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Weekly Rewind: Emmy madness, yet more 'Pokémon Go,' and a moon photobomb

top tech stories 07 16 2016 wr 7 15 head
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In the tech world, a lot happens in a week. So much news goes on that it’s almost impossible for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of the top 10 tech stories from this week. Everything from this year’s Emmy nominations and the Pokémon Go craze to Line’s highly anticipated IPO, it’s all here.

HBO dominates Emmy race while FX and Netflix gain ground

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The who’s, what’s, and where’s of this year’s Emmy nominations: did your favs make the cut? Last year’s Emmy Awards dished out the typical expected wins, alongside some disappointments, surprises, and outright shutouts. Leading the pack in nominations this year is (as usual) HBO, thanks to series like Game of Thrones, Silicon Valley, and Veep.

Read the full story here.

Bizarre incidents involving Pokémon Go start to pile up

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As the Pokémon Go craze spreads ever wider, here are some pro tips on what NOT to do while playing; don’t play Pokémon Go while driving, don’t stop your car in traffic to pop out and catch a Pokémon, don’t wander down dark alleys in the bad part of town and get jacked while playing.

Read the full story here.

Google is hosting its first Indie Game Festival in September

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Google is getting serious about gaming. The tech giant just announced the first-ever Google Play Indie Games Festival, which will take place on September 24 in San Francisco, and will highlight 30 of the best indie games available, (or to be available) on the Google Play Store. Interested in taking part? You can submit your own games for consideration for the festival simply by heading to this website.

Read the full story here.

GoPro LiveVR shows 360-degree view of motorcycle race from rider’s POV

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For racing and virtual reality fans, GoPro has a new video that should excite both camps. The video tells the story of professional father-and-son motorcycle racers Randy and Dakota Mamola, and how both used the latest camera technologies to capture a high-speed bike ride, giving viewers new perspectives of the sport. The video also gives a behind-the-scenes demonstration of GoPro’s LiveVR technology and how it can be applied to live broadcasts of motorsports.

Read the full story here.

Sun-powered Solar Dogger promises perfectly cooked hot dogs in just 10 minutes

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With summer in full swing, few things are as satisfying on a warm afternoon than a perfectly cooked Hebrew National. What if you could utilize the natural energy of the sun to grill your dogs? This endeavor is exactly what the folks at the Cincinnati-based GoSun — the team behind the successful GoSun Stove and Grill — intend to deliver with the aptly named Solar Dogger; a fuel-free, solar-powered hot dog cooker that’s capable of producing superbly cooked hot dogs in just 10 minutes.

Read the full story here.

The Moon photobombed NASA’s images of Earth … again

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The Moon must find photobombing funny. Last week, for the second time in less than a year, while a NASA camera on the Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) satellite was trying to observe the Earth’s atmosphere, the Moon swung in for a brief but remarkable interruption. “For the second time in the life of DSCOVR, the Moon moved between the spacecraft and Earth,” Adam Szabo said in a statement.

Read the full story here.

Grindr is successfully convincing gay men to get tested for HIV, study shows

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It’s not all fun and games on the dating app scene — there are lives being saved too. As these apps continue to rise in popularity, everyone from politicians to companies to researchers are taking advantage of this new trend in love. Now, a new study suggests that Grindr could be an effective medium for getting black and Hispanic men to try home HIV testing kits.

Read the full story here.

Line messaging app goes public with year’s biggest tech company debut

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Line Corporation, maker of the popular Japanese messaging app Line, arrived on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) Thursday morning in what turned out to be the biggest market debut of a tech company this year. Trading under the ticker symbol “LN,” Line opened at $42. Despite suffering a slight dip, it ended the first day at $41.58, up 27 percent from its IPO price. Overall, that gives Line a market value of approximately $8 billion, CNN reports.

Read the full story here.

YouTube to offer a live 360-degree look at the Republican and Democratic conventions

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Both the Republic National Convention and Democratic National Convention are right around the corner, and while the important news from each will circulate in a number of ways, that isn’t enough for hardcore news junkies. YouTube has a solution to this problem, as it announced in a blog post on Thursday that it will offer live-streaming coverage of both conventions, just as it did in 2012.

Read the full story here.

Turn studio flats into spacious one-bedroom apartments with this amazing robotic furniture

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When it comes to studio apartments, renters and owners tend to sacrifice want for necessity and functionality to get the most out of a typically diminutive space. To help studio apartment-goers get the most out of their tiny abodes, an MIT Media Lab spinoff by the name of Ori has just introduced an innovative new line of robotic furniture geared towards getting the most out of small spaces.

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…
Best Fitbit deals: Save on Inspire 2, Charge 6, and Sense 2
The Fitbit Sense 2 in moss.

Fitbit is among the most popular brands for wearable devices, with offerings ranging from basic fitness trackers to feature-packed smartwatches. Fitbit devices always have a focus on your health though, with the capability to track data such as your heart rate and burned calories. Most of them are relatively cheap, but you may as well enjoy the savings from the Fitbit deals that we've gathered below. You can check out other smartwatch deals if you want to compare prices and features, but you need to hurry if you want to take advantage of any of the offers because they may expire sooner than you think.
Our favorite Fitbit deal

The Fitbit Sense 2 sits on top of our list of the best Fitbit devices because it's a great all-around fitness tracker and smartwatch, so you'll get the best of both worlds in one package. As a fitness tracker, it can record loads of health data such as steps taken, heart rate, and stress levels. It also features an ECG app, as well as comprehensive food and drink tracking. Meanwhile, as a smartwatch, it looks classy and elegant, it's very comfortable to wear, and its strap-swapping system is easy to use so you can change its look every day. The wearable device also offers a six-day battery life, and a tough and durable design. From $300, it's down to just $230 from Walmart for savings of $70.

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I used to love the Google Pixel Fold. Now, I’m not so sure
Google Pixel Fold in Obsidian in hand in coffee shop.

A few years ago, the dominant player in the foldable market was Samsung, at least in the U.S. However, 2023 seemed to be the year of folding phones, as Google entered the fray in July 2023 with its very first foldable, the Google Pixel Fold.

One of the problems I have with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold series is the narrow cover screen, which makes it awkward to type and use when closed. But the Google Pixel Fold was appealing to me because the cover display was essentially the same size as a standard phone's, so it felt easier to use. I also like that it opens up like a book. I gave the Pixel Fold an overall positive review as a  result of all those things.

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This is the one product I don’t want Samsung to launch in 2024
Samsung Health widget on the Galaxy Watch 6.

I’m looking forward to seeing the Samsung Galaxy S24, the Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip 6, and especially a Samsung smart ring in 2024.

But in the back of my mind, there is one product I definitely don’t want to see from Samsung next year — one I fear may become inevitable. The Samsung Health app is currently completely free, and I don’t want to see the company turn it into a subscription-based service.
Fitness subscriptions are everywhere

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