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Not everything that Apple touches turns to gold. Case in point—the Apple Pippin gaming system. Never heard of it? Don’t worry, you are not alone. Like many of the other products on Oobject’s list, it failed miserably. While certainly not on par with these 12 products, the Apple TV might be the most recent Apple…
On one hand, the Stardust Table reminds us that furniture can be recycled through the simple integration of new technologies. On the other, it costs about $15,000 and is ugly as sin. You control the 12-person table through two 15-inch touchscreen monitors. Their controls drive an integrated PC, speakers w/amp and, of course, all of…
We know, this pitch of a folding bike with collapsing wheels sounds a tad precarious, but this sequence showing how the wheels fold up is pretty darn convincing: Well, it’s convinced us that the wheels fold up, at least. But when you’re weaving in and out of city traffic with just a few pounds of…
See that tiny dot in the middle of that ring? That’s Saturn. And the newly-discovered glowing ring is 13.4 million miles in diameter. The proverbial 800-pound gorilla has been discovered by the Spitzer Space Telescope, leaving every single astronomer speechless. The ring hasn’t been discovered till now because it’s so diffuse that it reflects very…
In another step in their Short March to become the Deutsche Demokratische Republik, the United Kingdom of Great Britain is about to get a “game” that will allow any citizen to watch CCTV cameras every day. And get prizes. The plan is simple: A company called Internet Eyes wants to stream CCTV feeds from businesses—or…
We’ve seen it teased, but now we’ve seen it in real life. No real details, but it is really effin thin, like it could slice a MacBook Air in half. And a belly shot, even closer: https://gizmodo.com/dell-adamo-xps-half-as-thick-as-air-5355448
Disney’s newest animatronic eye should give you the williest willies ever. It uses electromagnets for the most realistic eyes motions yet, despite having no actual moving parts, meaning it can be creepier for longer before wearing out. [Disney via BoingBong]
It’s impossible not to love the concept of doubleTwist, the all-devices-welcome quasi-iTunes music manager, but up to this point the software has been pretty barebones. Now, things are gettin’ ser-i-ous: doubleTwist has a built-in music store, courtesy of Amazon. To put this into context, doubleTwist debuted not just as an alternative music manager for people…
It just isn’t appropriate to bring your personal assistant home with you, but Zaojun doesn’t mind. The concept Wi-Fi gadget can do lots of things, including read you your email, messages and be programed to turn on appliances. It appears that Zaojun would have a tactile surface which you can rub to turn it on…
As you may have heard, about 10,000 Hotmail passwords were leaked online yesterday, and that list only started with the letters A and B. At that rate, over 100,000 users could have been lured into giving their passwords to fake Websites. Now the BBC says it’s seen a list on the same Website that had…
This is what it’s like inside Nikon’s ridiculous projector-in-a-camera. Whoever fell asleep and drooled on the approval forms to make the s1000pj happen, thank you for something that should only exist on paper or in a Brando catalog. [iFixit] https://gizmodo.com/nikon-coolpix-s1000pj-first-camera-with-a-projector-is-5328892
Yes, that’s right: The HRP-4C girlbot with Yamaha’s Vocaloid voice synth software is way better than Britney Spears. But then again, that’s not saying a lot, except that I will never do the Zoltan with Britney. [Network World] https://gizmodo.com/technosexual-one-mans-tale-of-robot-love-367698
We’ve written about the Battlefield Extraction-Assist Robot before, but this shot from Newsweek’s “Weapons Porn” gallery was just too tempting. The BEAR lifts 500lbs—enough to get a wounded soldier off a battlefield, or me out of a Shoney’s.[Newsweek] https://gizmodo.com/battlefield-extraction-assist-robot-is-a-real-care-bear-5343649
If an Apple Tablet is in the works, it’s believed that it’ll be built by Foxconn. Now DigiTimes suggests Foxconn will ship up to 400,000 devices by April 2010—with a 10.6-inch screen (not 9.6 or 10.7). https://gizmodo.com/foxconn-building-apple-tablet-for-september-or-october-5324544 Also of note, is that Foxconn has its own Innolux Display subsidiary which might be used instead of…
Windows 7 is just around the corner, and Gateway’s new 23-inch ZX6800 and 20-inch ZX4800 all-in-one PCs are ready for your greasy multi-finger gestures. They also include a bunch of custom touch-enabled apps for managing music, photos, and social networks. The $1400 ZX6800 has a resolution of 1920 x 1080 (1080p), and can also double…
We’ve heard the woes of app developers waiting for payments, but at least there were payments. Newsweek claims, in a sensational trend piece, that the App Store goldmine has dried out and some developers are barely getting by. https://gizmodo.com/iphone-developers-threatening-apple-over-outrageous-app-5235943 I’d seen the “Look at the happy developers!” propaganda videos Apple produces, and I have to…
Amazon just dropped the price of the Kindle 2 again, down to $259. They’ve also introduced a US & International wireless version for $279, which ships October 19. https://gizmodo.com/amazons-kindle-2-gets-60-price-drop-now-at-299-5310253 The international version will work in “over 100 countries and territories”, but Amazon doesn’t specify if there are any additional charges for using it in a…
NYC is where what-could’ve-beens live. But if it’s the architecture related musings that intrigue you, then you can at least find answers to the wonder-what-would’ve-been-on-this-street-corner. Walk around NYC with the Phantom City app running and you’ll see designs and dreams. You’ll see broken and unrealized dreams, that is. With Museum of the Phantom City, an…
Today, reader Jason Lindquist spotted these two at a local shop in Roseville, MN. The Force is not that strong in these pumpkins. Perhaps I can find new ways to motivate the carvers the next time. [Thanks, Jason]
Best Buy and Walmart battle for the right to screw the most customers…Brad Pitt Foundation creates an anchored floating house in New Orleans…Nobel Prize awarded to the three “masters of fiber optics”…Back-to-school laptops sales basically recession-proof… The American Consumer Institute posted a thoughtful, objective look at the public opinion versus the facts regarding pricing and…