Google’s first pair of noise-canceling earbuds are currently down to $139.99 in blue, white, and four other attractive shades. | Image: Google Happy Saturday, folks! Ever since they arrived on the scene in mid-2022, we’ve considered Google’s noise-canceling Pixel Buds Pro to be the wireless earbuds for Pixel phone owners — partly because of their great feature set and partly because they addressed the connectivity issues that plagued earlier models. The best part, however, is they’re often on sale for far less than the MSRP. Right now, for instance, you can pick them up at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy for around $139 ($60 off), which matches their second-best price to date.In terms of features, Google’s latest Pixel Buds are designed to compete with the best from Apple, Sony, and others. Their noise cancellation can’t quite match the latest AirPods Pro or what Bose has... Continue reading…

Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge The entire time I was playing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth — the second part of a planned trilogy of FF7 remakes — I couldn’t stop thinking about replaying the first game from 1997. When the credits rolled on Rebirth, I had a difficult decision to make: how to play the original? There is no shortage of options. The game has been ported to most modern platforms, and I still have the original PlayStation discs (all three of them). But ultimately I decided on a beloved but oft-forgotten piece of video game hardware, the PlayStation Vita. And you know what? This little thing still absolutely rules.My rekindled love affair with the Vita started because of FF7, and I’ve been been making my through the game in fits and starts. But it has also... Continue reading…

In a surprise move, Apple announced changes to its App Review Guidelines that will allow retro game emulators to be distributed through the App Store. Historically, Apple did not permit game emulators on the App Store, but the company has reversed this stance on the type of app. Starting today, retro game emulators are able to pass Apple's app review process and offer downloadable games on the latest iPhones and other Apple devices. Though Apple may have made the decision due to pressure from the European Union and its Digital Markets Act (DMA), the company has decided to make game emulation apps available to users worldwide.

Windows comes with a powerful search function to find your files and folders in no time. However, there are times when you want to keep your confidential media files and documents away from prying eyes. Thankfully, there are several effective ways to hide those treasured bytes on your Windows laptop.

The latest Apple Watches are highly capable wearables that serve a wide range of purposes. One of the lesser-known features they offer is the ability to set a silent alarm that gently vibrates on your wrist. This is ideal for those who dislike alarm sounds or don't want to disturb those around them. Whether you have an Apple Watch Ultra 2 running watchOS 10 or a slightly older model, the steps you need to follow are the same.

Former employees of Best Buy’s in-house tech support and repair team Geek Squad say there were mass layoffs this week, 404 Media reports. A former Geek Squad agent tells the outlet that they received an email on Tuesday about a work from home event the following day regarding a “company change.” “Our leadership gave individual calls stating we were being let go for the simple fact that the company couldn’t afford to pay us, more or less. It was extremely short notice and devastating,” an ex-Geek Squad worker told 404 Media.Over at r/GeekSquad, recently laid-off Geek Squad agents have posted photos of their badges in solidarity and referred to themselves as belonging to a Geek Squad “sleeper cell”, writing that they’re “going sleeper”... Continue reading…

We're now less than two months away from laptops launching with Qualcomm's new Snapdragon X Elite chipset, and this is going to be big. It's not going to be like previous Snapdragon PC chips, where there would only be two or three mainstream products available. We're talking big-time premium laptops, such as the Surface Pro 10 and Surface Laptop 6, along with entries from every other major OEM, all within the first week or so of launch. OEMs are so confident in this chipset that products like Microsoft's best-selling Surface PCs won't even be offered to consumers in an Intel variant.

More people than ever are working remotely. With this comes the need to remain productive while remaining flexible in your work environment. Portable monitors like the Jsaux FlipGo Portable Dual Monitor are a great way to increase productivity without going overboard and carrying a complete office setup in your bag. They are also great when you need to relax and want to chill out for a few minutes. A good portable monitor can be a game changer for both your professional and personal life.

Once you've sifted through the best laptops, then the best Surfaces, and finally landed on a Surface Pro 10 for Business, you'll still need a good charger to keep your Surface's battery topped up wherever you go. Luckily, we've found all the best chargers out there for the Surface Pro 10 for Business.

It’s time, friends. | Photo by Alix Diaconis / The Verge Yesterday afternoon, I was playing Mario vs. Donkey Kong on my Vision Pro (using the visionOS testflight version of app developer Riley Testut’s GBA4iOS) with an official Nintendo NES controller for the Switch. All the while, I was thinking about what a shame it was that Apple doesn’t allow emulators on its App Store. I hadn’t yet seen the news of Apple’s surprise decision to allow emulators on its digital storefront worldwide. While we still don’t know exactly how emulators will work on the iPhone, Apple’s play here would put its App Store in a better place to compete with alternative app stores in the EU. Assuming that means you can actually play games from the consoles they emulate, it could be a huge deal for retro gaming fans. As... Continue reading…

C’mon, how cute is this? | Image: Things Inc. The similarities between Rooms — a simple, charming game for iOS and the web where you design rooms — and Minecraft are easy to spot. Both share a blocky visual style and a design-your-own-retreat objective. But describing Rooms as a scaled-down Minecraft for people over the age of 12 doesn’t give it enough credit. It’s good, old-fashioned building in the vein of Lego, The Sims, and Animal Crossing. Rooms builds on the time-honored tradition with a dose of coziness and creativity that’s limited only by your patience for arranging three-dimensional pixels. Rooms is free, at least for now; creator Jason Toff says there are no “concrete monetization plans.” The premise is as simple as it sounds: you start with an empty room and fill it up... Continue reading…

Image: Kristen Radtke / The Verge In a motion Meta filed on Friday to try and get the FTC’s monopoly claims dismissed, it includes details of how much advertising revenue Instagram brought in over the last few years. At $32.4 billion for 2021 alone, that’s even more than YouTube, which pulled in $28.8 billion in the same year. Business Insider previously pointed out the lead it has over Google’s video unit, and mentions that YouTube gives up 55 percent of each advertising dollar it makes to content owners who upload videos while Instagram coughs up a lot less. Image: Composite of filing from District Court, District of Columbia, and Alphabet 2021 Annual Report (PDF) The gap is also there even if you look further back. In 2020 and 2019, Meta lists... Continue reading…