The Verge - All Posts

Netflix to launch in the Netherlands in late 2013, France and Belgium next?

2013-06-19T04:32:55Z

Following last year’s first expansion into Europe, Netflix is stepping into another nearby market: The Netherlands. Later this year, the low-altitude nation will be getting access to Hollywood fare, local and global TV and films, and Netflix’s own original series like House of Cards and Arrested Development, but so far the company hasn't announced any pricing information. Branching out into new markets has been a key goal for CEO Reed Hastings, who has overseen an expansion into over 40 countries over the past two years, including much of Latin America, the Nordic countries, the UK and Ireland. Last month, reports in the Belgian press indicated that Netflix was planning to move into not only The Netherlands, but also France and...

PSA: PlayStation 3 owners report update 4.45 locks up their machines

2013-06-19T04:01:00Z

The latest software update for Sony’s PlayStation 3 appears to be locking up some people’s systems, leaving them unusable. Polygon reports that Version 4.45 of the PS3 firmware was just released on Tuesday, but already, 23 pages of responses related to the issue have been posted to the PlayStation Community Forums. While not everyone that has the new software is reporting the error, it does appear to be widespread, and we’d advise holding off on that latest software update until Sony responds. We’ve reached out to the company for comment and will let you know as soon as we hear anything.

Evernote upgrades web clipper to save your Gmail, including attachments

2013-06-19T00:29:30Z

Until now, saving attachments from a Gmail account to Evernote has meant either forwarding them to a special email address or dragging them into an open Evernote client. Today, the company released an arguably more elegant approach: an update to its web clipper that saves the entire message to Evernote, plus any attachments.

The new link between Gmail and Evernote makes for a easier way to keep track of files that might otherwise get lost in your inbox. You can save single messages or, by expanding the conversation, entire threads. As on other webpages, the clipper lets users choose a notebook to save to and to add notes and tags.

The clipper update is relatively minor, but could save time for people who spend a lot of time working...

Dish bails on Sprint acquisition to focus on Clearwire

2013-06-18T23:27:11Z

Dish Network has pulled out of the competition to buy third-place US wireless carrier Sprint after months of back-and-forth with competitor SoftBank. After seeing the Japanese operator table a buyout offer in October 2012, Dish countered with its own surprise bid in April, leading to some heated exchanges in the media. Reuters reports that Dish will instead focus on acquiring Clearwire Corp. The company issued a statement on its change of plans in the form of a press release, the full text of which is below:

NSA, Tesla, and 'Logan's Run' by Ken Levine: 90 Seconds on The Verge

2013-06-18T23:05:44Z

"The only thing you can't have in this perfect world of total pleasure is your 30th birthday . . . Logan is 29. Welcome to the 23rd Century. Welcome to Rapture. We all make choices, but in the end our choices make us."

Stories of the day

Written by Nathan Cykiert and Ross Miller. Video production magic by Zach Goldstein.

US and Russia agree to use Cold War-era hotline to stave off cyberwar

2013-06-18T22:53:46Z

The US and Russian governments have agreed to repurpose a Cold War-era hotline in a new pact that they say will prevent any chance of cyberwar between the two countries. As a part of the agreement, formalized on Tuesday at a G-8 Summit in Ireland, the two nations said they will regularly share information on hacking incidents and other cyber attacks seen in their countries, both electronically and by way of a pre-existing direct phone line. The alliance comes after more than two years of negotiations between the US and Russia over what information should be shared and how, the White House said in a statement.

Chipotle becomes first US fast food chain to label all genetically modified ingredients

2013-06-18T22:18:01Z

Chipotle is letting its customers know a little more about their burritos by opening up about the presence of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) within its ingredients. The Mexican-themed fast food restaurant has begun marking all products that include GMOs on the company website, helping to bolster its focus on organic and local foods. According to NaturalNews, this makes Chipotle the first US restaurant chain to include such labels. Eventually, the chain also wants to eliminate GMOs from its menu entirely.

Nvidia will license its Kepler GPU technology to tap into the 'exploding' smartphone market

2013-06-18T22:05:08Z

Nvidia has announced plans to license out its graphics technology to other companies in an effort to take advantage of the huge market for smartphones, tablets, and other devices as its core PC business continues to shrink. According to a blog post published by the company, Nvidia will start by licensing out the GPU core in its Kepler GPU, and it'll also license out its visual computing portfolio, which the company says will let licensees develop their own GPU technology while taking advantage of Nvidia's vast array of patents. Unsurprisingly, the impetus behind this change is the major shift in computing towards mobile — the company says that the "explosion of Android devices" presents it with a huge business opportunity even as its...

Google asks for permission to publish FISA data, says 'misleading' reports hurt the company

2013-06-18T20:59:44Z

Since The Guardian and The Washington Post published a series of leaked documents, companies named as participants in the PRISM surveillance program have attempted to set right what they call "misleading" claims about their data. Earlier this month, Google asked the attorney general and FBI director to let it include requests made under the controversial FISA rules in its periodic transparency report, which details the number of requests for user information that it receives. Now, the company has filed a motion asking the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to allow it to publish estimated numbers of FISA requests without fear of reprisal.

"Google's reputation and business has been harmed by the false or misleading reports in the...

FDA reverses fecal transplant regulations, eases restrictions on doctors treating C. Diff patients

2013-06-18T20:45:59Z

Despite the fact that the rather experimental fecal transplant procedure has been recognized through a number of studies as a reliable cure for the rare and debilitating disease known as Clostridium difficile, or C. diff, FDA regulations made it difficult for doctors to reliably perform the operation. However, now the organization says that it will "exercise enforcement discretion" and no longer require doctors to receive agency approval before performing the procedure. Earlier this year, the FDA introduced a policy that classified fecal transplants as an "investigational new drug," which meant that doctors needed to submit an extensive application to the agency and wait up to 30 days for a response — as a result, many doctors chose...