Illustration by Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos from Getty Images There are a lot of differences between Changpeng Zhao and Sam Bankman-Fried, and now we can add one more to the list: the amount of time they’ll serve for their crimes. Bankman-Fried got 25 years; Zhao got four months.There’s more. Zhao appeared in court in a tailored navy suit with a light blue tie when he spoke in his own defense. Bankman-Fried was shackled and in prison garb.Bankman-Fried defrauded people, pleaded not guilty, repeatedly perjured himself in court, got convicted on seven counts, and then gave an absolutely bizarre speech during his own sentencing hearing that made the judge think he’d be likely to re-offend. (This is to say nothing of his pretrial antics.) By contrast, Zhao pleaded guilty in a deal with the government... Continue reading…

Why wait? | Image: Netflix Want to try the nine games that Netflix now streams from cloud servers directly to your laptop, desktop, or TV? Officially, you’re supposed to wait until the beta rolls out more broadly, but for now, there may be an easier way. If you fire up a desktop web browser, log in to Netflix, and click these links, you should be able to start playing, even if you don’t see any of these games listed normally. Oxenfree: https://www.netflix.com/title/81569946The Almost Gone: https://www.netflix.com/title/81708319Infernax: https://www.netflix.com/title/81708314Link Twin: https://www.netflix.com/title/81708315Mole Gem Mayhem: https://www.netflix.com/title/81633353Reigns: https://www.netflix.com/title/81708316Reigns Three Kingdoms:... Continue reading…

It’s unclear how many TikTok users are being prompted in-app to visit its website for cheaper TikTok Coins. | The Verge TikTok appears to be probing App Store rules that require it to pay the “Apple tax” on in-app purchases. According to Sendit app co-founder David Tesler, some TikTok users are being directed to purchase TikTok coins — digital tokens used to tip creators during live streams — on the company’s website via an in-app link, effectively dodging the 30 percent commission Apple takes on digital purchases.Screenshots acquired by Tesler show at least two instances where iOS users are encouraged to “recharge” their TikTok coins on TikTok.com to explicitly “avoid in-app service fees.” Tapping the “try now” link on these notifications opens an embedded web view where users can access payment options like Apple Pay, PayPal, or credit/debit cards to... Continue reading…

Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos by Getty Images A new bill seeking to track security issues by mandating the creation of a database recording all breaches of AI systems has been filed in the Senate. The Secure Artificial Intelligence Act, introduced by Sens. Mark Warner (D-VA) and Thom Tillis (R-NC), would establish an Artificial Intelligence Security Center at the National Security Agency. This center would lead research into what the bill calls “counter-AI,” or techniques to learn how to manipulate AI systems. This center would also develop guidance for preventing counter-AI measures. The bill will also require the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to create a database of AI breaches, including... Continue reading…

Photo by Justin Sullivan / Getty Images It’s gone from one piece to three. Tesla’s ambitious plans to manufacture the underbody of its vehicles into a single piece, a process known as gigacasting, has been put on hold, according to Reuters, citing two sources with knowledge of the move. It was another sign that the company was pulling back from some of its previously reported plans as it struggles to adapt to falling sales and shrinking profits. Typically, automakers piece together the underbody from hundreds of individual parts. But Tesla has been a leader in using huge presses to die-cast large sections, with the goal of eventually producing the entire underbody in a single piece. The goal was to simplify the process while also dramatically reducing the costs of its... Continue reading…

Illustration: The Verge WhatsApp is adding a new way to plan and organize events in group messages, making it easier for friends and organizations like schools and neighborhoods to set up virtual and in-person meetings.The new events feature lets members of a group set up birthday parties, work meetings, and more, similar to various e-vite services that send out invitations via email. New WhatsApp events get pinned to a group’s information page and also get their own group chat thread so everyone can see who is down, hear out inevitable excuses for those who can’t make it, and confirm who is bringing cookies. WhatsApp is additionally adding the ability to reply to “Announcement Groups” so members can add comments and feedback for the admin. It... Continue reading…

A couple of days ago, we learned that Microsoft has started rolling out offline mode in OneDrive for web for work and school customers. Now, the company has shed more light on upcoming features and capabilities coming soon to its cloud storage solution across various platforms for enterprise and education customers.

If you're the average computer user, then to be honest, you don't actually need a lot of power to go about your day-to-day usage. Web browsing, basic applications, and more don't need a lot of compute power, and the biggest disadvantage of a single-board computer (SBC) is typically the lack of RAM. There are SBCs with 8GB of RAM though, and enabling swap memory as well will alleviate those pressures further. While I don't think we're quite there yet, I genuinely believe that a lot of people could replace their PC with an SBC one day.

An ethernet port! | Screenshot: Superdell-TV Walmart is apparently getting ready to release a new Onn “Pro” Google TV 4K streaming box that’s also a smart speaker. Yesterday, YouTuber Superdell-TV hosted a livestream where he showed off the streaming device, which he said he had bought from the retailer in-store for $50. As 9to5Google noted today, the Onn Pro was already previously rumored but hasn’t been announced, so it may have been stocked by mistake, as it still doesn’t appear on Walmart’s website. The device is essentially a higher-end version of the Onn Google TV streaming box that Walmart already sells. According to the specs Superdell shared, in addition to 4K streaming and Chromecast support, the Onn Pro’s box includes support for Dolby Atmos and Dolby Vision. It also... Continue reading…

It was another great month for new products in April 2024, and XDA's reviews team took an expert look at over 40 brand-new releases. From excellent new laptops to networking devices and computing hardware, there was a lot to love from our review coverage last month. However, there were 10 products that stood out in their respective categories as the best of the best in April, and we've rounded them up for you right here. Products highlighted at CES 2024 are still trickling out, like Lenovo's Legion Pro 7i gaming laptop, and there are other new releases such as Samsung's Galaxy Book 4 Ultra. If you missed anything, this list compiles all the best products that crossed our desk in April 2024.

Illustration: Alex Castro / The Verge T-Mobile has completed its acquisition of Mint Mobile, the carrier partially owned by Ryan Reynolds. In an update on Wednesday, T-Mobile says Mint Mobile will continue to offer its $15 per month / 5GB of data plan (that requires paying for three months upfront), while also offering access to some of T-Mobile’s perks rolling out now and “over the next few months.”The acquisition also includes Ka’ena Corporation, the parent company of Mint Mobile, along with the two other companies under its umbrella: the prepaid brand Ultra Mobile and the wholesale wireless provider Plum. Both Mint Mobile and Ultra Mobile customers will get T-Mobile’s scam call screening service as part of the merger.Additionally, Mint and Ultra customers will get free... Continue reading…

Wastewater pipes at a reclamation plant in California on Wednesday, August 4, 2021. | Getty Images aBig brands are paying startup Vaulted Deep $58.3 million to shoot poop and other organic waste products into underground wells as a way to fight climate change. The deal was brokered by a group called Frontier Climate, which Stripe, Alphabet, Meta, Shopify, and McKinsey Sustainability launched in 2022 to support emerging climate tech. Specifically, Frontier is interested in trying to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. They connect buyers with startups like Vaulted Deep that are developing ways to capture CO2 and sequester it underground so that it doesn’t heat up the planet. Vaulted Deep’s strategy is to gather sewage, manure, and agricultural and paper mill waste and inject it deep underground to keep carbon in the waste from... Continue reading…