The Verge – Page 19

Google’s AI pitch is a recipe for email hell

But Google’s onstage ideas were almost impressive in their ability to serve precisely none of writing’s core purposes. Its examples of Help me write calcify the worst tendencies of “professional” communications. They’re bland, bloated boilerplate that turns a human prompt into something that uses more words to say less.
https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/13/23719115/google-ai-help-me-write-communications-email

Speed Trap

“[Google] came to us and said, the internet is broken, ads aren’t loading, blah blah, blah. We want to provide a better user experience to users by coming up with this clean standard,” says one magazine product executive. “My reaction was that the main problem is ads, so why don’t you fix the ads? They said they can’t fix the ads. It’s too hard.”
https://www.theverge.com/23711172/google-amp-accelerated-mobile-pages-search-publishers-lawsuit

Google announces the Pixel Fold

We had expected to see it last year, but the Fold didn’t make the cut for I/O in 2022, and rumors about its launch haven’t slowed down in the year since. Google has focused on teaching Android developers to make their apps work on foldable devices and larger screens, which may pay off next week with the launch of this device and the new Pixel Tablet.
https://www.theverge.com/2023/5/4/23711353/google-pixel-fold-announced

Elon Musk removes Twitter’s ‘government-funded media’ labels after outlets flee the platform

Twitter has removed the “government-funded” and “state-affiliated” labels that led several news outlets to stop tweeting on the platform. When asked why Twitter has dropped the labels, Elon Musk says it was a “suggestion” from Walter Isaacson, the author of his upcoming biography, according to NPR reporter Bobby Allyn. Neither NPR, PBS, nor CBC have said whether they will resume their activity on Twitter now that the labels are gone. In a statement provided to The Verge, CBC spokesperson Leon Mar says the organization is “reviewing this latest development and will leave our Twitter accounts on pause before taking any next steps.” NPR and PBS didn’t immediately respond to The Verge’s request for comment, but we’ll update this article if we hear back.
https://www.theverge.com/2023/4/21/23692449/elon-musk-twitter-government-funded-media-labels-removed

Microsoft’s new Copilot will change Office documents forever

Microsoft has a flashy marketing video that shows off Copilot’s potential, but seeing Friedman demonstrate this in real time across Office apps and in Teams left me convinced it will forever change how we interact with software, create documents, and ultimately, how we work.
https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/17/23644501/microsoft-copilot-ai-office-documents-microsoft-365-report

The Steam Deck is on sale for the first time ever

It’s been just over a year since Valve launched its Steam Deck portable gaming PC — and it’s just now going on sale. Until March 23rd at 10AM PT, you can get a Steam Deck for 10 percent off in every region where it’s sold, including Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan. In the US, that translates to $359.10 for 64GB, $476.10 for 256GB, or $584.10 for the 512GB model, before tax, with free shipping.
https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/16/23643413/valve-steam-deck-first-sale-ten-percent-off

Meta gives up on NFTs for Facebook and Instagram

Meta is moving on from more crypto projects, even though NFTs / digital collectibles were once pitched as part of its ‘metaverse’ future. “Across the company, we’re looking closely at what we prioritize to increase our focus,” Kasriel said. “We’re winding down digital collectibles (NFTs) for now to focus on other ways to support creators, people, and businesses.”
https://www.theverge.com/2023/3/13/23638572/instagram-nft-meta-facebook-quits-digital-collectibles