In this edition of the worldwide wrap, a British lord has created a device that runs on free electricity from the air and Samsung has denied allegations that it designed its TVs to consume less energy during tests.
Electricity from air: Drayson's idea
Free energy from the air is what entrepreneur and former science minister Lord Drayson has just unveiled at London's Royal Institution.
He claims that a technology called Freevolt can be the power source for the "Internet of things", allowing low energy devices from wearables to sensors to operate without being plugged in.
The technology involves harvesting radio frequency energy from existing wireless and broadcast networks, from 4G to digital television.
Via: BBC
Samsung denies cheating
Samsung Electronics has denied allegations that it designed its TVs to consume less energy during tests than they do in real-world situations.
The allegations, in a report by The Guardian, centre on a feature Samsung calls "motion lighting", which it introduced to its TVs in 2011.
Some Samsung TVs in Europe appeared to use less energy during independent laboratory tests than they do in real-world conditions, the newspaper reported, saying this raised questions about whether they had been programmed to game energy efficiency tests.
Via: PC World
Peeple: Yelp for people
A free app called Peeple has been developed that lets you rate friends, family members, colleagues and even your exes using a five-star system.
It has been dubbed 'Yelp for people' because of its similarity with the business-rating site, but has come under fire for being 'irresponsible' and 'horrible'.
It has been in development for the past year and is expected to launch on iOS next month. An Android version is still being worked on.
Via: Daily Mail
NFL drone use approved
The FAA has approved the NFL's request to use drones, making it the first major American sports league allowed to fly them.
The league's interest in drones has to do with its feted video production unit, NFL Films - it wants to use drones to capture aerial imagery instead of crewed aircraft.
It's allowed to do that now, but the exemption does include one important limitation: the league can only use drones to film empty stadiums.
Via: The Verge
Google buying messaging start-up
Google announced on Wednesday that it's buying messaging start-up Jibe Mobile for non-disclosed amount.
Jibe's technology is focused on a new version of SMS text messaging that is better able to handle features such as group chat, video chat and high-resolution photos.
Via: Business Insider
Uber executives may face prison time
Two European Uber executives are facing the possibility of prison in a French trial hinging on the ride-hailing service's lowest-cost service.
While that service has already been banned in France, the trial that started Wednesday reflects larger tensions in Europe about how to regulate new technologies that offer consumers greater options but threaten traditional industries.
Huffington Post
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