Judge rules Cydia’s antitrust case against Apple can move forward

Cydia’s antitrust case against Apple can move forward, according to Reuters. On Thursday, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, the same judge that oversaw the case between Apple and Epic Games, ruled Cydia’s creator, Jay “Saurik” Freeman, could present his claim against the company after rejecting a bid by Apple to dismiss the complaint.

Freeman first sued Apple at the end of 2020, alleging the company had an “illegal monopoly over iOS app distribution.” Judge Gonzalez Rogers dismissed Cydia’s initial complaint against Apple, ruling the suit fell outside the statute of limitations. But she also granted Freeman leave to amend his case, which is what he did. In its latest complaint, Cydia argues that iOS updates Apple released between 2018 and 2021 constituted “overt” acts that harmed distributors like itself. That’s a claim Judge Gonzalez Rogers found credible enough to explore.

“To the extent plaintiff’s claims rely on Apple’s technological updates to exclude Cydia from being able to operate altogether, those claims are timely,” the judge said in her ruling.

Cydia is seeking damages from Apple (the company stopped processing purchases in 2018) and hopes to force the tech giant to open iOS to third-party payments and app distributors. Opening the App Store to more competition is something US lawmakers are considering as well, with the Senate Judiciary Committee recently advancing the Open App Markets Act. If enacted, the law would force Apple to allow sideloading on iOS and prevent the company from locking developers into its payments system.

Senators ask Apple and Google to prohibit data collection that targets abortion seekers

A group of US senators led by Ed Markey of Massachusetts is calling on Apple and Google to implement new app store policies that prohibit developers from collecting data that would threaten women seeking abortions. In separate letters sent to the CEOs …

The studio behind ‘Dream Daddy’ is making a psychological horror game

It’s been a while since we’ve heard from Game Grumps, the studio that gave us Dream Daddy: A Dad Dating Simulator in 2017. This week, the team announced its latest project. And it couldn’t be more different from its debut effort.Game Grumps describes H…

Jeep parent company Stellantis will reportedly plead guilty to emissions fraud

The world’s fifth-largest automaker will reportedly soon plead guilty to end a multi-year investigation into its efforts to conceal the amount of pollution created by its diesel engines. According to Reuters, the US Justice Department and Dodge parent …

Harley-Davidson made an electric mountain bike without front or rear suspension

Harley-Davidson’s Serial 1 brand unveiled its latest ebike model on Tuesday, and it’s something of a head-scratcher. The company describes the Bash/Mtn as a mountain bike, but unless you have the technical skills to go under-biking, you probably don’t want to take its newest ebike on anything but the most forgiving single-track.

That’s because the Bash/Mtn features a fully rigid aluminum frame and fork, with no front or rear suspension. It also doesn’t come with a dropper post, and as far as I can tell, there’s no elegant way of adding one on your own. The only shock absorption this bike comes with is its SR Suntour NCX seat post, which offers up to 50mm of travel.

Harley-Davidson claims those missing features are actually the reason to buy the Bash/Mtn. “No fussy suspension to tune, no finicky drivetrain to adjust — just two wheels, one gear, and one purpose, to provide the most direct connection between you and the trail,” the company said.

Once you get past the unorthodox design, the Bash/Mtn looks like a decent e-bike. It features a removable 529Wh battery the company says will provide between 30 and 95 miles of range, depending on the terrain and drive mode you use. It takes just under five hours to charge the battery to full, though you can get it up to 75 percent after about two-and-a-half hours. As a Class 1 e-bike, the Bash/Mtn will stop providing you with assistance once you’ve reached a speed of 20 miles per hour. Completing the package are TRP hydraulic disc brakes and 27.5-inch tubeless-ready tires from Michelin.

At $3,999, the Bash/Mtn is on the more affordable side of what you can expect to pay for an electric mountain bike from companies like Canyon, Giant and Trek, but then those models are entirely different bikes. Harley-Davidson plans to produce only 1,050 units of the Bash/Mtn, with 525 units slated for sale in the US.

Apple’s latest Pride Edition Watch bands include a nod to the company’s history

With the start of June a week away, Apple has announced two new Pride-themed Watch bands. The first one is a take on the company’s classic sport loop style. The design features a color gradient that incorporates the iconic rainbow colors seen on a vari…

Waze finally adds Apple Music integration

Five years after Waze first added Spotify integration, Google’s navigation app finally supports Apple Music. Starting today, you can use Waze’s built-in audio controls to play, pause and switch between songs in your iPhone’s Apple Music library. That means you don’t need to switch between apps when trying to drive to a destination you haven’t been to before.

Before today’s announcement, Apple Music was effectively the last major music streaming app that didn’t include integration with Waze. Over the years, Google has added support for a long list of smaller services, including Pandora, Deezer and iHeart Radio. Before today’s announcement, it was even possible to listen to audiobooks and podcasts through integrations with Audible and Stitcher. All of that is in the past now. And if you’re an Apple Music subscriber with a fondness for Waze, you’re probably just happy that you can use the two apps together.

Microsoft’s Project Volterra is a mini PC for ARM developers

At its annual developer conference, Microsoft doesn’t typically announce new hardware. But at Build 2022 the company made time to unveil Project Volterra, a PC Microsoft designed to assist developers with building native ARM apps that employ AI-acceler…