Have you ever bought an app or game from a digital storefront, only for it to suddenly disappear and become inaccessible without warning? It’s both confusing and frustrating, which is why some governments are stepping in and hoping to make things clearer for consumers. Gavin Newsom, governor of California, recently signed a new law (AB 2426) that involves the purchasing of digital goods and services. Under the new law, online storefronts that sell digital copies of video games, music, movies, TV shows, and ebooks must be explicit as to whether customers actually own what they’re purchasing. Some digital services are already adapting to the new regulations, which aren’t set to be enforced until next year. Steam is one such company, having already implemented a change in the Steam storefront that explicitly notifies customers that they’re purchasing “a license for the product on Steam” and don’t actually own the game outright. What does that mean for you? Well, a license is just permission for you to access content that’s provided by the service (i.e., the game). If the content is made unavailable for whatever reason, you aren’t entitled to access in perpetuity. (As opposed to buying a digital download, in which case you’re buying permission to download and keep said files.) According to Engadget, this new wording in Steam is used in all countries and territories, not just the United States. Further reading: Why digital games can vanish in a heartbeat Continue reading at 'PC World'
[ PC World | 2024-10-11 19:19:30 UTC ]
I’ve been a notebook person for most of my life. I’ve had dozens of notebooks over the years that served as repositories for to-do lists, story ideas, meeting scribbles and everything in between. But at a certain point in my adult life, I turned away from physical... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-09-20 14:40:06 UTC ]
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No matter what device you read ebooks on, there are thousands of free romance titles available this week. Continue reading at Wired
[ Wired | 2023-09-20 11:00:00 UTC ]
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Kate Roberts considers the latest wave of chronic illness memoirs, which entwine the personal with the sociopolitical. | Lit Hub Memoir It’s a banger week for new books: Here are 28 out today. | The Hub 38 literary movies and TV shows to watch this fall (brought to you by writers who deserve... Continue reading at Literrary Hub
[ Literrary Hub | 2023-09-19 10:30:38 UTC ]
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Xbox Game Pass’s streaming powers are remarkable, but so far they’ve been limited to titles that have been released on Xbox consoles. Game Pass includes a ton of PC games (and plenty that are available on both), but in order to play them, you have to download the files locally and play... Continue reading at PC World
[ PC World | 2023-09-18 14:49:58 UTC ]
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Dolby has announced a new Atmos feature to pair your TV speakers with any wireless speakers you have in the room. Officially dubbed Dolby Atmos FlexConnect, the tech will appear first on 2024 TCL TVs.It’s not completely new ground: Samsung has Q-Symphony and Sony has Acoustic Center Sync, for... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-08-29 11:15:03 UTC ]
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A library card is one of the most useful things you can have in your wallet. Libby offers free access to ebooks and audiobooks if you have a supported library card (some 90 percent of public libraries in North America now use OverDrive's app). Not only that, you can also use Libby to read a host... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-08-28 17:00:30 UTC ]
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Are you missing lockscreen covers for ebooks you've sideloaded onto your Kindle? Here’s how to fix them in just a few easy steps! Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-08-14 10:35:00 UTC ]
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In 2019, Samsung released the original Galaxy Fold, the first phone with a flexible display (not counting pretenders like the Royole Flexpai). And even though it had more than its fair share of flaws, you could see its potential. Over the next couple of years, Samsung refined its flagship... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-08-09 14:00:02 UTC ]
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The best science fiction and fantasy book deals of the day, curated by Book Riot. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-07-31 13:37:54 UTC ]
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The best science fiction and fantasy book deals of the day, curated by Book Riot. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-07-24 13:36:59 UTC ]
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The best science fiction and fantasy book deals of the day, curated by Book Riot. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-07-17 13:53:44 UTC ]
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Four round two of this week's Prime Day sales, most Kindle deals are still going strong. If you're ready to upgrade an old ereader or are just getting into ebooks for the first time, this a great day to buy yourself a new device. Many of these deals beat the lowest prices we’ve seen all year and... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-07-12 15:42:35 UTC ]
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The second half of Amazon Prime Day is here and you can still pick up a bunch of tech on sale. This year has brought a number of solid, Prime-exclusive deals on some of our favorite tech, including Apple AirPods, Google Pixel phones, and of course, Amazon’s own devices like Echos, Kindles, Fire... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-07-12 14:12:31 UTC ]
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Amazon Prime Day is back this year with a bunch of new deals to consider. There are thousands of deals to sift through during Amazon's two-day shopping event, and in the tech space in particular, it can be difficult to know what's actually a good value and which devices are worth spending your... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-07-11 22:30:13 UTC ]
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Amazon Prime Day is upon us and a number of our favorite gadgets are on sale. Since its inception, Prime Day has been one of the best times of the year to pick up headphones, tablets, smartwatches and other tech gear at record-low prices — if you're a Prime member, of course. Prime Day deals on... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-07-11 14:25:07 UTC ]
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The best science fiction and fantasy book deals of the day, curated by Book Riot. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-07-10 14:20:58 UTC ]
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The best science fiction and fantasy book deals of the day, curated by Book Riot. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-07-03 14:54:55 UTC ]
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If you think your kids should have a smart display of their very own, this might be a good time to grab two of them from Amazon. In advance of Prime Day, you can get two Echo Show 5 Kids for the price of one. The displays came out in 2023 and typically go for $100 each. By using the code... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-06-22 16:30:34 UTC ]
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The best science fiction and fantasy book deals of the day, curated by Book Riot. Continue reading at Book Riot
[ Book Riot | 2023-06-19 13:54:50 UTC ]
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Amazon is having a big sale on its Fire Kids tablets just in time for summer break. The Fire 7 tablet 16GB boasts one of the best discounts (along with normally being the cheapest option), with a 45 percent off sale bringing it to $60 from $110. However, for only $5 more, the 32GB model is on... Continue reading at Engadget
[ Engadget | 2023-06-06 10:35:03 UTC ]
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