Tech News

Secret Elixir Makes Any Glove Touchscreen-Friendly

By now it’s almost impossible to find a winter glove that doesn’t work with touchscreen devices. But if you’ve got a favorite pair that predates the iPhone, this AnyGlove potion will let you use them with a touchscreen display without having to resort to sewing conductive thread onto the fingertips. Just a few drops is…

Starting in February, Twitter’s knocking you down to 120 characters (from 122 today) when you share a link. NOOOOOOOOOO.

Spotify’s New Interface

What American Macintosh Factories Looked Like Last Time Apple Built Them Here

Tim Cook laid some pretty exciting news on us today, saying that an entire Mac line would be manufactured in the US starting next year (some iMacs are already assembled here). But time was, that was just ho-hum standard for all Macs, when they were made in Fremont, California. https://gizmodo.com/apple-will-move-mac-production-to-the-us-in-2013-5966177 Here’s what the factory making…

Spotify Overhauls Its Player to Make Discovering New Music a Breeze (Updating)

Today’s Spotify event, billed as “Discover what’s next,” is not so subtly supposed to be about how Spotify is going to one up its competition by helping you find music better than anyone else. The service is adding a new “Discover” and “Follow” tabs to its player that not only gives you recommendations, but also…

The Mathematical Formula For a Perfectly Decorated Christmas Tree

It turns out that decorating your Christmas tree isn’t necessarily all about taste. Mathematicians at the University of Sheffield in the UK have developed a formula for the perfect way to deck the halls. More specifically, what ratio of ornaments to lights to tinsel will make your tree most aesthetically pleasing. Since the geniuses behind…

T-Mobile’s Finally, Officially Getting the iPhone

Next year T-Mobile will finally get the iPhone. It’s not even a rumor this time—it’s an official announcement from T-Mobile and Apple. We’ve been waiting on this for pretty much forever, and not having Apple in its lineup has been pretty hard on T-Mobile. Now the three people still on the carrier are pretty pleased.…

Nvidia’s GeForce Experience Fixes Your Graphics Settings for You

Nvidia is no stranger to trying to make your video games look good, but this is a different take. Nvidia’s doing software now, and its GeForce Experience wants to optimize your graphics settings. GeForce Experience’s flagship feature is the ability to optimize visual settings for PC games with one click. If you’re not into guess-and-check…

Google+ is rolling out its “Communities” interest-based discussion pages to all users today — all dozens of you.

This Is the Freakiest, Most Perfect Artificial Eyeball I’ve Ever Seen

I wrote about Visionary Effects awesome—and freaky—animatronics work before. The second version of their robotic eye with dilating pupil is even more impressive and way freakier. Just amazing. I wish I had a pair of these on my living room walls. [Thanks Visionary Effects!] https://gizmodo.com/animatronic-eyeballs-freak-me-out-5764104

How an Old Biosphere Project Could Help Build a Better Climate Model

We only have a fragmented understanding of the complex interactions that go on in the dirt as water flows past soil and microbes. To gain fresh insight into the hydrologic processes that make life on land possible, the University of Arizona has built a trio of massive, man-made hillside labs. Just recently, the $200 million…

A Website in Japan Lets You Rent a Boyfriend For $364

Japan provides its lonely men with plenty of way to find sweet respite from the emptiness and isolation of everyday life-provided you have the cash. And we’re not just talking about prostitution: you can rent a girlfriend at Moé Date for day of “simulate romance” or find a cuddle partner at Soine-ya to help you…

Vibrating Baby Monitor Tries To Wake Your Sleeping Kid If They Stop Moving

Instead of just listening for signs that something might be wrong with a sleeping infant, the Snuza monitor does a quick check before sounding the alarm. So not only does it provide extra piece of mind, it also cuts down on false positives that could have you dashing to the nursery in a panic. The…

Now John McAfee Is Writing an Insane Blog While He’s in Jail

The John McAfee circus came to a head last night when McAfee was finally arrested in Guatemala. Except uh, now he’s blogging from a computer the Guatemalan police gave him in his jail cell. https://gizmodo.com/john-mcafee-has-finally-been-arrested-5966116 Here’s how the first prison-based post starts: I am in jail in Guatemala. Vastly superior to Belize jails. I asked…

Snapseed for Android: Powerful Photo Editing Even for Amateurs

Considering your smartphone shutter is likely pretty decent at this point, you probably tend to do at least a little basic photo editing. If you’re an Android user you now have one more great option for that with Snapseed. What does it do? Gives you a simple, powerful photo editor packed with smart features features…

Wireless Card Reader Lets You Share Your Shots Without Stupid Cables

Wireless devices are usually far more convenient than their tethered alternative. But in this case losing the USB cable has made the REX-WIFISD1 SD/SDHX/SDXC and flash drive reader a bit on the bulky side. So what do you really gain for it being wireless? The ability to access it from any mobile device. Apple already…

Gravity Doesn’t Work How You Think It Does, And Other Common Misconceptions

Most of us grew up believing that gravity is just the mass of two objects attracting each other. We probably still think that, really, since who spends their time reading up on gravity? Well, that’s WRONG. Our old friend MinutePhysics explains that gravity is actually based on energy and momentum, which means even light has…

Apple Maps, Android Jabs, and More: Apple CEO Tim Cook Speaks

Bloomberg BusinessWeek has scored a gigundo, 11-page interview with Apple CEO Tim Cook. It covers a ton of ground—much of which has been covered before—but offers some new insights as well. Here’s the highlight reel, before you dive into the whole thing: On the recently fired Scott Forstall being a lousy team player: The key…

Apple Will Move Mac Production to the US in 2013

Tim Cook has confirmed that production of one of the existing Mac lines will move to the US, wholesale, in 2013. The news has made it on to Bloomberg Business week, and will be confirmed in a TV interview with Tim Cook which will be aired on NBC tonight. According to an interview transcript published…

This Is the Mess Left by Curiosity’s Cruise Stage

During Curiosity’s journey to Mars, it was carried by something called a cruise stage: a combination of propulsion systems, fuel tanks, and other equipment required to guide the rover to its destination. On the way down, though, all that stuff made a bit of mess. Just before the cruise stage hit Mars’s atmosphere, the fuel…