Techie Gist: Latest Gists on Technology & Gadgets!

[techieguy]

Okay, this might not look impressive at first. The maze isn't that complicated. But imagine being the size of the robotic Micromouse—relatively, this is a human-sized hedge maze. Then imagine running to the finish in only five seconds.

Sure, the Micromouse needs to spend a few minutes studying its surroundings before it can process what it finds and solve the maze. But again, give it some credit—at no point does it have an overhead view of where the hell it is. It's lost in the maze. And it doesn't have eyeballs like you, lucky human. But once it gets its bearings—boom.x This little dude won first prize in a recent competition, and it's easy to see why. Feel ashamed, the next time you're in a maze. Ashamed! Or inspired.          

Watch This Robot Mouse Blow Through a Maze Faster Than You Can [Video]

[techieguy]

The Nexus Two is real. It's made by Samsung, and a friend of ours got to play with it. It's not going rock your face like the Nexus One did. But it will record it with a front-facing camera.



"When I first saw it from 10 feet away, I thought it was the Galaxy S," says our source, who got to handle one. "I was a little surprised it was the Nexus Two," because it's so different from the Nexus One.         

Hands on the Nexus Two by Samsung [Exclusive]

[techieguy]

Climbers of Mount Everest spent the past 24 hours updating Facebook statuses, after Nepal's first-ever 3G connection was switched on yesterday at the base camp. The first use of the service? Making the world's highest video call. [Reuters and Unitopia]


Aw Man, Even Mount Everest Has Better 3G Reception Than We Do [Networks]

[techieguy]

Can't wait for a Verizon iPhone? No problem—you can get one now. Cheaper than AT&T's borked handset, too. Yeah, we're being creative with the term "iPhone," but who cares. It works.


The $45 a Month Verizon iPhone Hack [How To]

[techieguy]

The new 13-inch MacBook Air is Apple's katana blade: thin, durable, powerful, sleek. But does it have enough mettle to be your weapon of choice? Abandoning the metaphor: can you ditch your MacBook Pro?            


13-Inch MacBook Air Review: So Long, Fatty [Video]

[techieguy]

Monorails used to be the vision of futuristic travel. Now, that mode of transit has been mostly reduced to inter-terminal airport travel and family theme parks. Take a step back in time and gander at these bullet-shaped babies in action.            


9 Futuristic Monorails... From the Past [Vintage]

[techieguy]

                                                                                        This week in Stanton, Delaware, a 12-yo girl was confronted by a man driving a white van. He told her to get in. She held up her iPod Touch and said she'd dialed 911. That may have saved her life.            More »             

12-yo Girl Prevents Kidnapping By Pretending iPod Touch Is a Phone [Creeps]

[techieguy]

A couple weeks ago, a reader asked us for help. He couldn't figure out how to propose to his girlfriend in a way that would adequately express how much he loved her. So we turned to you...

            

Marching bands! Magicians! Superheroes! One total creep! Girls in fish tanks! Guitar players! Shirtless dudes! You guys totally came through—scores of you sent in videos, and we mashed them together into something that we think is pretty special. If you sent something in, your name is in the credits (except for you, creepy guy).

Katie, Will You Marry Me? UPDATED! [Video]

[techieguy]

What? Why? How? Answers to these questions, AND MORE, in Gizmodo's ultimate jailbreaking guide for iPhones, iPods and iPads.         



Jailbreaking is...

...freedom for iOS users, giving them a way to break free from Apple's restrictive App Store ecosystem, install whatever software they want, and use their phones however they please. Technically, each jailbreak is a hack; an exploitation of some flaw in the devices' operating systems, used to install unauthorized software. This software generally includes some kind of alternative App Store, called either Cydia or Rock.

The Ultimate Jailbreaking Guide [Jailbreak]

[techieguy]

Fall is here and the weather is slowly getting colder. What does that mean? It's time to stay inside, get warm and play some video games. Here are the best video games available right now.

   
The Best Video Games Right Now [Games]