Fox News impartiality breaches could threaten Sky merger

As Fox waits to find out whether it will be allowed to complete its merger with broadcasting giant Sky, UK media regulator Ofcom today delivered a fresh blow to proceedings. The watchdog confirmed that two Fox News shows, hosted separately by Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson, breached a number of broadcasting regulations, before the channel was removed from British TV screens in August.

In a bulletin, Ofcom said that Hannity had breached three broadcasting codes during a segment on President Trump’s ban that restricted travel from seven majority-Muslim countries. “The opening monologue featured several video clips of public figures reacting critically to the Order,” it noted. “However, these views were briefly represented in pre-recorded videos and repeatedly dismissed or ridiculed by the presenter without sufficient opportunity for the contributors to challenge or otherwise respond to the criticism directed at them.”

It later added that over the course of the programme, the presenter spoke with numerous guests who were supportive of the Trump administration and critical of those who opposed it. “The presenter consistently voiced his enthusiastic support for the Order and the Trump Administration,” Ofcom concluded.

The second breach related to Fox News’ May coverage of the terrorist attacks in Manchester, England. According to the regulator, parts of Tucker Carlson Tonight included “highly critical statements” about UK Prime Minister Theresa May, Deputy Mayor of Manchester Baroness Hughes, Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Ian Hopkins and the UK government in general. They were accused of not acting to “counter terrorism, stop radicalisation, protect citizens from terrorism or protect ‘thousands of underage girls’ from rape and abuse.”

The presenter didn’t include the viewpoints of those accused, nor did he challenge the opinions of his guests. Ofcom said that he reinforced their opinions instead. “We considered that these contextual factors were not sufficient to remove the need for the programme to also reflect significant alternative viewpoints, and treat these with due weight,” it added.

Although Fox removed News from UK screens months ago, before a concession might be needed, today’s rulings could impact the Competition and Markets Authority’s (CMA) decision on whether to approve Fox’s £18.5 billion ($24.3 billion) buyout of Sky. After Ofcom raised concerns over Fox’s compliance procedures and highlighted the potential for the company to “Foxify” news outlets in the UK, Culture Secretary Karen Bradley referred the case to the CMA. It will assess whether the new mega corporation would “operate against the specified public interests.” That includes both broadcasting standards, as well as media plurality.

The UK regulator requires that media companies have a diversity of viewpoints available, which Fox News did not facilitate during its broadcasts in January and May, respectively. It’s not the first time the company has been found guilty, either: it was judged to have broken broadcasting rules for airing pro-Brexit views on the day of the EU referendum.

The CMA is currently eight weeks into its 24 week investigation. It doesn’t have the power to formally approve or deny the deal, but its findings will help the Culture Secretary reach her final decision early next year.

Via: Deadline

Source: Ofcom (PDF)

Broadcom Offering to Buy Qualcomm in What Would Be the ‘Largest Technology Acquisition Ever’

Following a report last week that stated Broadcom was “exploring” the possibility of buying Qualcomm, which has made LTE chips for Apple’s iPhone line for many years, today Bloomberg reports that this offer is moving forward. Broadcom has offered to acquire Qualcomm for $70 per share in cash and stock, in a transaction valued at a total of $130 billion. If completed, it would be marked as “the largest technology acquisition ever.”

Through the deal, Broadcom would become the third-largest chipmaker in the world, behind Intel and Samsung Electronics, and the combined Broadcom-Qualcomm business would “instantly become” the default provider of certain components required to build more than one billion smartphones sold every year. The acquisition would eclipse Dell’s $67 billion purchase of EMC in 2015, considered at the time the biggest in the technology industry.

“This complementary transaction will position the combined company as a global communications leader with an impressive portfolio of technologies and products,” Hock Tan, resident and chief executive officer of Broadcom, said in a statement Monday. “We would not make this offer if we were not confident that our common global customers would embrace the proposed combination.’’

In the midst of the acquisition news, Qualcomm and Apple have been embroiled in a legal battle since January after Apple sued Qualcomm for $1 billion. Apple accused Qualcomm of charging unfair royalties for “technologies they have nothing to do with” and failing to pay for quarterly rebates. As the disagreement escalated throughout 2017, with a new lawsuit emerging just last week, Apple is said to be considering eliminating Qualcomm chips from its devices completely moving forward.

However, through a newly combined Broadcom-Qualcomm company, which could bring about new management, analyst Stacy Rasgon pointed out that the acquisition could finally “smooth things over” between Apple and Qualcomm.

If Broadcom can pull off a deal, it could help smooth things over with Qualcomm’s biggest adversary. A change of management at Qualcomm might help resolve the dispute with Apple more quickly, according to Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. analyst Stacy Rasgon.

Broadcom also said that its offer stands whether or not Qualcomm completes its pending acquisition of NXP Semiconductor, which is currently facing regulatory scrutiny in Europe and resistance from NXP shareholders. Following the signing of a definitive agreement, Broadcom said it expects the proposed deal to be completed “within approximately 12 months.”

Tags: Qualcomm, Broadcom
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SquareTrade Says iPhone X is ‘Most Breakable iPhone Ever’ as Glass Shatters in Series of Drop Tests

Apple says the iPhone X has the most durable glass ever used in a smartphone, with a strengthening layer that is 50 percent deeper, but a series of drop tests show that glass and concrete still don’t play well together.

SquareTrade, a company that provides extended warranties for electronic devices, conducted several breakability tests on the iPhone X, and found that its glass back and lack of a home button make it “the most breakable iPhone ever.”

Not only did the iPhone X’s glass shatter when dropped on its front and back from a height of six feet, but the display also malfunctioned. Keep in mind that pocket height for most people is about three feet.

SquareTrade is naturally using the opportunity to push its two-year smartphone protection plan, which was recently reduced to $129 plus a $99 deductible for most claims, in the United States.

The plan covers cracked screens, liquid damage, battery failure, Lightning connector failure, and speaker failure. It doesn’t cover loss or theft.

SquareTrade customers now have an in-home repair option with a lower $25 deductible to fix cracked screens. The service is currently available in more than 700 cities across the United States, with new cities added monthly.

A few YouTube channels also tested the iPhone X in extreme conditions to determine how durable and water resistant the device is.

EverythingApplePro placed the iPhone X in a 20-foot tube of water for 35 minutes without any signs of liquid damage occurring. He also put the iPhone X into a running washing machine, and the device still remained functional.

JerryRigEverything scratched the iPhone X with a utility knife, including the cameras, stainless steel frame, and rear Apple logo. He also tried to bend the device, without much success, and burn the display with a lighter.

While breakability tests are generally unscientific, the videos reveal that even the most durable glass in a smartphone isn’t shatterproof.

Apple recently confirmed it will charge out-of-warranty rates of $279 for iPhone X screen repairs, and $549 for any other damage to the device, unless it is a manufacturing defect covered by Apple’s standard one-year limited warranty.

There’s also AppleCare+, an optional, premium warranty plan that extends an iPhone’s warranty coverage to two years from the original purchase date of the device, and adds up to two incidents of accidental damage coverage.

With AppleCare+ for iPhone X, the price of a repair would be the $199 upfront cost of the plan plus a $29 or $99 incidental fee.

If you shatter your iPhone X’s screen once, for example, you would pay $279 out of warranty. With the upfront cost of AppleCare+ coupled with the screen repair incidental fee, you would pay $228.

If you shatter your iPhone X’s back glass, having AppleCare+ is even more worthwhile. Apple’s flat rate is $549 for this type of damage, while the upfront cost of AppleCare+ coupled with a $99 incidental fee totals $298.

All prices above are listed in U.S. dollars. AppleCare+ and Apple’s out-of-warranty repair fees vary in other countries.

SquareTrade conducted breakability tests for the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus a few months ago with similar results. Both of the glass-bodied models shattered on all sides in every single drop test, including front and back drops at a distance of six feet, a 22-foot shot drop test, and a tumble test.

Related Roundup: iPhone XTag: SquareTradeBuyer’s Guide: iPhone X (Buy Now)
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PayPal Offering $100 iTunes Gift Card for $85 on eBay While Supplies Last

If you’re looking to start stocking up on iTunes gift cards for the holidays, PayPal’s Digital Gifts storefront on eBay today has the $100 iTunes gift card at $85 for customers in the United States. You’ll need to be logged into a PayPal account, and once you complete the purchase the digital gift card will be emailed to you with a code to add the credit to your iTunes account.

Discounts on iTunes gift cards are getting more frequent as holiday shopping nears, with most deals marking $50 and $100 cards off by 15 percent. As Black Friday gets closer, you can expect larger discounts — of around 20 percent off — to begin popping up at various retailers. We’ll be sure to notify you when these holiday deals begin happening; you can also keep an eye on our Black Friday Roundup and Deals Roundup for even more of the latest Thanksgiving and Christmas sales.

Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with eBay

Related Roundup: Apple DealsTags: eBay, PayPal
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Samsung rips into Apple’s iPhone in latest Galaxy smartphone ad

Why it matters to you

Competition remains fierce between Samsung and Apple and the marketing space is where many of the battles continue to be fought.

Samsung has always taken great delight in poking fun at Apple’s loyal band of followers, but this time it’s got the changing design of the company’s iPhone firmly in its sights.

The Korean tech titan has just posted another biting ad and comes just days after Apple started selling the much-anticipated iPhone X. The ad, called Growing Up, takes the iPhone’s 10-year history as its theme, showing one guy’s (mostly frustrating) ongoing relationship with the various iterations of his Apple-made handset, and how his girlfriend’s Galaxy phone always seems to stay one step ahead.

Featuring Chyvonne Scott’s I’m Moving On, the 60-second ad starts in 2007 with the protagonist making a call to his girlfriend on his new iPhone, asking her, “Guess what I just got?” Come 2010 and he’s run out of storage for photos on his iPhone 4, and in 2013 his girlfriend shows off her brand new Galaxy phone. He’s impressed by its large, 5.7-inch display, which at that time was considerably bigger than the 4-inch screen on the iPhone 5S.

Next it’s 2016 and we witness the couple falling into a lake with their phones — he has to chuck his dripping iPhone into a bowl of rice in a bid to save it, while she happily shows off the photo she took with her water-resistant Galaxy S7. “You gotta send me that pic,” the guy says.

Jump to the present day (Samsung wisely skips the scene where the woman’s Note 7 sets fire to her home) and we see the guy looking at the iPhone 7 dongle he’s going to have to use after Apple removed the headphone jack (unless he forks out for the AirPods, of course). Meanwhile, his other half is enjoying the benefits of wireless charging, a feature that Galaxy phones have had for years but only came to the iPhone with the latest models.

At the end, the poor fella caves and buys a Note 8, sending a message to his girlfriend that reads, “Guess what I just got?”  nicely rounding off the ad.

Caught between the iPhone X and the Galaxy Note 8? Then take a moment to check out DT’s helpful specs comparison.

Editor’s Recommendations

• It’s safe. But here’s why you shouldn’t buy the Galaxy Note 8 (yet)
• How to buy the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 unlocked, and on every carrier
• Samsung Galaxy Note 8 boasts a 6.3-inch display, and a smaller, safer battery
• Samsung Galaxy S8 review
• Samsung Experience 9.0 beta brings Android 8.0 Oreo to Galaxy S8 and S8 Plus

The Morning After: Monday, November 6th 2017

Good Monday morning to you! We’ve had a weekend of bad news involving investors in the likes of Facebook and Twitter. Meanwhile, Apple is reminding its customers about both the pros and cons of its new screen technology on the iPhone X and Microsoft ends its free upgrades for Windows 10.

This complicates social networks’ bids to distance themselves from Russia.Russia funded Facebook and Twitter investments through tech magnate

Russia’s entanglement with American social networks just got decidedly complicated. Leaked documents obtained by the Guardian and others have revealed that two state-owned Russian institutions, the oil giant Gazprom and VTB Bank, funded investments in both Facebook and Twitter through Russia-born tech luminary Yuri Milner’s investment company, DST Global. Milner acknowledged the investments in chats with the Guardian but maintained that neither Facebook nor Twitter were told where the funding for the investments had come from. He added that he didn’t know Gazprom had supported the Facebook stake, and that VT’s backing didn’t give it a say over Twitter’s decisions.

Prince Al-Waleed has money in Apple, Lyft, Twitter and other tech giants.

Saudi Arabia arrests one of tech’s biggest investors

Saudi Arabia is in the midst of a crackdown on alleged corruption, and its dragnet has caught one of the tech world’s most important investors: The country has arrested Prince al-Waleed bin Talal on money laundering charges. He has major stakes in satellite TV providers and in recent years has been one of the largest individual investors in a number of well-known tech giants, including Apple and Lyft. The royal is particularly important to Twitter’s fate. He poured $300 million into the social network in 2011, and his stake is second only to that of Twitter co-founder Ev Williams.

Cupertino is dealing with OLED technology’s technical limits for the first time.
Apple reminds iPhone X owners they’re using an OLED display

Apple’s bezel-less X is its first iPhone with an OLED screen — a technology known for its greater contrast and saturation but also for its tendency to get burn-in. To make sure customers understand that their $1,000 phone might suffer from image persistence in the future, the company has updated the iPhone X’s display support page to explain how an OLED screen works… And why you might have complaints.

But wait, there’s more…

• Microsoft ends its last free Windows 10 upgrades on December 31st
• Apple Watches were crashing when asked about the weather
• ‘Stranger Things 2’ premiere was watched by 15.8 million people

‘Assassin’s Creed’ predicted the new pyramid chamber discovery

Just days ago, scientists found a previously undiscovered chamber inside the Great Pyramid of Giza. As it turns out, the makers of Assassin’s Creed: Origins had the jump on them. As Kotaku‘s Stephen Totilo notes, the space itself is already built into the game, which came out almost a week prior to the findings getting published. We already knew that the Egypt-set title is a stickler for historical accuracy, but this is on a whole other level.

We knew about the theories of JP Houdin. We knew about the research. But didn’t know about the announcement and the finding. Anticipation!!

— Jean Guesdon (@JeanGuesdon) November 4, 2017

According to the game’s creative director Jean Guesdon, the Origins team had been consulting Jean-Pierre Houdin’s disputed theory of the pyramids’ construction. In 2007, Houdin argued that the structure had been built from the inside out using a spiralling ramp, which was contrary to the idea that the builders had raised stone blocks up an external slope. In anticipation of the secret compartment getting unearthed, the devs went ahead and put it in the game anyway. Lo and behold, their gamble paid off.

If you’ve already explored The Great Pyramid in Origins, you’ll have stumbled across the antechambers filled with treasures. If not, you can find them through a small gap in the pyramid’s King’s Chamber that leads to the two large rooms. In reality, scientists have no idea what, if anything, is inside the 30-meter void.

Via: Kotaku

Amazon adds its own discounts to third-party seller products

For the first time, Amazon is cutting the prices of third-party seller items at its own expense to be more competitive with other online sites, a move first spotted by the WSJ. Such items are labelled as “Discount provided by Amazon,” marking a new policy that even many of the retailers aren’t aware of. “I do not know if this is new or if I just never noticed it before,” wrote reseller Rock Creek Gifts on Amazon’s seller forum. The discounts are less than 10 percent, and appear to only be applied for sellers that use Amazon’s fulfillment service.

Amazon rolled out the discounts just in time for the holidays in an apparent effort to be competitive with rivals like Wal-Mart on goods it doesn’t directly sell itself. “This item is sold by a third-party seller. The discount is provided by Amazon,” the offer states. “This is a limited time discount.”

Sellers have noted that the discount does not impact what they are paid on products, so Amazon is eating the entire reduction itself. “We actually have a couple of products where Amazon is doing just that and it’s great,” notes one seller. “One example is a product price at $78.50 [discounted to $74.90]. We still get the full proceeds from $78.50 sale less the fees.”

The resellers are puzzled, however, as to how Amazon is selecting products to discount, and some note that it’s not necessarily a good thing. Many have arrangements with other resellers, including Wal-Mart, that require them to maintain price parity on products sold on Amazon and elsewhere. The deal might also anger big brands which try to exert tight control over pricing.

The majority of resellers seem thrilled with it, though, and it should be a boon to consumers seeking hard-to-find items that Amazon doesn’t stock itself. Anyway, affected resellers with price-matching agreements can opt out of the discounts, Amazon told the WSJ. Either way, it’s a canny move by the retailer — given the same price, many consumers will usually opt for Amazon, given its generous return and shipping policies.

Via: WSJ

Apple Recommends Temporary Workaround for Autocorrect Bug in iOS 11.1

An issue with Apple’s autocorrect feature emerged over the weekend after users began updating to iOS 11.1. First noted by Reddit user The Cravin, typing the letter “i” can result in autocorrect replacing it with the uppercase letter “A” and a question mark symbol. The problem isn’t universal, but is affecting enough users for Apple to publish a support document that offers a workaround until it can be resolved in a future update.

The workaround involves setting up a Text Replacement for the letter “i”. To do this, go to Settings -> General -> Keyboard -> Text Replacement, and tap the plus (+) button. In the Phrase field, type an uppercase “I”, and in the Shortcut field, type a lowercase “i”. This should fix the problem until Apple addresses it properly in the next iOS update, which shouldn’t be far off.
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Apple Adds Apple Watch Activity Challenge for Veterans Day

Apple will hold a special Apple Watch Activity Challenge on Veterans Day, November 11. As with past holidays, Apple Watch owners can earn an exclusive badge and an iMessage sticker if they complete the challenge (via 9to5Mac).

To earn the badge and sticker, Apple Watch wearers must clock up an eleven-minute workout on Veterans Day. To record the activity, wearers need to use Apple’s stock Workout app or a third-party app that feeds data to Apple’s HealthKit.

Veterans Day is a U.S. holiday, so the Challenge won’t show up for Apple Watch users set to other regions. The last special activity challenge Apple promoted occurred in summer in coordination with the National Parks Foundation.

Related Roundups: Apple Watch, watchOS 4Buyer’s Guide: Apple Watch (Buy Now)
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