All writers

Terrence O’Brien

www.theverge.com
30
articles (90 days)

Recent articles

On Trails is a wandering tale that blends hiking, science, and history
Hiking is one of life's great joys. Turning off the screens and stepping out into nature for an extended period of time, perhaps even several days, is rejuvenating. Unfortunately, as someone with t...
www.theverge.com
Record Club is trying to be Letterboxd for music nerds
There isn't really a solid equivalent to Goodreads or Letterboxd for music lovers, but Record Club is aiming to change that. Yes, we have Rate Your Music, but its interface is crowded, and it feels...
www.theverge.com
The man behind the legendary MPC, Roger Linn, stays focused with a single browser tab
Roger Linn is a legend in the world of musical instruments. He's been at the cutting edge of music technology for decades. He created the LM-1, the first drum machine to use samples, and its succes...
www.theverge.com
Why would you disrespect your favorite artist with an AI remix?
AI covers and remixes of songs are already a blight on the internet. Spotify, YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram are awash in flat reggae versions of "Smells Like Teen Spirit," dinky country renditions...
www.theverge.com
The Endless AI guitar pedal has potential
I'm not sure anyone was really asking for an AI guitar pedal. But it was inevitable that someone would build one. One of the first to take the plunge is Polyend, a well-respected music gear maker w...
www.theverge.com
Spotify is launching AI-generated remixes
Spotify and Universal Music Group (UMG) just announced a licensing deal that will allow users to prompt the creation of AI-generated remixes and covers for streaming songs. The tool will be a paid ...
www.theverge.com
You can now remix other people’s YouTube Shorts with AI
Google announced a new YouTube Shorts Remix feature that lets users restyle clips or even insert themselves into other people's videos using Gemini Omni. Now, at the bottom of a YouTube Short, when...
www.theverge.com
Microsoft is retiring Teams’ Together Mode
Microsoft launched Teams' Together Mode during the pandemic to give the illusion of a bunch of people sitting in a conference room together, even if they were really sitting at home without pants o...
www.theverge.com
Revamped Siri will reportedly offer auto-deleting chats
Apple is hoping that its record on privacy can be the differentiator on the AI front, and maybe even buy it a little slack as it continues to lag behind the competition. According to Bloomberg's Ma...
www.theverge.com
University of Arizona students boo Eric Schmidt’s AI cheerleading during commencement
Former Google CEO Eric Schmidt delivered the commencement address at the University of Arizona on Friday. And, as his speech veered into talk of AI, he was repeatedly drowned out by boos. AI is alr...
www.theverge.com
Oddity is masterfully tense horror from the director of Hokum
Hokum recently hit theaters, and it's already outperforming box office expectations. If this Kubrick-referencing haunted hotel flick starring Adam Scott was your introduction to director Damian McC...
www.theverge.com
Snap, YouTube, and TikTok settle suit over harm to students
Snap, YouTube, and TikTok have settled the first lawsuit of its kind, alleging that social media addiction has cost public schools massive amounts of money, according to Bloomberg. The suit, filed ...
www.theverge.com
Sony tries to explain that its AI Camera Assistant doesn’t suck
After Sony drew some unwanted attention for a post demonstrating its AI Camera Assistant on the Xperia 1 XIII, it's trying to clarify how the feature works. The company says it doesn't edit photos,...
www.theverge.com
NPR’s Manoush Zomorodi talks about living with too much tech
Manoush Zamorodi is an accomplished reporter, podcast host, and author. Her new book, Body Electric, takes a comprehensive look at how technology is impacting our physical health. It's a collaborat...
www.theverge.com
AI radio hosts demonstrate why AI can’t be trusted alone
Andon Labs has been running a series of experiments in which AI agents run businesses without human intervention. Its latest is a quartet of radio stations run by some of the most popular AI models...
www.theverge.com
The Bastl Kalimba is a wild synth that thinks it’s a thumb piano
Make no mistake, the Bastl Kalimba is a synthesizer, you just play it like a kalimba. Its tines don't really make much sound. There is an internal mic that you can blend in for a little acoustic sp...
www.theverge.com
Ashnymph’s Childhood EP is exhilarating dance goth rock
I've got to thank my oldest friend and concert buddy, Tim, for turning me on to this one. Ashnymph is a London band that blends post-punk melodies with Krautrock rhythms and industrial grime. Their...
www.theverge.com
Teenage Engineering’s KO Sidekick is a mixer with fun performance effects
The EP-136 KO Sidekick is Teenage Engineering's stylish new two-channel mixer, clearly designed to connect two of its KO-II samplers for live performances and DJ sets. Though, it can connect any tw...
www.theverge.com
OpenClaw and Claude can put your AI-generated podcasts in Spotify
Save to Spotify is a new command-line tool designed specifically for AI agents like OpenClaw, Claude Code, or OpenAI Codex. If you're the kind of person who collects research on a topic, then feeds...
www.theverge.com
Native Instruments Komplete 26 adds weird new synths and experimental piano sounds
The latest version of Native Instruments' Komplete music production bundle is here with 62 new additions, including the wonderfully weird Absynth 6. Komplete 26 comes in several flavors, starting w...
www.theverge.com
Orchid, the buzzy Tame Impala synth, is back in a gorgeous clear colorway
The Telepathic Instruments Orchid has been unavailable for a few months now. But a new batch is ready to drop on May 5th for $649, and the company is celebrating with a limited edition clear Orchid...
www.theverge.com
Reggie Fils-Aimé says Amazon once asked Nintendo to break the law
Way back in the DS days, Nintendo decided to stop selling to Amazon. During a recent lecture at NYU, former Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aimé said it was because Amazon was seeking pre...
www.theverge.com
AI music is flooding streaming services — but who wants it?
This is The Stepback, a weekly newsletter breaking down one essential story from the tech world. For more on how AI is changing music and the music industry, follow Terrence O'Brien. The Stepback a...
www.theverge.com
Verified by Spotify badge lets you know this artist isn’t AI
Spotify is launching a new verification program to combat spam, fakes, and AI. Some artists will now have a "Verified by Spotify" badge and a green checkmark on their profile, indicating that the c...
www.theverge.com
The keyboard used to score Dune 2 is getting more affordable
Expressive E is making its Osmose MPE keyboard (comparatively) more affordable by ditching the synthesizer and making it a simple MIDI controller. The new Osmose CE comes in two sizes, 49 and 61 ke...
www.theverge.com
Spotify is partnering with Peloton for guided workouts
Spotify has dabbled in customized running playlists, but now it's diving more firmly into the fitness space with curated playlists and content from creators like Yoga with Kassandra, Sweaty Studio,...
www.theverge.com
Google’s new gradient icon design is coming to more apps
In late 2025, Google started rolling out new icons with a gradient design. Now it seems the new look is coming to the rest of Google's apps. 9to5Google got its hands on images of the new icons that...
www.theverge.com
Tomora’s Come Closer is an ecstatic love letter to 90s dance music
Before Coachella, Tomora wasn't on my radar at all. It's actually only by chance that I stumbled upon them - I opened the wrong stream because my TV was lagging like a MFer. I paused for a few mome...
www.theverge.com
Trump fires the entire National Science Board
Multiple sources are reporting that the Trump administration has dismissed the entire National Science Board (NSB). The NSB advises the president and Congress on the National Science Foundation (NS...
www.theverge.com
An influx of used EVs could drive down prices
Part of what has held back electric cars has been the cost. But an influx of used vehicles over the next three years could bring prices down dramatically. In 2025, just 123,000 leases on EVs expire...
www.theverge.com