Author: News Room

Spotify is giving listeners control to fine-tune what gets surfaced for them in Release Radar — one of its most popular weekly playlists. The new options allow you to narrow the playlist to a specific genre, focus on artists that are new to you, and more. Listeners can choose from up to five options like “Discover new artists,” “Editors’ picks,” and “Pop.” They’re rolling out now across mobile and desktop apps and will appear at the top of your Release Radar playlist once they’re available.Spotify also says it’s making tweaks to the algorithm to serve up “more personalized recommendations,” along…

Netflix continues to find ways to replicate the era of television it once-upon-a-time set about ushering out. After integrating ads, live broadcasts, linear week-by-week episodes it looks like the company is about to adopt live streaming channels with rolling content. The Wall Street Journal reports the latest engagement-boosting manoeuvre might be 24/7 live channels. That would enable viewers to pop on a channel revolving around a type of content and then just leave it running in the background. What a bold and groundbreaking move that would be! Netflix would be following a well established model deployed by some of the…

Netflix has shows and movies. And video games. And live sports. And podcasts. And also, apparently, YouTube videos? For a company that used to seem like the next big thing in TV, it all feels a little frenetic, and maybe a tad desperate. For a company that sees sleep as its primary competitor, it might all make perfect sense.On this episode of The Vergecast, David and Nilay try to figure out why Netflix continues to expand its content machine and whether the company’s ongoing YouTube-ification makes any sense at all. Many have tried to compete with YouTube; none have succeeded.…

If you’re looking to declutter your nightstand and quickly charge up to three of your most-used gadgets, Anker’s Prime Wireless Charging Station is an easy way to do both. The station has spots for your MagSafe-ready iPhone, Apple Watch, and AirPods, and right now it’s down to a new all-time low of $134.99 ($95 off) in white at Amazon and directly from Anker with code WS7DV2LJ3JGU. You can also buy it in black from either retailer for $5 more.The Qi2.2-compatible charger supports up to 25W wireless charging for compatible iPhones (the iPhone 16 and up, excluding the 16E and 17E).…

The Trump phone was never a serious phone. Not when it was announced last June, in dodgy renders and with an incoherent spec sheet. Nor when Trump Mobile admitted — just two weeks later — that it wouldn’t be made in the US. Not even when the company revealed the final phone, first to me over a video call in February and then to the world in April through a short commercial with the slick sheen of AI.It’s now on sale for $499, past the days of its tenuous, ever-shifting release dates. A few buyers even have the phone, The…

Hello my friends! My protocol pals! My computational compadres!I’m David, a technology reporter and cohost of the Waveform Podcast. I’ll be hosting a subscriber-only “AMA” today at 11AM PT / 2PM ET. For the next six weeks, I’m filling in for senior reviewer Allison Johnson, who you are all likely very familiar with. That means I’ll be covering new releases from Apple, Google, Samsung, and the works. I’ve already done some freelancing for The Verge, including camera reviews, attending the Switch 2 launch event, and cohosting episodes of the Vergecast and Version History, so you may have seen me before!I’ve…

I love it when a company challenges itself to make a cheaper version of a beloved product. Xreal’s $299 A01 Plus is a stripped-down version of its $449 1S that’s light on features but with just enough of the 1S’ best qualities. These AR glasses are comfortable, they look good, and the screens are surprisingly bright and contrast-rich for the price.The new glasses are super lightweight at 62 grams — over 20 grams lighter than the 1S. They’re as light as I wish every model was, but the frame feels flimsy by comparison. Its durability came into question when I…

Every year, one of the world’s largest and most impressive collections of cars and bikes rocks up to a posh country house in the English countryside; with motorsport great and classics rubbing shoulders with the latest EVs, the Goodwood Festival of Speed should be on every car nut’s bucket list. This year’s show was a scorcher, with the usually luscious green lawns having turned to straw halfway through the first day – but that didn’t stop the car world from turning out in force with a bunch of upcoming and newly-revealed models. These are the new arrivals that stood out…

A solar and home energy storage company is expanding into AI data centers, but not by building one — instead, it’s offering to pay its customers to put its compute units in their homes. Sunrun is launching a pilot program for a new “distributed AI compute” program that will “place numerous compute nodes in homes equipped with Sunrun solar and battery storage systems.” Customers will be “compensated” for participating in the pilot program.Sunrun plans to sell the distributed compute power from the nodes to “enterprise compute buyers,” like AI companies. It’s a new approach to finding resources and space for…

Meta is in breach of the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA), a preliminary investigation has found, over the “addictive” design of Instagram and Facebook. It’s likely to be forced to redesign both apps and could face a fine of up to $12 billion.The European Commission said Meta “did not adequately assess the risks of its addictive design on the physical and mental wellbeing of users, including minors and vulnerable adults.” It singled out features like personalized recommendations, autoplay, and infinite scroll, arguing that they “fuel the user’s urge to keep scrolling and shift the brain into ‘autopilot mode.’”The report also…

Late last year Apple debuted a second version of the Vision Pro headset with the latest M5 chip – but when will we get a genuine successor? Apple Vision Pro was in the works for a long time and was finally announced in 2023. But the reaction from both users and developers has been somewhat underwhelming over the last couple of years, even if the technology on board has to be experienced to be believed (the Wall Street Journal published a particular damning article from users’ perspectives). What it can do is simply incredible. After all, the M5 version is…

Because it’s sometimes hard to keep track of all the amazing new gear that keeps coming out, here’s our pick of the best new tech this year – covering everything from headline launches to surprisingly useful everyday upgrades. Cameras From pocket shooters to pro-grade kit, these are the cameras and accessories changing how you capture, edit and share every shot DJI Osmo Pocket 4 DJI’s compact powerhouse returns with the same ultra-portable, gimbal-stabilised formula, and plenty of new tricks for videographers to enjoy. A new 1in sensor serves up more detail and impressive low-light performance, while full 10-bit D-Log unlocks…