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Weekly Rewind: Self-tying shoes, March Madness apps, a cloak to keep you off radar

top tech stories 3 20 2016 iowa st cloak
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In the tech world, a lot happens in a week. So much news goes on, in fact, 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 the second week of March. Everything from the the best way to follow March Madness to a real life invisibility cloak — it’s all here.

Stories: 1-5

Apple picks apart FBI’s ‘reckless’ and ‘uninformed’ argument in scathing new brief

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Apple’s kerfuffle with the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Justice Department appears far from over. In the company’s final brief filed on Tuesday ahead of its March 22 court appearance, lawyers for Apple argued that the government’s demands regarding the San Bernardino shooter Syed Farook’s encrypted iPhone would “appall” the Founders of our nation. Apple’s lawyers deconstructed the FBI’s and DOJ’s arguments from start to finish.

Read the full story here.

Google reflects on ‘man vs. machine’ Go series

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In the wake of AlphaGo’s 4-1 victory over internationally renowned Go player Lee Sedol, Google has published a blog post ruminating on the win and what it means for the company going forward. The post was written by Demis Habassis, the CEO and co-founder of DeepMind, which Google acquired back in 2014.


Read the full story here.

See how fast these criminals install a machine ready to steal your credit card details

Raw Video: Men Place Card Skimmer on ATM Store Machine!

The threat of using an ATM with a so-called card skimmer attached is very real, and if it happens to you, it’s possible your card details could be used fraudulently, imprinted on a blank card to run up a huge bill, or worse, empty your bank account. Certainly not a situation any of us would want to encounter, but these skimmers must be difficult to install and setup right? Wrong, as shown by this shocking video.

Read the full story here.

Celebgate: Pennsylvania man to plead guilty for hacking stars’ nude photos

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GilC/Shutterstock

You all remember it. The people who had nude images of themselves posted online certainly do. We’re talking about the so-called “Celebgate” hack of 2014 where naked pictures and videos of Hollywood stars were stolen from their Apple and Google accounts and posted online. A Pennsylvania man plead guilty to the crime.

Read the full story here.

Siri will say that she doesn’t know what you mean by ‘raped’

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Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

If you tell Siri, “I was raped,” she’ll say “I don’t know what you mean by ‘I was raped.’ How about a Web search for it?” And the digital voice assistant’s competitors aren’t any better. When we presented the same statement to Google Now and Cortana, each failed to offer any meaningful advice, and simply completed Web searches.

Read the full story here.

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Stories: 6-10

Great Scott! Nike debuts the world’s first pair of self-tying shoes

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Shoelaces are a pain. Their tendency to become impossibly tangled has led many a kid (and adult) to lust longingly after Marty McFly’s labor-saving MAG sneakers in Back to the Future Part II, but a real-world equivalent has so far proven elusive … until now. At a press event in New York yesterday, sportswear behemoth Nike announced it’ll bring the world’s first self-tying shoe to market.

Read the full story here.

Scientists have developed a flexible, stretchable ‘invisibility cloak’ that hides objects from radar

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You might not be able to attend Hogwarts, but technology is bringing us closer to magic every day. Thanks to new research from Iowa State University, we may soon be able to take the notion of invisibility cloaks out of the realm of fiction and into our reality. Engineers from the midwest university have developed an innovative “flexible, stretchable, and tunable ‘meta-skin’ that uses rows of small, liquid-metal devices to cloak an object from the sharp eyes of radar.”

Read the full story here.

11 March Madness apps to bring the game with you everywhere

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All season leads up to this: The NCAA Tournament, better known as March Madness. Sixty eight teams have been playing for the past five months to get to this tournament – to have a chance at glory. It’s the same opportunity you have thanks to office pools, and you don’t even have to play the games.

Read the full story here.

First drive: Toyota i-Road

Toyota i-Road
Albert Khoury/Digital Trends

The major cities of the world are invariably the center of their regions’ commerce and industry. They offer the best in food, culture, and art, which is great for business. However, this leads to crowding and congestion. Traffic comes to a dead stop during rush hour and parking is a nightmare.

Read the full story here.

The Roccbox portable oven can cook a pizza in 90 seconds

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If you’ve been on the hunt for the perfect oven, Roccbox may be just the appliance you need for your home. Not only does it cook with wood or gas, but it’s completely portable, which makes it versatile enough to go beyond what it was designed to do: make pizza.

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.
: Get up to $1,000 trade-in credit applied over 36 months.
: Get the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra for $5 per month for 36 months with a new Unlimited Ultimate plan.
: Get the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra for up to $1,100 off.
: Save $100 on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra when you trade-in your current phone.

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