8
Verge Score
This is a smart ring for new users. Everyone else should wait until their current ring dies.
Its founders insist the event platform offers a simple service for free. But in a time when users are aware of privacy and surveillance, Partiful has to prove it’s not too good to be true.
New Jersey wants driverless cars, so long as they have multiple sensors. But Tesla’s are camera-only.
Cancellations and long breaks between seasons make it all too easy to jump ship to the free alternatives in your pocket.
New laws in California and New York might stop anyone from 3D printing guns — and create entirely new kinds of surveillance.
DHS is accusing people of ‘doxing’ federal agents — and, a new lawsuit claims, trying to chill dissenting speech.
Precatuions for America250 and other major events are building up the surveillance state.
Digital IDs make it tempting to leave your driver’s license at home — but that’s a dangerous risk.
One woman had her phone taken by CBP and is now suing to get it back.
6
Verge Score
Skylight’s kid-centric Buddy is an adorable — if pricey — way to keep young ones on task.
Trying to fill the Wii and Kinect hole.
Lego’s tiny toy computer can fly higher than these first Star Wars sets.
Tired: sucking snot out of your kid’s nose with the NoseFrida. Also, parents in general. Wired: electric snot suckers.
The two projects highlight how it takes more than nostalgia to reinvigorate a franchise.
His surreal teleplay from 1969 is weird, funny, and filled with existential dread.
The team behind Widow’s Bay explains why horror and comedy can be such a potent mix.
Silo, Dark Matter, and Sugar return, alongside a handful of all-new series.
Our first few looks at the upcoming feature film debut from Casper Kelly, the deranged human behind Too Many Cooks, played it completely straight. But with the first official teaser, it’s clear that Kelly is taking the “horror” part of “horror comedy” seriously.
Every Sunday, we drop a recommendation for something to watch, read, or (more often than not) listen to. But I also want to know what you’re into. I’ve already discovered one of my favorite albums of the year thanks to a reader recommendation and am eager for more.
The Soft Pink Truth’s beautiful and spontaneous feeling record is a balm in trying times.
The infamous wormwood liqueur has enjoyed minor viral fame for its… let’s say unique flavor profile (frequently compared to bile). But, basic Malört reaction videos are old hat. The truly adventurous (or masochistic) are infusing Malört with ranch dip, brisket, and even Malört-flavored candy.
Don’t get too excited, but Mark Gurman says the styluses are being updated alongside new iPad Pros next year. In February, new EU rules go into effect that require batteries to be user-replaceable with basic tools. So maybe the next-gen Apple Pencil will be less of a nightmare to fix.
The company is accelerating development of the M7 Ultra, which could support up to 1.5TB of RAM.
This wireless gaming headset is loaded with features, and discounted heavily, if you don’t mind a damaged box.
On Version History: How a very expensive, very fancy lightbulb figured out what we really want from our homes.
The team went up for sale following its Super Bowl win in February. After rumors that Tim Cook or Mark Zuckerberg might buy the team, Vinod Khosla has emerged as the new owner, according to ESPN. The Khosla family will have to give up its ownership stake in the 49ers first, though.
8
Verge Score
The id founder isn’t thrilled with the layoffs at the company he left in 2013. He says, “You can’t rule out the possibility that executives are idiots,” but says we shouldn’t jump to that conclusion before dropping what certainly seems like a list of things Microsoft could have done better.
The experience of watching how Blue Prince has brought my wife and son even closer while challenging them both is something I’ll forever cherish.
The ‘harmony machine’ will be out by the end of the year for ‘around £550.’
AG Dan Rayfield says Paramount clearly thinks “they’re above the law.”
Turnovers at that ChatGPT maker continue. The company’s chief futurist, Joshua Achiam, and AGI head, Fidji Simo, announced their departures earlier this week. Now Johannes Heidecke, who has overseen OpenAI’s safety efforts, is out, as ChatGPT 5.6 rolls out and raises some alarms.
Earlier this week, the president flew on the old Air Force One, according to the Times, because it lacked some security features, including anti-missile defenses. Now, the DOJ has issued subpoenas to the reporters involved in the story. The Times quickly denounced the intimidation tactics:
“The appearance of federal law enforcement agents on the doorstep of news reporters should shock the conscience of any American who believes in the Constitution and the press freedom it protects.” - David McCraw, Lawyer for the New York Times
For fans of Super Mario Bros. Wonder, the toy based on the game’s chatty character could be a fun purchase.
Avi Loeb is best known for making questionable claims about evidence of alien technology.
Donald Trump’s mass deportation army is an embarrassment in every way.
Plus, in this week’s Installer: Impressive new Nothing earbuds, adult Play-Doh, a Burning Man doc, and much more.
Dosa Divas streamlines the classic turn-based RPG into something much more approachable — and delicious.
8
Verge Score
Brockman had taken over product when Fidji Simo went on medical leave, and he’ll continue those responsibilities now that Simo is stepping down from her full-time OpenAI job and becoming a “part-time advisor,” CNBC reports.
Photos of purported cease and desist letters from the company have gone viral, but Flock says it didn’t send them.
The feature, announced on Tuesday, received significant backlash.
These companies have 10 days before the FCC takes further action.
Apple alleges that it has uncovered a ‘pattern of theft’ from OpenAI employees who formerly worked at Apple.
Players celebrated the game’s 10th anniversary by jumping Mewtwo as a community.
Thibault Sottiaux, the engineering lead on Codex, clarified on X that the company isn’t sunsetting its AI coding tool despite the launch of ChatGPT Work, a platform that combines both ChatGPT and Codex. Sottiaux teased some other updates coming to the Work app as well, like moving chats and projects into the sidebar.
[@thsottiaux on X (formerly Twitter)]
Even with three eyewitness accounts that contradict its story, the agency is using a self-defense justification for the fatal shooting of Lorenzo Salgado Araujo.
Google started testing Ask YouTube earlier this year, and YouTube CEO Neal Mohan says it’s now rolling out on the web for users in the US starting this week.
The studio, which was hit hard by this week’s Xbox layoffs, says that it still has “the crew we need to build the games and tech we’re known for.”
On that note, I really recommend that you check out the new Doom expansion that launched this week — it shows just what makes id special.
Toni Schneider took over on an interim basis in March, but said in a blog post that “the interim part of the title is gone” now. He also said that the platform is working on “the ability to create smaller spaces and more private communities” in the AT Protocol ecosystem, aka the Atmosphere — something Bluesky has been talking about for a little while.
Beginning in October, subscription companies will have to give New Yorkers an easy way to cancel recurring charges. The move seeks to revive a Lina Khan-era Federal Trade Commission rule that was struck down by the courts. Khan’s consumer protection chief, Samuel Levine, now works for NYC Mayor Zohran Mamdani.
[The official website of the City of New York]
Want a cool accessory that fits the Luna Ultra and/or its detachable screen? Bambu’s new contest is incentivizing makers to build some — there are already 23 new designs. Make your own by building around the 3D models, or just using ’em to punch a camera-sized receptacle in your design.
SK Hynix opened at $170 per share as it continues to benefit from a surge in demand for memory components.
