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Weekly Rewind: Flying taxis, cheap shipping container homes, and more

top tech stories 04 07 2017 shipping
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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 everything you need to know about AT&T’s unlimited plans to how you can watch the NFL on Amazon — it’s all here.

‘Thursday Night Football’ is coming to Amazon Prime next season

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Amazon scored a deal with the NFL to stream 10 Thursday Night Football games during the upcoming season. The news, confirmed to Digital Trends via email, is a serious blow to Twitter, which secured the rights for the same coverage last season. This time, however, Amazon outbid not only Twitter, but also YouTube and Facebook. The retail giant paid a reported $50 million to take the prize — that’s $40 million more than Twitter’s payout last year.

Read the full story here.

Spotify vs. Apple Music: Which service is the streaming king?

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When it comes to subscribers, the undisputed king of on-demand streaming music is Spotify. The Swedish-born service helped pioneer the current market and has tens of millions more paid users than the competition, not to mention millions more free users. But Apple Music, known for its high-level exclusive releases and full integration into Apple’s popular iOS system, is the hottest service on Spotify’s heels. Apple’s streaming service has shown impressive growth in its audience since its inception, so which is better?

Read the full story here.

Has Intel turned into a virtual reality film studio? We found out

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Few companies have been as integral to bringing the future to computing for as long as Intel. Now the technology conglomerate is putting its chips where the films are, acting as a sort of “tech whisperer” to help filmmakers create in virtual reality. Does this mean Intel, and other companies that power VR films, are becoming de facto movie studios? assisting moviemakers in acheiving their look is nothing new to Intel. The company provided processing technology to Dreamworks Animation in 2008, for instance. If you thought 2009’s Monsters vs. Aliens looked cool, you can thank Intel.

Read the full story here.

Think inside the box with these tricked-out shipping container homes

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Do you have an inordinate amount of shipping containers? Are you trying figure out what to do with all them? In the unlikely event that the answer to this question is “Yes,” you’ll be pleased to learn that they’re far more practical than you may have imagined. And if you answered in the negative, then good news! You can grab yourself a decent size shipping container for just over $1,500.

Read the full story here.

NASA’s retiring EO-1 satellite changed how we see Earth with these stunning photos

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Last week, NASA retired one of its greats — the Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) satellite. Initially commissioned for the agency’s New Millennium Program, EO-1 proved to be the satellite that could. Its one-year mission nearly extended to 17 years. EO-1 was never meant to be such a star. In fact, its original purpose was to test and refine technologies for future Earth imaging. It was launched on November 21, 2000 with 13 new technologies, three of which had never been tested. Many of the most stunning images were capture by the Advanced Land Imager (ALI).

Read the full story here.

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Switching to AT&T? We break down the carrier’s new unlimited and prepaid plans

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AT&T finally did it. The wireless carrier recently announced that it joined Sprint and T-Mobile in offering unlimited talk, text, and data. But even with the switch, the carrier’s plans remain the most expensive, and some of its plan options are odd. If you live in an area where Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint don’t work, AT&T is likely your only option. That said, it offers some solid options for subscribers.

Read the full story here.

Stretchy, flexible fibers offer a route to spinal cord recovery

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Although small, implantable fibers have given neuroscientists unmatched insight into the brain, similar experiments on the spinal cord have been difficult, due to the fibers’ stiffness. Our spines are flexible but fragile, and the brittle fibers pose a safety risk. But materials scientists in Professor Polina Anikeeva’s laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology want to change that with rubbery, conductive fibers that can stretch and flex.

Read the full story here.

YouTube rolls out live TV streaming service, YouTube TV

YouTube
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YouTube’s own live TV streaming service, aptly named YouTube TV, is now available in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York City, Philadelphia, and the San Francisco Bay area. It joins the ever-growing list of live TV streamers, including Sling TV, PlayStation Vue, and DirecTV Now. YouTube TV charges a fee of $35 per month, while Google offers a free 30-day trial for all new users. To sweeten the deal, Google will also provide customers with a free Chromecast for a limited time after the first monthly payment.

Read the full story here.

Here’s the 411 on the EmDrive: the ‘physics-defying’ thruster even NASA is puzzled over

Even if you don’t keep up with developments in space propulsion technology, you’ve still probably heard about the EmDrive. You’ve seen headlines declaring it the key to interstellar travel, and heard claims that it will drastically reduce travel time across our solar system, bringing our dreams of walking on other planets closer to reality. There have even been claims that this highly controversial technology is the key to creating warp drives.

Read the full story here.

Is this 18-rotor electric ‘super drone’ the future of taxis?

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Call it a superdrone. Call it a helicopter on steroids. Call it what you like, but the extraordinary Volocopter represents a step closer to becoming a reality for rich folks interested in a quirky mode of transport. Or possibly a flying taxi service in urban settings. Built by German firm E-Volo, we first heard about this remarkable VTOL (vertical-takeoff-and-landing) contraption six years ago, and last year it finally took to the skies for its very first manned flight.

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…
The hidden benefit of wearing smart rings
A person holding the RingConn Smart Ring and Oura Ring.

The temptation to upgrade any piece of mobile technology annually is always there, as new versions and updates are introduced regularly. It’s always great to have the latest model, but it's expensive, slightly wasteful, and becoming more unnecessary all the time to change regularly. You're a lot stronger than I am if you can resist the siren call.

What is there to do? If you want to get off the expensive tech upgrade train, you need to buy a product that will last and take years to be genuinely superseded. What you need is a smart ring, as I think it’s the most consumer-friendly piece of wearable tech we’ve seen yet. It's not an immediately obvious thing, but here's why I think it's absolutely true.
A consumer-friendly wearable
Oura Ring 4 Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

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There’s new evidence that Samsung is making a Galaxy S25 Slim
A person holding the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Could the next big smartphone war be about who can make the thinnest device? Increasingly, it's looking that way.

Industry reports suggest Samsung is working on an ultrathin version of its upcoming Galaxy S25 flagship that could launch in 2025. The rumored timing would put it just months ahead of Apple's long-rumored "iPhone 17 Slim,” expected later that same year.

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A new Google Pixel feature could make managing phone calls a breeze
The Google Pixel 9 Pro Fold, Pixel 9 Pro, and Pixel 9 screens.

Contextual replies are one of the best parts of the Google Pixel experience. This feature allows you to respond to a call without actually answering it; the Google Assistant voice asks why they're calling and allows you to answer with generated responses for specific keywords. For example, if someone is calling to confirm an appointment, you can reply with "Confirm."

It's a great feature, especially if you aren't fond of talking on the phone. Now an update to contextual replies could take the feature to the next level with AI responses. The team at 9to5Google found snippets of code in the latest beta version of the Phone by Google app that suggest a wider range of capabilities is on the way.

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