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FCC halts nine companies from participating in the 'Lifeline' program
FCC Chairman Ajit Pai announced on Friday that the FCC will not let nine companies participate in the federal Lifeline program, which provides low-cost internet connectivity for some of America's lowest-income households. This decision comes just weeks after Pai's democratic predecessor, Tom Wheeler, had granted the companies permission.
Apps that can change the way you travel
Sponsored Content By Marriott Hotels There are now hundreds of travel-related apps and many are becoming as valuable as a passport when it comes to travelling the world and enjoying all that your destination has to offer. Plenty of ideas are currently in development –- think pool-side drink ordering, apps optimised for slow networks abroad, watching your home Netflix account in your hotel room –- but here's seven great apps that you can download right now.
One login to rule them all: Welcome to the new Engadget comments
Our community of readers (that's you!) is of the utmost importance to us, and we're committed to making the Engadget experience the very best it can be. For three years, Engadget's been using Livefyre as our commenting system, and while it's not perfect, it served us well. We believe we can do better, however, and so it's time for a change. Our new commenting system was built in-house, by us and for you. That means we can and will be adding features to make it better as we go, and we want your feedback. This is just the first step in our plan to make Engadget the very best place on the web to not only read about technology, but also to talk about it with your fellow like-minded readers, too!
Apple to open third Netherlands retail store this weekend
Apple has announced that it will be opening another Apple Store in the Netherlands this coming Saturday, August 9. The store will be located at The Hague's Passage mall, and joins the company's other stores in Haarlem and Amsterdam. This is the third store Apple has opened in the Netherlands since 2012. If you'd like to attend the grand opening, and presumably get a free t-shirt, the store's address is Passage 39, 2511 AB Den Haag. Here's footage from the opening of the Amsterdam store in 2012.
Sprint opens Framily Wall to iPhone users
Parents, there's good news if you've got a family plan with Sprint. The company has just opened up its Framily Wall service for iPhone users, giving iOS families access to the micro social network for the first time. Framily Wall gives those on a Sprint family plan their own app for sharing messages, photos, video, and audio with close relatives. Users can also share calendars and contacts to keep track of activities like ball games and recitals. Members can even track each others' locations. Teenagers who are reading this, you may want to figure out if your folks have this feature activated before sneaking out. Framily Wall can only be set up by a Sprint subscriber, but once that's done, they can invite non-Sprint customers, so no one in your family needs to be left out. The service is free to use, and can be downloaded right now in the iTunes Store.
Apple starts encrypting iCloud emails
There's good news for privacy-minded Mac users; Apple has improved the quality of iCloud's email security. All emails sent or received via iCloud email is now encrypted, even when sent to a third-party email service. Previously only emails sent between iCloud users was encrypted by Apple. While the company hasn't announced the changes, you can the evidence on Google's transparency report website. Transparency Report shows what percentage of emails sent between Gmail and other providers are encrypted in transit. We'll keep you updated if Apple releases a statement about the changes.
10 ways to control your iPhone with your Apple earbuds
Longtime Apple enthusiasts sometimes forget that the company is still gaining new fans every day. Apple sold 43,719,000 iPhones in the second quarter of 2014 alone. That's a lot of people who may not know all of the capabilities of their devices, let alone how to make the most of the earbuds that come with said device. So if you've always wondered how to control your iPhone with just your Apple earbuds or you know a recent Apple convert, you're in luck. We're here to help. The Basics: Your Apple earbuds have three controls: Volume Up with a + sign, Volume Down with a - sign, and a Center Button in the middle. Even though there are three buttons on your earbuds, almost every single command is controlled via the Center button. The Volume buttons are strictly for controlling sound levels, so congratulations, you've already mastered them. Enjoy a cool drink. Advanced Earbud Controls or How To Master The Center Button: Now that you know the basics, let's get down to the nine different ways you can utilize your Center button to control your iPhone. These controls also work on your iPad or iPod. 1. Play or pause media: Press the center button once to pause your song or video. When you're ready to resume playback simply press it again. 2. Skip to the next track/chapter: Quickly press the center button twice to skip forward. 3. Fast-forwarding: To fast-forward, quickly press the center button twice and then hold down. 4. Skip back to the previous track/chapter: To go back to a previous track quickly press the center button three times. 5. Rewinding: You may be noticing a theme with this one. To rewind quickly press the center button three times and then hold down. 6. Answering or ending a phone call: Answering a phone call is like starting or ending a song, simply press the center button once. When you want to hang up press the center button again. 7. Decline incoming calls: Sometimes you don't want to talk to people. Apple understands, so to decline a phone call simply hold down the center button for two seconds and then let go. You'll hear two beeps once you let go to confirm that you successful declined the call. 8. Switch from a current call to an incoming call: If you're talking to someone on the phone with your earbud microphone and another call comes in, you don't have to pull out your device to switch lines. Just press the center button once to put your current call on hold. When you're done, press it again to switch back. 9. Switch to an incoming call while hanging up on your current call: Sometimes you need to switch to an incoming call and hang up your current call simultaneously. Your earbuds have you covered. Just hold down the center button for two seconds and let go. Much like when you decline an incoming call you'll hear two beeps to confirm you've hung up. 10. Use Siri: Maybe while you're listening to your favorite playlist you suddenly need to know where Tom Petty is from or search for upcoming movie showtimes. When you've got your earbuds plugged into your iOS device you can activate Siri by pressing the center button once and holding down. If you'd like to continue a conversation with Siri, just press and hold the center button again whenever you want to talk. We hope you find these tips useful, whether you're a seasoned Apple pro or just learning the ropes of your first iPhone. Remember, there is power in your earbuds. Seize it for your own purposes.
Mythbuster Adam Savage on how to make stopmotion animation with iPhone
Adam Savage is no stranger to mixing science with whimsy. With his hit show Mythbusters, he and partner Jamie Hyneman have tackled everything from shark attacks to death rays. Of course, that show can't film all the time. To fill the other hours in the day, Savage runs a web series called Inside Adam Savage's Cave, where he does experiments, shows off oddities, and generally makes merriment. In today's episode, Savage has invited animator Marty Cooper into his cave to talk about traditional hand-drawn animation and augmented reality cartoons. The best part? All of the animation is made with an iPhone. Using the app StopMotion Recorder, a series of by-hand drawings made on transparencies, and a little bit of time, Savage and Cooper are able to create a few glorious stop-motion cartoons that delightfully float in the real world. We're including two videos. The first is the episode of Adam Savage's Workshop featuring Cooper and his animations. Finally, we've included Cooper's Aug(De)Mented Reality YouTube short featuring even more of his incredible animations. Enjoy.
Apple trims max iPhone trade-in value in US, Canada
Last August, Apple launched its iPhone trade-in program in Apple Stores across the United States, offering up to $250 of trade-in credit for top of the line devices. Now, with the impending release of the iPhone 6 this fall, prices have dropped. iPhone Canada noticed that the maximum trade-in value for an iPhone has fallen from $250 to $225. However, it's important to check online before making your choice. Using Apple's online Reuse and Recycle option we were able to find an offer of $255 for a 64 GB black iPhone 5 on Verizon. The same phone on ATT only offered up $205. There's large amount of variation between carriers and models, so do your research before you make your final decision. As current models of the iPhone age they decrease in value, but there are still other options available for people looking to get top dollar for their old iPhone. Gazelle and eBay both regularly fetch higher prices for old iPhones than Apple's official trade-in program. It may not be as convenient as dropping into the Apple Store and trading in your device for store credit, but you'll get more money. Apple recently expanded its trade-in program to Italy.
Apple testing two-step verification on iCloud site, apps
Update 9/2/2104: It looks like this test never made it to full release, as iCloud users are still not prompted to authenticate with 2FA when logging into iCloud.com. With all the security risks populating the world, two-step verification is the strong standard to have for information safety. Apple brought the process to your Apple ID last year, now iCloud and its associated apps are getting it as well. With a two-step verification users must enter a code that is sent to their device after you enter your password. This current wave of two-step verification hasn't hit all users just yet -- as noticed by the folks at AppleInsider this morning, some users aren't seeing the prompt when they login to their iCloud accounts. You'll be able to tell if the two-step verification has been activated on your iCloud account the moment you login, as your web apps will all be greyed-out with a lock over them. Once the verification process is completed all of the apps will be accessible. There's one exception to the greyed-out apps; Find My Phone. Given that it's possible you may have lost the trusted device Apple would be sending your verification code to, that was a wise move on Apple's part. If you login to iCloud today and nothing has changed, don't worry. You can expect to see the added layer of security hitting your setup sometime in the near future.
iPod touch price cut, new 16GB model now in UK
Apple's newest 16 GB iPod touch is finally making its way around the world, complete with a reduced price and fancy new colors. Hitting U.S. stores in late June, the new touch is now available for sale in the UK for £159. It previously cost £199. Beyond the new color selections the new iPod touch also features the same 5 megapixel iSight camera found in its higher storage capacity siblings. Of course if you're looking for more storage you're still in luck; the 32 GB and 64 GB models have also seen a price drop in the UK. A 32 GB model will now set you back £199, down from its original cost of £249, while the 64 GB now runs £249, a considerable discount from its old price of £329. You can find the specs, colors, and price information for yourself right now over in the UK Apple Store.
Apple ceases development of Aperture
During this year's Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple briefly mentioned a brand new Photos app that will introduce editing tools and iCloud sharing. Today there's a bit of follow-up news, as Apple has confirmed it will cease development of Aperture, its professional photo-editing application. Apple provided the following statement to The Loop: With the introduction of the new Photos app and iCloud Photo Library, enabling you to safely store all of your photos in iCloud and access them from anywhere, there will be no new development of Aperture. When Photos for OS X ships next year, users will be able to migrate their existing Aperture libraries to Photos for OS. The Loop is also reporting that the forthcoming Photos app will also replace iPhoto, in an effort to create a continuous experience across every Apple device. The company's other pro editing apps like Logic Pro and Final Cut Pro will continue with development. R.I.P. Aperture, you served us well.
SoundCloud for iPhone gets a beautiful complete overhaul
If you've never explored SoundCloud today would be a great time to start. The groundbreaking music sharing service has been exploding in popularity with independent artists over the last few years thanks to its powerful discovery and sharing tools. Today the service's iOS app has received a complete overhaul, making it one of the most beautiful, and functional music apps available. Users will immediately notice the visual experience has been dramatically improved. Soundcloud's new design is beautiful, with a focus on album art that many music apps ignore. Along with this facelift the controls have been optimized for mobile. During playback tapping anywhere will play or pause a song, while swiping will skip tracks for you. To skip ahead in a track simply slide your finger along the wave form. It's simple, and the large wave form graphics makes finding the exact moment your looking for in a song easy. Soundcloud's navigation menus have also gotten a fresh coat of paint. The new home screen is focused on music discovery, allowing users to search through trending artists, tracks, and genres. Each artist's page shows their full profile, from tracks to other artists they've liked. Nothing is hidden behind sub menus that force you to know where to look to discover new music. Any tracks or playlists you've personally liked are stored under the "You" tab making easier than ever to quickly find the song you want. Finally the app's search has been improved to add the ability to play a track directly from the search page rather than having to jump back and forth between sections of the app. Sadly the update has removed the app's ability to record and post audio directly from your phone, but it's a minor inconvenience in the long run. Soundcloud does recommend that you read this tutorial before you download the new app if you currently have audio recordings you haven't uploaded yet. You can download Soundcloud for iOS for free right now in the iTunes store.
First iPad app added to NYC Museum of Modern Art's permanent collection
New York City's Museum of Modern Art showcases one of the world's finest collections of modern art from across the spectrum of creation -- painting, sculpture, creative installations, and now iPad apps. MoMA has officially added added the first iPad app to its permanent collection of fine art. The app is called Biophilia and was developed by the Icelandic pop star Björk. Part music exploration and part game, players are presented with a series of mini games based around various songs Björk has written. Depending on how players manipulate the world in each mini game, the song playing chang. For example, in the game for the song "Virus" players are shown a cell being slowly attacked by a virus. Players can choose to stop the virus, but upon doing so discover that saving the cell causes the music to end. Only by allowing the virus to destroy the cell can players hear the full song, and see the end of the level. Developed with the help of several masters of interactive design, the app is challenging musically, aesthetically, and conceptually. In an article about the app, which you should certainly read, MoMA explains exactly why even an iPad app can be considered art. Biophilia is the first downloadable app in MoMA's collection. Apps-short for applications-are packaged, portable programs that are designed as products one can purchase from digital shelves. We have in the past acquired several digital artifacts, from dynamic visualizations to fonts and video games. For all of our digital acquisitions, we have established a protocol that speaks to the modalities of acquisition-code, files, videos-conservation, and display. The first apps added to the collection were John Maeda's 1994 Reactive Books, distributed on floppy disks inside old-school physical books. Even more than video games, apps are highly "collectible" because of their finite or semi-finite nature-they might be connected to live feeds and to the Web, but their infrastructure design is stable and defined, unlike that of websites. Indeed, in the case of an app like Biophilia, the only variable left open is the exquisite interaction that the artwork welcomes and invites, a testament to the equally exquisite experimental nature of the artist that conceived it. Collaboration, creativity, open-mindedness, curiosity, and endless talent are the basic ingredients of most great examples of art and design. True innovation-technological, social, performative-supported by great art is a mesmerizing gift to the world. You can download the app yourself here on the iTunes store for $12.99.
Fleksy offers sneak peek at iOS 8 keyboard with beta preview program
One of the most exciting developments for iOS 8 is support for third party keyboards. This seemingly minor feature will help narrow the gap between Android and iOS when it comes to flexibility. To this day, Swype is the only thing I miss from Android. Most of us will have to wait until fall for this feature, but if you're participating in beta testing iOS 8, the folks at Fleksy have good news for you. Fleksy is currently offering a sneak peek at its iOS 8 keyboard for beta testers. You can register for the beta here. The announcement was made via Twitter. Head over to their website and get registered. Fleksy is already running on iOS 8! Register for the beta at http://t.co/fhkQWDzXJO. Follow us for updates. pic.twitter.com/u6uWqAJ6Jn - Fleksy (@fleksy) June 4, 2014
Apple's iPad trade-in program extends to France, Germany, Spain, and the UK
This past April, Apple expanded its recycling program in North America to include any product the company has released. In addition, owners of older generation iPads could trade in their devices for credit towards a newer model. Now the program has been expanded to include more countries around the world including France, Germany, Spain, and the UK. Initially only the USA and Canada were eligible. Of course there are a few catches; currently Apple only issues trade-in credit for second, third, and fourth generation iPads, or first generations iPad minis. Users with a current generation iPad Air or mini cannot trade-in their devices at the moment for store credit. Even without getting a trade-in credit towards a new product, it's a wise idea to take your obsolete or dead Apple products to the company for recycling. Improperly discarded electronics are a major environmental hazard due to the toxic materials used in manufacturing, and the problem is growing every year. Do your part and recycle your old gear, even if you can't get trade-in credit for your troubles.
Ask Massively: You get a gold star
Since the introduction of the new "featured comments" highlighting in Massively comments section, several community members have inquired about how it works, who selects the comments, and what the point is other than to give seemingly random people a mild internet ego boost. These are excellent questions whose answers do affect our community, and I posed several of them myself in a meeting with a Livefyre rep just a few weeks ago. Let's talk about how it all works in today's Ask Massively and create a convenient link to add to our growing site FAQ.
Ask Massively: No one loves blog comment systems
Welcome back to Ask Massively! Today, let's beat our heads against some totally valid emails relating to Massively's adorable comment system, which we lovingly call "Hey, Livefyre is down again!" Chris wrote, "Is there some way to create an ignore list? I'm irritated by a few people in certain articles who try to make the comments entirely about themselves. I primarily read this site at work, and the work network is garbage, which means that the browser freezes up when I try to load more comments. Is there some way to filter out certain users' posts?" This is a good idea!
Digital comic publisher threatened by Apple over adult content
Digital comics publisher Izneo has pulled much of its content from its App Store app, after being cautioned by Apple about selling adult content on the iPad. Izneo has been on the App Store since 2010, but Apple only recently reached out to the company, saying that it had just 30 hours to remove all "adult" comics. Apple didn't identify the offending titles, so Izneo first pulled over half of its content, and then restored some of the (apparently) less-explicit content later. Still, about 1,500 titles are still absent. Prohibiting pornography on the App Store is reasonable, but Izneo has been selling comics (mostly French and Belgian titles) for years there now. Obviously that content was only part of a much larger collection. It's a little disturbing that Apple elected to censor content that's clearly labeled as being for adults (the app is marked for ages 17+) in such a vague, arbitrary fashion. Izneo is obviously working to stay on the App Store rather than challenge Apple in its own domain, but this seems like this could have been handled differently. [via TechDirt]
Ask Massively: The mobile site and trolly trollersons
Welcome back to Ask Massively, that corner of the site where we take a stab at answering random questions you deposit in our inboxes and comments. Hey guys, we have a cave troll, checkit. soundersfc.tid wrote: I have a question or two about the commenting system. Do you think there will ever be a way to flag offensive comments through the mobile version of the site? And speaking of offensive comments, what metric does Massively use when considering permanent bans on commenters? Long-time mobile viewers will know that our mobile site is... well, it's a thing. A thing that doesn't get a whole lot of love from the technical staff, unfortunately. We were thrilled that the new comment system works so well on mobile, but you're right: It has some deficiencies, which is a bummer because according to our site analytics, a lot of you surf from your favorite hand-held gadgets.
