In the tech world, a lot happens in a week. Too much, in fact, for mere mortals with real lives to keep track of everything. That’s why we’ve compiled a quick and dirty list of the top 10 tech stories from this week. From saying goodbye to 16 years of Jon Stewart, to Lexus finally showing off its mag-lev hoverboard in action — it’s all here.
Remembering 16 years of Jon Stewart, as he signs off the Daily Show forever
This week, we said our goodbyes to Jon Stewart, the man who’s been at the helm of the Daily Show for the past 16 years. He called out the news media for absurd coverage, led us through bleak situations with grace, and cheerfully mocked politicians along the way. It’s been a great journey, and Stewart introduced us to many new talented comedians like Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, and John Oliver. Here’s to you, Jon!
The future is here: Women can finally charge their iPhones in their jeans
Joe’s Jeans, an apparel company based out of Los Angeles, has developed a new denim line called #HelloJeans, which let you charge your iPhone on the go. For $190, women can buy a pair of jeans with a special opening for a battery pack that charges their phones. Of course, the battery pack isn’t included with the jeans, so that’s another $50.
HBO Now arrives on Chromecast along with Travel Channel, Food Network, and others
At this year’s Google I/O, it was announced that HBO Now would come to Android and Chromecast this summer. It was just last month Android devices saw HBO Now support, and now it’s available on Chromecast. Fans can catch up on Game of Thrones, True Detective, and watch every season of Girls. Both the Travel Channel and Food Network have added Chromecast to their mobile apps as well.
Tesla issues software patch after hackers take control of a Model S
American researchers have discovered that there are six security flaws with the Tesla Model S that let hackers take control of the vehicle. Kevin Mahaffey, the chief technology offers of cyber security firm Lookout, and March Rogers, the principal security researcher at Cloudflare, say they chose to hack into a Tesla because they wanted to understand software better than most car makers. Tesla has since patched the issue.
Spit in a tube to get a personalized health regimen based on your genes
It can be challenging to finding a solution to losing weight, or maintaining a healthy lifestyle. There’s a new app that aims to set us on the road to health, and it makes its suggestions based on our actual DNA. You can take the Pathway Fit Test, at the price of $100 through the newly released Pathway Genomics iOS app. All you need to do is request a test kit through the app, provide some saliva in the supplied tube, and send it back. Pathway will then analyze your DNA to come up with the diet, lifestyle, and nutritional needs that will best suit your body.
Next page: 5 more tech stories you might have missed this week
Facebook launches live-streaming feature, but for celebs only
Facebook is getting into the live-streaming video trend with a new feature called “Live,” which is only available to celebrities and other public figures that want to create and share videos with their fans from all over the world. Fans can comment on videos and like or share celebrities’ live videos while watching. According to Facebook, celebrities such as Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, Serena Williams, and Ashley Tisdale will the first to use the new Live feature.
It’s real! Lexus finally shows off its mag-lev hoverboard in action
Marty McFly told us the hoverboard would be here in 2015, and we’ve seen a few prototypes, but now Lexus finally showed its mag-lev hoverboard in action. The company has no plans to actually sell the board, but it’s pretty amazing to see the thing hovering around the specially built “hoverpark” in Cubelles, Barcelona, in Spain.
Twitter’s News tab lets you know what’s going on in the world today
Jack Dorsey said during an earnings briefing in July, that Twitter should be “the first thing everyone in the world checks before they start their day.” Earlier this week, Twitter started to experiment with a “Featured News” tab that highlights trending news items in its iOS and Android applications. It’s under development, but the feature is currently live in Japan.
Apple Music surpasses 11 million members, but faces challenges
While Apple Music may be one of the newest music streaming services, it’s already competing with services like Spotify. Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet software and services, told USA Today that the service has reached more than 11 million members in the past five weeks since its debut. Cue said, almost 2 million of those are paying subscribers who’ve opted for the $15 a month family plan.
Pentagon hit by cyber attack, sources suspect Russian involvement
U.S. officials told NBC News that Russia is responsible for launching a “sophisticated cyber attack” against the Pentagon’s Joint Staff unclassified email system. The system has been taken offline for almost two weeks. The “sophisticated cyber attack” took place on or around July 25, and personal information belonging to 4,000 military and civilian workers was stolen.
