Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge This week, DirecTV announced it intends to buy Dish, Sling TV, and the rest of EchoStar’s television business for a dollar (while also taking on all of Dish’s debt), combining almost 20 million satellite TV subscribers from two companies that have been circling one another for decades.But it’s not just DirecTV and Dish. AT&T, Comcast, Verizon, General Electric, GM, News Corp, Tumblr, and the various incarnations of Time Warner have also gotten mixed up or split up while trying to bridge the gap between communications and media over the years.Here’s a partial timeline of the events that might end with these two companies joining together at last.AOL, meet Time Warner At the turn of the 21st century, it was obvious that the internet... Continue reading…

PC gaming handhelds are now a powerful part of the gaming landscape, but all but a few are still being held back by one thing. No, it's not the low-power AMD APUs that power most of the market; it's the capabilities of their displays. Every PC gaming handset on the market has a GPU that supports Adaptive Sync for buttery-smooth frames. Except other than the ROG Ally, ROG Ally X, and the MSI Claw, nobody is using displays that are Adaptive Sync compatible. The Steam Deck does support VRR for external monitors, but not on the handheld display. That's a real shame, as the gaming experience on handhelds that support Adaptive Sync, like the ROG Ally X, is superb. Maybe it was true that displays supporting Adaptive Sync didn't exist or were too expensive to use, but that's not true anymore, and every PC gaming handheld should be using one from now on.

The latest and greatest iPhones pack great camera systems inside, and part of their appeal is how simple they are to use. You don't have to worry about advanced photography settings like exposure or manual focus to take stunning photos with an iPhone. However, if you are inclined to make the most of Apple's camera hardware, there are a few software features built into the native Camera app on iOS 18 that'll help you do just that.

The 6.1-inch Boox Palma looks a lot like a smartphone, but it’s designed to be an e-reader. | Image: Boox Kindles are great and all, but if you want a pocketable e-reader that doesn’t require you to lock yourself into Amazon’s ecosystem, the Boox Palma might be worth a look. The 6.1-inch ebook reader normally runs for $279.99, but now through October 9th, readers of The Verge can score a rare $30 discount and a free cover case (valued at $16) when they buy it from Wellbots using code BOOXVERGE30.My colleague David Pierce waxed poetic about the Palma after spending time with it. I’ve only started testing the e-reader, but so far, I can understand the appeal. It’s slick and stylish in a way the Kindle isn’t, but more notably, it’s smartphone-sized, so you really can slip it into your pocket and comfortably hold it in one hand. Aside from... Continue reading…

Image: MKBHD via YouTube MKBHD’s new wallpaper app has received its first big update after users criticized the app over pricing and the advertising setup for free accounts. On Friday, the Panels account announced on X that people using the app for free can now download high-resolution images — not just standard-definition ones — by watching a single ad.The app previously required users to sign up for a $11.99 per month (or $49.99 per year) subscription to access images in full resolution. It also required free users to watch two ads before downloading standard-definition wallpapers. Panels has since taken this requirement away and will now let users download standard-definition images without seeing ads.Major update #1: We’ve been focusing on app... Continue reading…

Illustration: Cath Virginia / The Verge After months of waiting, now Android users can take the Arc Search app for a spin. It’s now available as an open beta on the Google Play Store after developers teased an Android version of the app in August.Arc is The Browser Company’s take on web browsing, billing itself as offering better customization options than competitors. The Arc Search app also comes with an AI feature, called “Browse for me,” that searches the web for your query and comes up with a summary based on its sources. The app also automatically archives old tabs, blocks ads by default, and gets rid of data-tracking popups, which has me tempted to switch away from Edge. While Arc initially launched as a Mac-only desktop browser, the Arc Search app launched widely... Continue reading…

Photo by Daniel Golson for The Verge Rivian said it would make fewer electric vehicles this year than it did in 2023, resulting from a parts shortage. The news came as the company reported third quarter production and delivery numbers that came in below analyst expectations. Rivian says it expects to produce between 47,000-49,000 vehicles this year, down from the 57,000 vehicles it originally forecast. That number was flat from the previous year, when the company produced 57,232 vehicle and delivered 50,122. Rivian said the disruption is due to “a shortage of a shared component on the R1 and RCV platforms,” referencing the company’s R1T and R1S vehicles, as well as its commercial van platform. “This supply shortage impact began in Q3 of this year, has become more acute in... Continue reading…

Matt Mullenweg at WordCamp 2024 in Europe. | Image: WordCamp The lines between the WordPress open-source project, the nonprofit backing it, and the commercial arm owned by Automattic are blurring. Continue reading…

Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge WordPress and its cofounder Matt Mullenweg are embroiled in a public battle against the third-party hosting provider WP Engine. Continue reading…

Image: Epic Games In February, Disney and Epic Games announced that they were collaborating on a “persistent universe” that would feature characters from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, and more. Disney franchises have been featured in Fortnite for years, but this new universe promises to be something grander — and will be interoperable with Fortnite.Disney and Epic didn’t share many details about how this would all work when it was announced. But after talking to Epic executives during Unreal Fest in Seattle this week, I’ve learned a bit more about what to expect.A lot of it comes down to connecting into Epic’s ecosystem. “Disney wants a persistent place where all things Disney can be there, but they want to be part of an ecosystem we’ve built,” Epic... Continue reading…

Garmins aren’t just multisport behemoths anymore. | Illustration by Will Joel / The Verge Garmin may be best known for its hardcore fitness watches, but it’s got an extensive line of lifestyle offerings, too. Continue reading…

Illustration: The Verge You don’t have to spend a fortune to have a robot clean your floors. Here’s our pick of the most cost-effective bots you can buy right now. Continue reading…