The 50 most influential gadgets of all time, Apple suffers an intellectual blow in China, how a 10-year-old discovered an Instagram bug, Giphy launches a GIF keyboard, and the longest hoverboard ride ever recorded, probably.
Time Names the Most Influential Gadgets
Time has named The 50 Most Influential Gadgets of All Time, and the list covers everything from Google Glass to the iPhone. These are, according to Time, the gadgets that "changed the course of technology for good". Some are the first of their kind, while others brought existing ideas into the mainstream; a skill Apple is particularly good at.
You should click through to Time to see the whole list, as it makes for fascinating reading. Companies such as IBM, Nintendo, BlackBerry, Sony, Polaroid, and Amazon all feature, as well as some long-forgotten entities such as Jerrold and Phonemate. However, the Top 10, which are the really important gadgets on this list, are as follows:
- Apple iPhone
- Sony Trinitron
- Apple Macintosh
- Sony Walkman
- IBM Model 5150
- Victrola Record Player
- Regency TR-1 Transistor Radio
- Kodak Brownie Camera
- Apple iPod
- Magic Wand
The number one is sure to be a controversial choice, as most people either love or hate Apple, its products, and its business model. However, the influence the iPhone has had on the world is surely not in question. It may not have been the first smartphone, but it was the one which set the standard by which all future smartphones have been judged.
Apple also has two other gadgets in the Top 10, namely the Macintosh and iPod. Like the iPhone, these weren't the first of their kind, but they made good on a concept's promise, bringing new technologies into the mainstream. So perhaps the innovation argument currently harming Apple's bottom line shouldn't be given too much credence.
Apple Loses iPhone Trademark in China
Apple has lost the exclusive rights to the iPhone name in China, with a firm selling leather goods also granted permission to use the name. As reported by BBC News, the Beijing Municipal High People's Court ruled in favor of Xintong Tiandi Technology, which makes handbags and mobile phone cases, amongst other things.
Xintong Tiandi applied for the "IPHONE" trademark for leather goods in 2007, and it was granted in 2010. Apple applied for the same trademark for electronic goods in 2002, but it wasn't granted until 2013. The court claimed Apple couldn't prove it was a well-known brand in China in 2007, and indeed the iPhone didn't go on sale there until 2009.
This further weakens Apple's prospects in China, with falling sales having already contributed to Apple's recent disappointing financial results. Apple sees China as its second most-important market after North America, so any further issues are sure to have a knock-on effect.
10-Year-Old Hacks Instagram
A 10-year-old boy has discovered a bug in Instagram, and been awarded $10,000 for informing the company. Jani, from Helsinki in Finland, decided to test Instagram's comments section, inserting harmful code enabling him to delete any and all comments on everyone's accounts.
Jani immediately emailed Instagram, which then fixed the vulnerability. And as part of Facebook's bug bounty program, Jani received $10,000 for his geeky detective skills. Proof if proof were needed that the younger generations have an innate ability to understand technology.
Giphy Launches GIF Keyboard for iOS
https://www.anrdoezrs.net/links/7251228/type/dlg/sid/UUmuoUeUpU49022/https://vimeo.com/164632818
Giphy has launched a GIF keyboard called Giphy Keys. This is an iOS keyboard for your iPhone or iPad which puts all of the GIFs in Giphy's extensive library at your fingertips. This makes it much easier to drop a GIF randomly into a conversation.
If this was just GIFs, GIFs, and more GIFs it would be pretty useless, but thankfully Giphy Keys includes a regular ol' keyboard (with letters and everything!). So, you can type most things normally, but then paste GIFs in as and when you see fit without needing to open another app.
You can download Giphy Keys for iOS [No Longer Available] for free right now, with an Android version sure to follow.
Is This a New Hoverboard World Record?
And finally, Franky Zapata claims to have broken the world record for the longest distance traveled on a flying hoverboard. Zapata reportedly achieved the feat using the Flyboard Air he and his company unveiled in April, and has released video footage to prove it. Even Guinness is convinced.
Unfortunately for Zapata, the Internet is full of cynics, and people still aren't buying the veracity of the story. Still, Zapata claims to have flown 2,252 meters, which would, if true, completely obliterate the old record. So why do I and many others still have lingering doubts about this whole thing?
Your Views on Today’s Tech News
Do you agree with Time's list of the most influential gadgets? What do you think of Apple losing the iPhone trademark in China? What's your reaction to a 10-year-old having hacked Instagram? Will you be installing Giphy Keys on your iPhone? Do you believe that hoverboard footage is real and untouched?
Let us know your thoughts on the Tech News of the day by posting to the comments section below. Because a healthy discussion is always welcome.
Tech News Digest is a daily column paring the technology news of the day down into bite-sized chunks that are easy to read and perfect for sharing.
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