What’s new
Verizon is settling a $4.8 billion deal to buy Yahoo
The end of Yahoo as an independent company is near, and Verizon, long considered the leading contender to buy the ageing web pioneer, is the acquirer. This deal will end months of uncertainty about Yahoo’s future after the company announced plans to review strategic alternatives in February.
The transaction will boost Verizon’s AOL internet business, which the company acquired last year for $4.4 billion, by giving it access to Yahoo’s advertising technology tools, as well as other assets such as search, mail, messenger and real estate.
It will also mark the end of Yahoo as an operating company, leaving it only as the owner of a 35.5 percent stake in Yahoo Japan, as well as its 15 percent interest in Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba Group Holding Ltd (BABA.N).
You can read more about this subject here and here.
Huawei and Vodafone have completed the world’s first 5G outdoor field test
Huawei and Vodafone hit 20Gbps peak rate following the completion of a 5G e-band outdoor field test at Vodafone Emerald House in Newbury, United Kingdom
Huawei has claimed it is world’s first 5G outdoor field test using e-band to reach 20Gbps peak rate for a single user device with high spectrum efficiency, believing it can enable new applications and act as self-backhaul for 5G mobile service traffic, particularly due to soaring mobile broadband communications traffic and the emergence of 5G network.
More info are available here.
New products
Sony Unveils “Z Series” Flagship Line of 4K HDR TVs
The Z Series will be available in three sizes: 65-inch, 75-inch, and 100-inch models, with the 65- and 75-inch sizes available now for pre-order.
According to Sony, the new Z Series wields the “Backlight Master Drive,” a newly engineered full-array LED backlight system that Sony first demonstrated as a prototype during CES in January. The Z Series would appear to be the fruit of that labor, and may be Sony’s most technologically advanced TV ever.
Detailed info can be found here.
The Speed X Leopard Pro is a smart road bike with GPS built-in
The SpeedX Leopard Pro is available for preorder now through the SpeedX website for $2,500. A more affordable model with a slightly different components, called the SpeedX Leopard, can be had for $1,400.
As for the specs the frame and fork are made from a mix of T1000 and T800 carbon fiber. The handlebars and seat post are also made from carbon. This makes the bike incredibly light, with a weight of just over 17 pounds. What makes the Leopard smart is the built-in GPS, altimeter and speed sensors, which essentially replaces the need for a separate bike computer. These sensors are used to measure moving time, distance, speed, altitude, cadence, calorie burn and can provide navigation. There’s also Bluetooth and ANT+ built-in for connecting a power meter or heart-rate sensor.
You can find a full review and read more here.
You might want to know about this
Microsoft’s free Windows 10 upgrade ends on July 29th
If Microsoft’s pushy upgrade notifications weren’t enough to compel you to install Windows 10, then maybe a looming deadline is. A license will set you back at least $119 after that date.
In case you’re still undecided, you can check out a review and the news can be found here.
A Melbourne developer is connecting 49 homes equipped with solar panels and batteries to create a mini grid
This will see them share power and cut consumption from the conventional grid by up to 70 per cent.
Codstream, the company of local resident and campaigner Ramon Collodetti, is creating the network for the 20 homes and 29 apartments in its $30 million Merri Green development in Northcote. While it will permit households to cut their power bills, it also shows the great challenge to traditional electricity retailers of suburban residents using improving technology to create their own networks and rely less on commercial grids.
You can read more here.
Fun stuff
Zencrate is a smart hideaway for your anxious pooch
Zencrate’s designers bill it as the “first-ever, smart anti-anxiety dog crate.” Zencrate’s sensors detect when a pooch has entered the enclosure and then plays calming music that was “selected based on research studies.” There are over 1,000 songs, so even your dog won’t get sick of the music too quickly.
Its smartness goes beyond that. An available Wi-Fi camera transmits data, texts, and emails to the dog owner.
Its Kickstarter campaign is set to launch this summer but until then you can find more info here.
