Text 5. New Warnings For Video Games

Britain will soon start using a new ratings system for video games. Government officials have decided to use the PEGI (Pan-European Game Information) warning symbols so parents know what games to buy their kids. There are eight easily recognizable icons, in addition to coloured signs that represent ages 3, 7, 12, 16 and 18 and over. The symbols will show if the game contains any bad language, discrimination, gambling, drugs, horror, sex, and dating. There is another symbol to show the game is only online. Dr. Richard Wilson, an industry expert, said: "Game developers will welcome the new PEGI system, as it makes classification easier.” The PEGI website says companies like Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo support the symbols.

TIGA, the video game trade association, created the PEGI system. Its website says: “Interactive computer game playing is now a mass-market leisure activity, with millions of players throughout Europe. While most games are suitable for players of all ages there are many that are only suitable for older children and younger teenagers.” Alongside the new symbols PEGI will also offer additional advice to parents. This will help to explain different types of violence in games. Examples include "extreme violence,” the showing of “criminal techniques” and the “glamorization of crime”. The system is now used throughout Europe. It is a model that shows how Europe can work together to protect children.

Text 6. Microsoft Launches Bing Decision Engine

Microsoft launched its new search engine, called Bing, on June the first. This is two days earlier than planned. The software giant said Bing will totally change the way we search online. They say Bing isn’t actually a search engine, like Google, but it is a decision engine. Microsoft says the difference is that Bing will help people make decisions because Bing organizes information better than Google. A company spokesperson said there is “search overload” with current search engines like Google. This means we get too much information and cannot find what we are looking for. Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said Bing will help people "find information quickly and use the information they've found to accomplish tasks."

So far, there are mixed reviews about Bing. Apple’s co-founder Steve Wozniak says he is a “big fan”. David Coursey of PC World magazine wasn’t so enthusiastic. He said: “To be the winning search engine, you need to either do all things really well, which Bing does not, or do one or two things really well….I don’t think Bing does that either.” Microsoft hopes its $100 million, four-month advertising campaign will turn us all into Bing users and that we will all be “binging”. Perhaps Microsoft’s ultimate goal is for ‘bing’ to become a verb in English, just like ‘google’ has become. Microsoft desperately wants to catch up with Google in the search engine war. Microsoft’s Live Search only has eight per cent of the US market, compared with Google’s 65 per cent.

Text 7. Eu warns of hidden ringtone charges

The European Union is cracking down on shady websites that are wrongly selling or charging for mobile phone services. The EU Consumer Commissioner Meglena Kuneva has warned the public that they may be paying hidden charges for ringtones, news feeds, video games and wallpaper. Many sites are cheating people out of their money, especially trend-conscious teenagers, who like to keep up to date with the latest phone fashions. An EU investigation into 500 sites discovered that 80 per cent were misleading consumers. "Far too many people are falling victim to costly surprises from mysterious charges, fees and ringtone subscriptions [that] they learn about for the first time when they see their mobile phone bill," Kuneva told reporters.

The Reuters news agency reports that the value of ringtone sales in 2007 within the EU was in the region of US$1.10 billion. Among the companies under Ms Kuneva’s microscope are industry giants such as Vofafone and VeriSign. Failure by these providers to address the commissioner’s concerns could lead to heavy fines or site closures. The investigation identified a number of common dishonest practices. These include unclear price information, not telling the consumer about taxes, and not making it clear to consumers they were signing up to a subscription. Kuneva warned: "We need to get a clear message out particularly to teenagers and children. Be on your guard. It's all about the small print….Make sure you are not signing up for more than you bargained for."

Text 8. First homerobot on sale

A Japanese company started selling a futuristic home robot on September 16. The meter-high humanoid may make housework a thing of the past – for the rich. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries put its internet-linked Wakamaru robot on sale at a price of $150,000. Just 100 of these home helps will initially be available. The robot is the idea of Japanese designer Toshiyuki Kita. He said his creation was “designed in the shape of a human being so that it is not considered simply a machine” and that it has an “independent personality”.

The robot has an impressive number of features. It is capable of recognizing up to ten individuals by name and has a vocabulary of 10,000 words. It can also navigate its way around the house. The Wakamaru site explains three major functions that will help the lives of the robot’s users: It can live with the family and provide daily schedules; it can speak with the family and be a friend; and it has its own role of looking after the house when no one is home. However, the price needs to come down to make it affordable by all.