Teenage Engineering’s new OP–XY makes me wish I had a bigger budget for music gear The Teenage Engineering OP-XY feels like an upgraded version of the company’s six-year-old OP-Z. | Image: Teenage EngineeringTeenage Engineering’s new OP-XY is a portable synthesizer and sequencer that looks similar to the company’s OP–1 Field. But functionally it’s instead a more capable upgrade to the company’s six-year-old OP-Z, with a strong…

Pokémon TCG Pocket will let you trade cards starting early next year The Pokemon CompanyPokémon Trading Card Game Pocket has been a big hit since its worldwide launch last month, and the team behind it has shared a brief roadmap of a couple updates to come — including the ability to trade cards with other people. “We are aiming to add a feature that allows certain cards to be traded starting in January, 2025,” ac…

NASA’s AI Earth Copilot will take your questions about our planet Image: NASANASA is teaming up with Microsoft to create an AI chatbot designed to make it easier to access and understand scientific data about the Earth. The tool, called Earth Copilot, will be able to answer questions about our planet by condensing NASA’s wide swath of geospatial information into easy-to-digest responses. To create the tool, NA…

Bluesky apparently acted up today because of a cut fiber cable Image: Cath Virginia / The VergeBluesky is growing quickly in popularity, but earlier today, an outage meant that my feeds and notifications were very slow to load on the web and mobile while logged in. That was similarly the case for a few of my Verge colleagues. The outage, which didn’t affect all users, was apparently because one of Bluesky’…

TikTok plugs Getty Images into its AI-generated ads and avatars Image: The VergeTikTok will let advertisers pull in content from Getty Images when using the platform’s AI ad creation tool. With the integration, advertisers can use Getty’s licensed images and videos to make ads containing AI-generated content, including AI avatars that look like real people. The integration will be available through TikTok’s …

Fortnite’s new TMNT roguelike shows the potential for user-made games Image: Epic GamesFortnite’s next big partnership with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles is here. Epic Games already lets players dress up as the Turtles, and now, creators can publish experiences built with TMNT assets and the Unreal Editor for Fortnite. As a demonstration of what’s possible, Paramount teamed up with Spiral House (which has made othe…

Twinkly’s smart holiday string lights have dropped to a new low price Twinkly’s colorful string lights are more than half off at Amazon.Believe it or not, but it’s almost time to put up the holiday lights. If you’re looking for string lights that’ll really make your house stand out this year, Twinkly’s Strings deliver some of the most dazzling effects available. They typically run $199.99, but right now, you can b…

You can save up to $270 on the Garmin Fenix 7S Pro and other Garmin watches It’s hard to find a fitness watch that tracks as many workouts and metrics as the Fenix 7 Pro series. | Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The VergeGarmin makes some of the best traditional multisport fitness watches, and one of its top models still commands a spot on our list of the best fitness trackers: the Garmin Fenix 7S Pro. Now through Cyb…

Snapchat makes it easier for parents to request their teen’s real-time location Illustration by Alex Castro / The VergeOnce known only for its self-destructing pics, Snapchat has steadily evolved its location-oriented social media features. It’s leaned further into that identity with real-time location sharing features in recent years, and now it’s tweaking the experience to give parents new control and insight directly fro…

Google says it will stop serving political ads in the EU Illustration: The VergeGoogle has announced it will stop showing political ads to users in the European Union next year due to uncertainties around the bloc’s new transparency regulations. In a new blog post, Google says the upcoming Transparency and Targeting of Political Advertising (TTPA) rules that aim to prevent election interference and he…

Bluesky has been acting up today Image: Cath Virginia / The VergeBluesky is growing quickly in popularity, but if you’re trying to use it today, the site might be acting up. As I was writing this article, my feeds and notifications were very slow to load on the web and mobile while logged in, and that has similarly been the case for a few of my Verge colleagues. Things seem to…

Nike’s new easy open backpack was designed to prioritize accessibility The fabric interior of Nike’s Elite EasyOn backpack is printed with instructions on how to use and customize it. | Image: NikeNike’s new Elite EasyOn backpack was designed with innovative features making it accessible for as many athletes as possible, including those with low dexterity or motor skills. Originally developed for athletes competing…

Ford penalized $165 million over moving too slowly on a rearview camera recall The 2020 Ford Explorer is one of the vehicles affected by the recall. | Image: FordFord has agreed to pay a fine that could go up to $165 million after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration found the automaker took too long to recall vehicles with faulty rearview cameras and failed to “provide accurate and complete recall informatio…

CFPB is reportedly trying to put Google under bank-like supervision Illustration by Hugo Herrera / The VergeThe Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) is seeking to put Google under federal supervision, a move that could impose the same kinds of monitoring and inspections used on banks, The Washington Post reports. The CFPB’s concerns are not totally clear and the order may still change, according to the Po…

Arc’s mobile browser is now available to everyone on Android Illustration: Cath Virginia / The VergeAfter an open beta that rolled out last month, Arc Search is now available to all Android users. The Browser Company’s search engine — which describes itself as “the fastest way to search” — has been positioning itself as a better alternative to Chrome. Arc Search not only blocks ads but also has an AI feat…

Threads grew by a Bluesky this month Illustration: The VergeBluesky might be on the rise, but Instagram and Threads boss Adam Mosseri wants you to know that Threads is still much bigger. In a post on Thursday, Mosseri said that Threads has gotten “more than 15 million signups in November alone,” seemingly trying to throw some cold water over Bluesky crossing 15 million users total …

Mythic Quest is getting a spinoff anthology series Apple TV PlusMythic Quest’s upcoming fourth season finally has a release date, but Apple’s future plans for the series aren’t stopping there. Today, Apple announced that Mythic Quest will return on January 29th with a two-episode premiere picking up Ian Grimm (Rob McElhenney,) Poppy Li (Charlotte Nicdao,) David Brittlesbee (David Hornsby,) Brad …

How Trump’s second term could be bad for EVs — but great for Tesla Image: The Verge / Getty ImagesWhat Elon Musk really wants from a Trump presidency.  Continue reading…

The Verge’s 2024 holiday gift guide for tinkerers Photo: Amelia Holowaty Krales / The VergeWhether you’re assembling a PC, planning an epic Etsy crafts store, or just fixing a squeaky old chair, we found some handy tools that anyone can appreciate. Continue reading…

Why are cassette and CD players so bulky now? Alex Parkin / The VergeCassette tape sales are at a 20-year high, the vinyl market is on a 17-year growth streak, and CDs have caught the attention of Gen Z. After a resurgence of retro physical media, tech companies have now jumped in to provide new hardware to play these formats. Companies like We Are Rewind, Fiio, and others offer updated de…