technology

/ Microsoft’s Xbox platform went down Thursday night, with many players unable to sign in or connect to online games. 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: The Verge If you’re trying to play online games on your Xbox Series X / S, Xbox One, or even Xbox 360 right now, you might be running into some issues, as Xbox confirmed there was a “major” Xbox Live outage on its status page as of 6:57PM ET. “You may not be able to sign-in to your Xbox profile, may be disconnected while signed in, or have other related problems,” according to a status message. “Features that require sign-in l...

Environment/ Science / A new study sounds a warning about wild bats used in decorations sold 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: Abu Hamas / iNaturalist via UC Davis Scientists are sounding the alarm about taxidermied bats commonly sold online in frames, jars, coffins, jewelry, and more. It’s a wild animal trade that has flown under the radar and that poses risks to the bats and potentially to the people who handle them, according to a study recently published in the European Journal of Wildlife Research. While bats of all kinds are showing up for sale online, the study...

/ Its ad-supported tier is bringing in a lot of new users. a]:text-gray-13″>If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

/ Meta says the European regulatory environment is too ‘unpredictable.’ 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 Nick Barclay / The Verge Meta says it won’t be launching its upcoming multimodal AI model — capable of handling video, audio, images, and text — in the European Union, citing regulatory concerns. The decision will prevent European companies from using the multimodal model, despite it being released under an open license. “We will release a multimodal Llama model over the coming months, but not in the EU due to the unpredictable nature of the European regulatory e...

Games Review It has some clever ideas but struggles with a lack of polish and repetitive gameplay. Share this story 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: Kepler Interactive The lack of polish is most damning here. You can see it in the game’s dated graphics, even if the designs remain creative. Stiff animations are compounded by faces that lack expression. The environments — ranging from snowy mountains to rock lands, deep caves to magic arenas — are varied, but it’s hard to ignore the ugly textures, poorly drawn nature, and questionable lighting.  It’s a pity because the ga...

Tech/ Amazon Prime Day 2024 / The clock is ticking if you want to save on chargers, smart speakers, and other tech before Amazon’s annual sale ends. 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: Tribit Amazon Prime Day marches onward, and while there continues to be an abundance of deals spanning all price points and categories, most of them will cease to exist once the clock strikes midnight tonight. And while many of the steepest discounts in the world of tech are s...

/ The slim candy bar style Essential “Project Gem” smartphone reappeared after a developer said he found one of the unreleased devices on eBay. 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: Essential Someone obtained Essential’s unreleased smartphone that took the “candy bar” style phone a bit too far. Originally revealed in 2019 as “Project Gem,” this PH-2 looks like what you’d get from splitting an already tall Sony Xperia 1 in half. It reminds me of memes that popp...

/ The German automaker says it will install charging hubs at 100 Starbucks locations along Interstate 5. a]:text-gray-13″>If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

/ The EPA is doling out grants to measure the environmental impact of new construction materials. 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 Roger Ball/Worldsteel via Getty Images The Biden administration announced $160 million in grants to projects meant to measure the climate impact of new-fangled construction materials. The grants cover a spectrum of potential alternatives from hemp-based products to bamboo, recycled steel, and more. Scientists and startups have proposed all sorts of new ways to cut down carbon dioxide emissions from building materials that have become a big clim...