Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
The image mockup is from a person who claims “hands-on time,” but the rumor is all Nokia/Verizon Wireless: A swiveling phone could arrive just in time to get creamed by a new iPhone this summer. BGR claims the rumor and mockup comes from a trusted source, but regardless eat some salt, roll your eyes, and…
More than 700 med school computers at the University of Utah have fallen victim to the infamous Conficker worm. Gizmodo, we swear, had absolutely nothing to do with it. [AP via CNET]
Recently, I defeated my arch nemesis, the $250 briefcase-bound Casetation 2. It took a $99 PS2 (super power: price cuts), duffel bag, and connecting to any TV, because they’re everywhere. $151 left over. Flawless Victory. Seriously. Why? [Casetation 2 at Flickr – Thanks (?), Akshay]
Most touchscreen devices (yes, even the iPhone, Lauren—dealbreaker!) have a noticeable bezel around their perimeter that bothers many a perfectionist something fierce. But the KO M400, admittedly more concept than anything, offers something different. https://gizmodo.com/someone-found-microsofts-lauren-and-shes-an-actress-5190861 What the KO M400 offers is the full monty of touchscreens. Nearly 100% edge-to-edge 5-inch touchscreen goodness, all in HD.…
It may not feature comedy superstars, but this Apple keynote diorama does have a higher sugar content than any other homage we’ve seen. [Washington Post, thanks Sean!] https://gizmodo.com/30-rock-shows-apple-style-keynotes-arent-always-the-bes-5206217
Best Buy customer Jon purchased a brand-new Western Digital hard drive for store pickup, but when he opened the (sealed) package at home, he found a 30GB, near-decade-old product instead. Best Buy’s reaction? “Tough luck.” Instead of the nice, new Western Digital VelociRaptor he ordered, Jon received an ancient 30GB Quantum Fireball, a product discontinued…
The tweenbot, a cardboard-bodied, cheerful little bugger, is equipped with a flag stating its intended destination. Since it can only move forward, it depends on the kindness of strangers to guide it and remove obstacles. Tisch School of the Arts student Kacie Kinzer created the tweenbot as a kind of art experiment. In her words:…
Fiber optic cables in northern California belonging to AT&T were sliced recently. AT&T originally offered $100,000, but they’ve raised the reward to $250,000 after seeing the severity of the vandalism. [Yahoo] https://gizmodo.com/at-t-putting-up-100-000-reward-for-cable-cutting-vanda-5205952
Ah, the heady days of 1994. Back then, computers were beige and sold with surfing cow wallpaper, and we liked it that way, dammit. Flickr user Jason Scott stumbled on an old CD (for Windows 3.1!) that came with Gateway desktops, containing a pile of amazing cow-based images to be used for wallpaper. They’re all…
Thanks to the help of some Giz-reading Best Buy employees, we’ve filled out the story on the reorganization (not layoffs) a bit. https://gizmodo.com/huge-massive-best-buy-layoffs-coming-tomorrow-updated-5207693 Essentially, the reorg has been in the works for awhile, even before the economic crash, so it’s not entirely motivated by a need to trim the fat. It mostly consists of title…
Having seen the benefits of the Roomba, both MIT and Electric Machine Works Japan have created droids to do our dirty work. These robots are designed to make us pale, lazy, and well-read. The Book Time, from Electric Machine Works in Japan, is more on the silly side, but I’m embarrassed to say I’ve been…
Yeah, the Rickrolling phenomenon was annoying for the entire world, but you’d expect the songwriter would at least be pleased, right? But despite its massive popularity, songwriter Pete Waterman was paid an insulting $16. Total. The song, which was played over 150 million times in 2008 alone, seems like it should have been a cash…
Do you love music? Have a giant hard drive? Maybe two? I’m guessing that might be the case, and here’s what you should do: give up lossy audio compression for good for pristine lossless files. Thankfully, there is an easy answer to this that covers most of your bases when dealing with CDs: Use the…
Unlike my alma mater, Microsoft has decided that booze and good times have no place on their campus. They’ve abruptly cancelled the almost-finished construction of a new pub, claiming it would not be “appropriate.” The pub, to be called the Spitfire, had already installed its equipment, made connections with beer and food vendors, hired 22…
The all-too-easy-to-crack iTunes gift code has led to a flooded market, making the codes essentially unprofitable. So they’ve now turned their attention to the App Store to find new, underhanded ways to screw Apple. Because iTunes’ gift codes are so easy to crack, hackers can often only get 1% of the supposed value of their…
The WSJ reports Steve Jobs is still running the show at Apple—he was “particularly involved” in iPhone 3.0’s UI—and that Apple is working on a portable that’s between a laptop and an iPhone. https://gizmodo.com/how-iphone-3-0-will-feel-different-5171995 Specifically, the Journal says he “regularly reviews products and product plans,” which is something we’d expect, really. Like the fabled MacBook…
Tomorrow might not be the best day to go to Best Buy, as two independent sources (one of which we’ve used in the past) have warned us of extensive store-level layoffs. UPDATE One industry source described the firings as “huge,” the other as “massive.” I think we get the point. In the wake of Circuit…
Not sure if I buy this: A lady who hasn’t logged on to check her WiLife webcam in three months does because of a “sixth sense,” and lo, there are two gentlemen burglarizing her home. It’s been all over the news, and it sure seems like a fun story to the woman, adding to my…
Despite the U.S. Patent and Trademark Commission ruling in favor of Vizio over an antitrust and unfair competition lawsuit, the U.S. International Trade Commission reversed that decision and blocked all import shipments of Vizio displays. The case is still being reviewed in the appeals court, and President Obama is still eligible to make a decision…
This week we get some very interesting sequel news, as the first BioShock 2 gameplay video squirts out onto the internet. There’s also some Vin Diesel action. • Get your own Punch Out boxing gloves • Gamestop’s employee game checkout program is probably illegal • Once again, you can play as Vin Diesel https://kotaku.com/amazons-selling-punch-out-boxing-gloves-for-regular-m-5207407 •…