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What Is a Frontlit Display?

The new Kindle Paperwhite has a frontlit screen. We knew it probably would. But the term “frontlit” is actually a little misleading, and the simplicity of what it does belies the considerable engineering required to pull it off. So what exactly is a frontlit screen, anyway? Other than amazing. A frontlit screen is, well, lit…

Future Computers Will Not Only Be Cooled by Water, They’ll Compute With Water

Aside from a clump of dirt, water might seem like one of the least technological things to ever exist ever. But researchers have found a way to use water droplets in such a way that they can represent 0s and 1s on a logic board and help to perform computing functions. According to LiveScience, the…

Here is that Twilight footage of Bella Swan fighting a mountain lion

The Twilight saga is about to climax in a bitter battle between vampire and Volturi in Breaking Dawn: Part 2, but not before Bella fights a mountain lion. This was finally previewed in the latest trailer for the very last Twilight, the series that keeps on giving in the form of terrible CG. This aired…

Sad Diabetics Rejoice: This Tiny Chip Measures Blood Sugar Levels Through Your Tears

It’s not the first technique for measuring blood sugar levels that avoids the finger prick blood sample route, but this tiny unobtrusive chip could be the least invasive yet. It’s able to make incredibly accurate blood glucose readings from a diabetic’s tears or sweat, and then wirelessly transmit the results for easy monitoring. While this…

Henry Cavill truly is Superman. Plus everything you need to know about Doctor Who‘s dinosaur romp!

Sherlock’s main director finds Frankenstein. Emily Blunt reveals what makes her Looper character so special. Zachary Quinto raves about the Star Trek sequel. Daniel Craig has plenty more James Bond left in him. Plus Dredd, Resident Evil: Retribution, and more! Spoilers from here on out! Top image from Skyfall. Man of Steel General Zod actor…

This Is the Most Expensive Penny in the Universe

This is the most expensive penny in the Universe. It’s now on Mars, after an exciting $2.5 billion ride. Previously, the most expensive Lincoln penny in history was a 1943 copper-alloy cent that was sold for $1.7 million in a 1996 auction. That’s peanuts compared to the cost of putting this coin up there, however.…

Apple Is Mixing Up Speech Recognition and Sound Processing in the iPhone 5

Audience, the company responsible for developing the EarSmart technology which power’s Siri, has announced that Apple is “unlikely” to use the system in the next-generation iPhone. https://gizmodo.com/why-siri-will-never-officially-appear-on-the-iphone-4-5882562 Audience actually helped Apple develop part of the A5 processor, so that it could include a digital signal processor to remove background noise and secondary voices, as well…

This Book Contains Every RGB Color That Exists

In case you sometimes struggle to visualize the RGB color space on a computer, American artist Tauba Auerbach has created a handy reference guide: a cubic book that shows off all the colors in existence. Measuring 8 inches in each dimension, the book illustrates the entire three-dimensional RGB color space, with each page turn showing…

These Magnets Turn Your Fridge Into a Retro LED Display

These fridge magnets might not be high-minded or particularly useful, but they will turn your fridge into something that looks like a 1980s Casio digital watch. https://gizmodo.com/a-scrabble-magnet-set-is-your-excuse-to-spend-more-time-5884462 Each magnet is 0.75″ long, printed with florescent green ink and just begging to be used to spell out 5318008 or 0.7734 or whatever other childish calculator number…

Download Torrents Straight to Your Phone With µTorrent Android App

BitTorrent has just launched a beta version of its new µTorrent client for Android. Available now on Google Play, it lets you download, upload and search for torrents direct from your phone. This isn’t a remote app like the previous µTorrent offering, which only offered the ability to organize downloads on some remote computer. Instead,…

Fox to Offer $15 HD Movie Downloads Weeks Ahead of Blu-Ray Release

The New York Times is reporting that 20th Cenutry Fox is going to offer high-quality movie downloads weeks ahead of Blu-ray release using the DRM locker service UltraViolet. Costing around $15 a pop, it’s planning to start with the upcoming release of Prometheus. The Times reports that Fox will typically offer downloads three weeks ahead…

Is This the Least Elegant Soundbar Ever?

Sometimes, you don’t want your technology sleek, discreet and refined: you want it big, tough and purposeful instead. So if the recent glut of streamlined soundbars isn’t to your taste, how about this burly sound box instead? https://gizmodo.com/picky-panasonic-soundbar-only-streams-airplay-tunes-5897514 Proficient Audio‘s new MaxTV MT2 speaker box is designed to have a TV sat on top of…

Apple’s allegedly slashing memory orders from Samsung to make its devices less Sammy-dependant. Grudge, much? [Reuters]

The Secret Inner Workings of Google Maps

Beneath every Google map is a goldmine of data that’s hidden from the user; a series of logical statements about places and highways that help provide correct directions, can tell you when traffic’s bad, and generally makes the service so much more useful than a paper counterpart. The Atlantic’s Alexis Madrigal was lucky enough to…

Are You Facebook Friends With Your Coworkers?

The Gizmodo family is a tight-knit bunch. We work together, we drink together, and then we like to post the pictures of our antics on Facebook and “like” them all at once. But certainly not all work cultures are like ours, and not all bosses and coworkers as, well…fun. Do your coworkers send you friend…

Shit Apple Fanatics Say

You’re so vain, I bet you think this Youtube video is about. Don’t you, don’t youuuuu? Well, maybe it is. And if you’re an anti-Apple fanboy, well then you’ll probably enjoy hatewatching this too. Either way. [DesignTaxi]

The Stoner Channel: Chuck Berry Does London, Science Proves CBD Safe, and Prince Ea Wants to Teach Obama about Toking

Edward and Bella Talk About Important Vampirey Stuff Dude, you slapped a fish. You punched it. Why would you hit it? Chuck Berry – London 1972 Rock and Roll’s great innovator stops by the BBC to melt some faces. Smoking Weed with the President – Prince Ea Prince Ea, aka Richard Williams president and founder…

How Technology Is Keeping President Obama Safe at the DNC

A giant, riled up crowd of people. Political tension. The need for superhigh security is never great than it is at a political convention. So what kind of tech do they have keeping President Obama safe? UReveal produces a special date-mining software programmed to comb through the Internet for any mentions of the president, the…

18th Century Swiss Farm House Is Reborn as Beautiful Live/Work Space

Dating back to 1743, this historic farmhouse in the Swiss town of Muttenz/Basel was restored with careful attention to preserve its existing character while at the same time gaining a modern interior and exterior update. The result: a stunning space with tons of new room inside to work in, and a new modern residence back…

Join us in a bold new experiment with storytelling — Voting, Round 1

The io9 community and the Framestore art department are collaboratively writing a story — half in prose, and half in images. Nearly 200 of you wrote flash fiction in response to the first pair of images we posted. Now it’s time for you to vote on which of the top five stories wins Round 1…