It might be ending 2023 with a new name, but X (formerly Twitter) is also capping off a year of criticism and legal action with even more condemnation. The European Commission has announced it's opening formal infringement proceedings into X's operation and potential violations of the Digital Services Act (DSA). Thierry Breton, the European commissioner for internal market ironically shared the news on X, detailing the platform's suspected breach of obligations to be transparent and to counter illegal content. X's potentially "deceptive design" is also being investigated. 

In February 2023, all online services operating in the EU had to declare their size to determine if they were a Very Large Online Platform (VLOP). A VLOP is any platform with over 45 million users across the EU. Any company designated as a VLOP had four months to comply with the DSA. These measures include establishing a specific point of contact, transparency in advertising and content moderation and clear, user-friendly terms and conditions. It also requires identifying and mitigating risks such as illegal content, gender-based violence and protecting minors. Other logistical stipulations include permitting vetted researchers to access data that informs about systemic risks in the EU, sharing data with the Commission and having an independent audit annually.

The Commission's actions follow a risk assessment report X submitted in September, a transparency report the platform published in November and ongoing concerns about how X is handling — or mishandling, for that matter — content about the Israel-Hamas War. Breton sent a letter to Elon Musk about the platform's responsibility to moderate posts in line with the DSA. The European Union opened an investigation into X's handling shortly after.  

In a statement, Breton explained that the newly announced proceedings show "the time of big online platforms behaving like they are 'too big to care' has come to an end." He continued: "We now have clear rules, ex ante obligations, strong oversight, speedy enforcement, and deterrent sanctions and we will make full use of our toolbox to protect our citizens and democracies." This instance marks the first time the Commission has opened formal proceedings to enforce these EU regulations. 

The winter months are ripe with long journeys — whether through a road trip to a relative's house or a flight somewhere warm — and require good quality music to get through them. Achieving this is quite a bit cheaper right now, with the Beats Studio Buds dropping to an all-time low of $80 from $150. The 47 percent discount is available on every color, from Black to Sunset Pink. 

Beats Studio Buds are a solid option for noise-canceling earbuds and — even more so now — are much more affordable than competitors like AirPods. They have IPX4 sweat and water resistance, three soft ear tip sizes and eight hours of battery life or 24 hours with the charging case. Android users can download the Beats app to see stats and updates, while this technology is built in for iOS users. 

The Studio Buds aren't Beats' only good deal to check out right now. The Beats Fit Pro is 20 percent off, dropping to $160 from $200 in every color except Moon. The secure wing-tipped earbuds can last six hours on a single charge or 24 hours with the case and add adaptive EQ to the list of listening modes. Plus, they're also IPX4 sweat and water-resistant. 

Then there's the Beats Studio Pro headphones, available for $180, down from $350 — a 49 percent discount. The sale price increases to $205 when adding in two years of AppleCare+. The Studio Pro headphones have 40 hours of battery life and can get another four hours with just a 10-minute charge. The on-ear buttons can activate Siri, accept calls or control the music. The Beats Fit Pro and Studio Pro are both only $10 off their all-time low prices. 

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Space lasers, once a mere futuristic joke, have become a real tool in building technology up there and making improvements for all of us down here. There's been NASA's use of space lasers to study plankton, plans to blast space junk and, now, a satellite network courtesy of Amazon. The company has announced that its Project Kuiper has built up its optical inter-satellite links (OISLs) capabilities to create a substantial mesh network of high-speed laser cross-links. This technology could result in faster data transmission to even the most remote places back on earth. 

In October, Amazon launched two prototype satellites and reported successful tests one month later, with the pair dispatching and retrieving data at speeds of up to 100 gigabits per second. "These tests demonstrated our ability to establish a single bi-directional link between two satellites, and initial data indicates that our design will be able to maintain cross-links between multiple satellites at once—the critical feature of a next-generation mesh network in space," the company stated. 

To successfully use OISLs, laser links had to maintain contact at a distance up to 1,616 miles while also contending with spacecrafts moving at a speed of 15,534 miles per hour. Plus, Amazon had to minimize light spreading in order to maintain the signal and account for any additional dynamics of all these moving pieces — something it says has been successfully done.

Amazon also claims the mesh network moves data about 30 percent faster than terrestrial fiber optic cables can. "Amazon's optical mesh network will provide multiple paths to route data through space, creating resiliency and redundancy for customers who need to securely transport information around the world," Ricky Freeman, vice president of Kuiper Government Solutions, explained in a statement. "This is especially important for those looking to avoid communications architectures that can be intercepted or jammed, and we look to forward to making these capabilities available to public sector customers looking to move and land data from remote locations to their desired destination." Basically, anyone from a cruise ship passenger to a multi-day hiker should be able to get a connection if this is successful. 

Project Kuiper started in 2019 but has seen a real boost in the last few months. With these successful tests completed, Amazon states that Project Kuiper is starting satellite production, with "full-scale deployment" beginning in the first half of 2024. It also predicts that early customer pilots will begin in the second half of the year. Notably, Amazon signed a deal with SpaceX to launch more Project Kuiper satellites at a faster rate. 

Gift cards can get a lot of hate as being impersonal, but when it comes down to it, they're a great option for anyone who is unsure what to give. This is all the more true when they come with an extra incentive — as is currently the case for Apple gift cards purchased on Amazon. Right now, Amazon is offering $10 in-store credit with any Apple gift card purchase of $100 or more. All it requires is entering the code HOLAPP at checkout.

Apple's gift cards are available for standard amounts like $100 and $250 but can also be customized to any amount. Once purchased, Amazon can send the gift card to its recipient via email or text message with a personalized note attached. However, it doesn't have to be sent out immediately, with the ability to schedule it for any date. The specific time, though, is in Amazon's hands with a note stating it will arrive any time that day after 12 AM. 

The deal is only available "while supplies last" and is limited to one per customer. The email field offers the ability to send gift cards to a maximum of 999 recipients, so this is an important stipulation. The credit should then arrive within 24 hours of your purchase. 

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If you're looking to get a new Apple Watch as a holiday present for someone else (or yourself!), you're in luck. The Apple Watch Ultra 2 is back down to its all-time low price of $699, from $799. This deal comes courtesy of a six percent discount on the Ultra 2 and an additional $50 coupon applicable at checkout. 

The Apple Watch Ultra 2 came on the scene this fall with the new S9 SiP (system in package) chip, allowing you to double tap your thumb and forefinger together to perform activities like ending calls and playing music. The Ultra 2 also automatically turns on Night Mode, processes Siri requests right on the watch and has an always-on display.  

The one caveat: This deal is only available on the Ultra 2 large model, which fits wrists of 165mm to 210mm, and the Indigo Alpine Loop. However, multiple colors of the small and medium models (as well as the large Blue Alpine Loop option) are also discounted to $749 with $19 and $20 coupons available at checkout. So, for another $30 you have a lot of options size and color-wise. 

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Every day, there seems to be new generative AI news, and while it can often be serious and quite technical, this time around it's just plain fun. Instagram has launched a new generative AI-powered tool called backdrop that lets you create a new image in the, yes, background of your Story. Meta's generative AI lead, Ahmad Al-Dahle, announced the feature on Threads alongside a video tutorial.

Instagram's backdrop tool appears once you upload or capture content for your Story. It sits alongside existing icons at the top of your screen, like text and music, represented by an image of a person with a rectangular frame behind them. To use backdrop, just click on that icon, and the image's entire background will go checkered (similar to picture editors like PhotoShop) along with a text box prompting you to "describe the backdrop you want..." From there, you can add anything from "surrounded by puppies" to "chased by dinosaurs" — very different vibes — and the AI tool will generate it in the background.

Don't expect people to actually think you're hanging out under the aurora borealis (another possible prompt), as your Story will get tagged with AI·Backdrop by Instagram, along with a sticker saying try it and your description in quotation marks. Currently, Instagram's backdrop tool is only available to users in the United States.

In October, Insomniac Games launched Marvel's Spider-Man 2 without key features like New Game+ and audio descriptions. Just before the game's release, Insomniac's community and marketing director, James Stevenson, shared that New Game+ "should" arrive before the end of 2023. However, Insomniac has now released a statement explaining that it's targeting the next Marvel's Spider-Man 2 update for early 2024.

Insomniac shared the news on X: "We know players have been eagerly awaiting features such as New Game+ and Audio Descriptions, among many more. We have been working vigilantly on these features and require more testing to ensure the quality is up to our standards. We are now targeting Early 2024 for the next game update, and we'll have a feature-complete list closer to its release."

Insomniac went on to explain that it's adding more "highly requested features" to the game, such as replaying missions and changing the time of day. Many users' responses on X were positive, encouraging Insomniac to take all the time it needs and expressing their love for the company — some of which got answers from the company sharing its thanks and appreciation.

The original Marvel's Spider-Man game has New Game+, allowing players to start the game over while holding on to items they acquired during previous gameplay. But, despite the few missing features, we're big fans of Marvel's Spider-Man 2. Gamers can play as Peter Parker or Miles Morales across a world that's expanded to include parts of Brooklyn and Queens. The story, side-quests, and more minor activities all added to the gameplay, creating a sequel that is "both bigger and better."

In today's day and age, it can feel almost impossible to keep anything private, such as your whereabouts, and we're often at the mercy of companies to take actionable steps to do so. To that end, Google has announced new location controls for Maps designed to give you more well, control, over what and where data is recorded. 

One of the most notable changes rolling out is the option to save your Timeline right to your device instead of the cloud. If you're unfamiliar, the Timeline is an encrypted record of all the areas and attractions you've visited. You need to turn on your Location History — it's off by default — in order to activate Timeline. As part of Google Maps' updates, Location History will automatically delete your data after three months versus the previous 18 months. However, you can delete any information as soon as you want or turn off auto-delete. Plus, you can turn Location History back off at any point. 

Speaking of Location History, Google Maps will also allow you to click on your blue dot on the map and see settings such as Location History and Timeline. The shortcut lets you edit how much of your information is shared with and stored on Google Maps without having to dive into your settings. 

Similarly, Google Maps is adding the option to delete location-specific data. Say you were looking up a restaurant to take your partner for their birthday and want to keep it secret, you can delete directions, searches, shares and more. This feature and the blue dot shortcut will roll out in the coming weeks on Android and iOS, but the ability to save your Timeline straight to your device will become available sometime over the next year. 

Apple is attempting to avoid a fine and ongoing legal battle with the European Union. The company is allegedly offering its rivals access to its Near-Field Communication (NFC) technology, used for tap-and-go payments, Reuters reports. The update follows the European Commission's May 2022 charge and ongoing probe into Apple's potential antitrust Apple Pay practices.

The Commission has been investigating Apple since 2020, with Executive Vice-President Margrethe Vestager previously stating there were "indications that Apple restricted third-party access to key technology necessary to develop rival mobile wallet solutions on Apple's devices." 

While Apple's current proposal could get it out of a hefty fine and settle the case against it, it's not guaranteed to move forward. The Commission will likely confer with Apple's rivals and customers in the next month or so to determine if it should accept the offer. More than 2,500 banks across Europe use Apple Pay. 

Apple also faces a lawsuit in the United States, brought in July 2022 by Iowa's Affinity Credit Union. Similarly, it accuses Apple of engaging in anti-competitive behavior by illegally restricting iOS users to Apple Pay for any contactless payments.

In September 2023, a US District Court Judge Jeffrey S. White of California ruled that the case would move forward, stating: "Plaintiffs have plausibly alleged that Apple Pay charges arbitrary and inflated fees to issuers, and that competition in the tap-and-pay iOS mobile wallet market would spur innovation and lead to lower prices." In his decision, White also explained that the plaintiffs properly demonstrated Apple's alleged and attempted monopolization.

Comment sections can be a place of both community and animosity, with the speed of responses presenting a moderation challenge. YouTube is attempting to find a happy balance, announcing additional comment controls for creators — most notably the option to pause comments. The company trialed the feature and is now rolling it out to everyone.

The option to pause allows for existing comments to remain visible while not allowing other accounts to submit any more. Previously, creators could only disable comments from their channel or review each one before posting. Unlike the review setting, pause stops any remarks from coming in at all, removing the risk of a pile-up or viewing negative and inappropriate comments. Basically, if someone wants to spend time on other things like video creation or activities outside of YouTube, they can do so without thinking about the viewers waiting for their responses to go live. 

YouTube has also reorganized and renamed some of the comment settings, along with adding the pause feature. Now, creators will see three choices under the comments setting: On, Pause and Off. More specific moderation options appear when comments are turned on, starting with Basic, which holds comments that might be inappropriate for review. Then there's Strict, which casts a broader net as to which comments must be reviewed first, and Hold All, which lets creators review and approve every comment before they post it publicly. Creators can also choose to have comments turned on without any of these additional filters.