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Google's 'Nest WiFi Pro 6E' pricing leaks on retail site
Google's next WiFi 6E router may have been revealed prematurely via a B&H Photo Video listing.
Kickstarter game teaches players how to identify fake news
Between fake news, viral clickbait and biased reporting, it's hard to get a sense of what is really true when reading the headlines. So a new game being pitched on Kickstarter aims to take the public behind the curtain and show them how journalism works by putting them in the driving seat.
Big tobacco's new marketing push: Smartphones, style and EDM
This article was produced in partnership with Point, a YouTube channel for investigative journalism. British American Tobacco (BAT) -- the third-largest publicly traded tobacco company in the world -- is engaged in an elaborate and ethically questionable online-marketing strategy across Europe and Asia. A joint Point and Engadget investigation has found that several BAT brands sponsored music events and created entirely new lifestyle brands that initially seem unrelated to cigarettes. But on closer inspection, they are used to raise awareness of cigarette brands in markets where overt tobacco advertisements are forbidden. Dunhill and Kent cigarettes are among the BAT labels benefitting from spinout brands in South Korea, Romania and Switzerland. However, BAT is not unique in using these tactics in the tobacco industry. When it comes to advertising its tobacco products, BAT's own international-marketing principles are clear about its ethical approach: "We do not engage in undercover marketing activities which seek to disguise the source of the advertising message, or the fact that it is intended to advertise a tobacco brand." In the same document, BAT also promises only to market its product to adult smokers. Separately, in an article on BAT's website, the tobacco company denies pursuing nonsmokers. "We never set out to encourage people to take up smoking cigarettes, or to smoke more."
Yes, Mario was punching Yoshi in the head
Which came first, the chicken or the egg? Is pineapple on pizza right or wrong? Was Mario punching Yoshi in the head or pointing in the direction he wanted to go? These are the questions that destroy friendships and melt internet forums, but finally, we have an answer for the latter. Mario was straight-up smacking Yoshi in the face -- Nintendo's developers say so.
60 seconds with a simple but smart home monitoring device
There are already plenty of ways to keep an eye on your abode from afar, so any new home monitoring product better have a fresh approach if it wants to stand out from the competition. For start-up Form Devices, the goal wasn't to create an elaborate, connected home security system that did more than existing products, but to make something simple, affordable and user-friendly. And, it must've done something right with its Point home monitoring device, which cruised past its $50,000 Kickstarter goal just two days after the campaign went live, and is now participating in our Insert Coin competition at Engadget Expand. The plain white, palm-sized puck hosts sound, humidity, temperature, air quality and particle sensors, but no camera. This was a very intentional omission, not just because Point is supposed to be small and inconspicuous, but so users have peace of mind that nobody will ever be watching them.
Point: Keeping an eye on your home with electronic ears
When it comes to home security, sometimes those little webcams can be a little too obtrusive. For example, let's say that you share your home via AirBnB -- do you really want to see your guests walking around in bathrobes (or less)? Likewise, the guests might not like having the all-seeing webcams staring at them all the time. Well, a couple of Swedish entrepreneurs -- one with a long history of design work at Apple -- have just the solution. Point (US$79 pre-order price) is a Kickstarter campaign aimed at creating an inexpensive home monitor designed to listen for important events, then tell you when something is going on via an app. As co-founder and CEO of Form Devices Nils Mattisson (ex-Apple) notes, "Peace of mind when you're away from home shouldn't have to mean cameras at the dinner table." The Point device listens for ambient sounds, can sense smoke particles in the air, and informs you when events like windows breaking, alarms going off, or guests coming into a home occur. The small round connected device can be set up to respond to events based on rules that you set up. If guests are partying too loudly, it can glow yellow to remind them to keep things quiet. A loud noise at night can act as a trigger for Point to light up, hopefully scaring off would-be burglars. Point features integration with IFTTT so that you can create your own notification mashups with other sensors, and is powered by batteries so it can be installed just about anywhere. The Kickstarter campaign kicked off on Tuesday and has already surpassed its US$50,000 goal with four weeks to go. Supporters can expect to get their Points in July of 2015.
Neverwinter gives players the freedom to buy skills
Quoting beta feedback as a reason, Cryptic is changing Neverwinter's character progression to allow players to purchase new skills via power points. Previously, specific skills were handed out automatically upon hitting certain levels, but apparently choice was a big request of testers. The new power points system, which will be available in the upcoming fourth beta weekend, allows for both skill unlocks and upgrades. There will be certain restrictions, such as keeping the third rank for all skills locked until level 30 and not giving players enough points to purchase everything by the time they hit the endgame. The team says that this system will make the decision of feat choices more strategic, particularly in compensating for any power weakness.
Point brings augmented reality ads to your phone, now with interactive videos (hands-on)
This morning brings a revamped augmented reality app to the scene known as Point. Before today, the software was known as IntARact, but along with the new name, users will now find the ability to interact with videos -- a neat trick for an app that was previously limited to print ads, logos and the like. At its core, Point allows advertisers to engage their audiences by turning run-of-the-mill ads into interactive experiences. To get your toes wet with this new offering, you'll need to stumble upon a Point-enabled bit of media and have the app installed on your smartphone. The Point AR browser is available for Android, BlackBerry, iOS, Symbian and Windows Phone, which you can find by entering "Pointart" into the search field of your phone's app market. If you're curious to see a few Point-enabled sample ads, just grab the app and hit up the IntARact link below. Update: We took Point for a spin while on the CES show floor to see just how it performs. The app eschews QR codes for pre-selected images, which are identified by the server side of the service, and places everything from 3D models to pictures onto them. We've often seen AR solutions that make 3D models and images wobble on screen, but Point had a good handle on stability. Not only can Point do its thing with print, but it can identify static images on TV screens such as logos and banner ads. Point initially sounded like fertile ground for second screen experiences, but its not exactly conducive to watching TV. Instead of being able to identify images from the comfort of a couch, you'll have to walk up close to the television and fill a good chunk of the smartphone's screen with the visual in question. Hit the jump for a video of our time with the app. Alexis Santos contributed to this report.
Mists of Pandaria Beta: Item upgrade strings surface
Two interesting new client strings were unearthed early this morning on MMO-Champion related to the elusive item upgrade system that Blizzard has yet to completely flesh out for players. Valor points are changing their focus in Mists of Pandaria, to be used as a way to upgrade existing gear rather than being used to buy all-new pieces. This new system has yet be comprehensively explained, and these new client strings are our first hint at the system's actual implementation. The basic understanding of the item upgrade system is that justice points will be used to purchase the first pieces of gear from vendors, and valor points will be used to turn that gear into better gear. What this hopefully means is that rather than having two vendors selling the same items with different stats, we can have a justice vendor who sells you items and then upgrades them via some interface dealie with valor points. Hopefully, the number of vendors decreases, because right now it's sort of a pain. ITEM ITEM_UPGRADE - Item Upgrade ITEM_UPGRADE ITEM_UPGRADE_DESCRIPTION - Use your valor points to upgrade a weapon or piece of armor that is level 375 or higher. Honestly, I've been under the impression that Blizzard itself still had the system in flux, so anything being said about just wasn't set in stone. Now, with new client strings and references to upgrading your raid items, it looks like the system is closer to completion. It's open warfare between Alliance and Horde in Mists of Pandaria, World of Warcraft's next expansion. Jump into five new levels with new talents and class mechanics, try the new monk class, and create a pandaren character to ally with either Horde or Alliance. Look for expansion basics in our Mists FAQ, or dig into our spring press event coverage for more details!
Counterpoint: Yes, we should track raiding progression
There's been a lot of hemming and hawing lately about how Wrath is too easy. And there's no question that it is: Ensidia cut through the endgame like an epic dagger through the Vykrul, and any guild that steps into the endgame these days, even with low numbers or cheap gear, finds success. Adam suggested this morning that raiding is so easy these days that we shouldn't bother to track progression, and while Adam is a great writer and a terrific player, I'm here to disagree with his opinion: progression is exactly what the new endgame is all about.While Karazhan was one of the (if not the) most successful instances ever, it had one big problem: it killed guilds. It murdered progression. It was a roadblock after a roadblock, so much so that it took some guilds months to conquer, if they survived at all. Ten man Naxx obviously doesn't have that problem -- anyone with a little raiding experience who wants to beat bosses in there can do so, and Obsidian Sanctum is just as easy. The problem now, however, is that guilds like Ensidia and guilds who pushed through to Sunwell in the old endgame, are finishing the content already, and wondering what's next? They were 80 two weeks ago, and now, barely a month after the expansion's release, they've toppled every dungeon they can find.And what's wrong with that? Nothing.
PTR 3.0.3 Patch Notes
Looking for the Patch Notes that are being pushed to the live servers? We've got that, too.Blizzard has released the notes for the Patch 3.0.3 on PTR (Public Test Realm). With the PTRs going to patch 3.0.3, I wouldn't be surprised to see 3.0.3 hit the live servers next week. Also, please note that these patch notes appear to be in flux and are being updated. We'll keep you posted with any changes.While patch 3.0.2 has a lot of great new content, there have been a fair share of bugs in the game. This patch will fix some of those, and change around a few other things. Remember, there will be an ongoing series of changes – the game itself won't seem normal until Wrath of the Lich King.Some highlights of this patch include: Druid talent points are refunded (only Druids) Hunter aspects are off the global cooldown Vampiric Touch has had its spell power coefficient doubled Warlocks can now use an Infernal indoors Bloodthirst cooldown is now 5 seconds No more level requirement to train gathering skills Read on after the break for the full PTR patch notes.
Honor points and marks reset in WotLK
We all had an inkling this was coming, right? I mean, it is Blizzard and they do things that are occasionally "evil." So it should be no surprise to anyone that Eyonix announced today that they will be resetting all the honor points when Wrath of the Lich King is released.In his post he does mention that they will be putting in a few new items that are purchasable with honor points only. At least those that have piles of points saved up can get something. Let's just hope that it's something you can use. They will be appearing on the PTR shortly.The reasoning behind this is that Blizzard wants there to be an even playing field when everyone hits 80. If people saved up tons of honor points and marks, they could be used to immediately purchase the newest PvP gear. That would create an imbalance.
EI introduces Life|point HD touch panel
Exceptional Innovation -- the same firm responsible for that quad-CableCARD media center -- is looking to give you a new weapon of choice to control your Life|ware home network. The new Life|point touch panel is available in 8.9- and 12.1-inch sizes, and both high-definition versions rock 16:9 formats, integrated stereo speakers / microphone and an ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts screen brightness depending on room lighting. Additionally, the panels are available in black, silver, cream, white and field-finish ready, and each one gives you in-wall control of your home theater, multi-room audio, lighting, security system(s) and temperature. 'Course, it's up to you to decide whether such a convenience is worth $6,000 (and up).[Via Electronic House]
Microsoft unleashes 4000-point Marketplace cards
With the upgrade of the Xbox 360 hard drive comes an upgrade to the retail marketplace card as well. Not content having a 1600-point-per-card cap, Microsoft has created a card worth 4000 points now available online at Circuit City.The card will retail for $49.99 -- since 4000 MS points converts to US $50, that's like savings of a whole penny! (And additional fees of sales tax and / or shipping, where applicable.) We're still of the opinion that the most convenient and cost-effective conversion of dollars-to-MS points is a funds purchase via Xbox Live Marketplace itself, we understand the need for these cards as gifts or for youngsters given a (in this case, rather steep) allowance to satiate their online needs.[Via Xbox 360 Fanboy]
