Facebook will let creators test different versions of Reels Illustration by Nick Barclay / The VergeCreators on Facebook are getting a handful of new tools on the platform — including the ability to test how different Reels perform against each other. The most notable new feature is a Reels A/B testing tool. A/B testing is a common marketing and publishing tactic where elements of a piece of content — sa…

The second season of The Last of Us might be a long ways away Image: HBOWe might be waiting a while for more of HBO’s The Last of Us. HBO announced in January that a second season of the excellent adaptation was in the works, and on Thursday, HBO and Max content chief Casey Bloys said that the season will enter production in early 2024, according to Variety. Bloys said that production was delayed because o…

Amazon’s secret pricing scheme made it an extra $1 billion, FTC says Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeAmazon’s secret pricing algorithm, codenamed “Project Nessie,” may have generated the company more than $1 billion in extra profits, according to new details released Thursday from the Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust case against the e-commerce giant. In September, the FTC and more than a dozen state …

HTC’s Vive Focus 3 has a new, far-out mission: astronaut mental health Testing the HTC Vive Focus 3 during a European Space Agency parabolic flight. | Image: NovespaceHTC is going to space. The company announced today that on a planned November 7th NASA resupply launch, a tweaked, microgravity-friendly version of its Vive Focus 3 VR headset will be sent to the International Space Station. Once it’s there, Danish as…

The best drawing tablets to buy right now Our top picks for the best drawing tablets, with or without a built-in display. | Image: The VergeWhether you’re new to digital art or a seasoned professional designer, these are our top picks for the best drawing tablets on the market. Continue reading…

Redwood Materials is recycling its first stationary storage substation Image: KIUCRedwood Materials has recycled e-bike batteries and Tesla batteries. Now, it’s ready to go up a few sizes. The electric vehicle battery recycling and manufacturing venture founded by the former chief technologist of Tesla announced today that it will help decommission and recycle a 4MWh stationary storage substation in Kauai, Hawaii,…

Two former Google engineers have a product and a plan to fix robot vacuums The Matic is an $1,800 home robot that claims to be the first fully autonomous floor-cleaning robot. | Image: MaticThe Matic is a new robot vacuum with a different approach to cleaning your floors. Built by two former Google Nest engineers, it’s designed to move around your home in the same way most humans would, processing things visually inste…

The Xbox Elite Series 2 is on sale for a new low price It’s hard to not dig the Elite Series 2’s stealthy looks if you’re into all-black hardware. | Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The VergeMicrosoft’s Elite Wireless Controller Series 2 is a very cool controller for those who want to game on an Xbox or PC with something a little fancier and a whole lot more premium than standard gamepads, and it’…

Mint is shutting down, and it’s pushing users toward Credit Karma Image: MintMint, the budgeting app owned by Intuit, is shutting down. Intuit announced on Tuesday that Mint will get absorbed into Intuit’s other service, Credit Karma, when it officially goes away on January 1st, 2024 (via Bloomberg). But it’s still not clear whether Credit Karma will get the budgeting features that Mint is known for. Intuit fi…

HHKB Studio review: the trackpoint is the whole point This keyboard has everything: trackpoint, gesture pads, real thick keycaps, Bluetooth — everything but Topre switches. Continue reading…

The Beatles’ final song is now streaming thanks to AI Image: Apple CorpsToday marks the release of the first “new” song by the Beatles since 1995. “Now and Then” is available on streaming services (with an Atmos mix where supported), and the story behind the song’s production is one that’s drawn a lot of interest from fans of the iconic rock band. Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr turned to breakthrou…

Bitwarden begins adding passkey support to its password manager Bitwarden has added support for the more secure passkey login method. | Image: BitwardenBitwarden, one of our top picks for free password managers, is adding support for passkeys in the latest version of its browser extensions. Passkeys can use your device’s pin, face, or fingerprint for authentication, and are a more secure and convenient alter…

Closing time for Sam Bankman-Fried Smoke ‘em if you’ve got ‘em. | Photo Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos by Michael M. Santiago, Bloomberg, Klmax, Whyframestudio, Yevgen Romanenko, Pixhook, Peter Dazeley, Jimkruger, Getty ImagesMistakes aren’t illegal, but fraud is — and Bankman-Fried’s lawyers never made his defense land. Continue reading…

Scarlett Johansson hits AI app with legal action for cloning her voice in an ad Photo by Arturo Holmes/WireImageScarlett Johansson is taking legal action against an AI app developer for using her name and likeness in an online ad, according to a report from Variety. The ad was for an AI image editor, called Lisa AI: 90s Yearbook & Avatar, and featured an AI-generated version of Johansson’s voice. As reported by Variety, the…

After Starfield’s shaky launch, it’s going to beta test the next patch soon Image: Bethesda SoftworksBethesda is almost ready to officially add Nvidia’s graphics upscaling technology to Starfield, but it will look for help from the PC gaming community first with an opt-in beta test available via Steam. The company says the game’s next update will support DLSS with frame generation (which would mean DLSS 3, if not 3.5) …

Disney is about to own all of Hulu Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeDisney is buying up Comcast’s stake in Hulu. The entertainment giant announced Wednesday that it “expects it will pay” $8.61 billion to acquire Comcast’s 33 percent stake, giving Disney full ownership of Hulu. But Disney might end up paying more than that. Both Disney and Comcast agreed to an appraisal proc…

Subaru is adopting Tesla’s EV charging port as holdout numbers dwindle The 2023 Subaru Solterra. | Image: SubaruSubaru is hopping on the Tesla charging port bandwagon. The automaker has announced that it will adopt the North American Charging Standard (NACS) for “certain” electric vehicles starting in 2025. Subaru says it will also supply NACS charging adapters to customers who own or lease an EV with the Combined …

Joe Rogan’s big decision Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC via Getty ImagesThis is Hot Pod, The Verge’s newsletter about podcasting and the audio industry. Sign up here for more. For all of the changes Spotify has gone through over the past year, there is still more to come. Those three-year podcast deals the company struck are coming up for renewal, and what Spotify deci…

Apple no longer offers the Apple Music Voice Plan Illustration: Alex Castro / The VergeApple no longer offers its $4.99 per month Apple Music Voice Plan, as reported by MacMagazine. The Voice Plan, introduced in 2021, let you access the Apple Music library via Siri across your devices. But as of Wednesday, it’s no longer listed among the Apple Music plans that you can subscribe to on Apple’s w…

Apple keeps exploring (and scrapping) new ways to detect users’ health Illustration: The VergeApple’s been signaling for years that it wants to dive more deeply into healthcare. A lengthy new Bloomberg report details just how far the company wants to go, while also explaining why it just hasn’t gotten there yet. Its biggest ambitions, says the article, have been slowed in part by concerns from leaders like Apple CE…