Technology

Microsoft is releasing its own Windows File Recovery tool, designed to retrieve files you’ve mistakenly deleted. Windows File Recovery is a command line app that will recover a variety of files and documents from local hard drives, USB drives, and even SD cards from cameras. Recovery of files on cloud storage or network file shares is not supported, though. Like any file recovery tool, you’ll need to use it as soon as possible on deleted files to ensure they haven’t been overwritten. You’ll be able to use Microsoft’s new tool to recover MP3 files, MP4 videos, PDF documents, JPEG images, and typical Word, Excel, and PowerPoint documents. Microsoft’s Windows File Recovery app. Microsoft’s file recovery tool has a default mode that’s designed primarily for NTFS file systems. It will recover f...

Earlier this month, the Russian authorities lifted their ban on the Telegram messaging app, citing the company’s willingness to help with its counterterrorism efforts. However, despite the official ban being in effect for over two years, Telegram has reportedly remained accessible in the country for much of that time. In a new feature, The Washington Post has written how Telegram’s founder Pavel Durov, “humiliated and outmaneuvered Russia’s state telecommunications regulator,” in preventing the app from being successfully banned. Unsurprisingly, it’s well worth a read in full. Telegram initially gained the attention of the Russian authorities because it had reportedly become one of the apps of choice for the country’s opposition groups. The authorities wanted access to the encrypted messag...

Smart locks typically come in two general styles: ones that replace your existing deadbolt and require obvious electronics or interfaces mounted on the inside or outside of the door, or ones that just bolt on top of your existing deadbolt, allowing you to keep most of your original hardware, including your keys. Both designs typically allow you to control the lock with your phone or through automations, but neither is particularly discreet. The Level Lock is a new smart lock that bucks those trends: once it’s installed, it’s completely invisible and hides all of its electronics and mechanics inside your existing deadbolt lock. It still allows you to open and close the lock remotely with your phone or your voice through Apple’s HomeKit platform (more on this later) or manually with the same...

On June 22nd, 2020, President Donald Trump issued a proclamation suspending the entry of guest workers to the United States, supposedly in response to unprecedented unemployment levels. Specifically, the proclamation ordered immigration officials to deny entry stamps to a range of guest worker visas, including H-1Bs. The result is that, for tens of thousands of valid visa holders, entry to the United States is no longer guaranteed. In theory, the proclamation makes exceptions for medical workers and scientists involved in coronavirus research. But the unusual enforcement mechanism and immediate impact of the proclamation have meant that most of those distinctions have been lost in the chaos, as foreign-born workers and their employers adjust to the new status quo. The Verge spoke to four p...

As I put together this latest list of what’s new on streaming this week, I realized a theme running through the selections: bad-ass women. There’s a documentary about crime-solving writer Michelle McNamara, a series based on a manga comic about a warrior nun (yes, really!), and of course the Schuyler sisters, Angelica and Eliza, from Hamilton. [embedded content] I’ll Be Gone in the Dark (HBO, June 28th) This six-part documentary series follows the remarkable story of the late writer Michelle McNamara and her investigation into The Golden State Killer, who terrorized California for years in the mid- 1970s and 1980s. Vulture calls it “a tough, ultimately inspirational work about how life kicks the shit out of you and you just have to get through it somehow, coping with sadness and regret and...

As I put together this latest list of what’s new on streaming this week, I realized a theme running through the selections: bad-ass women. There’s a documentary about crime-solving writer Michelle McNamara, a series based on a manga comic about a warrior nun (yes, really!), and of course the Schuyler sisters, Angelica and Eliza, from Hamilton. [embedded content] I’ll Be Gone in the Dark (HBO, June 28th) This six-part documentary series follows the remarkable story of the late writer Michelle McNamara and her investigation into The Golden State Killer, who terrorized California for years in the mid- 1970s and 1980s. Vulture calls it “a tough, ultimately inspirational work about how life kicks the shit out of you and you just have to get through it somehow, coping with sadness and regret and...

Starbucks will join the growing list of corporate entities pausing advertising on social media platforms, the company said in a blog post Sunday. The coffee giant says that it stands “against hate speech” and believes “both business leaders and policy makers need to come together to affect real change.” “We will pause advertising on all social media platforms while we continue discussions internally, with our media partners and with civil rights organizations in the effort to stop the spread of hate speech,” the blog post, titled “Creating Welcoming and Inclusive Online Communities” states. A Starbucks spokesperson told The Verge Sunday that the company’s social media advertising pause will not include YouTube, and while Starbucks will continue to post to social media, it won’t do paid pro...

Starbucks will join the growing list of corporate entities pausing advertising on social media platforms, the company said in a blog post Sunday. The coffee giant says that it stands “against hate speech” and believes “both business leaders and policy makers need to come together to affect real change.” “We will pause advertising on all social media platforms while we continue discussions internally, with our media partners and with civil rights organizations in the effort to stop the spread of hate speech,” the blog post, titled “Creating Welcoming and Inclusive Online Communities” states. A Starbucks spokesperson told The Verge Sunday that the company’s social media advertising pause will not include YouTube, and while Starbucks will continue to post to social media, it won’t do paid pro...

Amazon workers at six sites across Germany plan to strike Monday because dozens of staff members at its logistics centers have been infected with the coronavirus, union officials told Reuters. The union says the company is prioritizing profits over workers’ safety. Labor union Verdi says “at least 30 to 40 colleagues were infected” with the virus, according to Reuters. The strike will last 48 hours and be conducted with the motto “good and healthy work.” Amazon warehouse workers in Germany have struck several times in recent years, over worker pay and conditions. In recent months, Amazon warehouse workers in the US have staged protests over what they say are unsafe working conditions, and walked off the job in several cities. Workers criticized the company for not notifying workers when co...

Amazon workers at six sites across Germany plan to strike Monday because dozens of staff members at its logistics centers have been infected with the coronavirus, union officials told Reuters. The union says the company is prioritizing profits over workers’ safety. Labor union Verdi says “at least 30 to 40 colleagues were infected” with the virus, according to Reuters. The strike will last 48 hours and be conducted with the motto “good and healthy work.” Amazon warehouse workers in Germany have struck several times in recent years, over worker pay and conditions. In recent months, Amazon warehouse workers in the US have staged protests over what they say are unsafe working conditions, and walked off the job in several cities. Workers criticized the company for not notifying workers when co...

This year’s new iPhones might not have as much in the box as you’re used to. According to well-connected analyst Ming-chi Kuo, Apple is planning to stop including a power adapter and EarPods in the box with 2020 models, and will even remove the power adapter from the new iPhone SE’s packaging later this year. Kuo’s research note was reported on by AppleInsider, MacRumors, and 9to5Mac. Apple is attempting to offset the cost increases that come with upgrading the iPhone range to 5G, according to Kuo. Smaller packaging would be more eco-friendly and also reduce shipping costs, since more phones could fit into a single shipment. (Encouraging more sales of AirPods can’t hurt, either.) Right now Apple includes EarPods with all iPhones, a 5W USB-A adapter with the 11 and SE, and an 18W USB-C adap...

This year’s new iPhones might not have as much in the box as you’re used to. According to well-connected analyst Ming-chi Kuo, Apple is planning to stop including a power adapter and EarPods in the box with 2020 models, and will even remove the power adapter from the new iPhone SE’s packaging later this year. Kuo’s research note was reported on by AppleInsider, MacRumors, and 9to5Mac. Apple is attempting to offset the cost increases that come with upgrading the iPhone range to 5G, according to Kuo. Smaller packaging would be more eco-friendly and also reduce shipping costs, since more phones could fit into a single shipment. (Encouraging more sales of AirPods can’t hurt, either.) Right now Apple includes EarPods with all iPhones, a 5W USB-A adapter with the 11 and SE, and an 18W USB-C adap...