Google Drive Files Gone Missing Due To a Bug In The Desktop App

Google Drive is one of the best cloud storage options available and is open to the public. However, according to a trending support thread on Google’s support forums, users have reported that some of their files have started to disappear from the service in recent months. Furthermore, since none of these files were deleted manually, they don’t appear in the platform’s recycling bin feature and thus cannot be recovered (so far).

Early on in the investigation, many speculated that the files vanished due to a hacker attack, but this isn’t the case. According to a thorough investigation, it has been concluded that the issue stems from the Google Drive app for desktop, which affects users regardless of whether their system is Windows or Mac. With that said, users on the browser variation of the service can rest easy.

It was also discovered that the bug would eliminate the data from the account, almost reverting the account back to a state before that data was made. Unfortunately, there’s no explanation for it so far, but Google has confirmed that this problem is related to a syncing issue seen in the recently rolled-out v84.0.0.0 through 84.0.4.0 of Drive.

Although this issue affects – as Google puts it – a “limited subset of Drive for desktop users,” it is recommended to backup all important files and documentation. Furthermore, the company has warned users to avoid disconnecting their Google account from the Drive on desktop, and that they should not tamper with the “DriveFS” folder that’s locally found on their machines in any way, shape, or form.

Samsung Files Multiple Tax Break Applications In Texas

Back in November last year, we reported that Samsung was planning on opening a new US$17 billion (~RM75.7 billion) semiconductor plant in the US and more specifically, within the state of Texas. Fast forward to today and it appears that the Korea electronics giant recently filed as many as 11 tax break applications, in order to build more semiconductor facilities within the state city of Austin.

According to Techspot, the applications are a part of the state’s Chapter 313 incentive program, which gives companies a 10-year limitation on the taxable property values. In return, the applicant must install their facilities and create jobs within the defined area. Again, should Samsung’s filing be successful, this will mark the second city in the state that the electronics brand will be opening up facilities, the first being in the town of Taylor.

As for what exactly the new Austin plant would make, Samsung provided no indication over the matter. Having said that, the chipmaker and electronics giant had mentioned that its Taylor-based plant will make manufacturing products that are based on “advanced process technologies”. A fancy way of saying that the components it produces will be applied towards mobile, 5G, HPC and AI applications.

On another matter, Samsung also indicated that, while it is filing for these tax breaks in the state, it does not have any specific plans to build facilities at this time. Instead, the filings are merely a part of a long-term planning process, where it can “evaluate the viability” of potentially building additional plants within the US.

Samsung isn’t the only non-US company that has long wanted to build a factory of their own on US soil. For example, TSMC, the Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturer, announced back in 2020 that it wanted to open up a new foundry advanced factory within the state of Arizona. Back then, however, the move was approved by its own board of directors, as it was trying to circumvent the trade sanctions imposed by the US on China.

Someone In Japan Got Arrested For Selling Modded Breath Of The Wild Save Files

Back in February, we saw reports of a man getting arrested in Japan for selling hacked Pokemon for the franchise’s latest instalments. More recently, someone just got caught doing something similar, but for another Nintendo IP. Said person was caught selling modded save files for The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.

The Broadcasting System of Niigata reports that a Tokyo resident was detained on 8 July for said offence. Originally, the modded save data was put up in an auction site in April for JPY3500 (~RM133). The listing was dubbed “the strongest software”, with boosted stats and rare items that would be tricky to obtain via normal gameplay.

Though the person was caught selling modded save files for Breath of the Wild, it wasn’t the only game he was modding saves for. The report states that he also admitted to doing the same for other games, earning JPY10 million (~RM380000) since December 2019.

The man is charged under Japan’s Unfair Competition Prevention law, under which modding of save files isn’t illegal. But it immediately steps outside legal realms once the modded save files start going on sale. And as we saw previously, Nintendo is very quick to take action when it comes to its own IPs.

China’s E-Hailing Giant DiDi Files For IPO; Valuation Could Double That Of Grab

China’s largest e-hailing company, Didi Chuxing, has filed to be publicly listed in the US through an IPO (initial public offering) that could be the biggest this year. Indeed, the firm could end up with a valuation that is more than double that of Grab – the Southeast Asian giant that we’re all more familiar with.

Sources previously told Reuters that the IPO could aim for a valuation close to US$100 billion (~RM410.8 billion). And according to a Bloomberg report in April, the company was looking into a valuation of as much as US$70 billion (~RM287.6 billion) to US$100 billion. That would easily beat Alibaba’s US$25 billion (~RM102.7 billion) IPO in 2014 – the largest achieved by a Chinese company listing in the US.

As a comparison, Grab is going public in a SPAC deal worth US$39.6 billion (RM 163.7 billion) – the largest of its kind on record. For more information on what SPACs and IPOs are, you can refer to this piece. Of course, it’s worth mentioning that Didi has a substantially larger pool of potential customers (China, etc.) than Grab (Southeast Asia).

According to Reuters, Didi CEO Cheng Wei said last year that the company wants to have 800 million monthly active users worldwide and complete 100 million orders a day by 2022 – this includes e-hailing, bike and food delivery orders.

Grab, on the other hand, often touts the total population of Southeast Asia (currently 650 million) as its potential customers. As you can see, the difference is pretty staggering.

Sonos Files Patent For TWS Earbuds And Over-Ear Headphones On USPTO

Sonos is a brand that has focused on high-quality portable speakers, top-notch home surround systems, but virtually nothing in the headphones department, despite many calls from fans for the latter. That could change sooner rather than later, though, if a recently discovered patent filing by the brand is anything to go by.

The patent, which filed to the USPTO back in February, was discovered by Zatz Not Funny and contains images and sketches of True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earbuds and its casing. The designs are novel and somewhat unique, to say the least; rather use a conventional lid, the patent shows an oval, cylindrical charging case. With earbuds on each side that pop out and then clip right back in when in need of a charge.

There’s also the design and shape of the earbuds, which are elongated and as pointed out by Tom’s Guide, seem to take a page out of Sony’s own WF-1000XM3 earbuds.

Moving on, the patent filings also show a diagram of what appears to be over-ear headphones, but sadly, it doesn’t show anything else but the sides of the earcups. Beyond that, the only other detail on the headset seems to be how Sonos’ wireless charging technology could be fitted and applied to it.

That said, the possibility of Sonos making over-ear headphones was dispelled, when it launched the Roam in April. On top of that and as we’ve said several times before, patent filings are usually made as a way for brands to protect and slap a copyright protection of sorts on some designs. As such, there’s a likelihood that they may not see the light of day.

Humble Bundle Creator Files Antitrust Lawsuit Against Valve

While the legal battle between Epic Games and Apple rages on, a similar one has cropped up. This time though, it involves Wolfire Games and Valve. The former is an indie dev studio that started Humble Bundle, and the latter is, as you probably know, the owner of Steam.

The nature of the lawsuit is overall very similar to the ongoing one with Epic Games and Apple. The argument here is that Valve has a technical monopoly over the PC gaming market via Steam. This then allows it to take the 30% cut for games sold through the game storefront. And Wolfire Games argues that 30% is an “extraordinarily high cut”.

In the suit, Wolfire Games estimates that Valve, via Steam, commands around 75% of the total PC gaming market. The suit also lists a number of other competing digital storefronts, like the Epic Games Store.

By CEO Tim Sweeney’s own optimistic estimates last June, the EGS has a 15% market share. And this is after spending about US$330 million (~RM1.4 billion) to secure exclusives.

The suit also mentions restrictions to Steam Keys, which allow other storefronts to sell games with their own revenue split ratios. But an important stipulation for devs and publishers who choose this option is that they have to ensure that they are “not giving Steam customers a worse deal”.

On one hand, it makes sense, as no company would want to let their platform be used and get undercut at the same time. But the Wolfire Games suit argues that this ensures Steam will always have the upper hand.

Overall, this becomes another source of pressure for the ubiquitous PC games digital store. Over the weekend, Microsoft announced that it will be using an 88/12 split come 1 August.

Diablo 2: Resurrected Can Load Save Files From The Original

When Diablo 2: Resurrected was announced, series lead Rod Feragusson said that it will be completely separate from the original. Now, we learn that it’s not entirely true, but surprisingly in a good way. This is because the remaster will allow you to use the save files from the original.

In an interview with IGN Middle East, game producer Matthew Cederquist said that the team wondered if the old save files will work with the new game. The team “shoved it in and it worked”. And it became the best accidental feature of Diablo 2: Resurrected.

On the face of it, this is possible because the remaster is built upon the original. It may have been given a graphical face lift, the insides are still mostly the same. It’s still very amazing in its own way. This means that gamers who are still playing the 21-year old game can instantly import their progress to the remaster when it releases this year.

Adding this to the fact that cross-saves will be a thing for Diablo 2: Resurrected, and you can basically play the game on the go when it comes out. Still no word on cross-play though. The remaster is set to be released sometime this year, for PC, Nintendo Switch, PS4, PS5 and Xbox Series X.