Technology

We’re less than two days out from Samsung’s next Unpacked event. Ahead of the big show, leaked renders, pictures, and even a press release have revealed just about everything regarding the unannounced Galaxy Tab S8 lineup, which is the first to include a high-end “Ultra” model. Not only that, that Tab S8 Ultra has already been photographed in the wild. Let’s start first with that press release. Serial leaker Evan Blass shared images of what looks to be Samsung’s entire press release about the Tab S8 lineup from his Leakland Substack, and the release corroborates other rumors about Samsung’s expected three new tablet models: the Galaxy Tab S8, S8 Plus, and S8 Ultra. Just a few highlights from the release: the tablets will apparently support Wi-Fi 6E and 45-watt fast charging, and the S8 Plu...

Neil Young has told Spotify workers that the company’s CEO — not Joe Rogan — is the real problem, and is urging them to “get out of that place before it eats up your soul” (via Variety). This comes after Young pulled his music from Spotify, claiming the company was “spreading fake information about vaccines” through Joe Rogan’s podcast. Young’s recent fight against Spotify initially targeted Rogan’s podcast, but now he seems to be blaming Spotify’s leadership instead. In an open letter posted to his website on Monday, Young says that CEO Daniel Ek is all about “numbers – not art, not creativity.” Neil urges people to “ditch the misinformers” in his letter. Young ended Monday’s letter by urging Spotify employees to “be free and take the good path.” (I’d argue it’s difficult to feel fr...

FuboTV is temporarily testing a new quarterly format that lumps together three months at once rather than the monthly subscriptions it usually offers. The change conveniently arrives just in time for two of the biggest sports events of the year: Super Bowl LVI and the Beijing 2022 Winter Olympics. The company told The Verge that the temporary pricing, earlier spotted by The TV Answer Man, launched a few days ago and is expected to conclude on February 17th. The test does not affect existing subscribers and isn’t available on every platform, but FuboTV spokesperson Jennifer Press says most of FuboTV’s new subscribers will be prompted to subscribe to the quarterly plans. Most of FuboTV’s platforms are offering the new plans during the testing period, Press told The Verge. Where they’re avail...

Signal is rolling out a new feature that allows users to switch phone numbers on their account without losing all their existing chats, groups, and messages within the secure messaging app. In order to add a new number, you’ll still need to be able to get Signal messages sent to your old number. Then, head over to the new “Change Phone Number” option under Signal’s account settings, where you’ll be asked to enter in both the old and new numbers. Lastly, Signal will guide you through the usual registration process for setting up a phone number with one of its accounts. Once you’ve successfully updated your number, contacts you’ve been chatting with in Signal will see a new message inline in your thread that notes that you’ve changed their phone number, along with a helpful link to update yo...

Samsung isn’t expected to launch a new smartwatch at its Unpacked event this week, but it hasn’t forgotten the Galaxy Watch 4 and Galaxy Watch 4 Classic. Starting February 9th, both smartwatches will support new health and fitness features like custom interval training, sleep coaching, and the ability to set body composition goals. Oh, and it’s also promising better app compatibility for the new Wear OS platform — but you’re still going to have to wait a bit for Google Assistant. Sleep tracking has been an area where Samsung’s lagged a bit compared to more fitness-oriented trackers. On that front, Samsung is adding a sleep coaching program that seems to take some inspiration from chronotypes — in a nutshell, it’s basically what your natural circadian rhythm is. Traditionally, people are ca...

CoinDesk has fixed an exploit that allowed anyone to view unpublished headlines, create drafts, and edit articles on the website. In a post on its site, CoinDesk says the vulnerability could’ve let “unidentified actors” view non-public information, allowing them to make trading decisions they could profit from. “The issue is now fixed and added safeguards have been put in place” “The exploit, which was brought to CoinDesk’s attention by a white-hat hacker, may have allowed unidentified actors to profit from nonpublic information by making trades ahead of the publication of at least one article,” Kevin Worth, CoinDesk’s chief content officer writes in the post. “The issue is now fixed and added safeguards have been put in place.” While CoinDesk says the security hole just exposed unpublishe...

There’s a lot that can go wrong for cord-cutters, particularly when it comes to live sports: buffering, crashing, login issues, you name it. It’s almost certain that the next big US sporting event, Super Bowl LVI, will face many of the same hiccups — and that’s especially true for anyone hoping to place bets on the big game. As cord-cutting becomes more common in households, these problems have become entirely too frequent for anyone hoping to stream a live event. Take, for example, the recent 2020 Summer Olympics Games, where even finding specific coverage was needlessly complicated, and streaming didn’t work the way it was promised to. That’s a big problem for interactivity in sports streaming and bet-placing exploding with wider legalization. Problems with latency can throw a big ol’ wr...

Ethereum Name Service (ENS) fired its director of operations, Brantly Millegan, over derogatory comments he made about the LGBTQ community, according to CoinDesk. ENS founder Nick Johnson announced that True Names Limited, the nonprofit that backs the decentralized autonomous organization (DAO), terminated Millegan’s contract. ENS is the blockchain protocol that converts wallet addresses into custom domain names. It provides nearly 300,000 cryptocurrency users with an easy way to create a kind of web3 username, and is formatted “username.eth.” Its widespread use was part of why Millegan’s years-old comments, made in a tweet, caused an uproar. Several members of the community expressed outrage about his comments and said they hope to keep web3 inclusive. “We strongly believe that ENS should...

Microsoft is finally planning to block Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) macros by default in a variety of Office apps. The change will apply to Office files that are downloaded from the internet and include macros, so Office users will no longer be able to enable certain content with a simple click of a button. “The default is more secure and is expected to keep more users safe including home users and information workers in managed organizations,” explains Kellie Eickmeyer, a principal PM at Microsoft. Macros can be a security headache for IT admins Hackers have been targeting Office documents with malicious macros for years, and while Office has long prompted users to click to enable macros running, this simple button could lead to “severe including malware, compromised identity, data...

The Joe Rogan situation at Spotify keeps getting more confused. As the situation has evolved, so has the company’s treatment of its star podcaster. One day, it says it’s a hands-off platform that treats all creators the same. The next, it admits to having backdoor discussions with Rogan and pulling episodes due to outrage over language used on the show. The whiplash undermines Spotify’s narrative about how it interacts with Rogan and other podcasters and offers a window into the delicate relationship between Rogan and the company that depends on him to stay differentiated. Let’s dive into where things aren’t lining up. Spotify has reiterated multiple times now that it considers itself merely a platform for podcasts — despite paying Rogan a reported $100 million to distribute his show. That...

Twitter is testing a new feature on iOS that will allow users to send Direct Messages (DMs) to an author directly from their tweet. “For when you want to reply directly to a Tweet’s author, we’re making it easier to DM them from your timeline to start a conversation,” the platform wrote on its support account. “Now testing a DM icon on Tweets with some of you on iOS.” For when you want to reply directly to a Tweet’s author, we’re making it easier to DM them from your timeline to start a conversation. Now testing a DM icon on Tweets with some of you on iOS. — Twitter Support (@TwitterSupport) February 3, 2022 Instead of having to click on a user’s profile to send a DM, the new feature will streamline the process by allowing users to leave a message on a tweet directly from their timeline. “...

In our third installment of Making It Work, The Verge takes a look at how creators and small businesses are dealing with familiar issues: imitations, copycats, and ripoffs. It’s an age-old challenge that has only gotten bigger as artists rely on online platforms to promote and distribute their work. From fashion giants stealing from an independent designer to illustrators finding their work for sale on an unknown marketplace, here are the many ways creators are contending with a problem that keeps popping up in unexpected places. Start here