Arrow Technology Solutions

10/30/2025

That moment you end a sales call like:
“OK, love you, bye.”
Because we really care about your uptime. 🫠

06/07/2025

VLC player demos real-time AI subtitling for videos https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/9/24339817/vlc-player-automatic-ai-subtitling-translation The popular open-source VLC video player was demonstrated on the floor of CES 2025 with automatic AI subtitling and translation, generated locally and offline in real time. Parent organization VideoLAN shared a video on Tuesday in which president Jean-Baptiste Kempf shows off the new feature, which uses open-source AI models to generate subtitles for videos in several languages.
“At the same time we have automatic translation working to translate the subtitles to your own language,” Kempf says, with more than 100 languages planned for support. “What’s important is that this is running on your machine locally, offline, without any cloud services. It runs directly inside the executable.”

VLC automatic subtitles generation and translation based on local and open source AI models running on your machine working offline, and supporting numerous languages!
Demo can be found on our booth in Eureka Park. pic.twitter.com/UVmgT6K4ds— VideoLAN () January 8, 2025

AI-powered subtitling has been under development for some time in the form of a plug-in using OpenAI’s speech recognition system Whisper, but this new demo appears to be built directly into the VLC app and generates translated subtitles in real time. There’s no word on when the feature will roll out.
This week, VideoLAN also celebrated hitting 6 billion downloads, with Kempf boasting, “The number of active users of VLC is actually growing, even in this age of streaming services.”
With CES 2025 still in full swing, we’ll track VideoLAN down on the show floor to see the AI subtitling in action for ourselves.

06/07/2025

Freewrite’s latest keyboard has a mechanical word-counter to track your writing https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/9/24339811/astrohaus-freewrite-wordrunner-mechanical-keyboard Astrohaus has announced a new addition to its distraction-reducing Freewrite line of writing tools at CES. Unlike its previous all-in-one devices that pair a keyboard with basic monochromatic screens, its new Freewrite Wordrunner is a standalone mechanical keyboard customized with keys and tools designed to help writers stay focused and work more efficiently.
The company hasn’t announced pricing for the new Freewrite Wordrunner yet, but it’s expected to be available for preorder sometime in February 2025 through a Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign. The company’s all-in-one writing devices range in price from $349 to $999, but without a screen, storage, and other electronics, its keyboard will potentially be much cheaper. Discounts will be available to early backers, but Astrohaus is also currently selling $1 refundable reservations that promise “priority access” and “exclusive early-bird pricing.”


Image: Astrohaus
The Wordrunner’s Wordometer is an eight-digit electromechanical counter keeping tabs on your writing progress.

The Freewrite Wordrunner features a compact tenkeyless design, a body made from durable die-cast aluminum, backlit “high-quality tactile switches,” and several layers of sound deadening so it can be used in shared spaces without becoming a distraction to others.
What sets the Wordrunner apart from other mechanical keyboards is the addition of two electromechanical counters with rotating numbers on its top edge. One, called the Wordometer, will continually track word count until you press a reset button, while the other, upgraded with “subtle LED indicators,” serves as a timer for quick writing sprints or tracking your productivity.


Image: Astrohaus
A rotating red joystick in the upper-left corner of the keyboard controls media playback and volume.

The keyboard’s other big differentiator is a redesigned function row with keys customized for quickly navigating and editing a document. These include dedicated keys for undo and redo, jumping between paragraphs, and quickly skipping to the top or bottom of a page. There are also three dedicated macro keys — labeled zap, pow, and bam — that writers can customize to their specific needs.
This means the Wordrunner loses keys dedicated to controlling media playback, but that’s all handled through a rotating red joystick in the upper-left corner of the keyboard that can be pressed or moved in four directions for skipping tracks or making volume adjustments.
Other features include an extended wrist rest and the ability to connect to and switch between up to four devices through dedicated hotkeys. The Freewrite Wordrunner can connect to three devices over Bluetooth, including computers and mobile devices, and a fourth with a USB-C cable.

It’s time to write that great American novel.

06/06/2025

Microsoft’s Xbox Developer Direct returns on January 23rd with a ‘brand new game’ https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/9/24338314/microsoft-xbox-event-developer-direct-date-2025 Microsoft is holding another Xbox Developer Direct event on January 23rd. It’s the third Developer Direct in a row, making it an annual look at what’s ahead for Xbox for the year. Like last year’s event, Microsoft will provide some updates on Xbox games that are planned for release in 2025, including feature South of Midnight, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and DOOM: The Dark Ages.
Microsoft’s teaser image for the event also includes a teaser for an unannounced “brand new game” Xbox game. Last year’s Developer Direct featured a first look at Bethesda’s Indiana Jones and the Great Circle.
The Xbox Developer Direct will likely follow a similar format to the last two events, with no hosts and around 45 minutes of gameplay and announcements. The Xbox Developer Direct will take place at 1PM ET / 10PM PT / 6PM UK on January 23rd and will be streamed live on on Twitch and YouTube.

It’s time to see more Xbox games for 2025.

06/06/2025

Perplexity partners with Tripadvisor to source hotel info from real people https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/9/24339020/perplexity-tripadvisor-integration-hotels The AI search engine Perplexity is launching an integration with Tripadvisor that will add more information about hotels. Now, when you search for places to stay, Perplexity will present you with a neatly organized list of hotels, alongside summaries of why it chose them using information sourced from Tripadvisor.
In an example shared by Perplexity, a search for “hotels in Madrid for a business trip” yields a result for Hotel Regina, which the search engine says you should choose “if you want a centrally located hotel in Madrid with exceptional service and a rich breakfast offering.” It also displays its ratings and images from Tripadvisor as well as a list of perks, like “location,” “service,” and “cleanliness.”
Previously, Perplexity only displayed a numbered list of hotels with their address, user rating, and features, while showing images gathered from each hotel’s website in its sidebar.

“From the Tripadvisor side, they provide an up-to-date trustworthy source of information that we sync regularly,” Perplexity cofounder Johnny Ho said during an interview with The Verge. “On the fly, we’ll index and retrieve the right results depending on the user intent of the query.”
Perplexity, which bills itself as an “answer engine” rather than a search engine, plans to expand the Tripadvisor integration to include information about restaurants and experiences in the future. The AI search engine also added data from Yelp last year as part of its goal to include accurate information you can use.
The change comes just weeks after ChatGPT widely rolled out its AI search engine, which now displays results from the web for certain queries. Perplexity’s Tripadvisor integration is rolling out now to Perplexity on the web, but it will be available on its mobile app “soon.”

Perplexity gets more like a traditional search engine.

06/05/2025

Mercedes-Benz EV owners can start using Tesla Superchargers in February https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/9/24339052/mercedes-benz-tesla-supercharger-ev-adapter-price Mercedes-Benz said that its electric vehicles will be able to access Tesla’s Supercharger network starting in February.
By now you should be familiar with how this goes: a manufacturer announces Supercharger access, first through the use of NACS-to-CCS adapters and then later with native NACS integration. The adapters are available to purchase through dealerships. And EV owners will get to giddily watch as the number of accessible public EV chargers suddenly grows by the thousands. (By last count, Tesla had 20,000 stalls in the US and Canada.)
Of course, this is all unique to North American residents, as Europeans who own any flavor of EV have long been able to access Tesla Superchargers thanks to a more enlightened stance on technology standards.
By now you should be familiar with how this goes
Mercedes will be the seventh automaker to gain access to Tesla’s lauded EV charging network, following Ford, General Motors, Rivian, Volvo, Polestar, and Nissan. Mercedes originally hoped to have everything sorted out with Tesla by 2024, but we’ll cut it some slack. Elon Musk was pretty busy last year. (Volkswagen is also planning on opening access this summer, PC Magazine reported.)
The adapter, which is produced by EV charging supplier Lectron, will sell for $185 through authorized dealerships. According to Mercedes spokesperson Andrew Brudnicki, the Lectron adapter is “the only adapter to date that has been tested for safety and compatibility with Mercedes-Benz EVs” and “includes other advantages for customers, such as a more robust interlock connection between the cable and adapter compared to similar adapters.”
(Lectron had a few issues with a faulty latch pin last year, resulting in a recall of around 1,600 units; the company says those issues were addressed in April 2024, and since then, there haven’t been any other problems.)
Tesla Supercharger locations will also be added to Mercedes’ charger map in its app. And the system will be integrated with the company’s use of Plug & Charge, in which charging initiates as soon as the customer plugs in, with no additional steps or authorizations required.
Later this year, Mercedes plans to roll out its first vehicles with factory-installed NACS ports. We don’t know which models will come first, but the company has a variety of EVs available, from the luxurious EQS, to the more affordable EQE and EQB, to the status-conferring electric G-Wagen.
Mercedes is involved in a range of EV charging expansion projects, including the installation of thousands of fast chargers with solar company MN8 Energy and the Ionna venture, along with several other major OEMs.

06/05/2025

Meta is highlighting a splintering global approach to online speech https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/9/24339230/meta-content-moderation-fact-check-europe-digital-services-act Meta’s overhaul of its content moderation and fact-checking policies in the US is bringing into focus a key geopolitical tension likely to grow under the incoming Trump administration: the regulation of speech online.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg made no secret of his attempt to align his interests with those of President-elect Donald Trump, saying he planned to work with Trump to “push back on governments around the world that are going after American companies and pushing to censor more” — naming Europe specifically. The US and the European Union have long had different approaches when it comes to digital regulation, which has at times inflamed tensions since many of the largest tech companies that end up being targeted by Europe’s rules are the US’s crown jewels. That dynamic is likely to be exacerbated under a second Trump administration, with the incoming president’s protectionist policies.
“The inflection point is Trump, and Facebook is just following along,” says Daphne Keller, director of the program on platform regulation at Stanford University’s Cyber Policy Center. Through the policy change, Meta is signaling to Trump that “we want to be part of a fight with Europe. We’re on...
Read the full story at The Verge.

06/04/2025

LA residents find a lifeline in this free wildfire-tracking app https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/9/24339799/watch-duty-wildfire-tracking-app-la-wildfires Watch Duty, a nonprofit-run app that tracks wildfires with live maps and alerts, has shot to the top of Apple’s App Store charts this week as Californian residents look to navigate catastrophic blazes devastating Los Angeles.
The app launched in 2021 and is now available in 22 states, providing evacuation warnings, real-time text, photo and video updates, and a map interface with flame icons to show regions where fires are blazing. Users can access information on evacuation routes, shelter locations, and firefighting efforts, alongside zooming in on the map view to see the latest updates for precise locations. It’s a one-stop shop for everything needed during a fire emergency.
Watch Duty is powered by a team of around 200 volunteers, many of which are retired or active firefighters, dispatchers, or first responders. The app pulls its wildfire information from official government reports, volunteer reporters, and 911 dispatch calls which are then vetted and monitored using radio scanners, wildlife cameras, satellites, and local announcements from law enforcement and fire services.

Watch Duty says that the community-bolstered network allows it to provide more real-time information than fire-tracking services like CalFire and InciWeb which rely on government alerts. The app is used by active firefighters and has become a lifeline for people across the western United States who live in areas deemed to be high-risk fire zones — Watch Duty says its active users increased to 7.2 million by December 2024 compared to 1.9 million in 2023.
Californians on social media are encouraging each other to download the app in light of the ongoing LA fires raging across thousands of acres of land fueled by high winds and extremely dry conditions. As of Thursday morning, the LA Times reports that the fires have killed five people and destroyed more than 2,000 buildings, including the homes of celebrities like Paris Hilton, Billy Crystal, Adam Brody, and James Woods.

Over 367,000 California households are currently without power according to PowerOutage, and at least 130,000 LA residents are now under evacuation orders.
“Seconding the Watch Duty app so hard,” said one Californian on a Threads post encouraging users to download the app. “I live in Butte County, CA, (near where the Camp Fire was in 2018) and Watch Duty has been immeasurably helpful during fires like the Park Fire last summer.”

Watch Duty’s vice president of operations Nick Russell says that users are drawn to the app because it’s more accessible than manually checking several sources and social media updates, and because of its network for vetting and verifying factual information. Conspiracy theories surrounding natural disasters and climate change have become a common occurrence online, with misinformation regarding weather-related events being shared by users across social media platforms.
“One of the big things for us, our big theme, is quality over quantity. We’re not in a big hurry to get information that we’re going to have to go and retract later,” Russell told NBC News on Wednesday. “And so if it takes a few extra minutes to get it out there, that’s fine, but we want it to be that official info; and because we built a one-way communication platform, we don’t offer that venue for people to circulate nonsense ... And so it really puts the ball in our court for good information.”
Russell also noted that Watch Duty doesn’t collect or sell user data, instead relying on premium app subscriptions and funding from private donations to stay up and running. The core features of the app that are essential for fire monitoring, safety, and evacuation, are entirely available for free.
“I think it’s really important in today’s world, where so many people are trying to profit off disaster, to really understand that that’s not what Watch Duty is,” Russell said. “Watch Duty will remain free forever.”

Watch Duty is a one-stop shop for public fire emergencies.

06/04/2025

Threads and Instagram are for politics now, says Adam Mosseri https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/8/24339385/instagram-threads-politics-moderation-adam-mosseri It’s been nearly a year since Instagram and Threads defaulted to blocking recommendations of “political” content from accounts you don’t already follow, but now Instagram boss Adam Mosseri says, “...we’re going to be adding political content to recommendations” on both platforms.
That’s a sharp turn from his statements in 2023 laying out the goal of a “less angry place for conversations” that wouldn’t do anything to encourage politics or hard news. However, under Meta’s new approach to moderation — and new rules about what users can say on its platforms — that goal is going out the window just as the Trump administration prepares to take over.

Until now, users have had to opt-in to seeing recommendations of content deemed political, but the change rolling out this week in the US and to the rest of the world next week will turn on the recommendations and a content control setting available with options for less, standard (the default setting), and more.




View this post on Instagram









A post shared by Adam Mosseri ()

In a series of Threads posts, Mosseri reiterated, “I’ve maintained very publicly and for a long time that it not our place to show people political content from accounts they don’t follow,” and that “it’s proven impractical to draw a red line around what is and is not political content.”
In a video on Instagram, he said that the push for political content — particularly from users on Threads — is “by the way, very different from the feedback we were getting only a few years ago about people feeling that they were overly exposed to political content on our platforms.” Of course, according to the Wall Street Journal, that was before Mark Zuckerberg experienced the effects of filters cutting down the reach of his post about recovering from a torn ACL and before Meta’s new and friendlier-to-Trump policy chief took over.

Status reset.

06/03/2025

Bluetti has two new flagship energy storage kits for the home and beyond https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/8/24334029/bluetti-apex-portable-energypro-home-backup-specs Bluetti just took the wraps off its EnergyPro 6K and Apex 300 energy storage systems. The EnergyPro 6K is a fixed whole-home backup solution, while the modular Apex 300 is designed to provide portable power when at home, at an off-grid cabin, at a job site, or during an RV trip. Both systems can scale in capacity and power to support your individual needs.
The launch is all part of Bluetti’s rebranding around three series of power solutions: EnergyPro products that require professional installation, Apex systems for advanced energy demands, and the smaller Elite lineup of portable power stations and solar generators for more casual use.
The Apex 300 features 3840W of max AC output and 3072Wh of LFP battery storage. It can be combined with the company’s B300K, B300, and B300S batteries, including future expansion batteries yet to be announced. The Apex 300 has an idle power draw of 20W, according to Bluetti, which is pretty efficient for such a large inverter that can simultaneously support both 120V and 240V loads.


Image: Bluetti
The Bluetti Apex 300.

Multiple Apex 300 units can be linked in parallel to increase the maximum output to 11.52kW — enough to power just about any home device or EV. Storage capacity can be expanded to 58kWh with three units and 18 battery packs to keep an entire home running for a few days in the event of a blackout, or much longer if you’re only powering critical devices like the fridge, HVAC systems, and water pumps. It supports up to 30,720W of solar input and is expected to be available in April in the US.


Image: Bluetti
Two worry-free owners of a pair of EnergyPro 6K units connected to an AT1 Smart Distribution Box.

Bluetti bills the EnergyPro 6K as “a reliable, affordable and cost-effective home energy solution ideal for small to medium-sized homes.” It can be configured with 5.8kW to 29kW of power output and between 7.68kWh and 38.4kWh of LFP battery storage. It’s designed to integrate seamlessly into existing rooftop solar systems. It can be paired with a Bluetti AT1 Smart Distribution Box to provide whole-home backup to critical circuits and automatic cutover to a standby generator when needed. Bluetti is also teasing an EnergyPro 13K system, offering 13.2kW to 39.6kW of output and between 9.6kWh and 57.6kWh of storage capacity. The company says that the EnergyPro 6K is expected to be released in Q2 of 2025.
No prices were given as part of today’s announcement, but you can expect both systems to start in the low thousands, or even tens of thousands if you’re looking at a fully specced installation.

06/03/2025

The best stuff we’ve seen at CES so far https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/6/24337606/ces-2025-smart-home-tv-cameras-power-bank-robot-smart-glasses Day two of the biggest tech event of the year is well underway and CES 2025 continues to deliver a long list of new gadgets, tech, concepts, and AI-powered devices tempting you to upgrade.
It’s a lot to keep up with, so we’ll help you catch up. Below are some of the standout gadgets of the show so far. Of course, there’s still a lot more out there and a lot more to go. You can catch up on all of The Verge’s coverage of the show here.
Nvidia Project Digits personal AI supercomputer


Image: Nvidia

Powered by Nvidia’s new GB10 Grace Blackwell Superchip paired with 128GB of memory and up to 4TB of storage, Project Digits looks as small as desktop computers like Apple’s Mac Mini. But it has enough processing power to run complex AI models with up to 200 billion parameters and perform 1 quadrillion AI calculations per second while drawing all the power it needs from a standard household outlet. It’s expected to start at $3,000 when it launches in May 2025.
LG StanbyME 2


Photo by Chris Welch / The Verge

The sequel to LG’s original StanbyME portable TV that was designed to be easily moved around a home is no longer permanently attached to a rolling stand. LG hasn’t announced when the LG StanbyME 2 will be available or how much it will cost, but in addition to a better 27-inch 1440p touchscreen and an improved four-hour battery, it’s now compatible with a shoulder strap that can be used to hang it from a wall hook and a folio cover that doubles as a tabletop stand.
Audio-Technica ATH-CKS50TW2 wireless earbuds


Image: Audio-Technica

There are two features that make Audio-Technica’s new ATH-CKS50TW2 wireless earbuds stand out. When paired with their charging case, the company says the earbuds can deliver up to 65 hours of playback. That’s over 2.5 days between charges. Battery life drops to about 40 hours with ANC enabled, which is still impressive and a welcome feature for travelers unsure of when they’ll next find a power outlet. The earbuds also magnetically attach to each other, reducing the risk of one of them going missing if slipped into a pocket, and automatically power off when joined.
Honda 0 SUV and Honda 0 Saloon EVs


Image: Honda

The Afeela wasn’t the only EV Honda debuted at CES 2025. The automaker also showed off two new battery-electric prototypes. The Honda 0 SUV is based on the Space-Hub concept it revealed last year, while the Honda 0 Saloon is based on its sedan concept. Honda says both EVs will go into production sometime in 2026, with the SUV being built at its factory in Ohio. Both vehicles will feature Honda’s in-house-developed Asimo operating system — named after the humanoid robot it retired in 2018 — and will include features like Level 3 automated driving.
LG AeroCatTower


Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge

CES is often the most entertaining when it’s being weird. There were lots of questionable devices announced this year (do you really need a tiny drink-cooling robot?) but LG’s AeroCatTower could appeal to cat parents. It’s first and foremost an air purifier that will automatically reduce its airflow to avoid disturbing a cat that’s sitting on it and then increase it when the cat departs to clear the air. It also doubles as a scale, weighing and tracking your cat through the LG ThinQ mobile app so you can keep tabs on its health.
PocketBook InkPoster


Image: PocketBook

Instead of turning the living room TV into a digital art frame when not in use, PocketBook’s InkPoster is a separate display — dedicated to art and photography — that uses a more advanced version of E Ink’s color e-paper technology than what’s found in devices like the Kindle Colorsoft. Instead of a limited palette of 4,096 colors, the InkPoster’s Spectra 6 E Ink panel can display around 60,000 shades, and even with Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, its rechargeable battery only needs to be topped off about once a year.
LG UltraFine 6K monitor


Image: LG

Important details like pricing, availability, and even its refresh rate are still elusive, but LG’s new UltraFine display will be the first 6K monitor to support Thunderbolt 5. Featuring a slim stand with a small footprint, the UltraFine 6K monitor will support transfer speeds up to 80Gbps (and potentially even faster) and uses a “Nano IPS Black” panel covering 99.5 percent of the Adobe RGB and 98 percent of the DCI-P3 color gamuts.
Baseus PrimeTrip VR2 Max car charger


Image: Baseus

Assuming the built-in charging cables don’t break after a week’s use, Baseus’ new PrimeTrip VR2 Max car charger could be the ideal accessory for a future road trip. It plugs into a vehicle’s auxiliary power outlet and delivers up to 240W of total power to a pair of retractable 31-inch-long USB-C...

Some of it we want, some of it we definitely don’t need.

06/02/2025

Here’s how small Nvidia’s $3,000 Digits supercomputer looks in person https://www.theverge.com/2025/1/8/24339195/nvidia-digits-ai-supercomputer-in-person-photos-small One of the biggest announcements in Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s CES keynote was the small “Project Digits” AI supercomputer, and if you want to get an idea of just how tiny the $3,000 machine is in real life, we snapped a couple photos of the device under glass today at the show.
Take a look: we’ve captured the front of a Digits computer in the photo at the top of this post, and below this paragraph is a photo of the back featuring the computer’s ports. I really like the textured design.


Photo by Sean Hollister / The Verge

The Digits computers will come with Nvidia’s GB10 Grace Blackwell Superchip, which offers “a petaflop of AI computing performance for prototyping, fine-tuning and running large AI models,” according to Nvidia’s press release. It also includes a GPU built with Nvidia’s Blackwell architecture, 128GB of unified memory, and up to 4TB of NVMe SSD storage.
This isn’t a computer for most people; Nvidia says that Project Digits is intended to provide “AI researchers, data scientists and students worldwide with access to the power of the NVIDIA Grace Blackwell platform.” It definitely isn’t something I will ever buy.
But it is impressively tiny given its capabilities — small computers have been on a tear lately!