Jack Loftus, Author at Gizmodo

Choose Your Own Adventure Series Reborn In Books and Apps

Slate’s been reminiscing about the venerable Choose Your Own Adventure book series and it’s quite the read! Unfortunately, there’s only a single ending to this post, but that doesn’t mean it’s not an interesting one. Turn the page. The ending to this post, you see, is a link to that Slate article, where you’ll be…

Books & Comics Jack Loftus

The Modern Concert

There’s nothing new about cameraphones at concerts or even filter apps like Hipstamatic (it went to war and came back with an award!), but something about this picture got me thinking today about concert culture in a hyper-connected age. https://gizmodo.com/hipstamatic-and-the-death-of-photojournalism-5756703 I don’t claim to have broken any new ground here, nor am I putting forth…

Social Media Jack Loftus

Watson’s Post-Jeopardy Future In Medicine

IBM’s Jeopardy-crushing Watson has more than proven its ability to conquer game shows, but what now? What is, “a research assistant on a medical diagnostic team?” Correct! At least, that’s one of the many duties Watson could perform, says Stephen Baker, a Watson-covering blogger and author, in an article over at the Boston Globe: A…

Tech News Jack Loftus

Motorola Xoom User’s Guide Teasingly Lacks Any Mention of Locked-Down Wifi

A leaked series of documents, purportedly some kind of instructions for the users of the upcoming Motorola Xoom—which I will call a user’s guide—is entirely unremarkable save for the information it doesn’t contain. Mainly, the Xoom user’s guide doesn’t mention the locked down wifi that’s quickly become an Achilles Heel for this well-received Android tablet.…

Tech News Jack Loftus

What You Missed This Weekend

Weekend roundups return, and what a weekend it’s been! The Mobile World Congress confirmed many of the tablet and smartphone rumors we’ve been hearing for a while; J.C. Penney crossed Google for the last time; and much, much more. Here are some of this weekend’s top performers: Watching a Video Shot in 2,564 Frames per…

Tech News Jack Loftus

Windows Phone 7 Deal Could Net Nokia “Billions”

Hmm. Remember when Nokia’s Stephen Elop said the reason they went with Windows Phone 7 and not Android was because it would have felt like giving up? Well it was also very much about money. Microsoft promised more. Billions more, to be precise, which is exactly what Elop hinted at this evening over at the…

Tech News Jack Loftus

Video Games On The Front Lines

Long hours, hard work, crap weather. Then there’s the boredom, the long hours of boredom, followed by the bursts of heart-pounding adrenaline. This is war. [Kotaku]

Tech News Jack Loftus

“Extreme” Mentos Kit Will Take Eyes as Trophies

Mixing Mentos and Coke to make impromptu corn syrup cannons is nothing new, but this kit from EepyBird manages to gather all the parts into one handy package—and adds a dangerous “pinprick hole” to the mix for extra danger. For $25, enterprising little Mentos cannon creators will receive some PVC plastic nozzles, the necessary Mentos…

Tech News Jack Loftus

Nokia CEO: I’m No Microsoft “Trojan Horse”

While speaking at the Mobile World Conference today Nokia CEO Stephen Elop was forced to defend himself against a rather pointed cat-caller who had asked, via some post press conference yelling, “Are you a Trojan Horse?” Whatever did this person mean, you ask? Well, it’s really quite simple: Elop left Microsoft in October to join…

Tech News Jack Loftus

AT&T Begins Clearing iPad Accessory Inventory with 50% Off Fire Sale

iPad 2 rumor posts have been done to death by now—we get it! It’s coming very soon!—but this one could actually save you a bit of coin should you want to keep your current iPad, so, enjoy. Basically, AT&T is having a massive sale on all iPad accessories, presumably to make way for the redesigned,…

Tech News Jack Loftus

Mobile World Congress Tablet/Smartphone Smorgasbord

Gaming phones! Bigger tablets! Galaxy S reboots and a sneaky, perfectly-timed mini iPhone rumor to throw water on the whole thing! Today was a day of mobile/tablet news, dear readers, and it’s all here. 10-Inch Galaxy Tab 10.1 Takes Aim at Burgeoning Tablet Market Aesthetic comparisons to the well-established iPad will be inevitable as the…

Tech News Jack Loftus

Massachusetts City Goes All-In for Steampunk

Waltham, also known as the Watch City, “Birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution,” and “a place where I’ve lived” is getting a steampunk makeover. Like, the whole city! Here’s the deal: From May 6-8, Waltham will play host to the International Steampunk City festival, which will serve as an ambitious city-wide fundraiser for the Charles…

Tech News Jack Loftus

10-Inch Galaxy Tab 10.1 Takes Aim at Burgeoning Tablet Market

Aesthetic comparisons to the well-established iPad will be inevitable as the tablet market gets ever more saturated, so where the now official 10-inch Galaxy Tab 10.1 hopes to compete is on the inside. Let’s take a peek. First of all, forget “Galaxy Tab 2.” Doesn’t exist! The name’s Galaxy Tab 10.1. So sterile! So accurate,…

Gadgets Jack Loftus

Artist’s 3D Typography Gives New Life to Forgotten Books

The written word can indeed be considered art, with the author’s descriptions creating vivid scenes in the mind of the reader. But only rarely do the pages themselves actually become artwork, as they have at the hands of Isaac Salazar. Working with the pages of “discarded and unloved” books he creates rather striking and ingenious…

Books & Comics Jack Loftus

Xperia Play Arrives In March with 50 Games, “Legendary” PSOne Title Pre-Installed

When Sony Ericsson‘s Xperia Play “PlayStation Phone” becomes available in March (“early spring” for Verizon) it will debut alongside 50 launch titles and come preloaded with what execs said was a “legendary” PlayStation One title. Updated. Other confirmed features include local multiplayer and a wifi hostspot hosting feature for connected head to head gaming. Really,…

Tech News Jack Loftus

Perfectly-Timed Apple Rumor Hints at Tiny iPhones, MobileMe Overhaul

Wouldn’t you know it, but just as Samsung was rebooting its well-received (but sales, meh?) Galaxy S line of tablets and smartphones at MWC, an Apple iPhone rumor arrives courtesy the Wall Street Journal. Updated. The WSJ all but confirms rumors we heard inklings of earlier this month, in which Apple was said to be…

Tech News Jack Loftus

Samsung Reboots with Super-Thin, Super Sharp Galaxy S II

Not that this is any surprise given the massive leak of photos and impressions that preceeded today’s big Mobile World Congress event, but Samsung has officially pulled the trigger on an impressive reboot of the Galaxy S. The unsurprisingly named Galaxy S II arrives in a thinner form factor than its predecessor at about 8.49mm…

Gadgets Jack Loftus

The Price of Looking Good

I’ve asked this question before, I’m asking it now, and I’ll ask it again some day: Seriously now, how the hell do you women wear these things all day long? [FFFFOUND via Street Anatomy via Like Cool – Thanks, Elisa]

Tech News Jack Loftus

Wait, the Motorola Xoom Costs What Now?!

A seemingly legitimate $1,199 Motorola Xoom now sits on the Best Buy web site, ready for pre-order. What happened to the already steep $800? It would seem the hill has become a mountain for this initially well-received tablet. While the Xoom impressed the heck out of us at CES, the luster has faded considerably since…

Tech News Jack Loftus

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play Lifts Off February 13

That strangely off-putting Android ad with the human thumbs was trying to tell us something after all, people. Mainly, that the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play phone is arriving soon. Soon, as in February 13th. OK, so maybe it’s actually the company’s Facebook page that told me this. But the ad ran again this evening during…

Tech News Jack Loftus

Jack Loftus

Choose Your Own Adventure Series Reborn In Books and Apps

The Modern Concert

Watson’s Post-Jeopardy Future In Medicine

Motorola Xoom User’s Guide Teasingly Lacks Any Mention of Locked-Down Wifi

What You Missed This Weekend

Windows Phone 7 Deal Could Net Nokia “Billions”

Video Games On The Front Lines

“Extreme” Mentos Kit Will Take Eyes as Trophies

Nokia CEO: I’m No Microsoft “Trojan Horse”

AT&T Begins Clearing iPad Accessory Inventory with 50% Off Fire Sale

Mobile World Congress Tablet/Smartphone Smorgasbord

Massachusetts City Goes All-In for Steampunk

10-Inch Galaxy Tab 10.1 Takes Aim at Burgeoning Tablet Market

Artist’s 3D Typography Gives New Life to Forgotten Books

Xperia Play Arrives In March with 50 Games, “Legendary” PSOne Title Pre-Installed

Perfectly-Timed Apple Rumor Hints at Tiny iPhones, MobileMe Overhaul

Samsung Reboots with Super-Thin, Super Sharp Galaxy S II

The Price of Looking Good

Wait, the Motorola Xoom Costs What Now?!

Sony Ericsson Xperia Play Lifts Off February 13

Do ‘Disclosure Day’ Prep With a Spielberg Sci-Fi Marathon

How to Watch the F1 Japanese GP 2026 on a Free Channel

Ranking 2016’s Superhero Debuts, 10 Years Later

Fourth Most Populous Country in the World Bans Most Social Media for Kids

How to watch UFC Fight Night Adesanya vs Pyfer live this Saturday

‘Steel Ball Run’ Will Return This Year…Eventually

‘The Mummy 4’ Is Getting the Family Back Together

JD Vance Says UFOs Are Actually Demons

Breville Barista Express Espresso Machine Hits Its Lowest Price of the Year for Amazon’s Big Spring Sale, Cut Your Daily Coffee Costs at Home

Amazon Clears Out Govee LED Smart Light Bulbs (2-Pack) at a Record Low, Each Bulb Costs Just a Few Dollars

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