Game of Thrones might have been one of the biggest shows to ever grace a television screen, but it was not without its issues. In addition to fans being disappointed at how the story ended, the show was rightfully criticized about its often unflattering portrayals of women and its lack of diversity, to name just two…
As the world shifts to renewable energy, our appetite for copper—a key component for renewable technologies—is rising rapidly. But we may not have the tools to meet the growing need.
Video games aren’t just a lucrative industry for the companies making the games; now you can earn a good living playing them, too. Making a Twitch stream look as professional as possible is an easy way to attract viewers and sponsorships, which has typically meant investing in gear like Elgato’s Stream Deck. Razer has…
Sony has announced yet another big change coming to its platform, this time in the form of a rewards program for gamers called PlayStation Stars.
A team of astronomers recently detected a fast radio burst that persists about 1,000 times longer than the average burst and has a clear periodic pattern. The radio burst is an eclectic new addition to the running list of mysterious radio signals that emanate from various sources across the universe.
Researchers at MIT have detected radio signals coming from deep space. These signals are the first of their kind to appear periodically, rather than randomly.
Amazon is talking from both sides of its mouth. In Europe, it’s offering concessions to antitrust regulators. In the United States, it’s funding shady lobbyists in hopes of killing antitrust legislation.
Amazon is making some significant commitments in an attempt to escape EU fines for allegedly misusing seller data. The European Commission is asking for public feedback on Amazon proposals that theoretically give third-party sellers a better chance of competing with Amazon’s direct sales. The company has pledged to avoid using private seller data in situations where there’s competition with Marketplace shops, whether it’s obtained through automated tools or employee access.
The firm has also promised “non-discriminatory” terms for third parties selling to Prime subscribers, including a choice in delivery and logistics services. Amazon also won’t use participants’ Prime data to give its own logistics a boost, according to one proposal. In another commitment, Amazon vowed “equal treatment” when ranking sellers in the Buy Box section that lets you quickly purchase goods. Runners-up will also have a better chance at grabbing your attention — you’ll see a second offer in the Buy Box if it’s substantially different in terms of price or delivery.
Comments on the proposals will remain open until September 9th. Whatever conditions the EU accepts, they’ll remain in effect for five years with oversight by a trustee reporting to the Commission. They would also cover all of the European Economic Area, although the Buy Box and Prime changes wouldn’t apply to Italy when the country already demanded changes to Amazon’s behavior.
In a statement, Amazon told Engadget it still felt the EU was “unfairly” targeting the company with legal efforts like the Digital Markets Act, but that it “engaged constructively” with regulators to address issues. You can read the full response below. It previously denied allegations in an April 2020 Wall Street Journalreport that it misused third-party seller data to launch competing products, and said the practice was against its policies. However, it caught flak from the US’ House Judiciary Committee for purportedly withholding documents and obstructing an investigation into its practices. The internet giant maintained that it offered “good-faith cooperation” with the House inquiry.
Should the Commission greenlight the proposals, they could bring an end to a long saga. The EC opened an antitrust investigation in July 2019 over concerns Amazon might have been using sensitive Marketplace info to give itself an unfair advantage, and in November 2020 offered a preliminary stance that Amazon shouldn’t rely on those merchants’ business data to refine its sales strategy. With that said, Amazon won’t avoid further trouble even if the EU deal moves forward. It’s still facing a reported SEC investigation in the US, not to mention a Senate bill meant to help third-parties selling through platforms like Amazon.
“While we have serious concerns about the Digital Markets Act unfairly targeting Amazon and a few other U.S. companies, and disagree with several conclusions the European Commission made, we have engaged constructively with the Commission to address their concerns and preserve our ability to serve European customers and the more than 185,000 European small and medium-sized businesses selling through our stores. No company cares more about small businesses or has done more to support them over the past two decades than Amazon.”
In the Blade movies, rich vampires—often dressed in fancy black suits and ties—use blood banks as a kind of front to siphon blood from the poor and desperate. Apparently, reality isn’t too far off from that bleak dystopia.
Many creators use a control pad like Elgato’s Stream Deck to help them manage livestreams and create art. Razer is looking to make moves in the space with its own control pad, the Stream Controller.
The company is working with Loupedeck on the device, which seems to be a rebadged version of the Loupedeck Live with Razer’s marketing muscle behind it. The Stream Controller has 12 haptic switchblade keys, six analog dials and eight physical buttons, all of which you can customize using Loupedeck’s software on Windows or macOS. You can use the controls to change all kinds of settings (such as layouts and scenes) on the fly, launch apps and even manage smart home devices.
The dials help the Stream Controller stand out from similar devices. They allow for fine adjustment of certain settings, such as lighting and volume, so you might use it as an audio mixer to balance out your microphone, gameplay and background music. You can find plugins, profiles and icon packs on the marketplace and create your own actions and macros.
You’ll be able to set up multiple control layouts (called workspaces) for dedicated purposes and map those to the eight physical buttons or swipe between them. Digital artists who stream on Twitch for fun could use the Stream Controller for both work and pleasure, since they can switch to a separate workspace with completely different functions. Or you might use the Stream Controller to control music playback during the day and help you edit YouTube or TikTok videos at night.
You’ll pay a premium for the extra utility of the dials and other functions, though. At $270, the Stream Controller is more expensive than the $150 Stream Deck. Razer will start shipping the device this fall.
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