Sam Biddle, Author at Gizmodo

Is the Internet Crashing Across America? (Update: Probably Not!)

Don’t break out your shotgun, gas mask, and emergency rations, but make sure you know where they are: it looks like an enormous chunk of the Internet in North America is dead. According to the Internet Traffic Report, which “monitors the flow of data around the world,” we’re in the midst of some kind of…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Sad Man Faces 40 Years in Prison for Pretending to Own Facebook

Paul Ceglia, the upstate New York wood pellet salesman who claimed to co-own Facebook with Zuck, was just arrested at home on fraud charges. AP reports He could spend his next 40 years in prison. If you’re tempted—don’t. Ceglia’s claims were always pretty laughable, hinging on (doctored) messages he claimed to have exchanged with Zuckerberg,…

Social Media Sam Biddle

Tim Cook Says Surface Is a Dumb Idea*

*Not verbatim, but pretty much. During Apple’s quarterly earnings call, Cook just dissed Microsoft’s new kinda-tablet-kinda-computer thing. “I suppose you could design a car that flies and floats,” Mr. Cook quipped. That’s sarcasm. Mean, corporate sarcasm! https://gizmodo.com/apple-earns-8-2-billion-by-selling-nearly-30-million-i-5955007 Cook also referred to the device as “compromised” and “confusing” when asked by an investor what he thought…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Is It Immoral to Own an iPhone 5?

So many things are made in China: DVD players, handbags, adorable shoes, kitchen gadgets, watches, t-shirts, laptops, and more. Some of them are made in happy, shiny factories. Some are born out of deplorable labor conditions that ruin and cost lives. We usually don’t know which. But it’s different with Apple and its widely publicized…

Tech News Sam Biddle

China Finally Cracks Apple’s Secret iPhone 5 Cable: Here Come the Cheap Clones

Apple doesn’t want you buying cables for your iPhone 5 (or new iPads) from anyone other than Apple, because it charges a fat $20 for each one. Luckily, we can now confirm a flood of cheap knockoff cables are real. https://gizmodo.com/first-look-at-whats-inside-apples-new-dock-adapter-its-5950947 We already know there’s a tiny security chip inside every Lightning cable that’s mandatory—the…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Microsoft Surface RT Review: This Is Technological Heartbreak

Surface was the single biggest genuine tech surprise of the year so far. Microsoft tantalized us with a tablet that made the iPad look stale. Its snap-on keyboard made all laptops look immediately old fashioned. And it promised The Future of Computers. We hadn’t looked forward to something this much in a long, long time.…

Reviews Sam Biddle

Watch the iPad Mini Livestream Right Here

We’ll be liveblogging our butts off today when Apple drops new goodies, but if you want to watch what’s happening in California too, we’ve got your video right here. We know the tiny tween-sized iPads are coming—but what else? New MacBooks! New Mac Minis! A new iPhone? No, definitely not. Will Foo Fighters take the…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Banana Boat Sunscreen Might Set You on Fire

Sunscreen is good for you, and not just because your mom told you so. It can help prevent skin cancer! Unless it’s one of these just-recalled Banana Boat variants, in which case you might die in flames. According to a press release from “Energizer Holdings,” which apparently owns Banana Boat (who knew!), the defect lies…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Be Nice to Your Sad Friends with BlackBerries

Plato said “Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” This is particularly true if you meet someone using a BlackBerry, perhaps the hardest of all battles. But they don’t deserve pity. Around BlackBerry users, we must remember manners, courtesy, and a few basic rules of kindness. Don’t be a snob. Gadget…

Tech News Sam Biddle

This No-Name Chinese Company Could Kick Sony’s 4k Ass

There’s little doubt Sony’s monstrous 84-inch 4k TV will be a high resolution atom bomb of a TV. There’s also no doubt it costs $25,000, about as much as an actual atom bomb. Hisense is selling a 4k unit for under $6,000. Do the math. https://gizmodo.com/sonys-monster-4k-tv-costs-more-than-a-car-5940793 Major, major caveat: Hisense’s XT880 is 50 inches, whereas…

Gadgets Sam Biddle

NSFW: A Giant List of People Crying on Webcams and One Is Naked

Oh, so your life is rough? Your stepmom won’t buy you an iPhone? What are you going to do, sit at your computer, topless, and cry? And then someone will collect them all into a really unsettling Tumblr? OK, cool. Web Cam Tears is exactly what it sounds like. Videos of people sobbing, weeping, sniffling,…

Tech News Sam Biddle

America Breaks Record for Flying Most Killer Drones at the Same Time

Drones that fly for days and kill people from miles away are the future of warfare. But before they can become the present of warfare, we have to be able to able to fly many simultaneously. We’re on our way! At Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico, ten weaponized drones flew together—six MQ-9 Reapers…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Inside Surface: Microsoft’s Insane Quest for Gadget Perfection

Surface, the sorta-tablet-sorta-laptop that shouts the future, goes on sale today. We got to peek (and touch, a little bit!) behind the scenes, with access to Microsoft’s secret labs never granted to anyone else before. So, should you buy a Surface? Very possibly—the thing seems pretty fantastic. https://gizmodo.com/microsoft-surface-rt-tablet-500-for-32gb-of-windows-8-5952106 At least, that’s what Microsoft is screaming…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Foxconn Workers on Strike After iPhone 5 Starts Brawls (Updated)

The underpaid, overworked Chinese workers of Foxconn have had enough, according to a new report by China Labor Watch: thousands have gone on strike over immense iPhone manufacturing pressure and fistfights with their bosses. UPDATE: Foxconn is claiming that there are no strikes going on, everything is normal, and that production at all plants is…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Why Does the United States Air Force Have the Weirdest Twitter on Earth?

The US Air Force has spent over $60 billion on the F-22, a fighter that doesn’t really work and sometimes chokes people. How much is it spending on Twitter? Judging by the output, negative $50,000. It’s hard to figure out exactly what the taxpayer-funded @usairforce is there for. It’s a mix of historical blips, links…

Tech News Sam Biddle

The First Time the Public Ever Saw a Polaroid

Polaroid, that thing that happened before Instagram happened, is one of the fascinating untold tech stories of our time. In the recently released Instant: The Story of Polaroid, Christopher Bonanos recounts the stunning day the inventors of Polaroid first unveiled their new technology. Excerpt from Chapter 3: Seeing It Now An ad executive once said…

Books & Comics Sam Biddle

How To Talk About the Election Online Without Pissing Everyone Off

Barack Bin Laden Obama is a socialist who wants to tax this country into oblivion and pay lazy people not to work. Mittens Mormon Romney is a stale snake who only cares about rich white people. The election is near, and we’re going to want to talk about these things online. But there’s a way…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Can Apple Surprise Us Anymore?

That iPhone 5 up there isn’t an iPhone 5. It’s a flawless computer image we had months before we ever saw the real thing, made possible by the fact that we knew exactly what it was going to look like. Exactly. Everyone did. We used to look forward to iPhone day like Christmas morning, or…

Tech News Sam Biddle

What If Tech Companies Used These Beautiful Vintage Logos?

Google has one of the most iconic logos of all time, in spite of itself. There’s nothing charming about it except for its massive, comforting familiarity. But what if Google (and the rest) swapped in a luscious, retro look? British designer Alex Leyton gave Google, Facebook, YouTube, and plenty more a serif makeover with the…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Facebook Is Reading Your Messages and Liking Things For You (Updated: Not as Bad as We Thought)

You might think clicking “Like” is the only way to stamp that public FB affirmation on something—you’re wrong. Facebook is checking your private messages and automatically liking things you talk about. Update: Sort of. The scanning which is either an oversight on Facebook’s part of a deliberate effort—we’re waiting to hear back from FB increases…

Social Media Sam Biddle

Sam Biddle

Is the Internet Crashing Across America? (Update: Probably Not!)

Sad Man Faces 40 Years in Prison for Pretending to Own Facebook

Tim Cook Says Surface Is a Dumb Idea*

Is It Immoral to Own an iPhone 5?

China Finally Cracks Apple’s Secret iPhone 5 Cable: Here Come the Cheap Clones

Microsoft Surface RT Review: This Is Technological Heartbreak

Watch the iPad Mini Livestream Right Here

Banana Boat Sunscreen Might Set You on Fire

Be Nice to Your Sad Friends with BlackBerries

This No-Name Chinese Company Could Kick Sony’s 4k Ass

NSFW: A Giant List of People Crying on Webcams and One Is Naked

America Breaks Record for Flying Most Killer Drones at the Same Time

Inside Surface: Microsoft’s Insane Quest for Gadget Perfection

Foxconn Workers on Strike After iPhone 5 Starts Brawls (Updated)

Why Does the United States Air Force Have the Weirdest Twitter on Earth?

The First Time the Public Ever Saw a Polaroid

How To Talk About the Election Online Without Pissing Everyone Off

Can Apple Surprise Us Anymore?

What If Tech Companies Used These Beautiful Vintage Logos?

Facebook Is Reading Your Messages and Liking Things For You (Updated: Not as Bad as We Thought)

Sam Witwer Is Ready for Maul’s Moment

Watch and Follow Live as NASA Launches Its First Crewed Mission to the Moon in 54 Years 🔴

Anthropic Can’t Cover Up Its Claude Code Leak Fast Enough

Zach Cregger Recruits Second Zach for His Aunt Gladys Spinoff

Can You Run a Computer Without RAM? Surprisingly, Yes—But You’ll Be Miserable

How Adult Swim Skipped the April Fools’ Nonsense and Dropped a ‘Smiling Friends’ Claymation Horror Short Instead

Oracle Lays Off Thousands to Offset AI Spending

The Films and Shows You Should Be Streaming in April 2026

Chinese Startup Debuts Super-Bendy Robotic Arm for Orbital Repairs

Your Devices Are Targets. Bitdefender Shields Them All — For Less Than You Think

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

Nothing Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Which Pair of ANC Wireless Headphones Wins?