Hasta La Gadget!

Do you know someone slated to get a pair of Glass Explorer edition frames in the next few weeks? Are you hoping to borrow them for a week or so? You might be out of luck the same way those who want to sell their pair for a markup are. Buyers may have paid $1,500 for the frames, but Google retains the power to kill the device from afar, something it says it will do if users violate its terms of service. And no, you won’t get a refund when your glasses go dark.

Taking a gander at Google’s Terms of Service, we see that Explorer edition owners are not allowed to “resell, loan, transfer, or give [their] device to any other person. If [owners] resell, loan, transfer, or give [their] device to any other person without Google’s authorization, Google reserves the right to deactivate the device, and neither [the owner] nor the unauthorized person using the device will be entitled to any refund, product support, or product warranty.”

Such shackles on a device you own is more than disappointing, but is a trend that is slowly working its way to the forefront. What we don’t know right now is whether such restrictions will also apply to the regular variety of Glass once it is available for anyone to buy. According to Wired, the Internet giant declined commenting on the terms of service, and didn’t answer whether it will change in the future.

As with most of us when we make a purchase, at least one Google Glass owner didn’t read the terms of service, and he promptly created an Ebay auction, which he later took down after the terms were pointed out to him. Likewise, don’t try to loan out or sell your Glass device under Google’s nose – it’ll know when the Google account is changed, and your device might suffer from a quick flip of the “off” switch.

[via Wired]

Google to Glass owners: don’t sell them, and don’t share them is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Google has issued some new settlement terms to EU regulators to make sure that its search engine is much more competition-friendly. According to The Wall Street Journal’s sources, Google’s proposal was submitted last week, and will alter the way the search engine will look in Europe (it will look the same as it does now everywhere else in the world). If approved, Google would be bound to this proposal for 5 years, and it would be monitored by a 3rd party to ensure its following through with the terms.

Google’s rivals will test out the new, proposed changes to its search engine in order to decide whether or not the changes will make a big enough impact. One of the changes involves alterations to Google’s links to its own specialized sites. Alongside Google’s results, there will also be at least 3 links to rival, specialized sites that are relevant to the search results. Google will also have stand-out labels to let users know when its promoting its own links.

However, links to rival specialized sites will only appear in Google+ Local, Google News, and its main search engine. Its own specific-search sites, like Google Shopping and Google Flight Search, where competitors pay to be listed, will be left unaltered. Along with listing rival sites, Google will also allow sites to opt out of its specialized sites without it affecting their rankings on its main search engine. It will also include a tool that lets sites prevent specific content from being indexed.

The EU also wants Google to change its contracts for AdSense, giving users more flexible options of bringing ads from other sources onto their sites. Google is already planning on allowing its users to adjust their AdWords campaign by letting them move their campaigns to a rival ad platform. All of these new proposals will allow other rival sites to better compete against the search engine giant.

Google submitted its proposal in a process known as Article 9. This process will allow Google to settle this antitrust case without being fined, like Microsoft. However, Google may not be crossing the finish line in this case just yet. Joaquin Almunia, EU’s antitrust chief, is still considering whether or not he should open a probe against the Android operating system in order to see if its monopolizing the mobile marketplace.

[via The Wall Street Journal]

Google issues settlement terms to the European Union is written by Brian Sin & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Apple has agreed to pay out a weighty $53 million to settle a lawsuit which saw the company accused of not correctly honoring warranties of iPhone and iPod Touches, reports Wired. More »

Some Apple iPhone and iPod Touch consumers have been up in arms, claiming that the Cupertino company has consistently refused to properly honor warranties and fix faulty devices. It would seem Apple has dealt with the issue, according to Wired, which got its hands on a PDF of the alleged settlement that will be filed in court in the coming weeks.

According to the document, Apple will be settling a class-action lawsuit that was brought against it over what is said to be failure to honor both its standard (12 month) and 24-month extended warranties, neither repairing nor replacing its devices that fail if the white tape located within the device had turned either pink or red.

3M, which makes the tape, has stated that mere humidity can make it turn pink and possibly red. This covers several of Apple’s devices, including the iPhone/iPhone 3G/iPhone 3GS, as well as the 2nd and 3rd generations of its iPod Touch. Several lawsuits have been filed in California against Apple over the refusal to repair, and now many device owners could be seeing a small payout in the near future.

The legal document that was leaked shows the settlement amount at $53 million, as well as the signature of Apple’s Noreen Krall, chief litigation counsel. As part of the settlement, Apple does not acknowledge that it has done anything wrong. Although the settlement is outlined in the document, it isn’t final yet, assuming it is the real deal – it needs to be filed, and a judge need to sign off on it, otherwise it’s back to the drawing board.

[via Wired]

iPhone warranty lawsuit prompts $53 million settlement, according to leak is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

Google has been in a lot of deep trouble with the European Union over the past several years, almost to the point where we think that the search giant will never learn its lesson. However, it seems like the company is coming around, and they have officially handed in formal concessions to the EU in hopes to avoid a steep fine.

An EU antitrust investigation of Google has been ongoing for two years now, but it seems like it may finally come to an end soon, and Google is looking to come out of the mess without owing a fine. The search giant has submitted a set of formal concessions after discussions with the EU antitrust authority after the company originally first offered proposals back in January over complaints from Microsoft and other competitors.

The EU will now launch a “market test” to get feedback from competitors, as well as field further complaints — if any — about Google’s concessions. Details are rather scarce at this point, but the market test will be crucial as far as determining whether or not competitors accept Google’s concessions, since it’s possible that they want to demand more.

This comes after another complaint was lodged against Google a few days ago. The complaint was made by Microsoft, Nokia, and other competitors over the fact that Google is using its Android mobile operating system to give its own apps and related services an advantage over others. The EU is still deciding what it will do with the complaint.

[via Reuters]

Google hands over concessions to EU following complaints is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.