The Android feature now includes a new “About this image” tab that can instantly pull up an image’s metadata, source, and whether a Google AI watermark is present to help determine its legitimacy.

It could be helpful against weird out-of-context political images on social media. The feature is rolling out now on the latest Pixel and Samsung phones, tablets, and foldables.

In what’s become an annual tradition, we now have the non-working iPhone 16 “dummy units” — created for case and accessory makers — from perennial leaker Sonny Dickson. In addition to showing the new colors, we can also see the camera bump aligned vertically in what should be the final size and shape of the device Apple announces this fall.

We already knew that AI chip demand was driving crazy profits for Samsung. That’s good, because its earnings report shows that smartphone revenue and profitability both declined since last quarter, even as new AI features — it claims — helped buoy demand for its latest flagship devices:

The Galaxy S24 series achieved double-digit year-on-year growth in both shipments and revenue over its predecessor for both the second quarter and the first half of the year.

In the second half of 2024, Samsung says overall demand for its smartphones is expected to increase year-on-year, alongside “ecosystem products such as tablets, smartwatches, and smart rings.”

As David Pierce wrote about the Friend AI gadget and company CEO Avi Schiffman:

He wants Friend.com to eventually become a social network for real-life and AI friends, and he wants to build more kinds of devices and try everything.

Apparently, he’s serious. 404 Media reports he spent $1.8 million on the domain after raising about $2.5 million. Schiffman said, “People just don’t get consumer, I view this as saving money. Much less money needs to be spent on marketing, it’s a one time thing.”

Microsoft employees are getting an extra bonus that will work out to between 10-25 percent of the value of their regular annual bonus, according to an internal memo seen by The Verge. The announcement comes at the end of Microsoft’s fiscal year, as the company’s cloud and AI efforts have continued to improve its stock price. The bonus will also help with employee retention in a competitive AI market.

Moments after winning gold in the women’s team gymnastics final, Simone Biles and Sunisa Lee were thinking ahead... about what TikTok video they should make.

“I wanna do the one that says, ‘Imagine what you would do if you didn’t win,’” Lee says, referencing a viral sound bite from a Kanye West award show speech. They made the TikTok, obviously.

SAG-AFTRA has chosen the first picket line in the video game voice actors strike. On Thursday August 1st, members will assemble to picket Warner Brothers Studios in Los Angeles. Last week, SAG-AFTRA voted to strike under its Interactive Media Agreement after failing to reach a deal with video games studios regarding the implementation of AI protections for voice and motion performers.

The vice president and likely Democratic presidential nominee applauded the Senate’s vote to pass the Kids Online Safety Act and urged full passage through Congress.

The maker of one of my favorite games of the last few years is giving small teases of a new project. While this stealthy noir mood with gunplay is a departure from Umurangi Generation’s photography-centric gameplay and colorful vibes (albeit, depressingly post-apocalyptic ones), I’m definitely hyped.

Several official PlayStation accounts have come up with a helpful metric to determine the size of the PS5 and the PS5 slim: food. Latin America used arepas, torrijas for Spain, and Greggs sausage rolls for the UK. After a lengthy and spirited discussion involving everything from corndogs to pizza rolls, we at The Verge are unable to come up with an American equivalent. What do you suggest?

The company claims its triple laser PX3-PRO is the world’s first UST projector to be “Designed for Xbox.” What that means isn’t entirely clear given the Xbox can’t take advantage of the projector’s 240Hz maximum refresh rate.

More useful may be the $3,499.99 PX3-PRO’s ability to automatically optimize its settings for gaming when it detects a console powering up.