Reviews

DxO One Review: Souping Up Your iPhone’s Camera Comes at a Cost

How do you combine the ease and connectivity of a smartphone with the quality and control of a camera? It’s basically one of the greatest conundrums of our time. Does DxO have the answer? It wants to transform your iPhone 6 into a full-fledged camera thingy with this quirky attachment. What Is It? It’s a…

Illumibowl Is the Toilet Nightlight We All Hoped It Would Be

What’s to be said for a guy whose first Kickstarter investment is a color-changing toilet nightlight? That he has an aim problem? An interest in a mid-stream dance party? Yes, I helped fund the Illumibowl, and I’m not sorry. The Illumibowl is a motion-activated, color-changing toilet nightlight. Okay, it’s a novelty, but let’s be real:…

Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge+ Review: Buy It For Bragging Rights

Some people prefer practical tools. Others would gladly buy gadgets dipped in gold. In a nutshell, that’s the choice between the new Galaxy Note 5 and the Galaxy S6 Edge+. They’re two sides of the same coin. They’re both cutting-edge phones. The question is whether you’re willing to sacrifice comfort to make people’s heads turn.…

Samsung Galaxy Note 5 Review: The Best Android Phone That Spares No Expense

The original smartphone-with-a-stylus is all grown up. It’s easily the best smartphone Samsung has ever made, and it looks and feels the part. The Galaxy Note has been through five years of changes. Better screens, better processors, better software. And like any new smartphone, the Note 5 represents the very best of what’s come before.…

OnePlus 2 Review: It’s Powerful, It’s Cheap, and Dangit, It’s Exciting

Even as Apple, Samsung, and Motorola are pounding out their latest flagship superphones, the OnePlus 2 is easily the most interesting handset hitting the market right now. It’s different: An ambitious, powerful phone that won’t set you back too much loot. What Is It? A smartphone with near-flagship specs at a reasonable price. It’s got…

My Time With Google’s Cellular Service Was Mostly a Disaster

I glimpsed the future before it collapsed into bullshit. I wanted Project Fi, Google’s new and experimental cellular phone service, to be amazing. The idea sounded so superior to the status quo that it just had to be destined for greatness. But like the Star Wars prequels and most food with black olives, it let…

Here’s How Fast Canon Lenses Focus On the New Sony A7r Mark II

I’m in the midst of reviewing the new Sony A7r II camera. One of the most pleasant surprises so far? Just how fast autofocus can be with Canon lenses and a Metabones adapter. Watch my video above, and see what an amazing improvement this is from anything that came before. Just like with modern smartphones,…

You Can Officially Review the TSA on Yelp Now, But Don’t Bother 

The federal government wants you to review it on Yelp. Don’t do it. People have been leaving unofficial Yelp reviews for the Transportation Security Administration and various dreadful DMVs around the US for a while, but now the government says it’s reading those reviews. Yelp has started a partnership with the federal government to create…

Want to try Microsoft’s (surprisingly OK) new Edge browser, with committing yourself to Windows 10? Well, Microsoft has new Virtual Machine builds of Windows 10 available for free, complete with Edge — probably easier than having to downgrade an entire computer. [Microsoft] Contact the author at [email protected].

You Definitely Need This Update for the Zenfone 2

There’s a new update for the Asus Zenfone 2, which in addition to fixing the Stagefright vulnerability, also adds a bunch of new features. There’s a new ‘Mobile Manager’ app which is an actually useful way of controlling your data usage, and the music controls on the fantastic Flip cover now finally work with Spotify.…

Dell’s New 13-Inch Chromebook Is Like a Pixel You Can Actually Afford

When Google introduced Chromebooks in 2011, its “always in the cloud” philosophy made these machines seem like starter kits for the lite laptop user. But Google’s incredible Pixel line upped the game. Now Dell’s followed that top-of-the-line thinking to make a powerful Chromebook you can actually afford. Dell’s Chromebook 13 isn’t meant for the ChromeOS…

The Four Things You Need to Know About the New Galaxy Note 5

Love it or hate it, Samsung’s Galaxy Note is the original ultra-big smartphone, a style that even Apple has finally adopted. It’s also Samsung’s ultimate productivity tool, complete with a capacitive pen and specific software to take advantage of the ginormous screen. Now, the fifth iteration of the Note has arrived. But this isn’t the…

The Galaxy S6 Edge Plus: Yep, It Certainly Is Bigger

So the word “Plus” could mean many things, right? Better processor? Camera? Features? In the case of the S6 Edge Plus, though, it’s just size. This phone is almost an exact copy of this year’s S6 Edge except for its whopping 5.7-inch display. As far as “innovation” goes, Samsung is kind of phoning it in…

Moto G Review: A Great Phone Doesn’t Have to Cost a Buttload

Inexpensive smartphones all come with compromises, but we’ve reached a point when those glaring setbacks are less noticeable. The new Moto G is totally solid phone, which will make you wonder why you’d pay for a flagship when what you get for $220 is so damn good. What is it? The Moto G is one…

Garmin Epix Review: Can A Smartwatch Work As A Touchscreen Navigator?

A touchscreen GPS navigator that works in the wilderness and that you can wear on your wrist? That’s a neat idea, but not one that Garmin’s been able to realize with this new Epix. Allow me to explain. Looking for a powerful fitness tracker? Let’s go ahead and spoil this review by saying that the…

YotaPhone 2 Review: More Than a Gimmick, Less Than a Good Phone

Being different can make or break you. Apple decided to do things different back in 2007, and now they make almost all dem smartphone monies. But being atypical for no real reason also means certain death. Yotaphone 2 lies somewhere in the middle—a great idea wrapped up in a phone you just don’t want. What…

I’m Playing Xbox On Windows 10, And You Can Too

Yesterday, my wife wanted to play some Kingdom Hearts. I was in the mood for Titanfall. We only have one TV. So I pulled out a Surface 3 tablet, plugged in an Xbox One controller, and started streaming the game from my Xbox to my portable PC. It’s a new Windows 10 feature. How well…

Windows 10, On a Mac

Tentatively wondering whether it’s worth setting up Windows 10 as an alternate boot option on your Mac? I’ve taken the plunge for you—here’s what I found. To give you an idea of where I’m coming from and how easy or otherwise this is, I’m an occasional Mac OS X user and a first-time Boot Camp…

Panasonic CM1 Review: Finally, a High End Camera Inside a Smartphone

Most people are perfectly satisfied with the camera in their smartphone. But to photographers and hobbyists, even the latest iPhone doesn’t come close to emulating the capability of a full-fledged camera. Panasonic’s CM1 is the answer. What Is It? It’s a $1000 unlocked GSM Android phone with a 4.7-inch 1080p display, 2.3GHz quad-core processor, and…

Download Offline Maps on Windows 10 and Never Be Lost Again

Windows 10 comes with a Maps app built in. It uses Nokia’s nifty (and good!) Here Maps, and Microsoft even lets you download regions for offline perusal. https://gizmodo.com/windows-10-the-gizmodo-review-1720872266 To download offline maps, just head to Settings—>System—>Offline Maps, or go to the Settings in the Maps app. (Or just search Offline Maps in the system-wide Search.)…