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Amazon will soon directly address claims over faulty marketplace products
Amazon is updating its return policy to make it easier for customers to file complaints over defective products from third party marketplace sellers.
Google bans ads for unproven medical treatments
In an attempt to remain trustworthy, Google will no longer allow ads for "unproven or experimental medical techniques." Under the new Healthcare and medicines policy, the company will prohibit advertising for treatments that lack biomedical or scientific basis, including most stem cell therapies and gene therapy. That should cut down on ads for things like young blood transfusions and vampire facials.
LGBTQ+ creators file lawsuit charging YouTube with discrimination
In a federal lawsuit filed yesterday, a group of LGBTQ+ video creators claims YouTube discriminates against their content. The group alleges that YouTube suppresses their videos, restricts their ability to monetize their channels and enforces its policies unevenly, giving more leeway to producers with large audiences. According to The Washington Post, the suit argues that YouTube deploys "unlawful content regulation, distribution, and monetization practices that stigmatize, restrict, block, demonetize, and financially harm the LGBT Plaintiffs and the greater LGBT Community."
Kickstarter warns creators against calling projects 'the world's best'
Kickstarter is asking its users to tone down the hyperbolic language and to layoff the misleading imagery. In an attempt to promote transparency, the now 10-year-old platform issued new rules and guidelines aimed at "honest and clear presentation."
Comcast told not to claim it has 'America's fastest internet'
Comcast has agreed to stop advertising its Xfinity broadband service as "the fastest internet in America" after an ad industry group said the claim doesn't jibe with the data. The company based the slogan on user Ookla tests, which the National Advertising Review Board (NARB) said were "not a good fit" for the fastest speed claims. After Verizon (the owner of AOL, Engadget's parent) first challenged the ads back in August and won, NARB upheld the decision and recommended Comcast discontinue specific assertions.
Landmark update adds keywords, flight on claims
Today's Landmark update is bound to make many players smile, starting with an optimization pass that should improve framerates and help out lower-end PCs. But it's the addition of the keyword system that is particularly noteworthy, as it will give more depth and purpose to gear. Keywords will "allow items and abilities to communicate with each other," mostly to share bonuses and passive effects. Weapons now have a specific damage type (such as water), and armor now contains cool bonuses like increases your critical strike to 100% when your armor is reduced to zero. The team also announced that players can fly over claims (as long as they have permission) and can snag even more claim expansions as the limit has been increased from five to eight.
Elite: Dangerous explores the path of... exploring
So what do you want to do in Elite: Dangerous? Do you want to get into space dogfights? Build up a trade empire? Or do you really just want to accelerate to high speeds, jump out into the unexplored portions of space, and start seeing what's there? The latest newsletter for the game discusses precisely that with the exploration mechanics. Just exploring in the broadest sense is fairly simple, but being the first person to visited an unseen system won't count as exploring a heretofore unexplored location. To really explore a system, players need to determine how many major bodies there are in orbit around the star and scan the lot of them before returning home to tell about it. Having a full set of data and being the first to return with it will provide big rewards to the explorer, but if another ship comes across yours and it wants the prize of being the first to explore the system... let's just say there are no laws against loading weapons and opening fire.
Sega pins Aliens: Colonial Marines marketing mishaps on Gearbox
After Aliens: Colonial Marines publisher Sega moved to settle a class-action lawsuit to the tune of $1.25 million in August for alleged false advertising for the game, it shifted the blame for the game's marketing issues to Gearbox Software, according to court documents obtained by Game Informer. Internal emails from Gearbox and Sega representatives cite examples of the former revealing information about the game without the consent of the publisher. One such email refers to a New York Comic Con panel in October 2012, in which Gearbox CEO Randy Pitchford firmly states that a Wii U version of Aliens: Colonial Marines would launch in February 2013 alongside the other versions of the game. Emails within Sega stated that "no-one on the call was aware" of the Wii U version, and that it's "not been picked up so far." Of course, the game missed its Wii U launch window before Sega confirmed in March 2013 that it was no longer in development.
Court approves settlement over Sony's 2011 PSN breach
The US District Court for the Southern District of California approved a settlement for the class action lawsuit resulting from Sony's 2011 PSN data breach. The settlement may result in Sony doling out as much as $17.75 million, which includes an offer for one free game (PS3 or PSP only), three PS3 themes or credit for three months of PlayStation Plus membership (valid only for new subscribers). The claimant groups are divided based on whether PSN account holders prior to May 15, 2011 took advantage of the "Welcome Back" program following the intrusion. Those that did not accept the PSN Welcome Back offer can claim two of the benefit options among the games, themes and PS Plus membership credit on a first come, first served basis until a $6 million allocation from Sony is reached. For those that did take advantage of the program, they will receive one of the benefits above until a $4 million allocation is reached.
Final Fantasy XIV offers more details on the Hunt system
Are you looking forward to stalking and destroying the rarest beasts across the land of Eorzea? Then you'll want to read the latest Final Fantasy XIV letter from Producer Naoki Yoshida, who takes the time to talk in a little more depth about the Hunt system. The basics have already been established, but how will Elite Marks avoid horror stories of players camping spawns and only one person getting any reward for all of the effort? Yoshida explains that the Elite Marks are meant to offer rewards to everyone who takes part in killing them, meaning that multiple players or parties taking down the monster will just result in more people getting the rewards. Some of the Marks are even meant to provide a challenge for multiple parties, anot several do not respawn in the same places, providing more incentive to wander, search, and help out. Check out the full letter for more details, and get ready to experience the system yourself when patch 2.3 goes live tomorrow.
Caves won't bring universal claim wipe in Landmark
If you've been holding back from building in Landmark because of the impending claim wipe when caves are introduced, feel free to dig in now. There's no universal wipe! Director of Development Dave Georgeson expounded on the change in plans during last night's Landmark Live. "We found a way by which we do not have to wipe all the claims when we put up the cave entrances," he said. If you have a claim placed where the caverns end up, it will be packed in a template for you to use elsewhere. Georgeson went on to assure players that there are only a few entrances to these caves on each island, so very few players will be displaced. To hear more about next week's Landmark patch (including smoothing tool upgrades and more metal textures) as well as see the first 19 winners of the Landmarks of Landmark contest, you can watch the full recorded stream after the break.
Norrathian Notebook: EQN Landmark alpha 101
You know you've got it bad when you don't want to leave a game long enough to write about it! But that's exactly how this last week has been for me and EverQuest Next Landmark. Don't get me wrong; it's an awesome change to be so eager to play that you willingly stare at a login queue (getting to listen to Jeremy Soule's music while you do is definitely a bonus!) and even spend hours gathering materials, knowing that it will all be wiped. It's just been a long while since that has happened to me. Luckily, the alpha has had downtimes, allowing me some sleep and a chance to whip this first impressions piece and quick-start guide up for you. Even with many of the core features from the game still missing, this alpha shows you straight off that EQN Landmark truly is a whole different game. The term innovative is not just a catchphrase here; it's a summary. As such, jumping in can leave eager players a bit overwhelmed or frustrated. So this here's a quick introduction course with hints and tips to get you started.
Norrathian Notebook: Look out Landmark, here I come!
Hello, fellow EverQuest Next Landmark fans! This is likely the last time you will get to see me say boo about Landmark's alpha now that it has been announced and is starting up. Once I get my email, I will be officially and totally gagged. Many of you know that I was gifted a Trailblazer Founder's Pack for Christmas by someone who knows and loves me (or conversely, just wants to get me out of the way... which says what exactly if I gifted a pack right back?), so this period of time before I receive and open my invite is my last opportunity to speak about the game before the NDA descends upon me. As such, I am taking full advantage of these hours to speculate to my heart's content, squeal in excitement about the upcoming adventures, and ruminate on all I know about and all I hope for in this sandbox! And then by the time you read my thought, I will be [redacted] and possibly [redacted], with a little [redacted] thrown in.
Learn about claims in EQ Next Landmark's livestream tomorrow
There are still plenty of unknowns when it comes to EverQuest Next Landmark, which is all the more reason to catch tomorrow's official livestream! Starting at 7:00 p.m. EST on Wednesday the 15th, devs will take to the airwaves to answer more questions about the upcoming sandbox -- specifically about claims. So if you want to get the scoop on snagging your own plot (including its square footage), be sure to tune in to EQN's official twitch channel. And for those who are contemplating heading to San Diego and getting some hands-on experience with the game, the team will also offer more details about the Landmark Community Celebration coming up on the 31st.
CES 2013: Nectar's fuel cell pack claims to store up to two weeks of extra power
The Nectar mobile power system had its debut earlier this week at CES' Unveiled pre-show, and if nothing else, it's an impressive boast: The system claims to provide up to two weeks of power for your devices (including the iPhone) from a pack that fits very easily in a pocket. It's a pretty wild idea -- obviously, we haven't gotten a chance yet to really run the device through its paces just yet, but if the Nectar can do what the company says it can, it could be a very handy addition to your travel kit. The way it works is that you buy the core base unit for US$299, and then you can pick up extra fuel cell units for just $10 each. Use up the included fuel cell, and you'll have to replace it, but that much power should definitely be handy if you need it all while out and about. Other fuel cell tech like this can be heavy and bulky, but Nectar is designed to be both very portable and very powerful. The units will be available for sale at Brookstone later on this year, and we'll try to grab one then to see just how these claims stack up under trial. In the meantime, Engadget has a nice gallery of the unit showing just what it looks like in person.
Apple and Samsung finally agree... to drop a plethora of claims from their patent spat
Last week, Judge Lucy Koh informed Apple and Samsung that they would have to reduce the number of patent claims at issue in the parties' Northern District of California litigation. And now, each has complied, with Samsung dropping its total number of asserted patent claims from 75 to 15, while dismissing two patents from the case altogether. For its part, Apple has reduced its case to one claim from each of its asserted utility patents, its four iPhone and one iPad design patents, and its trade dress claims for those two devices. Keep in mind, however, that they did so without prejudice, which means that either party can reassert these dismissed claims in a later lawsuit. That said, the parties have at least attempted to placate Judge Koh in order to keep their July 30th trial date, which is when the real legal fireworks begin. Feel free to check the filings below for the full scope of this most recent patent pruning.
Apple expands lawsuit against Motorola
Perhaps the only department at Apple that works longer hours than engineering these days is legal. The most recent legal dust-up in Cupertino has just expanded, as Apple has amended a patent lawsuit against Motorola to include 12 more claims. This particular fracas began in October when Motorola sued Apple, claiming infringement of 18 patents relating to hardware and services. Apple subsequently counter-sued, claiming that Motorola's Android phones infringed on a number of Apple patents, mostly covering multi-touch technology. The filing last week adds 12 more patents to the mix, including nine phone patents and three patents that cover set-top box and DVR technology. These patents will probably also get added to Apple's complaint before the International Trade Commission. While Apple has 24 patents on the table to Motorola's 18, that doesn't necessarily mean much; any number of the patents on either side could be of dubious validity. The most likely outcome is that the two sides will go back and forth filing motions for summary judgements for the next several years. At some point, shortly before either a court or ITC hearing, the lawyers will probably sit down and hammer out a cross-licensing deal that allows both sides to walk away claiming victory, so they can move on to other battles with HTC, Nokia and Microsoft. [via Electronista]
U.S. ITC will investigate Apple's patent infringement claims of Motorola
Just about a month after Apple filed patent complaints against Motorola, Bloomberg reports that the U.S. International Trade Commission is set to review the claim. Apple's complaints were filed on October 29, just a few days after Motorola sued Apple over 18 alleged patent infringements on October 6. In this case, it will be the ITC's job to determine if Motorola is indeed infringing on Apple's patents. It must also decide whether to block the import of Motorola phones made overseas running Google's Android OS. Apple was recently awarded patents for the iPhone 4's design and UI as well as the iPad's design. The specifics of each company's claims are unknown, but we'll follow this story as it develops.
First level 70 Death Knight on the realms
Odds are, I'd say, that we'll see our first level 80 sometime this afternoon (and probably in Europe, since they got a little bit of a time zone head start) -- we've had reports come in from one very obnoxious Paladin, but his claims to level 80 aren't actually true. But in the meantime, here's the first level 70 Death Knight we've heard of: Arello of Raptors Open Doors on Shattered Hand dinged 70 as a Death Knight in Northrend's New Agamand. The Armory doesn't have his character in yet, but this seems credible to us.We're not sure he's the absolute first, though, just the first we've heard of -- anyone else have proof of a Death Knight at 70 already? And we'll keep an eye out for (credible) claims of level 80 firsts -- the run from level 60 to 70 took about 28 hours the first time around, so unless Blizzard did things a lot different, we'll probably see it sometime today.
Sony, Toshiba tussle over standalone player sales
Another day, another scuffle over which format is selling the most. Of course, it's been made relatively clear which side is moving the most discs of late, but just as Sony cited a recent NPD Group study that claimed Blu-ray players had outsold HD DVD units "in the last nine weeks," Toshiba hit back with a brief but pointed rebuttal. Rather than focusing on the recent past, Tosh reiterated that year-to-date, Blu-ray players only held 42-percent of the market share, and also proclaimed that its HD DVD players were still listed as "top sellers" at a few select retailers. Sure, all this fuss is just over fuzzy numbers, but it's fun to watch from ringside, now isn't it?[Via DailyTech]Read - Sony's claimsRead - Toshiba's response
