Grok is spreading misinformation about the Bondi Beach shooting

Grok’s track record is spotty at best. But even by the very low standards of xAI, its failure in the aftermath of the tragic mass shooting at Bondi Beach in…

Absynth is back and weirder than ever after 16 years

Absynth is something of a cult classic in the soft synth world. It was originally released in 2000, and quickly found an audience among the growing cadre of people making…

Inside the high drama of the iPhone 4

By 2010, the iPhone era was in full swing. Smartphones were still a new and unfinished idea — the iPhone had only just gotten copy and paste! — but it…

AI image generators are getting better by getting worse

This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on smartphones and digital imagery — real or otherwise — follow Allison…

The end of OpenAI, and other 2026 tech predictions

Here’s a thought: what if the next-generation Siri is awesome? Not just awesome for setting timers and dictating text messages (though that would be nice), but so awesome and fun…

I’m finally beginning to trust Microsoft’s handheld Xbox Allys

I still wouldn’t buy an Xbox Ally, and I still don’t think the tweaked version of Windows that shipped with it is ready for primetime. The Xbox Full Screen Experience…

The Letterboxd video store is a great new idea about streaming

Hi, friends! Welcome to Installer No. 109, your guide to the best and Verge-iest stuff in the world. (If you’re new here, welcome, hope you’re staying warm, and also you…

The Nex Playground is outselling Xbox to become the hot holiday toy

Two years ago, the company sold about 5,000 units of the Playground. Last year, that number was roughly 150,000. This year, it’s on track for 600,000. Before its pivot, Nex…

Slab is the first MIDI controller built exclusively for Serato Studio

Native Instruments and Ableton have had incredible success with their custom MIDI controllers that integrate with their DAWs (digital audio workstations), Maschine and Live, respectively. Native Instruments’ Maschine (yes, it’s…

The best thing I bought this year: a portable mechanical keyboard

As a writer, I take the tools of my trade relatively seriously. I’m not crazy enough to drop $3,600 on a keyboard, but I also find typing on a MacBook…