Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
Click to viewThe Players: Panasonic DMP-BD30 ($500) and Sony PlayStation 3 with 2.1 firmware ($400 to $500) The Movies: Fox’s Sunshine and Sony Pictures’ Resident Evil: Extinction The Challenge: To find out what’s so special about Blu-ray’s BD Profile 1.1, also known as Full Standard Profile or just simply “Picture-In-Picture Enabled” https://gizmodo.com/panasonics-dmp-bd30-is-the-500-next-gen-blu-ray-player-316903 Every new phase…
Okay, hackers with Cheez Whiz in their veins apparently aren’t behind the Xbox Live outages. We are. Record signups and numbers of people are online, so “as a result of this massive increase in usage,” the service got all wonky, sez Live’s General Manager Marc Whitten. But they’re super sorry, and to make up for…
The Slingbox Pro HD takes the previous year’s Slingbox Pro and Pro HD Connect and takes it to the next level, not only doing the basic Slingbox thing of sending HD video across the network or internet to a computer, but also allowing you to watch full HD video anywhere inside the house when you…
Hey, guess what? Xbox Live is sorta puking again (maybe due to Windows Live Data Authentication says the Pirate King) after briefly recovering from its holiday cold. Nasty weather to blame for the long illness? Nope, rumor has it greasy hackers are the reason I’ve had problems getting online to snipe your face off in…
We learned a lot from our look at the 1990 Motorola concept video 2000 A.D. Specifically, we learned that every concept video needs a businessman who must be bothered while on the beach. We learned about the politics of radio spectrum allocation. And we learned about moustaches, don’t forget about the moustaches. Part 1 Part…
OLPC should be snagging mad coverage over at Valleywag, they’re generating tabloid headlines like it’s their mission lately (so tame!). The latest: After joining OLPC following its bitch fight with OLPC founder Nicholas Negroponte over its Classmate competitor, Intel is now out the door. And it’s apparently because Negroponte has some deep-seated jealousy issues. https://gizmodo.com/intel-joins-olpc-team-278154…
Jalopnik’s got an extensive guide to the ins and outs of talking while driving. The map above covers the basics, but legalese on earpiece and city rules are explained fully over at [Ray Wert’s Big Wheels Blog]. https://jalopnik.com/rules-of-the-road-jalopnik-guide-to-cell-phone-usage-l-336528
As the winner of the U.S. Army’s $286 million “unmanned surge” competition, the PacBot 510 with FasTac Kit designed by iRobot will soon be in charge of protecting the lives of our soldiers on the battlefield. A noble occupation for sure, but it may have missed its calling as a master yoga instructor. Check out…
Mogo Wireless has announced a new cellular amplifier that helps users avoid bad signals and dropped calls in areas where service is lacking. The device promises a 10x signal boost using a device that can be plugged into a car power supply or into a laptop via USB. There is also an optional 12V to…
Fans of the word “free” who just happen to have a landline and are too lazy to manually dial GOOG-411 will undoubtedly be thrilled with GE’s updated lineup of DECT 6.0 phones. Thanks to a partnership between Thomson and Google, over a dozen of these new phones will have one-button access to Google’s free 411…
Click to view Here’s our Extremely Not Safe For Work video review of iSteamy, a software program designed to easily browse porn on your iPhone, complete with category-based picture, video and audio navigation and a “steamy room” to store all your favorites in its internal memory. This is the first version, so it has some…
We talked about this briefly in our review of Callpod’s Dragon Bluetooth headset, but the company (who also brought you the Chargepod) is coming out with a conferencing solution as well. Instead of hooking up two Dragon headsets directly to each other, you can connect a bunch of them through a Phoenix, which serves as…
Cellphones are everywhere —that is obvious. But many people insist on keeping that landline around for some reason or another (what’s up Mom!). So our burning question to you is: Do you still keep a landline or have you fully embraced the 21st century and ditched it. Inquiring minds need to know. Gawker Media polls…
If you’ve been checking up on us in the past couple of days, you’ll notice that we’ve been doing big dumps of gadget posts all in a row, often from the same company. There’s a reason for that: embargoes. You see, companies want their CES news to hit all at once—some of them before CES,…
The Emily Clock from designer Greg Wolos will soon go from concept to reality thanks to a simple twist that allows it to be mounted on a wall so that it can be easily read while lying in bed. Sure, you could criticize by saying that it would be easy to duct tape your current…
If you were among those who ponied up the $779 to score a N95 8GB smartphone, you may be pleased to know that the most recent update appears to have improved the S60 browser to integrate Adobe Flash Lite 3. That means users can now enjoy in-line viewing of FLV videos and therefore full access…
Hitachi Maxell has announced two new products today that combine Bluetooth transmission with higher-end stereo technology and shove it in all in an iPod. The Hitachi Maxell Audio Transmitter/Dongle fits in Apple’s proprietary DIN port and transmits beefed-up SRS WOW HD encoded music to any Bluetooth device. The other new announcement, a Bluetooth v2.0 stereo…
The Skinny: The HydroPak replaces batteries and generators with cartridges that can sit on the shelf for ages, activated with water for 12 hours of power. They’re quiet with zero emissions, and each $20 dry cartridge cranks out a lot more than any battery can—400 Watts through an AC outlet and two USB ports. The…
You can chew all of the gum you want, but it won’t save you from the latest weapon in the police arsenal against individuals driving under the influence. A new device dubbed the “Hawkeye,” can record your eye movements/pupil size and accurately determine whether or not you are impared—regardless of the substance used. The device…
The Skinny: This walkie-talkie shaped Garmin Colorado GPS unit is meant to be used when you’re out in the wilderness (hiking or fishing) and need to know details like how high the terrain is and whether you’re in water or not. It’s got a 3-inch screen, and has different versions for different needs. The 400t…