Tech News

The goog’s acquiring beloved universal number cellphone managing service Grand Central. [TechCrunch]

Guessing the iPhone’s Voice, Data Plan Cost

Business 2.0 has a nice guess on how much the iPhone’s data and voice plan is going to cost. Instead of an all-you-can-eat plan that Wilson speculated on, Biz is estimating based on current BlackBerry fees. https://gizmodo.com/the-case-for-a-simple-iphone-service-plan-271000 The status now: between $34.99 and $79.99 for data and $39.99 to $99.99 for voice. If you’re going…

Is The Cult of the Jesus Phone REALLY a Cult?

I had an exchange with David Kuo of Beliefnet today on whether or not The Cult is a religious thing. I argued that the respect we have for Apple is grounded in secular reasoning. Then I got an Amen in the comments, which I NEVER get here, unfortunately. Part of David’s post: Characteristically religious feelings…

Tale of Two Theaters Wrapped Up Into One

It was the best of theaters and it was the worst of theaters, when two worlds collided—but literary references aside, it’s all good. In the front of the room you’ll see a 140-inch screen for a projector, and in the back of the room? There sits a 42-inch plasma display. Why? It points out the…

HTC Advantage Pre-order at Amazon

If you’re at all interested in an HTC Advantage, you can pre-order one on Amazon right now. If you don’t remember, the Advantage is the not-quite-a-UMPC, not-quite-a-smartphone device that runs Windows Mobile 6. https://gizmodo.com/htc-advantage-heads-to-the-us-this-summer-246966 If you’ve got $849.99, you can pre-order it now (the page says in stock soon) and get your mobile computing groove…

iPhone Shipments Ahoy!

As of today, they’re here, by ark, I mean cargo ship. And with armed guards, normally reserved for shipments of gold and silver. And minotaurs, typically found in labyrinths. All the stops: they have been pulled. [Apple Insider]

Switching Up the iPhone Religious Imagery

Even the mainstream, non-tech media is getting into this. But seriously, you guys know we’re kidding when we call it the Jesus Phone right? We mean, it’s just a phone, even if we’re covering the crap out of it this week. Washington Post Comic Credit Nick Anderson

Battery Eater is More Like a Battery Vampire

If you’re not one to throw away a battery until you’re absolutely sure it has nothing left to give you, then this Battery Eater by David Dear is for you (and probably looks like you, too). Just stick the AA battery you want all gone between Battery Eater’s teeth, wait until its evil red LED…

V8 Engine Case Mod, Safe at Any Speed

We should tell our greasemonkey brothers at Jalopnik about this engine case mod that looks like a big honkin’ V8 engine. Some talented and creative guy took a couple of tower cases, strapped them together in a V shape, added chrome headers and engine-y doodads, and wow. Is that an ignition key? Ha. Look at…

Nintendo Briefly Nudges Sony Out of Japan’s Top 10 Companies

Today, during a surge in Nintendo’s stock price, the company managed to outvalue the entire Sony Corporation for a spell. It didn’t last long, but Nintendo’s brief climb is a clear sign of the company’s Wii-eminence. Already strong in the handheld market–just count how many Game Boy variants you own–the stock price was further helped…

LevelStar’s Icon Mobile Manager is a Screenless PDA

The Icon Mobile Manager by Levelstar is designed with a different clientele in mind: the visually impaired. Instead of a screen, the Icon features audio menus to help the user navigate, and acts as a hub for daily technology-related activities. This thing is just a great idea, designed specifically to give functionality to a user…

JVC Rolls Out Four 1080p TVs that Run Faster and Jump Higher

JVC just rolled out even more HDTVs, and these are 1080p models with better specs and lower prices that the company’s former cheapest models. The lowest-priced entries in this value line are the 688 series, available this month with 37″( LT-37X688, $1600) and 42″ (LT-42X688, $2000) screens, and these feature JVC’s latest black cabinetry and…

The New York Times Makes Writing iPhone Non-News Easy

The headline of today’s NYT iPhone story was promising: “Hollywood Seeks Ways to Fit Its Content Into the Realm of the iPhone.” On the heels of last week’s GooTube-on-your-iPhone confirmation and coming from a legitimate newspaper (not, you know, a blog) it seemed like it might contain some actual, you know, news. Not only is…

What You Missed Last Weekend

Hey—glad to see you are all right. Last weekend was a little rough as we introduced our new design. But we’ve been fielding bugs around the clock and we should be fully prepared to launch in another few weeks… https://gizmodo.com/gizmodo-transformed-into-gizmodo-prime-271522 Here are the three stories you NEED TO READ: iTunes became the third-largest US music…

ModelCo’s Lip Light for People Who Can’t Apply Lipstick in the Dark

Ostensibly, this lip gloss with concealed LED light in the lid is to avoid any Marilyn Manson or The Cure’s Robert Smith-style makeup malfunctions and help you put on your lippy while you’re stuck in a dark place (grimy club corridors, dustbins, my mind on a Sunday evening). I can think of some better uses…

Elite Getting iPhones Early? Nope. Back of the Line, Buster

Usually the titans of industry, billionaire bigshots and movie stars have their hands on the latest gadgetry before any of the rest of us, but not this time, not with the iPhone. Sure, our own Brian Lam was one of the select few to grope the iPhone last January, but since then, it’s only been…

Samsung SGH-F210 More Useful than Kate Moss

Samsung has been showing off its new music phone, the F210, at CommunicAsia. Measuring just 88 x 31 x 20mm, this skinny little cell has 1GB memory, but room for another 2GB thanks to its micro SD card slot. Basic extras include a 2 megapixel camera, USB 2.0 and Bluetooth 2.0. This is definitely a…

Vilcus Plug Dactyloadapter, For Insane People and Those Who Hate Them

Art Lebedev studio, responsible for that spectacular Optimus Maximus keyboard with a video display on each key, has apparently gone nuts, now giving you a way to test electrical circuits by shocking yourself half to death. The creative design studio calls this a Vilcus plug dactyloadapter, and it includes adapters for European and US power…

Calao Systems Building Linux PC Into USB Thumb Drive

From their not-so-secret headquarters in the French Alps, engineers at the newly founded Calao Systems have announced plans to build an ARM-based Linux PC inside of a USB keychain. It’s not a modern-day WOPR or anything—with 256MB of internal flash memory and 64MB of RAM, plus support for Ethernet, VGA graphics and USB, I’d say…

ELP Declicker Transfers LPs to MP3, Leaves Crackle Behind

Vinyl Junkies listen up. ELP, those clever people who brought us the Laser Turntable have something else to keep vinyl junkies moist and excitable—the ELP Declicker. https://gizmodo.com/designtechnicas-2005-home-entertainment-show-round-up-103306 This rather snappy matte gray box connects up to regular turntables to convert your vinyl into MP3s, while reducing noise at the same time. Now, before all you…