Inside Google’s big AI shuffle — and how it plans to stay competitive, with Google DeepMind CEO Demis Hassabis Photo illustration by Alex Parkin / The VergeGoogle invented a lot of core AI technology, and now the company’s turning to Demis to get back in front of the AI race for AI breakthroughs. Continue reading…

Tumblr says it’s going to ‘fix’ its ‘core experience’ to appeal to new users Illustration: The VergeTumblr’s staff blog has posted a long update on the future of the platform, alluding to coming changes that include redesigning its reply and reblog features. The goal, according to Tumblr staff, is to make Tumblr less intimidating — implicitly at a time when it could attract users disillusioned with platforms like Reddit …

The best smartphone you can buy for under $500 You can get a great device for less than $500 these days if you know how to pick your priorities. | Image: The VergeYou can’t have absolutely everything at this price, but you can get a great smartphone. Whether you want an iPhone, a 120Hz screen, or water resistance, you’ve got options. Continue reading…

On the cusp of 24/7 service, robotaxis face pleas and protest in San Francisco Photo by Justin Sullivan / Getty ImagesOn a recent Friday evening, a driverless car pulled up alongside an outdoor dining shed in the Mission district of San Francisco, put on its hazard lights, and waited. As traffic began to pile up behind the vehicle, a man smoking a cigarette outside a nearby bar rolled his eyes. “I don’t drive a car,” he g…

That Google memo about having ‘no moat’ in AI was real — and Google’s AI boss disagrees with it Illustration: The VergeJust a couple of months ago, a leaked memo said to be from a Google researcher cast doubt on the company’s future in AI, stating that it has “no moat” in the industry — and now, we seemingly have confirmation that it was real. In an interview with Decoder, Demis Hassabis, the CEO of Google’s DeepMind, told The Verge that a…

Foxconn drops out of another big factory deal, this time in India Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeiPhone assembler Foxconn is dropping out of a $19.5 billion deal with a major Indian company to build a semiconductor factory in the country, according to Reuters. The canceled Foxconn deal was part of a joint venture with the large oil and metal corporation Vedanta. Foxconn provided a vague explanation as …

Sega workers form largest multi-department video game union in the US Image: Allied Employees Guild Improving SegaWorkers at Sega of America, representing multiple departments, have voted to form a union. With 91 employees voting yes out of a total number of 212 eligible employees, the Allied Employees Guild Improving SEGA (also known as AEGIS-CWA) becomes the fifth video game union in the United States and its la…

The best phone to buy right now Photo Illustration by William Joel / The VergeBad news: flagship phones cost a small fortune these days. Good news: we can help you pick the right one and get the most for your money. Continue reading…

Twisted Metal fires off lots of bullets and even more jokes in new trailer Image: PeacockThe bullets fly in the latest trailer for Twisted Metal — and so do the jokes. Our previous look at Peacock’s adaptation of the PlayStation vehicular mayhem series didn’t show much other than how Will Arnett and Samoa Joe were joining forces to play the murderous clown Sweet Tooth. But the latest clip gives a much better idea of wh…

The person who swatted Ubisoft has been sentenced. Police responded to a fake hostage situation at Ubisoft Montreal’s offices on November 13th, 2020. | Photo by Eric Thomas / AFP via Getty ImagesTwenty-two-year-old Yanni Ouahioune was recently sentenced in France to three years of community service for calling in a fake hostage situation in 2020, also known as swatting, at the Ubisoft Montreal o…

Social networks can keep storing EU user data in the US under new agreement Illustration by William Joel / The VergeThe European Union and the US have settled on a new transatlantic data-sharing pact. In an announcement on Monday, the European Commission says the new framework should allow information to flow freely between both locations, easing risks for social media companies that operate across them. The decision co…

How to move your notes out of Evernote Illustration by Samar Haddad / The VergeWhen it launched in 2008, Evernote became the go-to application for many for taking notes, tracking documents, organizing projects, and generally being the place to put anything you might want to find later. However, in the last few years, Evernote’s reputation has suffered due to an overloaded interface, …

Here’s why Threads is delayed in Europe Image: Nick Barclay / The VergeLast week, Meta debuted its Twitter competitor, Threads. The app gained more than 100 million users in the US, UK, and hundreds of other countries in less than a week — but you won’t be able to download it in the European Union anytime soon. The app has been held up by what Meta spokesperson Christine Pai described…

What’s the best student laptop? We asked students The Dell XPS 13 is one of the best laptops for high school and college students. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The VergeEditor’s note: Amazon Prime Day is just on the horizon. Thankfully, if you were hoping to pick up some savings ahead of time, we’ve rounded up the best early Prime Day deals you can already get. Shopping for a laptop can …

Deadpool 3’s well-dressed Wolverine may be a sign of good things to come Ryan Reynolds as Deadpool and Hugh Jackman as Wolverine on the set of Deadpool 3. | Marvel StudiosAfter years of Fox’s live-action X-Men movie franchise (RIP) being violently allergic to the idea of letting Marvel’s mutants be seen wearing anything but boring black getups vaguely inspired by Frank Quitely’s New X-Men designs, Deadpool 3 seems re…

The best noise-canceling headphones to buy right now Sony’s WH-1000XM5 headphones have an all-new design. | Photo by Chris Welch / The VergeGet some peace and quiet with any of our top picks for noise-canceling headphones. Sony’s still the best overall, but there are reasons to go elsewhere, too. Continue reading…

Google’s Pixel 7A is an even better value now that it’s $50 off ahead of Prime Day Google’s Pixel 7A has a very good camera and solid specs all around in an affordable package. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The VergeAmazon’s Prime Day sales event kicks off tomorrow in earnest, though deals have been piling on early for well over a week. A new discount that’s coming in pretty hot is a $50 discount on Google’s latest phone, the P…

EA is making a single-player Black Panther game No screenshots yet, so you’ll have to put up with this logo for now. | Image: EAAnother big Marvel property is being turned into a video game. This time, EA is developing what it calls “an original, third-person, single-player Black Panther game.” We don’t have many other details just yet — not even a screenshot — but development is being handle…

The Elon Musk private jet tracker resurfaces on Threads and immediately goads Mark Zuckerberg There’s also an account set up to track Mark Zuckerberg’s private jet, though this hasn’t posted any information yet. | Illustration: The VergeJack Sweeney, the college student and creator of the banned @ElonJet Twitter account that tracked the movements of Elon Musk’s personal jet, has now launched the tracking project on Meta’s rival platform,…

Ugreen’s 300W GaN charger features four high-power USB-C ports for all your devices Ugreen’s new 300W GaN charger. | Image: UgreenUgreen is teasing a new 300W GaN charger with enough ports to charge a suitcase-worth of gadgetry. The $269 device has four USB-C ports and one USB-A port, and spokesperson Roger Wan says it will go on sale in mid-August. The most powerful port is able to deliver as much as 140W via the PowerDelivery…