Don't you just love computers? There's
with the plastic and the wiring and they got lights and stuff. I don't know. I
just think they're cute. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney finally has his first big
win after spending 3 years crusading against Apple and Google's app stores
instead of making the Epic Games store not suck so it wouldn't depend on exclusive games. Hey, but to each their
own. On Monday, the jury in the Epic v Google trial unanimously agreed with
Epic's argument that Google illegally used monopoly power and anti-competitive
business deals to ensure the Play Store remains dominant in the Android app
distribution market, thereby crushing Epic's plans to bypass the Play Store
tax. Now, this may be confusing given that Epic lost in court making basically
the same argument against Apple who bears a much stronger resemblance to
this guy, but Epic's case against Google was actually made easier since Google
does allow third-party app stores on Android while doing everything they can
behind the scenes to ensure those all fail. Google was also hurt by the fact
that its executives wrote things down allowing incriminating documents to be
obtained by Epic's covert task force of elite Fortnite hackers.
This security system is mid, no cap. Bro, if you want a full deep dive on
this, I did a full deep dive in this TechLinked.
I think it's pretty good. Now, this development could fundamentally change
the app store landscape for both Apple and Google, but of course Google will
appeal the ruling and if it sticks, it'll be years before the changes affect
end users. But Tim Sweeney is good at the long game. Fortnite has survived and
as evidenced by a recent launch of games within a game like Lego Fortnite which
is actually Minecraft, is actually blossoming into a metaverse of its own.
One that won't have to hand over a cut of its Android revenue to Google. So,
what's next? Well, according to Tim, he's taking the fight back to Cupertino
so he can lose again. Speaking of antitrust and Apple, early next year EU
regulators are likely to serve Apple with a ban on app store rules that block
music services from steering users away from the app store and towards other
subscription options. It's also theoretically possible that the European
Council could fine Apple up to 10% of annual sales as part of the decision,
but a fine of that scale would be extremely unusual. After all, the mark
of a good threat is that you never have to follow through. Good night, app store
you have. Shame would be if something were to happen to it. EU regulators are also investigating how
Apple restricts access to mobile payment features on its devices prompting Apple
to offer opening up its tap-and-go system Pay competitors
for some reason. Meanwhile, the right to repair movement is gaining traction in
North America and the European Parliament recently voted near unanimously to pass new aggressive right
to repair legislation. Apple, by pure coincidence, is expanding its
self-repair program to more devices including the iPhone 15 and newer M2
MacBook models. M2. It's also released a
relatively sophisticated web-based diagnostic tool that will give users
access to the same testing abilities as Apple authorized providers. This
diagnostic tool is currently available only in the US, but will be expanding to
Europe next year. Or else. The California Department of
Motor Vehicles is accusing Tesla of false advertising regarding its
so-called full self-driving feature. A feature that does not and cannot fully
automate a car, but sure does sound like it can. In response, Tesla's lawyers are
arguing that the DMV implicitly condoned its marketing because Tesla started
using the term autopilot in 2014 and
full self-driving in 2016 and the DMV chose not to take action until 2021.
Like if the cops don't see, it's legal. Tesla
also claims that California's false advertising rules for autonomous
vehicles inappropriately restrict constitutionally protected speech that
is truthful and non-misleading. Now, that might be relevant if it weren't for
the fact that unprotected speech that is dishonest and very misleading is exactly
what they're currently accused of. Tesla recently escaped a class action lawsuit
for alleged false advertisement, but that's largely due to a forced
arbitration clause embedded in Tesla's terms and conditions. Today, Tesla also
issued a recall of over 2 million cars
which is basically all of them in the US for a partial defect in Tesla's
autopilot controls which the Highway Traffic Safety Administration found
didn't sufficiently ensure that drivers were paying attention and then prevent
them from using it under inappropriate conditions. Of course, by recall,
regulators just mean an over-the-air patch to the infotainment system. Just
in case you weren't already worried that automotive safety regulators are
dangerously behind the times. Now, it's time for quick bits brought to you by
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and free shipping. It was recently discovered that every quick bit emits
low-level radiation. Don't worry, you folks at home are
perfectly safe. I, however, have 6 months to live. I've been doing this a
while. In response to a concerned post by a Chinese user, AMD has clarified
that while yes, overclocking a Ryzen Threadripper 7000 does blow a hidden
fuse to indicate that the chip has been used with overclocking, but
that doesn't necessarily void its warranty. According to AMD's standard
terms of sale, damage that directly results from overclocking may not
qualify for repair under warranty, but an overclocked chip is still covered by
warranty for replacement or repair for other issues. Nothing has changed so
overclockers can relax and keep overing
those clocks. Cow tipping, I think. All right, let's just up the voltage a bit.
Huh? That's dumb. The Australian Competition
and Consumer Commission has hit Google subsidiary Fitbit with a 7.3 million USD
fine for making misleading claims to at least 58 customers about its warranties.
I'd say it was warranted. Well, the fine is only 3.8% of Fitbit's
$190 million net income last year, it's
also over 120,000 per customer lied to. Fitbit
representatives reportedly told several customers they only had 45 days to
return a faulty device. They told another that they couldn't receive a
refund because the device wasn't purchased directly from the Fitbit website. According to Australian law,
goods sold in the country must hit a certain threshold of quality and fit to
purpose or the customer must be offered a repair, replacement, or refund. Either
you comply or they drag you out into the desert and leave you to the kangaroos.
They look cute, they're not. The FTC has released a warning advising citizens to
be cautious when scanning QR codes given their increased use in scams and
distribution of malware. Pictures of QR codes embedded in phishing emails can
easily bypass normal security checks where a direct link to a malicious site
would be quickly detected. You're also likely to find QR codes on restaurant
tables, shop Windows, posters, and parking lot kiosks which just makes it
easy for a scam artist to just paste their own code over the authentic one.
Also, why do we call them scam artists? This is like sandwich artist all over
again. It's just mustard. You're not Picasso. Valve has asked
Steam Deck owners to please stop inhaling the device's exhaust fumes.
A writer for Kotaku has elected to ignore the health and safety advice
because they can't stop, quote, smelling the hot plasticky, almost fruity scent.
Apparently, a non-zero amount of people on Reddit feels strongly about the scent
with one commenter lamenting the day their Deck stopped smelling.
Or maybe his olfactory nerve finally died of Deck poisoning. I'm so happy I
got to write that. Why do we love what's bad for us? And an
AI companion robot has been dividing New York's elderly community. What show is
this? Is this local news? All right, here we go. ElliQ has been given out to
hundreds of lonely seniors as part of an initiative by the New York State
Government's Office for the Aging. While many seniors seem to enjoy the company,
others likened the robot's reminders and prompts to nagging and even called the
device's tone rude. Man, if one of them says kids these days, I'll finally win
elderly catchphrase bingo. Finally, we strike back against Big Grandma. And
you'll win more tech news if you come back on Friday for another episode of
TechLinked. Don't forget. This is me reminding you to sub.
Better see you there. Okay.