Tech
SwitchBot says its new smart curtain controller is stronger and quieter
/ SwitchBot says it has beefed up its new Curtain 3 to handle twice-as-heavy curtains; made it quieter with a new, slower-moving mode; and gives it “unlimited” battery life with a new, separately-available solar panel. 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″>The SwitchBot Curtain 3 on a telescoping rod.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″>SwitchBot’s Curtain 3 is compatible with multiple types of curtain rod.
The video call revolution is dead
/ All we actually got was slightly better video chat. 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: Apple Zoom is still a force. I attend briefings and meetings using the platform all the time, even though Vox Media itself is a Google Meet house. But Zoom calls themselves still feel remarkably similar to how they did early on in the pandemic, even with added features like facial effects, avatars, and AI summaries. Zoom is increasingly trying to find a business beyond ...
This smart kitchen bin wants to eat your scraps and feed them to the chickens
Smart Home Reviews This $400 kitchen bin eats your leftovers and promises to turn them into chicken food rather than landfill. A nicer-smelling kitchen and less waste are great, but not at this price. By Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, a smart home reviewer who’s been testing connected gadgets since 2013. Previously a writer for Wirecutter, Wired, and BBC Science Focus. At around 1AM on Sunday morning, my partner sat bolt upright in bed and whispered urgently, “There’s someone in the kitchen!” After listening sleepily for a few seconds to the muffled clunking noise, I replied, “No, there’s not; that’s just the smart bin eating an avocado pit.” For most couples, this would have necessitated a further middle-of-the-night conversation, but for my long-suffering spouse, the word “smart” w...
New Instagram Update Allows Music for Photo Carousels and up to Three Collaborators per Post
Meta has officially launched a new update for Instagram that will now allow users to add music to their photo carousels as well as allow each post to have up to three collaborators or co-authors. Instagram unveiled the new music photo carousel feature with pop star Olivia Rodrigo to promote her new single "bad idea right?" The feature gives users the chance to pick licensed music to soundtrack the slideshow. Some have noted that it draws similarity to TikTok's Photo Mode. In a blog post, Meta shared in regards to the new update, "Whether you're sharing a collection of summer memories with friends or moments from your camera roll, you can now add music to your photo carousels. Building off our launch of music for feed photos, anyone can add a song to capture the mood and bring their carouse...
Waymo and Cruise Approved to Offer 24/7 Driverless Taxi Rides in San Francisco
Google's Waymo and GM's Cruise on Friday received permission to offer paid rides in their driverless vehicles at any time of day in San Francisco. The expansion was approved after the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) evaluated the companies' licensing requirements, listened to public testimonies and voted three to one in favor of the move.Following the permit's approval, Waymo issued a statement detailing exactly how it plans to grow its fully autonomous ride-hailing service. The company will begin "gradually welcoming more riders into the service," which already boasts a waitlist with over 100,000 signups. While the company will take an "incremental" approach at first, Waymo promises that it will make its service "available to everyone over time."“Today’s permit marks the tru...
Is this the PS5 Slim?
/ Rumors suggest Sony could launch a PS5 Slim in September and now images and video of the rumored device have leaked online. 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: BwE (X) Sony has been rumored to be working on a revision of the PlayStation 5, often referred to as the PS5 Slim, that includes a removable disc drive. Now images and a video have leaked of a PS5 model that looks slimmer and slightly shorter, and may well have a removable disc drive. The first image leaked of the rumored PS5 Slim in a Chinese forum earlier today, and now a leaked video provides a better look at this r...
Zuckerberg says he’s ready to fight and that Elon keeps making things up
/ Mark Zuckerberg says you’ll hear from him when the fight is actually scheduled.
Sam Bankman-Fried sent to jail as judge revokes bail over witness tampering, VPN use
/ SBF was free on $250 million bail, but using a VPN to watch a football game and contacting a witness over Signal has put the former crypto billionaire in prison as he awaits trial. 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 Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried (SBF) has been on house arrest in California since December while awaiting trial on fraud and money laundering charges over the crypto exchange’s collapse, but today he was sent to jail, as first reported by Inner City Press. Judge Lewis A. Kaplan ordered the former billionaire remanded after pro...
Canon is getting away with printers that won’t scan sans ink — but HP might pay
Tech/ Policy / Remember when Canon got sued? The plaintiffs settled, I’m afraid. a]:text-gray-13″>If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. Were you hoping Canon might be held accountable for its all-in-one printers that mysteriously can’t scan when they’re low on ink, forcing you to buy more? Tough: the lawsuit we told you about last year quietly ended in a private settlement rather than becoming a big class-action. I just checked, and a judge already dismissed David Leacraft’s lawsuit in November, without Canon ever being forced to show what happens when you try to scan without a full ink cartridge. (Numerous Canon customer support reps wrote that it simply doesn’t work.) Here’s the good news: HP, an even larger and more sham...
Audacy takes $10 million hit to exit “onerous” podcasting deal with APM
/ American Public Media confirmed that its multiyear partnership with the cash-strapped company will conclude a year early. 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 Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images This story originally ran in Hot Pod Insider, a newsletter from The Verge on podcasting and the audio industry. Sign up here. American Public Media and Audacy’s Cadence13 will exit a multiyear advertising partnership at the end of August — roughly a year before its intended end date, Hot Pod has learned from APM. Neither company has disclosed the exact reasons for th...
It looks like cross-device integration is coming to Android
/ Android devices signed in to the same Google account could soon support easy call switching and internet sharing. 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″>There’s no word yet on when the new feature will start rolling out.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″>This is apparently the settings menu that users will see for the Link Your Devices feature once it rolls out.
Elon Musk’s new round of X Ads Revenue Sharing payments arrived, eventually
/ The program that pays Twitter / X posters for views by other paid-for verified accounts, based on revenue from paying advertisers, now will pay out once an account earns $10. *:last-child>*:last-child]:mb-0″> X / Twitter CEO Linda Yaccarino will be on stage at this year’s Code Conference to discuss Twitter’s transformation into X, working alongside Elon Musk, and courting advertisers to the platform. Apply to attend Code here. Musk’s comment also confirmed that the payouts are only for views generated by accounts that have verified handles, claiming that otherwise, bots would simply spam the system, despite reports of bot and spam accounts that have verified accounts. In another post, responding to a user whose account was reinstated after being banned for posting imagery of c...
