Each week, we gather a round table of tech experts from the Digital Trends staff, along with the occasional celebrity guest, to discuss all things tech. Topics range from the big tech stories of the week to predicting the future, all while maintaining a somewhat civil decorum.
Today’s episode features Jack Phan, Caleb Denison, Brad Bourque, and Greg Nibler.
One of the most intriguing announcements in tech this week came via a company called Zapata Racing. It claims to have created a real-life Hoverboard and not a falsely named one with wheels that will spontaneously combust. The Flyboard Air, which, according to the company, can fly as fast as 90 miles per hour and is powered by an integrated turbo engine. The video is amazing! However, is it the real deal, or is it another in a long line of Kickstarter hoaxes? Watch the video and let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
The Coolest Cooler garnered the largest backing in Kickstarter history at the time it came out in 2014, with $13 million. Since then, there seems to have been very little progress in getting the product to about 2/3 of the 26,000 backers. Now, it’s asking for an additional $97 from backers to secure the product!
Caleb is back from yet another jet-setting trip to New York, this time to visit Samsung. He gives us a detailed description of its new KS9800 SUHD Television. From boasting 8 million pixels, to the Smart Home control system, you will definitely want one in your living room.
Brad had his PlayStation account hacked recently and let us know about his experience with Sony. Someone decided to make $75 worth of purchases on his account and Sony, was … far less than helpful. In addition to holding his money hostage, they also essentially accused him of lying about the incident. This kind of thing could happen to any of us and it’s important to call out Sony about this giant shortcoming in its customer service procedures.
There have been a lot of rapid advancements in 3D printing and some of the most exciting aspects are related to the health industry. Scientists at Northwestern University have now successfully printed ovaries for a mouse. They implanted them and the mouse was able to give birth. The implications are fantastic for humans. Once you hear this story though, you’ll never look at Jell-O the same again.
Finally, University of California, Berkeley and Nanyang Technical University in Singapore have jointly announced something that will surely spawn some horrifying dreams. They have published a paper detailing how they can now “hack” the limbs of beetles with electrodes, in order to remotely control them. Try not to think about the implications of Cyborg Beetles.
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