The unique content on Engadget is a result of skilled collaboration between writers and editors with broad journalistic, academic, and practical expertise.
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.
Your favorite virtual band Gorillaz has a new album called Humanz on the way (as well as a TV show, it seems), and the record has had an active promotional campaign so far. The group has shared a series of social media "books" that detail what the band members have been up to the past few years, they've shared some new songs, and now, they've just released a mixed reality app.
Read MoreDongles are a sad part of life for new MacBook Pro owners: The 2016 laptops infamously replaced all of its ports with USB-C, except for the headphone jack. So, it's going to take a lot of adapters to make your existing peripherals compatible with your new machine. This means the MagSafe breakaway charging cable has been phased out, but Apple may be working on a solution to keep it alive. As The Verge notes, the company filed a patent for a MagSafe to USB-C adapter last year, and it was just published a few days ago.
Read MoreNetflix has a healthy roster of Marvel shows at the moment with the likes of Iron Fist, Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage. Those worlds are about to be consolidated, as the titular characters are set to team up for Netflix's The Defenders later this year. Today, we found out when exactly that's going to happen thanks to a cryptic teaser video.
Read MoreThe Nintendo Switch is the fastest-selling console in the company's history, sure, but it hasn't been all roses. For example, gamers have encountered significant problems with the dock and Joy-Con controllers. But wait, there's more: Remember when the iPhone 6 famously experienced bending issues in 2014? Now, it's the Switch that has warping troubles.
Read MoreSnapchat is in a tough spot right now and we're not just talking about all of those insensitive filters. Users love Stories, but because of that, everybody from Medium to Bumble to Facebook is adding its own version of the feature to its platforms. At this point, Snapchat needs to do whatever it can to stay one step ahead of its many imitators. It made a move to do just that today with a new search tool for Stories.
Read MoreQuestions about security have plagued messaging app Telegram recently, since the platform was supposedly cracked by Russia's state security agency during the election. Telegram uses its own security protocols instead of more tried-and-true options, which has been a point of criticism. Now, Telegram is adding voice calls to its offerings, and those calls will be secured by emojis.
Read MoreWaze is a valuable travel buddy because of the many ways it can assist you on the road. The navigation app helps drivers avoid traffic, it integrates with Spotify, and it has a growing ride-sharing platform. In an effort to aid users in all commute-related endeavors, drivers can now place a Dunkin' Donuts order right from the Waze app.
Read MoreNear the end of last year, we got word that new emojis were on the way. With that announcement came a list of 51 proposed emojis that would come with the upcoming release of Unicode 10.0. That lineup has been pared down to 48, and as Emojipedia notes, they'll be available to use beginning on June 30th.
Read MoreFacebook users have been able to broadcast live videos for over a year now. It's been mobile-exclusive since it was introduced, but Facebook has been working on bringing the feature to other platforms. Last year, the company revealed that it was rolling out live video to select desktop users. Now, starting today, all computer-bound Facebook users have access to the feature, the company said in a blog post.
Read MoreThink of anything that exists. For example, a bear, an atom, a galaxy, a three-leaf clover, and so on. That's what you can control in the game Everything, which was just released for the Playstation 4 today.
Read MoreIn the real world, an ocarina is a lot less functional than the magical one Link has in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. As Nintendo 64 lovers know, the Hyrulian hero can use his instrument to do things like manipulate the rain and switch between night and day. In our realm, ocarinas just sound nice. Allen Pan, better known as Sufficiently Advanced on YouTube, decided he was tired of playing his ocarina without mystical results. So, he did what any Zelda fan with the technological know-how would do: create a smart home setup controlled by an ocarina.
Read MoreIt's tough for streaming music services to stand out. Cosmetic differences aside, all of them offer virtually the same thing. Each major platform has the songs listeners want, for the most part. One method that services are using to stand out is exclusive releases -- even if they're only exclusive for a short time.
Read MoreCompetition between Amazon Prime Video and Netflix remains fierce. At the moment, both streaming platforms are doing whatever they can to gain an edge. Netflix is scooping up premium content like Dave Chappelle stand-up specials and an unfinished Orson Welles film. Meanwhile, Amazon made a move today to bring the Academy Award-winning film Moonlight to Prime Video starting May 21st.
Read MoreAs part of its latest update, Google Chrome for iOS just got a so-called Reading List feature, allowing users to save pages for offline viewing. If that sounds familiar, it's because Safari has had a similar feature for years now.
Read MoreThe march toward "automated everything" continues apace. Wendy's is putting thousands of self-ordering machines in its restaurants, and now Ford is trying out a similar strategy, but, you know, for cars. The company announced it has partnered with Panasonic and GoMoto, which specializes in car dealership technologies, to create so-called Smart Service Kiosks.
Read MoreiPhones have a reputation for being user friendly, but ultimately, Android can do a lot of things iOS can't. Aspects of Android could be useful to all phone users, but straying from the Apple ecosystem can be intimidating. Now, there's a new way for iPhone users to easily access Android features like expandable storage and multiple SIM cards. Entrepreneur Joseph Savion and his company ESTI Inc. decided to (almost literally) strap an Android phone to the back of an iPhone. That sounds like a strange idea, but that's basically what ESTI's Eye phone case does.
Read MoreLast month, Spotify reaffirmed its interest in podcasting by introducing three original shows. The streaming service clearly wants to be a source for not just music, but all our listening needs. Now, it's taking another big step to establish itself as a legitimate podcast destination. Spotify announced today that a partnership with WNYC Studios will bring some of the network's popular podcasts to its platform.
Read MoreTwitch has long been more than just a video game streaming platform. In fact, it's starting to morph into a full-fledged, gamer-centric social network and marketplace. Just a few days ago, the company unveiled Pulse, which added a Facebook-like feed featuring posts from streamers and viewers. This spring, Twitch will also introduce the ability for users to buy and download the games being played by their favorite streamers directly on the page. Today, the gaming platform announced these and other features are also coming to the new Twitch Desktop App, which launches on March 16th.
Read MoreIn October, Giphy reported that it has over 100 million users every day. Yes, GIFs are huge, and camera app VSCO wants in. That's why, back in 2015, it introduced DSCO. The iOS-only spin-off app allows users to create looping images and share them on the company's own portal or their favorite social networks. Today, VSCO announced that it's reducing phone clutter by bringing DSCO's GIF-making capabilities to its main app.
Read MoreRobots are usually created to help us, but that's not always the case. Last week, California's Palm Desert was home to a machine that was different. ShyBot didn't serve us at all, instead -- as its name suggests -- it had a reclusive mission: stay as far away from people as it could.
Read MoreSnapchat has a really hard time celebrating without coming off as offensive. Last 4/20, the app introduced a Bob Marley filter that prompted accusations of racial insensitivity. A few months later, it rolled out an anime-inspired filter that sure looked a lot like yellowface. Now, it's National Women's Day, and the company has messed up yet again.
Read MoreFor over 12 hours in late October, 911 lines across the country were ringing so much that they nearly went down. Nobody knew why this was happening, until Phoenix police discovered that 18-year-old Meetkumar Hitesbhai Desai tweeted a link that caused iPhones to repeatedly dial 911. Now, more details have emerged about how the Twitter prank spiraled out of control.
Read MoreGilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino already knew what the last four words of the show would be when it started shooting in 2000. Sixteen years later, those lines were finally delivered last year in Netflix's mini-series revival Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life (spoilers via Entertainment Weekly). The finale brought closure to the long-standing mystery, but also left room for the show to continue. Netflix's chief content officer Ted Sarandos told the UK's Press Association he wants more of the Gilmores, so this just might happen.
Read MoreAquatic RPG Sunless Sea has been a big win for British indie developer Failbetter Games. The well-reviewed game has sold half a million copies since its 2015 PC release, and soon, iPad users will be able to get in on the Victorian Gothic adventure. Not long after sequel Sunless Skies very quickly exceeded its Kickstarter funding goal, Failbetter Games announced that Sunless Sea is headed to iPad on March 23rd.
Read MoreThe Moneyball-era Oakland A's improved their on-field performance by using advanced statistics to build the best baseball team they could. In the bedroom, wearable devices like SexFit and Lovely bring a similar approach to less clothed athletics. These genital activity trackers record data points like calories burnt and thrusting force, but British Condoms' i.Con is looking to take things one step further by collecting more nuanced data.
Read MoreAs recently as January, we were told that Nintendo's awful friend code system for finding and adding buddies for multiplayer games would be no more. That made us hope a better system for adding Switch contacts was on the way. Nintendo of America President Reggie Fils-Aime even told CNET, "There are no friend codes within what we're doing." It turns out that's not true at all, as the company revealed that friend codes are very much alive and well.
Read MoreSnapchat is the muse of virtually every app right now. Everybody from Instagram to Tinder is borrowing ideas from the platform, and now it's Medium's turn. Today, the self-publishing site is introducing a new feature for its mobile app called Series, and it looks like a wordier version of Snapchat Stories.
Read More
