Switch 2-Fastest Selling Console Ever; X Threatened Lawsuits to Get Advertisers Back; Disney & Universal Sue Midjourney Over Copyright Infringement; New Suit Claims Costco Free Shipping Isn’t Free

Posted: June 11, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

A big win for Nintendo! It’s official…the Switch 2 is the fastest selling game console of all time. Theverge.com reports that Nintendo says it sold more than 3.5 million Switch 2’s in just the first 4 days, passing up records it had set previously with systems, but also others. Niko Partners notes that it took Sony 16 days to sell 2.1 million PS4 consoles, and six weeks to reach 4.2 million units. The Switch 2 has also easily passed up the PS5 launch sales. It took 7 weeks…admittedly during the pandemic…to move 4.4 million units. Will Nintendo be able to continue this torrid pace? No one knows, but they are off to a hell of a start!

It is apparently lawsuit day for this report! According to a story picked up by mashable.com, Elon Musk, his stand-in CEO Linda Yaccarino, and X threatened  several major advertisers with inclusion in their suit against the World Federation of Advertisers where X has accused the group of orchestrating an industry-wide boycott of the social media platform. This all dates back to 2022 when Musk took over Twitter and almost half the major advertisers headed for the exits. Some brands returned, but others didn’t. Now, the alleged message from X’s leadership is explicit: advertise with us, or risk becoming a defendant. Having come from the world of radio, I have to shake my head…I can’t remember anyone in the business threatening to sue an advertiser to get their business. Stay tuned, as they say!

Disney and Universal have sued Midjourney, claiming AI-related copyright infringement. Techcrunch.com says the platform has allegedly trained its art-generating and editing models on their content without permission. In the suit, the plaintiffs have included numerous examples of the studios’ copyrighted characters…like Homer Simpson and Darth Vader. Tech companies including OpenAI have pushed for legal cover to train on publicly available works, including copyrighted works, without having to ask creators for authorization or compensate them. In other words, they want to build their businesses on theft of other folks’ intellectual property. I think Midjourney will lose this…and it should be a warning to others like OpenAI. Disney…never mind Universal…has probably the toughest intellectual property legal department on earth!

A suit filed this week claims Costco misleads online shoppers…by implying free shipping, while the big-box retailer quietly inflates product prices to cover delivery costs. Geekwire.com notes that the suit says Costco displays “$0.00” for shipping during online checkout, leading customers to believe delivery is free when the cost is actually embedded in the product price. Costco acknowledges on its support pages that online prices may include shipping and handling, sometimes leading to higher prices online than in the company’s warehouse stores. However, the lawsuit argues those disclosures are buried in FAQ sections, not presented during checkout or on product pages. I would look for a vigorous defense…Costco can argue that customers know this. People know that ‘free shipping’ on Amazon with Prime isn’t free…nor covered by the membership…the shipping is simply built into the price! The same goes for Costco’s website.

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

Google Leak Reveals AI That Web Surfs for You; Nintendo’s Next Gen Switch-Backward Compatible for Gaming; EU Will Fine Apple For App Store DMA Violations; Amazon Kicks off Drone Deliveries in Phoenix

Posted: November 6, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

We reported about Google’s next iteration of its AI, called Jarvis, last week. Now, bgr.com is reporting that a leak has given us more information about it. Apparently the AI Chrome extension will be able to “take over” your Chrome browser, performing tasks on your behalf like booking a flight or purchasing a product. Apparently, Google accidentally posted an internal preview of the product on the Chrome extension store. Listed as a “helpful companion that surfs the web with you,” Google quickly took it down. Apparently, some Chrome users did download it, but it didn’t work…as the prototype lacked some specific access permissions it needed. Honestly, if you are on the web, and can’t book a flight or buy something without help, I’m not sure AI is the answer for you….even if it ends up being called Jarvis. 

We know Nintendo is planning a newer version of the Switch, but don’t have a date or name…but now, thanks to their mid year policy briefing, we know that it will be able to play current Switch games, and have carryover for your Nintendo Switch Online services and account. According to theverge.com, Nintendo said that there was a drop of 31% in Switch sales the last 90 days…with some 4.72 million sold. Still, Nintendo crowed that ‘More software has been played on Nintendo Switch than on any other Nintendo hardware.’ Backward compatibility is a big issue, because systems haven’t tended to be 100% on it…although Xbox Series X and the Sony PS5 are mainly backward compatible. The Switch 2 or whatever they name it will be out before March 2025, according to Nintendo. 

Apple did not make changes that allowed developers to steer users to cheaper prices outside of the ‌App Store‌. Macrumors.com says the EU is now planning to fine Apple. I know…hard to imagine Apple not directing users to other, cheaper alternatives besides them! Apple did make some changes in August, but it apparently wasn’t good enough for European regulators. The fine amount hasn’t been disclosed, but the EU fined Apple $2 billion for anticompetitive behavior against third party music services earlier this year so that kind of gives us an idea. They could be fined up to 10% of their global annual sales. 

After ending its drone delivery experiment in Southern California, Amazon has kicked off deliveries in the West Valley Phoenix Metro Area. Techcrunch.com reports that people will be able to order relatively small stuff including household, beauty, office, health, and tech supplies. By relatively small, we’re talking 5 pounds or less…but that does include some 50,000 items Amazon sells. Most deliveries will be at your location in an hour or less. Note that these deliveries are only going to be available during daylight hours and ‘favorable’ weather conditions…no heavy winds or heavy rain. Amazon has been testing prescription deliveries for over a year in College Station, Texas, and now they will expand to products like are being offered in the Phoenix area. 

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

iPad Pro OLED May Get M4 Chip; FTC Calls Out Amazon for Using Signal to Hide Comms; Switch 2 May Play All Original Switch Games; TikTok Ban-Minimal Impact on Creator Economy

Posted: April 29, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

In about a week, we expect to see new iPads, and here’s a late breaking rumor. The OLED screen iPad Pro may be powered my a next generation M4 chip, instead of an M3 as widely expected. Engadget.com picked up the word from Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman in his Power On Newsletter. Gurman wrote “I believe Apple will position the tablet as its first truly AI-powered device — and that it will tout each new product from then on as an AI device.” If this is the case, expect big announcements at Apple’s World Wide Developers Conference in June. New AI features have already been predicted for iOS 18 and the upcoming iPhone models…with some features expected to also work on the current crop of iPhones. 

It’s never a good thing when the government tells you to keep communications around for an investigation, and then they find out you are deliberately hiding them. That is what the Federal Trade Commission is accusing Amazon of doing. According to mashable.com, the FTC has accused former top Amazon execs…including former CEO Jeff Bezos…of using Signal, and its automatic message deletion feature to hide communications…and doing so after the FTC ordered it to keep messages around as it was investigated for antitrust violations. No word about what kind of a spanking the FTC will give Amazon, but it’s never good to willfully disobey and order from an agency that can cause your business some pain.

A new rumor would be great news for portable gamers. Nintendo has been pretty vague about whether or not the Switch 2 will run original Switch games. MobaPad, which makes controllers and carrying cases says it is “in the process of developing the next-generation console controller” for the Switch 2 and has “acquired a lot of first-hand information” about the console as a result. the biggest takeaway from MobaPad’s blog post is that “the cartridge slot of the Switch 2 will support backward compatibility with physical Switch game cartridges, ensuring compatibility with players’ existing game libraries, including digital versions.” Game cards designed specifically for the Switch 2, on the other hand, “may not be compatible with the first-generation console.” Backward compatibility is a big deal, as many gamers have significant investments in games, and it is always a great good-will thing when a company allows for backward compatibility. The Switch 2 is expected in early 2025.

As the TikTok ban looms over the next 9 months, some analysts are saying that it will likely have minimal effect on the creator economy. TechCrunch.com reports that the reasoning behind this thinking is that former President Trump already tried banning it in 2020, and since then established creators have diversified to other platforms. The groups that might be affected though are live streamers who monetize via the TikTok Shop…which has a richer feature set than YouTube Shorts and Instagram Reels. This is particularly true of political content…which was a good deal of the point of the legislation banning the platform unless the Chinese government and related organizations divest ownership in the next months.

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

EU Opens TikTok Investigation; Patent Office Denies OpenAI Trademark for ChatGPT; Switch 2 Bumped back to 2025; Apple May Get Dinged for a $538 Million Fine by EU

Posted: February 19, 2024 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , | Leave a comment

The US has been scrutinizing TikTok, and now it is joined by the EU, and the European Commission has announce a formal probe into the social platform’s compliance (or lack thereof) with the Digital Services Act. The act, which was approved late last year and went into effect on Jan. 1, exists to legislate against things like illegal content, disinformation, and targeted advertising. Mashable.com reports that some of the things the EU is looking at include TikTok’s potential use of algorithmic systems to encourage addictive behavior, or what it calls a “rabbit hole effect.” In other words, they’re worried about if TikTok does too much to force you to keep looking at it. Other points of concern include privacy and safety for minors, advertising transparency, and proper age verification for users. If TikTok is found to be in violation of any DSA policies, it may have to fork over as much as 6 percent of its annual turnover. TikTok says it will cooperate with the investigation.

The US Patent and Trademark Office has issued two separate decisions denying OpenAI’s applications to trademark ‘ChatGPT’ and ‘GPT.’ According to geekwire.com, the AI company can appeal to the Trademark Trial and Appeal board within 90 days. The PTO wrote in their decisions that ‘Internet evidence shows that “CHAT” means “a synchronous exchange of remarks over a computer network.” Further, the evidence of record also establishes that “GPT” is a widely used acronym that means “generative pre trained transformers.” OpenAI’s partner Microsoft has applied for trademarks for their version, Copilot, as well as variations on Copilot in conjunction with other brand names. 

A lot of people have been itching to get a Nintendo Switch 2, but now it looks like that itch won’t get scratched until next year. Bgr.com says that a Brazilian game Journalist has heard from 5 separate sources that Nintendo now plans to launch the next version in early 2025. Previously, rumors had the Switch 2 coming out in the fall of this year in order to take advantage of the lucrative holiday selling season. Nintendo also plans to launch their switch 2 games early next year, which makes sense in light of the system coming out then.The original Switch is the third best selling video game console of all time, and it launched in March of 2017…so it’s definitely due for a refresh. 

The EU is considering a 500 euro fine…or $528 million over Apple Music’s treatment of competitors. Appleinsider.com reports that the European Commission is nearly finished with its investigation of whether Apple broke antitrust laws following a 2019 complaint from Spotify, and is on the verge of levying punishments. The official announcement may come in March. Along with the fine will come a ruling that Apple broke EU laws with its App Store anti-steering rules. Apple could be banned from preventing music streaming services from advising customers that they could get a better deal elsewhere than the App Store and the In-App Purchases system. These will apparently be referred to by the EU as “unfair trading conditions.” 

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

Galaxy Note 9 Rumors; Snap Spectacles II on Amazon; Nintendo Switch Content Leak; Facebook Rebrands On This Day As Memories

Posted: June 12, 2018 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

More has leaked out about the Samsung Galaxy Note 9, widely expected to be a minor upgrade coming in August. Bgr.com says one tweak may make a noticeable difference over the Note 8…the back cams may go horizontal instead of vertical, with the fingerprint sensor moving directly below. This will not only make the print sensor much easier to find and use, but the horizontal layout of the cams will allow for a bigger battery…perhaps even exceeding the 35 mAh battery of the Galaxy S9+. There’s also an additional hardware button showing up…no clues on what it is, but it may be related to the cameras.

Snap’s original Spectacles were kind of cool, but you had to hunt for a pop up store to get a pair of them. Now, mashable.com reports that the 2nd generation will be much easier to find…you can buy them on Amazon. There’s a price bump of 20 bucks to $149.99, but now they can be at your doorstep in a couple days in the US, UK, and Canada….even tomorrow if you’re terribly impatient! Snap only sold 220,000 of the original Spectacles, and lost a bundle ($40 million), but it appears they are confident about the round pic-taking glasses being a hit in version 2.

Best Buy may have spilled the beans about upcoming Nintendo Switch content at E3. According to businessinsider.com, Hulu, YouTube, and Netflix compatibility may be coming to the Switch. The added capabilities popped up on Best Buy’s online store. Nintendo had been expected to make an announcement anyway, but the retailer inadvertently stole their thunder.

Facebook is rolling out a rebranded On This Day as ‘Memories.’ Techcrunch.com says they are adding friends you made on the date to the usual pictures and posts from the On This Day version, in addition to ‘Memories You May Have Missed’. It’s a great way to get people to engage more…not to mention it saves Facebook server space by recycling posts. Hmm.

Facebook Testing ‘Snooze’ Feature; Huawei Takes a Shot at the iPhone X; Your Nintendo Switch Has Hidden Copy of NES Golf

Posted: September 18, 2017 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized | Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Everyone with more than a handful of friends on Facebook has a few who post really annoying things…whether it’s too many food pictures, political posts, dozens of kid of cat pics, or hourly selfies. Up to now, you’ve either had to unfollow them or unfriend them. Mashable.com reports that Facebook is testing another alternative…’snoozing’ them. The feature lets you temporarily unfollow for 24 hours, a week, or 30 days. While Facebook tests out things that don’t make it into the app for everyone, let’s hope this one does! It will live on the menu with unfollow.

We noted earlier that Huawei will be rolling out their next flagship phone in October. It’s the Mate 10, and the verge.com says they are now running an ad saying they will unveil ‘the Real AI Phone’ next month…specifically on October 16th! Actually, they have had a chipset that does a decent job with AI, and the new iteration will of course be an improvement. With a nod to Apple’s Neural Engine, Huawei calls the system on a chip the “Neural Processing Unit,” or NPU. Keep you skepticism shields up, but we’ll see what they roll out on October 16th!

Hackers at SwitchBrew.org have discovered a fully playable copy of NES Golf buried inside the Nintendo Switch. According to arstechnica.com, they found it under ‘flog,’ which is golf spelled backwards, and it’s the old 80’s NES golf game, updated specifically to run on the Switch. Since the hackers posted screen shots, it’s presumed they have found how to run it, but so far haven’t given up the button combination to unlock it.