Minimalist flip phones seem like they're starting to become a thing. Last month, we saw Commodore's Callback 8020, a stripped-back flip phone that blocks social media, and now, Light is back with the $300 Light Flip.

Whether it’s productivity tools, media managers, or game servers, I stick to free and open-source apps as much as possible. After all, they’re completely private from the prying eyes of random companies, and I don’t have to spend dozens of dollars on monthly subscriptions to unlock essential features. With containerized images, I can even host FOSS tools on a server node and access them from the rest of my devices.

Buying the right drives for your network-attached storage (NAS) can be the difference between losing everything and safely storing countless terabytes of data. NAS-specific drives often cost considerably more than standard consumer storage, which is why I’ve used other methods to acquire HDDs for my own systems. These include buying discounted enterprise drives and shucking external enclosures. It remains a great way to find inexpensive storage for a NAS or PC.

I am a very clumsy man. So clumsy, that I have AirTags hanging off practically every camera I own. Have I left my camera in an Uber? Yes. Have I left it on an airplane? Also yes. For me, finder tags are essential for my cameras.The problem is, strapping a finder tag to a camera is always cumbersome. I currently have them hanging off my camera straps like a phone charm circa 2001. They're ugly, and very much get in the way when I'm trying to focus on shooting. But Peak Design thinks it has a solution in its new Field Bracket system, which it launched today on Kickstarter, starting at $150 for early birds.The Peak Design Field Bracket is p …Read the full story at The Verge.

Local AI has changed the way I work. Instead of opening a browser and depending on cloud-based chatbots for every task, I now have models running directly on my PC that are always available and work seamlessly with the rest of my self-hosted setup. But as I expanded my local AI stack, I realized that no single application could handle every part of my workflow equally well. After plenty of experimenting, I stopped looking for an all-in-one solution. Today, I rely on two different apps, and each one plays a distinct role that makes my daily workflow faster and more enjoyable.

As component and RAM shortages drive prices higher, Apple is reportedly launching an "Apple Upgrade" program for leasing new devices. According to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman, it will work similar to a car lease, with options to upgrade to a new device early, or keep or return the device at the end of the lease. Gurman says Klarna will be Apple's financial backer for the new program, which will require a soft credit check to sign up.Apple Upgrade is reportedly slated to launch on July 28th, replacing the current iPhone Upgrade Program and standard financing for new iPhones with a program available for most new iPhone, Mac, iPad, and Apple Watc …Read the full story at The Verge.

Substack will now help users determine whether what they're reading may have been written by AI. A new tool coming to the platform can scan posts, notes, replies, and comments to provide an estimate of how much text could be AI-generated or written with AI assistance, according to a blog post published on Tuesday.The tool is powered by an AI detection company called Pangram and is rolling out across the web and the iOS app, with an Android launch coming "soon." Readers can analyze content longer than 100 words by choosing the "Scan for AI text" option from the three-dot menu in the top-right corner of a post.Substack co-founder and CEO C …Read the full story at The Verge.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman. | Bloomberg via Getty Images OpenAI says its AI models mistakenly breached open-source AI platform Hugging Face during internal testing. In a blog post on Tuesday, OpenAI writes that GPT-5.6 Sol and "an even more capable pre-release model" discovered vulnerabilities within their sandboxed testing environment, allowing them to gain access to the internet and target Hugging Face.On July 16th, Hugging Face disclosed a security incident that it says was driven by "an autonomous AI agent system." Hugging Face's AI agents detected and stopped the breach, which OpenAI has now admitted occurred during an evaluation of its models' cybersecurity capabilities. OpenAI says "all e …Read the full story at The Verge.

I spend my days dissecting consumer tech hardware, ripping apart gadgets, and analyzing software ecosystems for a living. By nature, I use this critical lens to view everything, including my 2022 car. It's not the rolling computer that the average Tesla or Rivian has become, but I realized I never gave its stock software a shot.

Repurposing old tech is always a better idea than throwing it out. Some devices you can get more out of by giving them a new function instead of tossing them out. For instance, repurposing tech for a home lab is a good example. Whatever device, unless it is completely dead and unable to power on, it can serve a different tech function in your home.

Sometimes you might walk into a room, issue a voice command, or trigger an automation, and instead get a cold, robotic response that a device is unavailable or your smart home is having trouble connecting to the internet. Realistically, it wasn't a complex network outage, a broken home assistant script, or an AWS server crash behind the blackout. It was a well-meaning family member, house guest, or muscle memory-driven version of yourself who flipped the physical wall switch off.

The Kindle Paperwhite, our favorite Kindle, is down to $124.99. | Image: The Verge If you’ve been thinking about picking up a Kindle before school starts, or for your next vacation, now’s a good time to do it. As part of its Black Friday in July sale, Best Buy has brought the Kindle Paperwhite back down to its all-time low of $124.99 ($35 off). It’s the Kindle we recommend for most people because it has a bunch of features. It’s waterproof and features a sharp 300ppi, 7-inch display, it offers an adjustable warm light for reading at night, and it has great battery life that can last for more than a month on a single charge.Kindle Paperwhite (12th-gen)Where to Buy: $159.99 $124.99 at Best Buy (with ads) $159.99 $124.99 at Target (with ads)Best Buy has also discounted nearly every other Kindle model. The Kindle Kids is a good deal even for adults. It’s down to $99.99 ($30 off), and includes the same hardware as the standard Kindle, but with some extras: a kid-friendly cover, no ads, a two-year worry-free guarantee, and six months of Amazon Kids Plus. If you read comics, the Kindle Colorsoft is also on sale starting at $159.99 ($90 off). It shares many of the Paperwhite’s strengths but adds a color E Ink display that displays color at up to 150ppi. The Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition, which has 32GB of storage and wireless charging, is on sale for $219.99 ($60 off).If you want an e-reader that doubles as a digital notebook, the Kindle Scribe and Kindle Scribe Colorsoft are worth considering. They’re on sale starting at $379.99 ($120 off)  and $479.99 ($150 off), respectively. Each offers an 11-inch display with an included stylus for writing notes, annotating Kindle books, and marking documents. They also include notebook templates and AI-powered tools that can summarize notes or clean up messy handwriting. The biggest difference is that the Scribe Colorsoft adds a color E Ink display, making it a better choice for reviewing color documents or organizing notes with different colors.Read our reviews of the Kindle Paperwhite, Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition, and Kindle Scribe Colorsoft. Kindle Kids (2024)Amazon’s Kindle Kids is identical to the standard Kindle — meaning it packs a 300ppi display and support for USB-C charging — but comes with a case, an extended two-year warranty, and six months of Amazon Kids Plus.Where to Buy: $129.99 $99.99 at Best Buy $129.99 $99.99 at TargetKindle Colorsoft (16GB)Amazon gave its Kindle lineup a much-needed jolt with the introduction of the Kindle Colorsoft last year, its first color E Ink ebook reader. Now it’s back with a cheaper 16GB model that offers many of the same perks, including up to eight weeks of battery life and a 7-inch display that’s great for comics and graphic novels.Where to Buy: $249.99 $189.99 at Amazon $249.99 $189.99 at Best Buy $249.99 at TargetKindle Scribe 32GBThe third-gen Kindle Scribe 32GB is even bigger than its 10.2-inch predecessor; it offers an 11-inch display with 300ppi resolution and the same great battery life that Kindles are known for. Where to Buy: $499.99 $379.99 at Best BuyKindle Scribe ColorsoftThe Kindle Scribe Colorsoft is Amazon’s first note-taking e-reader with a color screen. It features an 11-inch display, a slimmer design, an improved interface, an updated stylus, and a new AI-powered search feature that can quickly summarize documents.Where to Buy: $629.99 $479.99 at Best Buy (32GB) window.HYPE_DESK_CONFIG = { productImageUrl: "https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/b5e045d6-98c4-4f42-903a-b50e7860ae0b-2_79920c78-4486-41e1-9bad-f8e06378150b.avif", productImageAlt: "Apple Watch SE 3", productTitle: "Apple Watch SE 3", shortDescription: "The full Apple Watch experience at a smarter price.", longDescription: "The Apple Watch SE 3 is the smartwatch that does everything you actually need without the price tag of the flagship. The S10 chip keeps it fast and responsive, health and fitness tracking is comprehensive, and the integration with iPhone is seamless. A great first Apple Watch or a meaningful upgrade from an older model, available refurbished on Back Market at a price that makes the decision easy.", purchaseUrl: "https://www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=18275&awinaffid=173843&campaign=VergeHypeDesk&clickref=Article1&platform=dl&ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.backmarket.com%2Fen-us%2Fp%2Fapple-watch-series-se-3-2025-gps-cellular-40-mm-aluminium-starlight-sport-band-white%2Fb5e045d6-98c4-4f42-903a-b50e7860ae0b", purchaseLinkText: "Shop At Back Market" };Some more ways to saveNow through August 28th, the Google Store is throwing in a free Pixel Watch 2 when you buy a refurbished Google Pixel 7 with 128GB of storage for $329. The deal also includes a free Pixel 7 case. Though both devices are a few years old, the Pixel 7 boasts a spacious 90Hz OLED display, an IP68 rating for full water and dust resistance, and wireless charging. As for the Pixel Watch 2, it offers reliable fitness tracking based on Fitbit’s software, along with solid performance, all-day battery life, and good integration with Google’s ecosystem, though the offer is limited to the 41mm size. Read our review of the Google Pixel 7 and Google Pixel Watch 2.Best Buy’s selling both the Ring Battery Doorbell 2K and Indoor Cam Plus bundled together for $69.99 ($70 off). Together, they let you keep tabs on both your front door and an indoor space in 2K resolution, with features like motion alerts and two-way talking. The Indoor Cam Plus also includes a removable privacy cover, while the battery-powered doorbell offers a 140-degree field of view and up to 6x zoom to help you get a closer look at visitors.The rechargeable Gooloo F3 Air Duster is down to $33.99 ($16 off) at Amazon, which is one of its better prices in recent months. The cordless cleaner features a 5,000mAh rechargeable battery and a capable motor, along with three speed settings for blowing dust out of keyboards, PCs, car interiors, and other hard-to-reach spaces. It also weighs less than half a pound, making it compact enough to slip into a pocket.