The Verge’s 2024 holiday gift guide Photo: Amelia Holowaty Krales / The VergeA collection of fun, affordable, and unique gifts fit for everyone on your list. Continue reading…

Google Slides is getting a new collection of professionally designed templates Google Slides is getting more professionally designed templates for businesses, teachers, and students. | Image: GoogleGoogle is introducing a new collection of modern templates to Google Slides the company says have been “professionally designed” to “cater to a wide range of use cases.” There are new templates for sales pitches, product roadmap…

Gorilla Glass maker Corning to receive up to $32 million under CHIPS Act Samsung’s Galaxy S24 is just one of the many phones that use Gorilla Glass. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The VergeCorning, the maker of Gorilla Glass, is set to receive up to $32 million in funding under the CHIPS and Science Act. In an announcement on Friday, the US Commerce Department said the proposed funding will help Corning increase produc…

Google rolls out its Gemini AI-powered video presentation app Google Vids’ “Help me create” screen powered by Gemini AI. | Image: GoogleGoogle is generally rolling out its Gemini AI-powered Vids app that lets you create video presentations using a prompt. Some of Vids’ key features include letting Gemini auto-insert stock footage for you, generating a script, and making AI voiceovers so you don’t have to s…

AMD’s best gaming CPU is really difficult to buy during its launch week Photo by Tom Warren / The VergeAMD launched its latest Ryzen 7 9800X3D to glowing reviews this week, but if you’re looking to buy one then you might have to wait for more stock. The 9800X3D is currently sold out at Newegg and Best Buy, with the majority of Micro Center locations also sold out of AMD’s best gaming processor. The situation is simi…

AOL’s ‘You’ve Got Mail’ voice, Elwood Edwards, dies at age 74 Image: AOL via YouTubeElwood Edwards, the voice of AOL’s “You’ve Got Mail” greeting, has died at age 74 after a long illness, according to local Ohio news station WKYC, where he was employed for many years. During a 2016 interview, Edwards recounted how he became the voice of AOL. His wife, who worked at Quantum Computer Services (which later be…

Upgrade your iPhone’s weak flash with this adjustable MagSafe light The Sol 5 includes color temperature adjustments to help set a mood in a photo. | Image: HarloweHarlowe’s Sol 5 is a three-inch extending light that attaches to the MagSafe mount on your iPhone to improve the quality of your photos and selfies. It’s available now for $79 or for $159 as part of a travel kit that includes a softbox diffuser to hel…

Apple is finally letting green bubbles send message reactions Illustration by Cath Virginia / The VergeApple is showing some love to Android users by finally displaying their message reactions correctly. Now when an Android user reacts to an RCS message from an iOS user, the selected emoji will appear in line with the message bubble on iOS — instead of archaically appearing as a separate line like this: “ …

The Rivian R2’s next-gen batteries will be made in the US by LG Energy Rivian’s R2 vehicles will be powered by batteries made domestically in the US by South Korea’s LG Energy Solution, the company announced in its third quarter earnings report. Rivian first revealed the new batteries back in March when it announced the R2 as its more affordable electric SUV that would start at $45,000. (It also announced the spor…

Google Photos is getting an Updates page to help you follow changes to shared albums Illustration: The VergeGoogle Photos is making it easier to follow activity in your shared albums with a new “Updates” section. In the new section, you’ll be able to see notifications like updates to a shared album and updates to a conversation within Google Photos, according to a support post from Google. The Updates section can be found by t…

The Fitbit Inspire 3 is down to just $70, its best price yet The Fitbit Inspire 3 offers a bright, easy-to-read OLED display, which is a nice perk at this price. | Photo by Victoria Song / The VergeGoogle’s Pixel Watch 3 is still down to a record low price, but honestly not everybody wants to — or even needs to — fork out $275 on a smartwatch. That’s especially true if all you really need is something to …

Star Wars is reportedly getting a new film trilogy Image: Disney / LucasfilmThe future of Star Wars movies just got a little more confusing. Deadline and Variety both report that Lucasfilm has tapped Simon Kinberg, best-known for his work on the X-Men films, to write and develop a new Star Wars trilogy. Kinberg will be working alongside Lucasfilm boss Kathleen Kennedy to produce them, according …

iRobot is laying off staff for the second time this year Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The VergeiRobot, the parent company of robovac maker Roomba, is laying off around 105 employees. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission spotted by TechCrunch, iRobot says the job cuts will impact 16 percent of its current workforce. The company announced the news as part of its earnings report …

Audi launches a new brand in China without the four-ring logo The new “AUDI” logo and E concept for China. | Image: AudiAudi is making a big change to its branding for the Chinese market with a new logo that lacks the automaker’s famous four-ring emblem. Today in Shanghai, the company showed off the new “AUDI” logo — yes, it’s just Audi in all caps — on the front of a new E concept electric Sportback that …

Meta is opening a pop-up retail store for the Ray-Ban Meta glasses The store will be around from November 8th to December 31st. | Image: MetaMeta announced it is opening up Meta Lab, a pop-up experiential retail space for its Ray-Ban Meta Smart Glasses starting November 8th in Los Angeles. The temporary store will be around through the end of the year and allow customers to try out the glasses and customize the…

8BitDo now sells its retro mechanical keyboards with integrated number pads The 8BitDo Retro 108 Mechanical Keyboard will be available starting on December 12th, 2024. | Image: 8BitDo8BitDo has introduced a new version of the Retro Mechanical Keyboard it debuted last July with its original tenkeyless layout now expanded to include an integrated number pad. The new 8BitDo Retro 108 Mechanical Keyboard is available for pr…

Jeff Bezos says he’s a climate guy — why is he kissing the ring? Image: Laura Normand / The VergeJeff Bezos might just be the biggest climate philanthropist out there, which is what makes his swift embrace of Donald Trump as the next US president particularly cringeworthy. “Wishing @realDonaldTrump all success in leading and uniting the America we all love,” Bezos posted on X, hours after Trump declared victo…

You can now share streaming music directly to TikTok posts Image: TikTokA new “Share to TikTok” feature in Spotify and Apple Music is making it easier for users to share songs, playlists, audiobooks, and more directly in content on the video platform. Using the integrations, TikTok users can create a direct link to content on the streaming platforms, similar to how they can share songs directly on Inst…

Max is getting ready for its own password-sharing crackdown Cath Virginia / The VergeMax will kick off its password-sharing crackdown over the next few months with “very soft messaging” surrounding the change. During Warner Bros. Discovery’s Q3 earnings call on Thursday, chief financial officer Gunnar Wiedenfels said this initial rollout will be followed by more progress in 2025 and 2026. Wiedenfels call…

Apple’s new AirPlay options for macOS add a little more privacy Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The VergeThe latest macOS beta changes the options you’ll see when you use AirPlay to mirror your screen. As reported by MacRumors, the new beta version of macOS Sequoia 15.2 lets you select a single window or app on your Mac to display on another screen, like your TV — or maybe something else, like a Vision P…