Technology news

Detecting an offside violation can be difficult. | Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images The UK’s top soccer league is switching up the tech it uses to detect offside violations on the football pitch. The English Premier League (EPL) has contracted with a company called Genius Sports, which will use dozens of iPhones combined with machine-learning models to help game officials make an offside call.
Offside violations aren’t always clear-cut, especially when players are grouped in a way

Image: The Verge Valve has started publicly testing sorting reviews in the Steam store based on how well they help players make purchase decisions about games.Historically we’ve sorted reviews by the number of ‘helpful’ votes given to each review by other players. However, we’ve seen that many players use reviews for sharing jokes, memes, ascii art and other content that might not be the most helpful for a potential purchaser.Its solution to the problem is the new “

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge The Federal Trade Commission has announced a final rule banning companies from creating or selling fake reviews, including AI-generated ones. Once it goes into effect, the FTC can take action against companies that violate the policy.
The new rule could help address AI-generated reviews that pop up on sites across the web, including Amazon. Here are the types of deceptive practices the FTC’s new rule prohibits:Offering incentives to customers in exchan

It's the link-up of the century for all the young parents out there. Ms. Rachel and Elmo, finally together at last. The X account for Elmo, the beloved Muppet, tweeted a picture of the character with Ms. Rachel, the uber-popular YouTube creator and educator known for her toddler learning videos. Tweet may have been deletedElmo is obviously an iconic character, but Ms. Rachel is a superstar in her own right. Her YouTube channel focuses on educational and fun content for toddlers, and as someone w

The wait for the next Nintendo console continues.Nintendo's oft-rumored follow-up to the Switch (which we'll call "Switch 2" for the sake of convenience) may not launch in early 2025, as many had hoped. That's according to Chris Dring, the head of GamesIndustry.biz, anyway, who said on that site's podcast (as spotted by VGC) that developers aren't expecting the Switch 2 to launch before the end of Nintendo's current fiscal year. In case you were wondering, Nintendo's fiscal year ends on March 31

The Roto VR Explorer chair can make VR feel more immersive by spinning in response to the user’s head movements. | Image: Rotovrltd The Roto VR Explorer chair is designed to make VR experiences feel more immersive (and less nauseating) by pairing real-world movements with what’s seen in a headset. By simply spinning a sitting user in place, it’s able to do that in a much smaller footprint than other solutions like the Virtuix Omni treadmill or Disney’s Holo Tile treadmill

Tesla The US National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is recommending Tesla expand an existing service bulletin that aims to fix older Tesla Model S and X vehicles suffering suspension failures. The suggestion comes from the agency’s Office of Defects Investigation (ODI), which just concluded its probe into the matter after finding 426 instances of the particular defect on Tesla vehicles.
As reported by Ars Technica, the defect is known in the larger Tesla community as th

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Apple reportedly has “a team of several hundred people” working on a new product that attaches an iPad-style display to a robotic arm that uses actuators to tilt up and down as well as spin 360 degrees, according to a report from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman.The tabletop device could reportedly serve multiple purposes, letting you control your smart home, attend video conferences, monitor home security, and more.
Gurman has reported rumors of

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Disney wants a Florida court to dismiss a wrongful death lawsuit at a Disney-affiliated restaurant based on terms of service for the entertainment giant’s website and streaming video services. The company argues that a couple agreed to an arbitration clause when one of them bought tickets to Disney World — and in an even more distant connection, when signing up for Disney Plus years before.
The lawsuit, filed in February, concerns a 42-year-old

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Sonos has explored the possibility of rereleasing its previous mobile app for Android and iOS — a clear sign of what an ordeal the company’s hurried redesign has become. The Verge can report that there have been discussions high up within Sonos about bringing back the prior version of the app, known as S2, as the company continues toiling away at improving the performance and addressing bugs with the overhauled design that rolled out in May to a flood

A confession: Long before Alien: Romulus, I've not been much for Fede Álvarez's brand of horror. His reboot of Evil Dead was so grisly that I saw a colleague who deeply loves a good scary movie flee the theater in revulsion. His Texas Chainsaw Massacre was likewise dripping with buckets of blood and viscera, as was his 2016 original thriller Don't Breathe. It's not the gore alone that put me off, but more how it heightened a bleakness so intense it might well steal your breath. It seems h

UPDATE: Aug. 14, 2024, 2:50 p.m. EDT This story has been updated with the best robot vacuum deals live in the first half of August, including further discounts on some Roborock and Shark models (compared to the end of July).A glance at the best robot vacuum deals in mid-August:Best budget dealEufy L50$159.99 at Amazon(save $40 with Prime)Get DealBest self-emptying dealEufy L60$299.99 at Amazon(save $100)Get DealBest vacuum-mop combo dealRoborock Q Revo S$599.99 at Amazon(save $200)Get Deal
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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Google recently introduced a new table formatting feature in Sheets that made it far easier to create self-contained, sortable blocks of cells inside a spreadsheet. But the company didn’t stop there and seems to be rapidly updating the software with features that make it faster to set up, configure, and view data within a table.
The latest update, which is rolling out in stages now, builds on its earlier addition of table formatting by adding “

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Google recently introduced a new table formatting feature in Sheets that made it far easier to create self-contained, sortable blocks of cells inside a spreadsheet. But the company didn’t stop there and seems to be rapidly updating the software with features that make it faster to set up, configure, and view data within a table.
The latest update, which is rolling out in stages now, builds on its earlier addition of table formatting by adding “

Photo by Alex Broadway / Getty Images A team of computer scientists found that wireless gear-shifting systems in high-end bikes are vulnerable to cybersecurity attacks that could undermine popular races like the Tour de France.
Wireless gear-shift systems are meant to give riders better control of their bikes, according to the University of California San Diego, whose researchers collaborated with those from Northeastern University on the study. But the modernization also introduces a new set of

Illustration: Beatrice Sala National Public Data, a company that collects personal data to resell and process background checks, is the target of a proposed class action lawsuit alleging it is the source of a massive data leak that includes information like Social Security numbers and more on reportedly “3 billion people,” according to Bloomberg Law.As reported by BleepingComputer, the alleged stolen database was offered for sale on the dark web in April by a hacker group known as US

Illustration: The Verge Sonos laid off approximately 100 employees this morning, a source familiar with the situation tells The Verge. Those affected — I’m told the marketing division took a significant hit — abruptly lost access to the company’s internal network. Sonos is also in the process of winding down some of its customer support offices, including one in Amsterdam that will close later this year.Sonos reported a headcount of over 1,800 employees in October 2022. T

Halide lets you pick the image processing you want, including no processing at all. | Image: Lux Optics It’s trickier than ever to know what a photo really is — and when AI and processing turn a photo into something else entirely. Google, Samsung, Apple, and others are making it easier than ever to tweak photos to your liking, combine several mediocre shots into one great one, or add or remove things — including yourself — in your photos. Many of these features are cool,

Halide lets you pick the image processing you want, including no processing at all. | Image: Lux Optics It’s trickier than ever to know what a photo really is — and when AI and processing turn a photo into something else entirely. Google, Samsung, Apple, and others are making it easier than ever to tweak photos to your liking, combine several mediocre shots into one great one, or add or remove things — including yourself — in your photos. Many of these features are cool,

The Pixel Buds Pro 2 are more expensive than their predecessor, but they continue to deliver a lot of impressive features (and colors). | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Earlier this week, we highlighted preorder details on the Pixel Watch 3 and Google’s entire Pixel 9 lineup. However, if you’ve got your eyes on Google’s forthcoming earbuds, rest assured there are also deals to be had on the Pixel Buds Pro 2. In fact, you can already preorder the $229 pair of earbuds at Amazon

UPDATE: Aug. 14, 2024, 5:00 a.m. EDT Check out the latest Apple deals from Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, and more.Best Apple deals this week:Best MacBook dealApple MacBook Air, 13-inch (M3, 8GB RAM, 256GB SSD)$849.98 at Amazon(Save $249.02)Get DealBest iPad dealiPad Air (M2, WiFi, 128GB)$549 at Amazon(Save $50)Get DealBest Apple Watch dealApple Watch SE (40mm, GPS)$189 at Amazon and Walmart(Save $60)Get DealBest AirPods dealApple AirPods Pro (2nd generation)$189.99 at Amazon(Save $59.01)Get Deal
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Norway’s sovereign wealth fund is celebrating a $138 billion profit from the first half of the year, but has put the champagne on ice. The $1.6 trillion fund credited the returns to investments in tech. Driven by surging demand for AI, technology stocks surged during early 2024. Norway’s sovereign wealth fund — the largest in the world — reaped the benefits. Its equity portfolio gained 12% in the six months through June. Nvidia provided the largest cash injection. M

Our top picks:Best camping dealREI Co-op Skyward 6 Tent$223.83 at REI(save $225.17)Get DealBest hiking dealGarmin inReach Messenger$249.99 at Amazon(save $50)Get DealBest backyard dealGovee Outdoor String Lights (48 feet)$34.99 at Amazon with on-page coupon(save $20)Get Deal
While some of us can't get enough of sunny summer weather, others can't wait to feel the drop that comes with autumn temps while crunching all the freshly fallen leaves. If you've been waiting for fall adventures, you don't

The Walt Disney Corporation is probably not a fan. | Image: Tom Warren / Grok xAI’s Grok chatbot now lets you create images from text prompts and publish them to X — and so far, the rollout seems as chaotic as everything else on Elon Musk’s social network.
Subscribers to X Premium, which grants access to Grok, have been posting everything from Barack Obama doing cocaine to Donald Trump with a pregnant woman who (vaguely) resembles Kamala Harris to Trump and Harris pointing guns

The best gaming deals of the week at a glance:Best PlayStation Deal'Final Fantasy XVI'$29.99 at Amazon(Save $20)Get DealBest Xbox Deal'Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown'$24.98 at Amazon(Save $25.01)Get DealBest Nintendo Switch Deal'Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door'$49.99 at Woot!(Save $10)Get Deal
School may be in session, but that doesn't mean the fun and games have to come to an end — video games, at least. Whether you just sent the kids back to school or you're taking classes yourself

Google has an AI update for its Magnifier app that's geared towards people with low vision. And the best part is you don't need a new Pixel 9 to use it.Magnifier is an app was released last year as an accessibility tool that works with Pixel cameras to magnify text, details, and zoom in on distant objects. As of Tuesday, it has been updated with AI-powered capabilities to make gathering visual information easier. SEE ALSO:Everything announced at Made by Google 2024, including the new Pixel 9 Pro

Best unlocked phone deals the week of August 14Best iPhone deal Apple iPhone 13 (Renewed)$422 at Amazon (save $171.84)Get DealBest Motorola deal Motorola razr (2023)$399.99 at Amazon (save $300 )Get DealBest Google Pixel deal Google Pixel 8$618 at Amazon (save $81)Get Deal
The dust has barely settled from the Made by Google 2024 event, and we're already seeing some sweet deals pop up on smartphones across the market. We've done our best to gather some of the best phone deals this week. While we

Who among us hasn't dreamed of being whisked away from our humdrum lives to an exotic island, populated by beautiful people and lush with luxury? This is the dream come true for Blink Twice's heroine, a cater waiter named Frida (I Wanna Dance With Somebody's Naomi Ackie), when dashing tech billionaire Slater King (Channing Tatum) offers her a private plane ride to his equally private island. But in this place of poshness and privilege, something heinous hides in plain sight. For her directo

A pop-up LED light on the Anker Solix C300 DC will save you from having to find a working flashlight during a power outage. | Image: Anker The new Anker Solix C300 DC includes a feature not seen on the company’s portable power stations before: although it can only be charged using a solar panel or its bidirectional 140W USB-C ports, for the first time, users can recharge it using two of those USB-C ports at the same time, boosting charging speeds to up to 280W.
Inside the Solix C300 DC is

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Apple is going to let developers offer in-app NFC transactions using the Secure Element starting with iOS 18.1, and as part of the update, you’ll also be able to set a default contactless payment app that’s accessible when you double-click your iPhone’s side button. Previously, Apple has only allowed Apple Pay to appear when you double-click that button.
With this change, developers will be able to offer in-app contactless transactions for a wi

Realme demonstrated its new 320W SuperSonic Charge technology at an event in Shenzhen. | Image: Realme Realme has once again taken the lead in the fast charging arms race with its new 320W SuperSonic Charge technology. The company demonstrated the tech by fully charging a smartphone with a 4,420mAh battery (which is a bit smaller than what’s in the new Pixel 9 and 9 Pro) in four minutes and 30 seconds.
The charging speeds are made possible by two key innovations announced during an event i

Check out Amazon's best deals of the day on August 14:Amazon deals of the day at a glance:OUR TOP PICKGoogle Pixel 9$799 with free $100 Amazon gift cardGet DealBEST TABLET DEALSamsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE+ (128GB)$479.99 at Amazon(save $120)Get DealBEST EARBUDS DEALJBL Tune Flex$49.95 at Amazon(save $50)Get DealBEST BLUETOOTH TRACKER DEALTile Starter Pack$39.25 at Amazon(save $15.74)Get Deal
Today's a good day to treat yourself to some tech deals at Amazon. Top brands like Samsung and Tile have disc

SAVE UP TO 25%: As of August 14, save up to 25% off classroom essentials at retailers like Best Buy, Rite Aid and Staples during Instacart Back-To-School Deal Week. Opens in a new windowCredit: InstacartInstacart Back-To-School Deal WeekGet DealSchool is officially back in session, and that means there's shopping to be done. Whether you're grabbing some school supplies you forgot to pick up or restocking the pantry for hungry kids in and out of the kitchen, saving some money on things you're goi

Image: AMD AMD launched its first Zen 5 desktop processors earlier this month, and tomorrow it’s about to release what looks like a disappointing flagship Ryzen 9 9950X CPU. Early reviews of the initial Zen 5 CPUs — the Ryzen 7 9700X and Ryzen 5 9600X — revealed a lack of performance improvements and efficiencies, and now reviews of the flagship Ryzen 9 9950X are coming to the same conclusion.
Hardware Unboxed has tested a variety of productivity workloads and games with the 99

SPEND $50+ AND SAVE 15%: Prime members who spend $50+ on eligible Amazon-brand items can save 15% during the Amazon stock up and save event.Opens in a new windowCredit: AmazonSave 15% on orders of $50+ on eligible Amazon-brand itemsPrime-member exclusive savingsGet DealFor some of us, it's super easy to stop by the store a couple of times a week. For others, it's at least a half hour journey to the local store. In either case, it can be convenient to keep a stockpile of essential supplies around

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As an Indian immigrant living in the UK, I have oscillated between being hesitant and terrified to leave my house in south London since July 30. In late July and early August, most of England and parts of Northern Ireland have witnessed widespread racist violence following the murder of three little girls — Bebe King, six, Elsie Dot Stancombe, seven, and Alice Dasilva Aguiar, nine – in Southport on July 29. Following the attack, misinformation largely spread through social media fals

Illustration by Samar Haddad / The Verge If you read The Verge, then you probably know your tech, and so it’s likely that you’re sometimes asked to help troubleshoot computer issues by friends, family, and / or neighbors. It can be something as simple as just turning on the Wi-Fi or as complicated as having to update a BIOS. Whatever’s wrong, it’s much harder to sort out if you’re not in the same room as the computer in question — and trying to work with someo

Google’s new 45W charger is available for preorder today, with shipping expected as early as next week. | Image: Google One device that didn’t get a main stage reveal during yesterday’s Made by Google event is the company’s new 45W USB-C charger. That’s not entirely surprising given the new Pixel 9 lineup, the Pixel Watch 3, and the Pixel Buds Pro 2 were overshadowed by Google’s artificial intelligence efforts.
The 45W charger replaces Google’s 30W charg

Studies show that writing things down strengthens the connection between different areas of the brain so you’re more likely to remember information. But keeping all your notes on paper isn't always practical. You often end up having to type things up later to share with others or search through notebooks to find what you need.The reMarkable tablet solves this problem, giving you the best of both worlds. It’s a thin, lightweight tablet you can write on, just like a notebook. When you&