This August, technology forgot to take a summer holiday and instead thrilled us with lots of exciting new developments. There were even more iPhone 6 rumours, Twitter allowed everyone to analyse their tweets and we discovered the world’s tiniest modem…
1. The first smartphone celebrates 20 years
On 16th August 1994, the first smartphone was released to the public, and this began our love affair with the handy device that organises our lives.
That smartphone, the IBM Simon, was slightly different to the pocket-sized smartphones that we are used to today as it weighed 500g. Despite its extra weight the phone did contain some familiar features, for example, the user could send emails and messages, take notes and make use of a calendar.
It was also the first phone to feature software apps, so it became very useful for the business community
2. Twitter makes their analytics public
There was some very exciting news towards the end of the month as Twitter announced that their analytics dashboard would be publicly available to all users.
Twitter previously revealed that their analytics would be able to track tweets and inform the user on how many views they were receiving. But at that stage this could only be used by advertisers and verified users.
Unsurprisingly this disappointed many users, so Twitter rethought their strategy and have now made analytics available to everyone.
See how your tweets are performing now: https://analytics.twitter.com
3. Intel introduces the tiniest modem
Whilst some things are rumoured to be getting bigger, for example the new iPad, Intel have decided to produce the world’s smallest modem.
The XMM 6255 is approximately 300 sq mm in size, which is about the same size as a penny in the UK. Regardless of its size it still manages to cope with difficult conditions due to its overheating protection and ability to be embedded in devices around the home.
Intel also hopes that this will be pioneering in wearable technology as this standalone chip can fit easily in smaller devices.
4. The iPhone 6 is rumoured to be scratchproof
Another month, another iPhone 6 rumour. This time it has been revealed that the latest offering from Apple could include scratchproof screens, an addition that would set this iPhone apart from the competition and its predecessors.
In 2012 Apple patented the idea of laminating layers of sapphire to glass so that they could produce a surface which is incredibly strong. For previous iPhones they have just used toughened glass and now they want to implement the man-made sapphire to create a tougher screen.
Although Apple hopes that this could mean the end of screen protectors we won’t be forgetting to use this safety measure in a hurry!
5. Robots take over the Tate
No, this isn’t just another episode of Doctor Who! Instead for one night only, the Tate Modern opened its doors to robots so that they could stream live footage on the Tate’s “After Dark” website.
People that logged onto the site were then given an exclusive look at the 500 years of art and could even control the robots from their laptops. If the viewer directed the robot to a piece of art they would then hear a live commentary from art experts.
This innovative idea was the result of a competition to create more digital practices in museums. We wonder what they will think of next! We would love to see this in the National Museum Cardiff!