problems

Networks

AT&T 3G Network Down In Some Areas, Reports Say

We here at Gizmodo have been getting interesting missives from several readers about how AT&T's 3G network has just plumb broke in several areas, like Boston and Hawaii. Any calls made to an iPhone 3G goes straight to voicemail,... Read More »

Science

NASA's Ares 1 Rocket in Trouble Again: Could Crash Into Launch Tower

Posted by Kit Eaton at 3:45 AM on October 29, 2008

NASA's Ares 1 rocket may be facing another large technological hurdle before it can take part in the future lunar missions: it's apparently in danger of banging into its own launch tower if the wind is up. Actually, the wind needs only be a gentle-sounding 20kph from the south-east to cause problems, and it's all to do with how the rocket's solid fuel motor causes it to "hop" on ignition, before it powers upwards.

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Science

LHC Offline Until Spring of 2009

Posted by Sean Fallon at 5:00 AM on September 24, 2008

It looks as thought the magnet situation that shut down the LHC last week is going to take even more time to correct than previously feared. In order to fully investigate the problem, researchers have decided to hold off a restart until sometime in the spring of 2009. Robert Aymar, director-general of CERN called the situation "a psychological blow," but getting this beast is in good working order must be the top priority. Apparently, the fire department rushed to the scene after a little over a ton of liquid helium leaked into LHCs super-long tunnel, causing around 100 of the magnets to overheat. Take your time guys—we don't need any more drama with a device that could bring down the world. [BBC]


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Phones

Swedish Scientists Test iPhone 3G's Antenna: It's Fine

Posted by Kit Eaton at 10:22 PM on August 25, 2008

A couple of Swedish scientists at a company that sells test chamber facilities for wireless devices decided to put the iPhone 3G's antenna to the test, in the light of the phone's supposed connectivity issues. Their verdict: "the values are completely normal." In other words, it compares very well with the antenna strength in both transmit and receive modes with a Nokia N73 and Sony Ericsson P1 that the guys tested out under the same conditions. They even checked out whether using the iPhone's other wireless functions conflicted with the phone antenna (which can sometimes happen) and found it to be fine under these conditions too. Good news. If there is an issue with the 3G performance, it doesn't seem to be coming from the antenna. [Goteborgs-Posten Thanks, Kalle!]


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Regulars

Question of the Day: Do You Get Stuck Fixing Everyone's Gadget Problems?

Posted by Sean Fallon at 7:20 AM on June 28, 2008

The main problem with being tech savvy is that everyone looks to you to solve their gadget-related issues. I mean, I'm happy to help but sometimes I just want to say "go and Google it dammit!" This is especially true with anything computer related. You know what I'm talking about--that frantic call from a friend who says their computer isn't working, so you go over there and find it unplugged. Seriously, I don't know how IT people can stand it. So, my question is: are you one of those people that gets stuck fixing everyone's gadget problems?


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Gadgets

China's E-Waste Problem Poisons Children, Destroys Cities

Posted by Jason Chen at 6:00 AM on April 5, 2008

Since the 1980s, cities like Guiyu, China, have been taking in electronic waste from other countries for dismantlement and processing. It's great for other countries, but takes a huge toll on the people managing the effort because of the "metal extraction of circuit boards" and "open dumping of waste and ash residue into open water". It's made the well water and ground water of Guiyu undrinkable, and has to be trucked in from other villages. The lead poisoning level in children is 69%. [China-Pix via Crunchgear]


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Phones

iPhone 1.1.3 Jailbreak Has Issues With GPS, Official SDK?

Posted by Jason Chen at 5:06 AM on January 29, 2008

It seems the first iPhone 1.1.3 jailbreak by Nate True we all rushed to install is throwing a handful of problems, some of which are fixable and some of which leave us wishing we had waited a little bit. Here's what we know so far from personal experience and what we've read on the Internet.


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'Fantastic 4', 'Day After Tomorrow' Highlight More Blu-ray Movie Incompatibilities

Posted by Jason Chen at 9:30 AM on October 5, 2007

silversrufer.jpgMore trouble for Blu-ray comes as newer titles Fantastic 4 and The Day After Tomorrow are running into playback problems with Samsung's BDP-1200 and LG's BH100. This is different from the previous problems with disc extras that were unplayable (which had more to do with BD-Java spec incompatibility) in that it's the entire movie that's unplayable. Samsung's BDP-1000 can play them, but suffer from error messages and stutter. Bad news? It's BD+ copy protection that's causing it. The worse news? LG will have a firmware update in 3-4 days, but Samsung will take "a couple" weeks. [High Def Digest]

Canon EOS-1D Mark III Auto-focus Under Heat

Posted by Seamus Byrne at 8:52 PM on June 22, 2007

canoncaliente.jpgWe checked out the Canon EOS-1D Mark III at PMA'07 and were blown away by this wonder camera. And rightly so, because the camera is amazing... except for one little problem.

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Problems With Blu-ray's BD-J Spec Causes Headaches For Early Adopters

Posted by Seamus Byrne at 5:30 AM on June 8, 2007

Remember when we talked about inconsistent Blu-ray BD-Java implementation and how it would cause problems for users? This video illustrates what we mean. A guy recorded himself updating the firmware of his Sony Blu-ray player, then attempting to go and play the Liar's Dice game in Pirates of the Caribbean 2. The end result is comical. This is what we were talking about when we said the changing BD-J spec causes problems for developers when coding. Watch the video and see for yourself. The HD DVD consortium claims they had nothing to do with the making of this video.