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Firefox 25 beta for Android adds guest browsing and mixed content blocking
Now that polished versions of Firefox 24 are out the door, Mozilla has released the beta version of Firefox 25 -- and it's quite a hefty upgrade for Android users. The new mobile build adds guest browsing, which lets friends borrow your device without seeing your bookmarks and history. As soon as a guest signs out, your data comes back. Beta testers also get a mixed content blocker, support for add-ons with page actions and an option to set pictures as contact photos or wallpapers. If you like the idea of sharing Android gadgets with others, you can grab Firefox 25 through Google Play.
You Don't Know Jack gets celebrity guests
I am a big fan of the You Don't Know Jack series as a whole, and I think the recently released iOS version is one of the best ways to play the game: It's social, it's quick and easy, and oh yeah, it's completely free. And now that version is getting even better -- Jellyvision has made some deals to include celebrity guests in the game. Not only will celebrities appear over the phone during the entire show (similar to the old "celebrity phone call" gag on the old versions of YDKJ, which I really loved), but they'll also have a place in the competition, competing alongside you and your Facebook friends as you play. The first celebrity picked to join the game is Mad Men's Rich Sommer, and model Adrienne Curry is set to join the game next, with other updates coming out on a monthly basis. I played through Sommer's show, and it's certainly chock full of plugs for his TV show, so presumably there's either some money going back and forth for these appearances, or the guys at Jellyvision are just big fans of AMC. Even if these are paid appearances, I'm not bothered. YDKJ is a great game that's been offering lots of great free content, and adding in celebrities in this way is an excellent way to both liven up the formula and keep the lights on. You can play the first celebrity ep of the game on iOS now, and more should be available soon.
The special 100th edition of the Engadget Mobile Podcast, this Friday at 5PM ET!
Fun fact: the very first Engadget Mobile Podcast took place on December 17, 2008. Roughly 23,424 hours later (give or take a few), we're going to be celebrating the one-hundredth edition; dang, we're getting old. And what better way to celebrate than to bring on some special guests. Join hosts Myriam and Brad as they welcome Noah Kravitz from TechnoBuffalo and Engadget's own Richard Lai to the podcast. You know what that means: more rants, even more beefs, and especially more all-around mobile goodness at its best. We're planning on beginning the party Friday night at 5PM ET (2PM PT / 9PM GMT), so make sure you've got some space cleared on your calendar!
That hotel towel you're stealing might have an RFID chip in it
For many travelers, stealing hotel towels or bathrobes is more pastime than petty crime. Hotels, on the other hand, apparently take it more seriously. So seriously, in fact, that some have begun embedding specially crafted RFID tags within their linens, just to help us avoid "accidentally" stuffing them in our suitcases before heading to the check-out desk. The chips, designed by Miami-based Linen Technology Tracking, can be sewn directly into towels, bathrobes or bed sheets, and can reportedly withstand up to 300 wash cycles. If a tagged item ever leaves a hotel's premises, the RFID chip will trip an alarm that will instantly alert the staff, and comprehensively humiliate the guilty party. The system has already paid dividends for one Honolulu hotel, which claims to have saved about $15,000 worth of linens since adopting the system last summer. But small-time crooks needn't get too paranoid. In addition to the hotel in Hawaii, only two other establishments have begun tagging their towels -- one in Manhattan, and one in Miami. All three, however, have chosen to remain anonymous, so swipe at your own (minimal) risk.
