The UK's Court of Appeal has rejected Apple's request to dismiss a $1 billion lawsuit over cutting the performance of an iPhone 6 and other models with chemically depleted batteries.An iPhone batteryConsumer rights activist Justin Gutmann filed his case in 2022, through the UK's equivalent of a US class action lawsuit. According to a statement to AppleInsider from Gutmann's legal team, Apple's attempts to get the case dismissed on appeal have now failed."[The UK] Court of Appeal has given the go-ahead for the so-called 'Batterygate' lawsuit a collective action brought on behalf of millions of UK users, which accuses Apple of intentionally 'throttling' iPhone batteries," says the statement. "Apple will now be forced to defend itself in court, after it tried but failed to get the 853 million pounds [$1.1 billion] claim thrown out." Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

Celebrating the release of co-op adventure game Split Fiction, director Josef Fares has spoken about his dislike for microtransactions in games. In a video reacting to YouTube comments about his games, Fares talks about microtransactions having a negative impact on game design.Reacting to a comment that said No lootboxes, no microtransactions, no BS. Words to live by, Fares responded by saying of course. And that goes for everything we do it Hazelight.I think those kind of shits affect the design of how the game should be done, Fares continued. Every time you take a decision, a design decision, taken on you making more money in the game, I think its a huge problem and its stopping our industry from a creative perspective.Fares also responds to other comments, including one that refers to the recently-released Split Fiction as a sequel to divorce simulator, referring to Hazelights previous title It Takes Two.No no no no, my man, responded Fares. This is not a divorce at all. This is actually about friendship. So get ready to play with someone to get even more close as friends.Fares has traditionally called out the larger gaming industry on various aspects. Back in February, he called out Ubisoft for not having any co-op experiences in its more recent games.Other publishers arent doing this, and its crazy to me, said Fares in an interviewe are playing these games, and people love them. I mean, Im looking at Ubisoft, and theyre struggling now, and I hope someone [from there] listens to this interview, but why arent they taking [Splinter Cell protagonist] Sam Fisher and doing a split-screen-only game?Hazelights titles have largely revolved around two-player co-op with games like A Way Out and It Takes Two. The studios first game, however, was the single-player Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons.Dont chicken out to do single-player; just say this is split-screen only, he continued. Boom, thats it. You have success, and I can guarantee you that they will sell a huge amount of copies of that. Yeah, they dont even have to do it the Hazelight way; why dont they listen to this [interview] and be like, Oh, hes right. Thats a guaranteed success for them; its for you, Ubisoft. You can get it for free from me.Split Fiction has just come out on PC, PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. The co-op-focused game revolves around two girls that are trying to get out of computer simulations that they are trapped in. Interestingly, players only need to buy a single copy of Split Fiction, with the co-op partner getting a Friends Pass so that they can play together online.Check out our review for more details about Split Fiction.

Activision and Iron Galaxy Studios recently announced Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3 + 4, finally remastering the third and fourth games in the franchise for modern platforms. While quality of life changes, revamped visuals, and new parks are a given, the Career Mode in Tony Hawks Pro Skater 4 wont be the same.Activision told Kotaku that instead of free-roaming around levels, collecting money, completing challenges and hanging out, it more closely resembles previous titles. You get a list of challenges for each level and a two-minute time limit to complete them.The format has worked well thus far, but its not exactly everything fans loved about the original. And as evidenced by the series subreddit, theyre far from happy about this change.Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3 + 4 launches on July 11th for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5, PC, and Nintendo Switch. Digital Deluxe Edition owners get three days of early access and the Foundry demo before launch, which includes two parks and skaters.

Embark on the immersive audio tour of the historic Hadleys Orient Hotel, Trail of Terrific Tales. Learn where Tasmanias first roller skating rink opened in 1867, where Roald Amundsen stayed after his South Pole victory, and how Tasmanias first ice creams were made in 1850.The post OPEN HOUSE HOBART 2023 | HADLEYS HOTEL appeared first on Australian Institute of Architects.

Woods Bagot with Hansen Yuncken is sympathetically regenerating the existing structure, restoring Morris-Nunn and Associates original building and distinctive 22-meter diameter glass dome, reinstating the native urban forest that once stood beneath it. With the addition of new buildings and modern insertions, the design team is activating the historic building and transforming it into a dynamic learning hub for the University of Tasmania.The post OPEN HOUSE HOBART 2023 | FORESTRY BUILDING appeared first on Australian Institute of Architects.

Sony announces PlayStation 5 rental scheme in UKPS5 consoles and other hardware are available to rent via flexible monthly rolling plans or set periodsImage credit: Sony Interactive Entertainment News by Sophie McEvoy Staff Writer Published on March 7, 2025 Sony has partnered with tech leasing service Raylo to offer a rental scheme for PlayStation 5 hardware in the UK via its Flex program.Customers will have the ability to lease PS5 consoles and other accessories for no upfront cost with either a flexible monthly rolling plan that can be cancelled at any time, or a set period.The flexible monthly rolling plan is the most expensive, with rental prices decreasing with the 12, 24, and 36-month lease options.Hardware available to rent includes:PS5 Digital Edition with one controller (starting from 10.99) PS5 Digital Edition with two controllers (starting from 13.49)PS5 Slim (starting from 11.99)PS5 Pro (starting from 18.95)PS Portal (starting from 6.49)PS VR2 (starting from 18.49)DualSense Edge Wireless Controller (starting from 7.99)The full prices for each payment plan can be found here.On its support page, Sony clarified that as these are rentals, customers do not own the console."You have the option to return, upgrade or you may have the option to purchase the device at the end of your lease, subject to Raylo's discretion and pricing at that time," it notes.Devices rented by Raylo have a lifetime warranty, so if the hardware fails or is damaged it can be "repaired and replaced at no additional cost."

Apple updated a couple of its most-loved products this week, both in relatively minor ways. The iPad and iPad Air both got new processors and not much else, the MacBook Air got a new processor and a new color, and the Mac Studio got a new processor. All this is both good news, and thoroughly unexciting.So of course, on this episode of The Vergecast, we talk for nearly an hour about all these chip bumps. The Verges Jake Kastrenakes joins Nilay and David to talk about the state of Apples various device lineups, the ongoing failure of Apple Intelligence to be a reason to upgrade, and whether reinventing the gadget wheel is what we even want from Apple anymore.Subscribe:Spotify|ApplePodcasts|Overcast|Pocket Casts|MoreAfter that, the hosts do a lightning round of tech news. We talk about the latest Digg comeback, the Nothing Phone 3A, the Volkswagen ID. EVERY1 (ugh, that name!), the end of Skype, and more. Then its time for a politics and policy lightning round: we talk tariffs, DOGE, the FAA, Brendan Carrs ongoing assault on free speech, and the latest at the CFPB. And finally, we end on a happy note by discussing one of the wilder camera / …Read the full story at The Verge.

Mobile World Congress shows us the best and wackiest new ideas in mobile tech every year, with a side of jamn and Oh, shit, was that the king of Spain who just walked by? Its a real trip. But this years conference was a mix of unusually odd oddities, including phone camera concepts I swear we tried 15 years ago to screens you can bend every which way.The phones themselves were predictable, and, often, predictably good. It was everything else in the margins that was weird: phones with weird back panels, things you put on your phone, or just really cool phone-adjacent screens.Every trade show has a main character. A Most In Show. At CES, it was anything Jensen Huang was doing. At MWC, it was the Xiaomi 15 Ultra. There is nothing surprising about this phone, which is to say that its a camera with a phone attached and the camera is a little better this year. But this time, Xiaomi addressed one of mobile photographys persistent problem children: middling telephoto cameras.Like I said, a camera with a phone attached.While the sensors behind main cameras have gotten bigger and more capable over the past few years, telephoto cameras have been stuck with smaller sensors that behave well in good light but fall apart when its dim. The 15 Ultra adds a bigger, 200-megapixel periscope camera to the phones already impressive array of camera hardware, and its really good. I had many conversations with my fellow nerds and journalists about how good it is, and it stands out to me as one of the most impressive practical achievements at the show.The Nothing Phone 3A and 3A Pro were ubiquitous, too, even though they were only announced partway through the day on Tuesday. There wasnt much left to guess about them because of a string of leaks and marketing teasers, but they come with an AI-powered feature called the Essential Space thats actually worth your time. Its a place for voice memos, screenshots, and bits of digital info that otherwise get lost in the camera gallery and it all gets indexed by AI. Most of all, these phones represent a sharper, more focused vision from Nothing and more substance to go with the brands strong style. What we saw at MWC gives me hope that well see more appealing stuff from the company later this year.Nothings MWC releases bode well for whatever it has planned for later this year.Thats a representative sample of the phones at the show: good but not surprising. The oddities came in the margins. Phones might be boring, but what if the back of your phone changed color? What if it was an E Ink display? Or held a solar panel that could charge your phone? What if it was loud not loud as in style but actually loud? My favorite weird thing of the show was Tecnos sustainable concept that used coffee grounds in a way I dont fully understand but actually smelled like coffee.There were also a lot of weird ideas going around about what you can put on your phone. Realme and Xiaomi both had concepts for big camera lenses that attach to the back of your phone, which I thought we were done trying to do, like, 12 years ago. Infinix had a concept for a phone case that uses solar power to charge your phone, though you obviously would need a specialized phone to work with it. HMD introduced a pair of wireless earbuds with a case that doubles as a magnetic power bank for the back of your phone.This earbud case is a real multitasker.Some of the best oddities of all werent even phones. Samsung Display had a folding handheld gaming concept that was not a Switch but was definitely a Switch. Its briefcase screen was fun, too imagine opening it up to show a picture of bundled cash on the screen! Just a free idea. And Lenovo had a bunch of new ideas about how many times a laptop can fold; if you thought the answer was once, you might be surprised.More than anything, this years MWC was a reminder that even though phones may seem boring now, theres still some room to have fun. And even the boring updates are pretty good ones: foldables are slimmer than ever, theres a consumer phone with a great telephoto camera on it, and AI features might even live up to the promise of saving us time someday soon. Thats not nothing (I mean, except for Nothing). But for the record, I do still want a Switch that folds. And maybe a phone that smells like coffee, too.See More:

If you follow Rockstar Games on X (the Everything App formerly known as Twitter), then you may have been surprised, confused, or a combination of the two when you saw the GTA studio posting about the film Marching Powder and its star, Danny Dyer. Why on earth would Rockstar be posting about a small British film to its audience of 21 million followers? And who is this Danny Dyer guy? Dont worry, were here to explain. Who is Danny Dyer?Danial John Dyer, better known as Danny Dyer, is an actor from East London. And if you live in the UK, he needs no introduction. As Rockstars post states, hes an absolute legend. If you dont speak British slang, then please refer to the Urban Dictionarys definition of the term to better understand Dyers reputation:A person who embodies the pinnacle of all the important social aspects. Any person who is funny, reckless, original and sensitive in the right measures is likely to be nominated a legend by his associates. A person to whose persona you aspire.Dyer has been acting since 1993 and has built up a reputation for playing rough-and-ready working class characters. Thats in part due to his public persona; hes considered somewhat outspoken on societal and government issues, and is known for his tough uncle approach to life. For example, in 2010 when offering advice to readers of Zoo magazine, Dyer told a man attempting to recover from a recent break-up that he should go on a rampage [drinking session] with the boys."Dyer is also beloved for his many wild social media posts, such as this gem: How is Danny Dyer Connected to Rockstar?If youve no idea who Danny Dyer is, but are a big fan of the Grand Theft Auto games, then youve almost certainly heard his voice. Dyer plays Kent Paul in GTA: Vice City, the manager of Scottish rock band, Love Fist. He reprised the role for GTA: San Andreas, in which Kent represented a new band, the Gurning Chimps, and later produced for rapper Madd Dogg. Dyer has a more important connection to Rockstar, though, and it comes from an unusual place. In 2004, Dyer starred in The Football Factory, a British film directed by Nick Love and produced by Rockstar Games. Yes, once upon a time Rockstar helped create a feature film. Danny Dyer (right, wearing the tan jacket) starred in The Football Factory, which was produced by Rockstar Games. | Image credit: Vertigo FilmsMarching Powder, a new film releasing in the UK and Ireland this week, reunites Danny Dyer with Nick Love. The project, while not a sequel to The Football Factory, pulls on many of the same ideas, including football hooliganism (see: violence among fans), heavy drinking and drug use, and a uniquely British gritty sense of humour. Despite the post on X, Rockstar has nothing to do with Marching Powder. It seems the studio is simply championing the film because of its prior connection to Dyer and Love and their work on The Football Factory. Is Vice City's Kent Paul Returning for GTA 6?Short answer: weve no idea. And this social media post certainly has nothing to do with GTA 6. But hey, we might as well theorise anyway. Could Kent Paul show up in Grand Theft Auto 6?Its important to remember that GTA is split up into two very different eras: the 3D era (games released on the PS2 and PSP) and the HD era (GTA 4 onwards). Both are considered their own universes storylines from one do not continue into the other. Thats why GTA 5s Los Santos looks entirely different to San Andreas equivalent city, and why theres no direct mention of characters from the PS2-era games in GTA 4 and 5.Tommy Vercetti tackles Kent Paul in Grand Theft Auto: Vice City | Image credit: Rockstar GamesThats not to say theres no overlap, though. CJs home cul-de-sac, Grove Street, appears in GTA 5, and many of the gangs that first featured in the 3D universe are present in the HD universe, including the Ballas. Lazlo, the infamous ponytailed scumbag, has also been in a number of GTA games spanning the two eras. And heres the kicker: Kent Paul has his name on the Vinewood Walk of Fame. So is there a chance that Kent Paul could return for GTA 6? Its certainly possible. But a post on X about Marching Powder certainly doesnt bring us any closer to confirmation. Matt Purslow is IGN's Senior Features Editor.