What goes into designing a solar-powered Bluetooth speaker Urbanista’s Malibu.After releasing two solar-powered pairs of headphones, you would have thought that it’d be simple for Urbanista to apply the same technology to a Bluetooth speaker. But with the Malibu, which is being shown off at IFA in Berlin ahead of its release later this month, Urbanista says it had a whole new set of challenges to overco…

Meta may offer paid ad-free Facebook and Instagram in Europe Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeMeta could let users pay for Facebook and Instagram to avoid ads in their feeds, at least in Europe. The New York Times reports that Meta is considering a paid subscription to its social media products, an attempt by Meta to quell concerns by the EU around data privacy and ads. No information is available o…

Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour movie broke presale records in less than three hours Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty ImagesAfter her Eras tour shattered ticket sales records last year, now Taylor Swift is coming for the box office. The upcoming Taylor Swift | The Eras Tour concert film set a single-day sales record for AMC in just three hours after the ticket presale went live, raking in a total of $26 million in …

Donald Trump’s trial in Georgia will be livestreamed on YouTube Laura Normand / The VergeDonald Trump’s election interference trial in Georgia will appear live on TV and the court’s YouTube channel. Fulton County Judge Scott McAfee made the ruling on Thursday, which also says members of the press can use cellphones and computers inside the courtroom as long as they’re not recording, local news outlet WSB-TV …

It’s the Year of the Big Game, and that’s a good thing Image: Bethesda Game Studios2023 has been packed with some of the biggest games in recent memory, and I’m totally fine with that. For the past little while, it feels like the gaming industry has been more interested in time-sucking live service behemoths, games that never end, rather than satisfying single-player titles. But this year, I’m inste…

The robovacs are coming, and they’re edgier than ever The Deebot X20 Omni — the latest robot vacuum mop from Ecovacs — was on display at IFA 2023 this week. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The VergeThe robot vacuum cleaner is undergoing a renaissance this year as all the major manufacturers figure out new and more outlandish ways to make the tiresome chore of cleaning your floors fully automat…

Zoom adds collaborative notes you can edit while on a video call Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeZoom is trying to expand its video chat platform into a full-service office suite, and its latest addition hits on the need to create and share documents. The company is adding a feature called Notes that allows users to create, share, and simultaneously edit a text document. Notes will appear alongside a v…

Asus ROG Strix Scar 17 review: sure, this one is good, too It’s not quite as powerful as the gargantuan Strix Scar X3D, but it’s also not quite as expensive. Continue reading…

The Bose QuietComfort 45 noise-canceling headphones are $130 off for a refurb model If you don’t mind refurbished headphones, this is a great deal. | Photo by Chris Welch / The VergeWhile Labor Day promotions have already been going on all week (despite the holiday itself still being another three days away), some early deals have been fairly attractive. A noteworthy one is eBay’s 20 percent off sale on refurbished items, which…

Netflix’s One Piece is the rare anime adaptation that gets all of the important things right Iñaki Godoy as Monkey D. Luffy. | NetflixNetflix’s One Piece succeeds where other live-action anime adaptations have failed by understanding its limits and knowing how to work within them. Continue reading…

Disney blocks ABC and ESPN from Charter Spectrum viewers The VergeDisney has blocked its channels from being accessed by the nearly 15 million subscribers to Charter’s Spectrum service, the second-largest cable TV provider in the US. The blackout means that viewers in major markets like New York and Los Angeles can’t access ABC, ESPN, FX, Freeform, National Geographic and a dozen other Disney-owned ch…

The auto industry’s Congress member is worried about losing the EV race to China Photo by Chip Somodevilla / Getty ImagesRepresentative Debbie Dingell (D-MI) is among the prominent voices in Congress advocating for a smooth transition to electric vehicles. Dingell, who was first elected in 2015, represents suburban Detroit, home to a large swath of the American car industry and the labor force that builds those vehicles. I …

Time to revisit the original ‘Battle Royale’ Chiaki Kuriyama plays one of the students forced to fight to the death in Battle Royale. | Image: The Criterion ChannelTwenty years later, you can still see the bloody fingerprints of one violent Japanese film on pop culture today. Continue reading…

Yale launches a new home security system for Europe The Yale Smart Outdoor Camera looks on even as the Smart Video Doorbell records a delivery. | Image: YaleYale has launched a new line of its home security products specifically for the European market. In addition to a new video doorbell, the company revealed the next-gen of its smart alarm system, plus new indoor and outdoor smart cameras — all…

Tesla’s upgraded Model 3 has a new design, rear touchscreen, and range improvements Image: TeslaTesla has announced an upgraded and redesigned Model 3 in Europe, known previously as the Highland. The new design includes changes to the front and rear, a new screen for rear passengers, a redesigned interior, and improvements to aerodynamics and range. The most obvious exterior changes can be found at the front of the Model 3. The…

Honor’s V Purse is a fashion-inspired foldable concept phone The concept phone is designed to have a range of purse straps attached to it. | Image: HonorThe V Purse is a new concept phone from Honor that asks “what if foldables were more like fashion accessories?” The company showed off the device during a presentation at IFA 2023 alongside the Honor Magic V2, its latest foldable phone announced in China …

Nutrisense review: a pricey way to learn a little Continuous glucose monitoring still isn’t a proven thing for nondiabetics, but you can learn a little about yourself, provided you can pay. Continue reading…

With Legion Go gaming handheld, Lenovo takes aim at the ROG Ally Here I am, washing a…truck?Every company and its mother seems to be putting out handheld gaming PCs these days, and Lenovo is next to the plate. The company has announced the Legion Go, its first Windows-powered gaming handheld, which will be available for purchase in October. It’s got an 8.8-inch QHD Plus screen, an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme proce…

Lenovo’s new Legion 9i is a liquid-cooled, Mini LED, RGB monstrosity For a meager $4,400, all this can be yours. | Image: LenovoLenovo has announced a new Legion 9i, and it might just be the wildest thing I’ve ever seen from the Legion line. It’s coming in October, it starts at a whopping $4,399 (you know, a totally normal price to pay for things), and Lenovo is throwing in all kinds of eccentric stuff. The compa…

Here’s where you can preorder Sony’s upcoming PlayStation Portal For now, Sony’s upcoming gaming device is a PlayStation Direct exclusive. | Image: SonyFor months, rumors have been circulating about the release date for Sony’s upcoming handheld, the PlayStation Portal. Now Sony has finally given us an answer: the PlayStation Portal will launch on November 15th. The portable device, which will be able to strea…