Image: The Verge Free ChatGPT users can now access custom GPTs, analyze charts, ask questions about photos, and other features added with GPT-4o in early May. Features like model and web responses, data analytics, chart creation, vision, file upload, memory, and custom GPTs were available to paid users — ChatGPT Plus, Teams, and Enterprise — but are now open to anyone using ChatGPT. While free ChatGPT users can discover and use custom GPTs — previously only available to paid subscribers — they won’t be able to create their own. Custom versions of ChatGPT we’ve used already have ranged from an on-demand thesaurus to an Ikea shopping guide. Makers of custom GPTs can also participate in a revenue sharing scheme that OpenAI began testing in March. Having... Continue reading…

Image: Hugo Herrera / The Verge New AI tools could give utilities real-time data to make the power grid and EV charging more reliable, a very small study by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute (UMTRI) and startup Utilidata suggests.The researchers are using AI to analyze EV charging behavior, hoping those insights might improve the experience for drivers and help utilities prepare for the spike in electricity demand. So far, they’ve found that EV charging can draw power inconsistently and lower power quality, which can wear out charging equipment.Those underlying problems waste energy and could lead to busted EV chargers that have become a bane for drivers. So the ability to immediately spot and even predict those issues with AI could be a... Continue reading…

Image: Framework I know, I absolutely stuffed this story’s headline — but I’m just so excited to see the future of modular computing unfolding before my eyes. Framework, the company that actually delivered on the promise of an upgradable laptop, has apparently done it yet again. Not only is it now taking preorders for yet another generation of swappable mainboards to give you Intel Core Ultra chips, but the company has also developed a $39 webcam to improve the originals’ middling image quality and a $269 drop-in display that replaces your 60Hz, 2256 x 1504 screen with a brighter, higher-res, variable refresh rate 120Hz 2880 x 1920 panel at 256ppi that should make everything smoother and crisper.To be clear, you don’t need to buy a new laptop to get... Continue reading…

Peter Serafinowicz will host Million Dollar Secret. | Photo: Kate Green / Getty Images for Paramount Pictures UK Netflix has a new game show on the way called Million Dollar Secret. Netflix says that the eight-episode series will set 11 contestants on the hunt for a 12th one who’s been given a $1 million prize in an effort to be the last person standing (and win that prize).The show seems to be aimed at the same audience that made the similarly dystopian-in-tone Squid Game: The Challenge the 15th-most watched TV show on Netflix in the second half of 2023 with over 33 million views (enough to slightly edge out CoComelon S1, Suits S1, and The Crown S6 but still well short of CoComelon S8).Once the $1 million prize holder is found and eliminated by another contestant, the money goes to them, Netflix wrote. But it involves some strategy: players who... Continue reading…

The future is back, baby. | Photo: Dan Seifert / The Verge After a few years of legal battles, you can once again control grouped speakers using the Google Home app and Google Assistant. The feature was slipped into Android 15 beta 2 last week, and now it’s going out to everyone, so users shouldn’t have to adjust the volume one speaker at a time anymore from their Android phones.From the Google Home app, you should be able to adjust the volume from the Now Playing screen in the app when you’re playing to multiple speakers just by adjusting the volume as normal — the same goes for Google Assistant-compatible smart speakers. The company says there will be other ways to access its “Group Volume Control” feature later, including from an Android smartphone lock screen or smart displays like the... Continue reading…

The Watcher is quite large. | Image: Disney Besides watching movies, there’s not all that much to do with Apple’s Vision Pro once you get over the novelty. That’s why I was eager to try Disney and Marvel’s new What If…? An Immersive Story experience / TV show / video game… thing that’s available on May 30th. The companies promised a mixed reality show that would “push the boundaries of technology.” But what I experienced, while very pretty to look at, ended up feeling like an overlong, no-stakes video game tutorial — with no game to follow it.You’ll go through the Vision Pro-exclusive app either by standing in one spot in a virtual environment, watching things play out and participating when prompted to, or in passthrough, where you can move around while cell-shaded 3D AR... Continue reading…

Illustration: The Verge A collection of 2,500 leaked internal documents from Google filled with details about data the company collects is authentic, the company confirmed today. Until now, Google had refused to comment on the materials.The documents in question detail data that Google is keeping track of, some of which may be used in its closely guarded search ranking algorithm. The documents offer an unprecedented — though still murky — look under the hood of one of the most consequential systems shaping the web.“We would caution against making inaccurate assumptions about Search based on out-of-context, outdated, or incomplete information,” Google spokesperson Davis Thompson told The Verge in an email. “We’ve shared extensive information about how Search... Continue reading…

The latest iPad ad is much more human-centric. | Image: Apple / YouTube Apple is back with a new iPad ad, seemingly crafted as a chaser after the last spot left a bitter taste in some people’s mouths. Titled “Worlds Made on iPad,” the minute-and-change video features actor Sofia Wylie on a green screen set. Then, the screen splits into three views, each with a different animated backdrop that evolves as she crawls, leaps, and floats through the stylized spaces. It’s a distinctly different vibe from the last one, which, uh, didn’t go down well.That ad — titled “Crush!” — featured an array of instruments, paints, sound mixing equipment, and other artistic tools being crushed in a hydraulic press, all smashed together to create a shiny new iPad Pro. Unsurprisingly, many creators didn’t take kindly to seeing... Continue reading…

You shouldn’t miss this rare opportunity to grab the GOTY contender. | Image: Square Enix As legendary as Final Fantasy VII is, even its staunchest supporters have a hard time recommending newcomers to play the original PlayStation’s classic JRPG. The sharp polygonal graphics of the era don’t do the memorable story and characters justice today for many audiences, but Final Fantasy VII Remake was a refreshing first attempt at modernizing it. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth — the second game in the planned trilogy — has been out on PlayStation 5 for a few months now, and it’s worth continuing the journey, especially with a $15 discount that brings it down to $54.99 at Amazon, Best Buy, and GameStop.Rebirth picks up right where the original left off, with Cloud Strife leading his comrades on a search for Sephiroth across an... Continue reading…

If you're looking for a great tablet, there are excellent Android devices and worthwhile iPads to consider, but Microsoft offers one of the few tablet lines that run Windows. To that end, the Surface Pro 11 is the latest entry in Microsoft's Surface tablet catalog. Once you get yours, you will need a good case for it. That's why we're here. We've put together a collection of the best Surface Pro 11 cases we could find. Also, it's worth keeping in mind that Surface Pro 9/10 cases will work with the next generation Surface Pro 11, so you've got a lot of options.

Image: The Verge Opening a webpage inside an app is about to get a little more pleasant — in some Android apps, at least. The Chrome M124 update adds the ability to open in-app webpages in picture-in-picture mode, letting you swap between the webpage and the app without closing your browsing session.The feature is coming to the Android apps that use Chrome Custom Tabs, which let developers provide customized browsing experiences within their apps. If it’s available in an app you use, you’ll see a new down arrow in the top-left corner of an in-app webpage. Tap the arrow, and the webpage will minimize into a floating window in the bottom-right corner of the screen. You can tap the window to open the tab back up. GIF: Google This... Continue reading…

Computex 2024 one of the biggest events on the annual tech calendar is nearly upon us. It takes place between June 4-7 in Taiwan, and we'll be on the ground attending the keynotes and visiting booths to bring you the latest and greatest in the world of computing. We're only a few days from seeing what's in store for us this year at the event, and that means it's the best time for a round-up highlighting some key participants and products you can expect to see at the Computex showfloor.