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Weekly Rewind: Stainless clothing, an Instagram flaw, the Stones vs. Trump

top tech stories 05 08 2016 unstainable work clothes 0002
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 Google I/O’s dates to a head transplant, it’s all here.

Stories: 1-5

Set the date! Google I/O runs from May 18-20 in Mountain View, California

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The official Google I/O app has been updated to reflect the upcoming developer conference at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California from May 18 to May 20. The annual event is a place for Google to unleash all of its software and service announcements, but it also allows developers to get in touch with the creator of the biggest search engine and mobile operating system. Google CEO Sundar Pichai announced the dates on Twitter in January, and the Web page went live in March.

Read the full story here.

Track your favorite Game of Thrones character on this interactive map of Westeros

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Game of Thrones features a lot of characters (dozens of them are dead, but even more remain living) and those characters travel to a lot of different places across a vast and expansive world. Keeping track of all that can be quite difficult, so an interactive map showing you what everyone is doing and where they are at various points in the story would be very useful.

Read the full story here.

New app promises to solve the problem of texting while driving

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“Don’t text and drive” has become so common a message in our smartphone-obsessed era that too often, it seems to go ignored. But now, there may be a new way to stop drivers from pursuing their distractions — at least, the palm-sized ones. A new app from Romex employs a smartphone’s GPS system to detect the speed at which it’s moving, and if that speed is faster than four miles per hour, it locks the device.

Read the full story here.

Hong Kong’s Eco Smart Home packs luxury living into a mere 400 square feet

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As anyone who’s ever rented a studio apartment can attest, a 400-square-foot living space leaves much to be desired. For one such studio apartment located in the Hong Kong business district of Central, utilizing a well-known local interior design firm was all that was required to turn 400 square feet of living space into a spacious, luxury smart home.Facebook pays 10-year-old $10,000 for finding Instagram security flaw

Read the full story here.

This is what it looks like if you strap a GoPro to a rocket

If you think the GoPro footage you shot on your last skiing trip rocked, you ain’t seen nothing yet. Don’t believe us? Then check out this stunning video of an UP Aerospace rocket launch shot with a bunch of on-board Hero4 cameras. The mission was to deploy the 11-pound Maraia capsule into space, at the same time testing the capsule’s aerodynamics and stability on its high-speed return to Earth.

Read the full story here.

Recommended Videos

Stories: 6-10

Don’t lose your head: Doctor ready to perform first human head transplant

Head Transplantation: The Future Is Now | Dr.Sergio Canavero | TEDxLimassol

Lost your mind? You can get a new one. Literally. Actually, you can get more than a new mind — a doctor is now preparing to prepare the very first ever whole head transplant. No, DT hasn’t turned into a science fiction publication — this is the latest in scientific advancement. t’s a plan that Italian neurosurgeon Sergio Canavero has been concocting for years, first introducing the notion to the public in 2013.

Read the full story here.

Facebook pays 10-year-old $10,000 for finding Instagram security flaw

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Plenty of tech companies are offering very generous rewards to those who manage to find security loopholes in their networks — just ask 10-year-old Jani, who isn’t even old enough to have an Instagram account but still managed to hack the social media network. His reward for doing so? A cool $10,000. The Finnish boy uncovered a flaw in the network that essentially allowed him to delete any comment on Instagram.

Read the full story here.

FDA adds sweeping new e-cigarette regulations, bans sales to minors

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The United States Food and Drug Administration announced on Thursday that it would begin regulating all tobacco-related products, including cigars, pipe tobacco, hookah tobacco, and even e-cigarettes. This new rule will have a profound effect on the e-cigarette industry and the culture of vaping, which has exploded in popularity in recent years.

Read the full story here.

You can’t always get what you want, the Rolling Stones tell The Donald

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The Donald won’t be getting any satisfaction from the Rolling Stones’ recent comments. The British rockers have told the Republican’s presumptive presidential nominee to stop using their music at his campaign rallies across the U.S. “The Rolling Stones have never given permission to the Trump campaign to use their songs and have requested that they cease all use immediately,” a spokesperson for the Stones told the BBC this week.

Read the full story here.

Dodge food and sweat with this gorgeous workwear that’s impossible to stain

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There’s nothing worse than getting a giant stain on your dress when you’re at work. Luckily, fashion companies are getting into tech that’ll keep your clothes pristine through even the busiest workdays. Elizabeth and Clarke launched a Kickastarter campaign this week for a collection of women’s workwear that’s stain, spill, and sweat resistant.

Read the full story here.

Lulu Chang
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Fascinated by the effects of technology on human interaction, Lulu believes that if her parents can use your new app…
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.

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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.

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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.

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