Mark Wilson, Author at Gizmodo

USB Kitty: Like a Real Cat, but Evil…Like a Real Cat

The USB Kitty is a poor man’s 128-bit encryption. Instead of outsmarting those trying to break into your computer, the motion-sensing USB Kitty will simply annoy security threats until they leave, data intact. Using a patented (probably not actually) combination of turning its head and producing shrieking “meows”, USB Kitty can instantly turn even the…

Gadgets Mark Wilson Sep 23

Hydra: Cheap, Wet MP3 Player

Are you like some character off The OC, constantly finding yourself punched into pools during posh dinner parties? Maybe you are more into fulfilling the faux spontaneous “threaten to push the girl in, act like you’re not going to push her in, push her in, she pulls you in” romantic, aquatic movie scene we all…

Gadgets Mark Wilson Sep 23

Gizmodo Frankenreview: iPod nano V.2.0

Last week Apple announced an update to the iPod line -including the new iPod nano. Aside from getting a Crayola metal facelift that is strikingly similar to the mini, the new nano has a screen that is 40% brighter and a battery that will last all day (literally). But it’s a good thing Apple keeps…

Gadgets Mark Wilson Sep 20

SED TVs – A Fall from Grace

Some of you may remember me whining about a complete lack of SED televisions at CEDIA this year. We still can’t say why it appears there were no models on display (unlike at CES), but what we can say is that Toshiba and Canon have announced their intentions for an SED release around the 2008…

Tech News Mark Wilson Sep 19

Buy a Zune at Walmart…Soon

Walmart has started promoting Zunes in their online store. Why is this so disturbing to us? Walmart has already defiled iPods and all sorts of other PMPs. Is it that we wanted something better for our new baby? Is it that Walmart and Microsoft together is the scariest wetdream ever to even the Gordoniest of…

Tech News Mark Wilson Sep 17

Preorder Wii or PS3: Need Trade-Ins

This is low. Our half-man, half-Atari, 100% crazy uncles over at Kotaku got a photo tip on GameStop requiring $50 worth of trade-ins to reserve a PS3 or Wii. While not confirmed, if such is the case the console wars have reached a new low. $50 of trade-ins equals about $200 in games, according to…

Tech News Mark Wilson Sep 17

Real First Class Flying

I just flew first class from Seattle to Dallas and it was horrible. I was upgraded during a full flight only to get drink service once (I’m actually using their horrid vocabulary) in 90-degree cabin heat. The only luxury was a seat designed for a normal human being. Next time I go first class, it…

Gadgets Mark Wilson Sep 17

Normal Person’s Lighter, Pyro’s Fire Extinguisher

If only this were full-sized, it would make for the best pranks. “John, toss me the extinguisher!” “Don’t be a hero.” “I wasn’t put on this earth to sit in a cubicle all day…tell my kids I love them.” “Don’t!” “I need to – get the hell out of here while you still can.” “Ok,…

Gadgets Mark Wilson Sep 17

CropCam – Prequel to Fertilizing CrapCam

The CropCam is a self-guided GPS plane for keeping up with your crops. The farmer tosses it into the air, and the CropCam will fly around in a preset pattern around his fields, snapping precise stills marked with latitude and longitude of the ground below. The six pound plane can cover 160 acres per launch,…

Gadgets Mark Wilson Sep 17

JVC Pulsating Sphere Speaker – Round Like Epcot

JVC has designed a round speaker that isn’t just for poor decorating taste. The “pulsating sphere” surface (all 12 patents-worth) actually produces the sound and distributes wavelengths equally in all directions. The result is supposed to be a highly natural sound that you don’t link to one particular speaker. We are interested to see how…

Tech News Mark Wilson Sep 17

CEDIA 2006: iHome Multi-Center Loves DRM

The Audio Design Associates’ iHome Multi-Center is part music storage device, part media PC, part IP control server. Two 400gb RAID drives can hold music and hi-def video, and 750gb upgrades are on the horizon. The product’s claim to fame, however, is its ability to remotely playback Apple AAC DRM-protected music from a PC, tablet…

Tech News Mark Wilson Sep 16

CEDIA 2006: SED Where Are You?

This is by no means official, but according to my hours of Internet browsing, SED technology is not at CEDIA 2006. You may remember SED from our posts during CES this year. It’s built upon the foundations of phosphorus televisions, but Canon and Toshiba basically packed all that technology into each pixel of a flat-panel.…

Tech News Mark Wilson Sep 16

CEDIA 2006: Ugly Speaker Lamps

LimeLight Audio is showing off their innovative, if a little ugly, speaker lamps – and supposedly they even sound “good” (whatever that means to the speaker world). They are 150-watt speakers blowing sound out of a 6.5-inch woofer and 1-inch tweeter in 360 degrees. Collect all six colors for your surround sound and tan while…

Tech News Mark Wilson Sep 16

CEDIA 2006: NuVision Deep Black 52LEDLP

Aside from their innovation in mixing LED and DLP in their model numbers, NuVision has added a 52″ LED-powered DLP set to their Deep Black line of televisions. While we’ve talked about this product before, we didn’t mention the NuVision CEO had officially announced the release date to be by this end of this month…

Tech News Mark Wilson Sep 16

CEDIA 2006: Salamander Designs Furniture – Cool

“Dude, your entertainment cabinet is the coolest!” “Yeah dude, I know.” We’re sure that most sufers/stoners/90s clich s don’t need high-end cabinets designed to keep their components cool, but oh well. Salamander Designs has been showing off custom (translation: expensive) entertainment furniture with original options like internal cooling systems (translation: fans, maybe more). We don’t…

Tech News Mark Wilson Sep 16

CEDIA 2006: Hitachi’s PD8700, Small but Mighty Plasma

Hitachi announced their new 42-inch 1080p plasma television. It’s world’s first 1080p plasma of that size (LCDs of those specs have been around for some time), and is using ALiS (Alternate Lighting of Surfaces) technology to enhance the brightness, sharpness and longevity. Can you tell 720p from 1080p in this size? It’s probably tough, but…

Tech News Mark Wilson Sep 16

Gizmodo Frankenreview: Blackberry Pearl 8100

The Blackberry Pearl 8100 has evolved past its legendary email functions, adding multimedia support and slimming down by about thirty pounds. Unfortunately, in addition to skipping meals and spending too long in the bathroom, the Pearl ditched QWERTY to fit in that sexy red pocket of yours. After our incredible graphics are done rocking your…

Gadgets Mark Wilson Sep 13

Wii $150? Wii Wish.

Our bestest friends 4ever over at Kotaku just can’t get enough of the Wii, and neither can Wii. See what we did there? They reported that Vibe magazine printed a flat $150 price under a description of the upcoming Nintendo Wii. Of course, in the same article Vibe needed to explain to their readers that…

Tech News Mark Wilson Sep 10

Eliminate Logos on Cellphones with Sugar – Sweet

Large corporations can be so greedy. Even though you spend hundreds of dollars on a new gadget to call your very own, they want their name on it! Instructables posted a tutorial on scraping logos off electronic devices using sugar. You cover the logo with scotch tape and rub the hell out of it with…

Tech News Mark Wilson Sep 10

40gb Nintendo DS – Eat Your Heart Out Sony

Modders are really just geekier versions of Tim Allen. Take Natrium42 – if he weren’t adding 40gig drives to Nintendo DS units, he’d probably be fitting dragster engines into snow blowers. Essentially, Natrium exploits the IDE interface of CompactFlash for the hack, which was cool enough to pull me out of retirement for at least…

Gadgets Mark Wilson Sep 10

Mark Wilson

USB Kitty: Like a Real Cat, but Evil…Like a Real Cat

Hydra: Cheap, Wet MP3 Player

Gizmodo Frankenreview: iPod nano V.2.0

SED TVs – A Fall from Grace

Buy a Zune at Walmart…Soon

Preorder Wii or PS3: Need Trade-Ins

Real First Class Flying

Normal Person’s Lighter, Pyro’s Fire Extinguisher

CropCam – Prequel to Fertilizing CrapCam

JVC Pulsating Sphere Speaker – Round Like Epcot

CEDIA 2006: iHome Multi-Center Loves DRM

CEDIA 2006: SED Where Are You?

CEDIA 2006: Ugly Speaker Lamps

CEDIA 2006: NuVision Deep Black 52LEDLP

CEDIA 2006: Salamander Designs Furniture – Cool

CEDIA 2006: Hitachi’s PD8700, Small but Mighty Plasma

Gizmodo Frankenreview: Blackberry Pearl 8100

Wii $150? Wii Wish.

Eliminate Logos on Cellphones with Sugar – Sweet

40gb Nintendo DS – Eat Your Heart Out Sony

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