Illustration: William Joel / The Verge Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 28, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome to the Installerverse, so glad you found us, and also, you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.) This week, I’ve been reading about that wacky AI Willy Wonka event and what happened to the Apple Car, dying laughing at “Indiana Jones and the $3,500 Headset,” testing Twodos as a new tasks app for iOS, giving both Notion and Notion Calendar another shot, and trying to figure out how to import the adorable Microlino Lite into my driveway.I also have for you the new Dune movie, a new smartwatch, a buzzy new tech book, and oh so many food-related YouTube channels. It’s food week here at I... Continue reading…

It's only been a few months into 2024, and we've already seen a wave of Steam Deck alternatives that will make any portable gaming fan excited. So far, we've seen some stellar entries from some of the best hardware companies in the business, such as the Asus ROG Ally. However, one of the biggest gaming hardware manufacturers in the world has its eyes on the market, and there's a chance it may result in an Nvidia-branded portable gaming PC.

Rent-a-print. | Image: HP HP has a new proposition in a time when (companies like it have made sure) you don’t really control much about your computer anyway: why don’t you just let HP rent you one? The company debuted a subscription service today — just like CEO Enrique Lores said it would last month — called the HP All-In Plan. It’s essentially an extension of HP’s Instant Ink, and like that plan, you’ll have ink sent to you as you approach empty, but unlike it, your monthly fee also covers the printer itself. Which printer you get depends on the plan you choose. They start at $6.99 per month for 20 pages’ worth of prints and whatever the current HP Envy model is, and go all the way up to a $35.99-a-month affair that gets you an OfficeJet Pro and 700 pages. If... Continue reading…

With AMD and Intel adding new and improved features to each CPU generation, there’s a lot to consider when picking out a new processor. For instance, hardcore gamers should focus more on powerful CPUs with ultra-fast clock speeds and sky-high TDPs. But if you want a portable laptop for work, it’s better to pick one with an energy-efficient processor that can provide a longer battery backup.

Noise-canceling headphones have become a staple in modern society. Unlike standard over-ear headphones, our favorite models employ both passive cancelation via an over-ear design and active noise cancelation (ANC), which utilizes more advanced technology to analyze the incoming noise and essentially produce a counter-sound that cancels it out. As ANC technology continues to improve, it becomes less and less appealing to invest in a pair of headphones that forgo this feature. Chances are, you're here because you're looking to silence horns and honks on your commute, subway announcements that aren't audible as is, cranky babies on long flights, or the guy who war-cries after every rep at the gym. Whatever your reasons, it's safe to say, at some point in time, you’ve likely wanted to drown out the surrounding chaos; enter noise-canceling headphones. Before purchasing, consider your priorities, whether that be battery life, app integration, sound quality, build, etc. Noise-canceling headphones can be a bit pricey, so you’ll also want to take a good look at your budget. Just because you’re tightening the purse strings doesn’t mean you can’t find a solid pair of cheap headphones. Regardless, we’ve rounded up our favorite picks to help you find the best pair of noise-canceling headphones for you.

The Apple-owned Beats Studio Pro support both iOS and Android devices. | Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge Apple rarely discounts its own products, which is why I was pleasantly surprised to find Apple welcoming the weekend with some terrific deals on Beats headphones and earbuds. Both the Beats Studio Pro and Beats Studio Buds Plus are down to some of their best prices to date, with numerous third-party retailers matching Apple’s pricing. That means you can pick up the Beats Studio Pro for $199.95 ($150 off) directly from Apple, or at Amazon and Best Buy for around the same price. The Beats Studio Buds Plus, meanwhile, can be had starting at $129.95 ($40 off) from Apple, Amazon, and Best Buy.Compared to Apple’s AirPods lineup, the Studio Pro and Studio Buds Plus offer more flexibility, with native support for both iOS and Android software... Continue reading…

Image: Samar Haddad for The Verge The smart fridge is the dream. You’re telling me there’s a gadget in my kitchen that can know all about the food I have in my house, what goes well together, and what I need to cook before it starts to stink up the whole house? A truly smart fridge could help you meal plan, keep your grocery bills down, reduce your food waste, and just make life better. But there are dreams and there’s reality. And on this episode of The Vergecast, for the second in our two-part series on the smart kitchen, we’re putting the dream to the test. The Verge’s Jennifer Pattison Tuohy has as smart a kitchen as any reasonable person possibly could. She has smart appliances, a smart sink, a smart fridge, and more voice assistants than anyone could ever talk... Continue reading…

Electronics are expensive, and that's why many people turn to protective cases to fortify their most valuable devices. They're almost ubiquitous on mobile devices, such as smartphones and tablets. However, protective cases are more of a mixed bag on the best laptops. Some laptop users swear by hard shell cases because they add protection and offer more customization options than a typical computer. Others aren't a fan of the added thickness that comes with hard shell cases, or the (albeit slight) risk of a case damaging their laptop. If you aren't sure whether a hard shell case is right for you, this guide goes over everything you need to know about the pros and cons.

It's a great time to buy a TV in 2024, with plenty of different options coming in at all kinds of prices. Whether you're looking to scoop something cheap like this 55-inch smart TV for $250, or are trying to go big with this Samsung 77-inch, you're going to be able to find some great prices thanks to these incredible deals. For a limited time, this Samsung 77-inch S89C OLED TV is down to its lowest price, with a discount that drops it to $1,799.99.

Photo by Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images Waymo is now allowed to operate its self-driving robotaxis on highways in parts of Los Angeles and in the Bay Area following a California regulator’s approval of its expansion (PDF) plans on Friday. This means the company’s cars will now be allowed to drive at up to 65mph on local roads and highways in approved areas. In a statement to The Washington Post, Waymo spokesperson Julia Ilina said the company’s expansion will be “careful and incremental,” and that it has “no immediate plans” to extend service to highways.Last month, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) put the company’s expansion on hold until June “for further staff review,” following protests from several San Francisco city agencies and other groups. Concerns... Continue reading…

Illustration by Nick Barclay / The Verge Apple has plenty of releases planned for the spring, by the rumor mill’s reckoning, but one thing it may not do is make a big production out of it, according to Mark Gurman in today’s Power On newsletter for Bloomberg. It’s not all that unusual for Apple to skip a spring event — it didn’t have one last year, and it’s skipped it in years past, too. Even so, it’s a little surprising, given the plethora of devices the company is expected to launch.The biggest thing is a revamped iPad Pro with an OLED screen and an M3 chip. For the most part, Apple’s highest-end tablet’s design has been unchanged since its 2018 refresh, when it took on the flat-sided design language that also defines the company’s phones, laptops, and even the iMac. The... Continue reading…

Has your Windows 11 machine suffered more Bluescreens of Death (BSODs) lately? If it has, double-check if your computer has an Intel Wi-Fi adapter or not. If it does, you're in luck; the company has just released a patch that should restore your computer's stability.