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 when Xiaomi will finally enter the U.S. market to the iPhone of the future, it’s all here.
Pokémon Go technology is everywhere
Pokémon Go has caught on with the masses because of its accessibility and easy-to-understand concept — but that doesn’t mean it’s the first app to use augmented reality technology. In fact, it’s far from revolutionary — results from Deloitte’s fourth annual survey of mid-market technology trends shows just how ubiquitous the technology is. Of the 500 mid-market companies surveyed, 89 percent of them said they were already using AR in their business.
Hold on to your butts: These are the 20 fastest cars in the world
There are many ways to measure automotive excellence, but top speed is the one everybody secretly cares about the most. Aldous Huxley was right about speed being the only truly modern sensation. He left out the part about how much fun it is. These 20 cars are more than just fun, though, they’re the fastest production cars in the world. The emphasis here is on “production;” racers and one-off custom jobs need not apply.
Facebook testing Messenger feature that could signal the end of friend requests
Facebook is reportedly carrying out a Messenger experiment that brings the app even closer to a standalone messaging service. The social network has confirmed that it is testing an “add contact” feature on Messenger. The function will allow the messaging platform’s 1 billion users to request connections without the need to become friends with the selected person on Facebook, reports BuzzFeed.
If it seems like your apps run slower when it’s humid – you’re right
Developers so far haven’t taken the weather into account when testing mobile apps, but that may change. A report from Apteligent says apps run slower in the summer, according to the IEEE Spectrum. “On average, your apps will run about 15 percent slower in the summer!” reads the report. “The explanation is due to the science behind the propagation of radio waves. Increases in water vapor cause attenuation of the waves, especially at higher frequency bands.”
Milk may replace plastic when it comes to wrapping our food
The best way to protect your leftover food? By wrapping it in more food. According to new research presented at the National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS), we’ll soon be doing away with that pesky cling wrap that seems to stick to everything but what you’re trying to cover (and apparently, doesn’t do that great of a job of keeping your food from spoiling, either). Instead, we’ll be turning to “an environmentally friendly film made of the milk protein casein.”