Tech Features

This week in tech, a gamer died after a 40-hour session on Diablo III, while Apple were ordered to create adverts apologising to Samsung.

Apple ordered to create Samsung adverts

Apple has suffered the humiliation this week of a court ruling in the UK that requires them to inform consumers that rivals Samsung did not copy the design of the iPad.

Judge Birss in the UK ruled that Samsung had not infringed upon Apple's designs and has ordered Apple to run adverts informing everyone of this ruling. For at least six months from now, Apple will now publish a notice on their website to correct any misconceptions over whether Samsung's Galaxy Tab tablets were inspired by their own designs.

"Should Apple continue to make excessive legal claims based on such generic designs, innovation in the industry could be harmed and consumer choice unduly limited."

Gamer dies after 40 hours of Diablo III

When is the correct time to take a break from Diablo III? Though it is the biggest PC release of the year, we reckon that playing for over 40 hours could be unhealthy. Yet that's exactly what happened in Taiwan this week after a gamer died after 40 hours of the game in an internet cafe.

The unnamed 18-year-old teenager was found asleep and after being awoken, walked a few steps before collapsing to his death. The cause of his passing has not yet been established but he may have suffered a blood cut for the extended hours in a sedentary position.

"We're saddened to hear this news, and our thoughts are with his family and friends during this difficult time. We don't feel it would be appropriate for us to comment further without knowing all of the circumstances involved," said the game's developers Blizzard Entertainment.

"While we recognise that it's ultimately up to each individual or their parent or guardian to determine playing habits, we feel that moderation is clearly important, and that a person's day-to-day life should take precedence over any form of entertainment."

Microsoft suffer first loss since going public

Microsoft this week posted their first loss since becoming a public company in 1986, having posted a loss of $192 million despite an otherwise record Q4 of $18 billion in revenue.

“We delivered record fourth quarter and annual revenue, and we’re fast approaching the most exciting launch season in Microsoft history,” said Steve Ballmer, Microsoft's CEO, who managed to put a positive spin on things.

“Over the coming year, we’ll release the next versions of Windows, Office, Windows Server, Windows Phone, and many other products and services that will drive our business forward and provide unprecedented opportunity to our customers and partners,” Ballmer added, while presumably hoping that investors were sated by his statement.

Facebook testing sponsored results

Facebook's clamour to justify its stock price continued apace this week with the introduction of Sponsored Results, which are currently being tested.

In other words, adverts will now show up in the typehead when you're searching for a business or friend on the social networking site. That's not very helpful but if it pays, it'll stick around.

Rather confusingly, the sponsored results will look just like organic results and thus will appeal to direct marketers, who aren't well served on the site right now. While Facebook previously altered a user's News Feed in order to make adverts more visible, now it looks as though they'll be visible even when users aren't quite aware of it too.