Gizmodo


iPhone Apps

Obama '08 iPhone App Is Grassroots Gadgety Perfection

The Obama '08 iPhone app is, almost surprisingly, not a cheap sticker masquerading as an application. No, it's actually a glimpse of the potential of grassroots politics and gadgets, distilled in a slick, blue-stained little app that couldn't possibly have come out of the McCain campaign (no offense guys). It leverages pretty much every aspect of the iPhone. More »

6:20 PM on Thu Oct 2 2008
By matt buchanan
26,902 views, 103 comments

Latest by shokk: This article gave me diarrhea. more »

Unconfirmed

BlackBerry Pearl Flip Out This Month for $150, Still Hideous

The latest on RIM's blocky clamshell monstrosity, the BlackBerry Pearl Flip, is that it'll be out by the end of this month at the latest, and maybe as early as Oct. 15. Apparently, RIM will not be making a steroid-supercharged play for the masses as previously rumored. No, on T-Mobile, it'll be $150 with a two-year contract, or $200 with a one-year contract, not the perhaps delusionally low $49 originally floated. Which is unfortunate, 'cause not only is $99—$129 tops—a sweet spot, I just don't see anyone paying that much for a phone this awkward, even if it is a full-fledged BlackBerry. [CrackBerry]

1:45 PM on Thu Oct 2 2008
By matt buchanan
4,189 views, 18 comments

Latest by waderx: The flip is not that fugly... The silver top side does not help. A one color scheme would be an improvement. more »

Google

Google's World-Saving Clean Energy Plan Costs $4.4 Trillion, Dramatically Shrinks Google's Power Bill

Google, who in aggregate, effectively knows everything, unsurprisingly has a solution for our energy problems. The plan, called Clean Energy 2030 will cost $4.4 trillion over its 22-year span, if we start on it right now. Google says it'll give us back a net of $1 trillion, like half of which will be savings on Google's massive power bill notes the former Fake Steve. More »

1:15 PM on Thu Oct 2 2008
By matt buchanan
8,628 views, 55 comments

Latest by silicon-nectar: Brilliant! Ignore the naysayers. Nothing is possible with those people. I haven't read it yet myself but plan to. There's one thing I already know for sure. If any organization is capable of creating an actual-workable plan, it's definitely Google! They eat complexity for breakfast more »

Vudu

Vudu HDX 1080p Movie Downloads Reviewed: "Insanely Sharp"

Vudu's new HDX 1080p movies—promised to be "Blu-ray quality"—go live today. David Pogue has the first look, and while HDX movies are not literally Blu-ray quality (which would be an impossible with our crappy broadband), they are indeed "insanely sharp" and compared to other movie downloads, it's like "seeing a movie on VHS videotape and DVD side by side." More »

12:00 PM on Thu Oct 2 2008
By matt buchanan
18,435 views, 33 comments

Latest by metaslugx: And this is why Blu-Ray fails in comparison to digital streaming. more »

NetFlix

PlayOn Streams Netflix to Your PS3

PlayOn, a program we checked out a couple months ago that streams Hulu, ESPN, YouTube and CBS streaming from a Windows PC to a PS3, Xbox 360 or HP MediaSmart TV, just released its promised update that'll let you stream Netflix to your PS3 or 360 (though the latter will soon be pointless). It's still in public beta, so it's free for the first 60 days, after that it's $30—which, after they get all of the bugs worked out, is a small price to pay for Netflix and Hulu on your TV, though I wouldn't be surprised if native Netflix comes to the PS3 eventually. [PlayOn via Zatznotfunny]

11:30 AM on Thu Oct 2 2008
By matt buchanan
7,025 views, 16 comments

Latest by chaoslink: So how does this work? Can the same methods be used to write a client for other non-supported hardware (like my appletv)? more »

Mouse

Grenade Mouse: If Rambo Used a Computer

This is the most hardass mouse I've ever seen. It's a mouse stuffed inside of an actual grenade shell (that's sadly plastic, I was a little overexcited after watching Rambo the other night). Sure, it's a crappy Targus mouse lurking underneath its rippled casing. And you know it's goddamn uncomfortable. But that's part of the point. More »

11:00 AM on Thu Oct 2 2008
By matt buchanan
7,289 views, 30 comments

Latest by mr30gZune: Wait a minute, moddin.ru is a russin site. YUP, it a real grenade alright. Those ruskies dont F' around :D more »

Western Digital

Western Digital ShareSpace 4TB Gigabit NAS Lightning Review

The Gadget: Western Digital's ShareSpace Storage is a steely, cubular vault of NAS with fast Gigabit ethernet that brings enterprise-level centralized storage down to the small business and deathcore nerd space, with 2TB or 4TB capacities in multiple RAID configurations out of the box. More »

10:00 AM on Thu Oct 2 2008
By matt buchanan
10,857 views, 43 comments

Latest by logie: get a thecus n5200 instead! more »

NetFlix

Netflix Watch Instantly Streaming for Macs By Year's End

Almost two years after launching and spreading from PCs to set-top boxes and consoles, Netflix's Watch Instantly streaming service is finally coming to Macs. In a post on its official blog, Netflix promises Mac users that "we’ll have something for you by the end of the year." We're taking that to mean the service (meaning they've come up with a new non-Windows DRM scheme), and not just a really funny Christmas card, though I do appreciate the rare art form that is a genuinely funny card. [Netflix via CNet]

9:20 AM on Thu Oct 2 2008
By matt buchanan
2,943 views, 43 comments

Latest by Doctor Dentz: Mac? Can they make it compatible for firefox first? more »

Rubber gloves

Border Agents May Soon Need Court Order to Give Your Laptop a Cavity Search

Our constant reportage that border agents can snatch and frisk your laptop for basically no reason at all seems to have worked. The sighing, sweaty "feh" of nerds and barks of disapproval from hardcore business travelers, both unhappy at the thought of some macho dickhole agent tooling around in their notebook, seem to have trickled up to Congress, resulting in the Travelers' Privacy Protection Act. More »

7:40 PM on Wed Oct 1 2008
By matt buchanan
5,720 views, 27 comments

Latest by TBM-Fan: They have no rights to seize the laptop in the first place i thought laptop was personal belongings unlike some other things as drugs but i thought usb (thumb) drives were also seized to be investigated...? I need my laptop for my work (and any usb drive/sticks) and for my work i more »

Notebooks

HP's Pavilion dv3500t Its First 13.3-Inch Notebook, Appropriately Colored Bronze

How did HP, the second largest computer maker in the US, get away with not having a 13.3-inch notebook for so damn long? It's like the perfect notebook size. The Pavilion dv3500t is their first, which is its most exceptional feature, actually. Otherwise, it's a pretty standard collection of the latest in notebook silicon—with specs running up to a 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo, 8GB RAM and 400GB hard drive, with a 512MB Nvidia GeForce 9300M as standard—dipped in a kind of attractive liquid bronze candy coating. It starts at $1000, and congrats on finally getting there, HP. [HP via Laptoping]

7:00 PM on Wed Oct 1 2008
By matt buchanan
3,633 views, 12 comments

Latest by EricAlder: Is the bronze color appropriate because it came in third place? more »

Giz explains

Giz Explains: An Illustrated Guide to Every Stupid Memory Card You Need

High on the list of gadget annoyances that make me want to scab my eyes out with a spork—just below cables and batteries—is the unfettered proliferation of memory cards. Even though they all fundamentally do the same thing—store data for handheld devices—they come in a million different sizes and shapes from almost as many companies, giving birth to retarded but necessary accessories. Anyone looking for proof of this can stop at the 80-in-1 card reader. Unfortunately, many of these dumb pieces of silicon and plastic aren't going extinct. As a consolation prize, here's an illustrated guide to all the ones you actually need to know.

More »

Feature

2:00 PM on Wed Oct 1 2008
By matt buchanan
20,743 views, 59 comments

Latest by MarissaEchemus: You forget RS-MMC, used in not-too-old Nokia phones, which comes with the most stupid adaptor exists (also, it is just an SD clone). Practically, while other cards must be "plug in" to adaptors, RS-MMC using "glue to" technique to complement it to SD/MMC size. The card often traps in the more »

iron man

Which of the EIGHT Versions of the Iron Man DVD Should You Buy?

Okay, so you don't have a Blu-ray player and you're not getting a new Dell. That still leaves you with eight—EIGHT—different versions of Iron Man to choose from, with everyone from Walmart to Borders hawking their own exclusive kit. Best Buy's might be the most exquisitely fanboy fapworthy, encasing with the flick and a custom lithograth, plus a Mark III mini-bust made by Sideshow Collectibles. Here's a guide to the rest, which we've placed in order of awesomeness, if you need some help deciding. More »

9:00 PM on Tue Sep 30 2008
By matt buchanan
23,180 views, 50 comments

Latest by Con Seannery: I just picked up the HD-DVD version, it's GODLIKE. more »

Oops

Glitch Drops Google Stock Price $200 in Four Minutes, Wiping Out $62 Billion

At probably like the worst time ever for your stock to plummet harder than a meteor on a collision course with Bruce Willis, a glitch knocked $200 off of Google's stock price—that's half—in the span of four minutes as the markets were closing today. $62 billion. Erased. In four minutes. The glitch has been fixed, bringing it back to the correct price of $407, but some trades actually did go through at the bargain basement price. While they'll be repealed, it shows you that it's so crazy out there even computers are going nuts right now. [TechCrunch]

7:40 PM on Tue Sep 30 2008
By matt buchanan
9,500 views, 29 comments

Latest by Con Seannery: Just remember, so long as it doesn't bankrupt, you didn't lose anything, you still got the same number of shares. There's a point where you gotta put it all on the table and stay in, and for most banks, that's here. more »

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen

Transformers 2 Will Be Shot in IMAX, Get Ready for Five-Story Transformers

Holy crap. Parts of Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen are being shot in IMAX, meaning you'll get to see literally five-story Transformers getting smashed, exploded and all of the usual Michael Bay craziness in the only screen size truly worthy of Michael Bay. Like The Dark Knight, non-IMAX scenes will be letterboxed, and it'll blow back up to full screen size for IMAX sequences. Man, if there was ever a movie that needed to be in IMAX, this is it. More »

7:20 PM on Tue Sep 30 2008
By matt buchanan
10,180 views, 42 comments

Latest by DJTripleRRR: OMG EYE ORGASM! more »

FairPlay DRM

Norway Forgets Who They're Dealing With, Demands Apple Open Up FairPlay DRM (Again)

Norway is ostensibly big on neutrality, even when it gets them invaded and pulverized, so it's not surprisingly it hates Apple's FairPlay DRM, which only lets songs play on iPods. It even has a law requiring that consumers be able to use digital media with whatever device they choose, which FairPlay obviously pees all over. After a lovely chat with Apple in February, not much has changed, so gentle Norway is going to play war against Apple over FairPlay for the rest of hapless Europe. More »

6:20 PM on Tue Sep 30 2008
By matt buchanan
5,148 views, 46 comments

Latest by Con Seannery: GO NORWAY! And the Apple Army and Apple Armada, as well as the Apple Aviators will be there shortly to attack it and turn it into the world's largest Apple store. more »

Android

EA Waiting to Release Android Games Until It Can Charge for Them

While Namco jumped headfirst into the Android Market by giving away Pac-Man, EA Games is going to sit out for the time being, at least until there's a billing system in place for apps in the Android Market: "EA will support the Android platform...but has elected to wait for the launch of a content billing solution to bring their premier IP to market." More »

6:00 PM on Tue Sep 30 2008
By matt buchanan
4,459 views, 30 comments

Latest by EricAlder: I've always liked EA games... don't know why. more »

windows 7

Windows 7 Getting (Kinda) Optimized for Parallel Processing

Besides looking a lot like Vista—and we mean a lot—Microsoft has said Windows 7 uses a lot of the same foundation, too, to keep upgrade migraines to a minimum. The problem is that its core ain't so suited to parallel computing, one of rival Snow Leopard's few headline features. So they're actually implementing some deep-level tweaks to bring it up to speed and make it more parallel processing friendly. More »

5:20 PM on Tue Sep 30 2008
By matt buchanan
10,708 views, 75 comments

Latest by drakino: So, this sounds more like the work Apple did in Leopard. Tiger and previous versions of OS X supported multi core/SMP fine, but Leopard really tuned it at every level in the OS and APIs to ensure equal balance between processors. Snow Leopard is going further by exposing APIs like more »

Same as it ever was

iPhone Will Get Adobe Flash Soon, If Apple Says OK

If you're still clamoring for Adobe Flash support to get Hulu on your iPhone, I've got good news and bad news. The good news is that Adobe Senior Director of Engineering Paul Betlem says that as soon as Apple approves it, it would be out "in a very short time." More »

4:35 PM on Tue Sep 30 2008
By matt buchanan
15,715 views, 68 comments

Latest by richillion: if we could get flash and mms on the iphone it would be perfect. and if the appstore wasnt so strict we would probably have these already, including copy and paste. thats why everyone was so excited when we heard about the appstore, but it cant even replace cydia and more »

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