People Googling “iPhone 6S,” the likely name of Apple’s next phone are being met with an advert suggesting that they “obviously mean S6” – the name of Samsung’s flagship new phone. The ad look like the latest stunt in Samsung’s long history of mocking Apple’s swivel eyed consumer base. Shots fired!

An eagle eyed Android fan has unearthed one of the cheekiest Easter Eggs Techno has ever seen – a picture of the Google Android robot taking a tinkle on an apple. Hidden in a Pakistani field, the naughty pic is presumably the work of bored Google employee with a sense of humour. Take a look for yourself here before Google takes it down..

Update: This has just been uncovered in a forest nearby

The European Commission is pushing forward with its mission to kneecap Google’s European operation, following through on their long held view that the search giant’s business practices are ‘anti-competitive’. Yesterday the Commission’s antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager confirmed that Google will be charged with skewing search results in favour of its own Google Shopping service; the charge will be the first of a multi-pronged attack on Google’s services. The Commission is looking to force Google to promote rival firms’ offers… 

There’s one problem with the allegation that Google is using its muscle to unfairly dominate the online shopping sphere – Google Shopping is doing terribly. Just take a look at this graph of unique visitors to UK shopping sites.

Or this one from France.

The online shopping market in Europe is booming with competing services enjoying the same low barrier to entry. The only surprise is how Google is doing so badly..

Techno wonders what would have happened if “Quaero“, the attempt to create a state backed “European Google killer” had not failed spectacularly. Would the EU Commission, who authorised €99 million of spending on the crap project, be so keen to stick the boot in if it was promoting its own services on its own site?

The European Union is preparing to follow up its long held belief that Google has been abusing its domination of the European search market by filing an anti-trust lawsuit against the search giant. According to the Wall Street Journal, the European Commission is gathering data from companies that have already filed complaints against Google – a move that indicates formal anti-trust charges are imminent. Rivals ganged up to make this explainer video:

The EU have tried to break up Google’s European operation before, attempting last year to force an unbundling of Google’s search business from its other services. Despite all the taxpayer subsidies to European tech start-ups no credible continental competitor has emerged. Maybe the subsidies are part of the reason…

A review by the Department for Transport into issues surrounding the introduction of driverless cars onto British roads, has recommended that they be disguised as normal cars so as not to spook other drivers. A recent survey found that 43% of British drivers don’t trust driverless cars  to drive safely and 16% say they are horrified by the idea.

While admitting that there is “an argument for other road users being warned in advance of such testing and provided with information and reassurance about how the testing will affect them,” the DoT recommend that the automated test vehicles soon to be driving on our streets  are not marked in a way which would enable them to be “easily distinguished to prevent  unusual reactions from other road users.” Test vehicles in the US, such as those belonging to Google’s Self-Driving Car program, are easily recognisable from their markings and exposed sensor equipment.

The robots are coming, whether you notice or not…

Internet giants Google, Amazon, Microsoft have been shaken down for an undisclosed amount of cash by AdBlock Plus, the world’s most popular adblock service. In exchange for a “fee”, AdBlock Plus will stop blocking adverts on their websites. With the ability to decide what adverts its 300 million users do or do not see, Eyeo, the owners of Adblock Plus have found themselves in the unusual position of being able to dictate terms to the likes of Google who depend on advertising for revenue.

Eyeo operates a “whitelist” of acceptable adverts that it doesn’t block. While joining the list is free for small websites, large companies are required to pay a “fee” to keep their advert revenue streams protected. While the amount Google, Amazon and Microsoft coughed up is unknown, one digital media company told the Financial Times that Eyeo had asked for  equivalent to 30% of the additional ad revenues that it would make from being unblocked.