Weekly Tech Recap - № 176 - Surface Go, Apple prototypes, RSTAR robot, Teams and Big Clapper
New Surface Go tablet
Surface Go. © Microsoft.
Microsoft launched the Surface Go, a new entry-level tablet which is basically a smaller version of the Surface Pro, at a wallet-friendly price of US$400 (US$500 with the Type Cover keyboard). It features a 10-inch touchscreen with a 1800 x 1200 pixel resolution (217 ppi), an Intel Pentium Gold 4415Y processor with either 4 GB or 8GB of RAM and 64GB of eMMC storage or a 128GB SSD. Measuring 24.5 x 17.5 cm, it weighs 520 g and has a battery life of about 9 hours. The Go comes with Windows 10 with S mode enabled, so it only provides access to the Edge browser and to Microsoft Store applications. As with other devices that come with S mode, owners will be able to upgrade to the full version of Windows 10 for free. The Surface Go is available for pre-order and will ship in August.
⇨ Circuit Breaker, “Microsoft’s Surface Go tablet has a 10-inch screen and starts at $399.”
Collection of Apple prototypes
Macintosh Portable prototype (M5126, 1990). © Hap Plain.
CNBC has produced a story on the world’s largest collection of Apple prototypes. Over the last 10 years, Henry “Hap” Plain collected over 250 prototypes of Apple products, which are rare items by definition. Aside from numerous Macintoshes, there are also Apple IIs, Lisas, Ipods, iPhones, a Newton MessagePad 110, an Apple Network Server, an Xserve G4 and even a prototype of a clear-shelled ImageWriter II (1985) printer and Macintosh clones from the Michael Spindler era. Hap sometimes sells one of his prototypes on eBay. Over the last few months, he has sold a Macintosh SE (1987) prototype for US$22,600 and a Macintosh Portable (1990) prototype for US$16,225. In the interview, Plain states that he recently tried to sell a Lisa prototype with Developers ROM and that the price had climbed to just under US$100,000 when the sale was blocked by Apple’s lawyers. “They are not very keen on having individuals sell prototypes on ecommerce websites”.
⇨ 9to5Mac, “Take a look at the world’s largest collection of Apple prototypes.”
Rising STAR Robot
Rising STAR. © David Zarrouk.
David Zarrouk, professor at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, unveiled Rising STAR, a robot with amazing locomotion skills that can crawl like a turtle or roll on wheels, as it pleases. The neatest aspect of its locomotion is its variable geometry, with allows it to select a locomotion strategy based on its environment: it can negotiate a variety of obstacles without flipping over and move over all types of surfaces, including sand, and climb vertically up small spaces, like tubing. RSTAR’s top speed is about 1m/s on hard surfaces. Spectrum’s reporters dish about Zarrouk’s talent for creating multipurpose robots with minimal hardware. Watch the video!
⇨ IEEE Spectrum, “Sprawling wheel leg robot crawls and climbs.”
Microsoft Teams takes on Slack
Teams. © Microsoft.
It looks like Microsoft is out to overtake Slack on the enterprise chatting and messaging market, offering Microsoft Teams for free. Of course, the free version has some limitations, but they are far less restrictive than Slack’s. For example, Microsoft doesn’t limit the number of archived messages you can view, whereas Slack has a 10,000 message limit, which can be quickly reached in a company of several dozen employees, making it unsuited for a true enterprise environment. Teams also supports group voice and video calling, while free Slack restricts you to 1:1 video calling. Microsoft is also promoting features to come later this year, like a background blur for video chatting. This will come as a godsend for people who work at home: no need to worry about messy rooms or the mischievous, unprofessional cat that always finds its way in the background.
⇨ Ars Technica, “Microsoft finally gives Teams what it needs to take on Slack: A free version.”
Big Clapper is just weird
ビッグクラッピ. © Bye Bye World.
Big Clapper is a one-meter tall robot that looks like a stand-mounted tomato with hands coming out of its top. The robot’s main goal in life is to clap its hands in various modes: one clap, three claps, continuous clapping, on-demand claps, clapping to music, clapping and talking. Its eyes are designed to make it seem like it’s always looking at you, which adds a layer of weirdness. Big Clapper started life as an art project by Japanese designer Masato Takahashi, and is now on Kickstarter to raise funds for a larger production run. If you need a cheering squad in your life, you can have it now for US$4,500.
⇨ Circuit Breaker, “Big Clapper is a $4,500 robot that will applaud you until the day you die.”
