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Why does Amazon hate its most enthusiastic smart home fans?

Blink’s cheap wireless cameras have seen better days.Photo by Thomas Ricker / The Verge Blink, the Kickstarter success bought by Amazon in 2017, has long been synonymous with inexpensive battery-powered home video cameras that don’t require a monthly contract for cloud recordings. Open-source projects like Homebridge, Home Assistant, and HOOBS have made the cameras even… Read more

Stromer ST2 e-bike review: too hot for Europe

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. The words “Swiss design” conjure images of luxury watch movements and delicately sculpted eyeglasses, not hulking e-bikes with thickly welded frames and face-melting power. Stromer is here to challenge those assumptions and force a rethink of how… Read more

GlobalFoundries Owner Eyes $20 Billion Valuation for IPO

Home News (Image credit: GlobalFoundries) Mubadala Investment Co. has started preparations for GlobalFoundries’ initial public offering (IPO), which is expected in late 2021. As chip demand is surging and the industry is suffering from shortages, GlobalFoundries’ business is expected to thrive. Bloomberg reported this week that Mubadala has initiated talks with potential advisers about an IPO of… Read more

How tech companies are ignoring the pandemic’s mental health crisis

There is plenty that scientists don’t understand about the long-term effects of COVID-19 on society. But a year in, at least one thing seems clear: the pandemic has been terrible for our collective mental health — and a surprising number of tech platforms seem to have given the issue very little thought. First, the numbers…. Read more

Polestar is building a zero-emissions car without ‘cop-out’ carbon offsets

Swedish electric performance automaker Polestar says it will build the world’s first truly zero-emissions vehicle without relying on carbon offsets, which it described as a “cop-out.” The company, which was spun out of Volvo and Volvo’s parent company Geely, framed its effort to cut carbon emissions by changing the way its cars are made as… Read more

How To Emulate An Apple II On Your PC

The Apple II released in June 1977 was one of the first successful mass-produced computers and Apple’s first personal computer aimed squarely at the consumer market. The hardware was designed primarily by Steve Wozniak and the case by Steve Jobs, who we both know as the founders of Apple. In 1977, there were three machines… Read more

Watch the first trailer for Netflix’s Yasuke anime

Netflix just released the first good look at Yasuke, its upcoming anime based on the true story of a Black samurai who lived in Japan during the 16th century. Despite the real-life source material, the show takes a few liberties with the story, as you can see in the fantastical first trailer. Here’s the basic… Read more

Burberry designed character skins for China’s biggest video game

Honor of Kings is among the biggest games in the world — and soon, it’ll be among the most fashionable as well. Today, Tencent-owned developer TiMi Studios announced a collaboration with fashion house Burberry on new character skins. The skins were designed by Riccardo Tisci, chief creative officer at Burberry, for the character Yao. “Burberry’s… Read more

HomeKit makes Ikea’s cheap buttons and motion sensors much more powerful

If you buy something from a Verge link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics statement. Ikea’s new $9.99 / €7.99 / £6 Trådfri Shortcut Buttons and existing $14.99 / €12.95 / £12 Trådfri Motion Sensors recently gained HomeKit support to the delight of many Apple device owners. Importantly, the addition is cumulative… Read more

A court is forcing Valve to tell Apple how much money 436 different PC games made

Valve has been compelled by a California court to provide sales data on more than 400 Steam games to Apple and possibly reveal its yearly sales, revenue, and profits to Apple as well. The iPhone maker subpoenaed Valve for the data as part of its ongoing dispute with Fortnite developer Epic Games. According to a… Read more

Daft Punk split up after 28 years

The Paris-born electronic music duo Daft Punk are no more. The group, consisting of French musicians Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter, confirmed the breakup with an eight-minute video titled “Epilogue” excerpted from their 2006 science fiction film Electroma, according to Pitchfork, which also confirmed the news with Daft Punk’s publicist. Daft Punk formed in… Read more

Furosystems Aventa e-bike review: ice breaker

Ease your way into the joys of commuting by electric bike Aventa is a new electric bike with a secret: its battery is removable despite the clean design. London-based Furosystems just launched the Aventa series of pedal-assist e-bikes into the European market. A more powerful US model is planned for later this year, or early… Read more

Vaccine rollout won’t be equitable unless health care reckons with racism

The pandemic has been anything but “the great equalizer” that some people called it when it started more than a year ago. Here in the US, COVID-19 has sickened and killed a disproportionate number of Black, Native American, and Latinx people. Vaccine rollout is proving to be inequitable, too. Black and Latinx elders in Los… Read more

In WandaVision’s new episode, somebody thinks of the children

WandaVision is moving closer to its endgame, as SWORD clashes with Wanda, Vision continues to question his reality, and the mystery of who is actually behind the Westview Hex grows. But as we get closer to getting those answers, WandaVision has also started to lay the groundwork in this week’s episode for whatever might come… Read more

China becomes latest country to reach Mars with Tianwen-1 probe

China’s Tianwen-1 spacecraft successfully rolled into Mars orbit Wednesday morning, the China National Space Administration confirmed. The probe’s arrival makes China the sixth space-faring power to reach the planet. It’s also the second country this month to celebrate its first Mars mission, arriving a day after the UAE’s Hope orbiter entered Martian orbit Tuesday morning…. Read more