Technology

Amazon’s head of devices took a swipe at Meta on Thursday, saying the company is working on enhancing a virtual world that will entice people to neglect the real world. “I want to try to work on technologies that bring people’s heads up, get them to enjoy the real world about them, make the family a more communal experience,” David Limp said during The Wall Street Journal’s Future of Everything Festival. He also noted that if he were to ask the audience what they thought the Metaverse was, he would get “205 different answers.” You don’t kick a horse while it’s down, but people from the tech industry keep dunking on Mark Zuckerberg’s Metaverse as his company bleeds money, and its stock continue to plummet. Advertisement Meta, the company formerly known as Facebook, has invested over $10 billion in the elusive Metaverse as its shares fell this year, by 26% the year. No one really understands what the Metaverse is despite Zuckerberg’s best … [Read more...] about Amazon Exec LOLs at Zuckerberg’s Make-Believe Metaverse

Move over, Thom Browne, and your stuffy leather trimmings! Samsung has a better collaboration in the wings. The Pokémon Edition of the Galaxy Z Flip 3 is official, and it comes with a host of accessories that transform the folding phone into a bonafide Pokédex for the real world. Where was this collaboration when the Z Flip 3 launched last summer? It’s so cute, and perfect for Pokémon Go as it somehow continues to maintain relevance 6 years after launch. The bundle includes the Galaxy Z Flip 3 in a special box with a heaping of Pokémon -themed accessories. If the default Pikachu isn’t your starter, there’s a picture case with swappable cards. (Since we’re sharing, I’m more of a Squirtle Sun with a Bulbasaur Rising.) There’s also a clear cover set, a pouch that looks like a Pokédex with a lanyard strap, a Pikachu tail keychain, and a PokéBall stand. As for the Z Flip 3 itself, it comes preloaded with Pokémon ringtones, themes, and wallpapers. (I’m curious … [Read more...] about Samsung’s Pokémon-themed Galaxy Z Flip 3 is like a real life Pokédex

Though at times it seemed unlikely declined. According to parent company Meta’s Q4 earnings presentation , Facebook lost around a million users between Q3 and Q4 2021. Specifically, the platform reported 1.93 billion daily active users in Q3, though that figure dropped to 1.929 billion last quarter. This marks a sea change for a company previously able to endure an onslaught of scandals , lawsuits , genocide enabling policies , and gut-wrenchingly uncomfortable Congressional hearings, all without losing its most valuable resource: us, the faithful users. Markets were quick to respond. Those declining users, in tandem weaker than expected ad growth, sent Meta’s stock price plummeting down by more than 25% on Thursday. Advertisement Facebook’s inventory of eyeballs has wavered for some time now, with user growth last year slowing to a trickle compared to the company’s glory days. Those figures speak to a larger, more … [Read more...] about Facebook’s User-Growth Machine Comes to a Halt

Amid a Facebook marketing blitz, the Federal Trade Commission on Thursday refiled its antitrust lawsuit against the company, claiming that it “holds monopoly power” in the social media market, and maintains that monopoly by “systematically” purchasing rivals and creating other barriers to competition. The refiled lawsuit is seen as the FTC’s first major battle as it seeks to rei Lina Khan , who was a vocal critic of Big Tech in her work in academia and whom Facebook argued should recuse herself because of that work. “Facebook is the world’s dominant online social network, with a purported three billion-plus regular users. Facebook has maintained its monopoly position in significant part by pursuing Chief Executive Officer (‘CEO’ ) Mark Zuckerberg’s strategy, expressed in 2008: ‘it is better to buy than compete,’” the FTC complaint says. “True to that maxim, Facebook has systematically tracked potential rivals and acquired companies that it viewed as serious … [Read more...] about FTC Refiles Historic Antitrust Lawsuit as Facebook Tries to Bury the News With Shiny Things

President Joe Biden has selected attorney and frequent announced Tuesday. If approved, Kanter would join the Biden administration’s robust legal team that’s poised to combat Silicon Valley’s enormous market power. As head of the DOJ Antitrust Division, Kanter would oversee department antitrust lawsuits and have the power to help block mergers deemed anticompetitive. This would include a case the DOJ brought against Google in October over its domination in the digital ad market, as well as a probe into Apple’s App Store policies. While Congress remains bitterly partisan, Kanter’s nomination is reportedly seen as a wise move, as he’s considered a favorite among both progressives and some conservatives who believe tech giants have amassed too much power. Advertisement “Jonathan Kanter is a distinguished antitrust lawyer with over 20 years of experience,” the White House said in a press release. “Throughout his career, Kanter has also been … [Read more...] about Biden Assembles the Final Member of His Big Tech Nightmare Squad

If you’re based out of Europe and don’t, uh, already hate Facebook , then boy oh boy does the company have the perfect job for you. On Sunday, the company announced that it plans to create 10,000 “high-skilled jobs” across the EU to help build out Facebook’s plans for the “metaverse.” There’s a lot of folks metaverse company .” In the announcement, the company refers to the phrase as a “new phase of interconnected virtual experiences,” shepherded along with virtual and augmented reality tech. These tools, Facebook explained, can turn online interactions into something that’s “much closer” to the kinds of interactions that we have face-to-face in the real world, now. It’s unclear what the 10,000 jobs building out this vision are going to look like. Ostensibly, at least a few of those jobs are going to involve tinkering with new ideas for virtual reality environments to plop inside people’s Oculus headsets. Considering how the most notable product rollout … [Read more...] about Facebook Is Looking for 10,000 People Who Don’t Hate Facebook