Gizmodo

On March 1, shortly after Vladimir Putin activated his nuclear forces, the Nightwatch took flight from an Air Force base in Nebraska. The plane is a modified Boeing 747 that is sometimes popularly known as The Doomsday Plane.

If a gaming-oriented phone with a discreet and beautiful design is difficult to find, one that is also affordable is a rare bird.Read more...

Lenovo made a slew of Mobile World Congress (MWC) announcements tonight, including a new portfolio of consumer 2-in-1 convertible and detachable laptops and a tablet. But the third generation of its tablet, the Tab M10 Plus, piqued my interest for one little reason – it’s taking on the Kindle and it’s a more…Read more...

Brace yourselves because the next instalment in the Wizarding World franchise (aka Harry Potter) is coming soon. Up until now, the details had been scant. But we have a bit more of an idea of what to expect when we head back into the Wizarding World in 2022 for Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets of Dumbledore.

Nokia seems to have found its particular vein in affordable phones, because that is precisely what it has presented at the Mobile World Congress. The company has completely updated its C range with the new C21, C21 Plus and C2 Second Edition.

The market around children’s cardboard continues rocketing into uncharted territory. Earlier this week, auction outfit Goldin announced a holographic “Illustrator” Pikachu Pokémon card from 1998 sold for $US900,000 (over $1.2 million in Aussie money). No one knows who bought it for that much, or why, but the winning…Read more...

When Google started out it offered just the search engine, slowly adding features over time. Today, it dominates the search engine world, but it also has a habit of tracking you across the web.

To me, Siri is perhaps the most annoying feature of my iPhone. You can’t fix some of its problems — such as Siri’s inability to comprehend certain basic commands or to reliably return useful results — but there are several settings you can adjust Siri less grating and more useful. Let’s walk through them.

As I continue to delight in the deranged conspiracy theories surrounding Wordle, following its purchase by the New York Times, I’m equally thrilled to discover those making increasingly difficult versions of the game. Quordle, a version where you solve four Wordles at once, has become pretty popular, in the wake of …Read more...

In response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Disney has decided to take a stand. The company released a statement Monday night explaining that it won’t be releasing its films there for the foreseeable future, beginning with Pixar’s Turning Red. Then, a few hours later, Warner Bros. did the same thing for The Batman.Read more...

It’s only been a few days since Disney’s lavishly priced Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser attraction previewed for invited media, influencers, and guests—yet eBay listings are already being promoted for exclusive items from the experience. Some item postings even have timetables for guests who have yet to step onto the …Read more...

As fans everywhere anxiously, nervously, and curiously await the trailer for James Cameron’s Avatar 2, we’ve got the next best thing. Sort of. It’s a trailer for Cameron’s new book, Tech Noir. And before you immediately write that off as lame, let us tell you what Tech Noir is: it’s a nearly 400-page hardcover…Read more...

The ExoMars rover, previously expected to hurtle toward Mars later this year, really can’t seem to catch a break. After facing multiple delays caused by testing issues and the pandemic, the mission faces yet another setback: war.

Welcome back to io9's monthly Nerd’s Watch, where we pare down the enormous lists of new films and television shows arriving on all your favorite streaming services into the sci-fi, fantasy, and horror titles we think you’ll like most.Read more...

It’s a race to the door for oil and gas companies with operations in Russia. Over the past 24 hours, three major international oil companies—BP, Equinor, and Shell—have publicly announced they will get out of the Russian oil business in response to Russia’s war against Ukraine.Read more...

One bright spot that saw exceptionally online people through a rather grim weekend was the reveal of the newest video game installments for the Pokémon franchise. An announcement for Pokémon Scarlet and Pokémon Violet with an accompanying trailer revealed some of the newest inspirations, Arceus-inspired open-world…Read more...

The Webb telescope has completed the third stage in aligning its mirrors, a crucial process for getting state-of-the-art imagery out of this $10 billion space telescope. The feat comes right on time as the telescope heads into the second month of its three-month alignment period.Read more...

Members of the Conti ransomware gang are now being attacked by one of their own. An insider from the gang has leaked a massive cache of internal chats after its leaders took an aggressive pro-Russian stance on their public site.Read more...

In any other large franchise, each TV show getting its own new costumes and designs is just a perfectly normal thing. In Star Trek, it’s created a canonical tapestry that paints the picture of Starfleet’s uniform design department going mad with power in a post-money utopia society that lets them radically overhaul…Read more...

Nikon’s staunch devotion to DSLRs meant the company is now trying to play catch up to Sony, Canon, and even Fujifilm when it comes to the ever-growing mirrorless camera market. The Nikon Z9, revealed last year, wasn’t quite the runaway hit the company needed, but a potential new feature could change the market share…Read more...

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Short-form video sharing platform TikTok isn’t so short anymore. On Monday, the company told TechCrunch it’s expanding its maximum video length upload to 10 minutes, a significant increase from its previous limit of three minutes. Move over dance videos and make way for long-winded rants and reaction videos.Read more...

If you count how many nice things British actor Freddie Stroma says about his Peacemaker co-star John Cena and the show’s creator/director/writer James Gunn in this interview, you will realize “Hey, this Stroma fellow’s a really nice guy” far before you reach the end. His gratefulness for Peacemaker is so sincere it…Read more...

At a climactic point in the interactive narrative that unfolds onboard the Halcyon—the hotel-cum-spaceship that is home to Disney World’s incredibly expensive, soon-to-open two-day theme park/Live Action Role Play Star Wars experience—an invasion of First Order stormtroopers overtakes the ship, adorning it with blood…Read more...

Squid Game ran away with three SAG Awards Sunday night, making it the most-awarded media of the entire show. Lead actors Lee Jung-jae and Jung Ho-yeon won for their individual performances, and the ensemble stunt work in the show also snagged an Actor.Read more...

In 2019, researchers first described a 1.15-mile-wide crater in a mountain range in northeast China; late last year, a NASA satellite imaged the crater from space, giving a broad new view the impact’s aftermath.Read more...

You thought Christopher Nolan’s take on Batman was realistic? Matt Reeves says “Hold my Batarang.” Reeves’ new film, The Batman, is unlike any Batman movie we’ve ever seen. It’s more of a detective procedural than a superhero movie. Law and Order blended with horror featuring costumed vigilantes. This is a Batman…Read more...

Airbnb’s nonprofit arm will offer free, temporary housing for up to 100,000 Ukrainian refugees fleeing war. The efforts could help bring much-needed short-term relief for the more than 500,000 Ukrainians who have reportedly fled into neighboring countries since the invasion’s onset, though longer-term solutions…Read more...

Apple maintains predictable release patterns, so it’s rare for one of the countless product rumors and leaks to catch us by surprise. It does happen though and over the past week, one prediction, in particular, has caught our attention: Apple is supposedly considering a 20-inch foldable device.

Morbius? You’ve finally got me a bit worried. When the movie was first announced, I was basically stunned with disbelief that such an nth-tier Spider-Man foe would get his own major motion picture. When I saw the first couple of trailers, I was genuinely impressed. But now that the Jared Leto anti-hero movie’s final…Read more...

David Rysdahl wants to make a new take on Rapunzel with Zazie Beetz. Renfield sinks its teeth into a new release date. Chucky plans a return this year. Plus, new looks at Our Flag Means Death, Netflix nabs an unconventional Transformers show, and more. Spoilers now!

Batteries still suck, which means that any and all innovations regarding capacity and charging times will always be big news. At Mobile World Congress 2022, which gets underway in Barcelona this week, Oppo will be showing off its new speedy 150W SuperVOOC charging standard which the company promises will completely…Read more...

A large study of women who use Apple products to track their periods might provide some insights about a common but still barely understood menstrual condition. On Monday, Harvard researchers released the latest preliminary update from their Apple Women’s Health Study. Among other things, they found that 12% of women…Read more...

If you thought the trailer for the upcoming Michelle Yeoh multiverse film Everything Everywhere All at Once was awesome, wait until you see the movie’s poster. And io9 has the exclusive debut.Read more...

Climate change is already altering the planet, and the world will see catastrophic and unavoidable impacts over the coming decades, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change said in a wide-reaching report released Monday. The warming we’ve already seen has pushed many of the planet’s ecosystems toward points that…Read more...

An enormous playroom filled with prancing pups, above which are suspended dozens of tubes dispensing treats at a rate of 10 beef-flavored bones per minute. A real adult human who plays tug of war for hours and hours instead of getting bored and giving up after three minutes. A large, comfortable bed that is only for…Read more...

The world of cryptocurrencies and NFTs is filled with scammers. And every month there seems to be more and more hucksters launching new crypto tokens and shilling ripoff apes.

The first Governor was a madman. The people of Terminus were cannibals. Negan and the Saviors murdered the show’s most beloved character. The Whisperers were a cult of killers. And yet, of all of The Walking Dead’s many villains, has there been an antagonist you’ve wanted to feed to zombies more than Sebastian Milton,…Read more...

Faced with a powerful Russian army at its doorstep, Ukraine once again affirmed that it would not go down without a fight. Just as the government called for civilian volunteers to fight against the invasion, it was now seeking volunteer hackers to launch cyber attacks against Russian businesses, banks, and government…Read more...

It’s the end of the month, folks, and that means it’s time to tell us about some of the shows or films you watched and the games you played. (And things you’ve read or listened to, if those are things you partake in.)

Kids in the 90s had plenty of anime to grab their attention growing up, usually from the likes of Toonami or KidsWB. The last few months have had some heavy doses of nostalgia hit for anime fans, and this weekend saw two more announcements that’s sure to please old school anime and manga fans.Read more...

Both DC and Marvel Comics have been among the many corporations to plop their characters over to Fortnite in recent years. If the latter publisher’s ridiculous, in-canon 2020 crossover didn’t satisfy you, then you’ll be pleased to hear that they’re teaming up again for a second crossover this summer.

Samsung announced Sunday a new fleet of premium Galaxy laptops led by the Galaxy Book2 Pro and Galaxy Book2 Pro 360. The leading Android phone maker has a mixed track record in the notebook market but the Galaxy Book Pro 360 impressed us last year and these two additions bring several nice upgrades to the table,…Read more...

DC Comics loves itself some silly genre AUs. If recent stories like “Batman, but death metal ” or the upcoming “Justice League, but dinosaurs ” pitch didn’t sound kick ass enough for you, then maybe this will: DC Mech, a miniseries that can best be described as “Get in the mech, Justice League.”

It’s only been about a month since Pokémon Legends Arceus hit the Nintendo Switch, but it’s been extremely clear both critically (mostly) and commercially that Game Freak’s evolution of their iconic monster fighting franchise is something fans want to see more of. While you wouldn’t be wrong in thinking that there…Read more...

You know a shonen manga’s made it when its anime adaptation gets a theatrical movie. We’ve seen it dozens of times with Naruto, My Hero Academia, and Fullmetal Alchemist, and now the newest anime to join that pantheon is Jujutsu Kaisen. The dark fantasy anime based on Gege Akutami’s 2018 manga about sorcerers fighting…Read more...

The cast of Marvel’s Ironheart is expanding: This Is Us cast favorite Lyric Ross has signed on for the upcoming Disney+ series. Her role is not yet known, but it’s believed she’ll be playing the best friend of Riri Williams, aka Ironheart, played by Judas and the Black Messiah’s Dominque Thorne.Read more...

Welcome back to Toy Aisle, io9's regular round up of the latest in wallet-sapping toy and merchandise news. This week: Lego gives us another glimpse at Thor: Love and Thunder’s Mighty Thor and her friends, a classic Voltron gets updated, and... brace yourselves, it’s toys based on the human Buzz Lightyear that the toy…Read more...

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Amazon’s Lord of the Rings prequel series, The Rings of Power, has already told us that it plans to dive deep into the history of Tolkien’s vast mythos. The series is primarily set thousands of years before the books and movies in the Second Age, and has already teased it will go even farther back beyond that. But…Read more...