Zillow and Redfin settle FTC antitrust case over their rental listings partnership
The FTC and Zillow have announced a settlement that ends the case alleging that a 2025 “partnership” between Zillow and Redfin violated antitrust laws. The FTC had alleged Zillow agreed to pay Redfin to syndicate its listings, while Redfin would end its own advertising contracts and promise not to compete with Zillow for multifamily listings. […]
Robotaxis are real now — so is the pushback
Robotaxis are expanding. So is the fight over the rules governing them. In New York, Gov. Kathy Hochul withdrew a proposal earlier this year that would have opened the door to driverless robotaxis outside New York City after taxi drivers, unions, and state lawmakers opposed it. Six months later, commercial driverless service remains illegal in […]
The Witcher 4 developers target a 2028 release
CD Projekt Red is aiming to launch The Witcher 4 sometime in 2028, joint CEO Michał Nowakowski says in a new video. CD Projekt Red has been working on its next mainline Witcher title for years and has shown videos of it, but now the studio is providing a target release window for when the […]
ESPN streaming plans are getting more expensive
ESPN is hiking the price of its subscription on September 17th, a change that will also impact its bundles with Disney Plus. In a support page spotted earlier by Sports Media Watch, ESPN says its ad-supported Select membership will cost $13.99 instead of $12.99 / month, while its Unlimited plan will rise to $31.99 from […]
Raspberry Pi shares its official tutorial for making a cyberdeck
Raspberry Pi’s head of social, Ashley Whittaker, acknowledged the cyberdeck trend today, saying “we haven’t been able to get away from cyberdecks this year.” Tiny portable computers made out of things like purses, jewelry boxes, and other thrifted or recycled parts have gone viral on TikTok and other social media platforms over the past year, […]
We’re All Going to the World’s Fair is an intimate coming-of-age horror film
Jane Schoenbrun‘s latest film, Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma, is making a splash in theaters right now. So it seems like the perfect time to revisit their first film, We’re All Going to the World’s Fair. I fell in love with this film when I first saw it at Sundance in 2021. We […]
Grand Theft Auto VI exists in its own universe
This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on GTA VI and the state of the video game industry, follow Andrew Webster. The Stepback arrives in our subscribers’ inboxes at 8AM ET. Opt in for The Stepback here. How it started Four years ago, fans […]
W. Kamau Bell has the most practical ‘most indispensable tool’
I’m just as confused as you. | Image: Aundre Larrow W. Kamau Bell is one of those people who has always just seemed to be there. From Totally Biased, to Politically Re-Active, United Shades of America, and We Need to Talk About Cosby, his blend of comedy, social commentary, and political activism has helped him […]
Amazon just hiked the prices for Echo, Fire TV, and Kindle products by up to 60 percent
The Echo Dot Max went from $99.99 to $119.99 overnight, while its sibling the Echo Dot jumped to $79.99 from $49.99. | Photo by Jennifer Pattison Tuohy / The Verge Citing “significant increases in memory and storage component costs,” Amazon has raised prices on Echos, Kindles, Fire TVs, and Eeros by up to 60 percent, […]
An okay laptop with 16GB of RAM is better than a nice laptop with 8GB, and this $520 HP OmniBook proves it
The OmniBook 3 isn’t a sweet treat, but it gets things done on the cheap. | Photo: Antonio G. Di Benedetto / The Verge Laptop prices are out of whack. $500 used to get you a tolerable laptop, and $900 got you a really good one. They often had similar CPU, RAM, and storage options […]