Tech News

Xbox Live is reportedly down! Although it’s early enough that you probably shouldn’t be on Xbox Live anyway. [Mashable]

Nokia: PureView Is Not a Single Specific Feature

After what Nokia did with its 808’s insane camera, many a consumer was hoping that similar PureView technology would also feature in the impending new Lumia range. Don’t hold your breath, though: as Nokia is keen to point out, PureView isn’t about crazy pixel counts. https://gizmodo.com/nokia-808-pureview-hands-on-a-superb-camera-with-a-ph-5912940 In a bid to perhaps manage expectations, Nokia’s senior…

The Kisai Zone Tells the Time in Hexagons

Tokyo Flash, the Japanese watchmaker which loves to make hard-to-read timepieces, has just launched its latest model: the Zone, which tells the time in hexagons. In fact, this time round it’s actually not too difficult to read the display, which can’t be said for many of its watches. If you’re stuck when it comes to…

Future Supercomputers Will Be Powered By Your Phone

Cluster computing—the concept of stringing together devices to act as a single processing unit—isn’t a new idea. But soon your phone could be acting as a node in just such a device, helping to crack tough computational problems. New Scientist reports that researchers from the Technical University of Braunschweig in Germany have been stringing together…

Samsung Audit Finds No Underage Workers, But Some Serious Problems

Last month a Chinese labor watchdog fingered Samsung for employing, and abusing, underage workers in its factories. Now a Samsung audit has found no evidence of underage workers—but plenty of other problems to worry about. https://gizmodo.com/report-underage-children-abused-in-samsung-factories-5932504 Investigating the HEG Electronics facility in Huizhou, China, which was the focus of last month’s report, Samsung found no…

AntiSec Leaks 1 Million Apple Device IDs Obtained During FBI Breach (Updated)

Antisec has released 1 million Apple Unique Device Identifiers (UDIDs), claiming that it obtained them after breaching an FBI computer. It also claims to have over 12 million IDs in total, along with user names, device names, cell phone numbers and addresses to go with them. This is very not good. In a statement Antisec…

Rumor: New Nokia Lumias to Include Wireless Charging?

Last week rumors circulated about Nokia’s new range of Lumia handsets. Now, another leak from evleaks suggests that the Lumia range will feature wireless charging. https://gizmodo.com/are-these-nokias-new-lumia-windows-phones-updated-5939527 The Verge is reporting the rumor in some detail, suggesting that the new phones will support the Qi wireless power standard, making it compatible with other wireless charging systems.…

What People in 1899 Thought the Year 2000 Would Look Like

If you asked me back in the year 2000, what 2012 was going to be like, I’m not sure I could have gave you a good answer. So you could imagine how wrong people back in 1899 were about the year 2000. They thought there were going to be flying firemen! It’s funny to see…

Better Names for The Everyday Thingamajigs In Your Life

We can all thank Youtube funny person PleatedJeans for recording this ultimate video catalog of the true names for those every day doodads and wotsists and thingabobs we know so well. It’s funny, because it’s true. And it’s so true, you’ll be sorry you didn’t think of putting out this list first. [BuzzFeed]

What Is The Nerdiest Game Ever?

How do you make an already-geeky game even geekier? By making it out of electronic components, of course. MAKE magazine is showing off this super-nerdy game of chess, where resistors become pawns, LEDs stand in as bishops and the king and queen are represented by electrolytic capacitors. But we’ve seen plenty of other geeky games…

FreshPaper Keeps Fruits and Veg Fresher, Longer

Here’s a scenario: You go to the grocery store, where, among much else, you buy a a little plastic container of raspberries. You take them home, eat a few, put the container in the fridge and forget about ’em. Then a couple days later, you want to make a smoothie and have pull out the…

The Most Awesome Twitter Names That Sadly Aren’t Being Used

I hate being late to a new social network or e-mail service or anything where I have to choose a new user name. You don’t want to be the guy stuck with [email protected]. You want your real name! I also hate those people who squat on awesome user names and DO NOTHING. Like these people…

Cher Lloyd: Want U Back

Cher Lloyd (19) got her start on the UK’s pop talent competition The X Factor back in 2010, and although she didn’t win the ultimate competition, Cher’s place as a finalist certainly helped kickstart her career. “Want U Back,” The third single off her US debut album is just as catchy as pop music gets.…

Watch Humans Age from 1 Year Old to 100 Years Old

Using a Panasonic GH2, Dutch filmmaker Jeroen Wolf captured people ranging from 1 year young to 100 years old. It’s simple—the person stares at the camera at states their age—yet incredibly touching to see the growth and experience you earn as the years add up. Wolf actually started the project last October by documenting people…

Do You Like Soundbars?

Soundbars can’t quite match the enveloping feel of home theater systems yet they’re so much better than pumping audio through your wimpy TV speakers. Or are they? Are soundbars the best compromise—affordable, easy to setup—for audio or are they the worst of both worlds—not quite good enough for the price—that’s not really worth the savings?…

Scientists Build Incredible Supercapacitor Using… Pen Ink?

Standard pen ink is the surprise component in a flexible carbon fibre supercapacitor which can be bent in a full circle with barely any loss of performance. Supercapacitors are devices that can unleash large amounts of charge very quickly and are useful in situations where electricity is required to charge or discharge fast: to balance…

For Those Incapable of Drawing a Straight Line or a Circle, Help Is on the Way

Drawing a perfect circle is maybe the hardest thing one can do with a pen in hand. A straight line, while much easier to accomplish, is still a chore for some. With that in mind, designer Sunghoon Jung has dreamed up a concept for a tape measure that not only has a line guide in…

Bottle Blender Mixes Fresh Fruit and Water To Flavor Your Boring H2O

If plain old water doesn’t quench your palate, but you don’t want to spring for a fancy flavor-enhanced pre-bottled alternative, feast your eyes upon the Aqua Zinger DIY H2O infuser. It lets you imbue your water with everything from fresh fruit essences, to spices, to candy corn. What’s particularly neat is that you don’t need…

Ten Ways To Clear Out Kitchen Cabinet Clutter

Things have a way of stacking up inside kitchen cabinets, robbing you of storage space and leaving cupboards crowded and disorganized. Here’s how to free up room for pots, pans, utensils and cans of clam chowder. Reclaim your space and bring order to the busiest room in the home. Your house is the biggest gadget…

Marshall’s First Stab at Home Audio Will Rock Your Apartment Hard

Marshall branding makes anything look instantly cool: from fridges to headphones. Now you can add home audio to that list. Weirdly, in its 50-year history the English amp manufacturer has never made a home audio device—save for a licensed UK-only digital radio—instead sticking to guitar amplification. Now it’s launching the Hanwell, an active loudspeaker designed…