Razer is joining many PC makers by unveiling new Windows 11 systems, although the biggest news may have more to do with prices than the computers themselves. To begin with, the Razer Book now has a regular starting price of $1,000 as a company store exclusive. You'll still get the familiar 11th-gen Core i5, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of SSD storage, but you no longer have to wait for the 13.4-inch machine to go on sale if $1,200 is too extravagant.

Higher-spec Razer Book models are also better values than their outgoing models, at least at official prices. A jump to $1,500 gives you a touchscreen, a Core i7, 16GB of RAM and a 512GB SSD (previously $1,600), while it now takes 'just' $1,800 to buy a 4K touch variant that now includes 1TB of storage on top of the existing Core i7 and 16GB of RAM.

There's also a slight update for heavy-duty gamers. The Blade 15 Advanced now comes in new configurations that mate a 240Hz QHD screen and a 11th-gen Core i7 with faster GeForce RTX 3070 and 3080 graphics choices. They won't be cheap, of course. The 'base' starts at $2,700 with the RTX 3070, 16GB of RAM and a 1TB SSD, while the all-out $3,100 model leaps to the RTX 3080 and 32GB of RAM.

All the new Windows 11 PCs are available to order today. Existing Razer systems (including those still on sale) can upgrade to Windows 11 as well, although you'll want to check the compatibility list before you pick up an older model.

It wouldn't be a new James Bond movie without a few tie-ins, and No Time to Die is clearly sticking to that rule. Psyonix and Epic Games have revealed that Bond's Aston Martin Valhalla, the first hybrid car in the game, will be available in Rocket League (complete with matching audio, decal and wheels) for 1100 Credits starting October 7th. You'll also find three in-game challenges to unlock a Bond-themed avatar border, banner and player title.

Completists will have the option of buying a Bond 007 Collection between October 7th and October 13th that includes both the Valhalla and the classic DB5 for 2,000 Credits. The DB5 was released in July, but this could represent a better deal for Bond aficionados.

The expansion isn't a surprise when Epic has lots of money to throw at promotional deals. This could boost interest in Rocket League among either diehard Bond fans or newcomers looking for more real-world cars. If nothing else, it should be amusing to watch 007 score a flying, upside-down goal or two.

Instagram may have been down for hours, but it's back with an arguably overdue change to how the social network handles videos. The Facebook brand is merging its long-form IGTV format with the regular videos from your feed, leaving just one format for all Instagram footage — you won't have to distinguish between the two. We've asked Instagram if this will lead to longer videos playing directly in your feed, but there will always be a Video tab in profiles to explore more content.

The move might help Instagram-based creators, too. While they'll still have to produce long-form video to qualify for ads (now called Instagram In-Stream video ads), they should have an easier time reaching viewers who would have glossed over IGTV in the past. Instagram is also merging post and video insights into a single metric.

You may have an easier time polishing that video, too. Instagram is bringing a few common editing features to its videos, including trimming, filters, location tags and people tags. Still images have had filters and tags for a while, of course, but this theoretically puts moving pictures more on par. You may have an easier time finding videos linked to a friend or a memorable concert.

The merger could boost uptake for Instagram video. IGTV demand wasn't what Instagram expected, and this update makes the longer video format more accessible, not to mention less confusing. Creators might be more inclined to share videos on Instagram as a result — and that might help the social media giant better compete against TikTok, YouTube and other video-focused heavyweights.

Mozilla likes to cut distractions and speed up browsing, and its latest browser reflects that priority. The developer has revamped Firefox Focus for Android and iOS to give it a "fresh new look" (including a dark theme), more privacy and quicker access. There's now a shield icon to quickly turn trackers on or off, not to mention a global counter for every blocked tracker. You'll find a shortcut feature, too, to help you visit favorite sites that much sooner.

Firefox is receiving improvements on other platforms. On top of easier password autofill, Firefox users on Android (iOS is coming later this year) can easily create new passwords for apps or unlock accounts using only biometric data like fingerprints and facial recognition.

And yes, Mozilla is taking advantage of Microsoft's loosened Windows 11 store rules for third-party browsers. The company has promised that Firefox will be available through Microsoft's app portal "later this year." While that doesn't provide a firm date, it's a welcome addition for users who want to quickly grab an alternative to Edge.

You've the option to re-download Apple's in-house apps for a while, but you haven't been allowed to write App Store reviews for them like you can for third-party titles. Apple is now treating its apps more as equals, though. 9to5Macnotes Apple has quietly enabled App Store ratings and reviews for its own software. If you want to laud improvements to Maps or trash Mail, you can.

The volume of reviews is relatively low compared to equivalent third-party apps that have been around for years, like Gmail or Google Maps. However, it won't surprise you to hear the ratings are relatively low. Apple's Podcasts client is sitting at two stars as of this writing, while Apple News is sitting at 2.3 stars. Maps has only partly mended its early reputation with a three-star rating. Like with third-party software, some customers are using the ratings and reviews to gripe about technical issues instead of design.

The change treats Apple's apps more fairly, and might even be useful to help the company spot and respond to criticism. It might likewise see this as another way to improve public perception of the App Store. On top of an Epic lawsuit that could soon force Apple to alter App Store policies, the iPhone maker has preemptively stopped favoring its own apps in rankings and reduced its cut of small developers' apps revenues. Ratings and reviews won't dramatically change Apple's image, but they likely won't hurt. 

Bungie split from Activision a long time ago, but that isn't stopping the company from distancing itself from the sexual harassment scandal affecting its former publisher. The Destiny 2 creator is implementing a number of reforms that it hopes will foster diversity and inclusion, prevent harassment and clamp down if abuse takes place. Most notably, it's joining other tech companies in dropping the mandatory arbitration clause in employee agreements. It should be easier for harassment targets to sue and otherwise make their complaints public.

The company has also hired inclusion-oriented leaders, including a Chief People Officer and an as yet unnamed but "deeply experienced" director. Bungie is further reviewing its hiring practices to prevent biased selections, and is adding a third-party anonymous reporting tool (on top of existing options) to reduce the reluctance to flag harassment. CEO Pete Parsons added that half of Bungie's board, and four out of nine executives, were either women or from underrepresented demographics.

Parsons stressed that there was "more that can be done," and that there was no ideal ending. He felt it was important for Bungie to set an example for others, though, and was hopeful the game industry as a whole would improve its practices.

Bungie hasn't faced harassment allegations like Activision, Riot Games or Ubisoft. This appears to be a proactive step rather than a reaction to internal turmoil. All the same, the move illustrates the pressure on developers to rethink their anti-harassment strategies — studios like Bungie want to prevent incidents long before they lead to lawsuits and protests.

Twitch might have another way to deter "hate raids" and similar abuse: make it impractical to create a troll account. The livestreaming service has introduced an option that lets streamers and moderators require one-time phone or email verification for chatters. Broadcasters can either require it for everyone or set exemptions based on account age, follow duration or status. A streamer can require verification only for first-timers, for example, or waive the requirement for subscribers and VIPs.

The company will allow as many as five accounts to verify through one phone number for the sake of businesses. However, trolls can't rely on this to evade bans. Twitch will ban every account linked to a phone number if one of them faces a ban, whether it's one channel or across the entire service. You also can't use VOIP or landline numbers

Twitch said it would gauge the impact of verification after launch. It also teased plans for another tool to fight ban evasion in the "coming months."

This might not spook the most determined harassers. They may create new email addresses or borrow phone numbers. It might reduce the dependence on moderators to curb bad behavior, however, and could discourage 'casual' harassment from those who were previously unafraid to lose their accounts. Don't be surprised if you see fewer hit-and-run incidents the next time you're watching a stream.

You no longer have to point your phone at your computer screen if you want to use Google Lens on your computer. As part of a string of updates, Google has revealed that Lens will be available for Chrome on the desktop in the "coming months." You just have to right-click on a website, choose to search with Lens and select the part of the page you want to examine. After that, you'll get results relating to the content you highlighted. Needless to say, that could be helpful if you're trying to identify an animal or a hot new jacket.

There are some upgrades coming to Lens on your phone. An update in early 2022 will let you ask a question after snapping a photo. If you need to know how to repair a part on your bike, for instance, you'll get results even if you don't know what that part is. The Google app for iPhones, meanwhile, will let you search for products within images.

This is a not-so-subtle effort to boost Google Shopping. You might be more likely to buy apparel or bike parts if you can identify them, after all. Even so, the expansion could make Lens more useful as a general search tool, not just for special circumstances.

Disney said The Book of Boba Fett would premiere this December, and it's making good on its promise — if only just. The media giant has revealed that the Mandalorian spin-off will debut December 29th on Disney+. The art accompanying the release date doesn't show much, but you can assume Boba Fett won't suffer fools lightly. (Caution: mild Mandalorian spoliers ahead.)

The series follows Boba Fett and his mercenary ally Fennec Shand shortly after the end of Mandalorian season two, as the pair return to Tatooine and lay claim to Jabba the Hutt's former territory. Temeura Morrison and Ming-Na Wen will reprise their respective roles. Producers from the earlier show are helming this latest project, including Jon Favreau, Robert Rodriguez and Kathleen Kennedy.

This won't satisfy fans looking for Mandalorian season three, which will only arrive afterBoba Fett. It does give fans another Star Wars fix before the end of 2021, at least, and it ensures you'll have another major Disney+ show to watch once you've finished with Hawkeye.

Elon Musk isn't fond of Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin, and he just made that patently clear. CNETreports that Musk told Code conference attendees Bezos should put more effort into "getting into orbit than lawsuits," and that you couldn't "sue your way to the Moon" as Blue Origin allegedly tried when it lost its lunar lander bid. He was also less-than-flattering to Virgin Galactic, describing its first passenger flight and Blue Origin's as "a step in the direction of orbit" that fell short of SpaceX's efforts.

While Musk is known for being harsh, he might have some support in this case. The Verge has obtained NASA legal documents showing that the space agency felt Blue Origin "gambled" with its originally proposed $5.9 billion lunar lander price. Bezos' company allegedly set the price far higher than necessary as it expected NASA to award the contract and negotiate for a lower cost. Blue Origin also reportedly assumed NASA would get the full funding from Congress needed for that initial price, even as the Senate made clear NASA wouldn't get the necessary amount.

You know what happened next. Rather than haggle the price, NASA picked the $2.9 billion SpaceX bid. Blue Origin challenged the award and even made a last-ditch $2 billion offer, but by then it was too late. The Government Accountability Office rejected Blue Origin's claims, saying NASA didn't violate regulations in picking SpaceX. Bezos' outfit took NASA to court roughly two weeks later.

In an interview, Blue Origin VP Megan Mitchell told The Verge the company rejected NASA's views. She felt Blue Origin made a "great offer" and that it disagreed with NASA's gambling characterization. The GAO separately said NASA partly botched its safety review requirements for the proposal, although it still sided with SpaceX on grounds that Blue Origin didn't explain how the move provided an unfair edge.

This isn't to say Musk and SpaceX are innocent. SpaceX sued the US in 2019 after it lost an Air Force rocket contract to Blue Origin and other competitors, for example. It's just that Musk's trash talking appears to carry some weight in this modern Moon race.