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Easing the transition for people going from quirky indy provider to mega-monolith, Verizon is copying assimilated Alltel’s “My Circle” feature, which will let you pick five numbers a month to call for free. UPDATED. https://gizmodo.com/verizon-wireless-completes-merger-with-alltel-now-the-5127413 It’ll be more unimaginatively called “Friends & Family.” (No MyPeeps? MyBuds? MyFam?) Single lines get five numbers to call for…
If you’ve got Vista, you can directly upgrade to Windows 7, easy like cake. But you really shouldn’t. Maximum PC’s got a detailed guide to the cleanest possible Windows install for the best performance. Overall, the guide’s pretty similar to what I do every couple of years with a new Windows install to keep performance…
The first is fully covered with keyboard keys-with the hood keys showing a pixelated Homer Simpson-, the second with floppy disks and Compact Flash cards, and the third one with Lego pieces. Fugly or purty? I say purty. Head to Dark Roasted Blend for their catalog of weirdly-covered cars. [Paula Wirth, Photophonic, KirsFricke, ddhac via…
Your smartphone is cute…kind of a novelty, though, really. Sure, it puts worldwide communication in your pocket. But can it recognize wind? And no, we don’t mean wind-microphone attenuation. We mean, can it recognize how hard you are blowing into the phone? Because the IM-S410 features “Wind Recognition” that allows you navigate photos, videos and…
Chalk up another mark in the things-Android-can-do-on-the-G1-that-certain-other-phones-can’t list: TeleNav, king of cellphone GPS, is bringing a slick-looking turn-by-turn navigation app to the G1 this month. The service, which will run $10 a month, looks like it includes all the trappings of a standalone GPS unit: Voice-recognition for hands-free control, live traffic updates, a hefty POI…
Leaked photographs and vague marketing language hadn’t yet provided a clear idea of how LG’s new part-iPhone, part-Compiz UI actually works, but now a demo model has popped up on Swedish TV. It’s weird. https://gizmodo.com/lg-arena-km900-is-the-most-unabashed-iphone-look-a-like-5146297 The parentage of the so-called S-Class UI is even more mixed than previously thought; shades of TouchWiz are apparent, as…
How small does a GPS chip get in its 12th round of development? Look at the match stick. The Epson Infineon is a 12th generation GPS transmitter/receiver built upon a 65nm manufacturing process. Just 2.8 × 2.9mm (or 25% smaller than any A-GPS on the market), it’s still powerful enough to communicate with satellites indoors,…
Recently we found out that, according to Google’s search, 303,000 people out there were “extremely terrified of Chinese people“. We got deeper into Humanity’s brain, and got a list of hilarious and scary findings: https://gizmodo.com/303-000-people-extremely-terrified-of-chinese-people-5150092 Go to the US version of Google, and type what is in bold to find the following: • 5,310,000 pages…
Asimo is the de facto face of modern robotics, but how much do you really know about him? The new Inside Asimo page explains it all, with interactive animations, diagrams and requisite robo-charm. There’s nothing terribly groundbreaking here, but this online exhibition is the next best thing to seeing him live at Disneyland. How does…
I just love this Minutemen arcade machine. Sure it’s just a Flash-based recreation of an 80s-style beat-them-up game that never happened, but I played for a few minutes and I want it for my iPhone. The graphics and the music are just spot on, the controls simple, and the purpose is clear: Kick goons’ ass…
Get ready for eternal life and better sex: Russians scientists working on a Siberian mammoth graveyard have found unknown bacterium DNA which, according to preliminary lab results, effectively extends mice’s life-as well as other things. According to Professor Anatoli Broushkov, their “set of tests and the results prove that simple organisms like fruit flies and…
A new beta of the hotly praised but seemingly dormant Pointui Windows Mobile shell project is available for download. A quick test leaves us with this tentative verdict: it’s awesome. Jason got a pretty serious boner about Pointui Home when he tested the first version early last year, and things have only gotten better. A…
This is Big Blue, a custom PC homage to the best Lego sets in history, including the Galaxy Explorer, the Yellow Castle, the Firefighter Station, plus a built-in touchscreen, spectrum analyzer, and HDTV tuner. https://gizmodo.com/best-lego-sets-in-history-349929/ It’s like a Lego secret vault in a box. And that Lego logo on top just rocks my brick world.…
Palm has updated their Pre website with a spec list, most of which we’re already familiar with. Except for one thing: Unlike its stated nemesis, the Pre will feature data tethering from the get-go. It looks like USB and Bluetooth tethering will be enabled on the Pre, linking your laptop or PC to Sprint’s speedy…
Apparently some lawyers heard that lithium-ion batteries explode, and are now making companies ship gear with these stickers. But what’s with the wine glass? Literally: Drinking with mismatched batteries may lead to consumption by fire.
The #5 Universe Ring is a beautiful piece based on a theory that our universe is actually shaped like a donut. See that tiny little speck on its side? That imperfection is us. Magnify the speck and you’ll realize that it actually contains a model of the known universe. Made by a group of three…
Garmin-Asus will launch the M20, a Windows Mobile 6.1 phone, sometime this year. True to the name, this cute touchscreen handset comes with car dock and a full set of GPS maps for deep-country use. As we mentioned last week, this never-before-seen handset will actually be the second Nuvifone to hit the market, after the…
Though Garmin-Asus’ Nuvifone M20 may soon steal the spotlight, the original phone—now called G60—will still be first to market. Here are its final specs, and a new screenshot gallery of the Garmin-designed interface. https://gizmodo.com/garmin-asus-nuvifone-m20-a-surprisingly-cute-winmo-6-1-5152088 • 3.5″ touchscreen display • HSDPA 3G plus Bluetooth and wi-fi • Built-in accelerometer • Pre-loaded maps of your region (so…
A couple of dudebros created what they called the World’s Most Powerful Nerf gun. They then proceeded to shoot their friend… in a very unfriendly place. Man, that looks like it hurt. [Break] Click to view
When we reported on Canon’s new VIXIA HD camcorders at CES this year, pricing and availability had yet to be announced. Now, it looks like they’ll cost $250-$1,300 and will be released by April. https://gizmodo.com/canon-drops-five-new-vixia-hd-camcorders-imaging-and-s-5123482 The prices and availability dates are as follows: • Vixia HF S10: $1,299.99, early March • Vixia HF S100: 1,099.99,…