Why iPhone X? Because 7 ate 9…
Or because this year is the iPhone’s 10th anniversary, but we like our version better.
We’ve been anticipating it since the first leaks months ago, and now the iPhone X is finally here. Tim Cook announced the snazzy new kid on the block at the Steve Jobs Theater on Tuesday.
Some of it’s more notable features are face recognition (good-bye, home button), an edge-to-edge OLED screen, and wireless charging.
The big surprise (ish—what isn’t leaked anymore?) is the price. The iPhone X will ring up at $999—a show-stopper for some, but we think plenty of people think the improvements are worth the cost. Will you be one of them?
Would you like ice with that? New fridge brings drinks to you!
Panasonic has just released a robot fridge with voice control. No more leaving the couch before halftime because your cup is empty—just say “Hey, Ku, bring me a drink,” and you’re all set.
Worried it will be like Roomba and get stuck halfway to your hand on a stray desk leg? Never fear! Ku has embedded sensors that allow it to navigate the room and update its map to successfully sidestep your end table.
It might sound like it just enables lazy couch potatoes, but Panasonic’s goal is that the traveling fridge will be useful for anyone who has trouble making trips to the kitchen, such as the elderly.
Ku isn’t immediately available to bring you your iced tea, though. According to Reuters, he won’t be on the consumer market for six more years. Guess we’ll be getting our own drinks for a while longer…
The Invisible Man
Ever wonder what the highway will look like when driverless cars become the norm? Ford has been doing some research on the sly to find out how people will react.
For the whole month of August, six researchers from the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute drove around Arlington, VA dressed as car seats.
Yes, you read that right.
Think halloween prank. The drivers dressed in car seat-like clothing and wore head covers that looked like headrests. They collected about 150 hours of footage from their travels, documenting the interactions of other drivers with the “unmanned” cars.
Some were disturbed or confused by the sight. Some didn’t even notice. Andy Schaudt was one of the drivers. The Denver Post reports his thoughts:
“For the most part people are busy. They’re going about their day. They’re on their phone and they’re just kind of moving through the world,” Schaudt said. “Sometimes you could drive for a few hours and nothing out of the ordinary would happened, which is a finding in and of itself.”
Speaking of cars, Elon Musk is at it again
In case you haven’t heard enough about Tesla recently, there’s another new thing coming.
What’s that, you ask?
A big-rig truck, of course.
Elon Musk announced this week that Tesla will debut an electric semitrailer on October 26th. In California (where else?).
Musk himself called the semi “unreal.”
The rig is reported to have a working range of 200-300 miles. We’ll see what the actual numbers are when it’s revealed next month.
And a Few More Interesting Things We Found for You
A Bit More About Bitcoin
We wrote last week about China’s bitcoin vendetta, and their ban on initial coin offerings.
Since then, bitcoin’s value has tumbled, falling 13.6% immediately after China’s announcement. The bitcoin exchange BTCChina has announced that they will stop all trading on September 30th.
Count Down with Star Wars
We found possibly the nerdiest advent calendar on the market. You probably need it.
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