technology

With shows like Scott Pilgrim Takes Off, Blue Eye Samurai, and a wild new Castlevania spinoff, Netflix is still holding its own in the streaming wars. By Charles Pulliam-Moore, a reporter focusing on film, TV, and pop culture. Before The Verge, he wrote about comic books, labor, race, and more at io9 and Gizmodo for almost five years. Share this story a:hover]:shadow-highlight-franklin dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-highlight-franklin [&>a]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-white”>Blue Eye Samurai Like Onimusha, studio Blue Spirit’s Blue Eye Samurai from co-creators Michael Green and Amber Noizumi is set during Japan’s Edo period. It chronicles the journey of a solemn warrior on a mission to bring peace to the country by mowing down hordes of dark-hearted villai...

/ It’s not the ‘aha’ moment that Night Sight was for still photos, but Video Boost is a promising glimpse of things to come. 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″>Only the Pixel 8 Pro gets Video Boost, one of the AI camera features announced at its launch.

/ The platform also has a new logo — a butterfly. 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: Bluesky Bluesky remains an invite-only decentralized Twitter alternative, but now, you don’t need to be logged in to be able to see posts on the platform, according to a blog post from Bluesky CEO Jay Graber. You can now see posts from both the web and from the Bluesky app — like this one. If you want to prevent logged-out users from seeing your posts, you can “discourage” that by clicking a toggle in settings. But Bluesky notes that “other apps may not honor this request” and that the toggle ...

/ Plus, how 2024 could be the year we will finally get better analytics. People are really getting their podcast lawsuits in before the new year. Let’s get to it. The Daily Beast reports that Fox News host Laura Ingraham filed a lawsuit against Quake Media, claiming the podcast startup hasn’t paid her $800,000 contract for 2022.  Investment firm VGC Partners is suing Sean Glynn, the former CEO of British podcast studio Novel. The suit claims that Glynn did not disclose that the other co-founder intended to leave, and that the company’s revenue figures were inflated. My father-in-law responded to yesterday’s newsletter on New York’s lawsuit against SiriusXM saying that he, too, has had to take drastic measures to get rid of his subscription. “When I called back a third time to cancel, ...

/ The AI Foundation Model Transparency Act aims to make it clear if AI models used copyright data for training. 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 Alex Castro / The Verge Two lawmakers filed a bill requiring creators of foundation models to disclose sources of training data so copyright holders know their information was taken. The AI Foundation Model Transparency Act — filed by Reps. Anna Eshoo (D-CA) and Don Beyer (D-VA) — would direct the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to work with the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to establish rules for rep...

/ The company is reportedly exploring major deals with companies like Condé Nast and NBC News. 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 Apple is talking with some big news publishers about licensing their news archives and using that information to help train its generative AI systems, The New York Times reports. The company is apparently discussing “multiyear deals worth at least $50 million,” the NYT says, and has been in touch with publications like Condé Nast, NBC News, and IAC. The response from the publishers seems mixed. Apparently, the publishers might be “p...

/ The hack exposed millions of files including personal employee information and a playable build of Wolverine. 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: Insomniac Games Insomniac Games has released a statement few days after a ransomware attack exposed millions of files including sensitive employee information, confidential business information, and assets for in-development games. “We’re both saddened and angered about the recent criminal cyberattack on our studio and the emotional toll it’s taken on our team,” the statement posted on X read. “We have focused inwardly for several d...

/ The company formerly known as MindGeek must also compensate the sex trafficking victims who appeared in Pornhub videos. a]:text-gray-13″>If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

/ ‘Safety Check’ is getting new features. 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 Google’s Safety Check feature for Chrome, which, among other things, checks the internet to see if any of your saved passwords have been compromised, will now “run automatically in the background” on desktop, the company said in a blog post on Thursday. The constant checks could mean that you’re alerted about a password that you should change sooner than you would have before. Safety Check also watches for bad extensions or site permissions you need to look at, and you can act on Safety Chec...

/ It’s been a rough year for the podcasting industry, but Danish company Podimo has managed to raise nearly $50 million. a]:text-gray-13″>If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. Behold! Someone is investing in a podcast company Could it be a sign that the tide is turning? Danish podcast and audiobook subscription service Podimo announced a new funding round worth €44 million ($48.4 million). Participants in the round include previous investors Augustinus Fabrikker and HighlandX, as well as the Danish Export and Investment Fund. “This investment allows Podimo to continue our strong growth trajectory while orienting the company towards profitability,” Morten Strunge, CEO of Podimo, said in a statement. “This funding isn’t solel...

/ If your Apple Watch Series 6 or later is out of warranty, you’re gonna want to be extra careful for a while. 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 Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Not only has Apple halted online sales of the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra Series 2 (with in-store sales to follow), but the company’s ongoing patent rift with medical device maker Masimo has another ripple effect: out-of-warranty hardware repairs for several Apple Watch models are now unavailable to customers. That’s according to Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman, who reports that Apple has informed cu...

/ The shows were set to disappear as of December 31st, but thanks to ‘updated licensing arrangements,’ they’ll stick around. 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 Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Discovery shows were set to be pulled from PlayStation libraries on December 31st, but that’s not happening now, thanks to “updated licensing arrangements,” as reported by GamesIndustry.biz. The original plan was one of two recent reminders from PlayStation that digital ownership sucks — especially because there were a lot of shows that were set to be removed from video libraries. You can see ...