Tag Archives: region|US

Intel wins latest antitrust battle with EU court

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Intel just won an epic battle with the European Union over a €1.06 billion ($1.1 billion) fine levied way back in 2009, Bloomberg reported. In a final decision, the EU Court of Justice overturned the original judgement, ruling that regulators didn't provide sufficient proof that Intel gave illegal rebates to PC makers. Intel's European misadventures aren't quite finished yet, though, as it's still battling a €376 million fine ($406 million) imposed by the Commission last year.

Back in 2009, the EU ruled that Intel illegally used hidden rebates to squeeze rivals out of the marketplace for CPUs. It also found that Intel paid manufacturers to delay or completely cease the launch of products powered by AMD's CPUs, calling those actions "naked restrictions." The legal process went back and forth for years after that, but in 2017, Europe's highest court ordered the fine to be re-examined as the EU didn't conduct an economic assessment on how Intel's actions impacted rivals. 

Europe's second highest court confirmed that the Commission carried out an incomplete analysis and overturned the €1.06 billion fine back in 2022. At the time, it said that the EU couldn't establish if Intel's rebates were "capable of having, or were likely to have, anticompetitive effects" due to the incomplete analysis. 

The Commission launched an appeal to that ruling, but the EU Court of Justice has now upheld it. Still, Intel never appealed the "naked restrictions" part of past decisions, so last year the Commission imposed a new €376 million fine on that basis. Intel is also fighting that penalty too, though, and has sued the EU to recoup interest on the original, larger fine.

The processor landscape has changed drastically since the original 2009 ruling, of course. Back then, Intel ruled the PC roost with an 81 percent CPU market share, compared to 12 percent for AMD. Today, Intel's share is down to 63 percent and the company has struggled in the area of chip production next to rival TSMC, which manufacturers the bulk of AMD and NVIDIA's CPUs, GPUs and AI processors. Ironically, Intel has outsourced a large chunk of its production to TSMC and other foundries, to the tune of around 30 percent. Luckily, despite its manufacturing problems, it does appear to have excellent legal counsel.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/computing/intel-wins-latest-antitrust-battle-with-eu-court-133040762.html?src=rss

The Apple Watch Series 10 is $30 off right now

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If you've been looking to upgrade your smartwatch, now might be the right time. Our favorite smartwatch, the Apple Watch Series 10, is currently on sale with the 42mm model down to $370 from $399 in Jet Black. The 46mm model is down to $399 from $429 and available in Jet Black and Silver Aluminum.

Apple released its Series 10 Watch only a month ago, alongside new products like the AirPods 4 and the iPhone 16. We gave it a 90 in our review features like its thinner frame and bigger screens — from 41mm to 42mm and 45mm to 46mm. The watch also offers music and podcast listening through its onboard speaker, which worked alright for a quick listen in a quiet space. Its battery also lasts slightly longer than its predecessor's. 

Health-wise, the Apple Watch Series 10 brings sleep apnea monitoring, tracking your sleeping patterns for 30 days to see if its worth going to a doctor. Notably, the Series 10 Watch doesn't include a Blood Oxygen app as Apple faces ongoing copyright litigation arguing the tech giant infringed on a patent owned by health tech company, Massimo. 

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/deals/the-apple-watch-series-10-is-30-off-right-now-133026681.html?src=rss

EU fines LinkedIn $334 million for violating the GDPR

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LinkedIn is facing a €310 million ($334 million) fine in the EU after the Irish Data Protection Commission (DPC) determined it had improperly conducted behavioral analyses of its members' personal data for targeted advertising. This decision argues that LinkedIn violated the GDPR by not obtaining proper consent, demonstrating legitimate interest or showing a contractual necessity to process the data it and third-parties collected. 

The DPC also reprimanded LinkedIn and handed down an order for it to collect all data in a compliant manner. "The lawfulness of processing is a fundamental aspect of data protection law and the processing of personal data without an appropriate legal basis is a clear and serious violation of a data subjects’ fundamental right to data protection," DPC Deputy Commissioner Graham Doyle stated. 

The decision stems from a 2018 complaint by the French non-profit organisation, La Quadrature Du Net, and an initial inquiry examining whether LinkedIn processed the personal data of its users lawfully, fairly and transparently. The matter was originally raised with the French Data Protection Authority and then transferred to the DPC as LinkedIn's European base is Ireland. 

A LinkedIn spokesperson shared a statement with Engadget in response to the decision: "Today the Irish Data Protection Commission (IDPC) reached a final decision on claims from 2018 about some of our digital advertising efforts in the EU. While we believe we have been in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), we are working to ensure our ad practices meet this decision by the IDPC's deadline."

Update, October 24 2024, 9:12AM ET: This article has been updated to include a statement from LinkedIn. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/big-tech/eu-fines-linkedin-334-million-for-violating-the-gdpr-123053773.html?src=rss

Snapchat’s camera is getting a shortcut on the iPhone lock screen

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Snapchat users will soon be able to launch the app’s camera directly from the iPhone lock screen, thanks to an app update and the magic of iOS 18. The latest iPhone operating system update allows people to swap out the flashlight and camera on the lock screen for a diverse array of other useful tools. These tools will now include the Snapchat camera.

Tapping the button will launch Snapchat’s “Camera Only” mode. This will, technically, let you create a Snap, but there’s a major caveat. The lock screen allows users to take photos, but not add filters or post anything. For that, you’ll have to unlock the phone with Face ID, Touch ID or a passcode and open the actual app.

This unique feature will be available via an app update sometime this week. Of course, it also requires an update to iOS 18.0 or the forthcoming iOS 18.1. To get started, tap and hold the Lock Screen and tap Customize. Follow the prompts to remove the default options and add the Snapchat camera.

Phones running iOS 18 offer another little update for Snapchat users. The volume buttons can now be used to capture a Snap while the app is open. Just press either volume button to take a photo or hold one down to record a video.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apps/snapchats-camera-is-getting-a-shortcut-on-the-iphone-lock-screen-130039644.html?src=rss

NASA’s Webb telescope detects the first potential brown dwarfs outside our galaxy

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The James Webb Space Telescope is making it possible to detect more celestial objects we previously wouldn't be able to, including ones that can further our knowledge on how our universe began. A team of astronomers, for instance, detected a "rich population of brown dwarf candidates" outside our own galaxy for the first time. The image above was captured using the telescope's Near-InfraRed Camera (NIRCam) instrument. 

We already know of the roughly 3,000 brown dwarfs inside the Milky Way, but Webb made it possible to find candidates 200,000 light years away from our planet. "Only with the incredible sensitivity and spatial resolution in the correct wavelength regime is it possible to detect these objects at such great distances," said Peter Zeidler, the team leader from AURA/STScI for the European Space Agency. "This has never been possible before and also will remain impossible from the ground for the foreseeable future."

Brown dwarfs are neither planets nor stars. They're free-floating objects around 13 to 75 times larger than Jupiter, and they aren't gravitationally bound to a star like exoplanets are. Yes, they're bigger than the biggest gas giants, but they're also not big enough to produce massive amounts of light, which is why they're sometimes called "failed stars." According to the scientists in this study, their observations support the theory that brown dwarfs form like stars do, they merely "don’t accrete enough mass to become a fully fledged star." As NASA notes, scientists think it's possible that a "great deal" of the universe's mass comes in the form of brown dwarfs. Seeing as they're mostly dark and can barely generate any light, they could help answer the "missing mass" problem that astronomers are still trying to solve. 

The team found the new brown dwarf candidates in a star cluster called NGC 602 near the outskirts of the Small Magellanic Cloud dwarf galaxy. They explained that older Hubble observations showed that the cluster contains very young low mass stars, but Webb made it possible to look at them more closely. Based on what they've seen, the cluster exists in an environment comparable to the early universe, which means studying the brown dwarfs could provide more clues on how stars and planets formed billions of years ago.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/science/space/nasas-webb-telescope-detects-the-first-potential-brown-dwarfs-outside-our-galaxy-120007295.html?src=rss

The Morning After: Arm doubles down in its Qualcomm fight

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Isn’t it fun when a relatively minor skirmish over money boils over to threaten (checks notes) the whole Android ecosystem? That’s what’s happening now chip firm Arm has moved to cancel the architecture license allowing Qualcomm to build its chips.

Essentially, back in 2021, Qualcomm bought an AI chip company, Nuvia, which was also an Arm licensee. Qualcomm has used Nuvia’s technology inside its AI PC chips, but Arm feels Qualcomm never sought its blessing to transfer those licenses.

In response, Arm sued Qualcomm in 2022 to try to get what it was owed, with the battle due to go to trial this December. But unless someone backs down in the interim, Qualcomm might not be able to make the chips — the basis for its multi-billion dollar business.

I wouldn’t worry too much, given how high the stakes are for both companies in this situation. It’s likely someone will cut a hefty check days before the license is withdrawn, and everyone can go back to gently tolerating each other.

— Dan Cooper

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News in Brief

Image of an Intelsat Satellite
Intelsat

A Boeing-made communications satellite has exploded, breaking up while in geostationary orbit around Earth. The US Space Force believes the Intelsat hardware has broken into 20 pieces, while Roscosmos says it is tracking 80 fragments. There is no danger to life on Earth, but the debris may pose a risk to other satellites in orbit — as well as Boeing’s reputation.

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Image of Adam Scott in 'Severance'
Apple

I’ll be honest, I found Severance to be the most stressful TV show of 2022, to the point where I had heart palpitations for most of the season finale. Now, after nearly three years in production, the second season will debut on Apple TV+ on January 17, 2025. I’m still not sure if my body can manage a second go, but those with stronger constitutions should make preparations.

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Image of a Tesla vehicle
Tesla

Tesla has claimed it’s working on a series of more affordable EVs, with production due to begin in the first half of 2025. Of course, like any pledge coming out of an Elon Musk-owned company, we must take that with a pinch of salt. Although if you want a cheap Tesla, the used market has been pretty bountiful for a while now.

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Huawei is believed to have used a new TSMC-made chip in its hardware despite the number of sanctions designed to stop that happening. Now, TSMC has revealed it has halted shipments to a client that may have quietly been handing its supply over to the Chinese technology giant. If true, it makes you wonder how long Huawei expected to do this before someone noticed.

Continue Reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-arm-doubles-down-in-its-qualcomm-fight-111513704.html?src=rss

Cinemark’s Gladiator II AR-enabled popcorn bucket claims ‘you can eat war’

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The popcorn bucket wars just became literal with Cinemark's latest entry for Gladiator II. The theater chain's new entry is not only shaped like the Roman colosseum, it plays a cutesy augmented reality gladiator battle when you point your smartphone at QR code on the bottom (AR-ENA, get it?). The butter on the popcorn is Cinemark's tagline, claiming "you can eat war." 

In fact, all of the ad copy is brilliantly cheesy: "Every kernel of strength, every ounce of honor, is for the glory of Rome. As you preside over this gladiator arena, you can... eat war. Finish the popcorn and unleash the battle within. You will be entertained." Being intoned in the Honest Trailer style takes it up an extra notch.

It's the latest popcorn bucket movie merch, following high-profile entries from Dune and Deadpool. We've also seen entries for Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire, Beetlejuice Beetlejuice and others that didn't quite capture the same zeitgeist.

Sure, you might need to wipe off some popcorn grease to read the Cinemark bucket's QR code, and the AR animation of two fighting gladiators is reminiscent of a PlayStation 2 render. Still, neither the Dune nor Wolverine buckets boast any interactive features, so the Gladiator II bucket has them beat there — and it's a smart way to rope in the tech press. 

Cinemark's vessel is also plausibly shaped like a popcorn bucket with its colosseum form. The same can't be said for Dune's sandworm-shaped bucket or Deadpool's Wolverine head bucket (Dune director Denis Villeneuve called the latter "horrific" and he's right). If you're looking to expand your collection, the Gladiator II popcorn bucket will arrive "soon" and the movie itself hits theaters on November 22.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/entertainment/cinemarks-gladiator-ii-ar-enabled-popcorn-bucket-claims-you-can-eat-war-093045963.html?src=rss

Roblox to launch new child safety protocols next month

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Roblox has adopted several new policies designed to give parents control over how their children use the sprawling online game platform. Bloomberg reported that the company has created a new type of parental account so that a guardian can oversee their kids' online activities and friends. Roblox is also now requiring parent permission for users under age 13 to access certain features. Users age 9 and younger will also need permission in order to access game modes with moderate violence or crude humor. The publication said these changes are slated to go into effect next month.

Concerns about safety for young players have been a recurring issue for Roblox. The platform faced a lawsuit claiming exploitation of a minor in 2022. Sony was reluctant to host the game on its hardware over questions of whether Roblox exposed children to inappropriate sexual content, and the same justification led to a ban in Turkey earlier this year. Hindenburg Research recently released an exposé about predatory behavior as well as misleading financial activity at Roblox (although that source has a shaky reputation of its own). An investigation by Bloomberg Businessweek found that at least two dozen people have been arrested by US law enforcement since 2018 for abusing or abducting child victims they met on Roblox.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/roblox-to-launch-new-child-safety-protocols-next-month-225552516.html?src=rss

Tesla says it will ‘begin launching’ new and more affordable EVs next year

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One of Tesla’s biggest downsides has always been the upfront cost of its electric vehicles versus gas models. The cheapest car it currently sells is $42,490 before subsidies, and the average Kelley Blue Book starting price of its 2024 models is just over $63,000.

Tesla wrote in its third-quarter disclosure report that it’s making “preparations” to offer new vehicles with “more affordable models.” The EV maker’s cost of goods sold per vehicle also came down to “its lowest level ever” at $35,1000.

“Plans for new vehicles, including more affordable models, remain on track for start of production in the first half of 2025,” the report reads. “These vehicles will utilize aspects of the next generation platform as well as aspects of our current platforms and will be able to be produced on the same manufacturing lines as our current vehicle line-up.”

Tesla also says it plans to “begin launching” its cheaper EV models “in the first half of 2025.” That wording is still fairly loose, so there’s no guarantee that a new model will ship the same year.

The other surprise in Tesla’s report came from the numbers. It turns out that despite setbacks like the Cybertruck’s fifth recall and a federal investigation into its EVs’ Full Self-Driving feature, Tesla had a fairly robust third quarter. The carmaker’s net income rose by 8 percent to $2.51 billion and sales rose by 2 percent year-over-year. The news also ends its four-quarter streak of missed earnings targets.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/tesla-says-it-will-begin-launching-new-and-more-affordable-evs-next-year-215038050.html?src=rss

Minecraft is ending all virtual reality support next spring

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For Minecraft players, virtual and mixed reality will soon go the way of a hissing creeper. Developer Mojang announced last month that March 2025 would be the last update for the game on PlayStation VR. Yesterday's patch notes for the Bedrock edition of the game use similar language, stating that "Our ability to support VR/MR devices has come to an end, and will no longer be supported in updates after March of 2025."

All is not lost for the block builders who have been enjoying Minecraft in virtual reality. After the final March 2025 update, the patch notes clarify that "you can keep building in your worlds, and your Marketplace purchases (including Minecoins) will continue to be available on a non-VR/MR graphics device such as a computer monitor." It's a sad development for a game that was such a good match for the VR experience. And with the huge sales figures Minecraft continues to put up year after year, it's also a bit discouraging for the broader virtual reality and mixed reality ecosystem to lose such an iconic title.

There is a silver lining for the Minecraft community, however. After a very long wait, the game finally has a native edition available for the PlayStation 5. Sony's latest console generation has been relegated to using the PS4 version until now, but going forward the game will have 4K resolution and 60 fps even at a longer draw distance. If you're a PS5 owner who already has the PS4 version of Minecraft, you can claim the new update for free in the PlayStation Store. And with the Bundles of Bravery update rolling out yesterday, it's a promising time to start a new blocky adventure.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/minecraft-is-ending-all-virtual-reality-support-next-spring-212953347.html?src=rss