Andrew Dalton

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In pursuit of our mission to provide accurate and ethical coverage, the Engadget editorial team consistently fact-checks and reviews site content to provide readers with an informative, entertaining, and engaging experience. Click here for more information on our editorial process.

Stories By Andrew Dalton

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    News
    News By Andrew Dalton

    Walmart Pay will hook new users with instant access to its credit card

    When Walmart debuted its own in-house mobile payments service last year, the company was not afraid to roll it out quickly. Walmart Pay arrived in 4,600 stores nationwide in under two months, proving the retail giant could still be nimble -- especially if the result meant moving customers through the checkout line faster. And it paid off: according to a third party study, just eight months after launch the QR code-based system was the third most used mobile wallet after Samsung Pay and Apple Pay. Now the company is giving customers even faster ways to part with their cash.

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    Apple
    Apple By Andrew Dalton

    Apple expands Touch Bar support for GarageBand (updated)

    While the list of apps supporting the MacBook Pro's Touch Bar has been growing at a decent clip, and Apple's own entry-level music learning and production software just got an update as well. After WWDC, Apple pushed out a GarageBand update that expanded how the app works with the MacBook Pro's Touch Bar -- similar to Apple's own professional level production suite, Logic Pro X, which added touch features earlier this year.

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    Streaming
    Streaming By Andrew Dalton

    DirecTV Now will only stream in Chrome on the web

    Heads up, DirecTV subscribers: AT&T's streaming TV service will drop support for Apple and Microsoft's baked-in browsers starting at the end of the month. According to Apple Insider, AT&T has already started directing cord-cutting Mac customers to tune in using Google Chrome. The same goes for anyone still streaming DirecTV on a PC using Internet Explorer.

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    Smartphones
    Smartphones By Andrew Dalton

    iOS 11 could use the iPhone’s NFC chip for more than Apple Pay

    Apple may have an awkward history of avoiding and then embracing NFC in the past, but new developments at this week's Worldwide Developer's Conference indicate those days are long gone. Apple already announced new NFC functions coming to the Apple Watch with watchOS 4, but according to documents for the upcoming iOS 11 release, the iPhone's NFC chip might also be handling much more than just Apple Pay transactions and Passbook check-ins.

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    Apple
    Apple By Andrew Dalton

    Apple’s $130 Magic Keyboard adds a numeric keypad

    If you hate wires, but love typing numbers of a wide, expansive surface, then Apple has one more important hardware announcement for you. Among all the other news out of 2017's Worldwide Developer Conference, Apple has just released a full-size, wireless Magic Keyboard with a dedicated numeric keypad. Rejoice, untethered accountants, the dream is real.

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    Laptops
    Laptops By Andrew Dalton

    Legacy ports on a MacBook Pro will cost you $1,999

    Give our regards to anyone still clutching a four-pin USB cable out there: Apple is slowly winnowing down its MacBook Pro line and eliminating the remaining machines built with anything other than USB-C Thunderbolt ports. After Monday's WWDC 2017 keynote, the low-end 13-inch, non-TouchBar MacBook disappeared from the Apple Store. That leaves the aging MacBook Air and the $1,999 previous-generation 15-inch MacBook Pro as the only Apple notebooks that won't need a dongle to charge your iPhone.

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    Amazon
    Amazon By Andrew Dalton

    Amazon refunds $70 million your kids accidentally spent in apps

    Last year, a federal judge ruled Amazon was on the hook for tens of millions of dollars worth of unauthorized in-app purchases made by kids in free-to-play apps. This week, the online retail giant officially started issuing over $70 million in refunds to eligible customers as part of its settlement with the Federal Trade Commission.

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    Wearables
    Wearables By Andrew Dalton

    Gear VR streams to your TV thanks to Google Cast

    For as much fun as you can have donning a VR rig and slipping into a virtual environment these days, it's still pretty awkward to watch as an outside observer. Now that Google has partially solved the VR spectator problem by building Cast into the next version of Daydream, Oculus and Gear VR are joining the party and adding their own support for Google's streaming solution.

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    News
    News By Andrew Dalton

    Supreme Court decision lifts ownership rights over patent law

    In a win for anyone who has ever been frustrated by overpriced ink, the Supreme Court ruled today (PDF) that printer maker Lexmark can't sue companies that refill old cartridges and sell them at a discount. More specifically, the court ruled that Lexmark gave away its patent rights to the cartridges (and their single-use microchips) as soon as it started selling them. While the case may seem narrowly focused, digital rights groups are hailing it as a win for consumers in general and a decision that could affect everyone's right to repair their own devices.

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    By Andrew Dalton

    Twitter's new inbox collects DMs from people you don't follow

    Twitter may never stop tweaking it's direct messaging function. Last summer, the social network added so many features to the DM tab that it basically became its own standalone chat app. Then the company tried to get everyone hooked on Twitter DMs for customer service. Today, the company added a new "Requests" inbox for DMs that adds a useful filter while also protecting users from abuse and unwanted messages.

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    Google
    Google By Andrew Dalton

    Google's ‘Personal’ tab filters out everything but your own content

    As people accumulate massive data troves on Gmail, Google Photos and other Google apps, the search giant wants to help people find what they're looking for among their own personal content. While Google's core search product already shows some personalized results in the mix, the main search page now includes a "Personal" tab to quickly filter out public results and see only the content you yourself stored in Google's suite of apps.

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    Science
    Science By Andrew Dalton

    MIT 3D-printed the shape-shifting future of pasta

    A new research project from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Tangible Media Group combines 3D printing, molecular gastronomy and macaroni. According to MIT News, researchers Wen Wang and Lining Yao have engineered flat sheets of gelatin and starch into shape-shifting noodles that react and fold when exposed to water. While Yao's goal of one day creating a self-folding dumpling is still out of reach for now, the research team thinks their breakthrough could help reduce food shipping costs and lead to new trends in fine dining.

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    Gaming
    Gaming By Andrew Dalton

    The educational games of your youth have their own museum exhibit

    The Minnesota Education Computing Corporation might not be the most recognizable game developer today, but if you went to elementary school in the US anytime in the eighties or nineties, then you've almost certainly played -- and probably learned something from -- one of its educational games. The company started in 1973 as an initiative to put more computers into classrooms across Minnesota and eventually created over 300 different software titles, including the version of The Oregon Trail that became the cultural touchstone it is today. Now MECC and The Oregon Trail are finally getting the recognition they deserve in a retrospective exhibit from the Strong, the National Museum of Play.

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    Cybersecurity
    Cybersecurity By Andrew Dalton

    Keybase brings seamless encrypted chats to anyone on the web

    Keybase is on a mission to make end-to-end encryption as easy as possible, everywhere you go online. After launching frictionless encrypted file sharing last year, the open-source security company rolled out Keybase Chat, a desktop and mobile chat app that allows users to send encrypted messages to anyone on the internet using just their Twitter, Facebook or Reddit username. Today, Keybase announced a few new launches that will make it even easier to send encrypted messages to anyone -- even if your recipient isn't set up to receive them yet.

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    Tablets
    Tablets By Andrew Dalton

    Acer crammed a quantum dot display into a 10-inch tablet

    While it may not be the first name in tablets, Acer has produced some respectable touchscreen devices in the past. Last month, the company unveiled a wide range of new 2-in-1 devices in its compelling Switch line of Windows 10 machines. Today, in advance of Computex in Taipei, the company is adding a pair of 10-inch, Android 7.0 Nougat devices to its tablet lineup: one focused on media and one designed with connectivity in mind.

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    News
    News By Andrew Dalton

    TSA may ask you to unpack tablets and cluttered carry-on bags

    While it looks like the airline industry has successfully held off the US Department of Homeland Security's proposed laptop ban for now, the government will soon be giving carry-on bags an extra thorough inspection at airports around the country anyway. Starting after this summer's travel rush, the TSA is expected to implement a range of new policies that will likely lead to a lot more unpacking and re-packing at airport security checkpoints. Suddenly those automatic security screenings can't come soon enough.

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    Google
    Google By Andrew Dalton

    Google Photos adds an archive button to declutter your stream

    Google Photos has been gently nudging users to store and share more on its service lately. Earlier this month, the Photos team unveiled some AI-powered sharing suggestions and a Google Lens integration that will make its image recognitions even smarter. But the latest update is a much simpler one meant to keep your photos in Google's cloud without crowding up your main stream.

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    Streaming
    Streaming By Andrew Dalton

    Ellen coyly hints at return to standup with Netflix special

    It's been over 15 years since Ellen DeGeneres took the stage for a proper stand-up special. With a smash hit daytime talk show, a record-setting Twitter account and bonafide American treasure status, DeGeneres doesn't exactly need the exposure of another special, but Netflix has been on a hot streak recently, nabbing up standup specials from comedy heavyweights and up-and-coming talent alike. So, the streaming company reached out to DeGeneres on her platform of choice to see if she'd be game for another solo show. Her response? "OK I'm in."

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    Meta
    Meta By Andrew Dalton

    Facebook's latest journalism fix connects users with local news

    Earlier this year, Mark Zuckerberg and company announced the Facebook Journalism Project -- an initiative to repair the social network's reputation with journalists and help fight the spread of fake news. The project already introduced curated news digests and some general tweaks to the News Feed that will help cut down on clickbait, but the next journalism-focused effort aims to connect users with nearby news outlets and community groups.

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    By Andrew Dalton

    CBS greenlights another James Corden show... on Snapchat

    James Corden's viral-friendly Carpool Karaoke videos have given The Late Late Show exposure well beyond it's timeslot. Now CBS wants to squeeze out a little more of Corden's magic by giving the singing Brit his own (fictional) competitive reality show called James Corden's Next James Corden, in which fake contestants compete to (eventually) take Corden's job. But the show won't be on CBS or All Access when it arrives this fall -- instead, James Corden's Next James Corden will be headed straight for Snapchat Discover.

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    Apps
    Apps By Andrew Dalton

    Medium’s existential makeover continues with a revamped homepage

    Despite its high profile, Medium still hasn't quite figured out what it is in the five years since it launched as a minimalist blogging platform. In the meantime, Medium has pivoted from tech company to publishing service and various shades in between as it tries to draw an audience, fix "a broken system" and eventually turn a profit. In March, Medium announced an ad-free $5 premium tier with curated content and audio stories, but it seems that experiment has already run its course. After just two months, Medium has made the curated homepage available to everyone.

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    EVs and Transportation
    EVs and Transportation By Andrew Dalton

    Caltrain will finally go electric thanks to FTA funding

    The future of California's high-speed rail project relies in part on an initiative to migrate Silicon Valley's Caltrain corridor from a fleet of outdated diesel engines to a more modern electric system. That electrification project was put in jeopardy earlier this year when state Republicans asked Trump's Department of Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao to block a $650 million federal grant, claiming it should be shut down due to cost overruns. Now, in response to Caltrain's petition, the Federal Transit Administration has announced it will approve the funds and the upgrade can finally move forward after decades of delays.

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    Google
    Google By Andrew Dalton

    Nest’s next camera might be 4K, but not for streaming

    It's been almost a year since Nest has released a new product and rumors are starting to trickle out that the one-time connected home darling is on the verge of a new release. As Android Police claims, Nest is launching a new, higher-resolution WiFi security camera sometime later this month.

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    Cybersecurity
    Cybersecurity By Andrew Dalton

    Federal agents used a Stingray to track an immigrant's phone

    Investigators from Immigration and Custom Enforcement as well as the FBI have been using controversial cell-spoofing devices to secretly track down undocumented immigrants, court records show. According to a report the Detroit News, which obtained an unsealed federal search warrant affidavit, FBI and ICE agents in Michigan used a Stingray device to ensnare a restaurant worker from El Salvador in March. The devices, which were originally intended for counter-terrorism use, have come under fire because there are currently no clear rules governing when law enforcement is allowed to deploy them. Even in cases where authorities have a clear target in mind, they run the risk of exposing personal information of other innocent people in range.

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    News
    News By Andrew Dalton

    Kickstarter gives startups the tools to help prevent hardware flops

    Turning a product idea into a real, finished piece of hardware takes a great deal of hard work -- just ask the folks behind the Zano mini-drone. A few years ago, an independent study even found that nine percent of crowdfunding projects never even deliver. Now, Kickstarter is finally doing something about the problem with a new program called Hardware Studio that aims to coach new inventors and would-be entrepreneurs through the ins and outs of building a working product they can bring to market.

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    Meta
    Meta By Andrew Dalton

    Facebook will stream live 'Counter-Strike' eSports events

    Gaming and eSports have definitely hit the mainstream media. In fact, you can find FIFA tournaments live on ESPN and TBS is hyping Counter Strike: Global Offensive games as if they were championship boxing events. With Twitter and Sony already jumping into the lucrative industry, it was only a matter of time before Facebook joined the fray. In an announcement today, eSports leader ESL announced it has cut a deal with the social networking behemoth to stream exclusive events and content in six languages, all of it centered around the elite Rank S Counter-Strike: Global Offensive competition.

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