Jun 15
“You have a real star glow about you,” the judge told James after she sang Billie Eilish’s “Lovely.”
Jun 15
The European Union’s second highest court has ruled in favor of Qualcomm (PDF) and has scrapped a 2018 European Commission decision to slap the company with a €997 million ($1.05 billion) fine. Back in 2018, the Commission said Qualcomm abused its market dominance in LTE baseband chipsets by paying Apple billions of dollars from 2011 to 2016 to exclusively use its chips in iPhones and iPads. That allegedly prevented rivals, such as Intel, from striking deals with the iPhone-maker. Now, the General Court has annulled “in its entirety, the Commission decision.”
In its announcement, the General Court said it based its decision on two factors. First is that it found a “number of procedural irregularities” that affected Qualcomm’s right of defense. The Commission apparently failed to record the precise content of meetings and conference calls with third parties in connection with the case as it was required to do so. Further, it based its decision on Qualcomm’s alleged abuse of market dominance for LTE chipsets alone, even though the case’s statement of objections also mentioned its abuse of position when it comes to Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) chipsets.
The General Court has also found that while Qualcomm’s payments reduced Apple’s incentives to use other companies’ products, there were no viable alternatives to its LTE chipsets for iPhones at the time anyway. It has also decided that there was no sufficient evidence to determine whether Qualcomm’s payments prevented Apple from using other companies’ chipsets for its iPad models released in 2014 and 2015.
This is the second fine imposed by the European Commission against big tech companies that the General Court has scrapped. In January, the court also overturned the €1.06 billion fine the Commission levied against Intel. Similar to this particular case, the Commission accused Intel of abusing its dominant position in the market by offering manufacturers such as HP, Dell and Lenovo incentives for using its microprocessors instead of those from rival AMD’s.
Qualcomm’s fight might not be over, though. As Reuters notes, the Commission can still file an appeal with Europe’s highest court. Indeed, it told the publication that it will study the court’s judgement closely before deciding on its next steps.
Jun 15
Your skin regenerates itself roughly every 27 days, and the dead skin cells you shed in the process can make up almost half of the dust floating around your home. This dust, of course, eventually lands on your furniture and electronics. If you’re tired of stockpiling cans of compressed air to clean dust and dirt off…
Jun 15
A team of 29 experts are now calling it hMPXV and advocate for a “speedy decision and adoption of a new name.”
Jun 15
Samsung is selling its new M8 smart monitor for $100 less than its retail price again. The tech giant made the M8 available for pre-order in March and dropped its price for the first time last month. If you missed that opportunity to buy the M8 at a discount, you now have another chance to grab the white version for $600 from Amazon or the tech giant’s website. The M8’s other color variants have always been $30 more expensive than the white version, and the same is true even for this deal. You can get the pink, green or blue M8 for $630, though that is still $100 less than its retail price.
Buy Samsung M8 Smart Monitor at Amazon – $600Buy Samsung M8 Smart Monitor at Samsung – $600
The 32-inch display has a 3,840 x 2,160 pixel resolution, supports HDR 10+ and has refresh rates of up to 60Hz. It’s not just a monitor you can use with a desktop computer or a laptop, though: It’s also a WiFi-capable smart TV that supports Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Apple TV, as well as cloud gaming platforms. The display has built-in dual 5W speakers and a built-in home hub that allows you to use it to control SmartThings-compatible IoT devices, such as smart lights and thermostats. It even has built-in support for Microsoft 365, so you can edit documents or browse the web without having to connect it to a computer.
If you work from home or take online classes, you can use the detachable SlimFit Cam it comes with for video calls. Plus, you can change the monitor’s angle and position using its height-adjustable stand. It’s not the biggest display out there, but the M8 makes a great choice if you have limited space in your home or if you’re looking for a computer monitor and a smart TV in one.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice.
Jun 15
Transaction freezes at Celsius Networks, which we reported on a few days ago, seem to be just the start of another stormy week in cryptocurrency. Binance has been sued over the collapse of the TerraUSD stablecoin, and Coinbase — one of the biggest cryptocurrency platforms — cut over 1,000 jobs ahead of difficult economic conditions. The layoffs were abrupt. Coinbase cut affected employees’ system access at the same time as the announcement, to prevent “rash decision[s]” by outgoing staff.
TerraUSD’s value collapsed in May, causing massive losses for investors, who trusted its classification as a stablecoin that’s supposed to maintain its value of $1 per coin. Unlike other stablecoins backed by real-world assets, though, TerraUSD is an “algorithmic” stablecoin not backed by fiat currency — like the US dollar.
Instead, it’s backed by a cryptocurrency called Luna and has a mechanism to restore its value to $1 if it ever falls. That’s the issue a Utah resident took against Binance, accusing it of falsely advertising TerraUSD as a safe asset, backed by fiat currency.
There’s a “crypto winter” coming, according to Coinbase’s chief Brian Armstrong — it’s just started in the summer.
— Mat Smith
The biggest stories you might have missed
Meta rolls out parental supervision tools for Quest VR headsets
Ford voluntarily recalls 49,000 Mach-Es due to overheating batteries
The best smartwatches
No, the Apple Watch isn’t your only option.
Engadget
The wearable world is heaving, but a few key players have muscled their way to the front of the pack. Maybe you want to reach for your phone less throughout the day, or maybe you want to stay connected but more discretely. Whatever the reason, we’ve laid out exactly what you need to look for and made several recommendations for your first steps into wearables, across iOS and Android.
The UK just eliminated its EV rebate incentive
‘The government has always been clear the plug-in car grant was temporary.’
Christopher Furlong via Getty Images
The UK government has ended its plug-in car grant program, effective immediately. The scheme launched in 2011, with grants up to £5,000 ($6,089) or 25 percent of the cost of the car, which gradually reduced to £1,500 ($1,827) — until today. The grant ends on future sales but will still be honored for any buyers that already applied for it.
The UK government now plans to focus on charging stations but didn’t say if it planned to boost the £1.6 billion budget it had already set aside.
WhatsApp finally makes moving from Android to iOS less painful
Many of us can relate.
If the thought of losing all your WhatsApp chat histories has kept you from making the jump to iOS, you no longer have to worry. Today, the app is adding a feature to help you move your content using Apple’s Move to iOS tool. The feature is available as a beta for now, so you may notice a few bugs during the transfer.
The 13-inch MacBook Pro M2 will be available to pre-order on June 17th
The upgraded laptop will reach customers on June 24th.
Apple has announced it’ll start taking orders for the 13-inch MacBook Pro M2 on June 17th for deliveries on June 24th. The system starts at $1,299 ($1,199 for education) with 8GB of RAM and a 256GB SSD. In a sense, its greatest rival will come from Apple: the still-to-be-released MacBook Air M2. You won’t get a cooling fan or the longest possible runtime, but you will get a larger screen, a MagSafe power connection, more free ports and a slimmer, lighter chassis.
Microsoft ends Internet Explorer support in Windows 10
It’s the end of an era you probably won’t miss.
Microsoft will no longer support the Internet Explorer 11 desktop app for Windows 10 as of, well, today. You’ll still receive IE11 support if you’re using Windows Server 2022 or an earlier OS release with a long-term service extension, but this marks the effective end of software updates for most of us.
Apple TV will stream every MLS game for a decade, starting in 2023
You’ll need a separate subscription to catch every match.
Starting in 2023, Apple TV will be the only place to watch every Major League Soccer game for the next decade. Soccer fans around the world will be able to stream all of the league’s matches through the Apple TV app. Notably, there won’t be any restrictions or regional blackouts.
If you’re planning to watch every match, you masochist, you need to subscribe to a new MLS streaming service, which will only be available through the Apple TV app.
Netflix is creating a real-world competition based on ‘Squid Game’
Just less bleak.
Variety reports that Netflix is creating a reality competition show, Squid Game: The Challenge, based on the Korean series. The 10-episode production will pit 456 people against each other in games both “inspired” by the show as well as new events.
Jun 15
Elon Musk voted for a Republican for the first time on Tuesday, according to a tweet the billionaire sent early Wednesday. Musk has previously insisted he’s only voted for Democrats but made a recent switch to Republicans—a switch made, coincidentally or not, just after being contacted for comment by Insider about…
Jun 15
The famous Watergate reporters visited with Stephen Colbert and said Trump “went farther” to undermine democracy.
Jun 15
PayPal is expanding its buy now, pay later options with a longer-term payment plan. The company has enabled users to cover the cost of a purchase over a few interest-free payments and it also offers credit cards. Pay Monthly, which is issued by WebBank, is another option for folks in the US.
It’s valid for purchases between $199 and $10,000. The cost will be split across monthly payments of between six and 24 months. If you select the Pay Monthly option at checkout, you’ll then need to complete an application. Should that be approved, you’ll be able to select from three payment options with different time frames. APR is calculated on a risk basis and will be between zero and 29.99 percent. The first payment is due a month after purchase.
You can set up automatic payments from your debit card or bank account. Alternatively, users can manage payments through PayPal’s app and website. As with the company’s other buy now, pay later options, there are no late fees. PayPal says millions of retailers will support Pay Monthly — including Samsonite, Fossil and Advance Auto — and that purchases will be eligible for PayPal Purchase Protection.
With its latest option, PayPal is getting out ahead of Apple Pay Later, which will be rolled out as part of iOS 16 later this year. That’s aligned more with PayPal’s Pay in 4 option, in that users will make four equal payments over six weeks, with no interest or late fees. However, purchases are said to be capped at $1,000.
Such moves by the likes of PayPal, Apple and Square are indicative of a broader trend of major tech companies moving deeper into lending, a finance sector that was primarily the domain of banks. However, there are risks to using now, pay later services, especially if consumers fall behind on payments.
Jun 15
The Looming Reversal Of Roe v. Wade Is Another Perilous Sign For American Democracy
Posted in: Today's ChiliIn Brazil, Poland and now the United States, efforts to limit abortion rights are inseparable from attacks on democracy as a whole.
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