The Week's Funniest and Most Intriguing News (week starting September 26)

Article by George Norman (Cybersecurity Editor)

on 30 Sep 2016

As the weekend gets closer and closer, your productivity goes out the window. You don’t feel like working and you’re not really willing to go over serious news about serious topics.

So, just like the weeks before, I invite you to check out 10 news that will put a smile on your face, make you laugh, and probably even say 'wow' or 'what the f...'

1. Throwing a Jet Black iPhone 7 Plus from the world’s tallest building

In most durability tests, the iPhone takes a drop from chest height. TechRax took it a lot higher than that and dropped a new Jet Black iPhone 7 Plus from the Burj Khalifa, the tallest structure in the world, standing at over 2,700 feet high.



Unfortunately, we don’t get to see what happened to the iPhone 7 Plus. Sigh.


2. Bring back the iPhone’s audio jack with Fuze

Add one more entry to the list of ways you can use your old headphones with the new iPhone 7: by getting a case. Not just any case, the Fuze case that has an integrated Lightning to 3.5mm audio jack adapter.



Learn more about the Fuze case on Indiegogo.


3. Donald Trump still says "the cyber"

During the presidential debate with Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump once again referred to cyber security as "the cyber". Security veteran Graham Cluley responded with yet another amusing video.



"As far as the cyber, I agree to parts of what Secretary Clinton said. We should be better than anybody else, and perhaps we're not."


4. The first time "Google" was used as a verb in a TV show

Telling someone to “go google it" is commonplace and part of everyday vernacular. Everyone uses the term "google" as a verb nowadays. But do you know that the first time this happened on national TV was during an episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer?



Skip to the 2:40 mark if you don’t want to watch the whole thing.


5. Official unboxing video for the PlayStation VR

With only a couple of weeks until the PlayStation VR launch, Sony rolled out an unboxing video for the upcoming virtual reality device.



The PlayStation VR launches on October 13.


6. Delete your Instagram food photos – for charity

While IKEA wants you to stop taking photos of food and posting them on Instagram, Land O’Lakes wants you to delete your food photos – for charity. For each food post that you delete, Land O’Lakes will donate 11 meals to Feeding America, as part of the Delete to Feed campaign.



The campaign ends mid-October. The goal is to donate 2.75 million meals by then.


7. Meet Logitech's new meeting room solution, SmartDock

Earlier this week, Logitech presented SmartDock, "a meeting room solution designed in collaboration with Microsoft that makes it easier and more affordable than ever to join a Skype for Business call from your conference room." The announcement was accompanied by this funny video.



"Enterprises and individuals are today using Skype for Business for all of their daily communications needs, from phone calls to rich video meetings. As a key part of Office 365, Skype for Business enhances collaboration across office and business boundaries," said Zig Serafin, corporate vice president of Skype for Business at Microsoft. "We are excited to see Logitech provide the first next-generation Skype Room Systems solution that brings our customers a low-cost, high-quality, consistent Skype for Business experience to every meeting space."


8. Check out the official Battlefield 1 single player trailer

DICE has rolled out the official single player trailer for the upcoming Battlefield 1 game. And it has updated the game’s website, unveiling that single player mode has five main "war stories" to offer: Friends in High Places, Nothing is Written, Through Mud and Blood, Avanti Savoia, and The Runner.



Check the system requirements to see if your PC can handle Battlefield 1.


9. The first 20 minutes of Gears of War 4

"Gears of War has a history of iconic campaign openings, from the prison break in the first Gears of War to Marcus’ nightmare flashback in Gears of War 3, and Gears of War 4 is no different. Today, we’re excited to share the first gameplay of the epic opening to Gears 4’s campaign known as Prologue," announced Liam Ashley, Community Manager, The Coalition.



Play Gears of War 4 starting October 11 or earlier.


10. Banner Saga 2 rolled out to Google Play

Banner Saga 2, the Viking-themed tactical role-playing game that features amazing artwork and captivating gameplay, has finally been released for Android and is available for download on Google Play.



Banner Saga 2 for PC and Mac was released back in April. The version for Xbox One and PS4 was released in July.



Latest News


Sony's 'Attack of the Blockbusters Sale' Slashes Prices in Half for a Ton of PS4 Games

17 Aug 2017

How Samsung's New T5 Compares to the Old T3 Portable SSD (Infographic)

17 Aug 2017

See all