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Google surprises Android TV owners with unwanted advertisements

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Updates that add features like additional HDR support or fix weird issues are one good thing about smart TVs, but as many of us have experienced, there can be a downside. Software updates delivered months or years after a TV is purchased could change the interface for the worse, or add “features” that are really just revenue-generating opportunities. A “pilot program” popping up on Android TVs (which include most of Sony’s lineup from the past few years, even the expensive models) combines both of those issues by adding a row of Sponsored content that no one asked for.

That no one apparently includes Sony, which posted a new support page noting that the change is managed by Google. Even though owners of their TVs purchased displays without the ads and didn’t anticipate they’d show up, there’s no way to simply disable them — instead Sony suggests creating a new Restricted profile that will only list the apps users opt into showing.

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Tesla investigated Elon Musk after he reportedly pushed a former employee

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The incident in question occurred when a senior employee returned to the company’s Fremont delivery hub facility the day after turning in their resignation to tie up loose ends and say goodbye to colleagues according to Bloomberg.

According to witnesses that requested anonymity from Bloomberg for fear of retribution, Musk yelled and told the employee to leave. One witness noted that Musk told the person, “I will nuke you,” if they harmed Tesla. Then according to reports, Musk physically blocked the person when they moved to grab their backpack.

During the incident Musk physically touched the employee according to witnesses and the employee. The event has been described as a push by some and a light touch or tap by others. Regardless of the amount of force used by the CEO, it prompted an investigation by the company’s board of directors.

The board told Bloomberg that after talking to multiple witnesses it determined that there was “no physical altercation.” But there was no word on how the board reacted to the yelling and cursing.

This hasn’t been a great week for the CEO in terms of his behavior.

The Tesla CEO is currently embroiled with the SEC over his tweets and earlier this week a District Judge told both parties to, “take a deep breath, put your reasonableness pants on, and work this out.”

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Facebook, Google and Twitter will join a hearing on tech censorship next week

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While we can guess, we don’t know exactly what the subcommittee (chaired by Senator Ted Cruz) plans to discuss. Since the 2016 election, tech companies have been accused of — and denied — censoring conservative speech. This also comes just one week after Mark Zuckerberg proposed four ways to regulate the internet.

Google and Facebook are already scheduled to appear before Congress on April 9th to answer questions on what they’re doing to curb the spread of white nationalism and separatism on their platforms. There could be some overlap between the two hearings. Last year, YouTube was accused of censoring content when it mistakenly removed videos from a watchdog group instead of those posted by conspiracy theorist Alex Jones. And, some fear Australia’s new bill to punish platforms that fail to remove violent content will lead to censorship. In all likelihood, this will be another case of “Tech Companies Go to Congress,” in which Congress attempts to shed light on an issue, and instead, we learn very little.

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Researchers want to store excess renewable energy as methane

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Their idea is to use microbes to convert excess renewable energy into methane, which could be burned as needed. In nature, the microorganism Methanococcus maripaludis consumes hydrogen and carbon dioxide and exudes methane. So, the researchers are using renewable energy-powered electrodes to split water and free its hydrogen atoms. Those hydrogen atoms are fed to the microbes, which then pull carbon dioxide from the air and release methane. The gas doesn’t dissolve in water, so it can be captured and stored.

Then, at times of peak demand or when renewables aren’t producing, the methane can be burned much like fossil fuel sources. It might seem backwards to turn renewable energy into methane, which releases carbon dioxide when it burns. But, this methane is produced by pulling carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, so the process is carbon-neutral. One significant advantage over battery storage systems, like Tesla’s Powerpacks, is that the methane can be converted into electricity using existing infrastructure.

The researchers are still working on the technology, but they believe this can be cost effective at scale. The Department of Energy has already committed funding, and the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Southern California Gas are helping to develop more efficient designs. It’s hard to say if this can solve renewable energy’s biggest flaw — its storage problem — but it’s certainly a novel approach.



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'Fortnite' takes a cue from 'Apex Legends' with respawn points

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If it wasn't already evident that Epic is concerned Apex Legends might cut Fortnite's momentum short, it is now. Epic is preparing an update that introduces Reboot Vans, a not-so-subtle parallel to Apex's revive stations. Should any of your squad mat…

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Amazon’s earbuds are a shot at Google, not Apple

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When it comes to the virtual assistant wars, there are really two main players: Alexa and Google Assistant. Sure, there’s Siri, Bixby and Cortana, but none of them are nearly as capable or have the reach that the other two have. Alexa undoubtedly has the headstart, partly thanks to the success of its Echo line of products. But Google isn’t far behind, and that’s due to the sheer ubiquity of Android hardware in the world. For a while, it seemed like that was the way it was. Alexa dominated the home, while Google Assistant owned mobile.

But in recent years, that has started to change. Google has been making inroads into the home. A couple of years ago, the company released Google Home, an Echo rival that traded Alexa for Google Assistant. In 2017, Google unveiled the Home Mini, which was the company’s answer to the Echo Dot. The rivalry continued with Google unleashing its own line of Smart Displays to compete with the Echo Show in 2018, and eventually its own homegrown version in the form of Google’s Home Hub.

Google Home Mini

Google Home Mini

And it seems to be working. The products proved to be so popular, that there was a moment in 2018 where Google Home sales exceeded Echo sales for the first time. In late 2018, the Home Mini, in particular, was deemed the top-selling smart speaker in the world — Strategy Analytics estimated it had global shipments of 2.3 million units, compared to 2.2 million units of the Echo Dot.

Amazon, however, has not had that much success in the mobile world. The Fire Phone, released in 2014, was a flop. And though the Alexa app exists, it’s used mostly as a means to communicate with other Amazon products. Alexa has been incorporated in other mobile devices, like Bose headphones and the North smart glasses, but those are pretty expensive and for a relatively niche audience. There are other true wireless headphones with Alexa, like the Jabra Elite 65t, but at over $160 a pair, these again probably aren’t the mainstream rivals Amazon might be going for.

Amazon Echo

An array of Amazon Echo products

Incorporating Alexa in a pair of inexpensive wireless earbuds, on the other hand, could finally be the ticket Amazon needs to get its assistant on mobile in a more widespread manner. Apple’s AirPods have proved to be pretty popular despite their high price and mediocre sound quality. If Amazon’s version could be cheaper, sound better and have a smarter assistant on board, that could be a pretty compelling alternative for non-Apple devotees. And, seeing as last year’s Pixel Buds proved to be a disappointment, this seems at first blush to be a ripe opportunity for Amazon to swoop in.

But it might not be quite so easy. There are already a few wearables with built-in Google Assistant, but the truth is, you often don’t really even need that. Many headphones paired with Android can summon the assistant with just a couple of taps, with most of the work being done on the phone anyway. The combination of headphones and Google Assistant is therefore easy to implement without having to have an official deal with Google, which is a privilege Amazon doesn’t have.

Unless Amazon’s wireless earbuds offer some other bonus feature, they might suffer the same fate as the Fire Phone all over again. Yet, Amazon could very well have learned from its mistakes, perhaps taking extra care to make sure its earbuds exceed expectations. We’ll likely have to wait until Amazon’s annual gear event later this year to find out.

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‘Super Meat Boy Forever’ will miss April release date

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It’s not completely surprising that the game would take a little while longer. Super Meat Boy Forever is an endless runner, but it’s built with an element of procedural generation and plays more like the original than a typical mobile-style running title. It’s also slated to hit the PC, PS4, Switch and Xbox One — that’s a considerably more ambitious launch strategy than the initial two-platform release for the first game.

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Microsoft may combine Xbox Live and Game Pass into single subscription

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The Xbox Game Pass Ulitmate plan would save gamers about $5 per month off the current cost of paying monthly for both Xbox Live Gold and Game Pass. That said, if you get a 12-month Xbox Live membership, you won’t be saving anything by switching to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. The bundle would likely bring more people to the Xbox Game Pass service, which provides digital access to more than 100 curated Xbox games including Sea of Thieves and Minecraft.

Microsoft has increasingly been experimenting with the idea of ditching discs, which appears like it will culminate with the reveal of the Xbox One S “All-Digital Edition.” The console free of any optical drive could have a cheaper price point and rely entirely on digital downloads and subscription services like Xbox Game Pass. Microsoft has also been working on a game streaming service called xCloud that could be announced at E3.

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EU charges Valve and five publishers with geo-blocking games

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The problem centers around activation keys. When users buy physical games, they often get activation keys, which they must enter to add the games to their Steam libraries. The Commission says Valve and the five publishers agreed to use geo-blocking so that activation keys sold in some countries — like Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary and Latvia — would not work in other Member States.

On the surface, it seems logical that a publisher would sell an activation key for less money in, for instance, Hungary, where the per capita GDP is much lower than it is in, say, Germany. Then, to prevent gamers in Germany from buying activation keys at a cut rate in Hungary, the publisher might restrict where the keys work. But doing so violates the EU’s Digital Single Market rules, which aim to enforce an open market across all of the EU. The Commission also says the publishers broke antitrust rules by including contractual restrictions that prevented distributors other than Valve from selling some PC games outside of certain Member States.

Now, Valve and the five publishers have an opportunity to respond to the Commission’s charges. If the Commission still believes they’re in violation of EU competition rules, they could be forced to change their ways and each be fined up to 10 percent of their annual revenue. In order to comply, Valve and the publishers could increase their costs throughout the EU, and gamers could be left to pay the price.

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UN says US fears over Huawei’s 5G are politically motivated

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“I would encourage Huawei to be given equal opportunities to bid for business, and during the operational process, if you find anything wrong, then you can charge them and accuse them,” Zhao said, according to Reuters. “But if we don’t have anything then to put them on the blacklist — I think this is not fair.”

The US has tried to dissuade allies including Canada and Italy from allowing Huawei to contribute to 5G networks in those nations, fearing China will use the conglomerate’s equipment to spy on those countries. For instance, it threatened to limit the intelligence it shares with Germany should that country permit carriers to use Huawei’s equipment. Huawei has rejected the US allegations. Australia, meanwhile, has blocked mobile providers from using Huawei tech over security worries. The UK has also expressed concern.

In his interview, Zhao didn’t touch on charges US federal prosecutors have brought against Huawei for allegedly violating sanctions against Iran and stealing trade secrets. The company pleaded not guilty to the charges. Meanwhile, it’s suing the US government for blocking federal agencies from using Huawei equipment.

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