Google App Update Heating Up Pixels; Cheaper iPhones May Get 48 Megapixel Cam; EU Approves Microsoft Activision Acquisition; GM Recall-More Exploding Airbags

Google JUST rolled out their new Pixel phones last week, and an update to the Google app dropped, too. Well, guess what? Engadget.com says the app update of May 12th is making phones overheat! One Redditor commented in a Google support forum he had Massive battery usage from Google app and to a lesser degree Android System Intelligence. I just went through and did a factory reset, reinstalled most things and it’s still happening,” one Reddit user wrote. “Beyond the battery not lasting the phone is getting really warm so I know it’s harming the battery and potentially the CPU.” If you haven’t updated the Google app, DON’T…until this bug gets patched.

A new rumor has Apple expanding its 48 megapixel camera to the lower end iPhone 15 and 15 Plus. It has been exclusive to the Pro models. Macrumors.com reports that the tip comes from Jeff Pu, an analyst out of Hong Kong. The analyst notes that due to so-called ‘yield issues,’ the handsets may be in short supply for a bit after the September introduction. He also affirmed that all the iPhones will have a USB-C port…since the EU has mandated that for all new phones. As we have noted here before…Apple being Apple, any old USB-C cord from Amazon or whomever will charge your new phone…but won’t transfer data unless you have a more pricy Apple-approved one with their little proprietary chip in it. ‘Cause Tim Cook needs some fancy new sneakers. 

It looked like the European Union for a while was going to completely block Microsoft’s acquisition of Activision Blizzard, but a deal has been reached, and Redmond has gotten EU approval for its $68.7 million pickup. The flap was related to cloud gaming…the EU believed that Microsoft would control too much of the market. After  Microsoft agreed to offer 10 year licenses to others,  the EU Commission signed off on the deal. These licenses mean that consumers in EU countries will have a right to stream Activision Blizzard games they’ve purchased or subscribe to on “any cloud game streaming service of their choice and play them on any device using any operating system.”

At this point, I’m wondering how many of the airbags in circulation have this exploding issue. GM has recalled a million SUVs to replace potentially dangerous airbag inflators….the ones that can cause little pieces of metal to fly into your face when they deploy. Arstechnica.com notes that BMW, Hyundai/KIA, and Stellantis (Chrysler, Dodge, Ram, & Jeep) all have the same inflators. The supplier has rejected claims by the NHTSA that there is a systematic defect. Yeah, right. These inflators were made by ARC Automotive out of Knoxville, TN. Apparently, the airbag inflators were corrected after 2018…so theoretically, if you car is 2018 or newer, you may be ok. Owners of affected cars will get the usual notice in the mail from GM and can make an appointment for a free replacement at a dealer. 

I’m Clark Reid and you’re ‘Technified’ for now.