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Think your Snow Leopard woes are finally over? Don’t go logging into that Guest account, then. A flurry of reports have surfaced around the web explaining that even an accidental login to one’s Guest account within Snow Leopard could lead to mass deletion of all user files on the primary account, and when we say “mass deletion,” we mean “mass deletion.” The problem goes something like this: if one clicks on the Guest account after upgrading their machine to OS X 10.6, and everything hangs, there’s at least a decent chance that all of your data will be evaporated whenever you surf back over to the main profile. Apple has yet to address the issue (at least publicly), but we’d probably recommend disabling Guest accounts on your rig(s) until all of this gets sorted. You know, unless you actually enjoy watching your data vanish.

[Via Neowin]

Filed under: Software

Snow Leopard ‘Guest Account’ bug deleting user files, terrorizing children? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 11:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nothing really new here — the ESRB has been charging a nominal fee to get its saucy logos on your game for years upon years now — but the discussion of fairness has recently surfaced with the introduction of Sony’s UMD-less PSP Go. A few game developers are voicing concerns about the amount the ESRB charges (we’re hearing around $2,500) in order for their titles to receive a rating, particularly when those very same titles don’t have such a costly requirement in Apple’s App Store. Subatomic Studios, for instance, can charge $2.99 for the iPhone version of Fieldrunners, while the same game is priced at $6.99 on the PlayStation Store. Naturally, the ESRB would love to get in on App Store ratings, but it’s hard to say just how long (if ever) that cracking process will take. So, any of you devs put off by the ESRB fee? Put off enough to sidestep PSP Go development altogether?

[Via Joystiq]

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds, Software

Sony PSP Go game dev taken aback by lofty ESRB rating costs originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:56:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Man, remember LiMo? Amazingly, there are some 40 handsets on the market today based on the platform, but precisely none of them are boasting a profile as high as any one of the Android smartphones also on store shelves. As Motorola scrambles to re-make itself and prove that its CLIQ is a force to be reckoned with in the burgeoning Android phone sector, the company has also decided to remove itself as a “founding member” of the LiMo Foundation. The company recently noted that the outfit was sliding down to “associate member,” stating that “at this time it feels that the Android platform gives it a richer, more consistent foundation with strong support for the ecosystem and developer community.” That’s a pretty damning statement to our ears, but we won’t go so far as to call the breakup between Moto and LiMo official; we’re guessing “it’s complicated” would be entirely more appropriate here.

[Via phonescoop]

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

Motorola quietly takes one step away from LiMo, looks to Android for consolation originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Oct 2009 09:33:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Needless to say, none of this applies to the Americans in attendance, but for international PSP Go buyers looking forward to taking advantage of Sony’s PSP Go Rewards program, the always user-friendly DRM seems to be putting a solid kink in those enjoyment plans. According to a growing number of users at the official European PlayStation boards, an error by the name of 80109D53 is causing downloaded titles to not play back on the new handhelds. We’re told that Sony is aware of the issue and is toiling away in an effort to fix things, but for now, it seems as if you can sidestep some of the risk by downloading your trio of free titles (which Sony offers if you’re an existing UMD owner) directly to the PSP Go rather than sideloading ‘em from a PS3. Any others having this issue? Figured out a solution? Shoot your mouth off in comments below.

[Thanks, James]

Filed under: Gaming, Handhelds, Software

PSP Go Rewards program hitting DRM-laced brick wall originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 21:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft’s Windows Phones just left the chute a few days ago, and already it seems that ye old DRM is getting talked about — and not in a good way. According to one Chainfire over at XDA-Developers, the so-called “copy protection” involved in keeping applications in place rather than strewn across a neighborhood of handsets is a pitiful joke, requiring just five minutes of tinkering to save the CAB files that the Marketplace app downloads to a separate folder. In other words, that relocated CAB file could be distributed to all of your friends, turning a single purchase into freeware for as many people as you know (or don’t know, even). So, Marketplace devs — does that make you feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside, or what?

[Thanks, GreeKNastY]

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

Dev finds Windows Marketplace DRM severely lacking, easily circumventable originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 20:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Okay, so maybe nothing can really be too easy, but Belkin‘s really stretching things by asserting that you need a dedicated cable to use Windows Easy Transfer, an application bundled with Windows 7 and detailed by yours truly right here. At any rate, you may recall that this very outfit milked the whole upgrade situation in a similar fashion when Vista hit the scene, and now a slightly redesigned version is out to transfer files easily between your existing Vista / XP-based machines and what will become your new Windows 7 system. Of course, this thing’s really only important if you’re buying a new Win7 machine rather than upgrading the rig you already own, and if you’re willing to pay $39.99 to have your hand held through the migration process, you can be our guest on October 23rd.

Continue reading Belkin’s refreshed Easy Transfer Cable makes Windows 7 migration a little too easy

Filed under: Peripherals, Software

Belkin’s refreshed Easy Transfer Cable makes Windows 7 migration a little too easy originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Oct 2009 05:42:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hey, remember Motorola Phone Tools? That overpriced app that enabled a select few of you to hack into your Moto and do all sorts of nifty things? Yeah, if and only if you were amongst the smattering of individuals lucky enough to get it installed and functioning properly. Now, it seems as if the company is looking produce a similar app with one primary difference: the new iteration is easy to use. Dubbed Moto Phone Portal, the Android program allows users to select WiFi or USB to connect to one’s PC, and once the app is fired up, you simply point your machine’s web browser to the listed URL in order to manage contacts, media, etc. on the big(ger) screen. Obviously, Motorola has yet to come forward and confess that this beautiful bit of code is actually real, but we’re pretty sure Leakdroid‘s extensive hands-on will have you convinced.

[Via Leakdroid]

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

Motorola Phone Portal enables WiFi PC-to-phone connections, browser-based management originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Oct 2009 22:54:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The game’s back on. Palm just announced the availability of its 1.2.1 update to WebOS for the Palm Pre and, well, that’s it for the time being. It fixes Exchange mail syncing issues experienced by some users, which is nice, but for everyone else it re-enables media sync with iTunes 9.0.1, with or without the USB-IF‘s support. In fact, Palm has signaled its commitment to its rogue approach by improving synchronization with the Photos app to keep the album structure in tact while allowing lower-resolution images to be synced to the Pre. Oh happy day — enjoy it while it lasts Pre owners.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

Palm WebOS 1.2.1 now available, ‘fixes’ iTunes media sync originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Oct 2009 04:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ah, Snow Leopard. It’s the same cat you’re used to caressing (or beating, as the case may be), but in a much, much colder climate. Or something like that. OS X 10.6 promised Leopard users a “refined” experience, and one that would only cost upgrading users $29. At that price, most Apple fanatics figured that picking it up on launch day was a no-brainer, but as we’ve come to sadly expect from Cupertino’s software labs these days, all wasn’t perfectly well with the big snowy cat. Even now, users are still kvetching about broken functionality and mental pains that are literally indescribable. Even if you’re not in that camp, we’re eager to hear how your Snow Leopard experience has been. Are you satisfied with the upgrade? Will you never, ever install an Apple update again before a million others try it first? Are you already looking forward to 10.7 Windows 7? Tell all in comments below — you never know who could be tuning in.

Filed under: Software

How would you change Snow Leopard? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Oct 2009 23:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oh sure, we Americans love our fast food. And we love our technology. But do we really love the latter? Withings has just announced that the world’s first WiFi-enabled bathroom scale has made its way into the States after a few months abroad, and we have to say, this could change everything. When pouncing upon it, the scale automatically records the user’s body weight, lean / fat mass and calculated body mass index (BMI) to his or her secure webpage, and if you’re more the iPhone type, it can beam data to a Withings iPhone app as well. It’s available now for $159, but you can certainly wait ’til your latest diet has had some sort of effect before bringing one home. A delightful demonstration video is waiting for you just past the break.

Continue reading WiFi-enabled bathroom scale slides into USA, overweight Yanks sluggishly back away

Filed under: Household, Software

WiFi-enabled bathroom scale slides into USA, overweight Yanks sluggishly back away originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 01 Oct 2009 10:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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