Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge A huge amount of unredacted Microsoft emails and documents have leaked online. Continue reading…

Samsung replaced the A53 in its great smartphone lineup with the Galaxy A54, but there's no need to ditch your old phone right away. Last year's Galaxy A53 is still one of the best cheap Android phones you can buy today, and it's still a capable phone in 2023. Plus, since you can occasionally find the Galaxy A53 at a discount, there's a case to be made for buying a new one if you're on a budget. Its Exynos 1280 SoC is powerful enough for most day-to-day tasks, and its 6.5-inch high refresh rate Super AMOLED display is among the best in the segment. On top of that, it has a decent set of cameras and a massive 5,000mAh battery that easily lasts a full day of use on a single charge.

Microsoft’s new disc-less Xbox Series X is far from the only news that just leaked out of the FTC v. Microsoft case. The documents may also reveal Microsoft’s far future plans for 2028 — by which the company believed it could achieve “full convergence” of its cloud gaming platform and physical hardware to deliver “cloud hybrid games.” “Our vision: develop a next generation hybrid game platform capable of leveraging the combined power of the client and cloud to deliver deeper immersion and entirely new classes of game experiences.” Image: FTC v. Microsoft documents “Our vision: develop a next generation hybrid game platform capable of leveraging the combined power of the client and cloud” Those are the words... Continue reading…

Amazon typically holds annual sales events for people who subscribe to its Amazon Prime membership, and there's one that is coming up shortly that will feature thousands of great deals. At first, Amazon held a single Prime Day event that usually took place in the summer months. Now, there's also a second sales event that gives buyers a preview of sales that will come during Black Friday and Cyber Monday events. While we don't know a lot of details about Amazon's planned sale, there are some things you need to know before shopping. We've rounded up all the details here, and you can stop by as the event gets closer for more information and early-access deals.

Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is a handy utility present in Windows 10 and Windows 11 that allows developers to run GNU/Linux environments directly inside the operating system without requiring virtual machines (VMs) or dual-boot configurations. The implementation became generally available via the Microsoft Store about a year ago, making it easier for interested users to install it quickly. Now, Microsoft has rolled out a new pre-release version of WSL with a lot of interesting, experimental features.

Windows 11 has been out for nearly two years, and for many of us, it's already old news, but it's still a great operating system. The initial release of Windows 11 brought a brand-new design language, a new Start menu, and other changes, and newer updates have come out to add even more. With releases like version 22H2 and the upcoming version 23H2, Windows 11 keeps getting better. But even though it's getting more popular, many of us are still installing Windows 11 for the first time.

This is the portable power bank you want to get if you're looking for big power in a compact and lightweight package. The Anker 321 MagGo Battery is svelte and can magnetically attach to the rear of compatible smartphones. Furthermore, it can be charged using USB-C, which is perfect if you're going to be purchasing a new iPhone 15 or iPhone 15 Pro series phones.

The Dell XPS 13 2-in-1 for 2022 is a premium Windows tablet that represents a big change of direction for the lineup which used to be comprised of convertible laptops. This brand-new design also comes with some changes to the internals, including 9W Intel processors and a slightly smaller battery. In recent years, some devices have stopped including a charger in the box, but thankfully, that's not the case with the Dell XPS 13 2-in-1. In the box, you get a 45W charger, and you shouldn't have a reason to buy a new one.

Amazon Prime Big Deal Days is coming up again in October, just a few months after a hot summer Prime Day extravaganza. The date isn't known yet, but this is actually the second time Amazon is having a retail sales event in the year, and the third time Amazon is hosting one in October. Last year's was simply "Prime Early Access Sale." Now, October is still a month away, but there are still some great deals floating around. Amazon and other retailers like Best Buy are still cutting prices on monitors to levels close to what you'd see at the end of the year during Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Less than a month ago, Microsoft finally announced support for Python in Excel, allowing customers to use the powerful programming language in tandem with conventional Excel formulas to analyze and manipulate data. The move was greeted with a lot of enthusiasm and to capitalize on this excitement, Microsoft has released a Python editor for its Office application.

It’s not common to see people jump ship from one smartphone operating system to another, and by that, we mean iPhone users switching to Android or Android users jumping ship to explore Apple phones. But seeing how attractive flagship phones in both iOS and Android are so exciting, we totally get it! Take, for example, Google’s best against Apple’s champion: the Pixel against the iPhone. To be more specific, we’re talking about the iPhone 15 vs Google Pixel 7 — two of the best phones available in the market today.

Though most people by smartphones from their cellular carrier nowadays, there are a lot of benefits to purchasing one unlocked. Flagships can cost as much as over a thousand dollars in 2023, but unlocked phones give you more flexibility and aren't tied to a long-term contract. By choosing an unlocked phone over a carrier-locked model, buyers forego some of the best discounts on the greatest phones available. That's why people looking for unlocked phones should wait for a sales event like Amazon's upcoming Prime Big Deal Days. Here's everything you need to know about the sale hitting Amazon this October.