This week on The Shift with Drex, I talked about the business relationship between Apple and Microsoft, evidenced by the release of Office 365 in the Mac App Store, how OpenMedia has been working on behalf of all of us to keep the internet neutral and our mobile pricing low, Bell’s request that the federal government work a VPN ban into NAFTA renegotiations, and Apex Legends, the new, free-to-play game from Respawn and Electronic Arts.
This week, Bell lobbies the regulatory framework to get things working in their favour, while OpenMedia works for the people. Plus, Respawn surprises with the new game, Apex Legends. But first, Apple flexes and Facebook flounders, while Microsoft is all smiles.
Apple plays well with others when they play nicely
In stark contrast, Apple and Microsoft have never been better friends, with the former adding Office 365 to the Mac App Store for the first time ever.
It’s an acknowledgement by Apple that office productivity is owned by Microsoft, and by Microsoft that it can best serve customers by giving them the services they need, on the devices they use.
OpenMedia worked to keep the internet free in 2018
OpenMedia is a non-profit set up to “safeguard the possibilities of the open Internet, and toward informed and participatory digital policy”.
For example, it led the protest against Bell’s FairPlay Canada scheme which aimed to give it and other internet service providers the ability to independently blacklist websites. Representatives also drove efforts to have Canada’s Privacy Act reformed to prevent Statistics Canada from accessing financial data on citizens.
In 2019, Canada’s Broadcast and Telecommunications Act is being reviewed and this has implications on the amount we pay for mobile and internet services, as well as how free and open those platforms remain.
Bell asked government to block virtual private networks as part of NAFTA renegotiations, documents show
Last week, news broke that Bell asked the federal government to include virtual private networks (VPNs) in its NAFTA renegotiations.
Originally reported by the Wire Report and covered by Torrentfreak, the submission from Bell Canada Enterprises makes it clear the company wants a ban on VPNs that can be used by Canadians to access the U.S. Netflix library, for example.
The USMCA did not include anything on VPNs.
Electronic Arts surprises gamers with free-to-play Apex Legends
Respawn, a game developer that is part of Electronic Arts, surprised everyone this week when it dropped Apex Legends, a free-to-play battle royale game. Player Unknown Battlegrounds and Fortnite have some competition.
This is rarely done in the video game industry. With big budgets and big teams, normally games are announced a year in advance, and publicity campaigns carefully designed to trickle out information.
With Apex Legends, gamers were treated to a fully-formed experience. And Respawn, which has some of the creators of the Call of Duty games on its roster, has taken the battle royale genre and made it just a bit different.
It’s team-based, for one, pitting groups of three against each other. And players can be regenerated while the game is going on, as opposed to having to wait and watch after getting sniped.
Apex Legends is set in the Titanfall universe, which Respawn created, and while there are no big suits of weaponized armour to wear, the slick run-and-gun mechanics that are part of that series are also here.
The game has got great character design and is free to download and play on PS4, Windows, and Xbox One. You can pay real money for cosmetics and to progress faster, but it is by no means necessary.
And just in case you might be thinking that this game means no more Titanfall, don’t worry. Respawn head Vince Zampella says more Titanfall is coming this year.
This week on The Shift with Drex, Eric Chapman is in the host chair. We talked about the FaceTime vulnerability that allows people to eavesdrop, the record fine charged to Google in France, the Shot on iPhone challenge, and the upcoming beta for BioWare game, Anthem.
This week, Google got slapped with a fine that exceeds US$50 million, take pretty photos with your iPhone for a chance at fame, and BioWare’s Anthem is one of the first big games of the year. But first, why you should disable FaceTime on your iPhones, iPads, and Macs for the time being.
Why you should disable FaceTime for a few days
A flaw in Apple’s FaceTime communications software makes it possible for a caller to listen to what’s going on in the room before the call is answered.
The glitch seems to be tied to Group FaceTime, which added conferencing functionality to the software and was released last October.
Apple has disabled the Group FaceTime service at the server level and plans to have a proper fix straight away.
In the meantime, you can disable FaceTime in the settings of your iOS devices and in the preferences of the macOS app.
CNIL, the organization in France responsible for monitoring and enforcing of rules around personal data, assessed the penalty because, in part, users of Google services did not have to opt-in to ad targeting, and it was too difficult for them to understand the implications of how that data was being used.
Google’s response: “People expect high standards of transparency and control from us. We’re deeply committed to meeting those expectations and the consent requirements of the GDPR. We’re studying the decision to determine our next steps.”
Show off your iPhone photos for worldwide attention
Apple claims that the iPhone is the world’s most popular camera, and because of the ubiquity of the devices, I suspect they are correct.
It’s certainly true that the best camera is the one in your hand, and as smartphones get more powerful in terms of the hardware and software that help us take better photos, the snaps we’re taking are better all the time.
You’ve seen Apple’s campaigns on billboards and in advertising over the past couple of years featuring amazing photos taken with iPhones. Now you’ve got a chance to have one of your photos take that honour spot.
Starting this week and running until February 7, you can post your best iPhone photographs and have them considered by a panel of judges who will select 10.
Photos can be raw or edited.
To have your photo considered, post it to Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag, #ShotOniPhone, and noting what model of iPhone you used to take the picture. You can also email high-res photos directly to Apple with the photos named “firstname_lastname_iphonemodel”.
Judges include Pete Souza, Annet de Graaf, Austin Mann, Luisa Dorr, and Chen Man.
Get ready for one of the first big games of 2019: Anthem from BioWare
Despite the wonky VIP beta last weekend, there’s still good reason to be excited about Anthem, the new game from Edmonton’s BioWare.
The open world action shooter RPG adventure game releases on February 22 for PS4, Windows, and Xbox One, and promises the thrill of Destiny’s combat experience matched with the narrative and character development BioWare is known for.
Players are freelancers piloting javelins, powerful and agile battle suits, exploring and fighting enemies and crafting and upgrading.
There’s an open demo starting on Friday (February 1) that will be open to everyone. Expect that BioWare’s ironed out those loading issues by then.
This week on The Shift with Drex, Eric Chapman is in the host chair. We talked about the upcoming video game Crackdown 3, how a hitman was convicted using GPS data from a smartwatch, how CES 2019 enabled partygoers with LG’s HomeBrew beer making machine and Sony’s portable wireless speaker with built-in cup holders, the changes to Flickr’s account plans and what that means for users, and the Amazon robots making deliveries in Washington State.
The Mind Control Division is the intelligence arm of Blaine Kyllo's Solo Corps Creative Incorporated. This department conducts investigations and experiments into media and technology culture.
