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The Jabra Elite 10 gen 2 wireless earbuds (pictured) will still be available, serving as a final farewell to the Elite lineup. | Image: Jabra

Immediately after introducing upgraded versions of its Elite 10 and Elite 8 Active earbuds, Jabra says it’s departing the consumer earbuds market entirely. Jabra’s parent company GN announced that it’s winding down its Elite and Talk audio product ranges in order to “increase focus and resources on more attractive parts” of its business, citing the rising costs of competition.
“The markets have changed over time, and it is today our assessment that we cannot generate a fair return on investment compared to the many other opportunities we have within our Hearing, Enterprise, and Gaming businesses,” said GN CEO Peter Karlstromer. “I am very grateful to our retail partners, who have supported us on the Elite and Talk product lines, as well as to the consumers who made us a part of their lives.”
The departure for Talk — a dated-looking lineup of over-the-ear mono Bluetooth headphones — isn’t surprising given the decline in that category, but Jabra’s Elite range of wireless earbuds have been generally well received since launching in 2016. The decision follows last year’s decision to redirect the Elite lineup towards the premium audio market, with Jabra’s parent now saying the level of investment required to remain competitive is “deemed unjustified in the long-term” despite having initially resulted in “stronger profitability.”
Jabra isn’t exiting the audio category entirely, however, with Digital Trends noting that the company will continue developing its enterprise-focused Evolve lineup. The second-gen Elite 8 Active and Elite 10 earbuds will still be available to buy later this month as the final entries to the Elite lineup. Jabra will continue to provide support for the products for “several years,” and expects its remaining inventory to be depleted by the end of 2024.

The Jabra Elite 10 gen 2 wireless earbuds (pictured) will still be available, serving as a final farewell to the Elite lineup. | Image: Jabra

Immediately after introducing upgraded versions of its Elite 10 and Elite 8 Active earbuds, Jabra says it’s departing the consumer earbuds market entirely. Jabra’s parent company GN announced that it’s winding down its Elite and Talk audio product ranges in order to “increase focus and resources on more attractive parts” of its business, citing the rising costs of competition.

“The markets have changed over time, and it is today our assessment that we cannot generate a fair return on investment compared to the many other opportunities we have within our Hearing, Enterprise, and Gaming businesses,” said GN CEO Peter Karlstromer. “I am very grateful to our retail partners, who have supported us on the Elite and Talk product lines, as well as to the consumers who made us a part of their lives.”

The departure for Talk — a dated-looking lineup of over-the-ear mono Bluetooth headphones — isn’t surprising given the decline in that category, but Jabra’s Elite range of wireless earbuds have been generally well received since launching in 2016. The decision follows last year’s decision to redirect the Elite lineup towards the premium audio market, with Jabra’s parent now saying the level of investment required to remain competitive is “deemed unjustified in the long-term” despite having initially resulted in “stronger profitability.”

Jabra isn’t exiting the audio category entirely, however, with Digital Trends noting that the company will continue developing its enterprise-focused Evolve lineup. The second-gen Elite 8 Active and Elite 10 earbuds will still be available to buy later this month as the final entries to the Elite lineup. Jabra will continue to provide support for the products for “several years,” and expects its remaining inventory to be depleted by the end of 2024.

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Image: Laura Normand / The Verge

Elon Musk had a sexual relationship with a former SpaceX intern, who he later hired onto his executive team, according to The Wall Street Journal. He also had a sexual relationship with a second employee. And a third woman alleged that Musk asked her several times to have his children; she refused. He then denied her a raise and complained about her performance.
One of the women who Musk had a sexual relationship also drew the ire of SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell, who accused her of having an affair with Shotwell’s husband. When the woman reported this to HR, HR told Shotwell. “Shotwell told the HR department at SpaceX that she wanted the woman removed from the office of the chief executive,” The Wall Street Journal wrote.
The Journal’s article cites text messages, emails, and other documents. It is based on interviews with more than 48 people, including friends and family members of the women, as well as former employees.
Musk didn’t reply to WSJ’s requests for comment. Shotwell said the WSJ’s request for comment “paint[s] a completely misleading narrative” of what working for SpaceX is like, and that the WSJ story doesn’t reflect SpaceX’s culture. She also said that SpaceX investigates all harassment complaints and responds appropriately.
In 2021, five former SpaceX employees said there was a “culture of sexual harassment” in the company. One of those women described multiple instances of being groped. A 2022 story reported that a flight attendant on Musk’s private jet said he exposed himself and offered “to buy her a horse in exchange for an erotic massage,” according to Business Insider. Earlier this year, a former SpaceX employee filed a lawsuit alleging sexual abuse and discrimination.
SpaceX is also being investigated by California’s civil rights agency over allegations that the company discriminates against women and retaliated against workers who raised concerns.

Image: Laura Normand / The Verge

Elon Musk had a sexual relationship with a former SpaceX intern, who he later hired onto his executive team, according to The Wall Street Journal. He also had a sexual relationship with a second employee. And a third woman alleged that Musk asked her several times to have his children; she refused. He then denied her a raise and complained about her performance.

One of the women who Musk had a sexual relationship also drew the ire of SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell, who accused her of having an affair with Shotwell’s husband. When the woman reported this to HR, HR told Shotwell. “Shotwell told the HR department at SpaceX that she wanted the woman removed from the office of the chief executive,” The Wall Street Journal wrote.

The Journal’s article cites text messages, emails, and other documents. It is based on interviews with more than 48 people, including friends and family members of the women, as well as former employees.

Musk didn’t reply to WSJ’s requests for comment. Shotwell said the WSJ’s request for comment “paint[s] a completely misleading narrative” of what working for SpaceX is like, and that the WSJ story doesn’t reflect SpaceX’s culture. She also said that SpaceX investigates all harassment complaints and responds appropriately.

In 2021, five former SpaceX employees said there was a “culture of sexual harassment” in the company. One of those women described multiple instances of being groped. A 2022 story reported that a flight attendant on Musk’s private jet said he exposed himself and offered “to buy her a horse in exchange for an erotic massage,” according to Business Insider. Earlier this year, a former SpaceX employee filed a lawsuit alleging sexual abuse and discrimination.

SpaceX is also being investigated by California’s civil rights agency over allegations that the company discriminates against women and retaliated against workers who raised concerns.

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An eighth of a cup of Elmer’s, to be precise. | Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos by Getty Images

You may remember we all had a fun little laugh at Google’s AI search results telling us to put glue in our pizza. Internet legend Katie Notopoulos made and ate a glue pizza. A good time was had by all! Except, whoopsie, Google’s AI is training on our good time.
I will grant the query “how much glue to add to pizza” is an unusual one — but not that unusual given the recent uproar around glue pizza. As spotted by Colin McMillen on Bluesky, if you ask Google how much glue to add to your pizza, the right answer — none! — does not appear. Instead, it cites our girl Katie suggesting you add an eighth of a cup. Whoops!
You may be wondering if this is a faked screenshot. I wondered that, too. But The Verge confirmed by running our own query:

Jake Kastrenakes
Please note the snippet from us suggesting 1/8 of a cup of Elmer’s glue in the pizza sauce.

Just phenomenal stuff here, folks. Every time someone like me reports on Google’s AI getting something wrong, we’re training the AI to be wronger.
Those of us of a, ahem, certain age will remember the phenomenon of “Google bombing;” the classic example was using the words “miserable failure” with a link to George W. Bush. Done frequently enough, the result was that a Google search for “miserable failure” returned, well, George W. Bush. Google figured out how to squish this fun game at some point in the late 2000s, but with its new AI results, hey, the game’s back on! I am just going to write “miserable failure” in the same sentence as George W. Bush once more for old times’ sake, and maybe in a day or two, you’ll get a great new AI search result, who knows!
This is not, by the way, a universal problem. I asked Perplexity.AI how much glue to put on pizza, and it told me, “I would strongly advise against putting any glue on pizza. Glue is not an edible ingredient and consuming it could be toxic and harmful to your health.” It then goes on to explain how the “glue on pizza” meme originated.

Elizabeth Lopatto
Perplexity, a buzzkill, suggests not putting glue on pizza.

ChatGPT doesn’t recommend glue on pizza, either:

Elizabeth Lopatto
ChatGPT is against glue on pizza, on the grounds that is possibly bad for you.

Naturally, this is not the only thing that is going wrong, though it is probably the funniest. This other thing is pretty good though: Google can’t answer questions about its own products anymore, thanks to its AI. Verge editor Richard Lawler asked how to turn on screenshots in Chrome’s Incognito mode. Google’s AI gave two answers, both wrong. In one, it suggests taking a screenshot in a normal Chrome tab.

Richard Lawler
Check out how the wrong AI overview bumps out the correct answer, making Google’s search less useful!

In the other, Google’s AI insists that taking a screenshot in Chrome’s Incognito mode simply isn’t possible:

Richard Lawler
Wrong again!

Unfortunately, by describing this problem, I am fairly sure I am now making it worse. Google is going to slurp up my fine prose describing the issue and feed it back to the unwary as proof that Chrome Incognito screenshots are impossible, and that glue belongs on your pizza. What will mischievous bloggers do with this information, I wonder?

An eighth of a cup of Elmer’s, to be precise. | Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos by Getty Images

You may remember we all had a fun little laugh at Google’s AI search results telling us to put glue in our pizza. Internet legend Katie Notopoulos made and ate a glue pizza. A good time was had by all! Except, whoopsie, Google’s AI is training on our good time.

I will grant the query “how much glue to add to pizza” is an unusual one — but not that unusual given the recent uproar around glue pizza. As spotted by Colin McMillen on Bluesky, if you ask Google how much glue to add to your pizza, the right answer — none! — does not appear. Instead, it cites our girl Katie suggesting you add an eighth of a cup. Whoops!

You may be wondering if this is a faked screenshot. I wondered that, too. But The Verge confirmed by running our own query:

Jake Kastrenakes
Please note the snippet from us suggesting 1/8 of a cup of Elmer’s glue in the pizza sauce.

Just phenomenal stuff here, folks. Every time someone like me reports on Google’s AI getting something wrong, we’re training the AI to be wronger.

Those of us of a, ahem, certain age will remember the phenomenon of “Google bombing;” the classic example was using the words “miserable failure” with a link to George W. Bush. Done frequently enough, the result was that a Google search for “miserable failure” returned, well, George W. Bush. Google figured out how to squish this fun game at some point in the late 2000s, but with its new AI results, hey, the game’s back on! I am just going to write “miserable failure” in the same sentence as George W. Bush once more for old times’ sake, and maybe in a day or two, you’ll get a great new AI search result, who knows!

This is not, by the way, a universal problem. I asked Perplexity.AI how much glue to put on pizza, and it told me, “I would strongly advise against putting any glue on pizza. Glue is not an edible ingredient and consuming it could be toxic and harmful to your health.” It then goes on to explain how the “glue on pizza” meme originated.

Elizabeth Lopatto
Perplexity, a buzzkill, suggests not putting glue on pizza.

ChatGPT doesn’t recommend glue on pizza, either:

Elizabeth Lopatto
ChatGPT is against glue on pizza, on the grounds that is possibly bad for you.

Naturally, this is not the only thing that is going wrong, though it is probably the funniest. This other thing is pretty good though: Google can’t answer questions about its own products anymore, thanks to its AI. Verge editor Richard Lawler asked how to turn on screenshots in Chrome’s Incognito mode. Google’s AI gave two answers, both wrong. In one, it suggests taking a screenshot in a normal Chrome tab.

Richard Lawler
Check out how the wrong AI overview bumps out the correct answer, making Google’s search less useful!

In the other, Google’s AI insists that taking a screenshot in Chrome’s Incognito mode simply isn’t possible:

Richard Lawler
Wrong again!

Unfortunately, by describing this problem, I am fairly sure I am now making it worse. Google is going to slurp up my fine prose describing the issue and feed it back to the unwary as proof that Chrome Incognito screenshots are impossible, and that glue belongs on your pizza. What will mischievous bloggers do with this information, I wonder?

Read More 

The sky, as observed from Zeytinburnu, Istanbul, Turkiye on May 25, 2024. | Photo: Getty Images

A major environmental group is reportedly set to funnel millions of dollars into research on solar geoengineering, a proposed fix for climate change that has garnered skepticism and even fears about unintended consequences.
Solar geoengineering encompasses a range of tactics to cool the planet down by reflecting sunlight, perhaps by artificially brightening clouds or thrusting reflective particles into the atmosphere. Rogue efforts to test these theories have raised alarm because scientists don’t know much about what other effects it could cause. It’s led to calls for more research to close those knowledge gaps before more trials move forward.
The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) plans to dole out “millions of dollars” in grants for solar geoengineering research, The New York Times reports. EDF tells The Verge it shares concerns about solar geoengineering, which is why it’s supporting studies into the potential repercussions it could have.
“We are very concerned about unintended consequences”
“We are very concerned about unintended consequences of [solar geoengineering], which is why we are focusing on policy-relevant research that will help estimate potential impacts and develop the kind of policy-relevant science necessary to help governments make informed decisions,” Lisa Dilling, associate chief scientist at EDF, said in an email.
EDF declined to say just how much money it would invest into solar geoengineering studies. It also declined to say who its funders are for this initiative, although The New York Times names the LAD Climate Fund — led by partners who’ve held leadership roles at Cisco Systems — as one donor.
Next steps include working with scientists to “develop a research agenda with a near-term focus on impacts” and creating a “governance structure,” Dilling says. After putting those guardrails in place, EDF plans to award research projects expected to share their results in journals and conferences.
Heated talks at the United Nations Environment Assembly in March failed to result in new international guidelines for solar geoengineering. Since 2010, there’s been an outdated global moratorium on certain kinds of large-scale geoengineering. The language is vague, excluding small-scale experiments that have moved forward in recent years.
Last week, Alameda, California, voted to prevent University of Washington scientists from testing new technology to spray sea salt particles. It’s part of a strategy to make clouds more reflective called Marine Cloud Brightening (MCB). More than 30 scientists authored a paper in the journal Science Advances in March proposing a research roadmap for MCB.

“Interest in MCB is growing, but policymakers currently don’t have the information they need to reach decisions about if and when MCB should be deployed,” lead author Graham Feingold, a researcher with NOAA’s Chemical Sciences Laboratory, said in a press release at the time.
A decidedly less scientific solar geoengineering outfit sparked backlash last year. Mexico moved to bar future experiments after one geoengineering startup launched weather balloons filled with sulfur dioxide within its borders. The co-founders picked up shop and tried it again in Nevada, grilling fungicide in a parking lot to create the sulfur dioxide gas.
As a pollutant, sulfur dioxide can lead to acid rain. Sending reflective particles into the atmosphere, called stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI), could also widen the Antarctic ozone hole. Those are just a few reasons why experts are worried about moving ahead with solar geoengineering without a better understanding of the potential fallout.
And at the end of the day, environmental advocates want to make sure solar geoengineering doesn’t detract from efforts to transition to cleaner energy — which is the only way to get a real grip on climate change.
“Reducing greenhouse gas emissions as rapidly as possible is essential to addressing climate change. It remains EDF’s top priority,” EDF’s Dilling says.

The sky, as observed from Zeytinburnu, Istanbul, Turkiye on May 25, 2024. | Photo: Getty Images

A major environmental group is reportedly set to funnel millions of dollars into research on solar geoengineering, a proposed fix for climate change that has garnered skepticism and even fears about unintended consequences.

Solar geoengineering encompasses a range of tactics to cool the planet down by reflecting sunlight, perhaps by artificially brightening clouds or thrusting reflective particles into the atmosphere. Rogue efforts to test these theories have raised alarm because scientists don’t know much about what other effects it could cause. It’s led to calls for more research to close those knowledge gaps before more trials move forward.

The Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) plans to dole out “millions of dollars” in grants for solar geoengineering research, The New York Times reports. EDF tells The Verge it shares concerns about solar geoengineering, which is why it’s supporting studies into the potential repercussions it could have.

“We are very concerned about unintended consequences of [solar geoengineering], which is why we are focusing on policy-relevant research that will help estimate potential impacts and develop the kind of policy-relevant science necessary to help governments make informed decisions,” Lisa Dilling, associate chief scientist at EDF, said in an email.

EDF declined to say just how much money it would invest into solar geoengineering studies. It also declined to say who its funders are for this initiative, although The New York Times names the LAD Climate Fund — led by partners who’ve held leadership roles at Cisco Systems — as one donor.

Next steps include working with scientists to “develop a research agenda with a near-term focus on impacts” and creating a “governance structure,” Dilling says. After putting those guardrails in place, EDF plans to award research projects expected to share their results in journals and conferences.

Heated talks at the United Nations Environment Assembly in March failed to result in new international guidelines for solar geoengineering. Since 2010, there’s been an outdated global moratorium on certain kinds of large-scale geoengineering. The language is vague, excluding small-scale experiments that have moved forward in recent years.

Last week, Alameda, California, voted to prevent University of Washington scientists from testing new technology to spray sea salt particles. It’s part of a strategy to make clouds more reflective called Marine Cloud Brightening (MCB). More than 30 scientists authored a paper in the journal Science Advances in March proposing a research roadmap for MCB.

“Interest in MCB is growing, but policymakers currently don’t have the information they need to reach decisions about if and when MCB should be deployed,” lead author Graham Feingold, a researcher with NOAA’s Chemical Sciences Laboratory, said in a press release at the time.

A decidedly less scientific solar geoengineering outfit sparked backlash last year. Mexico moved to bar future experiments after one geoengineering startup launched weather balloons filled with sulfur dioxide within its borders. The co-founders picked up shop and tried it again in Nevada, grilling fungicide in a parking lot to create the sulfur dioxide gas.

As a pollutant, sulfur dioxide can lead to acid rain. Sending reflective particles into the atmosphere, called stratospheric aerosol injection (SAI), could also widen the Antarctic ozone hole. Those are just a few reasons why experts are worried about moving ahead with solar geoengineering without a better understanding of the potential fallout.

And at the end of the day, environmental advocates want to make sure solar geoengineering doesn’t detract from efforts to transition to cleaner energy — which is the only way to get a real grip on climate change.

“Reducing greenhouse gas emissions as rapidly as possible is essential to addressing climate change. It remains EDF’s top priority,” EDF’s Dilling says.

Read More 

Image: Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images

Elon Musk has dropped his lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, accusing the company of a breach of contract and allegedly abandoning its mission of creating AI technology to benefit humanity. As reported earlier by CNBC, the case was dismissed without prejudice, meaning Musk can file it again.
Musk’s decision to withdraw the lawsuit, filed in a California state court in February (case number CGC24612746), comes just one day before a scheduled hearing where the judge would’ve reviewed OpenAI’s request to dismiss the case. It’s also one day after Musk said he would ban Apple devices at his companies if the company integrates OpenAI’s technology into the iPhone and Mac “at the OS level,” among other bizarre threats.

His lawsuit alleged that OpenAI breached an agreement reached with Musk and other founding members, all of whom committed to making OpenAI a nonprofit and keeping its technology open source.
However, as pointed out by The Verge’s Nilay Patel, there were some problems with Musk’s case:
Musk is straightforwardly alleging that OpenAI breached a contract that does not exist. It is simply not a thing! The complaint makes reference to a “Founding Agreement,” but no such Founding Agreement is attached as an exhibit, and the breach of contract claim admits that the “Founding Agreement” is basically a vibe everyone caught in some emails.
OpenAI denied Musk’s claims shortly after he filed the lawsuit, saying the billionaire wanted “absolute control” of the company by merging it with Tesla. The company also said there is “no agreement at all” with Musk.”
Last year, Musk founded an AI company of his own, called xAI, which has created the Grok AI chatbot that’s available with an X Premium subscription. The startup has since raised $6 billion from investors to fund the costly chips needed to power its AI system. Last week, CNBC reported on emails suggesting Musk diverted thousands of Nvidia H100 AI chips that had been reserved for Tesla and had them sent to X.

Image: Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images

Elon Musk has dropped his lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO, Sam Altman, accusing the company of a breach of contract and allegedly abandoning its mission of creating AI technology to benefit humanity. As reported earlier by CNBC, the case was dismissed without prejudice, meaning Musk can file it again.

Musk’s decision to withdraw the lawsuit, filed in a California state court in February (case number CGC24612746), comes just one day before a scheduled hearing where the judge would’ve reviewed OpenAI’s request to dismiss the case. It’s also one day after Musk said he would ban Apple devices at his companies if the company integrates OpenAI’s technology into the iPhone and Mac “at the OS level,” among other bizarre threats.

His lawsuit alleged that OpenAI breached an agreement reached with Musk and other founding members, all of whom committed to making OpenAI a nonprofit and keeping its technology open source.

However, as pointed out by The Verge’s Nilay Patel, there were some problems with Musk’s case:

Musk is straightforwardly alleging that OpenAI breached a contract that does not exist. It is simply not a thing! The complaint makes reference to a “Founding Agreement,” but no such Founding Agreement is attached as an exhibit, and the breach of contract claim admits that the “Founding Agreement” is basically a vibe everyone caught in some emails.

OpenAI denied Musk’s claims shortly after he filed the lawsuit, saying the billionaire wanted “absolute control” of the company by merging it with Tesla. The company also said there is “no agreement at all” with Musk.”

Last year, Musk founded an AI company of his own, called xAI, which has created the Grok AI chatbot that’s available with an X Premium subscription. The startup has since raised $6 billion from investors to fund the costly chips needed to power its AI system. Last week, CNBC reported on emails suggesting Musk diverted thousands of Nvidia H100 AI chips that had been reserved for Tesla and had them sent to X.

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Following weeks of discussions, Paramount’s potential merger deal with Skydance has fallen apart, as reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal. In a statement on Tuesday, Paramount’s parent company, National Amusements, said the companies couldn’t “reach mutually acceptable terms” for its deal with Skydance Media.
One possible issue may have been Skydance’s decision not to include legal protection that would shield National Amusements head Shari Redstone from a lawsuit filed by shareholders, according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter. The WSJ reports that now, Redstone is “likely” to pursue a sale of National Amusements without trying to merge Paramount with another company.
Rumors about a merger with Warner Bros. Discovery emerged last year, and in addition to Skydance, a couple of other suitors have popped up since then, including Apollo Global Management, Sony, and Byron Allen. The dropped deal follows the departure of Paramount CEO Bob Bakish in April, who helmed the company for eight years. Paramount replaced Bakish with a new Office of the CEO consisting of three other executives: Chris McCarthy, Brian Robbins, and George Cheeks.
The company is trying to figure out its streaming service, too, which still hasn’t become profitable. Paramount Plus subscriptions grew after it aired Super Bowl LVIII, but that’s part of its link to CBS — it won’t have a Super Bowl to draw in viewers every year, and there’s only so much Star Trek and Halo can do.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Following weeks of discussions, Paramount’s potential merger deal with Skydance has fallen apart, as reported earlier by The Wall Street Journal. In a statement on Tuesday, Paramount’s parent company, National Amusements, said the companies couldn’t “reach mutually acceptable terms” for its deal with Skydance Media.

One possible issue may have been Skydance’s decision not to include legal protection that would shield National Amusements head Shari Redstone from a lawsuit filed by shareholders, according to a report from The Hollywood Reporter. The WSJ reports that now, Redstone is “likely” to pursue a sale of National Amusements without trying to merge Paramount with another company.

Rumors about a merger with Warner Bros. Discovery emerged last year, and in addition to Skydance, a couple of other suitors have popped up since then, including Apollo Global Management, Sony, and Byron Allen. The dropped deal follows the departure of Paramount CEO Bob Bakish in April, who helmed the company for eight years. Paramount replaced Bakish with a new Office of the CEO consisting of three other executives: Chris McCarthy, Brian Robbins, and George Cheeks.

The company is trying to figure out its streaming service, too, which still hasn’t become profitable. Paramount Plus subscriptions grew after it aired Super Bowl LVIII, but that’s part of its link to CBS — it won’t have a Super Bowl to draw in viewers every year, and there’s only so much Star Trek and Halo can do.

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With Apple Intelligence features coming to older MacBooks, you shouldn’t feel the need to wait for Apple’s M4 chips. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

It’s not surprising that the M3 MacBook Air’s value is strengthening the longer it’s been out, but the laptop is becoming increasingly hard to overlook when compared to the 13-inch M2 model — especially since you can get a 13-inch MacBook Air with an M3 chip for only $70 more than the current sale price of the base M2 model. Right now, the base M3 configuration with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage is going for just $899 ($200 off) at Amazon and B&H Photo.

The 2024 Air is the most recent entrant in Apple’s lightweight laptop line, one that continues to offer all-day battery life, a sleek design, and excellent performance for carrying out everyday computing tasks. The performance bump over the previous generation isn’t major, but it offers moderate speed improvements for both the processor and SSD. When paired with meaningful upgrades such as Wi-Fi 6E and the ability to run up to two external monitors when the lid is closed, it’s a respectable progression.

Those are very specific and otherwise niche needs, however. Unless you need multiple monitors, you might find the benefits negligible, if not virtually indiscernible. You shouldn’t necessarily feel compelled to upgrade if you own an M2 machine, but it’s probably worth considering if you’re coming from an M1 or older Intel-based model.
The M3 Air will get all of the Apple Intelligence features coming to macOS Sequoia in the fall, too, which the company announced during its recent WWDC 2024 keynote. It’s uncertain whether future developments will eventually require the M4 chip’s neural processing unit that Apple introduced in the latest iPad Pro, but for now, the company has promised AI feature parity among all M-series silicon dating back to the M1, so it’s a relatively safe upgrade.

With Apple Intelligence features coming to older MacBooks, you shouldn’t feel the need to wait for Apple’s M4 chips. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

It’s not surprising that the M3 MacBook Air’s value is strengthening the longer it’s been out, but the laptop is becoming increasingly hard to overlook when compared to the 13-inch M2 model — especially since you can get a 13-inch MacBook Air with an M3 chip for only $70 more than the current sale price of the base M2 model. Right now, the base M3 configuration with 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage is going for just $899 ($200 off) at Amazon and B&H Photo.

The 2024 Air is the most recent entrant in Apple’s lightweight laptop line, one that continues to offer all-day battery life, a sleek design, and excellent performance for carrying out everyday computing tasks. The performance bump over the previous generation isn’t major, but it offers moderate speed improvements for both the processor and SSD. When paired with meaningful upgrades such as Wi-Fi 6E and the ability to run up to two external monitors when the lid is closed, it’s a respectable progression.

Those are very specific and otherwise niche needs, however. Unless you need multiple monitors, you might find the benefits negligible, if not virtually indiscernible. You shouldn’t necessarily feel compelled to upgrade if you own an M2 machine, but it’s probably worth considering if you’re coming from an M1 or older Intel-based model.

The M3 Air will get all of the Apple Intelligence features coming to macOS Sequoia in the fall, too, which the company announced during its recent WWDC 2024 keynote. It’s uncertain whether future developments will eventually require the M4 chip’s neural processing unit that Apple introduced in the latest iPad Pro, but for now, the company has promised AI feature parity among all M-series silicon dating back to the M1, so it’s a relatively safe upgrade.

Read More 

This is probably how the fool would look thinking they’re getting away with a steal. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Google is now testing Android 15’s automatic theft detection features announced at the I/O developer conference in May. The company tapped Brazil to play host for the initial testing grounds on account of local feedback from users in the country, which is an apparent hotbed for smartphone snatching. You can sign up to try the feature right now if you happen to live there.

Theft Detection Lock, as it’s called, uses AI to determine whether certain jerky movements are indicative of an ongoing theft attempt. In addition to relying on motion, it can also use other tells, such as someone attempting to use it on a different network or if it notices it’s off a frequently used network for an extended time.
Google announced the automatic antitheft feature as part of the larger privacy and security improvements it’s planning for Android 15, which also include a password-locked vault called “private space” that stores sensitive apps and data. Theft detection will be backported to older versions, however.
In lighter news, Android users in Brazil aren’t just getting to test a new security feature. They will also soon find it easier to contact businesses — you can message them directly via WhatsApp by tapping a dedicated button that appears in the business’s search listing. They’ll also be able to set appointments with local businesses such as doctors and cosmetologists right from the search results. For now, both features are exclusive to those in the country.

This is probably how the fool would look thinking they’re getting away with a steal. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Google is now testing Android 15’s automatic theft detection features announced at the I/O developer conference in May. The company tapped Brazil to play host for the initial testing grounds on account of local feedback from users in the country, which is an apparent hotbed for smartphone snatching. You can sign up to try the feature right now if you happen to live there.

Theft Detection Lock, as it’s called, uses AI to determine whether certain jerky movements are indicative of an ongoing theft attempt. In addition to relying on motion, it can also use other tells, such as someone attempting to use it on a different network or if it notices it’s off a frequently used network for an extended time.

Google announced the automatic antitheft feature as part of the larger privacy and security improvements it’s planning for Android 15, which also include a password-locked vault called “private space” that stores sensitive apps and data. Theft detection will be backported to older versions, however.

In lighter news, Android users in Brazil aren’t just getting to test a new security feature. They will also soon find it easier to contact businesses — you can message them directly via WhatsApp by tapping a dedicated button that appears in the business’s search listing. They’ll also be able to set appointments with local businesses such as doctors and cosmetologists right from the search results. For now, both features are exclusive to those in the country.

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The URSA Cine Immersive might be what the Vision Pro needs. | Image: Blackmagic Design

Blackmagic announced a new camera yesterday that it says is part of a new Vision Pro-specific workflow that involves its DaVinci Resolve software. Called the URSA Cine Immersive, Blackmagic says this camera, that’s built on its URSA Cine platform, will let cinematographers shoot 90fps video in stereoscopic 3D video for the Vision Pro.
That and updates in the DaVinci Resolve video editing software will let filmmakers monitor footage right in Apple’s headset, export native Vision Pro video files, and more.
Blackmagic doesn’t say how much the camera will cost, but you and I won’t be able to just go buy one. (What we could likely buy is Canon’s upcoming stereoscopic camera lens.) Still, this thing’s existence in tandem with Blackmagic’s editing software updates could mean more filmmakers making content for the headset, which, so far, has had very little to tout.
That’s all well and good, but what I really want is for you to look at this thing. I mean, look at that picture up at the top — that’s the camera in all its assembled glory, with its matte black housing and early ’90s camcorder aesthetic. Then, come back down here and soak this camera up.

Image: Blackmagic Design

Here’s a version of the camera with all the exterior stuff taken off.

Image: Blackmagic Design

Now it just looks like part of a bizarre alien bug.

Image: Blackmagic Design

A close-up on those lenses — I swear, this thing could double as a miniature for a sci-fi movie. It’s not clear if this is a render, but look at this thing!

Image: Blackmagic Design

Another look at the camera from above.

Image: Blackmagic Design

And it’s drone-ready! You’d need something particularly beastly to get it airborne (which is very much what Blackmagic is doing here), but then again, if you can afford this camera, you can probably afford the industrial, maybe even custom-built drone it would take to let it fly.

The URSA Cine Immersive might be what the Vision Pro needs. | Image: Blackmagic Design

Blackmagic announced a new camera yesterday that it says is part of a new Vision Pro-specific workflow that involves its DaVinci Resolve software. Called the URSA Cine Immersive, Blackmagic says this camera, that’s built on its URSA Cine platform, will let cinematographers shoot 90fps video in stereoscopic 3D video for the Vision Pro.

That and updates in the DaVinci Resolve video editing software will let filmmakers monitor footage right in Apple’s headset, export native Vision Pro video files, and more.

Blackmagic doesn’t say how much the camera will cost, but you and I won’t be able to just go buy one. (What we could likely buy is Canon’s upcoming stereoscopic camera lens.) Still, this thing’s existence in tandem with Blackmagic’s editing software updates could mean more filmmakers making content for the headset, which, so far, has had very little to tout.

That’s all well and good, but what I really want is for you to look at this thing. I mean, look at that picture up at the top — that’s the camera in all its assembled glory, with its matte black housing and early ’90s camcorder aesthetic. Then, come back down here and soak this camera up.

Image: Blackmagic Design

Here’s a version of the camera with all the exterior stuff taken off.

Image: Blackmagic Design

Now it just looks like part of a bizarre alien bug.

Image: Blackmagic Design

A close-up on those lenses — I swear, this thing could double as a miniature for a sci-fi movie. It’s not clear if this is a render, but look at this thing!

Image: Blackmagic Design

Another look at the camera from above.

Image: Blackmagic Design

And it’s drone-ready! You’d need something particularly beastly to get it airborne (which is very much what Blackmagic is doing here), but then again, if you can afford this camera, you can probably afford the industrial, maybe even custom-built drone it would take to let it fly.

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Image: Voodoo

BeReal, the app known for its fleeting photo sharing window, has been acquired. On Tuesday, the French app developer Voodoo announced that it purchased the company for €500 million (about $537.23 million).
Launched by French developers Alexis Barreyat and Kévin Perreau in 2020, BeReal started gaining traction in 2022 when more users started partaking in the random, once-per-day opportunity to share photos with friends. But the hype surrounding BeReal quickly died down. Last year, a report from Platformer revealed the app suffered a steep drop in monthly active users, going from 15 million in October 2022 to 6 million in March 2023 as people became less enamored with the concept.

I’m thrilled to announce that @BeReal_App is now part of @VoodooPlatform.@BeReal_App is the most successful social app launched in nearly a decade.They have created a unique behavior: sharing authentic content with true friends, and a visionary app, where every user is an… pic.twitter.com/I2KkM4NWPN— Alexandre Yazdi (@YazdiAlexandre) June 11, 2024

BeReal has since attempted to stay relevant with new features, like private groups and a “bonus” BeReal that lets users post more than once per day, which sort of counters the purpose of the app. It also launched its RealPeople feed in February that’s focused on showing posts from celebrities and brands.
Signs of trouble at BeReal emerged earlier this year. In March, sources told Business Insider that the app’s growth had plateaued, while company leaders began exploring additional rounds of funding or a possible sale. Voodoo claims BeReal currently has more than 40 million monthly active users, half of whom use the app at least six days a week. Voodoo says its acquisition will give BeReal “the opportunity to further innovate around new features and refocus on growth.”
BeReal founder and CEO Barreyat is also stepping down and will be replaced by Aymeric Roffé, the CEO of the Voodoo-owned social app Wizz.

Image: Voodoo

BeReal, the app known for its fleeting photo sharing window, has been acquired. On Tuesday, the French app developer Voodoo announced that it purchased the company for €500 million (about $537.23 million).

Launched by French developers Alexis Barreyat and Kévin Perreau in 2020, BeReal started gaining traction in 2022 when more users started partaking in the random, once-per-day opportunity to share photos with friends. But the hype surrounding BeReal quickly died down. Last year, a report from Platformer revealed the app suffered a steep drop in monthly active users, going from 15 million in October 2022 to 6 million in March 2023 as people became less enamored with the concept.

BeReal has since attempted to stay relevant with new features, like private groups and a “bonus” BeReal that lets users post more than once per day, which sort of counters the purpose of the app. It also launched its RealPeople feed in February that’s focused on showing posts from celebrities and brands.

Signs of trouble at BeReal emerged earlier this year. In March, sources told Business Insider that the app’s growth had plateaued, while company leaders began exploring additional rounds of funding or a possible sale. Voodoo claims BeReal currently has more than 40 million monthly active users, half of whom use the app at least six days a week. Voodoo says its acquisition will give BeReal “the opportunity to further innovate around new features and refocus on growth.”

BeReal founder and CEO Barreyat is also stepping down and will be replaced by Aymeric Roffé, the CEO of the Voodoo-owned social app Wizz.

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