Technology

Twitter has confirmed it’s “exploring” a new feature that would allow two account to co-author a single tweet, TechCrunch reports. App researcher Alessandro Paluzzi has been posting evidence of the feature’s development since at least December, but more recently discovered what appears to be an official dialog box from Twitter about how these tweet collaborations could work. A co-author feature wouldn’t be a stretch for Twitter, given competitor Instagram has offered something similar since 2021. There are plenty of reasons why two accounts might want to have their names attached to a single post, ranging from brand partnerships, influencer campaigns, or even just sharing credit for a funny post. According to the screenshots posted by Paluzzi, you’ll only be able to invite public accounts ...

Microsoft started testing Minecraft ray tracing on the Xbox earlier this week, and now the software giant says it was mistake and will be removed. A preview version of Minecraft appeared for Xbox testers with optimizations for Xbox Series X / S consoles and the ability to enable ray tracing. “The previous Minecraft Preview build available to Xbox Insiders inadvertently included prototype code for ray tracing support on Xbox consoles,” says the Minecraft team in a tweet. “This early prototype code has been removed from Preview and doesn’t signal near future plans to bring raytracing support to consoles.” The previous Minecraft Preview build available to Xbox Insiders inadvertently included prototype code for raytracing support on Xbox consoles. This early prototype code has been removed fro...

The Business Essentials subscription service that Apple announced and introduced in a limited beta late last year is now available for any small business. This is Apple’s vertical integration of device management and cloud storage under the Business Manager platform that companies already use to buy and manage their Apple hardware, which is designed for organizations with fewer than 500 employees. Now that it’s officially launched, it also includes an optional new business tier of AppleCare Plus hardware coverage with 24/7 support and the ability to call an Apple-trained tech onsite in as little as four hours. The subscription ties traditional IT services into one portal with a rate starting at $2.99 per employee per month. Apple is opening its doors with a two-month free trial, which is a...

A major responsibility for tech companies is to monitor content on their platforms for child sexual abuse material (CSAM), and if any is found, they are legally required to report it to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). Many companies have content moderators in place that review content flagged for potentially being CSAM, and they determine whether the content should be reported to the NCMEC. However, Facebook has a policy that could mean it is underreporting child sexual abuse content, according to a new report from The New York Times. A Facebook training document directs content moderators to “err on the side of an adult” when they don’t know someone’s age in a photo or video that’s suspected to be CSAM, the report said. The policy was made for Facebook cont...

Samsung is making good on its promise from CES 2022 to bring NFTs to its TVs, by announcing a partnership with NFT auction site Nifty Gateway. In a press release, Nifty Gateway says that it’s “now integrated with Samsung’s NFT platform,” letting you “browse, display, and interact with NFTs” on the company’s “2022 premium TV product lines such as QLED and Neo QLED TV.” Nifty Gateway will also have an app on Samsung’s The Frame and Micro LED TVs. Basically, you’ll be able to display NFTs on your Samsung TV. And maybe even buy or sell them, according to Decrypt, though it’s worth noting that Nifty Gateway is significantly more strict about who can sell artwork on its platform than OpenSea, the NFT marketplace most people will be familiar with. (Also, I don’t think I’d want to buy something mu...

Instagram has announced that it is adding a new multitasking feature to its platform that will allow users to respond to DMs without having to switch between their inbox and their feed. The new feature intends to make it “much easier and more convenient to chat while on the app,” according to a blog post. The social media giant is also streamlining the process of sharing content by allowing users to tap and hold the share button to easily reshare content with a group of recommended close friends. Additionally, Instagram is revamping the DM inbox with a new horizontal bar that shows users which of their friends are currently using the app with an active green icon. Elsewhere in DMs, users will soon be able to share 30-second previews of songs with friends via Apple Music, Amazon Music ...

There will be no E3 this year. In a tweet, Will Powers, PR for gaming peripheral manufacturer Razer, said that he received an email stating the digital event was canceled. IGN initially reported the news, saying they had also independently viewed the email confirming E3’s cancellation. Just got an email… It’s official, E3 digital is official cancelled for 2022. Lots of mixed feelings about this… — Will Powers NYC (@WillJPowers) March 31, 2022 The video game trade show and marketing event was originally scheduled to be held in person this year. However, in January, E3 was once again shifted from an in-person event to an online-only exhibition due to the pandemic. Now, it seems that the digital event has been completely canceled. There have been growing concerns about the f...

Apple has released iOS and iPadOS 15.4.1, an update that fixes some accessibility bugs, improves security, and fixes a battery drain bug that plagued some people’s phones and iPads after they updated to iOS 15.4. It’s unclear how widespread the issue was (nobody on The Verge’s staff reported notable battery problems), but earlier this month, the Apple Support Twitter account told customers complaining about battery drain that it was “normal for your apps and features to need to adjust up to 48 hours after an update.” Still, over two weeks after the update was released, it’s not hard to find recent posts reporting poor battery life. Hopefully, though, the update will solve those — iOS 15.4 brings the really handy update of being able to use Face ID while wearing a mask, so it’d be a shame i...

Uber will hold its annual product event on May 16th, during which the company will showcase new products, updates, and features focused on travel and sustainability. It will be Uber’s second product event, after last year’s “Go/Get 2021” gathering presented a host of pandemic-themed announcements, including the ability to book a vaccine appointment in the Uber app. Other features included car rentals, 30-day windows for trip reservations, and multi-stop rides. “We are excited to introduce our latest innovations at Go/Get 2022,” said Uber’s chief product officer, Sundeep Jain, in a statement. “As the world keeps changing, the Uber team keeps building products to serve consumers’ changing needs. We can’t wait to share what’s next.” “We are excited to introduce our latest innovations at Go/Ge...

The votes for the union drive at Amazon’s warehouse in Bessemer, Alabama, have been counted, but the final result is so close that it will depend on a court hearing yet to come. The vote count announced on Thursday was 993 against and 875 in favor, with 59 ballots counted as void and 416 counted as challenged. Since the challenged ballots are sufficient to swing the election, the result will depend on a court hearing adjudicating the status of the challenged ballots. That hearing has yet to be scheduled but is likely to take place in the next few weeks. Both parties will also have a chance to file objections to the election over the coming month. In a statement posted to its website, the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWSDU) said that it plans on filing objections to Amazon’...

Did I speak too soon? Two days after my one-month check-in with the Steam Deck portable gaming PC, Valve has already addressed a few of the most annoying issues I pointed out. In a pair of updates, one in the stable channel and one only currently available in beta (full changelogs there), Valve has: Added a dual-trackpad keyboard so I can type two letters at a time with my thumbs instead of hunt-and-peck Finally added a full-size virtual keyboard to the Linux desktop mode, so you probably don’t need to plug one in (previously, you could only summon the old 2015 dual-trackpad keyboard there, but the new one does touch and gamepad, too) Fixed the Wi-Fi so it automatically connects and reconnects without prompting you to re-enter the password it already has saved (it seems to reconnect to the...

Dell’s latest laptop dock adds a little something extra: a Qi wireless charging stand that lets you see and charge your phone while also connecting your laptop to monitors and peripherals (via Ars Technica). The Dual Charge Dock can provide 90W to your computer over USB-C and 12W of power to your phone via the fabric-covered wireless charger. In a press release, Dell says that the charging coils in the Qi portion of the dock are widely spread out — meaning that you can charge your phone while it’s in portrait or landscape, and you can even use the charger to juice up a pair of wireless earbuds. Of course, as a dock, it’s also meant to let you plonk your laptop down on a desk, plug in a single cable, and be able to use external displays and peripherals. To that end, it’s got a decent select...