Midtown Blogger/Manhattan Valley Follies: Gizmodo Australia

REGULARS

You Can Squeeze These Tiny Synths Into Your Skinniest Jeans

Teenage Engineering’s been teasing its tiny PO-12 for nearly a year, and for the NAMM show, it’s officially launching its pocket synth not as a standalone unit, but as a line of little noisemakers that look like Casio calculators with their faceplates snapped off.

CARS

The 2016 Ford Focus RS Looks Amazing In This Top Gear-Style Teaser

LUKE HOPEWELLTODAY 2:15 PM

I love a hot hatch. Whenever we do one of our car challenges at Gizmodo Australia, I always walk away with a hot hatch or two. One of the best hot hatches of the last decade is about to get an incredible sounding sequel. This is a teaser for the new 2016 Ford Focus RS.

GADGETS

Can Microsoft Make Faceputers Happen?

BRIAN BARRETTTODAY 2:00 PM

The next frontier of computing seems, fairly inevitably, the space directly in front of our eye holes. Never mind that Google Glass washed out (for now), or that Oculus Rift is still a niche within a niche. Our wrists are being colonised. Our faces are next. And Microsoft, of all the players, might be the conquistador.

GEEK OUT

This Millenium Falcon Turntable Holds A Different Kind Of Record For The Kessel Run

LUKE HOPEWELLTODAY 1:45 PM

“I got your promise: not a scratch!” That’s what you’ll say to anyone who drops the needle on this amazing turntable built inside one of the galaxy’s most iconic ships: the Millenium Falcon.

COMPUTING

Acer's Tough New Chromebooks Are Built To Survive Your Children

JAMIE CONDLIFFETODAY 1:30 PM

Chromebooks are popular among families and schools because they’re… well, cheap. Now, Acer’s line of Chromebooks adds another feature that will appeal to anyone handing a computer to a child: durability.

COMPUTING

Microsoft Surface Hub: An 84-Inch 4K Do-It-All Display

SEAN BUCKLEYTODAY 1:15 PM

It’s an 84-inch, 4K display that runs Windows 10. This is not the Microsoft Surface we were expecting. It’s outfitted with enormous speakers, an enormous multi-touch surface with support for multiple active pens and dual-camera depth sensors that detect when you walk up to it. This is the Microsoft Surface Hub and, unsurprisingly, it’s designed specifically for the conference room.

GEEK OUT

One57: Inside The Building Housing New York's $100 Million Penthouse

MEGAN WILLETTTODAY 1:05 PM

New York Real estate is soaring, and there’s no better example than One57. One of its penthouses has officially closed for $US100.5 million, making it the most expensive apartment ever sold in NYC and the first to surpass $US100 million. Check out what $US100 million gets you in the shiny new building.

CAMERA REVIEWS

HTC Re Action Camera: Australian Review

CAMPBELL SIMPSONTODAY 1:00 PM

It may look like an asthma puffer, but you can take it into the water, strap it to your bicycle or clip it to your shirt for a run — all activities with the potential to leave you out of breath. Then you can share its video and photos directly from your smartphone. HTC’s Re action camera is one of the smartest you can buy, even if the range of mounts available currently leaves a little to be desired.

CAMERAS

18 Terrifying Photos Of Ships In Trouble

ATTILA NAGYTODAY 12:45 PM

The fight against Earth’s oceans is almost as old as humankind. Through millennia, humans have battled typhoons and waves as high as buildings. “To sail is necessary, to live is not necessary,” said Plutarch during a huge storm in the Mediterranean. Here are 18 photos that perfectly illustrate that idea.

COMPUTING

Smart Keyboard That Knows Who's Typing Could Make Passwords Stronger

SARAH ZHANGTODAY 12:30 PM

If you’ve ever worked in an office with someone who types like a jackhammer, it’s obvious we all type a little differently. Now scientists have created a prototype of a keyboard that can identify users by their unique typing patterns. It could point to a next generation of passwords that don’t just take into account what you’re typing, but how.