Samsung and Xiaomi had record smartphone shipments in India

India has quickly become ground zero for the smartphone wars. Last year, the country surpassed the U.S. to become the world’s No. 1 smartphone market, and manufacturers are falling over themselves to plant a flag.

Samsung and Xiaomi have been the two biggest winners in recent quarters, battling it out for the top spot. Earlier this year, the latter edged out the former, but the battle has remained neck and neck for the huge — and growing — market. According to new numbers from Canalys, both companies shipped 9.9 million smartphones for Q2 2018.

Xiaomi held onto the top spot — though just barely, with Samsung growing 47 percent year-over-year. That’s the Korean manufacturer’s biggest growth spurt in the country since late-2015. Look, here’s a graph.

Combined, the two manufacturers comprise 60 percent of shipments in India for the quarter. Vivo and Oppo round out the top four, making Samsung the only non-Chinese company vying for a top spot. The company announced recently that it will be doubling down its efforts in the country with a factory it’s deemed the world’s largest.

ASUS has seem some growth in the country, as well, tripling since the previous quarter. Apple’s shipments, meanwhile, have dipped around 50 percent year-over-year, according to the firm, as the company adjusts its strategy in the country.

“Apple’s paring back of distributor partners and move to a ‘brand-first, volume-next’ strategy will reap rewards as it will ensure better margin per device,” says Rushabh Doshi of Canalys. “Getting priorities right will be important to smartphone vendors, and it will be a choice between profitability and volume growth.”

Read Full Article

The Best Shark Movies to Watch During Shark Week

Shark movies have been around for decades, and if you like watching these dangerous creatures hunt down humans, then this is the movie list for you.

In honor of Shark Week, a yearly tradition started by the Discovery Channel, we have compiled a list of the best shark movies to stream and watch online.

Note: Most of these films require you to either subscribe to a service (such as Netflix) or pay a one-off sum.

1. Jaws (1975)

Where to Watch: Amazon Video | YouTube | Google Play

When it comes to shark movies, there’s no better place to start than with the original terror in the water, Jaws. Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Roy Scheider and Richard Dreyfuss, Jaws takes to you to Amity Island, a quaint little tourist town. But the fun soon turns to fear for visitors and locals alike when a great white shark takes over the waters.

There are also several sequels worth watching, but none compare to the original.

2. Deep Blue Sea (1999)

Where to Watch: Netflix | Amazon Video | YouTube | iTunes | Google Play

Sharks are on the hunt at an isolated research facility in Deep Blue Sea. Watch Saffron Burrows and LL Cool J, with Samuel L. Jackson in the supporting cast, in this science fiction thriller in the water. You will see scientists who are researching ways to save other people, fight for their own lives against sharks with a taste for science.

And if you enjoy the genre, take a look at these modern sci-fi movies on Netflix.

3. 47 Meters Down (2017)

Where to Watch: Netflix | Amazon Video | YouTube | iTunes | Google Play

Many people enjoying swimming with dolphins on their vacations. But in 47 Meters Down, you will see what dangers really lie beneath the water. Two sisters go on vacation to Mexico only to find themselves trapped in a shark cage at the bottom of the ocean. With only one hour of oxygen left and great whites circling for some action, stars Claire Holt and Mandy Moore fight to survive.

If you bounce between Netflix and Amazon Video for your films, you might like this list of Stephen King movies that you can watch on both.

4. The Reef (2012)

Where to Watch: Amazon Video | YouTube | iTunes | Google Play

Head to the Great Barrier Reef for a race in the water between human and shark in The Reef. When a capsized boat with four people meets shark-infested waters, the outcome is a horrific tail (tale). Who will survive, if anyone? Find out in this scary and suspenseful independent film.

5. Open Water (2003)

Where to Watch: Amazon Video | YouTube | iTunes | Google Play

For a really frightening shark movie, how about one based on a true story? In Open Water, a nightmare comes to life when two vacationing scuba divers find themselves stranded in shark-infested waters when their tour boat leaves them behind.

If you like watching movies on YouTube, check out these channels that are perfect for movie lovers.

6. Bait (2012)

Where to Watch: Amazon Video | YouTube | iTunes | Google Play

Vacations aren’t the only activities that attract sharks. In Bait, it’s an Australian supermarket that brings the beasts out. An unbelievable tsunami hits a town and traps shoppers in the local grocery store, but they aren’t alone. Down the next aisle they find 12-foot great white sharks shopping with them.

7. The Shallows (2016)

Where to watch: Amazon Video | YouTube | iTunes | Google Play

For a real test of wills in the water, check out The Shallows. In this dramatic thriller, a savvy surfer played by Blake Lively is attacked by a great white shark. Just a couple of hundred yards from the shore, she must find a way to survive and get back there under the watchful eyes of the dangerous predator.

8. Sand Sharks (2011)

Where to Watch: Amazon Video | Google Play

Just when you think that staying on the sand is safer than swimming in the water, you discover Sand Sharks. This part comedy, part horror film stars Corin Nemec and Brooke Hogan. There’s no tsunami in this movie, but there is an earthquake that breaks opens a crater in the ocean. What lies inside that crater is a prehistoric shark that is ready to hunt for food by swimming in the sand.

9. Sharknado (2013)

Where to Watch: Netflix | Amazon Video | iTunes

If you haven’t heard of Sharknado or seen at least one film in this movie series, then you are missing out. This time, it’s a hurricane that sparks the shark attacks, but not in the water or in the sand, but in the air. Tornadoes packed with sharks hail down on stars Ian Ziering and Tara Reid in this some-call-it-cult classic. If you are looking for an unrealistic but extremely entertaining shark movie, this is it.

And be sure to check out Sharknado 2, Sharknado 3, Sharknado 4, and Sharknado 5.

10. Mega Shark vs. Kolossus (2015)

Where to Watch: Amazon Video | YouTube | iTunes | Google Play

If you’ve watched Mega Shark take on the giant octopus, Crocosaurus, and Mecha Shark, then you know the creature is no match for a robot. In Mega Shark vs. Kolossus, the shark fights a giant killer robot from the Cold War for world domination. Who will win? Who will lose? Watch this science fiction and fantasy shark film starring Mega Shark to find out. You can also look for the other Mega Shark movies if you haven’t already seen them.

If this robot-related movie reminds you of just how scary technology can be, take a gander at the best horror movies for geeks.

Is It Safe to Go Back in the Water?

With this list of shark movies, it’s easy to see that it’s not just the water that’s dangerous, but the sand and sky as well. In other words, you’re never safe from sharks.

And whether you prefer the more serious movies or movies that are so bad they’re good, there is sure to be one on this list for you.

Read the full article: The Best Shark Movies to Watch During Shark Week

Read Full Article

One day, Google’s Fuchsia OS may become a real thing

Every few months, Google’s Project Fuchsia makes the rounds in the tech press. And for good reason, given that this is Google’s first attempt at developing a new open-source kernel and operating system. Of course, there are few secrets about it, given that it’s very much being developed in the open and that, with the right know-how, you could run it on a Pixelbook today. There’s also plenty of documentation about the project.

According to the latest report by Bloomberg, about 100 engineers at Google work on Fuchsia. While the project has the blessing of Google CEO Sundar Pichai, it’s unclear what Google really wants Fuchsia to be. I don’t think it’ll replace Android, as some people seem to believe. I don’t think it’s the mythical Chrome OS/Android mashup that’ll bring Google’s two operating systems together.

My guess is that we’re talking about an experimental system here that’s mostly meant to play with some ideas for now. In the future, it may become a real product, but to do so, Google will still have to bring a far larger team to bear on the project and invest significant resources into it. It may, however, end up in some of Google’s own hardware — maybe a Google Home variant — at some point, as that’s technology that’s 100 percent in the company’s control.

It’s not unusual for companies like Google to work on next-generation operating systems, and what’s maybe most important here is that Fuchsia isn’t built on the Linux kernel that sits at the heart of Android and ChromeOS. Fuchsia’s kernel, dubbed Zircon, takes a microkernel approach that’s very different than the larger monolithic Linux kernels that power Google’s other operating systems. And building a new kernel is a big deal (even though Google’s efforts seem to be based on the work of the “littlekernel” project).

For years, Microsoft worked on a project called Singularity, another experimental microkernel-based operating system that eventually went nowhere.

The point of these projects, though, isn’t always about building a product that goes to market. It’s often simply about seeing how far you can push a given technology. That work may pay off in other areas or make it into existing projects. You also may get a few patents out of it. It’s something senior engineers love to work on — which today’s Bloomberg story hints at. One unnamed person Bloomberg spoke to said that this is a “senior-engineer retention project.” Chances are, there is quite a bit of truth to this. It would take more than 100 engineers to build a new operating system, after all. But those engineers are at Google and not working on Apple’s and Microsoft’s operating systems. And that’s a win for Google.

Read Full Article

How to Jump Start a Dead Laptop Battery: 3 Methods Compared

Laptop batteries have a notoriously short shelf life. Despite recent improvements to lithium-ion technology, most batteries can only withstand a certain number of charge cycles before their capacity starts to deteriorate rapidly.

Of course, there are a few steps you can take to combat this (optimize Windows 10 for battery life or improve battery life on Macs). But none of that will help if your battery is already dead.

So is it possible to jump-start a dead laptop battery? Well, yes. We look at three different methods and give each one a score out of 10 for ease and effectiveness.

Method 1: Freeze the Battery

If your computer has a nickel metal hydride (NiMH) or nickel-cadmium (NiCd) battery, you could try freezing it. If you have a lithium battery (which covers all Macs and most new Windows computers), do not try this method.

It might sound fanciful, but this method is scientifically proven to work. By freezing a battery, you’re accomplishing two feats:

1. Gelling the battery’s electrolyte sufficiently so that the charging process can overcome crystallization.
2. Slowing the movement of free electrons so more electrons can join the flow.

Note: If your battery is exceptionally old, all the electrons have probably leaked away, and this method will not work.

So how does this process work?

To begin, turn off your computer, disconnect it from the wall socket, and remove the battery from your machine. Be warned that if your battery is not removable, taking apart your computer to get it out will void the warranty.

Next, place the battery inside a cloth bag, then put the cloth bag inside a sealable Ziploc bag. Do not skip the cloth bag—it adds an essential layer of insulation. And make sure you use a Ziploc bag. A regular plastic grocery bag will allow moisture to seep in, potentially destroying your battery for good.

Thanks to the power of science, I was able to fix my dead laptop battery by putting it in a sealed container and shoving it in the freezer.

— Scaff ( ?° ?? ?°) (@scafftv) July 10, 2014

Put the Ziploc bag in the freezer for 10 hours. After the 10 hours have passed, let the battery naturally warm up to room temperature before putting it back in your computer.

Verdict: 7/10
The process is scientifically backed, but we’ve docked points because it doesn’t work with the newer lithium batteries. And despite some internet rumors, putting your battery in the freezer will not charge it or improve its performance. It’s solely a way to jump-start it.

Method 2: Over Voltage

This is a method for jump-starting lithium batteries. Remember, lithium batteries will die if left unused for an extended period. You should try to turn any lithium-powered devices on at least once every two days to maintain the battery’s health.

Warning: This method works, but it’s risky. If you overcharge for too long, the battery could explode. Wear eye goggles and perform the process in a large, clutter-free area.

Before you begin, you’ll need three items: a crocodile clip, thin wire, and a laptop charger or power supply unit. The wiring in an Ethernet cable will suffice, if you have an old one lying around that you’re willing to cut up.

Attempting to jump start a laptop battery. Here goes

— Tony Black (@TonyBLK) October 10, 2010

First, you need to locate the positive and negative pinouts on your battery. In theory, these should have clear labels. If they don’t, search Google for your battery model.

Next, cut two pieces of wire. Each of them should measure about 2.75 inches. One of them will play the role of the positive wire; the other is the negative. On the positive wire, remove about 0.4 inches of the protective coating from each end. On the negative wire, remove about 0.4 inches at one end and just under 0.8 inches at the other end.

When you’re ready, insert one end of the positive wire into the battery’s positive pinout, and insert the 0.4-inch end of the negative wire into the negative pinout.

Slot the other end of the positive wire inside the charger’s positive pin. Finally, attach the 0.8 inch end of the negative wire to the negative outer conductor using the crocodile clip.

Now you need to leave your battery for two hours. When disconnecting your setup, exercise extreme caution—this where there is a risk of explosion.

Reinsert the battery into the laptop to test whether the jump start was successful.

Verdict: 6/10
Equally as reliable as the freezing method and it works with newer lithium batteries. However, we knocked a couple of points off for the danger factor.

Method 3: Replace Battery Cells

This is the most adventurous of the three fixes. You can try to replace some (or all) of the cells in your old battery with functioning cells from a working but unused battery.

Once again, there are a few critical warnings you need to keep in mind:

• The replacement cells must have the same chemistry makeup as the current cells (e.g. lithium-ion).
• Your new cells must have the same rated voltage as the old ones.
• The new cells must have the same or higher capacity as your old cells (measured in mAh).
• The new cells must be the same physical size as the old ones.
• You’ll also need a soldering tool.

To start, remove the battery from your laptop and pry it apart. You will probably need a flat-head screwdriver or putty knife.

Within the battery’s casing, you’ll see a series of individual cells. Typically, they look like regular AA batteries. Each of the cells will be connected to a circuit board with wires. Make sure you make a note of which wires go where. Ideally, you should also use a multimeter to ensure there’s no potentially dangerous residual charge.

Separate the cells from their wires and each other using your soldering tool, then take them out of the case. Next, solder your new cells together and reattach the wires to the correct locations.

Finally, put the battery’s casing back together and let it rest for 48 hours to ensure you soldering work has set.

Verdict: 4/10
Yes, the process will work, but it requires a knowledge of soldering, the chances of having all the necessary tools and batteries cells handy are slim, and it takes a long time.

Monitor Your Laptop Battery’s Health

It’s easy to avoid landing yourself in a situation where you need to jump-start the battery if you monitor it correctly.

We recommend using a battery monitoring tool. They can do everything from recalibrating your power unit to displaying your discharge rates on charts and graphs. This makes them a vital utility for keeping your battery healthy.

Image Credit: tommaso1979/Depositphotos

Read the full article: How to Jump Start a Dead Laptop Battery: 3 Methods Compared

Read Full Article

Some MacBook Pro users complain about throttling issues

The new MacBook Pro has a thermal issue. YouTuber Dave Lee found out that the top-performing MacBook Pro can’t operate at full speed for a long time because it gets too hot.

According to him, a video export in Adobe Premiere Pro is taking longer on a brand new MacBook Pro with an Intel Core i9 CPU than on a 2017 MacBook Pro with an Intel Core i7 CPU (previous Intel generation).

Sure, if you look at benchmarks, the new MacBook Pro destroys previous models, and even many iMacs. But Apple is throttling the speed of the CPU so that it doesn’t get too hot under heavy load.

Apple Insider tested the performance of the new MacBook Pro with a Core i7 and Core i9 model. In both instances, the clock speed of the CPU started to drop drastically after a while.

For the i9, the CPU dropped from 4.17 GHz to 2.33-2.9 GHz after some tests. The i7 dropped from 3.8 GHz to 2.3-2.6 GHz under load.

Some users on Reddit also got a new laptop and noticed the same issue:

We’ve reached out to Apple for comment and didn’t hear back.

If all those benchmarks are true, the MacBook Pro might have a ventilation problem. You will never get perfect CPU performances on a laptop compared to a desktop computer due to size contraints. But it becomes an issue when you buy a laptop expecting great performances and it doesn’t deliver.

Read Full Article

Trump just noticed Europe’s $5BN antitrust fine for Google

In other news bears shit in the woods. In today’s second day Trump news: President ‘The Donald’ has seized, belatedly, on the European Commission’s announcement yesterday that it had found Google guilty of three types of illegal antitrust behavior with its Android OS since 2011 and was fining the company $5 billion; a record breaking penalty the Commission’s antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said reflects the length and gravity of the company’s competition infringements.

Trump is not! at all! convinced! though!

“I told you so!” he has tweeted triumphantly just now. “The European Union just slapped a Five Billion Dollar fine on one of our great companies, Google. They truly have taken advantage of the U.S., but not for long!”

I told you so! The European Union just slapped a Five Billion Dollar fine on one of our great companies, Google. They truly have taken advantage of the U.S., but not for long!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 19, 2018

Also not so very long ago, Trump was the one grumbling about tech giants. Though Amazon is his most frequent target in tech, while Google has been spared the usual tweet lashings. Albeit, on the average day he may not necessarily be able to tell one tech giant from another.

Vestager can though, and she cited Amazon as one of the companies that had suffered as a direct result of contractual conditions Google imposed on device makers using its Android OS — squeezing the ecommerce giant’s potential to build a competing Android ecosystem, with its Fire OS.

Presumably, for Trump, Amazon is not ‘one of our great companies’ though.

At least it’s only Google that gets his full Twitter attention — and a special Trumpian MAGA badge of honor call-out as “one of our great companies” — in the tweet.

Presumably, he hasn’t had this pointed out to him yet though. So, uh, awkward.

Safe to say, Trump is seizing on Google’s antitrust penalty as a stick to beat the EU, set against a backdrop of Trump already having slapped a series of tariffs on EU goods and Trump recently threatening the EU with tariffs on cars — in what is fast looking like a full blown trade war.

Even so, the tweet probably wasn’t the kind of support Google was hoping to solicit via its own Twitter missive yesterday…

.@Android has created more choice for everyone, not less. #AndroidWorks pic.twitter.com/FAWpvnpj2G

— Google Europe (@googleeurope) July 18, 2018

#AndroidWorksButTradeWarsDon’t doesn’t make for the most elegant hashtag.

But here’s the thing: Vestager has already responded to Trump’s attack on the Android decision — even though it’s taking place a day late. Because the EU’s “tax lady”, as Trump has been known to vaguely refer to her, is both lit and onit.

During yesterday’s press conference she was specifically asked to anticipate Trump’s tantrum response on hearing the antitrust decision against Google, and whether she wasn’t afraid it might affect next week’s meeting between the US president and the European Commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker.

“As I know my US colleagues want fair competition just as well as we do,” she responded. “There is a respect that we do our job. We have this very simple mission to make sure that companies play by the rulebook for the market to serve consumers. And this is also my impression that this is what they want in the US.”

Pressed again on political context, given the worsening trade relationship between the US and the EU, Vestager was asked how she would explain that her finding against Google is not part of an overarching anti-US narrative — and directly asked how would she answer Trump’s contention that the EU’s “tax lady… really hates the US”.

“Well I’ve done my own fact checking on the first part of that sentence. I do work with tax and I am a woman. So this is 100% correct,” she replied. “It is not correct for the latter part of the sentence though. Because I very much like the US. And I think that would also be what you think because I from Denmark and that tends to be what we do. We like the US. The culture, the people, our friends, traveling. But the fact is that this [finding against Google] has nothing to do with how I feel. Nothing whatsoever. Just as well as enforcing competition law — well, we do it in the world but we don’t do it in a political context. Because then there would never, ever be a right timing.

“The mission is very simple. We have to protect consumers and competition to make sure that consumers get the best of fair competition — choice, innovation, best possible prices. This is what we do. It has been done before, we will continue to do it — no matter the political context.”

Maybe Trump will be able to learn the name of the EU’s “tax lady” if Vestager ends up EU president next year.

Or, well, maybe not. We can only hope so.

Read Full Article

Facebook and Instagram change to crack down on underage children

Facebook and Instagram will more proactively lock the accounts of users its moderators suspect are below the age of 13. Its former policy was to only investigate accounts if they were reported specifically for being potentially underage. But Facebook confirmed to TechCrunch that an ‘operational’ change to its policy for reviewers made this week will see them lock the accounts of any underage user they come across, even if they were reported for something else, such as objectionable content, or are otherwise discovered by reviewers. Facebook will require the users to provide proof that they’re over 13 such a government issued photo ID to regain access. The problem stems from Facebook not requiring any proof of age upon signup.

Facebook Messenger Kids is purposefully aimed at users under age 13

A tougher stance here could reduce Facebook and Instagram’s user counts and advertising revenue. The apps’ formerly more hands-off approach allowed them to hook young users so by the time they turned 13, they had already invested in building a social graph and history of content that tethers them to the Facebook corporation. While Facebook has lost cache with the youth over time and as their parents joined, Instagram is still wildly popular with them and likely counts many tweens or even younger children as users.

The change comes in response to an undercover documentary report by the UK’s Channel 4 and Firecrest Films that saw a journalist become a Facebook content reviewer through a third-party firm called CPL Resources in Dublin, Ireland. A reviewer there claims they were instructed to ignore users who appeared under 13, saying “We have to have an admission that the person is underage. If not, we just like pretend that we are blind and that we don’t know what underage looks like.” The report also outlined how far-right political groups are subject to different threshholds for deletion than other Pages or accounts if they post hateful content in violation of Facebook’s policies.

In response, Facebook published a blog post on July 16th claiming that that high-profile Pages and registered political groups may receive a second layer of review from Facebook employees. But in an update on July 17th, Facebook noted that “Since the program, we have been working to update the guidance for reviewers to put a hold on any account they encounter if they have a strong indication it is underage, even if the report was for something else.”

Now a Facebook spokesperson confirms to TechCrunch that this is a change to how reviewers are trained to enforce its age policy for both Facebook and Instagram. Facebook prohibits users under 13 to comply with the US Child Online Privacy Protection Act that demands that requires parental consent to collect data about children. The change could see more underage users have their accounts terminated. That might in turn reduce the site’s utility for their friends over or under age 13, making them less engaged with the social network.

The news comes in contrast to Facebook purposefully trying to attract underage users through its Messenger Kids app that lets children ages 6 to 12 chat with those approved by their parents, which today expanded to Mexico, beyond the US, Canada, and Peru. With one hand, Facebook is trying to make under-13 users dependent on the social network while pushing them away with the other.

Child Signups Lead to Problems As Users Age

A high-ranking source who worked at Facebook in its early days previously told me that one repercussion of a hands-off approach to policing underage users was that as some got older, Facebook would wrongly believe they were over 18 or over 21.

That’s problematic because it could make minors improperly eligible to see ads for alcohol, real money gambling, loans, or subscription services. They’d also be able to see potentially offensive content such as graphic violence that only appears to users over 18 and is hidden behind a warning interstitial. Facebook might also expose their contact info, school, and birthday in public search results, which it hides for users under 18.

Users who request to change their birthdate may have their accounts suspended, deterring users from coming clean about their real age. A Facebook spokesperson confirmed that in the US, Canada, and EU, if a user listed as over 18 tries to change their age to be under 18 or vice versa, they would be prompted to provide proof of age.

Facebook might be wise to offer an amnesty period to users who want to correct their age without having their accounts suspended. Getting friends to confirm friend requests and building up a profile takes time and social capital that formerly underage users who are now actually over 13 might not want to risk just to able to display their accurate birthdate and protect Facebook. If the company wants to correct the problem, it may need to offer a temporary consequence-free method for users to correct their age. It could then promote this options to its youngest users or those who algorithms suggest might be under 13 based on their connections.

Facebook doesn’t put any real roadblock to signup in front of underage users beyond a self-certification that they are of age, likely to keep it easy to join the social network and grow its business. It’s understandable that some 9- or 11-year-olds would lie to gain access. Blindly believing self-certifications led to the Cambridge Analytica scandal, as the data research firm promised Facebook it had deleted surreptitiously collected user data, but Facebook failed to verify that.

There are plenty of other apps that flout COPPA laws by making it easy for underage children to sign up. Lip-syncing app Musically is particularly notorious for featuring girls under 13 dancing provocatively to modern pop songs in front of audiences of millions — which worryingly include adults. The company’s CEO Alex Zhu angrily denied that it violates COPPA when I confronted him with evidence at TechCrunch Disrupt London in 2016.

Facebook’s Reckoning

The increased scrutiny brought on by the Cambridge Analytica debacle, Russian election interference, screentime addiction, lack of protections against fake news, and lax policy towards conspiracy theorists and dangerous content has triggered a reckoning for Facebook.

Yesterday Facebook announced a content moderation policy update, telling TechCrunch “There are certain forms of misinformation that have contributed to physical harm, and we are making a policy change which will enable us to take that type of content down. We will be begin implementing the policy during the coming months.” That comes in response to false rumors spreading through WhatsApp leading to lynch mobs murdering people in countries like India. The policy could impact conspiracy theorists and publications spreading false news on Facebook, some of which claim to be practicing free speech.

Across safety, privacy, and truth, Facebook will have to draw the line on how proactively to police its social network. It’s left trying to balance its mission to connect the world, its business that thrives on maximizing user counts and engagement, its brand as a family-friendly utility, its responsibility to protect society and democracy from misinformation, and its values that endorse free speech and a voice for everyone. Something’s got to give.

Read Full Article

Trump just noticed Europe’s $5BN antitrust fine for Google

In other news bears shit in the woods. In today’s second day Trump news: President ‘The Donald’ has seized, belatedly, on the European Commission’s announcement yesterday that it had found Google guilty of three types of illegal antitrust behavior with its Android OS since 2011 and was fining the company $5 billion; a record breaking penalty the Commission’s antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager said reflects the length and gravity of the company’s competition infringements.

Trump is not! at all! convinced! though!

“I told you so!” he has tweeted triumphantly just now. “The European Union just slapped a Five Billion Dollar fine on one of our great companies, Google. They truly have taken advantage of the U.S., but not for long!”

I told you so! The European Union just slapped a Five Billion Dollar fine on one of our great companies, Google. They truly have taken advantage of the U.S., but not for long!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 19, 2018

Also not so very long ago, Trump was the one grumbling about tech giants. Though Amazon is his most frequent target in tech, while Google has been spared the usual tweet lashings. Albeit, on the average day he may not necessarily be able to tell one tech giant from another.

Vestager can though, and she cited Amazon as one of the companies that had suffered as a direct result of contractual conditions Google imposed on device makers using its Android OS — squeezing the ecommerce giant’s potential to build a competing Android ecosystem, with its Fire OS.

Presumably, for Trump, Amazon is not ‘one of our great companies’ though.

At least it’s only Google that gets his full Twitter attention — and a special Trumpian MAGA badge of honor call-out as “one of our great companies” — in the tweet.

Presumably, he hasn’t had this pointed out to him yet though. So, uh, awkward.

Safe to say, Trump is seizing on Google’s antitrust penalty as a stick to beat the EU, set against a backdrop of Trump already having slapped a series of tariffs on EU goods and Trump recently threatening the EU with tariffs on cars — in what is fast looking like a full blown trade war.

Even so, the tweet probably wasn’t the kind of support Google was hoping to solicit via its own Twitter missive yesterday…

.@Android has created more choice for everyone, not less. #AndroidWorks pic.twitter.com/FAWpvnpj2G

— Google Europe (@googleeurope) July 18, 2018

#AndroidWorksButTradeWarsDon’t doesn’t make for the most elegant hashtag.

But here’s the thing: Vestager has already responded to Trump’s attack on the Android decision — even though it’s taking place a day late. Because the EU’s “tax lady”, as Trump has been known to vaguely refer to her, is both lit and onit.

During yesterday’s press conference she was specifically asked to anticipate Trump’s tantrum response on hearing the antitrust decision against Google, and whether she wasn’t afraid it might affect next week’s meeting between the US president and the European Commission president, Jean-Claude Juncker.

“As I know my US colleagues want fair competition just as well as we do,” she responded. “There is a respect that we do our job. We have this very simple mission to make sure that companies play by the rulebook for the market to serve consumers. And this is also my impression that this is what they want in the US.”

Pressed again on political context, given the worsening trade relationship between the US and the EU, Vestager was asked how she would explain that her finding against Google is not part of an overarching anti-US narrative — and directly asked how would she answer Trump’s contention that the EU’s “tax lady… really hates the US”.

“Well I’ve done my own fact checking on the first part of that sentence. I do work with tax and I am a woman. So this is 100% correct,” she replied. “It is not correct for the latter part of the sentence though. Because I very much like the US. And I think that would also be what you think because I from Denmark and that tends to be what we do. We like the US. The culture, the people, our friends, traveling. But the fact is that this [finding against Google] has nothing to do with how I feel. Nothing whatsoever. Just as well as enforcing competition law — well, we do it in the world but we don’t do it in a political context. Because then there would never, ever be a right timing.

“The mission is very simple. We have to protect consumers and competition to make sure that consumers get the best of fair competition — choice, innovation, best possible prices. This is what we do. It has been done before, we will continue to do it — no matter the political context.”

Maybe Trump will be able to learn the name of the EU’s “tax lady” if Vestager ends up EU president next year.

Or, well, maybe not. We can only hope so.

Read Full Article

How to Create a Hosting-Free Website With Itty Bitty

With programming, online creativity knows no bounds. Every day, programmers across the Internet use their skills to create small projects for the public. Itty Bitty, a website created by former designer for Google and current vice President at Dropbox Nocholas Jitkoff, is one such small project.

Using the Itty Bitty site, you can create a tiny HTML website for free even if you don’t have any web hosting.

An Itty Bitty Explanation

Here’s how it works: itty.bitty.site creates small sites by loading them through their URLs. In other words, your site is stored, and presented, within its link.

Because of this, websites created using Itty Bitty require absolutely no web hosting. The URL itself holds the entire data of the site: what it looks like, what it says, etc.

You’ll note that once you receive your Itty Bitty link, it’ll be a bit larger than usual. That’s your entire website.

Link for Link

The actual site created by Itty Bitty has a very minimal interface. Keep in mind, every additional page on the site is created using the site itself.

From this page, you can immediately begin using basic HTML for create a simple page.

If you want to create a more robust Itty Bitty site, you can either drag and drop an HTML document directly into the website or link an existing project directly into the prompt.

While your document or link may use other programming languages like CSS or JS, they’ll still be loaded with your Itty Bitty site. That said, the main benefit of using Itty Bitty (and the central reason it can be loaded from an address) is that your page has to be kept under a certain, small size.

How Small Is an Itty Bitty Site?

If Itty Bitty is free and requires no web hosting, how big can your site really be? The answer: not very.

The site presents the size of your website to you at the top-right portion of the window. While sites can fluctuate in size, that also means your link will fluctuate in size as well. Some sites won’t allow you to share links larger than a few bytes, which can limit your ability to share bigger sites.

Luckily, the creator has posted the max byte sizes possible for plenty of popular platforms to explain what sizes different platforms will accommodate:

If you’re looking to shorten a website using Bitly, for example, you’re going to have to create a very small website. That goes for Microsoft Edge as well. If you’re only looking to share it across browsers, however, you can create a much larger site.

From Link to Itty Bitty Site

While you can also create Itty Bitty sites by dropping HTML files directly into it or by typing the site contents directly, I’ll demonstrate using a Codepen project previously made by Dudley Storey.

Codepen is the easiest way to create your site using Itty Bitty. Codepen provides users with both an easy-to-use developer environment and a convenient linking process.

The above is a fantastic example of how a strong HTML backbone—and other subtle programming additions—can create a simple website. Luckily, it’s also small enough to share across many of the platforms listed above.

To convert a Codepen project into an Itty Bitty site, paste the Pen’s link into the Itty Bitty site. Then, mouse over the gray untitled section and edit the text to reflect your site.

Next, click on the menu at the top right of the window.

This is where you create the link to your Itty Bitty. While it may not seem as though you’ve just created a website, you have!

Once you click the copy link option, you can paste the link into your browser to view the site. Also important to note: by default, Itty Bitty sites can be sent via QR code.

That allows for a slew of options, like attaching a physical reference for lost devices.

Congrats, you now have a ready-to-link website that is server-less and free!

Shorten Your Itty Bitty Link Even Further

You can also create a clutter-free link using a link shortening tool. I’ll use Bitly, which not only allows you to shorten links but also allows you to customize the link with your own text if you sign up for a free account.

Our original Codepen example is too large to condense using Bitly, so here’s another fantastic project by JT Helms. I simply followed the process above to convert this Pen to an Itty Bitty site.

Once you have your link, head to Bitly. Paste your link into Bitly’s splash page, or sign into your account and select the Create button. Enter your link in the following prompt.

Once you’ve pasted your link, it will automatically be converted. Then, adjust your link as you see fit using Bitly’s editor if you’re logged in.

I change the initial link to ITTYBITTYEXAMPLE. You can now head to bit.ly/ITTYBITTYEXAMPLE as you would any other site—except, of course, that it’s free and requires no web hosting or server maintenance.

Security for Itty Bitty Sites

While this is a cool and ingenious way to create small HTML sites, it’s not without its flaws. You can misuse an Itty Bitty site as easily as you can any other. That means sites can annoy you with features like alerts.

Since the site is still in an experimental phase, don’t necessarily rely on the site as a main method of establishing a safe web presence.

The Itty Bitty Possibilities Are Endless

Creativity found online is often impressive. Rarely, however, is it as simple, accessible, and easy to use as Itty Bitty. Want to showcase a small application? Messing around with div elements? It’s all readily doable using the Itty Bitty site.

Moreover, you’re not limited to a certain number or sites. Take a note from the site’s creator Nocholas Jitkoff and link a site within a site for a comprehensive, multi-page explanatory website. Or make an ASCII bulldog. The possibilities are small in size, but endless in scope, so try out this little online experiment today!

Go further and make even better sites by improving your knowledge of HTML and CSS before creating an Itty Bitty site!

Read the full article: How to Create a Hosting-Free Website With Itty Bitty

Read Full Article

Europe updates its predatory pricing investigation against Qualcomm over UMTS baseband chips

On the heels of Google getting served a $5 billion fine by the EU over monopolistic practices related to its Android operating system, the European Commission today resurfaced another ongoing case in the world of large U.S. tech companies. The EC said that it has added to its investigation into Qualcomm and its predatory pricing of UMTS baseband chips. Specifically, today the Commission has sent more details relating to elements of the “price cost” test that it had applied to measure just how much below cost Qualcomm was selling UMTS baseband chips to edge out competitors.

If the case is decided against Qualcomm, the company could face an additional fine of up to 10 percent of its worldwide revenues. In 2009, these were $10.4 billion, while in 2017, global turnover was over $22 billion.

The original, 2015 case was based on a complaint filed by Icera — once a big player in baseband chips — and dates back to practices between 2009 and 2011 and alleged that Qualcomm used its market position to negotiate artificially low prices for UMTS chips — used in 3G phones — in order to oust out Icera. Others that made similar chips include Nvidia.

Qualcomm has wasted little time in responding to the notice posted by the EC.

“This investigation, now in its ninth year, alleges harm in 2009-2011, to a competitor who chose years later to exit the market for reasons unrelated to Qualcomm,” said Don Rosenberg, general counsel and executive vice president of Qualcomm in a statement. “While the investigation has been narrowed, we are disappointed to see it continues and will immediately begin preparing our response to this supplementary statement of objections. We belief that once the Commission has reviewed our response it will find that Qualcomm’s practices are pro-competitive and fully consistent with European competition rules.”

Qualcomm is already in the middle of appealing a $1.23 billion fine in the EU over LTE chip dominance in the iPhone, related to deals that were made with Apple at the expense of another big rival of Qualcomm’s, Intel. (Never mind that Apple and Qualcomm are also in the middle of a patent dispute.)

This older case, as Qualcomm points out, has been narrowed since it was first announced almost exactly three years ago. And while we don’t know what the exact details of the supplementary objections are and whether they have expanded them again (we have contacted the EC to try to find out), the Commission also notes in its short statement — printed in full below — that sending an update to its calculations doesn’t necessarily imply the outcome of this case.

Statement below.

The European Commission has sent a Supplementary Statement of Objections to Qualcomm Inc. This is a procedural step in the Commission’s ongoing investigation under EU antitrust rules looking into whether Qualcomm engaged in ‘predatory pricing’. The Commission sent a Statement of Objections to Qualcomm in December 2015 detailing its concerns. In particular, the Commission’s preliminary view is that between 2009 and 2011 Qualcomm sold certain UMTS baseband chipsets at prices below cost, with the intention of eliminating Icera, its main competitor in the leading edge segment of the market at that time. UMTS chipsets are key components of mobile devices. They enable both voice and data transmission in third generation (3G) cellular communication. The Supplementary Statement of Objections sent today focuses on certain elements of the “price-cost” test applied by the Commission to assess the extent to which UMTS baseband chipsets were sold by Qualcomm at prices below cost. The sending of a Supplementary Statement of Objections does not prejudge the outcome of the investigation. More information is available on the Commission’s competition website, in the public case register under the case number AT.39711.

Read Full Article

How to Safely Delete or Deactivate Your Apple ID

Deleting your Apple ID used to involve convincing someone at Apple tech support about the validity of your request. But not anymore!

Apple now has a dedicated Data and Privacy tool that allows you to edit or download your data stored with Apple and deactivate/delete your Apple ID.

We’ll show you how the tool works and the required prep work if you want to go ahead with Apple ID deletion.

The Right Reasons to Delete Your Apple ID

Whether you’re driven by privacy concerns or the love of a different digital ecosystem, it makes sense to delete your Apple ID if you want to stop using it altogether. But keep in mind that the deletion is final—even Apple can’t restore your account or data if you regret it later.

So if you’re planning to return to Apple’s services in future, you might want to deactivate your account for now instead of deleting it for good.

Are you considering the deletion as a troubleshooting measure? This may be because you’ve forgotten your Apple ID password or you’re facing frequent iCloud problems. Or maybe you’re deleting your Apple ID because you want to remap it to a new email address.

In that case, you might want to reconsider, because you don’t need to go to the extreme of deletion. It’s not difficult to reset your Apple ID password, and we have fixes for iCloud problems. You can also change the email address associated with your Apple ID. Read our Apple ID FAQ for help with troubleshooting your account.

Review the Data and Services You’ll Lose

Can you continue to use a Mac or iPhone without an Apple ID? Yes, but in a restricted manner. You’ll lose access to most Apple services and a big chunk of your Apple data.

It’s vital that you understand and review what you give up when you delete your Apple ID. If you gloss over these details, you might be in for a few nasty jolts in the future.

For starters, you’ll lose access to:

• App Store, iTunes Store, and iBooks Store purchases
• iCloud data, including data stored in iCloud by Apple apps as well as third-party apps
• Services like Apple Pay, App Store, iTunes Store, and iCloud
• iMessage and FaceTime, but you can continue to use these on your iPhone with your phone number

You’ll also lose your subscriptions to Apple Music and Apple News. If in-app subscriptions, or newspaper and magazine subscriptions are linked to your Apple ID, consider them gone. Active subscriptions get canceled at the end of their billing cycles.

Your Apple ID holds your key to the Apple world. If you’re entrenched in this ecosystem, you probably have a long list of “What happens if?” scenarios to consider. Since we can’t cover them all here, we’ll let Apple’s support page for account deletion answer the rest of your queries.

First Steps: Back Up, Disable, Sign Out

Make a copy of all the data you can before you give up your Apple ID. That includes your iCloud content and DRM-free purchases. You might also want to save important Apple-related documents such as content purchase receipts.

Next comes Apple’s Find My iPhone/Find My Mac feature, which allows you to trace your lost Apple device and lock or erase them remotely. You have to disable this feature before you get rid of your Apple ID. To do so:

On macOS: Open System Preferences > iCloud and uncheck the box next to Find My Mac.

On iOS: Tap on Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud > Find My iPhone and turn off the slider for Find My iPhone.

Now it’s time to deauthorize your Mac. You can do that from the iTunes app; click on Account > Authorizations > Deauthorize This Computer. (Deauthorization is important in other cases too, such as when selling your Mac or sending it in for service.)

It’s also crucial that you sign out of iCloud from all apps and devices before you delete your Apple ID. If you skip this step, you might have trouble using them in future.

On macOS: Visit System Preferences > iCloud and click on the Sign Out button at the bottom of the sidebar.

On iOS: Visit Settings > [Your Name] and tap on the Sign Out option at the bottom of the Apple ID screen that appears.

In both cases, you can choose to keep a copy of your iCloud data on the device.

You should also sign out from your Apple account within browsers and clear out cookies for good measure.

One last step is removing the devices associated with your Apple ID. To do this, log in to your Apple ID page at appleid.apple.com.

Next, under the Devices section, click on a device and then its Remove button to unlink the device from your Apple ID. You have to do this for each of your linked devices.

How to Delete Your Apple ID for Good

Once you’re sure that you want to delete your Apple ID, it’s time to access the deletion tool. You’ll find it at privacy.apple.com on a Mac, PC, or an iPad.

Once you log into the portal with your Apple ID, you’ll find a Manage your data section. From here, you can choose to:

1. Correct your data: Update any incorrect personal information.
2. Delete your account: Delete your Apple ID.
3. Deactivate your account: Disable your account temporarily.

Depending on the region you’re in, you might not see the Deactivate your account option. But Apple will eventually make it available to you in the future.

Now click the Get started link under Delete your account to proceed.

Apple then serves up a list of major changes that you should prepare for and any vital action steps you need to take. Read it all the way through and use the Select a reason dropdown menu at the bottom to specify why you want to delete your Apple ID. Now hit the Continue button to move on to the next step.

Here, you can once again review what you’re giving up along with your Apple ID. Next, you’ll come across the Deletion Terms & Conditions page.

After you get past it, Apple will ask you for your contact details. Select an email address or a phone number where you would like to receive updates from Apple about the status of your account.

Save the Unique Access Code You Get From Apple!

At this point, Apple gives you a unique access code, which comes in handy if you want to cancel the deletion request. The code helps Apple Support verify your identity when you get in touch with them.

Be sure to write down the access code or save it in a safe location. After you get past the access code screen, you’ll find the Delete account button. Click on it finalize your account deletion request and Apple will take over from there.

Account deletion can take up to seven days, and your account will remain active during this time.

The deactivation process is nearly the same as the deletion process. To initiate the former, log in with your Apple ID at privacy.apple.com and then select the Get Started option under Deactivate your account on the Manage your account page.

Are You Ready to Part With Your Apple ID?

While the Data and Privacy portal started out as a compliance measure in response to GDPR, it’s not limited to the EU. Apple has decided to make the portal available across the world and keep the deletion experience consistent.

If you have fallen out of love with Apple, you can now initiate the deletion process quickly and by yourself. Just don’t forget to do the prep work first!

Image Credit: kunertus/Depositphotos

Read the full article: How to Safely Delete or Deactivate Your Apple ID

Read Full Article

Printrbot has shut down

Printrbot, a popular Kickstarter-backed 3D printer company, has shut down, leaving only a barebones website and little explanation. The founder, Brook Drumm, wrote that “Low sales led to hard decisions.”

“We will be forever grateful to all the people we met and served over the years,” he wrote. “Thank you all.”

Printrbot’s machines costs about $200 during the Kickstarter and Drumm created multiple add-ons including a belt for printing multiple objects.

Drumm also ran Vault Multimedia and appeared on Science Channel’s All-American Makers TV and a pastor. Drumm created his product after having trouble assembling an early Makerbot and finding the hardware and software difficult to use.

There is no clear information on future support or parts availability for current customers. I’ve reached out to the company for comment.

Read Full Article

Apple reportedly confirms keyboard reliability fix in internal document

An internal Apple document distributed to Apple Authorized Service Providers and obtained by MacGénération and MacRumors confirms that there’s a membrane under the keyboard to “prevent debris from entering the butterfly mechanism”. This is the first time Apple acknowledges that the third generation butterfly keyboard tries to fix unreliability issues.

“The keyboard has a membrane under the keycaps to prevent debris from entering the butterfly mechanism. The procedure for the space bar replacement has also changed from the previous model,” the internal document says.

When Apple introduced the updated MacBook Pro, the company told everyone that the keyboard had been updated for quieter typing. But iFixit found out that the company actually added thin silicon barriers under each keycap.

It’s clear that Apple didn’t want to publicly state that there is a reliability issue with its recent 12-inch MacBook and MacBook Pro models. The company doesn’t want to fuel those lawsuits.

But if you’ve been using a MacBook Pro or a 12-inch MacBook, you know that the butterfly keyboard isn’t ideal. While some people love typing with it, the main issue is that it’s not reliable. Sometimes, keys become stuck, you can’t use a letter, or it inserts two letters every time you press that key.

Even worse, if you try to bring it to an Apple Store to get it fixed, it’s an expensive process that involves replacing a good chunk of the computer. Dust, sand or hair can render your computer unusable.

It’s still too early to say if the 2018 MacBook Pro is more reliable. But Apple needs to update the 12-inch MacBook right away because it’s outrageous that they still sell a laptop with a broken keyboard.

Read Full Article