Andrew Liszewski, Author at Gizmodo

This Clever Laptop Power Plug Shows How Great a Tiny Innovation Can Be

The tiny, thin pair of prongs used on plugs in North America and in other parts of the world are nearly impossible to jam into a power outlet if you can’t see what you’re doing. Ten One Design’s new Stella plug improves on the design with something we’ve never seen before: a built-in flashlight that…

Other Gadgets Andrew Liszewski

British Town Blames Spiders for Ghostly Sound of Children Singing at Night

Can you think of anything creepier in the middle of the night than the distant, melancholy sounds of children singing? It’s pure nightmare fuel, but it was also the reality for a small family in eastern England who for months reportedly had to endure a haunting rendition of “It’s Raining, It’s Pouring” from children who…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski

Tinkerer Builds More Durable Version of Nintendo Labo Toys Using Lego

When I reviewed Nintendo’s Labo kits a few months ago, I was genuinely impressed that the company had managed to create playable accessories out of cardboard. However, a few months later they’re starting to show some wear and tear, and glue and tape can only go so far when it comes to repairing them. That’s…

Gadgets Andrew Liszewski

If You Hate Your Eyes, You Can Now Watch Video Recorded On a Vinyl Record

There’s a case to be made that audio on an analog medium like a vinyl record can sound better, at least in some aspects, than a digital music file. Unfortunately, the same can’t be said about video. Alas, a company called Supersense now sells the hardware you need to enjoy an analog video experience again—but…

Gadgets Andrew Liszewski

Unintentionally Creepy Halloween Costumes, Space Rovers, and All the Best Toys You Missed This Week

Ending the week without a list of new ways to blow your paycheck just feels wrong, so welcome back to Toy Aisle, io9’s weekly roundup of the coolest toys we’ve seen on the internet. This week we’ve got some Star Wars-themed costume ideas that will unintentionally terrify your neighborhood, a fun Squirrel Girl doll from…

Toys & Collectibles Andrew Liszewski

This Wireless Charging Backup Battery Is a Wonderfully Convenient Upgrade

Aside from making them smaller, boosting their capacities, or adding more ports, there’s not much room to innovate when it comes to backup batteries. But Avido’s new WiBa power bank manages to squeeze wireless charging into a portable power source that’s so convenient, it now goes everywhere my smartphone does. If you’re a heavy smartphone…

Other Gadgets Andrew Liszewski

Apple Watch Series 4: Here’s Everything It Can Do

Coming as a surprise to no one who eagerly scanned the countless leaks, today Apple revealed the fourth generation Apple Watch which sticks with the wearable’s square-faced, minimalist form factor, but improves how much info can be squeezed on that tiny display, and the watch’s health-tracking capabilities. The most enticing feature of the new Apple…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski

A New Robovac Merged a Roomba With a DustBuster To Create a Potential Dust-Killing Machine

Even after spending $950 on the new self-emptying Roomba, there will still be lots of places in your home that require another vacuum to clean them. It’s a problem common to all robot vacuums—except the new Coral One. Built into this robovac is a removable hand vac that can be used to clean anywhere in…

Gadgets Andrew Liszewski

Sphero’s Rolling Robots Gain a Tiny Display and the Ability to Roam in Packs

Originally sold as the world’s first remote control ball, Sphero’s baseball-sized rolling toy has evolved over the years to eventually become one of the most accessible ways to learn the basics of coding robots. Bolt, the company’s latest creation, adds new abilities and ways to automate the bot’s behavior, including identifying and interacting with other…

Gadgets Andrew Liszewski

Spider-Punk Does Whatever a Spider-Punk Can in the Best Toys of the Week

Welcome back to Toy Aisle, io9’s weekly roundup of the coolest toys we’ve seen on the internet. This week, Spider-Punk rocks out, Overwatch’s D.Va adds another sweet piece of merch to her highlight reel, a very cool Star Wars set, and…Barbie’s craziest ride yet? Check it out! Hot Toys Sixth-Scale Spider-Man Spider-Punk Suit Figure Hot…

Toys & Collectibles Andrew Liszewski

How VFX Artists Created One of Westworld’s Most Gruesome Deaths

It’s no easy task ranking the grisly deaths in Westworld; there’s a steady stream of characters who find themselves at the wrong end of a knife, sword, or six-shooter. But actor Masaru Shinozuka’s Shogun character surely had one of the most shocking exits during season two, requiring extensive practical and digital effects to bring his…

io9 Andrew Liszewski

iRobot Finally Makes a Roomba That Empties Itself

With the new i7+, it looks like iRobot is taking robot vacuums a step closer to truly being a hands-free way to keep your floors clean. Instead of having to constantly empty the robot’s tiny dirt bin, the i7+ has an oversized dock that transfers dust and debris into a larger reservoir with disposable bags…

Gadgets Andrew Liszewski

Someone Seems to Have Finally Made a Highlighter That Won’t Smear Your Notes

They seem like a mundane piece of stationary, just one of hundreds of tools helping you to get through college, but apparently there’s still some advanced research being done in the field of highlighters, resulting in what seems to be the first markers that won’t smear notes written in pen. If you’re in college or…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski

This Tiny Speaker Promises Better Sound When You Attach an Empty Soda Bottle

The solution to few of life’s problems can be found at the bottom of a bottle, except, maybe, the poor sound quality from tiny wireless speakers. The creators of the portable Sodapop speaker promise that by simply attaching an empty soda bottle, you can increase its loudness and bass by almost 10 decibels. They can’t…

Gadgets Andrew Liszewski

Real Utility Knives Were Accidentally Sold as Prank Finger-Slicers in Japan

As Halloween draws near, it’s time to start thinking about macabre ways to prank your friends. The ol’ “fake knife with a notch” is a classic way to make it look like you’ve almost sliced off a finger, but in Japan, one such novelty prop kit was reportedly packaged with real, razor-sharp hobby knives instead…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski

It Really Was Easy to Make My Old SNES Controller Wireless

It’s not often a company creates a product that undercuts a more expensive option it’s still selling, but that’s what 8BitDo has done with its new DIY controller upgrade kits. Instead of completely replacing a wired controller with a Bluetooth alternative, you can now easily upgrade your existing hardware with wireless functionality so you can…

Gaming Andrew Liszewski

An Amazing Japanese Take on C-3PO, and More of the Loveliest Toys of the Week

Welcome back to Toy Aisle, io9’s regular roundup of all things merch. This week, Tamashii Nation’s “movie realization” range takes on Threepoio, an incredibly detailed Keanu Reeves emerges from the Continental, and Doctor Who’s Bill Potts finally gets her own action figure. Check it out! Tamashii Nations Star Wars Movie Realization Translation Karakuri C-3PO Figure…

Toys & Collectibles Andrew Liszewski

Pottery Barn Is Going to Bankrupt Harry Potter Fans Wanting to Redecorate Like Hogwarts

Almost a year after Pottery Barn revealed a massive collection of Harry Potter-themed paraphernalia, the decor-focused chain is back with new additions to the collection that will have lustful muggles wanting to redecorate all over again. But this isn’t Ikea, and even just a handful of these lavish items is enough to make a bank…

io9 Andrew Liszewski

Sony Can Keep Its Plastic Dog, This Robotic Raptor Is My New Perfect Pet

With the first Jurassic Park, we were all content to just stare in awe at what appeared to be living, breathing dinosaurs onscreen. But four sequels later, we now want to do more than just look at dinosaurs, we want to play with them too. Science has yet to deliver the goods, so Mattel has…

Toys & Collectibles Andrew Liszewski

Garmin’s New Fitness Tracker Has a ‘Body Battery’ Feature That Tells You When You’re Too Tired to Exercise

If you compare all of the ~$100 fitness trackers currently available, you’ll find a lot of similarities when it comes to their hardware, design, and functionality. So to make its new vívosmart 4 stand out, Garmin has instead tried to innovate on the software side by using all of the data the wearable is tracking…

Tech News Andrew Liszewski

Andrew Liszewski

This Clever Laptop Power Plug Shows How Great a Tiny Innovation Can Be

British Town Blames Spiders for Ghostly Sound of Children Singing at Night

Tinkerer Builds More Durable Version of Nintendo Labo Toys Using Lego

If You Hate Your Eyes, You Can Now Watch Video Recorded On a Vinyl Record

Unintentionally Creepy Halloween Costumes, Space Rovers, and All the Best Toys You Missed This Week

This Wireless Charging Backup Battery Is a Wonderfully Convenient Upgrade

Apple Watch Series 4: Here’s Everything It Can Do

A New Robovac Merged a Roomba With a DustBuster To Create a Potential Dust-Killing Machine

Sphero’s Rolling Robots Gain a Tiny Display and the Ability to Roam in Packs

Spider-Punk Does Whatever a Spider-Punk Can in the Best Toys of the Week

How VFX Artists Created One of Westworld’s Most Gruesome Deaths

iRobot Finally Makes a Roomba That Empties Itself

Someone Seems to Have Finally Made a Highlighter That Won’t Smear Your Notes

This Tiny Speaker Promises Better Sound When You Attach an Empty Soda Bottle

Real Utility Knives Were Accidentally Sold as Prank Finger-Slicers in Japan

It Really Was Easy to Make My Old SNES Controller Wireless

An Amazing Japanese Take on C-3PO, and More of the Loveliest Toys of the Week

Pottery Barn Is Going to Bankrupt Harry Potter Fans Wanting to Redecorate Like Hogwarts

Sony Can Keep Its Plastic Dog, This Robotic Raptor Is My New Perfect Pet

Garmin’s New Fitness Tracker Has a ‘Body Battery’ Feature That Tells You When You’re Too Tired to Exercise

Artemis 2 Live Updates: Countdown to the Moon 🔴

Forget Apple’s Magic Keyboard, Logitech MX Keys for Mac Refuses to Go Back to Full Price After Amazon Spring Sale

Google’s Next Fitbit Sounds Exactly Like a Whoop Clone

Amazon eero WiFi 7 Router (3-Pack) Keeps Its Spring Sale Price, Covering Up to 120 Devices Across 6,000 Sq. Ft.

72 New Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Books Arriving in April

A Cosmic ‘Dead Zone’ for Black Holes Is Real, New Evidence Suggests

Nothing Might Get Into Smart Glasses at the Worst Possible Time

Samsung Slashes $350 Off 49″ Odyssey Curved Gaming Monitor to Clear Out Stock on Amazon

How the Artemis 2 Moon Mission Could Go Dangerously Wrong

Dyson V8 Cordless Vacuum Holds Its Lowest Price Even After Amazon’s Spring Sale Ends, Likely a Clearance Move

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

Sonos Play Review: Call It a Comeback

Sonos Era 100 SL Review: The Cheapest Way Into Wired Sonos Sound

Asus ROG’s Massive Swift OLED Gaming Monitor Epitomizes Excess in the Best Way

The Ikea Varmblixt Smart Lamp Fills a Donut Hole in My Life

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?