The NYPD will police Labor Day parties with surveillance drones A Skydio 2 drone. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The VergeIf there’s a drone flying over your backyard party this Labor Day / J’Ouvert / West Indian Day Parade weekend in New York City, it might be the police — because the NYPD have apparently granted themselves the power to surveil the city that way. “If a caller states there is a large crowd, a la…

Porn age verification law is unconstitutional, says judge Image: James Bareham / The VergeA federal judge has blocked a Texas law that would require age verification and health warnings for pornographic websites, calling it unconstitutional and poorly defined. In a preliminary injunction decision released today, Judge David Ezra ruled in favor of the Free Speech Coalition, an adult industry trade assoc…

Windows 11 tests Notepad autosave and better Snipping Tool Notepad’s getting autosave. Notepad! | Image: MicrosoftMicrosoft’s testing some neat new features for the Windows 11 Snipping Tool and the one and only Notepad dot exe. They’re only in the Windows Insider Program for now, but they’re there. Anyone who’s ever tried to shut down their PC or close Notepad in the past, I dunno, 40 years, will be rel…

A Baldur’s Gate 3 companion bug is ruining my game Image: Larian StudiosIt brings me no joy to say this, but I can’t play Baldur’s Gate 3 for the foreseeable future. Is it because my plate of games is full and will remain so for the next eight years? That’s true, but it’s not the reason. Or is it because the game has taken over my life such that I ignore my personal and professional responsibili…

New Chrome feature makes it easier to grab full-resolution frames from videos Chrome’s new Copy Video Frame tool outputs a high-quality image with no overlay. Too bad I couldn’t use it to show the right-click menu! | Screenshot: The VergeGoogle just made it easier to grab high-quality still images from videos — and it works in a bunch of browsers. In a post on Google’s Keyword blog aimed at students, the company announced…

New York subway system disables feature that could let stalkers track your trips Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The VergeNew York’s subway pass system has turned off a feature that could enable others to track your travels if they have access to your bank card number. In a statement to The Verge, Metropolitan Transportation Authority spokesperson Eugene Resnick says the agency “disabled the feature” as part of its “ongoin…

Can Samsung Food usher in a new era for the smart kitchen? Samsung’s new app, Samsung Food, is designed to be a personalized AI cooking assistant. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The VergeWi-Fi-connected kitchen appliances have struggled to prove their worth, but Samsung’s not entirely new app could help realize the potential of connected cooking. Continue reading…

Withings adds temperature tracking to the new ScanWatch 2 The ScanWatch 2 will cost $349.95 and features a temperature sensing module. | Image: WithingsAfter nearly three years without a new smartwatch, Withings is kicking off IFA 2023 by announcing not one but two ScanWatch hybrid watches. The $349.95 ScanWatch 2 is Withings’ latest and greatest hybrid smartwatch, with a new temperature tracking modul…

Belkin’s convertible wireless charger supports new Qi2 magnet-enhanced standard Belkin’s convertible charger can either stand upright or be used like a traditional pad. | Image: BelkinBelkin is embracing the new magnet-enhanced Qi2 wireless charging standard with a pair of new products being announced at Berlin’s IFA 2023 tech show. There’s the BoostCharge Convertible Qi2 Wireless Pad to Stand (yes, that’s the name), which …

Saints Row developer Volition permanently shuts down Saints Row. | Image: VolitionVolition, makers of Red Faction and Saints Row, is shutting down for good. The news was announced on the company’s LinkedIn account at around 12:30PM ET, or right after all the reviews for Starfield went live. In the post, the company explained that the reason for Volition’s closure was tied to parent company Embrace…

Nvidia and AMD say they face new restrictions on AI chip sales Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeNvidia and AMD say they face new restrictions in some Middle Eastern countries, Reuters reports. This widens the restrictions on these chips beyond China and Russia. The new licensing requirement applies to “a subset” of Nvidia’s top-end chips, the company said. In response, the Biden administration said it…

Watch India’s lunar rover take a spin on the Moon The Indian Space Research Organisation’s Pragyan rover does the twist on the Moon. | Image: ISROThe Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is riding on the high of its Chandrayaan-3 lunar mission’s successful landing, sharing more of it with the world by posting a new video of the lander’s imager observing the rover as it rotates on the no-lo…

A Valorant esports team has disbanded despite winning crucial tournament Image: Colin Young-WolffThough The Guard won Valorant’s Ascension tournament, earning them a promotion into the international league, the team will not compete in the 2024 season, and its roster has been dissolved. Continue reading…

Universal won’t be seeing Ana de Armas fans in court for their Yesterday trailer lawsuit Photo by Todd Owyoung / NBC via Getty ImagesThough some Ana de Armas fans have insisted that Universal tricked them into seeing Danny Boyle’s 2019 musical Yesterday with trailers featuring the Blonde actor, a US district judge has found that not to be the case. It’s unclear how serious Peter Michael Rosza and Conor Woulfe — two Ana de Armas fans…

X wants permission to start collecting your biometric data and employment history Image: The VergeX, the platform previously known as Twitter, is expanding the amount of data it collects on users. The social network has updated its privacy policy to include carveouts for “biometric information” and “employment history,” as spotted by Bloomberg. “Based on your consent, we may collect and use your biometric information for safe…

Xgimi’s latest 4K projector is super bright for the price The Horizon Ultra is bright enough to overcome some ambient light. | Image: XgimiHome projector upstart Xgimi just announced its new Horizon Ultra model, dubbed the “world’s first 4K long-throw projector with Dolby Vision.” While I wouldn’t hold out too much hope for the device to produce an image with jaw-dropping HDR, it’s certainly a very bri…

Nintendo is making a bright red Switch OLED for Mario Wonder Image: NintendoAt its most recent Nintendo Direct, the company showed off some fresh gameplay for the upcoming platformer Super Mario Bros. Wonder. But we also got a look at some new hardware — or, at least, a new color for the OLED version of the Nintendo Switch. The tablet is getting a Mario makeover to coincide with the game, with a slick red…

This USB button helps Jeopardy! contestants get their buzz on Many Jeopardy! contestants say they used this button to practice buzzing in before the show. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The VergeIn Jeopardy, the button is almost as important as the answer. Continue reading…

LG’s suitcase TV is as sturdy as it is bizarre The TV neatly folded down into its suitcase. | Photo by Jon Porter / The VergeLG’s StanbyME Go, its bizarre $999.99 27-inch suitcase TV announced for the US earlier this month, is on show in Berlin at a corner of its booth at IFA 2023. We had a poke around the demo model being displayed on the show floor, and couldn’t find any of the games that…

Jabra announces its most premium (and toughest) earbuds yet Image: JabraWith Apple and Samsung both offering earbuds that deliver excellent sound quality and compelling ecosystem tricks, it’s getting increasingly harder for regular old earbud makers to stand out. Even mainstays in the category like Jabra can sometimes get lost in the mix — despite having an expansive product lineup. So today Jabra is ann…