The Verge – Page 6

A massive Cloudflare outage brought down X, ChatGPT, and even Downdetector

The disruption, which started at around 6:20AM ET, is linked to a “configuration file that is automatically generated to manage threat traffic,” Cloudflare spokesperson Jackie Dutton tells The Verge. “The file grew beyond an expected size of entries and triggered a crash in the software system that handles traffic for a number of Cloudflare’s services.” Dutton added that “there is no evidence” of an attack or other malicious activity.
https://www.theverge.com/news/822869/cloudflare-is-down-outage-x-twitter-downdetector

The Steam Frame is a surprising new twist on VR

The new headset is called the Steam Frame, and it’s trying to do several things at once. It’s a standalone VR headset with a smartphone-caliber Arm chip inside that lets you play flat-screen Windows games locally off the onboard storage or a microSD card. But the Frame’s arguably bigger trick is that it can stream games directly to the headset, bypassing your unreliable home Wi-Fi by using a short-range, high-bandwidth wireless dongle that plugs into your gaming PC. And its new controllers are packed with all the buttons and inputs you need for both flat-screen games and VR games.
https://www.theverge.com/games/816118/valve-steam-frame-vr-headset-streaming-arm-steamos-hands-on

Google will let ‘experienced users’ keep sideloading Android apps

Google says that it’s softening its plan to require every Android developer — even outside of the Play Store — to verify their identity, a move which critics warned could kill sideloading for good. The company now says it’s developing a workflow to allow “experienced users” to install apps from unverified developers. Google is also working on a new developer account type for students and hobbyists, which won’t have to go through “full verification requirements,” but will only allow app installs on “a limited number of devices.”
https://www.theverge.com/news/819835/google-android-sideloading-experienced-users-developer-verification

We now have a Nintendo Store app for iOS and Android

Nintendo has released an official Nintendo Store app, allowing more fans to access the eShop on iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. Five years after exclusively launching in Japan as the “My Nintendo” app, Nintendo has now expanded the iOS and Android experience under a new name to other regions, including the US, UK, Canada, and most of Europe.
https://www.theverge.com/news/814054/nintendo-store-app-ios-android-games-shop

Foursquare’s founder launches a new app that talks to you about your neighborhood

After teasing its development last year, Foursquare co-founder Dennis Crowley has now launched BeeBot: an AI-powered social app for iPhones that talks to you about what’s happening nearby. In his blog announcement, Crowley says BeeBot behaves like a “personalized radio DJ” that provides location-based audio updates through your headphones, telling you about what friends are up to, local news, and events occurring in the neighborhood as you walk around. “Audio updates are meant to be short and sweet (a few sentences here and there), tailored to your interests and your social graph, and designed to both inspire and inform you,” Crowley says in the announcement. “The vibe we’re going for is more ‘Waze meets Gossip Girl,’ and less ‘Wikipedia in your ears.’”
https://www.theverge.com/news/815328/beebot-app-foursquare-founder-ai-audio-updates

Amazon and Perplexity have kicked off the great AI web browser fight

Amazon doesn’t want to be a part of Perplexity’s AI-powered shopping experience. In a post on Tuesday, the ecommerce giant says it has “repeatedly requested” that Perplexity stop allowing its Comet AI browser to buy products for customers, which Perplexity has responded to by accusing Amazon of “bullying.”
https://www.theverge.com/news/813755/amazon-perplexity-ai-shopping-agent-block

Grammarly is changing its name to Superhuman

AI writing aid Grammarly is now part of Superhuman, alongside Coda, Superhuman Mail, and a new AI assistant called Superhuman Go. The new Superhuman suite, including all those tools, will be available starting today for everyone with a paid Grammarly Pro subscription. After the company’s rebranding, the standalone writing tool Grammarly still exists, but it’s taking a backseat as Superhuman shifts its focus to offering an AI agent-powered work platform that works in every tab of your browser and knows enough about what’s going on to offer useful suggestions.
https://www.theverge.com/news/808472/grammarly-superhuman-ai-rebrand-relaunch