LightBlog

mercredi 7 octobre 2020

These are the Best Chromebooks you can buy right now!

Chromebooks are great devices and fall into place somewhere between a tablet and a laptop. They offer quite a bit more than a tablet experience and run a full-fledged ChromeOS, but at the same time, they are generally less powerful than laptops. Furthermore, ChromeOS is nowhere near the same software compatibility as Windows, Mac, or other Linux distributions.

Chromebooks were originally conceived as machines that would run only Chrome and be used for online-based services, but the ecosystem has grown into so much more. Chromebooks can now run Android apps, and you can even use Crostini or Crouton to install and run Linux applications. Whatever your needs, a Chromebook can likely help, and here are the best Chromebooks to buy right now!

Navigate this guide to the best Chromebooks:

Best overall Chromebook: Acer Chromebook Spin 713

The Acer Chromebook Spin 713 has all the bells and whistles you would expect from a budget gaming laptop, not just a Chromebook. It has a 13.5-inch 2256×1504 touchscreen, a 128GB NVMe SSD, an i5-10210U processor, and 8GB of LPDDR4 RAM. These are pretty beefy specifications for a device of which competitors can frequently feature eMMC storage and much, much weaker chipsets. If that’s not enough, you can bump that up to an i7, 16GB of RAM, and a 256GB SSD. A bit overkill for a Chromebook? Maybe.

If you think you’re going to be using Linux applications a lot or think you’re going to want the best of the best in terms of performance when it comes to all of your web-based applications, then the Acer Chromebook Spin 713 is probably the best overall Chromebook that money can buy today. Oh, and it’s Project Athena certified, meaning Intel says it has good performance and good battery life.

    Acer Chromebook Spin 713
    The Acer Chromebook Spin 713 is one of the most powerful Chromebooks you'll be able to pick up today. With beefy specs that rival that of budget gaming laptops, performance will never be an issue.

Best detachable Chromebook: Lenovo Chromebook Duet

Detachable laptops differ from 2-in-1s, in that you can entirely remove them from their keyboard and use them entirely as a tablet. They tend to be a lot less bulky, although they may compromise on specifications as a result. The Lenovo Chromebook Duet is one of the best detachable Chromebooks on the market, though it features a MediaTek Helio P60T, 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM, and 64GB of eMMC storage. It’s a full HD screen too, so it’s a perfect media streaming machine when it’s engaged in tablet mode.

Want to use it for work? Reconnect the keyboard, and it turns back into a laptop with a fully functioning keyboard. It’s not going to be the fastest or the best, but it’ll get the job done. It’ll do it without breaking the bank, too, as it starts at $289.99 from Lenovo’s website.

    Lenovo Chromebook Duet
    The Lenovo Chromebook Duet is one of the best detachable Chromebooks that you can buy today, and what's more, you're not going to need to break the bank to pick one up.

Best Chromebook for battery life: Google Pixelbook Go

Maybe the most important part of a Chromebook to you isn’t the performance, but its endurance. The Google Pixelbook Go offers modest specifications as it’s powered by an 8th gen M3, M5, or M7. However, you do get up to 256GB of SSD storage and up to 16GB of RAM, so it’s not as if you’re going to have any noticeable lags or stutters. The base model has a 13.3-inch full HD touchscreen, though there’s a 4K screen option too. What’s more, it comes in at just over 1KG for the FHD model.

The M3 series of Intel chipsets run fanless, which means they also use a lot less power. That, coupled with the 41.41 watt-hour battery, means that you’ll get up to 12 hours of battery life on a single charge. When it runs out of battery, it has a 45W USB-C fast charger to quickly charge it back up. Google says 20 minutes of charge is enough for 2 hours of usage. With a starting price of $649, this may be well worth a look.

    Google Pixelbook Go
    The Google Pixelbook Go isn't going to be the best looking or most powerful Chromebook around, but what it will do is last you a full day of usage.

Best Chromebook on a budget: Acer Chromebook 514

If you’re looking for the best Chromebook on a budget, then look no further than the Acer Chromebook 514. As you’ve seen here, many Chromebooks like to pack everything and the kitchen sink into a specification sheet, despite ChromeOS not being all that intensive. If you’re looking for a basic media machine with a touch screen that can get the job done, then the Intel Celeron N3450-powered Acer Chromebook 514 may do the job.

Packing 4GB of LPDDR4 RAM, a Full HD 14-inch touchscreen, and 64GB of eMMC storage, it’s got all the basics covered for an excellent Chromebook experience on a budget. You can pick this one up on Amazon at a starting price of $419.99.

    Acer Chromebook 514
    The Acer Chromebook 514 is by no means the best Chromebook out there, but it doesn't have to be to get the job done on a budget!

Best for students: Samsung Galaxy Chromebook

You want the best of the best, but for students? As a student myself, the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook is a dream machine. It has a 13.3-inch 4K touchscreen with stereo speakers, the perfect setup for media streaming. In an age of online lectures, this will be perfect for catching up. Even better, the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook comes with a Samsung Pen that hides inside the laptop’s body. When you’re done with work, you can then relax and watch Netflix or YouTube.

Worth noting is that they’re still just laptop speakers, though, so it might be worth investing in an external speaker or just a nice set of headphones for use with it. It’s got an i5-10210U and 8GB of RAM, which is more than enough for note-taking and media streaming. If you’re doing more intensive tasks, you can set up crouton or Crostini to use some Linux applications.

    Samsung Galaxy Chromebook
    As a student myself, the Samsung Galaxy Chromebook ticks all the boxes for me. It has a big 4K touchscreen, a pen for taking notes, and a set of stereo speakers to facilitate media streaming.

Best with mobile data: Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 (LTE)

While it’s certainly not going to be the fastest, the Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 (LTE) will do the job if you really need mobile data support on your laptop. It’s powered by an Intel Celeron 3965Y, packs 4GB of RAM and 32GB of eMMC storage. It’s got a 12.2-inch full HD touchscreen, which can be folded over to be used as a tablet. It comes with a pen too, so you’ll also be able to use this one to take notes if you need it! It’s got a starting price of $499.99 – a bit steep admittedly, but that’s the cost of LTE these days.

    Samsung Chromebook Plus V2
    The Samsung Chromebook Plus V2 isn't going to turn any heads, but it's got LTE support which is pretty rare these days for a Chromebook!

Best value Chromebook: ASUS Chromebook Flip C434

It’s hard to pick just one; however, I settled on the ASUS Chromebook Flip C434 as the best value Chromebook that money can buy currently. It’s not the most souped-up Chromebook in terms of hardware, but it features pretty much everything that you’d want in a Chromebook. It’s a 2-in-1, meaning that you can use it as a tablet, and the 14-inch touchscreen is full HD. The base model comes with an Intel Core M3-8100Y, 4GB of RAM, and 32GB of eMMC storage for $499.99. You can bump that up to 64GB of storage or up to 8GB of RAM with 64GB of storage, and other models have an i5-8200Y processor or an i7-8500Y processor as well.

This isn’t exactly the most “flagship” package, but it’s the perfect balance of price to performance in a Chromebook that you’ll get. Chromebooks aren’t really designed to be powerhouse machines, and they’re lightweight enough that you don’t need beefy hardware or a lot of storage to get the most out of it. Want something for college work and other basic tasks along with the ability to watch YouTube or Netflix? Maybe give the ASUS Chromebook Flip C434 ago. You can probably even pick this one up second-hand if you do a bit of digging.

    ASUS Chromebook Flip C434
    It's not the most exciting Chromebook out there, but the ASUS Chromebook Flip C434 is a fantastic option for those looking for the perfect balance of price to performance. There's nothing overkill here, and it pretty much embodies exactly what a Chromebook should be.

The post These are the Best Chromebooks you can buy right now! appeared first on xda-developers.



from xda-developers https://ift.tt/33BGZMs
via IFTTT
Publié par à Aucun commentaire:
Libellés : ,

Today’s Top Tech Deals: $200 Insignia Smart TV, $146 Samsung Gear Sport Smartwatch, and More!

It’s the middle of the workweek already. Time really flies when you’re fishing for tech deals! With multiple retailers gearing up to try to take on Prime Day, deals this week are fluctuating wildly between “really great” and “practically non-existent”, depending on where you’re looking. But, there are always ways to save, if you know exactly where to look.

Which brings us to today’s top deals! They include $50 off the Samsung Gear Sport Smartwatch, an Insignia Smart TV for just $200, and more!

Are you working, or want to work in IT? You can save big on these development and certification classes!

Dell’s Monitor Sale

Tired of me picking out monitors and just want to browse a collection for yourself? Dell is currently having a big sale on its monitors, so now is your chance to pick up exactly what you need for your PC and office setup. Save up to 31% on a wide selection of monitors, available in all shapes, sizes, and refresh rates. Some even come with a $100 Dell eGift Card, so don’t delay–grab the monitors you need today!

    Dell Monitor Sale
    Get exactly the monitor your want with Dell's Monitor Sale! You can save up to 31% on a wide variety of monitors, and some even come with a $100 Dell eGift Card!

Early Prime Day Deal: Insignia 43″ Smart TV for $200

TVs are always a big-ticket item for big sales events like Prime Day and Black Friday. But, Amazon is kicking off the TV sales early with this Insignia 43″ Smart TV for just $200 ($100 off the MSRP). The size makes it perfect for secondary TVs around the house, such as in a bedroom, and has Fire TV, so you can watch all your favorite streaming services easily. You need to be an Amazon Prime member to take advantage of this deal, so if you’re not, sign up right here!

    Insignia 43-inch Smart 4K UHD - Fire TV Edition
    Pick up a brand new 4K TV for the bedroom for cheap! If you're an Amazon Prime member, you can grab this 43-inch Insignia TV for just $200. This Smart TV comes equipped with Fire TV, making it easy to watch all of your streaming services in one place.

Sony WF-XB700 True Wireless Earbuds for $78

It may not be shocking to learn that Sony’s WF-XB700 earbuds are pretty great. They also don’t go on sale very often, but you can get these buds for just $78 at Amazon right now. The WF-XB700s have up to nine hours of battery life, extra bass, and can even be used for phone and video calls. They’re pretty versatile!

    Sony WF-XB700 True Wireless Earbuds
    Available for $78 in black and blue, you can't go wrong with the Sony WF-XB700 wireless earbuds. The nin hour battery life will keep them going all day, the extra bass will provide great sound to boot.

Today Only, The Samsung Gear Sport Smartwatch is $146

Was the Vivoactive 4S from yesterday a bit too much in terms of data? Just need something to track your fitness and notifications and call it a day? Today only, Woot! has the Samsung Gear Sport Smartwatch for just $146. This smartwatch tracks fitness and calories easily for you, and can even be worn in the pool while swimming. As usual with Woot! deals, you can only get this smartwatch until the end of the day or until it’s sold out. If you or someone you know would appreciate this watch, grab one now!

    Samsung Gear Sport Smartwatch
    Get a smartwatch that only tracks what you need it to, today only! Samsung's Gear Sport Smartwatch is a low $146, and it'll track your fitness activities and calories. Amazon Prime members get free shipping!

Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Gen 1 Laptop Starting at $683

Lenovo is having its Semi-Annual Sale right now, and there’s a lot to sift through! One item you don’t need to search for, though, is this ThinkPad X13 Gen 1 Laptop, which is starting at just $683. The base model has 8GB of RAM, a 128GB hard drive, and the Ryzen 3 PRO 4450U Processor, but you can customize the laptop to suit your needs. Just make sure the coupon code THINKSALE applies at checkout for the full discount!

    Lenovo ThinkPad X13 Gen 1 Laptop
    Get the light and thin ThinkPad X13 at a deep discount! Use the code THINKSALEat checkout to get this laptop starting at $683, with the ability to customize it to fit your needs.

More Tech Deals

Looking for even more tech deals? We have them for you below!

Early Prime Day 2020 Deals

We’ve rounded up the early Prime Day 2020 deals we have found so far below. Tech deals or not, take advantage of these deals to possibly save even more on Prime Day!

The post Today’s Top Tech Deals: $200 Insignia Smart TV, $146 Samsung Gear Sport Smartwatch, and More! appeared first on xda-developers.



from xda-developers https://ift.tt/3iG7lkw
via IFTTT
Publié par à Aucun commentaire:
Libellés : ,

POCO X3 gets its first custom ROM: Nitrogen OS based on Android 10

The POCO X3 is one of the newest smartphones from Xiaomi’s spin-off brand POCO and a direct successor to the popular POCO X2. The POCO X3 retains everything that made its predecessor so great while also bringing along some exciting hardware upgrades of its own. It packs a 6.67-inch FHD+ LCD 120Hz display, Snapdragon 732G SoC, a 64MP Sony IMX682 primary camera, up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and a massive 6,000mAh battery. The combination of fantastic hardware and the affordable price tag also makes the POCO X3 a perfect choice for aftermarket development.

POCO X3 XDA Forums || Buy the POCO X3 from Flipkart

In less than a month since its launch, we have already seen developers bringing a working port of TWRP to the device. And now, the device has received its first working custom ROM in the form of Nitrogen OS, courtesy of XDA Senior Member xyyx. The ROM is based on Android 10 and offers a near-AOSP experience with features cherry-picked from Dirty Unicorns, OmniROM, and LineageOS.

In terms of bugs, the developer notes that video recording is broken, the “Double-tap to Wake” feature is missing, and SELinux can’t be set to Enforcing mode. But other than that, all other critical functionalities such as calling, internet, Wi-Fi, camera, etc., appear to be working fine.

If you own a POCO X3 and want to take Nitrogen OS for a spin, make sure you’ve already unlocked the bootloader and have replaced the stock recovery with something like TWRP. You’ll also need to completely wipe your storage before flashing the ROM, so be sure to take a full backup of your important data beforehand.

Head over to the linked thread below to grab the ROM zip and read through the step-by-step installation instructions on booting the ROM on your POCO X3.

Download Nitrogen OS based on Android 10 for POCO X3

The post POCO X3 gets its first custom ROM: Nitrogen OS based on Android 10 appeared first on xda-developers.



from xda-developers https://ift.tt/2GC1PlY
via IFTTT
Publié par à Aucun commentaire:
Libellés : ,

Save Over 90% on These Best-Selling IT and Development Courses

While some industries are on the ropes right now, the demand has never been greater for IT specialists and developers. If you would like to start a lucrative new career or simply climb the ladder, these best-selling courses can help — now with over 90% off MSRP at the XDA Developers Depot.

Complete Tech Skills Library: Unlimited Lifetime Access 

With over 750 courses, LearnNowOnline helps you master a vast range of skills. You can dive into cybersecurity, learn programming in dozens of languages, or work towards IT certifications including CompTIA and Microsoft. Worth $996, lifetime access is now only $49.99 for a limited time.

The Ultimate 2020 White Hat Hacker Certification Bundle

If you want to become a true cybersecurity expert, this bundle offers 10 courses focusing on white-hat hacking and penetration testing. The training is beginner-friendly, with tutorials covering all the most popular exploits and complete prep for the CompTIA CySA+ exam. These courses are worth $1,345, but you can get them now for $39.90.

The Premium Cisco CCNA & CCNP Lifetime Certification Prep Bundle

Networking is a big part of IT today, and this bundle helps you become a certified expert in this niche. Through 99 hours of training, you learn everything there is to know about Cisco networks and prepare for the CCNA and CCNP exams. Order now for $34.93 to get the courses,  worth $1,393.

Prices subject to change 

The post Save Over 90% on These Best-Selling IT and Development Courses appeared first on xda-developers.



from xda-developers https://ift.tt/2GxEQbS
via IFTTT
Publié par à Aucun commentaire:
Libellés : ,

OnePlus Nord Custom Developments include Android 11 ROMs, unofficial LineageOS, Google Camera, and more

Our OnePlus Nord forums have been buzzing with activity ever since the device went on sale in August this year. Over the last couple of months, we’ve highlighted some of the major developments, including a guide to root the OnePlus Nord using Magisk, a couple of custom ROMs, and even an unbrick tool to revive a bricked device. Since our previous coverage, developers on our forums have released more custom ROMs, a couple of custom kernels, and a few mods for the device. Here’s a quick look at all the recent custom development for the OnePlus Nord:

OnePlus Nord XDA Forums || OnePlus Nord Review

OnePlus Nord Custom ROMs

Android Open Source Project (AOSP)

While OnePlus is yet to release the first stable build of Android 11 to its latest flagships, XDA Senior Member CryllicBuster273 has released the first custom ROM based on Android 11 for the OnePlus Nord. The Android Open Source Project ROM for the device offers a stock Android experience without Google apps, with a couple of non-AOSP features for better user experience. Since it’s the first Android 11-based ROM for the device, we strongly advise you to go through the comments section in the thread linked below before flashing it on your device.

Download Android Open Source Project ROM

Unofficial LineageOS 17.1

XDA Recognized Developer lakshay18 has also brought an unofficial build of LineageOS 17.1 to the OnePlus Nord. To install the ROM, you need to be on the latest OxygenOS and then follow the steps mentioned for a fastboot installation instead of installation through TWRP or a different custom recovery.

Download Unofficial LineageOS 17.1 ROM

crDroid ROM

XDA Recognized Contributor firebird11 has released an official build of the crDroid ROM for the OnePlus Nord, which is designed to offer better performance and reliability over stock Android. The ROM is based on Android 10, and it offers the same look and feel that you’d get with a Google Pixel device.

Download crDroid ROM

PixysOS

PixysOS is another Android 11-based ROM for the OnePlus Nord, which builds upon the AOSP ROM mentioned above. The ROM comes from XDA Senior Member Subinsmani, and it offers a stock Android experience with a host of additional features.

Download PixysOS

Pixel Experience ROM

Along with the AOSP ROM, XDA Senior Member CryllicBuster273 has released an official build of the Pixel Experience ROM (Android 10) for the OnePlus Nord. As its name suggests, the ROM offers a Google Pixel-like experience for your device, including the launcher, wallpapers, icons, fonts, and boot animation.

Download Pixel Experience ROM

StagOS

XDA Senior Member pranavasri has also released an Android 10-based custom ROM for the OnePlus Nord called StagOS. Much like other custom ROMs on this list, StagOS offers a near-stock Android experience for the OnePlus Nord with a bunch of additional features.

Download StagOS

OnePlus Nord Custom Kernels

ElementalX

XDA Recognized Developer flar2 has released the ElementalX custom kernel for the OnePlus Nord, which promises maximum stability for people who wish to use their device as a daily driver. The kernel brings several improvements for the device, including optimizations for performance and battery life, advanced color controls, wake gestures, and more.

Download ElementalX kernel

StormBreaker

XDA Senior Member CryllicBuster273 makes yet another appearance on this list with the StormBreaker kernel for the OnePlus Nord. StormBreaker is a minimal, simpler, and clean kernel for the device that promises a balance between great performance and good battery life. Follow the link below to try it out on your device.

Download StormBreaker kernel

Custom Recovery

Unofficial TWRP

XDA Recognized Developer mauronofrio has released an unofficial build of the TWRP custom recovery (v3.4.0-0) for the OnePlus Nord. You can download and flash the custom recovery on your device by following the instruction in the XDA forums thread linked below, after which you’ll be able to flash a custom ROM on the device.

Download Unofficial TWRP 

Guides/Firmware

How to Root the OnePlus Nord

XDA Senior Member Some_Ramdom_Username has put together a simple step-by-step guide to help users root their OnePlus Nord using XDA Senior Recognized Developer topjohnwu’s Magisk. Follow the instructions in the post linked below to get started.

Root the OnePlus Nord using Magisk

OxygenOS Repo

XDA Senior Member Some_Random_Username has also compiled a repository of all OxygenOS ROMs and OTA update ZIPs for the OnePlus Nord. If you’re done trying out custom ROMs on your device and wish to go back to OxygenOS, you can find flashable ZIPs of the latest build in the link below.

OxygenOS Build Repository

OnePlus Nord Mods

Google Camera mod

Fans of the Google Camera mod will be glad to know that a port is now available for the OnePlus Nord. The port, which is based on Google Camera v7.3.018, reportedly works quite well with little to no issues. As per the forum post (linked below), you’ll be able to enjoy all Google Camera features on your device using this port. However, you might encounter some issues while recording videos and switching between cameras.

Download Google Camera mod

aodNotify

aodNotify is a handy app from XDA Senior Member Jawomo that alerts you of incoming messages using the Always-on Display feature. The app was originally developed for Samsung Galaxy devices, but Jawomo has now released a version for OnePlus devices. The app works with the OnePlus Nord, and it lets you easily add a visual notification alert to the device.

Download aodNotify

Arc Lighting

The Arc Lighting app from XDA Senior Member zzcool adds a notification ring light around the hole-punch cutout on the OnePlus Nord. The app packs in a ton of customization options, and much like aodNotify, it can also make use of the Always-on Display feature to help you set up a notification alert.

Download Arc Lighting

Speaker boost/DualSpeaker mod

The Speaker boost and DualSpeaker mods from XDA Recognized Contributor acervenky will help you boost the speaker and headphone audio output of your OnePlus Nord. However, the mod requires root access with Magisk, so you’ll need to follow the guide mentioned above to use this mod.

Download Speaker boost/DualSpeaker mod

Unbrick tool

Along with the root guide and OxygenOS repository, XDA Senior Member Some_Random_Username has released an unbrick tool for the OnePlus Nord that you can use to revive your bricked device. You can also use the tool to roll back to a previous version of OxygenOS.

Download Unbrick tool

The post OnePlus Nord Custom Developments include Android 11 ROMs, unofficial LineageOS, Google Camera, and more appeared first on xda-developers.



from xda-developers https://ift.tt/33ERi24
via IFTTT
Publié par à Aucun commentaire:
Libellés : ,

US Antitrust Subcommittee concludes that Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google abuse their monopolies and dominance

Our lives are massively influenced by a handful of technology companies, and their monopoly is no secret. The likes of these tech companies also have a market acronym to them: FAANG (Facebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, and Google), referring to them in the context of consistent stock performance. But how influential exactly are these companies that we all know are influential to everyday life? A lot, according to a report from the United States Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commerical and Administrative Law.

Brief History

In June 2019, the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary (a group of lawmakers that oversees the Department of Justice) initiated an investigation into the “state of competition in the digital market“. This investigation was conducted by the Subcommittee on Antitrust, Commerical and Administrative Law. As part of the investigation and review of the market, the Subcommittee was tasked with the examination of the dominance of a few influential technology companies, namely Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google. The thought behind the review was to determine how the power held by these companies affects the US economy and democracy (and which, by extension of the influence of the companies’, affects technology across the world). As part of the investigation, the Subcommittee even received testimony from Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook, Mark Zuckerberg, and Sundar Pichai, with questions posed around business practices of the companies, as well as the company’s exercise of power over digital markets in anticompetitive and abusive ways.

The Report

The Subcommittee just released their conclusion and report on this investigation, and it contains scathing remarks on how these companies have indulged in anticompetitive, monopolistic, and dominating behavior. While the complete report runs into a good 450 pages, we strongly recommend reading at least the Chairs’ Foreword (pages 6-9) and the Executive Summary (pages 9-21) for an overview.

In its report, the Subcommittee notes that even though Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google are different companies that operate across different segments, their business practices have some common problems:

  • Each platform serves as a gatekeeper over a key channel of distribution.
    • By controlling access to markets, the giants can pick winners and losers throughout the US economy.
    • They not only wield tremendous power as a gatekeeper, they also abuse the position by:
      • Charging exorbitant fees
      • Imposing oppressive contract terms
      • Extracting valuable data from people and businesses that rely on them.
  • Each platform uses its gatekeeper position to maintain its market power.
    • The companies control infrastructure and use this control for surveilling other businesses to identify potential rivals.
    • These rivals are then either bought out, copied, or have their competitive threat cut off.
  • Each platform has abused its role as an intermediary to further entrench and expand its dominance. This can take the form of self-preferencing, predatory pricing, or exclusionary conduct. The end result is that dominant platforms have exploited their power to become even more dominant.

The report leaves no punches behind.

“Companies that once were scrappy, underdog startups that challenged the status quo have become the kinds of monopolies we last saw in the era of oil barons and railroad tycoons. Although these firms have delivered clear benefits to society, the dominance of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google has come at a price. These firms typically run the marketplace while also competing in it — a position that enables them to write one set of rules for others, while they play by another, or to engage in a form of their own private quasi regulation that is unaccountable to anyone but themselves.”

For the companies individually, here are some of the key points that the report notes.

Amazon

  • Amazon has a significant and durable market power in the U.S. online retail market.
  • The platform has monopoly power over many small- and medium-sized businesses that do not have a viable alternative to Amazon for reaching online consumers.
  • Amazon achieved its current dominant position, in part, through acquiring its competitors, including Diapers.com and Zappos. It has also acquired companies that operate in adjacent markets, adding customer data to its stockpile and further shoring up its competitive moats.
  • The company’s control over, and reach across, its many business lines enables it to self-preference and disadvantage competitors in ways that undermine free and fair competition.
  • Amazon’s dual role as an operator of its marketplace that hosts third-party sellers, and a seller in that same marketplace, creates an inherent conflict of interest. This conflict incentivizes Amazon to exploit its access to competing sellers’ data and information, among other anticompetitive conduct.
  • Alexa: Amazon has expanded Alexa’s ecosystem quickly through acquisitions of complementary and competing technologies, and by selling its Alexa-enabled smart speakers at deep discounts. The company’s early leadership in this market is leading to the collection of highly sensitive consumer data, which Amazon can use to promote its other business, including e-commerce and Prime Video.

Apple

  • Apple has significant and durable market power in the mobile operating system market. Apple’s dominance in this market, where it controls the iOS mobile operating system that runs on Apple mobile devices, has enabled it to control all software distribution to iOS devices.
  • Apple leverages its control of iOS and the App Store to create and enforce barriers to competition and discriminate against and exclude rivals while preferencing its own offerings.
  • Apple also uses its power to exploit app developers through misappropriation of competitively sensitive information and to charge app developers supra-competitive prices within the App Store.
  • Apple has maintained its dominance due to the presence of network effects, high barriers to entry, and high switching costs in the mobile operating system market.
  • As the market for hardware products like the iPhone have matured, Apple has pivoted to rely increasingly on sales of its applications and services, as well as collecting commissions and fees in the App Store. In the absence of competition, Apple’s monopoly power over software distribution to iOS devices has resulted in harms to competitors and competition, reducing quality and innovation among app developers, and increasing prices and reducing choices for consumers.

Facebook

  • Facebook has monopoly power in the market for social networking, with competition within its own family of products considered more than the competition from any other firm.
  • The company acquired competitive threats to maintain and expand its dominance.
  • Facebook has also maintained its monopoly through a series of anticompetitive business practices.  The company used its data advantage to create superior market intelligence to identify nascent competitive threats and then acquire, copy, or kill these firms.
  • Once dominant, Facebook selectively enforced its platform policies based on whether it perceived other companies as competitive threats. In doing so, it advantaged its own services while weakening other firms.
  • In the absence of competition, Facebook’s quality has deteriorated over time, resulting in worse privacy protections for its users and a dramatic rise in misinformation on its platform.

Google

  • Google has a monopoly in the markets for general online search and search advertising.
  • Google’s dominance is protected by high entry barriers, including its click-and-query data and the extensive default positions that Google has obtained across most of the world’s devices and browsers.
  • A significant number of entities — spanning major public corporations, small businesses, and entrepreneurs — depend on Google for traffic, and no alternate search engine serves as a substitute.
  • Google maintained its monopoly over general search through a series of anticompetitive tactics. These include an aggressive campaign to undermine vertical search providers, which Google viewed as a significant threat.
  • Google used its search monopoly to misappropriate content from third parties and to boost Google’s own inferior vertical offerings while imposing search penalties to demote third-party vertical providers.
  • Since capturing a monopoly over general search, Google has steadily proliferated its search results page with ads and with Google’s own content, while also blurring the distinction between paid ads and organic results. As a result of these tactics, Google appears to be siphoning off traffic from the rest of the web, while entities seeking to reach users must pay Google steadily increasing sums for ads. Numerous market participants analogized Google to a gatekeeper that is extorting users for access to its critical distribution channel, even as its search page shows users less relevant results.
  • Android: Google has also maintained its monopoly over general search through a series of anticompetitive contracts. Google used contractual restrictions and exclusivity provisions on Android to extend Google’s search monopoly to mobile. Google required smartphone manufacturers to pre-install and give default status to Google’s own apps, impeding competitors in search as well as in other app markets.
  • Chrome: Google now owns the world’s most popular browser—a critical gateway to the internet that it has used to both protect and promote its other lines of business.
  • Google Maps: Google now captures over 80% of the market for navigation mapping service—a key input over which Google consolidated control through an anti-competitive acquisition and which it now leverages to advance its position in search and advertising.
  • Google Cloud: Google has another core platform in which it is now heavily investing through acquisitions, positioning itself to dominate the “Internet of Things,” the next wave of surveillance technologies.
  • Each of its services provides Google with a trove of user data, reinforcing its dominance across markets and driving greater monetization through online ads. Through linking these services together, Google increasingly functions as an ecosystem of interlocking monopolies.

The Way Forward

The comprehensive report does not simply point out market deficiencies and corporate dominance and leave it at that. It goes on to examine the effects of market power in the digital market. For instance, one of the submissions states that Google and Facebook have an outsized influence over the distribution and monetization of trustworthy sources of news online. Whereas, investors have said that they avoid funding entrepreneurs and other companies that compete directly or indirectly with dominant firms in the digital economy, effectively stifling innovation and entrepreneurship. And of course, there is always the looming issue of privacy — persistent collection and misuse of consumer data, with often the only options being available to the user being poor privacy or foregoing the use of the service altogether.

While the Subcommittee is rather confident and unanimous in its findings and conclusions, there are a few different opinions on how to proceed forward. Largely, it calls upon the US Congress to define a new standard for antitrust violations. It also suggests:

  • Structural separations and prohibitions of certain dominant platforms from operating in adjacent lines of business.
  • Prohibiting dominant platforms from engaging in self-preferencing and putting in place non-discrimination requirements.
  • Presumptive prohibition against future mergers and acquisitions by the dominant platforms. Under this change, any acquisition by a dominant platform would be presumed anticompetitive unless the merging parties could show that the transaction was necessary for serving the public interest.

The report, at the end of it, is a report. The onus now shifts onto lawmakers in the USA to actually put these suggestions into actual laws and regulations. Both Google and Apple also have on their hands a high-profile lawsuit from Epic Games on their app distribution monopolies. Further, on the other side of the world, in India, there is also a growing sentiment of discontent over the app distribution monopoly of Apple and Google, brought to light by the recent kicking off of Paytm from the Google Play Store. It remains to be seen how progress is made on these ends in light of this report, both through the legislature and through the judiciary.

The Response

As expected, the companies have put out statements in response to the report. Some excerpts are mentioned below, and we recommend that you read the complete statement:

Amazon:

All large organizations attract the attention of regulators, and we welcome that scrutiny. But large companies are not dominant by definition, and the presumption that success can only be the result of anti-competitive behavior is simply wrong. And yet, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary, those fallacies are at the core of regulatory spit-balling on antitrust. The flawed thinking would have the primary effect of forcing millions of independent retailers out of online stores, thereby depriving these small businesses of one of the fastest and most profitable ways available to reach customers. For consumers, the result would be less choice and higher prices. Far from enhancing competition, these uninformed notions would instead reduce it.

Apple:

We have always said that scrutiny is reasonable and appropriate but we vehemently disagree with the conclusions reached in this staff report with respect to Apple. Our company does not have a dominant market share in any category where we do business.

Facebook:

Acquisitions are part of every industry, and just one way we innovate new technologies to deliver more value to people. Instagram and WhatsApp have reached new heights of success because Facebook has invested billions in those businesses. A strongly competitive landscape existed at the time of both acquisitions and exists today. Regulators thoroughly reviewed each deal and rightly did not see any reason to stop them at the time.

Google:

We disagree with today’s reports, which feature outdated and inaccurate allegations from commercial rivals about Search and other services. The goal of antitrust law is to protect consumers, not help commercial rivals.

What are your thoughts on the report by the Subcommittee on Antitrust? Let us know in the comments below!

The post US Antitrust Subcommittee concludes that Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google abuse their monopolies and dominance appeared first on xda-developers.



from xda-developers https://ift.tt/36CkCZb
via IFTTT
Publié par à Aucun commentaire:
Libellés : ,

HUAWEI Scene Kit: Driving the Development of Digital Beauty

Outdated computer graphics are a thing of the past as consumers relentlessly search for the next best resolution and frame rate. From 720p to 1080p to 4K to 8K, and 30 fps to 60 fps to 120 fps to 240 fps, the pursuit knows no end. The race to bring new digital beauty remains significant amongst developers, business owners, and consumers alike, presenting endless possibilities to be explored.

In a fast-moving world that continues to be driven by digital progress, and continuing to advance in that way, it makes sense that individuals are seeking better visuals to match. Which begs the question: how can brands, organizations, and platforms demonstrate that they can offer the best digital graphics to their customers?

Right from the onset of this project, Huawei’s development team focused on creating technology to enhance picture realness. In the beginning, they were limited to basic triangles and quadrilaterals to create digital imagery. Later, they continued to work with colors, shading, and light to add action and bring images to life.

With the HUAWEI Scene Kit, Huawei’s vision was to bring beauty to the world. The aim was to bridge the gap between developers who seek the next generation of digital beauty with the rich 3D rendering capabilities that enable them to do so. Fundamentally supported by the Phoenix Engine, the app experience culminates into the ultimate visual performance that Huawei’s consumers can indulge in.

Scene Kit – The professional graphics rendering service for 3D Apps

HMS Core 5.0 launched in June this year with a clear intention: to bring leading hardware capabilities to developers looking for robust, alternative APIs to benefit both themselves and smartphone users. It was then, the Scene Kit was born.

Inspired to create a kit capable of enhancing digital beauty across sectors, Huawei’s had their eyes set on the application of Augmented Reality (AR). During development, they made sure to consider previous developers’ pain points – seamless integration and boosting revenue. Working closely with existing platforms such as Android Studio and Game Engines to enhance Huawei’s software, they made sure that it is already recognizable, making it easy for apps and game developers to integrate Scene Kit with their existing workflow. Higher efficiency also means that developers can better monetize their platforms and boost app revenue, by reducing cost and generating apps quickly, in a competitive market.

From retail to gaming, beautiful visuals are inspiring an endless array of opportunities. Game developers can use Scene Kit to apply dedicated optimizations. This can help games to run faster and smoother with a better-quality picture. Meanwhile, retail developers can create a unique AR shopping experience to entice customers.
By applying the 2D to 3D technology, developers can also convert text and images into 3D previews, which has been successfully tested by several shopping apps looking to enhance the consumer experience through 360-degree product views. The Scene Kit works in tangent with Huawei’s AR capabilities, simplifying the entire process of 3D rendering for developers who have yet to explore such technology. Something that is often raised with technological developments such as AR, is the need for background knowledge. Scene Kit features a simplified AR entry, which omits the prerequisite for developers to have this background knowledge on AR, 3D, 3D rendering, and connection concepts. It comes in two separate SDKs to facilitate quick integration and implementation. With the debugging and coding is left to Huawei, developers can now freely explore the capabilities on offer.

Enhancing beauty whilst simultaneously improving image quality and performance, Scene Kit acts as a compact and complete rendering engine with rich 3D rendering capabilities that imitate physical image.

A prime example of this technology in action is through StorySign. In 2018, using AI and augmented reality, HUAWEI together with partners created the literacy platform for deaf children. Using image recognition technology, AI, and AR, the app translates a featured book into perfect sign language page by page delivering a seamless, happy, and rewarding experience. To take this experience one step further, they will be integrating the Scene Kit with StorySign. It allows for real-time calculation of texts into actions on the back-end, using video to display facial expressions and character actions. This translates to smaller data packet size since there is no need for saving in advance – bragging of infinite possibilities. But, what next?

Huawei recognizes the potential of the Scene Kit’s capabilities, and they are now actively looking to explore new areas. Considering business potential alone, adding 3D elements could transform labor-intensive projects. Picture it: intuitive 3D visualization, reduced labor costs, and improved production efficiency.

Easy supersampling from Scene Kit, aiming to release in 2021 Q2.

There is no limit as to where the technology demonstrated in the Scene Kit could take society over the next few years. Having AR technology so easy to integrate with works in everyone’s favor, yes, but is also likely to benefit different aspects of ordinary people’s everyday lives. Take children, for example, something so visually enhanced and beautiful could capture their attention and work perfectly in tangent with schools’ education goals. The possibilities are endless.

Everyone loves beautiful things. Graphics’ progression rate will continue to grow in the future. Huawei believes that hardware and AI development will drive this forward. To developers, they encourage 3D display and will continue to offer to work in collaboration to bring more beauty into the world. Together, let’s continue to drive the production of beauty.

We thank Huawei for sponsoring this post. Our sponsors help us pay for the many costs associated with running XDA, including server costs, full time developers, news writers, and much more. While you might see sponsored content (which will always be labeled as such) alongside Portal content, the Portal team is in no way responsible for these posts. Sponsored content, advertising and XDA Depot are managed by a separate team entirely. XDA will never compromise its journalistic integrity by accepting money to write favorably about a company, or alter our opinions or views in any way. Our opinion cannot be bought.

The post HUAWEI Scene Kit: Driving the Development of Digital Beauty appeared first on xda-developers.



from xda-developers https://ift.tt/3lpvVI6
via IFTTT
Publié par à Aucun commentaire:
Libellés : ,
Inscription à : Articles (Atom)