Keyboards of The Verge
What is a keyboard if not the original brain-computer interface? You can tap on a touchscreen or talk to the computer, but if your work involves getting information out of your head and into the computer, you're probably spending a lot of time using a keyboard.
We've written about many keyboards over the years, from the legendary Optimus Maximus to the ultra-luxe Seneca to even stranger fare. But I wanted to know what my coworkers actually use. As I'd hoped, there's a wide range. Some of us are strictly utilitarian, optimizing for ergonomics or functionality. Others obsess over every detail of feel, sound, layout, and looks. Still oth …
Binance CEO says 90 percent of stolen assets have been ‘replenished’
After hackers stole a shocking $6.3 billion from Binance customers in a record-breaking crypto heist, the company's CEO says that 90 percent of the funds have been replaced, and the company plans to cover the remaining 10 percent as well. Binance is covering the stolen funds directly, and the remaining 10 percent consists of "less liquid" tokens, which the company says may take longer to acquire.
The company also said in a post on X that, while withdrawals remain paused, they're on track to be enabled on Sunday.
Our commitment remains the same: Binance will fully cover the financial impact of the funds stolen in this incident. We will co …
Happy Pikmin Day Eve
This morning, Nintendo announced that tomorrow, November 1st, would be the first annual Pikmin Day. As part of the short Pikmin Day Direct, Shigeru Miyamoto shared new info about Pikmin 4 for the Switch 2, as well as an update for the mobile app Pikmin Bloom, and announced the Hello! Pikmin series of shorts.
Players will be able to use the Switch 2's built-in microphone to issue voice commands to Oatchi, the space dog. Pikmin 4 will also have a Dandori Academy mode that will test players' skills in specific challenges. There will be limited tests on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, complete with leaderboards where players can compare stats. Pi …
I built an AI Tamagotchi before Meta could
Mark Zuckerberg's Meta made AI look so stinking cute by giving it a squishy little face - and this holiday season, he wants to sell you a Muse Charm so you can carry your jolly AI helper around like a Tamagotchi.
But I won't be buying one, because we have Muse Charm at home. It cost just $50, and I've decided the learning experience was worth it.
My version doesn't sport cameras or a 5G cellular radio, but it really talks to Muse and has cute avatars, too! It doubles as a pocket watch and a remote camera viewfinder, and it can (theoretically) control my smart home.
Or at least it can if you inject a lot of extra vibe code.
Weeks …
Windows 11 tries new shortcuts for Xbox gaming mode and search
The latest Windows 11 Insider build adds some powerful new search features and quick settings while in Xbox mode. The Xbox shortcuts let you control things like Bluetooth, WiFi, and power settings without having to exit gaming mode.
The search improvements are quite comprehensive. You can now filter results for files, actions, or web results. You can also use the search box to perform actions like changing the screen brightness or volume, and even perform actions on a connected phone, including making calls. Results can also offer much more detail, like when a file was last modified and its author, or pull in charts for stock prices and we …
Best Buy is bundling a $100 gift card with touchscreen MacBook Pro preorders
While the new touch-enabled MacBook Pro with the PROLED XDR screen is available for preorder across a few major retailers, Best Buy is sweetening the deal by including a $100 gift card. The gift card will be automatically added to your cart when you preorder one of Apple’s highest-end laptops available in 14- or 16-inch configurations, and even one of its 14-inch MacBook Pro laptops with the M6 chip. You can verify that it’s been added to your order in the “Complete your purchase” section of the checkout page.
My colleague Antonio G. Di Benedetto got a chance to check out the new laptop at Apple’s event, and came away impressed by the Tandem OLED panel’s brightness and contrast, but described the update as “kind of boring” given the relatively small changes to the system otherwise. There are some unique changes to macOS that help make the new touch experience smoother, like magnifying the traffic light-colored buttons on windows when you move your finger near them. The PROLED laptops are also a bit thinner and lighter than standard models, and the Apple logo on the back glows like on older versions.
Read our MacBook Pro with PROLED XDR display hands-on.
Vic Mensa can’t live without the Voice Memos app
Vic Mensa is one of those people who has done so many things that it's hard to remember where you were first introduced to him. Was it his debut mixtape Innanetape, which finally hit the major streaming services for the first time in September? Or maybe his house-influenced single "Down On My Luck"? Maybe you didn't even realize that Mensa was a rapper. Maybe you know him from his roles on The Chi or Bel-Air. Or perhaps you're mostly aware of him through his activism, social media presence (peeling oranges and waxing poetic), or his podcast The Vic Mensa Show.
Point is, the man wears many hats. Part of the secret to being so prolific, it tu …
Touchscreens everywhere!
Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 150, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, happy Halloween, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)
This week, I was in the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee on a family vacation. It was delightful (and the reason this week's Installer is a little short). I've also been reading about job hunting and 30 Rock and crypto detectives, testing the DuckDuckGo browser after a bunch of you told me to add it to the list, watching the adorable new Pixar short over and over, getting caught up on VisionQuest, playing with my new Pebble Index …
Here’s why you can’t shake those unhinged political texts
"Its James Talarico. Can you please please please please pretty pretty please rush in even just $1?"
"Who's working to elect James Talarico? Marxists."
"Wow! Wow! Wow! Mark Kelly just made a HUGE announcement!"
"We asked Ben Verlander, MLB analyst and former Tigers prospect, to record a quick video about the election this Tuesday, November 3rd."
"See which of your friends or family members have voted in the past and remind them to vote this year."
If any of these messages sound familiar, it's likely because they're part of the massive stream of text messages flooding your phone leading up to the US midterm elections on Tuesday. The scal …
Apple Intelligence is finally coming to China with iOS 27.3
Apple will launch Apple Intelligence in China with iOS 27.3, the company announced on its Chinese newsroom website, as reported by MacRumors. The Apple Intelligence features will be available first in an iOS 27.3 beta that's set to launch on November 4th, with a full iOS 27.3 release scheduled for December.
This launch doesn't bring the new Siri AI to China. Instead, Apple is launching several of its earlier Apple Intelligence features like notification summaries, real-time translation, rewriting and proofreading tools, visual intelligence, and removing objects from photos. Apple also says it has worked with Ailbaba to add support for its Q …