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Dec 30, 2019 8:40 AM ET

2019: A year in The Verge illustrations: Sci-fi futures, toxic cultures, and scooter wars

iCrowdNewswire - Dec 30, 2019 - Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Sci-fi futures, toxic cultures, and scooter wars This past year The Verge launched an ambitious sci-fi series, broke stories that started conversations and forced change in industries, made our first zine, created interactive timelines, guides and a couple of straight-up video games. And for each one, we made a piece of art to carry the story through. So as New Year’s Day approaches, we’ve compiled. [more...]

Dec 30, 2019 8:10 AM ET

2019: A year in photographs on The Verge

iCrowdNewswire - Dec 30, 2019 - Storm chasers, a rocket launch, and a melting ice cream cake The Verge photo team took thousands of photographs in 2019 — from a rocket launch in Florida and cloud chasing in Córdoba, Argentina, to the Pixel 4 and science stop-motion videos. We talked with content moderators, climate activists, authors, presidential candidates, and influencers, and got them all on camera. We aimed to keep the selection small this year, since there’s so. [more...]

Dec 30, 2019 7:40 AM ET

The 11 best new sci-fi books to check out on your new Kindle

iCrowdNewswire - Dec 30, 2019 - Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge The holidays are here, and if you’re unwrapping a new Kindle (or a non-Amazon-branded e-reader, or just a device with an e-book app on it), you might be looking for some new books to read. If you need some recommendations, here’s a list of some of the best science fiction books released in 2019, which should be the perfect choices for a. [more...]

Dec 30, 2019 7:10 AM ET

Tesla’s Chinese factory just delivered its first cars

iCrowdNewswire - Dec 30, 2019 - Photo by James Bareham / The Verge Tesla has delivered the first cars produced by its Chinese Gigafactory, just under a year after the company broke ground on its first factory located outside of the US. Reuters reports that the Model 3 vehicles were delivered to 15 of Tesla’s employees as part of a ceremony. The deliveries were made well within schedule by the company, which had previously said it wanted to begin. [more...]

Dec 30, 2019 6:40 AM ET

The Mandalorian shows why Star Wars should be smaller

iCrowdNewswire - Dec 30, 2019 - Two months ago, just before The Mandalorian was about to premiere on Disney+, I made a joke to some friends: wouldn’t it be funny if this show was better than Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker? I thought it was unlikely, but possible: ending a trilogy well is hard, and The Mandalorian didn’t have nearly as many expectations riding on it. Eight weeks later and The Rise of Skywalker is out, a very profitable hot mess, and The Mandalorian concludes. [more...]

Dec 30, 2019 6:10 AM ET

The Mandalorian’s second season premieres fall 2020

iCrowdNewswire - Dec 30, 2019 - The Mandalorian and Baby Yoda will return for a second season next fall, executive producer Jon Favreau confirmed today. Favreau tweeted the confirmation, adding that it will arrive in the fall, but with no specific release date just yet. The Mandalorian’s season 1 finale was released today, and was praised by both critics and fans for its satisfying end. The episode concludes with a tease of what to expect from the show’s villain. [more...]

Dec 29, 2019 6:10 AM ET

Why Pokémon Sword and Shield are my games of the year

iCrowdNewswire - Dec 29, 2019 - Pokémon Red is the first game I can remember playing myself. And while revolutionary for the time, the rudimentary, 8-bit graphics of the series left a lot to the imagination. Pretend this grass hides wild pokémon. Imagine this pokémon is wielding vast elemental powers. Picture an epic gym battle for the right to be the champion of the entire country. The Game Boy classics could never live up to the dream they were. [more...]

Dec 29, 2019 6:10 AM ET

This Apple Watch charger plugs directly into a USB-C port so you can carry fewer cords

iCrowdNewswire - Dec 29, 2019 - Image: Satechi If you’ve been looking for an Apple Watch charger that isn’t yet another long cable that can get tangled up in your bag, Satechi’s new USB-C Apple Watch charging dock might be the charger you’ve been looking for. The dock looks to be pretty straightforward — it’s just a magnetic Apple Watch dock that can plug into a USB-C port. You can also plug the dock into an. [more...]

Dec 28, 2019 7:40 AM ET

Zynga hack affected 170 million accounts

iCrowdNewswire - Dec 28, 2019 - Photo by Justin Sullivan/Getty Images A September password breach of online game company Zynga affected 170 million people, according to a new report from Have I Been Pwned. According to that site, the Zynga hack ranks 10th among its all-time largest hacks of user information. Zynga admitted in September that “log-in information for certain players of certain Draw Something and Words With Friends” may have been accessed. Zynga contacted affected users at the time, but it has yet. [more...]

Dec 28, 2019 6:10 AM ET

The power tool company behind DeWalt, Black & Decker and Craftsman is testing batteries that don’t explode

iCrowdNewswire - Dec 28, 2019 - Illustration by William Joel / The Verge Here are two things you probably don’t know: One, a whole bunch of the top power tool brands — including DeWalt, Black & Decker, Craftsman, Porter-Cable and more — are all owned by the same company, Stanley Black & Decker. Those 20-volt lithium-ion battery cartridges you stick into your drill, circular saw and weed whacker are all pretty much the same thing. Two,. [more...]

Dec 27, 2019 1:10 PM ET

Ghostery launches Ghostery Midnight desktop app with a VPN

iCrowdNewswire - Dec 27, 2019 - Ghostery, which makes the ad- and tracker-blocking extension of the same name, has launched Ghostery Midnight, a desktop app with extended privacy features that costs $14 a month. Ghostery Midnight not only includes an ad-blocker and a tracker-blocker, but it also has a VPN, which is a new feature for the company. It works across a variety of apps and browsers. While the tracker and ad-blocking features are on by default,. [more...]

Dec 27, 2019 12:40 PM ET

2019 was the year climate change charted

iCrowdNewswire - Dec 27, 2019 - Billie Eilish performs at the Radio 1 Big Weekend at Stewart Park on May 25, 2019 in Middlesbrough, England. | Photo by Jo Hale/Redferns Billie Eilish, the 18-year-old singer-songwriter redefining pop stardom, recently spoke with the the LA Times about her climate anxiety. It’s taken the form of bad dreams, spooky lyrics, and high fashion: a week earlier, Eilish wore a characteristically oversized “No Music on a Dead Planet” tee to the American Music Awards. “We’re. [more...]

Dec 27, 2019 12:10 PM ET

The heady, earnest Remember Me was action game storytelling at its best

iCrowdNewswire - Dec 27, 2019 - 2019 is coming to a close, and with it comes the end of the decade. Prestige TV has never been better. Marvel turned on-screen superheroes into the biggest (and most profitable) trend of the era. Streaming is the new battlefield for viewer eyeballs. To close out the 20-teens, Verge staffers break down their favorite moments, media, and what they believe was the most overlooked in entertainment from the last 10. [more...]

Dec 27, 2019 10:40 AM ET

Why video games and board games aren’t a good measure of AI intelligence

iCrowdNewswire - Dec 27, 2019 - Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Measuring the intelligence of AI is one of the trickiest but most important questions in the field of computer science. If you can’t understand whether the machine you’ve built is cleverer today than it was yesterday, how do you know you’re making progress? At first glance, this might seem like a non-issue. “Obviously AI is getting smarter” is one reply. “Just look at. [more...]

Dec 27, 2019 10:10 AM ET

Uber will pay $4.4 million to settle a federal probe into sexual harassment and retaliation

iCrowdNewswire - Dec 27, 2019 - Photo by James Bareham / The Verge Uber has agreed to pay $4.4 million to settle charges of sexual harassment and retaliation brought by the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the agency announced on Wednesday. The charges stem from an investigation that started in 2017 when Uber found itself embroiled in several major scandals. Most notable were allegations that the company had permitted a culture of sexual harassment and retaliation against individuals who complained. [more...]

Dec 27, 2019 9:40 AM ET

Stunning first trailer for Christopher Nolan’s Tenet introduces the director’s most ambitious film yet

iCrowdNewswire - Dec 27, 2019 - Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, a movie set within the world of international espionage, finally has a first trailer that sheds some more light on the director’s 11th film. The first trailer sheds some light on the storyline, which has been kept under wraps for quite some time. It seems like John David Washington’s character is trying to prevent a third World War, but it’s unclear what that entails. Like other Nolan projects,. [more...]

Dec 27, 2019 9:10 AM ET

Facebook is working on its own OS that could reduce its reliance on Android

iCrowdNewswire - Dec 27, 2019 - Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Facebook is developing its own operating system that could one day reduce the company’s reliance on Google’s Android, according to a new report by The Information. Development is currently being led by Mark Lucovsky, a Microsoft veteran who co-authored the Windows NT operating system. The report provides a limited amount of information about how the new operating system could be used, but it notes that. [more...]

Dec 27, 2019 8:40 AM ET

Amazon and Epic Games Store offer limited-time deals on Echo speakers and popular games

iCrowdNewswire - Dec 27, 2019 - Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge We’re less than a week away from Christmas, but deals are still popping up all over the web. Whether you’re doing last-minute holiday shopping or just want to save on a pair of headphones, there are sales of all kinds happening right now. Most of these products should come in time for Christmas, but we’ve pointed out where that’s not the case. Photo. [more...]

Dec 27, 2019 8:10 AM ET

Facebook will stop using 2FA tool to harvest phone numbers for friend suggestions

iCrowdNewswire - Dec 27, 2019 - Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Facebook says it will soon stop its practice of using phone numbers provided to the company as part of its two-factor authentication (2FA) security tool to power a friend suggestion feature, Reuters reported on Thursday. According to the report, Facebook was using phone numbers users gave it specifically to protect their accounts from unauthorized access to try and encourage them to add members of. [more...]

Dec 27, 2019 7:40 AM ET

Satechi’s new Apple Watch USB-C charging dock is already 20 percent off

iCrowdNewswire - Dec 27, 2019 - Satechi Apple Watch USB-C charging dock | Image: Satechi Satechi has made a convenient USB-C Apple Watch charging dock. It plugs into a USB-C port and then charges the Watch through a magnetic dock. You can charge your Watch using your tablet or laptop, so you won’t have to look for an outlet. And the best part is you don’t need another cord. It does come with a Type-C cable, in. [more...]

Dec 27, 2019 7:10 AM ET

After a 20-year drought, US lawmakers fund gun violence research

iCrowdNewswire - Dec 27, 2019 - Gun violence research just got $25 million in federal funds, after a 20-year drought in funding for that purpose. The spending bill passed by US lawmakers today allocates half of the money to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and half to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Both agencies will use the money to fund studies on gun violence, which kills tens of thousands of people each year in the. [more...]

Dec 27, 2019 6:40 AM ET

Amazon’s holiday shipping deadlines are coming up fast

iCrowdNewswire - Dec 27, 2019 - Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge If you’ve been procrastinating on purchasing those holiday gifts, are still hoping to get your packages by December 24th, and are depending on Amazon for your online purchases, your deadline is coming up fast. According to Amazon, if you’re not a Prime member, you have until today, Thursday, December 19th, to take advantage of the vendor’s free holiday shipping offers and get those boxes. [more...]

Dec 27, 2019 6:10 AM ET

Robocall fines rise to $10,000 per call under newly passed law

iCrowdNewswire - Dec 27, 2019 - Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge After months of negotiations, Congress approved a landmark bill on Thursday to stop the flood of illegal robocalls. The president is expected to sign it into law within the next few days. The Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence Act, or the TRACED Act, empowers the federal government with new abilities to go after illegal robocallers. Once TRACED is enacted, the Federal Communications. [more...]

Dec 26, 2019 1:10 PM ET

Z-Wave is making a huge change so it doesn’t get left behind in the smart home wars

iCrowdNewswire - Dec 26, 2019 - Image: Z-Wave Alliance When Apple, Google, Amazon, and Zigbee announced that they were going to work together on a common smart home standard yesterday, one huge name was missing: Z-Wave, a system meant for low-power smart devices like locks and lightbulbs. The competing smart home system has long been criticized by rivals as not truly being an open standard — despite outward appearances otherwise — and it’s easy to imagine that’s why. [more...]

Dec 26, 2019 12:40 PM ET

US votes to raise age for buying tobacco — including e-cigs — from 18 to 21

iCrowdNewswire - Dec 26, 2019 - Photo by Helen Havlak / The Verge The US Congress has voted to raise the age for purchasing tobacco from 18 to 21, and it’s applied that rule to e-cigarettes as well as more traditional tobacco products. The higher age limit was included in a federal spending package that passed the House of Representatives earlier this week. It’s now been approved by the Senate, and President Donald Trump is expected to sign. [more...]

Dec 26, 2019 12:10 PM ET

OnePlus is launching a bug bounty program after disclosing the second breach in two years

iCrowdNewswire - Dec 26, 2019 - Photo by Jon Porter / The Verge OnePlus announced its second data breach in two years back in November, and the phone maker promised to launch a bug bounty program by the end of the year to beef up its security. A bug bounty program could, in theory, prevent future breaches. Today, OnePlus announced that its bug bounty program is now live. If you find a bug or vulnerability, you can submit it here (although. [more...]

Dec 26, 2019 11:40 AM ET

How to live-stream tonight’s 2020 Democratic debate

iCrowdNewswire - Dec 26, 2019 - Photo by Justin Sullivan / Getty Images On Thursday, seven Democratic presidential candidates are set to take the stage for the final primary debate in 2019. This sixth debate will be hosted by PBS and Politico at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. HOW DO I WATCH? There are a number of ways you’ll be able to watch the debate tonight. It’ll be live-streamed on pbs.org, politico.com, and CNN.com and on the CNNgo app on iOS. [more...]

Dec 26, 2019 11:10 AM ET

TiVo to merge with Xperi to create ‘one of the largest licensing companies in the world’

iCrowdNewswire - Dec 26, 2019 - Image: TiVo TiVo is combining with Xperi — a licensing firm that specializes in semiconductor technology as well as various A/V brands — in a $3 billion merger, the two companies announced today. The deal marks the end of an era for the iconic DVR company. The original TiVo company was bought back in 2016 by Rovi for $1.1 billion, primarily for TiVo’s huge (and profitable) stash of patents. Rovi would go on to. [more...]

Dec 26, 2019 10:40 AM ET

How to secure your Ring camera and account: Keep your security devices as safe as possible

iCrowdNewswire - Dec 26, 2019 - Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge If you’re the owner of a Ring smart home system, the recent security issues surrounding the Ring camera — including several families whose systems were hacked and a recent report from Motherboard demonstrating how easy it is to do — probably make you a bit nervous, rightfully so. The idea that the cameras that you installed in your home to increase security may actually give strangers access to you, your. [more...]

Dec 26, 2019 10:10 AM ET

Go read this New York Times exposé on smartphone location tracking because it’s worse than you think

iCrowdNewswire - Dec 26, 2019 - Photo by Tom Warren / The Verge I read a joke the other day that went something like: your cyberpunk dystopia name is just your actual name because the corporations have already won. Although that’s not really a joke, not if you think about it for too long. We do live in an era of unbridled corporate power, power that’s also captured about half the government and the presidency. Today, The New York. [more...]