Despite the companys recent decision to abide by the demands of the Brazilian Supreme Court, X still isnt back online in Brazil and according to Reuters, thats at least in part because it paid its fines to the wrong bank. After weeks being banned in Brazil, X in late September named a legal representative for the country as ordered, and took down accounts the court accused of spreading misinformation and hate speech. Its final hurdle was to pay off the fines that it had racked up, reportedly amounting to roughly $5 million.
Citing Friday court filings, Reuters reports that X says its paid the fines and requested to have services restored. But, Justice Alexandre de Moraes said the funds went to the wrong bank, and the decision will have to wait until theyve been transferred. X maintains that it paid its fines correctly, according to Reuters. X has been banned in Brazil since the end of August. While the company initially resisted the courts orders, it recently changed its tune and said it was working with the Brazilian government to get the platform back online in the country.
This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/x-reportedly-paid-its-brazil-fines-to-the-wrong-bank-causing-further-delay-in-reinstatement-case-164959494.html?src=rss
People who visited Lego's website on the evening of October 4 were welcomed by a banner with illustrated golden coins bearing the company's logo, claiming that the "Lego coin" is now officially out. It even promised "secret rewards" to those who'd buy some. But Lego wasn't truly launching an official cryptocurrency coin, and according to The Brick Fan, the button to buy led to an external cryptocurrency website selling "LEGO Tokens" with Ethereum. The website was, seemingly, hijacked by bad actors who switched its banner and used it for some sort of crypto scam.
As users on the Lego subreddit have noted, the incident happened overnight for Lego's headquarters. The company responded relatively quickly, though, and removed the unauthorized banner and links. As of this writing, the Lego Fortnite collaboration banner is back up, and the "buy now" link leads to the collection. Lego told Engadget that no user accounts were compromised and that it has identified the cause of the issue. It also said that it was implementing measures to prevent anything similar from happening again in the future. However, the company has declined to share details about that "cause" or the measures it's implementing.
Here's the company's official statement:
"On 5 October 2024 (October 4 evening in the US), an unauthorised banner briefly appeared on LEGO.com. It was quickly removed, and the issue has been resolved. No user accounts have been compromised, and customers can continue shopping as usual. The cause has been identified and we are implementing measures to prevent this from happening again."This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/legos-website-was-hacked-to-promote-a-crypto-scam-140045757.html?src=rss
A few months ago, Google introduced a new way to search Gmail with the help of its Gemini AI. The feature, called Gmail Q&A, lets you find specific emails and information by asking the Gemini chatbot questions. You can ask things like "What time is our dinner reservation on Saturday?" to quickly find the information you need. It was only initially available on Android devices, but now Google has started rolling it out to iPhones.
In addition to being able to ask questions, you can also use the feature to find unread emails from a specific sender simply by telling Gemini to "Find unread emails by [the person's name]." You can ask the chatbot to summarize a topic you know you can find in your inbox, such as work projects that you've been on for months consisting of multiple conversations across several threads. And you can even use Gemini in Gmail to do general search queries without having to leave your inbox. To access Gemini, simply tap on the star icon at the top right corner of your Gmail app.
Google says the feature could take up to 15 days to reach your devices. Take note, however, that you do need to have access to Gemini Business, Enterprise, Education, Education Premium or Google One AI Premium to be able to use it. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ai/gmails-gemini-powered-qa-feature-comes-to-ios-120015661.html?src=rss
Square Enixs multiplayer shooter Foamstars is moving to a free-to-play model. The four-player team multiplayer melee officially turned into a free game today on Sonys PlayStation 4 and 5 meaning you also wont need a PlayStation Plus subscription to play it, according to a posting on the studios support page.
If you purchased the game before Square Enixs price change, the studio will send you a free Legacy Gift that includes 12 exclusive color-variant Bubble Beastie skins, an exclusive Slide Board design and a Legacy title. Youll need to keep an eye on the games official website and X account to find out how to obtain your free Legacy Gift.
Foamstars released earlier this year on Sonys past and current gen consoles as a third-person multiplayer battle game. Its basically a mix of the homebase building mechanic of Fortnite and Nintendos family friendly multiplayer shooter melee Splatoon. Teams use mounds of foam to build terrain for their shooters to traverse at high speeds or build higher vantage points to attack their enemies. You shouldnt learn anymore about the games backstory and where the mounds of foam come from or at least not while youre eating. Trust us on this one.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/foamstars-is-going-free-to-play-starting-today-231750186.html?src=rss
The past week hasnt been the kindest to the electric vehicle industry. Now, its capped off with news that the EV startup Fisker is the subject of an investigation from the US Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
TechCrunch reported that SEC officials sent several subpoenas to Fisker. The filing doesnt specifically say what the subpoenas are asking for or looking into but its clear that the SEC has launched an investigation into the floundering EV maker that filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in June.
Fisker has been struggling to keep its head above water ever since last years disastrous rollout of its Ocean SUV that failed to score more than a few thousands sellers even though it produced well over 10,000 units. Following its Q4 earnings report last year that saw a gross margin loss of 35 percent, the car maker announced it would lay off 15 percent of its workforce the following March as it shifted to a direct-to-consumer sales strategy.
A Fisker spokesperson declined to comment on the matter to TechCrunch saying they could not comment on the existence or nonexistence of a possible investigation.
Fisker isnt the only EV maker to suffer a noticeable setback. Tesla saw a major stumble with the fifth recall of its beleaguered Cybertruck.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/transportation/evs/fisker-faces-more-bad-news-as-the-sec-starts-investigating-its-business-practices-222504280.html?src=rss
Why is it so satisfying to toss, drop, throw and fling ragdoll characters down steps, out of windows and into oncoming traffic in games like Human Fall Flat? Ragdoll games just know how to scratch the lizard part of our brain that enjoys being the destructive force of mayhem while also meeting the moral center of our frontal lobe by not causing any real world harm (or felony charges).
Now youll be able to see the fruits of your destruction in a virtual environment as Human Fall Flat and its hapless, ham-handed hero head to the Meta Quest headsets and Steam VR on Halloween. Curve Games and No Brakes Games are also working on a version for the PSVR2 for a date yet to be announced.
Human Fall Flat is a three-dimensional physics platformer that has you control a floppy, ragdoll human named Bob. Just like the other games, youll see Bob in a third-person perspective as you use his sinewy limbs to guide him through a series of bizarre obstacles like a train that somehow derailed through the top floor of a Victorian style mansion, a dysfunctional power plant in dire need of a OSHA review and the inevitable ice world level.
Owners of a Meta Quest 2, Meta Quest 3 or Meta Quest 3S headset can pre-order the game now on the Quest App Store for the discounted price of $9.99. The Steam port doesnt have a price yet but you can add it to your wishlist.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/ar-vr/soon-youll-be-able-to-fling-around-the-klutzy-schlub-in-human-fall-flat-on-vr-212033104.html?src=rss
X has lost a legal fight in Australia in which the company tried to avoid a $400,000 fine by claiming that Twitter no longer exists. The creative legal argument, first spotted by ArsTechnica, came amid a more than year-long dispute with Australias eSafety Commission.
The commission had asked the company, then known as Twitter, to provide details about its handling of child sexual exploitation on the platform last February. In its response, X failed to answer a number of questions and left some sections entirely blank, the commission said in a statement last year. As a result, the eSafety Commission slapped the company with a more than $415,000 fine for non-compliance.
It was an attempt to fight that fine that led to Xs claim that it shouldnt be responsible since Twitter had ceased to exist. From the court filing:
X Corp submitted that, on and from 15 March 2023, Twitter Inc ceased to be a person, and therefore ceased to be a provider of a social media service. It was submitted that Twitter Inc therefore lacked capacity to comply with the notice, and that X Corp was not obliged to prepare any report in Twitter Incs place, as X Corp was not the same person as the provider to whom the notice was issued.
The argument isnt exactly new for the Elon Musk-owned entity. CEO Linda Yaccarino has also repeatedly claimed that X is a brand new company in a bid to avoid scrutiny. She repeated the line multiple times earlier this year while testifying at a Senate hearing on child safety issues.
Australia federal Judge Michael Wheelahan, however, found the claim unconvincing, saying that Xs argument required leaps in logic that were not supported by adequate explanation. X didnt immediately respond to a request for comment.
In a statement, eSafety Commissioner Inman Grant cheered the decision. Had X Corps argument been accepted by the Court it could have set the concerning precedent that a foreign companys merger with another foreign company might enable it to avoid regulatory obligations in Australia, Grant said.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/x-lost-a-court-battle-after-trying-to-claim-twitter-ceased-to-exist-203030765.html?src=rss
Samsung will begin using the One UI name for all its consumer devices, now including TVs and home appliances. Executive Vice President Sally Hyesoon Jeong made the announcement at the companys 2024 developer conference (via 9to5Google). The One UI branding was previously exclusive to its Galaxy phones, tablets and wearables.
One UI now goes beyond mobile as the software experience for all Samsung consumer devices, Hyesoon Jeong said onstage at the San Jose keynote. Its part of the companys aim for more cohesive branding across its consumer ecosystem, especially as its AI approach evolves.
Samsung
Samsung also teased that its next software user experience, One UI 7, will arrive with the 2025 batch of Galaxy S phones. One UI 7 will bring a fresh, new look to the entire interface, Hyesoon Jeong said at the conference. She laid out three goals for the upcoming software: simple (with a purpose), impactful (leaving a signature impression), and emotive design that elicits a human reaction from the user.
The Samsung VP says the One UI 7 home screen grid represents the more focused design principles. Its sleeker and easier to use, giving you a neat home screen no matter which Galaxy device youre using, said Hyesoon Jeong.
Although youll have to wait until early next year for One UI 7, the company said a developer beta will be available to test-drive by the end of this year.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/mobile/samsungs-one-ui-now-covers-all-of-its-consumer-devices-including-tvs-and-appliances-201850799.html?src=rss
Once again, the European Union has issued a ruling preventing Meta from going too crazy with user information. The top court in the EU ruled that limits must be put in place for how long Meta and other social media networks can use peoples information for ad targeting strategies.
TechCrunch reported that the EUs highest court sided with an earlier opinion published in April by a court adviser. The previous ruling also urged for limits on the amount of time companies could retain customers personal data for the purpose of targeting advertising.
The rulings referred its retention guidelines to the blocs General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) established by the EU in 2018. Recital 65 of the GDPR establishes a persons right to be forgotten and the right to rectification and erasure of personal data. Failure to comply with the GDPR could result in a 4 percent global annual turnover penalty, a number that could reach into the billions for a social media mega-corporation like Meta. Last year, Meta had to pay a $414 million fine (or approximately 390 million) for illegally requiring users of its social media outlets like Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp to accept personalized ads.
The EU and Meta along with other big tech companies like Apple and Google have tangled over the use of personal data in relation to the Digital Markets Act. Meta is currently awaiting a fine ruling for violating the EUs Digital Markets Act when it required users to pay to prohibit the company from collecting and sharing their personal data. Last year, the EUs Court of Justice ruled that Meta needed to obtain consent before delivering personal ads to users in the region.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/eu-court-rules-social-networks-cant-use-personal-data-forever-193013206.html?src=rss
Amazon Prime Day is right around the corner, so the deals are already coming in hot. For instance, the Oura Ring is up to $100 off. The discount depends on which design you go for. The Stealth Horizon design is $350 in all sizes, while many standard colors are $300. The gold option, however, jumps up to $450. The prices also fluctuate depending on if you choose the rounded Horizon design or the more blocky Heritage design.
For the uninitiated, the Oura Ring is a smart wearable that tracks activity, sleep and more. The main benefit of choosing a smart ring over another type of fitness tracker is portability. Its a lightweight ring, so after a few days you forget its even on. We called the Oura Ring the perfect wearable for people who don't like wearables in our official review. It even made our list of the best sleep apps and gadgets.
The device monitors over 20 biometric signals and is particularly precise when reading a pulse. The Oura Ring is also compatible with most of the most popular fitness-tracking apps, like Apple Health, Strava and Google Health Connect. Many of the designs are quite fetching and allow the device to easily pass as a regular non-techy ring.
On the downside, a bunch of the rings features are locked behind a subscription paywall. You get a month free with the initial purchase, but after that itll cost $6 per month. Its also worth noting that this deal is for the third-gen Oura Ring. The fourth-gen device officially releases on October 15 and its smaller, with more tracking capabilities.
Follow @EngadgetDeals on Twitter for the latest tech deals and buying advice, and stay tuned to Engadget.com for all of the best tech deals coming out of October Prime Day 2024.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-third-gen-oura-ring-is-up-to-100-off-in-this-early-prime-day-deal-184904718.html?src=rss
