There was a lot of buzz on the Internet on Tuesday.
Apple, the company that makes high-tech products like smart phones, tablets and iPods, introduced something completely new: a “smart watch.”
Technology
Paper Microscopes Will Make Science More Accessible
Manu Prakash, a scientist and professor at Stanford University in California, thinks all kids should have a chance to study science.
His new invention – an inexpensive paper microscope called the Foldscope – just might make that possible.
Google Wants To Be More “Diverse”
A major company says it wants to become more “diverse.”
Diverse in this case means it wants to hire more workers who come from different backgrounds or have different genders or are from different cultures.
Computer Company Accidentally Advertises Very Low Price
The computer company Lenovo advertised some very big discounts on its computers.
They offered the Y410p laptop at just $279. Its regular price is $1,389.
Cdn Government Relaxes Rules On Using Electronics On Planes
Canadian airline passengers will soon be allowed to use their electronic devices including cell phones, handheld gaming products and tablets while their plane is taking off and landing.
Tony Hawk “Hoverboard” Video A Hoax
Sometimes, things on the Internet seem too good to be true.
That’s when people may start to challenge them, asking questions to figure out what’s real and what’s made up.
That is what happened when a video showing people riding a “hoverboard” recently went viral.
The video was posted on a website by a “company” called HUVr Tech.
Facebook Founder Wants Internet For Everyone
Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, recently told the Mobile World Congress Conference that he wants to give five billion more people around the world access to the Internet.
Boy Invents Cheaper Braille Printer Using Lego
A 12-year-old boy has invented a Braille printer that costs about $1,650 less than the ones that are available today.
Shubham Banerjee is in grade seven in Santa Clara, California.
He used a Lego Mindstorms kit and added five dollars’ worth of parts he bought at a hardware store to create what he calls a Braigo.
His Braigo costs about $349 to make.
$40 Tablet Comes To Canada And The U.S.
Many people use tablet computers, like the Apple iPad or the Samsung Galaxy.
The small, flat computers, which you operate by swiping their surface with your fingers, are very expensive. They can cost as much as $800.
But one company, Datawind, says they have a tablet that sells for just $40.
Datawind’s tablet is called Ubislate, and it is already widely used in India.
Datawind has just launched Ubislate (pronounced oo-bee-slate) in Canada and the U.S. There is a lot of interest as well as debate over whether it offers enough speed, screen clarity and features.
Ubislate can’t do everything the expensive tablets do, but Toronto Star technology reporter Raju Mudhar used the tablet for a few days and said that what it does, it does well.
MAVEN Spacecraft Takes Off For Mars
This week, a “robotic explorer” left Earth on its way to Mars.
It should get there next September. Mars is more than 700 million kilometres away.
The explorer is going to Mars to try to solve some of the planet’s mysteries.
For instance, why is Mars now a cold, dry planet when it started out warm and wet?
The Associated Press reports that “the early Martian atmosphere was thick enough to hold water and possibly support microbial life.”
Scientists at NASA want to know what happened to change that.
