default
Latest
Facebook wants users to be able to set Messenger as the default on iOS
Facebook wants you to be able to use Messenger as the default messaging app on iOS.
Apple may be open to letting users set their own default apps
Apple's insistence on gatekeeping certain actions of rival apps on iPhones and iPads has long been a source of contention among users. Clicking on web links or email addresses, for example, automatically takes you to Safari or Apple Mail, even if you've got other alternatives installed. But this may be about to change. According to Bloomberg reporter Mark Gurman, the company is considering letting users switch from Apple's default apps to those of its rivals.
Chrome will block HTTP content from loading on secure sites
In a move to improve user privacy and security, Google is simplifying its browser security settings. In a blog post, the Chrome security team said https:// pages will only be able to load secure (https://) subresources. The change won't happen overnight, but in a series of gradual steps.
Testing an awesome Engadget entry
by09.27.2019
Twitter user axi0mX revealed the bootrom exploit, dubbed checkm8, that makes it possible to jailbreak the devices.
Xfinity Mobile PINs were left as '0000' by default
Comcast is a media and telecoms conglomerate that made close to $28 billion in the last three months of 2018. You would think that a company of that size, and wealth, would be able to avoid a security blunder akin to making all default passwords "password." Alas, according to The Washington Post, the company allowed its customers Xfinity Mobile accounts to be hijacked because the default PIN was... "0000."
Google Voice command may take frustration out of text messages
Google Voice is great for a number of things, in particular differentiating between the contacts worthy of your regular number and those you aren't quite there with yet. But as has become apparent recently, it's not great at sending text messages, especially from Android Auto, Android Wear and Assistant. Fortunately, help could soon be on the way in the form of a new voice command.
Twitter eggs are bad news so the company got rid of them
The day before April Fools isn't the best time to make big announcements, but that's not stopping Twitter from dropping some big news. The social network revealed its new default profile picture today, an icon that looks more like a real person and gets rid of the egg. Originally, the idea was that new Twitter users would hatch into birds before sending tweets. Of course, the egg took on a negative meaning associated with trolling and other sorts of not-so-great activity.
For drivers with bad credit, new cars come with a kill switch
Driving a car off a lot usually comes with a sense of exhilaration or freedom, but that thrill is short-lived when you've got a debt collector riding shotgun wherever you go. That's basically the case for a whole host of Americans with bad credit -- in use since the 90s, the New York Times reports that now some 2 million cars in the United States are outfitted with remote kill switches that shut cars down if their owners fall behind on payments. The system is simple enough: once installed, the so-called starter interrupt will sit in place and beep to notify drivers that their payments are coming up. Once delinquent drivers tiptoe past a certain threshold (which seems to vary by lender and state), some account manager somewhere hits a button and voilà -- that motor won't purr until someone pays.
Rhode Island attempting to default on 38 Studios' debt
The AP is reporting that Rhode Island is attempting to default on the debt it owes for 38 Studios' $75 million loan and subsequent bankruptcy. The state has a proposal before lawmakers that would keep it from having to make any payments to bond holders. Supporters of the move to default say that the insurance company will compensate bond holders, while the EDC, which approved the loan, says that defaulting will hurt future project and bond ratings. One lawmaker and default proponent, Rep. Charlene Lima, said that the 38 Studios fiasco harmed the reputation of the state and constricted its future economic development. The proposal is being opposed by Governor Lincoln Chafee, who wants to see the debt repaid.
Windows 8 RTM will include 'do not track' by default for Internet Explorer 10
Many advertisers weren't thrilled when Microsoft proclaimed that 'do not track' would be the default for Internet Explorer 10 on Windows 8, but that reaction hasn't made the folks in Redmond flinch. Brendon Lynch, the company's Chief Privacy Officer, announced that the 'do not track' default is already baked into the code of the October-bound operating system that has been released to manufacturers. Upon booting Windows 8 for the first time, users will be greeted with a choice between "Express Settings" or "Customize," the former of which has "do not track" enabled. IE 10 on Windows 7 will receive a similar treatment, with a "prominent notice" about the setting being switched on appearing alongside a link to additional information. Despite Microsoft's efforts, it's possible that advertisers could ignore the web browser setting if they feel their negotiations have been for naught. Considering the response to Microsoft's initial default announcement, we suspect this won't be the last development in the saga. [Image credit: Tomas Fano, Flickr]
LightSquared founder Philip Falcone to step down 'eventually', attempts to dodge the bankruptcy bullet
In an effort keep the troubled LightSquared from the brink of defaulting on its debt, its founder will step down from the company. While it doesn't look immediate, (people "familiar with the negotiations" are using the word "eventually") it's Philip Falcone's latest attempt to extend a debt-term violation that expires this morning. According to the same sources, if the initial extension is okayed, Falcone and LightSquared's lenders are aiming for a greater period of around 18 months to repay $1.6 billion in loans and pass the FCC's requirements for its network. The company's board is still deliberating on whether to accept the deal, which would stop the company filing for bankruptcy protection. Unfortunately, it looks like those new 4G network dreams just got hazier.
Chrome now easily opens email links in Gmail, thanks to some HTML5 magic
The next time you open up Gmail in Chrome keep an eye out for the prompt above, which uses HTML5 to finally close the gap between the way Google's browser handles mailto: links and its popular email service. Our only question about the change is what took them so long? Using extensions or simply copying and pasting email addresses as Gmail blogger and software developer Michael Davidson has been doing were available workarounds, but they won't be needed any longer -- no DRM necessary. Hit the source link for more info on what it's doing and how Chrome allows site handler requests.
LightSquared's troubles continue, company defaults on $56M payment to Inmarsat
It's been a while since LightSquared had some good news to boast about, and it doesn't look like that situation's about to change anytime soon. The latest stumble for the company stems from its 2007 agreement with UK-based satellite operator and spectrum owner Inmarsat, which was due a $56.25 million payment from LightSquared that it has now defaulted on. For its part, LightSquared is laying some of the blame on Inmarsat, saying that it has "raised several matters that require resolution" before the first phase of the agreement comes to a close, and that "the terms of the agreement allow for additional time to resolve pending questions before phase one is complete and the final payment is due." This comes as the company faces a brick wall in the form of the FCC, which it has been struggling to get approval from and has recently been criticizing in increasingly blunt terms. Its full statement on the Inmarsat matter can be found after the break.
Google's South Korean offices raided over alleged antitrust violations
Google's South Korea offices have been raided once again -- this time, over alleged antitrust violations. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Korean Fair Trade Commission (KFTC) stormed Google's Seoul offices on Tuesday, amid claims that the company unfairly stifles competition by making its search engine the default option on Android handsets. South Korea's largest mobile search operators, NHN and Daum Communications, filed a complaint with the KFTC in April, claiming that Android is "systematically designed" to discourage users from switching to different portals, and that Google excludes competitors by delaying OS certification for phone manufacturers that attempt to pre-load devices with other search engines. Similar charges, as you may recall, fueled an FTC investigation in the US, where anti-competitive allegations have been flying around for a few months, now. Google neither confirmed nor denied that yesterday's raid took place, but a spokesperson said the company would "work with the KFTC to address any questions they may have about our business," adding that its OS does "not require carriers or manufacturers to include Google Search or Google applications on Android-powered devices."
Windows Phone 7 camera settings keep going to default, Microsoft says it was 'a decision by the team'
"It's not a bug, it's a feature" is one of the time-honored mantras of computer engineering, and Microsoft is using it to full effect with a behavior occasionally cursed by users of Windows Phone 7 devices: the camera settings return to their defaults every time you load the camera app. Responding to a comment in the official Windows Phone Blog, a Microsoft rep says that the settings reset was actually "a decision by the team," noting that if you need to pull out your phone for a quick shot, you'd rather not have to fiddle with whatever wacky settings you had set up on the prior use. Continuing, he writes that "feedback from folks like [the commenter] has the team seriously looking at that option to see if there is a more optimal option," so it could change -- so your dream of shooting absolutely everything in sepia tone might be realized with a little less strife down the road.
3 makeover suggestions for WoW's default UI
The default World of Warcraft user interface has undergone some excellent changes over the last few months. After the Shattering and Cataclysm, loads of new UI features were implemented and improved upon. In the future, even more tweaks are being added, with the addition of enhanced dungeon maps and other goodies for lore buffs. I can honestly say that right out of the box, the WoW user interface is better today than ever. However, there are still improvements that could be made, most of them in areas that just haven't been updated in a good long while. I've got a list of three pieces of the UI that I believe could use a makeover.
Planet Moon studios loses funding, Bigpoint acquires staff
It was a less-than-happy holiday season for the folks over at Planet Moon Studios, it seems -- multiple sources are reporting that the studio responsible for games such as Giants: Citizen Kabuto and Armed & Dangerous ran out of funding last December, due to the loss of a "substantial amount" of money allegedly owed by investors. CEO Aaron Loeb says his company will file suit against its debtors. Fortunately, MMO developer Bigpoint has picked up 37 staff members from Planet Moon, swelling the ranks of its San Francisco studio to more than 100 people. Bigpoint's CEO, Heko Hubertz, says the refugee staffers will be put to work using their cross-platform experience on Bigpoint's titles, which it just recently claimed have an audience of over 150 million users. Joystiq has reached out to Loeb for a comment on the pending legal action, and to learn what happened to any titles the company currently has (or had) in development. We'll let you know when we hear back.
The Daily Grind: What crazy idea should someone try?
If you want to be a cynic, or you just happen to be one anyway, it's easy to complain that MMOs have turned into something of a cookie-cutter genre. So many of the basic expectations that players have are all but carved into stone, and there's a well-understood set of basics, ranging from quests to default control schemes. Of course, there's no shortage of variances between the biggest titles, but there's certainly a general idea in people's heads of what an MMO should look like by default. Of course, any artist knows the best thing for when a genre starts to stagnate: trying something truly absurd, something that breaks down basic assumptions of what should be done. And we're seeing games with systems that do precisely that, like TERA's action-oriented combat with no lock-on or Guild Wars 2 experimenting with environmental gameplay. But those only scratch the surface of all the assumptions about MMOs that could be turned on their ear. What insane idea would you like to see a game put into practice?
Feitan offers up even more WoW icons for your enjoyment
Feitan has posted another terrific set of WoW-related icons over on WoW LJ. Combine all of those with the first set, and throw in all of the other ones we've collected for you in the past, and you've got a really nice set of perfectly-sized choices from World of Warcraft to use as your icon on whatever service needs an avatar.Like, for example, our own comments. While the cartoon Ogre we've got as the default is quite cute, you might want to make yours a little more personal -- all you've got to do is click your name after commenting, and you'll be taken to a page where you can log in and edit your profile, see your comments so far, and yes, update a new profile picture. If you're still using the default commenter icon with our brand new commenting system, now is definitely the time to make the upgrade.
Is the firewall enabled in Mac OS X by default, or not?
I just bought a new MacBook, as I'm stepping down from owning a Pro and moving to a MacBook/iMac setup (more on that later), and I noticed something a little disconcerting: after going through the generic setup out of the box, Mac OS X's firewall was not enabled by default. I didn't fiddle with any settings during the initial boot and setup (besides entering a password for my wifi network and my .Mac credentials - about the only settings you can fiddle with), and I spotted this strange quirk in the Sharing Preference Pane when going to name my machine before the initial .Mac sync.What gives? Is Mac OS X 10.4's firewall enabled by default or not? I honestly don't remember which exact version of 10.4 this MacBook shipped with (I ran Software Update immediately on startup and only caught this firewall quirk after the restart), and I'm certainly not some certified, 6-figure security expert - I'm only reporting what I saw with this initial setup.So does anyone know what's going on? Discussions about Mac OS X's (and 10.4 specifically) inherent security often cite the firewall being turned on by default - though that clearly wasn't the case with this machine. What say you, TUAW readers?
