Matt Buchanan

I Got Shot by Iron Man

Unlike Robert Downey Jr.’s take on Iron Man, this version, remote controlled by a wrist-mounted repulsor gauntlet, apparently does not like cameras. It shot me. It moves pretty quick across obstacle-free surfaces, but it’s a bit too clunky for a real roller derby. It’s $50, which is pricey, but it does shoot missiles at people.…

Wanna Join My Transformers Street Gang?

This hat is how we roll. And we beat down any fools wearing this Optimus Punkass cap: Toy Fair is the annual event where we get to completely regress back to childhood and check out all of the awesome toys coming out for the rest of the year. And well, we love toys.

Enough Stars Wars Toys to Drive Even the Most Understanding Spouse to Divorce

The Star Wars universe is basically infinite, but out of thousands of stories, the original trilogy is still the heart. So I’m really excited Hasbro’s 2010 toys focus on Empire for its 30th anniversary, down to vintage figure packaging. None are quite as epic as this hulking AT-AT, but the Boba Fett helmet and vintage…

The Boba Fett helmet turns you into a bounty hunter with a light-up tracking scope, oh yes. Can you say, Transformer Obi-Wan Kenobi? Annnd Transformer Skywalker. Who is Cad Bane? Why is he a Transformer too? I’m sorry about the overly shallow depth of field. Bad lighting, hand held camera, no flash. =( The Snow…

The Boba Fett helmet turns you into a bounty hunter with a light-up tracking scope, oh yes. The Snow Speeder, now with more realistic scale! (No really.) The new, um, vintage packaging is modeled after the original Kenner figures. Very awesome. Vintage Vader. The new, um, vintage packaging is modeled after the original Kenner figures.…

The New WebKit BlackBerry Browser: Yes, It’s Actually Good

This is swanky. RIM’s showing off BlackBerry’s new WebKit-based browser, and yes, it’s fast! JavaScript actually loads! It even scored a perfect 100 in the Acid3 rendering test. Still months away, but we’ll take it. [BlackBerryRocks] https://gizmodo.com/rim-gobbles-up-torch-mobile-translation-blackberrys-g-5344237

Newspaper and Magazine Publishers Already Having an iPad Crisis Moment

As expected, the tricky question of “How we gonna get paid?” has reportedly become a sticking point in Apple’s negotiations with newspaper and magazine publishers. Put simply, subscriber information is deeply valuable, and Apple doesn’t want to to share it. https://gizmodo.com/pondering-the-apple-tablets-print-revolution-5456803 Demographics are everything to magazine (and blog) publishers. It’s how you sell ads. Under…

BlackBerry Loves AT&T More Than It Loves You

Even as Windows Phone has emerged from the Dark Ages, there’s still a gaping chasm between BlackBerry and consumers, which RIM CEO Mike Lazaridis makes clear as he warns that people’s phones need to use less of them internets. https://gizmodo.com/windows-phone-7-series-everything-is-different-now-5471805 “Manufacturers had better start building more efficient applications and more efficient services. There is no…

Steve Jobs: The Authorized Biography Coming to iBooks (and Other Fine Establishments)

There’ve been many books documenting the life of Steve Jobs, attempts to worm inside of Steve’s brain. The NYT reports that Walter Isaacson, Time magazine’s former managing editor, will write the first authorized biography, however. Steve’s supposedly invited Isaacson to tour his childhood home, even. I wonder what kind of conditions Isaacson had to agreed…

Aperture 3 Swallowing Hard Drives Whole With Crazy Memory Leak

Lotsa people are having serious memory leak problems with Aperture 3—even our Wilson, who woke up this morning to find that Aperture had eaten his entire hard drive, using it all for virtual memory. https://gizmodo.com/apple-aperture-3-brings-a-little-bit-of-iphoto-to-pro-p-5467543 Apple’s in “no comment” mode. Which hopefully means “no comment because we’re so busy working on a patch.” [CW]

Is There App Multitasking in Windows Phone 7? (Hint: It’s a Lot Like the iPhone)

Multitasking’s been a bugaboo for the iPhone since like forever, which Droid and the Pre have gleefully exploited. But what about Windows Phone 7? Well, it sounds like it multitasks in the same sense that the iPhone does. We asked Joe Belfiore, the director of Windows Phone, what’s up with multitasking, and here’s what he…

Be Gizmodo’s New York Intern

I’m going to need someone to prop up my iPad while I play Xbox on my phone and drink coffee, so we need some more interns in New York City. https://gizmodo.com/how-will-xbox-live-work-on-windows-phone-7-5471950 But this time, we’re looking for a few different kinds of interns. Four different kinds, to be precise: Writing Intern: Your main task assisting…

Windows Phone 7 Series: Everything Is Different Now

It’s astounding that until this moment, three years after the iPhone, the biggest software company in the world basically didn’t compete in mobile. Windows Phone 7 Series is more than the Microsoft smartphone we’ve been waiting for. Everything’s different now. Today, at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Microsoft is publicly previewing Windows Phone 7 for…

Adobe AIR for Smartphones Wants to Be One Platform to Rule Them All

Adobe’s launching AIR, its cross-platform runtime, for smartphones. Why’s that a big deal? It theoretically means developers can write an app once, and it’ll work on tons of OSes—at least any that support AIR. Oh, and the iPhone. Android’s the first to get AIR, but WebOS, BlackBerrry and Windows Mobile are slated to get it…

“Just Make Sure You Don’t Touch the Sid-” *ZAP*

Well, that was a gimme. Toy Fair is the annual event where we get to completely regress back to childhood and check out all of the awesome toys coming out for the rest of the year. And well, we love toys.

Tony Starch Prefers Vodka Martinis

Iron Mr. Potato Head Man. Yes. Toy Fair is the annual event where we get to completely regress back to childhood and check out all of the awesome toys coming out for the rest of the year. And well, we love toys.

Shouting “I AM IRON MAN” Sounds Far More Credible In This Helmet

The new Iron Man helmet is too cool: It opens and closes slowly, just like in the movie, lights up, and JARVIS talks to you. Not bad, for $35. There’s also a redesigned Replusor glove that does the whole “yeoooowwwBOOOSHH” sound effect when you fire it at tanks, pets or small children, and Arc Lights…

Poke Two Jedi’s Eyes Out at the Same Time With General Grievous’s Insane Spinny Lightsaber

There’s a badass scene in the Clone Wars cartoon where General Grievous cuts down six Jedi, by himself, using some insane spinning saber techniques. This twirling dual-bladed Grievous lightsaber will let you do that to your friends. In other toy lightsaber news, with the next releases, the blades will actually screw off, meaning when you’re…

This Incredibly Massive AT-AT Walker Holds 20 Figures and Crushes Pet Rebellions

This two-foot tall AT-AT Walker is very possibly the most ridiculous boys’ dollhouse ever constructed. It is goddamn enormous. It holds over 20 figures; Luke Skywalker even dangles between its legs. You have to see this thing up close: It’s the largest toy AT-AT Hasbro’s ever produced, and amazingly, it’s only $100. STAR WARS AT-AT…

In Defense of the Letter

Analog means more than digital. It’s real, for one thing. Something real is maimed in the process of recording. And it’s slow. Pulp doesn’t teleport, like bits. If you write somebody a letter, you mean it. Bits are circumspect, at best. They’re alterable. Transient. Intangible. Destructible. A letter that’s typed is smashed onto paper, one…