In a move that could make life easier for folks using devices based on its operating systems, Google is working toward unifying Android and ChromeOS, according to a high-ranking Google executive.
Merging the systems could have positive outcomes for customers using, say, a Chromebook and an Android cellphone, much like Apple users have seamless functioning among MacBooks, iPhones, iPads and Apple Watches.
“We’re going to be combining ChromeOS and Android into a single platform, and I am very interested in how people are using their laptops these days and what they’re getting done,” Android president Sameer Samat said in an interview with TechRadar published over the weekend.
When we reached out to Google for comment, the company referred us to an X post from Samat on Monday. He wrote: “we’re building the ChromeOS experience on top of Android underlying technology to unlock new levels of performance, iterate faster, & make your laptop + phone work better together. I’m excited about it!”
Samat did not give a timeline for unifying the systems, though he noted in his X post that the company has been working on the integration since last year. The latest development comes just as Google has rolled out Android 16, whose new features include a Material 3 Expressive design that allows for more customization and a more robust experience with tablets. Samat told TechRadar it’s the “biggest design change in Android in three or four years.”
What an Android-ChromeOS union will mean for you
Jason Howell, former CNET staffer and currently co-host of the Android Faithful podcast, says the merging of ChromeOS and Android is inevitable.
“We’ve seen years of incremental changes paving the way for this,” Howell told CNET. “It’s not entirely surprising that Google finally made it official, but I’m glad they’re being decisive about the transition. Apple’s ecosystem integration is a huge strength, so it makes sense that Google wants a piece of that. Android has evolved a lot since its launch.”
Howell added that combining the systems “will likely make everyday tasks much simpler for users, since they won’t have to relearn how to do the same things on different platforms. This kind of consistency should reduce confusion and streamline the experience, especially for people who move between phones and different types of devices.”
The Linux-based Android was launched in 2008 and is the most widely used mobile operating system in the world. ChromeOS came onto the scene three years later and is used with the Chrome web browser. The most popular cellphones using Android include devices from Samsung, Motorola and OnePlus, along with Google’s own Pixel.
“Android and ChromeOS always felt like two ways to tackle similar challenges,” Howell said. “ChromeOS for web-first, lightweight computing and Android for mobile apps. Merging them lets Google focus its resources on one unified platform that works across devices.”
It was a sunny Thursday evening in New York’s Washington Square Park. People gathered there for one reason, and one reason only: a Labubu fashion show.
On June 12, Labubu lovers strutted down the sidewalks with the tiny toy monsters clipped to their purses, backpacks, beltloops — even their dogs’ harnesses. The model with the best flair won a new toy and, naturally, a purse to hang it on.
The evening provided a glimpse into a seemingly sudden worldwide obsession with the blind-box stuffed animal toy, which retails for about $30 and is sold by Chinese collectible company Pop Mart. A Labubu is “a small monster with high, pointed ears, serrated teeth” and a “mischievous” smile, according to Pop Mart’s website.
Pop Mart sells hundreds of different versions of Labubu — varying in color and level of rarity — and fans don’t know which one they’ve purchased until unboxing it, much like a sealed pack of baseball cards. More than 1 million TikTok videos mention the eerie little monsters, and they often sell out in minutes.
DON’T MISS: A step-by-step guide to buying your first home—and avoiding costly mistakes
Fans range from adult fashionistas and toy collectors to parents buying the oddly creepy dolls for their toddlers. They may line up at Pop Mart stores and vending machines for hours, even traveling overseas to get their hands on one. Some Labubus go for hundreds, or even thousands, of dollars on resale marketplaces like StockX or eBay.
Pop Mart brought in about 13.04 billion yuan ($1.8 billion) in 2024 global revenue, according to the company’s most recent annual results announcement. That included the equivalent of approximately $460 million in profits, the announcement said.
Roughly $423 million of the company’s global revenue came from Labubu dolls alone, says Emily Brough, Pop Mart’s head of intellectual property licensing for the Americas. That’s a 729% increase from 2023, she adds.
“We’ve seen an incredible growth in revenue and interest across all of our IP,” says Brough. “Labubu certainly hit astronomical numbers last year.”
Here’s how Labubu went from a simple collectible toy to a viral, money-making sensation.
Building a multibillion-dollar brand
Pop Mart was founded in 2010 as a small variety shop in Beijing, China. Its founder, Wang Ning — now 38 — had a knack for retail as an advertising student in college, where he’d sell accessories to his classmates, according to Bloomberg.
The business grew steadily, opening another retail store at a mall in 2011 and an online store in 2016. Pop Mart regularly partnered with artists to design and create different toys and figurines, and in 2019, it struck such a deal with artist Kasing Lung, who illustrated a picture book series called “The Monsters.”
Labubu is a character from “The Monsters,” and Pop Mart’s first wave of Labubu dolls “broke the [business’] sales record in the art toy category,” according to the company’s website. A year later, Pop Mart started trading publicly in Hong Kong at a $6.9 billion valuation, putting the company within range of international toymakers like Mattel and Hasbro.
Ashton Jackson
Shoppers queue at a Pop Mart vending machine to buy collectibles in New Jersey’s American Dream Mall.
In 2023, Pop Mart started selling versions of Labubus with keyrings attached to them. Then, in April 2024, Lalisa “Lisa” Manoban, member of the K-Pop band Blackpink, was spotted with a Labubu on her purse as a bag charm.
She unknowingly started a frenzy, as people flocked to get their own monster toy accessory — quickly turning Pop Mart’s dolls into a fashion accessory and symbol of social status. Celebrities like Lizzo and billionaire Rihanna put Labubus on their own purses, further popularizing the toy.
People customize their dolls, giving them hats, “designer” outfits, sunglasses and their own purses. Some people even put real tattoos on their Labubus’ faces. Pop Mart’s market cap is now $43.28 billion, as of Monday afternoon — far outpacing Mattel’s $6.44 billion and Hasbro’s $10.63 billion.
We’re ‘building a brand for longevity’
The vast majority of Pop Mart’s revenue comes from Asia — $1.6 billion in 2024, including $1.1 billion from mainland China alone. Still, Labubus now have hundreds of thousands of fans across the world, including 145,000 “Monsters” in Reddit’s Labubu community, for example.
Pop Mart’s 500-plus stores worldwide include more than 90 retail locations in the United States, including vending machines, according to its website. The company’s success has pushed Ning’s estimated net worth to $21.6 billion, says Forbes.
Some Labubu fans say their affection for the plush monsters goes well beyond celebrity influence: They love the unique-looking toys, the personalities Lung created for them and the thrill of trying to get a specific Labubu for their collections.
CNBC Make It
Pop Mart’s 2024 revenue by region.
Pop Mart’s limited supply has reportedly led to customers fighting over Labubus. Rising resale prices have created a market for knockoff Labubus, known as “Lafufus,” on platforms like Amazon and AliExpress.
Fashion and pop culture trends don’t tend to last forever, meaning Labubu dolls could fade in popularity over time. For now, Pop Mart plans to keep expanding internationally — taking advantage of the craze while it exists — and growing its roster of artists to create and sell more characters, says Brough.
“Pop Mart has been around for 15 years and we are really building a brand for longevity,” she says. “As we continue to diversify our artists’ portfolio and diversify the ways that people can really interact with our characters, we will continue our mission to light up passion and bring joy for years to come.”
Conversions from CNY to USD were done using the OANDA conversion rate of 1 CNY to 0.13923 USD on June 16, 2025. All amounts are rounded up to the nearest dollar.
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Some of Bose’s best headphones, earbuds, and speakers were nicely discounted for Prime Day, but just because the event has ended doesn’t mean the deals are over. Bose is currently offering discounts on a range of refurbished products, plus an extra 25 percent off on top of that with code SUMMER25. For example, Verge-favorite QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are down to $284.25 ($165 off) at Bose, the lowest price we’ve seen yet. The QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds are also down to $186.75 ($113 off) at Bose, another all-time low (and another Verge favorite).
The QC Ultra Headphones are the perfect noise-canceling headphones for travel, offering excellent audio performance and a design that’s comfortable to wear for long stretches. In his review, former Verge senior reviewer Chris Welch said the wider headband on the QC Ultra Headphones didn’t cause any discomfort over extended use. While the headphones feature the same drivers found in Bose’s older Noise Cancelling Headphones 700, the QC Ultra Headphones include a new Immersive Audio mode, which is the company’s take on spatial audio.
The QC Ultra Headphones also offer 24-hour battery life and noise cancellation that’s among the very best. They can block the annoying drone of a plane’s engine and give you peace and quiet in a noisy coffee shop. Additionally, Bose’s transparency mode, which the company calls “Aware,” continues to improve with a more natural sound — nearly reaching the standard set by the AirPods Max.
Meanwhile, the QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds offer the best noise cancellation of any earbuds we’ve tested. They deliver excellent audio quality and a satisfying bass, surpassing the sound quality offered by Apple’s AirPods Pro. Like the QC Ultra Headphones, the QC Ultra Earbuds have an immersive audio mode, providing the illusion that you’re not wearing earbuds at all. Plus, the earbuds offer around six hours of battery life, IPX4 water resistance, and a comfortable fit thanks to stabilizer wings, ensuring they stay secure in your ear.
Bose’s refurbished store is also offering great deals on the Ultra Open Earbuds, which with the code are down to $186.75 ($113 off), and the Smart Ultra Soundbar, which is down to $524.25 ($475 off), both of which are all-time low prices. If you’re looking for a portable speaker, the SoundLink Flex is $74.25 ($75 off), another all-time low. Bose says its refurbished products undergo thorough testing and cleaning before they’re resold, and they’re backed by the same one-year warranty as new products.
The Lambda Cold Dark Matter (LCDM) theory suggests that most galaxies are low-mass dwarf galaxies, many of which orbit larger galaxies like the Milky Way. More broadly, the LCDM represents our best understanding of how the universe works. But there’s a problem. According to the theory, the Milky Way should have significantly more satellite galaxies than scientists have observed with telescopes and predicted with computer simulations.
By combining the highest-resolution supercomputer simulations to date with new mathematical modeling, cosmologists at Durham University in the U.K. suggest there might be up to 100 previously unidentified galaxies orbiting the Milky Way, effectively tracking down our galaxy’s “missing” companions. If future telescopes detect these galaxies directly, it would further bolster the reliability of the LCDM theory, the most widely accepted standard model of large-scale cosmology.
“If the population of very faint satellites that we are predicting is discovered with new data, it would be a remarkable success of the LCDM theory of galaxy formation,” Carlos Frenk, a cosmologist from Durham University, said in a university statement. “Using the laws of physics, solved using a large supercomputer, and mathematical modelling we can make precise predictions that astronomers, equipped with new, powerful telescopes, can test. It doesn’t get much better than this.”
According to the LCDM theory, 5% of the universe is made up of atoms, 25% of cold dark matter (CDM), and 70% of dark energy. Furthermore, galaxies are born within assemblages of dark matter called halos. Prior to this new approach, the researchers claim that even the best cosmological simulations were unable to study very faint galaxies or the evolution of their dark matter halos over billions of years. The simulations basically lost the halos of the consequently “orphaned” galaxies.
According to the ongoing research presented at the Royal Astronomical Society’s National Astronomy Meeting earlier this month, Frenk and his colleagues’ novel technique indicates the presence of faint halos of dark matter potentially hosting orphaned satellite galaxies. They estimated the abundance, distribution, and properties of these “ghost” galaxies (as they’re also called in another Durham University press release) and suggested that the Milky Way’s gravity may have stripped them almost completely of said dark matter halos as well as their stellar mass.
“We know the Milky Way has some 60 confirmed companion satellite galaxies, but we think there should be dozens more of these faint galaxies orbiting around the Milky Way at close distances,” said Durham University’s Isabel Santos-Santos, also a cosmologist and co-lead researcher along with Frenk. “Observational astronomers are using our predictions as a benchmark with which to compare the new data they are obtaining. One day soon we may be able to see these ‘missing’ galaxies, which would be hugely exciting and could tell us more about how the Universe came to be as we see it today.”
While the universe still hides innumerable mysteries, it seems like sometimes we’re on the right track.
AFTER HIS first post-election call with Vladimir Putin in February, Donald Trump gushed about the “great benefits” of a rapprochement with Russia and seemed to relish the prospect of visiting the Kremlin. On July 14th he lost patience, announcing that America would resume supplies of Patriot air-defence missiles and other weapons, and threatening secondary tariffs of 100% on countries doing business with Russia if there was no peace deal within 50 days. “We’re very unhappy with Russia,” Mr Trump declared.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has honored two standout performers for June 2025, with West Indies captain Hayley Matthews winning the Women’s Player of the Month and South Africa’s Aiden Markram claiming the Men’s award.
South African opener Aiden Markram was named the ICC Men’s Player of the Month for June 2025, primarily for his exceptional performance in the ICC World Test Championship (WTC) Final against Australia at Lord’s.
Markram scored a crucial 136 runs in the second innings, anchoring South Africa’s successful chase of 282 runs to secure their first ICC title since 1998.
Markram’s all round brilliance included breaking a dangerous partnership by dismissing Steve Smith early and anchoring a tense chase with key stands alongside Wiaan Mulder and an injured Temba Bavuma.
Speaking on the achievement, he said, “It is a privilege to receive this award. To contribute to a World Test Championship win for our team and South Africa is something that means a lot to me. Winning the final at Lord’s is a historic moment for South African cricket.”
He beat two strong contenders , teammate Kagiso Rabada (who took 9 wickets in the final) and Sri Lanka’s Pathum Nissanka (who scored centuries in both Tests against Bangladesh). This win highlights how important Markram’s performance was in helping South Africa finally claim an ICC trophy after 27 years.
Women’s Player of the Month
On Women’s side , the ICC Player of the Month for June 2025 is Hayley Matthews, the West Indies captain, who claimed the award for the fourth time in her career, tying Australia’s Ash Gardner for the most wins in the category.
She earned this honor after leading West Indies to a 2-1 T20 series win over South Africa. Matthews dominated with the score of 147 runs at an impressive average of 73.50, while maintaining a fast strike rate of 120.49. She also chipped in with two key wickets using her off spin bowling.
Despite a shoulder injury affecting her ODI performances, Matthews still managed scores of 40 and 56, along with four wickets, proving her resilience.
Reflecting on the award, she said “It’s an honour to receive the Player of the Month award again. I’ve been pleased with my form recently, but more importantly, it’s been great to contribute to the team’s success, especially in a hard fought T20I series against South Africa. Recognition like this is appreciated, but my focus remains on what’s ahead.”
Matthews, who debuted internationally at 16, has been a pillar of West Indies cricket, playing pivotal roles in their 2016 T20 World Cup win and captaining the side in major tournaments. Her ability to excel despite managing type 1 diabetes since age 12 adds to her inspirational legacy.
These awards highlight the remarkable achievements of Aiden Markram and Hayley Matthews, celebrating their crucial roles in recent international cricket successes and their ongoing contributions to their teams.
While the oeuvre of Toronto director David Cronenberg, the maestro of body horror, has inspired generations of Canadian filmmakers (including his progeny) and continues to do, Montreal’s Fantasia Festival and its Frontières Market event put them face-to-face with the global genre community – not to mention rabid local audiences – in a red-carpet-free cinema hotzone.
10 years in the making, Félix Dufour-Laperrière’s “Death Does Not Exist” (“La mort n’existe pas”), his third animated film and the only Canadian feature to world-premiere at Cannes this year, receives its North American and local premiere July 17.
Dufour-Laperrière has made all his animated films with the same small team out of the Montreal studio he runs with his brother Nicolas. “We’re coming from the Quebec film scene, which has a strong relationship with documentary, animation, alternative fiction, alternative means of production,” he told Variety.
“The subject matter [of ‘Death Does Not Exist’] might be difficult, but it is made with total honesty,…
PacSun debuted the brand’s fall 2025 campaign, celebrating “Denim Days” with Y2K nostalgia. Reclaiming a classic touchstone of early aughts sentimentality, the campaign was captured in a mall, with Gen Z models embracing the social and cultural center wearing new styles for the autumn season in fresh photos.
The campaign features a range of denim staples and new styles, including the Jade Bootcut, Zoe Low Rise GF, Sloane Ultra Baggy, and Jordyn Low Rise Straight, for women. Men’s selections include the Blake Extreme Baggy, Ryder Ultra Baggy, Mason Baggy Barrel, Jordan Bootcut, Dylan Baggy and Cade Straight.
“Denim has always been a central part of PacSun’s story, and a central part of how our community expresses themselves,” said Richard Cox, chief merchandising officer at PacSun. “With our Denim Days campaign, we wanted to tap into cultural moments that are important to our consumer. The mall is back, jeans are personal, and in true PacSun fashion, we’re meeting our audience where they already are.”
Here, see photos from PacSun’s fall 2025 collection and denim styles.
“I would love to see more of the classic thin gold metal frames with colored tints,” Lennox says. “There is something so sexy about the delicate nature of thin gold.” (Rose, lavender, and amber hues all pair nicely with gold, she says.) While Lennox’s current eyewear obsession is a French brand called Ahlem, she also suggests that more adventurous dressers check out pairs from Brain Dead and Loewe.
Cutler and Gross
1379 Sunglasses
Brain Dead
Elia Sunglasses
Sora Suzuki, associate merchant, Todd Synder
When it comes to his eyewear, Sora Suzuki prefers glasses that hit that sweet spot between optical and sun—and he’s loyal to the New York label Moscot. (Which makes perfect sense, as the iconic eyewear company is known for its custom tints.) This summer, Suzuki says he’ll be wearing the Lemtosh, perhaps the brand’s most famous style, with a rosy brown hue. He also owns as pair of the Telena model with icy blue lenses. “The tints are light enough that it doesn’t look completely absurd to wear them indoors at the office,” he says.
Out in the wild, Suzuki has noticed well-styled men are gravitating toward either end of the eyewear spectrum: “I’ve been seeing extremes of really big and wide sunglasses and then super small and dainty,” he says. However, his prediction for the frame of the summer leaned more into the former: “Big old aviator sunglasses.” Rather than the ubiquitous wire-framed ones, Suzuki says, you want aviators that are “bigger, gaudy, and made of acetate.”
Jacques Marie Mage
Glenn Gould Fugue Acetate and Silver-Tone Sunglasses
“I think men are becoming more playful with sunglasses lately, and starting to experiment a little more,” says Brandon Mahler, a menswear consultant who has worked with the likes of Aimé Leon Dore and Drake’s. Lately, Mahler has noticed more dudes embracing shades with a slight cat-eye shape or leaning heavily towards a thicker acetate, à la Jacques Marie Mage. He’s a big fan of the Catfish style from Veda: “They’re so sturdy and feel very powerful for a smaller frame.” Mahler has also been eyeing some statement-making aviators from Port Tanger.
His main advice for finding a great pair this summer is to get out there, try some on, and keep an open mind. “Some of my favorite sunglasses have been a pair I might not normally gravitate towards,” he says. “But then I end up going back for them because I keep thinking about them two days later.”
Port Tanger
Zia Sunglasses
Catfish
Haskell Sunglasses
Derrick Gee, DJ and radio host
Derrick Gee—the former record label creative director behind the weekly show Solid Air and its accompanying 24/7 online radio station—has amassed a next-level collection of eyewear. It’s hard to miss his frames. His eccentric lineup boasts everything from vintage Ray-Bans and Gouverneur Audigier to Gucci and Moscot. “I like to generally pick pairs that are the opposite of my last pair, just to keep me on my toes,” Gee says.
His two most recent pickups, which he expects to wear the hell out of this summer, are from Saint Laurent and Jacques Durand. Like a few of our other experts, Gee feels that bigger, eye-catching silhouettes are on the rise. “I think one-off statement frames are becoming a big, big thing,” he says, pointing to the sizable style Reneé Rapp recently donned on Ziwe’s show as a great example. “I think they’re fun. More of it!”
Saint Laurent
SL 736 Sunglasses
Courrèges
Hybrid 01 Sunglasses
Brice Partouche, founder, Satisfy Running
As the creative powerhouse behind one of the hottest labels in running, Brice Partouche is no stranger to the intersection of style and performance. His current go-to is Satisfy’s redux of the Oakley Straight Jacket, a sleek and fashionable silhouette from 1994 that still looks pretty damn fresh today. (It’s sold out, but Oakley’s Eye Jacket offers a similar style.) “They’re minimal and sharp,” Partouche says. “I’ve always had a thing for black frames, a bit like the old Wayfarers. I’m a Wayfarer guy at heart.”
While he didn’t have much in terms of concrete predictions, Partouche instead offered up some wishful thinking: “I just hope more people start wearing those round purple sunglasses like Ozzy Osbourne…No one is cooler.” And honestly, drawing inspiration from the Prince of Darkness, especially when it comes to eyewear, is never a bad idea.
HBO has provided a first glimpse at the new world of Harry Potter, as filming begins on its hotly anticipated television adaptation of JK Rowling’s beloved book series.
A photo provided by the broadcaster shows Dominic McLaughlin in character as the young wizard for the first time. The 11-year-old was selected alongside Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley and Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger after an extensive casting search among British children aged 9-11. As with Daniel Radcliffe before him, McLaughlin sports Potter’s trademark round glasses and Gryffindor uniform.
“The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold, and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together onscreen,” said executive producers Francesca Gardiner and Mark Mylod while introducing the trio in May. “We would like to thank all the tens of thousands of children who auditioned. It’s been a real pleasure to discover the plethora of young talent out there.”
HBO also announced new cast additions, including Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom, Amos Kitson as Dudley Dursley, Louise Brealey as Madam Rolanda Hooch and Anton Lesser as Garrick Ollivander.
Cameras have started rolling on the series at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden in the UK. The show, described as a “faithful adaptation” of Rowling’s bestselling novels with one season per book, “full of the fantastic detail, much-loved characters and dramatic locations that Harry Potter fans have loved for over 25 years”, according to HBO’s announcement in 2023.
Development of the show, executive-produced by Rowling and written by Gardiner, ignited feverish speculation over casting. HBO eventually confirmed that John Lithgow would play Albus Dumbledore, the headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry originally played by Richard Harris and Michael Gambon. Other confirmed cast include Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell and Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch.
Filling out the cast, for now, will be Lox Pratt as Draco Malfoy, Johnny Flynn as his father Lucius, Bel Powley as Petunia Dursley, Daniel Rigby as Vernon Dursley and Katherine Parkinson as Molly Weasley.
The series, directed in part by Succession veteran Mylod, is now expected to premiere on HBO in 2027, 30 years after the first book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone (also known as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone), was published, and 16 years after the final film in the eight-part franchise, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part Two.
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