Former Tumblr head Jeff D’Onofrio steps in as acting CEO at the Washington Post
After what can generously be called a contentious tenure as the CEO of The Washington Post, Will Lewis is stepping down following mass layoffs this week. Jeff D'Onofrio, former CEO of Tumblr from 2017 to 2022, will step in as acting CEO and publisher. D'Onofrio has been CFO at the Post since June of last year, meaning he's had a front row seat to Jeff Bezos' dismantling of the once storied paper for the last nine months.
D'Onofrio's resume doesn't include extensive experience in traditional news media, nor many notable success stories. He was briefly the general manager of Yahoo News while it was still a Verizon property, before shifting h …
Super Bowl LX ads: all AI everything
Super Bowl LX is nearly here, with the Seattle Seahawks taking on the New England Patriots. While Bad Bunny will be the star of the halftime show, AI could be the star of the commercial breaks, much like crypto was a few years ago.
Last year’s Super Bowl featured a Google Gemini ad that fumbled a Gouda cheese stat, and this year’s game is already slated to include an ad for Anthropic’s AI platform that takes jabs at its competitors, namely OpenAI. AI-generated ads could make an appearance, too.
Super Bowl LX is set to kick off at 6:30PM ET/3:30PM PT on Sunday, February 8th at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.
- Gemini becomes an AI interior decorator in Google’s Super Bowl ad.
- From Crypto.com to AI.com.
- Alexa Plus tries to kill Chris Hemsworth in Amazon’s Super Bowl ad.
- Sam Altman responds to Anthropic’s ‘funny’ Super Bowl ads
- Anthropic’s first Super Bowl ad dunks on ChatGPT.
- Don’t expect any Kalshi or Polymarket ads during the Super Bowl.
GOG is already working on native Linux support
GOG recently posted a job listing for a senior software engineer focused on porting its Galaxy desktop client to Linux. Now, in reply to a Reddit AMA, the GOG team has revealed that work on native Linux support is already underway.
It's still too early to give an ETA, according to the Reddit thread. But founder and CEO, Michał Kiciński, said, "personally, I'm a big fan of Linux." The job listing also calls Linux the "next major frontier" in gaming. It's obvious at this point that Linux is becoming an increasingly important part of the PC gaming landscape. Especially as Microsoft continues to frustrate users by cramming every nook and crann …
I went back to Linux and it was a mistake
It's a complete coincidence that I installed Linux around the same time as my colleagues Nathan Edwards and Stevie Bonifield. A few months ago, I decided to breathe new life into a 2019 Dell XPS 15 that had been collecting dust for a couple of years.
Despite its (at the time) high-end Core i7 CPU and 32GB of RAM, Windows was frustratingly slow on it. The fan was constantly at full throttle even when the machine was idle, and it regularly failed to install updates. So in early 2024, I gave up and switched to an M1 MacBook Pro.
But I wanted to give my oldest child something to practice typing on. Plus, I'd been trying to find a suitable di …
LG’s C5 TV and Anker’s powerful power bank are this week’s best deals
It’s the first weekend of February, which can only mean one thing: The Super Bowl (or “Benito Bowl,” if you’re mainly tuning in for the Bad Bunny-led halftime show) is upon us. The game is Sunday, February 8th, at 6:30PM ET on Peacock, NFL Plus, and on live services that include NBC. With that out of the way, I’m here to surface this week’s best deals. There were plenty of good ones, from cheap yet extremely handy two-headed USB-C cables and a $20 sci-fi first-person shooter PC game bundle to steep discounts on big OLED TVs that will impress people at your Super Bowl watch party.
If you happen to be in the market for a 65-inch OLED 4K TV (can I come over?), the LG C5 is almost half off its original asking price of $2,699. Whether you buy one through Amazon for $1,397 or from Best Buy at $1399.99, there’s a good chance that you can have it installed by kickoff on Sunday. Amazon currently has fast shipping for this TV, and many Best Buy brick-and-mortar locations are likely to have this model in stock.
LG’s C-series TVs are some of the most popular OLED models each year. With pixel-level brightness control, they boast excellent black levels and color accuracy, and are an incredible value for movie lovers, gamers, sports fans, and everyone in between. However, if you’re looking for the best of the best when it comes to brightness, Samsung’s pricier S95F beats the C5. And, while LG’s glossy screen looks fantastic, it’ll show more reflections than the S95F’s matte finish.
LG C5 OLED TV
LG’s midrange C5 TV is an excellent way to get OLED performance without paying top dollar. It has a good amount of brightness, excellent color accuracy out of the box, and great gaming features including 4K @ 144Hz.
Where to Buy:
It’s been a while since we featured a good deal on Anker’s Laptop Power Bank, its 25,000mAh / 90Wh powerhouse that peaks at 100W when charging a single device (or up to 165W with two USB-C devices). Now, we’re featuring its best-ever price that’s currently happening at Newegg and through Anker itself. You can buy the black model at its all-time low price of $89.99 ($45 off) directly from Anker with code VergeYWP0QJDE.
This power bank’s output speed, capacity, and selection of four ports (three USB-C, one USB-A) are good and all, but it’s the small details that make this one stand out. Notably, it comes with two built-in USB-C cables, one of which retracts while the other doubles as handle.
Anker Laptop Power Bank
Anker’s 25,000mAh power bank sports two built-in USB-C cables (one of which is retractable), plus one USB-C and USB-A port. It tops out at 165W when charging two devices simultaneously, or 130W when charging three or four.
Where to Buy:
For those who own an iPhone 12 or newer, or a Google Pixel 10, Belkin’s Stage Powergrip is exactly the accessory you may not have realized you wanted. It’s a 9,300mAh battery-equipped gadget that adds a camera grip to your phone, snapping on snugly with MagSafe or Pixelsnap magnets, depending on the device you have. It lets you snap photos with its dedicated shutter button, and the grip can swivel to let you get the types of shots you want without feeling like you’re endangering your precious phone. There’s been a deal happening all week on the black model, which costs $68.39 at Amazon (originally $79.99, the current cost of the blue and sand-colored options).
More ways to save this weekend
- If you have a gaming PC, or a handheld gaming PC like a Steam Deck or Asus ROG Ally, I highly recommend buying a $20 game bundle currently available at Humble. The “Sci-Fi Shooters 2.0” bundle of Steam PC games includes Black Mesa (the fan-made, Valve-approved Half-Life remake), Doom Eternal, Prey Deluxe Edition, and a few other great titles. They’re all fun in their own ways, and none require a cutting-edge machine to run well. Some proceeds for your purchase will go to nonprofit organizations, including One Tree Planted and Cool Effect.
- I have one of Anker’s two-in-one USB-C cables in my home. Being able to charge two devices through one cable is very convenient, even if you aren’t constantly battling your partner for a turn at the charger. Most of us likely have more than one USB-C device we want to charge at any given time, and this cable lets you do just that. You can get the 6-foot braided cable at Amazon for $15.99, down from its original $19.99 price. The cable tops out at 140W passthrough for a single device, allowing for sufficient power to quickly charge a laptop, assuming your wall adapter is powerful enough.
- The last-gen AirTag Bluetooth tracker dropped to its lowest price yet. Granted, it’s not a huge price drop, but compared to their original $29, $17 a pop —their current price at Amazon and Walmart — is pretty good. AirTags are the best Bluetooth trackers for iPhone users. They provide accurate tracking through the Find My app, no matter what you attach them to. Many people stick them in luggage to be able to find bags more easily after a flight, but you can put them in any tote or container that you fear losing.
The second-gen AirTags are a scatterbrain’s best friend
In a somewhat controversial Vergecast episode, I declared that AirTags are a superior product to iPads. The iPad lovers roasted me across social media. I have heard and respect their opinions. But, I'm sorry - the second-gen AirTag has only deepened my conviction that the humble, $29 item tracker is one of Apple's most helpful gizmos.
The new updates focus more on making a good thing better. There are upgraded ultra-wideband and Bluetooth chips that help extend the range by about 1.5 times. The chime has a new, higher pitch and is 50 percent louder thanks to a redesigned speaker. And you can now use Precision Finding for AirTags on an Apple …
Anker’s new charger with a screen would feel less gimmicky if it did more
The latest Anker 45-watt Nano charger, announced in January, which remains one of the smallest 45-watt chargers on the market, adds a full color screen displaying an animated character and a smattering of details about the device you're charging.
Anker Nano 45W charger with display
Anker Nano 45W charger with a built-in screen
Where to Buy:
The display is occasionally useful if you like to keep tabs on how much power your device is drawing, but the screen feels more like a marketing gimmick than a feature most consumers will actually benefit from. But it's not the only upgrade that makes the charger worth considerin …
Cairn is a climbing journey about perseverance and obsession
I'm an awful rock climber. Being scared of heights probably doesn't help. But when I've tried it, I've loved the slow, methodical work of moving from one ledge to the next. It reminds me a lot of why I love running; in both sports, you achieve goals that seem insurmountable by taking them one step at a time. Cairn, a new game from The Game Bakers, is one of the few games I've played that truly captures that feeling.
You play as Aava, a famous climber obsessed with summiting a mountain called Kami. You climb by moving all four of Aava's limbs, one by one, to find safe cracks, bumps, and ledges to let you inch your way higher, all while manag …
The best way to watch the Olympics
Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 115, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, go Seahawks I guess, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)
This week, I've been reading about The Washington Post and the Murdochs and Polymarket and whatever a "Soho House for creators" is, watching Independence Day for the first time and Jurassic Park for roughly the 50th, bailing on everything for the next few weeks so I can watch the Olympics full-time, loving the timeline-task-manager look of Paso, learning more about Furby than I ever expected for the upcoming season of Ve …
We found 20 Verge-approved gifts on sale ahead of Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is coming up fast, and if you haven’t started shopping yet, there are a lot of great gifts on sale that should still arrive in time if you order soon. Several Verge-approved gadgets are seeing some of their best discounts since the holidays, with options we think will appeal to a wide range of interests, from thoughtful picks like digital photo frames to e-readers, smart speakers, smartwatches, massagers, and even practical stuff like vacuums. While some are bigger-ticket items, quite a few cost under $100, so there’s something here for a range of budgets, too.
Below, we’ve rounded up the best Valentine’s Day gift deals you can shop right now across a range of categories and prices, whether you’re buying for a partner, a friend, or yourself.
Beats Powerbeats Pro 2
The latest Powerbeats Pro are a no-brainer for athletes. They pack fantastic sound and thumping bass, along with active noise cancellation, IPX4 water resistance, and heart rate monitoring. Read our review.
Where to Buy:
- The Amazon Echo Dot Max is on sale for $79.99 ($20 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target, which matches its best price. In her review, my colleague Jennifer Pattison Tuohy called it “Amazon’s best all-around smart speaker,” improving on the fourth-gen Echo with a new elegant look that features a flat face wrapped in 3D knit fabric. It also includes an LED light ring and touch controls on the front, along with a two-way speaker system that delivers richer bass. Plus, it works with more smart home devices thanks to support for Matter, Thread, and Zigbee. It includes the upgraded Alexa Plus voice assistant, which can handle more complex requests. Read our review.
- Speaking of Alexa-enabled gadgets, Amazon’s fourth-gen Echo Show 8 is down to $149.99 ($30 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target, marking a new low. The smart display can show photos, play music, set reminders, and control compatible smart home devices without a separate hub, thanks to Zigbee, Matter, and Thread support. It also adds Alexa Plus, a faster chip, and new sensors, so it handles more complex tasks than its predecessor, though bear in mind it doesn’t always do so reliably. Read our hands-on impressions.
Google TV Streamer (4K)
Google’s terrific TV Streamer (4K) is the company’s best attempt at a streaming device yet, with built-in ethernet, an excellent interface, and smart home compatibility with both Matter and Thread. Read our review.
Where to Buy:
- The Lego Roses will last far longer than a real bouquet, and they’re probably cheaper, too. They’re now available for $9.99 ($5 off) at Amazon and Target, about $3 more than their best price to date. The 120-piece kit lets you build two red roses with adjustable stems and green leaves, so you can arrange them in a vase or pair them with other Lego botanical sets.
- The Kobo Libra Colour is $209.99 ($20 off) at Rakuten Kobo and Target, which is $10 shy of its best price to date. It’s a great e-reader if you’re not embedded in Amazon’s ecosystem, offering a similar 7-inch color display to the Kindle Colorsoft Signature Edition while adding physical page-turn buttons, stylus support, and wider support for more file formats. Read our review.
- The Theragun Mini 3 is on sale for $179.99 ($40 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target, one of its better prices to date. Although it weighs about a pound, the three-speed massage gun is powerful and includes three interchangeable attachments to target different muscle groups. The latest model is also quieter and smaller than its predecessor, so it’s even easier to travel with. You can connect it to Therabody’s app for personalized recovery plans and treatment guidance.
Sonos Era 100
Sonos’ Era 100 smart speaker is a replacement for the older Sonos One, utilizing two tweeters (left and right) and one larger woofer. In addition to Wi-Fi, the Era 100 also supports Bluetooth audio and line-in playback via an optional 3.5mm to USB-C adapter.
Where to Buy:
- The Sonos Arc Ultra is on sale for $899 ($200 off) from Sonos, Amazon, and Best Buy. Designed for larger spaces, it delivers powerful, room-filling sound thanks to its upward-firing Dolby Atmos drivers, which create a more immersive experience with audio that feels like it’s coming from above. It also improves on its predecessor with added conveniences such as Bluetooth and Trueplay tuning, making it a great option if you need better home theater audio. Read our review.
- If you’re shopping for something cheaper, the Sonos Beam is also on sale for $369 ($130 off) directly from Sonos, at Amazon, and from Best Buy, which is just $20 shy of its all-time low. It’s a good fit for apartments or smaller living rooms, offering Dolby Atmos support with virtual height channels that create a fuller sound than Sonos’ entry-level Ray, though it doesn’t produce the same overhead effect as the Arc Ultra. Like the Arc Ultra, it boasts HDMI eARC and doubles as a smart speaker, so you can stream music and control smart home devices with Amazon Alexa.
Amazfit Active 2
The Amazfit Active 2 delivers outsized value for the price. It looks spiffy and has a wide array of health tracking features, plus built-in GPS and AI chatbots to provide extra context to your data. Read our review.
Where to Buy:
- The 41mm, Wi-Fi–enabled Google Pixel Watch 4 is down to $299.99 ($50 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target, matching its best price to date. The smartwatch stands out for its great health and fitness tracking features, which include dual-frequency GPS and retroactive AI-powered activity recognition. It also offers Gemini support, along with handy features like raise-to-talk and a side-mounted charger that turns the watch into a small, at-a-glance display. iFixit also named it the most repairable smartwatch, in case you ever break it. Read our review.
- You can buy the AirPods 4 for around $99 ($30 off) at Amazon, Walmart, and Best Buy, which is about $16 shy of their all-time low and one of their better prices to date. The entry-level buds deliver the best sound quality of any Apple entry-level earbuds to date, while also improving call quality and offering a comfortable, lightweight design. Read our review.
Aura Aspen
The Aura Aspen digital frame lets you upload photos via the companion app, cloud services, or email from anywhere. Its 12-inch LCD display features slim bezels, a 4:3 aspect ratio, and an antiglare screen that mimics the look of real photos.
Where to Buy:
- The Roborock Saros 10 is one of the best robot vacuums you can buy, and right now it’s down to $1,099.99 ($500 off) at Amazon and directly from Roborock, matching its best price to date. The Saros 10 combines 22,000Pa of suction with a vibrating mop and did an excellent job in our testing, picking up everything from Cheerios to pet hair. It can also lift itself by 10mm to cross taller room thresholds and retract its LiDAR tower to slide under low furniture.
- Hoto’s rechargeable AutoCare Air Duster & Vacuum is on sale for $59.99 ($40 off) at Amazon, which is its lowest price to date. The handheld vacuum offers three adjustable suction levels (8,000Pa / 15,000Pa / 20,000Pa) along with five interchangeable attachment heads you can swap out depending on whether you’re cleaning hard-to-reach areas in your car or digging dirt out of a keyboard.
iPad Mini (2024)
The seventh-gen iPad Mini comes with Apple’s A17 Pro chip and support for Apple Intelligence. It’s also compatible with the Apple Pencil Pro and offers faster Wi-Fi and USB-C speeds. Read our review.
Where to Buy:
- Anker’s Laptop Power Bank is on sale for $89.99 from Newegg (with code EPF366) and directly from Anker (with code VergeYWP0QJDE), which is $2 shy of its best price. The 25,000mAh / 90W power bank delivers up to 165W total output, enough to charge a laptop and up to three other devices simultaneously via three USB-C ports and one USB-A port. It also features a retractable USB-C cable, a second built-in cable for carrying, and an LCD screen that shows power levels.
- The Unihand rechargeable hand warmers are on sale for $16.99 ($13 off) at Amazon. They offer three heat levels and reach up to 130 degrees Fahrenheit. The warmers are also pocket-friendly and can last up to 20 hours on a single charge, with an LED indicator so you can easily check battery and heat status.
Apple AirTag
Apple’s AirTag is unobtrusive, waterproof, and taps into the massive Find My network for out-of-range locating. Read our original review.
