Andrew Tarantola, Author at Gizmodo

T-Mobile Is Giving Away Its Stock of 4G Smartphones This Saturday

If you’re thinking of surprising your sweetie this Valentine’s Day with a new phone, T-Mobile has an promotion you might be interested in. On February 11th, the carrier is offering every one of its 4G smartphones—and a few Android tablets to boot—for free. Well, not literally free. You won’t be able to walk into a…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Feb 8 '12

New Kinect Hack Could Help Relieve Phantom Limb Pain

Approximately 70 percent of amputees struggle with psychosomatically-induced chronic pain in their missing appendage, known as Phantom Limb Syndrome. This has traditionally been treated with Mirror Therapy but with only mixed success. A new system utilizing a Kinect and VR goggles could help bring patients some much needed relief. Phantom Limb sufferers often perceive their…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Feb 8 '12

Award-Winning Smoke Alarm Sounds Like a Bird and Could Save Your Life

Smoke alarms may be essential life-saving devices but aren’t exactly the most aesthetically pleasing electronics in your home. At least until now, that is. The Chick-A-Dee smoke alarm, by designer Louise van der Veld, mimics the American Black-capped Chicadee with a gentle “chick-a-dee” call upon detecting smoke and then escalates to a sustained 85dB “DEE…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Feb 7 '12

This Tiny Primate Squeaks Like a Bat

The Philippine tarsier was once considered one of the quieter primate species. Turns out that’s because we simply weren’t listening hard enough. Tarsiers are one of the smallest species of primates, growing to only about the size of a man’s fist, and live exclusively on the Phillipine islands. What makes them special isn’t their enormous,…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Feb 7 '12

Apple TV Now Has Genius Recommendations

Apple has recently integrated its Genius recommendation system, already an iTunes staple, into the Apple TV environment via a silent update. The service will be available for both episodic content as well as movies, based on your previous content purchases. It’s accessible from the new Genius menu option for the 4.2 million or so households…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Feb 7 '12

The Pureflame Is a Mobile Fireplace

Seems like every time the temperature in the Bay Area dips enough to actually warrant building a fire, the Air District will declare a Spare the Air Day, making wood-burning illegal. This wall-mounted fireplace from Pureflame could be the answer—not only does it run on soot-free ethanol, I can hang it anywhere in my house.…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Feb 7 '12

New “Man in the Browser” Attack Bypasses Banks’ Two-Factor Authentication Systems

The banking industry often employs two-step security measures—similar to Google Authenticator—as an added layer of protection against password theft and fraud. Unfortunately, those systems have just been rendered moot by a highly-advanced hack. The attack, know as the Man in the Browser method, works like this. Malicious code is first introduced onto the victim’s computer…

Privacy & Security Andrew Tarantola Feb 7 '12

Hackers Demanded $50,000 to Sit on Stolen Symantec Source Code

According to email transcripts posted to Pastebin yesterday, and confirmed by the company, a group of hackers attempted to extort $50,000 from Symantec in exchange for not releasing its stolen PCAnywhere and Norton Antivirus source code. The emails between Symantec employee Sam Thomas and the hacker(s) Yamatough, began in January. Symantec confirmed in a statement…

Privacy & Security Andrew Tarantola Feb 7 '12

How to Make Your Own Beef Briefs

The thing with edible panties is that if I’m going to have to eat something that’s been girding my partner’s loins for the last half hour, I don’t want it to taste like a warm Fruit Roll-Up. I want to chow down on something meatily delicious—like this pair of Brief Jerky. Concocted by Instructables user…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Feb 7 '12

New Samsung Remote Trades Its Buttons for A Touch Pad and Voice Control

As TV’s have packed on more and features, including multiple inputs and Internet connectivity, the complexity of the remote has grown to match. Now you’re lucky to get a remote shorter than your forearm. This new remote from Samsung, however, will replace the bevy of buttons for a touchpad and Siri-like voice control. The new…

Gadgets Andrew Tarantola Feb 6 '12

Even After Shutting Down, LimeWire Can’t Catch a Break

LimeWire has been kaput as a file-sharing service since October but that hasn’t stopped its legal woes. Now, after settling with the RIAA to the tune of $105 million, the MPAA and a host of indie music labels have filed lawsuits against the company as well. Talk about beating a dead horse. Six studios—Twentieth Century…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Feb 6 '12

The Best Big Screen 3D HDTV

No, the Super Bowl is not going to be in 3D this year. Again. But that doesn’t mean you don’t want a 3D set. Here’s the thing: The best 2D TV is a 3D TV. The burlier image processors required to render the third dimension make everything look better. So how are you going to…

Gadgets Andrew Tarantola Feb 5 '12

This Lady Just Predicted the Future—Or at Least the Weather—with Asparagus

Jemima Packington was born with the gift of foresight. Unfortunately, that future-vision is only legible by reading the positions of thrown asparagus. That’s right—she’s an asparamancer and she just foretold the births of two royal British heirs and Britain’s imminent trouncing of the rest of the world in the 2012 Olympics. Watch as she deftly…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Feb 4 '12

Corning and Samsung Team Up for Gorilla Glass-Tough OLED

Gorilla Glass, especially version 2.0, has earned its reputation for durability and strength. But reputation only goes so far and Samsung wants something more. That’s why Cornign and Samsung are joining forces to develop a newer, better, more scratch-resistant AMOLED screens. The new substrate has been dubbed Lotus Glass and, in addition to being as…

Gadgets Andrew Tarantola Feb 4 '12

The Army’s New Individual First Aid Kit Will Save Life and Limb without Getting in the Line of Fire

The Army’s IFAK—Individual First Aid Kit—used to be built into a SAW ammo pouch. This was a terrible solution as the pouch would continually get caught on other equipment—not what you want in a fire-fight. But no longer! The US military has just overhauled this life-saving accessory. Seated on the hip, the old-style IFAK was…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Feb 3 '12

The Mini Crab Bot Will Crawl Down Your Throat to Cure Your Cancer

The famous Chili Crab dish from Singapore inspires more than just drooling. A pair of researchers have developed a robot with two tiny crab-like pincers that attacks stomach cancer via your mouth. Lawrence Ho, an enterologist at Singapore’s National University Hospital, and Louis Phee, associate professor at Singapore’s Nanyang Technological Institute, co-designed the robot to…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Feb 3 '12

Scientists Have Wired a Cockroach, Matrix-Style

Cripes, why don’t we just hand the planet over to the robots already. Things were bad with the self-controlling war machines and computers capable of destroying our greatest trivia minds, but now we’ve invented biological electricity harvesters. Might as well build a fleet of Squids while we’re at it. https://gizmodo.com/the-military-is-replacing-humans-with-giant-drone-surge-5879621 Researchers at Case Western Reserve…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Feb 3 '12

This Gigantic 1600 HP Engine Used to Power an Entire Stadium Single-Handedly

It may not be the largest diesel engine we’ve ever covered but this vintage, 30-ton diesel engine is no less impressive. It used to power the whole of the Auteuil Racecourse in Paris. https://gizmodo.com/the-worlds-most-gargantuan-diesel-engine-5822447 The engine is a Type 9 V.O.S. built in 1962 by the Duvant company. Only three were ever produced, each measuring…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Feb 3 '12

Shoot Your Lights Off with the BANG! Lamp

Clapping your lights on and off is comically passe. Why make all that noise you can toggle the room’s illumination with invisible bullets? BANG! is a desk lamp controlled by a gun-shaped remote, designed by Taiwan-based Bitplay, and inspired by the creator’s dread of getting out of bed on cold winter mornings to turn on…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Feb 3 '12

What the Hell Did Researchers Pull from the Depths of New Zealand’s Seas?

No, this photo hasn’t been ‘shopped. You are looking at a specimen from a barely-known and even-more-rarely-seen group of “Supergiant” amphipods—crustaceans that grow twenty times the size of their relatives and can measure a foot or more in length. Amphipods are often referred to as the “insects of the sea” and are found throughout the…

Tech News Andrew Tarantola Feb 2 '12

Andrew Tarantola

T-Mobile Is Giving Away Its Stock of 4G Smartphones This Saturday

New Kinect Hack Could Help Relieve Phantom Limb Pain

Award-Winning Smoke Alarm Sounds Like a Bird and Could Save Your Life

This Tiny Primate Squeaks Like a Bat

Apple TV Now Has Genius Recommendations

The Pureflame Is a Mobile Fireplace

New “Man in the Browser” Attack Bypasses Banks’ Two-Factor Authentication Systems

Hackers Demanded $50,000 to Sit on Stolen Symantec Source Code

How to Make Your Own Beef Briefs

New Samsung Remote Trades Its Buttons for A Touch Pad and Voice Control

Even After Shutting Down, LimeWire Can’t Catch a Break

The Best Big Screen 3D HDTV

This Lady Just Predicted the Future—Or at Least the Weather—with Asparagus

Corning and Samsung Team Up for Gorilla Glass-Tough OLED

The Army’s New Individual First Aid Kit Will Save Life and Limb without Getting in the Line of Fire

The Mini Crab Bot Will Crawl Down Your Throat to Cure Your Cancer

Scientists Have Wired a Cockroach, Matrix-Style

This Gigantic 1600 HP Engine Used to Power an Entire Stadium Single-Handedly

Shoot Your Lights Off with the BANG! Lamp

What the Hell Did Researchers Pull from the Depths of New Zealand’s Seas?

Before ‘Witch Hat,’ Kamome Shirahama Blessed Us With a Hilarious Romp About Gals Being Pals

Meta Axes Contractors Who Had to Review Explicit Video From Smart Glasses

World’s Slowest Rocket Company Suddenly Wants to Churn Out 60 Rockets a Year

Lego’s May Releases Are Swooshing In

Buying Prescription Smart Glasses Might Not Be Such a Good Idea After All

Spirit Airlines Is Reportedly Moving Forward With Plan to Shut Down

Trump Resurrects Keystone Pipeline Killed Over Climate Concerns

The Old Republic Reigns Supreme in Hasbro’s New ‘Star Wars’ Figures

Everything You Missed From Elon Musk’s Testimony in the OpenAI Trial

New FCC Satellite Rules Could Improve Starlink Capacity to a Surprising Degree

The Best Tech Gifts for Mother’s Day 2026

Asus’ Dual-Display Gaming Laptop Will Ruin Your Single-Screen Lifestyle

Steam Controller Review: Trackpads Change Everything for PC Gaming

Soundcore Space 2 Review: A Shockingly Stellar Value for Budget ANC Wireless Headphones

Anker’s UV Printer Can Handle Almost Anything… If You Know What You’re Doing

HP’s EliteBoard Keyboard-Computer Proves We Can Stick a PC in Anything

Sleep-Tracking Earbuds Didn’t Fix Me, but They Did Open My Eyes

I’ve Tested a Lot of Bad Smart Glasses and These Are the Worst Yet

Roborock’s Qrevo Curv 2 Flow Is the Ultimate Robot Mop—If You Don’t Have Corners or Walls

Alienware’s $350 QD-OLED Gaming Monitor Nixes Everything for a Pretty Screen