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Weekly Rewind: Emoji freeze iPhones, Tesla taps solar power, Samsung scandals soar

top tech stories 01 20 2017 samsung corp head
Flickr/Samsung
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 this week’s top 10 tech stories, from Tesla’s giant Gigafactory to how we really feel about autonomous cars — it’s all here.

This nasty string of emojis can potentially render your iPhone useless

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Be careful next time you send your best pal a string of emoji: You could end up rendering his iPhone useless. A killer three-character combination of emoticons, discovered first by YouTube channel EverythingApplePro, can crash and freeze certain models of iPhones and iPads.

Read the full story here.

DJ stream: Tidal’s Track Edit feature lets you manipulate any song you want

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If you ever wanted listen to Prince’s Purple Rain at a slower tempo or Adele’s Hello at a higher pitch, you are in luck. Tidal recently updated its mobile app with a new feature, Track Edit, allowing users to alter any song in the streaming service’s massive catalog.

Read the full story here.

Arrest warrant sought for Samsung VP, as bribery scandal deepens

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Samsung Group is embroiled in a political scandal that has dominated headlines in South Korea recently. It’s one of several major conglomerates accused of making donations to non-profit foundations in exchange for political favors, which in Samsung’s case may have smoothed the path for a controversial merger, which was approved in July 2015.

Read the full story here.

The Nevada sun will power Tesla’s gigantic ‘Gigafactory’

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Since kicking off the project in 2014, Tesla has claimed its massive “Gigafactory” near Reno, Nevada, will be the largest lithium-ion battery cell manufacturing facility in the world, and that it will achieve that feat using renewable energy. Now we have some idea of the scale of Tesla’s commitment to that.

Read the full story here.

Microsoft’s mighty morphing mobile device would be a great Surface phone

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One of the more interesting Microsoft announcements of late 2016 came at its WinHEC event, where the company announced that full Windows 10 support is coming to ARM processors along with Windows desktop app support. That means that Windows 10 will benefit from processors that perform well but put minimal strain on batteries.

Read the full story here.

Fortress Clothing promises to keep you dry and warm in wet and cold weather

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One of the best ways to stay warm during cold weather is to keep dry. Whether it’s rain, snow, or sweat, there is always something to fend off. Garments have claimed to be both waterproof and breathable before, but most such fabrics typically become overwhelmed by water. This leads to a build-up of moisture that causes you to get cold.

Read the full story here.

Camera drone captures kitesurfer’s scary encounter with a great white shark

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Kitesurfing in Australia recently, Isabelle Fabre had an unexpected encounter with a great white shark. It’ll likely be a story she dines out on for many years, and thanks to her friend back on the beach capturing the entire incident with a camera drone, she’ll have some dramatic footage to show, too.

Read the full story here.

Most Americans doubt the safety of autonomous cars, study says

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As 2017 gets underway, it almost seems like self-driving cars are a foregone conclusion. Several automakers and tech companies are testing prototypes, and a handful of car companies have promised to put autonomous cars into production in the next few years. But is the American public ready for them?

Read the full story here.

Flexible football helmet absorbs hits like a car bumper, could put an end to concussions

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Despite the fact football continues to enjoy immense worldwide popularity (estimates put fan numbers at or above 400 million), the sport remains under constant scrutiny for its approach —or lack thereof— to concussions. The NFL finally acknowledged the negative impact concussions have on its billion dollar business and opted to start awarding research grants geared towards finding a solution. One such company that took the NFL’s greenbacks and ran is Vicis, a Seattle-based firm who just debuted an innovative new helmet.

Read the full story here.

How much RAM does your PC need? Probably less than you think

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Random Access Memory, usually shortened to “RAM” or simply “memory,” is one of the most important parts of any computer. But how much do you need? Current new PCs and similar devices range from around the 2GB mark, to 16GB or more. How much memory you require will depend on two factors, including what you want to do, and how much you’re willing to spend. This article will focus on computers running a desktop operating system, such as Windows, MacOS, and Chrome OS.

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…
AT&T just made it a lot easier to upgrade your phone
AT&T Storefront with logo.

Do you want to upgrade your phone more than once a year? What about three times a year? Are you on AT&T? If you answered yes to those questions, then AT&T’s new “Next Up Anytime” early upgrade program is made for you. With this add-on, you’ll be able to upgrade your phone three times a year for just $10 extra every month. It will be available starting July 16.

Currently, AT&T has its “Next Up” add-on, which has been available for the past several years. This program costs $6 extra per month and lets you upgrade by trading in your existing phone after at least half of it is paid off. But the new Next Up Anytime option gives you some more flexibility.

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Motorola is selling unlocked smartphones for just $150 today
Someone holding the Moto G Stylus 5G (2024).

Have you been looking for phone deals but don’t want to spend a ton of money on flagship devices from Apple and Samsung? Have you ever considered investing in an unlocked Motorola? For a limited time, the company is offering a $100 markdown on the Motorola Moto G 5G. It can be yours for just $150, and your days and nights of phone-shopping will finally be over!

Why you should buy the Motorola Moto G 5G
Powered by the Snapdragon 480+ 5G CPU and 4GB of RAM, the Moto G delivers exceptional performance across the board. From UI navigation to apps, games, and camera functions, you can expect fast load times, next to no buffering, and smooth animations. You’ll also get up to 128GB of internal storage that you’ll be able to use for photos, videos, music, and any other mobile content you can store locally. 

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The Nokia 3210 is the worst phone I’ve used in 2024
A person holding the Nokia 3210, showing the screen.

Where do I even start with the Nokia 3210? Not the original, which was one of the coolest phones to own back in a time when Star Wars: Episode 1 -- The Phantom Menace wasn’t even a thing, but the latest 2024 reissue that has come along to save us all from digital overload, the horror of social media, and the endless distraction that is the modern smartphone.

Except behind this facade of marketing-friendly do-goodery hides a weapon of torture, a device so foul that I’d rather sit through multiple showings of Jar Jar Binks and the gang hopelessly trying to bring back the magic of A New Hope than use it.
The Nokia 3210 really is that bad

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