Tech News

The EU Just Fined Microsoft $730m Over Its Browser Monopoly

EU competition police have handed Microsoft an enormous $730m fine, after the software giant admitted that a “technical error” saw new Windows machines arriving without the option to choose a default web browser. The problem arose when the browser select screen, which Microsoft introduced in 2010 after previous EU anti-competition cases, was left out of…

Leaked Screenshots Support Samsung Galaxy S IV Auto-Scroll Rumors

These leaked screenshots add a smidgen of weight to the New York Times rumor which suggested that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S IV would offer smart auto-scrolling by tracking your eyes. https://gizmodo.com/nyt-the-galaxy-s-iv-will-auto-scroll-by-gazing-deep-in-5988407 The screenshots, published by Sammobile from an unnamed sources, need to be taken with a grain of salt. But if the images are…

How Scientists Finally Found the Giant Squid

Earlier this year, scientists announced they’d finally captured video footage of Architeuthis—or kraken, or just the giant squid if you prefer. In this video, Edith Widder, once of the scientists responsible for the discovery, explains how she and her team did it. https://gizmodo.com/video-of-the-giant-squid-attacking-a-submarine-5974271 It’s a story of advanced technology, deep understanding of biology, masses of…

An OEM Windows Price Slash Could Make Upcoming Laptops Cheaper

The Wall Street Journal is claiming that Microsoft has started offering discounts to OEMs for Windows 8 and Office 2013, in a bid to drive sales of small, touch-enabled laptops. The newspaper claims that the deal will see OEMs stumping up just $30 for a Windows 8 and Office bundle—which is $90 cheaper than usual.…

This Is News Corp’s New $300 Tablet For Schools

Amplify, which is an educational wing of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corp, has just announced that it’s launching a $300 Android tablet for use in schools. The New York Times reports that the 10-inch device will be officially rolled out at SXSWedu later today. But we already know that a Wi-Fi-only model will cost $300, plus…

Samsung Just Gave Sharp $110 Million to Guarantee LCD Supply

Sharp has just announced that it’s getting a $110 million shot in the arm from Samsung. In turn, that will help guarantee Sammy as many LCD panels as it can use. The sum actually buys Samsung a three percent stake in Sharp—which sounds small but in fact makes it the biggest shareholder that isn’t a…

Apple’s launched a budget 21.5-inch iMac with 3.3GHz i3 chip for $1,100… for educational institutions only. Dammit.

You Can Buy Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Taco Starting Today

If you want to experience what the apocalypse will taste like in a taco, go to Taco Bell and get the Cool Ranch Doritos Locos Taco today. Originally slated to release on Thursday March 7th, Taco Bell has decided to release the delicious monstrosity a day early. It’s available starting today. When Taco Bell’s CEO…

Apple Talked to Beats About Beats’ Streaming Music Service

Reuters is reporting that Apple CEO Tim Cook had met with Beats CEO Jimmy Iovine about Beats’ upcoming streaming music service ‘Project Daisy’. Supposedly, Cook was interested in Project Daisy’s “business model and its rollout plans” and did not get into specifics about any deal. https://gizmodo.com/beats-electronics-is-getting-its-own-streaming-music-se-5974945 [Reuters, Image by Getty]

Facebook Is Going to Revamp the News Feed By Adding More News Feeds

We knew Facebook was going to overhaul the News Feed this Thursday. Now we may have an idea what that means. According to TechCrunch, Facebook plans to introduce new ways to filter the News Feed. Meaning there’ll be a Photos feed for pictures, a Music Feed for what friends are listening to and more. https://gizmodo.com/facebooks-getting-a-news-feed-overhaul-next-week-5987893…

I Can’t Wait to Sit in This Chair That’ll Fill Up My Beer from the Bottom

Ever since I saw the BottumsUP machine that fills up beer from the bottom of the glass in 2010, I’ve been hoping to somehow incorporate the good times rolling machine into my daily life. It hasn’t happened. Maybe it will now because this magnificent arm chair uses the same bottom refilling beer technology so you…

The New Roku 3: Super Fast Spanking New Interface and a Wireless Audio Mode

The best little streaming black box just got a spanking new model: the Roku 3. The slightly updated design adds a few curves to the square black box design and also throws in an updated user interface, a much faster processor and even a private watching mode that uses wireless audio from the remote control.…

Google’s Letting Us Know That the FBI Is Watching Us in New Ways

Google’s Transparency Report is published to show the public what governments and companies want to know about us. It can get pretty personal. And the government wants more. The FBI is now using National Security Letters to obtain information from Google. These NSLs have now been included in the Transparency Report give a general gist…

Your Baby Deserves a Luxurious Leather Carseat With a Sippy Cup Holder

Nothing is too good for your first born child. From a $3,000 Aston Martin-branded stroller, to this hand cut and sewn leather car seat from Maxi-Cosi that will set you back $875. A princely sum that would otherwise sound ridiculous were it not for the adorable tiny integrated cup holder. https://gizmodo.com/3-000-gets-you-literally-the-aston-martin-of-strollers-5987591 Why have child carseat…

This Timer Focused Watch Will Make You Anxious About Every Deadline

Setting a timer on your watch or phone is usually a passive way to remember there’s something you need to do. But what if that timer’s counting down to a deadline when something needs to be done? In those instances you need a little motivation to stay on track, like the Time Timer watch’s imposing…

Take Weather: Order the Forecast With a Side of Pictures

Apologies in advance—if you spend all day cooped up inside, depending on the forecast, Take Weather might make it worse. What does it do? Shows you the weather with real-time pictures added by yourself and other users. Why do we like it? Yes, pictures can sure be deceiving when it comes to the weather. It…

A Graphene Antenna Could Give Us Wireless Terabit Uploads in One Second

Wireless uploads of big files take for-ev-er. But researchers at Georgia Tech University have plans for an antenna made of crazy thin graphene that would let you transfer a whole terabit of data in just one second. https://gizmodo.com/how-graphene-could-transform-the-gadgets-of-the-future-5985269 Within a couple of feet, researchers could move a terabit per second, but in theory, from a…

Kalita Wave: Brewing Coffee Never Looked So Good

Each one of the many methods of brewing coffee has its own distinct visual makeup. The Chemex with its curvy glass and wood collar, the Aeropress with its utilitarian plastic. But for my money, nothing looks finer than the stainless-steel Kalita Wave. The Wave is a pour-over dripper, in the same family as the Hario…

A Stanley Flask Looks Good So You Can Be Bad

Chances are if you’re drinking out of a flask, you’re not engaging in the classiest of activities, but this Stanley flask looks so good that no one will suspect a thing. Stanley is known for making highly effective thermoses, and flasks essentially fall in that same kind of category. You won’t lose any booze and…

11 Insanely Specific Kitchen Gadgets

A really good knife can accomplish an endless number of tasks in the kitchen. But there are other culinary accoutrements that literally have one job and only one job. Are they clever? Sure. Are they at all necessary? Not exactly. These are some of the most specialized kitchen tools you can get. Be forewarned; beyond…