Technology

There’s a new strategy for boosting global action on climate change, and it’s modeled after Cold War-era campaigns aimed at preventing nuclear annihilation. Activists are starting to pick up the language of the nuclear nonproliferation movement. Eventually, they’d like to see a full-scale international treaty that would bring about the end of fossil fuels. The existential threats posed by climate change have a lot in common with the threats posed by nuclear war, experts tell The Verge. Both have the potential to put all of humanity and the entire planet at risk. And neither issue can be tackled without global cooperation. The idea for a fossil fuel nonproliferation treaty publicly launched in September this year at New York City’s Climate Week. It’s still in its early days, but the treaty’...

The Raspberry Pi Foundation has announced the Raspberry Pi 400, a compact keyboard with an ARM-based computer built in. Just plug it into a TV or monitor using one of its two micro HDMI ports, insert a microSD card, attach a power cord and mouse, and you’ve got yourself a basic computer for day-to-day tasks, coding, or media playback. It’s available starting today as a standalone machine for $70 or in a bundle including a mouse, power supply, microSD card, HDMI cable, and beginner’s guide for $100. The hope is the Pi 400’s form factor, plus these optional bundled items, makes it more approachable and user-friendly. That’s important when you’re selling an affordable computer, and it’s especially important when you’re selling an accessible device to help children learn to code. It looks more...

I have only watched the new episode of The Mandalorian once (so far) but it is so great to have this fun, nerdy show back. I won’t spoil anything but it was A) nice to see The Baby aka Baby Yoda aka my green son, B) nice to see Timothy Olyphant and C) great to see the coolest show on streaming is still very, very cool. Check out the review of the first episode here, and look for weekly Friday recaps of new episodes on The Verge. This week’s trailers include the new season of the other best show on streaming: The Crown. Look I have eclectic tastes, OK? [embedded content] The Crown The sight of Gillian Anderson as Margaret Thatcher was most welcome for this erstwhile X-phile, but also: DIANA! The series will finally catch up to the Charles-Diana marriage this season and introduce Thatcher, a...

A fake letter from Sean Connery to Apple co-founder Steve Jobs is making the rounds on social media following the actor’s death on Saturday. Just to reiterate: it’s fake, the product of humor site Scoopertino, which posts satirical articles about Apple and goings-on at its Cupertino (get it that’s the name) headquarters. The typewritten letter dated 1998 purports to show Connery’s outrage over Jobs asking him to appear in an Apple commercial. “I do not sell my soul for Apple or any other company. I have no interest in ‘changing the world’ as you suggest,” it states. “You are a computer salesman, I am fucking JAMES BOND!” But the internet loves things that are too good to be true, and Sunday morning, the “letter” was circulating on Twitter. Jon, I respect your views but please look at the r...

Over the past several months, conservative groups— including associates of President Trump— were often not penalized by Facebook for violating its rules because people at the company worried about the perception of anti-conservative bias, The Washington Post reported. The Post examined posts and ad spending along with internal Facebook documents. It found accounts that included Donald Trump Jr. and a pro-Trump super PAC were shielded from the platform’s most serious enforcement actions. For instance, according to the Post, Facebook removed a strike against Trump Jr. on Instagram — which is owned by Facebook— that would have led to him being labeled a “repeat offender” and could have meant a permanent ban under platform rules. Facebook did not immediately reply to a request for comment from...

Outside of excited Apple executives, no one thought much of Apple TV Plus. Even with $6 billion allocated for content and a roster of talent that included J.J. Abrams, Reese Witherspoon, and Oprah Winfrey, little on Apple TV Plus shined at launch. With the exception of The Morning Show, Apple TV Plus barely managed to enter the conversation, while other new entrants like Disney Plus soared right out the gate. But streaming isn’t a sprint; it’s a marathon. The anniversary of Apple TV Plus arrives with the platform getting better each month, but it’s still not where Apple needs it to be. It’s impossible to ignore the most obvious flailing that Apple TV Plus is facing: there’s no back catalog to keep people around once they’ve finished watching the 31 TV series and handfuls of movies currentl...

Once you get past the fact that it has no skin, the new robot from Disney Research is an impressive feat of robotics. First reported by Gizmodo, the new robot can imitate human facial movements, specifically blinking and subtle head movements. A sensor in its chest area (covered by a shirt, because the face is unsettling enough, thanks) alerts the robot when to turn and face a person in front of it, and its eye movements shift from direct eye contact to the rapid eye movements known as saccades. It also moves slightly up and down to mimic breathing. [embedded content] The robot was developed by engineers at Disney’s Research division, Walt Disney Imagineering, and robotics researchers from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and the California Institute of Technology. While most h...

Ruined King: A League of Legends Story, the upcoming single-player League of Legends spinoff that will see the franchise debut on consoles for the first time, has released its first (albeit, vague) bits of information. It’ll launch sometime in “early 2021” on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Steam, and the Epic Games Store at launch, with PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X / S versions set to follow shortly after. (PS4 and Xbox One players will be able to upgrade for free.) Along with news of a release window, Riot Forge also announced some additional details on what Ruined King will actually be: a single-player, turn-based RPG set in the Bilgewater and Shadow Isles regions of Runeterra (the planet on which League of Legends is set). The company also revealed the roster of League of ...

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. Saturday is your last chance to get in on Best Buy’s multi-day sale, but don’t worry if you miss out. Black Friday is a few weeks away, and this year, retailers are offering very good sale prices almost every day. Wherever those deals come from, we’ll be putting them in deal posts for you to check out. What follows are the best deals that have made the rounds on The Verge earlier this week, as well as some new inclusions we think you’ll enjoy. Sony’s WH-1000XM4 wireless noise-canceling headphones com...

A jury in Texas has ruled that Apple has to pay VirnetX $502.8 million in royalties for VPN on Demand, a feature that lets iOS users access a VPN connection, Bloomberg reported. The two companies have been involved in a legal battle for ten years, with VirnetX— sometimes referred to as a patent troll — arguing that Apple’s VPN on Demand and FaceTime use its technology. Apple said in a statement it plans to appeal the decision: “This case has been going on for over a decade, with patents that are unrelated to the core operations of our products and have been found to be invalid by the patent office. Cases like this only serve to stifle innovation and harm consumers.” Earlier this year, a US appeals court rejected Apple’s request to reconsider a split decision ruling that found it infringed ...

Earlier this month, the public got its first glimpse of Iris Xe Max, Intel’s new discrete GPU for thin-and-light laptops, at an Acer press event. Today, Intel revealed the full first wave of laptops that will include this GPU, some of which are available for purchase now in certain countries. The laptops include the Acer Swift 3X, the Dell Inspiron 15 7000 2-in-1, and the Asus VivoBook Flip TP470. The Inspiron 15 is available in the US at Best Buy; Acer has previously said to expect the 3X in the US in December. Both the Swift 3X and the Inspiron 15 are also available in China through JD.com. Intel says the Asus VivoBook is coming “shortly” to both the US and China. Intel announced its Tiger Lake processors, including its new Xe integrated graphics, earlier this year.Photo by Monica Chin /...