Engadget is an online magazine focused on tech / gadget news and happenings in the world of consumer electronics. The site is updated multiple times a day (really, a lot), and features short (and not so short) news posts, product reviews, videos, photo galleries, editorials, and stacks of special featured content. Engadget also produces the weekly Engadget Podcast, hosted by Editor-in-chief Tim Stevens. In September of 2009 we also launched The Engadget Show, a technology-driven video show which includes recurring live events and short segments.
Our "About us" page lists email addresses for Engadget's main editorial staff, and up above there's a general contact form. If you have a tip, we have a button on every page of Engadget so that you can ping us with the good news. We do read every single email sent to us, but due to the volume, we can't respond to every single one. Rest assured, if you have something important to tell us, we're listening!
Our primary focus is on the news -- all the latest in gadgets, technology and consumer electronics. However, we're also interested in developments in science, things that make us laugh, and yes, even occasionally something that's "old" news to one or more of our readers. We try to keep things lively around here.
We try to keep our readers in the know, which occasionally means posting things like rumors, leaks, and unofficial information. Of course, unofficial info is sometimes dubious, but that's what the editorial staff is for! We try our best to sort out the noise from the real deal so that you don't have to, and we always tell you in the post when something is speculation or rumor.
Engadget is a huge website with millions of readers owned by a very large parent company (AOL). The editorial staff at Engadget doesn't take part in selling ad space on the site in any way. We have no contact or control over the ads here, save for the fact that we tell our sales team to try and keep annoying or aggressive ads off of the site, which we think are bad for the reader experience. To be perfectly clear, the editorial staff and the ad sales team which represent the site are completely separate entities. No one here is on the take!
Engadget has a strict policy against keeping free stuff. Units provided to the staff by companies for review are always returned, and anything else sent to us is given away to the readers. We don't take free dinners from PR people, we don't take free trips, and we never accept gifts of any kind. It's hard to believe it's that simple, but it really is. Our editorial is never for sale, and never will be.
We love checking out new products -- it's what we're all about. That said, there are a few things you should know. First off, we primarily focus on hardware. Secondly, not everything out there fits in with our coverage, and despite being voracious about gadgets, we can't cover every product we see! We're open to hearing about and looking into anything you have, but we can't promise we'll be able to get back to you or check out your product.
We get a lot of e-mails from people who want to work for Engadget. That's understandable! Our standard process, however, is that we'll put a post up on the site when we have a space we need to fill around here. The post will usually contain specific information about the application process, and how to get in contact with us. If you haven't seen one of those posts on Engadget, we're probably not hiring right now.
It's unclear why people so often think that we sell things, but they do. A lot. Engadget doesn't sell anything. Period. We don't have any stores, we don't send out emails containing awesome deals on cell phones, and you cannot purchase anything you see on the site. We are not, never have been, and never will be, an online shop, and we can't tell you where to get the best price on anything. Also, news we post is often about upcoming products not available where you live (or where we live!), and some of the devices we cover may never see the light of day at all. We'll do our best to let you know in respective posts about release dates and regions.
Yes, Engadget takes pride in never breaking embargos and respecting agreements with representatives. Speak with us and we'll be happy to work something out. As a policy we prefer to not sign NDAs, but in special circumstances we may.
Comments
Beneath any given post, you'll find four ways to login and comment: Disqus, Facebook Connect, Twitter or OpenID. Click one of those icons and proceed to register or login using your tool of choice. Once you're in, you can comment across our sites using a familiar login.
We are always working to improve our system and make commenting easier, but the best way right now to cut down on the noise of spammers or trolls is to ask people to take a seat at the virtual table and tell us who they are. We need your email address so you can create a profile in our system and become a member of our community.
You should know these addresses are not harvested -- we hate spam (please see our privacy policy), and we never, EVER share those email addresses with outside parties. Your information is completely private. You won't get random emails or be put on any lists -- and that's a promise.
Your name will show up as "(Unverified") if you leave a comment without having first set a username. This is most likely because you were an Engadget commenter on the old system, and you have not logged out or cleared your cookies since the new system was implemented. To select a username, simply log out of the site and log back in -- the system will then ask you to select a username. The changes are retroactive, meaning each comment you left as "(Unverified)" will now show your new username.
Alternatively, you can sign up for a new username using a new email address.
Commenter usernames are unique on Engadget. What that means is that it's first come, first served. If you want "John Smith" and John Smith already took it, you're going to have to pick another name! We do this to cut down on spamming, trolling, and general confusion about who's who.
Just go to www.engadget.com/login and you'll see a "recover password" button. Click that and enter the email account you use to login, and we'll send your password to that address. If you can't remember what email address you use, we can't help you!
There are many reasons this might happen, but here are some of the most common reasons we delete comments. Spamming of any type, be it human or robot-generated, is always deleted. If you're trying to sell something in comments, you're a spammer. Trolling is also unacceptable -- we recognize that a lot of you trolls don't evern realize that you're trolls, but believe us -- you are. We'll delete your comments if we feel they're disruptive or annoying. We also delete comments that are racist, sexist, overly obscene, or offensive in any way. We delete comments which are personal attacks -- whether directed at an editor or another commenter. Finally, we reserve the right to delete any comment at our discretion (please see below).
If you create a history of trolling or other offensive behavior, we'll just ban your account. That means that your username, email, and potentially IP address will be barred from our system, and you'll no longer be able to comment.
No. Engadget, along with its partner AOL Tech sites and parent company AOL allow comments in order to further the discussion, engage our readers, and to let interested parties have a good time (and maybe learn something)! Engadget's commenting sections are NOT open forums where you can say whatever you please, and commenting on Engadget is not a right of law passed down to you in the Constitution. Engadget is a news site and a business. The editorial staff does not delete comments without good reason, but deletions are always at the discretion of the editors. There are thousands of active commenters on Engadget, and we try to keep the comment sections a fun, engaging experience for all of its readers.
Well, if you're positive that you're using the right info, there's a pretty good chance you've been banned. If you believe that you're experiencing an error and you haven't been banned, contact us using the contact form and we'll look into it.
Engadget has instituted a way for other commenters to uprank and downrank other comments left by readers. We think it helps highlight the better comments, and downplay the, er... less good ones. However, the system is still based on human input, and as such, is a bit of a gamble (like many things on the internet). If your comment gets downranked for seemingly no reason‚ well, we're sorry, and we can sympathize. We try to keep the ratio balanced, but if you feel like it's off, be sure to let us know!
Well first off, because he / she is an editor. That doesn't make them better than a regular commenter, but it does mean that when they have something to say, we feel it's important that all readers can see it, whether they like it or not!
Well, as already mentioned, you can downrank it. Furthermore, there's also report button above the ranking icons on all comments which will alert our staff that the comment has been reported. We do look at flagged comments, and delete where we deem appropriate. Keep in mind, however, that we know who is reporting what comments, so think before you report -- you don't want to be on our watchlist for reporting a comment for no reason at all, because that doesn't help anybody, does it?
The short answer is "no." Under no circumstances does Engadget endorse or support financial exchanges (or any exchange beyond ideas) in comments. In fact, we seriously suggest you don't get involved with anyone trying to shill something in our comments. There are plenty of reputable places to get the gear you're looking for -- since we have no screening process and zero contact with our commenters, we won't vouch for them, nor can we help you if you get taken for a ride. Remember -- if it seems like spam or a scam, it probably is.
