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Gear Live, through a hands-on, has finally figured out why the white version of the Monster Beats cost twice as much as the standard black version. It’s coated by Colorware. https://gizmodo.com/monster-offers-white-version-of-beats-headphones-charg-5104177 We love Colorware and their penchant for coating our favorite gadgets in a scratch-resistant quality finish, but to double the price? Colorware has never…
The last bastion of privacy on airplanes is their blanket of white noise, but that may soon vanish: Pilots are complaining that the Airbus A380 jumbo is so quiet, they can’t get any rest. https://gizmodo.com/worlds-largest-commercial-jet-airbus-a380-makes-maide-314974 I actually get pissed off in TV shows and movies (Jerry Friggin’ Maguire comes to mind) when people in coach…
As you might know, Gizmodo is hosting the San Francisco Funde Razor event, where you’re invited to play Rock Band for charity. But it doesn’t stop there—we have a bunch of giveaways for you guys. https://gizmodo.com/funde-razor-sf-event-on-december-10-5101148 If you come out to Funde Razor tomorrow night (7 PM, Shine Bar) you’ll have a chance to win…
In today’s entry of “WTF Really?”, we have a Netflix spokesperson saying that they have to lay off 50 of their “technical specialists” because Silverlight, Microsoft’s Flash-esque video player tech, is so damn easy to use. It’s just a weird post on Netflix’s outward-facing blog. On the one hand, it’s bragging that their new player…
Today we reviewed Wall-E’s various toy permutations and crowned a winner; to wrap things up today, here he is in staggeringly detailed bento lunch form. https://gizmodo.com/ultimate-toy-robot-battlemodo-5105071 I love the quail egg Eva, and overall this is really, really incredible as an exercise in food ornamentation by bento maker extraordinaire AnnaTheRed. But if I were a…
A while back we told you about a documentary named Japan: Robot Nation that would be on Current TV. Here’s another clip from the show. And by the way, it premiers tomorrow night. Your listing for Current TV, since we didn’t think that we got the channel either: DIRECTV 358 Comcast Nationwide 107 Dish Network…
A research team at Stanford has developed a thermos-sized refrigeration device that uses no electricity. Instead, it contains some sort of coolant that becomes cold when exposed to heat. Details on the project are scarce, but we do know that these units would be relatively cheap to produce at around $50. That makes it ideal…
At last, good news for worldwide economy. A Bangladeshi company has released the SmartStitch, a portable sewing machine that will allow clothing factory workers to produce 24/7, with obvious benefits. Think about it. The more all these people work in all those weird countries, the more clothes there will be, and the cheaper the manufacturing…
Wait, why do I need a special web browser? I mean, I get there’s been a long standing digital divide between black America and the technological world (controlled by The Man). But do I really need a repackaged piece of software whose name evokes the Jim Crow era? Last time I checked, I don’t physically…
It didn’t hit me until Gizmodo Gallery just how close we are to Christmas, and how I’ve only bought one measly gift so far. Today we’re heavy on perfectly stocking-sized presents: Computing • Saitek Eclipse II Illuminated Keyboard for $37.99 plus free shipping (going for $50). • Western Digital My Book 1TB External Hard Drive…
The Algonquin is not just a historic landmark known to have been the stomping grounds of many famous writers. It’s also a hotel looking to appeal to clientele with the latest in creature comforts. So The Algonquin offers a complimentary Kindle “loaded with your favorite book” during the duration of your stay at the hotel.…
Let’s face it—educational toys are not popular gift items. However, the Jet Works Engine is something that curious kids will be excited to find under the tree this year. The kit comes with 50 parts for kids to assemble into a battery operated simulation of a jet engine. They can also control thrust, turbine speed…
In their latest attempt to block homebrew on the Wii, Nintendo has begun using a new revision of the Wii’s optical drive-one that prevents any existing mod chip from functioning. https://gizmodo.com/nintendo-kills-wii-homebrew-with-update-again-again-5068142 While this may be just a standard hardware switch and not a concerted effort to block piracy, some keen-eyed modders quickly noticed the change-in…
Does bossing your gadgets around make you feel like a big man? If so, you will love the Figura. It vacuums, waxes floors, and you can verbally abuse it to your heart’s content. Like the Roomba, it works autonomously—but you can order the Figura around with verbal commands like “clean up” or “get out of…
I know what you’re thinking right now. Everything’s going alright, except for your damn mouse wrist. It’s fatigued from browsing Gizmodo. If only you could rest it on a plump slice of Wonder Bread… Luckily the White Bread Wrist Rest has been engineered by the Brando R&D team (which we’re beginning to think more and…
Interestingly enough, a retro rotary phone lends itself well to iPhone docking. Plus, building one yourself looks to be a fairly simple procedure (so long as you are willing to cannibalize a speaker dock). According to the project page, a version with a microphone on the handset is also in the works along with a…
Today is the 40th anniversary of the mouse. Since then, it’s evolved into different shapes, sprouted buttons, lost its tail and mutated all kinds of other crazy ways. But everyone has a favorite. https://gizmodo.com/crazy-never-before-seen-logitech-mutant-mouse-prototype-5101603 My favorite mouse ever is Logitech’s MX500, which set their ergonomic standard for years, all the way through the wireless G7…
DirecTV has officially canned their efforts to bring the HDPC-20 tuner to market. The device would have allowed subscribers to integrate their service with Windows Media Center. https://gizmodo.com/directv-pc-tuner-photos-surface-online-342342 A company spokesperson noted that the decision was made after “assessing the impact of missing the August 2008 release of Windows Media Center update and considering timing…
Google has added the complete archives of several magazines, including Popular Science (est. 1872) and Popular Mechanics (est. 1905), to its books search—complete with advertisements and illustrations. It’s awesome. There really is nothing quite like geeking out on the past’s vision of the future, and PopSci and PopMech are among the best for that, from…
While there are plenty of apps to help you kill time on your iPhone/iPod touch, there hasn’t been a killer app to launch the system as a powerful gaming platform. SimCity may change that. So far, developer EA has, no pun intended, phoned it in a bit with their iPhone apps. Neither Spore nor Tetris…