Tag Archives: author_name|Mariella Moon

The Justice Department could force Google to break itself up

Posted on by

Google may have to break off parts of its business, such as Chrome and Android, and share users' search data with its competitors, based on the proposed remedies the US Justice Department has submitted in a court filing. The DOJ said it's "considering behavioral and structural remedies that would prevent Google from using products such as Chrome, Play, and Android to advantage Google search and Google search-related products and features" after Judge Amit Mehta ruled in August that it illegally abused its monopoly over the search industry. That ruling was the result of a 2020 antitrust lawsuit filed by the DOJ and several states, accusing Google of "unlawfully maintaining monopolies" over search and search-related products. 

The department is also considering limiting or prohibiting Google from signing contracts with other companies to make its search engine the default option for their browsers and phones. In his ruling, Judge Mehta said that paying Mozilla, Apple, Samsung and other device makers to make Google as their default search engine was an illegal act meant to maintain its dominant position in the market. A Google executive previously revealed during a trial for the lawsuit that the the company paid Apple $26 billion. One of the department's other proposals is to restrict Google from being able to use search results to train its generative artificial intelligence models.  

In a blog post, Google's VP of Regulatory Affairs, Lee-Anne Mulholland, called the DOJ's proposals "radical and sweeping." She said the government "seems to be pursuing a sweeping agenda that will impact numerous industries and products" and proceeded to enumerate how the proposals would affect consumers. Mulholland argued that forcing Google to share users' search queries and results with competitors could create major privacy and security risks, since the company protects them with its "strict security standards." She also said that splitting off Chrome or Android would break them, jeopardize their security and make patching bugs harder. It will "change their business models, raise the cost of devices, and undermine Android and Google Play in their robust competition with Apple’s iPhone and App Store," she explained. 

Mulholland also argued that "hampering Google’s AI tools risks holding back American innovation at a critical moment." Finally, she said that the government's "unreasonable restrictions" on Google's distribution contracts that make its search engine "easily available" would "create friction for people who just want to easily search for information." It could reduce revenue for companies like Mozilla and other Android smartphone makers, as well, leading to the lack of funds for further development and pricier smartphones overall. 

The DOJ has until November 20 to file a more refined set of remedies, while Google has until December 20 to propose its own fixes to the court. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/the-justice-department-could-force-google-to-break-itself-up-123041161.html?src=rss

T-Mobile and Starlink enable their satellite texting service in Florida

Posted on by

The Federal Communications Commission has given Starlink and T-Mobile permission to enable their satellite texting service for Florida residents ahead of Hurricane Milton's landfall. In an announcement on X, SpaceX said that Starlink's Direct to Cell satellites will provide emergency alerts for all phones and carriers, not just T-Mobile's, for those in affected areas. The companies have also enabled basic texting for T-Mobile subscribers, so that they can send and receive texts, as well as text 911 for emergencies, even if they get cut off from the carrier's network in the midst of the storm. 

SpaceX said the companies have activated Direct to Cell for Florida while it's also in the middle of delivering over 10,000 Starlink kits in response to Hurricane Helene. A few days ago, the FCC allowed T-Mobile and Starlink to activate their Direct to Cell service for North Carolina, where more than half of cell towers temporarily went out of commission due to the hurricane. 

Starlink's and T-Mobile's Direct to Cell service hasn't been fully deployed yet. They'd only sent and received the first text messages using the technology back in January. And while they're aiming to start offering their messaging service this year, T-Mobile said they'd deployed an "early test version" of it in the hurricane-hit areas. 

Users will know if their phone connects to a Starlink satellite if they only have one-to-two bars of signal and their network name says "T-Mobile SpaceX." The private space company said they'd have to manually try re-sending messages if they didn't go through the first time and that the service works best outdoors. If users can't get to open spaces safely, they can also try sending messages indoors near a window. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/t-mobile-and-starlink-enable-their-satellite-texting-service-in-florida-100013275.html?src=rss

SpaceX Crew-8 astronauts are leaving the ISS on October 13

Posted on by

NASA and SpaceX are looking to undock the Crew-8 mission vehicle from the ISS on October 13, 3:05AM Eastern time. Crew-8's astronauts were originally scheduled to start making their way back to Earth on October 7, but since their spacecraft is going to splash down off the coast of Florida, NASA and SpaceX had decided to push it back "due to weather conditions and potential impacts from Hurricane Milton." They will hold another briefing on the situation on October 11 and could delay the mission's return further for the safety of everyone involved. 

The Crew-8 mission launched on March 4 this year with four members: NASA astronauts Matthew Dominick, Michael Barratt and Jeanette Epps, as well as Roscosmos cosmonaut, Alexander Grebenkin. They conducted several experiments while on the International Space Station, such as sequencing the DNA of any antibiotic-resistant organism they could find on the ISS to look into how they adapted to the conditions out there. They also studied human brain organoids created with stem cells to look into Parkinson's disease and into how extended spaceflight affects the human brain. They printed human tissues, studied how microgravity affects drug manufacturing and worked with an Astrobee robot. NASA will most likely cover their flight back on a livestream. 

While Crew-8 has yet to leave the space station, SpaceX's Crew-9 mission astronauts have been on board since September 29. That mission only flew with two crew members, because it will be coming back home with NASA astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams who originally flew to the ISS on the Boeing Starliner. NASA said Wilmore and Williams have already tried on and tested their SpaceX Intravehicular Activity spacesuits and have completed all the work required to fly back to Earth with the Crew-9 vehicle. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/spacex-crew-8-astronauts-are-leaving-the-iss-on-october-13-133027531.html?src=rss

Google Docs adds tabs to help you stay organized

Posted on by

Google has released a new feature for Docs that will make it easier to break down — and, later, to find and access — information into separate sections. It's adding tabs to Docs, so that you can "build content in a way that makes it possible for you to find what you’re looking for quickly." Instead of creating multiple Doc files or merely using headings to organize information, you can write down whatever you want into distinct tabs, which will be much quicker to parse than a lengthy document. Tabs could also make collaborating with classmates or co-workers less chaotic. 

In its announcement, Google enumerated several examples of how tabs could help people. "A project manager," the company wrote, "can create a tab for budget, roles and responsibilities, goals, and key dates so that their working team can stay on track." In addition to Google's examples, we could also see the feature being useful to authors, who can use separate tabs for their outline, character profiles, plot plans, scenario details and other important notes. 

Document tabs will take up the left-hand section of the Google Docs interface. You can create several subtabs under each tab if you want to break down the information that's supposed to go into that section each further. If you edit a tab's name, you'll also be able to set an emoji to best represent what it's about, which will then replace the default article icon. The new feature has already started rolling out and will be making its way to all Google Workspace users, as well as everyone with personal Gmail accounts, over the next 15 days. 

tabs in Google Docs.
Google

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/google-docs-adds-tabs-to-help-you-stay-organized-130016429.html?src=rss

Lego’s website was hacked to promote a crypto scam

Posted on by

People who visited Lego's website on the evening of October 4 were welcomed by a banner with illustrated golden coins bearing the company's logo, claiming that the "Lego coin" is now officially out. It even promised "secret rewards" to those who'd buy some. But Lego wasn't truly launching an official cryptocurrency coin, and according to The Brick Fan, the button to buy led to an external cryptocurrency website selling "LEGO Tokens" with Ethereum. The website was, seemingly, hijacked by bad actors who switched its banner and used it for some sort of crypto scam. 

As users on the Lego subreddit have noted, the incident happened overnight for Lego's headquarters. The company responded relatively quickly, though, and removed the unauthorized banner and links. As of this writing, the Lego Fortnite collaboration banner is back up, and the "buy now" link leads to the collection. Lego told Engadget that no user accounts were compromised and that it has identified the cause of the issue. It also said that it was implementing measures to prevent anything similar from happening again in the future. However, the company has declined to share details about that "cause" or the measures it's implementing. 

Here's the company's official statement:

"On 5 October 2024 (October 4 evening in the US), an unauthorised banner briefly appeared on LEGO.com. It was quickly removed, and the issue has been resolved. No user accounts have been compromised, and customers can continue shopping as usual. The cause has been identified and we are implementing measures to prevent this from happening again."

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/legos-website-was-hacked-to-promote-a-crypto-scam-140045757.html?src=rss

Gmail’s Gemini-powered Q&A feature comes to iOS

Posted on by

A few months ago, Google introduced a new way to search Gmail with the help of its Gemini AI. The feature, called Gmail Q&A, lets you find specific emails and information by asking the Gemini chatbot questions. You can ask things like "What time is our dinner reservation on Saturday?" to quickly find the information you need. It was only initially available on Android devices, but now Google has started rolling it out to iPhones. 

In addition to being able to ask questions, you can also use the feature to find unread emails from a specific sender simply by telling Gemini to "Find unread emails by [the person's name]." You can ask the chatbot to summarize a topic you know you can find in your inbox, such as work projects that you've been on for months consisting of multiple conversations across several threads. And you can even use Gemini in Gmail to do general search queries without having to leave your inbox. To access Gemini, simply tap on the star icon at the top right corner of your Gmail app. 

Google says the feature could take up to 15 days to reach your devices. Take note, however, that you do need to have access to Gemini Business, Enterprise, Education, Education Premium or Google One AI Premium to be able to use it. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/gmails-gemini-powered-qa-feature-comes-to-ios-120015661.html?src=rss

Casetify’s Evangelion collection returns for Evangelion Day

Posted on by

Casetify is bringing back the accessories based on Neon Genesis Evangelion that it originally launched in 2023, giving you another chance to grab one or two cases for your Apple devices. The crown jewel of the collection is perhaps the collectible case for the AirPods Pro and Pro 2, which was designed to look like the head of Evangelion Unit-01. It opens from the back to reveal a removable inner case that provides another layer of protection. You could also just carry the inner case if the Unit-01 head is a bit too bulky to fit in your bag or if you want to keep it pristine.

In addition, the collection features cases for iPhones and iPads, including all iPhone 16 models, with photos of Eva pilots, as well as typography highlighting key terms from the anime series. Casetify says its cases aren't just for collection purposes, though, and can actually protect your devices with their impact-resistant design. There's also a MagSafe charger with a cord that resembles Evangelion units' umbilical cables, as well as other MagSafe-compatible accessories. The collection is now available from Casetify's Co-Lab page, its Co-Lab app and its physical studio locations. Take note that some of these items sold out quickly the first time around, especially the AirPods case which Casetify called a "sought-after item."

Evangelion accessories.
Casetify

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/casetifys-evangelion-collection-returns-for-evangelion-day-134559673.html?src=rss

159 employees leave WordPress founder’s company after extortion lawsuit

Posted on by

The feud between WP Engine and Matt Mullenweg, WordPress co-founder and Automattic CEO, recently came to a head when the web hosting service sued the latter, accusing him of "abuse of power, extortion and greed." In a new blog post, Mullenweg said his opponent's attacks on him and his company have been effective enough so that "a good chunk of [his] Automattic colleagues disagreed with [him and his] actions." As a response, he created a "buy-out package" that offered employees $30,000 or six months of salary, whichever is higher, if they resign. A total of 159 people, or 8.4 percent of the company, took the offer. 

Most of the employees who left came from the company's Ecosystem / WordPress business, while the rest came from the division working on apps like Tumblr and Cloudup. As TechCrunch notes, Mullenweg gave the event a positive spin and exclaimed that "the other 91.6 percent gave up $126 million of potential severance to stay!" 

Mullenweg called WP Engine a "cancer to WordPress" and accused the company of violating WordPress’ trademarks. He said they offered WP Engine the option to "pay a direct licensing fee, or make in-kind contributions to the open source project," but the company refused. WP Engine argued that its use of the WordPress trademark was legal. In response, the WordPress Foundation changed its trademark policy page to say that the "WP" abbreviation is indeed not covered by the WordPress trademark, but to please not use it "in a way that confuses people." It named WP Engine outright and even said that the company has "never once even donated to the WordPress Foundation, despite making billions of revenue on top of WordPress." The WordPress co-founder also banned WP Engine from accessing some of WordPress' plug-ins and themes, which broke a lot of the websites it's hosting. 

WP Engine accused Mullenweg of demanding eight percent of the company’s monthly revenue as royalty and of libel, slander, as well as of violations of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and IRS fraud. In a statement, Automattic's lawyer Neal Katyal said he stayed up all night reading the complaint and found the whole thing "meritless." He added that he's looking "forward to the federal court’s consideration of [the] lawsuit."

Update October 4, 2024, 1:57PM ET: We updated the post to attribute the quote at the end to Automattic's lawyer.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/159-employees-leave-wordpress-founders-company-after-extortion-lawsuit-133040801.html?src=rss

Apple will reportedly debut its in-house 5G modem with the iPhone SE 4

Posted on by

Bloomberg recently reported that Apple is close to releasing an updated iPhone SE, which will be its first update to the low-end model since 2022. According to 9to5Mac, Apple is also planning to use the phone as a launching pad for its in-house 5G modems. The company purchased the majority of Intel's smartphone modem business for $1 billion back in 2019 after taking steps to be more self-reliant and aggressively recruiting staff to make that happen. But it has yet to release devices that use the modems designed by its internal team.

Apple and Qualcomm have somewhat of a complicated history. Qualcomm sued Apple in 2017, accusing it of violating its patents related to its phones' ability to quickly connect to the internet after they're switched on, as well as patents related to battery efficiency, graphics processing and apps' capability to download data faster. They eventually settled their patent dispute after Apple agreed to pay Qualcomm royalties and to enter a six-year licensing deal, as well as a multi-year wireless chipset supply deal.

At the moment, Apple still equips its devices with Qualcomm-made 5G modems. Qualcomm also announced last year that it will continue providing modems to Apple until 2026. It's possible that Apple wants to put its in-house modem to the test with just one iPhone first before it puts its technology in more devices.

The iPhone SE 4 will look similar to the iPhone 14 (pictured above), 9to5Mac says, and will be powered by an A18 chip with 8GB of RAM that will make it possible for it to have some Apple Intelligence features. It will reportedly feature Face ID and will no longer have a home button like previous iPhone SEs, and the device will apparently have the iPhone 15's 48MP wide camera and 12MP front cam. The iPhone SE 4 is expected to be unveiled next year, possibly sometime in the spring. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/apple-will-reportedly-debut-its-in-house-5g-modem-with-the-iphone-se-4-103023682.html?src=rss

Judge blocks new California law barring distribution of election-related AI deepfakes

Posted on by

One of California's new AI laws, which aims to prevent AI deepfakes related to elections from spreading online, has been blocked a month before the US presidential elections. As TechCrunch and Reason report, Judge John Mendez has issued a preliminary injunction, preventing the state's attorney general from enforcing AB 2839. California Governor Gavin Newsom signed it into law, along with other bills focusing on AI, back in mid-September. After doing so, he tweeted a screenshot of a story about X owner Elon Musk sharing an AI deepfake video of Vice President Kamala Harris without labeling it as fake. "I just signed a bill to make this illegal in the state of California," he wrote. 

AB 2839 holds anybody who distributes AI deepfakes accountable, if they feature political candidates and if they're posted within 120 days of an election in the state. Anybody who sees those deepfakes can file a civil action against the person who distributed it, and a judge can order the poster to take the manipulated media down if they don't want to face monetary penalties. After Newsom signed it into law, the video's original poster, X user Christopher Kohls, filed a lawsuit to block it, arguing that the video was satire and hence protected by the First Amendment. 

Judge Mendez has agreed with Kohls, noting in his decision [PDF] that AB 2839 does not pass strict scrutiny and is not narrowly tailored. He also said that the law's disclosure requirements are unduly burdensome. "Almost any digitally altered content, when left up to an arbitrary individual on the internet, could be considered harmful," he wrote. The judge likened YouTube videos, Facebook posts and X tweets to newspaper advertisements and political cartoons and asserted that the First Amendment "protects an individual’s right to speak regardless of the new medium these critiques may take." Since this is merely a preliminary injunction, the law may be unblocked in the future, though that might not happen in time for this year's presidential elections. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/judge-blocks-new-california-law-barring-distribution-of-election-related-ai-deepfakes-133043341.html?src=rss