- Ecobee’s Smart Thermostat Premium is nearly matching its all-time lowSurprisingly, Ecobee’s smartest thermostat also makes for a decent air quality monitor / smart speaker. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge The temperatures are about to soar now that ... read more
- This smart smoker makes barbecuing indoors a breezeThe GE Profile is a smart indoor smoker — designed to keep smoke inside the oven, not in your kitchen. Wi-Fi connectivity means it works the Smart HQ app for remote control, but ... read more
- Sugar’s big twist was more than a gimmickImage: Apple For most of its first season, Sugar on Apple TV Plus was a fairly typical if slickly produced detective story. It starred Colin Farrell as John Sugar, a private investigator ... read more
- The EV industry can’t shake its human rights abuse problemWorkers walk in Glencore’s Mutanda Mine, which Tesla sources cobalt from, in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, on June 19th, 2023. | Photo by Emmet Livingstone / AFP via Getty Images Mining ... read more
- The MSI Claw is an embarrassmentSteer clear. Continue reading… ... read more
- Behold Ayaneo’s sophisticated takes on the Game Boy and Game Boy MicroImage: Ayaneo The Analogue Pocket is the most advanced Game Boy to ever take actual carts, but Ayaneo has just unveiled a pair of emulator-centric pocket computers that could give it a ... read more
- Billie Eilish Celebrates New Album With TikTok TakeoverUniversal Music Group has uploaded its artists' music back on TikTok, including Billie Eilish's discography. Upon the release of her new album, the singer-songwriter has launched a TikTok takeover. ... read more
- Microsoft’s Surface AI event: news, rumors, and lots of Qualcomm laptopsIllustration by Alex Castro / The Verge At Microsoft’s big AI and Surface event on May 20th, the company takes another shot at Arm Windows PCs. Continue reading… ... read more
- Head of Canada’s intelligence agency warns Canadians not to use TikTokIllustration: The Verge Canada’s security agency is trying to dissuade Canadians from using TikTok, telling users that their data is “available to the government of China.” In an interview with CBC News ... read more
- Google Seeks To Duck Jury Trial In Antitrust Battle Over Display AdsIn an effort to avoid trial by jury, Google says it has tendered a cashier's check to the U.S. government for triple damages and interest. ... read more
- The Delta Emulator is changing its logo after Adobe threatened itDelta Emulator is abandoning its current logo for a different, yet-to-be-revealed mark — because Adobe thinks Delta’s stylized letter “D” is a bit too close to its stylized letter “A” for comfort. ... read more
- Motorola’s next Razr lineup might have bigger front screens for everybodyImage: 91Mobiles After 2023’s big year for foldable phones, what’s next? According to these leaked pics, we can expect Motorola’s foldable Razr line to stretch that front cover screen even further on ... read more
- Valve’s next game may have just leakedImage: Tyler McVicker Valve’s next game appears to be a multiplayer hero shooter known as Deadlock. This is according to leaks from playtesters posted on social media earlier today, with some of ... read more
- ‘iPhone 17 Slim’ rumors point to a redesigned model in 2025Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Since the iPhone X’s introduction of OLED and Face ID in 2017, Apple’s phones haven’t changed their look significantly, but now The Information reports a ... read more
- Google's YouTube Pitches Advertisers On Unskippable AdsAt its Brandcast event this week, YouTube introduced a feature tailored for connected TV that serves non-skippable assets across an advertiser's in-stream inventory. ... read more
- Tech Industry Seeks Veto Of Vermont Bill That Would Regulate DataNetChoice has asked Vermont Governor Phil Scott to veto a bill that would create an "age-appropriate design code," and also impose sweeping restrictions on companies' collection and use of data. ... read more
- Your guide to this year’s summer video game eventsCath Virginia / The Verge As the corpse of E3 lies a-mouldrin’ in its grave, its spirit marches on in the form of bevy of video game showcases and events. There’s a ... read more
- OpenAI researcher resigns, claiming safety has taken ‘a backseat to shiny products’Illustration: The Verge Jan Leike, a key OpenAI researcher who resigned earlier this week following the departure of cofounder Ilya Sutskever, posted on X Friday morning that “safety culture and processes have ... read more
- REI’s anniversary sale is slashing prices on some of the best Garmin watchesBoth the Garmin Epix Pro and Fenix 7S Pro are currently matching their all-time low. The same goes for Garmin’s inReach Mini 2. | Image: Garmin Here at The Verge, our deal ... read more
- ChatGPT lets users upload from Google Drive and OneDrive directlyIllustration: The Verge A note from OpenAI says that you may no longer have to download files you have on Google Drive or OneDrive if you want to use ChatGPT to analyze ... read more
- Scott’s Miracle-Gro Is Seeing Green With Retail MediaIt’s lawn season – and you know what that means. Scott’s Miracle-Gro commercials, of course. Except this time, spots for Scott’s will be brought to you by The Home Depot’s retail media network, which recently rebranded ... read more
- Netflix Builds Ad Tech – What Happens To Microsoft?After solely relying on Microsoft for its ad-tech platform, Netflix said this week it will build its own ad platform to give advertisers new ways to buy ad space and measure the impact of campaigns. ... read more
- Single-tap passkeys are coming Android 15Signing in is about to get more convenient in Android 15 and Wear OS 5. | Screenshot: Google AI was the main focus of the Google I/O keynote this year, but there ... read more
- Keeping Up With Kim K, BallerIt has received some backlash, but the campaign for the Skims collection for the WNBA is smartly done. ... read more
- Legacy TV-Backed Sports Streamer Now Has A Name: Venu SportsVenu Sports, slated to launch in fall 2024, will be made available directly to consumers via a new app. Subscribers will also have the ability to bundle the product, including with Disney+, Hulu or Max. ... read more
- New Teslas might lose Steam
- Sony Music warns AI companies against ‘unauthorized use’ of its contentPhoto: Dania Maxwell / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Sony Music sent letters to hundreds of tech companies and warned them against using its content without permission, according to Bloomberg, which ... read more
- Honda expands its risky hydrogen investment with new fuel cell-powered semi truckImage: Honda Honda continues to place bets on hydrogen with the debut of a new Class 8 truck powered by the most abundant element in the universe. The concept vehicle joins the ... read more
- Russell T. Davies turned to fantasy to make Doctor Who think harderPhoto by Valerie Macon / AFP via Getty Images Doctor Who showrunner Russell T. Davies says that bringing a bit more fantasy to the sci-fi show was key to making the new ... read more
- How marketers are rolling out cookieless strategies in 2024Tom Craig, Chief Technology Officer, Resonate In April, Google’s Chrome team announced the decision to delay — yet again — the deprecation of third-party cookies, this time to 2025. The reason cited was “ongoing challenges ... read more
- Microsoft to add next Call of Duty to Xbox Game Pass, WSJ reportsIllustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Microsoft has reportedly decided to add the next installment of Call of Duty to Xbox Game Pass. The Wall Street Journal reports that Microsoft will ... read more
- AI assistants are so backImage: Alex Parkin / The Verge AI. AI? AI! AI... A. I. This has been a week filled with AI announcements from some of the biggest and most important companies in tech, ... read more
- Does Nielsen's 'Distributor Gauge' Tell A Good Story For Legacy Media?Nielsen's effort to show a complete picture with its new "Media Distributor Gauge" totals all viewing from all platforms - streaming, linear and otherwise for media companies. But some elements seem to be out of ... read more
- Reddit brings back its old award system — ‘we messed up’Reddit awards are (kinda) back — with a few notable changes. | Illustration: The Verge Reddit is re-introducing a revised version of the awards system it phased out last year after acknowledging ... read more
- Final Thoughts About This Week's UpfrontsAnd now, an exclusive peek inside the TV Blog's Upfront Week notes, a litany of criticism, praise and nitpicking. ... read more
- Twitter is officially X.com nowThe Verge The social network formerly known as Twitter has officially adopted X.com for all its core systems. That means typing twitter.com in your browser will now redirect to Elon Musk’s favored ... read more
- Netflix Put Its Own Spin On The Upfronts To Pique Advertiser InterestIn addition to taking execs through its plans to launch its own ad platform, Netflix hosted a separate event open to the press to showcase its content as part of its efforts to stand out ... read more
- Comic: Smart BetEnjoy this weekly comic strip from AdExchanger.com that highlights the digital advertising ecosystem … The post Comic: Smart Bet appeared first on AdExchanger. ... read more
- TikTok’s Tricky Suitors; The New Age Of UpfrontsHere’s today’s AdExchanger.com news round-up… Want it by email? Sign up here. Clock’s Ticking TikTok has a legit ads biz, cultural heft and more than 1 billion monthly active users – including 150 million in the US. ... read more
- How to have hard conversations as a manager: The Return podcast, season 3, episode 4Subscribe: Apple Podcasts • Stitcher • Spotify A therapy session and a one-on-one with your manager can be eerily similar. In fact, managers often have to navigate tough conversations with team members. Those conversations ... read more
- How Digitas North America’s Leah Askew is looking to rein in the agency’s programmatic supply sourcesFor as much energy as advertisers and agencies have put into supply path optimization over the years, the programmatic supply chain is still in need of cleaning up. See the recent examples of made-for-advertising sites, ... read more
- Publisher execs talk AI licensing deals, new applications for AI in latest earnings callsThings are heating up between publicly-traded media companies and generative AI tech companies, resulting in more than one new AI licensing deal. Of the half dozen or so publishers’ earnings that Digiday tracks, two of ... read more
- Transparency shift: CMOs navigate new norms in agency profit modelsWhen CMOs suspect agencies are profiting off of their ad spend, they often become uneasy. Typically, this leads to audits, hiring consultants and publicly expressing frustrations about agencies covertly earning margins on their ad dollars. ... read more
- TV networks embrace AI at the upfront to improve audience targeting and commerceDigital advertising took years to transform TV’s business model, but AI is making its way into ad-buying tools much faster than past tech trends. At the annual upfronts in New York this week, major TV ... read more
- OpenAI To Become A Reddit Advertising PartnerOpenAI is partnering with Reddit to bring its content to ChatGPT and new products, the companies announced Thursday. ... read more
- TikTok Tests Hour-Long Videos In Select MarketsTikTok is continuing to compete with YouTube by testing the ability for users to upload hour-long videos. ... read more
- iMessage is having some issues today
- Google’s Gemini AI plan for schools promises extra data protection and privacyIllustration: The Verge Google will soon offer schools access to Gemini AI — specifically for educators and students over the age of 18 — and promises not to use their data for ... read more
- Newspaper conglomerate Gannett is adding AI-generated summaries to the top of its articlesPhoto: Getty Images Gannett, the media company that owns hundreds of newspapers in the US, is launching a new program that adds AI-generated bullet points at the top of journalists’ stories, according ... read more
- Reddit’s deal with OpenAI will plug its posts into ‘ChatGPT and new products’Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge OpenAI has signed a deal for access to real-time content from Reddit’s data API, which means it can surface discussions from the site within ChatGPT ... read more
- Principal Media: Marketers, You Better Get EducatedIncreasingly, ad agencies are acting as principals rather than agents, meaning they acquire and own the media they resell to their clients. Keep reading if you want to understand the implications of that. ... read more
- Forrester Declares Four Companies 'Leaders' In CommerceThe leaders include Publicis, WPP, Omnicom and Accenture. Forrester evaluated other firms that were characterized as "strong performers" and "contenders" in a report evaluating commerce services. ... read more
- Microsoft Advertising Flies On OpenAI's GPT CoattailsTraffic data on the day OpenAI made its last announcement shows another daily peak, according to Similarweb data, and the massive uptick is bringing Microsoft Advertising along with it. ... read more
- TikTok is testing hour-long videosIllustration: The Verge TikTok is experimenting with 60-minute video uploads, the company confirmed to TechCrunch. The feature is available only to certain users, with no immediate plans to expand widely. The company ... read more
- Grand Theft Auto VI is launching in fall 2025Image: Rockstar Games In Take-Two’s Q4 2024 earnings report, the company stated when gamers can expect the next entry in the GTA series. What was previously a nebulous calendar year 2025 for ... read more
- Two brothers accused of stealing $25 million worth of cryptoNick Barclay / The Verge Two brothers were taken into federal custody Tuesday for allegedly stealing about $25 million worth of cryptocurrency in just a few seconds in a “first-of-its-kind manipulation” of ... read more
- Arizona Sues Amazon Over 'Manipulative' Tactics, 'Buy Box' AlgorithmAmazon's "layered and confusing" Prime cancellation procedures rely on "dark patterns" that dupe consumers, Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes alleges in a complaint brought in Maricopa County Superior Court. ... read more
- Google’s making it easier for people with low vision to find objects using their phoneImage: Google Coinciding with Global Accessibility Awareness Day, Google is highlighting a number of new accessibility features across its software and enhancements to others that were already part of Android. First is ... read more
- Threads Rolls Out Fact-Checking Program Ahead Of ElectionThreads has begun rolling out its own fact-checking program, allowing third-party fact-checking partners to review and rate false content on the decentralized microblogging app. ... read more
- A quantum-entangled photon traveled 35 kilometers under the streets of BostonIllustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Amazon and Harvard University have created a “quantum network” that transmitted an entangled photon from one quantum computer to another over 35 kilometers of fiber-optic ... read more
- LG’s $100,000 rollable OLED TV is canceledSay goodbye to LG’s rollable TV — for now. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge LG is no longer making the Signature OLED R TV that rolls down and hides ... read more
- Epic Games Store’s Mega Sale kicks off with a free Dragon Age: Inquisition downloadIn its heyday, Inquisition was one of the closest things we had to a Game of Thrones game. | Screenshot: BioWare If you’re a PC gamer with time to kill this summer, ... read more
- A Visual Attention Study That Went Terribly RightHow does a company conduct a study of visual attention and performance on retail video screens when participants only receive directions on when and where? Trust played a role, with very little information on why ... read more
- It's Not Your Father's UpfrontFor one, Netflix was all in on ad tech (and the NFL), and advanced TV technology was a major topic at presentations. ... read more
- How streaming muscled its way into the upfront spotlight among the OGs of TVNow that the OGs of TV content — NBCUniversal, Fox, Disney and Warner Bros. Discovery — have presented their upfront programming plans to thousands of media folk, the common theme among the presentations shows how ... read more
- Strava will add AI, dark mode, and night heatmapsA family subscription is also coming to Strava. | Image: Strava There’s new leadership at Strava, and they want everyone to know the platform is about to get a bunch of new ... read more
- USPS Rate-Hike Playbook: How Multichannel Brands Can Cope With IncreasesThere have been eight postal-rate boosts since 2018, Mail.com reports. ... read more
- Lorelei and the Laser Eyes has turned me into a puzzle sickoImage: Annapurna Interactive I’ve probably spent more time in Lorelei and the Laser Eyes jotting down notes and theories than I have actually playing the game. The latest release from Simogo — ... read more
- Sony’s new PlayStation PC overlay is a simple startScreenshot by Tom Warren / The Verge Ghost of Tsushima Director’s Cut debuts on PC today, and it’s the first game to feature Sony’s new PlayStation PC overlay and shared Trophies system. ... read more
- Measuring MuckIn programmatic, it’s a given that low-quality, invalid or non-brand safe impressions are part of the mix. Which is why marketers pay millions to use ad verification companies. But the tools don’t catch everything. When ... read more
- YouTube Is Invading The Living RoomTV programmers have long looked down their noses at YouTube. User-generated content isn’t as premium as their prestige programming, or so their argument goes. YouTube, for its part, has long attempted to pitch itself to ... read more
- Amazon Prevails In Privacy Battle Over Alexa Ad TargetingA federal appeals court rejected a request to reinstate a class-action complaint alleging that Amazon wrongly targets ads to consumers based on their interactions with Alexa-enabled devices. ... read more
- The printer company, that makes a camera, prints one more editionThe new Ricoh GR III HDF has a highlight diffusion filter instead of an ND filter. | Alex Parkin, The Verge When Ricoh launched its very first office copier, the Ricopy 101, ... read more
- House passes bill that would make ticket sellers show total prices upfrontPhoto by David Gray / AFP via Getty Images The House passed the TICKET Act 388-24 on Wednesday, which would force ticket sellers to show consumers total prices (including fees) upfront and ... read more
- The New Flywheel In Omnicom's OintmentOmnicom's brass has touted the nearly billion dollar deal as remaking the holding company by turbo-charging its commerce, AI and data capabilities, but it also could end up a liability. ... read more
- Threads starts testing a TweetDeck-like feed of real-time postsIllustration: The Verge Meta is starting to test a TweetDeck-like experience for Threads today. It will allow Threads users to create customizable feeds that are stacked in a column interface on the ... read more
- You could be eligible for a piece of Apple’s $35 million iPhone 7 settlementPhoto by James Bareham / The Verge A June 3rd deadline is approaching to either file a claim connected to this class action lawsuit against Apple or opt out. If you purchased ... read more
- The new ‘Hulu for Sports’ streaming service has a name: Venu SportsVenu Sports is supposedly the next big thing in sports streaming. | Image: Venu Sports A new sports streaming service is coming later this year. We’ve known for months who is working ... read more
- Dentsu Starts Year With 3.7% Revenue ShortfallThe company said the soft beginning to the year was expected due "headwinds" from client losses and a lackluster performance at its customer transformation and technology division. ... read more
- Sony’s new Xperia 1 VI flagship zooms in on photography nerdsSony has introduced the Xperia 1 VI, the sixth generation of the company’s flagship smartphone that could tempt photography enthusiasts away from rivaling iPhone and Pixel devices. Some of those perks include ... read more
- Trade Desk-Netflix Deal Expected To Be An Ad Boon For BothThe Netflix-Trade Desk deal "speaks to the increasing importance of Trade Desk within the AVOD [advertising-supported video on demand] ecosystem," says Morgan Stanley media analyst Ben Swinburne. Morgan Stanley estimates that 10% share of Netflix ... read more
- The Mac vs. PC war is back onPhoto by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Microsoft isn’t launching a new version of Windows next week, but what it’s about to unveil could be just as significant. After nearly four ... read more
- ARF Teases Ad 'Attention' Data Showing TV Outperforms Social Two-To-One"This is not a conclusion," Advertising Research Foundation Chief Research Officer Paul Donato said, describing it as a "prelude" to a future phase benchmarking the ad attention value by medium. ... read more
- Retail Media Is A Layer, Not A Channel: Kroger’s Jill Smith
- Microsoft Urges Employees To Transfer Outside China, Will Impact Ad IndustryAI and cloud computing are two areas within Microsoft that have major support behind advertising and marketing. ... read more
- The ultrathin iPad Pro turns out to be shockingly sturdy
- Are Attention Metrics On A Path To Becoming Advertising Currency?Based on this week's release of phase 2 of the ARF's validation initiative, it's complicated. ... read more
- X-Men ‘97 understood the power of perfect timingImage: Marvel X-Men ‘97’s weekly release schedule was a key part of what made the first season such a glorious return for Marvel’s mutants. Continue reading… ... read more
- Stagwell's Sport Beach Will Have Some Competition At CannesFront Office Sports, a multi-platform media and news organization covering the business of sports, is hosting an event in partnership with Publicis Sports and NBC Sports on June 19th. ... read more
- Bose SoundLink Max review: size-defying sound isn’t cheapAs usual, Bose’s audio processing makes this speaker sound excellent. But for $400, it’s fair to expect more features and more smarts. Continue reading… ... read more
- Hugging Face is sharing $10 million worth of compute to help beat the big AI companiesImage: The Verge / Getty Images Hugging Face, one of the biggest names in machine learning, is committing $10 million in free shared GPUs to help developers create new AI technologies. The ... read more
- Shoppable Moments on TV Come With Group Effort: KERV’s Marika RoqueMIAMI – Millions of households have connected their televisions directly to the internet, opening up a digital avenue more interactions between brands and audiences. Digital advertising platform KERV Interactive is working with media companies and ... read more
- Unleashing Programmatic Potential in the Live Streaming RevolutionMIAMI — As eyeballs migrate en masse to streaming services, industry leaders are grappling with the challenges and opportunities. While much consumption has moved to on-demand, where programmatic and targeted ads excel, live TV remains ... read more
- At a Beverly Hills mansion, where an electric truck is your only source of powerThe Chevy Silverado EV, as mobile generator. | Image: Abigail Bassett Last week, General Motors summoned a small group of journalists to a Beverly Hills mansion to witness the future of home ... read more
- Dentsu Rebrands For Future, Touts 'Innovating To Impact' TaglineThe global branding reboot draws on its 120-year heritage, but leverages its modern day creative, media, data and technology strength. ... read more
- Putting Ads Without Third-Party Cookies To The Test: A Roadmap To Advertising DurabilityRemember that car you had in college? You took it everywhere and used it for everything. You loved it. Sadly, you eventually outgrew it. You needed more room, some basic safety features, and it had ... read more
- GroupM Creates Global President/Clients Role, Taps Wavemaker's Jenner To Handle ItThe WPP unit described the new role as part of GroupM's "ongoing business transformation." ... read more
- Instagram and Facebook under EU investigation for causing child addiction and harmThe EU is concerned that Meta’s algorithms may cause “behavioral addictions in children.” | Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge The European Union has opened a formal investigation into Meta over ... read more
- Network TV, Linear Cable Get Some TLC At UpfrontsStreaming took center stage at the Upfronts this week, but broadcast and linear cable TV were not forgotten. ... read more
- Will Two Presidential Debates Amp Up Ho-Hum TV Network Viewing?Two debates with the former president known for his maverick, free-ranging style and the tough-minded but not shy incumbent President will take place in late June and September. ... read more