This is Optimizer, a weekly newsletter sent every Friday from Verge senior reviewer Victoria Song that dissects and discusses the latest phones, smartwatches, apps, and other gizmos that swear they’re going to change your life. Optimizer arrives in our subscribers’ inboxes at 10AM ET. Opt […]
Year: 2025
Sony shrinks PS5 Slim storage in the US, too
Sony is now selling a revised model of the digital PS5 slim in the US that has less storage than the original version. The updated model with 825GB of internal SSD storage instead of 1TB recently went on sale in Europe, but now it’s available […]
Japan’s most popular beer is running low after cyberattack
Japan is facing a potential shortage of Asahi beer after a cyberattack against the beverage maker forced its systems offline. Asahi Group issued a statement on Monday announcing that order, shipment, and call center operations at the company had been suspended due to the systems […]
Major Escalation: Gaza Crisis, U.S. Government Faces Shutdown, Trump Declares Conflict with Drug Cartels – 10/3/2025, 8:28:45 PM
The latest world news as of October 3, 2025, includes escalating conflict in Gaza, a U.S. government shutdown, President Trump declaring “armed conflict” with drug cartels, and a court ruling…
AI Firms Cash In on “Brainrot” Content, Transforming Digital Economy by 2025
AI companies are actively exploring how to turn “brainrot”—a term for fast, low-effort, highly consumable content—into revenue, and by 2025, the path is clearer than ever, though not without complexity…
Trump rolled YouTube into paying for his ballroom
About two months ago, John P. Coale, one of many lawyers representing Donald Trump in a personal capacity, met with several Alphabet executives, mediators, and lawyers at Mar-a-Lago – along with his client. They all spent a lovely day at the palatial Florida estate, and […]
Illinois utility tries using electric school buses for bidirectional charging
School buses are usually parked when the grid is under its biggest strain.
Ice Age South American Hunters Favored Megafauna as Primary Prey, Study Reveals
Megafauna Was the Meat of Choice for South American Hunters The story of human survival and adaptation in the ancient landscapes of South America is intimately tied to the giants…
Trump admin defiles even the “out of office” email auto-reply
“Radical Left” and “Democrat Senators” come in for attack.
Strava sues Garmin over alleged patent infringement
Strava is suing its long-time partner Garmin, and is seeking to permanently block the company from selling most of its current fitness and cycling gadget lineup. The lawsuit filed in the US District Court of Colorado on September 30th, first reported by DC Rainmaker, alleges […]