Without its national parks, "America The Beautiful" might be a song about polluted skies, dirty strip malls, and gated playgrounds. The park system has lovingly been called "America’s best idea" for a good reason; even in a time when it feels like our neighbors are yelling at eac … | Continue reading
A tiny ball of gold carrying medicine could help doctors fight Alzheimer’s disease. Scientists have created a nanoparticle that is just the right size to target the overactive brain receptors that cause neurological disease, while leaving the rest of the receptors we need alone. … | Continue reading
Eurogamer has gotten its hands on a working version of the rumored PS4 Slim, seemingly confirming the leaked images of the console that came out yesterday. A report from The Wall Street Journal also corroborates the existence of a smaller PlayStation 4, stating Sony will unveil a … | Continue reading
Car dealerships are beginning to use virtuality reality to sell their vehicles, but once upon a time, sealing the deal required carmakers to pass out printed matter. The folded car dealer brochure was a carefully planned work of artful design intended to show the promise and pres … | Continue reading
Beer pong, a decades-old staple of the modern American college experience, deserves a reboot. We gotta make it more high tech. Pongbot could be the start of a rethinking of the game. The beer pong-oriented robot just launched on Kickstarter and is basically a cup holder on wheels … | Continue reading
Apple has quietly acquired health data startup Gliimpse, Fast Company reports. The acquisition reportedly happened earlier this year, although it hasn’t been publicly announced. Fast Company says that Apple has now confirmed it, commenting that "Apple buys smaller technology comp … | Continue reading
The buying spree of machine intelligence startups continues, with Microsoft announcing Monday that it is acquiring automated calendaring service Genee.Genee, which launched in 2014, uses artificial intelligence to help automatically schedule meetings based on the participants’ sc … | Continue reading
Heads-up displays or HUDs are one of the best features in newer vehicles, as they allow drivers to keep their eyes focused on the road instead of on their in-dash navigation or their smartphone running Google Maps. Now, Hudly is looking to bring that technology to drivers whose v … | Continue reading
In a lab in Germany, researchers are making shrunken, see-through rodents. Don’t worry, it’s not as macabre as it sounds. Rather, this new method is a step forward for science because it’s the first time we can image whole animals at once and see how their organs work together. I … | Continue reading
Nintendo isn’t the only one making a smaller NES.Today the company behind the gorgeous, aluminum Analogue Nt — a modern console designed play classic games — announced new version that keeps the same beautiful style, but shrinks it down into something more compact. The new versio … | Continue reading
For the 30 short stages of Hidden My Game By Mom, a mother hides a little boy’s Nintendo DS, and you must help find it. This is, at least at first, a traditional hidden object game, a genre indebted to Where’s Waldo and decades of Scholastic magazines. By tapping the 2D artwork, … | Continue reading
Dear class of 2016 or later, let us — a team of post-college writers who all made questionable shopping decisions throughout their grade school and college days — help you find the best back-to-school supplies for class, the essentials for your dorm, and a few things that'll make … | Continue reading
Last month, Marvel revealed that Tony Stark would be passing on the Iron Man mantle to Riri Williams — a 15-year-old genius and the first young black woman to wear the famous armor. As we suspected at the time, Williams won't be keeping the Iron Man name, and now, as reported by … | Continue reading
For as long as there have been Wi-Fi routers, setting up Wi-Fi has been pretty much the same. You buy a router at the store, plug it into your modem, and that's it. Wi-Fi may even be built into your modem in the first place.But increasingly, it's looking like the future of Wi-Fi … | Continue reading
The thing that makes or breaks a set of earphones is its fit. Without a good seal, earphones can't properly reproduce bass, and without long-term comfort, they can't get into your ears in the first place. So why does Noble Audio, the company I regard as the best creator of in-ear … | Continue reading
Samsung is giving its S Health app a minor overhaul, switching up the layout and making it easier for users to compare fitness levels with friends. There's also a new service named Ask Experts that lets users start Q&As with local healthcare professionals to ask questions about t … | Continue reading
This week is Wilderness Week at The Verge as we celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Parks System on Thursday, August 25th.We’ll also have our This Is My Next pick for best smart lighting this week. If you haven’t already, be sure to check out all our picks from the la … | Continue reading
Organizers of the 2020 Summer Olympic Games in Tokyo aim to produce gold, silver, and bronze medals from the metals found in discarded smartphones and other electronics, according to a report from the Nikkei Asian Review. As the business journal reports, Olympic organizers, gover … | Continue reading
The Electronic Frontier Foundation has accused Microsoft of disregarding user choice and privacy with Windows 10. In a scathing editorial, EFF employee Amul Kalia calls on Microsoft to "come clean with its user community" over a growing number of Windows 10 privacy concerns. "Win … | Continue reading
Harambe, the gorilla that died, is still a going concern in the internet's meme-making business, and that's not goodfor Thane Maynard, the director of Cincinnati Zoo, where Harambe (RIP) lived and loved. Over the weekend, Maynard's Twitter account was temporarily hacked, his prof … | Continue reading
Tech support is apparently a lot easier if you're rich and famous. For Barbra Streisand, it's as simple as picking up the phone and calling the CEO of Apple to get a quick fix. The legendary singer and actress said that she'd become frustrated recently with how Siri pronounced he … | Continue reading
Samsung is preparing to launch a new program selling refurbished, used versions of its high-end smartphones, reports Reuters. According to an anonymous source "with direct knowledge of the matter," the program will use handsets returned to Samsung as part of its upgrade programs … | Continue reading
Sony will show off a new slimmer version of its current PlayStation 4 console next month, the Wall Street Journal reports, a smaller and less expensive machine that would go on sale alongside the upgraded 4K-capable PS4 that the company described earlier this year. The news comes … | Continue reading
The third season of Halt and Catch Fire, the 1980s-set drama about the rise of personal computers, has started early. AMC viewers can watch the series premiere right now, after the network sneakily bumped it forward a few days, with the first episode taking up an hour that had pr … | Continue reading
Countries lean heavily on national stereotypes during their Olympic ceremonies. For Brazil, it was samba and soccer; for the UK, the Spice Girls and double-decker buses. For Japan, the next host of the summer games completing the handover in Rio de Janeiro tonight, it was video g … | Continue reading
Not long after Microsoft’s Xbox One S hit stores, Sony will be releasing its own slimmed down version of its gaming console. Pictures of the updated PlayStation 4 console have appeared in an online auction, showing off some changes to the device, including what appears to be a ma … | Continue reading
Cadillac unveiled the Escala concept, a vision for its new flagship sedan, at a private estate during Monterey Car Week. In it, Cadillac has shed its hard lines and opted for a more fluid form language on the exterior that looks less conceptual and closer to actual real world pro … | Continue reading
Gadget Thirst Trap rounds up the weirdest gadgets of the week that made us thirsty for more. Be sure to follow The Verge (verge) on Snapchat for the video edition. Kushion The KushionIt’s a pillow. It’s a speaker. It’s a pillow speaker. I have so many questions ab … | Continue reading
Lyft is not happy with Travis Kalanick and Uber. Last week, Lyft found itself the subject of several stories claiming the company was involved in active but unsuccessful acquisition talks with a number of firms. Naturally, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick seized the opportunity to zing h … | Continue reading
North Korea is a notoriously isolated country. Sanctions have closed off most trade, and the nation limits its citizens access to the internet. Despite those hurtles, DPRK residents reportedly now have access to their own streaming video service, according to NK News.Called Manba … | Continue reading
In a lot of ways, Final Fantasy XV resembles a typical fantasy epic. You have a band of warriors, led by a brooding prince, traveling the world on a lengthy quest. There’s a serious king doing everything he can to keep his people safe amongst the violent drama of warring factions … | Continue reading
At a recent press conference, Bill Hill, NASA’s deputy associate administrator for exploration systems development, noted that the agency is looking to turn over the International Space Station to a privately held-company in the next decade."NASA’s trying to develop economic deve … | Continue reading
Sony's latest aftermarket head unit will support both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The XAV-AX100 features a 6.4-inch display and comes with Bluetooth and an input for a rearview camera. Notably it doesn't come with an auxiliary port, so if your phone doesn't support Android Au … | Continue reading
This year’s Hugo Awards were awarded last night at MidAmeriCon II in Kansas City, with works such as N.K. Jemisin’s The Fifth Season and Nnedi Okorafor’s Binti walking away with the top prizes. You can read the entire list of winners here, but this year’s awards require a careful … | Continue reading
This year’s World Science Fiction convention, MidAmeriCon II, is currently being held in Kansas City, Missouri. And during tonight’s Hugo Awards ceremony, voters largely rejected the slated works that had been placed on the ballot.The Hugo Award is one of the major awards for spe … | Continue reading
After repeated delays and false starts, Frank Ocean has finally released his sophomore album Blonde. The album, which was formerly known as Boys Don't Cry, was slated to drop on August 5th, but a report from The New York Times detailing the release caused Ocean and his team to pu … | Continue reading
We really dug the Xbox One S, calling it "svelte and good-looking". The latest update to Microsoft’s flagship gaming console is a very pretty box, and now we know why: Andrew Kim was part of the design team.In case the name doesn’t ring a bell, Kim is a "visual and product" desig … | Continue reading
Ride sharing service Lyft has been looking for a buyer in recent weeks, speaking with a number of potential partners including Google, Apple, and GM. One other company said to be in talks was Uber, though no deal was struck.Uber executives have told investors that it wouldn't pay … | Continue reading
When No Easy Day was first published two years ago, it was one of the first accounts depicting the mission that resulted in the death of Osama Bin Laden. Now, it’s author, Matt Bissonnette, will pay $6.6 million to the government to settle a case alleging that he failed to clear … | Continue reading
Samsung users are going to have to find a new way to listen to music: the company announced that it would be shuttering its streaming radio service Milk Music.According to Variety, Samsung will be shutting down Milk Music on September 22nd, urging its Galaxy and Note smartphone u … | Continue reading
Leah Reich was one of the first internet advice columnists. Her column "Ask Leah" ran on IGN, where she gave advice to gamers for two and a half years. During the day, Leah is a Senior User Researcher for Slack, but her views here do not represent her employer. You can write to h … | Continue reading
Looking to buy a Tesla? The company just launched a new two-year lease program for all of its Model S and X vehicles. However, the trial program will apply to all orders of the company’s vehicles from now until September 12th.The new option comes with a hefty price tagTesla alrea … | Continue reading
Last weekend I watched two absolutely heartbreaking movies about sisters whose lives become confined and controlled by the horrid actions of men. The first, Mustang, came out last year and is about five sisters who become quite literally imprisoned by their uncle as he works to m … | Continue reading
We’ve been waiting for four years for some new music from Frank Ocean, and we finally got to take in his "visual album" Endless when it hit Apple Music yesterday. Now, he’s released a powerful new video called Nikes that plays tribute to Trayvon Martin, as well as southern hip-ho … | Continue reading
During a complicated spacewalk on Friday, NASA astronauts Jeff Williams and Kate Rubins successfully installed a new International Docking Adapter (IDA) to the outside of the space station. The six-hour spacewalk helps the space station transition from the era of Space Shuttle tr … | Continue reading
Up until now, users could protect their Chromebook by entering either using their Google account password or by using a paired smartphone to unlock it. There’s now a third option: a simple personal identification number.In a recent Google + post, Google developer François Beaufor … | Continue reading
Ötzi the iceman is a scientific celebrity, and we finally know what he was wearing when he died 5,300 years ago. Using complex DNA techniques, researchers identified the material in everything from his hat to his shoelaces and learned a little more about life in the Copper Age.Hi … | Continue reading
This is the Lamborghini Centenario Roadster. It's more than $2.2 million and only 20 will be made. And they've all been sold already. Nevertheless, Lamborghini unveiled this automotive masterpiece this week at Pebble Beach, following the debut of the coupe version earlier this ye … | Continue reading