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Today — 29 January 2025Tech News

Apple accused of outsourcing ‘unethical practices’ to other companies for AI profit

By: Zac Hall
29 January 2025 at 09:59

Apple may face new shareholder scrutiny over its AI practices following a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The document was filed ahead of Apple’s next Annual Shareholder Meeting that’s scheduled for February 25 at 8 a.m. PT.

The National Legal and Policy Center has submitted a proposal urging Apple to disclose how it acquires and uses external data for AI training. The filing, disclosed on the SEC’s website, highlights potential legal risks tied to data privacy and intellectual property rights. That’s despite Apple’s brand alignment with privacy-centric policies.

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NVIDIA says it’ll likely run out of RTX 5090 and 5080 cards due to ‘significant demand’

29 January 2025 at 09:20

NVIDIA just warned consumers that it might be pretty difficult for gamers to get their hands on its upcoming high-end RTX 5090 and 5080 graphics cards. The company says it expects “significant demand” for the cards and that “stock-outs may happen.” The term “stock-out” is business speak for “we ran out of the thing you want.”

The official launch is January 30, so many gamers could find themselves out of luck on release day. Several distributors have revealed they won’t even have the cards on January 30. MSI says it won’t be selling the GPUs in the US until February 6 and PC maker PowerGPU told its customers that availability “will be the worst” for the “first three months.”

Warning you all now.

The launch of the RTX 5090 will be the worst when it comes to availability. Already being told to expect it to be that way for the first 3 months.

— PowerGPU (@PowerGPU) January 21, 2025

This is a global issue. VideoCardz has reported that Korea likely won’t see shipments until mid-February and the UK retailer Overclockers has posted that it only has “single-digit” numbers of RTX 5090s in stock. The retailer does, however, have slightly more 5080s in stock. 

Gizmodo has reported that folks are already camping out in the cold for the expensive cards. NVIDIA, for its part, has stated that its “shipping more stock to retail every day to help get GPUs into the hands of gamers.” We’ll see how that goes. In any event, we have compiled some tips to help folks snag one of these cards.

If you pay attention to NVIDIA product launches, this news should come as no surprise. The same thing happened with the 40 series. There was high demand and limited initial availability. It took months until gamers could cruise online and purchase one of the latest graphics cards. The 30 series cards were also difficult to find at launch, due to the pandemic and bitcoin mining.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/nvidia-says-itll-likely-run-out-of-rtx-5090-and-5080-cards-due-to-significant-demand-172030639.html?src=rss

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© Engadget/Devindra Hardawar

A GPU.

Sony's PlayStation division will once again have a single CEO

By: Kris Holt
29 January 2025 at 09:07

Sony is once again shaking up its leadership ranks. Effective April 1, Hideaki Nishino will be president and CEO of Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE). Nishino was appointed CEO of the division's Platform Business Group last year. He ran SIE in partnership with Hermen Hulst, who will remain in his role as the head of PlayStation's studios but now report to Nishino. The pair replaced former SIE CEO Jim Ryan.

"I am truly honored to take the helm at Sony Interactive Entertainment," Nishino said in a statement. "Technology and creativity are two of our biggest strengths as we continue to focus on developing experiences that deliver entertainment for everyone. We will continue to grow the PlayStation community in new ways, such as IP expansion, while also delivering the best in technology innovation."

Hulst, meanwhile, will continue to oversee Sony's first-party games. He's also responsible for helping adapt the company's video game franchises into other mediums via PlayStation Productions.

The pair have had a tumultuous first year in charge of SIE. Just before they took the reins, Ryan announced that the division was laying off 900 staff and shutting down London Studio.

Since then, Nishino and Hulst have been dealing with the fallout of Ryan's deeply misguided efforts to focus on live-service games. After the disastrous debut of Concord — a hero shooter that vanished within just two weeks, never to return — Sony shut down the game's developer Firewalk Studios, as well as Neon Koi. A subsequent review of Sony's live-service efforts led to the company canning two other projects that were in development at Bluepoint and Bend Studio, with the former said to be a God of War title.

Elsewhere within the company, SIE Chairman Hiroki Totoki is giving up that post to become the new CEO of Sony. He'll succeed Kenichiro Yoshida, who will remain the company's chairman. Totoki is also the current president, chief operating officer and chief financial officer of Sony. Replacing him as CFO is Lin Tao, a senior vice-president of finance, corporate strategy and development at SIE.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/sonys-playstation-division-will-once-again-have-a-single-ceo-170758830.html?src=rss

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© Engadget

PS5 Pro next to a skull and potted plant

No Man's Sky update adds billions of stars and even more planets

29 January 2025 at 08:51

No Man's Sky is back with Worlds Part II, expanding the universe in new ways as only games can. Hello Games, the studio behind No Man's Sky, has announced the release of its newest iteration and the billions of stars and trillions of planets added to its universe. 

In a statement about the release, Sean Murphy, founder of Hello Games, explained, "This allows us to push the boundaries of our engine and technology without changing the things people love about the game already. If you settled on your home planet with a beautiful base that you lovingly crafted, that is safe — but now there are new worlds to explore with a level of variety no one has seen before." 

This shift includes the addition of Gas Giants, which Hello Games claims are up to 10 times bigger than any planets previously included in the game. The developers have also improved things under the sea, with better fishing and deep sea diving. Plus, the lighting should be better, with more detailed shadows, sharper sunlight and, of course, those shining starry skies. 

Hello Games also says Worlds Part II offers quests that connect existing storylines and mysteries. A lot of this development comes from work on Hello Game's new fantasy game Light No Fire

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/playstation/no-mans-sky-update-adds-billions-of-stars-and-even-more-planets-165102362.html?src=rss

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© Hello Games

No Man's Sky update

Garmin has new solutions for watches stuck on the ‘blue triangle of death’

29 January 2025 at 10:06

Garmin has shared new ways to fix its smartwatches that are stuck on the “blue triangle of death,” a boot-up error that’s been stopping owners from using their watches. The steps could get more watches working again — but some models will lose data in the process.

There’s still no explanation as to what is causing the issue, but many users, including those reporting and discussing the issue on the r/Garmin subreddit, suspect it’s related to using activities on their Garmin watches that involve its GPS functionality.

The company shared a message on its Garmin Support Center page yesterday suggesting users could potentially resolve the issue by resetting their devices (pressing and holding its power button until it powers off), but it has since updated that page with more information. For those with devices that successfully power up normally again after a reset, the company now recommends syncing it with the “Garmin Connect app on your phone or via Garmin Express on a personal computer” to “resolve and prevent the issue from occurring again.”

For users whose devices still won’t boot past the start up screen after a reset, Garmin now offers additional steps that vary between affected models. For watches in the Epix, Fenix, Instinct, Descent, and Enduro lineups, Garmin says the boot screen issue can be resolved by forcing a restart while devices are connected to a PC or Mac with the Garmin Express software installed. “The watch should complete a sync with Garmin Express. Once the sync is complete, you can disconnect the watch from the computer. The watch should boot up normally.”

Garmin also warns that a factory reset will result in data loss including Garmin Wallet

For users of watches in Garmin’s Forerunner, Vivoactive, Venu, and Approach golf lines, the company says a full factory reset of the device will be necessary, which involves a specific series of button presses. However, Garmin also warns that a factory reset will result in data loss including Garmin Wallet, Connect IQ content such as watch faces and apps that have been downloaded, body battery data, and customized data fields.

The issue also affects Garmin’s Edge cycling computers. The company suggests connecting those devices to a Windows computer and manually locating and deleting a CPE.bin file. If that doesn’t resolve the issue, a “master reset” will instead be needed which will require the device to be paired with a smartphone again afterwards.

The Verge has reached out to Garmin for additional comments on what caused this issue and the suggested fixes.

Google will now automatically revoke permissions from harmful Android apps

By: Emma Roth
29 January 2025 at 10:00

Google’s malware scanning Play Protect service will now automatically turn off an Android app’s permissions if it’s potentially harmful. The feature is designed to prevent malicious apps from having access to your phone’s storage, photos, camera, and more.

Though you can still restore the permissions for these apps, Google will ask you to confirm your decision for “added security.” Google Play Protect runs scans on all the apps on your device, including those that have been sideloaded. If Google identifies a harmful app, it will remove it from the Play Store and then warn users if they have it installed on their phone.

Play Protect already has the ability to reset app permissions for apps you haven’t used in a while, and can automatically block or disable a harmful app depending on its severity.

Additionally, if you switch off Play Protect, Google will now display notifications on Chrome and Android asking you to reenable it.

Google is also fending off scammers’ social engineering tactics like those that convince users to turn off Play Protect while on calls “to download malicious Internet-sideloaded apps.” To prevent this, Play Protect will now no longer let you toggle off the service during phone and video calls, including those made through ”popular” third-party apps.

Google has been gradually expanding Play Protect to combat the evolving scams that pop up on its app store, with a recent update bringing live threat detection to Pixel devices, which can pick up on harmful app behavior in real time. This week, Google also introduced a new verification badge for VPNs to indicate that they meet specific security standards.

Instagram gives creators more insight into their reels’ performance

29 January 2025 at 10:09

Meta continues to target creators in the days following the U.S. TikTok ban. In addition to paying TikTok creators big bonuses to publish reels, Instagram announced on Wednesday that it’s introducing new ways for creators to better understand how their short videos are performing. The platform is introducing additional metrics that allow creators to see […]

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Anthropic’s CEO says DeepSeek shows US export rules are working

29 January 2025 at 10:05

In an essay on Wednesday, Dario Amodei, the CEO of Anthropic, weighed in on the debate over whether Chinese AI company DeepSeek’s success implies that U.S. export controls on AI chips aren’t working. Amodei, who recently made the case for stronger export controls in an op-ed co-written with former U.S. deputy national security advisor Matt […]

© 2024 TechCrunch. All rights reserved. For personal use only.

Leadership and Growth: Insights From Michael Kassan, Founder and CEO of 3C Ventures

29 January 2025 at 09:40
Welcome to this episode of the Marketing Vanguard podcast. Today, Jenny Rooney speaks with Michael Kassan, founder and CEO of 3C Ventures. In this conversation, recorded at CES 2025, they discuss the evolution of CES's C Space, the impact of AI on marketing, the changing agency landscape, and the evolving role of CMOs. Michael shares...

Federal Spending Freeze Threatens Ecosystems and Public Safety

29 January 2025 at 09:22
A White House memo ordered a halt to federal assistance and a review to align spending with Donald Trump’s priorities. Many legal experts say the order is unconstitutional.

Science at risk: The funding pause is more damaging than you might think

29 January 2025 at 09:17

Starting a few days after the Trump inauguration, word spread within the research community that some grant spending might be on hold. On Monday, confirmation came in the form of a memo sent by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB): All grant money from every single agency would be on hold indefinitely. Each agency was given roughly two weeks to evaluate the grants they fund based on a list of ideological concerns; no new grants would be evaluated during this period.

While the freeze itself has been placed on hold, the research community has reacted with a mixture of shock, anger, and horror that might seem excessive to people who have never relied on grant money. To better understand the problems that this policy could create, we talked to a number of people who have had research supported by federal grants, providing them with anonymity to allow them to speak freely. The picture of this policy that they painted was one in which US research leadership could be irreparably harmed, with severe knock-on effects on industry.

Nonsensical standards

The OMB memo (first obtained by Marisa Kabas; there's a copy at The Washington Post) lays out the logic behind the freeze: Funding by the executive agencies of the federal government should align with the policies of the chief executive. To ensure they do, it calls on all agencies to review the programs they fund based on the policy priorities laid out by Trump's executive orders.

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