The Verge – Page 11

LG’s NFT marketplace for TVs is shutting down

LG is shutting down Art Lab, its NFT marketplace for TVs. In a notice posted to its website, LG says it has made the “difficult decision” to close the platform on June 17th. LG launched its Art Lab app during the NFT craze in 2022, billing it as a way to “buy, sell and enjoy high-quality digital artwork” from your TV. It added new digital art to the platform through “groundbreaking” NFT drops, which users could purchase by scanning a QR code to complete transactions through Wallypto, LG’s crypto wallet app.
https://www.theverge.com/news/633272/lg-art-lab-nft-marketplace-shutdown

Instagram’s Reels may get its own app

Instagram is reportedly considering spinning its Reels feature into a standalone short-form video app to take advantage of TikTok’s uncertain future in the US. Instagram head Adam Mosseri was overheard discussing the plans with staff this week according to an anonymous source cited by The Information.
https://www.theverge.com/news/620547/instagram-reels-video-app-tiktok-rival-service

Books written by humans are getting their own certification

image via theverge.com

The Guild says its “Human Authored” certification aims to make it easier for writers to “distinguish their work in increasingly AI-saturated markets,” and that readers have a right to know who (or what) created the books they read. Human Authored certifications will be listed in a public database that anyone can access. The project was first announced back in October in response to a deluge of AI-generated books flooding online marketplaces like Amazon and its Kindle ebook platform.
https://www.theverge.com/news/602918/human-authored-book-certification-ai-authors-guild

Here’s what Samsung’s first Android XR headset looks like in person

The headset, which Samsung is developing in partnership with Google, runs Android XR, an OS designed specifically for headsets and smart glasses. My colleague Victoria Song got to try Project Moohan late last year, so if you want to know what it’s like to actually wear and use. Samsung plans to launch Project Moohan for developers first, but it won’t be available right away for consumers.
https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/22/24349736/samsung-project-moohan-photos-android-xr-headset

The weirdest tech at CES 2025

CES is home to some of the coolest, cutting-edge, and most innovative technology around. But within this sea of tech are always some pretty strange gadgets. This year’s conference was no different, packed with a whole bunch of wacky devices, some of which might have a chance of taking off, and others… maybe not so much. Highlights include Mirumi, the shy sloth-like robot, A phone battery charger that resembles a toaster, A retractable keyboard, An even more portable LG StanbyME display, SwitchBot’s modular, multitasking robot, An 18-karat gold smart ring, LG’s air purifier your cat can sit on, The “world’s first wearable solar panel”, LG’s indoor gardening side table, Encapsulated anime girls that talk to you…
https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/8/24338251/ces-2025-weirdest-tech-gadgets-robots

LG’s microwave has a 27-inch display that’ll be perfect for ads

LG has responded to Samsung in the battle to slap displays on every home appliance you own, culminating in the LG Signature microwave which puts a superfluous 27-inch LCD touchscreen and speakers into an appliance you probably don’t even need.
https://www.theverge.com/2024/12/30/24331994/lg-microwave-27-inch-display-speakers