Sam Biddle, Author at Gizmodo

The Biggest Tech Disappointments of 2012

Lots of fun, good, and exciting things happened in our world this year. But there were still so many things that could’ve been truly great, but flopped. Broken promises. Awful gadgets. Here’s what broke Gizmodo’s heart in 2012. Microsoft Surface RT Surface is a bundle of terrific, brave ideas about what a computer should be,…

Tech News Sam Biddle

The 9 Worst Tech Buzzwords of 2012

Technology is about making and using cool new things that enrich our lives. But technology is also about using idiotic, tired words that mean next to nothing, designed to confuse us into wasting money. Here are the year’s stupidest offenders. Buzzwords are usually the rotten eggs laid by some marketing goon. Sometimes we popularize them…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Our 2012 Tech Company Report Cards: Who Flunked?

It’s the end of the year—and that means it’s the end of the semester. Before we all go on winter break, it’s time to have a tough conversation, kiddos. Grades are in. Who misbehaved? Who shined? Who got detention? Our pupils: the world’s technology companies. We graded them in a variety of subjects. Did they…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Facebook’s New Privacy Settings Are Here: This Is What You Need To Do Right Now

We saw a preview earlier this month, but now Facebook’s simplified, slimmed down privacy tools should be arriving on your profile. Any minute. Take control and untag those gross pictures you didn’t even know existed. https://gizmodo.com/facebook-has-new-privacy-settings-heres-whats-differen-5967881 There are two big changes you should care about right now: shortcuts and a beefed up activity feed that’ll…

Social Media Sam Biddle

Exclusive: Corrupt Apple Store Employees Come Forward Across America

We thought the crookedest little Apple Store in Texas was an isolated case. We were wrong: confessions from Apple’s retail squads around the country (and world) poured in. Apple has a serious naughty behavior problem on its hands, and the Evil Geniuses are speaking out. https://gizmodo.com/exclusive-confessions-from-the-most-corrupt-apple-stor-5936324 The sources we talked to this summer described an…

Tech News Sam Biddle

MySpace Tom Is a Prick

Remember MySpace? No, not the new one, but the old, horrible one, the acne of the Internet, the one with Tom’s dumb face plastered across it? Ever wonder what happened to him? He makes fun of regular people on Twitter. https://gizmodo.com/the-new-myspace-review-just-die-already-5965926 It went down like this: some nobody makes fun of MySpace imploding as a…

Tech News Sam Biddle

UGNazi Hackers Seize Another Westboro Baptist Church Hate Account

The lunatic power-bigots at the WBC are down another Twitter account—and this time it belongs to its leader’s son, Fred Phelps Jr. What’s more surprising is that Cosmo the God—yep, that one—is claiming responsibility. Like last time, the team at UGNazi is saying they’ve attained full control of a prominent WBC member’s account in retaliation…

Tech News Sam Biddle

The World’s Scariest Robot Now Listens to Its Human Master

There’s nothing on the planet that’s equal parts terrifying and spectacular quite like DARPA’s LS3 “Big Dog” robot. It has the horrific realism of an actual dog, mixed with the horrific robot quality of… a robot. Now it’s even more powerful. In the latest demo, DARPA shows Big Dog with some new tricks. Instead of…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Twitter Kills Anonymous’ (Semi) Official Account (Update: Back Online)

Nothing is truly official with Anonymous, but @YourAnonNews was the closest thing the hackers had to a spokesperson. Now it’s deactivated. This is a big blow to Anon’s power to organize (and boast) across the web. The suspension isn’t shocking, with regular calls to illegal activity and the sharing of personal information coming from the…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Google Accidentally Photographs Military Drone Landing

Around the clock, satellites are snapping and re-snapping the Earth’s surface from space. Also around the clock, weaponized killer drones are making the rounds—and it looks like the two just had a chance encounter. The scene above shows one of the Air Force’s MQ-9 Reaper drones preparing to touch down at Creech Air Force Base…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Report: Automatic Video Ads (With SOUND?) Coming To Your Facebook Feed

If you think the auto-play commercials on sites like ours are annoying, get ready to have it in your face times a billion: Ad Age says video ads are hitting Facebook. The transition, which AdAge’s anonymous industry sources say will begin in the first half of 2013, will stick video commercials in your browser, tablet,…

Social Media Sam Biddle

Stop Whining About Your Personal Data on Instagram You Little Whiny Baby

Have you heard the news? Instagram just updated its terms of service, and is giving itself permission to sell the photos you take to advertisers. Lots of users are weeping, threatening to quit, and screaming about privacy. https://gizmodo.com/your-instagram-data-is-now-officially-facebook-data-5969001 Counterpoint: shut up. The controversy can be pinned down to a few sentences of legalese that Instagram…

Privacy & Security Sam Biddle

Hackers Take Over Westboro Baptist Church Twitter (Updated)

We can all agree that the Westboro Baptist Church is the objectively worst collections of humans in the history of the species. And after planning to “protest” the funerals of dead children, the hackers at UGNazi got revenge. Update: We spoke with UGNazi. A Twitter account belonging to Shirley Phelps-Roper, a “lawyer” and “official spokesperson”…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Google vs. Apple Maps: Total Domination

Google Maps for iOS is so much better than Apple’s attempt at a replacement that it will make you giggle. But you can’t grasp just how much better—almost perfect—iOS Google Maps is unless you see it in action. Here it is, head-to-head with Apple Maps. It’s not even close. Google Maps is exactly what it…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Track North Korea’s Terror Death Satellite Live in Space

North Korea’s satellite is wobbling out of control, and might rain down fiery death debris at any moment. Want to make sure you’re not underneath when the sky falls? Track the thing in realtime right here. https://gizmodo.com/north-koreas-satellite-is-out-of-control-why-this-is-v-5968007 As I type this, the Bright Star-3 “weather satellite” (death weapon) is over Antarctica. Tomorrow? Who knows. Washington,…

Space & Spaceflight Sam Biddle

The Back To The Future Hoverboard Is 2012’s Worst Toy

The Back to the Future Hoverboard by Mattel is not a hoverboard. It’s a board at best. Really, it’s just a piece of chintzy pink plastic that you can buy for $120 if you’re a jerk. It doesn’t hover. The bar for high tech toys was set low by this year’s hell-creature Furby, which we…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Google Is Blocking Porn (Duh, NSFW) (Updated)

We didn’t see this coming: Google Image Search is no longer showing sexually explicit images for many popular queries. What the hell is going on? Searching for “tits” brings up a grid of busty women in tank tops, mostly. Before now, you would have seen actual skin. As far as we can tell, SafeSearch is…

Tech News Sam Biddle

Johnny Depp Plays a Computer in His Next Movie, Yes, Seriously

If you’re tired of endless Depp roles that are just an excuse to parade him around in makeup and tight pants, here’s some insane, welcome news: his next role will be that of a brain uploaded to a computer. Transcendence, which is a movie that actually will exist according to The Wrap, will be directed…

Movies Sam Biddle

Facebook Has New Privacy Settings: Here’s What’s Different

As surely as the sun rises, Facebook will keep revising its privacy settings in an effort to keep everyone from complaining. Starting today, there’s a brand new method, and it’s simpler than ever before. But there are some catches. Easy shortcuts The first thing you’ll notice is a simple, obvious means of hitting the main…

Social Media Sam Biddle

Here’s Everything You Cared About in 2012 on Facebook

Facebook just released its 2012 trend report, boiling down what all us billion idiots care about and share incessantly. What was the top meme? The top song? Which horrible TV do millions of people care about? Read on. In the US, “TBH” (to be honest, if you’re a parent) took the top meme spot. Not…

Social Media Sam Biddle

Sam Biddle

The Biggest Tech Disappointments of 2012

The 9 Worst Tech Buzzwords of 2012

Our 2012 Tech Company Report Cards: Who Flunked?

Facebook’s New Privacy Settings Are Here: This Is What You Need To Do Right Now

Exclusive: Corrupt Apple Store Employees Come Forward Across America

MySpace Tom Is a Prick

UGNazi Hackers Seize Another Westboro Baptist Church Hate Account

The World’s Scariest Robot Now Listens to Its Human Master

Twitter Kills Anonymous’ (Semi) Official Account (Update: Back Online)

Google Accidentally Photographs Military Drone Landing

Report: Automatic Video Ads (With SOUND?) Coming To Your Facebook Feed

Stop Whining About Your Personal Data on Instagram You Little Whiny Baby

Hackers Take Over Westboro Baptist Church Twitter (Updated)

Google vs. Apple Maps: Total Domination

Track North Korea’s Terror Death Satellite Live in Space

The Back To The Future Hoverboard Is 2012’s Worst Toy

Google Is Blocking Porn (Duh, NSFW) (Updated)

Johnny Depp Plays a Computer in His Next Movie, Yes, Seriously

Facebook Has New Privacy Settings: Here’s What’s Different

Here’s Everything You Cared About in 2012 on Facebook

America’s Latest Unfounded Health Panic: ‘Vaccinated’ Blood Donations

Artemis 2 Live Updates: Countdown to the Moon 🔴

SpaceX Files Confidentially for IPO, Reports Say

Jackery Power Station With 200W Solar Panel Still $590 Off as Amazon Clears Out Leftover Stock After the Spring Sale

The Best Pop Culture Art Gallery In the World Is No More

Forget Apple’s Magic Keyboard, Logitech MX Keys for Mac Refuses to Go Back to Full Price After Amazon Spring Sale

Google’s Next Fitbit Sounds Exactly Like a Whoop Clone

Amazon eero WiFi 7 Router (3-Pack) Keeps Its Spring Sale Price, Covering Up to 120 Devices Across 6,000 Sq. Ft.

72 New Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Books Arriving in April

A Cosmic ‘Dead Zone’ for Black Holes Is Real, New Evidence Suggests

The Best Gadgets of March 2026

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DJI Osmo 360 Review: The Best 360 Camera for the DJI-Pilled

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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?