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The Verge's Version History podcast released a new episode examining how Texas Instruments built and maintained near-total dominance of the graphing calculator business since the early 2000s. Hosts David Pierce, Nilay Patel, and Victoria Song discuss the company's history as part of a back-to-school themed season that will also cover One Laptop Per Child, Chromebooks, LeapPad, and overhead projectors.
Apple released macOS 27, codenamed Golden Gate, on Monday, bringing a redesigned Siri assistant capable of searching personal data like photos and emails and taking actions inside apps such as Messages and Reminders. The update also refines the Liquid Glass interface with better contrast, a new opacity slider, and consistent window corner shapes, while working only on Apple Silicon Macs, not Intel-based machines.
Apple's newest Pro-series iPhones bring a variable-aperture main camera, a new chip, improved battery life, and a black color option, but starting prices rose by $100 across the lineup, including older models. Alongside them, Apple released AirPods 5 with better active noise cancellation and stem-based volume controls on the pricier version, starting at $129.
LG issued a statement rebutting claims that its smart TVs spy on users, asserting that wake-word audio is processed locally and only converted to text if a wake word is detected. The company said Automatic Content Recognition, voice recognition, and interest-based advertising are optional and disabled by default, and that speech data isn't stored or transmitted once the TV goes offline.
Trump Mobile has quietly raised the price of its gold-colored T1 Phone from $499 to $749, a $250 jump first reported by The Verge. The company has not explained the increase, though executives previously said the $499 tag was only an introductory price that could eventually rise as high as $999.
Verge senior reviewer Victoria Song describes a growing online subculture of men sharing 'looksmaxxing' routines, including testosterone boosters, gray-market peptides, and drugs like Cialis taken off-label for longevity rather than their approved use. Figures like biohacker Bryan Johnson promote these regimens publicly, framing them as tools for physical optimization, appearance, or anti-aging rather than treating any diagnosed condition.
The Verge's Decoder podcast, hosted by Nilay Patel with producers Nick Statt and Greg Ott, released a mailbag episode responding to audience feedback gathered since April across email, YouTube, Spotify, Bluesky and Threads. The hosts singled out a prior video described as the 'software brain' segment as the most discussed piece of content on the show in the past six months.
Users on Reddit report water leaking into the battery compartment of Dyson's new $499.99 CameraJet toothbrush, with one saying their unit failed within 30 seconds of use. Dyson acknowledged that a small number of early batches may have experienced a component issue, though it says the product's current unavailability online is due to strong demand rather than the defect.
Consumer-grade solar kits that plug directly into a standard wall outlet, long popular in Europe as balcony solar, are gaining traction in the US. These systems pair a few small panels with a microinverter that feeds power into the home's electrical circuit, with an optional battery to store excess energy for use at night or during outages.
In a Verge interview, Fantasy Footballers podcast cohost Andy Holloway discussed his approach to technology and focus ahead of the NFL season. He described himself as a 'zero-inbox' person who keeps only two browser tabs open, and credited his Whoop wearable and building the podcast with his co-hosts as accomplishments he values most.
Muse Group has released Audacity 4, a major update to the long-running free audio editor that introduces non-destructive editing, overlapping and splittable clips, refreshed effects, and a redesigned home screen for project organization. The release also brings a new visual theme system aligning Audacity with Muse's other apps like MuseScore and Audio.com.
Anker has unveiled SleepLab, a bedside speaker that uses 60GHz millimeter-wave radar to monitor heart rate and breathing without requiring a wearable device. Over roughly a month of use, it learns which combinations of binaural beats and ambient lighting help the user relax and stay asleep, operating standalone without a phone or subscription. The device can be reserved for $1, with the radar-equipped Pro model priced at $269.99 and a non-radar version at $169.99.