Innholdsfortegnelse for #573 i Techlife News

Facebook parent Meta said that it will sell off Giphy after running out of options to thwart a ruling by U.K. regulators, who again found that the deal to buy the GIF-sharing platform would limit competition and innovation. Britain’s competition watchdog had ordered Meta last year to reverse the deal — a year after it was announced — but the company appealed to a tribunal, which rejected most of its arguments. After reviewing the case further, the Competition and Markets Authority concluded that “the only way to avoid the significant impact the deal would have on competition” is for Meta to sell Giphy to an approved buyer. “We are disappointed by the CMA’s decision but accept today’s ruling as the final word on the matter. We will work closely with…

The Biden administration announced a round of criminal charges and sanctions related to a complicated scheme to procure military technologies from U.S. manufacturers and illegally supply them to Russia for its war in Ukraine. Some of the equipment was recovered on battlefields in Ukraine, the Justice Department said, and other nuclear proliferation technology was intercepted in Latvia before it could be shipped to Russia. The Justice Department charged nearly a dozen people in separate cases in New York and Connecticut, including Russian nationals accused of purchasing sensitive military technologies from U.S. companies and laundering tens of millions of dollars for wealthy Russian businessmen; Latvians accused of conspiring to smuggle equipment to Russian and oil brokers for Venezuela accused of working on illicit deals for a Venezuelan state-owned oil company. “As…

Scaling back streaming subscriptions is solid savings advice for some. But what if the choice you’re faced with is not whether to pay for Netflix or Hulu, but whether to pay for food or electricity? Millions of Americans face food, housing and general financial insecurity every year, according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau and Department of Agriculture. And getting help often means navigating a maze of websites, automated telephone systems and confusing applications only to land on a yearslong waitlist or worse — find out you don’t qualify. The good news: You don’t have to figure this out on your own. There are financial counselors, nonprofits and other local and national organizations that exist to help you find your financial footing. If you’re currently facing eviction, can’t feed…

For their first trip to a celebrated robotics contest for high school students from scores of countries, a team of Ukrainian teens had a problem. With shipments of goods to Ukraine uncertain, and Ukrainian customs officers careful about incoming merchandise, the group only received a base kit of gadgetry on the day they were set to leave for the event in Geneva. That set off a mad scramble to assemble their robot for the latest edition of the “First Global” contest, a three-day affair that opened last Friday, in-person for the first time since the pandemic. Nearly all the 180-odd teams, from countries across the world, had had months to prepare their robots. “We couldn’t back down because we were really determined to compete here and to give our country…

A California ballot measure that would tax the rich to help put more electric cars on the road may seem tailor-made to win support from Democrats in a state known for climate leadership, but Proposition 30 has one notable opponent: Gov. Gavin Newsom. That’s put the Democratic governor on the opposite side of his own party and against his traditional environmental allies. The proposition before voters would add a 1.75% tax on personal income of more than $2 million, or fewer than 43,000 people. State analysts estimate it would raise up to $5 billion a year, mostly to help people buy electric vehicles and to build charging stations, with some also dedicated to resources for fighting wildfires. Environmental and health group backers say California needs dedicated funding to speed the…

The rapper formerly known as Kanye West is offering to buy right-wing friendly social network Parler shortly after being booted off Twitter and Instagram for antisemitic posts. The acquisition of Parler would give West, legally known as Ye, control of a social media platform and a new outlet for his opinions with no gatekeeper. Parlement Technologies, which owns the platform, and West said the acquisition should be completed in the fourth quarter, but details like price were not disclosed. Parlement Technologies said the agreement includes the use of private cloud services via Parlement’s private cloud and data center infrastructure. Ye, was locked out of Twitter and Instagram a week ago over antisemitic posts that the social networks said violated their policies. In one post on Twitter, Ye said he would…

A couple of years into the pandemic, Shirley Neville had finally had enough of her shoddy internet service. “It was just a headache,” said Neville, who lives in a middle-class neighborhood in New Orleans whose residents are almost all Black or Latino. “When I was getting ready to use my tablet for a meeting, it was cutting off and not coming on.” Neville said she was willing to pay more to be able to Zoom without interruption, so she called AT&T to upgrade her connection. She said she was told there was nothing the company could do. In her area, AT&T only offers download speeds of 1 megabit per second or less, trapping her in a digital Stone Age. Her internet is so slow that it doesn’t meet Zoom’s recommended…

Tesla reported that its third-quarter profit more than doubled from a year ago, fueled by higher vehicle sales. The Austin, Texas, electric vehicle and solar panel maker posted net income of $3.29 billion from July through September. CEO Elon Musk said on the company’s quarterly conference call that the Tesla is considering a $5 billion to $10 billion stock buyback next year, even if the economy stumbles. And Musk said Tesla’s “Full Self Driving” feature won’t be ready to be used without humans behind the wheel this year. But it will be ready next year “without question whatsoever in my mind.” Excluding special items, Tesla made $1.05 per share, beating Wall Street estimates of $1 per share, according to data provider FactSet. Revenue rose 56% to a record $21.45 billion,…

In Hollywood’s superhero era thus far, there has been one particularly conspicuous absence: While a parade of big-name actors have taken their turns donning various spandex suits, Dwayne Johnson — arguably the biggest movie star in the world — has, until now, sat out the trend. The Rock didn’t really need a cape to prove his powers. The 6-foot-5 260-pound actor was, in many respects, already a superhero in his own right: a skyscraper-climbing hulk, a shape-shifting demi-god, even a bulked-up tooth fairy. “I was always ready and open to playing a superhero,” Johnson said in a recent interview. “But it had to be right and it had to feel right. I had been approached before in the past about playing a few superheroes that, ultimately, I ended up passing…

Small businesses are stocking the shelves early this holiday season and waiting to see how many gifts inflation-weary shoppers feel like giving. Holiday shopping was relatively strong during the past two years as shoppers flocked online to spend, aided by pandemic stimulus dollars. Sales in November and December have been averaging roughly 20% of annual retail sales, according to National Retail Federation, making the holiday season critical for many retailers. This year, small businesses are bracing for a more muted season, as some Americans spend more cautiously. AlixPartners, the global consulting firm, forecasts that holiday sales will rise between 4% to 7%, far below last year’s growth of 16%. With inflation running above 8%, retailers would see a decrease in real sales. To prepare, owners say they’re ordering inventory earlier…

BMW will invest $1 billion in its sprawling factory near Spartanburg, South Carolina, to start producing electric vehicles and an additional $700 million to build a electric-battery plant nearby. The German automaker’s announcement reflects its commitment to transitioning to electric-vehicle production in North America, in line with similarly ambitious plans by other major automakers. The investment in the 7-million-square-foot vehicle factory in Greer, in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, would add an unspecified number of jobs to the more than 11,000 workers there. The battery plant, to be built in nearby Woodruff, will employ 300, the company said, with hiring to begin within a few years. In addition, BMW said it has signed a deal with Envision AESC of Japan to supply battery cells for a new class…

Elon Musk has a penchant for the letter “X.” He calls his son with the singer Grimes, whose actual name is a collection of letters and symbols, “X.” He named the company he created to buy Twitter “X Holdings.” His rocket company is, naturally, SpaceX. Now he also apparently intends to morph Twitter into an “everything app” he calls X. For months, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO has expressed interest in creating his own version of China’s WeChat — a “super app” that does video chats, messaging, streaming and payments — for the rest of the world. At least, that is, once he’s done buying Twitter after months of legal infighting over the $44 billion purchase agreement he signed in April. There are just a few obstacles. First is that…

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation announced that it is making grants of more than a $1 billion as part of a sweeping national plan to improve math education over the next four years. Its goal: to help students succeed in school and land well-paying jobs when they graduate, given research that shows the connection between strong math skills and career success. The foundation, which has long drawn controversy over its education work, said that to put more money into math, it will cut grants to other subjects like reading, writing, and the arts. The increased focus on math comes after the pandemic “wreaked havoc” on learning in secondary schools, and widened gaps based on race in student performance, with math scores among Black students falling more sharply than declines…

The nation’s first tax on digital advertising was struck down as unconstitutional by a Maryland judge. It’s a law that attorneys for Big Tech have contended unfairly targets companies like Facebook, Google and Amazon in a separate federal case against the same law. Judge Alison Asti of Anne Arundel County Circuit Court said the Maryland law violates the U.S. Constitution’s prohibition on state interference with interstate commerce. She also ruled that it violates the federal Internet Tax Freedom Act, which prohibits discrimination against electronic commerce. The state estimated the tax on digital advertising could raise about $250 million a year to help pay for a sweeping K-12 education measure to expand early childhood education, increase teacher salaries, boost college and career readiness and help struggling schools. Raquel Coombs, a spokesperson…

San Diego-based mom of two Audrey Patterson frequently vacations in an RV with her family. But she’s actually only driven an RV once — a brief stretch near Burbank, California — en route to Yosemite National Park for their 2021 summer vacation. The area northwest of downtown Los Angeles is a tangled web of freeways, tricky to navigate no matter the vehicle. “I was super overwhelmed, and I just felt bad for everyone — especially my husband,” Patterson says. Patterson’s husband usually drives. When it came time for the family’s summer 2022 vacation — a camping trip in Big Sur, California — her husband couldn’t drive because he was arriving a day later. With the Burbank memory fresh on her mind, coupled with the fact that she would be solo…

Amazon is facing a $1 billion class action lawsuit in the U.K. over allegations it uses an algorithm to favor its own products and those of third-party sellers who use its storage and delivery services. The litigation is being spearheaded by the law firm Hausfeld & Co LLP, which said in a news release that anyone who lives in the U.K. and made purchases on Amazon since October 2016 is eligible to be a claimant. The suit is expected to be filed at the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London by the end of October. The lawsuit will focus primarily on Amazon’s “Buy Box” feature, a coveted spot that makes items more visible to shoppers and thereby lead to more sales for merchants listed there. The box features a product from…

Apple’s lineup launches this week include the redesigned 10th generation iPad, coming in four bright colors. In addition, the Cupertino firm’s new iPad Pro was revealed - available in 11-inch and 12.9-inch models that are powered by Apple’s own M2 processor. It boasts a powerful performance from the M2 chip and iPadOS 16, with support for Wi-Fi 6E for faster wireless connectivity. The new tablets are now available for pre-orders online and will launch in-store on October 26th. ENTRY-LEVEL IPADS The new entry-level 10.9-inch model, a 0.7 inches bigger display than the previous iPad, accompanied with the powerful A14 Bionic chip, can now be pre-ordered in any of the colors of Blue, Pink, Yellow, or Silver. With the expansion of wireless connectivity in the iPad 10, including Wi-Fi 6 and…

Take note: The Utah Jazz evidently need a new hashtag. The team’s long-used hashtag — #TakeNote — was used by Apple CEO Tim Cook in a tweet on Tuesday, accompanied by an Apple logo emoji. It raises questions about how the phrase will be used in the team’s marketing plans going forward. “That was weird. I saw that when you all did,” Jazz owner Ryan Smith said Tuesday at a Salt Lake City news conference unrelated to hashtag matters. “Got to look into it.” Cook and Smith are friends; Cook has even sat courtside with Smith for at least one Jazz game. Apple Inc. unveiled the latest innovations with its iPad and Apple TV products on Tuesday, and Cook’s early morning tweet with the hashtag and a short video that…

The Tesla Model Y SUV is the best-selling electric vehicle in the U.S. and is quickly finding success overseas as well. But with a current starting price of $67,190, the Model Y leaves room for competitors to undercut it. Not surprisingly, that’s exactly what Genesis hopes to do with its all-new GV60. Just like the Model Y, Genesis’ GV60 is a small SUV and boasts dual electric motors for strong performance and a tech-laden interior. Starting at $60,385, the GV60 has a solid price advantage over the Tesla. Does this upstart EV have what it takes to outperform the well-established Model Y? Car experts compared them to find out which is the better buy. RANGE & CHARGING Tesla sells two versions of the 2022 Model Y. The Long Range provides…

Netflix reversed its recent subscriber losses with a summertime gain that management is hoping to build upon with the upcoming launch of a cheaper version of the video streaming service that will include ads for the first time. The Los Gatos, California, company disclosed that it picked up 2.4 million subscribers during the July-September period, a comeback from a loss of 1.2 million customers during the first half of the year amid stiffer competition and soaring inflation that’s squeezing household budgets. Netflix now boasts 223 million subscribers, enabling the company to at least temporarily reclaim the mantle as the world’s largest video streaming service. Walt Disney Co. eclipsed Netflix in August when it reported its service had 221 million subscribers, a number that will be updated Nov. 8 when Disney…

Amazon workers in upstate New York overwhelmingly rejected a union bid this week, handing a second defeat to the labor group that’s been attempting to drag the company to the negotiating table since its historic win earlier this year. Warehouse workers near Albany cast 406 votes out of the 612 ballots counted — or about 66% — against the Amazon Labor Union, giving the company enough support to push back the fledgling group composed of former and current Amazon workers. According to the National Labor Relations Board, which is responsible for overseeing the election, 206 workers — or 33.6% — voted in favor of joining the union. The agency said 949 employees were eligible to vote, and the 31 additional ballots that were challenged by either Amazon or the union…

Europe is leading the push into battery-powered cars as electric vehicles enter the mainstream — even as the industry faces challenges including supply shortages, a spotty charging network and a looming recession. The electric-as-routine approach is on display this week at a slimmed-down Paris auto show as carmakers show off models aimed at fulfilling Europe’s promises to phase out internal combustion cars by 2035. Automakers at the show include Chinese manufacturers who analysts say are making rapid technological progress as they explore expansion into Europe. Here are major themes from the Paris show, which is open to visitors Tuesday through Sunday at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles exhibition center: ELECTRIC FIRST Cars with an electric motor made up 41% of sales in the second quarter in Europe, with 9.9%…