Sean Hollister
The Verge
California, United States
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Recent articles by Sean:
Google announces Nest Wifi, a mesh router system with smart speakers inside
Since Google first introduced its Google Wifi system three years ago at $299 for a three-pack, mesh routers have become a popular way to eliminate Wi-Fi dead zones in a house, with every major router company offering a set. Now, it’s announcing a new version: the Nest Wifi. → Read More
Google’s Stadia cloud gaming service will launch on November 19th
At Google’s Pixel hardware event on October 15th, we’re getting the final release date for Google Stadia, the company’s cloud gaming service that will be available in November in a “Founder’s Edition” that streams games to Pixel phones, Chromecast Ultra HDMI dongles for TVs, and Chrome web browsers. → Read More
The name Google is synonymous with online searches, but over the years the company has grown beyond search and now builds multiple consumer products, including software like Gmail, Chrome, Maps, Android, and hardware like the Pixel smartphones, Google Home, and Chromebooks. Its name can also be found on internet services such as Google Fi, Flights, Checkout, and Google Fiber. Here is all of the… → Read More
Pornhub removes Girls Do Porn, finally drawing a line at sex trafficking charges
MindGeek’s flagship porn site appears to have finally parted ways with Girls Do Porn, removing its official channel three days after its owners were charged with sex trafficking crimes in federal court. → Read More
Dell’s latest XPS 15 has a speedy processor and gorgeous display, but it isn’t a slam dunk
On paper, the 2019 Dell XPS 15 7590 seems to have everything I might want or need: an octa-core Intel Core i9 processor faster than my current desktop PC, a 15-inch 4K OLED panel bright enough to read outdoors, 64GB of RAM for serious multitasking, 2TB of blazing fast NVMe solid-state storage, and GeForce GTX 1650 graphics potent enough for some portable gaming as well. But in the real world,… → Read More
Google Doodle pays tribute to Joseph Plateau, who paved the way for cinema with the phenakistiscope
Today, Google’s logo at Google.com has been replaced with an animation representative of animation itself — a modern artist’s interpretation of the phenakistiscope, a spinning disc invented in 1833 that’s considered one of the precursors to modern cinema. It’s to celebrate Belgian physicist Joseph Antoine Ferdinand Plateau, who’s often credited with inventing the device. → Read More
Andy Rubin has left his own incubator — but he’s still in the building
Andy Rubin used to be primarily known as the “father of Android,” but he’s also becoming known for leaving companies amid scandal — in this case Playground Global, the tech incubator he founded after leaving Google in 2014. Rubin confirmed to The Verge today that he’s no longer with the incubator, following a BuzzFeed report that he was “quietly shown the door.” → Read More
Author tricks Amazon into distributing union materials to its own employees via book cover
I haven’t read Mike Monteiro’s new book Ruined by Design, so I can’t say whether it’s any good. But I wouldn’t be surprised if it isn’t available at Amazon for all that much longer, now that its cover encourages Amazon workers to form a labor union. → Read More
Essential and Android co-founder Andy Rubin just tweeted pics of a crazy tall mystery phone
A new device tweeted by Andy Rubin looks like no phone we’ve ever seen before, with a super tall UI, a smartwatch-like interface and extremely flashy colors. Here’s what we know right now. → Read More
You can now ask Google Cast to ‘move the music’ to a different room
Want music to follow you around your house? You can now ask Google Assistant for that by saying, "Hey Google, move the music to the living room." At least, you can if you have a house filled with Google Home devices, thanks to a new Stream Transfer feature. → Read More
Watch a two-legged robot balance and spin thanks to drone propellers
Humanoid robots have come a long, long way since Honda’s Asimo took a tumble down the stairs. But why should robots be limited by their legs, even if that’s their primary propulsion? That’s a question Caltech is toying with on its new LEONARDO robot, short for “LEgs ONboARD drOne.” → Read More
Google has suspended its controversial ‘field research’ that allegedly scanned homeless people
Less than two weeks ahead of the Pixel 4 flagship smartphone’s debut, Google is reportedly pulling the plug on a controversial “field research” program that offered subjects in US cities a $5 gift certificate in exchange for a scan of their face — after a New York Daily News report that a Google contractor was actively targeting homeless people in Atlanta and tricking unwitting college students… → Read More
Apple now has a free repair program if your iPhone 6S won’t turn on
Apple has admitted there’s a component that can go bad in some iPhone 6S and 6S Plus handsets that can keep them from powering on — and it’s now offering to replace that mystery component free of charge with a new repair program. → Read More
What the heck is Windows 10X?
Microsoft has announced Windows 10X, a version of Windows that’s meant explicitly for dual-screen devices. We got precious few details about the operating system otherwise, and that may be because it’s not a full OS. Instead, it’s likely a shell on top of a special modular version of Windows 10, like similar versions for the HoloLens 2 headset and upcoming Surface Hub 2X. → Read More
Google contractors reportedly targeted homeless people for Pixel 4 facial recognition
In July, Google admitted it has employees pounding the pavement in a variety of US cities, looking for people willing to sell their facial data for a $5 gift certificate. But the New York Daily News reports that a Google contractor may be using some questionable methods to get those facial scans, including targeting groups of homeless people and tricking college students who didn’t know they… → Read More
How to choose between the Surface Pro X and Surface Pro 7
If you’re ready to buy a new Surface Pro tablet right now — perhaps because they’ve finally got USB-C ports instead of needing to charge and sling data over a proprietary Surface Connect cable — Should you nab the Surface Pro X with its new Qualcomm processor? Or the Surface Pro 7 with Intel? → Read More
Windows 10X is Microsoft’s latest stab at a ‘Lite’ operating system, exclusively for dual-screens
Microsoft’s long-rumored Windows Lite has been officially revealed as Windows 10X, a stripped-down version of the Windows 10 operating system designed for a new wave of ultra mobile computing — specifically, dual-screen tablets. → Read More
Microsoft announces Surface Laptop 3 with a new 15-inch model and USB-C
By balancing price, performance, portability, and design, the 13.5-inch Microsoft Surface Laptop became one of the best notebooks of 2017, and the company barely bothered to change that formula for 2018’s Surface Laptop 2. But with the just-announced Surface Laptop 3, the company is finally tweaking the design. → Read More
Skydio 2: the self-flying future of drones starts at $999
Skydio has announced the Skydio 2, following up its Skydio R1 self-flying drone with a version that’s been improved in practically every way, from size and weight to battery life and AI autonomy, with new controllers to let you pilot it manually in addition to following you around through tricky terrain without crashing into obstacles. → Read More
Jeri Ellsworth’s unique AR glasses are back from the dead
In 2013, we brought you the story of how two Valve engineers walked away with the company’s augmented reality glasses. That company, CastAR, failed, but now Jeri Ellsworth is trying the idea again with Tilt Five and a new Kickstarter campaign for a similar set of mixed reality glasses. → Read More