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Google bans predatory payday loan apps from the Play Store
Google has fought predatory loans for a while, but now it's taking that fight to its app store. The Wall Street Journal has learned that Google recently banned Play Store apps with "deceptive or harmful" personal loans where the annual percentage rate is 36 percent or higher, such as many payday loans. A spokesman said the expanded financial policy, implemented in August, was meant to "protect users" against "exploitative" terms.
Google takes a stand against predatory lending ads
From July 13th, Google will ban adverts that promote predatory lending and other dubious financial products. In a blog post written by David Graff, the firm's director of policy, it's said that adverts for loans with repayment terms of less than 60 days will automatically be excluded. In addition, if a product in the US has an annual percentage rate of 36 percent or higher, it'll be blacklisted. Graff says that these loans can "result in unaffordable payment and high default rates," and that Google wants to protect its users from "deceptive or harmful financial products."
Payday: The Heist gets its pricetag stolen on October 18
Remember, everyone: Crime doesn't pay, but that won't matter on October 18, when Payday: The Heist will be available to download for free. Developer Overkill is growing its community in preparation for the Payday franchise's third anniversary, and has put together a list of rewards for each milestone they hit. Overkill is aiming for 1.5 million community members on its official Steam page by October 18 - as of writing, the total sits at just a bit more than 1.1 million. Due to such impressive numbers, this gaggle of gangsters will receive a multitude of exclusive in-game rewards for Payday 2, including weapons, masks, characters and new heists. If you're just after the free game though, it looks like The Heist will be made available to all. Robbers who know how to share the wealth. Who knew? [Image: Overkill]
PSA: Payday 2 goes free on PlayStation Plus tomorrow
While it would be thematically appropriate to steal a copy of Payday 2, come tomorrow that's no longer necessary as the PS3 multiplayer heist game will be added to the roster of free games on offer to PlayStation Plus members. Payday 2 centers on a group of criminals attempting to swipe cash and other valuables from targets like banks and jewelry stores. Solo play is possible, but the real potential of Payday 2 is found when playing with three other people. The game's AI is relatively predictable, but when you're attempting to loot a mall with a crew of like-minded felonious humans, you never know when one of them is going to shoot a hostage or set off an alarm, sending the heist into chaos. "Payday 2 is a nonstop series of little stories and moments of surprise like this, challenging your ability to absorb and adapt with each succeeding moment," Dave wrote in our review, before awarding the game 4 of 5 stars. As with all Instant Game Collection releases, a PlayStation Plus membership is required to pick up Payday 2 for free. Full details on how to attain that membership can be found on the PlayStation Plus website, or by visiting any iteration of the PlayStation Network Store. [Image: Overkill Software]
Payday: The Heist preview: Everybody be cool
Payday: The Heist was just announced earlier this month, but Swedish developer Overkill Software had it on display front and center at Sony Online Entertainment's booth. I wasn't sure what to expect from the downloadable co-op shooter; the elevator pitch is that it's Left 4 Dead where you're stealing things rather than killing zombies, so I sat down with more questions than answers as to how it all worked. Turns out what I found was a surprisingly deep co-op shooter, a game that respects both its heist movie influences and the complicated tangles of co-op multiplayer gameplay. As a shooter, it's not quite as polished or graphically impressive as some bigger budget titles, but for its depth and intelligence, I actually found Payday: The Heist to be one of the best titles here at E3.
What's wrong with buying apps for 99 cents?
Dan Moren over at Macworld has picked up the App Store pricing gauntlet yet again. He somehow equates the iPhone's price dropping to $199 as a symbol that cheap people are shopping the App Store -- as if anyone who's interested in spending $199 on a phone can be called cheap. But he's starting from the right place: from AppCubby's donationware scheme (they sell apps for 99 cents and ask people to donate more on their site) to the Sound Grenade developer (he made a self-described "terrible" app in 20 minutes and threw it up on the App Store -- only to get hundreds of thousands of downloads), something is very weird in the world of apps for the iPhone and iPod touch.Moren's final point seems to be that an excess of 99 cent apps is pushing the really talented developers out of business (because they can't make back what they put into the software by selling it for 99 cents), but there's still something wrong there. If someone can sell 100,000 copies of an app for a buck apiece (walking away with $70,000 after Apple's cut), why are the talented developers leaving? Surely you can make a quality app for less than $70,000, right?We're obviously still closer to the beginning of how the App Store will eventually shape up rather than the end. It sure seems like developers who create worthwhile apps would find a way to pay for them, but if they can't, then yes, it might be worth another look at the pricing setup from Apple end.
