The Toyota Highlander is now a three-row electric SUV with 320 miles of range
Toyota unveiled the new 2027 Highlander, a fully redesigned midsize SUV that marks the brand's first three-row electric vehicle for the US market and the first Toyota EV assembled in America. It's a familiar name - Toyota has been selling gas Highlanders for over 20 years - with an all-new powertrain aimed directly at one of the most popular vehicle segments in the market today. To say this is Toyota's best chance to best its EV rivals would be an understatement.
The announcement comes at a tumultuous time for the world's best-selling automaker. Toyota's strategy of emphasizing hybrid vehicles over pure battery-electric ones seems to have b …
Amazon Ring’s Super Bowl ad sparks backlash amid fears of mass surveillance
Ring's new Search Party feature has once again drawn backlash for the company. A 30-second ad that aired during Sunday's Super Bowl showed Ring cameras "surveilling" neighborhoods to locate a lost dog. In the current political climate, a prime-time ad celebrating neighborhood surveillance struck a nerve.
People voiced concerns across social media that the AI-powered technology Ring uses to identify dogs could soon be used to search for humans. Combined with Ring's recent rollout of its new facial recognition capability, it feels like a short leap for a pet-finding feature to be turned into a tool for state surveillance.
Privacy expert Chr …
Boston Dynamics CEO Robert Playter is stepping down after six years
Robert Playter, CEO of Boston Dynamics, announced on Tuesday that he is stepping down from his role effective immediately and leaving the company on February 27th, as previously reported by A3. Under Playter's leadership, Boston Dynamics navigated its way through an acquisition from Softbank that brought it to Hyundai in 2021, and it launched a new all-electric version of its humanoid Atlas robot in 2024. Just a few days ago, the company posted another video of its research Atlas robots attempting tumbling passes and outdoor runs as more enterprise-ready editions start to roll out.
Boston Dynamics announced at CES last month that Atlas robo …
Bezos could have saved The Washington Post’s local news and sports reporters
Hello and welcome to Regulator, a newsletter for Verge subscribers about tech politicking in the age of Trump. If you're a subscriber, you are dominant and talented, like the Seattle Seahawks. If you're not a subscriber yet, it's time to get your act together, like the New England Patriots. (I'm from Boston and I'm allowed to say this.)
The biggest tech story dominating Washington right now is, incidentally, a media story. Last week, shortly after The Washington Post laid off 400 staffers and closed many of its desks, and before its absentee CEO Will Lewis got summarily shoved out, I wrote a column trying to figure out whether there was e …
ChatGPT’s deep research tool adds a built-in document viewer so you can read its reports
OpenAI is updating ChatGPT's deep research tool with a full-screen viewer that you can use to scroll through and navigate to specific areas of its AI-generated reports. As shown in a video shared by OpenAI, the built-in viewer allows you to open ChatGPT's reports in a window separate from your chat, while showing a table of contents on the left side of the screen, and a list of sources on the right.
Deep research, which OpenAI first launched last year, has ChatGPT scour the web to compile an in-depth report about the topic of your choosing. With this most recent update, you'll be able to ask ChatGPT to focus on specific websites and connect …
Samsung’s next Unpacked is confirmed for later this month
Samsung's annual Galaxy S-series reveal is later than usual this year, but we finally have a confirmed date to circle on the calendar: February 25th. And if you were hoping for major hardware upgrades from the company's flagship phones, you probably shouldn't hold your breath: an extensive leak published by WinFuture has seemingly confirmed that the S26 series will be a software-focused affair.
According to the leaked specs, the standard S26 will allegedly get a nominally larger battery - 4300mAh compared to 4000mAh - which is great news for the last "small" phone left standing. Once again, all three phones will lack built-in Qi2 magnets, o …
Trump’s new ‘Buy American’ requirement for EV charging would dramatically curtail build-out
It seems clear at this point to say that Donald Trump does not want to spend a single dime on EV charging. He tried to freeze $5 billion in funding for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, which was approved as part of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. And when a federal judge ordered the government to unfreeze the funds, his administration came up with a new tactic to stall the plan.
EV chargers must now be built in the US, with components that also originate in the US, in order to receive federal funding, the US Department of Transportation said today. Under the proposal, EV chargers would need to boost their US- …
Fitbit’s AI health coach is now available on your iPhone
Google announced on Tuesday that the public preview of Fitbit's AI personal health coach is rolling out to iOS users in the U.S. as well as both iOS and Android users in the UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore.
The update tests a major overhaul of Fitbit's app, introducing a conversational interface with a Gemini-powered AI that interprets your latest results, creates custom routines and workouts based on users' personal health goals, workout equipment, and training preferences. It initially launched in October, when it was only available in the US and only on Android devices.
To try out the feature, users need to have an ac …
Ayaneo’s new Windows handheld will cost up to $4,299 with maxed out specs
Ayaneo opened preorders for its next Windows 11 handheld and it looks like a powerhouse. The Ayaneo Next 2 is 13.45 inches wide, 10.3-inches tall, and weighs 3.14 pounds. That's more than twice as heavy as the original Ayaneo Next that launched back in 2022, and it easily outweighs the Steam Deck and Switch 2. The Next 2 could be the ultimate Windows handheld if money and pocketability aren't a concern for you.
Pricing starts at $1,999 for a version of the Next 2 with a Ryzen AI Max 385 processor with integrated Radeon 8050S graphics, 32GB of memory, and 1TB of SSD storage. But since Ayaneo is using Indiegogo for preorders, early bird prici …
My favorite Switch 2 controller is 30 percent off for today only
The EasySMX S10 is a fantastic wireless controller for the Switch 2 that offers nearly as many features as Nintendo’s $90 gamepad. I ranked it as the best Switch 2 controller you can buy, thanks to its satisfying rumble sensation in games, support for motion controls as well as Nintendo’s amiibo NFC figures, plus the ability to remotely wake your console. Not to mention, it has durable TMR joysticks that are designed to last a lot longer than the hardware used by Nintendo in its controller.
I think it’s worth considering even at its original $59.99, but it’s considerably cheaper for the rest of the day at Amazon. You can get the black version for $41.99, and the blue and white version is $44.99.
EasySMX S10 Gaming Controller for Switch 2
Where to Buy:
I’d wager that most people aren’t willing to spend $89.99 on Nintendo’s Switch 2 Pro controller. Even for those who have the cash to splash, the S10 proves to be just as comfortable to use, even during long gaming sessions. Aside from lacking the Switch 2 Pro’s 3.5mm headphone jack that’s used for private listening, this controller is functionally identical. My biggest issue with the S10 is that the Screenshot, GameChat, and Home button placement is cramped, leading to some accidental presses. But at this price, it’s easier to overlook a small design flaw.