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Illustration: The Verge

Google launched its note-taking app NotebookLM last year for researchers, students, and anyone who needs to organize the information they’ve gathered. Now, users can now upload Google Slides and web URLs as sources, not just the Google Docs, PDFs, and text files it accepted previously.
The new Notebook Guide also reads sources in NotebookLM and creates study guides, FAQs, or briefing documents, and inline citations can point to your own sources to fact-check AI responses — up to 50 sources per “notebook,” or project, and each source can be 500,000 words long. Previously, people could only upload five sources.
Users can also now ask questions about charts, images, and diagrams they uploaded to the platform because NotebookLM is running on Google’s Gemini 1.5 Pro, the latest large language model that currently powers the paid version of the Gemini chatbot. I was able to try my hand at these features to see how they work.

Image: Google
Google’s NotebookLM adds new features like a Notebook Guide that distills information into an FAQ, study guide, or briefing report.

In a briefing, Raiza Martin, senior product manager at Google Labs, told reporters that NotebookLM “is a closed system.” It will not do any web searches beyond reading the website content users add. Martin says NotebookLM’s answers to queries about data or images will only come from the user’s “corpus” or body of information they add to the platform.
I tried NotebookLM to see the new features in action. The Notebook Guide was not yet available for reporters to try, but I was able to add new data sources, get inline citations, and get Gemini 1.5 Pro to look at graphs for me. I asked NotebookLM to give me information from a PDF of a line graph, and it gave me the numbers I was looking for. I also asked it to summarize the text of the EU AI Act, and it was able to give me an overview and include citations so I knew where it was pulling its answers from.
Unfortunately, web URL sources didn’t work in my demo: whenever I pasted a link into NotebookLM, the model would start to upload the website, but it didn’t show up on my list of sources.
NotebookLM is not a tool that will write research papers for you, unlike Perplexity’s Pages, which supposedly helps researchers find data and make it easier to share information (but, in my opinion, fails to do so).
Google gave examples of how people have been using NotebookLM, including shouting out author Walter Isaacson, who the company says used the platform to analyze Marie Curie’s journals for his next book. Google also says that nonprofits use NotebookLM “to identify needs in underserved communities and organize information for grant proposals.”
Martin says that while NotebookLM’s target audience remains researchers, students, and often writers, the company found other use cases, like a Dungeons & Dragons dungeon master who used NotebookLM to prepare a campaign.
NotebookLM is now available in over 200 countries and territories and supports more than 100 languages.

Illustration: The Verge

Google launched its note-taking app NotebookLM last year for researchers, students, and anyone who needs to organize the information they’ve gathered. Now, users can now upload Google Slides and web URLs as sources, not just the Google Docs, PDFs, and text files it accepted previously.

The new Notebook Guide also reads sources in NotebookLM and creates study guides, FAQs, or briefing documents, and inline citations can point to your own sources to fact-check AI responses — up to 50 sources per “notebook,” or project, and each source can be 500,000 words long. Previously, people could only upload five sources.

Users can also now ask questions about charts, images, and diagrams they uploaded to the platform because NotebookLM is running on Google’s Gemini 1.5 Pro, the latest large language model that currently powers the paid version of the Gemini chatbot. I was able to try my hand at these features to see how they work.

Image: Google
Google’s NotebookLM adds new features like a Notebook Guide that distills information into an FAQ, study guide, or briefing report.

In a briefing, Raiza Martin, senior product manager at Google Labs, told reporters that NotebookLM “is a closed system.” It will not do any web searches beyond reading the website content users add. Martin says NotebookLM’s answers to queries about data or images will only come from the user’s “corpus” or body of information they add to the platform.

I tried NotebookLM to see the new features in action. The Notebook Guide was not yet available for reporters to try, but I was able to add new data sources, get inline citations, and get Gemini 1.5 Pro to look at graphs for me. I asked NotebookLM to give me information from a PDF of a line graph, and it gave me the numbers I was looking for. I also asked it to summarize the text of the EU AI Act, and it was able to give me an overview and include citations so I knew where it was pulling its answers from.

Unfortunately, web URL sources didn’t work in my demo: whenever I pasted a link into NotebookLM, the model would start to upload the website, but it didn’t show up on my list of sources.

NotebookLM is not a tool that will write research papers for you, unlike Perplexity’s Pages, which supposedly helps researchers find data and make it easier to share information (but, in my opinion, fails to do so).

Google gave examples of how people have been using NotebookLM, including shouting out author Walter Isaacson, who the company says used the platform to analyze Marie Curie’s journals for his next book. Google also says that nonprofits use NotebookLM “to identify needs in underserved communities and organize information for grant proposals.”

Martin says that while NotebookLM’s target audience remains researchers, students, and often writers, the company found other use cases, like a Dungeons & Dragons dungeon master who used NotebookLM to prepare a campaign.

NotebookLM is now available in over 200 countries and territories and supports more than 100 languages.

Read More 

The Aptoide iOS game store launches in closed beta today in Europe. | Photo by Thomas Ricker / The Verge

Aptoide is the fourth third-party iOS marketplace to launch in Europe. Will its unique model find success where others have struggled? The popular alternative Android marketplace Aptoide just launched as a challenger to the Apple App Store in Europe. We’ve seen a trickle of stores launch since March when the Digital Markets Act (DMA) forced Apple to support third-party iOS app marketplaces — but nothing has so far managed to upset the balance of power and change the status quo.
Aptoide has been around since 2009 and is primarily known as a Google Play alternative for Android users. The Portugal-based company says it currently hosts 1 million apps for some 400 million users. The iOS app store Aptoide is launching today (as an invite-only beta) is a different beast, however, as it only distributes games. It’s the first marketplace of this type available for Apple devices — and its freemium structure could prove very attractive to both developers and users alike.
Can Aptoide thrive where others have struggled? Could its focus on games lure the public in? And could its freemium model carve a path forward for third-party marketplaces? We had a chance to play with a preview of Aptoide to find out.
So far, serious disruption has eluded the alternative iOS marketplaces now available in Europe. Including Aptoide, four are live at the time of writing. The first to launch was Mobivention, a business-focused store that distributes apps to employees. The second was AltStore PAL, an interesting marketplace that had its key selling point of an iOS emulator undercut by Apple finally allowing the software on its own store. The third was Setapp Mobile, a subscription-based service still in a closed beta that focuses on delivering a workbench of productivity tools.
These all came with promises of upending Apple’s monopoly, but so far, progress has been slow. AltStore PAL, for example, launched at the start of April with two apps: Delta and Clip. Now, two months later, it still only has two apps. This, according to its developer, Riley Testut, is because new software has “been stuck in Apple’s notarization process.” Things are going slightly better for Setapp Mobile. The company launched its store with 13 apps in the middle of May and now, about three weeks later, has 37 available.
Now, it’s Aptoide’s turn to try.

Image: Aptoide.

This handy guide makes it easy for new users to install a third-party app store.

Image: Aptoide
An example of the screens you have to click through before you can actually install a store like Aptoide.

Installing the Aptoide game store on your iPhone is similar to other marketplaces: fiddly but achievable with persistence. You have to navigate through about a dozen screen interactions that repeatedly warn of imminent danger. Thankfully for first-timers, Aptoide provides a handy illustrated guide of the required steps, and having gone through this process a few times now, I can assure you it gets routine quickly.
Once Aptoide is on your phone, it’s plain sailing. You click on a game, install it, and start playing. Unfortunately, in the state we tested Aptoide, what’s available is not overly impressive. There were only eight basic games (think versions of Solitaire and Hangman) when we tested, and none of them were particularly alluring. This will change, though. Paulo Trezentos — co-founder and CEO of Aptoide — says 100 developers have so far expressed interest in appearing on its iOS marketplace and that “30 of them are currently in the technical integration phase.”
With new games planned to be released weekly, the library will grow quickly — although the majority of these will be titles already available on the App Store, not exclusives. There are also no plans for controversial titles not allowed on Apple’s marketplace, like pornographic or gambling games. Emulators will be allowed “if not infringing on IP,” but these are already a burgeoning category in Apple’s own store.

Image: Aptoide
An example of one of the games on Aptoide at the time of testing: All-in-One Solitaire. Yep, that sure is a game of Solitaire.

So, what’s the key selling point? What’s Aptoide offering users that they can’t find on the App Store? Besides a currently stark list of “curated” games, one element Trezentos points to is the way Aptoide combines a freemium model with a rewards structure.
Aptoide is the first third-party marketplace to use an Apple-approved in-app purchases system. For users, this means all the games will be free-to-play, but some will include in-app purchases. How this differs from the App Store is that Aptoide will give “bonuses” to people who regularly spend in-app, something that will work out to be a 5 to 10 percent discount on each purchase.
Earth-shattering? Maybe not — but Aptoide’s attitude toward developers could lead the store to gain some traction.
Aptoide is paying developers between $1,000 and $2,000
According to Trezentos, Aptoide is “developer orientated,” something it showcases with its approach to fees. It charges developers 20 percent for organic in-app purchases generated by the Aptoide iOS marketplace and a 10 percent fee in all other cases — for example, when the developer advertises independently and drives downloads of the app. On the Android store, Aptoide charges 25 percent and 10 percent, respectively. Apple, on the other hand, charges a 30 percent fee across the board.
On top of this, Aptoide is paying developers between $1,000 and $2,000 to launch a game on its IOS platform, the higher amount going to those who include in-app purchases in their software. The company also handles the Core Technology Fee — a cost of 50 euro cents per annual marketplace install — from its cut of in-app purchases.

Image: Aptoide

A little more detail on the bonus system Aptoide is running for users.

Image: Aptoide

The system Aptoide is running to try and encourage developers to release apps onto its iOS platform.

This Core Technology Fee approach differs from the Setapp Mobile and AltStore PAL stores, which pass along the fee directly to users as part of the subscription. Aptoide is in an interesting position as the first third-party iOS app store people can use for free.
This is the real differentiator for Aptoide. Because it’s free to use, it could appeal to a wider audience, making it attractive to more developers. In turn, the store’s friendliness to developers could lead to the launch of a large number of quality games, which could lure in the public. There’s potential there — to a point.
My concerns with Aptoide are threefold: its reliance on in-app purchases; the quality of the titles; and its competitiveness compared to the App Store.
We’re still in the early days of third-party app stores
While a financially successful business model, in-app purchases are broadly looked down upon by tech enthusiasts. And who’s the most likely segment to download a third-party app store in the EU? Nerds. If the library only contains basic games of the type available at launch — and many are already available on Apple’s platform — what reason is there to go through the rigmarole of installing a third-party app store? I’m not certain a small discount in the form of a bonus is enough to encourage broad swaths of the public to bother.
Let’s not forget, though, that we’re still in the early days of third-party app stores. Aptoide and Setapp Mobile are still in closed betas, while AltStore PAL hasn’t even begun to host the apps of other developers yet. Many fans of sideloading may have wished for speedy changes, but it’s not panning out that way.
Three months in, and the alternative app stores that have so far launched in Europe are doing little to jeopardize Apple’s monopoly — and you know Cupertino is feeling pretty satisfied about that.

The Aptoide iOS game store launches in closed beta today in Europe. | Photo by Thomas Ricker / The Verge

Aptoide is the fourth third-party iOS marketplace to launch in Europe. Will its unique model find success where others have struggled?

The popular alternative Android marketplace Aptoide just launched as a challenger to the Apple App Store in Europe. We’ve seen a trickle of stores launch since March when the Digital Markets Act (DMA) forced Apple to support third-party iOS app marketplaces — but nothing has so far managed to upset the balance of power and change the status quo.

Aptoide has been around since 2009 and is primarily known as a Google Play alternative for Android users. The Portugal-based company says it currently hosts 1 million apps for some 400 million users. The iOS app store Aptoide is launching today (as an invite-only beta) is a different beast, however, as it only distributes games. It’s the first marketplace of this type available for Apple devices — and its freemium structure could prove very attractive to both developers and users alike.

Can Aptoide thrive where others have struggled? Could its focus on games lure the public in? And could its freemium model carve a path forward for third-party marketplaces? We had a chance to play with a preview of Aptoide to find out.

So far, serious disruption has eluded the alternative iOS marketplaces now available in Europe. Including Aptoide, four are live at the time of writing. The first to launch was Mobivention, a business-focused store that distributes apps to employees. The second was AltStore PAL, an interesting marketplace that had its key selling point of an iOS emulator undercut by Apple finally allowing the software on its own store. The third was Setapp Mobile, a subscription-based service still in a closed beta that focuses on delivering a workbench of productivity tools.

These all came with promises of upending Apple’s monopoly, but so far, progress has been slow. AltStore PAL, for example, launched at the start of April with two apps: Delta and Clip. Now, two months later, it still only has two apps. This, according to its developer, Riley Testut, is because new software has “been stuck in Apple’s notarization process.” Things are going slightly better for Setapp Mobile. The company launched its store with 13 apps in the middle of May and now, about three weeks later, has 37 available.

Now, it’s Aptoide’s turn to try.

Installing the Aptoide game store on your iPhone is similar to other marketplaces: fiddly but achievable with persistence. You have to navigate through about a dozen screen interactions that repeatedly warn of imminent danger. Thankfully for first-timers, Aptoide provides a handy illustrated guide of the required steps, and having gone through this process a few times now, I can assure you it gets routine quickly.

Once Aptoide is on your phone, it’s plain sailing. You click on a game, install it, and start playing. Unfortunately, in the state we tested Aptoide, what’s available is not overly impressive. There were only eight basic games (think versions of Solitaire and Hangman) when we tested, and none of them were particularly alluring. This will change, though. Paulo Trezentos — co-founder and CEO of Aptoide — says 100 developers have so far expressed interest in appearing on its iOS marketplace and that “30 of them are currently in the technical integration phase.”

With new games planned to be released weekly, the library will grow quickly — although the majority of these will be titles already available on the App Store, not exclusives. There are also no plans for controversial titles not allowed on Apple’s marketplace, like pornographic or gambling games. Emulators will be allowed “if not infringing on IP,” but these are already a burgeoning category in Apple’s own store.

Image: Aptoide
An example of one of the games on Aptoide at the time of testing: All-in-One Solitaire. Yep, that sure is a game of Solitaire.

So, what’s the key selling point? What’s Aptoide offering users that they can’t find on the App Store? Besides a currently stark list of “curated” games, one element Trezentos points to is the way Aptoide combines a freemium model with a rewards structure.

Aptoide is the first third-party marketplace to use an Apple-approved in-app purchases system. For users, this means all the games will be free-to-play, but some will include in-app purchases. How this differs from the App Store is that Aptoide will give “bonuses” to people who regularly spend in-app, something that will work out to be a 5 to 10 percent discount on each purchase.

Earth-shattering? Maybe not — but Aptoide’s attitude toward developers could lead the store to gain some traction.

According to Trezentos, Aptoide is “developer orientated,” something it showcases with its approach to fees. It charges developers 20 percent for organic in-app purchases generated by the Aptoide iOS marketplace and a 10 percent fee in all other cases — for example, when the developer advertises independently and drives downloads of the app. On the Android store, Aptoide charges 25 percent and 10 percent, respectively. Apple, on the other hand, charges a 30 percent fee across the board.

On top of this, Aptoide is paying developers between $1,000 and $2,000 to launch a game on its IOS platform, the higher amount going to those who include in-app purchases in their software. The company also handles the Core Technology Fee — a cost of 50 euro cents per annual marketplace install — from its cut of in-app purchases.

This Core Technology Fee approach differs from the Setapp Mobile and AltStore PAL stores, which pass along the fee directly to users as part of the subscription. Aptoide is in an interesting position as the first third-party iOS app store people can use for free.

This is the real differentiator for Aptoide. Because it’s free to use, it could appeal to a wider audience, making it attractive to more developers. In turn, the store’s friendliness to developers could lead to the launch of a large number of quality games, which could lure in the public. There’s potential there — to a point.

My concerns with Aptoide are threefold: its reliance on in-app purchases; the quality of the titles; and its competitiveness compared to the App Store.

While a financially successful business model, in-app purchases are broadly looked down upon by tech enthusiasts. And who’s the most likely segment to download a third-party app store in the EU? Nerds. If the library only contains basic games of the type available at launch — and many are already available on Apple’s platform — what reason is there to go through the rigmarole of installing a third-party app store? I’m not certain a small discount in the form of a bonus is enough to encourage broad swaths of the public to bother.

Let’s not forget, though, that we’re still in the early days of third-party app stores. Aptoide and Setapp Mobile are still in closed betas, while AltStore PAL hasn’t even begun to host the apps of other developers yet. Many fans of sideloading may have wished for speedy changes, but it’s not panning out that way.

Three months in, and the alternative app stores that have so far launched in Europe are doing little to jeopardize Apple’s monopoly — and you know Cupertino is feeling pretty satisfied about that.

Read More 

SpaceX is aiming to perform a controlled reentry for Starship, with a splashdown in the Indian Ocean. | Image: SpaceX

SpaceX is preparing to send its massive Starship rocket on its fourth flight test on Thursday. The Starship Super Heavy vehicle is scheduled to lift off from SpaceX’s launch site in South Texas, during a 120-minute window that opens at 8:00AM ET.
You can watch the livestream via SpaceX’s account on X, which is scheduled to start at 7:30AM ET, or about 30 minutes before liftoff.
SpaceX says the primary objective for the fourth flight test is to demonstrate the ability to return and reuse Starship and its Super Heavy booster — requiring the spacecraft to survive the reentry phase through Earth’s atmosphere where it broke apart during its last flight test. This launch builds on what SpaceX learned during Starship’s flight in March, which saw the craft successfully launch into space and complete several objectives before contact with the vehicle was lost.

Starship stacked for Flight 4 The two-hour launch window opens tomorrow morning at 7 a.m. CT → https://t.co/XjreI7nQOp pic.twitter.com/4WYU5wMKE9— SpaceX (@SpaceX) June 5, 2024

SpaceX says it has made several hardware and software updates to address previous issues. The third flight test was the most successful to date, with the first two Starship launches ending with fiery explosions shortly after liftoff.
If all goes to plan this time, we should see a controlled entry for Starship with splashdown in the Indian Ocean, with the Super Heavy booster expected to perform a landing burn and soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico

SpaceX is aiming to perform a controlled reentry for Starship, with a splashdown in the Indian Ocean. | Image: SpaceX

SpaceX is preparing to send its massive Starship rocket on its fourth flight test on Thursday. The Starship Super Heavy vehicle is scheduled to lift off from SpaceX’s launch site in South Texas, during a 120-minute window that opens at 8:00AM ET.

You can watch the livestream via SpaceX’s account on X, which is scheduled to start at 7:30AM ET, or about 30 minutes before liftoff.

SpaceX says the primary objective for the fourth flight test is to demonstrate the ability to return and reuse Starship and its Super Heavy booster — requiring the spacecraft to survive the reentry phase through Earth’s atmosphere where it broke apart during its last flight test. This launch builds on what SpaceX learned during Starship’s flight in March, which saw the craft successfully launch into space and complete several objectives before contact with the vehicle was lost.

SpaceX says it has made several hardware and software updates to address previous issues. The third flight test was the most successful to date, with the first two Starship launches ending with fiery explosions shortly after liftoff.

If all goes to plan this time, we should see a controlled entry for Starship with splashdown in the Indian Ocean, with the Super Heavy booster expected to perform a landing burn and soft splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico

Read More 

The Brick Cross Train Station. | Image: brickester (Lego Bricklink)

Four months ago, a Lego fan earned around half a million dollars when Lego put his limited-edition set on sale. Now, Lego is opening orders for round two of the BrickLink Designer Program at 8am PT / 11am ET on Thursday, June 6th — featuring five more limited-edition sets, each a fan dream come true.
They’re charming, quaint, look like wonderful playsets, and the fan designers will get five percent of the proceeds from each sale! My eye’s on the incredibly detailed Brick Cross Train Station… but I already splurged on last time’s Parisian Street so I’d probably best not!
Ready for high-res images, prices, and designer video interviews around each new set? Here you go:

Ominous Isle — $239.99
I am in awe of how many Lego hot dogs were used in the making of the Ominous Isle’s railings. Wouldn’t want any pirates to fall into the drink! There’s a dial to make that skull gate open, too.

Image: Bricklink Designer Program
Click here for larger image.

Image: Bricklink Designer Program
Click here for larger image.

Image: Bricklink Designer Program

Brick Cross Train Station — $279.99

One of my British colleagues says: “It’s so cute! Captures a lot of the right vibes to me, at least having frequently passed through all of London’s major stations.” I adore it.

Image: Bricklink Designer Program
Click here for larger image.

Image: Bricklink Designer Program
Click here for larger image.

Image: Bricklink Designer Program
Click here for larger image.

Image: Bricklink Designer Program
Click here for larger image.

Mushroom House — $89.99
It’s so much prettier than it was the first time I saw it in 2022! Details go a long way.

Image: Bricklink Designer Program

Click here for larger image.

Image: Bricklink Designer Program
Click here for larger image.

The Ocean House — $199.99

Designer Hanwasyellowfirst may have gotten skipped on the Snow White set, but The Mountain Windmill made him an estimated $100K, this set is going on sale now, and The Riverside Scholars is coming up in February.

Image: Bricklink Designer Program
Click here for larger image.

Image: Bricklink Designer Program
Click here for larger image.

Image: Bricklink Designer Program
Click here for larger image.

Logging Railway — $209.99
I cannot look at this and not think of Back to the Future Part III. I need to put the Lego Cuusoo DeLorean on this railway.

Image: Bricklink Designer Program
Click here for larger image.

Image: Bricklink Designer Program
Click here for larger image.

Image: Bricklink Designer Program
Click here for larger image.

Each of the new sets is limited to 30,000 copies, and two per person, though they’re not guaranteed to sell out — only three of the five Series 1 sets did, though the Mountain Fortress went fast. Lego BrickLink says they should theoretically ship in November 2024, though it’s not committing to a firm window.
As I show you in my video below for an earlier BrickLink set, these sets come in special BrickLink boxes without paper instructions, and Lego’s own designers don’t have much of a role — but they are produced in a Lego factory, shipped by Lego, made of official Lego bricks, and Lego employees choose the five winners of each fan competition after fan voting is over.
Anyone can enter the BrickLink Designer Program, unlike some previous Lego challenges!

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The Lego Ideas program, by comparison, does put fan designs on sale at retail, paper instructions and all, but Lego’s designers pick far fewer sets — each of which go through a painstaking process to revise those sets for the masses. You can read my feature story about how that works.
And if you want to cast your votes for future fan Lego sets, voting is open right now for the BrickLink Designer Program Series 5.

The Brick Cross Train Station. | Image: brickester (Lego Bricklink)

Four months ago, a Lego fan earned around half a million dollars when Lego put his limited-edition set on sale. Now, Lego is opening orders for round two of the BrickLink Designer Program at 8am PT / 11am ET on Thursday, June 6th — featuring five more limited-edition sets, each a fan dream come true.

They’re charming, quaint, look like wonderful playsets, and the fan designers will get five percent of the proceeds from each sale! My eye’s on the incredibly detailed Brick Cross Train Station… but I already splurged on last time’s Parisian Street so I’d probably best not!

Ready for high-res images, prices, and designer video interviews around each new set? Here you go:

Ominous Isle — $239.99

I am in awe of how many Lego hot dogs were used in the making of the Ominous Isle’s railings. Wouldn’t want any pirates to fall into the drink! There’s a dial to make that skull gate open, too.

Brick Cross Train Station — $279.99

One of my British colleagues says: “It’s so cute! Captures a lot of the right vibes to me, at least having frequently passed through all of London’s major stations.” I adore it.

Mushroom House — $89.99

It’s so much prettier than it was the first time I saw it in 2022! Details go a long way.

The Ocean House — $199.99

Designer Hanwasyellowfirst may have gotten skipped on the Snow White set, but The Mountain Windmill made him an estimated $100K, this set is going on sale now, and The Riverside Scholars is coming up in February.

Logging Railway — $209.99

I cannot look at this and not think of Back to the Future Part III. I need to put the Lego Cuusoo DeLorean on this railway.

Each of the new sets is limited to 30,000 copies, and two per person, though they’re not guaranteed to sell out — only three of the five Series 1 sets did, though the Mountain Fortress went fast. Lego BrickLink says they should theoretically ship in November 2024, though it’s not committing to a firm window.

As I show you in my video below for an earlier BrickLink set, these sets come in special BrickLink boxes without paper instructions, and Lego’s own designers don’t have much of a role — but they are produced in a Lego factory, shipped by Lego, made of official Lego bricks, and Lego employees choose the five winners of each fan competition after fan voting is over.

Anyone can enter the BrickLink Designer Program, unlike some previous Lego challenges!

The Lego Ideas program, by comparison, does put fan designs on sale at retail, paper instructions and all, but Lego’s designers pick far fewer sets — each of which go through a painstaking process to revise those sets for the masses. You can read my feature story about how that works.

And if you want to cast your votes for future fan Lego sets, voting is open right now for the BrickLink Designer Program Series 5.

Read More 

Samsung’s MicroLED TV has an almost bezel-free design and comes in 89-, 101-, and 114-inch sizes. | Image: Samsung

Samsung started on a quest to sell massive and massively expensive MicroLED TVs with its modular The Wall design in 2018, and now we have these three options: 89, 101, and 114 inches.
The most “affordable” MicroLED TV offering in the lineup is the $109,999.00 89-inch model, then the 101-inch for $129.999.00, and the biggest one at 114 inches for a whopping $149,999.00. That’s enough to buy a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen.
Each MicroLED is self-emitting, with no backlight, so it works similarly to OLED but without a similar risk of burn-in while still delivering deep blacks and high contrast. The LEDs are assembled in bezel-less panels so that can also be set up in almost any , as we saw with The Wall displays intended for commercial applications and, for some reason, Dane Cook’s house.

@danecook Installers told me last week that I’m the 3rd person in the United States to have @Samsung #TheWall installed. Boeing headquarters, Lowe’s headquarters & #DaneCook headquarters. Above It All doing very well and I spent my retirement money on self financing that sucker. #fyp ♬ Spent too much money on but is freakin sick – Austin Ware

In 2021, Samsung introduced a 110-inch model that looked more like a regular TV with no modular options, which it has continued to iterate on — last year’s lineup even included a 76-inch version.

Image: The Verge
Aw man, already sold out?

Samsung’s Class MicroLED TVs are listed on Samsung’s online store, but all are currently “out of stock.”

Samsung’s MicroLED TV has an almost bezel-free design and comes in 89-, 101-, and 114-inch sizes. | Image: Samsung

Samsung started on a quest to sell massive and massively expensive MicroLED TVs with its modular The Wall design in 2018, and now we have these three options: 89, 101, and 114 inches.

The most “affordable” MicroLED TV offering in the lineup is the $109,999.00 89-inch model, then the 101-inch for $129.999.00, and the biggest one at 114 inches for a whopping $149,999.00. That’s enough to buy a Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen.

Each MicroLED is self-emitting, with no backlight, so it works similarly to OLED but without a similar risk of burn-in while still delivering deep blacks and high contrast. The LEDs are assembled in bezel-less panels so that can also be set up in almost any , as we saw with The Wall displays intended for commercial applications and, for some reason, Dane Cook’s house.

In 2021, Samsung introduced a 110-inch model that looked more like a regular TV with no modular options, which it has continued to iterate on — last year’s lineup even included a 76-inch version.

Image: The Verge
Aw man, already sold out?

Samsung’s Class MicroLED TVs are listed on Samsung’s online store, but all are currently “out of stock.”

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Image: HBO

The first season of HBO’s The Last of Us covered the first game in the series, but it looks like season 2 will need a little more time to explore the sequel. In an interview with Deadline, co-creator Craig Mazin explained that the story of The Last of Us Part II will take at least two, and possibly three, seasons to fully cover. And as a result, the show’s second season will be a few episodes shorter than the first.

“The story material that we got from Part II of the game is way more than the story material that was in the first game, so part of what we had to do from the start was figure out how to tell that story across seasons,” Mazin explained. “When you do that, you look for natural breakpoints, and as we laid it out, this season, the natural breakpoint felt like it came after seven episodes.” (Season 1 clocked in at nine episodes, for comparison.)
The good news for fans is that even though HBO has yet to confirm additional seasons, it sounds like Mazin is pretty confident that more are coming. “I don’t see how we could tell the story that remains after season 2 is complete in one more season,” he explained.
It’s still going to be a wait, though, as season 2 of The Last of Us isn’t expected until 2025. So far, we’ve heard about a number of new cast members, including Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, Isabela Merced as Dina, and Jeffrey Wright reprising the role of Isaac Dixon. HBO also released the first two photos from the show back in May — though they don’t show any of the new characters.

Image: HBO

The first season of HBO’s The Last of Us covered the first game in the series, but it looks like season 2 will need a little more time to explore the sequel. In an interview with Deadline, co-creator Craig Mazin explained that the story of The Last of Us Part II will take at least two, and possibly three, seasons to fully cover. And as a result, the show’s second season will be a few episodes shorter than the first.

“The story material that we got from Part II of the game is way more than the story material that was in the first game, so part of what we had to do from the start was figure out how to tell that story across seasons,” Mazin explained. “When you do that, you look for natural breakpoints, and as we laid it out, this season, the natural breakpoint felt like it came after seven episodes.” (Season 1 clocked in at nine episodes, for comparison.)

The good news for fans is that even though HBO has yet to confirm additional seasons, it sounds like Mazin is pretty confident that more are coming. “I don’t see how we could tell the story that remains after season 2 is complete in one more season,” he explained.

It’s still going to be a wait, though, as season 2 of The Last of Us isn’t expected until 2025. So far, we’ve heard about a number of new cast members, including Kaitlyn Dever as Abby, Isabela Merced as Dina, and Jeffrey Wright reprising the role of Isaac Dixon. HBO also released the first two photos from the show back in May — though they don’t show any of the new characters.

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Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge

Nvidia has become the second most valuable company in the world. On Wednesday afternoon, the chipmaking giant’s market capitalization hit $3.01 trillion, putting it just ahead of Apple at $3 trillion.
As Nvidia dominates the AI race with its flagship H100 chip, the company’s market cap has only continued to rise. Nvidia became a $1 trillion company in May 2023, then skyrocketed past $2 trillion in February of this year, making it more valuable than both Amazon and Alphabet.

Screenshot: The Verge

In May, Nvidia reported making a whopping $14 billion in profit on account of all the chips it’s selling. Nvidia now only trails behind Microsoft, which currently has a market cap of $3.15 trillion. The chipmaker’s stock currently sits at more than $1,220 per share, but Nvidia plans on splitting the stock on June 7th.
Nvidia’s AI accelerators make up between 70 percent and 95 percent of the market share for AI chips, according to CNBC. The company now plans to launch a new AI chip on a yearly basis, starting with the Blackwell B200 GPU that’s expected later this year.

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge

Nvidia has become the second most valuable company in the world. On Wednesday afternoon, the chipmaking giant’s market capitalization hit $3.01 trillion, putting it just ahead of Apple at $3 trillion.

As Nvidia dominates the AI race with its flagship H100 chip, the company’s market cap has only continued to rise. Nvidia became a $1 trillion company in May 2023, then skyrocketed past $2 trillion in February of this year, making it more valuable than both Amazon and Alphabet.

Screenshot: The Verge

In May, Nvidia reported making a whopping $14 billion in profit on account of all the chips it’s selling. Nvidia now only trails behind Microsoft, which currently has a market cap of $3.15 trillion. The chipmaker’s stock currently sits at more than $1,220 per share, but Nvidia plans on splitting the stock on June 7th.

Nvidia’s AI accelerators make up between 70 percent and 95 percent of the market share for AI chips, according to CNBC. The company now plans to launch a new AI chip on a yearly basis, starting with the Blackwell B200 GPU that’s expected later this year.

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Google Sheets now offers conditional notifications, a new feature that lets users set up rules to receive an email notification when certain spreadsheet cells change in any document where they have editing access.
From now on, users can set rules in Google Sheets to receive notifications when certain criteria are met, like an updated column value or changes to a specific range of cells.
Sheets recently snagged a few features Excel users have had for years, like letting users create easily formatted tables in Sheets and adding smooth scrolling. Now, with conditional notifications, Sheets adds a feature associated with project management tools like Airtable. It also seems pretty easy to set up compared to Excel, which also has more broadly triggered email notifications but might involve some VBA coding and Power Automate to get these kinds of specific updates.

Image: Google
You can set rules so Google sends you notifications when the status of a task in a project tracker has changed.

Examples Google gave for conditional notifications include getting an alert when somebody changes the status or owner of a particular task in a project tracker or when a number drops below a certain amount in a forecast analysis.
The notification email from Google will include information about who made the change. You can also set up notifications for others by adding their email address while setting the rules.

Image: Google
Google will email you about the changes made.

Some people started gaining access to the feature on June 4th, but it may take longer to arrive on your Workspace account (Business, Enterprise, or Education — free personal accounts are not included). Google says its 15-day gradual roll will reach users who are on the default release schedule starting June 18th.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Google Sheets now offers conditional notifications, a new feature that lets users set up rules to receive an email notification when certain spreadsheet cells change in any document where they have editing access.

From now on, users can set rules in Google Sheets to receive notifications when certain criteria are met, like an updated column value or changes to a specific range of cells.

Sheets recently snagged a few features Excel users have had for years, like letting users create easily formatted tables in Sheets and adding smooth scrolling. Now, with conditional notifications, Sheets adds a feature associated with project management tools like Airtable. It also seems pretty easy to set up compared to Excel, which also has more broadly triggered email notifications but might involve some VBA coding and Power Automate to get these kinds of specific updates.

Image: Google
You can set rules so Google sends you notifications when the status of a task in a project tracker has changed.

Examples Google gave for conditional notifications include getting an alert when somebody changes the status or owner of a particular task in a project tracker or when a number drops below a certain amount in a forecast analysis.

The notification email from Google will include information about who made the change. You can also set up notifications for others by adding their email address while setting the rules.

Image: Google
Google will email you about the changes made.

Some people started gaining access to the feature on June 4th, but it may take longer to arrive on your Workspace account (Business, Enterprise, or Education — free personal accounts are not included). Google says its 15-day gradual roll will reach users who are on the default release schedule starting June 18th.

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Internet for when your internet goes down. | Image: T-Mobile

T-Mobile’s big home internet push continues, now with a new way to sign up for the service: as a backup option.
The company is offering a new Home Internet Backup plan starting at $30 per month (including an autopay discount) that’s designed to supplement your cable or fiber internet connection in the event of an outage. Seems handy if your internet is down a lot! But it also seems like overkill for most people, especially considering that most of T-Mobile’s phone plans already come with plenty of mobile hotspot data.
Like T-Mobile’s standard home internet service, the backup plan comes with a gateway router that connects to T-Mobile’s cellular data network. The backup internet plan comes with up to 130GB of 5G data each month, which T-Mobile’s website says is “enough to keep a typical household connected with Wi-Fi for up to seven days a month.” Depending on your primary router, you could set up T-Mobile Wi-Fi as an automatic fallback option when your main internet connection goes down.
Useful for sure — but probably only appealing to a small demographic. Switching to a phone hotspot when the internet goes down isn’t a huge burden for most people, and even T-Mobile’s basic Essentials plan comes with some hotspot data. If all you want to do is stay connected, you’ve already got options. But if your primary internet goes down a lot and you need a more robust connection than a phone hotspot provides, maybe $30 per month is worth it.
T-Mobile’s Home Internet Backup plan will be available for sale starting tomorrow, June 6th.

Internet for when your internet goes down. | Image: T-Mobile

T-Mobile’s big home internet push continues, now with a new way to sign up for the service: as a backup option.

The company is offering a new Home Internet Backup plan starting at $30 per month (including an autopay discount) that’s designed to supplement your cable or fiber internet connection in the event of an outage. Seems handy if your internet is down a lot! But it also seems like overkill for most people, especially considering that most of T-Mobile’s phone plans already come with plenty of mobile hotspot data.

Like T-Mobile’s standard home internet service, the backup plan comes with a gateway router that connects to T-Mobile’s cellular data network. The backup internet plan comes with up to 130GB of 5G data each month, which T-Mobile’s website says is “enough to keep a typical household connected with Wi-Fi for up to seven days a month.” Depending on your primary router, you could set up T-Mobile Wi-Fi as an automatic fallback option when your main internet connection goes down.

Useful for sure — but probably only appealing to a small demographic. Switching to a phone hotspot when the internet goes down isn’t a huge burden for most people, and even T-Mobile’s basic Essentials plan comes with some hotspot data. If all you want to do is stay connected, you’ve already got options. But if your primary internet goes down a lot and you need a more robust connection than a phone hotspot provides, maybe $30 per month is worth it.

T-Mobile’s Home Internet Backup plan will be available for sale starting tomorrow, June 6th.

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Illustration: The Verge

Google Maps is changing the way it handles your location data. Instead of backing up your data to the cloud, Google will soon store it locally on your device.
In an email sent to users, Google says you have until December 1st to save all your travels to your mobile device before it starts deleting your old data. Timeline — previously known as Location History — is the feature that tracks your routes and trips based on your phone’s location, allowing you to revisit all the places you’ve been in the past.
But now, instead of tying all of this information to your Google account, the company will link it to the devices you use. Google first announced this change in December 2023 as part of its efforts to double down on privacy. The company previously began deleting locations, such as abortion clinics, domestic violence shelters, weight loss centers, and more, from location history and updated Maps to prevent authorities from accessing location history.

Screenshot: The Verge

The transition to on-device storage also means that you’ll no longer be able to access your Timeline from the web in December. If you don’t enable the new Timeline settings by then, Google will attempt to move the past 90 days of your travel history to the first device you sign in to Google on. The company will then delete any data older than that.
If you want to keep using Timeline, open Google Maps on your mobile device, click on your profile picture in the top-right corner of the screen, and choose Your Timeline. From there, select whether to keep you want to keep your location data until you manually delete it or have Google auto-delete it after three, 18, or 36 months. Google will store the information you want to keep on your device.

Illustration: The Verge

Google Maps is changing the way it handles your location data. Instead of backing up your data to the cloud, Google will soon store it locally on your device.

In an email sent to users, Google says you have until December 1st to save all your travels to your mobile device before it starts deleting your old data. Timeline — previously known as Location History — is the feature that tracks your routes and trips based on your phone’s location, allowing you to revisit all the places you’ve been in the past.

But now, instead of tying all of this information to your Google account, the company will link it to the devices you use. Google first announced this change in December 2023 as part of its efforts to double down on privacy. The company previously began deleting locations, such as abortion clinics, domestic violence shelters, weight loss centers, and more, from location history and updated Maps to prevent authorities from accessing location history.

Screenshot: The Verge

The transition to on-device storage also means that you’ll no longer be able to access your Timeline from the web in December. If you don’t enable the new Timeline settings by then, Google will attempt to move the past 90 days of your travel history to the first device you sign in to Google on. The company will then delete any data older than that.

If you want to keep using Timeline, open Google Maps on your mobile device, click on your profile picture in the top-right corner of the screen, and choose Your Timeline. From there, select whether to keep you want to keep your location data until you manually delete it or have Google auto-delete it after three, 18, or 36 months. Google will store the information you want to keep on your device.

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