Alex Cranz, Author at Gizmodo

I Want To Know What Happens If Your House Hits 80MPH With This Wall Charger Plugged In

It might be hyperbole to say the Back to the Future Flux Capacitor Wall Charger is the only wall charger you will ever need, but we should all have goals in life, and only charging my phone with something that looks like it was ripped out of the backseat of a sweet old DeLorean seems…

io9 Alex Cranz Dec 1

Fitbit in Talks to Buy and Kill Pebble

Outside of big brands like Apple and Samsung, there are only two companies that really define wearables: Pebble and Fitbit. Fitbit is the hugely successful fitness tracker brand that’s been struggling to make a device that isn’t just long-lasting and great at tracking steps, but as functional as an Apple Watch. Pebble is the smartwatch…

Tech News Alex Cranz Dec 1

Largest Water Slide in the World to Be Dismantled After Fatal Accident

A fatal accident three months ago has left a water park in Kansas City with no choice but to dismantle its star attraction. The 17-story tall Verrückt water slide has been inactive since the accident in August. “Verrückt will be decommissioned — closed permanently and the slide removed from the tower,” a statement to the…

Tech News Alex Cranz Nov 23

Your Guide to USB-C Dongle Hell

Apple has embraced the mono-port. With the new MacBook Pro, the Cupertino company has scrapped the myriad of ports on the previous generation of Pros and fully embraced USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 (the two use the same port type). Combined, USB-C and Thunderbolt 3 are an extraordinary interface that’s super fast. You can use the…

Tech News Alex Cranz Nov 22

You Can Still Get a Great Apple Experience for Under $1,300

Just because Apple drove a nail into the MacBook Air’s coffin doesn’t mean you have to give up your dream of owning an Apple computer for $1,300 or less. While the new MacBook Pros start out at $1,500—and can hit prices as high as $4000—the MacBook and iPad Pro both start out around $1,300. So…

Reviews Alex Cranz Nov 18

Gifts for People Who Don’t Want to Leave Their House Ever Again

The holidays are upon us and while I’m sure a lot of people are planning to spend them in the warm embrace of family and friends some of us prefer the coolness of a completely empty house that we never, ever have to leave again. These are the gifts for those people: the disparate degenerates…

Tech News Alex Cranz Nov 18

My New $2,500 MacBook Pro Was DOA

Damn this new MacBook Pro. As of this very moment I’ve had the new 13-inch MacBook Pro with Touch Bar for just a few hours. It’s small, sturdy, and typing my password in was pleasant enough. That Touch Bar looks really neat too, and when I set up Touch ID to login from the Touch…

Tech News Alex Cranz Nov 17

New Quick Charge Tech Promises 5 Hours of Phone Battery in 5 Minutes

Leaving the house only to realize you’ve got next to zero charge on your phone is an awful feeling. Which is why phone companies have been jamming bigger and better batteries into their phones. They’ve also been using quick charging technology, which can shove hours of battery life into a phone in a matter of…

Tech News Alex Cranz Nov 17

Your Unsecure Devices Contributed to a Huge Rise in Internet Outages This Year

If it seems like your favorite sites have been down more than usual this year, you’re not alone. Late last month, major DDoS attacks left much of the United States unable to connect to any websites. Those attacks were just the latest in a marked increase in attacks across the internet. A new report from…

Privacy & Security Alex Cranz Nov 15

The Stupidly Expensive June Oven Is Actually Stupidly Amazing

The June Oven is a super smart countertop convection oven. There’s a camera built in that watches the food cook and can correctly identify what food you put in, helpfully supplying cooking modes; Wi-Fi so you can connect to the app to watch your food cook, adjust temperature, or even take set a reminder to…

Reviews Alex Cranz Nov 15

MacBook Pro’s Great Guts Save It From Microsoft’s Surface Book

Late last month, Microsoft fired a shot across Apple’s bow. With the Surface Studio and Dial and an updated Surface Book, Microsoft mace clear its plans to woo Apple’s old core audience of creative professionals—a group Apple has seemingly forgotten in favor of a more mainstream target. Apple fired back with the Touch Bar on…

Reviews Alex Cranz Nov 14

This New Shoe Sole Has Amazing Grip on Ice

I tried to climb up onto a ramp of ice in my normal winter boots. They’d served me well last winter and seemed like a good pair to test against the new material Italian shoe company Vibram was selling. I braced myself on the handlebars, and leaned all my weight onto my shoe, that sensation…

Tech News Alex Cranz Nov 11

Google’s VR Headset Is So Comfortable I Never Want to Take It Off

It isn’t the games that really wow me when I slip on the Daydream View VR headset. It isn’t the worlds that the Google Maps app allow me to visit. It isn’t even the immediate sensation of wonder that VR still instills me. It’s how comfortable the headset is. “It looks like wearing a sweatshirt…

Reviews Alex Cranz Nov 10

The Best Episode of Black Mirror Has Hope at Its Core

Black Mirror is about the twist. That’s not how the show started, but it’s now its hallmark. So anytime you watch an episode of the technology-obsessed anthology series, the anticipation that something will almost certainly go wrong at any minute is excruciating. And it’s even worse when the episode is “San Junipero,” and focused on…

io9 Alex Cranz Nov 9

The Chromecast Ultra Is a Cheap, Essential Upgrade for Your Fancy 4K TV

The smart TV is here, and it is damn stupid. Smart TV features are just a mess, and rarely get upgraded beyond what ships with your set. A few years ago, Google went a long-way towards solving this problem with its super-cheap Chromecast dongle, which allows you to stream from any device to your TV…

Reviews Alex Cranz Nov 9

Supergirl Just Did One of the Best Coming Out Stories in Recent Memory

There’s this time between realizing you’re gay and saying you’re gay that we don’t see a lot in media. Usually a character goes straight from “holy shit” to making out with someone in the course of an episode—sometimes in the course of a single scene. And so when they actually announce they’re gay, it can…

Television Alex Cranz Nov 8

The Next Big Thing in Filmmaking Has Come to YouTube

YouTube, the second most popular website on the internet, has the ability to effect change and the adoption of new technologies in visual mediums like no other website. In the past it’s used that ability to good use. It was an early adopter of 4K content and continues to possess the largest repository of said…

Tech News Alex Cranz Nov 7

My One Outstanding Question After Last Night’s Westworld

Westworld is good TV. It makes you shout “what the fuck” with persistent regularity—usually because of dudes bashing their own skulls in, and robot slaves, and kids with robot faces. But let’s talk about the most shocking moment of last night’s episode. Because a conversation needs to be had. This. What the hell is this?…

Tech News Alex Cranz Nov 7

PS4 Pro Is the Most Powerful Console Ever Built, But You Might Not Notice

There’s a moment playing Infamous First Light, as the heroine made of light climbs up a wall in pitch black darkness, that I fully appreciate the hype around the PS4 Pro. The woman is a multicolored bundle of light particles, and thanks to HDR, I can make out each particle and note the way they…

Reviews Alex Cranz Nov 7

Ten of the Best Google Home Easter Eggs

Google Home might be the smartest home assistant currently available, but when it comes to being personable that agender Assistant (with a distinctly feminine presenting voice) leaves a lot to be desired. Assistant is down right chilly in responding to most requests. Yet if you ask the right question Google Home can border on charming.…

Tech News Alex Cranz Nov 4

Alex Cranz

I Want To Know What Happens If Your House Hits 80MPH With This Wall Charger Plugged In

Fitbit in Talks to Buy and Kill Pebble

Largest Water Slide in the World to Be Dismantled After Fatal Accident

Your Guide to USB-C Dongle Hell

You Can Still Get a Great Apple Experience for Under $1,300

Gifts for People Who Don’t Want to Leave Their House Ever Again

My New $2,500 MacBook Pro Was DOA

New Quick Charge Tech Promises 5 Hours of Phone Battery in 5 Minutes

Your Unsecure Devices Contributed to a Huge Rise in Internet Outages This Year

The Stupidly Expensive June Oven Is Actually Stupidly Amazing

MacBook Pro’s Great Guts Save It From Microsoft’s Surface Book

This New Shoe Sole Has Amazing Grip on Ice

Google’s VR Headset Is So Comfortable I Never Want to Take It Off

The Best Episode of Black Mirror Has Hope at Its Core

The Chromecast Ultra Is a Cheap, Essential Upgrade for Your Fancy 4K TV

Supergirl Just Did One of the Best Coming Out Stories in Recent Memory

The Next Big Thing in Filmmaking Has Come to YouTube

My One Outstanding Question After Last Night’s Westworld

PS4 Pro Is the Most Powerful Console Ever Built, But You Might Not Notice

Ten of the Best Google Home Easter Eggs

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

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

It Sure Looks Like This Is the End for the Current Era of ‘Star Trek’

Before ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Blew Up, Disney Scrapped a Pixar Movie With a Similar Vibe

‘Doomsday’ Asteroids Could Have Kickstarted Life on Our Planet

LEVOIT Air Purifier Now at All-Time Low in a Limited Allergy Season Deal, Filtering Out 99.97% of Dust, Pollen, and Dander for Less

What on Earth Is Happening With ‘Doctor Who’?

France to Ditch Microsoft Windows as Europe’s War on American Tech Rages On

I Can’t Decide Which ‘Resident Evil Requiem’ Perspective I Liked More

I Rewatched the Live-Action ‘Speed Racer’ to Feel Something Again

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