If you’ve had a busy week, you’ve likely missed out on some of the top news releases that happened this week. And you missed a lot; we had our first peeks into what a Snapdragon X laptop will look like, we saw some awesome uses for Raspberry Pis, and someone managed to backport thousands of apps from Windows 98 to Windows 95. Fortunately, there’s no need to dig through our archive to find those stories; here are all the cool things that happened this last week.
5 Microsoft’s new AI tech shows we aren’t far from webcam-free video conferencing
Why turn on your webcam when a photo of you will suffice?
First up, we see what happens when you mix AI-powered image manipulation with audio sync. The result? You no longer need a webcam to partake in video calls. Simply upload a photo of your own face and AI will automatically make it speak and emote for you. The technology is called VASA, and while it’s not yet ready for public release, don’t be surprised if you find yourself speaking to a talking portrait in the near future.
4 Forget paying for scanners: this genius made one for cheap with a Raspberry Pi
Digital documents made easy
Probably the best feeling when making stuff with your Raspberry Pi is when you hit upon something that’s genuinely useful in your daily life. Not much can beat this fully-fledged scanner that uses a Raspberry Pi and a few 3D-printed frame pieces to get the job done. It can accurately digitise any document thrown at it, and can be built for a fraction of the price of buying an all-in-one printer. Best of all, the designer shared everything you need to make one at home, from the 3D printable parts to the code used to scan the document.
3 Here’s your first look at a real Snapdragon X laptop
A glimpse at the future
The first Snapdragon X laptops will be officially announced in May, but who wants to wait that long? Fortunately, the prolific leaker WalkingCat gave us a sneak peek at what’s coming up, and it’s certainly sleek and thin. We know that Lenovo is the company behind this laptop, and we think it’ll sport a 14.5-inch monitor, but other than that, there’s still a lot of speculation around what it can do. Given how you’ll need a Snapdragon X elite to run AI Explorer in Windows 11, you may have one sooner than you think.
2 Up your game with this high-tech portable putting green powered by a Raspberry Pi
Who says golf can’t be technological?
Source: Puttr
If you’re practicing your putting swing for the green, why not have a Raspberry Pi help you out? Called “Puttr,” this handy device uses an SBC to monitor the speed and accuracy of your putt, and can be customised with up to 27 different tees. It comes with some multiplayer gamemodes, and was so influential that it managed to catch the eye of the people over at Raspberry Pi HQ. Plus, it’s nice enough to actually send the ball back to you once you’ve finished your putt.
1 Someone just ported thousands of apps to Windows 95, because time is a flat circle
Bust out that out PC
And finally, we have the amazing feat that is making thousands of Windows 98 apps compatible with Windows 95 by backporting them. It was by no means an easy feat, as the tech wizard behind this feat had to implement .NET on an operating system that was never designed to have it. But now that it’s done, people can use lots of .NET-based apps on Windows 95, which the developer says was like a love letter for one of the most influential operating systems in Windows history.