Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
Superphone. If you weren’t reading our liveblog of the Google event, it’s the term their Android team kept using to describe the Nexus One. But why? https://gizmodo.com/google-nexus-one-liveblog-5440219 It bugged us so much that I had to ask for clarification. After all, what kind of person makes up a new term for smartphones and expects other…
According to NYT Bits, Microsoft big boss Steve Ballmer will unveil a brand-spanking-new tablet PC developed in conjunction with HP at tomorrow’s CES keynote address. And, like some other fabled tablets, it’s said to have both multitouch and e-Reader capabilities. The story goes onto say that the still unnamed tablet will be released in mid-2010…
This very large Nexus One is now sitting Google’s lobby, and you won’t guess what it’s running behind the screen. The big phone is the exact same specs as the original CAD model, just 12 times bigger, with a 1920×1080 46-inch LED-backlit display. And the heart of this giant Nexus One? A Mac mini running…
Eton radios look so cool. They’re usually battery or crank powered, but this one also has solar charger. What Does It Do? It has a digital radio tuner, NOAA Weather stations, an LED flashlight, and botptle opener but no external device charging like its cousin models. It’s also “splash resistant”. Cost: $50 this Spring.
I’ve been let down by my fair share of remote control flying toys in the past, but this four-propellered, iPhone-controlled, Linux-based, Avatar-chic, WiFi-ready, augmented reality-enhanced, dual video camera-wielding Parrot…well, you get the picture. Parrot, who usually trade in Bluetooth headsets, has developed the AR Drone, just about the coolest remote control gadget I’ve ever seen.…
The lovably named Case-Mate Hug is an inductive charger for the iPhone that allows you to just plop it on the charging mat rather than fiddling with cables like a monkey. Are you a monkey? You’re not a monkey. The Hug is a two part inductive charger, including both a fairly normal-looking (if kind of…
You bought your iPhone to be able to tell the time, right? Knowing that one day The Sharper Image would create an iPhone dock complete with Roman numerals and free downloadable app just for you? True, it pumps out music like any generic iPhone dock, but you’re obviously buying this $59.99 dock for the clock…
My friend Brian Horrigan, co-author of the retro-futurism bible Yesterday’s Tomorrows, writes a blog for the Minnesota Historical Society called Covering 1968. Brian recently blogged about the cover of the December 14, 1968 Saturday Evening Post. Its headline, “Are We Heading Toward the Day Everything Stops?” is an odd juxtaposition against the colorful (though certainly…
The Spring Design Alex, the other dual-screen Android ereader, is what I had hoped the Nook would be: an ereader for hardware nerds. https://gizmodo.com/spring-designs-alex-ereader-runs-android-has-dual-disp-5384709 The hardware is thin to the point that you worry it might snap—a common thread in ereader design, actually—but it feels about as sturdy as a Kindle. The screen is standard…
I had written off CES as a collection of wasteful products I neither wanted nor needed. Then I beheld the full glory of this $299, 720P, 17-inch Hannspree polar bear television, and my life began anew. Available this March.
The Oregon Scientific Wireless Appliance Manager consists of two devices: a wireless transmitter that sits between an appliances plug and an outlet, and a display unit that then tells you just how much juice it’s using. The simple device comes in two flavors: the basic Wireless Appliance Manager, which handles one appliance, and the Advanced…
D-Link’s little wireless N router can create a Wi-Fi point, or add one to a wired network. The dual-band Rush uses a 4×4 antenna design to push stuff at 600Mbps, supposedly with the best range of any D-Link router. They’re both shipping later this year, though D-Link’s not exactly being forthcoming about the price. The…
That freshly-popped Popbox media streamer looks as good connected to a TV as we were hoping for yesterday. Shown off at the CES Unveiled stand, the size difference between the last model was noticeable, and yup, the price is $130. https://gizmodo.com/syabas-popbox-get-ready-for-the-new-media-streamer-cha-5439293 I had a quick fiddle with the remote on the stand, with the screen-hopping…
The one surprise left, besides the price, for the Boxee Box: A full keyboard on the back of the remote, so you don’t have to deal with onscreen keyboard. Crucial, frankly, to get the most out of it. https://gizmodo.com/first-shots-of-boxee-box-5421136 Also, we’ve got a full list of all the formats and codecs it supports, which are…
Let’s clarify two things right away: first, the Ideapad U1 hybrid notebook tablet is still in the very rough stages of development. Second, it’s going to be awesome—if it can live up to its potential. https://gizmodo.com/lenovos-ideapad-u1-is-one-smart-dual-processor-laptop-t-5440054 Let’s review the concept quickly before we get into the details. The U1 is literally two separate devices, joined…
Here’s the idea: speakers that hide in your light bulbs. And no, you don’t see how ugly they are once they’re installed. Screwing in to any normal Edison socket, the Klipsch LightSpeakers fit seamlessly into a can-style light. OR—and this is the more geeky proposition—they can just screw into any old lamp. Yes, you’re reading…
If you think all high-end products are stupid expensive or mammoth monstrosities, the MiniWatt vacuum tube integrated amplifier should change your mind. What differentiates high-end gear from mass market technology is performance; mainstream manufacturers know sound quality isn’t much of a priority for most buyers, so they build their products to sound just good enough.…
Google and Adobe are working together on the Open Screen Project to put Flash 10.1 on the Nexus One. It will be arriving on the super phone sometime in the first half of 2010. You can check out a video of their progress here:
Just take this delightful survey. Email the last question to [email protected] to enter. You know you want a Quad Action Percussion Massager. Don’t lie. [Rules.]
AT&T has completed the software upgrade that prepares 3G cell sites across the nation for the 7.2 HSPA upgrade. The 3G speed bump will come as an enhanced cell site backhaul is deployed over the course of 2010 and 2011. https://gizmodo.com/at-t-bumping-its-3g-to-hspa-7-2-in-six-more-cities-5355470 After full testing of HSPA 7.2 software, AT&T decided to expedite deployment of this…