The owner of a former North Huntingdon auto repair shop will pay more than $50,000 in restitution to customers who paid for work that was never performed and for buying $13,000 worth of goods with bad checks.
Dean Vezzani, 43, of North Huntingdon agreed Friday to pay $400 a month in restitution to the victims, which Assistant District Attorney Theresa Miller-Sporrer calculated would take him close to 11 years to complete. In return for pleading guilty to deceptive business practices and bad checks, Vezzani was sentenced by Westmoreland Judge Meagan Bilik-Defazio to probation and time served.
As part of the plea bargain, Miller-Sporrer agreed to drop charges of fleeing from authorities filed after Vezzani hid from Westmoreland County Sheriff’s deputies when they went to arrest him. Officers eventually found Vezzani hiding behind a basement wall in his home and told him he would be Tased if he didn’t come out, according to court papers.
When he was arrested in May 2017, Vezzani was accused of bilking nine customers out of $56,000 and removing parts from vehicles. He was charged with multiple counts of deceptive business practices and theft by deception.
Vezzani pleaded guilty to issuing 27 bad checks to Toona Automotive, which operated a store in Irwin, where he purchased $13,000 in equipment and supplies. A representative of Toona Automotive agreed to reduce his compensation to $10,000 as part of the plea bargain.
Miller-Sporrer dropped charges filed in connection with another two individuals. One man now living in Florida declined to return to Greensburg. Another could not pursue his claim because the two-year statute of limitations had expired, the prosecutor said.
One of the victims, Gary Ed of Irwin, said after the hearing he was happy to get the matter resolved.
“After 6½ years, we don’t have to worry about it anymore,” Ed said.
Ed said Vezzani owed him $1,300 for work never performed on Ed’s 1992 Mustang convertible. He said he sold Vezzani an SUV to reduce the cost of the anticipated repairs. When the work wasn’t finished on the Mustang, Ed said Vezzani offered him excuses for the delay.
“It was just one comedy of errors after another,” Ed said.
Joe Napsha is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joe at 724-836-5252, jnapsha@triblive.com or via Twitter .
As previously announced, today is the day: orders are open on the Apple Store and through other retailers for the remaining hardware products that Apple announced on April 20: the 24-inch iMac and the new iPad Pro and Apple TV 4K.
Yesterday, we reported that multiple leaks seemed to reveal a May 21 ship date for these products, and those leaks turned out to be correct. The initial ship date for all of the above was May 21, but ship estimates have slipped slightly due to demand for some products—and significantly for others.
Specifically, most configurations of the 24-inch iMac, 11-inch iPad Pro, and Apple TV 4K are currently showing ship dates between May 21 and 27, while some specific configurations of the iMac and 11-inch iPad Pro are shipping in early June. The worst case, though, is the 12.9-inch iPad Pro, which in some configurations is shipping as late as July.
The 12.9-inch iPad Pro has a Mini LED display similar to the one seen in Apple's Pro Display XDR monitor, as well as recent high-end consumer LCD TVs. The 11-inch model still has the previous generation's display technology and is shipping sooner, suggesting that the new display tech is a bottleneck.
The other major improvement in both new iPad Pro models is the inclusion of the M1 system-on-a-chip seen in recent Macs. That chip also powers the new 24-inch iMac, which comes in multiple colors and has been redesigned visually since the last 21.5-inch model it (mostly) replaces.
The Apple TV 4K has seen the least dramatic changes of the new devices. For most use cases, it's identical to its predecessor. Compared to the version that was on sale before today, it has a faster processor; it went from Apple's A10 to the A12. And it has an HDMI 2.1 port, which may allow it to support 120 Hz playback and other modern TV features in the future.
The biggest change is arguably a redesigned remote, but that remote is also available on its own (it's compatible with the previous generation) as well as in a bundle with the lower-end Apple TV HD.
Samsung hit it out of the park with the launch of the Galaxy S20 FE last year. The Fan Edition device proved to be one of Samsung’s most successful of the year, so it’s only natural for the company to want to release a sequel this year and try to catch lightning in a bottle again.
Predictably, the sequel should be called the Galaxy S21 FE, and much like the predecessor did last year, the upcoming model should draw some inspiration from the premium Galaxy S lineup while maintaining a good value and a sub-flagship price.
There’s almost no doubt that Samsung will be releasing the Galaxy S21 FE this year. The company has at least indirectly-acknowledged that the phone exists when it accidentally mentioned it on the official Samsung Mexico portal this week.
Either way, Samsung will have a steep hill to climb if it wants the Galaxy S21 FE to become a worthy successor to the 2020 model, and the company does appear to have what it takes to achieve this, judging by all the leaks so far. Here’s an overview of everything we know:
Galaxy S21 FE design and color options
Much like the Galaxy S20 FE’s design was inspired by the premium Galaxy S20 trio of flagships, the upcoming Galaxy S21 FE is expected to adopt a new design language akin to the Galaxy S21.
Leaked press renders depicting the Galaxy S21 FE indicate that the phone will follow the same design principles as the Galaxy S21 series, particularly in regards to the camera housing. It wraps around the top and side edges of the device, and as a result, it look less like an afterthought.
SamMobile exclusively reported a couple of months ago that the Galaxy S21 FE will be released in at least four color options including gray/silver, pink, violet, and white. A fifth color — light green — was also discovered just a few weeks ago, along with a few camera details.
Galaxy S21 FE hardware and camera specifications
The Galaxy S21 FE is expected to carry a triple-camera combo on the back panel, though detailed specifications are unknown. As far as the selfie camera goes, it’s been reported that it should clock in at a resolution of 32MP, though only time will tell if it’s the same 32MP sensor that was used for the Galaxy S20 FE or an upgraded shooter.
There aren’t too many details on the hardware but battery details have emerged in mid-April. According to this data, the Galaxy S21 FE should be powered by a 4,500mAh battery, same as the Galaxy S20 FE.
Battery life could end up being better thanks to the adoption of components that have a higher energy-efficiency. The Galaxy S21 FE’s choice of chipsets hasn’t been confirmed yet but the phone could be offered with an Exynos 2100 and / or Snapdragon 888 SoC, and with two storage options: 128GB and 256GB.
The device is expected to have a 6.4 / 6.5-inch Super AMOLED Infinity-O display with a refresh rate of at least 90Hz, though 120Hz is a fairly safe bet given the fact that the Galaxy S20 FE already has this feature. Stereo speakers and an IP rating should also be par for the course.
When will the Galaxy S21 FE become available?
An alleged roadmap detailing Samsung’s launch plans for 2021 got leaked last month, and it suggests that the Galaxy S21 FE will be unveiled at a dedicated Unpacked event scheduled for August 19.
Leaked roadmaps may not always be a good source of accurate release date details, but what’s important to note about this particular roadmap is that it predicted the date of the Galaxy Book Unpacked event with pinpoint accuracy. This lends a bit more credibility to the idea that August 19 is the day when Samsung will reveal the Galaxy S21 FE to the world.
Pricing details remain unknown but the company is expected to stay true to the FE lineup and release the upcoming model within the so-called “flagship-killer” price range.
Florida lawmakers passed two bills on the last day of their 2021 legislative session that make major changes to the state’s auto and property insurance markets.
The actions follow weeks of back-and-forth debate on the proposals between the House and Senate chambers.
Stakeholders say neither of the potential new laws will do enough to accomplish lawmakers’ goals of reducing rates or weeding out fraud in their respective insurance industries. Both bills are now headed to Governor Ron DeSantis, who will have to sign them before they can become law.
The bill attempts to address some of the issues plaguing the state’s homeowners insurance market in which insurers lost more than $1.5 billion in last year. It passed Friday in the Senate by a vote of 35 to 5 and 75 to 41 in the House.
Changing the eligibility, rate glidepath and actuarily sound rate indication for Citizens Property Insurance Corp.
Replacing the one-way attorney fee-statute to make the recovery of attorney fees and costs contingent on obtaining a judgment for indemnity that exceeds the pre-suit offer made by the insurance company.
Reducing the claims deadline on all claims to two years from the date of loss, except for on supplemental claims which will have an additional year.
Requiring plaintiffs to file a pre-suit demand at least 10 days before filing a lawsuit against an insurer that includes an estimate of the demand, the attorney fees and costs demanded and the amount in dispute; disallows pre-suit notices to be filed before the insurance company to make a determination of coverage; and allows an insurer to require mediation or other form of alternative dispute resolution after receiving notice.
The bill also makes several changes to tackle what insurers claim has been an explosion of roofing claims and litigation. Specifically, SB 76:
Makes it illegal for roofing contractors or any person acting on their behalf to make a “prohibited advertisement,” including an electronic communication, phone call or document that solicits a claim.
Prohibits the offering of anything of value for performing a roof inspection, an offer to interpret an insurance policy or file a claim, or adjust the claim on the insured’s behalf.
Prohibits a contractor from providing repairs for an insured with a contract for repairs that does not include a detailed cost estimate of the labor and materials required to complete the repairs.
Adds potential for $10,000 fine for each violation by roofers.
Removed from the final legislation was the elimination of the state’s attorney fee multiplier and allowing insurers to include policy language that offers actual cash value instead of full replacement cost on roofs. The industry had urged lawmakers to include these provisions to address cost drivers, but it became a sticking point in both chambers. An amendment passed Friday also eliminated offers of judgment for the insured or the insurer.
Senator Jeff Brandes, who co-sponsored the legislation, voted to pass the bill but said it was only a “40% solution for what is needed in Florida to bend the cost curve.”
“Hopefully, it stabilizes rates, but really will ultimately do nothing to actually lower them,” he told his colleagues.
Locke Burt, chairman and CEO of Florida-based insurance company Security First, said he was disappointed lawmakers didn’t take up reforms to the effects of two Florida Supreme Court cases – Joyce vs. FedNat (2017), and Sebo vs. American Home Assurance (2016) – that are said to be partly to blame for perpetuating litigation in the state, as noted in a recent report from Florida Insurance Commissioner David Altmaier. But, Burt said, the legislation that passed makes some much needed changes and is a “step in the right direction.”
“I would characterize this a single step,” he told Insurance Journal. “But I would also tell consumers that their rates are going to continue to go up.”
Senator Jim Boyd, who is also an insurance broker, acknowledged that the bill is far from perfect and that no one, including the insurance industry and the trial bar, are happy with the result.
However, he noted, “we have got to do something. We cannot wait until next year to solve what is an incredibly large problem for our constituents.”
Representative Bob Rommel, who worked on the House version of the bill, said the legislation would provide oversight on insurance companies, help attract new carriers to the state of Florida and “make sure homeowners will have a competitive market and have the right to choose the right insurance for themselves.”
The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation (OIR) said in a statement that it “appreciates the tireless work of the Florida Legislature to pass meaningful property insurance reform. SB 76 protects consumer’s rights and addresses the current challenges in the property insurance market.”
If signed by DeSantis, the new law will take effect July 1, 2021.
Florida’s passage of this bill will repeal the state’s no-fault personal injury protection (PIP) system and instead require mandatory bodily injury coverage starting at $25,000 for all drivers in the state of Florida. Earlier versions of the legislation required insurers to offer medical payments coverage (MedPay) in the amount of $5,000 or $10,000, but the passed version makes the offering optional and includes an optional $5,000 MedPay death benefit.
The bill will also create a new framework to govern motor vehicle claims handling and third-party bad faith failure to settle actions against motor vehicle insurance carriers. A House amendment passed this week added a statement that the statute governing these bad faith actions is not intended to expand or diminish any cause of action currently available against insurance agents who sell motor vehicle liability insurance policies in this state.
Brandes, one of three senators to vote against the bill, said its sponsors had not done enough to study how the bill would affect rates.
“Florida already has some of the highest rates in the country and unfortunately if you are just struggling to make it… [and] buying just PIP today, rates will go up 40%,” Brandes said.
But bill sponsor Danny Burgess, a Republican, argued that a 2016 study from OIR showed rates would go down if the state repealed PIP. He said the provisions addressing bad faith will also help stop fraud that has been rampant with PIP and lead to further rate reductions.
“It’s hard to predict market forces, but overwhelmingly the data shows we will see a [rate] reduction,” he said. “Certainly not a steep reduction, but I do believe we will see a reduction.”
However, many in the industry and stakeholders have countered that assessment.
Insurer trade group the American Property Casualty Insurance Association (APCIA) opposed the bill’s passage, saying it could increase rates on Florida drivers and increase the state’s current uninsured rate of 20%.
It worked on an actuarial study to assess the impact of the bill and said its analysis shows it could increase the cost of the average auto insurance policy by as much as 23% or $344. Drivers who carry the lowest levels of coverage could see increases as high as $805 a year.
APCIA said more than 28,000 letters from Floridians were sent to lawmakers opposing the bill. The group is encouraging the governor to veto the legislation.
“As SB 54 heads to Governor DeSantis’ desk, he has the opportunity to protect Florida drivers from higher auto insurance costs and help keep our roads safer by vetoing this legislation,” APCIA said.
Also encouraging the governor to veto the bill is the Personal Insurance Federation of Florida (PIFF) and the Consumer Protection Coalition (CPC).
“We are extremely concerned that this bill would substantially increase rates for our customers and Florida residents who can least afford an increase, while forcing hundreds of thousands of Floridians already struggling to pay current premiums to drive without insurance,” said Michael Carlson, president and CEO of PIFF.
“On behalf of Florida consumers, the CPC urges Governor Ron DeSantis to examine the potential cost impact this legislation will pose on Florida consumers and consider vetoing the bill if it is found to raise rates and not decrease litigation,” the group said.
If signed by DeSantis, the new law will take effect Jan. 1, 2022.
A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Samsung for providing ‘defective’ glass on the camera of its flagship series, the Galaxy S20. According to the law firm Hagens Berman, Samsung has ignored a widespread defect prevalent on the Galaxy S20 series of smartphones where the protective glass on top of the camera module shatters unexpectedly during normal use
Samsung is being accused of fraud, breach of warranty, and violations of several consumer-protection laws. The press note shared by the law firm on its website says that Samsung sold its smartphone range with a defect affecting the rear camera module’s glass that apparently shatters spontaneously, with no external force applied, even when the phone is inside a protective case. The defect is said to be affecting the entire Galaxy S20 series including the Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20+, Galaxy S20 Ultra, Galaxy S20 FE, and all the 5G variants of these phones as well. Notably, this issue has been around ever since the phone series first launched as a certain owner of the Galaxy S20 reported about the issue on Samsung’s community website just four days after it went on sale.
“Samsung sold its Galaxy S20 as a high-end option for consumers, with a ‘professional’ grade camera, charging upwards of $1,600 per device, only to have them suddenly lose a major aspect of their functionality. During a time of social-distancing and increased use of online access, consumers are especially in need of a reliable mobile device, yet Samsung has refused to deliver the reliability it promised its customers,” said Steve Berman, managing partner of Hagens Berman and attorney for consumers in the class action.
According to consumers, Samsung has refused to cover the issue under warranty and is asking $400 to send the phone back to Samsung to investigate the issue or $100 under purchased Samsung care device insurance to repair the shattered glass. Even after complying with the costs, certain consumers are repeatedly facing the issue, while others have paid hundreds of dollars at third-party repair shops.
The press note cites a post on the Samsung consumer forum by a Samsung Care Ambassador as saying, “This happened to one of our ambassadors. After many complaints about the issue, we found out that it has to do with pressure buildup underneath the glass and not customers banging it against something.” Despite Samsung acknowledging the issue, the company did not resort to a recall and apparently continues to deny customer warranty claims.
The lawsuit sounds like good news for customers affected by the issue. The law firm also offers a form on its website that you can fill out and seek compensation. However, even if the lawsuit goes in the favor of consumers, there is no guarantee that you would receive enough money that can cover the cost of your repairs.
Like the storied brand it takes its name from, the new Atari VCS has a complicated history. Originally a crowd-funded project, now years overdue, it's finally starting to ship to crowdfunding backers and, soon, to the general public. Just as the original Atari company got caught up trying to figure out if it was a game console manufacturer, a software publisher, a computer maker or just a cultural icon, the Atari VCS feels similarly conflicted. It might be a game console. It might be a DIY-friendly, small-form-factor desktop PC. It doesn't fully satisfy as either, even at a modest $399 (which includes a wireless gamepad and a wireless retro joystick).
I first tried one of these systems out two years ago, when I was intrigued by the idea of a console that could also be a Windows or Linux PC. The idea of leaning so heavily on classic Atari games was probably the least interesting part of it for me, especially as these games are available in so many other places. If I want to play Asteroids, Crystal Castles or Centipede, even in various home console and arcade iterations, that's easy enough to do on almost any other platform.
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That said, there's a real vintage, authentic vibe here, to both the hardware and software. This looks and feels like an Atari product, down to the clever re-implementation of the classic Atari 2600 joystick. But keep in mind that the Atari brand is just corporate IP now. It's been bought and sold over the years, and is now owned by a French game company formerly known as Infogrames.
A confusing identity
In my hands-on time with it, it's obvious that the Atari VCS suffers from an identity crisis. One pitch for it is as a game console. There's a lot of competition in that space, from the PS5 and Xbox Series X to the Nintendo Switch and the Xbox Series S. The Series S is $299 while the Switch Lite is $199, and both are far more capable pure gaming machines than this. If retro games are your thing, systems like the SNES Classic and Sega Genesis Mini are both under $100 and do a great job of making classic games easy to play on modern TVs.
The Atari VCS is much better thought of as a small form factor desktop, with a heavy DIY element. It runs an AMD SoC (system on chip) called the Ryzen R1606G, with just enough graphics muscle for light gaming and some expansion options like an internal M.2 slot. More importantly, you can skip the built-in Atari OS (basically a Linux-based catalog of games and a web browser) and run full Linux, Chrome OS or Windows 10 on it. Technically it supports the semi-abandoned SteamOS, too, but I wouldn't recommend that.
But there's a catch. The system only comes with its own Atari OS and a small 32GB SSD. To turn it into a real mini desktop, you need to install your preferred OS on either an external drive (connected via USB) or by adding an internal M.2 hard drive. It's a lot to ask of most people, and the entire project would make more sense shipping as a Windows or dual-boot machine.
I went through the process, installing Windows 10 on an external drive, and after a little troubleshooting, it worked fine. You could compare it to something like a Mac Mini, although the new M1-powered Mac Mini is much more powerful -- and more expensive.
Once I had Windows 10 running, naturally I installed some Steam games. Since it was built around classic Atari games, it's a stretch to ask it to do much modern gaming, I suppose. Recent indie darling Hades wouldn't run, neither would 3D Mark benchmarks. But my go-to low-power PC favorite, Deep Sky Derelicts, ran fine, as did Skyrim, at 1080p and medium settings. I also tried the new Microsoft Xbox Cloud Gaming beta, which worked well, as it's streaming from the cloud.
I could see myself using the Atari VCS hooked up to a monitor, keyboard and mouse as a fun mini desktop (and in fact, that's what I did for a few days). But you can also find more powerful hardware in a similar compact package. You're really paying for the console-like design, which is a fun conversation-starter at least. If you're using this as a desktop, however, keep in mind the internal fans will be cranking almost all the time and they can get pretty loud.
Two USB-A 3.0 ports, HDMI and Ethernet (don't worry, it has wifi).
Dan Ackerman/CNET
Recreating the past
Taken as a standalone game console, the Atari VCS is a tough sell. It looks and feels a lot like the classic console (there's even a wood grain version), but once you turn it on, the available options are limited.
There are a lot of preinstalled Atari games, in both console and arcade versions. The recreations feel authentic, but really most of these will wear out their novelty value quickly. I like the ability to play, for example, the Atari 2600 version or arcade version of Asteroids. But many of the games, especially the more obscure ones, need instructions, which you have to click through and read on-screen. If you're anywhere close to my age, you'll recall those old console games all came with instruction booklets.
The menu and navigation feels fine at 1,920x1,080 resolution, but upping the output to 4K, while supported by the OS, results in a slow, stuttery experience. Not that Centipede needs to be in 4K.
A small, for now at least, storefront offers more classic games, plus a few newer ones, but nothing that you can't find on other platforms, and the newer or remastered games aren't anything you're likely to go out of your way to track down. The ecosystem feels underpopulated at the moment, which is another reason why the system makes more sense as a desktop PC.
The wireless gamepad is a perfectly good take on the Xbox controller style. Much more interesting is the semifaithful recreation of the classic one-button Atari joystick. It's frankly not that useful outside of the classic Atari console games, but it's also a great tribute to an iconic design.
A vintage Atari 2600 joystick next to the new VCS version.
Dan Ackerman/CNET
The new version has some extra features not found on the original, including a second shoulder button, and it's wireless. It also replicates the old Atari paddle controllers -- just rotate the center stick between your fingers and it acts like a paddle. On the other hand, it lacks that classic Atari controller stiffness, so doesn't have the same muscle-memory feel as the original. Both the gamepad and joystick are available as separate $60 purchases, or come included in the current $399 bundle.
If you are a huge Atari or retro gaming fan, there's a decent chance you already backed the crowdfunding campaign or else preordered a VCS system. For everyone else, it's an interesting device that doesn't quite nail it as a standalone console nor as a desktop PC. It's best to me right now as a fun Mac Mini alternative, although you'll be paying a premium to make your 2021 computer look like it came from 1977.
The company says that the new products will be delivered starting on May 21st —at least for the first wave of orders, although that timing will certainly slip as stock sells out.
Customers interested in buying the new iMac should take note that only some of the color schemes will be available in stores: green, pink, blue, and silver models will be sold in-person at Apple Store locations, but the full seven-color spectrum will only be offered through Apple’s website, at least for now.
The new iPad Pro also features Apple’s new M1 processor (the same as the iMac and last falls updated MacBooks), in addition to an upgraded ultra-wide angle camera for better video calls. Additionally, the larger 12.9-inch model will feature a new Mini LED display, which promises a far brighter and more accurate screen experience — at the cost of a $100 price increase over the 2020 model.
Also of particular note: in addition to the preorders for the updated Apple TV 4K, preorders have also opened for the standalone $59 Siri Remote for existing Apple TV HD and Apple TV 4K (first-gen) owners looking to replace the infamous first-generation Siri Remote with a (hopefully) better new design.
Alongside the preorders for the new Apple products, the first wave of last week’s AirTag and purple iPhone 12 and 12 mini devices should be arriving to both customers and in Apple Stores starting today.
The new 12.9-inch M1iPad Pro is 0.5mm thicker than the previous-generation version, which has led to fears that it won't be compatible with the older Magic Keyboard. Apple is offering a new Magic Keyboard that offers a perfect fit, but Apple says you can still use your existing 2020 Magic Keyboard with a 2021 iPad Pro.
In a Magic Keyboard support document, Apple says the first-generation Magic Keyboard is "functionally compatible" with the fifth-generation iPad Pro, but due to the thickness of the tablet, it's "possible" the keyboard won't precisely fit when closed.
The first generation of the Magic Keyboard (A1998) is functionally compatible with the new iPad Pro 12.9-inch (5th generation) with Liquid Retina XDR display. Due to the slightly thicker dimensions of this new iPad Pro, it's possible that the Magic Keyboard may not precisely fit when closed, especially when screen protectors are applied.
Apple says that the fit issue will be exacerbated if a screen protector is put on the iPad Pro, but it sounds like iPad Pro owners who have a Magic Keyboard already and don't want to shell out another $349 for an updated version can continue to use their existing keyboards.
We'll find out more about how the older Magic Keyboard fits the new 12.9-inch iPad Pro when the iPad Pros are released or when reviews come out. Note that this issue only impacts the 12.9-inch model as the 11-inch iPad Pro is the same size and is fully compatible with the original Magic Keyboard.
For those who are concerned about the slight fit issue, Apple has a new version of the Magic Keyboard available for the 2021 iPad Pro, which comes in white for the first time in addition to black.
Apple has added a new App Store search suggestions feature in the US, Canada, Australia, and the UK, that might make it easier to find apps. Now, after typing in a search term, the App Store will attempt to predict what you’re looking for and offer suggested words that, when tapped, will further narrow down your search results and speed up your hunt for specific kinds of apps.
Search suggestions actually appeared on some iPhones earlier in April as part of a test, according to MacRumors, but now the feature should be rolling out to all iPhones in the supported regions.
Introducing search suggestions on the App Store!
Select (or deselect) multiple suggestions to refine your search so you can find even more amazing apps and games.
Search suggestions roll out today starting with the USA, Canada, the UK, and Australia. pic.twitter.com/viaZHlCZMb
Using search suggestions is pretty simple. Let’s say I’m looking for an app to help me make some pizza from scratch: I can type “pizza” in the App Store’s search field and see additional words pop up like “maker,” “game,” “call,” “calculator,” or “order.” Selecting one of those suggestions filters the results further, so choosing calculator will pull up apps for calculating the correct ratio ingredients for pizza dough (surprisingly there’s a lot of those).
Currently, not every search allows you to select multiple suggestions. I was able to refine Apple’s example of “food” with “delivery” and “Indian,” but my other sample searches only gave me one filter each. Not every search brings up a suggested filter, either. We’ve reached out to Apple for clarification on when suggestions appear.
What does consistently show up in search are ads, which Apple originally added to App Store search in 2016. It’s easy to see how my plan to make pizza from scratch could get derailed by a big Uber Eats or Papa John’s ad above my helpful dough calculator app. Ordering delivery is so much easier than doing math.
Those ads are likely to inflame Apple’s App Store critics further — they’ll no doubt argue that an indie developer trying to make it easier to figure out the ratios of water to flour in pizza shouldn’t have to compete with Uber’s ad budget, the same way they think competing apps shouldn’t be buying ads in front of one another’s products while Apple profits from the result. But every change to a search engine has winners and losers, and it’s not yet clear whether this one will make it easier or harder for small developers to get more exposure. They could wind up being helpful for everyone who uses the App Store.
Windows 10’s next major update won’t include just one long overdue tweak. As reported by The Verge, Microsoft is also working on finally adding support for the AAC Bluetooth audio codec. That's great news if you own a pair of AirPods. Currently, Windows 10 limits you to SBC and Qualcomm’s AptX. AAC is most closely associated with Apple. All of the company’s Bluetooth headphones ship with the codec and default to SBC when it isn’t available.
Microsoft
Microsoft is also changing how you select Bluetooth inputs in Windows 10. Right now, if you click on the taskbar sound menu, you’ll see multiple profiles for all the headphones and speakers connected to your computers. That’s something that can make it confusing to know what input you should click on if you want to listen to music or talk to someone. Moving forward, Windows 10 will instead automatically switch to the correct Bluetooth profile. All you have to do is select the device where you want to hear everything.
Outside of those updates, Windows 10 users can also look forward to support for Auto HDR in games and new File Explorer icons. If you’re a Windows Insider, you can test those changes by downloading and installing Preview Build 21370.
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Dealers Auto Auction will add a new auction in Columbia, S.C., marking its first location in the Carolinas, and Matt Laughridge will serve as the auction’s general manager.
The new Dealers Auto Auction of Columbia will be the eighth auction for the group.
Laughridge started in the auction business in 1999 with Manheim, and he would go on to serve roles in the management training program; national sales; government services; transition team for the ADT acquisitions; Hi-line Auction supervisor at Manheim Atlanta; and AGM Manheim Darlington.
He led an eight-person sales team in the Carolinas, was chosen for the Cox Executive Leadership Program and served as regional account executive and major dealer account manager, GM Mobile accounts, across the United States.
Laughridge grew up around the car business, with both sides of his family running franchise retail stores.
“We are very excited about our expansion into Columbia, South Carolina,” DAAG president and chief executive officer, David Andrews said in a news release.
Matt Laughridge
Andrews also said, “We are very fortunate to have Matt leading the new auction, especially considering his experience, strong leadership abilities and extensive dealer relations in the Columbia area.”
The new auction is located at 1416 Atlas Rd., Columbia, S.C.
In other news,the group has hired Harold Chapman to its leadership team, noting that Chapman most recently served as general manager for ADESA Nashville.
Chapman was with ADESA for the past 17 years and has worked in the auto industry for his entire career.
He started out in the retail automotive industry before moving to the auction side of the business.
“We are very excited to have Harold on our team,” said Dave Diedrich, vice president of sales and operations for DAAG.
Diedrich also said, “We are looking forward to Harold bringing his experience and talents to DAAG. Having someone with Harold’s industry knowledge, skill set and successful track record on the DAAG team is an invaluable asset.”
Ever since Sony started showing off Insomniac's next game, it has highlighted how Ratchet & Clank: Rift Apart takes advantage of the PS5's speedy SSD to enable dimension-shifting gameplay. A longer look from today's State of Play event goes into detail about what players will feel via their DualSense controllers, as the adaptive triggers and haptic feedback adjust based on what weapon they're using.
This video shows how the mechanics observed in the packed-in Astro's Playroom experience will work in a full game. Naturally the new-gen graphics and lighting look impressive, with large levels to explore even when you're not jumping into pocket dimensions. At the 16 minute mark they previewed some of the game's accessibility tweaks, including a Game Speed slider that should help even more people play when it's released on June 11th.
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On Monday, Apple released iOS 14.5, the smartphone update that Facebook fears.
The operating system upgrade includes improvements like a Face ID that’s better attuned to face masks, as well as more convenient interoperability between Siri and various music apps. What’s generating the most discussion, though, is a tool called App Tracking Transparency, which allows users to prevent apps from sharing identifiable personal data with third parties. The tool, billed as a major step forward for user privacy, could roil the digital ads industry, whose major players often track users as they move between apps on their phones. The update should’ve shown up on your iPhone by now; if you weren’t prompted to download it, go to “Software Update” under your general settings. It’s a milestone for the consumer web and a possible blow to social media’s business model, which depends on selling highly personalized advertising. There’s one hitch: Even when you turn it on, you might not notice a single thing has changed.
Whenever you download an app using iOS 14.5, a notification will appear asking whether you want to allow it to “track your activity across other companies’ apps and websites.” You can either select “Ask App Not to Track” or “Allow.” You can also opt in or out of tracking for an app at any time by navigating to the “Privacy” menu in the device’s settings and clicking on “Tracking.” From there you’ll see a list of apps alongside switches you can toggle to turn the tool on or off. Asking an app not to track you means that it isn’t allowed to transmit any of the identifiable location, contact, health, browsing history, or other info that it collected on you with advertisers, data brokers, or anyone else who might be interested in learning more about you. This should prevent, say, Facebook from serving you ads on grills based on the fact that you were searching for them on Chrome. Apps won’t be able to combine data they gather on you with information collected elsewhere by third parties.
It might seem like a fairly unremarkable feature, but App Tracking Transparency has the potential to reorient users’ relationships with their personal data, primarily by making the tracking opt-in. Prior to iOS 14.5, users did have the ability to limit the data that apps shared, but the default was to allow tracking, and you had to proactively check the settings to turn it off. Having the apps themselves ask this question upfront is an important aspect of the shift. “It’s not just giving users the choice,” said Gennie Gebhart, acting activism director of the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the internet-rights advocacy group. “It’s forcing these app developers to ask permission and possibly just stop tracking preemptively so they don’t have this scary permission associated with their app.” There’s a whole industry built around targeting ads using personal data, and if enough people start regularly opting out of tracking, Apple’s new tool could frustrate many of the businesses in this space. Facebook, in particular, is expecting the tool to have a small but noticeable effect on its revenue and has been taking out full-page ads characterizing Apple’s move as hurting small businesses. During the company’s quarterly earnings call in January, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg accused Apple of trying to “use their dominant platform position to interfere with how our apps and other apps work.”
However, if you turn tracking off for everything, will there be any actual differences in how you use your apps or what ads you see? According to Gebhart, it might not be so clear-cut. For instance, if you’re searching for grills on Chrome and then see ads for them on Facebook, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the tool isn’t doing its job. The ad-targeting ecosystem is so complex and multilayered that there are a number of ways that Facebook could determine that you want a grill just from your activity through first-party tracking on its own app. The platform could gather that you’re a middle-aged man who just bought a house in the suburbs at the beginning of the summer and determine that it’s likely that you’re in the market for a grill without ever looking at your Chrome browsing history. In other words, there probably won’t be any noticeable signs indicating that the tool is or isn’t working. You’ll know in theory that apps shouldn’t be swapping your data amongst themselves, but it likely won’t look all that different in practice.
This opacity is partly meant to make the user experience simpler. Being constantly exposed to the under-the-hood mechanics of the apps on your phone could be overwhelming. At the same time, though, keeping all this tracking hidden serves to obscure just how much of your personal info your apps are collecting and sharing. Apple’s new tool adds some more transparency—and thus friction—back into the equation, but there’s still a lot you won’t really be able to see. “There’s so much going on under the surface that advertisers and data brokers don’t want you to see, and all of the sudden Apple is forcing some of that above the surface, but it’s hard to say what to look for to know whether App Tracking Transparency is working,” Gebhart said, adding that users will continue to be at a disadvantage in trying to maintain their privacy online because of this dramatic information asymmetry. Still, one change that could result from Apple’s move is more chicanery from the data-hoovering business, which will need to find more creative ways to build profiles of internet users that can help advertisers target consumers. That’s why Gebhart says she’ll track which apps, if any, Apple decides to kick off its store for violating the tracking rules and any changes in strategy that companies in the digital ads industry are making.
With Apple acting as an unofficial regulator of user privacy, how will companies that want your data cope? It helps to understand how Apple’s update works. The main mechanism for controlling cross-app tracking is to limit access to what’s known as an Identifier for Advertising (or IDFA). The identifier essentially allows apps to combine data they directly collect on certain smartphone users with information collected by third parties elsewhere, like on the web. If you switch App Tracking Transparency off, the app won’t get access to the device’s IDFA. There are, however, loopholes that apps could potentially use try to identify someone without an IDFA. One method, known as fingerprinting, involves using other characteristics of your device like the model and screen resolution to follow you across the web. Under Apple’s policies, though, using this and other unsanctioned tracking methods could lead an app to get kicked off of the App Store. In fact, the company sent warnings in March to developers in China who were trying to create a new way of tracking users with an alternate ID system backed by the country’s advertising association.
“Many of these problems are policy problems,” said Serge Egelman, a research director at the University of California, Berkeley’s International Computer Science Institute, who added that Apple can’t simply relying on technology to mechanistically restrict IDFA access. In order for this new feature to work, it has to make it clear to developers that trying to track people in other ways will result in enforcement actions. “The issue is that the technology would need to anticipate every possible way that information that could be used to identify the user could be transmitted.” Constantly sweeping through apps would likely be necessary to enforce the policy.
Again, a typical user won’t be able to determine whether one of their apps is breaking the rules. It’s really only Apple or highly skilled researchers who could effectively monitor any shady data collection. Egelman noted that even if a typical consumer were able to see the traffic going in and out of an app, it would look like inscrutable strings of numbers and letters. Even someone with some nonspecialized programming knowledge would have a tough time catching everything because some of the information is purposefully hidden. “One of the problems is that there have been a lot of advances in security—good advances aimed at protecting users—that make it a lot harder to intercept the traffic, which at the same time we need to do to see what’s in it,” said Egelman. Most of the time you’d need a special device that monitors app traffic be able to get around those protections. In the end, laypeople will have to depend on apps to follow the rules, on Apple and independent researchers to be on the lookout for rule-breaking, and on Facebook and data-brokers not to get too clever about finding new ways to track us.
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