Tweetbot is (mostly) working again
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Tweetbot is mostly up and running after an outage locked users out of major third-party Twitter clients. While users can now sign in to Tweetbot and browse through tweets, some say they still can’t post anything to Twitter through the service without getting an error message stating they’ve reached a “data limit.”
The client isn’t back online because of anything that Twitter did, though. Tweetbot co-creator Paul Haddad tells The Verge that they still haven’t heard anything from Twitter, so they’ve “decided to start using new API keys and see if it fixes the problem.” This could allow Tweetbot to temporarily avoid any disruptions to the service, even if it puts it in a semi-working state.
This is a proof that #Twitter has deliberately suspended @tweetbot. The developers just created a new Twitter API app and obtained new credentials. The app works, albeit with limits. Twitter API is not broken. If a platform pushes devs to resort to such workarounds, it's doomed https://t.co/Ra4CtJo40I
As pointed out by iOS developers Mysk, Tweetbot is likely having issues because it’s using different API keys that put significantly lower limits on its activity. “Twitter API restricts new apps to low limits,” Mysk explains. “All Tweetbot users now share a limit of 300 posts per 15 minutes.”
Things started breaking last Thursday when users noticed that they no longer had access to third-party Twitter apps, including Tweetbot, Twitterific, and the Android version of Fenix. Despite widespread confusion, Twitter and CEO Elon Musk have yet to acknowledge the outage publicly, nor have they reached out to developers to let them know what’s going on. Meanwhile, Twitterific and Fenix on Android are still suspended.
According to a report from The Information, Twitter may have disabled third-party apps purposefully. Internal messages viewed by the outlet reveal a senior software engineer saying that the outage is “intentional.” Another message reportedly says Twitter’s getting ready to issue statements to developers affected by the outage, although it’s unclear when that’ll be ready.
Elon Musk has said he will find a new CEO for Twitter after users voted for him to leave. But who would, in his own words, be “foolish enough to take the job”?
It’s a question I’ve been posing in conversations over the past week. Based on my checks with people who would know, Musk doesn’t appear to be running a formal search yet. And given his propensity to lie go back on his word, he might not try to find someone. The matter is complicated by his saying that, even after finding a CEO, he will still run the “software & servers teams.” That’s basically the whole company.
For what it’s worth, I do think Musk will eventually find a CEO, not only because he told his Twitter investors he would but because it’s the rational thing for him to do. Below are the names that have been floated to me as good candidates should Musk actually hand over the reins of Twitter. (I’m not including the obvious members of Musk’s transition team that helped him in the early days of the takeover — namely David Sacks, Jason Calacanis, and Sriram Krishnan — since my read is that they are not in a position to take the job if asked.)
Sheryl Sandberg, ex-Meta COO
Kristen Radtke / The Verge; Getty Images
Pros: This pick is perhaps the most obvious choice, especially if Musk does what he says and continues to lead engineering at Twitter after naming a new CEO. Sandberg has the rep with advertisers and connections that Musk needs to begin repairing Twitter’s spiraling business. And she’s a free agent after leaving Meta last year.
Cons: Musk is no fan of Facebook, and I don’t think they would get along. Sandberg also seems happy focusing on her philanthropy and family life these days.
Emmett Shear, co-founder and CEO of Twitch
Photo by Lawrence Sumulong/Getty Images
Pros: While Shear wasn’t on my shortlist of possible names until I started asking around, I’m coming around to the idea. As the co-founder and current head of Twitch, he has successfully sold a social media company to a tech giant and has the experience Musk needs for his plan to turn Twitter into more of a video platform for creators. Plus, I’ve been hearing that the Twitch org is in disarray as of late.
Cons: He hasn’t led a public company, and Musk plans to bring Twitter back out to the public markets in several years. And Twitch has been unable to successfully expand outside of its main niche of gamer livestreams.
Vanessa Pappas, TikTok COO
Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for TikTok
Pros: She has the experience Musk needs, having first helped stand up YouTube’s early creator program and more recently as the COO of TikTok. I’ve also heard whispers that she may be planning an exit from TikTok / ByteDance sometime this year.
Con: If Musk is mainly looking for someone that the big advertisers know to lead Twitter, she wouldn’t be the top choice since her focus has mainly been on product and creators.
Jim Lanzone, CEO of Yahoo
Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The MAKERS Conference
Pros: Lanzone’s background is more in media and advertising, aside from his brief stint as CEO of Tinder. He is now leading Yahoo but may jump for the right opportunity. He has the connections with the advertising community and operations experience that Musk could use and the constitution to deal with Musk’s antics.
Con: Unclear if he would want to work for Musk and take on the headache that is Twitter right now.
Kevin Systrom, Instagram co-founder
Photo by Mike Cohen/Getty Images for The New York Times
Pros: In terms of pedigree and product chops, the Instagram co-founder and former CEO is definitely a top pick. He has been quiet since he left Instagram / Facebook in 2018 after clashing with Mark Zuckerberg, though he showed his interest in the TikTok model of social media — disentangling in-feed recommendations from someone’s social graph — on Lex Fridman’s podcast last year. That’s exactly what Musk wants Twitter to focus on, too.
Cons: He has already worked for an opinionated founder / CEO, made a lot of money, and likely doesn’t want to do it all again. Also doesn’t have the degree of clout with the advertising community that Musk is probably looking for.
Honorable mentions floated to me: Adam Bain, Susan Wojcicki, Sarah Friar, Kayvon Beykpour, and Kevin Weil. Am I missing anyone else? Let me know...
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England’s banning plastic plates and cutlery later this year
England already has restrictions on plastic straws, drink stirrers, and cotton swabs. | Photo By Paul Chinn/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images
England’s taking its single-use plastics ban even further by restricting the sale of plastic cutlery, plates, bowls, trays, balloon sticks, as well as certain kinds of polystyrene cups and food containers (via Engadget). According to an announcement on the English government’s website, the new ban will go into effect in October of this year.
Once the ban comes into force, people will no longer be able to buy or obtain these single-use plastics from businesses, including retailers, restaurants, food vendors, and other locations.
The ban won’t affect the plastic plates, trays, or bowls that come with pre-packaged food items, though, as they’re already included in the country’s Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme. This initiative incentivizes companies to use recyclable packaging, as well as “meet higher recycling targets.”
The upcoming ban expands on the country’s existing rules surrounding plastic products. In 2018, England introduced a ban on microbeads, the tiny pieces of plastic added to personal care products that can get into waterways and harm marine life. It later restricted the availability of single-use plastic straws, drink stirrers, and cotton swaps in 2020, and introduced a tax on imported plastic packaging that doesn’t include at least 30 percent recycled material last year. The country also charges for the use of plastic bags.
“By introducing a ban later this year we are doubling down on our commitment to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste,” Rebecca Pow, England’s environment minister, says in a statement. England’s ban follows Scotland and Wales’ move to restrict the sale of plastic cutlery and plates last year, and comes after the European Union did the same in 2021.
However, some critics argue that it still isn’t enough to tackle rampant plastic pollution that’s wreaking havoc on the planet. As journalist and former Guardian environment editor, John Vidal, points out, England’s ban “is too narrow in its scope,” as it doesn’t “cover single-use plastic water bottles, makes no mention of plastic bags and does not even try to control the burning of plastic waste in incinerators.” Meanwhile, Meg Randles, a political campaigner at Greenpeace UK, welcomes the change, but says the move is “long overdue” and “still a drop in the ocean compared to the action that’s needed to stem the plastic tide.”
In addition to an extended ban on single-use plastics, the country’s also “carefully considering” restrictions on wet wipes, tobacco filters, and sachets. It may also require companies to add labeling to plastic products to inform customers how to properly dispose of them, and is working towards developing a bottle return program.
Saudi Arabian academic on death row for using Twitter and WhatsApp
Court documents reveal reasons for Awad Al-Qarni’s arrest – even though rulers are major investors in social media platforms
A prominent pro-reform law professor in Saudi Arabia was sentenced to death for alleged crimes including having a Twitter account and using WhatsApp to share news considered “hostile” to the kingdom, according to court documents seen by the Guardian.
The arrest of Awad Al-Qarni, 65, in September 2017 represented the start of a crackdown against dissent by the then newly named crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.
Since its launch in November last year, ChatGPT has become an extraordinary hit. Essentially a souped-up chatbot, the AI program can churn out answers to the biggest and smallest questions in life, and draw up college essays, fictional stories, haikus, and even job application letters. It does this by drawing on what it has gleaned from a staggering amount of text on the internet, with careful guidance from human experts. Ask ChatGPT a question, as millions have in recent weeks, and it will do its best to respond – unless it knows it cannot. The answers are confident and fluently written, even if they are sometimes spectacularly wrong.
The program is the latest to emerge from OpenAI, a research laboratory in California, and is based on an earlier AI from the outfit, called GPT-3. Known in the field as a large language model or LLM, the AI is fed hundreds of billions of words in the form of books, conversations and web articles, from which it builds a model, based on statistical probability, of the words and sentences that tend to follow whatever text came before. It is a bit like predictive text on a mobile phone, but scaled up massively, allowing it to produce entire responses instead of single words.
Facebook and Instagram to restrict advertisers’ access to teenagers’ data
From February advertisers will no longer be able to see young users’ gender or type of posts they have engaged with
Facebook and Instagram are to tighten restrictions around the data available to firms to target ads at teenage users, the platforms’ parent company, Meta, has said.
From February, advertisers will no longer be able see a user’s gender or the type of posts they have engaged with as a way of targeting adverts to them. Under the enhanced restrictions, only a user’s age and location will be used to show them advertising, Meta said.
Spotify is having an outage
The service is... spoty. | Nick Barclay / The Verge
It’s Friday night in the US, and the music is not playing on Spotify for many people. Users report streams suddenly stopped, and for people who’ve logged out, some say they can’t log in again.
The outage has garnered over 30,000 reports on DownDetector.com, starting just before 8PM ET and rising sharply since then. A status page for the company’s web API indicates a “minor” partial outage affecting only the player itself, which is consistent with what we’re seeing — but that’s also the most important part of Spotify.
Something’s not quite right, and we’re looking into it. Thanks for your reports!
The Spotify Status Twitter account has acknowledged the issues, tweeting, “we’re looking into it,” but there’s no indication yet about what may have caused the problem or when services will be restored.
The last time we noted this kind of service-wide outage for Spotify, a Google Cloud problem was the culprit, but so far, there’s no indication of a larger cloud or routing issue that might also impact other services.
For the moment, you may have to pass the aux cord to someone who doesn’t have a Spotify subscription (they’ll be easy to identify, they’re the only one who didn’t post a Spotify Wrapped image on social media a few weeks ago), or do something as archaic as relying on downloaded MP3s or some sort of physical media.
Toyota took classic AE86s and filled them with batteries and hydrogen
Neither of these AE86s take gas. | Image: Toyota
The “E” in the name of Toyota’s legendary AE86 was there to designate it as a Corolla, but wouldn’t it be awesome if it stood for “electric” instead? Apparently someone at the company thought so; Toyota is showing off a concept version of what the 80s icon would look like if it were powered by batteries (or hydrogen). The two cars are being exhibited at the Tokyo Auto Salon show, which runs from January 13th to the 15th.
The AE86 BEV Concept uses “electrification technologies cultivated by Lexus,” according to Toyota’s website, with parts from a hybrid Tundra and Prius. Mated to the truck motor is something you don’t usually see in electric cars — a manual transmission. I can’t say I’m exactly sure what driving stick with a motor that can provide near-instant torque would be like, but I do know that I’d love to find out.
With that said, I don’t think that joyride would be super speedy, or last very long; while Toyota clearly took pains to preserve a lot of the original AE86 driving experience, according to Jalopnik that motor could be making as little as 48 horsepower, less than half the original. Also, a Prius battery is just not going to get you very far.
Image: Toyota
Clever.
Not that power matters much to me — I’m just a sucker for cars with that quintessential 80s shape. To anyone out there looking to make a car with barely any curves (ahem), this is how you do it; not by copying PS1-era graphics, but by taking inspiration from geometric shapes, like the trapezoid. That is, as long as you’re trying to target people who grew up in the 80s and 90s watching anime like Initial D, which famously featured an AE86 — and which these concepts are clearly paying homage to with their paint jobs and stickers. I’ll admit that outside of that demographic, the general public probably isn’t clamoring for a return to boxy vehicles.
Toyota restomoded another AE86 to make its original engine run on hydrogen, so you can get the “appeal points of sound and vibration” that you’d get from a gas engine, but without the carbon emissions, according to Toyota. No points for guessing that some of the parts came from a Mirai, Toyota’s experiment with hydrogen that (unfortunately, in my opinion) hasn’t gotten much interest or investment in America. As Ars Technica points out, though, this car likely won’t be as efficient as a Mirai, or as fast as an unmodded AE86; there’s a reason most hydrogen vehicles use it in fuel cell form, rather than burning it in an engine.
While I’d probably go with the battery powered version if I was buying either of these cars, the AE86 H2 Concept has one massive advantage over the electric version: it has the pop-up headlights, instead of the fixed ones.
Not that it’s likely I’ll ever get that choice. While Toyota hinted during its press conference that it’s at least thinking about trying to make things easier for people trying to convert their own beloved cars away from gasoline, it’s not like like there are a ton of AE86s just lying around to be restored and modded. The company stopped making them in 1987.
It seems the AE86 BEV and H2 are destined for a place on my “cars I want but will never be able to get” list. They’ll be on there alongside that incredible Hyundai Grandeur EV we saw last year, a US version of the Honda E, and a Ford Maverick with both the AWD and hybrid systems sold at MSRP. (Ford, I know you can put those two things together because of the Escape and F-150, just do it already!)
PS: if you want to see these cars being put together, you can check out this video detailing that process — though unless you understand Japanese, it’s going to be a mostly visual experience.
The best tech you can gift mom year-round
The Oura Ring is a great gift for the mom who hates strapping things to her wrist. | Image: The Verge
What do you gift your mom? That’s a challenging question to answer, especially given mothers — the generous, unselfish beings they can be — are not likely to spill the beans when asked.
Luckily, we’ve done the hard work for you. With the help of The Verge staff, we’ve curated a list of some of the best tech gifts you can treat your mom — or any mother figure, really — to year-round. Whether it’s for her birthday, Mother’s Day, or Christmas, here you’ll find something that caters to all kinds of budgets and interests, ranging from smartwatches and Kindles to massage guns, robot vacuums, and more. You can rest assured that these are items we can personally vouch for as well, having tested and reviewed them ourselves.
Peruse this list below and see if there’s anything on here you can either buy or glean an idea from that’ll put a smile on your mom’s face.
The best gifts for mom
Gifts under $50
Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
The Chromecast plugs into your TV’s HDMI port.
Chromecast with Google TV (4K)
The best streaming device out there
If you’re going to buy your mom a streaming device, you might as well purchase the best one on the market, which is the Chromecast with Google TV (4K). Google’s Chromecast offers software that brings together recommendations from all of your streaming services and even provides a host of useful information, including Rotten Tomatoes ratings. In addition to offering access to all the major streaming services, the device provides support for 4K content, Dolby Atmos, and Dolby Vision. Right now, you can buy it for $49.99 from Best Buy, Target, Walmart, and Google. Read our review.
Image: Tile
Unlike Apple’s AirTags, the Tile Mate is compatible with iOS and Android devices.
Tile Mate (2022)
An item tracker that’s compatible with iOSandAndroid
Gifting your mom a Bluetooth tracker like the 2022 Tile Mate can help her save time the next time she forgets where she put her car keys. The convenient tracker is compatible with both iOS and Android, and the Tile app will allow you to keep tabs on her belongings from up to 250 feet away. Unlike Apple’s AirTags, each Tile Mate features a built-in hole, too, so she can securely attach the device to her keys, purse, or just about anything without the need for additional accessories. The trackers are even water-resistant and offer user-replaceable batteries. You can currently buy one for $19.99 in either white or black at Amazon, Best Buy, or Target.
Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge
The third-gen Echo Dot offers far better sound quality than its predecessor.
It may be an older device, but Amazon’s third-gen Echo Dot is still a high-quality, Alexa-enabled smart speaker you can buy for under $50. Once set up, the puck-like speaker will allow your mom to easily control her smart home gadgets hands-free — or check the weather, set alarms, listen to music, and carry out a host of other tasks via Alexa. It may not sound as great as the fifth-gen Echo Dot, but it still offers impressive sound for its size and remains an affordable way to smarten up any room. Right now, you buy the last-gen device for $24.99 instead of $39.99 at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. Read our review.
Image: Chamberlain
The MyQ Chamberlain’s Smart Garage Control is compatible with Amazon Key, so Amazon drivers can securely drop packages off in your mom’s garage if she’d like.
MyQ Chamberlain Smart Garage Control
A smart garage door opener that’s compatible with Amazon Key
With MyQ Chamberlain’s Bluetooth-equipped smart garage door controller, your mom can open and close her garage door from just about anywhere. This means if she accidentally forgets to shut it while leaving home, she can do so even while out and about. Even better, it’s compatible with Amazon Key and Walmart’s in-home delivery service, which means drivers can securely drop off groceries and other packages in your mom’s garage if she opts in. The Smart Garage Control retails for $29.99, and you can buy it from Best Buy, The Home Depot, and Ring.
Image: Netflix
A Netflix gift card offers mom access to thousands of movies and TV shows.
Netflix gift card
A gateway to endless entertainment
With a Netflix gift card, your mom can indulge in thousands of movies and TV shows from the comfort and safety of her home. The popular streaming service boasts more recent hits like Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery and Wednesday, along with older hits like Stranger Things, Bridgerton, Top Gun, and more. Plus, if she’s already a subscriber to the popular streaming service, she can use the gift card toward paying her monthly fees, which start at $6.99 / month and run up to $19.99 / month depending on the plan. Right now, you can buy a digital Netflix gift card from Target,Best Buy, Amazon, and Walmart. If you prefer a physical gift card you can wrap, you can order one from Best Buy.
Image: Anker
Anker’s Nano 3 is a powerful charger you can easily take with you on the go.
Anker 511 Charger
A fast, portable charger
For the mom who is always on the go, there’s the Anker’s 30W 511 Charger, a USB-C charger that’s small enough to fit in your mom’s purse but capable enough to juice any device she might have. The Anker charger can quickly charge iPhones as well as Samsung Galaxy devices, Google Pixel phones, tablets, and a range of other tech. The charger comes in a variety of attractive colors, too, including black, white, blue, green, and purple. Right now, you can buy it for $22.99 from Amazon and Anker.
Gifts between $50 and $150
Photo by Becca Farsace / The Verge
The Instax Square SQ1 is like the classic Polaroid but comes in a variety of fun colors.
Fujifilm’s Instax Square SQ1
An instant camera with a selfie mode that prints classic Polaroid-framed film
Mom can take a trip down memory lane with Fujifilm’s Square SQ1, a great instant camera she can use to capture and print memories within minutes. The camera is like the classic Polaroid cameras that rose to prominence in the late-’70s — it even uses Polaroid-framed film — but it’s also equipped with fun, modern features like a one-touch selfie mode and mirror. The camera comes in several colors (orange, blue, and white) and is available for around $120 from Amazon, Best Buy, and Moment. Read our review.
Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge
Amazon’s 2021 Echo Show 8 is the best smart display for most people.
Amazon’s Echo Show 8 (second-gen)
The best smart display for most people
Amazon’s second-gen Echo Show 8 is always a popular, welcome gift (and for good reason). Your mom can use the Alexa-enabled smart speaker to make Zoom calls, view grocery lists and family photos, watch videos, and control a range of smart home devices. The newer Echo Show 8 also offers faster performance than its predecessor and an improved 13MP camera that allows you to keep the subject centered in the frame as they move around on video calls, meaning your mom can call friends and family while cooking or exercising. Plus, she can use the device to stream shows and movies from Netflix, Hulu, and a number of other popular services. Right now, you can buy it for $79.99 instead of $129.99 at Amazon, Target, and Best Buy. Read our review.
Photo by Chaim Gartenberg
2021 Kindle Paperwhite
The ultimate e-reader
For the bibliophile, the latest Kindle Paperwhite is the ultimate Kindle. Your mom won’t need to worry about the device running out of battery life because it can last for months on a single charge, nor will she have to worry about getting it wet given its IPX8 waterproofing. It’s also easy to read text on its crisp 6.8-inch 300ppi display, which is larger than that of its predecessor, and it even features a USB-C charging port and adjustable color temperature, allowing it to better emulate the color of actual paper. The ad-supported base model with 8GB of storage starts at $139.99 and is currently available at Amazon, Target, and Best Buy. Read our review.
Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
Amazon Smart Thermostat
A cheap, Alexa-enabled thermostat
Don’t be fooled by the price: Amazon’s Smart Thermostat may be affordable, but that doesn’t mean it’s cheap. If anything, our reviewer found it to be one of the best she’s used in her 10 years of testing smart thermostats. The modern device — which is the cheapest smart thermostat you can buy right now — ensures your mom will feel comfortable no matter how hot or cold it is, as it will automatically adjust to the temperature of her home based on whether she’s inside, out and about, or asleep. It also offers native support for Amazon Alexa, so she can adjust the temperature hands-free using her voice. It’s available for $79.99 at Amazon, Target, Best Buy, and Lowe’s. Read our review.
Photo by Emma Roth / The Verge
You can use the Fire HD 8 to use popular apps like Netflix, read books, video chat, and more.
Amazon Fire HD 8 tablet
An affordable tablet
While it can’t compete with an iPad in terms of performance, Amazon’s latest Fire HD 8 could be a good present if you’re looking for a basic tablet for under $100. The Fire HD 8 comes with USB-C support, a battery that should last for up to 12 hours, and support for Amazon Alexa. Your mom can use the budget-friendly tablet to play games, access popular apps like Netflix and Twitter, or video chat with loved ones. She can also use the Fire HD 8 to read books — even if it isn’t a dedicated Kindle — making it an affordable e-reader alternative as well as a tablet. The ad-supported base model, which comes with 32GB of storage, currently starts at $99.99 at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. Read our review.
Gifts between $150 and $399
Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
These AirPods are sweat and water resistant, features that come in handy while out for a run.
AirPods (third-gen)
The latest pair of AirPods
If you have a music-loving mother, the latest pair of AirPods make for a great gift. The third-gen wireless earbuds are IPX4 sweat and water-resistant, which is something your mom will likely appreciate during a light workout, and they support features like spatial audio, which makes listening to select content a more immersive experience. The newer earbuds also showcase shorter stems than the previous model and come with a wireless charging case that’s compatible with Apple’s MagSafe charging system.
Normally $179, you can buy the MagSafe-compatible model from Apple or AT&T for around $179, or at Sam’s Club for $169.98 ($10 off) if you’re a member. The model that comes with a Lightning charging case is also on sale for $169 at Walmart. Read our review.
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
The Amazfit GTR 4 offers a great display, which is one of the many reasons it’s our favorite fitness tracker.
Amazfit GTR 4
Our absolute favorite fitness tracker
You can help your mom keep tabs on her health by gifting her the Amazfit GTR 4, which is one of our favorite fitness trackers. The smartwatch boasts a lot of features that are hard to find at this price range, including an OLED screen, stress and sleep tracking, and Amazon Alexa support. It also offers a host of basic features, like the ability to make calls, as well as some more unique features, such as a native camera remote and a Pomodoro timer. Plus, it’s platform-agnostic, so she can use it with either her iPhone or Android device. It’s currently available for $199.99 from Amazon, Target, and Amazfit. Read our review.
Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
The Beats Fit Pro feature built-in wing tips for a more secure fit.
Beats Fit Pro
A great pair of wireless earbuds for fitness fans
Apple’s AirPods make for a great gift, but if your mom is a fitness fan or fancies herself an athlete, it may be a better idea to gift her a pair of the Beats Fit Pro. The fitness-centric earbuds boast IPX4 waterproofing — meaning she won’t have to worry about them while in the middle of a sweaty workout — and they come with built-in wing tips, helping ensure they’ll stay in her ears no matter how fast she runs. Plus, unlike the third-gen AirPods, they feature active noise cancellation, so your mom can easily tune out the world and better focus on the task at hand. Regularly $199.99, you can currently buy a pair of the Beats Fit Pro for $159.99 at Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart. Read our review.
Image: Theragun
The Theragun Mini is small, powerful, and quiet.
Theragun Mini massager
A powerful, portable massager
Whether she’s in need of some R&R, suffers from the aches and pains of growing older, or simply lives an active lifestyle, the Theragun Mini is a gift your mom will surely appreciate. The excellent massage gun is powerful, quiet, and incredibly small — so she can carry it around whenever she needs some relief for her muscles — and it comes in three distinct colors (black, white, and red). You can buy it right now at Target and Walmart for around $179, or at Amazon for $199, its typical retail price.
Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
The well-designed Ring Alarm Pro makes building out a smart home simpler.
Ring Alarm Pro
A smart home security system that makes it easy to build out a smart home
Gifting a smart home security system is like gifting your mom some peace of mind. Provided she doesn’t already own a lot of smart home devices, the Ring Alarm Pro is well-designed, simple to use, and will make it easy for your mom to build out her smart home. It comes with a slew of useful features, including a built-in Eero mesh Wi-Fi router and a Ring Lighting bridge she can use to connect her smart lighting. While it integrates extremely well with Amazon’s Alexa, note that it isn’t compatible with other platforms. The Ring Alarm Pro Base Station starts at $249.99 at Amazon and Best Buy, while the starter kit sells for $299.99 (Amazon, Best Buy). Read our review.
Image: The Verge
The latest Oura Ring is an excellent health tracker that doubles as a subtle piece of jewelry.
Oura Ring (third-gen)
A smart ring loved by the stars
Loved by celebrities like Prince Harry and Kim Kardashian, the third-gen Oura Ring is a sleep and recovery tracker that doubles as jewelry. As noted in our review, the comfortable health tracker offers a range of perks, including quantified meditation sessions as well as the ability to measure your daytime heart rate and track various sleep metrics. It’s a nice gift if your mom is a fan of rings or simply would prefer a stylish smartwatch alternative that doesn’t wrap around her wrists.
Right now, you can buy the ring in gold, silver, and black directly from Oura for $299. Note, however, that a paid subscription is required to access some of the ring’s more insightful features, including the guided mindfulness sessions. The first six months are free, but after that, you — or your mom — will be required to pay $5.99 a month.
Image: Fellow
You can quickly choose your desired temperature while using the Fellow Stagg Kettle.
Fellow Stagg Kettle
A terrific (and attractive) pour-over kettle
Whether your mom opts for tea or coffee, an excellent pour-over kettle is always a welcome gift that will brighten up her mornings. With Fellow’s electric Stagg Kettle, your mom will be able to enjoy the perfect drink each day, primarily because she can choose her desired temperature and even time her tea or coffee extraction with the kettle’s built-in stopwatch. The stainless steel kettle also comes in a variety of colors and handle styles, making it an attractive piece of kitchen decor as well as a convenient appliance. Right now, it’s available starting at $165 from Amazon, Williams Sonoma, and Fellow.
Gifts over $400
Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge
The latest iPad Mini offers a fast processor and an elegant design.
2021 iPad Mini
The most powerful iPad Mini yet
If you’ve got some cash to spare, why not gift your mom Apple’s latest iPad Mini? The 2021 tablet is the most powerful Mini yet, with a fast A15 Bionic processor, USB-C support, and an elegant, 8.3-inch display your mom will surely appreciate. Plus, the redesigned tablet comes with perks like Apple’s Center Stage feature, which allows the front-facing camera to digitally pan and zoom in on your mom while she’s taking video calls. The base model with Wi-Fi and 64GB of storage normally retails for $499.99, but Best Buy currently has it for just $399, while Walmart has it for $469.99. You can also buy it for around full price from B&H Photo and Target. Read our review.
Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge
The iRobot Roomba j7 impressed us with its cleaning capabilities.
iRobot Roomba j7
Our favorite robot vacuum
The iRobot Roomba j7 is our favorite robot vacuum, one capable of accurately navigating around your home and avoiding obstacles like pet waste and power cables. Your mom will also appreciate its mapping capabilities and support for Google Home and Amazon Alexa, which will allow her to control it with her voice and program it to clean only select areas. Right now, you can buy the Roomba j7 for $599 from Best Buy, Wellbots, and iRobot. Read our review.
EVgo’s New Year’s resolution: make its EV fast-charging network more reliable
A crew works to replace older EVgo fast charging stations through its new ReNew program. | Image: EVgo
When electric vehicle owners take longer trips, they often rely on nationwide fast charging providers like EVgo, Electrify America, and ChargePoint to reach their destinations. So it can be more than a minor inconvenience for EV drivers if they arrive at a station with problems like damaged cables, disconnected modems, or annoying error codes.
This year, EVgo is looking to leave behind broken and unreliable EV chargers with its ReNew program that bolsters site maintenance efforts across its more than 850 fast charging stations with 1,700 or so charging stalls. It’ll also upgrade older stations with new hardware that enables up to 350kW charging for capable vehicles like the GMC Hummer EV.
In August, EVgo COO Dennis Kish wrote in a company blog that more than 45 chargers had been upgraded or replaced since the beginning of 2022. Those efforts will continue this year, as Kish mentions in an announcement video that ReNew will roll out across “hundreds” of US stations: “We are going to be retiring or upgrading or replacing chargers that have aged in our network.”
EVgo says it has been leveraging data it collects from charging station diagnostics and insights from customers who use the network, app, and rate chargers on PlugShare. Stations can be analyzed for issues like lower usage, failed connections, and error code patterns. Based on alerts received, EVgo’s rapid response team can then either go fix problems or plan for an overhaul to replace legacy equipment.
As EVgo works on revamping the stations, it says customers will be in the know. “When we know a station will be replaced or upgraded, we notify customers in the area via email that we’re about to visit the site and their nearby charger will be offline while we work; we send another email when the station is back up and running,” EVgo’s chief commercial officer, Jonathan Levy, via an email to The Verge.
Image: EVgo
Newer EVgo charging station models — some still include CHAdeMO for Nissan Leaf compatibility.
What really matters for EV drivers is that the charger just needs to work, and EVgo’s new program could help relieve some anxiety stemming from the inadequacies of charging networks. Time will tell if the ReNew program measurably improves customer experience throughout 2023 — the company had ranked third behind ChargePoint and Electrify America in customer satisfaction for fast chargers last year, according to a JD Power survey.
Maybe don’t stick flying bladed cameras in a movie star’s face
A promo still for Netflix’s Agent From Above. | Image: Netflix
The upcoming Netflix show Agent From Above tried to film its star up close with a drone — and Taiwanese actor Kai Ko got stitches, and possibly worse, when things went wrong (via DroneDJ).
We don’t have many confirmed details on what happened during the December 27th shoot other than that they were filming an action scene close-up when the drone hit him in the face, slashing his cheek.
Ko’s manager told Taiwanese media that the star suffered “serious disfigurement” and needed up to 30 stitches after the drone exploded. Production companies mm2 and Good Films say “there was no explosion or blades shattering as reported in some articles,” claim it was operating “within standard safety guidelines,” and say that the drone’s propeller blades were “shielded by a protective layer.”
Both sides agree that his cheeks were injured and needed stitches, though, and Variety confirmed that he hadn’t returned to work as of January 11th, though production on the show has resumed.
Netflix doesn’t appear to be commenting on the incident.
I humbly suggest that the “standard safety guidelines” should include: “don’t film anywhere near a person’s face with a flying bladed camera.”
Twitter reportedly makes more cuts to online safety teams
A dozen people based in Dublin and Singapore who moderate content and monitor hate speech believed to have been let go
Twitter has made more cuts to its trust and safety team in charge of international content moderation, as well as a unit overseeing hate speech and harassment, Bloomberg reported on Friday.
The move adds to longstanding concerns that new owner Elon Musk is dismantling the company’s regulation of hateful content and misinformation.
Chameleon cars, urine scanners and other standouts from CES 2023
AI-ovens, dual-display or 3D screen laptops and satellite SOS texting shine at Las Vegas tech show
From colour-changing cars, dual-screen laptops and satellite emergency texts to AI-ovens and a urine-scanning smart toilet upgrade, the annual CES tech show in Las Vegas had more concepts of the future on show than ever before.
The biggest consumer gadget show of the year was still quieter than pre-pandemic levels, with the global economic slowdown biting big tech along with everything else.
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