Sam Biddle, Author at Gizmodo

Flying YouTube Packets Prove Visualization Can Make Anything Pretty

Next time you’re watching an inane YouTube video, close your eyes and imagine these graceful dots instead—each representing a packet sent between your computer and YouTube’s servers. The video represents only 4 seconds of a RickRoll, slowed 12x. A lot goes on behind the scenes while you’re waiting for that forwarded clip of a cat…

Tech News Sam Biddle

A Flash Drive So Small You Can Leave It In

Need some extra storage? Sounding like something out of a TV infomercial, LaCie’s new MosKeyto (Get it? Geeeet it?) is so tiny, you won’t even know it’s there! But really, this thing is clever—stick it in and forget. On the other hand, the 20 mm (extending only 6 mm out of your laptop!) MosKeyto would…

Tech News Sam Biddle

The Ugly Carpets of Vegas are Hideously Clever Social Engineering at Work

Something this horrific can’t possibly be an accident. I mean, it takes genius to come up with something so offensive to the eye. Sure enough, the crazily appalling carpets that adorn Vegas casinos are designed to keep you gambling. Like some sort of vile afterbirth after a meeting of the 1990s and an insane asylum…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Ringtone Creation Stripped From iTunes 10

For reasons unknown, it appears Apple has removed from iTunes 10 the ability to create ringtones out of your songs for $0.99. The feature is still intact in previous versions of iTunes. [Mac Life]

Tech News Sam Biddle

Canon’s Omnidirectional Camera Is a 50 Megapixel Eye That Looks Everywhere at Once

Panoramic photography can be tricky. What’s better? Canon’s camera that shoots a single, 360° image. The tech uses a giant, 50 megapixel CMOS sensor and aspheric mirror to capture a sharp, sweeping photo, exceeding the human eye’s measly 120° view. The resulting high-detail imagery can fluidly viewed and navigated without the seams and perspectival glitches…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Sony Takes Out Their Google-Powered Internet TV For a Spin

Sony’s Internet TV is at IFA, demonstrating how Google TV might make your soccer—or football, rather—watching experience more interesting. No further details on the hardware side of things, but the UI looks polished, and more importantly, pretty useful. Stats-heavy programming like sports makes a great test scenario for the Google TV platform, allowing you to…

Tech News Sam Biddle

This Rock-Slicing, Nanotechnology-Packing Super Steel Was Forgotten 250 Years Ago

If you were on a battlefield say, 700 years ago, Damascus steel mattered. The super-strong blades were fabled in their age, said to have sliced through the swords of foes and solid rock. Then we forgot how to make it. 6th century Metalworkers in India and Sri Lanka were the first to begin crafting the…

Tech News Sam Biddle

The New Apple TV

Apple has revealed its new, streaming-only Apple TV. And it’s just 1/4 the size of the old one. The tiny successor will pack built-in power supply, HDMI, ethernet, and 802.11n wireless, priced down to $99. (UPDATED: Now with hands on) The official presentation The main features The new Apple TV will stream rental movies directly…

Tech News Sam Biddle

What iOS 4.1 Does For You

Apple will release a new version of iOS4, adding HDR photo capture, fixing iPhone 3G performance, and finally adding Game Center support. The 4.1 update will be available next week for iPhone and iPod touch (though not all models). Steve Jobs brought out developers from Epic Games to show off a ‘Epic Sword,’ a graphically…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Panasonic’s 3D Blu-ray Media Bar Goes Right Up on the Wall

Those crunched for space (and keen on looks) might consider Panasonic’s SC-BFT800, a wall-mountable, all-in-one Blu-ray affair. Packing speakers, 3D Blu-ray playback, WiFi connectivity, and iPod support into one bar, the unit also offers virtual 7.2 support with wireless subwoofer. [Panasonic] Panasonic recently announced the release of a slim and wall-mountable FULL HD 3D Blu-ray…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Archos Fires Scattershot of Android Touchscreen Devices

Rather than competing against the iPad with a single, carefully-crafted tablet, Archos is hoping one of its five new mobile devices will appeal to someone. The line ranges from 2.8″ to 10.1″, though the smaller devices aren’t much competition. The Archos 28 and 32 ($100 and $150 respectively) seem more like overpowered PMPs than tablet…

Tech News Sam Biddle

This iPhone Case Is Made From Dead Plants

I want to say one word to you. Just one word. Bioplastics. At a glance, these iPhone cases from Bioserie aren’t anything special, but their manufacturing process deserves some attention. The “Made From Plants” line is made out of plants. Free from toxins and made with less greenhouse emissions than your typical plastic case, the…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Netgear Debuts First Powerline Wireless N Extender

Home networking is almost always a bitch. But Netgear’s new (and first of its kind) wireless N and powerline networking combo might simplify the process, adding a high-throughput Wi-Fi bubble, riding along your home wiring, to any free electrical outlet. Netgear says the AV 200 will extend your existing WiFi network—taking the wireless signal in…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Apple to Launch Netflix-Enabled Apple TV?

Bloomberg is reporting that Apple will launch a new version of Apple TV at tomorrow’s press event, packing built-in support for Netflix movie streaming. A Netflix subscription will still be required, according to Bloomberg’s anonymous insiders. We’ll find out soon. [Bloomberg Businessweek]

Tech News Sam Biddle

T-Mobile’s G2 Gets Its Official Specs and Photos Leaked

The first official images and specs of T-Mobile’s HSPA+ Adroid G2 have emerged, via CellPhone Signal. We’d seen the phone before (and the specs are no surprise), but these press photos sure beat the crappy quality of last time. https://gizmodo.com/get-your-first-look-at-t-mobiles-leaked-g2-5617814 Spec-wise, the phone will (officially) pack a 3.7″ OLED display, 1 Ghz Snapdragon processor, 5…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Hands On With Stream TV’s Surprising, Open Source-Friendly Tablet

If anyone unseats the iPad, the victor might be the one that doesn’t try to beat Apple at its own game. We checked out Stream TV’s eLocity Android tablet firsthand, and this plucky contender may put up a serious fight. To say that the eLocity A7 isn’t going directly head to head with the iPad…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Treat Your Fingers to the Best of Both Worlds With a Modded USB Typewriter

With one foot in the present and another firmly in the past, these DIY instructions will turn that beautiful vintage typewriter in the attic into an awesome part of your digital routine. And give you some serious literary street cred. Each mod will take you between five and ten hours depending on ability, but if…

Tech News Sam Biddle

The Inspiration Behind the Polaroid Breakthrough? An Impatient Daughter

When most kids complain about something taking too long, their father’s response isn’t usually as generous as pioneering an innovation that spans the next half a century. But Edwin Land, creator of Polaroid, was not your average dad. Edwin Land was already an accomplished inventor by 1947, having created the first polarized camera filters (the…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Arcade Fire and Google Pushing HTML5 Together

At first, it might look like a bad memory from a late-90s porn misclick—a flurry of browser windows filling your screen. But a new collaboration between Google and Arcade Fire is looking to the future, showcasing HTML5’s power. Rather than stick a traditional music video on YouTube, Arcade Fire’s “The Wilderness Downtown” is a Chrome…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Tiny Fake DSLR Is Way More Adorable Than Real DSLR

A tiny, non-functional camera. It sounds dumb. But then you look at it. And it is so cute. And—the meticulous detail! Pick it up. Pose your gerbil with it. Now your gerbil is a photographer. Not dumb anymore! Each 1/6 scale camera is only an inch wide, and comes with a set of interchangeable lenses,…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Sam Biddle

Flying YouTube Packets Prove Visualization Can Make Anything Pretty

A Flash Drive So Small You Can Leave It In

The Ugly Carpets of Vegas are Hideously Clever Social Engineering at Work

Ringtone Creation Stripped From iTunes 10

Canon’s Omnidirectional Camera Is a 50 Megapixel Eye That Looks Everywhere at Once

Sony Takes Out Their Google-Powered Internet TV For a Spin

This Rock-Slicing, Nanotechnology-Packing Super Steel Was Forgotten 250 Years Ago

The New Apple TV

What iOS 4.1 Does For You

Panasonic’s 3D Blu-ray Media Bar Goes Right Up on the Wall

Archos Fires Scattershot of Android Touchscreen Devices

This iPhone Case Is Made From Dead Plants

Netgear Debuts First Powerline Wireless N Extender

Apple to Launch Netflix-Enabled Apple TV?

T-Mobile’s G2 Gets Its Official Specs and Photos Leaked

Hands On With Stream TV’s Surprising, Open Source-Friendly Tablet

Treat Your Fingers to the Best of Both Worlds With a Modded USB Typewriter

The Inspiration Behind the Polaroid Breakthrough? An Impatient Daughter

Arcade Fire and Google Pushing HTML5 Together

Tiny Fake DSLR Is Way More Adorable Than Real DSLR

Artemis 2 Live Updates: Countdown to the Moon 🔴

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

Of Course, ‘The Super Mario Galaxy Movie’ Post Credit Scene Is Another Big Cameo

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?