This massive, chonky Louis animatronic has almost as much range of movement as I do. | Image: Disney No matter your opinion on the current state of its animated movies, Disney is proving that it can still knock animatronics out of the park. This week, the entertainment giant gave us another early look at the new audio-animatronics being prepared for Tiana’s Bayou Adventure — a retheming of the iconic (and controversial) Splash Mountain ride — and the demonstrations so far have been breathtakingly impressive.Recognizable characters from The Princess and the Frog (2009) have been brought to robotic life across various social media posts and Disney’s new “We Call It Imagineering” YouTube series, including Princess Tiana herself, Mama Odie, Charlotte La Bouff, Louis the Alligator, and a host of other swamp critters.I compiled all the... Continue reading…

Image: Wes Davis / The Verge Earlier this year, there were enough rumors about imminent new Apple products to make for a big spring event, but the company instead announced its new M3 MacBook Airs via press release — and new iPads haven’t shown up since. Today, Mark Gurman writes in his Power On newsletter for Bloomberg that the big spring iPad update, which includes new OLED iPad Pros, is due on May 6th — about 19 months since the last one. But why upgrade? My 2021 model still feels like new, and I know at least one person who says the same of the 2018 iPad Pro. Unless it does more than what’s been rumored, which is precious little at this point in the grand scheme of things, it narrows who it’s for to just the very specific subset of people who like iPadOS a lot... Continue reading…

There are a lot of tablets on the market, but if you're looking for one that's going to offer a lot of value for not a lot of money, then Samsung's Galaxy Tab S9 FE is going to be one of the best tablets you can buy in 2024. The tablet hits all the right notes, with its great display, powerful processor, excellent software and more.

Image: The Verge Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 33, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, so psyched you found us, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I’ve been writing about the end of Google Podcasts and the rise of AI gadgets, watching Girls5eva and rewatching Middleditch and Schwartz, reading about the ubiquity of AllTrails and Danny McBride’s comedy compound, listening to Ezra Klein’s podcasts about AI, seeing if 5K Runner can finally make me like running, and playing altogether too much Retro Goal.I also have for you a lot of people’s smart thoughts on AI, a bunch of new AI tools in web browsers, a fun new newsletter about good stuff on the... Continue reading…

Donghua Jinlong’s factory. | Image: Donghua Jinlong Chemical Co. TikTok isn’t just useful for videos on robotic tape storage, Radiohead songs on step motors, and regretful congressmen. It’s also a place where businesses can go viral by marketing their industrial products. Because of that, I now know that a company called Donghua Jinlong Chemical makes food-grade glycine which, as the company reminds us in its TikTok marketing video, is “suitable as a flavor enhancer, sweetener, and nutritional supplement.” Not only that, but it’s “also used in pickles, sweet sauces, soy sauce, vinegar, and juices to improve taste.” And, bonus, it’s “a well-established brand in a large factory.” If that doesn’t get you ready to get some Donghua Jinlong food-grade glycine, I’m not sure there’s anything I can do for... Continue reading…

The Raspberry Pi is a technological chameleon. This miniature motherboard is designed to teach users the ways of computer engineering and computer science. You can use the device to practice installing operating systems, create a custom gaming console, or power a miniature piano. However, while the software you put in the Raspberry Pi determines its functions, all potential projects rely on the device’s underlying firmware. Even if an installed Windows 11 OS is bug-free, if something goes wrong with the firmware, you’re going to need to fix it to get your Raspberry Pi up and running again. And usually, the best way to fix a firmware fault is through an update.

Is it ever a bad time to build a PC? Seasoned builders are always dreaming about their next big PC upgrade but what about those that have still not been bitten by the PC bug? Building your own PC might look like this huge mountain to climb if you've always been a laptop or console user. But, custom PC building has evolved rapidly in the last few years, so much so that even beginners can assemble a PC on their own, thanks to countless tutorials and guides.

Microsoft's Surface Laptop series has been a staple in the laptop scene for years, lauded for its slim design, robust performance, and Windows operating system tailored for business needs. With the release of the Surface Laptop 6 for Business this month, many are curious about how it compares to its predecessor, the Surface Laptop 5.

Ultrawide monitors are really something special. While they don't take up a lot of desktop space, they do provide a lot of screen real estate, making them perfect for work and play. The only problem is that most times they are pretty pricey, which means they can be out of most folks budgets when they are shopping for a new monitor.

There are a lot of different power bank options out there, but if you're looking for something that's easily pocketable but still offers lots of power, then this Anker Nano power bank is going to be right up your alley. The power bank has a foldable USB-C plug that makes it easy to carry. Furthermore, it connects without any cables, which means, the overall footprint is incredible small.

When looking for an excellent laptop, you can easily be overwhelmed by the sheer number of options. However, convertible laptops and Apple machines are popular picks, and Microsoft's Surface Pro 10 and Apple's latest MacBook Air are capable computers. But how do you choose?

Over the years, chargers have gotten better and better, which creates obvious reasons to upgrade from the ones that are currently in your home or office. While there's nothing wrong with the ones you have right now, these might be better, thanks to their ultra-compact size, superb power delivery and ultra-low price. This charger cable bundle includes two Anker 20W chargers and two USB-C cables for just $12.99.