Snapchat for Web is now available for everyone

Snapchat’s messaging and video chat features first made their way to browsers back in July, but only in select markets and for Snapchat+ subscribers. Now, Snapchat for Web is finally available for all the messaging app’s users worldwide. It could be the better choice for users who have a lot of typing to do and messages to send, since they’ll be looking at a bigger screen and have access to a real keyboard. 

The web interface is pretty basic, but it can also be used to send photos and to make audio and video calls. A company spokesperson previously told us that video calling has become more popular among its users recently. Giving users access to the feature on the web could lead to longer video calls. The spokesperson also told us that Snap could bring more of its core features to the web interface if there’s enough demand for them. 

In addition, Snap has launched lock screen widgets for the iPhone now that iOS 16 has come out. The widgets allow users to create shortcuts for the conversations they want — perhaps for people they frequently talk to — so they can fire up chats from their screen in one tap. 

Speaking of shortcuts, the Snapchat app will feature new shortcuts at the top of its chat page. They’ll make it easy for users to get to unread Snaps, chats from friend and replies to stories. They will also show reminders for birthdays or for conversations that users haven’t replied to yet. Finally, Snap has introduced Question Stickers that users can post to their stories and Snaps. The company said these features will roll out to users soon if they haven’t yet.

Walmart will let you use your own photos for a virtual clothing fit check

When Walmart launched its virtual fitting room back in March, it gave you 50 models with various body types and heights to choose from. It was up to you to find the model you resemble the most, so you can see what a piece of garment would look like on you. Now, the retailer is leveling up the experience by letting you virtually try clothes on your own photos. 

In the company’s announcement, Apparel and Private Brands EVP Denise Incandela said its virtual fitting room can show how clothes fit in a realistic way. It doesn’t simply overlay images on your photos — when you choose an item to fit, you’ll see the parts where shadows would fall and you’ll see how the fabric would drape on your body. Theoretically, that means different sizes of the same item would look differently on your photo in the same way they’d fall differently on your body if you were trying them in real life. That’s made possible with the use of algorithms and machine learning models originally used to develop accurate topographic images.

The new virtual try-on experience is available for 270,000 items across brands on Walmart’s website, including Levi’s and Hanes, and will continue to grow. You can’t use previous photos with the feature, though: The first time you choose “yourself” as a model when you tap the “Try It On” button, you’ll be prompted to take a photo of yourself wearing something form-fitting and to input your height. 

The upgraded experience is now available on Walmart’s iOS app, and iOS users be able to use the photos they take on mobile when they fire up the experience on desktop or the web “shortly.” The feature will roll out to Android users in the coming weeks, as well.

Samsung vows to produce net zero carbon emissions by 2050

Samsung has made a commitment to achieve net zero carbon emissions for the whole company by 2050 and will spend KRW 7 trillion (US$5 billion) over the next seven-and-a-half years to make that happen. While its plans are likely not as aggressive as Microsoft’s, which previously promised to be carbon negative by the end of the decade, it intends to implement changes soon so that its Device eXperience (DX) Division is producing net zero carbon by 2030. 

Samsung’s DX division encompasses its consumer electronics businesses, including its mobile and display manufacturing operations, and was only responsible for 10 percent of its greenhouse gas emissions in 2021. Meanwhile, the company’s chip and components business, which is often is biggest moneymaker, was responsible for 90 percent of the 17.4 million tons of greenhouses gases it emitted last year. 

Clearly, there’s a lot of work to be done for its chipmaking business to be net zero. One of the things the company plans to do is develop technologies that can significantly reduce the gas byproducts of semiconductor manufacturing. Samsung also plans to install treatment facilities at its chip-making plants. In addition, the company will develop carbon capture and utilization technologies that can harness carbon emissions from its semiconductor facilities, store them and then turn them into a usable source. 

The tech giant has joined RE100, the global initiative for businesses that want to use renewable energy to power their operation, as well. It will start by running the DX division and all operations outside its home country on renewable energy within the next five years before matching 100 percent of all its power needs around the world with renewable energy by 2050. Samsung has also detailed other environmental plans in its announcement, including its commitment to promote water reuse and to expand its electronic waste collection initiative to 180 countries from 50. 

A spokesperson for one of its shareholders told Reuters that Samsung had delayed making a clear commitment towards reducing carbon emissions so much, it became a growing concern among long-term investors. Kim Soo-jin, Samsung’s head of ESG strategy group, explained: “We are a company that manufactures directly… so there are various, layered challenges. In the end, we are a technology company… So we will contribute positively to climate change through technology development. Since we are a large company and our products are widely used, we will make an impact through scale.”

Google fails to overturn EU Android antitrust ruling but reduces its fine by 5 percent

Google has failed to convince Europe’s General Court to overturn the Commission’s ruling on its Android antitrust case and its decision to slap the company with a €4.3 (US$4.3) billion fine. The General Court upheld the Commission’s original ruling back in 2018 that Google used its dominant position in the market to impose restrictions on manufacturers that make Android phones and tablets. It did, however, reduce the fine a bit, deciding that €4.125 (US$4.121) billion is the more appropriate amount based on its own findings.

The Commission previously found that Google acted illegally by making it mandatory for Android manufacturers to pre-install its apps and its search engine. By doing so, the Commission said that the company was able to “cement its dominant position in general internet search.” Approximately 80 percent of smart devices in Europe as of July 2018 were running Android OS, and people tend to be content with the default options they’re given.

That is a huge deal according to FairSearch, the group of organizations lobbying against Google’s search dominance and the original complainant in the case, because Google’s search engine is monetized with paid advertising. The tech giant makes most of its money from online ads — based on information from Statista, Google’s ad revenue in 2021 amounted to $209.49 billion. FairSearch also said that by making it mandatory for Android manufacturers to install its apps and search engine, Google is denying competitors the chance to compete fairly.

In addition to imposing restrictions on Android manufacturers, EU officials also found that Google “made payments to certain large manufacturers and mobile network operators” in an alleged effort to ensure that carriers only installed Google Search on the devisions they sell. The General Court has agreed with the Commission, as well, when it comes to the anti-fragmentation agreements Android manufacturers have to sign. These agreements seek to “prevent the development and market presence of devices running a non-compatible Android fork,” the court wrote in its decision. 

In a statement provided to Engadget, Google has expressed its disappointment in the court’s decision and insisted that Android has created more choices for consumers:

“We are disappointed that the Court did not annul the decision in full. Android has created more choice for everyone, not less, and supports thousands of successful businesses in Europe and around the world.”

The General Court is the EU’s second highest court. Google could still pursue a dismissal, and the case could go to the European Court of Justice.

Google’s Jedi Blue ad deal with Meta wasn’t unlawful, judge rules

A New York federal judge has ruled that that multi-state antitrust lawsuit against Google spearheaded by the Attorney General of Texas can move forward. That said, Judge P. Kevin Castel has also dismissed the plaintiffs’ claim that Google’s online ad deal with Meta, codenamed Jedi Blue, was an unlawful restraint of trade. The judge said that “there is nothing inexplicable or suspicious” about the two companies entering the agreement. 

If you’ll recall, the states that filed the lawsuit accused Google of entering a deal with Meta that gave the latter certain advantages on the ad exchange the tech giant runs. As Bloomberg notes, Meta allegedly had to abandon its plans to adopt a new technology that would’ve hurt Google’s monopoly and to back the tech giant’s Open Bidding approach when it comes to selling ads in exchange.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced that he was filing a “multi-state lawsuit against Google for anti-competitive conduct, exclusionary practices and deceptive misrepresentations” back in 2020. The lawsuit focused on Google’s advertising tech practices and how, Paxton said, the company uses its “monopolistic power to control pricing” of ads and “engage in market collusions.”

Google sought to dismiss the lawsuit earlier this year. While it failed to convince Judge Castel to fully toss the lawsuit out, the company still posted a celebratory note about the decision. “Importantly, the Court dismissed the allegations about our Open Bidding agreement with Meta — the centerpiece of AG Paxton’s case,” the company wrote in a blog post. The tech giant added that the agreement had never been a secret and that it was pro-competitive. It also called Paxton’s case “deeply flawed.”

Although the judge for this case dismissed the claim that Jedi Blue was unlawful, the deal and Google’s ad tech practices as a whole are still under scrutiny by authorities. The European Commission and UK’s Competition and Markets Authority launched an antitrust investigation into the companies’ agreement back in March. And just last month, Bloomberg had reported that the US Department of Justice was preparing to sue Google over its dominance in the ad market sometime this September.

GM’s Cruise is making its own chips for self-driving vehicles to save on costs

GM’s Cruise division doesn’t want to rely on third-party manufacturers for the chips powering its autonomous vehicles — so, it’s making its own. Based on what Carl Jenkins, the company’s VP for Hardware Engineering, told Reuters, the main motivator for the switch is the lofty costs associated with paying for other companies’ chips. 

“Two years ago, we were paying a lot of money for a GPU from a famous vendor,” Jenkins told the news organization, referring to NVIDIA. He explained that Cruise couldn’t negotiate because it wasn’t mass manufacturing autonomous vehicles just yet. Its technology is still in its experimental stages, and while it recently became the first company to secure permission to charge for driverless rides, its operations remain limited. By making its own chips, Cruise — like Tesla, Apple and Volkswagen before it — is taking its future into its own hands. 

Jenkins has revealed that Cruise had already developed four chips at this point, starting with Horta, which was designed to become the main brains of the vehicle. Dune will process data from sensors, while another chip will process information from the radar. Yet another one will be announced at a later date. These components will power the Cruise Origin, the self-driving electric shuttle the company first announced back in 2020. The Cruise Origin will have no steering wheel or pedals and will instead have four seats inside facing each other. It’s intended to be used as a shareable vehicle that’s on the road at all times, shuttling passengers to their destinations.

Company executives didn’t say how much they spent on the chips’ development, but they believe they could recoup their investment once Cruise starts scaling up production. Cruise CEO Kyle Vogt said the company’s in-house chips would help Origin “hit that sweet spot from a cost perspective” by 2025 and that they make purchasing fully autonomous vehicles for personal use viable. It’s unclear if that means Cruise intends to sell the Origin to individuals, but GM chief Mary Barra announced at CES this year that the automaker wants to sell personal autonomous vehicles by the middle of the decade.

CD Projekt Red releases an official modding tool for ‘Cyberpunk 2077’

Cyberpunk 2077 now has an official modding tool. CD Projekt RED has launched REDmod, which provides players integrated support to easily install and load mods onto the PC version of the action RPG. As the developer’s official announcement notes, it will also allow players to modify and personalize their game by using the custom sounds, animations and scripts that come with the tool. CD Projekt Red promises to update the tool alongside future patches to ensure that it remains compatible with the game. It is a free DLC, though, and players don’t have to install it at all if they don’t want to.

As popular mod website Nexus Mods clarifies, while new mods are required to use a specific format to be compatible with REDmod, old mods will continue to work just fine. Older mods that aren’t compatible with the tool simply won’t show up in the new REDmod menu. That’s also were players can toggle mods that are compatible with the tool on or off. 

The free DLC is now available for download from the official Cyberpunk 2077 website, but players can get also get it from GOG, Steam or Epic.

Twitter’s $7 million whistleblower payout violates purchase deal, Musk’s lawyers argue

A judge recently ruled that Elon Musk can use the allegations made by Twitter whistleblower Peiter Zatko as part of the arguments in his countersuit against the company. As it turns out, Musk intends to use not just Zatko’s claims to win his case, but also the fact that the former Twitter executive received a settlement to get out of the $44 billion acquisition deal he made with the social network. As The Washington Post reports, Musk’s lawyers sent a letter to Twitter, telling the company that the severance payment worth $7.75 million that it made to Zatko in June violated a provision in their sales agreement. 

In the letter uploaded to the SEC website, Musk’s lawyers cited Section 6.1(e) of the merger agreement, which says Twitter promised not to “grant or provide any severance or termination payments or benefits to any Company Service Provider other than the payment of severance amounts or benefits in the ordinary course of business consistent with past practice and subject to the execution and non-revocation of a release of claims in favor of the Company and its Subsidiaries.” Former employees are considered Company Service Providers.

Musk and Twitter entered the purchase agreement in April, and it wasn’t until June when Zatko received his severance pay. The company didn’t seek Musk’s consent before making the payment or notify him of the transaction, the lawyers said in the letter. Musk apparently only found out about the settlement when Twitter included the information in its court filing on September 3rd. As such, Musk’s camp argues that the settlement serves as an additional basis to terminate the parties’ purchase agreement. As The Post notes, it’s now up to Twitter to prove that such a big payout to a former employee wasn’t out of the ordinary. We’ve reached out to Twitter for a statement, and we’ll update this post when we hear back.

Also known as “Mudge,” Zatko accused the the social network of having “extreme, egregious deficiencies” in security. He said in a complaint filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission that Twitter violated the terms it had agreed to when it settled a privacy dispute with the FTC back in 2011. The whistleblower also claimed that he couldn’t get a direct response from Twitter regarding the actual number of bots on the website. If you’ll recall Musk previously accused Twitter of fraud for hiding the real number of bots on its platform and told the court in a legal filing that 10 percent — not just 5 percent as the social network maintains — of its daily active users who see ads are inauthentic accounts.

Twitter and Musk are set to face off in court in a five-day trial scheduled to start on October 17th.