Ben Gilbert
Articles by Ben Gilbert
Queen Elizabeth II takes to an iPad to send her first Tweet
Queen Elizabeth II of England is pretty seriously old-school. She casually signs her name, "Elizabeth R." (the "R" stands for "Regina" or, in English, "Queen"). She wears killer matching outfits (as seen above) that would be at home in 1962. But she's also not above jumping into the modern age every now and again. Take, for instance, the tweet that she sent this morning -- her first ever -- from London's Science Museum. It's how she helped open an exhibit on "The Information Age" -- a live-action tweet from an iPad. There's some contestation over whether she sent the tweet herself; the tweet originates on an iPhone, though the Queen was clearly using an iPad. Does it really matter? Do you care? This is all a publicity stunt anyway, right? Let's all just enjoy that beautiful blue dress and the killer matching hat. The tweet, in all its glory, can be found below. Update: We've got an especially hilarious update on the did she/didn't she debate, straight from a spokesperson for the Queen of England: "If an iPhone was involved it was purely processology." And no, in case you're wondering, "processology" isn't a real word.
Bay Area tech company caught paying imported workers $1.21 per hour
Ever heard of Electronics for Imaging? We hadn't either until this morning, but it's apparently a multimillion dollar, multinational, public corporation based out of Fremont, California. And the United States Department of Labor just caught EFI red-handed in an investigation, which found that "about eight employees" were flown in from India to work 120-hour weeks for $1.21 per hour. EFI apparently thought it was okay to pay the employees the same wages they'd be paid in India (in Indian rupees). Here's the unbelievably crazy sounding quote EFI gave to NBC's Bay Area affiliate: "We unintentionally overlooked laws that require even foreign employees to be paid based on local US standards." Just so we're clear: is there anyone reading this who doesn't know that any person working in the United States is legally required to be compensated according to United States laws?
iPad Air 2 is Apple's thinnest tablet ever
Apple's got a new iPad, and it's a sequel to last year's ultra-svelte iPad Air: It's called the Apple iPad Air 2. CEO Tim Cook announced as much this morning from Apple's Cupertino, California, headquarters with a video of a pencil being shaved down, a nod to last year's unveiling of the first iPad Air. The iPad Air 2 is 6.1mm, "18 percent thinner than the first iPad Air," Apple's Phil Schiller told attendees. "It's the world's thinnest tablet." Beyond thinning it down even further, Apple's usual suspects of upgrades are on board: The iPad Air 2 has the newest A8 processor and M8 coprocessor, which Schiller said is 12 times more powerful than the original iPad. It's also got a brand-new camera out back: an 8MP iSight camera (f/2.4 aperture) that does 1080p video, burst mode, panorama shots and auto HDR (that takes up a bit less space). The display remains 9.7 inches, which Schiller called "a new Retina display." He also said the new iPad Air 2 has Touch ID, the Home button-based security system that enables logging in via fingerprint. With Touch ID, iPad Air 2 also has Apple Pay, albeit enabled for online purchases only. Head below for more specs and info as it comes out of Cupertino!
Playdate: We're livestreaming 'Bayonetta 2' on Wii U! (update: game over!)
Nintendo's big exclusive game for its Wii U home console is Bayonetta 2. It was Nintendo's big coup announcement ahead of the Wii U's launch. Bayonetta's notable not just for being good -- the first game is critically-acclaimed -- but also for being made by a developer other than Nintendo. And hey, it's October, so that means games are being released into the wild. Among them is Platinum Games' Bayonetta 2, featuring the stylishly appointed, combat-ready Rapunzel-alike you see above. The series is known for its over-the-top, goofy-yet-calculated style, and we're gonna put the latest one through its paces in a stream for you just below starting at 4PM ET.
Microsoft's got another Halo game for 2014: 'Halo: Spartan Strike' headed to Windows 8 and Steam
Image from Halo: Spartan Assault Apparently Halo's top-down mobile version was successful enough to warrant a second go, as Microsoft's planning a December launch for Halo: Spartan Strike. But what is Halo: Spartan Strike? It's a direct sequel to last year's Spartan Assault, and it features an unnamed Master Chief-esque super soldier shooting, driving and grenading his way through a variety of Halo-flavored worlds. To be totally clear: it's a twin-stick, top-down shooter made by the same folks who made last year's mobile Halo (Vanguard). You'll see New Mombasa! You'll see a Halo-based area! You'll see...some jungle! Sadly, we can't actually show you any of that, as Microsoft's worked out some form of exclusivity with another outlet. We even played a bit of it, but we can't actually tell you how that went because of the aforementioned exclusive. Pretty dumb, right? What we can tell you is that Halo: Spartan Strike will cost $6 when it arrives on Windows 8 devices (from Surface to phones to PC) and Steam this December 14th. The marketing gentleman from Microsoft said the game will remain exclusive to Windows 8 and PC -- unlike the previous game, which ended up on consoles as well -- but we don't believe him. You probably shouldn't either.
Sony's PlayStation Experience is a two-day public gaming show in Vegas
Sony's holding a two-day PlayStation event in the middle of the desert, and it wants you to attend. Okay, technically Las Vegas isn't the middle of the desert, but it's certainly out there. What will said event entail? PlayStation social media man Sid Shuman says you'll, "Sit in on in-depth panels, meet the industry's best developers, score hands-on gameplay with tons of upcoming PlayStation games, collect free swag, and get a chance to purchase rare collectibles directly from their favorite game studios." It's kind of like PAX, basically, but all PlayStation. One more similarity to PAX? It'll cost ya. $50 for a one-day pass, $90 for both days. If those previous activities left you still sitting on the fence about attendance, Shuman also promises, "an exclusive first look at what's coming next in 2015, which I am told you will not want to miss." Project Morpheus details? Maybe a PlayStation helicopter? Who knows! Hey, if nothing else, it's an excuse to fly to Las Vegas in December, right? [Image credit: Sony PlayStation]
'Retroism' heralds return of gaming classics from MicroProse, Accolade and others
Do you like video games? Have you been playing them for, like, 30 years? Well good news: that gum you like is going to come back in style! Okay, okay, we're just really excited that Twin Peaks is getting a third season. But also, classic games from the likes of MicroProse, Accolade and Infogrames are being brought back to life care of Tommo and Night Dive Studios under the name "Retroism." Starting today, Retroism is bringing back games from that trio of studios and "other iconic publishers," and the initiative kicks off with Sid Meier's Colonization, Pirates! Gold Plus and Covert Action.
Snapchat servers 'were never breached,' but your snaps may still be compromised (update)
Snapchat is a photo sharing service known for its temporary nature: you send a photo to a friend, a few seconds later the photo disappears and is erased. If you snap a screen of the image, Snapchat tells the other person. That's the elevator pitch, anyway. A variety of third-party apps skirt around that temporality, enabling users to secretly save the images they're sent -- occasionally of the nude variety -- and anonymous internet forum 4chan is claiming it hacked one of those apps to access hundreds of thousands of images. Worse, those images are allegedly tied to usernames. Yes, that means your images may be at risk of exposure. Snapchat can't confirm the alleged leak because it didn't involve the company's servers if it did happen, but the company says its data centers are secure. Here's what Snapchat told us: "We can confirm that Snapchat's servers were never breached and were not the source of these leaks. Snapchatters were victimized by their use of third-party apps to send and receive Snaps, a practice that we expressly prohibit in our Terms of Use precisely because they compromise our users' security. We vigilantly monitor the App Store and Google Play for illegal third-party apps and have succeeded in getting many of these removed."
Google wants to bring its Android copyright battle to the US Supreme Court
Google and Oracle are still arguing over code at the foundation of Google's mobile operating system, Android. Google this week filed a petition with the United States Supreme Court, which appealed a lower court's ruling that Oracle can legally copyright foundational code. The decisions have gone back and forth over the course of the last four years: First a judge in California ruled in favor of Google; then an appeals court ruled in favor of Oracle; and now Google's pushing for the Supreme Court to get involved. But what are the two internet giants even arguing about? At the heart of Android are a set of Java APIs that Oracle is claiming aren't available for commercial use without a licensing fee (approximately $1 billion). Google argues that the API code is functional -- not a "creative work" -- and therefore isn't copyrightable. The case is, of course, far more complex than our explanation, but that's the big picture (our own Chris Velazco goes into far more background detail right here).
Playdate: We're livestreaming 'Alien: Isolation' on Xbox One! (update: it's over!)
Welcome, ladygeeks and gentlenerds, to the new era of gaming. The one where you get to watch, and comment, as other people livestream gameplay from next-gen consoles. Because games! They're fun!
Facebook's reportedly working on a mobile app for anonymity
Social media giant Facebook drew ire from some users recently due to its strict real name policy. Some even fled for Ello -- madness! Now, it looks like Facebook's responding to complaints with a mobile app "that allows users to interact inside of it without having to use their real names." That's according to two people speaking with The New York Times, anyway; the sources also said the app is set to launch "in the coming weeks." Facebook's long held policies requiring verified email addresses, originally requiring college-specific email address logins per its collegiate origins. Those policies clashed recently with drag queens, some of whom had their profiles outright removed from Facebook (by algorithms). It's not clear how this app would affect web-based Facebook use, if at all, and Facebook's not saying a peep thus far. A Facebook rep told Engadget, "We don't comment on rumor or speculation."
What you need to know about the future of paying for stuff
We've virtualized much of the rest of the modern life -- why not payments? Plane tickets, banking and many other aspects of our lives now live on our phones. Payments still exist in the world of paper and plastic. Google has Google Wallet; Visa has payWave; MasterCard has PayPass; and American Express has ExpressPay. Apple just announced its own, with Apple Pay. If you've heard of any of these credit card services other than Apple's recently announced system and maybe Google's long-running program, we're impressed. You're in the minority; heck, one quarter of US citizens don't even own a standard credit card, let alone a virtualized one. But virtual payments are more prevalent by the year, and Apple Pay is giving the concept a much-needed publicity boost. So, all that said, let's talk about the future of payment. Don't throw away your wallet just yet.
Apple Watch will unlock your hotel room door, guide you home and more: the app roundup
You're at the Westin Grand in Berlin having a luxurious vacation. After finishing a delicious bowl of mushroom consommé -- chanterelles are in season, after all -- you stroll up the lavish center staircase toward your room. Having left wallets in the past, you simply hover your Apple Watch over the door. "Click!" And that's that. Magnetic plastic cards are so uncivilized. This is the future Apple imagines for you with its new Watch, and it's working with Starwood Hotels (the group that owns Westin, among others) to make that future a reality. And that's just one of several scenarios for Apple Watch that were introduced by Apple VP Kevin Lynch during a third-party app demo on stage in Cupertino, California.
Apple's new iPhones are 25% faster than last year's thanks to the A8 chip
Ah yes: another year, another new iPhone with another new chip at its heart. This year, there are two iPhones -- a 4.7-incher and a 5.5-inch model -- and they're both powered by what Apple's calling a "next-generation" A8 chip. But what can it do for you? Apple's saying it brings a 25 percent speed boost over the iPhone 5s' A7 chip, with a 13 percent size decrease (assuredly helping to keep the duo of iPhone 6 phones so svelte). As much as we like performance, we also like our phones to last longer than five hours -- what does the A8 offer in energy conservation? A 50 percent increase over last year, apparently.
Samsung's Gear S hits the runway with Diesel Black Gold for New York Fashion Week
When we saw Samsung's Gear S curved smartwatch last week, we said its design, "feels functional, but also like an afterthought." The 2-inch behemoth certainly doesn't blend into outfits as much as it becomes the centerpiece, for better or worse. Diesel Black Gold -- the even more expensive, "premium" line of the Diesel clothing brand -- is apparently down with that, and is working with Samsung on a variety of "unique" bands (seen above). That's pretty much all the news there is about these so far -- no pricing or release dates were given -- but check out this amazing sentence from the announcement, describing the bands: "Elements of the SS 15 collection, inspired by highly stylized New Wave rock stars and tough rockabilly heroines, have been used to give a sharp attitude to the device, characterized by signature leather and metal details."
'Destiny' launches tomorrow -- watch us play it live today! (update)
The folks who created Halo have a new game, Destiny, and it launches tomorrow on both last-gen and current Xbox and PlayStation consoles. While that prospect might be enough for some folks, there are no doubt many more of you unsure if Destiny is worth your ducats. Thankfully, the game's servers are online one day early and we've got a PlayStation 4 copy handy to give it a live run before it's officially available tonight at midnight (via retail and for pre-load on current-gen consoles). Join us for a jaunt through the next big online game from Bungie Studios, just beyond the break. And bring your best Peter Dinklage impersonation! Update: And we're out, folks. Thanks for joining us!
Trading 'presence' for untethered virtual reality: Gear VR versus Oculus Rift
Standing up and moving around with a virtual reality headset is risky. What if you walk into a table? Or step on your dog? Or bash your face into the wall? Standing up and moving around while wearing Samsung and Oculus VR's Gear VR headset isn't suggested. But when you put it on, seated, and turn your whole body around to look behind your virtual self, and no cords get in the way, that's a magical experience. "There are going to be different categories of VR," Oculus VR CEO Brendan Iribe told Engadget in an interview last week at IFA 2014 in Berlin, Germany.
LG's got an 8K television and food looks delicious on it
As per usual, South Korean electronics giant LG is here at IFA in Berlin, Germany. Less usual? The company showing up with a 98-inch 8K (aka Super Hi-Vision) television. LG's saying it's "16 times full HD resolution," and while we didn't sit and count every pixel, the food porn being shown off looked mighty tasty. No pricing or availability was given, but any kind of commercial release is probably pretty far off. The real reason it's here, however, is simply to showcase that LG can create the gorgeous, ultra high-res screen -- just like Sharp did with its massive 8K display a few years ago. And hey, did we mention that the food looked really pretty? Explore its depths in the gallery below. Update: As sweet as this TV is, it's using the older LCD technology, not OLED.
How Samsung's VR headset convinced John Carmack to join Oculus VR
John Carmack's name isn't synonymous with virtual reality just yet. He's still "the guy who led programming on Doom and Wolfenstein" to most folks; the co-founder of acclaimed development studio id Software. And that's exactly why it was such a big deal when he suddenly left id Software last year to join Oculus VR as chief technical officer. Though Palmer Luckey and co. helped sway him with their own Rift headset, Carmack was eventually sold on the gig by Samsung's mobile VR concept: Gear VR. "That was really the prime thing that motivated me to decide: No, I'm gonna devote 100 percent of my attention and focus to Oculus," he told Engadget in an interview this week.
Samsung's Galaxy Tab Active is an 8-inch, ruggedized, waterproof tablet
Amid a flurry of news about washing machines and massive, bendable televisions, Samsung unveiled a new tablet this morning at its IFA 2014 press briefing in Berlin: an 8-inch, ruggedized tablet named Galaxy Tab Active. "Ruggedized" doesn't mean much without water-resistance, and this tablet delivers on that as well. It's aimed at enterprise -- and presumably also people who like bringing their tablets into the wilderness -- and comes loaded with Samsung's Knox security program as a result.