AIMode.newsSearch
Live

Publisher

The Verge News

The Verge covers technology, science, art, and culture with original reporting and commentary.

59 recent stories from The Verge

Google’s Pixel 11 phone preorders come with up to $350 in gift cards

The Pixel 11 Pro in matte obsidian. | Photo: David Imel / The Verge Looking to get your hands on the latest Pixel devices? After weeks of leaks and rumors, Google has officially announced its next generation of Pixel phones and watches. The base Pixel 11 starts at $899, the Pro and Pro XL are $1,099 and $1,299 respectively, and the Pro Fold starts at $1,899. The watch comes in two sizes, with the smaller 41mm model starting at $399, and the larger 45mm model starting at $429. The phones are available for preorder now, and will ship on August 20th, 2026. If you're looking to preorder an unlocked phone on its own, your main options are Best Buy, Amazon, and directly from the Google Store. All three are runni … Read the full story at The Verge.

Aug 12, 2026

Advertisement
Technology

Google’s Pixel 11 phone preorders come with up to $350 in gift cards

The Pixel 11 Pro in matte obsidian. | Photo: David Imel / The Verge Looking to get your hands on the latest Pixel devices? After weeks of leaks and rumors, Google has officially announced its next generation of Pixel phones and watches. The base Pixel 11 starts at $899, the Pro and Pro XL are $1,099 and $1,299 respectively, and the Pro Fold starts at $1,899. The watch comes in two sizes, with the smaller 41mm model starting at $399, and the larger 45mm model starting at $429. The phones are available for preorder now, and will ship on August 20th, 2026. If you're looking to preorder an unlocked phone on its own, your main options are Best Buy, Amazon, and directly from the Google Store. All three are runni … Read the full story at The Verge.

The Verge ·

Technology

Twitch streamers can now opt out from training Amazon’s AI

Twitch users can now opt out of allowing their content to be used to train Amazon's generative AI models. Opting out means that "your streams, VODs, clips, stream chats, and pictures and text on your channel" won't be used in "future training" of an Amazon AI model "whose purpose is to generate or synthesize text, audio, images, or video," according to a Twitch support page. Other "AI-supported" features like captions and safety tools will still function if you opt-out of generative AI training. However, if you participate in a chat on another person's stream, "their opt-out preferences govern if that chat can be used for training," Twitch … Read the full story at The Verge.

The Verge ·

Technology

How Google’s new Pixel 11 phones compare to last year’s models

The Pixel 11 Pro. | Photo: David Imel / The Verge Google just added four new phones to the Pixel family: the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and the Pixel 11 Pro Fold. They're slightly more expensive than their predecessors, but they come with some notable upgrades, including improved cameras and a new Tensor G6 chip that should deliver faster performance. The phones also have new photography tools, like Magic Capture, along with improvements to Gemini Intelligence, expanded Live Translate capabilities, and the ability to use Circle to Search directly through the camera. To make deciding whether you'll upgrade or hold onto your last-gen phone a little simpler, we're focusing on co … Read the full story at The Verge.

The Verge ·

Technology

ICE wants to give agents electrified gloves that shock people into compliance

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is aiming to spend up to $20 million on equipping officers and agents with specialized gloves that deliver painful electric shocks. These plans were outlined in a notice published by the Department of Homeland Security on Monday, with an unspecified quantity of the devices set to be delivered by March 2027. The electrified handwear outlined in the contract is the CTG 5 GLOVE (Generated Low Output Voltage Emitter), which manufacturer Compliant Technologies refers to as a CD3 (Conductive Distraction and De-escalation) device. Compliant Technologies describes it as "a great, humane, low-optics, de-esc … Read the full story at The Verge.

The Verge ·

Technology

Amazon gets out of the MMO game

Amazon is fully stepping back from MMOs. After saying last year that it would be halting "a significant amount" of its work on first-party AAA games, "specifically around MMOs," Amazon will be handing over live operations of Throne and Liberty and Lost Ark in the West to other companies, according to announcements on Wednesday. Throne and Liberty will be taken over by FirstSpark Games and NC in Q4 2026. Lost Ark will be run by Smilegate starting in early 2027. When Amazon announced the broader strategy shift in October, the developers of a third MMO, New World: Aeternum, announced plans to stop offering new content updates. As of January, y … Read the full story at The Verge.

The Verge ·

Technology

How the Pixel 11 Pro Fold compares to the Galaxy Z Fold 8

The Pixel 11 Pro Fold. | Photo: David Imel / The Verge Google wasn't first to make a foldable Android phone, but the company's Pixel Fold series is now an established player with unique traits compared to its competitors. For one, it popularized the passport-style design years ago, being more wide than tall - something that Samsung tried for the first time this year with its Z Fold 8, and that Apple is rumored to do with its foldable iPhone that may or may not arrive in 2026. It also delivered the first IP68-rated foldable in the Pixel 10 Pro Fold, soothing concerns that all foldables are super fragile. Now that the new Pixel 11 Pro Fold (along with the rest of the Pixel 11 lineup) has been unv … Read the full story at The Verge.

The Verge ·

Technology

Guitar company D’Addario admits that AI music was used in a promotional video

Maybe don’t let the AI shred next time. | Image: D’Addario After weeks of controversy and speculation, music company D'Addario has admitted that AI, specifically Suno, was used as part of a recent promotional video. For nearly two weeks, the company has denied the allegations, even as evidence piled up against it. It offered various explanations, from low-quality exports, to combinations of plugins like Autotune introducing digital noise, and the use of AI-assisted mastering tools from LANDR and Logic. But now the company has edited its original Instagram post denying the use of generative AI to say it was wrong. In a lengthy update to its post from July 29th (embedded at the bottom), it said: W … Read the full story at The Verge.

The Verge ·

Technology

Google aims for influencers with the Pixel 11 Creator Suite

The settings page for the Pixel 11 series’ “Creator Suite.” Google knows creators are a big audience. The occupation is growing fast, and landing some influential names could be a major turning point for the Pixel's market share. This year, Google is building features directly into its new Pixel lineup that it says can help creators record, organize, edit, and publish content faster and more efficiently than they could on other devices. Creator Suite is a new mode built into the Pixel 11's camera app. The suite comes with features like a teleprompter, vocal enhancer, external microphone levels, and social media frame guides, which Google thinks will entice users who want to start building channels a … Read the full story at The Verge.

The Verge ·

Technology

The 7 biggest announcements of Google’s Pixel 11 launch

Google is hosting a Pixel launch event on Wednesday night where it will show off its latest lineup of devices. But you don't have to wait until then for all the news: We were able to check out the devices ahead of the event and take a look at everything Google's unveiling, including the latest Pixel phones, new health features on the Pixel Watch 5, and more. Google will be livestreaming the event on Wednesday at 6PM ET / 3PM PT. But if you aren't able to watch along yourself, you can catch up on all of the highlights from Wednesday's Pixel launch below. Pixel 11 launches with new colors and a price bump Google refreshed its line of Pixel … Read the full story at The Verge.

The Verge ·

Technology

Google’s Pixel 11 series pairs a little new hardware with a lot of new software

When I first picked up the Pixel 11 Pro this week, it was clear to me that this was one of those refinement years - at least when it comes to hardware. Aesthetically, the phones are as beautiful as ever, with Google's signature camera bar and bright, colorful backing glass. There are small updates, like a single piece of glass covering the camera bar and the all-new HiLight ambient LED on the Pros. But this year, the Pixel is all about quality of life and software improvements. After weeks of teasers, Google has finally formally announced the Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL, and Pixel 11 Pro Fold. The phones are all shipping next we … Read the full story at The Verge.

The Verge ·

Technology

Google is making the Pixel cameras better by making them worse

If you look at a photo taken by a smartphone today, it's hard to find much that's technically wrong. Faces are bright and visible. The skies are pristine and blue. Even at night, scenes are well lit and noise-free. If the physical limitations of a tiny camera are what you're trying to solve for, you could probably label smartphone photography a mostly solved problem. But in our current moment, the photos people are drawn to are not flawless - and that's created a real problem for the people making smartphone cameras. "The gap between what two random people want from their camera is growing dramatically," says Isaac Reynolds, who leads the P … Read the full story at The Verge.

The Verge ·

Technology

Google’s Pixel Watch 5 dives deeper into AI and health

At least there’s no new proprietary charger this year. Huzzah!! | Photo: David Imel / The Verge The $399 Google Pixel Watch 5 isn't about the hardware. Sure, there's a new satin pyrite case finish, a few new strap colors, and a Steph Curry Special Edition. Under the hood, there's a slightly faster Qualcomm processor and an itty-bitty battery bump. There's a $50 price hike from last year, too, because the Pixel Watch 5 isn't immune to RAMageddon - none of us are. Otherwise, no one would blame you for looking at this watch and thinking absolutely nothing's changed. That's because the big updates this year are all software-based. This isn't a huge surprise considering Google's Fitbit Air launch in May. And after seeing some Pixel Watch 5 … Read the full story at The Verge.

The Verge ·

Technology

Android now has a tap-to-share feature

Android's AirDrop-like Quick Share feature will now let some devices exchange files and contact information when tapped together. The update is coming to Pixel 6 series phones and newer starting today, according to Google's announcement, and will roll out to Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, Fold 8, and Flip 8 "soon." The tap-to-share feature uses NFC and proximity to simplify sharing, enabling users to wirelessly send contact details, photos, videos, and more by opening the share sheet menu and bringing the two devices close together. Quick Share's tapping update will also be expanded to "more Android devices by the end of the year," accord … Read the full story at The Verge.

The Verge ·

Technology

The Pixel Tag is Google’s answer to the AirTag

The Pixel Tag is longer but thinner than Apple’s AirTags. More than two years after launching its own device-tracking network, Google has finally followed up with its own tracker. The Pixel Tag, which goes on sale in November, looks like one of the more capable trackers too: It combines ultra wideband (UWB) with Bluetooth 6.0 Channel Sounding for two distinct types of precision tracking. The Pixel Tag goes on sale on November 11th, unlike the newly announced Pixel 11 and Pixel Watch 5, which are already available to preorder and ship next week. When it arrives, the Tag will cost $29, with a four-pack for $99 - the exact same pricing as Apple's AirTag 2. The Pixel Tag is a slim oblong device avail … Read the full story at The Verge.

The Verge ·

Technology

Android now has a tap-to-share feature

Related coverage: Android now has a tap-to-share feature The Verge Google Makes Quick Share Even More Like Apple's AirDrop Engadget Google’s Quick Share adds a tap-to-share mode TechCrunch Google starts rolling out Tap to Share for Pixel 6 and newer 9to5Google Sharing between Pixel devices is now just a tap away. blog.google

The Verge ·

Technology

Jaguar offers a first look inside the all-electric Type 01

Jaguar's all-electric Type 01 comes with a very beige interior that divides the four seats with a "spine" that spans the length of the cabin. New photos shared by Jaguar show a low-slung driver's seat, alongside a slim dashboard with a smartphone-style display in the center. This vehicle doesn't come with a traditional rear-view mirror, as Jaguar says you'll find a "ClearSight Rear View Display" at the very bottom of the windshield, positioned at the "same height as the door mirrors, to help the driver focus." There are also some "concealed compartments" and "hidden‑until‑needed technologies" according to Jaguar, though you c … Read the full story at The Verge.

The Verge ·