This tiny, magnetic e-reader could stop you from doomscrolling
The Xteink X3 is a delightfully tiny, MagSafe-compatible e-ink reader that attaches to the back of your phone like a Pop Socket.
Gadgets
302 stories
Amazon’s drones will soon deliver to nearly 500 US cities and towns
The Prime Air service has already delivered ‘hundreds of thousands of packages’ this year.
New Googlebook announcements are coming in September.
It’s been a few months since Google revealed its Chromebook successor / sibling, and all’s been quiet since — at least officially, with leaks of laptops from Lenovo and Asus. We’ll know more soon: Google invited outlets including The Verge to a media event in September where we’ll get to “test out the laptops and new features.” [Link: Google makes it official: Googlebook launch event set for September in NYC | https://chromeunboxed.com/google-makes-it-official-googlebook-launch-event-set-for-september-in-nyc/ | Chrome Unboxed - The Latest Chrome OS News]
Bugatti’s Tourbillon-inspired MicroLED TV twists, turns, and unfolds.
While checking out the 1,800-horsepower Destrier that Bugatti unveiled at Monterey Car Week, the folks at Road & Track also got a taste of the carmaker’s C-Seed Bugatti N1 TV. Inspired by another 1,800hp beast, its sculptural design unfurls the 110- or 137-inch TV hiding inside in 45 seconds and can rotate up to 180 degrees. [Media: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVLE1KbVeAY]
Android’s “advanced” sideloading flow is now live.
Google’s Mishaal Rahman took to r/Android to announce the process, which will eventually be the only way to install apps from unverified Android developers. Verification enforcement kicks in globally in 2027, though in some countries begins next month. Enabling the one-time advanced flow now gets the mandatory 24-hour cooldown out of the way. [Link: We’re rolling out the advanced flow for installing apps from unverified developers | https://www.reddit.com/r/Android/comments/1vrx9qt/were_rolling_out_the_advanced_flow_for_installing/ | Reddit]
Gemini in Chrome has landed on Android.
After starting to roll out to “select devices” in June, Google’s AI Chrome assistant is now available to all Android users in the US. It adds a Gemini icon to the top-right of your toolbar that opens the familiar chatbot window, allowing Gemini to summarize web pages, answer questions, generate images, and more. [Image: You can see the Gemini sparkle icon now sitting beside your tab menu on the Chrome toolbar. https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Screenshot-2026-08-18-114514.jpg?quality=90&strip=all]
Tesla is finally launching the Cybercab — let’s hope it’s ready
Tesla is getting ready to launch its Cybercabs as part of its Robotaxi service. But the driverless vehicle’s software raises a lot of safety questions.
Why Apple's camera-equipped AirPods may not be the 'pervert pods' consumers fear | TechCrunch
Apple’s leaked camera-equipped AirPods might avoid the privacy pitfalls of other AI wearables by preventing users from recording photos and videos.
Honestly I’d take the PowerBook Duo.
The pricing spread on items in the new early Apple / Steve Jobs auction is wild. A pair of signed Steve Jobs business cards is going for six figures, and the disparity in Apple devices is distinctly tilted towards the modern era, as seen here. [Image: https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/slack-upload-1787067519280.png?quality=90&strip=all]
Apple's new macOS update reportedly contains a video of AirPods with a camera | TechCrunch
A video in a macOS Tahoe release candidate version shows a user wearing AirPods, looking at a book, and talking to Siri.
Fairphone is launching its latest repairable phone in the US too | TechCrunch
The Fairphone 6+ is a midrange Android offering, but given the increasing prices of consumer gadgets amid the ongoing component shortages, a repairable device that can be made to last for years may prove a good proposition.
Right-clicking without the clutter.
Microsoft’s latest Experimental Windows 11 Insider Preview build introduces support for Emoji 17.0, alongside an updated context menu experience in File Explorer that’s “designed to feel faster, cleaner, and easier to tailor.” A notable personalization feature finally lets you add the “Print” command to the context menu in Windows 11. [Image: The “Customize menu” option at the bottom of the new context window takes you to a settings page where you can choose which file actions to enable. https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/08/Windows-11-updated-context-menu.jpg?quality=90&strip=all]
Google is reportedly stopping Pixel production in China.
Most of Google’s products are still manufactured in the country, but Nikkei Asia reports that all production of Pixel phones, watches and earbuds will leave China starting in 2027. Google started this exodus in 2019, shifting to building production capacity in Vietnam and India instead, as have Apple and Microsoft in recent years. [Link: Google is reportedly planning to move all Pixel production out of China - Engadget | https://www.engadget.com/2238895/google-reportedly-planning-move-pixel-production-out-of-china/ | Engadget]
Apple’s camera-equipped AirPods appear in leaked video
We may have our first glimpse of Apple’s rumored camera-equipped AirPods, thanks to a demo video pulled from the macOS Tahoe 26.7 Release Candidate.
Google’s people-tracking app is now on Wear OS.
Find Hub on Google-powered smartwatches now includes a separate Find People app. As 9to5Google notes, it’s barebones: it shows a list of everyone you’re sharing location with, but to actually change any settings or see their location on a map, you have to open your phone. Perhaps there’s more to come. [Link: Find Hub for Wear OS adds very basic ‘Find people’ app | https://9to5google.com/2026/08/17/find-hub-people-wear-os/ | 9to5Google]
Sonos finally added Live Activities controls for your iPhone lockscreen
The latest update to the Sonos app adds support for iOS Live Activities, putting basic controls and info on your lockscreen.
GitHub is back online after an hourslong outage.
The Microsoft-owned developer platform began experiencing issues around 9:40AM ET, impacting a range of features including pull requests, Webhooks, Actions, Copilot AI, and more. GitHub said it resolved the issue at around 5PM ET, saying “a detailed root cause analysis will be shared as soon as it is available.” [Link: Incident with GitHub.com | https://www.githubstatus.com/incidents/zkxwbgr0cnmx | GitHub]
8 things we learned from Google's Pixel 11 event
Google's Pixel 11 lineup introduces Magic Capture, HiLight notifications and proactive Gemini features designed to reduce screen time demands.