Gadget News
Self-driving car tests are heading to Boston streets
Slash Gear - 31 Dec 2016 01:49
Boston is welcoming self-driving cars onto its streets, with city officials giving startup NuTonomy permission to test its autonomous vehicle in a small region in South Boston. This will mark the first time a self-drivin...
Facebook will set off fireworks on your feed for NYE
Engadget - 31 Dec 2016 07:00
This December 31st and January 1st, you can set off animated fireworks on your Facebook News Feed to welcome 2017. Simply click or tap a trigger phrase, such "Happy New Year" (of course), on your friends' or even your ow...
Microsoft patent details using augmented reality to find lost keys
Slash Gear - 31 Dec 2016 02:43
Microsoft envisions uses for augmented reality beyond digital pets and reading messages overlaid onto your environment -- namely, finding your lost keys, among other things. Such was detailed in a patent recently filed b...
Daniel Radcliffe Was Picked for Harry Potter Role Because He Had 'The Balls'
Gizmodo - 31 Dec 2016 23:30
Casting Harry Potter wasn't as easy as finding a cute kid who could stare wide-eyed as he was told he's a wizard. It turns out, he also needed to have the rocks to get down and dirty in a multi-year franchise...even if t...
How the Harambe Meme Explains 2016
Gizmodo - 31 Dec 2016 23:20
Coming out of my cage
How the Nintendo Zapper Light Gun Actually Works
Gizmodo - 31 Dec 2016 23:19
It's an age-old question: what exactly was going on when you laid waste to cartoon ducks with the Nintendo Zapper? The 8-Bit Guy is here to exhaustively explain exactly how this beautiful little accessory worked its magi...
Amazing Plan to Save Rare Pig Breed From Extinction: Eat Them
Gizmodo - 31 Dec 2016 22:20
Image: Getty A Maine farm owner believes that the only way to ensure a rare breed of pig survives is to get people interested in eating them.
Benedict Cumberbatch Is Related to Sherlock Holmes Creator
Gizmodo - 31 Dec 2016 22:10
In a weird moment of synergy, it turns out that Sherlock actor Benedict Cumberbatch is distantly related to the guy who first brought the character to life over 100 years ago. That's...kind of awesome.
That Theory About A Fire Sinking The Titanic Isn't Exactly New
Gizmodo - 31 Dec 2016 22:10
In a new documentary on the RMS Titanic, a journalist who has researched the topic for 30 years claims a fire that burned continuously throughout its voyage fatally weakened the ship's hull before it hit an iceberg, blam...
The best of Engadget 2016: Editors' picks
Engadget - 31 Dec 2016 22:00
We'll come right out and say it: 2016 wasn't the greatest year by any standards. In particular, divisive politics and celebrity death seemed to cast a long shadow over the last 12 months. There was the occasional ray of ...
San Francisco Restaurant: What If iPad Was Plate?
Gizmodo - 31 Dec 2016 21:45
Image: Yelp A San Francisco restaurant with three Michelin stars has discovered an incredible new iPad hack--it can also be a plate.
NASA's Favorite Photos of 2016 Will Remind You There's Still Good in This World
Gizmodo - 31 Dec 2016 21:27
The new year is likely to be a tough one for NASA. There's a decidedly anti-science administration coming into power. Trump has already vowed to cut the Earth science division in order to kill climate change research and...
Pros and cons: Our quick verdict on Lenovo's Phab 2 Pro
Engadget - 31 Dec 2016 21:00
Lenovo's Phab 2 Pro has a mouthful of a name and a somewhat bland design. But what might seem like a forgettable phone really isn't: This massive 6.4-inch handset is the first available phone with Google's "Tango" 3D map...
Nikon to help fight diabetes-related eye diseases with optical engineering expertise
Slash Gear - 31 Dec 2016 20:00
Nikon has announced it’s teaming up with Verily, the company previously known as Google Life Sciences, to help improve the detection of diabetes-related eye diseases -- diabetic retinopathy and macular edema, two of th...
Recommended Reading: Some suggestions for Twitter in 2017
Engadget - 31 Dec 2016 19:30
A Billion Dollar Gift for Twitter Anil Dash, Medium Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey asked the masses this week what the company should focus on in 2017. After a year filled with harassment issues and the failure to court a buyer...
2016 Is Almost Over, So Here's Some Marvel Guys With No Shirts On
Gizmodo - 31 Dec 2016 18:30
It's the last day of a stupid shitty year, so let's watch a bunch of superheroes take their shirts off.
The Mannequin Challenge in Microgravity Puts All the Others to Shame
Gizmodo - 31 Dec 2016 18:25
The crew of the International Space Station has taken the ubiquitous Mannequin Challenge as far as it can go--260 miles above Earth's surface.
iPhone manufacturer Foxconn reveals plans to fully automate factories
Slash Gear - 31 Dec 2016 18:00
Taiwan’s Foxconn, the electronics manufacturing giant that builds Apple‘s iPhone along with dozens of other devices, has recently revealed its plans to eventually replace all the human workers in its Chinese factorie...
Smartwatches failed to excite in 2016
Engadget - 31 Dec 2016 18:00
When the first smartwatches made it to our wrists a few years ago, we were willing to overlook shortcomings because the product category was in its infancy. But the technology has had time to mature, and 2016 should have...
Doctor Who Superhero Special Is a Smash in the US, But Might Bomb in Britain
Gizmodo - 31 Dec 2016 17:15
The latest Doctor Who Christmas special doesn't look to have wowed audiences in the UK, but it turns out Americans love combining their Doctors with superheroes. It's the most-watched episode in BBC America history.
Facebook Celebrates New Year's Eve in the Saddest Way
Gizmodo - 31 Dec 2016 16:38
Photo: Getty As 2016 comes to a close, many people will countdown the seconds until midnight with friends and family. For some it will be a party, for others, it will be a burial--but they'll have their loved ones close ...
ICYMI: Say farewell to 2016 with these favorite stories
Engadget - 31 Dec 2016 16:30
Today on In Case You Missed It: We are rounding up some favorite stories from the year before it's lost to us all. When next you see ICYMI, it'll be from CES. As always, please share any interesting tech or science video...