Don’t be sad‚ Tom Brady. I’m sure the EVs will find a nice home. | Image: Hertz Hertz went from scaling back its electric vehicle ambitions to selling off its actual EVs in the span of three months. The rental car agency said in a regulatory filing today that it will sell 20‚000 vehicles‚ or roughly one-third of its global EV fleet‚ and use that money to buy gas guzzlers. The decision was made after Hertz reported higher depreciation and damage than expected to its EVs‚ amounting to $245 million in costs for the company. Also‚ Hertz apparently couldn’t find enough customers for the EVs in its fleet‚ so selling a huge chunk of them will “better balance supply against expected demand of EVs‚” the company said. The company had previously set a target for 25 percent of its fleet to be electric by the end of 2024. The... Continue reading…

Right now‚ you can save up to $200 on Google’s latest flagship phones. | Photo by Allison Johnson / The Verge We’re firmly living in 2024‚ and if there’s no other tradition to lean on after setting your New Year’s resolutions‚ you invariably can rely on Samsung’s tone-setting phone announcements to make early ripples. Rumor has it we’ll see the Galaxy S24 series in short order‚ and phones like the Pixel 8 family may lose a bit of sheen in its wake. The Pixel 8 and 8 Pro aren’t suddenly obsolete‚ however‚ and that’ll only lead to sharper discounts. In fact‚ this dream duo (we think they’re two of the best Android phones you can buy right now) is already seeing substantial price cuts despite being just a few months old. Right now‚ the 128GB Pixel 8 is back down to its Black Friday price of $549 ($150 off) at Amazon‚ Best Buy‚ and the Google Store.... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Discord is laying off 17 percent of its staff‚ a move that CEO Jason Citron said is meant to “sharpen our focus and improve the way we work together to bring more agility to our organization.” The cuts were announced today to employees in an all-hands meeting and internal memo I’ve obtained. They’ll impact 170 people across various departments. Based on Citron’s message to employees and my understanding of the business‚ Discord isn’t in dire financial straits‚ though it has yet to become profitable and is still trying to revive user growth after a surge during the pandemic. In his memo to employees‚ which you can read in full below‚ Citron said Discord grew its headcount too fast over the last few years — an admission that has become... Continue reading…

One of Clicks’ own marketing images of its yellow keyboard case for iPhone. | Image: Clicks Clicks came out of nowhere last week with a blast from the past — a BlackBerry-like physical keyboard for your iPhone‚ built into a snazzy protective case with colors that pop. Not only that‚ the first iPhone 14 Pro version is shipping in just a few weeks for $139. It’s from a team that knows a thing or two about keyboards‚ including CrackBerry Kevin‚ MrMobile‚ and the guys behind the F(x)tec phone. As a known lapsed QWERTY devotee‚ I had to try it‚ and at CES 2024 I got my chance. View this post on Instagram A post shared by The Verge (@verge) It feels great in the hand‚ with a nice subtly squishy silicone bumper feel‚ and seems well thought out in general. The phone fits so securely‚ and I... Continue reading…

Wi-Fi 7 and an RGB touchpad? I’m in. | Photo by Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge The biggest names in laptops showed up to CES this week with new designs‚ new chips‚ and usually some way to sneak in the term “AI.” But most of them also quietly arrived with one of the most important upgrades of all for competitive gamers on the go: better Wi-Fi‚ with support for Wi-Fi 7. It’s about time‚ because router companies shoved Wi-Fi 7 routers out the door throughout 2023‚ and we’ve been waiting on machines that can put the standard’s ludicrous speed promises to the test. Wi-Fi 7 came to gaming laptops first and foremost‚ and the focus on gaming makes sense. One of the biggest benefits of Wi-Fi 7 is that it allows for one device to connect to your router on multiple bands — a feature called Multi-Link Operation — which gives... Continue reading…

Every major software release by Apple has delayed features‚ watchOS 10 included. The operating system introduced during WWDC 2023 has several functions set to come later‚ including core features for the Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2. By the time Apple released watchOS 10 in September 2023‚ there were a total of six delayed features: Double tap gestures: Users can easily control the Apple Watch Series 9 using just one hand and without touching the display by tapping the index finger and thumb of their watch hand together twice to quickly and conveniently perform many of the most common actions on the Watch. NameDrop from iPhone to Apple Watch: NameDrop is a new feature that lets you easily share your contact information from one iPhone to another by approaching them. Apple says that nearing an iPhone to Apple Watch to perform the same action will be possible later this year with the Apple Watch Series 6 and later‚ Apple Watch SE (1st and 2nd generation)‚ and Apple Watch Ultra.  On-device queries: Users can ask Siri to read and long on-device Health requests. This change not only makes requests faster but more private and secure to users‚ as Siri can be used to access the Health app for health and fitness-related queries on-device (available for Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2). Apple Fitness+ Audio Focus: Prioritize the volume of either the music or trainers’ voices in most Fitness+ workouts HomePod feature: Users can automatically view Now Playing when in the proximity of HomePod (2nd generation) or HomePod mini playing media from Music or Podcasts. HomePod feature: Media suggestions will appear at the top of the Smart Stack if nothing is playing on a nearby HomePod Image source: José Adorno for BGR With watchOS 10.1‚ Apple added the first two features mentioned above. With watchOS 10.2‚ all the other functions were made available‚ although one of them was added‚ and no one seemed to notice it: Media suggestions at the top of the Smart Stack if nothing playing on a nearby HomePod. Although I could almost believe this was a server-side change‚ I recently noticed that approaching my Apple Watch Ultra 2 with a pair of HomePod 2 or HomePod mini would display three music suggestions (albums or playlists) if nothing was playing. While this feature is also exclusive to Apple Watch Series 9 and Apple Watch Ultra 2 users with HomePod 2 or HomePod mini‚ it's nice that it's finally available. Wrap up With that‚ Apple has no more delayed features expected for watchOS 10. That said‚ it doesn't mean the company won't add new functions‚ but at least users can take advantage of all announced features. We still can't say the same about iOS 17‚ iPadOS 17‚ and macOS Sonoma‚ but with the next X.3 versions‚ Apple could also introduce all the delayed features for these operating systems. WWDC 2024 is five months from now‚ and there's a lot we are already expecting for iOS 18. So‚ Apple‚ hurry up. Don't Miss: watchOS 10: Release date‚ new Apple Watch features‚ beta‚ more The post Apple quietly added all the new watchOS 10 features that were delayed‚ and no one noticed appeared first on BGR. Trending Right Now: DC Universe release dates: Every upcoming movie and TV show Netflix new releases: 6 of the biggest and best new titles to watch next week MIT researchers turned concrete into an energy-storing supercapacitor with one cheap additive

I can't say I'm a bird watcher. It's quite the contrary‚ I don't spend enough time in nature‚ though I want to fix that. I can say that binoculars have always appealed to me‚ or rather‚ the prospect of using a pair in the wild. Add smart features to them‚ especially features powered by AI‚ and I'd be immediately drawn in while fully knowing that I'm not the kind of person who would get the most out of them.  With that in mind‚ I'll tell you that the Swarovski Optic AX Visio binoculars that showed up at CES 2024 made me want them immediately. Inexplicably. The ability to identify thousands of birds with AI and capture Full HD footage of what you're looking it sounds amazing. They'd serve as a good excuse to get out more‚ and I'd certainly pack them everywhere.  But it turns out that I have to fight my impulsiveness on this one. The Swarovski Optic AX Visio binoculars will retail for almost $5‚000. That's more than Apple's Vision Pro and a new iPhone would cost‚ combined. Continue reading... The post I wanted these AI smart binoculars designed by Marc Newson until I saw the insane price tag appeared first on BGR. Trending Right Now: DC Universe release dates: Every upcoming movie and TV show Netflix new releases: 6 of the biggest and best new titles to watch next week MIT researchers turned concrete into an energy-storing supercapacitor with one cheap additive

Researchers have found a 4‚000-year-old fortification defending an oasis in the North Arabian Desert‚ at the ancient Khaybar Oasis. Read moreSection: NewsHistory &; ArchaeologyAncient PlacesAsiaRead Later 

The Army saw a 6% decline in white recruits from 2022 to 2023‚ the steepest drop of a gradual decrease since 2018‚ Military.com reported.

The Federal Aviation Administration announced Thursday that it has launched a formal investigation into the Boeing 737 MAX 9 after a cabin panel blew off an Alaska Airlines flight while in midair last week‚ forcing an emergency landing.