Facebook Bans Alex Jones & Others; Facebook Under FTC Scrutiny; Google Pixel 3a Price Leak; Samsung Galaxy Tab Drops WiFi; Apple Watch Dominates Wearables

Facebook has banned several (mainly) far right people and groups for violating their rules. Alex Jones & Infowars, Louis Farrakhan, Laura Loomer, Paul Nehlen, Paul Joseph Watson, and Milo Yiannopoulos and groups that follow them were cut. Engadget.com quoted Facebook’s statement: “We’ve always banned individuals or organizations that promote or engage in violence and hate, regardless of ideology.” They claimed it took so long to deliver these bans due to the “extensive” process of evaluating potential offenders.

Probably helping to move them along in this and other actions to clean up their act is the FTC. In addition to some $3 billion in fines that have already been disclosed, the FTC is apparently demanding creation of an ‘independent’ privacy oversight committee, so it is safe to say that the FTC is probably also dangling requirements concerning those who have stirred up hate and spread blatant lies.

We’ve reported on Google’s practically official budget Pixel line, thought to be coming out to pick up the slack in sagging hero Pixel sales. Now, a leak may indicate the pricing. According to theverge.com, YouTube channel This Is Tech Today claims they will be $399 for the Pixel 3a and $479 for the 3a XL. That’s for the base model with 64 Gigs. The channel showed off what looks like official packaging with a bar code, which indicates a Walmart listing for an unlocked Pixel 3a. The packaging indicates a 5.6 inch screen size.

Only Samsung could have two disasters on equipment at the same time, and be likely to actually survive and move on. After the fiery Galaxy Note a couple years ago, they now have the Galaxy Fold screen issues that have delayed release, and NOW the new Galaxy Tab has an unfixable problem. In shades of an iPhone that could have its antenna blocked by your hand, bgr.com says the Galaxy Tab S5e has a similar problem. If you hold the tab horizontally, with your hand on the lower left corner, the WiFi will drop…or drop off badly. No software fix will really help this, so if you buy this tablet, just keep in mind not to hold it horizontally with your left hand on the lower left corner.

Apple Watch retains its crown as the world’s most popular smartwatch by a wide margin. According to macrumors.com, the Watch was snagging 35.8% of the market January through March of this year. Samsung is a distant 2nd, with 11.1%, with Fitbit getting 5.5%. A survey found that the ECG function on the new Series 4 that came out last fall is the most desired feature.