theverge--2020-05-20--The antitrust case against Google is becoming just another partisan fight

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A recurring theme of this column has been that we have no meaningful antitrust enforcement in the United States .
But last year , lawmakers and federal agencies began to stir , with the Federal Trade Commission requesting information from Facebook , Google , Amazon , Microsoft , and Apple .
The potential action against Google , in particular , has been gathering momentum for some time .
Fifty state attorneys general have opened an inquiry into the company , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Department of Justice .
The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic raised the prospect that any antitrust action could see a further delay .
But on Friday , the Wall Street Journal reported that a lawsuit may be arriving shortly .
Here are Brent Kendall and John D. McKinnon : The story goes on to say that it ’ s undecided whether all of this will be filed as one case or many .
Among other issues , there are different theories of the case .
Is the antitrust action against Google about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ search business ?
That ’ s the thing having a user base in the billions — there are a lot of ways you can discourage competition .
“ We continue to engage with the ongoing investigations led by the Department of Justice and Attorney General Paxton , and we don ’ t have any updates or comments on speculation , ” a Google spokeswoman told me today .
The Journal wasn ’ t able to learn the lawyers ’ theory of the case .
But in a new paper , a former Obama @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Kendall and Keach Hagey wrote about it in the Journal on Monday : Morton ’ s analysis is based on a December report from the United Kingdom ’ s Competition and Markets Authority .
The report “ found that Google had at least 90 % market share in the tools publishers use to serve ads ; between 40 % and 60 % of the market for supply-side platforms , or SSPs , the tools publishers use to accept bids from exchanges ; and between 50 % and 70 % of demand-side platforms @ @ @ @ @ @ @ use to bid for digital ads.
” Google disputes the study ’ s findings .
It would be nice if we could have a debate about Google and competition on the merits .
But this is the United States and 2020 , and so the debate is already tainted by partisan politics .
Ken Paxton , the Texas attorney general who is leading the investigation for the attorneys general , is sending fundraising emails promoting his work .
Reuters reported that one email said Texans “ ‘ are put at risk ’ by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ display anti-conservative and anti-Republican bias , subtly controlling what Americans see when they search for information about national political issues.
’ ” More recently , President Trump tweeted that “ the Radical Left is in total command & control of Facebook , Instagram , Twitter and Google , ” and said his administration “ is working to remedy this illegal situation.
” Assuming that sort of talk continues — and it ’ s an election year , so why wouldn ’ t it ?
— the antitrust case could be recast in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ content moderation .
That might be good for political action committee fundraising , but it ’ s hard to see how it will result in a more competitive economy .
In the meantime , Google is left to tiptoe around the Trump Administration and ignore its more obvious lies .
It was only recently that Trump took to his podium to announce that Google had a thousand engineers building a website for Americans to find nearby COVID-19 tests .
( It did not , though Alphabet subsidiary Verily did launch a more limited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ work all that well . )
Then Trump apparently lied again and said Google CEO Sundar Pichai called him to apologize for the confusion .
My colleagues Nilay Patel and Dieter Bohn asked Pichai about that apology in an interview published today : Nilay Patel : You had to know this question was coming .
I keep track every week of when Trump and his team held up the flowchart and said , “ Some x thousand Google engineers are working on it.
” Just walk me through that day .
Did you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ day , Trump said someone from Google had called and apologized to him .
Did that happen ?
Just what was that set of days like ?
Pichai : Very early on through COVID , we decided as a company we should do everything [ in ] areas where our expertise could help .
And so we had a wide set of efforts .
I think there were two efforts , and we were in touch with the [ White House ] coronavirus task force .
And there were two efforts , both @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to provide more information , and Verily was working on a way to develop wide-scale testing , particularly with an emphasis on drive-through testing , with a focus on first responders .
And we were in touch on both efforts .
And so that ’ s what it was .
That seems like a very diplomatic way of saying that no , he did not apologize .
In a world with less going on , we might be having a conversation about why the same government considering a breakup of a tech giant @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s size and power to provide critical aid during a pandemic .
Or why the government was relying on tech giants for so much of its pandemic response at all .
Or even what ever happened to Trump ’ s 2019 pledge to investigate Google for “ treason ” ( ?
! )
.
Instead it all just bleeds together into partisan noise .
And if and when the antitrust case against Google lands , it ’ s hard to imagine that won ’ t just become part of the noise , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ affect public perception of the big tech platforms .
Trending up : Amazon Care , a pilot program that gives corporate employees access to virtual medical services , is expanding to warehouse works in the Seattle area .
The company is also waiving costs for virtual visits until May 31st .
( Christina Farr / CNBC ) Total cases in the US : More than 1,515,300 Total deaths in the US : At least 90,200 Total test results ( positive and negative ) in New York : 1,439,557 Total test results ( positive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 505,569 Data from The New York Times .
Test data from The COVID Tracking Project .
⭐The liberal Facebook page Occupy Democrats has emerged as a counterweight to the dominance of right-wing meme factories on the platform .
The page is run by Rafael and Omar Rivero , twin brothers who immigrated from Mexico .
Nick Corasaniti at The New York Times has the story : Political campaigns and groups are still pouring money into election ads , despite the economic downturn associated with the pandemic .
Political advertising is expected to reach @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 12 percent from initial projections .
( Sara Fischer / Axios ) The FCC has received hundreds of complaints related to the Keep Americans Connected Pledge , the agency ’ s primary response to the pandemic .
By committing to the pledge , carriers like AT & T , Verizon , and Comcast promised not to terminate service for residential or small businesses that are unable to pay their bills because of the pandemic .
( Makena Kelly / The Verge ) Mark Zuckerberg said he is “ worried ” that other countries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s approach to regulating the internet .
“ Just to be blunt about it , I think there is a model coming out of countries like China that tend to have very different values than Western countries that are more democratic , ” he said .
( Kim Lyons / The Verge ) A warehouse in northeast Pennsylvania has become Amazon ’ s biggest COVID-19 hot spot .
Local politicians believe there are more than 100 cases .
Workers say the company waited far too long to instate safety measures that would protect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ New York Times ) Utah spent $ 2.75 million an a contact tracing app that only 40,000 people have used .
Gov .
Gary Herbert had originally said the app , Healthy Together , would be an integral part of getting the state back on its feet .
( Caroline Haskins / BuzzFeed ) Australia ’ s competition watchdog says media organizations could boycott Google and Facebook to force them to pay for news .
“ It ’ s really about what is the value of news collectively to the platform , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do they want to be the go-to destination for everything ?
( Amanda Meade / The Guardian ) Here ’ s how Congress is shaping data privacy laws during the pandemic .
( Khari Johnson / VentureBeat ) Researchers are crawling the internet for photos of people wearing face masks to improve facial recognition algorithms .
In April , they published the COVID-19 Mask Image Dataset to Github , using more than 1,200 images collected from Instagram .
( Alfred Ng / CNET ) ⭐Facebook announced the launch of Shops , a new @ @ @ @ @ @ @ online during the pandemic .
The company is betting Shops will help local companies endure while also creating big new business opportunities for Facebook itself .
I wrote about it today for The Verge : One-third of small businesses in the United States have stopped operating , while another 11 percent are expect to fail in the next three months if COVID-19 conditions persist .
The news comes from a Facebook survey of 86,000 business owners and employees .
( Sarah Frier and Candy Cheng / Bloomberg ) Facebook ’ s new marketing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of The Beatles ’ “ All Together Now ” by Lizzo , recorded specifically for the ad .
( David Griner / Adweek ) Kevin Mayer , TikTok ’ s new CEO , has a difficult task ahead of him : proving to American lawmakers , regulators and consumers that they can trust the Chinese-owned app with their data .
( Julia Alexander / The Verge ) TikTok suspended the account of Faizal Siddiqui for violating community guidelines when he hinted at promoting acid attacks on girls who reject marriage proposals .
After @ @ @ @ @ @ @ calling for a ban on TikTok in India .
( Preeti Soni / Business Insider ) Silicon Valley ’ s new favorite app is an invite-only social network called Clubhouse .
While cutting-edge technology and a change-the-world mission are articles of faith among venture capitalists , much of the big money in recent decades has ultimately been made from addictive social media apps like this one .
( Which still hasn ’ t approved our request to join the beta .
Ahem . )
( Erin Griffith and Taylor Lorenz / The New @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s most popular podcasts , The Joe Rogan Experience , is becoming a Spotify exclusive .
Rogan ’ s YouTube channel will remain active , but it won ’ t contain full episodes anymore .
( Ashley Carman / The Verge ) OnlyFans has exploded in popularity during the pandemic , bringing in a wave of influencers and creators .
But sex workers who rely on the platform for income say they ’ re being pushed out , reporting that their accounts have been deleted even when they haven ’ t violated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ EJ Dickson / Rolling Stone ) Stuff to occupy you online during the quarantine .
Move your digital life to Notion .
The app , a more than worthy successor to Evernote , just made its personal plan free .
Explore ways to keep your kids engaged and learning this summer .
The Journal offers 20 ways .
Braid your own hair .
You know it ’ s long enough by this point .
Explore free stuff on Craigslist .
It ’ s an enduring pleasure of the open web , this piece @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , questions , and antitrust cases : casey @ theverge.com and zoe @ theverge.com .

A recurring theme of this column has been that we have no meaningful antitrust enforcement in the United States. But last year, lawmakers and federal agencies began to stir, with the Federal Trade Commission requesting information from Facebook, Google, Amazon, Microsoft, and Apple. The potential action against Google, in particular, has been gathering momentum for some time. Fifty state attorneys general have opened an inquiry into the company, and in January they began collaborating with the Department of Justice.
The spread of the COVID-19 pandemic raised the prospect that any antitrust action could see a further delay. But on Friday, the Wall Street Journal reported that a lawsuit may be arriving shortly. Here are Brent Kendall and John D. McKinnon:
Both the Justice Department and a group of state attorneys general are likely to file antitrust lawsuits against Alphabet Inc.’s Google—and are well into planning for litigation, according to people familiar with the matter. The Justice Department is moving toward bringing a case as soon as this summer, some of the people said. At least some state attorneys general—led by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican—are likely to file a case, probably in the fall, people familiar with the matter said.
The story goes on to say that it’s undecided whether all of this will be filed as one case or many. Among other issues, there are different theories of the case. Is the antitrust action against Google about its advertising business, or about its search business? That’s the thing having a user base in the billions — there are a lot of ways you can discourage competition.
“We continue to engage with the ongoing investigations led by the Department of Justice and Attorney General Paxton, and we don’t have any updates or comments on speculation,” a Google spokeswoman told me today.
The Journal wasn’t able to learn the lawyers’ theory of the case. But in a new paper, a former Obama antitrust official offers one of her own. Kendall and Keach Hagey wrote about it in the Journal on Monday:
“There is significant reason for concern that Google has violated U.S. antitrust law,” Yale University economics professor Fiona Scott Morton, the chief economist in the Justice Department’s antitrust division from 2011-2012, wrote in a new academic paper entitled “Roadmap for a Digital Advertising Monopolization Case Against Google.” The paper argues Google is using its dominance in search as a springboard to dominate the adjacent market of display advertising, harming publishers, advertisers and consumers in the $130 billion digital advertising market.
Morton’s analysis is based on a December report from the United Kingdom’s Competition and Markets Authority. The report “found that Google had at least 90% market share in the tools publishers use to serve ads; between 40% and 60% of the market for supply-side platforms, or SSPs, the tools publishers use to accept bids from exchanges; and between 50% and 70% of demand-side platforms, or DSPs, the tools advertisers use to bid for digital ads.” Google disputes the study’s findings.
It would be nice if we could have a debate about Google and competition on the merits. But this is the United States and 2020, and so the debate is already tainted by partisan politics. Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general who is leading the investigation for the attorneys general, is sending fundraising emails promoting his work. Reuters reported that one email said Texans “‘are put at risk’ by the company, ‘whose executives clearly display anti-conservative and anti-Republican bias, subtly controlling what Americans see when they search for information about national political issues.’”
More recently, President Trump tweeted that “the Radical Left is in total command & control of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Google,” and said his administration “is working to remedy this illegal situation.” Assuming that sort of talk continues — and it’s an election year, so why wouldn’t it? — the antitrust case could be recast in the public imagination as a partisan fight against content moderation. That might be good for political action committee fundraising, but it’s hard to see how it will result in a more competitive economy.
In the meantime, Google is left to tiptoe around the Trump Administration and ignore its more obvious lies. It was only recently that Trump took to his podium to announce that Google had a thousand engineers building a website for Americans to find nearby COVID-19 tests. (It did not, though Alphabet subsidiary Verily did launch a more limited site. The site didn’t work all that well.) Then Trump apparently lied again and said Google CEO Sundar Pichai called him to apologize for the confusion.
My colleagues Nilay Patel and Dieter Bohn asked Pichai about that apology in an interview published today:
Nilay Patel: You had to know this question was coming. I keep track every week of when Trump and his team held up the flowchart and said, “Some x thousand Google engineers are working on it.” Just walk me through that day. Did you expect that to come? The next day, Trump said someone from Google had called and apologized to him. Did that happen? Just what was that set of days like? Pichai: Very early on through COVID, we decided as a company we should do everything [in] areas where our expertise could help. And so we had a wide set of efforts. I think there were two efforts, and we were in touch with the [White House] coronavirus task force. And there were two efforts, both in terms of what Google can do to provide more information, and Verily was working on a way to develop wide-scale testing, particularly with an emphasis on drive-through testing, with a focus on first responders. And we were in touch on both efforts. And so that’s what it was.
That seems like a very diplomatic way of saying that no, he did not apologize.
In a world with less going on, we might be having a conversation about why the same government considering a breakup of a tech giant was relying on that same tech giant’s size and power to provide critical aid during a pandemic. Or why the government was relying on tech giants for so much of its pandemic response at all. Or even what ever happened to Trump’s 2019 pledge to investigate Google for “treason” (?!).
Instead it all just bleeds together into partisan noise. And if and when the antitrust case against Google lands, it’s hard to imagine that won’t just become part of the noise, too.
The Ratio
Today in news that could affect public perception of the big tech platforms.
🔼 Trending up: Amazon Care, a pilot program that gives corporate employees access to virtual medical services, is expanding to warehouse works in the Seattle area. The company is also waiving costs for virtual visits until May 31st. (Christina Farr / CNBC)
Virus tracker
Total cases in the US: More than 1,515,300
Total deaths in the US: At least 90,200
Reported cases in California: 81,959
Total test results (positive and negative) in California: 1,292,672
Reported cases in New York: 356,278
Total test results (positive and negative) in New York: 1,439,557
Reported cases in New Jersey: 148,039
Total test results (positive and negative) in New Jersey: 505,569
Reported cases in Illinois: 96,778
Total test results (positive and negative) in Illinois: 603,241
Governing
⭐The liberal Facebook page Occupy Democrats has emerged as a counterweight to the dominance of right-wing meme factories on the platform. The page is run by Rafael and Omar Rivero, twin brothers who immigrated from Mexico. Nick Corasaniti at The New York Times has the story:
Over the past month, nearly half of the 40 top-performing videos on Facebook that mention “Trump” were from Occupy Democrats. They have had a top-10 performing post on Facebook regularly for months. A video they recently posted called “The Liar Tweets Tonight,” sung by a choir of individually recorded voters to the tune of “The Lion Sleeps Tonight,” was viewed 41 million times, among the most-watched videos on Facebook over the last month. “Democratic voters are tired of the Democratic Party kind of taking barrages from Republicans on the right on social media and Trump himself, taking that lying down and not fighting back,” Omar Rivero said. “So we fight back with the truth. But we make sure that we punch them in the mouth with the truth.”
Political campaigns and groups are still pouring money into election ads, despite the economic downturn associated with the pandemic. Political advertising is expected to reach $6.7 billion this cycle, up 12 percent from initial projections. (Sara Fischer / Axios)
The FCC has received hundreds of complaints related to the Keep Americans Connected Pledge, the agency’s primary response to the pandemic. By committing to the pledge, carriers like AT&T, Verizon, and Comcast promised not to terminate service for residential or small businesses that are unable to pay their bills because of the pandemic. (Makena Kelly / The Verge)
Mark Zuckerberg said he is “worried” that other countries may be trying to imitate China’s approach to regulating the internet. “Just to be blunt about it, I think there is a model coming out of countries like China that tend to have very different values than Western countries that are more democratic,” he said. (Kim Lyons / The Verge)
A warehouse in northeast Pennsylvania has become Amazon’s biggest COVID-19 hot spot. Local politicians believe there are more than 100 cases. Workers say the company waited far too long to instate safety measures that would protect workers. (Karen Weise / The New York Times)
Utah spent $2.75 million an a contact tracing app that only 40,000 people have used. Gov. Gary Herbert had originally said the app, Healthy Together, would be an integral part of getting the state back on its feet. (Caroline Haskins / BuzzFeed)
Australia’s competition watchdog says media organizations could boycott Google and Facebook to force them to pay for news. “It’s really about what is the value of news collectively to the platform,” they said. “To what extent do they want to be the go-to destination for everything? (Amanda Meade / The Guardian)
Researchers are crawling the internet for photos of people wearing face masks to improve facial recognition algorithms. In April, they published the COVID-19 Mask Image Dataset to Github, using more than 1,200 images collected from Instagram. (Alfred Ng / CNET)
Industry
⭐Facebook announced the launch of Shops, a new e-commerce initiative aimed at bringing more businesses online during the pandemic. The company is betting Shops will help local companies endure while also creating big new business opportunities for Facebook itself. I wrote about it today for The Verge:
In a live stream, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said expanded e-commerce would be important to begin rebuilding the economy while the pandemic continues. “If you can’t physically open your store or restaurant, you can still take orders online and ship them to people,” he said. “We’re seeing a lot of small businesses that never had online businesses get online for the first time.” The launch of Shops comes as stay-at-home orders related to the COVID-19 pandemic have led to record sales for e-commerce companies. The pandemic has also been devastating for small businesses, with a third of them reporting that they have stopped operating in a survey conducted by Facebook and the Small Business Roundtable. An additional 11 percent say they could fail within the next three months if the current situation continues.
One-third of small businesses in the United States have stopped operating, while another 11 percent are expect to fail in the next three months if COVID-19 conditions persist. The news comes from a Facebook survey of 86,000 business owners and employees. (Sarah Frier and Candy Cheng / Bloomberg)
Kevin Mayer, TikTok’s new CEO, has a difficult task ahead of him: proving to American lawmakers, regulators and consumers that they can trust the Chinese-owned app with their data. (Julia Alexander / The Verge)
TikTok suspended the account of Faizal Siddiqui for violating community guidelines when he hinted at promoting acid attacks on girls who reject marriage proposals. After the video went viral, people began calling for a ban on TikTok in India. (Preeti Soni / Business Insider)
Silicon Valley’s new favorite app is an invite-only social network called Clubhouse. While cutting-edge technology and a change-the-world mission are articles of faith among venture capitalists, much of the big money in recent decades has ultimately been made from addictive social media apps like this one. (Which still hasn’t approved our request to join the beta. Ahem.) (Erin Griffith and Taylor Lorenz / The New York Times)
One of the world’s most popular podcasts, The Joe Rogan Experience, is becoming a Spotify exclusive. Rogan’s YouTube channel will remain active, but it won’t contain full episodes anymore. (Ashley Carman / The Verge)
OnlyFans has exploded in popularity during the pandemic, bringing in a wave of influencers and creators. But sex workers who rely on the platform for income say they’re being pushed out, reporting that their accounts have been deleted even when they haven’t violated OnlyFans’ terms of service. (EJ Dickson / Rolling Stone)
Things to do
Stuff to occupy you online during the quarantine.
Move your digital life to Notion. The app, a more than worthy successor to Evernote, just made its personal plan free.
Explore ways to keep your kids engaged and learning this summer. The Journal offers 20 ways.
Braid your own hair. You know it’s long enough by this point.
Explore free stuff on Craigslist. It’s an enduring pleasure of the open web, this piece argues.
And finally...
Talk to us


theverge--2020-05-20--Tier’s shared electric scooters will soon come with foldable helmets

Micromobility rental company Tier is introducing new electric scooters which come with a helmet to protect their riders , the company announced today .
200 of the helmet-equipped scooters will be deployed to Paris and Berlin this month , followed by 5,000 more over the course of the summer .
Tier says it ’ s the first e-scooter company to introduce integrated helmets like this .
The helmets are foldable , and are stowed inside a lockable compartment attached below the scooter ’ s handlebars when not in use .
The compartment is unlocked using the Tier app .
Tier @ @ @ @ @ @ @ standards , and that the company will check the helmets after every five rides .
This check will include disinfecting the helmets as part of the company ’ s COVID-19 safety precautions .
Getting scooter riders to wear helmets has been a big problem for the scooter rental industry .
While it ’ s always been possible for riders to provide their own helmets , the data suggests that few people bother .
One study from last year found that only one in every 190 injured riders was wearing a helmet .
The @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as scooter use increases , with TechCrunch pointing towards research that suggests scooter injuries have tripled over the past four years .
One scooter company , Bird , has tried incentivising people to wear helmets by handing out free rides , but an increasing number of micromobility companies are building helmets directly into the vehicles themselves .
Electric bike rental company Wheels , for example , includes a helmet that ’ s built into the rear of their bikes .
It ’ s also common for moped rental companies to include helmets in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cities around the world legally require these riders to wear helmets .
Along with the new helmet compartment , Tier says it is also experimenting with new handlebar technology that ’ s more resistant to bacteria in light of the COVID-19 pandemic .
These anti-bacterial , self-disinfecting handlebars have a copper fleece material that reportedly kills 99.8 percent of bacteria .
Tier is currently trialling the new handlebar tech in Paris and Bordeaux .

Micromobility rental company Tier is introducing new electric scooters which come with a helmet to protect their riders, the company announced today. 200 of the helmet-equipped scooters will be deployed to Paris and Berlin this month, followed by 5,000 more over the course of the summer. Tier says it’s the first e-scooter company to introduce integrated helmets like this.
The helmets are foldable, and are stowed inside a lockable compartment attached below the scooter’s handlebars when not in use. The compartment is unlocked using the Tier app. Tier says the helmets comply with European safety standards, and that the company will check the helmets after every five rides. This check will include disinfecting the helmets as part of the company’s COVID-19 safety precautions.
Getting scooter riders to wear helmets has been a big problem for the scooter rental industry. While it’s always been possible for riders to provide their own helmets, the data suggests that few people bother. One study from last year found that only one in every 190 injured riders was wearing a helmet. The issue is only going to get worse as scooter use increases, with TechCrunch pointing towards research that suggests scooter injuries have tripled over the past four years.
The foldable helmets are stored in a compartment beneath the scooter’s handlebars. Image: Tier
One scooter company, Bird, has tried incentivising people to wear helmets by handing out free rides, but an increasing number of micromobility companies are building helmets directly into the vehicles themselves. Electric bike rental company Wheels, for example, includes a helmet that’s built into the rear of their bikes. It’s also common for moped rental companies to include helmets in a lockable cargo compartment, since many cities around the world legally require these riders to wear helmets.


theverge--2020-05-20--Vivo’s next flagship has a giant gimbal-style camera lens

Vivo has started teasing its next flagship phone , the X50 .
A video posted to Weibo shows off the camera module , which includes a periscope telephoto , two normal-looking lenses , and one much larger module that is presumably for the primary camera .
The lens rotates as the module is manipulated by a robotic gimbal , suggesting the key feature here is image stabilization .
One of the big inclusions in Vivo ’ s Apex 2020 concept phone , which we weren ’ t able to see in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic , was “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Vivo said the design was inspired by chameleons ’ eyes and is 200 percent more effective than typical OIS , allowing for longer nighttime exposures and smoother video .
It looks like the X50 will be the first commercial deployment of this idea ; another teaser video touts the camera ’ s low-light ability .
The Apex 2020 also had a unique periscope zoom system where the lens elements actually move , enabling genuine 5x-7x optical zoom .
Other phones with periscope “ zoom ” lenses , like the Galaxy S20 Ultra @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and rely on software scaling to handle interim focal lengths .
It ’ s not clear , however , whether this new periscope design will make it into the X50 .
The camera module says “ 16-135 ” below the lenses , which could just describe a periscope prime of 5x the focal length of a 27mm primary camera .
It ’ s possible that the X50 could use Samsung ’ s new ISOCELL GN1 sensor , which was just announced yesterday .
A Vivo product manager posted about the new sensor on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2.4μm-equivalent pixels .
The GN1 ’ s large physical size together with Vivo ’ s advanced stabilization tech could certainly explain the unusually big primary lens on the X50 .
Vivo ’ s X50 event is set to take place on June 1st .

Vivo has started teasing its next flagship phone, the X50. A video posted to Weibo shows off the camera module, which includes a periscope telephoto, two normal-looking lenses, and one much larger module that is presumably for the primary camera. The lens rotates as the module is manipulated by a robotic gimbal, suggesting the key feature here is image stabilization.
One of the big inclusions in Vivo’s Apex 2020 concept phone, which we weren’t able to see in person due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was “gimbal-like” stabilization on a 48-megapixel camera. Vivo said the design was inspired by chameleons’ eyes and is 200 percent more effective than typical OIS, allowing for longer nighttime exposures and smoother video. It looks like the X50 will be the first commercial deployment of this idea; another teaser video touts the camera’s low-light ability.
The Apex 2020 also had a unique periscope zoom system where the lens elements actually move, enabling genuine 5x-7x optical zoom. Other phones with periscope “zoom” lenses, like the Galaxy S20 Ultra, really just have long prime lenses and rely on software scaling to handle interim focal lengths. It’s not clear, however, whether this new periscope design will make it into the X50. The camera module says “16-135” below the lenses, which could just describe a periscope prime of 5x the focal length of a 27mm primary camera.
It’s possible that the X50 could use Samsung’s new ISOCELL GN1 sensor, which was just announced yesterday. A Vivo product manager posted about the new sensor on Weibo, highlighting its 1/1.3-inch size and 2.4μm-equivalent pixels. The GN1’s large physical size together with Vivo’s advanced stabilization tech could certainly explain the unusually big primary lens on the X50.


theverge--2020-05-20--EA is releasing the source code for two classic Command and Conquer games

EA plans to release the source code for its classic real-time strategy games Command and Conquer : Tiberian Dawn and Command and Conquer : Red Alert , the studio announced today .
The source code for the two games is scheduled to be available alongside the release of Command and Conquer Remastered Collection , which includes remastered versions of both titles and their expansions , on June 5th .
By open sourcing the games , players should be able to use the assets to create mods that could , in theory , be quite extensive .
“ These open source @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , create custom units , replace art , alter gameplay logic , and edit data , ” said EA ’ s Jim Vessella , producer on Command and Conquer Remastered , in a blog post .
The open sourced assets can also be used in tandem with a new map editor that ’ s part of the collection , he added .
Mods and custom maps will work on Steam and Origin Players will be able to use mods and custom maps whether they ’ re playing via Steam or via EA ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ process to use the custom assets differs slightly for each , according to Vessella .
On Steam , EA will use Steam workshop to distribute maps and mods , and you ’ ll be able to download content both from the game ’ s Community hub and inside each game .
If you ’ re playing on Origin , you ’ ll be able to download maps in-game , but you ’ ll need to install mods manually .
The source code for both games will be available under the GNU General Public @ @ @ @ @ @ @

EA plans to release the source code for its classic real-time strategy games Command and Conquer: Tiberian Dawn and Command and Conquer: Red Alert, the studio announced today. The source code for the two games is scheduled to be available alongside the release of Command and Conquer Remastered Collection, which includes remastered versions of both titles and their expansions, on June 5th.
By open sourcing the games, players should be able to use the assets to create mods that could, in theory, be quite extensive. “These open source DLLs should assist users to design maps, create custom units, replace art, alter gameplay logic, and edit data,” said EA’s Jim Vessella, producer on Command and Conquer Remastered, in a blog post. The open sourced assets can also be used in tandem with a new map editor that’s part of the collection, he added.
Mods and custom maps will work on Steam and Origin
Players will be able to use mods and custom maps whether they’re playing via Steam or via EA’s Origin game launcher, though the process to use the custom assets differs slightly for each, according to Vessella. On Steam, EA will use Steam workshop to distribute maps and mods, and you’ll be able to download content both from the game’s Community hub and inside each game. If you’re playing on Origin, you’ll be able to download maps in-game, but you’ll need to install mods manually.


theverge--2020-05-20--Instagram makes it easier to see when you’re broadcasting music you can’t use

Instagram has posted its guidelines for using copyrighted music during live videos , Stories , and other posts on the platform , and part of the announcement includes a new update to the notification that pops up to tell users they ’ re using unlicensed art in ways that violate its rules .
The changes to the pop-up notification are designed around helping users avoid Instagram ’ s automated interruptions — like muting or outright blocking — that occurs if a piece of licensed music plays for too long over or in the background of a live video .
Now @ @ @ @ @ @ @ live broadcasts to give users more time to remove the audio so they can avoid having the stream disrupted or taken down .
Instagram will also give clearer instructions to remedy the situation in the event a stream is automatically muted or blocked due to use of unlicensed music .
“ These notifications are intended to alert you when our systems detect that your broadcast or uploaded video may include music in a way that doesn ’ t adhere to our licensing agreements , ” reads Instagram ’ s blog post on the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clearer and surfacing notifications earlier to live broadcasters , to give people time to adjust their streams and avoid interruptions if we detect they may be approaching our limitations.
” Instagram is also reiterating that its policy around music usage includes unlimited use in Stories and when filming live music performances and posting those to the main feed .
But using music in a live video or a pre-recorded video posted to the feed has limitations , and Instagram says the general rule of thumb is to use shorter clips , to try @ @ @ @ @ @ @ music throughout a video , and to avoid making the broadcasting of music the primary focus of a video by incorporating a visual component .
“ These guidelines are consistent across live and recorded video on both Facebook and Instagram , and for all types of accounts — i.e .
pages , profiles , verified and unverified accounts , ” the blog post explains .
“ And although music is launched on our platforms in more than 90 countries , there are places where it is not yet available .
So if your @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not be available for use in those locations .
”

Instagram has posted its guidelines for using copyrighted music during live videos, Stories, and other posts on the platform, and part of the announcement includes a new update to the notification that pops up to tell users they’re using unlicensed art in ways that violate its rules. The changes to the pop-up notification are designed around helping users avoid Instagram’s automated interruptions — like muting or outright blocking — that occurs if a piece of licensed music plays for too long over or in the background of a live video.
Now, the notification pops up earlier in live broadcasts to give users more time to remove the audio so they can avoid having the stream disrupted or taken down. Instagram will also give clearer instructions to remedy the situation in the event a stream is automatically muted or blocked due to use of unlicensed music.
Image: Instagram
“These notifications are intended to alert you when our systems detect that your broadcast or uploaded video may include music in a way that doesn’t adhere to our licensing agreements,” reads Instagram’s blog post on the changes. “Updates include making notifications clearer and surfacing notifications earlier to live broadcasters, to give people time to adjust their streams and avoid interruptions if we detect they may be approaching our limitations.”
Instagram is also reiterating that its policy around music usage includes unlimited use in Stories and when filming live music performances and posting those to the main feed. But using music in a live video or a pre-recorded video posted to the feed has limitations, and Instagram says the general rule of thumb is to use shorter clips, to try not to use numerous clips of different music throughout a video, and to avoid making the broadcasting of music the primary focus of a video by incorporating a visual component.


theverge--2020-05-20--Samsung’s Galaxy S20 Tactical Edition dresses up its flagship for the army

Samsung has announced yet another version of the Galaxy S20 : the Galaxy S20 Tactical Edition , which promises a “ mission-ready military smartphone.
” It ’ s designed for a slightly different customer-base than the already-released S20 , S20 Plus , S20 Ultra , or even the Verizon-only mmWave S20 .
Despite the grand military branding and aspirations , the S20 Tactical Edition is effectively just a regular S20 phone with some extra software features and security options in a rugged Juggernaut case .
From a hardware perspective , the Tactical Edition features identical specs , with a 6.2-inch @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of RAM , 128GB of storage , sub-6GHz 5G support , and triple rear camera system .
But according to Samsung , the Tactical Edition “ caters to the unique needs of military operators ” by offering additional software features .
Those include a night-vision mode that turns off the display so you won ’ t get blinded while wearing night-vision goggles and an option to unlock the phone when it ’ s in landscape mode ( which , honestly , sounds like something that Samsung should offer on the regular S20 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a dramatically named “ stealth mode , ” which promises to “ disable LTE and mute all RF broadcasting for complete off-grid communications ” and sounds a whole lot like a rebranded airplane mode .
Perhaps most amusing of all is Samsung ’ s pitch to military users of the usefulness of DeX , with the company arguing that the PC-emulating mode means that “ operators can use the device for completing reports , training or mission planning when in vehicle or back at the base.
” Samsung is also relying on its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dual encryption system called DualDAR ) , which meets the various US government security standards for secure data .
But it ’ s not drastically different from what ’ s already on offer for the consumer and enterprise S20s .
As one might imagine , the S20 Tactical Edition isn ’ t going to be sold to consumers .
It ’ ll only be available to “ select IT channel partners ” later in Q3 , with no price or exact release date announced .

Despite the grand military branding and aspirations, the S20 Tactical Edition is effectively just a regular S20 phone with some extra software features and security options in a rugged Juggernaut case. From a hardware perspective, the Tactical Edition features identical specs, with a 6.2-inch OLED display, Snapdragon 865, 12GB of RAM, 128GB of storage, sub-6GHz 5G support, and triple rear camera system.
But according to Samsung, the Tactical Edition “caters to the unique needs of military operators” by offering additional software features. Those include a night-vision mode that turns off the display so you won’t get blinded while wearing night-vision goggles and an option to unlock the phone when it’s in landscape mode (which, honestly, sounds like something that Samsung should offer on the regular S20, too). There’s also a dramatically named “stealth mode,” which promises to “disable LTE and mute all RF broadcasting for complete off-grid communications” and sounds a whole lot like a rebranded airplane mode.
Perhaps most amusing of all is Samsung’s pitch to military users of the usefulness of DeX, with the company arguing that the PC-emulating mode means that “operators can use the device for completing reports, training or mission planning when in vehicle or back at the base.”
Samsung is also relying on its Knox security system (that features a dual encryption system called DualDAR), which meets the various US government security standards for secure data. But it’s not drastically different from what’s already on offer for the consumer and enterprise S20s.


theverge--2020-05-20--You’ll be able to buy swappable outfits for Lego’s Super Mario

Lego and Nintendo had already announced that their interactive Super Mario Lego starter set and two expansion packs would launch on August 1st , and the two companies announced today that four swappable outfits for Mario , called “ Power-Up Packs , ” will also be released on the same day .
Inspired by the classic costumes from the Super Mario games , the Power-Up Packs not only change the appearance of Lego Mario but will also produce sounds for each corresponding suit .
Fire Mario , for example , makes a sound as if Mario is throwing a fireball @ @ @ @ @ @ @ making “ meow ” noises .
Propeller Mario makes propeller sounds when you have him “ fly , ” and Builder Mario can “ break bricks ” when you bring Mario down for a ground pound attack .
Each Power-Up Pack will cost $ 9.99 and will be sold separately from the starter set , which costs $ 59.99 .
There will also be two expansion sets that expand upon the Starter Course — one is a $ 29.99 Piranha Plant Power Slide and $ 99.99 Bowser ’ s Castle Boss Battle set @

Lego and Nintendo had already announced that their interactive Super Mario Lego starter set and two expansion packs would launch on August 1st, and the two companies announced today that four swappable outfits for Mario, called “Power-Up Packs,” will also be released on the same day.
Inspired by the classic costumes from the Super Mario games, the Power-Up Packs not only change the appearance of Lego Mario but will also produce sounds for each corresponding suit.
Fire Mario, for example, makes a sound as if Mario is throwing a fireball, and Cat Mario will have him making “meow” noises. Propeller Mario makes propeller sounds when you have him “fly,” and Builder Mario can “break bricks” when you bring Mario down for a ground pound attack.


theverge--2020-05-20--Tesla drops its lawsuit against Alameda County over lockdown order

Tesla voluntarily dismissed its lawsuit against Alameda County “ without prejudice , ” according to documents filed in a California court Wednesday — but the company did not provide any reasoning for why it was dropping the suit .
The electric carmaker sued the county on May 9th , amid Tesla CEO Elon Musk ’ s war of words with county officials over the shuttering of his company ’ s manufacturing facility in Fremont , California .
the company did not provide any reasoning for dropping the suit The orders went into effect in mid-March in order to slow the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all but “ essential businesses ” from performing anything other than the most minimal operations , like processing payroll .
After initially fighting the order , Tesla shut down the factory on March 23rd .
Musk , who had criticized California ’ s shelter-in-place rules as “ fascist , ” threatened to move his factory out of state .
A few days later , Tesla restarted production at the factory in violation of public health orders .
Musk tweeted that he intended to be on the factory floor along with his workers and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Shortly after , Tesla ’ s Nevada Gigafactory workers received an email calling them back to work as well .
County officials later approved Tesla ’ s reopen plan ( despite the company having already reopened in violation of county orders ) and things seem to have de-escalated .
But Musk is still actively casting about for a new factory location , and several states are said to be in the running .

Tesla voluntarily dismissed its lawsuit against Alameda County “without prejudice,” according to documents filed in a California court Wednesday — but the company did not provide any reasoning for why it was dropping the suit.
The electric carmaker sued the county on May 9th, amid Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s war of words with county officials over the shuttering of his company’s manufacturing facility in Fremont, California.
the company did not provide any reasoning for dropping the suit
The orders went into effect in mid-March in order to slow the spread of COVID-19. County officials restricted all but “essential businesses” from performing anything other than the most minimal operations, like processing payroll. After initially fighting the order, Tesla shut down the factory on March 23rd.
Musk, who had criticized California’s shelter-in-place rules as “fascist,” threatened to move his factory out of state. A few days later, Tesla restarted production at the factory in violation of public health orders. Musk tweeted that he intended to be on the factory floor along with his workers and dared local officials to arrest him. Shortly after, Tesla’s Nevada Gigafactory workers received an email calling them back to work as well.


theverge--2020-05-20--Intel is acquiring the company behind Killer gaming networking cards

Intel has acquired Rivet Networks , the maker of Killer-branded NICs ( network interface cards responsible for managing your connection ) found in some laptops from popular brands like Dell , Alienware , HP , and other manufacturers .
Killer ’ s own networking products were noteworthy for providing gaming-centric features like minimizing latency to keep you from missing a beat in-game , and prioritizing network traffic for games and other applications that need it the most .
Rivet Networks has been a competitor to Intel in the NIC space for over a decade .
With this acquisition , Intel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ This acquisition isn ’ t as out of left field as it might seem .
A few years back , Intel and Rivet Networks collaborated to develop the Killer Wireless-AC 1550 NIC , with Intel handling the manufacturing , according to Anandtech .
Now , Intel ’ s press release says that Rivet Networks ’ Killer brand of products , including its software , will be rolled into its portfolio .
The chances are good that , at some point in the future , we ’ ll see a new Intel NIC with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ gaming laptop or some other kind of high-performance machine .
That said , Intel doesn ’ t give much in the way of details regarding when we should expect something new to come to fruition .
The press release says that Rivet Networks is a “ terrific complement to our existing Wi-Fi products , ” so we ’ ll just have to wait and see what happens .
Intel declined to share the transaction price for the acquisition .

Intel has acquired Rivet Networks, the maker of Killer-branded NICs (network interface cards responsible for managing your connection) found in some laptops from popular brands like Dell, Alienware, HP, and other manufacturers. Killer’s own networking products were noteworthy for providing gaming-centric features like minimizing latency to keep you from missing a beat in-game, and prioritizing network traffic for games and other applications that need it the most.
Rivet Networks has been a competitor to Intel in the NIC space for over a decade. With this acquisition, Intel can capitalize on the gaming market.
This acquisition isn’t as out of left field as it might seem. A few years back, Intel and Rivet Networks collaborated to develop the Killer Wireless-AC 1550 NIC, with Intel handling the manufacturing, according to Anandtech. Now, Intel’s press release says that Rivet Networks’ Killer brand of products, including its software, will be rolled into its portfolio.
The chances are good that, at some point in the future, we’ll see a new Intel NIC with some obvious Killer DNA implemented in a gaming laptop or some other kind of high-performance machine. That said, Intel doesn’t give much in the way of details regarding when we should expect something new to come to fruition. The press release says that Rivet Networks is a “terrific complement to our existing Wi-Fi products,” so we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.


theverge--2020-05-20--Here’s why Elon Musk keeps raising the price of Tesla’s ‘Full Self-Driving’ option

Tesla is raising the price of the top tier “ Full Self-Driving ” version of its Autopilot driver assistance package by around $ 1,000 on July 1st , CEO Elon Musk announced on Twitter this week .
The company has done this before — a few times .
It will probably do it again .
The “ Full Self-Driving ” package , to be clear , does not yet make Teslas capable of driving without human intervention .
Right now , it gives customers access to a series of incremental improvements to Autopilot .
But Musk believes the value of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 7,000 , is higher .
Much higher , in fact , once the work on the software is complete .
“ [ The ] price will continue to rise as the software gets closer to full self-driving capability with regulatory approval .
It that point , the value of FSD is probably somewhere in excess of $ 100,000 , ” he tweeted Monday .
Autopilot is capable of a lot , but Teslas aren ’ t fully autonomous by a long shot That may seem like a lot because Tesla ’ s cars @ @ @ @ @ @ @ capable of actual “ full self-driving.
” Autopilot can center a Tesla in a lane , even around curves , and adjust the car ’ s speed based on the vehicle ahead .
The “ Navigate on Autopilot ” feature can suggest — and perform — lane changes to get around slower vehicles , and steer a Tesla toward highway interchanges and exits .
Another feature can slow a Tesla to a stop at traffic lights and stop signs .
Autopilot can ’ t perform some of these tasks if a road ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and it can ’ t make turns .
The driver must have a hand on the wheel at all times , too , or else Autopilot will flash a series of warnings before ultimately disengaging entirely .
But when those features work in concert , it can feel like the car is driving itself , making it easier to understand why Musk believes the price should keep going up .
There ’ s another reason Musk thinks the ultimate value of Autopilot is so high .
He has promised that once Tesla @ @ @ @ @ @ @ themselves , the company will leverage that capability into a “ robotaxi fleet.
” The goal is to make it so that each Tesla customer ’ s car can double as an autonomous vehicle that other people can hail while the owner isn ’ t using it .
Not only would operating a robotaxi service generate more revenue for Tesla , but Musk has said this would allow owners to make as much as $ 30,000 a year as well .
In fact , Musk believes the value of this idea is so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ raising the sticker price of Tesla ’ s cars , not just the cost of the Full Self-Driving package .
“ [ C ] onsumers will still be able to buy a Tesla , but the clearing price will rise significantly , as a fully autonomous car that can function as a robotaxi is several times more valuable than a non-autonomous car , ” he said last year .
Turning Tesla ’ s products into money-making machines is a recurring theme .
For instance , Musk has likened the company ’ s solar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ money printer on your roof.
” Turning Tesla ’ s products into money-making machines is a theme for Musk Musk is also expected to present a cheaper , longer-lasting battery co-developed by Tesla at an upcoming “ battery day ” event for investors .
People who follow Tesla closely expect that he may also talk about using that new battery ’ s extra capacity and resilience to sell energy back to the electricity grid , creating another potential revenue stream for owners and , possibly , the company .
This is something the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ battery storage products .
This is what tech companies have done for years : create streams of recurring revenue by selling customers on services , not just hardware .
Giants like Apple make tens of billions of dollars a year on services like iCloud and Apple Music alone .
Tesla ’ s going a step further : its customers can also get in on the action .
There is a compelling financial reason for Tesla to keep increasing the price of the Full Self-Driving option as well .
When a customer pays $ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the time they buy their vehicle , Tesla only counts about half of it as revenue .
The other half becomes “ deferred revenue , ” which is basically a pile of money that Tesla can recognize on its balance sheet at a later date .
When the company rolls out a new feature , like Navigate on Autopilot , or Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control , it can count some of that deferred revenue as actual revenue during that financial quarter .
It ’ s unclear how exactly Tesla calculates the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the company finished the first quarter of 2020 with $ 1.2 billion in deferred revenue .
For a company that constantly lives on the edge of profitability , the ability to pull from stores of cash like this can mean the difference between whether it finished a particular quarter in the red or the black .
( The company does something similar with the money it makes selling regulatory credits to other automakers . )
Musk boasts often about how Tesla has changed the way people buy cars , and for good reason @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the company — something that ’ s still illegal in a number of states — and can even do so in just a few seconds through a web portal that ’ s so simple it makes going to a dealer feel prehistoric .
But each time Musk raises the price of features like the Full Self-Driving package while dangling promises like revenue-generating robotaxis , it becomes more clear that Musk is changing the car-buying experience in an arguably far more interesting way : he ’ s turning his company ’ s customers into @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on the promises it ’ s making , it could stand to make a lot more money than it does now .
But even if it doesn ’ t , or it takes longer than expected , Tesla has found a way to fill the piggy bank in the meantime .

Tesla is raising the price of the top tier “Full Self-Driving” version of its Autopilot driver assistance package by around $1,000 on July 1st, CEO Elon Musk announced on Twitter this week. The company has done this before — a few times. It will probably do it again.
The “Full Self-Driving” package, to be clear, does not yet make Teslas capable of driving without human intervention. Right now, it gives customers access to a series of incremental improvements to Autopilot. But Musk believes the value of the feature, which currently costs $7,000, is higher. Much higher, in fact, once the work on the software is complete.
“[The] price will continue to rise as the software gets closer to full self-driving capability with regulatory approval. It that point, the value of FSD is probably somewhere in excess of $100,000,” he tweeted Monday.
Autopilot is capable of a lot, but Teslas aren’t fully autonomous by a long shot
That may seem like a lot because Tesla’s cars — again — aren’t currently capable of actual “full self-driving.” Autopilot can center a Tesla in a lane, even around curves, and adjust the car’s speed based on the vehicle ahead. The “Navigate on Autopilot” feature can suggest — and perform — lane changes to get around slower vehicles, and steer a Tesla toward highway interchanges and exits. Another feature can slow a Tesla to a stop at traffic lights and stop signs.
Autopilot can’t perform some of these tasks if a road’s lane markers are faded or missing, and it can’t make turns. The driver must have a hand on the wheel at all times, too, or else Autopilot will flash a series of warnings before ultimately disengaging entirely.
But when those features work in concert, it can feel like the car is driving itself, making it easier to understand why Musk believes the price should keep going up.
There’s another reason Musk thinks the ultimate value of Autopilot is so high. He has promised that once Tesla’s cars are able to drive themselves, the company will leverage that capability into a “robotaxi fleet.” The goal is to make it so that each Tesla customer’s car can double as an autonomous vehicle that other people can hail while the owner isn’t using it.
Not only would operating a robotaxi service generate more revenue for Tesla, but Musk has said this would allow owners to make as much as $30,000 a year as well. In fact, Musk believes the value of this idea is so high that he’s talked about raising the sticker price of Tesla’s cars, not just the cost of the Full Self-Driving package.
“[C]onsumers will still be able to buy a Tesla, but the clearing price will rise significantly, as a fully autonomous car that can function as a robotaxi is several times more valuable than a non-autonomous car,” he said last year.
Turning Tesla’s products into money-making machines is a recurring theme. For instance, Musk has likened the company’s solar panel leasing option to putting a “money printer on your roof.”
Turning Tesla’s products into money-making machines is a theme for Musk
Musk is also expected to present a cheaper, longer-lasting battery co-developed by Tesla at an upcoming “battery day” event for investors. People who follow Tesla closely expect that he may also talk about using that new battery’s extra capacity and resilience to sell energy back to the electricity grid, creating another potential revenue stream for owners and, possibly, the company. This is something the company already does this with its home battery storage products.
This is what tech companies have done for years: create streams of recurring revenue by selling customers on services, not just hardware. Giants like Apple make tens of billions of dollars a year on services like iCloud and Apple Music alone. Tesla’s going a step further: its customers can also get in on the action.
There is a compelling financial reason for Tesla to keep increasing the price of the Full Self-Driving option as well. When a customer pays $7,000 for the Full Self-Driving option at the time they buy their vehicle, Tesla only counts about half of it as revenue. The other half becomes “deferred revenue,” which is basically a pile of money that Tesla can recognize on its balance sheet at a later date.
When the company rolls out a new feature, like Navigate on Autopilot, or Traffic Light and Stop Sign Control, it can count some of that deferred revenue as actual revenue during that financial quarter. It’s unclear how exactly Tesla calculates the value of each new feature, but the company finished the first quarter of 2020 with $1.2 billion in deferred revenue. For a company that constantly lives on the edge of profitability, the ability to pull from stores of cash like this can mean the difference between whether it finished a particular quarter in the red or the black. (The company does something similar with the money it makes selling regulatory credits to other automakers.)
Musk boasts often about how Tesla has changed the way people buy cars, and for good reason. Tesla customers buy vehicles directly from the company — something that’s still illegal in a number of states — and can even do so in just a few seconds through a web portal that’s so simple it makes going to a dealer feel prehistoric.


theverge--2020-05-20--Facebook will reopen offices at 25 percent capacity starting in July

Facebook will begin reopening its offices worldwide on July 6th with stringent safety measures in place , according to a new report from Bloomberg published on Wednesday .
The reopening plan is part of a multistep process the social network has in place to begin restoring some of its in-person operations , which are crucial to its data center management and the development of hardware like the Portal video chatting device and its Oculus line of virtual reality headsets and accessories .
The company will begin by operating at 25 percent capacity , meaning only one-fourth of its standard workforce @ @ @ @ @ @ @ building at the same time .
Those who do will be required to wear face masks and undergo temperature checks to monitor for virus symptoms consistent with COVID-19 , Bloomberg reports .
Although the July date is in place largely for Facebook ’ s US and European offices , the report states that some Asian offices may reopen sooner , dependent on the specific country or city ’ s containment of the novel coronavirus .
This plan does not change Facebook ’ s pledge to allow all of its employees who can perform @ @ @ @ @ @ @ end of 2020 .
The company told its employees of the new policy earlier this month , and it ’ s likely that a vast majority of Facebook ’ s nonessential staff — meaning those workers who can perform most , if not all , of their job responsibilities remotely — will continue to do so through the end of the year .
In addition to hardware , operations , and network management staff that have on-site responsibilities , Facebook also employs scores of service workers that will need to resume work come @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , cafeteria and dining staff , security personnel , and other members of the social network ’ s workforce that maintain and oversee its offices and those buildings ’ standard daily operations .
Facebook has been paying these workers throughout the pandemic , but some will now be required to come back into work .
According to Bloomberg , Facebook is looking into how to enforce social distancing guidelines on its shuttle buses .
It ’ s also unclear how the company will run its various dining facilities , many of which offer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to on-site work at Facebook and other big tech companies .
Facebook is just one of many large tech companies juggling the new reality of remote work with building and executing a plan for reopening as lockdowns begin to ease in the US and around the globe .
Google has similarly announced a work-from-home policy for a majority of its staff through 2020 and a phased reopening process starting this summer .
Google CEO Sundar Pichai outlined the plans in more detail in an interview with The Verge this week : I expect @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we ’ ll be at 20 to 30 percent capacity .
Which may still mean we are able to get 60 percent of our employees in once a week , or something like that .
And so that ’ s what we mean , where a vast majority of employees we think will likely work from home through the end of the year .
But it ’ s a very fluid situation .
If things , of course , look better , we will adapt to it .
We want to be flexible @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , what doesn ’ t work in this .
Neither Amazon nor Microsoft have specific reopening dates for their offices in Seattle , Washington , but both companies have extended work-from-home policies to October .
Apple is planning on reopening its offices this summer at reduced capacity and with many of the same safety precautions as Facebook and Google .
The iPhone maker is also slowly reopening its retail network , starting first overseas and eventually culminating with the reopening of most of its US retail stores starting this month .
Both Square @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a more radical approach — both are run by CEO Jack Dorsey , who said this month that employees of his companies will be allowed to work from home permanently if they so choose .
It ’ s currently unclear what Dorsey plans to do with his companies ’ pricey office spaces ; Twitter ’ s headquarters has been a hallmark of the mid-Market section of downtown San Francisco for years .

Facebook will begin reopening its offices worldwide on July 6th with stringent safety measures in place, according to a new report from Bloomberg published on Wednesday. The reopening plan is part of a multistep process the social network has in place to begin restoring some of its in-person operations, which are crucial to its data center management and the development of hardware like the Portal video chatting device and its Oculus line of virtual reality headsets and accessories.
The company will begin by operating at 25 percent capacity, meaning only one-fourth of its standard workforce will ever be working in the same building at the same time. Those who do will be required to wear face masks and undergo temperature checks to monitor for virus symptoms consistent with COVID-19, Bloomberg reports. Although the July date is in place largely for Facebook’s US and European offices, the report states that some Asian offices may reopen sooner, dependent on the specific country or city’s containment of the novel coronavirus.
Facebook will require face masks and temperature checks
This plan does not change Facebook’s pledge to allow all of its employees who can perform remote work to do so through the end of 2020. The company told its employees of the new policy earlier this month, and it’s likely that a vast majority of Facebook’s nonessential staff — meaning those workers who can perform most, if not all, of their job responsibilities remotely — will continue to do so through the end of the year.
In addition to hardware, operations, and network management staff that have on-site responsibilities, Facebook also employs scores of service workers that will need to resume work come July. That includes shuttle bus operators, cafeteria and dining staff, security personnel, and other members of the social network’s workforce that maintain and oversee its offices and those buildings’ standard daily operations. Facebook has been paying these workers throughout the pandemic, but some will now be required to come back into work.
According to Bloomberg, Facebook is looking into how to enforce social distancing guidelines on its shuttle buses. It’s also unclear how the company will run its various dining facilities, many of which offer buffet-style meals and constitute a major perk to on-site work at Facebook and other big tech companies.
Facebook is just one of many large tech companies juggling the new reality of remote work with building and executing a plan for reopening as lockdowns begin to ease in the US and around the globe. Google has similarly announced a work-from-home policy for a majority of its staff through 2020 and a phased reopening process starting this summer. Google CEO Sundar Pichai outlined the plans in more detail in an interview with The Verge this week:
I expect by the end of the year, we’ll be at 20 to 30 percent capacity. Which may still mean we are able to get 60 percent of our employees in once a week, or something like that. And so that’s what we mean, where a vast majority of employees we think will likely work from home through the end of the year. But it’s a very fluid situation. If things, of course, look better, we will adapt to it. We want to be flexible. Trying to really understand what works, what doesn’t work in this.
Neither Amazon nor Microsoft have specific reopening dates for their offices in Seattle, Washington, but both companies have extended work-from-home policies to October. Apple is planning on reopening its offices this summer at reduced capacity and with many of the same safety precautions as Facebook and Google. The iPhone maker is also slowly reopening its retail network, starting first overseas and eventually culminating with the reopening of most of its US retail stores starting this month.


theverge--2020-05-20--Senate Democrats call for close scrutiny over Uber’s Grubhub deal

A group of Senate Democrats , led by Sen. Amy Klobuchar ( D-MN ) , is calling on the Trump administration Wednesday to launch an antitrust investigation into Uber and Grubhub if the two companies decide to merge .
In their Wednesday letter , Klobuchar , Sen. Cory Booker ( D-NJ ) , Sen. Richard Blumenthal ( D-CT ) , and Sen. Patrick Leahy ( D-VT ) requested that the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission “ closely monitor ” talks of a deal between the two food delivery companies .
If they reach an agreement , the senators are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ investigation.
” Earlier this month , Bloomberg reported that Uber made an offer to buy Grubhub and that a deal could be reached as early as June .
Uber operates its own food delivery service , Uber Eats , which directly competes with Grubhub .
If the two companies merged , their combined sales transactions would place them at a 45 percent hold on the app delivery market , according to Edison Trends .
“ Consumers should be able to look forward to a future in which online food delivery is more efficient @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” “ Consumers should be able to look forward to a future in which online food delivery is more efficient , more innovative , and less expensive , ” the senators wrote .
“ A merger of two of the three biggest rivals in an already concentrated market risks [ deprives ] consumers of that outcome by potentially eliminating competition between the existing market participants.
” Over the weekend , Uber and Grubhub continued to discuss the details of a potential acquisition , The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday .
Still , talks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reached .
If a deal is announced , regulators like the Justice Department and FTC would have to sign off on it .
While Uber ’ s latest earnings report trailed by $ 2.9 billion from the previous year , its Uber Eats division went up over 54 percent year over year , largely due to the novel coronavirus pandemic and increased demand for food delivery .
“ There has been a tremendous increase in restaurant sign-ups leading up to rapid improvement in selection in major markets like the US as well as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Khosrowshahi said earlier this month .
“ We believe these trends are here to stay and will result in expansion of the entire category.
” Still , regulatory pressure continues to increase as lawmakers cast a skeptical eye toward corporate mergers during the pandemic .
Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee ’ s antitrust subcommittee David Cicilline ( D-RI ) has pushed for a general moratorium on mergers until the pandemic ends .
“ We can not allow these corporations to monopolize food delivery , especially amid a crisis that is rendering American @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ever on these very services , ” Cicilline said of the merger discussions earlier this month .
Other lawmakers , including Sen. Elizabeth Warren ( D-MA ) and Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez ( D-NY ) , have proposed legislation that would impose a large merger moratorium until the FTC “ determines that small businesses , workers , and consumers are no longer under severe financial distress .
”

A group of Senate Democrats, led by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), is calling on the Trump administration Wednesday to launch an antitrust investigation into Uber and Grubhub if the two companies decide to merge.
In their Wednesday letter, Klobuchar, Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) requested that the Justice Department and Federal Trade Commission “closely monitor” talks of a deal between the two food delivery companies. If they reach an agreement, the senators are asking that the government “initiate an investigation.”
Earlier this month, Bloomberg reported that Uber made an offer to buy Grubhub and that a deal could be reached as early as June. Uber operates its own food delivery service, Uber Eats, which directly competes with Grubhub. If the two companies merged, their combined sales transactions would place them at a 45 percent hold on the app delivery market, according to Edison Trends.
“Consumers should be able to look forward to a future in which online food delivery is more efficient, more innovative, and less expensive”
“Consumers should be able to look forward to a future in which online food delivery is more efficient, more innovative, and less expensive,” the senators wrote. “A merger of two of the three biggest rivals in an already concentrated market risks [deprives] consumers of that outcome by potentially eliminating competition between the existing market participants.”
Over the weekend, Uber and Grubhub continued to discuss the details of a potential acquisition, The Wall Street Journal reported Sunday. Still, talks continue and a deal has not been reached. If a deal is announced, regulators like the Justice Department and FTC would have to sign off on it.
While Uber’s latest earnings report trailed by $2.9 billion from the previous year, its Uber Eats division went up over 54 percent year over year, largely due to the novel coronavirus pandemic and increased demand for food delivery.
“There has been a tremendous increase in restaurant sign-ups leading up to rapid improvement in selection in major markets like the US as well as behavioral shifts,” Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi said earlier this month. “We believe these trends are here to stay and will result in expansion of the entire category.”
Still, regulatory pressure continues to increase as lawmakers cast a skeptical eye toward corporate mergers during the pandemic. Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee’s antitrust subcommittee David Cicilline (D-RI) has pushed for a general moratorium on mergers until the pandemic ends.
“We cannot allow these corporations to monopolize food delivery, especially amid a crisis that is rendering American families and local restaurants more dependent than ever on these very services,” Cicilline said of the merger discussions earlier this month.


theverge--2020-05-21--Xbox and Windows NT 3.5 source code leaks online

Microsoft ’ s original Xbox console source code has leaked online , alongside code for a version of Windows NT 3.5 .
The Xbox source code includes the kernel for the operating system on the original console , a custom version of Windows 2000 .
We can confirm the leaked Xbox OS is genuine , and appeared online earlier this month .
“ We ’ re aware of these reports and are investigating , ” a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement to The Verge .
While the Xbox OS leak includes some build environments , the Xbox Development Kit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ internal documents , we understand this kernel and source code has been passed around privately among enthusiasts previously .
That means it ’ s unlikely to help further homebrew and emulator efforts for original Xbox games .
A number of emulators exist for the Xbox , including CXBX , XQEMU , and CXBX Reloaded , but most have struggled to emulate the original Xbox OS and kernel .
Microsoft developed the first Xbox with x86 hardware in mind , but the Xbox kernel was based on a custom and stripped down version of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Unofficial emulators have tried to replicate this kernel for years , but so far only around 40 games have limited emulation support compared to the 900 games available for the original Xbox .
Microsoft has its own proprietary emulation Xbox and Xbox 360 games , but it ’ s only currently available on Xbox One consoles and not on Windows PCs .
Alongside the Xbox leak , source code for a near-final version of Windows NT 3.5 has also appeared online .
The source code includes all the necessary build tools , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ old operating system .
As Windows 3.5 support ended in December 2001 , the operating system is only used in a small number of systems worldwide so a source code leak isn ’ t a significant security issue .
Microsoft has largely protected its proprietary Windows and Xbox source code over the years .
Partial Windows 2000 and NT 4 source code leaked back in 2004 , and even some Windows 10 source code was posted online in 2017 .
We asked Microsoft to comment on the Windows NT 3.5 source code leak @ @ @ @ @ @ @ nothing to share about this particular incident .

Microsoft’s original Xbox console source code has leaked online, alongside code for a version of Windows NT 3.5. The Xbox source code includes the kernel for the operating system on the original console, a custom version of Windows 2000. We can confirm the leaked Xbox OS is genuine, and appeared online earlier this month. “We’re aware of these reports and are investigating,” a Microsoft spokesperson said in a statement to The Verge.
While the Xbox OS leak includes some build environments, the Xbox Development Kit, emulators used for testing, and internal documents, we understand this kernel and source code has been passed around privately among enthusiasts previously. That means it’s unlikely to help further homebrew and emulator efforts for original Xbox games.
A number of emulators exist for the Xbox, including CXBX, XQEMU, and CXBX Reloaded, but most have struggled to emulate the original Xbox OS and kernel. Microsoft developed the first Xbox with x86 hardware in mind, but the Xbox kernel was based on a custom and stripped down version of Windows 2000 with DirectX 8 support.
Original Xbox Dashboard.
Unofficial emulators have tried to replicate this kernel for years, but so far only around 40 games have limited emulation support compared to the 900 games available for the original Xbox. Microsoft has its own proprietary emulation for Xbox and Xbox 360 games, but it’s only currently available on Xbox One consoles and not on Windows PCs.
Alongside the Xbox leak, source code for a near-final version of Windows NT 3.5 has also appeared online. The source code includes all the necessary build tools, and should allow enthusiasts to dig into the old operating system. As Windows NT 3.5 support ended in December 2001, the operating system is only used in a small number of systems worldwide so a source code leak isn’t a significant security issue.


theverge--2020-05-21--Go read this Adobe designer’s take on why Google Classroom is so joyless

As students around the world continue to study from home as a result of the pandemic , Google ’ s Classroom software has fast become an invaluable remote learning tool .
But as many are discovering , Google ’ s software is far from perfect .
Adobe Principal Designer Khoi Vinh has used his blog to weigh in on where he thinks Google ’ s software goes wrong .
It ’ s fascinating and well worth a read .
As you ’ d expect from someone who works at Adobe , a lot of Vinh ’ s arguments are about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ design missteps in Classroom like its lack of customizability , its poor integration with Google ’ s other services , and its general sluggishness .
When I saw Google Classroom for the first time , my immediate thought was , “ This is clearly an under-funded product that ranks fairly low on the list of Google ’ s priorities.
” Our kids use the iPad version and , setting aside the inconvenient fact that it ’ s at least a few steps behind Google Classroom in the browser , the product as a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It works but just barely , and it lacks nearly every modern user experience affordance commonly found in most contemporary productivity software .
However , Vinh ’ s core argument is that the service ’ s biggest problems reflect how broader society undervalues education .
While modern offices are designed to be “ a kind of work-resort , where play is interleaved with productivity , ” Vinh argues that schools have a more old-fashioned approach .
When you walk into most schools , you immediately get the sense that the machinery of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , despite the often valiant effort of teachers and staff to counter that bias .
All of this speaks volumes about how we value students and children .
These differences , Vinh says , can now be seen in the world of software and apps .
The workplace productivity app Slack is incredibly feature rich , and filled with small features that let people express themselves .
Gifs , polls , and quizzes make Slack “ a hub for each company ’ s culture , a repository for workplace sentiment , and a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even when they ’ re not on the clock.
” But Google Classroom is a different story .
The bigger context of this poverty of common user experience affordances , though , is Google Classroom ’ s utter lack of humanity .
The app isn ’ t just spare , it ’ s barren ; it ’ s task-oriented and optimized for assignments , not learning-oriented and optimized for people .
In Google Classroom , students are an afterthought and their experience of using the app amounts to little more than a formality @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s argument is without its flaws .
It ’ s telling that he compares Google Classroom to Slack , rather than a workplace productivity app made by Google itself ( probably because the company ’ s haphazard approach to messaging means that one doesn ’ t exist ) .
But it ’ s still absolutely worth a read , and we can ’ t help but hope Google takes his constructive criticism on board .

The bigger context of this poverty of common user experience affordances, though, is Google Classroom’s utter lack of humanity. The app isn’t just spare, it’s barren; it’s task-oriented and optimized for assignments, not learning-oriented and optimized for people.
In Google Classroom, students are an afterthought and their experience of using the app amounts to little more than a formality.