We've eschewed any Valentine's theming this year, but Edwin put this in our news queue last night as a sort of dare for our evening shift, and let the record show I am less of a coward than Graham Smith. The Cosmic Wheel Sisterhood, a visual novel Tarot-themed card game from perennial (perhaps perineal, in this case) favourites Deconstructeam, was praised by Edwin in his review, and I was going to use the same strapline for this news post had he not got there first. Because now, in time for the season of romance, they've teamed up with sex toy purveyors Uberrime to create a frankly prohibitively massive dildo as an official tie-in for the game, which can be won in a free competition by three lucky people living in either the UK, EU, US or Canada (as in, they each win their own dildo; they don't have to time share).
EU hails 'change' as Apple App Store opens to competition
27.01.2024 - 04:43 / tech.hindustantimes.com
The European Union's digital enforcer celebrated on Friday the "change" underway in the tech world after Apple yielded to a new EU law by announcing it would allow alternative app stores on the iPhone for the first time.
The significant overhaul, which will take place in March when the European Union's sweeping Digital Markets Act comes into force, will curtail the dominance of the App Store, which has been a mainstay of the iPhone since 2008.
"The DMA will open the gates of the internet to competition so that digital markets are fair and open," European internal market commissioner Thierry Breton said when asked by AFP about Apple's announcement. "Change is already happening."
Breton said that from March 7, when the law comes into force, the European Commission will assess the proposals of tech companies, "with the feedback of third parties".
"If the proposed solutions are not good enough, we will not hesitate to take strong action," he warned.
He said the DMA means "more choice for consumers and more opportunities for smaller innovative tech companies."
With the major changes announced by Apple on Thursday, users will for the first time be able to download software from outside the App Store and they will be given new options to process payments.
Other changes include giving users the option to download an alternative web browser when they first open Safari in the latest version of the iOS operating system. Until now, users had to go into the settings to change the default browser.
In its announcement, Apple criticised the DMA for creating "privacy and security risks" and said the company is installing safeguards to reduce them.
Apple said the new options for processing payments and downloading apps "open new avenues for malware, fraud and scams, illicit and harmful content".
"Even with these safeguards in place, many risks remain," it said.
"The changes we're announcing today comply with the Digital Markets Act's requirements in the European Union, while helping to protect EU users from the unavoidable increased privacy and security threats this regulation brings," said Apple's Phil Schiller, who leads the App Store.
The EU has bolstered its legal armoury to rein in Big Tech, with stricter rules to protect European users online and to boost competition in an industry dominated by US giants such as Apple, Amazon, Google, Microsoft and Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram.
Companies found infringing the Digital Markets Act expose themselves to fines that could reach as high as 20 percent of their global turnover, or even orders to be broken up in serious cases.
Meta and Chinese-owned TikTok have launched legal challenges to the law.
Apple said it would give EU users "guidance" in March to help them "navigate
WoW Token Redemption for Balance Not Functioning on EU Servers - Possible Bug or Undocumented Change
With today's weekly reset for the EU servers, players were surprised to see their ability to exchange WoW Tokens to Battle.net balance supposedly removed. This isn't a change announced by Blizzard, so it may be a bug. This change hasn't affected NA/OCE realms yet. While it is possible this is a bug with the WoWToken system, it is weird that this change is reflected in different places in the game's UI for European players. Without an official announcement from Blizzard, it is hard to know whether this is a change for the retail WoWToken. This may be a change, as the Wrath Classic WoWToken already behaves this way for every region, being able to be redeemed only for Game Time and not Battle.net Balance.
Mark Zuckerberg rolls out Apple Vision Pro review, says Meta Quest is much better
In 2023, Apple announced its first-ever venture in the world of AR/VR, taking on heavyweights such as Meta. The iPhone maker's first spatial computer, which it calls the Vision Pro, finally went on sale last month and it has divided opinions ever since. Some say it is the tech of the future, while others call it incredibly isolating. But with an ever-growing library of apps, Apple is seriously looking to trump Meta in the world of mixed reality, even though its headset costs as much as 7 times more. In a new video, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg shared his thoughts on Apple's new headset and compared it to his company's Quest headset.
PlayStation Store: January 2024’s top downloads
It’s time to see which PS5, PS4, PS VR2, PS VR, and free-to-play games topped the download charts last month. New release blockbusters and vintage fan favorites are included in January’s PS5 list with Tekken 8 and Grand Theft Auto V both breaking the top five. The PS VR2 list saw Beat Saber rock and roll to the top of the list with the most downloads in both US and EU regions.
Apple unveils major overhaul for iPhone users in EU - Sideloading, alternative app stores, and more
Apple is set to introduce substantial changes to its ecosystem in the European Union, scheduled to roll out by March 6. One of the notable modifications is to allow iPhone users to sideload apps from third-party stores, a departure from Steve Jobs' original stance due to security concerns. The shift is part of iOS 17.4, primarily targeting EU countries, and aims to enhance user flexibility while maintaining security standards.
IOS 17.4 will allow sideloading & third party app stores in EU – Epic Game Store incoming
Apple has announced that iOS and iPadOS 17.4 will introduce support for developer app sideloading and third party app stores in the EU, complying with the incoming Digital Markets Act (DMA). But there’s an awful lot of caveats to this, with the iPhone maker determined to keep as much control and make this as awkward, fussy, and costly as possible.
Apple is finally letting developers release game streaming services on the App Store
Apple has announced some big changes for the App Store ecosystem, with the company permitting developers to release video game streaming apps at long last.
Safari Will No Longer Be The Default Browser After iOS 17.4 Update as Apple Opens Browsers For Third-Party Options
Apple recently released iOS 17.4 to developers for testing purposes. In accordance with our prior speculations, the company is rolling out App Store changes with its latest iOS 17.4 beta. The upcoming update will house all the required changes the EU imposed under the Digital Markets Act. Apple has until March 6 to comply with the necessary changes, and the latest beta confirms that iOS 17.4 will be the update that will change how users download and install apps on the iPhone. With iOS 17.4, Apple has also opened the browser category for third-party developers, which they can use as the default app.
Apple to allow alternative app stores in Europe
Beyond its new policy allowing game streaming apps worldwide, Apple today announced new changes it is making to comply with the European Union's Digital Markets Act, most notably that it will allow alternative app payments and app stores.
IOS 17.4 will allow sideloading & third party app stores in EU – Epic Game Store incoming
Apple has announced that iOS and iPadOS 17.4 will introduce support for developer app sideloading and third party app stores in the EU, complying with the incoming Digital Markets Act (DMA). But there’s an awful lot of caveats to this, with the iPhone maker determined to keep as much control and make this as awkward, fussy, and costly as possible.
Fortnite Is Coming Back to iOS in Europe This Year via Epic Games Store; Sweeney Criticizes Apple’s DMA Plan
Fortnite is coming back to iOS this year, at least in Europe, Epic Games announced today. It will do so by taking advantage of the Digital Markets Act law passed by the European Union, which will let the Epic Games Store on iOS.
Apple App Store finally allows game streaming apps – Xbox Game Pass, GeForce Now & more on iPhone
As part of major changes to Apple’s App Store policies to comply with EU regulations, the company has also announced that game streaming apps are now to be accepted on the App Store for the first time. This opens the door for Xbox Game Pass, GeForce Now, PlayStation Plus, Amazon Luna and other game streaming subscriptions to have dedicated apps on iPhone and iPad – they were previously only accessible via built-in web browsers.