Technology

The pen, as the saying goes, is mightier than the sword. And modern computers, apparently: despite the leaps and bounds of technology, with tablet styluses and Wacom digitizers, ordinary pen and paper has survived to this day. But the $399 reMarkable 2 — the company’s new second-generation E Ink tablet — looks to challenge that assumption, offering an updated design, improved specs, and a better pen to try and give the centuries-old technology of paper some new digital flair. The original reMarkable was a unique device: a massive E Ink panel with a unique pen and the ambitious goal of killing traditional paper. It fell short in a few key respects, with the first-generation E Ink display unable to match the speed and reliability of paper. Verge Score 7.5 out of 10 Good Stuff Enjoyable writi...

The opening keynote for Gamescom, the biggest gaming convention on Earth, is happening today, August 27th. But instead of passionate fans and media roaming through the event in person, it’s all happening online due to the coronavirus pandemic. If you want to tune into that, we’ve provided all the info below that you’ll need. The gaming news will continue to pour until the event ends on Sunday, August 30th. There is always a lot of big news that comes out of Gamescom, so it’s worth paying attention if you want to hear about the latest games coming to PC, Nintendo Switch, PS5, and the Xbox Series X, as well as the PS4 and Xbox One. A small sampling of what to expect includes Star Wars: Squadron, Fall Guys, but of course there will be a lot more. Here’s everything you need to know to follow a...

Three thousand Californian apartments will be linked up to solar panels and batteries — meaning they might never experience a power outage again, no matter what California’s utility companies do. The project, planned by German energy storage company Sonnen, will be spread across seven apartment complexes — the largest of its kind. Virtual power plants can offer California residents reliability The connected set of solar panels and batteries form what’s called a “virtual power plant.” Besides making sure the whole community can run on backup solar power during blackouts, these VPPs also reduce strain on the grid — because VPPs store their energy on-site. What’s more, they can be tapped to provide energy during demand peaks. “As I look out my window I can see [wildfire] smoke right now and I...

Amazon is getting into the health gadget market with a new fitness band and subscription service called Halo. Unlike the Apple Watch or even most basic Fitbits, the Amazon Halo band doesn’t have a screen. The app that goes along with it comes with the usual set of fitness tracking features along with two innovative — and potentially troubling — ideas: using your camera to create 3D scans for body fat and listening for the emotion in your voice. The Halo band will cost $99.99 and the service (which is required for Halo’s more advanced features) costs $3.99 per month. Amazon is launching it as an invite-only early access program today with an introductory price of $64.99 that includes months of the service for free. The Halo service is a separate product that isn’t part of Amazon Prime. The ...

Ikea and Lego just announced the Bygglek collection of playful storage boxes fitted with Lego studs that let you build directly onto their surfaces. The range consists of four different products: one set of three small boxes, two sets of bigger boxes, and one set of Lego bricks to get the creative juices flowing. The Ikea x Lego collaboration was first announced back in 2019. “Bygglek is more than boxes. It is storage and play intertwined,” said Lego designer Rasmus Buch Løgstrup. “Bygglek provides families with a product range that helps create space for more play in their everyday — fueling creativity, making it possible to have more fun together. It’s a possibility to play, display the cool creations and return to it to replay, remake, recreate or start over.” The Bygglek series will be...

Today sees the launch of an exciting new season in Fortnite — but not for everyone. Because of the ongoing legal battle between developer Epic Games and Apple, the game’s latest season won’t be appearing on Apple hardware, including the iPhone, iPad, and Mac. This marks a huge change for Fortnite, a game that has long been at the forefront of crossplay. Now that’s changed. If you’re playing the game on an Apple device — which is still possible if you already have it installed — you’re experiencing a very different version of Fortnite. And it’s one that feels vastly inferior to what’s available on every other platform. One of the best things about Fortnite is the way it works seamlessly across mobile, consoles, and PCs. Aside from some control and graphical differences, it’s essentially the...

LG has officially announced a portable air purifier that you wear on your face like a mask. The PuriCare Wearable Air Purifier uses a pair of replaceable filters similar to what you’d find in LG’s range of air purifiers for the home, pairing them with battery-powered fans to help you breath. LG says the device has sensors to detect when you’re breathing in or out, and adjusts the fans’ speeds accordingly. Today’s announcement ahead of IFA 2020 doesn’t explicitly mention the COVID-19 pandemic, but it heavily implies that the mask was developed in response to it. The company says the wearable air purifier is designed to replace the “inconsistent” homemade masks worn by some people, as well as the disposable masks that it says have been in short supply. Back in July, when LG first announced t...

Fairphone, the sustainable smartphone manufacturer that tries to make easily repairable devices using responsibly sourced materials, has announced its latest handset. The Fairphone 3 Plus is an upgraded version of last year’s Fairphone 3 with improved cameras and speakers. More interestingly, though, if you already bought last year’s phone and don’t want to upgrade to a whole new handset, then Fairphone’s modular design means you can purchase the new camera module on its own and install it into your existing phone. The Fairphone 3 Plus will cost €469 (about $550) when it releases on September 14th, but buying the upgraded cameras on their own as a modular upgrade will cost €94.90 (about $111). (Fairphone is offering an introductory price of €70 (about $80) until the end of September.) Alth...

Netflix has canceled its adaptation of Altered Carbon after two seasons, according to Variety, marking the end of yet another big-budget adaptation for the streaming service. According to Deadline, the cancellation was decided back in April, and was made for the company’s usual cost / benefit reasons. In other words, Altered Carbon’s fate isn’t apparently COVID-19 related — as has been the case with other recent Netflix cancellations, like The Society and I Am Not Okay With This, both of which had second season plans nixed “due to circumstances created by COVID,” according to a Netflix statement at the time. The fact that Altered Carbon got the axe isn’t too surprising The fact that Altered Carbon got the axe isn’t too surprising, though. The show debuted in 2018 as a marquee series for Ne...

Google’s privacy settings don’t just confuse its users — they confuse its employees too, according to internal documents unsealed in a lawsuit over Google’s data collection. “The current UI feels like it is designed to make things possible, yet difficult enough that people won’t figure it out,” one Google employee said, according to the heavily redacted documents that were newly unsealed today. The lawsuit was originally filed by Arizona Attorney General Mark Brnovich in May; the new information in the unsealed documents was first reported on by The Arizona Mirror. “Even top-level Google employees do not understand under what conditions Google collects location data.” “Even top-level Google employees do not understand under what conditions Google collects location data,” Brnovich and his t...

Joseph Staten, a veteran of the Halo series, has returned to the franchise and will work on the campaign for the upcoming Halo Infinite. The news was first reported by Bloomberg, and Staten confirmed the move on Twitter. “I’m thrilled to join @Halo to help them ship Halo Infinite,” Staten says. “As the project lead for the Infinite Campaign, I will be supporting the team’s existing, great leaders and empowering them to do their best work.” Halo Infinite was planned to launch alongside the Xbox Series X in November, but was delayed into next year following an underwhelming demonstration during Microsoft’s Xbox games showcase. “We have made the difficult decision to shift our release to 2021 to ensure the team has adequate time to deliver a Halo game experience that meets our vision,” studio...

TikTok CEO Kevin Mayer has left the company amid ongoing disputes with the Trump administration and sale talks. The news was first reported by the Financial Times. “We appreciate that the political dynamics of the last few months have significantly changed what the scope of Kevin’s role would be going forward, and fully respect his decision,” a TikTok spokesperson said in a statement to The Verge. “We thank him for his time at the company and wish him well.” Mayer announced his departure in an internal email viewed by the Financial Times. TikTok’s general manager Vanessa Pappas will take over the position in the interim, according to the newspaper. “In recent weeks, as the political environment has sharply changed, I have done significant reflection on what the corporate structural changes...