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Which iPod is your all-time favorite?
iPods come and iPods go, and there's no portable media player with more history than Apple's icon little music machine. We all have a favorite, and while some were discontinued before their time, they'll always hold a special place in our hearts. Personally, I'm partial to the 3rd gen iPod nano. Also known as the "iPod phat," the chubby little thing was super slim and the screen, for its time, was gorgeous. You could even play Peggle on it! I mean, come on... So what's your favorite? Vote and let us know why in the comments. %Poll-88407% [Photo credit: Matthew Pearce]
Verizon slaps Netflix with cease and desist letter over error message (Update: Netflix responds!)
In this digital age, it can be nice to receive a letter. Not so much if you're Netflix, and the letter is a cease and desist from an angry Verizon. The contents of said letter are in relation to claims from Netflix (as published on Quartz) that error messages some customers on Verizon were receiving were due to their ISP, and not its own infrastructure. The actual error read "The Verizon network is crowded right now." Verizon on the other hand claims there's "no basis" for the movie streaming service to assert that the errors are coming from its end, but stops short of suggesting it's actually Netflix that's at fault. Barely a month after that deal for direct access, and already the relationship seems to be turning sour.
Samsung Z is Galaxy on the outside, Tizen on the inside
While Samsung has been a loyal proponent of Android for quite some time, it's also spent the past few years cooking up its own open-source mobile operating system called Tizen. After several prototypes and revisions, the company finally saw fit to unveil the Samsung Z -- its first ever Tizen smartphone -- a couple of days ago. It was easily the star of the show at the Tizen developer conference here in San Francisco, so we were eager to take it for a spin.
Leaderboard: What MMO is currently atop your most wanted list?
Now that WildStar and The Elder Scrolls Online have well and truly launched, it's time to readjust our priorities when it comes to anticipating MMOs. There are still quite a few interesting games in the pipeline including ArcheAge, EverQuest Next, The Repopulation, Star Citizen, Elite: Dangerous, and others that I'm probably forgetting. What say you, Massively readers? What game is now at the top of your most wanted list? Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!
Choose my Adventure: Dipping my toes into WildStar
The month of June is all about WIldStar as the game has officially launched this week and I'm playing the heck out of it for Choose my Adventure. This last weekend saw the headstart, so I was able to jump in a little early and play around with some alts before making the character you've chosen for me. Speaking of which, let's get right to the introductions, shall we?
Apple reveals iOS 8 at WWDC, available for free this fall
We all knew it was coming, and now it's here. Apple CEO Tim Cook just put months of breathless speculation to rest by pulling back the curtain on iOS 8 during the company's WWDC 2014 keynote address in San Francisco. It doesn't look like the sort of quantum leap that iOS 7 was, but Apple's head honcho assures us that it interacts in some fantastic ways with the new version of OS X and that it pairs great end user features with great developer features. Well, we'll be the judges of that. The big keynote just wrapped up -- here's what we know and what it means for you. First things first. There's a lot to dig into, but you'll get iOS 8 as a free update sometime this fall for the iPhone 4s and newer, the fifth-gen iPod touch and the iPad 2 and newer. If you're a developer though, you'll be able to access the iOS 8 beta and SDK today.
OS X Yosemite: Apple's latest desktop OS works even better with your iPhone
Apple's just unveiled the latest update to its desktop operating system for Macs and it's called Yosemite. While last year's Mavericks brought the inevitable reality of iOS/OS X integration even further with the introduction of familiar apps, like Maps and iBooks, this time around, Apple's Tim Cook promises both systems are now "engineered to work seamlessly together." Craig Federighi, SVP of software engineering at Apple, explained that Apple's focus for OS X Yosemite was on clarity, continuity and clear font type throughout the operating system. Finder window menus are now translucent, matching up with the image backgrounds on your desktop to dynamically shift for personality and color temperature. This effect has been translated to the refreshed dock, which itself has also gotten a slight makeover with newer, flatter-looking icons and even a new trashcan; something Federighi referred to as "fundamentally still Mac." There's even a new "dark mode," giving users the option to eschew translucency for dark gray toolbars.
Do you want widgets in iOS?
Of all the differences between iOS and its competitors, the lack of widget functionality on Apple's mobile OS is one of the decisions that often polarizes user opinions. If widgets were to be introduced to the iPhone and iPad, it's of course unclear how it would potentially look, but Jay Machalani has whipped up some pretty striking concepts of the idea. He calls his fictional iOS widgets the iOS "Block" and has created a video showcasing how the feature would look in action. You can read all about his idea on his website, but an important question remains: do you even want widgets on your iDevice? From weather and reminders to iMessage and music, there's a lot of potential to turn your iOS home screen into a living, breathing command center, but -- and this is a big "but" -- iOS has thrived without it for a long, long time. So I put the question to you, if Apple were to embrace an idea like this, would you welcome it with open arms, or pretend it doesn't exist? %Poll-88332%
What's on tap for Apple at WWDC 2014
It's that time again, folks -- geeks from around the globe (us included) are getting ready to descend on San Francisco's Moscone Center for WWDC 2014. Once those doors open and the keynote starts, we'll get to peek at the future of computing the folks in Cupertino have cooked up... though what exactly we'll see remains veiled in secrecy. You can bet the show will be heavy on the software (like new versions of iOS and OS X), but if we're lucky, a few hardware announcements should keep us all on our toes. Here's a quick look at what we think Apple will (and might!) show off during its June 2nd address.
This is why Apple bought Beats
Ever since the rumors first broke that Apple wanted to buy Beats for $3 billion, the masses have uttered one universal word: Why? Apple Senior VP Eddy Cue and Beats CEO and co-founder Jimmy Iovine sat down with Recode's Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher at the Code Conference to discuss the confirmed news. Not wasting any time, the execs got right into it. According to Cue, there were three overall reasons why the company made the deal: Talent, great headphones (something many folks will debate) and Beats Music.
Apple owns Beats, but the brand is still alive at HP
Beats Audio may be moving to Cupertino, but that doesn't mean it's giving up on the PC market. Well, at least not yet -- HP says it still has rights to use the brand's audio technology for the foreseeable future. It's part of the company's pre-existing contract with Beats: HP can develop new Beats-bundled products through 2014, and it's allowed to sell those products through the end of the 2015. In other words, we'll be seeing HP laptops, desktops and tablets with beats branding for the next year and a half. That's a lot of leeway. According to CNET, HP isn't wasting time: it says it's building an aggressive line-up of Beats enabled devices for 2014.
Apple acquires Beats Electronics for $3 billion
Apple is making things official: Dr. Dre's Beats Electronics belongs to Cupertino, and it cost them $3 billion. Rumors had circulated that CEO Tim Cook was interested in nabbing up the audio accessory and music-streaming outfit, corroborated by a beer-drenched video in which Dre himself declared that he had become "the first billionaire in hip-hop." And now, after Financial Times had already let the cat out of the bag, we have Apple's side of the story. As expected, co-founders Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre (Andre Young) will join Cook and VP of Internet Software and Services Eddy Cue, but their exact job titles haven't been revealed just yet.
Leaderboard: Will you PvP in WildStar?
WildStar's latest trailer is one of those our-game-has-everything teasers, and so of course there's a bit about PvP buried in there somewhere. I'm warming to the game, and I'm also considering PvP more than I usually do in MMOs, since the clip claims that you can level up that way as opposed to the usual themepark quest grind. What about you, Leaderboard readers? Assuming you're playing WildStar, will you be PvPing at all? Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!
Choose my Adventure: Goodbye Defiance, hello WildStar
In my final week with Defiance in this Choose my Adventure series, I want to talk about my overall impressions of the game as it stands. First off, I'm sad to say that I didn't reach my goal of a 1000 EGO rating, because seriously, what was I thinking? I am, however, happy to say that I had fun and experienced more of the game than I ever had before. But will I continue to play when it goes free-to-play next week?
Google designs new self-driving vehicles that lose the steering wheel and pedals
Google has been tweaking its self-driving car project for years, but now it's taking another big step. Later this summer it will start testing prototype vehicles it's designed from the ground up, instead of merely retrofitting existing vehicles. Announced tonight the the Code Conference, the new prototypes aren't equipped with a steering wheel, mirrors, pedals or other vestiges of vehicles gone by, and for now are limited to a maximum speed of 25MPH. As explained in an early preview to Re/code, the car is driven entirely by computer, with backup automated systems for brakes and steering that would take over in case of a failure of the primary setup. So far, Google says it's not planning to sell the vehicles itself, but is looking for "friends and partners to bring them to market. Following rumors from late last year, the automated cars could partner with a "friend" like Uber for a delivery service that runs on autopilot. Take a peek at test drives and demo videos explaining how the cars work after the break.
Apple may enter the smart home business
Forget those rumors of an Apple smartwatch for now -- home automation may be where it's at. The Financial Times hears from sources that the crew in Cupertino is going to unveil a smart home platform at its Worldwide Developer Conference kicking off next week. While there aren't many details, proximity will reportedly play a big role; your house lights would switch on as soon as you come home with your iPhone in your pocket. Apple would also have a Made For iPhone-style program to guarantee that devices work with its system, and it would put a strong emphasis on privacy to counter fears about both its ad-driven competition and government surveillance.
Samsung is making a VR headset for its phones and tablets
Samsung is known for its ubiquitous Galaxy smartphones and tablets, popular smart televisions and, most recently, smartwatches. The Korean consumer electronics giant is about to enter another major new category: virtual reality headsets. We're told by sources close to Samsung that a virtual reality headset is not only in the works at the company's mobile division, but it's set to be announced this year. The urgency is said to be a measure of beating Facebook's Oculus Rift and Sony's Project Morpheus to market. Some developers already have early versions of the headset, which -- at least in the development stages -- is powered by flagship Galaxy devices (think: Note 3, Galaxy S5). The consumer model, however, is said to require the power of next-gen, unannounced Galaxy phones and tablets.
Choose My Adventure: Week three in Defiance
In this third week with Trion World's Defiance, our adventure continues with my Irathient Outlaw as she just surpasses the 600 EGO level threshhold. Considering the fact that this is already higher than I got my original main character from launch, you can tell I'm having fun. As voted upon last week, I've been trying out a bit of everything I could get my hands on, from Incursions to Arkfalls and the main storyline to random side quests.
Leaderboard: Do you make unique character names?
WildStar's first real brouhaha centered around character names. More specifically, there was some concern about losing a favorite name due to Carbine's reservation system snafu. I watched all this from the sidelines with a bewildered expression on my face because I tend to roll with unique names. Ergo, there's no reason to fret about someone "stealing" Pat McGroin, Legolass25, or InsertGameOfThronesCharacterHere. What about you, Massively readers? Do you make unique names for your MMO avatars? If not, do you use the same name in multiple games or a name based on a popular character character? Vote after cut! Ever wish that you could put to rest a long-standing MMO debate once and for all? Then welcome to the battle royal of Massively's Leaderboard, where two sides enter the pit o' judgment -- and only one leaves. Vote to make your opinion known, and see whether your choice tops the Leaderboard!
Should 'Adorkable' 'Duckface' or 'Nomakeupselfie' be added to the dictionary?
How does the fusty council of elders that compose Collins' English Dictionary spend their time? Just like the rest of us, they're messing around on Twitter. In preparation for the twelfth edition of the tome, its creators have asked the site's users to vote for one of nine words to become an official part of the English language, just like sext and selfie. The options run from Gaybourhood (a Gay-friendly neighborhood), through Felfie (farmer-selfie), Duckface (don't make us explain this one) to Euromaidan (a pro-European protestor from Ukraine). You'll be able to vote between now and May 28th, after which we're going to commence a campaign to get the word Chumbumble, which we just invented, into the thirteenth edition.
