Gadgets & Tech – Spoken Edition

There’s a question I get way too often from a coworker. “When are we getting Snapdragon Surface devices?” The answer continues to be “I have no idea.” But today Lenovo’s announced the next best thing—a detachable two-in-one Windows 10 device with Snapdragon inside. Yeah, it’s basically a Snapdragon Surface.

Back in September, Tesla announced it was planning to create upscale convenience stores for its supercharger stations around the country. It was all pretty vague, but this weekend, Elon Musk got a little more specific. Specifically, he’s thinking there should be roller skates while you charge. Tesla’s chief technology officer J.B.

Anyone who’s read Fahrenheit 451 appreciates the awesome possible future where the walls of our homes are just televisions and we get to live in TV land. Well, Samsung just made that possibility a reality with a 146-inch MicroLED screen. It’s called The Wall, and it is breathtaking. First revealed at Samsung First Look, the Korean company’s big event at CES, The Wall lives up to its name not only because of its size but because of its promised functionality.

There are some shrimp species equipped with truly remarkable weaponry. The pistol shrimp’s massive claw closes with a powerful snap—louder than a gunshot, at 210 decibels—temporarily creating an air bubble with so much energy that it pops with an underwater shock wave and a flash of light and heat temporarily hotter than 9,000 degrees Fahrenheit. The shrimp use this impressive weapon to stun and kill prey.

You know the drill: when it snows on America’s East coast, everyone else has to read endless explanations of “weather bombs” and “polar vortices,” regardless of where on Earth they live. But you have to admit, this thing looks amazing. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s GOES satellite snapped this picture of winter storm Grayson hammering the United States’ East Coast.

So much of our extremely online lives now revolves around things like the president of the United States threatening to either nuke North Korea or show them his genitals (not sure which!) or worrying about massive security breaches. But hey, some of it also rules. Per NPR, one of the hottest trends on Chinese social media is now live-streaming rural life—things like agriculture, picking weeds, taking care of animals, or fishing and trapping freshwater creatures in rice paddies.

Are you having a hard time justifying the cost of Apple’s new $5,000+ iMac Pro? If you’re willing to part with the computer’s matching Space Gray-colored keyboard, mouse, and trackpad, which are only available with the desktop, you could sell them on eBay for obscene amounts and make some of your investment back.

After Apple admitted to slowing down older iPhones, the company tried to calm frustrated customers by dropping the price of out-of-warranty battery replacements from $79 to $29. Unfortunately, even that discount came with a catch, because unless your phone’s battery failed a diagnostic test at the Genius Bar, you wouldn’t actually be eligible for a cheaper replacement battery.

Chanticleer Holdings, the parent company of restaurants like Hooters and regional burger chains like Little Big Burger, announced today that it was putting its loyalty programs on the blockchain. And just like other companies that have recently issued press releases with the word “blockchain,” its stock price shot through the roof. The Nasdaq-listed stock, BURG, was up 50 percent this morning, jumping to $4.87 per share after the market opened.

Things may not go the way you plan in 2018. Maybe you won’t get that promotion, or stick to your New Year’s resolutions but the universe will keep ticking away like a finely tuned clock. The first day of the year will kick off with the “biggest full moon of 2018,” and many other huge events are on the way. Thankfully, there’s an easy solution to keep track of it all.