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There have been anti-texting-while-driving apps already, but State Farm’s On the Move app actually tries to eliminate your urge to text back—by texting back for you. Launch the app, and while it’s active, it will text back anyone who tries to reach you with a pre-determined message. It doesn’t, unfortunately, automatically detect when you’re driving,…
As invention has shifted from the singular genius to the corporate R&D lab, the notion of the true creator has become more slippery. For instance, who invented the Macintosh? Andy Hertzfeld, one of the original Macintosh team members essentially asks that same question in his first-hand account of the origin of the Mac. Was it…
It’s hard to believe that this loft exists in Manhattan, the city in which I currently live, in 2010, the year in which I currently exist, but the space age pad is very real, and OH MY GOD this bookshelf: I imagine it’s tough, going back to those print relics after a lifetime of reading…
Picture the scene: 275 passengers aboard a Hong Kong-bound British Airways flight from London Heathrow are played an automatic plane crash message when flying over the North Sea. Only trouble (or, blessing) is, it was an error. Whoops? [Reuters]
A research team at the University of Michigan has created a new even-higher-high-definition screen technology, using nano-sized manufacturing processes to reduce pixel size—and simplify the screen-making process. The technology behind it is all very… small. Extremely tiny slits cut into very thin metal layers allow different parts of the light spectrum though, with the gaps…
We usually assume words are just a way of expressing ideas already in our heads. But what if it’s the other way around? Some linguists say the languages we speak fundamentally alter the way we think, and even perceive reality. The New York Times explores the implications of world-altering linguistics, and how we can learn…
Verizon just started pushing Android 2.2 to HTC Incredible devices. Incredibles will get even incredilber with Flash 10.1, 720p video recording, and mobile hotspot capabilities. [Verizon]
I thought I fancied the idea of turning myself into a diamond once I die, but actually, having my cremated ashes turned into a vinyl record of my favorite album is much more my style. British company “And Vinyly” charges £2,000 ($3,100) for the pleasure of pressing cremated ashes into a piece of vinyl, sprinkling…
NEC’s newest facial recognition tech is able to track changes of substantial age and weight to match faces to their younger, slimmer selves. A recent Homeland Security test within a 1.6 million person criminal database saw 92% accuracy. NEC’s error percentage was only 0.3%, compared to the next best system in the report, which came…
Have you heard the one about the guys who rode into a campground with a Nomad tent? Oh. They just had a really good night’s sleep. The Nomad Ténéré uses three poles, sleeps two, and has one awesome motorcycle garage. After a long, hard ride, you want a nice place for both you and your…
An early, pre-alpha version of Mozilla’s Fennec mobile browser has been around for months, but the Firefox developer has today released an official full alpha for download. And it’s not just Android that’s benefitting—the mobile browser has also been released for Nokia’s N900 smartphone. https://gizmodo.com/download-firefox-fennec-for-android-5525975 You’ll need an Android OS tagged 2.x for it to…
While I’ve never done the dropped-acid-and-burnt-wicker-men-alive thing (at least, not at Burning Man festival), from my understanding the event is meant to be somewhat of an escape from the humdrum of daily life. Meaning, you leave the iPhone at home. That hasn’t stopped a Burning Man iPhone (and iPad!) app from hitting the store in…
This Sanyo VPC-CA102YL waterproof HD camcorder is head and shoulders (or head and snorkel) above the rest. With a full HD Xacti, 12x double-range zoom and 2.7-inch LCD screen, it’s safe to use in up to 10 feet of water! Summermodo 2010 is packed with tons more underwater gadgetry. Summermodo is a constantly-updated feed of…
Nathan Myhrvold explains why failure is an option at Intellectual Ventures—and it has to be for any inventor, really. [Eureka on Gizmodo] Eureka is our week-long meditation on the wonders of invention, inventors and genius. Videos by Mike Short.
MPEG LA, the group that licenses the h.264 video codec, has extended its royalty-free use (for free internet video) from 2016 until, well, forever. Update: Kinda. But Mozilla thinks the better part of forever could belong to Google’s WebM format. https://gizmodo.com/h-264-will-stay-royalty-free-for-free-internet-video-th-5463728 The announcement serves as MPEG LA’s not-so-indirect response to Google’s announcement of their own…
Theo Kamecke sees beauty in the common circuit board, and thinks they deserve a place in homes and galleries. He’s created a series of dazzling boxes and chests made from salvaged circuitry—though they may not be for everyone. “Either you get it or you don’t, either you like it or you don’t,” Kamecke explains. The…
Simply put, Apple wants fewer holes in its devices. Headphone jack—that’s a hole. Microphone—that’s a hole. According to a recent patent filing, Apple is looking to consolidate by combining the functionality of the two into one unified jack. The patent argues that “in addition to using housing real estate, sound input apertures and electrical connectors…
With any luck T-Mobile customers still clutching an antiquated G1 won’t have to wait too long between the announcement and release of the HTC Vision/Vanguard/G2, with leaked T-Mobile documents showing a September 29th release date. https://gizmodo.com/new-htc-phone-htc-vision-to-be-unveiled-september-15-5611978 That’s only 14 days after the launch event, where HTC is expected to unveil whatever phone is behind the…
It appears SurfaceInk got too close for comfort when it showed off a prototype tablet in June, because now Apple has parted ways with the design company after working with them for 10 years Despite SurfaceInk having designed products for Palm and HP, it seemingly wasn’t until they showed off their own tablet that Apple…
