BMW will launch its new BMW Concept iX3 at the Auto China show this week after teasing its new all-electric vehicle on Twitter.

No other information was provided in the tweet, with a short animation confirming the name of the car and a new-look front grille.

The iX3 will be the third all-electric car from BMW, following in the footsteps of the i8 and i3 which were launched several years ago.

Something exciting is coming. Stay tuned for the Auto China Beijing 2018!#BMWBeijing @BMWi #BMWi pic.twitter.com/JxNX4KFIDcApril 20, 2018

Only a concept

It’s worth noting that it may be quite a while before the BMW iX3 actually hits showrooms though, as the ‘Concept’ part of the name suggests it’s not ready for the road just yet.

We saw the same thing with Jaguar’s I-Pace all-electric SUV – a direct rival to the iX3 – which was originally announced as a concept in November 2016, but only became official in March 2018.

The Auto China show runs from April 25 to May 4 in Beijing, with more details about the car – including what it looks like – expected to be revealed during that time.

http://www.techradar.com/news/all-electric-bmw-ix3-teased-ahead-of-launch

LG’s next flagship handset, the LG G7 ThinQ, could be getting a dedicated Google Assistant button, according to a new report from CNET. 

Set to be revealed in New York on May 2, 2018, the G7 ThinQ will reportedly include a physical button on the left side of the phone that will launch Google Assistant when pressed. 

The featured button is very similar to what competitor Samsung has implemented on each of its flagship phones since last year’s Galaxy S8, all of which sport a dedicated (and somewhat controversial) button for the company’s own proprietary AI voice assistant, Bixby.

Better than Bixby?

Though it pioneered the dedicated voice assistant button, not everyone is a fan of Samsung’s approach with Bixby, with stories explaining how to disable the Bixby key still being quite common over a year after its launch. 

If accurate, the LG G7 ThinQ will be the first product with a dedicated button for launching Google Assistant — we just hope LG also offers the ability to disable or remap the button, because nothing is more frustrating than the accidental launch of a voice assistant. 

The South Korean electronics giant appears to be doubling down hard on artificial intelligence this year — it’s the the company’s second 2018 handset to boast its AI-focused ThinQ branding after the LG V30S ThinQ.

http://www.techradar.com/news/lgs-upcoming-g7-thinq-could-have-a-dedicated-button-for-google-assistant

Since 2014, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has been fighting a legal battle with Valve over what it believed to be breaches to the Australian Consumer Law made by the company’s online PC marketplace, Steam.

Now, the High Court of Australia has upheld its December 2017 ruling on the matter, denying the appeal that the company has since made, and Valve Corporation will have to pay AU$3 million for “misleading or deceptive conduct”.

No swap-backs

While Valve introduced a legitimate refund policy for Steam games halfway through 2015, its official policy prior to that was, “unless required by local law, we do not offer refunds or exchanges”, and this is what the ACCC took issue with.

Australian Consumer Law (which just happens to be “local law” in this case) requires that refunds be available to customers on faulty goods, and while Valve was known to offer refunds on a case-by-case basis, it’s official stance was not to offer them at all.

Over the years that the trial took place, Valve defended its position by claiming it didn’t actually conduct business in Australia, and that its games weren’t technically “goods”, but this didn’t fly with the court.

ACCC Commissioner Sarah Court views this as an “important precedent” for local Australian consumer rights being applied to goods bought from overseas companies.

http://www.techradar.com/news/valve-has-copped-a-audollar3-million-fine-for-breaching-australias-consumer-laws