Senator Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) sent Apple CEO Tim Cook a letter asking for information regarding Cook and Apple’s conversations with President Donald Trump’s administration about tariffs and any special exemptions from the tariffs, Bloomberg reports.Warren’s letter, obtained by Bloomberg, points out that Apple “appeared to have invested heavily in influencing the Trump Administration” through things like Cook’s $1 million donation to Trump’s inauguration and Cook’s presence at the inauguration. It discusses The Washington Post’s recent report about Cook’s discussions with White House officials, including a reported conversation with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick about how tariffs could impact the price of iPhones.It also notes Trump’s tariff exemptions for smartphones and other electronics and quotes WaPo saying that “Apple appears to be the only company that benefits from virtually all of [them].”Warren’s letter concludes with a list of questions for Apple, which includes inquiries on things like the nature of Cook’s discussions with the Trump administration, when Apple learned about the exemptions, and asking about the “the value of the additional profits that Apple will obtain as a result of President Trump’s tariff exemption.” The letter does not include a deadline for Cook to respond. Apple didn’t immediately reply to a request for comment from The Verge.

There are a lot of caveats if you're trying to save money on a motherboard, that is, unless you can find one that's on sale. Luckily, this one from NZXT seems to deliver most of the things we'd be looking for, and does so at a great price. The NZXT Z790 motherboard is perfect for the latest generation of Intel processors, and is now being discounted by 60%, coming in at just $120 for a limited time.

Lexus’s mid-sized ES luxury sedan is getting a redesign for its eighth generation that includes some edgier styling and a significant platform change that accommodates both an all-electric drivetrain and a regular hybrid one.Revealed at the Shanghai Auto Show today, the 2026 ES is Lexus’ second electric vehicle after the RZ, which was just refreshed in March. The bolder-looking ES borrows its “spindle” front styling, spicy angles, L-shaped daytime running lights, and swooping rear from the LF-ZC concept revealed in 2023 at the Japan Mobility Show. Lexus says it will present “a comprehensive reimagining” of its brand at the show this October. The ES uses a modified version of Toyota’s EV platform called the TNGA GA-K, which includes reinforcements for better stability for both the hybrid or EV versions. It can accommodate a new, lighter-weight 2.5-liter hybrid system that comes with more battery capacity for the 350h model, which now includes an AWD option.The platform can also house a big EV battery on the floor of the FWD 350e and AWD 500e models without making the interior less comfortable, according to Lexus. The company estimates that the ES 350e has 300 miles of range per charge when equipped with 19-inch wheels.Inside the ES, you get a 12.3-inch instrument display and a 14-inch infotainment touchscreen that supports Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, plus the ability to connect to two smartphones via bluetooth simultaneously. The door panels have a bamboo look made from 3D printed materials and the cabin has ambient lights and Mark Levinson surround sound audio.Lexus plans to launch the new ES before March 2026, including in the US. In the same timeframe, it plans to release another EV, which could be based on an upcoming three-row SUV that parent company Toyota has cooking while it works to get more serious about EVs.

The Nebula X1 with the optional battery-powered Wi-Fi satellite speakers installed. | Image: AnkerAnker’s new all-in-one Nebula X1 smart projector has everything you’d want from a “cinema-grade outdoor entertainment system.”It produces a bright 4K image from a triple-laser light engine capable of 3,500 ANSI lumens, automatically finds the best place to project an image optimized for the environment, has Google TV built-in to unlock 4K Netflix streams, and features two battery-powered Wi-Fi satellite speakers to create a legitimate surround-sound experience. The only thing missing is a portable screen.The X1 can project a 200-inch image from a distance of 13 to 22 feet thanks to its optical zoom. It’s also fitted with a gimbal that can tilt the output up to 25 degrees to automatically find the best placement on a screen or wall where the image is keystone corrected, focused, and adapted to the ambient light and surface color. A button on the remote control can initiate all that spatial adaptation whenever you want and the X1’s memory feature can preserve settings for repeat locations. And its 5,000:1 native contrast and Rec.2020 color support should help make the X1’s Dolby Vision certification more than just a marketing stunt. It’s the X1’s sound system, however, that’s the real star of this show. The projector includes four built-in speakers (two 15W and two 5W). Those speakers can be combined with a pair of optional battery-powered Wi-Fi speakers good for up to eight hours of audio. Each satellite speaker contains a 40W pair of front drivers, a 20W upward-firing driver, and a 20W side-firing driver to add width and height to audio. The result is a 4.1.2 surround-sound experience when the audio drivers inside the X1 are switched into subwoofer mode. And while the satellite speakers feature IP54 resistance to dust and rain, the X1 projector itself offers no such assurances.Lastly, the X1 is also liquid cooled — an industry first, according to Anker. That not only reduces the size of the unit by omitting the high-powered fans, it also drops the noise to a relatively quiet 26dB. There’s even the option for a two-pack of wireless microphones to get your karaoke on.Anker’s Nebula X1 won’t come cheap. The projector alone will cost $2,999 starting on May 21st, or $3,298 for the X1 bundle, which includes the projector, two mics, a travel case, and a pair of those satellite speakers.

The never-ending debate over which is best between Windows and Mac won't be resolved anytime soon. Some fans will always think Windows is best, while others won't touch it after using the Mac Mini and other Apple products. I'm on the fence. I was a long-time fan who swore by MacBooks due to their refined designs, power, and efficiency. I've now switched to Windows, primarily for gaming and customization options, and have never looked back.

Perplexity’s iOS App just got an update enabling support for the company’s conversational AI voice assistant. Now Apple users can activate the assistant in the app and ask it to perform tasks like writing emails, setting reminders, and making dinner reservations.You can even navigate away from the app and continue to speak to Perplexity, although it doesn’t yet support screen sharing like it does on Android. Meanwhile, some of the conversational AI stuff Apple has promised for the Apple Intelligence-powered Siri could still be more than a year away. And unlike Apple Intelligence, Perplexity’s assistant can do these things on older devices, like my iPhone 13 mini.Introducing Perplexity iOS Voice AssistantVoice Assistant uses web browsing and multi-app actions to book reservations, send emails and calendar invites, play media, and more—all from the Perplexity iOS app.Update your app in the App Store and start asking today. pic.twitter.com/OKdlTaG9CO— Perplexity (@perplexity_ai) April 23, 2025When the Android version launched in January, Perplexity’s spokesperson told The Verge that it would come to iPhones and iPads once “Apple gives us the right permissions,” and apparently that has been worked out. I downloaded Perplexity for the first time on my iPhone today and asked it to set a reminder for me to start cooking at 7PM. I was greeted with a pop-up asking me to give it permission to see my reminders. I accepted, and it added the reminder as I expected. I tried crafting a text message and, as expected, Perplexity asked for access to my contacts. I declined, but I appreciated that the assistant’s next step was to prompt me to just say the intended phone number instead of failing completely.I also tried booking a table at a restaurant, as shown in the video demo posted by Peplexity, and its mobile assistant opened Open Table, then entered the dates and times I said out loud. The actions aren’t end-to-end, though; you’ll still need to complete the process yourself in the window. Perplexity can also open my Uber app and set me up with a ride.Perplexity’s voice assistant has other limitations on iOS. You can’t ask it to look at your camera and “see” what you see for context, as other AI assistants can, like ChatGPT and Grok. But you can still use the standard text-based chatbot to ask questions about a picture. And you can’t ask it to set your iPhone’s scheduled alarms for you — you’ll still need Siri for that.

It was really great seeing all the excitement from fans when Oblivion shadow dropped earlier this week. For a lot of people, the fourth installment in the Elder Scrolls series is the game, the experience that either was the impetus for their career in video games, instilled in them an everlasting love for the format, or both. But I never played Oblivion when I was younger. It came out in 2006, when I was a freshman in college and firmly within the iron grip of the PS2. (While you partied on Cyrodiil, I studied the keyblade.) I was first introduced to the Elder Scrolls series via Skyrim, a game that I simply could not get into despite my best efforts and having a partner who loved the game who I wanted to become closer to. When I started Oblivion for the first time I was so hopeful that it would capture me in a way its successor did not. It did - but not for the reasons I expected. My first surprise came within the game's opening minutes when I met Emperor Uriel Septim VII. I was shocked. This was the Patrick Stewart, Captain Picard himself, best friend of Gandalf the Grey. I was surprised yet again when I met Brother Martin; I'd know Sean Bean's voice anywhere. (And because it …Read the full story at The Verge.

Whether you like it or not, Windows 11 is now the new standard for any PC running a Microsoft OS, with the company officially ending support for Windows 10 in October. Some of you may have been early adopters of Windows 11, while others may be waiting until the absolute last minute to install the newest version. I figured now is as good a time as any to take a fresh look at Windows 11 Pro. I also wanted to share why I find the $99 upgrade fee from Home to Pro, or the $60 difference in the cost of a new license between the two, seems worth it to me, and what I get out of it.

The Anker Prime TB5 Docking Station features adjustable ambient LED lighting to match your gaming setup. | Image: AnkerAnker has announced its first Thunderbolt 5 dock. At roughly 5.2 inches wide and 3.4 inches tall, the Anker Prime TB5 Docking Station is not as compact as some competitors, like CalDigit’s Element 5 Hub. But inside its aluminum alloy housing is an integrated GaN power supply delivering up to 232W of combined power output, so you won’t have to deal with a chunky power brick or a bulky adapter.The Prime TB5 Docking Station has 14 ports, according to Anker, including the SD and microSD memory card slots on the side. Along with those you get two 10Gbps USB-C ports, three 10Gbps USB-A ports, HDMI, DisplayPort, a 2.5Gbps ethernet port, a headphone jack, two downstream USB-C Thunderbolt 5 ports offering up to 120Gbps speeds with a Bandwidth Boost option, and an upstream USB-C Thunderbolt 5 port that can deliver up to 140W of power to a host computer.For comparison, CalDigit’s TS5 Plus, the reigning champ of Thunderbolt 5 port offerings, has 20 ports, including three Thunderbolt 5, five USB-C, and five USB-A. The Element 5 Hub has 15.The Anker Prime dock can connect up to two 8K displays, although Anker says resolutions and refresh rates may be limited by the host system’s capabilities. The company hasn’t said whether triple-display setups are possible; Cable Matters says its Thunderbolt 5 dock can be connected to three displays running at 8K/60Hz or 4K/144Hz.Available starting today through Anker’s online store and other retailers for $399.99, the TB5 Docking Station also features a ring of adjustable ambient LED lighting around the top and a U-shaped air duct with a cooling fan that uses an “intelligent temperature algorithm” to prevent overheating and performance loss. Its firmware can also be updated remotely using Anker’s Dock Manager software, making software maintenance easier in facilities with several in use.

Nearly a year ago, I first got my hands on the Milk-V Duo S, an SBC with two RISC-V cores and an Arm core. You can use a slider to switch between the two modes when booting, though it wasn't possible to boot off the Arm core at first. The company has put out updates and released new bootable images, including an image that can boot from its Arm core. Over time, many community members built their own images based on RISC-V for the Milk-V Duo S as well.

For finance enthusiasts, accountants, and small business owners alike, diving deep into your financial data can unlock critical insights. While many cloud‐based solutions offer convenience, nothing beats the control and privacy of hosting your own finance app. Better yet, if these apps export easily into Excel (or CSV formats that Excel happily ingests), you can unleash powerful analysis through pivot tables, charts, and custom formulas. Below, we explore five self‑hosted finance apps that not only put you in full control of your data but also export perfectly into Excel for detailed, further analysis.

Perplexity Chief Business Officer Dmitry Shevelenko said he didn't want to testify in a trial about how to resolve Google's search monopoly because he feared retribution from Google. But after being subpoenaed to appear in court, he seized the moment to pitch a business opportunity for his AI company: buying Chrome.If Judge Amit Mehta sees things the way the Justice Department does, he could force Google to spin out its popular web browser - including the free open source Chromium browser that many other web browsers are built on. Google says this remedy is playing with fire, and could result in a new Chromium owner charging for the product or failing to keep it running in an adequate way, causing ripple effects across the browser industry.But Perplexity would be happy to take on the project, Shevelenko testified. When an attorney asked if Perplexity believes anyone besides Google could run a browser at the scale of Chrome without diminishing its quality or charging for it, Shevelenko responded, "I think we could do it."It's not the first time the AI upstart has put its name in the ring to take over a major technology platform under siege by the US government. The less than …Read the full story at The Verge.