Tech

Gift Guide A collection of fun, affordable, and unique gifts fit for everyone on your list. For many, spending time with friends and family is the biggest holiday tradition there is — and a large part of that is the satisfaction that comes with finding the perfect gifts for everyone. Lucky for you, we know a thing or two about picking out presents. Each year, we consult the greatest minds at The Verge to bring together a robust collection of gift ideas that builds upon both our editorial coverage and our individual interests. Our tasteful 2024 cheat sheet is chock-full of our favorite tech — from noise-canceling earbuds and streaming devices to colorful e-readers and smart rings — as well as inexpensive picks for those hoping to stretch their budget a bit further. After all, you ...

Google/ Tech / Updates replaces the Sharing section — look for the new bell icon. a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>Illustration: The Verge Google Photos is making it easier to follow activity in your shared albums with a new “Updates” section. In the new section, you’ll be able to see notifications like updates to a shared album and updates to a conversation within Google Photos, according to a support post from Google. The Updates section can be found by tapping a bell icon that replaces the Sharing button (the one that looks like two people). Updates are shown chronologically, an...

/ The company is shifting cell production from South Korea to Arizona to comply with the IRA’s requirements.

/ Now when Android users send a message reaction to an iOS friend, it actually looks as it should. a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge Apple is showing some love to Android users by finally displaying their message reactions correctly. Now when an Android user reacts to an RCS message from an iOS user, the selected emoji will appear in line with the message bubble on iOS — instead of archaically appearing as a separate line like this: “💀 to ‘that wasn’t supposed to happen.’” The Verge sent test messages and emoji reactions between iPho...

/ The Sol 5 sticks to the back of your iPhone and offers both brightness and color temperature adjustments. a]:text-gray-13″>If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>Image: Harlowe Harlowe’s Sol 5 is a three-inch extending light that attaches to the MagSafe mount on your iPhone to improve the quality of your photos and selfies. It’s available now for $79 or for $159 as part of a travel kit that includes a softbox diffuser to help reduce harsh shadows. The Sol 5 isn’t a new idea. When th...

/ You’ll need a Copilot license to get Microsoft’s new personalized Outlook themes. a:hover]:text-black [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-e9 dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray-63 [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-13 dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63″>How the themes work on Outlook mobile.

/ Kenji Nakamura’s Mononoke the Movie: Phantom in the Rain will makes its streaming debut on November 28th.

/ The label behind games such as The Outer Worlds and Kerbal Space Program 2 has been sold to an unknown buyer. a:hover]:text-black [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-e9 dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray-63 [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-13 dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63″>Pokemon developer Game Freak’s unreleased Project Bloom game is included in the sale.

/ Sitejabber used deceptive practices to artificially inflate product ratings, alleges the FTC. a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge The Federal Trade Commission has charged Sitejabber, an online review platform, with violating its new fake reviews rules by using point-of-sale reviews to misrepresent what customers think about products. In one of its first enforcement actions under new rules banning companies from making or selling fake reviews, the FTC is ordering the company to stop. The FTC says Sitejabber “deceptively” punched up businesses’ re...

/ There are five games to play, including a strike-themed take on Wordle.

/ Laptops with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X chips will soon be able to emulate more x86 extensions used by games and other apps. a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Microsoft is testing a big Windows on Arm update to let more x64 software and games run under Prism emulation on Copilot Plus PC with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Elite or X Plus processors. The capability comes as part of the Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 27744, rolling out to testers in the Canary Channel. This way, Qualcomm’s new chips can run more kinds of apps that don’t have native ARM6...