We are Venom! | Screenshot: YouTube Two of my favorite trailers for this week share a common theme: parasitic aliens. The trope has given us some of the finest moments in cinema history; consider the whole Alien franchise, the horrifying dog transformation in The Thing, or that scene from Spaceballs. You could make a convincing argument that Star Trek’s Borg race are parasites of a kind, too. It’s a versatile premise that lets a movie be as heady or grotesque or action-packed as its creators want. And two of sci-fi’s most beloved fictional freeloaders are showing up this week.Venom: The Last DanceVenom doesn’t like being called a parasite, but that’s still basically what it is. In the case of the Klyntar symbiote and Tom Hardy’s Eddie Brock, though, the two are more... Continue reading…

If you have this power bank, you should stop using it. | Image: Anker Anker says it’s recalling its 321 Power Bank (PowerCore 5K, model number A1112), citing a fire risk posed by a manufacturing defect. The 321 is a compact power bank with two ports — one for USB-C and one for USB-A. Anker says “only a small number” produced after March 2023 are affected, but it’s recalling all of them anyway.Look for “Anker 321 Power Bank (PowerCore 5K, Black), Model: A1112” in the white text printed on the bottom to see if you have this model. If you do, Anker urges you to stop using it immediately. Fill out this form, including the serial number, to stake your claim for a replacement 533 Power Bank the company is offering affected owners. Try to track down your proof of purchase before you head over there, as it says... Continue reading…

Phil Schiller may have slightly overstated Siri’s initial abilities. | Photo by Kevork Djansezian / Getty Images When Apple first launched Siri in 2011 alongside the iPhone 4S, the company made a series of very compelling ads showing how you might use this newfangled voice assistant thing. In one, Zooey Deschanel asks her phone about delivering tomato soup; in another, John Malkovich asks for some existential life advice. There’s also one with Martin Scorsese shuffling his schedule from the back of a New York City taxi. They showed reminders, weather, alarms, and more. The point of the ads was that Siri was a useful, constant companion, one that could tackle whatever you needed. No apps or taps necessary. Just ask.Siri was a big deal for Apple. At the launch event for the 4S, Apple’s Phil Schiller said Siri was the best feature of the new device.... Continue reading…

The taskbar has been a part of Windows for nearly 30 years, having first appeared in Windows 95. It's an incredibly important part of the operating system, serving as a way to manage running tasks, see notifications, and even as a launchpad for your apps. It's evolved and changed a lot over time, but even all these years later, there are some problems with it, with the most obvious one being a lack of customization. Sure, you can change the color and align the icons to the left or the center, but that's about it.

Nanoleaf’s smart ceiling lights offer hundreds of colors and an array of impressive lighting effects. | Image: Nanoleaf The days are getting brighter, but with the current heatwave plaguing much of the US, how many of us can really go out and enjoy it? Luckily, Nanoleaf’s Skylight Smarter Kit is on sale for the first time, offering the rest of us a way to add some brightness to our day without melting to death. Normally $249.99, right now, you can buy the three-pack kit for $229.99 at Amazon, Best Buy, and directly from Nanoleaf.Designed to mimic a skylight, Nanoleaf’s full-color LED ceiling lights can bring a bit of the sun into the comfort of your air-conditioned home. They feature exceptionally bright, tunable lights that radiate a whopping 4,200 lumens of brightness combined, while their modular design means you can build out different patterns or... Continue reading…

The MSI Claw. | Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge When I called the MSI Claw an embarrassment in my May 18th review, one commenter pointed out they’d gotten higher benchmark scores than me. Sure enough: MSI had pushed out new graphics drivers and BIOS updates between the time I benchmarked and the time we published. I’ve now tested those updates. In some of my tests, they’re better. In others, I actually found them worse! Overall, they don’t change my conclusion one bit: the MSI Claw is the worst pick from today’s crop of consumer handheld gaming PCs, and you should steer clear. Below, you’ll find my new benchmark results in the same games, across all of the Claw’s standard power modes. In almost every test, you’ll see the Claw dramatically behind the competition in speed while using... Continue reading…

Visual Studio isn't on the list of most useful programs for mainstream PC users, but it surely is one of the most popular integrated development environments (IDEs) worldwide. While the tool is available on multiple platforms, Microsoft has a big plan to overhaul the Visual Studio update experience on Windows by integrating it with the Windows Update system.

A docking station is a fantastic option if you're looking to increase the port selection of your laptop or other computing devices. And while incredibly useful, the only problem is that they can be quite expensive, with some of the best models costing over $200.

Deadpool and Wolverine in Deadpool & Wolverine. | Screenshot: YouTube There’s virtually no indication in the trailers for Deadpool & Wolverine so far that Wolverine feels anything but disgust and irritation at Deadpool as they get down to whatever fourth wall-breaking multiverse shenanigans the film holds in store. That’s made all the more apparent by a Hugh Jackman whose increasingly craggy face only seems to be more fit to represent Logan as time goes on.The new trailer leans way more into bits and one-liners than the previous two. Maybe that’s because Marvel and Disney have already set up the movie’s emotional stakes, first for Deadpool (Ryan Reynolds) and then for Wolverine. This one is all dick jokes and a cranky Jackman scowling and raging and glaring with everything he has.This is “not Deadpool 3,... Continue reading…

Lost and Found Co. | Image: Bit Egg Despite its cozy appearance, Wholesome Direct 2024 is actually shaping up to be the most packed event of Summer Game Fest. The hour-long presentation featured more than 70 different games. Some were brand-new announcements, some were previously known games that got a fresh trailer or release date, and a handful of titles even launched during the event.Now, 70 is a large number, so to help, I’ve curated the games that stood out to me the most. You can also watch the full presentation right here to soak in every detail. Even better: many of the games have demos on Steam that you can check out. Anyway, here are my picks, in no particular order.Kamaeru: A Frog RefugeLaunching today on PC and SwitchKamaeru looks like a more interactive... Continue reading…

In 2017, Nintendo took the gaming industry by storm with a humble little hybrid console named the "Switch." Since then, the Nintendo Switch has become the third highest-selling gaming system of all time (and its run hasn't even finished yet) and has created a new formula for enjoying video games at home or on the go. Mobile hardware has made big strikes since the 2017 Switch launch, enabling PC gaming handhelds that let you play AAA games like Cyberpunk 2077 on a device smaller than a laptop. One of these devices is the new Asus ROG Ally X, which was just announced as a refresh of the Windows-powered ROG Ally. But how does the Nintendo Switch stack up against newer handhelds like the Asus ROG Ally X, and which one is the better buy in 2024? Let's find out.

Image: Lucasfilm Ltd. Kevin Jenkins is a Star Wars veteran at this point, having worked in a variety of design roles across multiple films, ranging from Rogue One to The Rise of Skywalker. But as production designer on the Disney Plus series The Acolyte, he faced an entirely new challenge: finding a look that doesn’t rely on Star Wars staples like Stormtroopers or Star Destroyers. “Unlike other Star Wars, this wasn’t to be found in a book,” Jenkins tells The Verge. “When I did the sequels, and even when the prequels were done, we had that template of Star Wars to go from. And [on The Acolyte], we took away 75 percent of the template.”That’s because the show jumps back in time to a century before The Phantom Menace. It’s the first live-action project to take... Continue reading…