Why you'll love 2015's latest laptops
Rumours of the PC's death have been somewhat exaggerated, and we'll see lots of evidence of that this year: the laptops coming to a lap near you this year are going to be amazing. As Kevin Lee explains: "The year has started already kicked off with a massive bang… 2015 is shaping up to be one of the most exciting years for all computers, from Macs and desktop PCs to Windows laptops and Chromebooks alike."
Talkin' 'bout a revolution (in battery tech)
Open up a recent smartphone, tablet or laptop and you're likely to say "my god! It's full of battery!" It's safe to say that while the rest of technology continues to progress at amazing speeds, battery tech is lagging somewhat behind. Not for much longer. Next year will see batteries that don't just offer a little bit more power; they'll offer twice the power of current ones. That has major implications, especially for the burgeoning smartwatch category. James Rogerson has all the details here.
Google Glass: not pining for the fjords
Google Glass isn't dead, Eric Schmidt says. It's just resting. Speaking to the Wall Street Journal, he said that Glass is "a big and very fundamental platform for Google." The end of the Glass Explorer programme doesn't mean the end of Glass. "It's like saying the self-driving car is a disappointment because it's not driving me around now," he said. "These things take time."
Google's Noddy cars: now with airbags on the outside
Last week Google told us that puny humans were too dim to drive cars. This week, it seems Google doesn't think much of our abilities on foot either. A newly unearthed patent shows that should you cause a collision with a Google-powered car – because of course Google's cars won't ever go wrong – Google is considering having a whole bunch of airbags explode to ensure that the only thing you hurt is your pride. They won't be normal airbags, though, as they'd probably fire you into space. Google's approach uses something more like memory foam so that being hit by a car is like falling onto a nice comfortable bed.
