Nike unveils production version of its self-tying shoes

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Sorry to disappoint Back to the Future fans but the self-tying shoes Nike outs for mass production isn’t like the 2015 Air Mag (a.k.a. the literal incarnation of Marty McFly’s famous sneakers). What the sports brand introduced is a more practical (and yes, we have to admit a bit boring) version of it. Called the HyperAdapt 1.0, these new running sneakers, as advertised, will tie the laces on its own once you put them on. While it seems like we’re taking away an important rite of passage for kids (learning to tie laces), these shoes are meant to take the worry away from runners of loosening laces while they pound the pavement. You will need to charge the sneakers though every two weeks.

Tiffany Beers, a Nike senior innovator who worked as the lead on the sneaker, said they started working on the shoe’s technology about 10 years ago but fellow designer Tinker Hatfield had the idea or “vision” for it when he worked on it for Back to the Future II. But they had to wait for the technology to evolve and for motors to become small enough. Their team sourced servo motors, which is similar to the ones used in small train engines and helicopter wings, and studied the transportation industry’s engineering feats to develop their motor. To adjust the fit of the shoes or release the foot, there’s a small plus-minus buttons on the side. And while it has been tested in water, Beers doesn’t recommend these be taken out in a rainstorm. The HyperAdapt will be available to Nike+ app members in three colorways starting in the 2016 holiday season. There’s no retail price for it yet.

Source: HuffPost Sports

Facebook rumoured to be unveiling ‘Bot Store’ at F8 conference

Facebook will reportedly unveil a game-changing feature at its upcoming F8 developer conference. The social network will supposedly introduce the Bot Store, which will allow its users to download a range of automated programs that they can interact with through Messenger. For example, you can download a bot for a fast food joint. You can just send the bot your message and it’ll ring that up for you. These bots could change the way we use the Internet and even replace browsers and apps, centralizing everything in this one service.

Chat platforms like Slack and Telegram have been using bots for a while but bringing said feature to Facebook’s one billion users will bring the feature to the mainstream market. The F8 conference is happening on April 12 to 13 in San Francisco. We have to wait ‘til then to get news.

Source: Independent

Overcast gets nifty new voice boost settings on iOS app

Podcast manager Overcast brings a bunch of new handy features to its iOS app. These include a new voice boost setting that will custom tune audio and improve volume and quality for when you use the built-in speaker on an iPhone. It has a new smaller visualizer meant to save you a bit of battery. The app now also lets you add or delete a new batch for all episodes of a podcast. The app is free but it has a patron service where you can optionally donate to get access to certain features like a new dark theme and the ability to upload audio files to the Overcast site for streaming. 

Source: Lifehacker | Download: Apple App Store (Free)

Facebook now lets you play basketball on Messenger

Here's another potential time waster on Facebook Messenger. The app will now let you play a simple pop-a-shot game. All you need to do to start playing is send a basketball emoji to a friend and then tap it. To shoot you just need to swipe. When you make 10 consecutive shots, the basket starts moving.

Facebook released a mini-game before. In case you didn't know, the app lets you play chess with friends. Just type @fbchess play to begin a match.

Source: BuzzFeed News