In 2020, LinkedIn founder, tech investor, and Harris megadonor Reid Hoffman made a custom Monopoly board to celebrate Airbnb’s IPO. Instead of jail, it sent players to “Government Regulation.” Read More
Image: Microsoft
Microsoft is modernizing how its Windows Hello authentication, which includes facial and fingerprint recognition, works in Windows 11. The revamp to the Windows Hello experience is now in beta testing with Windows Insiders, and includes visual changes, new iconography, and improvements to passkeys.
Not only will this new UI appear on the Windows 11 login screen, but also when you’re using passkeys to sign into websites and apps. “We redesigned Windows security credential user experiences for passkey creating a cleaner experience that supports secured and quick authentication,” explains the Windows team. “Users will now be able to switch between authentication options and select passkey / devices more intuitively.”
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Image: Intel
Intel is rolling back one of the biggest changes to its laptop chips in years. Remember how this fall’s Lunar Lake laptops ditched the idea of memory sticks, putting a fixed amount of RAM on the processor package instead? Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger now says that turned out to be a financial mistake, and Intel won’t do it again. Oh, and he may be axing desktop GPUs, too.
Future Intel generations of chips, including Panther Lake and Nova Lake, won’t have baked-on memory. “It’s not a good way to run the business, so it really is for us a one-off with Lunar Lake,” said Gelsinger on Intel’s Q3 2024 earnings call, as spotted by VideoCardz.
“We’ll build it in a more traditional way with memory off-package, and the CPU and I/O capabilities in the…
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Image: Epic games
Epic Games is about to host big in-game event ahead of its next throwback season — and it could be pretty musical.
The event’s title suggests the music theme — “Remix: The Prelude” — and a post from Epic suggests to be at the event with “the volume UP”. Fortnite is already famous for bombastic musical events, so this event to wrap up the latest Marvel-themed season could be quite a show.
But the “Remix” title is also pointing at Epic bringing back and remixing elements of its Chapter 2 seasons, kind of like it did with the Chapter 1-themed “OG” season last year, The company has already teased what some of those remixes might look like, including a character that combines Meowscles, a swole cat (yes), with Midas.
If you want to watch the…
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With bombs, brawls, and stolen mail-in ballots already in play, the 2024 election is shaping up to be exceptionally chaotic. WIRED is tracking these incidents as they unfold. Read More
Turns out, taking things apart is still just as much fun as when you were a kid. | Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge
My first DIY smartphone repair project was off to an inauspicious start.
I’d successfully removed the back of the HMD Skyline, but the next instruction called for a T3 screwdriver bit. I had a T4 bit, which worked well enough to turn the screw that popped the corner of the phone’s back panel up. But a T4 was just too big for the tiny screws holding the battery connector cover in place. I needed that T3.
The Skyline is one of HMD’s latest user-repairable phones. It’s a midrange phone, one of the first Android phones with Qi2 wireless charging, plus a 6.55-inch OLED panel, three rear cameras, and a big 4,600mAh battery for $449. In my limited use, the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 seems prone to lagginess, and the 1080p screen resolution really…
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Image: Pixelmator
Apple has agreed to acquire Pixelmator, a popular image editing app available on Mac and iOS. Pixelmator announced the news in a post on its blog, saying it will now “have the ability to reach an even wider audience and make an even bigger impact on the lives of creative people around the world.”
Pixelmator issued the following statement about the acquisition (emphasis ours):
Pixelmator has signed an agreement to be acquired by Apple, subject to regulatory approval. There will be no material changes to the Pixelmator Pro, Pixelmator for iOS, and Photomator apps at this time. Stay tuned for exciting updates to come.
No details about the deal were revealed except that it is still pending, subject to regulatory approval of Apple buying the…
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Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge
Apple is taking a 20 percent stake in its iPhone satellite connectivity partner GlobalStar — a stake worth $400 million — as part of an expansion of its deal with the company. GlobalStar will also receive a prepayment of $1.1 billion from Apple that is intended to improve satellite infrastructure.
Apple relies on GlobalStar’s satellites to enable to send emergency text messages, iMessage reactions, and more through the skies in areas with no cell signal. GlobalStar disclosed the details of the deal expansion in an SEC filing, which includes “a new satellite constellation, expanded ground infrastructure, and increased global [mobile satellite services] licensing.”
Apple launched its Emergency SOS feature on the iPhone 14 in 2022 and…
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Illustration: The Verge
WhatsApp is adding yet another way to organize all your chats. If you’re tired of struggling to find certain conversations, now you can slot them into custom categories, called Lists.
You can create and label lists dedicated to specific chats, such as those with your family or work colleagues. The messaging app will then display them at the very top of your inbox, alongside the “All,” “Unread,” and “Groups” filters WhatsApp rolled out earlier this year.
Image: WhatsApp
To create a list, tap the “+” icon in the filter bar at the top of your chats tab. You can then enter a name for your list and choose which conversations to add. WhatsApp will let you add both group chats and one-on-one conversations to your lists. If…
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The biggest retail event of the year has grown into an entire month of sales that ebb and flow. Here’s how to make the most of it. Read More