“Plaintiffs have proven that Google has willfully engaged in a series of anticompetitive acts to acquire and maintain monopoly power in the publisher ad server and ad exchange markets for open-web display advertising,” Judge Leonie Brinkema concluded in a 115-page ruling (PDF) for the Alexandria division of the US District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/google-guilty-of-willfully-anticompetitive-acts-in-display-ads-business
Utah has become the first US state to pass legislation requiring app stores to verify users' ages and seek parental consent before allowing minors to download apps. "Parents want a one-stop shop to verify their child’s age and grant permission for them to download apps in a privacy-preserving way. The app store is the best place for it," Meta, X, and Snapchat said in a joint statement. "We applaud Utah for putting parents in charge with its landmark legislation and urge Congress to follow suit."
https://www.pcmag.com/news/utah-lawmakers-pass-bill-that-puts-app-stores-in-charge-of-age-verification
Realme and Xiaomi showed off concept devices at Mobile World Congress that involve attaching a lens to your phone to get sharper shots. The concept phone has a physical connector that allows you to attach lenses directly to the phone itself. It lines up with the phone's internal 1-inch type sensor and allows you to use any full-frame mirrorless lens. Realme thinks pairing better optics with its phones' processing power will lead to better phone-based photos.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/would-you-attach-a-big-lens-to-your-phone-to-take-better-photos-mwc-2025
Amazon showed off the upgraded Alexa+ at a press event in New York City, revealing it can choose from a whole collection of generative AI models to fulfill your requests in a more conversational way. “She’s smarter than she’s ever been before. But she’s also approachable, which is so important,” said Panos Panay, Amazon’s head for devices and services. “That intimidation factor of AI is gone. She’s useful. She can plan a date, book the restaurant, and text the sitter.”
https://www.pcmag.com/news/amazon-debuts-alexa-plus-a-smarter-but-potentially-pricer-assistant
A new experimental Google AI tool aims to help people explore career possibilities. Career Dreamer uses AI to analyze your past experiences and suggest potential new gigs. “Think of it like a helping hand to bridge where you’ve been and imagine where you could go next,” Google says.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/google-career-dreamer-tool-uses-ai-to-help-you-explore-career-options
"With Apple Invites, an event comes to life from the moment the invitation is created, and users can share lasting memories even after they get together," says Brent Chiu-Watson, Apple’s senior director of Worldwide Product Marketing for Apps and iCloud. "Apple Invites brings together capabilities our users already know and love across iPhone, iCloud, and Apple Music, making it easy to plan special events."
https://www.pcmag.com/news/apple-joins-the-event-planner-game-with-apple-invites
Chinese AI company DeepSeek released an AI model that is sending shockwaves through the US tech industry due to its low cost and high performance. Tech investor Marc Andreessen calls it "AI's Sputnik moment," causing US tech stocks to tumble this morning, with Nvidia the hardest hit, down 11%. The app surpassed ChatGPT on the Apple App Store as the most-downloaded free application. But after receiving a flood of registrations and "large-scale malicious attacks"—possibly a DDoS attack—DeepSeek has "temporarily" restricted access to those with a +86 mainland Chinese phone number. You may still be able to sign in with a Google account.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/what-is-deepseek-china-shocks-ai-industry-with-sputnik-moment