Technology

Twitter has introduced third-party login support, letting users create accounts and log in to the social network with their Apple or Google accounts (via 9to5Mac). Currently, there doesn’t appear to be a way to link your Apple or Google account to an existing Twitter account, so third-party login is (at least for the moment) limited to accounts created using the feature. The feature reportedly showed up in the Twitter beta last month, but now it appears to be more widely available. I was able to set up a Twitter account using my Apple account, and the process was like a more streamlined version of the regular signup process — there were no emails or passwords to deal with, and when signing in with Google, it even brought over the profile picture I use for my Google account. Sign on with ea...

Twitch is experimenting with a new type of ad format for streamers that appears to be much less disruptive than the pre- and mid-roll ads that take over an entire stream. The new ads, called Stream Display Ads, instead show up under or around somebody’s stream but don’t stop you from seeing or hearing what’s going on. You can get an idea of how one style, which is a banner ad, looks in this tweet from Twitch. We are experimenting with a new ad format: Stream Display Ads! These are less disruptive ads that allow viewers to see and hear Creators while being displayed. Creators will receive ad revenue for each SDA shown. This is an optional feature. https://t.co/DzYp6yIT5a pic.twitter.com/a9qo7Dam6n — Twitch Support (@TwitchSupport) August 2, 2021 The ads can also take over more of the screen...

Niantic reverted some of the pandemic-era changes made to Pokémon Go in the US and New Zealand on Sunday, including reducing the distance you need to be from the physical real-world locations of Pokéstops and Gyms to interact with them. The company announced the changes in June and has decided to move forward with its plans, despite backlash over the changes. The distance you’ll need to be from real-world locations is effectively halved as part of the new update, going from a maximum of 80 meters (around 262 feet) to interact with a Pokéstop, to the game’s original 40 meters (around 131 feet), according to Dot Esports. There were multiple reasons for Niantic to double the distance originally, from reducing crowding during a pandemic, to just making it a bit easier to collect items without ...

Today Microsoft opened availability for Windows 365, the cloud PC setup that lets businesses stream Windows 10 or Windows 11 via a web browser. As described earlier this spring, it’s one way for businesses to support hybrid and remote work, with an instant-on PC experience that can work across different devices. After it was announced, Microsoft revealed one pricing option of $31 per month, per user to access a cloud PC instance with the equivalent of two CPUs, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage. Now that it’s available, the complete Windows 365 pricing page reveals more packages, ready for business (300 seats or less), or enterprise-level subscriptions. [embedded content] Windows 365 pricing optionsImage: Microsoft.com The per-user pricing is similar, with slight differences in the packages...

Google is announcing the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro today, though it might be better to call it a preview or a tease. Rather than releasing all the details on its new Android phones, Google is instead putting the focus on the new system on a chip (SoC) that will be inside the new Pixels. It’s called the Tensor SoC, named after the Tensor Processing Units (TPU) Google uses in its data centers. Tensor is an SoC, not a single processor. And so while it’s fair to call it Google-designed, it’s also still unclear which components are Google-made and which are licensed from others. Two things are definitely coming from Google: a mobile TPU for AI operations and a new Titan M2 chip for security. The rest, including the CPU, GPU, and 5G modem, are all still a mystery. Less mysterious: the phones thems...

Twitter’s verification process is notoriously slapdash, but you’d expect the company not to fall for the exact same fake twice, right? Wrong! In 2012, Twitter verified an account supposedly belonging to illustrious author Cormac McCarthy, which was in reality started by an unpublished novelist. Now, in 2021, it’s done the same thing again, briefly verifying a second McCarthy fake under the handle @CormacMcCrthy. The account has now been un-verified, but a representative for McCarthy’s agent at ICM Partners confirmed to The Verge that it was fake. “I can confirm that this is definitely not a genuine Cormac McCarthy account,” they said. “Twitter is aware of this situation and we hope to have the issue resolved shortly.” Twitter has yet to respond to a request for comment from The Verge. It i...

An Ohio man harassed his estranged wife through a shared Napster account, evading a no-contact order by changing the titles of playlists. Ohio’s Eighth District Court of Appeals outlined the case in a July 29th ruling, which was flagged on Twitter by writer and attorney Eric Goldman. It’s an example of how metadata can become a vector for harassment outside major social platforms — echoing long-standing problems on other services like Spotify. According to the court ruling, defendant Jacob Dunn admitted to reaching out to his wife through a Napster account that both of them could access. A court had issued a temporary protection order (TPO) against Dunn in 2018, prohibiting him from contacting his wife through any means. But Dunn violated the order by renaming music playlists — one was cha...

Twitter is yeeting Fleets, its Stories-like ephemeral posts, on August 3rd, meaning that depending on when you read this, you may have mere hours to unleash that fleet you’ve been thinking about for months unto the world. And I ask — no, beg: please, post the fleets. I need some entertainment to kick off my month. Look, I know that there are already a lot of different places where you can share expiring posts. Snapchat. Instagram. Facebook. Even LinkedIn. And that huge number of choices is probably part of why Fleets never really took off. Why share expiring posts on Twitter when many other apps have offered better tools to do so for years? Even on my iPhone 12 Mini, my Fleets bar was rarely filled up. But let’s change that just for one day to send Fleets out in a blaze of glory. I’ve cont...

Google is piloting a more affordable premium subscription tier for YouTube that offers ad-free viewing without YouTube Premium’s other features like offline downloads or background playback. The new “Premium Lite” plan was spotted by a user on ResetEra, and YouTube subsequently confirmed the test offering in a statement given to The Verge. Premium Lite is currently being tested in Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden. “In Nordics and Benelux (except for Iceland), we’re testing a new offering to give users even more choice: Premium Lite costs €6.99/month (or local equivalent per month) and it includes ad-free videos on YouTube,” a YouTube spokesperson said in a statement. In comparison, YouTube’s existing Premium plan costs around €11.99 a month in Euro...

Elon Musk is taking a jab at Apple, this time taking to Twitter to slam blast the tech giant for its App Store fees. In a tweet, Musk said, “Apple app store fees are a de facto global tax on the Internet. Epic is right.” In his post, he appears to take the side of software developer, Epic Games, which is currently suing Apple for its controversial App Store policies. Back in August 2020, Epic Games first filed a lawsuit against Apple when its hugely popular game, Fortnite was removed from the App Store. Apple reportedly chose to do so after Epic decided to offer its players a 20 percent discount on in-game currency so that players could go around Apple and just purchase from Epic directly. The lawsuit essentially saw Epic accuse Apple of running a monopoly. In later Tweets, Musk clarified ...

Super Nintendo World, the Super Mario-themed area of Universal Studios Japan in Osaka, finally opened back in March after multiple delays, and Nintendo may already be working on expanding the park. As noted by VGC, social media posts from recent visitors to USJ have shown cranes, scaffolding, and a jungle-themed backdrop around Super Nintendo World, suggesting work is underway on the rumored Donkey Kong area. Neither Nintendo nor Universal have ever announced the Donkey Kong plans, but they’ve been rumored for many years. Leaked early concept imagery for Super Nintendo World included plans for a separate Donkey Kong-themed zone, including a mine cart-style roller coaster. Upon opening, Super Nintendo World was solely Mario-themed, but there is a conspicuously large locked door (above) that...

Leica has just teased a new collaboration with MEDICOM TOY. The announcement came from the German camera maker’s Chinese branch, which took to the domestic social media platform Weibo with a teaser image of what looks like the back display of a camera with MEDICOM TOY’s colorful logo in the focus point in the center. The image was accompanied by the message “‘M,’ coming soon,” although no further details have been offered. Some suggest that this could mean a new limited-edition Leica M camera designed in collaboration with the Japanese collectibles company featuring elements of its flagship BE@RBRICK line, although this remains to be a rumor at this point. For fans of both Leica and MEDICOM TOY, definitely stay tuned for more updates to come. Elsewhere in tech, Facebook is currently w...