Gizmodo

Gizmodo
URL gizmodo.com
Commercial? Yes
Type of site Blog
Registration Optional
Available language(s) English, French, Dutch, Italian, German, Spanish, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese
Owner Gawker Media
Created by Peter Rojas
Launched 2002
Alexa rank 630 (January 2012)[1]
Current status Online

Gizmodo ( /ɡɪzˈmd/ giz-moh-doh) is a technology weblog about consumer electronics. It is part of the Gawker Media network run by Nick Denton and is known for its up-to-date coverage of the technology industry, along with topics as broad as design; architecture; space and science.

Contents

Writers

Blogger Position
Joe Brown Editor in Chief
Matt Buchanan Deputy Editor
Brian Barrett Senior Editor
Jesus Diaz Editor
Mat Honan
Roberto Baldwin
Reporters
Kelly Hodgkins
Kristen Philipkoski
Contributing Editors
Jack Loftus
Kwame Opam
Contributing Editors, Weekends
Brent Rose
Andrew Tarantola
Sam Biddle
Adrian Covert
Casey Chan
Staff Writers
Kyle Wagner
Mario Aguilar
Editorial Assistants
John Herrman
Mark Wilson
Contributors
Woody Allen Jang Contributing Video Editor
Natt Garun
Mike Kennelly
Interns

History

The blog, launched in 2002, was originally edited by Peter Rojas, but he was recruited by Weblogs, Inc. to launch their similar technology blog Engadget. By mid-2004, Gizmodo and Gawker together were bringing in revenue of approximately $6,500 per month.[2]

In 2005, VNU and Gawker Media formed an alliance to republish Gizmodo across Europe, with VNU translating the content into French, German, Dutch, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese, and adding local European-interest material.[3]

In April 2007, Allure Media launched Gizmodo Australia, under license from Gawker Media and incorporating additional Australian content.

In November 2007, the Dutch magazine license was taken over by HUB Uitgevers.

In September 2008, Gizmodo Brazil was launched with Portuguese content.

In September 2011, Gizmodo UK was launched to cover British news.

In February 2011, Gizmodo had a major redesign met with a strong dislike by current commentators of the site.

Coverage

A Gizmodo blogger captured the first photos from the floor of CES 2007,[4] and according to Reuters, journalists at the (simultaneous) Macworld debated whether Gizmodo or Engadget had the better live coverage of Steve Jobs' 2007 keynote.[5]

Controversy

A videographer for Gawker Media, Gizmodo's publisher, disrupted several presentations held at CES 2008[6][7] by secretly turning off flatscreen TVs using TV-B-Gone remotes. This resulted in the videographer, Richard Blakeley, being barred from CES 2008, and any future CES events.

iPhone 4 Prototype

In April 2010, Gizmodo came into possession of what was later known to be a prototype of the iPhone 4 smartphone by Apple, Inc..[8] The site purchased the device for USD $5000 from Brian J. Hogan, who found it unattended at a bar in Redwood City, CA a month earlier.[9][10] An acquaintance of Hogan, Sage Robert, a UC Berkeley student, allegedly helped him sell the phone, after failing to track down the owner. With Apple confirming its provenance, bloggers such as John Gruber and Ken Sweet speculated that this transaction may have violated the California Penal Code.[11][12]

On 26 April, after Gizmodo returned the iPhone to Apple, upon Apple's request, the police group, California Rapid Enforcement Allied Computer Team, executed a search warrant on editor Jason Chen's home and seized computers, hard drives, servers, cameras, notes, and a file of business cards, under direction from San Mateo County’s chief deputy district attorney, Stephen Wagstaffe.[10][13][14] Since then, Gizmodo and the prosecution have agreed that a special master will review the contents of the items seized and determine if they contain any relevant information.[15][16] Gizmodo has since been barred from all Apple-hosted events and product launches.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Gizmodo.com Site Info". Alexa Internet. http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/gizmodo.com. Retrieved 2012-01-02. 
  2. ^ Greg Lindsay (June 1, 2004). "What Makes Nick Tick? The smartest publisher in the blogosphere says there's no money online. So why doesn't anyone believe him?". Business 2.0. http://money.cnn.com/magazines/business2/business2_archive/2004/06/01/370437/index.htm. Retrieved 2007-01-27. 
  3. ^ "VNU to Publish Gawker's Gizmodo Blog in Europe". MarketingVOX. October 7, 2005. http://www.marketingvox.com/archives/2005/10/07/vnu_to_publish_gawkers_gizmodo_blog_in_europe/. Retrieved 2007-01-27. 
  4. ^ Schofield, Jack (2007-01-07). "http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/technology/archives/2007/01/07/gizmodo_claims_first_blood_at_ces_2007.html". The Guardian (London). http://blogs.guardian.co.uk/technology/archives/2007/01/07/gizmodo_claims_first_blood_at_ces_2007.html. Retrieved 2007-01-27. 
  5. ^ "Apple's iPhone steals spotlight from rival tech show". Reuters. January 10, 2007. http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSN1023933820070110. Retrieved 2009-04-06. 
  6. ^ "http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9848317-1.html". 2008-01-10. http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9848317-1.html. Retrieved 2008-01-11. 
  7. ^ "http://gizmodo.com/343348/confessions-the-meanest-thing-gizmodo-did-at-ces". 2008-01-10. http://gizmodo.com/343348/confessions-the-meanest-thing-gizmodo-did-at-ces. Retrieved 2008-01-11. 
  8. ^ Helft, Miguel; Bilton, Nick (2010-04-19). "For Apple, Lost iPhone Is a Big Deal". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/20/technology/companies/20apple.html?hp. Retrieved 2010-04-22. 
  9. ^ "Man who found — and sold — the missing iPhone unmasked". Today in Tech. Yahoo News. 2010-04-29. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ytech_gadg/ytech_gadg_tc1874. Retrieved 2010-05-04. 
  10. ^ a b Lundin, Leigh (2010-05-02). "The Fourth Estate, The Death of Journalism". Newsworthy. Criminal Brief. http://www.criminalbrief.com/?p=12019. 
  11. ^ Sweet, Ken (2010-04-19). "Gizmodo paid for iPhone 4G: so are they receivers of stolen goods?". Technology Blog (London: The Guardian). http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/blog/2010/apr/19/gizmodo-paid-iphone-4g. Retrieved 2010-05-04. 
  12. ^ "Legal, Eh?". 2010-04-20. http://daringfireball.net/linked/2010/04/20/legal-eh. Retrieved 2010-04-22. 
  13. ^ Sutter, John (2010-04-26). "Police seize computers from Gizmodo editor". SciTechBlog (CNN). http://scitech.blogs.cnn.com/2010/04/26/police-seize-computers-from-gizmodo-editor/. Retrieved 2010-05-04. 
  14. ^ Calderone, Michael (2010-04-26). "Silicon Valley cops raid Gizmodo editor's home, take four computers". The Newsroom. Yahoo News. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ynews/20100426/ts_ynews/ynews_ts1791. Retrieved 2010-05-04. 
  15. ^ Lundin, Leigh (2010-06-13). "Prosecutor in Search of a Crime?". Newsworthy. Criminal Brief. http://www.criminalbrief.com/?p=12607. 
  16. ^ Myslewski, Rik (2010-06-04). "Search begins on seized Gizmodo journo kit". Der Ring des Gizmodophonelungen. San Francisco: The Register. http://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/06/04/gizmodo_editor_search_begins/. 

External links