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Weekly Rewind: A weight loss vest, manmade meteors, and a physical Amazon store

top tech stories 05 22 2016 tokyo meteor shower
Image used with permission by copyright holder
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 what happened at Google I/O to a lung cancer detecting breathalyzer, it’s all here.

Stories: 1-5

Google I/O 2016 recap: Android Wear 2.0, Allo and Duo, Google Home, Daydream, and more

Google’s I/O developer conference keynote has come and gone, revealing the internet titan has more than just a few slick tricks up its sleeve. Highlights from the massively well-attended event include the announcement of a VR program Google has developed called Daydream.

Read the full story here.

A closer look at Thin Ice: the magical weight loss vest that siphons heat off your body to burn calories

Thin-Ice-vest-plate-1
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It seems like something out of science fiction or a bad infomercial. A wearable that lowers the temperature when pressed on the skin to help the body burn more calories and, in the process, cut more fat out of those problem areas? That explains Thin Ice in a nutshell, a vest that uses patent-pending cooling technology to help trigger weight loss.

Read the full story here.

Bye-bye Marvel? Hulu’s new live TV service has Disney CEO rethinking Netflix deals

Walt-Disney-CEO-Bob-Iger
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Earlier this month, both Hulu and YouTube announced plans within days of each other to launch live-streaming internet TV services in 2017. While this might have seemed an odd move for YouTube, it almost seemed a given for Hulu, given that three of the companies expected to be licensing content to the new service are also co-owners of the streamer.

Read the full story here.

The Zuck met with conservatives over news bias claims, and here’s what happened

Facebook-Mark-Zuckerberg
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Working tirelessly to limit the damage caused by recent accusations that Facebook has been suppressing stories from conservative news outlets for its Trending Topics feature, Mark Zuckerberg on Wednesday met with more than a dozen leading conservatives to discuss how to ensure the social networking service can “continue to be a platform for all ideas across the political spectrum.”

Read the full story here.

Knocki surpasses its Kickstarter goal in a little more than an hour

Knocki-in-Hand
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Secret knocks have long been used to gain entrance to treehouses, clubs, and forts, and now you can actually use one to unlock your front door. Swan Solutions decided to take the idea of specialized knocks and apply it to everything in your house. The Knocki is a silver-and-white hockey puck-shaped device that lets you turn on your lights, change the song you’re listening to, or switch off the TV.

Read the full story here.

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Stories: 6-10

We break down Google’s 6 different personal chatting apps

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Google announced two new messaging platforms at Google I/O: Allo, an upcoming application heavily integrated with Google Assistant, and Duo, a video app that showcases live footage from incoming calls before users even pick up. These apps also come a mere two days after Google announced Spaces, a group chat application and social network that’s heavily integrated with Google’s own search engine.

Read the full story here.

Want an impressive opening ceremony? 2020 Olympics may include a man-made meteor shower

SkyCanvas Promotion Movie (Dubai, Singapore, Japan)

Call it the world’s best idea or worst idea, but it’s sure to be something special. The Olympics may be all about athletic prowess, but its opening ceremonies have always been about showmanship. And what could be more spectacular than a man-made meteor shower? Star-ALE is bidding for the right to create a meteor shower over Tokyo for the 2020 Olympics.

Read the full story here.

A group of Harvard and MIT students have created a lung cancer breathalyzer system

MIT-100K-Award-0001
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A team of entrepreneurs from Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have developed a breathalyzer capable of detecting early stages of lung cancer. At MIT’s 27th annual Entrepreneurship Competition, Astraeus Technologies won a $100,000 grand prize for its L CARD (Chemically Actuated Resonate Device).

Read the full story here.

FindFace is a new facial recognition app that could end public privacy

FindFace: an app that allows you to find any person in your Network for photography

Facial recognition can be a wonderful feature to have implemented into platforms and devices. You can unlock your computer with it, automatically have your photos sorted by who’s in them, and even swap your face with your dog in Snapchat. But what happens when facial recognition is so good that it almost completely eliminates the potential of anonymity in public?

Read the full story here.

A brick-and-mortar Amazon store may be coming to a city near you

Amazon-Brick-And-Mortar
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Don’t be fooled by the brick-and-mortar stores it’s got, this is still Amazon from the block. Or rather, the web. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos has promised to bring more of Amazon offline and into the physical sphere, though it’s unclear yet as to how many “more” really is. But don’t worry — Amazon isn’t leaving the internet behind.

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…
Like the other ESR Gear deals? Here are some more: Case, screen protector, more
ESR Gear deals -- Aura wallet stand (HaloLock)

As far as mobile phone accessories go, ESR Gear has some incredible deals live for the holidays with great prices on a multi-functional stand, car charger and mount, and MagSafe power bank. But if you're not interested in any of those, don't worry, you won't be left out in the cold. There are more ESR Gear deals to be had, and we're just as excited about these. Like the other deals, some of these mobile accessories are already discounted but you can save an extra 10% on top with an exclusive coupon code. Just be warned, all coupon codes expire December 25th, so don't waste too much time window shopping if you're interested.

 
ESR Armorite screen protector -- $14 $17 20% off
Compatible with iPhone 15, and iPhone 16 models, this hardened screen protector offers the ultimate protection for your device's most valuable asset. It's easy to install, bubble and dust-free and comes with everything you need to attach the protector, including a working tray. It's made of 9H+ glass with 110 pounds of SGS-certified protection and resistance. Each pack comes with three protectors and there is a privacy glass option -- though it's not on sale currently.

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How to turn off Siri on your iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch
How to turn off Siri

While it has its detractors, Siri is still a popular virtual assistant for folks with an iPhone, iPad, or Apple Watch — and that's not simply because it's built into those devices. Siri may not be able to answer all of your queries, but it still has many useful features. It can play your favorite tunes, set reminders, send quick messages, and control devices around your home.

Still, not everyone needs a virtual assistant at their beck and call, so if you'd prefer to keep Siri out of the way, Apple has provided a way to switch it off on one or all of your Apple devices.

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Best Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra deals: Get Samsung’s flagship for $200
The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra and S Pen stylus on its screen.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is the largest of Samsung’s latest phones, and to many it’s considered one of the best phones on the market. It’s a good phone to consider if you aren’t finding what you’re looking for among the best Samsung Galaxy S24 deals or best Samsung Galaxy S23 deals, as its larger size delivers more screen real estate but also sometimes more savings. There are several ways to save on a Galaxy S24 Ultra scattered across carriers and retailers, so we’ve rounded up all of the best Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra deals below. Some of them could are up there with the best phone deals, and they’re nice alternatives if the current Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra deals feel a little dated, and they price the phone nicely among all of the iPhone deals and Google Pixel 8 deals taking place right now.
Today's best Galaxy S24 Ultra deals
Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra deals change frequently but below, we’ve picked out some of the best available today. These include being able to buy directly from Samsung, along with buying from other retailers and cell phone network providers. There’s something for every intention here.

: Get up to $800 of instant trade-in credit along with a choice of exclusive colors.
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: Save $100 on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra when you trade-in your current phone.

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