Kate Knibbs

Cybercriminals Are Using Cloud Storage to Hoard Stolen Files

Cybercriminals: They’re just like us! At least, their choice of cloud storage isn’t so far off from your average non-despicable data thief. Instead of using dedicated servers to hoard stolen data, hackers have taken to using popular consumer products like Google Drive and Dropbox. “What it comes down to is, the criminals are using the…

This Sleek Carbon Fiber Wheelchair Is What Professor X Would Use

Design options for wheelchairs seem stuck on a spectrum from boring to next-level boring. That’s what Andrew Slorance wants to change. The UK-based entrepreneur is in the process of getting his Carbon Black chairs FDA approved to bring the distinctly stylish chairs to the U.S. Made with lightweight, streamlined carbon fiber, the Carbon Black wheelchair…

How Twitter Plans to Take Over Your Phone

Twitter is branching out beyond tweets: The company is launching a software development kit today, called Fabric. With Fabric, Twitter intends to take over your phone. Fabric offers a simple toolkit for developers to create their own apps. It’s a nice new option for developers… and if they use it, the results could be huge…

Report: Simon & Schuster and Amazon Just Made Nice

Amazon and publishing house Simon & Schuster have reached a multi-year deal, sources told Business Insider. This means the tides could be turning in favor of Amazon in its battle against publishers. And that means you’ll likely see cheaper Simon & Schuster books on Amazon soon, though whether or not that’ll be good for the…

Yik Yak Wants to Be More Than Your Kid’s Favorite Shit-Talking App

“The real tech story is Yik Yak is blowing up,”Josh Miller, a Facebook project manager rumored to be working on an anonymity app for the social network, tweeted and deleted that comment recently, asking many people to wonder what the hell he was talking about. Miller was talking about Yik Yak, an anonymous posting app…

6 iPhone Apps That Use TouchID to Make Your Life Easier

Apple’s TouchID fingerprint recognition lets you lock your phone James Bond-style, using biometrics. It’s cool and adds an extra layer of security, so it makes sense that apps are jumping to integrate it. Here are some of the best apps that take advantage of TouchID to keep your shit on lockdown: Dropbox Dropbox recently updated…

Skype Lets You Send Doodles Now (If You’re on Windows Phone)

Skype’s latest update includes a new drawing feature, so you can send your friends doodles while you video chat them. The feature is debuting on Windows Phone, and Skype hasn’t announced any plans to bring it to iOS and Android. Last week, Skype launched Skype Qik, a video messaging app that took a cue from…

Wilco, Via Chicago

Wilco is turning 20 years old, but about 10 years ago I loved that band with a nerdy, eager cooped-up high schooler kind of feeling. They were my band when I was 16. They were from Chicago, like me. They had a pleasingly turbulent backstory and every lyric seemed to be about yearning. I wanted…

How Long a Yellow Light Should Be

Sitting at a red light can feel torturously long, but yellow lights often seem suspiciously short. It’s not all in your head: some yellow lights are too short. There is an ideal minimum length of a yellow traffic light. You just might never experience it (especially if you’re from Chicago). There’s no universal correct yellow…

Apple Just Banished Bose From Its Online Store

You can’t buy Bose products from Apple’s online store anymore. And if earlier reports are true, soon you won’t even be able to wink at a Bose product in an Apple Store, because Apple plans to scrub every trace of Bose from its vaunted retail chambers. I don’t know what they’d do to you if…

Tumblr’s OS X App Is a Full-Screen Tumblr Because Nothing Else Matters

Tumblr just launched a weirdly bare-bones app for Apple’s new OS X Yosemite. If you have a Mac and you download it, you’ll be able to post to Tumblr from elsewhere on the web using a “Share” button. The other thing it does: You can also use it to turn your computer into a Tumblr-only…

Twitpic Is Shutting Down After All

In September, Twitpic announced it was shutting down. Also in September, Twitpic announced it was no longer shutting down, because it had found a buyer. But Twitpic has announced again that it is shutting down, this time on October 25. It’s a haphazard end for one of Twitter’s oldest third-party services. Twipic founder Noah Everett…

Twitter’s Audio Cards Put Music Right in Your Tweets

Twitter is launching a new music feature called Audio Cards that lets people embed audio in their tweets. This means just like you can put a photo or video in a tweet, you’ll be able to insert audio. Twitter is partnering with Soundcloud and Apple to let people listen to music in their timelines on…

Apple Pay Is Coming October 20

Apple Pay is set to launch on October 20. So if you have an iPhone 6 or iPhone 6 Plus and you’re in the U.S., you’ll be able to start paying for your Walgreens haul on your phone next Monday. Tim Cook described how Apple Pay will work in greater detail than before, confirming earlier…

CBS Thinks People Will Pay $6 a Month to Stream Just CBS Shows

Hot on the heels of HBO announcing a standalone streaming option, CBS just debuted its own subscription streaming service… and it is possibly the worst streaming TV deal out there. CBS is offering access to the current seasons of 15 primetime shows, full past seasons of 8 popular shows, some seasons of “CBS Classics” like…

Report: Soon You Won’t Be Able to Buy a Fitbit in the Apple Store

Apple plans to stop selling Fitbit devices in its stores, according to a report from Re/Code. This makes sense, since Apple is getting into the wearable health tracking market with HealthKit and its Apple Watch, and Fitbit already said it is not going to integrate with HealthKit. As Re/Code pointed out, plenty of other health…

Starting January 1, you’ll be able to stream every episode of Friends on Netflix (even in Canada). If there was ever a time to challenge Gawker’s definitive ranking of every Friends episode, that time is fast approaching and it is January 2015. Ross Gellerheads everywhere are rejoicing. Could you BE any more excited?

The Nexus 6 Might Be $50 On-Contract at AT&T (Update: Probably Not)

It appears AT&T has revealed its pricing and manufacturer for the Nexus 6 a little early. If you go to the AT&T website and look up the LG G3 Vigor, an image and pricing details for the Motorola Nexus 6 appears under “People Also Viewed.” The Nexus 6 is listed at $50. If you click…

Taking Google Out of Glass Makes It Perfect for Hospitals

Google Glass might get you suspicious looks in a restaurant, but it could save your life on the operating table. Google has a lot of work to do to make Glass something we want to wear. It’s pricy. It’s dorky as shit. The privacy implications freak people out, with good reason. But there’s one place…

Skype’s New Group Video Messaging App Takes a Late Cue from Snapchat

Skype Qik is a solid video messaging app that’d be a guaranteed hit if Skype could go back in time and release it a few years ago. Skype Qik lets you take 42-second videos and send them to friends off your contact list, creating an impromptu video message relay that disappears after two weeks. There…