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Google fined a record $5B for breaking EU antitrust laws

Jul18
by on July 18, 2018 at 11:52 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Google, Mobile


It’s been confirmed: the EU has fined Google a record €4.34 billion ($5 billion). This is in response to the technology giant’s mobile operating software, Android, breaking European antitrust laws. Announced at 1pm in Brussels by the EU’s Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager, she declared that Google must “put an effective end to this conduct in 90 days” or face penalties. Vestager stated in the press conference that “Google has used Android as a vehicle to cement its dominance as a search engine,” something that has denied European consumers choice and businesses the ability to innovate. Fine of €4,34 bn to @Google for 3…

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Applying for a patent – $15k, Mastercard patenting even more blockchain – priceless

Jul18
by on July 18, 2018 at 10:19 am
Posted In: Around the Web, cryptocurrency, Hard Fork, Insider


Mastercard have applied for a new blockchain patent. Yep – another one. Is there a limit to how many patents you can apply for in one year? The document outlines its particular goal: quickening merchant transactions that use cryptocurrencies. It describes the problems faced currently by those buying or selling goods with digital coins. Lengthy confirmation times, they claim, have put a real dampener on the exchange, especially considering technology is already widely available that make the whole thing instantaneous. Mastercard’s solution is to build a system that manages a “fractional reserve of blockchain currency,” with a hope of streamlining the process. They would hold…

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WORLDSTAAAR: Watch if Google gets whacked with an $11B fine by the EU

Jul18
by on July 18, 2018 at 9:08 am
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, Google, Mobile


Google will most likely be hit with a record fine from the EU today. This is set to be focused around its Android operating system violating European antitrust laws. Part of a wider anti-trust lawsuit, the EU claims Google has “abused its dominant position by imposing restrictions on Android device manufacturers and mobile network operators.” The decision from Brussels is expected around midday today and the EU regulatory body is able to fine Google up to 10 percent of its annual revenue. According to Statista, Alphabet – Google’s parent company – earned around $111 billion in 2017, so this could make the fine…

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a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

WORLDSTAAAR: Watch if Google gets whacked with an $11B fine by the EU

Jul18
by on July 18, 2018 at 9:08 am
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, Google, Mobile


Google will most likely be hit with a record fine from the EU today. This is set to be focused around its Android operating system violating European antitrust laws. Part of a wider anti-trust lawsuit, the EU claims Google has “abused its dominant position by imposing restrictions on Android device manufacturers and mobile network operators.” The decision from Brussels is expected around midday today and the EU regulatory body is able to fine Google up to 10 percent of its annual revenue. According to Statista, Alphabet – Google’s parent company – earned around $111 billion in 2017, so this could make the fine…

This story continues at The Next Web

Or just read more coverage about: Google

└ Tags: , ,
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Review: TaoTronics’ $70 headphones deliver decent entry level noise-cancelling performance

Jul18
by on July 18, 2018 at 8:58 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Gadgets


The lower end of the audio market is extremely crowded, as a legion of anonymous Chinese brands pump out near-identical headsets by the thousands, and flog them on marketplaces like Amazon. TaoTronics isn’t one of them. It belongs to the same company that owns RavPower (who make fairly solid portable chargers), and Vava (which produces a line of commendably-decent speakers and “gaming” headphones). Although it doesn’t have the same brand value as Anker, it’s one of those rising tech companies worth paying attention to. I got the chance to review TaoTronics’ latest pair of affordable noise-cancelling headphones — the snappily-named…

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