The Funny Pranks Tech Companies Pulled on April Fools' 2016
April 1st is the one time of year when pulling pranks isn’t frowned upon, when you’re actually encouraged to pull pranks on others. It’s a day dedicated to joking around, so why not have a little fun?
Google got in on the fun, like it does every year, and so did several other tech companies. Take a look below to see some funny jokes from around the web on April Fools' 2016.
Samsung announces the Internet of Trousers
The Internet of Trousers is a new fashion range from Samsung Electronics, a world leader on the Internet of Things (IoT) market. These IoT-enabled smart pants feature innovative functions such as:
“The intelligent trousers, which combine the latest in high-tech with high fashion, were designed to address the pain points of everyday apparel. Samsung has made smarter fashion a reality by embedding the new garments with ARTIK Smarter Fashion chip modules, which communicate with the Smarter Fabric Care app,” Samsung explained.
Browser-maker Opera expands to a new platform: Paper
“After 20 years of developing successful browsers and apps that have been part of the lives of millions of people on the iOS/MAC, Android, Windows and Linux platforms, Opera is glad to announce that we are now expanding onto a new platform: paper,” Angela Wang announced.
Opera introduced Paper Products, a new line of technology that is based on paper.
These are simple, minimalist and environmentally friendly Paper Products for home.
And Paper Product Business Premium for work.
HERE Roomer, an automatic vacuum cleaner that won’t bump into things
The problem with automatic vacuum cleaners is that they have a hard time getting around, always bumping into things as they make their way across the floor. HERE, the company behind the HERE Maps app that is no longer available for Windows 10, aims to fix this with HERE Roomer (coming to market in the 3rd quarter of 2016).
According to HERE, there are several advantages to using HERE Roomer:
“Now is the time for automated vacuum cleaners to come of age. Our highest resolution maps to date will allow cleaning at up to 5cm accuracy – and the maps will self-heal, so that they are always updated,” said HERE head of indoor hardware, Friedrich Staubsauger.
When asked how HERE Roomer will handle stairs, Staubsauger had the following to say:
“The device can be simply lifted and replaced on the adjacent stair. This simple action just needs to be performed every 90 seconds, for each stair you have.”
The Streeter, a larger version of the Roomer, is currently in development. It will be used to clean the streets and, at the same time, help keep HERE street maps up-to-date. The problem is that it has the annoying habit of occasionally ingesting small dogs and cats. But Staubsauger is confident this bug will be fixed in the future.
Virgin America has a new logo
“We hope you love this logo as much as we do," said Virgin America. "We think this new face for our brand will not only upend the design norm, but also fundamentally change the entire world for the better. When you look at this logo, you’re not just looking at a drawing or shapes. You’re looking at what it means to be human. It’s a reminder that Virgin America is more than just a company that moves people from point A to point B – it’s a way of being. We truly understand the essence of humanity, and when you fly on our aircraft, you feel it.”
Sony presents the Proton Pack ghostbusting device
Sony successfully developed the world’s first ghost catching device. Say hello to the Proton Pack, a new device that uses the latest innovations from Sony to catch and contain spiritual entities.
And it’s water and slime resistant.
NVIDIA presents the GeForce GTX ENERGY… drink
If you want to be an eSports superstar, you need the best hardware money can buy, and you need a proper energy drink as well. Say hello to NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX ENERGY drink. By using a groundbreaking new chemical combination called EnergyWorks, this drink improves reaction times far more than other energy drinks.
“Improved response times. Faster input speeds. Longer, more focused gaming sessions. GeForce GTX ENERGY is the world’s first energy drink designed specifically for PC gaming - delivering 43% faster reaction times than the leading energy drink,” NVIDIA explained.
Kaspersky Lab invents "International Tin Foil Hat Day"
Did you know that the mind-reading-preventing tin foil hat was invented 120 years ago? To celebrate this occasion, security company Kaspersky Lab came up with International Tin Foil Hat Day. There are a lot of dangers out there, and your only protection is, you’ve guessed it, a tin foil hat.
“How long has it been since you were last alone? Probably never! Even within the walls of your skull you’re never really alone. For enemies are everywhere — since time immemorial trying to get a glimpse of your thoughts and — worse! — to influence them. What’s more, there are a lot of enemies out there: evil spirits, secret government departments, intelligent dried fruit, beginner-mega-corporations, aliens… to name just a few,” says a post on the official Kaspersky Labs blog, post penned by Albert Einstein.
The post includes a photo of the Kaspersky Lab team donning several types of tin foil hats.
Razer’s working on Project BreadWinner
With Project BreadWinner, Razer is working on the most requested product in the history of gaming.
“Project BreadWinner is a crowd sourced project dedicated to providing gamers with the number #1 source of gaming fuel around the world – Toast. Introducing the world’s first gaming grade kitchen appliance built for gamers, by gamers. Bread to Win,” says Razer on the BreadWinner website.
T-Mobile's brand new Binge On Up
Watch whatever you want, whenever you want to, thanks to T-Mobile's new hands-free device, the Binge On Up.
OpenTable intros Lickable Photos
OpenTable, the online real-time restaurant-reservation service, thinks you should always try before you buy. That's why it released Lickable Photos, exclusively available on the OpenTable app.
OnePlus #GetSandstoned
OnePlus, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer whose mission is to make good things even better, introduced a new line of lifestyle products under the name GetSandstoned.
Tesla’s new product line: the Model W
The W stands for Watch.
“This incredible new device from Tesla doesn't just tell the time, it also tells the date. What's more, it is infinitely adjustable, able to tell the time no matter where you are on Earth. Japan, Timbuktu, California, anywhere! This will change your life. Reality as you know it will never be the same,” said Tesla.
The only downside is that you'll need the wrist strength of an orangutan to wear it, as Tesla explained.
Moshi's next generation of AirPlay, SpatiaFlight
The latest firmware update that Moshi released unlocks Spatia’s voice-controlled Flight mode. You see, the device features FAA-approved internal levitation technology, meaning the SpatiaFlight can follow you around and give your life the soundtrack it deserves.
Lexus V-LCRO Technology
Lexus presents the next advancement in man-machine interface: the V-LCRO Performance Driving Seat for the Lexus RC F and GS F.
Dulingo Pillow: learn a new language while you sleep
Duolingo presents its first-ever hardware product, the Duolingo Pillow, available as a Spanish, French, Italian and Japanese version.
“The Pillow is a natural progression of Duolingo’s approach to making language learning as easy, convenient and enjoyable as possible,” said Duolingo CEO and co-founder, Luis von Ahn. “We were proud to have enabled over 120 million people to learn a language in just five minutes every day with Duolingo… but then it struck me: what if we could bring that number down to 0 minutes a day?”
Blizzard Entertainment presents Hearthstone: The MMO
PhoneBuff says flip phones are better than smartphones
Landlines are better than smartphones too!
Use your Zenfone Max to charge a Tesla
The video below explains how you can use your ASUS Zenfone Max to charge a Tesla electric car.
Look your best with Logitech's BeautyCam
Need to look your best in a video conference but your partied like an animal the night before? Logitech's Product Development team has just the thing: the new BeautyCam, which comes with an on-board processor and software that enables real-time airbrushing and image cleanup.
Everything you wanted to know about Roach
You know, the horse from "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt", the award0winning open-world action role-playing video game developed by CD Projekt RED.
Arma's "Eau de Combat" fragrance for players
"Designed for those who love risk-taking, this brand new perfume appeals to your most basic instincts with the captivating scent of battle," says the fragrance's description.
Meet Nyko's revolutionary EgoBooster1337 controller
The EgoBooster1337 controller has a dedicated compliment button that offers words of encouragement, a win button that rage quits for you, a toxicity filter that screens out the bad comments, and plenty of other cool things.
ARK: Survival Evolved becomes ARK: Survival Devolved
The most realistic survival simulator ever where, are you ready for this, dinosaurs ride humans.
Final Fantasy XIV presents ChocoGo
ChocoGo by Final Fantasy XIV is a new ridesharing service – a 100% green, chocobo-driven transportation initiative.
Maximum Novadrive, a new game from the creators of StarCraft II
"As Nova Terra, the best ghost in the Dominion, you will take to the mean streets of Sharpsburg with a fully customized vulture-class hover cycle," Blizzard explained. "Navigate freeways depicted in stunning 16-bit graphics that almost let you smell the exhaust as Nova struggles against inattentive drivers and poorly enforced traffic laws!"
HeavyBubbles mineral water
I know, I know, this has nothing to do with tech. But it's funny, so it deserves mentioning.
Professional strongman Hafthór Júlíus Björnsson, a.k.a. The Mountain from Game of Thrones, presents a fictional brand of sparkling mineral water called HeavyBubbles.
Google got in on the fun, like it does every year, and so did several other tech companies. Take a look below to see some funny jokes from around the web on April Fools' 2016.
Samsung announces the Internet of Trousers
The Internet of Trousers is a new fashion range from Samsung Electronics, a world leader on the Internet of Things (IoT) market. These IoT-enabled smart pants feature innovative functions such as:
- Wi-Fly – you’ll receive a notification on your phone if your fly is open. The ZipARTIK module will send a series of notifications to your smartphone to save you from embarrassment.
- Get Up! Alert – you’ll receive a “get up off that thing” notification after 1 hour of inactivity. And a mild electrical shock after 3 hours.
- Keep-Your-Pants-On Mode – the Bio-Processor in the pants checks your heart rate and perspiration level and if they’re too high, you’ll get a reminder on the importance of keeping your cool.
- Fridge Lock – the embedded ARTIK chip module will lock the fridge door if the tension around your waist gets too high. The door will unlock only with consent from a designated person such as your mother or significant other.
“The intelligent trousers, which combine the latest in high-tech with high fashion, were designed to address the pain points of everyday apparel. Samsung has made smarter fashion a reality by embedding the new garments with ARTIK Smarter Fashion chip modules, which communicate with the Smarter Fabric Care app,” Samsung explained.
Browser-maker Opera expands to a new platform: Paper
“After 20 years of developing successful browsers and apps that have been part of the lives of millions of people on the iOS/MAC, Android, Windows and Linux platforms, Opera is glad to announce that we are now expanding onto a new platform: paper,” Angela Wang announced.
Opera introduced Paper Products, a new line of technology that is based on paper.
These are simple, minimalist and environmentally friendly Paper Products for home.
And Paper Product Business Premium for work.
HERE Roomer, an automatic vacuum cleaner that won’t bump into things
The problem with automatic vacuum cleaners is that they have a hard time getting around, always bumping into things as they make their way across the floor. HERE, the company behind the HERE Maps app that is no longer available for Windows 10, aims to fix this with HERE Roomer (coming to market in the 3rd quarter of 2016).
According to HERE, there are several advantages to using HERE Roomer:
- It uses indoor-mapping technology to understand the layout of your home and the most efficient routes. This translates to energy savings of up to 20%.
- House maps are cross-checked against existing architectural plans in the cloud to ensure veracity.
- Roomer won’t knock into furniture because it knows where obstacles are from the map.
- Built-in sensors update the map on-the-fly when furniture is rearranged – and the technology includes algorithms to ignore temporary obstacles such as discarded shoes or shopping bags.
- The maps are cloud-enabled. Just log into your HERE account to sync the most recent maps from HERE’s location cloud.
“Now is the time for automated vacuum cleaners to come of age. Our highest resolution maps to date will allow cleaning at up to 5cm accuracy – and the maps will self-heal, so that they are always updated,” said HERE head of indoor hardware, Friedrich Staubsauger.
When asked how HERE Roomer will handle stairs, Staubsauger had the following to say:
“The device can be simply lifted and replaced on the adjacent stair. This simple action just needs to be performed every 90 seconds, for each stair you have.”
The Streeter, a larger version of the Roomer, is currently in development. It will be used to clean the streets and, at the same time, help keep HERE street maps up-to-date. The problem is that it has the annoying habit of occasionally ingesting small dogs and cats. But Staubsauger is confident this bug will be fixed in the future.
Virgin America has a new logo
“We hope you love this logo as much as we do," said Virgin America. "We think this new face for our brand will not only upend the design norm, but also fundamentally change the entire world for the better. When you look at this logo, you’re not just looking at a drawing or shapes. You’re looking at what it means to be human. It’s a reminder that Virgin America is more than just a company that moves people from point A to point B – it’s a way of being. We truly understand the essence of humanity, and when you fly on our aircraft, you feel it.”
Sony presents the Proton Pack ghostbusting device
Sony successfully developed the world’s first ghost catching device. Say hello to the Proton Pack, a new device that uses the latest innovations from Sony to catch and contain spiritual entities.
And it’s water and slime resistant.
NVIDIA presents the GeForce GTX ENERGY… drink
If you want to be an eSports superstar, you need the best hardware money can buy, and you need a proper energy drink as well. Say hello to NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX ENERGY drink. By using a groundbreaking new chemical combination called EnergyWorks, this drink improves reaction times far more than other energy drinks.
“Improved response times. Faster input speeds. Longer, more focused gaming sessions. GeForce GTX ENERGY is the world’s first energy drink designed specifically for PC gaming - delivering 43% faster reaction times than the leading energy drink,” NVIDIA explained.
Kaspersky Lab invents "International Tin Foil Hat Day"
Did you know that the mind-reading-preventing tin foil hat was invented 120 years ago? To celebrate this occasion, security company Kaspersky Lab came up with International Tin Foil Hat Day. There are a lot of dangers out there, and your only protection is, you’ve guessed it, a tin foil hat.
“How long has it been since you were last alone? Probably never! Even within the walls of your skull you’re never really alone. For enemies are everywhere — since time immemorial trying to get a glimpse of your thoughts and — worse! — to influence them. What’s more, there are a lot of enemies out there: evil spirits, secret government departments, intelligent dried fruit, beginner-mega-corporations, aliens… to name just a few,” says a post on the official Kaspersky Labs blog, post penned by Albert Einstein.
The post includes a photo of the Kaspersky Lab team donning several types of tin foil hats.
Razer’s working on Project BreadWinner
With Project BreadWinner, Razer is working on the most requested product in the history of gaming.
“Project BreadWinner is a crowd sourced project dedicated to providing gamers with the number #1 source of gaming fuel around the world – Toast. Introducing the world’s first gaming grade kitchen appliance built for gamers, by gamers. Bread to Win,” says Razer on the BreadWinner website.
T-Mobile's brand new Binge On Up
Watch whatever you want, whenever you want to, thanks to T-Mobile's new hands-free device, the Binge On Up.
OpenTable intros Lickable Photos
OpenTable, the online real-time restaurant-reservation service, thinks you should always try before you buy. That's why it released Lickable Photos, exclusively available on the OpenTable app.
OnePlus #GetSandstoned
OnePlus, the Chinese smartphone manufacturer whose mission is to make good things even better, introduced a new line of lifestyle products under the name GetSandstoned.
Tesla’s new product line: the Model W
The W stands for Watch.
“This incredible new device from Tesla doesn't just tell the time, it also tells the date. What's more, it is infinitely adjustable, able to tell the time no matter where you are on Earth. Japan, Timbuktu, California, anywhere! This will change your life. Reality as you know it will never be the same,” said Tesla.
The only downside is that you'll need the wrist strength of an orangutan to wear it, as Tesla explained.
Moshi's next generation of AirPlay, SpatiaFlight
The latest firmware update that Moshi released unlocks Spatia’s voice-controlled Flight mode. You see, the device features FAA-approved internal levitation technology, meaning the SpatiaFlight can follow you around and give your life the soundtrack it deserves.
Lexus V-LCRO Technology
Lexus presents the next advancement in man-machine interface: the V-LCRO Performance Driving Seat for the Lexus RC F and GS F.
Dulingo Pillow: learn a new language while you sleep
Duolingo presents its first-ever hardware product, the Duolingo Pillow, available as a Spanish, French, Italian and Japanese version.
“The Pillow is a natural progression of Duolingo’s approach to making language learning as easy, convenient and enjoyable as possible,” said Duolingo CEO and co-founder, Luis von Ahn. “We were proud to have enabled over 120 million people to learn a language in just five minutes every day with Duolingo… but then it struck me: what if we could bring that number down to 0 minutes a day?”
Blizzard Entertainment presents Hearthstone: The MMO
PhoneBuff says flip phones are better than smartphones
Landlines are better than smartphones too!
Use your Zenfone Max to charge a Tesla
The video below explains how you can use your ASUS Zenfone Max to charge a Tesla electric car.
Look your best with Logitech's BeautyCam
Need to look your best in a video conference but your partied like an animal the night before? Logitech's Product Development team has just the thing: the new BeautyCam, which comes with an on-board processor and software that enables real-time airbrushing and image cleanup.
Everything you wanted to know about Roach
You know, the horse from "The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt", the award0winning open-world action role-playing video game developed by CD Projekt RED.
Arma's "Eau de Combat" fragrance for players
"Designed for those who love risk-taking, this brand new perfume appeals to your most basic instincts with the captivating scent of battle," says the fragrance's description.
Meet Nyko's revolutionary EgoBooster1337 controller
The EgoBooster1337 controller has a dedicated compliment button that offers words of encouragement, a win button that rage quits for you, a toxicity filter that screens out the bad comments, and plenty of other cool things.
ARK: Survival Evolved becomes ARK: Survival Devolved
The most realistic survival simulator ever where, are you ready for this, dinosaurs ride humans.
Final Fantasy XIV presents ChocoGo
ChocoGo by Final Fantasy XIV is a new ridesharing service – a 100% green, chocobo-driven transportation initiative.
Maximum Novadrive, a new game from the creators of StarCraft II
"As Nova Terra, the best ghost in the Dominion, you will take to the mean streets of Sharpsburg with a fully customized vulture-class hover cycle," Blizzard explained. "Navigate freeways depicted in stunning 16-bit graphics that almost let you smell the exhaust as Nova struggles against inattentive drivers and poorly enforced traffic laws!"
HeavyBubbles mineral water
I know, I know, this has nothing to do with tech. But it's funny, so it deserves mentioning.
Professional strongman Hafthór Júlíus Björnsson, a.k.a. The Mountain from Game of Thrones, presents a fictional brand of sparkling mineral water called HeavyBubbles.
