Tech
Microsoft’s Edge Copilot AI can’t really summarize every YouTube video
/ The chatbot’s summarization feature relies on preprocessed video data or existing subtitles and transcripts. By Amrita Khalid, one of the authors of audio industry newsletter Hot Pod. Khalid has covered tech, surveillance policy, consumer gadgets, and online communities for more than a decade. Share this story Image: The Verge One feature added to Microsoft’s AI Copilot in the Edge browser this week is the ability to generate text summaries of videos. But Edge Copilot’s time-saving feature is still fairly limited and only works on pre-processed videos or those with subtitles, as Mikhail Parakhin, Microsoft’s CEO of advertising and web services, explained. As spotted by MSPowerUser, Parakhin writes, “In order for it to work, we need to pre-process the video. If the video has subtitles ...
JJJJound Engineers $650 USD Vintage-Inspired Mechanical Keyboard
JJJJound is paying homage to the clickety-clack keyboards of the 1970s. The durable, hard plastic keyboards were eventually swapped out with the flattened versions that appear throughout Macs and most other computers today.A few companies, such as Model F Labs, have continued to celebrate the classic versions with remakes of vintage IBM keyboards. JJJJound has teamed up with the company for a designer remake, which they say arrives “twenty-five years after widespread production of the original mechanical keyboard was halted.”The JJJJound Mechanical Keyboard features the same capacitive buckling spring system as the OG keyboard models, providing that crisp key-tapping sound. Keys are covered in a zinc metal die-cast case in shades of grey and white with lettering printed in a serif typeface...
EU reaches provisional agreement on AI Act, paving way for landmark law
/ The set of comprehensive rules that will govern AI in Europe could serve as a benchmark for other countries. By Jess Weatherbed, a news writer focused on creative industries, computing, and internet culture. Jess started her career at TechRadar, covering news and hardware reviews. Share this story The earliest that we will likely see these rules come into force is 2025.The Verge Following a round of intense negotiations this week, lawmakers in Brussels have now reached a “provisional agreement” on the European Union’s proposed Artificial Intelligence Act (AI Act). The EU’s AI Act is anticipated to be the world’s first comprehensive set of rules to govern AI and could serve as a benchmark for other regions looking to pass similar laws. According to the press release, negotiators establish...
‘Twisted Metal’ Is Gearing Up For A Second Season At Peacock
Buckle up. We are getting more Twisted Metal on Peacock.
Apple has seemingly found a way to block Android’s new iMessage app
/ Beeper Mini users reported problems sending and receiving blue bubbles on Friday. Maybe it wasn’t so hard for Apple to block the app after all. By Chris Welch, a reviewer specializing in personal audio and home theater. Since 2011, he has published nearly 6,000 articles, from breaking news and reviews to useful how-tos. Share this story If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. Illustration: The Verge It appears that Beeper Mini, an easy iMessage solution for Android, was simply too good to be true — or a short-lived dream, at least. On Friday, less than a week after its launch, the app started experiencing technical issues when users were suddenly unable to send and receive blue bubble messages. The problems grew worse over the co...
Threads is counting down to an EU launch next week
/ European Instagram users can find a ‘ticket’ in the app with a December 14th launch date for Meta’s Twitter-like social media platform. By Jess Weatherbed, a news writer focused on creative industries, computing, and internet culture. Jess started her career at TechRadar, covering news and hardware reviews. Share this story The lengthy delay in Threads European rollout has been attributed to the EU’s DMA rules.Illustration: The Verge Following its rollout in countries like the US and UK this past July, Threads will finally be expanded to users in the European Union on December 14th. Meta hasn’t made an official announcement yet, instead opting to sneakily update the Threads website with an untitled countdown timer (which won’t be viewable in countries where Threads is already available) ...
The Verge’s 2023 holiday gift guide
Gift Guide A selection of great tech and non-tech gifts aimed at the tinkerer, the creative, and the kid in all of us. The holidays can be, without a doubt, one of the most stressful times of the year. People can be picky when it comes to gifts, wishlists can grow long, and time has a way of slipping between our fingers before we even notice the sudden lack of eggnog on store shelves. It doesn’t have to be that way, though. We at The Verge believe that gift-giving shouldn’t be all that tough — that is, so long as you have the right cheat sheet. That’s why our ace team of writers and editors has compiled a treasure trove of clever gift ideas spanning multiple price points and personal tastes, from budget-friendly tabletop games and streaming devices to luxury laptops you can easily upgrade....
‘Marvel’s Blade,’ & Other Game Awards 2023 Announcements
The Game Awards 2023, went down in Los Angeles, and along with handing out trophies, there were some big video game announcements.
Geoff Keighley let video game developers down
/ During The Game Awards, Geoff Keighley failed to acknowledge the prolific and devastating layoffs that have rocked the industry. By Ash Parrish, a reporter who has covered the business, culture, and communities of video games for seven years. Previously, she worked at Kotaku. Share this story Photo by JC Olivera / Getty Images At this point, you cannot talk about how amazing 2023 has been for the quality of games released this year without also mentioning how it’s been utterly disastrous for the people who made them. But that’s exactly what Geoff Keighley did during this year’s Game Awards. The numbers vary, but estimates say anywhere between six and seven thousand workers have lost their jobs just this year. No level of studio size or success has been spared. And those who have been let...
Baldur’s Gate 3 is out now on Xbox
/ The newly-crowned Game of the Year is finally available for Xbox players. By Jay Peters, a news editor who writes about technology, video games, and virtual worlds. He’s submitted several accepted emoji proposals to the Unicode Consortium. Share this story If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. Image: Larian Studios Baldur’s Gate 3, which just won Game of the Year at the 2023 Game Awards, is now available to purchase on Xbox Series X and S. You can buy it now for $69.99. The Xbox version of the game has been in the works for a little while. A few weeks after the hugely-successful PC launch of the game in August — and just before the release of the PS5 version — Larian Studios announced that it would be bringing Baldur’s Gate 3 t...
Amazon Prime tests a $9.99 per month unlimited grocery delivery subscription
/ A new trial in three cities gives Prime members the option to pay once for unlimited Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods deliveries. By Amrita Khalid, one of the authors of audio industry newsletter Hot Pod. Khalid has covered tech, surveillance policy, consumer gadgets, and online communities for more than a decade. Share this story Amazon has announced it’s testing a subscription model for unlimited grocery delivery for Prime members. For an additional monthly charge of $9.99, Prime members in three cities can get unlimited delivery on Amazon Fresh and Whole Foods orders over $35. Those who opt-in will also receive unlimited 30-minute pick-up on orders of any size. It’s the latest in a series of changes that Amazon has made to a division that competes with the likes of Walmart, Postmates, In...
Google just launched a new AI, and has already admitted at least one demo wasn’t real
/ The company’s demo video, featuring a spoken conversation with Gemini as it identified drawings in real-time, was edited and did not involve an actual spoken prompt. By Emilia David, a reporter who covers AI. Prior to joining The Verge, she covered the intersection between technology, finance, and the economy. Share this story If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. Image: Google Google just announced Gemini, its most powerful suite of AI models yet, and the company has already been accused of lying about its performance. An op-ed from Bloomberg claims Google misrepresented the power of Gemini in a recent video. Google aired an impressive “what the quack” hands-on video during its announcement earlier this week, and columnist Pa...
