Brian Barrett, Author at Gizmodo

You’d Be Crazy to Buy a Palm Now

Palm is dying. They’ve been hemorrhaging money since late last year, and yesterday’s woeful earnings announcement sealed its fate. It didn’t have to be this way. But it’s been coming for a long time. https://gizmodo.com/two-phones-and-a-new-os-later-palm-is-still-hemorrhagi-5429118 Palm’s got great hardware, and WebOS is a genuinely terrific operating system. But that’s not enough anymore. While Android’s got…

Tech News Brian Barrett Mar 19

How Apple Keeps iPad Developers on Extreme Lockdown

If you’re a software developer lucky enough to get a look at the iPad before its release, you’d better be ready to submit to some of the toughest security measures this side of Super Max. We’d gotten an inkling about the extreme precautions Apple was taking from none other than Rupert Murdoch, but Business Week…

Tech News Brian Barrett Mar 19

Watch Robot Boy Meet Robot Girl in Spike Jonze’s I’m Here

I’ve been excited for Spike Jonze’s I’m Here ever since the trailer hit, and today the beautifully produced, 30-minute film is finally available for viewing online. But you’re gonna need to hurry if you want to watch it today. https://gizmodo.com/spike-jonzes-short-film-shows-us-that-robots-handle-the-5454011 I’m Here, sponsored by Absolut Vodka but free of any distracting product placement, originally debuted…

Movies Brian Barrett Mar 19

How Grenades Work

Oh, man. Not only does this infographic show how modern time-delay grenades work, it actually walks you through a bit of the history of the handheld explosive. All while setting a new standard for stick figure abuse! Basically, it’s everything I look for in an educational tool. [Online Schools via NextRound via The High Definite]

Tech News Brian Barrett Mar 19

A Blind Soldier’s Sight Restored Through His Tongue

Lance Corporal Craig Lundberg lost his sight to a rocket-propelled grenade in 2007. Now, thanks to a fascinating technology, he can read words and make out shapes using his tongue. It’s truly incredible. The remarkable sight-giving device is called the BrainPort, and while it was developed late last year, Lundberg is the first person to…

Tech News Brian Barrett Mar 18

The Entertainment Industry’s Biggest Problem: “Piracy” Is Too Sexy a Word

It’s tough being a record label or a movie studio these days. People are stealing your content, all because they want to be Jack Sparrow. No, seriously: that’s actually what the industry thinks. The head of the International Actors’ Federation really hit the nail on the head this week with this gem: “To me, piracy…

Tech News Brian Barrett Mar 18

Making Water Run Uphill, With Lasers

Researchers at the University of Rochester have discovered how to make liquid overcome gravity and flow upward along a silicon surface. The essential ingredient, as always: lasers. The scientists achieved the curious movement by using short laser blasts to carve imperceptible patterns into the silicon sheet. That alone prompts the water molecules to climb upward,…

Tech News Brian Barrett Mar 18

Watch a Supersonic Jet Hover With Breathtaking Stillness

It looks like a special effect, but it’s not. What you’re watching is an F-35B supersonic stealth jet spend 30 seconds suspended 150ft in the air, for the very first time. The first successful hover test was piloted at the Patuxent River naval base by British pilot Graham Tomlinson. This isn’t the first aircraft that…

Tech News Brian Barrett Mar 18

The Pentagon’s Artificial Intelligence Camera Will Narrate What It Sees

The mad geniuses at DARPA have their next project lined up: a camera that can guide itself and report back from the field. That kind of visual intelligence has been an exclusively human trait, until now. The plan, called “The Mind’s Eye,” is going to be outlined next at a one-day conference in DC in…

Artificial Intelligence Brian Barrett Mar 18

Windows Phone 7 Series Promo: What Lies Beneath

The first Windows Phone 7 Series ad has debuted! And my goodness, I haven’t seen this many attractive, well-adjusted people since Joey got canceled. But let’s look a little closer, shall we? Something seems… amiss. Adorable parents. Adorable kid. Peppy music. But Anna, why are you in a record store when you could be jamming…

Tech News Brian Barrett Mar 18

AFOL: A Blocumentary Is Required Viewing For Lego Fans

I’ve seen some of the brick masterpieces produced by the AFOL (Adult Fans of Lego) community, but never knew the people behind them were so flat-out charming until I watched this documentary. Also: tons of bricky goodness. https://gizmodo.com/five-foot-lego-blackberry-adds-punchline-functionality-5492655 Head’s up: it’s a half hour long. But these guys are so consistently fun and fascinating, it’s…

Movies Brian Barrett Mar 18

Abu Dhabi’s Ferrari World Roller Coasters

This article originally placed the roller coasters in Dubai, not Abu Dhabi. Apologies for the mistake. It still looks pretty darn dangerous, though. Okay, Dubai. Your largest building gets shut down for “electrical problems.” Your two million gallon shark tank sprang a leak. So what do you do to bounce back? Build the fastest roller…

Tech News Brian Barrett Mar 17

DIY Steve Jobs Cheese Head Gets Real Creepy

Hellooooo, weirdtown! Not only did someone go through the trouble of carving a giant Steve Jobs head out of mozzarella cheese, they’ve also given detailed instructions on how to make your very own. In three varieties, no less! Your options range from your standard cheese and cracker plate to iPad Thai to oh-gawd-they-just-opened-the-Ark-of-the-Covenant melting face.…

Tech News Brian Barrett Mar 17

Big Data, Big Problems: The Trouble With Storage Overload

We collect an astonishing amount of digital information. But as the Economist recently pointed out in a special reports, we’ve long since surpassed our ability to store and process it all. Big data is here, and it’s causing big problems. Walmart’s transaction databases are a whopping 2.5 petrabytes. There are more than 40 billion photos…

Social Media Brian Barrett Mar 17

HELLO STEVE JOBS

Well isn’t that nice! Silicon Alley Insider has it on good authority that Gizmodo is one of the tech sites Steve Jobs has bookmarked in Safari on his iPad. Hi, Steve! We knew he was a fan, but I’m glad to see he’s keeping up with us tablet-style, even after letting Bill Gates’ byline run…

Tech News Brian Barrett Mar 17

Apple Banning Protective Screen Film From Stores

According to iLounge, Apple is instituting a ban on all protective screen film products from its online and retail stores starting in May. It’s a move that’ll take away some of Apple’s most popular third-party products. But what for? Apparently the ban is going to cover both film-only products and cases that incorporate protective screens.…

Tech News Brian Barrett Mar 17

Charting the Google Results For Various Phrases

I always love me some xkcd, but today’s happens to be both funny and informative. Also thought provoking: who are all these people googling “I have 96 problems,” anyway? [xkcd]

Tech News Brian Barrett Mar 17

The Periodic Table of Sci-Fi

I think I would’ve done a lot better in 10th grade Chemistry if we’d studied the Periodic Table of Sci-Fi Film and Television. And I get the feeling I’m not the only one. Click to biggie-size. The chart was created by Kris Staub, who sells prints of this and other illustrations here. [TopatoCo via The…

Tech News Brian Barrett Mar 16

Android Marketplace Hits 30,000 Apps, Still Has Serious Catching Up to Do

We can finally put an official number on the apps in the Android Marketplace: 30,000. That’s more than double what was available in December, a crazy fast rate of growth. And they’re going to need to keep it up. The numbers come from straight from Google via MobileCrunch, while the Apple App Store had 150,000…

Tech News Brian Barrett Mar 16

Navigon MyRegion App Offering Up Localized Maps For $25

Navigon is one of our favorite navigation apps. Which is why we’re pretty excited at the prospect of being able to buy it piecemeal: starting today, instead of buying maps for all of North America for $80, you can buy a MyRegion map of the East, Central, or Western US for $25. https://gizmodo.com/the-best-iphone-navigation-app-telenav-vs-navigon-vs-5343981 It’s for…

Tech News Brian Barrett Mar 16

Brian Barrett

You’d Be Crazy to Buy a Palm Now

How Apple Keeps iPad Developers on Extreme Lockdown

Watch Robot Boy Meet Robot Girl in Spike Jonze’s I’m Here

How Grenades Work

A Blind Soldier’s Sight Restored Through His Tongue

The Entertainment Industry’s Biggest Problem: “Piracy” Is Too Sexy a Word

Making Water Run Uphill, With Lasers

Watch a Supersonic Jet Hover With Breathtaking Stillness

The Pentagon’s Artificial Intelligence Camera Will Narrate What It Sees

Windows Phone 7 Series Promo: What Lies Beneath

AFOL: A Blocumentary Is Required Viewing For Lego Fans

Abu Dhabi’s Ferrari World Roller Coasters

DIY Steve Jobs Cheese Head Gets Real Creepy

Big Data, Big Problems: The Trouble With Storage Overload

HELLO STEVE JOBS

Apple Banning Protective Screen Film From Stores

Charting the Google Results For Various Phrases

The Periodic Table of Sci-Fi

Android Marketplace Hits 30,000 Apps, Still Has Serious Catching Up to Do

Navigon MyRegion App Offering Up Localized Maps For $25

OpenAI Says Elon Musk Is ‘Injecting Chaos’ with Recent Legal Maneuver

Google Displayed Polymarket Bets as News ‘In Error,’ Google Says

‘Marvel Rivals’ Wants to Start Being More Than Just a Hero Shooter

‘How Do We Make Sure That Claude Behaves Itself?’: Anthropic Invited 15 Christians for a Summit

See the Next ‘Hunger Games’ in This Trip Down Memory Lane

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

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