Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Ultra has built-in magnetic USB-C charging
Microsoft has created a magnetic charging solution for its Surface Laptop Ultra that uses USB-C. After scrapping its proprietary Surface Connect magnetic charging on its smaller Surface devices last year, the Surface Laptop Ultra has a charging cable that attaches magnetically to the right-side USB-C port.
It's still a proprietary solution, but the USB-C port it slots into still works for video, data, and other USB-C connectivity like you'd expect. Microsoft is calling it Magnetic Connect, and I'm surprised the company hasn't shortened that to Mag-C.
Microsoft announced its Surface Laptop Ultra earlier this year, which comes equipped with …
The Apple Watch Series 12 is a good deal at $50 off
Several configurations of the Apple Watch Series 12 are $50 off for the first time for the remainder of Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days. This includes both sizes (42mm and 46mm) of the GPS + Wi-Fi watches, as well as their pricier 5G-ready counterparts.
Normally $399, the 42mm Series 12 is currently set at $349.99 at Amazon and Target. It costs $100 more for the cellular model. The 46mm model starts at $50 more, costing $399.99 at Amazon and Target, while its 5G version is $499.99 during the sale.
Apple Watch Series 12
Where to Buy:
This isn’t the only Apple Watch that’s cheaper. The SE 3 is down to just $199, and it’s a fantastic option if you don’t need the latest design or comprehensive set of tracking features and sensors in the Series 12.
Read our Apple Watch Series 12 review and our SE 3 review.
The scariest thing about gray-market peptides is how little we know
This is Optimizer, a weekly newsletter sent from Verge senior reviewer Victoria Song that dissects and discusses the latest gizmos and potions that swear they're going to change your life. Opt in for Optimizer here.
Finding concrete data about gray-market peptides is a Sisyphean task. Unlike bona fide clinical drug trials, there are no official numbers. There's little to no safety data. Some peptides have more anecdotal evidence than others, but a stranger on r/peptides is, perhaps, not an ideal information source. The fact is most people partaking in a dubiously legal activity aren't going to shout it from the rooftops. What we do know abo …
Windows and Surface live blog: On the ground at Microsoft’s event
We're in San Francisco today to hear what's next for Windows and Surface. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and Windows and Surface chief Pavan Davuluri will all be holding a "conversation on how local AI will shape the next chapter of the PC."
Microsoft and Nvidia have been working together on the new RTX Spark platform, which is focused on boosting local AI models, creative apps, and even gaming on a series of new laptops. Nvidia's GPU expertise is getting squeezed into laptops like the Surface Laptop Ultra, and we're about to find out exactly what it's capable of.
Microsoft has also been on a mission this year to try …
Disney Plus will stream Super Bowl LXI
Next year's Super Bowl is headed to Disney Plus. On Wednesday, Disney announced that viewers will be able to tune in to Super Bowl LXI on its streaming service when the game kicks off on February 14th, 2027.
Disney Plus subscribers in the US will see the same Super Bowl broadcast airing on ESPN and ABC simultaneously, featuring coverage from Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Lisa Salters, and Laura Rutledge. The streamer will also air the Super Bowl in more than 55 international markets, including Latin America, South Africa, and Australia.
This year's Super Bowl streamed live on NBC's Peacock, contributing to a boost in subscribers.
In the months l …
A free mod for Titanfall 2 makes it one of the best VR games ever
Titanfall has a special place in my heart. I've never felt such a rush in gaming since - leaping into the air with a jump pack, running on walls, summoning a giant mechanized battle suit that falls like a meteor from the sky, then letting one of its giant hands stuff me into the cockpit for a supersized skirmish.
How could that possibly work in virtual reality? It sounds like a formula for pain, nausea, distress. But no: Titanfall 2 VR is one of the top five VR games I've ever played - despite being a free mod, released by a solo developer, who's only spent a single month working on it so far.
Now I'm running on walls, blasting bad guys fr …
Doxxing Jane Doe
Who is Jane Doe? Online vigilantes have tried to expose the Cornell University student who filed a lawsuit accusing seven fraternity members of gang rape, and in so doing have invited a torrent of abuse on several other women. Her lawyers say three women have been falsely identified and harassed - and the real Jane Doe is being inundated with threats, too. "She's not doing well," her attorney Thomas Guiffra told CNN on Sunday. "She's under siege on social media, where people are trying to identify her."
The fact several women are now facing a torrent of online abuse in connection to Jane Doe's lawsuit isn't surprising. Targeted harassment …
ChatGPT is getting college planning tools
OpenAI is bringing new tools to ChatGPT for Teens, a mode for teens introduced in August with safeguards and break reminders, to help users with the college application process.
"College Planner brings together application requirements, deadlines, tasks, and financial-aid steps for schools on a student's list in one plan," OpenAI says. "Students applying to several colleges can return to it to update their progress, use the timeline to plan ahead and see what's left to do. They can also ask ChatGPT questions along the way, from what a requirement means to how to get started."
The new College Planner feature will arrive "soon," according t …
Xreal’s most affordable display glasses are $50 off
Xreal launched its xbx A01 Plus display glasses over the summer for $299, and they’re a decent value. The design and fit are more or less on-par with the company’s pricier 1S that are $399, though they don’t have my favorite feature: built-in three degrees of freedom to let you lock the virtual screen in place. Despite the omission, they’re a more tempting gadget at their current $254 price at Amazon and via Xreal during October Prime Day.
Like other display glasses, they connect via USB-C and can mirror the display from numerous gadgets that support video-out, including laptops and gaming handhelds. I really enjoy using them with my Steam Deck. The A01 Plus have great-looking screens, though as a nearsighted person, I needed prescription lenses to make them appear crisp. HonsVR makes them, and they’re $50.
The A01 Plus are unique compared to other display glasses in that their outer shell can be popped off and replaced with another style. The glasses include the blue-tinted shell, as well as the “Lights Out” shell that does a much better job at blocking outside light from peeking into view.
Muse launches on the iPad
After launching nearly a month ago and spending several weeks as the top free app in Apple's App Store, the latest update to Meta's Muse iOS app introduces native support for the iPad. A Mac version of Meta's agentic AI tool (designed to compete with OpenClaw, ChatGPT's Dots, and Grok Bot) was released about a week after the original mobile version debuted expanding its usefulness to desktop tasks like organizing files. The new iPad version should function similar to Muse on iPhones, but better take advantage of the extra screen real estate and iPadOS' better multitasking capabilities.
The newly added iPad support is limited to just a one l …