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Budget Issues Could Delay DoJ Probes Into Apple And Google

Charlotte Henry ·

U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) probes into Apple and Google could be delayed until spring 2022. Politico reported that the delay is due to ongoing budget issues.

Now the decision on going to court is likely to come in March or later because of continued discussions about where to file and who will make the call, the two people told POLITICO. They spoke anonymously to discuss internal DOJ deliberations. Another major concern for the department is the likely expense of a court battle with the two companies, each of which has a market value exceeding $1 trillion. That issue became more fraught this week when Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) torpedoed Democrats’ Build Back Better package, which would have given DOJ a $500 million boost for antitrust enforcement.

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The MKBHD Smartphone Awards 2021

Charlotte Henry ·

It’s the time of the year where YouTuber Marques Brownlee hands out his smartphone awards.  The Galaxy S21 Ultra and iPhone 13 Pro go head-to-head for the main prize, but which will come out on top? As ever, the MKBHDs reviews are worth listening to, even if you don’t agree with the outcome!

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iPhone 14 Release Date And Features Rumors

Charlotte Henry ·

No sooner was the iPhone 13 in our hands, than the iPhone 14 rumors started to gather speed. iMore has a nice round-up of what we think we know so far.

Most of what we know about the next iPhone is design-based, thanks to a hefty September leak from Jon Prosser. From that report: “According to renders provided by Prosser based on information he has seen, next year’s iPhone will apparently see the end of the iPhone’s famous camera bump. Instead, it will just be thicker to hide the camera bump, and possibly provide for improved battery life. However, Prosser says he does not have information on the phone’s internals and that he has only seen the design of the device.”

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New York Police Highlight Cases of Women Stalked With AirTags

Charlotte Henry ·

Police in West Seneca, New York, highlighted cases of AirTags being used to stalk women who initially did not know they were being tracked. Local news outlet WGRZ has details and comment from a senior officer.

“A female came in and she got this message notification on her phone that there was an Apple AirTag or device moving with her, so she came to the station,” West Seneca Lieutenant Jonathan Luterek said. Luterek says officers found an AirTag under the bumper of the woman’s vehicle. And just this week, a different woman got the same message on her phone.
“Officers checked over her car pretty thoroughly and weren’t able to locate it. It disconnected shortly after, so at this point it’s really unknown if it was on the vehicle, or if her phone got alerted about something nearby,” Luterek said.  Officers do not believe the two cases are connected and say there is no reason to panic, but they do want to raise awareness.

Concerns about incidents such as this were raised when the device was first launched. Indeed, the features that alerted the women were introduced by Apple to reduce the risk. It is still something to be aware of though and important to know what to do if you find yourself in such a situation.

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Security Flaw in Fisher-Price 'Chatter' Phone Could Let People Eavesdrop

Andrew Orr ·

A Bluetooth bug found with Fisher-Price’s Chatter phone could let others eavesdrop on your conversation.

With just the online instruction manual to go on, the researchers feared that a design flaw could allow someone to use the Chatter to eavesdrop.

Ken Munro, founder of the cybersecurity company Pen Test Partners, told TechCrunch that chief among the concerns are that the Chatter does not have a secure pairing process to stop unauthorized phones in Bluetooth range from connecting to it.

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Steve Jobs Returned to Apple 25 Years Ago

Charlotte Henry ·

This week marks a major landmark in Apple history. It’s 25 years since the company acquired NeXT and Steve Jobs returned. MacRumors has a good reflection on the episode.

“With this merger, the advanced software from NeXT will be married with Apple’s very high-volume hardware platforms and marketing channels to create another breakthrough, leapfrogging existing platforms, and fueling Apple and the industry copy cats for the next ten years and beyond,” said Jobs. “I still have very deep feelings for Apple, and it gives me great joy to play a role in architecting Apple’s future.” Jobs initially returned to Apple as an advisor, making his first appearance at Macworld San Francisco in January 1997 to announce details of how Apple planned to incorporate NeXT technology into future releases of Mac OS. Jobs went on to replace Amelio as the company’s interim CEO just nine months later, and he ended up dropping the interim title and remaining CEO until stepping down in August 2011 due to health issues.