The Verge
Competitive Pokémon is on phones now, but you still need a Switch to become a champion
To get started with competitive Pokémon battles, all you need is your phone. But to compete at the highest level, like at the Pokémon World Championships, you're going to need a Switch. And there does...
3 hours ago
The Fairphone 6 Plus is the midrange phone we desperately needed
The Fairphone 6 Plus feels like an extremely average midrange Android phone and I couldn't be more thrilled. The mission has always been admirable. Fairphone seeks out ethically sourced materials and ...
3 hours ago
DIY plug-in solar gains momentum in the US
This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on e-bikes, power stations, and how to work anywhere, follow Thomas Ricker. The Stepback arriv...
4 hours ago
Explore the globe in field recordings
I love field recordings. I love making them. I love them when they're incorporated into my ambient music. They're great background noise for working or sleeping. But they're also great for active list...
18 hours ago
iPhone Handoff will seamlessly share one number between two phones
When iOS 27 lands later this month, it will have a feature called iPhone Handoff that lets you switch between two phones using the same number. It was briefly mentioned during the WWDC keynote back in...
19 hours ago
CD sales are booming as physical media continues its resurgence
According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), CD sales exploded in the first half of 2026. A new report from the organization says 17.5 million CDs were sold in the first six mont...
23 hours ago
Fantasy Footballers’ Andy Holloway is a dedicated zero-inbox kinda guy
Andy Holloway cohosts the Fantasy Footballers podcast with his friends Jason Moore and Mike Wright. The show is one of the premier fantasy sports podcasts, netting over 2 million monthly listeners and...
1 day ago
Content creators drop the ball
During Naomi Osaka's match against Anastasia Zakharova at this year's US Open earlier this week, a gaggle of ring light-wielding influencers who were packed in a luxury suite became enough of a distra...
1 day ago
The weird and wonderful headphones of CanJam 2026
I've been reviewing headphones for a long time, and I've listened to everything from the barely serviceable to multi-thousand-dollar open-back headphones. But recently I've been uninspired by the stat...
1 day ago
OpenAI admits to German wiki ‘incident’
OpenAI says it needs to overhaul how and when it reports instances of AI models attacking real-world targets. The acknowledgement comes as the company manages the fallout from reports that a swarm of ...
1 day ago
Robotaxis enter their villain era
It's Bullitt meets Christine meets Waymo. A new short film imagines a San Francisco car chase where the other driver isn't human - and the car may be trying to kill you. That a robotaxi can now be cas...
1 day ago
Audacity 4 is a complete revamp of the ‘world’s most popular’ audio editor
Audacity 4 has been in the works for some time, and had its own mini controversy last year when an unfortunate redesigned logo started making the rounds. The final version of the new icon isn't nearly...
1 day ago
The White House is making arcade games racist
The PR masterminds at the White House just released a series of vaguely policy-themed "arcade" games, some of which are racist - and modeled on real games whose copyright holders may not be too happy ...
1 day ago
GoPro says it’s still committed ‘to your collective stoke’
GoPro CEO Nick Woodman said in a letter to customers that making cameras is still his company's "core DNA," after a proposed $285 million acquisition by Starman was announced earlier this week. He cla...
1 day ago
Roland is getting into generative AI music with Melody Flip
It's not quite the "push button; get song" of Suno, but Roland's new Melody Flip tool marks the company's foray into generative AI music. Available as a plug-in for your digital audio workstation (DAW...
1 day ago
AGI is whatever you want it to be
OpenAI announced its next big model, GPT-6 Astra, and also, by the way, that "the AGI era" is here now. Today on The Vergecast, we've got an all-star panel to break down the news of the week. First, s...
1 day ago
Microsoft says virtually nobody was grabbing NYT articles through its chatbot
Microsoft's Copilot rarely reproduces even full sentences from news articles and books, let alone substantive chunks that could substitute for the original, the company says in new legal filings as it...
1 day ago
Alienware’s refurbished 16 Aurora is almost $200 off at Woot
Gaming laptop deals aren’t what they used to be (stares daggers at RAMageddon), which is why I consider Woot’s deal on a refurbished Alienware 16 Aurora gaming laptop with Nvidia’s RTX 5050 a pretty g...
2 days ago
What to expect at Apple’s September 9th launch event
Apple's September 9th launch event could be one of its biggest in years. It will be Apple's first event since John Ternus took over as CEO on September 1st, stepping in for Tim Cook, and will likely f...
2 days ago
Oh good, looks like yet another swarm of rogue AI agents from OpenAI
A swarm of rogue AI agents from OpenAI reportedly commandeered a German website and transformed it into a messaging board for other agents, with officials staying quiet about the incident for weeks as...
2 days ago
Tesla Cybercab is barely real and it’s already under investigation
Elon Musk's gilded robot car barely made it on public roads before federal regulators launched an investigation into the vehicle's lack of traditional features - many of which are required by law. The...
2 days ago
Xbox app is coming to TCL TVs just as Microsoft rolls out pay-as-you-go cloud gaming
Microsoft is partnering with TCL to bring its Xbox app to supported TCL smart TVs. The Xbox app lets you connect to Xbox Cloud Gaming and stream Game Pass titles or select games you own as part of a.....
2 days ago
iRobot unveils the Roomba Duo
The original robot vacuum company showed off a concept robot at the IFA tech show in Berlin today. The Roomba Duo combines a heavy-duty floor-washing machine with a smaller, slimmer Roomba. The two fl...
2 days ago
Instagram’s AI detection is a mess (again)
Instagram's visible AI labels are supposed to help people quickly spot synthetically generated content at a glance. Over the last few weeks, however, users have been reporting that the system has gone...
2 days ago
Why AI food looks like that
There is a torrent of unappetizing slop coming from restaurants, cafes, and brands that are increasingly turning to AI to generate images promoting their food. The resulting horror show includes donut...
2 days ago
Microsoft’s Project Zenith is a ‘distraction-free Windows experience’ for developers
Microsoft is giving its developer-optimized Windows experience a name: Project Zenith. While the software maker originally announced a similar developer-optimized Windows effort at Build earlier this ...
2 days ago
This NAS company wants to run your local smart home
Ugreen, known for its phone power banks, chargers, and NAS storage solutions, is moving into the smart home - in a big way. This week at the IFA tech show, the company launched its HomeAgent smart hom...
2 days ago
Aqara goes all in on smart lighting
After showing off several smart home firsts at CES, Aqara has returned to IFA with a major lineup of smart lighting compatible with both Zigbee and Thread. One of these new devices is the Floor Lamp T...
2 days ago
This rugged phone’s removable camera can survive and capture your extreme adventures
RugOne's Xsnap 7 Pro comes with both an IP68 and IP69K rating, meaning the rugged phone can survive intense water blasts and complete submersion for up to 30 minutes. But what really sets the Xsnap 7 ...
2 days ago
Nvidia will officially bring DLSS 5 to older GPUs — but won’t give gamers full control
Officially, Nvidia's controversial DLSS 5 AI rendering was supposed to launch this evening with only a single game, only on Nvidia's latest RTX 50 GPUs, and with developers in full control of their ar...
2 days ago
The unusually muted Tesla Cybercab launch
At a private, closed-door event in Austin, Texas today, Tesla officially launched its gilded car of the future. It's a huge milestone for Elon Musk, who has been hyping the imminent arrival of driverl...
2 days ago
Steve Ballmer got suspended by the NBA because of a podcast and a jumbotron corruption scandal
Last September, Steve Ballmer insisted in an ESPN interview that the Clippers weren't involved in a shady-looking $28 million endorsement deal for his star player, Kawhi Leonard, that involved no actu...
2 days ago
You can watch the coolant flow inside Ugreen’s liquid-cooled power bank
Does your power bank have "CryoPulse technology" or a "Cyber Window"? If you disappointingly answered "no" to both, you might want to consider upgrading to Ugreen's new MagFlow Pro Magnetic Power Bank...
2 days ago
Dungeons & Dragons is getting a ‘Ravenloft’ live-action Netflix series
A Ravenloft series is currently in development from executive producer Alfonso Cuarón, writer and executive producer John August, and Hasbro Entertainment, Deadline reports. It could bring to life one...
2 days ago
Congressman says TikTok backed out of a meeting to avoid child safety questions
TikTok backed out of a congressional committee's "public roundtable" set for this month over concerns it would be asked about child safety practices, the chair of the committee said. After negotiating...
2 days ago
Samsung’s beloved Q Series sound system is hundreds off for Labor Day
Researching, buying, then finally assembling a sound system for your TV is daunting, but it doesn’t have to be. If you want one of the best kits you can get at a rare discount, Best Buy and Amazon are...
2 days ago
OpenAI’s next big AI model has ‘entered the AGI era’
OpenAI's next big model is here: GPT-6 Astra. The company calls it a "generational leap in capability" for areas like cybersecurity, professional work, software engineering, science, and computer use....
2 days ago
Microsoft opens up Xbox Cloud Gaming with new pay-as-you-go option
Microsoft says it will let anyone access Xbox Cloud Gaming in November, without the need to subscribe to Xbox Game Pass. The change to a pay-as-you-go model is part of some sweeping changes to Xbox Cl...
2 days ago
Microsoft slashes Xbox Cloud Gaming to just 15 hours a month for Ultimate subscribers
Microsoft is announcing some major changes to Xbox Cloud Gaming today, less than a year after opening up cloud gaming to its Xbox Game Pass Premium and Essential tiers. While all Game Pass plans have ...
2 days ago
This 14-inch laptop has a screen that unrolls to 17 inches
Lenovo's latest rollable concept, announced at IFA 2026, is the ThinkBook Project Swan: a business laptop with a screen that expands horizontally from 14 to 17 inches. Rollable screens are nothing new...
3 days ago
Google now lets you chat with Gmail, Docs, and Keep
Google is rolling out AI-powered voice assistant modes for Gmail, Docs, and Keep that allow you to manage the apps by talking to them. The real time conversational capabilities are called Gmail Live, ...
3 days ago
Dyson’s new straightener has liquid cooling pipes to reduce hair damage
After expanding its health and beauty lineup earlier this week with a camera-equipped electric toothbrush, Dyson is also introducing two new hair care products this month. The $329 Corrale CoolShine s...
3 days ago
Google says its AI weather model is getting better
Google is rolling out an updated AI weather model that's supposed to be more accurate, especially when it comes to predicting rain and snowfall. In the announcement today, the company says it's now ab...
3 days ago
How Sonos rebooted itself
Today, I’m talking with Tom Conrad, the CEO of Sonos. Tom and I have known each other for a long time — he was the chief technology officer of Pandora, VP of product at Snap, and the chief product......
3 days ago
SwitchBot’s retrofit door lock offers 19 ways to unlock it
SwitchBot has launched a new retrofit smart lock that gives owners multiple ways to enter European homes without a traditional key. Announced at IFA today, the SwitchBot Lock Ultra Max Vision Pro Comb...
3 days ago
DJI’s new robovac can climb obstacles, vacuum quietly, and claims much improved privacy
DJI has announced a second generation of its Romo robovac. The Romo 2 series is quieter, more powerful, and better at climbing over small steps and other obstacles. But more importantly for DJI, a new...
3 days ago
Nvidia is buying Hugging Face for almost $13 billion
Nvidia has agreed to buy Hugging Face for $12.93 billion, bringing one of the most popular hosting platforms for open-source AI models, datasets, and tools under the ownership of the world's biggest A...
3 days ago
TCL’s new Nxtpaper phone offers both e-reader and OLED
With the P80 Ultra, TCL's E Ink-esque Nxtpaper phones are finally going OLED. Just like previous LCD models, the phone can switch to a low power, monochromatic display mode that replicates the look of...
3 days ago
These new robot lawnmowers trim your edges
Anker's new robot lawnmower might take over for your weed whacker, too. Announced at IFA 2026, the Eufy Robot Lawn Mower S2 Max comes with an extendable trimming arm to clean up the grass around your ...
3 days ago
Microsoft discloses Azure revenue as part of major financial reporting changes
Microsoft is changing how it reports its finances to investors by splitting its businesses into two segments and disclosing quarterly revenue for its Azure cloud business for the first time. The chang...
3 days ago
English (US) 