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Microsoft is cracking down on bypass methods that let Windows 11 installs use a local account, and avoid an internet requirement during the setup process. In a new Windows 11 test build released today, Microsoft says it’s removing known workarounds for creating local accounts as they can apparently cause issues during the setup process. “We are removing known mechanisms for creating a local account in the Windows Setup experience (OOBE),” says Amanda Langowski, the lead for the Windows Insider Program. “While these mechanisms were often used to bypass Microsoft account setup, they also inadvertently skip critical setup screens, potentially causing…

In a Q&A with reporters Monday at OpenAI’s DevDay event in San Francisco, CEO Sam Altman said the recently-launched ChatGPT Pulse was his “favorite feature we’ve launched in a long time,” and he didn’t rule out including ads in the future. Pulse is OpenAI’s latest personalization play for ChatGPT. It allows the chatbot to learn about a user via their transcripts and connected apps (such as their calendar and email), then research things on their behalf overnight to present them with a daily “pulse” on those topics every morning. That could take the form of daily personalized workout routines, daily language…

OpenAI has launched new integrations that plug controls for other apps directly inside ChatGPT, letting you call them up to make a playlist in Spotify or search for local real estate listings on Zillow without leaving the chatbot.   It’s a bit like the “mini” apps that messaging platforms like Telegram and Discord have embedded inside their platforms, or the extensions that bring controls for music players to your iPhone’s Dynamic Island, but with an AI twist. With the integrations, you can continue talking to ChatGPT while providing instructions about how you’d like it to interact with an app. Several services…

As the second phase of the Google ad tech trial was winding down, Judge Leonie Brinkema was still hoping that Google and the Justice Department would take the decision out of her hands. "My favorite phrase is 'Let's settle this case,'" she told attorneys for both sides shortly before adjourning the courtroom after more than 10 days of trial in the remedies case. Brinkema ruled in April that Google had illegally monopolized the market for publisher ad servers and ad exchanges, and illegally tied its products together to make it difficult for customers to move to competitors' options. As it…

For the last several years Netflix has been quietly banking episodes of a new show called Famous Last Words, interviews with famous people entering their twilight years. The catch is that episodes will only air after the subject passes away. The full list of interviewees is a closely guarded secret, but last week Netflix quietly posted the premiere episode featuring Jane Goodall. The show is an adaptation of the Danish television series Det Sidste Ord (The Last Word). In the Netflix version Brad Falchuk, best known as the co-creator of American Horror Story and Glee, conducts interviews on an empty…

The new Audacity logo Rebrands rarely get much love. That backlash can be especially strong if you’re giving a facelift to a decades-old piece of software beloved by nerds around the globe. So, it was no surprise that when Audacity revealed its new logo people on the internet got a little worked up. And look, there’s no two ways about it, the logo is pretty bad. The font it quite nice, but the bewildering take on its traditional headphone icon is rough. Reactions around The Verge newsroom included “looks like someone stepped on the apple music icon,” and “trying to…

The Roland TR-1000 rhythm generator. If the only thing Roland ever released was the TR-808, the company would still deserve a place in the music gear hall of fame. The 808 is arguably the most important instrument since the creation of the electric guitar. It's been a cornerstone of hip-hop, electronic, and pop music for 45 years now, used by everyone from Rihanna and Whitney Houston, to Outkast, Talking Heads and RP Boo. Roland was undeniably one of the most innovative companies in music technology during the 1980s and '90s, releasing iconic analog synths and pioneering drum machines. But for…

Editor’s note: Amazon’s fall Prime Day event kicks off on October 7th; however, if you want to shop ahead of the two-day sale, we’ve rounded up the best early Prime Day deals you can already get. If you choose to get an extra controller for your Nintendo Switch 2, you can spend a lot — and get a lot in return. Buying Nintendo’s own $89.99 Switch 2 Pro Controller, for instance, will net you the console’s only wireless controller with a 3.5mm headphone jack, not to mention great rumble and a slick design. It’s not perfect, but it’s the total…

Life is a series of battles, and I just lost my last one against four gyoza on a skewer. It was an unexpected blow, because honestly, who could have expected me - a springy, respectably proportioned hot dog - to lose against a seemingly inflexible spear of small, unassuming dumplings? This is my struggle in Sausage Legend: Arena, a mobile game with a very simple premise: duel with other players' sausages and win. On the surface, it looks like a garden-variety mobile game riddled with bugs (it is). But the difference between Sausage Legend and a fleeting idea you had…

Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days may bring some great Kindle deals, but if you can’t wait, you don’t have to. Right now, the Kindle Kids (Amazon, Best Buy, and Target) and Kindle Colorsoft Kids (Amazon, Best Buy, and Target) are down to their lowest prices ever, but my favorite deal is on the Kindle Paperwhite Kids, which sits nicely between the two. Normally $179.99, right now it’s on sale for $134.99 ($45 off) at Amazon, Best Buy, and Target. Although marketed as a kid-friendly e-reader, the Paperwhite Kids is actually a great value for adults, too. The 7-inch slate is…