Trump’s DOJ doesn’t seem to mind if Google is broken up
The US Department of Justice has filed a revised proposal with a judge, asking him to force Google to sell its web browser Google Chrome and potentially Android as punishment for monopoly. Last year, Judge Amit Mehta found Google guilty of monopoly and fined it $1 billion. The DOJ had accused Google of anticompetitive practices to protect its search dominance.
6 years of software updates is what’s going to come to the affordable Galaxy A36 and A26
Samsung has announced the availability of its new Galaxy A36, A26 and A56 smartphones in the US on March 26. All three devices have Gorilla Glass Victus+ for better scratch and shatter resistance, first employed on phones like Samsung’s flagship Galaxy S22 series from 2022. The devices will ship with Android 15 and will be available in a range of colours.
How to use stolen device protection on a phone
Android users can now unlock their smartphones with the Face ID feature. The feature, announced in March, requires the user to use their face to unlock the phone. Further, it will require the user to know their password and access sensitive features on the phone, like using keychain passwords, seeing stored payment information in Safari, and disabling lost mode.
The DOJ says that it must open up its search monopoly if it is to sell Chrome
Google has been asked by Justice Department to either divest from Android phones or have the court supervise its Android division to monitor any possible instances of Google using Android to kneecap rivals. In August, Justice Department ruled that Google had acted as an illegal monopoly in its search engine and had to be brought to justice.
The games will be sold directly in the app
Microsoft announced on Tuesday that users in the US will be able to purchase Xbox games directly from theXbox App on Android starting November. “Players will be able to immediately stream a game to their device…once a full game library on Xbox Cloud gaming is complete, they will be able to purchase an Xbox game on Android,” it added.
Microsoft could not pay a price for Apple to use Bing: that is, all of the spiciest parts of the ruling
Google’s VP of Search, Pandu Nayak, said in an interview that it’s vital for Google to continue to ” have an infrastructure that [it] understand[s] search product”, as per The New York Times. He added that if Google made search less attractive, the revenues from it would be fine. Google recently expanded the rule to Chrome browser on Android devices.
The CMF Phone 1 is not proof that gadgets can still be fun
The CMF Phone 1 is the world’s first naked budget Android smartphone with a splash-resistant back panel. A lanyard, wallet and a kickstand will be available with the phone, which comes with a 6.7-inch OLED display, 50-megapixel rear camera, MediaTek Dimensity chipset and a 5,000mAh battery. The phone will be available in the US through a beta program.
Eve is close to having her mobile application, thanks to the new Homeapis from Google
Google has said the Home APIs could be used to connect smart home devices to fitness or delivery apps. Google said Android users would be able to control smart home products natively, including smart plugs, smart lights, and smart shades. “You can build a complex app to manage any aspect of a smart home…like turning on the lights automatically before the delivery driver arrives,” it added.
Everything was announced at the I/O
Google on Wednesday announced a new AI model, ‘Gemini 1.5 Flash’, in its Android operating system. It claims it can convert text, image and video into high-definition video. Google also said it will be launching a new chatbot called ‘Gemini Nano’, which can help users create videos with YouTube and improve them with Veo.
Delta is an app that won’t get taken down
An Android app called ‘Delta’ has released to allow users to emulate Nintendo and other system-Independent Controllers with high- resolution screen resolutions. It features on-screen buttons that change the layout and appearance to match whatever system you’re emulating. It supports Bluetooth controllers like Xbox One Series S or PS5 controllers, too, and lets you customise their layout or set extra buttons.