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The Boox Palma 2 features a faster processor and a fingerprint reader. | Image: Boox

Boox has announced the Palma 2, the next version of its popular smartphone-sized e-reader. The Palma 2 addresses some of the original’s shortcomings, with a faster processor to address the original’s laggy interface and by running a newer version of Android.
The new Boox Palma 2 is available for preorder today in ivory white or deep cyan black for $279.99, which is exactly the same price as the original. That’s still more expensive than premium e-readers, including the recently announced $199.99 Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition, which features a much larger screen and a more polished interface than the original Palma.

Image: Boox
The original Palma ran on Android 11, but the new Palma 2 will debut with Android 13.

But it was the Palma’s compact size and access to thousands of apps that helped it become a popular Kindle and Kobo alternative, and Boox isn’t messing with that formula for the Palma 2. It features the same 6.13-inch 300ppi E Ink Carta 1200 screen as the original (a generation behind what’s found in the latest Kindle Paperwhite) and once again comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.
Although Boox hasn’t shared specific details, it says the new Palma 2 now runs a “faster octa-core CPU,” which will hopefully help speed up the new e-reader’s interface. It also runs Android 13 instead of Android 11. That’s still a few generations behind the latest version of Android, but it means the Palma 2 will get newer features like improved copying and pasting. It should also give the e-reader a few more years over the original before apps stop supporting its version of the OS.
The other notable upgrade for the Palma 2 is the addition of a fingerprint sensor integrated into its power button, making it easier to secure the device while still being able to quickly unlock it with just one hand.

Image: Boox
The Palma 2 still features a rear-facing camera that can be used for digitizing documents.

Although leaked images from earlier this week suggested Boox could be eliminating cameras from its smartphone-sized e-readers, that was only the case for a version of the Palma limited to China. The Palma 2 has the same 16MP rear camera with flash as the original, which the company suggests is useful for digitizing documents.

Image: Boox
The Boox Note Air4 C features a color E Ink screen and a faster processor than its predecessor.

Alongside the Palma 2, Boox also announced two new e-paper note-taking devices. The 10.3-inch Note Air4 C features the latest-gen Kaleido 3 color E Ink display with improved refresh rates and an octa-core processor that Boox says makes the tablet 50 percent faster than the previous model. The $499.99 Note Air4 C also runs Android 13 and has a new “tablet-like UI” that the company says makes it easier to customize its homescreen and organize apps.
The new Boox Note Max is a black-and-white, stylus-capable tablet featuring a larger 13.3-inch E Ink Carta 1300 display powered by a 2.8GHz octa-core CPU. At just 4.6 millimeters thick, the Note Max is almost half as thick as the Boox Palma 2. But unlike Boox’s other two devices introduced today, it won’t be available for preorder from the company’s online store for a few more weeks.

The Boox Palma 2 features a faster processor and a fingerprint reader. | Image: Boox

Boox has announced the Palma 2, the next version of its popular smartphone-sized e-reader. The Palma 2 addresses some of the original’s shortcomings, with a faster processor to address the original’s laggy interface and by running a newer version of Android.

The new Boox Palma 2 is available for preorder today in ivory white or deep cyan black for $279.99, which is exactly the same price as the original. That’s still more expensive than premium e-readers, including the recently announced $199.99 Kindle Paperwhite Signature Edition, which features a much larger screen and a more polished interface than the original Palma.

Image: Boox
The original Palma ran on Android 11, but the new Palma 2 will debut with Android 13.

But it was the Palma’s compact size and access to thousands of apps that helped it become a popular Kindle and Kobo alternative, and Boox isn’t messing with that formula for the Palma 2. It features the same 6.13-inch 300ppi E Ink Carta 1200 screen as the original (a generation behind what’s found in the latest Kindle Paperwhite) and once again comes with 6GB of RAM and 128GB of storage.

Although Boox hasn’t shared specific details, it says the new Palma 2 now runs a “faster octa-core CPU,” which will hopefully help speed up the new e-reader’s interface. It also runs Android 13 instead of Android 11. That’s still a few generations behind the latest version of Android, but it means the Palma 2 will get newer features like improved copying and pasting. It should also give the e-reader a few more years over the original before apps stop supporting its version of the OS.

The other notable upgrade for the Palma 2 is the addition of a fingerprint sensor integrated into its power button, making it easier to secure the device while still being able to quickly unlock it with just one hand.

Image: Boox
The Palma 2 still features a rear-facing camera that can be used for digitizing documents.

Although leaked images from earlier this week suggested Boox could be eliminating cameras from its smartphone-sized e-readers, that was only the case for a version of the Palma limited to China. The Palma 2 has the same 16MP rear camera with flash as the original, which the company suggests is useful for digitizing documents.

Image: Boox
The Boox Note Air4 C features a color E Ink screen and a faster processor than its predecessor.

Alongside the Palma 2, Boox also announced two new e-paper note-taking devices. The 10.3-inch Note Air4 C features the latest-gen Kaleido 3 color E Ink display with improved refresh rates and an octa-core processor that Boox says makes the tablet 50 percent faster than the previous model. The $499.99 Note Air4 C also runs Android 13 and has a new “tablet-like UI” that the company says makes it easier to customize its homescreen and organize apps.

The new Boox Note Max is a black-and-white, stylus-capable tablet featuring a larger 13.3-inch E Ink Carta 1300 display powered by a 2.8GHz octa-core CPU. At just 4.6 millimeters thick, the Note Max is almost half as thick as the Boox Palma 2. But unlike Boox’s other two devices introduced today, it won’t be available for preorder from the company’s online store for a few more weeks.

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Illustration by Haein Jeong / The Verge

Thousands of creatives, including famous actors like Kevin Bacon and Kate McKinnon, along with other actors, authors, and musicians, have signed a statement warning that the unpermitted use of copyrighted materials to train AI models threatens the people who made those creative works. 11,500 names are on the list of signatories so far.
Here is the one-sentence statement:
“The unlicensed use of creative works for training generative AI is a major, unjust threat to the livelihoods of the people behind those works, and must not be permitted.”
The statement was published by Fairly Trained, a group advocating for fair training data use by AI companies. Fairly Trained CEO Ed Newton-Rex told The Guardian that generative AI companies need “people, compute, and data” to build their models, and while they spend “vast sums” on the former two, they “expect to take the third – training data – for free.” Newton-Rex founded Fairly Trained after he quit Stability AI, accusing generative AI of “exploiting creators.”
Several professionals and organizations like News Corp and the Recording Industry Association of America have sued AI companies for using copyrighted work while training AI models.

The RIAA is among the organizations that have signed Fairly Trained’s statement and has even posted about it. As has the News/Media Alliance.
There are also some notable names not appearing among the signatories. Scarlett Johansson, who had a high-profile spat with OpenAI after accusations it modeled GPT-4o’s voice after her, isn’t on the list. Neither are actors like Dame Judi Dench and John Cena, who signed up to have Meta AI’s voice chat system replicate them.

Illustration by Haein Jeong / The Verge

Thousands of creatives, including famous actors like Kevin Bacon and Kate McKinnon, along with other actors, authors, and musicians, have signed a statement warning that the unpermitted use of copyrighted materials to train AI models threatens the people who made those creative works. 11,500 names are on the list of signatories so far.

Here is the one-sentence statement:

“The unlicensed use of creative works for training generative AI is a major, unjust threat to the livelihoods of the people behind those works, and must not be permitted.”

The statement was published by Fairly Trained, a group advocating for fair training data use by AI companies. Fairly Trained CEO Ed Newton-Rex told The Guardian that generative AI companies need “people, compute, and data” to build their models, and while they spend “vast sums” on the former two, they “expect to take the third – training data – for free.” Newton-Rex founded Fairly Trained after he quit Stability AI, accusing generative AI of “exploiting creators.”

Several professionals and organizations like News Corp and the Recording Industry Association of America have sued AI companies for using copyrighted work while training AI models.

The RIAA is among the organizations that have signed Fairly Trained’s statement and has even posted about it. As has the News/Media Alliance.

There are also some notable names not appearing among the signatories. Scarlett Johansson, who had a high-profile spat with OpenAI after accusations it modeled GPT-4o’s voice after her, isn’t on the list. Neither are actors like Dame Judi Dench and John Cena, who signed up to have Meta AI’s voice chat system replicate them.

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This Ariane 5 rocket carried Intelsat 33e and Intelsat 36 into space in 2016. | Photo by JODY AMIET/AFP via Getty Images

A communications satellite built by Boeing has fallen apart while in orbit, as reported earlier by Jalopnik. On Saturday, Intelsat said its 33e satellite stopped working due to an “anomaly” before confirming its “total loss” on Monday.
“We are coordinating with the satellite manufacturer, Boeing, and government agencies to analyze data and observations,” Intelsat said. The company has since established a board to conduct a “comprehensive analysis of the cause of the anomaly.”
The satellite’s breakup doesn’t have great timing for Boeing, following the company’s troubled Starliner mission and a criminal fraud charge over 737 Max plane crashes,
The US Space Force also confirmed the incident:
U.S. Space Forces-Space (S4S) has confirmed the breakup of Intelsat 33E (#41748, 2016-053B) in GEO on October 19, 2024, at approximately 0430 UTC. Currently tracking around 20 associated pieces – analysis ongoing. S4S has observed no immediate threats and is continuing to conduct routine conjunction assessments to support the safety and sustainability of the space domain.
It’s unclear how many pieces there are, as satellite-tracking company ExoAnalytic Solutions says it’s monitoring 57 pieces of debris, Space News reports.
Intelsat 33e launched in 2016 to provide communications across Europe, Asia, and Africa. The satellite experienced a propulsion issue shortly after launch and reached orbit later than expected. Another propulsion problem in 2017 decreased its estimated 15-year lifespan by 3.5 years. Intelsat 29e — a satellite Boeing also made — was declared a “total loss” in 2019 after just three years in space.

This Ariane 5 rocket carried Intelsat 33e and Intelsat 36 into space in 2016. | Photo by JODY AMIET/AFP via Getty Images

A communications satellite built by Boeing has fallen apart while in orbit, as reported earlier by Jalopnik. On Saturday, Intelsat said its 33e satellite stopped working due to an “anomaly” before confirming its “total loss” on Monday.

“We are coordinating with the satellite manufacturer, Boeing, and government agencies to analyze data and observations,” Intelsat said. The company has since established a board to conduct a “comprehensive analysis of the cause of the anomaly.”

The satellite’s breakup doesn’t have great timing for Boeing, following the company’s troubled Starliner mission and a criminal fraud charge over 737 Max plane crashes,

The US Space Force also confirmed the incident:

U.S. Space Forces-Space (S4S) has confirmed the breakup of Intelsat 33E (#41748, 2016-053B) in GEO on October 19, 2024, at approximately 0430 UTC. Currently tracking around 20 associated pieces – analysis ongoing. S4S has observed no immediate threats and is continuing to conduct routine conjunction assessments to support the safety and sustainability of the space domain.

It’s unclear how many pieces there are, as satellite-tracking company ExoAnalytic Solutions says it’s monitoring 57 pieces of debris, Space News reports.

Intelsat 33e launched in 2016 to provide communications across Europe, Asia, and Africa. The satellite experienced a propulsion issue shortly after launch and reached orbit later than expected. Another propulsion problem in 2017 decreased its estimated 15-year lifespan by 3.5 years. Intelsat 29e — a satellite Boeing also made — was declared a “total loss” in 2019 after just three years in space.

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Amazon

Not long after injecting more artificial intelligence into its shopping experience, Amazon is now testing a new homepage for its shopping app on Android and iOS. Millions of users in the US will see changes starting today, with more slated to see them over the coming months.

Fundamentally, the redesign seems to serve the same purpose as the current layout by surfacing personalized recommendations based on your purchase habits, browsing history, deals, and other signals based on your shopping activity. Today’s change just builds on that formula with bigger, brighter graphics, more dynamic product curations and groupings, and an increased emphasis on horizontal scrolling for the various collections and sub-hubs you’ll find. (It also makes more room for bigger, thinly veiled ads.)

Amazon
It’s unclear just how far the scroll goes.

Sports fans may see a Thursday Night Football ad alongside a refill of their favorite pre-workout, for example, while parents may see toys, children’s books, and perhaps the new colorific Kindle while being tempted by a sale on diapers.
Amazon says it’s been iteratively testing different pieces of these UI changes for a while. The company calls out a new Buy Again hub that makes it easy to stock up on your frequently purchased goods, for example, and I’ve seen that change (but not the others) for some time now.

Amazon
Hopefully, product recommendations will feel a little less random.

Again, these recommendations were previously available and worked similarly in various forms before, but I personally think the current experience feels too random and scattered to be useful.
Amazon is hopeful the coming changes will improve on that and ultimately put more products in front of you that are relevant to your taste and needs — and perhaps tempt a little more money out of your wallet along the way.

Amazon

Not long after injecting more artificial intelligence into its shopping experience, Amazon is now testing a new homepage for its shopping app on Android and iOS. Millions of users in the US will see changes starting today, with more slated to see them over the coming months.

Fundamentally, the redesign seems to serve the same purpose as the current layout by surfacing personalized recommendations based on your purchase habits, browsing history, deals, and other signals based on your shopping activity. Today’s change just builds on that formula with bigger, brighter graphics, more dynamic product curations and groupings, and an increased emphasis on horizontal scrolling for the various collections and sub-hubs you’ll find. (It also makes more room for bigger, thinly veiled ads.)

Amazon
It’s unclear just how far the scroll goes.

Sports fans may see a Thursday Night Football ad alongside a refill of their favorite pre-workout, for example, while parents may see toys, children’s books, and perhaps the new colorific Kindle while being tempted by a sale on diapers.

Amazon says it’s been iteratively testing different pieces of these UI changes for a while. The company calls out a new Buy Again hub that makes it easy to stock up on your frequently purchased goods, for example, and I’ve seen that change (but not the others) for some time now.

Amazon
Hopefully, product recommendations will feel a little less random.

Again, these recommendations were previously available and worked similarly in various forms before, but I personally think the current experience feels too random and scattered to be useful.

Amazon is hopeful the coming changes will improve on that and ultimately put more products in front of you that are relevant to your taste and needs — and perhaps tempt a little more money out of your wallet along the way.

Read More 

Warner Bros.

Joker: Folie à Deux has been in theaters for less than a month, but Warner Bros. has already set a home release date for the box office bomb.
Gizmodo reports that Joker: Folie à Deux will be available for purchase on digital platforms starting on October 29th, with a DVD / Blu-ray / 4K physical release to follow on December 17th.
Though Warner Bros. envisioned Todd Phillips’ Joker sequel replicating the first film’s success, the DC Comics-inspired musical failed to meet expectations both critically and commercially. Between its $200 million production budget and the $100 million Warner Bros. spent marketing the film, its projected box office totals — $65 million domestically and somewhere between $210 million to $215 million globally — made it a huge loss for the studio.
A lot more people are probably going to wind up seeing the film specifically because it’s coming out so soon after its buzzy (and ultimately disappointing) theatrical release, but it feels like Warner Bros. just wants to get it over with before its next wave of expensive comics tentpoles.

Warner Bros.

Joker: Folie à Deux has been in theaters for less than a month, but Warner Bros. has already set a home release date for the box office bomb.

Gizmodo reports that Joker: Folie à Deux will be available for purchase on digital platforms starting on October 29th, with a DVD / Blu-ray / 4K physical release to follow on December 17th.

Though Warner Bros. envisioned Todd Phillips’ Joker sequel replicating the first film’s success, the DC Comics-inspired musical failed to meet expectations both critically and commercially. Between its $200 million production budget and the $100 million Warner Bros. spent marketing the film, its projected box office totals — $65 million domestically and somewhere between $210 million to $215 million globally — made it a huge loss for the studio.

A lot more people are probably going to wind up seeing the film specifically because it’s coming out so soon after its buzzy (and ultimately disappointing) theatrical release, but it feels like Warner Bros. just wants to get it over with before its next wave of expensive comics tentpoles.

Read More 

AT&T will let you try before you buy. | Image: The Verge

T-Mobile and Verizon have been offering free network trials for a couple of years at this point; now, AT&T has finally introduced a trial program of its own. It’s a no-commitment way to give the AT&T network a try while still holding on to your current carrier, number, and device. Pretty cool! But you’ll need an unlocked phone, which might disqualify a lot of people who are still paying off their current device — though the FCC is trying to do something about that.
AT&T calls its program Try AT&T, and at the moment, it’s iOS only; the carrier’s blog post states that Android support will be introduced in 2025. The trial makes use of eSIM, which allows you to use a secondary line on your phone without ditching your primary number. Likewise, you’ll need an eSIM-compatible device — iPhone XR or newer — to take part.
There’s no credit card or commitment required, you just need to head to the Try AT&T website or download the myAT&T app to get started. The program runs for 30 days and includes 100GB of data plus 25GB of hotspot data. Oh, and you can’t be a current AT&T customer, but that one seems obvious.

T-Mobile was offering a trial program of some sort long before eSIM was a thing: previously, the company would give you a free mobile hotspot and even loan you a whole phone so you could try its network. These days, it’s much more straightforward with a 3-month trial period initiated by downloading an app. Verizon’s program, introduced in 2022, provides 30 days free. AT&T has offered a network test drive through its Cricket Wireless brand for the past couple of years, but today marks the first time you can start a trial through AT&T proper.
To take advantage of any of these programs, you’ll need one important thing: an unlocked phone. If your phone is financed through a carrier installment plan then it might be locked to your current carrier. T-Mobile and AT&T won’t unlock a phone until it’s paid off; only Verizon will unlock a phone with an outstanding balance. It’s confusing at the very least, but the FCC introduced a proposal this year to simplify things by requiring all carriers to automatically unlock a device 60 days after it’s been activated. That proposal is still a long way from becoming law, but if that does happen, then comparison shopping between carriers could become a lot easier.

AT&T will let you try before you buy. | Image: The Verge

T-Mobile and Verizon have been offering free network trials for a couple of years at this point; now, AT&T has finally introduced a trial program of its own. It’s a no-commitment way to give the AT&T network a try while still holding on to your current carrier, number, and device. Pretty cool! But you’ll need an unlocked phone, which might disqualify a lot of people who are still paying off their current device — though the FCC is trying to do something about that.

AT&T calls its program Try AT&T, and at the moment, it’s iOS only; the carrier’s blog post states that Android support will be introduced in 2025. The trial makes use of eSIM, which allows you to use a secondary line on your phone without ditching your primary number. Likewise, you’ll need an eSIM-compatible device — iPhone XR or newer — to take part.

There’s no credit card or commitment required, you just need to head to the Try AT&T website or download the myAT&T app to get started. The program runs for 30 days and includes 100GB of data plus 25GB of hotspot data. Oh, and you can’t be a current AT&T customer, but that one seems obvious.

T-Mobile was offering a trial program of some sort long before eSIM was a thing: previously, the company would give you a free mobile hotspot and even loan you a whole phone so you could try its network. These days, it’s much more straightforward with a 3-month trial period initiated by downloading an app. Verizon’s program, introduced in 2022, provides 30 days free. AT&T has offered a network test drive through its Cricket Wireless brand for the past couple of years, but today marks the first time you can start a trial through AT&T proper.

To take advantage of any of these programs, you’ll need one important thing: an unlocked phone. If your phone is financed through a carrier installment plan then it might be locked to your current carrier. T-Mobile and AT&T won’t unlock a phone until it’s paid off; only Verizon will unlock a phone with an outstanding balance. It’s confusing at the very least, but the FCC introduced a proposal this year to simplify things by requiring all carriers to automatically unlock a device 60 days after it’s been activated. That proposal is still a long way from becoming law, but if that does happen, then comparison shopping between carriers could become a lot easier.

Read More 

Tim Cook apparently uses a lot more than an iPhone in his daily life. | Photo by Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

While discussing his daily routine, Tim Cook told Ben Cohen in this WSJ Magazine interview that “every day” he uses “every product.” In the story, he mentions using an iPhone, an Apple Watch, AirPods, and then, for work, two different MacBooks, an iMac, a Vision Pro, and an iPad Pro.
But what would it look like to truly use everything Apple makes every single day? Imagine using every variant of hardware Apple makes in one day, with or without Beats. Then, there are the accessories. Cook surely uses the polishing cloth, Apple’s most compatible product, every day, and probably this VESA mount for the Pro Display XDR.
You’d need to use all of its services also, and I don’t just mean Apple Music, Arcade, and Apple TV Plus. iTunes Match, AppleCare Plus, and Messages via satellite all count. You also need to use all of its software, and there is so much of that. Sure, you’ve got standard iPhone apps like Messages and Photos, but what about Clips or Automator?
This is one big puzzle, but as a person who consciously decided to cut out a lot of tech friction by going all in on Apple’s ecosystem a few years ago, I might be able to piece some of it together.
WSJ Magazine writes that Cook uses his iPhone first.
It’s sitting atop his nightstand in silent mode when the chief executive officer of Apple, the most valuable company in the history of the world, reaches for his device and starts triaging his inbox.
6AM: In no world am I triaging my inbox first thing. But I wake up with my iPhone 15 Pro’s alarm, at least for now. I tap snooze on my Apple Watch a few times before selecting stop to trigger an Apple Shortcuts automation and turn on the light through Apple Home while Apple Music plays music on two HomePod Minis in the kitchen. I get coffee, let the dogs out, then scroll social media and check overnight notifications on my iPhone. With the iOS 18.1 beta on my phone, those are often summarized by Apple Intelligence, which is sometimes helpful.
Cook tells Cohen he relies on these and that the feature “changed” his life. They haven’t changed mine, but sometimes they give me a good chuckle.

Current count: Three devices, three apps, and one service. And I’m not even awake yet. This is terrible.
7AM: Work starts. I press the fingerprint sensor on my Magic Keyboard to unlock my Mac Studio. I use an old iPhone 13 Pro Max as a webcam mounted on a magnetic Belkin mount and an AirPods Max headset that’s sometimes plugged in with Apple’s Lightning-to-3.5mm audio jack cable. I use the Notes app on an iPad Pro with an Apple Pencil. I use an old iMac G4 as a third monitor just because. I mostly use a Logitech MX Master 3 but sometimes switch to a Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad for funsies. Also, my Apple Watch goes on its charger at some point in the morning.
Cook reports using a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and iMac while at the office. I’m not doing quite that, but it might not be so outlandish. You can use a laptop as a second display over AirPlay, and if you don’t want to move one of your MacBooks around, having another — the lightweight Air, perhaps — would be handy.
Software-wise, on my Mac, I’m in Safari, QuickTime, iMovie, Mail, and Messages, with occasional dips into Logic Pro or GarageBand. Other Apple apps I might use in a day include Apple News (with Apple News Plus), Camera, FaceTime, Photos, Calculator, Calendar, Stickies, TextEdit, the App Store, Settings, Terminal, and Activity Monitor.
Numbers and Keynote, unfortunately, are not on the menu.
Current count: Eight devices, three services, 22 apps, and six accessories.
12PM-ish: Lunchtime. I get on my MacBook Air to do personal stuff — taking care of bills or what have you, which could involve checking my Apple Card savings account. I might pop my Vision Pro on to play Synth Riders, which helps to loosen my shoulders and neck. Rarely, I’ll use Fitness Plus, which I have through my Apple One subscription, to do a workout.
I’d bet Cook has done all the HIIT workouts with Bakari. I’m more into a gentle core workout with Kyle, because he’s a sweetie.

Photo: Wes Davis / The Verge
Time to top up.

1PM-ish to 5PM: Back at work. At this point in the day, my iPhone 15 Pro probably needs a top-up, so it goes on my MagSafe puck.
Current count: 10 devices, seven services, 24 apps, and eight accessories.
5PM: Finished working, I switch to family mode. That often means cooking from recipes on my iPad Pro, listening to music or Apple Podcasts on my AirPods Pro, setting timers on my Apple Watch or HomePod Minis, and possibly troubleshooting something on my partner’s iMac. Family movie night happens via Apple TV Plus on an Apple TV 4K that pipes audio to a pair of full-size HomePods.
9PM: After my child is in bed, I wind down with video games or some TV, sometimes involving the Vision Pro and Apple TV Plus. I plop down on a couch for that, as pictured by Tim:
“I’ve always viewed having to sit in a certain place in your living room as really constrained,” he says. He prefers to lie flat on the couch, project Ted Lasso and The Morning Show on the ceiling and stare into the Vision Pro. “It’s a lot more pleasant way to watch something than to sit like a statue in front of a TV,” he insists.
Unlike Tim, I’m not lying flat like a techno-Dracula with a heavy VR headset pressing into my face. Instead, I’m slouching against the arm of my couch, probably wondering why my back hurts. I am also a rumpled pile on the couch when I turn on my Apple TV after the Vision Pro runs out of battery.

10PM to 12AM: I go to bed, putting in a third pair of AirPods — my original first-gen set — to play a game on a Nintendo Switch.
Final count: 15 devices, nine services, 26 apps, and eight accessories.
Describing all of that made me feel like I’ve stared into the abyss only to find it staring back at me. But it still leaves out countless other Apple apps, non-Pro iPads, the iMac, and the Mac Pro. How would someone, even the CEO of Apple, fit those in?
Maybe you could slot in the iPad Mini in lieu of an e-reader and a standard iPad as a wall-mounted smart home controller with a nearby Apple Pencil with USB-C for jotting quick notes. An iPad Air could be an around-the-house iPad, while the iPad Pro serves dedicated, non-Mac productivity purposes (with a Magic Keyboard, naturally). A Mac Mini is around for serving Plex.
The Mac Pro, though? I’m struggling to imagine any use for it for anyone who isn’t using it for high-end professional work here. Then again, I do need a cheese grater from time to time.

Tim Cook apparently uses a lot more than an iPhone in his daily life. | Photo by Justin Sullivan / Getty Images

While discussing his daily routine, Tim Cook told Ben Cohen in this WSJ Magazine interview that “every day” he uses “every product.” In the story, he mentions using an iPhone, an Apple Watch, AirPods, and then, for work, two different MacBooks, an iMac, a Vision Pro, and an iPad Pro.

But what would it look like to truly use everything Apple makes every single day? Imagine using every variant of hardware Apple makes in one day, with or without Beats. Then, there are the accessories. Cook surely uses the polishing cloth, Apple’s most compatible product, every day, and probably this VESA mount for the Pro Display XDR.

You’d need to use all of its services also, and I don’t just mean Apple Music, Arcade, and Apple TV Plus. iTunes Match, AppleCare Plus, and Messages via satellite all count. You also need to use all of its software, and there is so much of that. Sure, you’ve got standard iPhone apps like Messages and Photos, but what about Clips or Automator?

This is one big puzzle, but as a person who consciously decided to cut out a lot of tech friction by going all in on Apple’s ecosystem a few years ago, I might be able to piece some of it together.

WSJ Magazine writes that Cook uses his iPhone first.

It’s sitting atop his nightstand in silent mode when the chief executive officer of Apple, the most valuable company in the history of the world, reaches for his device and starts triaging his inbox.

6AM: In no world am I triaging my inbox first thing. But I wake up with my iPhone 15 Pro’s alarm, at least for now. I tap snooze on my Apple Watch a few times before selecting stop to trigger an Apple Shortcuts automation and turn on the light through Apple Home while Apple Music plays music on two HomePod Minis in the kitchen. I get coffee, let the dogs out, then scroll social media and check overnight notifications on my iPhone. With the iOS 18.1 beta on my phone, those are often summarized by Apple Intelligence, which is sometimes helpful.

Cook tells Cohen he relies on these and that the feature “changed” his life. They haven’t changed mine, but sometimes they give me a good chuckle.

Current count: Three devices, three apps, and one service. And I’m not even awake yet. This is terrible.

7AM: Work starts. I press the fingerprint sensor on my Magic Keyboard to unlock my Mac Studio. I use an old iPhone 13 Pro Max as a webcam mounted on a magnetic Belkin mount and an AirPods Max headset that’s sometimes plugged in with Apple’s Lightning-to-3.5mm audio jack cable. I use the Notes app on an iPad Pro with an Apple Pencil. I use an old iMac G4 as a third monitor just because. I mostly use a Logitech MX Master 3 but sometimes switch to a Magic Mouse or Magic Trackpad for funsies. Also, my Apple Watch goes on its charger at some point in the morning.

Cook reports using a MacBook Air, MacBook Pro, and iMac while at the office. I’m not doing quite that, but it might not be so outlandish. You can use a laptop as a second display over AirPlay, and if you don’t want to move one of your MacBooks around, having another — the lightweight Air, perhaps — would be handy.

Software-wise, on my Mac, I’m in Safari, QuickTime, iMovie, Mail, and Messages, with occasional dips into Logic Pro or GarageBand. Other Apple apps I might use in a day include Apple News (with Apple News Plus), Camera, FaceTime, Photos, Calculator, Calendar, Stickies, TextEdit, the App Store, Settings, Terminal, and Activity Monitor.

Numbers and Keynote, unfortunately, are not on the menu.

Current count: Eight devices, three services, 22 apps, and six accessories.

12PM-ish: Lunchtime. I get on my MacBook Air to do personal stuff — taking care of bills or what have you, which could involve checking my Apple Card savings account. I might pop my Vision Pro on to play Synth Riders, which helps to loosen my shoulders and neck. Rarely, I’ll use Fitness Plus, which I have through my Apple One subscription, to do a workout.

I’d bet Cook has done all the HIIT workouts with Bakari. I’m more into a gentle core workout with Kyle, because he’s a sweetie.

Photo: Wes Davis / The Verge
Time to top up.

1PM-ish to 5PM: Back at work. At this point in the day, my iPhone 15 Pro probably needs a top-up, so it goes on my MagSafe puck.

Current count: 10 devices, seven services, 24 apps, and eight accessories.

5PM: Finished working, I switch to family mode. That often means cooking from recipes on my iPad Pro, listening to music or Apple Podcasts on my AirPods Pro, setting timers on my Apple Watch or HomePod Minis, and possibly troubleshooting something on my partner’s iMac. Family movie night happens via Apple TV Plus on an Apple TV 4K that pipes audio to a pair of full-size HomePods.

9PM: After my child is in bed, I wind down with video games or some TV, sometimes involving the Vision Pro and Apple TV Plus. I plop down on a couch for that, as pictured by Tim:

“I’ve always viewed having to sit in a certain place in your living room as really constrained,” he says. He prefers to lie flat on the couch, project Ted Lasso and The Morning Show on the ceiling and stare into the Vision Pro. “It’s a lot more pleasant way to watch something than to sit like a statue in front of a TV,” he insists.

Unlike Tim, I’m not lying flat like a techno-Dracula with a heavy VR headset pressing into my face. Instead, I’m slouching against the arm of my couch, probably wondering why my back hurts. I am also a rumpled pile on the couch when I turn on my Apple TV after the Vision Pro runs out of battery.

10PM to 12AM: I go to bed, putting in a third pair of AirPods — my original first-gen set — to play a game on a Nintendo Switch.

Final count: 15 devices, nine services, 26 apps, and eight accessories.

Describing all of that made me feel like I’ve stared into the abyss only to find it staring back at me. But it still leaves out countless other Apple apps, non-Pro iPads, the iMac, and the Mac Pro. How would someone, even the CEO of Apple, fit those in?

Maybe you could slot in the iPad Mini in lieu of an e-reader and a standard iPad as a wall-mounted smart home controller with a nearby Apple Pencil with USB-C for jotting quick notes. An iPad Air could be an around-the-house iPad, while the iPad Pro serves dedicated, non-Mac productivity purposes (with a Magic Keyboard, naturally). A Mac Mini is around for serving Plex.

The Mac Pro, though? I’m struggling to imagine any use for it for anyone who isn’t using it for high-end professional work here. Then again, I do need a cheese grater from time to time.

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Illustration: The Verge

Google Messages is trying to banish spammy job-seeking and package-delivery texts from your inbox, and it’s also adding a content warning to blur images that might contain nudity.
The Sensitive Content Warning feature is optional, and if enabled, it will show users a “speed bump” with “help-finding resources and options” before they can view an image with nudity detected via on-device scanning. If users try to share an image with nudity, the app will warn them about the risks.
With all of the scanning done on-device, Google says it doesn’t see the contents of your images or send them anywhere, and it doesn’t break the end-to-end encryption available with RCS. Apple’s Messages app added similar protection with Communication Safety starting in iOS 17 after tabling more controversial plans for expanded scanning and alerts. The sensitive content warnings will be enabled by default for users under 18. It will roll out in the “coming months” to Android 9 and higher devices with more than 2GB of RAM.
An update headed out to users of the beta version will have an upgraded scam detection system that’s supposed to be better at recognizing and sorting out the kinds of fraudulent messages that often offer fake job opportunities or claim a delivery is on hold in an attempt to get your personal information.
Google Messages already moves suspected spam messages to the spam folder or shows you a warning, and says it’s using “on-device machine learning models” to evaluate the message, meaning Google can’t see your conversations unless you report something.

Screenshot: The Verge
Not today, fake USPS.

To me, Google Messages already does an okay job of filtering out spam, but I’ve found that suspicious texts can sometimes fall through the cracks. Enhanced protection against job-seeking and package-delivery scams is rolling out now to Google Messages beta users with spam protection enabled — and I might just have to enroll in the beta to try it.
Additionally, Google Messages is working on the ability to automatically hide messages from unknown international numbers, along with warnings that appear when users receive a message with a potentially dangerous link.
Next year, Google is also planning to add a “contact verifying” feature for Android, which will allow you to verify your contact’s identity using a public key, which should be similar to the verification system Apple announced for iMessage a few years ago.

Illustration: The Verge

Google Messages is trying to banish spammy job-seeking and package-delivery texts from your inbox, and it’s also adding a content warning to blur images that might contain nudity.

The Sensitive Content Warning feature is optional, and if enabled, it will show users a “speed bump” with “help-finding resources and options” before they can view an image with nudity detected via on-device scanning. If users try to share an image with nudity, the app will warn them about the risks.

With all of the scanning done on-device, Google says it doesn’t see the contents of your images or send them anywhere, and it doesn’t break the end-to-end encryption available with RCS. Apple’s Messages app added similar protection with Communication Safety starting in iOS 17 after tabling more controversial plans for expanded scanning and alerts. The sensitive content warnings will be enabled by default for users under 18. It will roll out in the “coming months” to Android 9 and higher devices with more than 2GB of RAM.

An update headed out to users of the beta version will have an upgraded scam detection system that’s supposed to be better at recognizing and sorting out the kinds of fraudulent messages that often offer fake job opportunities or claim a delivery is on hold in an attempt to get your personal information.

Google Messages already moves suspected spam messages to the spam folder or shows you a warning, and says it’s using “on-device machine learning models” to evaluate the message, meaning Google can’t see your conversations unless you report something.

To me, Google Messages already does an okay job of filtering out spam, but I’ve found that suspicious texts can sometimes fall through the cracks. Enhanced protection against job-seeking and package-delivery scams is rolling out now to Google Messages beta users with spam protection enabled — and I might just have to enroll in the beta to try it.

Additionally, Google Messages is working on the ability to automatically hide messages from unknown international numbers, along with warnings that appear when users receive a message with a potentially dangerous link.

Next year, Google is also planning to add a “contact verifying” feature for Android, which will allow you to verify your contact’s identity using a public key, which should be similar to the verification system Apple announced for iMessage a few years ago.

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Ecobee’s smart security system and smart doorbell camera will now work with smart locks from Yale and August. | Image: Ecobee

In its ongoing quest to become a complete smart home system, Ecobee has added a new smart lock integration. The smart thermostat company is partnering with Yale and August to let you control your smart lock using the Ecobee app.
If you have an Ecobee Smart Doorbell Camera, you should now be able to let someone in more easily by tapping “unlock” right from the live view in the Ecobee app rather than jumping into your smart lock app. If you use Ecobee’s Smart Security system, you can also have the door lock when you arm the system. But it won’t unlock when you disarm the system and putting your PIN code into the door lock won’t turn off the system.
The new integration will work with any Wi-Fi-enabled smart lock from Yale or August that uses the Yale or August app (Fortune Brands owns both companies). This includes my top pick for a smart lock, the Yale Assure 2 (with Wi-Fi), plus the August Wi-Fi smart lock and the new Yale Approach lock.

Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
The Yale Assure 2 smart lock can now integrate with Ecobee’s smart doorbell to let you unlock your door from the Ecobee app.

The door lock feature requires an Ecobee subscription plan, which starts at $5 a month or $50 annually and includes 30 days of video storage for your doorbell camera. Once you link your Ecobee and Yale or August accounts, you can control the door lock in the Ecobee app and link it to the Ecobee security system. (Sadly, while you can view a live feed from your doorbell on an Ecobee Thermostat, you won’t be able to control the lock directly on the thermostat.)

This partnership is a nice upgrade for Ecobee users and makes the platform more viable as a complete smart home system. In addition to the video doorbell and the smart thermostat, Ecobee has an indoor camera, and its smart security system (which can use its thermostat as a hub) works with Ecobee’s motion and contact sensors. But it’s a shame the new integration is locked behind a subscription.
Several companies already offer the ability to lock or unlock your door from a live view of your doorbell camera for free. Ring doorbells can do this with the Schlage Encode smart lock, and any Apple Home-compatible smart lock can work with any Apple Home-compatible doorbell to allow this in the Home app. Companies like Eufy and Aqara, which make both smart locks and doorbell cameras, also have it.

Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
Ecobee’s smart doorbell camera.

Matter should eventually be able to provide this type of cross-manufacturer integration for free when (or if) cameras become part of the spec. However, despite early promises of Matter compatibility, Ecobee hasn’t upgraded any of its products to support the new smart home standard.
For hardware companies moving into subscription services to guarantee more recurring revenue, it’s easy to see why Matter and its potential for commodification may not seem so appealing. Ecobee already works with every major smart home platform — including Apple Home, Samsung SmartThings, Alexa, and Google Home — making Matter’s interoperability feature less of a draw.
Ultimately, proprietary partnerships like this one, which rely on cloud-based connections and specific hardware, may be less compelling to users than Matter, with its promise of local control and wider interoperability. But until Matter becomes seamless and easy to use, paying $5 a month for everything to just work holds some appeal.

Ecobee’s smart security system and smart doorbell camera will now work with smart locks from Yale and August. | Image: Ecobee

In its ongoing quest to become a complete smart home system, Ecobee has added a new smart lock integration. The smart thermostat company is partnering with Yale and August to let you control your smart lock using the Ecobee app.

If you have an Ecobee Smart Doorbell Camera, you should now be able to let someone in more easily by tapping “unlock” right from the live view in the Ecobee app rather than jumping into your smart lock app. If you use Ecobee’s Smart Security system, you can also have the door lock when you arm the system. But it won’t unlock when you disarm the system and putting your PIN code into the door lock won’t turn off the system.

The new integration will work with any Wi-Fi-enabled smart lock from Yale or August that uses the Yale or August app (Fortune Brands owns both companies). This includes my top pick for a smart lock, the Yale Assure 2 (with Wi-Fi), plus the August Wi-Fi smart lock and the new Yale Approach lock.

Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
The Yale Assure 2 smart lock can now integrate with Ecobee’s smart doorbell to let you unlock your door from the Ecobee app.

The door lock feature requires an Ecobee subscription plan, which starts at $5 a month or $50 annually and includes 30 days of video storage for your doorbell camera. Once you link your Ecobee and Yale or August accounts, you can control the door lock in the Ecobee app and link it to the Ecobee security system. (Sadly, while you can view a live feed from your doorbell on an Ecobee Thermostat, you won’t be able to control the lock directly on the thermostat.)

This partnership is a nice upgrade for Ecobee users and makes the platform more viable as a complete smart home system. In addition to the video doorbell and the smart thermostat, Ecobee has an indoor camera, and its smart security system (which can use its thermostat as a hub) works with Ecobee’s motion and contact sensors. But it’s a shame the new integration is locked behind a subscription.

Several companies already offer the ability to lock or unlock your door from a live view of your doorbell camera for free. Ring doorbells can do this with the Schlage Encode smart lock, and any Apple Home-compatible smart lock can work with any Apple Home-compatible doorbell to allow this in the Home app. Companies like Eufy and Aqara, which make both smart locks and doorbell cameras, also have it.

Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
Ecobee’s smart doorbell camera.

Matter should eventually be able to provide this type of cross-manufacturer integration for free when (or if) cameras become part of the spec. However, despite early promises of Matter compatibility, Ecobee hasn’t upgraded any of its products to support the new smart home standard.

For hardware companies moving into subscription services to guarantee more recurring revenue, it’s easy to see why Matter and its potential for commodification may not seem so appealing. Ecobee already works with every major smart home platform — including Apple Home, Samsung SmartThings, Alexa, and Google Home — making Matter’s interoperability feature less of a draw.

Ultimately, proprietary partnerships like this one, which rely on cloud-based connections and specific hardware, may be less compelling to users than Matter, with its promise of local control and wider interoperability. But until Matter becomes seamless and easy to use, paying $5 a month for everything to just work holds some appeal.

Read More 

Image: Joby

The Federal Aviation Administration published highly anticipated final regulations for electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles that it says will chart the path for the “air travel of the future.”
The FAA says these “powered lift” vehicles will be the first completely new category of aircraft since helicopters were introduced in 1940. These aircraft will be used for a variety of services, including air taxis, cargo delivery, and rescue and retrieval operations. The final rule published today contain guidelines for pilot training, as well as operational requirements such as minimum safe altitudes and visibility requirements.
“Powered lift aircraft are the first new category of aircraft in nearly 80 years,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in a statement, “and this historic rule will pave the way for accommodating wide-scale Advanced Air Mobility operations in the future.”
“Powered lift aircraft are the first new category of aircraft in nearly 80 years”
Powered lift includes aircraft described by industry watchers as electric vertical takeoff and landing, or eVTOL. Using tilt rotors, eVTOL aircraft are designed to take off and land vertically like a helicopter and then transition into forward flight on fixed wings like a plane.
Numerous startups, including Joby Aviation, Archer, and Wisk, are planning on launching commercial air taxi services with these new types of aircraft in the next few years. And for years, the FAA has promised there would be a regulatory pathway for powered lift designs certified under Part 23 as normal aircraft.
But in 2022, the agency changed course, determining instead that the aircraft would need to obtain Part 21 certification for special class vehicles. That kicked off a years-long process to develop an entirely new set of rules for training, operations, maintenance, and more.
But the rules that were eventually introduced last year were panned by industry groups as too strict. They called for performance-based operational rules, rather than the creation of a new powered-lift category, as proposed by the FAA. But the agency argues its newly finalized rules should address those concerns, while also maintaining safety and rigor the industry is known for. Earlier this year, Congress gave the FAA more sway in regulating these new types of aircraft.

Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

“The FAA will continue to prioritize the safety of our system as we work to seamlessly integrate innovative technology and operations,” Whitaker said. “This final rule provides the necessary framework to allow powered lift aircraft to safely operate in our airspace.”
Based on the final rules, it would appear that the FAA took those criticisms to heart. A new pilot-training and qualifications rule was needed because “existing regulations did not address this new category of aircraft, which can take off and land vertically like a helicopter and fly like an airplane during cruise flight,” FAA said. The rule also provides a “comprehensive framework” for certifying the initial group of powered-lift instructors and pilots.
According to the agency, the rule would:

Makes changes to numerous existing regulations and establishes a Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) with new requirements to facilitate instructor and pilot certification and training.
Applies helicopter operating requirements to some phases of flight and adopts a performance-based approach to certain operating rules.
Allows pilots to train in powered-lift with a single set of flight controls; legacy rules require two flight controls – one for the student and one for the instructor.

There are no powered-lift aircraft in commercial operation in the US, as it takes years for companies to obtain the necessary certificates from the FAA. Several companies are well on their way, including Archer and Joby. The latter released a statement praising the FAA for releasing the final rules ahead of schedule.
“The regulation published today will ensure the U.S. continues to play a global leadership role in the development and adoption of clean flight,” said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby, in a statement. “Delivering the rules ahead of schedule is testament to the dedication, coordination and hard work of the rulemaking team.”

Image: Joby

The Federal Aviation Administration published highly anticipated final regulations for electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicles that it says will chart the path for the “air travel of the future.”

The FAA says these “powered lift” vehicles will be the first completely new category of aircraft since helicopters were introduced in 1940. These aircraft will be used for a variety of services, including air taxis, cargo delivery, and rescue and retrieval operations. The final rule published today contain guidelines for pilot training, as well as operational requirements such as minimum safe altitudes and visibility requirements.

“Powered lift aircraft are the first new category of aircraft in nearly 80 years,” FAA Administrator Mike Whitaker said in a statement, “and this historic rule will pave the way for accommodating wide-scale Advanced Air Mobility operations in the future.”

Powered lift includes aircraft described by industry watchers as electric vertical takeoff and landing, or eVTOL. Using tilt rotors, eVTOL aircraft are designed to take off and land vertically like a helicopter and then transition into forward flight on fixed wings like a plane.

Numerous startups, including Joby Aviation, Archer, and Wisk, are planning on launching commercial air taxi services with these new types of aircraft in the next few years. And for years, the FAA has promised there would be a regulatory pathway for powered lift designs certified under Part 23 as normal aircraft.

But in 2022, the agency changed course, determining instead that the aircraft would need to obtain Part 21 certification for special class vehicles. That kicked off a years-long process to develop an entirely new set of rules for training, operations, maintenance, and more.

But the rules that were eventually introduced last year were panned by industry groups as too strict. They called for performance-based operational rules, rather than the creation of a new powered-lift category, as proposed by the FAA. But the agency argues its newly finalized rules should address those concerns, while also maintaining safety and rigor the industry is known for. Earlier this year, Congress gave the FAA more sway in regulating these new types of aircraft.

Photo by GIUSEPPE CACACE/AFP via Getty Images

“The FAA will continue to prioritize the safety of our system as we work to seamlessly integrate innovative technology and operations,” Whitaker said. “This final rule provides the necessary framework to allow powered lift aircraft to safely operate in our airspace.”

Based on the final rules, it would appear that the FAA took those criticisms to heart. A new pilot-training and qualifications rule was needed because “existing regulations did not address this new category of aircraft, which can take off and land vertically like a helicopter and fly like an airplane during cruise flight,” FAA said. The rule also provides a “comprehensive framework” for certifying the initial group of powered-lift instructors and pilots.

According to the agency, the rule would:

Makes changes to numerous existing regulations and establishes a Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) with new requirements to facilitate instructor and pilot certification and training.

Applies helicopter operating requirements to some phases of flight and adopts a performance-based approach to certain operating rules.

Allows pilots to train in powered-lift with a single set of flight controls; legacy rules require two flight controls – one for the student and one for the instructor.

There are no powered-lift aircraft in commercial operation in the US, as it takes years for companies to obtain the necessary certificates from the FAA. Several companies are well on their way, including Archer and Joby. The latter released a statement praising the FAA for releasing the final rules ahead of schedule.

“The regulation published today will ensure the U.S. continues to play a global leadership role in the development and adoption of clean flight,” said JoeBen Bevirt, founder and CEO of Joby, in a statement. “Delivering the rules ahead of schedule is testament to the dedication, coordination and hard work of the rulemaking team.”

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