Android’s next flagship processor will be the ‘Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5’
Qualcomm has announced that its upcoming flagship mobile chipset is the “Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5,” a confusingly named successor to the Snapdragon 8 Elite. While the processor itself will be unveiled during the Snapdragon Summit on September 23rd-25th, Qualcomm has already published an explanation for the branding update. “It might look like we skipped […]
Microsoft is changing how Xbox controllers work on Windows 11
Microsoft has started testing a change to how Xbox controllers operate on Windows 11. The change will allow Xbox controllers to easily access the Task View on Windows 11 to tab between apps and games, using the Xbox button. “A new change we’re introducing is when you long press the Xbox button, it will open […]
The SSD version of LaCie’s iconic Rugged drive gets a speed boost
Neil Poulton succeeded in elevating the design of external drives two decades ago with the introduction of LaCie’s Rugged line, which features a bright orange bumper to protect data from drops. Today, Seagate announced an updated version of the LaCie Rugged Mini SSD with a few small design tweaks and a big boost to transfer […]
Apple’s new iPhone charger is a first of its kind
Alongside its new iPhone 17 lineup, Apple casually launched a world’s first last week inside the very dull sounding “Apple 40W Dynamic Power Adapter with 60W Max.” It’s the first charger to support the USB PD 3.2 AVS protocol, giving you some of the benefits of a more powerful 60W charger in a compact 40W […]
What’s next for Apple after the iPhone 17?
We only just put Apple's iPhone 17 launch event behind us, but Bloomberg's Mark Gurman is already glancing into his crystal ball to see what's next for the company. In today's Power On newsletter Gurman says that there are at least 10 more products from Apple that are expected to launch either later this year […]
Rolling Stone’s parent company sues Google over AI Overviews
Disclosure: Penske Media Corporation is an investor in Vox Media, The Verge’s parent company. Penske Media Corporation, the publisher of Rolling Stone and The Hollywood Reporter, has become the first major American media company to sue Google over its AI summaries. The company claims that the AI Overviews that often appear at the top of […]
The Helldivers community is coping with a spotlight it doesn’t want
"Yesterday was an interesting day for the Helldivers community." That's the very obvious understatement that announced the reopening of the Helldivers gaming subreddit in the small hours of Saturday morning. On Friday it was discovered that Tyler Robinson, arrested for the alleged killing of Charlie Kirk, had inscribed messages on the casings of several bullets […]
Scarlet turns Shakespeare into an animated fantasy epic
Well, I was wrong, and I did manage to make it to one last day at the Toronto International Film Festival. One of the movies I wanted to see the most this year was Scarlet, the latest from Mamoru Hosoda, whose most recent film was the metaverse fairy tale Belle. Whereas that film was a […]
In Silksong, spite is my motivation to keep playing
I would not call the time I'm having with Hollow Knight: Silksong "fun," and yet I'm still playing. In the depths of The Marrow, the second major area of Silksong, there's a particularly nasty midboss. I eventually beat him, but my reward wasn't a new ability, item, or a bench where I could rest and […]
Phone batteries are getting more compact, but the US is missing out
This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on phones and other tech outside the US, follow Dominic Preston. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers' inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. How it started Smartphone batteries are bigger than ever, while […]