Cloudflare, the cloud provider that connects millions of sites to the internet, wants to “fix” another digital giant: WordPress. It announced a new open-source system, called EmDash, that’s supposed to address the “core problems that WordPress cannot solve” — and they want to do it by allowing AI agents to take control of your website.
https://www.theverge.com/tech/909730/cloudflare-emdash-wordpress-community
Insta360 just announced the Snap, a new smartphone accessory designed to improve the quality of your selfies. It works like a digital mirror magnetically attached to the back of your Android or iOS smartphone so you can preview and properly frame shots using its more capable rear cameras, while touchscreen functionality lets you control camera apps without having to constantly flip your phone around.
https://www.theverge.com/tech/907670/insta360-snap-usb-c-magsafe-screen-selfies-smartphone-rear-camera
Google is beginning to replace news headlines in its search results with ones that are AI-generated. After doing something similar in its Google Discover news feed, it’s starting to mess with headlines in the traditional “10 blue links,” too. We’ve found multiple examples where Google replaced headlines we wrote with ones we did not, sometimes changing their meaning in the process.
https://www.theverge.com/tech/896490/google-replace-news-headlines-in-search-canary-coal-mine-experiment
Amazon announced on Tuesday that it’s making it easier for users to find products eligible for its 1-hour and 3- hour delivery options with a new “getitfast” page for same-day delivery products available in their area. Amazon is also introducing new search filters for 1-hour and 3-hour delivery, along with tags on eligible products — which could be convenient, but could also do even more to squeeze out local businesses if this becomes a popular option.
https://www.theverge.com/tech/895940/amazon-1-hour-3-hour-delivery
By June 30th, Google writes, it will lower most app store fees in the US, UK, and European Economic Area to 20 percent or less, down from 30 percent. By the end of the year, it will launch a “Registered App Stores” program outside of the US, so that you can download and install third-party app stores (like the Epic Games Store) from the web without the friction that Google erected previously.
https://www.theverge.com/policy/889252/google-app-store-fee-reduction-20-percent-epic-v-google
Discord is about to force some of the people who use its messaging app to make a choice: Use the platform with restricted features, or prove their age. It’s a move that platforms have been slowly approaching, but Discord’s teen-by-default rollout is a stronger clampdown that could offer a glimpse at an age-gated future on the web worldwide.
https://www.theverge.com/policy/876131/discord-age-verification-mandates-web-future
Last year’s Super Bowl featured a Google Gemini ad that fumbled a Gouda cheese stat, and this year’s game is already slated to include an ad for Anthropic’s AI platform that takes jabs at its competitors, namely OpenAI. AI-generated ads could make an appearance, too.
https://www.theverge.com/entertainment/874504/super-bowl-lx-ads-big-game