Today’s Hashtag Trending script was prepared by Samira Balsara.
The metaverse hits the real estate industry, carmakers are arguing against the right-to-repair law, and Tesla’s Cyberquad is being re-sold much higher than the original price.
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That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now, welcome to Hashtag Trending. It’s Friday, January 14, and I’m your host, Tom Li.
It was only a matter of time before non-tech sectors started diving into the metaverse, and now, investors are paying millions of dollars for plots of virtual land. Real estate in the metaverse is starting to take off where land is located online. According to a CNBC article, prices for plots have soared as much as 500% in the last few months ever since Facebook announced it was going all-in on virtual reality. The most expensive locations are prime spots, often where lots of users congregate. For example, someone recently paid $450,000 to be Snoop Dogg’s neighbour in a virtual world called the Sandbox. However, experts are warning people on how risky these types of investments can be as it’s easy to lose money.
Car companies are arguing that the right-to-repair law is unconstitutional. While customers in Massachusetts supported the new right-to-repair legislation for cars in 2020, automotive manufacturers are doing whatever they can to delay the implementation of the new law. The law was supposed to take effect in 2022, but new legislation filed in the Massachusetts Legislature could push that date back to 2025. The issue is whether car owners and independent repair shops should have access to the telemetric data generated by their cars. Access to that data has usually been withheld by automakers to stop people from repairing their cars themselves. As of now, the lawsuit results are still pending.
After Tesla’s Cyberquad car for kids sold out in December, some resellers on eBay are listing the product for as much as $4000. Back in December, Tesla launched the quad bike and listed it for $1,900 on its website. The product sold out within a week. The ATV is marketed for children eight and up and has a top speed of 10 miles per hour. As of this week, there were over 40 listings on eBay for the ATV with prices ranging from $2,000 to $5,000. According to Business Insider, over 60 Cyberquads appear to have already been sold, including several for over $3,000.
And now for something a little bit different. If you wear glasses, you’re probably aware of how annoying switching between sunglasses, reading glasses, and regular glasses can be. However, a technology from Deep Optics, revealed at CES this year, may solve that hassle. The adaptive focus shades from Deep Optics can adapt their focus with a simple swipe of the finger across the frames’ temple piece. The lens itself can adjust to the user’s prescription and the app that comes with it can toggle between magnifications. The app can even test vision to see if the users’ prescriptions might need tweaking.
That’s all the tech news that’s trending right now. Hashtag Trending is a part of the ITWC Podcast network. Add us to your Alexa Flash briefings or your Google Home daily briefing. Make sure to sign up for our Daily IT Wire newsletter to get all the news that matters directly in your inbox every day. Also, if you have a suggestion or a tip, drop us a line in the comments or via email. Thank you for listening, I’m Tom Li.