Catie Keck, Author at Gizmodo

This App Is Keeping My Plants Alive, No Thanks to Me

Here’s the thing about plants: They’re gorgeous, they improve just about any space, and in most cases, they’re generally fairly easy to take care of with a little consideration to their needs. Personally, I can’t live without them, and they were some of the first things I bought after relocating to the West Coast recently…

Gadgets Catie Keck

Marshall’s New Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker Sounds as Good as It Looks

If there’s one thing Marshall does exceptionally well, it’s making beautiful devices. Speaking exclusively to aesthetics, a lot of speakers—and more specifically, Bluetooth speakers—are decidedly clunky and weird-looking. Sure, the most important thing about the function of a speaker is obviously to make your music sound great, but Marshall manages to make devices you actually…

Catie Keck

Google Will Let Employees Work From Home Through Summer 2021

As big tech grapples with the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, Google has opted to allow employees to work from home through June of next year for roles that do not need to report in-person to perform their jobs, Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced this week. “To give employees the ability to plan ahead, we are extending…

Tech News Catie Keck

Sling TV Owner Dish Is Doing the Dumb Thing

Dish, the parent company of popular streaming service Sling TV, is reportedly pressuring employees to return to their offices despite employee concerns over the current covid-19 crisis—and despite two deaths and dozens of presumed positive cases within the company. Dish, meanwhile, is framing the move as a kind of necessary evil by characterizing itself as…

Tech News Catie Keck

You Can Finally Share Screenshots of Quibi Shows With the 6 Other People Who’ll Get the Reference

Quibi’s latest stab at cultural relevance is a screenshotting function meant to let fans meme-ify its content—which, given the paltry number of people actually watching its shows, will probably see mixed results. The screenshot function was announced on Twitter this week by Tom Conrad, the company’s chief product officer. As with anything else about Quibi,…

Tech News Catie Keck

You Need to Change Your Instacart Password Right Now

Now would be a good time to change your Instacart password. The grocery-delivery service is in hot water after an investigation found that the information of hundreds of thousands of its users is being sold on the dark web—including transactions and personally identifying information. Instacart says its investigation into the incident so far has not…

Privacy & Security Catie Keck

Do-It-All Streaming Service Plex Is Launching a New TV Feature—And Yes, It’s Free

As part of its ambitious bid to be your go-to streaming service for virtually everything, Plex this week announced the addition of a new, free TV feature with more than 80 channels available at launch. Launched as Live TV, the feature actually comprises a collection of pre-programmed, continuous channels rather than the over-the-air streams of…

Tech News Catie Keck

Google Will Show Authenticated Brand Logos in Gmail to Help Curb Scams

As part of a series of security updates to G Suite announced this week, Google says it’s piloting a new standard for email authentication that will display a company or brand icon next to email that Google has verified as legit—a measure that may help curb phishing and other malicious activity from bad actors. With…

Tech News Catie Keck

Spotify Is Doing Video Podcasts Now, Too

As part of its hard-lean pivot to Podcast King, Spotify is now bringing video podcasts to its platform, complete with seamless multitasking support if you prefer to listen instead. Support for video podcasting will kick off with just a handful of Spotify’s programs, the company said Tuesday, including Book of Basketball 2.0, Fantasy Footballers, the…

Tech News Catie Keck

Amazon’s Roving Delivery Coolers on Wheels Are Headed to More Cities

Amazon’s dopey looking delivery robots—which have been roving around parts of California and Washington—are now being deployed in two more states, and they’re bringing their human babysitters along with them. As part of an ongoing field test, Amazon’s wheeled delivery workers have already been making deliveries in Irvine and Snohomish County. Now, the bots are…

Tech News Catie Keck

Thought You Could Easily Skirt Delta’s In-Flight Mask Policy? Yeah, Not Anymore

Delta Air Lines has implemented a new policy for enforcing masks on its planes that will require those who cannot wear face coverings for health reasons to fill out a new clearance screener for each flight. The company announced the new policy, effective this week, and said that it is currently discouraging those with health…

Tech News Catie Keck

Warner Bros. Will Let Film Crews Anonymously Report On-Set Coronavirus Safety Violations

As studios grapple with the impact of coronavirus on the entertainment industry at large, Warner Bros. is reportedly planning to roll out an anonymous reporting system in the United Kingdom that would allow workers on production sets to flag violations of covid-19 safety protocols. Deadline reported Monday that the initiative was presented by Kevin Trehy,…

Tech News Catie Keck

Revel Suspended More Than 1,000 NYC Riders in the Last Month for Being Reckless Idiots

If you live in a city with a shared motor scooter program, you’ve likely spotted at least one reckless driver zipping down the street without any regard for basic traffic rules or safety. Maybe the rider or riders failed to wear a helmet, or maybe they were riding on sidewalks or bike lanes. I’ve personally…

Tech News Catie Keck

Twitch Is Bringing Radio to Your Face

Twitch, home to popular esports streamers, is partnering with Radio.com parent Entercom for interactive livestreams of sports radio stations in major cities in the U.S. The partnership, first reported by Variety, will see popular Radio.com sports stations in Boston (WEEI in Boston), New York (WFAN 101.9 FM/660 AM), Dallas (105.3 The Fan), Chicago (670 The…

Tech News Catie Keck

Here’s Why Some of Peacock’s Biggest Movies Are Already Disappearing From the Streaming Service

A handful of Peacock’s titles have or are shortly set to vanish from the brand new streaming service that officially rolled out this week. Here’s why that’s happening so soon after its launch. Titles that appeared on the service for its Wednesday launch date were not there as of Thursday, including the original Fast &…

Tech News Catie Keck

Everything We Know About the Big Twitter Hack of 2020

An apparent cryptocurrency scheme that bombed Twitter Wednesday saw the accounts of high-profile brands, crypto exchanges, businesspeople, celebrities, and politicians compromised in an unprecedented hack that raises serious concerns about the security flaws of the platform and what information could have been jeopardized in the incident. Right now, details about the specifics of the hack…

Tech News Catie Keck

Apple Is Getting Into Podcasting for Real

As part of its ever-expanding slate of services, Apple is betting on original podcasting with its newly announced daily news program, Apple News Today. The daily news podcast was part of a series of new offerings Apple announced in a blog post on Wednesday and follows a report from Bloomberg last year that the company…

Tech News Catie Keck

Mozilla’s $5-a-Month VPN Could Be Worth a Shot

Mozilla, the privacy and security nonprofit and maker of the Firefox browser, is launching its very own VPN

Tech News Catie Keck

NBC’s Peacock Is the Netflix Alternative I’ve Been Waiting For

I don’t know about you, but I’ve maxed out my capacity to care about late-to-the-party streaming services. New rollouts have debuted at a breakneck clip in the last year, leaving us with a dizzying number of subscription streaming options—many of which, to be frank, aren’t worth any amount of money. But with its fresh-faced streaming…

Reviews Catie Keck

For Once, Things Are Coming Up Quibi

Shortly before its rocky launch back in April, Quibi was accused of stealing the gimmicky technology at the heart of its struggling mobile-first streaming service in a high-stakes lawsuit brought by video company Eko—a legal battle that’s stretched on as Quibi battles myriad other public and private crises. This week, a judge denied an injunction…

Tech News Catie Keck

Catie Keck

This App Is Keeping My Plants Alive, No Thanks to Me

Marshall’s New Waterproof Bluetooth Speaker Sounds as Good as It Looks

Google Will Let Employees Work From Home Through Summer 2021

Sling TV Owner Dish Is Doing the Dumb Thing

You Can Finally Share Screenshots of Quibi Shows With the 6 Other People Who’ll Get the Reference

You Need to Change Your Instacart Password Right Now

Do-It-All Streaming Service Plex Is Launching a New TV Feature—And Yes, It’s Free

Google Will Show Authenticated Brand Logos in Gmail to Help Curb Scams

Spotify Is Doing Video Podcasts Now, Too

Amazon’s Roving Delivery Coolers on Wheels Are Headed to More Cities

Thought You Could Easily Skirt Delta’s In-Flight Mask Policy? Yeah, Not Anymore

Warner Bros. Will Let Film Crews Anonymously Report On-Set Coronavirus Safety Violations

Revel Suspended More Than 1,000 NYC Riders in the Last Month for Being Reckless Idiots

Twitch Is Bringing Radio to Your Face

Here’s Why Some of Peacock’s Biggest Movies Are Already Disappearing From the Streaming Service

Everything We Know About the Big Twitter Hack of 2020

Apple Is Getting Into Podcasting for Real

Mozilla’s $5-a-Month VPN Could Be Worth a Shot

NBC’s Peacock Is the Netflix Alternative I’ve Been Waiting For

For Once, Things Are Coming Up Quibi

Ewan McGregor and Anne Hathaway’s Mystery’s Sci-Fi Film Has Its First Trailer

Scientists Just Found the Salt Limit That Pushes Your Heart to the Breaking Point

White House Social Media Just Had Its Covfefe Moment

Roborock F25 Ultra Steam Wet Dry Vacuum Is Now at Its Lowest Price, but Only During the Spring Sale Window

This $450 Semi-Dumb Phone Is Barely Even a Phone

Startup Successfully Ignites World’s First Fusion Rocket

Shokz OpenDots One Earbuds Hit Their Lowest Price Yet Across All Color Options, Including the New Ones

INIU Portable Power Bank Is Small in Size and Smaller in Price for Amazon’s Big Spring Sale (45W, 10,000mAh)

Humans Were Already Dog People 16,000 Years Ago, DNA Suggests

California Regulator Says Tesla’s ‘Robotaxis’ Are More Like a Limo in the Eyes of the Law

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?

Asus ROG’s Cetra Open Wireless Gaming Earbuds Might Be Better Than Wearing a Headset

Nintendo’s Talking Flower Is Annoying as Hell. I Love It

Level Lock Pro Review: As Good as a Secret Smart Lock Gets

Apple Studio Display XDR Review: It Looks So Good, I Wish It Were an iMac

RayNeo Air 4 Pro Review: My Eyes Love These Video Glasses, but My Nose Disagrees