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A federal judge ruled that Google has illegally abused its monopoly over the search industry. The ruling follows a 10-week trial held in 2023, which followed a 2020 lawsuit.

Judge Amit Mehta of the US District Court for the District of Columbia wrote in the ruling that the company had acted “to maintain its monopoly.”

The lawsuit claimed that Google illegally acted to maintain its dominant position in search through behavior like paying Apple, Samsung and Mozilla billions of dollars a year to be the default search engine on smartphones, browsers and elsewhere. The DOJ argued Google is responsible for almost 90 percent of web searches.

Mehta has not imposed any remedies on Google yet, but he could demand it change how it operates or even sell parts of the business. Google plans to appeal.

— Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

Neuralink successfully implants its chip into a second patient’s brain

NVIDIA’s AI team reportedly scraped YouTube, Netflix videos without permission

Elon Musk drags OpenAI into federal court

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Latest iOS 18 beta adds Safari ‘distraction control’

And rolls back its big Photos app redesign.

Apple dropped the fifth developer beta, and with it comes a few changes to Safari and Photos. Specifically, Apple’s browser gets Distraction Control. It’s not quite an ad blocker, but it could be even more useful for sites with video embeds, moving elements and other chaos. Press the Page Menu button in the Search field (where the Reader and Viewer buttons are) and tap Hide Distracting Items to select which parts of a page you want to filter out. If something you’ve chosen to block, like a headline or an ad, changes in any way, it will resurface upon your next visit.

Apple also used the update to rewind its Photos app redesign, something I wasn’t super keen on in my preview of the iOS beta.

Continue reading.

Watch the first teaser for The Last of Us season 2

Joel faces the consequences of his past.

HBO

HBO has released the first teaser for The Last of Us season two. It starts with Joel (Pedro Pascal) in conversation with a new character played by Catherine O’Hara (seemingly his therapist), reckoning with his past actions. It’s set to broadcast in 2025.

Watch here.

The next Zelda game has a smoothie shop

And a cartoon horse to ride.

Engadget

I won’t be taking questions at this time.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-us-judge-rules-that-google-is-a-monopolist-in-search-111531098.html?src=rss

A federal judge ruled that Google has illegally abused its monopoly over the search industry. The ruling follows a 10-week trial held in 2023, which followed a 2020 lawsuit.

Judge Amit Mehta of the US District Court for the District of Columbia wrote in the ruling that the company had acted “to maintain its monopoly.”

The lawsuit claimed that Google illegally acted to maintain its dominant position in search through behavior like paying Apple, Samsung and Mozilla billions of dollars a year to be the default search engine on smartphones, browsers and elsewhere. The DOJ argued Google is responsible for almost 90 percent of web searches.

Mehta has not imposed any remedies on Google yet, but he could demand it change how it operates or even sell parts of the business. Google plans to appeal.

— Mat Smith

The biggest stories you might have missed

Neuralink successfully implants its chip into a second patient’s brain

NVIDIA’s AI team reportedly scraped YouTube, Netflix videos without permission

Elon Musk drags OpenAI into federal court

​​You can get these reports delivered daily direct to your inbox. Subscribe right here!

Latest iOS 18 beta adds Safari ‘distraction control’

And rolls back its big Photos app redesign.

Apple dropped the fifth developer beta, and with it comes a few changes to Safari and Photos. Specifically, Apple’s browser gets Distraction Control. It’s not quite an ad blocker, but it could be even more useful for sites with video embeds, moving elements and other chaos. Press the Page Menu button in the Search field (where the Reader and Viewer buttons are) and tap Hide Distracting Items to select which parts of a page you want to filter out. If something you’ve chosen to block, like a headline or an ad, changes in any way, it will resurface upon your next visit.

Apple also used the update to rewind its Photos app redesign, something I wasn’t super keen on in my preview of the iOS beta.

Continue reading.

Watch the first teaser for The Last of Us season 2

Joel faces the consequences of his past.

HBO

HBO has released the first teaser for The Last of Us season two. It starts with Joel (Pedro Pascal) in conversation with a new character played by Catherine O’Hara (seemingly his therapist), reckoning with his past actions. It’s set to broadcast in 2025.

Watch here.

The next Zelda game has a smoothie shop

And a cartoon horse to ride.

Engadget

I won’t be taking questions at this time.

Continue reading.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/general/the-morning-after-us-judge-rules-that-google-is-a-monopolist-in-search-111531098.html?src=rss

BMW Motorrad Austria and design studio Vagabund have collaborated to create the BMW CE 02, an electric scooter that blends futuristic design with retro elements, exemplifying a retro-futuristic aesthetic. This partnership follows their previous customization of the BMW CE 04, which included unique features like a surfboard rack and a smiley face. The latest customization introduces Teenage Engineering’s speaker-like radio and a cylindrical container for a portable umbrella.

Paul Brauchart and Philipp Rabl, co-founders of Vagabund Moto GmbH, emphasize that the BMW CE 02 offers the perfect canvas for their creative vision. They aimed to merge the futuristic design with nostalgic elements to evoke a sense of familiarity and appeal to a broad audience. The result is a stylish electric scooter designed for urban environments.

The design inspiration includes influences from retro-audio and Dieter Rams’ minimalist designs. The OB-4 Magic Radio from Teenage Engineering, known for its minimalist aesthetic, perfectly complements the retro-futuristic theme. The scooter also features an innovative “electric exhaust” that serves as an umbrella drawer, adding both functionality and a nod to retro design.

The custom BMW CE 02 was first envisioned during the BMW Motorrad Days in Berlin, where Vagabund was impressed by its modular design.

Given the green light by BMW, Vagabund took full control of the project, managing everything in-house or through partner companies. Their love for music and retro design significantly influenced the customization process.

The CE 02 by Vagabund is a one-off project, showcased in a custom 3.6-meter high steel-like packaging, resembling a collectible item. This specially designed packaging can be dismantled and transported, ensuring that the custom electric scooter garners attention wherever it goes.

While the CE 02 remains a unique, non-commercial project, it highlights the innovative and creative potential of collaborations between automotive and design studios.

BMW And Vagabund Unveil Retro-Futuristic CE 02 Electric Scooter

, original content from Ubergizmo. Read our Copyrights and terms of use.

X will soon close its longtime San Francisco office and move employees to offices elsewhere in the Bay Area, according to an email from CEO Linda Yaccarino reported by The New York Times. Yaccarino’s note to employees comes several weeks after Elon Musk threatened to move X’s headquarters out of California and into Austin, Texas.

Yaccarino’s note, however, doesn’t seem to mention Texas. According to The New York Times, she told employees the closure will happen over the “next few weeks” and that employees will work out of “a shared engineering space in Palo Alto” that’s also used by xAI, as well as other “locations in San Jose.”

Twitter, and now X, has had a rocky relationship with its home base since Musk’s takeover of the company. Musk banned employees from working remotely shortly after taking over the company in 2022, and ordered many Twitter workers back to the office in the mid-Market neighborhood of San Francisco.

He later ran afoul of the city’s Department of Building Inspection for installing a giant flashing X on top of the building, and for reportedly converting office space into hotel rooms for employees to sleep in. The company’s landlord had also sued X over unpaid rent, The San Francisco Chronicle reported earlier this year. The lawsuit was later dismissed.

Despite Musk’s frequent complaints about San Francisco and its elected leaders, he had previously vowed to keep the company’s headquarters in the city. “Many have offered rich incentives for X (fka Twitter) to move its HQ out of San Francisco,” Musk tweeted last year.

“Moreover, the city is in a doom spiral with one company after another left or leaving. Therefore, they expect X will move too. We will not. You only know who your real friends are when the chips are down. San Francisco, beautiful San Francisco, though others forsake you, we will always be your friend.”

But, even before Musk’s recent posts about moving to Austin, there were other signs X may be getting ready to leave after all. The San Francisco Chronicle reported in July that X’s landlord was looking to sublease much of the company’s 800,000 square-foot headquarters.

X didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/x-is-reportedly-closing-its-san-francisco-office-203650428.html?src=rss

X will soon close its longtime San Francisco office and move employees to offices elsewhere in the Bay Area, according to an email from CEO Linda Yaccarino reported by The New York Times. Yaccarino’s note to employees comes several weeks after Elon Musk threatened to move X’s headquarters out of California and into Austin, Texas.

Yaccarino’s note, however, doesn’t seem to mention Texas. According to The New York Times, she told employees the closure will happen over the “next few weeks” and that employees will work out of “a shared engineering space in Palo Alto” that’s also used by xAI, as well as other “locations in San Jose.”

Twitter, and now X, has had a rocky relationship with its home base since Musk’s takeover of the company. Musk banned employees from working remotely shortly after taking over the company in 2022, and ordered many Twitter workers back to the office in the mid-Market neighborhood of San Francisco.

He later ran afoul of the city’s Department of Building Inspection for installing a giant flashing X on top of the building, and for reportedly converting office space into hotel rooms for employees to sleep in. The company’s landlord had also sued X over unpaid rent, The San Francisco Chronicle reported earlier this year. The lawsuit was later dismissed.

Despite Musk’s frequent complaints about San Francisco and its elected leaders, he had previously vowed to keep the company’s headquarters in the city. “Many have offered rich incentives for X (fka Twitter) to move its HQ out of San Francisco,” Musk tweeted last year.

“Moreover, the city is in a doom spiral with one company after another left or leaving. Therefore, they expect X will move too. We will not. You only know who your real friends are when the chips are down. San Francisco, beautiful San Francisco, though others forsake you, we will always be your friend.”

But, even before Musk’s recent posts about moving to Austin, there were other signs X may be getting ready to leave after all. The San Francisco Chronicle reported in July that X’s landlord was looking to sublease much of the company’s 800,000 square-foot headquarters.

X didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/x-is-reportedly-closing-its-san-francisco-office-203650428.html?src=rss