On Thursday night, I toggled endlessly between a TikTok Live stream and a shopping app in anticipation of 9:30PM. For 30 minutes, I hunted for an available listing; many expletives were uttered. I exhibited bot behavior and got iced out of the app multiple times. I tapped so many times my thumbs got sore. This is Labubu drop night.
Something that's lost in the Labubu mania is that actually buying one from the source is, in one word, maddening. There are, of course, countless fake options ("Lafufus") that some collectors have come to embrace. But if you want a guaranteed real one, you have to go to the source. Pop Mart, the Chinese toy compa …
Alligator Alcatraz, Florida's hastily built, $225 million-and-counting immigrant detention facility in the Everglades, is both a de facto concentration camp and a right-wing meme. President Donald Trump's most ardent supporters are willing to excuse - or are in some cases reveling in - allegations of inhumane treatment at the facility: worms in food, floors flooded with fecal water, fluorescent lights left on for 24 hours a day, and no air conditioning at night despite South Florida's relentless humidity.
To them, the whole thing is a big joke, fodder for memes that activate the base even as they turn the majority of Americans off from Tru …
Alexa Plus’s AI agent can navigate websites and book things for you, but it needs to verify its dates.
One of the best features of Amazon's new Alexa Plus is that I don't have to "speak Alexa" anymore. I've been testing the voice assistant for about a week now, and it understands what I say, regardless of how I say it - there's no more need for precise phrasing to get Alexa to do what I want. This big shift underpins another headline feature of the revamped generative AI-powered assistant that I've been testing: agentic AI. But this one needs work.
The idea is I can talk to Alexa Plus as I would to a real personal assistant and ask it to do tasks, such as reserving a restaurant for my friend's birthday, finding an electrician to fix my brok …
Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 90, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you're new here, welcome, hope you're staying cool, and also you can read all the old editions at the Installer homepage.)
The X1 projecting a 90-inch image on an outdoor terrace over Starlink.
I seldom sleep in the same place for more than a couple of weeks at a time, so I'm a big fan of portable all-in-one projectors. They're small and set up quickly, making them ideal for vanlife, gaming parties, outdoor movie nights, or an evening in on the couch - but they usually sacrifice quality for convenience. Anker's new Nebula X1 projector promises to produce an incredibly bright and color-accurate 4K image with excellent sound while remaining portable and quiet.
Typically, if portability is at the top of your wish list, then sound and picture quality will suffer. Prioritize a cinematic experience and you're looking at an expensive, hu …
The forthcoming Galaxy Z Fold 7 is Samsung’s thinnest foldable yet. Our own Allison Johnson just published her full review ahead of the phone’s launch on July 25th, and while there’s certainly no denying it’s a spendy device, know that various carriers and retailers are offering a host of preorder incentives, many of which will expire at launch.
Although the Z Fold 7 isn’t miles ahead of last-gen Z Fold 6 in terms of performance, it measures just 8.9mm thick when folded, making it look and feel like something of a next-gen foldable. The outer screen has also increased in size from 6.3 inches to 6.5 inches, which, when taken into account alongside its thickness, makes the Z Fold 7 feel more akin to a normal phone when folded. Alas, if only it had a “normal phone” price tag instead of an exuberant starting price of $1,999.
That being said, it’s still possible to save on a preorder purchase, or at the very least receive some credit you can then spend on accessories like the Galaxy Watch 8. Whether you plan to shop directly through Samsung, your carrier, or a traditional retailer, here are the biggest promotions along with the key details you’ll want to keep in mind.
You can get up to $1,100 in trade-in credit
The current trade-in savings are big enough to chop the Z Fold 7’s $1,999.99 price tag in half. Ahead of its release on July 25th, Samsung is offering up to $1,000 in credit for the last-gen Z Fold 6 and S25 Ultra — or less, if you’re trading in an older phone. Samsungwill give you an instant discount based on the estimated value of your trade-in, which lowers the out-of-pocket cost to $999.99. That’s great, and thankfully, you can get instant trade-in credit even if you’re activating the phone on Verizon or AT&T through Samsung’s site. But that’s not how trade-in credit works if you’re buying directly through carriers.
Carriers across the board are currently offering a $1,100 trade-in credit toward the Z Fold 7, which will be paid back in the form of monthly installments. AT&T will provide $1,100 in credits over 36 months to customers on postpaid unlimited plans who purchase the new phone with an installment plan. As for the phones that AT&T is currently accepting, they include any Galaxy S, Note, and S-series phone, regardless of its age or condition.
Verizonis also offering up to $1,100 in monthly credits over 36 months with an eligible trade-in in “any condition,” although the carrier doesn’t list or even mention any eligible phones. You must also be on an Unlimited Ultimate plan to get that much credit.
T-Mobile is offering up to $1,100 in monthly credits for those auto-paying for a plan that costs $85 or more per month — no trade-in required.
Samsung is offering a lot of bonus credit, with a small catch
If you’re preordering directly through Samsung, you will receive a $50 Samsung credit to use on accessories as an extra perk. Those who aren’t trading in a device will get an extra $300 to spend, totaling $350. However, the credit is “use it or lose it,” so to speak; you’ll forfeit it all if you don’t use it at checkout. So, if you do go this route, you’ll want to pick up a pair of earbuds, a case, a Galaxy Watch 8, etc etc.
Keep in mind that the aforementioned credit is exclusive to Samsung’s online storefront and isn’t available when purchasing the Galaxy Z Fold 7 through a carrier, Best Buy, Amazon, or any other retailer.
Not all carriers are offering a free storage upgrade right now
Some retailers, but not all, are offering the 512GB Z Fold 7 for no extra charge through July 24th. This includes Samsung, T-Mobile, Best Buy, and Amazon, the latter of which is also throwing in a $300 Amazon gift card with each purchase. However, AT&T and Verizon aren’t, at least through their respective sites. They each are offering the 256GB model at the same $1,999 price that you can get the 512GB model for elsewhere. That said, activating the Z Fold 7 via Best Buy will allow you to purchase the 512GB variant for $1,899.99 as a one-time payment (or as a $55.55-a-month payment for 36 months).
When you crack open your mailbox, it's almost as if your letters just appear. Long before the days of speedy, overnight mail deliveries, postal service workers meticulously sorted through letters by hand and transported mail on horseback. For more than 250 years, the US Postal Service has worked behind the scenes to build a faster delivery network, and this mission has quietly pushed it to the forefront of technology.
"Most people treat the Postal Service like a black box," USPS spokesperson Jim McKean tells The Verge. "You take your letter, you put it in a mailbox, and then it shows up somewhere in a couple of days. The truth is that that …
Loop Biotech’s “Living Cocoon” is a casket made from mycelium, the root structure of mushrooms.
"I'm probably the only architect who created a final home," Bob Hendrikx tells The Verge. Tombs and catacombs aside, Hendrikx might be the only one to make a final home using mushrooms.
Hendrikx is the founder and CEO of Loop Biotech, a company that makes caskets out of mycelium, the fibrous root structure of mushrooms. This June, the first burial in North America to use one of Loop Biotech's caskets took place in Maine.
"He always said he wanted to be buried naked in the woods."
The mushroom casket gives people one more option to leave the living with a gentler impact, part of a growing array of what are supposed to be more sustainable …
Nothing says that the Phone 3 is its "first true flagship phone," and it has put its money where its mouth is. The phone is getting a full US launch, and at $799, it costs exactly the same as a Pixel 9, Galaxy S25, or iPhone 16.
That makes reviewing the Phone 3 refreshingly simple, because there are only two real questions that matter: is this as good as those three? And will it be as good as what we're expecting from the new Pixel and iPhone models that are right around the corner?
The answer is going to come down to how much you like its unique look. The bad news for Nothing is that the Phone 3's design is more divisive than any out the …
The Switch 2 technically launched with an F-Zero game, as F-Zero GX was available on Nintendo Switch Online's premium tier as part of the GameCube lineup. But if you're looking for a newF-Zero or Wipeout, the console has a spiritual successor that costs just $14.99: Shin'en's Fast Fusion.
Fast Fusion pits you in futuristic sci-fi hovercraft races where you fly forward at hundreds of miles per hour. Races are all about managing boosts by collecting coins to build your boost meter and driving over boost zones on the tracks themselves. (You can boost into opponents to make them spin out to earn some extra coins, which never gets old.)
I've been using the Galaxy Z Fold 7 for a week, and I've run out of ways to say "It's so nice." It's not essential, or life-changing; it's nice.
It's an understatement, though. Samsung joins the likes of Honor and Oppo in making a folding phone that's almost as thin as a regular phone, and it's a trend with real benefits. Compared to the previous six generations of Samsung folding phones, the Z Fold 7's inner screen feels like a bonus - one that doesn't require the sacrifice of carrying a bigger, bulkier device to get. It is thin. It is luxurious. Also: it is two thousand dollars.
It's so nice. It's two thousand dollars. Somewhere in betwe …
After 40 years and six generations, 2025 marks the beginning of a new generation of the BMW M5: the G90 chassis. Featuring a ground-up redesign and a new plug-in hybrid powertrain, the specs are impressive. It's not just its horsepower and torque numbers but its curb weight of 5,390 pounds, too. That's no small figure, but the German brand's never held back in this department, and it has never greatly impeded the badge.
Well, until now. There's a lot to like about the newest M5, especially in its corner-carving competence and how it acts around town solely propelled by electrons. But in other areas, this $123,275 super sedan lacks some nece …
An aerial view of flash flood damage along the banks of the Guadalupe River on July 11th in Kerrville, Texas. | Photo: Getty Images
Flash floods have wrought more havoc in the US this week, from the Northeast to the Midwest, just weeks after swollen rivers took more than 130 lives across central Texas earlier this month. Frustrations have grown in the aftermath of that catastrophe over why more wasn't done to warn people in advance.
Local officials face mounting questions over whether they sent too many or sent too few mobile phone alerts to people. Some Texans have accused the state of sending out too many alerts for injured police officers in the months leading up to the floods, which may have led to residents opting out of receiving warnings. And hard-hit Kerr County …
Happy Friday. I'm back from vacation and still getting caught up on everything I missed. AI researchers moving jobs is getting covered like NBA trades now, apparently.
Before I get into this week's issue, I want to make sure you check out my interview with Perplexity CEO Aravind Srinivason Decoder this week. It's a good deep dive on the main topic of today's newsletter. Keep reading for a scoop on Substack and more from this week in AI news.
From chatbots to browsers
So far, when most people think of the modern AI boom, they think of a chatbot like ChatGPT. Now, it's becoming increasingly clear that the web browser is where the next p …
The Twelve South Butterfly SE conveniently folds down, making it easy to throw in a bag. | Image: Twelve South
Keeping multiple devices charged while traveling usually means packing several wall warts and cables. Thanks to the clever design of the Twelve South Butterfly SE 2-in-1 Qi2 Charger, however, you can power two devices with a single, compact accessory. Best of all, the foldable charger is now on sale at Amazon and Best Buy starting at $40.99 ($59 off), which is the lowest price we’ve seen.
The Butterfly SE features two soft-touch charging discs, one that delivers up to 15W for your phone and another that provides up to 5W for your smartwatch. The two discs are connected by a flexible strap, and they snap together magnetically for travel, folding down to roughly the size of an AirPods Pro case. The versatile charger can also fold into a stand, allowing you to display the iPhone in StandBy mode, which transforms the device into a bedside clock or photo frame.
Each purchase comes with a color-coordinated woven USB-C cable, though it doesn’t include a wall adapter. For this kit to work, you’ll need a 30W charger (this one from Anker is currently down to $12.29 at Amazon). Twelve South also offers an aluminum version of the Butterfly, which is also on sale for $79.99 ($50 off) at Amazon. Build quality aside, the so-called Butterfly 2-in-1 MagSafe Charger is essentially the same thing, but it includes the necessary 30W power adapter and four international adapters.
More weekend discounts
For those unaware, Belkin offers a variety of great accessories, from cases to audio gear. And now through July 31st, you can get free shipping and save 20 percent sitewide on orders over $75 with promo code VERGE20. It’s a good opportunity to save on Belkin’s charging case for the Nintendo Switch 2 and the excellent BoostCharge Pro 3-in-1 Wireless Charging Stand with Qi2 15W, which can charge three devices simultaneously.
If you’re obsessed with karaoke or frequently host outdoor parties, you can pick up the Soundcore Rave 3S AI Party Speaker from Amazon and Soundcore (with code WS7DV2HKQOYP) for $279.99 ($70 off), its best price to date. The wireless Bluetooth party speaker comes with two microphones and an AI vocal removal feature that can remove vocals from “any song from any app,” giving you endless karaoke fodder. It also features light effects, which you can further customize via the Soundcore app.
The Nothing Phone 3 recently launched in the US, and the configuration with 16GB of RAM and 512GB of internal storage is already available for $799 ($100 off) from Amazon and Nothing. The device replaces the patented light strips found on prior models with a small dot-matrix LED display, which can show notifications, battery percentages, and helpful information. Read our hands-on impressions.
Correction, July 18th: An earlier version of this article misstated that the Twelve South Butterfly SE can power two Qi2-compatible devices at once. Only the main charging pad is Qi2-compatible.
In a landmark victory for the crypto industry, President Donald Trump signed the GENIUS Act into law, establishing a regulatory framework for a type of digital currency known as stablecoins.
The GENIUS Actcreates rules for entities that issue stablecoins, whose value is tied to an asset like the US dollar. Those rules govern who’s allowed to issue stablecoins, how they need to maintain reserves, what happens in the case of bankruptcy, and an obligation to prevent money laundering.
Trump congratulated members of the crypto industry who attended the signing ceremony at the White House, including the CEOs of Coinbase and Tether. He drew a stark contrast between the Biden administration, which he called “a vicious group of people” who were “trying to crush your industry,” and himself. “I got you guys out of so much trouble,” Trump said.
“The entire crypto community, for years, you were mocked and dismissed and counted out,” Trump said. “But this signing is a massive validation of your hard work and your pioneering spirit.” He added that he chose to back crypto “at an early stage” because it will make the US dollar stronger. “And I also did it for the votes,” he said to a round of laughter from the audience, “because you did come out and vote.”
“This signing is a massive validation of your hard work and your pioneering spirit”
The bill passed through both chambers of Congress with bipartisan support, with backers saying it creates necessary safeguards for the industry and keeps the US competitive in the space. But it also saw opposition from other members on both sides. Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) criticized the bill as “a huge giveaway to Big Tech,” citing concerns it would incentivize companies that issue stablecoins to collect more financial data on consumers. In a speech on the Senate floor, Senate Banking Committee Ranking Member Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), said that the bill “is riddled with loopholes and contains weak safeguards for consumers, national security, and financial stability.”
Warren and other Democrats have also warned that legitimizing the stablecoin industry through the legislation could bolster a potential avenue of corruption for Trump. Trump’s family is involved in crypto firm World Liberty Financial that launched its own stablecoin, USD1. The White House has said the venture creates no conflicts for the president as his assets are in a trust managed by his kids.
“Through his crypto businesses, President Trump has created an efficient means to trade presidential favors like tariff exemptions, pardons, and government appointments for hundreds of millions—perhaps billions—of dollars from foreign governments, from billionaires, and from large corporations,” Warren said. “This is the single greatest corruption scandal in American history and, by passing the GENIUS Act, the Senate is about to not only bless this corruption, but to actively facilitate its expansion.”
As Trump signed the GENIUS Act, he tried to steer attention to what he’s billed as “a big scandal” for his predecessor. “This is not an autopen, by the way.” Trump quipped.
Think of OpenAI's new ChatGPT Agent as a day-one intern who's incredibly slow at every task but will eventually get the job done.
Well… most of the job. Or… at least part of it. Usually.
It's been one day since OpenAI debuted ChatGPT Agent, which it bills as a tool that can complete a wide range of complex, multi-step tasks on your behalf using its own "virtual computer." It's a combination of two of the company's prior releases, Operator and Deep Research. The Verge forked over the $200 for a one-month subscription to ChatGPT Pro, since OpenAI announced that higher-than-expected demand for ChatGPT Agent will delay its rollout to Plus an …
Personally, I think electric scooters are a little goofy, but I’m glad they exist. I know a lot of people who don’t want to drop a couple thousand dollars on an electric bike, but still want the joy and freedom of zipping around town at a modest 18mph, while being able to hop on a subway or bus if needed. They want something you can carry with one hand, but that still has the stability to carry you around town.
This is not one of those scooters. The Bo Turbo was designed by a team of ex-Formula One engineers, and glancing at the spec sheet, it would appear that these folks brought some of that manic energy from F1 to this scooter project.
The Bo Turbo will out-accelerate a Tesla Model 3, thanks to 24,000W dual motor propulsion system and an 1,800Wh battery. It has a top speed of 100 mph (!) and can travel up to 150 miles on a single charge. It aims to break the current scooter speed record under official supervision of the Guinness World Records folks.
The company makes a number of wild claims here, including a higher power-t0-weight ratio than a Bugatti Veyron. They also claim that the scooter’s battery can deliver enough energy to fast-charge 1,500 iPhones at the same time — which, like, cool. But why?
Look, I get it. This is not for me, a suburban dad of two that enjoys biking with my kids to our town pool. That’s totally cool. I don’t need to be the target demographic of every product we report on. And scooters can and should go as fast as the scooter people want them to. But I am struggling a bit with the question of who exactly this is for. A scooter that goes 100 mph? Like, this isn’t legal, right?
Bo’s CEO seems to acknowledge that it’s in a bit of a legal gray area with this scooter. In an interview with The Autopian, Oscar Morgan basically says no one was going to tell them not to build this scooter, so why not?
His point was simple: This is a mostly unregulated market in a lot of places, so why not build the wildest scooter you possibly can?
“Our passion is elite vehicle engineering, and we are firm believers in the human spirit of adventure. The UK already has a proud history in this pursuit with the first car to pass 100mph, then Thrust SSC taking the Land Speed record in Nevada,” explained Morgan. “I guess you could say the UK has a proud history of crazy Brits constructing vehicles that ought not be possible.”
Bo’s engineering team, some of whom hail from the UK’s Williams Racing, based the Turbo’s monocoque chassis tech on its Bo Model-M scooter, which is the scooter it actually intends to sell to real people. (Available August 2025.) The Turbo is more of a crazy science experiment. Let’s build the world’s fastest scooter!
Which is not to say you can’t buy one. Bo says it’s working on a limited run of Turbo scooters on commission, with an estimated price tag of $29,500. Yes, that’s about the same price of a used Tesla Model 3 — a little pricier in some markets. And certainly more than your average Amazon scooter. You want the speed? You gotta pay for it.
Bo is building these things made to order, with the first delivery expected to an unnamed collector in Madrid at the inaugural Formula One race there in 2026. And if you want one for yourself, you’ll need to submit a resume of prior racing experience to Bo through its website. Basically you’re auditioning for the right to ride one of these things. Considering the stakes involved, that seems like a fair trade-off.
Would you ride one of these things? I wouldn’t, but I have too much to live for. (Aforementioned children.) But I salute the risk takers. Please wear all the safety equipment.
RealPage, the algorithmic rent-setting software company, has announced plans to acquire Livble, a service that lets people pay their monthly rent in installments.
Livble describes itself as a “flexible” rent payment solution. Renters can split payments into up to four installments throughout the month. The service bills itself as helping tenants “avoid late fees and credit card fees” as well as “build credit through rent,” but it charges $30 to $40 per loan. RealPage didn’t disclose the terms of the deal.
Under the deal, RealPage will integrate Livble into its property management software and will handle “all collections.” Last year, the US Department of Justice and several states sued RealPage over claims that it monopolized the market for commercial revenue management software used to set the price of apartments. The lawsuit alleges RealPage used nonpublic rental prices from competing landlords to inform its algorithm, which provides rental price recommendations for property owners.
George Slover, senior counsel for competition and policy at the Center for Democracy and Technology, calls RealPage’s latest acquisition a “bold move” given its existing antitrust battle. “I think it’s going to have to be reviewed by the Justice Department,” Slover told The Verge. “It’s really a question of whether they’re buying a potential competitor.”
In May, Sens. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), Bernie Sanders (D-VT), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and others asked RealPage whether it had “potential involvement” in Republicans’ now-scrapped AI moratorium. They argued that RealPage would’ve benefited from a 10-year ban preventing states from regulating algorithms, as several local governments have already enacted laws regulating rent-setting software.
Update, July 18th: Added a statement from the CDT.
Alvaro Bedoya, then-commissioner on the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), right, and Rebecca Slaughter, commissioner at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), left, during a House Judiciary Committee hearing in Washington, DC. Photographer: Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images | Photo: Bloomberg via Getty Images
US District Court Judge Loren AliKhan called the attempted firing unlawful, finding that Rebecca Kelly Slaughter "remains a rightful member of the Federal Trade Commission" and that the president can only remove her for "inefficiency, neglect of duty, or malfeasance in office." AliKhan ordered Republican FTC Chair Andrew Ferguson to provide Slaughter with "access to any government facilities, resources, and equipment necessary for her …
