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Threads and Instagram are for politics now, says Adam Mosseri

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Illustration: The Verge It’s been nearly a year since Instagram and Threads defaulted to blocking recommendations of “political” content from accounts you don’t already follow, but now Instagram boss Adam Mosseri says , “...we’re going to be adding political content to recommendations” on both platforms. That’s a sharp turn from his statements in 2023 laying out the goal of a “less angry place for conversations” that wouldn’t do anything to encourage politics or hard news. However, under Meta’s new approach to moderation — and new rules about what users can say on its platforms — that goal is going out the window just as the Trump administration prepares to take over. Until now, users have had to opt-in to seeing recommendations of content deemed political, but the change rolling out this week in the US and to the rest of the world next week will turn on the recommendations and a content control setting available with options for less, standard (the default setting), and m...
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Bluetti has two new flagship energy storage kits for the home and beyond

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Two Apex 300 units with several expansion batteries. | Image: Bluetti Bluetti just took the wraps off its EnergyPro 6K and Apex 300 energy storage systems. The EnergyPro 6K is a fixed whole-home backup solution, while the modular Apex 300 is designed to provide portable power when at home, at an off-grid cabin, at a job site, or during an RV trip. Both systems can scale in capacity and power to support your individual needs. The launch is all part of Bluetti’s rebranding around three series of power solutions: EnergyPro products that require professional installation, Apex systems for advanced energy demands, and the smaller Elite lineup of portable power stations and solar generators for more casual use. The Apex 300 features 3840W of max AC output and 3072Wh of LFP battery storage. It can be combined with the company’s B300K, B300, and B300S batteries, including future expansion batteries yet to be announced. The Apex 300 has an idle power draw of 20W, according to Bluetti, whi...
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Reolink’s new cameras can record 24/7 without a power outlet or internet connection

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From left to right: a pair of Reolink’s new Altas cameras, the Home Hub, and Reolink’s solar panels. | Image: Reolink Reolink’s new Altas series of consumer-oriented surveillance cameras can continuously record video to a local SD card 24 hours a day for up to seven days off of battery — or almost two years when recording based on motion. The company’s cameras can also be connected to Reolink’s new Home Hub to store video footage in a central location on your home network — not in the cloud — so no subscription fees are required. Reolink cameras connected to the Home Hub will also continue to record footage, even when the internet goes down. The endurance of Reolink’s Altas cameras can be attributed to their very large (for a camera) 20,000mAh battery paired with a new ultra-low power chipset. It’s also believable based on my own experience with Reolink’s Argus 4 Pro camera (review coming). Runtime for Reolink’s Altas cameras can even be extended indefinitely when connected to R...
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The best stuff we’ve seen at CES so far

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Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge The show floor of the biggest tech event of the year officially opened today, but CES 2025 has already delivered a long list of new gadgets, tech, concepts, and AI-powered devices tempting you to upgrade. It’s a lot to keep up with, so we’ll help you catch up. Below are some of the standout gadgets of the show so far. Of course, there’s still a lot more out there and a lot more to go. You can catch up on all of The Verge’s coverage of the show here . Lenovo ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge Launching sometime in Q1 2025 and starting at a steep $3,499, Lenovo’s ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 is one of the most unique laptops at CES 2025 thanks to a screen that grows. It starts out as an unassuming notebook with a 14-inch OLED screen at a resolution of 2000 x 1600, but pressing a button or raising your hand brings a motor to life which vertically expands the display to 16.7 inches with an extended resolution of ...
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Here are the best AirPods deals you can get right now

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Apple’s new AirPods 4 offers better sound and voice call quality than their predecessor, and are cheaper too at just $119.99. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge If you know where to look, you can often score discounts on Apple’s ever-expanding AirPods lineup. Both the AirPods 4 and AirPods Max are just starting to receive discounts, for instance, while the third-gen AirPods can often be found at a steep discount. The same goes for the original Max, which are nearly indistinguishable from the last-gen model aside from the switch to a USB-C connector. Below, we’ve rounded up the best deals currently available on each model, including the third-gen AirPods, both iterations of the AirPods 4, the latest AirPods Pro with USB-C , and the last-gen AirPods Max. The best AirPods (third-gen) deals With support for the company’s MagSafe charger and an asking price of $179, Apple’s third-gen AirPods were once considered the middle child in the AirPods lineup. The shorter s...
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This pixel light grid can show you the weather (and the price of Bitcoin)

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Image: Govee Govee is launching a new pixel light grid that can display art, animations, and live data. The Gaming Pixel Light lets you upload your own images and GIFs to display or choose from 150 different data sources, letting it provide live updates on the weather, Bitcoin prices, NBA scores, and more. You can also sync the display to games you’re playing by hooking it up to Govee’s HDMI sync box or play 8-bit tunes that sync to the pixel grid using the built-in speaker. Naturally, there’s an AI component as well — an accompanying app can generate new pixel art for you using Govee’s “AI Lighting Bot.” Image: Govee You can generate pixel art with Govee’s “AI Lighting Bot.” The Gaming Pixel Light is compatible with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. You can wall-mount the screen or place it atop a table or desk, making it seem like a neat little addition to a gaming room or office. Along with this pixel light, Govee is announcing the Table Lamp 2 Pro — an LED-packed tablet...
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Prime Video licensed a Melania Trump documentary directed by Brett Ratner

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Melania Trump at Mar-a-Lago on New Year’s Eve. | Photo by Eva Marie Uzcategui/Getty Images Amazon Prime Video has licensed a documentary about Melania Trump that will be directed by Rush Hour director Brett Ratner, reports Variety . A Prime Video spokesperson told the outlet that the movie will be an “unprecedented, behind-the-scenes look” at the first lady. The news comes as Amazon founder Jeff Bezos has been currying favor with Donald Trump, who heavily criticized Amazon during his first term . That’s included dinner with the President-elect and a $1 million donation to Trump’s inauguration fund, just as other tech CEOs like Apple’s Tim Cook and OpenAI’s Sam Altman have done. Prime Video is also set to livestream Trump’s inauguration. The film is the first significant Hollywood project that Ratner has taken on since 2017, when several women accused him of sexual misconduct and another of rape , Variety notes. He denied the allegations but parted ways with Warner Bros. ...
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