Audio & Video Games

AFP - US regulators have said a public relations firm has agreed to settle charges that it had employees pose as unbiased videogame buyers and post reviews at Apple's online iTunes store.

AP - A federal judge has ruled that a man who says he's psychologically dependent and addicted to an online video game can proceed with some of his lawsuit against the game's South Korean manufacturer.

PC World - Don't take Sony's silence on a recent USB hack that bypasses the PlayStation 3's copy protection mechanics as soundless sanction. The company's actively working to block sales of the device, and already has a temporary injunction from Australia's Federal Court against sales of the device in the land down under.

PC Magazine - Lenovo said Friday that it is entering the game-console business in China, according to reports quoting Lenovo executives.

PC World - Lenovo, China's largest PC maker, is developing a new gaming console for China called the eBox, an employee familiar with the product said Friday.

Reuters - Lenovo, the world's No. 4 PC maker, has set up a unit to develop a video game console for the China market, a newspaper reported on Friday, pitting it against rivals such as Microsoft and Sony.

AP - A top Rhode Island economic official said Thursday he expects to close by mid-September on a controversial $75 million state loan guarantee for the video game company of former Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling.

PC World - The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has settled a complaint it made against a public relations firm accused of using employees to pose as ordinary customers to post reviews of video games on Apple's iTunes store, the agency said Thursday.

AP - Electronics retailer Best Buy Co. said Thursday it is offering store credit in exchange for used video games at nearly 600 of its stores, expanding an online trade-in program that has been in place for about a year.

PC Magazine - Hillcrest Labs, the maker of the interesting Loop wireless mouse, said it had licensed its technology to PlayStation maker Sony Computer Entertainment as well as LG Electronics for a "Magic Wand".