Business Archives - Technology, review, product, AI and more...

05 Jun

After the Switch 2, there’s no going back to the old eShop

hightechz.net0 CommentsBusiness

Ahead of the Nintendo Switch 2’s launch, Nintendo said that the eShop would be improved and run more smoothly on the new console. Based on our initial testing at The Verge, it’s immediately apparent that the Switch 2’s eShop is much better. On the original Switch, the eShop can be extremely sluggish. Even just moving from one section to another can have a lag, and clicking into a game sometimes takes a bit to load before you can even go through the process of buying it. The delays and slow navigation make using the shop a huge pain; I personally…

04 Jun

Apple ordered to keep web links in the App Store

hightechz.net0 CommentsBusiness

Apple will have to continue allowing web links and external payment options in the App Store after its request to halt a judge’s order was rejected today by a higher court. In April, a federal judge demanded that Apple begin allowing web links, cease restricting how links are formatted, and enable developers to offer external payment options without giving the company a cut of their revenue. Apple promptly appealed and requested that the order be put on hold until the legal proceedings were finished. But an appeals court has now denied Apple’s emergency request to block the order. The court…

03 Jun

FCC investigation looms over EchoStar’s missed interest payments and a new satellite

hightechz.net0 CommentsBusiness

EchoStar is skipping interest payments even as it commissions a new Dish TV satellite — citing “uncertainty” caused by a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) probe. The company just missed a $183 million interest payment, the Wall Street Journal reported on Monday. It missed another $326 million interest payment, Bloomberg reported on Friday. It’s potentially setting itself up for bankruptcy protection, SpaceNews reports. It’s potentially setting itself up for bankruptcy protection While those payments are on hold, EchoStar, which Dish Network rejoined last year, is still investing in its TV business. It commissioned a new communications satellite for television, Maxar Space…

02 Jun

Texas Right to Repair bill passes, heads to the governor’s desk

hightechz.net0 CommentsBusiness

iPhone repair kit (2022) Texas moved closer to becoming the next state with a right to repair law on the books, as the state Senate unanimously voted 31 – 0 to finalize HB 2963 this weekend. It would require manufacturers to make spare parts, manuals, and necessary tools available for equipment sold or used in the country’s second most populated state. As more states have passed right to repair laws, we’ve seen repair options and information becoming more widely available nationwide from companies like Apple and Samsung. If the bill is signed into law by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, that…

02 Jun

Google Wallet is losing access to PayPal

hightechz.net0 CommentsBusiness

Google Wallet will soon no longer let you pay with your PayPal account in the US. On a help center page spotted by Android Authority, Google says it will stop supporting the payment method and automatically delete linked PayPal accounts on June 13th, 2025. The company has also stopped letting users link PayPal accounts to Wallet as of April 11th. Now, users who previously relied on PayPal to quickly connect their payment methods with Google Wallet will have to manually add a credit card, debit card, or bank information if they want to keep using the app. Google notes that…

27 May

Tesla continues to circle the drain

hightechz.net0 CommentsBusiness

We don’t typically report on monthly sales data for one car company in one market, but this one seems particularly notable given all that’s going on in the world. In another sign that Elon Musk’s company is in a real tough spot, Tesla is getting absolutely demolished in Europe. The company’s sales in the EU, UK, and European Free Trade Association fell a staggering 49 percent in April year over year, even as overall battery-electric vehicle sales rose. The new figures from the European Automobiles Manufacturers Association revealed that Tesla only logged 7,261 new vehicle registrations in April, nearly half…

27 May

eBay is cutting more than 200 jobs at TCGplayer

hightechz.net0 CommentsBusiness

TCGplayer is an online marketplace where users can buy and sell trading cards for Pokémon, Magic, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and more. | Photo by Stefanie Rex/Picture Alliance via Getty Images eBay is slashing the jobs of 220 workers at TCGplayer’s card authentication center in Syracuse, New York, as reported earlier by local news outlet LocalSyr. eBay will move the online trading card marketplace’s operations to a warehouse in Kentucky — a decision TCGplayer’s union claims is eBay’s attempt to “evade its bargaining obligations.” eBay acquired TCGplayer for $295 million in 2022 as part of efforts to expand its presence in the trading…

27 May

If algorithms radicalize a mass shooter, are companies to blame?

hightechz.net0 CommentsBusiness, Security

In New York court on May 20th, lawyers for nonprofit Everytown for Gun Safety argued that Meta, Amazon, Discord, Snap, 4chan, and other social media companies all bear responsibility for radicalizing a mass shooter. The companies defended themselves against claims that their respective design features - including recommendation algorithms - promoted racist content to a man who killed 10 people in 2022, then facilitated his deadly plan. It's a particularly grim test of a popular legal theory: that social networks are products that can be found legally defective when something goes wrong. Whether this works may rely on how courts…

26 May

Nikon’s cameras are about to get more expensive in the US because of tariffs

hightechz.net0 CommentsBusiness, Trending

After months of remaining quiet about how President Donald Trump’s tariffs on Chinese-made goods may affect its business, Nikon has announced a “necessary price adjustment” for its products that will come into effect for the US starting on June 23rd, 2025. The company hasn’t shared any specifics on which of its imaging products will see a price increase, or how much the increases may end up being, but it could mean this is the time to grab hardware like the recent Z5 II if you’ve been eyeing it. “At Nikon, we remain committed to providing the highest quality imaging products…

23 May

Presidential seals, ‘light vetting,’ $100,000 gem-encrusted watches, and a Marriott afterparty

hightechz.net0 CommentsBusiness

The winners of the $TRUMP meme coin contest did get to see President Donald Trump speak at a private dinner closed to the press - but his speech was probably the least exciting part of their night. They did get a better, more valuable, and potentially more lucrative experience: the opportunity to network with the biggest crypto traders in the game, win watches worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, and attend a not-so-exclusive afterparty at the Capitol Hill Marriott afterward - all without having to complete particularly thorough background checks. The vetting process for entering the dinner was a 'pretty…