April 2023 – Page 44 – MSI Net, Inc. & mCloudServ

Indian customers are yet to fully benefit from Apple’s India initiatives due to prohibitively expensive products and services like Apple Pay being unavailable (Manish Singh/TechCrunch)

Manish Singh / TechCrunch: Indian customers are yet to fully benefit from Apple’s India initiatives due to prohibitively expensive products and services like Apple Pay being unavailable — The reality is that millions of Indian consumers continue to purchase Apple products despite feeling like second-tier customers.

Samsung can’t dump Google for Bing as the default search engine on its phones

Galaxy S23 Ultra Credit: Ryan Haines / Android Authority Samsung can’t replace Google with Microsoft’s Bing as the default search engine on its phones, at least in markets like the US. Google’s Mobile Application Distribution Agreement (MADA) requires all Android OEMs to pre-install Google Search and use it as default. However, regions like Europe and

Withings’ latest smart scale features an ‘eyes closed’ mode

The new Withings Body Smart scale features a new “eyes closed” mode. | Image: Withings Even if your goal is to lose weight, the number on the scale isn’t always the best measure of progress. In that vein, Withings’ new Body Smart scale is adding an “eyes closed” mode. Instead of displaying your weight, the

micro:bit Brings 3D Printed Magic Lanterns to Life

[Elenavercher] loves engaging her primary school students, inspiring their imagination as well as teaching them the design thinking process. She has found that the very accessible rapid prototyping culture of 3D printing, micro:bit, and the like are perfect for teaching her students problem-solving and teamwork, and is always coming up with new lessons that will

Ransomware attacks in Japan, which exported chip components worth $42.3B last year, reportedly grew 58% YoY in 2022, and can cause global supply chain issues (Bloomberg)

Bloomberg: Ransomware attacks in Japan, which exported chip components worth $42.3B last year, reportedly grew 58% YoY in 2022, and can cause global supply chain issues — Kojima Industries Corp. is a small company and little-known outside Japan, where it produces cup holders, USB sockets and door pockets for car interiors.

Sources: Chinese regulators are expected to lower the fine on Ant Group to about $728M, down from the $1B+ initially planned, and soften the wording of charges (Reuters)

Reuters: Sources: Chinese regulators are expected to lower the fine on Ant Group to about $728M, down from the $1B+ initially planned, and soften the wording of charges — Chinese regulators are expected to fine Ant Group about a quarter less than the more than $1 billion initially planned and downgrade …

The Polestar 4 electric SUV packs a lot of punch in a small package

Image: Polestar Polestar’s fourth vehicle, the aptly named Polestar 4 compact SUV, made its debut today at the Shanghai Auto Show. When it’s released, it will likely compete with luxury heavy hitters like the Tesla Model Y, BMW iX, and Mercedes-Benz EQS SUV. The Polestar 4 is a coupe-style SUV with a targeted range over

Polestar 4 2023 Reveal: No Rear Window

The 350-mile Polestar 4 attempts to maximize interior space and right the wrongs of the much-maligned SUV coupé.

Hacking Bing Chat with Hash Tag Commands

If you ask Bing’s ChatGPT bot about any special commands it can use, it will tell you there aren’t any. Who says AI don’t lie? [Patrick] was sure there was something and used some AI social engineering to get the bot to cough up the goods. It turns out there are a number of hashtag

WhatsApp and other encrypted messaging apps sign a letter urging the UK government to rethink the Online Safety Bill, which would weaken privacy on the internet (BBC)

BBC: WhatsApp and other encrypted messaging apps sign a letter urging the UK government to rethink the Online Safety Bill, which would weaken privacy on the internet — Encrypted messaging services have jointly called for changes to parts of the UK Online Safety Bill (OSB).

In an interview with Tucker Carlson, Elon Musk says he’s working on “TruthGPT or a maximum truth-seeking AI that tries to understand the nature of the universe” (Bailee Hill/Fox News)

Bailee Hill / Fox News: In an interview with Tucker Carlson, Elon Musk says he’s working on “TruthGPT or a maximum truth-seeking AI that tries to understand the nature of the universe” — Tucker Carlson’s exclusive interview with Musk airs Monday at 8pm ET on Fox News

A look at Counterman v. Colorado, a cyberstalking case the SCOTUS will hear on April 19 and that could have sweeping consequences for online speech writ large (Issie Lapowsky/Fast Company)

Issie Lapowsky / Fast Company: A look at Counterman v. Colorado, a cyberstalking case the SCOTUS will hear on April 19 and that could have sweeping consequences for online speech writ large — In 2014, a man named Billy Raymond Counterman began sending a string of creepy Facebook messages to a female musician he’d never

Despite the UK chancellor lauding its “world-beating fintech sector”, London has been waning as a fintech hub, as startups call for reforms amid SVB UK’s bust (Siddharth Venkataramakrishnan/Financial …)

Siddharth Venkataramakrishnan / Financial Times: Despite the UK chancellor lauding its “world-beating fintech sector”, London has been waning as a fintech hub, as startups call for reforms amid SVB UK’s bust — Despite positive government noises the UK is not the draw it once was — As Silicon Valley Bank UK imploded at the start

Pokémon Go developer Niantic is making a real-world Monster Hunter game

Image: Niantic Niantic is working with a different kind of monster for its next release. The studio, best-known for Pokémon Go, announced a partnership with Capcom to make a title based on the Monster Hunter franchise. The new game is called Monster Hunter Now, and it aims to take the core of that series —

A Wall Mounted Newspaper That’s Extra

E-Ink displays are becoming more ubiquitous and with their low power draw, high contrast and hackability, we see many projects use them in framed wall art, informational readouts and newspaper displays. [Sho] uses this idea to create a wall mounted newspaper packed full of features. [Sho] describes using a 13.3 inch ED133UT2 1600×1200 E-Ink display

Google may not discontinue the Pixel 6a after launching the Pixel 7a

Credit: MySmartPrice The Google Pixel 7a is all but confirmed to launch on May 10. It is expected to come in Charcoal, Snow, Sea, and Coral colorways, one of which will be exclusive to the Google Store. The Pixel 6a may not be discontinued after the Pixel 7a launches. The Pixel 7a has all but

An in-depth look at how police agencies across Europe infiltrated encrypted phone networks like EncroChat and Sky ECC that were popular with organized criminals (Ed Caesar/New Yorker)

Ed Caesar / New Yorker: An in-depth look at how police agencies across Europe infiltrated encrypted phone networks like EncroChat and Sky ECC that were popular with organized criminals — Drug syndicates and other criminal groups bought into the idea that a new kind of phone network couldn’t be infiltrated by cops.

A Peter Thiel-Backed Startup City Wants to Be Africa’s Delaware

Nigeria’s Itana partnered with Binance and the Charter Cities Institute to build a physical tech hub near Lagos, but the plan has sparked controversy.

Nike plans to release its first virtual sneaker collection, a play on the Air Force 1 design, on its recently-launched NFT buying and trading .Swoosh platform (Rosie Perper/CoinDesk)

Rosie Perper / CoinDesk: Nike plans to release its first virtual sneaker collection, a play on the Air Force 1 design, on its recently-launched NFT buying and trading .Swoosh platform — The virtual sneaker, called Our Force 1, is a play on the brand’s iconic Air Force 1 design. — Featured SpeakerYat Siu Featured SpeakerYat

A Wall Mounted Newspaper That’s Extra

A look at Counterman v. Colorado, a cyberstalking case the SCOTUS will hear on April 19 and that could have sweeping consequences for online speech writ large (Issie Lapowsky/Fast Company)

The Polestar 4 electric SUV packs a lot of punch in a small package

Everrati delivers its first electric Porsche 911 restomod built in the US

Everrati’s newest Porsche 911 restomod is built in the US. | Image: Everrati Everrati, a UK-based company that restores classic cars and converts them to electric vehicles, has delivered its first US-built Porsche 911 in California, the company announced on Monday. For Everrati, the delivery marks a milestone for the company and its CEO, Justin

Bluesky’s CEO wants to build a Musk-proof, decentralized version of Twitter

The logo for the AT Protocol that powers the Bluesky app. | Image: Bluesky This interview was first published in April 13th’s edition of Command Line, my weekly newsletter about the tech industry’s inside conversation. You can subscribe here to get future editions delivered to your inbox. As Elon Musk continues wielding Twitter like a

The Pixel 7A might cost $50 more than the Pixel 6A

A Pixel 6A. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Google’s still-unannounced Pixel 7A might cost $499, meaning the rumored midrange phone will launch at a $50 premium over last year’s Pixel 6A, according to 9to5Google. While that price might be a bit of a disappointment, the new phone will apparently getting some big

MSI Net, Inc. & mCloudServ

Month: April 2023