Midtown Blogger/Manhattan Valley Follies: Gizmodo Australia

REGULARS

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GADGETS

Meet The Twisted YouTube Geniuses Who Destroyed The Apple Watch

DARREN ORFTODAY 10:45 AM

I called Richard Ryan late on a Thursday evening. His voice through the phone was scratchy and you could hear these faint “pops” every so often. This wasn’t the fault of some piss-poor cell reception. This was something else. “Sorry about the explosives going off in the background,” he said.

GADGETS

The Solution To The Apple Watch Tattoo Problem Was So Obvious

ANDREW LISZEWSKITODAY 10:30 AM

There was some bad news last week for tattooed Apple fans hoping to take advantage of everything the company’s new smartwatch had to offer. It turns out that ink on your arm hinders the Apple Watch’s ability to monitor your heart rate. But, as Conan discovered, Apple already has a simple solution for sale.

GADGETS

I Got Skimmed In Mexico

ADAM CLARK ESTESTODAY 10:00 AM

When I got back from holidays in Mexico, my bank sent me an alarming email with the subject “Declined Purchases”, which struck me as weird, because I didn’t get declined the whole trip. The bank listed the locations — a perfume store and an Autozone in a town I didn’t visit — and I yelled: “I’ve been skimmed!”

ENTERTAINMENT

Star Wars: The Force Awakens Trailer In 16-Bit Video Game Style Is Fun

CASEY CHANTODAY 9:45 AM

I don’t know what I want to do more, watch the new Star Wars movie or play this awesome 16-bit retro video game version of the new Star Wars movie. Actually, that’s a lie. I still want to watch the movie more. But there’s a kid in me that would love this video game so much if it ever existed.

GADGETS

Apple Doesn't Want You To Build A Charging Band For Your Watch

CHRIS MILLSTODAY 9:30 AM

Even before we had any details about the Apple Watch, accessory-makers were clamouring to sell you a $50 thing to strap to your $500 smartwatch. Apple has now finally released details about how third parties can make bands for the Watch. And it’s made things clear: no fancy connectors, no hidden ports, no charging. Just make a dumb strap, OK?

ENTERTAINMENT

Stan Says That Stan Has 200,000 Sign-Ups And 'The Largest Content Library' In Australia (According To Stan)

LUKE HOPEWELLTODAY 9:00 AM

After several ISPs recently said that Stan’s customer traffic could be considered as a “rounding error”, the streaming service has hit back saying that it’s heading for 200,000 customers and a massive content catalogue.

ONLINE

Bidding War: TPG Has Increased Its Offer For iiNet

LUKE HOPEWELLTODAY 8:32 AM

The bidding war for Aussie ISP darling, iiNet, is in full swing. In response to a bid from M2, original bidder TPG has upped its offer for iiNet, promising over $1.5 billion.

COMPUTING

Simple Code Turns Any USB Drive Into A Kill Switch For Your Computer

CHRIS MILLSTODAY 8:30 AM

Master criminals, serial adulterers and other tinfoil-hat-wearers spend their lives looking over their shoulders, scared of being caught with a powered-on laptop full of incriminating information in, say, a public library. But some simple code and an empty USB drive could make life much harder for the police.

NEWS

Turn Your Apple Watch Gold For Half The Price

DARREN ORFTODAY 8:00 AM

Technology is filled with all kinds of rumours, real and fabricated. It gives us a look at might be and will be. BitStream gathers these rumours all in one place to divine what the future has in store.