Meta, Microsoft, Amazon Web Services and Dutch mapping company TomTom have joined forces with The Linux Foundation to give Google a run for its money in the maps space with the launch of the Overture Maps Foundation to build interoperable open map data. “Mapping the physical environment and every community in the world, even as they grow and change, is a massively complex challenge that no one organization can manage,” Linux Foundation executive director Jim Zemlin said. Overture’s mission is to create an extensible mapping framework that will enable companies to contribute their own data, constantly refreshing as the physical world changes. Continue reading Meta, Microsoft, AWS Want to Map the Future with Overture

The European Commission has formed a “preliminary view” that Meta Platforms has breached EU antitrust law by manipulating competition in the online classified advertising markets on Facebook and Instagram. The Commission took particular umbrage with the bundling of Meta’s Facebook with access to Facebook Marketplace, which allows users to buy and sell items. Meta could face a fine as high as $11.8 billion if the allegations of self-dealing prove true. The Commission also claims Meta is imposing unfair conditions on Marketplace competitors for its own benefit. Continue reading EU Pushes Its Antitrust Case Against Facebook Marketplace

In a lead-up to CES 2023, Lenovo has raised the curtain on new ThinkPad laptops, ThinkVision monitors, IdeaPad laptops, an IdeaCentre Mini desktop and the next-generation Smart Tab M9. The new devices focus on hybrid working environments and mobility, including lightweights, 2-in-1 models, and ultraportable laptops with the latest Intel Core processors. Those who work with a dual monitor setup may be intrigued by the new ThinkVision P49w-30 ultrawide, which measures 49-inch diagonally and sports a QHD IPS panel with a 2000:1 contrast ratio. Lenovo also unveiled accessories to help with hybrid workflow efficiencies. Continue reading Lenovo Product Demos at CES to Focus on Hybrid Workflow

Select Gmail users are getting expanded access to a beta test for new end-to-end encryption features from Google. Google Workspace Enterprise Plus, Education Plus and Education Standard can apply to join the beta test until January 20, 2023. “Using client-side encryption in Gmail ensures sensitive data in the email body and attachments are indecipherable to Google servers,” the company says, adding that customers will retain control over encryption keys. Users will be able to activate the additional encryption by clicking the padlock button in Gmail. Activating the extra security will disable features like emoji and signatures. Continue reading Google Introduces End-to-End Encryption Features for Gmail

Full Microsoft Teams integration has come to HoloLens 2 headsets, which are now able to make calls, browse and view calendars or join group meetings, among other things. Microsoft is also combining its key Dynamics 365 Mixed Reality Apps Teams and OneDrive to existing integrations with the Azure cloud and Power Platform. “No matter where they are,” HoloLens 2 users can “summon an array of holographic windows with a Teams call or chat, a Power BI dashboard, a Word document, a PDF or video, their OneDrive folder, or their calendar and operate in an immersive, 3D experience,” the company says. Continue reading Microsoft Goes All-In on Teams Integration with HoloLens 2

Netflix is tooting its own horn for 10 years of Open Connect, an initiative designed to provide customers with improved technical performance. Since launching the program in 2012, Netflix has worked with global ISPs to optimize servers in high-density customer areas so programming will stream at high quality and with minimal lag time. Open Connect identifies the most efficient delivery route based on ISPs’ preferences, and ensures that the show or film is available on local servers ahead of time, ensuring access even when demand is at its highest, according to Netflix. Continue reading Netflix Open Connect Program Helps ISPs and All Networks

What some call “Apple’s unchecked dominance” in mobile phones may get a real challenge from Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S23 Ultra, expected to hit the market in Q1. The new model will be powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chips, which benchmarks have shown to be fast approaching the performance of Apple’s A16 Bionic. There is also a rumor that Samsung may take a page from Google and Apple and begin designing bespoke phone chips. Samsung already has a chip foundry, but it is independent of the company’s mobile unit, a Switzerland for its diversity of phone customers. Continue reading Samsung to Take on Apple with Upcoming Galaxy S23 Ultra

Spotify is estimated to have a one-third share of the global music-streaming market, and now the company is making a mark in B-to-B with Backstage, an open-source framework for building developer portals that is now in use by an estimated 200 companies, including American Airlines, Netflix, Roku, Epic Games, VMware and LinkedIn. Backstage centralizes management of engineering tools, resources and documentation — from CI/CD status and Kubernetes monitoring to API and library docs and more. While Spotify has made Backstage available free, it’s now introducing a package of five premium plugins via paid subscription. Continue reading Spotify Launches Premium Plugins for Backstage Framework

Amazon Games and Crystal Dynamics are teaming on a new multiplatform installment in the “Tomb Raider” franchise. Crystal Dynamics is producing the title, which Amazon Games will publish globally. The as-yet-untitled project will mark Amazon Games’ first single-player narrative, following multiplayer titles including “New World” and “Lost Ark.” Crystal Dynamics plans to use Unreal Engine 5 to take gameplay and storytelling to the next level, according to Amazon, whose games VP Christoph Hartmann called the franchise “one of the most beloved IPs in entertainment history,” following the adventures of British archaeologist Lara Croft. Continue reading Amazon and Crystal Dynamics to Publish New ‘Tomb Raider’

The U.S. Department of Energy announced that that scientists at a federal research facility have achieved a breakthrough in nuclear fusion that advances the quest to unlock an unlimited energy source. The development, which took place at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California, was decades in the making, and paves the way for advancements in national defense and the future of clean power. Marking a first, the team at Livermore’s multi-billion dollar National Ignition Facility achieved “scientific energy breakeven,” producing more energy from fusion than the laser energy used to drive it. Continue reading Nuclear-Fusion Breakthrough Points to Clean Energy Future

Apple is planning to allow app sideloading in response to the European Union’s Digital Markets Act, set to take effect in 2024. The move reverses long-held policies that were a source of ire to many Apple developers as well as global regulators. It is believed the new approach could spillover to other regions where lawmakers are at various stages of reining in Big Tech, with companies including Google and Meta Platforms also in the crosshairs. The news sent shares up among companies that offer dating apps, including Match Group and Bumble. Spotify also got a bump. Continue reading Apple Plans to Open iOS to Third-Parties Thanks to EU Laws

Verizon is opening its +play streaming hub in beta to mobile, 4G LTE and 5G home Internet customers. To sweeten the deal, the carrier is offering Netflix Premium free for a year to customers that sign-up for “a 12-month or seasonal subscription” to one of its other content partners. Verizon claims there are 20 platforms onboard for the beta launch, among them: HBO Max, Discovery+, Xbox Game Pass Ultimate, NFL+ and Peloton. Netflix Premium usually costs $20 per month (or $240 a year) and includes 4K streaming as well as ability to simultaneously download or watch on four devices. Continue reading Verizon’s +Play Rollout Includes a Free Netflix Premium Offer

Meta Platforms is updating Instagram, adding Notes, a way to share using just 60 characters plus emoji, and testing Candid Stories, which allows users to capture what they’re doing in the moment, similar to competing social app BeReal. Notes will appear for 24 hours at the top of the inboxes of those users to follow or on their list of Close Friends, with their replies showing up as DMs. “During testing, we learned that people liked having a lightweight, easy way to share what’s on their mind and start conversations,” Meta says. Continue reading Instagram Adds Features to Better Compete in Social Space

The U.S. House and Senate have introduced companion bills to ban TikTok and other apps that censor news, pose threats to the personal data of U.S. citizens and entities or engage in other surreptitious behaviors. The Senate bill, advanced by Marco Rubio (R-Florida) is called the ANTI-SOCIAL CCP Act, an acronym for Averting the National Threat of Internet Surveillance, Oppressive Censorship and Influence, and Algorithmic Learning by the Chinese Communist Party. The related House bill has bipartisan support from Representatives Mike Gallagher (R-Wisconsin) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Illinois). Continue reading Congress Intros Bills to Ban TikTok Due to Security Concerns

Japan, once the world’s top producer of computer chips, is seeking to regain its foothold in the manufacture of leading-edge semiconductors. Last month, a consortium of eight Japanese companies formed Rapidus, a foundry the Japanese government hopes will help get the nation on track for advanced chip manufacturing. IBM Research is joining forces with Rapidus, with plans to manufacture IBM’s 2nm technology in fabs that Rapidus is building in Japan, with output expected to commence in the latter half of the decade. Continue reading IBM Teams Up with Rapidus Foundry on Chip Manufacturing