Jason Chen, Author at Gizmodo

Man Stuff – The Best of Uncrate

This week at Uncrate: We enjoy the wintery outdoors on Mad River Rocket Sleds, take care of some household handiwork with the Craftsman Nextec Hammerhead Auto Hammer, and spread the seasonal cheer with the 2008 MoMA Holiday Card Collection. We also keep our yards in check with the Cub Cadet Chipper Shredder Vacuum, keep our…

Tech News Jason Chen Dec 4

Scosche reviveLITE is an iPhone Charger and a Night Light

This revieLITE iPhone and iPod charger night light is one of the most amazing things I’ve seen today; and I’ve seen tens of things today. Why do I love it so much? Because it’s an iPhone charger AND a night light. Is a further explanation necessary? The reviveLITE cradles your iPhone on its left while…

Tech News Jason Chen Dec 3

Pilot the Batmobile With Your iPhone For $0.99

Glu Mobile and the iPhone/iPod Touch now give you the chance to pilot your own Batmobile for the low price of $0.99. The game takes you through the Batcave, the streets of Chicago (Gotham City) and rooftops, as you make tire screeching noises with your mouth and recreate famous lines like “he’s flying on rooftops!”…

Tech News Jason Chen Dec 3

How to View the US Gizmodo From Anywhere

If you’re traveling overseas to Japan, the UK, Brazil or Australia and try to access Gizmodo, you’ll get the local version to that country. Here’s how to get the regular US site. The first method is to manually visit us.gizmodo.com, which will show you the US site no matter where you are. The second is…

Tech News Jason Chen Dec 3

Dr. Dre and Monster Put $150 In Your Ear With Beats Tour Headphones

Dr. Dre and Monster just dropped the in-ear version of their Beats headphones, which cost $150 and are tangle free. Now they’re waiting for you to pick it up. https://gizmodo.com/lightning-review-dr-dre-and-monster-headphones-vs-a-5033864 The most notable feature in its checklist of features is the tangle free cable design, which looks to us like a sort of flat-cable. Other…

Tech News Jason Chen Dec 3

Unlock BlackBerry 8000-9000 Series Phones For Free

IntoMobile just found an app that can unlock any BlackBerry 8000 or 9000 series device, free of charge. What’s the catch? It’s only semi-legal. So, you’d better download these files fast before they’re taken down (they’ll most likely pop up again elsewhere though, with a day or two’s delay). The instructions are here, complete with…

Tech News Jason Chen Dec 3

Big Screen Virus Alert Is Worse Than a Big Screen BSoD

Reader David sends in this outdoor virus alert on the busiest street in Montreal, Canada. Could this be the start of a new FAIL trend? BSoDs, yeah, those are harder to catch unless you make sure your signage app is bug-free and memory-leak free. Virus alerts, on the other hand, are another story. Seriously, virus…

Tech News Jason Chen Dec 3

Crazy Synchronized Christmas Lights Season Starts Now

We’ve featured crazy ass Christmas lights on here before, and seeing as it’s officially past Thanksgiving, it’s time to show them off again. This Xmas light display, which is in its second year running by a couple named Willy and Deb, has a rotating array of music that’s synced to their flashing lights; a technique…

Tech News Jason Chen Dec 2

Catching Up: Arcade Mania!

Hey Brian, remember the book Kotaku’s Brian Ashcraft wrote? The one on Japanese game centers (arcades) and the different types of games, players and cultural influences surrounding them? It’s available now! https://gizmodo.com/japanese-arcade-mania-book-by-kotakus-b-ashcraft-5032501 I’m more than halfway through the book already and it’s pretty fantastic, giving a non-textbook history of stuff like the sticker pictures (Purikura),…

Tech News Jason Chen Dec 2

Funde Razor SF Event on December 10

This year Gizmodo (along with Kotaku and Boing Boing Gadgets) is going to be hosting a Funde Razor event in San Francisco. What’s Funde Razor? It’s a chance of you to help raise money for the Penny Arcade Child’s Play Charity by going to an event, playing Rock Band and drinking alcohol. Sound good? You’ll…

Tech News Jason Chen Dec 2

Callpod Fueltank Two-in-One Portable Charger Lightning Review

The Gadget: Callpod’s Fueltank, a 2-in-1 portable battery/charger that can power up any two mobile devices simultaneously, from phones to Bluetooth to portable media players. It uses the same tips as the six-way Chargepod charger, so anything compatible with that is compatible with this. https://gizmodo.com/callpods-fueltank-is-two-gadgets-one-charger-5083726 The Price: $70 online, but should be available at Best…

Reviews Jason Chen Dec 2

Super Dexterous Japanese Motoman Robot Chef Makes Okonomiyaki

Okonomiyaki’s a Japanese omlette/pancake dish that’s made of a mish-mash of anything you like. I love them. Kotaku’s Ashcraft loves them. This Japanese robot can make them. This makes it the best robot ever. http://kotaku.com/357545/mrs-bashcraft-explains-okonomiyaki It’s called the Motoman SDA10, and it’s an industrial robot made for working alongside humans, not replacing them. They’re supposed…

Tech News Jason Chen Dec 1

Lightning Review: TouchCharge Wireless Charger For PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii Controllers

The Gadget: TouchCharge, a wireless charging kit for Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii controllers that charge not by docking, but by just being placed on the charging surface. It’s a small difference, since there are other controller chargers who charge by docking into the contacts, but an interesting one. https://gizmodo.com/psyclone-touchcharge-kit-energizes-xbox-360-controllers-5072809 The Price: $70 for Xbox…

Reviews Jason Chen Nov 27

Art Lebedev Verbarius Word Clock Lightning Review

The Gadget: The Verbarius electronic clock by Art Lebedev, a design firm that’s also given us fancy gadgets like the OLED Optimus Maximus keyboard, icon fridge magnets, folder flash drives and the upcoming Optimus Aux keypad. The Verbarius displays time not by numbers, but solely by phrases like “Twenty-nine past eleven a.m.” or “Half past…

Reviews Jason Chen Nov 26

T-Mobile G1 Gets Dual Phone and Battery Charger

This no-name charger from neTimes is a welcome add-on to the T-Mobile G1. It charges both the phone and a spare battery simultaneously, and with the G1’s offensive battery life, it’s almost a necessity to carry around an extra power source with you at all times. It’s $17, which is just about the price we’d…

Tech News Jason Chen Nov 25

Illustrative Slings Show How That Arm Got Boned

Found via Digg, these illustrative arm slings show onlookers exactly how you broke that arm, so you can save precious seconds from not having to repeat that boring story. Of course, your coworkers seeing this will then ask about where you got the sling design, how exactly you fell down the stairs when you live…

Tech News Jason Chen Nov 25

Grandma Got a New Mac

As seen on Married to the Sea. [Thanks Marco!]

Tech News Jason Chen Nov 25

Lightning Review: Awethumb Smartphone Typing Helper is Horribly Pointless

The Gadget: Awethumb, a thumb attachment that’s meant to reduce hand discomfort and increase typing speed when texting on smartphones. The Price: Who the hell cares! Don’t buy this thing! Ok, it’s $8. The Verdict: Hello? Didn’t I just say not to buy this thing? Not only is it pretty useless in adding any kind…

Reviews Jason Chen Nov 25

Riff Rocker USB Mini Guitar Game Controller Lightning Review

The Gadget: Riff Rocker, an even smaller miniature USB guitar that’s made to work with Frets on Fire, the open source PC knockoff of Guitar Hero. The guitar’s got the normal amount of fret buttons, but instead of a strummer, you get a two-way rocker button that’s meant to be played with two fingers. The…

Reviews Jason Chen Nov 25

Catching Up: BBook of Geek

Hey Brian, I just finished Brian Briggs’ book, The BBook of Geek: The Only Geek Humor Book You’ll Ever Need. If you didn’t know, Brian’s the guy who created BBspot, a humor site that’s geared toward geek topics (which includes gadgets and tech). His humor is a lot like ours—most similar to Sean Fallon’s dryness…

Tech News Jason Chen Nov 24

Jason Chen

Man Stuff – The Best of Uncrate

Scosche reviveLITE is an iPhone Charger and a Night Light

Pilot the Batmobile With Your iPhone For $0.99

How to View the US Gizmodo From Anywhere

Dr. Dre and Monster Put $150 In Your Ear With Beats Tour Headphones

Unlock BlackBerry 8000-9000 Series Phones For Free

Big Screen Virus Alert Is Worse Than a Big Screen BSoD

Crazy Synchronized Christmas Lights Season Starts Now

Catching Up: Arcade Mania!

Funde Razor SF Event on December 10

Callpod Fueltank Two-in-One Portable Charger Lightning Review

Super Dexterous Japanese Motoman Robot Chef Makes Okonomiyaki

Lightning Review: TouchCharge Wireless Charger For PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii Controllers

Art Lebedev Verbarius Word Clock Lightning Review

T-Mobile G1 Gets Dual Phone and Battery Charger

Illustrative Slings Show How That Arm Got Boned

Grandma Got a New Mac

Lightning Review: Awethumb Smartphone Typing Helper is Horribly Pointless

Riff Rocker USB Mini Guitar Game Controller Lightning Review

Catching Up: BBook of Geek

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

I’m Worried About the Helpless AI Disruptors of the Future

Russia Allegedly Swung at VPNs but Accidentally Hit Its Own Banking Sector Instead

Ryan Coogler Is Shifting ‘Animorphs’ Into a Disney+ Show

No Fooling, ‘Spaceballs 2’ Will Hit Theaters April 2027

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