Sunday, August 29, 2021

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Google reportedly offered Netflix a special discount on Play Store fees

Posted: 28 Aug 2021 02:04 PM PDT

Google has been accused of playing favorites in its treatment of Android app developers. The Vergereports a newly unsealed consumer lawsuit against Google alleges the company offered to take a "significantly reduced" cut of Netflix's Play Store revenue in order to quell the streaming giant's "displeasure." Netflix, Spotify and Tinder all supposedly tried to get around the requirement to use Play Store's in-house billing system, and deals like this were meant to keep Netflix using Google's payment platform.

The same filing also includes a claim that Google's normal revenue share is arbitrary. Where the company typically asks for a 30 percent cut of Play Store purchases, it apparently determined that it could break even with just six percent. Internal communications suggest Google chose the 30 percent share for no reason "other than copying Apple," according to the lawsuit.

We've asked Google for comment. In a statement to The Verge, a spokeswoman maintained that developers were bound to the same policies as "all other developers," and that there were efforts to back app makers with "enhanced resources and investments." These initiatives were evidence of "healthy competition" in operating systems and app stores, Google said.

If the allegations are true, though, that wouldn't be the case — Google would have given Netflix a sweetheart deal not available to other Play Store developers. The company wouldn't be alone, either. Internal emails also suggest Apple offered Netflix perks it didn't provide to others using the App Store.

Whatever the case, Google might not have much choice but to alter its practices. Apple recently softened the App Store's rules as part of a proposed settlement, going so far as to let developers pitch customers on alternative payment systems — something Google still forbids, as the attorneys behind the unsealed lawsuit point out. Between these latest revelations and other lawsuits, such as those from Epic and state attorneys general, Google faces strong pressure to follow Apple and otherwise make concessions to avoid more serious legal repercussions.

Belarusian hackers are trying to overthrow the Lukashenko regime

Posted: 28 Aug 2021 01:04 PM PDT

A group of activist-hackers in Belarus has infiltrated almost every part of the the country's authoritarian government in a bid to overthrow the Lukashenko regime, according to MIT's Technology Review and Bloomberg. The hackers, known as Belarus Cyber Partisans, have been leaking information they found on sensitive police and government networks. They first started defacing government websites as an act of protest in September 2020 following the country's disputed election, in which Alexander Lukashenko's win was widely considered as fraudulent. But they also publish the information they get on Telegram, where they have 77,000 subscribers.

The group told the publications that it's made up of 15 IT and cybersecurity experts working in the country's tech sector. None of them are "professional hackers," a spokesperson told Tech Review, with only four out of 15 doing the actual "ethical hacking." 

The Partisans' most recent attacks gave them access to drone footage from the government's crackdowns on protests last year and the Ministry of Interior Affairs' mobile phone surveillance database. They also apparently got access to emergency services' audio recordings, as well as video feeds from road speed and isolation cell surveillance cameras. The data the group released over the past weeks include lists of alleged police informants, personal information about top government officials and spies, police drone and detention center footage and secret recordings captured by the government's wiretapping system.

If the Cyber Partisans have been effective in their efforts to infiltrate the government's networks, it's thanks to the help they get from another group called BYPOL. They reportedly reached out to BYPOL in December 2020 for guidance — after all, the group is made up of former Lukashenko officials who defected from the government and current ones working to topple the regime from the inside. 

BYPOL provides them information on how to infiltrate government organizations and on the structure of the administration's databases. In return, the Cyber Partisans provide the group with information it can use to investigate the regime's crimes. BYPOL publishes information on its own Telegram channel and creates documentaries, one of which was cited at a congressional hearing that led to the US imposing sanctions against the Lukashenko regime.

The Cyber Partisan spokesperson told Tech Review that they're using cyberattacks to "paralyze as much as possible of the regime's security forces, to sabotage the regime's weak points in the infrastructure and to provide protection for protesters." Their ultimate goal is "to stop the violence and repression from the terroristic regime in Belarus and to bring the country back to democratic principles and rule of law."

Microsoft might not deliver Windows 11 updates to PCs with old CPUs

Posted: 28 Aug 2021 12:46 PM PDT

Microsoft might let you install Windows 11 on PCs with older processors, but that doesn't mean you'll get the full experience you'd find on newer machines. The company told The Verge that PCs with unsupported CPUs aren't 'entitled' to get Windows 11 updates, and might not even get driver or security upgrades. You may have to get more recent hardware just to keep your system secure, in other words.

We've asked the company if it can comment further, although it declined to elaborate when The Verge asked for more details. It previously said it would let people install Windows 11 ISOs on older CPUs to help businesses test the new platform.

This wouldn't be a completely unexpected move. Microsoft could get into legal trouble if it offers updates to unsupported hardware — it might not want to risk bricking your PC with a patch, or leading you to believe you're guaranteed technical support. This approach lets the company court enthusiasts (who can install new ISO images instead of relying on patches) without widening its compatibility and introducing other headaches.

You'll still get an inferior take on Windows 11, though, and it's evident Microsoft's core message remains intact. The company wants you using a relatively recent computer with Windows 11, even if that means having to wait until you can justify a PC upgrade.

Smartwatch demand surged 47 percent this spring

Posted: 28 Aug 2021 10:17 AM PDT

The smartwatch market doesn't appear to be cooling down any time soon — if anything, it's heating up. Strategy Analytics estimates smartwatch shipments grew by a whopping 47 percent year-over-year in the second quarter of 2021, with 18.1 million of the wearables shipping this spring. Demand (at least from retailers) has returned to "pre-pandemic levels," according to the analyst firm's Steven Waltzer — it hasn't been this hot since 2018.

Strategy Analytics attributed the spike to continued demand for personal health devices. It's not clear how much the pandemic recovery fuelled demand, although it wouldn't be surprising if the renewed interest in going outside prompted extra sales.

It wasn't just the usual companies that benefited from the surge, either. Apple held on to a comfortable lead with 52 percent of the market and the most popular individual smartwatch (the Apple Watch Series 6), and Samsung saw its shipments jump 54 percent. Garmin's fitness-focused watches still jumped 25 percent, though, and "others" (including Fossil and other Wear OS backers) saw their shipments climb 55 percent. This was a strong overall market, even for smaller brands.

There are signs this spike will continue. Apple Watch Series 7 could be weeks away as we write this, and Samsung's Wear OS-packing Galaxy Watch 4 might revitalize Android smartwatch sales. Low-cost LTE smartwatches from Chinese brands like Oppo and Xiaomi might also help, according to the analysts. This momentum will eventually die down, but it's unlikely to fade in the near future.

GoPro's next Hero action camera might offer a leap in image quality

Posted: 28 Aug 2021 08:47 AM PDT

How will GoPro improve on its Hero 9 Black action camera? By focusing on the fundamentals, apparently. WinFuture claims to have leaked GoPro Hero 10 Black images suggesting the upcoming cam will improve image quality. Most notably, it would have a GP2 processor allowing 5.3K video at up to 60 frames per second — you wouldn't have to choose between 5K and glass-smooth frame rates like you do with the Hero 9, which only manages 5K at 30FPS.

GoPro will reportedly jump to a 23-megapixel sensor (versus 20MP in the Hero 9) that allows higher-resolution photos. You might also see improved video stabilization through HyperSmooth 4.0, although it's not clear how the company will improve its "gimbal-like" anti-shake technology.

There's no mention of when GoPro might introduce the Hero 10 Black, although it launched the Hero 9 in September last year. We wouldn't be surprised if the follow-up was weeks away. It might be a well-timed release, too. Now that society is (slowly) reopening, there are more opportunities to embark on outdoor adventures — more people may be looking for action cams to document their expeditions.

Apple will repair your faulty iPhone 12 earpiece for free

Posted: 28 Aug 2021 07:57 AM PDT

Don't despair if you're having problems making calls on your iPhone 12 — there might be a free fix for it. 9to5Macreports Apple has introduced a repair program for a "very small" number of iPhone 12 and 12 Pro units with faulty earpieces that don't emit sound during calls. If your phone has this problem and was made between October 2020 and April 2021, Apple and authorized repair shops will fix the issue at no cost for up to two years after the "first retail sale."

Apple blamed the issue on a failure-prone component in the receiver. This program doesn't cover the iPhone 12 mini or 12 Pro Max, suggesting they use different receiver hardware.

This is the first repair program for the iPhone 12. We wouldn't expect more given Apple's generally solid track record with recent iPhones (a minority of iPhone 11 units had unresponsive screens). If nothing else, though, this serves as a reminder to check for programs like this before you assume a repair will prove costly.

Soon you can experience a spacewalk through virtual reality

Posted: 28 Aug 2021 05:33 AM PDT

Most of us will never be able to visit space, much less experience what it's like to do a spacewalk. Even billionaires who can afford to pay for a trip beyond the atmosphere of our planet — or at least somewhere in that vicinity — can only look out from their spaceships. Episodes 3 and 4 of the immersive series Space Explorers: The ISS Experience, however, will give you a way to see what it's like to float around in space. To make that happen, Felix & Paul Studios, one of the series' creators, customized a virtual reality camera and attached it to the Canadarm2 robot to capture 3D, 360-degree scenes from outside the space station. 

Felix & Paul's "Outer Space Camera" is a customized version of the commercially available Z-Cam V1 Pro. It has nine 4K sensors that can take 3D, 360-degree images at 8K resolution. The camera has also been modified to withstand harsh conditions, including UV radiation, temperature extremes and micrometeoroid impacts. The team attached it to the Canadarm2 robotic arm, which moves around the station's external structure. 

Jonathan Woods, the series' executive producer for Time Studios (one of the entities behind the project, along with NASA), said:

"Capturing the Earth in stereoscopic 3D, 360-degree format from space, outside the space station, has never been attempted until now. It's beyond exciting and surreal to see this happening, knowing that the dream for this ambitious project started over five years ago in 2015."

Episodes 3 and 4 will be available this fall and winter, respectively, in 360-degree mobile format on 5G-enabled devices through leading carriers around the world, including LGU+ in South Korea, KDDI in Japan, Orange in France and Deutsche Telekom in Germany. They will also be available as fully immersive VR experiences on the Oculus Store for the Rift, the Quest and Quest 2 headsets.
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