Jason Chen, Author at Gizmodo

What Bill Gates Was Talking About When He Accidentally Announced RoundTable

Bill Gates’ slip at the D conference was one of those blink-and-you’ll-miss-it slips that you probably wouldn’t even notice if you weren’t vaguely familiar with the product. His gaffe? The unintentional announcement of “RoundTable,” a research project we’ve been hearing about back in early 2006 when it was still called Ringcam. https://gizmodo.com/microsoft-ringcam-360-degree-camera-174532 What it is,…

Tech News Jason Chen

Sponsors Are Spectacular

It’s thanks to our sponsors that we always have microSD cards for the gear that is life. Gracias, Amazon Unbox, Audi, Cazadores Tequila, Canon, Casio, Don Julio, Igo, LG, Marriott, Windows Vista, Nokia, SanDisk, Select Comfort, Shadow Run, Shure, Sprint, TiVo, Toyota, Verizon, and ZipZoomFly.com. Keep us geared up. http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/announcements/advertising-with-gizmodo-219501.php

Tech News Jason Chen

What Really Happened When Steve and Bill Met

You may have seen our live coverage of the meeting of Steve and Bill, but words can’t convey the nuances of a sidelong glance or a gentle brush of the thigh. It was like an old divorced couple, meeting on amiable terms for the first time in years. Watch the video to see what we…

Tech News Jason Chen with video by Richard Blakeley

Unintentional Lego Goatse

What would Goatse look like if it were in reverse and had a man’s head coming out of it? Now you know. ‘Gray’ [CNN – Thanks Aaron!]

Tech News Jason Chen

Ford Mondeo Constructed Completely Allergy Free, Unless of Course You’re Allergic to Ford Mondeos

I have allergies. It’s not horrible, but a couple times a month I’ll have to take something for it. Therefore, you’d think this completely allergy free Ford Mondeo would be fantastic for me. Sadly for Ford, my allergies aren’t bad enough to make me drive a Mondeo. For those of you who do suffer horribly,…

Tech News Jason Chen

Parallels 3.0 Supports 3D Windows Gaming, SmartSelect

One of the main reasons why Mac users still use Boot Camp to run Windows Natively instead using virtualization software like Parallels is its lack of 3D gaming (OpenGL and DirectX) support. In Parallels Desktop version 3.0, now in final candidate development, you can finally use 3D gaming without rebooting. The other major feature is…

Tech News Jason Chen

The Google Maps Street View Camera

Your friends have undoubtedly been clogging up your in-box with funny pictures from Google Maps Street View, but do you know how those pictures were taken? You do now. Google licensed shots from Immersive Media, a company that specializes in 360-degree videos, in order to fill out their coverage in cities like NYC. As you…

Tech News Jason Chen

Impressions With Xbox 360’s Guitar Hero 3 Wireless Guitar

Erik over at IGN Gear got his hands on the upcoming Xbox 360 wireless guitar and has mostly good things to say about it. The controller is shaped like a Les Paul and looks quite similar to the old PS2 controllers. The buttons themselves have been moved around and made to look more like the…

Tech News Jason Chen

Laser Sighted Cues Help Beginners Line up Their Balls

Similar to the laser guided pool cue, this CueSight gives you a laser sight from your cue to the ball that helps your aim. This one’s actually better than the previous one because it offers a cross instead of a spot, and will actually give you another sight down the table if you line it…

Tech News Jason Chen

Tattle on Fellow Movie Patrons with a Guest Response Remote

Remember the gadget we told you about last year from Regal Cinemas that lets you tattle on your fellow movie patrons? It’s available now in select NY theaters. The idea is that you can use this instead of having to walk out of the theater to tell ushers that there’s a man on a cellphone/baby…

Gadgets Jason Chen

UPEK Eikon Fingerprint Reader Hands-On (It Works With Firefox!)

It’s been a while since we last found a fingerprint reader we really liked. The previous champion—the lovely Cylon-red Microsoft Fingerprint Reader—was demoted to just Windows login duty (and eventually abandoned altogether) because of its lack of Firefox support. The Eikon? It supports Firefox. That’s just one of the reasons why this Upek Digital Privacy…

Reviews Jason Chen

Slingbox Releases New Virtual Remote Update for Windows

Sling fans ahoy! Instead of releasing new virtual remotes (the onscreen remotes you use to control your set-top boxes) with big software updates, now Sling’s going to release more frequent updates with just the remotes. Yippee! The version 1.0 update includes support for TiVo Series 3, AT&T Uverse &HomeZone, Some Motorola Cox set top boxes,…

Tech News Jason Chen

Everun UMPC is Super Light, Super Mobile, and Looks Like it Might Not Suck

This is one of the first times we’ve seen a UMPC shaped vertically, with the keys arranged underneath, but the Everun looks like it might pull off the configuration without being too hard to use. First, it’s only one pound, which means it’s the perfect weight for a UMPC. As for the specs, there’s a…

Tech News Jason Chen

Zune Firmware Update 1.4 Improves Shuffle

The folks at Microsoft have a quick update for your Zune today in about 30 minutes (10:00 a.m. PT) that will improve your “shuffle experience” when playing back tracks. If you remember, the iPod had some complaints about its shuffle algorithm and they had to release an updated version that customized shuffle even further (like…

Tech News Jason Chen

More on the iTunes Plus High Quality, 256kbps Bitrate Tracks

If Charlie’s take on the iTunes Plus songs wasn’t enough for you, then check out our own Wilson Rothman’s piece in the NYT about the same subject. https://gizmodo.com/listening-test-compares-itunes-plus-to-itunes-128kbps-264617 Not to spoil anything, but Wilson and his two test partners could hear a difference between 128kbps and 256kbps on his medium to medium-high end speaker setup.…

Tech News Jason Chen

Xbox 360 Firmware Hackers Release New Version, Bypasses Ban Checks

The latest shots in the Microsoft vs. Xbox 360 console hacker war have been fired, and this time it’s Microsoft who took one in the chest. After banning a bunch of Xbox 360s with modded firmware DVD drives earlier this month, the company’s ban checks have just been defeated by a new version of the…

Tech News Jason Chen

LiveScribe Smartpen

The LiveScribe Smartpen is about to make its appearance at the D conference, but we wanted to remind you about the coverage we did last night. Hop on over to this post and see for yourself. It’s no smart table, but a smart pen’s not too shabby either. https://gizmodo.com/livescribe-smartpen-links-your-scribbles-with-audio-not-264302 LiveScribe [Gizmodo]

Tech News Jason Chen

Cellphone Cellphone Straps: Volume 8

You’ve seen the cellphone charms that look like a miniature version of your actual phone before, but Strap-ya’s just released a new batch of phones for your miniaturization needs. https://gizmodo.com/the-cellphone-cellphone-charm-210722 Most of these phones are Japanese, but we do see a couple RAZRs and possibly some Sony Ericssons in there too. All of them actually…

Tech News Jason Chen

Solar Powered LED Tent Houses Six, Provides Eight Hours of Light

The only time we’ve been camping is, well, never, so this solar powered LED tent isn’t quite for us. But those of you who like to get some outdoors time with your family yet still want to keep enough light to play some Go Fish at night should look into this LED tent. It’s $230,…

Tech News Jason Chen

Sushi Robots Will Destroy Us All, Make Delicious Sushi

We’re not sure this these sushi robots are for “home use,” but who wouldn’t want their own mechanical man making sushi for them? The various rice-ball-forming machines make anywhere from 850 balls an hour up to 1200 balls an hour, and the various parts of the sushi robot lineup make 2000 to 3000 pieces an…

Tech News Jason Chen

Jason Chen

What Bill Gates Was Talking About When He Accidentally Announced RoundTable

Sponsors Are Spectacular

What Really Happened When Steve and Bill Met

Unintentional Lego Goatse

Ford Mondeo Constructed Completely Allergy Free, Unless of Course You’re Allergic to Ford Mondeos

Parallels 3.0 Supports 3D Windows Gaming, SmartSelect

The Google Maps Street View Camera

Impressions With Xbox 360’s Guitar Hero 3 Wireless Guitar

Laser Sighted Cues Help Beginners Line up Their Balls

Tattle on Fellow Movie Patrons with a Guest Response Remote

UPEK Eikon Fingerprint Reader Hands-On (It Works With Firefox!)

Slingbox Releases New Virtual Remote Update for Windows

Everun UMPC is Super Light, Super Mobile, and Looks Like it Might Not Suck

Zune Firmware Update 1.4 Improves Shuffle

More on the iTunes Plus High Quality, 256kbps Bitrate Tracks

Xbox 360 Firmware Hackers Release New Version, Bypasses Ban Checks

LiveScribe Smartpen

Cellphone Cellphone Straps: Volume 8

Solar Powered LED Tent Houses Six, Provides Eight Hours of Light

Sushi Robots Will Destroy Us All, Make Delicious Sushi

30 Unpublished Poems From Iconic Greek Philosopher Discovered in Cairo

Lucid Recalls 4,000 Gravity SUVs for Faulty Seat Belts That May Not Actually Work During a Collision

Ninja Blast Max Hits Its Lowest Price and Now One of the Cheapest Portable Blenders Worth Buying

The ‘Handmaid’s Tale’ Sequel Is a Beautifully Executed Dystopian Nightmare

Antibiotics Turned This Woman’s Limbs Into an Unsettling Horrorshow

Microsoft Visual Studio Professional 2026 Bundle at 97% Off With Premium Coding Certification Included, a Complete Learn-to-Code Package

Shark PowerPro Reveal Plus Cordless Vacuum Drops to an All-Time Low, Selling Faster Than Dyson at a Fraction of the Price

The First Trailer for ‘Widow’s Bay’ Welcomes You to a Creepy Horror Comedy

What the New Starbucks ‘Widely Recyclable’ Label Really Means

LEGO Star Wars R2-D2 Quietly Hits a Record Low, Expanding Beyond the Millennium Falcon Deals for a Limited Time

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

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?