EU hits Google with record €4.34bn fine for 'very serious illegal behaviour' in Android antitrust case
The European Commission has fined Google a record €4.34 billion ($5 billion) in an antitrust case that saw the company accused of using Android as a "vehicle to cement its dominance as a search engine".
The Commission said that Google forced phone makers to pre-install its software on their handsets, taking advantage of Android's popularity, and breaching European antitrust rules. The EU competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager summed things up by saying Google has been "denying rivals a chance to innovate and compete on the merits".
Microsoft is killing off Skype classic and bringing call recording to Skype 8.0
Microsoft has announced that Skype 7.0 (also known as Skype classic) is to be killed off, forcing all users to move on to the "modern" Skype 8.0.
The company says that from September 1, only the new version of Skype will work, and this is something that is likely to upset users who were unhappy at the redesign that was introduced nearly a year ago. To soften the blow, Microsoft has updated Skype 8 with a range of new features, and says that other new options -- including the ability to record Skype calls -- are on their way too.
Instapaper is gaining independence
The bookmarking service Instapaper has announced that it is going independent. Five years after being bought by betaworks, ownership is to switch to a new company called Instant Paper, Inc.
Two years ago, Instapaper was sold to Pinterest, and the switch to independence is likely to be welcomed by its many users. Practically speaking, going independent should mean that very little changes, but the company is giving users three weeks' notice of what’s happening.
Panos Panay: Microsoft is not working on a Surface Phone
If you were getting your hopes up about the possibility of a Surface Phone appearing, we have some bad news. Speaking with Wired, Chief Product Officer at Microsoft Panos Panay said that the company is not working on that form factor.
In the course of the interview, Panay said that Microsoft is working on various new form factors for future devices. Asked whether this included the fabled Surface Phone, he dashed the hopes of many -- although news has leaked out recently about a future "pocketable" Surface device.
Microsoft joins forces with Walmart to take on Amazon with cloud technology
Microsoft has announced that it has formed a strategic partnership with retail giant Walmart to help "make shopping faster and easier for millions of customers around the world".
The five-year deal between the two companies will see Walmart making use of Microsoft's cloud technology solutions such as Microsoft 365 and Azure. The retailer already uses some Microsoft services, but with the new partnership this expands into cloud tools that use machine learning and artificial intelligence.
US lifts ZTE supplier ban, sending shares soaring
Chinese telecoms hardware manufacturer ZTE has had something of a rough ride in the US recently, but having agreed to comply with all of the demands made by authorities, the ban on its US operations has been lifted.
The US had banned American companies from supplying goods to ZTE, effectively crippling its business. Now, having paid $400 million into an escrow account -- on top of its $1 billion fine last month -- the company is operating again, and its Hong Kong-listed shares jumped 12 percent as a result. But the lifting of the ban is far from being the end of this saga for ZTE
Apple's big 2018 MacBook Pro keyboard cover-up
Just a few days ago Apple launched the latest additions to its MacBook Pro range, and the company talked about the fact that the keyboard is quieter. A teardown of the latest devices reveals not only why the keyboards are quieter, but also that the method used seems to serve a secondary purpose -- or maybe that the quietening is itself a secondary purpose.
The keyboards of previous MacBook Pros have suffered issues that led to a free repair program being set up. The latest laptop teardown by iFixit shows that Apple has added a silicone membrane beneath each key, apparently serving the dual task of quietening typing and offering protection and dust and other unwanted contaminants.
YouTube launches Copyright Match tool to fight content stealing and duplication
Eager to encourage content creators to do what they do best -- create content -- YouTube has release a new tool that it hope will help cut down on the problem of video theft and duplication.
Called Copyright Match, the new system is different to the existing Content ID system, but it does use a similar matching technology. YouTube says that it has been testing the tool for almost a year and is now ready to open it up to a larger portion of its community
Adobe is working on Photoshop for iPad
Apple has long been keen to push the iPad and iPad Pro as a viable laptop alternative, and with a decent selection of apps to choose from it's something that works for many people. There are, however, a number of apps missing that stop some people making the jump from laptop to iPad -- Photoshop being one of them.
Sure, at the moment there is Photoshop Express for iOS, but this is a massively cutdown product that simply does not meet the needs of professionals. Answering the prayers of many, Adobe is now said to be working on bringing a full version of Photoshop to iPad next year.
Microsoft calls for government regulation of facial recognition because of 'potential for abuse'
Microsoft president Brad Smith has called on government to regulate facial recognition technology, citing concerns that it is open to abuse. While he acknowledges that technology company have a role to play, he that it is down to elected representatives to put rules in place.
Using a terrible analogy ("All tools can be used for good or ill. Even a broom can be used to sweep the floor or hit someone over the head.") Smith points out that while facial recognition technology is undeniably useful, there is also potential for it to be "misused and abused by private companies and public authorities alike". He wants government to do something about it.
The iPhone 6 is Apple's most problematic handset -- over a fifth suffer some form of failure
When you spend a few hundred dollars on a phone, you expect it to last you a while. But if you splashed out on an iPhone 6 there's a very high change that you've experienced some sort of problem with your handset.
A report shows that the iPhone 6 is by far Apple's least reliable handset, with a staggering 22 percent of them suffering failures. The iPhone 6S isn't far behind, and for Android users, Samsung handsets fare poorly too.
Apple offers free Beats and big discounts in its Back to School promotion
From now until September 25, Apple is running a Back to School promotion, and there are some great offers for students.
If you qualify, you can bag yourself a free pair of Beats headphones or earphones when you buy a Mac or iPad Pro -- including the Powerbeats3 Wireless in new Beats Pop Collection colors. There are also special deals on accessories and AppleCare.
A new free version of Microsoft Teams is ready to compete with Slack
Microsoft has launched a free version of Teams, the company's collaborative chat tool. Teams has pitted itself against the likes of Slack since it first appeared, but the arrival of a free edition makes it a viable alternative.
As this is a free product, it should come as no surprise that there are limitations. However, the free edition of Microsoft Team can still be used by up to 300 people -- the same as the Essentials and Premium versions -- which should be enough to cater for most small to medium sized businesses.
Apple starts selling exclusive Blackmagic eGPU to boost MacBook Pro performance
As well as refreshing its MacBook Pro line-up, Apple today started to sell the $699 Blackmagic eGPU. This 8GB external GPU features a Radeon Pro 580 to bring more graphic horsepower to laptop users.
The aim is to bring desktop-level power to laptop users when they are working on graphic-intensive projects. At a shade under $700, it's not a cheap piece of hardware, but it also doubles up as something of a docking station.
Chrome's RAM usage is higher than ever as Google introduces Site Isolation to fight Spectre
Google's Chrome browser may be popular, but you'll find a lot of its users complain about high memory usage. With Chrome 67, things just got even worse.
If you've noticed that Chrome on the desktop is using more RAM, you're not imagining it. Google has enabled a Site Isolation feature in Windows, Mac, Linux and Chrome OS to help mitigate against the Spectre vulnerability -- and it's a bit memory-hungry.
Sofia Elizabella's Bio
Sofia Wyciślik-Wilson is a queer, transgender journalist based in Poland. She has been writing about technology for more than two decades, and after years working for magazines, her writing moved online. She is fueled by literature, music, nature, and vegetables. You can find her on Bluesky and Mastodon. If you like what you read, you can Buy her a Coffee!
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