NASA reports that the OSIRIS-REx capsule “has been bagged” and is flying suspended from a helicopter to the space agency’s clean lab to recover samples gathered from the Bennu asteroid in 2020.

When it gets to NASA’s on-site clean room, scientists will remove the canister containing the sample to be opened at Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas on Tuesday.

Check out this gallery of screenshots from NASA’s live coverage. NASA had a photographer on site, so we’ll probably get some much nicer shots of the process soon.

A team is preparing to take the OSIRIS-REx capsule back to NASA’s portable clean lab to collect the Bennu asteroid sample it gathered three years ago, according to NASA’s live coverage.

Team members have also placed flags in the area to note potentially interesting environmental samples to collect in the area around the capsule for later examination.

9to5Google reports that Google’s AI-heavy follow-up to the Pixel 7 phones will go up to $699 for the Pixel 8 and $999 for the Pixel 8 Pro in the US.

The reported prices are $100 up from their respective Pixel 7 counterparts. Google will hold an event on October 4th to discuss its new Pixel hardware.

The “time capsule to our ancient solar system” from the OSIRIS-REx mission has officially touched down in the Utah desert.

NASA’s live coverage notes it landed about three minutes sooner than expected. The team is now heading to it with helicopters to begin the process of gathering the samples.

From the NASA TV live coverage, OSIRIS-REx has deployed its parachute about 5,000 feet above the Utah testing training range.

The capsule is now falling slowly to the earth with samples from the Bennu asteroid. It should land in just a few minutes.

Also, I am reliably told we set off a lot of people’s smart speakers with all the Alexa talk, which, sorry about that. But there was a lot of Alexa to talk about on this episode! And Windows, and corporate intrigue, and the future of Xbox, and YouTube AI, and a whole bunch more. Also: Shivers.

NASA put together a rendered preview to show what’s happening during today’s return of a sample scooped up from the asteroid Bennu, showing what the delivery and release of the OSIRIS-REx capsule looks like.

A reader tipped us off that Evernote, which was acquired by Bending Spoons, had informed them that their Evernote Plus plan had been shifted to an Evernote Personal plan instead. Here’s an excerpt from the email they shared with us:

Going forward, the cost of your Monthly subscription will be updated to match the current Evernote Personal subscription price of 14.99 USD per Month. This price will take effect on your next renewal, 10/19/2023.

Long-time subscribers at The Verge haven’t received this email. Users on Reddit have reported receiving similar messages, though some have been told by Evernote support that the switch was a mistake.

We’ve reached out to Evernote for confirmation.

The Basic Apple Guy did it with an iPhone 15 Pro and tossed it up on Threads.

We’ve been pretty into cursed images the last few days. First, it was a Steam Deck as a DVD player, then an iPad as a Samsung Dex display.

Microsoft’s spec sheet shows it’s a “Intel Gen3 Movidius 3700VC VPU AI Accelerator.” Intel’s website reveals that it’s a discrete chip roughly the size of my pinky’s fingertip at 14mm x 14mm.

It’s a PCIe Gen 3 device, so don’t be surprised if it comes on its own tiny SSD-sized M.2 expansion card. Here’s a whitepaper about its siblings. Meteor Lake won’t need a separate NPU like this:

Consumers, states, and the FTC are taking marketing claims from wellness companies more seriously — and, increasingly, there are legal consequences.

The lawsuits come as online promoters move from endorsing other companies’ products to creating and pushing their own. Meanwhile regulators are looking more closely at influencer marketing, which is expected to exceed $21 billion this year, according to an industry report.

Now that the update’s launch on September 26th was announced during Thursday’s Surface, Windows, and AI showcase event, Microsoft released Windows 11 Build 22621.2361 (KB5030310) to the Release Preview Channel of its Insiders test program.

This version 22H2 update adds the Copilot AI sidebar to Windows, the Windows Backup dedicated app, managing saved Passkey authentication under account settings, and more. Check out our video below as Tom Warren explains the biggest news from Microsoft’s event and what changes Copilot is bringing to Windows.

It’s a convoluted story! Intel paid a $1.4B fine in 2009, lost its challenge in 2014, won its challenge in 2022, and today the EU says it still owes a fine of $400 million (via AP).

We’re a couple of days away from the OSIRIS-REx mission dropping off a capsule containing pieces of the asteroid Bennu that it snatched in 2021.

Right now, a NASA press conference is letting the media ask questions of the project’s leaders about what to expect this weekend.

Not going to lie: the iPhone 15 makes me want a dumb phone even more. Once again, we’ve got a new and even more capable iPhone. Yet with all those new exciting features, I can’t help but think Apple’s just given us a shinier new distraction. That’s why now, more than ever, I wish dumb phones would make a comeback.

It is frankly shameful that Judge Amit Mehta still hasn’t ruled on opening up access to documents in this industry-shaking trial, let alone made it clear when any of the trial itself would be open to the public. Today, Apple’s John Giannandrea testified in closed court while reporters waited outside with no communication from the court at all. Ridiculous.

The phenomenal cast of Baldur’s Gate 3 is now live on Twitch playing a Dungeons and Dragons one shot as their characters. I don’t typically watch D&D actual plays, (sorry Critical Role fans) but I will be present and seated for this because I love all my murder hobo companions and I can’t get enough of them.

MySmartPrice shared official-looking renders of the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro and some of the colors that the phones will apparently come in. The article includes three colors for each phone, and you should check the galleries for yourself to see what Google might have in store at its Pixel launch event on October 4th.

Below, I’ve included an image of my favorite color of the lot: a Pixel 8 Pro in a nice porcelain. And check out our storystream to see more leaks about the phones.

We’ve literally just now gotten word that Unity has changed its disastrous new pricing model after developers' protests, which you can read about from Ash Parrish here.

Also, here’s her very first appearance on The Verge’s video channels (Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube), explaining why it’s all such a big deal. Give her a warm welcome!

In an interview with Brian Tong on the Apple Blitz XL podcast, Apple VP of sensing and connectivity Ron Huang explains that while the second-gen AirPods Pro earbuds also have the H2 chip just like its new USB-C model, the new ones are capable of communicating at 5GHz instead of just 2GHz.

He says that’s why the new USB-C AirPods Pro earbuds have enough bandwidth to do lossless audio wirelessly when combined with the upcoming Vision Pro.

Apple:

The H2 chip in the latest AirPods Pro and Apple Vision Pro, combined with a groundbreaking wireless audio protocol, unlocks powerful 20-bit, 48 kHz Lossless Audio with a massive reduction in audio latency

Dex remains undefeated.

(Orion app for the iPad > USB-C capture dongle > HDMI cable > USB-C hub > Galaxy Z Fold 5)

Note: If you buy something from these links, we might get affiliate revenue.

AI-generated imagery is the new clip art, and Microsoft’s now making it dead easy to add to your chats — just swipe and type in SwiftKey to generate AI art on iPhone or Android.

Samsung’s keyboard has SwiftKey under the hood, so this is likely coming to a lot of phones. Microsoft’s also rolling out some “AI stickers” and “AI camera lenses,” but they’re pretty meh right now.

Have you seen how much work goes into a Starbucks Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew? I have. They have to get a blender dirty every! Single! Time! It would have been the bane of my existence as a barista.

Starbucks is apparently implementing a new high-tech system to simplify the drink-making process. If this means making a PSL is a little less tedious, then I’m all for it.

“We were never meant to see our faces this much,” argues a Dazed essay. The increase in video conferencing may also mean an increase in body dysmorphic disorder, one survey of more than 7,000 people suggests. (The survey also found an increased use of fillers in people aged 18 to 24.) Personally, I find it helpful to turn off self-view in video calls and insist on phone calls as often as possible.