Alex Cranz, Author at Gizmodo

Watch Me Try to Break Face ID a Bunch of Different Ways

I’ve now had the iPhone X for just 24 hours—the majority of which have been spent trying to break Face ID. For the most part, Face ID has worked as described—opening my phone when I’m sitting in the dark, or wearing a variety of glasses. It works whether my hair is up, down, or in…

Tech News Alex Cranz Oct 31

5 Things You Can Do With Animoji

The new iPhone X has some pretty incredible features, like the Face ID biometric lock that lets me open the phone with a look, and the huge display that takes up the majority of the front of the phone. It also has animoji, a new iMessage app that uses the Face ID sensor module to…

Tech News Alex Cranz Oct 31

iPhone X First Look: Let’s Talk About Face ID

The iPhone X’s Face ID camera module has received a bit more press than Apple might’ve intended. The facial recognition security tech was the whiz-bang feature that caught everybody’s eye during the Tim Cook and friends keynote—and later it was repeatedly fingered as the culprit behind the long-rumored iPhone X shortages and delays. So what’s…

Tech News Alex Cranz Oct 31

Here’s What Supergirl’s New Villain Looks Like and I Demand an Explanation

The CW has released a new photo showing of the costume Supergirl’s big villain for the season, Reign, will be wearing. The costume involves a lot of black, a lot of plastic, and some kind of leatherette. I have many questions First let’s look at the costume. The new photo, first appearing on TVLine, shows…

Television Alex Cranz Oct 30

Amazon Echo Has Come a Long Way Baby

The original Amazon Echo was an ugly black tube—a speaker meant to be set back in the corner, hidden from view. It was a cheap imitation of the computer from Star Trek. The new Amazon Echo is a much prettier device. It’s not suddenly faster or smarter, and your old Echo will do the exact…

Home Entertainment & Smart Home Alex Cranz Oct 28

AMD’s New Chips Could Finally Offer a Good Alternative to Intel in Laptops

AMD buddy, we’ve missed you. A few years ago there was a genuine choice between laptops with Intel inside and those with AMD. Then Intel continued to update and improve its processors while AMD did not. It was a big bummer if you wanted options when picking out a laptop, and it was particularly painful…

Gadgets Alex Cranz Oct 26

Google’s Pixelbook Made Me Alter My Existence

I had to change how I think because of Google’s new $1,000 Pixelbook. This gorgeous 2-in-1 is some of my favorite hardware for the price, but it’s loaded with Chrome OS, the worst operating system you could put on your computer. If you’ve grown up a power user of MacOS, Windows, or Linux, then Chrome…

Laptops Alex Cranz Oct 26

Samsung’s Sonos Playbar Clone Isn’t Worth It

I expected something wonderful. The $630 Samsung Sound+ has eleven drivers, wi-fi audio capabilities similar to the slightly more expensive Sonos Playbar, and a very attractive design. In short, I was hoping for a cheaper version of the Sonos Playbar, and in many ways that’s very much what you get, particularly if you’re using a…

Home Entertainment & Smart Home Alex Cranz Oct 25

This New Mac App Makes Navigating Your Contacts Less Nightmarish

I have not organized my contacts in the Apple Contacts app in nearly a decade. For every meticulously maintained contact (usually people I mail gifts to for the holidays) there are hundreds of other contacts polluting the field. So many it would take me a few days and a lot of wine to finally sort…

Tech News Alex Cranz Oct 18

What Happens to Facebook’s Mind Reading Project Now That Its Leader Is Gone?

Regina Dugan, a tech exec with roots in the government sector as the former director of DARPA, is leaving Facebook and her departure calls into question the status of one of the craziest things Facebook has been working on. Fittingly, Dugan announced the departure in a post on Facebook today. If you’re unfamiliar with Dugan…

Social Media Alex Cranz Oct 17

Microsoft Made Pricey New Surface Books, Including a Giant One—They Seem Nice!

Microsoft is finally dragging its ambitious Surface Book line into the present day, refining the striking design and making this a laptop you can covet for reasons besides that funky hinge. The surprise launch of the original Surface Book back in 2015 might have left critics thunderstruck, but it hasn’t transformed the computer market like…

Tech News Alex Cranz Oct 17

Rumors Say Apple’s iPhone X Launch Will Be Screwed by Delays—What’s Really Going on? [Updated]

This week, Nikkei reported that the difficulty of producing the 3D sensors that power facial recognition in the highly anticipated iPhone X is leading to manufacturing delays. This could ultimately lead to shortages when pre-orders for the device open on October 27th. If it feels like you’ve heard this story before, that’s because you have.…

Tech News Alex Cranz Oct 13

The Apple Watch Is Good Now

The Apple Watch Series 3 is crazy expensive for a smartwatch—$100 more than its closest competitors. Many of the third party apps are still slow enough to drive sane people to the brink. It also only lasts a day on a charge. I should hate this watch and everything it stands for, but after three…

Accessories & Wearables Alex Cranz Oct 10

Is Supergirl Allowed to Mope?

Supergirl returned from summer hiatus a darker and more brooding character. With her boyfriend gone—she presumes dead but we presume living in the 30th century with fun heroes like Saturn Girl—Kara Danvers is left with a void in her life and a turn at the corner of her mouth. This chick is positively grim, and…

Television Alex Cranz Oct 10

YouTube Videos About Las Vegas Massacre Blocked From Making Money, and Casey Neistat Got Pissed [Update: Some Have Ads]

Casey Neistat is miffed. On October 2 he took to YouTube (the video above) to announce a GoFundMe fundraiser for the victims of the shooting in Las Vegas. He added that any ad revenue earned from the video’s 1.3 million and counting views would go directly to the victims as well. YouTube, citing a policy…

Tech News Alex Cranz Oct 6

What the Heck Is Google’s Plan for Android Wear?

Take a moment and wander over to the online Google Store. You’ll see beautiful photos of every product announced yesterday, and if you click on the links you can buy any of the items made by Google (including last year’s Google Home) or made for Google (a whole lot of headphones and phone cases). But…

Tech News Alex Cranz Oct 5

Intel’s Latest Coffee Lake Processors Are Fast as Hell

Today Intel launches the next portion of its 8th Generation of processors. The CPUs, designed for use in desktop PCs, are fast, affordable, and they’re probably going to leave you very confused. That’s because Intel’s 8th Generation is a confusing Frankenstein-like monster. Normally the entire generation of a new family of processors is based on…

Reviews Alex Cranz Oct 5

How on Earth Can Google Expect Us to Pay $1,000 for a Chromebook?

Looking at the new Pixelbook from afar, it’s really hard to understand why anyone, let alone Google, could demand a retail price of $1,000 for this thing. It’s got Chrome OS inside—the operating system you stick in cheap laptops with cheap guts because it needs practically no processor power to run. And Google made no…

Gadgets Alex Cranz Oct 4

Google’s Pixel 2 Has a Lot to Prove and Everything to Lose

The Google Pixel 2 might not have as vibrant a blue color scheme, but this is a different phone from last year’s model, with a sharper design (that colorful camera button) and some new features that could inspire hope in Google fans who were less than stoked after last year’s outing. The Google Pixel was…

Tech News Alex Cranz Oct 4

Google Wants to Sell You a $1,000 Chromebook Called ‘Pixelbook’

At today’s big event in San Francisco, Google confirmed what we’ve all known for the last two weeks: It has a slick looking new Chromebook, and it costs $1,000. However Google crucially expanded on those early details and has revealed a Chromebook that might actually be worth its sky high price tag, unlike the last…

Tech News Alex Cranz Oct 4

Alex Cranz

Watch Me Try to Break Face ID a Bunch of Different Ways

5 Things You Can Do With Animoji

iPhone X First Look: Let’s Talk About Face ID

Here’s What Supergirl’s New Villain Looks Like and I Demand an Explanation

Amazon Echo Has Come a Long Way Baby

AMD’s New Chips Could Finally Offer a Good Alternative to Intel in Laptops

Google’s Pixelbook Made Me Alter My Existence

Samsung’s Sonos Playbar Clone Isn’t Worth It

This New Mac App Makes Navigating Your Contacts Less Nightmarish

What Happens to Facebook’s Mind Reading Project Now That Its Leader Is Gone?

Microsoft Made Pricey New Surface Books, Including a Giant One—They Seem Nice!

Rumors Say Apple’s iPhone X Launch Will Be Screwed by Delays—What’s Really Going on? [Updated]

The Apple Watch Is Good Now

Is Supergirl Allowed to Mope?

YouTube Videos About Las Vegas Massacre Blocked From Making Money, and Casey Neistat Got Pissed [Update: Some Have Ads]

What the Heck Is Google’s Plan for Android Wear?

Intel’s Latest Coffee Lake Processors Are Fast as Hell

How on Earth Can Google Expect Us to Pay $1,000 for a Chromebook?

Google’s Pixel 2 Has a Lot to Prove and Everything to Lose

Google Wants to Sell You a $1,000 Chromebook Called ‘Pixelbook’

Indie Animation Is Having a Moment on YouTube

Trump’s World Liberty Financial Makes FTX-esque Move, Borrows Against Its Own Crypto Token

Steven Soderbergh Wanted to Take ‘Bond’ Back to the ’60s

If You Make Fart Music, ChatGPT Will Be the Most Supportive Girlfriend You Could Ask For

This Loud-Ass Party Speaker Almost Got Me High AF

VHS-Inspired ‘Cyberpunk 2077’ Mod Takes Night City Back to the Future

Our Checkout Code Gives You 5 Years of ChatOn’s All-in-One AI Tools Experience for Less Than Half Price

How Should We Prepare for the Looming Quantum Encryption Apocalypse?

Picture Perfect: Artemis 2 Returns Home After a Stellar 10 Days in Space

Artemis 2 Day 10: Follow the Mission With Our Live Updates 🔴

Asus Zenbook A16 Review: Start Considering Snapdragon on PC, for Real

Aqara Thermostat Hub W200 Review: Almost Better than My Ecobee

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Ecovacs Winbot W3 Omni Review: Window Cleaning Robots Have a Long Way to Go

AirPods Max 2 vs. Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen): Which ANC Headphones Win?

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

AirPods Max 2 Review: Still Ridiculously Expensive and Ridiculously Nice

DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws