The Public Access Weekly: The sky was all purple
While I usually start off these round-up posts with some comments on what's happened the previous week, or talking about days of note like geek holidays, today there is none of that. Not because I'm too depressed about Prince's passing (although like many others, I am feeling melancholy about that), but because I've been fighting a three-day migraine this week and all my notes say are things like "Ow," and "Why does everything hurt all the time?" One page is just incoherent scribbling and stick figures crying. So, the quicker we do this, the quicker I can retreat to my couch to finish watching season 2 of Daredevil in the dark.
In Public Access news, we've made a slight change to the sign up button: It's now part of the static banner that remains in place while you scroll through the feed. Check it:
We hope this helps provide better visibility so folks know where they can sign up. What do you think?
Also, did you know that we have user reviews? Oh, it's true -- if you scroll to the bottom of the Public Access home page you can see a few featured examples. If you'd like to contribute a review for a product on the Engadget website, you'll first need to navigate from the review page (which is the page that holds the text/body of our review) to the product page. The easiest way to find the product page is to click on our review score box in the right hand navigation of the review, a la:
From there you'll be directed to a product page, where you'll see a "Write a review" link that takes you to the template which is really easy (honestly, the hardest part is finding the link, I promise).
So if you have thoughts about a product, give our user review tool a try! And then let us know in the comments here how it worked for you. We're curious and genuinely want to know.
Looking for something to read? Check out:
Fans and players of Ubisoft's The Division predictably did not waste any time finding the glitches in the game, which is something the community moderators recently put the kibosh on by temporarily (or permanently) banning players who exploit the loopholes. This, predictably, was not a popular decision.
A U.S. Census Bureau study found that nearly 20% of American households rely on a mobile internet connection alone, up from 10% in 2013. While the study only surveyed 53,000 households, it's still an interesting trend -- and plenty of folks in the comments are weighing in on reasons why the study found these results in particular.
Our Xbox One review! Now, you might be thinking "... Are they just now getting around to reviewing the Xbox One?!" And the answer is: No, but we did just update how we do our console reviews, so in turn we updated the review. Disagree with our findings? Want to weigh in with your own experiences? Then click here to submit a User Review!
Looking for something to write about? Mull over:
This article on Google Fiber losing its free tier of service in Kansas City is from earlier this month but the comments to the story got us thinking: How would you recommend a newbie measure -- and truly comprehend -- their internet speeds? Alternatively, write a tips guide on how to increase internet speeds.
In last week's "Read" section, I mentioned that UC Davis was receiving heat for hiring a reputation management company to scrub the web clean of references to an incident they would rather everyone forget. While this has backfired in a remarkable fashion, it's not actually that unusual -- private individuals have long hired such firms to remove unsavory details of their past (for example, Spring Break photos that may hurt one's employment opportunities), but the attitude seems to change when companies employ the tactic to improve their image. Is it ever okay for a company to use a reputation management firm? Is it destined to always create a "Streisand effect"? What recourse should companies have for improving their online reputations?
True story: I have an aging Xbox 360 at my house that is (somehow) still managing to power up and wheeze its way through operations, which is pretty damn impressive considering the console model is out of date enough for Microsoft to announce a moratorium on manufacturing. After ten years on the market, the 360 is officially over. Write it a eulogy or share your best 360 memories.
