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This week in AI / The biggest new stories about today’s biggest new technology.

Please stop asking me when the AI bubble will popPlease stop asking me when the AI bubble will pop

I’m getting some real mixed messages here, boys!

Elizabeth Lopatto
Those Jeff Bezos hair transplant photos are very fake
Debunked

In the era of easy AI fakery, edited paparazzi photos are a reminder that not everything is what it seems.

Jess Weatherbed
Google is entirely disabling Search in schools that don’t want AI

Students in schools that reject Google’s AI will see notices that Search isn’t available.

Emma Roth
Apple is all in on AI — its own and everyone else’s

AI was mentioned 45 times on the quarterly earnings call.

Rani Molla

Tech test / We’ve tried out some of the latest gadgets — here are our hands-on impressions.

Bambu’s nine-nozzle H3C foretells the future of 3D printingBambu’s nine-nozzle H3C foretells the future of 3D printing

It can use multiple kinds of filament in a single print, keep them dry, and mix colors together.

Sean Hollister
Xbox’s smallest-ever controller is surprisingly comfortable

The Nano controller is designed for young people, anyone with smaller hands, and gaming on the go.

Tom Warren
Redmagic upgrades its liquid-cooled gaming phone with extra RGBs

The Redmagic 12 Pro adds lights to its liquid.

Dominic Preston
Vivo’s first Pro Max phone proves its Ultra is still in a league of its own
0

The X500 Pro Max is great, but it’s a step back from my favorite phone camera.

Dominic Preston

Staff picks / Our favorite stories you don’t want to miss.

Rivian spinoff Also wants to reinvent the wheel — but first, it has to shipRivian spinoff Also wants to reinvent the wheel — but first, it has to ship

Also President Chris Yu opens up about surviving the AI server component crunch, rewriting UL battery standards, and why the company’s modular e-bike is just the first step.

Andrew J. Hawkins
New Zelda and GTA represent a games industry that no longer exists

The two biggest games of the year launch in November, offering some reprieve from a terrible year.

Andrew Webster
I built an AI Tamagotchi before Meta could

We have Muse Charm at home.

Sean Hollister
Keyboards of The Verge

From the strictly utilitarian to the ergonomic to the obsessive, these are the keyboards we use every day.

Verge Staff and Nathan Edwards

Apple season / It’s yet another big month for Apple devices.

HomePod Mini 2 first look: three things I love and one disappointmentHomePod Mini 2 first look: three things I love and one disappointment
Hands-on

The new Mini is faster, quieter, and gorgeous in green, but its upgraded Mac speaker feature didn’t work for me.

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
iPhone 18 rumors suggest a bigger battery, higher price next year

Leaker Digital Chat Station claims the iPhone 18 won’t be spared from Apple’s RAM price hikes.

Stevie Bonifield
The Apple Pencil turned the Duo into my new favorite notebook

Ignore the pile of previous favorite notebooks; this is the one that’s gonna change it all for me.

Allison Johnson
Moft’s new origami case adds a kickstand and grip to the iPhone Duo

The Dynamic Folio Case also protects the Duo’s outer screen while it’s banging around with other things in your pocket.

Andrew Liszewski

The KickerNovember 4

The VergeThe Verge logo.
Does opting out of TV tracking work?Does opting out of TV tracking work?

A new study from Northeastern University shows that while most TV operating systems respect ACR opt-outs, not all do.

John Higgins
Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Google’s offering buyouts to more of its employees.

Reuters reports Google employees in Canada, France, Germany, Japan ​and Switzerland started getting buyout offers in June. A Google spokesperson told Reuters it “expanded” the voluntary exit program it offered employees in the US last year, which didn’t include Google Cloud or DeepMind employees.

Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
French blood banks were also hit by Europe-wide fridge hacks.

Cold storage rooms at three French Blood Establishment (EFS) sites were impacted on Monday, which massively increased the temperature and defrosting thresholds. The EFS says it wasn’t directly targeted, and the anomalies were detected before any of the stored blood was lost, but the ongoing hacks present a worrying future risk for healthcare facilities.

Google hasn’t figured out how to make AI pay like its search engineGoogle hasn’t figured out how to make AI pay like its search engine

Google says AI is boosting searches, but that activity isn’t translating into faster growth for the business that pays for it.

Rani Molla
Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
Freezer hackers have hit more European food retailers.

Grocery stores and food suppliers in Germany, Italy, Romania, and the United Kingdom are now confirmed to be among the victims of suspected cyberattacks that are tampering with the temperatures of refrigeration units across Europe. Companies in at least 11 countries have now been impacted, but the culprits and motive remain unclear.

Jess Weatherbed
Jess Weatherbed
Apple Music is getting a selfie-focused karaoke mode.

Selfie Sing in the iOS 27.3 beta lets iPhone users record a video while singing, complete with on-screen lyrics, via a new “Start Singing” switch. According to MacRumors analyst Aaron Perris, you can then adjust the vocals before sending the clip to your friends. What did they do to deserve that?

Adi Robertson
Adi Robertson
Data center backlash wasn’t quite enough to flip Florida.

The pro-data center Republican Byron Donalds has won the race for governor, according to the AP. He beat Democrat David Jolly with just over 50 percent of the vote — a far tighter margin than predecessor Ron DeSantis in 2022.

AMD rides data center riches to ‘largest and most profitable’ quarter in historyAMD rides data center riches to ‘largest and most profitable’ quarter in history

AMD thinks over 80 percent of its revenue will eventually come from its data center business alone.

Stevie Bonifield
All the news about The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remakeAll the news about The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time remake

Nintendo’s N64 classic is getting a big overhaul for the Switch 2.

Verge Staff
The biggest modding site in PC gaming is taking a stance on AIThe biggest modding site in PC gaming is taking a stance on AI

Nexus Mods says that authors of newly uploaded mods will have to declare whether AI was ‘used in their work.’

Jay Peters
Please stop asking me when the AI bubble will popPlease stop asking me when the AI bubble will pop

I’m getting some real mixed messages here, boys!

Elizabeth Lopatto
Canva is announcing changes and layoffs affecting 22 percent of its staffCanva is announcing changes and layoffs affecting 22 percent of its staff

Some Canva workers may have different roles, be asked to relocate, or be laid off.

Jay Peters
Sonos adds new Presets and prepares for the 27voice AI betaSonos adds new Presets and prepares for the 27voice AI beta

Early access testing for the Sonos AI voice assistant is right around the corner.

Emma Roth
Valve is making changes to deal with a ‘significant increase’ in Steam game submissionsValve is making changes to deal with a ‘significant increase’ in Steam game submissions

Valve admits that it’s now taking ‘up to 12 business days’ to review games.

Jay Peters
Binance says hackers used fake job interviews and an internal AI tool to pull off the $6.3 billion heistBinance says hackers used fake job interviews and an internal AI tool to pull off the $6.3 billion heist

A North Korean hacking unit reportedly started its break-in with a search engine ad that served up a malware download.

Richard Lawler
David Pierce
David Pierce
Today’s Vergecast: Will data centers rock the vote?

It’s Election Day in the United States, and data centers have become a core issue in some of the country’s most important midterm races. The Verge’s Adi Robertson explains why people are uniting against data centers, why they’ve become a proxy for all kinds of other fights, and how this year’s results might change the AI industry going forward.

Jay Peters
Jay Peters
Arkane Studios has drawn interest from Ubisoft and others.

Ubisoft and “at least two other gaming companies” have made bids for Arkane, which Xbox is working to divest as part of its “reset,” Bloomberg reports. Xbox has “also weighed selling the studio to its management.”

Here’s what it’s like to use Audio Intelligence on the Apple WatchHere’s what it’s like to use Audio Intelligence on the Apple Watch

The watchOS 27.3 beta adds Live Rewind and Siri Recap to the Apple Watch Series 12 and Ultra 4.

Victoria Song
Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Samsung’s Galaxy Ring now supports sleep apnea detection.

After receiving clearance from the FDA in July, Samsung announced that its more advanced sleep apnea detection feature is now rolling out to its smart ring. The upgraded feature uses an “enhanced algorithm” to analyze vitals during sleep, and was previously only available on the Galaxy Watch 9.

Those Jeff Bezos hair transplant photos are very fakeThose Jeff Bezos hair transplant photos are very fake
Debunked

In the era of easy AI fakery, edited paparazzi photos are a reminder that not everything is what it seems.

Jess Weatherbed
Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
World of Warcraft: Forever is getting flooded with AI add-ons before it even launches.

Ahead of the game’s release on Wednesday, 404 Media reports the influx of vibe-coded AI slop add-ons pushed one developer to make their Github repositories private after finding AI ripoffs of their code. The CEO of the popular Warcraft Logs site also said it’s struggling to keep up with surging requests to use its API.

The Pixel Buds Pro 2 have returned to their lowest price to dateThe Pixel Buds Pro 2 have returned to their lowest price to date

You can also grab deals on Fellow’s Aiden coffee maker, an ESR charger, and Borderlands: Game of the Year Edition.

Brad Bourque
Jay Peters
Jay Peters
iOS 27.3 has lots to look forward to.

The first developer beta launched today, and it adds some Siri AI updates, vertical tabs in Safari, an updated StandBy mode for slab iPhones that works similarly to the iPhone Duo, Reachability for the iPhone Duo, an updated Health app, and more. Check out 9to5Mac for a comprehensive list.

iPhone 18 rumors suggest a bigger battery, higher price next yeariPhone 18 rumors suggest a bigger battery, higher price next year

Leaker Digital Chat Station claims the iPhone 18 won’t be spared from Apple’s RAM price hikes.

Stevie Bonifield
Apple starts giving Siri AI access to third-party appsApple starts giving Siri AI access to third-party apps

Siri AI will soon be able to carry out tasks across a wider range of apps.

Emma Roth
You can’t hit a wrong note when playing along with songs on Casio’s new keyboardYou can’t hit a wrong note when playing along with songs on Casio’s new keyboard

The $400 CT-FS1 features Casio’s Feel Sync technology that helps inexperienced musicians hit only the right notes.

Andrew Liszewski
This Election Day, remember which party ran against EVs and tethered us all to the gas pumpThis Election Day, remember which party ran against EVs and tethered us all to the gas pump
Election 2026

Donald Trump and congressional Republicans spent years waging a culture war against EVs. Now, record gas prices and a foreign war are leaving voters stuck footing the bill at the pump.

Andrew J. Hawkins
Jay Peters
Jay Peters
YouTube is rolling out its “Replace song” feature to creators in more countries.

The tool, introduced in the US earlier this year, lets creators swap out songs in videos with audio copyright claims with unique, instrumental, YouTube-generated, royalty-free tracks. It’s now coming to more countries and is available for “creators in most countries outside of the European Economic Area,” YouTube says.

Apple’s latest watchOS beta includes its new always-on Audio Intelligence featuresApple’s latest watchOS beta includes its new always-on Audio Intelligence features

Audio Intelligence lets Siri ‘rewind’ and summarize audio from your Watch’s mic.

Stevie Bonifield
OpenAI says ChatGPT is catching up to Google in searchOpenAI says ChatGPT is catching up to Google in search

ChatGPT processes one-fifth the volume of search queries as Google, per OpenAI.

Hayden Field
Reddit is adding more adsReddit is adding more ads

Searching for an ‘espresso station’ on Reddit could surface ads for espresso machines, beans, or mugs.

Emma Roth
Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Casio’s next ring watch miniaturizes a 30 year old design.

Following the G-Shock version that debuted nearly a year ago with an adjustable strap, Casio’s latest iteration of its functional ring watch is based on its A168 digital watch that originally launched in 1995. The new CRW-002 will be available with a silver finish for $135, or gold for $155, and will be available sometime this month.

If you buy something from a link, The Verge may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

1/2Image: Casio
Indie games are missing launch dates because Steam is backed upIndie games are missing launch dates because Steam is backed up

One developer has been waiting for weeks on approval for a game it planned to release today.

Jay Peters
Google’s Gemini-powered Home Speaker is already on sale for 20 percent offGoogle’s Gemini-powered Home Speaker is already on sale for 20 percent off

Google’s latest smart speaker offers surprisingly good sound for its size, Gemini-powered voice controls, and more.

Sheena Vasani
Netflix will show you themed recommendations through a new ‘AI Discover’ tabNetflix will show you themed recommendations through a new ‘AI Discover’ tab

Netflix’s first ‘AI Discover’ feature suggests content based around different themes.

Jay Peters
Moft’s new origami case adds a kickstand and grip to the iPhone DuoMoft’s new origami case adds a kickstand and grip to the iPhone Duo

The Dynamic Folio Case also protects the Duo’s outer screen while it’s banging around with other things in your pocket.

Andrew Liszewski
Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Blue Eye Samurai’s second season arrives on January 19th, 2027.

The series will return to Netflix with six new episodes following a more than three-year-long wait. Blue Eye Samurai’s second season picks up where things left off, with Mizu’s vengeful search for her father bringing her to London.

If you buy something from a link, The Verge may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.

The Xbox Nano has a hidden cloud secretThe Xbox Nano has a hidden cloud secret

Microsoft’s miniature Xbox controller can connect directly to Xbox Cloud Gaming over Wi-Fi.

Tom Warren
Google is entirely disabling Search in schools that don’t want AIGoogle is entirely disabling Search in schools that don’t want AI

Students in schools that reject Google’s AI will see notices that Search isn’t available.

Emma Roth
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