Author: News Room
Gears of War has been on a strange journey over the past seven years. 2019 saw the release of Gears Pop, a Clash Royale-inspired mobile game featuring Funko Pop Gears of War characters and the mainline canon entry, Gears 5 (dropping the “of War” – it’s cleaner). In 2020, spin-off Gears Tactics was released to positive reception, and it seemed the series was on track for consistent new games and worthwhile spin-offs. In fact, Gears 5 felt like the continuation of a new trilogy for the series. Marcus Fenix was still hanging around, but he was more of a supportive…
If Winamp was your go-to music player years ago, here’s some news that might make you smile. Winamp has announced a partnership with Deezer that brings music streaming to its next-generation player. The new music player will arrive sometime in the first half of 2027. What is changing with the new Winamp music player? In this partnership, Deezer will provide its white-label streaming technology and massive global music catalog. That gives Winamp everything it needs to launch its own branded premium subscription. The best part is that Winamp isn’t abandoning what made it special. Your local music library, internet radio…
Although Samsung’s latest foldables are yet to go on sale, the company has already confirmed two more Galaxy devices are on the way. During its Q2 2026 earnings call, Samsung revealed that the Galaxy Tab S12 and Galaxy S26 FE will launch later this year, but warned that rising component costs could put more pressure on pricing. Samsung’s upcoming product lineup is starting to take shape Daniel Araujo, Samsung’s vice president and head of strategic planning for the Mobile Experience division, mentioned the Galaxy S26 FE while discussing the company’s plans for the Galaxy S26 series. He said that the…
Dell’s new XPS 13 recently gave me renewed hope for affordable Windows laptops. Its $699 starting price. Its sharp touchscreen display and compact aluminum design make it a compelling alternative to the MacBook Neo. But at the same event, Dell had more in store for us. I also spent time with the Dell 14S and Dell 16S, which are two laptops that target buyers who like the XPS 13’s slim and polished approach. These two laptops target buyers who like the XPS 13’s slim and polished approach but need more performance, a larger battery, or a roomier display. They also…
The FCC has already made it much harder for foreign drone makers such as DJI to bring new products into the US. Now, the same crackdown is reaching a machine far more likely to be moving around your living room. The US government recently added foreign-made advanced robotic devices to the FCC’s Covered List. The announcement appeared focused on humanoids, robot dogs, and industrial machines, but an FCC spokesperson has confirmed to The Verge that robot vacuum cleaners are covered too. Future foreign-made Roombas and rival robot vacuums will therefore be unable to receive the FCC authorization needed for sale…
Caught yourself scrolling on Instagram a lot longer lately? You’re not imagining it. Meta just told investors what’s driving that trend, and AI is at the center of it. During its second-quarter earnings call, Meta said time spent on Instagram grew by double digits year over year after rolling out new AI-powered recommendation systems. According to the company, the biggest gains came from improvements to how it recommends Reels and other public content, making it easier to surface videos people are more likely to watch. Every public post gets an AI read first Meta’s recommendation systems now do more than…
If you were hoping your next Android phone might come with a friendlier price tag, you may want to temper your expectations. Qualcomm just confirmed it’s raising chip prices starting September 1, and CEO Cristiano Amon didn’t dress up the reason. “Cost went up, prices are going to go up,” he told CNBC. Qualcomm chips power a huge share of the world’s Android phones, so a hike at the source is likely to reach store shelves eventually. Rising costs go beyond memory Qualcomm’s own earnings report points to a broad jump in costs across wafer fabrication, assembly, testing, packaging, and…
Talking to your computer instead of typing to it might sound like a sci-fi fantasy, but OpenAI is betting big on it. In a chat with Joanna Stern on her YouTube channel, OpenAI president Greg Brockman confirmed that the company is not stopping at just one gadget. Get ready, because a whole family of devices is on the way. When Stern brought up rumors of an AI smart speaker, Brockman did not confirm or deny it. Instead, he said, “we’re building a family of devices,” adding that the focus is not on any single product but on delivering value over…
Microsoft has been dropping Copilot everywhere lately: chat, Cowork, coding, autonomous agents, and now it looks like all of it is getting stuffed into one place. During Wednesday’s earnings call, CEO Satya Nadella confirmed the company is building an AI super app that brings every one of these Copilot experiences under a single roof. What exactly is Microsoft building? Nadella explained that Copilot has moved fast, going from a simple chat tool to Cowork and now to Autopilots, Microsoft’s term for autonomous agents that can run long tasks on their own. He plans to combine all the tools into what…
Apple recently announced its new Apple Upgrade leasing plan, which lets customers pay monthly for an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or Apple Watch through Klarna. The program replaces the long-running iPhone Upgrade Program and expands the option beyond phones for the first time. However, code discovered by 9to5Mac in an iOS 27 beta raised concerns about what could happen if someone fell behind on payments. The new App Managed Features system appeared capable of checking a customer’s payment status and placing a financed device into Restricted Mode. Apple has now clarified that the system will not be used for its Upgrade…