Bob Sorokanich

The Onion’s iPhone 6 vs Galaxy S5 Is the Only Review You Need to Read

The new iPhones have just hit the streets, and you know what that means: A million reviews comparing the Cupertino fruit stand’s newest smartphone to its toughest competition. Don’t waste your time. The Onion’s hilarious comparison is the only one you need to read. Once again, the internet’s gurus of piercing satire manage to get…

AppleCare repair and replacement costs are out: Under Apple’s protection plan, new screen comes in at $109 for the iPhone 6, $129 for the 6 Plus; out-of-warranty battery replacement is $79; and broken phone replacement runs $299 for the 6, $329 for the 6 Plus. [AppleCare via iMore]

The Reality of the iPhone Line Is a Black Market Nightmare

This week, people camped outside Apple stores for days anticipating the iPhone 6. But those line-waiters weren’t all frenzied Apple fans high on the joy of a new smartphone: As filmmaker Casey Neistat portrays it, many of the line-sitters were buying the new iPhone to immediately resell it on the black market. It’s hard to…

Gmail No Longer Forces New Users to Make a Google+ Account

Google’s free email service is great—tons of people use it. Google+ isn’t nearly as popular, even though new Gmail users have been forced to connect to a Google+ account for years. Now, Google’s making that social service integration optional. Finally. WordStream noticed yesterday that new Gmail sign-ups are no longer required to connect a Google+…

Watch 2001: A Space Odyssey As a 60-Second Cartoon

2001: A Space Odyssey earns the term “epic” more than almost any other movie. The two-hour-and-forty-one-minute cinema classic is an absolute must-watch. But if you don’t have that kind of time, Speedrun just very loosely condensed the plot down to a mere 60 seconds. Okay, so you’re not actually getting any insight into the plot…

Elon Musk: Self-Driving Teslas Are Just Six Years Away

Tesla Motors founder/CEO/madman-in-chief Elon Musk is feeling bullish on self-driving cars: He just told The Wall Street Journal that his all-electric car company will have autonomous vehicles six years from now, and they’ll run circles around foolish human drivers. In an interview with WSJ, Musk highlighted the safety improvement he foresees in us handing over…

121 new Lego models revealed in confidential catalog leak

A confidential Lego catalog for 2015 has been leaked, revealing 121 images of new sets. Users have posted a full mirror of the 121-image haul here, including some really cool models like this Flatiron Building in the Architecture line: Technic gets some cool new vehicles, including the Street Motorcycle and Long-Distance Race Car: And most…

Apple Won’t Turn Over Your iPhone’s Data to Police If You’re Using iOS 8

Here’s a new feature of iOS 8 that we weren’t expecting: Apple announced tonight that the new software makes it impossible for Apple to turn over the data on an iOS 8-equipped iPhone or iPad to U.S. law enforcement, even in the presence of a search warrant. Chalk one up for privacy. With iOS 8,…

Go Download iOS 8 Right Now

Apple users, it’s here—the final, stable, built-for-the-regular-public version of iOS 8 has arrived. Back up your stuff so you don’t lose everything, and then go get that fresh new software! For your over-the-air update, just go to Settings > General > Software Update to download the latest OS. We will also post direct download links…

Don’t Put iOS 8 On Your iPhone 4S

Apple has made it so that that iOS 8, which goes out to the public today, will work on iPhones reaching all the way back to the venerable 4S. Which is good! But as Ars Technica found out the hard way, subjecting your elderly iPhone to new software may not be worth it. At least…

Ford Puts Voice-Activated IFTTT In Your Dashboard

IFTTT is a simple yet powerful way to put your digital stuff to work making your life easier, automatically. Now, thanks to a collaboration with Automatic, drivers of some 2011 or newer Ford vehicles can summon IFTTT with the push of a steering-wheel button. Earlier this year, Automatic introduced a $100 dongle that plugs into…

The MP3 Player Is Dead, And With It Goes a Generation

Welcome to Reading List, Gizmodo’s weekend roundup of the best writing from around the web. This week, we’ve got smart takes from Slate, NPR, Wired, and more. Ready your brains, dear readers. Mat Honan pens a piercing requiem for the iPod, whose death came unceremoniously with the Apple event this week. For over a decade,…

Twenty Years After He Hit the Scene, Biggie Still Hypnotizes

Ready to Die, the debut album from The Notorious B.I.G., debuted 20 years ago today. Biggie contemplated death for his entire musical life, and not three years after his first album hit, he was gone. But his influence sticks with us in a way few others, living or dead, can emulate. A lot has changed…

Here, Allegedly, Is the Windows 9 Notification Center In Action

This week,we saw leaked images of what was purported to be Windows 9, showing a new toolbar with search and a revamped Notification center on the system tray. Now, thanks to WinFuture, we get a video glimpse of how that Notification center might look in action. Don’t put too much stock in this early look.…

Publisher Accidentally Puts Porn Star on Math Textbook

Lazy Googling strikes again! A Thai textbook publisher had to recall 3,000 copies of a math textbook after it was discovered that one of the photos on the book’s cover came from a porn movie. Won’t somebody please think of the children? Publisher MuangThaiBook had to recall the textbook after someone realized that the suit-wearing…

Our Favorite Android, iOS, and Windows Phone Apps of the Week

This week may have been all about new phones, but that doesn’t mean your current glowing rectangle is left in the lurch. We’ve got some fine new apps for your Android, iPhone, or Windows Phone, because we like you just the way you are. Android Amazon The Everything Store added some neat new features to…

NYC’s Poop, Moto 360, Everything Apple Announced, and More

The biggest event in the tech world this week was, of course, the Apple event. But there was plenty going on outside of the Cupertino fruit stand. Here’s the best stuff we wrote this week, including a visit to the place where NYC sends all of its poop. Where New York City’s Poop Goes In…

Report: Microsoft Will Purchase the Makers of Minecraft on Monday

This week we brought you the news that Microsoft is reportedly looking to purchase Mojang, the Swedish developer behind the wildly successful game Minecraft. Now, Reuters says Microsoft will announce the $2.5 billion deal on Monday. Analysts speculate that the deal has to do with Microsoft’s need to boost Windows Phone: Minecraft has a loyal…

In the ’60s, your “wrong number” was likely the phone company’s error

Dial a phone number. Instead of the person you’re trying to reach, a stranger picks up. After a moment of confusion, you blurt out “sorry, wrong number,” and hang up. Was it your fault? In 1960s America, it might have been the phone company’s error, but AT&T was happy to let you blame yourself. In…

Apple Watch Will Play Music On Bluetooth Headphones, No iPhone Required

The Apple Watch we got a glimpse at this week is a powerful peripheral device, but most of its tricks require it to be tethered to an iPhone in the user’s pocket. Last night on Charlie Rose, Apple CEO Tim Cook revealed one thing the Watch can do on its own: Send music to your…