Image: Endlesss
Collaborative music-making app Endlesss is now available for iOS. The app’s been in beta for quite a long time, so newcomers will find that there’s already a community using Endlesss and sharing and discussing projects on the software’s dedicated Discord server.
Even though Endlesss is a music-making app, it’s not really meant for making complete songs. It’s a collaborative “virtual musical hangout with a live chat room” that lets multiple users build and change loops of music in real time. Just select a project and start tapping out drum patterns and melodies to change up someone’s loop. You can make stuff just for yourself, but the social aspect is encouraged.
Open loops where anyone can remix layers on the fly sounds like a recipe...
Photo by Amelia Holowaty Krales / The Verge
Some days yield more deals than others, and today is one of those days. Starting things off are the Master & Dynamic MW07 Plus truly wireless headphones, which are seeing their first big discount at Best Buy. Normally $300, they’re $240. In my review, I enjoyed their noise cancellation effect and fantastic sound performance, and they have a unique look. I considered the high price as one of their biggest weaknesses, especially since the AirPods Pro accomplish similar results for $50 less. But now that price is less of a factor (yet, these are still fairly pricey), they might be worth checking out.
Peak Design’s 20-liter Everyday Backpack might not be the most useful thing to buy during a pandemic, given that most of us are...
Jumping back into a 100-hour game is a hard sell. Atlus released Persona 5 — a JRPG about teenage vigilantes with supernatural powers living in Japan — in 2017. Now, it’s created an enhanced version: Persona 5 Royal, a version that addresses the original’s problems, with new characters and gameplay tweaks. It is a natural progression, an elegant and noticeably improved version of an already great game, that also serves as a reminder of the simpler time during which it was created.
The core of Persona 5 Royal remains the same: a high school kid arrives in a new city after a run-in with the law. His efforts to lie low and live a normal life are disrupted as he, and several of his fellow students, discover that they have the power to...
Within the last month, life has changed in ways both large and small. What used to be a few news stories here and there about a new virus infecting people halfway across the world is now a global pandemic. Something as simple as visiting a friend, going to the playground with our kids, or even shopping for groceries…
Al Bello/Getty Images
The cost of sports coming to a standstill around the world because of the novel coronavirus is somewhere in the billions of dollars. The leagues have lost revenue, and the cable networks have lost hundreds of millions of dollars on advertising revenue from not having games to carry.
And sports fans have lost a sense of normalcy; for the first time in memory, there aren’t any major games airing for people to watch. But fans are still able to recreate a sense of normalcy by watching old games. And so streaming platforms, typically defined by general entertainment like movies and television, are having their big sports moment.
“Normalcy is escapist,” ESPN host Mina Kimes told NPR. “That sounds crazy and contradictory, but I think it’s true...
FoodSaver GM700000 GameSaver Vacuum Sealer | $90 | Woot
Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images
As the social distancing efforts push everything from school to socializing into video chat, networks have seen huge surges in traffic — and new anxieties over how digital networks will stand up under the strain. So far, both carriers and the Federal Communications Commission insist that the country’s networks are capable of bearing the strain, particularly given the voluntary throttling instituted by many of the most bandwidth-heavy services. But recent deregulatory efforts have left the FCC with ambiguous authority over those networks, making it uncertain whether the commission will be able to intervene if federal action is needed.
In a call with reporters Monday, senior FCC officials were optimistic about how the nation’s networks...
Waffling carbs is almost always a great idea. After all, the original waffle—you know, the flour-based thing made with batter—is one of the greatest carbs ever invented, so it’s no surprise that other wheat-based foods would take well to this cooking method.
Photo by STR/AFP via Getty Images
As the coronavirus spreads around the globe, it has mutated in tiny, subtle ways. Those mutations aren’t cause for concern, and so far, don’t appear to be making the virus any more or less dangerous. But scientists can use those slight changes to track the virus from person to person, and location to location.
“If we identify a new outbreak cluster in one state, and there’s a question of whether it’s related to a previous cluster or not, the small mutational changes can help you figure out if they’re connected,” says Patrick Boyle, a synthetic biologist at Ginkgo Bioworks.
The coronavirus is made up of around 29,000 building blocks of genetic material called nucleotides. Like other biotechnology companies and labs, Ginkgo has the...
Part of a 3D printed face shield sits on a 3D Printer | Jenny Sabin, Jenny Sabin Studio
“We’re doing everything we can, and every single visor counts”
Microsoft announced a number of fun new features for its Edge Chromium browser today, and they’re mostly rolling out over the next few months. I’m impatient, so I took a look at what’s coming—vertical tabbed browsing, smart copying-and-pasting, password-checking, and organized “Collections”—and found all the…
Image: Roku
Roku is today announcing the latest software update that’s coming soon to Roku streaming devices and Roku TVs. Roku OS 9.3 will expand the company’s voice command system to include Spanish language support. Spanish-speaking users can now use their voice to launch streaming apps, search for something to watch, or control media playback. In Canada, the UK, and Ireland, Roku Voice is also being improved to understand more natural speech and “new ways to find entertainment such as searching by a selection of popular movie quotes.”
Additionally, Roku says its voice-initiated search results are getting more visual. “Roku voice search results will now be presented in a more visual, easy to browse display with...
Image: Grammarly
Grammarly, a service designed to give you advice on improving your writing, is getting an add-in for Microsoft Word’s Mac app, as well as for Microsoft Word online. Previously Mac users had to use a native Grammarly app or online Grammarly Editor, or else rely on the service’s browser extension. The service already has an add-on for Microsoft Word on Windows.
The announcement means Grammarly will be able to offer writing suggestions without you having to leave the Word document you’re writing on a Mac or in a browser. Suggestions will appear to the right of the page, and you can click them to have them automatically apply to your writing. As well as helping with spelling and grammar, Grammarly is also designed to help you make your...
The first Fitbit after the company was acquired by Google last fall looks... well, like every other Fitbit that came before it. And it’s apparently intentional, as the company wants to expand on one of its most popular fitness trackers that’s long due for an update.
The Fitbit Charge 4 is pretty much exactly as the leaks ahead of its official announcement teased: it’s essentially the look and feel of the Charge 3 with built-in GPS, Spotify control, and other high-end features typically found on Fitbit’s smartwatches like Fitbit Pay, app notifications, smart wake, and an SpO2 sensor. The $149 tracker has a battery life of up to seven days, or up to five hours with continuous GPS use.
Photo by James Bareham / The Verge
Google has officially stopped selling its Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL smartphones, as spotted by Android Police. The product page for the phones now simply redirects to the Google Store’s homepage, with Google confirming that it has sold through its inventory (although the phone do remain available, for now, at third-party retailers like Best Buy or Walmart.)
The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL were announced and released in October 2018, with the phones praised at the time for their larger displays, excellent cameras, and clean design. The phone’s camera in particular still holds up against many of the best smartphones on sale today, although the Pixel 3 and 3 XL suffered from the same issues most of Google’s Pixel phone do — slow sales and a lack of...
Skype is missing out to Zoom and others during the coronavirus pandemic
Photo by AAron Ontiveroz/The Denver Post
As more people bake their blues away while stuck at home during the COVID-19 pandemic, yeast is reportedly becoming harder to find on grocery store shelves. There’s no shame in turning to carbohydrates for comfort in times like these. But what’s one to do when a key ingredient for satisfying that craving is becoming as elusive as a roll of toilet paper?
Though baker’s yeast may be dwindling in stores, more and more recipes for making it at home are popping up on Twitter. If baking is your way of taking this moment to learn something new or become more self-sufficient, coming up with your own yeast could be the next survival skill to hone.
Baker’s yeast is actually just a fungus that, like me, loves eating sugar. So whether or not it’s...
Spotify
Spotify’s expanding the rollout of its kids app, just as more kids are at home with nothing to do. The company announced that it’s bringing Spotify Kids to the US, Canada, and France today. The ad-free iOS / Android app is only available to Spotify Premium Family subscribers and features content appropriate for kids ages three and older. Spotify first launched the app in Ireland in October, and since then, it’s made multiple product adjustments, although the app is still considered to be in beta.
In the five months since launching, Spotify says the app now has more than 8,000 songs in its catalog, an increase of 30 percent, and 50 percent of that content is localized. The app also features 60 hours of audiobooks and stories, as well as...
Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge
Samsung Display will stop producing LCD panels by the end of the year. The display maker currently runs two LCD production lines in South Korea and two in China, according to Reuters. Samsung tells The Verge that the decision will accelerate the company’s move towards quantum dot displays, while ZDNet reports that its future quantum dot TVs will use OLED rather than LCD panels.
The decision comes as LCD panel prices are said to be falling worldwide. Last year, Nikkei reported that Chinese competitors are ramping up production of LCD screens, even as demand for TVs weakens globally. Samsung Display isn’t the only manufacturer to have closed down LCD production lines. LG Display announced it would be ending LCD production in South Korea...
Photo by Avery White / The Verge
Even if you would never see yourself buying a gaming laptop, you should take the time to read Monica Chin’s review of the Asus ROG Zephyrus G14. There are a lot — I mean a LOT — of remarkable things about this laptop.
First and foremost, it is running on the AMD Ryzen 9 4900HS chip, which runs at 35W with 8 cores at 3.0 GHz that can boost up to 4.4 GHz. In context, what that actually means is that it outclasses anything Intel has put into a laptop to date. I’ve been anticipating this release ever since Nilay Patel interviewed AMD CEO Lisa Su earlier this year. She talked big game then, and by all accounts her company has delivered.
What’s most remarkable about this laptop is that by gaming laptop standards it is absolutely thin and...
A near-perfect city bike with innovative ‘Click & Roll’ accessory system
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Last week, we talked about the case for the government using location data gleaned from our smartphones to manage the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Taiwan, Israel, and England have all been using location data in various ways to understand the spread of the disease and, in some cases, enforce orders requiring citizens to isolate themselves. Any such project comes with the risk that temporary infringements on our privacy will become permanent.
I expected the debate about location data might unfold over the next few weeks as the coronavirus reaches more communities and its death toll surges. Instead, though, the United States government just went ahead and started analyzing our smartphone location data. The data is reportedly being...
Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
Huawei’s revenue grew by 19.1 percent last year to around $121 billion, but the company says those numbers would be far higher if the United States had not cracked down on its ability to do business. Due to a trade ban initially ordered last May, Huawei is unable to acquire US parts and software or sell its products in the US. That has cut the company out of an important market and hurt its ability to compete outside of China.
“The consumer business has been the major business for our growth,” said Vincent Pang, president of Huawei’s western Europe business, in a call with reporters to discuss the company’s 2019 financial results. He called 2019 a “big challenge” for the company.
While Huawei...
Sony is the latest movie studio to announce major changes to its release slate due to the COVID-19 pandemic, as reported by Variety. Tentpole movies like Uncharted, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, and Peter Rabbit 2 are all seeing big delays, leaving Kevin Hart’s Fatherhood as the only major title on Sony’s 2020 schedule — and that was itself brought forward to October from January.
The upcoming third Marvel Cinematic Universe Spider-Man movie appears to be unaffected; the Far from Home sequel’s release date was already set as July 16, 2021. Sony’s planned July 2020 movies, Ghostbusters: Afterlife and Jared Leto’s Morbius, have both been moved into next March.
Xbox One S 1TB All Digital Edition + Extra Wireless Controller | $170 | eBay
When President Trump signed the $2 trillion coronavirus stimulus bill into law last week, items like recovery rebate checks and expanded unemployment benefits got most of the initial attention. But tucked into the bill around page 825, you’ll find a new set of rules for waiving student loan payments.
If you feel like you’re struggling with your mental health, you’re not alone. Many of us are dealing with profound uncertainty and unanticipated stress, whether we’re worried about our health, our finances, our families, or how we’re going to make it through the next month of physical distancing and self-isolation.
Since canned food is having a big moment, I’d say now is the time to reconsider the humble canned anchovy. They have a reputation for being overwhelmingly fishy and salty—and those rumors aren’t exactly untrue—but they also possess a deep minerality and ton of umami. When melted into butter (or olive oil), you can…
LockPickingLawyer (YouTube)
Tapplock, a company that makes fingerprint-verified locks, has had a rough time with its locks’ security. The company’s flagship lock, which has been available since 2019, is apparently easy to pop open with a magnet. YouTuber LockPickingLawyer published a video last week showing how he could use a powerful magnet to turn the motor inside the Tapplock One Plus, causing it to open. The entire process takes less than 30 seconds.
The Tapplock One Plus costs $99 and features a fingerprint sensor. It also has built-in Bluetooth, so people can unlock it using an app. In response to the video, Tapplock commented: “Wow! Shout out to LPL for finding this exploit. Working on a fix with magnetic shielding, will be back.”
This is a commendable...
Microsoft is unveiling its new Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscriptions today, which are designed to replace and enhance existing Office 365 consumer plans. Much like the Office 365 Personal and Home subscriptions that exist today, Microsoft 365 Personal and Family plans will be available on April 21st, priced at $6.99 per month for Personal (one person) and $9.99 a month for a Family (up to six people) subscription. Both options will include access to Office, and new features will gradually roll out in the months ahead.
Microsoft 365 plans add two new features that will roll out in preview in the coming months: a new Microsoft Family Safety app and new features in Microsoft Teams for consumers. The new Microsoft Family Safety app...
Dominic Toretto’s 1970 Dodge Charger is one of the most iconic cars in the Fast and Furious franchise, and soon, it’ll be available as a Lego set.
The model is a part of Lego’s Technic line, which means that it won’t just look cool; it will also include some moving parts. The car comes decked out with a replica V8 engine and a bottle of NOS (nitrous oxide) in the back — which is important if your goal is to try to race a model train to really set up the mood of the first film.
Adding Dominic Toretto’s car (which, in case you’ve forgotten, is the one that he was scared to drive until he really needed to at the end of the first Fast and Furious movie) to the Lego family might seem odd. The Fast and Furious franchise isn’t exactly...
Photo by Kelly West / AFP / Getty Images
3D-printed firearms company Defcad has released a trove of gun-making blueprints, only to approved US residents. According to The Wall Street Journal, Defcad is selling access for a $50 annual fee, which director Cody Wilson describes as a “Netflix for guns” model.
The company has temporarily released blueprints before. Under the Obama administration, the plan ran afoul of International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) rules that prevent exporting weapons abroad. The Trump administration offered significantly more leeway, but its approval has been tied up in legal battles. Now, Wilson tells the Journal that he’s vetting everyone who wants to access the files, using geolocation and other technical measures to ensure they’re located in...
The follow-up to Resident Evil 2 is a lot less substantial
If you ask a kid, any kid, what their favorite part of the school day is, you’re likely to get one of two answers: Recess or lunch. Which means, while many kids probably aren’t pining for a good old fashioned math or social studies lesson right now, they do miss running around together outside and chatting in the…
A dumb, yet glorious shelf, Aukey dual plug charger, Spalding NCAA Hoop, and a pair of Fitbits lead off Monday’s best deals from around the web.
Feeling stressed and lonely? Of course you are. Now imagine living in a confined space, no bigger than your average apartment, two hundred and fifty miles above the Earth, for six months to a year.
Photo by Dan Seifert / The Verge
At Best Buy, Amazon’s Echo Show 8 comes in a two-pack for $130, the usual cost for just one of these smart displays. To take advantage of this deal, head to this page and simply add two of them to your cart, and feel free to mix up the colors.
The Echo Show 8 earned the distinction of being the best smart display for most people in our buying guide. Up against the Google Nest Hub lineup, the Echo Show 8 offers the most features, even if it misses out on a few exclusive ones that you can only find in Google’s smart display. It offers good sound, a sharp display, and while it supports video chatting with its built-in camera, you can easily turn off the camera with the privacy shutter.
Target is hosting a buy two, get one...
Image: @OnLeaks and iGeeksBlog
The OnePlus 8 will be announced on April 14th during an online live stream, the company announced today. OnePlus says the lineup will consist of a “full series of 5G devices,” and there will be a handset with a 120Hz display in the lineup, up from the 90Hz displays found on some of its phones last year. Two main devices are expected to be launched at the event, the OnePlus 8 and 8 Pro, although recent reports have claimed that they may be joined by a cheaper third device called the “OnePlus Z.”
Beyond the official details provided by OnePlus about its new devices, there have been a number of leaks and rumors about what the company plans to introduce in its eighth generation of phones. Reports have claimed that the devices will finally...
Everyone is Zoom-ing nowadays—unless you prefer one of the solid alternatives to the can’t-get-enough-of-those-virtual-backgrounds meeting solution. And while you’ve probably heard a bit about how a Zoom meeting host can tell if the Zoom window isn’t focused on your computer when they’re screen sharing, there’s one…
Asus and AMD have put Intel on notice
Acer has announced that it will release a new version of its Aspire 5 laptop this year, powered by AMD’s Ryzen 5 4500U mobile chip. The company has also revealed the release date for its Ryzen-powered Swift 3.
With both lines, Acer aims to provide fairly slim products at an affordable price; reviewers often note that the devices look and feel more expensive than they are. The U-Series, which both laptops incorporate, is designed for ultraportable devices.
The 14-inch Swift 3 includes the 15W Ryzen 7 4700U, with eight cores, eight threads, and 2.0 GHz base speeds that can boost up to 4.1 GHz. It’s comprised of an aluminum chassis and a magnesium-aluminum lid; the company...
Gocycle’s e-bikes are being offered as part of the plan. | Image: Gocycle
Key National Health Service (NHS) workers in London are being offered a three-month e-bike loan to help them commute to work while social distancing. There are currently 20 Gocycle GS loaner e-bikes available, with more brands like Raleigh soon to join. The e-bikes and Abus locks and helmets are being distributed as part of a plan being organized by London-based e-bike retailer Fully Charged. Interested NHS workers can register their interest on this Fully Charged page, which also calls on other bike manufacturers and sponsors to pledge their support.
Not only will free e-bikes reduce commuting costs for essential workers, but it will also help them avoid having to travel in close proximity to others on public transit. Transport for...
It’s the end of the month, which means it’s your last chance to catch a lot of programming on Netflix before it’s replaced with new shows on Wednesday.
Illustration by James Bareham / The Verge
Facebook has pledged to invest $100 million in the news industry at a time when the ongoing coronavirus pandemic means that accurate reporting is more important than ever. $25 million will be provided in grant funding for local news through the Facebook Journalism Project, while the remaining $75 million will come in the form of “additional marketing spend” to worldwide news organizations.
Publishers are expected to be hit hard by the economic fallout of the novel coronavirus outbreak. The advertising revenue that many publishers rely on is being squeezed, as companies slash marketing budgets amidst financial uncertainty. Research firm eMarketer has lowered its growth projections for worldwide media ad spend by 3 percent, S...
Dieter Bohn/The Verge
Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Chromebook finally has an official release date. You’ll be able to buy it at Samsung and Best Buy next Monday, April 6th, starting at $999.
The device comes in Mercury Gray, or the bolder Fiesta Red that looks bright orange in some settings. It’s the first Chromebook to sport a 13.3-inch 4K OLED display. It also has a more powerful processor than most Chromebooks, an Intel 10th-generation chip. It includes 8GB of RAM (LPDDR3) and a 256GB SSD as well.
When we first saw the device back in January, Samsung indicated that there’d be additional configurations available, featuring up to 16GB RAM and a 1TB SSD. The company seems to have killed those models, however; the base model is now the only variant available.
V...
HQ Trivia is being resurrected just a little over one month after co-founder Rus Yusupov announced that the app was shutting down.
A push notification went out to HQ Trivia players letting them know a new game will go live tonight at 9PM ET. The notification was followed by a tweet by co-founder Rus Yusupov confirming the return.
A source close to the company confirmed to The Verge the app is officially back, meaning this isn’t just a one-off event. Episodes will begin to air more regularly in the future, but the schedule is currently up in the air as things are figured out., The company has been acquired by a private investor who has asked not to be named, the source also confirmed.
Yo. You heard??!? @hqtrivia is back tonight at...
Photo by Smith Collection/Gado/Getty Images
On the eve of a planned work stoppage by its shoppers, Instacart said today it would distribute independently-developed hand sanitizer to its shoppers.
Instacart shoppers are planning to refuse new orders Monday because they say the grocery delivery company has not done enough to protect them during the coronavirus outbreak. The strike is still on, the workers said in a statement today, calling Instacart’s response a “sick joke.”
One of the shoppers’ demands was for Instacart to provide protective gear such as hand sanitizer, but organizers also want the company to add a $5-per-order hazard payment and expand its sick leave policy.
“Given the broad supply chain shortages for supplies like hand sanitizer, Instacart worked with a...
If you’re using your social distancing time at home to hone your music or video editing skills, you can score a free month of a number of popular software programs to help you make it happen.
A 5TB external hard drive, a buy 2 get one free video game sale, 30% off Patagonia, a $52 office chair, and more lead for Sunday’s best deals.
WinFuture.de/Roland Quandt
A pair of leaks shows renders for the upcoming OnePlus 8 series that include a slate of new colors, including a purplish-red one called Interstellar Glow. WinFuture and Ishan Agarwal both posted images of the new colors, which also include a Glacial Green and Onyx Black, according to Agarwal.
#OnePlus8 Official Renders have leaked! I know what the marketing name for these colours will be:
— Ishan Agarwal (@ishanagarwal24) March 29, 2020
-Interstellar Glow
-Glacial Green
-Onyx Black
Looks amazing in my opinion! What do you think?
Source: @rquandt / https://t.co/sd7Pw4nGHg pic.twitter.com/FWMlSuZzii
It’s not clear whether all the new colors will be available for the OnePlus 8 Pro and the OnePlus 8, but a previous leak showed renders with...
If spending more time at home lately has you itching to travel, you’re not alone.
Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
The Food and Drug Administration has approved the limited use of a process that would clean much-needed N95 protective face masks and allow them to be reused, the agency said in a release. Columbus-Ohio based Battelle uses a “vapor phase hydrogen peroxide” process to decontaminate the masks being used by healthcare providers and others to protect against the spread of COVID-19. Battelle says its Critical Care Decontamination Systems could decontaminate up to 80,000 masks per day.
But the FDA is restricting the number of masks that Battelle can decontaminate with its process to 10,000 per day. From the FDA release:
Battelle is authorized to decontaminate up to 10,000 compatible N95 respirators per day, consistent with the data provided...
