YouTube is adding a "Made with AI" label to tracks that were "altered or fully generated" using AI, with a similar approach to its existing process for applying AI labels to videos. It doesn't sound like this will apply to any and all use of AI tools in making music, but according to YouTube, it includes things like "using a generative model to create the composition and vocals." In its rules for music partners who upload their songs, YouTube lays out how to disclose generative AI use, and says that if there's no disclosure, it may use "other signals" to decide if a song is AI-generated.
The label is rolling out starting today in the YouTub β¦
While we cover a lot of deals on specific products, itβs rare that we find worthwhile savings on gift cards that let you save on essentially anything the store sells. However, until October 19th, you can save up to twenty percent on gift cards when you buy them through the Google Play store. There are a variety of discounts and retailers available, including 20 percent off $50 at Barnes and Noble, 20 percent off $100 at REI, and 10 percent off $100 at GameStop.
Itβs like a big Apple Watch for the home. | Image: Apple
Apple only just announced on Tuesday that its first smart display, the HomeView, will arrive on November 13th, but you can already save a couple bucks on it. Right now, you can buy the display for $289.99 ($10 off) in gray and the creamy white βstarlightβ colorway at Amazon. Sure, itβs a small discount, but deals on new Apple devices ahead of launch are rare.
Expect a full review of the HomeView in November, but my colleague Jennifer Pattison Tuohy spent some brief time with it and likened it to an βiPhone for your homeβ that looks a bit like an oversized Apple Watch. It features a gorgeous seven-inch square touchscreen that can recognize up to six household members and automatically switch between personalized experiences, displaying information relevant to whoever is using it.
As you might already know, the HomeView also doubles as a smart home hub, with support for Matter and Thread. You can use it to control compatible smart home devices, view live feeds and recorded footage from HomeKit Secure Video cameras, and more. It also features a 12-megapixel FaceTime camera for video calls, and doubles as an entertainment device, letting you play music, display photos, and more.
Appleβs AI-powered Siri assistant is another big part of the experience, allowing you to ask questions and get information using personal context from your messages, calendar, and emails. That means you can ask it to find your lost keys, play a song someone texted you, pull up a recipe with step-by-step instructions and built-in timers, or help you keep track of your schedule without having to reach for your phone.
There's an entire cottage industry of iPod mods out there, but Sprout Pi and Sprout Pico are two of the few full motherboard replacements that combine many of the most popular mods into a single upgrade. Both versions add Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, USB-C, a microSD card slot, FLAC playback, and more. And while cracking open an iPod will never not be intimidating, at least the Sprout doesn't require any soldering.
The firmware allows audio over USB for wired headsets, as well as over the original 3.5mm jack. Plus, Bluetooth support lets you connect to your AirPods or favorite UE party speaker. Wi-Fi enables Google Cast and AirPlay streaming, as well β¦
Anbernic shared a new video of its upcoming dual-screen handheld it announced last week showing the device playing 3DS, Xbox, and PS3 games through emulation. While competitors like Ayaneo have been making dual-screen handhelds for a few years, Anbernic only recently introduced its own dual-screen devices including the RG DS and RG DS Plus. Those handhelds are designed to be modern replacements for the Nintendo DS, but the new RG DDS, short for "Dream Dual Screen," has a faster processor and displays with aspect ratios optimized to replace the Nintendo 3DS - although Anbernic isn't trying to recreate the glasses-free 3D effect.
This isOptimizer, a weekly newsletter sent from Verge senior reviewerVictoria Songthat dissects and discusses the latest gizmos and potions that swear they're going to change your life. Opt in for Optimizer here.
For the past 100 days or so, my mornings have had a new rhythm. When I wake up, the first thing I have to do is feed my digital twin. It consumes my metabolic data, and its first "meal" of the day is my body composition data, sent straight from a smart scale.
Once that's logged in the app, I scoot over to the kitchen to fill an Owala with lemon water to take my medications with. That, too, gets logged in the app. On Mondays, I'll β¦
OpenAI claims a former employee took more than 100 files related to its product plans before joining Apple. In a document filed on Wednesday, OpenAI accuses the unnamed employee of sending this information to a personal account and then presenting it to Apple leadership, including the vice president of the company's operations in Asia.
The filing, reported earlier by Reuters, is tied to a legal battle between Apple and OpenAI over trade secrets - but this time, OpenAI is doing the accusing. It alleges that the files in question contain images of at least one unreleased device, along with supplier information, engineering data, project files β¦
If you don't get AppleCare Plus for the iPhone Duo, any repairs are going to be pretty expensive. Apple published the estimated repair costs for the iPhone Duo without AppleCare Plus today, as reported by MacRumors, and they can be high: Battery service, for example, will cost $229, inner display damage will cost $999, and "other damage" costs $1,499.
Here's Apple's estimated costs for various repairs if you don't have AppleCare Plus:
Microsoft is officially announcing its Xbox Nano controller today, a smaller and cheaper controller that's designed to fit into your pocket. The more compact controller is also designed for "younger players, smaller hands, or anyone seeking something portable for play on the go."
The $49.99 Xbox Nano is Microsoft's smallest controller, and it's shorter than most smartphones at just over five inches in length. It has all the regular buttons you'd find on a normal Xbox controller, as well as Xbox Wireless and Bluetooth support for connecting to Xbox consoles and phones, tablets, and PCs.
The Xbox Nano controller also includes a rechargeable β¦
Old-school physics-based weather forecasting and even new AI models typically become less reliable beyond two weeks, a problem Microsoft claims to have solved using machine learning.
Researchers with the company say they've found a new, cost-effective way to make more accurate weather forecasts two to six weeks in advance - allowing farmers and emergency responders to plan ahead with greater certainty. The findings were published today in the journal Nature, and the tool is now open-source software.
Following a report last week that Netflix was planning to lay off five percent of the company, today the streamer's co-CEOs Ted Sarandos and Greg Peters announced in an email that it would actually be laying off six percent of its workforce, or around 1,000 employees, according to Variety, which obtained a copy of the memo. That makes this Netflix's largest round of layoffs so far, following the company cutting 150 jobs in May 2022, and an additional 300 in June 2022 in an attempt to reduce costs following slower revenue growth.
Today's layoffs will mostly affect staff in Netflix's product, technology, human resources, and legal teams, acco β¦
Appleβs HomeView marketing calls out audiobooks, TV shows, and says you can βkeep an eye on the match while you do the washing up,β but shys away about these features needing an iPhone connection. | Image: Apple
Apple says HomeView is "the perfect way" to enjoy its audio and video entertainment apps, but some notable examples like Apple TV only work if you AirPlay it through your iPhone. As noted on the HomeView spec page, Apple TV, Apple Books audiobooks, Apple Music Classical, and Apple News Plus aren't natively supported on the smart hub, so you'll have to use your phone to operate them.
HomeView is foremostly designed as a hub for managing smart home gadgets, but competing smart display hardware like Amazon's Echo Show and Google's Nest Hub devices can natively stream Prime Video and YouTube, respectively, without requiring a phone connection. β¦
The aftermath of a Russian missile strike on October 12th, 2026 in Kyiv, Ukraine. | Photo by Andrew Kravchenko/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images
Ukrainian officials claim the Elon Musk-owned Starlink put new limits on its service in the area without warning, disrupting the country's drone operations and missions, according to reports from Reuters and the Financial Times. The move comes just days after Musk wrote on X that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy "has gone too far," in response to President Donald Trump's disapproval of Ukraine targeting Russian oil refineries.
"It is clear that this action is not coincidental and is related to the current political situation," Ukrainian defense tech advisor Serhii Beskrestnov writes on Telegram.
There are several deals happening right now on video games and gaming-related tech that are worth sharing. To start, this monthβs Humble Choice drop of Steam PC games is really good. The $14.99 per month service is offering subscribers Like A Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii, Price of Persia: The Lost Crown, Psychonauts 2, Deep Rock Galactic: Survivor, and more. You get to keep the games forever, even if you pay just for this month. Iβve tossed around getting each of these games on Steam in the past, and itβs great to get them all here for such a low price.
Iβm not going to convince you to hang onto the membership any longer than you plan to, though while you have it, make sure to use it to save on digital games you were considering buying. Nintendo Switch 2 games, for example, are discounted, making Humble the place to get the cheapest prices. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time is $53.99 for members, and most other full-price games are about $6 off the retail price.
Other great Verge-approved deals
Valve told The Verge in late 2025 that it was no longer manufacturing the Valve Index wired virtual reality headset. The company is now running through the last of its stock and is marking down whatβs left by 20 percent. The headset itself is $399.20, down from $499, replacement left controllers are $119.20 (was $149), and replacement tether cables are $103.20, down from $129. The headset requires a base station (also known as a lighthouse) in order to track, and those are unfortunately no longer available via Valve. Youβll have to hit up eBay or Craigslist to get one. Read our review of the 2019 headset.
First-person looter shooter Borderlands 4 is all the way down to $19.91 for disc editions of the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 title at Amazon. The price for the 2025 game is usually sitting at around $30, though this is the most affordable price to date. The latest game in the series is good at what Borderlands has always been good for: co-op multiplayer goodness. Itβs still really fun to jump in with a friend to blaze through its campaign, even if the gameplay is fairly shallow. Read our review.
Lastly, whether you already saw Christopher Nolanβs The Odyssey in theaters or youβve been waiting for watch it at home, the 4K Blu-ray version is available to preorder with a small discount. Originally priced at $34.99, the set that includes a 4K Blu-ray, a standard 1080p Blu-ray, plus a digital code for the film is $29.99 at Best Buy and $29.65 at Barnes and Noble (members can save 10 percent more). If itβs your first-ever purchase on Gruv, you can get the set for $25.46 when you use the code FIRSTGRUV15 at checkout. The film launches November 17th. Read our review of seeing it in IMAX.
You don't need to buy the new Apple TV 4K just to get the updated Siri Remote with Find My and a built-in speaker, as it works with every model released going back to the Apple TV HD and is available to buy standalone for $59.
Previous Siri Remotes had a basic iOS feature to help you find your misplaced remote, but this is better, with one notable catch. Now the remote has Find My support, but if you want to see exactly how far away it is on your iPhone with details like "20 feet," rather than simply "far" or "near," you will need to have an iPhone Duo, iPhone Air, or any iPhone 17 or later. Those are the only models that include its new N β¦
Back in 2019, author Margaret Stohl was handed a manuscript written by Jason Jones, who's best known as the co-creator of sci-fi gaming series Halo and Destiny. The two had worked together at Bungie, and Jones wanted Stohl's opinion on a book he was writing about AI taking over the world. It was an oral history of the fictional events, with around 100 characters spread across 40 countries, all detailing the AI uprising from their own perspectives. Pretty quickly Stohl realized that this idea could be much more than a single book.
"I was floored but not surprised," she says of her reaction to the original manuscript. "He's a worldbuilder who β¦
Epic Games is announcing a big refresh of its PC games launcher today in preview, saying that the new version is "way faster" and now supports Linux. But the company, which has been publicly making a big push into AI-assisted development, also notes that the refresh was "vibe coded."
"Programming is hard," Epic says in a blog post. "So, instead of doing that, we vibe coded a new Epic Games Launcher that's way faster and more responsive than the current one, and has a new look."
On Monday, CEO Tim Sweeney announced that the company has a "huge pivot underway," where it will be "moving developers around to retool for maximum AI acceleration. β¦
Epic is working on bringing Fortnite to Linux through its Epic Games Launcher. The new launcher is releasing in preview today, and for the first time on Linux, and while Fortnite isn't available there just yet, Epic wants to make that a reality.
So far, part of the reason Fortnite hasn't been available on Linux is concerns about cheating. While Epic's Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) service does support Linux, Fortnite itself does not, and in February 2022, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said that for Fortnite, "We don't have confidence that we'd be able to combat cheating at scale under a wide array of kernel configurations." But now, Epic says it's pla β¦
Continuing the analog approach of the Instax Square SQ6 that launched in 2018 and follow-ups like the Square SQ1 and SQ40, the new Fujifilm Instax Square 2 skips digital functionality while still introducing the ability to customize the look and feel of instant photos. A new mood filter switch slides one of two colored filters in front of the lens with the Warm setting creating a "subtle golden tone" and Cool producing "crisp, blue-toned" results.
The Instax Square 2 is expected to be available later this month for $119.95 (the same price as 2020's SQ1) in slate blue, brick red, and misty white color options. Alongside the new camera Fujifi β¦
Rockstar Games might not keep fans waiting as long for the next installment of Grand Theft Auto. As part of Bloomberg's expansive report on the making of GTA VI, Rockstar technical lead Phil Hooker said that the "engine, the tools and the team we've built during this project will allow us to do things more quickly."
GTA VI had a notoriously long development process. It took eight years to make, leaving a 13-year gap between this upcoming installment and GTA V.
The report points to the one-year gap between Grand Theft Auto III and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City, which was possible because Rockstar already had the framework in place for its nex β¦
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