Qualcomm agrees to pay $75 Million for settlement over sales and licensing practices

Qualcomm has agreed to pay $75 million to resolve a lawsuit in which shareholders accused Qualcomm of artificially inflating its share price between February 2012 and January 2017 by refusing to license standard essential patents to certain competitors and in some cases, it made buying its chips a requirement to get a deal.

In January 2017, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and Apple also sued Qualcomm separately in connection with its alleged efforts to monopolize the market for baseband processors
Apple said Qualcomm used its monopoly position to overcharge for chips and seek onerous and costly terms for technology licenses.

Qualcomm largely won those battles, with the Apple lawsuits ending in settlements and regulators’ actions largely being overturned as Qualcomm’s stock price rose as a result.

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Google is cancelling subscription for those who used VPN workarounds for cheaper YouTube Premium

YouTube Premium Subscription is priced at different rates in different countries to better accommodate the purchasing power of the local currency and align with consumer expectations.
For example, in the US it costs 14$ per month while in India its 1.5$ per month

Thus, some users have used VPNs to buy YouTube Premium at cheaper rates, but it appears that Google is cracking down on such subscriptions and canceling them.

Several YouTube Premium subscribers have had their Premium membership randomly canceled.
However, the common thread between these cancelations is that the users used a VPN workaround to subscribe to Premium at a cheaper rate than what is available for their home market.

Redditors who have contacted customer service mention that their cancelation is because the user “moved” to a different location than the one they signed up from.

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Realme GT 6 Launched Globally

Realme GT series has returned to global markets which was China exclusive with the Realme GT 5 series. After launching Realme GT 6T, Realme has also introduced Realme GT 6 in India and international markets

Realme GT 6 is basically GT 6T only with Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC instead of Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 in GT 6T

Specifications:
• 8T circuit BOE LTPO AMOLED display
• 120Hz variable refresh rate
• 6000nits peak brightness 💀
• Snapdragon 8s Gen 3 SoC

• 50MP main (~ Sony LYT-808; OIS)
• 8MP UltraWide
• 50MP 2X Telephoto (Samsung JN5)
• Plastic Frame; USB-C 2.0
Click HERE for full specs

Pricing:
• 8GB + 256GB = Rs. 40,999 (~490$)
• 12GB + 256GB = Rs. 42,999 (~515$)
• 16GB + 512GB = Rs. 44,999 (~535$)

In China, Realme GT 6 costs 290$ only for 12GB RAM with 256GB storage model and just 415$ for top-end 16GB RAM with 1TB storage

Offers in India:
• Rs. 4000 (~50$) discount with ICICI Bank, HDFC Bank and SBI Cards
• 6 months of screen damage protection

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Realme Buds Air 6 Pro launched in India

After launching Realme Buds Air 6 last month for Rs. 3,299 (~40$), Realme has now launched Buds Air 6 Pro in India

Common Specs:
• 6mm micro-plane tweeter + 11mm woofer
• Hi-Fi Level Coaxial Dual Unit
• 3D Spatial Sound at a 96kHz sampling rate and 990kbps transmission rate

• 50dB Intelligent Deep Sea Noise Cancellation 2.0
• Dynamic Bass
• 4000Hz Ultra-Wide Frequency Noise Reduction
• 55ms ultra-low latency

• Up to 40hrs total playback; 7hrs with 10mins charge
• 10hrs earbuds battery with ANC OFF, 7.5hrs with ON
• Custom Listening Experience Algorithm
• Dual Device Connection 2.0
• IP55 dust & water resistance

Priced at Rs. 4,999 (~60$)
First Sale Price: Rs. 4,199 (~50$)

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Android 15 is preparing to add a dedicated "device diagnostics" menu that not only lets you test your phone's display and touchscreen but also shows you some battery and storage health information.

More details plus screenshots can be found in my latest article for Android Authority.

Pixel phones will soon proactively alert their users to take action to cool them down when they're overheating. This alert is part of a new "Adaptive Thermal" feature that's in testing.

This hasn't rolled out yet, but you can find more details in this article.

Lenovo Tab Plus Launched Globally

This tablet can transform into a Bluetooth speaker for seamless audio anywhere, streamed from your portable device like a smartphone, and comes with an integrated kickstand for up to 175 degrees of viewing flexibility.

Specifications:
• 11.5-inch (2000x1200 px) IPS LCD Screen
• 90Hz refresh rate
• 400nits peak brightness

• MediaTek Helio G99 6nm SoC
• 8GB LPDDR4X RAM
• 128GB/256GB storage
• MicroSD Card slot

• 8MP Autofocus Single rear camera
• 8MP front camera
• 3.5mm Audio Jack
• 8x JBL speakers tuned with Dolby Atmos
(4x matrix tweeters + 4x balanced woofers)
• 8600mAh battery with 45W fast charging

Priced at 279 EUR or 289 US$

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Kaspersky and all of its subsidiaries, affiliates, or parent companies are forbidden from selling in the United States starting July 20th.

They can provide updates to existing customers until September 29th.

More information: https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/06/21/kaspersky-banned-us-antivirus-russia/

Apple Intelligence, iPhone Mirroring to Mac, and SharePlay Screen Sharing won’t be available in the EU

Apple announced that 3 major features -- Apple Intelligence, iPhone Mirroring to macOS Sequoia, and SharePlay Screen Sharing will not be available in the European Union, when iOS 18 and macOS Sequoia ship later this year due to regulatory concerns relating to compliance with the Digital Markets Act

Apple said in a statement it would compromise “privacy and security" because of EU's DMA Act
Apple also did NOT explain which part of the DMA is getting affected.

Since Apple Intelligence uses AI, it's understandable that it might violate some GDPR or the DMA rules. But what does iPhone mirroring and Share Play has to do with DMA ????

So, it seems like Apple is intentionally restriction features as they are mad over DMA and it's Apple's way to say "F*CK YOU" to the EU

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Here's why iPhone Mirroring Won't be Available in the EU

Apple announced that Apple Intelligence, iPhone Mirroring to macOS Sequoia, and SharePlay Screen Sharing will not be available in the EU due to compromises on “privacy and security" because of the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA)

However, the real reason is that, the EU will force Apple to open the API that they use for iPhone mirroring
Releasing the API would open up the Apple eco-system & it would also be beneficial for both consumers and developers since it will open the possibility for Windows PC OEMs to make an iPhone mirroring client as well

Apple also excused "security" concerns when in 2022, EU accused Apple of thwarting competition since ONLY Apple Pay supports Tap to Function using NFC

But now Apple has agreed to provide 3rd-party developers (in the EU only) with open access to the ‌iPhone‌'s NFC & even defaulting of preferred payment apps, access to authentication features such as FaceID.

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Apple secretly held a meeting with TSMC to secure all of its 2nm capacity

Apple's Chief Operating Officer Jeff Williams reportedly visited TSMC in Taiwan and had a secret meeting with TSMC President Wei Zhejia. This meeting is said to have focused on the development of AI chips and a contract to secure TSMC’s first batch of 2nm production capacity.

Some rumors suggested that TSMC may be forced to delay full-scale mass production of its 2nm process until 2026 due to technical challenges associated with the first-time application of Gate-All-Around (GAA) technology. These rumors were dispelled by TSMC's Vice President, who then claimed that "the yield when applying GAA has reached 90% of the target"

This isn’t the first time Apple has made such a move. When TSMC first started producing its 3nm process, Apple swooped in to contract that first batch of 3nm production as well.
Apple’s A17 Pro chip uses 3nm tech and the company’s M4 chip uses an advanced version of this 3nm technology.

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