Million

Spotify subscribers surge past 150 million

Spotify now boasts 155 million premium subscribers and 345 million monthly active users, according to its latest earnings report released today. Those numbers represent a 24 percent and 27 percent year-over year increase. Its biggest increase was in ad-supported monthly active users, which rose 30 percent to 199 million. Last quarter, it reported having reached… Read more

Epson EpiqVision EH-LS300B

Our Verdict Epson’s EH-LS300 UST projector is practical for everyday use, with some limitations, as well as for truly immersive bigscreen movie nights. For Powerful bright image Free-to-air TV catch-up services Convenient way to get a really large picture Against No Netflix or Prime support No Ethernet 1080i/50 and 576i/50 issues Sound+Image mag review (Image… Read more

Sony sold 4.5 million PlayStation 5 consoles last year

Sony shipped 4.5 million PlayStation 5 units worldwide in 2020, as revealed by information published alongside the company’s latest earnings report. The number highlights Sony’s current ability to mass-produce the console, which has been extremely difficult to buy since its launch in November. Demand for the PlayStation 4 dropped dramatically year-on-year, with 1.4 million units… Read more

Google’s cloud business lost more than $5.5 billion last year, but it’s growing fast

Google parent company Alphabet weathered the tail end of 2020 to post better-than-expected earnings for the fourth quarter of the year. But the bigger story is that Alphabet broke out Google Cloud’s sales for the first time ever, revealing an eye-popping $5.6 billion annual loss last year, but a nearly 50 percent jump in revenue… Read more

EA is bringing back college football games without college players

After being missing in action for years, Electronic Arts announced today that it will be making college football video games again. EA is working with the Collegiate Licensing Company (CLC), a well-known licensing partner for many schools, to secure the use of over 100 teams in the FBS, including the stadiums, mascots, and uniforms used… Read more

Millions is giving away $1 million — but who’s the real winner?

Millions is a new startup with a big promise: simply pick six numbers on its website, follow the @Millions Twitter account, and you could win $1 million. It’s not some kind of scam, either: it’s being funded by same big names, like Biz Stone (one of the co-founders of Twitter), Joey Zwillinger (an Allbirds co-founder),… Read more

Amazon will pay $61.7 million to Flex drivers after wage theft allegations

Amazon will pay $61.7 million to Flex drivers to settle allegations of stolen tips, after an extensive investigation by the US Federal Trade Commission. The figure represents the total amount of allegedly withheld tips over the two and a half years that Amazon Flex’s controversial base pay system was in place. “In total, Amazon stole… Read more

Go read this story about how bad software helped slow coronavirus vaccine distribution

It’s no secret that the US is struggling to distribute coronavirus vaccines; some states haven’t received enough doses, and finding an appointment on sign-up websites has been a chaotic experience. A new report in MIT Technology Review looks at why, almost a year into the pandemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention seemed totally… Read more

Chromebooks just had their best year ever

According to analysts, Chromebooks had an incredible 2020, with the last quarter being the strongest ever for Google’s laptops (via 9to5Google). According to research firms Gartner and Canalys, over 30 million of the devices shipped last year, with somewhere between 11 and 11.7 million shipping in Q4 alone. Canalys says that’s a staggering 287 percent… Read more

Tesla’s new Model S will automatically shift between park, reverse, and drive

Tesla’s redesigned Model S and Model X will have a very unconventional and possibly controversial feature: automatic shifting between park, reverse, neutral, and drive (or PRND). There will be an option to change drive modes on the touchscreen, but CEO Elon Musk made the case for automatic switching on Twitter late Wednesday night. “Car guesses… Read more

Johnson and Johnson says single-shot COVID-19 vaccine is 66 percent effective

A single shot of the Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine can prevent 85 percent of severe cases of the disease, the company announced today. Overall, it is 66 percent effective against both moderate and severe cases of disease. “We’re 85 perfect effective at preventing severe disease, which we define as disease that makes you feel… Read more

Microsoft made a giant climate pledge one year ago — here’s where it’s at now

One year after pledging to remove all of its historic and future planet-heating emissions within a few decades, Microsoft says it has already slashed its carbon footprint by 6 percent. It’s an incremental change that’s in line with what’s needed globally to address the climate crisis, but there is a whole lot of work left… Read more

Apple retakes second place in smartphone shipment rankings as sanctions bite Huawei

Apple overtook Huawei to reclaim its spot as the second-bestselling smartphone manufacturer in the world in 2020, according to new research reports from Counterpoint Research and Canalys. Samsung was still the leading seller in terms of number of smartphones shipped, while Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo took the next three spots, according to Counterpoint. It was… Read more

Microsoft turned its sustainability report into a Minecraft map

Microsoft released its annual sustainability report today, and Minecraft developer Mojang decided to turn it into something interactive. Called simply “Sustainable City,” the new Minecraft map is available as a free download in the Minecraft marketplace, and it’s also been added to the game’s educational offshoot. The map features six included lessons, which Mojang says… Read more

Discord has turned into a virtual trade floor with memes, stonks, and chaos

Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge A real-life trading floor is noisy. You can find traders shouting at each other, especially when the markets are volatile and stock is moving fast. That same environment has been replicated online this week, thanks to Discord. Getting inside offers a surreal look at an emerging virtual trade… Read more