Latest news with #DominicPreston
The Verge
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- The Verge
Truth, lies, and the Trump Phone
The idea behind Trump Mobile is relatively straightforward. It's easy to launch a mobile carrier these days, and it can be extremely lucrative — just ask Ryan Reynolds! You should know, though, that Trump Mobile is a pretty bad deal. And the network's supposed flagship phone? We're willing to bet that this $500, made-in-America, coming-soon device will end up being hardly any of those things. If it exists at all. On this episode of The Vergecast, Nilay's off doing business meetings or whatever, so David and Jake are joined by The Verge 's Dominic Preston to talk about all things Trump Mobile. They talk about the phones that resemble the Trump Mobile T1 Phone 8002, and whether any of them are a good deal in 2025. They talk about the rise in MVNOs, the many ways you can define 'made in the USA,' and whether there's an inkling of a good thing behind this obvious grift of a product. After that, David and Jake talk through some big news in the TV world: namely, that TV is dying faster than anyone expected. They discuss the ongoing rise of both Netflix and YouTube, the underrated success of FAST networks, and what this all means for Hollywood as a whole. Plus, we totally predicted a new feature in Max, and we're pretty proud of ourselves. Finally, in the lightning round, we talk about the Senate's confirmation of Olivia Trusty to the FCC, the onrushing of ads into WhatsApp, the GENIUS bill that's big news for crypto, Threads and the fediverse, and what we like — and don't — about the Framework Laptop 12. If you want to know more about everything we discuss in this episode, here are some links to get you started, beginning with Trump Mobile: And in streaming and TV news: And in the lightning round:
The Verge
21-05-2025
- The Verge
Android 16 adds AI-powered weather effects that can make it rain on your photos
Google's latest Android 16 beta adds a bunch of new wallpaper and lock screen options for Pixel phones, including live-updating weather animations and a feature that automatically frames subjects of photos within a variety of bubbly shapes. When you select an image to use as a wallpaper in the beta, you can tap the sparkly collection of starbursts that has become the de facto symbol for AI features to access the new effects. One of them, 'Shape,' washes your screen in a solid color, with a punchout frame in the middle centered on the subject of your photo, be it a person, animal, or object. You can choose from five different shape options: a slanted oval, rounded rectangle, an arched opening, a flowery shape, and a hexagon. It's a little like the iOS 'Depth Effect' feature that partially obscures the clock on your lock screen with a person's head. Right now, your phone picks what part of the image should be the subject, with no option to resize or reposition it. In a picture of two cats that my colleague Dominic Preston tried, the phone automatically centered the frame on one of the cats, with no option to use the other instead. A new 'Weather' option interacts with the subject of your photo, like by pelting them with raindrops or wrapping them in fog. The default choice, 'Local,' changes the effect depending on nearby weather conditions, but you can pick fog, rain, snow, or sun if you'd rather use one persistent effect. These options join the previous 'Cinematic' wallpaper mode that automatically creates a parallax effect, moving your subject around the background of the image when you tilt your phone. That feature is now activated with a toggle labeled 'Add 3D motion to this photo' and produced slightly different results when I tried it out with the same image. Google is also testing updates to the lock screen, including offering more control over what notifications appear there. For instance, the beta now has a toggle for 'Show seen notifications' that, when turned off, will hide notifications you've already seen. Finally, 9to5Google spotted that a blog post from Google's I/O conference offers a look at its 'Live Updates' feature, which, like iOS's Live Activities, presents live-updating lock screen elements showing you when, say, your Uber driver is arriving. In the GIF above, you can see what aspects like its progress bar and time estimates will look like.
The Verge
20-05-2025
- The Verge
Google I/O 2025: All the news and announcements
Google I/O starts today, and would you believe it? They're going to talk about AI. After getting everything Android out of the way in last week's dedicated Android Show, we're expecting today's I/O developer conference keynote to be one big AI show. Gemini, Project Astra, and everything in between are likely to be the focus as Google tries to prove it's the biggest player in the industry. Android XR is also set to get a mention, with the promise of new demos and more details. We're hoping that includes closer looks at Google's prototype smart glasses and Samsung's Project Moohan, and maybe even new hardware reveals. It all starts at 10AM PT / 1PM ET. May 19 Dominic Preston What to expect from Google's I/O keynote at 1PM ET Google's annual I/O developer conference is almost here, and all eyes will be on the company's opening keynote. But for the first time in years, we know there's little reason to hope for major Android OS announcements, since Google already did that last week. Instead, we're expecting I/O's keynote to be (almost) all about AI, though we do know there'll be at least a little time devoted to XR. Google I/O will be an AI show Android is getting its biggest visual update in years, and rather than unveiling it for the first time at its big annual developer conference, Google announced Material Three Expressive at a pre-show event broadcast on YouTube the week before. If a major design language shift for the world's most popular mobile OS doesn't qualify as a headliner at I/O, then what does? You guessed it: AI. We expect Google to talk all about Gemini during I/O, which kicks off on Tuesday, and how it's improving it and bringing it to products in areas that consumers will see even more. May 13 Dominic Preston Google adds UWB support to its rebranded Find Hub tracker app A year after launching its Find My Device location tracking network, Google is adding support for ultra wideband (UWB) for more precise tracking using compatible phones and trackers. The network and its Android app are also getting a new name: Find Hub. Google says that UWB will be enabled 'later this month.' UWB provides more accurate tracking at close range than Bluetooth, reporting both distance and direction so you can find a missing tracker quicker once you're in the vicinity. Apple's AirTag has supported the tech since its launch in 2021, as have Samsung's SmartTags. Tile's is now the only major tracker network to lack a UWB option, since the UWB-enabled Tile Ultra it first announced way back in 2021 never actually launched. Wear OS 6 puts Google Gemini on your wrist After a few years of iterative updates, Wear OS 6 is shaping up to be a significant leap forward. For starters, Gemini will replace Google Assistant on the wrist alongside a big Material 3 Expressive redesign that takes advantage of circular watch faces. Oh, and for the third year running, the latest Wear OS will also come with some battery life improvements. 'Over the past couple of years, we really completely reimagined Android with Gemini right at the center, and now we're expanding Gemini beyond the phone,' says Jaime Williams, Wear OS' product manager. Android's youthful new design language just dropped Google just announced a bold new look for Android, for real this time. After a false start last week when someone accidentally published a blog post too early (oh, Google!), the company is formally announcing the design language known as Material Three Expressive. It takes the colorful, customizable Material You introduced with Android 12 in an even more youthful direction, full of springy animations, bold fonts, and vibrant color absolutely everywhere. It'll be available in an update to the Android 16 beta later this month. Support for the Live Updates feature that Google introduced in an earlier Android 16 beta is nestled among the new design flourishes. It's Android's take on Apple's Live Activities, showing time-sensitive updates in a persistent notification bar. Unlike Apple, Android limits its use to food delivery, navigation, and rideshare apps. Google just announced that it will host a separate event ahead of I/O to discuss updates coming to Android. The Android Show: I/O Edition will land on YouTube and the Android website on May 13th at 10AM PT / 1PM ET and will feature Android ecosystem president Sameer Samat. That's a full week ahead of Google I/O, which kicks off on May 20th. It's not terribly surprising, given that the company has spent less time talking about Android at I/O. And it's probably a big hint that we're going to hear a lot more about Gemini and Google's other AI efforts throughout the developer conference. Maybe we'll even get an update on its Project Astra. Google announces the dates for I/O 2025 Google's next I/O developer conference will take place on May 20th and May 21st, the company announced today. The event will be 'open to everyone online' and will include 'livestreamed keynotes and sessions,' according to an FAQ. Like past years, there will also be an in-person component at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California. The news comes after Google launched a fun puzzle game to help reveal the date of the event. (The company loves to release puzzles ahead of announcing its I/O dates.) This year's show will run in the middle of Microsoft's Build conference, which takes place from May 19th through May 22nd.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Sony weighs ‘passing on' price of tariffs to consumers, Verge reports
During the company's earnings call, Sony (SONY) CFO Lin Tao said the PlayStation maker is weighing 'passing on' the price of tariffs to consumers to mitigate the effects on its bottom line, The Verge's Dominic Preston reports. Tao did not specifically mention the PlayStation 5, and it's possible the company could attempt to protect pricing on its console through price hikes elsewhere in its electronics business, the author notes. Quickly and easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks straight to you inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter Published first on TheFly – the ultimate source for real-time, market-moving breaking financial news. Try Now>> See the top stocks recommended by analysts >> Read More on SONY: Disclaimer & DisclosureReport an Issue Morning Movers: Sony and Dynatrace jump following earnings Sony Group Reports Strong FY2024 Results with Entertainment and Technology Growth SONY Earnings: Strong Income Fuels Sony Stock Rally Today Sony Group Reports Strong Operating Income Growth Despite Sales Dip Sony reports FY24 EPS Y187.92 vs. Y157.14 last year Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Verge
13-05-2025
- The Verge
Google I/O's Android Show: live updates and announcements
Google did something a bit different this year. Instead of talking about Android during the I/O developer conference, which kicks off on May 20, it's hosting a show dedicated to its mobile software. The Android Show begins at 10 AM PT/1PM ET today and we expect to hear more about Material 3 Expressive, the new user interface that leaked recently, and when it'll be available as part of Android 16. It's also likely we'll hear about the many other riffs of Android, from Wear OS to Android Auotmotive. Maybe we'll even get another peek at Android XR. And while AI is sure to be the focus of the entire Google I/O developer conference, we suspect we'll hear about Gemini a bit today, too. We'll be covering it all right here. Today, 7:28 AM EDT Dominic Preston Watch Google's Android Show: I/O Edition at 1PM ET There's still a week to go until Google I/O 2025 starts in earnest, but some of the developer conference's biggest announcements are likely to arrive today in a one-off livestream called The Android Show: I/O Edition. The Android Show takes place today, Tuesday, May 13th, at 10AM PT / 1PM ET. You can watch it live on the Android site or its YouTube channel, and we've embedded the livestream at the top of this page too.
