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How do you get 'verified' on Tinder?
I, Mat Smith, through the gift of working as a journalist here at Engadget, am verified. On both Twitter and Facebook. It's the social networks' way of certifying that I'm better than the muggles that people are who they say they are. I get a ticket to digital VIP room. Am I somebody? Not really. But you get certain bragging rights when you have that blue tick next to your name. Now Tinder's jumped on the bandwagon: It, too, has verified profiles. To be clear, there's no honorable, journalistic reason for me to be verified, but when I joked about getting such a certification on the online dating app, I received a flood of direct messages asking for confirmation (skeptics!) and for advice on how they could get the same treatment. Can I get Tinder Famous? Do I even want to?
Stephen Colbert is the latest celebrity to guide you on Waze
Stephen Colbert is going from talking about tech to getting involved with it. He's joining the ranks of comedian Kevin Hart and former Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger as a celebrity voice for Waze, the crowd-sourced mobile GPS app. Based on the video below, his audible suggestions don't go quite the distance we'd hoped in terms of hilarity but that's probably for the best. I mean, explaining to a cop that the reason you totaled your car was because The Late Show's new helmsman said there was a bear in the road and you needed to punch its face with your bumper probably wouldn't go over well -- for you or CBS's legal department. Sadly the former Colbert Report host's' voice will only be available through September 22nd. [Image credit: Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP]
Facebook does live video streaming, if you're a celebrity
After months of sitting on the sidelines while Meerkat and Periscope dominate the livestreaming space, Facebook is rolling out its own offering... well, sort of. It's launching Facebook Live, a service that lets "public figures" (that is, celebrities with verified public pages) stream real-time video of their adventures through Facebook Mentions. You can comment on and share these feeds if you're a mere commoner, but you can't record them yourself. Some of the first broadcasts will come from the likes of Dwayne Johnson, Michael Bublé and Serena Williams, if you're wondering about the intended users.
Snapchat is getting a Sofia Vergara video series
If you ask Fusion, Snapchat's Discover portal isn't just for keeping up with daily events -- it's also about following the lives of the Hollywood elite. The media company is launching a six-episode Snapchat series this summer that covers Modern Family star Sofia Vergara's career from the viewpoint of her son Manolo. Vergaraland, as it's called, will shoot vertically to match Snapchat's signature format. You might not necessarily be enthralled by the idea, but it shows that Discover is big enough that TV celebs and bigger video outlets are taking notice. [Image credit: Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP]
Twitter buys an agency that turns social networkers into ad stars
Twitter thrives on celebrities with legions of followers, and it just took a big step toward making a pile of money from those big names. The company has bought Niche, an agency that links social media stars like Zach King (above) to advertisers who want to capitalize on their popularity. Twitter isn't being specific about its plans, but it's not hard to figure out what comes next -- the service now has an easier way to get your favorite Twitter and Vine celebs into ads, raising the chances that you'll notice promo pieces in your feed. It's hard to tell if this will work, but Twitter may feel that there isn't much choice. It isn't having a great time scoring new users, so it might as well get more ad revenue from the people who are sticking around. [Image credit: Zach King]
Apple: Celebrity photo breach not due to iCloud or Find my iPhone issues
Apple has just released a press statement updating its investigation into the weekend breach of celebrity photos. As noted in the press release, the company says that none of the cases investigated were the result of any breach of Apple's systems including iCloud and Find my iPhone. Apple believes that it was a "very targeted attack on user names, passwords and security questions" that caused the breach -- essentially saying that it's most likely a social engineering attack that made the photos vulnerable to being exposed to the public. Apple reiterates that using a strong password and two-step verification can help protect against this type of attack. Show full PR text Apple Media Advisory Update to Celebrity Photo Investigation We wanted to provide an update to our investigation into the theft of photos of certain celebrities. When we learned of the theft, we were outraged and immediately mobilized Apple's engineers to discover the source. Our customers' privacy and security are of utmost importance to us. After more than 40 hours of investigation, we have discovered that certain celebrity accounts were compromised by a very targeted attack on user names, passwords and security questions, a practice that has become all too common on the Internet. None of the cases we have investigated has resulted from any breach in any of Apple's systems including iCloud® or Find my iPhone. We are continuing to work with law enforcement to help identify the criminals involved. To protect against this type of attack, we advise all users to always use a strong password and enable two-step verification. Both of these are addressed on our website at http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4232.
Apple says iCloud wasn't breached in celebrity photo leak
It wasn't long at all after personal and explicit photos of some 100 celebrities started making the rounds when people started attributing the leak to a breach of Apple's iCloud storage system. After a nearly two day long investigation, Apple has released a statement to try and clear things up -- to hear the folks in Cupertino tell it, the incident was a "very targeted attack on user names, passwords and security questions" in which some celebrity accounts were "compromised" and that none of its systems were breached in the process. In other words, we may not be looking at a savvy hack exploiting a Find my iPhone security flaw so much as some very dedicated account brute-forcing and phishing. Of course, that's not to say that the pictures in question (well, the ones that weren't taken with Android devices anyway) didn't come from iCloud, just that hackers apparently didn't directly crack the sanctity of Apple's services. The exact vector of entry remains unknown right now, but AnonIB, one of the 4chan-esque imageboards that appears to be involved in the proliferation of this mess, seems to have no shortage of people who were ready and willing to "rip" iCloud accounts in exchange for the right sort of loot. Of course, one has to wonder about the role semantics plays in all this -- while Apple's systems may not have been technically "breached", they may still have been cajoled into giving up user credentials with tools like the now defunct ibrute. In any case, you can check out the full statement after the jump for yourself.
Weekends with Engadget: the Moto E, futuristic Army helmets and more!
Welcome to Weekends with Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines from the past seven days -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. For even more action, subscribe to our Flipboard magazine!
Stick and Rudder: Why all the love for Roberts and Star Citizen?
I was talking with a gaming buddy recently who missed the whole space sim experience in the 1990s. He's a Star Wars fan and a real-life pilot pushing 40, so it surprised me to learn that he'd never heard of Wing Commander, Freespace, X-Wing, and the like. My jaw really hit the floor as our conversation turned to current games and I began to evangelize about Star Citizen and Chris Roberts. "Who's Chris Roberts?" he asked, with a straight face.
Superman star Henry Cavill enjoys Skyrim, World of Warcraft
Sure, we know lots of people who play WoW -- like all of our co-workers -- but we don't expect Hollywood A-listers to be by our side in dungeons and raids. While we'd already heard that now Superman star Henry Cavill played WoW, he recently spoke to British GQ about his love of the game and Bethesda's equally addictive Skyrim. In fact, he enjoys the game so much that he missed director Zack Snyder's call offering him the part. "I saw it was him [calling]," Cavill told GQ, "but the thing is, you can't save World of Warcraft, you can't pause it. It's live." We have that problem all the time, but at least we aren't the only ones. (Though Cavill is clearly up on his WoW etiquette, as it's definitely rude to pick up the phone while you're in a group.) If you want more of the interview, IGN covers Cavill talking games or you can find the British version of GQ available digitally on iPad, Android, or Kindle. (Sorry, Man of Steel, but Iron Man 3's Robert Downey Jr. is currently on the cover of GQ stateside.)
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.
Words with Friends charity game pits Edward Norton vs Snoop Lion
Edward Norton, Snoop Lion (formerly Dogg), Kristen Bell and five other really popular people are taking part in the Words with Friends Celebrity Challenge, which will give $500,000 to a charity chosen by the winning celebrity. The Celebrity Challenge begins tomorrow at 2 p.m. ET with a Words with Friends match between Snoop Lion and Jonah Hill, streaming live with commentary.Participating famous people are Kristen Bell, Sophia Bush, Jonah Hill, John Legend, Snoop Lion, Eva Longoria, Edward Norton and Paul Pierce. Anyone can join any of these "teams" and be entered for a chance to play a game against that celebrity.For what it's worth, Edward Norton is supremely confident that he'll win for his charity, the Maasai Wilderness Conservation Fund. His first round is against Paul Pierce, captain of the Boston Celtics, who is playing for his own charity, The Truth Fund."I think it's great that he has a cause he supports, and I hope the amount he gets from just the first round is going to make him happy because I don't think it's going to go past there," Norton tells The AP. Norton is most concerned about playing against Snoop Lion, citing his experience with wordplay. Norton also lived and worked in Osaka, Japan, after graduating Yale University in 1991, since you seem interested.
Sony and Simon Cowell intro X Factor-themed MDR-X10, celebrity headphones officially jump the shark for $300
We're still wrapping our heads around this, but Sony and Simon Cowell have officially decided to join the celebrity-endorsed headphone bandwagon. Dubbed as the MDR-X10, the X Factor-themed cans are certainly late to the party, but the vibrant red and silver color theme will ensure they get noticed -- and we're not saying that's a good thing. $300 snags you the extra-sparkly circumaural earmuffs, an even more sparkly case and a duo of flat, tangle-resistant locking cables (one of which features a "made for iDevice" inline remote and mic). Unsurprisingly, the X10 is geared toward pumping out gobs of bass, being essentially a re-badge of the likes of Sony's XB800 from its Extra Bass headphone lineup. We had the opportunity to give Cowell's new headgear a fair amount of listening time, so jump past the break where we'll judge its brief audition. %Gallery-164829% %Gallery-164825%
Penélope Cruz stars as Mario in Nintendo commercial
Esteemed actress Penélope Cruz appeared in a recent commercial promoting the launch of Nintendo's 3DS XL and New Super Mario Bros. 2 in Europe.With a rather convincing performance as herself, Cruz giggled her way through stages of the latest Mario game while cradling the 3DS XL in her dainty palms. After dueling with her sister in the game, Cruz lost a bet and then blessed a supermarket with her portrayal of the famous mustached plumber.
Encrypted Text: Rogue celebrities and the lack thereof
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Encrypted Text for assassination, combat and subtlety rogues. Chase Christian will be your guide to the world of shadows every Wednesday. Feel free to email me with any questions or article suggestions you'd like to see covered here. The world has an obsession with celebrity. A person can be famous simply for being famous. We want to wear what they wear, we want to drive what they drive, and we want to have what they have. The endorsement of a celebrity is all that it takes to instill confidence and to engender trust. Celebrities have become the perfect image that we shape our lives after. Every culture has its model members that create the standard by which the others are judged. Rogues are running out of celebrities. While the old joke about how "the best rogues are the unknown ones" is clever, it's not accurate. Every class needs avatars to represent it on the global scale. Every class needs intelligent theorycrafters to curate class knowledge and flashy all-stars to exploit that knowledge. Rogues used to have heroes that we could stand behind, but their count is fading fast. Can you name the best rogue in the world right now, in either PvP or PvE? Can you even name anyone in the top 10? I couldn't either.
Windows Phone Free-Time Machine draws curious New Yorkers, one Kourtney Kardashian (video)
Oh the thrill of seeing a familiar face. No, not the Nokia Lumia 900, which made an appearance in several forms at the Windows Phone event in New York City's Bryant Park today, but Kourtney Kardashian, who drew crowds to the Free-Time Machine -- that fled just as quickly as they arrived. The reality TV star far overshadowed the Windows Phone experience, which is on display in several cities across the US today. New Yorkers can visit Bryant or Madison Square Parks for a chance to flick through some Metro tiles on a Lumia 900, and play to win gift certificates and other prizes -- and in the case of one ecstatic youngster, a day with the above-mentioned celebrity and a $5,000 gift certificate. There were also a few smartphone giveaways on order, along with some "free time" prizes, like a dog walker gift certificate or a chance to skip the line (saving "60 minutes") at the city's Shake Shack burger joint. This isn't the first time we've seen an oversized Windows Phone drop by Manhattan, and it's probably not the last. Jump past the break for a peek at the phone, and the Kardashian.%Gallery-152680%
Daily Update for March 14, 2012
It's the TUAW Daily Update, your source for Apple news in a convenient audio format. You'll get all the top Apple stories of the day in three to five minutes for a quick review of what's happening in the Apple world. You can listen to today's Apple stories by clicking the inline player (requires Flash) or the non-Flash link below. To subscribe to the podcast for daily listening through iTunes, click here. No Flash? Click here to listen. Subscribe via RSS
Ed Hardy headphones hope to ink up your ears
Celebrity headphone endorsements are very à la mode right now, and we've seen Ed Hardy's trademark tattoo stylings defacing gadgetry before, so, if you were the one lamenting the glaring omission that was Hardy-branded cans, then he obviously got your letter. The new "Stereo" range evidently refers to the two designs available thus far: Skull and Bones for the over-ears ($66), while your in-ears get some Tiger power ($29). The in-ears also feature a microphone, presumably so you can call for help from the fashion police. Both are available now.
The Soapbox: On armchair development
Disclaimer: The Soapbox column is entirely the opinion of this week's writer and does not necessarily reflect the views of Massively as a whole. If you're afraid of opinions other than your own, you might want to skip this column. A couple of weeks ago I penned a Soapbox that, to put it mildly, elicited passionate responses. While a few people sided with me in my belief that MMO combat is silly and sucky, the cries of the masses drowned us out with variations on "you know nothing, Jon Snow" and "go back to consoles, you inexperienced newb!" Some of the responses got me to thinking about game design in general and about game designers and their cult celebrity status in particular. When you cut through the anonymous insults and keyboard courage, most of my would-be critics were actually right about one thing: I'm not a game "developer." You know what's funny, though? That doesn't make a lick of difference when it comes to the ability to talk intelligently about games and game design.
The Queue: 2 companion pets to go
Welcome back to The Queue, the daily Q&A column in which the WoW Insider team answers your questions about the World of Warcraft. Mathew McCurley will be your host today. I have two companion pets to go for my 150 pet achievement. Madness is taking hold. There are lots that I don't have yet, including a bunch from the Blizzard pet store, but I refuse to get this achievement through spending cash. The low-drop-rate pets are starting to get to me. Archaeology has been very unkind. Damn you, pets. Damn you all to hell! Really, I never wanted to do this achievement. I couldn't care less about companion pets. One day, Mike Sacco gave me a Landro's Lil' XT and then I realized, hey, I don't have that many pets to go. Now I'm WoW-broke, driven poor and destitute in my search for the rest of the pets to finish the achievement. This is all Mike Sacco's fault. Celestial Dragon is so adorable, though ... Ksteinhoff asked: Lately when I PuG, I have a easier (quicker) time finding healers than tanks, sometimes even when I go as healer I spend almost as long as when I go as DPS. I thought that with the Threat change it would encourage people to Tank more? I'm just with bad luck or we're with a Tank shortage more than a Healer shortage?
