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The fine is more than double the penalty that Temu was slapped with for similar DSA violations. | Illustration: The Verge AliExpress has been hit with a €550 million (about $629 million) fine for violating Europe's Digital Services Act (DSA) rules by failing to prevent illegal, unsafe, or counterfeit products from being sold on the e-commerce platform. The European Commission ruled that AliExpress didn't take effective measures to reduce the dissemination of illegal products, noting the company "allocated insufficient staff" to verify products, and failed to remove unsafe toys and dangerous cosmetics for "multiple weeks" after they were detected. "The spread of counterfeit clothing, unsafe toys, dangerous cosmetics and other illegal and harmful products is not … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/IHtC6r8

China's leading AI companies are ramping up the pressure on Silicon Valley, as Moonshot and Alibaba unveiled models they claim can go toe-to-toe with the best from OpenAI and Anthropic at a fraction of the cost. The rapid-fire releases suggest America's lead at the AI frontier is increasingly tight, just as the technology is becoming central to national security, economic power, and geopolitical influence. The opening salvo came from Beijing-based Moonshot AI, one of China's leading AI model developers, which unveiled Kimi K3 on Friday. Moonshot claims its own testing ranks it consistently above nearly every US system, trailing only OpenAI … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/5qIlC02

Sure is a lot of porcelein in there. | Image: Kieran Hebden Just why? ʅ͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡͡(̸̢̛̼̞̭͋ͅ)̸͚̰͛̔̾̀̿͒͂:̴͓̞̑̌̂̆̊͋̀:̸͎̟̯̂̓̌　҉　　　　　͡　͞　͞　͞　҉● ࿀ ●  ࿀  ●　　　҉⃝ 　　　⃝͢ ͞　　　͘　͞⃝̕ ͢　　　　̛　⃝ 　　　̸　̡　　͢⃝̧ 　͡　͡　　̀　̧　̢⃝͜ 　 　҉　　͞...

I’m partial to that avocado green one. | Image: Reto Project Following the success of its $99 Kodak-branded Snapic A1 , Reto Project is releasing the Kodak EC35 , an even more affordable 35mm film camera for just $34.99. The EC35 certainly isn't fancy. Its 25mm acrylic lens with a fixed f/10 aperture and 1/100 shutter speed basically put it on par with a drugstore disposable. The fact that it has a manual wind and rewind only emphasizes that. And you can really lean into that disposable aesthetic thanks to its built-in automatic flash. Unlike the A1, there's no double exposure feature here or zone focusing. The EC35 is designed to require almost no thought to use. Its one special feature is the sliding … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/KDSWR1q

Grand Theft Auto VI release won’t offer a disc. | Image: Rockstar Games This is The Stepback , a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on video games and physical media, follow Jay Peters. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers' inboxes on Sunday at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here . How it started As a kid, I relished trips to Best Buy, GameStop, and the nearby mall so that I could browse video games. I loved sifting through games and chatting with my friends at the store about upcoming releases. On the lucky days I actually got a new game from the store, I treasured reading through every page of the manual on the drive home. Over the years, I built up a collecti … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/6wGekbr

The 2018 Solar Car Challenge was the last time participants took their designs out on the open road. | Image: Lehman Marks / Solar Car Challenge On July 19th, dozens of teams of high school students will begin a five-day, 630-mile road race from Fort Worth to Fort Stockton in Texas. But this is not your typical contest. The students design and build the cars themselves, using off-the-shelf parts and 3D printed materials. The winner is the team that accumulates the most driven miles. And the only fuel they can use to power their Frankenstein-looking vehicles comes from that mass of incandescent gas that hangs in our sky: the Sun. This year is the 30th anniversary of the annual Solar Car Challenge , a contest that brings together high school students from around the country with the on … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/fpdhARP

Dave Eggers attends the "The Turning Point: To Be Destroyed" premiere. | Image: John Lamparski/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival Last year, Sam Altman invited author Dave Eggers to give a talk to around 200 OpenAI staffers. The man has written countless novels , screenplays, pieces of journalism, started McSweeney's , and founded multiple schools and nonprofits that support writers and the arts more broadly. So one might expect he'd roll into the company's offices and offer tips on being relentlessly prolific, or how to excel in multiple fields. Instead, he apparently laced into the company. According to the Financial Times , Eggers told the staff: "The effect of ChatGPT on educators' lives is catastrophic. Whether you intended to do it or not, you've made every teache … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/76pnBYL

The Pixel 10a shipped with a last gen processor. | Photo: Dominic Preston / The Verge Mystic Leaks suggests that the Pixel 11a will return to featuring a flagship-grade processor with the Tensor G6. Rather than the Tensor G5 found in the Pixel 10 and 10 Pro , the Pixel 10a shipped with the previous generation Tensor G4. That was a huge disappointment since, typically, the Pixel a lineup kept the modern processor, but cut corners in other places to keep costs down. The Tensor G6 is rumored to feature the same PowerVR DXT-48-1536 GPU as the G5, but it should still be an improvement over the Mali-G715 in the Tensor G4. The big upgrade is that the G6 moves on from Samsung's Exynos modems and instead uses a MediaTek M90 modem. Tha … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/ONmiw3B

Agriculture - Harvested Iceberg lettuce / Santa Maria, California, USA. (Photo by: Tony Hertz /Design Pics Editorial/Universal Images Group via Getty Images) Food producer Taylor Farms released a statement on the Cyclospora outbreak Friday, confirming that it's "voluntarily removing all iceberg lettuce sourced from central Mexico from the US market." Reuters reports that, according to a source, Taylor Farms told customers like Yum Brands owner Taco Bell and the food distributor Sysco on Thursday to pull shredded lettuce that had been produced initially as 5-pound bags at a facility in Guanajuato, Mexico, from distribution. Taco Bell said on Thursday that "The affected ingredient from our supplier is being indefinitely removed from our supply chain nationwide and will be replaced within 24 hours … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/CpbUdLs

You can clip the versatile cooling gadget, wear it, and use it as a desk fan. | Image: Shark Portable fans are one of the easiest ways to stay cool during the summer, and you don’t have to spend much to find a decent one . If you’re looking for something more versatile, though, Shark’s ChillPill Personal Fan and Cooling System combines a rechargeable fan with a dry-touch evaporative mister in a design that can be worn, clipped, or used on a tabletop. Right now, it’s on sale for $99.99 ($30 off) at Amazon , matching its all-time low. If you’re a Costco member, you can get it for the same price with a free clip, crossbody strap, and InstaChill Cooling Plate which you can press against your neck or wrists for quick relief. Shark ChillPill Personal Fan and Cooling System Where to Buy: $129.99 $99.99 at Amazon $129.99 $99.99 at Costco Unlike a standard handheld fan, the two-in-one device is designed so that you can wear i...

TikTok is starting to test an opt-in tool that scans for AI likenesses and lets creators report them to the company, as spotted by social media consultant Matt Navarra . The tool is initially being tested with "some" US creators, TikTok US spokesperson Zachary Kizer tells The Verge . YouTube has been working on a similar tool and recently made it available to all adult users . Creators who are part of TikTok's test and want to use the tool will first have to verify their identity with a company called Jumio . You'll have to do a real-time selfie scan and an ID check, but Kizer says that "TikTok does not retain ID documents, and facial informati … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/qfjG0DK

The Pebble Appstore is filled with stuff, but you don’t need much of it. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Pebble founder Eric Migicovsky says buyers of its new e-paper smartwatches should know what they're signing up for and trust Pebble to make things right if they run into issues, despite the short warranty. "I think the most important thing is trust," Migicovsky told me in an interview this week. "Do people trust the product that we're making and do they trust the company and the people behind it?" Migicovsky revived Pebble early last year, after the original company shut down in 2016. The new generation of Pebbles has the same aesthetic, but with updated tech, including larger e-paper displays. I was excited about Pebble's return after miss … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/W1LypHQ

A scene from The American Experiment, one of the Netflix titles to use generative AI | Image: Netflix Netflix says roughly 300 titles on its platform used generative AI, most of which occurred in post-production. The streaming service revealed the news in its second-quarter earnings report released on Thursday, saying it's "increasingly leveraging these tools to deliver higher quality output more quickly and at a lower cost." It also provided some examples of titles that used AI, including Glory , Brasil 70: A Saga do Tri , and The American Experiment . These shows used the technology to "create highly complex sequences," including "enhanced crowds, historical battle sequences, and worldbuilding establishing shots." Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/5zqXuvi

CD sales are apparently going up , reportedly thanks to fans realizing they're an affordable way to support their favorite artists. According to a new report from research firm Luminate, 16.3 million CDs were sold in the first half of 2026 in the US, a 16 percent increase year-over-year. The growth in CD sales was driven by "collection building, price accessibility, massive albums such as BTS' ARIRANG and a strong K-pop release schedule," Luminate says. Even if you remove K-pop sales from the data, CD sales still went up in the US, increasing 6.7 percent. And it appears that some people aren't even buying the CDs to listen to them, as Lumina … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/0tcg3Ry

Kalshi users betting on what President Donald Trump would say during his speeches were reportedly up against tough competition: the president's teleprompter operator. ABC News reports that federal investigators believe Gabriel Perez - Trump's teleprompter operator since 2016 - used inside information to make bets on Kalshi, a major prediction market platform that allows users to bet on just about everything. One category that Kalshi offers is "mentions" markets, in which users try to predict what an individual will say during high-profile events. Perez is accused of betting on what Trump would say during more than a dozen events, including … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/QIsnEZj

This weekend, cinephiles across the world will march to their local theaters to feast their eyes on Christopher Nolan's new adaptation of The Odyssey . It's on track to rake in anywhere between $80-$100 million in just a few days. People are clearly excited to see how Nolan uses cutting-edge filmmaking tech to make the Homeric classic feel fresh. But another director is trying to capitalize on the buzz around Nolan's project to drum up interest in an Odysseus-focused movie of his own. On Tuesday, film studio Fountain 0 announced that it is working on an AI-generated reimagining of The Odyssey titled Odysseus: The Fall , which will be availabl … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/GFRBcmb

A new teaser for Google's upcoming Pixel 11 lineup reveals that the phones will feature some kind of glowing orb on the camera bar, as reported by 9to5Google . Google's store page for the Pixel 11 has a short video that shows the glowing, color-shifting orb to the one side of the camera bar. The store page doesn't share any more information about it, but perhaps the orb is the "Pixel Glow" light feature that has popped up in Android 17 betas . If I had to guess, the orb will likely have something to do with Google's Gemini AI. We probably won't have to wait too much longer to learn what the orb is all about. Google has announced an August 12 … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/NGbPgci

The CMF by Nothing Watch 3 Pro comes in four different styles. | Image: Nothing While most fitness trackers are losing the screens to keep the price low, the CMF by Nothing Watch 3 Pro is a bit different. The budget-friendly smartwatch with a 1.43-inch OLED display is even cheaper than usual at Amazon , where it costs $69 in every color (the price fluctuates between $79 and $99). Some notable specs include compatibility with iOS and Android, and long battery life of up to 13 days on a single charge. It’s great for workouts (with accurate, dual-band GPS, IP68 protection, and a heart rate sensor), but stylish enough to wear out to dinner. It currently costs $20 less than the screenless Google Fitbit Air . CMF Watch 3 Pro Nothing’s slick-looking budget watch features a 1.43-inch OLED display, 131 sports modes, dual-band GPS, and a four-channel heart rate sensor. It also delivers up to 13 days of battery life under normal use and supports all your typical ...

OpenAI's first device is set to be a smart speaker that lets you talk with ChatGPT, according to a report from Bloomberg . The device apparently won't have a screen, but will use a camera and additional sensors to "understand" your environment. The report comes just days after Apple filed a lawsuit against OpenAI that accused the AI company of stealing hardware secrets . OpenAI, in a new statement on Tuesday , said that it is "not aware of any evidence that this complaint has merit." Sources tell Bloomberg that OpenAI's device will also feature a rechargeable battery that will allow users to carry it with them. It will offer smart home contro … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/O172muP

SpaceXAI's Grok Build AI coding tool was spotted uploading users' entire codebases to Google Cloud before it was reported, and the company turned it off. The Register reports that Cereblab published findings on Monday showing how the Grok Build CLI was packaging and uploading entire code repositories, "including files it was told not to open and secrets deleted from history," significantly more data retention than similar tools like Claude Code. The researchers say that as of Monday, their tests show SpaceXAI's servers returning a "disable_codebase_upload: true" flag, and the codebase upload "no longer fires." Elon Musk responded to the i … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/p7DY8z4

Siri has been on the Apple Watch since day one, though I'm usually hard-pressed to find people who actually make good use of it. It's kind of just… been there - mostly as a way to set timers when my hands are full. But after playing around with the watchOS 27 developer beta, I get the sense that'll start to change. Not for everyone, and definitely not overnight, but the upgrade from plain ol' Siri to Siri AI feels like a significant shift in how Apple - and other tech companies - think we ought to be using our smartwatches. To be clear: If all you want Siri on the wrist to do is set an alarm or get the weather forecast, by golly, it's still … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/AaGu8zI

Golden Gate’s public beta should be at parity with the third developer beta, which is pretty stable. The macOS 27 Golden Gate public beta is here , and anyone with an M-series Mac now has easier access to test-drive Apple's latest changes - including a more subdued Liquid Glass aesthetic. That's reason enough to be at least a little excited for macOS 27 (particularly if you're on Tahoe and disliking all the transparency). But there are other things that make trying out this beta a little more appealing than usual. There was a rumor earlier this year that this new macOS would focus on performance optimizations, bug fixes, and a bunch of small quality-of-life improvements, rather than being a major overhaul. And aside from dialing down Liquid … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/lMAqxUs

A dozen state attorneys general are trying to block the $110 billion merger of Paramount and Warner Bros Discovery they warn would raise movie prices and crush cable TV distributors. The states - California, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Oregon, and Washington - filed suit on Monday, arguing the combination would illegally harm competition and create a "media behemoth." Last month, the Justice Department declined to block the merger in a decision that The Wall Street Journal reported surprised career staff who were leaning toward recommending a lawsuit. In an exit intervi … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/mwWM2Pu

The European Union is weighing sweeping new restrictions on children's and teenagers' access to social media, including age limits, an outright ban, and phased access. Social media platforms could also be forced to prove their services are not harmful before young people are allowed to use them. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the bloc's executive arm could propose new legislation within months, after reviewing recommendations from a panel of experts released today. "This is not about whether children can access social media. It is about when social media can access our children," von der Leyen said. The panel reco … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/DHPw2lf

Waze is getting an AI makeover. Google is integrating its flagship AI assistant, Gemini, into the driving app with the goal of letting users personalize their trips a little more. Of the four new updates, only two are being described as involving Gemini. Waze says its updating its conversation reporting feature, first introduced in 2024 , to allow drivers to use conversational voice commands to report traffic incidents and suggest map updates, like a road closure or outdated house number. In addition, Waze introduced Destination Search, enabling drivers to use (again) use conversation voice commands (e.g., "Find me a coffee shop that's open … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/4JdqcZg

Lorde performing at the 2026 Governors Ball. | Photo: Siegfried Anthony/Billboard via Getty Images Lorde was performing at the Real Cool Festival in Madrid on Thursday and took some time during her set to speak out against AI glasses . While she didn't specify any brands in particular, it's likely she was taking a shot at festival sponsor Ray-Ban, which has collaborated with Meta on a pair of AI smartglasses. The comments were captured in videos shared to social media. After thanking the crowd for being there and taking part in "something real," she said that it was increasingly hard to know is and isn't real, before saying "You don't know if someone is wearing sunglasses or if they're wearing those fucked up fucking… Can I just say, for … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/2x1gqi9

Matmos are an incredibly accomplished duo between their own solo records like the masterpiece A Chance to Cut Is a Chance to Cure and production classic Bjork records like Vespertine . But Drew Daniel, one half of Matmos, is fiendishly prolific. When he's not literally dreaming up new viral music genres , he's also putting out records under the banner of The Soft Pink Truth. Where Matmos usually focuses on a specific musical experiment - using only samples of medical procedures or building instruments out of PVC tubing - Soft Pink Truth goes wherever Daniel's whims take him. That might be a house record. It might be a bunch of black metal co … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/Wmb0PCf

My wife and son spent their weekends exploring and piecing together the mansion in Blue Prince. | Image: Courtesy of Raw Fury I've always been the gamer in the family. When my son was born nearly 11 years ago, gaming was one of the things I looked forward to sharing with him. Pulling up a chair next to me, he would watch as I played Sea of Thieves with friends, often wearing the too-big-for-his-head headset to talk with them, instructing me where to go. Now instead of him watching me play through Clair Obscur , I'm sitting next to him and he battles Calamity Ganon in Breath of the Wild . His real gaming passion for years has been Minecraft - he appreciates the rules and order, as well as the calming environment of creative mode. He also likes to meticulously stack up … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/cRVvMBd

A yard sign opposing a planned data center is displayed along Route 54 in Mount Carmel Township Northumberland County. | Image: Getty Images This is The Stepback , a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on the data center buildout, follow Emma Roth . The Stepback arrives in our subscribers' inboxes on Sunday at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here . How it started Years before the AI boom threatened local power grids, a small group of protesters set the stage for the battles cropping up across communities today. In 2015, Apple announced plans to build a roughly $1 billion data center in the sleepy town of Athenry, Ireland. The data center's 500-acre site would power Apple's services in Europe, including iTunes, iMessage, and Siri. At th … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/JbYDR6v

More mint green synths please. | Image: Nopia After setting the music gear corner of the internet on fire back in 2023 with the first glimpse at the Nopia , creators Martin Grieco and Rocío Gal are almost ready to bring it to market. The duo brought it to the MusicRadar offices for an in-depth first look and revealed that it will be launching in "a couple of months" for around £550. Nopia is built around harmonic interplay in a unique way. Rather than a few knobs and a keyboard controlling a single synth patch, it blends multiple modules - keys, bass, arp, and pad - into a single performance, not unlike a drumless groovebox . There's a one-octave keyboard called the Chord Builder, a 12-b … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/au1iBM2

Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield had been seeking documents from Paramount related to its takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery. Rayfield also asked a state circuit court judge to delay the closing of the deal by 60 days so that his office could review the documents. But according to Deadline and Variety , he's now dropped his civil investigative demand for the records. Obviously, Paramount is pleased with Rayfield's decision to withdraw his request, but the AG's office isn't exactly satisfied with the outcome. Jenny Hansson, communications director for Rayfield, told Deadline that, "Paramount made it clear that they weren't going to compl … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/EogVxrk

The Xtra Muse and the DJI Osmo Pocket 3. | Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge Last year, we told you about Xtra , the company that lets DJI sneak its popular cameras into the US, and Skyrover, a brand seemingly selling DJI drones in disguise . They're just two of the many firms DJI is suspected of starting to skirt the United States' foreign drone ban . But it appears the FCC is finally doing something about "DJI front companies," as watcher Konrad Iturbe dubbed them last year . Today, the FCC is fining eight of them $25,000 each - and giving them until Monday, July 20th, just 10 calendar days, to answer the FCC's questions before the agency takes further action. Those companies include Cogito Tech, Fixaxo Technology, … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/xYgpV0w

Apple has sued OpenAI, alleging that former employees that now work for the AI company have stolen Apple's trade secrets "for the benefit of OpenAI." In its complaint , Apple alleges that it has uncovered "a pattern of theft of Apple's trade secrets by OpenAI employees who were formerly at Apple," and it names IO Products (Jony Ive's hardware startup that OpenAI bought in 2025 ), Tang Tan (OpenAI's chief hardware officer), and Chang Liu (who joined OpenAI from Apple in January) as defendants. An Apple spokesperson shared this statement with 9to5Mac : At Apple, our teams are constantly developing breakthrough technologies to create the best … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/7OWsHhb

Department of Homeland Security. | Image: The Verge Advocates are demanding that the Department of Homeland Security release bodycam footage of the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo, a Mexican immigrant who was killed by ICE officers in Houston during a traffic stop earlier this week. But DHS claims the agents involved in the shooting weren't wearing body cameras because of the lengthy government shutdown that prevented ICE and Customs and Border Protection from receiving additional federal funding for 76 days - a shutdown that was itself spurred by congressional bickering over reforms to DHS after federal agents killed two civilians earlier this year. Two competing narratives have em … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/QKjLTFi

Netflix is thinking about adding always-on channels that would stream specific shows and movies, according to The Wall Street Journal . The move sounds like a Netflix version of always-on services like Pluto TV and Tubi, except the big hook for those is that they're free - because of the ads you have to watch. Netflix has seen success with its ad-supported tier, which is increasingly popular , but it costs $8.99 per month after a recent price hike . Netflix is also apparently considering selling bundles that would include other streaming services, something else that competitors like Apple TV and Prime Video already offer. The company has bee … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/7P8SfOt

Anker’s Soundcore Boom 2 is fully waterproof. Bluetooth speakers with big sound and great features are hard to find for under $100, with most offerings being some variation of the same basic (and often small) design. Thankfully, through July 10th Woot has the Anker Soundcore Boom 2 on sale for $69.99, which is $20 cheaper than the discounted price at other retailers like Amazon , and about half its original $129.99 price. The waterproof Bluetooth speaker can run for up to 24 hours on a single charge, with big, bass-forward sound that’s great for a day by the water or just hanging out in the yard. Anker Soundcore Boom 2 Where to Buy: $129.99 $69.99 at Woot While size isn’t everything when it comes to Bluetooth speakers, the Soundcore Boom 2’s 50W subwoofer and pair of 15W tweeters should deliver louder, clearer sound than other speakers around the same price (which are often smaller). The IPX7 rating means it’s fully waterproof and submersible, an...

You can see if ads on Google Search, Google Discover, and YouTube were made or edited using AI from a new section in Google's "My Ad Center," as reported earlier by TechCrunch . The update, announced on Thursday, adds a "created or edited with AI" label under the "how this ad was made" tab. Users can find it by tapping the three dots or info button on ads, which pulls up the same panel where you can also block or report ads. Google says it will automatically apply the AI label to any ads made with its own generative AI advertising tools, but AI ads made elsewhere will need to have the label applied manually. In some regions, Google's new AI … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/ogukJZA

Another 29 Starlink satellites were deployed last night. | Image: SpaceX SpaceX is currently ahead of last year's record-setting pace for Starlink satellite deployments. SpaceX launched 1,589 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit in the first half of 2026, according to launch data compiled by Jonathan McDowell's satellite tracker , compared to 1,489 satellites deployed at the same point in 2025. 2025 was already a record year for SpaceX, with the company deploying 3,180 Starlink satellites in total. SpaceX has launched over 12,400 Starlink satellites since the constellation's inception, with nearly 11,000 still functioning. To put these numbers into perspective, Amazon's fledgling Leo service has only deploye … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/OZqpKaJ

Meta might be the next company to make an always-on AI wearable. The company is working on prototype "super sensing" always-aware smart glasses that could continuously record audio and snap photos "every few seconds," according to the Financial Times . The wearer could then ask Meta AI about the captured audio and images. However, the images and audio might not be directly available to the user. Here's how the FT describes one way the glasses could use the data: In one proposed system, raw footage and audio would not be stored by Meta or made available to the user, several people said. Instead, the metadata from that audio and images would … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/eIjoErZ

Even though they haven’t been officially announced yet, Samsung is giving you a chance to save some cash when you preorder what we’re expecting to be the brand’s updated Galaxy Z Fold phones. The next Galaxy Unpacked event will take place on July 22nd, 2026, and features the tagline “A new shape unfolds.” In addition to seeing updated versions of the existing Flip and Fold form factors, we anticipate the debut of a new, wider foldable phone. If you register your interest ahead of time and end up preordering one of the new phones shortly after they’re announced, Samsung will give you a $30 store credit at checkout. There are some caveats to this offer. You have to use the credit when you preorder the phone. No saving it for later. Also, the credit can’t be applied to the cost of the phone either, so you’ll have to put it towards the cost of accessories or extra services. Samsung specifically calls out that select Galaxy rings, earbuds, watches, and t...

As part of Microsoft's big Xbox "reset," which includes layoffs affecting 3,200 staffers, jettisoning studios, and shifting investments to focus on "higher priority projects," Obsidian Entertainment is changing its plans. The studio, behind games like Grounded and The Outer Worlds , is starting work on a new Fallout title and has canceled "multiple projects," including a sequel to last year's Avowed , according to Bloomberg . Despite the success of the Fallout TV show , which is getting a third season , Xbox hasn't released a new game in the series since 2018's Fallout 76 . Josh Sawyer, Obsidian's studio design director, will head up the new Fall … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/apqWP2J

Starting on August 3rd, Netflix's streaming library will include video content from dozens of digital media brands including BuzzFeed, Condé Nast, Hearst Magazines, People Inc, and Tastemade. As reported earlier by TechCrunch , the deal includes a mix of licensed past videos and new ongoing series that would have typically been published on YouTube or other online platforms, like Architectural Digest 's "Open Door" or Vanity Fair 's "Lie Detector Test." As Netflix puts it, the deal will allow subscribers to watch content "from around the Internet without having to leave Netflix." The announcement follows a Bloomberg report earlier this week … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/9oeVqLE

Meta is launching the first AI image generation model made by its Superintelligence Labs division. The Muse Image model now powers the image-making tools across the Meta AI app, Instagram, and WhatsApp, and it's coming soon to Facebook and Messenger, according to an announcement on Tuesday . It's part of the growing Muse family of AI models that replace Meta's Llama lineup. Alexandr Wang, who Meta hired to head up its Superintelligence Labs last year, says on Threads that Muse Image is "agentic," meaning it works with its Muse Spark large language model "to reason through your prompt, search the web, and plan before it generates." Meta is al … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/o2IvSJ0

Nikita Bier, X's head of product, said in a post on Monday that "[m]any videos from top accounts are simply stolen from other users, sometimes 5 years after they originally went viral," while noting that videos on the platform "make up close to half the impressions on X." According to Bier, X is launching a new in-app video editor and recorder to address this "recycled content," so that "some videos on X can finally be original content that doesn't exist on other platforms." As previously reported by TechCrunch , the new video tools are available now on X's iOS app, and include an option for overlaying captions in multiple languages and a "g … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/a2BJNkg

Nothing is adding a new pink color option to its upgraded Ear 3A earbuds. | Image: Nothing Nothing announced a new pair of budget-friendly wireless earbuds, but not as part of the company's affordability-focused sub-brand , CMF. The new Nothing Ear 3A are available starting today through the company's online store for $99, which is the same price as Nothing's original Ear (a) . That's good news in a time when price increases are becoming the norm , and somewhat surprising given the new 3A are introducing the ability to record what you're listening to directly on the earbuds. It's a feature that's somewhat reminiscent of Nothing's Ear 3 introduced last September . Those come with a wireless charging case equipped with upgraded microph … Read the full story at The Verge. from The Verge https://ift.tt/851GDI3

If your Prime Day purchases included a new desk, TV stand, bookshelf, or other furniture you still haven’t assembled, Hoto’s PixelDrive cordless screwdriver can help speed up the process. It’s currently on sale for $59.99 ($20 off) at Amazon , matching its best price to date.  Hoto PixelDrive Cordless Screwdriver Hoto’s latest electric screwdriver delivers an adjustable 6Nm of torque, along with a built-in pixelated display that lets you check the battery life and other info. Where to Buy: $79.99 $59.98 at Amazon $79.99 at Hoto From tightening loose screws on furniture to repairing electronics, the PixelDrive is designed to handle a wide range of household projects. Hoto includes 30 screwdriver bits that cover many of the most common screw types, all neatly organized in a small cylindrical case. It also offers six adjustable torque settings, allowing you to use less power when working with fragile electronics or increase it...