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Microsoft’s last decade began dark. They seemed to screw everything up. Then, over 10 years, they made Xbox, Zune, and a better Windows. And if the reborn Windows Phone can amplify everything, they’ve got a shot at being the greatest. Ten years is a long time. During that period, things got harder, and easier, for…
Well, this doesn’t seem quite right. Apparently, retail copies of SOCOM US Navy SEALs: Fireteam Bravo 3 come with a code that’s needed to unlock online play. Bought it used? A new code will be $20, please. It’s no secret that publishers absolutely loathe the used games market, as it takes money out of their…
I can see Monster scratching their (many) heads in the board room, wondering how to appeal to women after too many Dr Dre headphones. “I know!” (shouted Noel Lee), “butterflies! They all like butterflies!” I must have a penis then. https://gizmodo.com/lightning-review-dr-dre-and-monster-headphones-vs-a-5033864 They’ve actually teamed up with the fashion designer Vivienne Tam, who’s busy lending her…
What would exactly happen to the crew of a spacecraft traveling at 99.999998 per cent the speed of light? William Edelstein, at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, Maryland, has the answer: It’d hurt. A lot. Using Einstein’s special theory of relativity, Edestein—an expert in radiology—concluded that astronauts will die instantly from…
Right now, augmented reality is pretty much just geeks talking into PCs while wearing Optimus Prime masks. But in the not-so-distant future, it will alter the way we experience the world every moment of the day. The following video is just a marketing concept for Nooka watches, but the idea is fairly sound. Clip out…
An Apple patent application has surfaced that tackles improved video and photo performance on handheld devices includes a very clear depiction of a front-facing camera. Did someone say iPad Chatroulette? The patent, with the decidedly unsexy title of “Apparatus and Method for Compensating for Variations in Digital Cameras,” outlines ways in which they company could…
I don’t know how to best sum up Infinitec’s new “flash drive” in a headline—which is obvious at this point. But what it can do is pretty unique, once you wrap your head around it. Infinitec has created a USB stick that contains an 802.11n module capable of creating an ad hoc network through any…
There’s some of us who think it looks like Dr Robotnik. Others think it’s a waste of a typewriter. Artist and creator Aaron Ristau thinks it’s a computer mouse worth $300. To use it, you have to insert your smallest finger through the copper on the side of the mouse, and click the typewriter L…
The UK government has just released seven more years of previously classified UFO reports, spanning 1994-2000. I can almost guarantee that you’ll find some great reading inside—note that the screengrab here is actually from the archive. [UFO Files]
Cafe Grumpy‘s one of the best coffeebars in NY. It’s known for two things: One of the few places that to get Clover-made coffee in NY, and it banned laptops. I was there last Sunday; it’s incredible. People were talking. https://gizmodo.com/giz-explains-how-to-actually-make-coffee-5345785 That is, instead of staring silently, glass-eyed and slack-jawed, faces aglow with the soft…
Google’s looking intently at Catch Media, a little company that works on making media cross-platform—that is, make it easy to play music, videos and other media on any hardware or platform. Catch’s tech lets companies track and move digital goods across different platforms. Right now, they’re supposedly focused on music, and have licensed music from…
Okay, Sony Ericsson CEO Bert Nordberg, here’s the deal: if you’re going to spill the details of backroom discussions that never panned out, be sure the story at least makes you look good. Because this Nexus One ditty does not! Nordberg was speaking to Swedish publication Sydsvenskan when he confirmed that Google had first approached…
High School students have sued the Lower Merion School District in Philadelphia for spying on them using their laptops’ built-in cameras. School administrator activated the webcams remotely and recorded students’ activities at home. Way to go, KGB-wannabe assclowns. Updated The situation was discovered by the Robbins, when their kid was disciplined for “improper behavior in…
In addition to ripping, sharing, and converting videos, the most recent update to RealPlayer SP allows users to quickly trim clips without affecting video quality. The player is still bloated, unfortunately, but most folks will find the new tools easy to figure out. [Real] https://gizmodo.com/realplayer-sp-rips-converts-shares-and-syncs-internet-5301855
AT&T is late to the Android games, but they’re making up for lost time with five Android handsets in the first half of the year. First up: the Motorola Backflip, coming March 7th for $100 with contract. Wait… $100? https://gizmodo.com/hands-on-with-motorola-backflip-a-folding-android-phon-5442110 To me that seems a little steep, but I guess that’s because I’m not the…
iTunes visualizations are nice to look at (though nothing will replace Winamp’s in my heart), but this Sound Scape concept looks a treat with the inbuilt LED projector beaming visuals out to match the music being played. It’s all based on nature, so if you’re playing 50 Cent don’t expect images of guns to be…
Moore’s Law dictates that memory gets larger and cheaper as the years go by (roughly speaking), but how can this SD card store the equivalent of 256MB of photos and cost $16? When the 60 photos are printed out and stuck in the album sleeves, naturally. On sale in April, it’s available as a pre-order…
It was threatened, and thus now available. Hit up the BlackBerry App World to download the free Kindle app now—but only if you live in the US. And are happy paying up to a tenner to read a book on a 2.44″ screen. [THINQ] https://gizmodo.com/kindle-app-for-blackberry-is-a-stupid-idea-5429510
Windows Phone 7 is only three days old, but leaked documents from Microsoft supposedly showing developer requirements have turned up thanks to XDA-Developers, suggesting WP7 will use both Silverlight and XNA—which makes sense, given the Xbox 360 integration. https://gizmodo.com/windows-phone-7-series-everything-is-different-now-5471805 It also means it’s quite likely that WP7 will actually allow you to play Xbox 360…
While these actual, real, strap-’em-to-your-hands-and-navigate-ski-slopes gloves are, you know, real, I much preferred the GPS gloves concept from two years ago. Give me a bionic hand over insulated glove any day of the week. https://gizmodo.com/vie-gps-sports-glove-does-it-all-355178 Still, there’s something to be said for GPS gloves you can actually wear, and while Zanier hasn’t confirmed the price…
