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What if Cybertruck light bar, but on the back? | Image: Reddit user Abomb1997

Tesla’s Model Y will look a lot different on the back and inside after its rumored redesign, if new photos of the leaked “Juniper” model are to be believed. A user on Reddit shared the images, which include a closeup of the rear of what appears to be an updated Model Y with its security covers removed, revealing a red light bar with “Tesla” lettering running across the hatch. The current model has more traditional taillights on the left and right, with a simple “T” logo on the center.
Another photo shows the interior of the car, which now appears to have seats that are perforated for ventilation, just like in the fully redesigned Model 3, as reported by Not a Tesla App. There’s also an interior ambient light strip running across the dash and doors that’s similar to what’s inside the Chinese Model Y. However, the light strip panel in this test Model Y vehicle looks a bit tacked on and, and unlike the the longer light strip in the Model 3, only runs to the middle of the door.

Image: Reddit user Abomb1997

Image: Reddit user Abomb1997

Any changes made to the Tesla Model Y, a worldwide best selling car, can be a daunting task — people love the current one, so Tesla needs to make sure it’s still going to have mass appeal with a new look. It was suspected that a new Model Y would just copy the updated Model 3’s taillights with tines and squinty headlights (the front has not been unveiled in this leak).
From the beginning, Model 3 and Y shared many of the same components and lacked distinction in design. Now it looks like you’ll finally be able to tell the two apart at a quick glance, although the rest of the Model Y interior might still end up looking just like the Model 3. Hopefully, the new Model Y won’t copy the steering stalk-free experience from the Model 3 (and in the S, X, and Cybertruck) that JD Power reported customers seem to hate.

What if Cybertruck light bar, but on the back? | Image: Reddit user Abomb1997

Tesla’s Model Y will look a lot different on the back and inside after its rumored redesign, if new photos of the leaked “Juniper” model are to be believed. A user on Reddit shared the images, which include a closeup of the rear of what appears to be an updated Model Y with its security covers removed, revealing a red light bar with “Tesla” lettering running across the hatch. The current model has more traditional taillights on the left and right, with a simple “T” logo on the center.

Another photo shows the interior of the car, which now appears to have seats that are perforated for ventilation, just like in the fully redesigned Model 3, as reported by Not a Tesla App. There’s also an interior ambient light strip running across the dash and doors that’s similar to what’s inside the Chinese Model Y. However, the light strip panel in this test Model Y vehicle looks a bit tacked on and, and unlike the the longer light strip in the Model 3, only runs to the middle of the door.

Image: Reddit user Abomb1997

Image: Reddit user Abomb1997

Any changes made to the Tesla Model Y, a worldwide best selling car, can be a daunting task — people love the current one, so Tesla needs to make sure it’s still going to have mass appeal with a new look. It was suspected that a new Model Y would just copy the updated Model 3’s taillights with tines and squinty headlights (the front has not been unveiled in this leak).

From the beginning, Model 3 and Y shared many of the same components and lacked distinction in design. Now it looks like you’ll finally be able to tell the two apart at a quick glance, although the rest of the Model Y interior might still end up looking just like the Model 3. Hopefully, the new Model Y won’t copy the steering stalk-free experience from the Model 3 (and in the S, X, and Cybertruck) that JD Power reported customers seem to hate.

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Illustration: The Verge

Microsoft and Discord are greatly improving the integration of the communication platform into Xbox consoles. While you’ve been able to stream your gameplay to friends over Discord since last year, you’ll soon be able to watch your friends’ streams whether they’re streaming gameplay from a PC, a mobile phone, or an Xbox.
Xbox Insiders will be the first to get access to viewing Discord streams today, with the feature showing up inside Discord voice calls and in the “happening now” Friends section of the Xbox dashboard. If your friends are talking or streaming in a Discord server, the channel will also now be shown in this section.

Image: Discord
The Discord streams are integrated straight into the Xbox dashboard.

Image: Discord
The UI for watching a Discord stream on Xbox.

Much like watching streams on the Discord app, you’ll be able to mute a friend’s stream or control the volume with the Xbox integration. The stream itself will open in full-screen but natively within the Xbox dashboard experience and won’t require a separate app.
The Xbox and Discord integration is also being improved to support direct calls to friends, so you won’t have to join a Discord server call to get chatting. Microsoft and Discord are also improving the information you see about Discord friends on Xbox, with the ability to see mutual servers and friends and Xbox gamertags.
Sony also recently improved its Discord integration on the PS5 to finally allow owners to join voice calls directly from the console. The PS5 version still lacks the ability to stream gameplay to friends or watch friends’ streams.

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Illustration: The Verge

Microsoft and Discord are greatly improving the integration of the communication platform into Xbox consoles. While you’ve been able to stream your gameplay to friends over Discord since last year, you’ll soon be able to watch your friends’ streams whether they’re streaming gameplay from a PC, a mobile phone, or an Xbox.

Xbox Insiders will be the first to get access to viewing Discord streams today, with the feature showing up inside Discord voice calls and in the “happening now” Friends section of the Xbox dashboard. If your friends are talking or streaming in a Discord server, the channel will also now be shown in this section.

Image: Discord
The Discord streams are integrated straight into the Xbox dashboard.

Image: Discord
The UI for watching a Discord stream on Xbox.

Much like watching streams on the Discord app, you’ll be able to mute a friend’s stream or control the volume with the Xbox integration. The stream itself will open in full-screen but natively within the Xbox dashboard experience and won’t require a separate app.

The Xbox and Discord integration is also being improved to support direct calls to friends, so you won’t have to join a Discord server call to get chatting. Microsoft and Discord are also improving the information you see about Discord friends on Xbox, with the ability to see mutual servers and friends and Xbox gamertags.

Sony also recently improved its Discord integration on the PS5 to finally allow owners to join voice calls directly from the console. The PS5 version still lacks the ability to stream gameplay to friends or watch friends’ streams.

Read More 

Image: Sonos

The hits just keep coming. As Sonos works to get its app back to a better place, it managed to introduce a pretty nasty iOS battery drain problem with last week’s update. Customers were quick to notice and were none too happy with the company for yet another foul-up. Some reported battery usage of well over 50 percent, with the Sonos app running in the background for hours and hours and gradually draining their phone’s charge.
Today’s update to the Sonos app should resolve the battery issue, according to the release notes. The company has committed to rolling out improvements to the software on a biweekly cadence, but according to Sonos community manager Keith Nieves, the team wanted to get this fix out ASAP.
Some customers have embraced third-party apps like SonoPhone while the official app continues through this rough patch. In last week’s letter from CEO Patrick Spence, Sonos laid out planned improvements that it plans to deliver through October. Those include things like improving volume consistency, alarm reliability, and restoring the ability to edit playlists and the upcoming queue from within the Sonos app.

Image: Sonos

The hits just keep coming. As Sonos works to get its app back to a better place, it managed to introduce a pretty nasty iOS battery drain problem with last week’s update. Customers were quick to notice and were none too happy with the company for yet another foul-up. Some reported battery usage of well over 50 percent, with the Sonos app running in the background for hours and hours and gradually draining their phone’s charge.

Today’s update to the Sonos app should resolve the battery issue, according to the release notes. The company has committed to rolling out improvements to the software on a biweekly cadence, but according to Sonos community manager Keith Nieves, the team wanted to get this fix out ASAP.

Some customers have embraced third-party apps like SonoPhone while the official app continues through this rough patch. In last week’s letter from CEO Patrick Spence, Sonos laid out planned improvements that it plans to deliver through October. Those include things like improving volume consistency, alarm reliability, and restoring the ability to edit playlists and the upcoming queue from within the Sonos app.

Read More 

Image: Uber

Uber is teaming up with BYD to bring 100,000 of the Chinese automaker’s electric vehicles to the ride-sharing app. The multi-year partnership will roll out in Europe and Latin America first, giving drivers “best-in-class pricing and financing” for BYD vehicles used with Uber.
Uber says the goal is to encourage more drivers to use EVs as part of its plan to electrify its rides, while also lowering the cost of EV ownership. Along with potential discounts on financing and loans, the partnership could give BYD drivers price cuts on charging and vehicle maintenance, depending on the market.
Both companies plan to bring the partnership to the Middle East, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand in the future. Uber announced a similar partnership in 2022 that let drivers rent EVs from Hertz. But Hertz ended up scaling back the program after finding higher rates of vehicle damage among Uber drivers.

.@Uber has the most widely available on-demand EV network in the world. @BYDGlobal is a global leader in EV production. Together, we’re making it easier for @Uber drivers in Europe, Latin America and Asia to make the switch and go green ⚡️https://t.co/6AqMgl2heU— dara khosrowshahi (@dkhos) July 31, 2024

Additionally, Uber and BYD will work together to bring more autonomous vehicles to the ride-sharing platform. Uber began offering rides with the robotaxi company Waymo last year and expanded its partnership to include autonomous food delivery in April. “This collaboration marks a new era in the electrification of urban mobility, and we look forward to seeing our cutting-edge EVs become a common sight on the streets of cities worldwide,” Stella Li, the CEO of BYD Americas, says in the announcement.
It’s not clear how Uber’s partnership with BYD will pan out, especially as countries around the globe restrict sales of EVs made in China. The Chinese government provides billions in subsidies to EV automakers in the country, allowing them to sell EVs cheaper than rivals and potentially harming foreign competition. The US raised the tariffs on EVs from China in May, and the European Union followed suit with an extra 17.4 percent tariff on BYD imports in July.

Image: Uber

Uber is teaming up with BYD to bring 100,000 of the Chinese automaker’s electric vehicles to the ride-sharing app. The multi-year partnership will roll out in Europe and Latin America first, giving drivers “best-in-class pricing and financing” for BYD vehicles used with Uber.

Uber says the goal is to encourage more drivers to use EVs as part of its plan to electrify its rides, while also lowering the cost of EV ownership. Along with potential discounts on financing and loans, the partnership could give BYD drivers price cuts on charging and vehicle maintenance, depending on the market.

Both companies plan to bring the partnership to the Middle East, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand in the future. Uber announced a similar partnership in 2022 that let drivers rent EVs from Hertz. But Hertz ended up scaling back the program after finding higher rates of vehicle damage among Uber drivers.

Additionally, Uber and BYD will work together to bring more autonomous vehicles to the ride-sharing platform. Uber began offering rides with the robotaxi company Waymo last year and expanded its partnership to include autonomous food delivery in April. “This collaboration marks a new era in the electrification of urban mobility, and we look forward to seeing our cutting-edge EVs become a common sight on the streets of cities worldwide,” Stella Li, the CEO of BYD Americas, says in the announcement.

It’s not clear how Uber’s partnership with BYD will pan out, especially as countries around the globe restrict sales of EVs made in China. The Chinese government provides billions in subsidies to EV automakers in the country, allowing them to sell EVs cheaper than rivals and potentially harming foreign competition. The US raised the tariffs on EVs from China in May, and the European Union followed suit with an extra 17.4 percent tariff on BYD imports in July.

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Image: Microsoft

I’m fairly confident Microsoft has created more Xbox controllers than I’ve eaten hot dinners at this point, but I’m always happy to see another translucent option. This time, it’s the new “Sky Cipher Special Edition” controller, which includes a translucent blue design that lets you see the inner workings of the Xbox controller.
Microsoft has created white, black, and even pink translucent controllers in the past, but only the top half of those featured the effect. This new blue model is now mostly translucent, apart from the rear, grips, and buttons. It matches the special 20th edition model that was released in 2021. Microsoft has opted for two-tone thumbsticks, a matching D-pad, and blue metallic triggers.

Image: Microsoft
The translucent effect doesn’t fade away on this model.

Apart from the translucent effect, this is the same Xbox Series S / X controller that’s been available for years now. It includes a 3.5mm audio jack, USB-C connectivity, and up to 40 hours of battery life.
The Sky Cipher is the first to ship with new environmentally friendly Xbox controller packaging, though. “Single-use plastics have been removed from the packaging and the traditional paper manual has been replaced with a QR code for a digital quick start guide,” says Daniel Ruiz, senior marketing manager for Xbox accessories. “Additionally, the packaging is now 22 percent smaller and 21 percent lighter, further reducing its environmental footprint (previously 177mm x 175.4mm x 72mm and 152.3g).”
The Sky Cipher Xbox controller is available to preorder today, priced at $69.99.

Image: Microsoft

I’m fairly confident Microsoft has created more Xbox controllers than I’ve eaten hot dinners at this point, but I’m always happy to see another translucent option. This time, it’s the new “Sky Cipher Special Edition” controller, which includes a translucent blue design that lets you see the inner workings of the Xbox controller.

Microsoft has created white, black, and even pink translucent controllers in the past, but only the top half of those featured the effect. This new blue model is now mostly translucent, apart from the rear, grips, and buttons. It matches the special 20th edition model that was released in 2021. Microsoft has opted for two-tone thumbsticks, a matching D-pad, and blue metallic triggers.

Image: Microsoft
The translucent effect doesn’t fade away on this model.

Apart from the translucent effect, this is the same Xbox Series S / X controller that’s been available for years now. It includes a 3.5mm audio jack, USB-C connectivity, and up to 40 hours of battery life.

The Sky Cipher is the first to ship with new environmentally friendly Xbox controller packaging, though. “Single-use plastics have been removed from the packaging and the traditional paper manual has been replaced with a QR code for a digital quick start guide,” says Daniel Ruiz, senior marketing manager for Xbox accessories. “Additionally, the packaging is now 22 percent smaller and 21 percent lighter, further reducing its environmental footprint (previously 177mm x 175.4mm x 72mm and 152.3g).”

The Sky Cipher Xbox controller is available to preorder today, priced at $69.99.

Read More 

Amazon’s largest e-reader to date is also the only Kindle specifically built for taking notes. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

From AirPods to the Echo Pop, we’ve seen a handful of recent Prime Day standouts resurface as part of Best Buy’s latest sales event. The retailer’s current promo on Amazon devices also extends to the Kindle Scribe, which you can grab at Best Buy and Target with 16G of storage and a Basic Pen for an all-time low of $234.99 ($105 off). You can also buy it with the Premium Pen at Best Buy for $279.99 ($110 off).

If you’re someone who is already embedded in Amazon’s ecosystem, few note-taking ebook readers can rival the Kindle Scribe. It’s a great device with a sharp 10.2-inch display and battery life that’s on par with Amazon’s entry-level Kindle, allowing you to read uninterrupted for weeks at a time. Yet, unlike Amazon’s other e-readers, the Scribe offers decent note-taking capabilities via built-in notebooks, which provide multiple layouts, organizational tools, and pen styles for a more customized experience.
It’s a shame that the Scribe doesn’t allow you to annotate books directly like you can with the Kobo Elipsa 2E, which has become my favorite note-taking e-reader partly for that reason. But if your library consists of mainly Kindle ebooks, it’s still a good option with native support for Kindle books and the ability to take notes with select titles. Plus, since launching the Scribe, Amazon has added several new features via OTA updates — including the ability to convert handwriting into typed text — making it more capable than it was when we first reviewed it.

Read our original Kindle Scribe review.

Some more ways to save today

Now through August 11th, Nintendo is taking up to 50 percent off a range of multiplayer Nintendo Switch titles as part of its “Play Together” sale. If the 2024 Olympics has got you in the mood for sports games, you can save on both Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 ($23.99) and Nintendo Switch Sports ($27.99). You can also grab tactical roleplaying titles like Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes ($41.99) as well as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge ($16.19), which is essentially a modern take on the old-school beat-’em-ups that defined the ’90s.

Amazon’s latest Echo Show 8 has returned to its all-time low of $84.99 ($65 off) at Best Buy and Target. The responsive Alexa-enabled smart display delivers better sound than its last-gen predecessor and functions as a more helpful touchscreen controller with support for up to four widgets. It can also act as a Zigbee hub, a Matter controller, and a Thread border router, so you can control almost any smart gadget you own with ease. Read our review.
If you’re traveling internationally this summer, you can pick up the Epicka Universal Travel Adapter at Amazon for just $19.99 ($5 off), which matches its lowest price to date. Epicka’s all-in-one adapter sports a single USB-C port and four standard USB-A ports, letting you quickly charge a variety of electronics; it also works in more than 150 countries, from England and France to Japan and Argentina, making it suitable for almost anywhere.

Amazon’s largest e-reader to date is also the only Kindle specifically built for taking notes. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

From AirPods to the Echo Pop, we’ve seen a handful of recent Prime Day standouts resurface as part of Best Buy’s latest sales event. The retailer’s current promo on Amazon devices also extends to the Kindle Scribe, which you can grab at Best Buy and Target with 16G of storage and a Basic Pen for an all-time low of $234.99 ($105 off). You can also buy it with the Premium Pen at Best Buy for $279.99 ($110 off).

If you’re someone who is already embedded in Amazon’s ecosystem, few note-taking ebook readers can rival the Kindle Scribe. It’s a great device with a sharp 10.2-inch display and battery life that’s on par with Amazon’s entry-level Kindle, allowing you to read uninterrupted for weeks at a time. Yet, unlike Amazon’s other e-readers, the Scribe offers decent note-taking capabilities via built-in notebooks, which provide multiple layouts, organizational tools, and pen styles for a more customized experience.

It’s a shame that the Scribe doesn’t allow you to annotate books directly like you can with the Kobo Elipsa 2E, which has become my favorite note-taking e-reader partly for that reason. But if your library consists of mainly Kindle ebooks, it’s still a good option with native support for Kindle books and the ability to take notes with select titles. Plus, since launching the Scribe, Amazon has added several new features via OTA updates — including the ability to convert handwriting into typed text — making it more capable than it was when we first reviewed it.

Read our original Kindle Scribe review.

Some more ways to save today

Now through August 11th, Nintendo is taking up to 50 percent off a range of multiplayer Nintendo Switch titles as part of its “Play Together” sale. If the 2024 Olympics has got you in the mood for sports games, you can save on both Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 ($23.99) and Nintendo Switch Sports ($27.99). You can also grab tactical roleplaying titles like Fire Emblem Warriors: Three Hopes ($41.99) as well as Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Shredder’s Revenge ($16.19), which is essentially a modern take on the old-school beat-’em-ups that defined the ’90s.

Amazon’s latest Echo Show 8 has returned to its all-time low of $84.99 ($65 off) at Best Buy and Target. The responsive Alexa-enabled smart display delivers better sound than its last-gen predecessor and functions as a more helpful touchscreen controller with support for up to four widgets. It can also act as a Zigbee hub, a Matter controller, and a Thread border router, so you can control almost any smart gadget you own with ease. Read our review.
If you’re traveling internationally this summer, you can pick up the Epicka Universal Travel Adapter at Amazon for just $19.99 ($5 off), which matches its lowest price to date. Epicka’s all-in-one adapter sports a single USB-C port and four standard USB-A ports, letting you quickly charge a variety of electronics; it also works in more than 150 countries, from England and France to Japan and Argentina, making it suitable for almost anywhere.

Read More 

Photo by Jamie Squire / Getty Images

As part of a new partnership with the NFL, Sony is developing a new set of headphones for NFL coaches that will debut during the 2025 season. The new headphones are being built “from the ground up,” Sony Electronics’ Matthew Parnell tells The Verge in a briefing, and Sony engineers have already started working with NFL operations teams on the product.
Sony’s new headset for coaches will be a “brand new model,” Parnell says, and the company will have to make sure it can withstand many kinds of weather and still work in loud stadiums. The headphones will also use private 5G networks from Verizon so that coaches can communicate with each other — current headphones use Verizon’s CBRS wireless connection.
It’s unclear to what extent the new headphones for coaches will borrow from products like Sony’s WH-1000XM5 and the company’s well-regarded noise cancellation tech, as the new product doesn’t actually exist today and won’t exist “until we get further along in the development process over the course of the next nine to 12 months,” Parnell says. But “it’s a collaboration to the nth-degree with the NFL team on what they want and what they need us to build,” he says.
“We are known and recognized for our noise canceling, our sound quality, all the things that make our consumer headphones so amazing,” says Sony’s Maya Wasserman. “Bringing that technology and integrating in all the really specific needs that the NFL has for this headset is very exciting for us.”
We’ll have to wait and see if Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel will appreciate the new set or petition the league to switch back to Bose so he can hear his offensive coordinator and YG a little more clearly.
Sony will also be an official technology partner for the NFL, and as part of that, the NFL will expand its use of Sony’s Hawk-Eye tracking technology. Starting with this season’s preseason games, the NFL will test using Hawk-Eye to help measure progression toward first downs, says the NFL’s Tracie Rodburg. Hawk-Eye will be installed in all stadiums, Rodburg says. And in “coming seasons,” the Hawk-Eye team and the NFL will work together on developing a “next-generation officiating technology” that can review and make critical rulings on plays, according to a press release.

Photo by Jamie Squire / Getty Images

As part of a new partnership with the NFL, Sony is developing a new set of headphones for NFL coaches that will debut during the 2025 season. The new headphones are being built “from the ground up,” Sony Electronics’ Matthew Parnell tells The Verge in a briefing, and Sony engineers have already started working with NFL operations teams on the product.

Sony’s new headset for coaches will be a “brand new model,” Parnell says, and the company will have to make sure it can withstand many kinds of weather and still work in loud stadiums. The headphones will also use private 5G networks from Verizon so that coaches can communicate with each other — current headphones use Verizon’s CBRS wireless connection.

It’s unclear to what extent the new headphones for coaches will borrow from products like Sony’s WH-1000XM5 and the company’s well-regarded noise cancellation tech, as the new product doesn’t actually exist today and won’t exist “until we get further along in the development process over the course of the next nine to 12 months,” Parnell says. But “it’s a collaboration to the nth-degree with the NFL team on what they want and what they need us to build,” he says.

“We are known and recognized for our noise canceling, our sound quality, all the things that make our consumer headphones so amazing,” says Sony’s Maya Wasserman. “Bringing that technology and integrating in all the really specific needs that the NFL has for this headset is very exciting for us.”

We’ll have to wait and see if Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel will appreciate the new set or petition the league to switch back to Bose so he can hear his offensive coordinator and YG a little more clearly.

Sony will also be an official technology partner for the NFL, and as part of that, the NFL will expand its use of Sony’s Hawk-Eye tracking technology. Starting with this season’s preseason games, the NFL will test using Hawk-Eye to help measure progression toward first downs, says the NFL’s Tracie Rodburg. Hawk-Eye will be installed in all stadiums, Rodburg says. And in “coming seasons,” the Hawk-Eye team and the NFL will work together on developing a “next-generation officiating technology” that can review and make critical rulings on plays, according to a press release.

Read More 

Image: Álvaro Bernis / The Verge

Wix is releasing new generative AI tools that can produce entire SEO-optimized blog posts, right down to the imagery. Available now for English-speaking users of the website builder, Wix says its new tools can create “AI-generated drafts or outlines” that real human writers can use as a foundation to create blog posts that maintain “the quality and authenticity of user-generated content.”
“We see that on average sites with blogs get 86 percent more organic traffic compared to sites without blogs,” said Wix blog general manager Einat Halperin in the announcement. “With our range of new blog creation tools, we’re looking forward to more users producing top-notch content.”
Wix is being blunt about why these tools exist: SEO-optimized blog posts get ranked higher on Google, and Google results drive people to websites. Now, with AI tools, you don’t even have to write the blog posts yourself. The result will be a web further filled with AI-generated garbage at the expense of legitimate, genuinely useful information.

The suite of AI-powered blogging features can suggest topics for upcoming posts based on previously published blog content, alongside automatically gathering website information to create posts about specific products, events, or services. Wix says these tools will also offer recommendations for blog titles, copy, and images and allow users to specify SEO keywords to be incorporated throughout the finished blog.
For images specifically, Wix says users can describe the image and style they want to create using prompts. The new blogging tools also allow business users to connect their blogs to the Wix business solutions platform, enabling them to access features like sending promotional emails to subscribers and linking blog content to pricing plans.
This is one of several AI-related projects that Wix has been attached to over the last few years. In March, the platform released an AI chatbot that enables users to build entire websites using descriptive text-based prompts, and art portfolio site DeviantArt — which Wix acquired in 2017 — has allowed its users to host, generate, and sell AI-generated content on the platform, which has drawn scrutiny from the online creator community. When interviewed on the Decoder podcast last year, Wix CEO Avishai Abrahami said he isn’t concerned about the potential for AI-generated SEO content to destroy web-based business models.

Image: Álvaro Bernis / The Verge

Wix is releasing new generative AI tools that can produce entire SEO-optimized blog posts, right down to the imagery. Available now for English-speaking users of the website builder, Wix says its new tools can create “AI-generated drafts or outlines” that real human writers can use as a foundation to create blog posts that maintain “the quality and authenticity of user-generated content.”

“We see that on average sites with blogs get 86 percent more organic traffic compared to sites without blogs,” said Wix blog general manager Einat Halperin in the announcement. “With our range of new blog creation tools, we’re looking forward to more users producing top-notch content.”

Wix is being blunt about why these tools exist: SEO-optimized blog posts get ranked higher on Google, and Google results drive people to websites. Now, with AI tools, you don’t even have to write the blog posts yourself. The result will be a web further filled with AI-generated garbage at the expense of legitimate, genuinely useful information.

The suite of AI-powered blogging features can suggest topics for upcoming posts based on previously published blog content, alongside automatically gathering website information to create posts about specific products, events, or services. Wix says these tools will also offer recommendations for blog titles, copy, and images and allow users to specify SEO keywords to be incorporated throughout the finished blog.

For images specifically, Wix says users can describe the image and style they want to create using prompts. The new blogging tools also allow business users to connect their blogs to the Wix business solutions platform, enabling them to access features like sending promotional emails to subscribers and linking blog content to pricing plans.

This is one of several AI-related projects that Wix has been attached to over the last few years. In March, the platform released an AI chatbot that enables users to build entire websites using descriptive text-based prompts, and art portfolio site DeviantArt — which Wix acquired in 2017 — has allowed its users to host, generate, and sell AI-generated content on the platform, which has drawn scrutiny from the online creator community. When interviewed on the Decoder podcast last year, Wix CEO Avishai Abrahami said he isn’t concerned about the potential for AI-generated SEO content to destroy web-based business models.

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Illustration: The Verge

Google is rolling out new online safety features that make it easier to remove explicit deepfakes from Search at scale and prevent them from appearing high up in search results in the first place.
When users successfully request the removal of explicit nonconsensual fake content that depicts them from Search, Google’s systems will now also aim to filter out all explicit results on similar searches about them and remove any duplicate images.
“These protections have already proven to be successful in addressing other types of non-consensual imagery, and we’ve now built the same capabilities for fake explicit images as well,” Google product manager Emma Higham said in the announcement. “These efforts are designed to give people added peace of mind, especially if they’re concerned about similar content about them popping up in the future.”
Google Search queries that intentionally seek deepfake images of a real person should instead surface “high-quality, non-explicit content”
Google Search rankings are also being adjusted to better handle queries that carry a higher risk of surfacing explicit fake content. For example, searches that intentionally seek deepfake images of a real person (such as the sexually explicit AI-generated images of Taylor Swift that were circulated earlier this year) should instead surface “high-quality, non-explicit content” like relevant news stories. Sites that receive a substantial amount of removals for fake explicit imagery will be demoted in Google Search rankings.
Google says that previous updates have reduced exposure to explicit image results on queries that are specifically looking for such deepfake content by over 70 percent this year. The company is also working on a way to distinguish between real explicit content — such as an actor’s consensual nude scenes — and explicit fake content so that legitimate images can still be surfaced while demoting deepfakes.
These updates follow similar changes that Google has made to tackle how dangerous and / or explicit content appears online. In May, Google started banning advertisers from promoting deepfake porn services. Google also expanded the types of “doxxing” information that can be removed from Search in 2022 and started blurring sexually explicit imagery by default in August 2023.

Illustration: The Verge

Google is rolling out new online safety features that make it easier to remove explicit deepfakes from Search at scale and prevent them from appearing high up in search results in the first place.

When users successfully request the removal of explicit nonconsensual fake content that depicts them from Search, Google’s systems will now also aim to filter out all explicit results on similar searches about them and remove any duplicate images.

“These protections have already proven to be successful in addressing other types of non-consensual imagery, and we’ve now built the same capabilities for fake explicit images as well,” Google product manager Emma Higham said in the announcement. “These efforts are designed to give people added peace of mind, especially if they’re concerned about similar content about them popping up in the future.”

Google Search rankings are also being adjusted to better handle queries that carry a higher risk of surfacing explicit fake content. For example, searches that intentionally seek deepfake images of a real person (such as the sexually explicit AI-generated images of Taylor Swift that were circulated earlier this year) should instead surface “high-quality, non-explicit content” like relevant news stories. Sites that receive a substantial amount of removals for fake explicit imagery will be demoted in Google Search rankings.

Google says that previous updates have reduced exposure to explicit image results on queries that are specifically looking for such deepfake content by over 70 percent this year. The company is also working on a way to distinguish between real explicit content — such as an actor’s consensual nude scenes — and explicit fake content so that legitimate images can still be surfaced while demoting deepfakes.

These updates follow similar changes that Google has made to tackle how dangerous and / or explicit content appears online. In May, Google started banning advertisers from promoting deepfake porn services. Google also expanded the types of “doxxing” information that can be removed from Search in 2022 and started blurring sexually explicit imagery by default in August 2023.

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Improved incident reporting UI and new Destination Guidance in Google Maps. | Image: Google

Google is updating its two navigation apps — Google Maps and Waze — with a slew of new features, including some changes that bring the two closer together.
One of the big updates here continues to integrate the biggest features from Waze directly into Maps. Maps is getting improved Waze-like incident reporting that adds larger icons to share updates like road closures, construction, speed cameras, or police presence. Other drivers will be prompted to confirm incidents with a tap.
It can feel like Waze and Google Maps are on a collision course, but the two apps continue to remain separate. Head of product for Google Maps Can Comertoglu told The Verge at a press briefing on Tuesday that Waze users are very dedicated. “They prefer some of the things that Waze does over Google Maps, and we know the reverse is true as well.” Waze has over 500,000 contributors, Waze director Tim Queenan tells us.
Google Maps service is also adding new destination guidance that will identify a building’s entrance as you approach it. The feature will pinpoint the exact building you’re navigating to by highlighting it in red, with a green indicator pointing to the main entrance of the building. Google will also start showing nearby parking lots.
The improved incident reporting is rolling out now to Google Maps on Android, iOS, cars with Google Built-in, and Android Auto and Apple Carplay, while the destination guidance is rolling out “in the coming weeks.”

GIF: Google
Waze has support for reporting of different types of traffic cameras.

GIF: Google
New Waze notification for events causing road closures.

Not to be overshadowed by Google Maps, Waze is getting some new tricks, too. Waze users can now report new types of traffic cameras, like ones that go off if you drive in the bus or HOV lanes, or ones that check for seatbelts and whether you’re texting and driving.
Waze also has a new dedicated experience for event information that can tell you about road closures for area happenings, like a marathon, concert, or ballgame. You’ll get a push notification after the first road closure for an event that is near your work or home address, or somewhere you drove to recently. The new feature is launching with the 2024 Olympic games and will roll out for future events as well.

Improved incident reporting UI and new Destination Guidance in Google Maps. | Image: Google

Google is updating its two navigation apps — Google Maps and Waze — with a slew of new features, including some changes that bring the two closer together.

One of the big updates here continues to integrate the biggest features from Waze directly into Maps. Maps is getting improved Waze-like incident reporting that adds larger icons to share updates like road closures, construction, speed cameras, or police presence. Other drivers will be prompted to confirm incidents with a tap.

It can feel like Waze and Google Maps are on a collision course, but the two apps continue to remain separate. Head of product for Google Maps Can Comertoglu told The Verge at a press briefing on Tuesday that Waze users are very dedicated. “They prefer some of the things that Waze does over Google Maps, and we know the reverse is true as well.” Waze has over 500,000 contributors, Waze director Tim Queenan tells us.

Google Maps service is also adding new destination guidance that will identify a building’s entrance as you approach it. The feature will pinpoint the exact building you’re navigating to by highlighting it in red, with a green indicator pointing to the main entrance of the building. Google will also start showing nearby parking lots.

The improved incident reporting is rolling out now to Google Maps on Android, iOS, cars with Google Built-in, and Android Auto and Apple Carplay, while the destination guidance is rolling out “in the coming weeks.”

Not to be overshadowed by Google Maps, Waze is getting some new tricks, too. Waze users can now report new types of traffic cameras, like ones that go off if you drive in the bus or HOV lanes, or ones that check for seatbelts and whether you’re texting and driving.

Waze also has a new dedicated experience for event information that can tell you about road closures for area happenings, like a marathon, concert, or ballgame. You’ll get a push notification after the first road closure for an event that is near your work or home address, or somewhere you drove to recently. The new feature is launching with the 2024 Olympic games and will roll out for future events as well.

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