ShinyShiny snippets: Pics of Google Pixel Fold phone leaked

  These leaked high-quality pictures illustrate the design of the highly anticipated Google Pixel Fold (Image: Front Page Tech) While many Android fans may have already upgraded to the recently released Pixel 7 series of smartphones (from US$596 on Amazon), tech enthusiasts who are looking for a brand-new and fresh form…

ShinyShiny snippets: Amazon may have to pay UK shoppers £900m compensation

Amazon shoppers in the UK could receive a share of £900m in compensation, once a legal claim is submitted against the technology giant. The proposed claim alleges the company breached competition law and caused customers to pay higher prices. It is being led by consumer-rights champion Julie Hunter, who alleges independent sellers are excluded from…

ShinyShiny snippets: TikTok raise livestreaming age to 18

TikTok is raising its minimum age for livestreaming from 16 to 18 from next month. A BBC News investigation found hundreds of accounts going live from Syrian refugee camps, with children begging for donations. Some were receiving up to $1,000 (£900) an hour - but when they withdrew the cash, TikTok had taken up to…

ShinyShiny snippets: Twitch announces partial gambling ban

Twitch has announced a partial gambling ban, targeting slots, roulette and dice games. The Amazon-owned livestreaming platform will bar videos of gambling sites not licensed in the US or "other jurisdictions that provide sufficient consumer protection". The ban includes cryptocurrency gambling sites such as Stake.com, based on the Caribbean island of Curacao. It will take…

Tech Digest daily roundup: WhatsApp says it will not ‘lower security’

The boss of WhatsApp says it will not "lower the security" of its messenger service. If asked by the government to weaken encryption, it would be "very foolish" to accept, Will Cathcart told the BBC. Government plans to detect child sex-abuse images include the possible scanning of private messages. The NSPCC has criticised WhatsApp's position,…

ShinyShiny snippets: Amazon closes all its physical bookstores

Amazon.com Inc said on Wednesday it plans to close all 68 of its brick-and-mortar bookstores, pop-ups and shops carrying toys and home goods in the United States and United Kingdom, ending some of its longest-running retail experiments. The news, which Reuters was first to report, marks a turning point for a company that began as…

Tech Digest daily roundup: TikTok ditches 3 minute video limit

TikTok is to ditch its three minute limit on videos and will soon allow all users to upload clips up to 10 minutes long, the Chinese social network has confirmed. It brought in the existing limit in July 2021, upping it from 60 seconds, having initially expanded it from the original 15 seconds. The app…

ShinyShiny snippets: Amazon and Nike ‘consider offer’ for Peloton

  Exercise brand Peloton is attracting bid attention from the likes of Amazon and Nike, according to reports. They have been attracted by the soaring sales of Peloton’s exercise bikes and treadmills during the pandemic. Suitors have not been put off by the return to gyms post-lockdown, which has left the firm worth less than a fifth of…

ShinyShiny snippets: Amazon drops plans to block Visa credit card payments

Amazon has announced that it will not stop accepting Visa credit cards for UK payments later this week as had been planned. In an email to customers, the online retailer said it was "working closely with Visa on a potential solution". The move had been due to take effect on 19 January with Amazon blaming…

ShinyShiny round up: Apple allows customers to self-repair iPhones

Apple is now allowing some of its customers to self-repair their own iPhones - after long prohibiting anyone except approved technicians from handling its proprietary parts and software. In a sharp turnaround, the US tech firm announced on Wednesday that users will be able to access genuine Apple parts and tools for consumer repairs on the…