Zynga Sued Over Privacy Matter

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In response to the recent revelations of Facebook user data misuse by Zynga, a class-action lawsuit has been filed against the company. The suit says that Zynga violated federal law and its contract with Facebook by sharing user info with advertisers and is seeking an injunctive relief and monetary compensation for those affected.

“This appears to be another example of an online company failing the American public with empty promises to respect individual privacy rights,” explained Michael Aschenbrener of Edelson McGuire LLC, co-lead attorney for the class action.

“Companies large and small need to learn to follow through on their privacy promises or risk having consumers decide that it is simply not worth it to use their services,” added Kassra Nassiri of Nassiri & Jung LLP, the suit’s other co-lead attorney.

Facebook Dev Calls Android Open Source A ‘Farce’

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Google’s Andy Rubin has been arguing with Steve Jobs over the issue of Android being open. According to prominent Facebook programmer Joe Hewitt, it’s completely disingenuous from both parties. Hewitt is, notably, working on Facebook for Android right now and is reliant on updates released by Google for his own progress.

“How does Android get away with the ‘open’ claim when the source isn’t public until major releases, and no one outside Google can check in?” tweeted Hewitt. “Compare the Android ‘open source’ model to Firefox or Linux if you want to see how disingenuous that ‘open’ claim is. Until Android is read/write open, it’s no different than iOS to me. Open source means sharing control with the community, not show and tell.”

“I think it is the lack of visibility into daily progress that bothers me about Android more than the lack of write access. Refusing to share your vision and progress until the big event… how very open,” he added. “[You] can’t argue Google is doing bare minimum to meet the definition of open. Point I am trying to make is, Rubin bickering with Jobs is a farce, because both refuse to share the one thing that matters: control.

Source: Twitter

3D Glasses Not Major Detriment To Gamers, Finds Study

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U-Decide Initiative today released information suggesting that 80 percent of gamers are willing to wear 3D glasses to play games and watch Blu-ray movies. Interestingly, participation level climbed only 12 percent when glasses were not necessary, suggesting that the use of 3D glasses is not a major impediment to the technology.

“If you are concerned about the impact Stereovision-3D is having on the gaming market, then you should check out U-Decide s latest findings, and consider becoming a supporting S3DGA member,” said Dr. Jon Peddie of Jon Peddie Research.

The study also found that 36 percent of gamers are open to watching 3D sports, and 20 percent are willing to watch 3D TV shows with 3D glasses, with 63 and 61 percent being willing to watch without 3D glasses. The study said that 65 percent of those surveyed already own an HDTV, and over 35 percent of them are looking to buy a 3D HDTV within the next two years.

Microsoft Combating Google With Office 365

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Microsoft has announced that it is launching a new cloud-based office service called “Office 365. This subscription package is designed to combat Google, though it still only offers a limited version of Microsoft Office.”

“We think we can differentiate from our competitors, particularly competitors from the consumer space, by making sure our data centers are incredibly secure and reliable,” said Chris Capossela, senior vice president of Microsoft’s Office division.

Hulk Hogan Signs On For Online Game

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Production company Endemol has announced that it has signed an agreement with Hulk Hogan. The producers of reality TV shows like Big Brother and Fear Factor will launch an online game in early 2011, with video content of Hogan who will appear to encourage players.

“Endemol Games UK is expanding into new areas and this deal marks one of our first third party licensing partnerships,” said Endemol Games UK MD Jurian van der Meer. “Hulk Hogan is an icon with massive global appeal and we aim to attract his fans with creative online slot games. This is a great addition to our portfolio.”

Take-Two Boss Talks Digital Distribution

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Strauss Zelnick, the chairman of Take-Two, thinks that digital sales could be as much as 40 percent of the publisher’s total business by 2013. Still, he does not think that traditional retail sales will be endangered by this.

“Digital distribution of our interactive entertainment represents something less than 15 per cent of our revenue [right now] and that’s clearly growing,” said Zelnick. “Packaged goods aren’t going away because we have huge file sizes.”

Source: Bloomberg {link no longer active}

Tablet Computers To Reach 208 Million Units In 2014, Says Study

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Gartner predicted today that the tablet computer market will reach 19.5 million units by the end of 2010. Furthermore, they expect that the market is set to grow worldwide to 54.8 million units in 2011, and reach 208 million units in 2014.

“The all-in-one nature of media tablets will result in the cannibalization of other consumer electronics devices such as e-readers, gaming devices and media players,” said Carolina Milanesi, research vice president at Gartner. “Mini notebooks will suffer from the strongest cannibalization threat as media tablet average selling prices (ASPs) drop below $300 over the next 2 years.”

“Communication service providers (CSPs) who have so far subsidized mini-notebooks to drive mobile broadband uptake will shift their marketing spend to media tablets. Such subsidies will help drive adoption among those consumers who see the initial hardware cost as a hurdle,” added Milanesi. “For the rest, the freedom of paying for cellular only if and when needed, and not having to add another contract to the one a user might already have on his or her phone, is a great advantage and has so far proved successful for Apple.”