I first realized there was an issue with Kia's flagship EV9 when I tried to unlock my car last year. The hulking three-row SUV was sitting on my driveway completely dead. The key didn't work, the app connection to the car was gone, and I was already late to an appointment. Luckily, I had prepared for such a scenario, after reading about widespread 12-volt battery issues with the EV9. I managed to open the car with the manual key that Kia supplies and access the frunk to reach the 12V battery and use a booster I had purchased to jolt it back to life. Like many ICE cars, a 12V battery powers most of the low-voltage electrical systems in a ve …Read the full story at The Verge.

After using Windows for multiple versions, Windows 11 fundamentally feels like a good OS. Performance is solid, hardware compatibility is excellent, and the polish that came from years of updates makes it look and feel like a genuinely modern OS.

The most memorable part of 007 First Light is something that's typically pretty boring: the tutorial. In many games, you're forced through a series of tedious lessons in how to play, presented in a way that feels disconnected from the story itself and at a plodding pace. But First Light does something different. Because the game is centered on a young James Bond, one who is just learning to be a secret agent, the tutorial is structured like a training montage in a classic action movie. As months speed by, the game has a snappy supercut of Bond learning everything from firing a gun to parkouring across a building. But because it's a game, the …Read the full story at The Verge.

The precious… I mean Oura Ring 5. | Photo by Victoria Song / The Verge Wherever I go, whatever I do, people point at my finger and ask, "Is that an Oura Ring?" Lots of people find they like the design, and they tell me why they're thinking about switching to a smart ring from a smartwatch. But the people who scrunch up their noses? They usually say something along the lines of, "Hm. Maybe when it's lighter or smaller."Good news. The newly announced $399 Oura Ring 5 is both. It's 40 percent smaller than the Oura Ring 4, measuring 6.09mm wide (down from 7.9mm) and 2.29mm thick (down from 2.88mm). Depending on the size, it weighs from 2 to 2.69g. You'd think it might be hard to notice much a difference between t …Read the full story at The Verge.

New features coming to YouTube could make it better for listening to podcasts, rolling out to Premium subscribers starting today on Android and coming later to iOS. A new "on-the-go mode" shifts YouTube into an audio-first layout, with larger, simplified playback buttons, a still image in place of the video, and a timeline showing video chapters. YouTube says you can turn on this new mode in a video's settings - a pop up will also appear if YouTube detects you're moving around while watching a video. If you like to speed up your podcasts to get through episodes faster, YouTube's new auto speed feature can help you automate that process. …Read the full story at The Verge.

If you’ve been waiting for a smaller version of the Oura Ring, the company’s latest wearable is now available for preorder ahead of its June 4th release from Oura and various third-party retailers, including both Amazon and Walmart. The Oura Ring 5, which starts at $399, is 40 percent smaller than its predecessor, thanks to a design that’s both slimmer and lighter. Oura also promises improved accuracy and battery life, letting you get up to nine days of use on a single charge.In addition to the aforementioned hardware changes, Oura is rolling out several new software features, including a Locate tool for finding a misplaced ring or charging case using Oura’s app. On the fitness front, the company is introducing a live activity mode for real-time workout and heart rate tracking, along with support for third-party heart rate monitors and new GLP-1 tracking tools. Oura also announced Health Radar, a system that monitors nighttime breathing and blood pressure patterns for signs of potential health issues, and partnered with Counsel Health to bring AI-assisted medical guidance to the app.We’re still testing the Ring 5, but if everything announced thus far has your attention, we’ve included links and pricing details below.Where to buy the Oura Ring 5Oura Ring 5Where to Buy: $399 at Amazon $399 at Walmart $399 at Best BuyBeginning today, you can preorder the Ring 5 at Amazon, Best Buy, Target, Walmart, and Oura’s online storefront in either silver or black, starting at $399. Premium colors — including the gold, stealth, brushed silver, and deep rose variants — are also available from the same retailers starting at $499. Each model includes a size-specific charger and a USB-C cable, and, like prior iterations, is eligible for HSA and FSA reimbursement in the US.In terms of sizing, Oura’s latest smart ring is available in sizes 6 through 13 with a free sizing kit, which is helpful since the slimmer design means sizing differs from previous Oura Ring models. Like prior iterations, the ring works with both iPhones and Android devices, though you’ll still need an Oura membership ($5.99 a month / $69.99 a year) to access all of the platform’s health insights and features.Along with the ring, Oura is launching the Oura Ring 5 Charging Case, which supports wireless charging and can provide up to a month of battery life. It also sports an action button that lets you quickly pair the case and check charging status. Like the Ring 5, the case will hit stores on June 4th, though you can preorder it starting today at Amazon, Best Buy, Target, and Oura’s online storefront for $99.

Motorola’s latest Razr Ultra proves that its flip foldable format has evolved to become more than just a nostalgic gimmick. I’d understand if you’re not interested in shelling out $1,499.99 for the 2026 model, but the similar 2025 Motorola Razr Ultra with 512GB of storage is a much more palatable $699.99 unlocked at Best Buy (was $1,299.99) in all colors, while just the green color is available at this price at Amazon. Those may not feel as luxurious in the hand as the 2026 model’s Alcantara finish, but it looks nearly identical and now costs hundreds less. The discount brings it within range of some of our favorite budget-friendly smartphones.Motorola Razr Ultra (2025)Motorola has pulled out all the stops for its latest high-end flip phone with top-notch performance, great battery life, and luxurious finish options.Where to Buy: $1299.99 $699.99 at Amazon (512GB) $1299.99 $699.99 at Best Buy (512GB)You aren’t making many compromises by opting for last year’s version instead of getting the new one. In fact, some of its internal hardware is the same, including its Snapdragon 8 Elite, which is still snappy and performant, and aided by 16GB of RAM. The 2025 model offers fast 68W wired charging and 30W wireless charging. If you want better camera performance, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 costs around $1,000, but it’s missing the Razr Ultra’s charming design.Other deals to considerYou can nab the Roborock Qrevo Curv 2 robot vacuum and mop from Best Buy, Target, or Roborock for $899.99 ($100 off). The mop is particularly effective at handling tough stains, as well as general vacuuming, and the mop cover can help keep your taller rugs from getting accidentally damp. The device is a little on the bulky side, and in our testing, it occasionally got stuck under shorter furniture, but it’s still one of our favorite combined robot vacuum and mops.Amazon has the Apple AirPods Max 2 marked down as low as $509 ($40 off), depending on your color preference. They’ve dipped to this price a few times, but if you’ve been considering the upgrade, it’s worth mentioning. These have the same drivers as the original version, but with upgraded processing and new features for Apple users, like live translation and spatial audio. They sound better than ever, and have incredible noise-canceling, but some of the issues linger from the old model, like hefty weight and lack of a proper carrying case included with purchase. Read our review.The Logitech G29 steering wheel is a great place to start if you’re feeling curious about sim racing at home, and you can snag it Best Buy or Amazon for $199.99 ($100 off). It’s a fairly basic wheel and pedal set, but it has force feedback for realistic rumbling, plus compatibility with PC, the PlayStation 4, and the PS5. It’s also compact, so you can stash it away when you aren’t using it.

Activision is planning to drop support for PS4 and Xbox One consoles in Call of Duty: Warzone later this year. Players will need to upgrade to a PS5 or Xbox Series S / X console to continue playing Call of Duty: Warzone once season 6 of Call of Duty: Black Ops 7 finishes later this year.Call of Duty: Warzone will be removed from PS4 and Xbox One storefronts on June 4th and will no longer be available to download. Activision will then remove the in-game store in Warzone on PS4 and Xbox One on June 25th, and the game won't be playable once Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 season 1 begins later this year.The timing couldn't be worse for Warzo …Read the full story at The Verge.

While Claude's been around for a little less than ChatGPT, you wouldn't really know it from its fanbase alone. It went from a somewhat niche tool only developers were following to a tool every other person is leaning on. Suddenly, everyone is using Claude and Claude Code to automate their workflow, ship the gazillion product ideas they've always had, and generally do more than they ever thought they could on their own. Claude Code is one of Anthropic's flagship products, and while that too once only found traction within a developer's workflow, it's now creeping into the workflows of designers, founders, marketers, and plenty of people who'd never call themselves engineers.

The AI coding space has become a noisy, subscription-heavy mess. Every week, a new tool claims it will make you a 10x engineer, leaving developers to sift through endless benchmark charts that rarely translate to everyday coding.

Anthropic is releasing Claude Opus 4.8 on Thursday, and the company is touting the model's "honesty."According to Anthropic, it trains "all [its] models to be honest - for instance, to avoid making claims that they can't support." But it notes that "a general problem with AI models is that they sometimes jump to conclusions, confidently presenting their work as making progress despite thin evidence."The AI lab claims that early testers have found that Opus 4.8 "is more likely to flag uncertainties about its work and less likely to make unsupported claims." In the company's evaluations, Opus 4.8 is "around 4x less likely than its predeces …Read the full story at The Verge.

Next month's Tribeca Festival will include the premiere of an AI-generated film: Dreams of Violets. The 75-minute film is a fictional dramatization of the Iranian government's mass killing of protestors in January, with the people and images fully created by AI, as reported earlier by The Hollywood Reporter.Dreams of Violets cost $2,000 to make and is "based on journalistic reports, photographs, and eyewitness accounts," according to a press release. It was created by Ash and Pooya Koosha, two brothers who left Iran in 2009. Pooya cofounded Fountain 0, the company behind the film, while Ash serves as CEO.Fountain 0 says Dreams of Violets …Read the full story at The Verge.