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Chase now offers phone-based withdrawals at 'nearly all' ATMs
It took a long, long time, but Chase's phone-based ATM withdrawals are finally widespread. The bank has expanded its card-free access to "nearly all" of its ATMs across the US, giving you one less reason to panic if you leave your wallet at home. As before, you can get in by tapping a device with a Chase debit or Liquid card linked to Apple Pay, Google Pay or Samsung Pay, and then entering your PIN code. It's functionally equivalent to using your regular card, so you're not facing the usual limits that come with making tap-to-pay purchases.
FDA approves an electrical device to help ease opioid withdrawal
Amid an epidemic of opioid addiction, doctors are looking for ways to help people wean themselves off of the drugs, but withdrawal symptoms are a major hurdle. Innovative Health Solutions says its NSS-2 Bridge is a "percutaneous nerve field stimulator (PNFS) device system" that sends electrical pulses to certain cranial nerves, treating symptoms including sweating, tremors, stomach upset, joint pain and anxiety. Yesterday the FDA cleared it for marketing, making this the first device approved for use in this way. Like the DEKA Arm System, this device was reviewed through the agency's de novo pathway that fast-tracks "some low- to moderate-risk devices." Prior to approval, the FDA reviewed a clinical study of 73 patients where all of them showed at least a 31 percent drop in their clinical opiate withdrawal scale (COWS) score within 30 minutes of use.
King crushes trademark dispute with Banner Saga, CandySwipe devs
Candy Crush Saga developer King settled trademark disputes with The Banner Saga developer Stoic Studio and CandySwipe developer Runsome Apps, according to updates from both studios. "Stoic is pleased to have come to an agreement with King regarding Stoic's The Banner Saga trademark, which enables both parties to protect their respective trademarks now and in the future," Stoic Studio wrote, referring to the ongoing tension between the two developers over the term "saga." King said in January that it wasn't against The Banner Saga's name, though its legal opposition to Stoic's own trademark filing remained. At the time, Stoic said it would make another "saga" game regardless of King's trademark. Runsome Apps wrote that it is withdrawing its opposition to King's trademark for "candy," and the Candy Crush Saga developer is pulling its counterclaim against Runsome Apps. "I have learned that they picked the Candy Crush name before I released my game and that they were never trying to take my game away," the developer wrote. "Both our games can continue to coexist without confusing players." King withdrew its application to trademark "candy" in the U.S. in February, and saw opposition to its European trademark for the word in March from Cut the Rope developer ZeptoLab.
Japanese biometric ATM reads your palm, tells fortune
A palm reading cash machine might not tell you your fortune, but it will, at least, dispense some of it. Ogaki Kyoritsu Bank in Japan has revealed that it will introduce the nation's first ATM that lets you withdraw money just by scanning your palm. This isn't the first ATM to use extra human verification, but it claims it's the first that functions without the need for your cash card. Customers will need to pop in to a branch to provide some manual verification -- and of course a palm scan -- then you're away. The bank hopes this will help people access their cash in the event of losing your card, or a natural disaster. Great until you upgrade to one of these.
FCC accepts AT&T's request for withdrawal, plans to release report on its findings today (update: it's out!)
In a conference call to press this afternoon, the FCC announced that it will grant AT&T's request to formally withdraw its application to acquire T-Mobile US. In addition, the agency will also release a 109-page report today that discusses what it found over nine months of reviewing the merger. In short, the FCC found that the cons of the deal outweighed the pros, and AT&T is likely to build out its LTE network regardless of what happens with the carrier's buyout of T-Mobile. The report determined that the merger would create too many network inefficiencies and job losses, and whatever cost savings that would be generated by the deal wouldn't be passed on to the customer. While the FCC won't pursue the draft order signed by Chairman Julius Genachowski mandating the merger be brought before a Federal judge, AT&T isn't completely done. It's become a great deal harder -- its dealings with the Department of Justice are still looming, and in the meantime Reuters is reporting that the carrier's in talks with Leap Wireless to sell some of T-Mobile's assets -- mainly as a last-ditch effort to still gain the support of both governmental agencies. So this saga is far from over, but opponents of the merger can still sigh a breath of relief. Follow the break for AT&T and Sprint's official responses to today's decision. Update: The report is now available! Head here to read all 109 pages of it.
Wings Over Atreia: Into the Abyss (real life) I go
I can stop any time I want to. Really. It would be as easy as nuking an El Roco. You believe me, right? Has anyone ever suggested to you -- even in jest -- that you should take a break from Aion? Maybe step back, venture outside, and check out that thing called "sunshine"? (Don't worry, you really won't melt!) Sound familiar? It's not like the game will disappear without you in it. And a break might do you good, especially if the game seems stale and you feel you've "been there, done that" 50 times over. I know I could step away, easy-peasy. But then, even on vacations across the country, I have managed to slip into game long enough for daily quests and checking the broker. Computer in the shop? Pfffft -- just steal the kids'; I did buy it for them after all. *cracks whip* Now hurry up with that homework! I could step away... if I wanted to. I just don't want to. Well, Mother Nature obliged, succeeding where even vacations and broken computers couldn't: I have been forcibly removed from the world of Atreia for a week now. Amid my new quests of obtaining drinking water and procuring a real shower (hot water and all), I found my mind flitting back to those daily tokens I was missing. Oh, and the weeklies! This made me stop and consider how enmeshed in Aion we are (I can use the excuse it's my job, right?). Can we really completely step away from the game we love -- and love to hate at times -- or is there a point we might even miss the drama? Is it possible to cope without wings? Check past the cut to see how I fared.
Shocker! Media addicts suffer withdrawal symptoms, just like real addicts
...and we're all media addicts, aren't we? A recent study conducted by the International Center for Media & the Public Agenda (ICMPA) certainly seems to indicate that this is indeed the case. The premise was pretty straightforward: students at twelve universities around the world were instructed to abstain from using all media for twenty-four hours. The results were somewhat predictable: across the board, going without television was somewhat easy to do, while abstaining from text messaging and instant messaging brought on withdrawal symptoms: "When I did not have those two luxuries," wrote one student, "I felt quite alone and secluded from my life. Although I go to a school with thousands of students, the fact that I was not able to communicate with anyone via technology was almost unbearable." According to Dr. Roman Gerodimos of the University of Portsmouth both psychological and physical symptoms were reported by the young techno-junkies.
LG denies withdrawing from plasma market... in the UK, anyway
Take this as you will, but George Mead, the Marketing Manager for Digital Displays at LG Electronics UK, has informed T3 that LG Electronics UK has no intention to withdraw from the plasma TV market." To be perfectly clear here, this statement probably is in relation to UK market plans only; after all, those words from company VP Lee Gyu-hong were pretty strong. At any rate, Mead continued by noting that "we have recently implemented a bespoke strategy to promote and market plasma TVs here in the UK," but he failed to specifically touch on LG's worldwide plans (and understandably so). So yeah, it looks like LG PDPs are still safe for the moment across the pond, but we wouldn't be so sure about the rest of the developed world.
LG considering withdrawal from plasma market
Man, plasma's headed downhill -- and fast. Hot on the heels of both Pioneer and VIZIO tendering their resignation in the plasma market, LG's vice president Lee Gyu-hong has reportedly stated that his company is currently pondering its own future in the sector. Should LG pull out, just Panasonic and Hitachi will be left holding down the PDP fort. Purportedly, LG's plasma business is deteriorating in terms of profitability, and the VP stated that future cost savings were practically impossible. At this point (and after coming clean like this), it'd be sort of crazy for LG not to drop out, but what's even crazier is going from five major plasma makers to two within the course of two months. Yikes.[Via Whirlpool, thanks Stas]
Study likens cellphone dependence to an addiction
A recent study by the Queensland University in Australia discovered what we've already pretty much known from several years of smartphone ownership, which is that people's reliance on their cellphones can often take the form of an addiction. Diana James and her colleagues analyzed the behavior of mobile owners 45-and-under in situations where they were separated from their phones, and found that many displayed the same withdrawal symptoms common to smoking, gambling, or eating addictions: lower self esteem, nervousness, and in some cases, even deep agitation. Besides emotional problems, excessive calling and texting can lead to steep cellphone bills and even the occasional repetitive stress injury, warns James, who says that if you're using your phone to make yourself feel better at the expense of your job or your health, then you may have a problem. Don't worry, though, you're not alone...[Via textually]
