Darren Orf, Author at Gizmodo

Google Wallet Will Be the Easiest Way to Pay on Your New Android Phone

Apple has Apple Pay. If you have an iPhone 6, your mobile payments platform of choice is pretty much set in stone. But Android has no true de facto e-wallet, but Google is now making that decision much easier by working with Softcard and mobile carriers to come standard on every smartphone sold by AT&T,…

Tech News Darren Orf Feb 23 '15

How Creeps Will Use the Internet to Break into Your Home

Your refrigerator is sending spam. Your front door is running buggy firmware that tells you the deadbolt is locked (when it’s not). And the kid next door is pirating music over your wifi network, thanks to a backdoor in your thermostat app. All the internet-enabled things that make your home “smart” are also turning it…

Privacy & Security Darren Orf Feb 23 '15

Astronauts Take the Best Selfies

Barry “Butch’ Wilmore and Terry Virts went out for a six-and-half hour spacewalk yesterday in the continued effort to ready the International Space Station for upcoming commercial space taxis. But while the two astronauts were floating above the blue marble, traveling near 5 miles per second, they took the opportunity to take some selfies because…

Tech News Darren Orf Feb 22 '15

France Wants Google, Facebook, and Twitter’s Help Fighting Terrorism

When it comes to social media presence, the Islamic State (ISIS) has Western nations completely outgunned. In fact, ISIS and its supports tweet and post upwards of 90,000 times a day and has led to the U.S. and the U.K. to reconsider its propaganda social media strategy. France wants to take a slightly different approach…

Tech News Darren Orf Feb 22 '15

Ruined Fukushima Plant Leaking Radiation 70 Times Above Normal Levels

Fukushima is Japan’s radiation nightmare that just won’t go away. Ever since March 11, 2011, the damaged plant has been riddled with leaks and cleanup setbacks. Now Tepco, the operator of the damaged facility, says they’ve recorded spikes between 50-70 times above average readings in the gutters that pour water into a nearby bay. Tepco…

Tech News Darren Orf Feb 22 '15

Bartenders Talk About Your Terrible Tinder Dates

Oh, Tinder, OkCupid, Grindr, whatever your particular dating app poison. Your first date dramas play in bars the world over. Because bars are a typical venue for painfully awkward first encounters, bartenders all have a front-row seat—and they’re definitely talking about it. The bartenders in this video by The Daily Share explain that spotting a…

Tech News Darren Orf Feb 22 '15

Ro-Bow Is a Violin-Playing Robot That Actually Sounds Pretty Good

Described as a kinetic sculpture, Ro-Bow (as the name suggests) is a violin-playing robot that uses electromagnetic actuators to play digital files. Yeah, it won’t be the first chair at the London Philharmonic any time soon, but its pretty amazing to watch all the machine’s parts work in unison to produce some pretty decent tunes.…

Tech News Darren Orf Feb 22 '15

New Documents Show Leading Climate Change Denier Is Full of Shit

New documents obtained by Greenpeace via freedom of information filings show that a leading climate change denier, Wei-Hock Soon, known as Willie, allegedly accepted $1.2 million over the past 14 years from energy companies and additionally failed to report conflicts of interest in his own research. Soon is a scientist at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for…

Climate Change Darren Orf Feb 22 '15

CastAR’s Vision of Augmented Reality Is Fun for the Whole Family

CastAR’s projected augmented reality specs have come a long way. Back in May 2013, the headset was little more than a hacked together idea by ex-Valve engineers, formed under the new company Technical Illusions. Then that idea grew with a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign, and now the company has shipped its first developer headsets. To…

Tech News Darren Orf Feb 22 '15

The Troubled Future of the World’s First Commercial Spaceport

Completed in October 2011, Spaceport America is an 18,000 acre commercial spaceport—the first of its kind in the world—that was going to be a major hub for SpaceX and Virgin Galactic, as each company toils away on developing the future of private spaceflight. It’s been more than three years since opening, and New Mexico is…

Tech News Darren Orf Feb 22 '15

Galaxy S6 Rumor Roundup: Everything We Think We Know

There are smartphones, and then there are smartphones. Phones that you pay attention to. Phones that are like whoa. The iPhone is one. Maybe the new Nexus. The Galaxy S3 was one. The S4 and the S5? Not so much. But the S6 looks poised to make a splash again. The S6 is looking serious.…

Tech News Darren Orf and Eric Limer Feb 20 '15

There’s a Wearable for Your Sex Life Now

Start your day off with a slice of future: including sex tracking, Apple’s continuing VR ambitions, and music created… by your butt. Some of the news in the last 24 hours has been pretty interesting. Fitness trackers go from convenience to kinky Your typical fitness tracker can do a lot neat things, sure. It can…

Tech News Darren Orf Feb 20 '15

Our Favorite Android, iOS, and Windows Phone Apps of the Week

Happy Thursday, my app warriors. Need new some new software to power that smartphone in your pocket, or looking to just kill some time? All these apps are worth at least a few idle moments of exploration to see if they could be smartphone mainstays. They’re also all free, so download away without worry. Android…

Tech News Darren Orf Feb 19 '15

HTC One M9 Rumor Roundup: Everything We Think We Know

The HTC One has a horrible name, but it’s also a fitting one. It’s HTC’s One saving grace, the One thing that almost single-handedly gave an injection of adrenaline to its dying corpse. It’s also the One Android phone that changed how Android handsets were made—metal beats plastic. And now a new One is coming,…

Tech News Darren Orf Feb 19 '15

Hide Your Public Drinking With This Absurd Fake Baby Koozie

Today’s BitStream has the drama of a failing technology giant, the suspense of mobile payments getting serious, and an unexplainable Kickstarter of weird. Come get all the small news bits and rumors you might have missed in the last 24 hours. Weird Kickstarter turns child care into boozing affair Kickstarter is responsible for a lot…

Tech News Darren Orf Feb 19 '15

LG G Flex 2: The Curved Smartphone That Made Me a Believer

Curved. Adjective: A sure indicator that a phone is designed around a gimmick. Sample sentence: “Hey, I bought a curved phone yesterday,” said the dumb gadget enthusiast. At least, that’s how it’s been for the past couple years. LG’s new G Flex 2 redefines the word. This phone has been in my pocket for about…

Reviews Darren Orf Feb 18 '15

The Pentagon Is Upping Its Social Media Propaganda Game

War on social media? Reality shows on Mars? A Facebook for your face? All this and more in BitStream, your digest of all the best news tidbits and rumors of the last 24 hours. The Battle Against ISIS Gets a Glorified Social Media Editor The embittered battle against ISIS is making nations rethink how to…

Tech News Darren Orf Feb 18 '15

BlackBerry’s War Against Ryan Seacrest’s Typo Keyboard Is Just Great

BlackBerry and Ryan Seacrest are not buds. The first Typo keyboard—an absolutely horrible iPhone keyboard attachment you wouldn’t wish on your worst enemy—was just the focus of a lawsuit that cost Seacrest’s crew nearly $860,000. Now BlackBerry is back, and suing them again for the Typo 2. https://gizmodo.com/ryan-seacrest-owes-blackberry-like-a-zillion-dollars-1683705317 According to The Hollywood Reporter, here’s what…

Tech News Darren Orf Feb 17 '15

Sony’s SmartEyeglasses Are Here, and Even Dorkier Than Google Glass

Sony releases its AR eyewear, aggressive spyware is found on tons of hard drives, and the world’s best smartwatch gets even better. All this and more on BitStream. Sony’s Google Glass alternative has a better price—and that’s about it The death of Google Glass was well-documented. That little AR wearable went from an exciting technological…

Tech News Darren Orf Feb 17 '15

This Cute Dino Toy Is Baby’s First AI Pal/Overlord

Look at this little dinosaur toy. Is he cute? Yes. Fun? Definitely. The possible harbinger of humanity’s demise? Possibly. That’s because CogniToys aren’t not normal toys. Green Dino here is powered by IBM’s Watson supercomputer, which lets it learn and adapt to your child over time, kind of like a self-aware Furby. And then maybe,…

Tech News Darren Orf Feb 16 '15

Darren Orf

Google Wallet Will Be the Easiest Way to Pay on Your New Android Phone

How Creeps Will Use the Internet to Break into Your Home

Astronauts Take the Best Selfies

France Wants Google, Facebook, and Twitter’s Help Fighting Terrorism

Ruined Fukushima Plant Leaking Radiation 70 Times Above Normal Levels

Bartenders Talk About Your Terrible Tinder Dates

Ro-Bow Is a Violin-Playing Robot That Actually Sounds Pretty Good

New Documents Show Leading Climate Change Denier Is Full of Shit

CastAR’s Vision of Augmented Reality Is Fun for the Whole Family

The Troubled Future of the World’s First Commercial Spaceport

Galaxy S6 Rumor Roundup: Everything We Think We Know

There’s a Wearable for Your Sex Life Now

Our Favorite Android, iOS, and Windows Phone Apps of the Week

HTC One M9 Rumor Roundup: Everything We Think We Know

Hide Your Public Drinking With This Absurd Fake Baby Koozie

LG G Flex 2: The Curved Smartphone That Made Me a Believer

The Pentagon Is Upping Its Social Media Propaganda Game

BlackBerry’s War Against Ryan Seacrest’s Typo Keyboard Is Just Great

Sony’s SmartEyeglasses Are Here, and Even Dorkier Than Google Glass

This Cute Dino Toy Is Baby’s First AI Pal/Overlord

Apple M5 MacBook Air (16GB RAM, 1TB SSD) Just Got a Lot More Tempting, Now’s the Cheapest Time to Buy on Amazon

The Puppeteer Behind Rocky in ‘Project Hail Mary’ Is Oscar Eligible

Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 Classic Drops to All-Time Low at Nearly 30% Off, Way Easier Than Buying a Rolex

Mint Mobile Is Giving Away the Samsung S26, Here’s How to Get One for $0

A Newspaper Is Allegedly Slapping Humans’ Names on AI Stories Without Their Permission

Scientists Figured Out Why These Monkeys Eat Dirt. The Key Is Tourists

A Ransomware Negotiator Pleads Guilty to Being a Double Agent

CyberGhost VPN Practically Became FREE: This $1.75/mo Deal Made All VPNs Absurd

Some Unknown Group Is Reportedly Using Claude Mythos Without Permission

SpaceX Obtains Option to Buy Cursor for $60 Billion

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

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