Tech News

This Nostalgic Laptop Sleeve Won’t Let You Miss the Typewriter

The typewriter is a dinosaur, or at least a white rhino—if it’s not extinct, it’s well on its way. Although you can still pay homage, with the Ted Baker typewriter laptop sleeve. It fits a 13-inch laptop and costs $45. The stylish case will keep you from going full hipster and buying yourself an impractical…

Aladdin’s Got Nothing on This Flying Carpet Chair

Supported by a small army of 90 elastic rods, the seat on this 1001 chair feels like it’s magically floating in place while it contorts and conforms to your body. The seat was designed and built by Thomas Hiemann and Markus Dilger, and the pair unfortunately seem to have no plans to build and sell…

Google’s Making a Superphone with Motorola, But It’s Not Going Well

In a bit of news-that-makes-you-say-duh, the WSJ tells us that Motorola is working on making a really good phone, and Google is helping. The interesting bits, though, come in surrounding all the trouble surrounding the project, which Motorola is calling “X Phone”. Motorola is still working on its Droid line for Verizon, but is now…

Our Best Posts of 2012

Our best stories from 2012 aren’t necessarily tied to the biggest news events or the flashiest gear. You won’t find the election or the Olympics or any tablets on this list. John McAfee is, though, as is David Pogue. The posts range from explainers to rants to small news that got bigger. But what they…

Of Course Robots Beat Humans at Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots

If you thought humanity’s ego took a blow when IBM’s Deep Blue defeated chess master Garry Kasparaov, our society will probably never recover from this latest defeat. A human challenger from Detroit-based Synaptic Robotics went up against a run-of-the-mill Fanuc M-20iA factory bot in a game of Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots and walked away…

Poke: Facebook Just Cloned Snapchat (Update: Hands-on)

Facebook has a new Snapchat knockoff app that just hit iTunes (no Android version yet). Facebook Poke—yes, Poke!—wants to be your go-to app for photo and video messsaging, but will anybody want to engage in Snapchat weirdness on Facebook? And does this mean Facebook owns your sexts? Facebook response and hands-on below. Make no mistake,…

Netflix Will Finally (Probably) Publish What You Watch on Your Facebook Timeline

This week, the House of Representatives and the Senate both passed a Netflix-endorsed measure amending the 1988 Video Privacy Protection Act aka the Bork Law. Assuming President Obama rubber stamps the amendment, Netflix will offer you the option of publishing information about what you’re watching on Facebook—something it already does in scores of other countries.…

These Last-Minute Christmas Gifts Are Your End-of-the-World Deal of the Day

If you were counting on the end of the world to save you from Christmas gift giving, Hypothetical Straw Man, you’re an idiot. And you’re in a tricky situation, because—spoiler report!—the world’s not ending, and you’ve got nothing for next week. Either you can go to a mall this weekend (ugh) or you can get…

The Winner of Our App Challenge Was Revealed at this Swanky GQ Event

The Gizmodo App Challenge inspired by BMW i’s sustainable and design-conscious i concept cars came and went, and one talented Gizmodo reader had her winning app revealed on Wednesday evening at the GQ Best Stuff of the Year event. The winner? “I Can Make That,” a creativity a sustainability app created by Sara A. that…

Merging Hexapod Bots and Flying Quadrotors Is Humanity’s Biggest Mistake

The world might not be ending today, but humanity has officially started the countdown clock to our demise with this ill-fated creation. As if six-legged crawling hexapod bots weren’t already creepy enough, the folks at Mad Lab Industries decided they needed the ability to fly. So they merged one with a six rotor quadcopter. https://gizmodo.com/hexapod-robot-dance-off-is-the-future-of-bad-teen-dance-5081965…

You Can Search YouTube for LITERALLY ANYTHING + “Rap” and Get Instant Sad

So maybe this is obvious, but people like to rap on YouTube. And then they leave the videos up, forever. On one hand, this is a curious anthropological development for humanity. On the other hand, it means there’s a rap video for virtually any noun, verb, or other descriptor in English. P.S. We appreciate the…

The Very Best GIFs of 2012

Was this the Year of the GIF? That’s what some English dictionary said. Whatever. Every year is the Year of the GIF. EVERY SINGLE YEAR. The people of the internets voted for the very best GIFs of 2012, and here they are! https://gizmodo.com/whats-your-favorite-gif-of-the-year-2012-5967396 Sure, we are leaving a lot out, and that’s where you come…

Spin Magazine Is Finally Dead, Long Live Spin Online

Subscribers to Spin Magazine got a letter in the mail yesterday informing them that it had ceased publication. Wasn’t Spin already kind of dead? Yes! We knew this was coming when the struggling rag was put on hold over the summer. Now it’s officially gone forever, and we couldn’t be happier to see Spin be…

Christmas Cookies Are the Best Use of 3D Printing Yet

Forget guns, records, even hideous iPhone cases; Ralf Holleis has found the best use of 3D printers and like any technology, it involves food. Namely delicious Christmas cookies. https://gizmodo.com/makerbot-is-finally-removing-3d-printable-gun-designs-5970097 Designed in 3D modelling software the holiday treats are then printed using a cookie dough-filled syringe, instead of melted plastic like a traditional 3D model. And…

Is Amazon Working On Some Sort of “KindleCare”?

There’s been a (pretty shaky) rumor kicking around lately that Amazon might be trying its hand at a smartphone, and now there’s some circumstantial evidence that Amazon might be getting ready to push in another direction as well. According to GigaOM, Amazon might be getting into warranties. https://gizmodo.com/report-amazon-is-possibly-maybe-building-a-smartphone-5969121 The possibilty of Amazon launching some sort…

A Molecular Scientist Wrote This Marriage Proposal in DNA

2012 has been a good year for elaborate marriage proposals but none more impressive perhaps than this anonymous scientist’s efforts. He bent the molecular instructions for life itself to his will—or as IOKTBS explains, “DNA amplified to different sized fragments via the polymerase chain reaction, and then seperated [sic] by size on a gel.” Either…

This Record-Breaking Spinning Jump Is Even Crazier Than Felix Baumgartner’s Space Fall

Yes, Felix Baumgartner’s stratospheric jump was crazy. Like, really crazy and awesome and crazy. And he broke a few records. But this new Red Bull jump by Spanish paraglider Horacio Llorens seems crazier than Felix’s to me. Watch the video. https://gizmodo.com/supersonic-space-jump-full-coverage-5951563 Llorens—four-time winner of the Paragliding World Cup—broke the infinity tumbling world record achieving an…

There’s a New Site Just for 3D-Printed Gun Designs

Following the Sandy Hook shooting, Makerbot really started cracking down on 3D-printed gun part plans on Thingiverse, its database of templates. That’s a far cry from scrubbing them from the web however, and it should come as no surprise that a new site has popped up to fill in the gap, specifically with the very…

Galaxy S III users are noticing their mainboards suddenly sputter out after just five months.

Our 2012 Tech Company Report Cards: Who Flunked?

It’s the end of the year—and that means it’s the end of the semester. Before we all go on winter break, it’s time to have a tough conversation, kiddos. Grades are in. Who misbehaved? Who shined? Who got detention? Our pupils: the world’s technology companies. We graded them in a variety of subjects. Did they…