Author: Shivendra Singh

It is our lot in life to poop. We eat stuff, digest it, and then the waste must be expelled. That’s just the way it is, which means we are destined to spend a not-insignificant portion of our time sitting on the porcelain throne. So why not make that as pleasant an experience as possible? And if your toilet seat can make the experience better, cleaner, and more comfortable, then does it not deserve its own throne?

Behold the Brondell Swash Thinline T44, the best bidet seat I’ve ever sat on. And for $700, it had better be.

The Thinline T44 is a bidet toilet seat. These sorts of things have been around since 1980, when the Toto Washlet debuted in Japan, and they’re a lot more convenient than the old standalone bidets they’ve more or less replaced. At its most basic, the bidet toilet seat fits on your toilet bowl, connects to the water supply line, and washes your butt. They can be as cheap and simple as something that blasts you with cold water when you open a valve. The Thinline T44, from San …read more

The European Union has announced details of new mandatory labels for smartphones and tablets sold in the bloc, which include ratings for energy efficiency, durability, and repairability. Hardware will also have to meet new “ecodesign requirements” to be sold in the EU, including a requirement to make spare parts available for repair.

The labels, which will be required for any devices that go on sale from June 20th onwards, are similar to existing ones for home appliances and TVs. They display the product’s energy efficiency rating, on a scale from A to G, along with battery life, the number of charge cycles the battery is rated for, letter grades for durability and repairability, and any applicable IP rating for protection from dust and water.

<img src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2025/04/eu-smartphone-tablet-energy-label.png?quality=90&strip=all&crop=13.596534653465,0,72.806930693069,100" alt="An example of the EU energy label for smartphones and tablets" title="An example of the EU energy label for smartphones and tablets" data-has-syndication-rights="1" data-caption="The new labels include plenty of information on a product’s eco credentials. | Screenshot: European Commission” data-portal-copyright=”Screenshot: European Commission”>

Alongside the labels the EU is introducing “ecodesign requirements” imposing minimum standards on the same products. Those include protection from splashes …read more

Volkswagen isn’t typically mentioned in conversations about robotaxis, but the German auto giant has been quietly working on its own self-driving technology for over a decade. And now the company is ready to deploy its first autonomous vehicles on Uber’s ridehailing platform, starting with a commercial robotaxi service in Los Angeles in 2026.

The vehicles will be VW’s ID Buzz electric minivans equipped with self-driving sensors and software developed by subsidiary Moia. The long-wheel base version of the Buzz can seat at least seven passengers, so VW is clearly trying to maximize its ridehailing potential. The goal is to ultimately have “thousands” of vehicles operating in multiple US cities over the next decade, the automaker says.

VW will begin testing the service later this year, using vehicles with safety drivers behind the wheel. The company says it will only proceed with fully driverless operations after receiving the necessary permits and clearance from regulatory agencies.

VW has been testing its self-driving technology in the US for a number of years. It deployed autonomous Buzz vehicles in Austin, Texas, in …read more

Stellantis says its solid-state batteries are getting closer to reality. The parent company of brands like Jeep, Dodge, Ram, and many others is working with startup Factorial on the new batteries, which have just been successfully validated for automotive use and will be installed in a demonstrator fleet in 2026.

Most EVs use “wet” lithium-ion batteries containing liquid electrolytes to move energy around. Solid-state batteries, which have been slow to come to market, promise faster charging speeds, more capacity, and longer range vehicles.

Stellantis and Factorial call the new packs Factorial Electrolyte System Technology, or FEST, arguing that unlike conventional lithium-ion batteries, the solid-state batteries have higher density and can support faster charging. Think 15-90 percent in just 18 minutes at room temperature. Factorial’s technology uses a lithium-metal anode (the “positive” charge side of the battery), quasi-solid electrolyte, and high-capacity cathode (the “negative” side).

Stellantis says its 77Ah FEST cells have demonstrated an energy density of 375Wh/kg with over 600 charging cycles, “a milestone for large-format lithium-metal solid-state battery.” In addition to faster charging speeds, the solid-state batteries can also deliver higher power output with discharge rates up to 4C, for …read more