Weekend In Tech Trends

Tech Trends- Jan 24-25

Apples potential new release, a tech filled Bentley, Lenovo joins the VR movement and more in this week’s Weekend in Tech Trends.

Tech Trends 1) Apple planning release of new iPhone 5se

Apple may be releasing what certain Apple fans have been wanting since the release of the iPhone 6. A smaller iPhone. 9to5Mac is reporting that Apple has plans to release an iPhone 5se. The “se” meaning special edition. The iPhone 5se would be the same phone as the iPhone 5s but with upgraded internals.
9to5Mac’s Sources have provided the following list of “iPhone 5se” upgrades over the 5s:

• The chamfered, shiny edges have been replaced with curved glass like on the iPhone 6 and 6s lines
• The same 8 megapixel rear camera and 1.2 megapixel front camera systems from the iPhone 6
• Support for larger panoramas and autofocus for video recording
• Barometer for tracking elevation in the Health app
• An NFC chip for Apple Pay
• The A8 and M8 chips from the iPhone 6
• Bluetooth 4.2, VoLTE, and 802.11ac WiFi chips from the iPhone 6s
• Live Photos from the iPhone 6s
• Same Silver, Space Gray, Gold, & Rose Gold color options as the 6s line

We should be seeing an official announcement in March. As of now, it appears that we may not be seeing an iPhone 6c and that the iPhone 5se will be the only cheaper option for iPhone users.

Tech Trends 2) The new Bentley is filled with awesome tech

Bentley’s new car, the Mulsanne Speed, is loaded with tons of awesome tech. This includes my personal favorite, which is that the seats of the Mulsanne Speed serve as massage seats. But the rest of the amenities go beyond that.
We’ll start with the built in “iPad Picnic Tables” that automatically fold down from the backs of the seats. Fitted with built in Apple keyboards as well as built in LTE Wi-Fi, passengers will have an easy time getting work done. But if you’re not feeling the need to work, you can watch a movie on the built in screens in the headrests. Lastly, if you get thirsty you can turn to the armrest in the center and reach in your built in fridge for a glass of champagne.
But that’s not all the Bentley has in store. Check out the video below to see what else this amazing car can do.

Source: Mashable

Tech Trends 3) Lenovo sold out its VR unit in less than 1 second

Lenovo decided to take a dive into the VR industry by releasing their own unit. Lenovo ran a promotional sales event where they combined the Lenovo K4 Note (a mid-range model only available in India) with an ANTVR headset. It was sold during flash sale in India and almost 500,000 people registered.
Lenovo limited the sale to 10,000 units, which sold out in 0.9 seconds. These numbers are very promising for the VR industry. Other VR companies have also seen similar success upon releasing their products, which means that 2016 could in fact be the year of virtual reality.

Tech Trends 4) Watch SpaceX’s Dragon 2 capsule pass five-second hover test

SpaceX has released a video of its Dragon 2 spacecraft successfully performing a five-second hover test at the SpaceX rocket facility. The test was completed in November but SpaceX just now released the video.
SpaceX is building the Dragon 2 because they won the contract to bring NASA astronauts to and from the ISS, which meant they would need a capsule capable of holding a crew. The company wants to use the Dragon’s hovering ability to land the spacecraft on solid ground following reentry into the Earth’s atmosphere. As of now, SpaceX will resort to using parachutes for the NASA crew return missions until they can’t perfect the hovering. SpaceX doesn’t have a date for when the Dragon 2 capsule will be able to land on earth using these engines but I’m sure we’ll be seeing it within the next few years.

Source: TheVerge