The Verge

Skip to main contentNavigation DrawerLogin / Sign UpcloseSubscribeTop StoriesFollowingSmuggling podcasts into a Burmese prison Jailed during the 2021 coup in Myanmar, American journalist Danny Fenster passed the time by meditating and listening to podcasts that had been smuggled in.Danny Fenster and Amy KurzweilFeb 27Top Stories1Tenways nearly perfects the shareable city e-bikeThomas Ricker8:00 AM UTCTenways nearly perfects the shareable city e-bikeThomas Ricker8:00 AM UTC2Warner Bros. Discovery agrees to $110 billion Paramount mergerEmma RothFeb 27Warner Bros. Discovery agrees to $110 billion Paramount mergerEmma RothFeb 273Xiaomi’s Leica Leitzphone mostly earns the nameDominic Preston56 minutes agoXiaomi’s Leica Leitzphone mostly earns the nameDominic Preston56 minutes ago4A legendary weather app makes a comebackDavid PierceTwo hours agoA legendary weather app makes a comebackDavid PierceTwo hours ago5We don’t have to have unsupervised killer robotsHayden FieldFeb 27We don’t have to have unsupervised killer robotsHayden FieldFeb 27Today’s StreamFollowingToday’s StorystreamFeed refreshed 4 minutes ago (Not) To the MoonTTerrence O'Brien4 minutes agoThe US has attacked Iran and is calling for the overthrow of its government.Early on Saturday, the US and Israel launched a joint military strike on Iran. President Trump said in a video on Truth Social the goal is to “annihilate” the country’s military. He then directly addressed the Iranian people, saying that the country “will be yours to take.” The Iranian government launched retaliatory strikes on Israel and American bases in the area, including in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Kuwait.You can get all the latest updates from The New York Times, NPR, BBC, and Reuters.DDominic Preston12 minutes agoThis is Xiaomi’s concept EV hypercar.The Vision GT was designed to split the difference between performance on straights and corners, with a chassis that was “sculpted by the wind.” Apparently it’ll be on display at the MWC show floor, where hopefully I’ll get a better look at it.1/4Photo: Dominic Preston / The VergeDDominic Preston56 minutes agoXiaomi’s super-slim power bank costs extra in orange.The Xiaomi UltraThin Magnetic Power Bank 5000 is just 6mm thin thanks to its silicon-carbon battery, and only weighs 98g. It’s €59.99 (about $70) in Europe, but there’s a €5 premium if you want it in iPhone orange.1/4In fairness, orange has always been Xiaomi’s logo color. Photo: Dominic Preston / The VergeAdvertiser Content FromThis is the title for the native adDDominic Preston56 minutes agoXiaomi has two new tablets too.The Pad 8 and Pad 8 Pro have launched alongside the Xiaomi 17 phones. They’re not as thin as Honor’s upcoming MagicPad 4, but I suspect they’ll be good — the Pad 6 has been my go-to Android tablet for two years. Pick the €599.99 Pro ($700) for a faster chip, better cameras, and a matte display option.Both tablets support Xiaomi’s €99 ($120) Focus Pen Pro stylus. Image: Xiaomi9Verge ScoreTCL’s $7,000+ flagship TV is ready to fightThe X11L is TCL’s best TV ever, but with RGB LED TVs around the corner, is mini LED a dead end?John HigginsFeb 27Xiaomi 17 is a small(ish) phone with a big(ish) batteryDominic Preston56 minutes agoMost PopularMost Popular1Phones are going to get weird next weekDominic PrestonFeb 272Netflix walks away from its deal to buy Warner Bros. after Paramount came back with a better offerEmma RothFeb 263Why no magnets in Galaxy S26? Samsung R&D chief explainsSean HollisterFeb 264Burger King will use AI to check if employees say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’Emma RothFeb 265The Trump phone sure looks a lot like this HTC handsetDominic PrestonFeb 27Xiaomi’s tracker doesn’t need a case to clip to your keysAndrew Liszewski56 minutes agoThe Witcher is a perfect fit for Reigns’ Tinder-like roleplayingAndrew WebsterAn hour agoJeffrey Epstein saw promise in Bitcoin — and its far-right supportersEpstein may not have fully understood crypto, but he helped shape its culture anyway.David MorrisFeb 27HHayden Field3:07 AM UTCOpenAI reached a new agreement with the Pentagon.CEO Sam Altman wrote on X that the agreement allowed the US military to “deploy our models in their classified network.” He said the agreement reflects OpenAI’s desire for prohibitions on domestic mass surveillance and “human responsibility for the use of force, including for autonomous weapon systems.” Altman also wrote that OpenAI is “asking the DoW to offer these same terms to all AI companies, which in our opinion we think everyone should be willing to accept.” This follows a rollercoaster week of negotiations between Anthropic and the Pentagon.Sam Altman’s post[X (formerly Twitter)]Defense secretary Pete Hegseth designates Anthropic a supply chain riskTina Nguyen2:19 AM UTCThe best instant cameras you can buy right nowSheena Vasani12:32 AM UTCJust For YouJust For You1Here’s your first look at Kratos in Amazon’s God of War showAndrew WebsterFeb 272Defense secretary Pete Hegseth designates Anthropic a supply chain riskTina NguyenFeb 273Warner Bros. Discovery agrees to $110 billion Paramount mergerEmma RothFeb 274We don’t have to have unsupervised killer robotsHayden FieldFeb 275Woot’s ‘Video Games for All’ sale features some of our favorite gamesCameron FaulknerFeb 27Samsung Unpacked 2026: everything announced at the February eventNathan EdwardsFeb 27RRichard Lawler12:28 AM UTCThe other connection between Jeffrey Epstein and 4chan.It’s a posthumous one because, as Buzzfeed reported in 2019, someone on 4chan of all places confirmed Epstein’s death more than half an hour before the first media reports. Now, Business Insider reports that within the files recently released, there are documents showing how the Justice Department and FBI investigated by subpoenaing 4chan, T-Mobile, and AT&T, trying to find the source.They were unsuccessful.4Chan knew about Jeffrey Epstein's death 38 minutes before the rest of the world. The FBI tried to figure out how.[Business Insider]NASA is pushing back its plans for a Moon landingStevie BonifieldFeb 27Trump orders federal agencies to drop Anthropic’s AIHayden Field and Richard LawlerFeb 27JJay PetersFeb 27Dash those Bloodborne remake hopes.In his deep dive about PlayStation’s closure of Bluepoint Games, Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier says that Bluepoint pitched a Bloodborne remake in 2025, but FromSoftware “didn’t want it to happen.” Bummer.Sony’s Bluepoint Pitched ‘Bloodborne’ Remake Before Closure[Bloomberg]The Trump phone sure looks a lot like this HTC handsetDominic PrestonFeb 27EntertainmentEntertainmentSee all EntertainmentResident Evil Requiem is the best of both terrifying worldsTauriq MoosaFeb 25Seedance 2.0 might be gen AI video’s next big hope, but it’s still slopCharles Pulliam-MooreFeb 24Billions of dollars later and still nobody knows what an Xbox isAndrew WebsterFeb 23SSean HollisterFeb 27The 512GB Steam Deck OLED is back in stock in US. Might disappear any second.The 1TB version also reappeared this morning, but was gone before I could get up a Verge Quick Post. I’m moving faster this time! Here’s the store page. Valve warned on February 16th it’ll be intermittently out of stock because of RAMageddon. Wednesday was the Deck’s fourth anniversary. (Update: 1TB is back too, and hearing Canada has stock as well!)If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.Gotta go fast. Image: ValveCISA is getting a new acting director after less than a yearStevie BonifieldFeb 27AI deepfakes are a train wreck and Samsung’s selling ticketsSean HollisterFeb 27JJay PetersFeb 27Mishaal Rahman, formerly of Android Authority, has joined the Android team.Part of Rahman’s new role includes “community engagement,” he says. He’s joining Android after spending 10 years reporting on the platform.FedEx will refund customers for Trump’s tariffs — if there ever are any refundsEmma RothFeb 27Amazon’s Fire TV Stick 4K Plus gets a better interface and a 40 percent discountSheena VasaniFeb 27TechTechSee all TechMicrosoft’s Copilot Tasks AI uses its own computer to get things doneEmma RothFeb 26Phones are going to get weird next weekDominic PrestonFeb 27Xiaomi 17 is a small(ish) phone with a big(ish) batteryDominic Preston56 minutes agoAAndrew LiszewskiFeb 27Super Pocket’s next handheld is a Rare find.Evercade has announced a new Rare-themed version of its Super Pocket handheld. It’s compatible with the company’s multi-title cartridges, but the $69.99 Super Pocket Rare Edition, launching in June, also features 14 built-in games from the developer including Battletoads, Conker’s Pocket Tales, and a version of Banjo-Kazooie optimized for the handheld’s D-pad.AI vs. the Pentagon: killer robots, mass surveillance, and red linesStevie Bonifield2:19 AM UTCWoot’s ‘Video Games for All’ sale features some of our favorite gamesCameron FaulknerFeb 27TTerrence O'BrienFeb 27Spotify launches audiobook charts and a lot of people are still listening to Atomic Habits.Wuthering Heights being number one makes sense; it just got a blockbuster adaptation. But why is the 8-year-old self-help book from James Clear number two?Spotify’s new lists also include genre-specific charts, so you don’t have to scroll past 37 steamy thrillers just to find your next dystopian sci-fi.Image: Spotify / The VergeCCameron FaulknerFeb 27RESIDE Nintendo Switch 2 VIL req.Those aren’t typos indicating I should get my head checked. Rather, it’s how the design reads on the new $99.99 Resident Evil Requiem-themed Switch 2 Pro controller. The custom look adds $10 to the already pricey gamepad that lacks more durable TMR joysticks found in great options that are less than half the cost.If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement.EEmma RothFeb 27Apple says the UK age verification prompt was an “error.”Spokesperson Peter Ajemian tells The Verge that Apple has since removed the prompt, which showed up for UK users who downloaded the latest iOS 26.4 beta:Some users on the beta software in the UK temporarily saw a message suggesting age verification is required to download apps. That message was displayed in error, and has been fixed. Developers may continue to use the Declared Age Range API to provide age appropriate experiences for users.PodcastsPodcastsSee all Podcasts1The Galaxy S26 is a photography nightmareDavid PierceFeb 272Xbox is in danger. Will Microsoft fix it or kill it?Nilay PatelFeb 263How Claude Code Claude CodesDavid PierceFeb 244Hank Green will gladly take billionaire money for education videosNilay PatelFeb 235The speech police came for ColbertDavid PierceFeb 19The US military reportedly shot down a CBP drone with a laserEmma RothFeb 27Here’s your first look at Kratos in Amazon’s God of War showAndrew WebsterFeb 27The Galaxy S26 is a photography nightmareDavid PierceFeb 27Pokémon Winds and Waves launch on the Switch 2 in 2027Charles Pulliam-MooreFeb 27AAndrew J. HawkinsFeb 27Tesla ‘did nothing’ to acquire robotaxi permits in California.Despite Elon Musk’s public statements that Tesla was close to getting “regulatory permission” to launch a robotaxi service in the Bay Area, the company has yet to apply for any of the required permits, Reuters reports. It also logged zero miles of autonomous test driving on California roads. Seems like a strange position for a company staking its future on robots and self-driving cars.Tesla touts California robotaxis but does nothing to get permits[Reuters]SStevie BonifieldFeb 27PS5 Pro players are getting an upscaling upgrade.An improved version of Playstation Spectral Super Resolution (PSSR) is rolling out on the PS5 Pro “in the coming weeks,” starting with Resident Evil Requiem. In March, “multiple existing games” will also get support for the new version of PSSR, which could deliver upscaling quality similar to AMD’s FSR 4.ScienceScienceSee all ScienceTrump claims tech companies will sign deals next week to pay for their own power supplyJustine CalmaFeb 25Huel tries to solve the ‘burden’ of eatingVictoria SongFeb 27NASA is pushing back its plans for a Moon landingStevie BonifieldFeb 27Huel tries to solve the ‘burden’ of eating Technically, it’s food. (It doesn’t taste like it.)Victoria SongFeb 27OpenAI snags $110 billion in investments from Amazon, Nvidia, and SoftbankTerrence O'BrienFeb 27Netflix isn’t buying Warner Bros: all of the latest updatesVerge StaffFeb 27Pokémon Presents 2026: All the news and trailersAndrew WebsterFeb 27CreatorsCreatorsSee all CreatorsDHS detained — then released — a Columbia University ‘studytok’ influencerMia SatoFeb 26Google’s Nano Banana 2 brings advanced AI image tools to free usersJess WeatherbedFeb 26Adobe’s new AI video editing tool stitches clips into a first draftJess WeatherbedFeb 25Follow topics and authors on stories you like to see related articles here. Or try one of these:aiappleappsbusinessfeaturesfilmgadgetsgamingdeals*googlemicrosoftnewspolicyreviewssciencesmart hometransportationtv shows* Free to readDONEAlready a Member? Sign InMost PopularMost Popular1Phones are going to get weird next weekDominic PrestonFeb 272Netflix walks away from its deal to buy Warner Bros. after Paramount came back with a better offerEmma RothFeb 263Why no magnets in Galaxy S26? Samsung R&D chief explainsSean HollisterFeb 264Burger King will use AI to check if employees say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’Emma RothFeb 265The Trump phone sure looks a lot like this HTC handsetDominic PrestonFeb 27Just For YouJust For You1Here’s your first look at Kratos in Amazon’s God of War showAndrew WebsterFeb 272Defense secretary Pete Hegseth designates Anthropic a supply chain riskTina NguyenFeb 273Warner Bros. Discovery agrees to $110 billion Paramount mergerEmma RothFeb 274We don’t have to have unsupervised killer robotsHayden FieldFeb 275Woot’s ‘Video Games for All’ sale features some of our favorite gamesCameron FaulknerFeb 27EntertainmentEntertainmentSee all EntertainmentResident Evil Requiem is the best of both terrifying worldsTauriq MoosaFeb 25Seedance 2.0 might be gen AI video’s next big hope, but it’s still slopCharles Pulliam-MooreFeb 24Billions of dollars later and still nobody knows what an Xbox isAndrew WebsterFeb 23TechTechSee all TechMicrosoft’s Copilot Tasks AI uses its own computer to get things doneEmma RothFeb 26Phones are going to get weird next weekDominic PrestonFeb 27Xiaomi 17 is a small(ish) phone with a big(ish) batteryDominic Preston56 minutes agoPodcastsPodcastsSee all Podcasts1The Galaxy S26 is a photography nightmareDavid PierceFeb 272Xbox is in danger. Will Microsoft fix it or kill it?Nilay PatelFeb 263How Claude Code Claude CodesDavid PierceFeb 244Hank Green will gladly take billionaire money for education videosNilay PatelFeb 235The speech police came for ColbertDavid PierceFeb 19ScienceScienceSee all ScienceTrump claims tech companies will sign deals next week to pay for their own power supplyJustine CalmaFeb 25Huel tries to solve the ‘burden’ of eatingVictoria SongFeb 27NASA is pushing back its plans for a Moon landingStevie BonifieldFeb 27CreatorsCreatorsSee all CreatorsDHS detained — then released — a Columbia University ‘studytok’ influencerMia SatoFeb 26Google’s Nano Banana 2 brings advanced AI image tools to free usersJess WeatherbedFeb 26Adobe’s new AI video editing tool stitches clips into a first draftJess WeatherbedFeb 25More Stories