Technology

/ Harvard’s canceled solar geoengineering project shows what happens when you try to test controversial climate tech without consulting with communities. a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>Photo: Getty Images After years of legwork, Harvard researchers canceled plans to test a controversial theory for cooling the planet by sending sunlight-reflecting particles up into the atmosphere. Now, members of an independent advisory committee tasked with addressing ethics and safety concerns are sharing what they learned from the ill-fated project. A policy analysis published in the journal Sc...

/ All kinds of IDs, tickets, and other passes can be scanned and stored in Google Wallet using AI. a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>Illustration: The Verge I love storing a digital pass in my phone’s wallet enough that I’m a little miffed when I have to use a different app or, heaven forbid, a saved PDF instead. On Android, at least, there’s a better way, thanks to a new Google Wallet option rolling out now that uses AI to generate a digital version with all the relevant details that you can use just like any other digital pass. The feature, which Google announced at its I/O confer...

The head of chatbot maker Replika discusses the role AI will play in the future of human relationships. Share this story *:last-child>*:last-child]:mb-0″> Listen to Decoder, a show hosted by The Verge’s Nilay Patel about big ideas — and other problems. Subscribe here! That all happened before the boom in large language models, and Eugenia and I talked a lot about how that tech makes these companions possible and what the limits of current LLMs are. Eugenia says Replika’s goal is not to replace real-life humans. Instead, she’s trying to create an entirely new relationship category with the AI companion, a virtual being that will be there for you whenever you need it, for potentially whatever purposes you might need it for. Right now, millions of people are using Replika for ...

/ Microsoft confirmed an Iranian hacking group sent a spear-phishing email ‘to a high-ranking official of a presidential campaign.’ a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos from Brandon Bell, Getty Images Former President Donald Trump confirmed his campaign was hacked just hours after Politico revealed it had been sent internal documents from the campaign. In a statement to CNN, Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung said, “These documents were obtained illegally from foreign sources hostile to the United States, intended to interf...

/ Waymo says it’s addressing the honking — meanwhile, the lot is being livestreamed to relaxing LoFi study beats. a]:text-gray-13″>If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>Photo: Smith Collection / Gado / Getty Images If you’ve ever wondered what happens to all those self-driving taxis when the world is asleep, one YouTube channel has you covered. Since the beginning of the month, software engineer Sophia Tung has been livestreaming a San Francisco parking lot that Waymo is renting to g...

/ That’s a new low on the outgoing entry-level tablet, which was discontinued earlier this year in favor of newer models. a]:text-gray-13″>If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge Although Apple’s tablet lineup has undergone several shakeups over the last several years, we long considered the ninth-gen iPad to be the best budget iPad you could get. That changed when Apple dropped the price of the 10th-gen iPad to a more sensible $349 and discontinued its...

/ AI is about to make the iPhone lineup a lot more interesting. a:hover]:text-black [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-e9 dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray-63 [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-13 dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63″>The next iPhone SE is expected to look like this iPhone 14.a:hover]:text-black [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-e9 dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray-63 [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-13 dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63″>It’s usually very obvious the iPhone SE is the budget pick.

/ You can also score savings on the latest Fire TV Stick 4K Max, PC games, and Skylight’s terrific family calendar. a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>Image: Fitbit As you might expect, not every parent wants to outfit their kid with a phone, especially given the rise in cyberbullying and the sheer amount of distractions they pose while in school. Thankfully, the Fitbit Ace LTE is a more pared-down alternative, one that’s matching its all-time low of $199.95 ($30 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and the Google Store through August 25th. Unlike most smartwatches, the Ace LTE is specifically ...

/ VirtualFriend is free and simple (and available for iPhones, too). a]:text-gray-13″>If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. The Vision Pro got its first Virtual Boy emulator in an app called VirtualFriend, finally giving me, a person with an irrational love for Nintendo’s most short-lived console, a chance to play it in immersive 3D once more. The app is also available for iOS and iPadOS, where it’s a virtually identical experience, minus the 3D effect. The first games I played after downloading VirtualFriend were those I owned as a kid: Red Alarm, Wario Land, and Mario’s Tennis. I’m pleased to say that apart from some minor audio glitches in Red Alarm, the games run well — it’s all just as I remember it. a:hover]:text-gray...

/ The company stopped selling its base Cybertruck — and raised prices for the rest. a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Tesla has stopped selling the $60,990 RWD Cybertruck, the cheapest version of its angular EV truck, Jalopnik writes. At the same time, the company increased the price of the next-in-line AWD Cybertruck by $20,000. Now $99,990, it elevates the EV’s price floor by a whopping $39,000. The Cyberbeast — the tri-motor version of the truck with more torque and a higher top speed than the standard all-wheel drive EV — is also costl...

/ Robocallers would have to reveal they’re using the tech on every AI-generated call. a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>Illustration by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) proposed a new set of rules this week that would require robocallers to disclose when they’re using artificial intelligence for phone calls and text messages. The proposal builds on the FCC’s ban on making AI-generated robocalls without the express prior consent of the person being called. The agency now hopes to require callers to say, while seeking that consent, whether...

Using the Fold can feel special, but Google needs to make some obvious upgrades for the follow-up. By Chris Welch, a reviewer specializing in personal audio and home theater. Since 2011, he has published nearly 6,000 articles, from breaking news and reviews to useful how-tos. Share this story a:hover]:text-black [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-e9 dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray-63 [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-13 dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63″>The Fold’s short and squat outer display has been easy to use. a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow...