Darren Orf, Author at Gizmodo

5 Things to Know About Facebook’s Event Today

Facebook spent most of its F8 developer keynote talking about the future of the company. Messenger, Oculus Rift, Zuck’s gray t-shirt, a Donald Trump reference—it was all there. But rather than forcing you to sit through an hour of “the power of global connection” overstatements, we did all the hard work for you, and compiled…

Social Media Darren Orf Apr 12

Facebook Wants to Make the Smartphone Smart Again

You probably only use three apps on your smartphone—and one of them is likely a messaging app. By some estimates, messengers are even more popular than social media. And now, Facebook is giving you even more reasons to send text messages. Today at its annual developer conference, Facebook announced its adding chatbots—short for chat robots—to…

Social Media Darren Orf Apr 12

Watch Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook F8 Keynote Right Here

Mark Zuckerburg is getting ready to tell us all about the future of Facebook, which is likely filled with chatbots, and live video, and virtual reality. All the action starts at 1pm ET. Want to watch? You’ve come to the right place. If the player above happens to be doing wonky things in your browser,…

Social Media Darren Orf Apr 12

Hong Kong Cloaked in Fog Looks Unreal From the Sky

Aerial photography is nothing new, but really good drone photos, like these shots of Hong Kong blanketed in electric fog, can still make your jaw drop. Hong Kong photographer Andy Yeung snapped these images with a DJI Phantom 3 Professional, and the results are remarkable. He’s even considering becoming a “fog chaser.” See all of…

Tech News Darren Orf Apr 12

The New Zumwalt Stealth Destroyer Is Too Stealthy

The USS Zumwalt, a Navy destroyer years in the making, is a floating piece of technological wonder. But the neatest feature is tricking nearby radar into thinking its massive 610-foot hull is actually just a 50-foot fishing boat. In fact the ship is so good at going undetected, it’s too stealthy. That’s why the United…

Tech News Darren Orf Apr 12

A Dead Simple Tool For Making a Gif of Your Desktop

Gifs are a much-loved online medium for capturing that perfect animated emotion, but they can be damn hard to make. You either need to find a favorite automated tool, or at least be semi-fluent in Photoshop. Giphy’s lowering that technical barrier by introducing Capture, a dead simple way to quickly capture anything on your Mac…

Tech News Darren Orf Apr 7

Mental Health Apps Are Mostly Bullshit

Smartphones have completely changed how we live, thanks to the endless number of apps available for them. There’s an app for everything! But beneath the glossy surface of this seemingly benign ecosystem, there’s a niche of sketchy mental health apps, which have proliferated unchecked and unregulated. It’s a big problem. A report fromNature investigates the…

Tech News Darren Orf Apr 6

Coolest Art Nerds Ever Taught a Computer to Create a Rembrandt

This painting below looks almost exactly like the work of the famous Dutch painter Rembrandt, and as far as science and mathematics is concerned, it is a Rembrandt. But instead of oils and brushes, researchers from Microsoft and other organizations used data points and 3D printing. To create this new Rembrandt, the team meticulously scrutinized…

Tech News Darren Orf Apr 5

Transforming Xiaomi Tablet Is More Than Meets the Eye

Every tablet maker is always looking to outdo the competition. Usually that means progressively thinner and more powerful hardware, but Xiaomi decided to flip the script and turn one of its tablets, the Mi Pad 2, into a full-on Transformer. Before you go on thinking that Xiaomi has somehow technologically leap-frogged the competition by a…

Tech News Darren Orf Apr 5

HP Turns the Luxe Up to Eleven With the New Spectre Laptop

HP’s new Spectre has a horrible case of laptop envy—specifically of Apple’s MacBook. Yesterday, the Wall Street Journal reported HP’s (lofty) goal to out-innovate its Cupertino competitor with its new Spectre laptop. Although this ostentatiously designed laptop is an impressive piece of engineering, it’s all wrapped in gaudy aesthetics, and that could be a problem.…

Tech News Darren Orf Apr 5

The FCC’s New Broadband Explainers Just Make It More Complicated

Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) revealed new labels to help people cut through the bullshit when they’re buying home internet or mobile data plans. The labels are meant to combat hidden fees and blatantly misleading advertising that many consumers complain about when purchasing internet. Although these type of labels are completely necessary—we all know…

Tech News Darren Orf Apr 4

Apple’s Lost Co-Founder: Steve Jobs Founded Apple With Some Apprehension

It’s been 40 years since Apple was founded, and by now, the story is a Silicon Valley legend: Two friends, Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak, built a multi-billion dollar empire right out of their parent’s garage. But what most people don’t know was that there was actually a third person critical to Apple’s origin. Apple’s…

Tech News Darren Orf Apr 1

The $700 Juicer Keeping Silicon Valley Regular

Juicero—billed as a Keurig for fresh juice—is the talk of the Valley. The company launched today after raising $12o million. It also looks like a Nest Protect that shits juice. A New York Times profile of Doug Evans, Juicero’s founder and juice-fanatic, follows the startup’s strange beginnings from a failed juice company to Silicon Valley…

Tech News Darren Orf Mar 31

If You Need These New Dash Buttons, You Should Probably See a Doctor

Amazon Dash buttons, which allow you to order items with just a push, are all about repetition. They’re great for buying stuff like detergent or toilet paper, because you’re never going to not need those things. But today, Amazon’s expanding its collection to 70+ more brands. And if you need some of these little buttons,…

Commerce Darren Orf Mar 31

The Best and Worst Stuff From Microsoft’s Build 2016 Keynote

Microsoft just wrapped its big software keynote for Build 2016, and we saw lots of new stuff. New Windows updates, new software for Xbox, and tons and tons of bots. But not everything was a winner—in fact, some of the biggest disappointments were what was completely ignored. Here’s the best and worst stuff from Microsoft’s…

Tech News Darren Orf Mar 30

How to Livestream Microsoft’s Build 2016 Keynote

Are you ready for some Microsoft news because it’s about to be served up in extra-large quantities. Microsoft will be livestreaming its 2016 Build developer conference keynote right here at 11:30am ET/8:30am PT. We’re expecting a lot of big news from the event including Windows 10 updates, Hololens, Xbox apps, and maybe even Windows mobile…

Tech News Darren Orf Mar 30

What to Expect From Microsoft’s Build 2016 Keynote Today

Microsoft is a software company. Despite its more recent push into building impressive hardware, it’s made its name with code and services—not phones and laptops. Build 2016, a couple day’s sojourn in San Francisco, showcases what Microsoft does best, giving a glimpse of things coming for Windows users in 2016 and beyond. Last year’s Build…

Tech News Darren Orf Mar 30

Why You Should Care About The FCC Spectrum Auction

Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) begins the laborious process of making our mobile internet even faster and better. The government is buying underused TV airwaves and selling it to mobile carriers for billions of dollars. These radio waves—also known as spectrum—will shape mobile US connectivity as streaming video continues to swallow up bandwidth across…

Tech News Darren Orf Mar 29

The Concept Art for Las Vegas’ ‘Mars World’ Looks Nuts

It’s long been said that space tourism will be big business. Whole spaceports have sprung up (and basically died) in belief of that economic promise. The problem is that shooting people past our bubble of atmosphere, safely and reliably, is still tricky. Not to mention you need to be rich as hell or dead to…

Tech News Darren Orf Mar 28

This Handy Chrome Extension Makes Binge-Watching Netflix Even Easier

Netflix is built for binge-watching. It’s practically all I use it for. But you know what’s lame? The service bakes in stop gaps, like the occasional “continue watching” prompts and episode countdowns. These remind me of reality, and knock me out of my House of Cards-watching flow. Luckily, a genius built a new extension that…

Tech News Darren Orf Mar 28

Darren Orf

5 Things to Know About Facebook’s Event Today

Facebook Wants to Make the Smartphone Smart Again

Watch Mark Zuckerberg’s Facebook F8 Keynote Right Here

Hong Kong Cloaked in Fog Looks Unreal From the Sky

The New Zumwalt Stealth Destroyer Is Too Stealthy

A Dead Simple Tool For Making a Gif of Your Desktop

Mental Health Apps Are Mostly Bullshit

Coolest Art Nerds Ever Taught a Computer to Create a Rembrandt

Transforming Xiaomi Tablet Is More Than Meets the Eye

HP Turns the Luxe Up to Eleven With the New Spectre Laptop

The FCC’s New Broadband Explainers Just Make It More Complicated

Apple’s Lost Co-Founder: Steve Jobs Founded Apple With Some Apprehension

The $700 Juicer Keeping Silicon Valley Regular

If You Need These New Dash Buttons, You Should Probably See a Doctor

The Best and Worst Stuff From Microsoft’s Build 2016 Keynote

How to Livestream Microsoft’s Build 2016 Keynote

What to Expect From Microsoft’s Build 2016 Keynote Today

Why You Should Care About The FCC Spectrum Auction

The Concept Art for Las Vegas’ ‘Mars World’ Looks Nuts

This Handy Chrome Extension Makes Binge-Watching Netflix Even Easier

‘Secret Wars’ Is More Than Just an ‘Avengers: Doomsday’ Sequel

The ‘Street Fighter’ Movie Knows What It Is

Trump, When Asked About White House Meeting with Anthropic’s Dario Amodei: ‘Who?’

‘The Batman, Part II’ Has Finally Found Two-Face’s Dad

TotalAV Keeps Prices Low While Covering the Basics of Online Protection

RAM Shortage Expected to Continue Into Next Year or Later

Marvel Studios’ Former Art Staff Discuss ‘Shortsighted’ Layoffs

Amazon Delivery Drones Involve a Perilous 10-Foot Drop. Users Are Posting the Apparent Results

Organ Transplants Without Lifelong Meds? New Trial Shows It’s Possible

The AI Doomers Who Are Playing With Fire

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

Sony Inzone H6 Air Review: A Perfect Case for Open-Back Gaming Headsets

Anker’s EufyMake E1 Finally Brings Printers Out of the Dark Ages

The Soundboks Mix Is Going to Make You the Most Popular Guy at the Park

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?

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