Tech News

Report: Microsoft Won’t Charge a Used Game Fee on the Xbox One

There’s been some fuss about how used games work on the Xbox One—do we have to pay a fee to Microsoft to play them? Is Microsoft killing used games dead? Supposedly, no. Polygon is reporting that the Xbox One will NOT require gamers to pay a fee to reactivate an Xbox One used game. https://gizmodo.com/you-don-t-hate-the-xbox-one-you-re-just-jealous-509604549…

Most Beautiful Items: May 18 – May 24, 2013

Perhaps you’re whittling the last couple of hours away at your desk, trying to look busy until quitting time. So while you’re trying to make it to the three day weekend, here are some of the best design posts we showed you this week. “Sound Bulbs” Are Vintage Speakers That Screw Right into Light Sockets…

Bondsy, Drops First Aid, Bamboo Loop, and More

Hear that? It’s the long weekend calling your name. The week leading up to a holiday always feels that much longer. And you deserve a break. Kick back, relax, and browse through this week’s cornucopia of iPhone app goodness. Bondsy: Craigslist’s bartering section is a wonderful concept, sure, but the fact of the matter is…

Flickr, Snoopify, and More

These days, you can’t turn around without some new photo-sharing app being thrown at you. And if you can’t beat ’em, you might as well go along for the ride. We’ve got two of the newest right here for you, plus a speedier way to browse on your phone that’s finally out of beta. Flickr:…

Mailbox, Forecast.io, and More

The long weekend is finally here. And what’s better than spending a holiday enjoying the warm weather with family and friends? Well, how about having a few iPad apps that help you stay connected and ready for whatever Mother Gaia has to throw at you—just in case. Lucky for you, we’ve got them right here.…

Adidas’s New Smart Soccer Ball Tells You Everything About Your Kicks

Tech in sports typically revolves around maximizing performance in some nebulous and difficult-to-fact-check way. But Adidas has been doing some very cool stuff, like MiCoach biometric tracking, and now it’s got something new and actually kind of great in theory: a soccer ball that tells you what its doing. The new smart ball from Adidas…

What Do You Do in the Awkward Time Before You Meet an Online Date?

Online dating is great! You can meet people you otherwise would never encounter that share your interests and just might end up being the one. But the anonymity factor makes it just as easy to flake on someone when it comes to meeting IRL as it is to click on his or her profile to…

The Science of Non-Alcoholic Beer

“Blasphemy! A crime against nature!” Yes, many people feel the same way about non-alcoholic beer as they do about decaffeinated espresso. “It’s just wrong and what’s the point” is the thinking. Yes. Yes, you’re very cool. Now shut it. While it may not be your drink of choice, there are plenty of very valid reasons…

A Clever Plastic Brace Turns Long-Stemmed Flowers Into Their Own Vase

Florists around the country, pay attention. If you’re looking for a value-added reason for people to buy a dozen roses from your shop, then find a way to get this brilliant Crown Vase put into production and include one with every bouquet. Designed by Lambert Rainville, a student at the Royal College of Art, the…

Microsoft and YouTube just told us that they’re working on an official YouTube app for Windows Phone together. The app will be released in “the coming weeks” (and will have ads).

What’s an “Ugly” Building, Anyway?

The Carbuncle Cup is the annual U.K. award for the ugliest buildings in the country. Above you can see some of this year’s nominees, submitted by readers of the Guardian. It’s fun to point out a blight on a skyline! But there’s also a problem: ugly isn’t a great way to discuss architecture. Was the…

Illuminated Literature For $80 Is Your Deal Of The Day

Best Buy’s deal of the day is Barnes and Noble’s NOOK Simple Touch with GlowLight for only $80. That’s $30 off the next best offer and perhaps more importantly, $40 less than Amazon’s Kindle Paperwhite (with ads). Reviewers across the board, including Gizmodo’s, think very highly of this Nook, and it would also make a…

This Walking, Driving, TRANSFORMING RC Car Can’t Get Here Fast Enough

Here’s another look at Kenji Ishida’s absolutely phenomenal self-transforming RC car, this time being tested outdoors to make sure it’s as awesome as it can be. And it looks like it checks out. In car mode it doesn’t exactly tear down the street, but we’re assuming Kenji isn’t putting the pedal to the metal for…

Are Cassettes the Best Music Format for Toddlers?

As many of us do, I recently ended up in a Facebook conversation about parenting or music. In this case, it was about both conversational mainstays: Namely, how do you allow a child in 2013 to decide to listen to something of their choosing? “I’ve been thinking lately about the downside of having a digital-only…

Universal’s Simpsons Land Theme Park Includes Krusty Burger and Moe’s

A few years ago Fox and Pepsi had a contest where the winner would get their own real-life version of The Simspons’ house. But taking things about a million steps further, Universal Orlando is adding the entire town of Springfield to its theme park—at least the parts that fans really care about. Opening this Summer,…

When Is Call of Duty Going to Look This Good?

If you told me this image was a frame capture from the next Call of Duty game for Xbox One, I could almost believe you. Ish. Thanks to the digital camera and postprocessing work, its unrealistic perfection, dramatic illumination and striking mix of colors make this photo look like a 3D computer render. However, real-time…

Incredible Photos of a Melting Ice Hotel

Every year, Lapland erects a hotel made of ice in Jukkasjärvi, Sweden. And every year, when the weather turns warmer, the IceHotel melts back into where it originated: the Torne River. Here’s what the twenty-third incarnation of the IceHotel looked like when we visited it last year: Ben Nilsson/Big Ben Productions And here’s what it…

The Most Detailed Star Wars Figure Ever Is 13 Inches of Sith Glory

Putting every action figure ever released to shame, Sideshow Collectibles has announced an absolutely stunning 13.5-inch tall Darth Vader figure that’s promised to be the most detailed Star Wars toy ever released. It includes everything from glowing electronics on his chest plate and belt, a selection of nine-different swappable posed hands to choose from, lit…

The First Movie On TV Was In Theaters At The Time

Only about half a dozen people in the Los Angeles area owned a TV in 1933. But those handful of early adopting TV geeks were in for a special treat on March 10th of that year when the movie The Crooked Circle was broadcast in its entirety. That day the campy detective flick became the…

What Is Flat Design?

With the release of iOS7 just around the corner, clamor over the changes Jony Ive will institute is growing. The general consensus—on this site and elsewhere—is that Apple is about to get a flat makeover. But for the uninitiated, “flat design” can be a confusing term. So let’s talk it out, shall we? Flat design…