Image: Meta Meta has announced that it’s adding HD video calling and noise suppression to its Messenger app, along with several other features like AI backgrounds that help bring it up to par with other popular smartphone video calling apps. HD video calling is enabled by default on Wi-Fi but can be turned on for calls using your cell data plan in the “Call settings” menu. You’ll also find options to adjust noise cancellation or switch your call’s audio output. Meta says it’s giving users the ability to leave voice or video messages as well. Image: Meta Messenger now has AI-generated backgrounds. Apps like Google Meet, Zoom, and FaceTime have all had these features already, and for many years in some cases. The same goes... Continue reading…

When you step into the world of virtualization, youll definately come across containers. Designed as standalone environments that include everything from apps to their config files and dependencies, containers are as useful to programmers and DevOps maestros as they are to casual users and self-hosting enthusiasts. If youre not already using these neat tools to enhance your computing experience, this article will convince you to give Docker containers a shot.

I haven't been using routers supplied by our service provider for years but it's only recently I made the switch from an aftermarket router to one I made. Sure, I've messed around with some hardware and connected a few devices, but I only just upgraded the entire home with a custom router. If you've never considered building a custom router before, it's easier than you think. You can be up and running in no time and here's how I did it.

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge After its foray into headphones, the next major new product category from Sonos is rumored to be a video streaming box similar to a Roku, Amazon Fire TV, or Apple TV. Such a device has been rumored for ages now, with Bloomberg previously reporting that its price is expected to fall between $150 and $200. And today we got confirmation (or at least something close to it) that the Sonos streamer will run an operating system built by The Trade Desk, a digital advertising business. Janko Roettgers first reported on a partnership between the two back in September, noting that The Trade Desk is “supplying Sonos with the core smart TV OS, and facilitating deals with app publishers, while Sonos is designing its own hardware, and customizing the... Continue reading…

Whether you are building yourself a home server from new components or repurposing old hardware, a NAS is a great project to enhance your home network capabilities. There is a good deal of choice when it comes to NAS operating systems and what you choose to go with will surely be something youll need to live with for a very long time.

A conceptual rendering of Blue Origin’s cargo lander. | Image: Blue Origin / NASA After asking both SpaceX and Blue Origin to develop cargo landers for its Artemis missions, NASA has announced plans to use those landers to deliver heavy equipment to the Moon. The agency wants Elon Musk’s SpaceX to use its Starship cargo lander to deliver a pressurized rover to the Moon “no earlier” than 2032, while Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin will be tasked with delivering a lunar surface habitat no sooner than 2033. Both launches will support NASA’s Artemis missions, which aim to bring humans back to the Moon for the first time in over 50 years.Both companies are developing human landing systems for Artemis missions — SpaceX for Artemis III and Blue Origin for Artemis V. NASA later asked both companies to develop cargo-hauling variants... Continue reading…

Image: The Verge Reddit appears to be having some issues, as many users can’t get the platform to load reliably. “There was a bug in a recent update we made, but a fix is in place and we’re ramping back up,” Reddit spokesperson Tim Rathschmidt said in a statement to The Verge.Its status page says Reddit is experiencing “degraded performance” across the web and mobile apps, and that it’s “currently investigating the issue.” For many Reddit users, myself included, the site doesn’t load at all and simply displays the error message: “upstream connect error or disconnect/reset before headers. reset reason: connection failure.” Yes. We're working on it. https://t.co/8MZVlusmD7— Reddit, Inc. (@Reddit) November 20, 2024On Reddit’s mobile app, users are... Continue reading…

Good one, T-Mo. | Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge T-Mobile isn’t exactly known for having a stellar track record against hackers, but it seems that the company actually caught a recent cyberattack in progress and shut it down in time. Bloomberg reports that T-Mobile detected suspicious activity in a recent attempt to access customer data and kicked the cyber criminals out before they were able to infiltrate deeper levels of the network. The report doesn’t name the hackers or the date when the breach occurred, but details are consistent with the recent Salt Typhoon attack in which Chinese hackers targeted US telecom companies — including T-Mobile. Targets of that attack included members of the Trump and Harris campaigns. Hackers successfully breached Verizon, T-Mobile, and Lumen ISPs.... Continue reading…

Microsoft Excel is the de facto choice for businesses and professionals. We rely on it for everything from simple calculations to complex data analysis, yet many of us remain trapped in a cycle of manual data entry and repetitive tasks. Dealing with endless rows, columns, and formulas shouldnt have to be a constant struggle. Here is where Excel automation comes into play to minimize errors, speed up your workflow, and unlock its true potential.

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Microsoft has been trying to convince Windows 10 users to upgrade to Windows 11 for months now, ahead of the end of support date for Windows 10 in October, 2025. Earlier this year, Microsoft started using fullscreen prompts to warn Windows 10 users about the support cutoff, and now it’s using similar prompts to try and tempt people to buy a new Windows 11 PC instead.Over the weekend some Windows 10 users have noticed these new fullscreen prompts, and Microsoft is using them to suggest you can “do more with a new Windows 11 PC” or “level up to the new Copilot Plus PCs” to get “the ultimate Windows 11 experience.” Like the prompts earlier this year, the read more link goes to a promotional site that includes links to new Windows 11 PCs.... Continue reading…

A screenshot of today’s NYT Connections on the alternate puzzle creator. | Screenshot by Jay Peters / The Verge The New York Times wants to shut down a copy of its popular Connections word game. The publication sent a cease and desist letter to the owner of a website that lets you make your own Connections games. The site also has a full archive of all of the NYT’s past Connections puzzles, which the NYT keeps behind a paywall.The Connections creator website is built and run by Anthony Salazar, a freelance web developer who runs the creative studio Swellgarfo. Earlier this month, striking New York Times tech workers used Salazar’s Connections tool to make their own strike-themed puzzle. Salazar previously told me that he built the archive using the NYT’s publicly available API.In the letter, which Salazar shared with The Verge, the NYT’s counsel... Continue reading…

Back in August, we heard reports of Bing Wallpaper asking people to sideload a Bing extension onto Chrome. It definitely raised an eyebrow at the time, but little did we know that this would be the tip of the iceberg. After Microsoft released Bing Wallpaper for public use a few days ago, it turns out that it runs some pretty shady code that people using the app should definitely know about.