Belkin’s Continuity Camera mount for desktops is here
For those dedicated to magnetically mounting a phone to their screens so they can havethat good webcam quality. | Image: Belkin
When Belkin released its Continuity Camera mount for Mac laptops in October, it promised that a version for desktops would be coming soon. Now, it’s finally here. You can get the accessory that attaches to your display and magnetically holds your phone so you can use it as a webcam from the Apple Store for $29.95 — though it is worth noting that price may not stick around, as Belkin spokesperson Cassie Pineda tells me that the correct price is $39.95 and that the company is working on getting it fixed.
Compared to the mobile-friendly version, which is designed to stay on your phone and latch onto your computer with a little hook, the Belkin iPhone Mount for Mac Desktops is a bit more flexible. It has a tilting mechanism that lets you point the camera down by up to 25 degrees in case the top of your monitor is above your face. It’s also compatible with a wide range of displays, with Belkin saying that it’ll work with iMacs from 2017 and later, the iMac Pro, the Apple Studio Display and Pro Display XDR, as well as “most external displays and monitors.”
Image: Belkin
The mounting mechanism makes the accessory compatible with monitors of varying thickness, and it has a few extra quality-of-life features.
If you don’t want to hang your phone off your monitor while using it as a webcam, or if doing so with your setup would result in a bad angle, the mount also has a thread that lets you attach it to a standard tripod.
Compared to a high-end webcam, there is one downside to using a mount and your iPhone, and that’s power — like the mobile version before it, this mount won’t wirelessly charge your phone, which could be a problem if you’re in meetings all day long. It does, however, have a cable management hole if you wanted to route a standard Lightning cable to your phone, but that’s definitely more of a hassle than if you could just plug in the mount and have it do MagSafe charging. Thankfully, this probably isn’t much of a concern if you’re just planning on using it for occasional, short meetings.
This isn’t the only desktop-focused mount meant to be used with Continuity Camera, but when Apple announced the feature, it promoted the mounts from Belkin. That’s not to say that the piece of plastic you mount your phone to will have a huge effect on the performance of an iOS 16 and macOS Ventura software feature, but it’s nice to have options. That’s especially true given that this accessory is slightly less expensive than Moment’s version.
California Reduces Subsidies for Homes With Rooftop Solar The decision, which would reduce the incentive for homeowners to install solar panels, could influence other states to make similar changes.
Elon Musk bought Twitter, and here’s everything that happened next
Laura Normand / The Verge
Elon Musk is now the owner, CEO, and sole director of Twitter. His “Twitter 2.0” era has so far included mass layoffs and rapidly changing policy decisions.
There was a lot of back and forth about bots and text messages, but in the end, Musk settled on buying the company rather than facing a deposition or Chancery Court trial and eventually strode into Twitter HQ carrying a sink.
Elon Musk began Twitter’s new era of private ownership by firing several executives — including previous CEO Parag Agrawal, CFO Ned Segal, and policy chief Vijaya Gadde — and, a week later, initiated mass layoffs, drastically cutting its workforce.
TikTok self-harm study results ‘every parent’s nightmare’
Research suggests algorithm promotes self-harm and eating disorder content within minutes of interest being shown
TikTok’s recommendation algorithm pushes self-harm and eating disorder content to teenagers within minutes of them expressing interest in the topics, research suggests.
The Center for Countering Digital Hate (CCDH) found that the video-sharing site will promote content including dangerously restrictive diets, pro-self-harm content and content romanticising suicide to users who show a preference for the material, even if they are registered as under-18s.
Crypto collapse: it’s looking like a long, cold, contagious winter
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
FTX is just the latest company facing an uncertain future as cryptocurrency values drop, revealing flaws in risky financial strategies that fueled the recent crypto and NFT boom.
On January 1st of 2022, one Bitcoin would cost you about $46,000. By November 8th, that same coin went for about $18,500. And that’s when the year’s most dramatic crypto story was just starting: the collapse of the FTX exchange, which brought yet another round of existential threats to the crypto industry as a whole.
On December 12th, FTX co-founder Sam Bankman-Fried was arrested in the Bahamas and will face criminal charges in the United States.
This year has looked like death by a thousand scandals for crypto. There was the Luna / Terra crash, which wiped out billions in value practically overnight. There was Axie Infinity, the once-hot NFT game that lost $625 million in a hack and has struggled to recover. Celsius collapsed. Three Arrows Capital collapsed. Remember when NFTs were cool and people thought their JPGs were worth millions?
All this happened, of course, as the overall economy began to crash back down to earth after a pandemic-created spike in stock prices — which also dampened society’s overall tolerance for chaotic, nonsensical gambling on internet money. As the economy began to even out and our collective risk tolerance went down, crypto went for many investors from a fun plaything to a dangerous bet.
Crypto has crashed before, and as ever, the HODLers are saying there’s upside left to come. But right now, the future for cryptocurrencies of all kinds looks pretty bleak.
Here’s all our coverage from the ongoing crypto winter:
The Verge’s 2022 holiday gift guide for dads
Photography by Joel Goldberg for The Verge
Ideas for all the types of dads you may have in your life, from gadget-hounds to wannabe woodsmen with a penchant for the great outdoors.
As any son or daughter can attest, dads can be pretty picky and hard to please when it comes to gifts. However, while it may pose a bit of a challenge to gift them something perfect, it’s better to put in the work than to go the cheesy route with a “World’s Best Dad” mug or yet another pair of socks. Luckily, we’re here to help you find a gift that’s just right.
We’ve compiled a list of ideas that are sure to surprise and delight all kinds of dads, whether they’re the techie type or the weekend warrior. Got a Mr. Fixit on your hands? The Wowstick Electric Screwdriver Set ($69) may be just the tool they didn’t know they needed. Does your dad fiddle away at a computer all day? His wrists will probably thank you if you pick him up Logitech’s ergonomic Lift mouse ($70). We’ve assembled a bunch of other gift ideas as well, especially for those who cherish a bit of nostalgia or want to completely disconnect and get back to nature.
We’re confident at least one of these gifts will make the dad in your life happy. Who knows. He may even brag about it to all his friends — well, that or maybe just anyone who will give him the time of day.
The Verge’s 2022 home tech holiday gift guide
Photography by Joel Goldberg for The Verge
The wrong gift for someone’s home can quickly become clutter, which is why we’ve put together a selection of great gift ideas they’ll cherish, appreciate, and — most importantly — put to use.
Whether someone you know lives in a small apartment, an average size condo, or a spacious house, a gift for the home can be a very endearing one — especially when it matches their personal style and needs. That said, we’re not talking campy “live, laugh, love” decorations but, rather, a range of useful tech, gadgets, and other items that go beyond mere wall decor.
The items we choose to live alongside us should be worthwhile or they risk becoming clutter. So we’ve come up with an extensive list to help inspire you this holiday season, even if you’re shopping for yourself. Gifts like the Click and Grow Smart Garden 3 ($74.96) can help you grow herbs indoors where there isn’t even sunlight, while items like the iRobot Roomba i3 Evo robot vacuum ($279.99) can provide hassle-free cleaning on your schedule. Other presents, specifically Amazon’s third-gen Echo Dot ($17.98), are great for getting into smart home tech and can help you add voice commands to any room in your home.
We’ve gathered all sorts of great gifts for the home, so let us help you find something that’s better than a lavish punch bowl that — sooner or later — is destined for the back of the cupboard.
The best deals on Nintendo Switch games right now
Right now, there are discounts available on Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope and a handful of other essential Switch titles. | Image: Nintendo
Below, we’ve rounded up some of the deals on Nintendo Switch games. In many instances, the Nintendo eShop is typically the best place to find deals on digital downloads, especially if you prefer the indie variety, but there are some exceptions where retailers will discount titles that would otherwise be full price on Nintendo’s storefront.
Taking place in a massive open world, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is a much different take on the Zelda series, one that stresses exploration, experimentation, and emergent gameplay. BOTW is much tougher than previous entries in the franchise but presents multiple, unconventional ways to tackle the game’s more difficult challenges. Mastery of the game comes more from learning and exploiting the systems in the world rather than looting a bunch of sweet gear.
Years after its release, players are still discovering new wrinkles in the aging classic. While this isn’t the most recent title to feature Link, Breath of the Wild remains an essential entry in the franchise. It offers all of the hallmarks of a traditional Zelda title, including challenging combat and puzzles, but within a gorgeous, open-world design. Read our review.
New Pokémon Snap is the sequel to the hit Nintendo 64 game from 1999. In it, players traverse the Lental region taking pictures of pokémon thriving in their natural habitats, which is a refreshing change to the typical catch ’em-all gameplay loop. Read our review.
A prequel to Pokémon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, Pokémon Legends Arceus has you exploring the large, standalone areas of the Hisui region in an effort to catch and study pokémon as you build out the region’s first-ever pokédex. It represents a fairly radical shift in the Pokémon formula. Read our review.
Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
Image: Nintendo
If you’re into kart racing and love Mario, there’s no better mish-mash of the two than in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe for the Switch. The popular racing title is packed with plenty of courses and characters, with even more available as paid DLC. This installment in the Mario Kart franchise is essentially a souped-up version of the original Mario Kart 8 that debuted on the Wii U, with better visuals, performance, and all the DLC from the Wii U version (and then some).
While the basics of this franchise have remained largely the same over its lifetime, Mario Kart 8 represented some of the best improvements the series has seen, and its remastered port only improves on the original with new modes, kart parts, and an adorable cast of drivers.
A sequel to Luigi’s Mansion: Dark Moon, Luigi’s Mansion 3 sees players controlling the titular Luigi as he explores a haunted hotel in an effort to rescue his brother and friends. Despite only having text dialogue that’s supplemented by jibberish and pantomime, this 3D platforming adventure is surprisingly witty and comical, with plenty of Nintendo’s trademark charm to go around. And while some of the puzzles can be cumbersome and the controls overly complex, there are few games like it. Not nearly enough games star the taller Mario sibling, but Luigi’s Mansion 3 proves that Luigi is more than capable of holding his own. Read our review.
Yoshi’s Crafted World, in a nutshell, is a yarn-and-cardboard-flavored platformer featuring everyone’s favorite green dinosaur. It’s one of the more charming titles to come from Nintendo, with levels and characters made from everyday objects, and a difficulty that serves as the digital equivalent of a weighted blanket — or in this case, a hand-knit scarf. It’s not the most crushing or inventive title, but many of the levels in Yoshi’s Crafted World introduce new mechanics and wrinkles to keep things fresh as you make your way through a variety of theme-based worlds. There aren’t many games that do exactly what it says on the box, but Yoshi’s Crafted World is definitely one of them. Read our review.
Hyrule Warriors: Age of Calamity is best described as Dynasty Warriors by way of Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This title shares a similar aesthetic to the 2017 hit but is drastically different in terms of its gameplay. In it, you’ll take control of a cast of familiar characters from Breath of the Wild, like Impa and Zelda, and guide them through a linear narrative that leads up to the events that precede Breath of the Wild.
You can swap between characters during battles to make use of their combos and special abilities, but you’re also responsible for directing legions of soldiers to assist you in completing your objectives. Age of Calamity provides fans of Breath of the Wild with more backstory in a game that feels wholly different but strangely familiar in the best ways. Read our review.
Mortal Kombat 11
Mortal Kombat 11 is a title synonymous with fighting games. The same gratuitously violent, combo-based gameplay is on display here, but the latest entry in the franchise builds on that legacy by fine-tuning many of the technical elements. This makes MK11 arguably the best entry in the franchise to date, with tight gameplay that’s easy to learn and difficult to master.
In addition to the roster of 25 characters from Mortal Kombat lore, MK11 includes DLC for fighters from some unexpected IPs. So if you were ever curious about how the Terminator would fare against Rambo, this is your chance to find out. Each fighter can also be customized with different moves and gear, meaning that you’re unlikely to fight against the same character twice.
Rayman Legends: Definitive Edition
Image: Ubisoft
Rayman Legends: Definitive Edition might just be the best platformer for the Nintendo Switch that isn’t part of the Mario franchise. The excellent title features a vivid art style, tight controls, and a soundtrack that’s sure to stick with you well after you’ve stopped playing. Plus, in addition to a surprisingly large cast of cute characters, the entirety of Rayman Legends can be played cooperatively with up to four players. If you’re a little tired of stomping Goombas, you might want to give Rayman Legends a spin.
Burnout Paradise: Remastered
Burnout has always been a series that’s about wrecking cars, going fast, and causing wanton destruction. Burnout Paradise continues that proud tradition by unleashing you on an open world that’s littered with stunts, races, and — of course — lots of crashes.
Burnout Paradise may be a couple of console generations old at this point, but it has never lost its charm. The nauseatingly fast game always has something for you to do, and while the lack of real-world cars is a bummer, you’ll never have a better time jack-knifing your sports car into a fuel tanker at 300 miles per hour.
Axiom Verge
Axiom Verge, an ambitious Metroidvania developed by a single person, has gone on to become an essential entry in the genre thanks to its clever level design, spectacular soundtrack, and awesome boss battles. And while the game is clearly inspired by classic entries in the genre like Super Metroid and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, it still manages to do its own thing.
Much like other games in the genre, Axiom Verge has you exploring a map that gradually expands as you defeat bosses and gain new abilities, allowing you to traverse previously inaccessible areas. A large part of what makes this game unique, however, is the title’s setting and aesthetic, which lies somewhere on the spectrum between hellish and surreal, leaving us with something that feels like the works of HR Geiger if he were given a 16-bit palette to work with.
While there are plenty of other contemporaries that draw on this same formula, including Hollow Knight and Metroid Dread, Axiom Verge is an excellent title that won’t disappoint fans of the genre.
Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 updates the core elements of the original Tony Hawk games into an experience fit for modern consoles. The collection is a faithful remake of the original two games, and everything from the levels to the collectibles has been translated with remarkable accuracy.
The gameplay experience is largely unchanged, but what additions have been made are certainly welcome. Some extra objectives have been added to THPS 1 levels to be more on par with what THPS 2 offers, and there are larger meta-objectives to accomplish if you want to unlock different cosmetic options. This collection is easily the best way to experience — or re-experience — these staples of gaming history. Read our review.
If Pacific Rim didn’t have enough high school drama for you, then you might want to check out 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, a game that is equal parts visual novel and turn-based strategy game. In Aegis Rim, you play through the interconnected stories of 13 teenagers who also happen to be massive robots charged with defending humanity. It would be easy to dismiss the premise as silly if the voice acting and art direction weren’t so damn good, and while the story beats can get a bit muddled at times, the delivery on virtually every other aspect of Aegis Rim is spot-on. Read our review.
Hades, the latest hit from indie developer Supergiant Games, is a beautiful roguelike that burst out of early access and quickly accumulated a litany of praise. This snappy brawler changes things up every time you die, forcing you to adapt with the assistance of the thirstiest iteration of the greek pantheon we’ve ever seen. The closest analog to this title is the also-excellent The Binding of Isaac, however, Hades definitely upped the ante with an exceptionally balanced experience that has some of the best music and writing we’ve ever encountered in a roguelike. Read our review.
Immortals Fenyx Rising is a game that takes the open-world gameplay and color palette from Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and slaps it on the mythology from God of War. The design might be iterative, but the result is amazing. In true Ubisoft fashion, the massive, vivid environment is chock-full of collectibles, activities, and puzzles to strengthen your character.
One aspect that sets this title apart from its obvious inspirations is the combat, which combines simple, RPG-like skill trees with a variety of godly powers earned from aiding various deities. A decidedly more comical and lighthearted approach to the Greek pantheon, Immortals Fenyx Rising is a fun and witty open-world game that wears its inspiration on its sleeve. Read our hands-on impressions.
Make friends, fight your inner demons, and be home in time for dinner. Persona 5 Royal is the definitive version of Persona 5, one that adds a ton of new content and quality-of-life features. While the occasionally obtuse story beats and narrative aren’t going to change anyone’s mind about JRPGs, the game’s chill pacing makes Persona 5 Royal a great choice for the Nintendo Switch. Read our review.
Diablo III: Eternal Collection
Diablo III remains one of the best action RPGs available and is still supported by free seasonal content. The Switch version of this aging RPG may not be its prettiest iteration, however, it still runs remarkably smooth on the Nintendo console, even when playing with several others via local co-op. Being able to take this game with you wherever you go arguably makes the Switch version the best way to experience this fast-paced RPG.
Borderlands: Legendary Collection
Borderlands: Legendary Collection includes not only Borderlands 1 & 2 and Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel, but all of the various pieces of DLC as well, making this a truly massive compilation of everyone’s favorite looter shooter. While the irreverent humor of the Borderlands franchise doesn’t always land, the core gameplay loop — which has you killing hordes of baddies in an effort to earn weapons that become exponentially more ridiculous as time goes on — remains strangely addictive.
Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
Featuring an expansive cast, The Skywalker Saga is the definitive Lego Star Wars experience, tying together every mainline film from The Phantom Menace to The Rise of Skywalker. Just like other entries in the series, the title is chock-full of fan service and light-hearted humor that’s sure to appeal to fans, regardless of their age. It even includes characters from one-shot films like Rogue One and Solo.
Hot Wheels: Unleashed
Flames make everything faster in Hot Wheels: Unleashed. The racing title feels like a cross between the Burnout franchise and an adolescent power fantasy, putting you in control of immaculately rendered toy cars as you race across a set of neon-orange tracks strewn about an oversized living room.
In addition to the litany of ridiculous vehicles spawned from the Hot Wheels garage, you can also collect cars such as the Batmobile, the time-traveling DeLorean from Back to the Future, and a number of iconic automobiles from real-world manufacturers. The game even borrows track segments from real-world Hot Wheels sets, allowing you to thread the needle between a giant spider and a hungry Tyrannosaurus rex.
Like a good friend, Animal Crossing: New Horizons is a game that’s always there for you. Like past entries in the series, New Horizons lets you go outside and enjoy life with neighbors, pick some flowers, catch a few bugs, and just relish the moment.
The game lets you build and grow your own persistent island and eventually handle the overall welfare of the cast of characters, all of which will call your island their home. By harvesting resources and trading with other islands, you can slowly turn your vacant island into something truly unique. Read our review.
This whimsical retelling of the Game Boy classic updates the classic Zelda title with new music and graphics while keeping the core gameplay intact. Anyone who missed out on this excellent installment in the Zelda franchise when it was originally available should take the time to check it out. Read our review.
Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope
A follow-up to one of the most unexpected pairings of the last decade, Mario + Rabbids Sparks of Hope is a turn-based strategy game in the same vein as the XCOM franchise but with a cast of the Mario characters and the pure chaotic energy of the Rabbids. The combat blends fire-and-maneuver tactics with special abilities and frenetic movement, which provides an interesting departure from usual turn-based strategy titles.
If you thought Mario couldn’t get any more whimsical, think again. Paper Mario: The Origami King offers an adorable, narrative-driven experience featuring the ubiquitous red plumber. More of an adventure game than a platformer, The Origami King pushes its story along with witty writing and a puzzle-based combat system. Read our review.
Portal Companion Collection
The original Portal and its sequel, Portal 2, are available on the Nintendo Switch through Portal Companion Collection. The series remains a hallmark of the puzzle-platformer genre, one that has you uncovering the secrets of Aperture Science, playing with lasers, and eating cake.
Tetris Effect: Connected
From Rez and Lumines creator Tetsuya Mizuguchi comes Tetris Effect: Connected, a game that elevates the classic Tetris formula to new levels of sensory excitement through unique visuals and eclectic beats. It’s similar to previous Tetris titles, yet it also allows for local and online multiplayer for both competitive and co-op play.
Google’s making code formatting a breeze in Docs
Code blocks in Docs. | Illustration: The Verge
Google Docs is getting a new feature that will make it easier to show code in an easy-to-understand way. The company announced that it’s adding code blocks to its “smart canvas” system, which will automatically add the proper spacing and color-coding for a variety of programming languages, such as Python, C, and Javascript.
Before this, getting code to look nice in Google Docs required workarounds or add-ons, which weren’t necessarily the most convenient. While that wasn’t the end of the world, making sure code displays properly is important for documentation, and having different parts of the code display in different colors makes it much easier to read if there’s more than a single line or two.
GIF: Google
Doesn’t that look so much nicer?
Google says you’ll be able to access the feature by going to Insert > Building Blocks > Code Block and then selecting the relevant language. You’ll also be able to type “@project assets” into your document to pull up the menu, similar to how you’d summon the emoji picker.
The feature may take a while to roll out — Google’s blog post says some people may not even have it by January 18th, depending on their Workspace’s settings — and it’ll only be available to people with specific subscription tiers. If you’re using a personal Google account, a legacy G Suite account, or various Essential and Starter Workspace tiers, you won’t have access to it, according to the company’s press release. That’s a bit of a bummer for hobbyist coders trying to write instructions for their APIs, though I’ll admit that this feature does seem like it’d be most useful for bigger companies.
Telecommunications giant TPG has revealed an email-hosting service used by up to 15,000 iiNet and Westnet customers has been breached, with the hacker looking for cryptocurrency and other financial information.
TPG said in a release to the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) on Wednesday that cybersecurity firm Mandiant had found evidence of unauthorised access to a Hosted Exchange service used by iiNet and Westnet customers.
Jack Dorsey on Musk’s Twitter files: ‘There’s nothing to hide’
Laura Normand / The Verge
Jack Dorsey has responded to Elon Musk’s purported exposé known as “The Twitter Files,” and he’s done so in an essay that’s mercifully not written as a Twitter thread. In it, the social network’s co-founder and former CEO says that he believes the company has nothing to hide, contrary to how the files have been presented. He also says he wishes the information had been “released Wikileaks-style,” and asks that the internet not go after Twitter employees for perceived slights. Of course, his article also promotes his own social networking protocol and Bitcoin.
Dorsey’s response comes after Elon Musk has spent over a week promoting fiveselectivedocumentreleases known as the Twitter Files, which show internal documents, Slack logs, and emails around things like Twitter’s removal of Donald Trump following the January 6th riots, moderation “blacklists,” and how the site dealt with news about Hunter Biden’s laptop. The threads, and Musk’s promotion of them, have largely taken on a conspiratorial tone, painting the old Twitter leadership and employees as being in cahoots with the government to silence Twitter users.
Dorsey clearly doesn’t agree, saying his his post that “mistakes were made” at Twitter, but that he believes the company had “no ill intent or hidden agendas, and everyone acted according to the best information we had at the time.”
Later in the post, Dorsey takes issues with how the files were handed over to specific journalists who then posted excerpts and reported on them. “I do still wish for Twitter, and every company, to become uncomfortably transparent in all their actions,” Dorsey writes, adding that he wishes the files got “many more eyes and interpretations to consider.” It’s an interesting request, as he’s essentially asking for receipts on his own company, as my co-worker Adi Robertson described while we were discussing the article — it seems likely Dorsey is fully aware of what kind of decision-making process a full document-dump would reveal, and doesn’t think it’d be all that damning.
While Dorsey talks a lot about how he thinks transparency and moderation should work in his post, it’s possible he wants a more transparent process because the cherry-picked documents have been used by Musk and others to attack former Twitter staff. He obliquely references this by saying that “the current attacks on my former colleagues could be dangerous and doesn’t solve anything,” but Dorsey’s description doesn’t quite describe how bad things have been. CNN reported on Monday that former head of trust and safety Yoel Roth had to leave his home after Musk implied that he supported pedophilia in now-deleted tweets. Musk has also accused specific other former Twitter employees of not doing anything to stop child trafficking on the platform.
The Twitter Files posts have also been damaging in other ways — in a few instances, incomplete censoring leaked contact info for politicians, Twitter employees, and Dorsey himself.
It’s not the first time Dorsey has apologized for what’s happened after he left Twitter — last month he said he was responsible for Musk’s initial wave of mass layoffs, saying they were necessary because he grew the company too fast. Earlier this year, Dorsey said he believed that Musk was the “singular solution” he trusted to run Twitter as a company and said that he trusted Musk’s “mission to extend the light of consciousness.” While he doesn’t seem to have fully walked back that statement yet, he has challenged a few of Musk’s statements outside of his latest post.
In principle, I don’t believe anyone should own or run Twitter. It wants to be a public good at a protocol level, not a company. Solving for the problem of it being a company however, Elon is the singular solution I trust. I trust his mission to extend the light of consciousness.
Dorsey’s post isn’t entirely about Twitter. He also uses it to announce that he’s giving a million dollars a year to encrypted messaging app Signal and asks for suggestions about other grants he should make in the areas of “social media and private communication protocols, bitcoin, and a web-only mobile OS.”
Dorsey himself is also working on a decentralized social media protocol called Bluesky, which gets several mentions in the post, alongside the founder’s ideas of how social media should work (which he says he wasn’t able to implement at Twitter due to its status as a public company). His tenets involve keeping governments and corporations from influencing conversations, making sure that moderation decisions happen on a “localized” basis, and either letting people choose their own ranking algorithms, or deciding to (somehow) not use one at all.
One particularly eyebrow-raising statement from Dorsey reads “any content produced by someone for the internet should be permanent until the original author chooses to delete it,” adding that “content takedowns and suspensions should not be possible.” He does admit that stance could create “significant issues” when it comes to things like “illegal activity” (what happens when this stance collides with someone posting child sexual abuse material, or revenge porn?), but says that the ideal would “allow for far better solutions than we have today.”
Tesla’s latest update adds Steam games and Apple Music
The Steam Beta in a Tesla. | Image: Tesla
Tesla’s new “Holiday Update” adds a few long-awaited new features, including the ability to play games from Steam in your car and support for Apple Music.
Tesla already offers a bunch of games for owners like Cuphead and Stardew Valley, and the official addition of Steam doesn’t come as a total surprise, as CEO Elon Musk tweeted that the company was “making progress” with a Steam integration in July. But now that Steam for Tesla is finally here, owners could have a lot more games available to them.
Steam isn’t the only major app coming to Teslas; the company’s cars are finally getting Apple Music as well. The app had reportedly appeared in a Model S in a museum exhibit last month, and now it’s officially rolling out as part of an official Tesla release.
The Holiday Update includes a lot of other features, too. An upgraded light show mode lets you schedule a show that will appear across multiple vehicles at the same time. The company put out a pretty ridiculous video to show it off:
Schedule your own Light Show on multiple vehicles simultaneously to create your own orchestra of light pic.twitter.com/mJdUcBmXLm
You’ll also be able to make Zoom calls from the cabin camera and view the inside of the car from the Tesla app while in Dog Mode or Sentry Mode. The update, officially numbered 2022.44.25, is rolling out now.
Tidal is testing a new DJ session feature for HiFi Plus subscribers
The now-playing screen shows a red DJ button that enables the live streaming-like function. | Image: Tidal
Tidal, the high-bitrate quality music streaming service, is testing a new feature that lets its HiFi Plus subscribers play DJ. Participants of the service’s Early Access Program can switch from playing music just for themselves to a DJ session, which then provides a link that can be sent to friends who can listen in.
Tidal DJ works like running your own live radio broadcast or a headphones-only silent party. It’s similar to remote sharing features from other streaming services, like Spotify’s remote group session or Apple’s SharePlay — except you don’t have to know who the listeners are. In that way, it’s more like Turntable.fm or the old Spotify add-on (when Spotify wanted to be the “OS of music”) SoundDrop.
The Tidal feature can let you play remote work office DJ; just send the link to your team — assuming they all pay for Tidal (none of my co-workers could join my session). It could also be an outlet for people who are always demanding the AUX cable during road trips with friends — but now without complaints!
Image: Tidal / The Verge
Start by tapping the DJ button, name the session, and then share out the link to people (in this case through Discord). Tidal paid subscribers who open the link can then stream on their mobile device.
If you want to try out the new feature, first, you need to subscribe to Tidal’s top HiFi Plus feature (free for 30 days, then $19.99 per month). Then, sign up for the Early Access Program, which guides you to install a beta version of the app (either through Test Flight on iOS or join the beta in the Google Play store). Finally, open the app, play any playlist, then tap the DJ button to enable a session and get the share link.
The new feature is not to be confused with Tidal for DJs, which lets DJ performers and music producers get access to the Tidal library within “pro” audio software. While you might not be a real DJ using Tidal that way, at least now you can pretend to be.
Smart speakers help people living alone feel less lonely, survey finds
Research by Ofcom also found the devices give disabled people a stronger sense of independence
Smart speakers help people who live on their own feel less lonely and give some disabled people a stronger sense of independence, according to new Ofcom research.
During an in-depth survey of 100 owners and 15 non-owners who tested a smart speaker, some described their device as being like a companion and said they liked being able to talk to it.
Netflix is making a live-action My Hero Academia film
Image: Viz Media
Netflix is making yet another live-action anime adaptation, and this time, it’s taking on My Hero Academia. In an announcement on its website, the streamer says filmmaker Shinsuke Sato (I Am a Hero, Kingdom) will serve as director, while Obi-Wan Kenobi producer Joby Harold is penning the script.
My Hero Academia takes place in a universe where the majority of humans are born with superpowers — called quirks — and centers around the once-quirkless Izuku Midoriya (or Deku). When Midoriya’s granted super strength from the hero he idolizes the most, All Might, he’s accepted into the prestigious UA High School for heroes-in-training. There, meets other quirk-wielding students while working toward unlocking his true strength and coming face-to-face with powerful enemies.
It’s still too early to tell who will play the role of Midoriya and some of the other supporting roles, like the gravity-defying Ochaco Uraraka, the fiery Katsuki Bakugo, or the top hero All Might. But as is the case with other live-action anime adaptions, casting can make or break the remake.
Netflix doesn’t have the best reputation when it comes to making live-action adaptations of anime; both its Death Note film and the now-canceled Cowboy Bebop didn’t really capture the essence of their source material. Hopefully, the streamer can take this feedback into account before it starts working on My Hero Academia and the several other live-action anime adaptions it has planned, including One Piece, Avatar: The Last Airbender, Yu Yu Hakusho,and (yet another) Death Note.
My Hero Academia is set to hit theaters in Japan and will land on Netflix everywhere else, although there’s no word on a release date.
Here are the best Amazon Echo deals right now
Like Amazon’s Echo speakers, its various smart displays come in a range of sizes. | Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge
Amazon’s current Echo lineup offers a broad selection of smart speakers and displays that can fit just about anywhere in your home. Whether you want to place a voice assistant in your living room, replace the bulletin board in your office, or pick up a touchscreen-enabled device to showcase recipes in the kitchen, there's an Echo device for just about every occasion and use case.
Regardless of why you might want one, there’s also always a way to save on Echo devices, from the last-gen Dot to the wall-mounted Echo Show 15. Even when they’re selling at full price, for instance, Amazon offers a 25 percent discount when you trade in select devices, meaning there are still other ways to save money when none of the models are on sale.
Below, we’ve rounded up the best deals available on each device in Amazon’s Echo lineup. The bulk of the discounts don’t rival those we saw during Black Friday and Cyber Monday, but some models — including the third-gen Echo Dot and second-gen Echo Show 5 — are still available for their lowest price to date in the run-up to the holidays.
Best Amazon Echo deals
The best Echo Dot deals
In September, Amazon announced the fifth generation of the Echo Dot. It looks more like a sphere than an actual dot — much like its last-gen predecessor — but offers twice as much bass as the prior model and a temperature sensor; it also doubles as an Eero mesh Wi-Fi extender, though, said functionality will also be coming to the prior model at some point via a free over-the-air firmware update.
Despite the arrival of the new model, you can still pick up the third-gen Echo Dot, which retains the puck-like design of earlier models and is on sale for $14.99 ($25 off) at Amazon, Target, and Best Buy. As for the fifth-gen model, it’s currently on sale for $27.99 ($22 off) at both Target and Best Buy, or at Amazon for the same price with a free Sengled smart bulb.
If you’re looking to upgrade, Amazon, Target, and Best Buy are also selling the latest Echo Dot with a built-in LED display that showcases the time, weather, and other info for $39.99 ($20 off). Like with the non-clock model, Amazon is also throwing in a free Sengled smart bulb with your purchase, at least for a limited time.
The best Echo Dot Kids Edition deals
Both the fifth- and fourth-gen Echo Dot Kids Edition are as spherical as the adult versions but designed to look like a variety of creatures, from pandas to dragons. They also come with a year of Amazon’s Kids Plus service, which provides access to a slew of kid-friendly content, including audiobooks and games. That said, the fifth-gen model features better sound, a temperature sensor, and other improvements found on the standard edition.
If you want to buy the latest, kid-centric Echo Dot, it’s available at Amazon, Target, and Best Buy right now for $29.99 (its best price to date). If you’re looking to pick up several Echo devices for your home, Amazon is also selling the latest Echo Dot Kids with either a second model or the standard, fifth-gen Echo Dot for up to $70 off when you use promo code DOT2PK at checkout.
The fourth-gen Amazon Echo also received a makeover in 2020. The latest model sports a sphere-shaped design like the newer Echo Dot models, but one that’s noticeably bigger. That said, it also touts a built-in smart home hub and produces better sound than the fifth-gen Dot thanks to a pair of 0.8-inch tweeters and a 3-inch woofer.
As of right now, the fourth-gen Echo is on sale at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target for $59.99 ($40 off), which nearly matches the speaker’s best price to date. Like with other Echo devices, Amazon and Best Buy are also pairing each purchase with a free Sengled smart bulb.
If you’re interested in an Alexa smart speaker with better audio quality and Dolby Atmos support, the Echo Studio is the Amazon product to check out. Normally $199.99, the Echo Studio is on sale in black or white at Best Buy and Amazon with a free Sengled smart bulb for $159.99 — a price we’ve only seen a handful of times since the speaker’s initial debut in 2019. It’s also available at Target for the same price, though, without the added bulb.
If you are looking for a compact Echo device that functions more as a smart clock than an entertainment speaker, the Echo Show 5 is the Echo device to consider. The latest edition, which launched last year, features an always-on microphone, an upgraded 2MP camera, a 5.5-inch display, and a physical shutter, allowing you to block the camera’s view.
Right now, the second-gen Echo Show 5 is available at Amazon, Target, and Best Buy in blue, black, or white for $34.99, an all-time low on the capable smart display.
The best Echo Show 5 Kids Edition deals
The Echo Dot isn’t the only Echo device with a kid-friendly design. The Echo Show 5 Kids Edition offers all of the same features as the standard, second-gen Echo Show 5, only with a vibrant print on the rear and a year of Amazon’s Kids Plus service, which grants your family access to a trove of videos, games, and other kid-friendly content. It even comes with a two-year warranty, providing a bit of protection from whatever your child might (literally) throw at it.
As far as pricing goes, the Echo Show 5 Kids is still matching its best price to date, likely as a result of Amazon’s recent sales push during Black Friday and Cyber Monday. Regardless of the reason, however, you can pick up the compact smart display at Amazon, Target, and Best Buy for just $39.99 ($55 off).
Like the Echo Show 5, the Echo Show 8 is typically available in two distinct models, both of which feature 8-inch displays and dual speakers. However, unlike the first-gen Echo Show 8, the latest model is equipped with a 13MP camera and some unique software tricks, one of which grants it the ability to keep the subject centered in the frame as they move around.
We recently saw the second-gen Show 8 drop to an all-time low $69.99 ($60 off), which is the smart speaker’s current price at Amazon, Target, and Best Buy. Amazon is also offering the second-gen model with a free Echo Show 5 Kids or six months of Amazon Music Unlimited, though the retailer doesn’t stipulate how to qualify for the latter promotion.
Last year, Amazon released a third-gen Echo Show 10. The device features a 10.1-inch HD screen and, unlike the Show 5 and Show 8, the 2021 model allows you to adjust the angle of the screen. It’s also mounted on a motorized, swiveling base that allows the display to follow you as you move. If you plan on doing a lot of video calling, this is the model to get.
Unlike other smart displays in Amazon’s Echo lineup, the new Echo Show 15 is a large, wall-mounted device with a 15.6-inch touch display. It’s designed to replace the likes of bulletin boards and calendars, and as such, it functions as a shared hub for families where everyone can see digital sticky notes, upcoming calendar appointments, shopping lists, and other reminders. It also features support for Alexa, meaning it offers the same functionality as other Echo displays and smart speakers, and you can even use it as a decent 1080p TV in your kitchen or to display photos and artwork. It’s compatible with an optional stand, too, though, we’d argue it remains a better fit for your wall than your countertop given its size.
Having launched at the end of last year, we’ve only seen a handful of discounts on the Echo Show 15. That said, you can currently buy it at Amazon, Target, and Best Buy for $184.99, which is only about $15 more than its sale price during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.
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