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A video game enthusiast from California who spent a sleepless night trying out a new game was able to discover that a fire had broken out in his neighbor’s house, saving his life and that of his wife.

“If I hadn’t decided to stay up to play Starfield, I would have slept and we would have died of smoke inhalation. “I want to thank this game for saving my family and me from a terrible fate,” the player said in a post on Reddit shared by France Live on Sunday.

On the night of Thursday to Friday, the man decided to stay up all night playing the video game Starfield from the Bethesda company in order to immerse himself in the universe as soon as the pre-order of the game that he had been waiting for was made since the first Announcements in 2015.

At around 2:30 a.m., the player from Chico, California, suddenly heard the sound of an explosion – quiet enough not to wake his partner – from his downstairs neighbor.

“I pressed pause to see what happened; When I opened the door, I saw flames rising from the stairwell to our apartment. I immediately picked up my wife and cat, we were able to get to safety and only had minor burns,” he continued in his release.

I am very grateful to the team behind the video game and also “God [Todd] Howard,” the game designer, the man clarified in the comments that his fire alarm was not set off before the couple opened the door to escape.

Unfortunately, according to France Live, one of his neighbors died in the same fire that destroyed his entire apartment.

The Digital Markets Regulation (DMA) must fundamentally change the economic models of these giants, which are accused of squeezing out competition by abusing their dominant market position. This legislation opens a new front between the EU and big tech companies and creates new legal disputes.

The Commission has identified a total of 22 key platforms that fall into these six groups: four social networks (TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn), two instant messaging services (WhatsApp and Messenger), three operating systems (Android, iOS, Windows), a search engine (Google), two browsers (Chrome, Safari).

The list also includes six intermediary services (Google Maps, Google Play, Google Shopping, Amazon Marketplace, App Store and Meta Marketplace), the video sharing site YouTube and the advertising services of Google, Amazon and Meta.

At the initiative of the text, Commissioners Margrethe Vestager and Thierry Breton hope to encourage the emergence of European start-ups and improve the services offered to consumers.

After years of chasing violations in endless court cases, Brussels now wants to act faster and more forcefully.

The DMA imposes a straitjacket of obligations and prohibitions on the most powerful actors that they must comply with, threatening fines that can reach up to 20% of their global turnover for repeat violations.

“The rules of the game have changed”

“We have already started talking to companies who understand that the rules of the game have changed,” explains Thierry Breton. He reiterates that the European Commission, which will have control and sanctioning powers, “will not hesitate to take strict measures”.

The aim is to intervene before abusive behavior has already destroyed competition and created a quasi-monopoly like Google in search engines.

The legislation “transforms the digital industry in Europe, transforming an unregulated sector into a highly regulated one,” emphasizes Alexandre de Streel, academic director of the Center on Regulation in Europe (CERRE).

One of the new rules is that the EU requires the interoperability of target intelligence services. Therefore, WhatsApp and Messenger, both owned by Meta, must enable their users to communicate with competing products such as Signal.

The regulation will apply from March 6 to these companies, which were described on Wednesday as “gatekeepers” due to their size, which makes them essential to their activities. By then, affected groups must submit a report detailing how they achieved compliance.

Some rules come into effect immediately. This is the case with the new obligation of these platforms to inform the Commission of any takeover operation, regardless of the size of the target company.

In addition, Google will be prohibited from favoring its own services in its search engine results, as is the case, for example, with the online sales site Google Shopping.

The new law will prevent e-commerce giant Amazon from using the data generated on its websites by corporate customers to better compete with them.

The DMA will force Apple to authorize app stores other than the Apple Store for its products, such as its famous iPhone or iPad.

A regularly reviewed list

Given the importance of the interests at stake, legal action is to be expected. The new regulation “is a complex law in a complex environment, it is inevitable to have legal challenges at the beginning,” believes Mr de Streel.

The list of “Access Controllers” is regularly reviewed to take market developments into account.

Three Microsoft services (the Edge browser, the Bing search engine and Microsoft Advertising) are the subject of additional investigations by the Commission with a view to possible further designation, as are the messaging service iMessage and the iPadOS operating system. “Apple.

The Apple brand also said it was “very concerned” about the new rules and believes they pose privacy and data security issues.

Microsoft was pleased that its three services that meet the criteria provided for by the legislation are exempt for now. “We welcome the Commission’s decision to open a market investigation to examine our request for exemption from Bing, Edge and Microsoft Ads – which act as challengers in the market,” a spokesperson said.

“We will continue to work closely with the European Commission to comply with the law,” replied Oliver Bethell, director of legal affairs at Google.

Ahead of the release of Android 14, Google unveils the mobile operating system’s new logo and the new look of its mascot, Bugdroid. On the program: a capital letter and 3D.

Photo credit: Google

In addition to the different versions of Android, there is something else that is regularly updated over the years. We can miss it very easily if we’re not careful, and it won’t change our user experience. It’s about Android name graphics yourself and Design of its mascotTHE Bugdroid. And they have experienced changes. In 2019, the Android logo was changed, according to Google, to be “more accessible and easier to read,” with the integration of the Bugdroid head just to the right. Android versions took advantage of this by losing the name or letter of the cake and simply numbering it.

Today the company generalizes the graphic changes to its logo and robot that were seen at the beginning of the summer. No more “Android”, make room for “Android”! Okay, the change isn’t dramatic and we included it in our articles long before it was official. Google explains its choice: “We are enhancing the Android logo by capitalizing the “A,” adding weight to its appearance when placed next to the Google logo. Although we’ve added more of Android’s unique curves and personality, the new Android design better reflects the Google logo and strikes a balance between the two.

Google is changing the Android logo and the look of the Bugdroid mascot

Another, much more notable transformation, this one, the Bugdroid, the little green robot that serves as a mascot to the mobile operating system. He went through many phases. Apartment in 2008, he Change color in 2013 previously lose your body in 2019 (to complement the Android logo). 2023 marks that Return of 3D for a curvy robot.

“We wanted Bugdroid to be as dynamic as Android itself. “We also updated the bot’s overall look and feel to ensure it can easily transition from a digital to a real-world environment, making it a versatile and reliable omnichannel companion , platforms and contexts,” explains Google.

These changes come closer to the release of Android 14, the rollout of which could be delayed until early October. The new brand identity will be gradually rolled out across devices and elsewhere starting this year.

Apple has already made arrangements to supply its Apple Stores with the products expected on September 12th. Certain devices and accessories are therefore logically available for purchase immediately after the event.

Apple Store in Taipei, Taiwan // Source: Andy Wang

Apple wants to release its new products (or at least some of them) as soon as possible after the end of its keynote. The event, expected for September 12th, should commemoratively allow the company to unveil its new iPhone 15 and Apple Watch Series 9, probably along with various accessories.

We learned today from Mark Gurman that the brand has already made arrangements to supply its Apple Stores during this new keynote. The idea? Allow your customers to purchase some of the products being advertised…as soon as they are announced. These products would therefore clearly benefit from near-immediate availability. emphasizes the Bloomberg journalist.

Reduce the waiting time as much as possible…

“Apple Stores will be updated on the night of September 12th following the event. That means some new products could be available almost immediately – or simply new marketing materials rolled out quickly,” says Mark Gurman.

As 9to5Mac points out, this information contradicts Apple’s habits. The company typically presents its new products at a keynote about a week after the announcement. “Instant” launches usually take place as part of simple press releases, for example for the hardware update of certain existing products. Also note that Mark Gurman does not rule out the possibility that the activity in Apple Stores on the evening of September 12th is only related to the arrival of new marketing materials (posters, window displays, etc.).

The fact is that if Apple markets certain products as soon as they are announced, we don’t know which ones would be affected. From today’s perspective, it is very unlikely that this will be the iPhone 15 or the Apple Watch Series 9… but it is not impossible that Apple will try to sell the accessories surrounding these products as quickly as possible.

Then, starting September 13th, we could find new Apple Watch bands in stores, or even iPhone 15 and 15 Pro cases, as well as the new USB-C charging case for AirPods Pro mentioned in some rumors. Reply next week.

Would you like to join a community of enthusiasts? Our Discord welcomes you, it is a place of mutual help and passion about technology.

If you still had any doubts about what the Pixel 8 Pro might look like, Google is clearing up the leak of its future high-end smartphone on its 360-degree simulator.

We’ll have to wait until October 4th for it to be officially unveiled, but the Google Pixel 8 theme there is no longer any doubt. The Mountain View company has once again leaked images from its phone. From every angle.

Don’t doubt it anymore, the Google Pixel 8 Pro looks like this

The days pass and the secrets of the Pixel 8 Pro melt like snow in the sun. After Google was able to take a first look at the phone thanks to renderings, Google leaked a first photo of the device. Today, the design of the Google Pixel 8 Pro is confirmed via the 360-degree simulator posted online by the company.

The simulator in question, which you can find at this address, just a few hours ago allowed you to demo the Pixel 8 Pro to see it from all angles but also to get to know its different buttons, sensors and ports.

Photo credit: Google Photo credit: Google Photo credit: Google

We also discover the three colors (Blue, Gray and Black) in which the smartphone is offered, as well as the presence of a temperature sensor on the back below the LED flash. This is Mishaal Rahman who shared the simulator link originally found by José Rubén.

No way. It happened again. Google itself has leaked the Pixel 8 Pro.

Here you can see a full 360-degree view of the phone, confirming the colors (Licorice, Porcelain and Sky) as well as the components (like the temperature sensor). https://t.co/xfpn4t3tyR pic.twitter.com/UzmtR7ov1L

– Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) September 6, 2023

The Pixel 8 Pro has since been discontinued and the Pixel 8 never went live on the platform. In addition, the technical data sheets of the two phones were not displayed. Therefore, there is still a little scope for a few more leaks in the coming weeks.

The presented models of the Pixel 8 Pro confirmed the presence of a SIM card slot, NFC, as well as wide-angle, ultra-wide-angle and telephoto camera modules (5x optical zoom).

Google Pixel 8 European prices leaked, but are they realistic?

We also discover some images of the user interface that do not appear to have changed fundamentally. The Google search bar is always at the bottom of the screen. At the top we find a first line with four icons and above it the various widgets are displayed.

Photo credit: Google

However, the Pixel 8 doesn’t want to rest on its laurels. Yesterday we told you about a new feature related to night videos that could once again set Google’s photography experience apart from the competition. What do you think of the Pixel 8 Pro’s design?

Google Pixel 7 Pro 128 GB at the best price Base price: €899

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Source: The Verge

Take advantage of the start of the 2023 school year to secure a very good gaming laptop! Throughout September, the Victus by HP 16-E0129NF will be sold on the Carrefour website for less than 720 euros.

CLICK HERE TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS GOOD DEAL

After the Medion Erazer Deputy P40 MD62551 laptop PC at Cdiscount, here is another good offer for a gaming laptop.

Until Friday, September 30, 2023 Victus from HP 16-E0129NF is offered on the Carrefour website at a price of 719.40 euros instead of 1199 euros. The discount of almost 480 euros is automatic and delivery is free if the product is picked up at a Carrefour branch.

The Victus by HP 16-E0129NF included in the Carrefour offer is available in mica silver color and is a laptop PC with a 16-inch screen (144 Hz, micro-edges, anti-reflective, 250 nits) and a Full HD resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels IPS. We also find an AMD Ryzen 5 5600H processor, 8 GB of RAM, 512 GB of SSD storage, an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060 graphics card, an AZERTY French keyboard, Windows 10 operating system and a 4-cell 70 Wh Li-ion battery. For its part, connectivity consists of an HDMI port, a USB 2.0 port, a USB-C port, Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2.

It’s time to get back in shape! In fact, Cdiscount offers you a 55 euro discount on the Garmin Fenix ​​​​7X solar watch.

To help you stay in shape, there’s nothing better than a connected watch. At Cdiscount, the Garmin Fenix ​​7X Solar connected watch currently costs less than 700 euros. But hurry, there are not many left in stock! It is equipped with GPS and outdoor navigation sensors. You can plan your routes and go on an adventure. Hiking fans will be thrilled.

The Garmin Fenix ​​​​7X Solar Smartwatch can also monitor your health. It monitors your heart rate, your breathing, your stress, your sleep… a real little assistant. This also includes many sports such as swimming, running, cycling and many more. In addition, it offers special functions for surfing. This allows you to create a video of the waves you are surfing. It is very robust and also easy to use thanks to its Amoled touchscreen. You won’t leave her again.

Don’t miss out on the Garmin Fenix ​​​​7X solar watch on offer

You can count on Cdiscount for your fitness. The dealer site offers you the Garmin Fenix ​​​​7X Solar Connected Watch at a price of 699 euros instead of 754.29 euros. In addition, delivery is free to your home or pick-up point. You also have the option to pay in 4 installments.

If you become a member of Cdiscount at your convenience, you will save even more. With the loyalty program you benefit from free and unlimited express delivery. Your watch will be at your home tomorrow without any shipping costs.

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The BFMTV editorial team was not involved in the creation of this content. BFMTV may receive compensation if one of our readers makes a purchase using the links included in this article.

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On the Moon, communication needs, whether for machines or humans, will be very important and essential to ensure a sustained human presence on the Moon. If the satellites will be of great use, Nokia wants to demonstrate the technical feasibility and full interest of using a cellular network installed on the lunar surface and capable of providing a 4G/LTE connection. A demonstration mission to the moon is planned for launch in late 2023/early 2024.

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Space exploration has always been a pioneering area of ​​technological innovation, but NASA’s Artemis program goes a step further and seeks to capitalize on advances in various industrial sectors that could be used for robotic and human space exploration. Moon.

From the Earth to the Moon

One of NASA’s ambitious goals under the Artemis program is to create a permanent base at the moon’s south pole, which would serve as a hub for future lunar missions or even a stepping stone to Mars. To be successful with its sustainable installation on the Moon, NASA will need a range of technologies that are in use on Earth but adapted for use on the Moon and its environment, which is very different from Earth must.

With this in mind, several programs have been created to encourage companies in various industries to initiate, develop, adapt or advance technologies used in NASA’s Artemis program. Not only will these technologies be used by NASA, they could also find commercial opportunities on the moon or even commercial opportunities in space.

The first small demonstration of a mobile phone network on the moon

Companies set to benefit from NASA’s Tipping Point funding include Nokia Bell Labs, which plans to develop a cellular network on the lunar surface. This network will enable future astronauts and lunar missions to stay connected and communicate effectively. It will be widely used by NASA and its partners, since not all of the necessary navigation and communications satellites will certainly be operational on the first manned missions to the Moon.

With Moonlight we want to “provide a wide range of communication and navigation services related to lunar exploration”

Connectivity and communication are essential to ensure a sustainable human presence on the Moon and Mars in the future. Astronauts need access to voice, video and data communications capabilities, as well as telemetric and biometric data. They also need to access vast sensor networks, conduct scientific experiments, and operate robots and other machines remotely. All of these scenarios and applications require robust network connectivity to be rebuilt.

Adaptation of a terrestrial network to the lunar environment

For this unique demonstration, Nokia Bell Labs will obviously not be installing lunar relays! It simply connects two exploration vehicles to a lunar lander via a 4G/LTE connection. Nokia Bell Labs has therefore developed a low-power, compact and space-suitable version of its 4G/LTE microcell. This network is specifically designed to withstand the journey to the Moon and to function in the extreme temperature and radiation conditions, as well as the dusty and abrasive environment of the lunar surface.

Nokia wants to build a 4G/LTE network on the moon. ©Nokia Bell Labs

Nokia has teamed up with Intuitive Machines and Lunar Outpost for the unmanned lunar mission called IM-2, which will land at the moon’s south pole. Its lunar 4G/LTE network will include two main elements:

• the first is the base station, which will be integrated directly into Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lander and will serve as a cellular site for the lunar network;
• The second element will be the radio equipment installed on two lunar vehicles: the MAPP rover (Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform) from Lunar Outpost and the Micro-Nova Hopper from Intuitive Machines. Together, these radio components form a network that allows the vehicles and the lander to communicate with each other.

A powerful direct radio link from the lander establishes a connection to Earth, allowing mission managers to receive data and images and remotely control vehicles via the cellular network.

From the moon to the most extreme terrestrial environments

This partnership shows that technologies for “terrestrial” uses can also be applied in space, opening up opportunities for use in space. With this demonstration, Nokia aims to prove that its cellular technology can provide reliable, high-capacity connectivity required for future manned and unmanned missions to the moon and other planets. An experience that will be useful for companies interested in networks that can function in the most extreme environments on Earth.

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