Claude comes for Gemini with its own take on Docs and Slides
Claude is getting a pair of new tools today: Docs and Slides. They'll let you create documents and presentations through Claude chats, which you can export, edit, and share with other users.
As part of the announcement, Anthropic is also simplifying how Claude chats work, merging regular chats and Cowork into "one Claude," with all of its AI productivity tools available from any chat. Artifacts and Claude Design capabilities will be available through the new single interface as well. According to Anthropic, Claude "can now figure out what a task needs, so what Cowork and Design can do is available from any conversation, with the context, sk …
The sexy AI-powered dating app scams are here
Security researcher Matthew "Zigula" Gore-Kormanik was analyzing a fraudulent dating app called Dora when he got a pop-up message saying he was receiving a call from Jennifer. According to her bio, she's a 41-year-old Sagittarius with red hair, blue eyes, and piercings. She likes music, horror movies, nightlife, and sports.
Gore-Kormanik answered the call, but didn't see Jennifer in his video feed. He saw a tapestry that was moving, probably due to a fan, and heard weird distortion in the background. After the call ended, "Jennifer" messaged him to say she'd had fun and "your voice is way better than expected." His microphone hadn't even be …
Xreal’s well-rounded 1S glasses are back down to their lowest price
USB-C-connected video glasses are a lot of fun if you want to see your games, movies (or just your computer screen) on a large, immersive virtual screen. One of the most well-rounded pairs out there, Xreal’s 1S, has returned to their lowest price yet, costing $399 at Amazon and via Xreal itself ($50 off). The small, yet welcome discount brings them a little closer in price to the company’s $299 xbx A01 Plus, which lack a handful of nice-to-have features that make the 1S a better choice for some people.
The 1S is among the most affordable pairs of video glasses to have three degrees of freedom, letting you anchor the screen to a spot in your room, as opposed to having the screen jolt around with every little movement of your head. Of note, their 3DoF implementation feels less buggy than competitors. They also have much better sound quality than the A01 Plus and most non-Xreal video glasses, plus electrochromic lenses that have adjustable opacity to let in as much (or as little) light as you wish.
Not everyone will have a fantastic out-of-the-box experience with the Xreal 1S’ screen clarity. I’m nearsighted, and I needed prescription lenses in order to see things clearly. This model doesn’t offer hardware-based myopia dials like Viture’s $299 Pro 2 does. The Pro 2’s clarity, for me at least, was incredible without lenses, though that pair lacks most of the premium features of the 1S.
window.HYPE_DESK_CONFIG = { productImageUrl: "https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Dell_Alienware_AW3225QF_Hype_Desk_16x9.jpg", productImageAlt: "Alienware 32 4K QD-OLED Gaming Monitor", productTitle: "Alienware 32 4K QD-OLED Gaming Monitor", shortDescription: "Sharp, fast, and built for serious screen time.", longDescription: "4K resolution and 240Hz, without picking one over the other. The 31.6-inch QD-OLED panel pairs sharp 4K detail with a 240Hz refresh rate and a 0.03ms response time for genuinely responsive competitive play. A curved 1700R design, Dolby Vision, and 99% DCI-P3 color coverage make everything on screen feel more immersive, and HDMI 2.1 plus G-SYNC compatibility make it just as strong a fit for consoles as it is for PC.", purchaseUrl: "https://www.dpbolvw.net/click-8836598-12839518?sid=VergeHypeDeskArticle56Newsletter3DellAugust2026&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.dell.com%2Fen-us%2Fshop%2Falienware-32-4k-qd-oled-gaming-monitor-aw3225qf%2Fapd%2F210-blmq%2Fmonitors-monitor-accessories%3Futm_source%3Dchatgpt.com", purchaseLinkText: "Shop At Dell" };A few other great Verge-approved deals
- The latest version of the Beats Pill Bluetooth speaker has returned to $99.99 (originally $149.99) in every color at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. It doesn’t often go below this sale price, though it has on rare occasion. While it shares the iconic design of past iterations, former Verge audio reviewer Chris Welch said in his 2024 review that this edition is “more than just a lazy remaster.” It includes lossless audio support over USB-C, and its features work natively across Android and iOS. It can work as a speakerphone, and it sports an IP67 rating, granting it robust protection against water and dust. What’s more, it looks nicer than most of its competitors.
- The Sonos Ace Ultra headphones will launch in just a couple weeks, costing $449. It’s how much you’ll have to pay to get wireless headphones that let you swap audio with almost any other Sonos speaker. If you’re alright with the simpler TV Audio Swap feature, its original Ace headphones might be good enough, and refurbished models are almost $200 less than the Ace Ultra. Sonos is selling refurbished (one-year warranty, and in “good as new” condition) Ace headphones for $279 in white or black. Check out our review to see if these sound like a good fit for you.
- Those who have a Steam Deck or a gaming PC and are interesting in some affordable games should check out this Capcom-themed game bundle builder at Fanatical. You can buy any two games in the list for $12.99, or add more to get deeper discounts per game. The assortment includes fantastic titles, like many of the latest Resident Evil games (excluding Requiem or the RE4 remake), multi-game collections from the Ace Attorney, Mega Man, and Devil May Cry series, and more. It’s a good opportunity to get caught up on a bunch of Steam games, or round out your collection with two extras.
A brief history of AI executives calling for regulation
Over the past few days, a lot of people who stand to make a lot of money from AI all publicly agreed that it's time to make everyone slow down before we lose control - including OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei, Google DeepMind cofounder Demis Hassabis, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, and X CEO Elon Musk.
When people who profit from something declare that it's dangerous and needs to be regulated, there's always reason to be skeptical. But whatever their reason, this is far from the first time AI thought leaders have sounded the alarm.
Charles Darwin's theory of evolution prompted author Samuel Butler to warn about intelligen …
Nintendo opens up Fire Emblem with the gigantic Fortune’s Weave
Nintendo has gotten quite good at making open-ended games. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild upended the idea of what a Zelda game could be by giving the player free rein to tackle any part of the map, a philosophy iterated upon with Tears of the Kingdom. On the Switch 2 this idea expanded to Mario Kart World and Donkey Kong Bananza. Now, Nintendo has brought this philosophy to Fire Emblem with Fortune's Weave. It works really well; with its many ways to progress through the game and tailor teams to your liking, Fortune's Weave has become my favorite game on the Switch 2 so far.
Fortune's Weave's structure is a big reason why it feels …
The iPhone 18 Pro’s big camera update is all about the small gains
Last week, Apple announced an iPhone unlike any it has made in the past. An iPhone that has seemingly already led several other phone manufacturers to pursue entirely different designs for their flagship products. A remarkably distinct device with the kind of "I can't believe they did that" software touches that Apple sometimes pulls off when it's at the top of its game.
That phone is not the iPhone 18 Pro.
The 18 Pro and Pro Max are in the unusual position of being the second-most interesting iPhones that Apple is launching this year. The foldable iPhone Duo stole the show at Apple's launch event, but it's not arriving until next month. …
Meta is reportedly ready to launch less pervy smart glasses
Meta may be ready to reveal a new pair of smart glasses with no camera at all, amid a PR crisis for the company caused by the video recording capabilities of its flagship smart glasses. A new report from The Information claims the camera-free glasses, codenamed Luna, could be revealed as soon as the Meta Connect event next week.
Instead of a camera, the Luna glasses will reportedly include six microphones that allow users to chat to Meta AI and the new Muse AI agent, along with speakers for audio playback. Stripping the camera out has apparently made it possible to make the glasses' arms smaller, and closer to ordinary frames. Meta is repor …
The Boox Palma 3 gets stylus support and a sleek redesign
Nearly two years after the last update to Boox's smartphone-sized black-and-white e-reader, the company announced the Palma 3 with a sleek redesign, new functionality, and a handful of other small updates that may justify its significant price bump depending on how you plan to use it. While the Palma 2 launched in 2024 for $279.99, the Palma 3 will be $339.99 and is expected to be "available soon."
The most obvious upgrade for the Palma 3 is the hardware itself. It still features the same 6.13-inch, 300ppi E Ink Carta screen as its predecessor (which is now quite a few years old), but it's wrapped in a new anodized aluminum frame with a pap …
The EOS R8 Mark II is Canon’s lightest full-frame camera with stabilization
Canon announced the second-generation of its EOS R8 with a new retro-inspired redesign and the addition of in-body stabilization. That feature was one of the most notable omissions from the original R8 that launched in 2023 as a smaller, cheaper, and more accessible alternative to the Canon R6 Mark II for photographers wanting a larger full-frame shooter. While the new EOS R8 Mark II is slightly heavier than its predecessor at 1.2 pounds thanks to the additional stabilization functionality, it's lighter and cheaper than last year's EOS R6 Mark III.
The Canon EOS R8 Mark II is expected to be available sometime in late October for $1,899 for …
AI and data centers are incredibly unpopular in every poll
Poll data released Tuesday by The New York Times and Siena University confirms what we've already been seeing, and what politicians are responding to - AI and data centers are incredibly unpopular. Asked if they support or oppose the construction of data centers to power AI tech, 61 percent of the 1,503 likely voters surveyed in early September (ahead of the recent AI safety slowdown discussion) said they were opposed, with only 14 percent saying they strongly support. The split was about even among 2024 Donald Trump voters, at 49 percent support to 45 percent oppose, while people who had voted for Kamala Harris or who didn't vote leaned opp …