Author: Kyle VanHemert

The New York Times has a long, juicy look at what’s been going on behind the scenes with the ever-escalating conflict between Google and Apple. The cause for all the enmity, according to insiders? Ego. More »

The Battery Replacement Service FAQ on Apple’s site outlines their policy for handling iPads with diminished battery capacity, and its surprisingly generous: for a $99 service fee, they’ll send you a replacement iPad. More »

Yesterday, Netflix announced that they’re pulling the plug on the sequel to their supercool Netflix Prize in which teams competed to improve the company’s recommendation algorithm for a million dollar reward. Privacy: can’t live with it, can’t live without it. More »

We’re no strangers to the work of Lego master Nathan Sawaya, but his latest creation achieved the impossible: making a Blackberry exciting. It incorporates a working flat screen TV for comfortably displaying video. Clearly he took some artistic liberties. More »

In addition to the orientation-lock button, yesterday’s pre-order commencement delivered another surprise nugget: the iPad will read all EPUB books out loud. If you remember the shitstorm that surrounded Kindle’s text-to-voice feature, you’ll know that this is a bold move. More »

The Magic Mouse, for all of its sleek lines and multitouch, uh, magic, can feel a little awkward in the hand. MMFixed has the solution: a stick-on hump that gives your fingers some leverage and your palm some lovin’. More »

There’s no shortage of cutesy portable speakers for listening to music when you’re out and about. But if you want something that doesn’t feel like it’s going to snap in two, the Audio-Technica BoogieBox will do you a solid. More »

New research shows that the advantages of HDTV aren’t lost on octopuses. A recent study on octopus behavior made the upgrade from CRT sets to HDTVs for the playback of octopus-related videos, like one of a tasty crab. More »

In today’s Remainders: sights! Visit Paris in your browser with a magnificent 24 gigapixel photograph; behold America, circa 1972, in the EPA’s 15,000 photograph Documerica project, and more. More »

If you partake in Wii fitness regularly, you probably know that there is only one thing keeping you from having a full-fledged, muscle-building, vein-popping work-out experience: limited range of push-up motion. Thankfully, this push-up bar attachment lets you dig deep. More »

I like my gadgets how I like my twilight swimming: naked. Cases, like bathing suits, usually just get in the way. But the ModulR case is a little different, letting you mount, strap, or kickstand your iPad in different positions. More »

In today’s Remainders: excellence. Carlos Slim overtakes Bill Gates as the world’s richest man; Battlestar Galactica and the Beastie Boys get mashed-up real good; Everquest data is a motherlode for behavior scientists, and more! More »

If you were comforted by the first revieLITE, an iPod charger/nightlight combo from 2008, you’ll be even more thankful for the sequel: the ReviveLite II has a slimmer footprint, an additional USB port and still protects you from night terrors. More »

Though the shipping date for JooJoo, the underdog tablet, was recently pushed back to March 25, Fusion Garage isn’t letting that time go to waste. They’ve overhauled the JooJoo’s interface, expanded local video playback, and given its backplate a makeover. More »

What’s more terrifying than a call coming from inside the house? The call coming from inside the theater. That’s the thought behind Last Call, an interactive horror film in which the main character calls a random audience member for help. More »

In today’s Remainders: Efficiency. Get out of your house and watch the Final Four basketball games in 3-D; treat yourself to some Chilean wine while supporting their relief effort; start choosing the color for your Dell Mini 5, and more. More »

Here are a few things you don’t have time to do when your car plunges into an icy lake: remove a Leatherman multitool from your glove compartment; unfold it; cut through your seatbelt; refold it; smash through your window. More »