Tech news, analysis, culture, business, security, and more
This just in: Nintendo is making boatloads of cash. Despite pumping out 1.8 million Wiis a month, they can’t keep the unit on shelves—and this is one year since the system’s launch. But the story this week is about their portable system, the Nintendo DS. It’s just set a game console sales record for Thanksgiving…
A Korean man was apparently killed by his LG cellphone today. He was carrying the phone in his left shirt pocket when it exploded, puncturing his heart and lungs. It happened in the North Chungcheong Province of Korea as the man was working on a construction site. He was found dead by one of his…
The $279 Zonbu Notebook is the latest offering from the Open Source computer company—following up on the $99 Zonbu Desktop released earlier this year. The software is the same OS seen on the desktop, updated with a few new features such as real time data syncing. But the question remains: Does Zonbu find the sweet…
If your cellphone’s not quite annoying enough for you yet, researchers have created Shoogle, software that combines vibrations and sound effects to let you know when messages come in, how many you have in your inbox, and when you’re battery’s running low. The software uses the phone’s accelerometer, so when you shake it, it makes…
Anyone who watched last week’s episode of 30 Rock had to have noticed when, after characters on the show praised Verizon Wireless service, Tina Fey turned abruptly to the camera and asked, “Can we have our money now?” It was…harsh to say the least…but just harsh enough to make the 30 Rock watchers at home…
The next big thing in homeland-security technology is a T-ray machine, which can see through leather, fabric, cardboard and paper, but can’t penetrate water or metal. T-rays (terahertz rays) used to be really hard to make without massive gear, but now researchers in Turkey and Japan have figured out how to build a compact T-ray…
Researchers at MIT’s Media Lab have come up with the Bar of Soap, a gadget that works out exactly what it is depending on how it is held. So, hold it like a camera, and you can take pics, hold it like a cellphone, and it makes calls. Basically developed as a prototype to test…
We’re gonna go a little ubergeek on you for a moment and celebrate that Sony is using CMOS video cameras for Nissan’s upcoming “around view monitor,” a camera system giving you an overhead view of your car for parking and moments when you just want to look like OJ on the highway. These cameras grab…
Brando has updated the classic USB-cup warmer combo and added a clock and a four-port USB hub to it. Presumably the hub is for the USB sugar bowl, USB milk jug and USB tea spoon. Hungry office workers can presumably plug in Solid Alliance’s USB biscuit. A gallery, for those of you who are into…
Tracky software, a GPS system that lets you know where you are when you happen to be off-road, has been updated. As well as recording your route, Tracky 2.2.5 lets you use Google Maps as well as allowing GPX support and letting you follow your friends and chat to them en route. Running on any…
Sony is adding to their excellent projector lineup with two new models, the VPL-FW300L and the VPL-FH300L, both of which will happily display full HD content. The VPL-FW300L will churn out 7000 lumens (WXGA+ resolution; 1366 x 800) in comparison to the VPL-FH300L, which will produce a maximum of 6000 lumens (WXGA+ resolution; 2048 x…
Orange will start selling the iPhone this Wednesday at three different price points: if you purchase it with one of the special iPhone voice and data contracts they will sell it for $591. Then, current users of the Orange network will be able to purchase the iPhone without a new contract for $962. And finally,…
Online sales on Cyber Monday were up 21 percent to $733 million, according to comStore Inc, a marketing company that tracks internet sales and traffic.
Teresonic has brought out the Magus, a pair of compact, mid-range speakers, whose curved sides are a nod to classical instruments. “Have you ever wondered why there are no square violins, trumpets, or acoustic guitars?” says the president of Teresonic, Mike Zivkovic. “So why do they make square speakers?” Because they’re easier to make, of…
Soba lovers of the world rejoice, for you can now buy the Ie Soba from Takara Tomy, a machine that can make you Soba noodles at home. Traditionally rather a time-consuming process, all you need is buckwheat powder, wheat flour, water and 20 minutes. See it boxed up below. The Ie Soba costs $139, but…
The November 10, 1929 Helena Daily Independent (Helena, Montana) ran this short piece about the robots of the future which would enslave humanity by the year 1950. Birmingham, Eng., Nov. 9. – The world will be a place of mechanical men in 1950, according to the Institute of Industrial Welfare. Skill will have vanished from…
At a cocktail-fueled event at the chic furniture store Design Within Reach in NYC, I got to play around with Geneva’s trio of wood-cabinet iPod-dockable sound systems: the Model M, Model L and Model XL. The recently announced $500 M is the most compact of the line, but still seemed a bit hefty compared with…
You saw the winner, now it’s time to see the runners up of our Inappropriate Gizmodo Browsing contest. The theme was reading Gizmodo in the most inappropriate place you could think of, and many of our readers took that to mean either reading us at work or while having sex. In fact, there were four…
Joy of Tech’s apparently drinking the same OLPC haterade everyone else is this week, though it rags on OLPC’s triumphant aftermath rather than the program’s recently harped on shortcomings. Hit the jump to see the one year later snap/potshot. https://gizmodo.com/why-and-how-olpc-got-reamed-negropontes-dreams-stolen-326540 [Joy of Tech via All Things D]
The Rundown: The Cowon A3 PMP looks to be a full sized PMP (5 inches across its long side) competitive in nature with its 4-inch, 800 x 480 screen and industry standard features including generous DivX support among other formats, text file viewer, photo viewer with support for huge files and USB host mode, audio…