Author: News Room
Duolingo is making a big change: it’s moving on from hearts in favor of a new “energy” mechanic. The idea is to switch from a system that punishes mistakes to one that’s intended to feel more motivating — and a bit more gamified.Under the old system, you’d lose a heart if you made a mistake while doing a lesson. To earn hearts back, you could do things like watch an ad, pay for a full refill using Duolingo’s Gems currency, or just wait for the hearts to refresh.Under the new system, you’ll spend one unit of energy to complete an…
The US Energy Department says it’s rolling back long-standing efficiency standards for appliances, which advocates are calling a clear violation of the law. Continuing the Trump administration’s assault on federal water and energy efficiency programs, the department announced today what it’s calling its “largest deregulatory effort in history.” The agency is trying to rollback 47 regulations it says are “burdensome and costly,” including more than a dozen efficiency standards for appliances and battery chargers. The proposed rules target the Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA), which contains an anti-backsliding provision — and that the Trump administration is seemingly trying to…
Apple’s iOS 19 update could include an AI-powered feature designed to conserve battery, according to a report from Bloomberg. The battery management tool will reportedly optimize your iPhone’s power consumption based on how you use your device.The new feature will use “battery data it has collected from users’ devices to understand trends and make predictions for when it should lower the power draw of certain applications or features,” Bloomberg reports.Google launched its machine learning-powered Adaptive Battery on Android in 2018, and says it analyzes your phone usage patterns to determine which apps it should restrict from operating in the background,…
One of the most convenient USB-C cables around is back down to its lowest price ever, which we last saw in early March. Anker’s 2-in-1, braided USB-C cable that can charge two devices from one power source is down to $17.99 for the four-foot version at Amazon (it normally sells between $23 and $25.99). The cable also comes in a six-foot option that’s going for $19.99. Both sizes come in black or white.So long as you have a power brick or portable battery that supports 140W charging (such as this Ugreen model), Anker’s cable supports that speed when a single…
The wait is over — kind of. Apple’s iPhone 16 series is out, including the kinda affordable 16E, and its much-hyped Apple Intelligence has arrived courtesy of iOS 18.1. But if you’re expecting a new kind of iPhone experience, well, I have some bad news for you. The AI features introduced in iOS 18.1 and more recent updates, including the writing tools and ChatGPT integration, are standard fare at this point. And although Siri has a new coat of paint, it’s basically the same old Siri.Apple has promised much more, but the Apple Intelligence rollout is going to be a…
The iPhone 13 Pro and Pro Max. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Apple has released iOS 18.5, and one of the most notable features is that it allows the iPhone 13 lineup to access satellite messaging features provided by carriers. With the change, T-Mobile users who have an iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Mini, iPhone 13 Pro, or iPhone 13 Pro Max will be able to use its Starlink-powered satellite messaging service. That service is currently free to try in the US ahead of the trial period ending in July. Apple notes that the update only allows iPhone…
The Sega Dreamcast wasn’t the first home console to store game saves on a portable memory card, but its virtual memory unit (VMU) stood out with a built-in screen, controls, and playable mini games. 8BitMod’s upcoming VMU Pro offers the same functionality as Sega’s original, but it’s rebuilt from the ground up with upgrades that include a full-color screen and enough processing power to use it as a handheld emulator for retro games.For years modders have been turning the Sega VMU into a more functional handheld gaming device by completely swapping out its electronics with more capable hardware, but at…
A touchscreen is great on your smartphone. In fact, unless you still hanker after a Blackberry keypad, it’s hard to imagine life without one. It’s the same in cars too, with touchscreen infotainment dominating today’s dashboards. However, there seems to be a definite pushback against too much touchscreen tech in vehicles. It was a key point being made at the third Car Design Event 2025 event held at Munich’s Drivers & Business Club this week. Users were all too ready to voice their concerns to designers about just how fed up they are with much that lives within the omnipresent…
Introduction Every bit of Bang and Olufsen kit sits at a crossroads between gadget and art piece, and the new Beosound A1 is no exception. This (relatively) affordable Bluetooth speaker might be a heck of a lot smaller than the firm’s statement-making floor standers, but it’s just as iconic. So much so, you might think little has changed for this third generation. Underneath, though, the audio engineers have been hard at work boosting bass response. It means this mini music box should have the low end oomph to rival much larger speakers. Battery life has also been extended, making it…
Google has updated its colorful “G” logo for the first time in almost a decade. An update to the Google app on iOS shows a new logo that blends the logo’s red, yellow, green, and blue colors into a gradient, as reported by 9to5Google.Google last made a major change to its logo in September 2015, when the company updated its font to a sans-serif typeface. At the time, Google also revealed a new “G” logo that incorporates all of the brand’s colors.Though this change may be a bit more subtle, the newly blended logo brings it in line with the…
We’re doing something a little different on today’s episode of Decoder. I asked my friend John Gruber, of the website Daring Fireball, to come on the show and talk about the future of Apple — and, importantly, the App Store.Gruber and I have been friends for over a decade now. Daring Fireball was one of the first and most influential Apple blogs around, and he has more insight into Apple, its culture, and how it does things than anyone else. Everyone at Apple and in the Apple developer community reads Daring Fireball religiously.In 2010, Steve Jobs himself emailed Gruber’s analysis…
The team of nearly 200 Activision Blizzard developers behind the Overwatch franchise has unionized. Formed under the Communications Workers of America (CWA), the Overwatch Gamemakers Guild is the latest wall-to-wall Blizzard union to be recognized by parent company Microsoft since the World of Warcraft development team announced its own union last July.The CWA announced on Friday that “an overwhelming majority of workers have either signed a union authorization card or indicated that they wanted union representation.” The Overwatch union unit includes game developers across production, engineering, design, art, sound, and quality assurance, pushing for job security, salary, and layoff protection…