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 what we know about the foldable Samsung Galaxy X to what Microsoft hopes to see from a Trump presidency, it’s all here.
Samsung Galaxy X: Rumors and news leaks
You might think the Samsung Edge display is cool, but something cooler is coming very soon. Samsung has been working on foldable displays for many years now, and the Korean giant might be ready to launch its first foldable smartphone in 2017. Information about the phone, which has been dubbed the Galaxy X for now, has slowly been leaking out, and here’s everything we think we know about it so far.
Do humans make computers smarter?
As machine learning makes computers smarter than us in some important ways, does adding a human to the mix make the overall system smarter? Does human plus machine always beat the machine by itself? The question is easy when we think about using computers to do, say, long division. Would it really help to have a human hovering over the machine reminding it to carry the one? The issue is becoming less clear, and more important, as autonomous cars start to roam our streets.
New report indicates Americans ditched news apps once election fatigue set in
Whatever side of the fence you were on, the election process this time around was a long one. A new report from Flurry, an analytics firm, highlights just how disinterested in following political news Americans became since the first presidential debate. The report shows this through tracking the use of news apps. So how much did election fatigue really kick in?
When silent mode isn’t enough, seal your phone in the signal-killing Pause box
It’s difficult to disconnect. At home, at work, in the meeting room, even in the bathroom — our smartphones are always on and always with us. But the creators of a small container called Pause want to effectively shut your smartphone down, and they don’t think you have the willpower to do it alone. And let’s face it, they’re probably right.
Sevenhugs’s Smart Remote is a magic wand for your smart home
In theory, smart homes promise untold convenience. Controlling every upstairs lightbulb, bedroom blind, garage door lock, speaker, TV, and kitchen appliance from your smartphone sounds like a future straight out of science fiction. But in practice, the systems aren’t as plug-and-play as the flashy advertisements lead you to believe. That’s the usability problem that Paris, France-based company Sevenhugs set out to solve.