It's true that smartphones are getting bigger and better with larger displays and more powerful internals. There's also been an influx of foldables phones on the market right now, that are trying to blur the line between a phone and PCs.That being said, they're not quite ready to replace tablets just yet for a few obvious reasons. Tablets are still the perfect companions to have alongside your smartphone, laptop, or PC, as they let you work on things more effectively.

Shadow, which offers services that let you stream a Windows PC, has disclosed a security breach that led an attacker taking some private customer data. The company is sending emails to customers notifying them that a bad actor was able to extract their first and last name, email address, date of birth, billing address, and credit card expiration date.Shadow’s CEO confirmed the breach in a statement to The Verge. “We were recently the victim of a highly sophisticated social engineering attack which led to the exfiltration of the database of one of our service providers, resulting in the unauthorized exposure of certain customer data,” Eric Sele says. “We have since then taken immediate steps to secure our systems, including reinforcing... Continue reading…

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 brought a lot of noteworthy improvements over its predecessor to become much easier to recommend. Unlike the Galaxy Z Fold 5, which was mostly a spec bump over the Galaxy Z Fold 4, the Flip 5 brought a larger, more useful cover screen. It also has better internals that allow it to go head-to-head with newer phones on the market, so it delivers a well-rounded experience overall. Despite all the changes and improvements, though, the Galaxy Z Flip 5 is still far from perfect, which is why I'm already looking ahead to the next generation.

The Google Pixel 8 and 8 Pro were recently announced, and buyers are already excited to buy their next smartphone. But whether this is the right decision depends on how you compare it with other devices in the range like the S23. We know that Samsung S23 comes with stunning displays, state-of-the-art camera setup, and powerful performance. Meanwhile, Google's Pixel 8 brings its signature AI magic, alongside impressive photography features and a user-friendly interface. For this guide, we’ll compare Samsung’s flagship S23 with the Pixel 8 to see which one is the worthy choice.

US President Joe Biden arrives for a ceremony at the groundbreaking of the new Intel semiconductor manufacturing facility near New Albany, Ohio, on Friday, September 9th, 2022.  | Image: Gaelen Morse / Bloomberg via Getty Images Lawmakers’ push to revive US chip manufacturing has triggered new concerns about pollution regulation, inadvertently subjecting semiconductor factories to federal environmental review for the first time. But while a bipartisan bill would exempt the factories to support a still-struggling American industry, some environmental advocates worry it could weaken the nation’s bedrock environmental law.Since the 1990s, semiconductor manufacturing has shifted from the US to Asia. Around that time, it was becoming cheaper to build fabs and hire workers in Asia. Studies into hazardous chemicals at fabs and lawsuits over worker exposure to them in the US were also emerging.Now, a global chip shortage — and a desire to counter China’s manufacturing... Continue reading…

Image: CD Projekt Red Cyberpunk 2077’s recently released DLC Phantom Liberty uses an AI-edited voice to emulate the performance of a deceased actor, the studio has confirmed. The actor in question is Miłogost “Miłek” Reczek, who provided the Polish-language voice of doctor Viktor Vektor in a localized version of the original game. He passed away in 2021 before reprising his role for the DLC. News that AI would be used to approximate Reczek’s performance first emerged around a month ago prior to the release of Phantom Liberty. But it gained widespread attention this month after developer CD Projekt Red issued a statement explaining its decision. Localization director Mikołaj Szwed says that the company considered re-recording the entire role (both the... Continue reading…

Illustration: The Verge Google is experimenting with the inclusion of a Discover Feed on its desktop homepage that shows recommended content alongside the company’s traditional search box. A screenshot from MSPowerUser, which spotted the change, shows a feed that includes news headlines, a weather forecast, sports scores, and stock information for a trio of companies. The search giant previously added the Discover Feed to its US homepage on mobile devices in 2018,Google spokesperson Lara Levin confirmed the change in a statement given to The Verge, noting that it’s an experiment that’s currently being run in India. Any change to google.com is significant as it continues to be the world’s most visited website. Image: MSPowerUser A... Continue reading…

From Google Drive to Chrome Remote Desktop, you'll find several of Google's progressive web apps (PWA) in ChromeOS. There is one more of a similar kind from Google that has recently made its debut on Chromebooks to give you control over your Pixel Buds' customization.

The Windows product key is a 25-character alphanumeric code that’s needed to activate and validate Windows. It ensures that you are using a licensed copy of Windows and not a pirated one. This is important because some of the critical Windows updates are available only for licensed Windows users. If you are already using a licensed copy of Windows, then you need to know where to find it in case you are planning to do a clean installation of Windows on your machine or want to transfer your copy of Windows to a new machine altogether.

Samsung just recently introduced an all-encompassing Galaxy FE line with the Samsung Galaxy S23 FE, Galaxy Tab S9 FE series, and the Galaxy Buds FE. All of these try to offer great value for money by bringing flagship-level specs to a much more affordable price point, and because of this, they're all very tempting. So, say you're looking to buy the new Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 FE tablets — we're here to help with that. We've rounded up all the best deals and the best places to grab yourself one of these tablets as early as possible.

Illustration by William Joel / The Verge Microsoft’s $68.7 billion deal to acquire Activision Blizzard has been approved by UK regulators. The UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has concluded that the deal can proceed after Microsoft recently restructured the deal to transfer cloud gaming rights for current and new Activision Blizzard games to Ubisoft. The decision clears the way for the deal to close now that the UK regulator has given the green light.“The CMA has decided to give Microsoft Corporation (Microsoft) consent to acquire Activision Blizzard, Inc. (Activision) (the Parties) excluding Activision’s cloud streaming rights outside of the European Economic Area (EEA) (the Merger) subject to the condition that the sale of Activision’s cloud streaming rights... Continue reading…

The Android flagship space has already seen some good smartphones in 2023 so far. Samsung and OnePlus kicked things off with their respective flagships, and we've also received some solid mid-rangers and best value picks in the form of Galaxy A54 5G, Pixel 7a, and more recently, the Galaxy S23 FE. Samsung's foldable lineup also has some new entries for 2023, so there's no shortage of reliable Android phones in 2023. If you are in the market to buy a new Android flagship and can't figure out which one is better, then you've landed on the right page. I have highlighted some of the best phones in each category in the roundup below, so check out the listings to find the one that suits your needs and budget.