Matt Buchanan, Author at Gizmodo

The “i” in iTunes Doesn’t Stand for “International”

Paul Collins has a great piece detailing the restrictions blocking users from buying tracks on iTunes across national lines. For instance, if you switch your country setting to Japan looking to score some Japan X or Gackt tracks, your US credit card tags you as “illegal,” barring your entry into international digital cosmopolitanism. Of course,…

Tech News Matt Buchanan

Google Announces Plan to Open Online Bookstore; World Domination Details to Follow

We knew that the beta of Google Book Search really was, for once, just a beta version of a much grander project. Now we know what that project is. BusinessWeek is reporting that Google has disclosed to publishers its intentions to expand its Book Search beyond a mere search and preview service into one where…

Tech News Matt Buchanan

Mike Elgan: Jobs Blew iPhone Keynote

We know you’re all sick of our fawning over the iPhone, so in the interest of something different, we bring you Mike Elgan’s rundown of how the iPhone announcement was less than picture-perfect. He’s totally unbiased, as the former editor of Windows Magazine. In sum, Mike lists the screwups of his Steveness as: • Made…

Tech News Matt Buchanan

Rumor: Apple Charging $30 for Final Boot Camp for Tiger

Based on some documents they’ve snagged, MacScoop is reporting that the final version of Boot Camp for Tiger will run users 30 bucks. It will probably be dropping at the same time as OS X Leopard, which will feature Boot Camp natively. The beta version of Boot Camp currently available kicks the bucket at the…

Tech News Matt Buchanan

Thieves Swipe 42 iPod nanos, Not Realizing Two 80 GB iPods Would’ve Done the Trick

A 30-pound Plexiglas display case containing 42 iPod nanos walked out of an Apple Store in Boulder, CO, courtesy of either very sneaky shoplifters, snoozing store clerks, or some devious combination of the two. You’d think someone walking out of an Apple Store carrying a big glass box filled with $8705 worth of nanos would…

Tech News Matt Buchanan

Top 5 Creative Uses for a Mac mini, Sort Of

TechEBlog’s editors have put together a list of the top five creative uses for the somewhat underexposed Mac mini. While I suppose they’re all creative, one of them is pretty useless, so it’d probably be more apt to call it the top four creative uses for the Mac Mini, since the word “use” implies that…

Tech News Matt Buchanan

Revived, Ominpresent AT&T to Customers: “I Am a Benevolent Master”

Are you waking up in the middle of the night in cold sweat, worrying that your new iPhone with its $2k ultimate price tag is going to rape your checking account? Well fear not, true believers, the switch to AT&T (we might as well dispense with this Cingular business) may actually save you money! https://gizmodo.com/iphone-roundup-true-cost-3d-and-ringtones-229094…

Tech News Matt Buchanan

Rumor: Sidekick 3 Short Bus Edition Coming

Leak machine FCC lets another one slip, this time a possible new pared down Sidekick 3. The docs peg it with a model number in between that of the Sidekick II and 3, but we’re not sure what kind of features it’s going to be missing other than Bluetooth. No word on when it’s hitting…

Tech News Matt Buchanan

A Beautiful Moment: The Birth of a Plasma TV

BusinessWeek put up a pretty nifty slideshow depicting the creation of plasma sets, from cutting the glass sheets to sitting in your living room. While it’s not necessary knowledge to get the most out of your set, it’s cool nonetheless. I mean, it accompanies some article detailing the plasma/LCD rivalry, but who the hell wants…

Tech News Matt Buchanan

Backpedal: XM + Sirus = I Guess It Could Happen

After telling us yesterday that an XM/Sirius merger would happen on the fifth of Nevermore, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin engaged in a bit of serious personal reflection, and realized that the rules blocking such an unholy union could be changed. All someone has to do is ask. Gee, that sounds simple. It’s nice to know…

Tech News Matt Buchanan

XM + Sirius = Oh Wait, It’s Not Going to Happen

After much speculation, it appears that the prophesized — and hoped for — union of XM and Sirius simply isn’t meant to be. At least, that’s what FCC Chairman Kevin Martin says, posturing that such a merger wouldn’t win approval under the FCC’s current rulebook, given that the regulations that brought both of them into…

Tech News Matt Buchanan

Minority Report Touch Interface for Real

The iPhone’s new touch interface might be nice, but it’s nowhere near as involved as the future UI envisioned in Minority Report, where Tom Cruise could drag objects across the screen and manipulate them in all kinds of ways, or “push” them aside to bring up something new. Jeff Han, a research scientist at NYU’s…

Gadgets Matt Buchanan

1-Minute Update: Samsung Ultra Music Phone Headed to Sprint

A couple of days ago I mentioned in my review of the Ultra Music that the Samsung rep wouldn’t budge on who the U.S. carrier would be, only admitting after some prodding that it would be a CDMA phone. Well, our favorite publicly funded leak machine, the FCC, has apparently let it slip that Sprint…

Gadgets Matt Buchanan

Wii LAN Adapter Now Available for the Four People Who Don’t Have WiFi

If for some reason you’ve been standing around with your Wii in your hands waiting to get it online without a wireless router or USB dongle, you can set it down now and get some Intarweb juices flowing with a regular ethernet cable. The Wii LAN adapter is now available online from ShopNintendo for $25,…

Tech News Matt Buchanan

The Official “Will You Marry Me?” Optical Mouse

Ah, the North Hall, the ghetto of CES. Home of Asian OEMs, where you can find all kinds of crap that you neither want nor need. Take for instance, the GTMS-3000 Mini Finger Optical Mouse from Guann Tau. With the “ergonomic and humanization design” touted by its flyer, you simply slip the mouse’s strap over…

Tech News Matt Buchanan

Phone Grope and Gallery: Samsung Ultra Music SGH-F300

We told you about the Ultra Music back in December. Well at CES, we got personally acquainted with it when I mentioned the word “iPhone” to a Samsung rep, who swiftly brought us to the phone to check it out. iPhone it ain’t, but sweeter than Chocolate it is. And then there’s the second screen.…

Gadgets Matt Buchanan, Photos by Ben Longo

Tell Me It’s a Lie: Cell Phones Coming to Airplanes

The New York Times gives us two horrific cell phone stories in a single day. First, an airline based in Dubai has apparently done its customers the “service” of enabling cell phone usage on one of its Boeing 777s by outfitting it with a satellite setup. The horrifying part is that approval for such madness…

Privacy & Security Matt Buchanan

Circuit City Store Layouts Getting Overhauled, Might Suck Less

Looking to gain some ground against arch-rival Best Buy and online retailers, Circuit City is debuting a redesigned store model in June. Rather than try the bigger and badder approach, they’re actually shrinking stores by a third, presumably utilizing a more economical setup in order to cut costs, though details are sketchy at this point.…

Tech News Matt Buchanan

Want Some 802.11n Action? Mac Owners, Get Your Wallets Out

Owners of most Core 2 Duo-based Macs already have machines with native 802.11n wireless support. You just can’t use it right now. If you want to unlock it without dropping $180 on the new 802.11n AirPort Extreme that launches in February, however, you’ll need to pay five bucks to download the AirPort Extreme 802.11n Enabler…

Tech News Matt Buchanan

Cue the iPhone Blasphemers: The Times Speaks of iHandcuffs

Responding to the iPhone revelation in the New York Times today, Randall Stross launches a harsh — but familiar — excoriation of Apple’s FairPlay DRM system. He argues, among other things that: Even if you are ready to pledge a lifetime commitment to the iPod as your only brand of portable music player or to…

Tech News Matt Buchanan

Matt Buchanan

The “i” in iTunes Doesn’t Stand for “International”

Google Announces Plan to Open Online Bookstore; World Domination Details to Follow

Mike Elgan: Jobs Blew iPhone Keynote

Rumor: Apple Charging $30 for Final Boot Camp for Tiger

Thieves Swipe 42 iPod nanos, Not Realizing Two 80 GB iPods Would’ve Done the Trick

Top 5 Creative Uses for a Mac mini, Sort Of

Revived, Ominpresent AT&T to Customers: “I Am a Benevolent Master”

Rumor: Sidekick 3 Short Bus Edition Coming

A Beautiful Moment: The Birth of a Plasma TV

Backpedal: XM + Sirus = I Guess It Could Happen

XM + Sirius = Oh Wait, It’s Not Going to Happen

Minority Report Touch Interface for Real

1-Minute Update: Samsung Ultra Music Phone Headed to Sprint

Wii LAN Adapter Now Available for the Four People Who Don’t Have WiFi

The Official “Will You Marry Me?” Optical Mouse

Phone Grope and Gallery: Samsung Ultra Music SGH-F300

Tell Me It’s a Lie: Cell Phones Coming to Airplanes

Circuit City Store Layouts Getting Overhauled, Might Suck Less

Want Some 802.11n Action? Mac Owners, Get Your Wallets Out

Cue the iPhone Blasphemers: The Times Speaks of iHandcuffs

Even the ‘Avatar’ Fighting Game Is Disrespecting ‘Legend of Korra’

Bluesky Has a New App, and It’s All About AI

Dammit, Jim, He’s a Doctor *And* an Action Figure!

Whatever Just Happened with ‘Fruit Love Island,’ Nobody Won

AMC Puts a Stake in ‘Talamasca’ After One Season

Aqara Smart Lock U400 Review: Hands-free Unlocking at Its Best

2027 Is Shaping Up to Be a Great Year for Big Sci-Fi RPGs

MSI Prestige 14 Flip AI+ Review: A Solid 2-in-1 Laptop With Some Glaring Flaws

Ahead of the SpaceX IPO, xAI Has Now Shed All 11 of Its Non-Elon Musk Founders

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

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

Dammit, Jim, He’s a Doctor And an Action Figure!