Matt Buchanan, Author at Gizmodo

Allard on Zune 1 Failing, Hitching Zune to Xbox, and the Phone Yet To Come

What J. Allard reveals when he talks about Microsoft’s (and his) plans for conquering all media isn’t surprising—an integrated, single network for all of its entertainment products and services. NYT’s Bits sums up his spiel in three sentences: Even though the Zune and Xbox product brands are separate, they are ultimately meant to connect to…

Tech News Matt Buchanan

Amusing But Sad Video Shows Verizon Reps Misquoting Rates 93 Percent of the Time

Eyeless Writer called Verizon 56 times to ask two different data pricing questions: one about going over limits, another about roaming. A ridiculous 93 percent of reps answered at least one question incorrectly. But to be fair, these questions were beyond basic ones. Regardless, don’t they have computers in front of them to cheat when…

Tech News Matt Buchanan

54 Percent of Computer Users Admit to Stealing Wi-Fi

Fifty-four percent of you fess up to lo-jacking someone else’s Wi-Fi without permission, you free-wheeling bastards. We’re guessing the other 46 percent just didn’t wanna own up to it. [CNET]

Tech News Matt Buchanan

OLPC Founder Realizes Verbal Agreements Are Not Equivalent to Money

If you were wondering why you’ve been asked to help pick up the tab with the OLPC project, its founder offers a lesson in international business: https://gizmodo.com/olpc-releases-details-of-christmas-sales-initiative-302829 “We are making the XO available to U.S. and Canadian consumers as a financing scheme for the developing world, to trigger global demand and government closure,” Negroponte told…

Gadgets Matt Buchanan

Google Going It Alone in Wireless Spectrum Auction to Open Own Wireless Network

The Wall Street Journal details a lot of the “strong signals” Google’s going to bid in the upcoming 700MHz spectrum auction in order to launch a wireless network of its own. Aside from openly declaring “we are making all the necessary preparations to become an applicant to bid,” what’s really compelling is that https://gizmodo.com/fcc-keeps-open-access-provisions-for-700mhz-auction-de-308923 back…

Tech News Matt Buchanan

Japanese 100Tbps Fiber Optics

Japanese researchers have come up with a method using quadrature amplitude modulation to cram hundreds of terabits of a data a second through standard fiber optic cable. HD movies in seconds, here we come. [Digital World Tokyo]

Tech News Matt Buchanan

Nanosolar PowerSheets Promise Cheap Solar Power Everywhere, Unlimited Gadget Energy

Winning the Green Tech Grand Award and “Innovation of the Year” nods from Pop Sci, Nanosolar PowerSheets pack a whole lot of potential into their Paris Hilton-cheap, Nicole Richie-thin panels—we’re talking solar power for 30 cents a watt, compared to the $3 it costs now, without silicon or laying the panels on glass. “You’re talking…

Gadgets Matt Buchanan

Galaxy Black Asus Eee PC Now Available

The $400 Mac laptop just got even sexier with the arrival of the Asus Eee PC in Galaxy Black at Newegg. If you’ve wanted a cheap black Mac, now’s your chance. Better still, there’s no “black tax” on this baby. Sorry early adopters! Update: Buy.com has it with free shipping. [Newegg via I4U] https://gizmodo.com/399-ultraportable-apple-laptop-os-x-on-asus-eee-pc-323279

Tech News Matt Buchanan

Comcast Kerplowed With Class Action Suit for P2P Blockage

The fat lot of nothing done about Comcast’s alleged-but-shiftily denied P2P blockage has been kicked over by a hot plate of lawsuit action. Filed by Comcast customer John Hart in the most consumer-friendly state around, it hits them for “breach of contract, breach of implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing, and violating the…

Tech News Matt Buchanan

Best Guitar Hero Controller Hack Yet: LED Backlit Buttons

I don’t know if it’s the sheer devotion or a matter of numbers, but Guitar Hero controller hacks tend to be some of the slickest around. But they all just got beat with this awesome vid: Fungus amungus’s coordinated, LED backlit buttons make button-bash shredding that much sweeter. It’s a simple formula: more lights=more sweeter.…

Gadgets Matt Buchanan

LG Develops Smudge-Free LCD Screen: Touch Tablets Rejoice

I go into a conniption when I show someone something on my notebook and they press their dirty, oily finger into my screen, knowing I’ll have to bust out an LCD wipe to restore its pristine state. No more! LG Philips LCD’s latest LCD panel—which takes after non-stick frying pans&dmash;will let you wipe off smudges,…

Gadgets Matt Buchanan

$399 Ultraportable Apple Laptop: OS X on Asus EEE PC

Word of warning if you have an Apple-shaped twinkle in your eye: Lo-jacking the Asus Eee PC with OS X is legally dubious (like a lot of worthwhile tech endeavors tend to be) thanks to licensing restrictions and whatnot. Dan’s method more or less follows Adam Pash’s awesome Hackintosh tutorial over at Lifehacker, but an…

Tech News Matt Buchanan

Mac TV Wonder 650 Clear QAM Support Arriving End of the Month

Word from ATI on the initial lack of Clear QAM support—for picking up unencrypted digital cable channels—in the Mac version of the TV Wonder 650 Combo USB TV tuner we showed you: The team was focused on getting it out the door, so it’ll “be available via a software update within ATI tvPORTAL itself to…

Tech News Matt Buchanan

LaserScan Sort of Long-Range Hidden-Camera Detector

Billed as a “long range” hidden-camera detector, its spotting powers only work within 50 feet. It’s loaded with two pulsating lasers that scan for Big Brother eyes, which show up as flashing red lights in the scope. Supposedly it can ferret out pinhole cameras and ones stuffed inside of pens or buttons, making it great…

Gadgets Matt Buchanan

Wolfking Dual Hockey Puck Gaming Keyboard Gets a Name, and It’s Hardcore: Warrior Xxtreme

Wolfking’s unnamed turntable gaming keybard, so kindly leaked by the FCC, actually has a name, and it’s pretty extreme: Wolfking Warrior Xxtreme. Billed as “the world’s first hybrid 2-in-1 PC game pad keyboard,” you can see the thing’s sexier than the FCC pics let on, which are the gadget equivalent of driver’s license headshots. https://gizmodo.com/fcc-leaks-wolf-king-gaming-keyboard-looks-like-a-turnt-321060…

Gadgets Matt Buchanan

Hippies Using Human Hair to Soak Up Oil Spills

If you’ve given more than a second glance to your greasy IT guy’s matted, oily hair—or just don’t wash your own that often, you might pick up that our hair holds onto oil like gas’ll hit $100/gallon tomorrow. Gross, yeah, but apparently useful! Some hippies are taking mats made of human hair to mop up…

Gadgets Matt Buchanan

Creative Sells 25 Millionth MP3 Player

Seven months after Apple pushed its 100 millionth iPod into someone’s sweaty, squeezing hands, Creative hits its own little milestone: 25 million MP3 players sold. Creative was actually first to the mass market with a hard drive-based MP3 player, the Nomad Jukebox, which hit stores in 2000, a year before the iPod graced Mac users…

Gadgets Matt Buchanan

Warner Music CEO Fesses Up to Music Industry’s Mistakes, Slams Mobile Operators, Pats Self on Back

Talking to suits at the GSMA Mobile Congress this week, Warner Music CEO Edgar Bronfman Jr. admitted the music industry is at least partly to blame for the woes it’s been mired in for years now as well as the fact that they’ve been “at war” with their customers: We expected our business would remain…

Tech News Matt Buchanan

RCA DTA800 Digital Converter for Analog TVs Updated, Delayed

We kinda forgot all about this little box for old folks with old TVs that was announced way back at CES and promised by the end of this year. It’s got a fresh paint job and later street date (January), dropping a little more than a year before analog broadcasts shutdown in 2009 in favor…

Gadgets Matt Buchanan

ATI TV Wonder 650 TV Tuner Finally Debuts for Macs

ATI’s TV Wonder 650 TV tuners have been out for PCs for a bit, but a Mac version of the Combo USB variety’s arriving just this month for $149, and it comes in a special white case—guess they didn’t get the memo silver’s the new white. It’s also sporting a polished new interface and parental…

Tech News Matt Buchanan

Matt Buchanan

Allard on Zune 1 Failing, Hitching Zune to Xbox, and the Phone Yet To Come

Amusing But Sad Video Shows Verizon Reps Misquoting Rates 93 Percent of the Time

54 Percent of Computer Users Admit to Stealing Wi-Fi

OLPC Founder Realizes Verbal Agreements Are Not Equivalent to Money

Google Going It Alone in Wireless Spectrum Auction to Open Own Wireless Network

Japanese 100Tbps Fiber Optics

Nanosolar PowerSheets Promise Cheap Solar Power Everywhere, Unlimited Gadget Energy

Galaxy Black Asus Eee PC Now Available

Comcast Kerplowed With Class Action Suit for P2P Blockage

Best Guitar Hero Controller Hack Yet: LED Backlit Buttons

LG Develops Smudge-Free LCD Screen: Touch Tablets Rejoice

$399 Ultraportable Apple Laptop: OS X on Asus EEE PC

Mac TV Wonder 650 Clear QAM Support Arriving End of the Month

LaserScan Sort of Long-Range Hidden-Camera Detector

Wolfking Dual Hockey Puck Gaming Keyboard Gets a Name, and It’s Hardcore: Warrior Xxtreme

Hippies Using Human Hair to Soak Up Oil Spills

Creative Sells 25 Millionth MP3 Player

Warner Music CEO Fesses Up to Music Industry’s Mistakes, Slams Mobile Operators, Pats Self on Back

RCA DTA800 Digital Converter for Analog TVs Updated, Delayed

ATI TV Wonder 650 TV Tuner Finally Debuts for Macs

UGREEN Bluetooth Tracker 4-Pack Now Just $7 Each With iOS and Android Support, While AirTag Stays at Full Price

Trump Posts Concept Art of His Presidential Library, and It’s AI Slop

Forget Tower Desktop, GMKtec Mini PC Drops to a Record Low as Amazon Clears Out Final Spring Sale Stock

‘Fallout’ Season 2 Was a Hit Despite That Unsatisfying Release Strategy Change

JBL Authentics 500 Retro-Style Home Speaker Hits 40% Off, Now at Its Lowest Price as Amazon’s Spring Sale Clearance Begins

ExpressVPN Spring Sale Special: Up to 73% Off + Free eSIM and Password Manager

You Too Will Learn to Fear the XenoFrog

Amazon Echo Dot Sees Its Last Price Drop in the Spring Sale, Final Hours Tick Down Ahead of an Uncertain Prime Day

Artemis 2 by the Numbers: Breaking Down NASA’s Big Return to the Moon

Apple Removes iPhone Vibe Coding App from App Store

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?

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