The latest tech news about the world’s best (and sometimes worst) hardware, apps, and much more. From top companies like Google and Apple to tiny startups vying for your attention, Verge Tech has the latest in what matters in technology daily.
Nvidia’s not just GPUs and networking anymore: it just announced its second major server CPU, Vera, and Jensen says “this is going to be our new major growth driver.” Says Vera has “the highest instructions per clock in the world” — 10 every cycle — and dramatically speeds up data processing. A few of his slides:
For the month of June, if you have previously had a streak of more than 30 days, you can get it back by doing three lessons in one sitting. Having a way to get lost streaks back has been “one of the most consistent requests Duolingo hears from learners,” the company says.
MSI is making limited edition versions of the Prestige 14 Flip AI Plus with two different van Gogh paintings on the lid: Starry Night and Starry Night Over the Rhône. I think I prefer last year’s Great Wave edition, but these are also lovely.
I called the Prestige one of the sleekest MSI laptops I’ve seen, but it didn’t look like this.
MSI has made ridiculous dragon-themed laptops before, but this one takes the cake. Announced at Computex, the Titan 18 HX Dragon Edition Draco Epic takes the standard 18-inch Titan gaming laptop but adds the new flagship Intel Core Ultra 9 290HX Plus CPU, a 240Hz 4K screen, and a massive dragon design that’s etched and anodized right into the lid.
Never change, MSI.
MSI is announcing new versions of its Venture business laptops and Katana gaming laptops for Computex. Both have new designs, but MSI shared few details — not even availability or pricing. The key facts we know so far is that the Venture will get Intel Panther Lake chips and the Katana will have older Intel Raptor Lake Refresh CPUs and up to an RTX 5070 GPU.
Ableton’s custom controller had little precedent when it was first conceived. Designer Jesse Terry says, “I chopped up a bunch of other products and sampled the parts of them that I wanted.” Then, he attached them to a Lego board so he could quickly experiment with various layouts.
Yes, it requires a little effort to get it running. You’ll need Python and, depending on your OS, a trip to the terminal. But after that, it’s as simple as dragging, dropping, and clicking “Display on Frame.” It also has Google Drive sync, AI art analysis, and weather-based art picks.
Not to be outdone by Razer’s waifu capsule, MSI says it has a whole desktop “that doesn’t just run games — it responds, adapts, and engages.” Sigh! The company isn’t telling us how much it’ll cost, or if it’s a real product, but hints you can change out the LuckyClaw avatar for other third-party ones.
I still love OLEDs, but the Asus ROG Strix Scar 18’s ELMB Mini LED display is amazing.
Gudtrip is the most ridiculous AI/crypto/weed product to ever touch the internet. Could it possibly be real?
Some code spotted in a recent Apple Music beta for Android includes messages referring to “Premium Access” and a “skip limit.” That suggests a free or low-cost plan is in the works. Right now, Apple Music is an all-or-nothing affair after retiring the Voice Plan in 2023.
Can race, guilt, and empathy get you to pay $40 for this $9 belt buckle on TikTok?
The biggest public offering ever is financial nihilism’s final form.
The Archer 8 will be TP-Link’s first Wi-Fi 8 router, followed by more Wi-Fi 8 devices launching in 2027. TP-Link claims the new router, coming just a year after its first Wi-Fi 8 prototype connection, will offer better reliability and lower latency compared to Wi-Fi 7.
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Following Rockstar’s firing of more than 30 developers last year in a move accused of being “union busting”, developers at the studio have formed the Rockstar Game Workers Union. According to Game Developer:
Now, the union is preparing to take Rockstar to court over the firings. RGWU says that more and more workers are joining from every one of Rockstar’s sites across Edinburgh, London, Leeds, Lincoln, and Dundee.
[Game Developer]
After launching on Mac, Codex’s computer use feature is headed to Windows, which means the app can “see” your screen and perform tasks on your device. OpenAI says you can also manage and review Codex’s jobs while away from the computer using the ChatGPT app.
[X (formerly Twitter)]
Android president Sameer Samat says the update also includes a feature that detects whether the page you’re about to scan is a duplicate, while automatically switching blurry scans to “the highest-quality frame.” The new scanner operates on-device and is available to Android users with 8GB of RAM or more.
The app will combine GitHub Copilot, the Copilot chatbot, Copilot Cowork, and a “new agentic workflow capability internally named Autopilot” into one place, Fortune reports. Sounds like a Microsoft version of something like OpenAI’s “super app” ambitions.
Perhaps it will be shown off at Microsoft Build next week?
Copilot Health, first announced in March, is now open to Microsoft 365 subscribers. Microsoft says they can use it to find doctors and get insights on data from connected medical records, wearables, and other apps like Apple Health, similar to health AI models from OpenAI and Anthropic.
[Microsoft Copilot Blog]
Following online backlash, Jorge Gutierrez announced that he will no longer be making the AI series Punky Duck:
My intent was to showcase artists, both new and seasoned, both inside and outside the studios, driving this new tech. My sincerest apology to those I upset. I promise to do better moving forward. Thank you for your patience with me. I will try harder.
Punky Duck was one of three animated AI series set to appear on Prime Video as part of Amazon’s GenAI Creators’ Fund.
