Tech Trends- Jan 9-10
TVs that don’t ruin your living room, Tesla updates, more attacks on hoverboards and more in this week’s Weekend in Tech Trends.
Tech Trends 1) Panasonic unveils transparent TV
Panasonic believes they have the solution to your current living room problem. Even if you didn’t know you had a problem. At CES, Panasonic debuted what is being labeled as a transparent TV. The TV would allow for you to get rid of the big black TV you currently have and instead have a TV that blends right in with your shelves.
At CES, viewers could see the TV switch between “transparent mode”, where you could see the shelving behind it, and “screen mode,” where you can see the screen. What is also an awesome feature is that the screen can be moved up and down since it sits on a railing. This makes it even more customizable.
Panasonic also believes you no longer need a remote. While you can use a remote, they don’t want you to. Instead, Panasonic wants you to use hand gestures or voice commands. The TV is currently in prototyping stage but I’m sure we’ll see this concept sometime in the future. Check out the video below to see it in action.
Source: Engadget
Tech Trends 2) New Tesla update allows owners to summon vehicle
Elon Musk in known for touting Tesla’s desire for autonomous vehicles. He’s even said that a Tesla will be able to drive itself cross country by 2018. It also appears that with every update, Tesla’s become even more autonomous. This time, allowing owners to summon their vehicles.
In update 7.1 of its software for the Model S and Model X, the Tesla update includes a new Summon feature, which allows the vehicle to exit and enter a parking space on its own. With just a simple click of a button, the Tesla will enter either enter or exit mode for garages and parking spaces. Allowing the owner to get in and drive away with no hassle. What may seem like a simple feature now, the summon feature gives us a glimpse into the future of Teslas. Check out the video below to see it in action.
Source: Mashable
Tech Trends 3) Apple Music doing its best to catch Spotify
Apple Music has officially surpassed 10 million paid subscribers. Which is well above the 6.5 million subscribers that Tim Cook said they had back in October. Reaching 10 million has put Apple at around half of what Spotify has but well over Pandora, who sits at 3.9 million subscribers.
I remember back at the launch of Apple Music that many people believed that it would struggle to gain any traction. Despite the doubts from many, Apple Music has done quite well. And I’m sure we’ll be seeing more and more from Apple within the music industry.
Source: TechCrunch
Tech Trends 4) Colleges are the latest to ban hover boards
If you got a hoverboard for Christmas enjoy it while you can. Because the days of being able to ride around on your “hoverboard” are numbered. Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. just became the latest in a string of colleges to ban the devices from their campuses, citing the risk of spontaneous combustion as their rationale. Airlines were the first to begin banning these devices last year and the bans haven’t slowed down since.
After numerous reports and videos surfaced just before the holidays of hoverboards catching fire, many schools have decided that they’re no longer safe on campus.
“As per a report from the Associated Press, some 20 American institutions have now banned these motorized scooters altogether. “It’s clear that these things are potentially dangerous,” Len Dolan, managing director of fire safety at Kean University in Union, New Jersey, told the AP. “These things are just catching fire without warning, and we don’t want that in any of our dorms,” he continued.”
All I can say is that it looks like this trend is going to die just as fast as it came alive.
Source: DigitalTrends
