Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
After just a few months of “exclusivity” with Apple, HBO Now will be available to Android devices through Google Play. Woohoo more GoT everywhere. The first big announcement at Google I/O is a content play: HBO’s streaming video service, which is basically identical to HBO Go, gives you access to all the goodness on HBO…
People have always wondered about sex, and as literacy became more widespread over the course of the seventeenth century in England, books appeared to feed that curiosity. One of the most popular was Aristotle’s Complete Masterpiece, first published in 1684, and republished and repackaged in scores of editions through at least the 1850s. Needless to…
If you needed another reminder of just how woefully primitive public transportation is in North America compared to Japan, even the tiny toy versions of their high-speed bullet trains now float on magnets. And with such little friction, Takara Tomy’s new Linear Liner model can hit scale speeds of over 300 miles per hour. The…
Google is kicking off I/O as we speak, and you can follow our liveblog here. There probably won’t be any wild surprises—but then again, this is Google, and we could get a little sweet, sweet moonshot action if we’re lucky. https://gizmodo.com/our-google-i-o-liveblog-starts-right-here-right-now-1707436160 The “moonshot” is a tricky thing. A few years ago, it was Google’s rallying…
This week at Google I/O, we’re likely to learn more about Brillo, Google’s oddly-named new operating system for low-powered devices that are perfect for a smart home or internet of things setup. Google Brillo has nothing to do with Brillo soap pads, nor Andy Warhol, which we find very confusing. Image via the Andy Warhol…
I always wonder if it’s possible for the musicless music video series to get any more awkward and the answer is always yes. This one might be tough to top though because Rihanna’s Stay music video with Mikky Ekko basically features her soulfully singing in a bathtub. Without the singing and just the bathtub and…
Amazon isn’t the only tech giant expanding its same-day delivery services: Apple just debuted same-day delivery for select products through its Apple Store app in San Francisco. Apple is partnering with delivery company Postmates for the new push to help you replace your iPhone cables as quickly as possible. Once you place an order, you’ll…
There’s no word on pricing, availability, or what the final version will actually look like. But today Lego officially revealed that the next fan-built Ideas set it’s putting into production is JKBrickworks’ Labyrinth Marble Maze. The Android and iOS app stores are already filled with plenty of marble maze games that use a mobile device’s…
Google I/O is the annual event all you Droid lovers and Chromies and Moonshooters have been waiting for. Today we’re going to hear what Google has in store for the next year — from Android M to Cardboard and more. Tune in live right here, at 12:00 PM eastern time. We’ll be liveblogging from the…
Smart lighting systems like Philips Hue are futuristic and awesome and, typically, expensive. But IKEA wants to offer this type of technology to the masses. The Swedish flatpack furniture empire is developing an entire smart home system, and it looks futuristic and awesome and, you guessed it, cheap. This shouldn’t come as a huge surprise.…
Amazon Prime subscribers will now get free same-day shipping on “over a million” items in 14 metropolitan areas. It’s practically Seamless for stuff. Amazon’s been tinkering with same-day shipping for a while now, and the free same-day offering is the natural evolution, especially as Walmart just launched its own cut-rate Amazon Prime competitor. There are…
Some bonehead at an Defense Department lab accidentally shipped live anthrax spores to government and commercial recipients through a commercial shipping service. What a goof! They were supposed to be shipments of dead anthrax spores, but there was a mix-up. A lab in Maryland already received the package of potentially fatal biological weapons. Labs in…
Although it’s apparently been hard to keep the new models a secret, Mattel continues to expand its BOOMco line by leaps and bounds. The folks at Blaster Labs first spotted the new BOOMco Breakflip while it was still just a sketch at Mattel’s offices, but official product shots and info have apparently been leaked by…
Developers just illustrated that the Apple Watch’s six-pin accessory port is not only capable of charging the wristable—it actually charges it faster than the inductive charger. When we shared first shared news of the the hidden port a while back, we told you about Reserve Strap, a startup that is developing a $250 battery strap…
The Sydney Opera House is as iconic a building there is in this world so it’s always stunning to see it come alive as a canvas for artists to display their animation on. 20 different animation studios teamed up to transform the Sydney Opera House into a living mural that is just so enjoyable to…
Google I/O is the annual tech holiday for all fandroids and lovers of Mountain View moonshots. It’s a software party mostly, so check your new hardware expectations at the door. It’s a full two days for Google to showcase the future—or at least the next 12 months—and it all starts today. Considering Google has wedged…
So far Sentinel’s swanky Re:Edit toys have focussed on making some pretty amazing Iron Man variants. But while their latest doesn’t fall far from the Iron Man tree, it’s a bit different: it’s an all new War Machine, one that comes packing heat and some pretty awesome armor. https://gizmodo.com/a-closer-look-at-sentinels-lovely-extremis-iron-man-1691133421 https://gizmodo.com/sentinels-stylish-hulkbuster-toy-is-way-sleeker-than-ag-1684643991 https://gizmodo.com/this-bleeding-edge-iron-man-figure-looks-awesome-1672663812 Scant details have been…
Most people who’ve been convicted of murder usually settle into prison for the long haul. But in some cases, a killer, usually one who committed his or her crime as a youth, gets released and starts over. Here are seven famous killers who got caught, and never killed again. (So far, at least.) 1) Nathan…
Google released a new 360-degree immersive video on its Spotlight Stories app yesterday—the first featuring real human actors instead of animation. It’s an action-packed short directed by Fast & Furious director Justin Lin. I downloaded the 1GB 360 video and took it for a literal spin (I was sitting in a swivel chair). It’s so…
Movies—no matter how groundbreaking or vision changing or future defining—are trapped under the limitations of the technology of their time. Which often means that a movie’s imagination of the future is handcuffed with those same limitations. Their vision of the future may be correct but the technology used to execute that idea is often hilariously…