The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is shaping up to be one of the best smartwatches in terms of both performance and physical construction. Between its new S9 SiP chip and its dust and water-resistant 49mm titanium case, this wearable is built to last. But if you plan to wear it every day for years to come, then you’ll want to protect that gorgeous always-on Retina display with one of the best screen protectors. These are the most notable options on offer.

Yes, you can even create a strawberry koala. | Screenshot by Emma Roth / The Verge You can now create your own emoji combinations directly in Google Search. The company has launched its Emoji Kitchen feature on the web (via 9to5Google), which lets you mash up existing emoji to create different combinations, like an angry pumpkin or a panda wearing a cowboy hat.To start using the tool, all you need to do is type “Emoji Kitchen” into Google Search and click on the “Get cooking” prompt. From there, you pick from dozens of different emoji to combine or play around with the randomizer. Once you’re done experimenting, you can click on the resulting emoji to copy it to your device’s clipboard, allowing you to paste it as a sticker into a message or document.The emoji maker also works on mobile browsers and the Google app,... Continue reading…

This is Hot Pod, The Verge’s newsletter about podcasting and the audio industry. Sign up here for more.Today I will cover a controversial ad campaign that has raised questions at LAist, a pivot at Clubhouse, and a group of late night hosts who are taking their podcast to Las Vegas. Before I start with the news, one brief side note: Herb Scannell, the head of Southern California Public Radio, announced his retirement just yesterday. Nick Gerda of LAist does a good job of laying out what Scannell’s exit means for SCPR — which includes LAist 89.3 (formerly KPCC), LAist.com, and the podcast unit LAist Studio — in a reported piece that I suggest you read. LAist avoids questions on audio ads sponsored by Bari Weiss’ The Free PressLAist’s... Continue reading…

Since iPadOS 13, the iPad's operating system has diverted away from iOS, offering more exclusive features, tools, and changes. That's partially due to Apple trying to market its excellent tablets as laptop replacements. Now that I've been using iPadOS 17 for over three months, however, it has become evident that the Cupertino firm may just be running out of ideas. iPadOS 17 focuses on porting features introduced with iOS 17 and 16 rather than evolving the iPad's so-called unique identity.

Apple launched its iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro, alongside the Watch Series 9 and Watch Ultra 2 during its September event. While the brand's wearables brought exciting new changes and performance enhancements, the stars of the show were the latest iPhones which now have USB-C ports for charging and data transfer. Furthermore, the Pro models now use Titanium for their exterior casing and are also powered by a new A17 Pro chip, bringing vastly more power than its predecessor.

HP is entering the foldable PC market with the Spectre Fold, a 17-inch foldable tablet that can be used in various modes thanks to its folding display. This launch follows recent entries like the Asus Zenbook 17 Fold OLED and the Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold, but it's still one of the first devices in this category.

The Apple Watch Series 9 is here, arriving alongside the iPhone 15 and iPhone 15 Pro series. While it looks very similar to Apple's previous watch, it has some notable upgrades under the hood, including a faster processor and a brighter screen. Since it is the same design, all the same watch bands that worked on previous models work with the new one, which means there's a myriad of options if you want to change the look of your Apple Watch.

Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge Google, Mozilla, Microsoft, and Brave have each issued critical security patches, reports Stack Diary. The patches address a vulnerability that an attacker could use to gain access to or run malicious code on your computer, and the companies acknowledge it’s been actively exploited in the wild. NIST classifies the vulnerability as severe. Other companies’ applications are affected — the vulnerability is linked to code used to render WebP images, which are widely used.The software version numbers containing the fix are below.Google: Chrome version 116.0.5846.187 (Mac / Linux); Chrome version 116.0.5845.187/.188 (Windows)Mozilla: Firefox 117.0.1; Firefox ESR 102.15.1; Firefox ESR 115.2.1; Thunderbird 102.15.1; Thunderbird 115.2.2M... Continue reading…

In case you haven't heard, Apple's just launched a new set of iPhones this year that brings its first major change in quite some time. The iPhone 15 series brings the addition of USB-C to the lineup, making it easier and more convenient to charge the phones. While this might be the case, there are certainly going to be a lot of folks needing new cables with this transition, and luckily, we've spotted a deal that delivers two USB-C charging cables for just $7.

The iPhone 15 looks to be another great iPhone model. It comes with features like USB-C charging for the first time, as well as the Dynamic Island on the display. One thing that the iPhone 15 series continues over the iPhone 14 series, though, is the lack of a physical SIM tray. The iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Plus, iPhone 15 Pro, and iPhone 15 Pro Max all do not have a physical SIM card slot in the United States. Models sold outside the United States, however, will still have the feature.

The iPhone 15 uses a digital eSIM in lieu of a physical SIM card slot, so you might be wondering if you can use more than one SIM at a time. Obviously, it can't use any SIM cards, but the iPhone 15 supports up to eight eSIMs at once, which means you can use up to eight numbers on one phone. Although you can't use all eight at once. Let us explain.

Photo by Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images Tech leaders called for regulation that balances innovation and safety as the Senate conducted one of the many “insight forums” to inform potential rulemaking. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) invited leaders in the AI space, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Nvidia president Jensen Huang, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and X chair Elon Musk to a bipartisan AI Insight Forum. The forum was closed to the public and media, but some tech leaders prepared remarks or spoke to reporters outside the event. Zuckerberg said in prepared remarks that “Congress should engage with AI to support innovation and safeguards.” He said there are two defining issues for AI: safety and access. M... Continue reading…