John Colucci

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Stories By John Colucci

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    TV & Movies
    TV & Movies By John Colucci

    Talk with the cast of 'Citizen Mars' during our Facebook Q&A

    Would you give up everything you know on Earth to start a new life on Mars and never come back? The five people we profiled in our original series Citizen Mars are willing to do just that for the good of the world. If you've watched our short series, you probably have a lot of unanswered questions for the cast, so we're giving you the opportunity to ask them whatever you'd like in an upcoming Facebook Q&A. On Thursday, September 17th at 11AM PT / 2PM ET, head over to our Facebook page with your questions and get ready for an exciting discussion.

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    Reviews
    Reviews By John Colucci

    Four weeks with Jet (aka 'My month without Amazon')

    I placed my very first order on Amazon.com for two very popular albums back on June 20th, 2000. I'd later go on to place about 230 orders, including everything from a mattress (no wait, make that two mattresses; don't ask) and soap -- lots and lots of soap. I loved Amazon so much that at one point I remember saying it was the kind of brand that could do no wrong. But, soon after that second mattress order, my romance with the company began to fall apart, thanks to shoddy logistics and problems with Amazon's renowned two-day Prime shipping.

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    Meta
    Meta By John Colucci

    We're hosting a Q&A with the US Labor Secretary about the 'gig economy'

    Services like Uber, Lyft, Airbnb and Postmates are hallmarks of what's being called the "gig economy." And while presidential candidate Hillary Clinton remarked that companies like these are "unleashing innovation," they've also raised questions about workplace protections. So, to answer some of your questions (and ours), we're hosting a Facebook Q&A this Monday, July 27th at 5PM ET with Department of Labor Secretary Tom Perez.

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    Smartphones
    Smartphones By John Colucci

    What sweet treat will the 'M' in 'Android M' stand for?

    In no surprise to anyone, Google announced that its next version of Android will be called "M," the natural followup to Lollipop and its other edible mobile operating systems. We won't know for some time what the "M" will stand for and are really hoping it's not something lame like "Mobile." Our team came up with a few suggestions of what the sweet treat might be and invite you to guess which one you think will get the honors. If we got it wrong and you have another idea, tweet it to us (we're @engadget, natch).

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    Apps
    Apps By John Colucci

    Why text when your phone can sing messages at your friends?

    #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-344018{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-344018, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-344018{width:629px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-344018").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Ditty might sound like Sean Combs' latest stage name, but in fact, it's a new messaging application that takes mundane text messages and turns them into a shareable video, with onscreen lyrics. The app, made by a company called Zya, is one of the few that can be used in concert with Facebook Messenger, which just opened up to third parties. In fact, the app was unveiled today during Facebook's own F8 developer conference.

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    Smartphones
    Smartphones By John Colucci

    3M showed me how dirty my phone was at SXSW

    I'm a certified germaphobe. In clinical terms, that makes me one of the 3.3 million Americans who suffer from Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Being at an event like SXSW where about 33,000 of my fellow digital comrades are coexisting in very public spaces, I'm always worried about keeping myself and my gadgets clean, especially my phone and laptop. And with good reason: scientists found that cell phones carry ten times more disease-causing bacteria than most toilet seats. So, when I heard 3M was on the ground at SXSW testing out how dirty people's phones were at its "LifeLab," I had to check it out.

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    News
    News By John Colucci

    We're on the ground at SXSW!

    We're gearing up for another great SXSW in Austin, Texas! Last year, we witnessed a dude get "stunned" by Chaotic Moon's "CUPID" Drone, checked out IBM's Watson-powered food truck and punched some virtual sharks. This year we'll again get to see new emerging technologies, creative uses of old ones and generally explore how tech is changing our lives.

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    TV & Movies
    TV & Movies By John Colucci

    Sesame Street's executive producer on staying relevant after 46 years

    Thanks to Netflix, Amazon and YouTube, the competition for kid's eyeballs is fiercer than ever, but that's not slowing down Sesame Street. Now in its 46th year, the show is making a bigger and bigger push into social media, with often hilarious (but secretly educational) results. I sat down with the show's Senior Vice President and Executive Producer, Carol Lynn-Parente, shortly after meeting my new best friend, Cookie Monster, to talk about the show's digital life and more.

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    Mobile
    Mobile By John Colucci

    Delta's in-flight WiFi is about to get a whole lot faster

    If you've flown Delta recently (or most domestic airlines) and tried to use the onboard Gogo WiFi, you know that it's often a crapshoot. A combination of where you're flying over and the number of passengers attempting to use it leads to either a decent connection (yay!), one that's slow as a snail (ugh), or none at all ($#!%). Look, we need to remember that sending tweets at 35,000 feet is basically magic. But being able to stream even a low-res YouTube clip would really make flying a happier experience.

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    TV & Movies
    TV & Movies By John Colucci

    Cookie Monster: The Engadget Interview

    It'd be wrong to say that the cast of Sesame Street just discovered the internet. As it is, the show's characters have dozens of games and mobile apps, with a large video archive that goes at least as far back as "Me Lost Me Cookie At The Disco." It would seem, though, that someone over at the Sesame Workshop has been working to bring Big Bird and co. into the twenty-first century. For starters, Big Bird only just issued his first tweet ("tweet" -- get it?) last week. Meanwhile, PBS Kids just premiered Cookie Monster's first movie, The Cookie Thief, and, in an effort to promote it, also came up with this ingenious gif generator that basically lets Cookie take over your browser.

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    News
    News By John Colucci

    Cookie Monster wants to take over your browser

    The entire Engadget staff is pretty excited about Cookie Monster's first PBS Kids movie "The Cookie Thief," (which premieres this Monday, February 16th). In celebration, our entire site is now a veritable sea of Cookie Monster GIFs! Well, sorta.

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    TV & Movies
    TV & Movies By John Colucci

    The 10 most-tweeted commercials from Super Bowl XLIX

    It was a great night for Rob Gronkowski and the New England Patriots, but it wasn't so good for our friend Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks. It also was a great night for brands trying to hold your attention for seconds with ads to get you talking on Twitter. From the usual highbrow suspects selling soda and beer, to toe fungus medication and superglue, here's our take on the most-talked about spots from last night's big game.

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    By John Colucci

    The poetry of my tweets

    I'd like to think my tweets offer some cultural value and promote a better world. I consume plenty of brilliant films and scholarly articles, then reflect my learnings on Twitter multiple times a day. So when I heard there was a tool to turn my tweets into real poetry, I expected a reflection of the erudite person I've become. Unfortunately, I was painted as, well...a boob.

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    Wearables
    Wearables By John Colucci

    iJustine loves fitness wearables as much as Taco Bell

    Digital diva and influencer Justine Ezarik (aka iJustine) thinks CES is a big "tech tease." She's right, of course -- there's just too much technology to cover in a short amount of time (and inevitably, some of it will never be released). But it's fitness wearables that get her the most excited about the show floor this year, like the stuff Misfit showed off. On our CES stage she explains her valentine Taco Bell and how the two keep up over Snapchat. We talk about a whole lot more during our fun conversation, which you can watch after the break.

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    By John Colucci

    The trailer and beyond: Engadget at CES 2015

    Team Engadget spent a long week running around Las Vegas during CES, whether it's the the many exhibits at the city's Convention Center, the umpteen meetings at hotels or all-important pitstops like the Peppermill. Want to get a glimpse of what it was like? Follow the journey of our editorial team (and its dear friends) through social media in the gallery below.

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    Wearables
    Wearables By John Colucci

    will.i.am's wearable tech plans merge high fashion with inspiration

    What hasn't will.i.am done? He's a mega-producer, solo artist, founding member of The Black Eyed Peas and, yes, even a tech entrepreneur with a significant history at CES. With his new "computer on your wrist," the $399 i.am PULS+, announced this past October, will.i.am's ready to dive deep into the wearables space under his own i.am+ brand umbrella. But it's not all about the tech, as we learned on the Engadget CES stage. He's got plans to tie the fashion industry into his product line -- former Vogue editor-at-large André Leon Talley's onboard to lend his expertise -- and inspire underprivileged kids to tackle careers in tech. You can watch it all go down in the video just after the break.

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    News
    News By John Colucci

    Keeping up with Engadget on the ground at #CES2015

    It's the most wonderful time of the year! And if you look at the lyrics to the Andy Williams classic, it can easily be adjusted for the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas (and despite impending sleep deprivation, we'll still do our very best to "be of good cheer.") We're perched up in a gorgeous trailer (with plants!) and broadcasting live from our delightful stage right in the heart of the Las Vegas Convention Center.

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    Reviews
    Reviews By John Colucci

    IRL: Why I got my mom a Nexus 9 for Christmas

    My dad called me up a few weeks ago saying he wanted to get mom a tablet for Christmas, one that might be good enough to replace the laptop she hated. It wasn't the hardware causing angst; it was the software: Windows 8. She's pretty comfortable with technology, but migrating from the familiar world of Windows' past was tricky and she wasn't alone -- I didn't find it easy either. While no tablet could completely replace a laptop, for general internet use, it's all she really needed.

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    Cybersecurity
    Cybersecurity By John Colucci

    Security flaw lets Delta passengers access strangers' boarding passes

    If you've been dreaming about tanning on Miami Beach versus visiting your family in Minneapolis this holiday, a security flaw involving Delta Airlines' electronic boarding pass system might just make that a reality. Dani Grant, a product intern at BuzzFeed and founder of Hackers of NY, realized she could share the URL to her boarding pass for anyone to download. Then, by changing a digit in the URL, someone else's boarding pass (even on another airline) popped right up.

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    Entertainment
    Entertainment By John Colucci

    Now Boarding 'Mint': JetBlue's take on the first class experience

    When JetBlue took flight in 2000, the company aimed to "bring humanity back to air travel." The team started by ordering a bunch of new Airbus A320 aircraft, filling them with comfy leather seats (and enough legroom), serving unlimited free snacks and, best of all, offering a TV at every seat with 20 channels of live satellite TV. Part of this exercise in "humanity" involved keeping ticket prices affordable for everyone. Fast-forward 14 years later, and the airline is bringing this approach to first class travel with the introduction of "Mint." Until now, first class and even business class weren't accessible to everyone. Maybe you've been lucky to sit in a premium cabin because you're a frequent flier with status on an airline like Delta. Even then, the upgrades aren't always guaranteed. Or maybe you're rich and have stacks of cash to buy first class tickets at full price. Good on you, then! But, even if you've flown first class elsewhere, JetBlue's new Mint cabin is unique. That's partly because it uses some innovative technology, but also because it's actually affordable.

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    News
    News By John Colucci

    Engadget presents #enGIVEget: benefiting St. Jude!

    Now that our readers (and most Engadget editors) have stuffed their pie holes full of food and done some serious damage with their credit cards over the biggest shopping weekend of the year, it's time we gave a little bit, too. Here's where our #enGIVEget sweepstakes, benefiting St. Jude Children's Research Hospital® comes in.

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    Smartphones
    Smartphones By John Colucci

    Sound off: Show us your used and abused phones!

    That sad, broken handset is what one friend had to use while waiting for his new one to arrive. We know that you too, have felt his pain and are bound to have some similar photos floating around. Whether your phone was dropped into a pool of hydrofluoric acid or ran afoul of a mantis shrimp, we want to see the evidence. Show us in the forums or tweet it out with a #brokenphone hashtag, and let's enjoy a bit of cellphone shadenfreude together.

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    News
    News By John Colucci

    Engadget Expand is all about you. And us. But really, you.

    Engadget Expand is our annual event that's all about you -- our fans. It's not your typical tech conference that's priced for people fortunate to have an expense account. We make the event completely FREE thanks to our generous sponsors, giving you the chance to experience the future -- right now. And while you're at it, you get to meet your favorite Engadget editors. When you join us at the Javits Center North in New York City next week on November 7-8, you'll be set loose on our show floor. You can check out some of our exhibitors and get your hands on gadgets that people can't buy yet (or in some cases, build your own in our workshops), head to our Expand stage and hear from some smart and inspiring people and so much more.

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    Reviews
    Reviews By John Colucci

    IRL: The OnePlus One is everything my iPhone wasn't

    After last month's iPhone event, I was disappointed -- I realized the iPhone 6 and its "Plus" sibling were still catching up to Android in a lot of ways. Regardless, the devoted iPhone fan in me still pre-ordered an iPhone 6 a few days later, in the wee hours of September 12th. The next morning, I awoke to the alarm on my iPhone 5s and went to silence it, only to discover a small spot of water damage had worsened overnight, rendering the phone unusable. With less than 24 hours before jetting off on a work trip, I had no choice but to force myself into using another phone sitting on my desk: the OnePlus One. Now, you might be thinking that this was unusually convenient. The truth is, I decided to get a second phone a couple of weeks earlier and wanted one of the unlocked Android variety. Might as well ensure it's a good phone too, so with an Engadget score of 90, the One made sense.

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    News
    News By John Colucci

    What's up with Engadget Expand?

    We're just two weeks away from our free Engadget Expand event, taking place at New York City's Javits Center on November 7th and 8th and there's still so much to tell you about. If you can't join us in person, don't worry -- we'll keep you updated throughout the weekend with dispatches from the show floor and our livestream here on Engadget.

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    News
    News By John Colucci

    Engadget and JetBlue will beam you to Expand!

    We're sending one lucky Engadget reader (and a guest of choice) to Engadget Expand in New York City on November 7-8, thanks to our friends at JetBlue Airways and our sponsors. What's more, if you're one of the 10 runners-up, Suitable Technologies will give you a block of time to mosey around the Expand floor remotely with its BeamPro device.

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