Jason Chen, Author at Gizmodo

Laser Engraving Fixes For That Blank Shuffle Face

Deviantart user petercui comes up with this solution to the absolute blankness of the new iPod shuffle: lasering. [DeviantArt] https://gizmodo.com/new-ipod-shuffle-moves-buttons-to-headphones-adds-text-5167946

Tech News Jason Chen Mar 11

Apple Now Rejects iPhone Apps Because They “Ridicule Public Figures”

Reader spectralogue tells us that this Chuck Norris joke generator app was just rejected by Apple because it “ridicules public figures.” Wait, what? The Apple submission feedback person says that it violates Section 3.3.12 of the iPhone SDK Agreement, specifically where it says: Applications must not contain any obscene, pornographic, offensive or defamatory content or…

Tech News Jason Chen Mar 11

Oregon Trail iPhone Game Hands On

If someone told me in 1987 that Oregon Trail would be played on a three-inch touchscreen device with better graphics and improved music, I’d have slapped them in the face. It’s here. https://gizmodo.com/oregon-trail-gets-a-japantastic-facelift-coming-to-the-5150428 My memory’s not so good that I can remember what Oregon Trial was like 22 years ago, but this is pretty much…

Reviews Jason Chen Mar 11

Tweetie 1.3 iPhone App Finally Approved, You Get UI Tweaks

Among the changes of Tweetie 1.3 are a dark theme, various UI tweaks, Tweetshrink integration, full-size profile image viewing (yay), and a bunch of bugfixes. Grab it now if you like using the best Twitter app available for the iPhone. https://gizmodo.com/iphone-twitter-app-battlemodo-best-and-worst-twitter-a-5135117

Tech News Jason Chen Mar 11

Have You Ever Broken a Keyboard By Typing Too Hard?

Lam is a disgusting person, and this is his disgusting keyboard. He claims the damage was done by “typing too hard.” I claim that he’s just a dirty man. [Blam: Idiot, its not buildup, its the keys being worn down.] Have You Ever Broken a Keyboard By Typing Too Hard? ( surveys) Let’s see how…

Tech News Jason Chen Mar 10

I’ve Made it – Someone Pirated My Book

It’s 2009, which means you officially haven’t made the big leagues until someone has pirated your book/movie/album. I’ve made it. Here’s a screenshot of a site where you can download the eBook version of my book. And according to the site, it really is MY book. They scrubbed out any mention of Adam in the…

Tech News Jason Chen Mar 10

Honeywell Touchscreen Thermostat and Portable Remote Review

With two products, a touchscreen thermostat and a wireless portable thermostat remote, Honeywell has changed how I control my heating and cooling forever. In a good way. The system I have here consists of those two parts: a touchscreen, full color thermostat that takes the place of your current thermostat called the Prestige, and a…

Reviews Jason Chen Mar 10

Penn & Teller Wrap Hotel in 27,000 Sqft. Image of Themselves

Not only does this 27,000 Sqft. building wrap cover 26 floors of the Rio Hotel & Casino, it’s the largest wrap in Vegas. It’s only about 10 feet taller than Penn. Why would Penn & Teller go to the trouble of having themselves plastered all over their workplace? Because it’s their 35th working anniversary. When…

Tech News Jason Chen Mar 9

Will the MotionPlus Enhance Your Wii Enjoyment?

The Wii MotionPlus is delayed, but does anyone care? It does improve the Wiimote’s accuracy to true 1:1 status, but is THIS the biggest problem with the Wii? https://gizmodo.com/wii-motionplus-delayed-according-to-ign-5166589 What do you think? Will the MotionPlus really make a difference for you in terms of gaming on the Wii? Will the Wii MotionPlus make a…

Tech News Jason Chen Mar 9

The iPhone Really Is the JesusPhone

If constantly referring to the iPhone as the JesusPhone wasn’t enough to convince you, take a look at this piece shown at the PULSE contemporary art fair in NYC this weekend. Notice something familiar? Our lovely tipster Erin tells us it was exhibited near works by Eckhart Hahn, but she’s not sure that it was…

Tech News Jason Chen Mar 9

Best Buy Says Goodbye to Circuit City

Reader Sean sends in these photos taken outside his local Circuit City store in Amherst, as Best Buy’s Geek Squad pay their final respects to Circuit City. And by that, I mean they bought stuff. Sean tells us that the store was empty down to 3 carts, which meant Circuit City did the only thing…

Tech News Jason Chen Mar 8

South Park on Blu-ray Fixes the Internet in HD

Remember the spooky ghost internet episode of South Park? It’s coming to Blu-ray. It, along with the rest of the episodes in Season 12, can be yours in Blu-ray if you act now. Or act later. It probably won’t sell out. Whatever you do, you really need to watch that above episode to see what…

Tech News Jason Chen Mar 6

UStream’s iPhone Video Broadcasting App is Live For Jailbroken iPhones, Still Not For App Store

It’s not quite the App Store, but Ustream’s broadcasting app is here on jailbroken iPhones. It joins Qik, which already does the same thing. Ustream’s plan is still to get the app on the official App Store, which would make it much, much more accessible to the general public. The good news is that their…

Tech News Jason Chen Mar 6

Apple’s Time Capsule, Airport Extreme Update Adds Drive Sharing For Older Units

The latest 7.4.1 update for Time Capsule and Airport Extreme adds Back to My Mac drive sharing, which lets you grab files off of attached USB drives over the internet. The Back to My Mac is only for MobileMe users, and Airport Express remains unchanged, but if you’re looking forward to being able to access…

Tech News Jason Chen Mar 6

Our Favorite Kotaku Posts of the Week

What do we like this week in Kotaku? Street Fighter IV. Also Rock Band. And Guitar Hero. Mostly Street Fighter though. Oh, and Ashcraft’s son would love the image above. • What could make the Beatles Rock Band worth $250? Our guess is it comes with an old Japanese lady in every box. • An…

Tech News Jason Chen Mar 6

Dealzmodo: Google Tip Jar Offers Ways To Be Cheap

Apparently being a Google employee doesn’t insulate you from the economy, which is why some of them set up a “Tip Jar” site in order to swap ways of being cheap. There are some good (if old) tips like calling up your cable company to threaten to cancel your service, then reaping the retention bonuses…

Tech News Jason Chen Mar 6

Ikea’s Summer Solar Lights Are Pleasant Looking

It’s not the solar panels we were looking at before, but these solar lights from Ikea look pretty darn nice. Plus, they’re good for impressing men and women who don’t shave regularly. https://gizmodo.com/ikea-to-sell-flatpack-solar-panels-soon-5034203 Both the stick and dome lights work on the same principle—they’re LEDs and store solar power in replaceable/rechargeable batteries. No external wiring…

Tech News Jason Chen Mar 6

Koenigsegg’s Solar Car Is Like an Electric Batmobile

Koenigsegg, the high-end Swedish car maker, just demoed this electric solar NLV Quant in Geneva. It has 512hp and goes 0-62 in 5.2 seconds. It charges to full (not all through solar) in 20 minutes. Koenigsegg isn’t the first manufacturer to make an electric sports car, but it is one of the first who shoved…

Tech News Jason Chen Mar 6

IR Remote Power Strip Lets You Turn Anything On With a Universal Remote

Home automation is expensive and complicated, but universal remotes are easy. The IR-Remote Control Power Strip lets you use universal remotes on any electronics, blinking lamps and speakers on and off with lazy precision. No price on this since it’s straight from an OEM in China, but it’s supposedly controlled by any IR remote, provided…

Tech News Jason Chen Mar 6

Girl Gets Random Guys on Craigslist To Call Ex-Boyfriend, Talk Dirty To Him

Placing a fake Craigslist ad for random strangers to call your ex-boyfriend at work to “talk dirty to him” may be funny, but it can now also get you charged with identity theft. Kari Heath learned this the best way you can learn something: by doing. She appears in court March 19. How did the…

Tech News Jason Chen Mar 6

Jason Chen

Laser Engraving Fixes For That Blank Shuffle Face

Apple Now Rejects iPhone Apps Because They “Ridicule Public Figures”

Oregon Trail iPhone Game Hands On

Tweetie 1.3 iPhone App Finally Approved, You Get UI Tweaks

Have You Ever Broken a Keyboard By Typing Too Hard?

I’ve Made it – Someone Pirated My Book

Honeywell Touchscreen Thermostat and Portable Remote Review

Penn & Teller Wrap Hotel in 27,000 Sqft. Image of Themselves

Will the MotionPlus Enhance Your Wii Enjoyment?

The iPhone Really Is the JesusPhone

Best Buy Says Goodbye to Circuit City

South Park on Blu-ray Fixes the Internet in HD

UStream’s iPhone Video Broadcasting App is Live For Jailbroken iPhones, Still Not For App Store

Apple’s Time Capsule, Airport Extreme Update Adds Drive Sharing For Older Units

Our Favorite Kotaku Posts of the Week

Dealzmodo: Google Tip Jar Offers Ways To Be Cheap

Ikea’s Summer Solar Lights Are Pleasant Looking

Koenigsegg’s Solar Car Is Like an Electric Batmobile

IR Remote Power Strip Lets You Turn Anything On With a Universal Remote

Girl Gets Random Guys on Craigslist To Call Ex-Boyfriend, Talk Dirty To Him

Amazon Is Sticking With ‘Rings of Power’ to the End

Trump Is Reportedly Going Full Steam Ahead with the Golden Dome

‘Kamen Rider’ Is Ready to Take on the World

Twitter Just Can’t Stop Leaking Movies

The ‘Mass Effect’ Show is Getting Rewritten to Get Greenlit

See the Early Stages of How ‘Project Hail Mary’ Brought Rocky to Life

‘Cognitive Surrender’ Is a New and Useful Term for How AI Melts Brains

HP Omen Max 45L Review: 4K60 Gaming Has Never Been So Easy

Marshall Acton III Home Speaker Drops to a Record Low, the Deal Countdown Has Already Started

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

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