Editor's Note: When Apple screws up, we like to call them on it, like with the SDK and missing iPhone features. But I think it's pretty clear that the same question above could have been asked with more poise if the Journalist wanted it answered. To me, it seems like the preceding questions were lopped off, and as he pressed it over and over, the reaction you see above happened. The way it's phrased is to incite shock and the kind of panic you see above. All companies protect themselves from hard questions. Journalists are supposed to ask them. And even if apple gets softballed all the time, sometimes even by Giz at times when we're not doing our job 100%, it seems like maybe the journalist here was doing this for shock gathering, not fact gathering. That's the other side of the argument. I would have asked, "Does the iPhone work with Windows Mobile? Napster? No? So only one application? And no other music stores? Alright then!" Question answered.

The fundamentally flawed logic at its heart is that the effort to make gadgets smaller, easier to use and more people-friendly is one, a move to appeal to more women (rather than, you know, everyone) and two, that women need gadgets to be that way. As our six female readers can attest to, that's total BS.

The article goes through a laundry list of recent gadget redesigns that make them more intuitive, and then pairs them with a "female-focused" logic. For instance: "wider spacing of the keys on a new Sony ultraportable computer notebook that goes on sale next week. It accommodates the longer fingernails that women tend to have." Not because, you know, it'd be easier for dudes with fat fingers as well, or simply that cramped keyboards suck for everyone.

Lighter, tighter DSLR cameras, like the Nikon D40X? 'Cause girls need to cram them into their purses, naturally. Us mens like big, bulky cams. Entry level features? Not for entry level users, no, they're "designed with women in mind because they tend to be a family's primary keeper of memories."

Yes, that's right, making technology easier to use amounts to "feminizing" it, moving it away from "products historically shaped by masculine tastes, habits and requirements." Hell, Energizer released a $20 "Easy Charger" battery charger aimed at women because apparently the $33 Dock & Go model (male-targeted) is too complicated.

Gadget makers should acknowledge that more women—and people generally speaking—are buying and using gadgets (and reading Giz) but that doesn't mean they have to dumb down devices. Everyone wants gear that's easy to use—sex has nothing to do with it. To say that women need stripped-down tech is to be just as sexist as pretending that women don't buy electronics or play games in the first place.

We now return you to your regularly scheduled boob and dick-joke posts. – Matt Buchanan

To Appeal to Women, Too, Gadgets Go Beyond 'Cute' and 'Pink' [NYT]

Here are the Gizmodo Super Bowl Spot Awards, where we picked our favorites, giving each one its own special designation. You'll be able to click and play each one of our embedded selections, and don't forget to check out our pick for best commercial of the night:

Funniest Animals: Blockbuster: Mouse

For some reason, the animals aren't doing it for us that much anymore, but the play on words with a mouse clicking and dragging had us mildly chuckling.

Dumbass Award: FedEx - Office on the Moon

Guys, there is 1/6-G on the moon, not complete weightlessness. Yeah, the commercial was mildly funny but, comedy has to be based at least somewhat on reality, doesn't it? Dopes. FedEx made up for this goofiness later.

Best Shot of the Night: CBS cameraman gets drenched

Not a commercial, but the purple heart has to go to this intrepid CBS cameraman with his drenched Steadicam.

Not That There's Anything Wrong with That Award: Snickers: Kiss

Two tough-guy greasemonkeys have a Brokeback moment where they just can't resist chowing down on a Snickers bar. We could feel their pain when they ripped off those chest hairs. Ouch.

Gamers Favorite Award: Coke: Grand Theft Auto

Damned if this didn't look exactly like Grand Theft Auto. It was looking super-sharp in HD, too. Nice work, Coke.

Robot Overlord Award: GM Robot

We, for one, would not welcome a robot overlord as suicidal as this one. Even though we've already seen this spot, it mildly entertained us just the same.

Best Dick Joke: Sprint: Connectile Dysfunction

Sprint does have nice fast EV-DO connectivity, so we'll forgive them for this slight humor, equating boners with connecting up in the airport.

Living Life to the Fullest Award: Coke: "What else haven't I done?"

Poor guy. Never tasted a Coke before? What else hasn't he done ? Rock 'n roll, dude. Run with the bulls. Maybe this old codger should have stripped naked and run out on the field during halftime.

Best Animation Voices: Taco Bell: Lions

These two lions just seemed real to us, looking over the campers and trying to talk like Ricardo Montalban. Roll those Rs? No, still no.

Subtle Humor Award: Emerald Mixed Nuts: Robert Goulet

Many of us don't even know who Robert Goulet is; one kid back in the back said he looked like Hitler. But afternoons around three o'clock, sometimes we also have had our suspicions that Robert Goulet comes in and messes with our stuff. Maybe we should get some of these mixed nuts.

Funniest: FedEx Ground: Don't Judge

We're thinking that Harry, Bob, Joy, and Harry, and especially Mr. Turkey Neck, are aptly named.

Weirdest Award: Budweiser: Beer-Stealing Crabs

These crabs, looking like they've already been boiled and ready-to-eat, bow and worship a cooler full of Budweiser. Odd.

Best Editing: Izod: Phillips-Van Heusen

Techies at Autodesk gave us a sneak peek, showing us how this spot was edited using a high-end Autodesk Flame (formerly Discreet Flame) video and digital film compositing system. There is extraordinary subtlety in the spot, great use of music, speed effects, excellent color correction. It's a masterpiece of sleight-of-hand editing, much of which you can't even tell was done at all. It's magic.

Best Cinematography: Etrade: One Finger

This is about as good as shooting for high-end commercials gets, where every take in the spot was well-planned and perfectly executed. Plus, we especially like the way the cinematography was done with a wry sense of humor. It was effective as an advertisement, too. Who wouldn't like the idea of telling some expensive broker who uses a dartboard to pick your stocks where to go? All it takes is one finger.

Best Spot Overall: Coke: Happiness Factory

This spot is nothing new, but even so, it was the best spot on the entire Super Bowl slate. If we were going to spend $2.5 million to buy ad space on the Super Bowl, it would be to air a spot like this. We follow a coin into a Coke machine, and then a wild fantasy takes place, where we see the Coke being manufactured with love and kisses, gussied up into its bottle and then paraded out the other side. It's a gorgeous ad that wins our award as best Super Bowl spot overall this year. – Charlie White

LG Contest [LG Canada]

The voice-over announcer says in Spanish at the end, "Some are good only on Christmas, others are good all year long." Of course that doesn't apply to DirecTV, the company that never saw an HD program it didn't overcompress, but it's a great example of turning the tables by the creators of this spot working for the Chilean division of the satellite TV company, masterfully using music to tug at the heartstrings. – Charlie White

Bizarre DirecTV Xmas Commercial [The Uber-Review]

Take a look at that spot on the Apple site here (I would suggest viewing the "HD" version), and you'll probably agree that it's a tremendous achievement in effects, art, and general atmosphere. More media criticism, after the jump.

One of our buddies at the agency that created the spot, TBWA/Chiat/Day in Los Angeles, told us most of the kudos should go to Art Director Scott Trattner and Copy Writer Alicia Dotter, but we're thinking one of the more astonishing aspects of the spot is the work done by Flame artist Ryan Yoshimoto. He put together a group of visual effects that's so subtle and perfect that it's hard to tell there's even an effect involved. It's like a magic trick.

What kind of gadget was used to create these effects? If you're not familiar with Autodesk Flame, it's the highest of high-end software which formerly ran exclusively on UNIX platforms but is now commonly running on high-end PCs. Flame is visual effects compositing software that works like an extremely powerful Photoshop program for moving images. It can isolate precise colors, perfectly track moving objects in 3D space and imitate the position of a moving camera with uncanny accuracy.

However, ultimately Flame is only as good as whoever's driving it, and it's obviously in good hands with Flame artist Yoshimoto, who's turned art and science into magic with this 30-second piece of prestidigitation.

We're also digging colorist Stefan Sonnenfeld's color correction in this spot, using a subtle palette that departs from Apple's bright two-color iPod dancer motif, adopting a semi-washed-out, almost sepiatone look that gives a sharp and coherent look to the overall theme. Plus, it's all flawlessly synchronized with The Prototypes' "Who's Gonna Sing" soundtrack. Kudos are also richly deserved by the spot's directors, Mark Romanek and Brand New School.

Then there's the overall appeal of the iPod shuffle itself, which we've held in our hands and whose tiny form factor and honest practicality we've simply adored. Start with a great product, add this commercial spot that amounts to a perfect example of Apple's secret sauce that stirs up some serious mystique, and you have another winner from the Cupertino fruit company. Beautifully done. – Charlie White

(Editor's note: Charlie has worked in broadcasting for 31 years and has produced hundreds of high-end spots himself).

Here's an example of technology revealing perhaps more than the players would like. Gizmodo readers are keenly aware of the advantages of HDTV, so what do you think? Many of you saw the HDTV coverage showing that brown-yellow stain on Rogers' pitching hand during the first inning of Sunday's game. Was it just a bit of dirt, or was it a bit of against-the-rules pine tar that added that extra snap to his pitches? – Charlie White

What's the dirt on Kenny Rogers? [USA Today]

Nice piece of production work, even though we're not ones to idolize those who play records for a living, no matter how intricate their manipulations. – Charlie White

The Coolest Commercial You Will Watch Today [the Uber-Review]