99.Opens in a new windowCredit: SamsungSamsung T7 portable SSD (1TB)$99.99 at Amazon $159.99 Save $60.00Get DealWhen it comes to storage, you can never have too much. And it's helpful to have a portable SSD so you can store those big files, like the thousands of photos we take every year, and not have to pay for expensive monthly storage subscriptions. You can grab a great deal o

Image: Google Google’s earlier-than-expected Pixel hardware event is just around the corner — it’s scheduled for Tuesday, August 13th. Thanks to the relentless flow of leaks that have emerged over the past few weeks, we have a pretty good idea of what to expect.
Google has already confirmed that it’s launching the Pixel 9 and the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, but the company may have some other surprises in store, including the Buds Pro 2 and maybe even the Pixel Watch 3.
Here’

SAVE $50: The Insignia 32-inch HD Fire TV is just $79.99 at Amazon, down from the list price of $129.99. That's a 38% discount and the lowest we've ever seen at Amazon.Opens in a new windowCredit: Insignia Insignia 32-inch HD Fire TV$79.99 at Amazon $129.99 Save $50.00Get DealPrime Day graced us with fantastic deals in mid-July, but sadly we now have to wait (and cross our fingers) for a Prime Day sequel come October. However, if you missed out on the sale, you can still shop a handful of Prime

During this year's Paris 2024 Olympics, singles are pole vaulting into the Olympic Village — on dating apps, anyway.This isn't exactly a new strategy to find an athletic and attractive partner. Mashable's Rachel Thompson wrote about Tinder users doing this for the 2018 Winter Olympics, and you'll find other years-old videos about this on TikTok too. But, here we go again: It's another Olympic year, and another chance to score literal or figurative gold. SEE ALSO:Team USA's women's gymnasti

Image: Taco Bell Your next Taco Bell drive-thru order might be handled by AI — and an AI may have helped you get a Chalupa already. Parent company Yum! Brands has been testing its “Voice AI” technology at more than 100 Taco Bell drive-thru in the US, and now Yum! aims to bring the technology to “hundreds” of Taco Bell stores by the end of the year, according to a press release.Yum! is pitching the AI tech as a way to ease task load for staffers, improve order accura

Photo by David Berding/Getty Images A group of over 200 tech leaders and investors are pledging their support to Vice President Kamala Harris in the presidential race, countering a opposing group from Silicon Valley who have backed former President Donald Trump.
Shark Tank star and former Dallas Mavericks principal owner Mark Cuban, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman, Khosla Ventures founder Vinod Khosla, and SV Angel managing partner Ron Conway are among the signatories.
“We spend our days

The metallic smell of gold medals is in the air and patriotism has never been higher, as the Paris 2024 Olympic Games shake out to be bursting with unforgettable moments.SEE ALSO:Team USA's women's gymnastics gold medal win sparks lots of online love
Historic wins are everywhere, from fencing to shooting, and women athletes are dominating their sports. We've gotten pregnancy announcements (Can you Imagine?), lost wedding bands, and celeb cameos. There's plenty of drama and heartbreak, too, inclu

A new iPhone 16 leak, posted by Sonny Dickson, was dropped on X (h/t MacRumors). The description-less post supposedly gives us insight into Apple's next-generation, entry-level devices: the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus.The leaked photo revealed five colorways that will potentially be available on the iPhone 16, and by extension, the iPhone 16 Plus, which are expected to launch in September. From left to right, the colorways are white, black, blue, green, and pink. As MacRumors pointed out, this

SAVE 40%: As of July 31, get the GoveeLife Smart Mini HEPA Air Purifier for $29.08 at Amazon by clipping the 40% off on-page coupon. That's $19.39 off its normal price of $48.47. Opens in a new windowCredit: AmazonGoveeLife Smart Mini HEPA Air Purifier$29.08 at Amazon $48.47 Save $19.3940% off with on-page couponGet DealWhether you realize it or not, the air you're breathing in right now is probably filthy. Most of our homes have terrible indoor air quality, even worse than the air outside. Dust

UPDATE: Jul. 31, 2024, 9:11 a.m. EDT This piece has been updated with a statement from Meta.Some social media influencers on Facebook and Instagram are now dealing with a growing new problem on Meta-owned platforms: extortion.According to a new report from Bloomberg, scammers are now issuing copyright takedowns on Facebook and Instagram content that they do not own — and they're doing it with Meta's own rights management tool that is meant to help protect creators' work.Malicious actors a

Image: Bungie Another round of layoffs has hit Bungie. Bungie CEO Pete Parsons made the announcement on the studio’s website, citing the increasing costs of development and economic conditions as the reason for the reduction of staff — a refrain that’s become common in the last two years of prolific video game industry layoffs. Parsons wrote that 220 roles would be eliminated, representing 17 percent of the company’s workforce.Additionally, Parsons wrote that Bungie was w

Google DeepMind announced today the release of the 2 billion (2B) parameter version of Gemma 2, the second generation of its Gemma AI models. First launched in February this year, Gemma is a family of lightweight, text-to-text open models designed for developers and researchers — and built on the technology that powers Google Gemini. DeepMind released Gemma 2 in June, in two different sizes: 9 billion (9B) and 27 billion (27) parameters. The new 2B model learns from larger models through

GET $15 OFF: As of July 31, you can get a four-pack of Kasa smart light bulbs for just $24.99. That's a $15 discount and only $6.25 per bulb.Opens in a new windowCredit: Kasa Smart Store Kasa smart light bulbs (4-pack) $24.99 at Amazon $39.99 Save $15.00Get DealLighting can be surprisingly important when it comes to getting the vibe right for a party, movie night, or even just a quiet dinner at home when you wind down after your day. A color-changing smart bulb is a little thing that could be a

What if Cybertruck light bar but on the back? | Image: Reddit user Abomb1997 Tesla’s Model Y will look a lot different on the back and inside after its rumored redesign, if new photos of the leaked “Juniper” model are to be believed. A user on Reddit shared the images, which include a close-up of the rear of what appears to be an updated Model Y with its security covers removed, revealing a red light bar with the word “Tesla” running across the hatch. The current mo

For fans of Haikyu!!, a historic event three years in the making unfolded on Wednesday: Japan went head to head with Argentina in the men′s volleyball preliminary round at the 2024 Paris Olympics. SEE ALSO:Stephen Nedoroscik's pommel horse performance for Team USA gymnastics generates online buzz
The Olympic match mirrored a pivotal scene in the beloved volleyball manga in which Team Japan squared off against Team Argentina in the Olympic finals. The moment was only alluded to in the manga

SAVE 33%: The AirFly Duo wireless Bluetooth transmitter is on sale for $29.99 at Amazon, down from the usual price of $44.99. That's a savings of $15 and the lowest price we've ever seen at Amazon.Opens in a new windowCredit: AirFlyAirFly Duo wireless Bluetooth transmitter$29.99 at Amazon $44.99 Save $15.00Get DealSometimes a small gadget that you never knew you needed makes a world of difference. A Bluetooth transmitter is a great example of a tiny device that will make travel so much better. P

UP TO 25% OFF: As of July 31, save up to 25% off personal air conditioners at Amazon. Our favorite pick is the Sweetfull Portable Neck Fan, which is just $22.99, a 23% discount from its original price of $29.99.Opens in a new windowCredit: AmazonSweetfull Portable Neck Fan$22.99 at Amazon $29.99 Save $7.00Get DealIf you've been watching the games in Paris, you may have noticed athletes and fans alike decked out in personal air conditioners. Europeans might turn up their noses at air conditioning

House of the Dragon Season 2, episode 7 played out like a particularly bloody instalment of How to Train Your Dragon, with Vermithor and Silverwing choosing Hugh Hammer (Kieran Bew) and Ulf the White (Tom Bennett) as their new riders, respectively.But what made second-largest-dragon-in-Westeros and certified lowfolk diner, Vermithor, pick Hugh Hammer as his new human friend? Was it the fact that Hugh stood brave and risked his own life to save another of Vermithor's would-be snacks? Or something

Illustration: The Verge Microsoft and Discord are greatly improving the integration of the communication platform into Xbox consoles. While you’ve been able to stream your gameplay to friends over Discord since last year, you’ll soon be able to watch your friends’ streams whether they’re streaming gameplay from a PC, a mobile phone, or an Xbox.
Xbox Insiders will be the first to get access to viewing Discord streams today, with the feature showing up inside Discord voice

Image: Sonos The hits just keep on coming. As Sonos works to get its app back to a better place, it managed to introduce a pretty nasty iOS battery drain problem with last week’s update. Customers were quick to notice and were none too happy with the company for yet another foul-up. Some reported battery usage of well over 50 percent, with the Sonos app running in the background for hours and hours and gradually draining their phone’s charge.Today’s update to the Sonos app shou

GET $20 OFF: As of July 31, you can snag Marvel's Spider-Man 2 for PS5 for $49.99, down from $69.99, at Amazon. That's a $20 discount. Opens in a new windowCredit: PlayStation"Marvel's Spider-Man 2" (Standard Edition, PS5) $49.99 at Amazon $69.99 Save $20.00Get DealIf you haven’t played Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 yet, now’s the time to get out your wallet. As of July 31, you can score Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 (Standard Edition, PS5) for just $49.99, down from its usual price of $

Image: Uber Uber is teaming up with BYD to bring 100,000 of the Chinese automaker’s electric vehicles to the ridesharing app. The multiyear partnership will roll out in Europe and Latin America first, giving drivers “best-in-class pricing and financing” for BYD vehicles used with Uber.
Uber says the goal is to encourage more drivers to use EVs as part of its plan to electrify its rides, while also lowering the cost of EV ownership. Along with potential discounts on financing an

GET $40 OFF: As of July 31, you can snag a Bose SoundLink Flex speaker for $109, down from $149, at Amazon. That's a $40 discount. Opens in a new windowCredit: BoseOur pick: Bose SoundLink Flex speaker $109.00 at Amazon $149.00 Save $40.00Get DealBluetooth speakers are the unsung heroes of summer adventures, from backyard barbecues to beach days. These nifty little gadgets make it easy to create your own soundtrack wherever you go, but they can get expensive — unless you find a killer deal

Image: Microsoft I’m fairly confident Microsoft has created more Xbox controllers than I’ve eaten hot dinners at this point, but I’m always happy to see another translucent option. This time it’s the new “Sky Cipher Special Edition” controller, which includes a translucent blue design that lets you see the inner workings of the Xbox controller.
Microsoft has created white, black, and even pink translucent controllers in the past, but only the top half of those

SAVE 40%: The SodaStream Terra starter kit is on sale at Amazon for $59.99, down from the list price of $99.99. That's $40 off.Opens in a new windowCredit: SodaStreamSodaStream Terra starter kit$59.99 at Amazon $99.99 Save $40.00Get DealSoda water is one of life's greatest simple pleasures. Whether you prefer to cool down with a fizzy glass, or use some seltzer as a cocktail mixer, one thing is certain: you're going to run out eventually. Save yourself some trips to the grocery store and some so