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Supercapacitor, SoLoMo, and more tech lingo you need to know

SoLoMo

Welcome back to this week’s lesson on the latest in tech jargon. With South by Southwest officially launching by this week’s end, we figured you might want to know more about the dreadful descriptor that’s going to quickly dominate the Web for the next week or so. That, plus more design terms that you’ve may have spotted on the Web or in real life but haven’t figure out their meaning.

Responsive Design

Responsive Web design became a popular feature for most websites after the mobile gadget world took over. The feature allows the user to resize, pan, and scroll a webpage in their most optimal view. The most identifiable way to spot a site’s responsive designs is when fonts and tables automatically readjust when you resize your Web browser’s frame. In this fashion, the site intuitively responds to the user’s action, and the entire content of the page fits in your screen no matter how small or large, reducing the need for users to to scroll sideways.

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“With responsive design, my blog looks the same whether you log on your computer, tablet, or smartphone.”

SoLoMo

An acronym for “Social,” “Local,” and “Mobile.” You’ll hear this term a least a million times during one of the most social and techy event of the year: SXSW. The word refers to the intersection of those three subjects in one product – usually an app – so that users can interact, engage, and participate in various events and tasks based on their location. From a consumer standpoint, SoLoMo products give users a way to personalize results from a given app. Vice versa, marketers can target consumers more accurately based on their location, device, and social factors such as gender, relationship status, and age.

“Friend A: “SoLoMo” is such a terrible way to call apps.
Friend B: Don’t pretend you don’t constantly check into Chipotle on Foursquare to try to be its mayor though.”

Netizen

Citizens of the Internet. It’s an unofficial, colloquial way to refer to those who spend most of their days on the Web (like most of us here at Digital Trends), thus relying on the Internet as the go-to source for news, entertainment, social networking, and research. Basically, anyone born after the year 1985 is likely to be a netizen.

“Dear fellow netizens, Tumblr is down for the time being. Please refer to Imgur.com for your daily GIF needs.”

Supercapacitor

An electrochemical device that can absorb, store, and release energy at a high pace. Manufacturers are currently looking into replacing traditional batteries with Graphene-based supercapacitor strips which can be made inexpensively and efficiently. According to an article on Core77, “supercapacitor-equipped cell phone would charge in seconds, not minutes. If scaled up to integrate with an electric car, overnight top-ups would become a thing of the past.” The use of this new technology can also leave behind a more green-conscious, biodegradable product that can easily be composted, unlike traditional battery packs.

“Will supercapacitor-powered gadgets spell the end for Lithium-ion batteries? Let’s hope so.”

I’ll be in Austin for SXSW 2013 so no jargon lesson next week – but check back in two to catch up on our tech lingo watch!

Natt Garun
An avid gadgets and Internet culture enthusiast, Natt Garun spends her days bringing you the funniest, coolest, and strangest…
Sebastian Stan lays out Bucky’s future after Thunderbolts
Sebastian Stan in Thunderbolts.

There are some spoilers ahead for the ending of Marvel's Thunderbolts. Stop reading now if you don't want to be spoiled.

Earlier this year, Captain America: Brave New World briefly introduced a new direction for James "Bucky" Barnes, a character Sebastian Stan has been playing since 2011 in Captain America: The First Avenger. In Brave New World, the former Winter Soldier apparently retired from being a reformed hero and went into politics by running for Congress. Thunderbolts reveals that Bucky won his election to the House of Representatives. But his stay in Congress was short.

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Jeep Compass EV breaks cover—but will it come to the U.S.?
jeep compass ev us newjeepcompassfirsteditionhawaii  4

Jeep just pulled the wraps off the all-new Compass EV, and while it’s an exciting leap into the electric future, there's a catch—it might not make it to the U.S. anytime soon.
This is a brand new electric version of the Jeep Compass, and being built on Stellantis' STLA platform—the same architecture underpinning models like the Peugeot E-3008 and E-5008—it looks much slicker and packs a lot more inside than previous versions of the Compass.
Let’s start with what’s cool: the new Compass EV is packing up to 404 miles of range on a single charge, a 74 kWh battery, and fast-charging that gets you from 20% to 80% in about 30 minutes. Not bad for a compact SUV with Jeep's badge on the nose.
There are two versions: a front-wheel-drive model with 213 horsepower and a beefier all-wheel-drive version with 375 horsepower. That AWD setup isn’t just for looks—it can handle 20% inclines even without front traction, and comes with extra ground clearance and better off-road angles. In short, it’s still a Jeep.
The design's been refreshed too, and inside you’ll find the kind of tech and comfort you’d expect in a modern EV—sleek, smart, and ready for both city streets and dirt trails.
But here’s the thing: even though production starts soon in Italy, Jeep hasn’t said whether the Compass EV is coming to America. And the signs aren’t promising.
Plans to build it in Canada were recently put on hold, with production now delayed until at least early 2026. Some of that might have to do with possible U.S. tariffs on Canadian and Mexican vehicles—adding a layer of uncertainty to the whole rollout.
According to Kelley Blue Book, a Stellantis spokesperson confirmed that the company has “temporarily paused work on the next-generation Jeep Compass, including activities at” the Canadian plant that was originally meant to build the model. They added that Stellantis is “reassessing its product strategy in North America” to better match customer needs and demand for different powertrain options.
So while Europe and other markets are gearing up to get the Compass EV soon, American drivers might be left waiting—or miss out entirely.
That’s a shame, because on paper, this electric Jeep hits a lot of sweet spots. Let’s just hope it finds a way over here.

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Charlie Cox singles out his least favorite Daredevil: Born Again episode
Charlie Cox in Daredevil: Born Again.

Daredevil: Born Again season 1 was largely reconceived after the 2023 actor and writer strikes. Dario Scardapane -- a veteran of The Punisher series on Netflix -- was brought in to be the new showrunner and he made a lot of changes to the series that were well-received. However, there's one episode that Scardapane didn't really change at all, and it happens to be the least favorite episode of Daredevil: Born Again's leading man, Charlie Cox.

During an appearance on The Playlist, Cox noted that he wasn't very fond of the season's fifth episode, "With Interest," which was a largely standalone episode that featured his character, Matt Murdock, in a bank during a hostage crisis.

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