Tech News

Walmart just broke up with Amazon; the megachain is going to stop selling all Kindle products, according to Reuters.

Where To Keep Track of All the Worst Apple Maps Fails

It’s barely been a day since iOS 6’s native Maps app was released to the world, and already there’s a steady stream of mapsasters that have everyone not-so-secretly wishing a standalone Google Maps app gets released ASAP. https://gizmodo.com/apples-new-3d-maps-are-an-apocalyptic-horror-show-5944672 And since it doesn’t take long for an internet fad to turn into a curated Tumblr blog,…

This Carbon-Fiber Kamikaze Bomb Fits in a Backpack

The innumerable caves, crags, and hiding spots dotting the Afghan mountains render conventional tactics useless. So rather than play reactionary whack-a-mole with insurgents, our Special Forces may soon deploy these radio-controlled, explosive-laden planes to find and eliminate targets in one deadly fell swoop. Developed by Textron Defense Systems, the BattleHawk Squad Level Loitering Munition is…

It’s Officially Safe to Taser Shiftless Teens Now

Dear police: Feel free to tase children at will. According to a new study reviewing 100 cases in which tasers were used to subdue adolescent suspects, doctors found that the kids were just fine afterwards. Hurray for brutality! The findings of the Wake Forrest study called “Conducted Electrical Weapon (TASER) Use Against Minors: A Shocking…

17 People Apple Maps Has Already Horribly Misled

Like so many things in life, Apple’s horrific new Maps app would be funny if it weren’t so sad. But after Apple decided to ditch Google Maps for its own troubled offering in iOS 6, users have been left with bad directions, incorrect business listings, and a missing Statue of Liberty. https://gizmodo.com/apples-new-3d-maps-are-an-apocalyptic-horror-show-5944672 How bad is…

Garmin Navigon: An App To Dry Your iOS 6 Navigation Tears

Apple’s Maps app is horrifying—in its apocalyptic world, the Statue of Liberty is no more, the Brooklyn Bridge is blown out, and everything is awful. Desperately searching for an alternative? Conveniently enough, Garmin has getting ready to release a huge update to its iOS navigation app, Navigon. https://gizmodo.com/apples-new-3d-maps-are-an-apocalyptic-horror-show-5944672 What does it do? It gets you…

Apple’s Shake-To-Charge Patent Trades Calories for Battery Life

Its larger form factor and bigger battery mean the iPhone 5 should last longer on a single charge. But to overcome the fact that battery technology still basically sucks, Apple has applied for a ‘shake to charge’ patent that uses electromagnetic induction to convert everyday motions into extra battery life. In Apple’s system a small…

You Can’t Spoof SMS Messages on Your iPhone Anymore

The SMS protocol on iOS has had an issue wherein you’re able to manipulate the little-used “Reply To” field in a text message to make it look like it was coming from anyone you wanted it to. But with the proper release of iOS 6 the days of pulling that stunt on an iPhone are…

Circle Pad Pro For the 3DS XL Makes It Even More Monstrous

There are no details on pricing or availability, but as expected, Nintendo has revealed a version of its Circle Pad Pro accessory for the 3DS XL. The add-on further embiggens the already hefty handheld console with an additional analog control stick—a feature that many had hoped would have been included in the re-designed version of…

Using Growl on Mountain Lion Just Got Way Less Annoying

An update to Growl will make notifications start playing nice with Mountain Lion. Growl version 2.0 is now integrated with the ML Notification Center. Up until now, it’s been a huge pain in the ass to use Growl with the latest version of OS X—notification and Growl banner alerts would show up in the same…

This Is How You Kill Time Waiting for Your iPhone 5

Did you preorder an iPhone 5? Waiting can be agonizing. You just want that pretty, shiny LTE smartphone in your hands NOW. To help you out in the patience department, Conan O’Brien has put together a tongue-in-cheek primer on how to pass the time. And the solutions sound strangely similar to symptoms of deep depression.…

Samsung Is Really Suing Apple Over 8 LTE Patents

Just when you thought the whole “let’s take each other to court” thing was fading out in the tech world, Samsung confirmed that it plans to sue Apple over eight patents relating to its implementation of LTE tech in the iPhone. Ugh. Unearthed by Foss Patents, the relevant passage from a case management filing in…

Casio’s Kickstand Point-and-Shoot Is the Ultimate Self-Shooter

Casio’s not always the first name you think of when you’re shopping for a digital camera, but occasionally the company comes up with a neat feature that might have you reconsidering that Nikon or Canon. Such is the case with its new Exilim EX-ZR1000, which makes it extra easy with not only a flip around…

Syrian Rebels Hack Together Digital Cameras To Replace Machine Gun Scopes

Rebels in Syria are not satisfied with the munitions and technology readily available to them. So, increasingly, they’re building their own badass battle tools. New York Times’ At War blog is discovery these crazy awesome DIY weapons, like a machine gun, which instead of a traditional scope, has a digital camera installed: What is its…

Kindle Fire HD vs. Nexus 7: What’s the Best 7-inch Tablet Display?

Less than a year after the first generation of smaller tablets gained traction, a second generation of 7-inchers has arrived—the Google Nexus 7 launched in July and the Amazon Kindle Fire HD in September. There are many other manufacturers making small tablets, but these are the only models seeing significant demand. As we’ll see, in…

Maybe the iPhone 5 Isn’t Tall Enough

The iPhone 5’s most notable update is a taller 4-inch display that finally provides a proper way to enjoy 16:9 content. But what if Apple didn’t stop there? What if the iPhone 5 had been given a 5-inch display, or 10, or maybe even 30 or 40 inches as this parody demonstrates? It sounds ridiculous,…

Here’s the Full Line-Up of Apple Passbook Supported Apps (Updated)

Now that iOS 6 is out in the wild, Apple has announced its line up of newly Passbook-supported apps. Sadly the list is much shorter than expected—and doesn’t even include many of the applications highlighted by Apple in its public demonstrations. https://gizmodo.com/ios-6-all-the-best-new-features-5944514 Update: We missed a few, and have added in new ones we know…

Samsung Building 128GB Flash Memory Chips For Next Year’s Superphones

There might just be a 128GB memory option when it comes to upgrading to the Galaxy S4 next year or the S5 the year after, thanks to Samsung now mass producing 128GB memory chips for use in mobile devices. Samsung’s newest 128GB eMMC NAND chips read data at 140MB/s and can write at up to…

Raspberry Pis have a secret Turbo Mode: 50 percent more power for free without voiding the warranty. Nice! [RaspberryPi]

Procrastinate By Watching This Video About the Science of Procrastination

Ironically, here’s a video about the science of procrastination that you can watch to avoid doing some other task. But it’s not quite the singularity that it could be, because it also gives you some tips for keeping your time-wasting in check. [YouTube]