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Zact: This Is How Every Wireless Plan Should Work

Maybe someday we’ll all have contractless phones. And hopefully, we can all ditch preset plans for fluid ones that fit like a glove every month. We’re not there yet, but a new service provider by the name of Zact is taking a big step in that direction. It’s a beautiful glance into the smartphone future…

Brand New Photos of Spider-Man’s Battle with Paul Giamatti’s Rhino!

Check out the latest Thor and Star Trek sequel hints. A Captain America actor confirms his return in The Winter Soldier… probably. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles might have found its Shredder. Steven Moffat promises this week’s Doctor Who will resolve one big mystery and lead into the next adventure. It’s all spoilers right now! Top…

Google’s New Head of Android on the Future of the OS

When Google’s Andy Rubin stepped down as head of Android earlier this year, Sundar Pichai took over his duties. Now, ahead of Google’s I/O conference, he’s spoken to WIRED—and spilled the beans on what the future holds for Android. You can, of course, head the full interview over at WIRED. But here are some choice…

This Is What a Plague of Locusts Actually Looks Like

A plague of locusts sounds like the kind of biblical torment that we’ll never really need to worry about. But they’re real, they happen—and boy do they cause trouble. This picture shows a plague of billions of locusts swarming the island of Madagascar, destroying crops and grazing lands as they go. Worse, the country is…

Following rumors that Samsung is readying a klutz-proof version of the Galaxy S4, just such a phone has appeared on the Bluetooth Special Interest Group’s (SIG) Bluetooth-certification pages. Looks like it’s on its way, then.

An M16-Based Crossbow Is a Truly Terrifying Thing

The M16A1 is an iconic gun, so it’s no surprise that our favorite weapons designer Joerg Sprave fancied the idea of using one as the base of a crossbow. The result is rather terrifying. Using a kit supplied by PSE, a crossbow maker, it’s possible to repurpose an M16A1 in such a way that it…

Report: Samsung Will Roll Out 5G by 2020, Promising 1Gbps

Korea’s Yonhap News Agency is reporting that Samsung is busy testing the future of mobile internet connections—and it’s set to be lightning fast. The news agency describes recent tests by Samsung of a 5G platform that should be available by 2020. The prototype 5G devices use radios with 64 antenna elements, which have so far…

Newt Gingrich Can’t Work Out What His Phone Is

“Here at Gingrich Productions, we’ve spent weeks figuring out,” ponders Newt Gingrich. “What do you call this?” It’s a phone, Newt. “But think about it. If it’s taking pictures, it’s not a cellphone. If you can get Wikipedia or go to Google, that’s not a cellphone.” Sigh. Newt is clearly puzzled by the shiny black…

From this week, ABC will become the first TV network to offer up live streams of its local programming to users of its Watch ABC app.

This Sony Xperia Is Waterproof to 5 Feet

Snorkelers rejoice: Sony’s decided to push its current trend for water-resistant phones to new heights, with the launch of the Xperia ZR which is waterproof to 5 feet. The 4.6-inch Android phone even has a big ol’ camera button on its side to make sure its easy to take pictures and film HD video while…

First New Arrested Development Trailer: Thank You, Netflix

When news first broke nearly a year and a half ago that Netflix was resurrecting Arrested Development for a fourth season, the reception was joy followed by immediate apprehension. Could the expectations be met? Could it be as funny as it is in our memory? The answer, based on this just-released first trailer, is a…

The trailer for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is here!

After the six-second teaser earlier today, ABC has unveiled the full promo for Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Let the speculation begin, and don’t touch Lola. Also check out Rising Tide, a little mystery blog seems to be keeping tabs on our agency.

Your Only Chance to Hear a “Space Oddity” Cover Recorded in Space

ISS Commander and mustachioed Canadian Chris Hadfield has given us no end of joys during his current five-month stint floating above our blue orb. But perhaps none of them is as touching—and just downright incredible—as his sendoff cover of David Bowie’s “Space Oddity.” Here Hadfield, who’s coming back to Earth tomorrow, takes on David Bowie’s…

Sand Can Light Up A Room

LED lightbulbs are already energy efficient, but they would be even better if they could emit light without connecting to the grid at all. Brooklyn-based designer Danielle Trofe is trying to make that happen. Trofe created two designs for this month’s Wanted Design 2013. Both are hourglasses that use the kinetic energy of falling sand…

Every burst of star formation can reshape the universe

One of the most violent and wondrous cosmic events is starburst, in which hundreds of millions of stars are born all at once. These are far rarer nowadays than they were in the early universe, but they do still happen… and the massive energy released during these periods can alter the future histories of entire…

Doctor Who season finale shows up in the mail a few days early

The BBC has been trying to keep a tight lid on the details of the Doctor Who season finale, but the episode has gotten out, not through the Internet but through the mail. It seems some fans have already received their preordered copies of Series 7.2, including the final episode, “The Name of the Doctor.”…

Google Axed SMS Search Thinking People Wouldn’t Notice

Shocking no one, or very very few people, Google turned off its SMS search service on Friday. Reports of the outage have begun to sloooowly trickle in on Google forums and Reddit, but for the most part the spacetime continuum seems to be holding up. Google created SMS Search as a way for users with…

Chris Hadfield sings “Space Oddity” in the first music video in space

Tomorrow, Commander Chris Hadfield bids farewell to the International Space Station, meaning we won’t get our usual dose of his tweets and videos sent from space. But he’s signing off with a little David Bowie. Hadfield’s son Evan writes: He returns home in Soyuz in the early morning of the 14th, and this is his…

Orphan Black and the “tail” of the transhumanist nightclub

We got up close and personal with Olivier—and the thing in his pants—on this week’s Orphan Black. Finally, we’re getting closer to why the clones exist, and some answers lie in the Neolution nightclub. And Sarah finds herself involved in some truly bizarre sisterly bonding. Spoilers ahead. No Alison this week; after cold clocking Donnie…

The Dust On Mars Would Be Dangerous To Human Visitors

It’s going to take more than a Swiffer to deal with this situation. Researchers and public health experts at the Humans 2 Mars Summit (H2M) grappled with the question of how to deal with Martian dust if a manned mission to Mars could actually get off the ground by 2030. The group raised concerns that…