ComputerGamers.com - Game & Technology News.

Tennessee school systems will get vouchers for Microsoft software, about $16.40 for each student, from a settlement of an unlawful trade practices lawsuit against the technology company, state education officials said Monday.

The Tennessee Department of Education will distribute a total of $15.3 million in software vouchers to school systems.

The class action lawsuit contended that Microsoft Corp. used unlawful trade practices to maintain a monopoly and overcharge Tennessee consumers.

“We are pleased that the outcome will allow Tennessee school systems to upgrade technology for the benefit of their students and allow additional resources to be directed toward improving teaching and learning,” Education Commissioner Lana Seivers said.

Each school district will receive about $16.40 per student according to the districts average daily membership (ADM) at the end of the 2005-06 school year.

Read the rest of this entry …

There is now a new method of female protection that just hit the safety market. It does not require carrying around a bottle of pepper spray, a taser or a small handgun in your purse. Did you ever think that a safety device could become a fashion statement? Well… meet the No-Contact Electric Safety Jacket!

Read the rest of this entry …

NEW YORK (AP) - It was the high-tech key to a massive, illegal gambling kingdom: a laptop computer that authorities say was owned by a professional poker player named James Giordano.

Giordano, who rarely let the computer out of his sight, unknowingly took a gamble earlier this year by leaving it behind while attending a wedding ceremony, police said Wednesday.

But in the three hours he and his wife were away from their Long Island hotel room, New York Police Department investigators armed with a search warrant and computer expertise sneaked in, found the laptop on a desk and made a digital copy of the hard drive before the couple returned.

The covert operation on June 15 helped unlock a sophisticated billion-dollar-a-year gambling scheme that rivaled casino sports books, authorities said at a news conference announcing charges against Giordano and 26 other defendants.

Read the rest of this entry …

The lawsuit against Apple claimed that the inverter board on the 17″ Studio LCD Display Monitor was faulty, causing the gradient dimming of the top or bottom half of the screen of the Display and a power light to constantly blink on and off in a short-short-long pattern to signal a problem. Apple has denied all allegations against them and has asserted many different defenses. The settlement they claim is is not an admission of wrong doing or an indication that any law was violated.

Any US nationals who purchased the problem monitor are classed as being a member of the Class Action Settlement and are automatically included in the settlement unless a valid request for exclusion is mailed to Class Counsel postmarked on or before January 19, 2007.

Read the rest of this entry …

Computer Search Engine company Mamma.com has agreed to settle on a class action lawsuit pending in a United States Federal Court. Mamma.com stated a total of $3.15 million will paid to the plaintiffs under the settlement agreement. Their insurance carrier is said to be responsible for up to $2.5 million of the payout. The remainder will be paid out by Mamma.com inc.

Guy Faure, the Company’s President and CEO, stated: “We are gratified that the litigation is likely to be settled and on favorable terms. We can now turn all of our attention and resources to continuing to build and pursue our business model and sharpen our focus on achieving profitability and enhancing share holder value.”

Read the rest of this entry …

Arkansans who licensed certain varieties of Microsoft Corp. software between Jan. 1, 1998, and Dec. 31, 2004, may be eligible for benefits as part of a proposed $ 37. 8 million settlement for a class-action lawsuit filed in Pulaski County Circuit Court against Microsoft.

The lawsuit accuses Microsoft of using unlawful tactics to establish a monopoly for products such as MS-DOS, Windows, Word, Excel and Office, then selling them at inflated prices.

Microsoft reportedly sold Windows 98 to Arkansas customers for $89.00 when an internal study by Microsoft in November 1997 indicated the software was profitable at $49.00, the suit states.

Microsoft denied the accusations and contends it developed and sold “high quality and innovative” software at “fair and reasonable prices.” On Sept. 7, the court approved a preliminary settlement, and it is scheduled to rule on final approval at a March 6, hearing.

If the settlement is approved, eligible consumers who submit a claim by April 23 — possibly later if extended by the court — would be eligible for vouchers valued at $ 5 to $ 12 for each software license purchased.

Read the rest of this entry …

This bear needs his mouth washed out with soap! He looks like the perfect cuddly toy to send home with your child or give to a loved one. Unfortunately, due to a small error in design, his chip says “Eat sh*t and die, mother f*cker”, “Nobody loves you, everybody hates you, go f*ck yourself”, “Hey D*ckhead, what’re you, some kind of pervert, gotta touch teddy bears?”, and more. He isn’t appropriate for children, but you know the value of a swear word or two. He comes packaged in a humorous and descriptive open color box and stands about 6 1/2-inches tall. Why not let him give you a little attitude?

This plush toy clearly comes with a warning that it is meant for those who are 18 years old and above only on the top right hand corner of the box. It might look extremely docile and cute, but boy will you be surprised to know that it can pump out swear words that would even give foul-mouthed Cartman of South Park fame a run for his money. Instead of spewing out lovely messages, this twisted cousin of the Care Bear we all grew up on has suffered from an error in chip design, hence enabling him to churn out various profanities such as “Eat sh*t and die”, which is one of the tamer phrases to come out from him. Other phrases are unprintable as this is a family oriented site, but you get the idea.

Read the rest of this entry …

Would you believe that Video Games can help patients suffering from Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Doctors are now experimenting with a new type of game system called Smart BrainGames, a feedback system which monitors brain waves through a hat full of sensors. The system then adjusts video game performance in order to “train” the player into emitting certain brain patterns. Dr. MacDonald explains how the feedback works:

If they don’t do the right thing, then they can’t steer and they’ll crash, and eventually, the brain will keep trying to do what it has to do to succeed in the game.”

Read the rest of this entry …