Illustration: The Verge Google Meet is making it easier for everyone to position themselves in video calls without having to move the camera or mess around with the webcam’s frame adjustment settings. The automatic framing feature that was launched for Google Workspace accounts in 2022 is now rolling out for all Google Meet users, centering users in the middle of the screen to correct weird camera angles.The toggle is enabled by default, but can be switched off by clicking the three-dot menu before you join a call, selecting “Apply visual effects,” and clicking “Appearance.” It’s similar to Apple’s Center Stage feature, but Google’s version doesn’t track users as they move to keep them in frame — which can help reduce distractions in meetings. G... Continue reading…

You may have noticed theres a lot more news about ransomware and other malware attacks on Windows than on macOS. The reason is simple. Hackers hit Windows because thats where the most security holes are found. For instance, in June, Microsoft patched a flaw that allowed hackers to remotely execute commands and gain access to Windows 11 and 10 systems simply by being on the same Wi-Fi network.

By now, people have really pushed the Raspberry Pi 5 to its absolute limits. When we saw someone use liquid nitrogen to cool their Pi 5 to -40C, we also discovered that 3.6GHz is the fastest it will go. Trying to bump it above that will cause a crash, regardless of how cold the chip gets. So, what if we can make it go even further by tweaking the hardware on the board itself? It may seem far-fetched, but one brave YouTuber has shown that swapping out the RAM modules on the Raspberry Pi 5 may not be as complex as you may think.

While most people would choose either wired or wireless headphones based on personal preference, there are some major pros and cons to consider (on both sides) that may sway your choice. While wired headphones have been the go-to for years, wireless devices are getting much-needed upgrades and are becoming a much more viable option.

Photo by Sam Byford / The Verge Niantic has announced that it’s building a new “Large Geospatial Model” (LGM) that combines millions of scans taken from the smartphones of players of Pokémon Go and other Niantic products. This AI model could allow computers and robots to understand and interact with the world in new ways, the company said in a blog post spotted by Garbage Day.The LGM’s “spatial intelligence” is built on the neural networks developed as part of Niantic’s Visual Positioning System. The blog post explains that “Over the past five years, Niantic has focused on building our Visual Positioning System (VPS), which uses a single image from a phone to determine its position and orientation using a 3D map built from people scanning interesting locations in our... Continue reading…

With Black Friday and the holiday season approaching, expect a flood of ads from retailers and laptop manufacturers showcasing the latest devices with life-changing features. Its easy to get caught up in the hype, believing you need the best display, high storage, and a bunch of software add-ons. But lets be real: most of us dont need a supercomputer to check emails, browse the web, and craft new documents and presentations.

There are tons of options out there when it comes to streaming media devices. But we think the Roku Ultra is one of the best options if you're looking for great audio and video quality, along with a ton of features. While it's normally priced at $100, it can now be had for much less thanks to a new early Black Friday deal on Amazon. The latest promotion drops the price by $20, coming in at just $80 for a limited time. So get it while you can because this deal won't be around for long.

Image: Strava Strava recently informed its users and partners that new terms for its API restrict the data that third-party apps can show, refrain from replicating Strava’s look, and place a ban on using data “for any model training related to artificial intelligence, machine learning or similar applications.” The policy is effective as of November 11th, even though Strava’s own post about the change is dated November 15th.Effective November 11, the updated API agreement introduces three key changes that provide Strava users with greater control, security, and a consistent experience:Stronger Privacy Standards: Third-party apps may now only display a user’s Strava activity data to that specific user. Users will continue to have access to their... Continue reading…

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge Uber has launched a new airport-only fare option in its ride-sharing app called UberXXL. It surpasses UberXL’s single X by guaranteeing rides with trunk space that can handle large families with lots of big bags — no more sitting at the curb trying to figure out what to do next. Screenshot: Uber The new option is available today at more than 60 airports worldwide, with more coming down the road. In terms of pricing, UberXXL will sit somewhere between UberXL and Uber Black, the company says. XXL also adds a stopgap before Uber Shuttle, the charter-style option it launched in New York last month that lets you book up to five seats for a trip to the airport with discounted rates and protection against surge pricing. T... Continue reading…

Have you given a Steam Controller a try before? If you haven't, they're well worth the effort. They take a lot of time to get used to, but once you've "locked in," it's hard to use anything else. Unfortunately, if you wanted to give it a spin for yourself, you'll find that Valve no longer sells it in its store, to the point where people really want it to make another one already. However, there is good news; if a recent leak is to be believed, the PC gaming giant is planning on releasing a Steam Controller 2.

When youre putting together a server PC for all your computing experiments, there are multiple operating systems for you to choose from, ranging from the community-favorite Proxmox to the production-oriented XCP-ng. But if youre looking for something completely unique, you can even leverage Unix-based Illumos distros in your home lab.

There are a lot of different smartwatches out on the market, which can make it hard to choose one if you really don't know what you're looking for. While most folks will gravitate towards an Apple Watch or something from Samsung or Google, we think Garmin is the way to go if you want something that's built with fitness and health tracking in mind.