Tech News

Never Ask the IRIS 9000 iPhone Dock To Lie

Though cleverly named the IRIS 9000 to dodge any legal trouble with MGM, 2001: A Space Odyssey fans should have no trouble recognizing this HAL 9000 doppleganger that’s designed to make using Siri feel a little more sci-fi. But whatever you do, don’t ask it to lie or conceal the truth. The not-quite-a-dock connects to…

The Military-Grade iPhone Windshield Mount Is Your Dealzmodo-Exclusive Deal of the Day

If you want to buy one smartphone car mount for life your best bet is made by RAM Mounts. Why? Maybe because they’re completely manufactured in the USA. Or it’s possibly because they make iPhone and laptop mounts for motorcycles and police cars, which obviously need to be more secure. Perhaps it’s because Gizmodo alum…

Sad Chinese Factory Workers Photographed with the Cheap Things They Build

Having a bad job is better than having no job, but there’s no doubt that monotonous, bottom-wage manual labor is the pits. Photographer Michael Wolf snapped this haunting series of Chinese workers building cheap toys for… us. The labor depicted here is of a very different kind than that at Foxconn in one important way:…

Do You Care About Ubuntu?

So we were just having a discussion about Linux and someone mentioned that nobody cares about Ubuntu. While that may be true for the vast majority of folks, I’m wondering if it’s true of our readers. Please discuss.

Hey You Big Idiots, Now Can I Use My Phone on Planes?

I’ve traveled 18,054 miles on airplanes this year. That’s 27 flights. And on each of those 27 takeoffs and 27 landings, a hungover flight attendant has asked me and my fellow travelers to turn off our phones. I didn’t, not once. And you know what? I didn’t die. All 27 planes found the runway, none…

What Is Electricity?

Tired of smiling and nodding along while your electrical engineering buddies debate the finer points of electromagnetic theory? If you’re taking a critical eye to the definitive guide to batteries, you’ve got to understand what electricity is to begin with. Here’s a crash course on the fundamental force that’s driving our digital revolution. https://gizmodo.com/batteries-the-absolute-definitive-guide-5952938 Electricity…

Surprise! Kim Dotcom’s New Mega-Site Looks Like a P2P Client

Oh Kim Dotcom, will your exploits never cease? He’s in court battling extradition to the United States, and simultaneously developing a new product that’s probably going to piss off the copyright holders who are coming after him for Megaupload. Genius! Now Dotcom has taken to Twitter to show off some screenshots of the forthcoming Mega-branded…

This Is the Mythical Animal Actually Found By North Korean Archeologists

The world got it all wrong, so you can all stop laughing now. The North Korean archeologists didn’t find a magic unicorn lair belonging to an ancient king in Pyongyang. Don’t be stupid! No, they actually found the lair of the animal you are seeing above. https://gizmodo.com/north-korean-archeologists-discover-ancient-unicorn-lai-5964719 Seriously, that’s what they say they found. The…

Operation Payback hacker was convicted in London yesterday. He faces up to 10 years in prison.

It’s Best Not To Imagine the Awful Ways This Virtual Water Could Be Used

A Japanese company called Solidray who specializes in virtual reality systems has developed a clever way to simulate flowing water using both visual and tactile feedback. And while the technology is neat, the practical applications that come to mind are a little unsettling. To interact with the VR character a user wears a set of…

Add Lego to Your Photos, Get Huge Lego Sets for Free with Lego’s Happy Holiplay Contest

I really love this Lego Happy Holiplay contest because 1) enhancing photos with Lego brick seems like a great idea to me and 2) the winners get a big Lego prize every day. And I mean really big, including the four-foot long Executor Star Destroyer, the gigantic Imperial Space Shuttle or the truly awesome (and…

Gifts for the DSLR-Slinging Photo Artiste

‘Tis the season for getting up in your relatives’ grills with your giant camera and making them hate you for taking pictures while they are still in pajamas. Yep, the DSLR-slinger has a lot to look forward to around the holidays. A big part of the fun is the long list of gift possibilities. Here…

Friendly reminder that the Messages Beta for Lion ends on the 14th. Upgrade to Mountain Lion. Or not. Your choice.

How to Save Face When You Make Social Media Mistakes

Last week, inspired by the DROID RAZR MAXX HD by Motorola — whose 32 hours of battery life, brilliant 4.7″ HD display and 4G LTE speed make it the phone of choice for the constantly connected, I asked you to submit your social media messes so I could use my PR girl powers to help…

Brace yourself for some buttery goodness, 4.1 Jellybean is rolling out now for the RAZR HD and RAZR MAXX HD. [Ubergizmo]

How To Dominate Your Ugly Xmas Sweater Party (With Technology)

Holiday parties are fun, full of boozy eggnog and good cheer, but there’s too much ugly sweater one-upsmanship. The winner is inevitably whoever found the ugliest old thing at the Salvation Army. Nuts to that. Blow everyone’s mind with this high-tech solution. Our NASA engineer pal Mark Rober is at it again. Remember his interactive…

Why That “US” Drone That Iran “Captured” Is Totally Worthless

Iranian officials happily announced on Monday that it downed and recovered a US drone as it was performing reconnaissance over Iranian territory. However, US officials have already denied that the drone is theirs and that, even if it were, there’s nothing Iran can do with it. Here’s why. https://gizmodo.com/iran-just-captured-another-us-drone-5965424 The drone in question is a…

You Can Totally Afford a Birkin Bag—If It’s Made of Lego

The Hermes Birkin bag is the handbag holy grail. One costs as much as $150,000 and for years you’d have to sit on a lengthy waiting list just for the right to buy the pricey purse. The list no longer exists, but even if you’re lacking an extra stack of cash you can have a…

There’s a Cookbook Starring Tech Startup Weirdos Because Not Even Food Is Safe

Hey kids! Get down here. We made Mrs. Zuckerberg’s famous eggnog cinnamon chip scones! That’s an example of something you could say in your own home but never will. Because you’re never going to buy The Startup Chef, a collection of beloved recipes from tech entrepreneurs and their families. Just in time for the holidays,…

Here’s John McAfee, in Restraints, Headed To a Guatemalan Hospital

After a long and eventful run from the law, John McAfee’s time on the lam is finally over. Following his arrest in Guatemala, McAfee was hospitalized due to an as-yet-unconfirmed condition. Not exactly a good day. Suffice it to say he is now the furthest thing from “on the run,” and this picture of him…