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The White House may host a social media summit next month
The White House will reportedly host a social media summit next month. According to The New York Times, White House spokesman Judd Deere said the meeting will "bring together digital leaders for a robust conversation on the opportunities and challenges of today's online environment." The White House has not officially announced the summit or confirmed who will attend, but the event is reportedly scheduled for July 11th.
Talkshow shuts down its chat-in-public app on December 1st
If you tried Talkshow's public-facing chatrooms but left wondering why they were necessary, you're not alone. The startup is shutting down its service after determining that it won't be "big enough" to have its intended effect. As of November 1st, Talkshow's iOS app is no longer available in the App Store. You can participate in conversations until November 8th, when everything will revert to a read-only mode. You'll have the option of exporting your chats after that, but you'll have to act quickly -- everything will turn off on December 1st.
Sound Off! What's missing from your favorite operating system?
Whether you're running the latest version of Android, iOS or Windows Phone, there's bound to be something missing from your favorite mobile operating system. Personally, I find it amazing that iOS still makes me play Whac-a-mole when it comes to clearing out my notifications panel. What are some features you can't believe are still missing? Sound off with your fellow Engadget readers in our forums.
The Daily Grind: Do you like having NPCs fight alongside you?
The news that some garrison NPC followers will be able to become your bodyguards and fight alongside you is the first Warlords of Draenor information that's interested me at all. I love such systems in other games, such as companions in Star Wars: The Old Republic and Neverwinter. It's probably the same reason why I like pet classes: Having a combat NPC there makes me feel less alone and more in charge of a team, even if there's only code on the other end and not an actual human face. (Or so I assume.) Although, as in SWTOR, it might be a little awkward in WoW to see dozens of people running around with the same companion you have. Do you like it when a game gives you an NPC to be your bodyguard? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
The Daily Grind: Have you considered how much time you spend gaming?
I typed /played on a Star Wars: The Old Republic alt the other day, and I was surprised to learn that I've spent nearly 26 hours of my life on a throwaway MMO character! Granted, 26 hours out of approximately 700,000 (assuming I live to the ripe old age of 80) isn't very much. But still, it seems like a significant amount of time to devote to disposable entertainment. What about you, Massively readers? Have you done a /played on one of your characters recently? Have you ever stopped to consider how much time you spend gaming? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
Enter our 'In The City' sweepstakes and we'll fly you to NYC for Expand!
So there's this free Engadget Expand shindig happening November 7-8 at the Javits Center in New York City that you've probably heard about. We've announced a bunch of exciting speakers, including RJD2 and Arati Prabhakar (who heads up DARPA), and plenty more will be added soon. You're super pumped and can't wait to experience the future of technology, but don't live anywhere near NYC. What's someone like yourself to do?
Feedback Loop: Kickstarter refunds, Sony A7 impressions, and more!
Get ready for your weekly dose of community goodness from the Engadget forums. The latest edition of Feedback Loop is here. We talk about failed Kickstarter projects and discuss whether or not there should be refunds, dish on Sony's full-frame shooter, share our favorite features of iOS 8, and try to find the best console to play Destiny with our friends. Head past the break to talk about all this and more with your fellow Engadget readers.
Breakfast Topic: No two birds are not on fire
The above screenshot stands, to me, as the funniest one I have ever taken. Eagle-eyed readers might recognize the location as the flight tower in Nethergarde Keep, with some colorful flames added to make the Blasted Lands extra unappealing. Without spoiling things too much, the flaming flight tower is part of a series of introductory quests in Warlords of Draenor. Apparently those poor gryphons still haven't got the memo that they are literally on fire. They're just hanging out in their straw beds, cool as cucumbers, while they presumably burn to death in the onslaught. What's the use in having the power of flight if you won't even use it to not be on fire? I have seen many odd and interesting things in my time in the World of Warcraft, but I think that this one right here takes the cake--so far at least. I mean, who knows what Warlords of Draenor has in store? What are your best, most bizarre moments in WoW, and what would it take to top them?
Feedback Loop: Home automation, Chrome extensions and more
Welcome to Feedback Loop, a weekly roundup of the most interesting discussions happening within the Engadget community. There's so much technology to talk about and so little time to enjoy it, but you have a lot of great ideas and opinions that need to be shared! Join us every Saturday as we highlight some of the most interesting discussions that happened during the past week. This week, we take a look at getting started with home automation, try to identify apps that drain our phone batteries, share our favorite Chrome extensions and discuss whether digital magazine subscriptions make sense. All this and more past the break!
Feedback Loop: Street photography, using Flickr, mouse shootouts and more
Welcome to Feedback Loop, a weekly roundup of the most interesting discussions happening within the Engadget community. There's so much technology to talk about and so little time to enjoy it, but you have a lot of great ideas and opinions that need to be shared! Join us every Saturday as we highlight some of the most interesting discussions that happened during the past week. This week, we take a look at the perfect camera for inconspicuous street photography, discuss how we're currently using (or not using) Flickr, speculate on the Microsoft Surface 3, ask about mouse recommendations for FPS games and get advice on fitness trackers for tennis players. And that's just a handful of the conversations happening in the forums. Head past the break to discover what everyone's talking about.
President Obama is meeting tech CEOs again to discuss privacy concerns
Despite a few reforms, many in the technology industry still aren't happy with the US government's aggressive approach to online surveillance. President Obama is clearly aware of that ongoing discontent, as he's meeting the CEOs of Facebook, Google and Yahoo on Friday to discuss "privacy, technology and intelligence." Leaders from other companies (including Engadget's parent company, AOL) turned down the invitation. While the exact agenda isn't available, the tech executives in attendance are likely to keep pressing for both limits on US intelligence activities as well as greater transparency. There's no way of knowing how receptive the President will be, but a similar December chat appears to have borne fruit -- we won't be surprised if there are more policy changes in the future. [Image credit: The White House, Flickr]
Managing expectations and the evolution of discussion
In the run-up to Warlords of Draenor, we're seeing news of a lot of class and systems changes - discussion of what's being changed or removed has been one of the things we're very concerned with over here, for obvious reasons. It's also a subject of major interest on the forums. In fact, some people are accusing Blizzard of only posting the bad news in an attempt to create negative feedback, to get people talking. Bashiok addressed this idea recently, and it got me thinking about how we interact with game news in the first place. Bashiok - Simplifying currency? That's the grand plan? Well, actually, good news doesn't really create much interest, if you want to dissect it. But that's beside the point. We're obviously not intentionally releasing bad or angering information to try to get people riled up. That'd be silly. We do want to try to manage expectations. Letting people know far in advance that currencies are being streamlined gets that into people's brain meats early, and gives it time to sink in so that when they start seeing or playing that change it ideally isn't jarring and upsetting at that moment. My point was that people discussing a change they have partial information about, debating the specifics, and questioning what it means, are not necessarily negatives. In cases where those are becoming destructive we'll generally try to provide some guidance to at least direct it back to a constructive conversation. source It's this idea of managing expectations that interests me, because over the years, I've come to see quite a few examples of people not doing it. To this day I'm convinced that much of the negative reaction to Cataclysm wasn't to the expansion's flaws (and yet, I admit it had quite a few) and more to the expectations people had for the expansion - expectations it didn't meet, because it wasn't trying to meet them.
Feedback Loop: Strange games, desktop recommendations, iTunes alternatives and more!
Welcome to Feedback Loop, a weekly roundup of the most interesting discussions happening within the Engadget community. There's so much technology to talk about and so little time to enjoy it, but you have a lot of great ideas and opinions that need to be shared! Join us every Saturday as we highlight some of the most interesting discussions that happened during the past week. This week, we took a look through Steam's catalog and highlighted some of the strangest games we could find. We also asked for recommendations on reliable and cheap desktop computers, as well as discussed options for data recovery. Lastly, we kicked off the Engadget Game Club with Outlast on the PS4. Click past the break and read what fellow Engadget users like you have to say.
Feedback Loop: Pebble apps, music services, Google happenings and more!
Welcome to Feedback Loop, a weekly roundup of the most interesting discussions happening within the Engadget community. There's so much technology to talk about and so little time to enjoy it, but you have a lot of great ideas and opinions that need to be shared! Join us every Saturday as we highlight some of the most interesting discussions that happened during the past week. This week, we discussed the best apps for your shiny new Pebble smartwatch. We also had an enthusiastic discussion over our favorite music services, speculated about what's happening with the Google/Motorola/Lenovo deal, waxed poetic about the future of Nintendo and debated the benefits of 1080p and 4K televisions. Click past the break and read what fellow Engadget users like you have to say.
Feedback Loop: 30 years of Mac, mechanical keyboards, Bitcoin alternatives and more!
Welcome to Feedback Loop, a weekly roundup of the most interesting discussions happening within the Engadget community. There's so much technology to talk about and so little time to enjoy it, but you have a lot of great ideas and opinions that need to be shared! Join us every Saturday as we highlight some of the most interesting discussions that happened during the past week. This week, the Macintosh turned 30, so naturally, we had to share our fondest memories of our first Mac. We also dove into the complex world of mechanical keyboards, examined the potential health benefits of WiFi-connected LED lightbulbs, discussed the viability of Bitcoin alternatives and asked about the best laptops for software development. Click past the break and read what fellow Engadget users like you have to say.
Feedback Loop: TiVo services, getting fit with apps, fun with a NAS and more
Welcome to Feedback Loop, a weekly roundup of the most interesting discussions happening within the Engadget community. There's so much technology to talk about and so little time to enjoy it, but you have a lot of great ideas and opinions that need to be shared! Join us every Saturday as we highlight some of the most interesting discussions that happened during the past week. This week, we broke down the cost of TiVo services, shared our favorite apps and gadgets for getting fit, asked for recommendations on underwater cameras and looked for fun things that you can do with a NAS. Click past the break to read what fellow Engadget users like you have to say.
EverQuest Next Landmark to focus on public building with possible private mode
EverQuest Next Landmark's building projects will mostly take place in public although there might be a "black box" mode for private endeavors, SOE discussed in a new roundtable discussion. The developers explained that this issue wasn't something that's ever come up in other games, since Landmark is so different. Thirty-seven percent of players polled said they would like to build their creations in public, which the team found encouraging. There was concern about griefing, which the devs said shouldn't be an issue. When you stake a claim in the world, you're the only person who can build on it unless you give friends or the entire public permission to change that area. The playerbase also expressed concern about how to keep their player studio projects a secret so that other players can't rip off their ideas. SOE will look into giving such players a way to develop in private, although Landmark will remain focused on public building. However, there will be no offline mode for building because SOE believes that it defeats the social aspect of the game. Landmark's beta will begin this winter, with dates to be announced "in the next month or so," according to Dave Georgeson. You can watch the full discussion after the break.
Elite: Dangerous releases commentary on the most recent trailer
We live in a suspicious time for game trailers. You see a great trailer and your first thoughts aren't about how great the game look but about whether or not it was all just pre-rendered. Worry not, Elite: Dangerous fans: the recent trailer showing off an epic space battle was almost entirely rendered in the game engine. A new follow-up walks through the video and explains what was already in place, what was added specifically for the trailer, and how the video as a whole helped the design team. While almost everything rendered in the trailer was generated in the game engine, the ships involved were all flying along pre-determined paths. This might not sound like a big deal until you realize that it allowed the art team to examine everything from multiple angles, making sure that things looked right from various paths without having to manually test each element. But don't take our word for it, just check out the companion trailer past the break and find out about it yourself. [Thanks to Peteris for the tip!]
EverQuest Next's producer letter asks for more community feedback
The development of EverQuest Next isn't meant to be sterile. Just as the game is meant to draw in players with a hankering for creative play patterns and original ideas, the development team wants to draw upon community involvement to help shape the path of both Landmark and the core game. So the first video producer's letter from senior producer Terry Michaels is as much about asking for more community interaction as it is talking up plans for development. Michaels states that the team will be discussing two major parts of Landmark in the near future: globetrotting and item creation (which he refers to as "break it, take it, make it"). The core game will also be expanded with the addition of a new lore story homing in on one of the new areas found in EverQuest Next. On both points, the need for community input and feedback is stressed. But you don't need to take our word for it -- view the full video just past the break. [Thanks to Tony for the tip!]
The Daily Grind: Do you take part in forum rage?
It's a generally accepted fact that the official forums for any given game are a cesspool of invective, animosity, and rage. Whatever recent changes have been made to a game, you can be sure that there will be an outpouring of rage that detail how the changes were too big, not big enough, or didn't affect real issues. If World of Warcraft is unexpectedly down, there will be plenty of people ready to explain how this is the downfall of a hugely successful game that makes millions of dollars. The flip side to this is that it can be cathartic to just open up and complain on the forums. Even if you know full well that launch week results in server issues for every game, it helps let out frustrations to just explode about those server issues on the forums. The other side would be that this sort of behavior contributes to an atmosphere of negativity rather than discussion. So do you take part in forum rage? Does it depend on the conditions or the problem? Or do you just stay out altogether? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
