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You can learn a lot about somebody just by learning about how they get things done. Are they the sort of person who might have a perfectly color-coded email inbox, a flawlessly organized to-do list, and what’s that, they just sent you a calendar invite for happy hour next week? Or are they more likely to have a giant pile of sticky notes they never look at, a computer desktop with so many files you can’t even see the wallpaper, and today’s main tasks written on their arm? Neither is wrong, but they’re very different.

On this episode of The Vergecast, the second in our three-part miniseries about work and productivity and how to get more done in a digital world, we decide to get to know our colleagues in a new way: by asking them to share their own productivity systems. We didn’t give them much specific instruction or homework, other than to come ready to answer a question: how do you get stuff done? Eight Verge staffers showed up, with eight very different ideas about what being productive means and how best to pull it off. Along the way, we found some ideas to steal, a few new apps and tools to try, and a lot of new thoughts about our co-workers.
If you want to know more about the things we discuss in this episode, here are a few links to get you started:

A Googler’s guide to getting things done
TickTick
Upnote
Notion
Google Keep
Google Calendar
The Rhodia #16 spiral notepad
Papier’s productivity planners

You can learn a lot about somebody just by learning about how they get things done. Are they the sort of person who might have a perfectly color-coded email inbox, a flawlessly organized to-do list, and what’s that, they just sent you a calendar invite for happy hour next week? Or are they more likely to have a giant pile of sticky notes they never look at, a computer desktop with so many files you can’t even see the wallpaper, and today’s main tasks written on their arm? Neither is wrong, but they’re very different.

On this episode of The Vergecast, the second in our three-part miniseries about work and productivity and how to get more done in a digital world, we decide to get to know our colleagues in a new way: by asking them to share their own productivity systems. We didn’t give them much specific instruction or homework, other than to come ready to answer a question: how do you get stuff done? Eight Verge staffers showed up, with eight very different ideas about what being productive means and how best to pull it off. Along the way, we found some ideas to steal, a few new apps and tools to try, and a lot of new thoughts about our co-workers.

If you want to know more about the things we discuss in this episode, here are a few links to get you started:

A Googler’s guide to getting things done
TickTick
Upnote
Notion
Google Keep
Google Calendar
The Rhodia #16 spiral notepad
Papier’s productivity planners

Read More 

Image: David Pierce / The Verge

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 49, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, hope you like podcasts, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)
This week, I’ve been reading about upstart baseball teams and canceled comics and Francis Ford Coppola, watching Logan Lucky, binging Teo Crawford’s camera videos, listening to The Mess Around and thus rewatching New Girl for the millionth time, trying to plan a trip to the Nintendo Museum this fall, and giving Capacities another whirl since Casey Newton recommended it this week.
I also have for you a bunch of new podcasts that all launched this week for some reason, some amazing smartphone photos, a reason to hit the movie theater this weekend, and a new doorbell to replace your old doorbell.
And in the spirit of this unexpectedly podcast-filled week, I have a question: who’s your favorite lesser-known creator? We all know and love Veritasium and MKBHD, but I want to hear about all the ones that deserve just as much shine. YouTube, podcast, Instagram, take your pick — if they’re tech-y and Verge-ish, great, but if not, that’s great, too! Hit me with one or two of your faves that you bet most of us don’t know. I’ll share some of my faves, too.
All right, big week of fun stuff. Let’s go.
(As always, the best part of Installer is your ideas and tips. What do you want to know more about? What awesome tricks do you know that everyone else should? What app should everyone be using? Tell me everything: installer@theverge.com. And if you know someone else who might enjoy Installer, tell them to subscribe here.)

The Drop

The iPhone Photography Awards winners. The IPPA’s photographer of the year shoots on an iPhone 11! These winning photos are always an amazing source of inspiration (and wallpapers, just saying), and it’s particularly cool in this AI-heavy moment to see how awesome photographers still are.

The Hollywood Hack. The Sony hack was 10 years ago, and the whole entertainment business is still feeling the ramifications. Love this pod so far, which is so far roughly equal parts about what happened and what it did to Hollywood.

Blink Twice. Channing Tatum. Playing a tech billionaire. In a murder-y thriller. I’m getting big Glass Onion vibes from this one, and I couldn’t be more excited.

Apple Podcasts for web. Apple made a good web app! I kind of still can’t believe it! Apple Podcasts is a great platform, and this goes a long way toward making it feel a little less locked to your specific devices. This plus the automatic transcripts has me genuinely considering switching.

OceanXplorers. This NatGeo show feels like a mix of Planet Earth and the scene in every James Bond movie where Bond gets to test out a bunch of wildly futuristic new gadgets. I’m enjoying learning about the high-tech ship and submarines as much as I am seeing the amazing footage they’re capturing.

“Flip Video Was Successful! So They Killed It?” I had straight-up forgotten about the Flip camera, and I had no idea how many strange twists and turns this product — and the company that made it — went through. A super fun tech time capsule, this one.

The Wirecutter Show. I have been a loyal Wirecutter shopper forever, and the new pod fits the site’s vibe perfectly. Lots of tips and tricks, lots of behind-the-scenes testing stuff — I wound up taking furious notes during both of the first two episodes.

“Why Everything is a Monopoly… Again.” We’re in a pretty wild antitrust moment, right? This is a brisk, broad look at how it all works and how we got to the point where no matter what you’re doing or using or buying, you’re probably encountering a monopoly.

The Ring Battery Doorbell. Longer battery, easier install, wider frame of video, night vision in color — it’s not a ground-breaking new idea about video doorbells, but it sure looks like a better video doorbell. If only I could convince myself to let me install one…

Screen share
I talk to Liam James more than just about anybody other than my wife — and honestly, it’s a close call between the two of them. As The Verge’s supervising producer for podcasts, we do a ton of work togetber on The Vergecast, and he’s also just a big giant tech nerd in the best way. He loves to brag about his Plex server, seems to be constantly tweaking his homemade weather station, and recently described a new to-do list app to me as “just OmniFocus for dummies.” What I’m saying is, he is our people.
I asked Liam to share his homescreen with us because if I know one thing about Liam, it’s that every single icon and location has been exhaustively thought through and rigorously tested for optimal performance. Liam also just bought a Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which means he’s about to undergo a big switch — so I figured it’d be good to capture the end of his iPhone run.
Here’s Liam’s homescreen, plus some info on the apps he uses and why:

The phone: iPhone 15 Pro.
The wallpaper: I’ve used the same wallpaper for about 10 years now. It’s a silly painting of my first dog, August, in the style of Kehinde Wiley.
The apps: Photos, Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, Apple News, Phone, Mail, Safari, Messages.

I’m a big fan of the large widget carousel that automatically flips to whatever iOS thinks is most relevant to me. I only keep 3 widgets within: Fantastical — which I will sorely miss when I move to a Pixel — Apple News, and Carrot Weather.
I am constantly deleting apps I no longer use in order to maintain a single-screen layout. I have four folder buckets: social, shopping, finance, and work. I do, however, fall back to the App Library screen for rarely used apps like Plex during travel days.
I am SO feeling the label-less icon option in the iOS 18 beta. Looks so much cleaner.

I also asked Liam to share a few things he’s into right now. Here’s what he sent back:

My job has forced me to use Apple Podcasts in order to keep a close eye on our shows, and you know what? It has really come a long way. In my opinion, it is the only podcast app that is capable of recommending shows you’d actually want to try out. And the new transcript and search features are very handy for finding that moment you wanted to go back to.
Since I am running the iOS 18 public beta, I’ve been trying out the native Mail app. I wanted to see if any of the Apple Intelligence stuff could be useful to me, but that hasn’t exactly shown up yet. Instead, it’s mostly still the same old barebones, slow-to-update app it always was.

Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus is my latest podcast obsession. Like many a celebrity podcast, it comes and goes in seasons, but unlike all the others, this one has zero filler. I highly recommend starting with the episode featuring award-winning author Isabel Allende. Some of Allende’s life lessons will stick in your head for days afterward.

Crowdsourced
Here’s what the Installer community is into this week. I want to know what you’re into right now as well! Email installer@theverge.com or message me on Signal — @davidpierce.11 — with your recommendations for anything and everything, and we’ll feature some of our favorites here every week. For even more great recommendations, check out the replies to this post on Threads.
“I have found Dola indispensable. It’s free — what’s free anymore? It can write to Apple Calendar and is available on iMessage and WhatsApp; it’s incredibly useful as my productivity and task tracker and amazing for reminders.” — Andrew
“The Serpent Queen. This Starz show is about 16th century Queen Catherine de’ Medici of France and her travails and triumphs. There is much court intrigue, perhaps murdering, perhaps poisoning, perhaps a really good time for the viewer. It is currently in its 2nd season and stars Samantha Morton in the main role and brings in Minnie Driver as Queen Elizabeth I. Hilarity ensues.” — Romeo
“I’ve been using this app called SAOViVO that is free and open source, and what it does is: it takes videos in your YouTube Channel, makes a queue out of them, and sends them back to YouTube as a live feed. An example: I work as a consultant for newsrooms, and they have a big archive, so when the anniversary of events comes, we can make live streams with the thing they did in previous years, or when someone famous dies, we can check out the YouTube channel and live stream the stories about that person.” — Nicolas
“I have to recommend a great new YouTube channel called Graindead. A very deadpan channel about film cameras. “Buying The Cheapest Cameras In Japan” is a must-watch. Full of Classic British self-deprecating humor. “A $1000 Lens Cap” is also an interesting watch.” — Owen
“Dress to Impress on Roblox. It is like Among Us in the pandemic era, but for WFH ‘gurlies.’” — Sam
“I am headed on a 5.5-hour flight to Hawaii, and I am very much looking forward to bringing the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 to, wait for it… play EA Sports FC the whole way! Was inspired by a podcast I had listened to recently, I think…” — Richard
“People worry about Chinese EVs coming to America, but people should keep an eye on Chinese game developers because Black Myth: Wukong just came out, and it has over 2 million players on Steam, shattering Elden Ring and Cyberpunk’s records.” — John
“Add Eddie is a simple app for creating QR codes to your social profiles, messengers, vCards, payment services, websites, and more. It is a godsend for networking in real life, especially as a widget on my phone’s homescreen and on the Apple Watch.” — Dewa
“One of several reasons I couldn’t use anything else besides Apple Music is that it’s the only one with a music locker. I have uploaded tons of stuff: Commodore 64 remixes, missing KLF, Brian May and Jean-Michel Jarre albums, bootlegs, etc. The integration is great, too (if you have Apple stuff). It uploads and then syncs to all devices automagically like any other music.” — Mathias
”I’ve been reading The Secret History by Donna Tartt, and I’m surprised I didn’t read it sooner! It’s so good, and I’m so interested to see how it’s going to end!” — Flávio

Signing off
It’s fantasy football season, which means an alarming amount of my personality is about to be replaced by opinions on NFL players’ weekly performance. I’m in two leagues, both of them in Yahoo’s app, which is… fine. And this year, I’m realizing how much of a full-time job this stuff really is; news is spread around so many places, everybody has rankings and data about those rankings and podcasts about the data about those rankings, and it’s all just exhausting.
Ironically, I think I get the case for AI now? If I could just say, “What’s happening with my fantasy team this week,” and ChatGPT could tell me, I’d be there in a heartbeat. Some of the apps are trying to imitate this — including Yahoo — but now that Twitter’s gone, it all feels more chaotic than ever. If you have an amazing source for all this, tell me about it! No matter how much attention I pay, though, I always seem to come in sixth… so maybe I’ll just leave it alone.
(Also, next year: Installer fantasy league? Should we? I feel like we should. It’d be awesome.)
See you next week!

Image: David Pierce / The Verge

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 49, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, hope you like podcasts, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)

This week, I’ve been reading about upstart baseball teams and canceled comics and Francis Ford Coppola, watching Logan Lucky, binging Teo Crawford’s camera videos, listening to The Mess Around and thus rewatching New Girl for the millionth time, trying to plan a trip to the Nintendo Museum this fall, and giving Capacities another whirl since Casey Newton recommended it this week.

I also have for you a bunch of new podcasts that all launched this week for some reason, some amazing smartphone photos, a reason to hit the movie theater this weekend, and a new doorbell to replace your old doorbell.

And in the spirit of this unexpectedly podcast-filled week, I have a question: who’s your favorite lesser-known creator? We all know and love Veritasium and MKBHD, but I want to hear about all the ones that deserve just as much shine. YouTube, podcast, Instagram, take your pick — if they’re tech-y and Verge-ish, great, but if not, that’s great, too! Hit me with one or two of your faves that you bet most of us don’t know. I’ll share some of my faves, too.

All right, big week of fun stuff. Let’s go.

(As always, the best part of Installer is your ideas and tips. What do you want to know more about? What awesome tricks do you know that everyone else should? What app should everyone be using? Tell me everything: installer@theverge.com. And if you know someone else who might enjoy Installer, tell them to subscribe here.)

The Drop

The iPhone Photography Awards winners. The IPPA’s photographer of the year shoots on an iPhone 11! These winning photos are always an amazing source of inspiration (and wallpapers, just saying), and it’s particularly cool in this AI-heavy moment to see how awesome photographers still are.

The Hollywood Hack. The Sony hack was 10 years ago, and the whole entertainment business is still feeling the ramifications. Love this pod so far, which is so far roughly equal parts about what happened and what it did to Hollywood.

Blink Twice. Channing Tatum. Playing a tech billionaire. In a murder-y thriller. I’m getting big Glass Onion vibes from this one, and I couldn’t be more excited.

Apple Podcasts for web. Apple made a good web app! I kind of still can’t believe it! Apple Podcasts is a great platform, and this goes a long way toward making it feel a little less locked to your specific devices. This plus the automatic transcripts has me genuinely considering switching.

OceanXplorers. This NatGeo show feels like a mix of Planet Earth and the scene in every James Bond movie where Bond gets to test out a bunch of wildly futuristic new gadgets. I’m enjoying learning about the high-tech ship and submarines as much as I am seeing the amazing footage they’re capturing.

“Flip Video Was Successful! So They Killed It?” I had straight-up forgotten about the Flip camera, and I had no idea how many strange twists and turns this product — and the company that made it — went through. A super fun tech time capsule, this one.

The Wirecutter Show. I have been a loyal Wirecutter shopper forever, and the new pod fits the site’s vibe perfectly. Lots of tips and tricks, lots of behind-the-scenes testing stuff — I wound up taking furious notes during both of the first two episodes.

“Why Everything is a Monopoly… Again.” We’re in a pretty wild antitrust moment, right? This is a brisk, broad look at how it all works and how we got to the point where no matter what you’re doing or using or buying, you’re probably encountering a monopoly.

The Ring Battery Doorbell. Longer battery, easier install, wider frame of video, night vision in color — it’s not a ground-breaking new idea about video doorbells, but it sure looks like a better video doorbell. If only I could convince myself to let me install one…

Screen share

I talk to Liam James more than just about anybody other than my wife — and honestly, it’s a close call between the two of them. As The Verge’s supervising producer for podcasts, we do a ton of work togetber on The Vergecast, and he’s also just a big giant tech nerd in the best way. He loves to brag about his Plex server, seems to be constantly tweaking his homemade weather station, and recently described a new to-do list app to me as “just OmniFocus for dummies.” What I’m saying is, he is our people.

I asked Liam to share his homescreen with us because if I know one thing about Liam, it’s that every single icon and location has been exhaustively thought through and rigorously tested for optimal performance. Liam also just bought a Pixel 9 Pro Fold, which means he’s about to undergo a big switch — so I figured it’d be good to capture the end of his iPhone run.

Here’s Liam’s homescreen, plus some info on the apps he uses and why:

The phone: iPhone 15 Pro.

The wallpaper: I’ve used the same wallpaper for about 10 years now. It’s a silly painting of my first dog, August, in the style of Kehinde Wiley.

The apps: Photos, Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, Apple News, Phone, Mail, Safari, Messages.

I’m a big fan of the large widget carousel that automatically flips to whatever iOS thinks is most relevant to me. I only keep 3 widgets within: Fantastical — which I will sorely miss when I move to a Pixel — Apple News, and Carrot Weather.
I am constantly deleting apps I no longer use in order to maintain a single-screen layout. I have four folder buckets: social, shopping, finance, and work. I do, however, fall back to the App Library screen for rarely used apps like Plex during travel days.
I am SO feeling the label-less icon option in the iOS 18 beta. Looks so much cleaner.

I also asked Liam to share a few things he’s into right now. Here’s what he sent back:

My job has forced me to use Apple Podcasts in order to keep a close eye on our shows, and you know what? It has really come a long way. In my opinion, it is the only podcast app that is capable of recommending shows you’d actually want to try out. And the new transcript and search features are very handy for finding that moment you wanted to go back to.
Since I am running the iOS 18 public beta, I’ve been trying out the native Mail app. I wanted to see if any of the Apple Intelligence stuff could be useful to me, but that hasn’t exactly shown up yet. Instead, it’s mostly still the same old barebones, slow-to-update app it always was.

Wiser Than Me with Julia Louis-Dreyfus is my latest podcast obsession. Like many a celebrity podcast, it comes and goes in seasons, but unlike all the others, this one has zero filler. I highly recommend starting with the episode featuring award-winning author Isabel Allende. Some of Allende’s life lessons will stick in your head for days afterward.

Crowdsourced

Here’s what the Installer community is into this week. I want to know what you’re into right now as well! Email installer@theverge.com or message me on Signal — @davidpierce.11 — with your recommendations for anything and everything, and we’ll feature some of our favorites here every week. For even more great recommendations, check out the replies to this post on Threads.

“I have found Dola indispensable. It’s free — what’s free anymore? It can write to Apple Calendar and is available on iMessage and WhatsApp; it’s incredibly useful as my productivity and task tracker and amazing for reminders.” — Andrew

“The Serpent Queen. This Starz show is about 16th century Queen Catherine de’ Medici of France and her travails and triumphs. There is much court intrigue, perhaps murdering, perhaps poisoning, perhaps a really good time for the viewer. It is currently in its 2nd season and stars Samantha Morton in the main role and brings in Minnie Driver as Queen Elizabeth I. Hilarity ensues.” — Romeo

“I’ve been using this app called SAOViVO that is free and open source, and what it does is: it takes videos in your YouTube Channel, makes a queue out of them, and sends them back to YouTube as a live feed. An example: I work as a consultant for newsrooms, and they have a big archive, so when the anniversary of events comes, we can make live streams with the thing they did in previous years, or when someone famous dies, we can check out the YouTube channel and live stream the stories about that person.” — Nicolas

“I have to recommend a great new YouTube channel called Graindead. A very deadpan channel about film cameras. “Buying The Cheapest Cameras In Japan” is a must-watch. Full of Classic British self-deprecating humor. “A $1000 Lens Cap” is also an interesting watch.” — Owen

“Dress to Impress on Roblox. It is like Among Us in the pandemic era, but for WFH ‘gurlies.’” — Sam

“I am headed on a 5.5-hour flight to Hawaii, and I am very much looking forward to bringing the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14 to, wait for it… play EA Sports FC the whole way! Was inspired by a podcast I had listened to recently, I think…” — Richard

“People worry about Chinese EVs coming to America, but people should keep an eye on Chinese game developers because Black Myth: Wukong just came out, and it has over 2 million players on Steam, shattering Elden Ring and Cyberpunk’s records.” — John

“Add Eddie is a simple app for creating QR codes to your social profiles, messengers, vCards, payment services, websites, and more. It is a godsend for networking in real life, especially as a widget on my phone’s homescreen and on the Apple Watch.” — Dewa

“One of several reasons I couldn’t use anything else besides Apple Music is that it’s the only one with a music locker. I have uploaded tons of stuff: Commodore 64 remixes, missing KLF, Brian May and Jean-Michel Jarre albums, bootlegs, etc. The integration is great, too (if you have Apple stuff). It uploads and then syncs to all devices automagically like any other music.” — Mathias

”I’ve been reading The Secret History by Donna Tartt, and I’m surprised I didn’t read it sooner! It’s so good, and I’m so interested to see how it’s going to end!” — Flávio

Signing off

It’s fantasy football season, which means an alarming amount of my personality is about to be replaced by opinions on NFL players’ weekly performance. I’m in two leagues, both of them in Yahoo’s app, which is… fine. And this year, I’m realizing how much of a full-time job this stuff really is; news is spread around so many places, everybody has rankings and data about those rankings and podcasts about the data about those rankings, and it’s all just exhausting.

Ironically, I think I get the case for AI now? If I could just say, “What’s happening with my fantasy team this week,” and ChatGPT could tell me, I’d be there in a heartbeat. Some of the apps are trying to imitate this — including Yahoo — but now that Twitter’s gone, it all feels more chaotic than ever. If you have an amazing source for all this, tell me about it! No matter how much attention I pay, though, I always seem to come in sixth… so maybe I’ll just leave it alone.

(Also, next year: Installer fantasy league? Should we? I feel like we should. It’d be awesome.)

See you next week!

Read More 

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov is reportedly in custody after being arrested near Paris Saturday evening as he was departing his private jet. The billionaire was apprehended on a warrant related to a preliminary investigation, writes Reuters.
French authorities believe that the platform’s lack of moderation has “allowed criminal activity to go on undeterred on the messaging app.” Durov will go before a judge tonight and could be indicted as early as Sunday, according to TF1 (which we read using Google Translate), one of two French outlets cited by Reuters.

Telegram has become a critical resource as people turn to it to find crucial information in places where heavy information censorship is common, such as Russia. But Durov’s preference for hands-off moderation has also helped make it a haven for misinformation, with the site only controlling its content when it’s forced to do so by other governments and organizations.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge

Telegram CEO Pavel Durov is reportedly in custody after being arrested near Paris Saturday evening as he was departing his private jet. The billionaire was apprehended on a warrant related to a preliminary investigation, writes Reuters.

French authorities believe that the platform’s lack of moderation has “allowed criminal activity to go on undeterred on the messaging app.” Durov will go before a judge tonight and could be indicted as early as Sunday, according to TF1 (which we read using Google Translate), one of two French outlets cited by Reuters.

Telegram has become a critical resource as people turn to it to find crucial information in places where heavy information censorship is common, such as Russia. But Durov’s preference for hands-off moderation has also helped make it a haven for misinformation, with the site only controlling its content when it’s forced to do so by other governments and organizations.

Read More 

Image: Canoo

EV startup Canoo has lost co-founder and chief technology officer Sohel Merchant and is moving its operations out of Los Angeles, according to two reports from TechCrunch this week, citing unnamed sources.
Merchant took over the CTO position in 2021, when the company’s CTO left, along with two other co-founders. One of those who remained, chief designer Richard Kim, departed last year. With Merchant now reportedly gone, chief engineer Christoph Kuttner is the last founder standing at Canoo, according to TechCrunch yesterday.

Canoo wrote in a quarterly SEC filing on August 14th that it was “permanently” dropping its headcount as part of a reorganization plan for its Torrance, California facility, and offering to move “approximately 137” of 194 employees from there to either Oklahoma or Texas. Then, earlier this week, it told employees during a company meeting that it was shutting down its LA office, TechCrunch wrote on Thursday.

Image: Canoo

EV startup Canoo has lost co-founder and chief technology officer Sohel Merchant and is moving its operations out of Los Angeles, according to two reports from TechCrunch this week, citing unnamed sources.

Merchant took over the CTO position in 2021, when the company’s CTO left, along with two other co-founders. One of those who remained, chief designer Richard Kim, departed last year. With Merchant now reportedly gone, chief engineer Christoph Kuttner is the last founder standing at Canoo, according to TechCrunch yesterday.

Canoo wrote in a quarterly SEC filing on August 14th that it was “permanently” dropping its headcount as part of a reorganization plan for its Torrance, California facility, and offering to move “approximately 137” of 194 employees from there to either Oklahoma or Texas. Then, earlier this week, it told employees during a company meeting that it was shutting down its LA office, TechCrunch wrote on Thursday.

Read More 

Image: NASA

NASA administrator Bill Nelson announced today that US astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore will return next February with the SpaceX Crew-9 mission after spending more than 80 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
According to NASA Commercial Crew Program manager Steve Stich, “As we got more and more data over the summer and understood the uncertainty of that data, it became very clear to us that the best course of action was to return Starliner uncrewed.” He said NASA found “there was just just too much uncertainty in the prediction of the thrusters.”
“If we had a way to actually predict what the thrusters would do, for the undock, and all the way through the de-orbit burn, and through the separation sequence, I think we would have taken a different course of action. But when we looked at the data and looked at the potential for thruster failures with the crew on board … it was just too much risk for the crew, and so we decided to pursue the uncrewed testflight.

Responding to a press question about how NASA can trust Boeing again, NASA associate administrator Ken Bowersox said, “We’ve had a lot of tense discussions, right? Because the call was close, and so people have a lot of emotional investment in either option, and that gives you a healthy discourse. But after that, you have to do some work to keep your team together, right?” He said that NASA remains “committed to working with Boeing.”
The two astronauts were originally scheduled to spend just eight days aboard the ISS following a successful launch of Boeing’s Starliner on June 5th before parachuting back to Earth aboard the same spacecraft. Those plans changed after thruster failures, helium leaks, and valve issues plagued the already long-delayed Starliner while it was docking with the ISS.
With limited access to the spacecraft docked with the ISS, tests at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility indicated that deformed Teflon seals may have been one of the reasons the spacecraft’s thrusters failed. But without conclusive answers, NASA waited to decide between returning the astronauts to Earth aboard the Starliner or working with SpaceX to bring them home early next year aboard the Crew-9 mission, which is planned to launch to the ISS in late September.
Developing…

Image: NASA

NASA administrator Bill Nelson announced today that US astronauts Sunita Williams and Barry Wilmore will return next February with the SpaceX Crew-9 mission after spending more than 80 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS).

According to NASA Commercial Crew Program manager Steve Stich, “As we got more and more data over the summer and understood the uncertainty of that data, it became very clear to us that the best course of action was to return Starliner uncrewed.” He said NASA found “there was just just too much uncertainty in the prediction of the thrusters.”

“If we had a way to actually predict what the thrusters would do, for the undock, and all the way through the de-orbit burn, and through the separation sequence, I think we would have taken a different course of action. But when we looked at the data and looked at the potential for thruster failures with the crew on board … it was just too much risk for the crew, and so we decided to pursue the uncrewed testflight.

Responding to a press question about how NASA can trust Boeing again, NASA associate administrator Ken Bowersox said, “We’ve had a lot of tense discussions, right? Because the call was close, and so people have a lot of emotional investment in either option, and that gives you a healthy discourse. But after that, you have to do some work to keep your team together, right?” He said that NASA remains “committed to working with Boeing.”

The two astronauts were originally scheduled to spend just eight days aboard the ISS following a successful launch of Boeing’s Starliner on June 5th before parachuting back to Earth aboard the same spacecraft. Those plans changed after thruster failures, helium leaks, and valve issues plagued the already long-delayed Starliner while it was docking with the ISS.

With limited access to the spacecraft docked with the ISS, tests at NASA’s White Sands Test Facility indicated that deformed Teflon seals may have been one of the reasons the spacecraft’s thrusters failed. But without conclusive answers, NASA waited to decide between returning the astronauts to Earth aboard the Starliner or working with SpaceX to bring them home early next year aboard the Crew-9 mission, which is planned to launch to the ISS in late September.

Developing…

Read More 

Image: Pokémon

A new all-Pokémon FAST channel is bringing the first 22 seasons of the original Pokémon anime, courtesy of Canadian distributor WildBrain. The channel will kick off its availability in the US, with Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand to follow, according to WildBrain’s announcement this week.
Melissa Pearce, senior director of media licensing at The Pokémon Company International, called FAST TV is “an ideal platform” to connect with audiences and offer “accessible and curated content in a family-friendly environment.”

WildBrain distributes other ad-supported channels that include properties like Super Mario Bros., Sonic the Hedgehog, and Inspector Gadget, and its channels exist on platforms like Tubi and Pluto. The announcement comes after the shutdown of the Pokemon TV app earlier this year, as Engadget notes. At the moment, the distributor hasn’t said when the Pokémon channel will debut. Until then, The Pokemon Company has a list of other places you can watch its shows.

Image: Pokémon

A new all-Pokémon FAST channel is bringing the first 22 seasons of the original Pokémon anime, courtesy of Canadian distributor WildBrain. The channel will kick off its availability in the US, with Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand to follow, according to WildBrain’s announcement this week.

Melissa Pearce, senior director of media licensing at The Pokémon Company International, called FAST TV is “an ideal platform” to connect with audiences and offer “accessible and curated content in a family-friendly environment.”

WildBrain distributes other ad-supported channels that include properties like Super Mario Bros., Sonic the Hedgehog, and Inspector Gadget, and its channels exist on platforms like Tubi and Pluto. The announcement comes after the shutdown of the Pokemon TV app earlier this year, as Engadget notes. At the moment, the distributor hasn’t said when the Pokémon channel will debut. Until then, The Pokemon Company has a list of other places you can watch its shows.

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Illustration: The Verge

Android users participating in a pilot program can now add their California driver’s licenses to Google Wallet. The “mobile driver’s license” program is currently open to 1.5 million Californians, and previously only allowed digital IDs in the state’s “CA DMV Wallet” app for iOS and Android.
“It’s never been easier to keep a digital driver’s license and identification card in California,” said Governor Gavin Newsom in a statement yesterday, “The state continues to work to offer convenience for those opting into the mobile driver’s license program, now with the option of using Google Wallet.”

California announced earlier this month that it will also allow Apple Wallet digital IDs soon. Those in the pilot will still have to carry their physical IDs, and outside of “select retail locations and TSA airports,” law enforcement, state government agencies, and businesses are not yet accepting digital IDs, according to the California DMV’s site.

Illustration: The Verge

Android users participating in a pilot program can now add their California driver’s licenses to Google Wallet. The “mobile driver’s license” program is currently open to 1.5 million Californians, and previously only allowed digital IDs in the state’s “CA DMV Wallet” app for iOS and Android.

“It’s never been easier to keep a digital driver’s license and identification card in California,” said Governor Gavin Newsom in a statement yesterday, “The state continues to work to offer convenience for those opting into the mobile driver’s license program, now with the option of using Google Wallet.”

California announced earlier this month that it will also allow Apple Wallet digital IDs soon. Those in the pilot will still have to carry their physical IDs, and outside of “select retail locations and TSA airports,” law enforcement, state government agencies, and businesses are not yet accepting digital IDs, according to the California DMV’s site.

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The Era 100 might resemble a roll of paper towels, but it remains our default smart speaker. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Sonos’ Labor Day sale is bringing discounts to a variety of smart speakers and soundbars until September 2nd, many of which are on sale elsewhere for the same price. Both the Sonos Era 100 and portable Move 2 are 20 percent off, which means you can get the Era 100 from Amazon, Best Buy, and Sonos for $199 ($50 off) or the Move 2 for $359 ($90 off) via the same retailers (Amazon, Best Buy, and Sonos).

The Era 100 is an easy recommendation for a Sonos-connected Wi-Fi speaker, regardless of where you’d like to put it in your house. It’s compact enough to fit in most places but offers robust volume and quality sound, which gives your music some depth without getting too bassy. The Move 2, on the other hand, is kind of like an Era 100 that can go anywhere thanks to its built-in battery. It’s a bit bigger and heavier than your average Bluetooth speaker, but that makes it a great fit for an outdoor garden party or a car camping adventure — especially since the battery can provide up to 24 hours of continuous playback.
Read our reviews of the Sonos Era 100 and Sonos Move 2.

A few more Saturdeals

Woot is selling the last-gen Motorola Razr Plus in new condition with a full one-year warranty for $499.99 ($500 off). There may not be any of Razr’s fun colors on offer, but 50 percent off a foldable from last year is a good deal if you want to try a flip-style folding phone without spending the usual $1,000 or more. Plus, the 2023 Razr Plus offers excellent battery life and one of the best jumbo-sized cover screens around. Read our review.
The first-gen Apple Pencil has returned to its all-time low of $69 ($30 off) at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy. Yes, it’s still got that awkward, poorly designed Lightning connector under its cap for charging, but if you have a compatible iPad (like the ninth-gen model), it’s likely your best option for note-taking and sketching. Well, unless you want to go the third-party / knockoff route.
The gray-and-yellow version of Hori’s Split Pad Compact is selling for $22.74 (around $10 off) at Target. The excellent Joy-Con alternatives — which work with both the Nintendo Switch and Switch OLED — offer a slightly roomier, more ergonomic grip that’s more akin to a full-size controller experience without being overly bulky. They even feature two extra rear buttons, which you can customize. Read our Nintendo Switch controller buying guide.
The Shargeek 170 power bank is down to $143.64 (around $36 off) at Amazon, matching its all-time low. The nifty, see-through piece of tech allows you to peer inside, giving you a closer look at its fun circuitry and 24,000mAh battery cells. The charger can also output up to 170W of power across its two USB-C ports and lone USB-A port, which is enough to charge most laptops. It’s even IP66-rated for water and dust resistance, so it’s not just a looker.

The Era 100 might resemble a roll of paper towels, but it remains our default smart speaker. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

Sonos’ Labor Day sale is bringing discounts to a variety of smart speakers and soundbars until September 2nd, many of which are on sale elsewhere for the same price. Both the Sonos Era 100 and portable Move 2 are 20 percent off, which means you can get the Era 100 from Amazon, Best Buy, and Sonos for $199 ($50 off) or the Move 2 for $359 ($90 off) via the same retailers (Amazon, Best Buy, and Sonos).

The Era 100 is an easy recommendation for a Sonos-connected Wi-Fi speaker, regardless of where you’d like to put it in your house. It’s compact enough to fit in most places but offers robust volume and quality sound, which gives your music some depth without getting too bassy. The Move 2, on the other hand, is kind of like an Era 100 that can go anywhere thanks to its built-in battery. It’s a bit bigger and heavier than your average Bluetooth speaker, but that makes it a great fit for an outdoor garden party or a car camping adventure — especially since the battery can provide up to 24 hours of continuous playback.

Read our reviews of the Sonos Era 100 and Sonos Move 2.

A few more Saturdeals

Woot is selling the last-gen Motorola Razr Plus in new condition with a full one-year warranty for $499.99 ($500 off). There may not be any of Razr’s fun colors on offer, but 50 percent off a foldable from last year is a good deal if you want to try a flip-style folding phone without spending the usual $1,000 or more. Plus, the 2023 Razr Plus offers excellent battery life and one of the best jumbo-sized cover screens around. Read our review.
The first-gen Apple Pencil has returned to its all-time low of $69 ($30 off) at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy. Yes, it’s still got that awkward, poorly designed Lightning connector under its cap for charging, but if you have a compatible iPad (like the ninth-gen model), it’s likely your best option for note-taking and sketching. Well, unless you want to go the third-party / knockoff route.
The gray-and-yellow version of Hori’s Split Pad Compact is selling for $22.74 (around $10 off) at Target. The excellent Joy-Con alternatives — which work with both the Nintendo Switch and Switch OLED — offer a slightly roomier, more ergonomic grip that’s more akin to a full-size controller experience without being overly bulky. They even feature two extra rear buttons, which you can customize. Read our Nintendo Switch controller buying guide.
The Shargeek 170 power bank is down to $143.64 (around $36 off) at Amazon, matching its all-time low. The nifty, see-through piece of tech allows you to peer inside, giving you a closer look at its fun circuitry and 24,000mAh battery cells. The charger can also output up to 170W of power across its two USB-C ports and lone USB-A port, which is enough to charge most laptops. It’s even IP66-rated for water and dust resistance, so it’s not just a looker.

Read More 

The Shokz OpenFit Air are a lightweight pair of open-ear buds that use air conduction.

The bass is pretty good for open-ear fitness buds, but alas, my glasses foiled the ear hook design. Two years ago, I thought my quest for the best running earbuds was over. The Beats Fit Pro were simply perfect in every way. Then I moved to the suburbs. The Beats’ ambient mode was no match for North Jersey drivers’ blatant disregard for speed limits. Open-ear headphones seemed like the obvious answer. But which ones? For a few weeks, I dabbled with some bone conduction headphones, but I missed my bass drops too much. That, in turn, led me to try the $119.95 Shokz OpenFit Air.
While Shokz is best known for its bone conduction tech, the OpenFit Air uses traditional air conduction like any other wireless buds. The speaker sits above your ear canal, while ear hooks hold them securely in place. I normally don’t prefer ear hooks — comfort tends to be hit or miss. But I’ll give anything a go if it means I get to have situational awareness without giving up my bass.

The OpenFit Air hook around your ears, while the speaker sits right above your ear canal.

The good news: the bass is better. The bad news is, it’s not by much. Truthfully, no open-ear headphones are great at bass, but these are at least less muddy than bone conduction. If I’m running next to a busy street, I actually can hear the rumbly “five-star Michelin” verse in “God’s Menu” by Stray Kids. It’s not crystal clear — but I can hear it instead of sighing and wishing I had my Beats Fit Pro. (All bets are off if you’re near a highway, though.)
Aside from bass, the speaker position means you can hear your content pretty well, but open-ear buds always have limitations. I wore these on several commutes to the office. A quiet NJ Transit bus or train? No problem. A noisy New York City subway drowned out my audiobooks to the point where I gave up listening to anything at all. I never got any complaints about sound leakage, but I imagine that’s because the NYC subway is too loud for anyone to hear anything.

At 8.7g, the OpenFit Air are quite lightweight.

As exercise buds, these are a great option. They have about six hours on a single charge, and a 10-minute charge gets you two hours of use, which isn’t too shabby unless you’re an ultramarathoner. With IP55, you can work up a nice sweat or handle a bit of rain, though I’d be wary of a full-on downpour. They’re comfy and pretty secure — that is, until you put some glasses on.
While the hooks are pliable and relatively thin, they took up a lot of space behind my ears. On days when I didn’t wear contacts, the top of my ears felt crowded and weighed down. That heavy sensation made me paranoid that the Air would fall off, and I’d go to readjust them. Often, that ended up with me accidentally triggering the touch controls. Even when I didn’t wear glasses, I unintentionally dislodged the Air whenever I brushed my bangs behind my ears. I don’t love that, as someone who’s been traumatized one too many times by chasing after a bud that fell out of my ear mid-run. To be fair, you may not have these issues. Some of this is likely down to the shape of my ears and the fact my glasses have chunkier arms. But if you really want a secure fit, a wraparound design is a better choice.

To my surprise, I ended up preferring the Air for everyday wear. Maybe it’s just me, but bone conduction headphones scream fitness in a way that feels a little weird when I’m running errands. These remind me more of the sleeker, more discreet Bose Ultra Open Earbuds. My favorite way to wear these was when I was cooking or cleaning. I could easily listen to my audiobooks or podcasts, keep an ear out for beeping appliances, and keep the naughty cat from trying to eat my dinner straight from the pan.
If I had better vision, these might’ve ended my quest for a Beats Fit Pro alternative. They’re pretty affordable at $120, bass is decent for a pair of open-ear buds, and they’re comfy. I want something just a smidge more secure for days when I don’t feel like popping lenses in. Alas, the hunt continues.

The Shokz OpenFit Air are a lightweight pair of open-ear buds that use air conduction.

The bass is pretty good for open-ear fitness buds, but alas, my glasses foiled the ear hook design.

Two years ago, I thought my quest for the best running earbuds was over. The Beats Fit Pro were simply perfect in every way. Then I moved to the suburbs. The Beats’ ambient mode was no match for North Jersey drivers’ blatant disregard for speed limits. Open-ear headphones seemed like the obvious answer. But which ones? For a few weeks, I dabbled with some bone conduction headphones, but I missed my bass drops too much. That, in turn, led me to try the $119.95 Shokz OpenFit Air.

While Shokz is best known for its bone conduction tech, the OpenFit Air uses traditional air conduction like any other wireless buds. The speaker sits above your ear canal, while ear hooks hold them securely in place. I normally don’t prefer ear hooks — comfort tends to be hit or miss. But I’ll give anything a go if it means I get to have situational awareness without giving up my bass.

The OpenFit Air hook around your ears, while the speaker sits right above your ear canal.

The good news: the bass is better. The bad news is, it’s not by much. Truthfully, no open-ear headphones are great at bass, but these are at least less muddy than bone conduction. If I’m running next to a busy street, I actually can hear the rumbly “five-star Michelin” verse in “God’s Menu” by Stray Kids. It’s not crystal clear — but I can hear it instead of sighing and wishing I had my Beats Fit Pro. (All bets are off if you’re near a highway, though.)

Aside from bass, the speaker position means you can hear your content pretty well, but open-ear buds always have limitations. I wore these on several commutes to the office. A quiet NJ Transit bus or train? No problem. A noisy New York City subway drowned out my audiobooks to the point where I gave up listening to anything at all. I never got any complaints about sound leakage, but I imagine that’s because the NYC subway is too loud for anyone to hear anything.

At 8.7g, the OpenFit Air are quite lightweight.

As exercise buds, these are a great option. They have about six hours on a single charge, and a 10-minute charge gets you two hours of use, which isn’t too shabby unless you’re an ultramarathoner. With IP55, you can work up a nice sweat or handle a bit of rain, though I’d be wary of a full-on downpour. They’re comfy and pretty secure — that is, until you put some glasses on.

While the hooks are pliable and relatively thin, they took up a lot of space behind my ears. On days when I didn’t wear contacts, the top of my ears felt crowded and weighed down. That heavy sensation made me paranoid that the Air would fall off, and I’d go to readjust them. Often, that ended up with me accidentally triggering the touch controls. Even when I didn’t wear glasses, I unintentionally dislodged the Air whenever I brushed my bangs behind my ears. I don’t love that, as someone who’s been traumatized one too many times by chasing after a bud that fell out of my ear mid-run. To be fair, you may not have these issues. Some of this is likely down to the shape of my ears and the fact my glasses have chunkier arms. But if you really want a secure fit, a wraparound design is a better choice.

To my surprise, I ended up preferring the Air for everyday wear. Maybe it’s just me, but bone conduction headphones scream fitness in a way that feels a little weird when I’m running errands. These remind me more of the sleeker, more discreet Bose Ultra Open Earbuds. My favorite way to wear these was when I was cooking or cleaning. I could easily listen to my audiobooks or podcasts, keep an ear out for beeping appliances, and keep the naughty cat from trying to eat my dinner straight from the pan.

If I had better vision, these might’ve ended my quest for a Beats Fit Pro alternative. They’re pretty affordable at $120, bass is decent for a pair of open-ear buds, and they’re comfy. I want something just a smidge more secure for days when I don’t feel like popping lenses in. Alas, the hunt continues.

Read More 

Valve has finally, officially announced Deadlock, in the most minimal way imaginable. The game now has a Steam page that lists Valve as its developer and publisher, and a simple notice:
Deadlock is in early development with lots of temporary art and experimental gameplay. Access is currently limited to friend invite via our playtesters.

Valve provides no other details, just an animated teaser image. (You can see a still screenshot of it above.) The system requirements only mention that the game requires a 64-bit processor and operating system.
While the game has ostensibly been a secret until now, details about it have been trickling out for months. Information started to emerge from closed playtests in May. By August, tens of thousands of people were playing the game, as more players invited their friends to check it out. The Verge received an invite and published a hands-on preview last week.
Today, many streamers are playing the game live, including Shroud, after admin Yoshi said in the game’s Discord that Valve was lifting its rules against public conversation.

Screenshot by Tom Warren / The Verge

While Deadlock seems like another promising addition to Valve’s lineup of big multiplayer games, it’s unclear if it will have sustained popularity like Counter-Strike or Dota 2 or will eventually fizzle out like Artifact.

Valve has finally, officially announced Deadlock, in the most minimal way imaginable. The game now has a Steam page that lists Valve as its developer and publisher, and a simple notice:

Deadlock is in early development with lots of temporary art and experimental gameplay. Access is currently limited to friend invite via our playtesters.

Valve provides no other details, just an animated teaser image. (You can see a still screenshot of it above.) The system requirements only mention that the game requires a 64-bit processor and operating system.

While the game has ostensibly been a secret until now, details about it have been trickling out for months. Information started to emerge from closed playtests in May. By August, tens of thousands of people were playing the game, as more players invited their friends to check it out. The Verge received an invite and published a hands-on preview last week.

Today, many streamers are playing the game live, including Shroud, after admin Yoshi said in the game’s Discord that Valve was lifting its rules against public conversation.

Screenshot by Tom Warren / The Verge

While Deadlock seems like another promising addition to Valve’s lineup of big multiplayer games, it’s unclear if it will have sustained popularity like Counter-Strike or Dota 2 or will eventually fizzle out like Artifact.

Read More