This robot vacuum mop may solve the problem of dirty docks The SwitchBot S10 robot vacuum and mop costs $1,199.99 and comes with an auto-empty / charging dock plus a battery-powered water refill dock. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The VergeAfter previewing its latest robotic invention earlier this month, SwitchBot officially launched the S10 robot vacuum and mop at IFA 2023 in Berlin last week. T…

A first look at Atmos FlexConnect, Dolby’s latest attempt to fix bad TV audio A Dolby graphic showing a TV connecting to two asymmetrical speakers. | Image: DolbyThe best bit of attending Berlin’s IFA trade show is when companies use it to offer an early look at tech that’ll get a “proper” launch later. That’s what I experienced with a demonstration of Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, a new technology to let you wirelessly connec…

Spotify is reportedly limiting ad payouts for white noise podcasters Ambient noise podcasters can apparently still make cash through subscribers, lister support, and automated ads. | Illustration by Kristen Radtke / The VergeSpotify is pulling select advertising privileges for white noise podcasts — a type of ambient noise podcast that involves looping relaxing sounds like rain or static — in a bid to boost the a…

New Godzilla Minus One trailer takes the kaiju king back to his metaphorical roots Though many of Godzilla’s recent appearances in Western-produced projects have framed him as something of a misunderstood hero, Toho’s upcoming Godzilla Minus One from writer / director Takashi Yamazaki is going to take the king of the monsters back to his roots as a horrific metaphor for nuclear devastation. Set in the immediate aftermath of Wo…

A first look at the 1TB black Xbox Series S Photo by Tom Warren / The VergeMicrosoft has started selling a new black version of the Xbox Series S with 1TB of built-in storage. The only changes over the original white Xbox Series S are a black paint job on the exterior and more storage inside. Priced at $349, it’s still one of the most affordable ways to play Bethesda’s new Starfield game,…

Final Fantasy XVI is getting a PC port and two DLC expansions Hopefully, it won’t be too long before PC gamers can also give Torgal a well-deserved scratch. | Image: Square EnixThe weekend bore some good news for PC gamers wanting to get in on the Playstation 5 exclusive Final Fantasy XVI JRPG. During the “Voices From Valisthea” panel at PAX West on Sunday, Final Fantasy XVI producer Naoki Yoshida announce…

‘California Forever’ website touts the city tech billionaires are trying to build Flannery Associates, the company behind land grabs near San Francisco that turned out to be a secret plot to build a city with hundreds of millions in funding from wealthy tech leaders, has revealed a website for the planned city. California Forever is the name of Flannery’s parent company, and its site is filled with sunny pictures of a walkabl…

Disney blames Charter for the ESPN blackout The VergeLast week, Disney blocked Charter’s Spectrum cable from accessing channels like ABC and ESPN over a disagreement between the two companies over new financial terms. Today, Disney says in a blog post that although Charter “claims to value Disney’s direct-to-consumer services,” it is “demanding these different services for free.” With ca…

Some veteran YouTube staff think Shorts might ruin YouTube Illustration: Alex Castro / The VergeSenior YouTube staffers are reportedly worried that its TikTok competitor, Shorts, may eat away at its long-form content, which has for almost two decades been its primary bread and butter, according to The Financial Times. As FT points out, YouTube’s ad revenue, though recently improved, had been on a downwa…

Roborock launches two midrange robovacs with high-end features The Q8 Max is one of two new robot vacuums from Roborock. It features dual roller brushes, obstacle avoidance, and smart mapping features. | Image: RoborockRobot vacuum manufacturer Roborock announced three new vacuum products at IFA 2023, the global tech show taking place in Berlin this week: the Q5 Pro robot vac; the Q8 Max robot vac; and the …

The iPad may get a hardier aluminum Magic Keyboard The 2020 iPad Pro Magic Keyboard as seen in The Verge’s review. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The VergeApple will release a stronger, more premium-feeling iPad Magic Keyboard alongside the iPad Pro next year, according to Mark Gurman’s latest Power On newsletter for Bloomberg. The keyboard, he reports, will use an aluminum top case while keeping the…

A super-simple way to organize your internet Image: William Joel / The VergeHi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 4, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, first of all, hi hello welcome, and second of all, you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) I’ve been sick a good chunk of this week, so my internet experience has been signi…

Microsoft is removing WordPad from Windows after nearly 30 years Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeMicrosoft is no longer updating WordPad and plans to remove the word processor from a future release of Windows. The software giant will instead recommend Microsoft Word, its paid word processor that has always been far more feature rich than the basis WordPad app that has shipped as part of Windows since W…

Mini’s new Cooper EV centers a giant circular OLED on the dash The 2025 Mini Cooper EV’s interior. | Image: MiniThe 2025 Mini Cooper EV reveal is showing off a facelift, increased range, and a giant, round OLED screen floating in front of the dashboard. The company says the Cooper E and Cooper SE — the two EV variants — have 190 miles and 250 miles of range, respectively, as calculated using the European EV…

Burning Man access is closed as heavy rains muddy the playa A picture from Burning Man in 2009. | Photo by Frederic Larson/San Francisco Chronicle via Getty ImagesNobody can go in or out of Burning Man after heavy rainfall on Friday turned the desert floor of the playa into impassible, sticky mud, prompting the Festival’s organizers late last night to ask as many as 70,000 attendees to shelter in place (…

Microsoft PowerToys’ Crop and Lock lets you make mini app windows Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeMicrosoft has released a new feature for its PowerToys utility suite called Crop and Lock, which lets you crop an app window to show only the details you want to see. The company brought PowerToys back from the dead in 2019 and open-sourced it on GitHub; other tools for the suite include toggles for small-…

Mophie has three Qi2 magnetic wireless chargers on the way Mophie’s new magnetic stands and mounts. | Image: MophieMophie just announced at IFA that it’s releasing three Qi2-compatible, 15W wireless smartphone chargers — the Snap Plus Powerstation Mini Stand ($69.95), the Snap Plus 3-in-1 stand ($129.95), and the Snap Plus wireless charging vent mount ($69.95) — starting later this year. Mophie doesn’t…

Airline fears around 5G may finally be over The concern that 5G signals could cause massive flight delays appears to finally be over now that Delta has upgraded its airplanes to avoid interference. Reuters reported the airline has finished updating the radio altimeters in its currently in-service fleet. Other aircraft out for planned maintenance will also be outfitted with the new altimet…

Google raises Nest Aware subscription prices up to $30 per year Nest’s wired indoor camera. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison TuohyGoogle is increasing the price of its Nest Aware and Nest Aware Plus subscriptions, which are required to get more than a few hours of footage history from Nest security cameras. Nest Aware prices have increased to $8 a month or $80 per year, up from $6/month or $60/year, as first rep…

Gizmodo’s owner shuts down Spanish language site in favor of AI translations Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeGizmodo owner G/O Media shut down and laid off editors of its Spanish-language site Gizmodo en Español and is now using AI to translate articles. Matías S. Zavia, a writer at Gizmodo en Español, posted that the publication was shut down on August 29th and that it would now publish automatically translated a…