It’s Labor Day here in the U.S., which means the Last Week in Tech podcast is taking a little break this week. However, there are still plenty of episodes in the archive to keep you entertained while you suffer through holiday weekend traffic, your daily commute, or your regular sweat sessions at the gym. Last week’s episode is posted above in case you missed it.
Now, on to a recap of last week’s news.
Lots of new gadgets appeared in Europe
The big story last week was the IFA conference happening in Berlin. Europe’s biggest consumer electronics show unleashed a massive wave of new gadgets on the world, including everything from laptops to a massive gaming throne that will make you feel like the emperor of video games. Check out our roundups of the best new gadgets here and here.
California’s Net Neutrality bill is moving along
Before everyone took off for the holiday weekend, California’s State Senate and State Assembly passed a Net Neutrality law that takes the concept even beyond the rules that the FCC rescinded earlier this year. The governor still needs to sign the bill, but if they do, you can expect continued pushback from service providers who say it will cost them lots of money.
Apple announced a program to fix bad logic boards in iPhone 8
While everyone was checking out of the news cycle to think about holiday weekend plans (hot dogs and video games for me), Apple announced an official plan to replace bad logic boards in some iPhone 8 devices. According to Apple: “Affected units were sold between September 2017 and March 2018 in Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Macau, New Zealand, and the U.S.” You can check if your phone is eligible for the fix here.
8K TVs are officially on their way to your living room
Do you need a screen with roughly 33 megapixels of resolution? Probably not. But, all the big manufacturers will soon try to sell you one. Right now, projections say 4K TV will have a roughly 35 percent penetration rate in U.S. homes by 2019, so the set you bought last year won’t be hopelessly outdated just yet.
Google will now sell you its Titan Security Key
If you want to keep your data safe in a time when hacks, breeches, and compromised accounts are a daily occurrence, Google hopes you’ll choose its new two-factor key called Titan. It’s a physical key that gives your important accounts physical two-factor authentication. Logging into your account requires the physical key near your device. It costs $50 and you can get it directly from Google to keep your info away from hackers and your nana’s famous shortbread cookie recipe away from your snooping family members. We see you, Randy!
Polaroid made a camera with a Bluetooth connection
The appeal of a Polaroid camera has long been its truly analog nature, but the latest shooter from Polaroid Originals has a few digital features built in that make it even more useful. The Bluetooth connection lets you control the camera remotely with an app, so you can fire it from afar and review your settings. The camera also has some cool creative modes like double exposures and light painting to really crank up the likes on your #filmisnotdead Instagram posts.
Dyson will sell you a gold-plated hair dryer for $500
A decade or more ago, gold-plated gadgets seemed a lot more common. Companies would make an unnecessarily gilded version of their devices to crank up the prices and generate some hype. Now, Dyson is reviving that tradition with its $500 hair dryer. The website has the words “crafting the gold standard” on it in big letters, which probably either seems insanely cheesy or very sophisticated to you depending on how your brain is wired.
A new Streets of Rage game is coming
There was a time when video games were mostly about button-mashing and the Streets of Rage series was about as mashy as it could get. Now, a new version is coming, and while there’s not much information about it, the animations sure look fun. I can already feel my thumb cramping.
