Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge The best from Apple, Bose, Samsung, Sony, Beats, Google, and more Continue reading…

Photo by Win McNamee/Getty Images On the heels of the Labor Day weekend, United Airlines briefly issued a nationwide ground stop order, citing a “systemwide technology issue.” The order was lifted around 10 minutes later. “We are experiencing a systemwide technology issue and are holding all aircraft at their departure airports. Flights that are already airborne are continuing to their destination as planned. We will share more information as it becomes available,” the airlines said in a tweet on X (formerly Twitter). “Thank you for your patience as we work on a resolution to get you on your way as soon as possible.”United did not immediately provide any details about why it issued a ground stop and how it was able to lift it so quickly. We are experiencing a... Continue reading…

Samsung's foldable phone lineup has come a long way from the original ones that were released a few years ago. The Galaxy Z Flip 5 and the Galaxy Z Fold 5 both represent the best of what the company has to offer right now in the foldable phone space, and they are — in many ways — superior to their peers in the same segment. They have drastically different designs, but their differences go beyond just their folding mechanisms.

Android 14 is just on the horizon, but Android's own Quarterly Feature Drops are still chugging along. This quarter's feature drop brings plenty of useful new features to all Android users and should come to all supported devices in the coming weeks and months. Note that an Android Feature Drop is not the same as a Pixel Feature Drop, where Pixel-related drops are only for Google's own Pixel phones.

That’s Android with a capital A, sir. | Image: Google Google is releasing a grab bag of updates to its mobile apps and services, including an At a Glance Google Assistant widget, enhancements to its Lookout visual accessibility app, and Zoom calls in Android Auto. This comes with a side of branding updates designed to remind us that Android is fun but also a serious Google product. It all arrives as we anticipate Android 14’s imminent release, which is a slightly less exciting milestone when you realize that most new Android features come throughout the year in updates like this rather than in one big OS platform upgrade. Image: Google At a Glance surfaces useful things like current weather updates and travel info. The new At a Glance widget takes a useful Pixel... Continue reading…

Photo illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge From simple fitness bands to rugged sports watches to rings, these are the best trackers you can get. Continue reading…

A lot of smartphone users don't typically give much thought to the many software releases rolled out to their devices. Some prefer to set their iPhones to automatically update, so they don't have to worry about doing it manually, while others prefer to just keep the same software version their device shipped with. A select few pick and choose when to update. Regardless of how you prefer to update your device, you may have noticed a new type of software release called a Rapid Security Response. But what does this really mean, and how does it compare to the other types of software releases seeded out to great iPhones?

Image: VW How do you tweak a classic hot hatch for the electric era? If you’re Volkswagen, you simply announce that the “I” in GTI now stands for “intelligence” instead of “injection” and call it a day. Just kidding. Obviously, VW went much further in unveiling the new GTI concept, or ID.GTI, which had its official debut at IAA Mobility in Munich this weekend. The reinterpretation of the 1976 original GTI has a lot more state-of-the-art tech and an electrified powertrain. But moreover, it could signal the future of this particular form of quick-footed hatchback. The VW ID.GTI is just a concept, but a production version will be coming to Europe at some future date. The US market may be part of the mix as well, but time will tell. The VW ID.GTI... Continue reading…

Not our finest moment. | Screenshot by Sean Hollister / The Verge Baldur’s Gate 3 sounds like a fantastic single-player experience. I wish I’d tried that instead of playing with my closest friends! This isn’t about difficulty: I fully expected to be beaten, shot, stabbed, and otherwise destroyed for taking on enemies too fast. I just wish developer Larian had designed a multiplayer experience that gave me the first freaking clue what’s going on. Want to make sure you don’t miss an important conversation that might determine the course of the game? Better make sure you’re watching your companions’ character portraits on the left of the screen like a hawk! At any moment, they might click on something or walk somewhere that triggers a cutscene, and a tiny conversation indicator is the difference... Continue reading…

“Sincerely Accra” is a part of the Gold Coast Report podcast network. | Image: GCR This is Hot Pod, The Verge’s newsletter about podcasting and the audio industry. Sign up here for more.Hope everyone has had an enjoyable Labor Day weekend. For today’s issue of Hot Pod, I have a Q&A I conducted with Afripod’s chief content officer and head of strategy, Kevin Y. Brown. The African podcasting platform — headquartered in Kenya — is considered the largest in the continent and is in the middle of an interesting partnership with radio stations. I got to hear Brown’s thoughts on the new initiative and — as well as how Afripods is spreading awareness of podcasting as a medium throughout Africa. I also have a lightning round of deals and announcements for today’s issue. Since I’ll be off for the rest of the week, Hot Pod will... Continue reading…

Headphones offer a unique experience that gives you the power to immerse yourself in music, movies, or games, while blocking out the rest of the world. This experience is amplified with headphones that offer robust sound and powerful ANC capabilities like the Philips Fidelio L3 headphones.

Clive, much like this deal, is on fire. | Image: Square Enix With so many major game releases happening this year — and even this week — you could almost forget that a new mainline Final Fantasy dropped just a couple of months back. Well now, it’s already on a sizable sale. Final Fantasy XVI is selling for $49.99 ($20 off) at both Amazon and Best Buy, its lowest price yet.Final Fantasy XVI is the most gritty and blood-soaked installment of the series to date, taking a chapter or three from George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones when it comes to sex and political intrigue. It may be rote to describe it as “this ain’t your daddy’s Final Fantasy,” but once you hear main protagonist Clive drop some f-bombs, it will be clear. The game also brings some interesting new twists on series mainstays, like... Continue reading…