Engadget Podcast 396 – 5.9.14
Dr. Dre hit it big this week with Apple flinging $3.2 billion his way for Beats Electronics and the Cristal beers were flowin’ in celebration. Big Ben and JV are throwing down their thoughts on the matter, but it’s not like it was WhatsApp money. Nintendo made the news as well, although not in such a celebratory light. The tight-lipped company failed to spin a certain social blunder with its Tomodachi Life game and the response from the Twitterverse has been fierce. Life can be tough sometimes. But hey, if you’ve got the dough, you can soon live smarter in NYC’s upcoming smart neighborhood. In the meantime, stay strong, keep your chin up and remember, it’s okay if things get a little Nasty sometimes. Please enjoy this week’s Engadget Podcast responsibly.
Hosts: Ben Gilbert, Joseph Volpe
Producer: Jon Turi
Hear the podcast:
01:30 – What does hip-hop’s ‘first billionaire’ have that Apple wants?
25:45 – Nintendo is making entirely new consoles for emerging markets
30:24 – Nintendo responds to marriage equality campaign for its bizarre life-sim
39:12 – Nintendo plans new NFC figures and games in a bid to rescue the Wii U
44:34 – New York’s next big neighborhood is its smartest
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Contact the podcast:
Connect with the hosts on Twitter: @realbengilbert, @jrvolpe
Email us: podcast [at] engadget [dot] com
Filed under: Podcasts
Twitter improves password-reset options, cracks down on suspicious logins
Almost a year after rolling out two-factor authentication for verifying your logins, Twitter is announcing another welcome security update. This time, it’s an improved password-reset process and a smarter system for identifying suspicious logins. The new password-reset process is especially useful; now, when you forget your login and need to create a new one, you can specify which phone number or email address where Twitter should send your reset information. If you don’t have access to the number or email on file, the social network will give you the option to enter new ones. This feature is especially helpful for those traveling abroad, who may not have access to their usual gadgets. It will definitely come in handy for anyone who hasn’t updated their email on Twitter, too.
Hopefully, you won’t need to take much advantage of the second half of the site’s security update. Twitter will now analyze information such as location, device and login history to help identify suspicious logins. So even when someone knows your password, if they’re signing in from an unfamiliar computer, their attempt would likely be flagged. If Twitter deems a login suspicious, the social network will ask a question about your account (something only you would know, in theory) and send you an email notifying you of “unusual activity.”
Filed under: Internet
Source: Twitter Blog
CNN turns Google Glass owners into citizen journalists
Sometimes breaking news happens right before your eyes while you’re out and about. If you happen to be wearing Google Glass when those events take place, CNN now has a way for you to share photos and videos of the action directly from the headset. The news outfit announced the addition to its iReport citizen journalism effort earlier this week, and it’s claiming to be “the first major news network” to allow contributing via the wearable. If you’re interested in joining up, you’ll have to authorize CNN to send notifications to Glass and link up an iReport profile in the settings. When you’ve completed those steps, the appropriate avenue for beaming captured media to the newsroom will appear as a sharing option for photos and videos. Folks have already opted in, as the first mobile coverage (relating to gas prices in Miami) can be seen here.
[Photo credit: Angel Navarrete/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Filed under: Wearables
Via: The Next Web
Source: CNN
Viber looks to challenge Skype with backing from Japanese internet giant
Let’s face it: The tech industry is starting to get used to big-name companies acquiring young, relatively successful startups. To wit, such was the case for Viber, a Tel Aviv-based service that lets you use an app to communicate through phone calls and instant messages. Viber’s acquisition by Rakuten, a Japanese e-commerce and internet giant, came after the platform welcomed more than 300 million users worldwide since 2010, making it one of the most popular applications across iOS, Android, Windows Phone and BlackBerry. That growth, along with its flourishing appeal, have made Viber a real threat to services like Skype — though, on the messaging front, it is still trying to catch up to WhatsApp, which is at 500 million active users and counting. But despite all of this, Viber still wants to keep growing, and it plans to use Rakuten’s resources to help it get to where it wants to be.
“We continue to have fun, develop our product and introduce new and exciting updates.”
Viber’s CEO Talmon Marco told me that life at his company hasn’t changed since joining the Rakuten family: “We operate the same way [we] did before. This means we continue to have fun, develop our product and introduce new and exciting updates.” And keeping the Viber apps full of useful features is something that’s very important to Marco, which is why they’re constantly being updated on every platform. For its part, Rakuten isn’t new to the acquisition game: Back in 2012, the company completed its purchase of Kobo’s e-reading business. In a recent interview with Re/code, Hiroshi Mikitani, Rakuten’s co-founder and CEO, said spending $900 million on Viber was a “no-brainer,” citing the popularity of similar services as the driving force behind the acquisition.
To outsiders, it wasn’t easy to pinpoint why Rakuten would want to own Viber. However, Marco thinks this is a perfect match. “We believe mobile messaging apps like Viber are rapidly becoming the communication method of choice for most people. Both Rakuten and Viber felt user experience on many of Rakuten’s services could become better once you let people communicate with them via Viber,” Marco said. But as to which Rakuten services he’s referring to, he didn’t specify. Still, even with any future integration with products from its parent company, Viber will “continue to operate independently [from] Rakuten, but with extensive cooperation.”
“Tapping into Rakuten’s resources and know-how should help us accelerate our growth in the US and elsewhere.”
Marco also told Engadget that one of the main goals for Viber going forward is to keep expanding in the US. As popular as the app is outside of the States, Viber said the US remains its biggest market. With Rakuten on its side, Marco said Viber will have to make the most of the opportunity. “Tapping into Rakuten’s resources and know-how should help us accelerate our growth in the US and elsewhere,” he added. And if Rakuten hadn’t come into the picture, the additional resources could have come from elsewhere; Marco said that there was interest from other companies, but didn’t share the names of any of them.
Of course, as has happened on numerous occasions with these types of services, not everything has gone smoothly for Viber. In 2013, the service caught a lot of heat for an exploit that allowed hackers to bypass the Android lockscreen, and while Viber was quick to react, users weren’t too happy that this happened in the first place. But Marco told me user privacy and security are his company’s number one priority. “After all, we ourselves use the product constantly and care about our own privacy. Viber has never experienced a breach of user data or our production system,” he said. “Multiple third-party tests have demonstrated our top-notch attention to security and we continue to work hard [for] things to stay this way.”
Marco feels that combining Viber’s solid calling and messaging features with the ability to keep your data secure is a recipe for success. Ultimately, as he’s told us in the past, the goal is to bring the best talking and chatting experience to you, regardless of which operating system you are using. But will this be enough for you to pick it over a big player like Skype? Well, that call is for you to make.
[Image credits: Flickr, Sam Azgor; Getty Images]
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile
Foursquare goes Oprah: You’re a mayor and you’re a mayor
When Foursquare announced plans to split check-ins off into their own app last week, it didn’t reveal too many details on how the finer points — like Mayorships — would factor in. Well, starting today, those virtual offices are safe until Swarm launches next week. Once the new arm of the location-based outfit rolls out, it will handle those accolades in addition to insights (five weeks in a row at breweries, for example) and allow you to afix stickers to notable check-ins. In what Foursquare is calling Mayorships 2.0, you compete only with your friends to hold office at your favorite coffee shop — not the fella that sits in the corner all day, every day. Of course, this means that venues can have multiple Mayors, which means you’re likely to see fewer faux political-based discounts. Bummer.
Don’t worry, badges will remain in the regular Foursquare app too. They’ll be used to reward explorers for discovering new places and offering insight. You know, now that the namesake option is going to be focused on local search and reviews. The direct Yelp competitor isn’t due to launch until later this summer, so once users leave the for hive, there’s a chance they won’t look back.
Source: Foursquare
Engadget Daily: a guide to Japanese toilets, Apple eyes Beats for $3.2 billion and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
What does hip-hop’s ‘first billionaire’ have that Apple wants?
Nothing’s official yet, but according to the Financial Times and a (since pulled) video of Dr. Dre himself, Apple intends to buy Beats for quite a bit of greenback. Hmm, what could the maker of iTunes want with another music app?
A Westerner’s guide to Japanese toilets
Popping a squat on your first “fancy” toilet can be a scary experience. Lucky for you, we put together a guide to help you navigate the buttons, symbols and seemingly uninterpretable stick figures on Japan’s finest and most expensive potties.
Netflix begins raising prices, but current users get a two-year freeze
We knew it was coming, but the Netflix price hike is now official. New users will pay one dollar more a month while existing customers will enjoy a two-year grace period before receiving the same treatment. Yay?
Smartphones for hire: Which personal assistant is right for you?
Android, WP and iOS: each has its strengths and weaknesses, but which one packs the most capable personal assistant? Read on as our own Brad Molen dissects all the features of Google Now, Siri and Cortana.
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Filed under: Misc
Supposed Moto E image makes an appearance on Facebook
Lets keep the momentum going with Motorola this fantabulous Friday. One device that we are all expecting Motorola to show off on May 13th is the Moto E. Talks around town place it as a more affordable option to the current Moto G and be mostly targeting emerging markets. The apparent image was posted on the Motorola Facebook page out of Mexico, so it would seem that the Moto E will end up down south.
The Moto E is the white device sitting on the right and to the left we see the Moto G. It would appear that the Moto E is forgoing a front facing camera, at least in this particular leaked image. The overall device size is a little smaller as well. Which lines up with the leaked specs that we saw a while back pointing to a 4.3-inch device.
All should be revealed in just a few short days. Hopefully we get to have a look at the Moto X+1 and the Moto G Cinema during that same event.
What are your thoughts on the Motorola Moto E so far from the rumored specs and now supposed image of the device?
Source: Androidpolice
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