A Brit in the Semis at Wimbledon and the boys in the quarters of the World Cup? How are the English supposed to cope with all this joy?!

😅🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Hot take. VAR has ruined soccer. #worldcup #croatiawasrobbed

Now I remember why I don’t enjoy watching England play in the World Cup.

After one week with the Google Home speaker, I'm a fan. Gemini for Home, however, has yet to win me over. #smarthome #gemini #google #AI

I think it's safe to say the knock-out round is off to a banging start... European teams should be shaking in those boots. #worldcup #beautifulgame #itscominghome

Matter promised you could buy any smart home gadget, from any brand, and use it with any ecosystem. Four years in, you still can't. But three days at the CSA's first Unify conference mostly convinced me that promise is within reach: www.theverge.com/tech/958008/... #smarthome #IoT #Matter

If you need me in the next two weeks, I’ll be dreaming of freshly cut grass, long summer evenings, and English strawberries with cream. #tennis #wimbledon

Lol.

At the CSA’s inaugural Unify conference, the mood was optimistic but realistic. Matter hasn’t delivered on its promise, but I left convinced that it still can. Read more from @jp2e.bsky.social:

Inside the room where the smart home industry is still betting on Matter

Scoop from me … the company behind the excellent Level Lock has lost the majority of its staff and its founders amid “restructuring” by parent company Assa Abloy. #smarthome

The Bridge Pro is Hue’s most compelling update in years, as long as you’re deeply invested in the smart lighting ecosystem. Read more from @jp2e.bsky.social:

"My issue with Screen Time is that the world’s most powerful technology company, with reams of expertise in hardware and software, has half-assed its 'parental controls' for years and is now trying to put lipstick on a pig." Read more from @jp2e.bsky.social:

Terry Pratchett, one of England’s funniest writers, is in danger of being lost to history, Helen Lewis writes:

Psst $30 for a year of The Verge: www.theverge.com/subscribe

The industry sees AI as its long-awaited business model, but all we’re getting are better notifications and higher bills. Read more from @jp2e.bsky.social:

Our smart home expert @jp2e.bsky.social has tested tons of robot vacuums. Got any questions? We're holding a special subscriber-exclusive AMA today at 10AM PT / 1PM ET. Drop questions any time in the comments of this article and we'll see you all soon!

Got questions about robot vacuums? I've got answers! I'm hosting a subscriber-exclusive AMA on @theverge.com today. Come, ask me anything! www.theverge.com/tech/935196/...

hmm what should we call the as-of-yet unnamed Vox Media 2?

These are the robot vacuum-mops I recommend for every type of home

Alexa is moving into Amazon.com

Amazon is replacing its Rufus AI shopping assistant with Alexa for Shopping, powered by Alexa+, on Amazon.com and its app for all customers in the US (Jennifer Pattison Tuohy/The Verge) Main Link | Techmeme Permalink

If you have, or know someone, with a Yarbo robot lawn mower... they might want to read this. www.theverge.com/tech/925696/...

By the end of this, every Verge writer is going to end up having tested a robot 'pet.' This one I gladly leave to @jp2e.bsky.social. www.theverge.com/ai-artificia...

Dyson put someone else’s motor in its robot vacuum

Dreame plans to build everything from hypercars and hair dryers to China’s Elon Musk. It’ll either win big or go down in flames. Read more from @jp2e.bsky.social: www.theverge.com/report/91424...

In 2023, in the basement of Messe Berlin, I found a booth from a little-known robot vacuum maker, Dreame, with some innovative ideas in household robotics. Fast forward to 2026, and the company had two massive booths at CES, showcasing almost every consumer electronics product imaginable. 1/6

🚨 VERGE HOMEPAGE REFRESH 🚨https://www.theverge.com/bulletin/914842/the-next-evolution-of-the-verges-homepage-is-here

Ikea’s smart donut lamp is a sweet treat

How the Amazon Echo learned to talk — and listen

Ring finally brings 4K video to its battery-powered doorbell camera www.theverge.com/tech/900270/...

The company’s new line of affordable gadgets was supposed to prove Matter’s promise. Instead, it exposed just how far interoperability still has to go. Read more from @jp2e.bsky.social:

My favorite robot vacuum now supports Matter

Hands on with Aqara’s new Matter-compatible camera

I had a great time on TWiT this Sunday discussing the week’s tech news.

Ring’s ties to law enforcement have many users rethinking smart doorbells. Here’s how to secure your existing Ring cameras, along with our picks for security cameras that store footage locally or use end-to-end encryption. Read more from @jp2e.bsky.social:

Shark’s latest robot vacuum hunts stains with UV light

Here’s @jp2e.bsky.social pointing out the obvious: Ring’s still partnered with Axon, which is still partnered with ICE www.theverge.com/report/87932...

Ring cancels its partnership with Flock Safety after surveillance backlash

Amazon Ring’s Super Bowl ad sparks backlash amid fears of mass surveillance

This is spectacular www.theverge.com/tech/862070/...

Ikea’s cheap new smart home gear is struggling to get connected

A superskinny stick vac, Dyson’s PencilVac is an engineering marvel. While it won’t clean your whole house, it’s a simple. stylish option for quick touchups and other small tasks. Read more from @jp2e.bsky.social:

A staggering statement from former Washington Post editor Marty Baron: "This ranks among the darkest days in the history of one of the world's greatest news organizations."

We've got a new batch of Verge stories that are completely free to read for today only. First up, from @jp2e.bsky.social: After years of trying to switch to Home Assistant, Claude Code got me (mostly) there in one afternoon.

Claude Code + Home Assistant = smart home harmony at last! www.theverge.com/report/86931...

Ring claims it’s not giving ICE access to its cameras

Breaks my heart to share this, but today is my last day at The Verge and I am looking for work! I'd really like to stay in video games, preferably in some kind of journalistic capacity but I can do PR/Marketing and maybe even a lil Narrative Design. Please get in touch! www.ashparrish.com

And we're live! Stop on by and hit us with your best CES questions