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Weekly Rewind: Smartphones' effect on conversation, how to hide your wires, where to watch cartoons

top tech stories 03 10 2017 fidgetcube 9
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A lot can happen in a week when it comes to tech. The constant onslaught of news makes it nigh 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 what those revelations about the CIA’s hacking capabilities mean for you to a flying car — it’s all here.

Airbus took the wraps off its futuristic flying car, and it’s pretty insane

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If you rolled your eyes when you read about Airbus’s plan for a futuristic flying car last year, then you’ll be surprised at what showed up at the Geneva Motor Show this week. The aerospace giant unveiled a wickedly cool design for its ambitious “Pop.Up” transportation system, an autonomous concept comprising three separate modules.

Read the full story here.

Google says Android exploits mentioned in the CIA leak have been patched

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If you have an Android phone and this week’s revelations about the CIA’s hacking capabilities have you worried, we have some good news. On Thursday, Google told members of the press that many of the exploits and vulnerabilities mentioned in the report have been patched in subsequent versions of Android.

“As we’ve reviewed the documents, we’re confident that security updates and protections in both Chrome and Android already shield users from many of these alleged vulnerabilities,” said Heather Adkins, Google’s director of information security and privacy

Read the full story here.

Your favorite cartoon classics are about to get their own streaming service

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If you’re fan of classic cartoons, or your kids have yet to discover the hilarious delights of the shows that had you chuckling when you were a tot, then you might want to hear about a new online streaming service. Launching in the coming weeks, Time Warner’s new stand-alone video-on-demand service will offer much of the fabulous cartoon work created by Hanna-Barbera, Looney Tunes, and MGM that stretches back decades.

Read the full story here.

World’s first single-atom magnet is capable of storing a single bit of data

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IBM said on Wednesday that it has created the world’s smallest magnet by using a single atom. While you may ask what would be the point, consider that hard drives rely on magnetism to store data on their spinning discs. These drives are capable of using around 100,000 atoms to store a single bit of data. But with IBM’s new magnetic atom, one bit of data can be stored per atom, opening the door to new storage possibilities.

Read the full story here.

‘The Airbnb Story’: How an air mattress laid the foundation for an empire

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The most valuable commodity in Silicon Valley is a new idea. Now a new book by Fortune reporter Leigh Gallagher aims to tell the inside story of one of the Valley’s most remarkable success stories: Airbnb. Digital Trends recently caught up with Gallagher in New York to talk about how she landed the inside scoop in her latest book, The Airbnb Story.

Read the full story here.

Are smartphones killing the art of face-to-face conversation? We ask the experts

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Smartphones are everywhere now, and for many of us they serve as a constant companion. They keep us continually connected, filling gaps in our day, entertaining us, and demanding our attention with a string of notifications. Because they offer a convenient alternative to face-to-face conversations, and at times they butt into our chats directly, there’s a growing realization that they may be killing the art of conversation.

Read the full story here.

Scientists say study indicates that green light may help relieve pain

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Green has long been the color of nature and envy, even if it’s also associated with money and traffic lights int he modern world. Now however, some researchers think there may be another use for it as a potential pain reliever. University of Arizona professor Mohab Ibrahim was first inspired to undertake the study by his brother’s seemingly unusual treatment for his headaches.

Read the full story here.

Jimmy Kimmel reveals habit of Emma Watson that used to ruin Harry Potter takes

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Emma Watson has come a long way since her Harry Potter days. If your memory of Watson as the 9-year-old just beginning her acting career in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone is hazy, Jimmy Kimmel was kind enough to offer a reminder. When the actress recently appeared on his show, he screened an outtake from the film that shows an old, bad habit of hers.

Read the full story here.

Are fidget toys legitimately good for your brain, or pseudoscientific snake oil?

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Fidget Cube has inevitably been followed by a number of other crowdfunding campaigns designed to appeal to the twitchy fingers of those who supported it. One was a fidget pen called Think Ink, which combines a titanium pen exterior with a number of tactile elements for distracted fingers to play with. It hit more than quadruple its funding target. But is this really a thing — or is the idea that a distracting toy can actually help us just a pseudoscientific marketing ploy?

Read the full story here.

Wire you doing this to me? How I hid unsightly tech in my smart apartment

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I want my apartment to be smart, but I don’t want it to look stupid. That is, I don’t mind having a digital frame on display, but I don’t want the cord hanging down the wall, calling attention to the fact that it’s a digital frame. To get a few ideas on how to hide some of the tech in my apartment, I asked Mya McDuffie from online interior design site Havenly for help.

Read the full story here.

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…
I keep forgetting about the Apple Watch Series 9’s coolest feature
Apps on the Apple Watch Series 9's screen.

I’m just going to come out and say it: I love the Apple Watch Series 9. A couple of weeks ago, I returned to wearing it every day after an extended period of not doing so. And you know what? I was surprised by how much I’d missed it.

But one thing has bothered me this time around: There's a feature I haven't been using. Not because it’s bad, but because I tend to forget it's there.
Effortless to own and wear

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3 foldable phone deals you should seriously consider today
The Google Pixel Fold with the screen open.

For those who are thinking about getting a foldable phone, we've rounded up three foldable phone deals for you to consider as your next purchase. Motorola is currently selling the Motorola Razr at $200 off, which brings its price down to $500 from $700, and the Motorola Razr Plus at $300 off, which lowers its price to $700 from $1,000. Meanwhile, the Google Pixel Fold is available from Best Buy with a $500 discount that slashes its price to $1,299 from $1,799. You can be sure that you won't regret purchasing any of these devices because they're all included in our roundup of the best folding phones, but you need to hurry because the offers may expire at any moment.
Motorola Razr -- $500, was $700

The Motorola Razr features a 1.5-inch external OLED display and a 6.9-inch Full HD+ internal pOLED display, with decent performance provided by its Qualcomm Snapdragon 7 Gen 1 processor and 8GB of RAM. It's got a 64MP main camera and a 13MP wide-angle camera at the back, plus a 32MP selfie camera inside. The folding phone features a metal chassis that's surrounded by soft but durable leather, and it folds without a gap.

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The OnePlus 12R is still one of 2024’s best smartphone deals
OnePlus 12R Genshin Impact Edition in hand.

OnePlus is still quite new to me, as I was a lifelong iPhone user until I joined Digital Trends. However, OnePlus has a pretty solid reputation in the mobile world, and now I can see why, as the OnePlus 12 is one of my favorite smartphones that I’ve used so far this year.

But the OnePlus 12 isn’t the only phone that OnePlus launched in 2024. There is also the more affordable value option, the OnePlus 12R, which even comes in a cool Genshin Impact Edition.

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