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Agence France-Presse (The Jakarta Post) PREMIUM Seoul   ● Wed, September 15 2021 South Korea’s antitrust watchdog fined Google nearly US$180 million on Tuesday for abusing its dominance in the mobile operating systems and app markets, it said, the latest in a series of regulatory moves against tech giants around the world. The penalty came weeks after South Korea passed a law banning major app store operators such as Google and Apple from forcing software developers to use their payment systems, effectively declaring their lucrative Play Store and App Store monopolies illegal. And last week a United States judge ordered Apple to loosen control over its App Store payment system in an antitrust battle with Fortnite maker Epic Games. Google and Apple dominate the online app market in South Korea, the world’s 12 th largest economy and known for its technological prowess. The Korea Fair Trade Commissio... to Read Full Story SUBSCRIBE NOW Starting from ... » Learn More about S. Korea fines Google almost $180 million for market abuse

Google could be building its own wearable devices such as the Pixel Watch according to a recent job listing. While the job listing has since been removed, Android Police has taken a screenshot of it. Google was apparently searching for a "Vice President of Hardware Engineering for Wearables" who would be responsible for the design, development and shipment of all Google's Wearable products. There is also another job listing for a "Wearables Design Manager". Since Google's only current wearable product is the Pixel Buds, it is unlikely that the company is hiring a senior executive to manage the Pixel Buds lineup. [[nid:435663]] This suggests that Google could be looking to expand its Wearable lineup which could include a Pixel Watch and other fitness trackers. Although Google confirmed that it is too early to think of a one-size-fits-all watch, the company has entered into an agreement with Fossil Group to acquire US$40 million (S$54 million) intellectual property (IP) in ... » Learn More about Job listing suggests Google is looking at making a Pixel Watch

Google is reportedly working on a second foldable Pixel phone. Spotted by 9to5Google, details in the upcoming Android 12.1 reveal a second foldable Pixel phone with the code name "Jumbojack". The second foldable Pixel phone is believed to be used to test the addition of "posture" to Android APIs. Postures refer to hinge positions like "opened", "closed", "half-opened", and "flipped". "Jumbojack" is expected to sport two displays with the second display turned off when folded. This suggests that the phone will have a similar form factor as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold3. Korean publication TheElec reported in June that Google is on track to launch its first foldable Pixel phone later this year. It added that Google may use Samsung's Ultra-Thin Glass (UTG) and the screen size might be 7.6-inches. READ ALSO: Possible announcement date of Google Pixel 6 revealed in new ads This article was first published in Hardware Zone . ... » Learn More about Google is reportedly testing a second foldable Pixel phone

Hot on the heels of the latest Apple iPhone 13 launch would be Google’s Pixel 6. As the final major hardware device to launch as we head into the holidays, if this leak is to be believed, it’s looking sweet! Check out the tweet below – The video above shows off the Google Pixel 6 Pro specifically and it looks good in-hand. Featuring a curved display, this feature might be divisive for many folks out there. We’ve used curved displays in the past and it’s really not that much of a big deal. If anything, this confirms that there will be no fingerprint scanner and it’s increasingly likely we’ll see an in-display scanner instead. Can’t wait! This article was first published in Geek Culture . ... » Learn More about Leaked Google Pixel 6 video gives best look at upcoming flagship phone

SEOUL (Reuters) - Alphabet Inc's Google said on Wednesday its presence in South Korea equates to nearly 12 trillion won ($10.16 billion) in economic benefits for its users, as the U.S. tech giant faces increased scrutiny from regulators and politicians. Google's announcement came a day after South Korea's antitrust agency fined Google 207 billion won for blocking customised versions of its Android operating system, in the company's second setback in the country in less than a month. The Korea Fair Trade Commission said this could be the ninth-biggest fine it has ever imposed. Google said during an online event that it annually provides 5.1 trillion won worth of benefits for South Koreans through its Play Store, 4.2 trillion won through its search engine service, and 2.5 trillion won through its productivity apps, including Google Docs, citing a report from consulting firm AlphaBeta. Google added that it also annually provides 10.5 trillion won in economic benefits for South ... » Learn More about Google says it offers more than $10 billion in consumer benefits in S.Korea

South Korea fined Alphabet Inc’s Google US$177mil (RM734.37mil) for hampering the development of rivals to its Android operating system, sustaining a campaign targeting the US search giant’s dominance in smartphone software. Regulators accuse Google, whose mobile operating system powers more than 80% of smartphones around the world, of using its immense bargaining power to squeeze out the competition. The Korea Fair Trade Commission said Google’s anti-fragmentation agreements (AFA) with manufacturers like Samsung Electronics Co and LG Electronics Inc prevented gadget makers from developing or using modified versions of the Android OS. The watchdog banned Google from forcing manufacturers to sign AFA contracts and ordered that it modify existing ones. Korea in August became the first country to pass a law forcing Apple Inc and Google to open up their app stores to outside payment systems, setting a potentially radical precedent for their lucrative operations everywhere from India to ... » Learn More about South Korea fines Google for abusing smartphone dominance

(Reuters) - Wells Fargo & Co said on Wednesday that it had picked Microsoft Corp and Alphabet Inc's Google as its public cloud providers, embracing a multi-cloud approach. While Microsoft's Azure will serve as the bank's primary cloud provider, Google Cloud will provide additional business-critical public cloud services. As part of its new digital infrastructure strategy, the company will also move towards some third party-owned data centers, as it aims to rely predominantly on public cloud in the longer term, it said. The move makes Wells Fargo the latest big bank to use third-party data centers for cloud-related services. The company did not disclose the financial details of its agreement with Microsoft and Google. Multi-cloud enables flexibility and also allows businesses to off-load some of the heavy costs of running their own data centers by renting public ones. (Reporting by Chavi Mehta in Bengaluru; Editing by Anil D'Silva) ... » Learn More about Wells Fargo picks Microsoft, Google as cloud service providers

SAN FRANCISCO (NYTIMES) - Apple introduced a pop-up window for iPhones in April that asks people for their permission to be tracked by different apps. Google recently outlined plans to disable a tracking technology in its Chrome web browser. And Facebook said last month that hundreds of its engineers were working on a new method of showing ads without relying on people's personal data. The developments may seem like technical tinkering, but they were connected to something bigger: an intensifying battle over the future of the internet. The struggle has entangled tech titans, upended Madison Avenue and disrupted small businesses. And it heralds a profound shift in how people's personal information may be used online, with sweeping implications for the ways that businesses make money digitally. At the centre of the tussle is what has been the internet's lifeblood: advertising. More than 20 years ago, the internet drove an upheaval in the advertising industry. It ... » Learn More about Apple, Google and Facebook in battle for digital privacy to reshape the Internet

(Reuters) -Google plans to buy an office building in Manhattan for $2.1 billion, as the Alphabet Inc-owned search engine giant joins fellow technology companies in investing in prime real estate, even as hybrid work models become common. The deal for St. John's Terminal site in New York City, which Google currently leases, will complete in the first quarter of next year, Chief Financial Officer Ruth Porat said in a blog post https://blog.google/inside-google/company-announcements/increasing-googles-investment-in-new-york on Tuesday. The space is expected to open by mid-2023. Tech giants, with billions of dollars in cash reserves, have been taking advantage of lower office building prices across cities in the United States. Amazon.com Inc's $978 million purchase of the Lord & Taylor building on Fifth Avenue last year and Facebook Inc's leasing of the Farley Building across from Madison Square Garden are seen as prime examples for Manhattan's real estate prospects. Tech was ... » Learn More about Google to buy more office space in NYC as big tech swoops down on real estate

BERKELEY: Big Tech companies that operate around the globe have long promised to obey local laws and to protect civil rights while doing business. But when Apple and Google capitulated to Russian demands and removed a political-opposition app from their local app stores, it raised worries that two of the world's most successful companies are more comfortable bowing to undemocratic edicts – and maintaining a steady flow of profits – than upholding the rights of their users. The app in question, called Smart Voting , was a tool for organising opposition to Russia President Vladimir Putin ahead of elections held over the weekend. The ban levied last week by a pair of the world's richest and most powerful companies galled supporters of free elections and free expression. "This is bad news for democracy and dissent all over the world," said Natalia Krapiva, tech legal counsel for Access Now, an Internet freedom group. "We expect to see other dictators copying Russia’s tactics." ... » Learn More about Apple, Google raise new concerns by yanking Russian app