Tech News

The $16 Billion WhatsApp Sale Was Planned Around a Reward Miles Flight

You’d think that a $16 billion business deal would be a good reason to change your travel plans—after all, what’s it to a billionaire? But according to WhatsApp co-founder Jan Koum, finalizing the Facebook sale was organized around a plane ticket he couldn’t change because it was booked with rewards points. https://gizmodo.com/facebook-is-buying-messaging-app-whatsapp-for-16-billi-1526314666 In an amazing…

Mozilla Is Planning a $25 Firefox OS Smartphone

In developing countries, the high-end smartphone market is cornered by the big guys. But today at Mobile World Congress, the nonprofit Mozilla announced a plan to get a different slice of the smartphone pie—with a low-end Firefox OS phone that costs just $25. Since Mozilla is a nonprofit, its role in the deal will be…

These Giant Balloons Inflated Indoors Look Completely Surreal

What happens when you take a giant balloon and inflate it inside a small space? These photos show just that—and the surreal dreamworlds that result, looking like a mix between the inside of a person’s body and a ghostly construction site. The inflated interiors are the work of Penique Productions, a team of artists who…

The OS X Apps Affected by Apple’s Unpatched Security Flaw

While Apple recently patched a major security flaw for iOS, the same vulnerability continues to affect OS X. Until Apple releases a fix—which it says will come “very soon“—here are some of the apps you should avoid using on public Wi-Fi. https://gizmodo.com/why-apples-huge-security-flaw-is-so-scary-1529041062 Update, 2/25/14: Apple just released OS X 10.9.2, which patches the security flaw…

Netflix Agrees to Pay Comcast For Access to Its Broadband Network

In a landmark deal, Netflix has agreed to pay Comcast for direct access to the company’s broadband system. The announcement comes after months of dispute between Netflix and broadband providers about who should pay for increasing bandwidth loads. If you haven’t been following the streaming wars, here’s the basic gist: As Netflix has grown, an…

How the World’s Next Tallest Building Will Be Built

A crucial step towards building the next tallest building on Earth is underway: Engineers on the Kingdom Tower, a proposed 3,280 foot tower in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, are beginning tests to figure out how to pump wet concrete more than half a mile into the sky. There are plenty of technical challenges involved with building…

Samsung’s Android Escape Plan, And What It Means for You

There’s not a whole lot that’s new about Samsung’s Galaxy Gear 2. It’s take two of a product that wasn’t that great on the first go-round. But underneath, the Gear 2 isn’t just another gadget; it’s a defiant shot across Google’s bow. It’s a trial run where Samsung can practice seceding from the world of…

This Reflective Umbrella Surrounds You In a Super-Safe Halo of Light

To me, whimsical umbrellas—you know, the kind printed with Starry Night or cats—have always seemed like a mockery of the rain-drenched commuter’s misery. But this reflective version actually makes practical sense, since it turns its owner into a glowing beacon of safety. The umbrella was designed by British-born, Hong Kong-based designer Yee-Ling Wan, and it’s…

LG at Mobile World Congress: Betting Big With the G Pro 2 and G2 Mini

At the Mobile World Congress 2014 in Barcelona today, LG unveiled the LG G2 Mini. We also have the new L Series III family, a renovated mid-range line formed by the L90, L70 and L40 models, all with Android KitKat. Was something missing? Probably—like an unconfirmed Nexus 8 tablet and even a device for Google.…

Why Apple’s Recent Security Flaw Is So Scary

On Friday, Apple quietly released iOS 7.0.6, explaining in a brief release note that it fixed a bug in which “an attacker with a privileged network position may capture or modify data in sessions protected by SSL/TLS.” That’s the understated version. Another way to put it? Update your iPhone right now. Oh, and by the…

These Trippy Cutting Boards Double As Cool Kitchen Art

Cutting boards are built to be brutalized, but just because they’re definitely going to get busted doesn’t mean they have to be boring. In fact, the flip side of these op-art Shape Boards are cool enough to double as wall art. The slabs are made by Danny Giannella and Tammer Hijazi of Brooklyn’s Bower Studios.…

Samsung Gear 2 Smartwatch Ditches Android, Keeps the Rest

As expected, Samsung has released its follow-up to last fall’s Galaxy Gear smartwatch. The biggest change? That it’s left Android in favor of a Tizen, an open source operating system that gives Samsung a battery boost and, more importantly, a sense of independence. There are some internal upgrades here worth talking about as well; the…

This Week’s Top Comedy Video: Putin’s Local Olympics Commercial

The Sochi Winter Olympics were Russia’s chance to cultivate a powerful image on the world stage. Whether they achieved that is still up for debate. But did you ever wonder how Russia promoted the Olympics to its home audience? Turns out, they went for a slightly different aesthetic. https://gizmodo.com/can-sochi-get-its-shit-together-1514828222 For more of this week’s top…

Facebook Might Actually Be Good For Your Brain (If You’re Dyslexic)

I’m not a kid anymore (unless you’re being very charitable with your age guidelines), but I can only assume today’s parents are telling their kids “Facebook will rot yer brains.” In fact, the opposite might be true, according to a teeny, tiny little study from England. Especially for kids with dyslexia. Yes, Owen Barden of…

Cool composite image of a fully armed F-35 doing a 360-degree roll

Oh wow. This awesome image by Matthew Short for Lockheed Martin’s Code One Magazine—spotted by David Cenciotti—is now my new phone background. Here’s the full photo, for your downloading pleasure: Lt. Col. Brent Reinhardt completes a 360-degree roll in F-35A AF-1 with a full weapon load during a test flight from Edwards AFB, California, on…

Neiman Marcus Missed 60,000 Alerts As Hackers Stole Credit Card Info

Remember how Neiman Marcus revealed that hackers accessed credit card info for brick-and-mortar store customers? Turns out, during the eight-month period when hackers were snooping around the company’s system, they set off nearly 60,000 security alerts. That seems like a lot of pop-ups to casually dismiss. https://gizmodo.com/now-neiman-marcus-customers-credit-cards-have-been-hac-1499254176 BloombergBusinessweek says the internal company investigation into the…

Wheelchair User Walks Again With a 3D Printed Exoskeleton

In 1992, Amanda Boxtel suffered a vicious skiing accident that left her paralyzed from the waist down. Doctors said she would never walk again. This week, she proved them wrong, with the help of the world’s first 3D printed exoskeleton that gives her the ability to climb out of her wheelchair and walk once again.…

Help Get Clean Water to Kids in Need, Just by Ignoring Your Damn Phone

There are a lot of dumb, pointless apps out there that make it hard to put our smartphones down. That’s what makes Unicef’s new project for World Water Month doubly brilliant—it raises funds to provide clean drinking water to needy kids, by encouraging smartphone users to take a break from the touchscreen. Sounds like a…

This Week’s Best Photo-Related Posts on Reframe

Did you guys know there is a Gizmodo subdomain where you can go for all things photographic? Yep! It’s called Reframe, and it’s where you’ll find additional coverage of gear, techniques, news, and all kinds of great stuff related to the crafts of photography and videography. Here are this week’s best posts: Fujifilm Wishes Canon,…

This week in Tech Reads: tracking down hackers, peering inside a marketing “war room,” examining gender on Facebook, and more. Nicole Perlroth profiles Brian Krebs, the security blogger who first uncovered numerous hacking events, including the recent Target credit card hack. [The New York Times] Brendan Farrington shows how federal prisoners are using smuggled cell…