Tech News

This Tool-Wielding Robot Hand Can Be Mass Produced For Cheap

Darpa researchers at Sandia National Laboratory have developed a dextrous robotic hand made of modular components that can be produced cheaply. You see, the military wants to use these bots to defuse IEDs all over the world, but until now, comparable robotic abilities have cost about $250,000. Robotic hands need to be a lot be…

Today Is Gizmodo Day! Come Celebrate With Us Tonight

Gizmodo Day is finally here! We’re excited. We just turned 10 years old, and tonight we want you to come help us ring in the double digits. https://gizmodo.com/gizmodo-is-10-years-old-today-sort-of-5926187 We’re celebrating the big 1-0 with mutli-city celebrations this evening. New York is having the biggest official Meetup—with most of Gizmodo staff—at the Magician. We’re partying in…

Gizmodo Day Oxford Meet-Up Live Blog (Updating)

To celebrate Gizmodo’s tenth birthday in the UK, we’re partying at The Jame Factory in Oxford. Given that Gizmodo is a US-based website, how will it play out? This is the live blog of how it’s going. 8:00 PM: I am settled in at the bar with a Brooklyn Lager to celebrate the fact that…

What Happens When You Stare Directly at the Sun

Snow blindness, arc eye, welder’s flash, bake eyes—these all describe the common effects of staring at an intensely bright light source. But what actually happens to your eyes when you try to hold a staring contest with our closest star? It’s not pleasant, that’s for sure. Here’s a look at what you shouldn’t see for…

TheNextWeb says that Hipstamatic laid off all but 5 of its employees. Ouch. [TNW]

These Sennheiser CX 980 Headphones Are The Nicest-Things-You-Will-Stick-In-Your-Ear-Today Deal of the Day

Back in 2011 I bought a new snowboard. For some reason I’m still not completely sure about, that snowboard came with a free pair of headphones. They’re hideous and green and not all that great, but I still use them to this day. They’re in my ears right now. Before that, I used the free…

TIE Fighter: Free to a Good Home

Apparently a guy in Salt Lake City named Valter had no takers on his original price of $150 for a 1/3 replica TIE Fighter, because he’s lowered the price to a cool zero dollars. So if you’re in Salt Lake City, call Valter ASAP to get something totally amazing for absolutely no money. https://gizmodo.com/giant-tie-fighter-for-sale-fits-real-pilot-fires-part-5894859 Here’s…

Kat Hannaford’s Favourite Gizmodo Post

Like any good nerdlinger, Simon Pegg is one of my favourite actors. It just so happens that I frickin’ hate the unnecessary gimmick that is 3D too, so when I spotted Pegg mouthing off in a 10-tweet tirade (sample: “3D used in films not aimed at children is like seeing someone you respect trying too…

Discover Hops Aboard the Google Wallet Bandwagon

The achilles heel of Google Wallet thus far has been it’s inability to forge patnerships. MasterCard and Sprint have been the company’s only friends. But now Discover is also on board, which gets Google Wallet one step closer to being a thing normal people use. [Google via PhoneScoop via The Verge]

Judge in Samsung vs. Apple just accused team Apple of “smoking crack.” Apple attorney denies said act. [Nick Wingfield]

Canon Rebel T4i: Familiar Face With Some Welcome Additions

The Canon Digital Rebel series of cameras has always been a go-to choice for the entry-level DSLR seekers. So when the latest upgrade, the Rebel T4i, arrived at our office, we shredded cardboard and immediately started toying with all the new features. https://gizmodo.com/is-the-canon-t4i-a-future-mirrorless-camera-hiding-in-p-5917037 The image quality of the T4i is great, but not appreciably different…

How a RadioShack Computer and AOL Viruses Led to the Creation of GroupMe

I got exposed to computers in elementary school, where I learned to type and play games like Oregon Trail. I quickly fell in love with technology and unsuccessfully asked my mom for a home computer. I begged and begged and begged, and finally my mom broke down and got me a 25 MHz Tandy computer…

Motion-Activated Electric Screwdriver Anticipates Your Movements Before You Make Them

The screwdriver is maybe the last thing in the world that needs a reboot, but the new Black & Decker Max Gyro is the kind of non-essential evolution we can get behind. The little 4-volt handheld tool mimics improves upon the function of ye olde analog screwdriver with a built-in gyroscope that anticipates your movements.…

Hands On Instagram 3: The Single Coolest Way to Browse Your Friends’ Photos

There’s a new Instagram out today—and because the Instagram team is smart, they’re keeping the app simple. But there’s one major change: you can see where all your friends have taken their pictures, all across the world. Awesome. https://gizmodo.com/instagram-3-0-brings-photo-maps-and-faster-browsing-5935374 The (entirely optional, opt-in) photo map feature is pretty much perfect—graphically subtle while still giving you…

Canon DSLR Video Compared: 1DX vs 5D Mark III vs T4i

Canon DSLRs are popular for video shooting, and you can pull beautiful footage from the low end Rebel series to the high end 1D series. But what is the difference in image quality in a price range from $1000-$7000? We’ve had a Rebel T4i, 5D Mark III, and 1DX all in ou possession, so we…

Instagram 3.0 Brings Photo Maps and Faster Browsing

Instagram just launched a huge update for all its apps today. Version 3.0 can plot all your images on a map based on the location in which you snapped each one. The result? A totally different way to browse through photos. Here’s what’s new: Photo map: Everyone’s pics are now organized on a map, coordinated…

Fukushima Explosion Was Concealed by Japanese Government Until Right Before It Happened

Newly released evidence from Japanese utility company TEPCO shows that the Japanese government ordered it not to tell anyone that Fukushima reactor 3 was about to explode until right before it happened. Could better procedure have made this disaster less catastrophic? According to TEPCO teleconference footage obtained by the Japan Times, the utility was forced…

Scientists Invent Revolutionary Device that Could Help Stop Cancer (and Detect Faint Alien Signals Too!)

Researchers at the National Physical Laboratory and Imperial College London have found a simple way to make masers. According to team leader Dr. Mark Oxborrow, this “new type of electronic device” could revolutionize the world in the same way lasers did—and even beyond that. How revolutionary, you ask? What about detecting a tiny tumor way…

This Restaurant Will Pay You Not to Use Your Phone at Dinner

Sometimes it’s nice to have your smartphone at dinner, staring at the screen the entire time and avoiding the human travails of conversation and eye contact. But one LA eatery has had enough, and is offering discounts for phone surrender. https://gizmodo.com/is-foursquare-ruining-eating-out-5638118 The idea, Southern California Public Radio reports, comes from Eva’s owner and chef Mark…

Like Rdio? It just added 3 million new songs to the service (now 18 million songs total). [Billboard]