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Bill Gates Retirement Party
Retromodo: Gizmodo's Bill Gates Interviews Through History
Bill Gates puts up with us, having granted us three interviews in the past three and a half years. It's an intense experience: Bill isn't always fond of making eye contact, and is known to snap at reporters who ask dumb questions. After all, he's not just the Andrew Carnegie—or Emperor Palpatine—of his time. He's also a guy who gets interviewed a hell of a lot, and doesn't stand for bush-league Q&A. But we have always enjoyed the guys company and even have had the opportunity to make him laugh a few times. Here's a quick look back at our three Bill interviews, in a Retromodo re-run fashion: More » -
tvs
The Weight Is Over: Extra-Thin TVs Hit the Scales
This year's CES TV competition wasn't about how big TVs could be, but how thin they could get. Samsung, JVC, Hitachi, Panasonic, Sharp, Pioneer and developer LG.Philips were all showing off their rendition of belt-tightening in the flat-panel age. Some of you perceptively noted that up against a wall, inside a cabinet or on a stand, a 1" thick TV looks the same as a 20" thick TV, let alone a 5" thick set, so like big frickin' deal. We're with you. The truth is, while thin is sexy, the untold story is how much less this new crop of TVs will weigh. Both LCD and plasma will weigh substantially less in the coming years. How much less? Plasma will definitely drop more than LCD, but in both cases, the weight loss is astonishing. Jump for awesome chart:
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roundup
The Best of CES 2008
CES is filled with thousands of gadgets and lots of people to talk to. But most of these "new" products are really just moderate updates. So in case you missed the goodies in the wave of CES news, here's just our favorite stuff after the jump. Yes, lazy people—life takes care of you again! More » -
giz banned from ces and loving it
Giz Banned For Life and Loving It: On Pranks and Civil Disobedience at CES
A Gizmodo writer has been banned from CES for a prank. But when I see some fellow press damning us for the joke, I feel sorry for them: When did journalists become the protectors of corporations? When did this industry, defined by pranksters like Woz, get so serious and in-the-pocket of big business? This is totally pathetic. More » -
bill gates
Complete Uncut Gizmodo Bill Gates Interview
We've shown you snippets throughout the week, but we wanted you to have access to the full 20 minutes, too, so you can catch every little nugget from the conversation, and see how the chat evolved to the point where Bill could be frank and open about all things Microsoft. It's in YouTube so you can share it or do whatever. Just remember it's long, so you may want to get a beverage or a snack before pressing play. More » -
eyes on
Wireless HDTV Proliferates Across CES Show Floor
Blasting HDTV from one place to another without wires is a revolutionary concept that made evolutionary strides at CES 2008. We found numerous companies showing the technology that's able to move luscious HDTV video either across the room, or in some instances, through walls and around the house.
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booth review
Top 10 Booths of CES 2008
Wandering around the CES show floor, you have to laugh when the elaborate multi-million dollar structures designed to convince you of a company's credibility are called "booths." Step with us through the most exquisite, best-designed and overall most awe-inspiring of all we saw this week in this top ten gallery of the Best Booths of CES. And yeah, we called them booths, but some might even be elevated to gadget status.
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nsfw
Hands-on With FyreTV, the Best Porn in the Living Room Solution Yet (NSFW)
FyreTV, the guys who are releasing a nondescript set-top-box that streams IPTV adult video straight into your living room just gave us a hands-on demo with their machine. Here's what we think: it's the best thing we've seen yet to bring you on-demand porn over the internet into your living room.
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psp blu-ray transfer
Blu-ray-to-PSP Movie Transfers: How It's Gonna Work
When we heard about Blu-ray-to-PSP movie transfers getting all official we got pretty excited, even though the announcement was a little skimpy on the details: How big are the files? How long will it take to download a movie? How odious is the DRM? Most importantly, when? Well, we've got 'em all right here.
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rumor smashed
Rumor Smashed: Microsoft Is NOT Considering Blu-ray Support
With the HD DVD ship sinking fast in the fickle minds of press and public, the assumption is that everyone left on board is lining up to jump. Reuters had a story that played like Microsoft—one of HD DVD's biggest backers—is on the verge of doing so, based on a quote from Albert Pennello, marketing manager for Xbox hardware. Let us count the ways he told us in a sitdown that the story was wrong, and when HD DVD really is buried in Microsoft's mind.
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bile
Ten Reasons We're Doomed: CES Edition
Oh, CES. You are a disgusting, bloated beast oozing everything that makes this industry horrible. Nay, everything that makes our culture horrible. Sure, to you fine readers it might look like it's all product announcements and good times, but that's far from the truth. In reality, it's a vile clusterfuck of nerds, sluts and suits; a deadly combo. Let me give you some reasons why CES signals the downfall of our society, if you can stand it. More » -
obituary
Chandler Blinkers III Drowns at Panasonic's Waterproof Camera Showcase Tank
Today, a tragic event of dramatic proportions hit CES 2008 in Las Vegas: Chandler Blinkers III, affectionally known as Pit by everyone at Panasonic, died in the water tank at their booth. According to the press conference held by the company, the circumstances are still unknown and police is still investigating. "He was there one moment, happily swimming, and then... then poof... gone. He was belly up. I can't start to tell—" said Panasonic spokeswoman Rosa Fernández before she couldn't hold her tears anymore and left the stage. At this time, workers are still emptying the tank where Mr. Blinkers had stayed for the past five days showcasing that, indeed, some Panasonic cameras are what Engadget's Editor-in-Chief Ryan Block technically classified as "waterproof."
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portable media
iRiver iAMOLED Hands On
We got our hands on that pretty iRiver iAMOLED Photo Tank, and it's plenty handy. The only problem is, the most appealing aspect of it is its active matrix OLED (AMOLED) screen, and in this mockup, it wasn't working yet. The real thing won't see the light of day until Q3, but until then, we'll just ogle this gallery of the palm-sized player.
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pcs
Microsoft's Brainwashing Children's Book: Mommy, Where Do Servers Come From?
"Mommy, Why is There a Server in the House?" is a children's book dedicated to "Helping Your Child Understand the Stay-At-Home Server." At first we snarked at this over-the-top marketing propaganda. But then it made us crap our pants with laughter. -
fcc
FCC Chairman Kicking Cable and Wireless Ass in 2008
The initials F-C-C don't usually engender excitement, but at least according to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, it's ground zero for most of the broadcasting, wireless and high-bandwidth landline innovations we'll see in the next couple years. Martin spilled on everything from the 700MHz auction to a rumored DirecTV/Dish network merger. (Seriously.) They covered a lot of stuff, here's the Cliff's Notes:
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sizemodo
Super Cute iriver Wing UMPC Is Also Super Tiny
Scale is everything: We knew iriver's Wing touchscreen UMPC was seriously compact, but didn't know just how small it was. It's still a complete prototypeâyou're looking at dumb plastic, and the top half even sorta fell off the hingeâbut we convinced them to pull it out of the glass case so we could do a quick sizemodo. We just hope it actually comes out at this size.
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sizemodo
Hands On iriver Aplayer vs. iPod nano: Thinner, More Gorgeous
After seeing the sexy press shot of iriver's new flash-based Aplayer (which also crams in voice recording and an FM tuner), we totally couldn't resist making the iriver guys pull it out of the case to stack up to a 2nd-gen nano we had on hand. Results? Judge for yourself.
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fakes
Media Player Knockoff Hall of Shame
I just ventured into the bowels of the International Pavilion, a separate building beyond the North Hall that's home to tons of tiny booths of companies from Hong Kong, Taiwan and China. Basically, it's full of power supplies, shitty digital picture frames and knockoffs. So many knockoffs. Take a look through our gallery and try to spot ripoff versions of the iPod nano, touch, and classic, the Sidekick, and even the Ocean. All high quality, I'm sure.
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nintendo
10 Insane Wii Weapons
Laser beams, battle axes, shotguns and more, no weapon is too crazy for CTA Digital's Wii accessories. Check out the gallery to see them all. More » -
robots
iRobot CEO Talks Past, Present and Future of Robotics
Very few people know more about the practical robotics industry more than iRobot CEO Colin Angle. We had a nice chat with him (he did all the talking) earlier today about the state of the robotics industry, why iRobot is essentially the only company doing what they're doing in the field, what kind of robots are coming in the future and why robots are necessary for the human race to survive.
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lax-max
CES's Largest Remote Finally Makes Me Feel Like Real Man
Look at me, confident despite my probably-too-casual-for-CES hoodie attire. Why? I'm holding the latest update of the giant remote we've seen floating around the web for years. The latest LI-RC900CL version by Lax-Max includes backlit keys and an LCD that tells you the time. Oh, and a stand. Never forget the stand. If and when this model ever hits stores it will run about $30. -
knock-offs
iPhone Knock-Off on Demo; Makes Us Weep a Little
We just had a hands on with this disastrous iPhone knock-off. The UI is like a pile of steaming poo, and the case is like...well, a pile of steaming poo. In general, we thought it was excrement-like—avoid like you would carcinogenic toxins if you were not a smoker. Stop smoking. -
hdtvs
Mitsubishi Laser TV's Colors Look Even Juicier Than the Girls on the Set
Mitsubishi put together quite a spectacle to introduce its Laser TV last night at the Moon Nightclub at The Palms Hotel in Las Vegas, unveiling a 65-inch rear-projection set that uses a unique laser backlight. The result is some of the most vivid color we've ever seen on any TV, especially the primary colors of red, green and blue. The blacks were midnight-dark, too, and there was even a 3D version of the TV (goofy glasses required) that only made us slightly cross-eyed. Mits officials said to look for the TV to appear on the market "later this year" at an undisclosed price, and added that it will cost about the same as flat panel TVs of the same size. On the next page, let's explore how this laser backlight works and gawk at a slightly NSFW gallery. More » -
rumor
HD DVD Really Dead Now: Paramount Following Warner to Blu-ray-Only Party
Financial Times is reporting that Paramount has a clause in its HD DVD exclusivity contract allowing them to bail from the sinking HD DVD ship if Warner defected to Blu-ray, and they are "poised" to do so. More »
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cars
What's the Worst Place in a Car to Put an LCD? We Report, You Decide
What do geeks do at a car show? Check out the LCD screens, of course. We just got back from the car showroom at CES and found some pretty awful examples of "pimping your ride." Take a look at the most ridiculous places these gearheads put their screens, and let's make fun of them together. More » -
interview
Interview: Samsung Says There's Life After Hollywood for HD DVD
We scored a sitdown with DongSoo Jun, Executive VP and General Manager of Samsung's Digital AV Division. Translation: He's Samsung's main man on Blu-ray and HD DVD. We asked him the big question: "Is HD DVD dead ?" His answer might surprise you.
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hands-on
Hands On With Optimus Maximus Keyboard
We've had video and pictures of the Optimus Maximus keyboard, but now we've got the first hands on with the mythical layout-changing input device. Is it as good as all the hype's built it up to be? No. It's better. More » -
cellphones
OpenMoko Neo Freerunner Linux Smartphone Hands-on
The Gadget: OpenMoko's just-announced Neo Freerunner, which is the mass-market version of their previous Neo 1973 phone.
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hands on
Sony Ericsson W760 and Slick New Walkman Interface Hands On
The Sony Ericsson W760 is the first phone US that rocks the latest Walkman interface (it's out in Europe), which is by the far the best one yet. It's cleaner, clearer and just plain sexier than the previous generation. (Compare the W350, which uses the old one.) The major problem is that it really left me hurting for a trackball or touchpad or something better to scroll through artist lists with—clicking one-by-one is so 20th century. More »
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ces 2008
First Shots Under The Hood of the Chevy Volt Hydrogen
GM may have announced their Chevy Volt Hydrogen concept months ago, but attendees at CES are getting the world's first look under the hood of the eco-friendly beast. More than just a random rendering, one can see Chevy's direction with eco-cars in some very clear side-by-side trends when compared with the original Chevy Volt. More » -
ces 2008
Giz Interviews Bill Gates
Hey guys. Here's how much we love you: We just took 20 minutes out of our busy day to sit down with Bill Gates, and ask him about all kinds of things: his personal style (or lack thereof), his constantly changing public image, the difference between Microsoft and Apple, mistakes that were made, and the things that he worries about when he wakes up in the morning. Here's our (expanding) series of video clips covering all things Bill:
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150 inch tv
Video: 150-Inch Panasonic Plasma Looks Even Bigger Up Close
Panasonic finally raised the curtain on their 150-inch Plasma, and its a beauty. Panasonic did a good job of keeping the TV under wraps until now. Once the curtain dropped, the photographers flocked and the plasma was drowned in flashes. It's amazing how much more immersive the plasma is even compared to Panasonic's 103-inch TV. Movie theaters should start to worry. Check out the video and gallery of the 4096x2160 resolution display and prepare to drool like we did at first glance.






























