verge-rss

Illustration: The Verge

OpenAI has been showing some of its customers a new multimodal AI model that can both talk to you and recognize objects, according to a new report from The Information. Citing unnamed sources who’ve seen it, the outlet says this could be part of what the company plans to show on Monday.
The new model reportedly offers faster, more accurate interpretation of images and audio than what its existing separate transcription and text-to-speech models can do. It would apparently be able to help customer service agents “better understand the intonation of callers’ voices or whether they’re being sarcastic,” and “theoretically,” the model can help students with math or translate real-world signs, writes The Information.
The outlet’s sources say the model can outdo GPT-4 Turbo at “answering some types of questions,” but is still susceptible to confidently getting things wrong.

OpenAI seems to be working on having phone calls inside of chatGPT. This is probably going to be a small part of the event announced on Monday.(1/n) pic.twitter.com/KT8Hb54DwA— Ananay (@ananayarora) May 11, 2024

It’s possible OpenAI is also readying a new built-in ChatGPT ability to make phone calls, according to Developer Ananay Arora, who posted the above screenshot of call-related code. Arora also spotted evidence that OpenAI had provisioned servers intended for real-time audio and video communication.

None of this would be GPT-5, if it’s being unveiled next week. CEO Sam Altman has explicitly denied that its upcoming announcement has anything to do with the model that’s supposed to be “materially better” than GPT-4. The Information writes GPT-5 may be publicly released by the end of the year.
Altman also said the company isn’t announcing a new AI-powered search engine. But if what The Information reports is what’s revealed, it could still take some wind out of Google’s I/O developer conference sails. Google has been testing using AI to make phone calls. And one of its rumored projects is a multimodal Google Assistant replacement called “Pixie” that can look at objects through a device’s camera and do things like give directions to places to buy them or offer instructions on how to use them.
Whatever OpenAI plans to unveil, it plans to do so via livestream on its site on Monday at 10AM PT / 1PM ET.

Illustration: The Verge

OpenAI has been showing some of its customers a new multimodal AI model that can both talk to you and recognize objects, according to a new report from The Information. Citing unnamed sources who’ve seen it, the outlet says this could be part of what the company plans to show on Monday.

The new model reportedly offers faster, more accurate interpretation of images and audio than what its existing separate transcription and text-to-speech models can do. It would apparently be able to help customer service agents “better understand the intonation of callers’ voices or whether they’re being sarcastic,” and “theoretically,” the model can help students with math or translate real-world signs, writes The Information.

The outlet’s sources say the model can outdo GPT-4 Turbo at “answering some types of questions,” but is still susceptible to confidently getting things wrong.

It’s possible OpenAI is also readying a new built-in ChatGPT ability to make phone calls, according to Developer Ananay Arora, who posted the above screenshot of call-related code. Arora also spotted evidence that OpenAI had provisioned servers intended for real-time audio and video communication.

None of this would be GPT-5, if it’s being unveiled next week. CEO Sam Altman has explicitly denied that its upcoming announcement has anything to do with the model that’s supposed to be “materially better” than GPT-4. The Information writes GPT-5 may be publicly released by the end of the year.

Altman also said the company isn’t announcing a new AI-powered search engine. But if what The Information reports is what’s revealed, it could still take some wind out of Google’s I/O developer conference sails. Google has been testing using AI to make phone calls. And one of its rumored projects is a multimodal Google Assistant replacement called “Pixie” that can look at objects through a device’s camera and do things like give directions to places to buy them or offer instructions on how to use them.

Whatever OpenAI plans to unveil, it plans to do so via livestream on its site on Monday at 10AM PT / 1PM ET.

Read More 

iFixit’s step-up toolkit has all sorts of bits and bobs, all of which slot nicely in the case and included fabric roll. | Image: iFixit

The right-to-repair movement has logged some serious wins over the past several years, with states like California, New York, and Minnesota having recently passed laws that make it easier for consumers to repair their own devices. But being able to obtain parts and manuals is only part of the process — you also need the tools. Luckily, iFixit’s Pro Tech Toolkit is on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and iFixit for $59.96 ($15 off), matching the lowest price we’ve seen on the versatile tool set.

Chances are you know iFixit for its in-depth teardowns of various gadgets and gizmos, including iPhone 15 Pro Max, headsets like the Apple Vision Pro, and the confounding mess that is the Humane AI Pin (sorry not sorry). That said, the company also makes some truly excellent screwdriver sets that come with a lifetime warranty and all kinds of exotic bits for opening up modern tech, which is precisely why they’ve become a tried-and-true staple among Verge staffers who like to tinker with small electronics.
The heart of the Pro Tech Toolkit is its 64-bit driver kit, though, you also get spudgers, tweezers, several case-opening picks, a SIM removal tool, and a magnetic case that doubles as a sorting tray. The kit itself includes an extremely well-curated selection of bits, too, including pentalobe bits for opening devices like iPhones, tri-wing bits for cracking into consoles like the Nintendo Switch, and even Torx bits for working with vintage Apple computers and some PCs. It also comes with basic Phillips and flatheads, so you can tune up your bike or tackle whatever small household chores you’ve been putting off.

More deals to shop this weekend

If you’ve been on the fence about foldables, the OnePlus Open is available from Amazon and OnePlus for $1399.99 ($300 off), which is a new low for the premium flagship. The price tag is still steep when compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Google Pixel Fold — especially since it lacks full water resistance and wireless charging — but it’s a handsome phone with great multitasking support, respectable specs, and four years of OS upgrades. Plus, it almost feels like a normal phone when you close it, which isn’t necessarily the case with some of its beefier rivals. Read our review.
There’s no reason to settle for your average, run-of-mill charger when Sharge’s Macintosh-inspired Retro 67 is on sale at Amazon for $44.99 ($5 off) with an on-page coupon. The three-port USB-C PD and PPS charger is a great option for tablets and smaller laptops given it can put out up to 67W via a single port, and it comes with a handy dot-matrix display that shows your total power output at any given moment. It’s no wonder my colleague Sean Hollister recently took to The Verge to highlight the little charging gizmo.
Last week, we launched our 2024 graduation gift guide, which pulls together a selection of Verge-approved ideas for graduates of all ages. Not everything in there is a deal per se, though you can pick up the Cotopaxi Allpa 35L Travel Pack at Backcountry for $160 ($40 off) at checkout if you have a free Backcountry Expedition Perks membership. It’s a great carry-on backpack made of 1680-denier ballistic nylon, one that’s loaded with organizational pockets for stowing clothes, cables, and whatever tech you travel with.

iFixit’s step-up toolkit has all sorts of bits and bobs, all of which slot nicely in the case and included fabric roll. | Image: iFixit

The right-to-repair movement has logged some serious wins over the past several years, with states like California, New York, and Minnesota having recently passed laws that make it easier for consumers to repair their own devices. But being able to obtain parts and manuals is only part of the process — you also need the tools. Luckily, iFixit’s Pro Tech Toolkit is on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and iFixit for $59.96 ($15 off), matching the lowest price we’ve seen on the versatile tool set.

Chances are you know iFixit for its in-depth teardowns of various gadgets and gizmos, including iPhone 15 Pro Max, headsets like the Apple Vision Pro, and the confounding mess that is the Humane AI Pin (sorry not sorry). That said, the company also makes some truly excellent screwdriver sets that come with a lifetime warranty and all kinds of exotic bits for opening up modern tech, which is precisely why they’ve become a tried-and-true staple among Verge staffers who like to tinker with small electronics.

The heart of the Pro Tech Toolkit is its 64-bit driver kit, though, you also get spudgers, tweezers, several case-opening picks, a SIM removal tool, and a magnetic case that doubles as a sorting tray. The kit itself includes an extremely well-curated selection of bits, too, including pentalobe bits for opening devices like iPhones, tri-wing bits for cracking into consoles like the Nintendo Switch, and even Torx bits for working with vintage Apple computers and some PCs. It also comes with basic Phillips and flatheads, so you can tune up your bike or tackle whatever small household chores you’ve been putting off.

More deals to shop this weekend

If you’ve been on the fence about foldables, the OnePlus Open is available from Amazon and OnePlus for $1399.99 ($300 off), which is a new low for the premium flagship. The price tag is still steep when compared to the Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Google Pixel Fold — especially since it lacks full water resistance and wireless charging — but it’s a handsome phone with great multitasking support, respectable specs, and four years of OS upgrades. Plus, it almost feels like a normal phone when you close it, which isn’t necessarily the case with some of its beefier rivals. Read our review.
There’s no reason to settle for your average, run-of-mill charger when Sharge’s Macintosh-inspired Retro 67 is on sale at Amazon for $44.99 ($5 off) with an on-page coupon. The three-port USB-C PD and PPS charger is a great option for tablets and smaller laptops given it can put out up to 67W via a single port, and it comes with a handy dot-matrix display that shows your total power output at any given moment. It’s no wonder my colleague Sean Hollister recently took to The Verge to highlight the little charging gizmo.
Last week, we launched our 2024 graduation gift guide, which pulls together a selection of Verge-approved ideas for graduates of all ages. Not everything in there is a deal per se, though you can pick up the Cotopaxi Allpa 35L Travel Pack at Backcountry for $160 ($40 off) at checkout if you have a free Backcountry Expedition Perks membership. It’s a great carry-on backpack made of 1680-denier ballistic nylon, one that’s loaded with organizational pockets for stowing clothes, cables, and whatever tech you travel with.

Read More 

Image: Google

Google is preparing to hold its annual Google I/O developer conference next week, and naturally, it will be all about AI. The company has made no secret of that. Since last year’s I/O, it has debuted Gemini, its new, more powerful model meant to compete with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, and has been deep in testing new features for Search, Google Maps, and Android. Expect to hear a lot about that stuff this year.
When Google I/O will happen and where you can watch
Google I/O kicks off on Tuesday, May 14th at 10AM PT / 1PM ET with a keynote talk. You can catch that on Google’s site or its YouTube channel, via the livestream link that’s also embedded at the top of this page. (There’s also a version with an American Sign Language interpreter.) Set a good amount of time aside for that; I/O tends to go on for a couple of hours.

Blink and you’ll miss it #GoogleIO is coming next week on May 14 at 10 am PT. Tune in for our latest advancements in AI → https://t.co/BJCe4w8BPR pic.twitter.com/fSuKuzxG48— Google (@Google) May 10, 2024

AI at I/O
Google has been clear: I/O this year will be all about AI. Gemini has been out in the world — not without some controversy — for a few months now, as has the company’s smaller Gemma model. A lot of the keynote will probably cover how Google is fusing Search and generative AI. The company has been testing new search features like AI conversation practice for English language learners, as well as image generation for shopping and virtual try-on.
Google will probably also focus on ways it plans to turn your smartphone into more of an AI gadget. That means more generative AI features for Google’s apps. It’s been working on AI features that help with dining and shopping or finding EV chargers in Google Maps, for instance. Google is also testing a feature that uses AI to call a business and wait on hold for you until there’s actually a human being available to talk to.
The Pixel as an AI gadget
I/O could also see the debut of a new, more personal version of its digital assistant, rumored to be called “Pixie.” The Gemini-powered assistant is expected to integrate multimodal features like the ability to take pictures of objects to learn how to use them or get directions to a place to buy them.
That kind of thing could be bad news for devices like the Rabbit R1 and the Human Ai Pin, which each recently launched and struggled to justify their existence. At the moment, the only advantage they maybe sort of have is that it’s kind of hard (though not impossible) to pull off using a smartphone as an AI wearable.

Image: OnLeaks / 91Mobiles
Leaked image of the Pixel 9.

Will there be Hardware at I/O?
It seems unlikely that Google will focus much on new hardware this year, given that the Pixel 8A is already available for preorder and you can now buy a relaunched, cheaper Pixel Tablet, unchanged apart from the fact that the magnetic speaker dock is now a separate purchase. The company could still tease new products like the Pixel 9 — which, in typical Google fashion, is already leaking all over the place — and the Pixel Tablet 2, of course.
The search giant could also talk about its follow-up to the Pixel Fold, which is rumored to get a mouthful of a rebrand to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

Image: Google

Google is preparing to hold its annual Google I/O developer conference next week, and naturally, it will be all about AI. The company has made no secret of that. Since last year’s I/O, it has debuted Gemini, its new, more powerful model meant to compete with OpenAI’s ChatGPT, and has been deep in testing new features for Search, Google Maps, and Android. Expect to hear a lot about that stuff this year.

When Google I/O will happen and where you can watch

Google I/O kicks off on Tuesday, May 14th at 10AM PT / 1PM ET with a keynote talk. You can catch that on Google’s site or its YouTube channel, via the livestream link that’s also embedded at the top of this page. (There’s also a version with an American Sign Language interpreter.) Set a good amount of time aside for that; I/O tends to go on for a couple of hours.

AI at I/O

Google has been clear: I/O this year will be all about AI. Gemini has been out in the world — not without some controversy — for a few months now, as has the company’s smaller Gemma model. A lot of the keynote will probably cover how Google is fusing Search and generative AI. The company has been testing new search features like AI conversation practice for English language learners, as well as image generation for shopping and virtual try-on.

Google will probably also focus on ways it plans to turn your smartphone into more of an AI gadget. That means more generative AI features for Google’s apps. It’s been working on AI features that help with dining and shopping or finding EV chargers in Google Maps, for instance. Google is also testing a feature that uses AI to call a business and wait on hold for you until there’s actually a human being available to talk to.

The Pixel as an AI gadget

I/O could also see the debut of a new, more personal version of its digital assistant, rumored to be called “Pixie.” The Gemini-powered assistant is expected to integrate multimodal features like the ability to take pictures of objects to learn how to use them or get directions to a place to buy them.

That kind of thing could be bad news for devices like the Rabbit R1 and the Human Ai Pin, which each recently launched and struggled to justify their existence. At the moment, the only advantage they maybe sort of have is that it’s kind of hard (though not impossible) to pull off using a smartphone as an AI wearable.

Image: OnLeaks / 91Mobiles
Leaked image of the Pixel 9.

Will there be Hardware at I/O?

It seems unlikely that Google will focus much on new hardware this year, given that the Pixel 8A is already available for preorder and you can now buy a relaunched, cheaper Pixel Tablet, unchanged apart from the fact that the magnetic speaker dock is now a separate purchase. The company could still tease new products like the Pixel 9 — which, in typical Google fashion, is already leaking all over the place — and the Pixel Tablet 2, of course.

The search giant could also talk about its follow-up to the Pixel Fold, which is rumored to get a mouthful of a rebrand to the Pixel 9 Pro Fold.

Read More 

Image: SFB Games

Even as modern horror games become unnervingly immersive, there’s still a place for the particular mood of old-school survival horror. Through a combo of grimy visuals, cryptic puzzles, slow pacing, and clunky controls, PlayStation-era games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill were able to create a distinct kind of tension and terror. Crow Country is what would happen if that kind of game never went out of style. It has the look and feel of the classics but with just the right amount of modern flourish. It’s a perfect bite of classic horror.
Crow Country comes from indie studio SFB Games — led by brothers Tom and Adam Vian — which has so far managed to create quite the eclectic library of releases. There was the playful Switch launch title Snipperclips, the point-and-click murder mystery Tangle Tower, and now a dark survival horror game. Crow Country doesn’t just evoke the ’90s — it’s set during the period as well. The entire game takes place in an abandoned Atlanta amusement park in 1990, as a woman named Mara sets out in search of the park’s elusive owner who mysteriously disappeared. Of course, the place is teeming with monsters and mystery.

The first thing you’ll notice is just how much this looks like a 32-bit game. The attention to detail is immaculate, from the blocky characters to the fuzzy textures to the crunchy, distorted sounds. Even the menus are period-appropriate. This extends to how the game plays and how it’s structured. Initially, Mara only has access to a small section of the park, but slowly, you’ll open up more by collecting obscure items, specific-colored keys, and solving very strange puzzles. The park itself is both scary and comical, like if the original Resident Evil mansion was crossed with Five Nights at Freddy’s.

You move around like, well, a tank: movement is slow, you have to stop to shoot zombie-like enemies, and the aiming is intentionally frustrating to amp up the tension. Similarly, you have to deal with limited resources, with relatively scant ammo and medicine to keep you going. All of this infuses even small encounters with danger. You do not want to waste bullets. It helps that the monster designs are truly unsettling, with fast-running toddlers, spindly-legged monstrosities, and shifting blobs with faces.
What’s most remarkable about Crow Country, though, is how it builds on those old-school sensibilities with some very welcome quality-of-life tweaks. Perhaps the biggest: the camera is actually 3D, so you can move it around to get a better look at your surroundings. But there’s also a more modern control option for better shooting, a limited hint system for when you miss one of those small clues, a very helpful map, and safe rooms that actually feel safe, so you can catch your breath and plan your next move. There’s even a mode that removes enemies entirely if you just want to explore.
The impressive thing is that these updates don’t take away from that classic tension. They simply remove some (but not all) of the frustration inherent in ’90s-era survival horror, creating perhaps the most accessible example of the genre while maintaining the look, feel, and personality. Crow Country does all of this while telling an excellent mystery that dramatically builds in scope over five hours or so of playtime. It doesn’t quite surpass its inspirations, but it’ll remind you why you loved them so much in the first place.
Crow Country is available now on the PS5, Steam, and Xbox Series X / S.

Image: SFB Games

Even as modern horror games become unnervingly immersive, there’s still a place for the particular mood of old-school survival horror. Through a combo of grimy visuals, cryptic puzzles, slow pacing, and clunky controls, PlayStation-era games like Resident Evil and Silent Hill were able to create a distinct kind of tension and terror. Crow Country is what would happen if that kind of game never went out of style. It has the look and feel of the classics but with just the right amount of modern flourish. It’s a perfect bite of classic horror.

Crow Country comes from indie studio SFB Games — led by brothers Tom and Adam Vian — which has so far managed to create quite the eclectic library of releases. There was the playful Switch launch title Snipperclips, the point-and-click murder mystery Tangle Tower, and now a dark survival horror game. Crow Country doesn’t just evoke the ’90s — it’s set during the period as well. The entire game takes place in an abandoned Atlanta amusement park in 1990, as a woman named Mara sets out in search of the park’s elusive owner who mysteriously disappeared. Of course, the place is teeming with monsters and mystery.

The first thing you’ll notice is just how much this looks like a 32-bit game. The attention to detail is immaculate, from the blocky characters to the fuzzy textures to the crunchy, distorted sounds. Even the menus are period-appropriate. This extends to how the game plays and how it’s structured. Initially, Mara only has access to a small section of the park, but slowly, you’ll open up more by collecting obscure items, specific-colored keys, and solving very strange puzzles. The park itself is both scary and comical, like if the original Resident Evil mansion was crossed with Five Nights at Freddy’s.

You move around like, well, a tank: movement is slow, you have to stop to shoot zombie-like enemies, and the aiming is intentionally frustrating to amp up the tension. Similarly, you have to deal with limited resources, with relatively scant ammo and medicine to keep you going. All of this infuses even small encounters with danger. You do not want to waste bullets. It helps that the monster designs are truly unsettling, with fast-running toddlers, spindly-legged monstrosities, and shifting blobs with faces.

What’s most remarkable about Crow Country, though, is how it builds on those old-school sensibilities with some very welcome quality-of-life tweaks. Perhaps the biggest: the camera is actually 3D, so you can move it around to get a better look at your surroundings. But there’s also a more modern control option for better shooting, a limited hint system for when you miss one of those small clues, a very helpful map, and safe rooms that actually feel safe, so you can catch your breath and plan your next move. There’s even a mode that removes enemies entirely if you just want to explore.

The impressive thing is that these updates don’t take away from that classic tension. They simply remove some (but not all) of the frustration inherent in ’90s-era survival horror, creating perhaps the most accessible example of the genre while maintaining the look, feel, and personality. Crow Country does all of this while telling an excellent mystery that dramatically builds in scope over five hours or so of playtime. It doesn’t quite surpass its inspirations, but it’ll remind you why you loved them so much in the first place.

Crow Country is available now on the PS5, Steam, and Xbox Series X / S.

Read More 

Google’s annual developer conference kicks off on Tuesday. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

The past few months have made one thing crystal clear: phones remain undefeated.
The AI gadgets that were supposed to save us from our phones have arrived woefully underbaked — whatever illusions we might have held that the Humane AI pin or the Rabbit R1 were going to offer any kind of salve for the constant rug burn of dealing with our personal tech is gone. Hot Gadget Spring is over and developer season is upon us, starting with Google I/O this coming Tuesday.
It also happens to be a pivotal time for Android. I/O comes on the heels of a major re-org that put the Android team together with Google’s hardware team for the first time. The directive is clear: to run full speed ahead and put more AI in more things. Not preferring Google’s own products was a foundational principle of Android, though that model started shifting years ago as hardware and software teams collaborated more closely. Now, the wall is gone and the AI era is here. And if the past 12 months have been any indication, it’s going to be a little messy.

Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge
The Pixel 8 uses Google’s AI-forward Tensor chipset, but its AI tricks don’t amount to a cohesive vision.

So far, despite Samsung and Google’s best efforts, AI on smartphones has really only amounted to a handful of party tricks. You can turn a picture of a lamp into a different lamp, summarize meeting notes with varying degrees of success, and circle something on your screen to search for it. Handy, sure, but far from a cohesive vision of our AI future. But Android has the key to one important door that could bring more of these features together: Gemini.
Gemini launched as an AI-fueled alternative to the standard Google Assistant a little over three months ago, and it didn’t feel quite ready yet. On day one, it couldn’t access your calendar or set a reminder — not super helpful. Google has added those functions since then, but it still doesn’t support third-party media apps like Spotify. Google Assistant has supported Spotify for most of the last decade.
But the more I come back to Gemini, the more I can see how it’s going to change how I use my phone. It can memorize a dinner recipe and talk me through the steps as I’m cooking. It can understand when I’m asking the wrong question and give me the answer to the one I’m looking for instead (figs are the fruit that have dead wasp parts in them; not dates, as I learned). It can tell me which Paw Patrol toy I’m holding, for Pete’s sake.

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Gemini debuted a few months ago missing some key features, but Google has filled in some of the gaps since then.

Again, though — party tricks. Gemini’s real utility will arrive when it can integrate more easily across the Android ecosystem; when it’s built into your earbuds, your watch, and into the very operating system itself.
Android’s success in the AI era rides on those integrations. ChatGPT can’t read your emails or your calendars as readily as Gemini; it doesn’t have easy access to a history of every place you’ve visited in the past decade. Those are real advantages, and Google needs every advantage right now. We’ve seen plenty of signals that Apple plans to unveil a much smarter Siri at WWDC this year. Microsoft and OpenAI aren’t sitting still either. Google needs to lean into its advantages to deliver AI that’s more than a party trick — even if it’s a little un-Android-like.

Google’s annual developer conference kicks off on Tuesday. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

The past few months have made one thing crystal clear: phones remain undefeated.

The AI gadgets that were supposed to save us from our phones have arrived woefully underbaked — whatever illusions we might have held that the Humane AI pin or the Rabbit R1 were going to offer any kind of salve for the constant rug burn of dealing with our personal tech is gone. Hot Gadget Spring is over and developer season is upon us, starting with Google I/O this coming Tuesday.

It also happens to be a pivotal time for Android. I/O comes on the heels of a major re-org that put the Android team together with Google’s hardware team for the first time. The directive is clear: to run full speed ahead and put more AI in more things. Not preferring Google’s own products was a foundational principle of Android, though that model started shifting years ago as hardware and software teams collaborated more closely. Now, the wall is gone and the AI era is here. And if the past 12 months have been any indication, it’s going to be a little messy.

Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge
The Pixel 8 uses Google’s AI-forward Tensor chipset, but its AI tricks don’t amount to a cohesive vision.

So far, despite Samsung and Google’s best efforts, AI on smartphones has really only amounted to a handful of party tricks. You can turn a picture of a lamp into a different lamp, summarize meeting notes with varying degrees of success, and circle something on your screen to search for it. Handy, sure, but far from a cohesive vision of our AI future. But Android has the key to one important door that could bring more of these features together: Gemini.

Gemini launched as an AI-fueled alternative to the standard Google Assistant a little over three months ago, and it didn’t feel quite ready yet. On day one, it couldn’t access your calendar or set a reminder — not super helpful. Google has added those functions since then, but it still doesn’t support third-party media apps like Spotify. Google Assistant has supported Spotify for most of the last decade.

But the more I come back to Gemini, the more I can see how it’s going to change how I use my phone. It can memorize a dinner recipe and talk me through the steps as I’m cooking. It can understand when I’m asking the wrong question and give me the answer to the one I’m looking for instead (figs are the fruit that have dead wasp parts in them; not dates, as I learned). It can tell me which Paw Patrol toy I’m holding, for Pete’s sake.

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Gemini debuted a few months ago missing some key features, but Google has filled in some of the gaps since then.

Again, though — party tricks. Gemini’s real utility will arrive when it can integrate more easily across the Android ecosystem; when it’s built into your earbuds, your watch, and into the very operating system itself.

Android’s success in the AI era rides on those integrations. ChatGPT can’t read your emails or your calendars as readily as Gemini; it doesn’t have easy access to a history of every place you’ve visited in the past decade. Those are real advantages, and Google needs every advantage right now. We’ve seen plenty of signals that Apple plans to unveil a much smarter Siri at WWDC this year. Microsoft and OpenAI aren’t sitting still either. Google needs to lean into its advantages to deliver AI that’s more than a party trick — even if it’s a little un-Android-like.

Read More 

The Lily 2 is a small, unassuming tracker that suits casual users. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Its limitations made it fall short in daily life but ended up being a plus while trying to disconnect from the world. On my last day of vacation, I sat on a pristine beach, sipping on a piña colada while staring at a turquoise Caribbean Sea. In four days, I’d charged my Apple Watch Ultra 2 three times, and I was down to about 30 percent. On the other wrist, I had the more modest $249.99 Garmin Lily 2 Sport. It was at about 15 percent, but I hadn’t charged it once. Actually, I’d left the cable hundreds of miles away at home. While pondering this, the Ultra 2 started buzzing. My phone may have been buried under towels and sunscreen bottles at the bottom of a beach bag, but Peloton was having a bad earnings day. The way that watch is set up, there was no way it would let me forget. The Lily 2 also buzzed every now and then. The difference was reading notifications on it was too bothersome and, therefore, easily ignored.
That tiny slice in time sums up everything that makes the Lily 2 great — and perhaps not so great.

The hidden screen is a bit dim in direct sunlight and doesn’t fit a ton of information on it.

My 10 days with the Lily 2 were split into two dramatically different weeks. The first was a chaotic hell spent zipping here and there to get 10,000 things done before vacation. The second, I did my very best to be an untroubled beach potato. That first week, I found the Lily 2 to be cute and comfortable but lacking for my particular needs. On vacation, its limitations meant it was exactly the kind of wearable I needed.
I wasn’t surprised by that. The Lily 2 is not meant to be a mini wrist computer that can occasionally sub in for your phone. It’s meant to look chic, tell you the time, and hey, here’s some basic notifications and fitness tracking. That’s ideal for casual users — the kind of folks who loved fitness bands and Fitbits before Google started mucking around with the formula.

The main thing with the Lily 2 is you have to accept that it’s going to look nice on your wrist but be a little finicky to actually use. The original Lily’s display didn’t register swipes or taps that well. It’s improved a smidge with the Lily 2, but just a smidge. Reading notifications, navigating through menus, and just doing most things on the watch itself I found to be nowhere near as convenient as a more full-fledged touchscreen smartwatch. This extra friction is a big reason why the Lily 2 just didn’t fit my needs in daily life.
As a fitness tracker, the Lily 2 is middling. The main additions this time around are better sleep tracking and a few more activity types, like HIIT, indoor rowing and walking, and meditation. There are also new dance fitness profiles with various subgenres, like Zumba, afrobeat, jazz, line dancing, etc. That said, the Lily 2 isn’t great for monitoring your data mid-workout. Again, fiddly swipes and a small screen add too much friction for that.
I also wouldn’t recommend trying to train for a marathon with the Lily 2. Since it uses your phone’s GPS, my results with outdoor runs were a mixed bag. One four-mile run was recorded as 4.01 miles. Great! Another two-mile run was logged as 2.4 miles. Less great. It’s a tracker best suited to an active life, but not one where the details really matter. Case in point, it was great for tracking my general activity splashing around and floating in the ocean — but it’s not really the tracker I’d reach for if I were trying to track laps in the pool.

At 35mm, it’s a skosh bigger than the original Lily but much smaller than just about every other smartwatch on the market. It’s lighter than most at 24.4g, too. That makes this a supremely comfortable lil watch. Most days, I forgot I was wearing it.
While I’m no fashionista, I didn’t feel like my lilac review unit was hard to slot into my daily wardrobe. But if playful colors aren’t your thing, the Classic version is $30-50 more and has a more elegant feel, a more muted color palette, and nylon / leather straps. (It also adds contactless payments.)
As a woman with a small wrist, the 35mm size is a plus. But while I personally don’t think the Lily 2 has to be a women’s watch, it is undeniably dainty. If you want something with a more neutral vibe or a slightly bigger size, Garmin has the Vivomove Trend or Vivomove Sport. Withings’ ScanWatch 2 or ScanWatch Light are also compelling options.

The sensor array uses the last-gen Garmin optical heart rate sensor, but that’s fine on a casual tracker.

Ultimately, the Lily 2 is great for folks who want to be more active while trying to cut down on notifications. It’s also a great alternative if you miss the old Misfits, Jawbones, or Fitbit Alta HR. Deep down, I wish that were me, but the reality is I have too much gadget FOMO and care way too much about my running data. That said, the next time I go on vacation — or feel the urge to disconnect — I think I’ll reach for the Lily 2 and try to leave the rest of my life at home.

The Lily 2 is a small, unassuming tracker that suits casual users. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge

Its limitations made it fall short in daily life but ended up being a plus while trying to disconnect from the world.

On my last day of vacation, I sat on a pristine beach, sipping on a piña colada while staring at a turquoise Caribbean Sea. In four days, I’d charged my Apple Watch Ultra 2 three times, and I was down to about 30 percent. On the other wrist, I had the more modest $249.99 Garmin Lily 2 Sport. It was at about 15 percent, but I hadn’t charged it once. Actually, I’d left the cable hundreds of miles away at home. While pondering this, the Ultra 2 started buzzing. My phone may have been buried under towels and sunscreen bottles at the bottom of a beach bag, but Peloton was having a bad earnings day. The way that watch is set up, there was no way it would let me forget. The Lily 2 also buzzed every now and then. The difference was reading notifications on it was too bothersome and, therefore, easily ignored.

That tiny slice in time sums up everything that makes the Lily 2 great — and perhaps not so great.

The hidden screen is a bit dim in direct sunlight and doesn’t fit a ton of information on it.

My 10 days with the Lily 2 were split into two dramatically different weeks. The first was a chaotic hell spent zipping here and there to get 10,000 things done before vacation. The second, I did my very best to be an untroubled beach potato. That first week, I found the Lily 2 to be cute and comfortable but lacking for my particular needs. On vacation, its limitations meant it was exactly the kind of wearable I needed.

I wasn’t surprised by that. The Lily 2 is not meant to be a mini wrist computer that can occasionally sub in for your phone. It’s meant to look chic, tell you the time, and hey, here’s some basic notifications and fitness tracking. That’s ideal for casual users — the kind of folks who loved fitness bands and Fitbits before Google started mucking around with the formula.

The main thing with the Lily 2 is you have to accept that it’s going to look nice on your wrist but be a little finicky to actually use. The original Lily’s display didn’t register swipes or taps that well. It’s improved a smidge with the Lily 2, but just a smidge. Reading notifications, navigating through menus, and just doing most things on the watch itself I found to be nowhere near as convenient as a more full-fledged touchscreen smartwatch. This extra friction is a big reason why the Lily 2 just didn’t fit my needs in daily life.

As a fitness tracker, the Lily 2 is middling. The main additions this time around are better sleep tracking and a few more activity types, like HIIT, indoor rowing and walking, and meditation. There are also new dance fitness profiles with various subgenres, like Zumba, afrobeat, jazz, line dancing, etc. That said, the Lily 2 isn’t great for monitoring your data mid-workout. Again, fiddly swipes and a small screen add too much friction for that.

I also wouldn’t recommend trying to train for a marathon with the Lily 2. Since it uses your phone’s GPS, my results with outdoor runs were a mixed bag. One four-mile run was recorded as 4.01 miles. Great! Another two-mile run was logged as 2.4 miles. Less great. It’s a tracker best suited to an active life, but not one where the details really matter. Case in point, it was great for tracking my general activity splashing around and floating in the ocean — but it’s not really the tracker I’d reach for if I were trying to track laps in the pool.

At 35mm, it’s a skosh bigger than the original Lily but much smaller than just about every other smartwatch on the market. It’s lighter than most at 24.4g, too. That makes this a supremely comfortable lil watch. Most days, I forgot I was wearing it.

While I’m no fashionista, I didn’t feel like my lilac review unit was hard to slot into my daily wardrobe. But if playful colors aren’t your thing, the Classic version is $30-50 more and has a more elegant feel, a more muted color palette, and nylon / leather straps. (It also adds contactless payments.)

As a woman with a small wrist, the 35mm size is a plus. But while I personally don’t think the Lily 2 has to be a women’s watch, it is undeniably dainty. If you want something with a more neutral vibe or a slightly bigger size, Garmin has the Vivomove Trend or Vivomove Sport. Withings’ ScanWatch 2 or ScanWatch Light are also compelling options.

The sensor array uses the last-gen Garmin optical heart rate sensor, but that’s fine on a casual tracker.

Ultimately, the Lily 2 is great for folks who want to be more active while trying to cut down on notifications. It’s also a great alternative if you miss the old Misfits, Jawbones, or Fitbit Alta HR. Deep down, I wish that were me, but the reality is I have too much gadget FOMO and care way too much about my running data. That said, the next time I go on vacation — or feel the urge to disconnect — I think I’ll reach for the Lily 2 and try to leave the rest of my life at home.

Read More 

That’s a skinny XPS. | Image: Windows Report

Want a look at Dell’s new notebook lineup that’s apparently powered by Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon X Elite processors? Courtesy of Windows Report, these leaked images come ahead of Microsoft’s May 20th event where new Surfaces (and other laptops) are expected to sport the same chips.
They unsurprisingly look like laptops — albeit with overall slimmer profiles.
The most interesting model is Dell’s new XPS 13 9345, which seems to be a sleeker rebirth of the XPS 13 Plus from 2022. It’s got the same touchy touch-bar on the top row and comes with only two USB-C ports for I/O.

Image: Windows Report
Dell XPS 9345

Image: Windows Report
Dell Inspiron 14 7441 Plus

There’s also a leaked new Inspiron 14 7441 Plus that’s reportedly equipped with a 16-core Snapdragon X Elite and has 16GB of base RAM. Inspirons are considered Dell’s everyman PC that isn’t as sleek as the XPS lineup, although this one looks like it has thinned, and seems to come with two USB-C ports, one USB-A, and a microSD card slot.
Dell had revealed a new XPS lineup in January which introduced keyboards that bear Microsoft’s new Copilot key on the bottom row — and it looks like these leaked ones have them, too. Dell, HP, and Lenovo have all partnered with Microsoft to release notebooks supporting Windows 11 AI features. And these leaked Dell laptops apparently have Microsoft’s upcoming “AI Explorer” features out of the box.
They’re among the first Snapdragon X laptops we’ve seen leak out — the other is this Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 that leaker WalkingCat unearthed,

Yoga Slim 7 14(.5) 2024 Snapdragon Edition pic.twitter.com/k29LupeWk6— WalkingCat (@_h0x0d_) April 17, 2024

A Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Edge is expected as well, and Asus seems to have a Qualcomm laptop coming too.
Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X series are due to appear in laptops this summer, and it’s the chipmaker’s big bet to challenge Apple Silicon, Intel, and AMD on performance.

That’s a skinny XPS. | Image: Windows Report

Want a look at Dell’s new notebook lineup that’s apparently powered by Qualcomm’s upcoming Snapdragon X Elite processors? Courtesy of Windows Report, these leaked images come ahead of Microsoft’s May 20th event where new Surfaces (and other laptops) are expected to sport the same chips.

They unsurprisingly look like laptops — albeit with overall slimmer profiles.

The most interesting model is Dell’s new XPS 13 9345, which seems to be a sleeker rebirth of the XPS 13 Plus from 2022. It’s got the same touchy touch-bar on the top row and comes with only two USB-C ports for I/O.

There’s also a leaked new Inspiron 14 7441 Plus that’s reportedly equipped with a 16-core Snapdragon X Elite and has 16GB of base RAM. Inspirons are considered Dell’s everyman PC that isn’t as sleek as the XPS lineup, although this one looks like it has thinned, and seems to come with two USB-C ports, one USB-A, and a microSD card slot.

Dell had revealed a new XPS lineup in January which introduced keyboards that bear Microsoft’s new Copilot key on the bottom row — and it looks like these leaked ones have them, too. Dell, HP, and Lenovo have all partnered with Microsoft to release notebooks supporting Windows 11 AI features. And these leaked Dell laptops apparently have Microsoft’s upcoming “AI Explorer” features out of the box.

They’re among the first Snapdragon X laptops we’ve seen leak out — the other is this Lenovo Yoga Slim 7 that leaker WalkingCat unearthed,

A Samsung Galaxy Book 4 Edge is expected as well, and Asus seems to have a Qualcomm laptop coming too.

Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X series are due to appear in laptops this summer, and it’s the chipmaker’s big bet to challenge Apple Silicon, Intel, and AMD on performance.

Read More 

Photo by IDA MARIE ODGAARD/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images

GameStop, the used video game retailer that’s become increasingly associated with other kinds of speculative investments, wants to cash in on the resurgent card collecting craze — staffers have told Pokébeach, Polygon, and The Verge that stores will begin buying and selling rare Pokémon cards, and possibly other cards, as soon as next week.
GameStop apparently doesn’t want just any cards, though: employees across multiple states say they’ll only be buying cards that have already been graded by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) at an 8, 9, or 10, meaning they’re in near-mint condition or better with only slight imperfections. And yet, GameStop won’t accept the rarest cards valued at over $500, either, Pokébeach and Polygon report. You’ll have to find somewhere else to sell your PSA 10 shadowless first-edition Charizard.
One employee tells The Verge that this is an explicit collaboration between GameStop and PSA — but that GameStop won’t offer grading services in-store or help you mail your cards in for grading. GameStop will take other kinds of PSA-graded cards beyond Pokémon, too, though, that employee says.
And while Pokébeach reports that you’ll be able to buy cards, too, they won’t necessarily be the same rare PSA-graded ones, but rather $1 singles to start.
GameStop didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment; we’ve reached out to PSA as well. It’s not clear when this program will roll out to stores; while Pokébeach says it’s starting next week, my local store said it should begin in July.

Photo by IDA MARIE ODGAARD/Ritzau Scanpix/AFP via Getty Images

GameStop, the used video game retailer that’s become increasingly associated with other kinds of speculative investments, wants to cash in on the resurgent card collecting craze — staffers have told Pokébeach, Polygon, and The Verge that stores will begin buying and selling rare Pokémon cards, and possibly other cards, as soon as next week.

GameStop apparently doesn’t want just any cards, though: employees across multiple states say they’ll only be buying cards that have already been graded by Professional Sports Authenticator (PSA) at an 8, 9, or 10, meaning they’re in near-mint condition or better with only slight imperfections. And yet, GameStop won’t accept the rarest cards valued at over $500, either, Pokébeach and Polygon report. You’ll have to find somewhere else to sell your PSA 10 shadowless first-edition Charizard.

One employee tells The Verge that this is an explicit collaboration between GameStop and PSA — but that GameStop won’t offer grading services in-store or help you mail your cards in for grading. GameStop will take other kinds of PSA-graded cards beyond Pokémon, too, though, that employee says.

And while Pokébeach reports that you’ll be able to buy cards, too, they won’t necessarily be the same rare PSA-graded ones, but rather $1 singles to start.

GameStop didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment; we’ve reached out to PSA as well. It’s not clear when this program will roll out to stores; while Pokébeach says it’s starting next week, my local store said it should begin in July.

Read More 

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile will pay a combined $10.22 million to a group of states to settle claims that the carriers lied to customers about their “unlimited” plans and “free” phone offers. The settlement, which follows an investigation from a coalition of 50 attorneys general, requires the three companies to make their advertisements more transparent.
Under the terms of the agreement, Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T can only advertise their plans as “unlimited” if there are no limits on how much data someone can use during a billing cycle. The ads must “clearly and conspicuously” say that restrictions on speed may apply, as well as specify the amount of data customers can use before triggering the slowdown.

Additionally, the attorneys general went after the allegedly misleading claims Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T made in ads promising to “pay” customers to switch carriers. All three companies must now clearly disclose the terms and conditions associated with the offer, including how much a customer will be paid and when they will receive their payment. The carriers must also disclose the requirements customers must meet to receive “free” phone offers, along with any hidden fees.
“AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile lied to millions of consumers, making false promises of free phones and ‘unlimited’ data plans that were simply untrue,” New York Attorney General Letitia James says in a statement. “Big companies are not excused from following the law and cannot trick consumers into paying for services they will never receive.”
Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T will also have to appoint a “dedicated representative” to field customer complaints. The three companies deny any wrongdoing. “These voluntary agreements reflect no finding of improper conduct and reaffirm the wireless industry’s longstanding commitment to clarity and integrity in advertising so that consumers can make informed decisions about the products and services that best suit them,” Nick Ludlum, the senior vice president of the CTIA, the trade group representing the carriers, tells The Verge.
This isn’t the only scrutiny the three major carriers have faced as of late. Last week, the Federal Communications Commission fined Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile almost $200 million over allegations they illegally shared customers’ location data.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile will pay a combined $10.22 million to a group of states to settle claims that the carriers lied to customers about their “unlimited” plans and “free” phone offers. The settlement, which follows an investigation from a coalition of 50 attorneys general, requires the three companies to make their advertisements more transparent.

Under the terms of the agreement, Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T can only advertise their plans as “unlimited” if there are no limits on how much data someone can use during a billing cycle. The ads must “clearly and conspicuously” say that restrictions on speed may apply, as well as specify the amount of data customers can use before triggering the slowdown.

Additionally, the attorneys general went after the allegedly misleading claims Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T made in ads promising to “pay” customers to switch carriers. All three companies must now clearly disclose the terms and conditions associated with the offer, including how much a customer will be paid and when they will receive their payment. The carriers must also disclose the requirements customers must meet to receive “free” phone offers, along with any hidden fees.

“AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile lied to millions of consumers, making false promises of free phones and ‘unlimited’ data plans that were simply untrue,” New York Attorney General Letitia James says in a statement. “Big companies are not excused from following the law and cannot trick consumers into paying for services they will never receive.”

Verizon, T-Mobile, and AT&T will also have to appoint a “dedicated representative” to field customer complaints. The three companies deny any wrongdoing. “These voluntary agreements reflect no finding of improper conduct and reaffirm the wireless industry’s longstanding commitment to clarity and integrity in advertising so that consumers can make informed decisions about the products and services that best suit them,” Nick Ludlum, the senior vice president of the CTIA, the trade group representing the carriers, tells The Verge.

This isn’t the only scrutiny the three major carriers have faced as of late. Last week, the Federal Communications Commission fined Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile almost $200 million over allegations they illegally shared customers’ location data.

Read More 

Matter Casting is now rolling out to all Fire TVs on FireOS 6 or higher. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge

If the Fire TV is your streaming stick of choice, I have good news. There’s now an easy way to cast content from your phone or tablet to your TV — as long as you’re watching Prime Video. Matter Casting, a new protocol for casting content from an app on your phone to an app on a TV or display, is rolling out now to compatible Fire TVs and could one day be available on more screens in our homes.
Unlike Apple’s AirPlay or Google Cast, Matter Casting is an open standard with no requirement for proprietary hardware. I got some hands-on time with the feature on a Fire TV at Amazon’s Day 1 HQ in Seattle last week and, according to Amazon spokesperson Connor Rice, Matter Casting will be arriving on all Fire TVs running FireOS 6 or higher “over the coming weeks.” (It’s already available on the Echo Show 15.)

Matter Casting is part of Matter, a new interoperability standard for smart home devices developed by Apple, Amazon, Google, Samsung, and others. It uses app-to-app communication between your phone and TV (or any screen-based device) to cast content; you control the content in the app on your device, and the app on the TV responds.
While Fire TV users have been able to mirror content from an Apple device or Miracast, Matter Casting isn’t session-based like those solutions, so offers more flexibility. It works more like Apple’s AirPlay or Google Cast, neither of which are available on Fire TVs today, but with greater control from the phone than those options currently offer.

The Cast button appears in the top right corner of Prime Video app.

The playback controls show in the app while the content is playing on the TV.

I tried out Matter Casting on a Matter-enabled Fire TV stick on a Fire TV Omni in Amazon’s Smart Home Lab, and my experience, while brief, was very good. The casting process is straightforward, intuitive, and easy to navigate — just what you want when trying to watch something on your TV.
I opened the Prime Video app on an iPhone, clicked the familiar casting icon, and the Fire TV Stick appeared in the list of devices available to cast to. With casting initiated, any video I selected in the Prime Video app on the phone appeared through the Prime Video app on the TV. I could use all the playback controls from the phone app — fast-forward, rewind, pause, and play — and there was no real lag or hangups.

Casting from an iPhone to a Fire TV using Matter Casting.

I selected the new Anne Hathaway movie (where a 40-year-old gets with a 20-something boy band star — goals), and it played quickly. Along with the playback controls, I could also jump ahead using the playback bar and see all the “X-Ray” info Prime Video includes. I then switched to a TV show in the app, and the TV followed suit.
I liked that I could navigate away from the app on the phone or put the phone down and lock it, and the content continued to play — something you can’t always do successfully with other casting options. At this point, because the content had loaded in the app on the TV, I — or anyone in the room — could also pick up the remote and control what was playing.
It was all very seamless, and having the playback controls natively in the app you’re streaming from is also more intuitive than some of the current options.
There’s no volume control yet, but if the TV itself supports Matter — LG, Hisense, Toshiba, and TCL have all said they will — then you’ll also get volume control along with other TV functions, such as changing the channel and HDMI input.

With Matter Casting, you can still control the content using the Fire TV remote, as well as in the app on your phone.

Like much of Matter, Matter Casting was designed to build on existing solutions. In my experience, it seems to have achieved that. Amazon’s Chris DeCenzo, who leads the team at the Connectivity Standards Alliance (which oversees Matter) developing the casting standard, told me they brought the best from all the casting protocols. “When we designed the architecture for Matter Casting, we had the benefit of having the content providers, TV makers, and everyone in the room together,” he said. “So, we designed it around what we’ve learned — that the best experiences for customers is the one in the app the content provider has built.”
However, today, Matter Casting only works with one app, Prime Video, and on two devices, Fire TVs and the Echo Show 15. This severely limits its usefulness. DeCenzo says more apps, including Plex, Pluto TV, Sling TV, Starz, and ZDF, will add support for Matter Casting later this year. But that’s nowhere near critical mass, even for Amazon, let alone the other device makers.
For Matter Casting to gain traction, it’ll need support from device makers like Apple, Google, and Roku, TV manufacturers, and, of course, many more streaming services, such as Netflix, Max, and Disney Plus. That’s a tall order.
Matter Casting only works with Prime Video on the Fire TV and the Echo Show 15.
The latest updates to Matter Casting, announced with Matter 1.3 this week, could help push the standard forward. The new functionality, which goes above what AirPlay and Google Cast offer on screens, could make it more appealing to developers and manufacturers.
One feature that will interest smart home companies is the ability to cast from a Matter device to a TV or screen. So your smart home gadgets could send notifications to a communal screen instead of just one person’s smartphone.
For example, a Matter-enabled dryer could send a notification to the TV that the clothes are dry. Samsung SmartThings does this today, but you need Samsung appliances and a Samsung TV. With Matter, this could be implemented by any manufacturer.
Additionally, two-way communication is coming — so the TV apps can know which devices are connected to them and send target messages to each one. There are a lot of possibilities here, an obvious one being multiplayer gaming or with each player able to use their phone as a buzzer for a gameshow on the TV. This multi-user interaction on one screen might also interest services like Spotify or TikTok.
There’s no question that an open-sourced, non-hardware-dependent casting protocol that lets you cast from your phone to any screen in your house is compelling. If Matter Casting does take off, developers should only have to build to one specification instead of creating individual integrations for AirPlay, Google Cast, and so on.
But that’s a big if.
Today, Matter Casting is all Amazon. That’s good news for Fire TV users, as it’s a nice experience. But it’s unlikely to replace AirPlay or Google Cast anytime soon; at best, it’ll be another option, albeit a good one.

Photos and video by Allison Johnson / The Verge

Matter Casting is now rolling out to all Fire TVs on FireOS 6 or higher. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge

If the Fire TV is your streaming stick of choice, I have good news. There’s now an easy way to cast content from your phone or tablet to your TV — as long as you’re watching Prime Video. Matter Casting, a new protocol for casting content from an app on your phone to an app on a TV or display, is rolling out now to compatible Fire TVs and could one day be available on more screens in our homes.

Unlike Apple’s AirPlay or Google Cast, Matter Casting is an open standard with no requirement for proprietary hardware. I got some hands-on time with the feature on a Fire TV at Amazon’s Day 1 HQ in Seattle last week and, according to Amazon spokesperson Connor Rice, Matter Casting will be arriving on all Fire TVs running FireOS 6 or higher “over the coming weeks.” (It’s already available on the Echo Show 15.)

Matter Casting is part of Matter, a new interoperability standard for smart home devices developed by Apple, Amazon, Google, Samsung, and others. It uses app-to-app communication between your phone and TV (or any screen-based device) to cast content; you control the content in the app on your device, and the app on the TV responds.

While Fire TV users have been able to mirror content from an Apple device or Miracast, Matter Casting isn’t session-based like those solutions, so offers more flexibility. It works more like Apple’s AirPlay or Google Cast, neither of which are available on Fire TVs today, but with greater control from the phone than those options currently offer.

I tried out Matter Casting on a Matter-enabled Fire TV stick on a Fire TV Omni in Amazon’s Smart Home Lab, and my experience, while brief, was very good. The casting process is straightforward, intuitive, and easy to navigate — just what you want when trying to watch something on your TV.

I opened the Prime Video app on an iPhone, clicked the familiar casting icon, and the Fire TV Stick appeared in the list of devices available to cast to. With casting initiated, any video I selected in the Prime Video app on the phone appeared through the Prime Video app on the TV. I could use all the playback controls from the phone app — fast-forward, rewind, pause, and play — and there was no real lag or hangups.

I selected the new Anne Hathaway movie (where a 40-year-old gets with a 20-something boy band star — goals), and it played quickly. Along with the playback controls, I could also jump ahead using the playback bar and see all the “X-Ray” info Prime Video includes. I then switched to a TV show in the app, and the TV followed suit.

I liked that I could navigate away from the app on the phone or put the phone down and lock it, and the content continued to play — something you can’t always do successfully with other casting options. At this point, because the content had loaded in the app on the TV, I — or anyone in the room — could also pick up the remote and control what was playing.

It was all very seamless, and having the playback controls natively in the app you’re streaming from is also more intuitive than some of the current options.

There’s no volume control yet, but if the TV itself supports Matter — LG, Hisense, Toshiba, and TCL have all said they will — then you’ll also get volume control along with other TV functions, such as changing the channel and HDMI input.

With Matter Casting, you can still control the content using the Fire TV remote, as well as in the app on your phone.

Like much of Matter, Matter Casting was designed to build on existing solutions. In my experience, it seems to have achieved that. Amazon’s Chris DeCenzo, who leads the team at the Connectivity Standards Alliance (which oversees Matter) developing the casting standard, told me they brought the best from all the casting protocols. “When we designed the architecture for Matter Casting, we had the benefit of having the content providers, TV makers, and everyone in the room together,” he said. “So, we designed it around what we’ve learned — that the best experiences for customers is the one in the app the content provider has built.”

However, today, Matter Casting only works with one app, Prime Video, and on two devices, Fire TVs and the Echo Show 15. This severely limits its usefulness. DeCenzo says more apps, including Plex, Pluto TV, Sling TV, Starz, and ZDF, will add support for Matter Casting later this year. But that’s nowhere near critical mass, even for Amazon, let alone the other device makers.

For Matter Casting to gain traction, it’ll need support from device makers like Apple, Google, and Roku, TV manufacturers, and, of course, many more streaming services, such as Netflix, Max, and Disney Plus. That’s a tall order.

The latest updates to Matter Casting, announced with Matter 1.3 this week, could help push the standard forward. The new functionality, which goes above what AirPlay and Google Cast offer on screens, could make it more appealing to developers and manufacturers.

One feature that will interest smart home companies is the ability to cast from a Matter device to a TV or screen. So your smart home gadgets could send notifications to a communal screen instead of just one person’s smartphone.

For example, a Matter-enabled dryer could send a notification to the TV that the clothes are dry. Samsung SmartThings does this today, but you need Samsung appliances and a Samsung TV. With Matter, this could be implemented by any manufacturer.

Additionally, two-way communication is coming — so the TV apps can know which devices are connected to them and send target messages to each one. There are a lot of possibilities here, an obvious one being multiplayer gaming or with each player able to use their phone as a buzzer for a gameshow on the TV. This multi-user interaction on one screen might also interest services like Spotify or TikTok.

There’s no question that an open-sourced, non-hardware-dependent casting protocol that lets you cast from your phone to any screen in your house is compelling. If Matter Casting does take off, developers should only have to build to one specification instead of creating individual integrations for AirPlay, Google Cast, and so on.

But that’s a big if.

Today, Matter Casting is all Amazon. That’s good news for Fire TV users, as it’s a nice experience. But it’s unlikely to replace AirPlay or Google Cast anytime soon; at best, it’ll be another option, albeit a good one.

Photos and video by Allison Johnson / The Verge

Read More