Apparently, there are a ton of phrases loaded up into this thing and all of them are intended to annoy men with a whiny female voice. As for the screen, it features a holographic image that highlights roads like "Whiny Lane, Backseat Drive and Earache Avenue." Why anyone would purchase this thing is beyond me, but I do know this much—if you happen to be transporting a backseat driver who is laughing and pushing the buttons on a Sat-Nag, it is time to leave that asshole on the side of the street to see if it can lead him/her back to civilization. Available for around $14. [iwoot via RGS]

It's pretty awesome that a whopping 700 people showed up in the rain to pull this off, especially seeing how many of their cameras must have gotten fried. Definitely go to the IE site to check out more video, boatloads of high-res, desktop worthy photos and firsthand accounts. [ImprovEverywhere]

[Thanks Brad!]

The producers tried to explain to me that Hugh doesn't work for AT&T and shouldn't have to speak for them. I told them I understood that, but that the show is entirely underwritten and distributed by AT&T, so it seemed like a reasonable place to discuss AT&T's plans.

That segment would have been buried, but Joel brought along Richard Blakeley (Yes, That Richard Blakeley) to film the segment, so you could see it here. I won't go so far to say AT&T is evil, but I will say that they have a lot of power and a lot of responsibility to do what is right for everyone who pays for their service. Never hurts to remind them of that. On a show they pay for. Especially since our requests for interviews have been shuttered until AT&T can figure out what their policy is going to be. [BoingBoing Gadgets]

P.S. That Digg badge links to the original BoingBoing Gadgets piece, so click on it, will you?

Consumer electronics tech journalism is very tricky. Those who strictly cover commercial CE depend on a powerful handful of companies for the very lifeblood of their content. That's a dangerous position. A "favor" by a company can turn into the laziest kind of "scoop" imaginable, a scrap from the dinner table for the dogs of journalism. And every gadget journalist has wrestled with his conscience as he gains more access and becomes inseparable from the industry and depends on more and more of these scoops.

But bloggers and trade journalists, so desperate for a seat at the table with big mainstream publications have it completely backwards: You don't get more access by selling out for press credentials first chance you get, kowtowing to corporations and tradeshows and playing nice; you earn your respect by fact finding, reporting, having untouchable integrity, provocative coverage and gaining readers through your reputation for those things. Our prank pays homage to the notion of independence and independent reporting. And no matter how much access the companies give us, we won't ever stop being irreverent. That's what this prank was about and what the press should understand.

Critics talk about the prank costing dollars and jobs. Motorola said "no harm, no foul" and enjoyed the joke. (Although they will be checking every body cavity I have for IR blasters next press conference.) Were there AV techs who got in trouble? They need only show their bosses the video to be blame-free.

Many of our harshest critics have done far worse than clicking off a few TVs. I'm talking about ethical lapses such as accepting paid junkets to Japan by Nikon, or free trips to Korea by Samsung. Turning a blind eye to Apple's mistakes when they didn't make an iPhone SDK and sought to lock down the handset. Stock prices torn downward by publishing incorrect leaked info. Writing about companies that also pay you for advertorial podcast work. All of these examples are offenses from the last year. And I consider those offenses far worse than our prank, because it ultimately it puts the perpetrators on the wrong team. As one reporter put it while chiding me, "Journalists are guests in the houses of these companies." Not first and foremost! We are the auditors of companies and their gadgets on behalf of the readers. In this job, integrity and independence is far more important than civil or corporate obedience. Every tech journalist has to decide whether or not he's writing for companies or for readers. When they start writing for the companies, covering all their press releases and regurgitating marketing jargon, you do no one any favors (not even the companies, which already hire press release machines).

Gizmodo was given access to film and interview Bill Gates again this year. Some pubs might have softened up on questioning him, but we didn't: We got the guy to open up and talk about Windows and its shortcomings like he never has before, not even on 60 minutes. If that's not journalism, I don't know what is. If we had been in the pocket of this industry, we never would have asked such a risky question—and probably wouldn't have been granted the interview to begin with.

In closing, I will fill you in on our little secret: TVs turn back on when you press the power button a second time. So, I can assure you, everything is going to be OK once the companies find their clickers between the couch cushions of our prank and your obedience. Will our critics find it as easy to turn their integrity back on? I doubt it.

Product Page [Via nerdapproved]

- Switch Keyboards to Dvorak
- Hide a Mouse's Trackball
- Use Mac Remote to F&*# With People, Making Them Weep Into Their Lattes

I mean, there may or Most Definitely Will Not Be iPhone news today. And we mean absolutely none. But to our defense, I didn't expect anyone would take it seriously...again. – Mark Wilson

April Fools' Pranks For Nerds [wired]

Then Gawker's own video producer, Richard Blakeley, got his hands on the ringer. And he had A Plan. At Gawker headquarters in NY, he would blast the ringer and torture the writers into unconscious pain. Meanwhile, for the sake of Gizmodians everywhere, he would tape the experience.

The results after the jump.

This from Blakeley himself:

ok, so i waited until all the music was off and there were only about 9 people in the office, i threw up the sound on my computer full blast, it was REALLY loud. for 5 minutes NOBODY said/did anything, meanwhile my ears were KILLING me... then it hit me, i am the only person under 30 in this office...i couldn't take it anymore. so i turned it off.

If it didn't take such a supreme effort, this could be a good prank to pull on that guy who thinks his "V-Dub" is so frickin' cool. – Charlie White

Chocolate Covered Car [Spluch]

Cingular Salesman Attach Each Other With Boxes [Consumerist]

If only this were full-sized, it would make for the best pranks.
"John, toss me the extinguisher!"
"Don't be a hero."
"I wasn't put on this earth to sit in a cubicle all day...tell my kids I love them."
"Don't!"
"I need to - get the hell out of here while you still can."
"Ok, here's the extinguisher...good luck in there."
(beat)
"Ahhh! WTF! This thing is shooting out fire!! FIRE!!! HELP!!!!"
"They say you fight fire with fire!"
"I just burned a puppy alive you maniac!" – Mark Wilson

[Aving]

Product Page
Pocket Excust Machine [Textually.org]