Gizmodo

Question of the Day

Question of the Day: Are Car Alarms More Trouble Then They're Worth?

As I write this post, a car alarm going off in my neighborhood. Yeah, it's annoying, but that's the price you pay for "security." They go off all the time for no good reason—inconveniencing owners and irritating everyone in the area (including writers trying to concentrate on their jobs). While I understand that it may be a necessary evil for someone with an expensive vehicle, there are still plenty of people out there pushing their beater down the street with the alarm blazing. Sometimes I think these car alarms are more trouble than they're worth. Do you agree? As a bonus question, let us know what gadgets you store in your car. More »

Alarms

Helicopter Alarm Clock Wakes You to the Sound of Mechanical Death

We can't speak for everyone here, but when dreaming about surfing the galaxy on our robot jet dog with integrated ice cream machine, the last thing we need is a military chopper waking us up. We don't fear the sounds of this helicopter alarm clock or the cut of its blades that launch into the air—Fido can take care of those just fine—we just fear waking up to a world in which man and his robot dog don't have their marriage recognized by intergalactic law. Here's a clip of the alarm clock in action: More »

Advertising

New Bravia Ad Shows Gigantic Multicolored Dominoes Falling Throughout India

European Bravia commercials are some of the most visually interesting ads you're likely to see, at least they have been in the past. From the thousands of bouncy balls in San Francisco to the exploding paint orchestra, we like these ads. And now there's a new one! The latest shows a massive domino setup of various colors (of course) tumbling around India. Not quite as cool as some of the past spots, but still worth a watch just the same. [Illegal Advertising via Shape and Colour]

windows 7

Ballmer: It's Okay to Wait for Windows 7, Which "Will Be Vista, But a Lot Better"

Say what you want about Steve Ballmer, but whenever he opens his mouth, good stuff comes out. Like that Microsoft is sorta kinda at peace with people skipping Vista for Windows 7: “If people want to wait they really can... but I’d definitely deploy Vista.” He was talking about the enterprise space in this horrible economy, but you're poor too, right? After all, even he admits that "Windows 7 will be Vista, but a lot better." More »

Photoshop Contest

What Other Things Does CNN Analyst Jeffrey Toobin Do On Air?

For this week's Photoshop Contest, we're going to have a little fun with new Gizmodo friend Jeffrey Toobin. We know that he likes following baseball and logging onto Facebook during presidential debates. Which is fine, lord knows I dick around on the internet while I'm at work. I just don't do so on TV. So what we're going to do is imagine Toobs doing even more things that he shouldn't be doing on television. That could mean surfing different websites or covering different events or really anything at all. More »

Movies

The New Star Trek Movie is Hunkarrific

Out with the old, in with the new. Here's one of the first shots from the upcoming Star Trek movie. See that guy in black? That's Chris Pine. He's the new Kirk, and he knows that black is not only slimming, but the perfect color for both a casual dinner and an impromptu funeral. He's also just a touch too Calvin Klein commercial for my taste.

To see what his ship loos like getting blown up by aliens with grotesque foreheads and pointy ears, let's kick this puppy into warp 9 and meet up after the jump.

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Tesla Motors

Electric Tesla Roadster Wastes Tons of Energy When Parked

Martin Eberhard, former CEO and co-founder of Tesla Motors, was surprisingly frank in a recent blog post about a major shortcoming with his new Tesla Roadster. Soon after receiving his vehicle, Eberhard noticed that the ESS pump runs coolant through the battery all the time—even when turned off (so long as it is at least half charged). More »

Peripherals

Amex Portable Super Multi Drive Makes Blu-ray Fashionable

If you've been looking for a sleek Bly-ray drive to compliment that overpriced laptop you're running, this Amex looks to fit the bill. Just .6 inches thick, the USB drive burns single layer BD-RE/-R discs at 2X speed and dual layer discs at 1X speed, along with standard DVDs in every shape and color. And it draws enough energy from the USB port to power itself without the need for the 5V DC power adapter. Priced at $289, the Amex drive is available in black or white. Wait, no silver? But everything I own is silver!! [AMEX via I4U]

Review

MacBook and MacBook Pro Dual Review

Before Tuesday, there was no way a MacBook and a MacBook Pro could appear in a single review. Too much separated the two systems, from outer appearance (build materials and backlit keyboard) to inner nitty gritty (graphics processors, etc.). To group the two classes together would have been like simultaneously reviewing a Ford Focus and a Ford Mustang. But the new MacBook and MacBook Pro are far more similar than they are different. From the glass-bezel screen to the front side bus, these computers finally deserve to share the name MacBook. They're brothers, one a pro, the other a vastly accomplished amateur. Here's our verdict, after two days of thorough nonstop testing.

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Zune

Hands On Gears of War 2 Zune, Better Xbox 360 Integration Coming "Within a Year"

Here's the special edition Gears of War 2 Zune coming out next month, in the flesh. It's total sex if you're into dripping blood and skulls and boxy media players. (You sick bastard.) Oh, and good news for Zune Guy: Marketing director for Zune Jason Reindorp told us that a serious "step up" in Zune and Xbox 360 integration will happen "within a year." Finally, though they're taking their sweet time getting to where they should've been a long time ago. More »

USB

Butterfly Knife USB Drive Slashes Your Computer With Storage

It may not help you much in a fight, but at least you won't lacerate your own hand while flipping this butterfly knife (or bali-song) USB drive. It has room for 2GB of data and the nerd-friendly design is far superior to the stupid food shaped flash drives we see so often these days. Although, the beer-filled flash drive may give it a run for its money. [Benchmade]

Space

Roden Crater Is Alien Landing Site Disguised as Art Installation

This is the Roden Crater, a inactive volcano northeast of Flagstaff, on the calm, dry plains of Arizona. In its sleep, it looks peaceful, harmless. Until you start climbing and reach the top of the 3-kilometer-wide mountain. Then you will be able to see the platform for extraterrestrial spaceships on its center. James Turrell says it's a large-scale art installation that will open in 2012, but he's not fooling us. This is not an art installation. This has to be a spaceport. More »