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 Google I/O 2017 to how to buy the best laptop — it’s all here.
Here’s everything we expect to see at Google I/O 2017, and how you can watch it
Google has numerous events throughout the year, but I/O is by far the biggest. It’s a three-day affair of keynote presentations, developer workshops, and product announcements, and it’s where Google has unveiled a range of innovations, including Project Jacquard, Google Home, and Daydream.
The festivities at the Shoreline Amphitheater in Mountain View, California don’t began May 17 at 10 a.m. PT — the scheduled time of the conference’s first keynote address. Here’s how to watch the conference.
Charge as you drive on Electroad, coming soon to 11 miles of asphalt in Israel
While plenty of attention is focused on the growing popularity of electric cars, far too little is paid to the roads that the cars themselves are using. Sure, we get to cover an innovative new surface material every now and then but for the most part, roads have not changed a whole lot in the past few decades.
A new collaboration between the Israeli government and a local company is aiming to change that, however. Working to address the electric car challenge of too few charging stations, the country is beginning work on a pilot scheme to install technology that will allow electric buses to charge while driving, by way of smart technology embedded in the road.
10 common laptop-buying mistakes you can easily avoid
You’ve probably owned a few notebooks, and you know what features you like, experiencing the good and the bad that come along with choosing a machine. For instance, there’s the inconvenient hassle of toting around a 17-inch behemoth, or the inevitable letdown that goes along with streaming Netflix movies to an 11-inch screen. Fortunately, there is a bevy of suitable options for every lifestyle or purpose, so long as you know what you’re doing. And remember, there are exceptions to every rule.
Here’s our list of the most common laptop buying mistakes, so you can leave all potential regrets at the door. If you want to build your own computer, check out our PC parts buying guide.
‘Roseanne’ reboot on ABC will revive a classic slice of Americana
The Connors are returning to a TV near you soon. The revival of the 1990s classic TV comedy Roseanne is officially returning to its original home: ABC.
During a call with reporters, ABC Entertainment president Channing Dungey proclaimed “we’re rebooting Roseanne.” The new season will be eight episodes and is slated to return in the middle of the ABC TV season. There is no word yet on what time slot the reboot will fill.
If you spent hours invested in the Connors’ family drama, then rest assured that most of the most popular characters will be returning. Besides Roseanne Barr reprising her leading role, John Goodman, Big Bang Theory‘s Michael Fishman, Sarah Gilbert, and Laurie Metcalf are all set to return. So that means Dan, Darlene, Jackie, D.J., and Becky will supposedly be returning for your viewing pleasure.
Meet Lhakpa Sherpa, the woman who has climbed Everest 8 times
A 44-year old Nepali woman by the name of Lhakpa Sherpa has broken her own record for the most summits of Mt. Everest by a female climber. This past weekend, Lhakpa was part of a team of mountaineers that successful scaled the peak from its North Side in Tibet, giving her the eighth successful expedition of her illustrious career. And while that number is indeed impressive, it is only a part of her amazing story.
Like most Sherpas, Lhakpa was born and raised in Nepal. One of 11 children, she grew up in the shadow of Makalu, the fifth highest mountain on the planet at 27,825 feet. But, as a young girl coming of age in the Himalaya during the 1970’s, it was believed that women could not climb the very big peaks that lured foreign mountaineers to her homeland. It wasn’t until she joined an all-women expedition in 2000 that she was finally given the chance to actually set foot on Everest. That year, she would reach the summit for the first time, without any formal mountaineering training or experience whatsoever.
Forget the iPhone — Apple’s most defining patent might just be this pizza box
By now, you’ve surely heard lots of stories about Apple’s brand-new Cupertino headquarters.
And that every single element of the design – from the massive curved sheets of glass to the polished concrete ceiling tiles, to the ventilation system and even the door handles — was crafted with an obsessive level of detail echoing the company’s products.
And you’ve probably heard that its construction, which was not completed on schedule and, according to multiple sources, cost about $5 billion and drove contractors and local officials mad.
A worry-no-more wearable tracks your feverish child’s temperature
Two caring parents have used their engineering expertise to develop a smart thermometer that continuously monitors a child’s temperature. Called simply Degree, the wearable thermometer fits snugly into the child’s ear and relays information about the progress of his or her condition during a fever.
The unique device was inspired by an unfortunate event, when the daughter of Greta and Johannes Kreuzer suffered a febrile seizure, with a severe fever and sudden changes in body temperature. “You just can’t see it coming without monitoring the body temperature continuously,” Greta told Digital Trends. “We thought, it can’t be that we have the measuring technology for adults but aren’t able to monitor our children to help them when they are sick.”
Apple iPad 2017: News and rumors
Now that the 9.7-inch iPad is the entry point into the iPad range, there’s speculation Apple may replace the 9.7-inch iPad Pro with a new 10.5-inch iPad Pro. Although it would have a larger screen, the device may have a bezel-less design, and therefore, a very similar body size to the 9.7-inch Pro. The screen size isn’t fixed in stone, and rumors state it may be as small as 10.1-inches, or as large as 10.9-inches, with the 10.5-inch size being most often discussed.
Despite initially being rumored for a March 2017 launch and never appearing, there’s still talk of the tablet coming soon. It may make its first official showing during Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference at the beginning of June, says analyst Ming-Chi Kuo of KGI Securities, who says there’s a 70 percent chance the new tablet will be just one of the new products revealed during the keynote.
Swedes sweat out public discord in the unique Golden Egg sauna
Here’s a unique way to settle public unrest or discord: discuss it in a sauna. No sauna? No problem, build a really cool one and people will come. That’s what happened in the far northern Swedish town of Kiruna, when looming damage from iron ore mining meant the whole town had to relocate a few miles away, according to Dezeen.
Iron ore is a major income source for Sweden, and is Kiruna’s economic lifeblood. A rich seam of ore runs downward diagonally through the town, and the only way to continue mining is to move the whole town and its 18,000-plus residents. Therefore, the town is moving east, and a new masterplan created by architectural firm White Arkitetker is being developed.
