technology

/ The $60,000-plus EV will be Acura’s first plug-in car and will start shipping to customers in 2024. 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: Acura Acura’s first fully electric vehicle is now available for customers to reserve, with the first deliveries scheduled for early 2024. The 2024 Acura ZDX starts at $60,000 and will come in several trims, including the base-model A-Spec, with single-motor rear-wheel drive. A more expensive Type S dual-motor powertrain with 500 horsepower starts at $70,000. Acura previously said that the ZDX will get up to 325 miles of estimated range and ha...

/ Millions of people have already left their homes in the US because of floods, new research finds. It’s a pattern that’s growing as climate change raises risks. 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″>A dog passes a pile of destroyed items that were removed from a once flooded home as residents begin the recovery process from Hurricane Harvey August 31, 2017 in Houston, Texas.

/ The company is launching a ‘rider only’ service in a retirement community in Arizona, where its dynamically routed microtransit service is trying to make do in a challenging environment. 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: May Mobility You probably haven’t heard of autonomous vehicle operator May Mobility because the Ann Arbor, Michigan-based company is exceptionally good at avoiding the types of headlines generated by other AV companies. In its six years in operation, there haven’t been any injuries, crashes, blocked intersections, or mass layoffs. While there have been some...

/ Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin hasn’t flown a rocket since the FAA grounded it. 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″>Blue Origin will stream the launch on its site.

/ Peloton expands where you can use its app as it continues to focus on subscription fitness plans. 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 Peloton is opening up its app to third-party treadmills for running, walking, or Tread Bootcamp classes. Pelo Buddy spotted a new support page on Peloton’s site announcing that the app can now record and display metrics on any treadmill that uses Bluetooth FTMS. The offer is only open to subscribers of the company’s most expensive subscription workout plan, Peloton App Plus. To pair, you’ll start a Tread class i...

/ Plus, in this week’s Installer: GTA on Netflix, NPR, journaling apps, and much more. By David Pierce, editor-at-large and Vergecast co-host with over a decade of experience covering consumer tech. Previously, at Protocol, The Wall Street Journal, and Wired. Share this story If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. Illustration: William Joel / The Verge Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 18, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, hello, happy holidays, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)  This week, I’ve been combing this list for new board games to try, reading about the NFL’s obsession with ping pong and the rise of chess influencers and the wacky histo...

/ Section 207 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which would have expired this month, gives broad data collection powers to US spy agencies. By Wes Davis, a weekend editor who covers the latest in tech and entertainment. He has written news, reviews, and more as a tech journalist since 2020. Share this story Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Congress has extended Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) for a few more months to April 2024. According to The New York Times, the program was included in the $886 billion National Defence Authorization Act, which passed the House by a vote of 310 to 118, with support from the majority of both parties, on December 14th. FISA was due to expire on December 31st, 2023. Senator Ron Wyden wrote in a press re...

/ You can also grab Google’s excellent Pixel Watch 2 at a discount, along with a turntable that lets you beam vinyl straight to your Sonos system. By Brandon Widder, a senior editor overseeing deals, gift guides, and commerce. He spent six years spearheading buying guides and consumer tech coverage at Digital Trends. Share this story If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. Opal’s latest webcam makes for a nice carry-on companion, one that packs a bigger, better sensor than Opal’s first offering.Image: Opal Happy Saturday, dear readers! It’s been a relatively quiet week on the deals front — well, aside from the return of Walmart’s $349 Xbox Series X deal and a smattering of well-timed discounts on smart holiday string lights. Today,...

/ Apple announced it’s piloting “contingent pricing for subscriptions,” which lets app developers offer discounts to customers subscribed to a competitor’s app. By Wes Davis, a weekend editor who covers the latest in tech and entertainment. He has written news, reviews, and more as a tech journalist since 2020. Share this story Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Apple announced a pilot program called “contingent pricing for subscriptions” yesterday that will let App Store developers automatically offer discounted subscriptions for users of other apps. Developers, the company says, will be able to base this on subscriptions “from one developer or two different developers,” which lets them not only to entice customers they already have to their other apps, but also compete by offering d...

/ How is Google running an illegal monopoly with the Play store — while Apple’s App Store is in the clear? By Sean Hollister, a senior editor and founding member of The Verge who covers gadgets, games, and toys. He spent 15 years editing the likes of CNET, Gizmodo, and Engadget. Share this story Image: Epic Games Apple rules the iPhone’s App Store with an iron fist — sideloading outside it is not allowed. Google lets anyone install any app on an Android phone. But guess which one of these two companies has an illegal monopoly, according to the courts? As you probably already know, Google is the one that lost its fight against Epic Games this week. It’s a fight that Apple previously (mostly) won in a similar trial in 2021, beating claims that it had violated antitrust laws by charging manda...

/ Netflix dropped its most extensive viewing data yet, and while its not perfect, it does reveal that what we talk about online is not necessarily what people are watching. By Alex Cranz, managing editor and co-host of The Vergecast. She oversaw consumer tech coverage at Gizmodo for five years. Her work has also appeared in the WSJ and Wired. Share this story The two women are the stars of one of the most watches shows on Netflix this year.Image Amanda Matlovich/Netflix Stop me if you’ve heard this one. You’re at a holiday gathering and some very offline family member starts chatting about the show Yellowstone. Pretty soon after a very online family member looks up in confusion and asks either what the show is or why they keep hearing about it when no one they know seems to watch it. But m...

/ The streaming series on Max pulls from a lot of disparate influences, including nature, DIY YouTubers, and The Jungle Book. By Andrew Webster, an entertainment editor covering streaming, virtual worlds, and every single Pokémon video game. Andrew joined The Verge in 2012, writing over 4,000 stories. Share this story If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. Image: Max Though there are a handful of human survivors at the core of its story, the real star of Scavengers Reign isn’t a person; it’s a planet. The animated series features a group of astronauts stranded on a bizarre alien world and follows them as they contend with the harsh, confusing, and downright odd environment around them. There are flying creatures that can double as...