Tech Digest daily roundup: Samsung earnings slump
Samsung Electronics Co has flagged a worse-than-expected 32 percent drop in quarterly operating earnings, as an economic downturn slashed demand for electronic devices and the memory chips that go in them. Estimated profit fell to 10.8 trillion won ($7.67bn) in July-September – the first year-on-year decline in nearly three years – from 15.8 trillion won a year earlier, the company said in a preliminary earnings release on Friday. The result was 8.5 percent below an 11.8 trillion won SmartEstimate from Refinitiv. Samsung’s memory chip shipments likely came in below already downgraded expectations and prices could fall further this quarter. Aljazeera
Glasgow arts venue SWG3 has switched on a system that creates renewable energy from the body heat on its dancefloor. Dancers’ heat is piped via a carrier fluid to 200m (650ft) bore holes that can be charged like a thermal battery. The energy then travels back to the heat pumps, is upgraded to a suitable temperature and emitted back into SWG3. The owners say this will enable them to completely disconnect the venue’s gas boilers, reducing its carbon emissions by about 70 tonnes of CO2 a year. BBC
A judge has delayed a looming trial between Twitter and Elon Musk, giving the Tesla CEO more time to close his $44 billion deal to buy the company after months spent fighting to get out of it. Musk had asked to halt the upcoming Delaware court trial, where the Tesla billionaire was expected to fare poorly against Twitter’s lawsuit to force him to complete his April merger agreement. Musk revived the takeover offer on Monday but said he needed time to get the financing in order. AP News
The Online Safety Bill in its current form is a “mess” and needs a “total rewrite”, a leading digital human rights lawyer has said. Dr Susie Alegre has written a legal opinion piece warning that the proposed internet safety laws fail to address the root causes of online harm, such as the systems which recommend posts to users, and that the laws would also threaten free speech. The Government has pledged to reintroduce the much-delayed Online Safety Bill to Parliament shortly, with Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan saying this week that ministers were working “flat out” to deliver it having previously suggested some tweaks would be made to the legislation. Yahoo!
Following last week’s surprise announcement that Google would be shutting down Stadia in January, the platform’s small but dedicated community have petitioned Google to allow the controller to work on other platforms wirelessly. The Stadia controller currently works on other devices via a USB cable, but it also has wireless functionality in the form of Wi-Fi and Bluetooth that’s firmware locked. While owners wait for a response from Google, some have taken matters into their own hands with some quirky workarounds. As reported by The Verge, one workaround involves using an Android device as a transmitter, which then sends the signal to a PC. Eurogamer
The $7.3bn merger between Inmarsat and US rival Viasat poses a threat to Elon Musk’s efforts to break into the market for in-flight Wi-Fi, the competition watchdog has claimed. Both Britain’s Inmarsat and Viasat offer in-flight connectivity services beamed down from satellites, providing airline passengers with data connections when flying. Mr Musk’s company, Starlink, has been trying to win customers among carriers, securing a deal with Hawaiian Airlines in April in its first major contract win. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said it was considering referring the merger for an in-depth investigation over concerns the combined company could lock out rivals. Telegraph
