Gizmodo

Wireless charging’s best feature is simply being a more convenient way to power up devices without having to struggle to find and plug in a cable, right? Nendo Yoshirin has shown us that far more creative and adorable. Even the most casual of Pokémon fans have at one time wondered if befriending (or entrapping, it’s a matter of perspective) a Pikachu would be the solution to all of their charging woes. Could you toss the Pokémon in your backpack with all of your devices and ten minutes later open it to find everything completely charged? It’s an experiment none of us will ever have a chance to try in real life—which is probably for the best—but this fan- hands-down the next best thing . There are seemingly more Pikachu toys and collectibles than there are stars in the night sky, and, not surprisingly, someone has already thought of turning the electric type pocket monster into a wireless charger before. Their approach, having users just plop a … [Read more...] about This Hand-Sculpted Pikachu Is the Wireless iPhone Charger of My Dreams

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

More than 40 attorneys general and the U.S. government are gearing up to throw the book at the Book... Facebook... with an antitrust lawsuit that’s set to be filed on Wednesday. According to Reuters , the lawsuit will allege that Facebook deployed anticompetitive tactics in order to buy or neutralize its rivals and shore up its market dominance, specifically with its purchase of photo-sharing app Instagram and the messaging service WhatsApp. Three people familiar with the lawsuit told the Washington Post under condition of anonymity that the bipartisan coalition of attorneys general, led by New York’s Letitia James, will likely seek to compel a judge to force Facebook to unload some of its business assets in order to ameliorate concerns about competition in social media. Advertisement The lawsuit comes months after the Federal Trade Commission began a probe into the company’s alleged anti-competitive practices more than a year ago. In the summer … [Read more...] about Facebook Is About To Be Sued For Allegedly Violating Antitrust Law

State and federal investigators are planning the Washington Post . Such a lawsuit would mark the government’s latest crackdown on the biggest names in the tech industry, including Apple, Google, and Amazon, for holding monopolies on their respective markets. On Thursday, the Federal Trade Commission met privately to discuss the probe, and plans to file charges within the upcoming weeks, the sources, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, told the outlet. However, they cautioned that since work is ongoing, that timeline is still be ironed out and may be subject to change. Another investigation led by New York Attorney General Letitia James that 46 other state attorneys general joined last year has also been scrutinizing Facebook on antitrust claims, particularly the company’s strategy of buying out potential competitors only to gut their businesses. Sources said that state officials are “in the late stages of preparing their complaint” per the Post. A … [Read more...] about Facebook May Face Federal, State Antitrust Charges as Soon as November

Amazon has asked Khan, who was recently named chairwoman of the federal agency by President Joe Biden, has been very vocal about her views on Amazon in the past, penning extensive legal scholarship and myriad op-eds criticizing its monopolistic practices. In a well-known paper , she argued that the CNN , Quartz , Salon , and others. As FTC chairwoman, Khan would be in charge of overseeing and leading any upcoming actions taken against the web platform, Advertisement The tech giant filed a 25-page motion with the FTC on Wednesday, arguing that Khan’s vocal criticism of them is a conflict of interest. “She has on numerous occasions argued that Amazon is guilty of antitrust violations and should be broken up,” the company worries, in the document. “These statements convey to any reasonable observer the clear impression that she has already made up her mind about many material facts relevant to Amazon’s antitrust culpability as … [Read more...] about Amazon Releases Cowardly Statement, Is Clearly Afraid of FTC Chair

Dozens of attorney generals, as well as the Federal Trade Commission, filed two separate lawsuits against Facebook on Wednesday which attempt to break the social media giant into its component parts: specifically, the divestiture of WhatsApp and Instagram. The lawsuits claim Facebook illegally suppressed competition by purchasing rival companies that challenged its dominance. This includes its purchase of Instagram for $1 billion in 2012, and its $19 billion acquisition of WhatsApp in 2014. Facebook’s aggressive acquisitions of competing companies, which helped bring the company’s total value to more than $800 billion, violates the Sherman Antitrust Act and the Clayton Antitrust Act, the lawsuits claim. “Facebook has used its monopoly power to crush smaller rivals and snuff out competition, all at the expense of everyday users,” New York Attorney General Letitia James, who is leading the effort, said in a statement posted to Twitter. “Instead of improving its own … [Read more...] about FTC and 48 Attorneys General Sue to Break Up Facebook