Technology

Many Microsoft services, including Microsoft Teams and Xbox Live, are experiencing outages for some users as of Thursday evening. Microsoft’s Office 365 status page says there is a “DNS issue affecting multiple Microsoft 365 and Azure services.” The Microsoft 365 support Twitter account similarly said that the company is investigating a “potential DNS issue” at 5:56PM ET. The account first acknowledged that there was an issue at 5:45PM ET. We’re investigating a potential DNS issue and are evaluating our mitigation options. — Microsoft 365 Status (@MSFT365Status) April 1, 2021 Microsoft’s @XboxSupport account hasn’t tweeted specifically about the outage, but has retweeted recent posts from the Outriders Twitter account about server issues. The Xbox status page says there is an outage ...

Samsung wants you to know its new phone, the Galaxy S21 Ultra 5G, is good at capturing photos. Maybe you could outwardly tell from its five image sensors, including four on the back, that the company takes mobile photography seriously. But if not, you now have an entire Hulu series to watch in which the S21 Ultra 5G is the main character. The company announced today it’s created a branded Hulu show called Exposure where up-and-coming photographers compete in challenges to be crowned “America’s best mobile photographer.” The show will debut on April 26th, and it entirely centers on the S21 Ultra 5G; it’s the only device contestants will use to capture their images. This is Samsung’s best attempt at showing off its phone in less of a commercial format — although, in reality, this show is an ...

The Supreme Court has unanimously decided that Facebook text message alerts don’t violate laws against unwanted auto-dialed calls. The court ruled that a lower court defined illegal “robocalls” too broadly and that the term should only apply to systems that generate lists of numbers and call them indiscriminately, not a system that simply stores numbers and automatically calls them. The lawsuit involves text messages that notify Facebook users of an attempted login. Its plaintiff, Noah Duguid, sued after receiving unwanted, erroneous notifications despite not having a Facebook account. Duguid argued that Facebook was violating the 1991 Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). An appeals court agreed, but the Supreme Court interpreted the law’s definitions differently. Closely parsing the ...

Among Us’ huge Airship map finally arrived on Wednesday, offering new tasks for crewmates, new ways to get around, and new ways to plot against your friends as the imposter. I tried out the new level for an hour or so last night, and players who might have grown bored of the well-worn pathways of Among Us’ other levels will have a lot to play with on the airship. The airship is Among Us’ biggest map yet, but to my surprise, I actually didn’t feel all that overwhelmed in my first matches. Developer InnerSloth did a great job making the different rooms visually distinct. The circular records room has four large bookshelves, for example, while the kitchen has a charming tile pattern and a pot simmering on a stove. The airship also adds a couple of new ways to get around, including ladders and...

Online game subscriptions are quite common in the gaming industry. Whether it’s a subscription for an online service for multiplayer gaming or Netflix-like services that provide access to a massive library of games to play, gaming subscriptions provide good incentives and a lot of value for many gamers. While sales tend to stay steady throughout the year, these subscription services will hold promotions or discounts now and then. PlayStation subscription deals PlayStation Plus is arguably the most popular subscription service available on PlayStation consoles. Subscribing comes with a few perks outside of occasional discounts on the PlayStation Store and playing (most) games online. Each month, Sony provides a rotation of games you can play for free so long as you have an active subs...

Nier: Automata wasn’t expected to be a hit. It was a sequel to an RPG that could charitably be described as a cult classic, and its time-spanning story demanded a lot from players. Yet director Yoko Taro’s dark, poignant, and hilarious writing shone through, while the developers at PlatinumGames ensured the action felt great. It ended up selling more than 5 million copies, was ported to new platforms, and most recently was introduced to a brand-new audience through Xbox Game Pass. That makes now the ideal time to dig into its predecessor — which just so happens to be getting a remaster later this month. The first Nier launched in Japan in 2010, and it was actually split into two versions: the main game on PS3, called Replicant, and Gestalt for the Xbox 360, which starred an older lead that...

With the right keyboard, you can turn your iPad into a functional laptop (sort of). If you have been eyeing Apple’s Magic Keyboard but are waiting for a sale, today’s the day. Amazon and Walmart currently have the Magic Keyboard designed for the 11-inch iPad Pro and fourth-gen iPad Air available for $199, $100 off its regular price. If you own the 12.9-inch iPad Pro model, don’t worry: you can buy the accessory at a discounted price, too. Best Buy has knocked $100 off the Magic Keyboard designed for this specific iPad, bringing the price down to just $249. Both Magic Keyboards include a set of backlit keys and a trackpad. Apple Magic Keyboard $199 $299 34% off Prices taken at time of publishing. This version of Apple’s Magic Keyboard can fit the iPad Pro (11-inch) or the new iPad Air that ...

April Fools’ Day jokes are usually lame and lack any real effort, but 20-year-old Kasper Andersen has risen to the occasion for 2021 to deliver Nvidia’s RTX 4090. The Danish hardware enthusiast loves to create homemade replicas of retro graphics cards, but his latest RTX 4090 project imagines a future where Nvidia’s card uses 1,000 watts of power, has a 12-fan design, and includes 48GB of VRAM. The video is a work of art, with subtle details like two power cords, RGB lighting, or the ridiculous GPU benchmarking tool that records more than 23,000 frames per second. My personal favorite is when the whole PC powers on and the desk starts wobbling, a Pepsi Max can tumbles by, and then the test rig swings around by itself and crashes into the monitor. It’s pure chef’s kiss. Andersen’s joke Inte...

This story is part of a group of stories called Only the best deals on Verge-approved gadgets get the Verge Deals stamp of approval, so if you’re looking for a deal on your next gadget or gift from major retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Best Buy, Target, and more, this is the place to be. 1Password is offering Verge readers a big discount on a family subscription to its password managing software through Thursday, April 15th. Normally $5 per month, buying into this deal will get you a year’s worth of service for $2.50 per month, totaling $30 by the end of the year. Once the year is up, your monthly cost will go up to $5 per month if you choose to continue with the service. This deal is valid for new users only, not returning customers. This purchase will grant up to five people (not r...

Microsoft has shut down its Cortana app for iOS and Android. It’s the latest in a series of moves to end support for Cortana across multiple devices, including Microsoft’s own Surface Headphones. The Cortana app for iOS and Android is no longer supported, and Microsoft has removed it from both the App Store and Google’s Play Store. “As we announced in July, we will soon be ending support for the Cortana app on Android and iOS, as Cortana continues its evolution as a productivity assistant,” reads a Microsoft support note spotted by MacRumors. “As of March 31, 2021, the Cortana content you created–such as reminders and lists–will no longer function in the Cortana mobile app, but can still be accessed through Cortana in Windows.” Cortana reminders, lists, and tasks are now available in the M...

Hackers have been hiding malware in cheating software for Call of Duty: Warzone and have been trying to spread it to “cheating cheaters,” as a report from Activision calls them (via Vice). You can read the full report here, but it explains that there’s been a campaign by hackers to try to get Warzone players to download a fake cheating engine. After players run it, the malware can then go on to infect the computer with whatever payload is chosen by the hacker. In short: cheaters never prosper. If the malware doesn’t get you, you’ll likely just get banned from the game instead. Players downloading cheats to help them pwn and then getting pwned themselves is nothing new. I’ll admit it: I wasted my childhood by being a serial cheater, sneaking peeks at my sister’s Battleship board or slipping...

An ingredient mix-up at a Baltimore manufacturing plant ruined 15 million doses of the Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine, The New York Times reported. That could delay future shipments of this vaccine in the United States. There are not any problems with the doses of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine that have already been delivered — those were produced in the Netherlands, the Times reported. But the tens of millions of the shots set to ship in April were supposed to come from this Baltimore plant. The manufacturing plant, run by Emergent BioSolutions, received $628 million from the Trump administration last year to expand its vaccine manufacturing capacity. The plant was still awaiting Food and Drug Administration authorization of its Johnson & Johnson vaccine production lines, ...