Microsoft and OpenAI broke up — now they’re ready to fight
Microsoft and OpenAI broke up — now they’re ready to fight

At Microsoft’s annual Build conference on Tuesday, the company announced a slew of new or expanded AI initiatives, including a super app, in-house reasoning models, a cybersecurity tool, and OpenClaw-esque AI agents. All this news added up to a clear message: Microsoft is positioned to be one of the biggest players in AI, and it’s […]

A first look at Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Ultra and Surface Dev Box
A first look at Microsoft’s Surface Laptop Ultra and Surface Dev Box

Microsoft has two new Surface devices arriving later this year, both powered by Nvidia’s RTX Spark chips. I got a chance to take a closer look at both the Surface Laptop Ultra and Surface RTX Spark Dev Box at Microsoft’s Build conference this week, and while both have the same chip inside, they’re utilizing Nvidia’s […]

SwitchBot’s acquisition of Nanoleaf is about more than lighting
SwitchBot’s acquisition of Nanoleaf is about more than lighting

Smart lighting company Nanoleaf has been acquired by OneRobotics, the parent company of SwitchBot. In an exclusive interview with The Verge, Nanoleaf CEO Gimmy Chu says the company will remain independent and that he and his cofounder and COO, Christian Yan, will continue to run it. “Nothing is changing operationally,” says Chu, adding that there […]

AI has a water problem — Google thinks it has a fix
AI has a water problem — Google thinks it has a fix

In the face of widespread backlash to the AI data center buildout throughout the US, Google is touting its efforts to minimize the environmental impact by actually increasing water for local communities. The company laid out five commitments around water use in a new blog post published Wednesday, including a goal to replenish more water […]

Google must let publishers opt out of AI Search features, rules UK
Google must let publishers opt out of AI Search features, rules UK

Online publishers are getting more control over whether their websites appear in Google’s AI Search features, thanks to a UK regulatory ruling. The new conduct rule imposed by the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) requires Google to let website owners keep their content out of features like AI Overviews and prevent it from being used […]

I love to travel independently — here’s my tech kit list to guarantee a successful solo trip

Over the years I’ve honed the perfect setup to to block out annoyances, help me switch off, and guard against any travel hiccups.

I spent 3 hours with Lego’s new Pokémon Smart Play sets — they solve the Smart Brick’s biggest problems, and are simply perfect

The Pokémon Lego Smart Play sets are a triumph of everything that makes Lego and Pokémon a delight.

I held the next-gen handheld
I held the next-gen handheld

Intel couldn’t catch a break. Layoffs. Shakedowns. Crashing CPUs torpedoing its reputation, sending desktop gamers fleeing to AMD. Apple and Qualcomm pushing Intel out of multiple flagship laptops. A gaming graphics card going MIA. But its Panther Lake laptop chip, the first on its all-important 18A process, turned out excellent – and a handheld version […]

Microsoft Build 2026: The 7 biggest announcements
Microsoft Build 2026: The 7 biggest announcements

Microsoft just kicked off Build 2026 with a keynote from CEO Satya Nadella and other company leaders. As expected, it was filled with announcements, ranging from new Surface hardware to an always-on personal assistant and updates across Microsoft’s in-house AI models. If you didn’t watch the event live, you can catch up on all the […]

Trump signs executive order to review AI models before they’re released
Trump signs executive order to review AI models before they’re released

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday creating a “voluntary framework” for AI companies to share their frontier models with the federal government before they’re released “to promote secure innovation and strengthen the cybersecurity of critical infrastructure.” The order says the US AI industry has succeeded in part “because we refuse to stifle this […]