Tech Digest daily roundup: Households could save £147 a year switching off ‘vampire devices’
UK households could save an average of £147 per year by switching off so-called vampire devices. Vampire devices are electronics that drain a surprising amount of power even when they are on standby. British Gas research indicates households in the UK are spending £3.16bn annually just for the privilege of leaving vampire devices on standby. This equates to £147 a year for the average household – the equivalent of two months’ electricity charges. A 54% rise in the energy price cap has meant a household using a typical amount of gas and electricity will now pay £1,971 per year. BBC
Elon Musk has attacked an “extreme antibody reaction from those who fear free speech” after Brussels regulators threatened to ban Twitter if it violates social media rules in the wake of his $44bn (£35bn) takeover. Thierry Breton, the European Union’s economics tsar, said that any company operating in the continent must comply with the bloc’s rules, for example on hate speech. Mr Breton said that, if required, the EU will take action to force Twitter to do so. Mr Musk insisted on Tuesday night that Twitter would abide by laws — but take no further action to limit what users can write. Telegraph
More than 125 billion US dollars (£99 billion) was wiped off the stock market value of electric car giant Tesla overnight amid concerns that boss Elon Musk may have to sell down his stake to fund his takeover of Twitter. Tesla shares tumbled 12.2% on the technology-heavy Nasdaq index in America, with investors spooked by speculation that its multi-billionaire chief executive will sell off his stock to pay for the cash portion of his 44 billion dollar (£35 million) mega deal. The Tesla owner has personally pledged to pump in 21 billion dollars (£17 billion) of cash to help finance the deal. But questions have been raised over how he will stump up the equity, with much of his fortune tied up in assets such as Tesla and SpaceX. Yahoo!
Drone company DJI Technology Co has temporarily suspended business activities in Russia and Ukraine to prevent use of its drones in combat, in a rare case of a Chinese company pulling out of Russia because of the war. “DJI is internally reassessing compliance requirements in various jurisdictions. Pending the current review, DJI will temporarily suspend all business activities in Russia and Ukraine,” the company said in a statement released Tuesday. Many Western brands and companies have withdrawn from the Russian market due to Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, but Chinese firms have kept operating there. Beijing has refrained from publicly criticizing Russia over the war. Both Ukraine and Russia are thought to be using DJI drones in combat, even though the company maintains that its products are intended for civilian use. AP News
The pricier new PlayStation Plus Premium subscription will include time-limited game trials – and now Sony has reportedly informed some developers it will need to ensure it provides them. According to a GameDeveloper report, PlayStation has updated its developer guidelines to state that a game demo lasting at least two hours will now be required for any title which costs $34 or higher (around £27). This rule is not retroactive, so will only apply to games currently in development and not yet released. Eurogamer
