Creators and communities everywhere take a stand against ICE
It's not surprising when the guy who's been yelling about the horrors of late-stage capitalism on Instagram for the last five years turns his ire towards ICE. But something different has been happening over the week or so, following the most recent shootings of civilians by federal agents - even accounts that stay laser focused on golfing, chopping wood, and playing cats like bongos have started to speak out.
The tenor on social media and Reddit took an even sharper turn yesterday, following the killing of Alex Pretti by ICE. Even the moderator of normally politics-free r/catbongos (a subreddit "Where gentlemen, gentlewomen, and gentlethem …
It doesn’t matter if Alex Pretti had a gun
Shortly after federal agents killed Alex Pretti Saturday morning, the Department of Homeland Security began to run with the story that the dead man had been armed and dangerous. He had a gun, DHS said. (A Bellingcat analysis of the video concludes that Pretti was unarmed when he was shot.) He had approached the agents holding the gun, DHS said. (He was holding a phone, The New York Times reports.) Pretti died on his knees, surrounded by armed Border Patrol agents, with shot after shot unloaded in his direction.
America's Second Amendment is beloved by conservatives. Minnesota allows open carry with a permit. Pretti lived in a city where pe …
Trusting your phone to Abxylute’s mobile controller requires a big leap of faith
As a retro gaming fan, I was thrilled when Apple opened its App Store to emulators in 2024, but I've yet to find a controller that makes me want to fully embrace retro gaming on my phone.
Clamp-on controllers like the Backbone Pro are a bit too bulky, and I don't want to prop my phone up somewhere to use a standalone gamepad. The Abxylute M4 seemed exactly what I was looking for when it debuted a few months ago. It's a compact wireless gamepad that uses a magnetic mount to attach to my iPhone. It's a clever design, but one that's let down by stiff thumbsticks and a magnetic mount that doesn't always feel like it's securely supporting my ph …
Why won’t anyone stop ICE from masking?
Americans do not like masked secret police. There is really no other way to put it. The reasons why are manifold: accountability, trust in law enforcement, and just plain overall vibes. More concretely, not being able to tell who's a cop and who's not is dangerous. An assassin masquerading as law enforcement killed Minnesota legislator Melissa Hortman and her husband last year. How is anyone supposed to tell whether they're being dragged out of their home in their underwear by ICE or by mere amateur thugs?
Last year, California passed the No Secret Police Act, which restricts masking for federal law enforcement, alongside the No Vigilantes …
Sony’s first clip earbuds don’t quite hit the mark
The Sony LinkBuds Clip are the company's first clip earbuds. They follow the innovative donut-hole LinkBuds and LinkBuds Open and, like their predecessors, allow you to listen to music or podcasts, make phone calls, or be active outdoors while still maintaining awareness of your surroundings. The clip design has become more popular over the past couple of years, and while the LinkBuds Clip have a solid design and good sound, there's nothing significant that sets them apart from competitors, especially at their $229.99 price.
Like other open earbuds, the LinkBuds Clip wrap around your ear helix like an ear cuff. The small spherical speaker e …
The great e-bike crackdown has begun
This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on the e-bike movement, follow Andrew J. Hawkins. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers' inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here.
How it started
Last week, I did something I don't typically do, which is call up one of my elected officials and yell at them about a new bill.
New Jersey's car-brained lawmakers had just passed legislation that would impose heavy restrictions on e-bike ownership in the state, and I was livid. Obviously there's been a lot of concern about the growing number of teenagers being injured and killed w …
The day of the second killing
Steven Garcia, as told to Gaby Del Valle:
I was in the middle of a frozen lake when I got the notification from The Minnesota Star Tribune that there had been a shooting. I was on assignment at a pond hockey event, and someone who was supposed to play later that evening said he probably wouldn't be able to make it - they knew there would be protests and demonstrations happening.
I arrived a little over three hours later. Federal officers had already cleared the scene - the FBI had been there investigating - so the only law enforcement present were state and local officials: the Minneapolis Police Department, their SWAT team, the Hennepin …
Microsoft handed the government encryption keys for customer data
The FBI went to Microsoft last year with a warrant, asking them to hand over keys to unlock encrypted data stored on three laptops as part of an investigation into potential fraud involving the COVID unemployment assistance program in Guam - and Microsoft complied.
Typically, companies resist handing over encryption keys to authorities. Most famously, Apple refused to grant the FBI access to a phone used by the San Bernardino shooters in 2016. The FBI eventually found a third-party to hack their way into the phone, but ultimately withdrew its case. Most of the major tech companies, including Google and Facebook backed Apple in its battle w …
MicroSD Express cards and Anker’s travel adapter rule the deal roost this week
Welcome to the weekend, friends! We’re still in a bit of a deals lull before the Presidents Day and V-Day sales begin, the bulk of which we anticipate kicking off the first week of February. However, for now, we’re still seeing some solid discounts on a few newer gadgets and some old, Verge-approved favorites. Anker’s Nano Travel Adapter has returned to its best price to date, for instance, as has Samsung’s last-gen Frame TV. You’ll also find discounts on microSD Express cards, budget-friendly robot vacuums, and more, so let’s get into it.
If you have plans to spend some time outside of the US this year, Anker’s versatile Nano Travel Adapter is on sale at Amazon in black and white — and directly from Anker with code WS7DV21AXQQZ — for $19.99 ($6 off), matching its lowest price to date.
Anker’s thin, foldable charger measures a mere 0.98 inches thick and sports a pair of USB-C ports, two USB-A ports, and a US-style Type A outlet on the front, in addition to four plug types (Type A, C, G, and I). The main drawback, aside from the lack of a voltage converter, is that the maximum power output is 20W (or 15W when sharing power across all four USB ports), meaning you’ll need to bring another adapter if you want to charge a laptop or any other power-hungry device.
Anker Nano Travel Adapter (5-in-1, 20W)
Where to Buy:
It’s been nearly eight months since the launch of the Nintendo Switch 2 — meaning, if you haven’t already purchased a microSD Express card to level up your storage capacity of your console, you’ll likely need to do so soon. Fortunately, Samsung’s P9 microSD Express card is currently on sale at Amazon and B&H Photo with 256GB of storage starting at $39.99 ($15 off), matching its second-best price to date.
As you might expect, P9 is built to handle the Switch 2’s faster storage speeds, with sequential read speeds of up to 800 MB/s, resulting in quicker load and launch times. The Switch 2 features 256GB of internal storage, meaning you’re doubling your storage capacity with a 256GB card, or tripling it in the case of Samsung’s 512GB variant. Most first-party Nintendo games aren’t massive, mind you, but third-party titles like Split Fiction (69GB) and Madden NFL 26 (59GB) can quickly devour dozens of gigabytes. That makes picking up a discounted microSD Express card a no-brainer, especially since they’re also compatible with cameras, drones, and any gadget with a microSD USH-I slot.
Samsung P9 microSD Express Card
Where to Buy:
I hate to break it to you, but so-called “art TVs” are not exceptional TVs, at least not in a traditional sense. Still, Samsung’s 2025 Frame TV — which is on sale at Woot in its 43-inch configuration starting at $597.99 ($302 off) through January 31st — is likely to look far better in your living room when idle than your typical LCD or OLED TV.
Samsung’s last-gen 4K TV is vastly different than the company’s 2026 panels, either. The slim QLED display can cycle through a small selection of free art pieces when idle, all of which take on a more textured, canvas-like appearance thanks to an anti-glare matte coating that helps curb unwanted reflections. The Frame is plenty good enough for bingeing Slow Horses and Stranger Things, even if the refresh rate is capped at 60Hz, and you still get support for both HDR10 Plus and Dolby Atmos, along with access to all your favorite streaming apps.
Samsung The Frame (2025)
Where to Buy:
DJI’s drones might have been banned in the United States, but you can still pick up some of the company’s other gear stateside (at least for now). Take DJI’s Mic Mini, for instance, which is currently on sale at Amazon with a single mic and two transmitters for $59.99 ($20 off), matching the record-low first set during this time last year.
If you want to capture audio that sounds more professional than your smartphone can deliver on the go, the Mic Mini is a commendable option. The compact, 10-gram wireless microphone plugs directly into your phone via USB-C, Lightning, or a standard 3.5mm audio cable, and it can be clipped to clothing or worn using a magnetic mount or lanyard. The receiver lasts up to 10.5 hours and includes an onboard dial, which lets you fine-tune gain settings and adjust your volume levels. The pair of included transmitters, meanwhile, can run for up to 11.5 hours on a single charge and capture audio from up to about 400 meters away, provided they’re connected simultaneously.
Just don’t expect built-in backup recording or the option to connect a smaller lav mic, neither of which is available on the Mic Mini.
More ways to save this weekend
- Of all the games coming out this year, Resident Evil Requiem might be at the top of my list. If you’re in the same camp, you can preorder the Steam version (via a digital key) for PC through Fanatical for $57.39 (about $13 off), which is likely the best price we’re going to see in the next mainline RE before it launches on February 27th. I, for one, can’t wait for my return to Racoon City, especially since the ninth installment of the survival horror game will let you toggle between first- and third-person perspectives on the fly.
- If you find the price of most robot vacuums intimidating, Tapo’s RV30 Max Plus is down to an all-time low of $179.99 ($150 off) at Amazon. The RV30 remains our favorite budget vacuum / mop, namely because it offers a bevy of features found in robovacs that cost twice the price, including an auto-empty dock, smart lidar-based navigation, multiple suction and water levels, and room-specific cleaning with the ability to add virtual walls and no-go zones via the app. You also get a large 300ml tank and 5,200Pa of suction power, which is terrific for a bot in this price range.
- The JLab Go Air Pop ANC are on sale at Amazon, JLab, and Best Buy for $19.99 ($10 off), which is about $2 shy of their best price to date. They come up a little short in terms of audio quality, but you’d be hard-pressed to find another pair of wireless earbuds that offer a customizable EQ, ANC, multipoint connectivity, and seven hours of playback for under $20. Then there’s the translucent design, which is an even bigger selling point in my book.
Gmail’s spam filter and automatic sorting are broken
Some Gmail users may have noticed that promotional emails that normally go to their own siloed tab have started flooding their inbox. Reports hit the Google forums and Reddit that messages are bypassing the Updates and Promotional filters and went straight to Gmail inboxes. Some also reported seeing a banner at the top of some messages warning them to "be careful with this message," explaining that it hasn't been fully scanned for spam or malware.
Google acknowledged the issue, posting on the Workspace Status Dashboard:
Gmail users might see banners indicating missing spam checks.We are experiencing an issue with Gmail beginning on Saturd …