In today’s tech news, Apple tried to hide an embarrassing bulge?! MIT created a huge tentacle robot?! Google bought a company that makes vibrating spoons?! (my apologies for I simply couldn’t pass up the opportunities for innuendos) All this and many more this week!
Hello , ladies and gentlemen! This is Jack from Tech-Critter and welcome to another Weekly Byte , your weekly byte sized summary for everything tech related. Another eventful week within the tech industry , so without further ado lets jump right in.
The Facebook of high-rollers?:
Are you incredibly wealthy? Are you annoyed by the things common folks share on social media sites? Are you looking for some way to assert your wealthy status? If you answered yes to any of the above then this might just be right for you. Known as Netropolitan , it initially has a sign-fee of $9,000 , yes you read that right , nine thousand dollars , and for each following year you will have to pay an additional $3,000 per year. As for what justifies the high cost of the membership , I honestly have no clue , Netropolitan has so far been quite secretive about what they actually supply. One thing has been clear though , they are not a concierge service , it is clearly stated on the website’s About section. Interested in this particular social media site , read more about it here.
Fomer NBA player stealing $14,000 worth of products from the Apple Store:
eBay log-in page imposters arise in attempt to phish your usernames and credit card numbers:
Reports have claimed that some eBay auction listings are redirecting users of said service to a fake eBay log-in page that will steal the unknowing user’s information , log-in passwords , and credit card credentials. Most of the listings with said malicious attempts of phising have been removed , and eBay is still actively seeking out these scam attempts. However , just to be safe , always make sure to check the URL in your address bar to ensure you’re logging into an official site and not giving your info away to scammers! Read up more about this here.
Talking to dolphins now made available by technology:
Patent filed for virtual reality helmet to enhance in-flight experience:
A newly filed patent by Airbus suggest that plane manufacturers include virtual reality helmets that are built in to your seats and can be pulled over your heads to be activated , just like what we see in sci-fi movies. The aim of this is to enhance in-flight experience as some passengers tend to feel discomfort being stuck in a seat with nothing to do for hours on end , this virtual reality helmet will transport them into a whole world figuratively speaking. However I am a bit sceptical as to whether it will work for everyone because I tend to be on the short side of the human height spectrum and I just don’t see this working as intended for shorter people or children whose head don’t reach the headrest. Read up more about this here.
India aims to cover rural areas with massive digital infrastructures by 2019:
China creates the first every “no cellphone” sidewalk lane:
MIT invents tentacle robot that can squeeze into tight spots:
What is the Seatylock:
Seatylock , a Brooklyn-based Kickstarter aims to remove the hassle and trouble of bringing a bicycle lock whenever you want to take your bike out for a ride. They do this by designing a bike seat which can be easily detached and be used as a bike lock. This also prevents your bike seats from getting stolen! Read and check out their Kickstarter campaign here.
Apple tried to hide an embarrassing bulge?!:
Logitech announces their new mechanical gaming keyboard:
Samsung announces their 27″ curved monitor:
Samsung has announced the Samsung SD590C , the 27″ inch curved screen with a resolution of 1920×1080 pixel and 4 millisecond delay time. It aims to increase the feeling of immersion for the users of said monitor. The monitor has gone on sale in South Korea but no details can be found on whether this monitor will hit the worldwide market anytime soon. As usual , stay tuned and we will let you know as soon as we do!
DARPA testing jetpacks that will help soldiers run faster:
The first thing that comes to mind when we think of jetpacks are these modules that we strap to our backs and it propels us high up to the sky , well , it’s actually a pretty accurate description for the DARPA funded project known as the 4 minute mile. What is different is that this particular project aims to help future soldiers run a mile in 4 minutes equipped fully with their heavy combat gear by giving them a boost not directly upwards , but more of a 45 degree angle. Read up more about it here.
The Smart Gun that is only usable by the owner of said gun:
Invented by 17-year old Kai Kloepfer for the Smart Tech for Firearms Challenge , this gun can only be unlocked by the fingerprint of said gun’s owner. It keeps all the data within the gun itself and not uploaded to anywhere so it would be pretty resistant to hacking attempts. With this amazing invention , Kloepfer has won $50,000 in said challenge. Read up more about it here.
Google has recently acquired startup company Lift Labs , which has invented a high-tech spoon that counteracts the tremor of Parkinson’s disease victims. They achieve this by distinguishing which movements are essential and which are unwanted , then the spoon vibrates slightly to counteract the unwanted movements. This produces a smooth and fluid movement for spoons to travel from hand to mouth. Read up more about it here.
Well , that’s about it for this week folks ! I hope you guys had a nice weekend, once again this has been Jack bringing you the Weekly Byte. Stay tuned next week for more tech news, thanks for reading!