Arts & Sciences (A&S) has added director Quentin Deronzier to its U.K. roster. The French cross-disciplinary artist got his start as an agency creative, then transitioned into animation and CGI before ultimately becoming a director in 2019. Deronzier has worked with assorted artists, personalities, and brands around the world from Nike to Apple, Paris Saint Germain Football Club, XBOX, Adidas, and Campari. His creations for musical artists such as PartyNextDoor, his ongoing collaboration with DJ Petit Biscuit, and his arena tour visuals for French rapper Orelsan have won acclaim. Deronzier has also worked closely with actor Will Smith on numerous short films and animated pieces. His collaborations with Canadian artist Drake began when Deronzier posted a CGI video of the rapper’s Tootsie Slide and put it on his Instagram. The piece quickly racked up views and went viral with reposts. This caught the attention of Drake himself, who dropped Deronzier a DM requesting his phone number. Since then, they have collaborated on both personal projects for Drake and for his record label OVO. Deronzier’s brand new video for English rock duo Royal Blood’s “Typhoons” just released, featuring a rooftop performance as a typhoon forms above them. Deronzier is based in Annecy, an Alpine city in southeastern France….
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