Skip to main content

10 tech stories you missed this week: Lexus hoverboard unveiled, Jon Stewart signs off

10 tech stories you missed this week lexus hoverboard unveiled jon stewart signs off slide hoverpark 9 1500x1000
In the tech world, a lot happens in a week. Too much, in fact, 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. From saying goodbye to 16 years of Jon Stewart, to Lexus finally showing off its mag-lev hoverboard in action — it’s all here.

Remembering 16 years of Jon Stewart, as he signs off the Daily Show forever

This week, we said our goodbyes to Jon Stewart, the man who’s been at the helm of the Daily Show for the past 16 years. He called out the news media for absurd coverage, led us through bleak situations with grace, and cheerfully mocked politicians along the way. It’s been a great journey, and Stewart introduced us to many new talented comedians like Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, and John Oliver. Here’s to you, Jon!

Read the full story here.

The future is here: Women can finally charge their iPhones in their jeans

JOE'S® Official Site | #Hello Battery

Joe’s Jeans, an apparel company based out of Los Angeles, has developed a new denim line called #HelloJeans, which let you charge your iPhone on the go. For $190, women can buy a pair of jeans with a special opening for a battery pack that charges their phones. Of course, the battery pack isn’t included with the jeans, so that’s another $50.

Read the full story here.

HBO Now arrives on Chromecast along with Travel Channel, Food Network, and others

HBO-Now-arrives-on-Chromecast-along-with-Travel-Channel,-Food-Network,-and-others

At this year’s Google I/O, it was announced that HBO Now would come to Android and Chromecast this summer. It was just last month Android devices saw HBO Now support, and now it’s available on Chromecast. Fans can catch up on Game of Thrones, True Detective, and watch every season of Girls. Both the Travel Channel and Food Network have added Chromecast to their mobile apps as well.

Read the full story here.

Tesla issues software patch after hackers take control of a Model S

Tesla-Model_S_front angle

American researchers have discovered that there are six security flaws with the Tesla Model S that let hackers take control of the vehicle. Kevin Mahaffey, the chief technology offers of cyber security firm Lookout, and March Rogers, the principal security researcher at Cloudflare, say they chose to hack into a Tesla because they wanted to understand software better than most car makers. Tesla has since patched the issue.

Read the full story here.

Spit in a tube to get a personalized health regimen based on your genes

It can be challenging to finding a solution to losing weight, or maintaining a healthy lifestyle. There’s a new app that aims to set us on the road to health, and it makes its suggestions based on our actual DNA. You can take the Pathway Fit Test, at the price of $100 through the newly released Pathway Genomics iOS app. All you need to do is request a test kit through the app, provide some saliva in the supplied tube, and send it back. Pathway will then analyze your DNA to come up with the diet, lifestyle, and nutritional needs that will best suit your body.

Read the full story here.

Next page: 5 more tech stories you might have missed this week

Facebook launches live-streaming feature, but for celebs only

Facebook is getting into the live-streaming video trend with a new feature called “Live,” which is only available to celebrities and other public figures that want to create and share videos with their fans from all over the world. Fans can comment on videos and like or share celebrities’ live videos while watching. According to Facebook, celebrities such as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Serena Williams, and Ashley Tisdale will the first to use the new Live feature.

Read the full story here.

It’s real! Lexus finally shows off its mag-lev hoverboard in action

Marty McFly told us the hoverboard would be here in 2015, and we’ve seen a few prototypes, but now Lexus finally showed its mag-lev hoverboard in action. The company has no plans to actually sell the board, but it’s pretty amazing to see the thing hovering around the specially built “hoverpark” in Cubelles, Barcelona, in Spain.

Read the full story here.

Twitter’s News tab lets you know what’s going on in the world today

Twitter

Jack Dorsey said during an earnings briefing in July, that Twitter should be “the first thing everyone in the world checks before they start their day.” Earlier this week, Twitter started to experiment with a “Featured News” tab that highlights trending news items in its iOS and Android applications. It’s under development, but the feature is currently live in Japan.

Read the full story here.

Apple Music surpasses 11 million members, but faces challenges

apple-music-android-1500x1000

While Apple Music may be one of the newest music streaming services, it’s already competing with services like Spotify. Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet software and services, told USA Today that the service has reached more than 11 million members in the past five weeks since its debut. Cue said, almost 2 million of those are paying subscribers who’ve opted for the $15 a month family plan.

Read the full story here.

Pentagon hit by cyber attack, sources suspect Russian involvement

hacker-keyboard-2-970x0

U.S. officials told NBC News that Russia is responsible for launching a “sophisticated cyber attack” against the Pentagon’s Joint Staff unclassified email system. The system has been taken offline for almost two weeks. The “sophisticated cyber attack” took place on or around July 25, and personal information belonging to 4,000 military and civilian workers was stolen.

Read the full story here.

Karen Tumbokon
Karen is a technology, music and entertainment writer. Originally from New Jersey, Karen began her writing career in music…
I record interviews for work. These are my favorite free recorder apps
The iPhone 14 Pro and Google Pixel 7 Pro's voice recording apps running together.

The Voice Recorder app on a phone (left) and the Voice Memos on another phone Andy Boxall / Digital Trends

Before you head to the app store on your phone to buy a voice-recording app, take a moment to consider the apps that may already be installed on your phone. Why? In my experience, they're likely all you really need. I’ve recorded interviews and voice-overs for work for years, and I’ve found the two best examples come preinstalled on your phone already, so they’re entirely free to use.

Read more
The best Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 cases: 10 best ones so far
Two Galaxy Z Fold 5 phones next to each other -- one is open and one is closed.

Samsung’s next-generation foldable is here with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5. This iteration has some notable improvements, including a new hinge design that eliminates the gap from previous generations when the device was folded. You also get a 6.2-inch HD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display on the outside while having a 6.7-inch QXGA+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display on the inside, with both screens having a 120Hz refresh rate. In other words, they're about as nice as you could ask for.

The Galaxy Z Fold 5 is made with premium materials, and the triple-lens camera system packs in a 50MP main shooter, 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, and a 12MP ultrawide lens. There’s a 10MP selfie camera on the front cover, and a 4MP camera on the inner display. You also get a Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chip inside for the best performance and power efficiency.

Read more
Google Pixel Tablet just got its first big discount and it’s worth a look
Google Pixel Tablet on its charging dock.

Tablets are a dime-a-dozen these days, with offerings from all the great brands including Apple, Samsung, Lenovo, and more. So, if you really want to stand out in a sea of similar tech, you need to do things a little differently. That's what Google's Pixel Tablet offers. How? It comes with a unique speaker dock that can be used to both charge the device and offer room-filling sound -- almost like a smart speaker add-on. Better yet, when your Pixel Tablet is docked it benefits from the Hub Mode, turning the device into a smart display, with digital photo frame support, smart home controls, and hands-free Google functionality. Of course, it could set you back at full price, normally $499 unless you find it included in a roundup of the best Google Pixel deals. Well, guess what? Thanks to a Best Buy Google Pixel Tablet deal, you can get it today for $439 and save $60. Hurry, though, it's part of Best Buy's recent 48-hour sale so it won't stick around for long.

Why you should buy the Google Pixel Tablet
Okay, okay, so in our Google Pixel Tablet review, Joe Maring did give it less than stellar remarks, but he called out its reliable fingerprint sensor, comfortability during use and excellent speaker dock. Honestly, how many tablets come with a matching speaker dock that transforms the entire experience? This tablet also marks a "lot of firsts" for Google, as it's the first tablet from the company in nearly five years, the first Android tablet in eight years, and can be converted into a smart home display with the speaker dock. All of which are notable milestones.

Read more