The Verge – Page 13

Nearly 40 states back surgeon general’s social media warning labels

A coalition of 42 state and territory attorneys general is calling on Congress to pass regulation requiring warning labels on social media platforms. In a letter on Monday, the attorneys general wrote that the warning labels will bring attention to the “inherent risks” social platforms pose to children.
https://www.theverge.com/2024/9/10/24240920/state-ags-back-surgeon-general-social-media-warning-labels

WhatsApp will send messages to other apps soon — here’s how it will look

Meta has finally pulled the curtain back on what its plans for third-party chats in WhatsApp and Messenger will look like. The change, which is coming for users in the European Union, introduces new options to put Messenger and WhatsApp messages in the same inbox as third-party chats or keep them separate.
https://www.theverge.com/2024/9/6/24237753/whatsapp-messenger-third-party-chat-eu-dma

Meta pulls plug on plans for high-end Vision Pro competitor

According to The Information, Meta had already started developing the La Jolla headset in November but told employees to stop working on the device this past week. The decision was due in part to the fact that the La Jolla headset would’ve used pricey MicroOLED displays. The move suggests that Meta as a whole may be souring on the idea of premium VR. Purportedly, the goal was to keep the cost of the headset under $1,000, which was looking increasingly difficult given how expensive MicroOLED can be to produce.
https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/23/24226856/meta-vr-ar-la-jolla-rumor-quest-pro-2

You can now use the Meta Quest as a screen for HDMI devices

Meta has released a new app for the Quest 3, 2, and Pro, letting you use the headsets as a screen for consoles, laptops, or any device with video out capabilities. Using the free Meta Quest HDMI Link app does require additional hardware, but it’s still a relatively cheap way to repurpose the headset, instead of buying single-purpose video glasses that can cost just as much.
https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/15/24221146/meta-quest-hdmi-link-app-displayport-usb-c

It’s clearly time: all the news about the transparent tech renaissance

Gadgets, much like fashion, can make style comebacks. And just like the return of grunge makeup and baggy jeans, transparent tech is back.
https://www.theverge.com/23774468/clear-transparent-tech-gadgets-news-announcements-products

Adobe rolls out more generative AI features to Illustrator and Photoshop

The most notable updates are coming to Illustrator courtesy of Adobe’s latest Firefly Vector AI model, which is available in public beta starting today. “Our goal is to empower all creative professionals to realize their creative visions,” Deepa Subramaniam, Adobe Creative Cloud’s vice president of product marketing, said to The Verge. “We believe that every massive technology shift offers opportunities to deliver new products and innovations to our customers, and we are focused on harnessing the power of generative AI to amplify human creativity and expression, not replace it.”
https://www.theverge.com/2024/7/23/24204231/adobe-photoshop-illustrator-generative-ai-firefly-vector-features

Figma explains how its AI tool ripped off Apple’s design

Figma recently pulled its “Make Designs” generative AI tool after a user discovered that asking it to design a weather app would spit out something suspiciously similar to Apple’s weather app — a result that could, among other things, land a user in legal trouble. “But in the week leading up to Config, new components and example screens were added that we simply didn’t vet carefully enough,” writes Noah Levin, Figma VP of product design.
https://www.theverge.com/2024/7/18/24201308/figma-make-designs-vet-apple