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Articles by Melissa Fitzgerald
channelnews : Regulators Accuse Big Tech Of Ignoring Calls to Protect Users from Scams
According to the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), investment scams are on the rise, accounting for roughly half of the $3 billion lost last year, which has led to Australian regulators asking Meta and other social media platforms that sell financial goods to have a licence. The ASIC says that so far, their requests have been disregarded.
channelnews : Patent Court Case On Apple’s FaceID & TouchID Ending Soon
Australian firm CPC Patent Technologies is defending its patents for biometric data, such as fingerprints, to unlock doors and other items, against Apple for selling devices with TouchID and FaceID, locally, while abroad, the business just won a U.S. patent breach suit for the same issue against a global corporation, Assa Abloy.
channelnews : The EU Just Passed Landmark Rules to Regulate AI
European lawmakers have agreed on a political framework to regulate artificial intelligence in the region, including comprehensive AI law starting with the Artificial Intelligence Act with penalties for breaching the rules potentially reaching 7% of a company’s global revenue. The Act would be part of a series of EU regulations with global implications for the tech industry and its major players, such as Meta Platforms, Apple, and Google’s parent company Alphabet.
channelnews : Amazon Wants Antitrust Lawsuit Dismissed Over ‘Common Retail Practices’
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed an antitrust lawsuit that Amazon wants “dismissed in its entirety” because, according to the online retailer, the regulator mistook “common retail practices” for anticompetitive conduct and unsuccessfully identified customer harm. In the suit, Amazon was accused of employing unlawful tactics to increase profit growth, such as using an algorithm that allegedly supercharged prices to go up by over US$1 billion (A$1.52 billion).
channelnews : Google Shares Fix For Drive Glitch & Missing Files
Google has offered a fix for potentially retrieving mysteriously missing files after users alerted the tech giant of the Drive bug. Drive users affected said that files deleted could not be located, while others said over the last couple of months, important documents have been vanishing before their eyes. Additionally, users were cautioned if they tried out a supposed solution released by Google, more problems could result from the remedy for the malfunction.
channelnews : Govt Addresses ACCC’s Digital Platform Recommendations
The Australian government has responded to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s (ACCC) Digital Platform Services Inquiry report and said it agrees more robust measures are needed to protect businesses and consumers from harms of digital platforms. The ACCC said it welcomes the new Australian Government’s in-principle agreement to new competition and consumer laws.
channelnews : Are Amazon Echo Frames Worth $400 USD?
Amazon decided to opt out of including visual augmented reality features or adding a camera for its new Echo Frames line, including the new Carrera Cruiser model (3rd generation), but instead focused on making stylish-looking glasses that are lighter and include Alexa and open-ear headphones.
channelnews : Microsoft-Activision Deal Faces Fresh Hurdles In Appeals Court
The Microsoft and Activision Blizzard merger is one of the largest tech acquisitions in history, but the antitrust suit brought by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is heating up with more questions asked of the Microsoft’s lawyer by the U.S. Court of Appeals judge Jennifer Sung. The judge pressed Microsoft’s lawyer on specifics of whether the company plans to release Activision titles on the cloud and video-game consoles and if any of their actions sufficiently offset any antitrust concerns.
channelnews : Samsung Winner in U.S. Patent Digital Signage Case Against LG
The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) ruled last month that Samsung Electronics and Samsung SDS did not violate any patents over outdoor electronics displays after looking into a patent infringement suit filed by Manufacturing Resources International (MRI) last year. MRI is a U.S. maker of outdoor and semi-outdoor digital liquid-crystal displays.
channelnews : AMD Takes On Nvidia With New Chip, Expects Sharp Growth
Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) is setting out to upset Nvidia’s domination of the AI market with new “accelerator” chips with 150 billion transistors and 2.4 times as much memory as Nvidia’s H100. AMD says the new MI300 line can run artificial intelligence software faster than competitors’ products. The long-anticipated lineup was revealed by Chief Executive Officer Lisa Su, alongside a massive new forecast of $604 billion in terms of AI chip industry growth.
channelnews : Alphabet Reveals New ChatGPT Competitor, Gemini
Alphabet, Google’s parent company, has entered the AI market with its own cutting-edge artificial intelligence model named Gemini, which is said to distil information from various sources such as video, audio, and text. Google also said it has better sophisticated reasoning inclusive of understanding nuance. “This new era of models represents one of the biggest science and engineering efforts we’ve undertaken as a company,” Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai said.
channelnews : First Spotify, Now Rival Has “Tidal” Wave Of Layoffs
Only a couple of days ago, Spotify announced they would be laying off 9,000 workers, and now competitor and streamer Tidal has announced it will lay off more than 10% of its staff. The move by the music streaming business was laid out by tech billionaire Jack Dorsey’s Block Inc. and is set to be part of a larger plan to become more lean as a business.
channelnews : Apple Ditches China, Turns To India-Made iPhone Batteries
Apple is continuing to extricate itself from manufacturing in China and instead is expanding its efforts to manufacture its latest generation of iPhones batteries in India in a bid to diversify its global supply chain. According to sources familiar with the situation, the tech giant has notified component suppliers to begin sourcing batteries for the incoming iPhone 16 from Indian factories.
channelnews : Acer Launching New Carbon Neutral Vero Laptop Line
Acer announced a new carbon-neutral Aspire Vero laptop line that follows international carbon footprint calculation and neutrality standards. The first laptop in the line to launch soon is the Aspire Vero 16 (AV16-51P), with pricing and availability in Australia to follow. The new Aspire Vero laptop line has also been eco-consciously constructed with the aim of reducing its carbon footprint throughout its lifecycle.
channelnews : Retailers Turn To Discounting To Entice Aussies To Spend
As Australians continue to spend less on discretionary purchases, retailers have turned to discounting products, which was reflected in a recent Deloitte analysis finding that overall sales volumes is down 1.7% and real retail sales growth (in per capita terms) is also down 3.6 % compared to last year to September. The move to increase discounting, however, has supported the RBA to make a choice to return inflation to its target band of 2-3% by 2025 end.
channelnews : Google Allegedly “Suppressed” Evidence Says Judge
According to the Judge overseeing Google’s current antitrust court case, he said he had “never seen anything so egregious” regarding the search titan’s willingness to get rid of evidence related to the Fortnite maker Epic Games case.
channelnews : BOE To Open OLED Plant For Monitor & Tablet Panels
The display maker BOE is preparing to “meet the soaring demand for IT OLED displays” by building a new 8.6G OLED plant. BOE is located in China and is one of the leading providers of panels to ASUS. The display manufacturer also launched China’s first 6G OLED production line and with the new facility positioned in Chengdu, BOE can increase efficiency while reducing the pricing of production of OLED panels.
channelnews : LS Cable & System Develops Fastest Data Transfer Cable
The world’s fasted data transfer cable, the new SimpleWide 2.0, has been launched by LS Cable & System, South Korea’s leading cable manufacturer, and can support speeds up to 5 gigabits per second (Gbps). The cable allows for the world’s fastest data transmission and can send data of 5 Gbps, supported by 100 watts of power, to devices over a distance of a max of 180 metres. The cable has beaten an earlier maximum of 1 Gpbs and a capacity of 30 watts for a cable over 200 metres.
channelnews : REVIEW: Is The Galaxy S23 FE Worth $1,000?
The Samsung FE smartphones have been a popular Samsung offering because they sit under their top-end S23 Galaxy range, the affordable premium A5, and other upwards ranges, and over the last couple of weeks, I tested out their latest release, the Galaxy S23 FE. Replacing the popular Galaxy S21 FE, the S23 FE model is $999 and features Dynamic AMOLED 2x display, new AI enhancements including an image eraser for photos which is powered by Samsung’s own Exynos 2200 performance processor.
channelnews : Meta Sued For $901M By Spanish Media
A lawsuit has been filed in Spain against social media behemoth Meta by a group representing over 80 media outlets, the Asociacion de Medios de Informacio, with the group alleging the big tech giant has violated European data privacy laws. The group represents major news brands such as El Mundo and El Pais, and claims Meta disregarded regulations making users to give permission prior to their personal information is used for digital advertising, occurring from 2018-2023.
channelnews : Spotify Cuts 1500 Jobs, Goes Back To Start-Up Mentality
In an effort to reduce costs and increase profitability, roughly one fifth of the 9,000 Spotify workers worldwide are being made redundant after warning that economic growth had slowed quickly and significantly. Spotify Chief executive Daniel Ek said of the decision: “I recognise this will impact a number of individuals who have made valuable contributions.” “To be blunt, many smart, talented and hard-working people will be departing us.” After the announcement was made, Spotify shares jumped 8%.
channelnews : Amazon’s AI Chatbot Q Has Accuracy & Privacy Problems
According to leaked documents, Amazon’s AI Chatbot Q is claimed to be “experiencing severe hallucinations and leaking confidential data” with some staff suggesting it could “potentially induce cardiac incidents in Legal.” Amazon only recently announced the business-focused Q but from the reports, it looks like the new AI chatbot might need a little more time in incubation before it launches commercially.
channelnews : Apple & Paramount Eye Streaming Partnership
As the streaming competition continues to heat up, Apple and Paramount are allegedly considering a merger of their platforms to offer a discounted package to boost profitability and subscriber numbers. The report came from sources of The Wall Street Journal and suggests the bundling AppleTV+ and Paramount+ could entice subscribers as well as could strengthen their subscriber growth against competitors like Netflix and Disney+.
channelnews : Rob Vieira Rejoins Premium Audio
Premium Audio has named Robert Vieira as a senior director of AVR Brands, who will now oversee the product development of all multiple PAC brands worldwide across all channels. With the founding trio out as ChannelNews recently reported, Vieira is coming onboard at a key time and will oversee electronics brands, including Onkyo, Integra, and Pioneer. As part of his focus, he will bring new products from concept to production.
channelnews : Google Home’s New Features Has Nest Cam Support
Google Home will release new camera features and support for the Nest Cam Outdoor soon with updates limited to Public Preview users only. One of the biggest releases is the first-generation Nest Cam Outdoor support, which should drop in the next couple weeks and let operators use device in Google Home. There’s also access to an updated camera history interface. Beyond these updates, Google is granting users the alternative to generate and download custom clips using their video history.
channelnews : Loewe Unveils New Bespoke Options For Iconic TV
Loewe had already introduced the Iconic, a 4K OLED TV made of Syno-Stone, a premium recycled material, but now has added two new stand colours, white and bronze, as well as three new Syno-Stone finishes including marble, dust, and sand. To conclude the design update, Loewe gave three soundbar fabric options: grey, black, and bronze. Buyers can also decide on an array of new side inlays in various colours, materials, and finishes.
channelnews : Solomon Lew’s Retail Empire Beats Earnings Forecast
According to Billionaire and Premier Investments chairman Solomon Lew, not only did the corporation’s fashion and apparel chains broke Black Friday sales records but it also beat analyst guidance for first half of 2024 earnings, which was reportedly roughly $200 million. The earnings forecast beat the target of $180 million, however, business profits are down from $221.8 million for the previous same period in 2023.
channelnews : Judge Asks Epic & Google To Pause Settlement Talks
Judge James Donato has asked Fortnite-maker Epic to file demands by the end of the week, to which Google must reply within 48 hours and hold settlement talks before the jury of the current antitrust trial decides its verdict. The decision was made after Epic lead attorney Gary Bornstein shared the two corporations had never officially endeavored to settle their dispute before it ended up in court.
channelnews : New Massive Matter 1.2 Update Released
Matter released its 1.2 update, which is bringing major improvements to the interoperability standard and expanding access to nine more types of devices, such as laundry machines, air purifiers, fridges, dishwashers, robot vacuums, and other smart home gadgets. Previously, Matter only worked with a few types of devices, like smart bulbs, smart plugs, and smart sensors.
channelnews : Telstra & Qantas Pull Google Ads After Sanction Breach Claims
After new Adalytics research was released that exposed Google’s ad exchange has been serving ads on hundreds of websites located in areas sanctioned by the U.S., Telstra and Qantas cancelled their Google marketing temporarily. U.S.-located ad tech company Adalytics found Google was posting ads alongside explicit and pirated content and also running ads on Russian and Iranian-sanctioned website for the U.S. Secret Service, FBI, and the U.S. Treasury.
channelnews : Amazon Launches “Q” AI Chatbot
A year after OpenAI disrupted the tech market with ChatGPT, Amazon launched a chatbot called “Q”. The bot is powered by artificial intelligence, and Amazon says that businesses can use Q to sum up pages of content, group calls, and other communication which would augment overall productivity.
channelnews : Aqipa Has New Crypto Wallet Partner, Ledger
Aqipa Australia announced a partnership with Ledger, a leading cryptocurrency wallet brand, which it will leverage to grow its visibility in Australia and New Zealand with new “secure and user-friendly cryptocurrency solutions” offerings.
channelnews : Samsung & Google Developed Dolby Atmos Substitute
While Samsung has now embraced Dolby Atmos for its 2022-2023 TV models, the TV maker has also teamed up with Google to create a rival, alternative technology. The South Korean company has collaborated with Google to develop an alternative, Immersive Audio Model and Formats (IAMF), and is publicly sharing details. “Samsung Electronics’ advanced research institute Samsung Research has been striving to popularize 3D audio since 2020.
channelnews : IKEA, Big W & More Now Offer 5 Weeks Leave
In a bid to attract staff and to meet Australian labour union requests, major retail outlets such as Bunnings, Big W, IKEA, and Apple are improving staff benefits to include five weeks of leave per year, which coincides with the labour union calling for a reduction of the work week from 38 to 35 hours and ten days personal leave.
channelnews : Adobe’s Figma Merger Faces U.K. Scrutiny Over Innovation Concerns
According to the U.K. Competition and Markets Authority (CMA), Adobe’s potential Figma acquisition of $30 billion would likely harm innovation for software used by most U.K. digital designers.
channelnews : Google Ads Found On Sanctioned Sites
New research has revealed that Google’s ad exchange has been serving ads on hundreds of questionable websites that are listed on the U.S. Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctions list, which is a violation of the tech giants’ own policies as well as the governments.
channelnews : ACCC Calls For Big Tech Competition & Consumer Laws
According to the ACCC’s latest report, the continued expansion of digital platforms into the daily lives and livelihoods of consumers poses certain risks to business and Australians, and that the reach of companies such as Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, and Microsoft must be addressed by new competition laws and reform to circumvent any potential harm.
channelnews : 72% Of Kids Want Game-Related Gifts For Xmas
According to an ESA survey polling over 500 children ages 10 to 17, only 22% of U.S. children want physical games for the holidays, with the majority preferring game subscriptions and virtual currency. Of the U.S. child respondents, 72% said they want games-related products, with subscriptions being the most requested gift at 39%. Up next, consoles were 38%, games accessories were 32%, and in-game currency ranked at 29%.
channelnews : Motorola Launches New g84 5G Model For $399
Motorola launched a new mid-tier 5G smartphone, the moto g84 5G, which has a 6.5” ultrawide display with Full HD+ resolution, crystal clear audio through Dolby Atmos, and Spatial Sound and is priced at an budget-conscious $399. The new g54 was launched in Australia simultaneously as the brand celebrates the 10th anniversary of the moto g line. Additionally, Motorola has designed the smartphone for the first time with the 2023 Pantone Colour of the Year, Viva Magenta (pictured above).
channelnews : Optus Outage Exposes Drone Rollout Concerns
The Optus outage has spotlighted weaknesses within the telecom business, including the illumination of how vital it is to have constant and reliable telecommunications access to ensure drone delivery safety for a successful rollout. Israeli-headquartered drone communications Elsight, warned future outages could cause safety issues, which is particularly challenging for last and middle mile logistics businesses looking at launching delivery drones with autonomous flights to boost profitability.
channelnews : Best Buy Successfully Combats Shoplifting With Staff
Shoplifting is escalating in Australia and globally, with the number of offences of stealing from NSW retail stores increasing by nearly 40% between March 2021 and 2023, according to data from the NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research, but Best Buy has tried something different to put off would-be thieves, a more prominent staff presence and its working.
channelnews : Gou Quits Politics, Focuses on Foxconn
After stalling in the opinion polls at fourth place, Foxconn’s billionaire founder Terry Gou has quit his political ambitions for now, has left the presidential campaign in Taiwan and resume his leadership at his manufacturing tech company. Sources say that those who work at the major Apple supplier and iPhone manufacturer are relieved to have Gou back to steer the Foxconn ship.
channelnews : Samsung Galaxy A15 & S24 Series Ultra Leaked
Samsung is tipped to launch its Galaxy A-series soon, with new leaks predicting that the Galaxy A15 5G will be released early next year, while the Galaxy S24 series claimed to be released mid-January. A recent report shared that the Samsung Galaxy A15 with a 4G smartphone variation has been seen on the Singapore IMDA certification with a model number of SM-A155F/DSN that supports NFC, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi connectivity.
channelnews : ECOVACS Expands Oversees To Drive Revenue & Serve Buyers
The leading appliance and robotics group, ECOVACS Group, opened its first office in Singapore as part of its globalisation strategy, aiming to augment its market presence and drive revenue growth in Southeast Asia and beyond. The APAC smart home appliance market is tipped to grow at a CAGR of 22.0% between 2023-2030, which is why ECOVACS is positioning itself in the region, to capture growing demand.
channelnews : HMD Global Wins Top Feature Phone Market Spot
According to a new analysis by IDC, HMD Global, the company overseeing the manufacturing of Nokia phones, has been given top ranking, crowning it the winner of the feature phone market for Q3 2023. The analyst company has yet to share the complete breakdown of the numbers, but HMD has a 30.7% market share by value and 22.4% by volume, showing a positive increase from the last three months. According to HMD, a couple of crucial aspects impacted Nokia’s achievement of top ranking.
channelnews : Apple CEO Hints At Who Might Replace Him
Apple CEO Tim Cook is not retiring anytime soon, but if he does, he said his successor would probably already be working for the tech giant. Before stepping into the role after Steve Jobs, Cook worked for Apple for 13 years. “My job is to prepare several people for the ability to succeed, and I really want the person to come from within Apple,” Cook said.
channelnews : OpenAI Launches Free ChatGPT Voice Feature Amid CEO Turmoil
Amidst CEO drama and internal disruptions, OpenAI dropped the cost associated with ChatGPT’s voice feature, which lets users use a voice prompt to ask questions to the chatbot, like Siri. The feature was originally released in September for paying customers but is now free. OpenAI announced ChatGPT’s on its X (formerly Twitter) account, sharing that users can now tap the headphones icon to speak with ChatGPT in the mobile app, rewarding users with an audible response.
channelnews : Gates Says AI To Cut Workweek, Enter OpenAI’s Project Q*
On Trevor Noah’s podcast, “What Now?”, Bill Gates said that AI would be transformative for businesses and have the capacity to allow humans to cut down their workweek to just three days because “machines can make all the food and the stuff”. He added, “Entire industries will reorient around it.
channelnews : Lenovo & EPOS Sign Audio Solutions Deal
Lenovo has paired up with EPOS, an audio technology leader, to collaborate on high-quality audio solutions designed for business use, inclusive of a hybrid work environment, resulting in the launch of two Lenovo EPOS co-branded headsets. With the new agreement, EPOS is now Lenovo’s global audio partner for PC audio accessories. EPOS will also be included in Lenovo’s 3rd party program, offering consumers a wide selection of audio devices from a single source.
channelnews : Research Shows 83% Of Mobile Games Collapse In 3 Years
According to a new report by SuperScale, the majority, or 83%, of new mobile games go down like a led balloon within three years, while 43% are abandoned during development. The report, overseen by Atomik Research, features survey results from 500 game developers in the U.K. and U.S. Findings included that 76% of launched games peaked early and that within the first year, the most revenue for games is made, with only 4% attaining as good as its first year profits the second year.
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