America is angry about Europe’s tax investigations
An eyeliner-clad official from the US treasury has traveled to Brussels to scream leave Google alone! at their European counterparts. International tax chief Robert Stack has accused the European Union of unfairly targeting American tech companies in its recent clampdown on tax avoidance. The continent has begun investigating “sweetheart” deals between firms like Facebook and Apple after it was revealed how little tax they actually pay. Stack, however, feels that he’s got to go to bat for the homegrown champions, and that the money Europe is going after isn’t theirs to claim.
America’s biggest tech companies make enormous piles of money from their operations across the pond, but don’t seem that concerned about paying tax. The UK, for instance, recently celebrated a deal with Google to pay $185 million on back taxes of revenue of $24 billion that it makes in the country. It was pleased to be able to offer the search engine a 3 percent rate of corporation tax, a far cry from the 21 percent rate that UK businesses must pay. Similarly, Italy fined Apple $347 million for irregularities in its tax accounting, despite being owed closer to $961 million over the past few years.
Many of these companies base their European HQs in Ireland, which has a significantly lower tax rate than many of the countries in the union. A quirk of the local laws means that firms can push their profits offshore without having to pay any tax on them at all. These sort of deals, however, are illegal under Europe’s rules preventing countries to give companies based there a leg-up over rivals, and will be closed before 2020. It means that further investigations into US’ firms tax affairs are inevitable, with Facebook likely next to be probed.
Much like a pair of neighbors who have lived together for a little too long, the US and Europe are letting old hostilities come to the forefront. Robert Stack’s appearance in Brussels comes amid a series of rows about the role and powers that American tech companies have. For instance, Google is currently being investigated on two different counts of antitrust dealings surrounding Android as well as Google Shopping. In addition, the European Court of Justice ruled that Facebook (and others) can’t move your data from Europe to the US.
Where all of this saber-rattling is likely to end, no-one knows, but we imagine this passive-aggressive war will continue for ages yet.
Source: Financial Times
Motorola announces the Moto X Force for the India market
Motorola at a press event today in New Delhi, India took the covers off of the Moto X Force for the region. The company, whose name is currently being phased out, teased the device for the region earlier last week.
As a quick reminder, it comes with a 5.4-inch quad HD display and is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 810 processor. Additionally, you’ll find 3GB of RAM on-board, as well as a microSD slot that can add up to 2TB of storage to pair with the device’s 32GB or 64GB internal storage options.
As far as camera optics go, the Moto X Force is toting a 21-megapixel sensor and a 5-megapixel front facing camera with flash and a wide-angle lens. On the software front, the Moto X Force is running a fairly clean version of Android 5.1.1, except for a few proprietary applications.
Click here to view the embedded video.
One of the neatest things about this device might be it’s shatterproof display, but it’s also equipped with Motorola’s proprietary fast charging technology. Every unit will come with a 25 watt TurboCharger in the box, allowing you to garner up to 8 hours of charge in a meager 15 minutes. Not only that, but it’s massive 3,760mAh will keep the lights on well into the evening.
The device will be available to buy in India starting on February 8. Consumers will be able to find the 32GB and 64GB version on Flipkart and Amazon on that day for ₹49,999 and ₹53,999, respectively. It should also be available at places like Spice Hotspot and Croma, though you’ll no doubt have much more luck ordering it online come launch day.
Anyone plan on picking one up next week?
via: Android Cental
Come comment on this article: Motorola announces the Moto X Force for the India market
Nokia, Samsung settlement reached over patent licenses
Nokia announced today that an agreement with Samsung, pursuant to a binding arbitration process, was reached regarding compensation due to Nokia for a variety of patents being utilized by Samsung. The settlement is expected to yield Nokia approximately $200 million euros annually. Including some funds to be paid for previous periods while the case was underway, Nokia anticipates receiving slightly more than 1.0 billion euros for Samsung’s use of the patent portfolio. Despite the positive impact on Nokia’s bottom line, investors do not seem happy and were expecting a larger settlement.
The case was being heard before the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce. Both Samsung and Nokia had previously agreed to live with the results of the arbitration process. The compensation being looked at commenced on January 1, 2014 and is expected to last through the end of 2018 when the companies will have to negotiate a new deal.
Nokia currently has a similar dispute ongoing with LG Electronics and a new contract with Apple will need to be negotiated in the new few years. Nokia was once “the” brand in mobile phones, but fell by the wayside with the rise of smartphones. However, their technology is still ubiquitous as seen by the number of manufacturers that license patents from Nokia.
Come comment on this article: Nokia, Samsung settlement reached over patent licenses
Samsung adds support for ad blockers in their Android web browser
Samsung joined a small but growing list of companies making it a bit easier for consumers to block content, notably advertising, on their mobile devices. The market got a big boost last year when Apple announced support for ad-blocking plugins in the Safari browser on iOS 9. Now Samsung is adding a similar feature to their own web browser that ships on Samsung smartphones running Android 6.0 Marshmallow or higher.
Many users make use of ad-blocking plugins and technology on their desktop and laptop devices. However, despite the potential to save on mobile data usage and load pages much quicker, interest in ad-blocking on mobile devices is still lackluster. Even on the iOS platform, after an initial spike in interest when Apple first announced support, ad blockers have fallen off the radar in the App Store. Meanwhile, even a huge company like Google has not yet seen fit to support ad-blocking plugins in their mobile Chrome browser.
With Samsung’s new support for ad-blocking in their browser, users may be looking for a plugin. Thus far Adblock Fast and Crystal are both available in the Play Store and support the Samsung Internet 4.0 browser.
Will the ability to block ads prompt you to make a switch to Samsung’s browser instead of using a browser like Chrome?
source: The Verge
Come comment on this article: Samsung adds support for ad blockers in their Android web browser
GE banks on LEDs, ditches compact fluorescent bulbs in the US
If you’re the sort of person who gets worked up about what goes in your light fixtures, listen up. Starting today, GE is phasing out production of compact fluorescent light bulbs — yeah, those curly ones — in the US in favor of more efficient LED light bulbs. Don’t expect those other bulbs to just disappear all at once, though. GE North American lighting GM Daraius Patell said the company plans to end production by the end of the year, but CFLs probably won’t be downright scarce until the end of 2017.
It’s a move that’s been a long time coming, Patell said. While CFLs offered a more energy efficient approach to lighting than the usual incandescent bulbs, they lack the latter’s flexibility and charm — CFLs often couldn’t dim, were slow to warm up and put out what Patell called “mediocre” quality light. Meanwhile, LED bulbs have dropped in price to the point where they’re neck-and-neck with CFLs anyway, and old-school incandescents have always had the advantage of being very cheap. (Well, barring one-offs, of course.)
GE is one of a crew of companies currently making CFL bulbs. No other company has announced this sort of proactive move, but a recent change in how Energy Star ratings are assessed might just force their hands. The body that doles out those desired ratings has changed its standards to reward even more energy efficient bulbs, and Patell says getting CFL bulbs to that level of efficiency will take an unwelcome amount of effort and investment. It’s a lot of extra work for not much payoff. As it stands, LED bulbs already account for 50 percent of light bulbs sold out there, and the companies are seeing the buzz around Smart LED bulb driving growth. The smart move is to just dump money into making more of those.
The economics would indicate the end of the CFL is nigh, and some people just won’t miss them. Pour one out for those curly bulbs this year — it’s the nice thing to do.
Samsung’s Android browser can now block ads
Ad blocking, it appears, is no longer just reserved for app developers — device makers are getting in on the act too. After Apple led the way and ASUS recently announcing it would begin shipping devices with its own ad blocking software, The Verge reports that Samsung has enabled filters inside its pre-installed Android browser. It’ll basically allow device owners to choose the ad units they see and render websites a lot quicker in the process.
Instead of going it alone, Samsung has partnered with app developer Rocketship to enable Adblock Fast inside the Samsung Internet browser. The app is already available on iOS, as well as Chrome and Opera, but the Korean electronics giant will enable ad blocking functionality inside its browser via an over-the-air update that will roll out from today.
To utilise Adblock Fast, users must own a Samsung device running Android Lollipop or above. Samsung Internet should already be enabled, but the app is also available as a standalone download on the Play Store. Once those boxes are ticked, it’s a simple case of downloading Adblock Fast from the Play Store and enabling it.
Now that Apple and Samsung have opened their browsers, hundreds of millions of smartphone owners are a just a couple of screen presses away from enabling web filters on their device. The promise of 50-percent faster loading times will definitely appeal, but neither Samsung or Rocketship note that blocking ads could impact publishers’ ability to generate income and continue sharing “free” content.
Via: The Verge
Source: Rocketship Blog
Microsoft wants to put data centers at the bottom of the sea
Microsoft is on a mission to put its server farms at the bottom of the ocean. That might sound self-destructive, but there’s method in the madness — such an approach, the company believes, could make data centers faster, greener and easier to set up. In August last year, engineers placed an enormous steel capsule 30 feet underwater in the Pacific Ocean. Inside was a single data center rack, enveloped in pressurised nitrogen to keep it cool. The crew couldn’t reach it, at least not physically, but it didn’t matter — the setup worked, going so far as to run commercial tasks for Azure.
The prototype submersible is called Leona Philpot, another nod to the Halo universe (after Cortana and Spartan). As the New York Times reports, the pod was kitted out with 100 sensors to measure every aspect of the underwater conditions — pressure, humidity and, perhaps most importantly, motion. The idea is that similar capsules could exist beneath the surface, linked to one another in a chain, and continually generate energy from the moving seawater. Looking ahead, there’s also hope that the aquatic environment could be used to naturally cool the racks.
These aren’t the only advantages though. Server farms usually exist inland, far away from metropolitan areas. From a performance standpoint, their locations are inefficient for people living near the coastline — placing data centers offshore could, in theory, reduce latency for these places. Microsoft also believes that a smaller design could reduce installation times, from two years down to a staggering 90 days, making its operations cheaper and more flexible. The capsules themselves could also adopt new, innovative rack designs that don’t need to consider human interaction.
There are environmental concerns, but Microsoft appears to be tackling them. It wants the data centers to be fully recyclable, and says its current prototype emits an “extremely” small amount of heat into the surrounding waters. Still, for people that love the ocean, this could be seen as yet another encroachment on mother nature. In the meantime, Microsoft has pulled Leona Philpot ashore — covered in barnacles, unsurprisingly — while it designs a new prototype that’s reportedly three times larger.
Via: New York Times
Source: Project Natick
Samsung browser receives ad block support
Ad blocking remains a contentious issue, but Samsung looks to be coming down on the side of anti-ads. Today, the smartphone giant is updating its Android browser to support content and ad blocking add-ons.
The Internet 4.0 browser, which is installed by default on Samsung’s phones and tablets, is seeing an update today on devices which are running Android Lollipop or newer. Samsung’s isn’t providing ad blocking capabilities as standard, but is now opening the door for users to install ad blocking add-ons from third parties if they wish. The aim appears to be to allow customers to speed up web page loading times and save on their data allowances, as advertisements can be rather bandwidth heavy, as well as better competing with features from popular browsers such as Chrome and Firefox.
One of the first compatible add-ons for Samsung’s browser is Adblock Fast, which is also available for Chrome, Opera and iOS devices. The plug-in is free to download from the Play Store and claims to decreases web page loading times on Android by an average of 51 percent. Crystal, one of the early ad blockers for iOS 9, is also now compatible with Samsung’s default browser and additional choices are no doubt on the way.
Ad blocking remains far less common on mobile that it is in the desktop space, but this is probably somewhat linked to the fact that some default Android browsers don’t provide ad blocking capabilities and many consumers stick with the pre-installed software. Samsung’s large install base could certainly see the number of ad block users increase now, although that will require users to go out of their way to install these extensions.
Have you checked out Chrome’s Material Design makeover yet? Here’s how to do it
Chrome is one of the shining lights of Google’s app suite – being the preferred browser for around half of all web users for its minimal interface and fast loading speeds – but that doesn’t mean it was first in line for a Material Design makeover. In fact, Chrome is one of the last Google apps to get a refresh, but its time has finally come.
See also: 10 awesome examples of material design (updated)
There are quite a few changes being made to Chrome at the moment, but, as you may have guessed, with a browser this minimal there’s not all that much to change. The main changes so far include angular corners on tabs, an address bar redesign, new settings and download pages and new icons, bookmark bar and overflow menu. There’s also a new all-black Incognito interface and Chrome OS has a minimal new media player.
If you want to preview the changes for yourself, you can do so on a PC or in Chrome OS but they don’t work in OSX environments yet. Not all of the changes are viewable yet either, but they can still be found in Chrome’s issue tracker. All you need to do is change a few Chrome flags to enable Material Design features.
For example, if you want to get the new address bar, bookmark layout, overflow menu and navigation icons, just open Chrome and type in chrome://flags and use Ctrl+F to find all instances of Material Design. The one for these particular changes is called Enable Material Design in the browser’s top Chrome. Change the drop-down to Material and restart your browser.
If you want to check out the “more exciting” redesigned areas like Settings, it’s an even easier preview because it has already been incorporated into the stable release. Just open up a new tab and type in chrome://md-settings to see the new Material Design layout.
The new Downloads page isn’t in the stable channel yet, so you’ll have to switch the flag for that manually too. Go to chrome://flags and find the entry called Enable Material Design downloads, change the drop-down box to Enabled and restart your browser.
Most of the other changes like the Extensions page or black-themed Incognito page can be seen only in the issue tracker for now. The new Chrome OS media player is currently live and there are a whole bunch of other pages in the issue tracker that are being redesigned, so it shouldn’t be long until we see those roll out to the stable channel and eventually into the Android version.
For some reason I was unable to see the squared off corners on tabs and there are apparently new animations when buttons are clicked that I couldn’t see either. Feel free to enable the flags yourself let me know if you find anything else in the comments below.
See also: 10 best Android browsers of 2016
What do you think of the new-look Chrome browser? Any other Material Design changes you could suggest?
Motorola India announces the Moto X Force: available February 8th
Motorola surprised quite a number of its customers last year when it chose to diversify the Moto X line. Rather than going solo as it had done in years past, the OEM – now owned by Lenovo – released three different devices: the Moto X Style, the Moto X Play, and the Moto X Force. Each one had unique points, with the Style the formal flagship device, the Play the more budget-friendly variant, and the Force a pure powerhouse. The last in the list is known in the USA as the Droid Turbo 2, a Verizon exclusive.
Today, Motorola has officially announced the Moto X Force for release in India, and will formally go on sale February 8th. It will be sold in two variants, a 32GB model for Rs. 49,999 and a 64GB model for Rs. 53,999. The phone will be carried at a number of venues, including Amazon India, Flipkart, and various brick and mortar locations including Croma and Spice. Three color options will be available: Black, Grey, and White.
The Moto X Force comes with a Snapdragon 810 Octa-core SoC with 3GB RAM, and a 5.4-inch QHD AMOLED display that Motorola touts as being “shatterproof”. The display offers a special tech called Moto Shatter Sheild technology, which consists of five layers:
- A Rigid aluminum core
- An AMOLED flexible display (can absorb shock and bend rather than break)
- A Dual Touch layer (so if one breaks, it will still work)
- An Interior lens
- An Exterior lens
Motorola has indicated that the ShatterShield display comes with a 4-year replacement warranty in the event of any accidental damage.
The phone also has a massive 3,760-mAh battery that’s guaranteed to make it through a full day of power usage. Also included is microSD support, a 21-megapixel rear camera and a 5-megapixel front camera.
Rounding out the specs, the device is single-SIM supporting and has 4G LTE (Category 4), 3G, CDMA, Wi-Fi 802.11ac and numerous other connectivity standards. The phone also supports Qualcomm Quick Charge 2.0 and ships with Android Lollipop 5.1.1.
Given the high price of the phone, it will be of interest to monitor the reception it has in the Indian market. BlackBerry has also launched its Priv in the same territory, another high priced, high profile product. While the Moto X Force is just over Rs. 10,000 cheaper, it is still a pricey proposition when compared to numerous alternatives already on the market from rival OEMs.
Readers from India, we want to hear what you think! Is the Moto X Force a deal worth taking, or is it priced too high to have? Should Motorola have made sure Android 6.0 was pre-loaded before releasing the phone, or is 5.1.1 good enough for now? Drop us a line in the comments section below and let your voice be heard!
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