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Mere weeks after Starship’s breakup, the vehicle may soon fly again

A little over a month after SpaceX's large Starship launch ended in an explosion over several Caribbean islands, the company is preparing its next rocket for a test flight. According to a notice posted by the Federal Aviation Administration, the eighth test flight of the Starship vehicle could take place as early as February 26 from the Starbase launch site in South Texas. The launch window extends from 5:30 pm local time (23:30 UTC) to 7:09 pm (01:09 UTC). Company sources confirmed that this

Amazon remembers it has an Android app store, kills it

After 14 years of trying and failing to gain a smartphone foothold, Amazon has announced it will discontinue its app store. Anyone who has content in Amazon's store will be able to access it for now, but all bets are off beginning on August 20, 2025. As part of the pull-back, the company is also discontinuing the Amazon Coins digital currency. The Amazon Appstore made waves when it launched in 2011, offering an alternative to what at the time was known as the Android Market. Amazon even scored

Twitch’s new storage limits will purge huge swaths of Internet gaming history

Popular Amazon-owned game streaming platform Twitch announced Wednesday that it will be imposing a 100-hour limit on the archived video highlights users can preserve permanently on the site. And while Twitch says that only 0.5 percent of users will be affected by these new limits, gamers are warning that the move threatens to eradicate large swaths of recent gaming history from the Internet. Highlights, in Twitch's own words, are a way for Twitch streamers to "show off your best moments to new

Elon Musk recommends that the International Space Station be deorbited ASAP

In a remarkable statement Thursday, SpaceX founder Elon Musk said the International Space Station should be deorbited "as soon as possible." This comment from Musk will surely set off a landmine in the global space community, with broad implications. And it appears to be no idle comment from Musk who, at times, indulges in deliberately provocative posts on the social media network X that he owns. However, that does not seem to be the case here. "It is time to begin preparations for deorbiting

Apple, Lenovo lead losers in laptop repairability analysis

Apple and Lenovo had the lowest laptop repairability scores in an analysis of recently released devices from consumer advocacy group US Public Interest Research Group (PIRG) Education Fund. While Apple's low marks are partially due the difficulty involved in disassembling MacBooks, Lenovo appears to be withholding information from shoppers deemed critical to right-to-repair legislation and accessibility. The report, US PIRG's fourth annual “Failing the Fix” [PDF], calculated repairability score

Small study suggests dark mode doesn’t save much power for very human reasons

If you know how OLED displays work, you know about one of their greatest strengths: Individual pixels can be shut off, offering deeper blacks and power savings. Dark modes, now available on most operating systems, aim to save power by making most backgrounds very dark or black, while also gratifying those who just prefer the look. But what about on the older but still dominant screen technology, LCDs? The BBC is out with a small, interesting study comparing the light and dark modes of one of it

Topics: bbc dark light mode power

SpaceX engineers brought on at FAA after probationary employees were fired

Engineers who work for Elon Musk’s SpaceX have been brought on as senior advisers to the acting administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), sources tell WIRED. On Sunday, Sean Duffy, secretary of the Department of Transportation, which oversees the FAA, announced in a post on X that SpaceX engineers would be visiting the Air Traffic Control System Command Center in Virginia to take what he positioned as a tour. “The safety of air travel is a nonpartisan matter,” Musk replied. “S

ISP sued by record labels agrees to identify 100 users accused of piracy

Cable company Altice agreed to give Warner and other record labels the names and contact information of 100 broadband subscribers who were accused of pirating songs. The subscribers "were the subject of RIAA or third party copyright notices," said a court order that approved the agreement between Altice and the plaintiff record companies. Altice is notifying each subscriber "of Altice's intent to disclose their name and contact information to Plaintiffs pursuant to this Order," and telling the

Study: Cuttlefish adapt camouflage displays when hunting prey

Crafty cuttlefish employ several different camouflaging displays while hunting their prey, according to a new paper published in the journal Ecology, including mimicking benign ocean objects like a leaf or coral, or flashing dark stripes down their bodies. And individual cuttlefish seem to choose different preferred hunting displays for different environments. It's well-known that cuttlefish and several other cephalopods can rapidly shift the colors in their skin thanks to that skin's unique st

Nvidia GeForce RTX 5070 Ti review: An RTX 4080 for $749, at least in theory

Nvidia's RTX 50-series makes its first foray below the $1,000 mark starting this week, with the $749 RTX 5070 Ti—at least in theory. The third-fastest card in the Blackwell GPU lineup, the 5070 Ti is still far from "reasonably priced" by historical standards (the 3070 Ti was $599 at launch). But it's also $50 cheaper and a fair bit faster than the outgoing 4070 Ti Super and the older 4070 Ti. These are steps in the right direction, if small ones. We'll talk more about its performance shortly,

Topics: 4k 5070 card rtx ti

FTC investigates “tech censorship,” says it’s un-American and may be illegal

The Federal Trade Commission today announced a public inquiry into alleged censorship online, saying it wants "to better understand how technology platforms deny or degrade users' access to services based on the content of their speech or affiliations, and how this conduct may have violated the law." "Tech firms should not be bullying their users," said FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson, who was chosen by President Trump to lead the commission. "This inquiry will help the FTC better understand how t

See a garbage truck’s CNG cylinders explode after lithium-ion battery fire

Garbage truck fires are never ideal, but they are usually not catastrophic. When a fire broke out on December 6 in the back of a garbage truck making its Friday rounds through the Chicago suburb of Arlington Heights, the fire department responded within five minutes. Firefighters saw flames shooting five feet into the air out the back of the truck, and they prepared to put the fire out using hoses and water. Four minutes after their arrival on scene, however, the garbage truck exploded in rather

Microsoft’s new AI agent can control software and robots

On Wednesday, Microsoft Research introduced Magma, an integrated AI foundation model that combines visual and language processing to control software interfaces and robotic systems. If the results hold up outside of Microsoft's internal testing, it could mark a meaningful step forward for an all-purpose multimodal AI that can operate interactively in both real and digital spaces. Microsoft claims that Magma is the first AI model that not only processes multimodal data (like text, images, and vi

Work Has Given Me Tech Neck. This Device Is Helping Undo the Damage

I was leaving a blissful session with my massage therapist when she pointed out something unexpected: I was developing an ever-so-slight neck “hump.” Of course, nobody wants to hear that—it sounds unsightly—but it also raised some alarm bells. Recently, an orthopedic spine surgeon told me that he’s seen increasing cases of arthritis in young, healthy individuals, likely due to posture issues caused by constant screen use. Like most desk workers, I spend at least 30 hours a week glued to my lapt

The 3 Best Essential Oil Diffusers (and One to Avoid)

I first learned about Pura from a friend whose house always smelled like a high-end boutique under every circumstance. Cooking project, water leak … no matter what was going on in her house at the time, I only ever smelled berries. I have two cats and a multi-sports-playing tween—I knew I needed this. Now, about 14 months into my Pura journey, I have some thoughts. While most of my time has been with the now discontinued Pura 3, I have also since used the Pura 4 and new large-room Pura Plus, al

DOGE Puts $1 Spending Limit on Government Employee Credit Cards

Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency put a $1 spending limit on most credit cards belonging to employees and contractors of the General Services Administration—a critical agency that manages IT and office buildings for the US government—along with at least three other federal agencies. Similar restrictions are expected to roll out to the entire government workforce soon, according to several sources familiar with the matter. “Effective immediately, all GSA SmartPay Travel a

The Watergate-Inspired Law That’s Being Used to Fight DOGE

Katie Drummond: And ironically, as you mentioned earlier, that's part of what makes these lawsuits so challenging to see through because a judge is assessing risk based on hypothetical harms to American citizens as opposed to actual harm or actual injury. Is that right? Andrew Couts: I mean it depends on exactly what the lawsuit is alleging or what it's attempting to achieve, what kind of legal standards they're going to apply. But typically judges, if they're looking for actual or potential im

USDA Layoffs Derail Projects Benefiting American Farmers

The widespread layoff of Department of Agriculture scientists has thrown vital research into disarray, according to former and current employees of the agency. Scientists hit by the layoffs were working on projects to improve crops, defend against pests and disease, and understand the climate impact of farming practices. The layoffs also threaten to undermine billions of taxpayer dollars paid to farmers to support conservation practices, experts warn. The USDA layoffs are part of the Trump admi

Netflix Plans to Spend $1 Billion Making Content in Mexico Over the Next 4 Years

Streaming juggernaut Netflix plans to spend $1 billion on film and TV production in Mexico over the next four years. CEO Ted Sarandos announced the plan Thursday during a press conference with Mexico's president, Claudia Sheinbaum. The injection of capital could fund 20 productions per year, on average. During Thursday's event, Netflix also announced a $2 million investment in Mexico City's Churubusco Studios to improve the facilities. The goal is to strengthen the national film industry. “Our

DJI’s RS 4 Mini camera stabilizer can now track moving people

is a senior reporter who’s been covering and reviewing the latest gadgets and tech since 2011, but has loved all things electronic since he was a kid. DJI has announced a new version of the smallest camera stabilizer in its Ronin series. Like last year’s RS 3 Mini, the upgraded RS 4 Mini is a more compact, lighter, and cheaper alternative to DJI’s RS 4 and RS 4 Pro stabilizers, but designed for smaller mirrorless cameras and smartphones. Although it’s slightly heavier than its predecessor, the

Topics: dji mini new rs tracking

Kia unveils PV5 electric van as a futuristic ‘people mover’

is transportation editor with 10+ years of experience who covers EVs, public transportation, and aviation. His work has appeared in The New York Daily News and City & State. Kia revealed the exterior design of the upcoming PV5 electric van, the automaker’s first EV to come out under its “Platform Before Vehicle” (PBV) brand. With the PV5, Kia has declared its intention to compete with heavy hitters like the Volkswagen ID Buzz, Ford E-Transit, Mercedes eSprinter, and Ram ProMaster EV. There are

Topics: come kia pbv pv5 vehicle

Nickelodeon’s next Avatar animated series is finally coming together

is a reporter focusing on film, TV, and pop culture. Before The Verge, he wrote about comic books, labor, race, and more at io9 and Gizmodo for almost five years. Rumours about the next mainline Avatar series have been circulating ever since Nickelodeon announced that Michael DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko were returning to lead Avatar Studios. But now, we finally know a bit more about where the franchise is heading after The Legend of Korra. Today, Nickelodeon announced that the Avatar saga (w

The Verge’s favorite kitchen gadgets

Many members of The Verge’s staff enjoy cooking — and all enjoy eating. Inspired by that admittedly obvious thought, we asked them to say which kitchen tools they most enjoy using these days. We got a wide and fascinating array of answers. They include gadgets that need to be charged, such as electric kettles, blenders, and smart thermometers, as well as simpler, non-powered tools like egg holders, spreader knives, and wooden spoons. (Sometimes simpler can be better.) So check out how our writ

The busiest US airline now supports Apple’s AirTag location sharing

is a senior reporter who’s been covering and reviewing the latest gadgets and tech since 2011, but has loved all things electronic since he was a kid. American Airlines has announced support for Apple’s Share Item Location feature, potentially making it easier for passengers to be reunited with lost luggage tracked with an AirTag. The airline transported 226,405,000 passengers around the world last year, making it the busiest and one of the largest carriers in the US. Share Item Location was f

Adidas plugs its website and app into Amazon’s ‘Buy with Prime’ program

is a reviewer covering laptops and the occasional gadget. He spent over 15 years in the photography industry before joining The Verge as a deals writer in 2021. Adidas’s site and app will soon get “Buy with Prime” Amazon fulfillment, allowing Prime members to receive free shipping and streamlined returns when ordering directly from the three-stripe brand. Beginning in the spring, paying US-based Amazon Prime subscribers will see Prime-eligible items for sale on adidas.com and through the Adida

Rivian reports first quarter of ‘positive gross profit’

is transportation editor with 10+ years of experience who covers EVs, public transportation, and aviation. His work has appeared in The New York Daily News and City & State. Rivian announced a significant milestone today, reporting its first “positive gross profit” in its fourth quarter earnings for 2024. It was a sign that the struggling company’s efforts to slash costs through the gut overhaul of its R1 electric vehicles is starting to yield some positive results. But dark clouds loom ahead,

Fitbit’s got a battery problem

is a senior reporter focusing on wearables, health tech, and more with 13 years of experience. Before coming to The Verge, she worked for Gizmodo and PC Magazine. Last month, Fitbit Versa 3 and Sense owners started getting notifications to download a mandatory firmware update. The problem? Overheating batteries. In an official consumer notice, Google (which owns Fitbit) notes that the firmware update would “reduce the risk of battery overheating and reduce battery capacity.” Affected users, of

Carbon removal is the next big fossil fuel boom, oil company says

is a senior science reporter covering energy and the environment with more than a decade of experience. She is also the host of Hell or High Water: When Disaster Hits Home , a podcast from Vox Media and Audible Originals. Occidental, the oil giant that has tried to fashion itself as a climate tech leader, is being real clear now about capturing carbon dioxide emissions, which it sees as the next big thing for fossil fuel production. That shouldn’t be surprising coming from a petroleum company.

Cherryrock Capital raises new $172M fund from all-star investors to back diverse founders

Cherryrock Capital, founded by ex-TaskRabbit CEO Stacy Brown-Philpot, announced Wednesday the closing of its $172 million Fund I with an all-star limited partner list that includes JPMorgan, Goldman Sachs, MassMutual, Melinda French Gates’ Pivotal Ventures, Reid Hoffman, Mellody Hobson, and Sheryl Sandberg. Brown-Philpot told Bloomberg that the fund actually closed in January. The firm launched in 2023 during what was a challenging period for fundraising in the venture industry. As a result, B

Pre-seed firm Afore Capital has a fresh $185M fund and a new program to help founders discover ideas

Afore Capital, a firm that claims to be the largest dedicated pre-seed investor, was founded on the idea that the first check into a new startup should be larger than what most accelerators and early-stage investors were offering. When Afore raised its third $150 million fund in 2022, the firm wrote checks ranging from $1 million to $2 million, which general partners Anamitra Banerji and Gaurav Jain argued helped companies grow faster. The firm’s strategy worked. Today, its 200-company portfoli