User:Ryanvision/CultureTease

Gizmodo is a technology weblog about consumer electronics. It is part of the Gawker Media network run by Nick Denton and is known for up-to-date coverage of the technology industry.

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.

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.

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 February 2011, Gizmodo had a major redesign met with a strong dislike by current commentators of the site. They have seen a sharp decline in readership since the redesign went live.

The editorial director of Gizmodo is Brian Lam.

Coverage
Gizmodo is noted for several scoops and incidents during its history.

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

A videographer for Gawker Media, Gizmodo's publisher, disrupted several presentations held at CES 2008 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.. The site claimed to have purchased the device for USD $5000 from Brian J. Hogan, who claims to have found it unattended at a bar in Redwood City, CA a month earlier. 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.

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. 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.