News you need to know
The Apple Watch reviews are in
This week, a bunch of the first Apple Watch reviews went online. Opinions vary, but most agree that even Apple's first attempt at a smartwatch has hit it out of the park compared to that of others so far.
What's interesting is reading technology site reviewers saying the Watch is cumbersome and confusing, while fashion sites praised it for how easy it is to use. It shows how this device appeals to a wider audience much more than just those that are technical.
The Apple Watch went up for pre-order on Friday and shipping dates have already slipped out to June and July for many models, showing either high demand or very constrained supply. I'm looking forward to finally trying one myself.
Facebook Launches Messenger for Web Browsers
That's right, Facebook launched an entirely separate site on messenger.com for its updated Messenger service this week. The new site resembles a cross between the iPad app and phone app, but works on your desktop and supports the new Messenger Platform features.
This is a big deal, although it's kind of odd that it didn't update the main interface at the same time.
Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge bends under same weight as Apple's iPhone 6 Plus
The irony is so perfect: Samsung's latest phone bends easily too, after the company chastised Apple on the launch of the iPhone 6 for making a bendable phone. Samsung went got pissed about the allegations and lashed out at the author of the video for "misleading consumers."
It couldn't get any better.
John Oliver Interviews Edward Snowden On Government Spying
This great, surprise interview of Edward Snowden by John Oliver is worth your time. It's the most eloquent interview on government surveillance yet and makes it so much easier to understand why you should care.
FYI
Here's what you might have missed:
- Android Wear support is coming to the iPhone soon
- Apple’s new Beats Music service will use exclusives from artists like Taylor Swift to lure you
- Snapchat cut off a bunch of third-party apps, again
- Twitter killed its discover tab but now offers more useful trends
- The 2015 MacBook reviews are in
- Twitter finally fixed the retweet with quote option
- Photos for Mac finally landed
Must reads
How to pretend to be happy on the Internet
A great read by my friend Selena on how many of us pretend to be happy online by filtering what we share on social media. As she went through a hard time, she discovered just how easy it is to hide our true feelings from the Internet.
If you read nothing else this week, I highly recommend this.
Planes Without Pilots
How automated do you think your next flight will be? It might be less than you think:
"In a recent survey of airline pilots, those operating Boeing 777s reported that they spent just seven minutes manually piloting their planes in a typical flight. Pilots operating Airbus planes spent half that time."
The Secret History of the Apple Watch
The Apple Watch started life as a velcro strap that held the iPhone to your wrist, before it evolved into what it is today.
As the team struggled to find the reason to release a Watch, it stumbled upon it: "Your phone is ruining your life."
Slack's Stewart Butterfield, in His Own Words
A really awesome interview with Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield on what it was like shutting down his previous startup, income inequality and a whole lot more. I've got so much respect for how Stewart thinks about the world, even at the top of the startup game.
5G: What It Is, What It Isn't, And What It Could Be
You've probably just got on 4G speeds and now you're wondering why we're even mentioning 5G so soon, right? Well, it's not that far away anymore and the possibilities it could offer are probably wildly beyond what you'd expect.
This is a great overview cutting through the noise of what 5G is and how it could change the world around us.
Trending Products
Microsoft’s Office Lens app turns your iPhone or Android phone into a powerful scanner
Most of us have done it at least once: you're in a meeting and jot a ton of notes on a whiteboard that you need to save for later. Usually, you'll just take a photo on your iPhone and transcribe it yourself.
This new Microsoft app allows you to take a photo of that whiteboard and move around objects, text and edit them fully.
