The Verge·Thursday, January 8, 2026

The Verge - Thursday, January 8, 2026

10 stories~15 min

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Stories Covered

The coolest laptops we saw at CES 2026

Gamers, roll up! CES is always jam-packed with new laptop announcements, acting as a barometer for the year's upcoming releases. The proofs of concept at the show display what could potentially come further in the future. 2026 will soon bring us new chip options from Intel, AMD, and Qualcomm. While I'm excited to see how the latest horse race shakes out, some of the new designs and form factors displayed at the show are easily more compelling. There was a myriad of new models shown from Asus,

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YouTube will now let you filter Shorts out of search results

As part of a few changes to its search filters, YouTube is going to allow you to search specifically for Shorts or longform videos. Right now, a filter-less search shows a mix of longform and short form videos, which can be annoying if you just want to see videos in one format or the other. But in the new search filters, among other options, you can pick to see "Videos," which in my testing has only showed a list of longform videos, or "Shorts," which just shows Shorts. YouTube is also removing

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Is it even worth mentioning that Elon Musk blew past his own Full Self-Driving goals again?

Last year, Tesla defied its critics by boldly launching a robotaxi service that, by the end of the year, required no human supervision and was available to over 50 percent of the US population. At least that's what Tesla CEO Elon Musk told us would happen by the end of 2025. The reality, of course, was much different. Tesla's "robotaxi" service, as it stands today in Austin and San Francisco, is still not available to anyone who wants to use it. It is still supervised by an employee who sits i

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Few pairs of budget earbuds deliver like Nothing’s Ear (a), which are down to $59

Nothing’s Ear (a) come in a bright yellow color, though you can also buy them in black and white. The new year has brought a wave of deals on wireless earbuds and headphones, from the fitness-focused Beats Powerbeats Fit to the open-ear Shokz OpenRun Pro. Now, Nothing has joined in with a sale of its own, offering the Nothing Headphone (1), CMF Headphone Pro, and Nothing Ear (3) earbuds at their lowest prices to date. The most notable deal, though, is on the Nothing Ear (a), which are currentl

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The best deals on 4K TVs

Sony’s Bravia 8 II remains one of the best OLED TVs you can buy, and Super Bowl deals will likely make in an unbeatable value. Things are looking bright for those who want to nab a great TV in 2026 at a substantial discount. Even though the year’s biggest, brightest, and priciest TVs were announced at CES 2026, there’s usually a great deal happening on a mid- or high-end TV from LG, Sony, Hisense, or Samsung. With the Super Bowl coming up, you’re right to start hunting for deals now on TVs, as

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Most dubious uses of AI at CES 2026

Let’s take bets on how much Hayao Miyazaki would hate this. You can't shake a stick without hitting an AI gadget at CES this year, with artificial smarts now embedded in just about every wearable, screen, and appliance across the show floor, not to mention the armies of AI companions, toys, and robots. But those are just the beginning. We've seen AI pop up in much stranger places too, from hair clippers to stick vacs, and at least one case where even the manufacturer itself seemed unsure what

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The MAGA-approved video of an ICE killing

The clips are filmed from different angles. Some are zoomed in, making them indecipherably grainy, and others are slowed down. Some are 20 seconds while others are longer, sandwiched by commentary from users on social media platforms like X, Bluesky, Reddit, and TikTok. Each video - depicting the moment an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent shoots and kills a woman in Minneapolis - is ever so slightly different, but the gunshots ringing out and the wailing bystanders are the same. The sho

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The first privately funded space-based telescope is in the works

Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and his wife, Wendy, could help make history with a new project unveiled on Wednesday, the Lazuli Space Observatory. As reported by Science, the telescope was announced at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society this week and could be the largest privately funded space telescope in history thanks to investments from the Schmidts. Lazuli's design features a 3.1-meter mirror, which would make it larger than NASA's Hubble Space Telescope (but smaller than the

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Microsoft will put buy buttons directly in Copilot

Microsoft is launching a new feature in Copilot that will allow you to make purchases during conversations with the AI chatbot. Now, when you're asking for suggestions about what kind of sneakers you should buy, Copilot can surface a checkout option for the product you choose directly inside the app. An example shared by Microsoft shows someone using Copilot to search for a small lamp for their bedside table. The chatbot responds with a recommendation, along with a "Details" button for more info

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Satechi’s new Slim EX keyboards have a replaceable battery

The Satechi EX3 Wireless Keyboard comes with a number pad and navigation keys. Satechi is launching a new pair of wireless keyboards with a rechargeable battery designed for easy replacement. Despite their ultrathin profiles, the compact Slim EX1 and full-size Slim EX3 both stow the removable battery in a compartment on their undersides. A wireless keyboard with an easily replaceable and rechargeable battery is hard to come by, especially one as thin as the Slim EX1 and Slim EX3. Satechi says

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