The Morning After: DOJ wants Google to sell Chrome

The Department of Justice is reportedly planning to make Google sell its Chrome browser to address its search monopoly. It’s in response to a 2020 lawsuit filed by the DOJ and several US states that was finally ruled upon in August. Google has, naturally, said such a sale would be a terrible idea and would harm American competitiveness in the tech industry. I’m more curious about how much inherent value Chrome has without the backing of its parent company.

— Dan Cooper

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News in Brief

• The Oura Ring Gen 3 drops to a record low of $249 for Black Friday
  It’s a good deal if you don’t wear a smartwatch.

• Meta wants its Llama AI in Britain’s public healthcare system
  How do you reduce wait times? More staff members… AI, somehow.

• Bluesky hits 20 million users
  It’s the new home for the soul of old Twitter.

Minecraft is getting its own theme parks

And view a new trailer for its forthcoming movie.

The company behind Legoland is teaming up with Mojang to build Minecraft theme parks in the US and UK. Both locations will have interactive attractions based on the game, as well as rides, gift shops and restaurants designed to milk cash out of weary parents. The announcement came on the same day as the first full trailer for A Minecraft Movie, another sign of the game’s growing cultural dominance. Given I can’t move in my own home without hearing famous Minecraft YouTuber Aphmau screech-shouting at the top of her lungs, I can’t wait to grind my teeth into powder taking my kids to enjoy both.

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Sony will trial cloud streaming for the PS5 Portal

i.e. The thing it should have had from the start.

Someone at Sony has finally noticed the PlayStation Portal was shipped without its raison d’être: cloud streaming. The company is pushing a software update for users to test the feature with more than 120 PS5 Plus games. It only took them a whole damn year to get around to it.

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Germany says cut undersea data cables were sabotaged

Finger pointing is happening.

Over the weekend, two undersea data cables in Europe were cut, with one German politician claiming sabotage. Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has gone public with his belief the two lines were deliberately cut, but admits he has no proof to support his claim. Both Germany and Finland, two of the countries affected, say a thorough investigation is in progress.

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What is Sonos Sound Motion technology?

A guide for the perplexed.

Sonos hasn’t had a great year, but one highlight has been the Arc Ultra soundbar, the first model to debut its Sound Motion technology. Now, I bet you’re wondering what that tech is and what it does, which is why Engadget’s audio expert Billy Steele has cooked up this guide. He’ll talk you through what it’s good for, why Sonos spent $100 million to own it and what it means for the future of your home audio.

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I wish Blizzard loved Warcraft as much as I do

These games deserve better than this.

I’ve got fond memories of playing Warcraft II as a kid, with “They’re destroying our city!” a regular rallying cry in me and my friend Shane’s playground games. Engadget’s Igor Bonifacic has a similar love for the series and leapt in to play the recently released remaster. Sadly, it looks like Blizzard phoned this one in, prompting Igor to look a little closer at what’s going on.

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