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Verizon plans $20 upgrade fee, even if you paid for your new phone
Eyeing up the small but nimble iPhone SE? If you're on Verizon, you'll want to make the switch sooner rather than later. According to a memo leaked to MacRumors, the company is planning to introduce a $20 dollar upgrade fee, irrespective of whether you're paying full price for the phone upfront or own it outright. The memo says this fee is there to cover "our increasing support costs associated with customers switching their devices," which sounds incredibly suspect.
FCC votes to fight cable's reign over set-top boxes
Last month, reports surfaced that the FCC planned to pry set-top boxes out of hands of cable and satellite companies. Today, the Commission passed the "Unlock the Box" plan that would do just that. The proposal aims to introduce more competition when it comes to the boxes you rent from television providers. As it stands, you have to lease the equipment from a cable or satellite company for a monthly fee that's added to your bill. You have little choice in the matter, and those fees earn service providers millions of dollars a year. With the FCC plan, opening up cable boxes to third parties would not only lower costs, but make it easier for pay-TV subscribers to tap into internet programming like Netflix and Hulu.
Bills could rise as Ofcom triples UK carriers' licence fees
After toying with the idea of quadrupling the amount providers must pay for mobile spectrum for almost two years, UK communications regulator Ofcom has finally arrived at a decision. It announced today that the big four -- EE, Vodafone, O2 and Three -- will now pay a total of £199.6 million annually for their allocations of the 900 MHz and 1800 MHz frequency bands, more than triple the £64.4 million they currently have to hand over.
eBay attempts to lure back UK users with 20 free listings a month
Amazon might now be the defacto marketplace to buy and sell goods online in the UK, but eBay believes its "good surprise" might just lure customers back into the world of online auctions. In a bid to make things things a little easier for users to understand, eBay says that from May 13th it'll allow UK users to list up to 20 items every month completely free of charge. Listings can include any item, as long as it's not a car, and eBay continues to retain its 10 percent selling and postage fee. The company offers a similar system in the US, allowing sellers to make 50 free listings every month. With consumers now turning to Amazon to get their electrical goods, online media and groceries, eBay may be forced to expand its incentives if it wants more "A++++ seller, would buy again" reviews on its site.
Toyota axes monthly fees for its Entune in-car infotainment systems
Toyota's original plan for its Entune in-car platform was to draw in new users with three months' free usage, before whacking 'em with a $5 monthly charge. At some point, however, the company decided to abandon that idea, and will instead offer the connected infotainment service free of charge. We'll let the cynics amongst you ponder if it was a lack of demand that caused Toyota to change course.
Comixology adds options for subscriptions and bundles (update: Web app only)
Comixology is, as we've discussed here before, basically the premiere app for comic books on Apple's iPad. And now, the app (well, the web app at least) is adding one more feature to its already long list. Starting today, you can subscribe to your favorite comics right inside the app's web store, which means that instead of going in every week to buy the comics you want, you can tap one button, and you'll automatically pick up a comic when it arrives. That's pretty handy if you buy a lot of comics -- it's like having your own personal comic book store pulling issues as you need them. The company has also added support for buying comics in bundles, which means those deals we occasionally see come out of Comixology's offices will probably be a lot better (it's much easier to buy a bunch of comics at a time for cheap, rather than a ton of issues individually on sale). This also means that the company can bundle up storylines and back issues, so finding what you want to read and purchasing it all in one go should be a piece of cake. Update: Bundles and subscriptions are only available on the web app, we're told. But you can definitely buy comics on the web, and then browse them on your iPad.
Pay-to-trade could change the landscape of MMO economies
If you've noticed that it's become more difficult to buy, sell, or trade goods in an MMO these days due to the sheer amount of player-bound items, you're not imagining things. A writer for Gamasutra penned an article in which he discusses the decrease of in-game trade and suggests that studios might be missing out on a great source of potential revenue. First, he acknowledges why studios have moved to restrict trade. It keeps the headache of managing an economy to a bearable amount, it cuts out duping and exploits, and it stems revenue losses that are caused by third-party traders. However, the author says that the hassle could be worth it if studios were smart and got in on the action by creating a pay-to-trade economy. "In the real world, we pay huge sums in the form of taxes and fees to keep transaction costs low," he writes. "So here's my question for developers: How much would your players pay you in exchange for the ability to trade?"
Twin Galaxies accepting record score submissions, now at a cost
Legendary arcade scoring organization Twin Galaxies had to take a break from tracking scores for about six months as the company went through a transition last year, but as of last week it's back in business and ready for score submissions.There is one catch, however. The company charge to report your scores: $25 for one submission, $60 for three submissions, or $75 for five submissions. Each score submission requires video proof – you may include more than one score in the video – but each video can only cover one game. If you want to submit both Donkey Kong and Rampage scores, for example, you'll need to pay twice.The new ownership says the old database was "damaged yet not completely irretrievable," and the fees will go towards smoothing out the verification process and evolving the website "beyond its status as the premier competitive scoring service, and into an interactive gaming platform."So, think you can do better than Hank Chien?
Samsung tries to attract indie devs to its yard with zero-commission offer
Samsung, tired of its own-brand app store playing second fiddle to Google Play, has decided to throw some of its considerable cash at the problem. It's appealing to indie app developers in the hope of finding the next Angry Birds big thing. In partnership with Chillingo, EA's mobile games division, Samsung is launching 100% Indie, offering bedroom coders commission-free sales on any of their apps for the first six months of its life. After which, Samsung will take a 10 percent cut, with that fee rising to 30 percent after two years -- matching the fees charged by Google and Apple's services. Now all we need is a Simon Cowell-type to judge which new apps have that... je ne sais quoi.
Last.fm Radio to start charging for service, shut down in some countries in 2013
Last.fm's internet-based radio goods have had a pretty good run, but, unfortunately, early next year the service will make some significant changes to its overall business structure that may not be for the best. For starters, the Last.fm Radio desktop client is set to go paid-only (as it is in other countries) here in the US, United Kingdom and Germany, while the outfit's online radio services will cease to exist elsewhere -- save for places such as Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Brazil. The aforementioned changes are going to take place starting January 15th, 2013, so, for those affected, there's still some time to prepare in case there's a plan to take your listening experience to a different place on the web.
Nintendo ID requires credit card verification for minors
Parents looking to create additional Nintendo ID accounts for their children are required to pay a one-time $0.50 fee via credit card to provide consent for minors to access Nintendo Network.Nintendo's confirmation email notes that Wii U owners can use a "Parental Control PIN" to create additional Nintendo Network IDs without any added charges. Credit card information used for the transaction doesn't appear to be stored on the system.
The Daily Grind: Do you play some games inactively?
I can log into RIFT any time I want. I have my subscription active, and I'm perfectly happy to give Trion Worlds my money on a monthly basis. But my actual playtime with the game is spotty at best. Despite this, I still describe myself as playing the game, because I am still playing, just not in an active capacity. An inactive capacity, if you will. With free-to-play becoming the dominant business model in the MMO genre, it's easier than ever to be an inactive player in your game of choice. You jump in for a couple of days, let the game sit for a week, then jump back in without any real penalties. You don't have to stick with any game longer than you want to. Still, there are games that require a subscription to play, and some people will pop into a free-to-play game to buy new things and then jump right out. So what about you? Is there a game that keeps getting your money even though it's not an active part of your play rotation? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Lodsys: 150 iOS developers give in to patent demands
Lodsys filed what many are calling a "patent troll" lawsuit against a number of smaller iOS developers last year, claiming that while Apple may have licensed its in-app purchase technology patents for iOS, individual developers have not, and should be held accountable for using it. Despite the fact that this seems patently absurd (pun intended), Lodsys claims that over 150 developers have licensed the technology for themselves, with the majority of them actually doing so "outside of the litigation process." The exact charges of licensing the tech aren't known, but it's rumored to be around 2.5 percent of whatever revenues are earned with in-app purchases. In other words, over 150 of the targeted developers have decided to pay licensing fees to Lodsys, rather than face the threats of legal action or further fines. Lodsys originally offered $1,000 to any developers it said had been wrongly targeted by the lawsuit, but of course that would be after costly court action due to the legal challenges. It's possible that these developers simply decided it wasn't worth the trouble fighting for their cause. Apple promised to assist these developers in court, and tried to make the case that its own licensing payment covers third-party developers. But Lodsys says separately that the issue is still "unresolved and clearly contested." Lodsys seems dedicated to going after smaller developers who lack the huge legal or monetary resources that Apple itself can use, and thus can be more easily threatened into paying out licensing fees rather than face an expensive court battle. [via GigaOm]
Editorial: Square gets the attention, but credit cards rule
Lower Manhattan, Pearl Street, the Financial District. A Starbucks with broad windows, great for people watching. Sipping my $5 flavored coffee, I watched a homeless man sit on the sidewalk. I liked him immediately: his sharp gaze and thoughtful expression. When I left, I squatted down next to him and put five bucks in his jar, contributing the cost of my first-world coffee to the man's case for survival. We talked. He knew his tech, this man of no possessions, describing his favorite productivity gadgets of the past decade, scorning Apple for form over function. He had been living on the street day and night for two years. My five dollars was "huge," he said. I knew that was true only microcosmically. He liked cigars. That's where the cash would go. Meanwhile, Starbucks had recently cut a deal with Square, one of the hottest startup stories of the season, so that people with five dollars to spend on coffee needn't pull out a wallet and ponder their privilege.
Google Wallet to phase out prepaid card, cut-off date set for October 17th
Google Wallet's prepaid card concept has been plagued with its share of security concerns, and though Mountain View seems to have sorted out those issues, it's now phasing out the prepaid card program entirely. The service was intended to make up for a limited choice in debit and credit cards, and now that Google Wallet accepts any and all plastic, the prepaid option is a bit moot. The cut-off date for adding funds to a Google prepaid card is September 17th, and the prepaid option will vanish entirely on October 17th. Whereas users were previously charged $2.00 per month after 180 days without a transaction, they'll get slapped with the same fee after 30 days of no purchases. Google says you can request a refund if you have a remaining balance after the prepaid option kicks the bucket, though it's probably a good idea to just go ahead and spend those leftover dollars. [Thanks, Chris]
The Daily Grind: What game would you totally play if someone paid you for it?
It's always irked me when someone says, "I wouldn't play this game if I were paid to." It implies that there are a whole lot of games that you would play in an instant if someone paid you to do so, instead of the games you're already paying money to play, which seems like a much more interesting list than the list of games you dislike enough to spew hatred about. We've all got games that we like but can't quite justify playing with our limited free time. But what if you were getting a paycheck? What games would you be happy to play if you had a nice check to accompany each play session? Would you opt for a classic game that you used to play but left behind? Would it be a game you want to try but haven't been able to justify? Or would it be something you liked just enough to accept cash for? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Consumer Cellular axes activation fees, retirees rejoice
Now here's a trend we can really get behind. Consumer Cellular, the "exclusive wireless provider for AARP members" (and a company that caters to the 50+ crowd), has announce that it will no longer be gouging charging its customers the dreaded activation fee. New and current customers looking to procure a phone qualify for the waiver and CC is extending the free activation offer to SIM-only patrons as well. Hopefully, this is the start of a grassroots movement in the wireless industry. The full press release is after the break.
Amazon Appstore shatters $20 ceiling for in-app purchases
In a move that's likely to grab the attention of more than a few Android developers, Amazon has announced that its arbitrary $20 limit for in-app purchases via the Appstore is no more. The company announced this change in an email to developers, which follows a tweak to the Appstore's parental controls. In-app purchasing is rather new territory for the Amazon crew, which first unveiled the necessary APIs just last week. There's no word on what new monetary limit is now in place, but make sure to watch your spending, kids -- some of these apps are incredibly habit-forming.
Hulu reducing monthly subscription prices in Japan by 33 percent
Looks like Huluers in the Land of the Rising Sun may have something to cheer about, as the entertainment service announced earlier it's lowering its monthly fees. Hulu claims the reason behind the dropped prices comes from having "listened to user feedback and assessed current market situations" -- or perhaps from taking note of the million-plus customers it gained with a similar strategy in the US. With the new charge, Japanese folks will only have to shell out 980 yen (around $12) per month, a hefty reduction considering the previous fee of 1480 yen. Naturally, before the current clientele throws a temper tantrum, Hulu's promising a 500 yen refund to make up for the recent shift in prices. You can learn the rest of the deets on the Hulu blog, which is linked down below.
Verizon pushes its upgrade fee to $30 on April 22nd
Ah, it was only a matter of time before Verizon decided to jump on the bandwagon of ridiculously high upgrade fees, now that Sprint and AT&T have both exercised the option. Big Red announced this morning that April 22nd will be the magic date in which it will charge you a cool $30 just for the privilege of purchasing a subsidized handset and signing a fresh two-year commitment. Granted, it's still less than the $36 sum that Verizon's two largest competitors now demand, but we're going in the wrong direction here, folks. Catch the dreary announcement after the break.
