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Cyclists have quick access to two of eight selectable alert tones. | Image: Trek

The quiet ding of many bike bells isn’t always enough to alert pedestrians or vehicles of a cyclist’s presence. Trek’s new BellBeats is a compact Bluetooth speaker that can be mounted to a bike’s handlebars giving cyclists a selection of eight quick-access alert tones that are either friendly or urgent.
Like a traditional bike bell, the alert tones on the BellBeats can be triggered while riding, using a thumb button. Cyclists can select two of eight tones — including a ringing metal bell, a subdued train horn, or an old-timey ahooga horn — that are activated with either a long or short press of the button.
Trek claims the BellBeats’ alert tones are more noticeable than the sounds made by traditional bike bells because they encompass a wider frequency range and have been “professionally sound-designed” to make it easier for pedestrians to determine what direction the sounds are coming from to help avoid collisions. The speaker also includes perpetually looping ambient tones for trail riders wanting to make hikers or wildlife aware of their presence at all times.

Image: Trek
Basic playback and volume controls allows a cyclist to adjust volume or skip music tracks without stopping to take out their smartphone.

With six hours of battery life and audio “optimized by Harman,” the BellBeats doubles as a portable Bluetooth speaker allowing cyclists to listen to music, audiobooks, podcasts, or even turn-by-turn GPS directions without the need for headphones that can diminish their ability to hear what’s going on around them. Built-in volume controls let cyclists quickly turn down what they’re listening to when riding through crowded areas.

A quick attach system allows the BellBeats to be easily removed from a bike’s handlebars and attached to a backpack strap or a belt, but it can also be left on a bike at all times thanks to an IP67 rating allowing it to survive a heavy downpour or even a complete dunking to depths of 40 inches.
Although the BellBeats is available now for $99.99 and is listed on Trek’s website, it can only be purchased from “local retailers” for the time being. Purchasing it directly from Trek will only be an option “in the coming months.”

Cyclists have quick access to two of eight selectable alert tones. | Image: Trek

The quiet ding of many bike bells isn’t always enough to alert pedestrians or vehicles of a cyclist’s presence. Trek’s new BellBeats is a compact Bluetooth speaker that can be mounted to a bike’s handlebars giving cyclists a selection of eight quick-access alert tones that are either friendly or urgent.

Like a traditional bike bell, the alert tones on the BellBeats can be triggered while riding, using a thumb button. Cyclists can select two of eight tones — including a ringing metal bell, a subdued train horn, or an old-timey ahooga horn — that are activated with either a long or short press of the button.

Trek claims the BellBeats’ alert tones are more noticeable than the sounds made by traditional bike bells because they encompass a wider frequency range and have been “professionally sound-designed” to make it easier for pedestrians to determine what direction the sounds are coming from to help avoid collisions. The speaker also includes perpetually looping ambient tones for trail riders wanting to make hikers or wildlife aware of their presence at all times.

Image: Trek
Basic playback and volume controls allows a cyclist to adjust volume or skip music tracks without stopping to take out their smartphone.

With six hours of battery life and audio “optimized by Harman,” the BellBeats doubles as a portable Bluetooth speaker allowing cyclists to listen to music, audiobooks, podcasts, or even turn-by-turn GPS directions without the need for headphones that can diminish their ability to hear what’s going on around them. Built-in volume controls let cyclists quickly turn down what they’re listening to when riding through crowded areas.

A quick attach system allows the BellBeats to be easily removed from a bike’s handlebars and attached to a backpack strap or a belt, but it can also be left on a bike at all times thanks to an IP67 rating allowing it to survive a heavy downpour or even a complete dunking to depths of 40 inches.

Although the BellBeats is available now for $99.99 and is listed on Trek’s website, it can only be purchased from “local retailers” for the time being. Purchasing it directly from Trek will only be an option “in the coming months.”

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Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge

Asus and MSI have both released beta BIOS updates today to address Intel’s crashing 13th and 14th Gen Raptor Lake desktop processors. While the BIOS updates won’t fix CPUs that are already damaged, they include Intel’s new microcode update that should help further address the instability issues.
If it works well, this could be a very big deal for Intel, which lost some of its reputation after its flagship chips were found to crash earlier this year and, after a long investigation, discovered there would be no true fix, requiring customers to replace any damaged chips. Intel also isn’t having a great year, period, recently announcing layoffs of at least 15,000 workers and stopping “non-essential work.”
Asus has released its beta BIOS updates through its ROG forums for a variety of Z790 motherboards. These are also typically posted to Asus’ support pages a few days after they’re posted to its ROG forums. MSI’s BIOS updates can be found on the individual motherboard support pages for its motherboards:

MEG Z790 GODLIKE
MEG Z790 GODLIKE MAX
MPG Z790 EDGE WIFI
MAG Z790 TOMAHAWK WIFI
MAG Z790 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI
PRO Z790-A WIFI
PRO Z790-A WIFI DDR4
PRO Z790-P WIFI
PRO Z790-P
PRO Z790-S WIFI
MEG Z790 ACE MAX
MPG Z790 CARBON MAX WIFI II
MPG Z790 CARBON WIFI

While we wouldn’t normally recommend using a beta BIOS update, given that this addresses an “elevated operating voltages” issue, you might want to go ahead and install these as soon as possible.

If you use a board other than MSI and Asus, or the microcode BIOS update isn’t available for your particular motherboard right now, make sure you’re on the latest BIOS update either way. Even if they’re missing the latest fix, recent BIOS updates should already include Intel’s recommended power delivery profiles, which could reduce the likelihood of your chip getting damaged.
“Please help us get the word out to all Raptor Lake desktop users, especially i9 users, in big screaming headlines that they need to update their PC to the latest BIOS now to stop/prevent the CPU wear and hopefully avoid the need for an RMA,” said Falcon Northwest founder Kelt Reeves in an email to The Verge earlier this week.
If you have an Asus board and want to check that your BIOS is set to the right power profile, Falcon Northwest has a good overview we’ve embedded below. The very latest Asus BIOS updates should already default to Intel’s settings instead of the company’s own overclocking profile.

For Intel 13th/14th Gen Core i9 CPUs:Our tests show May 31 BIOS’ for @ASUSUSA Z700 motherboards finally compliant with intel specs.DEFAULTS are Intel DEFAULTS.Should prevent CPU wearMay stabilize CPUsPerf still goodMinor LL,TVB & i7 work to goWe recommend this BIOS update. pic.twitter.com/9WKQos2U05— Falcon Northwest (@FalconNW) June 5, 2024

Intel reportedly said these BIOS updates shouldn’t cause any performance loss, and reviewers are already gearing up to test Intel’s latest microcode to ensure there are no big changes for its 13th and 14th Gen chips.
We’re also still waiting on Intel to provide a tool to test existing machines for any processor degradation. Intel has also extended its warranty on a variety of 13th and 14th Gen CPUs by an additional two years. PC makers are largely passing on that warranty extension to consumers, and you can find out if your own system is covered right here.

Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge

Asus and MSI have both released beta BIOS updates today to address Intel’s crashing 13th and 14th Gen Raptor Lake desktop processors. While the BIOS updates won’t fix CPUs that are already damaged, they include Intel’s new microcode update that should help further address the instability issues.

If it works well, this could be a very big deal for Intel, which lost some of its reputation after its flagship chips were found to crash earlier this year and, after a long investigation, discovered there would be no true fix, requiring customers to replace any damaged chips. Intel also isn’t having a great year, period, recently announcing layoffs of at least 15,000 workers and stopping “non-essential work.”

Asus has released its beta BIOS updates through its ROG forums for a variety of Z790 motherboards. These are also typically posted to Asus’ support pages a few days after they’re posted to its ROG forums. MSI’s BIOS updates can be found on the individual motherboard support pages for its motherboards:

MEG Z790 GODLIKE
MEG Z790 GODLIKE MAX
MPG Z790 EDGE WIFI
MAG Z790 TOMAHAWK WIFI
MAG Z790 TOMAHAWK MAX WIFI
PRO Z790-A WIFI
PRO Z790-A WIFI DDR4
PRO Z790-P WIFI
PRO Z790-P
PRO Z790-S WIFI
MEG Z790 ACE MAX
MPG Z790 CARBON MAX WIFI II
MPG Z790 CARBON WIFI

While we wouldn’t normally recommend using a beta BIOS update, given that this addresses an “elevated operating voltages” issue, you might want to go ahead and install these as soon as possible.

If you use a board other than MSI and Asus, or the microcode BIOS update isn’t available for your particular motherboard right now, make sure you’re on the latest BIOS update either way. Even if they’re missing the latest fix, recent BIOS updates should already include Intel’s recommended power delivery profiles, which could reduce the likelihood of your chip getting damaged.

“Please help us get the word out to all Raptor Lake desktop users, especially i9 users, in big screaming headlines that they need to update their PC to the latest BIOS now to stop/prevent the CPU wear and hopefully avoid the need for an RMA,” said Falcon Northwest founder Kelt Reeves in an email to The Verge earlier this week.

If you have an Asus board and want to check that your BIOS is set to the right power profile, Falcon Northwest has a good overview we’ve embedded below. The very latest Asus BIOS updates should already default to Intel’s settings instead of the company’s own overclocking profile.

Intel reportedly said these BIOS updates shouldn’t cause any performance loss, and reviewers are already gearing up to test Intel’s latest microcode to ensure there are no big changes for its 13th and 14th Gen chips.

We’re also still waiting on Intel to provide a tool to test existing machines for any processor degradation. Intel has also extended its warranty on a variety of 13th and 14th Gen CPUs by an additional two years. PC makers are largely passing on that warranty extension to consumers, and you can find out if your own system is covered right here.

Read More 

The Chromecast, in The Verge’s first review. | Image: The Verge

When I was still a starry-eyed 20-something living with my then-fiancée, the only way I could stream video on my TV was through its HDMI ports and my laptop. This had served me well for years — and still does, when I’m desperate — but dealing with the setup was cumbersome.
Then came the original Chromecast in 2013, and it was a revelation. Suddenly, I had this tiny black stick, shaped like an oversized key, that plugged right into my TV’s HDMI port and let me cast video through the air and onto my 55-inch screen in glorious high-definition. And all it cost was $35? Incredible, especially in 2013.
It felt like pure magic. It was a basically invisible device that I didn’t even need an app for, and it let me beam music and video to my TV with almost no muss or fuss. I used it to watch Netflix shows and, more than once, to host karaoke parties at my house via YouTube’s vast catalog of karaoke videos.

Photo: Wes Davis / The Verge
My first Chromecast, photographed for an eBay listing. (It didn’t sell.)

But time doesn’t stand still, even for the Chromecast. Other streaming products that followed offered what Google’s miracle stick did, serving up easy wireless streaming via an HDMI dongle, for just as cheap and with more features. If you wanted more, there was Apple’s fancy and overpowered streaming box. Or you could just use the built-in features of countless smart TVs that themselves used Google’s wireless casting standard.
Google served up plenty of revisions of the Chromecast, but in the end, there was simply no place left for it. And now, Google has discontinued it, replacing it with something much more powerful (and expensive).
Still, while the market for streaming gadgets has come a long way, there was something great about the original Chromecast’s simplicity. It was nice to not need to keep track of a remote, and I loved that it was hidden behind my TV. The once-great HDMI dongle’s day may be over, but it served me well.
Rest easy, Chromecast. You were a very good dongle.

The Chromecast, in The Verge’s first review. | Image: The Verge

When I was still a starry-eyed 20-something living with my then-fiancée, the only way I could stream video on my TV was through its HDMI ports and my laptop. This had served me well for years — and still does, when I’m desperate — but dealing with the setup was cumbersome.

Then came the original Chromecast in 2013, and it was a revelation. Suddenly, I had this tiny black stick, shaped like an oversized key, that plugged right into my TV’s HDMI port and let me cast video through the air and onto my 55-inch screen in glorious high-definition. And all it cost was $35? Incredible, especially in 2013.

It felt like pure magic. It was a basically invisible device that I didn’t even need an app for, and it let me beam music and video to my TV with almost no muss or fuss. I used it to watch Netflix shows and, more than once, to host karaoke parties at my house via YouTube’s vast catalog of karaoke videos.

But time doesn’t stand still, even for the Chromecast. Other streaming products that followed offered what Google’s miracle stick did, serving up easy wireless streaming via an HDMI dongle, for just as cheap and with more features. If you wanted more, there was Apple’s fancy and overpowered streaming box. Or you could just use the built-in features of countless smart TVs that themselves used Google’s wireless casting standard.

Google served up plenty of revisions of the Chromecast, but in the end, there was simply no place left for it. And now, Google has discontinued it, replacing it with something much more powerful (and expensive).

Still, while the market for streaming gadgets has come a long way, there was something great about the original Chromecast’s simplicity. It was nice to not need to keep track of a remote, and I loved that it was hidden behind my TV. The once-great HDMI dongle’s day may be over, but it served me well.

Rest easy, Chromecast. You were a very good dongle.

Read More 

Image: Getty Images

The Kia Boys may have met their match.
A software update that first rolled out last year to owners of Hyundai and Kia vehicles without electronic immobilizers has cut theft rates by more than half, according to a new analysis from the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI).
The automakers first began implementing the update in February 2023 in response to a wave of car thefts that started during the covid pandemic, when instructional videos on how to steal the cars first started going viral on TikTok and other social media platforms.
Thieves calling themselves “the Kia Boys” would post instructional videos about how to bypass the vehicles’ security system using tools as simple as a USB cable. About 9 million vehicles have been impacted, including Hyundai Elantras and Sonatas, as well as Kia Fortes and Souls. The automakers agreed to a $200 million settlement with owners last year.
The thefts are reportedly easy to pull off because many Hyundai and Kia vehicles manufactured between 2015 and 2019 lack electronic immobilizers that prevent would-be thieves from simply breaking in and bypassing the ignition. The feature is standard equipment on nearly all vehicles from the same period made by other manufacturers.
Thieves calling themselves “the Kia Boys” would post instructional videos about how to bypass the vehicles’ security system
According to the HLDI’s database, an estimated 30 percent of the eligible Hyundais and 28 percent of the eligible Kias have received the software update. But the institute’s analysis ends in December 2023; the automakers claim that approximately 60 percent of eligible vehicles have been updated since then.
The update aimed to prevent thefts by extending the length of the alarm sound from 30 seconds to one minute and requiring a key in the ignition switch to turn the vehicle on — essentially acting as a software-based immobilizer.
And so far, it seems to be having some success. HLDI says that theft claim frequencies were 53 percent lower for vehicles with the upgrade than for those that didn’t get it. The frequency of whole vehicle theft saw an even more dramatic drop after the upgrade at 64 percent.
But theft rates for Hyundai and Kia vehicles remain “elevated” as compared to other brands, the institute says — even for models with the update. Theft claim frequency for Hyundai and Kia models in the second half of 2023 “was more than 11 times as high as in the first half of 2020 and more than 8 times as high as the July-December 2023 theft claim frequency for other brands,” the group says.
One possible reason cited by HLDI is that the software-based immobilizer only activates if the driver remembers to lock the vehicle with a key fob, while many people are in the habit of using the switch on the door handle.
Vandalism claims also remain elevated for Hyundai and Kia owners, as would-be thieves are breaking into the vehicles and stealing items and damaging the interior after finding themselves thwarted by the software update.

Image: Getty Images

The Kia Boys may have met their match.

A software update that first rolled out last year to owners of Hyundai and Kia vehicles without electronic immobilizers has cut theft rates by more than half, according to a new analysis from the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI).

The automakers first began implementing the update in February 2023 in response to a wave of car thefts that started during the covid pandemic, when instructional videos on how to steal the cars first started going viral on TikTok and other social media platforms.

Thieves calling themselves “the Kia Boys” would post instructional videos about how to bypass the vehicles’ security system using tools as simple as a USB cable. About 9 million vehicles have been impacted, including Hyundai Elantras and Sonatas, as well as Kia Fortes and Souls. The automakers agreed to a $200 million settlement with owners last year.

The thefts are reportedly easy to pull off because many Hyundai and Kia vehicles manufactured between 2015 and 2019 lack electronic immobilizers that prevent would-be thieves from simply breaking in and bypassing the ignition. The feature is standard equipment on nearly all vehicles from the same period made by other manufacturers.

According to the HLDI’s database, an estimated 30 percent of the eligible Hyundais and 28 percent of the eligible Kias have received the software update. But the institute’s analysis ends in December 2023; the automakers claim that approximately 60 percent of eligible vehicles have been updated since then.

The update aimed to prevent thefts by extending the length of the alarm sound from 30 seconds to one minute and requiring a key in the ignition switch to turn the vehicle on — essentially acting as a software-based immobilizer.

And so far, it seems to be having some success. HLDI says that theft claim frequencies were 53 percent lower for vehicles with the upgrade than for those that didn’t get it. The frequency of whole vehicle theft saw an even more dramatic drop after the upgrade at 64 percent.

But theft rates for Hyundai and Kia vehicles remain “elevated” as compared to other brands, the institute says — even for models with the update. Theft claim frequency for Hyundai and Kia models in the second half of 2023 “was more than 11 times as high as in the first half of 2020 and more than 8 times as high as the July-December 2023 theft claim frequency for other brands,” the group says.

One possible reason cited by HLDI is that the software-based immobilizer only activates if the driver remembers to lock the vehicle with a key fob, while many people are in the habit of using the switch on the door handle.

Vandalism claims also remain elevated for Hyundai and Kia owners, as would-be thieves are breaking into the vehicles and stealing items and damaging the interior after finding themselves thwarted by the software update.

Read More 

Anti-immigration protests have quickly escalated into violent riots across the UK, spurred in part by misinformation spread via online platforms. | Photo by Christopher Furlong / Getty Images

The UK communications regulator Ofcom has raised concerns regarding social media being used to incite violence amid far-right riots across the country. In an open letter, Ofcom’s online safety director, Gill Whitehead, urged online platforms to tackle the potential spread of harmful materials related to the ongoing discord, highlighting its existing powers over video sharing platforms and its upcoming enforcement of the broader Online Safety Act.
Ofcom is specifically encouraging platforms to address content that depicts “hatred and disorder” and promotes violence or disinformation. The regulator’s existing powers allow it to “suspend or restrict” video sharing platforms that fail to protect the public from “harmful material” — potentially including inflammatory and often unverified videos that purport to show violence from immigrant communities, which have proliferated online. These rules don’t currently extend to social media companies in general, but the Online Safety Act is likely to grant Ofcom more power when it comes into force sometime between late 2024 and early 2025.
Civil unrest has been reported nationwide after a 17-year-old attacked children with a knife at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, killing three girls below the age of 10. Misinformation falsely claiming the perpetrator was an asylum seeker quickly spread across social media platforms, sparking far-right anti-immigration protests and violence predominantly targeting Muslim and nonwhite communities.

While the letter is directed toward online platforms generally, both the messaging app Telegram and X have been especially slow to address the situation. The Times reports that posts on X promoting the unrest made by Tommy Robinson (legal name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon), one of the UK’s most recognized far-right extremists, have attracted over 434 million views since the riots began. Robinson was permanently banned from the platform for “hateful conduct” in 2018, before having his account restored by Elon Musk in November of last year.
Musk himself has also repeatedly promoted posts and misinformation about the discord, commenting that “civil war is inevitable” on video footage of the riots. A spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said there’s “no justification for comments like that,” in a statement responding to Musk. “What we’ve seen in this country is organised, violent thuggery that has no place, either on our streets or online.”
Ofcom’s letter tacitly admits it’s still limited in its enforcement, even as it warned platforms it would be keeping an eye on them. “In a few months, new safety duties under the Online Safety Act will be in place, but you can act now – there is no need to wait to make your sites and apps safer for users,” said Whitehead.

Anti-immigration protests have quickly escalated into violent riots across the UK, spurred in part by misinformation spread via online platforms. | Photo by Christopher Furlong / Getty Images

The UK communications regulator Ofcom has raised concerns regarding social media being used to incite violence amid far-right riots across the country. In an open letter, Ofcom’s online safety director, Gill Whitehead, urged online platforms to tackle the potential spread of harmful materials related to the ongoing discord, highlighting its existing powers over video sharing platforms and its upcoming enforcement of the broader Online Safety Act.

Ofcom is specifically encouraging platforms to address content that depicts “hatred and disorder” and promotes violence or disinformation. The regulator’s existing powers allow it to “suspend or restrict” video sharing platforms that fail to protect the public from “harmful material” — potentially including inflammatory and often unverified videos that purport to show violence from immigrant communities, which have proliferated online. These rules don’t currently extend to social media companies in general, but the Online Safety Act is likely to grant Ofcom more power when it comes into force sometime between late 2024 and early 2025.

Civil unrest has been reported nationwide after a 17-year-old attacked children with a knife at a Taylor Swift-themed dance class in Southport, killing three girls below the age of 10. Misinformation falsely claiming the perpetrator was an asylum seeker quickly spread across social media platforms, sparking far-right anti-immigration protests and violence predominantly targeting Muslim and nonwhite communities.

While the letter is directed toward online platforms generally, both the messaging app Telegram and X have been especially slow to address the situation. The Times reports that posts on X promoting the unrest made by Tommy Robinson (legal name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon), one of the UK’s most recognized far-right extremists, have attracted over 434 million views since the riots began. Robinson was permanently banned from the platform for “hateful conduct” in 2018, before having his account restored by Elon Musk in November of last year.

Musk himself has also repeatedly promoted posts and misinformation about the discord, commenting that “civil war is inevitable” on video footage of the riots. A spokesperson for UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer said there’s “no justification for comments like that,” in a statement responding to Musk. “What we’ve seen in this country is organised, violent thuggery that has no place, either on our streets or online.”

Ofcom’s letter tacitly admits it’s still limited in its enforcement, even as it warned platforms it would be keeping an eye on them. “In a few months, new safety duties under the Online Safety Act will be in place, but you can act now – there is no need to wait to make your sites and apps safer for users,” said Whitehead.

Read More 

Two words: headphone jack. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge

Although Apple’s tablet lineup has undergone several shakeups over the last several years, we long considered the ninth-gen iPad to be the best budget iPad you could get. That changed when Apple dropped the price of the 10th-gen iPad to a more sensible $349 and discontinued its entry-level model. But the 2021 iPad remains a perfectly good slate, especially now that the base model with 64GB of storage is down to an all-time low of $229 ($100 off) at Amazon and $229.99 at Best Buy.

As far as hardware is concerned, the ninth-gen iPad is very much a remnant of Apple’s former design language. The 10.2-inch tablet has a traditional iPad look with large bezels, a dedicated home button, and a Lightning port — not to mention a 3.5mm audio jack for using a pair of wired headphones.
Inside, you’ll find Apple’s aging A13 processor, which, despite first appearing in the iPhone 11 in 2019, still offers speedy performance when playing games, watching movies, surfing the web, and tackling all the usual things you might use a tablet for. It’s still beholden to the first-gen Apple Pencil and older accessories like the Smart Keyboard, yes, but given its age and price, it’s an understandable trade-off.

If you’re concerned about support, rest assured that Apple’s last-gen iPad will be compatible with iPadOS 18 when it launches in the fall. It won’t support any of Apple’s forthcoming Apple Intelligence features, though, which require a newer iPad Pro or iPad Air model with an M1 chip or later. I guess the new calculator app will have to do.
Other ways to save today

Now through August 18th, Woot is selling GE’s Profile Opal 2.0 Nugget Ice Maker in refurbished condition for $289.99 ($259 off the cost of a new unit). The standard model on sale here isn’t quite as easy to clean as the step-up Ultra configuration our own Jennifer Pattison Tuohy reviewed last month, but the connected appliance can still produce a staggering 38 pounds of chewable ice a day. Now, whether you intend to schedule it or ask Alexa or Google Assistant to fire it up before your next tiki drink is entirely up to you.

Zendure’s 20W SuperMini Portable Charger is down to just $9.49 (about $51 off) in select colors at Amazon right now, which is easily its best price to date. The travel-ready charger features both USB-C and USB-A outputs, a compact design, and a 10,000mAh battery, which is enough to top off most smartphones at least twice.
If I hadn’t already picked up one of the blurple Apple Watch Sport Bands Nomad recently produced in collaboration with The Verge, I would be all over Nomad’s limited edition Glow 2.0 bands. The comfy, glow-in-the-dark straps aren’t on sale at the moment, but they are available in both the 40mm / 41mm and 45mm/ 49mm sizing for $60, which, frankly, doesn’t happen all that often.

Two words: headphone jack. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge

Although Apple’s tablet lineup has undergone several shakeups over the last several years, we long considered the ninth-gen iPad to be the best budget iPad you could get. That changed when Apple dropped the price of the 10th-gen iPad to a more sensible $349 and discontinued its entry-level model. But the 2021 iPad remains a perfectly good slate, especially now that the base model with 64GB of storage is down to an all-time low of $229 ($100 off) at Amazon and $229.99 at Best Buy.

As far as hardware is concerned, the ninth-gen iPad is very much a remnant of Apple’s former design language. The 10.2-inch tablet has a traditional iPad look with large bezels, a dedicated home button, and a Lightning port — not to mention a 3.5mm audio jack for using a pair of wired headphones.

Inside, you’ll find Apple’s aging A13 processor, which, despite first appearing in the iPhone 11 in 2019, still offers speedy performance when playing games, watching movies, surfing the web, and tackling all the usual things you might use a tablet for. It’s still beholden to the first-gen Apple Pencil and older accessories like the Smart Keyboard, yes, but given its age and price, it’s an understandable trade-off.

If you’re concerned about support, rest assured that Apple’s last-gen iPad will be compatible with iPadOS 18 when it launches in the fall. It won’t support any of Apple’s forthcoming Apple Intelligence features, though, which require a newer iPad Pro or iPad Air model with an M1 chip or later. I guess the new calculator app will have to do.

Other ways to save today

Now through August 18th, Woot is selling GE’s Profile Opal 2.0 Nugget Ice Maker in refurbished condition for $289.99 ($259 off the cost of a new unit). The standard model on sale here isn’t quite as easy to clean as the step-up Ultra configuration our own Jennifer Pattison Tuohy reviewed last month, but the connected appliance can still produce a staggering 38 pounds of chewable ice a day. Now, whether you intend to schedule it or ask Alexa or Google Assistant to fire it up before your next tiki drink is entirely up to you.

Zendure’s 20W SuperMini Portable Charger is down to just $9.49 (about $51 off) in select colors at Amazon right now, which is easily its best price to date. The travel-ready charger features both USB-C and USB-A outputs, a compact design, and a 10,000mAh battery, which is enough to top off most smartphones at least twice.
If I hadn’t already picked up one of the blurple Apple Watch Sport Bands Nomad recently produced in collaboration with The Verge, I would be all over Nomad’s limited edition Glow 2.0 bands. The comfy, glow-in-the-dark straps aren’t on sale at the moment, but they are available in both the 40mm / 41mm and 45mm/ 49mm sizing for $60, which, frankly, doesn’t happen all that often.

Read More 

Mobile filmmakers can boost their smartphone’s storage capacity by up to 2TB. | Image: Lexar

A terabyte of storage can disappear quickly when you’re capturing 4K footage on an iPhone 15 Pro or 15 Pro Max. Lexar’s new Professional Go Portable SSD with Hub not only adds up to an extra 2TB of storage, but it also enables ProRes video captures at 60fps while giving mobile filmmakers a few extra USB-C ports for attaching other accessories.
Lexar’s external storage solution definitely isn’t a new idea. Because 4K ProRes video recording is limited to 30fps when recording to the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max’s internal storage, many companies have released SSD drives designed specifically for the iPhone, enabling 60fps capture. What sets Lexar’s solution apart is a compact design with a matching USB-C hub that doesn’t add a lot of bulk to the iPhone, ensuring it can still be used with accessories like handheld gimbals.

Image: Lexar
The Lexar SSD can be connected directly to the iPhone 15 Pro models, or through a matching USB-C hub.

There are two main components to Lexar’s storage solution. The smaller of the two is the SSD itself, available in either 1TB or 2TB capacities and offering 1,050MB/s read speeds and 1,000MB/s write speeds. It can be connected either directly to the iPhone’s USB-C port and hang off the bottom or by using an included angled adapter that positions the SSD out of the way against the back of the iPhone.
The SSD can also be paired with a four-port USB-C hub, although two of those ports are immediately claimed by the SSD and the angled connector to the iPhone. The remaining two USB-C ports can be used to connect accessories like microphones, lights, or an external power source with up to 30W of power delivery.
Both the SSD and the hub have an IP65 rating, so while they can shrug off rain or light sprays, they’re not designed to survive being fully immersed in water. And while Lexar is primarily positioning the SSD and hub as an iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max accessory, it will also work with Android devices that feature a USB-C port, support for USB On-The-Go (UTG), and “a USB load capacity of above 4.5W.”

Lexar is bringing its Professional Go Portable SSD with Hub to consumers through Kickstarter, with promotional pricing for those who contribute to its crowdfunding campaign. On its own, the SSD is $129 for the 1TB version, or $209 for 2TB, and includes accessories like the angled USB-C adapter and a protective case. Adding the USB-C hub accessory boosts the price of the 1TB SSD to $159, or $239 for the 2TB option, but also adds accessories like a cold shoe adapter for attaching camera accessories, such as a tripod.
Full retail pricing will be closer to $239 for the 1TB SSD with the hub and $349 for the 2TB SSD plus hub, with shipping expected sometime in September.
With crowdfunding, there’s always the chance a product will be delayed, will arrive without promised features, or may never materialize at all, taking a backer’s money with it. There’s less risk when an established company like Lexar is involved, so while caution is always recommended when backing a crowdfunded product, the risks here could be outweighed by the discounts Lexar is offering.

Mobile filmmakers can boost their smartphone’s storage capacity by up to 2TB. | Image: Lexar

A terabyte of storage can disappear quickly when you’re capturing 4K footage on an iPhone 15 Pro or 15 Pro Max. Lexar’s new Professional Go Portable SSD with Hub not only adds up to an extra 2TB of storage, but it also enables ProRes video captures at 60fps while giving mobile filmmakers a few extra USB-C ports for attaching other accessories.

Lexar’s external storage solution definitely isn’t a new idea. Because 4K ProRes video recording is limited to 30fps when recording to the 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max’s internal storage, many companies have released SSD drives designed specifically for the iPhone, enabling 60fps capture. What sets Lexar’s solution apart is a compact design with a matching USB-C hub that doesn’t add a lot of bulk to the iPhone, ensuring it can still be used with accessories like handheld gimbals.

Image: Lexar
The Lexar SSD can be connected directly to the iPhone 15 Pro models, or through a matching USB-C hub.

There are two main components to Lexar’s storage solution. The smaller of the two is the SSD itself, available in either 1TB or 2TB capacities and offering 1,050MB/s read speeds and 1,000MB/s write speeds. It can be connected either directly to the iPhone’s USB-C port and hang off the bottom or by using an included angled adapter that positions the SSD out of the way against the back of the iPhone.

The SSD can also be paired with a four-port USB-C hub, although two of those ports are immediately claimed by the SSD and the angled connector to the iPhone. The remaining two USB-C ports can be used to connect accessories like microphones, lights, or an external power source with up to 30W of power delivery.

Both the SSD and the hub have an IP65 rating, so while they can shrug off rain or light sprays, they’re not designed to survive being fully immersed in water. And while Lexar is primarily positioning the SSD and hub as an iPhone 15 Pro and 15 Pro Max accessory, it will also work with Android devices that feature a USB-C port, support for USB On-The-Go (UTG), and “a USB load capacity of above 4.5W.”

Lexar is bringing its Professional Go Portable SSD with Hub to consumers through Kickstarter, with promotional pricing for those who contribute to its crowdfunding campaign. On its own, the SSD is $129 for the 1TB version, or $209 for 2TB, and includes accessories like the angled USB-C adapter and a protective case. Adding the USB-C hub accessory boosts the price of the 1TB SSD to $159, or $239 for the 2TB option, but also adds accessories like a cold shoe adapter for attaching camera accessories, such as a tripod.

Full retail pricing will be closer to $239 for the 1TB SSD with the hub and $349 for the 2TB SSD plus hub, with shipping expected sometime in September.

With crowdfunding, there’s always the chance a product will be delayed, will arrive without promised features, or may never materialize at all, taking a backer’s money with it. There’s less risk when an established company like Lexar is involved, so while caution is always recommended when backing a crowdfunded product, the risks here could be outweighed by the discounts Lexar is offering.

Read More 

Image: Getty

This week’s earnings reports make two things clear about the viability of the electric vehicle future: EV-only companies are continuing to struggle and lose lots of money, and having wealthy investors who are willing to pour money into your money-losing operation is the difference between survival and bankruptcy.
Two of the big US-based EV-only companies — Rivian and Lucid — reported their second quarter earnings this week. Lo and behold, there’s still a lot of red ink being spilled.
Lucid reported a net loss of $643 million for the second quarter, a slight improvement over the $764 million it lost in the second quarter of 2023. And Rivian said it lost a staggering $1.46 billion, $300 million worse than the same period last year.
Lo and behold, there’s still a lot of red ink being spilled
Fortunately, both companies have rich friends in their corner who are willing to help tide things over until the balance sheets become more, well, balanced. Rivian has Volkswagen, which recently announced its intentions to invest up to $5 billion in the adventure-themed EV company. And Lucid has Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, a majority shareholder, which said it would pump an additional $1.5 billion into the luxury EV firm to help extend its lifespan.
We should also have Fisker, another EV-only company’s earnings to pore through, but it declared bankruptcy in June. Unlike Rivian and Lucid, Fisker didn’t have a wealthy backer that could shore up its finances — but not for lack of trying.

Image: Lucid

These situations help emphasize a stark reality for these so-called “pure play” EV companies. With no gas or hybrid vehicle sales on which to fall back on, Rivian and Lucid are feeling the pinch of cooling EV demand much more acutely than any of their rivals in the legacy auto industry. They’re racing to add new vehicles to their lineups — Lucid with the Gravity SUV, and Rivian with the R2. But they need to spend a lot of money to get there on engineering, factory space, parts, labor, and more.
They’re racing to add new vehicles to their lineups
Once they do, they theorize they can attract new customers with more models and better prices. But until then, they are stuck in the so-called “EV valley of death,” in which they have scaled up production but aren’t bringing in enough revenue to cover operational costs. Add to that a demand situation in which EV sales are growing slower than expected, and Rivian and Lucid are still facing a grave situation.
Lucid said it’s on track to sell an estimated 9,000 Air sedans this year “and will continue to prudently manage and adjust production to meet sales and delivery needs.” Rivian says it expects to produce 57,000 vehicles this year — roughly the same number as 2023 — and is on track to achieve a “modest gross profit” in the fourth quarter.

Image: Rivian
The Rivian R2.

Image: Lucid
Lucid Gravity.

Lucid and Rivian are both trimming costs as they barrel ahead. Rivian released upgraded versions of its R1T truck and R1S SUV that are simpler and cheaper to make. Lucid laid off around 400 employees, or 6 percent of its workforce.
But both companies have been able to avoid some of the more dire cost-cutting measures of other EV-only companies thanks to their ability to attract big investors. Rivian has already raked in $1 billion from VW and is expected to collect an additional $4 billion, as long as both companies can finalize the deal before the end of the year. And affiliates of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund have committed to purchasing $2.5 billion of Lucid stock this year.
Lucid and Rivian are both trimming costs as they barrel ahead
During this week’s earnings call, both companies were forthcoming about the role of their outside investors.
“A really important part of what this deal represents for us is it really eliminates a lot of the risk that was seen around our balance sheet,” Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said of the VW deal, “and allows us to focus the launch of R2 still in Normal, still using our Normal facility.”
Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson was even more blunt in response to questions about overreliance on the largesse of the company’s majority shareholders.
“It’s often portrayed. How long is it before Saudi is going to get fed up with Peter playing with his cars?” Rawlinson said during the call. “It’s not that. We have regular dialogues.”

Image: Getty

This week’s earnings reports make two things clear about the viability of the electric vehicle future: EV-only companies are continuing to struggle and lose lots of money, and having wealthy investors who are willing to pour money into your money-losing operation is the difference between survival and bankruptcy.

Two of the big US-based EV-only companies — Rivian and Lucid — reported their second quarter earnings this week. Lo and behold, there’s still a lot of red ink being spilled.

Lucid reported a net loss of $643 million for the second quarter, a slight improvement over the $764 million it lost in the second quarter of 2023. And Rivian said it lost a staggering $1.46 billion, $300 million worse than the same period last year.

Fortunately, both companies have rich friends in their corner who are willing to help tide things over until the balance sheets become more, well, balanced. Rivian has Volkswagen, which recently announced its intentions to invest up to $5 billion in the adventure-themed EV company. And Lucid has Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, a majority shareholder, which said it would pump an additional $1.5 billion into the luxury EV firm to help extend its lifespan.

We should also have Fisker, another EV-only company’s earnings to pore through, but it declared bankruptcy in June. Unlike Rivian and Lucid, Fisker didn’t have a wealthy backer that could shore up its finances — but not for lack of trying.

Image: Lucid

These situations help emphasize a stark reality for these so-called “pure play” EV companies. With no gas or hybrid vehicle sales on which to fall back on, Rivian and Lucid are feeling the pinch of cooling EV demand much more acutely than any of their rivals in the legacy auto industry. They’re racing to add new vehicles to their lineups — Lucid with the Gravity SUV, and Rivian with the R2. But they need to spend a lot of money to get there on engineering, factory space, parts, labor, and more.

Once they do, they theorize they can attract new customers with more models and better prices. But until then, they are stuck in the so-called “EV valley of death,” in which they have scaled up production but aren’t bringing in enough revenue to cover operational costs. Add to that a demand situation in which EV sales are growing slower than expected, and Rivian and Lucid are still facing a grave situation.

Lucid said it’s on track to sell an estimated 9,000 Air sedans this year “and will continue to prudently manage and adjust production to meet sales and delivery needs.” Rivian says it expects to produce 57,000 vehicles this year — roughly the same number as 2023 — and is on track to achieve a “modest gross profit” in the fourth quarter.

Image: Rivian
The Rivian R2.

Image: Lucid
Lucid Gravity.

Lucid and Rivian are both trimming costs as they barrel ahead. Rivian released upgraded versions of its R1T truck and R1S SUV that are simpler and cheaper to make. Lucid laid off around 400 employees, or 6 percent of its workforce.

But both companies have been able to avoid some of the more dire cost-cutting measures of other EV-only companies thanks to their ability to attract big investors. Rivian has already raked in $1 billion from VW and is expected to collect an additional $4 billion, as long as both companies can finalize the deal before the end of the year. And affiliates of Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund have committed to purchasing $2.5 billion of Lucid stock this year.

During this week’s earnings call, both companies were forthcoming about the role of their outside investors.

“A really important part of what this deal represents for us is it really eliminates a lot of the risk that was seen around our balance sheet,” Rivian CEO RJ Scaringe said of the VW deal, “and allows us to focus the launch of R2 still in Normal, still using our Normal facility.”

Lucid CEO Peter Rawlinson was even more blunt in response to questions about overreliance on the largesse of the company’s majority shareholders.

“It’s often portrayed. How long is it before Saudi is going to get fed up with Peter playing with his cars?” Rawlinson said during the call. “It’s not that. We have regular dialogues.”

Read More 

Image: Google

Google is expected to launch a new weather app alongside the Pixel 9 — but you don’t have to wait to try it out. As highlighted by 9to5Google and Android Authority, the Pixel Weather app is now on APKMirror, where you can sideload it on devices running Android 14 or newer.
Based on some of the screenshots posted online, it looks like the Pixel Weather app will offer a clean look at your hourly and 10-day forecast, along with other handy measurements like wind speed, visibility, humidity, air pressure, and more. You can rearrange each tile in the app except for the 10-day forecast, according to 9to5Google.

Image: 9to5Google
The Pixel Weather app has an aesthetically pleasing interface.

Additionally, code uncovered by 9to5Google suggests the app will support notifications alerting you of incoming rain or snow. That could help fill the void of Dark Sky’s beloved notifications after that app was acquired by Apple a few years ago.
Software developer Dylan Roussel also claims the app will feature AI weather summaries and a weather map. Although Google may launch the app with the Pixel 9 during its August 13th event, it may head to older Pixel devices as well.

Here is the pixel weather app apk if you want to try it on your phone. Requires Android 14. Clear cache if you face crash issues. This is not the final version of the weather app. Drive – https://t.co/IO6Kd6puxgFrom my channel – https://t.co/If5ZiKy0wUCredit- @Za_Raczke pic.twitter.com/bMULxDqSn0— AssembleDebug (Shiv) (@AssembleDebug) August 7, 2024

The Pixel Weather app available on APKMirror apparently isn’t the final version, so you might encounter some bugs. Until now, Pixel devices didn’t have a default weather app and only featured Google’s weather widgets. While Google rolled out a weather feature within the Pixel’s Clock app last year, Pixel Weather is a standalone app that seems to offer a more detailed look at the forecast.

Image: Google

Google is expected to launch a new weather app alongside the Pixel 9 — but you don’t have to wait to try it out. As highlighted by 9to5Google and Android Authority, the Pixel Weather app is now on APKMirror, where you can sideload it on devices running Android 14 or newer.

Based on some of the screenshots posted online, it looks like the Pixel Weather app will offer a clean look at your hourly and 10-day forecast, along with other handy measurements like wind speed, visibility, humidity, air pressure, and more. You can rearrange each tile in the app except for the 10-day forecast, according to 9to5Google.

Image: 9to5Google
The Pixel Weather app has an aesthetically pleasing interface.

Additionally, code uncovered by 9to5Google suggests the app will support notifications alerting you of incoming rain or snow. That could help fill the void of Dark Sky’s beloved notifications after that app was acquired by Apple a few years ago.

Software developer Dylan Roussel also claims the app will feature AI weather summaries and a weather map. Although Google may launch the app with the Pixel 9 during its August 13th event, it may head to older Pixel devices as well.

The Pixel Weather app available on APKMirror apparently isn’t the final version, so you might encounter some bugs. Until now, Pixel devices didn’t have a default weather app and only featured Google’s weather widgets. While Google rolled out a weather feature within the Pixel’s Clock app last year, Pixel Weather is a standalone app that seems to offer a more detailed look at the forecast.

Read More 

Image: The Verge

TikTok will now create in-app hubs for movies and TV shows and place them directly on fan-made videos. The feature, called TikTok Spotlight, will automatically add links to “applicable” videos on the platform, leading to landing pages that provide more information about the relevant title as well as options to buy tickets or watch it on a streaming service.
The links will show up in the bottom-left corner of a creator’s video, and users can tap in to view a landing page with the cast list, links to official accounts, related content, and information about where to watch the title. You might’ve already spotted this feature on TikTok, as the platform partnered with Warner Bros. Discovery to promote Dune: Part Two with a dedicated hub on the app.

@tiktoknewsroom Introducing TikTok Spotlight, a new promotional solution that allows the entertainment industry to harness the power of TikTok fan communities to promote films, TV series and franchises. ♬ original sound – TikTok Newsroom

James Stafford, TikTok’s global head of publishing, says not every video featuring a particular TV show or movie is eligible to get an “anchor link” to a hub. “We rely on both technology and human review to decide which videos qualify for an anchor link,” Stafford said. “We’re looking at things like hashtags, keywords, audio, visual matching technology from clips of TV and shows.”
TikTok also considers a video’s views, the creator’s follower count, and whether the creator has violated any of its policies. Meanwhile, the entertainment companies that own the content can access an analytics dashboard to track trends within their fandoms. They can also see how TikTok users are using their IP and choose whether to take action.
Outside of TikTok’s creator rewards program, creators won’t get compensated when TikTok adds links to their videos. However, Stafford says “each spotlight campaign has customized incentives for creators to participate,” such as exclusive profile frames, filters, merchandise, tickets, and more.
TikTok Spotlight will likely serve as another way brands and artists can use the app as a promotional tool, similar to the in-app experiences TikTok rolled out for BTS and Taylor Swift.

Image: The Verge

TikTok will now create in-app hubs for movies and TV shows and place them directly on fan-made videos. The feature, called TikTok Spotlight, will automatically add links to “applicable” videos on the platform, leading to landing pages that provide more information about the relevant title as well as options to buy tickets or watch it on a streaming service.

The links will show up in the bottom-left corner of a creator’s video, and users can tap in to view a landing page with the cast list, links to official accounts, related content, and information about where to watch the title. You might’ve already spotted this feature on TikTok, as the platform partnered with Warner Bros. Discovery to promote Dune: Part Two with a dedicated hub on the app.

James Stafford, TikTok’s global head of publishing, says not every video featuring a particular TV show or movie is eligible to get an “anchor link” to a hub. “We rely on both technology and human review to decide which videos qualify for an anchor link,” Stafford said. “We’re looking at things like hashtags, keywords, audio, visual matching technology from clips of TV and shows.”

TikTok also considers a video’s views, the creator’s follower count, and whether the creator has violated any of its policies. Meanwhile, the entertainment companies that own the content can access an analytics dashboard to track trends within their fandoms. They can also see how TikTok users are using their IP and choose whether to take action.

Outside of TikTok’s creator rewards program, creators won’t get compensated when TikTok adds links to their videos. However, Stafford says “each spotlight campaign has customized incentives for creators to participate,” such as exclusive profile frames, filters, merchandise, tickets, and more.

TikTok Spotlight will likely serve as another way brands and artists can use the app as a promotional tool, similar to the in-app experiences TikTok rolled out for BTS and Taylor Swift.

Read More