Street Talk
At press time, members of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) were deciding whether to authorize a strike against Electronic Arts, Activision and several other video game publishers. The actors whose voices, performances and likenesses are used in games are seeking residual payments from game publishers akin to what performers receive from movies, commercials and TV shows. The gaming industry has balked at residuals. Talks between management and the unions were recently broken off. Strike ballots have been sent out to SAG and AFTRA members, and are due by June 7…..Veteran animation director/designer Frank Furlong was recently honored at the Cartoon Network in Atlanta, with fellow animators turning out to gain insights into his approach to character design and animation production techniques. Furlong directs spots via Canyon Films, Los Angeles. He has a background as an illustrator and designer, and served as head designer for the late animation legend Tex Avery. Furlong also designed the backgrounds for the first Imax animated movie, The Flower Plant…. On May 22, prostate cancer claimed the life of Thurl Ravenscroft, the voice of Tony the Tiger, the Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes animated character known for the booming declaration, “They’re g-r-r-r-e-a-t!” Ravenscroft was 91. He gave voice to Tony the Tiger for 53 years. Ravenscroft is survived by a son, Ron, a daughter, Nancy, and four grandchildren…..Category:Street Talk
Apple and Google Face UK Investigation Into Mobile Browser Dominance
Apple and Google aren't giving consumers a genuine choice of mobile web browsers, a British watchdog said Friday in a report that recommends they face an investigation under new U.K. digital rules taking effect next year.
The Competition and Markets Authority took aim at Apple, saying the iPhone maker's tactics hold back innovation by stopping rivals from giving users new features like faster webpage loading. Apple does this by restricting progressive web apps, which don't need to be downloaded from an app store and aren't subject to app store commissions, the report said.
"This technology is not able to fully take off on iOS devices," the watchdog said in a provisional report on its investigation into mobile browsers that it opened after an initial study concluded that Apple and Google effectively have a chokehold on "mobile ecosystems."
The CMA's report also found that Apple and Google manipulate the choices given to mobile phone users to make their own browsers "the clearest or easiest option."
And it said that the a revenue-sharing deal between the two U.S. Big Tech companies "significantly reduces their financial incentives" to compete in mobile browsers on Apple's iOS operating system for iPhones.
Both companies said they will "engage constructively" with the CMA.
Apple said it disagreed with the findings and said it was concerned that the recommendations would undermine user privacy and security.
Google said the openness of its Android mobile operating system "has helped to expand choice, reduce prices and democratize access to smartphones and apps" and that it's "committed to open platforms that empower consumers."
It's the latest move by regulators on both sides of the Atlantic to crack down on the... Read More
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