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Weekly rewind: Nintendo Switch incoming, incredible space photos, Vegas' self-driving buses

Lulu Chang
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top tech stories 01 13 2017 wr feat
NASA/JPL
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 this week’s top 10 tech stories, from the best of CES 2017 to how we’re saving ourselves from AI — it’s all here.

Here’s where you can pre-order the Nintendo Switch

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Nintendo’s next console, the Switch, will launch March 3. After a holiday season where Nintendo consoles — namely the NES Classic Edition and 3DS — were nearly impossible to find, Nintendo fans might be wise to pre-order the console if they’re positive they want to buy it on day one. Here’s how you can currently secure a Nintendo Switch prior to the console’s forthcoming launch.

Read the full story here.

Apple may debut its own original TV shows by the end of 2017

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Apple is well aware that a good deal of the money in the tech world is made with content. That’s why it’s looking to get in on the original programming scene that Amazon and Netflix have been having such success with. By the end of 2017, Apple will have its own scripted, original content, and there’s even a suggestion it could start making movies in the future.

Read the full story here.

Self-driving buses are now shuttling folks around downtown Las Vegas

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Visitors to Vegas scuttling between the city’s many attractions can now hop inside an autonomous shuttle bus to take them to their next stop. It’s touted as the “first completely autonomous, fully electric shuttle ever to be deployed on a public roadway in the U.S.,” a claim that appears to overlook Uber’s Pittsburgh-based efforts.

Read the full story here.

VW pleads guilty in diesel scandal, will pay $4.3B in fines, 6 execs indicted

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Volkswagen has agreed to plead guilty to three criminal counts related to its use of “defeat device” software in diesel cars to cheat on emissions tests, the Justice Department announced. VW agreed to pay a $2.8 billion criminal penalty, as well as $1.5 billion in civil penalties for environmental, customs, and financial claims.

Read the full story here.

New $27 million fund aims to save humanity from destructive AI

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A group of entrepreneurs and nonprofits have just pledged $27 million to protect humanity from destructive artificial intelligence. Backed by the likes of LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, eBay founder Pierre Omidayar, and the Knight Foundation, the Ethics and Governance of Artificial Intelligence Fund will aim to bring together experts from multiple disciplines to turn an analytical eye on the development of AI.

Read the full story here.

Fossil’s fashion-first smartwatches are doing what tech companies never could

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When Fossil Group said its brands would launch 100 wearables in 2016, everyone thought the company was completely nuts. But Fossil is a fashion company, not a tech company. Fossil thinks about design first and last with every wearable it makes. That’s why it releases new analog smartwatches and Android Wear smartwatches every season. So what if the tech hasn’t changed between seasons? The styles and fashions have.

Read the full story here.

‘Netflix Infinite Runner’ is the ‘Stranger Things’ game we never wanted

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Netflix targets video game fans this week with the launch of Netflix Infinite Runner, an autoscrolling platformer featuring characters from the original series Narcos, Marco Polo, Orange is the New Black, and Stranger Things. The first of a presumed series of “Netflix Original Games,” Netflix Infinite Runner harks back to the glory days of amateur Newgrounds flash animations, offering poorly drawn visuals paired with insipid gameplay.

Read the full story here.

Illumina’s new machine may bring the cost of genome sequencing to under $100

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The cost to sequence your genome might soon be cheaper than a night out in New York City. Illumina — a DNA sequencing company — unveiled a machine called the NovaSeq at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference this week, reports TechCrunch, and with it the company hopes to bring the price of sequencing down to less than $100. To put that into perspective, it cost about $2.7 billion and took 13 years to sequence the first full human genome back in 2003.

Read the full story here.

Ski or climb in 1 pair of boots with Arc’teryx’s hybrid, carbon fiber Procline

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Arc’teryx, the Canadian outdoor apparel and gear company that was founded by climbers, has an ethos that revolves around advanced technical standards and seamless applications. With a minimalist aesthetic and well-thought-out designs, the company has set the bar quite high with its outerwear, harnessess and bags. Its recent debut in the footwear sector is no exception.

Read the full story here.

Get your Sagan on with these 30 awe-inspiring photos of the final frontier

NASA/JPL
From the early, grainy images of the Martian surface taken by Mariner 4 to humanity’s first up-close look at Charon, photographs of our celestial neighbors and those light years away have long filled us with a sense of wonder. Fortunately, some of the most sophisticated imaging technology is currently traversing the infinite void, transmitting breathtaking images of the final frontier back to for our gawking pleasure.

Read the full story here.

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Lulu Chang
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…
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