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Mercedes-Benz likely to agree to California's tougher emissions rules
Mercedes-Benz may be the next company to agree to California's voluntary emissions rules, The New York Times reports. Ford, BMW, Volkswagen and Honda have already pledged to meet California's standards and make their engines more efficient every year until 2026. The pact goes against the Trump administration's attempts to roll back Obama-era emissions reduction goals.
Fitness app company settles with FTC for nearly $1 million
If you're going to create a mobile app that offers monetary rewards for meeting fitness goals, you should probably make sure you back your promises up. The Pact fitness app offers users a way to incentivize workouts by charging a fee when users miss their fitness goals. If goals are met, the app also promises to pay a share of the punishment fees with successful members. According to the FTC, who filed a complaint against the developer Thursday, tens of thousands of Pact users have been charged the penalty, even when they met their goals or canceled the service. The Commission also said that none of the users received a payout, either. The developer has now settled the case with the FTC for more than $940,000.
US and China will tackle climate change together under new pact
Climate change is still real, still happening and still terrifying, but thankfully it looks as if the US and China are listening to the UN's advice. The pair has announced a historic pact that sees both nations agreeing to begin reducing their carbon emissions by 2030 at the very latest. The US is going further, pledging to reduce its emissions by up to 28 percent of 2005 levels - which would bring annual emissions down from six billion tonnes per year to just over four. China, on the other hand, is promising to "peak" its emissions by 2030 or earlier, meaning that the number will start to fall after that point. The downside of that, of course, is that China could be pumping up to 12 billion tonnes of CO2 before it starts to make a dent.
Microsoft confirms new Xbox 360 Parent Tools
Sorry kiddies, your days of unlimited 360 playtime -- which seem primarily dedicated to screaming pre-pubescently into your headset while you trash us in Halo 3 -- are numbered. As rumored, Microsoft is unveiling new a new Xbox 360 Family Timer control for concerned parents that allows them to limit console time on a per-day or per-week basis. The child will be notified when they're play time is nearing an end, and the console will shut off once the limit is hit. The timer will be available in December as a download on Xbox LIVE. Microsoft is also teaming up with the Parent Teacher Association and Jerry Rice to raise awareness and plug "PACT," a family contract meant to get kids and parents talking about video game limits.
Sprint, Google team up on WiMAX mobile internet services
It's no secret that Google's quite interested in getting intermingled with the mobile internet crowd, and shortly after Sprint wrapped up a deal with Clearwire, the carrier has now inked yet another pact with a search giant. The deal, hailed as a "milestone" in Sprint's mobile internet strategy, will purportedly seek to "establish an internet destination for user-generated content and multimedia offerings." More specifically, Barry West (president of 4G Mobile Broadband for Sprint) noted that "Google and Sprint will optimize the internet experience for the digital lifestyle," and suggested that the agreement would wed the "best mobile internet network with the leading internet search company." Unfortunately, the nitty gritty we crave seems to be absent at the moment, but until the two start putting their heads together, we'll just have to believe Google when it promises a "rich and compelling broadband experience for WiMAX customers."[Via The New Zealand Herald]
