April Fools' 2014: Jokes from Around the Web
Samsung intros Samsung Finger, a glove that features a super flexible “Super Emo-LED,” VideoLAN introduces its own electronic money, Opera launches feline-first web browser concept, and more.
The jokes presented below do not cover Google’s pranks. An article that focuses on the pranks Google pulled this April Fools' is available here.
Samsung Fingers - All-over-hand Wearable Device
Samsung decided to reinvent the classic use of the human hand and introduced Samsung Fingers, a weareable device that features a “flexible Super Emo-LED for the technology-sensitive consumer.”
The device, as you can see here, can do a lot. But the feature I found most interesting is “Flatulence Auditory Reproduction”. Pull a certain finger of Samsung Fingers and the device will reproduce a sound – the sound of flatulence, of course.
VideoLAN Intros CloudCodet and ConeCoins
VideoLAN, the team behind the properly good VLC media player, introduced a new distributed codec called CloudCodet and new electronic money ConeCoins
CloudCodet will help users run Ultra-HD videos on their smartphones, tablets, and old computers. As you may already know, new codecs need a lot of processing power, processing power that smartphones, tablets and old PCs simply don’t have. With CloudCodet, users with processing power to spare will help out those who don’t have enough power to run Hi-Quality videos.
What do you get for helping others run Hi-Quality videos? Since VideoLAN can’t give you real money, it will pay you with electronic money – the new ConeCoins.
“Every CPU cycle used to help other people decode their video and audio will be counted as "mining" and will earn you these ConeCoins. We will soon introduce a shop to exchange these coins for goodies like T-shirt, mugs, cones and chocolates!” said the VideoLAN Team.
Rovio and TPB Intro VR Headsets
Rovio Entertainment unwillingly disclosed that it is working on a VR headset called Eagle Eye, headset that comes bundled with the new Angry Birds Simulator. If you wanted to slingshot yourself at the bad piggies, Eagle Eye can make it happen.
The Pirate Bay (TPB) also introduced a virtual reality headset developed in cooperation with Russian, Israeli, and Japanese neuroscientists. The headset uses lasers to project images onto your retina. It uses special technology to cancel all noise from the outside world. And it uses a simple brain plugin to help you enter a movie or game.
Cats by Opera Software
Norwegian developer Opera Software presented a feline-first web browser concept: Cats by Opera. This is the first web browser that was specifically built for cats. To be used by cats mind you, not to be used to find funny videos and pictures of cats. The browser comes with innovative features such as, PawPredict, and Catimized Speed Dial.
“I noticed that my cat Admiral Fluffington III had a peculiar interest in the Coast by Opera web browser left open on my iPad,” says Huib Kleinhout, Senior Cat Coder at Opera Software. “When we go to work, my cats were just left at home with iPads sitting on the coffee table. It just made sense to give them something better to do other than snooze or cough-up hairballs. Now they can interact with the web, which is 92.3% cats anyways. That’s when I got the idea for Cats by Opera, based on our incredibly innovative Coast by Opera browser for iPad. My other cats, Pistols McMegatron and Dr. Snuggles, also love it.”
“This is a totally unexplored technology area, where Opera Software can be a first mover,” says Lars Boilesen, CEO, Opera Software. “A high-cAtRPU cat market such as UK has more than ten million cats, according to the 2006 UK Cat Census. In the end, does it really matter who or what the consumer is? For me, the most interesting content on the internet is made by animals, and especially cats. They create some fantastic videos on YouTube. This is a big opportunity for us to get a lot more users. A hairy project, but very doable.”
New Nokia 3310 with 41MP PureView Camera
I had a Nokia 3310 back in the year 2000 and I liked it a lot. It wasn’t the greatest phone, but it was sturdy and the battery lasted forever. Nokia announced that it will roll out a new Nokia 3310 – one with a 41MP PureView camera with Zeiss optics and Xenon flash. The new Nokia 3310 will run a custom version of Windows Phone 8.
“I’m really excited that we’ve found a way to marry our innovative PureView technology with such a beloved device. With its durable design and iconic look, we think even more people will enjoy our signature PureView magic,” said Juha Alakarhu, Nokia head of Imaging Technologies.
The jokes presented below do not cover Google’s pranks. An article that focuses on the pranks Google pulled this April Fools' is available here.
Samsung Fingers - All-over-hand Wearable Device
Samsung decided to reinvent the classic use of the human hand and introduced Samsung Fingers, a weareable device that features a “flexible Super Emo-LED for the technology-sensitive consumer.”
The device, as you can see here, can do a lot. But the feature I found most interesting is “Flatulence Auditory Reproduction”. Pull a certain finger of Samsung Fingers and the device will reproduce a sound – the sound of flatulence, of course.
VideoLAN Intros CloudCodet and ConeCoins
VideoLAN, the team behind the properly good VLC media player, introduced a new distributed codec called CloudCodet and new electronic money ConeCoins
CloudCodet will help users run Ultra-HD videos on their smartphones, tablets, and old computers. As you may already know, new codecs need a lot of processing power, processing power that smartphones, tablets and old PCs simply don’t have. With CloudCodet, users with processing power to spare will help out those who don’t have enough power to run Hi-Quality videos.
What do you get for helping others run Hi-Quality videos? Since VideoLAN can’t give you real money, it will pay you with electronic money – the new ConeCoins.
“Every CPU cycle used to help other people decode their video and audio will be counted as "mining" and will earn you these ConeCoins. We will soon introduce a shop to exchange these coins for goodies like T-shirt, mugs, cones and chocolates!” said the VideoLAN Team.
Rovio and TPB Intro VR Headsets
Rovio Entertainment unwillingly disclosed that it is working on a VR headset called Eagle Eye, headset that comes bundled with the new Angry Birds Simulator. If you wanted to slingshot yourself at the bad piggies, Eagle Eye can make it happen.
The Pirate Bay (TPB) also introduced a virtual reality headset developed in cooperation with Russian, Israeli, and Japanese neuroscientists. The headset uses lasers to project images onto your retina. It uses special technology to cancel all noise from the outside world. And it uses a simple brain plugin to help you enter a movie or game.
Cats by Opera Software
Norwegian developer Opera Software presented a feline-first web browser concept: Cats by Opera. This is the first web browser that was specifically built for cats. To be used by cats mind you, not to be used to find funny videos and pictures of cats. The browser comes with innovative features such as, PawPredict, and Catimized Speed Dial.
“I noticed that my cat Admiral Fluffington III had a peculiar interest in the Coast by Opera web browser left open on my iPad,” says Huib Kleinhout, Senior Cat Coder at Opera Software. “When we go to work, my cats were just left at home with iPads sitting on the coffee table. It just made sense to give them something better to do other than snooze or cough-up hairballs. Now they can interact with the web, which is 92.3% cats anyways. That’s when I got the idea for Cats by Opera, based on our incredibly innovative Coast by Opera browser for iPad. My other cats, Pistols McMegatron and Dr. Snuggles, also love it.”
“This is a totally unexplored technology area, where Opera Software can be a first mover,” says Lars Boilesen, CEO, Opera Software. “A high-cAtRPU cat market such as UK has more than ten million cats, according to the 2006 UK Cat Census. In the end, does it really matter who or what the consumer is? For me, the most interesting content on the internet is made by animals, and especially cats. They create some fantastic videos on YouTube. This is a big opportunity for us to get a lot more users. A hairy project, but very doable.”
New Nokia 3310 with 41MP PureView Camera
I had a Nokia 3310 back in the year 2000 and I liked it a lot. It wasn’t the greatest phone, but it was sturdy and the battery lasted forever. Nokia announced that it will roll out a new Nokia 3310 – one with a 41MP PureView camera with Zeiss optics and Xenon flash. The new Nokia 3310 will run a custom version of Windows Phone 8.
“I’m really excited that we’ve found a way to marry our innovative PureView technology with such a beloved device. With its durable design and iconic look, we think even more people will enjoy our signature PureView magic,” said Juha Alakarhu, Nokia head of Imaging Technologies.
