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Cybercabs hit the road / Tesla’s controversial robotaxis are rolling out.

Elon Musk’s robotaxi heterodoxy gets put to the testElon Musk’s robotaxi heterodoxy gets put to the test

The occasional trillionaire is betting his company on a stripped down, camera-only, steering-wheel-free two-seater. How safe is safe enough?

Andrew J. Hawkins
In a swipe at Tesla, Waymo says ‘cameras… aren’t enough’

Waymo’s top software executive didn’t directly name Tesla or Elon Musk in a new blog post — but his intentions were clear.

Andrew J. Hawkins
Tesla is finally launching the Cybercab — let’s hope it’s ready

The company’s gold-tinted driverless car is central to Elon Musk’s dreams of robo-domination. But what if the software isn’t ready?

Andrew J. Hawkins
Tesla’s robotaxi promises are clashing with reality

Mileage is flat, the number of vehicles are shrinking, and safety is an open question.

Andrew J. Hawkins

IFA 2026 / The best and weirdest gadgets from Europe’s biggest tech show.

I held the first truly bezel-free phoneI held the first truly bezel-free phone

There’s no bezel, but there is still a bit of a frame.

Dominic Preston
Here’s the first 4K 120Hz UST projector with optical lens shift

No digital trickery to degrade image quality.

Thomas Ricker
This 14-inch laptop has a screen that unrolls to 17 inches

The Lenovo ThinkBook Project Swan concept is a little laptop that gives you a little more screen when you want it.

Antonio G. Di Benedetto
I want to wrap myself in Hue’s new Liane rope lights

The company showcased new architectural lighting that’s designed to be seen.

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

This week in AI / The biggest new stories from today’s biggest new technology.

Researchers fear safety disaster ahead of OpenAI’s Astra releaseResearchers fear safety disaster ahead of OpenAI’s Astra release

A report triggered concerns about a safety ‘race to the bottom.’

Robert Hart
Nvidia is buying Hugging Face for almost $13 billion

The GitHub-like open-source AI repository was last valued at $4.5 billion in 2023.

Jess Weatherbed
Google is sending MrBeast into the wilderness, armed with AI

One of YouTube’s biggest creators has a new deal to promote Gemini and Google Health.

Stevie Bonifield
OpenAI accused of ‘aiding and abetting’ Tumbler Ridge mass shooting in dozens of new lawsuits

The lawsuits accuse OpenAI of providing ‘substantial assistance and encouragement’ to the Tumbler Ridge shooting suspect.

Emma Roth

Robovac roll call / These floor-sweeping gadgets have gone from utilitarian devices to full-fledged home robots.

DJI’s new robovac can climb obstacles, vacuum quietly, and claims much improved privacyDJI’s new robovac can climb obstacles, vacuum quietly, and claims much improved privacy

Local Data Mode is DJI’s answer to the first Romo’s security crisis.

Dominic Preston
This new Roomba seals itself to your carpet

iRobot’s Roomba Max 875 claims its new SealForce tech will drive out more dirt than suction alone.

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
This robot vacuum solves my kitchen stool problem

Hands-on with Mova’s new V70 Ultra Complete and its mopping arm that cleans hard-to-reach spots.

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
The ban on robot vacuums won’t make them safer, only worse

You’ll have fewer robot floor cleaners to choose from and higher prices.

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy

The KickerSeptember 4

The VergeThe Verge logo.
Why AI food looks like that
Robert Hart
Microsoft’s Project Zenith is a ‘distraction-free Windows experience’ for developersMicrosoft’s Project Zenith is a ‘distraction-free Windows experience’ for developers

The first Project Zenith devices ship with AMD’s Ryzen AI Halo chips.

Tom Warren
Sam Altman apologizes for ‘messy’ GPT-6 Astra rollout that’s locked out paying usersSam Altman apologizes for ‘messy’ GPT-6 Astra rollout that’s locked out paying users

OpenAI hasn’t provided a clear timeline for when subscribers will get access to the long-hyped Astra.

Robert Hart
Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Reolink’s latest pan-and-tilt security cam can last six months on a single charge.

The wireless OMVI 2i Ultra camera also has a built-in 6W solar panel that can keep the camera charged in 30 minutes of daily sunlight. It comes with an 8-megapixel wide-view camera that offers a fixed view of your yard, while a 5-megapixel pan-tilt camera can track and zoom in on activity.

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This NAS company wants to run your local smart homeThis NAS company wants to run your local smart home

Ugreen’s HomeAgent combines a NAS, a security camera NVR, and an on-device AI assistant in one box, maxing out with a $9,999 Nvidia Jetson Thor version.

Jennifer Pattison Tuohy
Tom Warren
Tom Warren
Microsoft’s legal team is waking up with a headache.

And it’s not because of post-work cocktails. The Trump administration decided to mark 25 years of Xbox with a flagrant disregard for copyright. It would be funny, if not for the fact it’s all a promotion for a website full of mini games for deporting people.

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Who turned out the lights? Nanoleaf gets deeper into red light therapy and further from smart lighting.

In line with its pivot into wellness tech, Nanoleaf has launched a wraparound LED light therapy mask for your neck, which the company claims “is designed to reach deeper layers of the skin and support faster skin cell renewal.” It offers seven lighting modes and near-infrared wavelengths up to 1072nm.

The Nanoleaf LED Light Therapy Neck & Décolletage Mask costs $149.99.

<em>The Nanoleaf LED Light Therapy Neck & Décolletage Mask.</em>
<em>The Nanoleaf LED Light Therapy Neck & Décolletage Mask.</em>
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The Nanoleaf LED Light Therapy Neck & Décolletage Mask.
Image: Nanoleaf
Andrew Liszewski
Andrew Liszewski
Timekettle’s new earbuds are better at translating videos.

In addition to improved AI capabilities that are better at understanding and translating longer multilingual conversations, Timekettle’s new $379 W4 Plus earbuds can translate videos from YouTube, Netflix, and other platforms while you’re wearing just one of the buds. Last year’s W4 required you to wear both, with one playing the original audio while the other played the translation.

The Timekettle W4 Plus interpreter earbuds being removed from their charging case as it floats.
The Timekettle W4 Plus earbuds will be available starting next week in space black, midnight blue, and sandy gold color options.
Image: Timekettle
This rugged phone’s removable camera can survive and capture your extreme adventuresThis rugged phone’s removable camera can survive and capture your extreme adventures

The Xsnap 7 Pro’s four cameras include a pop-out wearable action cam and a night vision camera that can see in the dark.

Andrew Liszewski
Aqara goes all in on smart lightingAqara goes all in on smart lighting

A new floor lamp, outdoor smart lighting, and LED strip from Aqara support Zigbee and Thread.

Emma Roth
Lexar’s Muse is an ultra-slim portable SSD that’s less than 4mm thickLexar’s Muse is an ultra-slim portable SSD that’s less than 4mm thick

You can slim down your portable storage if you don’t mind dealing with a proprietary USB-C cable.

Andrew Liszewski
The unusually muted Tesla Cybercab launchThe unusually muted Tesla Cybercab launch

Tesla has 45 Cybercabs registered in Texas, though it’s unclear how many of them will be doing passenger trips.

Andrew J. Hawkins
Steve Ballmer got suspended by the NBA because of a podcast and a jumbotron corruption scandalSteve Ballmer got suspended by the NBA because of a podcast and a jumbotron corruption scandal

Pablo Torre found out, and now the results of the NBA’s investigation are hammering the LA Clippers.

Richard Lawler
Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Tesla isn’t livestreaming its Cybercab event.

Right now, Tesla is holding a private event with a bunch of pro-Tesla influencers to celebrate the “launch” of its autonomous Cybercab vehicle. But in a break from the past, the company is not livestreaming the event. Several influencers posted on X that the company made them sign NDAs and barred them from posting any content until the event is over. Not really the sign of confidence a lot of investors were looking for!

Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Oura’s IPO inches closer.

The smart ring company filed for an initial public offering on Thursday, revealing over $1.4 billion in revenue between July 2025 and June 2026, along with 5 million paid members.

Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
TikTok’s comments section is getting audio messages.

A new feature rolling out “over the next month” lets you leave comments by recording a 60-second voice memo. TikTok is also bringing polls, Live Photos, and photo carousels with up to nine images to the comments section.

Four screenshots of TikTok’s Voice Comments feature
Image: TikTok
You can watch the coolant flow inside Ugreen’s liquid-cooled power bankYou can watch the coolant flow inside Ugreen’s liquid-cooled power bank

The $149.99 MagFlow Pro is considerably more expensive than other 10,000mAh power banks.

Andrew Liszewski
Emma Roth
Emma Roth
Suno yanks ad showing supposed endorsement from Mary J. Blige.

An ad for the AI music generator Suno showed Blige interacting with an AI song that seemed to use her own voice, while calling the output “dope.” The singer received backlash for the ad online, and now a Suno spokesperson tells Variety that the company canceled the campaign because it didn’t get proper approval:

We entered into a business deal with someone who presented themselves as Ms. Blige’s official representative. As soon as we learned this was not the case, and that Ms. Blige was uncomfortable, we terminated the advertising campaign.

Dungeons & Dragons is getting a ‘Ravenloft’ live-action Netflix seriesDungeons & Dragons is getting a ‘Ravenloft’ live-action Netflix series

The series will reportedly delve into the origins of D&D’s most famous vampire, Strahd von Zarovich.

Stevie Bonifield
Travis Larchuk
Travis Larchuk
Today’s Vergecast: Apple Home rumors, ranked.

Apple’s big hardware event is coming next week. iPhones are the main draw, but senior reviewer Jennifer Pattison Tuohy has her eyes on the rumors around — what else? — smart home gadgets. Andrew O’Hara from the Smart Home Insider podcast joins Jen to fire up the Vergecast Rank-o-Matic and speculate on which rumored gadgets are most likely to see the light of day.

Justine Calma
Justine Calma
A federal judge rejected the Trump administration’s attempt to curb CA clean air standards.

The US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has worked to send tailpipe pollution policies to Congress to repeal. US District Judge Beryl Howell accused the EPA of “Orwellian doublethink.”

Andrew J. Hawkins
Andrew J. Hawkins
Pro-natalist Elon Musk bans kids from riding in the Tesla Cybercab.

According to the company’s newly launched Robotaxi website, children under the age of 13 are not permitted to ride in the Cybercab — even if they’re riding with an adult. Kids between the ages of 8-13 are allowed in Tesla’s Model Y robotaxis, but only when riding with an adult. And those under 8 are not allowed at all. Even stranger, the Cybercab’s compliance documents (PDF) include detailed instructions for installing child seats. Which is it, Elon?

Image: Tesla
Terrence O'Brien
Terrence O'Brien
Put on your finest Vaul-Tec jumpsuit and let’s head to the arcade.

Fallout, your favorite post-apocalyptic RPG-turned-Amazon series, is now a Stern Pinball machine. You can play as Lucy MacLean, The Ghoul, or Maximus. There’s a functional vault door and a Pip-Boy displays important game information. There’s even a V.A.T.S. cannon that shoots the ball targets on an upper playfield.

Congressman says TikTok backed out of a meeting to avoid child safety questionsCongressman says TikTok backed out of a meeting to avoid child safety questions

The reversal reportedly came one day after Meta’s sweeping settlement.

Lauren Feiner
Samsung’s beloved Q Series sound system is hundreds off for Labor DaySamsung’s beloved Q Series sound system is hundreds off for Labor Day

We also found discounts on a Ring video doorbell, the Sonos Sub 4 subwoofer, and the Dbrand Killswitch 2.

Brad Bourque
Lauren Feiner
Lauren Feiner
Los Angeles is the next major city to ban AI for students.

The announcement comes one day after New York City, the nation’s largest school system, unveiled similar restrictions. But LA’s goes even further, imposing the one-year restrictions on high schoolers, too.

Justine Calma
Justine Calma
The planet is heating above a dangerous threshold, the UN confirms.

It says in a new report that global temperatures are probably going to climb 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial averages soon. We’ll have to cope with catastrophes the UN had previously hoped to avoid, like the “submersion of Small Island Developing States and low-lying coastal cities,” while continuing to cut down and capture CO2 emissions to prevent even worse damage.

Cameron Faulkner
Cameron Faulkner
NONE OF YOUR F$%KING BUSINESS.

Privacy screen protectors that appear black when viewed to the side aren’t new. Neither are ones that display logos or messages. But I’m tickled by the “Intimacy Shield” from Joi AI. The pitch makes its screen-dimming effect seem like a breakthrough, though I guess it gets credit for injecting some corny graphic T-shirt energy into the screen protector space.

You’re in for a wild ride, babe
You’re in for a wild ride, babe
Image: Joi AI
Cameron Faulkner
Cameron Faulkner
“We’ve heard from families with crying kids.”

That’s part of a vulnerable apology by Nex CEO David Lee for the current state of Starri, one of the Nex Playground’s most popular games. Its recent 2.0 update “missed the mark,” according to Lee, who wept while reading stories of how its changes disrupted family time around the motion-controlled console.

Microsoft opens up Xbox Cloud Gaming with new pay-as-you-go optionMicrosoft opens up Xbox Cloud Gaming with new pay-as-you-go option

Microsoft is trying once again to tempt people without an Xbox into its ecosystem.

Tom Warren
Microsoft slashes Xbox Cloud Gaming to just 15 hours a month for Ultimate subscribersMicrosoft slashes Xbox Cloud Gaming to just 15 hours a month for Ultimate subscribers

The new cloud gaming hourly restrictions come nearly a year after all Game Pass subscribers got cloud access.

Tom Warren
Meredith Haggerty
Meredith Haggerty
Last call at the chicken shop.

Charming celeb interviewer Amelia Dimoldenberg announced today that she’ll be wrapping her viral Chicken Shop Date video series with a few final dates. Will Andrew Garfield swoop in to sweep her off her feet before the shop closes for good? We can only hope.

Stevie Bonifield
Stevie Bonifield
Apple might be scrapping its rumored foldable MacBook.

According to Omdia, Apple has canceled plans for 16.1-inch and 18-inch foldable MacBooks, as well as 14.4-inch and 16.1-inch OLED models. But Omdia also says Apple’s adding a new 13.8-inch OLED MacBook that will sit between the MacBook Air and an OLED MacBook Pro.

Google now lets you chat with Gmail, Docs, and KeepGoogle now lets you chat with Gmail, Docs, and Keep

The AI voice features provide a hands-free way to fetch information, summarize, and transcribe.

Jess Weatherbed
This 14-inch laptop has a screen that unrolls to 17 inchesThis 14-inch laptop has a screen that unrolls to 17 inches

The Lenovo ThinkBook Project Swan concept is a little laptop that gives you a little more screen when you want it.

Antonio G. Di Benedetto
Nvidia launches free tool that links idle computers into a personal AI data centerNvidia launches free tool that links idle computers into a personal AI data center

PAIR is designed to get your desktop and laptop working together on local AI tasks when not in use.

Antonio G. Di Benedetto
Nvidia’s new RTX Spark laptops launch in October with two different configsNvidia’s new RTX Spark laptops launch in October with two different configs

Nvidia’s N1X laptop will ship in two different configurations for laptops and mini PCs.

Tom Warren
Sean Hollister
Sean Hollister
Lenovo made an incredibly lappable detachable tablet keyboard.

I am largely uninterested in Android tablets these days — and yet! This just-announced Lenovo Yoga Tab Plus Gen 2 surprised me in person. Magnetically snaps right onto this “OneStep” keyboard frame, surprisingly excellent typing with 1.5mm key travel, firm non-slip leatherette base. Doesn’t open one-handed, though, and I’d like it better with a carry handle.

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