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Richard Lawler

Richard Lawler

Senior News Editor

Senior News Editor

    More From Richard Lawler

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    Adnan is out.

    Yesterday, a Baltimore City Circuit judge overturned the murder conviction of Adnan Syed, setting him free — for the moment — after serving 23 years in a case documented by the podcast Serial. This morning, host Sarah Koenig released Serial’s first new episode in seven years.

    It’s Baltimore, 2022. Adnan Syed has spent the last 23 years incarcerated, serving a life sentence for the murder of Hae Min Lee, a crime he says he didn’t commit. He has exhausted every legal avenue for relief, including a petition to the United States Supreme Court. But then, a prosecutor in the Baltimore State’s Attorney’s office stumbled upon two handwritten notes in Adnan’s case file, and that changed everything.

    Adnan Syed freed after judge vacates murder convictionAdnan Syed freed after judge vacates murder conviction
    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    Steam Deck display docks, and Deck deliveries.

    Steam Deck prototypes aren’t the only thing to see at the Tokyo Game Show, as one Redditor noticed (via PC Gamer) that the still-unreleased official dock is holding up display units.

    That’s also relevant because Steam Decks are being delivered more rapidly than expected. Valve just announced it’s cleared the reservations in the Q3 bucket a couple of weeks ahead of schedule and is starting in on reservations slated for Q4.

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    Forget vinyl.

    If you appreciate media preservation, make some time for this Q&A with the “last man standing in the floppy disk business,” Tom Persky of floppydisk.com.

    The customers that are the easiest to provide for are the hobbyists – people who want to buy ten, 20, or maybe 50 floppy disks. However, my biggest customers — and the place where most of the money comes from — are the industrial users...Probably half of the air fleet in the world today is more than 20 years old and still uses floppy disks in some of the avionics.

    We Spoke With the Last Person Standing in the Floppy Disk Business

    [Eye on Design]

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    Watch Tim Cook express his honest opinion about iMessage, Android, and green bubbles.

    It’s not hard to figure out why Tim Cook won’t fix the green bubbles and SMS fallback that comes with texting Android users from your iPhone using iMessage.

    But you’ve got to see this response for yourself, as Cook (while laughing) suggests Vox Media’s LiQuan Hunt should “buy your mom an iPhone” to fix the issue.

    Apple CEO Tim Cook on a blue background with green message bubbles appearing near his mouth.
    Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge
    Tim Cook says ‘buy your mom an iPhone’ if you want to end green bubblesTim Cook says ‘buy your mom an iPhone’ if you want to end green bubbles
    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    So now what do you do with your old phone?

    I’m guessing at least a few of you snagged brand-new iPhone 14s today, and I love that for you, but I’ll keep using my Pixel 6.

    But if you still have your old phone and want to avoid creating unnecessary electronic waste, Kaitlyn Tiffany writes in The Atlantic that your best bet — despite recycling programs and flashy robots — is probably to just keep it.

    Don’t Trash Your Old Phone—Give It a Second Life

    [The Atlantic]

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    Instagram vs. TikTok in VR.

    Meta’s Quest Pro won’t be officially unveiled for another month — unless they leave a few units laying around in a hotel hallway, again. Now Protocol reports Pico (which, like TikTok, is now owned by Chinese tech giant ByteDance) will launch its next VR headset on September 22nd.

    Pico’s new headset may share some features with the Quest Pro, like full-color passthrough video for AR, and a better display.

    ByteDance's Pico will unveil new VR headset Sept. 22

    [Protocol]

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    Twitter, but with an edit button.

    Twitter really is almost ready to offer users the long-awaited edit button, and already confirmed that after a little more internal testing, some Twitter Blue subscribers will get access later this month.

    Per Platformer author and Verge contributing editor Casey Newton, those public tests are planned to start next week, on September 21st.

    Richard Lawler
    Richard Lawler
    California’s antitrust lawsuit claims customers have “nowhere else to go and Amazon knows it.”

    California AG Rob Bonta filed an antitrust lawsuit against Amazon, claiming customers pay more because the “everything store” forces merchants into deals that keep prices artificially high.

    Amazon’s spokesperson told the New York Times that Bonta “has it exactly backwards... Sellers set their own prices for the products they offer in our store.”

    Here’s a PDF link to the complaint.

    California Files Antitrust Lawsuit Against Amazon

    [The New York Times]

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