ShinyShiny snippets: Sega buys Angry Birds creator, Rovio Entertainment

The maker of Angry Birds video games has agreed to be bought by the Japanese gaming giant behind the Sonic the Hedgehog character. Japan’s Sega Sammy Holdings is paying €706m (£625m) for Finland-based Rovio Entertainment. Rovio has said Angry Birds was the first mobile game to be downloaded one billion times, and the brand has also produced two Angry Birds movies. Sega is seeking to tap into Rovio’s expertise in mobile gaming. Last year, Rovio – which has about 550 employees across its eight game studios around the world – said downloads across its stable of games had reached five billion. BBC 

Sideloading apps is one of the many comforts Android users have enjoyed for years. It’s when you can download an app from stores and resources other than Google’s official Play Store. On the other hand, Apple’s infamous walled garden has always kept iPhone users away from third-party app stores. It seems iOS 17 will finally bring a change to Apple’s years of sideloading restriction. According to Bloomberg’s recent leak about everything coming to WWDC 2023, iOS 17 could lay the groundwork for sideloading apps on iPhones. Android Authority

Google’s chief executive has admitted that the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI) keeps him up at night, despite the company pushing ahead with the technology. Sundar Pichai said he did not fully understand AI but said it would one day “be far more capable than anything we’ve seen before”. In an interview with the US network CBS, he said: “I’ve always thought of AI as the most profound technology humanity is working on. More profound than fire or electricity or anything that we’ve done in the past.” However, the tech executive admitted he was concerned about the technology’s rapid, unchecked advancement. Telegraph 

Small businesses in Cornwall are nursing thousands of pounds in losses after the sudden collapse of Virgin Orbit. Sir Richard Branson’s satellite launch company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the US this month, extinguishing any lingering hope that it could become a mainstay on the Cornish coast. Court documents reveal creditors include many local businesses, such as catering firms and hotels. Simon Dean, who runs All-pac Packaging Supplies in Newquay, is owed £1,300. ‘I have been sending emails to people, but they are not being answered,’ he said, adding that to chase the money he would have to go to Virgin Orbit’s head office in Long Beach, California. ThisIsMoney 

A new study has revealed that Brits are missing out by not embracing the technology already available in their cars, with many drivers having no idea how to use their sophisticated car tech. The poll of 500 modern car owners, found two-thirds (68%) feel overwhelmed with the capabilities of their vehicle, with over a third (40%) admitting they don’t use it to its full potential. Despite cars being the most expensive piece of technology 86% of Brits own, most aren’t making the most of it. Tech Digest 

Elon Musk has claimed the US government had full access to everything on Twitter, including DMs, before he took over the social media platform. In an interview with Fox News host Tucker Carlson, Mr Musk claimed he was shocked to find the extent of the government’s access on the platform. “The degree to which government agencies effectively had full access to everything that was going on on Twitter blew my mind,” Mr Musk said in a clip of the interview posted on Twitter. Independent