1. Bye bye RIM.
The smartphone revolution hasn’t been kind to Research In Motion.
Between the subpar BlackBerry Torch and Playbook, mediocre operating system, its ever-shrinking market share (3.4 percent in Q4 2012, compared to 20 percent in 2009) and a complete overhaul of its executive staff, RIM hasn’t had much to be happy about lately.
Then yesterday happened.
RIM rebranded itself as “BlackBerry” and launched a completely new OS, BlackBerry 10, in addition to the BlackBerry Z10, the first BB10 compatible device.
2. BlackBerry Z10 and BlackBerry 10
BlackBerry 10’s flagship device, the Z10, takes the same approach to design the PlayBook did — meaning it’s a black rectangle with almost no distinguishable features.
A 4.2-inch 1280×768 display covers most of the face of the device, while a 2 megapixel front-facing camera sits below the earpiece.
The back has a rubbery, slip-resistant coating and is removable, revealing a micro SD card slot, SIM card slot and removable (!) battery. There’s also an 8-megapixel camera with flash.
Early reviews of the phone say it’s good, but not great. A solid smartphone, but nothing we haven’t seen before.
The Verge’s Joshua Topolsky said:
“The problem with the Z10 is that it doesn’t necessarily do anything better than any of its competition…no one could argue that there’s a ‘killer app’ here.”
The same thing could be said of BB10. It’s a capable OS, more than capable in some areas (the keyboard is great, apparently,) but there’s nothing that would drive a iOS or Android user away from their respective ecosystems.
And that’s sad, because I don’t think BlackBerry can hold on for much longer. Three straight years of decline doesn’t exactly give investors and stockholders much confidence.
3. Do you want a tail?
That’s a serious question. Do you want a robotic tail that wags when you’re happy and doesn’t when you’re sad?
Yes?
Awesome. There’s an indiegogo project I’d like you to look at.
Finished looking at it? Okay. Go play in traffic.
This must be, without a doubt, the dumbest crowdfunding project I’ve ever seen. A robotic tail? Is that a thing? Is that fashionable in some place that isn’t Japan?
It comes in four colors: white, black, pink and “fox.”
Tailly, as it’s called, is perfect for “parties, while out with friends or playing with kids,” according to the website.
I literally can’t think of anything more terrifying than seeing grown adults walk around with robotic tails coming out of their pants.
The website also suggests having both you and your significant other wear one, to “add a level of subconscious communication between the two of you.”
I’m not saying robotic tails are a deal-breaker for me. But that’s exactly what I’m saying. I will run, screaming, away from any man, woman or child who voluntarily wraps this contraption around his or her waist.
There’s no way to take money away from indiegogo projects, is there? That’s the only way to stop something like this from existing.
Almost $6,000 of the $50,000 goal has been reached, and there’s more than a month left to get this product to the masses. Please don’t let this happen.
4. Which of your Facebook friends are DTF?
Every once in a while, the Internet spits something hilariously awful out.
Do you have that special Facebook friend you’d really like to have sex with, but face-to-face contact is simply too much? “Bang With Friends” is the app for you.
Users can type in the name of whichever Facebook friend they’d like to bone, and if the other person feels the same, both parties will get notified.
It’s like online dating, if by “dating” you mean “rampant fornication.”
The app garnered more than 20,000 users in four days, confirming that sex is still the one thing on everyone’s mind.
Though the app is clearly geared toward males (The app’s background is a scantily clad woman,) the creators told The Daily Beast that’s not the case. Around 1,000 couples have been mutually matched, so something about it appeals to some women, at least.
The app doesn’t currently allow for homosexual relationships, but that’s in the works, according to the creators.
“We’ll be honest with you, we made this in two hours… with a lot of Red Bull and vodka,” one of the creators said. “What we’re working on right now is building sexual preferences. I personally am completely towards gay rights. We want to give everyone this awesome access to finding people who want to bang.”
I won’t tell you to avoid this app. People will have sex with whoever they want (if the feeling is mutual, obviously.) Just make sure you set the privacy settings to “only me.”
“Bang With Friends” posts probably wouldn’t impress potential employers.
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That’s all for this week! Make sure to check back every Monday and Thursday for the latest and greatest in tech.
