Gadget News
Are Smartwatches Already Dead?
Gizmodo - 3 Feb 2015 00:48
Do people actually want smartwatches ? I'm starting to wonder. The Pebble smartwatch--a phenomenal Kickstarter success story and the darling of tech critics everywhere--has only sold 1 million copies.
Nest says annual savings pay for hardware in two years
Slash Gear - 3 Feb 2015 02:20
The Nest thermostat is a hefty spend. At $250, it's not something you'd purchase without much though, like you probably did with the Chromecast. Nest claims to save you money, but varying reports go into how much it actu...
Google, Uber copy each other in driverless car service push
Slash Gear - 3 Feb 2015 01:40
Here's an interesting question the folks at Google probably asked themselves not too long ago: how do you pair a human passenger with a driverless car? Aside form looping routes, much like public transportation, the auto...
Amazing Aerial Photos of Greenhouses Blanketing the Spanish Landscape
Gizmodo - 3 Feb 2015 23:50
The area in southern Spain known as mar del plástico is a landscape dominated by vast stretches of greenhouse farms. From the ground, it looks like nothing but roads winding through a maze of covered crops. But when see...
Google's Best Cheap Smartphone Is Back
Gizmodo - 3 Feb 2015 16:03
BitStream is a one-stop, full-course meal of technology news and rumors you may have missed yesterday. Lets dig in.
Chill Maintaining Pilsner Glasses
The Gadget Flow - 3 Feb 2015 09:00
The magic behind the Chill Maintaining Pilsner Glasses is that they can chill a room-temperature libation to 36° F in just 2 1/2 minutes. This is because of the viscous cooling liquid present between the two layers of t...
Apple salvages its US job plans by turning a factory into a data center
Engadget - 3 Feb 2015 05:26
Apple has long had dreams of bringing more manufacturing to the US, but the reality has been harsh at times -- the Arizona sapphire plant it helped build went down the tubes last year after its key partner, GT Advanced, ...
White House wants its top agencies to have digital task forces
Engadget - 3 Feb 2015 02:02
The US's web-based health care portal didn't launch as planned, to put it mildly, but the digital task force created to salvage that mess (and prevent others) showed that it's possible to have modern, responsive governme...
We're One Step Closer to Blazingly Fast Computer Chips Made of Silicene
Gizmodo - 3 Feb 2015 23:38
Move over graphene, today is silicene's day to shine. Silicene is a single-atom thick layer of silicon, whose theoretical properties could have exciting applications in computer chips. Now, scientists have made the first...
How to Travel Internationally For The Very First Time
Gizmodo - 3 Feb 2015 23:30
Did you know that only five percent of Americans travel abroad each year? Beat the odds, get a passport and go see the world. It's easier than you might think. Here's our starter guide for the new traveler.
New ARM chips offer more power, native 4K support
Slash Gear - 3 Feb 2015 23:17
To better serve us well into the future of mobile, ARM is announcing new chipsets that will likely be found in handsets for years to come. The new ARM Cortex A72 is a "50X increase in CPU performance", while the CoreLink...
Great, another 'solution' to your smartphone's terrible battery life
Engadget - 3 Feb 2015 23:08
If you want your smartphone to last longer without carrying flammable gas in your pocket, there may possibly, conceivably be new battery tech coming soon (maybe). Yep, we're skeptical after many a disappointing "breakthr...
I Almost Replaced My Birth Control With an App
Gizmodo - 3 Feb 2015 23:00
I don't need to tell you there's no great birth control option right now. Hormonal contraceptives are like a carnival ride for your mood, IUDs are physical sperm-gates that need to be surgically shoved up your vaginal ca...
The History of the Anti-Vaccine Movement Explains Our Terrifying Future
Gizmodo - 3 Feb 2015 22:45
Vaccines are not part of some evil plot to poison our children. But there are plenty of terribly misguided people who believe they are! And their beliefs didn't just materialize out of nowhere. A new video from the New Y...
HTC's silly video just ruined the HTC One
Slash Gear - 3 Feb 2015 22:41
As someone who is lucky enough to see several modern smartphone slide across his desk, I can say the HTC One (M8) is among the nicest I've ever been lucky enough to toy with. Sense is enough overlay to improve Android, a...
Why One of the World's Biggest Font Makers Is Getting Into Emoji
Gizmodo - 3 Feb 2015 22:35
Helvetica and Times New Roman are legendary, instantly recognizable typefaces, and they're both owned by the biggest type conglomerate in the world. Now, that company is adding emoji and stickers to its holdings.
IRL: Klipsch's KG-200 gaming headphones are a rare disappointment
Engadget - 3 Feb 2015 22:30
It's been a few years since I actually needed to use a pair of gaming headphones. After a ton of research (not to mention some scrimping and saving), I have a proper 5.1-channel surround sound setup for all of my enterta...
Simpsons Pixel video: the retro Couch Gag
Slash Gear - 3 Feb 2015 22:16
It's time go get retro-futuristic with The Simpsons as a gang of creators pixelate the Couch Gag. This is a "pixel tribute" to The Simpsons as directed and animated by Paul Robertson and Ivan Dixon. Music here is a midi-...
ARM wants to double its CPU speed with the new Cortex A72
Ars Technica - 3 Feb 2015 22:05
Chipmakers can get ARM's faster CPUs and GPUs now; consumers get them next year.
Puro Sound Labs wants to save the hearing of your children
Coolest Gadgets - 3 Feb 2015 22:00
Children are exposed to the digital world earlier and earlier these days, and there does not seem to be any stopping them to boot. Well, if you can't beat 'em, join 'em, right? Parents will nod in agreement, but then as ...
13 Fascinating Farming Robots That Will Feed Humans of the Future
Gizmodo - 3 Feb 2015 22:00
Among other predictions , Interstellar offered us some clues about the future of farming. Long story short: It's all about the robots. From field scouting drones to robotic harvesters, the industry that keeps you fed is ...
ARM's latest processor design puts fast 4K graphics on your phone
Engadget - 3 Feb 2015 22:00
You've probably heard no end of hype for 4K video on TVs and computers, and now it's about to invade your phone... at least, so long as ARM has its way. The company just took the wraps off of Cortex-A72, a processor refe...