Midtown Blogger/Manhattan Valley Follies: Gizmodo Australia

REGULARS

10 Hidden Secrets In Star Wars: The Force Awakens

As one of the most beloved franchises of all time, The Force Awakenswas scrutinised to a degree usually reserved for Pynchon novels by grad students (a treatment Rogue One is already getting as well). As a result, there’s a lot we now know about even the most minute details from the film, and Screen Rant points out ten of the best in a new video.

MOBILE

Canada's Mounties Hold The Keys To Blackberry's Encryption

BRYAN MENEGUSTODAY 10:45 AM

Blackberry — the financially floundering smartphone maker that prides itself on end-to-end encryption — may have finally met its match in the form of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Motherboard reports that the RCMP, as part of a criminal investigation, was able to intercept and decrypt more than a million Blackberry messages over the course of two years.

MOBILE

App Deals: Want To See The ISS Without A Telescope?

TODAY 10:30 AM

Today’s best deals include ISS Detector Pro for Android, Remote File Manager for iOS and Money Tracker Pro for Windows Phone. Deals end without warning, so be quick!

GADGETS & SMART HOME REVIEWS

Reviewed: Our Favourite Laptop Backpacks

THE WIRECUTTERTODAY 10:15 AM

We hold our backpacks to the same high standards as everything else we review and buy, and while we’d like to pick a “best backpack,” we know it’s impossible to make one pick that fits everyone’s style, budget, body type, and carrying needs. So we’ve highlighted a few of our favourite laptop-backpack models and brands: bags for the workplace, a jack-of-all-trades, a weatherproof commuter, and a single bag for work and the gym.

ENTERTAINMENT

Here's The First Image From 'Ghost In The Shell'

RAE JOHNSTONTODAY 10:00 AM

Production is officially underway in Wellington, New Zealand on Ghost In The Shell.

Starring Scarlett Johansson and directed by Rupert Sanders (Snow White and the Huntsman), the film is due for release in Australia on 30 March 2017.

ENTERTAINMENT

Stan Adds Support For 4K TV And Movie Streaming

CAMPBELL SIMPSONTODAY 9:50 AM

4K TVs are selling like hotcakes in Australia, but we’re still somewhat starved of good Ultra HD content to show on them. Until 4K Blu-raylaunches locally in a few weeks, your only real choice is the top-tier Netflix package. But Netflix’s strongest rival, Stan, has just switched on behind-the-scenes support for 4K TV and movies through its partnership with Brightcove.

SCIENCE & HEALTH

Rocket Launches Are Way More Intense In 360-Degree VR

CHRIS MILLSTODAY 9:45 AM

Video: If you stood this close to a rocket launch, your face would probably look like deep-fried Swiss cheese. Luckily, 360-degree cameras and a VR headset can put you in the action a little more easily.

SCIENCE & HEALTH

It Takes A Serious Structure To Test The World's Most Powerful Rocket

CHRIS MILLSTODAY 9:30 AM

Before any of NASA’s rockets can fly up to space, there’s a lot of testing to be done. Marshall Space Flight Center’s Building 4619 houses the structural testing, but to accommodate NASA’s upcoming Space Launch System, it needed a few upgrades.

ENTERTAINMENT

Here's Your First Official Look At Civil War's Big Villain, Baron Zemo

JAMES WHITBROOKTODAY 9:15 AM

Considering we’ve seen or heard of absolutely nothing since Daniel Brühl was cast in Captain America: Civil War as the long-time Cap foe Baron Helmut Zemo, it’s kind of surprising how incredibly nondescript this first-ever look at him actually is. Not even a purple face mask in sight.

COMPUTING

Microsoft's New AI Writes Captions For Your Photos

JAMIE CONDLIFFETODAY 8:45 AM

Microsoft just launched a new online app that offers to try and understand the contents of your photographs and write captions for them. And it’s surprisingly impressive — most of the time.