Month: March 2022

Enlarge / The featureless, very Apple-like physical Apple Card. (credit: Apple)

Apple plans to build its own in-house technology and infrastructure for financial services, according to a new Bloomberg report citing people with knowledge of the matter.

The initiative is internally codenamed “Breakout” as an allusion to the idea of users breaking free from the current establishment players in the financial system.

Apple has long held to a philosophy of controlling as much of the user experience—and its own pipeline—as possible, believing that offers the dual benefits of better experiences for customers and a bigger slice of the revenue pie for Apple itself. That control also means Apple can be less affected by surprises or failures that come from external partners.

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IT and software development firm Globant said in a statement Wednesday that it experienced a network breach. The statement appeared to confirm claims made by Lapsus$, a group that has successfully compromised Microsoft, Nvidia, Okta, and other victims in recent weeks.

Lapsus$ is a relative newcomer to the data-extortion scene. While the group’s tactics and procedures lack sophistication, members largely believed to be young and technically immature make up for it with persistence. Gang members were rumored to be among seven individuals arrested last week by London police. A leak Tuesday on the Lapsus$ Telegram channel included data the group said came from a recent hack on Globant, raising questions about precisely what relationship the suspects, aged 16 to 21, had with Lapsus$.

Not dead yet

London police don’t appear to have explicitly said the suspects were members of Lapsus$, “but, assuming [the suspects] are, we still don’t know how many other individuals are associated with the operation or where they may be based,” Brett Callow, a threat analyst with security firm Emsisoft, wrote in a private message. “For example, at least one of the members appears to be a native speaker—or, more accurately, writer—of Brazilian Portuguese.”

Enlarge (credit: Ars Technica)

It’s time for another Dealmaster! Our latest roundup of the best tech deals from around the web includes a new low price on 8BitDo’s Pro 2 gamepad, which is down to $42.50 at Amazon. If you prefer to shop elsewhere, it’s also available for 50 cents more at Best Buy. The wireless gamepad normally retails for $50, so this isn’t a massive discount, but it’s the best price we’ve tracked.

We gave the Pro 2 a positive review when it launched last year, calling it a “more useful, more comfortable, and more customizable” take on Nintendo’s Switch Pro Controller despite costing $20 less. The controller works across Switch, PC, macOS, Android, iOS, and Raspberry Pi devices. Compared to Nintendo’s “Pro” pad, its biggest addition is two programmable back buttons. These can make pulling off certain inputs in quicker-paced, competitive-minded games more convenient since you won’t have to physically move your hands around as much as you normally would.

The controller is well-built and comfortable, with sizable face buttons, joysticks with a satisfying level of tension, and an even weight balance. Unlike the Pro Controller, the Pro 2 also has analog triggers; this means they’ll respond to varying levels of pressure, which can be useful in, say, gradually accelerating in a racing game, instead of always going full-throttle. The D-pad is a bit firmer than what you’d find on a PS5 or Xbox controller, as it takes after the old Super Nintendo pad, but presses feel crisp and distinct, so it works well for old-school 2D platformers or puzzlers like Tetris. 8BitDo also has a fairly extensive companion app that lets you remap inputs, create and assign macros, and fine-tune the sensitivity of the joysticks and triggers. These tweaks, among others, can be saved across three separate profiles.

Enlarge (credit: James Leynse/Corbis)

The Department of Justice is throwing its weight behind an antitrust bill working its way through the Senate, with the department saying that it needs new tools to help police markets dominated by platforms such as Amazon, Meta (formerly Facebook), Apple, and Google.

“The Department views the rise of dominant platforms as presenting a threat to open markets and competition, with risks for consumers, businesses, innovation, resiliency, global competitiveness, and our democracy,” Peter Hyun, acting assistant attorney general, wrote in a letter to the Senate. “Discriminatory conduct by dominant platforms can sap the rewards from other innovators and entrepreneurs, reducing the incentives for entrepreneurship and innovation.” The letter was first obtained by The Wall Street Journal.

The American Innovation and Choice Online Act, cosponsored by Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), would limit Big Tech firms’ ability to “unfairly preference” their own products and services. For example, under the proposed bill, Amazon couldn’t boost search rankings of its private-label products, and Apple and Google couldn’t do the same for their apps in their app stores.