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Illustration by Erik Carter

Thousands of families have witnessed fake obituaries of loved ones crowd Google search results. As The Verge reported in February, the obituaries — which often appear to be AI-generated — target everyday people, not just celebrities, and are written to extract clicks and subsequent ad revenue from readers.
A new report by watchdog organization Check My Ads traced some of the middlemen profiting from obituary spam: ad exchanges, or the companies that connect brands that want to run ads and websites on which ads will appear.
One of the sites the Check My Ads report focused on is HausaNew.com.ng, a content mill that, until recently, was churning out obituaries and news about local deaths in towns across the US. The site published an impersonal, clickbait-y obituary of 20-year-old Harrison Sylver, who died by suicide earlier this year. Sylver’s mother, Nancy Arnold, told Check My Ads that she discovered dozens of similar sites with fake obituaries — including some that reported inaccurate details about where her son grew up, what his hobbies were, and how he died. HausaNew.com.ng now redirects to a “Canada Travels” homepage filled with random job listings, and a search for Sylver’s obituary yields no results.
Like other obituary content mills, the website makes money by hosting digital ads on its website: sites generally make a few pennies each time someone visits its pages or clicks on an ad.
Another obituary site identified by Check My Ads, SarkariExam.com, didn’t run a story about Sylver’s death — but has flooded the web with poorly written, inaccurate obituaries of other people, as The Verge previously reported. The site has run ads alongside that content, ultimately profiting. Using the website well-known.dev, Check My Ads cross-referenced connections between SarkariExam.com and ad exchanges to see what ad firms appeared to be placing ads on the site (because the information on well-known.dev is self-reported, there’s a chance it’s not up-to-date, the report warns). Obituary articles previously appearing on SarkariExam.com appear to no longer be accessible.
One of the ad firms, TripleLift, acknowledged to Check My Ads that their clients’ ads were appearing on SarkariExam.com and said they had opened an internal investigation. Ryan Levitt, TripleLiftʼs vice president of communications, told Check My Ads the company plans to update its terms to make clear AI obituary spam is prohibited. SarkariExam.com made about $100 via TripleLift over the last two years, the company told Check My Ads. Other ad exchanges, like ad tech company Teads, didn’t respond to Check My Ads’ findings. Teads was just acquired for $1 billion.
Google has said it will work to decrease the visibility of obituary spam sites, but Check My Ad’s report suggests the search engine company has nevertheless profited from that very content: HausaNew.com.ng, which published an obituary about Sylver, appears to have had ads on the site that are served by Google.
“We’ve looked into the examples you shared and taken the appropriate action. When we find content that violates our publisher policies, we take action and remove ads from serving. We enforce our policies at both the page-level and site-level,” a Google spokesperson told Check My Ads.

Illustration by Erik Carter

Thousands of families have witnessed fake obituaries of loved ones crowd Google search results. As The Verge reported in February, the obituaries — which often appear to be AI-generated — target everyday people, not just celebrities, and are written to extract clicks and subsequent ad revenue from readers.

A new report by watchdog organization Check My Ads traced some of the middlemen profiting from obituary spam: ad exchanges, or the companies that connect brands that want to run ads and websites on which ads will appear.

One of the sites the Check My Ads report focused on is HausaNew.com.ng, a content mill that, until recently, was churning out obituaries and news about local deaths in towns across the US. The site published an impersonal, clickbait-y obituary of 20-year-old Harrison Sylver, who died by suicide earlier this year. Sylver’s mother, Nancy Arnold, told Check My Ads that she discovered dozens of similar sites with fake obituaries — including some that reported inaccurate details about where her son grew up, what his hobbies were, and how he died. HausaNew.com.ng now redirects to a “Canada Travels” homepage filled with random job listings, and a search for Sylver’s obituary yields no results.

Like other obituary content mills, the website makes money by hosting digital ads on its website: sites generally make a few pennies each time someone visits its pages or clicks on an ad.

Another obituary site identified by Check My Ads, SarkariExam.com, didn’t run a story about Sylver’s death — but has flooded the web with poorly written, inaccurate obituaries of other people, as The Verge previously reported. The site has run ads alongside that content, ultimately profiting. Using the website well-known.dev, Check My Ads cross-referenced connections between SarkariExam.com and ad exchanges to see what ad firms appeared to be placing ads on the site (because the information on well-known.dev is self-reported, there’s a chance it’s not up-to-date, the report warns). Obituary articles previously appearing on SarkariExam.com appear to no longer be accessible.

One of the ad firms, TripleLift, acknowledged to Check My Ads that their clients’ ads were appearing on SarkariExam.com and said they had opened an internal investigation. Ryan Levitt, TripleLiftʼs vice president of communications, told Check My Ads the company plans to update its terms to make clear AI obituary spam is prohibited. SarkariExam.com made about $100 via TripleLift over the last two years, the company told Check My Ads. Other ad exchanges, like ad tech company Teads, didn’t respond to Check My Ads’ findings. Teads was just acquired for $1 billion.

Google has said it will work to decrease the visibility of obituary spam sites, but Check My Ad’s report suggests the search engine company has nevertheless profited from that very content: HausaNew.com.ng, which published an obituary about Sylver, appears to have had ads on the site that are served by Google.

“We’ve looked into the examples you shared and taken the appropriate action. When we find content that violates our publisher policies, we take action and remove ads from serving. We enforce our policies at both the page-level and site-level,” a Google spokesperson told Check My Ads.

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Balatro, the delightful poker roguelike that’s of my favorite video games of this year, will be getting a free “major gameplay update” in 2025, according to developer LocalThunk. The update will “bring new ideas and strategies to the game” and will be released for all platforms (it’s available on Steam, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox), LocalThunk says.
Balatro launched earlier this year, and it’s since become a smash hit thanks to its compelling gameplay loop that will have you saying “just one more run” until it’s far past your bedtime. While the game involves poker hands, you don’t gamble chips or money — instead, the goal is to strategically build high-scoring hands through things like discarding cards, modifying your cards, and collecting powerful jokers that have various ways of influencing the game. (LocalThunk says he is so opposed to Balatro becoming a true gambling game that, in his will, he stipulated that the franchise could never be sold to a gambling company or casino.)

From the outside this might make 0 sense but I hate the thought of Balatro becoming a true gambling game so much that when I recently created my will I stipulated that the Balatro IP may never be sold or licensed to any gambling company/Casino https://t.co/svKdhgjjm4— localthunk (@LocalThunk) August 6, 2024

The game has now sold 2 million units, LocalThunk says, and it regularly sits in the upper ranks of top-played games on Steam Deck. I’ve played Balatro most on Switch, but I bought a second copy on Steam so that I could play on Steam Deck, too.
In addition to the upcoming major update, LocalThunk says there are “a few more announcements in the works that will be revealed over the next couple of months.” The game is also in development for iPhone and Android.

Balatro, the delightful poker roguelike that’s of my favorite video games of this year, will be getting a free “major gameplay update” in 2025, according to developer LocalThunk. The update will “bring new ideas and strategies to the game” and will be released for all platforms (it’s available on Steam, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox), LocalThunk says.

Balatro launched earlier this year, and it’s since become a smash hit thanks to its compelling gameplay loop that will have you saying “just one more run” until it’s far past your bedtime. While the game involves poker hands, you don’t gamble chips or money — instead, the goal is to strategically build high-scoring hands through things like discarding cards, modifying your cards, and collecting powerful jokers that have various ways of influencing the game. (LocalThunk says he is so opposed to Balatro becoming a true gambling game that, in his will, he stipulated that the franchise could never be sold to a gambling company or casino.)

The game has now sold 2 million units, LocalThunk says, and it regularly sits in the upper ranks of top-played games on Steam Deck. I’ve played Balatro most on Switch, but I bought a second copy on Steam so that I could play on Steam Deck, too.

In addition to the upcoming major update, LocalThunk says there are “a few more announcements in the works that will be revealed over the next couple of months.” The game is also in development for iPhone and Android.

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Anker included thicker prongs and an improved center of gravity on its new 100W wall charger. | Image: Anker

The most notable upgrade on Anker’s new Prime Charger isn’t how much power it can deliver; it’s the redesigned folding plug that now has thicker prongs with a “frosted finish” that the company claims will help the six-ounce charger actually stay plugged into a wall outlet.
Being able to charge multiple devices from a single wall charger, including laptops, is one of the many improvements delivered by a switch from silicon to gallium nitride-based components. But the new generation of GaN chargers with more power and USB ports sometimes struggle to stay plugged in due to their size and weight.

Image: Anker
The redesigned Anker Prime Charger will hopefully stay plugged in even with three USB cables plugged in.

Anker’s previous solution to that problem was to include a silicone suction cup accessory with its larger GaN chargers designed to help secure them to a wall outlet’s smooth face plate. Its new Anker Prime Charger has been redesigned with a center of gravity located closer to the plug and thicker, textured prongs that will hopefully be less likely to slip out of an outlet under the charger’s weight.
The $84.99 Anker Prime Charger includes two USB-C ports capable of outputting 100W and a single USB-A port with a maximum output of 22.5W. That 100W is the charger’s maximum output, however, which is shared across the two USB-C ports when both are in use. With devices plugged into all three of the charger’s USB ports, its total shared power output drops to 89W, which is still more than enough to simultaneously charge a phone, a smartwatch, and a pair of headphones.

Anker included thicker prongs and an improved center of gravity on its new 100W wall charger. | Image: Anker

The most notable upgrade on Anker’s new Prime Charger isn’t how much power it can deliver; it’s the redesigned folding plug that now has thicker prongs with a “frosted finish” that the company claims will help the six-ounce charger actually stay plugged into a wall outlet.

Being able to charge multiple devices from a single wall charger, including laptops, is one of the many improvements delivered by a switch from silicon to gallium nitride-based components. But the new generation of GaN chargers with more power and USB ports sometimes struggle to stay plugged in due to their size and weight.

Image: Anker
The redesigned Anker Prime Charger will hopefully stay plugged in even with three USB cables plugged in.

Anker’s previous solution to that problem was to include a silicone suction cup accessory with its larger GaN chargers designed to help secure them to a wall outlet’s smooth face plate. Its new Anker Prime Charger has been redesigned with a center of gravity located closer to the plug and thicker, textured prongs that will hopefully be less likely to slip out of an outlet under the charger’s weight.

The $84.99 Anker Prime Charger includes two USB-C ports capable of outputting 100W and a single USB-A port with a maximum output of 22.5W. That 100W is the charger’s maximum output, however, which is shared across the two USB-C ports when both are in use. With devices plugged into all three of the charger’s USB ports, its total shared power output drops to 89W, which is still more than enough to simultaneously charge a phone, a smartwatch, and a pair of headphones.

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Fitbit’s rolling out Tap to Pay in time for the new school year. | Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge

It’s officially back-to-school season, so Fitbit’s updating its kids-focused Ace LTE smartwatch with some helpful features for parents and children. Namely, it’s adding a Tap to Pay feature, launching two new games, and later this year, will allow users to add siblings as contacts in the Fitbit Ace app.
Tap to Pay was mentioned as “coming soon” when the Ace LTE launched back in May. The idea was to give kids the freedom to buy things on their own, while also allowing parents oversight. To do that, Google — which owns Fitbit — is partnering with Greenlight and GoHenry, which offer debit cards for children and teens. If you have accounts with those services, you’ll be able to add them to the Ace LTE, and kids will be able to use their smartwatch to buy things wherever Google Pay is accepted. If not, Google says you’ll be able to sign up via the Fitbit Ace app for a discount.

The Ace LTE is unique among kids trackers in that it isn’t just a GPS tracker for parents. It also includes several wrist-based video games. With this update, Fitbit’s adding two more to its catalog: Sproutlings and Spirit Garden. The former is a Tamagotchi-like game with virtual pets that you feed and walk around with. The latter has a more meditative concept with guided mindfulness and an element of unlocking land spirits and rebuilding shrines. Like the Apple Watch, the Ace LTE also includes a school time mode to reduce distractions — though parents can program a break for recess.
Later this year, Fitbit says that families will be able to add older and younger siblings as contacts. This includes siblings who have their own phones or those who also have an Ace LTE. That said, there wasn’t any further information regarding how the feature will work or timelines.

Fitbit’s rolling out Tap to Pay in time for the new school year. | Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge

It’s officially back-to-school season, so Fitbit’s updating its kids-focused Ace LTE smartwatch with some helpful features for parents and children. Namely, it’s adding a Tap to Pay feature, launching two new games, and later this year, will allow users to add siblings as contacts in the Fitbit Ace app.

Tap to Pay was mentioned as “coming soon” when the Ace LTE launched back in May. The idea was to give kids the freedom to buy things on their own, while also allowing parents oversight. To do that, Google — which owns Fitbit — is partnering with Greenlight and GoHenry, which offer debit cards for children and teens. If you have accounts with those services, you’ll be able to add them to the Ace LTE, and kids will be able to use their smartwatch to buy things wherever Google Pay is accepted. If not, Google says you’ll be able to sign up via the Fitbit Ace app for a discount.

The Ace LTE is unique among kids trackers in that it isn’t just a GPS tracker for parents. It also includes several wrist-based video games. With this update, Fitbit’s adding two more to its catalog: Sproutlings and Spirit Garden. The former is a Tamagotchi-like game with virtual pets that you feed and walk around with. The latter has a more meditative concept with guided mindfulness and an element of unlocking land spirits and rebuilding shrines. Like the Apple Watch, the Ace LTE also includes a school time mode to reduce distractions — though parents can program a break for recess.

Later this year, Fitbit says that families will be able to add older and younger siblings as contacts. This includes siblings who have their own phones or those who also have an Ace LTE. That said, there wasn’t any further information regarding how the feature will work or timelines.

Read More 

Elgato’s Stream Deck Neo is designed to be accessible to everybody, not just streamers. | Image: Elgato

Here at The Verge, we’re big Stream Deck fans. However, Elgato’s programmable macro controllers can be pricey, with the Stream Deck XL and Deck Plus retailing for $249.99 and $199.99, respectively. If you want something more affordable for streamlining your workflow, the Elgato Stream Deck Neo is currently matching its all-time low of $84.99 ($15 off) at Best Buy, Target, and directly from Elgato.

Although you can program Elgato’s compact Neo to perform a variety of shortcuts in macOS or Windows, it comes preloaded with some common actions right out the gate. It sports eight customizable LCD buttons — as opposed to the six on the like-minded last-gen Stream Deck Mini — allowing you to control your smart lights, join or mute a video call, pause notifications in Slack, or perform an infinite number of tasks with the press of a button. The handy desk companion also introduces two capacitive buttons, letting you easily cycle through a number of macro pages with ease as well as a glanceable info display at the bottom so you can keep track of the time and date as you’re working or streaming.

A few more deals to start your day

Now through August 23rd, you can buy the Board Game Night With Dire Wolf & Friends Humble Bundle for as little as $18 from Humble, with all proceeds going toward the World Wildlife Fund. Along with DLC for select titles, the bundle includes digital PC versions of nine award-winning board games from a wide range of genres, so you can conquer Arrakis in Dune: Imperium or the vast wilderness in Root. If you’re looking for something more relaxing, you can even build your own ecosystem in the bird-themed Wingspan, which our sister site Polygon included in their list of the best board games of 2023.
The latest iPad Mini is on sale at Amazon with Wi-Fi and 64GB of storage starting at $379.99 ($119 off), which matches the all-time low we saw during Prime Day. The 8.3-inch tablet is the smallest and most comfortable model in Apple’s lineup, which makes it well suited for both reading and travel. And while Apple’s A15 Bionic chip is getting a little stale, it’s still snappy enough for web browsing, watching TV, and everyday tablet things. Read our review.

Samsung’s Galaxy Buds FE are down to $74.99 ($25 off) at Amazon, which is $5 shy of their lowest price to date. For a pair of wireless earbuds that cost less than a Benjamin, the FE offer great noise cancellation and solid audio performance. The well-designed earbuds also come with two pairs of silicone wing tips for a more secure fit, though you do lose out on multipoint connectivity, wireless charging, and some of the more premium features that have been trickling down to value-based earbuds in recent years. Read our review.

Elgato’s Stream Deck Neo is designed to be accessible to everybody, not just streamers. | Image: Elgato

Here at The Verge, we’re big Stream Deck fans. However, Elgato’s programmable macro controllers can be pricey, with the Stream Deck XL and Deck Plus retailing for $249.99 and $199.99, respectively. If you want something more affordable for streamlining your workflow, the Elgato Stream Deck Neo is currently matching its all-time low of $84.99 ($15 off) at Best Buy, Target, and directly from Elgato.

Although you can program Elgato’s compact Neo to perform a variety of shortcuts in macOS or Windows, it comes preloaded with some common actions right out the gate. It sports eight customizable LCD buttons — as opposed to the six on the like-minded last-gen Stream Deck Mini — allowing you to control your smart lights, join or mute a video call, pause notifications in Slack, or perform an infinite number of tasks with the press of a button. The handy desk companion also introduces two capacitive buttons, letting you easily cycle through a number of macro pages with ease as well as a glanceable info display at the bottom so you can keep track of the time and date as you’re working or streaming.

A few more deals to start your day

Now through August 23rd, you can buy the Board Game Night With Dire Wolf & Friends Humble Bundle for as little as $18 from Humble, with all proceeds going toward the World Wildlife Fund. Along with DLC for select titles, the bundle includes digital PC versions of nine award-winning board games from a wide range of genres, so you can conquer Arrakis in Dune: Imperium or the vast wilderness in Root. If you’re looking for something more relaxing, you can even build your own ecosystem in the bird-themed Wingspan, which our sister site Polygon included in their list of the best board games of 2023.
The latest iPad Mini is on sale at Amazon with Wi-Fi and 64GB of storage starting at $379.99 ($119 off), which matches the all-time low we saw during Prime Day. The 8.3-inch tablet is the smallest and most comfortable model in Apple’s lineup, which makes it well suited for both reading and travel. And while Apple’s A15 Bionic chip is getting a little stale, it’s still snappy enough for web browsing, watching TV, and everyday tablet things. Read our review.

Samsung’s Galaxy Buds FE are down to $74.99 ($25 off) at Amazon, which is $5 shy of their lowest price to date. For a pair of wireless earbuds that cost less than a Benjamin, the FE offer great noise cancellation and solid audio performance. The well-designed earbuds also come with two pairs of silicone wing tips for a more secure fit, though you do lose out on multipoint connectivity, wireless charging, and some of the more premium features that have been trickling down to value-based earbuds in recent years. Read our review.

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Roku is preparing to launch a new 24/7 sports channel across its devices, apps, and on its website. Starting on August 12th, the new Roku Sports Channel will start showing sports-themed content that includes live events, and original content.
Joe Franzetta, who heads Roku’s sports division, describes the channel as a “curated always-on channel that leads our viewer through the wide variety of premium sports content available for free on The Roku Channel.”

The most “premium” of those will be Sunday Leadoff, the live Major League Baseball games Roku got in a broadcast deal with the MLB earlier this year. But the channel will also feature live Formula E races and other sports broadcasts, including archival boxing matches, NBA G-League (minor league basketball) games, and “high-stakes poker entertainment from PokerGO.”

The channel’s originals will include shows like NFL Draft: The Pick Is In and WWE: Next Gen. Folks who want to check it out can do so for free on Roku devices and TVs, the Roku channel site, and in the Roku app on various devices like other smart TVs and iOS and Android phones.

Roku is preparing to launch a new 24/7 sports channel across its devices, apps, and on its website. Starting on August 12th, the new Roku Sports Channel will start showing sports-themed content that includes live events, and original content.

Joe Franzetta, who heads Roku’s sports division, describes the channel as a “curated always-on channel that leads our viewer through the wide variety of premium sports content available for free on The Roku Channel.”

The most “premium” of those will be Sunday Leadoff, the live Major League Baseball games Roku got in a broadcast deal with the MLB earlier this year. But the channel will also feature live Formula E races and other sports broadcasts, including archival boxing matches, NBA G-League (minor league basketball) games, and “high-stakes poker entertainment from PokerGO.”

The channel’s originals will include shows like NFL Draft: The Pick Is In and WWE: Next Gen. Folks who want to check it out can do so for free on Roku devices and TVs, the Roku channel site, and in the Roku app on various devices like other smart TVs and iOS and Android phones.

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Image: HBO

House of the Dragon ended its second season with a reminder that this is all just one part of a much larger story. After spending so much time in its first season just getting its many players on the board, House of the Dragon’s second season appeared poised to let the dragons dance and finally plunge Westeros into a cataclysmic civil war. An escalation of fiery battles and royal treachery felt like the logical next step for a series chronicling how the Targaryens fell from grace in the past and sowed seeds that would go on to save the world in the distant future.
Instead, House of the Dragon’s second chapter put much more focus on the quiet moments that shape history rather than the explosive ones that go on to become legends. The choice made some sense, given HBO’s decision to shorten season 2’s episode count from 10 to eight, and seemed somewhat prescient in the wake of last year’s strikes that put the show’s production on hold.
And while it culminated in a season finale that might not have lived up to everyone’s hopes action-wise, the episode solidified House of the Dragon as a series capable of telling its own powerful stories and adding new depth to A Song of Ice and Fire. That may seem anticlimactic to viewers who wanted big set pieces, but it will likely give the series’ four seasons a more convincing and satisfying arc.

Image: HBO

This has always been a show about characters — the decisions they make and the consequences they face. While dragons laid waste to cities in some of House of the Dragon’s more exciting episodes this past season, the actual tension of the show is the palace intrigue: misinterpretations of one another’s actions continued to be the biggest threats to the realm as the schism within House Targaryen grew even deeper.
Queens Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Alicent (Olivia Cooke) already knew well how calamitous their battle for power would become if it continued to unfold across the Seven Kingdoms. But with both women surrounded by men desperate to see themselves on the Iron Throne, House of the Dragon made clear that their attempts at waging war with caution were doomed from the jump.
In a season that was punctuated by riots, maimings, and senseless bloodshed, House of the Dragon framed Rhaenyra’s quiet time poring over family records as one of the most pivotal moments in the show’s history — not unlike Game of Thrones’ season seven reveal of Jon Snow’s Targaryen heritage. But House of the Dragon was much more transparent than its predecessor about how important illegitimate children — an “army of bastards” — could become if given the chance. And while a few innocent people were burned to death as Rhaenyra tested out her theory, “The Red Sowing,” the penultimate episode, unexpectedly established Alyn of Hull (Abubakar Salim), Ulf White (Tom Bennett), and Hugh Hammer (Kieran Bew) as people who seem fated to help shape Westeros history.
There’s never been any question about how House of the Dragon will end — many of these people die horribly, and House Targaryen falls into ruin. But season 2 spent ample time highlighting how the Black / Green war could have been averted if the two sides could just engage in good faith.

Image: HBO

The finale, “The Queen Who Ever Was,” pulled back on its action to make a larger statement about how — even at this point when war’s all but inevitable — its characters still have the ability to see the situation more clearly and change their minds. The episode gave a deeper and unmistakable meaning to Daemon’s dreams of his past, the present, and Game of Thrones characters like Daenerys and the Night King. His return to Rhaenyra spoke to his understanding of why the Targaryen family needed to be strong for the realm, not just themselves. And that same clarity of mind is what brought Alicent to Dragonstone undercover, ready and willing to surrender King’s Landing in spite of Aemond’s plans.
But war is a machine that’s hard to stop once its gears have been set in motion. And “The Queen Who Ever Was” used its final moments to emphasize how there will be no coming back from the war on the horizon.
That war feels like something House of the Dragon wants to treat as a true turning point for its characters, and this season’s restrained action felt like an intentional choice to save the bombast (and production resources) for the series’ recently announced final two seasons. Pacing issues thoroughly derailed Game of Thrones in its home stretch; House of the Dragon could very well meet a similar fate, but its restraint showed that the writers room might have the patience to resist going too big too soon. After all, this season left little question that the world will burn when the show returns and all of its characters will have little choice but to burn with it.

Image: HBO

House of the Dragon ended its second season with a reminder that this is all just one part of a much larger story.

After spending so much time in its first season just getting its many players on the board, House of the Dragon’s second season appeared poised to let the dragons dance and finally plunge Westeros into a cataclysmic civil war. An escalation of fiery battles and royal treachery felt like the logical next step for a series chronicling how the Targaryens fell from grace in the past and sowed seeds that would go on to save the world in the distant future.

Instead, House of the Dragon’s second chapter put much more focus on the quiet moments that shape history rather than the explosive ones that go on to become legends. The choice made some sense, given HBO’s decision to shorten season 2’s episode count from 10 to eight, and seemed somewhat prescient in the wake of last year’s strikes that put the show’s production on hold.

And while it culminated in a season finale that might not have lived up to everyone’s hopes action-wise, the episode solidified House of the Dragon as a series capable of telling its own powerful stories and adding new depth to A Song of Ice and Fire. That may seem anticlimactic to viewers who wanted big set pieces, but it will likely give the series’ four seasons a more convincing and satisfying arc.

This has always been a show about characters — the decisions they make and the consequences they face. While dragons laid waste to cities in some of House of the Dragon’s more exciting episodes this past season, the actual tension of the show is the palace intrigue: misinterpretations of one another’s actions continued to be the biggest threats to the realm as the schism within House Targaryen grew even deeper.

Queens Rhaenyra (Emma D’Arcy) and Alicent (Olivia Cooke) already knew well how calamitous their battle for power would become if it continued to unfold across the Seven Kingdoms. But with both women surrounded by men desperate to see themselves on the Iron Throne, House of the Dragon made clear that their attempts at waging war with caution were doomed from the jump.

In a season that was punctuated by riots, maimings, and senseless bloodshed, House of the Dragon framed Rhaenyra’s quiet time poring over family records as one of the most pivotal moments in the show’s history — not unlike Game of Thrones’ season seven reveal of Jon Snow’s Targaryen heritage. But House of the Dragon was much more transparent than its predecessor about how important illegitimate children — an “army of bastards” — could become if given the chance. And while a few innocent people were burned to death as Rhaenyra tested out her theory, “The Red Sowing,” the penultimate episode, unexpectedly established Alyn of Hull (Abubakar Salim), Ulf White (Tom Bennett), and Hugh Hammer (Kieran Bew) as people who seem fated to help shape Westeros history.

There’s never been any question about how House of the Dragon will end — many of these people die horribly, and House Targaryen falls into ruin. But season 2 spent ample time highlighting how the Black / Green war could have been averted if the two sides could just engage in good faith.

The finale, “The Queen Who Ever Was,” pulled back on its action to make a larger statement about how — even at this point when war’s all but inevitable — its characters still have the ability to see the situation more clearly and change their minds. The episode gave a deeper and unmistakable meaning to Daemon’s dreams of his past, the present, and Game of Thrones characters like Daenerys and the Night King. His return to Rhaenyra spoke to his understanding of why the Targaryen family needed to be strong for the realm, not just themselves. And that same clarity of mind is what brought Alicent to Dragonstone undercover, ready and willing to surrender King’s Landing in spite of Aemond’s plans.

But war is a machine that’s hard to stop once its gears have been set in motion. And “The Queen Who Ever Was” used its final moments to emphasize how there will be no coming back from the war on the horizon.

That war feels like something House of the Dragon wants to treat as a true turning point for its characters, and this season’s restrained action felt like an intentional choice to save the bombast (and production resources) for the series’ recently announced final two seasons. Pacing issues thoroughly derailed Game of Thrones in its home stretch; House of the Dragon could very well meet a similar fate, but its restraint showed that the writers room might have the patience to resist going too big too soon. After all, this season left little question that the world will burn when the show returns and all of its characters will have little choice but to burn with it.

Read More 

Image: Rad Power Bikes

Rad Power Bikes announced a new more affordable, lighter-weight e-bike for urban commuters who just want a cheap, simple way to get around. Dubbed the RadKick, the new bike starts at $1,199, making it the Seattle-based company’s most affordable model yet.
And for those desiring fewer grease stains on their pant cuffs, the RadKick also comes with an optional belt drive in place of a traditional bike chain, which is a first for the company.
The low-step frame, integrated battery pack, and space for a plethora of front- and rear-rack optional add-ons could make this the ideal entry-level bike for anyone curious about electric bikes but perhaps turned off by high prices or the idea of lugging an extremely heavy bike up and down stairs.
In a statement, Rad Power Bikes CEO Phil Molyneux said the RadKick was designed to fill a gap in the company’s lineup, which was identified with the help of customer feedback. That “missing piece,” Molyneux says, was for an e-bike that was lightweight but also affordable to attract more price-conscious consumers.

The RadKick clocks in at a respectable 55lbs, which is about as light as you can get without sacrificing too much power and range — both of which are extremely important to Rad’s US customers.

The RadKick comes in two trims: a seven-speed with a traditional bike chain and a single-speed with a belt drive. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. The seven-speed is ideal for anyone who wants a little help when tackling big hills or prefers a more familiar riding experience, while the belt drive offers a smoother ride and requires less maintenance.
The addition of torque sensors, which regulate the motor based on how hard you push the pedals, could also help sweeten the deal for those customers interested in the belt drive version. But you’ll have to pay a little extra, to the tune of $1,399.

Just like the rest of Rad’s lineup, the RadKick is a Class 2 e-bike, with a throttle-assisted top speed of 20mph. The fully integrated 36V/10Ah battery supplies enough juice for up to 35 miles of range, which isn’t as far as some of Rad’s bigger-battery-sporting bikes, but should be enough for most commuters.
But the battery also features the company’s new thermal-resistant epoxy resin and complies with UL 2849 and 2271 standards. (Rad released the new batteries earlier this year as part of an effort to push the entire e-bike industry toward safer, more fire-resistant materials.)
There’s a lot more to like about the RadKick
There’s a lot more to like about the RadKick, including the 500W rear-hub motor, an LCD display with USB-C charging port, hydraulic disc brakes, front and rear fenders, a rear rack with a bamboo shelf, front suspension, and an adjustable stem to accommodate riders as short as five feet, two inches or as tall as six feet, one inch.
It’s great to see Rad continue to innovate on the product sign, even as market conditions get tougher and the business contracts. The post-pandemic bike boom appears to be waning in some respects, and venture-backed bike companies are feeling the pinch. Rad has gone through several rounds of layoffs — the most recent one was last week — and was forced to pull out of the European market to focus exclusively on the US.
And e-bikes are about to get more expensive as exclusions from tariffs on Chinese imports in the US expire, which could cause even more belt-tightening among the major manufacturers. Amid all of this, it’s great to see companies like Rad are still committed to keeping their products affordable and turning more people on to the climate-change-fighting power of electric bikes.

Image: Rad Power Bikes

Rad Power Bikes announced a new more affordable, lighter-weight e-bike for urban commuters who just want a cheap, simple way to get around. Dubbed the RadKick, the new bike starts at $1,199, making it the Seattle-based company’s most affordable model yet.

And for those desiring fewer grease stains on their pant cuffs, the RadKick also comes with an optional belt drive in place of a traditional bike chain, which is a first for the company.

The low-step frame, integrated battery pack, and space for a plethora of front- and rear-rack optional add-ons could make this the ideal entry-level bike for anyone curious about electric bikes but perhaps turned off by high prices or the idea of lugging an extremely heavy bike up and down stairs.

In a statement, Rad Power Bikes CEO Phil Molyneux said the RadKick was designed to fill a gap in the company’s lineup, which was identified with the help of customer feedback. That “missing piece,” Molyneux says, was for an e-bike that was lightweight but also affordable to attract more price-conscious consumers.

The RadKick clocks in at a respectable 55lbs, which is about as light as you can get without sacrificing too much power and range — both of which are extremely important to Rad’s US customers.

The RadKick comes in two trims: a seven-speed with a traditional bike chain and a single-speed with a belt drive. There are advantages and disadvantages to both. The seven-speed is ideal for anyone who wants a little help when tackling big hills or prefers a more familiar riding experience, while the belt drive offers a smoother ride and requires less maintenance.

The addition of torque sensors, which regulate the motor based on how hard you push the pedals, could also help sweeten the deal for those customers interested in the belt drive version. But you’ll have to pay a little extra, to the tune of $1,399.

Just like the rest of Rad’s lineup, the RadKick is a Class 2 e-bike, with a throttle-assisted top speed of 20mph. The fully integrated 36V/10Ah battery supplies enough juice for up to 35 miles of range, which isn’t as far as some of Rad’s bigger-battery-sporting bikes, but should be enough for most commuters.

But the battery also features the company’s new thermal-resistant epoxy resin and complies with UL 2849 and 2271 standards. (Rad released the new batteries earlier this year as part of an effort to push the entire e-bike industry toward safer, more fire-resistant materials.)

There’s a lot more to like about the RadKick, including the 500W rear-hub motor, an LCD display with USB-C charging port, hydraulic disc brakes, front and rear fenders, a rear rack with a bamboo shelf, front suspension, and an adjustable stem to accommodate riders as short as five feet, two inches or as tall as six feet, one inch.

It’s great to see Rad continue to innovate on the product sign, even as market conditions get tougher and the business contracts. The post-pandemic bike boom appears to be waning in some respects, and venture-backed bike companies are feeling the pinch. Rad has gone through several rounds of layoffs — the most recent one was last week — and was forced to pull out of the European market to focus exclusively on the US.

And e-bikes are about to get more expensive as exclusions from tariffs on Chinese imports in the US expire, which could cause even more belt-tightening among the major manufacturers. Amid all of this, it’s great to see companies like Rad are still committed to keeping their products affordable and turning more people on to the climate-change-fighting power of electric bikes.

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Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge

Disney Plus will soon no longer let you share your password with people outside your household. During an earnings call on Wednesday, Disney CEO Bob Iger said the crackdown will kick off “in earnest” this September.
The timeline for Disney’s password-sharing crackdown has been a bit confusing so far. In February, Disney announced plans to roll out paid sharing and also began notifying users about the change. It then launched paid sharing in a “few countries” in June but provided no information on when it would reach the US.

But now, it seems like Disney is pretty serious about rolling out paid sharing to more subscribers in September — even though it still hasn’t shared details on how much it will cost. Netflix, which rolled out paid sharing last year, charges an extra $7.99 per month to add another person to your account. “We’ve had no backlash at all to the [paid sharing] notifications that have gone out and to the work that we’ve already been doing,” Iger says.
On top of the crackdown, Disney is raising prices across Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN Plus starting in October. Iger says he’s “not concerned” about losing subscribers over the price increase since the company is also adding ABC News Live and curated playlists that give the company “pricing leverage.”
With Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN Plus turning a profit for the first time this quarter, Disney is likely looking to maintain that profitability with price increases and paid sharing.

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge

Disney Plus will soon no longer let you share your password with people outside your household. During an earnings call on Wednesday, Disney CEO Bob Iger said the crackdown will kick off “in earnest” this September.

The timeline for Disney’s password-sharing crackdown has been a bit confusing so far. In February, Disney announced plans to roll out paid sharing and also began notifying users about the change. It then launched paid sharing in a “few countries” in June but provided no information on when it would reach the US.

But now, it seems like Disney is pretty serious about rolling out paid sharing to more subscribers in September — even though it still hasn’t shared details on how much it will cost. Netflix, which rolled out paid sharing last year, charges an extra $7.99 per month to add another person to your account. “We’ve had no backlash at all to the [paid sharing] notifications that have gone out and to the work that we’ve already been doing,” Iger says.

On top of the crackdown, Disney is raising prices across Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN Plus starting in October. Iger says he’s “not concerned” about losing subscribers over the price increase since the company is also adding ABC News Live and curated playlists that give the company “pricing leverage.”

With Disney Plus, Hulu, and ESPN Plus turning a profit for the first time this quarter, Disney is likely looking to maintain that profitability with price increases and paid sharing.

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The crimson red ‘Apex Edition’ OnePlus Open is a stunner, and the color isn’t the only thing that’s different about it. Based on all the leaks and Google’s own marketing, we already know that the upcoming Pixel 9 Pro Fold has a design quite similar to last year’s OnePlus Open. OnePlus doesn’t (yet) have a new foldable ready to take on the latest from Google and Samsung, so for the time being, it’s instead releasing a limited edition of the Open in a crimson red color. That’s one way to squeeze some more juice out of the thing, right?
Priced at $1,899.99, the OnePlus Open Apex Edition is completely specced out with 1TB of storage and 16GB of RAM. Aside from the color, the company has made some other very minor hardware tweaks with this version: the alert slider switch is thinner with a carved-out splash of orange in the middle, for example.

The alert slider has been redesigned for this limited edition model.

OnePlus’ press release says this about the “crimson shadow” color: “the darker, almost veiled tone offers a sense of mystery and evocation, hinting at an enduring timelessness.” The red is applied to the faux leather back cover and the camera ring, and OnePlus includes a matching case for the device in the box.
I’ve been carrying the Apex Edition around New York City for a few days now and have gotten plenty of questions about it. It’s a looker, and this is also the first time I’ve gotten familiar with the Open’s design after many months of using a Pixel Fold. Spoiler: this is the way, and I’m now very glad Google is making the switch to a similar approach.

It’s a very good color. The leather is still fake, however.

And damn, this company sure did come up with a great system for multitasking. Allison covered a lot of it in her review, so check that out. The long and short of it is that OnePlus’ gestures and multi-app experiences feel surprisingly intuitive in very little time.

The crease is somewhat visible but you rarely ever feel it when using the Open, which I can’t say about the Pixel Fold.

But there are also some things about OnePlus’ software that I find mystifying. Here are a few:

You can only have four apps in each row on the homescreen, and that’s really messing with my usual layout. Where are my grid customization options? I can’t even fit Gmail into the dock.
There’s no way to disable the Google Discover feed that’s to the left of your homescreen. Bizarre. Most other Android phones let you turn this off with a simple toggle.
Whenever you close all of your apps — yes, I still do this — the phone displays a useless “your system is now in optimal condition” message. Great. Thanks.
The alphabetical ordering of the app tray is nonsensical. Because the “craigslist” app uses lowercase, it’s placed before Calculator. Make it make sense.
Just like on iOS, OnePlus puts a dot next to recently updated or newly installed apps. This drives me mad and cannot be turned off, and so I have no choice but to open every app just to clear the dots and restore order.

So far, I’m a fan of the camera and that Hasselblad “master” mode.

One new software feature called VIP Mode is totally exclusive to the Apex Edition. And I’ve gotta say that it feels pretty tacked on. When you push the alert slider to its top position, you enter this mode. Here’s what OnePlus claims that it does:
VIP Mode locks the security chip to create a completely secure and private environment where all microphones and cameras on the phone are disabled, and advertising tracking is heavily restricted through chip-level permission encryption powered by the secure chip. VIP mode also prevents chat information from being viewed or recorded by apps without permission.

Unless you’ve got a supremely confidential job, I’m not sure you’d ever need VIP Mode.

I’m not some hotshot CEO, so maybe I just don’t have the right appreciation for VIP Mode. Either way, I wish I could customize the alert slider to do something else when I put it in that position instead of being stuck with this mode I’ll rarely need.
But back to the hardware: there’s just a lot I’ve come to enjoy about the OnePlus Open in a matter of days. The inner display’s screen protector has an anti-reflective quality that makes it easy to see in a variety of lighting conditions. The speakers sound noticeably better than those on the Pixel Fold. And I’m again impressed by OnePlus’ proprietary wired charging speeds.

I will never say bad things about red (or orange) phones.

The Apex Edition of the OnePlus Open will be available “while supplies last” when it goes up for purchase on August 8th for $1,899.99. If you don’t need the fancy red color, you can temporarily save a bit on the standard model with 512GB of storage, which will be on sale for $1,399 from August 8th through the 30th. See? It’s pretty clear the company is trying to lure in some Pixel 9 Pro Fold buyers.
Photography by Chris Welch / The Verge

The crimson red ‘Apex Edition’ OnePlus Open is a stunner, and the color isn’t the only thing that’s different about it.

Based on all the leaks and Google’s own marketing, we already know that the upcoming Pixel 9 Pro Fold has a design quite similar to last year’s OnePlus Open. OnePlus doesn’t (yet) have a new foldable ready to take on the latest from Google and Samsung, so for the time being, it’s instead releasing a limited edition of the Open in a crimson red color. That’s one way to squeeze some more juice out of the thing, right?

Priced at $1,899.99, the OnePlus Open Apex Edition is completely specced out with 1TB of storage and 16GB of RAM. Aside from the color, the company has made some other very minor hardware tweaks with this version: the alert slider switch is thinner with a carved-out splash of orange in the middle, for example.

The alert slider has been redesigned for this limited edition model.

OnePlus’ press release says this about the “crimson shadow” color: “the darker, almost veiled tone offers a sense of mystery and evocation, hinting at an enduring timelessness.” The red is applied to the faux leather back cover and the camera ring, and OnePlus includes a matching case for the device in the box.

I’ve been carrying the Apex Edition around New York City for a few days now and have gotten plenty of questions about it. It’s a looker, and this is also the first time I’ve gotten familiar with the Open’s design after many months of using a Pixel Fold. Spoiler: this is the way, and I’m now very glad Google is making the switch to a similar approach.

And damn, this company sure did come up with a great system for multitasking. Allison covered a lot of it in her review, so check that out. The long and short of it is that OnePlus’ gestures and multi-app experiences feel surprisingly intuitive in very little time.

The crease is somewhat visible but you rarely ever feel it when using the Open, which I can’t say about the Pixel Fold.

But there are also some things about OnePlus’ software that I find mystifying. Here are a few:

You can only have four apps in each row on the homescreen, and that’s really messing with my usual layout. Where are my grid customization options? I can’t even fit Gmail into the dock.
There’s no way to disable the Google Discover feed that’s to the left of your homescreen. Bizarre. Most other Android phones let you turn this off with a simple toggle.
Whenever you close all of your apps — yes, I still do this — the phone displays a useless “your system is now in optimal condition” message. Great. Thanks.
The alphabetical ordering of the app tray is nonsensical. Because the “craigslist” app uses lowercase, it’s placed before Calculator. Make it make sense.
Just like on iOS, OnePlus puts a dot next to recently updated or newly installed apps. This drives me mad and cannot be turned off, and so I have no choice but to open every app just to clear the dots and restore order.

So far, I’m a fan of the camera and that Hasselblad “master” mode.

One new software feature called VIP Mode is totally exclusive to the Apex Edition. And I’ve gotta say that it feels pretty tacked on. When you push the alert slider to its top position, you enter this mode. Here’s what OnePlus claims that it does:

VIP Mode locks the security chip to create a completely secure and private environment where all microphones and cameras on the phone are disabled, and advertising tracking is heavily restricted through chip-level permission encryption powered by the secure chip. VIP mode also prevents chat information from being viewed or recorded by apps without permission.

I’m not some hotshot CEO, so maybe I just don’t have the right appreciation for VIP Mode. Either way, I wish I could customize the alert slider to do something else when I put it in that position instead of being stuck with this mode I’ll rarely need.

But back to the hardware: there’s just a lot I’ve come to enjoy about the OnePlus Open in a matter of days. The inner display’s screen protector has an anti-reflective quality that makes it easy to see in a variety of lighting conditions. The speakers sound noticeably better than those on the Pixel Fold. And I’m again impressed by OnePlus’ proprietary wired charging speeds.

The Apex Edition of the OnePlus Open will be available “while supplies last” when it goes up for purchase on August 8th for $1,899.99. If you don’t need the fancy red color, you can temporarily save a bit on the standard model with 512GB of storage, which will be on sale for $1,399 from August 8th through the 30th. See? It’s pretty clear the company is trying to lure in some Pixel 9 Pro Fold buyers.

Photography by Chris Welch / The Verge

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