2016 is shaping up to be a great year for smartphones and the Xiaomi Mi 5 embodies many of the best trends that we can look forward to. Like Samsung’s Galaxy S7, the Mi 5 is a handsome mix of the latest specs and Android software, and it checks off most of the requisite boxes for … | Continue reading
Yesterday, PlayStation VR finally joined the ranks of the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive after Sony announced a release date and price. Sony’s headset will be cheaper than the competition at $399 — provided you already own a PlayStation Camera — and will also be available later, with a … | Continue reading
Cellular companies have the "family plan," and now Uber has "family profiles," in which one person can pay for rides for up 10 family members, friends, or coworkers. The company announced Wednesday that it would be testing the new payment system in Atlanta, Dallas, and Phoenix. T … | Continue reading
Welcome to Mossberg, a weekly commentary and reviews column on The Verge and Re/code by veteran tech journalist Walt Mossberg, now an Executive Editor at The Verge and Editor at Large of Re/code.Just as in politics, there are passionate, long-running disputes in tech. And, in on … | Continue reading
Sony has launched a new PlayStation Video app for Android that allows PS4, PS3, and Vita owners to stream films and TV shows obtained from the PlayStation Store to their smartphones and tablets. New episodes and movies can also be bought inside the app, software that marks the fi … | Continue reading
Smart doorbell maker Ring is one of those rare Internet of Things companies that actually creates useful products. Its latest is the $250 Video Doorbell Pro, an updated version of its original $199 Video Doorbell. The basic premise is the same: the doorbells connects to your Wi-F … | Continue reading
When you think "surfing" your mind probably doesn't go straight to "Android Wear smartwatches," but that hasn't deterred sport watch-maker Nixon. When in doubt, paddle out?The California-based company has just revealed a new, super-rugged Android Wear watch called the Mission. It … | Continue reading
Nikon might want to take a closer look at the cameras that appear in its ads. Photographer David McDonald spotted the poster above in a shop in Northern Ireland, pointing out that the retro-looking camera is not, in fact, one of Nikon's. Instead, it appears to be a Fujifilm x100, … | Continue reading
Microsoft announced earlier this week that it plans to allow Xbox gamers to play against PS4 and PC players. The software giant is opening up its platform to developers to choose whether they will support cross-network play, but it will also require Sony to support it on the comp … | Continue reading
The term “wearable” is misleading in its modern, technological use. Sure, a Fitbit can be worn, but it’s still just an accessory. A non-essential something you choose to wear like headphones, or a tiara. For technology to be truly wearable it should disappear into the things we a … | Continue reading
Momentous things are happening in US politics. No, not the slow, miserable upending of the political system by business Oompa-Loompa Donald Trump, but magic — magic! — might finally be about to get the recognition it deserves. Earlier this week, Texas congressman Pete Sessions in … | Continue reading
Doctors in New York will soon be required to issue digital prescriptions under a state law aimed at curbing opioid abuse. As The New York Times reports, the law makes New York the first state to mandate digital prescriptions and penalize doctors who do not comply. The rule goes i … | Continue reading
Here Maps announced its plans to drop support for Windows Phone and Windows 10 yesterday. As the primary mapping service for Windows Phone, it leaves exiting users with Microsoft's own lackluster maps app. Thankfully, Microsoft appears to be ready to improve its own maps situatio … | Continue reading
The developer kit for Microsoft's HoloLens ships at the end of this month, and the company is busy showing off new apps and experiences for the augmented reality headset. The latest is Actiongram, an AR movie maker that allows users to shoot videos of people interacting with holo … | Continue reading
Stephen Elop, who oversaw Nokia’s ill-fated effort to bet the company on Microsoft’s Windows Phone software, has been hired as strategy chief for Australia’s Telstra.Elop, 52, will begin on April 4 and be based in the US and Australia, reporting to Andrew Penn, CEO of the Austral … | Continue reading
One of the most interesting features of the mobile version of Inbox — Google's other mailbox-management app — is coming to its web version. Smart Reply, which scans your incoming messages and works out a natural-language response, is now available for Inbox on the web, giving use … | Continue reading
Americans have grown increasingly supportive of gay and lesbian adults adopting kids, and a new report from the CDC shows just how far attitudes have shifted. In a survey completed in 2013, nearly 75 percent of women said they agreed that gay or lesbian adults should have the rig … | Continue reading
Today Sony showed off the first consumer version of its PlayStation VR headset, revealing that the device will cost $399 and ship in October. But when will the next iteration come out? Continue reading… | Continue reading
After a month of no changes, Kanye West has made his second update to his latest album, The Life of Pablo, in just two days. Tidal subscribers who listen to TLOP now will find a different version of "Wolves," as well as a completely new song, called "Frank's Track." Kanye foresha … | Continue reading
How does it feel to wear the PlayStation VR? Sony invited the press to try the final design for the headset today in San Francisco. Broadly speaking, the most affordable high-end consumer virtual reality headset feels comfortable and accessible.The headset, which rests on the top … | Continue reading
In the opening moments of Outcast, Cinemax’s new series from The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman, we see a 10-year-old boy named Joshua (Gabriel Bateman) eat the bloody remains of a cockroach. The stomach-turning image of the demon-possessed boy sets the tone for this superna … | Continue reading
Genetic testing offers people insight into the types of diseases they are most likely to develop — but a new study suggests most people do not alter their lifestyles based on this information. These tests — known as genome sequencing — analyze a person's DNA, telling patients abo … | Continue reading
Jay Z's beloved Blueprint series — a collection of albums that includes the 2001 classic The Blueprint, 2002's The Blueprint 2: The Gift & the Curse, and 2009's The Blueprint 3 — is now only available on Tidal. The albums' disappearance from services like Spotify, Apple Music, an … | Continue reading
Executives from Google, General Motors, Delphi, and Lyft appeared before a US Senate committee Tuesday to testify on their latest efforts to bring self-driving cars to the public. But when asked whether they support a bill to require anti-hacking safeguards in connected and auton … | Continue reading
Tesla just sent invitations to media for its expected March 31st event at its Hawthorne, California facility where it will unveil the Model 3, the company's first mass-market vehicle. CEO Elon Musk had previously said that he hadn't decided how much of the car to show at the even … | Continue reading
Google's remained quiet since announcing its plans to remake its Mountain View, California headquarters, other than saying it wants to build giant glass canopies instead of a traditional roof. Now, we're getting a clearer idea of what the company is imagining.Mountain View's plan … | Continue reading
Sony held a speedy press conference at GDC 2016 to reveal details of PlayStation's virtual reality headset, including its price and the first games we can expect to see for it. Follow along here for everything announced. Continue reading… | Continue reading
In a filing entered today in Central California district court, Apple says the government is seeking "an all-powerful magic wand" to force the company into assisting law enforcement. The argument comes in response to FBI demands for Apple to break security on an iPhone linked to … | Continue reading
Instagram is testing a more personalized feed for its users, the company said today. The reorganized feed relies on an algorithm to sort images and videos based on what users are likely to be most interested in. The social media platform currently organizes posts from newest to o … | Continue reading
You might have noticed that the display showing Sony's final PlayStation VR setup included the PlayStation camera, which has been around since PS4's launch. That is indeed a required accessory, and it is indeed... sold separately. A Sony spokesperson noted that many people alread … | Continue reading
Today at its GDC virtual reality keynote, Sony revealed which experiences will graduate from tech demos into full-fledged PlayStation VR titles. Well, we got confirmation on some of them. We already had some sense of what this list would look like as PlayStation VR marches toward … | Continue reading
Just minutes after Sony announced the price and release date for the PlayStation VR system, behind the stage the company unveiled a display showcasing the full PS VR system. It's not any crazier than other VR setups — camera, controllers, extra cables, etc. — but the processing u … | Continue reading
Sony has finally announced the final price of the PlayStation VR. The virtual reality headset will cost $399, and it will be available in October 2016. The company announced the news this afternoon at the 2016 Game Developer Conference in San Francisco, CA.That price could almost … | Continue reading
Washington DC's Metro, the city's subway system that is used by more than 700,000 people every day, will close for 29 hours beginning at midnight tonight — all day on Wednesday, in other words. The closure will allow the inspection of electric cables in the system following an el … | Continue reading
Sony just took the wraps off of the final consumer version of its PlayStation VR headset at its event at GDC 2016. The final version looks very similar to the headset Sony first showed off way back in 2014, but it has a slightly different lighting pattern on the outside. Sony say … | Continue reading
Twenty-five members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences recently sent a letter to the Academy's board of directors voicing their concerns with parts of the Oscars that perpetuated Asian stereotypes, The Hollywood Reporter reports. The jokes in question came during … | Continue reading
Join us live from San Francisco to see the future of Sony's virtual reality efforts, and stay tuned as we get a hands-on look at new games and hardware. Continue reading… | Continue reading
Medium is quickly evolving into a powerful, feature-rich platform for publishers, but today the company is taking new steps to surface its best content for readers. With new updates to its apps for Android and iOS, Medium is switching up the home screen to highlight new "collecti … | Continue reading
When the pilot for AMC’s upcoming series adaptation of Preacher screened at SXSW yesterday — to rapturous applause from the fan-heavy crowd — much of the focus was on directors and executive producers Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. But the secret weapon of the show is writer/showr … | Continue reading
There’s virtually no drama in the story of a successfully recovered addict, plodding dutifully through the daily fight for sobriety. But there’s plenty of drama in a story about addicts buckling under pressure, giving in to their worst impulses when it matters most. That simple e … | Continue reading
Amid the nonstop parties, panels, activations, and tacos, Google was dealing with a pronounced shadow hanging over its presence at SXSW this week: the company’s ambitious self-driving car program was responsible for its very first collision back in February. Now the fallout has f … | Continue reading
Google Maps makes it easy for users to compare different ways of getting around: driving a car, taking public transportation, walking, or bicycling, for example. A few years ago, Uber integration — complete with estimates for pricing and length of ride — was added to give riders … | Continue reading
Fossil is expanding its Android Wear smartwatch lineup today with two new models: the Q Wander and Q Marshal. The new watches follow the Q Founder that was released late last year and offer alternative designs to the Founder's heavy metal frame. They will be available later this … | Continue reading
I've spent the last few minutes staring at a black-and-white picture on an iPad. It's a picturesque, cartoony campground surrounded by picnic tables, a flower garden, and even some farmland. I'm looking for Mary. I know that she's a farmer, and that she is holding a trowel in one … | Continue reading
Last month, Google updated its search engine to quickly display information about the US presidential election, including delegate counts and the political stances of each presidential candidate. Now it's adding campaign finance information provided by the Center for Responsive P … | Continue reading
Harrison Ford will return once again as Indiana Jones. Disney announced this morning that he'll star in a new movie, directed by Steven Spielberg, slated for release on July 19th, 2019.That's basically all of the detail we have so far. Kathleen Kennedy and Frank Marshall, who wor … | Continue reading
Director Mike Flanagan introduced his second feature film, Hush, at the Alamo Drafthouse screening I attended this weekend saying, "this screening that you're seeing, here in this theater, is the best one so far." Aside from the noxious combination of the Drafthouse's pizza, beer … | Continue reading
The new Fitbit Blaze is a good Fitbit. Like earlier Fitbit models, the $200 Blaze will track your daily activity, count your steps, monitor your heart rate, gauge how well you're sleeping, and put all of that data into an excellent, easy-to-use app on your phone. It will show you … | Continue reading