Innholdsfortegnelse for #612 i Techlife News

Netflix enjoyed its biggest springtime spurt in subscribers since the early days of the pandemic three years ago, providing the latest sign that a recent crackdown on password sharing and the rollout of a cheaper subscription option are paying off. The video streaming service added 5.9 million subscribers during the April-June period, according to numbers released Wednesday along with its latest quarterly financial results. The gains easily surpassed the roughly 2.2 million additional subscribers that analysts surveyed by FactSet Research had anticipated. Netflix ended June with 238.4 million worldwide subscribers. Investors seemed unsatisfied, perhaps rattled by management commentary in a shareholder letter warning that “quite a competitive battle” continues to unfold against the backdrop of ongoing strikes by both the writers and actors union in the U.S. that threaten to…

China does not want a trade war with the United States but will retaliate against any further U.S. restrictions on technology and trade, the Chinese ambassador to the U.S. said. Ambassador Xie Feng criticized U.S. curbs on the sale of microchips and chipmaking equipment to China that were imposed last year by the Biden administration. Beijing has described the measure as part of an effort to “contain” China. “China does not shy away from competition, but the definition of competition by the U.S. side I think is not fair,” Xie said Wednesday at the Aspen Security Forum, a security and foreign policy conference in Aspen, Colorado. “The United States is trying to win by keeping China out,” he said, referring to measures to curb U.S. technology sales to Chinese telecommunications…

watchOS 10, set to be released this September, features comprehensive redesigns, more advanced metrics, views and experiences for cyclists, and insights for mental and vision health in what’s being dubbed as “the biggest update since the introduction of Apple Watch.” INTRODUCING WATCHOS 10 You can criticize Apple for its high product prices and slow innovation, but you can’t deny that the company is a world leader in software updates. This year, the tech giant is giving the Apple Watch a major leap forward, outshining the rumored Apple Watch Series 9 hardware update in terms of significant advancements. While the Apple Watch Series 9 is rumored to be an iterative improvement, sporting the same design and minimal changes at first glance, the watchOS 10 update promises much more and gives smartwatches…

The very online showdown between Greta Gerwig’s “Barbie” and Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer” all started with a date: July 21. It’s not uncommon for studios to counterprogram films in different genres on a big weekend, but the stark differences between an intense, serious-minded picture about the man who oversaw the development of the atomic bomb and a lighthearted, candy-colored anthropomorphizing of a childhood doll quickly became the stuff of viral fodder. There’s even some disagreement over whether it’s “Barbieheimer” or “Barbenheimer” or “Boppenheimer” or yet another tortured portmanteau — a phenomenon on which the AP Stylebook has yet to offer guidance, but for the purposes of this article will be “Barbenheimer.” It didn’t hurt that both Nolan and Gerwig have very passionate and very online fandoms eager to join in. Never…

The sticker price on Ford’s F-150 Lightning electric pickup is being lowered by thousands of dollars due to increased plant capacity, falling costs for battery raw materials and internal efforts to scale production by the Detroit automaker. Ford Motor Co. said this week that final upgrades at its Rouge Electric Vehicle Center in Michigan being completed now will lead to greater availability of a built-to-order truck as early as October at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price closer to initial Lightning pricing. The updated MSRP for the Pro model, it’s lowest priced electric pickup, will be $49,995, down from $59,974. The Lariat 510A’s MSRP will decline to $69,995 from $76,974. “Shortly after launching the F-150 Lightning, rapidly rising material costs, supply constraints and other factors drove up the cost of the…

Doug Johnson was answering emails at the Miami East hotel on May 30 when his phone rang with the call he had been awaiting for more than two months: Major League Baseball was taking over San Diego Padres’ television broadcasts the next day from financially troubled Diamond Sports. “Immediately headed over to the stadium and got a chance to meet for the first time with the game announcers,” said Johnson, hired in March as MLB’s senior vice president and executive producer of local media. “I had to call every single person that worked the Padres’ home games and basically introduce myself and hire them.” Johnson’s job was to ensure a seamless transition of Padres’ telecasts from Miami on May 31 and June 1 while getting ready for the start of…

French lawmakers on Tuesday adopted a sweeping justice reform bill that includes a provision to allow law enforcement agents to remotely tap into the cameras, microphones and location services of phones and other internet-connected devices of some suspected criminals. The measure plainly stipulates that the procedure can be executed “without the knowledge or consent of its owner or possessor” but is limited to suspects involved in terrorism, organized crime and other illegal activities punishable by five or more years in prison. The language authorizing eavesdropping was contained in a broader reform bill aimed at “modernizing” penal procedures. Reflecting what polls indicate is a public demand for more law and order, the National Assembly, the lower house of the French Parliament, adopted two ambitious bills Tuesday that are aimed at bolstering…

Elon Musk’s big bet that Tesla price cuts could boost sales and profits amid increasing competition and poor economic sentiment appears to be yielding mixed results. Sales jumped and the company beat analyst expectations for net income in the April-June quarter, although the company’s profit margins declined. Tesla shares followed suit in after-hours trading. The Austin, Texas, maker of electric vehicles, solar panels and batteries reported net income of $2.7 billion in the quarter, a 20% increase from a year ago. Earnings per share also rose 20% to 78 cents when measured via generally accepted accounting principles. Total revenue rose 47% to $24.93 billion. Analysts, however, tend to focus on Tesla’s own measurement of profit, which excludes stock-based compensation expense. By that measure, Tesla’s net income zoomed to $3.15 billion,…

Christopher Nolan has never been one to take the easy or straightforward route while making a movie. He shoots on large-format film with large, cumbersome cameras to get the best possible cinematic image. He prefers practical effects over computer-generated ones and real locations over soundstages — even when that means recreating an atomic explosion in the harsh winds of the New Mexico desert in the middle of the night for “Oppenheimer.” Though, despite internet rumors, they did not detonate an actual nuclear weapon. And as for the biography that inspired his newest film, Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin’s riveting, linear narrative “American Prometheus” was simply the starting point from which Nolan crafted a beguiling labyrinth of suspense and drama. It’s why, in his two decades working in Hollywood, Nolan…

A federal appeals court temporarily paused a lower court’s order limiting executive branch officials’ communications with social media companies about controversial online posts. Biden administration lawyers had asked the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans to stay the preliminary injunction issued on July 4 by U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty. Doughty himself had rejected a request to put his order on hold pending appeal. The brief 5th Circuit order put Doughty’s injunction on hold “until further orders of the court.” It called for arguments in the case to be scheduled on an expedited basis. Filed last year, the lawsuit claimed the administration, in effect, censored free speech by discussing possible regulatory action the government could take while pressuring companies to remove what it deemed misinformation. COVID-19 vaccines,…

The Biden administration and major consumer technology players launched an effort to put a nationwide cybersecurity certification and labeling program in place to help consumers choose smart devices that are less vulnerable to hacking. Officials likened the new U.S. Cyber Trust Mark initiative — to be overseen by the Federal Communications Commission, with industry participation voluntary — to the Energy Star program, which rates appliances’ energy efficiency. “It will allow Americans to confidently identify which internet- and Bluetooth-connected devices are cybersecure,” deputy national security adviser Anne Neuberger told reporters in a pre-announcement briefing. Amazon, Best Buy, Google, LG Electronics USA, Logitech and Samsung are among industry participants. Devices including baby monitors, home security cameras, fitness trackers, TVs, refrigerators and smart climate control systems that meet the U.S. government’s cybersecurity requirements…

Amazon and Apple were fined a total of 194 million euros ($218 million) this week for colluding to box out competitors by favoring sales of Apple products directly from the online retail giant, Spain’s antitrust watchdog said. Amazon and Apple reached agreements in 2018 that limited the free competition of third-party sellers who hawk Apple goods through Amazon’s platform for smaller retailers, according to Spain’s National Markets and Competition Commission, which oversees Spanish markets for antitrust violations. “The investigated behaviors could be restricting competition in the sectors of the Internet sale of electronic products, and the provision of marketing services to third-party retailers through online platforms (Marketplace) in Spain,” the regulator said. The tech giants also limited the capacity for third parties to advertise Apple products on Amazon, according to…

American Airlines reported a $1.34 billion profit for the second quarter, boosted by strong ticket sales and a huge drop in the price of jet fuel, and the airline raised its profit expectations for the year. Revenue rose 5% to a quarterly record of $14.06 billion. International travel in particular is picking up, and that is helping American, United Airlines and Delta Air Lines. Thanks to lower fuel prices, the carrier’s spending at the pump plunged 32%, saving the American about $1.3 billion compared with a year earlier. That was partly offset, however, by labor costs that are rising and will soon increase much more rapidly. Analysts were disappointed in American’s forecast that third-quarter revenue per seat will decline as the airline adds more flights, which could renew concern about…

The movie about a man who changed the course of the world’s history by shepherding the development of the first atomic bomb is expected to be a blockbuster, dramatic and full of suspense. On the sidelines will be a community downwind from the testing site in the southern New Mexico desert, the impacts of which the U.S. government never has fully acknowledged. The movie on the life of scientist J. Robert Oppenheimer and the top-secret work of the Manhattan Project sheds no light on those residents’ pain. “They’ll never reflect on the fact that New Mexicans gave their lives. They did the dirtiest of jobs. They invaded our lives and our lands and then they left,” Tina Cordova, a cancer survivor and founder of a group of New Mexico downwinders,…

The handful of big tech companies leading the race to commercialize AI can’t be trusted to guarantee the safety of systems we don’t yet understand and that are prone to “chaotic or unpredictable behavior,” an artificial intelligence company executive told the first U.N. Security Council meeting on AI’s threats to global peace this week. Jack Clark, co-founder of the AI company Anthropic, said that’s why the world must come together to prevent the technology’s misuse. Clark, who says his company bends over backwards to train its AI chatbot to emphasize safety and caution, said the most useful things that can be done now “are to work on developing ways to test for capabilities, misuses and potential safety flaws of these systems.” Clark left OpenAI, creator of the best-known ChatGPT chatbot,…

Tesla says its first production Cybertruck electric pickup has rolled off the assembly line, nearly two years behind the original schedule. The company tweeted a photo showing scores of workers in helmets and yellow vests surrounding the truck. “First Cybertruck built at Giga Texas!” Tesla tweeted, including a cowboy hat-wearing emoji. Owner Elon Musk retweeted the post. Musk unveiled the truck in late 2019, and Tesla had said production would start in late 2021, although the company has since cautioned that production would begin slowly and in smaller numbers than Tesla’s other vehicles. With its wedge shape and stainless-steel body — which Tesla calls the exoskeleton — the Cybertruck looks nothing like a traditional pickup. Some analysts have panned it as a niche product that won’t have broad appeal. Musk…

Meta will face a hefty fine over advertising practices that violate user privacy, Norway’s data protection authority said this week, unless the Facebook and Instagram owner takes action to comply with the law. Norwegian regulator Datatilsynet says that behavioral advertising — a common marketing model that profiles users by collection information like their physical locations, among other data — without consent is illegal. Because of this, Datatilsynet imposing a “temporary ban” of such practices on Facebook and Instagram. During the ban, which starts August 4, Meta risks a fine of up to 1 million Norwegian kroner (nearly $100,000) each day. The ban will “last for three months, or until Meta can show that it complies with the law,” Datatilsynet said. This decision “does not ban Facebook or Instagram in Norway,”Tobias…

TikTok needs to do more to get ready for new European Union digital rules designed to keep users safe online, a top official said this week. The results of a “stress test” that the popular video-sharing platform carried out at its Dublin office showed that “more work is needed to be fully ready” for when the Digital Services Act takes effect next month, European Commissioner Thierry Breton said in a statement. Breton, who oversees the 27-nation bloc’s digital policy, tweeted a silent video of himself discussing the results by video call with TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew. “TikTok is fully committed to implementing the DSA and enhancing transparency and accountability,” said Caroline Greer, TikTok’s Brussels-based public policy official. “We welcome these opportunities to be open about our efforts and look…