Technology

The sounds of the theremin, once the instrument of the future, have now been tingling our spines for 100 years. In commemoration, Moog is introducing its new limited-edition Claravox Centennial, named for theremin virtuosa Clara Rockmore. Moog says the Claravox offers “the highest quality control and sound available in a theremin.” With two modes, Traditional and Modern, it enables thereminists to switch between heterodyne analog and digital oscillators. It has the same wave-shaping circuit as Moog’s Etherwave Pro theremin, and DIN MIDI, USB, and CV inputs and outputs for connection to DAWs and use as a controller. It’s also lovely just to look at, with a walnut cabinet, brass antennas, and plenty of knobs to fiddle with. Electronic instruments, and their inventors and players, are some of...

A security researcher claims he hacked President Donald Trump’s Twitter account earlier this month, guessing that his password was “maga2020!” and possibly posting a tweet where Trump appeared to take a satirical article seriously. Dutch newspaper de Volkskrant and magazine Vrij Nederland reported the news earlier today, citing screenshots and interviews with the researcher, Victor Gevers. But when reached for comment, both Twitter and the White House vigorously denied the claim. “We’ve seen no evidence to corroborate this claim, including from the article published in the Netherlands today,” a Twitter spokesperson told The Verge. “We proactively implemented account security measures for a designated group of high-profile, election-related Twitter accounts in the United States, including f...

Apple is expanding its new “Express” retail format to more locations, according to Reuters. The Express stores have a wall of plexiglass-protected sales counters and some shelves with accessories right at the front of the store. The new format should allow customers to pick up orders (such as the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro, which launch tomorrow) while respecting COVID-19 safety guidelines. There are about 20 Express stores in the US and Europe right now, and Apple is planning to have 50 across both countries by the end of October, Apple senior vice president of retail and people Deirdre O’Brien said to Reuters. You can see a list of which stores have Express storefronts in this list complied by 9to5Mac. Apple temporarily closed all of its retail stores outside of China in mid-March due to the C...

This week, Tesla began pushing its “Full Self-Driving” (FSD) update to a select group of customers, and the first reactions are now beginning to roll in. The software, which enables drivers to use many of Autopilot’s advanced driver-assist features on local, non-highway streets, is still in beta. As such, it requires constant monitoring while in operation. Or as Tesla warns in its introductory language, “it may do the wrong thing at the worse time.” Frankly, this looks terrifying — not because it seems erratic or malfunctioning, but because of the way it will inevitably be misused. Early reactions to the software update range from “that was a little scary” to full-throated enthusiasm for CEO Elon Musk’s willingness to let his customers beta-test features that aren’t ready for wide release....

Quibi co-founder Jeffrey Katzenberg admitted he was wrong for comments he made in May blaming the entirely of the company’s failing on the coronavirus pandemic. He’s ready to accept the blame for Quibi’s collapse. “It [wasn’t] fair,” Katzenberg told CNBC earlier today. That chat with CNBC was the first interview he and CEO Meg Whitman did after announcing Quibi was shutting down. “It was a bit of a quippy answer — a flippant answer — at the time. But other companies have faced the challenges of COVID and have managed to find a path. I think Meg and I believe in owning our miss. Simply to blame it on COVID is not fair, and not something either of us want to do.” Both Katzenberg and Whitman clearly wanted to get one point across in that interview: this failure is ours. The two executives are...

Starting today, US Twitter users will get prompts in their home timelines to encourage them to vote early, as the November 3rd presidential election approaches. The updates will include push alerts directing to on-Twitter public service announcements, prompts to vote early and find early voting options from nonpartisan voting advocacy group BallotReady, and interactive features, including an animated “like” button” and custom emoji for the hashtags #VoteEarly, #IVoted, #IVotedEarly, and #YoVoté. “As voters face unprecedented challenges when casting their ballot in the upcoming 2020 US elections, Twitter is doing what we can to ensure that people have access to the reliable information they need in order to exercise their right to vote,” the company said in a blog post authored by Twitter p...

Microsoft is bringing Xbox touch controls to 10 games on its xCloud game streaming service today. xCloud launched last month with just Minecraft Dungeons supporting these new touch controls, but the list now includes big names like Streets of Rage 4, Dead Cells, and Killer Instinct. These touch controls will allow players to play games without an Xbox One controller. “Touch controls have been one of the top-requested features for cloud gaming,” explains Catherine Gluckstein, Microsoft’s head of Project xCloud. “For each title that uses Xbox touch controls we’ve worked to create an experience designed specifically for that game on mobile devices.” Microsoft has been working with game designers and players to mimic the controls you’d normally find on a physical controller. Xbox touch control...

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. If you were tossing around picking up Apple’s new iPad Air, which my colleague Dieter Bohn says is the best tablet for most people despite costing $600, it won’t actually cost you $600 to buy one at Walmart and Amazon. Right now, you can pick up a 64GB base model in green for $560. This is a relatively small discount, all said, but any deal on the as-of-yet unreleased iPad Air that features USB-C charging, a brand-new design, and powerful internal specs is a good one in my book. Apple iPad Air (2020)...

The Senate Judiciary Committee approved subpoenas on Thursday to force Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to testify before the body regarding complaints of anti-conservative bias on their platforms. Last week, the New York Post published a report alleging that Hunter Biden, Joe Biden’s son, introduced his father to an executive at the Ukrainian energy company Burisma. For months, President Trump’s reelection campaign has targeted Biden’s alleged connections to Ukraine as the foundation of political attacks. Reporters disputed the Post’s allegations, and Facebook and Twitter moved to reduce the article’s reach. Facebook signaled that the article was subject to third-party fact-checking, and Twitter banned linking to the story entirely. This lit a fire under Republican...

Porsche’s all-electric Taycan is the first car to get full Apple Podcasts integration, allowing owners to natively access Apple’s library of 1.5 million shows see its podcast charts, the company has announced. The car’s infotainment system is also getting support for Apple Music’s lyrics feature, which will be displayed on the passenger-side display. The features are available in new Taycan cars now, and will roll out to existing cars in January, the company says. Apple Podcasts has previously been available to stream to the Taycan’s infotainment system via Apple CarPlay, but the native app means you don’t have to connect your phone to start listening. It also means the app can stream over the vehicle’s built-in data connection (you get three years of data with the purchase of the car). Ap...

Microsoft announced a new effort today to reduce pollution coming from some of its employees’ flights. It plans to buy credits for sustainable aviation fuel to cover travel on the commercial flight routes most frequented by its employees during business trips. It will buy the credits from Dutch company SkyNRG, which will then supply cleaner-burning fuel to Alaska Airlines. The less-polluting flights will be operated by Alaska Airlines for travel between Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (near Microsoft’s corporate headquarters) and San Francisco, San Jose, and Los Angeles international airports. The fuel could emit 80 percent fewer CO2 emissions The fuel that SkyNRG provides would be made in the US with used cooking oil or other plant oils. When it’s burned, the fuel could emit 75 perce...

Ubisoft is merging its loyalty program, Ubisoft Club, and desktop app Uplay into Ubisoft Connect, the developer announced. In addition to a rewards program, it will introduce crossplay and cross-progression in games such as Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and Watch Dogs: Legion. The new hub will be available for free, but it requires a Ubisoft account. Ubisoft Connect “aims at giving the best environment for all players to enjoy their games and connect with each others whatever the device,” Ubisoft said. Players who use the service will be able to earn Ubisoft Connect XP for playing games and completing in-game challenges. Gaining XP will allow players to level up their Ubisoft Connect accounts, which will award a second currency, Units, that can be used to unlock various rewards for different g...