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Europe has accused Google of “abusive practices in online advertising technology” that could lead to its ad business being split up, the EU Commission wrote in a statement of objections. It found preliminarily that since Google is unlikely to change its behavior, only the “mandatory divestment” of part of its services would address competition concerns.

“Google is present at almost all levels of the so-called adtech supply chain,” executive VP Margrethe Vestager said in a statement. “Our preliminary concern is that Google may have used its market position to favor its own intermediation services. Not only did this possibly harm Google’s competitors but also publishers’ interests, while also increasing advertisers’ costs.”

Google’s ad business is now under attack on several fronts. Earlier this year, the US Department of Justice (DoJ) sued Google to break up its ad business, accusing it of illegally monopolizing the market. That in turn forced key ad tech rivals to abandon the market, dissuade new ones from joining and left the few remaining competitors “marginalized and unfairly disadvantaged,” the regulator said.

There is nothing wrong with being dominant as such. What our investigation has shown though, is that Google appears to have abused its market position. It did so by ensuring that both its intermediation tools on the buy- side and on the sell-side would favour AdX in the “matching” auctions.

The EU Commission said Google is dominant in virtually all parts of adtech via services for both advertisers and publishers, along with an ad exchange called AdX. That would be fine by itself, but it accused Google of abusing its market position by making sure both its buy- and sell-side intermediation tools would favor its own exchange. “In other words, we are concerned about two potentially anticompetitive conducts by Google, which are both about favoring AdX,” the Commission wrote.

In one case, AdX was able to bid after all other bidders had done so, and in another, it was informed in advance of the value of the best bids from rivals. On the supply side, Google Ads placed bids nearly exclusively on its own exchange, giving it a significant advantage over competitor’s exchanges, according to the EU.

The Commission said that any remedy demanding Google change its behavior would be ineffective. “The Commission’s preliminary view is therefore that only the mandatory divestment by Google of part of its services would address its competition concerns,” according to the statement of objections.

Google will now be able to respond to the complaint before any judgement is issued. On top of being split up, the company could face a fine of up to 10 percent of its yearly global turnover, pending any appeal. It’s unusual for the EU to suggest any remedy ahead of a guilty judgement, The Wall Street Journal noted. Engadget has reached out for a statement from Google.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/eu-could-breakup-googles-ad-business-over-antitrust-violations-124549344.html?src=rss

Vodafone has announced its intentions to merge with Three, pulling together the UK’s two remaining standalone mobile networks. The move comes in a market that has seen major consolidations in recent years between Virgin Media’s merger with O2 and BT Group’s purchase of EE. If regulators approve the deal, Vodafone and Three’s new company will become the largest mobile phone operator in the UK, with an estimated 27 million customers. 

“Three UK and Vodafone UK currently lack the necessary scale on their own to earn their cost of capital. This has long been a challenge for Three UK’s ability to invest and compete,” (Three Owner) CK Hutchinson Group Co-Managing Director Canning Fok said in a statement. “Together, we will have the scale needed to deliver a best-in-class 5G network for the UK, transforming mobile services for our customers and opening up new opportunities for businesses across the length and breadth of the UK.” Vodafone will own 51 percent of the company, while CK Hutchinson controls the rest. 

The merger with Vodafone isn’t the first time Three has tried to couple up with a competitor. In 2015, its parent company announced plans to buy O2 for £10.25 billion ($12.96 billion), but the European Commission and Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) blocked the purchase over concerns of “reduced competition” and “higher prices.” However, O2 was able to merge with Virgin Media in 2021 after the CMA determined that similar concerns were unfounded. Vodafone and Three are attempting to sweeten the latest deal with a promise to invest £11 billion ($13.9 billion) across ten years in the UK’s 5G infrastructure, in line with the government’s targets.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/vodafone-and-three-plan-to-merge-into-the-uks-largest-mobile-network-123642148.html?src=rss

After you slip on the knitted head strap and turn a small dial to get a light-tight fit, the view of the real world through Apple’s Vision Pro headset is nearly seamless. Nearly. You’re not seeing the world through a transparent lens, but instead, a real-time video recreation of it beamed from external cameras onto a…

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Weapons supervisor Hannah Gutierrez-Reed’s attorneys say the case has been mishandled.

Device charging company Anker is moving into Tesla’s territory with the launch of the Solix line of home energy products, including a modular Powerwall-like battery storage system, the company announced at an event in New York City. It also introduced a smaller battery aimed at folks living in condos and apartments that can be used with its existing balcony-mounted solar panels.

The modular battery system, set to arrive globally in 2024, will be scalable from 5kWh of power (enough to run an average-sized house for a few hours) up to 180kWh, which could feasibly power a house for nearly a week. It’s designed to deliver backup power to both existing and new solar installation, and Anker promises it will “provide high levels of safety and durability, seamlessly transfer to off-grid power and be compatible with home energy equipment such as heat pumps, oil- and gas-powered generators.” It will also work with a “forthcoming EV charging solution,” the company wrote.

The system will use lithium iron phosphate (LFP) batteries and operate at temperatures ranging from -20C to 55C (-4F to 131F). It’s controlled by Anker’s power management system and available with an app. Anker has yet to provide the all-important pricing, but said more information will be available “later this year.” 

By comparison, Tesla’s Powerwall 2 units have nearly triple the power (13.5kWh each), cost $11,500 each installed and can be scaled up to 135kWh. Standalone Powerwall installations qualify for a 30 percent residential federal investment tax credit, along with any state incentives.

Anker

Along with the modular battery, Anker unveiled the Solarbank E1600 battery pack as part of an energy storage system for apartments and condos. Set to be sold in Europe, it follows the company’s recently launched Solix RS40 balcony solar panel system, and is compatible with “99 percent of the balcony PV products on the market,” the company said.

It’s modular, available in sizes from 1.6kWh to 3.2kWh (enough for a few hours of power), and works with most micro-inverters including the ones bundled with the RS40 solar panels. Once plugged it into a standard home power socket, it’ll absorb any excess energy from the solar panels and feed it back to the home if the grid goes down. Anker promises a “five minute DIY installation,” and said it can support 6,000 charging cycles or double the industry average. It can also be controlled via an app.

The new storage products join Anker’s existing lineup of batteries (now branded Solix as well), like the 767 PowerHouse 2.05kWh designed for campers and outdoor use, and charged with an optional 200W solar panel. Anker now joins companies like Ecoflow (with its modular 3.6kWh-25kWh Delta Pro battery) and others in the burgeoning home energy storage market. 

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ankers-new-solix-home-energy-storage-includes-a-modular-solar-battery-system-085432144.html?src=rss