Tech Digest daily roundup: Football dominates Google UK search in 2021

The three top trending terms on Google UK this year were football-related, with only one reference to Covid in the top 10. “Euros”, “Premier League” and “Christian Eriksen” – the Danish player who had a cardiac arrest on the pitch – were the top three, with “Covid vaccine” fourth. Covid had dominated last year’s list. Google News Labs head Matt Cooke said the annual list revealed “insights into the zeitgeist of the nation”. “During a year of unpredictability, we have turned to sport, entertainment, gardening, recipes and UK-based travel to get us through some of the most frustrating and difficult times,” he added. BBC 

It took the better part of a year, but Google Stadia is available on recent LG TVs. Anyone with an LG set running webOS 5.0 or 6.0 (that is, 2020 or newer) can use the cloud gaming service to play Assassin’s Creed or Madden without requiring a media device or PC as a go-between. You’ll need a compatible gamepad, but that shouldn’t be an issue when the Stadia Controller and common console pads should work either wirelessly or through USB. Not surprisingly, LG suggests one of its OLED TVs for Stadia thanks to the fast pixel response times, low latency and (for Stadia Pro subscribers) 4K HDR visuals. They’re certainly not required, though, and it’s arguably the lag from game streaming that will make the larger difference. Engadget 

Calls are growing for the government to step in as some families face a second Christmas without being able to purchase a gaming console unless they pay a “hugely inflated” price. The underlying problem with supply is a global shortage of computer chips, but scarcity at a retail level is being aggravated by scalpers bulk ordering items as soon as they’re available to sell on for a profit. This cottage industry is supported by businesses like Aftermarket Arbitrage, which uses software to track retail stock, and – for a £30 monthly subscription – alerts members when units are available. Douglas Chapman MP has called for the practice to be banned in a similar fashion to ticket touting and has received support from colleagues across the House of Commons. Sky News 

Apple’s widely rumored upcoming mixed reality headset will make use of 3D sensors for advanced hand tracking, according to analyst Ming-chi Kuo, whose latest research note has been reported on by MacRumors and 9to5Mac. The headset is said to have four sets of 3D sensors, compared to the iPhone’s single unit, which should give it more accuracy than the TrueDepth camera array currently used for Face ID. According to Kuo, the structured light sensors can detect objects as well as “dynamic detail change” in the hands, comparable to how Face ID is able to figure out facial expressions to generate Animoji. The Verge