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Weekly Rewind: DIY beer from your phone, robot soccer, Android Nougat, and more

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In the tech world, a lot happens in a week. So much news goes on that it’s almost impossible for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of the top 10 tech stories from this week. Everything from what you can expect from the Windows 10 update to the identity of Jon Snow’s parents, it’s all here.

Here’s a complete list of what you’ll see in Windows 10’s big update this August

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During Microsoft’s BUILD 2016 conference, the company announced that Windows 10 will receive a new, free update this summer called Anniversary Update. This “upgrade” will be rolled out to PCs, tablets, smartphones, the Xbox One console, Microsoft HoloLens, and Internet of Things (IoT) devices. It will make its debut on August 2, just days after Windows 10 celebrates its first birthday and after Microsoft pulls the plug on its free Windows 10 upgrade program.

Read the full story here.

Watch NASA test the monstrous rocket booster that’ll take us to Mars

Crucial Booster Test Fires Up in Utah

NASA got one step closer to its mission of launching the Space Launch System (SLS) to Mars by this week putting the world’s most powerful rocket booster through its paces in a ground test at Orbital ATK’s test facilities in Promontory, Utah. Tuesday’s launch — as seen in the video and photo gallery accompanying this article — was the second time the rocket boosters have been tested in this way — and the last prior to lift-off in 2018 for a test flight with NASA’s Orion spacecraft, representing a key milestone on the much-anticipated Journey to Mars.

Read the full story here.

Who are Jon Snow’s parents? ‘Game of Thrones’ infographic provides definitive answer

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Game of Thrones fans have long been told that Jon Snow is Ned Stark’s bastard, but speculation has run rampant that the fan favorite may actually have been born to a different member of the House Stark. While the HBO series has never offered any definitive proof either way, the network has now put an end to the speculation with a new infographic. And if you aren’t ready to know the truth, stop reading — there are spoilers ahead.

Read the full story here.

Neuroscientists just found that texting alters your brainwaves, but they can’t explain why

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Does using a smartphone fundamentally alter the way that your brain works? While the jury is still out on the long-term effects of heavy cellphone use, a group of researchers at the Mayo Clinic recently discovered that text messaging elicits a change in the regular rhythm of brain waves, completely different than the waveforms created by any other activity. “The big deal with discovering this ‘texting rhythm’ is that the number of new brain waves that are identified on EEG (electroencephalogram) are extremely rare at this point in time,” said Dr. William Tatum.

Read the full story here.

Is BMW teaming up with Intel, Mobileye to develop autonomous vehicles?

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Earlier in June, BMW announced a switch in the focus of it’s “i” sub-brand from efficiency to autonomous driving. Earlier this week BMW, chipmaker Intel, and machine-vision technology company Mobileye separately said the three companies will hold a joint news conference on Friday, according to Reuters. Without doubt, the purpose of the meeting will be to announce a partnership to develop self-driving vehicles. BMW has already said it will introduce an autonomous flagship model in 2021.

Read the full story here.

BrewArt lets homebrewers concoct their favorite beers from their smartphones

A team of craft beer aficionados from Australia’s Coopers Brewery has decided to elbow into this crowded industry with a device it’s dubbing the BrewArt (not to be confused with the ArtBrew). Armed with an idea culled from quality coffee brewers like Keurig and Nespresso, BrewArt hopes to revolutionize the on-demand beer market by allowing owners to replicate their favorite beers from the comfort of their own home.

Read the full story here.

Kanye West gets retail stores and sportswear line via expanded Adidas partnership

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Kanye West once rapped, “I could be by myself and enjoy the company,” so the idea of a store full of his clothes could well be a dream he’s had for years. Today, Adidas announced that dream is a reality with a new partnership — Adidas + Kanye West — including an expansion of his apparel line as well as retail stores for Yeezy clothing only. Adidas deems the move “the most significant partnership ever created between a non-athlete and an athletic brand,” according to the press release.

Read the full story here.

The next Android flavor from Google is Nougat

Android Nougat Statue Unwrapping

It’s not Nutella, and it’s not the Indian dessert neyyappam — Android N has officially been dubbed as Nougat. If you didn’t know, Google has been naming its Android versions in alphabetical order after desserts  — it all began with Android 1.5 Cupcake, and the most recent flavor was Android 6.0 Marshmallow. The new version, likely Android 7.0, has long-been teased to be Android Nutella, seeing as it was a popular choice.

Read the full story here.

The FDA approved this ‘stomach pump’ implant, and doctors aren’t happy about it

AspireAssist: New, Reversible Weight Loss Procedure

The FDA approved a controversial weight-loss device this month that allows obese patients to literally pump food from their stomach, through a tube, out their belly, and into the toilet. The AspireAssist consists of a surgically implanted tube that runs from the stomach to a small nozzle outside of the skin, and a system to pump and refill the lost contents. After a meal, patients fill a small reservoir with water, plug the system into the nozzle, and turn a lever to pump up to 30 percent of the stomach’s content into the toilet in about 10 minutes.

Read the full story here.

Robocup hopes robots can beat professional soccer players by 2050

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The Messis, Ronaldos, and Neymars of the world may have competition from robots in a few years — at least that’s the goal of Robocup, an annual robot soccer competition that kicks off today in Leipzig, Germany. “The ultimate goal of Robocup is to develop humanoid soccer-playing robots that can beat the FIFA world champion team,” General Chair of Robocup 2016, Gerhard Kraetzschmar, tells Digital Trends. “We hope to reach that goal by 2050.”

Read the full story here.

Editors' Recommendations

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
The OnePlus Watch 2 is the Wear OS smartwatch I’ve been waiting for
Person wearing OnePlus Watch 2 with a green strap on their left wrist.

The OnePlus Watch 2 -- the company's first Wear OS watch -- has entered a market that Samsung dominates. However, OnePlus' popularity as a smartphone brand can be expected to bring small, yet meaningful changes that benefit not only OnePlus users, but all of the Wear OS segment in general.

For almost a decade, Samsung and Apple have predominantly been the default options if you want a smartwatch that is actually useful and goes beyond flashy features. With Samsung shifting gears and migrating from its own Tizen OS to the (relatively) more universal Wear OS platform and Google releasing its own Pixel Watch after struggling with an identity crisis in the smartwatch world, the platform has much more traction than it did a few years ago. As OnePlus carves its way into the segment, it has the opportunity to entice people who don't wish to live within Samsung's limitations when using a Galaxy Watch with another brand's phone.

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Buying an iPad Mini today? You need to know about this deal
The Apple Pencil attaches to the iPad mini magnetically.

If you've had an eye on iPad deals for the latest model of the Apple iPad Mini for a while now, this may be the offer that you've been waiting for -- a $100 discount from Best Buy on the tablet's Wi-Fi, 64GB model, slashing its price to $400 from $500. It's still pretty popular years after its release, so we don't expect stocks of the device for this sale to last long. If you're thinking about taking advantage of this bargain, you better push through with your purchase as soon as possible to make sure that you don't miss out on the savings.

Why you should buy the Apple iPad Mini 2021
The latest generation of the Apple iPad Mini was released in 2021, but it's still featured in our roundup of the best iPads because it's the model that you should buy if you want a smaller and more compact version of Apple's tablets. Its 8.3-inch Liquid Retina display is smaller than the screens of its peers, but it's still big enough to enjoy watching streaming shows and browsing websites, while allowing you to use the device with one hand. Unlike its predecessor, there's no Home button, so the Touch ID sensor is instead built into the power button at the side of the Apple iPad Mini 2021.

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Microsoft Surface Laptop 5, Surface Pro 9 heavily discounted today
The Surface Pro 9 in laptop mode on a table.

Microsoft's Surface devices are well known for their versatility and performance, but they command premium prices. That's why there's always high demand for Surface Laptop and Surface Pro deals, as who doesn't want to enjoy a discount when making a huge investment? If you're interested, Best Buy is offering the Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 at $300 off, which brings its price down to $1,000 from $1,300, and the Microsoft Surface Pro 9 at $540 off, which lowers its price also to $1,000 from $1,540, ahead of the arrival of the consumer versions of the Surface Laptop 6 and Surface Pro 10. You need to push through with your transaction as soon as possible if either of these bargains caught your attention, as we're not sure how much time is remaining before they disappear.
Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 -- $1,000, was $1,300

The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 is a traditional Windows 11 laptop that's powered by the 12th-generation Intel Core i5 Evo processor, Intel Iris Xe Graphics, and 8GB of RAM. It won't match up to the performance of the best laptops, but it's going to be more than enough to handle daily tasks for work or school. The laptop features a 13.5-inch PixelSense touchscreen with vibrant colors and sharp details, a battery that can last up to 18 hours on a single charge, and a 512GB SSD that provides ample storage space for your files. The Microsoft Surface Laptop 5 also comes with a 720p webcam and dual far-field Studio Mics for clear video calls.

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