As many probably already know, Balatro is the kind of game that, once it gets its hooks into you, is really hard to put down and switch to other games. For me though, the case of Balatro suddenly consuming all my free time for more than a week now is quite unusual. After all, it is the type of game that, at first glance, I would typically pass by without even giving it a try.

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Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge As TikTok becomes a more popular news source for Americans, young adults increasingly believe the platform exposes them to information they’re unlikely to see elsewhere, according to a new survey of Americans’ news habits. The survey, released Wednesday by the Pew Research Center, looks at the role major social media platforms — Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X — play in Americans’ news diets. According to the survey, TikTok is the second most popular source of news after X, though most TikTok users don’t primarily think of the shortform video app as a news source. Among TikTok users, only 15 percent say keeping up with the news is a major reason they use the app. Still, 35 percent of those surveyed said they wouldn’t have seen the... Continue reading…

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photo by STR / NurPhoto, Getty Images Eight former SpaceX engineers filed a lawsuit against Elon Musk on Wednesday alleging sexual harassment and retaliation. Musk, who founded SpaceX in 2002, “knowingly and purposefully created an unwelcome hostile work environment based upon his conduct of interjecting into the workplace vile sexual photographs, memes, and commentary that demeaned women and/or the LGBTQ+ community,” says the employees’ complaint, which was earlier reported by Bloomberg. The complaint — which cites many of Musk’s Twitter posts making sexually explicit jokes — claims that Musk fostered “a perversely sexist culture at SpaceX.” Several of the plaintiffs say they “experienced direct harassment that mimicked Musk’s posts.” According to the suit, senior engineers... Continue reading…

Illustration: Lille Allen / The Verge On Thursday, Tesla shareholders will face a stark choice: approve Elon Musk’s enormous pay package, the largest ever awarded to a chief executive, or risk him picking up his ball and going home. The shareholder meeting on Thursday is a referendum on Musk’s tumultuous leadership, in which he took a relatively niche startup, wrested it away from its founders, and turned it into what is arguably one of the most consequential car companies in modern history. To reward him for this feat, shareholders are being asked to cast an unprecedented vote on Musk’s compensation — to the tune of $50 billion — for the second time. Last January, a Delaware court judge invalidated Musk’s pay package, first approved in 2018, arguing that the process was... Continue reading…

Gone are the days when Apple simply forgot about tvOS. Since tvOS 17, Apple has added several features to its Apple TV software. Thankfully, tvOS 18 is no different, and a lot of new features are coming to Apple's set-top box this year. Here, we gathered the 10 best tvOS 18 features Cupertino announced at WWDC 2024. Starting with the Apple TV app, Apple is adding three new features that will make everyday usage way better when enjoying Apple TV+ content: InSight: An Amazon Prime Video-like feature that displays timely information about actors, characters, and music from Apple TV+ movies and shows onscreen in real-time. Users can select an actor to view their background and filmography page or quickly view the song that is playing in a scene and add it to an Apple Music playlist. Enhance Dialogue: This feature is getting smarter, leveraging machine learning and computation audio to deliver greater vocal clarity over music, action, and background noise on Apple TV 4K. In addition to HomePod speakers, users can now enjoy Enhance Dialogue when listening through built-in TV or HDMI-connected speakers, AirPods, and other Bluetooth-connected devices, and when playing supported content on iPhone and iPad; Automatic subtitles: Subtitles now automatically appear at just the right moments with tvOS 18, including when the language in a show or film does not match the device language when users mute, or when they skip back while watching something. Image source: Apple Inc. For those who prefer connecting an Apple TV 4K to a projector, tvOS 18 brings one of its best features yet: 21:9 support for playing movies and shows. tvOS 18 also adds: New screen savers: Take advantage of Portraits and TVs & Movies screen savers; FaceTime with Continuity Camera: Apple adds Live Captions for English in the US and Canada, so users can read what others are saying on a FaceTime call from the TV; Apple Fitness+: A redesigned interface helps users make the most of the library and explore the exercises they like the most; Photos app: Apple has redesigned the Photos app for tvOS 18.  With a single-view display, it offers new collections to help users browse by themes without having to organize content into albums; Home guest access: tvOS 18 provides users with convenient ways to grant guests control of locks, garage doors, and security systems; schedule individualized or time-based access to the home with smart locks; and view Activity History for guests. Lastly, Apple is reintroducing Apple Music SharePlay so anyone can control the music playing on HomePod and HomePod mini. To join a SharePlay session, users can simply bring an iPhone close to another iPhone — or scan the QR code in the Apple Music SharePlay window on another iPhone — to add songs to the playlist and control playback, even if they do not have an Apple Music subscription. Wrap up There's even more coming with tvOS 18. These are only 10 of the best features that will soon be available to Apple's set-top box users. Don't Miss: tvOS 18: Release date, features, download, Apple TV compatibility, more The post 10 best tvOS 18 features coming to your Apple TV appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals Today’s deals: $30 Thermacell mosquito repeller, $189 AirPods Pro, free LED smart bulb, $349 Dyson, more Today’s deals: $30 Thermacell mosquito repeller, $16 wireless fast charger, $140 eufy robot vacuum, more Today’s deals: $299 Apple Watch S9, $30 Fire TV Stick 4K, $259 stationary bike, $20 Blink Mini cam, more Today’s deals: Amazon Father’s Day sale, $714 Apple Watch Ultra 2, $23 Fire TV Stick 4K, more

Apple previewed iOS 18 during WWDC 2024 earlier this week. With its release expected around the announcement of the iPhone 16, we can't help but wonder what this operating system update can tell us about Apple's next-generation iPhone models. During WWDC 2023, Apple introduced Apple Vision Pro and the Spatial Video feature. At the time, I wrote that Cupertino most likely teased Spatial Video coming to iPhone 15 Pro to popularize this spatial computer feature — and I was right. Now, an iOS 18 tweak leads me to believe that some rumors about the iPhone 16 are probably true, and Apple has a major change coming to at least some of its new phones later this year. X user Greg Sarafian noticed that iOS 18's display bezels expand with a new animation to indicate when a button is being pressed. https://x.com/GregSarafian/status/1800252192512991248 While you could say this is Apple's attention to detail with its UI, I think this might be related to a buttonless iPhone 16. This feature was first expected for the iPhone 15 Pro models but was ultimately scrapped. Now, at least two reputable sources have corroborated this hardware change for the iPhone 16. Last year, analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed Apple was holding the solid-state buttons launch for the iPhone 16 Pro due to “unresolved technical issues before mass production.” Then, in May, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple was “wavering” this feature due to costs and complexity. Still, he believes it’s “likely” to be included with the following year’s Pro models. Most recently, a report by Taiwan’s Economic Daily News said manufacturer ASE might have won a large order for iPhone SiP modules. With that, the company would be responsible for the iPhone 16 capacitive buttons. The publication said Apple plans to remove the main physical buttons from the next iPhone as both volume and power buttons would be solid-state. Now, with iOS 18's design tweak, this could be the biggest indicator that Apple is heavily considering solid-state buttons for the iPhone 16, as this UI could indicate, alongside haptic feedback, that you are pressing a button. Besides that, we heard several rumors about the iPhone 16, including thinner bezels, larger displays, and camera improvements. With iOS 18 already being tested by developers, it won't take long until Apple officially unveils its next iPhone. BGR will keep following the latest rumors and bring everything we learn from iOS 18. Don't Miss: iPhone 16: Rumors, release date, A18, AI, Capture button, and more The post iOS 18 might have spoiled a major iPhone 16 hardware change appeared first on BGR. Today's Top Deals Today’s deals: $30 Thermacell mosquito repeller, $16 wireless fast charger, $140 eufy robot vacuum, more Best Apple deals for June 2024 Best deals: Tech, laptops, TVs, and more sales Today’s deals: $150 Beats Solo 4, $55 HP printer, $248 Sony XM5 earbuds, 25% off eero Pro 6E, more