verge-rss

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) has shut down its digital ID app, Florida Smart ID, for iPhones and Android phones. The department emailed users asking them to delete the app and said it’s looking for another vendor to help it revive the service by “early 2025,” according to 9to5Mac.
The state promoted its Smart ID app as a contact-free way to show proof of age or identity at stores or when talking to police, but now it’s gone. According to a report by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel last year, not many people were using it, with only 95,000 activations out of more than 17 million licensed drivers, and many police departments said they weren’t using it, either.
The state department has posted this statement on its website:
The Florida Smart ID applications will be updated and improved by a new vendor. At this time, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles is removing the current Florida Smart ID application from the app store. Please email FloridaSmartID@flhsmv.gov to receive notification of future availability.

I’ve been using the Florida smart ID for a while and just received an email out of the blue that they are redeveloping with a new vendor and thus the virtual ID can’t be used until 2025. What the heck. Florida is such a mess.— Korin Reid (@korinreid) July 10, 2024

The agency reported issues with the service near the end of June before it was shut down, apparently in early July.
Other states, like Louisiana and New York, are part of a slowly increasing number of states adopting digital IDs. Like Florida, they’re offering the service through their own apps, while other states like Maryland and Arizona support digital IDs added to Google Wallet or Apple Wallet.

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

The Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles (FLHSMV) has shut down its digital ID app, Florida Smart ID, for iPhones and Android phones. The department emailed users asking them to delete the app and said it’s looking for another vendor to help it revive the service by “early 2025,” according to 9to5Mac.

The state promoted its Smart ID app as a contact-free way to show proof of age or identity at stores or when talking to police, but now it’s gone. According to a report by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel last year, not many people were using it, with only 95,000 activations out of more than 17 million licensed drivers, and many police departments said they weren’t using it, either.

The state department has posted this statement on its website:

The Florida Smart ID applications will be updated and improved by a new vendor. At this time, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles is removing the current Florida Smart ID application from the app store. Please email FloridaSmartID@flhsmv.gov to receive notification of future availability.

The agency reported issues with the service near the end of June before it was shut down, apparently in early July.

Other states, like Louisiana and New York, are part of a slowly increasing number of states adopting digital IDs. Like Florida, they’re offering the service through their own apps, while other states like Maryland and Arizona support digital IDs added to Google Wallet or Apple Wallet.

Read More 

Walmart’s exclusive Switch Lite deal includes a digital copy of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. | Image: Nintendo

From terrific deals on MacBooks to the Super Mario Party Joy-Con bundle, Walmart’s rival Prime Day sale has surprised us with some pretty good deals. Today, we’re highlighting another one that’s perfect if you’re looking for something to keep the kids (or yourself) entertained this summer. Right now, you can buy an Animal Crossing-themed Nintendo Switch Lite at Walmart for just $159 ($41 off), which is the best price we’ve seen on Timmy & Tommy’s Aloha Edition bundle, which includes a digital copy of Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

The Nintendo Switch Lite plays many of the same games as the standard Switch and the step-up OLED model, with similar battery life and performance. However, it can’t connect to TVs or play titles that require detachable Joy-Con controllers. At 5.5 inches, the kickstand-less handheld is also lighter and smaller than its hybrid siblings, rendering it a better option if you want something to entertain yourself while traveling. The display shares the same resolution as the standard model, but it appears sharper given the reduced size; it also features better controls thanks to the inclusion of a proper directional pad.

It’s worth mentioning that Nintendo plans to release a so-called “Switch 2” next year. The Switch Lite is pretty old by this point, though it’s still worth picking up if you want to play any of the forthcoming titles announced during the most recent Nintendo Direct — including The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom and Mario & Luigi: Brothership, both of which arrive in the fall.

Read our Nintendo Switch Lite review.

Walmart’s exclusive Switch Lite deal includes a digital copy of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. | Image: Nintendo

From terrific deals on MacBooks to the Super Mario Party Joy-Con bundle, Walmart’s rival Prime Day sale has surprised us with some pretty good deals. Today, we’re highlighting another one that’s perfect if you’re looking for something to keep the kids (or yourself) entertained this summer. Right now, you can buy an Animal Crossing-themed Nintendo Switch Lite at Walmart for just $159 ($41 off), which is the best price we’ve seen on Timmy & Tommy’s Aloha Edition bundle, which includes a digital copy of Animal Crossing: New Horizons.

The Nintendo Switch Lite plays many of the same games as the standard Switch and the step-up OLED model, with similar battery life and performance. However, it can’t connect to TVs or play titles that require detachable Joy-Con controllers. At 5.5 inches, the kickstand-less handheld is also lighter and smaller than its hybrid siblings, rendering it a better option if you want something to entertain yourself while traveling. The display shares the same resolution as the standard model, but it appears sharper given the reduced size; it also features better controls thanks to the inclusion of a proper directional pad.

It’s worth mentioning that Nintendo plans to release a so-called “Switch 2” next year. The Switch Lite is pretty old by this point, though it’s still worth picking up if you want to play any of the forthcoming titles announced during the most recent Nintendo Direct — including The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom and Mario & Luigi: Brothership, both of which arrive in the fall.

Read our Nintendo Switch Lite review.

Read More 

The Delta emulator app now provides native iPadOS support. | Image: Riley Testut

The Delta iOS app has released a new update that introduces the retro gaming emulator’s redesigned logo, alongside native iPad support that allows users to play multiple games simultaneously. Users in the EU can download the update immediately via AltStore PAL, but everyone else will have to wait for Apple to approve Delta 1.6 for the App Store, which could take a few days, according to Delta developer Riley Testut.
The app was technically available on iPad before today, but the lack of full support forced it to run as a letterboxed iPhone app, which impacted the emulator’s touch controls and prevented games from using the full iPad screen.
The new Delta 1.6 update rectifies those issues and enables the app to make full use of native iPad features like Stage Manager support, Handoff (presumably to continue gaming sessions started on an iPhone), and Split View — the latter of which allows users to run emulated games across multiple windows.

Image: Riley Testut
The 1.6 update optimizes Delta’s UI to take full advantage of the full-screen iPad display and improves the touchscreen buttons with new virtual controllers.

Delta has also finalized its new app icon, having abandoned the stylized letter “D” it previously used after Adobe took issue with similarities it shared with its own logo. Delta’s updated icon sports a more fragmented look and was designed by Caroline Moore, who also creates all of the emulator’s controller skins.

Image: Riley Testut / Caroline Moore
The new Delta logo (pictured) should be different enough from Adobe’s to soothe its reported threats of legal action.

Testut previously said he was prioritizing providing native iPadOS support over other “big” features, so its release now clears the way for him to work on exciting things like device-to-device multiplayer and Sega Genesis emulation.
Those features would be the icing on an already feature-rich cake considering Delta currently emulates the NES, SNES, N64, Game Boy, GBA, and Nintendo DS and can be played on TVs thanks to AirPlay. One thing it won’t do, however, is run on Android, with Testut confirming to The Verge that there are “no plans” to port over the iOS exclusive.

The Delta emulator app now provides native iPadOS support. | Image: Riley Testut

The Delta iOS app has released a new update that introduces the retro gaming emulator’s redesigned logo, alongside native iPad support that allows users to play multiple games simultaneously. Users in the EU can download the update immediately via AltStore PAL, but everyone else will have to wait for Apple to approve Delta 1.6 for the App Store, which could take a few days, according to Delta developer Riley Testut.

The app was technically available on iPad before today, but the lack of full support forced it to run as a letterboxed iPhone app, which impacted the emulator’s touch controls and prevented games from using the full iPad screen.

The new Delta 1.6 update rectifies those issues and enables the app to make full use of native iPad features like Stage Manager support, Handoff (presumably to continue gaming sessions started on an iPhone), and Split View — the latter of which allows users to run emulated games across multiple windows.

Image: Riley Testut
The 1.6 update optimizes Delta’s UI to take full advantage of the full-screen iPad display and improves the touchscreen buttons with new virtual controllers.

Delta has also finalized its new app icon, having abandoned the stylized letter “D” it previously used after Adobe took issue with similarities it shared with its own logo. Delta’s updated icon sports a more fragmented look and was designed by Caroline Moore, who also creates all of the emulator’s controller skins.

Image: Riley Testut / Caroline Moore
The new Delta logo (pictured) should be different enough from Adobe’s to soothe its reported threats of legal action.

Testut previously said he was prioritizing providing native iPadOS support over other “big” features, so its release now clears the way for him to work on exciting things like device-to-device multiplayer and Sega Genesis emulation.

Those features would be the icing on an already feature-rich cake considering Delta currently emulates the NES, SNES, N64, Game Boy, GBA, and Nintendo DS and can be played on TVs thanks to AirPlay. One thing it won’t do, however, is run on Android, with Testut confirming to The Verge that there are “no plans” to port over the iOS exclusive.

Read More 

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Amazon’s carbon emissions decreased slightly in 2023 after the company ramped up renewable energy purchases and cut down on pollution from construction, hardware, and equipment, according to its latest sustainability report.
Back in 2019, Amazon pledged to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2040. Despite that goal, its carbon emissions actually ballooned soon after — climbing from around 51 million metric tons of CO2 in 2019 to more than 71 million metric tons in 2021. Now it seems that the company’s carbon footprint has shrunk a bit over the past couple years, decreasing 3 percent in 2023 to just under 69 million metric tons of CO2.
To put it in context, Amazon’s carbon footprint last year was roughly equivalent to the annual CO2 emissions from 184 gas-fired power plants. And the company is still pumping out around 34 percent more carbon pollution than it did when it made its climate pledge in 2019. But it’s notable that Amazon’s emissions fell slightly in a year when other tech giants’ pollution shot up with the explosion of new AI tools.
Amazon says the drop is mostly thanks to cleaning up carbon pollution from its electricity use and indirect supply chains emissions, which fell 11 percent and 5 percent, respectively. It also announced that it reached its goal of matching 100 percent of its electricity consumption with renewable energy in 2023, seven years ahead of its 2030 deadline.
Breaking down what “matching” means gets a little tricky, but it’s important for understanding any company’s clean energy goals. Simply put, there isn’t enough renewable energy online yet to meet global climate goals, and siphoning off what’s available to meet a single giant company’s clean energy targets would be pretty unfeasible. Plus, when a company plugs into the grid, it doesn’t control whether the electricity it uses comes from a solar farm or fossil fuel power plant. Instead, companies typically pay to “match” their energy use with Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) meant to support renewable energy projects.
The quality of those RECs makes a difference. RECs can get so cheap that they’re no longer enough of a revenue source to incentivize new clean energy projects. As a result, many companies have overestimated reductions in carbon emissions through RECs, research published in 2022 found. And what’s really needed to stop climate change are new, additional sources of renewable energy.
To try to achieve this, other companies, including Microsoft and Google, have set goals to match their electricity use with locally generated clean energy on an hourly basis (rather than on an annual basis). That’s supposed to support a future where there’s enough renewable energy to rely on 24/7 on any grid a company plugs into.
Another alternative is to enter into a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), a long-term contract to support the development of a clean energy project and / or purchase electricity from it. Amazon is the biggest corporate purchaser of renewable energy, buying more solar and wind power through PPAs than Google and Microsoft combined, according to BloombergNEF.
In comparison, Google and Microsoft saw their greenhouse gas emissions climb roughly 13 and 20 percent, respectively, last year as they infused AI into their products and services. Like Amazon, they’ve seen larger increases since setting climate goals several years ago. Microsoft’s carbon footprint was 30 percent larger in its 2023 fiscal year than it was in 2020, according to its latest sustainability report. Google’s carbon emissions, were 48 percent higher in 2023 compared to 2019. Amazon is also bringing AI to Alexa and other services but is reportedly scrambling to catch up with other big players in the AI race.
Amazon also saw a 13 percent drop in emissions stemming from capital goods last year, as noticed by Bloomberg. That includes things like building construction and new servers, vehicles, and other equipment. The company’s capital expenditures dropped by around $10 billion in 2023, Bloomberg reports. The company grew during the covid pandemic, which sent its carbon emissions skyrocketing at the time. But after cutting down on warehouse and data center costs, its carbon emissions are also sliding.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Amazon’s carbon emissions decreased slightly in 2023 after the company ramped up renewable energy purchases and cut down on pollution from construction, hardware, and equipment, according to its latest sustainability report.

Back in 2019, Amazon pledged to reach net zero carbon emissions by 2040. Despite that goal, its carbon emissions actually ballooned soon after — climbing from around 51 million metric tons of CO2 in 2019 to more than 71 million metric tons in 2021. Now it seems that the company’s carbon footprint has shrunk a bit over the past couple years, decreasing 3 percent in 2023 to just under 69 million metric tons of CO2.

To put it in context, Amazon’s carbon footprint last year was roughly equivalent to the annual CO2 emissions from 184 gas-fired power plants. And the company is still pumping out around 34 percent more carbon pollution than it did when it made its climate pledge in 2019. But it’s notable that Amazon’s emissions fell slightly in a year when other tech giants’ pollution shot up with the explosion of new AI tools.

Amazon says the drop is mostly thanks to cleaning up carbon pollution from its electricity use and indirect supply chains emissions, which fell 11 percent and 5 percent, respectively. It also announced that it reached its goal of matching 100 percent of its electricity consumption with renewable energy in 2023, seven years ahead of its 2030 deadline.

Breaking down what “matching” means gets a little tricky, but it’s important for understanding any company’s clean energy goals. Simply put, there isn’t enough renewable energy online yet to meet global climate goals, and siphoning off what’s available to meet a single giant company’s clean energy targets would be pretty unfeasible. Plus, when a company plugs into the grid, it doesn’t control whether the electricity it uses comes from a solar farm or fossil fuel power plant. Instead, companies typically pay to “match” their energy use with Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs) meant to support renewable energy projects.

The quality of those RECs makes a difference. RECs can get so cheap that they’re no longer enough of a revenue source to incentivize new clean energy projects. As a result, many companies have overestimated reductions in carbon emissions through RECs, research published in 2022 found. And what’s really needed to stop climate change are new, additional sources of renewable energy.

To try to achieve this, other companies, including Microsoft and Google, have set goals to match their electricity use with locally generated clean energy on an hourly basis (rather than on an annual basis). That’s supposed to support a future where there’s enough renewable energy to rely on 24/7 on any grid a company plugs into.

Another alternative is to enter into a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), a long-term contract to support the development of a clean energy project and / or purchase electricity from it. Amazon is the biggest corporate purchaser of renewable energy, buying more solar and wind power through PPAs than Google and Microsoft combined, according to BloombergNEF.

In comparison, Google and Microsoft saw their greenhouse gas emissions climb roughly 13 and 20 percent, respectively, last year as they infused AI into their products and services. Like Amazon, they’ve seen larger increases since setting climate goals several years ago. Microsoft’s carbon footprint was 30 percent larger in its 2023 fiscal year than it was in 2020, according to its latest sustainability report. Google’s carbon emissions, were 48 percent higher in 2023 compared to 2019. Amazon is also bringing AI to Alexa and other services but is reportedly scrambling to catch up with other big players in the AI race.

Amazon also saw a 13 percent drop in emissions stemming from capital goods last year, as noticed by Bloomberg. That includes things like building construction and new servers, vehicles, and other equipment. The company’s capital expenditures dropped by around $10 billion in 2023, Bloomberg reports. The company grew during the covid pandemic, which sent its carbon emissions skyrocketing at the time. But after cutting down on warehouse and data center costs, its carbon emissions are also sliding.

Read More 

Google’s service lets you order your photos to go. | Illustration: The Verge

Apple and Google are offering a new, nearly painless way to copy files from Google Photos to iCloud. As spotted by 9to5Mac, Google is adding iCloud support to its data transfer tool over the next week, making it possible to move your photo library directly to Apple’s service — no download necessary. It’s part of a bigger data portability initiative supported by a handful of big tech companies and complements the iCloud-to-Google-Photos service Apple rolled out in 2021.
The service is pretty straightforward: photos and videos are sent directly to iCloud, so there’s no need to download anything. You can send your whole library at once or specify which albums you want transferred. Google has a list on its support page of the file types you can transfer, which includes common image and video formats. And .webp, for some reason. Initiating a transfer sends a copy of each file to your iCloud account, so the originals will remain in Google Photos unless you delete them manually.
Google is the latest company to offer a tool like this; as part of the Data Transfer Project, Meta released a tool in 2019 that lets you move your Facebook photos to other platforms. Being able to take your photos with you makes it easier to preserve memories and switch between phone ecosystems, should you want to do that.
Big tech companies working together? Unheard of! Letting you take your data with you between platforms is, you know, the right thing to do — and incidentally, it’s the kind of thing regulators love to see.

Google’s service lets you order your photos to go. | Illustration: The Verge

Apple and Google are offering a new, nearly painless way to copy files from Google Photos to iCloud. As spotted by 9to5Mac, Google is adding iCloud support to its data transfer tool over the next week, making it possible to move your photo library directly to Apple’s service — no download necessary. It’s part of a bigger data portability initiative supported by a handful of big tech companies and complements the iCloud-to-Google-Photos service Apple rolled out in 2021.

The service is pretty straightforward: photos and videos are sent directly to iCloud, so there’s no need to download anything. You can send your whole library at once or specify which albums you want transferred. Google has a list on its support page of the file types you can transfer, which includes common image and video formats. And .webp, for some reason. Initiating a transfer sends a copy of each file to your iCloud account, so the originals will remain in Google Photos unless you delete them manually.

Google is the latest company to offer a tool like this; as part of the Data Transfer Project, Meta released a tool in 2019 that lets you move your Facebook photos to other platforms. Being able to take your photos with you makes it easier to preserve memories and switch between phone ecosystems, should you want to do that.

Big tech companies working together? Unheard of! Letting you take your data with you between platforms is, you know, the right thing to do — and incidentally, it’s the kind of thing regulators love to see.

Read More 

Illustration: The Verge

Microsoft has reached a settlement with an industry group backed by European cloud infrastructure providers, quelling an antitrust battle that could have embroiled it for years and resulted in fines. But if Microsoft doesn’t hold up its end of the bargain in the next nine months, the group has promised to revive its antitrust complaint with the European Commission.
The group, Cloud Infrastructure Service Providers in Europe (CISPE), agreed to withdraw its 2022 complaint to the European Commission, where it accused Microsoft of “irreparably damaging the European cloud ecosystem and depriving European customers of choice in their cloud deployments.” It argued at the time that Microsoft’s licensing terms “exacerbate the harms and introduce new forms of tying, lock-in and removal of choice for customers.”
Under the terms of the new agreement, Microsoft will allow European cloud providers to offer its applications and services on local cloud infrastructures, according to CISPE. The group had complained that Microsoft unfairly locked in customers and pushed out competitors by effectively charging a “tax” for popular Microsoft products when used outside of its own cloud service, Azure. With the new version of Azure Stack HCI for European cloud providers announced in the deal, customers of those other cloud providers will get access to virtual desktop infrastructure based on Windows 11, free extended security updates, and pay-as-you-go licensing for SQL Server.
Microsoft will also pay CISPE an undisclosed amount to cover the cost of litigation and fair software licensing campaigns over the last three years
The group also said it would create an independent European Cloud Observatory (ECO), made up of Microsoft, cloud infrastructure vendors in Europe, and European customer associations. ECO will issue regular assessments, reports, and recommendations about how the agreement is implemented. Microsoft will also pay CISPE an undisclosed amount to cover the cost of litigation and fair software licensing campaigns over the last three years. Reuters reported the deal is in the multimillions.
CISPE also said it would not start or support other complaints on the topic of the settlement, though it can still comply with requests for information from regulators.
The group lists Amazon Web Services along with several smaller European providers among its members, though it said AWS was excluded from the negotiations. AWS, Google Cloud Platform, and AliCloud are not included in the settlement.
CISPE secretary general Francisco Mingorance called the agreement a “significant victory for European cloud providers”
This is far from the end of antitrust scrutiny on Microsoft worldwide. UK regulators, for example, have also been investigating Microsoft and Amazon’s cloud licensing practices, and in the US, the Federal Trade Commission has been seeking to understand the relationship between cloud service providers and AI developers.
CISPE secretary general Francisco Mingorance called the agreement a “significant victory for European cloud providers” in a statement alongside the announcement. But another Amazon-linked group that’s been critical of Microsoft’s cloud licensing practices slammed the deal. Coalition for Fair Software Licensing executive director Ryan Triplette said in a statement, “This settlement is Microsoft’s latest attempt to avoid regulatory scrutiny without addressing the underlying anticompetitive practices that impact millions of cloud customers worldwide. Even after this agreement is in place, Microsoft will continue to use its unfair software licensing practices to limit choice, drive up costs, and lock in customers.”
Microsoft president Brad Smith said in a statement the company has been working with CISPE for over a year and is “pleased that we’ve not only resolved their concerns of the past, but also worked together to define a path forward that brings even more competition to the cloud computing market in Europe and beyond.”

Illustration: The Verge

Microsoft has reached a settlement with an industry group backed by European cloud infrastructure providers, quelling an antitrust battle that could have embroiled it for years and resulted in fines. But if Microsoft doesn’t hold up its end of the bargain in the next nine months, the group has promised to revive its antitrust complaint with the European Commission.

The group, Cloud Infrastructure Service Providers in Europe (CISPE), agreed to withdraw its 2022 complaint to the European Commission, where it accused Microsoft of “irreparably damaging the European cloud ecosystem and depriving European customers of choice in their cloud deployments.” It argued at the time that Microsoft’s licensing terms “exacerbate the harms and introduce new forms of tying, lock-in and removal of choice for customers.”

Under the terms of the new agreement, Microsoft will allow European cloud providers to offer its applications and services on local cloud infrastructures, according to CISPE. The group had complained that Microsoft unfairly locked in customers and pushed out competitors by effectively charging a “tax” for popular Microsoft products when used outside of its own cloud service, Azure. With the new version of Azure Stack HCI for European cloud providers announced in the deal, customers of those other cloud providers will get access to virtual desktop infrastructure based on Windows 11, free extended security updates, and pay-as-you-go licensing for SQL Server.

The group also said it would create an independent European Cloud Observatory (ECO), made up of Microsoft, cloud infrastructure vendors in Europe, and European customer associations. ECO will issue regular assessments, reports, and recommendations about how the agreement is implemented. Microsoft will also pay CISPE an undisclosed amount to cover the cost of litigation and fair software licensing campaigns over the last three years. Reuters reported the deal is in the multimillions.

CISPE also said it would not start or support other complaints on the topic of the settlement, though it can still comply with requests for information from regulators.

The group lists Amazon Web Services along with several smaller European providers among its members, though it said AWS was excluded from the negotiations. AWS, Google Cloud Platform, and AliCloud are not included in the settlement.

This is far from the end of antitrust scrutiny on Microsoft worldwide. UK regulators, for example, have also been investigating Microsoft and Amazon’s cloud licensing practices, and in the US, the Federal Trade Commission has been seeking to understand the relationship between cloud service providers and AI developers.

CISPE secretary general Francisco Mingorance called the agreement a “significant victory for European cloud providers” in a statement alongside the announcement. But another Amazon-linked group that’s been critical of Microsoft’s cloud licensing practices slammed the deal. Coalition for Fair Software Licensing executive director Ryan Triplette said in a statement, “This settlement is Microsoft’s latest attempt to avoid regulatory scrutiny without addressing the underlying anticompetitive practices that impact millions of cloud customers worldwide. Even after this agreement is in place, Microsoft will continue to use its unfair software licensing practices to limit choice, drive up costs, and lock in customers.”

Microsoft president Brad Smith said in a statement the company has been working with CISPE for over a year and is “pleased that we’ve not only resolved their concerns of the past, but also worked together to define a path forward that brings even more competition to the cloud computing market in Europe and beyond.”

Read More 

Image: Ford

Ford’s classic Capri coupe is returning as a four-door electric vehicle with a profile resembling other chunky-looking electric crossovers like the Polestar 2.
Ford Europe design director Amko Leenarts says the look follows an imagined evolution of the Capri since production ended in 1986, as inspired by the rising popularity of SUVs.
This beefier Capri follows Ford’s other modern takes on classic nameplates, including the Mustang, which became an electric SUV, and the Maverick, which ended up as a pickup truck.
It will come in rear-wheel and all-wheel-drive extended-range configurations and a “premium” trim option for each. Ford is promising a maximum range of 627km (about 390 miles) on a single charge for the extended-range RWD model, based on European WLTP estimates.

It’s the second model built on Volkswagen’s MEB electric vehicle platform, following the Explorer EV that launched in Europe last year and also has no plans for a US release. The Capri and Explorer have extremely similar specs that line up with the Volkswagen EVs they share platforms with (ID.5 and ID.4, respectively). However, the Capri has a slightly sportier look that might make it more of a middle option amid Ford’s lineup with the Explorer and Mustang Mach-E.

Image: Ford

Ford’s classic Capri coupe is returning as a four-door electric vehicle with a profile resembling other chunky-looking electric crossovers like the Polestar 2.

Ford Europe design director Amko Leenarts says the look follows an imagined evolution of the Capri since production ended in 1986, as inspired by the rising popularity of SUVs.

This beefier Capri follows Ford’s other modern takes on classic nameplates, including the Mustang, which became an electric SUV, and the Maverick, which ended up as a pickup truck.

It will come in rear-wheel and all-wheel-drive extended-range configurations and a “premium” trim option for each. Ford is promising a maximum range of 627km (about 390 miles) on a single charge for the extended-range RWD model, based on European WLTP estimates.

It’s the second model built on Volkswagen’s MEB electric vehicle platform, following the Explorer EV that launched in Europe last year and also has no plans for a US release. The Capri and Explorer have extremely similar specs that line up with the Volkswagen EVs they share platforms with (ID.5 and ID.4, respectively). However, the Capri has a slightly sportier look that might make it more of a middle option amid Ford’s lineup with the Explorer and Mustang Mach-E.

Read More 

CNN’s first subscription offering will arrive later this year. | Photo by Jaap Arriens / NurPhoto via Getty Images

CNN is cutting jobs and restructuring its news operations as part of ongoing efforts by the company to boost its digital offerings and be less dependent on its cable news channel.
The changes, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter from a memo sent to staff on Wednesday by CNN CEO Mark Thompson, include layoffs of “around a hundred” staffers, representing less than 3 percent of the company’s workforce of more than 3,500 employees. The cuts follow layoffs in 2022, including jobs lost when the network’s streaming service, CNN Plus, was shut down less than a month after launching.
Today’s memo also outlined Thompson’s plans to merge CNN’s TV news and digital news teams into a single “Global News organization” that will reduce duplicated efforts and allow “domestic and international news desks” to work together for “big breaking stories.”
As news delivered through social media and other digital sources continues to reduce the viewership of cable news channels, Thompson has been pushing to improve CNN’s digital news offerings since taking over the CEO role last October.
“This effort will include a strategic push into AI.”
Thompson also emphasized a stronger dependence on video, including the launch of two additional ad-supported streaming channels coming later this year and the creation of a new TV Futures Lab that will be responsible for creating streaming programming for CNN Max and developing new ways to bring the company’s news to other digital platforms.
CNN.com will also launch its first direct-to-consumer subscription product before the end of the year. Specific details about the new subscription product weren’t revealed, but it will be part of a wider collection of paid offerings CNN has planned, including news, analysis, and lifestyle content.
The memo also addresses how artificial intelligence will potentially factor in to the future of CNN’s expanded digital offerings. “This effort will include a strategic push into AI to determine how best to safely harness this emerging new technology to serve our audiences and deliver our journalistic goals more effectively and responsively.”

CNN’s first subscription offering will arrive later this year. | Photo by Jaap Arriens / NurPhoto via Getty Images

CNN is cutting jobs and restructuring its news operations as part of ongoing efforts by the company to boost its digital offerings and be less dependent on its cable news channel.

The changes, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter from a memo sent to staff on Wednesday by CNN CEO Mark Thompson, include layoffs of “around a hundred” staffers, representing less than 3 percent of the company’s workforce of more than 3,500 employees. The cuts follow layoffs in 2022, including jobs lost when the network’s streaming service, CNN Plus, was shut down less than a month after launching.

Today’s memo also outlined Thompson’s plans to merge CNN’s TV news and digital news teams into a single “Global News organization” that will reduce duplicated efforts and allow “domestic and international news desks” to work together for “big breaking stories.”

As news delivered through social media and other digital sources continues to reduce the viewership of cable news channels, Thompson has been pushing to improve CNN’s digital news offerings since taking over the CEO role last October.

Thompson also emphasized a stronger dependence on video, including the launch of two additional ad-supported streaming channels coming later this year and the creation of a new TV Futures Lab that will be responsible for creating streaming programming for CNN Max and developing new ways to bring the company’s news to other digital platforms.

CNN.com will also launch its first direct-to-consumer subscription product before the end of the year. Specific details about the new subscription product weren’t revealed, but it will be part of a wider collection of paid offerings CNN has planned, including news, analysis, and lifestyle content.

The memo also addresses how artificial intelligence will potentially factor in to the future of CNN’s expanded digital offerings. “This effort will include a strategic push into AI to determine how best to safely harness this emerging new technology to serve our audiences and deliver our journalistic goals more effectively and responsively.”

Read More 

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Bose is updating its two most recent pairs of earbuds, the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds and the Ultra Open Earbuds, to add support for multipoint Bluetooth. A new software update rolling out to both products will enable them to pair with two devices at the same time for easier multitasking.
The update, which will take a couple weeks to reach all customers, also includes a few bug fixes that are specific to Bose’s rather unique Ultra Open Earbuds. Among them are optimizations to voice pickup, overall connectivity, and a few other improvements.
Multipoint has become a fairly common feature for premium wireless earbuds (AirPods notwithstanding), so I noted its absence as a downside in the reviews of both earbuds. Now the QC Ultra Earbuds and Ultra Open Earbuds are a little more worthy of their respective high-end prices. The former still deliver best-in-class active noise cancellation that outshines pretty much all competitors.
The clip-on Ultra Open Earbuds were more of an unconventional gamble for Bose, but I can report that the company has some interesting features in the pipeline for that product — including a very novel way of incorporating the Ultra Opens into a Bose home theater system. You’ll be hearing more about that in the months to come. For now, Bose has delivered on its promise to bring multipoint to both products.

Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Bose is updating its two most recent pairs of earbuds, the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds and the Ultra Open Earbuds, to add support for multipoint Bluetooth. A new software update rolling out to both products will enable them to pair with two devices at the same time for easier multitasking.

The update, which will take a couple weeks to reach all customers, also includes a few bug fixes that are specific to Bose’s rather unique Ultra Open Earbuds. Among them are optimizations to voice pickup, overall connectivity, and a few other improvements.

Multipoint has become a fairly common feature for premium wireless earbuds (AirPods notwithstanding), so I noted its absence as a downside in the reviews of both earbuds. Now the QC Ultra Earbuds and Ultra Open Earbuds are a little more worthy of their respective high-end prices. The former still deliver best-in-class active noise cancellation that outshines pretty much all competitors.

The clip-on Ultra Open Earbuds were more of an unconventional gamble for Bose, but I can report that the company has some interesting features in the pipeline for that product — including a very novel way of incorporating the Ultra Opens into a Bose home theater system. You’ll be hearing more about that in the months to come. For now, Bose has delivered on its promise to bring multipoint to both products.

Read More 

Image: Amazon

Amazon’s Prime Day is less than a week away, and alongside early deals on its smart home devices, Amazon has started selling the days-old Echo Spot for $44.99 ($35 off), exclusively for Prime members.

Like its predecessor, the new Spot is a combination smart speaker and alarm clock, but it drops the camera that nobody liked putting in their bedroom. It also now borrows its design from the Echo Pop, which Amazon claims should give it better sound quality. And being an Echo speaker, it of course supports Alexa voice commands to set your alarm for the morning, call up a weather forecast, or have news updates read to you. And if having a microphone in your bedroom still feels creepy, the top of the Spot has a dedicated button to turn it off.
Handiness and functionality aside, keep in mind that any smart alarm clock becomes useless if the power goes out since there’s no battery backup.

By the way, here’s a quick aside on some inside baseball (a disclosure, if you will): we don’t usually cover deals on products The Verge has not reviewed unless we have personal experience with them. Since the Echo Spot only just came out, I checked in with our resident smart home reviewer Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, who has started testing the new Spot for her upcoming review. Jen’s early impressions are mostly positive, and she thinks the new Spot should be an excellent value at $45 — but possibly less so at its full price of $80. Keep an eye out for the full review with her final assessment. For now, if you’re a Prime subscriber and don’t mind being an early adopter, this deal could be worthwhile.
Some notable non-Prime Day deals going on right now (open to all)

Woot is offering sizable discounts on a handful of wired Keychron mechanical keyboards through July 12th. The selection of deals includes the 65 percent layout Keychron Q2 for $79.99 ($120 off) and the tenkeyless Q3 for $84.99 (also $120 off). Woot’s offerings include varying colors and switch options for some of the boards (though the Q3 only has clicky blue switches left in stock). These are some great prices on quality keyboards, especially if you’re buying your first mech and want something ready to go out of the box — and you don’t mind it being wired. Read our buying guide.
The Sennheiser Momentum Sport wireless earbuds are $280.50 (about $49 off) at Amazon. These fitness buds offer good sound quality and heart rate tracking, which can be very helpful for anyone averse to wearing a smartwatch or who has wrist tattoos that block the sensors in them. Read our review.
Apple’s 13-inch M2 MacBook Air is selling for $799 ($200 off) at Best Buy. This base-model configuration from 2022 comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, which is a little light but should be serviceable for everyday productivity tasks. The M2 model has a MagSafe port that helpfully frees its two USB-C ports from charging duty, and its battery life is some of the best you’ll find in most laptops today. Read our review.

Image: Amazon

Amazon’s Prime Day is less than a week away, and alongside early deals on its smart home devices, Amazon has started selling the days-old Echo Spot for $44.99 ($35 off), exclusively for Prime members.

Like its predecessor, the new Spot is a combination smart speaker and alarm clock, but it drops the camera that nobody liked putting in their bedroom. It also now borrows its design from the Echo Pop, which Amazon claims should give it better sound quality. And being an Echo speaker, it of course supports Alexa voice commands to set your alarm for the morning, call up a weather forecast, or have news updates read to you. And if having a microphone in your bedroom still feels creepy, the top of the Spot has a dedicated button to turn it off.

Handiness and functionality aside, keep in mind that any smart alarm clock becomes useless if the power goes out since there’s no battery backup.

By the way, here’s a quick aside on some inside baseball (a disclosure, if you will): we don’t usually cover deals on products The Verge has not reviewed unless we have personal experience with them. Since the Echo Spot only just came out, I checked in with our resident smart home reviewer Jennifer Pattison Tuohy, who has started testing the new Spot for her upcoming review. Jen’s early impressions are mostly positive, and she thinks the new Spot should be an excellent value at $45 — but possibly less so at its full price of $80. Keep an eye out for the full review with her final assessment. For now, if you’re a Prime subscriber and don’t mind being an early adopter, this deal could be worthwhile.

Some notable non-Prime Day deals going on right now (open to all)

Woot is offering sizable discounts on a handful of wired Keychron mechanical keyboards through July 12th. The selection of deals includes the 65 percent layout Keychron Q2 for $79.99 ($120 off) and the tenkeyless Q3 for $84.99 (also $120 off). Woot’s offerings include varying colors and switch options for some of the boards (though the Q3 only has clicky blue switches left in stock). These are some great prices on quality keyboards, especially if you’re buying your first mech and want something ready to go out of the box — and you don’t mind it being wired. Read our buying guide.
The Sennheiser Momentum Sport wireless earbuds are $280.50 (about $49 off) at Amazon. These fitness buds offer good sound quality and heart rate tracking, which can be very helpful for anyone averse to wearing a smartwatch or who has wrist tattoos that block the sensors in them. Read our review.
Apple’s 13-inch M2 MacBook Air is selling for $799 ($200 off) at Best Buy. This base-model configuration from 2022 comes with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage, which is a little light but should be serviceable for everyday productivity tasks. The M2 model has a MagSafe port that helpfully frees its two USB-C ports from charging duty, and its battery life is some of the best you’ll find in most laptops today. Read our review.

Read More