My AI doppelganger tells me what to eat

This is Optimizer, a weekly newsletter sent from Verge senior reviewer Victoria Song that dissects and discusses the latest gizmos and potions that swear they’re going to change your life. Opt in for Optimizer here. For the past 100 days or so, my mornings have had a new rhythm. When I wake up, the […]
Anbernic’s next dual-screen handheld could replace your aging Nintendo 3DS

Anbernic shared a new video of its upcoming dual-screen handheld it announced last week showing the device playing 3DS, Xbox, and PS3 games through emulation. While competitors like Ayaneo have been making dual-screen handhelds for a few years, Anbernic only recently introduced its own dual-screen devices including the RG DS and RG DS Plus. […]
Anthropic’s self-replicating AI warning is alarming deja vu

Are legions of smart devices – fridges, ovens, vacuum cleaners, lawnmowers, security cameras, and TVs – conspiring to take over the internet? No. But they could soon be unwitting hosts to self-replicating AI models that spread from device to device and prove remarkably difficult to contain. Welcome to the unsettling world of AI worms, […]
Android is using AI to suss out scammers in Google Messages

Begone, Bot. | Image: Google / Android Android is introducing new scam defense features that aim to make it easier for users to evade mobile fraud, including bolstered protection in Google Messages and additional safeguarding tools. Building on the Scam Detection feature in Google Messages, a new “enhanced protection” setting will be rolling out […]
Square’s new kiosk lets you talk to AI for help with your order

Square is launching new hardware: a big kiosk for ordering things that has a touchscreen and lets you talk to an AI. It’s called the Square Kiosk. Square says the Kiosk, which has a large pill shape, has an “agentic, conversational voice layer” that “fully understands a seller’s menu and listens and responds in […]
Now you can call anyone with WhatsApp, even if they don’t have WhatsApp

WhatsApp’s new guest calling feature allows you to invite anyone to a call, without needing them to make an account first. They won’t need the app, either, since Meta also added support for calls on the web version of WhatsApp earlier this year. You can invite guests just by sending them the call link, […]
