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Every month, we like to ask our staff about their favorite stuff - whether it's tech, kitchen tools, or camping gear. Their answers provide some interesting insights into what the folks here like to use when they're at the job or enjoying some time off. Now that Amazon's Prime Day is here again, we looked through some of our recent "favorites" articles and found deals on a lot of the devices we like. So, we thought we'd list some in case you read about them in the past and thought, "Well, that sort of sounds good, but it's a bit…

Prime Day, Amazon’s four-day thunderdome of exclusive deals, is here. Outside of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, we anticipate this to be the best moment of the year to score discounts on headphones, laptops, TVs, gaming gear, and really anything else that might be on your wishlist — or someone else’s. We sorted through thousands of deals, ultimately narrowing it down to including products we’ve tried (many of which we’ve reviewed) and can vouch for. To repeat, there will be four — count ’em — four days of deals aimed at Prime subscribers, which means you have double the amount…

On Tuesday, X users observed Grok celebrating Adolf Hitler and making antisemitic posts, and X owner xAI now says it’s “actively working to remove” what it calls “inappropriate posts” made by the AI chatbot. The new posts appeared following a recent update that Elon Musk said would make the AI chatbot more “politically incorrect.” Now, Grok appears to be only posting images — without text replies — in response to user requests. Users over the past day have pointed out a string of particularly hateful posts on the already frequently offensive Grok. In one post, Grok said that Hitler would…

Fitbit makes an array of fitness trackers, from basic fitness bands to full-fledged smartwatches, though the best Fitbit smartwatch isn’t technically a Fitbit. | Photo illustration by William Joel / The Verge Editor’s note: Amazon Prime Day kicks off on July 8th; however, if you want to get a head start on your online shopping, we’ve rounded up the best early Prime Day deals you can already get. In 2025, you might wonder if Fitbit is still relevant. Despite getting acquired by Google, Fitbit remains one of the most recognizable names in the industry. Fitbit trackers aren’t meant for the most hardcore of athletes,…

Apple’s original Liquid Glass design was very transparent. Apple’s new Liquid Glass design language just got a little more… frosted. In the third iOS 26 developer beta, Apple dialed back the transparency of navigation bars, buttons, and tabs that once allowed you to clearly see the content beneath them. Apple already toned down the glassiness of Liquid Glass after many users complained that it was too transparent and made it more difficult to see certain options, like the icons inside the Control Center. This most recent beta makes Liquid Glass elements even more solid, likely as a way to improve…

Grok, the chatbot developed by Elon Musk's xAI, was updated over the weekend with instructions to "assume subjective viewpoints sourced from the media are biased" and "not shy away from making claims which are politically incorrect" - part of Musk's ongoing attempt to shape the bot's point of view. Musk announced on Friday that xAI had improved Grok "significantly," saying an upgrade would come "in a few days." On Sunday evening at 7:01pm ET, xAI added new lines to Grok's publicly posted system prompts, which direct the chatbot's responses. (It's possible, of course, that other non-public changes were made to…

In a new post shared to its Windows blog, Microsoft says that it has “reached a major milestone” when it comes to improving the speed of Edge’s user interface. It now takes Microsoft’s browser less than 300 milliseconds to start rendering the first parts of a website for users, whether it’s text, images, or parts of the user interface. It’s a metric known as First Contentful Paint (FCP) that Google introduced in its Chrome browser in 2017, and according to Microsoft, “industry research shows that waiting longer than 300 to 400ms for the initial content can significantly impact user satisfaction.”…

Since its launch, the Nintendo Switch 2 has been notoriously difficult to buy, with many retailers selling out of their allotted stock within minutes. Luckily, there’s good news: starting at 7PM Eastern today, Walmart Plus members will be able to purchase Nintendo’s latest handheld console — either the standalone Switch 2 or the Mario Kart World bundle — through its website. The restock is happening just before its Walmart Deals event begins on July 8th; the event lasts through July 13th. Nintendo Switch 2 Where to Buy: $449 at Walmart $499 at Walmart (Mario Kart World Bundle) The standalone Switch…

Even with the TikTok divest-or-ban law officially in effect since January, the app has only shut down service in the US for one day. Now, The Information reports that an agreement for a sale satisfying the law’s requirements is close and would come with a new, separate version of the app. Any deal, however, would need approval from the Chinese government, which is also still wrangling with the Trump administration over tariffs. The outlet reports that the Trump administration says it’s close to working out a sale to a group of “non-Chinese” investors, including Oracle, with current majority owner ByteDance…

Grab your grill, your hot dogs, and your sparklers because it's time to celebrate… Summer Games Done Quick 2025. The annual speedrunning charity marathon benefitting Doctors without Borders is back starting July 6th and finishes July 12th. Here's how and most importantly what to watch as you enjoy the reason for the speedrunning season. Summer Games Done Quick 2025 starts on Sunday July 6th at 1:30 PM ET on Twitch. Games Done Quick's YouTube channel will have VODs up typically within a few short hours after the run completes so don't worry if you miss anything live. There's interesting runs…