Technology

Microsoft is fixing the issue where trying to use certain printers would freak out your Windows 10 computer and cause it to blue screen. If you (or your IT department) have been dealing with the issue, today’s update should let you get back to printing. In the update notes, Microsoft says that the issue only affected “certain printers using some apps,” but doesn’t clarify which. It seemed to impact some printers from Kyocera, Ricoh, and Zebra, and if you owned one it’s the type of error that would be extremely annoying — or worse, workflow-breaking, if printing’s a need and not something you just do occasionally. If this issue has been affecting you, you can download the update by going to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update, and clicking Check for Updates. Hopefu...

BMW is pulling the curtain back on its next iteration of iDrive, the software and infotainment platform that has served as the centerpiece of the automaker’s in-car experience for the last 20 years. The eighth version of iDrive will mostly live on a new “curved” display that starts behind the steering wheel and extends halfway across the dashboard. This involves merging the 12.3-inch instrument cluster and the central 14.9-inch infotainment screen into a single unit angled toward the driver. The size of the screen will vary, depending on the vehicle, but the screen will have the appearance of “floating,” the automaker said. The new iDrive will make its debut later this year in BMW’s new iX electric SUV, as well as the BMW i4 electric sedan. The brain of this car will also be a significant ...

This year, multiple companies primarily known for gaming laptops have been branching out into the portable business and productivity sector. It’s a crowded field already, but Razer made quite a splash with its excellent Razer Book 13, which has an elegant chassis, a 16:10 screen, and just a touch of its company’s signature RGB lighting. In this review I’m looking at the Summit Series, which is MSI’s attempt to enter the same space. The series includes the Summit E line — which includes discrete GPU options and is priced to compete with top dogs like Dell’s XPS 15 — and the Summit B line, which starts at $999 and sits squarely in the midrange market. Verge Score 7 out of 10 Good Stuff Lightweight Nice businessy-looking chassis Good 11th Gen processor Bad Stuff Dim display Not-great battery ...

Microsoft Teams is currently down worldwide. Microsoft says it’s attempting to bring the service back online after “a recent change to an authentication system” took some Microsoft 365 services down. “We’re rolling back the update to mitigate impact,” says Microsoft’s 365 status account, but the roll back is “taking longer than expected.” The issues started around 3:30PM ET, and Microsoft quickly confirmed they are affecting users worldwide. This is the first major Microsoft Teams outage since the service went down back in September, alongside other Microsoft 365 services like Office 365 and Outlook. Microsoft also blamed its previous outage on a configuration change. Azure Active Directory also appears to be experiencing issues as part of this outage, and Microsoft’s Xbox prepaid codes ar...

I get it — despite all the warnings about climate change, you or someone you know has big Scrooge McDuck-sized dollar signs in their eyes after realizing a pinch of blockchain is all you need to turn a JPG image into cold hard cash, and now you’re casting about for something — anything — to turn into an NFT while the initial gold rush lasts. Then, you spot it: something that doesn’t exactly belong to you. You’re not going to sell that, right? And yet that’s kinda what indie game developer Jason Rohrer is attempting to do, according to Kotaku: sell NFT copies of 155 digital paintings that he originally commissioned for his game The Castle Doctrine as individual artworks online. Which… I mean maybe he’s legally got the rights, even though NFTs didn’t exist back then? Except Rohrer isn’...

Today, StreamElements and its partner, analytics company Rainmaker.gg, have put out the February issue of their “State of the Stream” report. It’s something of a fascinating document because, as the end of the pandemic draws near, it’s another piece of evidence that live-streaming platforms were one of the winners of the crisis. (You know, assuming there can be winners to a global mass death event.) The biggest finding in this month’s report is that, in terms of hours watched, both Twitch and Facebook Gaming are up around 80 percent year over year. To be slightly more specific: Twitch has grown by 82 percent, while Facebook Gaming grew by 79 percent. For Twitch, that translates to more than 1.8 billion hours of watch time in February; Facebook Gaming, on the other hand, cleared 400 million...

General Motors has decided to make some 2021 full-size pickups without a certain fuel management module because of the ongoing microchip shortage. As a result, those trucks will get around one fewer mile per gallon of gas, meaning they’ll burn more fuel to go the same distance, releasing more carbon emissions into the atmosphere. The trucks affected are models that use GM’s 5.3-liter EcoTec3 V8 engine (including versions with six-speed or eight-speed automatic transmissions), according to Reuters, which first reported the decision. That includes the popular Chevy Silverado and GMC’s Sierra. The module is what powers the trademarked “Active Fuel Management” or “Dynamic Fuel Management” systems GM promotes on these trucks, which deactivates some of the engine’s cylinders to boost fuel econom...

Had enough Zoom meetings? Can’t bear another soul-numbing day of sitting on video calls, the only distraction your rapidly aging face, pinned in one corner of the screen like a dying bug? Well, if so, then boy do we have the app for you. Meet Zoom Escaper: a free web widget that lets you add an array of fake audio effects to your next Zoom Call, gifting you with numerous reasons to end the meeting and escape, while you still can. You can choose from barking dogs, construction noises, crying babies, or even subtler effects like choppy audio and unwanted echoes. Created by artist Sam Lavigne, Zoom Escaper is fantastically simple to use. All you need do is download a free bit of audio software called VB-Audio that routes your audio through the website, then change your audio input in Zoom fro...

After dropping an ominous teaser for it in February, Netflix has now released a full trailer for its upcoming series The Irregulars. It’s part of the streaming channel’s Sherlock Holmes cinematic universe (no that’s not a thing, but it could be!) after last year’s charming Enola Holmes series, which told the story of Sherlock’s younger sister, based on the novels by Nancy Springer (although Arthur Conan Doyle’s estate has sued Netflix for that series’ portrayal of Sherlock as too emotional). The Irregulars is loosely based on the street urchin gang called the Baker Street Irregulars, who appeared in several of Arthur Conan Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories. In the books, the Irregulars are sort of like confidential informants for Holmes and Dr. Watson, giving them info from the streets and h...

Elon Musk has a new title at Tesla: “Technoking.” The electric automaker announced the head-scratching sobriquet in a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission on Monday, along with chief financial officer Zach Kirkhorn’s new position as “Master of Coin.” “Elon and Zach will also maintain their respective positions as Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer,” the filing concludes — just in case you were worried that Tesla was officially becoming one of the Seven Kingdoms of Westeros. bend the knee Musk, who recently lost his status as richest person on the planet after Tesla’s stock price dropped in February, could be looking for a confidence boost as his company’s once high-flying valuation falters slightly. The company had one of the most impressive stock rallies ...

It might be hard to believe, but Animal Crossing: New Horizons celebrates its first anniversary this week. Ahead of the game’s launch last March, producer Hisashi Nogami told The Verge that he hoped players would be able to “use this as an escape.” And in a year filled with challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, New Horizons’ colorful island and charming animal friends proved to be exactly that, offering a much-needed respite from the difficulties of the real world. The game wasn’t only fun on day one, though. Nintendo has continually added new content and events to the game, and the community gave birth to a number of fun, hilarious, and even political moments throughout the year. For many players, New Horizons became more of a place than a game. The updates and the game’s popula...

Tinder and other Match Group-owned apps are going to let their users run background checks on possible dates. The company announced an investment in Garbo, a nonprofit that looks to allow people to run background checks with only their first name and phone number or full name. The investment, of which Match didn’t disclose the amount, will help make the group’s tech available to Match’s users, starting with the company’s most popular app: Tinder. This means Tinder users will be able to vet their dates with details like their arrest record or history of violence. That could dramatically affect who finds success on the app and who doesn’t. Garbo says it collects “public records and reports of violence or abuse, including arrests, convictions, restraining orders, harassment, and other violent...